USA disowns Iraq recruits
May 11, 2005
The dream of many Ugandans to earn dollars and fight side by side with US marines in the United States and Iraq has been dashed.
By Emmy Allio
The dream of many Ugandans to earn dollars and fight side by side with US marines in the United States and Iraq has been dashed.
The US embassy and companies in the United Kingdom and South Africa, yesterday disassociated themselves from Askar Security Services, a Ugandan company that recruited 700 university graduates, UPDF veterans and senior six leavers on Tuesday.
The recruits were due to start training before deployment.
US embassy spokesman Mark Schlachter yesterday rejected the report.
“The claims made in this story bear all the hallmarks of a scam, no doubt intended to separate Ugandan jobseekers from their money,†he said in a letter published by The Monitor yesterday. “Let me be rightly understood.â€
The managing director of the London-based Kroll Associates, Andrew Marshall, said his company had no links with Askar Security Services.
“We have nothing to do with Askar and we are not recruiting for Iraq. I have spoken to Coin of South Africa and they also deny links with Askar,†Marshall said in a telephone interview from London.
The manager of Askar Security Services, Captain Jerome Ndiho, on Tuesday said his security firm would recruit 3,000 people in the next three months.
He said their international partners, Kroll Associates in Europe and the Middle East, and Coin security Group requested them to recruit Ugandans to work anywhere in the world.
The managing director of Askar, Kellen Kayonga, yesterday said she and her manager Jerome Ndiho were misquoted.
“We were misquoted. We are not recruiting for Iraq. We are recruiting guards to serve local interests,†Kayonga said.
On Tuesday, Kayonga said, “The people who approached us were from the United States and the American Embassy is aware that we are recruiting. They have permission from the Ministry of Foreign and Internal Affairs. But the recruits will not be going to Iraq alone, they will also go to other countries. They will do many forms of jobs,†she added.
A city lawyer, Bob Kasango, said he was contacted by some US companies to explore possibilities of recruiting Ugandans to work as guards in US companies like Coca Cola.
“I contacted Askar bec-ause of their expertise in recruitment and training. This was for purposes of preliminary surveys. I wondered why they said that they were recruiting for Iraq,†Kasango said.
Meanwhile, Hamis Kaheru and Milton Olupot report that Parliament has instructed the ministers of foreign and internal affairs to explain the circumstances under which a private security firm is recruiting Ugandans for deployment in Iraq.
Deputy Speaker Rebecca Kadaga yesterday ordered the ministers to appear before the plenary today.
The dream of many Ugandans to earn dollars and fight side by side with US marines in the United States and Iraq has been dashed.
The US embassy and companies in the United Kingdom and South Africa, yesterday disassociated themselves from Askar Security Services, a Ugandan company that recruited 700 university graduates, UPDF veterans and senior six leavers on Tuesday.
The recruits were due to start training before deployment.
US embassy spokesman Mark Schlachter yesterday rejected the report.
“The claims made in this story bear all the hallmarks of a scam, no doubt intended to separate Ugandan jobseekers from their money,†he said in a letter published by The Monitor yesterday. “Let me be rightly understood.â€
The managing director of the London-based Kroll Associates, Andrew Marshall, said his company had no links with Askar Security Services.
“We have nothing to do with Askar and we are not recruiting for Iraq. I have spoken to Coin of South Africa and they also deny links with Askar,†Marshall said in a telephone interview from London.
The manager of Askar Security Services, Captain Jerome Ndiho, on Tuesday said his security firm would recruit 3,000 people in the next three months.
He said their international partners, Kroll Associates in Europe and the Middle East, and Coin security Group requested them to recruit Ugandans to work anywhere in the world.
The managing director of Askar, Kellen Kayonga, yesterday said she and her manager Jerome Ndiho were misquoted.
“We were misquoted. We are not recruiting for Iraq. We are recruiting guards to serve local interests,†Kayonga said.
On Tuesday, Kayonga said, “The people who approached us were from the United States and the American Embassy is aware that we are recruiting. They have permission from the Ministry of Foreign and Internal Affairs. But the recruits will not be going to Iraq alone, they will also go to other countries. They will do many forms of jobs,†she added.
A city lawyer, Bob Kasango, said he was contacted by some US companies to explore possibilities of recruiting Ugandans to work as guards in US companies like Coca Cola.
“I contacted Askar bec-ause of their expertise in recruitment and training. This was for purposes of preliminary surveys. I wondered why they said that they were recruiting for Iraq,†Kasango said.
Meanwhile, Hamis Kaheru and Milton Olupot report that Parliament has instructed the ministers of foreign and internal affairs to explain the circumstances under which a private security firm is recruiting Ugandans for deployment in Iraq.
Deputy Speaker Rebecca Kadaga yesterday ordered the ministers to appear before the plenary today.