President Museveni who is also the commander in chief of the armed forces on Monday made changes in which the Uganda People’s Defence Air Forces(UPDAF) commander, Lt Gen Andrew Lutaaya was dropped.
In the message, Lt Gen Lutaaya was replaced by Gen Charles Okidi who was also promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General to be in tandem with the new position.
Gen Okidi has been serving as the air force deputy commander.
Whereas Lt Gen Lutaaya was appointed a senior presidential advisor on matters of air force, those in the corridors of power insist that the move was akin to sacking.
The development came less than two months since the fatal accident in the DRC where a UPDF chopper crashed.
The accident saw a UPDF Mi-17 helicopter, which is mainly used for transportation, medical evacuation and VIP travel that had just delivered food consignment to the troops engaged in Operation Shujaa in Eastern DRC tumbled and exploded during take-off.
Several soldiers died on spot whereas others sustained various injuries.
When the incident in DRC happened, President Museveni directed a commission of inquiry into the crash and the team was led by Gen Okidi who was the deputy air force commander.
Sources privy to the matter attribute the crash in DRC to negligence in regards the team that was on ground on the fateful day.
Quoting multiple sources, the Daily Monitor reported in September that the Mi-17 helicopter did not land on first attempt in Congo because the cleared landing zone on the ground was smaller than the recommended 50-by-50 metre area.
“The pilots were radioed to return on the understanding that the landing area had been expanded, and the helicopter landed smoothly. However, during lift-off, the tail rotor hit a tree, yanking the machine to spin before slamming to the ground,” the Ugandan newspaper reported.
Those in the know of matters insist that such an error is only attributed to the commanders who failed to ensure the landing zone for the chopper was clear enough since they were well aware of the dangers of having a small landing zone.
With the so much importance that President Museveni attaches to the air force as a force multiplier to the UPDF, losing a chopper which costs billions of shillings as well as experienced pilots is not a small matter.
President Museveni has previously hailed the UPDF air force for the role it has played in ensuring the defeat of ADF rebels in the thick DRC forests as part of Operation Shuja.
“You have done a good job in operation Shuja! Aircraft hits targets quickly, accurately, in surprise attacks and quite devastating. The artillery and infantry were all doing great. Let me take this opportunity to thank you and to encourage you all,” he said in June while meeting a contingent of men and officers of the UPDAF who had participated in the operation in DRC.
He insisted that the air force is a very crucial force multiplier to the Ugandan army and its operations.
The Chief of Defence Forces(CDF) in the UPDF, Gen Wilson Mbaddi underscored the role played by the air force.
“The air force has played a big role in Operation Shuja, bombing bases of the enemy and softening the grounds helped in the delivery of supplies and troops in isolated areas. This coupled with air defence, intelligence, surveillance reconnaissance, battle assessment and combing the Rwenzoris to pursue remnants of ADF so that we don’t leave any enemy behind us to cause havoc when we go ahead,” he said.
With such importance accorded to the air force in supporting the Ugandan army operations, there was no way the commander in chief would not crack the whip following such an incident that saw experienced officers dead and others injured whereas the country also lost another asset in form of a chopper that cost billions of shillings of the taxpayer’s money.
The crash in DRC came only three days after another incident saw a UPDF chopper suffer an emergency landing in Fort Portal, shortly after taking off from Saaka airfield.
The chopper was however repaired by UPDF engineers and returned to the skies.
The two incidents coming in succession depicted something wrong that needed to be corrected in the leadership of the air force.
Whereas many could say the crashes were accidents, but to the president, when it comes to air defence, heads have to roll.
In 2012, following the crash of three Ugandan army choppers into Mountain Kenya on route to Somalia, the president swung the axe by sacking Brig Moses Rwakitarate, the then air force chief of staff as well as Lt Gen Jim Owoyesigire, the air force commander.
The two were replaced by Col Charles Lutaaya(who just been sacked) and Brig Sam Turyagenda as chief of staff commander of the air force respectively.
