View source for Basil Kiiza Bataringaya

{{short description|Ugandan politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Basil Kiiza Bataringaya
| image = Basil Kiiza Bataringaya, 1964.jpg
| caption = Bataringaya in 1964
| office = [[Leader of Opposition (Uganda)]]
| constituency = [[Bushenyi District]]
| predecessor = [[Apollo Milton Obote]]
| primeminister = [[Apollo Milton Obote]]
| successor = Alex Latim
| termend = 31 December 1964
| termstart = April 1962
| office2 = Minister of Internal Affairs of [[Uganda]]
| president2 = [[Apollo Milton Obote]]
| party = [[Democratic Party (Uganda)]] 1954 – 31 December 1964
[[Uganda People's Congress]] 31 December 1964 – 18 September 1972 (Death)
| termend2 = 1971
| termstart2 = 31 December 1964
| successor2 = Lt. Col. [[Ernest Obitre Gama]]
| birth_date = 1927
| birth_place = Kantojo, Igara County, [[Bushenyi District]], [[Uganda Protectorate]]
| death_date = 18 September 1972 (aged 45)
| death_place = [[Mbarara]], [[Mbarara District]], Uganda
| nationality = [[Ugandan]]
| spouse = [[Edith Mary Bataringaya]]
| alma_mater = [[Makerere University]],
[[St. Leo's College, Kyegobe]]
| occupation = Politician, [[Leader of Opposition (Uganda)|Leader of the Opposition]]
| profession = Teacher, Member of the [[Parliament of Uganda]], Minister, [[Leader of Opposition (Uganda)]]
}}
'''Basil Kiiza Bataringaya''' (1927 – 18 September 1972) was a prominent Ugandan politician in [[History of Uganda#The independent Uganda (1962-71)|post-independence Uganda]]. He was the [[Leader of Opposition (Uganda)|Leader of the Opposition]] at the beginning of the [[Milton Obote|Apollo Milton Obote]] government, and then he [[Party switching|changed parties]] and was appointed to the powerful role of [[Ministry of Internal Affairs (Uganda)|Ugandan Minister of Internal Affairs]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Glentwood|first1=Garth|last2=Hancock|first2=Ian|date=July 1973|title=Obote and Amin: Change and Continuity in Modern Uganda Politics|journal=African Affairs|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] on behalf of The Royal African Society|volume=72|issue=288|pages=237–255|jstor=719846|doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a096383}}</ref> He was [[Imprisonment|imprisoned]], [[torture]]d, and was one of the first [[political prisoner]]s to be executed by the [[Idi Amin]] regime.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9JKdBAAAQBAJ&q=interior+Minister+Basil+Bataringaya&pg=PT18|title=In Idi Amin's Shadow: Women, Gender, and Militarism in Uganda|last=Decker|first=Alicia C.|date=15 November 2014|publisher=Ohio University Press|isbn=9780821445020|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190112062034/https://books.google.com/books?id=9JKdBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT18&lpg=PT18&dq=interior+Minister+Basil+Bataringaya&source=bl&ots=V7JPoMUyWD&sig=oCKH0oOH8nURhJ9itEeRTGVJjeY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjJhrnogL7fAhUOq1kKHZiQDzsQ6AEwF3oECAAQAQ#v=onepage&q=interior%20Minister%20Basil%20Bataringaya&f=false|archive-date=12 January 2019}}</ref>
==Early life==
=== Birth ===
Basil Kiiza Bataringaya was born in 1927, in the village of [[Kantō region|Kantojo]], in the county of [[Igara]], in the [[Bushenyi District]] of the [[Uganda Protectorate|Ugandan Protectorate]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1300054/basil-bataringaya-father-opposition-cross-overs|title=Basil Bataringaya, the father of opposition cross-overs|last=Vision Reporter|date=7 March 2012|work=New Vision|access-date=8 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190112062127/https://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1300054/basil-bataringaya-father-opposition-cross-overs|archive-date=12 January 2019}}</ref> His father was Marko Kiiza, who was the Ssaza Chief of [[Bunyaruguru]] at the time.<ref name=":0" /> A Ssaza was the equivalent of a county in the newly created administration divisions after the absorption of the [[Ankole]] Kingdom in to the British [[Uganda Protectorate|Protectorate of Uganda]], as a part of the Ankole Agreement of 1901.