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{{Short description|President of Uganda from 1985 to 1986}}
{{inuse}}
{{about|the military officer and politician Tito Okello|the footballer|Tito Okello (footballer)}}
{{Infobox president
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
|name = Tito Lutwa Okello
{{Infobox officeholder
|image = Tito-okello-lutwa.jpg
| name = Tito Lutwa Okello
|imagesize =
|order = [[President of Uganda]]
| honorific-prefix = [[General]]
| image = Tito-okello-lutwa.jpg
|primeminister =
| imagesize =
|vicepresident =
| order = 8th
|term_start = 29 July 1985
|term_end = 26 January 1986
| office = President of Uganda
| primeminister =
|predecessor = [[Bazilio Olara-Okello]]
| vicepresident =
|successor = [[Yoweri Museveni]]
| term_start = 29 July 1985
|birth_date = 1914
| term_end = 26 January 1986
|birth_place = [[Kitgum District]], [[Uganda Protectorate|Uganda]]
| predecessor = [[Bazilio Olara-Okello]]
|death_date = {{dda|1996|6|3|1914|7|1|df=y}}
|death_place = [[Kampala]], [[Uganda]]
| successor = [[Yoweri Museveni]]
|party =
| birth_name = Tito Lutwa Okello
|spouse =
| birth_date = 1914
| birth_place = [[Kitgum District]], [[Uganda Protectorate|Uganda]]
|religion =
| death_date = {{death date and age|1996|6|3|1914|7|1|df=y}}
<!--Military service-->
| death_place = [[Kampala]], [[Uganda]]
|nickname =
| party =
|allegiance = {{UK}}<br>{{flag|Uganda}}
| spouse =
|branch = [[British Army]]<br>[[Uganda Army]]<br>[[Uganda National Liberation Army]] (UNLA)
| religion =
|serviceyears = 1940 - 1962 (UK)<br>1962 - 1971 (Uganda Army)<br>1979 - 1986 (UNLA)
|rank = [[General]]
| nickname =
|unit = [[King's African Rifles]]
| allegiance = {{flag| British Empire}}<br />{{flag|Uganda}}
| branch = [[British Army]]<br />[[Uganda Army (1962–1971)|Uganda Army]]<br />[[Uganda National Liberation Army]] (UNLA)
|commands =
| serviceyears = 1940–1962 ([[British Empire]])<br />1962–1971 ([[Uganda Army (1962–1971)|Uganda Army]])<br />1979–1986 (UNLA)
|battles = [[East African Campaign (World War II)|East African Campaign]]
|awards =
| rank = [[General]]
| unit = [[King's African Rifles]]<br />[[Uganda Army (1962–1971)|Uganda Army]]<br />[[Uganda National Liberation Army]]
| commands =
| battles = {{tree list}}
* [[Second World War]]
** [[East African Campaign (World War II)|East African Campaign]]
* [[1972 invasion of Uganda]]
* [[Uganda–Tanzania War]]
* [[Ugandan Bush War]]
{{tree list/end}}
| awards =
}}
}}


[[General]] '''Tito Lutwa Okello''' (1914–1996), was a [[Ugandan]] [[military officer]] and [[politician]]. He was the [[President of Uganda]] from 29 July 1985 until 26 January 1986.<ref name="President">{{cite web|first=.|accessdate=16 February 2015|
'''Tito Lutwa Okello''' (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.<ref name="President">{{cite web |access-date=16 February 2015|url=http://www.statehouse.go.ug/past-presidents/president-tito-okello-lutwa-general|title=President Tito Okello Lutwa (General)|publisher=Uganda State House|website=Statehouse.go.ug}}</ref>
url=http://www.statehouse.go.ug/past-presidents/president-tito-okello-lutwa-general|title=President Tito Okello Lutwa (General)|
last=Uganda State House|publisher=Statehouse.go.ug}}</ref>


