Youth blame failure to join LDU on graft

A section of youth in Rakai District who failed to join the army in the ongoing Local Defence Unit (LDU) recruitment exercise have blamed it on unscrupulous local leaders demanding money before they issue recommendation letters.

They claim some Gombolola Internal Security Officers (Giso), village and sub-county chairpersons are charging between Shs30,000 and Shs50,000 for the letters.

Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) last week called upon the youth to submit applications to the office of Residents District Commissioner in order to join LDU.

Some of the youth enlisted were still in school, but chose to join the Force because they have waited for the reopening of schools in vain.

Mr Abias Byamukama, 22, who was yearning to join the unit, said both the Giso and sub-county person had asked for Shs50,000 each, which he could hardly raise.

“I am wondering why some government workers are frustrating our plan to serve our country,”  he said on Sunday.

Recruitment of LDUs in Rakai ended on Saturday.

Mr David Niwandinda, a resident of Dyango Town Council in Rakai District, who has been a student of Animal Husbandry at Kakoba Institute Rutagarama in Mbarara City, said the lockdown, which saw cattle markets closed, left his family financially crippled and his parents could not raise Shs100,000 asked by local leaders for a recommendation letter. 

He also failed to foot the transport bills to the district headquarters where the recruitment was taking place.

“We appeal to the UPDF leadership to change the way this recruitment is done, if possible, they should come direct to villages and interact with interested candidates because local leaders have turned it into a money minting business,” he said.

Mr Niwandinda said about 10 youth in Dyango Town Council were unable to raise the money to secure the letters. 

Ms Patience Nyakato, another applicant, accused Mr Basir Mweshezi, the chairperson of Lwembajjo Village, of demanding Shs20,000 to issue her a recommendation letter.

When contacted, Mr Mweshezi said they only charged Shs5,000 from each youth who wanted a recommendation letter, but insisted the money was approved by the village committee .

“The Shs5,000 we charge is for the ‘stamp’. There is no money to run local council committees and we always use that little money to for our day-to-day activities,” Mr Mweshezi said yesterday.   

Ms Anita Nsimenta, the Giso Dyango Town Council, dismissed the allegations of  bribery as baseless reports. 

“Those are our own children, why should we ask them to pay money,” she said.  

Mr Elisa Wangi Ssemanda, the mayor of Dyango Town Council, said some youth are sponsored by his political opponents to tarnish his name.

“Some people are malicious. They are trying to taint our names,” he said.   

Capt Ninisiima Rwemijuma, the spokesperson of Masaka-based Armoured Brigade-Kasijjagirwa, said they had not received formal complaints of extortion. He said joining LDU was at a free cost.

“We conducted radio talk shows in southern region and availed the telephone contacts to the public to call us in case of extortion,” he said, adding: “I advise those youth who claim to have been asked to pay bribes to report the matter to police. We are also going to investigate the matter and if we find that it is true, we will prosecute the culprits.”

He said the youth who missed out in the districts of Masaka can still be considered if they contact recruitment officers in other districts such as Wakiso and Kampala where the exercise is still ongoing. Capt Ninsiima said the southern region has recruited 557 LDUs in the just concluded recruitment exercise. 

He indicated that while Sembabule and Masaka had overwhelming numbers, Rakai, Bukomansimbi, and Butambala failed to fill their quotas.

Rakai had 66 slots, but only 53 youth were recruited. 

“If it is true that some local leaders have frustrated efforts of young people to join the Force, they are doing a disservice to this country,” Capt Ninsiima  said.

He also said some applicants were rejected due to poor health and forged academic papers. 

“Some people who had turned up for the exercise had high blood pressure while others possessed fake academic papers. So, we could not consider people who don’t qualify,”  Capt Ninsiima said.

What is considered to join the army

- One must be citizen of Uganda.                                                                            

-Healthy and physically fit and ready to undergo medical examination. Tests are carried out on all sensory organs as well as general diseases including, HIV/Aids.

-Must be aged 18 to 25, and must be single with no children (family men are not easy to manage or deploy).                                                                  -The standard operating procedure is that you have to wait for four years before you get married.

-All recruits must have a minimum form of education of Senior Four or its equivalent and not above UACE (for basic training).

-They must present original documents and photocopies of all academic papers.                          -All recruits must be of good conduct with no criminal record.

-They should have letters of recommendation from LCI to LCIII.                                                          -Gombolola Internal Security Officers must sign the letters to confirm their conduct.

-Presenting false documents is a crime.

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