KOLOLO SHOCKER! Museveni Welcomes Back Exiled NRA Hero Col Mande, Exposes His Rebel Secrets

By Frank Kamuntu

One of the National Resistance Army (NRA) Bush War heroes-turned-dissidents, Col Samson Mande, has made a dramatic return to Uganda and rejoined the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) after more than two decades in exile.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni officially welcomed Col Mande back during Uganda’s 63rd Independence Anniversary celebrations held on Wednesday, October 9, 2025, at Kololo Independence Grounds, Kampala.

In a speech that blended national reflection with a message of reconciliation, President Museveni described Mande’s return as evidence of the NRM’s enduring policy of peace and forgiveness.

“All the development happening in Uganda is because of the peace we have,” said Museveni. “Even today, I am happy to welcome back into peaceful Uganda Col Samson Mande, who had fled into exile on account of some internal intrigue. While in exile, he tried to engage in some rebel activities, but when our cadres contacted him in Sweden, he happily agreed to come back and disconnect himself from those activities.”

The President’s remarks were met with applause from thousands of jubilant supporters, dignitaries, and foreign delegations attending the event. Museveni later invited Col Mande to the podium, where the former Bush War commander made an emotional statement confirming his return to the NRM fold.

“I am back home,” Mande said. “Here in Uganda, I have two homes: my country and my party, the NRM. I am a founder member of this movement—it was born by us and it remains in me until death puts us asunder.”

Quoting 1 Corinthians 13:11, Mande declared he had outgrown the bitterness of the past.

“When I was a child, I talked like a child. But now, I have put childish ways behind me. I went when I was bitter, but now I am better. I return loaded with solutions, ready to contribute to national development,” he said.

From Rebel To Redeemed Patriot

Col Samson Mande, service number RO 69, ranks among the top 100 NRA combatants who fought alongside Museveni during the 1981–1986 Bush War that brought the current government to power.

During the conflict, he commanded several key units, including the 15th Battalion, which played a pivotal role in the capture of Masaka and the eventual fall of Kampala in January 1986.

After the war, Mande was credited with authoring foundational documents that professionalized the NRA into today’s Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF). However, he later fell out with the regime, was detained, and fled into exile in 2001, first to Rwanda and later Sweden, alongside fellow officer Lt Col Anthony Kyakabale, who passed away last week.

Ugandan intelligence later accused Mande of plotting to overthrow the government under the People’s Redemption Army (PRA), allegations he denied.

Museveni’s Message Of Peace & Self-Reliance

This year’s Independence celebrations, themed “63 Years of Independence: A Reason to Double Our Efforts in Sustaining a United and Progressive Nation,” drew large crowds and delegations from Russia, Libya, and the United Arab Emirates.

Museveni’s keynote address focused on peace, economic self-reliance, and the NRM’s ideological pillars of patriotism, Pan-Africanism, socio-economic transformation, and democracy.

“Independence is not a gift handed down—it is a responsibility we must seize every day,” Museveni said, calling for unity and productivity. “We must stop exporting raw materials cheaply while our youth remain jobless. Let’s build an independent, integrated, and self-sustaining economy.”

Traditional dancers, military parades, and medal award ceremonies added colour to the celebrations. Twenty-three Ugandans were honoured for distinguished service in various sectors, including national security, innovation, and community development.

Opposition Boycott & Political Undertones

While the event was marked by jubilation, some opposition leaders shunned the celebrations, accusing the government of turning national occasions into partisan NRM rallies.

However, political analysts say Mande’s return sends a strong message about the NRM’s capacity for reconciliation and its continuing influence among the historical Bush War generation.

In a follow-up post on X (formerly Twitter), Museveni reiterated his message of peace:

“Happy Independence Day once again! I salute the peace-loving Ugandans and the UPDF for ensuring peace in Uganda… I am happy to welcome back Col Samson Mande into a peaceful Uganda.”

Mande’s return marks the closure of a dramatic chapter in Uganda’s liberation history. As commander of key NRA battalions in the Luweero Triangle and later the Western Axis Front, he was instrumental in the NRA’s victory over Milton Obote’s and Tito Okello’s forces in the 1980s.

Once accused of treason, Mande now says he is ready to serve again—this time as a messenger of reconciliation.

“I will not live in the past tense,” he told the cheering crowd. “I’m here to help build the Uganda we once dreamed of.”