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KAMPALA - Former Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda has urged Ugandans to emulate the legacy of Gen. Elly Tumwine, who died on Thursday at the age of 68.

Rugunda said that without the fallen military officer's sacrifice for Uganda, the struggle that culminated in the liberation of Uganda in 1986 would have taken a different dimension.

Remembering him as a friend and a leading freedom fighter, he said Tumwine's participation in the struggle helped "restore peace, safety, security and dignity to a country that had become a pariah".

"May the death of Gen. Tumwine inspire us to consolidate the values of unity, democracy and progress that he lived, fought and sacrificed for," said 74-year-old Rugunda, who served as Prime Minister from 2014 until 2021.

"May we all emulate his legacy. Our condolences to Jolly, the children, comrades and friends. May his soul rest in eternal peace."

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After battling lung cancer, Tumwine died on the morning of Thursday (August 25) at Aga Khan Hospital in Kenya's capital Nairobi, where he was admitted on August 11.

'Dedicated cadre'

President Yoweri Museveni announced to the nation the former security minister's death the same day.

He described Tumwine as a "dedicated and hard-working cadre".

Tumwine shot the first bullet that ignited the five-year Bush War that brought the current regime to power.

The four-star military general previously served as the Commander of the NRA until 1987, a year after they had taken power when he was dropped from that position.

Two years later, the President named him the State Minister of Defense.

Tumwine was also the longest-serving army representative in Parliament from 1996 to 2021.

He served in several capacities in the NRM government, including as security minister from 2018 until 2021. He was a senior presidential advisor at the time of his death.