The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has commenced the physical phase of its nationwide recruitment exercise in the Bukedi and Bugisu sub-regions, as thousands of young Ugandans seek to join the military.
The exercise, which started on Monday in Mbale City and is scheduled to run until June 18, is part of a nationwide recruitment drive aimed at enlisting 10,000 recruits into the UPDF.
Lieutenant Teddy Anena, the UPDF spokesperson for Bukedi and Bugisu, said the physical exercise is the third stage of the recruitment process, following online applications, the public display of applicants and shortlisting, which started in June.
The recruitment team began with Mbale City on Monday and is scheduled to move to Mbale District on Tuesday, followed by Bududa and Manafwa districts before proceeding to Tororo. Anena said the 10,000 recruitment slots will be distributed among the different regions based on population figures from the national census.
The physical recruitment exercise in Mbale City was officially flagged off by Hamza Banja, the Deputy Resident City Commissioner in charge of Mbale Industrial Division.
Banja commended the recruitment team for what he described as a transparent process, saying the large turnout demonstrates growing interest among young people in pursuing careers in the UPDF. He attributed the high number of applicants partly to the perception of the army as a professional career that offers young people opportunities for employment and service to the country-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
