Major Naomi Karungi courtesy Photo

31 year old, Naomi Karungi was on a Training Mission when the helicopter Jet ranger AF302 crashed.

According to UPDF spokesperson Brig. Richard Karemire, the jet AF 301 was on a training mission when it crashed on a hill.

Karungi joined the army after completing her degree in Social Work in Economics at Makerere University. Following the completion of her cadet training, she joined flight school at Soroti Flying School. She later rised to the rank of Major in the army and was a trusted pilot who flies helicopters.

Major Naomi Karungi life

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The president of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni signs at one of the portraits of Julius Nyerere during the Launch of the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere leadership Centre : COURTESY PHOTO

The President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni officiated the launch of the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership Centre  on Saturday to pay accolade to former Tanzania president Julius Nyerere.

While delivering an inaugural lecture at the launch of the center at Makerere University, president Museveni commended Mwalimu Julius Nyerere for his vital role in the liberation of Africa.

“I belong to a heritage of resistance and it was led by Mwalimu Nyerere. You should study deeply what Mwalimu stood for and find out the new components that can be added on. You cannot talk about him without talking about Africa,” Museveni praised.

According to Joseph Butiku, the Executive Director of Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation, while Mr. Museveni will be the Chairman of the Trustees of the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership Centre.

Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, acknowledged the president’s efforts toward the  while praising for facilitating the multi purpose building that was built by UPDF in a record time of 40 days citing that it was the best way to show gratitude towards the freedom fighter.

The Government has allocated Shs.2.3 billion out of the envisaged total of Shs.4.5 billion towards the construction of a new structure at the Campus.

Way back, when Nyerere was hosted at Makerere as a student, the same structure that was chosen as the centre were among the building at the campus.

The Chairman of the Board of Julius Nyerere Leadership Centre, Prof. Edward Kirumira, said the facility will be a centre for rendering knowledge to a future  leaders.

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ugandan marine issues orders during one of the routine patrols

Three Kenyan security officers in are being detained by Ugandan soldiers in what could be the latest controversy surrounding fishing rights in Lake Victoria.

The officers were arrested and disarmed by the UPDF soldiers on Monday near Mageta and Hama Islands in Lake Victoria and taken to the neighbouring country by boat. The officers’ guns and phones were taken away before they were taken to Bugiri Mainland Prison in Uganda at about 6pm. Priscilla Kemunto of KDRTV wrote.

Siaya County Administration Police Commandant Patrick Lumumba said the 3pm incident involved up to eight soldiers on patrol. He also said the officers were rounded up and put together with Kenyan fishermen found catching fish in Ugandan waters.

In November last year, the Foreign ministry had to intervene after 17 fishermen in Homa Bay were arrested and detained in Uganda over illegal fishing. A number of this group claimed they were also forced to pay fines before they were released.

While Kenya sends police officers to patrol the lake, Uganda has sent the Special Forces Command, a unit of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces.
In February this year, President Museveni argued he sends the military because his police officers and the marine authorities were too corrupt to protect Ugandan fish.

Meanwhile in Siaya, fishermen are up in arms and do not intend to hold more meetings. They are instead demanding for a patrol team that equipped with sophisticated weapons to match their Ugandan counterparts.

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Soldier carry the remains of their lost Comredes. Ugandan officials have said only four soldiers were killed in the attack when Al-Shabaab Islamist extremists attacked their base on Sunday. Internet Photo

Alshabab attacked and killed at least four Ugandan soldiers at the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) base in Somalia on Sunday.

The attack happened on April 1st 2018 at Quoryole, Bulomareer and Golwein in Lower Shabelle region in Somalia.

Since the attack, the media has been awash with different statistics with some reports suggesting that 8 soldiers died whereas others have up to a tune of sixty soldiers.

The Shadow Minister of Defense who is also the Member of Parliament Kilak  County North Gilbert Olanya raised the matter before parliament noting  that their investigations indicate  that 10 UPDF soldiers have died and 14 are injured.

The army spokesperson Brig .Richard Karemire told the media that four Ugandan soldiers had died, and only six were injured, while UPDF managed to kill 22 Alshabab Militants, although international media agencies reported higher figures of 46 and 59 as the number of dead UPDF soldiers.

On Tuesday, President Museveni revealed that actually 8 soldiers had been killed, and that UPDF managed to kill 36 alshabab terrorists.

MP Gilbert Oulanyah  said that  the death of these soldiers is raising speculations over the motive in the secrecy of this information.

Oulanya wanted to read out the names of the deceased who he thinks their number is slightly higher from that quoted by government and those considered injured but he was stopped by the deputy speaker Jacob Oulanyah.

He asked for Government to give the names and details of the dead and injured without concealing anything,

He also asked government to explain the plans it has of bringing the Ugandans soldiers back home since it was considered last year to withdraw them from Somalia.

While responding to the matter raised by mp  Olanya ,the minister of Defense Adolf Mwesige told parliament that  130 Alshabab militants were killed by AMISOM forces on the day of the attack, while only 8 UPDF soldiers died.

He committed himself to give a comprehensive statement over this matter on Thursday 5^th April 2018 before parliament. Mwesige explained that four soldiers had died on the spot, while four died later from the injured six. He also said the UPDF will stay in Somalia as it has been agreed upon in the United Nations.

