Shs 600m retirement paycheck too little – Gen Kasirye Gwanga
- Written by Siraje Lubwama
Maj Gen Wasswa Kasirye Gwanga
Officially promoted and retired last June, Maj Gen Wasswa Kasirye Gwanga has said he is not so happy with the Shs 600m sendoff paycheck.
He said Shs 600m is way too little for his rank and years of service. Speaking in a recent interview, Kasirye Gwanga said he will ask the president and commander-in-chief Yoweri Museveni for more cash.
“In normal circumstances our country’s economy is bad but when you hear other government officers who did not shed blood stealing billions of shillings and remain untouched, you cannot get content with just millions…I joined the army during Idi Amin’s time [in the 1970s] and for 46 years when you talk of Shs 600m as you claim, it is just peanuts, I will ask for more,” Kasirye Gwanga said.
Related Stories
According to a Daily Monitor report last month, the president ordered the army leadership to give every retiring general a house, gratuity and let them retain their official vehicles and three escorts. The retirees included six major generals and five brigadier generals.
The major generals include; Ali Kiiza (former chief presidential pilot); Joshua Masaba (presidential adviser on Air Force matters), Kasirye Gwanga (presidential adviser on Security in central region), Hussein Adda (former commandant of Army General Headquarters Bombo), James Ssebaggala and John Mateeka.
Brigadier generals are Jacob Musajjawaza, Yowasi Kiiza, Stephen Othieno, Olanya Ojara and Mark Kodili Ayiasi. At the State House Entebbe send-off of the generals last June, the president urged the army leadership to help the retiring officers lead a good life.
The army reportedly gave each general Shs 250m to build a house and Shs 400m as gratuity. Interviewed then, Maj Gen Gwanga, who was promoted on retirement, confirmed he had received his package.
“I received my package and I am using it very well. I am sure even if the president comes here and sees what I am using the package for, he will be very happy and will give me more,” he told Daily Monitor by telephone from his farm in Mukono district.
Maj Gen Gwanga, who retired after 46 years of military service, said he is using his package to grow organic crops because Ugandan crops are being denied entry into the European market for using herbicides.
Kasirye is an American-trained tank expert who says he joined the army in the early 1970s. He was once detained in Tanzania after the overthrow of Amin’s government in 1979. He said he joined the late Dr Andrew Kayiira and later joined President Museveni’s rebel NRA in 1983.
During a tour of his 200-acre country home and farm he fondly calls Camp David in Mukono (referencing the American presidents’ retreat in the USA), the general also revealed that he has spoken to Kyaddondo East MP Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine, a fast-rising probable challenger in 2021 to President Museveni’s firm grip on power.
Comments
The good General should not hold Ugandan taxpayers hostage on account of his ego. Let him be grateful that at least he got a hefty package.
There are very junior retired soldiers who even die without ever seeing the peanuts that are owed to them! Is Gwanga trying to say that his 'sacrifice' was more valuable than theirs?
The guy is now a human scrap. Shs.600 million is too much money to be given to a psychotic.
Rather such money should be given to the Jobless youths languishing in poverty and hopelessness.
What value does Kasirye still add to Ugandans who pays his bills for doing nothing except terrorizing his neighbors and Musicians like Kusasira.
I'm sure he'd gladly take a demotion from Maj Gen to Sgt in the US armed forces. He wears a US Army hat, he salutes the American way, he calls his farm Camp David, he claims to be an American trained tank expert.
That's all crap. These chaps just sit around for 6 months or a year to fill quotas but don't get grades or anything out of these schools. I'm calling your bluff.
Kudos for that, the rest is as sense of entitlement many Ugandans with access to positions hold anyway.
Kasirye’s fixations are widely traceable in many people, colonialism affected irreversibly!
It was embarrassing hearing this tired army man’s overemphasis about his “American” son when that had altercations with one musician!
This is why there MUST be change of governance so that entitlement to retirement pays is for ALL, not just those who had access to positions that allow them this end!
Ugandans should by now know that tax money is for: education, healthcre, pay for retirement for ALL, social housing, roads, public transport..., reason there MUST be jobs for the young/job seekers, so that tax money is assured!
But of course those who had salaries & payed taxes get more retirement money as taxes they payed was invested by insurance companies/governments!
Museveni MUST be throw out so that Ugandans become part of today world & fight for their rights in a well governed Uganda that will be for ALL & not just a few!
Museveni MUST go first & above all, then Ugandans will have chance to a start & be part of today world!
600 m for killing people during war and the idiot thinks that is small-no professor will retire and be given such huge cash!!! soldiers and their sense of self-importance!!
Does he know there are critically important professionals in this country who will never be appreciated with 600 million??? Think of our medical doctors, teachers, etc...