{UAH} WHAT WAS THE ORIGIN OF 'KATEBE' IN THE NRA?
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WHAT WAS THE ORIGIN OF 'KATEBE' IN THE NRA?
After taking over power in Jan 1986, senior NRA members scrambled for appointments to positions of responsibility, posession of goverment property and accumulation of personal wealth. All along the political indoctrination teachings (political education) had emphasised that the desire for accumulating personal wealth amounted to love for soft life which was totally prohibited. That is why Museveni often criticised past leaders for among other practices, buying furniture from Italy. As Kampala fell, some members took up offices in the army headquarters while many of their colleagues went ahead with the military operations in the distant fields. At headquarter level, there was total lack of checks and balance for cash, supplies and logistics. The procurement and distribution of supplies depended on the goodwill of those handling it. There was no mechanism for accountability at all. Privilleged members of NRA kept sacks of cash in their car boots and under their beds. Even some commanders from the field units would come to Kampala, pick sacks of money meant for operations for their units from Republic House, stuck it in the boots of their Santana Land Rovers and then go merry making in the Kampala night clubs until its all exhausted. Afterwards, at times they would stay around waiting for the new release for the next month or two before returning to their duty stations. This scrumble led to the fueling of internal bickering that saw senior officers undermining each other before Museveni. A number of them fell victim with dire consequences and were never to recover.
Several lucky civillian businessmen secured tenders to supply food items and other supplies to the NRA. Much of these tenders were flawed and supplied air. The earliest case involved a Kasese based Scycles national Gaetano as early as early 1986. Some companies belonged to NRA officers, their families and friends. Actually, the beneficiaries were not only senior officers heading those departments but even very junior officers, clerks and civillian employees in the Ministry of Defence. That is how the likes of Guma Gumisiriza, Byaruhanga, Otema, Byakutaaga, Juma Seiko, Saleh Kamba and many other junior officers struck fortunes as early as the late 80s. With time the field based Officers came to realise that their collegues and even juniors who had offices in the army headquarters were living in a different world in terms of personal wealth and privilleges. A rift arose between those with offices and those without. At one time in an Army Council session chaired by Museveni, Reuben Ikondere asked if he cant also be a Director of Finance at the army headquarters. Later on, the same Ikondere threatened to blow up the helcopter that was carrying Amama Mbabazi to his country home that had stopped to refuel at the 2nd Div in Mbarara. For the ordinary soldier, the welfare situation became worse. The field commanders resorted to swindling the money meant for the soldier's salaries and welfare, supplies, creation of ghost soldiers and withholding their pay for an interest populary termed as 'Baroda'. Field commanders in operation areas also resorted to mobile shops for essential comodies sold to soldiers on a credit at double the market price. The same commanders would also exegarate the enemy threat so that they make claims of locally procured food items for their troops.
In late 1980s the NRA introduced the Wealth Declaration system for senior officers. Museveni also filled that Property Declaration Form and indicated his wealth as a piece of land in Nyabushozi, a pick up truck but most interesting among his children he declared that besides Muhozi, he had another son who was a Cpl in the NRA - Guess who! This system did not help anything. Earlier on a Loan Scheme had been introduced and placed under Elly Kayanja but it did not take off as billions of shillings were swindled and it collapsed. In the early 90s Mugisha Muntu commissioned a team headed by Ivan Koreta, Serwanga Lwanga and Fred Bogere to make a physical verification of the NRA strength. Museveni stopped this team half way before it could accomplish its task. More than a decade later the same Museveni commissioned a probe team into the creation of ghost soldiers! The truth of the matter is that Museveni favoured the practice as a way of ensuring loyality, punishing those suspected of not being loyal and wooing fence sitters.
Therefore, 'Katebe' is a term that refers to the practice of the army authorities rendering someome rudundant. The affected officer retains the salary, house, vehicle, fuel, escorts, cash allowances, free medical services but because he would not be having an assigned office to steal from, Katebe became an issue. In one incident during the virgil of one of the Kyatuka brothers, junior army officers openly attacked Mugisha Muntu who was the army commander accusing him of having placed the deceased on Katebe from where he had allegedly died of neglect.
Several lucky civillian businessmen secured tenders to supply food items and other supplies to the NRA. Much of these tenders were flawed and supplied air. The earliest case involved a Kasese based Scycles national Gaetano as early as early 1986. Some companies belonged to NRA officers, their families and friends. Actually, the beneficiaries were not only senior officers heading those departments but even very junior officers, clerks and civillian employees in the Ministry of Defence. That is how the likes of Guma Gumisiriza, Byaruhanga, Otema, Byakutaaga, Juma Seiko, Saleh Kamba and many other junior officers struck fortunes as early as the late 80s. With time the field based Officers came to realise that their collegues and even juniors who had offices in the army headquarters were living in a different world in terms of personal wealth and privilleges. A rift arose between those with offices and those without. At one time in an Army Council session chaired by Museveni, Reuben Ikondere asked if he cant also be a Director of Finance at the army headquarters. Later on, the same Ikondere threatened to blow up the helcopter that was carrying Amama Mbabazi to his country home that had stopped to refuel at the 2nd Div in Mbarara. For the ordinary soldier, the welfare situation became worse. The field commanders resorted to swindling the money meant for the soldier's salaries and welfare, supplies, creation of ghost soldiers and withholding their pay for an interest populary termed as 'Baroda'. Field commanders in operation areas also resorted to mobile shops for essential comodies sold to soldiers on a credit at double the market price. The same commanders would also exegarate the enemy threat so that they make claims of locally procured food items for their troops.
In late 1980s the NRA introduced the Wealth Declaration system for senior officers. Museveni also filled that Property Declaration Form and indicated his wealth as a piece of land in Nyabushozi, a pick up truck but most interesting among his children he declared that besides Muhozi, he had another son who was a Cpl in the NRA - Guess who! This system did not help anything. Earlier on a Loan Scheme had been introduced and placed under Elly Kayanja but it did not take off as billions of shillings were swindled and it collapsed. In the early 90s Mugisha Muntu commissioned a team headed by Ivan Koreta, Serwanga Lwanga and Fred Bogere to make a physical verification of the NRA strength. Museveni stopped this team half way before it could accomplish its task. More than a decade later the same Museveni commissioned a probe team into the creation of ghost soldiers! The truth of the matter is that Museveni favoured the practice as a way of ensuring loyality, punishing those suspected of not being loyal and wooing fence sitters.
Therefore, 'Katebe' is a term that refers to the practice of the army authorities rendering someome rudundant. The affected officer retains the salary, house, vehicle, fuel, escorts, cash allowances, free medical services but because he would not be having an assigned office to steal from, Katebe became an issue. In one incident during the virgil of one of the Kyatuka brothers, junior army officers openly attacked Mugisha Muntu who was the army commander accusing him of having placed the deceased on Katebe from where he had allegedly died of neglect.
Posted by Uganda - A Change of Guards!
Viele GruBe
Robukui
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