By James Wafula in Nairobi
Former Central Province Govenor under military leader Idi Amin Dada, Capt Abdalla Nasur on a wheelchair
By James Walula in Nairobi
Fallen former Kampala governor Abdallah Nasur who has outlived his boss Idi Amin by several years will long be remembered for having imposed some of the harshest restrictions ever in the city of seven hills. The late dictator Idi Amin died in 2003 in a Saudi Arabian hospital aged 83 while Nasur appears to have clocked 95 years, dying in a hospital bed, something they denied many of their victims whom they slaughtered in torture dens. In his day at the peak of his career as dictator Idi Amin ruled the land locked country with an iron fist, a furious Nasur decreed in 1975 that no resident of Kampala could walk on the streets in slippers. The tough talking governor whose every word was “law’ also went on to ban wearing of mini-skirts for women warning that those found would be flogged and undressed in public. Its not clear why Nasur was against seeing people in slippers or women wearing mini skirts. On the latter he said such women were spreading bad morals they should wear long dresses (max). On slippers it was rumoured that anyone found would be forced to eat the slippers as indeed many realized to their horror. Addressing a hastily assembled public rally in Kololo upon his appointment in 1975 as Kampala governor, Nasur warned while angrily waving his right finger that he would deal harshly with anyone flouting his directives. He said Amin had given him a “big job’ and trusted him to ensure it is done.
He said he did not intend to let him down. Speaking in a stern voice wearing dark glasses as armed guards flanked him, Nasur also banned spitting or blowing the nose in public! Those who had no shoes were warned to walk bare foot. The tough talking governor went on to ban littering, ordering Kampala city council workers to sweep and wash the streets thrice a day! Give the devil his due the governor did bring a shine to the city which is far from what it is today. The governor further ordered fresh painting on all shops and business premises to be done after every 3 months! He would personally inspect every shop and buildings on all streets at the end of the day and woe to you if he found it unkempt. Begging or hawking on Kampala streets could land you into torture chambers in Lubiri, Nakasero or Naguru and beggars had long been removed through a hideous plan before Kampala hosted African heads of state OAU conference in 1975. Amin had ordered Nasur, sources then divulged to come up with
final solution that would remove all
beggars from the streets of Kampala.
According to the dictator, the OAU
conference was an international
event that Kampala will be hosting
and it would be “wrong” for the VIP
visitors to see “wretched” beggars
on the streets! Especially as he was
bragging that he had told the leaders
that all Ugandans had become rich
after expelling Asians in 1972! All
Ugandans he bragged were “mafuta
mingi” rich.
Nasur then came up with a plan!
Beggars were told in friendly tones to
prepare to be taken to proper housing
where food, water and clothes and be
provided free of charge! They were
assured once fed and well dressed
they would come to Nakivubo
stadium to join other Ugandans in the
OAU festivities.
Lorries full of crippled beggars, the
blind and deaf soon found themselves
at the Jinja Nile Falls where sources
claim they met with a monstrous
brutal destiny! Each was flung into
the raging waters at gun point into
the waiting jaws of crocodiles.
Nasur always said he was enforcing
the law as directed by the Life
president and commander in chief
whose path you crossed at your own
peril, he warned.
He then ordered all shop owners
who had not displayed President
Idi Amin portrait arrested to explain
why. Many vanished into torture
chambers and did not have the luxury
of dying on a hospital bed like Nasur.
Nasur walks to his grave having
lived to a ripe old age, something he
denied many of his victims who never
lived to see justice done.
When Nasur banned wearing
slippers in Kampala he made one
interesting exception! Wearing akala
sandals that is motor tire sandals was
acceptable! Indeed no one would
harass you for wearing them.
Fallen former Central Province
Govenor Abdalla Nsur was a man
who lived large and enjoyed the good
things of life which included roasted
goat’s meat washed down by gallons
of sweet beverages. This was a time
when most Ugandans had forgotten
about tea due to scarcity of sugar
in the country. Indeed in later years
Ugandans adopted to drinking
sugarless tea dubbed ” Mugumu”
because sugar was only available for
Idi Amin’s croonies and privileged
few like Abdalla Nasur.
Nasur , heavily built with a pot belly
was the epitome of Amin’s “Mafuta
Mingi” (fat, rich and powerful),
always dressed in army fatigues then
uniforms for Govenors.
But probably the best momemnt for
Abdalla Nasur was when Idi Amin
appointed him to allocate shops
to black Ugandans after expulsion
of Asians in 1972. Clad with two
automatic revolver pistols he would
point at a building and offer it to
whoever praised him.
As for those who thought they could
go around easing themselves in the
open, blowing their nose or throwing
garbage, consequences were harsh.
One could even find himself in a
torture den where blood thirsty
monsters like Mali ya Mungu and
Kill Me Quick were eagerly waiting
for “death clients” to “cannibalize”
and drink their blood.
Former Uganda Military leader Field Marshall Idi Amin Dada
Idi Amin’s torture dens were full
of groaning victims in death throes
crying out in pain enduring heart
breaking torment before finally being
dispatched to their maker. Sometimes
it could just be because you threw a
banana peel in the wrong place.
Driving a good car, marrying a
beautiful woman, and appearing
well educated were criminalized by
the Idi Amin military dictatorship
in Kampala that slaughtered up to
400,000 Ugandans many on such
flimsy excuses.
But that aside one should give
the devil its due the dictator valued
a clean and orderly environment.
Even when most city residents
endured harrowing tales of torture
and trauma from his bullying armed
goons or secret police (NASA) who
kept driving the whole night looking
for enemies of the Amin regime real
or imagined■
