VIDEO: Museveni survives death in Mbale

Had one bullet gone to the right direction on January 23, 1973, Ugandan politics would completely have taken a different direction.

To those who would rather take different angles, we would never have had the constitutional amendment to have the age limit removed, or more closely, today would never have been named the National Liberation Day, may be to the satisfaction of many from the opposition that have accused the ruling NRM and Yoweri Museveni of vainglorious infallibility, Yoweri Museveni would never have been president of this republic.

On the day, forty two years ago, Museveni, then a young guerilla fighter camouflaging as a student from Tanzania had visited Malukhu Estate in Mbale with two of his colleagues; Martin Mwesigwa and a one Kazimoto (Originally called Mpiima Wunku).

The visitors were hosted at the home of their key mobiliser, Maumbe Mukhwana. According to records and Museveni, the house was numbered 49.

“In the 1970’s I had occasion to fight Amin’s soldiers in Mbale two times, I was actually almost killed in Malukhu estates on the 23 Jan 1973 in house number 49, I think it is still there,” Museveni narrates.

While Museveni and his colleagues chatted about at the house, they were joined by a one Patrick Bukeni Namatiti who was coming in from Tanzania where he was a trainee.  Namatiti is alive and he has collaborated the story.

Namatiti had carried messages from Prof Dani Nabudere and James Wapakhabulo who was then the principle legal officer of the EAC. On arrival, Namatiti was diverted by Museveni and he did not pass on the messages immediately, instead an inquisitive Museveni started cross-examining him to find if his information coordinated or if he was not a set up.

The cross examination took about an hour, and before they could now settle for what their intention was, they were joined by other visitors- government soldiers.

Amin’s soldiers surrounded the house and they had Museveni and crew in their custody, albeit temporarily.

“The soldiers surrounded the house in a very unprofessional manner, they did not cock their guns,” Museveni narrates later.

“We don’t know who tipped off the soldiers but at that particular moment, Maumbe’s wife came because she was concerned that I did not have a local identity card. At that time, I had an ID from Tanzania. She warned me to get out of the house through the backdoor. Museveni was still in the sitting room with his colleagues,” Namatiti narrates.

“As I was getting out, I remembered that I had come with a bag which had Museveni’s messages. Maumbe’s wife insisted that I get out of the house as fast as I could but I told her that my bag was still there, angrily, she replied: “No get out of here.” Namatiti continues.

Namatiti adds that he had less to see as he started speeding off towards Malukhu forest.

Meanwhile Museveni and his colleagues were being quizzed by the army, that had deployed heavily at the residence. They asked Museveni and colleagues to walk out and head to a waiting car. Half way, the commander of the operation asks Museveni who owned the private car that had parked in the compound ( a Volkswagen), Museveni replies the car was his, he was then ordered to get in the same car with his colleagues and drive ahead to the barracks.

“One of the soldiers, poking a rifle into my side, told me to open and enter the car. Taking them by surprise, I jumped over the hedge, hoping that my colleagues would follow my example and scatter in different directions. At that time, I realized that they had not done so.”

A quicker younger Museveni, pursued by a quite older, Amin soldier burdened by gumboots, sprinted several yards ahead of his would be captor. The soldier would neither shoot, nor run faster and Museveni used the opportunity to tear away.

When the soldier saw Museveni widening the distance, and of course realizing the fact that he would not make it with the footrace, he started shooting.

The soldier’s bullets could have written a different story for Uganda for each bullet went out with a future written on it, but they did not meet their target, allowing Museveni sprint off and later land in a chair at state house as the president of Uganda.

“I managed to escape and slept in a lodge near Bugema barracks,” Museveni narrates.

Museveni says that a young boy by the name Namirundu died in his place.

“The boy by a name of Namirundu who was publicly executed in Mbale, he used to give me food, he died in my place.”