The Commander of Land Forces, Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has threatened to resign his position in the military if the funds he is requesting to improve the welfare of soldiers is not given to Land Forces.
Our News desk has exclusively learnt that Gen Muhoozi, who has been stationed at the General Military headquarters in Bombo since early July, recently asked for Shs 20bn to improve the soldiersโ accommodation facilities and boost security at various military bases but the Ministry of Defence turned a blind eye.
โ๐๐ (๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ) ๐๐ฌ๐ค๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐จ (๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ), ๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ค๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ญ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐จ๐๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐,โ Gen Muhoozi confided in his closest friends this week.
โ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ข๐๐ซ๐ฌโ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐, ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ ๐ง๐๐ฑ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ,โ ๐ฌ๐๐ข๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ, ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ , โ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ.โ
We understand that Muhoozi, who previously commanded the elite Special Forces Command (SFC) with headquarters in Entebbe, was shocked to find Bombo in a sorry state with dilapidated structures for offices and soldiersโ accommodation.
โ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ,โ he told his close associates. .
He also discovered that the general military headquarters, which in other countries, are the most heavily fortified compounds, lacks a security wall fence.
Muhoozi reportedly said he could not continue serving as a Commander of the Land Forces โ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง,โ ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ , โ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐จ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ง. ๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ.โ
Corruption in the army
An investigation has established that UPDF Divisional Commanders are not receiving adequate operational funds.
Quite often, these commanders have to request Gen Muhooziโs office for โsome little airtimeโ to run their operations..
Commanding officers lack vehicles while fuel, lubricants and oils remain in short supply despite the Ministry of Defence taking a huge chunk of the national budget.
In the 2019/20 financial year, the allocation to the security department grew by more than 50% from the previous financial year.
The budget was increased to a record Shs 3.6 Trillion from Shs 1.5Trillion.
The increased spending on defence generated debate among members of parliament and other stakeholders with many questioning the motive.
โWe are concerned with the unexplained sharp increase of the countryโs security and defence expenditure,โ said FDC spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda in 2020.
โSignificantly to note is the fact that, classified expenditure has also correspondingly increased from Shs 347 billion in 2017, to Shs 640 billion in 2018 and to2.1 trillion in the new budget of 2019/2020,โ he added.
Defence Minister Adolf Mwesige said the money would be โspent on items that are crucial for the Uganda Peopleโs Defence Forces and national securityโ.
He further said some of the equipment procured or refurbished are helicopters, marine boats, infantry fighting vehicles and artillery guns.
Poor clothing
In July, 2021, Gen. Muhoozi visited the UPDF detach in Zombo district which had been attacked by rebels from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
The CLF, who arrived in a helicopter, was welcomed by soldiers in unfitting and tattered uniforms.
Many of the soldiers wore jungle boots and lacked warm and waterproof clothing โ not to mention gloves and tents.
We will be building an efficient, modern, and accountable force that can defend the sovereignty of our country at all times,โ said Gen Muhoozi in July 2021.
While assuming office, Muhoozi, who now commands the infantry and artillery divisions; and the armoured and motorised brigades, said soldiersโ welfare included modern accommodation facilities, improved salaries and better clothing.
Corruption at Mbuya
But his move to change the conditions of the Land Forces has since met stiff resistance from the Defence Ministry.
Muhoozi this week told close associates that he was โappointed as CLF to transform the Land Forces and if this Defence Ministry does not give our office the money we need to cause a qualitative change in the Land Forces, I will retire next year.โ
Muhoozi also wondered in a meeting why money is โcentralised at Mbuyaโ, saying, โThese people (defence ministry) know that if they give us the money we need, they are gone because soldiers will know who has been stealing from them all these years.โ
He emphasised to associates that the โbiggest criminal cartel in Uganda is at the Ministry of Defenceโ
Muhoozi warned: โI either do something or I get out. Either I improve the soldiersโ welfare or I get out.โ
The development will send shockwaves at the Defence Ministry where funds are centralised.
Sources said Muhoozi remains concerned that while military officials including generals based at Mbuya have amassed a lot of wealth through โunprecedentedโ and โ historicโ corruption, the foot soldiers continue to wallow in destitution.
Perspectives
Our desk was yet to receive a response from the Defence Ministry when we posted this article this Saturday morning.
However, dozens of military officials who talked to us on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Muhoozi could have hit the right button in addressing soldiersโ welfare.
โThe Defence Ministry officials are obsessed with primitive accumulation of wealth at the expense of soldiersโ welfare,โ said one of the army officers we talked to.
Another source said, โprevious Chiefs of Land Forces were either toothless or feared to take on the cartel at the Defence Ministry where funds are centralized.โ
โBut now, as CLF, Muhoozi is well-placed to make the much-needed changes in the army by fighting corruption and addressing the soldiersโ concerns. He has access to the Commander-in-chief; he is well protected to be intimidated and is not interested in bribes.โ
At SFC, Muhoozi oversaw the construction of modern accommodation facilities and the equipping and training of the elite force using an annual budget of less than Shs 10bn.
Muhoozi, who doubles as Special Presidential advisor in charge of special operations, commands the infantry division