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/PeoplePower/Two-century-expansion-of-Ankole-comes-to-a-close/689844-4017448-x6cgqw/index.html|title=Two-century expansion of Ankole comes to a close|last=Lubega|first=Henry|date=17 July 2017|work=The Daily Monitor|access-date=8 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190112062205/https://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/PeoplePower/Two-century-expansion-of-Ankole-comes-to-a-close/689844-4017448-x6cgqw/index.html|archive-date=12 January 2019}}</ref> The Ankole Agreement set the boundaries of the [[Bunyaruguru]] Ssaza as "On the north-west by the ''Dweru Channel''; on the east by the Chambura River, the recognized Bunyaruguru-lgara and Kamsura-Igara boundaries; on the south by the Rwenchwera River; on the west by [[Lake Albert (Africa)|Lake Albert Edward]]", and gave Bataringaya's father a powerful position in southwestern [[Uganda]] during the early 20th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kituochakatiba.org/sites/default/files/legal-resources/THE%20ANKOLE%20AGREEMENT%201901.pdf|title=The Ankole Agreement 1901|date=1901|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190112062245/http://www.kituochakatiba.org/sites/default/files/legal-resources/THE%20ANKOLE%20AGREEMENT%201901.pdf|archive-date=12 January 2019}}</ref>
=== Education ===
Bataringaya attended [[St. Leo's College, Kyegobe]], a [[Boarding school|residential]] boys' secondary school of [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] curriculum, located in [[Fort Portal]], [[Kabarole District]] in the [[Western Region, Uganda|Western Region]] of [[Uganda]] from 1945 to 1947.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Who's Who in East Africa 1965–1966|last=Wilson|first=E. G.|publisher=Marco Publishers|year=1966|location=Nairobi, Kenya}}</ref> He then attended the Government Teacher Training College of [[Uganda]] (TTC) from 1948 to 1949.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Who's Who in East Africa 1967–1968|publisher=Marco Publishers|year=1968|location=[[Nairobi]], [[Kenya]]}}</ref> He then attended [[Makerere University]], [[Uganda]]'s top university, from 1953 to 1956.<ref name=":1" /> It was at [[Makerere University]] that Bataringaya began his political career, becoming the University College Guild president for the 1955 to 1956 term.<ref name=":0" />
===Teaching career===
After graduating from [[Makerere University]], Bataringaya became a secondary school teacher.{{cn|date=January 2024}} He taught at [[Ntare School|Ntare Secondary School]], a [[Boarding school|residential]] [[Single-sex education|single-sex all boy's]] secondary school located in [[Mbarara]], [[Mbarara District]], Uganda.<ref name=":1" /> He then became the school supervisor of the [[Ankole]] Catholic schools from 1959 to 1961, when he was first elected to the [[Parliament of Uganda]].<ref name=":1" />
==Political career==
=== Transitional government ===
Bataringaya ran as a member of the [[Democratic Party (Uganda)|Democratic Party of Uganda]] for the legislative seat for the Ankole District to the [[Legislative Council of Uganda|Uganda Legislative Council]] in the transitional government between the colonial-era [[Uganda Protectorate]] and the [[Uganda|Republic of Uganda]] in the first Ugandan nationwide [[direct election]]s, the March [[1961 Ugandan general election]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://parliamentwatch.ug/a-look-at-the-history-of-ugandas-parliament/|title=A look at the History of Uganda's Parliament|last=Okello|first=Isaac|date=2016|website=Parliament Watch Your Eye on Parliament|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109180951/http://parliamentwatch.ug/a-look-at-the-history-of-ugandas-parliament/|archive-date=9 January 2019}}</ref> Bataringaya quickly became popular within the [[Democratic Party (Uganda)|Democratic Party of Uganda]] that controlled government following its win of 44 of the 82 contested seats, and Bataringaya was appointed to be the first Minister of Local Government for [[Uganda]]'s first [[Postcolonialism (international relations)|post-colonial]] independent government under [[Benedicto Kiwanuka]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://eagle.co.ug/2015/06/08/ugandan-personalities-through-the-years-from-1962.html|title=Ugandan Personalities through the years from 1962|last=Samuel|date=8 June 2015|work=Eagle Online|access-date=8 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426153016/http://eagle.co.ug/2015/06/08/ugandan-personalities-through-the-years-from-1962.html|archive-date=26 April 2018}}</ref>
=== Leader of the Opposition ===
