No Guns, No Mud: The Other Side of Kyankwanzi Many Ugandans Rarely See
When many Ugandans hear the name National Leadership Institute (NALI) Kyankwanzi, they picture something closer to a military boot camp than a classroom: gun drills with AK-47 rifles, bodies rolling through mud in the infamous chakamuchaka, and discipline enforced through exhaustion.
For others, Kyankwanzi is imagined as an exclusive finishing school for ministers, Members of Parliament, and senior officials angling for promotion.
The reality, for those who recently spent a week there, is far less dramatic — and far more deliberate.
Beyond the myths of Kyankwanzi
Tucked into rolling green forests along the Hoima Road, about 160 kilometres from Kampala, the National Leadership Institute is not primarily about weapons training. It is about ideas: how power is exercised, how leaders think, and how Uganda’s long-standing challenges — corruption, inequality and weak institutions — might be confronted by people far removed from the corridors of State House.
During a recent week-long Transformational Leadership Development Course, more than 300 participants gathered in Kyankwanzi from across the country. They came not as generals or ministers, but as workers: union leaders, journalists, teachers, drivers, nurses, market vendors and mobile money operators.
Many arrived curious, some sceptical, others openly nervous about what awaited them.
What they found was not gunfire, but long days of discussion.
Leadership training, not military drills
There were a few physical routines — early morning jogging at 4:30am and light chakamuchaka drills during the 7am assembly — but these were optional and far from the centrepiece of the programme.
The bulk of the training focused on lectures and debates on patriotism, Pan-Africanism, democracy, socio-economic transformation, leadership ethics and the fight against corruption.
Some military training, including basic skills at arms, is provided only to participants attending courses lasting a fortnight or longer, mainly to demystify the means of violence rather than glorify it.
“I had always thought Kyankwanzi was about military drills,” one participant said. “But this training was about how you think as a leader.”
A certificate that opens doors
Beyond the learning itself, the course carried unexpected weight for many attendees. The NALI certificate is widely regarded as valuable in public service recruitment, a reality that drew some participants to Kyankwanzi with urgency.
“I have been looking for a NALI certificate for about six years but failed to get it,” said Nabukeera, one of the trainees.
“It is highly valued in government job applications, together with academic qualifications. Most of my colleagues who had it were given jobs in big institutions. When I heard about this training, I cancelled all my programmes to attend.”
Another participant shared a similar experience. “Two of my colleagues were denied jobs in government institutions. But when they later presented a NALI certificate, they were reconsidered and got the jobs.”
Participants represented at least 57 unions, including the Uganda Midwives and Nurses Union, Uganda Journalists Union, Uganda Markets Union, Teachers’ Union, Drivers’ Union, Mobile Money Union, medical workers, marine workers, local government staff, pharmaceutical workers, microfinance professionals and legal practitioners.
Equality by design
Set on more than 21 square miles of land, NALI’s physical environment reinforces one of its core philosophies: equality.
Once inside the compound, hierarchy dissolves quickly. All participants wear the same military-style uniform during the day. They eat the same food, sleep in similar dormitories and sit side by side in the auditorium. There are no reserved tables for ministers, no special meals for MPs and no VIP washrooms.
Many participants said the uniformity was initially unsettling, then quietly powerful.
“It creates a sense of unity,” one attendee said. “Here, everyone is the same — whether you are an MP, a minister’s child, a diplomat or an ordinary worker.”
Contrary to common perceptions, several participants said they were surprised by the institute’s cleanliness.
“Most of us expected poor hygiene because of the large numbers,” one worker noted. “But the place was extremely clean — dormitories, restrooms, everywhere. It was hard to find any litter.”
Shaping how leaders think
NALI director Col. Okei Rukogota says the emphasis on equality and ideas is intentional.
“Patriotism means love for one’s country,” he said. “A patriot must care about the environment, must not be sectarian in religion or tribe, and must respect gender equality.”
“Good leaders are those who can take an organisation or society to a higher level,” Rukogota added. “They influence others and work towards changing perspectives and behaviour.”
According to him, the course is designed to help participants understand the dynamics of society, diagnose problems and clarify their vision for Uganda’s development.
“Leaders should believe in themselves, research, and understand the problem before trying to solve it,” he said.
Leadership, not force
At the closing ceremony, Brig Gen David Robert Gonyi, Chief of Staff of the UPDF Air Forces, praised the programme, arguing that leadership training — not force — is the foundation of national development.
“The importance of this training is to build a spirit of national service and commitment,” he said. “Transformational leadership inspires collective vision, fosters innovation and empowers citizens beyond self-interest.”
Workers’ Member of Parliament Arinaitwe Rwakajara, who organised the training, said participants left with practical skills that extend beyond theory.
“They have gained skills in strategic planning, teamwork, critical thinking, decision-making and communication,” he said.
“They are also exposed to the economic challenges facing the country, with emphasis on wealth creation initiatives, including joining savings and credit cooperatives where they can borrow at low interest.”
Rwakajara said similar trainings would be organised for more workers in the future.
Redefining Kyankwanzi
For many participants, the week at Kyankwanzi did not erase the institute’s myths — but it complicated them.
The drills exist. The discipline is real. But beneath the uniform and routine lies something quieter and more enduring: an attempt to reshape how Ugandans imagine leadership itself.
As one participant put it, borrowing from a saying often attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte, “A leader is a dealer in hope.”
At Kyankwanzi, that hope is taught not through weapons, but through ideas — reinforced by intellectual motivation sessions on leadership, patriotic songs such as “Tembeya,” “Songa Mbere,” “Yoweri… Maama Yoweri,” “Muzeei Jjuu… Jjuu Zaidi,” the Ugandan and East African anthems in Swahili, and Col. Okei’s signature call of “Shukran.”
For those who attend, it is this quieter side of Kyankwanzi that lingers long after the uniform is returned.
