Little was known about Brigadier Don Nabasa until January 2017 when he assumed the command of SFC, an elite force of UPDF, tasked to protect the President, first family and other strategic areas in the country.
He replaced first son, Maj Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba who commanded the unit for 7 years until he was redeployed by his father as Senior Presidential Advisor for Special Operations.
Brig Don temporarily served as Muhoozi’s in 2016 after Muzeeyi Sabiti left the country for a strategic military course.
He was then serving as the commander of the 2 Special Forces Group (2 SFG), one of the most highly specialized elements of the Special Forces Command (SFC).Don currently oversees SFC’s command, control, and administration and reports directly to the Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) and to the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Education
Born in the early 1970’s to Mzee Gershom Nvuma and Mrs. Jeres Kasema Nvuma of Buremba Kazo in Kiruhura District, Brig. Nabasa is the second last born in a family of 10 children.
He attained his early education at Buremba primary school in Kiruhura.
Brig. Nabasa received his secondary education first at Nyakasura High School in Fort Portal and later Kololo High School in Kampala, before joining Nkumba University, whereupon he graduated in accounting in 1994. After his university education, he worked at Luweero Military Industries in Nakasongola District from 1994 to 1998.
Training
After his brief working sojourn at the UPDF military complex in central Uganda, Brig. Nabasa joined the army in 1998, commissioning as a Second Lieutenant the following year in 1999 after successfully undertaking the one year Officer Cadet Course at the School of Infantry in Jinja.
After his cadet course, Brig. Nabasa trained as a tank commander at the Karama Armoured Warfare Training School (AWTS) in Mubende District graduating as a tank platoon commander and later on as a tank company (coy) commander between 2000 and 2002.
In 2006, he attended the Junior Command course at the Indian Army War College for Junior Command, in 2008; he undertook the motorized infantry battalion commander’s course in Jinja. In 2010, Brig. Nabasa did the junior staff course for strategic maritime, and anti-terrorism program at the Stennis Center, Mississipi, USA. Two years later in 2012, Nabasa excelled at the Senior Command and Staff Course College at Kimaka in Jinja, after the one year grueling strategic military program.
Career
Prior to his current position, Brig. Nabasa briefly served as the Deputy Special Forces Commander in 2016, from his previous position as the commander 2 SFG.
During his long tour of duty as a Special Forces operator, he has commanded various tactical units of the Special Forces, such as tank platoon, coy and squadron commander and as the Brigade Operations and Training Officer (BOTO) under the then Presidential Guard Brigade (PGB) from 2001 to 2008. Brig. Nabasa was the Commanding Officer of the SFC’s 2 Tank Battle Group from 2008 to 2011.
Brig. Don Nabasa is married to Isabella Kampororo Nabasa and they have been blessed with five children.
(By Omujugujugu Moses)