Police deployed heavily in Kaliro district on Thursday to block a scheduled consultative meeting by opposition political party Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) at Nawampiti landing site. Police used tear gas and live bullets to disperse the FDC supporters who had declined to vacate the landing sites after being told that the planned meeting was illegal.
The meeting had been called by the Kaliro FDC district chairperson, Peter Kamya to consult party members on how to mobilise funds so as to improve their livelihoods. Kamya said the party had earmarked some projects but wanted to get an input from the party members at the village level.
He explained that their projects are meant to compliment government programs like the Uganda Women Empowerment Program (UWEP), which he says has left out rural women. Former FDC presidential candidate, Kizza Besigye who was expected to the address the party supporter faulted police for accepting to be used to oppress the opposition.
FDC supporters taunt police
The Busoga North police spokesperson, Michael Kasadha said in a telephone interview that FDC supporters staged the meeting without police clearance, which contravenes the Public Order Management Act.
“We deployed after receiving intelligence that FDC supporters were planning to organize a meeting in the district. But by the mere fact that they lacked clearance from the police headquarters, their meeting became impossible,” he said.
Parliament has approved a government request for a Shs 280 billion supplementary budget to purchase two Bombardier planes from Canada.
The approval of the funds during a special plenary session today chaired by deputy speaker Jacob Oulanyah, is part of a bigger supplementary expenditure request of Shs 770.2 billion that government tabled before parliament early this month.
Prior to the approval of the money, legislators adopted a report by parliament’s Budget Committee which recommended that the funds be availed and that the ownership of Uganda National Airlines Company Limited be transferred to Uganda Development Corporation (UDC) - the business arm of government.
The shareholders of the company approved by parliament are; minister of Works and Transport (1,000,000 ordinary shares) and minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (1,000,000 ordinary shares).
Parliament also directed that the shareholders appoint a substantive and competent board, not later than 30th April 2019 and that the board members must be subjected to fit and proper test and names presented before the House.
“In the event this is not done, the House should not appropriate any funds to the activities and operations of the company for the Financial Year 2019/2020. Parliament closely monitors the operations of the company through regular reporting for example by bi-annual reports,” read part of the committee report.
Budget Committee chairperson, Amos Lugoloobi observed that the current interim company board members are full-time employees of government with extremely busy public offices and that it would be difficult to imagine that the company will have a good footing if it continues being managed by the current board.
The interim board members of the Uganda National Airlines Company Limited are Bageya Waiswa, the ministry of Works and Transport permanent secretary, Secretary to Treasury Keith Muhanikzi, Laban Mbulamuko a commissioner in the ministry of Finance, Bisereko Kyomuhendo, a commissioner in the ministry of Justice and Capt Gad Gasaatura, a retired flight captain.
Lugoloobi also reported that, Capt Gasaatura who is purported to be the chairperson of the board, has never been registered with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) in accordance with the law.
In addition to the committee recommendation regarding the board, Oulanyah said that the substantive board to be named, should appear before a committee of parliament and that the ground handling services should be handed to the Uganda National Airlines Company. Currently, the services are handled National Aviation Services (NAS). Parliament also resolved to have a specific Act on the Uganda National Airlines Company.
During the debate on the supplementary budget request, a section of legislators called upon government to halt the rush to purchase the aircraft for the revival of Uganda airlines. Buyaga West MP, Barnabas Tinkansimiire argued that much as there are calls for the quick revival of the airline, there is need to wait until the Uganda National Airline Company has sorted out its affairs.
"We cannot proceed to approve resources when the basics are not clear. For instance, you’re saying we have a commitment, who has this commitment? Is it the company that we have been seeing here that has this commitment of buying the aircraft? People are saying it is Uganda, can we be sure that the invoices are being issued to the government of Uganda when they have not be laid on the floor of the House. If we went ahead to approve resources and later it came out that this company that has from the very beginning almost had 100% ownership is the company that we’re approving money for, what will happen to us?" Tinkasimiire said.
The reservations about the management of the Uganda National Airline Company arose from several inconsistencies, irregularities and errors regarding the registration and allotment of shares for the company that parliament had detected. Latif Ssebagala, the Kawempe North MP argued that MPs did not need to move in haste before analyzing the management of the company since any mistakes will blow back on the tenth parliament.
Lwemiyaga County MP, Theodore Ssekikubo argued that the company needs to sort out the basics, which, he says seem to be missing like the Entebbe ground handling services which is a lucrative business that used to belong to the defunct Uganda Airlines.
Ssekikubo said Uganda was being used to enrich one person - Foreign Affairs minister Sam Kutesa. He wondered why government was reviving the airline without gaining the ownership of Entebbe airport first from Kutesa. But the state minister for Finance in charge of Planning, David Bahati said it's a known fact that Ssekikubo has a permanent quarrel with Kutesa and hence his submissions were flawed and not backed by facts.
Oulanyah went on to calm the MPs' concerns by pointing out that the Budget Committee report had put checks and balances to avert any impropriety. He singled out the recommendation by the committee to transfer the ownership of the company to the UDC.
He noted that this was a safety valve that should pacify MPs since the committee had suggested that the companies’ budget for the financial year 2019/2020 will not be passed if this is not done. Oulanyah then appealed to MPs to pass the supplementary expenditure since Uganda risked losing $27.7 million that was a deposit payment for the aircraft.
Following several counter arguments, Oulanyah and the MPs agreed to pass the supplementary request to secure the planes. Meanwhile, the legislators also approved another Shs 12 billion for the payment of ground rent arrears to Kampala Archdiocese for the land leased to Uganda Police Force at Nsambya police barracks.
The money is meant to enable the Archdiocese to finance the completion of Namugongo Martyrs Shrine in preparation for the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) in July 2019.
QUESTIONABLE COMPETENCE
Oulanyah questioned the competence of several government officials following the manner in which they handled the registration process of Uganda National Airlines Company. The approval process of the supplementary budget was marred with several errors regarding the ownership of the airlines, with Works and Transport minister Ntege Azuba and Finance minister Matia Kasaija apologising and withdrawing tabled documents because they contained errors.
"The registration process had gaps, and I regret on behalf of myself, ministry and government. I beg to withdraw those documents" said Azuba before laying before parliament fresh registration documents. Azuba had on Wednesday tabled documents that she claimed proved the ownership of Uganda Airlines.
But after MPs pointing out that the shares had been allotted to ministers Kasaija and Azuba in their individual capacities, she withdrew the documents and sought for a fresh registration process from Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB).
With MPs questioning the seriousness of government in the matter of the national carrier, Oulanyah interjected saying that there was need to admit that there have been gross errors in the entire process.