==Background==
==Background==
Tito Okello was born into an ethnic [[Acholi people|Acholi]] family in circa 1914 in Namukora,<ref>{{Cite web |title=President Tito Okello Lutwa (General) |url=https://statehouse.go.ug/the-state-house/past-presidents/president-tito-okello-lutwa-general/ |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=State House Uganda |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Kitgum District]].<ref name="Toes">{{cite web|url=http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/628581-tito-okello--the-president-who-was-kept-on-his-toes.html|title=Tito Okello: The President Who Was Kept On His Toes|access-date=16 February 2015|date=25 January 2012|last=Titus Kakembo|first=and Joel Ogwang|newspaper=[[New Vision]] (Kampala)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216223129/http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/628581-tito-okello--the-president-who-was-kept-on-his-toes.html|archive-date=16 February 2015}}</ref>
Tito Okello was born into an ethnic [[Acholi]] family in circa 1914 in ''Nam Okora'', [[Kitgum District]].<ref name="Toes">{{cite web|
url=http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/628581-tito-okello--the-president-who-was-kept-on-his-toes.html|title=Tito Okello: The President Who Was Kept On His Toes|accessdate=16 February 2015| date=25 January 2012|last=Titus Kakembo|first=and Joel Ogwang|
newspaper=[[New Vision]] (Kampala)}}</ref>


He joined the [[King's African Rifles]] in 1940 and served in the [[East African Campaign (World War II)|East African Campaign of World War II]]. As a career military officer, he had a variety of assignments.
He joined the [[King's African Rifles]] in 1940 and served in the [[East African Campaign (World War II)|East African Campaign of World War II]]. As a career military officer, he had a variety of assignments.


As a follower of President [[Milton Obote]], Okello went into exile following the [[1971 Ugandan coup d'état|1971 coup d'état]] that resulted in [[Idi Amin]] becoming Uganda's new ruler. In 1972, [[1972 invasion of Uganda|rebels invaded Uganda]] to restore Obote. Okello was one of the leaders of an insurgent group which targeted [[Masaka]]. The invasion was defeated by loyalist [[Uganda Army (1971–1980)|Uganda Army]] troops.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/magazines/people-power/obote-museveni-blame-each-other-for-failed-1972-invasion-of-uganda-1847674 | title = Obote, Museveni blame each other for failed 1972 invasion of Uganda | date = 14 September 2019 | author = | website = Daily Monitor | access-date = 24 April 2021 }}</ref>
Okello was one of the commanders in the coalition between the [[Tanzania People's Defence Force]] and the [[Uganda National Liberation Army]], who removed [[Idi Amin]] from power in 1979. He was selected to be the Commander of the [[UNLA|Ugandan National Liberation Army]] from 1980 to 1985.<ref name="President"/>

Okello took part in the [[Uganda–Tanzania War]]. He was one of the commanders in the coalition between the [[Tanzania People's Defence Force]] and the [[Uganda National Liberation Army]] (UNLA) that removed Amin from power in 1979. In 1980, Obote was restored to presidency. Okello was selected to be the Commander of the UNLA from 1980 to 1985.<ref name="President"/>


==Coup d'état==
==Coup d'état==
{{Main|1985 Ugandan coup d'état}}
In July 1985, together with [[Bazilio Olara-Okello]], Tito Lutwa Okello staged the [[coup d'état]] that ousted president [[Milton Obote]]. He ruled as president for six months until he was overthrown by the [[National Resistance Army]] (NRA) operating under the leadership of the current president, [[Yoweri Museveni]]. He went into exile in [[Kenya]] after he was ousted.<ref name="Toes"/>
In July 1985, together with [[Bazilio Olara-Okello]], Tito Lutwa Okello staged the [[coup d'état]] that toppled President Obote. Okello ruled as president for six months until he had to transfer power to the [[National Resistance Army]] (NRA) operating under the leadership of the current president, [[Yoweri Museveni]]. He went into exile in [[Kenya]] after his tenure was forcefully terminated by Museveni.<ref name="Toes"/>


==Extended family==
==Extended family==
Tito Okello's son [[Henry Oryem Okello]] is the current State Minister for Foreign Affairs responsible for International Affairs.<ref name="President"/><ref name="Toes"/> In 2002, Tito Okello's younger brother, [[Erisanweri Opira]], was abducted from his home in [[Kitgum District]] by the rebel group, the [[Lord's Resistance Army]] (LRA). His abduction was considered unusual as the LRA usually kidnapped teenagers and young people to use as prospective soldiers or sex slaves. Opira was in his late seventies when he was abducted.<ref name="Rebels">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2149675.stm|date=24 July 2002|access-date=16 February 2015|first=Will|last=Ross|title=Uganda Rebels Grab Ex-President's Brother|publisher=[[BBC|BBC News]] (London)}}</ref>
Tito Okello's son [[Henry Oryem Okello]] is the current State Minister for Foreign Affairs responsible for International Affairs.

