Henry Tumukunde

Early life and education He was born on 28 February 1959 in Rukungiri District in the Western Region of Uganda. He attended Bishop Stuart College Demonstration School in Mbarara for his primary education and Kigezi College Butobere (Siniya) and Kibuli Secondary School for his O-Level and A-Level education, respectively. Tumukunde graduated from Makerere University with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1981. He obtained a Diploma in Legal Practice awarded by the Law Development Centre in 2010. He also holds an Executive Masters in Oil and Gas Management, awarded by the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies of Geneva in 2013.

Joining the NRA Guerrillas During his time at Makerere University, Tumukunde was involved in anti-government politics, which subsequently led to his joining of then rebels, the National Resistance Army, led by current Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. Tumukunde was hounded by the government security services during his last year at the university and, on completion of his education, decided to join the Ugandan Bush War, along with two of his friends at the time, Major General Mugisha Muntu and Colonel Jet Mwebaze.

In 1984, during one of the bigger battles with the then Uganda army in Luweero District, Tumukunde was shot multiple times in his legs. The wounds were so serious that it was thought he would not survive. He was, however, smuggled out of the country to Nairobi and eventually to London, where he was operated on.

Presidential aspirations On 3 March 2020, Tumukunde declared that he will be challenging Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for the seat of presidency in 2021. In a press briefing, Tumukunde attributed his decision to the fact that the NRM party and Yoweri Kaguta Museveni were not ready to discuss a peaceful transition of power. On 7 June 2020, following the 2020 Malawian presidential election, Tumukunde called for all opposition parties in Uganda to unite behind a single presidential candidate in 2021. He ran as an independent candidate for president in the 2021 Ugandan general election.

Postwar career On capturing power, Tumukunde was promoted to the rank of major and appointed first secretary and military attache at the Ugandan Embassy in the United Kingdom. Subsequently, Tumukunde was sent on a Senior Command and Staff Course at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, in Kaduna, Nigeria, from where he emerged as one of the best students. On his return to Uganda he was appointed as the army's director of planning. Tumukunde served in this role for many years and was very instrumental in the setup of formal military structures in the UPDF, which had until then been a rebel army.

His home was surrounded by at least 50 soldiers commanded by generals Kale Kayihura and Joshua Masaba who arrested him. Tumukunde was taken to an officers' mess turned detention center, where he was incarcerated for nearly two years, during which time he had limited and tightly controlled contact with the outside world. His extrajudicial detention coupled with a series of controversial and uncertain court martial hearings seemed to backfire leading to pressure culminating in his release in 2007. His arrest followed his opposing views to the proposed "kisanja" project that suggested a revision to the Constitution of Uganda enabling one to serve an unlimited number of terms as president, removing the two-term maximum limit.

On 18 April 2013, the UPDF General Court Martial sat to bring an end to the process that had lasted eight years and summed up its deliberations. The charge of spreading harmful propaganda was dropped while the joint charge of military misconduct was upheld and Tumukunde was subsequently sentenced to a severe reprimand.

Post-presidential bid declaration arrest On 12 March 2020, less than two weeks after announcing his presidential bid, General Tumukunde was arrested at his office in Kampala on allegations of treason.

On 19 November 2020, Tumukunde suspended his presidential campaign in response to the arrest of fellow opposition candidate Bobi Wine. Two days later, Tumukunde and Wine, along with fellow opposition presidential candidates Mugisha Muntu, Norbert Mao, and Patrick Amuriat Oboi, agreed to form an alliance.

Promotion and retirement On 1 September 2015, the Daily Monitor reported that Tumukunde had been promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and then retired with full honours from the Army after thirty four years of service. He effectively skipped the rank of major general.

Appointment to Cabinet On 6 June 2016, he was appointed to the Cabinet as the Minister of National Security. He was relieved of his cabinet responsibilities on the evening of Sunday, 4 March 2018, in a presidential tweet, in which General Kale Kayihura, the inspector general of police, was also fired.