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14 days with rebel leader Joseph Kony, how women cheated death to bring peace.
10 June 2025, 11:13 pm
By Emmy Daniel Ojara
zaagulu@gmail.com
This thing it happened in 2007, when Kony was still in the bush and was still fighting the government. It was one of the ways in which the President (Yoweri Museveni) envisaged that we could use to bring the peace.
I was given an assignment to take care of the family of Joseph Kony that was when I was still in the youth department of the President (Museveni).
In 2007 we were sent to Garamba (with Kony`s mother Ms Nora Anek Oting), it was as a result of seeing as another path we could use apart from the guns that were sounding, to talk to the mother in a nice way so that the mother could go and speak to the son, and of course even if it was you, your mother could tell you something and you will listen.
So we actually thought that maybe if we speak to the mother of Joseph Kony, she could actually help us to go and speak with the son.
Ms Judith Obina, recounts the trek into the jungles of Garamba in Democratic Republic of Congo and daring physical interface with rebel group leader, Joseph Kony.
THE JOURNEY 9th DECEMBER 2007
So on 9th of December 2007, we were in Onigo Air going to Juba, we reached Juba, got a helicopter to Nabanga, it wasn`t me alone.
The others included the current Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny Dollo Chigamoyi who went to brief Joseph Kony on the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Late Walter Ochora (former LC5 and Resident District Commissioner for Gulu district), and kony`s family including the mother, brothers, sisters and son.
THE JUNGLES OF RIKWAMBA
So we reached Nabanga by helicopter flying over the canopy trees, then we got into Kangaroo cars and we reached Rikwamba.
Sometimes when I say the story I was thinking that by now I would not be alive, because…..really it was a tough story by the way, it was a tough issue, to go and handle that assignment it was not easy!
Because at that time Kony, you could not know whether he can kill you, he cannot kill you or anything, so we reached Rikwamba, there was an old woman, that was the quarter guard of Kony, for his operation, so we had to enter the Kony`s camp.
Our baggage was carried off from our backs, by young children, they were young soldiers but they were communicating on walkie talkie, something like that, but by that time I had already started praying my last prayers because I didn`t know how long we are going to move until I see God, but I`m still here. She sobs!
THE GREAT TREK INSIDE THE JUNGLE
We started the trek, they carried for us our things, we start moving to the camp, we moved for long. Half way through the journey, through the walk (I call it the great trek in my book) my book is called the 14 days with Kony, the Hidden Heroes.
There are so many people who will have done things like we have done, but we are heroes in names, we have not been recognized, which is a good thing, for me I say we are heroes, my medal, people always ask me, but Judith you went and walked to Garamba, you went and talked with Joseph Kony but you have not been given a medal, I said I have been given a medal, my medal is very big.
My medal is seeing people happy in Gulu City here, my medal is people going back to their lives in Gulu City, that is bigger than any medal that I can have. That the peace is now already in Acholi, isn’t that a very big medal for me? My medal is the peace that came back…………….
Currently, Ms Judith Obina, 52, a born of Paicho Sub County, Gulu district is the Private Secretary in charge of Political Affairs to President Yoweri Museveni.
I caught up with her for this interview on Tuesday 10th June 2025, in which she announced that she will effective 13th June 2025 cease her duty as an aide to the President and vie for Gulu City Woman Member of Parliament seat in 2026 to tackle the persisting socio-economic problems and poverty after serving in the President`s office for 25 years.
After joining the State House in 2001, Ms Obina was appointed as Assistant Secretary in charge of Political Affairs in the President’s Office, and was later promoted as the Private Secretary to the President (Head of documentation), a position she served until her resignation.
Back to the great trek, she continues.
We moved until we reach half way then they tell us the bad news, oh, Kony is coming to meet you half way. She sighed! Then I said God, I started looking around, I didn’t know that I could even die and have no coffin, I was thinking about a lot of things on my head, I said okay so me I am supposed to die in Congo, I said okay, if the story is written already I cannot do anything about it, so as we move forward, I see Kony coming.
JOSEPH KONY AND DEATH FEAR
Ah! My heart went knuckles man, I said wow! This is not going to be a good thing today, but I said okay, we are still breathing, so I said no if I am going to die today, I am going to die after the mother (Kony`s mother), so I had to stay behind the mother so if the bullets are coming, they can pass through her then go to me then I will also die.
SURPRISE AND TEARY KONY!
But I was surprise, though I still remained behind Kony`s mother and I was peeping from an angle, but when he (Kony) came, he greeted us calmly, he greeted us in Acholi, saying ‘’Mummy, I oo? (Mummy you have come?) and turned away, but you see tears coming from his eyes.
