The Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) Deputy Chief of Defence Intelligence, Brig Gen Rugumayo Abdul, has warned Ugandans not to take the country’s 40 years of uninterrupted peace for granted, saying complacency could easily undermine national security and stability.
Speaking on Thursday while addressing the media at the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) headquarters in Mbuya, Brig Gen Rugumayo said safeguarding peace requires constant vigilance from both the state and citizens.
“As I relate to this year’s theme, ‘Protecting the Gains of the Revolution’, we are trying very much to ensure security. The government has remained uninterrupted for about 40 years. We want people to know that it shouldn’t be played around with. It might run out of their hands at any time if we are not careful here in the country,” Brig Gen Rugumayo said.
The remarks were made during Corporate Social Responsibility activities organised by security agencies as part of the build-up to the 45th Tarehe Sita celebrations scheduled for 2026. Officials from the Office of the President, UPDF, Uganda Prisons Service and Uganda Police Force participated in the exercise.
Brig Gen Rugumayo warned that peace can quickly be lost, pointing to instability in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, which has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.
“Look at our neighbours like DRC Congo. They have a population of almost 80 million people, but as I speak now, up to 600,000 Congolese nationals are here living as refugees,” he said.
His comments come amid a series of violent confrontations in recent weeks involving security personnel and supporters of the National Unity Platform led by Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, raising public debate over security operations and civil liberties.
Brig Gen Rugumayo said the UPDF uses Tarehe Sita activities as an opportunity to give back to communities across the country, strengthen civil-military relations and promote shared responsibility for national development.
He noted that although the main Tarehe Sita celebrations will be held in the Kigezi subregion, UPDF units nationwide are taking part in community activities such as general cleaning, painting classrooms and emptying pit latrines.
At Bugolobi Market, traders joined the security forces in a clean-up exercise. Market chairman Mubiru Salim said working together with the forces has improved hygiene and sanitation in the area.
He thanked the President, the UPDF and their partners for what he described as a timely and impactful gesture.
The activities, according to organisers, reflect the broader spirit of Tarehe Sita, which aims to strengthen bonds between the UPDF and the communities it serves while reminding citizens of the importance of protecting the country’s hard-won peace.