President Museveni has passed out 106 senior security officers who completed the Advanced Joint Senior Political Education and Leadership Development Course at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi.
The officers, drawn from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), Uganda Police Force (UPF), Uganda Prisons Service (UPS), Internal Security Organisation (ISO), External Security Organisation (ESO), and Wazalendo SACCO, completed the 59-day programme aimed at strengthening leadership, ideological understanding, and strategic thinking within the security sector.
The graduation ceremony was held on Friday, July 17, 2026, at State House Entebbe, where President Museveni, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the UPDF, challenged the graduates to use the knowledge gained to support Uganda’s socio-economic transformation and national security objectives.
The course, which began on May 26, 2026, attracted 106 participants, including 52 UPDF officers and 16 female officers, many of whom serve at battalion and brigade command levels.
The training covered areas including political economy, Uganda’s political history, geopolitics, leadership, revolutionary philosophy, skills at arms, cyber security, and the role of ideology in policy formulation and implementation.
While addressing the officers, President Museveni said Uganda’s development journey should be understood as a gradual transformation process requiring proper guidance and strategic leadership.
“Society transforms just like an insect changes from an egg to a caterpillar, then a pupa and finally a butterfly. Societies also transform in stages and must be guided correctly through those stages,” Museveni said.
The President said Uganda’s development strategy is centred on moving households from subsistence production to participation in the money economy through commercial agriculture, manufacturing, ICT, and services.
He urged security officers to continue sensitising communities about wealth creation, particularly through commercial farming and the Four-Acre Model.
Museveni advised households with small pieces of land to maximise productivity by allocating acreage to crops such as coffee and fruits, pasture, food crops, and engaging in activities like poultry and piggery.
He cited examples of farmers who have improved their livelihoods through commercial agriculture, saying productive use of land can create wealth and employment opportunities.
The President also emphasised the importance of patriotism, Pan-Africanism, socio-economic transformation, and democracy as key principles guiding Uganda’s development.
He cautioned against sectarian politics based on tribe or religion, saying such divisions undermine national unity and economic progress.
“Anybody telling you to care more about your tribe than Uganda is an enemy of your prosperity,” he said.
On security, Museveni said economic progress must be protected through strong strategic defence capabilities, noting that modern conflicts increasingly involve technology, cyber systems, and emerging domains beyond traditional warfare.
He also called for a balanced education system that combines academic knowledge with practical skills while allowing learners to pursue their interests and talents.
The Director General of the External Security Organisation (ESO), Ambassador Joseph Ocwet, praised the training programme, saying it had strengthened officers’ understanding of ideology, leadership, and national development.
“Every time we meet you, Your Excellency, we learn something new. The questions raised by participants turned into a golden Lecture of Opportunity from which all of us have learnt immensely,” Ocwet said.
He commended NALI for promoting joint training among security agencies, noting that institutions that previously operated separately are increasingly working together.
The Director of NALI, Col. Okei Rukogota, said the course was designed to prepare senior officers to become effective commanders, planners, and strategic leaders.
He said the participants demonstrated discipline, commitment, and eagerness to learn throughout the programme.
Speaking on behalf of the graduates, Ms. Grace Katushabe said the course had equipped officers with ideological and leadership skills necessary to contribute to national transformation.
“This has been more than a lecture. It has been a call to responsibility and action,” she said.
