February 12, 1979: Uganda President Idi Amin Dada denies reports that he arranged the murder of former Kenyan Agriculture Minister Bruce McKenzie. Quoting President Amin, a military spokesman dismissed the report as “rubbish because McKenzie was a very great friend of Amin” The spokesman was commenting on a report by Radio Tanzania, emanating from the Observer newspaper in London, that President Amin had given Mckenzie a lion’s head trophy containing a time-bomb. According to the report, legal scientists in London believed McKenzie’s private plane was blown up by the bomb over the Ngong Hills nearly 10 months ago. The hair of a Lion’s mane was found in the wreckage led to this conclusion. “If there was a plot,” the spokesman said, “it seems that it was engineered by (President Julius Kambarage Nyerere and Apollo Milton Obote using their agents to create conflict between Kenya and Uganda”. He said it was obvious Tanzania would not have been able to report this if it did not know in advance about the bomb planted in the plane. McKenzie was very popular with Ugandan leaders.. Amin was shocked by his death and sent a condolence message to his family immediately after his death. he said, quoting Amin.

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