David Musuguri | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | David Bugozi Musuguri |
| Nickname | General Mutukula |
| Born | (1920-01-04)4 January 1920 |
| Died | 29 October 2024(2024-10-29) (aged 104) Mwanza, Tanzania |
| Allegiance |  Britain Tanganyika Tanzania |
| Branch | King's African Rifles Tanganyika Rifles Tanzania People's Defence Force |
| Years of service | 1943–1988 |
| Rank | Lieutenant general |
| Commands | 20th Division TPDF TPDF |
| Battles / wars | |
David Bugozi Musuguri (4 January 1920 – 29 October 2024) was a Tanzanian military officer who served as Chief of theTanzania People's Defence Force from 1980 until 1988.
David Musuguri was born on 4 January 1920 inButiama,Tanganyika.[1][a] In 1938, he underwentbhakisero, a traditionalrite of passage forZanaki males involving the filing of the topincisors into triangular shapes.[2]
On 9 August 1943, Musuguri enlisted in theKing's African Rifles (KAR),[3] beginning as a private.[4] He later served with the KARin Madagascar.[5] By 1947 he was a sergeant and acted as an instructor atKahawa Barracks inNairobi, Kenya. While there he met future Ugandan dictatorIdi Amin, who was a pupil of his.[6] In 1957, the British administration introduced the rank ofeffendi into the KAR, which was awarded to high performing Africannon-commissioned officers andwarrant officers (it was not a trueofficer classification). Musuguri was given the rank after undergoing a six month-long training course.[7][3] In December 1961, Tanganyika becamea sovereign state and several units of the KAR was transferred to the newly formedTanganyika Rifles. The rank ofeffendi was shortly thereafter abandoned,[8] and, in February 1962, Musuguri was promoted to lieutenant.[9][10] During theTanganyika Rifles mutiny of January 1964, Musuguri was stationed inTabora. Rebellious troops, attempting to remove and replace their British officers, declared him a major.[11] He studied military command and staffing in China from 1975 to 1976.[10]
I am proud that I participated in chasing Idi Amin Dada to Saudi Arabia where he sought for asylum. But I can assure you, there is no war that is good. War means killing.
Though reportedly illiterate, Musuguri eventually rose to the rank ofbrigadier by 1978.[12] On 19 January 1979, he was promoted to major general[3] and given command of theTanzanian People's Defence Force (TPDF)'s 20th Division, a force that had been assembled to invade Uganda following the outbreak of theUganda–Tanzania War in 1978.[4][13] During the war, he garnered thenom de guerre "General Mutukula",[14][b] and successfully commanded his forces during the battles ofSimba Hills,[15][16]Masaka,[17][18] andLukaya,[19][20] as well asOperation Dada Idi.[21] Over the course of the conflict he took charge of over a dozen Ugandan orphans and oversaw their care until they could be turned over to relatives.[22] Several Ugandans later reported that he made efforts to instill discipline in his forces operating in their country and was polite to local civilians.[23]
In early November 1980, Musuguri was appointed Chief of the TPDF. He returned to Tanzania the following week to take up his new post.[24] On 30 December, PresidentJulius Nyerere promoted him tolieutenant general.[25] On 7 February 1981, Ugandan PresidentMilton Obote gave Musuguri two spears in honor of "his gallant action in the Battle of Lukaya".[26] During his tenure, he was accused of encouraging ethnic favoritism in the armed forces.[27] He was opposed to withdrawing Tanzanian troops from Uganda in 1981 on the grounds that the country had not yet built a reliable armed force, but Nyerere overruled him.[28] His retirement was announced on 31 August 1988,[27] effective the following day.[3]
Following his retirement, Musuguri returned to Butiama.[1][5] In 2002, he endorsed the creation of an East African federation between Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya.[29] In 2014, he was awarded the Order of the Union Third Class by PresidentJakaya Kikwete.[30] Musuguriturned 100 on 4 January 2020,[1] and died inMwanza on 29 October 2024, at the age of 104.[31] He was buried in a funeral in Butiama on November 4.[10]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chief ofTanzanian People's Defence Force 1980-1988 | Succeeded by |