In 2002 the former president's younger brother, [[Erisanweri Opira]], was abducted from his home in [[Kitgum|Kitgum District]] by the rebel group, the [[Lord's Resistance Army]] (LRA). His abduction was considered unusual as the LRA usually kidnapped teenagers and young people to use as prospective soldiers or sex slaves. Opira was aged in his late seventies when he was abducted.<ref>"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2149675.stm Uganda Rebels Grab Ex-president's Brother"], ''BBC'', 24 July 2002</ref>


==Final years==
==Final years==
Okello remained in exile until 1993, when he was granted amnesty by President Museveni and returned to Kampala.<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news |author=[[Associated Press]] |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |date=1996-06-10 |url=http://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/10/world/gen-tito-okello-ex-ugandan-leader-82.html |accessdate=2012-09-12 |title=Gen. Tito Okello, Ex-Ugandan Leader, 82}}</ref> He died three years later, of an undisclosed illness, on 3 June 1996.<ref name="NYTimes"/> He was 82 years old at the time of his death.<ref name="NYTimes"/> His remains were buried at his ancestral home in Kitgum District.
Okello remained in exile until 1993, when he was granted amnesty by President Museveni and returned to Kampala. He died three years later, of an undisclosed illness, on 3 June 1996. He was almost 82 years old at the time of his death. He was buried at his ancestral home in Kitgum District.<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite web|
url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/10/world/gen-tito-okello-ex-ugandan-leader-82.html|title=General Tito Okello, Ex-Ugandan Leader, 82|date=10 June 1996|access-date=16 February 2015 |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] }}</ref>


==Legacy and honours==
==Legacy and honours==
*In January 2010, Okello was posthumously awarded the Kagera National Medal of Honor for fighting against the [[Idi Amin]] dictatorship in the 1970s.<ref>[http://allafrica.com/stories/201001270014.html "General Okello Receives the Kagera Medal Posthumously"], All Africa, 27 January 2010</ref>
In January 2010, Okello was posthumously awarded the Kagera National Medal of Honour for fighting against the [[Idi Amin]] dictatorship in the 1970s.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=16 February 2015|url=http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/708184|date=26 January 2010|title=Museveni, Janet, Moi Get National Medals|first=and Daniel Edyegu|last=Milton Olupot|newspaper=[[New Vision]] (Kampala)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130112540/http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/708184|archive-date=30 January 2010}}</ref>


==External links==
* [http://www.myuganda.co.ug/govt/titoOkello.php Brief Summary of His Presidency]
* [http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-14155.html Analysis of Uganda's Political and Military Turmoil in the 1970s and 1980s]
==See also==
==See also==
*[[Uganda since 1979]], part of the [[History of Uganda]] series.
*[[Uganda since 1979]], part of the [[History of Uganda]] series.
Line 66: Line 71:
*[[Okello Oryem]]
*[[Okello Oryem]]


==References==
==Succession table as President of Uganda==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-14155.html Analysis of Uganda's Political and Military Turmoil in the 1970s and 80s]

{{start box}}
{{start box}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box|title=[[President of Uganda]]|before=[[Bazilio Olara-Okello]]|after=[[Yoweri Museveni]]|years=29 July 1985 - 26 January 1986}}
{{succession box|title=[[President of Uganda]]|before=[[Bazilio Olara-Okello]]|after=[[Yoweri Museveni]]|years=29 July 1985 – 26 January 1986}}
{{end box}}
{{end box}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{UgandaPresidents}}
{{UgandaPresidents}}
{{Uganda topics}}
{{Uganda topics}}
{{Authority control}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Okello, Tito
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = President of Uganda
| DATE OF BIRTH = 1914
| PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Kitgum District]], [[Uganda Protectorate]]
| DATE OF DEATH = 3 June 1996
| PLACE OF DEATH = [[Kampala]], [[Uganda]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okello, Tito}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okello, Tito}}
[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:1996 deaths]]
[[Category:1996 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Kitgum District]]
[[Category:Acholi people]]
[[Category:Acholi people]]
[[Category:Presidents of Uganda]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:British colonial army soldiers]]
[[Category:King's African Rifles officers]]
[[Category:Leaders who took power by coup]]
[[Category:Leaders who took power by coup]]
[[Category:Military personnel of the Uganda–Tanzania War]]
[[Category:People from Kitgum District]]
[[Category:Presidents of Uganda]]
[[Category:Ugandan exiles]]
[[Category:Ugandan generals]]
[[Category:People of the Ugandan Bush War]]

Latest revision as of 18:26, 31 December 2024

This article is about the military officer and politician Tito Okello. For the footballer, see Tito Okello (footballer).

