Juma Ali Oka Rokoni, commonly referred to as Juma Butabika, (died April 1979) was a Ugandan military officer who served as
Uganda Army (UA) top commander during the dictatorship of
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 ...
. Despite being notorious for his erratic behavior and abuse of power, he was highly influential, held important army commands, and served as long-time chairman of the Ugandan Military Tribunal, a
military court
A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
used by Amin to try and eliminate political dissidents and rivals. By commanding an unauthorized attack on
Tanzania
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 ...
in October 1978, Butabika was responsible for the outbreak of 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 Uganda ...
which ultimately resulted in his death in combat, probably during or shortly before the
Fall of Kampala
The Fall of Kampala, also known as the Liberation of Kampala (Kiswahili: ''Kukombolewa kwa Kampala''), was a battle during the Uganda–Tanzania War in 1979, in which the combined forces of Tanzania and the Uganda National Liberation Front (UN ...
.
Biography
Early life and 1971 coup
![Idi Amin cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Idi_Amin_cropped.jpg)
Born as Juma Ali Oka Rokoni,
Butabika was of
Nubian
Nubian may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Nubia, a region along the Nile river in Southern Egypt and northern Sudan.
*Nubian people
*Nubian languages
*Anglo-Nubian goat, a breed of goat
* Nubian ibex
* , several ships of the Britis ...
–
Kakwa descent,
and a grandson of Kakwa paramount chief Sultan Ali Kenyi Dada as well as the cousin of
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 ...
's father.
Having completed only a few years of primary education, he was reportedly illiterate.
At some point, Butabika joined the
Uganda Army, and rose to
second lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
during the rule of
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 ...
.
Over time, dissatisfaction grew among parts in the military about Obote's government, resulting in a conspiracy to remove him from power.
Butabika joined the conspirators, and their coup was planned at his house. The initial plan was to blow up Obote's plane at the
Entebbe International Airport
Entebbe International Airport is the only international airport in Uganda. It is located about southwest of the town of Entebbe, on the northern shores of Lake Victoria. This is approximately by road south-west of the central business distric ...
on 24 January 1971, but Butabika's wife informed her brother-in-law Ahmad Oduka, Senior Superintendent of Police, of the plot. He was supposed to be among those on the plane, and his sister-in-law urged him to stay at home on that day to save his life. Oduka, however, was loyal to the government and informed Minister of Internal Affairs
Basil Kiiza Bataringaya
Basil Kiiza Bataringaya (1927 – 18 September 1972) was a prominent Ugandan politician in History of Uganda#The independent Uganda (1962-71), post-independence Uganda. He was the Leader of Opposition (Uganda), Leader of the Opposition at the beg ...
. Though the assassination of Obote was prevented, the putschists still managed to launch a
coup d'état on 25 January 1971. They overthrew the government,
but then became unsure about the further course of action. Amin was initially reluctant to assume the presidency, whereupon Butabika reportedly threatened him at gunpoint to accept his appointment as
President of Uganda
The president of the Republic of Uganda is the head of state and the head of government of Uganda. The president leads the executive branch of the government of Uganda and is the commander-in-chief of the Uganda People's Defence Force.
The in ...
.
Meanwhile, Butabika's wife had fled the capital out of fear that her informing Oduka of the putschists' plan would have repercussions.
Soon after the coup, Butabika was involved in the kidnapping and murder of two
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
citizens around July 1971, namely journalist Nicholas Stroh and
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 ni ...
lecturer Robert Siedle. The two had tried to gather information on unrest and mutinies that had broken out among some Ugandan military units as result of Amin's seizure of power.
Career under the Amin regime
Abuse of power and army commands
Butabika became one of leading military figures under the new regime.
Despite this, he was widely considered insane in Uganda, even by his own colleagues in the military. He was notorious for his eccentric,
"erratic"
and excessive behavior, including extreme brutality.
According to
George Ivan Smith, Butabika believed himself to be a "demi-god" as the government allowed him to kill and torture at will, while Peter Jeremy Allen described him as "merciless psychopathic killer" of "low mentality". Similarly, businessman
Gordon Wavamunno
Gordon Babala Kasibante Wavamunno, but often referred to simply as Gordon Wavamunno (born 16 December 1943), is a Ugandan entrepreneur, businessman, and philanthropist. He is the owner of Spear Motors Uganda and the sole distributor of Mercedes ...
had a very negative opinion of Butabika, and regarded him as one of those who "were intoxicated with unlimited and irresponsible power, and did not hesitate to abuse it at the slightest opportunity or excuse." The nickname by which he is best known stemmed from his extreme behavior: "Butabika" is the name of
a prominent psychiatric clinic near
Kampala
Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...
