The soldiers’ barracks can be put to better use
EDITOR—Political parties in Uganda do not have creative solutions for the country’s many problems. I wish to discuss Uganda’s national army, the UPDF. The good image of the UPDF today cannot eclipse the fact that all the poverty, hunger, crime, corruption, poor infrastructure today are a resu
EDITOR—Political parties in Uganda do not have creative solutions for the country’s many problems. I wish to discuss Uganda’s national army, the UPDF. The good image of the UPDF today cannot eclipse the fact that all the poverty, hunger, crime, corruption, poor infrastructure today are a result of the actions of the indisciplined armies of yesterday.
Milton Obote overthrew the constitution in 1966 and introduced the gun in politics. Army officers stormed kabaka Frederick Mutesa’s palace to arrest their commander-in-chief! I don’t think all the troops supported the idea. Obote’s Uganda Army set the stage for dictatorship.
To this day, some Ugandans cannot listen to differing views without reminding you of how ‘they fought’. Why do the soldiers turn the guns on unarmed law- abiding citizens? The answer lies in our budget priorities and how meagre income is spent on non-issues. Uganda’s low tax base, cannot afford to equip, maintain, house, feed or pay decent wages to the present forces.
A look around any barracks in Uganda will reveal malnourished privates’ families in tin-roofed houses in contrast to their officers’ expensive lifestyles. It is the same in the police. The defence ministry should get rid of the barracks and set up a National Guard service similar to the one in America.
The national guards act like citizen soldiers who are mobilised during disasters and emergencies. The barracks can be turned into housing estates, universities and commercial farming land. The money saved from the defence budget can then go to social services.
Amuel Kayongo,
skayongo@toucansurf.com
Milton Obote overthrew the constitution in 1966 and introduced the gun in politics. Army officers stormed kabaka Frederick Mutesa’s palace to arrest their commander-in-chief! I don’t think all the troops supported the idea. Obote’s Uganda Army set the stage for dictatorship.
To this day, some Ugandans cannot listen to differing views without reminding you of how ‘they fought’. Why do the soldiers turn the guns on unarmed law- abiding citizens? The answer lies in our budget priorities and how meagre income is spent on non-issues. Uganda’s low tax base, cannot afford to equip, maintain, house, feed or pay decent wages to the present forces.
A look around any barracks in Uganda will reveal malnourished privates’ families in tin-roofed houses in contrast to their officers’ expensive lifestyles. It is the same in the police. The defence ministry should get rid of the barracks and set up a National Guard service similar to the one in America.
The national guards act like citizen soldiers who are mobilised during disasters and emergencies. The barracks can be turned into housing estates, universities and commercial farming land. The money saved from the defence budget can then go to social services.
Amuel Kayongo,
skayongo@toucansurf.com