Kamuli, Uganda: The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has handed over two newly constructed patient attendants’ shades to Kamuli District General Hospital as part of its Christmas-season Quick Impact Projects aimed at improving community health infrastructure.
The shades were officially commissioned at the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to support mothers of premature babies and ward attendants who often spend long hours at the facility with limited shelter.
The initiative forms part of wider UPDF-supported community interventions currently ongoing in Kamuli District, including health centre construction works at Nawankofu, Nabirama and Namwendwa, borehole projects at Balawoli Church of Uganda Primary School and Nabirama Trading Centre, as well as road improvement works along the Kisege–Kololo Hill stretch in Namasagali Sub-county.
Handing over the facilities, Major General George Igumba, represented by Kamuli UPDF Cluster Commander Col Allan Kitanda, urged health administrators to improve service quality and make public health facilities more attractive to boost utilization and reduce reliance on unqualified service providers.
Col Kitanda noted that each shade was constructed within two weeks at a cost of Shs9 million, significantly lower than the government average cost of Shs22 million, which often takes up to six months due to procurement and bureaucratic procedures.
“These projects are part of UPDF Quick Impact Projects initiated by the Commander-in-Chief to bring the army closer to the people. The UPDF is a people’s force and must be seen responding to community needs,” Kitanda said.
He cautioned the public against mixing politics with development, warning that corruption and “my cut” tendencies were eroding social values in Busoga sub-region.
“Let us internalise our past, understand our present and clearly define the future we want, instead of being driven by excitement without structures or agenda,” he said.
The UPDF further challenged individuals to contribute personally to public institutions, encouraging donations such as hospital curtains, sanitation supplies, and maintenance equipment.
Uganda’s Ambassador to Germany and former Kamuli District LCV chairperson, Stephen Mubiru, commended the UPDF for leveraging peace to advance development and urged health administrators to adopt innovative approaches, advocacy and preventive healthcare models to strengthen service delivery.
“We have peace because of organised leadership. The Church prays for peace, the Army keeps it, and together we push development forward and reduce disease burdens,” Mubiru said.
Kamuli District Assistant District Health Officer in charge of Maternal and Child Health, Moses Lyagoba, described the UPDF intervention as timely and cost-effective, particularly for the NICU where mothers of premature babies often wait for extended periods under difficult conditions.
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