Former rebel commander and Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) officer, Colonel Anthony Kyakabale, has passed away, family sources confirmed.
Born in Kabale District in southwestern Uganda, Kyakabale joined the National Resistance Army (NRA) in 1980 and took part in the historic attack on Kabamba Military Barracks on February 6, 1981 — a key moment in the armed struggle that eventually brought President Yoweri Museveni to power.
He rose through the ranks and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1988. However, his relationship with President Museveni soured in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Kyakabale later strongly supported another NRA renegade, Col Kizza Besigye during the 2001 presidential elections.
Following mounting political tensions, Kyakabale fled to Rwanda in 2001 and later declared war on the Museveni-led government under the banner of the People’s Redemption Army (PRA) — a rebel group he co-founded with Col Edison Muzoora and Col Samson Mande. The group was believed to have operated from the forests of Ituri in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
In 2003, Kyakabale relocated to Sweden, where he lived in exile for over a decade, largely maintaining a low profile. He returned to Uganda in 2015 after 12 years abroad. Upon his return, he met with President Museveni, who accepted his apology.
Later that year, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel and officially retired from the UPDF during a ceremony held at the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Mbuya.
In an interview with Daily Monitor in 2015, Kyakabale spoke about his run into exile and return.
He said before running to exile in Rwanda he was accused of having stolen gold from Beni in DRC.
“There were some rumours that I was undisciplined and at one time, I was arrested and detained in Makindye barracks for eight months on allegations that I had gone to Beni in DR Congo to steal gold. It was widely covered in the media. This allegation surprised me. I have never seen a gold store. The military could not verify this rumour but they moved and arrested me,” he told Daily Monitor.
He added, “On my part, on May 13 2001, I had malaria and I was somewhere in clinic in Kabale during parliamentary election campaigns and an NRM MP made allegations that I had shot bullets at rally in Muhanga. I wasn’t at that rally. The Chief of Military Intelligence sent a van full of soldiers to arrest me. He didn’t first investigate these rumours but they moved to arrest me. My driver was later arrested, beaten and he later died. Having received that information about my driver, I had to flee to Rwanda because I feared for my life.”
He said that he chose to flee to Rwanda because because there were many other friends with whom he had been in the bush and had their contacts.
Kyakabale however said he regretted having fled the country, instead of staying and explains himself.
“I should have remained and waited for investigations to be carried out and concluded. I would have explained to my commanders what happed rather than fleeing.”
Kyakabale said the process of returning from exile started way back in 2008 by the then head of military intelligence, Gen James Mugira but said it took long to materialise since he wasn’t sure.
” He(Gen Mugira) later sent me a team to meet me and the team came to my residence. But I doubted the team’s credibility. I told them I would first consult my friends and family and would let them know. That was the first contact. There was another effort by Brig Leopold Kyanda in 2009 but I had not made a decision to come.,”Kyakabale told Daily Monitor.
He however said he was finally convinced by Gen Charles Bakahumura whom he had known way back while still in Uganda.
At the time of brokering the return of Kyakabale in 2014 and 2015, Gen Bakahumura was the head of the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence.
“I was with Brig Bakahumura in Gulu when he was a battalion commander in the 1990s and we knew each other. I didn’t doubt him. He convinced me when he said the President wanted me back home. I was convinced that Brig Bakahumura was genuinely carrying the President’s message. I had to accept and respect the call from the President.”
