Kapelebyong, Uganda – The family of the late Mzee John Elyanu, a revered elder and former resistance leader in Teso, has come out in anger and heartbreak, accusing National Resistance Movement (NRM) Vice Chairman for Eastern Region, Capt. Mike Mukula, of deliberately frustrating their father’s repeated efforts to meet President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni before his death.
Mzee Elyanu, aged 88, died on February 7, 2024, at Soroti Regional Referral Hospital after a long illness. But his family insists that the real cause of death was despair brought on by a political system that turned its back on him.
They allege that Mukula played a key role in blocking their father’s final wish to meet his old comrade-in-struggle, President Museveni.
According to his son, Odeng, the late Elyanu had made numerous efforts to reach the President. “He started the process in 2023 with a recommendation from our LC1 Chairman, Mr. Edeun Francis. From there, he was cleared by every local office; DISO, RDC, NRM Chairperson Kapelebyong, and the CAO. When he finally got to State House Entebbe, they told him to go back and get Capt. Mike Mukula’s endorsement,” Odeng recounted tearfully.But that endorsement never came.
“Mukula sat on the documents. For over a year, we waited, called, and begged. He ignored us. Our father died waiting,” he said.
Mzee Elyanu was not an ordinary elder. He was the first Chairperson of the Sub-County Resistance Council (SRC) in Olobai during the height of the UPA insurgency. He was a target for rebel attacks because of his loyalty to the NRM cause.
In 1988, rebels stormed his home and shot him in the neck. Miraculously, he survived, though the bullet shattered his jaw and nerves, leaving him with permanent disabilities and memory loss.
“He sacrificed everything. His health, his property, everything for peace in Teso,” said another family member. “But the very government he bled for abandoned him when he needed them most.”
Even after surviving the shooting, his life remained difficult. Karimojong cattle raiders looted his animals, and despite applying for compensation under the Teso War Debt Claimants framework, the family says they never received a single shilling.
Local leaders and residents of Kapelebyong are now demanding answers. Abraham Ekaju, a community leader, questioned Mukula’s relevance in the party.
“Calvin Echodu, who holds no official office, facilitated the late Hitler Eregu’s family to meet the President. But Mukula, a senior NRM official, blocked a dying man from seeing his old friend. If this is leadership, we must reject it,” Ekaju said angrily.
Others are calling for a complete overhaul of the NRM leadership in the region. “If Mukula cannot serve the people, if he cannot respect those who built this party with blood and sacrifice, then he must step aside. We are tired of selfish leaders who think they own access to the President,” said an elder from Apopong Village.
The late Mzee Elyanu’s death has sparked outrage and soul-searching in the Teso sub-region. To many, it is a symbol of how far the NRM has drifted from the grassroots values that defined it in the 1980s. A party once built on sacrifice and unity now appears dominated by gatekeepers and elitism.
Efforts by journalists to reach Capt. Mike Mukula for comment were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to multiple phone calls.
Meanwhile, the family of Mzee Elyanu has called on President Museveni to intervene personally and restore dignity to the heroes of the struggle who are still alive, and to honor those who, like their father, died heartbroken and unheard.
“Let our father’s death not be in vain,” Odeng said. “Let this open the eyes of Uganda.”