The Chieftaincy of Pension and Gratuity has commenced the Retirement Sensitization and Documentation Exercise of 159 of 162 Senior Officers under Batch 13 B at Non-Commissioned Officers Academy (NCOA) Jinja.
According to the Deputy Chief of Personnel and Administration, Brigadier General Godfrey Kawesa Kigozi, the retirees are encouraged not to be afraid to engage in community leadership through local councils and parliamentary seats.
“As long as you do not promote vices like sectarianism, segregation, and tribalism, please engage in community leadership through local councils and parliamentary seats,” Kigozi urged.
Batch 13 B will see a total of 162 officers retire from the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces. These will include five (5) Generals, thirty-six (36) Colonels, eighty-two (82) Lieutenant Colonels and forty-one (41) Majors.
Brig. Gen. Kigozi urged them to use the retirement stretch of their lives diligently by sticking to their retirement plan and keeping an active connection with their UPDF serving comrades.
He reminded them that retirement is not rejection from the forces but giving them a chance to engage in other economic activities in the country.
“Take advantage of this time to get involved in other economic activities in a civilian way in order to use your hard-earned pension and gratuity,” Kigozi advised.
Brig. Gen. Kigozi cautioned the soon-to-be retired UPDF soldiers that it is not easy to adjust from a command position, but they should be ready to abide by their respective community authorities.
The Generals set to retire include Maj Gen Fred Tolit, the former Defence Adviser of Uganda in South Africa; Brig Gen Eugene Ssebugwawo, currently Coordinator of Disaster Preparedness at the Office of the Prime Minister; Brig Gen Emmanuel Rwashande, currently UPDF Chief of Civil-Military Cooperation; Brig Gen Jessy Kamunanwire, serving under Uganda Police; and Brig Max Gumisiriza, formally Commandant of Peace Support Centre Singo.
The Commandant NCOA, Col. Robert Rutayinama, congratulated the officers upon reaching the milestone in their UPDF career journey. He urged the retirees to embrace retirement with positive emotions, not as a punishment, and encouraged them to wisely invest their hard-earned pension and gratuity.
The officers are slated to be retired from the UPDF on April 30, 2024.
On behalf of the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, the Principal Human Resource Officer, Mr. Enyimu William, called upon the retirees to ably determine their retirement spending needs.
He guided them to consider the basic investment principles (where to invest, how to invest, what to invest, the level of risk, mastering the economic cash flow, and asset acquisition).
The retirees were assured about the security of their pension remunerations as the government waived any form of tax on the pensions of officers.
