Paul Kagame became the head of Rwandese Patriotic Army which later became Rwanda Defence Forces, he immediately started eliminating his colleagues especially those who questioned his competency or who suggested contrary ideas.

Steven Ndugute middle holding a binocular 

Kagame rose from Major to Major General following the elimination of his colleagues, and it all happened because he was trusted by Museveni of Uganda who helped us through to the last minute.

Indeed, Kagame was entrusted as the coordinator of politics in the RPA/RPF due to the fact that he was the only one Museveni believed that was capable of listening due to have been close friend to Afande Fred Rwigema (RIP), also Kagame had served as an intelligence officer in the NRA high command after he panicked on frontline in the early 1980’s, with reference to Gen Pecos Kutesa’ book ‘’How I saw it’’.  Major Kagame opened rapid fire in an ambush which resulted in exposal of the NRA whereabouts and induced the attack from the enemy, this is the time when Gen Fred Rwigema withdrew Kagame from the frontline to the general headquarters.

On the attack of Rwanda as we all know Kagame came back a bit late and the war had commenced, Kagame was not a command soldier and had no idea  on what was happening on the frontline, the battlefield was all handled by our brave commanders such Afande Ndugute Kalisoliso, Sam Kaka, Kaitare and others, the list is endless.

 

Ndugute was the most experienced  soldier we had in our ranks, had started his career in around 1972; trained as a Uganda Army’s marine commando and later headed the first ever U.A’s marine unit in 1977 till 1979. He had trained in Israel, Iraq and Greece during his time of service in the Uganda Army of Gen Iddi Amin. When he responded to the UNLF Government’s call for every former Uganda Army soldier to report, he and many others reported but instead he was arrested and dumped into Luzira Murchison bay upper prison. Ndugute broke the record when he escaped after breaking the prison’s top concrete layered roof and helped other 60 inmates to escape using his commando skills.

He went into hiding shortly but in early 1981, he and a few other former soldiers started a movement-FEDEMU (Federal Democratic Movement to fight against Obote’s regime. Ndugute was appointed the overall field commander of the army. For those who don’t know or remember, FEDEMU, UFM and PRA that later gathered to work together with NRA, were fighting to oust Obote’s regime, unfortunately prior to becoming part of NRA their leaders Nkwanga and Kayira had died and so Ndugute worked tiresless to rescue his army and work together with NRA to build a national army.

Ndugute crossed to NRA in 1985, through Katonga and by 1986 had already became the BN commander of 15th BN in Lira, 1987, appointed CO 79th BN in Kampala and deployed to Soroti operation areas immediately.

After showing his capabilities in the NRA, he was promoted to become a Brigade commander and headed northern Uganda, was based in Soroti area to continue fighting the insurgents. Ndugute Left Soroti in 1990 departing from the Eastern Uganda operation areas, he came together with Bunyenyezi and Kaka the author of this article, was in the areas of operations from 1989 to 1990 when he left with Ndugute and Bunyenyezi.

All the three commanders had their brigades in the whole of Teso each neighbouring the other; Ndugute was for Soroti area (stationed), Bunyenyezi headed a mobile BDE that swept wherever the insurgents could be located in the districts of Soroti, Kaberamaido and Lira. Kaka was in the neighbouring district of Kumi also part of Teso.

At early start of the RPA invasion, Ndugute headed 3rd column, Beginning from Dec/90, he was appointed deputy commander of RPA; supposedly deputizing Kagame until when he was kicked out of the whole business during the preparations of Kigali final offensives in the early months of 1994.

From the battles of October and November, 1990, Ndugute planned and executed the offensives against the FAR, in most cases, he participated in fighting at the forefront in battles. The author witnessed him during 1990 Gabiro battles using almost every support weapon to tear through the FAR defensive positions.

His brevity was evident in all the battles that followed, like the one in Rwempasha on Christ-Mas Eve 1990, Ndugute is a person who tolerated the worst of Kagame’s harassment than any other commander that the authors knows of.

Sgt Karasanyi the name he was given by Ndugute him self, One of his boys who can not stop narrating the commander’s bravery

The writer of this article who happened to be around Ndugute’s entourage explains that his memory still drives the RDF bravery till today. For those who remember what he was rewarded, he was poisoned and died just because he experienced and had the ideas of building a national force not a one man’s army. His death followed other best commanders who understood the idea in the same manner, he was accused of wanting to eliminate Paul Kagame something he never thought of and he had would have been the easiest mission in his life comparing to the ones he had planned during his service. Let’s all remember our heroes and so afande Ndugute RIP we all love you and remember you on a daily basis plus all our commanders betrayed by the snake Paul Kagame.

Gacurabwenge