This archive report was first published on 24 January 2022.
On January 22, 2022, the burial service of James Wamalwa took place at Sikusi in Bungoma county. The late Wamalwa, a former police officer, played a significant role in shaping Uganda's history. He saved the life of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni from execution during the regime of President Idi Amin.
African Union envoy to Somalia Simeon Mulongo represented Ugandan President Museveni and his government at Wamalwa's funeral. Mulongo revealed that Museveni had a very tight relationship with Wamalwa, referring to him as 'Rafiki' rather than 'His Excellency'. The two leaders shared notes on the liberation struggle of Uganda, and Museveni even gifted Wamalwa a posho mill.
According to Museveni's book 'Sowing the Mustard Seed: The Struggle for Freedom and Democracy in Uganda', he was arrested by Wamalwa in 1971 alongside Magode Ikuya and Abwooli Malibo. Wamalwa warned them to desist from associating with militia activities, and they were later released. However, Malibo was later arrested and executed by a firing squad.
Years after capturing power, Museveni sent former Bubulo East MP Simon Mulongo to cross the border to Kenya to look for Wamalwa. Wamalwa's family says their father could meet Museveni in Bumbo, Entebbe State House, and the State Lodge in Mbale in the 2000s. These visits became the talk of his Sikusi village, earning him the nickname 'Museveni'.