Following agreements made by 48 Ugandan representatives, including prominent Ugandan politician [[A. G. Mehta|A.G. Mehta]], at a September 1961 Constitutional Convention meeting in London, England, the [[Uganda Legislative Council|Ugandan Legislative Council]] of the transitional government between the colonial-era [[Uganda Protectorate]] and the [[Uganda|Republic of Uganda]] became the [[Parliament of Uganda]], which was then formally dissolved so that the [[1962 Ugandan general election]] could occur on 25 April 1962, the first elections held under an entirely independent Ugandan government.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.go.ug/page/history-parliament|title=History of Parliament|website=Parliament of the Republic of Uganda|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109183009/https://www.parliament.go.ug/page/history-parliament|archive-date=9 January 2019|access-date=8 January 2019}}</ref> Bataringaya ran again as a member of the [[Democratic Party (Uganda)|Democratic Party of Uganda]] in his [[Ankole sub-region|Ankole constituency]] and was reelected. Bataringaya lost his ministerial positions as a result of the election, as the [[Ugandan People's Congress]] won 37 of the 82 seats and formed an alliance with the [[Kabaka Yekka]] party that won 21 of 82 seats, giving this new alliance 58 of the 82 seats in the [[Parliament of Uganda]], taking control away from the [[Democratic Party (Uganda)|Democratic Party of Uganda]] who won 24 of the 82 seats and became the official party of the opposition.<ref>Nohlen, D, Krennerich, M & Thibaut, B (1999) ''Elections in Africa: A data handbook'', p934 {{ISBN|0-19-829645-2}}</ref>
Bataringaya was recently elected Secretary General of the [[Democratic Party (Uganda)|Democratic Party of Uganda]] in 1961, and became the second most powerful member of the [[Democratic Party (Uganda)|Democratic Party]] after the [[Prime Minister of Uganda|Prime Minister]] of the transitional government between the colonial-era [[Uganda Protectorate]] and the [[Uganda|Republic of Uganda]], [[Benedicto Kiwanuka]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|publisher=Europa Publications|date=1971|title=|journal=Africa South of the Sahara|language=en|issn=0065-3896|oclc=1087495}}</ref> [[Benedicto Kiwanuka]] did not run for the [[Parliament of Uganda]] in the [[1962 Ugandan general election]] and thus was ineligible for any parliamentarian positions in the first government of the [[Republic of Uganda]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/PeoplePower/Tracing-Democratic-Party-s-62-year-journey/689844-3421450-uf5kai/index.html|title=Tracing Democratic Party's 62-year journey|last=Kalyegira|first=Timothy|date=18 October 2016|website=Daily Monitor|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180212193719/https://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/PeoplePower/Tracing-Democratic-Party-s-62-year-journey/689844-3421450-uf5kai/index.html|archive-date=12 February 2018}}</ref> As the highest-ranking member of the [[Democratic Party (Uganda)|Democratic Party of Uganda]] still in the [[Parliament of Uganda]], Bataringaya became the second ever [[Leader of Opposition (Uganda)|Leader of the Ugandan Opposition]], replacing newly elected prime minister [[Milton Obote|Apollo Milton Obote]], and the first ever [[Leader of Opposition (Uganda)|Ugandan Opposition Leader]] of the new [[Uganda|Republic of Uganda]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last=Mazrui|first=Ali|date=Summer 1970|title=Leadership in Africa: Obote of Uganda|journal=International Journal|publisher=Canadian International Council|volume=25|issue=3|pages=538–564|jstor=40200856|doi=10.1177/002070207002500306|s2cid=146859194}}</ref>
As [[Leader of Opposition (Uganda)|Opposition Leader]], Bataringaya worked as the chief representative of the [[Democratic Party (Uganda)|Democratic Party of Uganda]] which was operating as the resistance to the [[Milton Obote|Apollo Milton Obote]] regime and the joint [[Uganda People's Congress|Ugandan People's Congress]] and [[Kabaka Yekka]] government. Bataringaya had little power as opposition leader, but worked during his tenure as [[Leader of Opposition (Uganda)|Leader of the Ugandan Opposition]] to protect opposition MPs from censorship, arrest, and violence.