CHAPTER 01

EARLY CHILDHOOD / SCHOOL LIFE

Background.

I was born in Bugangari Sub-County, Rujumbura Rukungiri District in western Uganda. My parents are Canon James Byarugaba and Mrs Alice Byarugaba who have worked and stayed in Rukungiri, Rujumbura County, Bugangari sub - county. Am the first born in a family of six children namely; Byamugisha Moses, Niwagaba Wilber, Musiimenta Allen, Nampumuza Dickson, Abinsinguza Samuel and Nahurira Ruth. We pray from the Anglican Church at Bugangari Church of Uganda.

My grandfather, Mzee Charles Rwamukwaya(RIP) was a mukiga from Kabare. He was one of the Bakiga that in the 1940s migrated from Kigezi Kabare and settled in Rujumbura. I come from the Abahinda clan, our totem is a monkey. A story is told about the origin of this totem. That one day long time ago, a monkey tried to carry away a baby who was sleeping as parents were busy in the garden. When the father tried to spear the monkey, he accidentally speared and killed the baby. As Abahinda, we also have a relationship with a crested crane ( Entuuha n’omuhinda ).

Early school life

When I became of age to start school, my parents took me to Nyakitabaata Primary school. This was a Catholic Church founded and based school which was located about 2kms from our home where i studied Primary one. I was then shifted to Bugangari primary school, which was started by Bugangari Church of Uganda where i studied Primary two and three. During this period, my father was still based at our village home in Bugangari sub-county and he was a tailor with a shop in Bugangari trading centre where he sold school uniforms, handbags, shirts, dresses , etc. Eventually, my father shifted his business to Rukungiri town and so with my young brother Mr Niwagaba Wilber, we were transferred to Kinyasaano boarding primary school which is located in Rukungiri Municipality and was considered a better school then.

Although my parents did not attend higher classes in terms of education, they were very committed to ensuring that their children excel at school. So one of the reasons why he shifted his business to the main town was to enable us access a better school where they were assured that we learn better and perform well. Although part of our family shifted to start staying in town which was about 11kms away, my mother opted to stay in the village reasoning that she was to keep the work in the gardens running so that her children never lack food. And indeed, every Monday mum gathered various food stuffs and sent them to us in town. So whenever we went to school on Monday, we would always return very early that day because this was a day when we received fresh food stuffs like mangoes, yellow bananas, sweet potatoes, maize etc from mum in the village.

Dad and mummy kept hard working and eventually transformed the business into a boutique plus other related items like mattresses. Our parents wanted us to be multi - skilled to be able to attend effectively to a number of challenges that come our way. In this respect and being the eldest son, dad started training me how to run a business, how to calculate profits, how to engage and convince a customer, keeping records and being accountable, knowing who owes our business money and how much , etc. He always recorded for me in the book the prices for all the items in the stork and always encouraged me to open the shop and work even if he was away.

Actually my first time to count and keep one million, i was in primary four. And this was a period when Uganda was still using the Uganda Shillings 100 paper note. The customer was buying iron sheets, i counted the money which was clearly so bulky. So when the customer left with his goods, i called our landlady (who was a fairly trusted lady) and requested her to keep the money until Dad comes. I was worried of keeping what to me was a lot of money for someone might attack me due to my young age. I thank God that i was careful not to misuse money from the business; Dad had briefed me that it is where my school fees comes from so I could not make a mistake. Whereas I was his son, he treated me more like his brother. He made me realize that I was a big stakeholder in this business.

Back at school, I was a very active member of the Uganda Scouts Association. As an association, we made good performances on parents’ day or whenever we had visitors at school. I was also very active in the school choir where I played the xylophone and our music teacher then was Mr Bamwesiga. In 1997, our music team participated and won from Sub County, to district, to regional competitions in Kisoro district and finally came to compete in Kampala at the Uganda National Cultural Centre commonly known as National Theatre in Kampala. That was my first time to come to Kampala. We camped at Shimoni Primary School now Kingdom Kampala where we would stay and then move to the National theatre for rehearsals. On one evening, I escaped from the rest of the group because I wanted to tour the city and our tight schedule was not permitting. From Shimon School, I sloped down the road and took a walk. I followed the railway line admiring tall buildings only to find myself along Mukwano Industries heading to Nsambya. It took the kindness of a boda-boda man to ride me back to the national theatre to re-join with my colleagues.

