The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, also the Commander-In-Chief of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has urged retiring army generals not to squander their retirement packages.
Museveni advised during a farewell ceremony for the retiring senior army officers held at State House, Entebbe. The retirees are Maj. Gen. Silver Kayemba, Brig. Gen. Charles Kisembo, Brig. Godard Busingye, Brig. Fred Karara, and Brig.CA Kasaija. “In the army, you have been in service, you have been providing a security service to the country; that has been your Contribution. Now you should join wealth creation but safely,”
The generals who were in the company of their spouses, children and extended families were awarded certificates of service, recognition and souvenirs during the ceremony. Museveni congratulated the Senior army officers for serving UPDF diligently and maintaining the army principles over the years.
Recognizing the sacrifices made by military personnel, he addressed the critical need for a dignified retirement package. “I struggled very hard to see that as you retire, you get a good package. That’s why I kept the casualty unit at Mubende. We can’t allow Ugandans who are injured and crippled in the army to go to the village when we are still getting these low salaries and be a pauper there,” Museveni said. “Now that people are retiring, they must retire with something very reasonable. Don’t gamble by saying that I want to put money here to multiply quickly. Go for durable things.”
Museveni further encouraged the generals to consider investing in land, drawing on his own experiences.“Do not get land from Kampala central at sh1b, go to other areas like Mubende. When I went to Kisozi in 1990, I was buying an acre of land at sh250,000. You can get good land now, and with that, you can establish a base for wealth creation. The economy of eating will never go away; even during the Covid-19 lockdown, people needed to eat. And even with the four acres, you can have one acre of coffee, the army can have nurseries to get you free seedlings of coffee, and fruits, then you have one acre of pasture, one acre of food and in the backyard you put piggery if you are not a Muslim, then the eggs, chicken that’s a very good business. Then if you are near the wetlands, put in some fishponds, so then in that case you have got a base because this is the economy which will never go away. You can even put that money in safe investments where you don’t have supervision, like banks or insurance companies. You should now safely join wealth creation.”
Jacob Oboth Oboth, the Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs, praised the retiring officers for their distinguished service and transformative impact of military training.“In the last few years, I have realised the invaluable opportunity we have to work with the military,” Oboth stated.“It is like we are at school. My colleague Hon. Huda and I are learning every day. The military is the only place where you join as you are and come out differently. People join with high school certificates, and others come out with PhDs. The visionary and strategic leadership you have provided to this country, especially to the UPDF, is commendable,” Oboth said.
The Deputy Chief of Defence Forces Lt. Gen. Sam Okiding also lauded the President’s visionary leadership and stability of the nation and acknowledged the significance of retirement for military officers. “Today, retirement appears new to us but it is not. There were mistakes in the past, but you [Museveni] managed to put them right. I would like to thank the administration of the Ministry of Defence and also thank the family members of the UPDF,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of his fellow retirees, Maj Gen. Silver Kayemba expressed deep gratitude for reaching this significant milestone in their military careers. “We are five retirees in number, and I would like to thank God who has enabled us to reach this day; for love and good health. We have been in the army for 38, 39, 42, and 45 years. For me to stand here and say that we are in good health is wonderful,” he said.
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