Kabamba Tales: Hajj Ibrahim Bagala'zimbye, 84, Reveals How NRA Attack

As the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) prepares to celebrate Liberation Day, a special report by Nile Post highlights the pivotal moments surrounding the first gunshot fired by NRA rebels during their attack on the Kabamba military barracks.

Listening to survivors recount those events provides a shocking glimpse into the violence that marked Uganda's early years of the National Resistance Army (NRA) liberation struggle.

In Nakakawala Village, about 6 kilometres from Kabamba Barracks, lives 84-year-old Ibrahim Bagala'zimbye. When this elderly man recounts the events of the NRA rebels’ attack on Kabamba barracks between 1981 and 1985, it feels as though it happened only yesterday.

The war was launched with the attack on Kabamba Barracks in Mubende District on February 6, 1981, culminating in victory on January 26, 1986.

Bagala'zimbye reveals that President Museveni once visited him at night, accompanied by his late brother-in-law, Jackson Molly Muwanga. They discussed plans to attack Kabamba Barracks.

“It was around 8pm when a vehicle parked near my house. My brother-in-law came out with some colleagues and told me how the votes had been rigged and that they were planning to fight for their victory. At first, I thought they were drunk,” he recalls.

“But Museveni didn’t step out of the car. When my siblings tried to look at him through the car’s window, he quickly covered his face and turned off the light. After that, they left my house and set off,” Bagala'zimbye says.

A few days later, Bagala'zimbye witnessed the rebels’ attack on Kabamba, which was met with no immediate response from government soldiers in the barracks—only panic among the people.

“Five days later, the rebels attacked. We saw people running from the barracks. When we asked, they told us the barracks had been attacked,” he recalls.

Arrested and tortured

Following the attack, Obote’s soldiers arrested Bagala'zimbye, accusing him of collaborating with the rebels. He was tortured and spent three days in detention, which left him with missing teeth and a broken leg before being released.

“Some villagers spread rumours that I had hosted Museveni, and they reported me. I will never forget the torture, which left me with a broken leg and missing teeth. But after three days, I was released,” Bagala'zimbye says.

Furious at the mistreatment, Bagala'zimbye joined the rebels’ cause. He assisted by sourcing weapons from local hunters and delivering medicine to rebel spies inside Kabamba barracks.

By January 1, 1985, Museveni’s NRA fighters launched another attack on Kabamba, and the sound of gunfire echoed far and wide.

“We were in New Year’s celebration mood, and some soldiers from the barracks had gone to the trading center to have fun. Then we heard gunshots, and many people fled the village. I saw Obote’s soldiers running with their guns, some even asking for casual clothing to camouflage,” Bagala recalls.

Reflecting on the human cost of the war, Bagala'zimbye says he lost close friends whose memories still haunt him.

“Many people lost their lives during that time. I would not wish anyone to experience war,” he says solemnly.

In the midst of these tragic memories, Bagala'zimbye laments that he was promised an opportunity to meet President Museveni and shake his hand, but that plan was sabotaged.

He criticises those who accuse Museveni of clinging to power, saying they fail to understand the sacrifices made during the liberation struggle.

“They should allow us to access the president. We know how we protected him during the war, but the guards don’t allow us to reach him,” he says.

Bagala'zimbye, who witnessed the first gunshot of the war in Mubende, appeals to President Museveni to arrange a meeting with surviving war comrades to discuss the hardships they endured, as there are many unresolved issues.

“I am a Muslim, and Muhammad was buried in Mecca. The president should meet with us, the victims of the war, and engage with us because many of us wish to share our stories,” he says.

Additionally, Bagala'zimbye has expressed a deep desire to return to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage and requests the president’s assistance in facilitating this journey.

“I built a house, but it is not yet complete. I am aging, and I wish he could buy me a car so I can drive myself. But most importantly, I want to return to Mecca for Hajj because it has been a long time since I last went,” he concludes.

Thirty-nine years after the NRA—now NRM—took power, local leaders say the area has transformed significantly. What was once a forest has now become a place where people build homes.