Early life and 1971 coup (pictured) at gunpoint to become
President of Uganda during the
1971 Ugandan coup d'état. Born as Juma Ali Oka Rokoni, Butabika was of
Nubian–
Kakwa descent, At some point, Butabika joined the
Uganda Army, and rose to
second lieutenant during the rule of
Milton Obote. Over time, dissatisfaction grew among parts of the military about Obote's government, resulting in a conspiracy to remove him from power.
Career under the Amin regime Abuse of power and army commands Butabika became one of leading military figures under the new regime. Despite this, he was widely considered insane in Uganda, even by his own colleagues in the military. He was notorious for his eccentric, and excessive behavior, including extreme brutality. According to
George Ivan Smith, Butabika believed himself to be a "demi-god" as the government allowed him to kill and torture at will, while Peter Jeremy Allen described him as "merciless psychopathic killer" of "low mentality". Similarly, businessman
Gordon Wavamunno had a very negative opinion of Butabika, and regarded him as one of those who "were intoxicated with unlimited and irresponsible power, and did not hesitate to abuse it at the slightest opportunity or excuse." The nickname by which he is best known stemmed from his extreme behavior: "Butabika" is the name of
a prominent psychiatric clinic near
Kampala, and the Malire Battalion. As time went on, elements in the military grew dissatisfied with Amin's regime.
Brigadier Charles Arube was among those who felt sidelined, and organised a meeting of high-ranking commanders in March 1974. Butabika was present, and offered Arube his help in cases where he felt ignored by the president. even though several other leading Ugandan officers believed that their military was not ready for a conflict with Tanzania. The situation escalated on 9 October 1978, His forces easily overran the Tanzanian troops stationed at
Mutukula and
Minziro, whereupon he telephoned Amin, claiming that Tanzania had launched an attack and that he had responded with a counter-attack. The president had already been eager to annex Tanzanian territory, and allowed the invasion to proceed. Reinforced by other UA detachments, Butabika occupied the entire Kagera salient (northern
Kagera Region) until stopping at
Kyaka Bridge, which was destroyed. The UA troops proceeded to celebrate while looting, raping and murdering in the occupied area. The Tanzanian military quickly regrouped, causing the UA to retreat back into Uganda even as President Amin declared Kagera's annexation. The Tanzanians launched a large counter-offensive, and the Ugandan military soon started to disintegrate under the onslaught. By the time the Ugandan border town
Mutukula fell to the Tanzanian army in January 1979, Butabika was back in Kampala and prepared the celebrations for the 8th anniversary of Amin's rule. The lieutenant colonel took part in a parade at
Kololo on 25 January, where he and other high-ranking commanders performed a traditional Nubian dance. One Ugandan later commented that when he saw the dancing officers on live television, he realised that his country's leadership "did not know what exactly was going on" in regard to the war. Butabika died in combat during the later stages of the war, though it is disputed when and where he was killed. According to an article by the Ugandan newspaper
Daily Monitor, he died during the
Fall of Kampala. On 10 April 1979, the Tanzanian forces and their
UNLF allies entered the city, encountering only light resistance. Butabika was reportedly one of the few leading Ugandan commanders who stayed in the city, and was killed in a firefight with Tanzanian soldiers of the 205th and 208th Brigades in the
Bwaise-
Kawempe area as they attempted to secure the northern section of the city on 11 April. In contrast, Tanzanian journalist Baldwin Mzirai wrote in his 1980 account of the war,
Kuzama kwa Idi Amin, that Butabika was killed at a Tanzanian roadblock on the Bombo road on 7 April 1979. == Personal life ==