The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) on Thursday held a groundbreaking ceremony for a funeral home at the Land Forces Headquarters in Bombo. The facility will be the first of its kind in Uganda and the second in East Africa.
The ceremony was officiated by Deputy Commander of Land Forces Maj Gen Joseph Ssemwanga, who represented the Commander of Land Forces.
In his remarks, Maj Gen Ssemwanga acknowledged the efforts of the UPDF representatives in the 11th Parliament for securing funds to support construction of the facility.
“We extend our appreciation to the 11th UPDF Members of Parliament for funding this project. We pray that the 12th Parliament will continue where the 11th left off,” Maj Gen Ssemwanga said.
Maj Gen Ssemwanga said the funeral home will provide a full range of services. These include body preparation, viewing, prayers, documentary displays about fallen comrades, transportation and final send-offs.
Chief of Staff – Land Forces Brig Gen Chris Bagonza commended the UPDF Members of Parliament for lobbying funds to construct the funeral home and stressed its importance in honouring fallen soldiers.
“The idea of having a UPDF funeral home is to mourn our departed comrades in a dignified manner, eulogise them, and to document our history,” Brig Gen Bagonza said.
Speaking on behalf of the benchmarking team, Col Hon Dr Victoria Nekesa said the initiative started with UPDF Members of Parliament, who secured funding through the parliamentary caucus. She said a benchmarking team led by the Deputy Joint Staff Health Services studied operations at Lee Funeral Home to guide the project.
“The visit aimed to adopt best practices in the design, management, and operation of a modern funeral home, ensuring the UPDF facility is well-managed and efficient,” Col Nekesa said.
The facility will sit on one acre of land and will be built as a vertical structure. Construction is expected to take six months. When completed, it will include a reception area, consultation rooms, a chapel for memorial services, autopsy and body holding areas, administrative offices and parking for visitors and service providers.
The ceremony was attended by Brig Gen Dr Patrick Ogwok Ocen, Deputy Joint Staff Health Services; Brig Gen Edward Mutawe, Director of Human Resource Management Land Forces; Lt Col Hon Dr Jennifer Alanyo; and Col Deborah Nayebare, Administrator of the UPDF National Referral Hospital Mbuya, among other officers and staff.