"Yes it is clear that there are gross errors. From the speaker’s chair you wonder whether there is a government and people thinking in it. It's so unfortunate that I'm not the president of this country, I would have sacked a few people by now" Oulanyah said amidst applause from the legislators.
On Wednesday, parliament witnessed drama when, Azuba tabled before parliament fresh documents indicating that government had regained full ownership of Uganda National Airlines Limited. The fresh documents showed allotment of 2 million shares worth Shs 200 million to Kasaija and herself as shareholders with 1 million shares each.
This came just a day after a minority report was presented to parliament by Kasese Woman MP Winfred Kiiza and Lira Woman MP Joy Atim Ongom in which they indicated that 99.9% of the shares of the company did not belong to government and belong to an unknown individual.
With this controversy, Oulanyah on Wednesday afternoon tasked the Budget Committee to scrutinize documents presented by Azuba which included the return of allotment of shares for Uganda National Airlines Company, the notification of appointment of director and secretary of company, Certificate of Incorporation and Memorandum of Articles of Association. All these documents had been certified by Uganda Registration Services Bureau on March 27, 2019.
The scrutiny of the documents by the committee chaired by Ntenjeru North MP Amos Lugoloobi revealed that both Finance and Transport ministers had not provided effective oversight and leadership regarding the ownership of the company.
It was reported that having their individual names as Monica Ntege Azuba and Matia Kasaija as shareholders, was contrary to the Memorandum and Articles of Association, where the shareholders are clearly indicated as Minister of Works and Transport and the Minister of Finance Planning and Economic Development.
The committee further reported that the allotment of shares was signed by the minister Monica Ntege as one of the shareholders, which is irregular especially where the company had previously appointed directors.
“On the advice of the registrar general of the URSB, the shareholders admitted that the allotments made on 11th July 2018 and 26th March 2019 were irregular and cannot be sustained. Upon the instruction of the committee, the minister subsequently tabled before the committee a new special resolution of the company and return of allotment of shares,” read part of the committee report.
With this update report made to parliament today, Azuba took to the floor and apologized for the mistakes in her earlier documents and Oulanyah directed that they are expunged from the record of parliament. Oulanyah said now that minister Azuba had withdrawn the documents, "they will be expunged from parliament's records and will be treated as though they occupied space that didn't exist."
Despite demands by a section of MPs to halt the approval of the supplementary budget until parliament is sure that no financial loss would be caused, Oulanyah appealed to them citing contractual obligations that Uganda had with the manufacturer of the planes if money is not to be paid in the agreed time.
Oulanyah said from the MPs' submissions, it was clear that there is no objection to reviving the airline and likewise no objection to buying the aircraft. Adding that it is also clear Uganda had to honour its contract with Bombardier and pay outstanding balance of Shs 280bn lest the country risked losing $27.7m that was already deposited.
He also ruled out forgery of documents on the part of the minister, saying forgery as he understood it, only occurs when he documents that were not meant to be signed are signed or signed by people who are not meant to sign them. He said the minister had admitted to the mistakes and the errors appear not to have been deliberate with fraudulent intent but rather genuine mistakes.
"There could have been false documents but they could have been filed with mistakes. It is possible to file documents with mistakes," he said.
The state minister for ICT and National Guidance, Idah Erios Nantaba has declined to honour a police summon requiring her to make a statement in regards to the recent shooting dead of a handcuffed Ronald Ssebulime.
Ssebulime, a widower was shot dead last Sunday along the Kayunga-Mukono road near Ggavu by police officers after being pursued and arrested on what later turned out to be wrongful suspicion of attempting to assassinate Nantaba. Nantaba and her armed bodyguard, reportedly pursued Ssebulime who was riding a sports bike at the time twice in vain before contacting Nagallama police station.
In a letter dated, March 29 to the Director of Criminal Investigations (CID), Nantaba says she has been ”directed by His Excellency the president to confine within my premises until he himself instructs otherwise.”
She adds that in such circumstances, she is unable to travel in person to Kibuli CID headquarters as requested, but if police so wishes, they can visit her at her premises to record the required statement.
Nantaba’s letter is copied to the minister of Internal Affairs, Inspector General of Police, Minister of State for Internal Affairs as well as the Deputy Inspector General of Police.
In several interviews and social media messages, Nantaba has shown almost no remorse for the death of Ssebulime, instead scoffing at the family for being used by some people and the media to attempt to ’milk money’ out of her following the incident.
Police has since apologized for the shooting, retracting an earlier statement that indicated that Ssebulime was shot dead after being suspected of trailing Nantaba for some time. Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said the police officers who were involved in the incident, fabricated the narrative and concealed the true facts to justify the shooting - claiming that Ssebulime was in possession of a gun.
However eyewitnesses said that Ssebulime was picked off a police truck and shot twice in the chest by a police officer who was heard saying that "the order from above has changed."
Ssebulime’s family insists that he was on his way to visit a boarding student at St Andrews Kaggwa school. Enanga said indeed exhibits found in Ssebulime’s bag were containing mostly of eats and drinks meant for school children.
Nantaba insists that Ssebulime is not as innocent as has been portrayed by the media. She said, she, more than anybody else wanted Ssebulime alive so he could answer the many questions regarding the other previous assassinations of prominent Ugandans and officials.
Burundi will continue to block broadcasts from two international media organizations and expand restrictions on their operations, the government announced Friday.
At a meeting in Bujumbura, the president of the National Council of Communication, Nestor Bankumukunzi, said the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the Voice of America (VOA) are no longer allowed to broadcast, effective immediately. The ban is indefinite and extends to journalists, both foreign and domestic, who provide information to either broadcaster.
"We are alarmed that reporters in Burundi are now forbidden to communicate with VOA and believe these continuing threats to our journalists undermine press freedom in the country," VOA director Amanda Bennett said. "We stand with the people of Burundi against those who are restricting their access to accurate and reliable news and information."
The BBC condemned the decision, calling it "a serious blow against media freedom."
Last May, the Burundi government suspended both news organizations for six months, a week before holding a referendum on a new constitution. The outlets have been off the air since. Rachel Nicholson, a researcher for Amnesty International, said Burundi's government is angry at the broadcasters for different reasons.
The government was upset by a documentary the BBC broadcast last year, she said, about members of Burundi's intelligence service operating secret sites where dissidents are detained and tortured.
Burundi has accused VOA of employing a journalist who opposes the government, Nicholson added. Patrick Nduwimana, the former director of Bonesha FM Radio in Burundi, is "wanted for participating in deadly violence that preceded the May attempted coup," the National Council of Communications wrote in Friday's statement.
"I think it's really worrying to see the government personalize attacks on radio stations. They have such an important role to play, particularly BBC and VOA, particularly in the absence of independent Burundian radio stations operating from within the country," Amnesty's Nicholson said. "The BBC and VOA have such an important role to play in sharing information with people in Burundi."
