In 1994, Lieutenant Noble Mayombo moved a motion in the then Constituent Assembly to change the National Resistance Army (NRA) name to Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) with the aim of creating a purposeful force and reminding soldiers of their role to protect the people of Uganda and defend the Constitution.
Mayombo, who rose rapidly through the ranks from lieutenant to brigadier before his death in Nairobi on May 1, 2007 at the age of 42, was the youngest legislator at the time.
While representing the military in the Constituent Assembly, he played a key role in formulating the 1995 Constitution and strongly advocated for renaming the NRA to the UPDF, arguing that the new name would continuously uphold the values of resisting misrule in Uganda.
“Our mission as the NRA was to resist misrule in Uganda. We are now saying that a name like UPDF reflects the country—people’s defense," he said.
"Our mission is to defend the people of Uganda. The word ‘forces’ accounts for the expansion of the army; in case tomorrow you want to build marines, infantry, navy, or artillery, you don’t have to change names. The name ‘forces’ caters for all that."
With soldiers trained to obey orders, the former Defence Minister opposed the idea of blind obedience, advocating instead for an army that resists unjust orders, such as massacring people or violating the Constitution.
“There have been two tendencies in the country: one that sees the army as a force raised and trained to obey orders like machines, like a group of robots; and the second, which says the army must be composed of conscious soldiers. Tomorrow, if there is an unpopular and anti-people leadership issuing orders, the army must stand out and oppose it,” Mayombo said.
“Orders to massacre people, overthrow the Constitution, or act against it should be resisted. We feel that the name Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) strongly reflects our mission, which is defending people’s human rights and the Constitution,” he added.
A former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence and Director of Military Intelligence, Mayombo strongly opposed the term “armed forces,” arguing that it was too broad, as even rebels and criminals are armed.
“The term ‘Uganda Armed Forces’ is very lacking because everybody is armed—even robbers and highwaymen are armed. ‘Armed’ must be purposeful. So I proposed ‘People’s Defense’ because it has meaning and a political signal. It reminds soldiers that never again should they turn their guns against the people of Uganda,” Mayombo said.
However, Mayombo’s words appear to have been long forgotten, given how the army and police have handled Uganda’s electoral process over the years.
The latest example is the assault of journalists and opposition members in the Kawempe North by-election, where journalists were brutally beaten and their equipment confiscated by masked men in uniform.
The abductions and violent arrests of Ugandans in drones by armed men in civilian clothes, among other incidents, indicate that the army has turned its guns against Ugandans and is now enforcing individual orders to serve personal interests.