Shaban Opolot
Shaban Opolot | |
|---|---|
| Uganda Army Chief of Staff | |
| In office 1964 – 23 February 1966 | |
| President | Mutesa II of Buganda |
| Succeeded by | Idi Amin |
| Chief of Defence Staff | |
| In office 23 February 1966 – ? | |
| High Commissioner to Ghana | |
| In office 1973–1975 | |
| President | Idi Amin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Shaban Opolot |
| Died | March 2005 (age 86) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | .svg.png){kind=small} British Empire Uganda |
| Branch/service | King's African Rifles Uganda Army (UA) |
Years of service | 1944–1960s |
| Rank | Brigadier |
Shaban Opolot (died March 2005) was an Ugandan military officer. He served as commander of the Uganda Army from 1964 to 1966.
Early life
Shaban Opolot was born in Namusi, a village in Nakaloke, Uganda. He could speak multiple languages, including Luganda.[1] He was a Muslim of Teso ethnicity.[2]
Military career
Opolot joined the King's African Rifles (KAR) in 1944[2][a] and was sent to Jinja for training. After graduating, he joined the 7th Battalion KAR in Nairobi and later deployed to Mauritius. In 1949, he was promoted to warrant officer and was later sent to England for further training.[1] On 15 July 1961, he was commissioned as a lieutenant.[3][b]
Following a mutiny in 1964, Opolot was appointed Uganda Army commander[1] and chief of staff. Opolot was supportive of Mutesa II of Buganda who served as Ugandan president at the time. In January and February 1966, Opolot ordered troop movements in support of Mutesa during the Mengo Crisis that pitted the president against Prime Minister Milton Obote. The commander's orders proved abortive as the army was mostly loyal to his deputy, Idi Amin, an ally of Obote.[6] On 23 February 1966, Obote made Opolot chief of defence staff, effectively removing him from control of the army.[7] He was later imprisoned by the Obote government.[8] By the end of his military career, he had risen to brigadier.[8]
Later life
Obote was overthrown during the 1971 Ugandan coup d'état. The new Ugandan President, Idi Amin, released Opolot from prison.[8] From 1973 to 1975 Opolot served as Uganda's high commissioner to Ghana. Upon his return to Uganda, he retired to the east of the country. After developing prostate cancer, Opolot died in March 2005[c] at the age of 86[1] in Mbale District.[12] He was buried the next day in Kireka Village, Nakaloke Sub-County, Mbale District.[11]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kato, Joshua (23 March 2012). "Shaban Opolot rejected plans to attack the Lubiri in 1966". New Vision. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- 1 2 Parsons 2003, p. 72.
- ↑ "No. 42461". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 September 1961. p. 6682.
- ↑ Parsons 2003, p. 72-73.
- ↑ Leopold 2021, p. 96.
- ↑ Kasozi 1994, p. 101.
- ↑ Kasozi 1994, p. 83.
- 1 2 3 Isaac Mufumba (15 April 2019). "The killings that turned Amin into a tyrant". Daily Monitor. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ↑ Etengu, Nathan (18 May 2005). "Emorimor asked to aid Opolot family". New Vision. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
- ↑ "News briefs". New Vision. 6 March 2005. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
- 1 2 "The Story of Brig Shaban Opolot Uganda's First Army Commander". The 6th of February: The Magazine of the National Resistance Army (NRA). Vol. 18. 2005. p. 25.
- ↑ Kalyegira, Timothy (6 March 2005). "Uganda: Brig. Opolot Remembered". monitor.co.ug. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
Works cited
- Kasozi, A. (1994). Social Origins of Violence in Uganda, 1964-1985. McGill-Queen's Press. ISBN 9780773564879.
- Leopold, Mark (2021). Idi Amin: The Story of Africa's Icon of Evil. New Haven & London: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-26088-5.
- Parsons, Timothy (2003). The 1964 Army Mutinies and the Making of Modern East Africa. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9780325070681.
Notes
- ↑ According to journalist Joshua Kato, Opolot joined the KAR in 1945.[1]
- ↑ The London Gazette is the official record of commissions from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Timothy Parsons[4] gives both August and July and Mark Leopold[5] just August.
- ↑ Sources differ on what date he died and was buried. New Vision gives both the 4[9] and 6 March for his death,[1] and gives the 6 March for his burial.[10] The magazine of the National Resistance Army writes that he was buried on 7 March.[11]