The Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) 5 Infantry Division Commander, Brig. Gen. Keith Katungi has asked the newly deployed Local Defence Unit (LDUs) to serve Ugandans by protecting people and their property.
While addressing the newly deployed LDUs at Labwodong Training School in Agago district on Thursday, July 6, 2023, he cautioned them on the oath of allegiance that has to be followed to the dot through their military career.
“The primary role of soldiers is to serve the people of Uganda by protecting them and their property as part of our constitutional mandate,” Brig. Gen. Katungi said.
He added that the oath of allegiance they took while being passed out at Kaweweta Training School, if followed properly to the dot, would guide them throughout their military careers.
The commander elaborated that training is a continuous process in the Army, and the reason they were in Labwodong was to ensure the sustainability of the army.
Katungi noted that Uganda is largely peaceful, apart from isolated incidents from the Allied Defence Forces (ADF) and livestock theft in the Karamoja sub-region. He added that although the country is peaceful, Africa as a continent is not peaceful, and that’s the reason UPDF has crossed borders to help other countries in the spirit of Pan-Africanism.
He further implored them not to let the country go back to its dark past, adding that they will be taken through two months of orientation training meant to reorganise and acclimatise them into this formation, ready to be deployed to do army work.
The Division Commander also cautioned them not to lead promiscuous lives by protecting themselves against the HIV/AIDS scourge.
“It is only the healthy and physically fit who can defend their country and live longer to see the fruits of their sweat,” Brig. Gen. Katungi cautioned.
He also noted that ideological clarity is key among troops if they are to be good soldiers.
President Museveni passed out over 9,000 LDUs on June 29, 2023, from Kaweweta Training School.