David Oyite - Ojok David Oyite Ojok ( 15 April 1940 — 2 December 1983 ) was a Ugandan military commander who held one of the leadership positions in the coalition between Uganda National Liberation Army and Tanzania People ' s Defence Force which removed strongman Idi Amin in 1979 and , until his death in a helicopter crash , served as the national army chief of staff with the rank of major general . Military career before 1979 . Although there are few documented details regarding David Oyite Ojok ’ s early years , he was initially noted in his late twenties as a junior army officer serving during the 1966 – 71 period of President Milton Obote ’ s first government . He joined the Uganda Army in 1963 . He was transferred from 1st Battalion to 4th Battalion on 7 February 1966 at Shaban Opolot ' s orders . However at the end of February 1966 he was transferred to Army Headquarters , to the important position of Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General ( DAA & QMG ) . In September 1970 , while Idi Amin was out of the country serving as the Ugandan representative at the funeral of President Nasser of Egypt , Obote appointed a new Chief of Defence Staff ( Brigadier Suleman Hussein ) . In addition , Oyite - Ojok , described by Omara - Otunnu as ' Obote ' s principal military confidant ' was appointed to the ' . . newly created post of Assistant Military Secretary in the Ministry of Defence , ' serving as a Major . His duties included ' . . planning , all policy matters , and control of Establishment . ' When Idi Amin overthrew Obote in 1971 , Oyite Ojok was amongst the military personnel who fled to neighbouring Tanzania and , eight years later , in the wake of Amin ' s 1979 invasion of the country , assumed a key role in the grouping of military exiles who , with the backing of Tanzanian troops , led the counteroffensive which resulted in the overthrow of Amin . After Idi Amin . Oyite Ojok became a member , along with Yoweri Museveni , Paulo Muwanga and Tito Okello , of the Military Commission , a powerful sub - committee of the Uganda National Liberation Front ( UNLF ) which ruled the country after Idi Amin ’ s overthrow . He remained loyal to Obote who was preparing to return from exile . The alliance of political forces in the UNLF under President Yusuf Lule soon began to unravel . Of significant importance was the emergence of tribal rivalry . On the one side were those from the North who made up the bulk of the new national army , and on the other those from the South ( particularly those from the Buganda tribe ) who for the first time since 1964 had significant political and military influence . Oyite Ojok , as the new chief of staff , ensured that the national army under his command was overwhelmingly made up of Northerners , such as himself . The political symbol for most of those from Northern Uganda was the Uganda Peoples Congress party and Obote , who was still in Tanzanian exile . Obote ' s possible return was opposed by many within the UNLF , particularly those from Buganda who recalled that it was Obote who had dethroned their King ( the Kabaka of Buganda ) and forced him into exile in 1966 . It is widely believed that it was this opposition to Obote ’ s return and the growing influence of the northern dominated army that led to the removal of Yusuf Lule from the Presidency after only 2 months in office . Lule had also tried to extend his very limited presidential powers in the UNLF . Lule was replaced by another Muganda , Godfrey Binaisa who was seen as more of a figurehead . Real power now lay with Oyite Ojok and the Military Commission . The UNLF became more militaristic in appearance as army officers like Ojok became actively involved in politics , and the quasi - legislative National Commission and government ministers became less significant . On the ground the army became more brutal , particularly in Buganda and other areas of Southern Uganda . Most significantly , the Uganda Peoples Congress with its military allies began to actively organise and call for the return of Obote . In May 1980 , Oyite Ojok gained greater power when " figurehead president " Binaisa dismissed him as army chief in an attempt to reduce the power of the Military Commission . In response the Military Commission removed Binaisa from office and declared the country would be ruled by a Presidential Commission which included Muwanga , Museveni , Oyite Ojok and Okello . Although as Chairman , Muwanga presented the face of the Commission , real power was held by Oyite Ojok . Return of Milton Obote . The Presidential Commission now paved the way for the return of Obote and organised what is widely regarded as a rigged election in December 1980 . These elections resulted in " victory " for Obote ’ s Uganda Peoples Congress and Obote became president for the second time , appointing Oyite Ojok as Army Chief of Staff . Museveni , who had formed a rival political party , the Uganda Patriotic Front , disputed the result and started a guerrilla war against the government . As Army Chief of Staff , Oyite Ojok was responsible for attempting to defeat the guerrilla armies of Museveni ' s National Resistance Movement ( NRA ) and Andrew Kayiira ' s Uganda Freedom Movement ( UFM ) which were fighting to overthrow Obote ’ s government . With his military experience during the struggle to overthrow Idi Amin , Oyite Ojok proved very effective against these groups . However this was done with both military tact and brutality against the population in areas where the guerrilla forces operated . This was most prevalent in the Luwero District where the NRA was active and in the capital city , Kampala where the UFM was based . In Luwero , thousands of civilians were killed by the army – especially in an area called the ‘ Luwero Triangle ’ . In Kampala , the army and secret police carried out numerous random arrests which often involved arresting hundreds of people and loading them onto trucks which were then driven to army barracks . This phenomenon was called " Panda Gari " ( " Load the Truck " ) and it instilled widespread fear in the capital as many of those taken to army barracks were beaten or killed . The NRA and UFM had adopted different tactics . The UFM preferred to operate in urban areas like Kampala and carried out spectacular attacks on government installations . This however left them vulnerable to counter attacks from the army which would simply cordon off a suburb and brutalise its residents until the guerrillas were revealed . This climate of fear plus the UFM ’ s lack of a credible political ethos meant Oyite Ojok ’ s army had effectively defeated them in 2 years . The NRA preferred the rural areas and fought a bush war which involved hit and run tactics against army patrols and vehicles . Museveni also developed a very effective political wing and vision . Having mostly defeated the UFM , Oyite Ojok concentrated his efforts in Luwero and had measured success against the NRA . It is widely believed that by early 1983 , Museveni had departed for Sweden , leaving in place , however , the military and political organisation of the NRA . The war with the NRA eventually began to crack the military and brought to fore rivalry between the two northern tribes that dominated the army - the Langi ( Obote and Oyite Ojok ’ s tribe ) and the Acholi ( Tito Okello – the Army Commander ’ s tribe ) . The majority of the army foot soldiers were Acholi and it was they who suffered most casualties in the war , and it is rumoured that they wanted to engage in peace talks with the guerrillas . Meanwhile , the elite Special Forces and most of the officers closest to Obote were Langi – and were fiercely opposed to any negotiations with the NRA . This rivalry came to a head at the time of Oyite - Ojok ' s fatal crash in December . Aftermath . In the decades following the helicopter crash which ended David Oyite Ojok ' s life at the age of 43 , documented details have not been made public . The political ramifications for Uganda , however , were severe . Acholi officers now expected Obote to appoint an Acholi to replace Oyite Ojok . One obvious candidate , Bazilio Olara - Okello who , although unrelated to Tito Okello , was , as in the case of Oyite Ojok , another officer who participated in the overthrow of Idi Amin . Obote , nevertheless , appointed a junior Langi officer , Smith Apon - Achak . This further alienated the Acholi officers who overthrew Obote ’ s government two years later . Thirteen years after Oyite Ojok ' s death , his family , living in Scotland , welcomed his first grandchild , Nicole Pyerina Ojok , a granddaughter born in Edinburgh in February 1996 , who , having reached her early teens , has expressed admiration for her grandfather and his role in history .