I finished my primary school in 1997. The culture of the school then was that in most times, the boys would go to Makobore High School while the girls would join Kinyasano Girls Secondary School. Makobore was a very good school to me because they also had a very strong Scouts association. I was a very tiny boy when I joined senior one at Makobore and I was admitted to stay in Burundi House. In order to avoid being bullied which was very common at the time, I made friends with some of the bigger boys from whose association I got security. When we joined senior two, I considered running to become a room monitor and I was lucky that members in our dormitory supported me and I won. A room monitor usually came from the O-level while the dormitory captain who was the overall leader usually came from the A-level classes. I intentionally made very good relations with most students I met which made me a likable character amongst students in my circles.

I remember of an instance as a member of the boy scouts, there was a planned trip for scouts from different schools to go camping at Kazi, Busabala in Kampala. I did not have the money to pay for the trip but I had all along been a very active member of the association and our leaders liked me. So in the face of the possibility of my failure to travel to Kampala for the national event, the boys in our team decided to come up with a plan to travel with me without the knowledge of the Scout master. No one was allowed (or expected) to fluke. In case one was found, they could easily be suspended from the school. I was rolled up among the papyrus carpets that were to be used to build the makeshift tents on arrival in Kampala and was loaded onto the lorry. They lifted me carefully and positioned the carpet in such a way that I could breathe.

I kept inside the carpet as they read the names of the genuine paid-up students as they boarded the lorry. I did not emerge out of the carpet; I stayed still throughout the journey all the way from Rukungiri until late in the night towards Masaka when it was too dark for the scout master to check again in the lorry. I was pulled out of the carpet later, I quietly mixed with other students and we continued the journey. On arrival at the camping site, I got out of the lorry very first and went away. I only returned after like 4 hours and greeted everyone including the scout master, informing them how I later got transport and decided to follow the team by public means.

In 1999 a few weeks after the start of the first term while I was a class monitor in S.2(south) at Makobore High School, students held a strike over poor meals and most of the leaders were expelled for their failure to report the strike and controlling students, thats how i left the school.

Joining Bugangari Secondary School

I joined Bugangari Secondary School following my indefinite suspension from Makobore High School. While there and because of my wide exposure, I quickly built a lot of influence among the students largely by participating in most activities of the school. Much as I was not a leader, I started addressing students at the general assembly, something that made the administration very concerned. Remember my new school was aware that I had been suspended from Makobore SS and they always argued that students from Makobore were very indisciplined.

So one time after addressing the student’s assembly in the presence of the administration, the Head teacher called me back in front of the students, complained about my shoes and caned me badly. I was not happy and so were my friends but we decided to keep peace.

In 3rd term of the same year, a beloved literature teacher fell out with the school administration and left, something which angered the students so much because he was very liked by many. So in response to this, students staged a strike in the night. Luckily for me, the strike began when I was home having dinner with my parents.

The following day, the school released a list of students who had led the strike and my name was on top of the list. I had no hand in that strike but the Headmaster argued that such a big plan by students could not be executed without my hand in it so again I was expelled from Bugangari SS.

Joining Rukungiri Central Secondary School

I joined Rukungiri Central Secondary School to start my S.3 in 2000. The head teacher of that school (then)Mr. Kahambisa Kham welcomed me and loved me so much. He tapped into my leadership abilities and always encouraged me. In the former schools, I had always been looked at as a threat but for the first time, I had someone who welcomed me for who I was at Rukungiri Central SS.

Eventually I got an idea and a desire to start an initiative of presenting school news stories at every Monday assembly. For some reason, I felt that I needed to be addressing students and offering guidance. But this time, I did not want to collide with the administration. When I suggested to the Headmaster to allow me read schools news at school assembly, he gave me a go ahead. I selected three ladies and two gentlemen with whom we were coordinating this program. We normally gathered news stories from what was transpiring around school e.g. students clubs, health inspection reports, exam results etc. On every Monday assembly, we would be provided a slot to read news. Our stories were read under a magazine called The Open Eye which was also my creation.

