Tito Okello
Encyclopedia
General
Tito Lutwa Okello (1914–1996), was a Ugandan Military officer and politician
. He was the President of Uganda
from 29 July 1985 until 26 January 1986.
. He was one of the commanders in the coalition between the Tanzania People's Defence Force
and the Uganda National Liberation Army, who removed Idi Amin
from power in 1979. He was selected to be the Commander of the Ugandan National Liberation Army from 1980 to 1985.
, Tito Lutwa Okello staged the coup d'état
that ousted president Milton Obote
. He ruled as president for six months until he was overthrown by the National Resistance Army
(NRA) operating under the leadership of the current president, Yoweri Museveni
. He went into exile in Kenya
, after he was ousted.
is the current State Minister for Foreign Affairs responsible for International Affairs. The former president's younger brother, Erisanweri Opira, was abducted from his home in Kitgum District
by a rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army
(LRA), in 2002. His abduction was considered unusual as the LRA usually kidnaps teenagers and young people to turn into prospective soldiers or sex slaves. Opira was aged in his late seventies at the time of his abduction.
dictatorship in the 1970s.
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Tito Lutwa Okello (1914–1996), was a Ugandan Military officer and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He was the President of Uganda
President of Uganda
-List of Presidents of Uganda:-Affiliations:-See also:*Uganda*Vice President of Uganda*Prime Minister of Uganda*Politics of Uganda*History of Uganda*Political parties of Uganda...
from 29 July 1985 until 26 January 1986.
Background
Tito Okello was born in 1914 in Kitgum DistrictKitgum District
Kitgum District is a district in Northern Uganda. It is named after its 'chief town' of Kitgum, where the district headquarters is located.-Location:...
. He was one of the commanders in the coalition between the Tanzania People's Defence Force
Tanzania People's Defence Force
The Tanzania Peoples’ Defence Force was set up in September 1964. From its inception, it was ingrained in the troops that they were a people’s force under civilian control. They were always reminded of their difference from the colonial armed forces...
and the Uganda National Liberation Army, who removed Idi Amin
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military...
from power in 1979. He was selected to be the Commander of the Ugandan National Liberation Army from 1980 to 1985.
Coup d'état
In July 1985, together with Bazilio Olara-OkelloBazilio Olara-Okello
Bazilio Olara-Okello was a Ugandan military officer and one of the commanders of the Uganda National Liberation Army that together with the Tanzanian army overthrew Idi Amin in 1979...
, Tito Lutwa Okello staged the coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
that ousted president Milton Obote
Milton Obote
Apolo Milton Obote , Prime Minister of Uganda from 1962 to 1966 and President of Uganda from 1966 to 1971, then again from 1980 to 1985. He was a Ugandan political leader who led Uganda towards independence from the British colonial administration in 1962.He was overthrown by Idi Amin in 1971, but...
. He ruled as president for six months until he was overthrown by the National Resistance Army
National Resistance Army
The National Resistance Army , the military wing of the National Resistance Movement , was a rebel army that waged a guerrilla war, commonly referred to as the Luwero War or "the war in the bush", against the government of Milton Obote, and later that of Tito Okello.NRA was supported by Muammar...
(NRA) operating under the leadership of the current president, Yoweri Museveni
Yoweri Museveni
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is a Ugandan politician and statesman. He has been President of Uganda since 26 January 1986.Museveni was involved in the war that deposed Idi Amin Dada, ending his rule in 1979, and in the rebellion that subsequently led to the demise of the Milton Obote regime in 1985...
. He went into exile in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, after he was ousted.
Extended family
Tito Okello's son Henry Oryem OkelloHenry Oryem Okello
Henry Oryem Okello is a Ugandan lawyer and politician. He is the current State Minister for Foreign Affairs Henry Oryem Okello is a Ugandan lawyer and politician. He is the current State Minister for Foreign Affairs Henry Oryem Okello is a Ugandan lawyer and politician. He is the current State...
is the current State Minister for Foreign Affairs responsible for International Affairs. The former president's younger brother, Erisanweri Opira, was abducted from his home in Kitgum District
Kitgum
Kitgum is a municipality in Kitgum District, in Northern Uganda. The town is administered by Kitgum Town Council, an Urban Local Government within Kitgum District Administration...
by a rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army
Lord's Resistance Army
The Lord's Resistance Army insurgency is an ongoing guerrilla campaign waged since 1987 by the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group, operating mainly in northern Uganda, but also in South Sudan and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo...
(LRA), in 2002. His abduction was considered unusual as the LRA usually kidnaps teenagers and young people to turn into prospective soldiers or sex slaves. Opira was aged in his late seventies at the time of his abduction.
Final years
Tito Okello died in exile on 3 June 1996. His remains were repatriated and buried at his ancestral home in Kitgum District. He was 82 years old at the time of his death. In January 2010, General Tito Lutwa Okello was posthumously awarded the Kagera National Medal of Honor for fighting against the Idi AminIdi Amin
Idi Amin Dada was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military...
dictatorship in the 1970s.
External links
- Brief Summary of His Presidency
- Analysis of Uganda's Political and Military Turmoil in the 1970s and 1980s
See also
- Uganda since 1979Uganda since 1979The history of Uganda since 11 April 1979 comprises the history of Uganda since the end of the dictatorship of Idi Amin. This period has seen the second rule of Milton Obote and the presidency of Yoweri Museveni since 1986, in which Ugandan politics have been dominated by the National Resistance...
, part of the History of UgandaHistory of UgandaThe history of Uganda comprises the history of the territory of present-day Uganda in East Africa and the peoples inhabiting the region.-Early independent Uganda:...
series. - President of UgandaPresident of Uganda-List of Presidents of Uganda:-Affiliations:-See also:*Uganda*Vice President of Uganda*Prime Minister of Uganda*Politics of Uganda*History of Uganda*Political parties of Uganda...
- Politics of UgandaPolitics of UgandaUganda is a presidential republic, in which the President of Uganda is both head of state and head of government; there is a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly...
- Okello Oryem