Top Story: Over 60,000 Disqualified as UPDF Narrows Down Nationwide Recruitment Drive
KAMPALA, Uganda — More than 60,000 applicants have been disqualified from the ongoing Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) recruitment exercise, which seeks to enlist 11,500 new soldiers into active service.
The highly competitive recruitment drive, conducted from July 7 to July 11, 2025, attracted 78,000 online applications through the official UPDF recruitment portal. However, only 13,000 applicants met the minimum qualifications to proceed to the next stage, according to Maj Gen Felix Kulaigye, Director of Defence Public Information.
“Approximately 65,000 applicants were dropped for failing to meet the initial requirements,” Kulaigye confirmed.
The next phase of the recruitment will feature physical and medical screening, scheduled to take place from August 5 to 15 at designated district recruitment centres. This stage will further trim the pool of candidates to meet the final target of 11,500 recruits.
The UPDF has also issued a medical advisory, urging individuals with conditions such as bow-leggedness, cross-eyedness, or ringworm to refrain from appearing for screening, as these conditions fall short of the army’s medical standards.
“We aim to build a strong and capable force. That means only candidates who are medically and physically fit will make it through,” said Kulaigye.
The 2025 recruitment campaign is part of the UPDF’s ongoing efforts to modernize and reinforce national security, while maintaining strict enlistment standards to ensure operational readiness and discipline.
