The Katonga River crossing became a strategic battleground because controlling the bridge would determine whether government troops could reach their besieged garrisons in the southwest. Under the operational command of Salim Saleh, NRA fighters established defensive positions around the bridge and the surrounding areas of Kayabwe and Lukaya.
The National Resistance Army (NRA), led by Yoweri Museveni, dealt a major blow to government forces at the Katonga River bridge on 13 October 1985, in a battle that weakened the military government of General Tito Okello and undermined its efforts to regain control of southwestern Uganda.
The clash formed part of a wider offensive fought between September and December 1985 during the Ugandan Bush War, as the NRA sought to cut off government forces in Masaka and Mbarara from reinforcements and supplies travelling from Kampala along the Kampala-Masaka highway.
Following the July 1985 coup that overthrew President Milton Obote, General Okello took power and inherited a military government struggling to contain the NRA insurgency.
The Katonga River crossing became a strategic battleground because controlling the bridge would determine whether government troops could reach their besieged garrisons in the southwest.
Under the operational command of Salim Saleh, NRA fighters established defensive positions around the bridge and the surrounding areas of Kayabwe and Lukaya.
The NRA's First Battalion, commanded by Pecos Kutesa with Fred Mugisha as second-in-command, defended the bridgehead, while elements of the Fifth Battalion, led by Steven Kashaka and Ahmed Kashillingi, covered the southern flanks.
Government forces, operating under the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA), launched counter-offensives involving infantry, artillery and armoured vehicles, with support from remnants of former president Idi Amin's army.
On October 13, government troops advanced towards the bridge and encountered NRA positions prepared to exploit the narrow approach. The resulting ambush inflicted heavy casualties and forced government troops to abandon military equipment. The NRA's resistance prevented the UNLA from reopening the highway and relieving its isolated garrisons.
The fighting also dealt a blow to peace efforts. On October 14, Brigadier Gad Wilson Toko, the government's Defence Minister and de facto Vice-President, accused the NRA of violating the ceasefire and declared that the government would not participate in further negotiations until the rebels halted their offensive and withdrew.
The confrontation deepened mistrust between the two sides ahead of negotiations in Nairobi, as the military situation increasingly favoured the NRA.
The continued blockade weakened government positions in Masaka and Mbarara, while the UNLA's inability to break through at Katonga undermined its capacity to defend the capital. The NRA subsequently advanced towards Kampala, capturing the city on 26 January 1986 and bringing Museveni to power.