This is a summarised text about the life and times of the late Brig Johnson Lupaka Langoya.
The late Brigadier Johnson Lupaka Langoya was born in 1934 to Mzee Albert Omal and Mama Salume Atim of Olar-Kom, Dec in Padibe Sub County, Lamwo District. Brig. Langoya was the second born in a family of children.
His birth came exactly four years after the death of his elder brother late Alimo Mwaka who died in 1930. That why he was given the name Langoya. In Acholi, the name Langoya is usually given to a boy child whose birth follows the death of an elder sibling.
From a very early age, Brig. Langoya was known to be humble, polite, orderly and quite inquisitive. He wanted to learn things very fast and whatever he did he wanted it to be perfect. He wanted to know why men performed certain roles and women could not.
He set it upon himself to learn and understand these roles and in doing so, he would often help his mother with most household chores. He would often go out to fetch water and firewood and he would also grind millet and simsim on the grinding stone. By doing so, those around him often told him he would grow up to be remissive because these were roles that ordinary boys would not normally perform.
Education
Brig. Langoya started his Primary education in 1942 at Padibe Church Missionary Society Primary School, but his education was briefly interrupted by a spout of illness which kept him out of school for three years. Then in 1946, Brig. Langoya resumed his education at Lamit Church Missionary School, having been taken in by his Uncle Rwot Peter Lomoro MBE. Rwot Lomoro was the elder brother to Brig. Langoya’s father and was the Chief of Labongo Sub County, Chua County in Kitgum. However, faced with a number of challenges, he returned to his family in Padibe where he completed his primary education in 1953.
On completing his primary education, Brig Langoya began his Junior Secondary School in 1956 at Daudi Chwa II Memorial College Kasubi Namungona, along Kampala Hoima road.
However, when he reached Junior three in 1958, his studies were again interrupted by financial constraints. He had only completed one term of Junior three when his father advised him to get a job as he was not able to raise enough money to allow him continue his education.
Career
On 18th May 1958, Brig. Langoya responded to his first calling to serve the nation by enlisting into the Kings African Rifle. Uganda at the time was under British colonialism. The army had earlier placed an advertisement in the national newsletter, The Uganda Argus, in 1957; calling on applications for the position of Trainee Military Engineers. Brig. Langoya was a wonderful orator and always had an amazing memory, even at the time when he was critically ill, he would still recall dates and times of key events in his life.
“At the time of enlisting into the army, my army number was “East Africa (EA/18131132),” he would often recall.
Brig. Langoya started his army career by undergoing nine months of basic training, as a laboratory assistant; which he completed in January 1959 with distinction. During training he was recognised as the best recruit and awarded numerous medals including Rifles and Sub Machine Gun range classification.
Because of the excellent abilities he had exhibited on completion of his training, Brig. Langoya was posted to ‘A’ Company of the army’s Infantry Division instead of military medical School.
In 1960, he was promoted from private to the rank of Lance Corporal and appointed Section Commander. In ‘A’ Company, his superiors quickly spotted his leadership qualities and transferred Brig. Langoya to the Intelligence Section which was based at the Battalion Headquarters. Upon assumption of his new role, he was immediately nominated to attend a clerical course at Brigade Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya and duly qualified as a Grade III Clerk.
In 1961 he was promoted to the rank of Corporal and appointed the In-Charge of Signal Equipments within the army’s Ordinance Depot Stores.
In 1962, he was sent for pre-senior Administration training in Jinja and nominated for two further courses, Senior Administration course and Battalion Quarter Master Course at the Military Academy in Lanet Nakuru, Kenya. On completion, he was initially promoted to the rank of Sergeant and then to that of Colour Sergeant by the end of the year. The following year he was transferred from Signal Platoon to Training Company. During this time, Brig. Langoya also got married to Jabeji Auma (Pet name Labuk) and they went on to have four children.
Then in 1964, Brig. Langoya and his Superior Officer were tasked with forming the 2nd Battalion at Moroto, Karamoja district. On completion, he was transferred from 2nd Battalion, Moroto to Brigade Headquarters in Entebbe where he was appointed In-Charge of Brigade Stores.
In 1965, Brig. Langoya was amongst those tasked with forming the 3rd Battalion at Mubende. He was in charge of Regimental Quartermaster Stores and promoted to the rank of Sergeant Major Warrant Officer Class II. He also served as the Acting Battalion Quartermaster.
In 1966 Brig. Langoya was commissioned to the rank of Lieutenant and appointed Battalion Quartermaster of the 3rd Mubende. His army number also changed from EA/18131132 to Uganda Officer – UO 166. This was because at the time the Ugandan army was in the process of being transformed from a colonial army into a national army.
Brig. Langoya excelled in all that he did and worked with precision. Again because of these leadership qualities, he was promoted to the rank Captain.
In 1968, Brig. Langoya was transferred from the 3rd Battalion in Mubende to Army Ordinance Depot Stores In-Charge of Expenditure, Clothing, General Equipment, Ammunition, Stationary Printing and Publication.