In a phone interview with VOA, Willy Nyamitwe, senior adviser to Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza, said the news organizations were banned for spreading falsehoods.
"Some international media are biased. Everybody knows some reports were fake reports, fake news," Nyamitwe said. "So if people cannot even try to speak the truth, but if some people are using some media outlets only to spread lies, what other comments do I have to do?"
Nyamitwe also said that Burundi has an open media landscape and that all countries have the right to ban news organizations that spread lies.
"There are thousands of journalists in the country. There are tens of media houses, radio stations, TV stations, newspapers, media online.
"So I think people are exaggerating thinking that there's no media houses in the country," he said. "I do know that even in the United States there are some media houses that have been called biased or fake news media houses."
In its 2018 press freedom report, Reporters Without Borders ranked Burundi 159th out of 180 countries worldwide. It said security forces routinely harass journalists and pointed to the unsolved 2016 disappearance of journalist Jean Bigirimana as evidence of intimidation and violence against reporters.
Algerians who took to the streets for their sixth straight Friday of protests aren't just angry at their ailing president — they want to bring down an entire political system seen as corrupt and out of touch.
Tens of thousands massed in the boulevards of Algiers on Friday, dominated by young people and their families. Police helicopters circled overhead and riot police vans lined sensitive neighborhoods, but the mood was largely festive.
It's the first protest since the Algerian army chief called earlier this week for a constitutional process to declare President Abdelaziz Bouteflika unfit for office. Other politicians and parties backed the idea as a solution to the gas-rich country's political crisis.
But protesters see the proposal as a way for the secretive political elite to keep their grip on power and name a hand-picked successor to Bouteflika, who has been largely out of the public eye since a 2013 stroke.
Anger at the constitutional process issue is central to Friday's protest. Many held signs calling for the departure of army chief Ahmed Gaid Salah, or referring to Article 102 of the constitution, which Salah proposed using to pave the way for Bouteflika's ouster.
One sign accused the political elite of being "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves." Another read "Not Moscow, Not Paris, Not Washington — The Choice should be Algerian," in reference to concerns of foreign interference in the crisis.
A former French colony with close ties to France, Algeria was a powerful ally of Moscow in the Soviet era but in recent years has also become a key partner of the U.S. and Europe in fighting terrorism.
Frustration also targeted Bouteflika's brother, Said. A small group of protesters started shoving journalists from Ennahar Television, considered close to Said Bouteflika, shouting "Shame!," before other protesters separated them.
When the protests broke out last month, the demonstrators' anger was more focused on Bouteflika himself, and demands that he abandon his bid for a fifth term after 20 years in power.
Since then, Bouteflika has dropped his election bid, but also canceled the April 18 vote pending electoral reforms, raising fears he would cling to power indefinitely.
Bouteflika is credited with bringing peace to his nation after the bloody civil war of the 1990s, but some of his most powerful supporters have turned against him this week.
The protesters are notably angry at corruption. An Algerian media executive who was detained Thursday and released hours later said he was arrested because he publicly denounced political corruption.
The family of the late Ronald Ssebulime who was innocently murdered by Uganda police is demanding a compensation of Shs 9.9 billion.
Ssebulime who was riding a motorbike, was arrested, handcuffed before being shot dead by police on Sunday March 24 on suspicion that he wanted to assassinate Kayunga district Woman MP, also state minister in charge of ICT and National Guidance Idah Erios Nantaba.
Nantaba was on her way from Kayunga heading to Kampala when she reportedly alerted police that someone she suspected to be an assassin had been trailing her for over 40 kilometers. Police through its spokesperson, Fred Enanga has since apologized to the family and general public that Ssebulime was innocently murdered as he was heading to a school to visit his daughter. Enanga said the field officers concealed facts so as to justify the murder.
Now, the late Ssebulime’s family through their lawyer Muwada Nkunyingi on Friday wrote to the attorney general, Nantaba and police officers who were at the scene; Corporal David Ssali, Police Constables Ronald Opira and Ronald Baganza demanding compensation of Shs 9.9 billion within five days or else be taken to courts of law.
The notice to sue says Ssebulime was the sole bread winner of seven dependents including his helpless advanced mother and four of his children (minors) who are all still undergoing education.
“The late Ssebulime was industrious and innocent man whose murder attracts civil and criminal liabilities. His murder attracts quick and open trial to ensure that the culprits or murderers who are government serving officers under Uganda Police Force together with Honorable Idah Nantaba a, minister of Uganda are prosecuted. We accordingly demand justice”, reads the notice in part.
The unapologetic minister Nantaba has since told journalists that she is not willing to compensate any coin to the bereaved family.
Algeria's army chief renewed a call for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to be declared unfit for office and told opponents not to seek to undermine the military, after weeks of protests demanding an end to the ailing leader's20-year rule.
Bouteflika, 82, who has rarely been seen in public in recent years, has faced mass demonstrations for more than a month. His announcement that he would not seek a fifth term but that he would not quit immediately has failed to assuage protesters.
To break the stalemate, Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Ahmed Gaed Salah made a proposal on Tuesday for the constitutional council to declare Bouteflika unfit for office, a move provided for under Article 102 of the charter.
Salah said in a statement issued by the Defense ministry on Saturday that most people supported the army's plan but some were resisting, without naming those opposed to the move. He said these opponents met Saturday to start a media campaign against the army, claiming people were against Salah's proposals.
'Red line'
He said trying to undermine the military, a revered institution in Algeria whose support has long been seen as vital to keeping Bouteflika and the ruling elite in power, was a "redline" that should not be crossed. He did not elaborate.
"All that emerges from these suspicious meetings of proposals that do not conform to constitutional legitimacy or undermine the national army, which is a red line, is totally unacceptable," he said in the statement.
Bouteflika established himself in the early 2000s by ending a civil war that had claimed 200,000 lives. But he has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013, and now faces the biggest crisis of his two-decade rule.
Under the constitution, the chairman of parliament's upper house, Abdelkader Bensalah, would serve as caretaker president for at least 45 days if Bouteflika stepped down.
However, there is no obvious long-term successor to rule the nation, which secured independence from France in 1962 after years of conflict and was embroiled in a bloody Islamist insurgency during the 1990s.
There has been an increased deployment of soldiers and police officers at the Africa Gold Refinery (AGR) in Entebbe.
The deployment that started on Wednesday evening was a result of a long standoff between the operators of the refinery on the acquisition of gold. A source at the police mineral department in Entebbe told URN on Saturday that the deployment was made after complaints from one of the shareholders. Former minister Henry Muganwa Kajura is reportedly one of the owners of the gold refinery. AGR is the pioneer gold refinery in the country.
