Akena p'Ojok is a former influential

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

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 Districts of Uganda, district in Northern Region, Uganda, Northern Uganda. Like most Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Amuru, Uganda, Amuru, where the district headquarters are located. Location Amuru Dist ...

. 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 ha ...

, where he became the chief engineer of the Kenyan Electricity Utility company. Together with Yonna Kanyomozi,

Ephraim Kamuntu Ephraim Kamuntu is a Ugandan management scientist and politician. He is the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in the Cabinet of Uganda. He was appointed to that position on 14 December 2019. Previously he served as Minister of Wate ...

, 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 and ...

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 in ...

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 of ...

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 large ...

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 A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime 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 Officer (armed forces), military officer and one of the commanders of the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) that together with the Tanzania People's Defence Force, Tanzanian a ...

. 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 A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...

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 continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. In early 2005 a congregation of Acholi elders approached p'Ojok and asked him to represent the Acholi in

, 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 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

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