Army attempts to purge "ghost soldiers"

Uganda’s ministry of defence is planning to introduce a nationwide computer system for keeping track of troops on its payroll, in an effort to clamp down on so-called “ghost soldiers”. It is thought the measure could save Uganda’s treasury thousands of US dollars each year and allow more money allocated for defence to be spent properly. Officers have allegedly been procuring and pocketing the salaries of soldiers who don't exist. “Until we computerise our records in a central database it will be impossible to keep track of soldiers," defence ministry spokesman Shaban Bantariza told IRIN. "So this is now our main strategy.” The recommendation follows the completion two days ago of a public probe, spearheaded by Defence Minister Amama Mbabazi, into allegations of ghost soldiers and other corrupt practices in the army. The probe recommended the prosecution by court martial of a number of senior figures in the forces, including former army commander James Kazini. “The crackdown is significant because this is a problem that’s been with us for 10 years,” Bantariza told IRIN. “If we knew how many there were, there wouldn’t be any,” he added. "But it has long been recognised as a black hole in Uganda’s defence budget."