Government starts verification of army veterans

Government has announced an exercise in which it will verify all the army veterans before they are compensated.

Recently, government, through the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs promised to clear the backlog for veterans’ compensation to zero by the year 2020.

According to a statement by the Minister for Defence, Adolf Mwesigye, the exercise is meant to facilitate the clearance of case backlog for military veterans through verification of those without necessary documents.

“The public is hereby, informed that there will be a country-wide exercise to enable military veterans and estate administrators to expeditiously update their records,” the statement by Mwesigye.

“The exercise is specifically targeted to address unpaid military veterans and beneficiaries of deceased soldiers who are in the case backlog and whose files lack some of the necessary documents.”

According to the statement, living Veterans have been asked to present their discharge certificates issued by the UPDF Directorate of Records for lost discharge certificates, bank statements, National IDs and revised pension forms.

For the Veterans who died while in retirement, their estates have been asked to produce the deceased’s discharge certificates or police letters for lost discharge certificates, the estate bank account statements, National IDs for the administrator of the estate ,original or certified letters of administration, death certificates and  revised pension forms.

For the ex- gratia category that includes those documented as living  veterans of World War II by 2010, Uganda Army  and the Uganda National Liberation Army, they have been asked to present their LCI letters, bank statements, National IDs, revised pension forms, assessment forms, original/ certified letters of administration and death certificates for the deceased veterans.

This exercise will take place from March 21 to April 13 2019 and the beneficiaries have been asked to get in touch with various persons in charge of the exercise in their respective zones as designated by government specifically for the exercise.

“Resident District Commissioners, Local Council V Chairpersons, Local Government Officials and District Internal Security Officers are requested to take note and ensure the successful implementation of the exercise,” says the Defence Minister.

Army veterans recently cried out to government through the State Minister for Defence in charge of Veteran Affairs Dr. Bright Rwamirama for help and asked to be redeployed for foreign missions in a bid to improve their standards of living.

The veterans said since their retirement from active service in the force, they have never received their benefits including pension and gratuity which has exposed them to hardship while trying to adjust to civilian life they are not used to.

Government however said it is committed to paying their  pension and gratuity arrears totaling to  Shs500 billion to zero  by the year 2020.