Gen Muhoozi orders female UPDF soldiers to march in skirts

Kampala, Uganda: Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, stirred fresh controversy within the military ranks on Thursday with a directive to all female soldiers in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) to march in skirts instead of the traditional trousers.

In a brief statement shared via his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday, Gen. Muhoozi declared that “All female comrades in the UPDF shall from now on march in skirts. Trousers are for men, not for women.”

“Anyone who forces our sisters to put on trousers on parade again will have a very bad day,” the CDF added.

The directive, although not yet backed by an official communiqué from the Ministry of Defence or the UPDF’s Spokesperson, has already triggered public debate across social and security circles over its legal status, gender implications, and its departure from long-standing military dress code practices.

The current UPDF dress code, guided by the Armed Forces Uniform Regulations and approved by the Ministry of Defence, provides for standard uniforms for both male and female soldiers, including trousers for field duties, ceremonial parades, and combat operations.

UPDF Uniform for women

Women in the UPDF, like their male counterparts, are issued trousers for functional purposes, especially for drills, tactical operations, and long deployments. The official dress code allows female officers to wear skirts in formal, non-combat duties such as administrative parades, mess events, and selected ceremonial occasions, but never restricts them solely to skirts.

In fact, the adoption of UPDF trousers for women was a deliberate policy rooted in functionality, equality, and operational uniformity, aligned with global military standards observed in armies such as the British Army, U.S. military, and African regional forces like the Kenya Defence Forces.

If adopted as formal military policy, Gen. Muhoozi’s latest directive could reverse decades of gradual inclusion and gender neutrality in Uganda’s armed forces. The directive also risks operational inefficiency, according to some military analysts, especially in combat and training situations where trousers are deemed more practical.

A senior retired UPDF officer, who preferred anonymity, told DailyExpress minutes after the CDF’s post that, “This may seem like a minor dress code issue, but it carries broader implications about how the institution views women in service.” He added, “Uniformity in dress also reinforces unity in command. Any deviation should be carefully studied.”

Female Parade Uniforms in Africa

While General Muhoozi’s directive to have female UPDF officers parade in skirts has sparked debate, some African countries already accommodate skirts within their military dress codes, though typically on a ceremonial or optional basis, not as a compulsory standard.

In Zimbabwe, female officers in the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) are occasionally seen wearing skirts during formal parades or pass-out ceremonies, especially for administrative or senior roles. However, trousers remain standard for drills and field duty.

In Nigeria, the Armed Forces permit senior female personnel to wear skirts during select ceremonial events. Despite this allowance, trousers are still the norm for combat training, operations, and most public parades.

Kenya also allows skirts for female officers, particularly during military band performances or formal functions. The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) maintain trousers as the default for both genders during military exercises, drills, and parades.

In South Africa, skirts are offered as part of the formal dress uniform in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), especially among non-combat divisions. However, this is entirely optional, and most female personnel wear trousers in line with modern operational standards.

Similarly, Ghana’s Armed Forces permit skirts for select non-combat roles or ceremonial duties, but trousers remain the standard uniform for all personnel engaged in field operations, training, or national parades.

None of these forces, however, mandates skirts exclusively for women across the board. Instead, gender-neutral trousers are widely embraced as a sign of equality, functionality, and professionalism in today’s modern military settings.

By press time, it remained unclear whether the UPDF High Command or the Ministry of Defence would formalize the directive, or whether it would be treated as a personal opinion by the CDF on a non-binding social media platform.