A State of Blood: The Inside Story of Idi Amin

by Henry Kyemba

Written in exile, under tight security, here is Henry Kyemba's inside story of Idi Amin.

Genres: Africa, Nonfiction, History, Biography, Politics, True Crime, War

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[lafloor · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I read this unbelievable memoir, I have a hard time understanding why Kyemba stayed as long as he did. I mean, even after Amin had his brother murdered he still came back to work for the tyrant thug. Reading these accounts of murder after murder after murder it starts to become unreal. I went to Kampala over Xmas time, however and I was shocked to learn that the people of Uganda do not hate Amin. In fact they credit him with producing some of the city's important architectural buildings, etc. They believe the stories of body-disfiguring and goriness (like that depicted briefly in The Last King of Scotland) are just urban myths. I think this memoir needs to be read by the people of Uganda, but perhaps they don't want to read it. Perhaps it is easier not knowing. . .

[Andrew Ssempala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow! This true story will blow your head off for surprises. I was aware of how murderous Gen. Idi Amin was but I wasn't prepared for some of the bloodier incidences and the sense of danger that loomed over every public figure in Uganda at that time. The list of prominent people killed at the beginning of the book moreover gives a hint of how much the ordinary people must have suffered without the notice and attention of the international press.

[John Devlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent tell-all—down to the license plates of Amin’s various cars.

Amin is wanton, a proto warlord that would make Somalians proud.

The killings, the dismembering of one of his many wives.

But this is Africa…the strongman, the riotous number of clans, the mercenaries, the kleptocracy, the decay of colonial institutions…

Africa is a basket case.

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I purchased this book, I hoped to get a picture of Idi Amin's personality, and an inside story on how he maintained power. Instead I got a disconnected - though interesting - hodgepodge of anecdotes. The author states that he was a confidant of Amin's with whom he "could talk to at any time of the day or night," but he fails to explore Amin's character or tell us how he managed to maintain his hold on the government while Ugandan society fell apart.

I couldn't help but feeling that the author was holding something back. Did he partake in some of the government's misdeeds and is holding back on revealing this? Kyemba stresses how much Amin trusted him, but never outlines why that was. Not only did Amin trust Kyemba, but Kyemba trusted the ruthless dictator just as much! Even after Kyemba's brother is murdered by the government, Kyemba felt that "for me, things would be different... I did not believe I would ever be in any personal danger."

I suppose this is how regimes like Amin's are able to last for so long. Ministers watch as those around them are murdered, yet they trust that for them, things will be different. Eventually Kyemba realizes that he, too, has a shelf life and flees the country.

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Henry Kyemba's memoir of being a member of Milton Obote's government in Uganda, and then -- somewhat to his surprise -- finding himself highly placed in Idi Amin's government after Amin ousted Obote. This is a cool and rational description of what Amin put his country through, and it is clear that Kyemba doesn't want to know, or at any rate linger over, too many of the details of Amin's genocide of his own constituents, the destruction of the country's economy or Uganda's standing in the international community. Heavily illustrated with photos. Well-written and carefully thought out, telling us each time he has to leave out a name for fear of getting a friend or colleague killed. The text starts with a list of 100 people he knows who were killed by his boss -- including the author's own brother. Well worth a look.

[Hardcorekancil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read A State of Blood shortly after returning from Uganda, maybe to gain a sense of perspective on the history of this country.

It was a compelling read, if a gruesome one. Henry Kyemba gives us his own insights into Idi Amin's regime: what it meant to be living in Uganda at that time but also what led to the regime and how he thought it would evolve (at the time of writing). Although it shouldn't be taken as a stand-alone document on Uganda under Idi Amin, it is an important testimony that deserves to be read.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember when Idi Amin was in the news regularly, in the seventies, as a really bad guy, but I did not know how evil he really was. I am doing a study, for my own education, on Uganda, and this book is a real eye-opening place to start. Horrible. The author spares no gory detail, and one can feel his anguish, not only at having to play a part in a corrupt and cruelly violent evil government, but also in having to witness the economic destruction of his home country. Sadly, the portrayal of Idi Amin's character seems all too similar to that of other dead and living world leaders.Frightening.

[Ashabaheebwa Timothy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book seems to give an account of what happened during the time of Amin more so from someone in the inner circle. However the writer should have told us how the late Idi Amin managed to maintain his grip on power for so long with all the limitations he had.

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down, it just seemed too horrible to be true that Idi Amin got away with as much as he did for so long. It is also unbelievable how long Kyemba stayed before defecting, but I guess better late than never. This book was published awhile ago but the world continues to allow the worst dictators to literally get away with mass murder, which is incomprehensible in this day and age.

[Kalpana Behara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doing a deep dive into understanding east Africa and this was a good start. Having visited Uganda and specifically the places mentioned in the book recently, this started feeling a bit personal as the narrative unfolded. A bit too detailed in parts but a very good perspective and a personal account of life in Uganda in the 70s. One perspective is never enough though.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The real story of the Last King of Scotland.

[Apiwe · Rating 3 out of 5]

was Idi Amin really a cannibal?

[Bunza · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insider account of Idi Amin's rise to power in Uganda, including some description of his participation in Milton Obote's first administration. Kyemba held several high positions in both governments (including as the Minister of Health during the Entebbe raid) until he fled out of fear of Idi Amin's paranoid and unpredictable purges and became one of Amin's more articulate critics. It is fascinating to read a book published while Idi Amin was still in power in the 1970s, by someone in his inner circle. It is well written in a detached, no-nonsense tone (no speculation about cannibalism here), despite the author's participation in much of the unfolding narrative.