AGR entered an agreement with government to import and refine gold on manufacture under bond (MUB) as per the laws of Uganda and the East African Community Customs protocol. Manufacture under bond is one of the investment packages that government has been issuing to selected investors.
It among other things provides generous capital allowance for medium and long-term investors in priority areas whose projects involve significant investment in plant machinery and other costs. Africa Gold Refinery has reportedly enjoyed VAT deferments, deductions, exemptions and capital depreciation allowances since it was launched by President Kaguta Museveni in February 2017.
A source at AGR said that several UPDF officers entered their office premises on Tuesday and ordered all people not to leave until they had searched the office.
“We spent several hours without leaving the office premises as security operatives kept searching,” said the source.
The company is allegedly accused of conspiring to steal more than 170 kilograms of gold. A report by UN experts in January this year, pinned Africa Gold Refinery on illegal gold deals in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In October 2018, Alain Goetz, the proprietor of Africa Gold Refinery said that the company was unhappy with the recent decision by government to license two new gold refineries. The latest players are Sameer Binji from Kenya and Simba Gold Refinery.
Goetz is now up in arms against Uganda Revenue Authority and the Directorate of Geological Surveys and Mines claiming there are two companies operated by Indians and Kenyans that have been awarded licenses to export non-refined gold from Uganda. Goetz also accused Uganda police of seizing over 3.6 tons of AGR's gold whose source is questionable as they wait for advice from the attorney general.
Last year AGR promised to have an initial output capacity of 300 kilograms of pure gold per week. It had promised to increase production to 500 kilograms.
Earlier this month, AGR was accused of being used to export illegal gold from conflict-plagued countries especially Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). There were also further allegations that embattled Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro was using the Ugandan refinery to export Venezuelan gold to markets in Europe and USA. In 2015, the US issued sanctions against Maduro’s administration on the grounds of human rights violations.
Despite not mining much gold, Bank of Uganda recently revealed that gold earned Uganda the biggest export earnings in 2018 at $514.8m (Shs 1.8 trillion). A total of 13,216kg of gold was exported up from 10,380kg sold in 2017. Uganda's export earnings increased from $3.6bn (Shs 13.2 trillion), up from $3.4bn (Shs 12.5 trillion) in 2017.
An internal audit conducted by Wilmar International on its subsidiary company, Oil Palm Uganda Limited (OPUL) has revealed a Shs 5.3 billion fraud within the company’s finance department.
The audit carried out between January 14 to March 14 this year by a team of auditors led by Wee Choo Peng and Emmanuel Atta Dick indicated that the then chief finance officer for Oil Palm Uganda Limited, Janadhan Naidhu defrauded the company through making payments without documents and through stocks control and purchase.
According to the report, some of the money was stolen through unapproved bonus payments, bank payments made without supporting documentation, construction and civil works with conflict of interest, payment made for no shipment of crude palm oil (CPO), non approved trading stocks adjustments, spare parts stocks adjustments and uncleared stocks in virtual locations.
For instance, Naidhu paid for uncleared stocks in virtual locations of up to Shs 621 million and conspired to steal up to Shs 525 million in non-approved trading stock adjustments for crude palm oil among others. The special investigation engagement was planned and conducted based on the information received as a result of whistle blowing and a related external audit investigation.
“The objective of the engagement was to better understand the impact of the losses incurred and to assess and improve on existing company processes and control.” reads part of the report.
The investigative engagement covered the payment portal master data maintenance, cash and bank payments, the transportation of crude palm oil, palm kernel and raw materials, material movements, confirmations and reconciliations and, the construction and civil works.
The report faulted the renegade chief finance controller of the company for among other issues awarding self-contracts under his company Janko Construction to build and renovate schools including Buswa primary school, Betta primary school Bwendero primary school under a corporate social responsibility programme done by the company towards Kalangala district communities.
The audit also indicated that “additional financial losses may have been incurred and remain undetected in the absence of comparative market pricing and a result of overcharging to operate and do civil and construction works by Janko."
The report also recommended that the mode of payment at OPUL be modified to avoid such theft from continuing. Currently, the person responsible for the fraud Janadhan Naidhu reportedly fled to the United Kingdom.
The fraud at the oil palm growing and processing company was detected in 2018 and led to the resignation of Kodey Rao, the former managing director of Bidco Uganda Limited (BUL) a company that oversees OPUL.
Abbey Mukalu, the human resources officer for OPUL neither denied or confirmed the issues raised in the internal audit report. He however says, the oil palm farmers are not affected by the anomalies at the company and their monthly remittances for the palm oil fruits sold to OPUL will be paid as per the usual schedules.
OPUL is a subsidiary of Wilmar International and Bidco Uganda Limited. It grows and buys oil palm fruits from farmers in Kalangala district. OPUL processes crude palm oil at the Mill which is later sent to the Bidco refinery in Jinja to make final products. Kenya-based Bidco, owns 40% of OPUL. The oil palm project started in 2005 in Kalangala, which is made of 84 islands.
The first phase of the $35m project was funded by IFAD in partnership with the government of Uganda. The palm oil project in Kalangala was conceived in 1997 when IFAD approved the Vegetable Oil Development Project (VODP).
As a result, government in 2004 signed an agreement with OPUL, which brought on board private investors to partner with government to push the crop. Originally, the total project cost was $60 million, consisting of an IFAD loan of $20 million, $33.1 million of co-financing from the private sector partner, $3.8 million from the government of Uganda and $3.1 million from beneficiaries.
Parliament has been told it cannot take over a Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) frequency, 98.0 but can use the broadcasters station to run its own content.
According to communications regulator, Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), parliament can produce the programs, and then UBC's Red Channel station will host the programs. The station will be made to become an exclusive channel for parliament. Early last month, MPs were told that parliament had finally acquired a frequency to run its own radio station.
UCC had given parliament UBC's 98.0 frequency to communicate the business of the House and was expected to cover several parts of the country. However, this has now changed after UCC said the frequency cannot be given out to parliament, but a partnership worked out between the two government institutions.
It has now been established that parliament will only be generating the content that will be hosted by UBC. According to UCC executive director Godfrey Mutabazi, parliament has previously been running its programs through UBC, and they see no reason as to why this arrangement should not continue.
Mutabazi says parliament can still work with their own studio, but they will have to send their content to UBC to broadcast parliament programs. He said it's a technical issue because the 98.0 frequency cannot be fragmented from the UBC system which was originally designed to work together and not having it operate independently.
Asked about the independence of Parliament Radio, Mutabazi said parliament content will not be interrupted and there is no need to worry about independence of the radio.
