Category 5
Indisciplined officers against the Committee
1. Brig Henry Tumukunde
2. Brig Steven Kashaka
3. Col Burundi Nyamunywanisa
4. Col Geoffrey Muheesi
23. The Army should be restructured, and units entirely reconstituted with new command where necessary with a
view to making them more effective, cohesive and accountable. UPDF needs to be reorganised to plug all
identified areas of weakness, which undermine command and control and promote corruption. This should be done immediately.
9.0. CONCLUSION
There is no doubt that “Ghosts†do exist in the UPDF. It has also been established that Commanders at all echelons are involved in this scam. The Committee found widespread abuse of Army funds and outright theft of soldiers’ pay by commanders.
It has been established that the actual strength of UPDF is unknown by anybody or any office or authority.
In fact, the current strength of UPDF is less by an estimated 20,000 people, which means that if the strength as given by the Directorate of Records as of 8th October 2003 is 55,626, then the actual strength is 35,626 personnel. This constitutes a fall in strength by 36% by liberal estimation. Otherwise according to what is available on record the Committee has put an estimate of 30,727 as the best estimate.
Financial implications of this Ghosts saga are mind-boggling. It is estimated that out of the annual wage bill release of 133bn/=, 47-88 bn/= goes to ghosts.
The above shows the magnitude of the problem. This, coupled with the fact that commanders at very high levels are involved (like the Army Commander, Chief of Staff and Unit Commanders), and the fact that the investigative and prosecution branches of the Army are compromised or inefficiently run, urgent and drastic measures must be taken to halt this stiff slide into anarchy and possible total collapse of UPDF. We see nothing less than a “purge†of those implicated as the answer.
The Committee recommends that where there is no sufficient evidence to sustain a criminal charge, but there is ample circumstantial evidence linking those officers to the scourge of ghosts, administrative means should be used to retire them from the armed forces in public interest.
Amama Mbabazi
(MOD) Chairman
Â
Caleb Akandwanaho.
(Lt Gen) Member
Â
David Tinyefuza
(Lt Gen) Member
This marks the end of the ghost solders series
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written by Ezerah, February 25, 2010
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written by mpalanyi kiwanuka R/A122868, February 27, 2010
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