Major General Elly Kayanja (born 1959), is a Ugandan
military officer
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...
in the
Uganda People's Defence Forces
The Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF), previously known as the National Resistance Army, is the armed forces of Uganda. From 2007 to 2011, the International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated the UPDF had a total strength of 40,000–4 ...
(UPDF). Effective September 2014, he is the Head of ''Operation Wealth Creation Programme'', whose objective is to improve the standard of living of rural citizens, through farming.
Previously, he served as the Deputy Director of National Intelligence, under
General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry.
In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
David Sejusa. Prior to that, he served as the Director General of the
Internal Security Organisation
The Internal Security Organisation (ISO) is the Uganda Government of Uganda, government's counter intelligence agency responsible for providing national security intelligence to Uganda's policy makers. It also engages in covert activities at the ...
.
Background
He was born in
Rakai District, in Uganda's
Central Uganda, circa 1959.
Military education
Elly Kayanja was a member of the first class of senior military officers to attend the
Uganda Senior Command and Staff College in
Kimaka,
Jinja,
Eastern Uganda, under its first Commandant General
Ivan Koreta in 2004. That pioneer class included some of Uganda's current and past leading military commanders including: (a) General
Salim Saleh (b) General
Elly Tumwine (c) General
David Sejusa (d) Brigadier
Nobel Mayombo
Brigadier Nobel Mayombo, sometimes spelled Noble Mayombo, (1965–2007), was a Ugandan military officer, lawyer and legislator.
Background
He was born in Kabarole District, Toro sub-region, Western Region, Uganda, Western Uganda, in 1965. He ...
(RIP) (e) Major General
Julius Oketta (RIP) and (f) Brigadier
Peter Kerim (RIP).
Work history
Elly Kayanja joined the NRA War in 1980 as a foot soldier. He has gradually risen through the ranks and, at one time, served as the Commander of the Tiger Battalion of the UPDF, based at
Mubende. He then served as the Deputy Director of the Internal Security Organisation (ISO), under the leadership of
Lieutenant General Henry Tumukunde. Kayanja replaced Tumukunde as Director of ISO in 2001. While at ISO, he is credited with the successful supervision of ''Operation Wembly'', a UPDF response to rampant crime and armed gang activity in Kampala and other Ugandan urban areas, in the early 2000s.
Later, he served as the Deputy Coordinator of National Intelligence, under
General David Sejusa. In September 2014, he was appointed as the Head of ''Operation Wealth Creation'' in the UPDF, an operation aimed at improving the lives and economic status of the rural poor through agriculture. In that role, he will become the Head of the '
National Agricultural Advisory Services'' (NAADS), a national program that has hitherto performed abysmally, despite adequate funding, prompting take-over by the Army.
In February 2019, over 2,000 UPDF men and women were promoted on one day. On that day Elly Kayanja was promoted from the rank of
Brigadier
Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...
to that of Major General.
References
External links
Army Speaks Out On Brigadier Kayanja “Poisoning”Partial List of Senior UPDF Commanders 100 UPDF Officers Undeployed
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kayanja, Elly
People from Rakai District
Living people
Ganda people
1959 births
Ugandan generals
Uganda Senior Command and Staff College alumni