"This is a technical matter, there is no frequency here in Kampala. They [parliament] will run on this [UBC] station and there will be no problem. The program will run uninterrupted." said Mutabazi.
UCC’s director cooperate affairs Fred Otunnu says initially the frequency was identified, and there was a process to give the frequency to parliament, but UBC made a case about the nature of that frequency and how it cannot be given out. He says based on technical challenges, parliament cannot run a radio independently.
"Technically it is not possible for it to run independently, there are technical issues which were raised by UBC based on that frequency and other frequencies and the mode by which it transmits. So the proposal going forward is that; content can be developed, generated by parliament and transmitted to UBC to run on that channel. It will be UBC property but the program on that channel will be exclusively parliament's on that channel." said Otunnu.
UBC managing director Winston Agaba says that they hope that they can co-host the radio with parliament. He says discussions are still ongoing with parliament and UCC, and hopefully they will come to a conclusion. Asked if the arrangement will be through a studio to transmitter link (STL) from parliament to a UBC link, Agaba says all these things are yet to be discussed.
“Parliament will bring the content as and when they have it [and] UBC will run it. That’s what we are looking at as ideal, as you know some times parliament is in recess, so what will be happen in that kind of period.” Agaba questioned.
Both UCC, and UBC could not say if parliament will have to pay for using UBC’s frequency and broadcast space. When contacted, the deputy director of communications and public affairs, Hellen Kaweesa said that she does not know at what stage the negotiations had reached.
A source within parliament’s communication department who is not allowed to speak to the press, said he does not think that the UBC arrangement will work since parliament's idea was to have its own radio. Parliament’s proposed radio was meant to operate within the precincts of parliament, where the transmitter is stationed.
According to sources in parliament, although they wanted a 3kW transmitter, UCC restricted the power to 1kW. UCC argued that the FM band in the central region is already congested. There are over 200 radio stations registered to operate in Uganda.
Police is stuck with the case file involving state minister for ICT and National Guidance Idah Erios Nantaba, whose false alarm on suspected assailants resulted in the killing of a biker, Ronald Ssebulime.
Police spokesman Fred Enanga told the weekly police press briefing this morning that investigators were stuck when Nantaba snubbed their summons and indicated that her movements had been restricted by President Museveni.
Over the weekend, Nantaba indicated in a letter that she had been directed to stay indoors until ordered otherwise by President Museveni. As such she, said she could not honour a police summon to record a state at the Criminal Investigations Division headquarters in Kibuli, instead inviting police into her home if indeed they want to extract a statement from her.
Enanga said they have now sought guidance from the ministry of Internal Affairs on how a statement can be extracted from Nantaba, whose narrative remains the axle of all investigations in relation to the shooting.
"She acknowledged receipt of our summons and her explanation for not appearing has made us seek guidance from our line ministry. We're now waiting for the communication from the Internal Affairs ministry...,” Enanga said.
Ssebulime was arrested after an alert to police by Nantaba that she was being trailed by two men riding on a sports bike. Reports indicate that Ssebulime was shot in cold blood, after being handcuffed by police personnel. The act has since sparked public and political criticism, classifying it as an extrajudicial killing.
Initial police investigations indicate that Ssebulime was found in the company of another person, who was giving him directions to his children’s school. A subsequent search found a package of food and drinks in his bag. Last week, police said three officers had been arrested in connection to Ssebulime's gruesome murder.
Enanga elaborated that witness accounts helped them to unravel lies that had been reported by police officers who responded to Nantaba's assassination scare. Enanga said police chief political commissar Asan Kasingye has tried to meet the deceased's family in vain.
"Our CPC tried to meet family members but they made us wait up to 7p.m. and we had to withdraw. You know the family is confused about whether to work with police or go with what politicians are telling them," Enanga said.
The Algerian president's office says longtime leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika will step down by April 28, when his term is due to end after more than a month of mass protests and army pressure seeking an end to his 20-year rule.
The statement was carried by the state APS news agency Monday. It said Bouteflika will ensure the "continuity of the state's institutions" before stepping down.
Large numbers of Algerians have demonstrated against the president in recent weeks, demanding that he not seek re-election and resign the office he has held since 1999.
Bouteflika is 82 years old, and is known to be in poor health. Algeria is scheduled to hold a presidential election on April 18.
ENTER CUBA
Meanwhile, Cuba faces yet another threat to its exports of health services in exchange for oil and money as social unrest roils old friend Algeria, even as a new deal to mitigate declining support from crisis-racked Venezuela kicks in.
An estimated million protesters had filled the capital Algiers on Friday demanding the ruling elite and aging leaders of the struggle against French colonialism step aside as a movement that is reminiscent of the Arab Spring grows.
The North African country is a major oil and gas producer and has been a friend of Cuba ever since former leader Fidel Castro sent doctors and troops there in the early 1960s as it threw off the yoke of rule by Paris.
Communist-run Cuba has seen its foreign exchange revenues and fuel imports on preferential terms from socialist ally and economic partner Venezuela steadily fall since 2014, leading to stagnation, austerity measures, scattered shortages and late payments to foreign partners.
The latest blow to Cuba's economy came in December when an annual $300 million deal to send doctors to Brazil was canceled after right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro took office, even as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up its threats and sanctions against Venezuela and Cuba.
The Cuban government began importing oil from Russia and Algeria in 2017 to compensate for the Venezuelan shortfall. Analysts say it is too early to predict how the political crisis in Algeria will unfold, but agree it is an existential threat for the import-dependent Caribbean island nation.
“Cuba could lose one of its few political allies with crude oil production and export capacity able to enter into a barter agreement of services such as doctors and teachers for oil,” said Jorge Pinon, director of the Latin America and Caribbean Energy Program at the University of Texas at Austin.
In 2017 and again in 2018 Cuba imported 2.1 million barrels of crude oil from Algeria where as many as a thousand health and other professionals work. Cuba said bilateral trade in 2017 was $295 million, exclusively imports.
A 2019-2021 agreement is believed to increase the amount of oil the country sends to Cuba at least partially in exchange for increased health and other technical assistance.
While shrouded in secrecy, the official news agency Prensa Latina called the new deal signed last year “one of the most significant between the two countries in recent times” and said Cuba would send more doctors to Algeria.
Mozambican and international health workers raced on Monday to contain the outbreak of cholera in the cyclone-hit city of Beira and surrounding areas, where cases of the disease has jumped to more than 1,000.
There has been one death from cholera and of the reported cases 97 remain in treatment centers, with others released, Mozambique’s health director Ussein Isse announced. The new figures are an indication that cholera is spreading but is being brought under control, say health workers.
