PAC to grill defence over fighter jets

Tuesday, March 29 2011 at 00:00

Top officials in the Ministry of Defence will be questioned by the Public Accounts Committee today about a controversial purchase of fighter jets and other military hardware. While ministry officials were supposed to answer audit queries for the years 2008 and 2009, the committee took a decision to demand explanations on a $740m (about Shs1.7tr) deal they say was sealed behind their back.

PAC chairperson Nandala Mafabi said: “We have information that the Accounting Officer in the Ministry of Defence was aware of this scandalous expenditure. We read in papers that the money was clandestinely picked from Bank of Uganda and now they want to get retrospective authority.” He added: “We don’t want to know the types of jets and military hardware because that could be their classified information. What we want is why they never budgeted for this money and why this deal was sealed without the knowledge of Parliament.”

Museveni asks MPs
The deal was exposed by President Museveni during the Thursday night meeting with the NRM Parliamentary Caucus at State House Entebbe. Sources told Sunday Monitor that the President asked the MPs to support a Shs1.7 trillion supplementary budget to pay for the jets and other military hardware.

Although Mr Museveni did not name the country where the jets would be purchased, Russians have declared the transaction in their defence news website showing that Algeria purchased 16 jets at the same time as Uganda’s six and the joint price was $1.2 billion, meaning each jet cost $54.55 million and Uganda spent $327 million (about Shs752.1 billion).

The revelation has angered opposition lawmakers and other sections of the public. In separate statements issued yesterday, civil society groups condemned the move coming on the heel of economic drawback, with the country suffering from inflation that has commodity prices hiked.

Civil society cry out
“It’s shameful that the government is asking for Shs1.7 trillion to buy jets when people are dying of hunger,” a statement by Executive Director, Water-for-Life Uganda, Mr Ishaa Otto, said. Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda Executive Director, Ms Cissy Kagaba, said: “Failing to have priorities in the wake of rising food prices, it’s ironical and absurd that a government which claims to be pro-people can spend colossal sums with total disregard to its people’s needs.”

Opposition MPs say they will block the approval in public interest even though they lack the numbers in the House. Army spokesman Lt. Col. Felix Kulayigye justified the expenditure, saying, “The country needs security. We cannot defend our country by prayers. Those criticising the purchase don’t know the strategic management of defence.”