Ghost arrow boys discovered

Jul 17, 2007

THREE UPDF battalion commanders in Katakwi, attached to the Arrow Group Force, have been arrested for including non-militia on the payroll for salary arrears.

By Nathan Etengu

THREE UPDF battalion commanders in Katakwi, attached to the Arrow Group Force, have been arrested for including non-militia on the payroll for salary arrears.

Maj. Francis Musana, the commanding officer of the Arrow Group battalion at Ongongoja, Capt. Charles Kawa of Magoro battalion and Capt. Godfrey Buzibu of Obalanga battalion were arrested on Sunday. The racket could have cost the UPDF over sh2b.

“Some officers have been involved in that mess of trying to bring in non-beneficiaries to the force. No financial loss was, however, incurred because it was detected in time,” UPDF spokesperson, Maj. Felix Kulayigye, said.
The 3rd Division commander, Col. Patrick Kankiriho, commended the arrest and warned that more officers were likely to be arrested over the scam.

The UPDF recently embarked on the payment of 14 months’ salary arrears for the Arrow Group Force and the local defence unit in the 3rd infantry division.

The Arrow Group was based in Teso sub-region, while the local defence guards were in Karamoja. Each of the beneficiaries was to receive sh840,000.
Lt. Col. Herbert Mulombe Oduduwa from the UPDF headquarters headed the team that carried out both the verification and payment of the salary arrears.

Arrow Group commander Col. Joseph Arocha said the presented some names to the verification team as genuine Arrow Boys. He said the people turned up to pick the salary arrears that they were to share with the concerned officers, but were exposed by the genuine Arrow Group personnel who had also turned up for payment.

Mulombe said 25 genuine members of the Arrow group had turned up on payday only to find that other people had come to receive the money in their place.

Some of the members of the force who missed their salary arrears had been discharged in an earlier exercise and promised that they would receive their pay at a later stage.

Arocha said casualties and the families of those who died in the course of their duty would be considered at a later stage.

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