The overall cyclone death toll in Mozambique has risen to 518. With 259 deaths in Zimbabwe and 56 in Malawi, the three-nation death toll from Cyclone Idai now stands at more than 815. Authorities warn the tolls are preliminary as receding flood waters will expose more bodies.
“There are seven emergency cholera treatment centers operational in Beira and two more being set up. Two additional centers are being set up in Nhamatanda,” said David Wightwick, the World Health Organization’s team leader in Beira.
Mozambican workers have restored clean tap water to parts of Beira, a city of 500,000, although large areas of the urban center still do not have access to sanitary water, he told The Associated Press while visiting a water treatment center.
“A vaccination campaign against cholera, with 900,000 doses of the vaccine, will start Wednesday,” said Wightwick. “That should blunt the edge of this outbreak.”
More than two weeks after the cyclone hit Beira and swept across central Mozambique, about 98,000 people are in camps for displaced and “living under canvas,” he said.
“Cholera is our most immediate challenge,” said Wightwick, who added that getting adequate nutrition to the population and battling other diseases like malaria are also priorities.
In addition to Mozambican medics, health workers from Portugal, Denmark, Italy and China are helping respond to the crisis.
Sanitary water points and latrines are being constructed throughout Beira by the International Federation of the Red Cross, which has also established a field clinic in Macurungo, is constructing a field hospital in Nhamatanda and distributing relief supplies to 800 in Buzi, said the group’s spokeswoman Jana Sweeny.
Cases of cholera, an acute diarrheal disease, have risen dramatically since the first five cases were confirmed last week. Cholera is spread by contaminated water and food. It can kill within hours but is relatively easy to treat.
The U.S. military joined the international humanitarian aid efforts to Mozambique by airlifting food and relief supplies from South Africa.
Round-the-clock flights are delivering supplies from the U.N. World Food Program from King Shaka International Airport in Durban, South Africa, said Robert Mearkle, U.S. embassy spokesman.
He said the commodities airlifted from Durban were from the World Food Program’s internal stock including rice, dried peas and vegetable oil.
“This lifesaving emergency food assistance will support approximately 160,000 people for one month,” said Mearkle.
As health responders stress the need for better disease surveillance, the United Nations’ deputy humanitarian coordinator in Mozambique, Sebastian Rhodes Stampa, has said all cases of diarrhea are being treated as though they are cholera.
Cholera is endemic to the region, and “it breaks out fast and it travels extremely fast,” he told reporters.
Doctors Without Borders has said other suspected cholera cases have been reported outside Beira in the badly hit areas of Buzi, Tica and Nhamathanda but the chance of spread in rural areas is smaller because people are more dispersed.
Mozambican officials have said Cyclone Idai destroyed more than 50 health centers in the region, complicating response efforts.
The United Nations has said some 1.8 million people need urgent help across central Mozambique’s sodden, largely rural region.
Opposition political party, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) says they back the ongoing process of reviving of Uganda Airlines.
However, the party demands transparency from government in the revival process - most especially now that the same people that led to the collapse of the airline in 2001, are the same people involved in its revival. There was drama and controversy in parliament last week as government presented a supplementary budget seeking funds for the purchase of two planes.
It emerged that government owned only 0.001% in the revived airline. Kasese Woman MP Winfred Kiiza and Lira Woman MP Joy Atim Ongom presented a Budget Committee minority report, indicating that 99.9% of the shares of the company had been registered under the names of minister of Finance Matia Kasaija and Works and Transport minister Monica Ntege Azuba in their individual capacities.
Azuba tabled before parliament, documents she claimed were to prove that government fully 100% owned the airline. However, when the documents were scrutinised by the Budget Committee, they were found to have been registered in error.
Azuba and Kasaija admitted the error, apologized and the documents withdrawn during a special sitting on Friday. Parliament, during the same sitting, approved the Shs 280 billion supplementary budget as last installment for the purchase of two Bombardier jets. The jets are expected to arrive in a few coming days.
Addressing journalists during the weekly presser at FDC headquarters on Monday, FDC spokesperson, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda said they support the revival of the national career but not the manner in which the process has been handled.
“This country is unlucky to be led by an incompetent group of mafias,” he said. “Revival of a national career is a noble thing which should not be used for personal benefits.”
He said some government officials are already scheming to selfishly benefit from the airline before it’s even officially launched. Ssemujju urged government to accord the national carrier utmost prudent management.
"We want to associate with recommendations made by parliament that; you will need to repossess all the aviation related businesses which are in private hands. But the trouble is that, those who you’re asking to repossess, they are the ones running the state, holding everybody captive. Revival of Uganda Airlines is something we support as FDC, but we don’t support the way it is being revived. You revive it and individuals feast on it even before you have flown a kilometer, they are already thinking how they are going to benefit from this project. And we also need to learn from the failure of others, I know Rwanda Air is still making losses so is Kenya Airways, so is South African, so is Egypt." Ssemujju said.
Parliament recommended government to repossess ground handling services at Entebbe Airport as well as other airline related business. Ground handling services are currently operated by a company owned by Foreign Affairs minister, Sam Kutesa.
Ssemujju said, daily, Kutesa earns at least Shs 200 million from ground handling - a lucrative arm of aviation that ought to be returned to government. He urged civil society and the citizenry to pile pressure on government to support parliament's recommendations.
Government plans to purchase six planes in the revival process-four CRJ900 bombardier jets for regional routes and two A330-800neo Airbus for cross continental flights. All bombardiers are expected to be delivered by end of 2019. The Airbus planes will be delivered in 2020.
Five people have been arrested for allegedly conniving to sneak Tanzanian cattle into Uganda.
The arrested suspects include George William Ssenkubuge, the assistant veterinary officer for Rakai district in charge of Kabanda sub county. Ssenkubuge was arrested alongside four others following a security operation on unauthorized movement of animals in the districts of Kyotera and Rakai on Monday.
The other suspects are; David Kyomuhairwe, Wilson Namara, Claver Manavule, and Nathan Katende Sserunjogi, the chairperson of Kamuli village in Kibanda sub-county, Rakai district.
Ssenkubuge is accused of conniving with Katende and other village chairpersons located along the Uganda-Tanzanian porous border points, to stealthily sneak Tanzanian cattle into Uganda without following due inspection procedures. Greater Masaka deputy regional police commander Lameck Kigozi, says they have also seized five trucks of cattle allegedly smuggled from Tanzania with suspicious movement permits.
According to Kigozi, their intelligence established that the veterinary officer has been fraudulently issuing cattle movement permits to the traders after bribing village council chairpersons to claim that they were bought from within the localities.
The arrests comes shortly after ministry of Agriculture lifted a cattle quarantine in different parts of the country that had been struck by Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). The ministry accordingly, issued regulations to veterinary officers to strictly inspect all animals for Foot and Mouth Disease, before they are issued with movement permits as a way of averting similar outbreaks.