,
and a byword for people with a mental illness in Uganda.
Promoted to
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
, Butabika served as commander of "elite" units that were regarded as especially loyal to Amin, including the Chui Battalion
and the Malire Battalion.
As time went on, elements in the military grew dissatisfied with Amin's regime.
Brigadier
Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...
Charles Arube was among those who felt sidelined, and organised a meeting of high-ranking commanders in March 1974. Butabika was present, and offered Arube his help in cases where he felt ignored by the president.
Soon after, Arube attempted to oust Amin in a coup d'état known as "
Arube uprising
The Arube uprising, also known as Arube mutiny and Arube Coup, was a military coup d'état attempt organized on 23–24 March 1974 by discontented elements of the Uganda Army to overthrow Ugandan President Idi Amin. Led by Brigadier Charles Arub ...
". The Malire Battalion mutinied and joined the coup, but Butabika stayed loyal to Amin. In the end, Arube's coup failed.
The Military Tribunal
Despite his extremely limited education, Butabika was also appointed as chairman of the "Military Tribunal" in 1973. The Military Tribunal had been set up by Amin to circumvent regular courts and enforce his decisions; it thus had the reputation to "rubber-stamp
Amin's death sentences". According to
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
, the tribunals Butabika chaired were ''de facto''
kangaroo court
A kangaroo court is a court that ignores recognized standards of law or justice, carries little or no official standing in the territory within which it resides, and is typically convened ad hoc. A kangaroo court may ignore due process and come ...
s and passed judgements without regard to laws or proper procedure. He often improvised sentences on the spot. Most prominently, he acquitted several senior military figures who were accused of involvement in the
forced disappearance
An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organiza ...
of 18 prominent Ugandans. In contrast, Butabika passed extremely harsh judgements where opponents to the regime were concerned, earning a reputation as "one of Amin's chief executioners". One Ugandan dissident noted that the Lieutenant Colonel's tribunals generally resulted in the death of the accused; they were either executed or released, only to be rounded up and murdered by Uganda's secret service, the
State Research Bureau.
Butabika chaired several prominent tribunals, such as when he sentenced
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
author
Denis Hills Denis Cecil Hills (8 November 1913 – 26 April 2004) was a British author, teacher, traveller and adventurer. He came to international prominence in 1975 while he was living in Uganda and was sentenced to death for espionage and sedition follow ...
to death in 1975 for calling Amin a "village tyrant".
Two years later, he chaired the tribunal that sentenced 12 men to death for conspiring to murder Amin during a coup attempt code-named "
Operation Mafuta Mingi
Operation Mafuta Mingi (Kiswahili for: "much cooking oil"; alternatively spelled "Mafutamingi") was a coup d'état attempt on 18 June 1977 which aimed at killing Ugandan President Idi Amin and overthrowing his government. The operation was organ ...
"; this trial in particular was described as "travesty of justice, a 'show', since the conventions and pleas of guilt were obtained by force from the accused". He did, however, acquit Wod Okello Lawoko, senior manager of
Radio Uganda
Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) is the public broadcaster network of Uganda. It was founded as a result of the "Uganda Broadcasting Corporation Act, 2004", which merged the operations of Uganda Television (UTV) and Radio Uganda. It started ...
, after the latter had fallen out of favor with Amin and been arrested on charges of treason.
Though Butabika was once dismissed as chairman on one tribunal for misconduct, namely
corruption
Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...
in late 1976, he was later reinstated.
Uganda–Tanzania War and death
![Battles of the Uganda–Tanzania War](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Battles_of_the_Uganda%E2%80%93Tanzania_War.svg)
By 1978, hostilities had greatly increased between Uganda and the neighboring state of
Tanzania
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 ...
, with reports surfacing of invasion plans by the
Tanzania People's Defence Force
The Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF) ( sw, Jeshi la Ulinzi la Wananchi wa Tanzania) is the military force of the United Republic of Tanzania. It was established in September 1964, following a mutiny by the former colonial military force ...
. Butabika was among the proponents of a preemptive strike against Tanzania,
even though several other leading Ugandan officers believed that their military was not ready for a conflict with Tanzania.
The situation escalated on 9 October 1978,
when an altercation broke out between a Ugandan soldier and Tanzanian border guards. One of Amin's close advisors, Colonel Abdu Kisuule, later claimed that the entire incident had been orchestrated by Butabika to gain "favors and cheap popularity" from the president.
