The Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, General Sam Okiding, will headlines a team of 10 representatives - the majority of them new faces - of the army in the 12th Parliament following a tightly contested election by the Military Council in Bombo on Wednesday.
The election presided over by the Commander in chief of the UPDF, President Museveni and the Chief of Defence Forces saw six new faces elected to represent the army in Parliament.
Among the new faces is Gen Okiding, Maj Gen James Kinalwa from the Joint Staff Human Resource Management, Brig Joseph Ssemwanga, Brig David Gonyi, the chief of staff Air Force and Colonel Sylvia Meeme, the brigade operations and training officer for the Military Police.
Former aide to President Museveni, Colonel Night Ikiriza, also joins the new brass of uniformed men and women in Parliament.
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Among the old brooms is Lt Gen James Mugira, the managing director and chief executive officer of the National Enterprise Corporation(NEC) , the business arm of the UPDF and Lt Gen Sam Kavuma, the chairman board of directors for Wazalendo saco.
Other old brooms include Major General Henry Matsiko, the Chief Political Commissar of the UPDF and Col Victor Nekesa.
The voting
Contestants for the 10 UPDF slots in parliament are nominated by the High Command and later sent to the Commander in Chief for approval and the Defence/ army council does the voting.
Of the 10 slots, three UPDF representatives must be female.
The Army Council includes members of the High Command, senior officers, directors of services, and commanding officers of brigades and battalions.
UPDF representatives are the army's listening posts in the August House.
Today's election was the first ever since the launch of UPDF Establishment 2021, which is a comprehensive document outlining the new structural framework of the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) and redefines the hierarchy, responsibilities, and operational command within the armed forces, aligning them with contemporary military standards and strategic needs.
