Shaban Opolot
Shaban Opolot (1924 – 6 March 2005) was a Ugandan military officer. He served as Uganda Army Commander from 1964 to 1966.
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 | 1924 Namusi Nakaloke, Uganda Protectorate |
| Died | 6 March 2005 (aged 80–81) Mbale District, Uganda |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | British Empire Uganda |
| Branch/service | King's African Rifles Uganda Army (UA) |
| Years of service | 1945–1960s |
| Rank | Brigadier |
Early life
Shaban Opolot was born in 1924[1] in Namusi Nakaloke, Uganda. He could speak multiple languages, including Luganda.[2] He was a Muslim of Teso ethnicity.[3]
Military career
In 1945 Opolot enlisted in the King's African Rifles in Mbale. He was assigned to the Infantry Training Centre in Jinja for training. Upon its completion, he was posted to the 7th Battalion in Nairobi. The unit saw service in Mauritius. In 1949, Opolot was promoted to the rank of warrant officer. Three years later he went to the United Kingdom for further military training.[2]
Following a mutiny in 1964, Opolot was appointed Uganda Army Commander[2] 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.[4] On 23 February 1966, Obote made Opolot Chief of Defence Staff, effectively removing him from control of the army.[5] He was later imprisoned by the Obote government.[6] By the end of his military career, he had risen to brigadier.[6]
Later life
Obote was overthrown during the 1971 Ugandan coup d'état. The new Ugandan President, Idi Amin, released Opolot from prison.[6] 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. Opolot died on 6 March 2005 at the age of 86 after a long battle with prostate cancer[2] in Mbale District.[7] He was buried the next day in Kireka Village, Nakaloke Sub-County, Mbale District.[1]
References
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ a b c d Kato, Joshua (23 March 2012). "Shaban Opolot rejected plans to attack the Lubiri in 1966". New Vision. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ Parsons, Timothy (2003). The 1964 Army Mutinies and the Making of Modern East Africa. ISBN 9780325070681.
- ^ Kasozi 1994, p. 101.
- ^ Kasozi 1994, p. 83.
- ^ a b c Isaac Mufumba (15 April 2019). "The killings that turned Amin into a tyrant". Daily Monitor. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ 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.