Army names centres for recruitment of 13,000 LDUs

Recruits going through the verification exercise at Makindye, Kampala. Photos by Timothy Murungi

The Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) has revealed some of the centres that will be used to recruit 13,000 Local Defence Unit (LDUs) officers.

The process will start on July 15 and end on July 31, 2019, in selected districts in Central, Eastern, Northern and Mid-Western Uganda.

Maj. Yusuf Bilal Katamba, the army's first division spokesperson, yesterday, said that in the Kampala metropolitan area, which covers Wakiso, Kampala and Mukono, they will recruit 3,000 LDUs.

He said the recruitments will take place in Wankulukuku (Rubaga division), Old Kampala Secondary School (Kampala Central), Kampala Capital City Authority grounds for Nakawa Division, Kutano playground in Kawempe and the Kibuli Police Primary school playground for Makindye Division.

 Maj. Katamba

He said apart from being physically fit and healthy, they expect a potential recruit to have a national Identity card, recommendations from the LC 1, GISO and DISO, no criminal record, hold a Primary Seven or ‘O' level certificate and must be aged between 18 and 35 years.

The recruitment is aimed at enhancing the existing foundation security arrangement in the country to ensure the people and their property are secured at grass root levels.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni ordered for the recruitment of 24.000 LDUs in September last year following the rampant gun violence, kidnap and robberies in the country.

 
In October, the UPDF conducted recruitment of 6,400 LDUs in Makindye, Rubaga, Luzira, Kamwokya, Nakawa and Kawempe.

These recruits were then sent for a four-month basic military training at the Oliver Tambo Military School in Kaweweta in Nakaseke District. The president passed them in March this year and 6,000 were deployed in Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono to offer security to the people.