Akena p'Ojok is a former influential

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It 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 ...

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 (, ; 30 May 192816 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 until Uganda–Tanzania War, his overthrow in 1979. He ruled as a Military dictatorship, ...

and was involved in the power struggles that followed.

Early life

P'Ojok, an ethnic

Acholi Acholi may refer to: * Acholi people, a Luo nation of Uganda, in the Northern part of the country. * Acholi language, a Nilotic language * Acholi Inn, a building in Gulu, Uganda * Acholi nationalism, a political ideology of Acholi people {{dab ...

, 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 Dis ...

Political life

During the rule of Idi Amin, p'Ojok fled to

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, settling in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

, 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 has been the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in the Cabinet of Uganda since 14 December 2019. Previously, he served as Minister of Water and Environment from Aug ...

, 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), an anti-Idi Amin militant organization 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 military dictator Idi Amin. The UNLF had an accompanying military wing, the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA). UNLA fought alo ...

(UNLF) with groups having a similar aim who, together with

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

n armed forces, removed Idi Amin in 1979. During the Uganda-Tanzania War, p'Ojok was the Vice Chairman of the military coalition that was 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) () 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, the Tanganyika Rifles. From its inception, ...

, 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 (government title), president leads the Executive (government), executive branch of the government of Uganda and is the commander- ...

after

Yusuf Lule Yusuf Kironde Lule (10 April 1912 – 21 January 1985) was a Ugandan professor and politician who served as the fourth president of Uganda between 13 April and 20 June 1979. Early life and career Yusuf Lule was born on 10 April 1912 in Kampala ...

(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 and politician who served as the fifth president of Uganda from June 1979 to May 1980. Earlier, he was Attorney General of Uganda from 1962 to 1968. At the time o ...

was appointed President instead. 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 (UPM) is a defunct socialist political party in Uganda. It was founded by Yoweri Museveni and was a left-wing splinter group from the Uganda People's Congress (UPC). The UPM participated in the December 1980 general ...

(UPM), but

Yoweri Museveni Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa (born 15 September 1944) is a Ugandan politician and Officer (armed forces), military officer who is the ninth and current president of Uganda since 1986. As of 2025, he is the third-List of current state lead ...

was instead chosen for the post. Akena p'Ojok then joined

Uganda People's Congress The Uganda People's Congress (UPC; ) is a political party in Uganda. UPC was founded in 1960 by Milton Obote, who led the country to independence alongside UPC member of parliament A.G. Mehta. Obote later served two presidential terms un ...

(UPC), and became Member of Parliament 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 city's distance from Kampala, Uganda's capital and large ...

West Constituency, having beaten his main competitor, Anthony Ochaya of the Democratic Party. 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', ' p ...

in the government of UPC's

Milton Obote Apollo Milton Obote (28 December 1925 – 10 October 2005) was a Ugandan politician who served as the second prime minister of Uganda from 1962 to 1966 and the second president of Uganda from 1966 to 1971 and later from 1980 to 1985. A Lango, ...

. In 1985, Obote's government was deposed in a coup led by

Tito Okello Tito Lutwa Okello (15 October 1914 – 3 June 1996) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the eighth president of Uganda from 29 July 1985 until 26 January 1986. Background Tito Okello was born into an ethnic Acholi fami ...

and Bazilio Olara-Okello. In 1986, in the aftermath of the chaos which followed the coup, Yoweri Museveni's

National Resistance Army The National Resistance Army (NRA) was a guerilla army and the military wing of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) that fought in the Ugandan Bush War against the government of Milton Obote, and later the government of Tito Okello. NRA wa ...

, 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 j ...

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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. In early 2005 a congregation of

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 city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

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. Lo ...

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 University of Nairobi alumni