A crew member of the ill-fated Ugandan helicopter that crash landed on Mt Kenya in August 2012. PHOTO | CORRESPONDENT.
KAMPALA.
The United Nations will not compensate Uganda for the three military helicopters which crashed with ammunition and troops over Mount Kenya en route to the African Union Peace Mission (Amisom) in Somalia.
The three helicopters crashed over Mt Kenya due to bad weather in August 2012, killing seven members and leaving several others injured.
“We do not see any positive indicators that the UN shall compensate us for the loss of our helicopters. We have and still are trying to do everything possible to get compensation of the helicopters,” the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Edward Katumba Wamala, told the press at the army headquarters in Mbuya, Kampala, on Friday.
Gen Katumba said efforts by the UPDF to get compensation hit a snag after the UN said the helicopters crashed before reaching the mission area, Somalia.
“We have also made the claims through the African Union but we have achieved little,” he added.
He, however, said they have not given up the last hope.
Uganda had earlier shown optimism with the former Internal Affairs minister Okello Oryem saying the UN had no alternative but to compensate Uganda.