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"avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans
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----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, October 03, 2003 7:50
PM
Subject: ugnet_: UPDF Ammunition Factory
Goes Commercial
"The UPDF ammunition factory at Nakasongola has gone
commercial, selling small arms to private companies as well as exporting the
bullets to the neighbouring states"
UPDF Ammunition Factory
Goes Commercial
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New
Vision (Kampala)
September 30, 2003
Posted to the web September
30, 2003
Grace Matsiko
Kampala
The UPDF ammunition factory
at Nakasongola has gone commercial, selling small arms to private companies as
well as exporting the bullets to the neighbouring states.
The factory,
trading under Luweero Industries Limited, a subsidiary of the National
Enterprises Corporation (NEC), has been fabricating armoured cars which are
sold to the Ministry of Defence. It also repairs guns, officials said
yesterday.
"We are now a commercial enterprise. We can make old
guns new and sell then to individuals and private companies as long as they
have clearance from the Police," an officer at the factory, speaking on
condition of anonymity, said.
The officer said the repaired AK47 guns
at the factory cost about US$150 (about sh300,000).
The officer said
the factory had been exporting bullets to neighbouring states as well as
producing for the UPDF. He refused to name the countries.
The factory
can produce up to 20 lots, each lot consisting of 12 huge boxes of ammunition.
Each bullet is said to cost about US$6 (about sh12,000) depending on the gun
category.
The Commercial Court is currently hearing a firearms supply
dispute between two private security firms. Securex Agencies (Uganda) Limited
has sued Car Trackers Uganda Limited, another security company, for alleged
breach of contract involving 32 semi-automatic rifles worth sh10,
5000,000.
Car Trackers claimed they paid for the guns it bought at the
Nakasongola-based factory which it was supposed to supply to
Securex.
Luweero Industries general manager Jacqueline Mbabazi, defence
minister Amama Mbabazi's wife, could not be got for a comment.
Mrs.
Mbabazi took over management of the company about two years ago from Capt.
Innocent Bisangwa, now said to be in private practice.
But army
spokesman Maj. Shaban Bantariza said he was not aware the factory was selling
arms to private companies and individuals.
"We can't sell arms to local
or foreign companies. We produce what we consume ourselves," Bantariza
said.
He said a decision to sell arms to private companies and
individuals by the management could only be taken after consultations with the
UPDF High Command.
Other companies under NEC include NEC Lime (Dura),
NEC pharmaceutical, NEC Katonga Farm and UPDF Tailoring Unit.
NEC has
been engaged in cleaning services at Mulago Hospital Complex.
Other
sources said the Nakasongola factory also used to repair arms for the Rwanda
armed forces before misunderstandings erupted between the two
countries.
The National Enterprises Corporation was formed by an Act of
Parliament in 1995 to produce goods for the
army.
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