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news|url=https://mobile.monitor.co.ug/Uganda-s-political-defections-over-the-past-50-years/-/691260/2057974/-/format/xhtml/-/qgp9dj/-/index.html|title=Uganda's political defections over the past 50 years|last=Lubega|first=Henry|date=11 March 2018|work=The Daily Monitor|access-date=8 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109201741/https://mobile.monitor.co.ug/Uganda-s-political-defections-over-the-past-50-years/-/691260/2057974/-/format/xhtml/-/qgp9dj/-/index.html|archive-date=9 January 2019}}</ref> His most significant act was to protect [[Democratic Party (Uganda)|Democratic Party]] MP [[Vincent Rwamwaro]] of the [[Tororo|Toro]] East constituency from an arrest that Bataringaya described as a political arrest.<ref name=":3">{{cite web|url=https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/magazine/politicalreforms/Trials-of-Uganda-s-opposition-MPs-since--Uhuru-/1843776-4789968-clr2ghz/index.html|title=Trials of Uganda's opposition MPs since 'Uhuru'|date=3 October 2018|website=The Citizen|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004125333/https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/magazine/politicalreforms/Trials-of-Uganda-s-opposition-MPs-since--Uhuru-/1843776-4789968-clr2ghz/index.html|archive-date=4 October 2018}}</ref> On 16 August 1962, MP [[Vincent Rwamwaro]] was arrested in his home at 6:20&nbsp;am, tied with rope, thrown in the back of a pick-up truck, and sent in only his underwear and sandals before a magistrate in the court in [[Nakawa]] on charges of failing to pay his graduation tax, a charge Rwamwaro denied.<ref name=":3" /> In both the 19 September 1962 and 26 September 1962 sessions of the [[Parliament of Uganda]], Bataringaya gave lengthy speeches describing the value of opposition in government, decrying threats against the opposition, and attacking both the manner and political nature of the arrest of MP Rwamwaro.<ref name=":3" />
=== Party-switch and Obote Government ===
==== Defection ====
During Bataringaya's time as Secretary General of the [[Democratic Party (Uganda)|Democratic Party of Uganda]] and as the [[Leader of Opposition (Uganda)|Leader of the Opposition]] and the highest ranking [[Democratic Party (Uganda)|Democratic Party]] member in government, he clashed frequently with party leader and former Prime Minister [[Benedicto Kiwanuka]].<ref name=":4" /> Bataringaya reportedly saw [[Benedicto Kiwanuka]] as arrogant and as an obstacle to the [[Democratic Party (Uganda)|Democratic Party of Uganda]] and their efforts to re-obtain control as the majority party in the [[Parliament of Uganda]].<ref name=":0" /> Bataringaya attempted an intra-party coup and had the top-ruling committee of the [[Democratic Party (Uganda)|Democratic Party]] call for [[Benedicto Kiwanuka|Kiwanuka]] to step down, but in the subsequent internal elections [[Benedicto Kiwanuka|Kiwanuka]] won and retained control of the [[Democratic Party (Uganda)|Democratic Party of Uganda]], further exacerbating the conflict between the two men.<ref name=":0" />
This conflict between Basil Kiiza Bataringaya and [[Benedicto Kiwanuka]] ultimately led to Bataringaya crossing the aisle along with five other [[Democratic Party (Uganda)|Democratic Party]] MPs and joining the [[Uganda People's Congress|Ugandan People's Congress]], in the first high-profile party-switching in [[History of Uganda|Ugandan history.]]<ref name=":5" /> In addition to the conflict between Bataringaya and [[Benedicto Kiwanuka]] within the [[Democratic Party (Uganda)|Democratic Party of Uganda]], Bataringaya's moderate political beliefs, nationalism, and desire to serve his country more efficiently have also all been cited as reasons for his decision to defect from the [[Democratic Party (Uganda)|Democratic Party of Uganda]].<ref name=":0" />
==== Minister of Internal Affairs ====
After Bataringaya's high-profile defection from the [[Democratic Party (Uganda)|Democratic Party of Uganda]] to the [[Uganda People's Congress|Ugandan People's Congress]], Bataringaya was rewarded by the leader of the [[Uganda People's Congress|Ugandan People's Congress]] Prime Minister [[Apollo Milton Obote]] and appointed to be the new Minister of Internal Affairs of [[Uganda]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ws0tAQAAIAAJ&q=Uganda:+the+rise+and+fall+of+Idi+Amin:+from+the+pages+of+Drum|title=Uganda: the rise and fall of Idi Amin: from the pages of Drum|last=Seftel|first=Adam|date=1994|publisher=Bailey's African Photo Archives Production|isbn=9780958384667|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190112062506/https://books.google.com/books?id=ws0tAQAAIAAJ&q=Uganda:+the+rise+and+fall+of+Idi+Amin:+from+the+pages+of+Drum&dq=Uganda:+the+rise+and+fall+of+Idi+Amin:+from+the+pages+of+Drum&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjnuPrOmuLfAhXpm-AKHbQ0Ca0Q6AEwAHoECAEQAg|archive-date=12 January 2019}}</ref>
