Fred Mwesigye

Colonel (Retired) Fred Mwesigye
Born	(1956-09-09) September 9, 1956 (age 68) Nyabushozi, Kiruhura District, Uganda
Education	Kazo Primary School Makobore High School
Alma mater	Makerere University
Occupation(s)	Diplomat, Politician & Businessman
Political party	National Resistance Movement
Spouse	Enid Mwesigye

Colonel (Retired) Fred Mwesigye is a Ugandan diplomat, retired military officer and politician. He serves as the High Commissioner of Uganda to Tanzania, effective December 2021, replacing Richard Kabonero.^[1]

He previously served as the elected parliamentary representative for Nyabushozi County in the 10th Parliament of Uganda (2016 - 2021), on the National Resistance Movement political party ticket.^[2]

Before that, he was a serving officer in the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) and in the National Resistance Army (NRA) that preceded it. He is a member of the original 41 combatants with 27 guns who started the NRA in February 1981 and waged the Uganda Bush War (1981 - 1986).^[3]

Background and education

He was born in Nyabushozi County, in Kiruhura District on 9 September 1956. He attended Kazo Primary School before transferring to Makobore High School, in Rukungiri District for his secondary school education. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a Master of Peace and Conflict Studies, both awarded by Makerere University, Uganda's oldest and largest public university.^{[citation needed]}

Career

He was a member of the 41 combatants who, with 27 guns started the NRA in February 1981. He quickly rose in rank and was appointed Commander of a fighting group of the NRA called Nkrumah, with an estimated size of 40 to 50 fighters. He was one of top 20 NRA commanders at the time the NRA captured Kampala, in 1986. Over the years, he has had a varied military career, including as General Manager at Luweero Industries, a subsidiary of National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) and as the Managing director of NEC, the business arm of the UPDF.^[3]

In 2010, he retired from the UPDF at the rank of colonel. He joined Uganda's elective politics and was elected member of parliament (MP) for Nyabushozi county in Kiruhura District, on the NRM political party ticket. He served in that capacity until 2021.^[3]

Diplomatic career

In February 2022, he was vetted by the appropriate parliamentary committee and approved as High Commissioner to Tanzania,^[4] with concurrent accreditation to Mozambique, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Zambia and Malawi.^[5]

Other considerations

He was among the members of the parliament who returned the Covid-19 USh20 million to the parliamentary commission account at Bank of Uganda.^[6] He once said that when president Yoweri Museveni steps down as a president, term limits will be restored.^[7]

References

1. Crispus Mugisha (12 December 2021). "President Museveni shuffles ambassadors, replaces career diplomats: USA's Mull Katende, Tanzania's Kabonero". Nile Post Uganda. Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
2. The Independent Uganda (4 February 2022). "Parliament vets newly appointed ambassadors". The Independent (Uganda). Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
3. The independent Uganda (31 January 2013). "The forgotten original NRA 27". The Independent (Uganda). Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
4. Dedan Kimathi (4 February 2022). "Col. Fred Mwesigye Speaks Out on Ambassadorial Appointment". ChimpReports. Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
5. Kenneth Kazibwe (22 November 2023). "Col Mwesigye presents credentials to Malawi President Chakwera". Nile Post Uganda. Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
6. Dickens H Okello (26 April 2020). "Nyabushozi MP Col. Fred Mwesigye Returns COVID-19 Money, Says Parliament Smuggled in 10Bn". ChimpReports. Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
7. David Tash Lumu & Sulaiman Kakaire (5 February 2012). "Museveni will seek 5th term - Col Fred Mwesigye". The Observer (Uganda). Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 25 November 2023.

External links

• Information About Uganda's High Commission In Tanzania
• Colonel Fred Mwesigye to stand for another term in 2011.