Befitting send off as artillery man, Maj. Gen. Kasirye Ggwanga gets 13- gun salute

It was a befitting send-off for Maj. Gen. Kasirye Ggwanga on Friday as he got a 13- gun salute.

The former senior presidential adviser who died on Tuesday at Nakasero hospital where he was admitted three weeks ago was laid to rest at Nkene Village, Mityana District.

Having joined the Uganda Army in 1972 at a tender age of 20, Kasirye Ggwanga was first deployed in West Nile as a map reader but since then, he has lived an illustrious career whose artillery expertise proved invaluable in the NRA bush war.

During the drive to capture Kampala in 1986, Kasirye Ggwanga commanded a 120mm artillery unit

He loved the gun so much that during one of the interviews he said that no one can teach him anything about the gun.

“I have been playing with the gun for the last 46 years. I love playing with a gun.”

On Friday the maverick general got a 13 gun salute from four 122-m Soviet-made D-30s during his send-off.

All general officers at all-stars get 13, senior and junior officers 9 gun salutes.

Being a general officer, it was only befitting for Maj.Gen.Kasirye Ggwanga to be given a 13-gun salute.

This was the kind of send-off any officer of his caliber would have desired.

Career

Having joined the army in 1972, Kasirye Ggwanga also trained as an artillery specialist.

He later joined the National Resistance Army as a senior officer because by then there were no regular ranks.

In 1988, Kasirye Ggwanga became a major after formalization of army ranks and in 1988 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.

In 1996, he became Colonel but after complaining of being sidelined in the army, he was in 2005, after nine years promoted to the rank of Brigadier.

In 2018, Kasirye Ggwanga was promoted to Major General and was later retired from the army.

He however was always proud of his rank that he would disapprove anyone who messed with it.

Courses

Kasirye Ggwanga first attended a basic military course at Bombo in 1972 as he joined the army and a year later in 1973, he attended an instructors’ course at Kabamba.

In 1988, he attended a company commander’s course, and later in 1999, he went for the command and general staff course at Fort Leavenworth in the United States, a feat he always treasured so much whenever he spoke.

Appointments

Kasirye Gwanga served as an orderly between 1973 and 1976 but later an instructor in the Chui battalion between 1976 and 1979.

He also served as the director of barracks and stores in the National Resistance Army/ UPDF between 1986 and 1994 whereas he also served as the commandant school of infantry in 1994.

He later served as the chief of training between 1995 and 1996 and a liaison officer between 2003 and 2006.

Maj.Gen.Kasirye Ggwanga also served as the senior presidential adviser on Buganda affairs.