President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has commissioned a $53 million mechanised repair facility at Magamaga Cantonment in Jinja District, alongside other military infrastructure and equipment provided under Uganda’s defence cooperation with Russia.
The facility is intended to strengthen the Uganda People’s Defence Forces’ (UPDF) capacity to maintain and repair military equipment locally, as the government seeks to reduce dependence on foreign technical support.
In a statement shared on his X account, President Museveni said he had commissioned military facilities and equipment at Kalama, Entebbe, Kalangalo and Magamaga during the week.
“I thank President Putin and the Russian people for this support, including the $53 million mechanised repair facility at Magamaga,” President Museveni said.
He urged the military to move beyond purchasing sophisticated equipment and develop the technical capacity to maintain, repair and eventually manufacture it locally.
“We must not only acquire good equipment but also learn to maintain, repair and eventually manufacture it here,” he said.
President Museveni said the cooperation with Russia should strengthen Uganda’s defence capabilities by building domestic technical expertise and reducing reliance on external support.
He also called on the military to embrace emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, as part of efforts to modernise the country’s defence infrastructure.
“I have encouraged our military to embrace science and technology, including AI and automation, to strengthen our defence capabilities,” he said.
The facilities commissioned across the four locations include training infrastructure at Kalama and Kalangalo, as well as marine equipment at Entebbe, including surveillance radar, boats and a floating dock. The package also includes maintenance equipment for armoured vehicles.
The commissioning ceremonies were attended by UPDF leaders and a Russian delegation, highlighting continued defence cooperation between the two countries.
President Museveni said the partnership should help Uganda build local capacity, protect its sovereignty and strengthen its ability to defend the country.
“Our cooperation with Russia should help us build local capacity, protect our sovereignty and strengthen our ability to defend Uganda,” he said.
The Magamaga facility is particularly significant because maintaining military equipment can be costly when specialised repairs, spare parts and technical expertise must be sourced from abroad. Developing local repair capacity could reduce equipment downtime and improve the military’s ability to sustain its operations.
However, the extent to which the new facility will reduce maintenance costs and dependence on foreign suppliers will depend on the availability of skilled personnel, spare parts, technical support and the capacity to handle different categories of military equipment.
Uganda has maintained defence cooperation with Russia, which has supplied military equipment and provided technical support to several African countries. Such partnerships offer access to equipment and expertise, although they also raise questions about long-term maintenance arrangements, technology transfer and the development of domestic manufacturing capacity.
President Museveni’s emphasis on local production signals an ambition to move beyond equipment acquisition towards building Uganda’s own defence-industrial capabilities.
The commissioning marks another step in that direction, although the government has not, in the statement, provided a timeline for when the facilities could support domestic manufacturing or disclosed the full cost of the equipment and infrastructure commissioned across the four locations.
