The Government of Uganda has revealed that it has not received mission allowances for the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) troops deployed under African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) since April 2021.

According to a statement issued by the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) Spokesperson Brig Gen Flavia Byekwaso, the alleged complaints by some soldiers of UGABAG 30 as reported by some sections of the media that their allowances were stolen by UPDF are baseless and unfortunate.

Brig Byekwaso said that the Government of Uganda and the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs have established mechanisms with the Mission funders which is the African Union on how arrears for the forces deployed under AMISOM are always cleared.

Brig Byekwaso further clarified that the same processes and mechanisms are being followed to have the unpaid allowances cleared and urged all the affected troops to maintain discipline and patience since the process of settling their arrears is already on and they will certainly be paid.

Uganda has over 6,000 soldiers who have been on rotational deployment since 2007 and the soldiers have been praised for flushing Al-Shabaab militants from Somalia’s capital Mogadishu.