Bataringaya quickly earned the trust of [[Milton Obote|Prime Minister Apollo Milton Obote]], and earned a spot in Obote's small inner circle of trusted advisors and amassed a large policy portfolio as one of the most powerful ministers in the [[Milton Obote|Obote]] government.<ref name=":0" /> Bataringaya traveled internationally, representing Uganda on a tour of the United States and visiting [[Disneyland]] in [[Anaheim, California]] with his wife [[Edith Mary Bataringaya]] who headed the [[Ugandan Council for Women]].<ref name=":8">{{Cite news|url=https://dl.library.ucla.edu/islandora/object/edu.ucla.library.specialCollections.latimes:2714|title=Uganda politician Basil K. Bataringaya and wife, Edith Mary with Mr. and Mrs. Frank Klock at Disneyland, 1964|date=1964|work=Los Angeles Times Photographs Collection|access-date=9 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190112062558/https://dl.library.ucla.edu/islandora/object/edu.ucla.library.specialCollections.latimes:2714|archive-date=12 January 2019|publisher=University of the City of Los Angeles}}</ref> He also represented the Ugandan government to the media of the world following the kidnapping of [[Brian Lea]], a British diplomat who was kidnapped in [[Uganda]] in 1970.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/05/05/archives/briton-is-found-in-uganda.html|title=Briton Is Found in Uganda|agency=Reuters|date=5 May 1970|work=The New York Times|access-date=10 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190112062652/https://www.nytimes.com/1970/05/05/archives/briton-is-found-in-uganda.html|archive-date=12 January 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> As a high-profile [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] involved in the administration, Bataringaya also served as a liaison between the [[Catholic Church in Uganda|Catholic Church of Uganda]] and the [[Milton Obote|Obote]] regime, helping open [[Catholic Church and health care|Catholic hospitals]] and Catholic schools throughout [[Uganda]].<ref name=":9">{{Cite book|title=Memories.|last=Stokes|first=Brigid|publisher=Daughters of Mary and Joseph|location=Mbarara, Uganda}}</ref>
Also as one of [[Milton Obote|Obote's]] five most trusted ministers, Bataringaya was in charge of putting out numerous crises throughout his tenure as [[Minister of Internal Affairs]].<ref name=":0" /> One such crisis was the [[1966 Buganda Crisis]], where Ugandan troops commanded by [[Idi Amin]] attacked [[Lubiri]] and exiled the [[Kabaka of Buganda|Kabaka]] of [[Buganda]], [[Mutesa II of Buganda]], after the [[Buganda]]n regional parliament voted to suspend [[Buganda]]'s incorporation into [[Uganda]], thus leading to [[Milton Obote|Obote]] and Bataringaya reunifying [[Uganda]] by force and sending [[Mutesa II of Buganda]] into exile in the United Kingdom via [[Burundi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.ug/features/features/8447-tracing-the-life-legacy-of-sir-edward-muteesa-ii|title=Tracing The Life And Legacy of Sir Edward Muteesa II|last=Kavuma-Kaggwa|first=JM|date=15 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009022533/http://www.independent.co.ug/features/features/8447-tracing-the-life-legacy-of-sir-edward-muteesa-ii|archive-date=9 October 2014|url-status=dead|access-date=6 October 2014|newspaper=[[The Independent (Uganda)]]}}</ref> This use of troops was criticized and faced resistance, and Bataringaya took much of the blame as the implementer of the crisis and the killer of several other [[Buganda]]n [[Kabaka of Buganda|Kabaka]] loyalists.<ref name=":0" />
=== Idi Amin and downfall ===
==== Attempted Arrest of Amin ====
[[Idi Amin]], the Ugandan military official who eventually led a successful coup d'état against the [[Milton Obote|Apollo Milton Obote]] government and became the third [[President of Uganda]], was the eventual undoing of Basil Kiiza Bataringaya's political career and ultimately his life. A rift developed between [[Idi Amin]] and [[Milton Obote|President Apollo Milton Obote]] that was exacerbated by [[Idi Amin]]'s involvement in the [[First Sudanese Civil War]] from Idi Amin's base in the [[West Nile region|West Nile]] region of [[Uganda]] and [[Idi Amin|Amin's]] alleged support for an attempted 1969 assassination attempt on [[Milton Obote|Obote]], a rift that ultimately led to [[Milton Obote|Obote]] demoting [[Idi Amin|Amin]] from his role as commander of all the [[Uganda People's Defence Force|armed forces of Uganda]] to the commander of the [[Army of Uganda]].<ref name="britishcouncil">{{cite web|url=http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-history-amin.htm|title=General Idi Amin overthrows Ugandan government|date=2 February 1971|publisher=British Council|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070225004054/http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-history-amin.htm|archive-date=25 February 2007|access-date=8 August 2009}}</ref>
