I am being prosecuted wrongly- Matua

By Pascal Kwesiga

LT. Col. David Matua, formerly the commanding officer of the tank component of the Uganda military contingent in Somalia, has said the General Court Martial is trying him wrongly.

Matua is accused of failing to exercise control and command his juniors to service five battle tanks in June 2013.

The accused told court chaired by, Maj. Gen. Levy Karuhanga, that he is trying a wrong person and that, Maj. Elias Muhereza, who was the tank maintenance officer, should have been the one to answer the charges.

Under re-examination by his defense lawyer, Maj. Ronald Iduli, Matua, who was suspended from the mission area along with other officers on September 13, 2013 presented log books of the tanks he is accused of having failed to service.

The dates recommended by the manufacturers to service the tanks in the log books are different from the dates stated on the charge sheet. Some of the tanks, Matua, said only required panel beating.

He was defending himself against the charges before the army court in Makindye.

The accused also said the tanks he is accused of having failed to service were serviced before he left the mission area. Some of the tanks that had not yet been serviced, Matua, said had not been in use for the time recommended by their manufacturers before they could be due for servicing. However, he maintained that he was not in charge of servicing the tanks.

“I could only be informed about the maintenance exercise and facilitate the process because Maj. Muhereza was the tank maintenance officer,” Matua said.

Muhereza, the accused said, left the mission area in February 2014 without servicing the tanks he (Matua) is accused of having failed to service in June 2013. 

He said Muhereza was instead promoted to Lt. Col. for “not servicing the tanks for about six months” Muhereza was replaced by Maj. Sam Tumwebaze.