Uganda to offer air rescue expertise to Eastern Africa Standby Force
“Everything available to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) is available to the people of Eastern Africa in as far as it pertains to maintaining peace and security. Our existence as Uganda is anchored on the safety of our neighbours. We cannot be an island of peace,” Kiwanuka said.
Kiwanuka added that Uganda would sustain the capabilities it had pledged to the EASF and make its search-and-air-rescue capacity available to the regional force.
The Government of Uganda has pledged to provide search-and-air-rescue capabilities to the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) to strengthen the region’s ability to respond to security threats, natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies.
The commitment was announced on August 11, 2026, during a high-level meeting between defence and veteran affairs minister Kiryowa Kiwanuka and a delegation led by EASF director Brigadier General Ronald Rwivanga at the ministry headquarters in Mbuya, Kampala.
The pledge followed the 36th Ordinary Policy Working Group meeting held on Monday, August 10, at Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Kampala, as well as a verification exercise conducted to assess Uganda’s operational readiness, interoperability and the equipment it has committed to the regional force.
The verification team visited the Uganda Police Force, the International Peace Support Operations Training Centre in Singo and the Uganda Rapid Deployment Capability in Jinja.
Minister Kiwanuka said stronger regional preparedness was increasingly important as African countries seek to develop their own capacity to respond to security and humanitarian challenges.
“This continued strengthening of our regional preparedness is extremely important,” Kiwanuka said, adding that Uganda’s approach was in line with the principle of African countries developing solutions to their own security challenges, particularly amid changing international support for peacekeeping operations.
“The President always emphasises that we must find African solutions to African problems. We can no longer hope that someone from outside our home will ensure our strategic security,” he said.
Kiwanuka added that Uganda would sustain the capabilities it had pledged to the EASF and make its search-and-air-rescue capacity available to the regional force.
“Everything available to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) is available to the people of Eastern Africa in as far as it pertains to maintaining peace and security. Our existence as Uganda is anchored on the safety of our neighbours. We cannot be an island of peace,” he said.
EASF expands focus beyond conflict
Brig. Gen. Rwivanga said the verification team was satisfied with the level of preparedness and equipment demonstrated by Uganda.
“We verified the UPDF and police standard policies and were very satisfied with the equipment and operational readiness on display,” Rwivanga said.
He attributed Uganda’s preparedness partly to the experience its security forces have gained from years of regional peace-support operations.
“The readiness is evident, not just from the physical outfit, but from the vast experience our troops have gained over years of operations in Somalia,” he said.
Rwivanga said the UPDF, police and civilian components together provide the different capabilities required in modern peace-support operations.
“The UPDF, police, and civilian components form a multidimensional force that captures the complete elements of modern peace support,” he said.
He said the EASF was increasingly looking at how the regional mechanism could respond collectively to disasters, where the impact of emergencies can quickly cross national borders.
“We realised that in disaster scenarios, we need a collective regional capacity to respond to natural calamities,” Rwivanga said.
According to Rwivanga, the different capabilities pledged by member states are intended to complement one another. Ethiopia has pledged C-130 transport aircraft, while Kenya is expected to provide air reconnaissance and Rwanda medical humanitarian assets.
Uganda’s search-and-air-rescue capability, he said, would fill an important gap in the regional response architecture.
“With Uganda’s tested rescue capability now on board, we can significantly mitigate the impact of disasters across our region. We must always be ready for the worst-case scenario, and working together remains the most effective way to address any crisis beyond our borders,” he said.
Defence state minister Grace Akifeza Ngabirano said regional solidarity would be critical to achieving sustainable peace and enabling African countries to confront emerging challenges collectively.
“It’s until we have this solidarity that Africa can get lasting peace and solutions to whatever challenges we get. I look forward to the continuous process that will continue to let Africa shine among other continents,” Ngabirano said.
Deputy Chief of Defence Forces Lt Gen. Sam Okiding also reaffirmed Uganda’s readiness to provide the capabilities it has committed to the EASF.
“We are ready, because we have the knowledge, we have the experience, we have the capability, we have the capacity. So, we shall take up that task as required,” Okiding said.
He argued that the security of individual countries in the region is closely linked, making collective defence cooperation essential.
“Strategic defence cannot be achieved by one hand. When I talk of one hand, I mean one country. Our strength is actually derived from our unity,” he said.
Okiding said the complexity of security threats facing Eastern Africa means countries cannot rely solely on national capabilities.
“We need each other to be safe,” he said, stressing the importance of regional cooperation in addressing threats that may have implications beyond individual national borders.
The meeting was also attended by UPDF Chief of Joint Staff Lt Gen. Jack Bakasumba, Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security Maj. Gen. Richard Otto, EASF Force Commander Brig. Gen. Stephen Maina Huria, EASF Chief of Joint Staff Brig. Gen. Stephen Kashure and assistant commissioner for human resource management Harriet Kyomugisha, among other officials.
Meanwhile, the EASF meeting continues until Friday. The Experts Working Group is expected to finalise its recommendations before they are considered by the Eastern Africa Committee of Chiefs of Defence and Security on Thursday, August 13.
The process will culminate on Friday, August 14, when defence and security ministers meet for the 36th Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of Defence and Security to consider and sign the regional accord.