Falling from the skies to Naguru slum

Cecilia Zaituni Amongi has just been evicted by her landlord, Aisha Ambaria. She defaulted on her sh100,000 rent for five months. The landlord took the case to the LCI chairperson, Gorreti Onyango before it was forwarded to the Police. She had to shift to her new location, a worse off house in Naguru slum near the remand home.

However, in all her weirdest of dreams, Amongi never imagined of renting a sh100,000 house in the slums.

That money used to be her pocket change and tip to waiters during her hey times in the 1970s. Today, even a meal is not a matter of course! Yet she has to take care of her grandchildren. Her oldest grandchild, Moses Omara, is 18. The youngest, Janat, is two years old. The others are Isaac, four and Sarah, six.

Amongi was an air hostess, VIP’s wife, globe-trotting businesswoman and a comfortable wife, residing in Kololo, Wampewo Avenue, with servants, a chauffeured Volvo car and access to the State House. Her husband, Brig. Isaac Lugonzo aka Maliyamungu, was President Idi Amin’s right-hand man.

To get to her new home in Naguru slums today, you have to do a long jump over a water trench to reach her veranda, which doubles as a kitchen during day and bathroom at night. The home is near the one from which she was evicted recently.

Cecilia during her old days. She worked as a air hostess

“It is not surprising for a neighbour to bring a bucket full of human waste and empty it here as I cook,” Amongi says.

“My neighbours usually fight and hurl insults at each other as my grandchildren watch.”

True to her word, the houses are separated by cardboards, whereby whatever transpires next door is audible in her partition. The paths to the slum home are strewn with broken bottles, used condoms, polythene paper and mountains of garbage. The neighbours comprise Congolese operating an eatery next to a miraa (Khat) stall. It is dusty on a sunny day and muddy when it rains. Stray dogs and cats mingle with the residents freely.

“I keep my mobile phone very close because I expect to receive the COVID-19 relief money we were promised anytime,” Amongi says.

LIFE AS AIR HOSTESS

Amongi was an air hostess with Uganda Airlines Corporation (UAC) in the 1970s, living a glamorous life,globe-trotting and sleeping in five-star hotels. She had trained in Arusha, Tanzania and says the job takes a lot more than smiling and serving passengers food. When they were in Uganda, they resided in Lake Victoria Hotel or Apollo (now Sheraton) Hotel.

It was during those trips that Amongi met an army officer called Corporal Isaac Lugonzo aka Maliyamungu. By then, Maliyamungu was a pay officer of the airforce based in Entebbe. He swept her off her feet with sweet words.

Maliyamungu was related to the then army commander, Maj. Gen. Idi Amin. He actively took part in the overthrow of Dr Milton Obote in 1971.

Maliyamungu helped Amin secretly enlist troops from the West Nile and southern Sudan.

During the coup, Maliyamungu personally secured Entebbe airport by driving a tank from the Malire Barracks to Entebbe and took control, almost unopposed.

This impressed Amin and Maliyamungu consequently won the favour of Uganda’s new president.

WIFE OF MALIYAMUNGU

Maliyamungu became Idi Amin’s righthand man, rising in the ranks and amassing great power and an intimidating reputation. When Amin expelled Asians, he gave Maliyamungu the Nyanza Textile Factory in Jinja.

Maliyamungu was also associated with the mass murder of civilians and soldiers suspected of being disloyal to Amin.

Amongi outside her home in Naguru. She says she lived a good life during the Idi Amin regime

He eventually headed the VIP Protection Unit (Amin’s bodyguards and enforcers) and played a major role in the intelligence body, State Research Bureau’s activities.

By 1977, he was the de facto heir of Amin due to his loyalty to the regime and reliability in carrying out the president’s orders.

“We used to visit State House on a regular basis,” his widow, Amongi, says.

“Amin and my husband have had a lot of bad publicity outside, but to us the wives and children, they were loving. Life was easy then in spite of the economic war. Everything was available for the family and the children went to good schools,” she says.

Amongi says they had seven children, three of whom passed away.

She is a Langi by tribe, but easily adapted to the Kakwa culture of her husband. She wore Kakwa clothes, mastered the language and prepared their dishes. Like Amongi, Maliyamungu was a linguist who could communicate in Luo, Lunyoro, Kakwa, Luganda, Kiswahili and English.

EXILE

When the Uganda–Tanzania war broke out in 1978, Maliyamungu held important military commands. And when Amin’s government fell in 1979, Maliyamungu fled to DR Congo (Zaire then) with his family.

“We first fled to Arua and then when the war came closer, we crossed the border to DR Congo. My husband’s first wife abandoned him and went to the UK with the children. I stayed with Maliyamungu, first at the border area, but later, the Kinshasa government asked us to move deeper into DR Congo. I followed my husband deep inside Congo.

Life was okay. My husband was treated as a high-profile refugee by the Red Cross, so we had enough food and money. Many people, including Amin’s sons like (Internal Security Organisation) deputy director) Taban Amin, would come home for food, money and news from home,” she narrates.

