Trial of over 10 UPDF officers stalls

Jul 17, 2014

The trial of Brig. Micheal Ondoga and other senior UPDF officers has stalled.

By Pascal Kwesiga

The trial of Brig. Micheal Ondoga and other senior UPDF officers has stalled.


The General Court Martial that has been hearing their cases is currently holding an emergency hearing of cases involving over 131 suspects in armed raids in Kasese district.

Over 90 people were killed during attacks on a military barracks and police stations in Kasese, Bundibugyo and Ntoroko districts on July 5.

Apart from Col. Shaban Bantariza, the former deputy director Uganda media center, Col. Fenekansi Mugyenyi, the ex-commander of the UPDF 4th battalion and Maj. Herbert Muramagi, the ex-Internal Security Organization director in charge of marine, all the other officers are still in detention at Military Police headquarters in Makindye, a Kampala suburb, after they were denied bail.

Ondoga, the ex-commander of the Ugandan troop contingent in Somalia, who underwent a surgical operation at Bombo army hospital in May, has been in cells since October 2013 when he was charged.

He faces service offences that reportedly resulted into loss of lives and army equipment when he commanded the Ugandan troops in Somalia between 2012 and 2013.

More army officers facing trial before army court include; Col. Hassan Kimbowa, the former commander of Uganda Battle Group 11+, Lt. Col. David Kreys Matua, the ex- Ugandan troop contingent tank component commander, Lt. Col Benson Olanya, the ex-commander of 343 battalion in Mogadishu, Lt. Col. Eugine Ssebugwaawo, formally the commander of Uganda Battle Group 9+ and Maj. Nasur Namara, the ex-commander of the motorized component.

Others are; Maj. Frank Kawero, formally the training officer at Aljazeera training school in Mogadishu, Capt. Hassan Wantimba, formally the school’s chief instructor, Lt. Col. Sam Kirya and Capt. Joy Atugonza, the Ugandan army contingent’s former military information officer and logistics officer respectively. The deputy army spokesperson, Maj. Henry Obbo, has said the trial of the officers would resume at the end of “an emergency session” in Kasese. But he could not tell when the emergency trial would come to a close.

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