Career
He was executed in 1979, following a military coup. He also held the Ghanaian high jump record for many years. He subsequently set the Ghana High Jump record in London on 16 July 1960.
This record stood for 36 years until 1996.
Military
Robert Kotei (then a Colonel), was the Commander of the First Infantry Brigade of the Ghana army in the early 1970s. He was instrumental in foiling a coup plot to unseat the then ruling National Redemption Council (National Research Council) government in 1973.
He became the Ghana army commander in April 1976. Two years later, he was appointed the Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces.
He retired from the army in 1979.
Politics
Kotei was appointed commissioner (minister) for Information by the National Research Council military government led by General Acheampong. He also worked as the commissioner for Housing. This replaced the National Research Council. His appointment was because he was the incumbent army commander.
He became Chief of Defense Staff in 1978, following the palace coup that replaced General Acheampong with Lieutenant
General Fred Akuffo.
On 4 June 1979, the SMC was overthrown by the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) led by Fairlight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings. Following the bloody coup, Kotei surrendered himself to the authorities at the Achimota Police Station in response to requests that previous political office holders report.
Some soldiers apparently "later went to the Police Station and brutalised him when they got to know he was there". His assets were also confiscated to the state.
After an investigation that was apparently incomplete and a trial held in camera, Kotei was sentenced to death.
lieutenant is alleged however that Kotei and his colleagues were probably never tried. On 26 June 1979, Kotei and five other senior army officers, including two former heads of state, Lieutenant General Fred Akuffo and Lieutenant
General
Akwasi Afrifa, were executed by firing squad. Along with the other officers, he was unceremoniously buried at the Nsawam Prisons Cemetery in Adoagyiri, near Nsawam in the Eastern Region. He left behind nine children, including a two-year-old.
All eight senior military officers executed in June 1979 were exhumed and their bodies released to their respective families for reburial in 2001.
On 27 December 2001, two of the eight, Major General Kotei and Air-Vice Marshal Boakye were buried with full military honours at the Osu Military Cemetery in Accra.