PICTURES: Museveni awards medals on Heroes' Day

President Museveni on Sunday awarded 53 medals at the 35th Heroes' Day celebrations at Mpenja Church of Uganda Primary School playgrounds in Gomba District. The theme of the event was, “Hail Our Heroes: A Secure Uganda Is Now Reality." Mpenja, Gomba, as the area was a resistance corridor for the Uganda Freedom Movement and FEDEMU fighters. The area served as a route for new NRA recruits from the western part of Uganda. The late Col. Poteli Kivuna, Maj. Victor Bwana, Lt. Kutesa Nyenyezi, Maj. Gen. John Mugume, and others were key coordinators of these recruitments. Many brave fighters from Gomba and the greater Mpigi area survived the violent murders of the Uganda People’s Congress regime. Museveni conferred the distinguished Order of the Crested Crane 1st Class Medal upon Sheikh Mohammed Bin Maktoum Bin Jumah Al Maktoum from the United Arab Emirates. The award recognises Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum's exceptional contribution to Uganda's socio-economic transformation. To celebrate the supreme sacrifice that was paid by the forerunners, the statue of Kasoliwegomba will be mounted in the district. The location of the monument will carry added historical meaning. President Museveni, also the Commander-in-Chief of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), attributed their success during the protracted liberation war (1981-1986) to the correct principles of the National Resistance Army/Movement (NRA/M). Museveni acknowledged Gomba's role in the protracted struggle. He said Gomba was an operational area for UFM and FEDEMO, and a corridor for NRA recruits from the Southwest to Luweero, adding that the NRA fighters had passed through Gomba during the attack on Kabamba Military Barracks. Museveni directed the Inspector General of Police, Abbas Byakagaba, to install 18 police officers per sub-county and link villages to telephones to combat crime effectively. The theme of the event was, “Hail Our Heroes: A Secure Uganda Is Now Reality."

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