General
Tito Lutwa Okello
8th President of Uganda
In office
29 July 1985 – 26 January 1986
Preceded byBazilio Olara-Okello
Succeeded byYoweri Museveni
Personal details
Born
Tito Lutwa Okello

1914
Kitgum District, Uganda
Died3 June 1996(1996-06-03) (aged 81)
Kampala, Uganda
Military service
Allegiance British Empire
 Uganda
Branch/serviceBritish Army
Uganda Army
Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA)
Years of service1940–1962 (British Empire)
1962–1971 (Uganda Army)
1979–1986 (UNLA)
RankGeneral
UnitKing's African Rifles
Uganda Army
Uganda National Liberation Army
Battles/wars

Tito Lutwa Okello (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.[1]

Background

[edit]

Tito Okello was born into an ethnic Acholi family in circa 1914 in Namukora,[2] Kitgum District.[3]

He joined the King's African Rifles in 1940 and served in the East African Campaign of World War II. As a career military officer, he had a variety of assignments.

As a follower of President Milton Obote, Okello went into exile following the 1971 coup d'état that resulted in Idi Amin becoming Uganda's new ruler. In 1972, rebels invaded Uganda to restore Obote. Okello was one of the leaders of an insurgent group which targeted Masaka. The invasion was defeated by loyalist Uganda Army troops.[4]

Okello took part in the Uganda–Tanzania War. He was one of the commanders in the coalition between the Tanzania People's Defence Force and the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) that removed Amin from power in 1979. In 1980, Obote was restored to presidency. Okello was selected to be the Commander of the UNLA from 1980 to 1985.[1]

Coup d'état

[edit]
Main article: 1985 Ugandan coup d'état

In July 1985, together with Bazilio Olara-Okello, Tito Lutwa Okello staged the coup d'état that toppled President Obote. Okello ruled as president for six months until he had to transfer power to the National Resistance Army (NRA) operating under the leadership of the current president, Yoweri Museveni. He went into exile in Kenya after his tenure was forcefully terminated by Museveni.[3]

Extended family

[edit]

Tito Okello's son Henry Oryem Okello is the current State Minister for Foreign Affairs responsible for International Affairs.[1][3] In 2002, Tito Okello's younger brother, Erisanweri Opira, was abducted from his home in Kitgum District by the rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). His abduction was considered unusual as the LRA usually kidnapped teenagers and young people to use as prospective soldiers or sex slaves. Opira was in his late seventies when he was abducted.[5]

Final years

[edit]

Okello remained in exile until 1993, when he was granted amnesty by President Museveni and returned to Kampala. He died three years later, of an undisclosed illness, on 3 June 1996. He was almost 82 years old at the time of his death. He was buried at his ancestral home in Kitgum District.[6]

Legacy and honours

[edit]

In January 2010, Okello was posthumously awarded the Kagera National Medal of Honour for fighting against the Idi Amin dictatorship in the 1970s.[7]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "President Tito Okello Lutwa (General)". Statehouse.go.ug. Uganda State House. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  2. ^ "President Tito Okello Lutwa (General)". State House Uganda. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Titus Kakembo, and Joel Ogwang (25 January 2012). "Tito Okello: The President Who Was Kept On His Toes". New Vision (Kampala). Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  4. ^ "Obote, Museveni blame each other for failed 1972 invasion of Uganda". Daily Monitor. 14 September 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  5. ^ Ross, Will (24 July 2002). "Uganda Rebels Grab Ex-President's Brother". BBC News (London). Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  6. ^ "General Tito Okello, Ex-Ugandan Leader, 82". New York Times. Associated Press. 10 June 1996. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  7. ^ Milton Olupot, and Daniel Edyegu (26 January 2010). "Museveni, Janet, Moi Get National Medals". New Vision (Kampala). Archived from the original on 30 January 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
[edit]
Political offices
Preceded by President of Uganda
29 July 1985 – 26 January 1986 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Tito_Okello&oldid=1266456876"