Robert "Bob" Astles (born 1924) is a former British soldier and colonial officer who lived in Uganda and became an associate of presidents Milton Obote and Idi Amin.
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Bob Astles is English and was born in Ashford, Kent. He joined the British Indian Army as a teenager and then the Royal Engineers, reaching the rank of Lieutenant. Of his war service, he recalls: "I enjoyed being with other nationalities and their fights for world recognition during World War II." He was 21 when he left the United Kingdom for Africa.
In 1949, Astles was sent on special duties during the Bataka uprising in Buganda. His first job in Uganda was as a colonial officer with the Ministry of Works, then with £100 he set up Uganda Aviation Services Ltd, the first airline in Uganda to employ Africans. As Uganda's independence approached in 1962, Astles became involved with a number of political groups. One of these was led by Milton Obote, who led the country to independence. Astles worked in his government until the 1971 coup d'état, when he transferred his allegiance to Amin.
In December, suspicion fell on Astles because of his previous support for Obote. Amin sent him to Makindye Prison where he spent 17 weeks, often shackled and brutally interrogated. Astles later said, "Amin called me a 'rotten apple' on the radio, and nationalised my airline. It was ordinary Africans who helped me to survive. One guard was kicked to death for helping me."
In 1975, Astles joined Amin's service, becoming the head of the anti-corruption squad and advising the president on British affairs, while running a pineapple farm. He also presided over an aviation service that transported members of the government. Astles later said "I kept my eyes shut, I said nothing about what I saw, which is what they liked". What Astles did or did not do during Amin's brutal tenure is a matter of conjecture. He was feared, and considered by many to be a malignant influence on the dictator; others thought he was a moderating presence. He came to be known as "Major" Bob (the title of Major was given to him by Amin) or "the White Rat".
Following the Uganda-Tanzania War which led to the demise of Amin's regime in 1979, Astles fled to Kenya, but was brought back to Uganda to face criminal charges. He was imprisoned for his alleged association with Amin's security apparatus, and was charged with everything from murder and corruption to theft. Though acquitted, he remained in Luzira Prison for six and a half years, returning to Britain after his release in 1985.[1]
In 1958, he married Monica, who had come to Uganda with him from Kent. A year later, after they had divorced, Astles married an aristocratic member of the Bugandan kingdom, Mary Ssen-Katukka, and they later adopted two children.
Astles currently lives in Wimbledon, London, and continues to deny the allegations against him. Since returning to Britain, he has dedicated his life to campaigning against superpower interference in African political and economic affairs. He has also contributed political commentaries to a number of publications associated with Africa.
He was played by Leonard Trolley in the 1982 movie Amin: The Rise and Fall. The fictional character of Dr. Nicholas Garrigan in the book and film The Last King of Scotland was loosely based on some events in Astles' life.[2]