MASINDI – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged more than 10,000 newly trained police constables and immigration officers to reject corruption, maintain discipline and safeguard their health, saying integrity and physical fitness are indispensable for effective public service.
Presiding over the pass-out ceremony of 10,017 graduates at the Police Training School in Kabalye, Masindi District, on Friday, President Museveni challenged the recruits to build careers founded on honesty, professionalism and patriotism.
“Don’t play around with your health. Avoid alcohol, women (mabibi), and everything that can destroy your health. Keep yourself healthy through discipline,” President Museveni said.
The President, who also serves as Commander-in-Chief of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), said maintaining good health was as important as professional competence, noting that despite being 82 years old, he still felt energetic enough to participate in the karate demonstrations staged by the trainees.
“I was watching the karate drills and felt like joining them. Health is a weapon. If you want to serve your family, your country and your institution, you must take care of your health because once it breaks down, you cannot perform your duties effectively,” he said.
The ceremony marked the completion of training for 9,952 Probationer Police Constables under Intake 25/2025–2026, who underwent 11 months of basic police training at Kabalye and Ikafe Police Training Schools, alongside 65 Immigration Officers who completed a four-month induction course. The training was conducted under the theme: “Collaborative Training Geared Towards People-Centered Service for Social-Economic Transformation.”
The President used the occasion to renew his campaign against corruption, describing it as one of the greatest obstacles to Uganda’s socio-economic transformation.
“Nobody should influence you into corruption because corruption undermines government programmes like the Parish Development Model (PDM), health services and many others,” he said.
President Museveni warned the graduates not to succumb to pressure from senior officers or colleagues who may seek to involve them in corrupt practices.
“Don’t associate yourselves with corruption. Even if your bosses suggest it, tell them to suffer alone with corruption. The future is very bright for you if you remain honest,” he said.
He added that government remained determined to eliminate corruption, noting that many young Ugandans were increasingly unwilling to tolerate the vice. “As I said earlier, we are going to crush corruption. Fortunately, we have many young people who are not happy with corruption.”
The President also encouraged the officers to support government wealth creation programmes by mobilising their families to participate in initiatives aimed at lifting households out of poverty.
On policing, President Museveni urged the recruits to embrace technology and community cooperation in fighting crime, saying criminals inevitably leave evidence behind. “Criminals are easy to deal with because they always leave evidence behind. They don’t come in helicopters; they walk or use motorcycles,” he said.
He called for greater utilisation of police canine units in tracking suspects, particularly those involved in coffee theft, while urging the public to preserve crime scenes to enable effective investigations.
The President also highlighted the importance of Uganda’s expanding CCTV camera network in tracing suspects using motorcycles and motor vehicles.
President Museveni congratulated the graduates upon completing their training and commended the Uganda Police Force leadership and instructors for producing disciplined officers capable of serving the country.
“I congratulate all of you for successfully completing your training and joining the Uganda Police Force,” he said.
“I also congratulate the police leadership and instructors because you demonstrated very good skills—from the immigration officers I interacted with first, to the shooting exercises and all the crime prevention drills.”
Minister of Internal Affairs Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu credited President Museveni’s leadership for maintaining peace and stability, saying the prevailing security environment had supported Uganda’s economic progress. He urged the new officers to serve with integrity and professionalism.
Inspector General of Police Abas Byakagaba said the recruitment of 9,952 police constables increases the Uganda Police Force by approximately 25 percent, bringing additional manpower to an establishment of 58,369 officers.
However, he noted that Uganda still falls short of the internationally recommended police-to-population ratio.
“With a population of about 49 million people, Uganda currently has one police officer for every 839 citizens. The international benchmark is one officer for every 500 people,” Byakagaba said.
The IGP said the country’s security situation remains generally calm, apart from isolated criminal incidents, and thanked Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba for strengthening coordination among security agencies.
He also reported progress in implementing the government’s sub-county policing model, saying police have so far operationalised 1,231 sub-counties, representing 56 percent national coverage across 23 policing regions.
The remaining 960 sub-counties are expected to receive 8,200 newly recruited officers, motorcycles, communication equipment and other operational tools as the programme expands.
Byakagaba thanked government for allocating Shs50 billion towards the programme, although he noted that the force had projected a funding requirement of Shs249 billion. He also appealed for increased funding to construct more sub-county police stations and sought approval to recruit 3,000 police officers annually over the next five years to replace personnel leaving through retirement and other causes.
Police Training School Kabalye Commandant Commissioner of Police Lawot Patrick Akim said the graduates had acquired the knowledge, skills and professional attitude required to serve Ugandans effectively.
“I am optimistic that the skills, knowledge and attitude imparted in them will improve service delivery within their respective institutions and create a positive impact in the communities they serve,” he said.
He urged the graduates to uphold the discipline, resilience and teamwork cultivated during training, reminding them that graduation marked the beginning of a lifelong commitment to public service.
“The citizens deserve the very best from you,” Lawot said.
The ceremony was attended by Minister of Local Government Hon. Balaam Barugahara, Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Internal Affairs Dorothy Nsereko, Maj. Gen. Henry Matsiko, representing the Chief of Defence Forces, Commissioner General of Prisons Canon Johnson Byabashaija, Members of Parliament, district leaders and relatives of the graduates.