By Pascal Kwesiga                       

LUWEERO - A total of 629 officers and men of the Uganda Peoples' Defense Forces (UPDF) have retired from the army.

This comes two months after the army retired the first batch of 503 officers and men of the defense forces.

The latest batch was retired at the general army headquarters in Bombo in Luweero district on Friday.

The retirees matched in tow with Gen. Geoffrey Muhesi, the ex-deputy African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) force commander, from the venue of the ceremony in Bombo barracks up to the facility's quarter guard as a sign they were leaving the army.

The exuberant retirees also danced to dirges from the army band as they symbolically matched out of the military facility with their spouses and relatives.

"When I joined the army in 1986, my father told me to go, serve and come back alive,” said 52-year-old Maj. Ahmed Yamindi.

“I am happy to go back alive."


New Vision photographer Godfrey Kimono captured the moments . . .

 

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Maj. Gen Geoffrey Muheesi (L) handing over a certifcate of retirement to Capt. Abdu Rahman Okot after being allowed to officially retire at Bombo Military Barracks
 

 

Here, Lt. Col. Francis Nzigira Kamugisha (R) receives his certificate of retirement from the army
 

 

Capt. Moses Karamagi was also among the hundreds who were officially allowed to retire from the armed forces
 

 

A total of 629 officers and men of the Uganda Peoples' Defense Forces (UPDF) have retired from the army
 

 

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They marched through a guard of honour to the gate of Bombo Military Barracks after being retired from the army
 

 

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Some of the relatives joined the UPDF soldiers in jubilating their retirement
 

 

 

 

It was a moment of joyous reunion for many of the newly-retired soldiers with their loved ones
 

 

 

 

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