Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Rwashande on Friday officially took over as Chief of Civil Military Cooperation (CIMIC) of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF).
His predecessor is Maj. Gen. Innocent Oula.
The UPDF Joint Chief of Staff (JCOS) Lt. Gen. Joseph Musanyufu presided over the ceremony held at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs (MODVA) headquarters in Mbuya, Kampala.
At the function, Gen. Musanyufu called upon the new chief to continue cultivating, nurturing, and developing the force’s cordial relationship with the population.
“Because of our good relationship with the population, we are who we are. Without it our own existence cannot be guaranteed as a force. All effort should be put in ensuring that nothing jeopardizes that relationship, it’s the bedrock and guarantor of the forces’ existence,” he emphasized.
Gen. Musanyufu congratulated Gen. Olula "for working exceptionally well" and also welcomed the new Chief.
The CIMIC office has grown over time due to the expansion of UPDF and its nature of work.
Gen. Musanyufu advised Gen. Rwashande to ensure that all work-related with the relationship of the army and the population is housed, coordinated, managed and supervised by the CIMIC office.
The JCOS noted the new CIMIC gives the Chief Political Commissar (CPC) room to concentrate on ideological work within the forces.
He, however, called upon the CPC to always synergize CIMIC with political work.
The Joint Chief of Staff also told the new Chief to put to good use the goodwill from the development partners who are always ready to support the office, especially in skills acquisition.
President Museveni recently appointed Gen. Oula as deputy managing director of National Enterprise Corporation (NEC).
Maj Gen Oula was hailed for his selfless service to the Force and the nation at large while Brig. Gen. Rwashande was called upon to emulate the work ethics of his predecessor to ensure continuous success of the Chieftaincy.
Gen Oula thanked the President for entrusting him to serve as Chief CIMIC.
He hailed the UPDF Leadership that provided him with the necessary support to execute the mission of CIMIC. The outgoing Chief tipped the incoming General Officer that through proper accountability and prioritization of scarce resources, much can be achieved.
Brig Gen Rwashande thanked the UPDF Leadership for entrusting him with the new responsibility and pledged to perform to the best of his ability in fostering the good strategic relationship between the UPDF and the population that has seen the Force grow from the 1981 small army to the current multi-service Force.
“The historical background of NRA, now UPDF, is that it was not founded on superiority of military power but on strong Civil- Military Relations with clear-headed ideology by the Commander-In-Chief of the UPDF. It is my responsibility to emulate the same,” said Brig Gen Rwashande.
The function was attended by the Chief of Personnel and Administration Maj Gen George Igumba, the UPDF Spokesperson Brig Gen Flavia Byekwaso, Deputy Chief of Civil Military Cooperation Lt Col Sam Ntambirwe and Service Directors of CIMIC among others Officers.
