Early life
Fred Enanga grew up in Kampala but is rooted in Agayo village, Akokoro sub-county, Apac District in Northern Uganda. He comes from a family with a policing background with his father George Echonga who also served in the police force retiring as a Superintendent. Growing up, he used to saty in Entebbe with his family but then moved to Kamwokya and later relocated to Kawempe.
Tribe
Enanaga is a Luo by ethnicity.
Education
Enanga attended schools including Mugwanya Preparatory school and St Savio for primary, Lango College for O’level, Kololo Senior Secondary School and Kitante Hill for A’level. He later joined Makerere University where he studied Social Sciences majoring in Economics. He also attended two leadership courses, one in Kyankwanzi and the other in Japan.
Family
Enanaga’s father George Echonga married his mother Christine Echonga while she was 14 years and he grew up in a family of ten although only five of his siblings are living as of today. Enanga is married customarily and has had six children; three boys and three girls with his wife, Edith Enanga whom he met at University.
Enanga before joining the Police Force
He worked as an Economics teacher at Union College which ceased to exist and with the Christian Children’s Fund organisation.
Joining the Police force
Following his father’s advice, Enanga joined the police in 2001 as a cadet officer and underwent training in Kibuli, Kampala. His assignments during the time included operation works in Entebbe and criminal investigations in districts such as Ssembabule and Lira. He later served at the Criminal Investigations Directorate headquarters.
Enaga as the Police Spokesperson.
He was assigned the role twice, becoming the spokesperson in 2014 until 2016 and then again in 2019 to 2024. During these terms of office, he addressed journalists and the public and was always calm yet serious. He attracted criticism from some journalists, opposition members and the general public as most of his explanations and statements were questionable. Especially the scenario where drones were seen hovering around Robert Kyagulanyi’s (Bobi wine) home that he reported as simple stars in the sky.
A new chapter in Interpol
In July 2024, Enanga was replaced as Spokesperson by Rusoke Kituuma and he was appointed Director of Interpol and International Relations within the Ugandan Police Force which position he holds as of now.
Achievements and Awards
He received the Golden Jubilee medal on Heroess day in 2022. In 2002, during the Itongwa insurgency when people were attacking police posts, Enanga and colleagues withdrew and closed some of these posts so that guns didn’t end up in the wrong hands.
Then for the fishermen at Nakiwogo, a landing site in Bugonga, there had been clashes between the Bantu and West Nile people over spending more time on the waters and so on. Enanga exhibited police authority and arrested some of the people restoring sanity in the region. For this, people nicknamed him ‘Kayanja’.
