Parliament pays tribute to fallen ex-army chief
Nov 11, 2009
PARLIAMENT yesterday paid tribute to former army commander Maj. Gen. James Kazini for his relentless service to the UPDF in defence of peace.
By Cyprian Musoke and Catherine Bekunda
PARLIAMENT yesterday paid tribute to former army commander Maj. Gen. James Kazini for his relentless service to the UPDF in defence of peace.
In the same vein, they called upon the army leadership to establish mechanisms for resolving grievances of disgruntled officers, accused of erring in the force.
The MPs cited several officers who had died in desperation due to un-deployment, commonly referred to as ‘katebe’, after being rendered idle.
Defence minister Crispus Kiyonga, in a statement to the House, explained that Kazini died at 6:00am on Tuesday at Wabigalo parish in Namuwongo.
When security forces rushed to the scene, he added, they found his body lying in a pool of blood with multiple cuts on the head.
Lydia Draru, 28, subsequently confessed having hit him with an iron bar during a scuffle at her residence.
“Joint investigations by the Police, military and security organs is going on, we believe very soon we shall know what happened,†Kiyonga said.
The body was last evening transferred from Mulago medical school to Kazini’s home in Bunga. A post mortem is yet to be released.
Kiyonga described the deceased as a freedom fighter who did a lot for peace and security of the region. Kazini, he added, was a graduate of the Senior Staff Command College of Ghana and the War College of Nigeria.
“As a commander he made some errors which led to his trial and conviction before the Court Martial. By the time of his death he had appealed and the appeal was pending,†he said.
The Government, he added, was making arrangements for his burial at Ssanga, Kiruhura district, on Friday.
FDC secretary general Alice Alaso said it was sad that a person who survived bullets died in such a tragic incident.
She called for the urgent conclusion of the ‘ghost soldiers’ cases before the Court Martial, so that others implicated do not get off the hook with Kazini’s death.
“It was not a one-man show. The other people who were party need to be brought to book to wipe out the precedence of ghosts and save tax payers’ money,†she said.
Winnie Kiiza (FDC) remarked that the people of Kasese were saddened by the death of some one who helped rid the region of terrorist activities.
Jim Muhwezi and Sauda Mugerwa, both NRM, called for more investigations into the killing, insisting that the culprit be brought to book.
Mary Karooro Okurut (NRM) called for the enactment of the Family Relations Bill to curb instances of domestic violence.
Guma Gumusiriza (NRM), who met the deceased in Senior One, said he had an element of stubbornness that was needed for any one to succeed in the army.
Guma slammed the holier-than-thou attitude of some members who said he died under “shameful circumstancesâ€.
Margaret Muhanga (NRM) noted that Kazini was a very frustrated man, like other officers who died on ‘katebe’ before him.
“The way he spoke when we last met, it’s like his world was crumbling; his calendar had become full. Let us look beyond him at other cases,†she said.
Christine Bakku (FDC) castigated men who stray outside their official relationships, while Nabilah Ssempala said she last met him in bars in Kabalagala with young intoxicated girls, which she called a sign of doom.
PARLIAMENT yesterday paid tribute to former army commander Maj. Gen. James Kazini for his relentless service to the UPDF in defence of peace.
In the same vein, they called upon the army leadership to establish mechanisms for resolving grievances of disgruntled officers, accused of erring in the force.
The MPs cited several officers who had died in desperation due to un-deployment, commonly referred to as ‘katebe’, after being rendered idle.
Defence minister Crispus Kiyonga, in a statement to the House, explained that Kazini died at 6:00am on Tuesday at Wabigalo parish in Namuwongo.
When security forces rushed to the scene, he added, they found his body lying in a pool of blood with multiple cuts on the head.
Lydia Draru, 28, subsequently confessed having hit him with an iron bar during a scuffle at her residence.
“Joint investigations by the Police, military and security organs is going on, we believe very soon we shall know what happened,†Kiyonga said.
The body was last evening transferred from Mulago medical school to Kazini’s home in Bunga. A post mortem is yet to be released.
Kiyonga described the deceased as a freedom fighter who did a lot for peace and security of the region. Kazini, he added, was a graduate of the Senior Staff Command College of Ghana and the War College of Nigeria.
“As a commander he made some errors which led to his trial and conviction before the Court Martial. By the time of his death he had appealed and the appeal was pending,†he said.
The Government, he added, was making arrangements for his burial at Ssanga, Kiruhura district, on Friday.
FDC secretary general Alice Alaso said it was sad that a person who survived bullets died in such a tragic incident.
She called for the urgent conclusion of the ‘ghost soldiers’ cases before the Court Martial, so that others implicated do not get off the hook with Kazini’s death.
“It was not a one-man show. The other people who were party need to be brought to book to wipe out the precedence of ghosts and save tax payers’ money,†she said.
Winnie Kiiza (FDC) remarked that the people of Kasese were saddened by the death of some one who helped rid the region of terrorist activities.
Jim Muhwezi and Sauda Mugerwa, both NRM, called for more investigations into the killing, insisting that the culprit be brought to book.
Mary Karooro Okurut (NRM) called for the enactment of the Family Relations Bill to curb instances of domestic violence.
Guma Gumusiriza (NRM), who met the deceased in Senior One, said he had an element of stubbornness that was needed for any one to succeed in the army.
Guma slammed the holier-than-thou attitude of some members who said he died under “shameful circumstancesâ€.
Margaret Muhanga (NRM) noted that Kazini was a very frustrated man, like other officers who died on ‘katebe’ before him.
“The way he spoke when we last met, it’s like his world was crumbling; his calendar had become full. Let us look beyond him at other cases,†she said.
Christine Bakku (FDC) castigated men who stray outside their official relationships, while Nabilah Ssempala said she last met him in bars in Kabalagala with young intoxicated girls, which she called a sign of doom.