Uganda’s geopolitical positioning should be guided by national interests rather than moral considerations, Brig. Gen. David Gonyi, the Chief of Staff of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Air Force, has said, as government and ruling party officials defended the country’s political direction and regional strategy.
Speaking at a geopolitics engagement held at Makerere University, Brig. Gen. Gonyi said sovereignty and security must remain Uganda’s top priorities, particularly given the country’s landlocked status.
“Geopolitics is not about morality; it is about interests,” Gonyi said. “The sovereignty of our country should be the focus.”
He cautioned against what he described as a growing tendency by Ugandans to circulate negative narratives about their own country, warning that such discourse undermines national interests.
“Putting negative information about our country is terrible. We choose to make our country look bad, yet we undermine our own strategic interests,” he said.
Gonyi also highlighted the security and economic vulnerabilities faced by landlocked countries, arguing that regional cooperation is a strategic necessity rather than an ideological choice.
“Regional integration is not sentimental Pan-Africanism; it is hard-nosed geopolitical logic,” he said.
Professor Peter Baguma echoed those views, arguing that Uganda’s political stability under the National Resistance Movement (NRM) has enabled socio-economic transformation and justified continued support for the ruling party.
“Uganda has transformed. Our government deserves another term,” Baguma said.
He added that backing for the NRM at Makerere University remains strong, dismissing claims of declining youth support.
“The status of NRM at Makerere is very good. Our support has never gone below 70 percent, and this time we aim higher,” Baguma said.
Baguma attributed the continued backing of the ruling party to what he described as consistent leadership and strong institutions, stressing that governance should not be reduced to personalities alone.
“We shall never abandon the youth. Institutions have leaders, and leadership matters,” he said.
The event was attended by senior NRM figures, including Maj. Hakim, the party’s chairperson, and George Mugabi Turyamureba, Chairperson of the Makerere University Convocation, underscoring the ruling party’s effort to frame geopolitics, regional integration and youth engagement as central pillars of Uganda’s future.
