In January 1986, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni captured Kampala and became the president of Uganda after waging a five year war to capture Uganda. At the time of his victory he defeated and overthrew the then brief government of General Tito Okelo.
General Tito's soldiers who were returning to their nothern Uganda homes in Acholi and Lango land were very bitter, they had a bitter enemy in Museveni.
A local girl named Alice Auma who then was only 30 years old was to later start a movement known as The Holly Spirit Mobile Force (HSMF). A force that Auma claimed was formed to fight, defeat Museveni and capture Kampala. Auma claimed she was sent by a messenger (Lakwena) of the holy spirit which also instructed her not to use any weapons except stones and cover their bodies with oil and red soil (odowa) to repel bullets. Many of the soldiers who were bitter after being defeated by Museveni's NRM joined HSMF in droves. Within a short period they were 10,000 plus strong, ready to take only stones and faith in Alice Auma's holly spirit to the battle field against the heavily armed battle hardened Ugandan army - the NRM. Alice Auma was to later be known as Alice Auma Lakwena or simply Alice Lakwena.
Alice Lakwena who was born in 1956 had no formal military training nor education. Due to bitterness against the NRM his followers believed her and asked no questions. They belived every word she uttered. She gave several rules which they obeyed without question.
She ruled that the wounded soldiers would be treated using only the shea nut oil administered to the wounds twice a day by herself, virgin boys or women who had reached menopause.
Auma soon unleashed her army to battle against the heavily armed Ugandan army complete with machine guns, rocket propelled granades, helicopter gunships and more. They were killed in droves but more still joined. At one time the Ugandan army had to retreat in what they called the retreat of mercy but Lakwena called it victory. The war raged from August 1986 to November 1987. The war ended when the cult leader Alice Lakwena fled on a bicycle to Kenya straight into a refugee camp near Daadab called Ifo. Alice Lakwena was to die 20 years later in 2007. Her father had briefly tried to inherit the fighting outfit but he was too weak to make any significant moves.
An enraged nilot only needs a bitter enemy so as to risk his life without asking questions. So what personality cult leaders do is to create for them bitter and fearsome enemies. Enmity based on real or imagined infringement on needs and pride. They would fight to death just for pride and imagined survival.
Someone send Ruto this. You don’t have to shout hallelujah, sing hosanna or speak in tongues to deliver success.
Be decisive.
Religion is not in the equation of success. @WilliamsRuto@steven_nyabwa
The beautiful thing about literary writing is that you, the writer, are not culpable for the actions of the characters you create. You can kill and keep some, exalt and destroy others while creating a world where people live and relate with others harmoniously. Sometimes, the