Three former Ugandan Presidents have been denied their rightful position in the records of honour and the accompanying benefits,
256news.com reveals. The three men are Mr. Yoweri Hunter Wacha-Olwol, Justice Polycarp Nyamuconco and Justice Paulo Musoke. The three men ruled Uganda for 7 months between May and December 1980 but have never been officially recognized.

We want 14billion shillings from Gov’t

Unfortunately, Justices Nyamuconco and Musoke have since died. Nyamuconco died in the 1990s while Musoke passed away early this month in Kampala, aged 93.

He was bed-ridden for years before his death and died in a state unbefitting of a former President. Even his burial was a passive event, save for his family and a few friends.

He was buried at Kikajjo at a ceremony attended by the Deputy Chief Justice and the 2nd Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Leader of
Government Business, Lt. Gen. Moses Ali, who represented Government.

Other mourners included Deputy Chief Justice, Mpagi Bahigeine, who also acknowledged that indeed Musoke was a former Ugandan President. His latest years on earth were spent surviving on hand-outs, family sources reveal. Before his death, Musoke together with Wacha had written to the Uganda Government through the Minister of Public Service, demanding to be paid their benefits as former Presidents totaling Shs14billion.

In their May 27, 2011 letter, Musoke and Wacha detailed how they became Presidents and asked to be recognized officially and their
benefits to be paid in accordance with the Benefits and Emoluments of the President, Vice President and Prime Minister Act, 2010.

Records available to us show that after the removal of the late Godfrey Binaisa, the Military Commission, which was the most powerful
seat of power at the time, decided to vest the power of the President in three men who would rule as a Presidential Commission. It was done so to avoid having a repeat of appointing one person who would “grow wings” upon being made President as was the case with Binaisa and to ensure that power was in a civilian authority.

To avoid anarchy, they chose a neutral team composed of the two judges and a civilian coming from different regions of the country to be Presidents till the General elections.

The Military Commission was chaired by Paulo Muwanga, deputized by now President, Yoweri Museveni. Other members were Gen. Tito Okello, Brig. Oyite Ojok, Col. Peter Otai and Col. Zed Maruru.

A proclamation was dully made appointing Wacha-Olwol, Nyamuconco and Musoke as heads-of-state. They were sworn-in by then Chief Justice, George Masika, at the International Conference Centre in Kampala, now called Serena Conference Centre. They also signed the oath book which only Presidents sign.

During the seven months they were in power, they performed all Presidential functions. They swore in new Ministers, received
credentials of new envoys, and assented to new laws passed by the Parliament of the time, the National Consultative Council (NCC), among others.

We have correspondences showing the duties they performed and invitations to various functions, signed by B.Z. Dramadri, who was
Principal Private Secretary to the Chairman of the Military Commission at that time.

In official correspondences between May and December 1980, they were always individually referred to as His Excellence.

The Military Commission was head of Government while the Presidential Commission was head-of-state. Eventually, the three Presidents dissolved the NCC on 14th November 1980 and later handed over power to Dr. Apollo Milton Obote after the General elections.

It’s said after appointing the three men as President, Muwanga was always interpreted to be the head-of-state because of the control he
exerted but, legally, they wielded more power than him.

They were however left out of the records of Uganda’s Presidents. The only acknowledged are Kabaka Mutesa II, Milton Obote, Idi Amin, Prof. Yusuf Lule, Godfrey Binaisa, Gen. Tito Okello and Gen. Yoweri Museveni. In essence, the three Presidents ruled Uganda for a longer period than Lule, Binaisa and Tito Okello.

According to the Emoluments and Benefits of the President, Vice President and Prime Minister Act 2010, a former President is entitled
to a monthly allowance of 60% of the salary of a serving President’s last salary, fully-furnished house provided by the state with
replaceable furniture every 5 years, a chauffeur-driven car, medical care for immediate family, and four Government-paid guards. There are many other benefits intended to sustain them out of misery.

Of all former Ugandan Presidents, only Binaisa and gen. Okello ever enjoyed their benefits before they died. The rest, Kabaka Mutesa,
Obote, Amin and Lule died in exile. Wacha now lives a quiet, prayerful life in Naguru, Kampala.

His hearing, sight and comprehension are all in order. Wacha hails from Lira in Northern Uganda. We learnt that among other schools he attended Kling’s College, Buddo and was a Vice Chairman of the Public Service Commission  at some time in his career.

Nyamuconco was from Rukungiri where locals there tell Youth Link that during his reign, songs were composed in his honour as the first son of the soil to become President of Uganda.

A friendly source had earlier revealed that Gen. Moses Ali has also been contacted to make a special appeal to President Museveni on the matter. At the time Musoke, Wacha and Nyamuconco were Presidents, Museveni was Vice Chairman of the Military Commission and Minister of Defence.

Museveni went on to participate in the 1980 elections under the Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM) but lost miserably. He launched a bush war which saw him become President in 1986.

Our sources reveal that the Ministry of Public Service had not yet taken necessary action but Minister Henry Kajura was expected to Mr. Wacha and hold some discussions aimed at settling the matter.

By Robert Atuhairwe

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