His Excellency ,President for Life, Field Marshal, Alhaji, Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, Lord of all Beasts of the Earth, and Fishes of the Seas, Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in general and Uganda in Particular.
His rule lasted for 8 years but under his government he did a lot of things that the later governments failed to achieve in that short time possible. Much as he was a dictator and failed to control his army and the army made massacres in his or out of his knowledge, he did a lot of things that we will always remember him for. Here they are.
1. Amin released all political detainees that were languishing in Luzira by the government of Dr. Apollo Milton Obote: For example several Baganda notables including one of Sekabaka Muteesa’s sisters who were imprisoned shortly after the Kabaka Crisis of 1966.
2. Amin promoted and lifted the sports image in Uganda: He thrilled Ugandans and the entire world when he led his cabinet and leading personalities, including religious leaders in a friendly soccer match shortly after taking power.
3. Amin also went ahead to provide moral and financial support to sports: In 1972, John Akii Bua won a 400m hurdles gold medal in the Munich Olympics held in Germany the only Gold Uganda has won at the games history. Uganda reached the Africa cup of Nations 1978 and reached on the finals and ever since then, it has never qualified for the tournament.
4. Amin hosted the Organization of African Union (OAU): No one seriously believed the Organization of African Union (OAU) heads of state would come to Uganda so soon if ever. But, surprisingly, in his characteristic way.
5. Amin pushed ahead anyway with a shortage of hotels and conference facilities. It was suggested that new ones had to be put in place. He went to complete the construction of the OAU conference Centre and Nile Hotel. A Yugoslav company Energy-Project was contracted and worked twenty four hours a day in three shifts and the project was completed in June just ready for the meeting.
6. The exchange rate of the shilling to the dollar remained steady between 7shs and 7.50shs between 1971 and 1979 and on the black market it was 16shs.
7. Amin is remembered for the constructing, purchasing and maintaining national assets in foreign lands: Prominent among these was Uganda House in New York, Uganda House in United Kingdom on Trafalgar square and Diplomatic properties in Geneva, Brussels, Nairobi, and Mogadishu. All these properties are in Prime location. Also coffee marketing board property and storage facilities in Mombasa.
8 .Amin as a deeply Religious man: It is reported that Amin donated significantly to the construction of Church House, a Church of Uganda project. The donation was part of the Church’s centenary celebrations in 1977.
9. Amin also takes credit for uniting once fractious Muslims under the banner of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council: He allocated to the council the land at old Kampala on which the magnificent “Gadhafi Mosque” stands.
10. Credit goes to President Idi Amin Dada for the Creation of Uganda’s first and only national flag carrier, the Uganda Airlines Corporation. He rescued ‘The Flying Crane’ out of the wreckage of the East African Airways, and the Crane proudly traversed the international skies and landed at the world’s airports to the admiration and envy of many.
11. Under Iddi Amin, Uganda had 65 air force planes. These included L-29 trainers, Twin Otters, MIG-17 and MiG-21.
12. Early 1970, according to National Housing Statistics, NHCC built flats, marionettes and bungalows in top class residential areas of Bugolobi (872). Bukoto White (130), Bukoto Brown (180), Kololo (80), Nakasero (44), Wandegeya inter alia (136). Middle to low housing estates were built in Luwafu (51) and Mulago. Idi Amin had plans of having apartment blocks like those in Bugolobi in places like; Kawempe, Mutundwe & Kansanga.
13. Amin expanded the Uganda Railways Corporation: The railway transported heavy equipment for inland with relative ease, for until that time the main form of transport into the interior was ox-drawn wagons. It also expedited the export of coffee and tea and encouraged other types of commerce.
14. Satellite links: Amin is also remembered for linking Uganda to the rest of the world by putting up earth satellite at Mpoma in Mukono and at Ombaci in his home region of West Nile. By the time it was set up in the 70s, the satellite station was one of the very few of its kind on the African continent, another being in Nigeria. According to one of his widow, Mama Madina Amin, the Mpoma Earth Satellite Station was Amin’s gift to the Baganda.
15. Amin returned the body of Sir Edward Muteesa II for a state funeral with full honors: Muteesa who was Uganda’s first President had died in London on 19th November 1969.
16. Amin appointed Elizabeth Bagaya as Africa’s first female Foreign Minister in 1972, before Britain and most of Europe had female Foreign Ministers or woman Prime Ministers like Margaret Thatcher.
17. On 4th August 1972, Amin was touring Tororo in eastern Uganda when he announced a dream he had had and whose implementation would have far reaching effects on the lives of all Ugandans, altering their attitudes forever. In the dream, a higher power had directed him to rid Ugandans of foreigners who were “milking” the economy at the expense of native Ugandans.
18. In 1974, he made Uganda a member of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) without first converting every Ugandan into a Muslim by force. Uganda is the only IOC member that is not an Islamic state.
19. Genesis of URC: President Idi Amin created the Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) after the 1977 dissolution of East African Railways & harbors Corporation, which had begun after world war.
20. President Amin provided Uganda manufactures with additional support through the Uganda Development Bank, which supplemented UCB. The Uganda Development Bank and the Credit Guarantee Fund were established under the Uganda Development Bank Act, 1972, during Amin Dada’s regime and commenced business on 10th November 1972.
21. He dug and built in Jinja the biggest fuel reserve in Africa by then in one month-works were done in the night.
22. He was a pan Africanist, he was a patriot who loved his country, his race and his religion. He is referred to many as the father of patriotism in Uganda.
23. He constructed many government schools, education colleges of which upto now are working in the premises established by him.
24. Iddi Amin worked with Israelites who constructed many long lasting roads in Uganda including a bigger part of the Mbarara-Kabale road. This was before his relationship with Israel turned sour after learning their inhuman activities in the Middle East against Muslims.
May he Rest in Eternal Peace
