The Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) will recruit 2,000 graduates, the Commander of Land Forces, Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, revealed at the weekend.
Gen Muhoozi, the First Son and Land Forces Commander, made the announcement on Twitter on Saturday.
“As Commander Land Forces of UPDF and on the instructions of the Commander in Chief [President Museveni], I declare that we need 2,000 graduates in the next recruitment. We shall ensure they are the right people for the job. They will serve our great country just like we did. God bless Uganda!” Lt Gen Muhoozi tweeted.
The last time the army recruited such a big number of graduates was in 2001.
Efforts to reach Lt Gen Muhoozi’s spokesman for a comment on the timeline of the recruitment were futile.
However, UPDF spokesperson, Brig Flavia Byekwaso, yesterday said she wasn’t privy to the presidential directive.
“I don’t have information about it. I am still finding out about that issue,” Brig Byekwaso said.
This will be Gen Muhoozi’s first recruitment of graduates as the Commander Land Forces.
It is alleged that in the late 1990s, he went to universities recruiting young people to join the army under the Local Defence Unit system.
Many of those who joined his group are in charge of the most critical units of the army.
Since 2017, UPDF has been recruiting soldiers in big numbers, especially auxiliary personnel.
In 2019, the army said they were recruiting more than 30,000 auxiliary personnel for election protection and urban crime. Tens of thousands of young people were recruited.
Two weeks ago, the army again started recruitment of 10,000 auxiliary personnel.