UPM veteran Khaukha cries foul over government neglect
Khaukha says he has made numerous attempts to meet the President but has repeatedly been frustrated by bureaucratic barriers and protocol.
Namisindwa: One of the few surviving veterans and founding members of the Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM), Khaukha George William Luke, has appealed to the government and President Yoweri Museveni for recognition of his contribution to Uganda’s liberation struggle.
Born in 1951 in Bubutu, Namisindwa District, Khaukha served as the UPM Publicity Secretary for Mbale District in 1980, working alongside the late Perez Musamali (Chairman), Wadada Musani (Vice Chairman), and the late Maumbe Mukhwana (Treasurer), among others. He says he is among the few surviving original UPM members who risked their lives for political change.
Khaukha now seeks a chance to meet President Museveni personally and to be acknowledged for his role in the early years of the movement. He laments that many individuals who defected from the then-ruling Uganda People’s Congress (UPC)—some of whom once persecuted UPM supporters—have since benefited more from the current government than the true pioneers of the party.
“Most of my colleagues such as the late Musamali, the late Maumbe, and the late Wadada have been honored, but I have been ignored and forgotten by the very government we helped bring to power,” Khaukha said.
Recalling events after the disputed 1980 general elections, when UPM won only one parliamentary seat through Crispas Kiyonga in Kasese, Khaukha said President Museveni decided to take up arms, prompting government forces to begin hunting UPM members. He was forced to abandon his home and flee to Bungoma, Kenya, on the advice of Musamali, where he lived in exile for several years.
His troubles deepened in 1986 when Perez Musamali was killed by soldiers from the Force Obote Back Again (FOBA) group a man Khaukha describes as his mentor and visionary leader who always involved him in strategic planning.
Khaukha says he has made numerous attempts to meet the President but has repeatedly been frustrated by bureaucratic barriers and protocol.
After returning from exile, he served as RC3 Chairman for Bubutu between 1986 and 1989. In 1991, he joined Kampala City Council (KCC) as a volunteer legal assistant, where he worked until his retirement in 2012 after KCC’s transformation into the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).
Now a father of twelve, Khaukha is appealing to government and local leaders to support him and help secure opportunities for his children.
He also emphasized that Bugisu, particularly present-day Namisindwa District, played a crucial role in the liberation struggle, recalling that President Museveni was once sheltered in areas such as Taaso and Kaboole. Local leaders, he added, believe Namisindwa deserves special recognition for its historical contribution.
President Museveni is expected to visit Namisindwa District on November 8, 2025, as part of his campaign trail, a visit Khaukha hopes will finally give him the chance to present his appeal directly to the Head of State.
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