Katirima Advises On Kakooza Mutale

By Vision Reporter Army Spokesman Lt. Col. Phinehas Katirima has urged any Ugandan who has a case against Maj. Kakooza Mutale to report to the Police immediately. Answering questions at Nakasero Senior School, Rubaga, as chief guest at the end of a careers week on Sunday, Katirima said Mutale was not above the law. Mutale, a Special Presidential adviser, has been accused of assaulting people in various parts of the country. "If anyone has a case against him (Mutale), he should report it to the Police so that he is prosecuted," Katirima said. He said Mutale was a victim of rumour mongering by political opponents bent on tarnishing the army's image. Katirima, accompanied by Maj. John Nuwagaba, the UPDF director of political education, said UPDF was "very disciplined and had created a conducive atmosphere for development." His remarks came after a parent, Mrs. Baleesi, said parents would want to send their children to the army but were worried about the UPDF's discipline. She cited Mutale's activities in the recent presidential and parliamentary elections. Katirima, who is the chairman of the school's PTA, said, "Those are rumours (against Mutale) fronted by political opponents to tarnish the image of the army." He said Kakooza was campaigning for candidates of his choice like any other Ugandan did. He also denied press reports that soldiers deployed in the DR Congo were buying sex for $5. "These women are married wives of the UPDF who have now settled in Uganda with their husbands," he said. He said a soldier earns $100 and could not afford to waste it on sex. Another parent accused the UPDF of lack of transparency in deployment, saying cadet officers were "languishing" in Masaka Mechanised Regiment. Maj. Nuwagaba said the army was a human institution, which can also make errors. Katirima praised the school's administration and Board of Directors for professionalising administration and improving discipline and academic performance. He called on parents to bring their children to Nakasero for academic excellence. Ends