As we host Pope Francis in Uganda, let me recall that we first deployed troops to Somalia in March 2007. 8 years later, 6223 soldiers form the Ugandan contingent. All salaries and logistics are funded by the EU and US. However, earlier this month, The Mail & Guardian Africa wrote: "Far from fighting Al-Shabaab terrorists, the AU forces are in "garrison mode", sitting in bases while senior commanders are engaged in corrupt business practices [sometimes reportedly in collusion with Al-Shabaab militants]. The international funding that participating armies receive for their effort in Somalia, makes for good living for their soldiers and a substantial financial boost for their military institutions. It’s an entrenched war economy now. The incentive to fully defeat al-Shabaab dims with every passing day." - end.
Indeed with commercialism even in fighting terrorists, we truly require a papal visit to East Africa. While we want to imagine AU forces heroically fighting Al-Shabaab, we discover that defeating the terrorists completely would put an end to the lucrative deployment. The US/EU funds could therefore be viewed as a major insentive for the different AU contingents to separately engage in activities that justify a perpetual stay in Somalia. The longer the conflict, the more the earnings from mission funds. In Uganda, corruption is a virus that has infested all sections of our society; including academia, medicine, science, civil service, lower and higher education, national security, business, the presidency, the opposition, voters, cultural institutions, local politicians, and religious leadership all faiths combined. So I now solemnly hereby declare Uganda's chronic corruption a biblical epidemic. I repeat, it's now 8 years in Somalia. Who has actually crushed this Al Shabaab group?
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