Tarehe Sita: UPDF to roll out medical, construction projects across Kigezi

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The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has announced a series of community development activities to be undertaken across six districts and three municipalities in the Kigezi sub-region as part of the 45th Tarehe Sita anniversary celebrations.

In a statement by the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, read on his behalf by Maj. Gen. Henry Matsiko, the Joint Staff Political Commissar and Member of Parliament representing the UPDF, the army, will implement construction works, medical outreach programmes and civic engagements aimed at strengthening the bond between the military and civilians.

The activities, which begin on Thursday, November 13, 2025, will be conducted in Kabale Municipality, Kabale district, Kisoro Municipality, Kisoro district, Rukungiri Municipality, Rukungiri district, Rukiga district, Rubanda district and Kanungu district.

“During this period, a series of activities will include light, quick-impact construction projects, medical outreach programmes, and donations, especially to the youth of school-going age,” Matsiko said while addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala on Wednesday, November 12.

According to the CDF’s statement, the Defence Forces Week and the Tarehe Sita anniversary celebrations for 2025–2026 will run under the theme: “Defending the Gains of the Revolution and Honouring the Sacrifices of the Freedom Fighters: A Call for National Unity, Peace, and Socio-Economic Transformation.”

The Kigezi sub-region was chosen as the national host for this year’s celebrations due to its historical contribution to Uganda’s liberation struggle, particularly through the Front for National Salvation (FRONASA) and later the National Resistance Army (NRA).

Gen. Kainerugaba paid tribute to prominent figures from Kigezi who played significant roles in the liberation struggle, including former premiers Ruhakana Rugunda and Amama Mbabazi, as well as several fallen war heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

“Kabale district, in particular, played a crucial role in the early efforts of the revolutionary struggle,” Matsiko read. “The people of this region stood with the revolution during the most difficult times of the 1970s, and together with their neighbours in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, they enhanced the liberation struggle.”

The celebrations will kick off with the launch of national activities at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs headquarters in Mbuya on Tuesday, November 18, followed by regional and district-level launches across Kigezi. Engineers and medical teams will deploy to the region to begin identified projects benefiting local communities.

Regional celebrations will be launched on December 2, 2025, at Shaza playground in Kisoro Municipality, with simultaneous district events taking place the following day. Activities will run for two weeks, culminating in a handover ceremony of completed community projects on January 6, 2026.

The main national celebration will be held on February 6, 2026, at the National Teachers’ College grounds in Kabale Municipality.

Maj. Gen. Matsiko noted that this year’s Defence Forces Week will begin earlier than usual to avoid clashing with the upcoming electoral period, emphasising the UPDF’s commitment to ensuring peace and security during the elections.

“As an army mandated to protect and defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Uganda, we assure the country that the electoral exercise will be peaceful, and nobody will disturb the peace of the people,” he said.

The CDF’s statement also highlighted the significance of Tarehe Sita as a National Day of Reflection, commemorating the founding of the people’s army on February 6, 1981, which marked the start of the struggle that led to the National Resistance Movement (NRM) coming to power in 1986.

“Tarehe Sita serves as a tribute to the efforts of the founding members of the revolutionary forces in advancing a people-led revolution aimed at achieving freedom, democracy, and socio-economic transformation,” the statement reads.

Gen. Kainerugaba reaffirmed the UPDF’s commitment to maintaining a strong partnership with the Ugandan population, saying that the Defence Forces Week provides an opportunity for the army to give back to communities that have supported it since its inception.

“We appreciate the people-based support that has enabled the UPDF to register success after success. The interaction between the army and civilians continues to cement harmony, compatibility, and interdependence,” he added.

The UPDF urged all Ugandans to join in the celebrations and participate in the community activities planned across the country as the army marks 45 years since its founding.