Who is Andrew Gutti? Flash Uganda Media looks at his biography, age, wife, family, tribe, and relationship with Brig Gen Robert Freeman Mugabe, Maj. Gen. Levy Karuhanga, early life and education of the former chairman of the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) General Court Martial.
Andrew Gutti is a Ugandan military officer holding the rank of Lieutenant General.
He is also the former chairman of the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) general Court Martial where he served till June 2022 when he handed over office to Brigadier General Robert Freeman Mugabe.
Early Life and Education
Lieutenant General Andrew Gutti was born in Moroto District, in the Eastern region of Uganda. He was formally married to Eunice Sande.
Career and Professional Work Experience
In 2004, having obtained the title of Colonel, he was promoted to Brigadier and given the position of Chief of Training. In 2005, in place of Brigadier Henry Tumukunde, he represented the UPDF in the Ugandan Parliament.
From 2007 to 2011, he served as the commandant of the Uganda Senior Command and Staff College in Kimaka, Jinja, in the Eastern Region of Uganda. Prior to taking on this position, he worked as the college’s commanding Officer’s Deputy.
He received a promotion from Brigadier to Major General in February 2008, holding that position until he received a promotion to Lieutenant General in March 2012, just before his deployment to Somalia.
In order to succeed Maj. Gen. Fred Mugisha as the overall commander of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), he was raised to the rank of Lieutenant General and sent to Mogadishu. In December 2013, Burundian Lt. Gen. Silas Mtigurirwa succeeded him.
On May 17, 2016, Gutti served as the court martial’s chairman replacing the late Maj. Gen. Levy Karuhanga who had passed on.
On July 3, 2018, General Andrew Gutti was reappointed as the head of the UPDF general court-martial, by Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa, the president of Uganda and commander-in-chief of the UPDF for another two-year term.
He served as Chairman of the UPDF Court Martial for a third consecutive two-year term that ended in June 2022. Brigadier Robert Freeman Mugabe was selected to succeed him on July 12, 2022.
Achievements and Awards
Andrew Gutti received the American military service medal for his work in Somalia under his direction, AMISOM forces assisting the Somali National Army made notable national advancements that allowed political process to proceed.
He received the prestigious Legion of Merit medal of the USA on September 30, 2015, along with Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala, Maj. Gen. Levi Karuhanga, Maj. Gen. Nathan Mugisha, Maj. Gen. Francis Okello, and Maj. Gen. Fred Mugisha, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and accomplishments.
More than 540 criminal cases, most of which are against civilians, have been resolved in the last six years that Lt. Gen. Gutti has served as the Court Martial’s chairman.
Controversies
The General Court Martial absolved him of claims that he had put ghost soldiers on the army payroll while serving as the Commanding Officer of the 3rd Infantry Division, which led to his appointment.
In May 2021, In Iriiri Village, Iriiri Sub County, Napak District, thugs stormed into the General’s home. A week earlier, unidentified individuals set fire to the General’s orange farm, but no one was apprehended.
In February 2022, Gen Gutti sentenced Kakooza, with whom 13 explosive devices, which are typically the domain of the armed services, were allegedly found when they were supposedly apprehended, and they were jointly accused with 31 other people for illegally possessing ammunition.
Declaring that even though he had expressed regret for his actions, the court should never be used as a stage for scandalous behavior. Kakooza was to serve his sentence from Luzira Prison, not Kitalya Min Max Prison, per Gutti’s directive.
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