The Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs (MoDVA) and the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) have officially launched the 45th Tarehe Sita Anniversary at the MoDVA/UPDF Joint Staff Headquarters in Mbuya.
The anniversary will run under the theme, “Defending the gains of the revolution and honouring the sacrifice of the freedom fighters: A call to national unity, peace and socio-economic transformation.”
Delivering his speech, former Prime Minister, Amama Mbabazi said, “Tarehe Sita is a day that carries a lot of meaning for all of us who participated in, supported or lived through the struggle that gave rise or gave birth to the National Resistance Army (NRA), now UPDF.”
He noted that Tarehe Sita is not simply a date but “A testament of resilience, a reminder of the young men and women who sacrificed everything so that Uganda could begin anew,” he said.
He noted that the struggle’s outcome could only be secured through faith, discipline and unity, from which “arose a people’s army, an army built on the trust and support of humanity.”
He said the foundation of the UPDF was laid in the relationship between fighters and civilians.
“Without the people, there would have been no NRA. And, without the army, the people would not have security,” he said.
He emphasised that the civil-military cooperation celebrated today “did not come by accident. It was deliberate. It was principled. And it remains essential.”
Recalling the Bush War, he said civilians sheltered fighters, treated their wounds, and offered moral courage, while fighters upheld discipline and protected communities.
According to him, “This mutual respect became the core doctrine of the NRA, later UPDF. And it is gratifying to see that this doctrine continues to guide our force today.”
Mbabazi said the UPDF remains “a people’s force, grounded in service, humility, and national unity.”
He described the Tarehe Sita activities in Kigezi as a homecoming, noting that the engineering projects and community engagements “reflect the UPDF’s belief that security is not only the absence of war, but the presence of health, education, infrastructure, environmental protection, and community empowerment.”
He reflected on his time as Minister of Defence, saying he had the honour of guiding the force through professionalisation, discipline, equipment modernisation, and improved welfare.
“Today, the UPDF stands as one of Africa’s most respected and dependable forces,” he said, adding that in his diplomatic engagements, he always highlights this achievement.
Looking ahead, Mbabazi said the lesson for future Tarehe Sita commemoration is clear: “The strength of Uganda lies in the unity between its citizens and their armed forces. A country or a people that do not have the capacity to defend themselves cannot be free.”
He added that while the UPDF must remain advanced and well equipped, it must also stay close to the people, “guided by discipline, anchored in the values of liberation struggle, and dedicated to defending both sovereignty and human dignity.”
He said the humanitarian and emergency work done by the UPDF, engineering support, disaster response, and medical outreaches, are “not new inventions. They are a continuation of what is defined in the NRA: A force that lived among the wananchi, respected them, defended them, depended on them, and protected them.”
Mbabazi referred to this doctrine as “one of Uganda’s greatest strategic assets.”
In her remarks, the Minister of State for Defence and Veteran Affairs, Huda Abason Oleru, acknowledged the exceptional contributions from the Kigezi sub-region towards the epic struggle by the Front for National Salvation (FRONASA) and subsequently NRA and UPDF.
She thanked the region for its contribution. “With these activities, we remember and appreciate the people-based support which has enabled NRA/UPDF to register a remarkable success which culminated in the defeat of the dictatorships that oppressed the people.”
She said the UPDF uses the Defence Forces Week to appreciate the contribution of the freedom fighters and renew its commitment to defend and protect the people and the country through interacting with the public, including veterans who contributed to the political freedom enjoyed today across the country.
She added that the January 1986 takeover of government by National Resistance Movement led to a fundamental change that provided a conducive political climate for project institutions to thrive, leading to the economic transformation programme and the formation of the 1995 legitimate Constitution under which the NRA became the UPDF, the People’s Army.
Representing the Chief of Defence Forces, the Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, Lt Gen Sam Okiding, said that each time Tarehe Sita is celebrated, the country celebrates a foundation on which all Uganda’s achievements are anchored.
“It’s a foundation which carries all the national successes. We celebrate the capacity and the capability of UPDF. We celebrate the bravery, the resilience, the strengths, development and growth of our country and finally the national equation.”
The keynote speaker, Prof. Ezra Suruma, shared personal reflections on Uganda’s shaky political environment of the early 1980s characterised by widespread violence, extrajudicial killings, and consequently a collapsed economy.
He added that he returned from exile in America after the overthrow of President Amin’s government in 1979.
He said the political situation led him and a few colleagues to form the Uganda National Movement.
Later, Hon Museveni, then the Deputy Chairman of the Military Commission, invited them to form the Uganda Patriotic Movement, which was a key step in Uganda’s liberation.
He recounted the events surrounding the disputed 1980 elections, the attack on Kabamba, and his eventual return to exile after soldiers came searching for him. He returned home in 1986 after NRM victory.
“This is why I celebrate the victory of the NRM/UPDF. Without that victory, I would never have been able to come back. Exile is not a good experience. It was a great relief to return to my country. I want to thank all the fighters who made it possible for many of us to come back home.”
At the launch, different corporate agencies and MDAs made donations and pledges towards the anniversary.
These included Uganda Prisons Services, Vision Group, National Water and Sewerage Corporation, National Forestry Authority, and Million Trees International among others.
This year’s activities will be carried out across the six districts of Kabale, Kisoro, Rukungiri, Rukiga, Rubanda, and Kanungu. Planned engagements include light quick-impact construction projects, medical and surgical outreaches, donations of scholastic materials, Directorate of Women Affairs outreach programs, and other political, ideological and civil-military cooperation initiatives.
Present at the launch were the Minister of Works and Transport, Hon Gen Katumba Wamala, the Minister of State for Internal Affairs, Gen David Muhoozi, Permanent Secretaries, Chief of Joint Staff Lt Gen Jack Bakasumba, Commander Land Force Lt Gen Kayanja Muhanga, Managing Director National Enterprise Corporation Lt Gen James Mugira, Commissioner General of Prisons Dr. Johnson Byabashaija, Members of Parliament on the Defence and Internal Affairs Committee, MPs from Kigezi Sub-region, serving and retired Generals, and senior UPDF officers.
