The Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) has launched the 17th edition of the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Cup 2025 in Masaka, with a strong emphasis on women’s participation in sports.
Brigadier General Charity Bainababo, the Director of Women Affairs, urged female combatants to embrace sports as a tool for empowerment, fitness, and teamwork.
“Sports is important for us as people in uniform,” Brig Gen Bainababo said. “First of all, it enhances our fitness, but also the teamwork.”
She added that sports foster cohesion and sharpen readiness among soldiers. “We get to know each other. We know each other’s abilities and capabilities because we are going to operate together anyway. So it’s good for us, good for our fitness, good for us to know each other, and it keeps your brain working for readiness as a soldier,” she emphasized.
Brig Gen Bainababo further encouraged female soldiers to maintain discipline, efficiency, and cohesion in every activity they undertake.
The opening netball fixtures delivered exciting results. Joint Staff Brigade defeated MOI 54–13, 1 Infantry Division overcame Marine 50–30, Military Police outclassed Jinja Cantonment 62–5, and 3rd Infantry Division narrowly edged UPDF Air Force 27–25.
The event attracted senior UPDF officers, including Brig Gen Jackson Kajuba, Col Robert Ngabirano, and Lt Col John Andrew Kulu, who joined the teams in celebrating the opening matches.