Maj Gen Sam Kavuma, the UPDF Deputy Commander of Land Forces, has closed a Local Defence Unit (LDU) refresher training of the last batch at first division headquarters in Kakiri district.

The training that started on the 18 July 2020 saw 6,000 LDU personnel, their commanders and Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) undergo a refresher training aimed at ideologically orienting them and re- emphasizing the pro- people stance of the UPDF.

Maj Gen Kavuma thanked the LDUs for the work well done and told them that the refresher training they have undergone was meant to make them better. He reminded them that UPDF has been successful because of its pro-people ethos of; conscious discipline, patriotism, pan-africanism and good fighting. “The above are the gears the UPDF has engaged in its 40 years accident free journey since 1981”, he said.

He further told the attentive graduands that the journey has been possible because the gear box that has been used to engage the gears has been maintained in sound conditions. “Do you know the gear box”, the General asked. “The gear box are the ‘Wanainchi’ (civilians). Without them, we would not have reached this far”, he said. He urged the graduands to maintain the strategic and historic relationship UPDF has always had with the population.

Maj Gen Kavuma further urged the graduands to be patriotic. “Patriotism is about knowing your country, understanding it, loving it and sacrificing for it. Security personnel are the first patriots of any country”, he revealed.

General Kavuma was delighted with the positive reports he was receiving from the Division Commander on the performance of those already deployed that had undergone the same refresher training. “I expect the same reports about you”, he said.

He appealed to all Ugandans to shun whoever preaches anarchy and instability. He further added that all are stake holders as far as maintaining peace in the country is concerned. “Peace is like oxygen, it’s only when you lose it that you know its importance”, he cautioned. “Please maintain the peace.”

The Division Commander Maj Gen Samuel Kawaga thanked the army leadership for the decision taken to re-train LDUs.

He said that the initial objective for which the LDUs were recruited, which is fighting criminals and criminality especially in Kampala Metropolitan Area (KMA) was achieved.

He enumerated the security condition before the recruitment and deployment of the LDUs in KMA which was characterized by murders even of some prominent people like sheikhs, security personnel, politicians and mobile money dealers. “We were also faced with kidnaps, house break-ins, iron bar hitmen and many other crimes”,he reminded. Gen Kawaga was happy that such conditions were eliminated with the help of the LDUs.

The 1st Division commander further thanked the police for offering professional training to the LDUs. The LDUs were taken through crowd dispersal, military law, political education, civil policing, civil military relations among others.

All the ten LDU battalions deployed in KMA have undergone refresher training and there have been reports of remarkable improvement in their performance following their re-deployment.

The pass-out ceremony was attended by the Commander of the LDU Colonel Micheal Hyeroba, 401 Brigade Commander Colonel Sam Kosiya Kutesa, other senior UPDF commanders and principle staff officers of the 1st Division.