Akena p'Ojok is a former influential
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...
n politician who held various government positions in the 1980s, including Minister of Power, Posts and Telecommunications. He was a prominent figure of
Uganda National Liberation Front/Army that helped remove
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 16 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. He ruled as a military dictator and is considered one of the most brutal despots in modern w ...
and was involved in the power struggles that followed.
P'Ojok, an ethnic
Acholi, was born in Pupwonya, a rural community near
Atiak
Atiak is a town in the Northern Region of Uganda on the Gulu-Nimule Road, the primary trade route between Uganda and South Sudan.
Location
Atiak is in Kilak County the Amuru District. It is approximately , by road, north of Gulu, the largest cit ...
trading centre in
Kilak County,
Amuru District
Amuru District is a district in Northern Uganda. Like most Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Amuru, where the district headquarters are located.
Location
Amuru District is bordered by Adjumani District to the north, South ...
.
During the rule of Idi Amin, p'Ojok fled to
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
...
, settling in
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...
, where he became the chief engineer of the Kenyan Electricity Utility company. Together with
Yonna Kanyomozi,
Ephraim Kamuntu,
Richard Kaijuka and other prominent Ugandans living in exile, p'Ojok founded the
Save Uganda Movement
The Save Uganda Movement (abbreviated SUM) was a militant Ugandan opposition group which fought against the Second Republic of Uganda, government of President of Uganda, President Idi Amin from 1973 to 1979. Described as "specialists in sabotage" ...
(SUM), one of the anti-Idi Amin organizations that subsequently united under the banner of
Uganda National Liberation Front
The Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF) was a political group formed by exiled Ugandans opposed to the rule of Idi Amin with an accompanying military wing, the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA). UNLA fought alongside Tanzanian forces in ...
(UNLF) with groups having a reciprocal aim who, together with
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
n armed forces, removed Idi Amin in 1979.
During the
Uganda-Tanzania War, p'Ojok was the Vice Chairman of the military coalition that composed to form the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA, the military faction of UNLF) and
Tanzania People's Defence Force
The Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF) ( sw, Jeshi la Ulinzi la Wananchi wa Tanzania) is the military force of the United Republic of Tanzania. It was established in September 1964, following a mutiny by the former colonial military force ...
, which resulted in Amin's overthrow. He later became the Vice President of UNLF, which ''de facto'' ruled Uganda immediately after Idi Amin. Akena p'Ojok was chosen to become the
President of Uganda
The president of the Republic of Uganda is the head of state and the head of government of Uganda. The president leads the executive branch of the government of Uganda and is the commander-in-chief of the Uganda People's Defence Force.
The ...
after
Yusuf Lule
Yusuf Kironde Lule (10 April 1912 – 21 January 1985) was a Ugandan professor and civil servant who served as the fourth president of Uganda between 13 April and 20 June 1979.
Early life
Yusuf Lule was born on 10 April 1912 in Kampala."Lule, ...
(who was President after Idi Amin) however, following
The Moshi Conference,
Godfrey Binaisa
Godfrey Lukongwa Binaisa QC (30 May 1920 – 5 August 2010) was a Ugandan lawyer who was Attorney General of Uganda from 1962 to 1968 and later served as the fifth president of Uganda from June 1979 to May 1980. At his death he was Uganda's onl ...
was instead appointed as President.
When political parties were being formed in preparation for the
1980 General Elections, p'Ojok vied for leadership of
Uganda Patriotic Movement
The Uganda Patriotic Movement is a defunct political party in Uganda. It was founded by Yoweri Museveni and participated in the December 1980 general elections, which were won by Milton Obote's Uganda People's Congress. The election results were ...
(UPM), but
Yoweri Museveni
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa (born 15 September 1944) is a Ugandan politician and retired senior military officer who has been the 9th and current President of Uganda since 26 January 1986. Museveni spearheaded rebellions with aid of then ...
was instead chosen for the post. Akena p'Ojok then joined
Uganda People's Congress
The Uganda People's Congress (UPC; sw, Congress ya Watu wa Uganda) is a political party in Uganda.
UPC was founded in 1960 by Milton Obote, who led the country to independence and later served two presidential terms under the party's banner ...
(UPC), and became
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
for
Gulu
Gulu is a city in the Northern Region of Uganda. It is the commercial and administrative centre of Gulu District.
The coordinates of the city of Gulu are 2°46'54.0"N 32°17'57.0"E. The distance from Gulu to Kampala, Uganda's capital and larg ...
West Constituency, having beaten his main competitor,
Anthony Ochaya of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
. Uganda People's Congress won the elections (which were largely believed to have been rigged). Akena p'Ojok became the Minister of Power Posts and Telecommunications, and later held various positions as
Cabinet Minister in the government of UPC's
Milton Obote
Apollo Milton Obote (28 December 1925 – 10 October 2005) was a Ugandan political leader who led Uganda to independence from British colonial rule in 1962. Following the nation's independence, he served as prime minister of Uganda from 1962 to ...
.
In 1985, Obote's government was deposed in a coup led by
Tito Okello
Tito Lutwa Okello (1914 – 3 June 1996) was a Ugandan military officer and politician. He was the eighth president of Uganda from 29 July 1985 until 26 January 1986.
Background
Tito Okello was born into an ethnic Acholi family in circa 1914 ...
and
Bazilio Olara-Okello
Bazilio Olara-Okello (1929 – 9 January 1990) was a Ugandan military officer and one of the commanders of the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) that together with the Tanzanian army organized the coup d'état that overthrew Idi Amin ...
. In 1986, in the aftermath of the chaos which followed the coup, Yoweri Museveni's
National Resistance Army
The National Resistance Army (NRA), the military wing of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), was a rebel army that waged a guerrilla war, commonly referred to as the Ugandan Bush War or Luwero War, against the government of Milton Obote, and l ...
, which had been fighting against Obote's government for six years, seized power. P'jok declined several personal offers from Museveni to join his government and in 1987 was arrested and charged with treason for allegedly amassing weapons to overthrow the government. There is no record of his being found guilty of the charges, but he was sent to prison. In 1990 he was released by presidential
pardon of Museveni, after which he left Uganda and settled in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.
In early 2005 a congregation of
Acholi elders approached p'Ojok and asked him to represent the Acholi in
Uganda People's Congress
The Uganda People's Congress (UPC; sw, Congress ya Watu wa Uganda) is a political party in Uganda.
UPC was founded in 1960 by Milton Obote, who led the country to independence and later served two presidential terms under the party's banner ...
, an offer which he declined.
Since the 1990s, p'Ojok has lived with his wife and children on the outskirts of
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
.
Notes
References
* Nyai, Dick. ''The Origins of the Uganda
Luwero
Luweero is a town in the Central Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Luweero District.
History
In 1982, in the Ugandan Civil War, Milton Obote's soldiers raided their village, from Kampala.
Loca ...
War''. Pdf Paper Submission
{{DEFAULTSORT:P'Ojok, Akena
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
People from Amuru District
Acholi people
Ugandan military personnel
Ugandan activists
Ugandan emigrants to the United Kingdom
Uganda National Liberation Front politicians
Uganda Patriotic Movement politicians
Uganda People's Congress politicians
Government ministers of Uganda
Members of the Parliament of Uganda
Recipients of Ugandan presidential pardons
Save Uganda Movement