Who is Gen. Jeje Odongo? Flash Uganda Media looks at his biography, age, wife, family, tribe, Teso sub-region, relationship with Alisabera Atim, President Museveni, Mugisha Muntu, James Kazini, early life and education of the current Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uganda.
General Haji Abubaker Jeje Odongo is a politician and Ugandan senior military officer. He is the current cabinet minister for Foreign Affairs in the 11th Uganda Parliament.
Jeje Odongo is also the former Cabinet Minister of Internal Affairs having served in the 10th Ugandan Parliament.
Early Life and Education
He was born on July 9, 1951, in Amuria District, in the Teso sub-region, in Eastern Uganda.
Jeje Odongo was birthed by Alisabera Atim (mother) who died at the age of 115 years in January 2018. He has three sisters and one brother.
He went to Ngora High School for his secondary education. In 1979, he enlisted in the Ugandan military.
In May 2008, Jeje Odongo was awarded a Master of Arts in International Relations and Diplomacy by Nkumba University.
Career and Professional Work Experience
Jeje Odongo was one of the original twenty-seven fighters who, along with President Yoweri Museveni, invaded the Kabamba Military Barracks in February 1981 to launch the Ugandan Bush War, a guerrilla conflict that lasted from February 1981 until April 1986.
Soon after the initial NRA operation, Jeje Odongo was apprehended and detained at Luzira Maximum Security Prison.
In 1994, Jeje Odongo served as one of the ten army officers that represented the Ugandan armed forces in the Constituent Assembly, which created the 1995 Ugandan Constitution.
He was chosen in 1996 to take over as the Political Commissar for the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) from Colonel Sserwanga Lwanga.
Additionally, he ran for the Ugandan Parliament’s Amuria District seat. Shortly after entering parliament, he won and was named Minister of Defense.
In 1998, to succeed Major General Mugisha Muntu as Commander of the Army, he resigned from both his post in the cabinet and his membership in parliament. His successor, Major General James Kazini, took over as army commander in 2001.
He was appointed Minister without Portfolio in 2001, and he held that office until 2004. Jeje Odongo, who was now a Lieutenant General, was appointed Minister of State for the Environment in 2004.
On February 16, 2009, he was made a general and appointed minister of state for defence. He was replaced as Minister of Internal Affairs in the cabinet list that was made public on June 6, 2016, after serving in the position for seven years.
From 2016 to 2021, he served as Minister of Internal Affairs in the Cabinet of Uganda.
Achievements and Awards
He was one of ten top UPDF officers who served as the military’s representative in the 8th Ugandan Parliament between 2001 and 2006.
In recognition of his contribution to achieving Uganda Vision 2040 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), Gen Jeje Odongo was inducted and accredited by Public Opinions into 2020 Who is Who Book of Records of Uganda.
He was also awarded the Uganda Economic Development Mark of Excellence by Public Opinions on November 22, 2019, the same day H.E. Kaguta Museveni was named the Uganda Peace and Development Champion.
Controversies
He took part in the summit between the EU and the AU on February 18, 2022, in Brussels. During this summit, he was accused of being misogynistic when he failed to acknowledge Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission.
During a staged photo event, Jeje Odongo moved past Ursula Von and proceeded to first greet Charles Michel the EU Council president and French president Emmanuel Macron. This was until Macron intervened in the awkward situation.
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