Henry Kisaja Magumba Kyemba (simply known as Henry Kyemba likely born 1937-1939) is a Ugandan retired political figure who held several high positions and finally became

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

during Uganda's rule by

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 ...

. He served in that post from February 1974 until May 1977, when he fled into exile. He is also the author of ''State of Blood'', a 1977 book he wrote after his flight from

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 ...

that describes Amin's tyrannical rule.

Personal life

Kyemba was likely born sometime between 1937-1939 to Suzana Babirizangawo Mutekanga and Suleiman Kisajja, a colonial administrator in the Bunya County in Busoga. It's unclear what his exact year of birth is.

Education

He attended local primary schools, before joining Busoga College Mwiri for his Cambridge School Certificate (1951-1956). He was at

Makerere University Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of n ...

between 1957 and 1962 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) History. Kyemba holds a Masters' degree in History from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

, Evanston, US and a Certificate in African studies from the same University. He also holds an Honours degree in History from the London University.

Career

Kyemba joined the Uganda civil service on the eve of

's independence from Britain in 1962. He was the Principal Private Secretary to then Prime Minister of Uganda,

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 ...

. Following the

1971 Ugandan coup d'etat * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

, he joined Amin's cabinet, rising through the ranks to become the Minister of Health (1974–1977) during Amin's regime. Kyemba defected to London in 1977, where he wrote a book on Amin's regime titled: "''A State of Blood''." He returned to Uganda in 1986, and he currently serves as Secretary of Judicial Service Commission.

Writings

References

1939 births Living people Ugandan non-fiction writers Place of birth missing (living people) Health ministers of Uganda {{Uganda-bio-stub