The Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission, Justice Simon Byabakama, congratulated the UPDF for its discipline during the voting and urged all stakeholders to embrace unity as the election season concludes.
BOMBO, UGANDA – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has called on leaders to prioritise identifying and solving the practical needs of the people, a philosophy he says has guided the National Resistance Movement (NRM) since the 1960s. The President made the remarks on Wednesday while presiding over the election of Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) representatives to Parliament at the Land Forces Headquarters in Bombo.
During the Defence Council Delegates Conference, UPDF officers elected ten representatives—seven men and three women—to serve in the 12th Parliament.
The elected male representatives are:
- Lt. Gen. Sam Okiding (340 votes)
- Lt. Gen. James Mugira (303 votes)
- Lt. Gen. Sam Kavuma (282 votes)
- Brig. Gen. Gonyi David (266 votes)
- Maj. Gen. Henry Masiko (251 votes)
- Maj. Gen. James Kinalwa (241 votes)
- Brig. Gen. Joseph Ssemwanga (198 votes)
The elected female representatives are:
- Col. Meeme Sylvia (314 votes)
- Col. Ikiriza Knight (307 votes)
- Col. Nekesa Christine Situma (261 votes)
In his address, President Museveni thanked the UPDF High Command for nominating the officers and highlighted the importance of leaders who can address citizens' solvable needs. He referenced the Runyankore concept of "okukyenura," which he described as the deliberate identification and resolution of people's practical challenges.
Reflecting on the NRM’s early achievements, the President noted that by 1996, the Movement had restored army discipline, rejected sectarian politics, eliminated commodity shortages, rebuilt infrastructure, and rolled out immunisation against six killer diseases. He also pointed to ongoing poverty-alleviation programs such as Entandikwa, Universal Primary Education, NAADS, Operation Wealth Creation, and the Parish Development Model, which he said are delivering positive results at the grassroots.
President Museveni explained that UPDF representatives in Parliament act as “observation posts” to identify national issues early and report them to the army leadership, helping prevent policy mistakes. He cited the Parliament’s decision to increase MPs’ salaries as an example of an issue that could have been addressed earlier through such mechanisms.
The President tasked the newly elected representatives with closely monitoring government programs, including the Parish Development Model, free education, road construction, and immunisation. He acknowledged improvements in preventive healthcare but noted that challenges remain in curative services.
On electoral governance, President Museveni reiterated the NRM’s commitment to one person, one vote by secret ballot. He revealed that irregularities, including an estimated 2.7 million infiltrated votes, were detected in the 2021 general elections, which informed his push for biometric verification systems—though he noted these were not fully utilised.
He emphasised that stability requires those in power to allow citizens to freely choose their leaders and commended the UPDF and other security agencies for ensuring peace during the recent elections.
The Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission, Justice Simon Byabakama, congratulated the UPDF for its discipline during the voting and urged all stakeholders to embrace unity as the election season concludes.
During the ceremony, President Museveni also commissioned three officer cadets presented by Maj. Gen. James Kinalwa: Bazalaki Timothy (trained in Sri Lanka), Akoi Moses, and Piloya Vivian (both trained in Tanzania).
