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President Museveni, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), 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), Kyankwanzi.
The graduation ceremony was held at State House Entebbe, where President Museveni challenged the officers to use the knowledge and skills acquired during the 59-day course to promote national transformation, strategic security, and effective leadership.
The graduates comprised senior officers from the UPDF, Uganda Police Force (UPF), Uganda Prisons Service (UPS), Internal Security Organisation (ISO), External Security Organisation (ESO), and Wazalendo SACCO.
Of the 106 participants, 52 were from the UPDF, while the rest represented other security agencies. The class included 16 female officers, many of whom serve at battalion and brigade command levels.
The course, which started on May 26, 2026, focused on strengthening ideological understanding, leadership skills, and strategic thinking among senior security officers. The programme covered areas including revolutionary philosophy, political economy, Uganda’s political history, geopolitics, leadership, skills at arms, and the role of ideology in policy formulation and implementation.
During the pass-out ceremony, President Museveni delivered what he described as a “Lecture of Opportunity” after responding to questions from participants on Uganda’s socio-economic transformation, strategic security, and Vision 2040.
The President said national development is a gradual process that requires proper guidance and understanding.
“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.
He explained that Uganda’s transformation strategy is focused on moving households from subsistence production into the money economy through commercial agriculture, manufacturing, ICT, and services.
Museveni said Uganda’s development journey has been guided by the need to increase production and ensure citizens participate in the market economy.
“Prosperity does not come from begging. It comes from producing goods and services that others are willing to buy,” he said.
The President encouraged the officers to continue sensitising Ugandans on wealth creation through commercial farming, particularly the Four-Acre Model.
He advised households with small pieces of land to dedicate one acre to coffee, another to fruits, one to pasture, and the fourth to food crops, while utilising backyard spaces for activities such as poultry and piggery.
Museveni cited examples of farmers who have transformed their livelihoods through commercial agriculture, including Richard Nyakana of Fort Portal, whom he said earns significant income from integrated farming, and Joseph Ijala of Serere District, who transformed a small piece of land into a successful poultry and dairy enterprise.
The President said the government would continue combining education with mass sensitisation to encourage Ugandans to embrace production and wealth creation.
He also warned against sectarian politics based on tribe or religion, saying such divisions undermine national development.
“Anybody telling you to care more about your tribe than Uganda is an enemy of your prosperity,” Museveni said.
On regional integration, the President said Uganda’s growing production requires wider markets, making East African and African integration essential.
“When our people started producing more sugar, textiles, milk and maize, they discovered that Uganda alone was not enough. That is why Pan-Africanism is essential,” he said.
Museveni reaffirmed that patriotism, Pan-Africanism, socio-economic transformation, and democracy remain the four ideological principles guiding Uganda’s development.
On security, the President said economic prosperity must be supported by strong defence capabilities, noting that modern warfare has expanded beyond traditional domains to include cyber, space, and other emerging technologies.
He also urged Africans to overcome what he described as an inferiority complex, saying the continent has the resources and capacity to compete globally.
Speaking on education, Museveni called for a balanced system that combines academic learning with practical skills while allowing learners to pursue their talents and interests.
The Director General of the External Security Organisation (ESO), Ambassador Joseph Ocwet, thanked President Museveni for what he described as an insightful lecture that strengthened the officers’ understanding of ideology and leadership.
“Every time we meet you, Your Excellency, we learn something new. Tonight, the 14 questions raised by the participants turned into a golden Lecture of Opportunity from which all of us have learnt immensely,” Ocwet said.
He commended NALI for strengthening ideological training within the security sector and praised the security agencies for embracing joint training and cooperation.
The Director of NALI, Col. Okei Rukogota, said the course was designed to deepen ideological understanding among senior security officers and prepare them to support Uganda’s socio-economic transformation agenda.
He said the participants demonstrated discipline, commitment, and enthusiasm throughout the training.
Representing the graduates, Ms. Grace Katushabe said the course had equipped them with practical knowledge to become agents of national transformation.
“This has been more than a lecture. It has been a call to responsibility and action. We have deepened our understanding of patriotism, Pan-Africanism, socio-economic transformation, political economy and the NRA’s Ten-Point Programme,” she said.
, https://nilepost.co.ug/news/357493/museveni-passes-out-106-senior-security-officers
