National Defence College, Uganda is a National Security and Strategic Studies training and educational institution in

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

Location

The college is located in Njeru, in Buikwe District. This is near the city of Jinja, approximately , by road, east of

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...

, Uganda's capital and largest city.

Overview

The Defence College is expected to produce graduates in strategic leadership to government on national and international security matters. It is intended to be an institute of excellence on defence, security and national development. In September 2018, the Ugandan Chief of Defence Forces, General David Muhoozi, established a committee to spearhead the establishment of the defence college in 2019. The committee was chaired by

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Nakibus Lakara, the Commander of the Uganda Rapid Deployment Capability Centre (URDCC), based in Jinja. Lydia Wanyoto, a Ugandan lawyer, politician and diplomat, was one of the committee members. According to the army commander, the National Defence College will offer training to civilians, military, national security professionals and future leaders. The training is intended to educate the students about the strategic security environment and the management of complexities at a strategic level. At this time, the UPDF has a sufficient number of senior officers, with the requisite knowledge, experience and background information to become instructors at the defence college. The NDCU admitted its first cohort of students, numbering about 20, in January 2022. The students are first-star generals (

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

), senior military commanders (

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

) and high ranking government personnel. The College is affiliated with Makerere University, Uganda's oldest and largest public university. Graduates will receive a ''National Defence Collège'' badge and a master's degree, awarded by Makerere University.

Courses

As of January 2022, the college offers two courses (a) ''Postgraduate Diploma in National Security Studies'' and (b) ''Masters in Security Strategy'', offered in collaboration with Makerere University.

Pioneer class

Members of the pioneer class at NDCU (2022), include Brigadier Flavia Byekwaso, previously spokesperson for the UPDF. Others are Colonel Edith Nakalema, previously Head of ''State House Anti Corruption Unit'' (SHACU), and Brigadier Peter Candia, previously Commander of the ''Special Forces Command'' (SFC). There were 18 UPDF officers in the pioneer class. The second cohort of officers, numbering 21, graduated in June 2024.

References

External links