Two Updf soldiers arrested over swindling late Maj Gen Kazini’s pension

Two UPDF soldiers have been arrested by the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) over obtaining money belonging to the late Maj Gen James Kazini. 

Kazini was brutally killed by his then mistress Lydia Draru on November 10, 2009, in Wabigalo Zone, Makindye Division in Kampala district. Draru was charged with murder on November 16, 2009, at Buganda Road Magistrate’s court, and sentenced to 14 years in jail for manslaughter after the prosecution failed to adduce evidence of murder.

Draru has since served the jail term and regained her total freedom on January 12, 2021, after a remission of four years for good conduct.

In 2017, Capt Gerald Bitindi Byamugisha attached to the Uganda People’s Defense Forces chieftaincy of pensions and gratuity (UPDF-COPG) and Capt Lamek M.Kimula attached to the 65 infantry battalion as an acting adjutant, allegedly with intent to defraud, opened fictitious bank accounts number 2043160022366 and later renewed to 204206051074101 in Pride Microfinance bank (city branch) in the name of late Maj Gen James Kazini’s widow, Mosiko Lela and falsely obtained over Shs 62 million.

Byamugisha and Kimula ran out of lack after their alleged involvement in abusing and stealing pension funds and survivor benefits of Kazini’s widow during their service at COPG.

Records show that during the trial, the prosecution’s evidence against the two shall consist of witness statements including the complainant, the civilians used to open up fraudulent accounts namely; Boniface Ddamulira, Michael Bantaliza, Erunasani Wasswa, and bank statements. 

The suspects have not yet been arraigned before the General Court Martial to be formally charged with offences related to swindling Kazini’s pension. Byamugisha was arrested about four months ago from the army court where he had gone to report for bond as a requirement on other cases also related to swindling other people’s pensions. 

But the director of prosecutions in UPDF, Lt Col Raphael Mugisha has since written to the CMI director of special investigations after a careful and thorough perusal of the file, to obtain more crucial evidence in order to successfully prosecute the case in question.

For instance, he says, the CMI needs to extract a statement from Col Deborah Nayebare in respect to the integrated personnel and payroll system (IPPS) account in order to get a clear explanation of who she handed over the office to upon her travel to the United States of America, and in what state did she find the same on her return.

To obtain call data or phone printouts between the suspects and the civilians used to open up the fraudulent accounts. Also, the prosecution wants the CMI to establish from the accounts of the ministry of Defense and Veteran Affairs and ministry of Finance Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) to establish how the complainant’s account changed from Equity bank to Pride Microfinance bank and when exactly the same change happened.