Andrew Mwenda Credits Gen Kainerugaba for Role in UPDF Transformation

Veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda has credited the Commander Land Forces (CLF) for the transformation of the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF).

Mr Mwenda who has been a journalist for several decades and reported about several UPDF operations, says one of the least appreciated developments in Uganda is the transformation of UPDF.

"I made my career as a journalist in large part by exposing the corruption and rot inside this army – the presence of ghost soldiers on its register, the procurement of substandard military equipment, undersize uniforms, expired food rations etc. It had become a springboard for private profiteers.

"The transformation of UPDF from an incompetent and corrupt army to a well-managed and effective fighting machine" has been occasioned by a couple of major developments, acknowledging Gen Kainerugaba for his contribution.

A highly trained military officer, Gen Kainerugaba who is also the Senior Presidential Advisor for Special Operations has received training in Uganda, Egyptian, the UK, the USA, and South Africa.

He has held several positions and introduced new ideas to the UPDF as well as inspired the recruitment, training of officers that currently form the bulk of the UPDF. He is also credited for creating several specialized units, especially under the elite Special Forces Command (SFC). 

Sharing his experience following a trip to the Operation Shujaa area in Eastern DRC in his Independent Magazine, Mwenda observes that the UPDF today is an entirely different force because of the contribution of the current CLF.

"On the helicopter that took us to Kambi ya Yua, we delivered food supplies including bread, rice, and beef for the soldiers. At the camp, every soldier was dressed in proper uniform complete with brand new boots, a tent, a field mattress, warm clothing, socks, and a waterproof uniform," Mwenda writes.

He explains that he has previously visited UPDF in Somalia and South Sudan and has been witness to its transformation.

"In South Sudan, for example, where the operation was entirely funded by the government of Uganda, I was very impressed by the level of organization, the quality and quantity of equipment, the morale of the troops and the logistics such as food and medicines available to the soldiers," Mwenda adds.

At one field hospital in Bor, about 150km north of Juba, the UPDF was tending to the ill or injured in a way that was better than most government (and even private) hospitals in Uganda. The hospital near Juba airport (built out of prefabricated materials) was far more advanced than Mulago National Referral Hospital Kampala at the time; complete with dental services, stores of medicines, decent beds and good food for the soldiers, the veteran journalist notes in his column dubbed "The Last Word."

Although he said he did not visit the field hospital in DRC, Mwenda writes that he was informed that UPDF is flooded by ordinary Congolese citizens seeking medical attention. Indeed, UPDF has been welcomed in this eastern part of DRC by a population warry of incessant attacks by ADF and other militias that terrorize civilians in this part of the world, he says.