The Uganda People’s Defence Forces will on Friday, March 15 pass out about 6,000 Local Defence Unit (LDU) personnel after almost four months of basic training despite an announcement earlier this year that there is no money to pay them.
The new LDUs were trained at Oliver Tambo Military Training School in Nakaseke and will be deployed in Kampala, Mukono and Wakiso districts..
Their recruitment in October last year follows an order by President Museveni, while delivering a security address to the nation, to have 24,000 young men and women enlisted as LDUs to beef up security agencies such as the police and army.
This after a series of organised crimes were carried out by gun wielding gangs that led to the assassination of among others Arua Municipality legislator Ibrahim Abiriga and former Buyende District police commander Muhammad Kirumira.
The recruitment and training exercise was set to cost about Shs58billion, and according to the President then, that was not the problem. Only about 6,500 were recruited.
UPDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Deo Akiiki confirmed the development.
Early this year, State Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Bright Rwamirama said the Defence ministry does not have about Shs9.25 billion needed to cater for LDUs salaries. Earlier the Chief of Defence Forces David Muhoozi had said that the monthly stipend for each recruit is Shs200,000.
