#Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka

Uganda and France have agreed to deepen defence ties, with discussions between Defence Minister Kiryowa Kiwanuka and French Ambassador Virginie Leroy focusing on joint military training, motorized assets, mountain rescue systems, and regional peacekeeping operations.

The Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka, has reaffirmed Uganda’s non-aligned stance during bilateral discussions with the Honorary Consul of the Syrian Arab Republic, Dr. Tamouh Moustafa, emphasizing that Uganda’s upcoming deployment to Gaza remains strictly neutral and focused on peacekeeping.

Speaking on behalf of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at the African Union Extraordinary Summit in Luanda, Minister of Defence Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka urged continental leaders to prioritize the practical execution, funding, and political ownership of existing security frameworks over creating new mechanisms.

Minister of Defence Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka has defended the 2026 UPDF nationwide recruitment exercise before Parliament, emphasizing that the military prioritizes national citizenship and local residency over tribal origins while promising an inquiry into reported enlistment anomalies in Pallisa District.

Minister of Defence Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka and Belgian Ambassador Hugues Chantry have held bilateral talks at Mbuya headquarters to review military ties, regional peacekeeping missions in DR Congo and Somalia, and continued support for AUSSOM.

Uganda has committed its military search and air rescue capabilities to the Eastern Africa Standby Force, filling a critical strategic gap in regional peacekeeping, emergency crisis response, and disaster management.

Parliament has approved the deployment of UPDF troops to join a United Nations-backed international stabilization mission in the Gaza Strip despite procedural resistance and security concerns from Opposition MPs.

The Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs has ordered the immediate processing of retirement benefits and pensions to ensure the dignified reintegration of UPDF veterans into civilian communities.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has called upon the country's criminal investigators to deepen their ties with local communities to more effectively fight...