Museveni: Gen Pecos Kutesa has been an intelligent and outstanding soldier

President Yoweri  Museveni has eulogized his bush war comrade, Lt Gen Pecos Kutesa who passed on last week.

In his condolence message on Sunday, President Museveni Gen Kutesa has been very useful to Uganda because of his outstanding performance while in the bush even after the struggle and by dying at the age of 65 years was too soon for such a person.

“The UPDF fraternity and the Kutesa Family. Condolences from the Ugandans and myself on the death of Lt. Gen. Pecos Kutesa. I remember four things about Pecos. When I went to Monduli Academy to address Ugandan Officer Cadets, there were two very brown young people in the group of 300 that stood out on account of their complexion; Pecos and Hannington Mugabi. Mugabi died in the bush, at Kitema Masanga, shot by a colleague, accidentally,” Museveni said.

He added that when National Resistance Army – NRA attacked Kakiri UNLA in 1981, Kutesa had an outstanding performance during the ambush and he is one of the reasons they managed to overcome the enemy.

“When we attacked Kakiri UNLA detachment on 6/04/81, as the assault from the East of Kampala – Hoima Road was going on, standing near one of the shops, I saw Pecos crawling in the typical military way to capture the Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) the UNLA had fled and left alone. That was the reason I selected him to accompany me when I, on the 6th of June, 1981, crossed Lake Victoria in a 25 horsepower engine boat to Kenya, on my way to meet Muammar Gaddafi who gave us the few guns and ammo we got from outside. Pecos took part in significant battles like February 20, 1984, Masindi battle and at Kabamba on January 1, 1985. He also participated in other battles of encounter, like the one of Mataba swamp, near Kyajinja. He also liked reading novels.”

The former bush war hero Lt Gen Kutesa, 65, died on Tuesday after a long illness. He was first admitted to a Nairobi hospital and later flown to India for urgent specialized care however he could not make it. His death came after he had retired from the army on August 5.