DOR (Director of Records) MAJ. BITUMBIKA
DOR: The numbers were always small. What I have come to conclude is that some units when they keep ghosts for some time, some of them in order to off-load them without causing much trouble to themselves, some of them are reflected as non-effective under NRC. When you receive a nominal roll of NRC and compare with the names of the people that should have been at NRC you find a disparity.
DOR: NRC has been a way of commanders offloading ghosts with minimum cost to themselves. They declare them as non-effective and pretend to send them to Nakasongola when it is all air. From the above there can be no doubt that NRC was used as a ground for minting money from ghosts. It is also clear that senior officers of the army were involved.
(iii) Massive lay off/disappearance in Auxiliary Forces.
The Committee established that members of the Auxiliary Forces would either be arbitrarily and haphazardly laid off or merely disappear. This has resulted into creation of massive numbers of ghosts.
Whereas several witnesses testified that Kazini and Tumukunde each arbitrarily laid off LDUs to the tune of 3000, the Committee
could not ascertain the actual figures. However it was established that the lay-offs were substantial because the balances of 60-120m/= per month indicated a massive reduction in the force as this represented between 1500 and 3000 ghost LDUs paid at Shs 40,000 per month.
OIC-N - LT COL OTEMA
Otema: ...Afande Kazini did his own RIF (LDU). I participated in its mobilisation. We mobilised up to 12,000 with the late Chef Ali and after that when Kazini came. He retrenched some and the pay for them, I think, was coming...
Qn: How many were chased Otema?
Otema: I think initially over 2000 or 3000 at ago.
Qn: Chased by Kazini first, the 3000?
Otema: I think so, then Afande Tumukunde also came and did his own RIF and chased about 3000 also, yet the money was coming and conflicts were centred on money of LDUs.
3 DIV CO- COL GUTTI
Qn: You were in Gulu as the 4 Div CO. The senior Commanders were conflicting over what? Kazini/Muheesi/Tumukunde?
Gutii: ...I think there was creation of ghosts. There were a lot of ghosts in 4 Div and that was between Kazini and Tumukunde because I remember when Tumukunde went there, he chased most of the LDUs away.
Qn: Do you know the number?
Gutii: I cannot remember, because he chased so many away and the money used to come.
3 DIV CO- COL GUTTI
In 1994 a vigilante group was mobilised to stop inter-clan or inter-ethnic cattle rusting. It was later reconstituted as ASTU in 1998 for the same purpose. During that process a large
number of vigilantes were mobilised.
Qn: So you were given mandate to go and create a force of vigilantes to go and stop inter-clan or inter-ethnic theft of cows.
Gutii: I think all of us were looking for a way of calming the situation, which was escalating in the region....
Qn: So when ASTU was formed where did the vigilantes go now?
Gutti: The vigilantes, some of them were absorbed and the others went back to the villages. They were demobilised.
Qn: Out of this 8000 do you know how many went to ASTU?
Gutii: No
10 ASTU - CAPT KAMUGASHA
Kamugasha: The problem of ghosts (in ASTU) came like this. For example in a certain unit in certain circumstances all soldiers can disappear. For instance we had been informed that Tango Bn should report to the HQs. There was a requirement for 200 soldiers to be taken to reinforce 73 Bn, which was in DRC. When they reached in a place called Iriri they decided to shoot in the air and all jumped out of the lorry and disappeared completely.
Even their colleagues who were in the field also disappeared at that time. But up to now they are counted on the strength.
...there was also another incident at a place called Kalita, all county LDUs became upepo after clashes between troops. We had a programme of making an operational force based at the centre so as to reinforce in case of need, so when we were trying to correct problems in the army we found that all had disappeared, actually it is three days back. When I was coming from Moroto I found the OC with 8 soldiers instead of 120 because they don’t want to be involved in operations.
Despite the above, money for the 6928 ASTU is constantly released and without any balances being remitted back to GHQs.
Actually with regard to this Col. Taban had this to say
COL. GEOFREY TABAN KYABIHENDE
Qn: I was asking about occurrences. Did you get to know about whether the strength of this ASTU was reducing or increasing from time to time?
Taban: No.... it was difficult to know that...they were not staying in one place. They would be looking for water, so for pay they would entrust one of the family members with that photograph to come and be paid....so they were not really giving occurrences as you were asking.
Qn: This occurrences business, what was expected? I mean if your ASTU member died, what was the arrangement?
Taban: There was no arrangement.
Qn: They never died?
Taban: There was no arrangement... that one was difficult to know really. Indeed according to the testimony of Col. Taban, when he took over 3 Division, the number of ASTU was 8000. When he left in Oct 2001 the number was still 8000. Yet the evidence on the ground showed they were fewer ASTU personnel.
COL. GEOFREY TABAN KYABIHENDE
Qn: So it was difficult to verify strength?
Taban: Yes it was...but so I had to allow them, so that their families benefit, when their wives come with the identification, their salary is paid to her...
Qn: What strength did you leave behind at handover?
Taban: It was 8000.
Qn: So they remained constant?
Taban: Yes.
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Thanks a lot guys. Continue with the national service.