Parliament yesterday debated the recent UPDF helicopter crashes in Kenya with fresh revelations of other crashes that occurred in DR Congo and Karamoja which were covered up by the army leadership with no investigations done.
The legislators, while contributing to a statement presented by the State Minister for Defence, Gen. Jeje Odongo, also called for the disbandment of the team headed by Gen. Salim Saleh that was tasked to inquire into the cause of the crash citing conflict of interest.
Lt. Amodoi Imalingat (Toroma County),a retired army officer, told the House that in one of the unreported crashes that happened in 2009, a one Opio, who was a pilot, crashed a UPDF fighter jet between Zara and Central African Republic and died during the hunt for Kony.
However, he said, no investigations were done into the matter. “In 2009 at the time when we were in the operation Lightening Thunder in the forest of Garamba in Congo, I was there and two pilots died after one Mig crashed but I can only remember the name of one pilot called Opio. It was proceeding to Zara and the Central African Republic where Kony was leaving and Opio died. From that time such information was concealed,” Lt Amodoi said.
The minister, however, declined to comment on most of the questions put before him and said since there was an inquiry team that was put in place by the President, the legislators should make use of it.
Lwemiyaga County MP Theodore Ssekikubo said: “The team needs competent persons and the composition should have an international dimension. Why treat such a matter of that magnitude in such a casual way. Board of inquiry is casual, loopy and we do not expect much from it.”
Mr Simon Murongo (Bubulo East) said the team should be expanded to include people outside the Ugandan air force.
The three UDPF copters crashed a fortnight ago en route to Somalia to take part in the ongoing hunt for the Al Shabab insurgents.
Source: http://www.monitor.co.ug
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