{UAH} MUSEVENI’S STAND ON THE WELFARE OF ORDINARY SOLDIERS

Written by CHANGE OF GUARDS

The welfare and conditions of service for military personnel in Museveni's armed forces, particularly the army, have once again come into the public domain. Regrettably, many individuals lack an understanding of the internal dynamics concerning military personnel's welfare and terms and conditions. In this two-part series, we will examine the state of welfare among military personnel in Museveni's army. Part One will focus on the state of affairs during the sectarian Bush War (1981–1986), while Part Two will delve into the period from 1986, when the aforementioned army became the national army, up to the present day. For Part One, we will present the narrative of Dr. Kiiza Besigye, who actively participated in the sectarian Bush War.

During this time, senior rebel commanders lived relatively luxurious lives, enjoying access to milk, meat, chicken, cigarettes, alcohol, clothes, and other scarce commodities. This was in stark contrast to the rank-and-file fighters. To differentiate between the commander, Magara, and a junior officer who shared the same surname, the latter was referred to as 'Magara atalya nkoko' (the one who does not eat chicken). Many assumed it was his actual name, but in reality, the privilege of enjoying chicken was reserved for the top commanders.

This distinction became so prevalent that the phrase 'size ya commander' (commander's size) was coined to describe any item that was considered too big or too good for lower-ranking fighters to possess and enjoy, often resulting in them having to surrender it.

Besigye, being part of the high command due to his role, had access to these luxuries. However, he also spent time with the rank-and-file soldiers he had to treat, and the disparities troubled him deeply. "Even if a soldier received something from a relative which was of high quality, the commander would confiscate it, declaring it 'not their size.' This misalignment with some of our values was extremely unsettling," Besigye explains.

When I joined the bush, I brought a copy of George Orwell's book, "Animal Farm" with me. Reading aloud to the other fighters about the pigs drinking milk while everyone else went without nearly led to me being court-martialed. It was never an official accusation, but I received threats. I was stationed at Mucunguzi's high command, and he consumed five liters of milk every day in his hut. Curious about this, I once asked Mucunguzi about his milk consumption, and he replied, 'To be honest with you, I don't even like milk, but I consume it for my health.' So, I fetched the book and urged him to read what the pigs were saying, emphasizing that milk was scientifically proven to be beneficial for pigs.

His reaction was to accuse me of inciting mutiny. General Elly Tumwine, the NRA commander who succeeded Magara, was notorious for monopolizing privileges, even to fellow officers."

What surprised Besigye the most was Museveni's response, considering that he identified himself as a socialist in terms of his professed ideology at that time and also benefited from this disparity.

"This issue would always come up for discussion, and Museveni justified it by stating that we should not be like squirrels, pointing out that when squirrels catch something, they divide it into equal portions based on the number of squirrels. If the portions are not equal, squirrels will abandon it. Using an analogy like Animal Farm, he argued that commanders needed better nourishment to enhance their ability to plan and think.

If there was an attack or if the commanders themselves were burdened by hunger, Museveni argued that the soldiers would face a greater risk. He believed that if there was something scarce, it would be better for the commanders to have it rather than dividing it among everyone and leaving them all hungry. While there may be some logic to this reasoning, it undoubtedly sets the stage for institutionalized deprivation."

Greed Takes Hold.

For Besigye, this issue might have remained insignificant if the double standards had not extended beyond just food and clothing, reaching a higher level of impunity. Senior commanders began extorting money and personal items during operations, in clear violation of rebel rules (the NRA rebels regularly robbed banks, but the money was supposed to be handed over to senior commanders for purchasing weapons and food). Shockingly, they got away with it. Once again, Besigye explains, Museveni justified the misconduct of his commanders, sowing the seeds of doubt that would later sprout into a forest of disagreements between the two men. "He justified it by stating that it would be unwise for him to crack down on these wayward commanders because they were the only ones capable of accomplishing the mission." Even if he was aware of the misconduct, he tactically chose not to address it so as not to jeopardize the greater cause. He believed it was acceptable to postpone addressing these tendencies and first focus on defending ourselves, winning the war, recruiting more people, and dealing with those issues later. Besigye used to be quite critical of individuals like Saleh, expressing his disagreement with the way they became attached to material possessions."

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Allaah gives the best to those who leave the choice to Him."And if Allah touches you with harm, none can remove it but He, and if He touches you with good, then He is Able to do all things." (6:17)

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