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Former Zambian President Frederick Chiluba talks to Andrew Mwenda about how President Yoweri Museveni requested him to talk to Dr Milton Obote about his return
One time I was in Kampala, either on a state visit to Uganda, or attending a conference.
President Museveni approached me and asked me if I could talk to former President Milton Obote. I asked President Museveni what he needed me to tell Obote and he said parliament in Uganda was making a law regarding retired presidents.
I do not remember all the details now, but I recollect that President Museveni asked me whether I could convince President Obote to take advantage of the law and return to Uganda.
I felt this w
as a
good thing.
So when I came back here to Lusaka, I invited former President Obote to State House.
I told him that Uganda’s parliament was considering a law to allow him to return home. I told him about the request from President Museveni and added that I felt he did not want to stay in Zambia forever.
I told Obote I was very willing to broker his return, but only if he was willing and happy to return home. As host, I also was conscious of the fact that Obote may interpret my request as a polite way of asking him to leave Zambia.
So I made it clear to him that if he was reluctant to return home, my government would respect his concerns and we would remain happy to stay with him.
Then President Obote told me that there were things happening in Kampala, which made it difficult for him to accept President Museveni’s invitation. I asked him what was happening.
He said “Well, my father has died in very suspicious circumstances and so has my mother.
So I
don’t know where this law is pointing. Maybe I am a target they have not reached quickly. Perhaps after this law, they think I will take it as bait and get into Uganda very quickly so that they can kill me too. I am sorry I am not available.”
Obote then told me that President Museveni had once said at a public rally that if he, Obote, landed at Entebbe airport, he would be shot dead.
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I HAD TO HELP: Former Zambian president, Frederick Chiluba and Andrew Mwenda during the interview. Chiluba says letting Obote stay in Zambia during his term was his responsibilty (Monitor photo). |
Although I did not believe this story, I learnt later that President Museveni had actually been quoted in the local press in Uganda making those remarks and the government had not dismissed these reports. I became suspicious that there was likelihood that President Obote’s fears had some basis. So I left him.
I said “Sir, thank you very much. I will go and deliver this message to my brother in Uganda.”
And so I went and reported to President Museveni about my discussions with Obote.
President Museveni received the information respectfully and said, “It is okay, if he does not want to return home, that is his choice. We have played our part. Now we have placed the matter in Obote’s hands to seize the opportunity.”
That is where my role as a go-between, between the two presidents ended. There wasn’t any fuss.
I had a good relationship
with
President Obote. I had heard about him when he was president, when he was overthrown, when he returned to power and when he was overthrown again.
I also knew that he used to love Zambia and that President Kenneth Kaunda was his friend. I knew that he was now in exile here in Lusaka.
When I was president-elect, I was conscious of his position here in Zambia, and I was concerned that since President Kaunda was the one who had brought him here, our election may cause him discomfort and fear.
We knew that Dr Obote had come to Zambia and surely in life, when you are running away from something, you must have somewhere to run to.
In the political world we live in today, not everybody should say no to you, otherwise people would never save their countries. No one knows when these circumstances might occur.
And so the unfortunate developments, which happened during Dr. Obote’s presidency, were not reason for us not to shake hands or stay with him.
I felt that with Dr. Kaunda gone, (especially since he had brought Dr. Obote to Zambia) I had that responsibility transferred
to me
and after elections, I went to the official residence and I asked people to bring Dr. Obote over.
I thought he was going to be very anxious and ask himself that if the new government made no contact with him, was that the end of his stay in Zambia? What was next?
To stop him from making any frantic efforts to get to know what his next destination would be, I felt bound and obliged to ask him to come and see me so that I could assure him.
As president-elect, I invited him to visit me at my home where I gave him assurances that he was still welcome to stay in Zambia if he so wished under our administration.
I don’t remember precisely everything that I said but basically it was to reassure him that he was home in Africa among his own people and they would look after him.
We did not discuss whether or not he made mistakes in Uganda.
That was generally reported in the world news media. But we had the job and the duty to look after him first as an Af
rican
and secondly, as an African elder statesman.
And so we said, “Please feel welcome, feel at home just like those old good days under Kaunda. You must feel you’re among your younger people; we will take care of you.”
So, my meeting with President Obote was conducted under that background. He knew our position.
Tomorrow, former Zambian President Frederick Chiluba tells of how he mediated talks between Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and Angola over the conflict in Congo,
leading to the 1998 Lusaka Peace Accord.
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