Gen. Museveni Launches UPDF Establishment 2021,CDF Mbadi Takes Full Control And Administration Of The Forces

The President of Uganda who also the Commander in chief of all Armed Forces has launched the new Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) establishment which provides for the powers of command and administration of UPDF.

The document, according to informed defence officials, involves deployment, salary, training and capacity building of the force.

The development has caused excitement among the public, with some speculating that Museveni is delegating his powers to the Chief of Defence Forces. 

“By virtue of the powers enshrined under Article 98(1) of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, and Section 8(1) and (2)(a) of the UPDF Act, 2005, yesterday, on the 17th of February 2024, at the Defence Council meeting, I presented the UPDF Establishment 2021, an instrument of delegated Command, Control, and Administration, to General Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, the Chief of Defence Forces of the UPDF, to command all elements of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces,” said Museveni in a statement on Sunday evening. 

However, defence officials told media that Museveni issued new guidelines and regulations to the forces and have to be implemented by the CDF.

During the Defence Council meeting, Mbadi lauded the “exhaustive seven-year process culminating in the formulation of the UPDF Establishment 2021.”

The CDF said the document emphasises the jointness at the strategic level and operational leanness, aligning with principles of decentralisation.

The UPDF Establishment 2021 document enables changes of merging of some UPDF departments, the creation of new ones, and discarding others to improve command, control and administration of the Forces,” Gen. Mbadi said. 

Hon. Vincent Ssempijja, the Minister for Defence and Veteran Affairs, noted that the UPDF Establishment 2021 as a blueprint for organisational effectiveness and operational prowess. 

Embracing recommendations from previous defence transformation initiatives, the Minister noted that the establishment outlines a vision for a modern and  resilient defence force.