By Fidel Boy Leon
President Yoweri Museveni commissioned 352 officer cadets at Uganda Military Academy Kabamba on Thursday, turning what could have been a mere ceremony into a masterclass on modern warfare and African unity.
The newly minted officers, 105 from the Bachelor of Defence Studies Course, 218 professional cadets, 11 trained abroad, and 18 pilots stood at attention as their Commander-in-Chief delivered a message that went far beyond congratulations.
Twenty-two came from allied forces across Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic, a visible reminder that security threats respect no borders.
“Congratulations. Now, with the new officers, I can think of four words, not only for you, but for all other officers, men, sergeants, and NCOs of the UPDF. The first is health. You must look after your health because it is crucial,” the President said.
He was just warming up. Completing the course proved they were in good health, Museveni noted, but maintaining it requires discipline, which brought him to his second point.
In the military, there’s no room for lone wolves. “You cannot be a soldier if you are not disciplined, because soldiers must move not as individuals but as groups, in a section, a platoon, a company, a battalion, a division. Discipline makes you coordinate with all others without arguments when you are in the course of duty,” he said.
Then came the harder truth. Ideology matters. Museveni warned against the colonial mentality that still haunts some minds, the quiet poison of inferiority that undermines purpose.
“You cannot be an army of Uganda if you have a colonial mentality or a mentality of inferiority. It is important to know why you are a soldier of Uganda. You must understand our principles: patriotism, love of Uganda; Pan-Africanism, love of Africa; socio-transformation, and democracy.”
The President didn’t mince words about corruption. “You can’t be patriotic and Pan-Africanist and want your people to undergo social and economic transformation and become corrupt. People become corrupt because they don’t know those principles and think individualism is more important than the country and its people.”
But knowing why you fight isn’t enough if you don’t know how to win. Drawing from global conflicts, Museveni challenged the officers to grasp something counterintuitive: “In war, you must know how to achieve tactical superiority within strategic inferiority.” Modern warfare now sprawls across four dimensions—land, air, sea, and space. No single African nation can master all four alone.
“If you are clear about all this, there is nothing that can defeat us. We have all the resources; what is lacking is knowledge and coordination with other African countries. That’s why I’m happy to see the fraternal students from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic. We should continue to discuss how to secure Africa against future threats,” he said.
Defence Minister, Jacob Oboth, urged Ugandans not to take peace for granted. “Every household in Uganda has benefited from the gains of peace and stability. These gains must be protected,” he said.
Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba traced the UPDF’s journey from its launch forty-four years ago, almost to the day, in the same area where Thursday’s ceremony unfolded.
“Your Excellency, this powerful UPDF as we know it today was launched in this very area that we are meeting in 44 years ago, that is on the 6th of February 1981. The UPDF has since then developed into the biggest force in the country’s socio-economic transformation.”
From South Sudan to Somalia, the DRC to the Central African Republic, the UPDF has built a reputation. “In the neighbourhood, in South Sudan, the DRC, in Somalia, in the Central African Republic, in Equatorial Guinea, the UPDF continues to be a force for good,” Gen. Muhoozi said.
He called soldiering “the highest vocation in human experience” and told the fresh graduates they represent “institutional renewal.” But he also delivered a reality check: this graduation marks only the beginning.
“The end of this officer cadet training is only the beginning of their journey in the UPDF in terms of training. A lot more training is yet to come. We’ll continue to sharpen them until they are the best warriors and commanders out there, able to deal with whatever is thrown at them in the line of duty.”
Brig Gen Saad Katemba, Commandant of the Uganda Military Academy, praised the cadets’ “endurance, resilience, and dedication” and thanked their families for standing behind them throughout the gruelling training.
The ceremony drew Ministers of Defence, the Permanent Secretary, Lt Gen Jack Bakasumba, service commanders, defence attachés from allied nations, and a constellation of generals and senior officers—all witnesses to another generation taking up the responsibility of defending not just Uganda, but the wider African cause.