By David Kibirige & Frank Nyakairu
Dec 30, 2003
KAMPALA â Soldiers went into the Christmas break without their December pay cheque.
Payment was held on the orders of the High Command, The Monitor has learnt.
The move, according to insiders, is meant to enable authorities clean up the army payroll.
The decision, sources say, was pushed by Lt. Gen. David Tinyefuzaâs committee, which is making further investigations into ghost soldier-related corruption in the military.
The Monitor learnt that the Army Commander, Maj. Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, sent a message to all units blocking the December pay until each soldier gets a personal file.
Spokesman Maj. Shaban Bantariza described the move as a ânecessary inconvenienceâ.
âIt was a decision taken that no body will be paid until they have a picture on their personal files,â Bantariza told The Monitor by phone yesterday.
âOf course, we have all been inconvenienced. We have not bought meat or paid our bills but we think this is the most appropriate way of dealing with this problem,â he added.
The new mode of payment will be computerised with each file bearing a photograph (of the soldier), service number, date of recruitment and unit of service.
The previous system was riddled with loopholes.
Dead soldiers and deserters continued receiving salaries for years under the old system.
Hundreds of millions of shillings were lost for close to a decade.
Early this month, Lt. Gen. Museveni sent several senior army officers on forced leave pending an appearance before the General Court Martial.
The GCM, sitting as a special court martial because some in its ranks are haunted by the ghost soldiers, starts work in a weekâs time.
Some of these officers were summoned on Sunday and are to appear before the Tinyefuza committee soon.
Some of the officers are to be charged with "perpetuation of ghost soldiers â a most subversive act â and fomenting wrangles in the force".
Tinyefuza's extended investigation comes on the heels of an earlier one chaired by Defence minister Amama Mbabazi.
It was as a result of the report that Museveni, the commander-in-chief, sent more than 60 officers on forced leave.
 2003 The Monitor Publications
