Who are new UPDF MPs?

Kampala- Five out of 10 Army representatives in Parliament will not return to the national assembly after either losing or not getting nominated for the elections that took place on Friday at Bombo Army base.

Those who participated and lost are Lt Gen Jim Owoyesgire, Lt Gen Charles Angina and Maj Gen Julius Oketta. Others are Brig Phinehas Katirima and Lt Col Sarah Mpabwa who were not even nominated.

Those who were re-elected are Chief of Defence Forces Gen Katumba Wamala, Gen Elly Tumwine, Capt Susan Lakot and Col Vicente Oula.

The new entrants include the UPDF Chief Political Commissar, Col Felix Kulayigye, former deputy Chief of Defence Forces, Lt Gen Ivan Koreta, Maj Gen Pecos Kutesa, Col Francis Takirwa, Lt Col Flavia Byekwaso and Capt Evelyn Asiimwe.

Gen Tumwine will be serving his fifth term in Parliament while Gen Katumba who received the highest votes, will be serving his second.
The 10 were elected out of 30 officers nominated for the 10 Army seats.

Lt Gen Ivan Koreta: The 52-year-old trained in Mozambique under the Front for National Salvation led by Yoweri Museveni in 1970s.

He later joined Museveni in the bush in 1980s.

He was the commander of the UPDF 1st Division between 1986 and 1988 before he was sent to Liberia as commander of the Uganda peacekeepers in 1990s.

Later, he became the deputy Director of Internal Security Organisation (1988 – 2001) and was promoted to Major General. In 2004, he was promoted to Lieutenant General.

Col Felix Kulayigye: Kulayigye joined the army in 1989 after graduating with a degree in Education at Makerere University.

He rose through the ranks from serving in the Presidential Protection Unit (now renamed Special Forces Command, the presidential guard unit).
Kulayigye was deployed in northern Uganda during the counter-insurgency operations against LRA rebels.

He was later appointed deputy army spokesperson and then became the army’s Chief Political Commissar, the position he still holds.

Gen Elly Tumwine: He will be serving his fifth term in the national assembly, making him one of the longest serving MPs.

Gen Tumwine had cadet training in Tanzania in 1979 before joining Museveni’s rebel group to fight the Obote government in 1981.

He was the first army commander of the NRA, now UPDF, upon capturing power in 1986. He also served as state minister for Defence in 1989 and later Director General of External Security Organisation (ESO).

Gen Katumba Wamala : He has been the army boss since 2013, replacing the late Gen Aronda Nyakairima, who was appointed minister.

Between 2005 and 20013, Gen Wamala was the commander of Land Forces after serving four years as the Inspector General of Police.

He commanded the 4th Division between 1998 and 1999. He was UPDF operations commander in West Nile during the war against West Nile Bank Front rebels.

Katumba commanded the UPDF 2nd Division in Mbarara from 1995-1996 and was commandant of Junior Staff College in Jinja from 1991 to 1994.

Maj Gen Pecos Kutesa: He returns to Parliament after 20 years out of legislative work. He represented Kabula County during the Constituent Assembly in 1994 .

Maj Gen Kutesa is the UPDF Chief of Doctrine. He trained as a cadet officer in Munduli, Tanzania in 1979. In 1981, he joined President Museveni, then the rebel leader, and commanded battles that led to the capture of Kampala in 1986.

Col Francis Takirwa: He is UPDF Chief of Operations, whose role is to plan for all military operations under the commander of the Land Forces. He previously worked under the Presidential Protection Unit, now Special Forces Command, from early 1990s to 2002.
He commanded the 503 Brigade in Kitgum during LRA insurgence. He was in Somalia as the Ugandan contingent administrative officer under the African Union peace mission. Before he was appointed Chief of Operations, he worked as 4th Division operations and training officer.

Col Vicente Oula: A graduate of Kenya National Defence College, Col Oula replaced Gen Sejusa in Parliament in 2014.

In 2010, he served as the Chief of Staff for the African Union Mission in Somalia. He coordinated zonal forces in Lango sub-region during the LRA insurgence in northern Uganda. He also worked under Special Revenue Protection Service

Capt Evelyn Asiimwe: The HIV/Aids counsellor got the news that she was an MP-elect while on a course in Jinja. Capt Asiimwe joined the army six years ago. She is under the Chieftaincy of Medical Services.

Lt Col Flavia Byekwaso: She is one of the few female army officers at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. She has worked in Darfur as a peacekeeper.

Capt Susan Lakot: She is the Directing Staff at Juniour Staff College in Jinja. The former teacher in Kitgum District joined the army in 2010. She was elected MP in 2011.

[email protected]