Elly Tumwine died from lung cancer, which he had been battling for a long time, according to President Yoweri Museveni via his Twitter handle.
President Yoweri Museveni has joined a number of other Ugandans to eulogise the death of General Elly Tumwine who passed on Tuesday morning at Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi where he was airlifted for treatment.
In a statement via his Twitter handle, Yoweri Museveni, the President of Uganda said Elly Tumwine succumbed to lung cancer which he had for long.
“Countrymen and Countrywomen, especially the NRM- NRA- UPDF fraternity. With deep sorrow, I announce the death of General Elly Tumwiine which occurred at 5:46am this morning in Nairobi, from lung cancer,” Museveni tweeted.
He who reminisced the moments they shared together with General Tumwine said he died aged 68.
“According to his widow, with whom I have just talked to on the telephone, Gen. Tumwiine was now 68 years old. I had taught him at Burunga Primary School in 1967, after our A-levels, as a student teacher, before going to university later that year.”
He revealed the late Tumwine joined FRONASA with 9000 others in 1979, went to Monduli Military School in Tanzania and was the one who fired the first shot on the 6th February 1981, at Kabamba, at the beginning of the 1981-1986 war of resistance.
“Since that time, Gen. Tumwiine has been part of the leadership of the NRA- UPDF as well as serving the government in various capacities. Those capacities included being Army Commander, member of the High Command, Director-General of Intelligence, Minister of Security,” Museveni recalled.
“He has been a dedicated and hard-working cadre. More will be said about him later. Condolences to his family, to the NRA-UPDF- NRM fraternity and to all Ugandans,” he added.
Gen Elly Tumwine’s life before death
As the former Security Minister in the Cabinet of Uganda, from March 2018 until 2021, Gen Elly Tumwine was a Ugandan military officer, professional artist, and educator.
He served as commander of the National Resistance Army from 1984 to 1987. He was one of the highest-ranking members of the Ugandan military who recently called on police to shoot at protesters.
He also ordered the military to kidnap, illegally incarcerate and sent opposition members to be tried in military courts based on trumped up charges which resulted in Bobi Wine supporters suing for Human Rights violations.
Gen Tumwine retired from active military service in July 2022. He is one of the 42 people armed with 27 guns who attacked Kabamba barracks to launch the NRA protracted war that five years later in 1986 would usher the current government to power.
Leaving his teaching job in 1978, Tumwine joined the FRONASA forces led by Museveni. In 1981, when then rebel leader Yoweri Museveni went to the bush to form the National Resistance Army (NRA) after disputing the outcome of the 1980 elections, Tumwine went with him.
RIP