In 1969 Brig. Langoya was appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General of the entire Uganda armed forces.
1971 to 1978
On 25th January 1971, the government of President Apollo Milton Obote I was overthrown by Maj. Gen. Idi Amin Dada in a military coup. Brig. Langoya recalled that many of his comrades were killed overnight on the announcement of the coup. He was at the time attending to his duties at the army training camp in Masaka.
“Two nights before my escape several attempts were made to break into my uni-port (army accommodation). I got out in the morning to found army boot prints all around the uni-port which had been left by my would-be killers.”
“With the help of a friend from the Madi tribe, we managed to sneak me out of the barracks and board a vehicle along the K’la highway. As we got onto the highway, we noticed another car with two occupants with guns hanging out of the window following us. But as if by miracle, the car behind was involved a head-on collision. I managed to reach home in Padibe by the Grace of God and then I managed to escape across the Sudan border into exile”.
Brig. Langoya fled to Sudan and joined other comrades who were already in Owiny-Ki- Bul, in the Eastern Equatorial State of Sudan, now the Republic of South Sudan. They soon launched a military operation to save their comrades who caught and were being killed on a daily basis, but it resulted in a defeat.
Following this defeat, President Gaafar Mohamed El-Nimeiri of Sudan sought for the transfer of all Ugandan refugees from Owiny Kibul. On the 26th June 1972, the Ugandan exiles were taken to Port Sudan where they were loaded onto a Cargo Ship destined for Tanzania. They set sail under harsh conditions, along the Red Sea and across the Indian Ocean, arriving at Tanga Handeni Port in Tanzania on the 7th July 1972. They lost a good number of their comrades who had to be buried at sea. On arrival in Tanzania, they were informed that there was a planned invasion of Uganda and they were hastily drafted and asked to join and support the invasion. The invasion was catastrophic and resulted the deaths of hundreds of their comrades with some being captured.
On returning to Tanzania, Brig. Langoya and his comrades were declared “Refugees in Tanzaina” by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and settled at a refugee camp in a location called Kigwa, 15 miles East of Tabora town towards Dodoma.
In Kigwa camp, Brig. Langoya was entrusted by Tanzanian Authorities to take charge of camp supplies as Quartermaster. All delivery of foodstuff, made to the camp once a month, was distributed under his care.
The suffering in Kigwa camp was immense, on a number of accession, food supplies and other amenities never arrived, if it did, it was not on time. So Brig. Langoya and his comrades had to set up a livelihood from scratch. They turned to tilling the land in order to survive. Out of the clump of trees they made charcoal, out of the land came maize and tobacco which they harvested and sold to the locals and neighbouring towns including Tabora. Determined to survive against all odds, and through immense suffering, Kigwa camp developed into a vibrant society and town and remains one today.
Brig. Langoya and his comrades adapted themselves to a type home or village life they had in Uganda: After a hard day’s work, Brig. Langoya would sit down at a fire place (Wang oo) to relax whilst playing the Acholi musical Instrument known as Nanga. With reminiscent songs such as Kwac Pa Nyaga, Amin oweko Mutukula, and Kel kweyo etc. Brig. Langoya kept the spirit of Uganda alive in his comrades.
During this time Brig. Langoya also initiated a project to build a Church where they could hold services and praise every Sunday Johnson was also conducting joint Protestant and Catholic Sunday service.
Supported by individuals such as Marcelino Lukoya and others, they rallied their comrades and within one year, Kigwa camp and the entire village had a church for the very fast time. When they left in 1979, the Wanyamwezi and the Tanzanians admired the kind of community the Acholi had set up.
Mzee Eriyajali Oola who was his comrade in Kigwa recounts how hard working Brig. Langoya was: “Brigadier would spend most of his time cultivating Maize (Corn) and beans producing several sacks. In 1978, Johnson produced 70 bags of charcoal to sell with several bags of maize and beans and by the time we left the camp to return to Uganda, we left a lot of food stuff in the camp for the locals. He wouldn’t have anything destroyed, including the very houses that we had built, we gave to the locals.”
1978- 1979
In 1978, live would change drastically for the Ugandan refugees in Kigwa. The Ugandan dictator General Idi Amin Dada attacked Tanzania at the border town of Kagera. Brig. Langoya and his comrades were informed of the plan to invade Uganda and remove Idi Amin with the support of the Tanzanian army, under the Government Mwalimu Julius Kabarange Nyerere.
He would often recall, “The camp commandant, Bazilio Olara Okello (RIP) quickly consulted me and others like Okwera Saverio (RIP), Okot Justo Locaa (RIP), Eliajali Oola, Tito Apodo (RIP), and others; and told us that we were going back to Uganda to save our people so we needed to organize our men very quickly for intensively training.”
