At the Oliver Reginald Tambo School of Leadership and Pan-Africanism Centre of Excellence in Kaweweta, Nakaseke District, 30 Junior Prisons Officers have completed a rigorous Joint Basic Cadre Development Course (Intake 15/2026) alongside the Advanced Psychosocial Support Course (Intake 2/2026), marking another step in the country’s growing focus on ideological and leadership training within the security sector.
The colourful pass-out ceremony brought together officers drawn from the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF), Uganda Police Force, and Uganda Prisons Service, reflecting an expanding model of joint training aimed at strengthening coordination and unity across security institutions.
Presiding over the function, the Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, Lt. Gen. Sam Okiding, urged the graduates to remain disciplined, ideologically grounded and committed to national service. He stressed that ideological clarity remains central to effective leadership and long-term national stability.
He commended the President and Commander-in-Chief of the UPDF, HE. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, for what he described as visionary leadership that has reshaped the institution from its early training roots in the late 1980s into a structured centre for ideological grounding, leadership development, and strategic thinking.
“A soldier or commander without ideological orientation is a lost person and a potential danger to society,” he noted, adding that ideological grounding enables leaders to make sound decisions, remain focused, and consistently defend national interests even under pressure.
Lt. Gen Okiding further emphasized that military and paramilitary training is not only for battlefield readiness, but also for preparing officers to handle leadership responsibilities during peace time, where discipline, judgment and service delivery matter just as much.
The graduating group formed part of a wider intake of 337 participants, including 263 from the Joint Basic Cadre Development Course and 74 from the Advanced Psychosocial Support Course, among them 12 female officers drawn from the UPDF, Uganda Police Force and Uganda Prisons Service.
Representing the Commissioner General of Prisons, Ms. Brenda Sana, Commissioner of Prisons (Human Resource Planning and Development), attended the ceremony alongside senior officers from the UPDF and Uganda Police Force.
A key highlight of the day was the recognition of outstanding performers across the different security agencies. Notably, Principal Officer II Janer Achola of the Uganda Prisons Service was awarded by the Chief of Defence Forces for her exemplary performance throughout the course.
The joint training continues to deepen cooperation among the security agencies, improving coordination, mutual understanding and operational cohesion.
For UPS, this initiative forms part of a deliberate human resource development strategy that has been running for the past three to four years. During this period, officers—mainly at the level of Principal Officers and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers—have been enrolled in ideological and leadership-oriented programmes aimed at strengthening professionalism, discipline and service delivery within the correctional system.
The Commandant of the Oliver Reginald Tambo School, Brig. Gen Justus Rukundo noted that ideological training plays a critical role in shaping Prisons Officers into more grounded public servants. It equips them with a clear understanding of national duty, ethical conduct, human rights awareness, and the importance of rehabilitation-focused correctional services.
