Eriya Kategaya was a Ugandan lawyer and politician. Before his death on Saturday, he was serving as Uganda's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs.

He was also an ex officio Member of the Ugandan Parliament, on account of being a cabinet minister.

He was born on 4 July 1945 in Kyamate, Ntungamo District district, in western Uganda. Eriya Tukahirwa Kategaya was a longtime associate of President Yoweri Museveni, starting from their school days in Ntare School in the early 1960s.  

Kategaya held a Bachelor of Law (LLB), degree from the University of Dar-es-Salaam. At the time of his graduation the university was part of the University of East Africa.

Political career

In January 1986 when the NRM and NRA eventually took power, Kategaya was one of the groups' top leadership and considered by most as the Number Two after Museveni. 

Between 1986 and 2001, Kategaya served in various capacities as National Political Commissar for the NRM and Minister in Museveni's governments.

2001 - 2006) during Museveni's second term as elected President Kategaya, then serving as Internal Affairs Minister, famously fell out with the President when he opposed moves to have the Constitution amended to remove presidential term limits. 

In May 2003, he was dropped from his ministerial position during a Cabinet reshuffle, along with other ministers who opposed the removal of term limits.

Kategaya continued to speak out against amending the term limits provision until eventually the heavily pro-Museveni Parliament pushed the amendment through.

From the time he was dropped from the Cabinet, Kategaya returned to practice as a private lawyer with J.B.Byamugisha Advocates, a law firm based in Kampala.

In December 2004, he participated in the formation of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) an anti-Museveni coalition which went on to become the main opposition group in Uganda after the 2006 general elections.

Kategaya, however, maintained a low profile and rarely participated in FDC affairs.

Following Museveni and NRM's win in the 2006 general elections, rumours began spreading that Kategaya was in reconciliation talks with Museveni. 

The rumours proved well-founded when Museveni nominated his old ally for approval by the Parliament as a Cabinet Minister.

Subsequently, he was appointed to the posts of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs. Kategaya has been instrumental in the continued growth of the East African Community.

In the cabinet reshuffle of 27 May 2011, Eriya Kategaya maintained all his cabinet posts.