President Museveni has refused to endorse the establishment of an Idi Amin Memorial Institute in Uganda, citing a range of reasons that question the legacy of the former leader. This decision has sparked a heated debate among proponents of the institute and those who support President Museveni’s stance.
A team of Ugandans had reached out to the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) with a proposal to create the Idi Amin Memorial Institute. However, President Museveni expressed strong opposition to this idea, claiming that Amin’s regime was unconstitutional and marred by numerous atrocities that harmed Ugandans and damaged the country’s economy.
President Museveni’s decision to reject the proposal has left many wondering about the motivations behind his stance. Proponents of the institute, as well as those advocating for a broader examination of Amin’s legacy, believe that politics may be playing a significant role in the President’s decision.
In his response to the NCHE, President Museveni asserted that Idi Amin’s government was illegal, having come to power through a coup. He also pointed to a long list of crimes attributed to Amin’s regime, including the killing of soldiers, prisoners, and prominent individuals like Ben Kiwanuka and Basil Bataringaya.
Idi Amin seized power in a 1971 coup, overthrowing President Apollo Milton Obote. He ruled Uganda until 1979 when he fled into exile and ultimately passed away in 2003. Hassan Fungaroo Kaps, a key figure in the team behind the institute, challenged President Museveni’s reasons and questioned the legal basis of his directive.
Fungaroo argued that President Museveni himself came to power through armed conflict, overthrowing an elected regime, much like Amin’s ascent to power through a coup. He also highlighted that violence and killings have persisted in Uganda, with some incidents allegedly involving security agencies.
The controversy surrounding Amin’s expulsion of Indians, which President Museveni attributed to damaging the economy, was traced back to decisions made by the original East African Community leaders. Fungaroo and his team engaged the NCHE, the institution responsible for licensing universities and tertiary institutes.
Memorials for past leaders are a common practice globally, serving as educational centers, such as libraries in the United States and the Julius Nyerere Leadership Centre at Makerere University. The proposed Idi Amin Memorial Institute aimed to provide a platform for studying Uganda’s history, fostering research, peace, reconciliation, and conflict resolution.
Fungaroo defended the idea of commemorating Amin, emphasizing that even controversial figures should be subject to historical examination. He called for open intellectual discourse and expressed the intention to seek an audience with President Museveni to discuss the matter and its broader connection to the West Nile development agenda.
However, some, like Mwambutsya Ndebesa, a lecturer at Makerere University, disagreed with the concept of establishing an institute to promote peace in Amin’s name. Ndebesa argued that while Amin may have had some positive aspects to his rule, the atrocities he committed outweighed any merits. He suggested that, if anything, institutes should be established to study various dictators in history, rather than focusing solely on Amin.
