Outspoken Rt. Maj. Gen. Kasirye Ggwanga has breathed his last from Nakasero hospital in Kampala after weeks of being in and out of hospital following an operation on his head, friends have revealed.
Gen. Kasirye, who was one of the best trained and decorated soldiers in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) before he retired in 2018, died at the age of 68 years.
To many Ugandans, Gen. Kasirye’s life was a huge contradiction, a fearless, lawless individual who was capable of doing and saying whatever he wished without fear or favour. To many others, however, he was a true freedom fighter, a caring and above all a pro-poor person, a conservationist and nationalist.
Gen. Kasirye was born at Katakala in Mityana district, about 4ms from Mityana town on the old Mubende road.
He attended Katakala Primary school, before joining Kibuli Secondary where he completed his O-Level.
In 1972, he followed into the military footsteps of his elder brother James Kasiry, then at the rank of Lieutenant and a military pilot based at Nakasongola Military Air Base.
During the invasion of Uganda by Tanzania’s forces to remove Gen. Idi Amin, Kasirye was one of the soldiers who were taken captive. He remained in captivity for close to 900 days, before being released in a deal that was brokered by the late President Godfrey Binaisa.
No Nonsense
Gen. Kasirye was an outstanding personality who fearlessly fought for his convictions. On many occasions, he told many people off, when he disagreed with them, and on many occasions, he never shied away from pulling the triger at people he thought had crossed his path.
For example, in 2017, he burned an excavator that he found grading a piece of land in Lubowa along Entebbe road.
And in January 2019, he shot at the car of musician Catherine Kusasira for blocking the road in Makindye.
Details on the Life and Times of Gen. Kasirye Ggwanga, as well as details of his funeral will follow soon.
