Young army officers advised to embrace coffee farming, other projects for retirement

LIRA, October 1, 2026 — Young army officers serving in the 5th Infantry Division of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces [UPDF] have been advised to embrace coffee growing and other income-generating projects to prepare for retirement.

Other projects highlighted for the officers include poultry keeping, and piggery.

Brig Gen Peter Gaetano Omola, Vice Chairman of Wazalendo Savings and Credit Cooperative Society Limited [WSACCO], made the call during a training held on Wednesday at Lira District Hall under the theme, “Preparing for Retirement Through Smart Enterprise Selection and Management.”

Omola said the training was particularly important for young soldiers, as it would equip them with knowledge and skills to establish enterprises capable of generating wealth for their households.

“This training is very crucial, especially for the young soldiers. We are saying: don’t wait until it is too late. Start now and plan early for your life after service. By the time you retire, you should have something that you are doing that is generating wealth for your household,” he said.

According to Omola, the enterprise selection training has been rolled out across the country, starting in Central and Western Uganda before moving to the Eastern and now Northern regions. The initiative is aimed at creating opportunities for army officers to secure their future and ease their transition into life after service.

Omola said an assessment was first conducted to establish which projects could easily be adopted by the officers and provide them with sustainable sources of income.

“This is the third consecutive year we have conducted this training. But this time, we have structured it differently by selecting three major projects that we want to train and encourage our soldiers to engage in,” Omola said.

“We have two teams. Team One started with Central and Western Uganda, while Team Two went through the Eastern region and has now started handling Northern Uganda. We first sought the views of our members, and these are the projects that most of the soldiers said they were already engaged in or interested in.”

Omola encouraged the officers to embrace coffee growing alongside other productive enterprises, noting that President and Commander-in-Chief Gen Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has repeatedly encouraged farmers in Northern and Eastern Uganda to take up coffee production.

“You will agree that the President and Commander-in-Chief, Gen Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, has been encouraging people, especially in Eastern and Northern Uganda, to grow coffee because it can do well in these regions. We have also taken this up and are encouraging our members to grow coffee alongside other projects,” he said.

“We believe that by exposing our soldiers to these projects, they will understand them better and be able to undertake them successfully.”

He also urged the officers to make prudent use of their earnings and other resources to secure a comfortable life after retirement.

“We also conduct financial literacy training, but this time we are going a little further. We are telling them to be financially disciplined, but also to engage in viable projects. We have been teaching them how to understand different projects and identify those that can work for them,” he said.

During the training, Edward Abaho, a UPDF officer attached to the 5th Infantry Division, asked whether there were local remedies for diseases affecting poultry.

Abaho also shared his experience of rearing chickens, saying he had encountered cases where eggs broke inside hens before they could be laid. He said he had initially suspected that the problem was caused by having too many cocks and subsequently reduced their number.

“Do you have any local remedies for these diseases affecting birds? Another challenge I have experienced is eggs breaking inside the hens. I thought this could have been caused by having too many cocks, so I started reducing the number of cocks,” Abaho said.

Walter Junior Opio, Director of Jalter Agro Mixed Farm in Lira City, who trained the officers in poultry and piggery, said production levels in the two enterprises remained low.

He said increased participation by the officers could help boost production, sustain the market and increase household incomes.

“I believe that when the knowledge they have acquired is properly implemented, they can contribute to the food security of this country. Currently, production levels in both poultry and piggery are low. If they embrace these enterprises properly, they can help sustain the market while also earning a living,” Opio said.

On the issue of eggs breaking inside hens, Opio attributed the problem partly to poor feeding and lack of exercise.

“It all depends on the feed. The birds may not have been given a well-balanced diet, causing them to gain excessive weight. They may also be eating more feed than the recommended amount,” he said.

“For example, layers require a specific amount of feed per day. When you give them excessive feed and they develop too much fat, or when they are confined in an environment where they do not get enough exercise, it is possible for eggs to become affected. In some cases, the egg can die inside the hen during the laying process and eventually break.”

The training is part of WSACCO’s efforts to equip UPDF personnel with financial management skills and practical knowledge of income-generating enterprises to help them prepare for life after active service.

https://thecooperator.news/updf-soldiers-advised-to-plan-wisely-before-taking-loans/

Buy your copy of thecooperator magazine from one of our country-wide vending points or an e-copy on emag.thecooperator.news