Defence and Veteran Affairs Minister Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka has directed authorities to investigate allegations surrounding the treatment of a UPDF recruitment candidate from Pallisa District during the ongoing 2026 recruitment exercise.

The matter came before Parliament during the 19th sitting of the first meeting of the first session of the 12th Parliament, chaired by Speaker Rt. Hon. Jacob Oboth-Oboth.

Lawmakers raised several concerns about the recruitment exercise, including allegations of irregularities at some recruitment centres across the country.

One of the issues discussed involved the recruitment of candidates outside their regions of origin. MPs cited cases in which individuals from particular ethnic communities appeared for recruitment in districts where they did not originate.

Responding to the concerns, Minister Kiryowa said tribe and religion are not criteria used by the UPDF when selecting recruits.

According to the minister, the recruitment process is based on a candidate's Ugandan nationality and place of residence. He said where a person registers from is where he or she is recruited, provided their documents confirm their residency in that area.

An MP from Pallisa District brought attention to the case of a candidate identified as Osire, who reportedly appeared at a recruitment centre for physical recruitment on August 18.

According to the legislator, an officer at the centre allegedly instructed the candidate to provide a name different from his actual name. The candidate was subsequently disqualified.

The MP further alleged that Osire was assaulted and beaten before being removed from the recruitment centre.

Minister Kiryowa said the allegations would be examined to establish exactly what happened. “Of course, we are going to investigate the matter and establish what happened,” Kiryowa told Parliament.

The minister also called on MPs to educate people in their constituencies about the importance of integrity when dealing with security institutions and recruitment procedures.

While addressing the incident, Kiryowa questioned why a recruitment candidate would agree to use a name other than the one appearing on his official documents.

He suggested that integrity is an important consideration when selecting individuals who are expected to serve in the armed forces.

The minister also explained that applicants are required to present academic and other relevant documents during recruitment partly to verify their identities and prevent inconsistencies.

Kiryowa, however, acknowledged that if the instruction to use another name was deliberately given by a recruitment official as some form of test, such an approach would have been inappropriate.

He said he hoped the incident was not part of an intentional test designed by officers at the recruitment centre.

Another MP from Kasanda District took a different position, arguing that military personnel are trained to follow orders from senior officers.

The legislator maintained that the candidate should not necessarily have been excluded if he acted on an instruction given to him by an officer at the recruitment centre.

However, Maj Gen David Gonyi, Commandant of the Senior Command and Staff College in Kimaka and UPDF Whip in Parliament, rejected the argument that the candidate could be treated as a soldier obeying a military order.

Gonyi pointed out that the applicant had not yet been admitted into the UPDF and therefore was not a serving soldier.

He said the recruitment process can also assess how candidates respond to situations that may test their judgment and integrity.

According to Gonyi, accepting an instruction to identify oneself by a different name could raise questions about whether a candidate can be trusted with responsibilities that come with military service.

The allegations surrounding the Pallisa candidate remain subject to investigation. The Defence Ministry is expected to establish whether the alleged instruction was issued by a recruitment officer and whether the reported assault occurred.

The case comes as the UPDF continues its nationwide 2026 recruitment exercise, with Parliament monitoring the process following concerns raised by legislators over how some candidates are being handled.

Minister Kiryowa urged MPs to continue sensitising citizens about the requirements of the recruitment process and the standards expected of prospective members of the UPDF.