Museveni turns guns on UPDF over corruption

President Museveni has said that despite numerous attempts to fight corruption in the UPDF, the vice is still there.

Speaking during the Gen Aronda Nyakairima memorial lecture at Speke Resort Convention Centre in Munyonyo, the president said whereas the National Resistance Army and FRONASA were able to maintain their trajectory of launching Uganda on the path of liberation and several achievements have been scored, the issue of corruption is still persistent.

“There have been cases of stealing army fuel, army rations, pension money, allowances and salaries and corruption in the selection of personnel to go for external missions, such as Somalia,” Museveni said.

To drive his point home, the president gave an example of the five-year bush war that he said recorded only one case of corruption.

“In the five years in Luweero, only one case of corruption of Rubaare who killed North Korean military people was registered. I was later told they( Rbaare’s group)killed them(North Koreans) to hide the  money they had taken from them. That they had surrendered peacefully but killed them to hide money. We got to know and arrested Rubaare.  It was the only case of corruption in five years,” Museveni said.

The president noted that it was because of corruption that a UPDF forward operating base in Somalia was overrun by Al Shabaab militants last year.

During the June attack, the Buulo Mareer Base was overrun and 57 UPDF soldiers killed while many others were injured.

Speaking on Tuesday, President Museveni insisted corruption greatly contributed to the disaster as those who went for the mission paid money to be deployed while others were relatives of commanders.

“The disaster we had some time ago in one of the defended positions where we lost 57 soldiers, was apparently, caused by this type corruption. Of course, the majority of the army are clean. That is how we end up getting this information. There is also the misuse of army resources.”

Hails Gen Kainerugaba

The president was however quick to applaud the Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba for his fight against corruption.

“The present CDF started fighting that some time ago when he took over the command of SFC and the Land forces. He was able to use the money that was being misused, to build barracks for soldiers. As we remember the patriotic Commanders such as the Late General Aronda Nyakairima, you need to torch among yourselves and find out these elements that cause this pollution,”Museveni said.