Uganda People’s Defence Forces-UPDF has handed over two monuments to the Mbarara city leaders. They were constructed in honour of the people from greater Mbarara who participated in the liberation struggle.
The UPDF also constructed a building within the 2nd Division headquarters in honour of spouses of soldiers.
The monuments that were put up at Independence Park and the quarter guard of the 2nd Division infantry Brigade also known as Makenke Barracks were commissioned and handed over by the Minister of Works and Transport Gen Katumba Wamala on Sunday.
Similarly, monuments and projects constructed in Mbarara District, Ibanda, Kazo, Isingiro, Kiruhura, and Rwampara districts were also handed over to respective leaders.
Among the projects were the construction and renovation of Health Center IIs and IIIs Schools among others.
Col Justus Rukundo, the coordinator of the Civil-Military Cooperation said the monuments are a symbolic respect from the UPDF to the community of Mbarara.
Clarifying on the relevance of the first Monument at Makenke Barracks, Col Rukundo said it was erected in the preservation of the barracks as a heritage in honouring all members of the revolutionary wars from 1972 to 1985.
He added that the second monument in the independence park was put up in honour of the late comrade Karuhanga also known as Muharabu who was shot with others at Booma in Kamukuzi during the Fronasa/NRA wars.
He says his statute will also be put on top of the monument.
The principal social development officer Ministry of Defence, Rebeca Kusasira Mugume appreciated the one-stop centre monument that was constructed in honour of the spouses of the soldiers whose services of caring for the soldiers are rarely recognised.
She said the centre provides skilling the women with tailoring, confectionary and hairdressing skills among others for self-reliance.
While handing over the Monuments Gen Edward Katumba Wamala asked political leaders to help their people benefit from government programs like Parish Development Model, and Emyooga among others which are aimed at eliminating poverty.
Dr Gen Ambrose Musinguzi the head of Medical Services in the UPDF said the monuments around the greater Mbarara region are an acknowledgement of the people for being strategic patterns to the predecessors of the revolution.
Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi appreciated the monuments saying that Mbarara will use them as a tourism attraction to increase the local revenue of the city.
In his symposium at the Commissioning of the Tarehe Sita Week in Kazo last week, Col. Nelson Ahebwa, the UPDF Deputy Political Commissar, said the monuments would ease the tracing and link the current peace, security, stability, and development, to the earlier efforts in the struggle, particularly, the anti-Amin Front for National Salvation-FRONASA.
The UPDF is celebrating Tarehe Sita at Kakyeka Stadium under the theme: “Recognizing the Sacrifice of the Founders of the Peoples Revolution for social economic transformation.”
