KAMPALA, UGANDA: The former commander of the UPDF Land Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba has vowed to clean up the Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs (MoDVA) which he says is ‘rotten’ and grappling with deep-rooted corruption.
The Senior Presidential Advisor said in a tweet that the President and Commander in Chief of the armed forces, H.E Yoweri Museveni assigned him the role and that once he starts his work, that will be the end of corruption that has crippled the Ministry.
“The President and Commander-In-Chief has given me the task to clean up the Ministry of Defence (MoD),” said Muhoozi on Tuesday. “MoD will be saved from all the corruption that has been going on for decades,” he added.
The vocal tweeting general added; “As one of my first steps in redeeming MoD, I will insist on a program to help our war veterans. 90% of them suffer from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders).”
Corruption at the Defence Ministry
Gen Muhoozi in October last year (2021) threatened to resign if the Defence Ministry fell short of providing Shs 20bn he had asked to build decent accommodation facilities for soldiers.
“These 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,” said Muhoozi then, adding, “the biggest criminal cartel in Uganda is at the Ministry of Defence”
Inside sources at the ministry claimed that Muhoozi was concerned with how military officials including generals based at Mbuya had amassed a lot of wealth through “unprecedented” and “ historic” corruption yet the foot soldiers continued to wallow in destitution.
The then land forces commander said he could not continue serving as a Commander of the Land Forces “when my forces are living like cavemen,” emphasizing, “Bombo is a real dungeon. It is a real disaster.”
It is alleged money is siphoned through inflated contracts for supplies of food, logistics, fuel, medicine and infrastructure projects.
It remains unclear whether Muhoozi will set up a committee to oversee all defence ministry projects to plug loopholes used to steal public funds.
However, sources say he is likely to overhaul the entire procurement system of the defence ministry and set up new audit structures.
Ministry of Defence is a government ministry responsible for the national defence and security of Uganda. The ministry’s role is to preserve, defend and protect the people, property, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Uganda, contributing to regional stability and supporting international peace initiatives.
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