The Deputy Commander of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Land Forces, Maj Gen Francis Takirwa, has died.
Maj Gen Takirwa, 61, passed away on Saturday morning, according to sources familiar with the matter.
By press time, the UPDF had not yet issued an official statement detailing the circumstances of his death but it is reported he had been sick for some time.
Maj Gen Takirwa was a career military officer with more than three decades of service in the UPDF, during which he rose steadily through the ranks.
Background and Career
He joined the UPDF in 1989. In 1994, he completed the Junior Command and Staff Course at the Uganda Junior Staff College in Jinja, followed by the Company Commanders Course at the Tanzania Military Academy in Monduli in 1998.
In 2006, he attended the Army Senior Command Course at the Nanjing Army Command College in Nanjing, China. He later obtained a Diploma in African Strategic Studies from the Nasser Higher Military Academy in Giza, Egypt, in 2009, and also completed an Executive National Security Programme at the South African National Defence College.
Maj Gen Takirwa served under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) between 2011 and 2012. He also previously held several senior command and administrative roles within the UPDF, including Chief of Education, Sports and Culture, and Commander of the 2nd UPDF Division.
In 2014, he attained the rank of Colonel before being promoted to Brigadier General, and later to Major General in 2021.
In 2022, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the UPDF Land Forces, a position he held until his death.
Further details, including official confirmation and funeral arrangements, are expected from the UPDF in due course.