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Tuesday, 9 June 2020
I am God: Maj Gen Kasirye Ggwanga dies: Discovering Museveni’s General , the man who feared nothing including God
"Me,
Kasirye Gwanga to pray with these idiots? I do not pray, I speak with
God anytime, I am Him,...Did I write the Bible? Doesn’t it say I was
made in His image? So I am God and even now I am speaking to Him.”
Gen Kasirye Gwanga in jovial mood during an interview at his farm in Mityana last year. PHOTO BY PHIONAH NASSANGA
By Monitor Reporter
Rtd Maj Gen
Kasirye Ggwanga on Tuesday morning breathed his last at Nakasero
Hospital where he had been admitted a few weeks ago.
Born
in Mubende District in 1952, Gen Ggwanga served in the army for 47
years. He retired in 2018 to farming. His life had mostly been
characterised by controversies with allegations of shooting at people
during brawls on various occasions.
Army days
Gen Kasirye Ggwanga in an interview with Daily Monitor last year spoke of his days in the army with pride.
“My
life is dangerous; I joined the army in 1972 when I was just 20 years
old. The then president Idi Amin Dada posted me in the West Nile. I was
with Brigadier Gen Mark Kodili Ayiasi and by far, we were the youngest.
In 1979 I was arrested in Tanzania,” he said.
“Gen
Kodili is one of the few honest and professional army officers I have
worked with. No wonder he is a Sandhurst-trained army officer,” he
added.
Discovering Kasirye Gwanga, the man who fears nothing
L-R: Col. Sam Wasswa, Lt.Col Kasirye Gwanga and Col. Peter Kerim
pictured at Namukora, the burial place of Gen Tito Okello in 1996.
By Ivan Okuda
Kasirye Gwanga!
Make mention of the name and you will be sure to get a wealth of
descriptions about the beholder. Arrogant, proud, loose talker, down to
earth, straightforward, brave and cantankerous….the list could go on and
on. At the end of the day, it is a question of who is saying what about
him and from what point of view. Thus is the world of the man whose
domain I set out to explore.
The journey started with a
one hour ride from Kampala to the remote Kisoga village in Mukono, a
few kilometers away from Mukono town where his 200 acre farm lies. The
place is so isolated that only a few wornout structures exist, the rest
is his farm with livestock and fruits.
In the taxi,
passengers stare at me in awe when I ask the conductor to drop me at
Kasirye Gwanga’s place. The bodaboda rider who takes me to his farm
wonders, “Naye gwe eyo empologoma mwogela ki naye?” meaning, “What do
you talk about with that lion?” I only tell him I have a meeting and
tickle him to tell me more about the “lion”. He goes into how one time
Afande as he is popularly known, caned policemen.
“I
wonder why people suffer with suicide; just go to his farm and before
you know he has shot you, bodaboda men only go there when they are
called by him,” he said. “Forget about Moses Golola (the kick boxer),
Kasirye Gwanga is bad news, no nonsense!”
When he drops
me at the entrance to the farm, he urges me not to take chances as
anything can happen. I oblige and call Afande who asks one of the gate
men to take me to our interview venue.
The middle aged man stares at me suspiciously. I tactfully manipulate him to tell me about his boss.
“Mama
nyabo! Just go and find out yourself,” he says, making me push him to
the wall to say something positive about him, “He is good, but changes
colours. You work aware that there are slaps for you if you make
mistakes.”
About three weeks ago, Ggwanga was transferred from the military
hospital in Mbuya to Nakasero Hospital, where he breathed his last on
Tuesday at the age of 67.
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KAMPALA - Retired
senior army officer Maj. Gen. Kasirye Ggwanga, who died Tuesday at
Nakasero Hospital in Kampala aged 67, has been described as a "hero and
model" and "one of the best military officers Uganda has ever had".
At
the end of this Heroes Day speech at State House, President Yoweri
Museveni asked those in attendance to stand up for a minute of silence
in honour of the fallen army officer.
Meanwhile, funeral arrangements got under way, with New Vision
understanding that the army would take the lead in the funeral
programme. A UPDF ambulance was seen arriving at Nakasero Hospital and
later leaving with a UPDF hearse headed for Bombo.
Earlier, in
the health facility's compound, a disconsolate man, later identified as
Ggwanga's son, was seen breaking down, with the people around trying to
comfort him.
In the weeks leading to his death, Ggwanga's state of health had been a subject of talk in public.
Some
UPDF officials arrived at the hospital as journalists were restricted
from entering the health facility's premises to avoid crowds in
observance of the coronavirus guidelines. They had to wait outside for
any official communication from Ggwanga's family or the army about his
death.
Inside, it was an emotional mood as family and friends
came to terms with the death of their own, who was transfered from the
military hospital in Mbuya about three weeks ago to Nakasero Hospital.
'A hero and a model'
Lt. Col. Juma Seiko addressed journalists outside Nakasero Hospital on Tuesday
One of the high-profile people seen at Nakasero on Tuesday was
Lt. Col. Juma Seiko, who told journalists outside the hospital gate that
Ggwanga was one of the best military officers Uganda has ever had. "As
Juma Seiko, I was his very good friend. I would say he was a hero and a
model," he said.
A month before his death, Ggwanga advised Seiko
to plant trees for commercial purposes. He took his advice and now plans
to plant trees in his home district Kapchorwa next year. Seiko told
reporters he plans to name that forest after Kasirye Ggwanga, who after
retiring from the army in 2018, concentrated on farming.
ICT and
national guidance minister Judith Nabakooba, also speaking at Nakasero
Hospital, described Ggwanga as a "true patriot" whose death has left a
huge gap.
(Additional reporting by David Lumu)
Scenes outside Nakasero Hospital
Journalists were blocked from accessing the Nakasero Hospital premises.
Born in 1952 in Mubende district, Ggwanga attained his primary
education at Katakala Primary School, before advancing to Kibuli
Secondary School for his O'Level education. Thereafter, he joined the
Uganda Army in 1972, during the regime of Idi Amin.
After
successful training, Ggwanga was posted to Arua in West Nile as a map
reader. In 1978, he was promoted to the position of artillery officer.
In
1978, the Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF) invaded Uganda and in
1979, they captured Kampala and toppled President Amin. Ggwanga
surrendered and was taken to Tanga in Tanzania as a prisoner of war.
In
June 1980, President Godfrey Binaisa negotiated the return of the
political prisoners to Uganda. They were first housed at Maluku Prison
in Mbale District, before being later moved to Kirinya Prison. On
October 7 in 1981, Ggwanga was in the first group to be released.
The
events following Ggwanga's release, saw his elder brother Lt. James
Kasirye, a military pilot, arrested, tortured and then killed when he
refused to identify where his brother Ggwanga was hiding.
To
avenge the killing of his brother, Ggwanga joined the UFA rebels, then
about 650-strong. In 1985, he left UFA and joined Yoweri Museveni's
National Resistance Army, which captured power in January 1986. During
the drive to capture Kampala, Ggwanga commanded a 120mm artillery unit.
Between
1986 and 2005, Ggwanga served in several roles, including as the LC5
chairman for Mubende district and as director of stores in the UPDF.
On
January 31, 2005, he was retired from the UPDF at the rank of
brigadier. However, three months later, he returned to the military and
asked to be re-instated. The UPDF commander-in-chief allowed him to
rejoin on a renewable contract of five years.
Ggwanga, a married
father, was a commercial farmer and owned two farms - one in Mubende and
another in Mukono, which he referred to as Camp David.
