A total of 57 Police Presidential Guard (PPG) officers have successfully completed a Tier II induction course at the Fort Samora Machel Special Training School in Waza, Kaweweta, Nakaseke District.
The officers were officially passed out to mark their transition into elite units tasked with critical protection duties.
During the ceremony, Brig. Gen. Paul Namawa, Chief of Staff of the Special Forces Command (SFC), commended the officers for their hard work, dedication, and commitment throughout the rigorous training process.
“You now stand before us not only as men and women of the Police Presidential Guard but as elite warriors who have embraced the challenges of our special forces training,” he said.
Brig. Gen. Namawa also extended gratitude to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for his strategic leadership that led to the formation of the PPG unit.
He thanked the Commander-in-Chief for his guidance and acknowledged the role of Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Operations, in the capacity-building efforts of Uganda’s security forces.
“Your training in small unit operations and tactical skills prepares you for critical roles in protecting very important persons (VIPs) under contemporary security threats,” Brig. Gen. Namawa added.
AIGP Moses Kafeero, Director of Human Resource Development and Training for the Uganda Police Force, also congratulated the officers and lauded the dedication of the commandant and instructors at the school.
He encouraged the graduates to maintain a positive attitude toward training as they advance in their careers.
“Attitude towards training is crucial. It ensures you complete your courses with the same excellence with which you begin,” he said.
Col. Justus Rukundo, Commandant of the Oliver Reginald Tambo School of Leadership, addressed the graduates on the importance of ideological development, quoting former Burkina Faso President Thomas Sankara: “A soldier without political training is a potential criminal.”
He highlighted that Uganda’s development challenges could be tackled through patriotism, Pan-Africanism, socio-economic transformation, and democracy.
Lt. Col. Paul Micki Lokut, Director of Training and Doctrine for the SFC, emphasised that the special unit tactics course had equipped the trainees to be combat-ready and able to take on any challenge.
He praised their performance during the demonstration exercises and acknowledged the support of the SFC commander in facilitating the training.
Maj. Aloysious Nsobya, Commandant of Fort Samora Machel Special Training School, commended the resilience of the graduates and encouraged them to serve their country with dedication.
