Khaukha is among the few surviving veterans of the UPM, the political organization that laid the groundwork for the NRA liberation war led by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Namisindwa, Uganda: A founding member of the Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM), Mr Khaukha George William Luke, has cried out over what he calls years of government neglect despite his contributions to the liberation struggle that brought the National Resistance Movement (NRM) to power.
Born in 1951 in Bubutu Sub-county, Namisindwa District, Khaukha is among the few surviving veterans of the UPM, the political organization that laid the groundwork for the NRA liberation war led by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Khaukha served as UPM Publicity Secretary for Mbale District in 1980 under the late Perez Musamali (Chairman), Wadada Musani (Vice Chairman), and the late Maumbe Mukhwana (Treasurer). He says he now lives in obscurity, while others who joined the struggle later or defected from opposing camps have been recognized and rewarded.
“Many people who once opposed and persecuted us have been rewarded, yet those of us who risked our lives for change have been forgotten. My colleagues like Musamali, Maumbe, and Wadada have all been honored after death, but I am still ignored,” Khaukha lamented.
He recalls that after the disputed 1980 general elections, which saw UPM win only one parliamentary seat through Dr Crispus Kiyonga, President Museveni decided to take up arms, marking the start of the five-year bush war. Government forces allegedly began hunting UPM members, forcing Khaukha to flee to Bungoma, Kenya, on the advice of his then chairman, the late Perez Musamali.
Khaukha says his suffering deepened in 1986 when Musamali, his mentor and close ally, was killed by the “Force Obote Back Again” (FOBA) group.
“Musamali was a visionary leader who always shared strategic ideas with me. His death left a void in my heart and a sense that our sacrifices had been forgotten,” Khaukha recounted.
Despite several attempts, Khaukha says he has failed to secure an audience with President Museveni due to bureaucratic hurdles.
After returning from exile, he served as RC3 Chairman for Bubutu from 1986 to 1989, later joining Kampala City Council as a volunteer legal assistant until his retirement in 2012 following the creation of KCCA.
A father of twelve, Khaukha now appeals to local leaders to help him meet the President and to lobby for support for his children, saying recognition for his contribution would be an honour not just for him but for Namisindwa at large.
He insists that Bugisu sub-region, particularly Namisindwa, played a pivotal role in the liberation struggle, recalling that Museveni was once sheltered in Taaso and Kaboole areas during the early years of UPM mobilization.
President Museveni is expected to visit Namisindwa District on November 8, 2025, as part of his campaign trail, a visit Khaukha hopes will finally grant him an opportunity to meet the Head of State face-to-face.
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