President Yoweri Museveni has formally commissioned his grandson, 2nd Lt Ruhamya Kainerugaba, into the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), adding another generation to the Museveni family’s long association with the military.
Ruhamya, the eldest son of Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, was commissioned alongside fellow Ugandan officer 2nd Lt Andrew Bakira Ruyondo during a ceremony at the Uganda Military Academy, Kabamba, in Mubende District.
The commissioning ceremony, presided over by Museveni in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the UPDF, marked Ruhamya’s transition from officer cadet to commissioned officer following his completion of military training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom.
Ruhamya and Ruyondo graduated from Sandhurst in August after completing the academy’s demanding Officer Commissioning Course. They were among the international and British cadets who passed out during the Sovereign’s Parade at the prestigious military academy.
The UPDF said the Kabamba ceremony also commissioned officer cadets under Professional Intake 09/26 and BDS Intake 05/23–26, describing the occasion as another milestone in building a disciplined, skilled and professional military force.
Ruhamya’s commissioning has particular significance because it continues a military tradition that has now stretched across three generations of President Museveni’s immediate family.
With Ruhamya formally joining the force, the number of members of Museveni’s direct family who have served in the military rises to four — Museveni himself, his younger brother Gen Salim Saleh, his son Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and now his grandson Ruhamya.
From private to Sandhurst cadet
Ruhamya’s journey into the military began before his Sandhurst training. According to accounts surrounding his military career, he enlisted in the UPDF as a private in June 2025 before being selected for officer training at Sandhurst.
His father, Gen Muhoozi, publicly followed his progress during the British military course, frequently sharing photographs and updates about his son.
In May, Gen Muhoozi posted photographs comparing his own experience at Sandhurst with that of his son, describing them as a father and son undergoing similar military hardships, separated by 27 years. The symbolism was difficult to miss.
Muhoozi graduated from Sandhurst in 2000 after joining the UPDF as an officer cadet in 1999. More than two decades later, his son was following almost the same path, undergoing training at the same institution before returning home to be commissioned into the UPDF.
Ruhamya’s Sandhurst graduation was witnessed by his father, who was received by Major General Nick Cowley, the academy’s commandant. Muhoozi was presented with a Sandhurst Alumni medal, a recognition introduced after his own time at the institution.
Ruhamya graduated alongside Ruyondo, who went on to win the prestigious International Sword awarded to the best-performing international cadet in his intake.
The award recognises an overseas cadet judged to have demonstrated outstanding performance in leadership, physical and mental resilience, attitude and military skills during the 44-week commissioning course.
Following his father’s footsteps
Ruhamya’s entry into the UPDF inevitably draws comparisons with the career of his father, who has risen from a young officer to the highest professional position in the Ugandan military.
Muhoozi joined the UPDF in 1999 and was sent to Sandhurst, where he graduated in 2000.
Upon his return to Uganda, he served in the Presidential Protection Unit before undertaking further military training, including company and battalion commanders’ courses at the Egyptian Military Academy.
He later attended the US Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and became Uganda’s first known military officer to complete training at the US Army Airborne School at Fort Benning.
His career also saw him rise through command positions in the UPDF, including service with the Special Forces.
Muhoozi commanded the Special Forces Group and later the Special Forces Command, becoming one of the most prominent officers of his generation. He was also involved in UPDF operations against the Lord’s Resistance Army and Allied Democratic Forces and in Uganda’s military engagements and peace-support operations in the region.
His career took him through the ranks of colonel, brigadier general, major general and lieutenant general before he was promoted to general.
He served as Commander of the UPDF Land Forces and was appointed Chief of Defence Forces in 2024, placing him at the head of Uganda’s entire military establishment.
Ruhamya is therefore beginning his military career from a family background that is already deeply embedded in the UPDF’s senior command structure.
A family military tradition
The commissioning also puts renewed attention on the military history of the Museveni family.
President Museveni himself was a key figure in the guerrilla war that brought the National Resistance Movement to power in 1986. He subsequently became Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, a position he has retained throughout his presidency.
His younger brother, Gen Salim Saleh, was one of the senior commanders of the National Resistance Army during the bush war and later became a powerful figure within the UPDF.
Saleh has held several senior military responsibilities and has remained influential in Uganda’s security and political affairs.
Museveni’s son Muhoozi subsequently entered the army after completing his education and has built a career that has taken him from junior officer ranks to the leadership of the UPDF.
The entry of Ruhamya now means the military connection has passed to a third generation.
This has inevitably attracted attention because of the political and institutional significance of the family. Muhoozi is not only the CDF but also chairman of the Patriotic League of Uganda and has publicly expressed his intention to seek the presidency in 2031.
Ruhamya’s commissioning, however, places him at the beginning rather than the culmination of a military career.
At the rank of second lieutenant, he will have to progress through the UPDF command and training structure like other newly commissioned officers.
A new generation
For Museveni, the Kabamba ceremony offered a rare family moment in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief.
The President was commissioning his grandson into an institution in which he had himself played a central role in shaping the command structure for decades.
For Muhoozi, it represented another milestone in a journey that began with his own graduation from Sandhurst in 2000.
And for Ruhamya, the ceremony formally opened a new chapter after his transition from private soldier to Sandhurst-trained officer.
His commissioning alongside Ruyondo also gives the event a broader dimension beyond the family connection.
Ruyondo’s success at Sandhurst, where he won the Queen’s International Sword, provided another source of pride for Uganda and demonstrated that the country’s young officers can compete successfully at some of the world’s most demanding military training institutions.
The two officers now return to the UPDF with internationally recognised officer training and are expected to begin the next stage of their careers within Uganda’s military establishment.
Ruhamya’s journey will be watched closely, not only because he is the grandson of the President and son of the CDF, but also because he represents the continuation of a family association with the armed forces that began with Museveni’s generation and has now reached a third generation.
For the Museveni family, the Kabamba commissioning therefore represents more than a military ceremony. It is the latest chapter in a decades-long story in which father, brother, son and now grandson have all worn the uniform of Uganda’s armed forces.
Author Profile
- Charles Gazza Kodili is a seasoned journalist with over 20 years of experience in the media industry. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication. He’s currently the Chief Editor at the Investigator.
Charles can also be reached via; Tel: +256 774 108978
Email: [email protected]
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