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Gen. Oketta was a brave fighter – Museveni

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President Yoweri Museveni who is also the commander of armed forces has described the late Maj. Gen. Julius Oketta as having been a brave fighter.

Speaking to mourners at the deceased’s home in Kungu, Wakiso district, the president said Oketta was among the UNLA fighters he persuaded to join the National Resistance Army (NRA).

“His battalion fought bravely at Corner Kilak and subdued that confused woman Alice Lakwena. Oketta was a very brave fighter,” he said.

Adding “I also commend Oketta for his role in fighting the Ebola epidemic in Uganda & West Africa. Government will take care of the widow and children”.

After joining NRA in 1985, he was appointed Second in Command of 25 Battalion from 1986 – 1987. The late was appointed the Commanding Officer of 23rd Battalion and later 31st Battalion in the same year.

He was then elevated to serve as a Brigade Operations and Training Officer of 151st  before taking up a higher command position as brigade Commander of 310 Brigade in 1989.

A year after, he was again elevated to a senior command position of a Division Commander of 6th Division in Eastern Uganda.

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In 2001, the Late Gen. Oketta served as the Acting Chief of Logistics and Engineering of the UPDF before he was transferred to be the Head of Procurement of the Ministry of Defence and UPDF in 2003.

In 2006, Gen. Oketta was elected a Member of Parliament Representing the UPDF where he served for ten years. Gen. Oketta was also attached to the Office of the Prime Minister in 2007 where he held an appointment of the Director of National Emergency Coordination and Operations.

In 2013, the Secretary General of the United Nations endorsed Maj. Gen. Oketta to join the advisory group of the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

In 2014, Gen. Oketta worked with the Africa Union Support to Ebola Outbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA) and in 2016 he was appointed the Deputy Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation.
Oketta died Saturday morning at Kadic Hospital, Kampala from a cardiac arrest. He was 60.

President Museveni also revealed that they (army) are discussing health checks because of late, the force is losing many of its senior leaders due to heart related diseases.

 

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“Internally in the army we’ve to discuss health checks because you remember we had a similar problem of Aronda, Karuhanga, Bamuze & Kategaya,” Museveni added about losing his soldiers to heart related diseases.

Gen. Oketta will be laid to rest tomorrow in Amuru district, seven kilometers out of Gulu town on Gulu-Nimule-Juba road.

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