Mayombo Defends Army Procurement

May 23, 2001

THE Chief of Military Intelligence, Lt. Col. Noble Mayombo, said yesterday that Uganda is manufacturing weapons and selling some in the region. He said Uganda has one of the best armies in Africa.

By Anne Mugisa & Milton Olupot THE Chief of Military Intelligence, Lt. Col. Noble Mayombo, said yesterday that Uganda is manufacturing weapons and selling some in the region. He said Uganda has one of the best armies in Africa. Mayombo told the helicopter probe commission that the Ministry of Defence carried out other successful classified purchases and only Katto's deal went wrong. "We have done the purchases of other equipment and everything has gone very well," Mayombo said. "The UPDF has done well. We have one of the best armies in Africa and we are able to protect the country. We are manufacturing weapons here and we are selling (them) in the region," he said. Mayombo had returned to testify before the judicial commission probing the 1997 purchase of the controversial combat helicopters for the UPDF. The Government lost US$6.5m in the deal and is stranded with two junk MI-24 helicopters at the Entebbe Airbase delivered by Consolidated Sales Corporation (CSC). The commission heard that the fate of the remaining two MI-24 helicopters which remained undelivered was unknown. Mayombo testified that Emmanuel Katto, owner of CSC which conned the Government in the helicopter deal, had tried to take defence ministry officials on another wild goose chase of the helicopters in 1999. Justice Julia Ssebutinde who heads the probe said, "I'm beginning to believe that it was not necessary to deal with CSC at all," Ssebutinde said, adding that the defence ministry could have dealt directly with the governments selling the equipment. "We feel that a military body should be put in place for procurement of military equipment instead of dealing with civilian fraudsters to avoid embarrassments like these, because what Government thought was classified, is now hanging on our washing line," she said. Mayombo, who said he went to Moscow where Katto said the two helicopters were overhauled and ready for pre-shipment inspection, said he agreed with the commission. According to Mayombo, the Russian Government Corporation, Rosvoorouzhenie, denied knowledge of Katto and that the aircraft were ready for shipment. Mayombo said Katto then said the Russians were being difficult and invited the Ugandan team to fly to Ukraine where he said other helicopters could be found. He said they turned Katto down and returned home and recommended to Ministry of Defence to deal directly with the Government corporations. Ends

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