Ivan Koreta

Ivan Koreta (born 15 October 1955) is a Ugandan military officer, diplomat and legislator. He is a General in the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) and a representative for the armed forces in the Parliament of Uganda; where he serves as a member of the Public Accounts Committee and the Committee on Presidential Affairs.[1]

General

Ivan Koreta
Koreta (left)
Born (1955-10-15) 15 October 1955
Mbarara, British Uganda
NationalityUgandan
CitizenshipUganda
EducationKiira College Butiki
(East African Certificate of Education)
Old Kampala Secondary School
(East African Advanced Certificate of Education)
Uganda Junior Staff College
(Senior Non-Commissioned Officers Course)
Makambako Administration Officers College, Tanzania
(Battalion Administrative Officer Course)
University of Ibadan
(MSc Strategic Studies)
OccupationMilitary officer
Years activesince 1977
Known forMilitary matters

Koreta has been a member of the armed forces since 1981 and most recently served as the deputy chief of defence forces, the second-highest position in the UPDF, from 2005 to 2013.[2] He also served from 2006 up until 2009 as the chairman of the General Court Martial, the second-highest military court in Uganda.[3]

Early life and education

Koreta was born in Mbarara, Ankole sub-region, on 15 October 1955 in a Pentecostal family of the Banyankole. He had his primary education at Nyamitanga Muslim Primary School, in his home town of Mbarara and attained his PLE certification in 1969. He then attended Kiira College Butiki for his O-Level education, attaining an East African Certificate of Education in 1973.[1] He then transferred to Old Kampala Secondary School, for his A-Level schooling, graduating there with the East African Advanced Certificate of Education in 1975.[1]

Military training and career

While still in his teens, Koreta attended military training in Mozambique as a member of the Front for National Salvation, a guerilla group led by Yoweri Museveni. He participated in the war that removed Idi Amin from power in 1979. When Museveni formed the National Resistance Army (NRA) in 1981, Koreta joined him. During the Ugandan Bush War, he became a battalion commander in the NRA. During the April 1986 battle to capture the Ugandan capital city Kampala, his 13th NRA Battalion was responsible for guarding the Kampala-Gulu highway at Matugga.[4]

Since the NRA captured power and was subsequently transformed into the UPDF, Koreta has served in various roles, including the following:[1][5]

  • Commander of the First Division: 1986-1988 (at the rank of Brigadier General)
  • Deputy Director of the Internal Security Organization: 1988-2001
  • Promoted to rank of Major General: 2001
  • Promoted to rank of lieutenant general and appointed commandant of the Uganda Senior Command and Staff College at Kimaka, being the first military officer to serve in that capacity: 2004
  • Appointed deputy commander of defence forces in Uganda: 2005
  • Appointed chairman of the General Court Martial: 2006
  • Appointed head of the Ugandan delegation on the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangement Monitoring Mechanism (CTSAMM) team for South Sudan: 2015[6]

Other responsibilities

As a diplomat, Koreta led a Ugandan peace-keeping force to Liberia in 1994.[7] In 2016, he was elected as a representative for the UPDF in the 10th Parliament of Uganda; where he now serves as a member of the Public Accounts Committee and the Committee on Presidential Affairs.[8]

In February 2019 he was promoted from the rank of Lieutenant General to that of a Four-star General, as a part of a promotions exercise involving over 2,000 men and women of the UPDF.[9]

Retirement

In August 2021, he retired from the UPDF, at the rank of a 4-star general, at the age of 65 years.[10]

See also

References
  1. Ugandan Parliament (2016). "Parliament of Uganda Members of the 10th Parliament: Ivan Koreta". Kampala: Parliament of Uganda. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  2. Henry Mukasa (18 September 2012). "Newly promoted Generals decorated". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  3. Grace Matsiko (27 August 2008). "Museveni retains Koreta as Court Martial chairman". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  4. ChimpReports (30 January 2013). "Museveni Feared Mobutu Intervention As NRA Assaulted Kampala". Kampala: ChimpReports Uganda. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  5. Frederic Musisi (15 April 2017). "UPDF to retire Bush War Generals". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  6. ChimpReports (12 October 2015). "Gen. Koreta Finally Off Katebe, Sent to South Sudan". Kampala: ChimpReports Uganda. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  7. UPI (7 January 1994). "Ugandan troops join peacekeeping force in Liberia". Boca Raton, Florida: UPI Archives. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  8. Risdel Kasasira (6 March 2016). "Who are new UPDF MPs?". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  9. Monitor Reporter (8 February 2019). "Museveni promotes over 2,000 UPDF Officers". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  10. The Independent, Uganda (5 August 2022). "UPDF retires 14 Generals, 604 senior and junior officers". The Independent (Uganda). Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
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