Parents accuse LDU recruitment officials of being corrupt

A UPDF soldier scrutinises some of the men who showed up at the recruitment centre Bugembe Jinja on Tuesday. PHOTO BY DENIS EDEMA

JINJA- A section of parents and guardians who wanted their children to be recruited into the Local Defence Unit (LDU) in Busoga Sub-region, have accused the recruitment officers of being corrupt.

The parents say, the recruitment teams deliberately left out credible applicants and gave room to people who were transported from areas outside Busoga region.

Mr Ivan Waiswa, a parent of one of the men who were rejected, said there was no transparency during the exercise at Bugembe Stadium.

“They [recruitment officers] have transported applicants from districts like Kapchorwa and Buikwe among other districts yet these areas are not located in Busoga,” Mr Waiswa, a resident of Kamuli District, said.

However, the First Division Public Information Officer, Maj Yusuf Bilal Katamba, denied the allegations.

"The applicants have been approved by their respective village chairpersons, district Internal Security Officers and Resident District Commissioners," he said.

Maj Katamba blamed parents for not taking advantage of the existing free education to educate their children.

"In the past, parents used to give their children to rebels to fight the government which is not the case today. The public has trust and confidence in the UPDF to an extent of accompanying their children for an interview to join the army," he said.

The nationwide recruitment exercise, meant to conscript 13,000 into the LDU, started on July 15 and has seen scores arrested over alleged forgery of academic papers among other crimes.

Brig Joseph Balikuddembe, the recruitment team leader, said they are impressed with the turn up despite arrests of those presenting forged documents.

Brig Balikuddembe said 602 people have been recruited in Jinja, Kamuli, Namayingo, Kaliro and Mayuge district.