The latest information reaching our desk reveals that the commander in chief of armed forces President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has directed Chief of Defence forces Gen.David Muhoozi to weed out most of the soldiers who are involved in bad behaviors like adultery and alcoholism to be punished.
According to our reliable source in UPDF circles told Capital Times that furious Gen.Museveni doesn’t want to hear that his soldiers are so unfit due to reckless behaviors.
Brig Ronald Bigirwa, the Commandant of the UPDF Service Brigade echoed President Museveni’s message by appealing to all soldiers to stop such vices if they are to live longer in forces.
He was presiding over the graduation of 50 drivers and 52 store men at the UPDF School of Supply and Transport-SOST in Jinja district on Friday.
Uganda People’s Defense Forces-UPDF drivers and store men were advised to regulate their alcohol consumption to safeguard the reputation of the two departments that are considered the backbone of the force.
The drivers completed a five month drivers refresher course whereas their counterparts concluded the basic stores management course class ”Drivers have been trained in military law, traffic regulations, Highway Code, defensive driving and road safety.”Gen.Bigirwa said.
Bigirwa argued that, the force employs heavy armored vehicles procured using public funds, which is costly for tax payers once they are mismanaged.
He disclosed that lack of sober minds dealing in army stores has caused financial loss to the unit because, the assigned officers end up parking wrong items for different tasks, which calls for double payment for both transport and packaging materials.
Bigirwa also expressed concern over drivers who mismanage their lives and contract sexually transmitted diseases like HIV/AIDS before completing other driving courses, arguing that such people have cause financial loss to the institution.
Col. Amos Rutaremwa, the Commandant of the SOST College, said the force needs to offer more refresher courses to its drivers as some of them have forgotten earlier on acquired skills and lack driving permits to suit their experience in the transport industry.
“The drivers were meant to stay here for three months but because they lacked driving permits to suit their experience and new tasks ahead of them. I decided to keep them here for more two months,” he said.urn
