President Museveni has instructed the Uganda People’s Defence Forces Leadership to offer free education from primary to secondary for direct children of soldiers to reduce soldiers’ burden. This was said during the 12th Tarehe Sita Annual thanksgiving breakfast on Saturday.

“I and other freedom fighters were not paid for 17 years. The only thing we would get was food and clothes, and when we started getting payment, still it was small. I told the fighters that although we are getting little money, we can run institutional schools which will provide free education for children of soldiers in government/army-run primary and secondary schools,” he said.

The Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Wilson Mbasu Mbadi assured the president that the concept of free primary and secondary education for soldiers children is in steady progress. Gen. Mbadi reported that the army is in charge of 36 primary schools, 11 secondary schools under U.P.E and U.S.E respectively, 4 polytechnics, and 1 medical school offering certificates in midwifery.

The enrollment into UPDF/army schools has greatly improved as by statistics shared by Gen. Mbadi. 7691 primary school pupils in 2023 against 2751 in 2022 and  5325 secondary school students in 2023 against 2867 in 2022.