About Bloodshed for Power
The man who knew the truth and paid for it with his life.
Born amid the upheaval of the 1947 Partition of India, Mohamed Hassan’s life unfolded along the fault lines of empire, migration, and power. As a Muslim forced into the new state of Pakistan, and later a migrant to East Africa, Hassan eventually found a sense of purpose in Uganda, joining the police force at a moment when the country stood on the threshold of profound change.
Through intelligence, discipline, and an uncompromising commitment to the rule of law, Hassan rose rapidly to become Head of the Criminal Investigation Department and Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police. His position placed him at the centre of Uganda’s most sensitive and high-profile cases, including the brutal murder of a senior army officer and his wife.
The prime suspect was a young and ambitious soldier: Idi Amin Dada.
When Amin seized power in 1971, that unresolved crime became a dangerous secret. Those who knew too much – and those unwilling to bend – became threats to be eliminated. Mohamed Hassan was one of them.
Drawing on archival research, police and court records, first-hand testimony, and previously unpublished documents and photographs, this book reconstructs the extraordinary true story of a principled investigator trapped within the machinery of an emerging dictatorship. It is also a deeply personal account, written by Hassan’s son, of a father whose integrity could not be broken – even by imprisonment, torture, and execution without trial.
More than fifty years after his death, this book restores Mohamed Hassan to history and offers a rare, inside view of how law, truth, and ordinary lives are erased when power goes unchecked.
A work of historical correction, remembrance, and moral witness, it is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand Idi Amin’s rise, Uganda’s silenced voices, and the human cost of tyranny.
Featured Excerpts
Discover the defining moments that shaped a nation—and the man at the center of it all.
A Murder Most Foul
From Chapter 10
The murder of Brigadier Okoya and his wife Anna was not just another killing; it was the moment Uganda’s destiny shifted. When Hassan uncovered the evidence that pointed squarely at Amin, the countdown to his own death began…
General Amin’s
Coup D’État
From Chapter 14
As Obote prepared to return from Singapore, Amin had already set his plan in motion. The city would wake to the sound of tanks, and the country would never be the same again…
An Undiplomatic Diplomat
From Chapter 9
As Uganda’s foreign relations unravelled, embassies turned into arenas of intimidation and spectacle. Among the most shocking incidents was the abduction of Brian Lea, a British diplomat seized in broad daylight; not by rogue criminals, but by the machinery of the state itself…
The Expulsion of the Asians from Uganda
From Chapter 21
With a single announcement, tens of thousands were given ninety days to erase their lives. Shops closed overnight. Families packed memories into suitcases. What followed was not just an expulsion; it was the deliberate dismantling of an economy, driven by envy, fear, and absolute power…
Foreign Relations
Go Awry
From Chapter 24
When a hijacked aircraft landed at Entebbe, Uganda found itself at the centre of a global standoff. What followed shocked the world: a daring nighttime rescue, a humiliated dictator, and a moment when Uganda’s name echoed across international headlines; not for diplomacy, but defiance…
Moments of Wit, Irony & the Absurd
History isn’t only tragedy — sometimes it surprises you with humour, irony, or outright absurdity. Here are lighter moments from the book.
