The Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka, has defended the nationwide military recruitment drive, affirming that the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) selects candidates based on Ugandan nationality and verified residency rather than tribe or religion.
The minister made the clarification during a parliamentary plenary session presided over by the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon.Jacob Oboth-Oboth.
The ministerial response followed allegations raised by legislators regarding regional enlistment irregularities, including candidates registering outside their ancestral districts.
Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka told the House that applicants are recruited from the districts where they register, provided their official identification documents establish verified local residency.
Addressing a specific incident in Pallisa District where an applicant named Osire was reportedly assaulted and disqualified after an officer instructed him to write a different name, the minister confirmed an administrative investigation.
“Ofcourse, we are going to investigate the matter and establish what happened,” Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka said.
The minister urged legislators to educate constituents on maintaining integrity during security vetting, questioning why an applicant would willingly write an incorrect identity.
“We don't think that Osire would be a desirable member of our fraternity if he can write a wrong name, we can not understand how someone can simply write a wrong name for himself,” Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka noted.
In response to arguments from a Kassanda legislator that the candidate was merely following military orders, the UPDF Parliamentary Whip and Commandant of the Senior Command and Staff College Kimaka, Maj Gen David Gonyi, rejected the claim.
“First of all, the gentleman was not a soldier yet, and in interviews they will never tell you what they will ask you, if they ask you to call youself something else and you accept, how do we trust that you will be able to protect everyone else in the country?” Maj Gen David Gonyi stated.
