Samuel Okiror, one of the 20 youth collapsed during Local Defense Unit (LDU) recruitment drills has said most of them are under pressure to perform.
Okiror and several others collapsed midway through a four-kilometre run at Soroti sports ground on Sunday and were admitted at Soroti Regional Referral Hospital.
“I was under so much pressure to complete the 4-kilometer-race. We had been told that only the first 50 people would be taken from the four groups,” Okiror, told URN from his hospital bed.
About 3,000 youth turned up for the exercise from Serere, Soroti, Kaberamaido and Kalaki.
Some of those admitted include Celina Ageto, from Serere, Ocen from Soroti, Sam Okello from Kalaki and Joseph Ejiku from Kaberamaido among others.
The UPDF medical team had a lot of work picking the youths who had fainted along the way and rushing them to Soroti Hospital
At hospital, some of those admitted told ‘medical workers to take care of their children in case they died’.
Capt. Abert Arinaitwe, the third division spokesperson told URN that all the youths who collapsed during the road drill were unfit and would not be considered for the task.
“These are people who were collapsing on the way while they had gone for a run. If you can’t run a short distance of only four kilometres then you are unfit. How do you expect to walk eight kilo meters or 10 following cattle thieves? This is an interview and they have failed,” he said.
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