The title of the book was adopted from a poem which is attributed to two poets; Benjamin Malachi Franklin (1882-1965) and Grant Colfax Tullar (1869-1950).
The poems indicate divine power; where we as humans go through many trials and tribulations which we cannot explain as humans. Rhoda demonstrates the triumphant attitude during the incredible suffering that infringed her life. She lost her a father, husband, sister, children in succession but this did not make her lose faith in God.
“The strength of my faith had, however, varied from time to time, particularly when my family experienced bereavement. There were times when I would ask; God, where were you when this happened?” she muses in the book while reflecting on her spiritual journey.
It has taken her 30 years to complete this book. She has suffered bouts of procrastination while putting together this book, notwithstanding encouragement from family members, women fraternity, and friends.
“To write what one knows is of great benefit to other people,” her childhood friend Katie Kibuka urged her. She says this is the advice that spurred her to start seriously collecting information about the book.
WHO IS RHODA?
Rhoda was born on May 10, 1929, at Mengo hospital, Kampala to Martin Luther Nsibirwa and Veronica Namuddu. She is the 14th of the 27 children. Nsibirwa was then the Katikkiro of Buganda.
Nsibirwa reigned from 1929 to 1945 before he was gunned down at the entrance of Namirembe cathedral. Although his father embraced Christianity and married his first wife (Mukubwa) in church, he was polygamous person who was married to five wives.
Rhoda, together with her other siblings, grew up in the comfortable home the Butikkiro (the official residence of Katikkiro) in the precincts of Kabaka’s palace at Mengo.
“The other four wives had their own quarters in Butukkiro homestead, where they lived with their children. Nonetheless, all the children worked, played and did everything together during the day. Wherever mealtimes found us, there we would sit and have the meal with ‘our mother – it did not matter which one,” she remembers. And although they were born to a Katikkiro, their father, a strict disciplinarian, always emphasized to them that they were not Katikkiro’s children but Martin Nsibirwa’s.
“He never tired of teaching us the importance of respecting others. Absolute honesty was central to his life and he constantly told us how it was important to have a sense of shame. A person without sense of shame is not a human being,” she quotes the father in the book.
This strict code of behaviour has guided Rhoda’s life in politics, public life, civil activist, social life and whatever she has done. Little wonder then that even in her preface to the book she characterizes her story as “the most honest and authentic account of my life.”
CHILDHOOD
At about five years, Rhoda started her formal education at a kindergarten within the palace (Lubiri). She recalls that the church in the palace grounds served as a kindergarten on weekdays for the children of the chiefs who lived around Mengo and near the palace. She later joined Gayaza High School, a girl-only school, and later King’s College, Budo. At Budo, she was one of the 30 girls in a predominantly boys school.
“Being at Budo meant growing up and learning alongside boys and young men, a thing that was, hitherto, almost taboo. It would mean all the rough bits – competing, arguing, and fighting – as we learnt to live together in mutual respect. It would stretch my capacity to match the standards set for all. At Budo, I was to be groomed to take on the world of men,” she recalls.
One of Rhoda’s schoolmates at Budo was Prince Edward Mutesa, who later became the Kabaka of Buganda upon the death of his father Chwa II. She was also a close friend of Damali Kisosonkole, the future Nabagereka (Queen) of Buganda.
Tragedy strikes
Sibling relationships are often complicated. They may involve love and affection as well as rivalry, jealousy and utter hatred. But the relationship of Rhoda and Sara Nabwami, her elder sister, was one of one of love and a protector. Lightning struck Sara to death at Budo hill. This was on October 10, 1939. She was a day shy of her 11th birthday. Rhoda was shattered and her pain is evident in the pages of this book.
“The death of Sara was a great shock to the whole school. I was overwhelmed with grief. I was broken. With only a year’s age difference between us, we were very close. She and I had done everything together. She was not only my sister, but was also my closest friend,” she narrates.
The death of Sara was followed by another tragedy. Kabaka Chwa II died at the age of 43. This is the person that her father was serving. Her father had the responsibility of preparing the kingdom for this tragedy. The deceased king left a young widow who wished to remarry again in the kiganda tradition.
Nsibirwa and some chiefs like Ham Mukasa of Kyaggwe supported the change of tradition and Lady Irene Druscilla Namaganda, Kabaka Mutesa II’s mother remarried Simon Peter Kigozi, a commoner.
The Lukiiko, Buganda parliament, took offence of this decision and the Katikkiro had to resign in July 1941. A few years later, Nsibirwa was recalled and convinced by the Kabaka Mutesa II to return as the new Katikkiro. Little did Nsibirwa know that he would not last in the seat he once occupied.
He was sworn on July 7, 1945 and two months later he was shot dead at the entrance of St Paul’s Cathedral, Namirembe. The assassin who was hiding in the shrubs at the steps of the church shot him several times in the chest and he fell on his face. He was buried not far from the where he was killed from.
The assassin, called Senkatuka, was arrested as he ran down the hill from the cathedral. He was later charged, tried for murder and sentenced to death. Rhoda was only 16 when her father was killed.
Her life went into a crumble for some time. Fortunately, her large family and other people were able to see through Rhoda and her other siblings through school. As life seemed to be dimming into a tunnel, Rhoda continued with her studies at Budo.
