Ugandan troops fled to the eastern city of Jinja, whose capture was entrusted to a force consisting of the Tanzanian 208th Brigade and members of the UNLF.

Early in the morning on 22 April, the Tanzanians bombarded Jinja with artillery, and under the cover of darkness advanced towards the two bridges that crossed the Nile river west of the city.

In 1971 Idi Amin launched a military coup that overthrew the President of Uganda, Milton Obote, precipitating a deterioration of relations with the neighbouring state of Tanzania.

[14] Nevertheless, some of his troops still garrisoned Jinja, which was the headquarters of the Eagle Colonel Gaddafi Battalion,[17] and had control over the Owen Falls Dam at the source of the Nile River at Lake Victoria.

Observers were concerned that Amin's soldiers would sabotage or destroy the complex, and European newspapers spread rumors that Uganda Army troops were murdering civilians along the road to Jinja.

[4] The battalion's commanding officer, Hussein Mohammed, reportedly suggested to his men that they should surrender, prompting a riot by the soldiers who belonged to the West Nile tribes.

[23] Historians Tom Cooper and Adrien Fontanellaz argued that "a few hundred soldiers could have easily defended" the town, but the Ugandan defences were completely disorganised.

[27] The combined force was able to requisition numerous vehicles in Kampala when it departed the city on 15 April, but had to share them among different groups of soldiers as it moved down the two-lane road toward Jinja.

Two days after the TPDF-UNLF advance began, British diplomat Richard Posnett told the Kampala press that the new Ugandan Minister of Power and Communications, Akena p'Ojok, had informed him that a team of commandos had secured Owen Falls Dam and was awaiting the arrival of the main force.

[22] Towards the end of the week the TPDF-UNLF force came close to the installation and encountered dozens of battered civilians who had managed to pass by the Uganda Army soldiers.

[24] Akena p'Ojok claimed that the story, alongside some guerrilla actions by local SUM members, did also cause more Amin loyalists to leave their positions and flee from Jinja.

[27] The TPDF-UNLF advance was relaxed and uneventful; no resistance was encountered during the march, and many soldiers ate sugar cane and listened to music from looted radios.

The column met celebratory crowds in the towns it passed through along the Jinja road, and towards the end of the week hundreds of civilians were tailing the force, socialising with the soldiers, carrying their supplies and weapons, and fetching them water.

Two other battalions were tasked with seizing the rail bridge and waiting on the west bank, ready to flank Uganda Army forces should stiff opposition be put up near the dam.

However, as the force progressed east, civilians from nearby villages came out to beat drums in celebration and cheer it on, and Tanzanian officers were unable to quiet them.

[32] According to Tanzanian Lieutenant Colonel Ben Msuya, several Ugandan soldiers put up stiff resistance at the Nile Breweries Limited building near the bridge before they were cleared out.

[19] The western side of Jinja was quickly secured, but the TPDF-UNLF force took a cautious approach towards its advance into the downtown and the Eagle Colonel Gaddafi Barracks.

[35] The TPDF-UNLF force met no opposition in the downtown, and were instead greeted by crowds of cheering civilians, which offered the soldiers sugar cane, oranges, and goats as gifts.

Residents from villages on the western side of the Nile soon came into town to loot, but Tanzanian soldiers guarded the shops on the main street—the first time during the war they had made serious attempts to prevent pillaging.

Some Tanzanian commanders felt that it was no longer necessary to take prisoners; the new Ugandan Government had successfully appealed the previous week to thousands of Uganda Army personnel to lay down their arms, so those who had not already surrendered did not deserve to be taken alive.

[16] On the day following Jinja's capture, Mohammed Sebbi, a Uganda Army commander who had ordered the execution of numerous residents in the town, tried to flee the area while disguised as a civilian.

[38] Following the end of hostilities, Tanzanian officers reportedly used Jinja as hub to transport their loot from Uganda to Mwanza, including cars, tons of coffee, large amounts of gasoline, and war materiel.