Eriya Kategaya

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Eriya Kategaya (born July 4, 1945) is a politician from Uganda. He was born in Kyamate, Ntungamo district, Uganda. He is Uganda's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the newly created ministry for East African Community Affairs (since 2006).

Mr. Kategaya is a long time associate of President Yoweri Museveni, starting from their school days in Ntare School in the early '60s; the two friends then joined University of Dar es Salaam where Kategaya studied law. Kategaya was part of Museveni's Front for National Salvation {FRONASA), a group of Ugandan exiles in Tanzania who eventually helped topple Idi Amin in 1979 with the help of Tanzanian forces. In 1980, he was a founder of the Uganda Patriotic Movement, headed by Museveni to contest in the elections. When Museveni launched the guerilla struggle against the Milton Obote administration (1981 - 1985), Kategaya served in the 'External Wing' of the rebel National Resistance Movement/Army (NRM/A) (precursor to the present National Resistance Movement political organisation). When the NRM/A eventually took power in January 1986, Kategaya was one of the group's top leadership and considered by most as the 'number 2' after Museveni. Between 1986 and 2001, Kategaya served in various capacities as National Political Commissar for the NRM and Minister in Museveni's governments.

During Museveni's second term as elected President (2001 - 2006), Kategaya, then serving as Internal Affairs Minister, famously fell out with the President when he opposed moves to have the Constitution amended to remove presidential term limits. In May 2003, he was dropped from his ministerial position during a Cabinet reshuffle, along with other Minister's who opposed the removal of term limits. Kategaya continued to speak out against amending the term limits provision until eventually the heavily pro-Museveni Parliament pushed the amendment through.

From the time he was dropped from the Cabinet, Kategaya returned to practice as a private lawyer. In December 2004, he participated in the formation of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) an anti-Museveni coalition which went on to become the main opposition group in Uganda after the 2006 general elections. Kategaya, however, maintained a low profile and rarely participated in FDC affairs.

Following Museveni and NRM's win in the 2006 general elections, rumours began spreading that Kategaya was in reconciliation talks with Museveni. The rumours proved well-founded when Museveni nominated his old ally for approval by the Parliament as a Cabinet Minister. Subsequently, he was appointed to the posts of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs.

Kategaya has been instrumental in the continued growth of the East African Community.