President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), has called on leaders to prioritise identifying and solving the practical needs of the people, saying this approach has guided 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.
Addressing the Defence Council Delegates Conference, President Museveni emphasised that effective leadership must be anchored in addressing issues that directly affect citizens’ lives.
He cited the Runyankore concept of “okukyenura,” which he described as the deliberate process of identifying people’s challenges and working to resolve them.
During the conference, UPDF officers elected 10 representatives—seven men and three women—to 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), and Brig. Gen. Joseph Ssemwanga (198 votes).
The elected female representatives are Col. Meeme Sylvia (314 votes), Col. Ikiriza Knight (307 votes), and Col. Nekesa Christine Situma (261 votes).
President Museveni thanked the UPDF High Command for nominating the officers and reiterated the importance of leaders who are able to identify and work on citizens’ solvable needs.
Reflecting on the NRM’s early years in government, the President noted 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.
According to the President, these achievements earned the NRM strong public support at the time.
He further highlighted government efforts aimed at uplifting the poor, citing programmes such as Entandikwa, Universal Primary Education, army schools, NAADS, Operation Wealth Creation, and the Parish Development Model (PDM), which he said is currently delivering positive results at the grassroots.
The President added that the renewed enthusiasm witnessed around the NRM in recent elections reflects these interventions and the peace maintained by the Movement.
President Museveni explained that UPDF representatives in Parliament serve as observation posts, helping to identify national issues early and report them to the army leadership 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 key 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, President Museveni reiterated that the long-standing objective of the NRM is to ensure that Ugandans are 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 national stability depends on allowing citizens to freely choose their leaders, and he 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 similar discipline would be upheld in other electoral exercises across the country.
He called on all stakeholders to settle down and embrace unity as the election season draws to a close.
During the same ceremony, President Museveni also commissioned three officer cadets presented by Maj. Gen. James Kinalwa, Joint Staff Human Resource Management.
The newly commissioned officers are Bazalaki Timothy, who trained at General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University in Sri Lanka, Akoi Moses, and Piloya Vivian, both of whom completed their training in Tanzania.