{"id":1609,"date":"2020-08-07T09:30:32","date_gmt":"2020-08-07T09:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ugandaupdatenews.com\/?p=1609"},"modified":"2020-08-07T11:55:20","modified_gmt":"2020-08-07T11:55:20","slug":"uganda-politics-the-tumultuous-1996-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/uganda-politics-the-tumultuous-1996-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"UGANDA POLITICS :THE TUMULTUOUS 1966 CRISIS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>In the run- up-to the 2021 general elections <em>ugandaupdatenews.com<\/em> will publish historical accounts of Uganda\u2019s political and governance journey by a team of our experienced correspondents .<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>By William Okidi<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Daudi Ocheng and 1966 political debacle<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>An Acholi and Member of the Buganda Lukiko (Parliament )-1925-1966)<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Member of the Buganda Lukiiko, Member of the National Assembly.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>An Agriculturalist.<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Daudi Ocheng was a son of Rwot Lacito Okech (who was appointed Rwot (Chief) of Lamogi Chiefdom by the British and Acholi Lukiiko Council of Chiefs on 1\/11\/1923, serving until December 1935 when he was removed from office.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By virtue of his background, Ocheng joined King\u2019s College Budo (an elite college established by the Church Missionary Society in 1906 to educate sons and daughters of Kings) where he struck up a friendship with fellow student Edward Mutesa, heir to the Buganda Kingdom.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This friendship would endure to the top of Ugandan politics, as Mutesa assumed the Kabakaship and subsequently the presidency of Uganda by virtue of an alliance between the KY (Kabaka Yekka) Party and UPC headed by Milton Obote who became executive Prime Minister in 1962. Daudi Ocheng, an Acholi, had unprecedentedly been elected to the Buganda Lukiiko and also to the National Assembly (Parliament), given his closeness to the Kabaka, and played an instrumental role in bringing about the KY-UPC alliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Daudi Ocheng studied Agriculture at Makerere University and Agricultural Economics at the University of Wales Aberystywth.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The tumultuous events of 1966<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Daudi Ocheng is best known for moving a motion (which was passed) in the National Assembly on 4th February 1966 (having been raised before, unsuccessfully in 1965), accusing the then deputy commander of the Uganda Army, Colonel Idi Amin, Prime Minister Obote and two of his ministers (Felix Onama, Minister of State for Defence) and Akbar Adoko Nekyon (Minister of Planning and Community Development) of participating in the illegal looting of ivory, gold and coffee from Congo and sharing the booty. Amin had been engaged in Congo during the civil war that broke out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ocheng further alleged that he had been given a copy of Colonel Amin\u2019s bank state of an account he held at the Ottoman Bank and that it had 340,000 UGX cash deposited, and that this sum was irregular and likely to be proceeds from the Congo loot. Ocheng further contended that The Hon. A.A. Latim, MP, the Hon. Oda, MP and Hon. J. Obonyo, MP also had first hand evidence of this matter.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of his motion, Daudi Ocheng boldly asserted:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMr Speaker, If I live to be a hundred years, or if I live for another hundred hours, this motion will be my one of the most outstanding contributions to my country\u201d \u2013 Hon Daudi Oceng, 4th February 1966.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prime Minister Obote was on a tour of Northern Uganda for ten days and did not immediately respond to these allegations. When he did, he categorically denied them and also denied he had plans to abrogate the Independence Constitution.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Obote then established a Commission of Inquiry to look into looting allegations. It was headed by Justice Sir Clement Negeon de L\u2019Estang of the Court of Appeal of East Africa, with Mr Justice Henry Ethelwood Miller, of the Kenya High Court, and Mr Justice Augustine Saidi of the Tanzania High Court, as commissioners. Mr Godfrey Binaisa, Q.C, was the Attorney General of Uganda at the time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ocheng initially left for London and was accused of avoiding to testify and had also been threatened with libel lawsuits by the accused.&nbsp; He eventually appeared before the Commission on 14th March 1966, testified and was cross examined.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Commission found no evidence to support Ocheng\u2019s allegations, and agreed that the monies in Amin\u2019s bank accounts were paid in by Congolese revolutionaries for Amin to purchase non-military supplies for them. The Commission also found no evidence of plots by the Prime Minister and some of his ministers and Colonel Amin to overthrow the Constitution or the government of Uganda.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At this time too, a section of UPC MPs opposed to Milton Obote led by Grace Ibingira were plotting Obote\u2019s downfall via a parliamentary vote of no-confidence, and even a coup. They had on board Army Chief of Staff, Brigadier Opolot. Uncoordinated troop movements commenced in Kampala at this time of high intrigue.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Convinced a coup was in the works, Obote acted with swift decisiveness and ruthlessness to snuff it out with a counter coup! During a cabinet meeting on 22nd February 1966, he had five of his cabinet ministers arrested. They were ring leader Grace Ibingira, Mathias Ngobi, Dr Lumu, Cuthbert Obwangor, and George Magezi. Obote then promoted Colonel Amin to Chief of Staff and Brigadier Shaban Opolot made CDF, a demotion. Obote then dismissed Mutesa as President (Ceremonial), suspended the 1962 Independence Constitution and assumed all executive powers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On 15th April 1966, Obote called an extraordinary meeting of the National Assembly, surrounded it with the army and tanks and demanded members pass a constitution they had not seen or debated. They were asked to pick it from their pigeon holes on their way out. This became known as the Pigeon Hole constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other sweeping changes, The Buganda Lukiiko was banned from raising taxes from Mailo land and also appointing civil servants to government.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Matters continued escalating and on 20th May 1966, the Buganda Lukiiko voted to expel Obote\u2019s government from Buganda soil.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Obote once again moved swiftly and arrested the Baganda Chiefs behind the Lukiiko vote, and in a coup de grace, dispatched Colonel Idi Amin to attack the Kabaka\u2019s palace in Mengo. After a day of fighting, Mengo fell; hundreds of people were killed in the battle. The Kabaka managed to escape, eventually ending up in London where he\u2019d die of alcoholic poisoning in 1969.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Momentous events and upheavals for the then young nation.