I had a desire of addressing students and the students loved me. I always wanted an opportunity to address students. Due to active participation in the student’s community, I was voted to become the Minister for Information and Education which gave me better platform. Meanwhile when I joined Senior three, I dropped all science subjects after all I was performing poorly and only kept agriculture as the compulsory practical subject. On dropping sciences, I joined the fine art and political science classes. Mr. Kahambisa happened to be the teacher for Political Education, a subject that became my favorite. From my first exam internally in our class to the final exam by Uganda National Examination Board, I never scored any mark below Distinction 1 in political science. I was so good in the subject to the extent that the teacher always asked me to mark the answer sheets for the class behind us on his behalf. Till the end of my O’ level, I enjoyed my stay at the school. When results for senior four came, i was one of the students that scored a first grade although mathematics almost caused me to jump to second grade. Because our school wanted the public to know that they teach well and students perform well, our names were always announced on Radio Rukungiri for over a week. During the period when my name was being aired on radio, I was always walking on Rukungiri streets with my head and shoulders high.

I returned to this school for my A level and offered HED/Fine Art as my combination. I considered the political capital that I had accumulated while still in O-level at the same school, I then contested and was voted overwhelmingly as the Head prefect. Because of my skills and good working relationship with the administration, there was no strike during my term of office and no student was ever suspended or expelled. One of the many things achieved as Head prefect was to mobilize students under various clubs like Drama, Scouts association, Geography club, History club,Straight Talk Club , Etc. The Straight Talk Foundation in Kampala was always in touch with my office and always sent delegations to visit our school and conduct trainings on reproductive health.

It was during my time at this school that I made up my mind to study law. I had been motivated by a number of factors especially the politics of Reform Agenda characterized by harassments, disappearances & forced exile and the teachings in my political education classes.

At the end of my A-level,I got only 14 points which could not take me straight to university to do a Bachelor’s Degree in Law at Makerere University or Uganda Christian Universities. In this confusion, there were some people who kept advising me and my parents that if law has failed, could do any other course. They argued that what was important is to have a degree from a university. I thank God that my parents always discussed and listened to my views as well, we agreed that it will either be law or nothing. To this, a good friend advised us that I could actually join Law Development Centre and study a diploma in law which could eventually lead me to a university.

Joining LDC for Under Graduate Diploma.

Much as I had performed fairly well at my senior six, I could not gain automatic admission at the University at the time. First of all because my preferred course which was law required more points which were higher than the ones I scored. Therefore, this meant that I either had to change and go for another course where I could be admitted with lower points or repeat the class with the hope that I can perform better and gain automatic admission to do bachelors of laws at university. I was not ready at any one moment to study any other course, I had my personal and historic reasons why I was considering law as my best choice. And these reasons related largely with the journey I had been in and where I was heading politically.

The second reason for my inability to join straight to university was that at the time, my parents were still struggling with five of my siblings that were also in lower classes. For a family whose flow of income was not certain, they considered that it was unwise to send me straight to university where we would have to pay high tuition fees to the disadvantage of the rest of my siblings. In light of the above therefore, an idea to join Law Development centre for an under graduate diploma was borne and I was asked to establish how one could join.

It was upon that background that a family friend advised us to look for a gentleman called Mr Mugyenyi Chris who was an entrepreneur in Rukungiri but also working at Law Development centre. I got his contact, met him and he advised me to pick application forms at LDC-Kampala to which I did. Weeks later, I was admitted with the rest of the students and I started my course.

While at LDC, I kept in mind my dream to be an advocate. I knew that I can only achieve this dream if I concentrate and perform very well at my undergraduate level. I knew at this moment that my senior six results would not count any more on deciding whether I get admitted at University after LDC. Remembering that my admission to do bachelors degree in future would depend on my results for the diploma kept me on my toes to work hard.

While at LDC, I did not engage much in politics. First of all because of the background I shared above where I was very concerned about my academic performance. Moreover I had been told and scared on how LDC is very hard, how lawyers read day and night, a lot of research work, a lot of drafting , etc. Secondly because the politics at the LDC then were highly dominated by BAR Course / Post graduate students. Although I did not directly engage in the centre’s guild politics at the time, I remained closely in touch with my reform agenda colleagues, following up on whatever was going on in the field and on a few occasions participating in especially Kampala based activities.

At the time when Dr Besigye was returning from exile, I was completing the course. On that day it did not matter whether previously they hard scared me on how LDC is hard to pass, I put every other program aside and joined the rest of Ugandans to welcome Dr Back in Uganda. It is remembered, thousands of people on that day lined up along Entebbe road while others even went to the airport to welcome him back. With the help of a friend who gave me a ride, I was one of those who went up to the airport to welcome him. Of course majority of us walked back to Kampala that day only to arrive at Kololo rally late in the evening. We walked back on foot because there was no other way to express both anger and happiness in equal measure than to brave the hot sun on tarmac for 8 hours. In a few weeks I got done with the LDC course and off we hit the mobilization trail building up to his nomination as presidential candidate.

