The Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka, has commended the Russian Federation for its steadfast commitment to enhancing the operational capabilities and technical capacity of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF).
Hon. Kiryowa made the remarks during a bilateral engagement with the Head of Russian Military Experts in Uganda, Major General Sergei Marchuk, who paid a courtesy call on him at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs (MODVA) headquarters in Mbuya, Kampala.
The discussions reviewed the execution and milestones of existing military-technical cooperation agreements between Kampala and Moscow. Key focus areas included the continuous development and operationalisation of domestic maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities for military hardware, the construction of specialised military training centers, and capacity-building programs for UPDF technical personnel.
Hon. Kiryowa extended the Government of Uganda’s appreciation to Moscow for its sustained technical assistance, with particular emphasis on professional soldier development and technological transfer.
“I must thank you for the continuous training you have given our officers, and we are really excited about the next batch that is going,” Hon. Kiryowa said, noting that structured training exchanges have bridged key technical knowledge gaps within the forces.
He underscored that the defense partnership has reinforced Uganda’s self-reliance in equipment servicing and technological adaptation. Hon. Kiryowa observed that Uganda and the Russian Federation share historical, unbroken diplomatic ties dating back to Uganda's post-independence era, describing the strategic continuity of this alliance as vital to national security and sovereignty.
The bilateral engagement was attended on the Ugandan side by the Undersecretary for Finance and Administration, Mrs. Edith Buturo; the Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, Lt. Gen. Sam Okiding; and the Chief of Joint Staff, Lt. Gen. Jack Bakasumba, alongside technical representatives from the Russian military mission.
