Visiting Idi Amin Torture Chambers in Uganda: One of the best attractions to see on a Kampala city tour in Uganda is the Idi Amin torture chamber. The torture chambers are located in Lubiri-Mengo, a Buganda kingdom king’s castle about 3 kilometers from Kampala’s city center. The chambers were originally designed to store weapons and ammunition but were eventually converted into torture chambers.
Idi Amin created the torture cells in 1971 with the aid of Israeli engineers and architects to store his arsenal, but in 1972 he changed it into a torture dungeon for anybody who opposed his administration.
The torture chamber was 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 100 individuals, both men and women, were pushed into each one, where they died of asphyxia and starvation.
The chamber operatives, who were also Amin’s men, would go to villages and towns to pick up anyone who opposed Amin’s rule, and once they were brought, they would be blindfolded and driven around for 4 or more hours so that they didn’t realize they were still in the same place when they were brought back. They would subsequently be placed in the torture room, where they would die of starvation, torture, suffocation, or electricity. It is estimated that around 200,000 individuals 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’s administration. Idi Amin was a Ugandan military commander renowned as the Butcher of Uganda and one of Africa’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 in 1925 and joined the British colonial army’s Kings African Raffles as a cook in 1946, soon 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 alongside Milton Obote after Uganda gained independence.
While on his way to Singapore for a Commonwealth Summit conference, President Apollo Obote arrested Amin on allegations of misappropriating army funds. During Obote’s absence, Amin organized a coup, taking power and putting Obote into exile on January 25, 1971. Thousands of Ugandans and foreigners were killed during Amin’s eight-year dictatorship. He purposefully formed internal security units such as the State Research Bureau and Public Safety Unity to remove everyone who challenged his authority. He was driven into exile in Libya in April 1979, but eventually relocated to Saudi Arabia, where he died on August 16, 2003.
Madina Nalongo, Idi Amin’s fourth wife, reported his admittance to King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, when he suffered renal failure, which eventually killed him.
Many people visit the Idi Amin torture cells to learn about Amin’s 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.
People’s remains, such as bones and skulls, were removed since the chambers are visited by both children and adults. A visit to this historical location makes a memorable Uganda Safari experience and may be visited at any time; simply notify your tour operator to add it to your Kampala city tour itinerary.
Other Places to visit during your safari to Uganda.
There are quite a number of interesting places that visitors can travel to while in Uganda including Murchison Falls National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable national park, Mgahinga Gorilla national park, Queen Elizabeth national park, Semuliki national park, Kidepo valley national park, Rwenzori Mountains and Mount Elgon national parks.
Visitors can also take day trips to Jinja city where you can visit the source of River Nile, Itanda falls and do other interesting activities such as river bugging, sport fishing, whitewater rafting, bungee jumping, horse back riding, and quad biking among others.
Book with us a safari and visit any of the above mention destinations in Uganda.
