Museveni Calls for Problem-Solving Leadership at UPDF MPs Election

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF), has called on leaders to focus on identifying and solving people’s practical needs, saying this has been the guiding philosophy of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) since the 1960s.

The President made the remarks on Wednesday while presiding over the election of UPDF representatives to Parliament at the Land Forces Headquarters in Bombo, Luweero District.

During the Defence Council Delegates Conference, UPDF officers elected 10 representatives, seven men and three women, to serve in the 12th Parliament.

The elected male representatives are: Lt Gen Sam Okiding, who received 340 votes; Lt Gen James Mugira with 303 votes; Lt Gen Sam Kavuma with 282 votes; Brig Gen David Gonyi with 266 votes; Maj Gen Henry Masiko with 251 votes; Maj Gen James Kinalwa with 241 votes; and Brig Gen Joseph Ssemwanga with 198 votes.

The elected female representatives are Col Ikiriza Knight, who garnered 307 votes; Col Sylvia Meeme with 314 votes; and Col Christine Nekesa Situma, who received 261 votes.

In his address, President Museveni thanked the UPDF High Command for nominating the officers and reiterated the importance of leaders who can identify and work on citizens’ solvable needs.

He referenced the Runyankore concept of “okukyenura,” which he described as the deliberate identification and resolution of people’s practical challenges.

The President reflected on the NRM’s early achievements, noting that by 1996 the Movement had restored discipline within the army, rejected sectarian politics, eliminated shortages of essential commodities, rebuilt infrastructure, and rolled out immunisation against the six killer diseases. He said these interventions earned the NRM widespread public support at the time.

He further highlighted government efforts aimed at uplifting the poor through initiatives such as Entandikwa, Universal Primary Education, army schools, NAADS, Operation Wealth Creation, and the Parish Development Model, which he said is currently yielding positive results at the grassroots.

The President added that the renewed enthusiasm witnessed around the NRM in the recent elections reflects these efforts and the peace the Movement has maintained.

President Museveni explained that UPDF representatives in Parliament act as observation posts to identify national issues early and report them to the army leadership, thereby helping to prevent policy mistakes. He cited the decision by Members of Parliament to increase their salaries as an example of an issue that could have been addressed earlier if such mechanisms were effectively utilised.

He tasked the newly elected UPDF representatives to closely monitor government programmes, including the Parish Development Model, free education, road construction, and immunisation, noting that while preventive healthcare has improved, challenges remain in curative services.

On electoral governance, the President reiterated that the long-standing objective of the NRM has been to place Ugandans in charge of their country through one person, one vote by secret ballot. He revealed that irregularities were detected in the 2021 general elections, including the infiltration of an estimated 2.7 million votes, which informed his insistence on the use of biometric verification systems, although he noted that these had not been fully utilised.

The President emphasised that for the country to remain stable, those in power must allow citizens to freely choose their leaders. He also commended the UPDF and other security agencies for providing security during the recently concluded elections.

The Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission, Justice Simon Byabakama, congratulated UPDF officers for exhibiting discipline throughout the voting process and expressed hope that the same discipline would be demonstrated in other electoral exercises across the country. He called on all stakeholders to embrace unity as the election season comes to an end.

During the same ceremony, President Museveni commissioned three officer cadets presented by Maj Gen James Kinalwa, Joint Staff Human Resource Management.

The commissioned officers are Bazalaki Timothy, who trained at the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University in Sri Lanka, and Akoi Moses and Piloya Vivian, both of whom completed their training in Tanzania.