The Constituent Assembly of 1994 buzzed with urgency, its delegates wrestling with the shape of a new Uganda. Among the fiercest debates was one that touched the heart of the state — what to call the national army. The chamber was tense, still echoing with the legacy of the bush war, when a youthful delegate and army captain, Noble Mayombo, rose to his feet. He moved a motion that would etch his name into Uganda’s constitutional history: that the National Resistance Army, born of revolution, be renamed the Uganda People’s Defence Forces. Mayombo’s words carried weight beyond his years. He reminded the Assembly that while the NRA had fought valiantly, it belonged to a chapter of struggle. A constitution, he argued, must speak for all citizens, not for a movement. The army’s name had to project neutrality, professionalism, and national ownership. “This is no longer the army of a resistance,” he told his fellow delegates, “it must be the defence force of a people.” His motion, simple in phrasing but profound in meaning, turned the chamber into a theatre of history in the making. Outside the chamber, in the Parliament lobby, seasoned journalist Bart Kakooza intercepted Mayombo for an interview. He asked him to explain why the motion mattered. Standing tall, Mayombo repeated the essence of his argument: that the word “People’s” was not cosmetic but constitutional — a signal that the guns were now bound by law, accountable to Ugandans rather than to a party. Through Kakooza’s microphone, his vision leapt from the walls of Parliament to radios and newspapers, sparking debate far beyond Kampala. For many Ugandans, that interview was the first time they heard the phrase Uganda People’s Defence Forces. It carried a freshness that suggested rebirth, a shift from partisan struggle to shared nationhood. While some veterans worried the NRA’s name might be erased from memory, others saw the renaming as a necessary step toward legitimacy. In homes, trading centres, and schools, citizens repeated the new name, often attaching it to Mayombo himself — the young captain who had dared to motion for change. When the Constituent Assembly finally voted and Article 208 enshrined the UPDF in the 1995 Constitution, the moment was sealed. The NRA passed into history, and the UPDF was born in law. For Noble Mayombo, it was more than a legal victory; it was his signature contribution to the republic. To this day, the image endures: a young man in Parliament, moving a motion with conviction, and then stepping into the lobby to explain to Bart Kakooza — and to the nation — why Uganda’s army must belong to the people. #ughistory @Uganda parliament #ugandantiktok #kampala_tiktokers #mayombo #ugandatiktok - @ughistory