[[Idi Amin]] was seen as a threat to the [[Milton Obote|Obote]] government, and [[Milton Obote|Apollo Milton Obote]] had Basil Kiiza Bataringaya put in charge of the last minute attempted covert arrest of [[Idi Amin|Amin]].<ref name=":6">{{cite web|url=https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Bataringaya-risked-arrest-Amin/688334-3113094-5lfp9j/index.html|title=How Bataringaya risked to arrest Amin|last=Mugabe|first=Faustin|date=12 March 2016|website=The Daily Monitor|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110042400/https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Bataringaya-risked-arrest-Amin/688334-3113094-5lfp9j/index.html|archive-date=10 January 2019}}</ref> President [[Milton Obote|Obote]] went to a January 1971 conference with [[Conservative Party (UK)|British Conservative]] Prime Minister [[Edward Heath]] alongside other African leaders like President [[Julius Nyerere]] of [[Tanzania]] and President [[Kenneth Kaunda]] of [[Zambia]] to discourage [[Edward Heath|Prime Minister Heath]] of lifting the ban that the United Kingdom had on [[Arms industry|selling arms]] to the [[Apartheid South Africa|apartheid government of South Africa]].<ref name=":7">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VQ6TvY_lJtIC&q=basil+bataringaya&pg=PA89|title=The Silent Sunset: A Daughter's Memoir|last=Nyeko-Jones|first=Jennifer|date=7 September 2011|publisher=AuthorHouse|isbn=9781456788964|language=en}}</ref> While there, [[Milton Obote|Obote]] learned about another attempt on his life by Amin, and tasked Basil Bataringaya to lead an 'assassination' committee that ultimately set out to arrest Amin.<ref name=":7" /> On 24 January 1971 Bataringaya attempted to use the [[Uganda National Police|Ugandan National Police]] to storm Amin's [[Kololo|Command Post Kololo]] in [[Kampala]] and arrest Amin on charges related to the assassination attempt and a 1969 court martial for [[Embezzlement|misappropriating military funds]].<ref name=":6" /> Amin learned about this plan through [[Spying|spies]] within the [[Milton Obote|Obote]] government, and then launched his coup d'état that night, overthrowing the [[Milton Obote|Obote]] regime on 25 January 1971 and detaining Bataringaya.<ref name=":6" />
==== Arrest and detention ====
Bataringaya was one of the first Ugandans to be detained by the new [[Idi Amin]] government. In the week after Idi Amin's [[1971 Ugandan coup d'état|coup d'état]], Amin dismissed all of the ministers of [[Milton Obote|Obote]] government but did not immediately [[Imprisonment|imprison]] anybody except for Bataringaya.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/01/31/archives/new-ugandan-regime-accuses-sudan-of-an-invasion-and-warns-her-to.html|title=New Ugandan Regime Accuses Sudan Of an Invasion and Warns Her to Stop|last=Borders|first=William|date=31 January 1971|work=The New York Times|access-date=10 January 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> On 28 January 1971, three days after the coup d'état, [[Idi Amin]] brought fifty-five [[political prisoner]]s imprisoned by the [[Apollo Milton Obote]] government to the [[Entebbe International Airport]] and freed them, while also bringing Bataringaya to the event in an army [[Jeep]] under armed guard, and was the only [[political prisoner]] not freed despite Amin's comment that "you need not fear for your safety since the new [[History of Uganda (1971–79)|government]] is more interested in uniting Ugandans than anything else".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/01/29/archives/ugandas-new-ruler-releases-55-political-prisoners.html|title=Uganda's New Ruler Releases 55 Political Prisoners|date=29 January 1971|work=The New York Times|access-date=10 January 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Bataringaya was personally interrogated by [[Idi Amin|Amin]], where he likely revealed the other officers working to arrest [[Idi Amin|Amin]] on 24 January 1971.
