President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has said he was sure of success when he led a group of only 27 armed to attack and wrestle power from the government of Apolo Milton Obote in the 1980s.
The Commander-in-Chief revealed this while addressing thousands during 35th Anniversary of National Resistance Army celebrations at Kololo Independence Grounds on Saturday.
The NRA, which later metamorphosed into UPDF, started the five-year struggle on February 6, 1981.
Just two and quarter dozens of armed men attacked the Kabamba barracks with the sole mission of forcefully accessing the armory to grab guns for the guerilla war.
The mission was unsuccessful on that very day but the team kept the spirit of their revolution mission burning.
Five years later, the group had advanced with several battalions and on 26th January 1986, ten days shy to its 5th anniversary, the movement stormed Kampala and totally took its control from the government forces.
Museveni said when they were launching the struggle other people thought they were jokers or crazy men for trying to take on the entire government with a large number of soldiers.
“Around this time in February 1981 we were driving through Kibale to attack Kabamba. It was not an easy plan but I was sure of the success,” he said.
“Many people thought there was something wrong us but we were determined.”
The president stated the thing he was not aware of was the number of comrades they were going to lose in the struggle.
“The only thing I and other colleagues were not aware of was how many of us were going to lose lives before the victory,” he stated.
Out of the first 41 NRA soldiers, only 11 are still alive including Museveni himself (RO/0001), Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Gen. Kahinda Otafiire (RO/0014), Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho known as Salim Saleh (RO/0016), Gen. Ivan Koreta (RO/00018), Gen. Elly Tumwiine (RO/00023).
Others include Col. Fred Mwesigye (RO/00027), Gen. David Sejusa (RO/00031), Maj. Gen. Jim Muhwezi (RO/00032), Maj. Gen. Matayo Kyaligonza (RO/00034) among others.
Some of the members died of natural causes such as Eriya Kategaya.
Museveni also said at the celebrations that the NRM government later returned total peace in the country and significantly achieved on the economic front.
He said Uganda was largely a subsistence economy when Uganda got her independence in 1962.
“The whites left us with a small modern economy in the sea of subsistence economy. The economy of Uganda had only 3 Ts which were Tobacco, Tea and Tourism and 3 CS which were Coffee, Cotton and Copper.”
He added that when the NRM captured power in 1986 this small economy had even disappeared and his government started from almost zero.
“’By 1986 the little small modernity was almost wiped out. Only coffee was remaining among the three Cs and also only Tobacco was surviving among the 3 Cs. The imports of subsistence items like soap sugar had disappeared and the economy was simply on the mercy of ‘Magendo’ (smuggling).’”
Museveni said over the years the economy has recovered and expanded under his government.
