The reburial ceremony surely must bring back tears that had long dried. But we now all find ourselves recalling the late Former Minister/IGP Erinayo Oryema, his life and his death on 17th February 1977. There have been many versions about what happened on that fateful day. Books have been written and royalties pocketed by many individuals who sadly placed themselves as authorities on events that happened in Uganda back in 1977. I am sure that many Ugandans today would also have wanted to hear what Field Marshal Idi Amin had to say. Unfortunately that opportunity has passed. But until that fateful last meeting at Nile Mansions, Ministers Oboth Ofumbi and Erinayo Oryema were free persons. The late Archbishop Janan Luwum had been the main suspect until then. Had Luwum not mentioned the two ministers as his co-conspirators during that meeting, they would have gone back free men as they had come. But Janan Luwum pointed at them and he did so as all invited foreign diplomats watched. What I can confirm is two things. First, because the persons involved were senior figures in Uganda, my fathers last orders before leaving Nile Mansions was that they be taken to their individual homes and that they be brought back the next day for another meeting with him. Under no circumstances were they to be thrown in jail like common criminals because of their status. The other issue is that Amin dashed to the State Research Bureau and quarreled with the officers that had been responsible for taking the three individuals home. He did that the moment he heard that the three personalities were dead. Their argument took place in the open parking lot of the building. I watched from the fence as the officers tried to explain themselves to Idi Amin. He was clearly angry at them and kept on asking if they knew what trouble this meant for him and his government. He then abruptly left the SRB premises. I have asked myself many questions about that day. This reburial ceremony puts the topic back on the table. Questions about how the three individuals died will never cease as they continue to generate debate today. The subsequent governments after Amin have also never conducted an autopsy to clear fact from fiction. If Janan Luwum, Oboth Ofumbi and Erinayo Oryema had died by bullet shots to the head as is being rumoured, that would have easily been verifiable by forensic experts and would have brought some closure earlier to relatives. As for the weapons found at Namirembe Cathedral (the underlying matter that brought about the whole incident), I personally viewed them as they were on display on the front lawn. They lay next to a blue truck with a Pepsi sign from which they had been offloaded. In the book "Sowing The Mustard Seed", President Museveni discusses the operation from the instigators perspective. If I recall correctly, the persons who actually drove the trucks are mentioned in the book. But the ceremony that the country is now holding for the late Erinayo Oryema is more about professional recognition. Whatever happened the day he perished is another matter yet to be fully established.
Hussein Juruga Lumumba Amin Kampala, Uganda _______________________________________________ WestNileNet mailing list WestNileNet@kym.net http://orion.kym.net/mailman/listinfo/westnilenet WestNileNet is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. _______________________________________________
