Brig Gen Balikudembe leaves Karamoja for National Defence College

The third division commander of Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF), Brig Gen Joseph Balikuddembe has left Karamoja sub region as he prepares to undergo a strategic course at National Defence College-Uganda.
Gen Balikudembe has been at the helm of the Division covering the greater Eastern Uganda since 2019.

He is among a few Generals and senior officers recently nominated and announced by the UPDF strategic leadership to undertake the prestigious course - National Defence College, Uganda (NDC-U) for the second intake.
"I am so proud and happy for this rare gesture extended to me by the strategic leadership in my career development. I can't wait as this has been my lifetime dream," Gen Balikuddembe said in his exit note, however, it's not known if he will be redeployed to Karamoja after the training following earlier calls from both Karamoja and Teso leaders to the president to change guard for the third division army leadership.

According to the spokesperson for the division, Maj Isaac Oware, the NDC-U is the highest military institution of learning in Uganda where policy analysis and ground strategy formulation for strategic security, stability and prosperity take place.
In his tenure as Division Commander and the chairperson of disarmament committee, Gen Balikuddembe is credited for overall command, control and coordination in the conduct of disarmament operations making significant strides with 1,128 and 11,177 guns and ammunition recovered respectively since 2019.
The third division fraternity states that he will always be remembered for overseeing one of the most recent (April 2023) bloodless operations against the Turkana armed pastoralists where the joint security forces recovered 31 guns at Lokiriaut village, Nadunget Subcouty in Moroto District.

Mr Oware said in the joint concept note, that   if it was not for rearmament stemming from the neighbors; (Turkana, Pokot and Toposa) criminal elements who trade in small arms proliferation, the security situation in Karamoja and the neighbouring areas would be much better and desirable.
Gen Balikuddembe has left at a time when local leaders through inter-district security meetings are on board in a fight against the criminality of armed cattle rustling.
Gen Balikuddembe is said to have spearheaded the security mobilization, the resolutions and outcome is bringing peaceful co-existence among the Karimojong, Iteso, Bagisu and Sabin communities.

"As a result of security meetings, tension among some local leaders who used not to see eye to eye has been diffused. Also some livestock recoveries are being made by the locals themselves without involvement of security forces," Maj Oware said.
The General has been instrumental in cross border security engagement and mechanism with Turkana county leadership to end gun violence and foster harmonious co-existence among the pastoralists’ communities.
Mr Balikudembe by the time of his departure, has been a substantive  chairperson of the Joint Defence Committe (JDC), a security panel that has been instrumental in the deployment  between Uganda and Kenya , and also tasked to formulate concepts and possible  deployment of the regional force. 

Recently, the JDC recommended the need to align security forces to coordinate and synchronize actions against livestock rustling including deployments by Kenya Defence Force (KDF) in Lokiriama, Orumu, Nakitongo in Turkana County as well as Konyao and Alale in West Pokot County to curtail prolifera