Brigadier Paul Lokech the officer whose name went missing on the list of army promotions released Friday 8th February finally featured on the main list of the decorated officers.
On Tuesday 19th, over 2,000 soldiers promoted by the commander In Chief Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni were decorated at a dripping event held at the Uganda People’s Defense Forces Head Quarters in Mbuya.
Formerly at the rank of Brigadier, Lokech is the Commandant Uganda Rapid Deployment Capability Centre and was promoted to Major General.
“His name was inadvertently missing on the first Press Release. Apologies,” Brig Karemire said when he clarified on how his name went missing on the first list.
Brig Paul Lokech the Commandant Uganda Rapid Deployment Capability Centre has been promoted to Maj Gen.His name was inadvertently missing on the first Press Release.Apologies.— Brig RichardKaremire (@UPDFspokespersn) February 8, 2019
On announcing his name, both high and low ranking officers sprung in excitement and high chants of ‘Hakuna Mchezo’ a Kiswahili word that means ‘no jokes’ as a slogan he occasionally used during his operations in Somalia.
Lokech shares the Major General rank with Elly Kayanja, Leopold Eric Kyanda and Stephen Muzeyi Sabiiti who too have been at the rank of Brigadier.
Elly Kayanja is the former Operation Wembley chief, Sabiiti is the deputy chief of police while Kyanda is the Chief of Staff of the Land Forces in the UPDF.
Lokech
In December 2017, then army 2nd Division commander, Lokech was appointed as the new commander of the UPDF contingent in Somalia.
He replaced Brig Muhanga Kayanja who was in charge of the force in the fragile country since November 2016.
Lokech, a former defence attaché to Russia was among the first contingent commanders in Somalia and he is credited for liberating a number of strategic areas.
In December 2018, Brig Michael Kabango, the 5th Division Commander in Northern Uganda, replaced Lokech as the new UPDF Contingent Commander in Somalia.
