[3] As a result of the political infighting and powers of the armed factions, Uganda's first post-Amin provisional government led by President Yusuf Lule was unstable.

[5][6] Museveni subsequently organized the Popular Resistance Army" (PRA) rebel group and began attacking UNLA forces in February 1981, entering the Ugandan Bush War.

Knowing that his force was small and not well equipped, Museveni envisioned that his rebels would wage a long-term "people's war" to gradually undermine Obote's government and build up support across Uganda, starting with the Luwero region where many civilians were already sympathetic to his cause.

However, early rebel attempts to capture guns from the UNLa and its TPDF allies were rather unsuccessful: The Battle of Kabamba on 6 February 1981 was a partial failure, and a subsequent series of raids on police stations yielded only few weapons.

After a promised arms shipment by the PRA's foreign allies failed to arrive, the group resumed its attacks on government targets on 18 March.

[10] In April, the PRA opted to launch a "more ambitious" raid, targeting a UNLA outpost at Kakiri to capture more weapons[11] and demonstrate its ability to inflict damage against the government.

One PRA spy working at the local sub-county headquarters was ordered to scout the UNLA outpost, allowing the rebels to ascertain that the government troops had set up few proper defenses and not dug any trenches.

The assault was initiated by a PRA fighter shooting a rocket-propelled grenade at the local police station, whereupon the five rebel sections stormed the camp.

[19] As the UNLA soldiers fled, PRA member Pecos Kutesa reportedly crawled forward under gunfire to personally capture a heavy machine gun[18] which had been placed in front of the military camp.

[11][19] Knowing the poor gun discipline of the local UNLA soldiers, the Tanzanians were unaware that the shooting was related to an actual rebel attack.

[11][17] As a lesson of the raid, the PRA leadership concluded that they had to always take a group of porters on important missions, as the militants had difficulties to transport the loot during the retreat from Kakiri.

The latter contingent was detected by the TPDF and attacked on 18 April, resulting in a clash that ended in the rebels losing several fighters and some of the weaponry captured at Kakiri.