I said Ahhh for that one tears we could still be alive, maybe we see about tomorrow again, I don`t know, so they welcomed us and then we started walking going to the camp, we all reached the first camp, they left us in the first camp.
UNCERTAINTY
The family went ahead I said wow tonight the rhythm may change because now since he has his family with him, we may, you know, you don`t know what may happen, but in my head I was like now today is the day.
So the next day we still walk up alive, they came, we started the meeting, we were supposed to be there for nine days but on the ninth day we coordinated them with the President (Museveni) but the President was in Nairobi and we said these people want to talk to him directly, the peace talks were going on in Juba but for us were just the sidewalks of the peace talks, so we were doing our parts as the peace talks were going on so we made sure the President talked to them and they agreed on a few things.
The President directed many things there, but when we talked to Kony to talk (to the President), Kony said no he was not going to talk on phone, then he said Otti (Vincent Otti who was his deputy) will talk, so Otti spoke with the President who was in Nairobi, so they agreed upon a few things which the President handled immediately and then on that very point we were going to leave the camp on that day because I was supposed to be there for nine days.
And then Kony`s mother said she wants to talk to the President, I said the phone please! ‘’I still want to be with my son for another five days, the President said, Judith go on, we removed our bags, started a normal life again, so that is what made fourteen days.
THE PEACE MEETING
On the thirteenth day we had a very good meeting, now in that meeting since I was training Kony`s mother to give him a message of peace, so on that thirteenth day was when that meeting happened.
The President was now in Uganda, of course he didn`t know how we were managing whatever we have gone to do, because when you are already in the President`s position in a place, your work is to make things happen, your work is to bring a result so during that meeting I reminded her and said do you remember what we discussed in Kampala?
WHAT KONY`S MOTHER TOLD HER SON
So Kony`s mother when it was her turn to talk, told her son out rightly that, Museveni is a very good person, Museveni has taken care of you, he has taken care of your father, he has taken care of me, President Museveni has taken care of all the children that you have, President Museveni is still taking care of me, President Museveni has buried your father, why don`t you stop fighting?
Kony today I come and tell you that you should stop fighting!
WHAT JUDITH OBINA TOLD KONY
It came to me, I said my brother (Kony), there is only one day in which a man dies, and if that day is there for me today then I will go, but please stop fighting, what are you looking for, our people are dying in Acholi, we are in IDP camps, why don`t you leave the people to go home, what are you fighting for, please Kony stop fighting? That day the Holy spirit was with us.
WHAT KONY ANSWERED
Kony answered, Judith, President Museveni has sent you to bring my mother to me, to tell me to stop fighting, starting today I will never shoot a gun into Uganda.
PEACE
That was 2007, December, are there still bullets here? Questioned Ms Obina.
The people who bring peace are very minuet people, people who don`t matter like Judith Obina, like Kony`s mother, those are the ones who walked Garamba to reach Kony to speak to him about the message of peace.
The UPDF, they did a lot, they did their parts very well, the religious leaders, they did a lot of work and all of us the Acholi people, we also have been in this peace, to bring this peace, it was the Acholi people because we are the ones who suffered in the IDP camps, we are the ones who suffered the atrocities of Kony.
HIDDEN HEROES OF WAR
So when I talk about Kony and peace, I bring the people of Acholi first, I say because we are the ones who took the pain, therefore we are all hidden heroes.
We are the ones who have had to foot all those things unbearable, but some of us also walked, others prayed, religious leaders talked, UPDF shot guns, media people reported.
14 DAYS WITH KONY THE HIDDEN HEROES.
Background to Joseph Kony`s case at ICC
The Warrant of Arrest for Joseph Kony was issued under seal on 8 July 2005, amended on 27 September 2005 and unsealed on 13 October 2005.
He is suspected of 12 counts of crimes against humanity (murder, enslavement, sexual enslavement, rape, inhumane acts of inflicting serious bodily injury and suffering) and 21 counts of war crimes (murder, cruel treatment of civilians, intentionally directing an attack against a civilian population, pillaging, inducing rape, and forced enlistment of children) allegedly committed in 2003 and 2004 in northern Uganda.
On 12 December 2024, ICC Pre-Trial Chamber III scheduled the confirmation of charges hearing in the case The Prosecutor v. Joseph Kony to commence on 9 September 2025, in the absence of the suspect.
On 3rd June 2025, the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “Court”) delivered its judgment in the appeal of the defence for Joseph Kony against the decision of Pre-Trial Chamber III of 29 October 2024 entitled “Decision on the criteria for holding confirmation of charges proceedings in absentia”.