Reintegration of Military Veterans into Civilian life Remains a priority to the Defence Ministry- Commissioner Mabonga
By: Kyeyune Ali
The Commissioner Rehabilitation, Psychosocial Support and Resettlement at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Mike Mabonga has noted that the smooth transition of military veterans into civilian life still remains a priority to the Directorate of Veterans Affairs since retirement is likened to a job well done and is a protracted struggle
Mr. Mabonga made the above remark during the Sensitization and Documentation Exercise of Batch 13 B 2024 retiring Officers at the Non Commissioned Officers Academy (NCOA) in Jinja.
The Rehabilitation Commissioner stressed that transitioning into civilian life is not easy and there fore called upon government to continuously extend an olive branch to all the shortfalls that emanate from the veterans desk.
“The need for vigorous economic empowerment programs to bridge existing transitional gaps like inadequate financial literacy and land management is key,” he said.
He reminded retirees to ably prepare for the unexpected from their respective receiving communities; since they have been almost away from their families/spouses for long.
He also urged them to enroll for existing government programs like OWC, Emyooga and PDM to better their livelihood.
With Veteran’s rehabilitation issues, Commissioner Mabonga informed them of an inclusive provision of assistive devices for the sick, elderly and treatment of the needy ones through the continuous identification of referrals.
To the veterans facing legal challenges, Mr. Mabonga called upon then to ably utilize the Veteran’s Legal Aid Clinic (VLAC), saying matters of mediation, arbitration, and probonnal issues, among others; shall be dealt with free of charge and target mainly the vulnerable. He, however, cautioned them to be law abiding Citizens.
The UPDF Land Force Director Personnel and Administration Col Nicolas Humble Nyesiga mentioned total support to retirees seeking formal employment outside MODVA circles.
He said this will promote career development after active service.
Col Humble also encouraged them to always give feedback on MODVA services since they still belong to the Reserve Force.