Picture: BRITISH CONFIDENTIAL REPORT, 1977 (clear transcript below).
Let Truth Be Told: Henry Kyemba Secretly Arranges Smear Campaign Against Amin with the UK Government.
I previously discussed how one Mr. Lawoko’s book "Dungeons of Nakasero" was a financial scam that he concocted to make money off the late Archbishop Luwum's death. In his book, Lawoko said he was being inhumanely tortured at the State Research Bureau at the time he saw Luwum being brought to the dungeons, yet in reality he was diligently busy at Radio Uganda dispatching journalists. He should have written about intelligence officer Major Moses Okello instead, the true last person to see the priest alive, as he was the person driving the vehicle that the Archbishop died in. There are also no dungeons at the State Research Bureau, it is still a normal office building today.
However the focus here is on Mr. Henry Kyemba. Particularly how he came to write his book “State of Blood”.
Remember that all the awkward and brutal stories about my father, whether in news reports or movies, are based on the two books mentioned above.
What transpires from the confidential report pictured is that Kyemba was frantically trying to cash in on anti-Amin sentiments in the UK.
The secret document shows that Kyemba, who at the time had reportedly stolen $7 million USD government funds that Amin entrusted to him for purchasing medical equipment and medicine for poor Ugandans, had instead fled his tasks, and like Judas Iscariot, he went to the Sunday Times with an offer to sell them a horror story about Amin.
The newspaper had given him a large sum of advance money for this story [even more cash], and proposed to send him to a cottage in the country-side accompanied by a staff member, where they would then write what they called "a fairly long report.”
In their own words, the rejoicing British were expecting the revelations "to produce something of a furore" adding that "the first installment would be published on 5 June.”
However Britain was reluctant to provide security for Mr. Kyemba, and in their typical condescending fashion, they had asked him to arrange his own protection "from one of the commercial security companies” instead.
This is the background on how Henry Kyemba was on "Kyeyo" (person trying to make money overseas by any means necessary).
He simply claimed to have all the inside knowledge about Amin. This pitch made the Britons drool with expectation.
As a good immigrant, Mr. Kyemba knew what the UK government wanted to hear (in this case blood, guts, horror, murder, my own mother's severed limbs...etc) for their anti-Amin smear campaign. And he was therefore ready to make money from it by hook or crook.
So Mr. Henry Kyemba, at least first refund the Ugandan tax payers $7 million USD. I am trying to estimate how many Ugandans you killed by not purchasing the medical equipment and medication as Amin had instructed you to.
(Below is the full transcript)
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CONFIDENTIAL
Sir A. Duff
Uganda
1. Just before he left for Chequers this afternoon, the PUS [Personal Under Secretary] had a telephone call from Mr. Frank Giles of the Sunday Times, who said he had with him in his office Mr. Kyemba, who until yesterday had been Minister of Health in Uganda. In that capacity he had gone to Geneva for a WHO meeting, but he had decided to defect, and had come to the Sunday Times with an offer to sell them his story. The newspaper had given him a large sum of money, and proposed to send him to a cottage in the country, accompanied by a member of their staff who would assist him in producing a fairly long report.
2. According to Mr. Giles, Mr Kyemba is in a position to reveal a good deal about the Amin regime; for instance he has said that he knows the true story of how Mrs. Bloch and Archbishop Luwum had died. Not surprisingly Mr Giles expects the revelations to produce something of a furore: the first installment would be published on 5 June.
3. Mr Giles said he wash telling the PUS this with Mr. Kyemba’s agreement, and indeed his express wish. He had indicated that he had already been in touch with the Home Office about his defection, but in what terms Mr Giles was not clear. Mr Kyemba had mentioned that he had a Ugandan bodyguard while he was in Geneva, and that this man had followed him to London, but had been turned back by the Immigration authorities at Heathrow: Mr Giles seemed to think that this indicated that the Home Office had known before hand of Mr Kyemba’s proposed defection.
4. Mr Giles said that it seemed to him that for the next 2 or 3 weeks at least Mr Kyemba should have Special Branch protection, and he asked he asked whether the PUS thought this could be arranged officially. The PUS said he would think about it; his first reaction was that the newspaper might wish to arrange protection from one of the commercial security companies but he would contact Mr Giles again tomorrow when he had had an opportunity to consider the point.
5. The PUS would be grateful for your advice on what he should say to Mr. Giles about protection, and whether he should comment on the proposed timing of the Sunday Times story.
J. O. Kerr, PS/PUS
1 June 1977
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