According to this version, the Ugandan soldier who caused the altercation had been Butabika's brother-in-law, and his death in a shootout with Tanzanians caused Butabika to seek revenge.
Others however report that the exact identity of the Ugandan soldier remains unknown, and that Butabika was lied to by his subordinates about the course of events; in that case, it is possible that he actually believed that Tanzanian border guards had initiated hostilities.
In any case, Butabika consequently
ordered an unauthorized attack on
Tanzania
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 ...
, resulting in the outbreak of 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 Uganda ...
.
His forces easily overran the Tanzanian troops stationed at
Mutukula and
Minziro, whereupon he telephoned Amin, claiming that Tanzania had launched an attack and that he had responded with a counter-attack. The president had already been eager to annex Tanzanian territory, and allowed the invasion to proceed. Reinforced by other UA detachments, Butabika occupied the entire Kagera salient (northern
Kagera Region
Kagera Region (''Mkoa wa Kagera'' in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The region covers an area of . The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of Netherlands. Kagera Region is borde ...
) until stopping at
Kyaka Bridge
Kyaka Bridge, sometimes referred to as the Kagera Bridge, is a bridge in Tanzania that crosses the Kagera River. The bridge was blown up by Ugandan experts from Kilembe Mines in 1978 during the Uganda–Tanzania War.
The present (truss) bridge i ...
, which was destroyed. The UA troops proceeded to celebrate while looting, raping and murdering in the occupied area.
The Tanzanian military quickly regrouped, causing the UA to retreat back into Uganda even as President Amin declared Kagera's annexation.
The Tanzanians launched a large counter-offensive, and the Ugandan military soon started to disintegrate under the onslaught.
By the time the Ugandan border town
Mutukula fell to the Tanzanian army in January 1979, Butabika was back in Kampala and prepared the celebrations for the 8th anniversary of Amin's rule. The lieutenant colonel took part in a parade at
Kololo
Kololo is a hill in Kampala, the largest city and capital of Uganda. The name also applies to the upscale residential and commercial neighbourhood that sits on that hill.
Location
Kololo is close to the centre of Kampala, bordered by Naguru, U ...
on 25 January, where he and other high-ranking commanders performed a traditional Nubian dance. One Ugandan later commented that when he saw the dancing officers on live television, he realised that his country's leadership "did not know what exactly was going on" in regard to the war.
Butabika died in combat during the later stages of the war, though it is disputed when and where he was killed.
According to an article by the Ugandan newspaper ''
Daily Monitor
The ''Daily Monitor'' is a Ugandan independent daily newspaper. Its name is shared by the ''Saturday Monitor'' and ''Sunday Monitor'', which are also published by Monitor Publications Limited. ''Daily Monitor'' averaged a daily circulation of 24,2 ...
'', he died during the
Fall of Kampala
The Fall of Kampala, also known as the Liberation of Kampala (Kiswahili: ''Kukombolewa kwa Kampala''), was a battle during the Uganda–Tanzania War in 1979, in which the combined forces of Tanzania and the Uganda National Liberation Front (UN ...
. On 10 April 1979, the Tanzanian forces and their
UNLF allies entered the city, encountering only light resistance. Butabika was reportedly one of the few leading Ugandan commanders who stayed in the city, and was killed in a firefight with Tanzanian soldiers of the 205th and 208th Brigades in the
Bwaise
Bwaise is a neighborhood within Kampala, Uganda's capital, and largest city. Due to lack of proper urban planning, it has grown into a commercial, industrial and residential township with poor infrastructure. The lack of developed infrastruct ...
-
Kawempe
Kawempe is an area in the city of Kampala, Uganda's capital. It is also the location of the headquarters of Kawempe Division, one of the five administrative divisions of Kampala.
Location
Kawempe is located on the northwestern edge of Kampala. ...
area as they attempted to secure the northern section of the city on 11 April.
In contrast, Tanzanian journalist Baldwin Mzirai wrote in his 1980 account of the war, ''Kuzama kwa Idi Amin'', that Butabika was killed at a Tanzanian roadblock on the Bombo road on 7 April 1979.
Personal life
Butabika was a
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
, though he also believed in
magic
Magic or Magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
* Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic
* Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
.
One observer described him as a "short and small
..bully" who enjoyed challenging "far more strongly-built men" for fights. He was married to a Ugandan woman of the
Baziba tribe.
Notes
References
Citations
Works cited
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Butabika, Juma
Idi Amin
1979 deaths
Ugandan military personnel
Ugandan Muslims
Military personnel killed in action
Colonels (military rank)
Military personnel of the Uganda–Tanzania War