Sgt Kifulugunyu Has Died a Very Bitter and Frustrated Man with President Museven’s government

Sgt Kifulugunyu Has Died a Very Bitter and Frustrated Man with President Museven’s government  

Sgt kifulugunyu later received a heroes medal from  president Museveni which had no practical value to his life

It was around 2009, when I had gone to parliament to do some research work in the library when I bumped into Sgt kifulugunyu (I had gone to pick a snack in the canteen).

He was selling music CDs to whoever he met. He put some CDs on our desk (I was sharing the table with an MP who was my very close colleague at that time before radical politics separated us)

I was interested in kifulugunyu because I had watched him countless times on national television. At that time I was also writing war stories for one of the dailies.

So I wanted kifulugunyu’s war stories. So we soon made an appointment to meet at Sheraton gardens where I used to interview him every Sunday.

When he mentioned some interesting bits of his time in the army, I suggested to him that we could translate his story into a book.

At first he welcomed the book idea , but he later got scared by saying that the authorities might not like it. I advised him to seek for permission if he thinks it may put him in direct crossfire with the UPDF authorities, but he quietly told me that “federicko, nze ndeka mwana wange, sirina geletera bizibu.

So although he managed to give me stories from his time he joined the Uganda army in 1964, and enjoyed narrating his time in president Amin’s army , he stopped talking when it came to the NRA bush war OF 1981-86.

The only thing he told me about the bush war was that he made morale boosting songs like motto wawaka with Brigadier chef Ali, kino kyekisera (which happens to be president museveni’s favorite) and many others.

He also told me how he , together with the likes of Katenta Apuuli , Tom Butime and Kirunda Kivejinja started a radio in the bush on which they used to broadcast bush war activities.

I squeezed him about why he was so mean with the bush war stories and he told me to back off those stories.

He however expressed shock at the amount of money (he reportedly received five million shillings) he was given as a retirement package.

Incidentally, every time there is a national event to celebrate the day the NRM took power in 1986, Gen Elly Tumwine and president Museven usually requests for Sgt Kifulugunyu’s song , kino kye kisera to be played by the Uganda police band.

But its interesting to note that while the same Tumwine enjoyed kifulugunyu\s songs , he couldn’t propagate or lobby for him to get better pension.  

In fact I had promised sgt kifulugunyu that we needed to move to nomo gallery where Gen Tumwine sits to make him understand what the NRA veteran was going through. But the sergeant declined my suggestion.  He was such a bitter man but he tried his best to conceal his bitterness with the system.

Much later on , he was given a heroes medal which , am told had no practical value for him.

THE SHOCKERS

• ·         By the time I met him he looked 44, but he confided in me that he was actually 66 years old. Yet he was dating women of not more than 24 years!

• ·         He had a balding part in the middle of his head which sounded like a drum when he slapped it!

• ·         He possessed very powerful hands that if he held you in his arms, you wouldn’t escape. His secret was his dedication to physical exercise. Every day he walked all the way from his home in Kawempe Tula  to Kampala city center. And he was always jolly, singing any time to anyone who requested him.

• ·         He was one of the biggest womanizers in town. I enjoyed walking with him especially from Sheraton to Wandegeya. He would sign off by telling me , gwe federicko , weraba, nze ngenda kuzina kantu kange e kalerwe! (Am not translating that one) in fact he confided in me that he gets sex everyday from the various women he had in nakulabye, bwaise, kalerwe , kawempe etc.

• ·         He actually never knew the total number of children he had
•  
• He claims to have met president museveni in Mbarara school where , Museveni came as a scout and taught them how to make ropes and other scout related activities in 1958 . 

·         He claims that he was part of the  the contingent of the Ugandan that army blew up the kagera bridge in 1978. That the engineers who blew it were brought from kilembe mines. 

Although he was given a heroes medal, there was no monetary value attached it. No wonder he died very bitter and frustrated with the regime.

At the time of his death , he was pushed in a wheel barrow like a sack of charcoal!

Rest in peace comrade Sgt Kifulugunyu

The Author Fred Daka Kamwada Is A Blogger

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