My First Encounter With Electoral Violence

In 1996, I was in my primary six at Kinyasano boarding primary school. At that time, I was staying with my dad who was then having a shop in Rukungiri town. With my young brother Mr Niwagaba Wilber, we were studying while going home. Since this was a year of electioneering, Mr Museveni had already been to Rukungiri to canvass for his support. Although I was a young pupil, I was following the campaigns especially through the radios and sometimes local newspapers at our school. On the day that Mr Museveni came to Rukungiri to campaign, all schools closed for that day and all children gathered in Rukungiri town and the main stadium to welcome him. So we all lined up on the roadside with tree branches and whistles singing “NO CHANGE” in support of maintaining the status quo of Museveni’s rule.

Then we learnt on news that another presidential candidate in the names of Dr Paul Kawanga Ssemwogerere contesting on the Democratic Party ticket was also coming to campaign in Rukungiri in a few days to come. I actually waited for my school to again give us a holiday to go and receive him as we did for Museveni which never happened. Previously every time a big person from government especially from ministry of education came around in Rukungiri, school children would be allowed to go the playground in town or wherever else the event had been organized to join the public in welcoming the guest. But in this case, it remained business as usual something that given my age I did not appreciate.

It so happened that Dr. Paul’s Chief mobilizer in the district Mr. Levi Akatukunda happened to be our neighbor so this helped me to get clear updates on the candidate’s programs.

So when Dr Ssemwogerere came to Rukungiri, I escaped and went to Rukungiri Stadium to attend his meeting. In fact, I carried the chair from Mr. Levi’s house to the stadium on which Mr Ssemwogerere sat. I recall that the meeting had very few people and he addressed us without even the use of a public address system. He spoke very calmly and articulately, I attentively listened to his views and I found them developmental. After the meeting, we all left the venue and he drove off towards town. His fairly small convoy drove peacefully out of the stadium and out of excitement; I kept running behind the cars heading to the town centre.

As his motorcade approached Hotel classic (then) just opposite the roundabout in the middle of the town, people who had been waiting along the road started stoning the cars causing chaos. In search for safety, the convoy then moved very first to the Central Police Station and parked there for some time until the situation normalized. I cannot recall at what time of the evening or night his convoy left the police for it stayed there until I went back home.

As I walked back home, a lot of questions were going on in my mind regarding this ugly incident. How come Mr Museveni’s convoy always came and left without being stoned? What could be the cause for this level of intolerance? If they have stoned him in broad day light, what then is going to happen to his agents on Election Day? Will the authorities even count and record his votes? Won’t the lower candidates also treat their competitors in the same way? Are we not building a culture of violence in elections, that one can attack an opponent with impunity?

As it turned out in the elections that followed, the culture of violence throughout our electoral processes has continued to persist. From my experience as an opposition activist, Election violence has been very much a part of all six presidential and parliamentary elections held since 1995. The violence, perpetuated by both civilians and security personnel, has manifested itself in various forms in some cases resulting into the loss of life. The 2001 election witnessed such a level of violence that a parliamentary committee was set up to investigate the violence. The 2001 Human Rights Watch report documented arbitrary arrests, attacks, and intimidation of the political opposition and its supporters and campaign agents.

I have been involved in legitimate activism which is a fundamental right, to support or oppose a regime. Throughout these years as an opposition activist, I have witnessed the ever growing militarization of the police force, both in the leadership and in the enforcement of law and order during elections. Although the constitution implies and provides for cooperation between the police, civilian authority, the population, and other legal security organs, the relationship between the various institutions has been blurred. This blurring was unmasked on November 16th 2005 when armed commandos, later to be named the Black Mambas for their black T-shirts, their seething ferocity and their serpentine ways, raided the High Court in Kampala and blocked the release, on bail, of treason suspects, including Besigye. The Principal Judge of the High Court, James Ogoola, described the incident as a “naked rape, defilement and desecration of the temple of justice”. A few days later, the Daily Monitor revealed that members of the squad had returned to the court – when the suspects next appeared – dressed up in police uniform. There was no official explanation for this chilling changing of stripes, it was business as usual.

Considering the above, it is important that as a country we consider putting measures that promote peaceful co-existence not only during election but also in our day today lives.