“Write your wills, death is certain” – Maj Gen Ogiki to soldiers 

Mbuya |Maj Gen Bob Ogiki, Joint Staff Policy and Planning in the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces, praised the UPDF legal team for its significant contributions, including the development of the UPDF Establishment 2021.

He also praised the learned team for developing the UPDF Amendment Bill 2024 and establishing Division-level Land Offices.

Maj Gen Ogiki also emphasized how the Legal Office has grown from five officers in 1986 to a full battalion today.

The senior army officer emphasized how the UPDF Legal Department has helped officers draft wills, which has eased the army’s workload in managing the estates of fallen officers.

He encouraged all UPDF personnel without wills to write to them. “Death is a matter of fact and something we should all be prepared for.”

Maj Gen Ogiki made these remarks while presiding over the Joint Staff Legal Services handover ceremony on Friday, at which Brig Gen Prof Godard Busingye passed the baton to Brig Gen Moses Wandera at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs Headquarters in Mbuya, Kampala.

Ogiki praised Brig Gen Busingye for his outstanding service, particularly for keeping meticulously documented and preserved records during his tenure.

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Brig Gen Wandera received advice from Maj Gen Ogiki regarding the value of training subordinate employees for institutional expansion. “A good leader is not for leading men, but for leading men for tomorrow.”

Brig Gen Professor Busingye encouraged his successor to consult with colleagues. “If you have colleagues, you assign them; you don’t have to break so much.”

Brig Gen Wandera expressed gratitude for his new position and recognized the significance of his appointment. “Since 1986, I now become the third Joint Staff Legal Services in the history of this country and the UPDF,” he observed.

Insisting that his employees maintain the collaborative attitude they had with his predecessor, Wandera emphasized the value of open communication, transparency, and teamwork.