Is the UPDF Impartial, non-partisan and Professional?

Militarism, Civilian Rule

The cloak over Uganda army's (the UPDF) impartiality in civilian politics needs urgent unveiling. Traditionally, public scrutiny of the conduct, character and composition of the UPDF is prohibited by its founder and Commander-in-Chief. I am taking this task out of leap of courage, hoping that it will find an equally a courageous Editor to even consider it for publishing!

I am responding to UPDF Spokesperson, Lt Col Paddy Ankunda’s previous articles (DM: November 7, 2014), and to his deputy, Maj. Henry Obbo’s recent one on this subject of UPDF’s impartiality (See: UPDF is a disciplined, non-partisan force, DM December 8, 2014). In these articles, the UPDF is exemplified as very impartial, non-partisan and professional army that would respect voters’ choices for change of regime; and does not intrude into civilian affairs.

While many of us have been alive long enough to witness the transformation of the NRA from those rag tag revolutionary elements of 1986 to today’s UPDF, we must place caveats when discussing its impartiality. I am inclined to ask, to what extent is the UPDF impartial, non-partisan and professional?

The UPDF may be a disciplined and professional army when compared with other armies in the region or past armies of Uganda. What is known is that the UPDF is not impartial either in their ideology or in dispensation of their allegiance. Given its history, the UPDF is openly still fused with, and as an appendage of the NRM Party. Therefore, to state that the UPDF does not ally with the incumbency is lunacy at best, if not a manifestation of traumatic stress syndrome.

Our most recent history will absolve us. We have been informed from 2001 when Kiiza Besigye contested for the Presidency, that he should not play with the UPDF because it belongs to its founder, the incumbent.

We have also seen the presence of UPDF in previous elections, practically intimidating voters. All of the UPDF commanders openly campaigns for the incumbent, need we mention names? They even use military facilities to compound to the humongous incumbency advantage. To this date, most NRM candidates in constituencies are vetted by, and must be seen to be supported by the army commanders. There is evidence through testimonies, and the voting patterns in most UPDF garrisons, like Achol-Pii, Gulu, Mbuya Barracks, Summit View, etc., where soldiers are mobilized, and ordered to vote for NRM candidates. We can review election results from UPDF barracks since 2001 for coincidence.

Incidentally, Politicians tend not to pursue these anomalies but it does not imply that Ugandans are blind to the partiality of UPDF during elections. If the UPDF were impartial, why should they be allowed to intimidate civilian during elections?

This brings me to the persistence of UPDF in Parliament, which is a civilian platform where an impartial army should not be represented. Now, if Maj. Henry Obbo and his boss need real hard evidence, let us examine voting patterns of UPDF in Parliament from the Hansard as a microcosm of UPDF’s ideological leaning. The UPDF can fool only the naïve about their purported impartiality, whereas they are openly not.

If UPDF were impartial, why did members of the high command assert in subsequent campaigns when Besigye challenged the status quo that they would not salute whoever wins President Museveni? What happened to Brig. Henry Tumukunde when he tried to exhibit independence of thought, wasn’t he forced to resign from his seat as Army MP? There are numerous examples that the limits of this article will exclude.

There are many more questions to ask than answers when it comes to discussing the degree of impartiality of the UPDF in Uganda’s politics. However, we recognize that there is even limited tolerance for public scrutiny of UPDF, especially its internal intricacies. Col. Ankunda could, perhaps, encourage internal dialogue within the army about ideological impartiality so that they exclude the public from such a debate; and to withdraw UPDF from Parliament.

 

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