Gen. Museveni applause late Gen. Pecos Kutesa for spearheading the formulation of UPDF Establishment

By Evans Najuna

ENTEBBE – During the Council meeting, at State House, Entebbe on Sunday, President Yoweri Museveni, also the Commander-in-Chief of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) praised the Late Lt. Gen. (Rtd). Pecos Kutesa for the distinguished service he rendered as the 1st Chairman of the UPDF establishment committee and presented a plaque and certificate to the family of the Late Lt.Gen(Rtd) Pecos Kutesa.

“I salute the Late Lt.Gen(Rtd) Pecos Kutesa for steering this effort as the first Chairman of the UPDF Establishment Committee and congratulate the UPDF on the launch of this milestone towards a more matured and modern force” President Museveni noted.

The Commander-in-Chief paid tribute to the late Lt. Gen. (Rtd). Pecos Kutesa, a revered military figure renowned for his bravery and contributions to Uganda’s liberation struggle.

“Late Lt. Gen. (Rtd). Pecos Kutesa was one of the officers that we recruited under the Front for National Salvation (FRONASA). He came and joined us in the bush, and when I noticed his bravery, it was when we attacked Kakiri on the 6th of April in 1981,” he said.

The president added, “I saw him crawling in a very professional way to capture the machine gun. He was moving really professionally. That is why, when I was going out for the first time in June 1981, I put him as one of my escorts close to the lake to go to Kenya” the President added.

President Museveni also informed the council meeting that the Late Kutesa participated in many of the liberation battles, citing the time they captured 736 rifles in Masindi and also the participation in the Kabamba battles, among others.

Gen. Pecos Kutesa joined the armed struggle under the Front for National Salvation (FRONASA) to fight the regime of the late President Idi Amin Dada until the regime was overthrown in 1979.

He retired from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces on August 5, 2021, after a distinguished military career extending over forty-six (46) years and passed away on August 17, 2021.

While giving his remarks, the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen. Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, lauded the exhaustive seven-year process culminating in the formulation of the UPDF Establishment 2021. Stressing its consultative nature, the CDF, highlighted the document’s emphasis on jointness at the strategic level and operational leanness, aligning with principles of decentralization.

“The UPDF Establishment 2021 document enables changes of merging of some UPDF departments, the creation of new ones, and discarding others to improve command, control and administration of the Forces,” Gen. Mbadi said.