==Death==
While in detention, Bataringaya was [[torture]]d and was imprisoned in [[Makindye Prison]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9JKdBAAAQBAJ&q=interior+Minister+Basil+Bataringaya&pg=PT18|title=In Idi Amin's Shadow: Women, Gender, and Militarism in Uganda|last=Decker|first=Alicia C.|date=15 November 2014|publisher=Ohio University Press|isbn=9780821445020|language=en}}</ref> Bataringaya was then sent to the outskirts of the town of [[Mbarara]], where he was [[Dismemberment|dismembered]] alive.<ref name=":10">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EkSP9XUIAKsC&q=bataringaya&pg=PA100|title=Uganda Since Independence: A Story of Unfulfilled Hopes|last=Mutibwa|first=Phares Mukasa|date=1992|publisher=Africa World Press|isbn=9780865433571|language=en}}</ref> His severed head was then displayed on a pole, and paraded around the town of [[Mbarara]] until ultimately his severed head was displayed in the [[Mbarara]] barracks.<ref name=":11">{{Cite journal|date=1975|title=Amin's Death Roll|journal=[[Transition Magazine|Transition]]|publisher=Indiana University Press on behalf of the [[Hutchins Center for African and African American Research]] at Harvard University|volume=49|issue=49|pages=17–27|jstor=2934890}}</ref> A photograph of [[Idi Amin|Amin's]] soldiers leading Bataringaya on a military [[Jeep]] to his execution was taken and circulated, one of the few photographs still existing that show proof of [[Idi Amin]] executing political opponents.<ref name=":0" />
Immediately after Bataringaya was executed, his loyal cabal of associates were executed as well, including Tibayunga, Katuramu, Rubashoka, Bekunda, Kanyonyore, Kibeherere, Rukare, Bitarisha, Kabaterine, Kanisi, and Marengane.<ref name=":11" /> [[Edith Mary Bataringaya]], Bataringaya's wife and former head of the [[Uganda Council of Women]], was executed in 1977 during a later purge by Idi Amin, allegedly at the hands of [[Juma Bashir]], the governor of the [[Uganda|Western Province of Uganda]].<ref name=":10" /> Her burnt body was later found on land in [[Mbarara]] owned by the Bataringaya family.<ref name=":9" />
== Family and personal life ==
=== Marriage to Edith Mary Bataringaya ===
Basil Kiiza Bataringaya married [[Edith Mary Bataringaya]], who took an active role in his life and the Ugandan political scene. Edith Mary Bataringaya was born Edith Mary Kaijuka in the town of [[Kabale]] in the [[Western Region, Uganda|Western Region]] of the [[Uganda Protectorate|Ugandan Protectorate]], and was the daughter of Reverend Kaijuka of Bugongi Hill.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mulerasfireplace.com/kihanga-boys-primary-school-remembering-my-headmasters-my-teachers-and-the-buildings/|title=Kihanga Boys Primary School: Remembering my headmasters, my teachers and the buildings|last=Mulera|first=Muniini K|date=17 April 2016|website=Mulera's Fireplace|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110181612/https://mulerasfireplace.com/kihanga-boys-primary-school-remembering-my-headmasters-my-teachers-and-the-buildings/|archive-date=10 January 2019}}</ref> Edith Mary Bataringaya traveled frequently with her husband on his international trips representing [[Uganda]] abroad, traveling to the United States with him.<ref name=":8" /> Edith Mary Bataringaya also started the Uganda Women's Union and the [[Uganda Council of Women]] alongside Rhoda Kalema and Theresa Mbire.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ugandansatheart.blogspot.com/2014/02/uah-group-of-ugandans-in-israel-during.html|title=A group of Ugandans in Israel during the 1967 war!