Samuel Ngude Odaka (30 January 1929 – 4 August 2015) was a

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and member of the

Uganda People's Congress The Uganda People's Congress (UPC; ) is a political party in Uganda. UPC was founded in 1960 by Milton Obote, who led the country to independence alongside UPC member of parliament A.G. Mehta. Obote later served two presidential terms un ...

political party. He served as the Foreign Minister of Uganda from 1964 to 1971 during the first tenure of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Milton Obote Apollo Milton Obote (28 December 1925 – 10 October 2005) was a Ugandan politician who served as the second prime minister of Uganda from 1962 to 1966 and the second president of Uganda from 1966 to 1971 and later from 1980 to 1985. A Lango, ...

. He later became the Minister of Planning and Economic Development during the second Obote administration (1980–1985). A member of the Samia people, Odaka was born in 1929. Odaka, who was from the Busia District of eastern Uganda, married Margaret Namwanje Kavuma Odaka, a member of the

Baganda The Baganda (endonym: ''Baganda''; singular ''Muganda''), are a Bantu ethnic group native to Buganda, a subnational kingdom within Uganda. Traditionally composed of 52 clans (although since a 1993 survey, only 46 are officially recognised), th ...

ethnic group. Odaka left a career at

Esso Esso () is a trading name for ExxonMobil. Originally, the name was primarily used by its predecessor Standard Oil of New Jersey after the breakup of the original Standard Oil company in 1911. The company adopted the name "Esso" (from the phon ...

, the oil company, to enter politics. Odaka served as the Foreign Minister of Uganda from 1964 to 1971 under the first tenure of President Milton Obote. Odaka had previously represented Uganda at the 1963 negotiations in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

which established the

Organisation of African Unity The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; , OUA) was an African intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 33 signatory governments. Some of the key aims of the OAU were to encourage political and ec ...

(OAU), now called the

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The b ...

. A member of Obote's

(UPC), Odaka, who was seen as a more liberal politician than Obote, was also a negotiator for Obote's regime. Sam Odaka was credited with aiding Uganda's first President, Edward Mutesa, who was forced from office by Obote in 1966. Mutesa, also known as

Mutesa II of Buganda Sir Edward Frederick William David Walugembe Mutebi Luwangula Mutesa II (19 November 1924 – 21 November 1969) was a Ugandan royal and statesman who served as the first president of Uganda from 1962 to 1966, when he was overthrown by Milton O ...

, went into exile in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Odaka, in a compromise, offered to send Kabaka's assets to him in the United Kingdom, with the stipulation that Kabaka recognize the new Obote regime. Miriam Eshkol dancing with Idi Amin 1966-06-13

Miriam Eshkol dancing with Idi Amin 1966-06-13

President Obote and the Uganda People's Congress (UPC) announced their intention to "

Move to the Left The Move to the Left was a policy direction undertaken in Uganda, most notably under President Milton Obote in the period 1968–1971. Despite nominally being a move towards socialism, it also had strong nationalist overtones. Beginnings Acc ...

" during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The announcement, issued in the Common Man's Charter, alarmed business interests in Uganda, which feared a socialist-leaning economic policies. Foreign Minister Odaka was tasked by Obote's government with the leading the public relations to support the Move to the Left. However, the Move to the Left was fully implemented. President Milton Obote was overthrown by

Idi Amin Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 30 May 192816 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 until Uganda–Tanzania War, his overthrow in 1979. He ruled as a Military dictatorship, ...

in the

1971 Ugandan coup d'état The 1971 Ugandan coup d'état was a military coup d'état that overthrew the then president of Uganda Milton Obote. The coup occurred on January 25, 1971, while Obote was attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Singapore, and wa ...

on 25 January 1971, ending the first Obote regime and the "Move to the Left" policies. Sam Odaka fled into exile following the coup. Milton Obote regained power in 1980 following the 1980 general election, beginning the Obote II administration. Sam Odaka became Uganda's Minister of Planning and Economic Development during Obote's second tenure (1980–1985). Sam Odaka died from kidney failure at

International Hospital Kampala International Hospital Kampala (IHK) is a private hospital in Kampala, Uganda and is part of the International Medical Group, the largest private healthcare group in Uganda. Location The hospital is located in Namuwongo, Makindye Division, in ...

on 4 August 2015, at the age of 86. He was survived by his wife, Margaret Namwanje Kavuma Odaka, four daughters, and five grandchildren. A vigil was held at his home in the

Mbuya Mbuya is a hill in southeastern Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. The hill rises above sea level. The name also applies to the upscale residential neighborhood that sits on that hill, as well as the government military installations located ...

neighborhood of

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...

. Odaka's funeral was held at Kampala's All Saints Cathedral. He was buried in Busia District on 8 August 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Odaka, Sam 1929 births 2015 deaths Ministers of foreign affairs of Uganda Ugandan exiles Uganda People's Congress politicians People from Busia District, Uganda People from Kampala