26/01/2026
Yes, it is technically true that Yoweri Museveni was part of the same nominal government as Tito Okello just before the National Resistance Army (NRA) captured Kampala in January 1986, but they were in the final stages of a violent struggle for power.
✓Here are the details of that period:
The 1985 Coup and Coalition:Following the overthrow of President Dr.Apollo Milton Obote by Tito Okello in July 1985, a Military Council was established. To bring stability, Okello invited various rebel groups, including Museveni’s National Resistance Army (NRA), to join a coalition government.
✓The Nairobi Agreement (Dec 1985):
After months of negotiation, Museveni and Tito Okello signed a peace and power-sharing agreement in Nairobi on December 17, 1985. Under this deal, Okello was to remain Chairman of the Military Council (Head of State) and Museveni was to be Vice Chairman.
✓A "Shaky" Partnership:
While the agreement stipulated a coalition, it was rarely implemented. Museveni and the NRA never truly accepted the authority of the military junta, viewing it as a continuation of previous, corrupt regimes. The ceasefire negotiated in Nairobi was immediately violated.
✓The Final Assault (Jan 1986):
While theoretically part of the same governing council, Museveni continued his "bush war" in the countryside and launched the final assault on Kampala. On January 25, 1986, the NRA secured control of the capital, and Tito Okello fled into exile.
✓ : On January 29, 1986, Yoweri Museveni was sworn in as President, officially ending the short-lived Tito Okello regime.
In summary, Museveni was nominally part of the government, but he was simultaneously fighting to overthrow it. This is like a father stealing from his own source-pan and claim he is so powerful that he has struggled for food!
