Robert Astles,
BEM (born Robert Asketill; 23 March 1924
– 29 December 2012) was a British soldier and colonial officer who lived in
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...
and became an associate of presidents
Milton Obote
Apollo Milton Obote (28 December 1925 – 10 October 2005) was a Ugandan political leader who led Uganda to independence from British colonial rule in 1962. Following the nation's independence, he served as prime minister of Uganda from 1962 to ...
and
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 16 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. He ruled as a military dictator and is considered one of the most brutal despots in modern w ...
.
Early life
Bob Astles was born in
Ashford, Kent. He joined the
British Indian Army as a teenager and then the
Royal Engineers, reaching the rank of Lieutenant. Of his war service, he recalled: "I enjoyed being with other nationalities and their fights for world recognition during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
."
He was 21 when he left the United Kingdom for Africa.
Ugandan career
In 1949, Astles was sent on special duties during the Bataka uprising in
Buganda. His first job in Uganda was as a colonial officer with the
Ministry of Works, then with
£100 he set up Uganda Aviation Services Ltd., the first airline in Uganda to employ Africans. As
Uganda's independence approached in 1962, Astles became involved with a number of political groups. One of these was led by
Milton Obote
Apollo Milton Obote (28 December 1925 – 10 October 2005) was a Ugandan political leader who led Uganda to independence from British colonial rule in 1962. Following the nation's independence, he served as prime minister of Uganda from 1962 to ...
, who led the country to independence.
Idi Amin
Astles worked in Obote's government until the
1971 coup d'état, when he transferred his allegiance to Amin.
In December, suspicion fell on Astles because of his previous support for Obote. Amin sent him to
Makindye Prison
Makindye Prison was a Uganda government state-run prison which became notorious for extrajudicial killings and execution of government opponents during the time of Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin.
Makindye Prison started and was built as a normal civil ...
where he spent 17 weeks, often shackled and brutally interrogated. Astles later said, "Amin called me a 'rotten apple' on the radio, and
nationalised my airline. It was ordinary Africans who helped me to survive. One guard was kicked to death for helping me."
In 1975, Astles joined Amin's service, becoming the head of the
anti-corruption
Anti-corruption (or anticorruption) comprises activities that oppose or inhibit corruption. Just as corruption takes many forms, anti-corruption efforts vary in scope and in strategy. A general distinction between preventive and reactive meas ...
squad and advising the president on British affairs, while running a
pineapple
The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...
farm. He also presided over an aviation service that transported members of the government. Astles later said "I kept my eyes shut, I said nothing about what I saw, which is what they liked". What Astles did or did not do during Amin's reign is a matter of conjecture. Some considered him to be a malign influence on the dictator; others thought he was a moderating presence. That was Astles's own claim. In an interview inside a Ugandan prison, with the journalist
Paul Vallely
Paul Vallely CMG is a British writer on religion, ethics, Africa and development issues. In his seminal 1990 book ''Bad Samaritans: First World Ethics and Third World Debt'', he first coined the phrase that campaigners needed to move "from char ...
who had secured it after smuggling a message inside a Bible to Amin's former right-hand man, he claimed: "I was the only person he could trust because I never asked him for anything – no fine house, no privileges, no
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
. I was the only one, perhaps because I was white, who he could be sure was not after his job and his life. If Idi Amin ever had a sincere friend, it was Bob Astles. I was the only person who could cope with him. The other members of his Government would phone me and say: 'Can you come quickly, he is out of control.' I would go and let him shout and rail at me and then I would try to calm him down. I was one of the few people he trusted." Astles came to be known as "Major" Bob (the title of Major was given to him by Amin) or "the White Rat" among other white Ugandans.
Imprisonment
Following the
Uganda–Tanzania War
The Uganda–Tanzania War, known in Tanzania as the Kagera War (Kiswahili: ''Vita vya Kagera'') and in Uganda as the 1979 Liberation War, was fought between Uganda and Tanzania from October 1978 until June 1979 and led to the overthrow of Ugan ...
, Astles fled Uganda by crossing
Lake Victoria in a
canoe
A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle.
In British English, the ter ...
to
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
...
on 10 April 1979. The following day, Amin fled to
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...
, the capital
Kampala was captured by the combined forces of the
Tanzanian Army
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
and the
Uganda National Liberation Army
The Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF) was a political group formed by exiled Ugandans opposed to the rule of Idi Amin with an accompanying military wing, the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA). UNLA fought alongside Tanzanian forces in ...
, and Amin's rule over Uganda ended. In
Kisumu
Kisumu ( ) is the third-largest city in Kenya after the capital, Nairobi, and the coastal city of Mombasa (census 2019). It is the third-largest city after Kampala and Mwanza in the Lake Victoria Basin.
Apart from being an important polit ...
, Astles surrendered to Kenyan authorities, who then detained him.
