Hundreds of youth fail UPDF recruitment test
UPDF medical officers examines one of the youth who turned up for the UPDF recruitment exercise at the Mayor’s Gardens in Mubende Town last week. Photo by Jesicca Nabukenya
Mubende- Hundreds of applicants were rejected in the ongoing UPDF recruitment exercise mainly due to ill health and poor hygiene.
The exercise ended in Mubende District last week where more than 400 youth had turned up but only 25 of them passed the test.
Others were rejected on grounds of deformities, having scars and tattoos on their bodies, eye and dental defects.
Maj Kiconco Tabaro, the UPDF Air force spokesperson, also a member of the recruitment committee, said they were overwhelmed by the number of applicants.
“We would have loved to take all of them, but some failed the test to be enlisted as servicemen,” he said.
In Masaka District, only of the 300 youth were considered. The exercise, which was held at Masaka Recreation Grounds, attracted youth from the districts of Masaka, Kalungu, Lwengo, Sembabule and Kalangala.
Maj Tabaro said in the more than seven districts where they had already conducted a similar exercise, Mubende District registered the biggest number of applicants.
In Mityana District, only 15 out of 200 applicant were taken.
Col Jeff Kupa Mukasa, the recruiting team leader, said majority of the applicants were rejected due to ill health and poor hygiene.
Among those rejected in Mityana District were 20 sons of deceased UPDF soldiers from Bombo barracks.
Every district is given a quota for recruitment depending on its population
At the end exercise, which will cover all districts in the country, the army would have hit its target of recruiting 3,000 foot soldiers.