She was the first girl to enroll for a commercial course which was dominated by boys at Budo. She also says she might have been the first African girl in Buganda to use a type writer. Upon her completion of a commercial course in 1947, Rhoda was hired as a bursar/secretary at Gayaza High School.
LOVE BECKONS
While at Budo, schoolmate Wilberforce William Kalema, who was ahead of her by two classes, started expressing his love for Rhoda but she didn’t seem very enthusiastic about it, as there were other young competitors.
When Rhoda got the job at Gayaza, Kalema rekindled his interest in her. Kalema fought on with the help of her brothers until he ultimately won her heart.
“If William Wilberforce had not been close to my two brothers after he joined King’s College Budo, it is possible that he would not have led me to the altar,” she remembers. Along the way, Rhoda was advised against marrying someone who is not born again (omulokole). Finally on February 11, 1950 at Namirembe Cathedral, Rhoda and William were married by Bishop Cyril Simon Stuart who was the Bishop of Uganda from 1932 to 1952.
CONFRONTS AMIN
On January 25, 1971, Maj Gen Idi Amin Dada deposed Dr Apollo Milton Obote while he was with his delegation of ministers in Singapore to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
Kalema, as minister of Commerce and Industry, was part of the entourage. As a consequence, they could not return to Uganda directly. He first stayed in Dar es Salaam before he summoned courage to reunite with his family back in Uganda.
His friend, James Mulwana, arranged his return. In meantime, Rhoda confronted Amin about a safe return of her husband. She went to the command post in Kololo and told Amin: “My husband wishes to return to Uganda. I request that he be allowed a secure arrival and stay in the country,” she recalls. Amin agreed and assigned the then Minister of Education, Abu Mayanja, to go to Entebbe airport and receive Kalema.
On February 12, 1971, Kalema returned to Uganda but a year later Amin, who had guaranteed his safety, breached it on January 20, 1972 when shadowy men of State Research Bureau (SRB) kidnapped and disappeared Kalema.
Insecurity of tyrants
Rhoda suspects Kalema’s political enemies lied to Amin that he had sold his interest in Impala house and sent the proceeds to Obote in Dar es Salaam.
“As I look back later after extended experience with tyrannical governance, I know that tyrants are always very insecure about anything they imagine could threaten their power, and in their paranoia, they often react brutally. Kalema was one of Amin’s imaginary enemies,” she explains.
On the fateful day, as Kalema drove out of home at Nakasero in his BMW [UUM 579], two vehicles occupied by SRB operatives followed him and intercepted him at the place where Kabalagala Police station sits. He was taken out of the car by the gun-wielding men. One of them drove away his car and Kalema was forced into another car. Strangely, as this happened, their friend Mulwana who had organized his return was driving by in the opposite direction.
Seeing Kalema in a strange car, Mulwana waved to him but he did not respond. He appeared fearful. This disturbed Mulwana who called his home but discovered he had not yet returned. That was the last time Mulwana saw his friend. Kalema’s body was never found but his car was abandoned at the Uganda-DR Congo border.
They kept hoping against hope that Kalema would return. Never.
You have your children to live for
As the search for Kalema continued, Rhoda received a message from Ms Pelizolli, the wife to the Air France manager who was renting their Tank Hill, Muyenga house.
“Dear Mrs Kalema, I am sorry about what has happened, but please know that you have your children to live for.” This was a very cryptic message which advised Rhoda to tread carefully with Amin’s government.
Indeed, later in January 1979, she was picked from her home on suspicions of being a collaborator with anti-Amin forces in exile. Her business partner, Basil Ddungu with whom she was arrested was disappeared. She never saw him again. To her surprise, her captors returned her home without harm. She later learnt that Gordon Wavamunno called SRB and pleaded for her release. Eventually, Wavamunno gave her the car in which she escaped to exile to Nairobi.
ARRESTED FOR BEING ‘MUSEVENI’ SISTER
Rhoda’s husband had served in Obote I government and it was widely suspected that he was killed because he allegedly financed Obote while in exile. However, Obote and his vice president, Paulo Muwanga, came to distrust Rhoda much later.
Trouble was that in 1981, Rhoda had become a member of the Uganda People Movement (UPM), a party whose presidential candidate was Yoweri Museveni. When on February 6, 1981, Museveni launched his guerilla war against Obote’s government; the first attack was at Kabamba which is in Mubende but also near Kiboga, Rhoda’s former constituency.
The intelligence outfit, NASA, suspected that Rhoda must have backed up Museveni. When she was arrested, NASA operatives identified as Museveni’s sister. She was eventually remanded in Luzira prison but with the intervention of former chief justice Sam Wako Wambuzi, Obote released her with peculiar conditions.
“You are free to do whatever you want. I do not stop you from carrying on with your subservice activities,’ Obote said. To which she protested: “I am afraid I did not understand what you mean by that. I have never participated in any subversive activities.”
This review gives a glimpse of a life well lived as well as a life tried and tested. Rhoda has been in trouble but not crushed. She has sometime been in doubt but not in despair. This is a must-read for all Ugandans interested in political history of this country.
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