President Yoweri Museveni has directed the government to provide a house, a four-wheel-drive vehicle, medical insurance and a monthly allowance of Shs15 million to Madina Najjemba Amin, the widow of former president Idi Amin Dada.
The directive is contained in a letter dated February 15, 2024, written in response to Najjemba’s request for assistance.
“I have seen your letter of November 9, 2023. How are you? It is good you wrote to me,” Museveni stated.
The President instructed the State House Comptroller to immediately facilitate a comprehensive welfare package for the former First Lady.
“By the copy of this letter, I direct the State House Comptroller to buy you a car (4×4), build you a house, ensure you get medical insurance and give you an allowance of Shs15 million per month,” he wrote.
Museveni also raised concerns over the fate of benefits that may have been due to the family of the late former leader.
“What happened to Idi Amin’s entitlements? Who took the money?” he asked.
The directive underscores Museveni’s approach of extending state support to families of former national leaders, despite Uganda’s complex political history.
Idi Amin ruled Uganda from 1971 to 1979 after overthrowing Milton Obote in a military coup. His regime remains one of the most controversial periods in the country’s history.
Following his ouster by Tanzanian forces and Ugandan exiles in 1979, Amin fled into exile and later settled in Saudi Arabia, where he died in 2003.
Uganda’s post-independence political landscape has been shaped by rivalry and conflict among its leaders, including Obote, Amin and Museveni.
Amin seized power from Obote in 1971, while Museveni later waged a guerrilla war against Obote’s second government, eventually taking power in 1986.
Despite his long-standing criticism of both regimes, Museveni has in recent years promoted national reconciliation, including engagement with families of former leaders.
The latest gesture towards Najjemba reflects an effort to separate past political differences from the welfare of surviving family members.
However, Museveni’s remarks about Amin’s entitlements are likely to reignite debate over the status of benefits owed to former presidents and their families.
For Najjemba, the directive guarantees housing, healthcare and financial support. For government, the unanswered question remains:
“What happened to Idi Amin’s entitlements?”
