Govt appeals Shs700m award to UPDF soldier

Kampala. The Attorney General has filed a notice to appeal against the decision of the High Court that awarded more than Shs700 million to a former General Court Martial (GCM) prosecutor as compensation for his lost income following his forced retirement from the army.
Justice Margaret Oguli Oumo, the deputy head of International Crimes Division, last Friday awarded Shs712 million to Maj Ronald Iduuli, saying his dismissal from the Army was illegal, unconstitutional and malicious.
According to the notice filed before the High Court Civil Division, government intends to appeal against the ruling.
“Take notice that the respondent being dissatisfied with the ruling of the Honourable Lady Justice Margaret Oumo Oguli on July 13, 2018 intends to appeal in the Court of Appeal of Uganda against part of the ruling,” the notice of appeal, reads in part.
In her judgment, Justice Oguli awarded Maj Iduuli Shs28 million to cover his unremitted gratuity, Shs6 million as unpaid pension and Shs538 million as lost income. He will also take a payment of Shs90 million to compensate for stress inconvenience, humiliation, embarrassment and psychological torture he has gone through since his wrongful retirement, the judge ruled.
Court further awarded Maj Iduuli aggravated damages of Shs50 million which will attract an interest of 20 per cent per annum from the date of judgment until payment is paid in full.
“I, however, decline to offer compensation on transport and housing allowances on grounds that the applicant did not provide court with receipts of the money spent travelling and had no tenancy agreement to prove how he has been sleeping and moving,” Justice Oguli ruled.
Maj Iduuli dragged the Attorney General, the chief of personnel and administration, and the deputy chief of legal services in the UPDF, to court challenging his forced retirement from the armed forces.
He says he was unfairly retired from service on a misrepresentation that he had voluntarily applied for retirement whereas not, yet he had also not attained the mandatory retirement age.