Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers who are studying air force engineering course at Soroti Flying School are to graduate on March 30^th, 2012.

The soldiers set to graduate have studied for three years and they have undergone training in contravention of international and regional aviation standards.

The 42 students will be awarded certificates and diplomas by the president of Uganda, Gen. Kaguta Museveni, who is the commander in chief of the country’s armed forces.

From Soroti Flying School the graduands would be sent to Nairobi and Dar es Salaam for further military training.

However UPDF plans to reduce the training from three years to two years. UPDF spokesman Felix Kulayigye says that the training the graduands have got was tailor-made to the UPDF needs.

The graduands have studied Engine and Air flame course, Information and Technology and Electrical engineering.

The post UPDF soldiers to graduate in air force first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Besigye, the man who has given president Museveni sleepless nights has reportedly urged women and men of Uganda who live in USA and Europe to add their voices to the voices of Ugandans in Uganda who fight so hard the said dictatorial regime of president Museveni.

He briefed them that in Uganda the members of opposition are not allowed to walk while going for work yet over 98% of Ugandans don’t own cars.

Besigye told them that the moment police find poor people in the morning walking for work it shoots them with tear gas canisters and live bullets. In the due course many people including babies have lost their lives.

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Security sources in Uganda tell us that the Al Qaeda and Al Shabaab rebels plan to use East African countries through the links they have with East African rebel groups like interahamwe, LRA and ADF. Al Qaeda and Al Shabaab want to bomb all East African states for their refusal to urge Burundi and Uganda to pull out their troops from Somalia. Uganda and Burundi took the their troops to Somalia on a peace keeping mission.

Following this development the East African security chiefs met in Kampala yesterday to design measures of how they will tame the security threats from Al Qaeda and Al Shabaab.

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The Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Aronda Nyakairima has told journalists that health centres run by the army will be lifted to hospital status because they offer services to both civilians and soldiers.

He says that donors, development partners, Members of Parliament (MPs) and all stakeholders who have visited health centres run by the UPDF are ‘very pleased.’

Aronda says that UPDF health centres are public because civilians access health services from there. He says that health centres run by the UPDF have serviced millions of Ugandans, Rwandase, Congolese, Burundians, Tanzanians, Kenyans and Somalis among others.

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Lt. Gen. Fred Ibingira, the chief of staff of the Reserve Forces, Brig. Gen. Richard Rutatina, the military intelligence chief, Brig. Gen. Wilson Gumisiriza, commander of the Rwanda Defence Forces 3rd Division, and Col. Dan Munyuza, head of external intelligence, were placed under confinement on January 18 this year. President Kagame toldUgandajournalists that the officers were arrested over indiscipline. 

Kagame did not disclose what acts of indiscipline his military officers were involved in. However the accused army generals have told our informers in Kigali that none of them has ever participated in wrong dealings. The generals have also denied intelligent reports that they were secretly working to over throw the government inKigali.

By Walakira Nyanzi

The post Rwandan army generals speak on Kigali house arrest first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

 But the UPDF 5th division Army spokesman, Ceaser Olweny confirms that Bongomin has been recruiting people to join rebel activities and the evidence to prove this is already in the army hands. The army spokesman says that Bongomin was arrested from a village called Lacili in LakulSubCountyin Pader district with a pistol and 30 rounds of ammunition after he sneaked into Ugandafrom the Democratic Republic of Congo. Other intelligence reports indicate that Bongomin sneaked into Ugandafrom NairobiKenyaon January 3^rd this year.

 Bongomin has been on the wanted list Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces 2007. Bongomin served in American marine and retired in 2003. He later joined LRA fighters between 2006 and 2007 and broke away after the LRA leader Joseph Kony plotted to kill him.

By James Okello

The post US Marine soldier denies Ugandarebel connections first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

According to a source in the ministry of defence, Uganda will deploy in Darfur early next year as per UNAMID programme.

We are reliably informed that UNAMID has requested Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda to deploy soldiers in Darfur on a peace keeping mission.

As you read this Rwanda has also started training her soldiers to be deployed in Darfur. Sources in Kampala, Bujumbura and Kigali tell our investigative desk that Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda will each send 250 soldiers. However Uganda and Rwanda will send addition 140 experts in air force each.

