President Museveni has led Members of Parliament through a firearms training exercise at the National Leadership Institute Kyankwanzi, using the session to emphasise national defence preparedness, discipline, and the fight against corruption.
The exercise marked the final activity of a week-long parliamentary retreat held from April 7 to 14, focused on strengthening leadership to safeguard national gains and accelerate Uganda’s transition to a higher middle-income economy.
Personally guiding legislators through basic shooting techniques, Museveni assessed their performance and noted that some MPs already had prior experience with firearms.
He said the training forms part of a broader strategy to promote a “people’s army,” where citizens are equipped with basic defence skills and can be mobilised when necessary.
“Ours is a people’s army. We encourage citizens to learn the science of arms so that in case of any threat, we can mobilise numbers for national defence,” Museveni said.
He explained that such a system allows countries to maximise defence capacity by training civilians who can return to their daily lives while remaining available as reservists.
Drawing comparisons with countries like Israel, he said regular refresher training enhances readiness even in nations with smaller populations.
The President also referenced Uganda’s past reliance on trained local defence units to respond to security threats, arguing that preparedness remains critical to maintaining national stability.
Turning to governance, Museveni warned that corruption remains the biggest threat to Uganda’s development, urging legislators to take a firm and uncompromising stance against graft.
“The first thing you must do is to fight corruption. If you don’t, all these efforts will be for nothing,” he said.
He cautioned MPs against engaging in bribery and vote-buying, describing the practice as damaging to democratic processes and long-term national progress.
“Do not bribe voters. You cannot give someone a small amount of money to decide leadership for five years. That is wrong,” he added.
Museveni further called for financial discipline among leaders, advising them to rely on structured support systems such as savings and credit cooperatives rather than unsustainable borrowing.
“A bankrupt leader should not be a leader. Stand on your own and work with the systems we have put in place,” he said.
He highlighted government efforts to improve the welfare of security personnel through collective support programmes, including education, housing, and healthcare, instead of relying solely on salary increments.
According to the President, such initiatives have helped improve livelihoods while discouraging corruption within the ranks.
As the retreat concluded, Museveni urged MPs to return to their constituencies with renewed commitment to service delivery, integrity, and wealth creation.
“Uganda’s transformation depends on disciplined leadership, elimination of corruption, and empowering wananchi to participate in the money economy,” he said.
Meanwhile, Okei Rukogota, Director of the institute, said the newly established shooting range will support ongoing civilian training in basic defence skills, describing it as part of broader efforts to strengthen national security and citizen preparedness.