Ugandan Officer Cadet Andrew Bakira Ruyondo has been named the best international cadet at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst after winning the prestigious International Sword.
Bakira, who hails from Burunga Sub-County in Kazo District, was among 247 cadets commissioned during the Sovereign’s Parade at Sandhurst on August 7, 2026.
The International Sword, also known as the Overseas Sword, is awarded by the Academy Commandant to the overseas cadet judged to have demonstrated the strongest overall performance in leadership, physical and mental resilience, attitude and military skills throughout the 44-week course.
Photographs from the parade show Bakira, dressed in full ceremonial uniform, pointing to his newly engraved name on the academy’s honours board: CC253 A Bakira Uganda.
His parents, James and Beatrice Ruyondo, travelled from Kazo to witness the historic occasion and celebrate their son’s achievement.The ceremony also brought together the Ruyondo and Kainerugaba families. Bakira was commissioned alongside fellow Ugandan cadet Ruhamya Kainerugaba, the eldest son of Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Photographs from the ceremony show the two families celebrating together as both young men received their commissions into the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces.For Ruhamya, the occasion marked the completion of a personal and family tradition. He enlisted in the UPDF as a private in June 2025 before being selected to undertake training at Sandhurst.
His father, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is also a Sandhurst graduate, attended the August 7 parade to congratulate his son.In May, Muhoozi shared photographs comparing his own Sandhurst training with that of his son.“Father and son going through the same hardships. Separated by 27 years,” he posted.
Both Bakira and Ruhamya were sponsored by the UPDF to attend the elite 44-week course, during which they trained together through the Junior, Intermediate and Senior terms, taking part in field exercises, military skills training and leadership assessments.
Bakira is an old boy of Ntare School and comes from a prominent family with historical links to the National Resistance Army struggle of the 1980s.Their commissioning adds to Uganda’s long association with the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, one of the world’s most renowned institutions for the training of military officers-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
