Eriya Kategaya (4 July 1945 – 2 March 2013) was a Ugandan lawyer and politician. At the time of his death he was Uganda's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs. He was also an ex officio Member of the Ugandan Parliament, on account of being a cabinet minister. Background He was born on 4 July 1943 in Karagwe Itojo, Ntungamo District, in Western Uganda. Eriya Kategaya was a longtime associate of President Yoweri Museveni, starting from their school days in Ntare School. They studied together at Mbarara High School and later at Ntare School from 1961 to 1966. Kategaya and Museveni also attended the University of Dar es Salaam at the same time. Education Kategaya held a Bachelor of Laws (LLB), degree from the University of Dar-es-Salaam. At the time of his graduation the university was part of the University of East Africa. Military and political training 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 the Tanzania People's Defence Force. In 1980, he was a founder of the Uganda Patriotic Movement, headed by Museveni to contest in the elections. When Museveni launched the guerrilla struggle against the Milton Obote II administration (1981 - 1985), Kategaya served in the 'External Wing' of the rebel National Resistance Movement (NRM) and National Resistance Army (NRA). The NRM transformed into the National Resistance Movement political party, while the NRA became the Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF). He was a Brigadier General in the National Resistance Army from 1987 holding army number RO-002 although he never served in any military position as he was all the time serving in other government offices as a senior cabinet minister. Political career When the NRM and NRA eventually took power in January 1986, Kategaya was one of the groups' top leadership and considered by most as the Number Two 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