Charles Lutaaya

Lieutenant General Charles Lwanga Lutaaya, is a senior Ugandan military officer in the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF). He is the Commander of the UPDF Air Force. Before that, he was the Deputy Commander of the UPDF Air Force.

Background and military training
He was born in Uganda's Central Region. In 2013, at the rank of colonel, Lutaaya attended a Senior Air Staff and Command Course in the United States.

Work history
In 2012, Charles Lutaaya, at the rank of lieutenant colonel, served as a member of the Commission of Inquiry into the crash of three UPDF Air Force helicopters into Mount Kenya, en route to Somalia, as part of the AMISOM mission. The crash led to the death of seven UPDF personnel and the loss of three Mi-17 aircraft. The commission was chaired by General Salim Saleh. At the end of that inquiry, Lutaaya was promoted to the rank of full colonel. In October 2012, at the rank of colonel, he was appointed to serve as the Chief of Staff of the UPDF Air Force. In July 2015, at the rank of colonel, he served as the deputy commander of the UPDF Air Force. In May 2016, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier. In January 2017, he was promoted to the rank of Major General and appointed Commander of the UPDF Air Force.

In February 2019, he was promoted from the rank of Major General to that of Lieutenant General, in a promotions exercise that involved over 2,000 UPDF troops.