On the other side, experts acknowledge the reason for concealing such information but raise worries that the budget might not be used for national interests in some cases.
This issue was also discussed yesterday on Monday at the opening of the seventh National Security Symposium hosted by Rwanda Defence Force Command and Staff College (RDFCSC) in Nyakinama of Musanze District Northern Province.
A lecturer at Makerere University in Uganda, Dr. Peter Kasaija explained that they failed to obtain information when they conducted research on the utilization of military budget at different times.
“They sometimes say that the information is secret. Why does the military fear to be asked what it does? Why don’t you want us to know how the budget is spent,” he wondered.
The concern was highlighted by Senegalese counterpart, Abdoulaye Bathily revealing that they often faced the challenge in parliament.
“Whenever we enquired into the use of the budget, they would inform us that the information is confidential that the military is trusted that the budget must be approved without any queries,” he said.
Bathily explained that details should be provided lest the budget is misused in activities that have no national interests.
Rwanda Defense Chief of Staff, Gen. Patrick Nyamvumba who was among panelists explained that African countries don’t often provide details on how military budget is spent because the information it might be used negatively.
“It is true that soldiers use resources from citizens’ efforts that they have to know how the budget is utilized. There is no reason why we cannot tell citizens what we do but considering the situation in Africa, citizens need to be mature,” he said.
Gen Nyamvumba said that most Government opponents in Africa need to change their mindsets because they stand against everything including policies meant to protect national security.
“We still have a problem in Africa. When you look at how government opposition operates in Africa; you oppose everything when you are not part of the Government, […] to the extent that you may use such information for negative intentions,” he explained.
Gen Nyamvumba explained that some Africans in the past have been involved in betraying own citizens that leaking information on security issues may lead to consequences.
On the budget for security institutions that might be misused, he explains that it depends on existing credibility of the Government.
Gen Nyamvumba said that the military would not be left behind in case the Government is corrupted noting that the military becomes transparent when there are policies to address corruption.
The report of Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), an international institute based in Sweden, dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament released in November last indicated that many of Sub-Sahara African countries continue to make a progress revealing how the military budget was spent.
Between 2012 and 2017, the institute revealed that at least 45 of 47 Sub-Sahara African countries provided one report explaining how the military budget was utilized.
Leave a Reply