It is alleged that Ssenkubuge has been conniving with village council chairperson and traders to bypass the system. Stephen Ssebunya, the Mutukula town council chairperson complained to police about the continued unauthorized movement uninspected cattle in the area.
However, the arrests sparked off protests from other cattle traders who accuse police of using operations to selfishly harass and frustrate their business. These have now sought the intervention of Kakuuto county MP Christopher Kalemba and his Rakai district counterpart Juliet Ssuubi to ask government to reign over the situation and have their contemporaries released.
John Kalema, one of the aggrieved cattle traders alleges that some Ugandan farmers had moved with their cattle into Tanzania in search of pasture and water, wondering why they are being restricted from selling their livestock yet they had been vaccinated back home.
Four people have sued the Justice Catherine Bamugemereire-led Land Probe Commission over illegal arrests.
Annette Natukunda, Irene Akiteng, Immaculate Ayebazibwe and Elly Ampurire were arrested last month on March 12, when the commission invaded Prime Housing Estates offices in Masooli, Wakiso district.
The company is owned and managed by Ruta Ngambwa, a businessman who has been cited in several cases of land grabbing.
Now the applicants allege that they were arrested and put on a waiting vehicle with a private number plate which took them around Kampala until when they were driven to Bamugemereire’s residence in Buwaate, from where they were taken to Najeera police station and later to the Commission’s offices in Wandegeya.
Natukunda, Ngambwa’s wife was reportedly tasked to explain the whereabouts of her husband before being taken back home for a search. She alleges that the commission ignored her pleas to allow her pick her children from school during the time of the arrest.
The four were allegedly detained at Central Police Station save for Ampurire who was taken to Wandegeya police station where they each spent three days on charges of withholding information. They were granted police bond on March 14.
They now say that their arrest was illegal and are demanding a declaration that the commission acted out of its capacity and power when it caused their arrest and detention without trial. They are also seeking an order to be compensated for general and punitive damages.
According to documents before the Civil Division of the High court, the charges are filed against Justice Bamugemereire and nine others including the commissioners of the commission and their secretary, Dr Douglas Singiza. The respondents have been summoned to file their defence within fourteen days before the matter is allocated for hearing.
After several quiet months, NRM’s battle with its outspoken rebels and opposition MPs has roared back into public view, with the ruling party warning of a bruising battle in the next election.
Government Chief Whip Ruth Nankabirwa has warned that the ruling party machinery will crush anyone who stands in the way of its sole candidate Yoweri Museveni in the next election.
Speaking, March 29, at the belated commemoration of theInternational Women’s day at Kabulasoke Primary Teachers’ College in Gomba district, 20 days after the worldwide celebration on March 8, Nankabirwa, the guest of honour, said there is no way NRM will allow Museveni who has sacrificed so much for the country to be defeated.
“We are saying President Museveni is not going anywhere and if it is the issue of presidential age limits, we removed them. At Kyankwanzi we told him; father, there is no way you’re going to abandon this country; it wasn’t us who took you to the bush to fight for us. That’s why the Kyankwanzi retreat unanimously asked him to be our presidential candidate and he is coming back,” Nankabirwa said.
The 35 and 75 year lower and upper presidential age limits respectively were removed last year after a fierce parliamentary battle. The removal breathed new political life into President Museveni’s re-election ambitions in 2021.
Nankabirwa told the cheering crowd that they have formed a presidential committee, which is going district-to-district campaigning for Museveni’s ‘children’ and decampaigning those against him.
“I have a presidential team that I’m working with that is moving district by district. We were recently in Kassanda and by the time we left, one of the MPs said he would not stand for re-election,” Nankabirwa said referring to the NRM rebel MP for Kasambya, Gafa Mbwatekamwa, the self-confessed admirer of Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine who announced recently he would run for president in 2021.
Nankabirwa also urged voters to allow their members of parliament serve for a longer time.
“We need to give our leaders an opportunity to do what they are meant to do. When you give them time, you have in effect put value on them; that’s why I would want to thank the people of Kiboga district for the trust they put in me,” she said.
“I wouldn’t have become the minister for Luweero Triangle if they hadn’t elected me; I wouldn’t have become the state minister for Defence if they hadn’t re-elected me; I wouldn’t have become the state minister for microfinance, minister for fisheries or Government Chief Whip. Therefore, you should not make your members of parliament just ‘beep’ in parliament by giving them only one term because it is very hard to look for a job in Kampala when you have been an MP,” she said.
Nankabirwa has been a woman MP for Kiboga district for 25 years. She joined in 1994 as a Constituent Assembly delegate. Meanwhile, Sylvia Nayebale, the woman MP for Gomba, who organised the function, thanked President Yoweri Museveni for championing women’s causes. She said since the country got independence in 1962, no government has prioritized women issues more than Museveni’s ruling NRM.
“We would like to use this opportunity today to reflect on our journey as women. We have come from very far; when you talk to 80-year-old women up to now, they don’t eat chicken or eggs because they were considered second-class citizens. That’s why we want to thank President Museveni for giving women leadership opportunities at all levels,” Nayebale said.
She urged woman MPs to prioritize women issues.
“I have focused on women issues like maternal health, girl-child education, reduction of household poverty and the environment because these are the issues that mainly affect women,” Nayebale said.
She donated two ambulances to help move expectant mothers.She also participated in the cleaning of Maddu health centre IV where she donated several items used in the maternal wing. Similarly, 150 expectant mothers received Mama kits; an assortment of materials used by mothers during delivery.
The function was attended by several MPs: Galabuzi Ssozi of Busiro North; Lydia Mirembe of Butambala; Peter Ogwang of Usuk; Mariam Naigaga of Namutumba; Robina Rwakoojo of Gomba East; Mwine Mpaka, youth Western; Emmanuel Ssengo, Gomba West; and Ruth Katushabe, Bukomansimbi North, among others.
It could be four months away but meticulous preparations for the 31st Uganda North American Association (UNAA) Convention are in high gear.
The year’s event is slated for August 29 to September 3, 2019 at Hyatt Regency in Chicago. Julius Kabugu, the director of communications at UNAA, says more than 2,000 guests are expected to attend this year’s convention.
At least 500 have already registered. The largest Ugandan diaspora group, according to Kabugu, will use this year’s gathering to elect its new leadership. The convention will feature a beauty contest (Miss Uganda North America), a trade expo, a full day of panels on international business, investment and wealth and cultural concerts.
Confirmed popular Ugandan artistes include Chameleone, Fille, Geosteady, Naira Ali, John Blaq and Kenneth Mugabi. Delegates will also enjoy a boat cruise dinner on Lake Michigan and have a chance to tour Chicago, the USA’s third largest city, its navy pier and Willis tower with a glass skywalk.
