Katumba Wamala | |
---|---|
Born |
Kalangala District, Uganda |
19 November 1956
Residence | Kampala, Uganda |
Nationality | Ugandan |
Citizenship | Uganda |
Alma mater |
Nkumba University (Bachelor of Arts in international relations & diplomacy) Uganda Military Academy (Basic Officers Course) Tanzania Military Academy (Junior staff college) Nigerian Command and Staff College (Senior staff colleg]) US Army Command and General Staff College (Strategic studies course) |
Occupation | Military officer |
Years active | 1981 – present |
Known for | Military |
Home town | Kalangala |
Edward Katumba Wamala, more commonly known as Katumba Wamala, is a Ugandan army officer who has been the chief of defense forces of Uganda, the highest military rank in the Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF), since 2013.
He served as commander of land forces in the UPDF from 2005 to 2013. He also served as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of the Uganda Police Force (UPF), the highest rank in that branch of Uganda's government, from 2001 until 2005. He was replaced as IGP by Kale Kayihura. Wamala was the first active UPDF soldier to serve as the head of the UPF.
He was born on 19 November 1956 in Bweeza, Kalangala District, Ssese Islands.
Katumba holds a certificate in agriculture. In 2007, he graduated from Nkumba University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations and diplomacy. He also holds a Master of Science degree in strategic leadership from the United States Army War College. He has military qualifications from the following military schools:Uganda Military Academy, Tanzania Military Academy, a military academy in the Soviet Union, Nigerian Command and Staff College, United States Army Command and General Staff College, and United States Army War College.
Wamala was an officer in the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) when the National Resistance Army (NRA) defeated the UNLA in 1986. He transitioned into the NRA without incident. Between 1999 and 2000, he was a student at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Between 2000 and 2001, at the rank of major general, he commanded the UPDF forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was appointed IGP in 2001, becoming the first military officer to serve in the highest capacity within the UPF. He served in that capacity until 2005. He was then promoted to lieutenant general and given the title of commander of land forces, based at Bombo Military Barracks, making him one of the highest senior officers in the Ugandan military. In his role as commander of the land forces, he was closely engaged in the peace-keeping mission that the UPDF performs in Somalia, commonly referred to as AMISOM.