65 Lira Recruits Selected to Join UPDF

What the report says

Sixty-five applicants from Lira City and Lira District have been selected to join the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces after a recruitment exercise in Lira was completed, according to Dokolo Post. The recruits include both regular and professional entrants, and the process was described as fair, transparent and orderly. They were flagged off on Sunday, August 16, 2026, at Lira Mayor’s Garden.

Lira City East Division Deputy Resident City Commissioner Stephen Odongo, speaking on behalf of Lira City Resident City Commissioner Lawrence Egole, told the selected recruits to report to their assigned UPDF training schools. He encouraged them to uphold discipline, integrity, patriotism, commitment and excellence as they begin military training. He also thanked parents and guardians for supporting the applicants and asked them to keep offering guidance and prayers.

The report says recruitment is continuing across the wider Lango Sub-region, with different districts scheduled on successive days at venues including Lira Mayor’s Garden, Dokolo District, Apac District headquarters, and Oyam District headquarters. It added that the 2026 UPDF general recruitment exercise is in its final phase nationwide, running from August 10 to 22 and targeting more than 10,000 regular and professional recruits. Applicants were previously shortlisted after online applications, and the process requires identification documents, academic papers and local recommendations. The report also notes that recruitment is free, with warnings against people demanding money from applicants.