Lt Gen Sam Okiding assumed the office as the Force Commander for ATMIS on 17th May 2023. Prior to his appointment he was the Deputy Commander, Land Forces of Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) till November 2022.
He was born on 9th March 1962 at Kasilo in the Serere District, Uganda. He joined the army in 1980 and was commissioned as an Officer in 1989. General Okiding has served in several roles in UPDF Artillery corps. His appointments ranged from Artillery Regiment Commander all the way to the top as the Commander, Artillery Division, a position he held from 2010 to 2021.
Lieutenant General Okiding is not new to Peacekeeping and Counter Insurgency Operations. From 2015 to 2017 he was the Uganda Contingent Commander for AMISOM. He also served on Operation codenamed ‘Mwisho’ 1 and 2 in South Sudan against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)1995 – 1998 as the Artillery Asset Commander. He was on Operation ‘Safe Haven’ against the Allied Defence Forces (ADF) in Congo in 2000–2003. He also served in Operation ‘Lightening Thunder’ against LRA at Garamba in DRC, South Sudan, and Central African Republic from 2010 – 2011, among others.
Lt. Gen Okiding has a BA in International Relations from the University of Berkley; a Diploma in Computer Science from the College of Professional Management in the United Kingdom, and a Diploma from the same institution in Business Administration.