EAC armies in Uganda for Tarehe Sita activities
Jan 30, 2018
The Tarehe Sita will be combined with the East African Community (EAC) armed forces week.
PIC: (left-right) Charles Engola, the State Minister for Defence; General David Muhozi, the Chief of Defence Forces; General Katumba Wamala, the State Minister of Works with a guest during the launch of the Uganda People's Defence Forces 37th Anniversary that will take place on 6th February 2018 in Butaleja. This was at the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Mbuya on Tuesday. (Credit: Roderick Ahimbazwe)
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY | TAREHE SITA ACTIVITIES
The military contingents from five East African countries comprising of medics and engineers have started arriving in Uganda to take part in civil military activities preceding Tarehe Sita and the regional armed forces week.
Each country - South Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi - is sending contingent of 15-30 officers to among others; offer a series of medical services and repairing broken facilities at health (facilities) in Bukedi sub-region in eastern Uganda.
The Tarehe Sita will be combined with the East African Community (EAC) armed forces week.
Uganda is the first in the region to host the armed forces week. The EAC secretariat, a few years ago, resolved that the region's armed forces hold the week-long civil military activities annually in different countries in the region on a rotational basis.
Bukedi sub-region is composed of Butaleja, Budaka, Busia, Pallisa, Kibuku and Tororo.
For the next one week, starting on Wednesday, the Rwandan contingent will be operating in Tororo, Burundian in Kibuku, South Sudanese in Busia, Kenyan in Pallisa and Tanzanian in Budaka districts.
Tarehe Sita, which means the sixth day of the month in Kiswahili, is celebrated annually in Uganda in commemoration of February 6, 1981 when the National Resistance Army (NRA), composed of 43 men (27 armed), attacked Kabamba military barracks in Mubende, marking the start of the five-year liberation struggle.
Under the leadership of Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, now President, the NRA guerilla war ended with the capture of power January 26, 1986.
This year's Tarehe Sita and the EAC armed forces week will be celebrated in Butaleja district under the theme, Reaffirming the contribution of the armed forces towards regional integration for our strategic security, development and prosperity.
"Three of the contingents (from three countries) are already heading to Bukedea (on Tuesday) for Tarehe Sita week," Col Bahoku Barigye, the Uganda People's Defense Forces (UPDF) deputy chief political commissar said.
He was briefing Ugandan senior military officials and defence envoys from the East African countries at the Ministry of Defence and veteran affairs headquarters in Mbuya, Kampala about the preparations for the celebrations.
The UPDF explained that the Force decided to carry out Tarehe Sita and regional armed forces week-long civil military activities to respond to some of the challenges facing the sub-region, including poor health services and facilities.