Samuel Ngude Odaka (1929 – 4 August 2015) was a

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 ...

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and member of the

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 ...

political party. He served as the Foreign Minister of Uganda from 1964 to 1971 during the first tenure of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

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 ...

. He later became the Minister of Planning and Economic Development during the second Obote administration (1980–1985). A member of the Samia people, Odaka was born in 1929. Odaka, who was from the

Busia District Busia District is a district in the Eastern region of Uganda. Location Busia District borders Tororo District to the north, Busia County, Kenya to the east, amyingoto the south, and to the south-west, and Bugiri District to the west. Busia, Ug ...

of eastern Uganda, married Margaret Namwanje Kavuma Odaka, a member of the

Baganda The Ganda people, or Baganda (endonym: ''Baganda''; singular ''Muganda''), are a Bantu ethnic group native to Buganda, a subnational kingdom within Uganda. Traditionally composed of 52 clans (although since a 1993 survey, only 46 are official ...

ethnic group. Odaka left a career at

Esso Esso () is a trading name for ExxonMobil. Originally, the name was primarily used by its predecessor Standard Oil of New Jersey after the breakup of the original Standard Oil company in 1911. The company adopted the name "Esso" (the phonetic p ...

, the oil company, to enter politics. Odaka served as the Foreign Minister of Uganda from 1964 to 1971 under the first tenure of President Milton Obote. Odaka had previously represented Uganda at the 1963 negotiations in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

which established the

Organisation of African Unity The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; french: Organisation de l'unité africaine, OUA) was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's ...

(OAU), now called the

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...

. A member of Obote's

(UPC), Odaka, who was seen as a more liberal politician than Obote, was also a negotiator for Obote's regime. Sam Odaka was credited with aiding Uganda's first President, Edward Mutesa, who was forced from office by Obote in 1966. Mutesa, also known as

Mutesa II of Buganda Sir Edward Frederick William David Walugembe Mutebi Luwangula Mutesa II (modern spelling: Muteesa) (19 November 1924 – 21 November 1969) was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda in Uganda from 22 November 1939 until his death. He was the thirty- ...

, went into exile 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 ...

. Odaka, in a compromise, offered to send Kabaka's assets to him in the United Kingdom, with the stipulation that Kabaka recognize the new Obote regime. Miriam Eshkol dancing with Idi Amin 1966-06-13

Miriam Eshkol dancing with Idi Amin 1966-06-13

President Obote and the Uganda People's Congress (UPC) announced their intention to "

Move to the Left The Move to the Left was a policy direction undertaken in Uganda, most notably under President Milton Obote in the period 1968–1971. Despite nominally being a move towards socialism, it also had strong nationalist overtones. Beginnings Acco ...

" during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The announcement, issued in the

Common Man's Charter The Common Man's Charter was a document submitted to the Ugandan People's Congress by Ugandan President Milton Obote, forming a part of the country's so-called "Move to the Left". In it, Obote asserted several key principles of his vision for Ugand ...

, alarms business interests in Uganda, which feared a socialist-leaning economic policies. Foreign Minister Odaka was tasked by Obote's government with the leading the public relations to support the Move to the Left. However, the Move to the Left was fully implemented. President Milton Obote was overthrown by

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 ...

in the

1971 Ugandan coup d'état The 1971 Ugandan coup d'état was a military coup d'état executed by the Ugandan military, led by general Idi Amin, against the government of President Milton Obote on 25 January 1971. The seizure of power took place while Obote was abroad attend ...

on 25 January 1971, ending the first Obote regime and the "Move to the Left" policies. Sam Odaka fled into exile following the coup. Milton Obote regained power in 1980 following the 1980 general election, beginning the Obote II administration. Sam Odaka became Uganda's Minister of Planning and Economic Development during Obote's second tenure (1980–1985). Sam Odaka died from kidney failure at

International Hospital Kampala International Hospital Kampala (IHK) is a 100-bed private hospital in Kampala, Uganda and is part of the International Medical Group, the largest private healthcare group in Uganda. Location The hospital is located in Namuwongo , Makindye Divi ...

on 4 August 2015, at the age of 83. He was survived by his wife, Margaret Namwanje Kavuma Odaka, four daughters, and five grandchildren. A vigil was held at his home in the

Mbuya Mbuya is a hill in southeastern Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. The hill rises above sea level. The name also applies to the upscale residential neighborhood that sits on that hill, as well as the government military installations located ...

neighborhood of

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

. Odaka's funeral was held at Kampala's All Saints Cathedral. He was buried in

on 8 August 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Odaka, Sam 1929 births 2015 deaths Foreign Ministers of Uganda Ugandan exiles Uganda People's Congress politicians People from Busia District, Uganda People from Kampala