Could Idi Amin's rise to power and despotism in Uganda have been avoided had he been court-martialled for using excessive force against peasants while conducting anti-cattle rustling ops in Kenya during 1962 ? Apparently, in the Turkana Valley, his soldiers of the 4th King's African Rifles beat up and tortured local villagers suspected of being involved, but the British decided it was politically impossible to bring criminal charges against 1 of the only 2 black army officers in Uganda on the eve of granting independence, and the man groomed to lead independent Uganda, Dr Milton Obote, concurred. This episode enabled Amin to consolidate his power base until he launched the coup which toppled Obote in 1971, and facilitated his 8-yr long reign of terror.
Now, WI the British authorities had taken seriously this evidence of Amin's misconduct, and decided to court-martial him ? Could his prospects for later taking over and brutalising Uganda have been stopped right there and then with such a huge black mark being raised against his name and character ?
Another potential POD was in 1970, where the Ugandan police, while Obote was still in power, arrested some local gangsters over an armed holdup, where it was revealed by 1 thug that he took orders from Amin, but Inspector-General Cryema covered up this fact and refused to investigate since Obote was on the verge of promoting Amin to Chief-of-Staff of Uganda's army. WI Cryema had for whatever reason decided to reveal this info anyways ? At the time, there was also substantial circumstantial evidence indicating Amin's 1969 involvement in an attempted assassination of Obote and a successful assassination of deputy army commander Brigadier Okoya, after he claimed that an investigation had been conducted re the attempt on the PM's life. Could these circumstances against Amin and renewed evidence against him, resulting in direct judicial proceedings, have undermined his ability to secure political power in Uganda and prevented the tragedy which he would OTL inflict ?
Now, WI the British authorities had taken seriously this evidence of Amin's misconduct, and decided to court-martial him ? Could his prospects for later taking over and brutalising Uganda have been stopped right there and then with such a huge black mark being raised against his name and character ?
Another potential POD was in 1970, where the Ugandan police, while Obote was still in power, arrested some local gangsters over an armed holdup, where it was revealed by 1 thug that he took orders from Amin, but Inspector-General Cryema covered up this fact and refused to investigate since Obote was on the verge of promoting Amin to Chief-of-Staff of Uganda's army. WI Cryema had for whatever reason decided to reveal this info anyways ? At the time, there was also substantial circumstantial evidence indicating Amin's 1969 involvement in an attempted assassination of Obote and a successful assassination of deputy army commander Brigadier Okoya, after he claimed that an investigation had been conducted re the attempt on the PM's life. Could these circumstances against Amin and renewed evidence against him, resulting in direct judicial proceedings, have undermined his ability to secure political power in Uganda and prevented the tragedy which he would OTL inflict ?