Kampala — The Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) programme has fired 54 army officers for incompetence and sent them back to the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) for redeployment.
The OWC, headed by Gen Salim Saleh, could not provide the list of those fired, but said the highest ranking officer is a brigadier and the lowest is a captain.
The programme's deputy chief coordinator, Lt Gen Charles Angina, said 102 new army officers have been recruited to replace the sacked ones.
Explaining why OWC recruited those officers when only 54 soldiers had been fired, Lt Gen Angina said they are to fill vacancies in the new districts and constituencies.
He said the new recruitments are also meant to fill vacancies created by the departure of the old OWC staff who have either died or retired.
Some of the new faces who have been brought into OWC as regional and district coordinators include Maj Gen John Mateeka, the former Kasese District chairperson, Col Dura Mawa, and Col Phinekas Mugyenyi.
Lt Gen Angina warned the new army officers against laziness, saying if they fail to perform, they will be fired.
He said the responsibilities of the coordinators at every level is to ensure all the National Agricultural Advisory Services (Naads) programmes run as scheduled.
Gen Angina said the officers must reach out to the population and work together to rid the masses of poverty.
He said the previous government programmes to fight poverty failed because the officials were not focused.
"We have a responsibility of liberating people from poverty and we are supposed to ensure people have something to benefit from," he said.
Gen Angina said the OWC policy is that officers appointed as regional, district and constituency coordinators must come from within the respective areas so that they coordinate better with the local people and districts leaders. "All the officers must be people from the locality and you must make sure you do not only think of your families," he said.
He warned them against reckless alcohol drinking.
"If that happens, I will fire you," Gen Angina said.
The OWC spokesperson, Maj Tabaro Kiconco, said the decision to fire the soldiers was taken after staff appraisal and evaluation.
He said the changes were necessary to boost OWC coordination and efficiency.
Efficiency
"For efficient coordination of OWC, there was need to deploy in those areas which we effectively did. Other members who have not performed very well, or based on other reasons, have been returned to the UPDF for redeployment," Maj Tabaro said.
Early this year, Gen Saleh called for a review of the program in order to make it more significant for the country.
Gen Saleh called for the implementation of the regional logistics hub and the e-voucher card system as key steps that should be taken to refresh the program.
Under the e-voucher system, allocations to farmers are made through an online system, age use tokens to pick farm inputs from logistical hubs or approved suppliers within their regions.