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Daudi Ocheng whose motion triggered these events and had also correctly prophesied the impending overthrow of the constitution, was diagnosed with stomach cancer and sent to London for treatment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He returned to Uganda and died on 1st June 1966, the real cause of his death being unknown, according to his younger brother, Martin Aliker, writing in The Bell Is Ringing, 2018, p100, Fountain Publishers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mr.<strong>William Okidi is a scholar based in London<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>@ugandaupdatenews.com correspondents<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the run- up-to the 2021 general elections ugandaupdatenews.com will publish historical accounts of Uganda\u2019s political and governance journey by<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1610,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[135,80],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-party-politics","category-perspective"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/ocheng.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13476,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/former-speaker-of-buganda-lukiiko-nelson-kawalya-dead-at-84\/","url_meta":{"origin":1609,"position":0},"title":"Former Speaker Of Buganda Lukiiko Nelson Kawalya Dead At 84","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"December 18, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"BUGANDA is mourning the untimely death of Rotarian and former Speaker of the Lukiiko Nelson Kawalya. He was 84 years old.. Kawalya who also served as Minister of Health in the Kabaka's government ,celebrated his fifty years of marriage last weekend . He wedded in 1974 and died on Tuesday\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/kawa.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/kawa.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/kawa.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/kawa.jpg 2x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/kawa.jpg 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2864,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/prices-for-marrying-acholi-girls-revised-downward-by-cultural-leaders\/","url_meta":{"origin":1609,"position":1},"title":"Prices for Marrying Acholi Girls Revised Downward by Cultural Leaders","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"March 23, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The current era of Acholi's King David - the community's paramount chief Rwot Onen Acana - will be remembered for having curbed the exploitative demands for money by parents from suitors who want to marry their girls.The Acholi cultural institution, Ker Kwaro Acholi, has revised requirements and prices in traditional\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Owiny-Dolo-e1532592425357-1.jpeg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Owiny-Dolo-e1532592425357-1.jpeg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Owiny-Dolo-e1532592425357-1.jpeg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Owiny-Dolo-e1532592425357-1.jpeg 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3551,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/stop-politicizing-land-and-instead-arrest-official-land-grabbers-katikkiro\/","url_meta":{"origin":1609,"position":2},"title":"Stop Politicizing Land and Instead Arrest \u201cOfficial\u201d Land Grabbers \u2013 Katikkiro","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"June 29, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Buganda Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga has advised the central government to arrest government officials who identify land where government projects are planned, take them over and then demand exorbitant compensation. Mayiga who was addressing the Lukiiko which passed the kingdom\u2019s modest Ug.sh.121 billion budget for 2021-22 cautioned authorities to stop\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/IMG-20210629-WA0219.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/IMG-20210629-WA0219.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/IMG-20210629-WA0219.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/IMG-20210629-WA0219.jpg 2x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/IMG-20210629-WA0219.jpg 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3581,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/mengo-minister-highlights-7-reasons-why-land-conflicts-are-on-the-rise\/","url_meta":{"origin":1609,"position":3},"title":"MENGO MINISTER HIGHLIGHTS 7 REASONS WHY LAND CONFLICTS ARE ON THE RISE","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"July 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"By Noah Kiyimba Land is the most important asset in most parts of the world that people can own including Uganda. In Buganda, land is the way of life as the Kingdom\u2019s cultural aspirations are based on land hence titles like Ssaabataka for a prince who is going to become\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;OPINION&quot;","block_context":{"text":"OPINION","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/opinion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Owek-Noah-Kiyimba-photo.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Owek-Noah-Kiyimba-photo.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Owek-Noah-Kiyimba-photo.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Owek-Noah-Kiyimba-photo.jpg 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3572,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/ofwono-opondo-warns-nrm-leaders-about-the-partys-national-declining-support-from-76-to-58\/","url_meta":{"origin":1609,"position":4},"title":"OFWONO OPONDO WARNS NRM LEADERS ABOUT THE PARTY&#8217;S NATIONAL DECLINING SUPPORT FROM 76% TO 58%","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"June 30, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"BY OFWONO OPONDO The recent political shifts against the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and President Yoweri Museveni particularly in Buganda and Busoga, hitherto known strongholds, are grim pointers to what the future portends.The loss came against the backdrop when NRM first lost Kampala in 2001, and later Jinja, Masaka, Mbale,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/politics-national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/16250636740903192808382260211413.png","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8485,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/nabagereka-expected-to-clarify-on-her-twin-daughters\/","url_meta":{"origin":1609,"position":5},"title":"Nabagereka Expected to Clarify on her Twin Daughters","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"March 17, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"By Our Senior Reporters Anytime before or during the launch of her book, the Nabagereka Sylvia Nagginda is expected to make a clarification over her twin daughters whose mention in media previews has aroused unanswered questions. A statement by omutaka Kasujju Lubinga, the authority on matters of royal children in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Royal matters&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Royal matters","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/royal-matters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Nnabagereka-1.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Nnabagereka-1.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Nnabagereka-1.jpg 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0aOV-pX","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1609"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1617,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1609\/revisions\/1617"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}