Efforts to get a comment from Lt. Col. Felix Kulayigye, who is Uganda’s army spokesman, were futile by press time.

By James Okello

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The Uganda government believes that Lt. Col. Mande is behind the formation of the Peoples Redemption Army. Col. Mande is one of the soldiers and fighters who brought the current government in power in 1980s. His number in Uganda Peoples Defence Forces RO, 69.

The government and the leadership of UPDF allege that Mande formed the Peoples Redemption Army with Lt. Col. Anthony Kyakabale and late Col. Edison Muzoora. Army spokesman, Lt. Col. Felix Kulayigye was not picking his phone when this journalist contacted him for a comment.

By Christine Kate

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The CDF General Aronda Nyakairima who was the chief guest today opened a health centre III in Moruita in Nakapiripirit district amidst ululations from the locals.

The health centre which he insisted should be called 407 Brigade Health centre III to avoid being grabbed by district authorities is located at the new home of the UPDF 407 Brigade headquarters in Moruita.

The construction of this centre started on the 27^th of Jan 2009 by the UPDF Engineers Brigade when Gen Aronda laid the foundation and promised to complete it.

The well furnished centre has a theatre, Laboratory, two wards for male and female, Doctors room, councilor’s room and other apartments.

In his speech, General Aronda promised that the centre will be fully equipped and open to both the army and the public but ran sort of appointing a military Doctor instead handed over the facility to the District health officer Nakapiripirit to over see it until a military Doctor is Identified. He also promised that UPDF will stay in Karamoja until peace, security and development are irreversible.

Speaker after speaker hailed the UPDF for the work the army has done for the local communities in the area pouring prizes to the local commander there Lt Col Moses Kwikiriza as the best commander ever and they demanded that Aronda promotes him in recognition of his good working relationship with wanainch but Aronda later in his speech insisted that with or without promotion Lt col kwikiriza will have to continue serving the people of Karamoja diligently. He added that UPDF is just playing a supplementary role in fulfilling the president’s pledge of improving NAADS and Health.

He reminded the people of Karamoja that the development of Karamoja was the 8^th point on the 10 point program of NRA and therefore no body can stop it. That the few remaining stubborn warriors and their acts will soon be history and the people of Amudat and Nakapiripirit being near the Kenyan boarder should begin to trade with neighboring Kenya like it is the case with Gulu and South Sudan after attaining peace.

The Commander of the Engineers Brigade in UPDF announced that Moruita Health centre was the 19^th constructed by his Brigade in the whole country and promised to build more.

The Chairperson LC 5 Nakapiripirit Mr John Lorot in his remarks promised to support the health centre and UPDF in its final assault on lawlessness in Karamoja while the District Health officer promised to reduce child and mother mortality using the facility.

Others who attended included the Local government leaders of the districts of Amudat and Nakapiripirit, RDCs, area councilors and the local citizens.

By Captain Deo Akiiki

Capt Deo Akiiki is the UPDF 3^rd Division Public Relations Officer.

The post UPDF completes ‘best’ health centre in Karamoja first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

The general who was accompanied by the chief of logistics and Engineering Col Victor Twesigye and the commander of the Engineering Brigade Engineer Brig Jack Sabiiti and other senior UPDF senior officers said the garage is the first of its kind in the region with equipments and experts not found anywhere probably even in the great Eastern Uganda .

He implored the civilian community and NGOs to be taking their vehicles to this facility for professional repairs at a fair fee. He also cautioned UPDF officers who will bring in their personal vehicles to be ready to pay so that the money can assist in maintaining the garage and servicing the machines used there in and also improving the welfare of UPDF soldiers operating in Karamoja.

The construction of this facility in Karamoja is aimed at helping both soldiers and civilians who have been trekking all the way to Mbale to do major repairs. Due to bad roads repairs in Karamoja has been a thorn in the flesh of many vehicle owners whose vehicles break down so often.

We shall use the facility to handle 1^st line, 2^nd line and 3^rd line maintenance and repairs for soft skinned vehicles and trucks. It will also be possible to over whole Engines in a short time.

Mr Godfrey Zariwedi the representative of BABCON construction company officially handed over the facility to the army leadership for operationalising and commercializing it.

By Captain Deo Akiiki

The write is UPDF 3rd division spokesman

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