Africa-Press – Uganda. President Museveni on Wednesday led Members of Parliament through a shooting practice session at the National Leadership Institute, using the exercise to emphasise national defence, discipline, and the fight against corruption.
The session marked the final activity of the legislators’ retreat, which concluded after a week of engagements focused on strengthening leadership within the ruling National Resistance Movement.
The retreat, held from April 7 to 14, 2026, ran under the theme: “Aligning the NRM leadership towards protecting the gains and making a bold, qualitative leap towards a higher middle-income status society.”
During the session, President Museveni personally guided legislators on basic firearms handling and observed their participation, noting that some had prior experience.
“I congratulate the participants. I can see some of them are veterans,” he said.
The President explained that Uganda’s security framework is anchored on the concept of a “people’s army,” where citizens receive basic military training and remain available as a reserve force when needed.
“Ours is a people’s army. We encourage citizens to learn the science of arms so that in case of any threat, we can mobilise numbers for national defence,” he said.
He added that such a system enables countries to strengthen defence capacity through continuous training and mobilisation, citing Israel as an example where civilians undergo periodic refresher training.
Reflecting on Uganda’s past, Museveni pointed to instances where trained local defence units were mobilised to respond to security challenges, underscoring the importance of preparedness.
Turning to governance, the President described corruption as the biggest threat to national progress and called on legislators to take a firm stand against it.
“The first thing you must do is to fight corruption. If you don’t, all these efforts will be for nothing,” he said.
He cautioned against bribery and vote-buying, warning that such practices undermine leadership and development.
“You cannot give someone a small amount of money to decide leadership for five years. That is wrong,” he emphasised.
Museveni also urged leaders to maintain financial discipline and make use of existing support systems such as savings and credit cooperatives, instead of relying on unsustainable borrowing.
“A bankrupt leader should not be a leader. Stand on your own and work with the systems we have put in place,” he advised.
The President highlighted government efforts to improve welfare within the military through collective support programmes, including education for soldiers’ children, scholarships, housing, and SACCO initiatives such as Wazalendo.
“We did not have much money for high salaries, but we focused on supporting soldiers through education, housing, and healthcare,” he said.
He added that families of soldiers have also been encouraged to engage in productive economic activities to boost household incomes without resorting to corruption.
Call to Service
As the retreat concluded, Museveni urged legislators to return to their constituencies with renewed commitment to service, integrity, and wealth creation among citizens.
Uganda’s transformation, he said, depends on disciplined leadership, elimination of corruption, and empowering citizens to participate in the money economy.
“I wish you good luck as you go back to serve your constituencies,” he said.
Meanwhile, Okei Rukogota, Director of the institute, thanked the President for inaugurating the shooting range, noting that it will support ongoing training of civilians in basic defence skills.
He said the initiative aligns with long-standing efforts to equip citizens with practical skills to enhance security and reduce violence.
“This is testimony that you have never been a dictator, because dictators cannot empower citizens with the means of defence,” Rukogota said.
He also commended continued efforts to strengthen citizens’ capacity to safeguard the country’s democratic and transformation processes.
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