Minister Huda On Spot For Allegedly Paying Fake Veterans

ARUA. A section of veterans in West Nile sub-region have come out publicly to blame the Minister of State for Defence and Veteran Affairs, Huda Abason Oleru for paying what they termed as ‘fake’ veterans in her home district of Yumbe, leaving out the genuine fighters known to President Yoweri Museveni.

The West Nile Bank Front fighters led by Maimuna Juma Yusuf claim that of the Shs13 billion they were demanding from the government, Shs5 billion was released and diverted to pay non-veterans in Yumbe district on instructions of Huda.

She said even all the 25 members of the high command of the West Nile Bank Front didn’t receive any pay.

According to Maimuna, over 5,000 members of the West Nile Bank Front who were supposed to be compensated haven’t received any coins except the few in Yumbe district.

“In Yumbe, 1,604 veterans have been paid. For us in Koboko and other districts, they regard us as fake yet we are genuine veterans even known to President Museveni,” Maimuna said.

She noted that from Yumbe, the known fighters who joined the West Nile Bank Front were 600, meaning over 1000 veterans paid are ghosts.

“Huda is the one who refused me, saying she doesn’t know me and she claims that I was not in the bush. Now Huda prefers her people from Yumbe yet over 1000 who received pay with her instructions are ghost veterans. We don’t know them and their names are not anywhere in our structure,” Maimuna said.

Maimuna alleged that Huda went ahead to pay one person they don’t know on grounds that he is a member of the West Nile Bank Front.

“Huda is our Minister but how come she didn’t pay Abdalatiff, me Maimuna, Sulman Taban (the General Secretary), Ali Sudi, Lugei with others? And she refused to work with us, she is working with District Internal Security Officers (DISOs). Do these DISOs even know us, did they join us one day in the bush?” Maimuna asked, wondering why Huda continues to collaborate with DISOs without the leadership of the veterans.

As a result, Maimuna has urged President Museveni to give an audience to at least 13 members of West Nile Bank Front to be selected from each district in West Nile to meet and explain their concern to him in the presence of Huda.

“We now want to meet President Museveni personally because what people are telling him is lies. Now they are blocking me from seeing Mzee (President Museveni); they are giving reports, writing letters to Mzee to block me but now things are not good down here, people are crying. But I’m encouraging these people under me to be patient until I meet Mzee,” Maimuna said.

“We shall demand Huda to tell us before the President the names of the people she has already paid and prove whether they are genuine members of the West Nile Bank Front. Huda must explain to us who are those people who got our sweat, our blood just like that. If they are her voters, what about Mzee’s voters? It means now she is fighting for herself, not for Mzee Museveni,” Maimuna stated.

Maimuna observed that when Huda was appointed a minister in charge of veteran’s affairs, she was the happiest person thinking that they were going to get their money, little did they know that Huda would one day turn against them to frustrate their effort like this.

Jane Aliru, one of the West Nile Bank Front veterans, said her details were taken for payment long ago but up to now, no money has landed on her bank account.

“We are told that some people have been paid but I don’t know which people because all my colleagues have not received any money from the government yet some money was sent. I’m sure there is something wrong somewhere,” Aliru said.

Recently, Alex Matua, the chairperson of Kony war victims in West Nile, also accused Huda of frustrating their effort of trying to get compensated.

A total of 1, 102 Kony war victims in the region are demanding for Shs99, 884, 000, 000 in compensation for the merchandise, money and lives lost during the 20-year Kony insurgency along Karuma – Pakwach highway in between 1988 to 2006.

But Matua said they have submitted papers over papers to the government and moved to various offices trying to demand for their compensation, only to be blocked by Huda at the last moment.

However, we tried reaching Huda for the last two days by calling her known telephone number and also texting her for a response to the allegations in vain.