Gen Kainerugaba's son Ruhamya commissioned as UPDF officer at Kabamba

• Ruhamya Kainerugaba, son of UPDF chief Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has been commissioned as a second lieutenant at Uganda Military Academy Kabamba.

• President Yoweri Museveni presided over the October 20, 2026, commissioning ceremony in Mubende district.

• Ruhamya and Andrew Bakira Ruyondo completed officer training at Britain's Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in August 2026.

• Ruhamya follows his father, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who graduated from Sandhurst in 2000, continuing the Museveni family's military tradition.

Ruhamya Kainerugaba, the eldest son of the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has joined the ranks of Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) officers as a second lieutenant following a commissioning ceremony at Uganda Military Academy Kabamba in Mubende district.

Ruhamya was among the officer cadets presented for commissioning by President Yoweri Museveni on October 20, 2026, a few months after completing military training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom.

He attended the ceremony alongside fellow Ugandan officer Andrew Bakira Ruyondo, with whom he graduated from Sandhurst in August 2026. The two were among six officers who trained abroad, including four who completed their courses in India.

The Kabamba ceremony brought together officer cadets under Professional Intake 09/2026 and students completing the Bachelor of Defence Studies programme, intake 05/23-26.

Museveni, who is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, inspected a guard of honour mounted by graduating regular and professional cadets drawn from the UPDF Land Forces, Air Force and Special Forces Command. Officers from allied countries also participated.

Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba attended the ceremony, which drew senior military officers and families of the graduating cadets.

Ruhamya's commissioning marks another step in a military career that began when he joined the UPDF as a private.

He later trained at Sandhurst, where he completed the officer commissioning course alongside Bakira. The two graduated during the academy's Sovereign's Parade in August 2026, an event attended by Gen Kainerugaba.

Sandhurst, one of Britain's leading military training institutions, prepares officer cadets for command through courses covering leadership, infantry tactics, weapons handling, field operations and military planning.

Bakira, who hails from Kazo district and attended Ntare School, distinguished himself during the training. He received the International Sword, an award given to an overseas cadet for outstanding performance in military training, leadership and discipline.

Ruhamya's graduation also continued a family tradition. His father completed officer training at Sandhurst in 2000 before returning to Uganda to pursue his military career.

During his son's graduation in Britain, Gen Kainerugaba received a Sandhurst alumni medal from the academy's commandant, Maj Gen Nick Cowley.

President Museveni also celebrated Ruhamya and Bakira's achievement in August. He welcomed the two officers into the UPDF and praised their decision to pursue military careers.

"Now, God has blessed me with one of my grandchildren, Ruhamya, joining my big family of UPDF, having graduated, with his colleague, Bakira, from Sandhurst recently," Museveni said in a statement released on August 16, 2026.

Ruhamya's commissioning at Kabamba places him in the third generation of the Museveni family to serve in Uganda's military, following his grandfather, President Museveni, and his father, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

The Uganda Military Academy Kabamba serves as a key training institution for UPDF officers, preparing cadets for leadership and command responsibilities across the armed forces.