The military is encouraging veterans to invest in farming, livestock and other businesses while promoting financial literacy, government livelihood programmes and access to savings and credit services.
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Reserve Force has urged retired soldiers and military reservists in the Teso sub-region to embrace agriculture, animal husbandry and other income-generating activities to improve their livelihoods and support their families.
Major General Joseph Musoke-Semwanga, the Commander of the Reserve Force, said the military was conducting a mobilisation drive across Teso to assess the welfare, physical fitness and economic activities of former soldiers while encouraging them to participate in government socio-economic transformation programmes.
He said the initiative was also intended to assess the operational readiness of reservists, who remain an important component of the country’s security system.
“We want to have a reserve force that is really ready and engaged, so that when the Commander-in-Chief issues any order, we can always have a reserve force that is ready to do any work,” Semwanga said.
He said the mobilisation campaign was placing particular emphasis on wealth creation, noting that retired soldiers had been encouraged to invest their retirement packages in productive ventures rather than depend entirely on pensions.
“Pension alone is not enough to sustain one in retirement. They need to engage in these other activities,” he said.
Semwanga identified agriculture, animal husbandry, trade and real estate as opportunities through which veterans in Teso could improve their household incomes, given the sub-region’s agricultural potential.
He said the mobilisation team was also providing information on financial literacy, investment opportunities and government programmes from which veterans and their families could benefit.
The commander encouraged veterans to enrol their children in government-supported skilling hubs to equip them with practical skills and improve their employment prospects.
“We want the children of these veterans and reservists to be involved in these skilling hubs. They have given us slots alongside the civilian sector,” he said.
He added that the initiative would help ensure military families were not left behind in the country’s socio-economic transformation agenda.
Beyond economic empowerment, Semwanga said the exercise would assess the health and general wellbeing of former soldiers, identify those requiring medical assistance and update military records to facilitate follow-up support.
He said the Reserve Force was working with resident district commissioners, internal security agencies, police, prisons and Operation Wealth Creation to strengthen support for veterans in their communities.
According to Msoke-Semwanga, reservists are also an important source of local security information because of their continued presence in villages and their knowledge of community affairs.
“These people are our foundation security. They stay in the villages, and they know what happens every single day,” he said, adding that regular engagement would help strengthen community stability and national security.
The Reserve Force commander also appealed to former members who had left the Wazalendo Savings and Credit Cooperative Society (SACCO) to reconsider rejoining the savings and lending scheme, saying it could offer an alternative to exploitative moneylenders.
He said some veterans risked falling into debt traps because of the high interest rates charged by informal lenders.
“Wazalendo is ours, and the lending rates are really very user-friendly,” Semwanga said, urging former members to return to the scheme.
He added that family members of serving soldiers could also participate under the SACCO’s membership arrangements.
Meanwhile, Major Justin Enguau, the Teso sub-region Reserve Force commander, said his office was responsible for following up on the welfare of reservists, including those requiring medical attention and assistance with outstanding payments.
Enguau said some veterans had benefited from recent salary increments extended to serving soldiers, although he did not specify the number of beneficiaries or the amounts involved.
He acknowledged that delayed payments and a lack of information had contributed to some former soldiers disengaging from military structures and community programmes.
Enguau said his office was encouraging those who had dropped out of Wazalendo savings circles to return and register so they could benefit from available opportunities.
The mobilisation exercise is expected to extend to the neighbouring Bukedi sub-region as the Reserve Force continues assessing the welfare, economic participation and readiness of veterans and reservists.