KAMPALA – The recruitment of the Local Defence Unit (LDUs) has left the Ministry of Defense seeking UGX130Bn to cater for the maintenance of 23,919 that were recently recruited to assist quell the spate of crimes in the country.
The revelation was made by Wilson Mbadi, Deputy Chief of Defense Forces while appearing before the Parliamentary Defense and Internal Affairs Committee where he revealed that the recruitment of LDU’s created a number of budgetary implications for the Ministry, thus exerting financial pressure on the Ministerial budget.
Mbadi told the Committee that the Ministry has been grappling with a shortfall of UGX14.9Bn in wage shortfall for the LDU’S for the last financial year, UGX26 billion wage shortfall for this year, clothing UGX45.3 billion, food component UGX39.7 billion and fuel, operations and training Shs4.6 billion.
Flowing the high profile murders of former Arua Municipality MP Ibrahim Abiriga and former Buyende DPC, Muhammed Kirumira, President Yoweri Museveni proposed a number of security measures including recruitment of LDUs to beef up security around the country.
During the meeting, Margaret Lamwaka (Kitgum Woman MP) tasked the Minister of Defense, Adolf Mwesige and Mbadi to clarify on the ongoing atrocities of the LDU’S in communities to which Mbadi noted the cases being heard in communities are sidelined ones and the perpetrators will be punished according to the law.
