UPDF To Be Restructured

Jun 13, 2002

The first phase of the Uganda Defence Reform programme will be launched by President Yoweri Museveni tomorrow at the International Conference Centre, Kampala.

By Felix OsikeThe first phase of the Uganda Defence Reform programme will be launched by President Yoweri Museveni tomorrow at the International Conference Centre, Kampala.Under the programme, UPDF will be split into the land force, air, reserve and marine forces, each headed by a chief of staff. The state minister for defence, Ruth Nankabirwa, told The New Vision yesterday that restructuring the army was part of museveni’s election manifesto to professionalise it. She said the position of Army Commander would not be scrapped.Nankabirwa said under the new arrangement, there would be the post of overall Chief of Staff, who will be deputised by the other four chiefs of staff. She said there was also a plan to strengthen the mountain brigade which has been fighting the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in the Rwenzori Mountains.“We want to come out with a professional, modern, accountable, efficient and affordable army,” she said. Nankabirwa said to achieve such a target the reform package would involve training, demobilisation and recruitment of qualified personnel to man the key departments. She said the army commander, Brig. James Kazini, is among those to present papers at the launch. Nankabirwa said there was restructuring in the logistics and accounting departments. The Minister of Defence, Amama Mbabazi, said in a press statement yesterday that the programme was aimed at, “improving the force by re-examining the its functions, roles and mission.” He said the reforms would address the question of how to guard national interests against real or latent security threats. It also aims at improving discipline and weed out inefficiency in the army.Ends

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