["Former white aide to Amin brought back to Uganda". ''Afro-American'' (Baltimore, Maryland, USA). 16 June 1979. p. 16.] While detained in Kenya, Astles tried to jump from a third-story window in a suicide attempt in
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...
.
Kenyan authorities handed him over to Ugandan police in accordance with their request on 9 June. Astles was brought back to Uganda to face criminal charges.
[
At the time Kenyan newspapers linked the charges to the death of Bruce McKenzie, one of Kenya's former ministers, in an aircraft explosion. Nevertheless, it was suspected that the bomb was actually meant for Astles, who had refused to fly on the aircraft.] Astles was imprisoned for his alleged association with Amin's security apparatus.
Astles was charged with murder, armed robbery, theft, shopbreaking, and stealing from a private house. Astles pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Astles said he had never committed any murders, never witnessed any murders, never heard Amin order any murders, and never saw Amin murder anyone. Astles said he had lived in constant fear while in Amin's administration, and that he had remained in his position because he thought he could do some good for Uganda.[
Astles was ]acquit
In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as criminal law is concerned. The finality of an acquittal is dependent on the jurisdiction. In some countries, such as the ...
ted of the charges, but he remained in Luzira Prison for another four years under a detention order because he was considered a threat to state security.["Uganda frees top Amin aide". ''The Gazette'' (Montreal, Quebec, Canada). 4 December 1985. p. A12.]
Astles renounced his Ugandan citizenship on 4 December 1985 and he was freed from prison the following day.[ He returned to the United Kingdom five days later.
]
Personal life
In 1958, he married Monica, who had come to Uganda with him from Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
. A year later, after they had divorced, Astles married an aristocratic member of the Buganda kingdom, Mary Senkatuka, and they later adopted two children.
Later life
Astles later lived in Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon () is a district and town of Southwest London, England, southwest of the centre of London at Charing Cross; it is the main commercial centre of the London Borough of Merton. Wimbledon had a population of 68,187 in 2011 which includes ...
, and continued to deny the allegations for which he was imprisoned. After returning to Britain, he dedicated his life to campaigning against superpower interference in African political and economic affairs. He also contributed political commentaries to a number of publications associated with Africa.
Death
Astles died in South West London on 29 December 2012 at the age of 88. The obituary in ''The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
'' described him as "the most hated white man in postcolonial Africa."
Film
Bob Astles was played by Leonard Trolley in the 1982 film '' Amin: the Rise and Fall''. The fictional character of Nicholas Garrigan in the book and film ''The Last King of Scotland
''The Last King of Scotland'' is a novel by journalist Giles Foden,
published by Faber and Faber in 1998. Focusing on the rise of Ugandan President Idi Amin and his reign as dictator from 1971 to 1979, the novel, which interweaves fiction an ...
'' was, according to author Giles Foden
Giles Foden (born 11 January 1967)George Stade and Karen Karbiener (eds), ''Encyclopaedia of British Writers, 1800 to the Present'', 2nd edn, Infobase Publishing, 2010, p. 176. is an English author, best known for his novel ''The Last King of S ...
, loosely based on some events in Astles' life. Foden interviewed Astles while writing his novel. He also drew on Vallely's lengthy interview in ''The Times''.
References
External links
*
Interview with ''Last King of Scotland'' author Giles Foden
"Bob Astles' Memories"
by Norman S. Miwambo, ''Black Star News'' (New York), 30 July 2006
*Kakembo, Titus.
" '' New Vision''. 13 February 2013.
Bob Astles' commentaries
"In defence of Milton Obote"
''New African
''New African'' is an English-language monthly news magazine based in London. Published since 1966, it is read by many people across the African continent and the African diaspora. It claims to be the oldest pan-African monthly in English, as w ...
'', 1 December 2003
"Darfur another view"
''New African'', 1 November 2004
*"Who will best lead Uganda?", '' Daily Monitor'', 17 January 2006
"Ethiopia Opens Pandora's Box"
''Black Star News'', 29 January 2007
"U.S. Tentacles Spread In Africa"
''Black Star News'', 6 February 2007
"South Africa Rejects US Africa Militarism"
''Black Star News'', 16 February 2007
"Killers In The Mist"
''Black Star News'', 20 February 2007
"Americans Milk Africa To Death"
''Black Star News'', 16 March 2007
"Ousting Nubians For Profit’s Spoils"
''Black Star News'', 27 January 2008
"Obama And Source Of The Nile"
''Black Star News'', 5 February 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Astles, Bob
1924 births
2012 deaths
British emigrants to Uganda
People from Ashford, Kent
Royal Engineers officers
British Indian Army soldiers
British Army personnel of World War II
Colonial Service officers
Idi Amin
People acquitted of murder
Ugandan prisoners and detainees
Prisoners and detainees of Uganda
People extradited from Kenya
People extradited to Uganda
Uganda Protectorate people
Naturalized citizens of Uganda
Royal Engineers soldiers
Recipients of the British Empire Medal