Posted
Tuesday, October 15
2013 at
11:56
In Summary
Nakaseke. SPresident Museveni has met thousands
of soldiers who recently returned from Somalia where they have been
serving under the African Union peacekeeping mission (Amisom).
The meeting held last Thursday in Singo, Nakaseke
District, however, began on a dramatic note when the soldiers told the
President that they could not speak freely in the presence of their
commanders for fear of retribution.
Sources that attended the meeting but sought for
anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter told the Daily
Monitor yesterday that the President then immediately ordered the
commanders present to leave. (NMG)
Among those asked to leave were Maj Gen David
Muhoozi, the commander of Land Forces, Brig Charles Otema, the chief of
logistics, Brig Diiba Sentongo who heads the General Court Martial, Brig
Leopold Kyanda, the chief of staff Land Forces, Brig Charles Bakahumura
who heads military intelligence and Col Felix Kulayigye, the UPDF chief
political commissar.
The President, however, asked the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Katumba Wamala, to stay behind and listen to the soldiers.
Our sources say once the commanders were out, the
soldiers opened up, telling the President about mistreatment by their
commanders. Among the resounding accusations, the Daily Monitor has
learnt, were that soldiers had been underfed as top commanders sold
their food while fuel meant for operations against Somali insurgents was
also sold off.
Mismanagement allegations
President Museveni last month ordered the recall
and investigation of over 20 soldiers, accused of mismanaging the
mission’s logistics. Among those recalled was Brig Michael Ondonga, who
was heading the unit of Ugandan soldiers in Mogadishu.
The soldiers, according to the sources, scrambled
for the microphone as they told the President of how they had eaten
rotten food while several times they had to go on patrol missions on
empty stomachs.
Others said their colleagues injured at the
frontline would not be transported to hospital in time because of
scarcity of fuel reportedly sold by their commanders to private
companies in Mogadishu.
A furious Mr Museveni, according to sources,
promised to punish whoever was involved in the scam, which he said
threatened to tarnish the image of UPDF, a force credited for helping
restore sanity to war-torn Mogadishu. He also asked the soldiers to
write down all the complaints, promising to meet then again in the near
future for a detailed discussion.
After meeting the soldiers, President Museveni
then called an Army High Command meeting at State House, Entebbe before
he flew out to Addis Ababa for the African Union summit. Details of the
meeting were still scanty by press time
The Thursday meeting was the first time in many years that the
President, who is also Commander-in-Chief, sat down with ordinary
soldiers and listened to their complaints face-to-face. UPDF
spokesperson Lt Col Paddy Ankunda confirmed the meeting took place but
said he was ignorant of its details because he was not present.
“I can confirm there was a meeting but I do not
know what was discussed because I did not attend. That (controversy over
food selling) is not a new story but we are investigating and we will
not leave any stone unturned,” he told the Daily Monitor.
During the Independence Day celebrations last
Wednesday in Rukungiri, Mr Museveni said the major weakness of the
previous government of Milton Obote was failure to control the military.
The President’s Thursday meeting also came on the heels of reports that
several soldiers upon return from Somalia were deserting the UPDF.
The UPDF in its earlier years had an open-air
debate culture where soldiers would meet weekly (barazas) and their
voice concerns. The practice is no more.
SOURCE: THE CITIZEN
SOURCE: THE CITIZEN
