Silas Mayunga

Mayunga served in the Tanganyika Rifles as a second lieutenant and was stationed in Lugalo.[1] During the Tanganyika Rifles mutiny of January 1964 he was in Tabora.[2]

In October 1978 Uganda, ruled by Idi Amin, invaded and occupied the Kagera Salient in northern Tanzania, initiating the Uganda–Tanzania War.[3] Mayunga, serving as a brigadier in the Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF), led a brigade into Kagera after the Uganda Army withdrew.[4] The TPDF invaded Uganda in early 1979, and Mayunga commanded the 206th Brigade as it advanced into the southwestern portion of the country and seized Mbarara.[5][6] During the war his troops commonly referred to him as "the artillery wizard".[5] After leading forces into Uganda, his men nicknamed him "Mti Mkavu" (Swahili: dry tree) in reference to his perceived durability.[7] Following the capture of Mbarara and Masaka, the TPDF halted to reorganise.[8] On March 21 Mayunga was promoted to major general and given charge of a newly formed "Task Force",[9] a unit consisting of the 206th Brigade and the Minziro Brigade, which was semi-autonomous from the TPDF's main invasion force, the 20th Division, in southeastern Uganda.[8] While the 20th Division attacked Kampala and other major locations, the Task Force advanced north into western Uganda in the following months, engaging Ugandan troops conducting rearguard defensive actions.[10] On 3 June 1979 Mayunga accompanied the Minziro Brigade as it secured the last portion of unoccupied Ugandan territory along the Sudanese border, ending the war. At the frontier, he delivered a short victory speech to his soldiers, telling them, "You've taught Idi Amin a lesson he'll never forget."[11] He was later awarded by the new Ugandan government for his role in overthrowing Amin's regime.[12]

In 1990 Mayunga was appointed as an envoy to Ghana.[13]

Mayunga died on 6 August 2011 at the age of 71 in Delhi, India while undergoing medical treatment.[12] His body was repatriated to Tanzania two days later.[14] Uhuru Stadium in Bukoba was renamed Mayunga Stadium in his honour.[15]