Uganda’s 12th Parliament on Tuesday commended President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for his leadership, which military and legislative leaders say has sustained four decades of peace and national security.
The resolution was highlighted during a parliamentary sitting presided over by Deputy Speaker Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa.
Addressing the House, the Deputy Chief of Defence Forces (D/CDF) and UPDF Representative, Lt Gen Sam Okiding, paid tribute to the President's military stewardship since 1986.
"We have been able to protect this country with the little we have for the past 40 years," Lt Gen Okiding said.
The Deputy CDF emphasized that national defense relies directly on public cooperation and citizen participation.
"I want to thank all of the Ugandans for enabling him build a well robust National Defence," Lt Gen Okiding stated. "World over, National Defense is built by citizens, it's built by everybody. For the last 40 years, Uganda has experienced high levels of peace and stability."
Lt Gen Okiding noted that despite the country's compact strategic geography, the UPDF has established a formidable defense system that positions Uganda as a key security actor in the region.
"As a country, we should jealously defend what we have, because most people don’t have even a quarter of what we have as a country," Lt Gen Okiding added.
During the same sitting, the Minister of State for Defence and Veteran Affairs (Veterans), Hon. Huda Oleru, addressed regional security concerns, assuring Parliament that the UPDF maintains permanent military formations to safeguard the Karamoja sub-region.
In other legislative affairs, UPDF Representative Hon. Col Meeme Sylvia was elected to represent the military standard in the Uganda Women Parliamentary Association (UWOPA) for the 2026 term.
