Print This Page
Visit�The�Publisher's�Site
The Monitor (Kampala)
December 29, 2003
Posted to the web December 29, 2003
Frank Nyakairu & Simon Kasyate
Kampala
Some of the officers accused of not dealing with the existence of ghost soldiers on the payroll have been called to face the Tinyefuza committee.
Lt. Gen. David Tinyefuza, who is leading a committee that is making deeper investigations into ghost soldier-related corruption in the military, confirmed summoning the officers by telephone yesterday.
He did not say, however, when the officers would appear. "Any details on this we shall prepare a [news] release which will be made public through the army spokesman," the general said.
But highly placed sources told The Monitor that the officers summoned include former army commander James Kazini, former Internal Security Organisation boss Henry Tumukunde, former Division 2 commander Poteli Kivuna and former Division 3 chief Andrew Gutti.
Also lined up to appear before the same committee is former Army Chief of Staff Lakara Nakibus. Brig. Nakibus will appear as a witness, according to sources.
Some of the affected officers independently confirmed to The Monitor that they had been summoned.
Maj. Gen. Kazini flew back home about two weeks ago from Abuja, Nigeria, where he spent the last four months attending an elite officers course.
Early this month, Lt. Gen. Museveni sent several army officers, including Kazini, Brig. Tumukunde, Brig. Steven Kashaka and Nakibus on forced leave pending an appearance before the General Court Martial.
Brig. Joshua Masaba replaced Nakibus as chief of staff, with Col. Benon Biraaro as his deputy. Kazini was army commander until June this year when Maj. Gen. Aronda Nyakairima replaced him.
Some of the officers are to be charged with "perpetuation of ghost soldiers - a most subversive act - and fomenting wrangles in the force".
Tinyefuza's extended investigation comes on the heels of an earlier one chaired by Defence minister Amama Mbabazi. It was as a result of the report that Museveni, the commander-in-chief, sent more than 60 officers on forced leave.
Some of them will appear before the General Court Martial chaired by Lt. Gen. Elly Tumwine. When contacted yesterday, army spokesman Maj. Shaban Bantariza said all paymasters have been summoned before Tinyefuza.
He was not sure about Kazini and the other senior officers. "All I know is that the one hundred plus paymasters were listed last week to appear before the committee," he said.
This follows the suspension of all paymasters, also in relation to the ghost soldiers that have haunted the military for about a decade.
