The Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs, Adolf Mwesige, has said government will continue to fund the training of officers of the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) in a bid to professionalise the force.
The minister said yesterday during the graduation ceremony of 42 Senior Officers who have successfully completed a one year Senior Command and Staff Course at Senior Command and Staff College, Kimaka.
Mwesige, said that this course is a clear reflection that East Africa Community integration is a success since it has drawn students from the entire East African Region and South Africa.
He applauded the UPDF as an institution for the tireless efforts to maintain peace in Uganda and the entire region. He lauded Uganda’s development partners such as; the US, UK, China, India, Egypt and others for supporting the UPDF in form of training and equipment.
He acknowledged the contribution from Makerere University Faculty of Social Sciences for partnering with the college to offer an affiliated Master’s Degree program at the college.
The Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen. David Muhoozi said that training is at the core of capacity building and professionalism in UPDF.
Gen Muhoozi further said that UPDF has now improved training by standardizing the way it teachers in conformity with other colleges in the region. “We have strived to improve training by empowering the teaching staff with other foreign partners like India, Tanzania and Kenya,” he said.
The Commandant of the college Lt Gen. Andrew Guti, while welcoming guests said that the 42 students who successfully completed the course were drawn from all East African Community partner states as well as the Republic of South Africa.
