KYANKWANZI.
By Joseph Kiggundu
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni today, Wednesday took Members of Parliament through shooting practice at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi District.
The ruling National Resistance Movement leader used the session to emphasise national defence, discipline, and the fight against corruption.
This event was the last activity of the MP’s retreat which officially concluded yesterday.
The one-week retreat started on April 7 to 14th April, 2026 under the theme: “Aligning the NRM leadership towards protecting the gains and making a bold, qualitative leap towards a higher middle-income status society.”
The President, who personally guided the legislators on basic firearms handling, also observed their participation and congratulated them, noting that some were veterans.
“I congratulate the participants. I can see some of them are veterans,” President Museveni said.
He explained that Uganda’s security is anchored on the concept of a people’s army, where citizens are trained and can return to civilian life but 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.
President Museveni noted that such a system enables even countries with smaller populations to build strong defence capacity through continuous training and mobilisation of reservists.
“This is how you maximise defence. People train, go back to their normal lives, but remain ready. That is what they do in countries like Israel, where citizens are called back for refresher training,” he added.
Reflecting on Uganda’s experience, the President cited past instances where trained local defence units were mobilised to respond to security challenges, underscoring the importance of preparedness.
Turning to governance, President Museveni warned that corruption remains the biggest threat to national progress and urged leaders 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 Members of Parliament against engaging in bribery and vote-buying, describing the practice as detrimental to both leadership and national development.
“Do not bribe voters. You cannot give someone a small amount of money to decide leadership for five years. That is wrong,” he emphasised.
The President also encouraged legislators to embrace financial discipline and utilise existing support systems such as savings and credit cooperatives instead of 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.
President Museveni said that the government had historically prioritised collective welfare programmes for the army, including schools for soldiers’ children, scholarships, and SACCO initiatives such as Wazalendo, to improve livelihoods.
“We did not have much money for high salaries, but we focused on supporting soldiers through education, housing, and healthcare,” he said.
He also noted that the government had to encourage families of soldiers to engage in productive activities to boost household incomes without engaging in corruption practices.
Call to serve:
As the retreat came to a close, President Museveni urged the legislators to return to their constituencies with a renewed commitment to service, integrity, and wealth creation among wananchi.
Uganda’s transformation, he noted, 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.
On his part, Col. Okei Rukogota, the Director of NALI, thanked the President for recently inaugurating the shooting range , noting that it will support the continued training of civilians in basic defence skills.
He said the initiative is in line with the President’s long-standing guidance that, wherever possible, citizens should be equipped 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,” Col. Rukogota said.
He also commended the President for continuing to equip wananchi with the capacity to safeguard the country’s democratic and transformation processes.