General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Elly Tumwine (12 April 1954–25 August 2022), was a Ugandan

military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

, professional artist, and educator. He was the former Security Minister in the

Cabinet of Uganda There are 32 Cabinet ministers and 50 Ministers of State in the Cabinet of Uganda (2021 to 2026). According to Section 111 of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda, as amended in 2005, "There shall be a Cabinet which shall consist of the President, t ...

, from March 2018 until 2021. He retired from active military service in July 2022. He served as commander of the

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 ...

from 1984 to 1987. He was one of the highest-ranking members of the Ugandan military who recently called on police to shoot at protester. . He also ordered the military to kidnap, illegally incarcerate and send opposition members to be tried in military courts based on trumped up charges, which resulted in

Bobi Wine Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, known by his stage name Bobi Wine, is a Ugandan politician, singer, and actor. He is a former Member of Parliament for Kyadondo County East constituency in Wakiso District, in Uganda's Central Region. He also leads ...

supporters suing for Human Rights violations. This led the United States of America to sanction the Ugandan generals over human rights abuses. He was a member of the Ugandan Parliament, representing the

Uganda People's Defence Force The Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF), previously known as the National Resistance Army, is the armed forces of Uganda. From 2007 to 2011, the International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated the UPDF had a total strength of 40,000–4 ...

(UPDF).

Early life and education

Elly Tumwine was born on 12 April 1954, in Burunga, Mbarara District. He attended Burunga Primary School,

Mbarara High School Mbarara High School (MHS), is a boys-only boarding middle and high school located in the city of Mbarara, in Mbarara District in Western Uganda. Location The school is located in the Western Ugandan city of Mbarara, approximately , by road, sou ...

and St. Henry's College Kitovu, before joining

Makerere University Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of ni ...

, where in 1977, he graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art together with the Diploma in Education; abbreviated: BA (FA)/Dip. Ed. He specialised in the history of art painting. He subsequently graduated from the Cadet Officers Course at the

Tanzania Military Academy The Tanzania Military Academy (TMA) is a military training academy located in Monduli in northern Tanzania. It is regarded as a prestigious training institution and has trained officers from a number of countries across the region. History The ...

at Monduli. He also attended the Senior Command Course at the

Uganda Senior Command and Staff College The Uganda Senior Command and Staff College (USCSC) is a training facility for senior commanders in the Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF), including the army, air force, and special forces. Location The facility is located in Kimaka, a subu ...

at Kimaka, in Jinja, Uganda, being a member of the pioneer class that graduated in 2005. Tumwine also holds further military qualifications from the military academy in Vystry, in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

Military career

In 1978, he interrupted his teaching career to join the FRONASA forces led by

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 ...

to fight the

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 ...

regime. In 1981, when Museveni went to the bush to form the

(NRA), Elly Tumwine went with him. He is reported to have fired the first shot in the National Resistance Army War, which propelled the

and

National Resistance Movement The National Resistance Movement ( sw, Harakati za Upinzani za Kitaifa; abbr. NRM) has been the ruling party in Uganda since 1986. History The National Resistance Movement (NRM) was founded as a liberation movement that waged a guerrilla ...

into power in

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 ...

in 1986. During the fighting between the NRA and the

UNLA 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 ...

, Tumwine sustained facial injuries that led to loss of sight in one eye. In 1984, Tumwine was named Commander of the Army, a post he held until 1987, when he was succeeded by General Salim Saleh. Over the years, he served in various positions, including: *Minister of State for Defence in 1989. *Director General of the External Security Organization (ESO) from 1994 until 1996. *Presidential Adviser from 1996 until 1998 *Chairman of the High Command Appeals Committee from 1986 until 1999. He was also continuously represented the UPDF in the Ugandan Parliament since 1986. In September 2005, he was promoted to the rank of general in the UPDF and named to chair the UPDF General Court Marshal. On Monday 16 May 2022, Tumwiine was among 34 generals who were retired from the UPDF.

Human Rights

Elly Tumwine has regularly been connected to violence against Ugandans. After Bobi Wine was arrested on 18 November 2020 in Luuka, protests broke out which were met with excessive violence.

Art

Immediately after graduating from Makerere University in 1977, Elly Tumwine embarked on a teaching career in various schools in

, teaching fine art. After the

victory in 1986, he resumed his art. While serving as the commander of the NRA, he designed the

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

, the

emblem An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and '' symbol'' are often use ...

and the green and

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

uniforms of the army. He was appointed the chairman of the board of trustees of the National Cultural Centre. In 1992, he launched his company, The Creations Limited, to promote the arts and crafts industry, encouraging artistic values and creativity. The company is a member of several Ugandan organisations, including: * Uganda Manufacturers Association * Uganda Small Scale Industries Association * Uganda Leather Allied Industries Association

Death

Tumwine collapsed at a wedding and was admitted to

Nakasero Hospital Nakasero Hospital Limited, commonly referred to as Nakasero Hospital, is a private, for-profit hospital in Kampala, the capital of Uganda and the largest city in that country. The hospital is one of five private upscale hospitals in the city; ...

in Kampala, sometime in July 2022. When his condition deteriorated, he was flown to the

Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) in Nairobi, established in 1958 is a 254-bed long-term care facility offering general medical services, specialist clinics and diagnostic services. The hospital receives referrals for specialised medical ...

. He died there on 25 August 2022. He was 68 years old.

References

External links

About Elly Tumwine the Artist

Profile at Uganda Parliament Website

Photos of Elly Tumwine At Google.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tumwine, Elly 1954 births 2022 deaths People from Mbarara District Members of the Parliament of Uganda Ugandan generals Ugandan artists Ugandan educators Makerere University alumni Tanzania Military Academy alumni Uganda Senior Command and Staff College alumni Ugandan military personnel People educated at Mbarara High School 21st-century Ugandan politicians