“We soon set off for the war front and were joined by other Ugandan fighting groups. We were then named Kikosi Maalum – the special liberation force of Ugandan exiles, supported by over 30 thousand Tanzanian Forces. We fought our way and captured Kampala in April 1979, under the Command of Tito Okello Lutwa, assisted David Oyite Ojok and Bazilio Olara Okello. I was under the direct command of Oyite. We lost a number of our people including 300 men who were loaded into two navy warships and annexed into the sea and tasked with capturing Entebbe and other adjoining towns along the shores of Lake Victoria. But before they could make it, disaster struck, both ships mysteriously sunk killing all on board, except 2 Acholi soldiers and 8 Tanzanians, who had been on deck.”
1980 to 1985
Once the liberation of Uganda was complete, the fighting group was renamed the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA), and Brig. Langoya was promoted from the rank of Captain to that of Lieutenant Colonel and appointed Commanding Officer (C.O) of Army Ordinance Depot Stores Jinja, Magamaga Barracks.
Then on 18th April 1980, Brig. Langoya was appointed Chief of Logistics and Engineering /Quarter Master General of the UNLA and transferred from Jinja to Kampala.
In 1982, he was nominated to attend a Senior High Command Army Officers Course at 20 Division HQs in Tabora, Tanzania for a period of three months, completing the course with flying colours. During this period, he also accomplished another milestone in his life, he got married to Santa Grace Ayaa Lanek, they had seven children, six of whom are alive.
Because the leadership qualities he demonstrated in managing the army’s logistics, Brig. Langoya was promoted from the rank Lt.Col. to that of full Colonel. And soon after he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General in 1985.
On return from Tanzania, Brig. Langoya did not forget his God and in appreciation for surviving all the challenges in life, he embarked on fundraising drive amongst friends in Kampala and other parts of Uganda, to build a Church in his own sub-county of Padibe. The project also included building a one Primary School in Katum Village and One Secondary School in Padide Centre. The Secondary School grew so big that it has now been taken over by Ministry of Education. The church is currently being renovated by the sons and daughters of Padibe, due to its run-down state, following two decades of brutal war between the current government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels led by Joseph Kony. Brig. Langoya also established a farm in his home village and often said that if all things were normal, he would be a retired civil servant in his own farm and home village.
In UNLA, Brig. Langoya was known for his discipline and honesty in general record keeping, he was meticulous in his administrative paperwork for supplies of food rations and other equipment to soldiers across the country.
On some occasions, those who were prone to corrupt practices would try to smear his name by forging his signature. Unknown to them, Brig. Langoya would always have a unique seal after his signature and official stamp.
On two occasions he was summoned to the President’s Office where he was told that there has been a reduction on army supplies; but when Brig. Langoya asked for proof that there was any wrong-doing from his office, documents were produced which bore his forged signature but lacked the unique seal which always carried with him. He laughed off the accusations and urged President Milton Obote, to commission an external auditor to examine the papers and indeed on completion of this audit, it was concluded that he was being framed by critics.
In 1985, a mutiny erupted within the UNLA which resulted in the downfall of the Obote II government, with then army commander General Tito Okello being installed as Head of State. During the mutiny. Brig. Langoya’s office at Republic House, Mengo was nailed shut with operation to supply the army being managed from a different office.
Brig Langoya retreated to his home village of Padibe, until things had settled down and then returned to Kampala. The Okello government lasted six months and was overthrown by the National Resistance Army (NRA) led by current President of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Brig. Langoya fled to Sudan, before moving to Nairobi and then subsequently arriving in London on 23rd October 1987.
1987 to 2016
In UK Brig. Langoya dedicated his life to Missionary work, he was baptized and converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints on 21st August 1988 and confirmed as a member of the Church at Mitcham Ward. His first ordination was in the Aaronic Priest hood to the higher Melchizedek Priesthood and became an Elder with many church callings, including Assistant ward Clerk in 1995.
However, due to ill health, Brig. Langoya was released from his last calling as Ward Physical Facilities Representative in 1998. He remained a strong member of the Church and urged all his Children to follow in his footsteps in serving God and indeed some of them are part of the leadership of the church here in the UK, Uganda and South African.
When I asked him on Saturday 30th July 2016, what message he wanted to give to our community of Uganda and Acholi in particular. He said “we did not manage this in the past. Ugandans should know that Acholi people had no ulterior motive in politics as a group and did not plan anything together to become a majority in the army. Individual Acholi just responded to a call for recruitment as an opportunity to better themselves in life and they simply got recruited on merit by the British and subsequent Governments. The tendency of Acholi individuals to excel in what they do, comes out of a culture of learning through listening to elders, folklores and other stories, also recreational games in dry season and the lack of economic opportunity allowed them to take what they do serious.”
The late Brigadier Johnson Lupaka Langoya died on Saturday 6th August 2016 at about 11.45 pm due to organ failures.
Brigadier Johson Lupaka Langoya fought a good fight as a freedom fighter, liberator, administrator and a servant of God.
May his soul rest in peace. Amen.
