For a long time, there has been debate, at least before the country’s elite, over President Yoweri Museveni’s age.

Museveni was born on September 15, 1944, at least going by his official documents. However, running debate has resurfaced after the president released a statement following Gen. Elly Tumwine’s death.

Gen. Tumwine died of lung cancer at 5:46am this morning in Nairobi, Kenya, President Museveni announced on his Twitter handle.

“At the time of his death, Tumwine was 68, according to his wife,” he wrote.

In the announcement, Museveni revealed that he taught the former Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Army Commander while he was in primary school.

“I had taught him at Burunga Primary School in 1967…”

Going by the President’s statement, he was a teacher at the age of 23 years (in 1967).

Going by Uganda’s standards, a teacher is expected to have attained a Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) and a further two-year teaching course at the teacher training college (Teachers’ College).

Museveni, an old boy of Ntare, is a graduate of economics and political science obtained from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Museveni on Tumwine

“He joined FRONASA with 9000 others in 1979, went to Monduli Military School in Tanzania and was the one who fired the first shot on the 6th February, 1981, at Kabamba, at the beginning of the 1981-1986 war of Resistance.  Since that time, Gen. Tumwiine has been part of the leadership of the NRA- UPDF as well as serving the government in various capacities.  Those capacities included being Army- Commander, member of the High Command, Director-General Intelligence, Minister of Security, etc,” the President said.

Museveni described Tumwine as a dedicated and hardworking cadre.

Tumwine over the years

Joining the army in 1978 , Tumwine later joined then rebel leader Yoweri Museveni to the bush to form the National Resistance Army (NRA).

In 1984, he was named commander of the army, a post he held for three years until 1987, when he was succeeded by General Salim Saleh.

In September 2005, he was promoted to the rank of general in the UPDF and chairperson of the UPDF General Court Martial in Makindye where among the persons arraigned before him was opposition strongman, Dr.Kizza Besigye and charged with treason.

The case was later transferred to the civilian court.

During his career, Gen Tumwine also served as Minister of State for Defence in 1989, Director General of the External Security Organization (ESO) from 1994 until 1996, presidential adviser on security from 1996 until 1998, chairman of the High Command Appeals Committee from 1986 until 1999.

Tumwine has also previously represented the UPDF in the Parliament.