It was reported in the local press yesterday that the self-proclaimed Ugandan prophetess, Alice Lakwena died at a refugee camp in Northern Kenya after battling illness for a week and refusing conventional medical attention opting instead to treat herself with traditional medicine.
She will be remembered for waging a guerilla war in Uganda from 1986-87 where she convinced her followers to sprinkle some form of holy water she had in her possession that could allegedly stop bullets from inflicting injury on ones body.
Her gullible supporters believed her and died in their thousands as they confronted heavily armed government troops. Her resistance did not last long and she soon fled to Kenya to evade capture.
Having been married twice and divorced due to her inability to have children, Lakwena settled for a lonely life at the refugee camp and is said to have been sick for about a week prior to succumbing to a yet to be established ailment.
Born in 1956 in Uganda, Lakwena lived a generally quiet life before the mid eighties when she suddenly stopped talking and on recovering her speech, she claimed a spirit was inside her, which had instructed her to wage war against the government that she accused of being evil and unpopular.
Many considered her to be an insane zealot out to gain popularity and ascend to power by cheating gullible Ugandans that she was the anointed one and God had plans for her to rule the country and restore religious beliefs among the people.
Her supporters were mainly northern Ugandans who are known to be against any government where the president comes from the south. In this case, a southerner, Yoweri Museveni was president and it was easy to convince her northern kinsmen to take up arms against the government.
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I heard that she is/was Joseph Koni's aunty? Is that true?
ReplyDeleteThis is an answer for Vee... Yes Alice Lakwena wan Kony's aunt. When her movement was defeated by government troops, her nephew took up the struggle to another level and he considered himself her heir...but the relationship between the two is scanty.
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