Low turnout, missing papers leave Kikuube short of 40 UPDF recruits
Brig. Gen. Rodgers Kitwala, the team leader of UPDF Recruitment Group 5, noted that they had completed recruitment in Masindi, Kiryandongo, Hoima, Buliisa and Kikuube districts and were heading to Kakumiro, Kagadi and Kibaale districts.
UPDF recruits listen attentively as their names are read out during the recruitment exercise at Hoima District headquarters in Kasingo on August 14, 2026. (Photo by Peter Abaanabasazi)
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Kikuube district has missed out on 40 Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) recruitment slots after only 42 of the 82 people targeted for enlistment qualified for recruitment, with officials attributing the shortfall partly to low turnout, missing documents and poor health.
Speaking to New Vision in a phone interview on August 17, 2026, Lt Ismail Sekikubo, the spokesperson of UPDF Recruitment Group 5, which is in charge of Midwestern Uganda, said that out of 19 professionals who were shortlisted, only 15 turned up and 10 qualified.
Sekikubo said the recruitment exercise, which took place at Hoima district headquarters in Kasingo, Hoima city, on August 14, 2026, left 11 applicants disqualified for various reasons, including medical problems, forgery of documents and failure to present original documents.
Kikuube district resident commissioner Godwin Angalia said Kikuube district was supposed to recruit 82 people into the UPDF, but only 42 were able to join.
According to him, during the shortlisting process, only 62 applicants managed to qualify, adding that, unfortunately, some of those who were shortlisted did not turn up for recruitment.
He noted that the recruitment process was transparent and attributed the low turnout to a lack of documents and poor health.
Angalia called on parents to prioritise the education of their children and urged them to promote healthy and disciplined lifestyles to ensure that their children do not miss out on such opportunities.
“We were supposed to have 82 people recruited from Kikuube district, but only 42 joined the UPDF force, meaning that the district missed 40 slots,” he said, calling on parents to invest in the education of their children and encouraging them to avoid living reckless lives that expose them to diseases.
Brig. Gen. Rodgers Kitwala, the team leader of UPDF Recruitment Group 5, said the exercise was moving on as expected.
He noted that they had completed recruitment in Masindi, Kiryandongo, Hoima, Buliisa and Kikuube districts and were heading to Kakumiro, Kagadi and Kibaale districts.