Ivan Koreta Explained

Ivan Koreta
Birth Date:15 October 1955
Birth Place:Mbarara, British Uganda
Education:Kiira College Butiki

Old Kampala Secondary School

Uganda Junior Staff College

Makambako Administration Officers College, Tanzania

University of Ibadan

Occupation:Military officer
Years Active:since 1977
Nationality:Ugandan
Citizenship:Uganda
Known For:Military matters
Honorific Prefix:General

Ivan Koreta (born 15 October 1955) is a Ugandan retired military officer, diplomat and legislator. He is a former 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]

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]

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, in a promotions exercise involving over 2,000 men and women of the UPDF.[9]

Retirement

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

See also

External links

Notes and References

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