By JULIUS BARIGABA

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Ugandan military officer Lt-Gen Sam Kavuma finally took office as the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis) Force Commander on July 28, more than three months after he was named to the post in April to replace his compatriot Lt-Gen Sam Okiding, who was appointed Deputy Chief of Defence Forces of Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF).

UPDF Spokesperson Brig-Gen Felix Kulayigye blamed the long wait for Lt-Gen Kavuma to go to Somalia on a long approval process by the African Union Peace and Security Council for high level appointments to the peacekeeping force.

“There is a process at the AU headquarters that must be done,” he explained.

Read: Somalia will require foreign troops past Atmis exit, experts says

The long approval process means the tenure of Gen Kavuma at the top of Atmis command is cut to five months, as the force’s mandate in the Horn of Africa nation expires at the end of this year, as per UN Security Council resolutions.

Upon arrival in Mogadishu on July 28, the new Force Commander met with the Head of Atmis Ambassador Mohamed El-Amine Souef and senior leadership at the mission headquarters.

Lt-Gen Kavuma also received a briefing from senior Atmis military officers led by the Deputy Force Commander in charge of Support and Logistics Maj-Gen Peter Muteti, on the security situation in Somalia and the progress made in implementing the mission mandate.

No stranger to peacekeeping in the Horn of Africa, Lt-Gen Kavuma is on his second stint in Somalia, where he was contingent commander of Ugandan troops from October 2014 to November 2016 serving in the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), the predecessor of Atmis.

“The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and international partners have worked collaboratively towards the progress we see today.

“The achievements made so far are remarkable, and we will continue to support the FGS to ensure al-Shabaab is degraded, peace prevails, and the Somalis can engage in the development of their country without fear,” the commander said.

Lt-Gen Kavuma joined UPDF in the early 1980s and has held several senior positions, including Division Commander, Deputy Air Force Commander, and Deputy Commander Land Forces in Uganda.

Read: Ugandan president reshuffles top military officers, drops army chief

Prior to his latest appointment, he was a legislator, representing the military in Uganda's Parliament, and Deputy Chief Coordinator of Uganda’s national wealth-creation programme.

He also served in the Central African Republic as commander of the African Union-authorised Regional Taskforce deployed to hunt down the Lord’s Resistance Army insurgency group.

Previously, he oversaw operations in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda.