By Mulengera Reporters
In August 2012, NRA bush war hero Major John Kazoora published his memoirs titled “Betrayed by my Leader.” The book was fiercely critical of Gen YK Museveni who Kazoora painted to be a paranoid leader who is in the habit of using and dumping people.
The author referenced on several colleagues who Gen Museveni had thrown under the bus. Himself, Kazoora was a very close advisor and assistant to Museveni in early years of the NRM government and held key powerful positions and directly reported to the President.
As of that time when the very revealing book was published (2012), Kazoora was a key figure in the opposition FDC Party where he served as a founding NEC member and Secretary for Security in the Kizza Besigye Cabinet. He had fiercely fought against Museveni-imposed obstacles only to thrice fail to win MP seat in his native Ankole.
Originally, he was MPs Kashari County for two terms (1996-2006). Gen Museveni resisted him for CA, for MP seat both in 1996 and 2001. In 2006, Gen Museveni (who was angry Kazoora had vigorously opposed him on scrapping term limits during the 2005 vote) prevailed and Kazoora was defeated by Urban Tibamanya who went on to become State Minister at the Lands Minister.
In the early 2000s, as it became clear that Museveni wasn’t prepared to abdicate the seat of power to someone else after exhausting his two elected terms, the two often quarreled and clashed at public functions and closed door meetings for Greater Ankole Parliamentary Caucus. This was always over Museveni’s failure to keep a high moral ground by bowing out of the seat as he had promised in writing and was required of him under the original version of the 1995 Constitution.
In one such meeting at Rwakitura, Kazoora made such a provocative submission that Museveni felt insulted and responded by shutting up Kazoora while vowing to make him weep like a puppy in the subsequent 2006 elections in Kashari. Museveni had the last laugh as State House-backed Urban Tibamanya, who was less prolific in the national politics, trounced Maj Kazoora who had become known nationally because of his founding role in PAFO and outspokenness against 3rd term for the President.
It became increasingly clear that the two had developed irreconcilable differences and even inside FDC, Kazoora came to be known and accepted to be among diehard Museveni haters who had great contempt for the big man from Rwakitura. At some point, Kazoora abandoned rural Kashari and came to stand in more urban and more opposition friendly Mbarara Municipality. But still the military was unleashed to frustrate his bid in 2011.
THINGS FALL APART:
Then a few years ago, Kazoora got a home accident by way of a bathroom fall. He fractured his back and heap bone as a result of that fall at his home near Silver Springs hotel in Bugolobi. This created big problems for his wife Naome Kabasharira (MP Rushenyi County in Ntungamo) and their four sons.
It was during that time of great adversity, roughly seven years ago, that the overwhelmed family members prevailed on Kazoora imploring him to scale down on his personal anger against the President. He reluctantly agreed and a meeting was organized for him to come face to face with Gen Museveni before whom he regretted past outbursts.
Renowned for being magnanimous towards repentant foes, Gen Museveni proclaimed clemency and made it clear he no longer had any problem with Kazoora towards whose medical bills he even offered readiness to occasionally contribute through his wife Naome Kabasharira, who is a close Janet Kataha ally from Ntungamo.
From that point on, Kazoora indicated to the veteran leader from Rwakitura that he was calling it quits from active opposition politics to concentrate on looking after himself while playing with his grandchildren. He made it clear he wasn’t becoming an NRM mobiliser either; ostensibly because he was uncomfortable being seen to be eating his words or turning back on his word (namely that Museveni was past his sale-by date) because a decent Munyankole man can only turn in his bed and never on his word.
Museveni indicated that he was okay with that (Kazoora not being required to once again become an NRM praise singer) and advised the retired Major to concentrate on and prioritize his own health so as to prolong his stay on earth. Fortunately, Kazoora managed to access appropriate medical intervention within Uganda and abroad and managed to recover from the bathroom fall injuries.
However, barely a year later, something else and more life-threatening cropped up. He was diagnosed with colon cancer, which essentially is a terminal condition and expensive too.
This, for years, has kept him indisposed mainly confined at home) but thank God Hon Naome Kabasharira (his spouse since 2000) has been at hand to keep running around to mobilise financial support for the very expensive medication. She has some health insurance cover being an MP, which covers her children and the spouse to an extent.
For this terminal illness, Kazoora has been to several hospitals both in Uganda, Israel and Turkey. Late last year, his family members worried they were going to lose him when he got grievously ill and spent months in the ICU at Nakasero Hospital. He even lost one of his surviving brothers during that ICU period and John Kazoora even never got to know about it.
This Nakasero Hospital, Turkey and Israel medication has been so expensive to the extent that the ailing Maj Kazoora even had to sell one of his properties in Naguru to be able to keep coping. Being the proud Munyankole man he is, Kazoora (in his late 60s) has had to raise personal money to top up onto whatever his very supportive spouse Naome Kabasharira brings home as opposed to begging and depending on handouts from better off friends. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
