Uganda's minister of Internal Affairs General Aronda Nyakairima has died of a heart attack, according to government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo. Here is a brief bio of General Aronda.
Who Was Aronda Nyakairima?
- General Aronda Nyakairima (7 July 1959 – 11 September 2015) was an Ugandan army officer who served in the Cabinet of Uganda as Minister of Internal Affairs since 2013 till his death on 11 September 2015.
- Nyakairima was born in Rukungiri District. He attended Kitgum High School in Kitgum District. He joined Makerere University in 1978, graduating in 1981, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in political science.
- He joined the National Resistance in 1982 soon after completing his degree in Political Science at Makerere University.
- He has been married to Linda Kahoza who together have had two children.
- He was the best man at Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s wedding in 1989.
- In 2003, he was announced as the Chief of defense forces of UPDF, a position in which he served until 2013 when he was replaced by Gen. Katumba Wamala. He had also represented UPDF in Parliament since 1996.
- In October 2010, General Nyakairima was inducted into the International Hall of Fame at the Lewis and Clark Centre at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, United States of America, for attaining the highest position in the military of his country. Nyakairima, a 1993 graduate of Fort Leavenworth, was inducted together with General Eui Don Wang of South Korea, a 1986 graduate of the command college, and Major General Richard Rhys Jones of New Zealand, a 1992 graduate.
- At the time of his death, he was serving as the Minister of Internal Affairs since 23 May 2013 when he was appointed.