However, Maliyamungu soon died under unclear circumstances in 1984. According to Amongi, he was with friends sipping coffee at home in Ombokolo town.

“He excused himself to go for a short call. I suspect that when he went away, one of his colleagues doused his cup with poison. He died soon after with symptoms of poisoning. That is when I saw my world crumble. I did not know much about his businesses or contacts to follow up upon his demise. Neither did I know the number of children he had. I only knew the six of mine, those of the half-caste (chotara) wife and another with a woman from Kalerwe,” she said.

RETURN TO UGANDA

After the death of her husband, Amongi started feeling the heat.

When President Yoweri Museveni took over government and the Red Cross brought back refugees, she lost favour as a special refugee. The friends of her late husband also abandoned her.

When Uganda started repatriating refugees, Amongi was among those that were taken to Old Kampala.

“I stayed at the Mengo Red Cross Resource Centre for six months before getting the refugee return allowance. I could not go back to Lira because of the Lord’s Resistance Army wars in northern Uganda. I rented a room on William Street and began baking samosa, which I sold in offices around Kampala. In the evening I sold milk and food to travellers to Arua,” she says.

Her first task was to regain their family property, which had been grabbed.

“We had many houses, but as you know African men, they don’t share information and documents, so I couldn’t prove anything. Even for the houses I knew and lived in like in Kololo, Kansanga, Natete, Bugolobi, Kanyanya, Soya on Gaba Road, I had no documents. The same thing happened for the houses in Arua town.What I know is that my husband had registered our Gaba house in the names of a caretaker because he did not want to be identified with the house. When we fled, the caretaker took it and he had documents. All our houses in West Nile and across Buganda had been lost to friends, relatives and new government officials,” she narrates.

Amongi was unable to lay any legal claim to any of the houses. She says the one in Koboko was taken by her sister-in-law, Rebecca.

FROM PAN TO FIRE

Eventually, she shifted to Najanankumbi and started vending bitenge (African wear) from DR Congo and odii (groundnut paste) from her home area.

“One night, robbers broke into my house, beat me up and carried away everything. I practically returned to zero. I shifted to Naguru Housing Estate. It was kind hearts that pooled donations to enable me to rent another room,” she says.

That did not last long. The houses were demolished shortly after. Stranded, Amongi moved to Naguru slums. She had tried to get assistance from the family, army and Government in vain.

“I had no capital to resume my business in full swing. My life collapsed to zero level,” she said.

Amongi continued hawking bitenge and odii in offices and homesteads for more than 10 years. Then her health started deteriorating. Besides high blood pressure and diabetes, she fell and dislocated her limb. With the number of dependants increasing, her expenses rose above the income.

“It is the first COVID-19 lockdown that crippled me financially. I sold out all the odii and the bitenge I had and used the money. The cost of living got so high and my daughter dumped all her children here for me to take care of. I could not afford rent and was thrown out. I do not know what is coming next,” she said.

CLAN SITS

One time, the clan members met and Amongi was recognised as the surviving widow of the late Malyamungu since one of the co-wives, who fled to the UK died there. Another wife remarried.

Amongi’s son, Isaac Oben, was chosen as the heir to his father.

The Koboko land ownership was discussed and the elders promised to find an amicable solution eventually.

They kept holding meetings and still failed to resolve it. An account was supposed to be opened for the rent from the Arua house to be shared between Maliyamungu’s wife and sister, but it never happened.

“I gave up. I tried to call family friends who used to stay with us in exile like Taban Amin and Emilio Mondo, but got no response,” she laments.

Most of the biological children she had with Maliyamungu died, leaving only one who lives in Mengo, Kisenyi. She is the mother of the five grandchildren, who are staying with Amongi.

WHAT HAS BEEN DONE

Amongi says she went to the defence ministry and filled in pension forms of her deceased husband, Brig. Isaac Maliyamungu U0/0380. She already got the letters of administration of Maliyamungu estate from the Chief Magistrate Court of Nakawa, Nantege Christine.

“I was told that the document was pending approval from the permanent secretaries of the ministries of defence and public service as well as the director of records for Uganda People’s Defence Forces. After a lot of back and forth, I gave up,” Amongi says.

At one time, in 2012, she appealed to President Yoweri Museveni, who gave her sh4m. The President reportedly told his officials to construct a house for her and avail her monthly upkeep of cash. She says it never happened.

“I have since chased for my gratuity from the Government, but all has been in vain. I feel pain in the lungs, legs, and waist, but I have no money for treatment.”

APPEAL

Amongi wants Government to intervene.

“I need a permanent house because the house in Arua that I would call home was inherited by Maliyamungu’s sister called Rebecca. The land in Koboko was taken by a relative. I want money to educate my grandchildren. They lack a decent home, beddings, clothes and food. I cannot afford their medication. I need capital to do business and sustain the family,” she says.