By Barbara Anyait & Obed Kankiriho
The Uganda Peoples Defence Force (UPDF) has commenced the retirement process for 110 officers with a sensitization exercise for senior officers from the rank of Major to Colonel.
This is after the president granted retirement approval to 11 Generals and 99 Senior Officers of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Force including former police chief, General Kale Kayihura.
The army officers who are due for retirement on August 31, 2023, in Batch 13A have today converged for the documentation and sensitization exercise at Gadaffi military barracks in Jinja city.
According to the Defence deputy spokesperson, Col Deo Akiiki, several UPDF departments are involved in the exercise including the Chieftaincy of Personnel and Administration, Chieftaincy of Pensions and Gratuity, Directorate of Records, Directorate of Career Planning together with the Human Resources Management of Ministry of Defence and Veteran affairs among others.
Earlier, members of Gen Kale Kayihura’s family renewed their pleas to President Museveni to pardon him, drop all charges and lift all sanctions against him since he is retiring from the army.
They also asked that the president rewards him with a ministerial post for his dedicated and selfless service to the nation while at the helm of the Uganda Police Force
According to Mabel Mugisha, a paternal aunt to the former police chief, ever since he was arrested by the army while reportedly attempting to flee the country through a game park in Southwestern Uganda on June 13, 2018, the family has been traumatized.
Mugisha appeals to the president to set Kayihura free for the sake of his people.
However, army spokesperson Brig. Felix Kulayigye says it will all depend on how his court case is handled before August 31st.
Kulayigye adds that Kayihura will only be allowed to retire once his case in the Court Martial has been disposed of.
