Mugula Dan
Tue, 6 October 2026
KAMPALA — Government has not yet approved a proposal to make six months of patriotism training at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi mandatory for all Senior Six leavers, the Minister for ICT and National Guidance, Justine Kasule Lumumba, has said.
Commissioner Hellen Seku
Lumumba said the proposal, announced by the Commissioner of the National Secretariat for Patriotism Corps (NSPC), Hellen Seku, during a recent pass-out ceremony, remains an intention that must first be formally presented to Cabinet and discussed with the Ministry of Education before government can make a decision.
“It was a proposal that she announced to those who were there that they have intentions. So until those intentions are brought to Cabinet, I cannot really commit myself to that,” Lumumba told journalists at the Uganda Media Centre.
Seku made the announcement during a pass-out ceremony at Immaculate Heart Girls’ Secondary School Nyakibale in Rukungiri District, where more than 1,700 students from four institutions completed a week-long patriotism training programme.
The announcement had suggested that all Senior Six leavers would undergo six months of mandatory patriotism training at NALI in Kyankwanzi as part of efforts to promote discipline, national identity and civic responsibility among young people.
However, Lumumba stressed that the proposal should not be treated as government policy until it has gone through the required approval process.
Lumumba said a similar programme existed in the past, when students who had completed Senior Six could choose to attend training at Kyankwanzi during their vacation before joining university.
She said she personally participated in the programme after completing Senior Six.
Minister Lumumba Justine Kasule
According to Lumumba, the training at the time included basic military-style drills, personal safety lessons and skills intended to help participants respond to security threats.
She said the programme was later discontinued.
Lumumba said the focus of training at Kyankwanzi has since changed, with current programmes placing greater emphasis on patriotism, fighting poverty and helping citizens respond to technological and socioeconomic changes.
She said any decision to reintroduce a programme specifically targeting Senior Six leavers would therefore require consideration by the relevant government institutions.
The proposal comes amid renewed government efforts to promote patriotism and national guidance among young Ugandans. Government agencies have in recent years organised patriotism programmes for students and other groups, while NALI Kyankwanzi has continued to host leadership and civic training programmes.
For now, however, there is no approved government policy requiring all Senior Six leavers in Uganda to undergo six months of mandatory training at Kyankwanzi.
