Xenophobia: Uganda Subjects South African Returnees to Military Drills, Patriotism Training

Ugandan nationals who recently returned from South Africa are reportedly undergoing a government-backed reintegration programme that combines military-style drills, patriotic education and rehabilitation to help them settle back into life in their home country.

The initiative has attracted widespread attention after videos of the participants marching, chanting patriotic songs and engaging in physical training went viral on TikTok.

The videos were shared by Uganda’s Commissioner for the National Secretariat for Patriotism Corps (NSPC) at State House, Hellen Seku, on her official TikTok account.

According to IOL News, the 15-day programme, held at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi, is designed to reintegrate Ugandans who returned from South Africa after abandoning their businesses, jobs and homes during a wave of anti-illegal immigration protests.

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Participants undergo marching drills, fitness exercises, physical combat training, medical examinations and treatment, alongside classes on patriotism, leadership, national identity and economic empowerment.

During the training, participants were heard chanting: “We are happy to be Ugandan, and Uganda is our motherland.”

The first batch of returnees completed the programme during a passing-out ceremony attended by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on July 19.

According to IOL News, Seku while speaking on the initiative, dismissed suggestions that the programme was politically driven, insisting that it was aimed at promoting national unity and patriotism among all Ugandans.

She said: “For us as patriots, we are non-partisan. Patriotism is a calling for every Ugandan and every citizen of this country. That is why the Constitution says that all citizens of Uganda must be patriotic and love this country without discriminating, without relying on a political party or race.”

Seku disclosed that a large proportion of the returnees were supporters of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP), but said they were received without discrimination after returning home.

“People who came here in their opposition, majority by the 90%, are NUP returnees because they really failed to survive. So they have come back home; we welcomed them home without discriminating,” she said.

Seku further explained that many of the returnees arrived emotionally distressed after losing livelihoods they had spent years building in South Africa.

She, however, said the rehabilitation programme had significantly changed their perception of Uganda and renewed their confidence in the country’s prospects.

“The way they came is not the way they are today. They now appreciate their country. Many have realised they were ignorant about Uganda’s opportunities, wealth and economic potential. They now believe Uganda is the best country to live in.”