|date=12 February 2014|website=Ugandans at Heart|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110182350/http://ugandansatheart.blogspot.com/2014/02/uah-group-of-ugandans-in-israel-during.html|archive-date=10 January 2019}}</ref> Edith Mary Bataringaya continued her husband's work with the [[Catholic Church in Uganda]] after Basil Kiiza Bataringaya's murder.<ref name=":9" /> Edith Mary Bataringaya was ultimately burned alive and executed by the [[Idi Amin|Amin]] government, allegedly at the hands of Juma Bashir the Governor of the [[Western Region, Uganda|Western Province of Uganda]].<ref name=":10" />
=== Family ===
Basil Kiiza and Edith Mary Bataringaya had eight children, Dr. Grace Bataringaya, Kenneth Bataringaya, Winifred Bataringaya, Dr. Jacqueline Bataringaya, Janette Bataringaya, Dr. Juliet Bataringaya, Dr. Geoffrey Basil Bataringaya and Dr. Aisha Bataringaya-Sekalala. <ref name=":12">{{Cite news|url=https://allafrica.com/stories/200306100570.html|title=Uganda: Bataringaya Legacy Outlives Amin's Evil|last=Ssali|first=Henry H|date=10 June 2003|work=The Monitor|access-date=10 January 2019|via=All Africa}}{{dead link|date=June 2020|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The children were orphaned in 1977 as both parents were killed by the [[Idi Amin|Amin]] regime. Edith Mary Bataringaya's brother, Dr. [[Emmanuel Kaijuka]] who later served as the [[Ugandan Commissioner of Health]], raised the children who were still young when they were orphaned following their parents' murders.<ref name=":12" /> In 1985, the eight children reunited for the first time since their mother's murder in the town of [[Muyenga]], Uganda.<ref name=":12" /> Their children all went on to successful careers as of 2003: Grace Bataringaya is a [[Veterinary physician|veterinary doctor]] and events manager, Kenneth Bataringaya is a businessman who manages the family estate, Dr. Jacqueline Bataringaya is a doctor for [[ActionAid|Action Aid]] working in [[Harare]], Zimbabwe, Janette Bataringaya is working in Public Health in [[Boston]], Massachusetts in the United States, Dr. Juliet Bataringaya is a doctor working for the [[World Health Organization]], and Dr. Aisha Bataringaya-Sekalala (née Bataringaya) was studying at the [[University of the Western Cape|University of Western Cape]] in South Africa.<ref name=":12" />
=== Religious views ===
Bataringaya was a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] and involved with the [[Catholic Church in Uganda]] throughout his career in both academia and politics. Bataringaya attended a Catholic school at [[St. Leo's College, Kyegobe]] in [[Tooro Kingdom|Tooro]], and eventually ran all Catholic schools in [[Ankole]] before entering politics.<ref name=":1" /> Bataringaya also acted as a liaison between the [[Catholic Church in Uganda]] and the [[Ugandan government]] as well, working with the [[Catholic Church in Uganda]] to build schools and hospitals throughout [[Uganda]].<ref name=":9" />
== References ==
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{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bataringaya, Basil Kiiza}}
[[Category:1927 births]]
[[Category:1972 deaths]]
[[Category:Ugandan Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Ugandan defectors]]
[[Category:Ugandan educators]]
[[Category:People executed by Uganda]]
[[Category:Makerere University alumni]]
[[Category:People from Bushenyi District]]
[[Category:Leaders of the Opposition (Uganda)]]
[[Category:Politicians from Western Region, Uganda]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Uganda]]
[[Category:20th-century Ugandan politicians]]