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EAC Armed Forces Command officials

EAC Armed Forces Command Post Exercise (CPX) “USHIRIKIANO IMARA” was officially opened at Peace Keeping Training Center (PKTC) Kunduchi, Dar-es salaam Tanzania where Fourty officers and men of UPDF and UPF are participating in the exercise.

The exercise conducted for a fortnight by EAC Partner States was held from 4th to 15th December 2017. The CPX was aimed at training the EAC Partner States’ Armed Forces and other key stakeholders in the planning and conduct of an integrated mission. This encompasses; Peace Support Operations, Disaster management, Counter terrorism and Counter Piracy.

The mission was composed of Military, Police and Civilian Components so as to jointly improve capabilities of combating complex security challenges.

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The chief guest Hon Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi the Minister of Defence and National Services for the United Republic of Tanzania, appreciated the opportunity accorded to him to grace the official opening of the EAC Armed Command Post Exercise “Ushirikiano Imara 2017”.

Hon Mwinyi commended the EAC Secretariat for the excellent arrangements put in place to conduct this exercise in Kunduchi. He congratulated all the EAC partner states for their active participation during the concept development conference initial planning, and final planning conferences which enabled the exercise to take place.

“This is a vivid testimony that you have attached considerable value to this exercise and the entire integration within our community. Indeed it is such a commitment that is likely to propel us further in our endeavor” he added.

Hon Mwinyi further appreciated the respective governments of EAC partner States for the support they have rendered towards making this 2017 exercise possible. He implored that to ensure the community grows even stronger, there is need to commit the much needed resources from elsewhere into the exercise. Hon Dr. Mwinyi expressed concerns over current security challenges facing partner States in the region and beyond. He urged all participants in the exercise to exhibit utmost commitment and discipline in order for them to reap the maximum benefit to their respective governments that availed the resources.

The current Chairperson of the Defence Sectoral Council in the EAC Hon Adolf Mwesige who is also Uganda’s Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs appreciated the regional Defence Forces for the good camaraderie exhibited in preparing for the exercise. He termed it as a foundation which further strengthens the cause of the East African Community, unity, common defence, security, peace and development.

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Angina made the remarks at the Imperial Golf View Hotel in Entebbe during a two days’ workshop for the technocrats from the ministry of agriculture, animal industry and fisheries, who are preparing for the Joint Agricultural Sector Annual Review (JASAR) 2017 which will take place next week on 27^th and 28^th    at Speke Resort Munyonyo.

OWC Gen Charles Angina

Citing the example of Amuru and Nwoya Districts from Northern Uganda, Angina told the participants that time has come for them to come up with a policy to help peasants also gain out of their land because investors here have taken advantage to cheat them without any interventions from government.

In reply, the permanent secretary of the ministry of agriculture, Pius Wakhabi Kasaija said he is going to consult over the matter and come up with a lasting solution to the problem.

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One of the crashed helicopters

The United Nations (UN) has officially communicated to Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) declining to compensate three helicopters that crashed in Kenya in 2012. The helicopters crashed on the slopes of Mount Kenya on August 12th, 2012 on their way to beef up the mission to fight against Al Shabaab militias, under the UN-sponsored African Union Mission (AMISON) in Somalia.

The three Mi24 gunship helicopters that crashed reportedly cost Shillings 30 billion, and Uganda has since been pushing UN to replace them. Reports indicate that they were part of force enablers that were to be used by AMISON in ‘Operation Eagle’ an operation that was to weaken the Al-Shabaab in areas of Baidoa. They were also to help in air surveillance in the ‘Operation Indian Ocean’.

General Katumba Wamala, the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) said that UN had refused to compensate them for the helicopters indicating that they had not entered the mission area in Somalia. He said that also other earth moving equipment worth 10million Dollars that was lost in the Somalia is not to be compensated.

On August 12th, 2012 three Ugandan army Mi24 helicopter gunships operating under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) crashed over Mount Kenya. The helicopters were heading to Kismayo to combat the Al-Shabaab militants. Seven crew members died and 21 were injured.

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Some of the members present at the launch

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Members of parliament on legal committee say that  UPDF should either sit with the opposition or Independent, and still vote as they please. 

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Southern Sudanese celebating their independence from Sudan. Photo Credit: ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)

Some of the Member of Parliaments say that the withdrawal of UPDF from the South Sudan has  been long overdue because they did not support the deployment. Commander of the Armed forces Gen Katumba Wamala announced Monday that Uganda’s army will leave neighbouring South Sudan by first week of November.

Busia Municipality MP Kevina Taaka says the Army was supposed to be protecting Uganda borders instead of being inside South Sudan, but involving the army in South Sudan  was uncalled for and was just wasting the tax payer’s funds.

On the other hand, the MP PWD Western Region, Hood Katuramu, says it was very good for UPDF to stay in South Sudan to author peace and make sure that Sudan becomes part of the East African community. He adds that UPDF played a good role to curb ethnic wars that were likely to erupt in S. Sudan.

The move was a key rebel demand during drawn-out talks which led to a peace deal in August; they asked that all foreign forces leave by 10 October, 2015.

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