The Idi Amins torture chamber is one of the historical sites located in Lubiri Mengo the king’s palace of Buganda kingdom, just 3 km away from the Kampala city centre very close to the Kabakas’ Lake. The torture chamber was set up and built in 1971 by Idi Amin Dada who was then the president of Uganda by that time and a military officer instead of a politician.
Idi Amin was the third president of Uganda but before he became president he was one of the leading soldiers’ who formed the first Uganda independence army before Uganda got her independence by 1964 he had been named the deputy army commander. Idi Amin was then deployed by Milton Obote to help him in the Katanga rebels who were fighting against Zaire government where he sold gold and diamonds given to him by the rebels in return for arms.
Idi Amin created the torture cells in 1971 with the aid of Israel engineers and architects to store his arsenal, but in 1972nhe changed it into a torture dungeon for anybody who opposed his administration. In these include the well educated people, religious leaders like Revelands, priests among others
The torture chambers were made up of five cells and a dark passageway filled with electrified water that was accessed by an electric door. All of the cells lacked windows and ventilators, yet more than hundred individual both men and women, were pushed into each one, where died of starvation and asphyxia.
The chamber operatives were the Amins men, who would go to villages and towns to pick up anyone who opposed Amins rule and once they were brought, they would be blindfolded and been driven around for five even ten hours so that they didn’t realize they were still in the same place when they were brought back. They would subsequently be place in the torture room, where they would die of starvation, torture, suffocation even electricity when they run away from here. It is estimated to be around 250,000 and above people who died in these chambers.
Between 1971 until 1979, Idi Amin Dada was Uganda’s third president succeeding Milton Obote after initiating a military campaign against Obote administration. Idi Amin was a Uganda military commander renowned as the Butcher of Uganda and one African’s most heinous tyrants. He kept his word when he expelled all Asians from Uganda in 1972. He has been accused of keeping human heads in his refrigerator and feeding his opponents to crocodiles
Idi Amin was born in Koboko in1925 and joined the British colonial army’s kings African Raffles as a cook in 1946, but he served short period of time and soon he rising through the ranks during the Shifta war in Somalia and the Mau Mau revolt in Kenya. He was named head of the military forces in 1966 and worked with Milton Obote after Uganda gained independence.
While Obote he is a way in Singapore for a commonwealth Summit Conference, president Apollo Milton Obote arrested Amin on allegations of misappropriating army funds. During Obote’s absence, Amin organized a coup, taking power and putting Milton Obote into exile in January 1971.
Thousands of Ugandans and foreigners were killed during Amins eight-year dictatorship; he purposefully formed internal security units such as State Research Bureau and Public Safety Unity to remove everyone who challenged his authority. He was taken into exile in Libya in April 1979, but later he relocated to Saudi Arabia where he died in august 2003 and his body never returned.
Many people visited Idi Amins torture chamber to learn more about Amins life. The torture rooms remain despite the lack of water and power. All that can be seen is a gloomy tunnel with deteriorating cement and writings of anguish in blood such as cry for help me the dead and soil on the walls.
The people remains like in torture cells like bones and skulls, were removed since the chambers are visited by both children and adults. A visit to this historical location with Mirama hills safaris as accompany will makes a memorable uganda safari experience and it can out the year around at any time simply notify your company to add it in your itinerary if you have kampala city tour.