[Amavi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henry Kiyemba tells a story of the heinous crimes of a barbaric dictator. The throes suffered by the people is truly despicable. It's heart wrenching to describe the killings and death, let alone being subjected to such punishment. I have not been to Uganda, I'd like to go there. I believe the country has risen from this bloody state to the pearl it truly is.

[Chris Schaffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the details it exposed on Amin and his atrocities. It was hard to read and not be skeptical of Kyemba's complicity in all of it. He knew at the end that Amin knew that he knew too much and smartly defected, otherwise he surely would have been executed.

[Bram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horrific insider account of the rise and terror of Idi Amin, written by an emigree while Amin was still in power. Gruesome, informative and well written

[Wolfzone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harrowing. The author somewhat exonerates himself, playing the part of an impervious witness more so than cog-in-the-wheel machination for the outrageous litany of atrocities being told on these pages. Why would he lend his energies to such evil and madness for so long, until it was clear his neck was on the line? Was he paralyzed by abject fear, or were the perks just too good to give up? It’s a tiresome riddle people in different countries watch play out again and again. Megalomaniacs seemingly will never go out of fashion. I learned a lot about the history of the region in this book. I also did not know about Netanyahu’s brother being the only soldier killed by Palestinian hijackers in the raid on Entebbe. Illuminating. I discovered this book via another excellent book called How To Feed A Dictator. Idi Amin (and Obote’s) chef was interviewed. He gave a fascinating account as well, which is how I came upon Kyemba’s story. A sad and depressing time for the poor souls living and dying under the rule of a bonafide maniac.

[John Taylor Pullen]

It seems a strange thing to simplify world politics in relation to African politics, if you can so classify them (as African politics). Maybe this is an inversion of the way things actually are ⏤ in the sense that the stone that the builder rejects... but typically, for whatever reason, people seem think of Africa as a land to be exploited, but maybe that's not true. I don't know how much you would actually have to know about it to say that it made any difference, that is that what anyone knows has any impact on the way things are. But I guess this would be the foundation of things. That circa 1977, as the world becomes modernized, martial abilities take their stand in black Africa. The quality of the work I couldn't guess, or anything about them personally (the author)... or if it (the work) had to be translated.

[Kevin Zuech · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally when I watch a movie based on a true story I want to find out what happened in the real story compared to the movie. The Last King of Scotland was no different. The movie and actually events aren't really that close outside there were numerous atrocities. Henry Kyemba wrote his account on what he witnessed while Amin was still in power. It is good that he got his story out about what he witnessed since the world didn't realize the extent or didn't care at the time. The atrocities were numerous including killings of elderly women, bishops and children. One of his own wives felt Amin's wrath. As this was written while Amin was still in power the rest of the story is never discussed in the book. It is hard to fathom that there were really no consequences for a brutal dictator and he was paid handsomely while he lived out his life. That is truly sad and unfortunately there are numerous other similar stories.

[Dayne Pattison · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content is very interesting as the author has firsthand accounts on many of his stories (having worked directly with Amin). It’s written as a plea to the world to highlight the truth around Amins violence and bring about an end to his regime.

The book ends at a time when Amin is still in power so it doesn’t capture his downfall. The book itself is not very well written and the order of events was a bit hard to follow at times.

[Edulq · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me creía que iba a ser un libro más enfocado a la historia de la dictadura, pero al final es más una colección cronológica de noticias y hechos que vivió el autor. Que por cierto eso de estar tanto tiempo trabajando para una dictadura y sabiendo lo que sabías... no sé rick, a lo mejor algo turbio también tienes por ahí detrás.

[Marshal Mdeza · Rating 5 out of 5]

The content is disgusting; the prose is amazing. By some inconceivable chance this read came immediately after completing Zimbardo's The Lucifer Effect, How Good People Turn Evil. There is a lot to relate between the two. That Kyembe stayed in the murderer's cabinet that long is one striking issue that in referred as situational cause in Zimbardo's book.

[Neale Simpson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A chilling view of the atrocities experience by the Ugandan people under the dictatorship of a militant madman. How the world has allowed these tragedies to transpire is beyond me.
Not my kind of read but certainly an eye-opener.

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

An informative read on one of Africa’s post colonial struggles. It left me itching to learn more about Ugandas war with Tanzania, and the fate of Idi Amin and most importantly, Uganda and it’s people.

[Lulu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a bit disappointed in this book, I expected much more.

[Avinash Bhusal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bbxbxbf

[Ray Talniya · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's good books,must read...

[Yvonne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had hopes for this book, but I just couldn't get into it.

[Charles Satchwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by one of the few people who not only held their position for almost the entire Amin regime but was also able to get out unscathed. Lots of info on that dark time in Ugandan history

[Denzil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can vouch for many of the facts of this book, as I was in Uganda in 1976 (and was locked up for being a tourist with a camera; all my spools of film were destroyed and my camera confiscated) - both me and my friend John Nickson were locked up in Kampala, and treated VERY badly.
The amazing thing about this book is that Henry hung around as a cabinet minister for so long even after his brother was killed. I am a bit sceptical; there must have been something in it for him. But the book is well written and has a very honest ring to it; he obviously did a complete about-face (though way too late) - as did the attorney general (read foreword) And he is no doubt an intelligent guy and a good writer.
This was one of the most terrible stories ever, of events in African history. The MOST amazing thing is that Amin remained in power until 1980 (even after this book was published in August 1977) and ALSO that Amin was never brought to account in any way and died of old age in Libya under the protection of Gaddafi
And the current residents of Uganda will mostly tell you that this book is bullshit and that Amin actually did a lot for the country!!
Much like Trump supporters, Mugabe supporters, and, in SA, Zuma supporters. People really struggle to learn from history. (Of course would not say they are nearly as bad though. Lol We also know, though it wasn't mentioned in this book, that Idi was a cannibal.)