For the past two decades, UNAA has evolved from being a mere party gathering to a strong lobby group and networking platform aimed at spurring investment back home. Top government officials, international businesspeople and politicians from both Uganda and USA attend the annual gathering.
The speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga was the chief guest at last year’s convention in Seattle. In her remarks, Kadaga promised to encourage MPs to work with UNAA on promoting food security in Uganda.
“A new partnership is going to be developed between parliament and UNAA on the manufacturing of silos to store food to cater for price fluctuations,” Kadaga said, adding, “together with companies in United States, the diaspora and banks, we should improve the livelihoods of the people”.
The Administration of the Judiciary Bill, 2018, which proposes hefty retirement benefits for judges, threatens to open a bitter row, pitting the judiciary against NRM MPs who are loudly opposed to the fat packages.
NRM MPs last Wednesday rejected the draft legislation, which proposes hefty retirement benefits for the chief justice, deputy chief justice, supreme and court of appeal judges, high court judges and other judicial officers.
The proposed law aims to operationalise constitutional articles, which support the judiciary as an independent arm of government. Article 128 provides for the independence of the judiciary, makes it self-accounting and protects its administrative expenses and emoluments charged on the consolidated fund.
The bill also provides for the retirement benefits of judicial officers, which have been a subject of contention for some time. The judiciary has complained several times that a lack of this law has hampered its budget cycle and effectiveness. The bill was drafted in 2012 and has been before cabinet since December 2013.
The bill tabled in the House on May 29, last year was referred to the parliamentary committee on legal and parliamentary affairs for scrutiny. When the committee tabled its report before the House, it kicked up a storm in the NRM caucus convened to debate the bill.
EXORBITANT BENEFITS
According to sources, the caucus meeting unanimously rejected the bill, citing the judges’ refusal to grant a two-year term extension for the 10th parliament and, a ‘lack of money’ to pay the ‘exorbitant’ retirement benefits.
Sources that attended the caucus meeting at the office of the prime minister last week said the meeting turned rowdy as soon as Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Kahinda Otafiire tried to justify the lofty retirement benefits.
“They [judges] abused us. Let the 11th parliament pass it, but not the 10th. Government has no money,” a source quoted one MP as having said.
“That is when members started shouting. Everyone was speaking against that bill. When Hon Waluswaka argued that the judges had abused us that we came to parliament without knowing how to use forks, didn’t know Kampala streets and blocked our two-year term extension in Mbale, almost everyone said no to the bill,” a source added.
James Waluswaka is the Bunyole West MP.
“It was a stormy meeting. Indeed we were reminded about Justice Kakuru’s remarks in Mbale. Some people in the 10th Parliament are sons and daughters of chiefs. How could they not know how to use forks? That is how the bad blood started,” a source said.
The MPs faulted Justice Kenneth Kakuru, the only dissenting judge, for not ruling in favour of scrapping the age limit clause from the 1995 Constitution in Mbale in July last year.
“Otafiire told us that judges have no business deals outside court but we have evidence they have chambers and their spouses have businesses; in Kikuubo…what is the meaning of doing business, is it selling charcoal?” Another source said.
Kole North MP Bonny Desales Okello said “the bill cannot pass the moral test” as its motive addresses the plight of one arm of government- Judiciary.
“These people are better remunerated than others. They have vehicles and good pay while in service. Why would they need allowances to a tune of 100% of their monthly salaries? That is greed and I don’t think the public will be happy with us if we passed such a law,” Okello said.
According to a member of the legal and parliamentary affairs committee, when Speaker Rebecca Kadaga asked the committee to harmonise its position with the minister of justice, the two reached an agreement during a retreat recently in Munyonyo.
“What we expected was instead pre-empted by the caucus. As a committee, we had harmonized our position…,” a source said.
Interviewed on Monday, Usuk MP Peter Ogwang said the caucus did not reject the bill but only raised some observations and concerns.
“We are appealing to the judiciary and executive to go and look at some of the issues raised. We are aware that the judiciary has challenges, which are affecting its performance. We are of the considered opinion of first providing enough money which is required by the judiciary to execute its mandate,” Ogwang said.
“It is not that we rejected it [the bill]. We are also aware of the challenges judges go through when they retire because the law does not mandate them to have private business. So it is an issue, which we made clear to the executive to go back and look at how we can have a win-win situation but giving those in retirement 100% as per their request when there are challenges in the judiciary in terms of doing their work is not proper planning,” Ogwang added.
Ogwang described as diversionary the suggestion that the caucus opposition to the bill was payback to the judges for rejecting the two-year term extension for the 10th parliament.
“We respect the rule of law; that is why we made that amendment here. When it went to the courts of law, it was dismissed and that is the reason we [NRM] did not appeal. I was elected for five years, which I am serving. I don’t want that to be used as blackmail,” Ogwang said.
Legal committee chairman Jacob Oboth- Oboth said Minister Otafiire should step in and convince parliament since the caucus is raising similar issues raised by the committee.
“Even in the committee, there are certain things we did not agree. When you say you have to give them an equivalent of 100% of their salary, that is when someone says what is the motivation for them to work,” Oboth-Oboth said.
He said members raised concerns about the 100% allowances.
“Others were for moderation and that is the process of making a law. Not everything that comes should be endorsed. Some of us had said the 100 % would be too much, others said that we could do 75%, they are all proposals and as a committee, we had proposed 50%,” Oboth-Oboth said.
He however, took issue with some executive directors of certain companies who earn more than judges.
“We need to do a comparative study and analysis to ensure their salaries are increased and have an independent judiciary. We don’t want them to say more than the Lord’s Prayer. We should avoid leading our judicial officers into temptation [due to insufficient remuneration].
Currently, a High court judge earns about Shs 10m a month.
What the bill offers
Retired Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice
*A monthly allowance equivalent to the basic salary of a sitting chief justice. That shall be paid for life.
*A furnished house or a one off payment of Shs 400m.
*An annual medical allowance equivalent to that of a sitting chief justice.
*A chauffeur driven car or a one off payment of Shs 200m.
*Travel first class when the retired chief justice is on official business.
*An allowance of Shs 15m per year payable in lieu of security.
*Fuel to attend any official government business or state function.
*Two domestic servants or payment of Shs 300,000 per month.
*Secretarial services allowance of Shs 150,000 per month.
*Subsistence allowance at the prevailing government rate when the retired chief justice is required to travel inland on official government business.
*Subsistence allowance at the prevailing government rate when the retired chief justice is required to travel abroad on official government business.
*A fuel and vehicle repairs allowance of Shs 2m per month.
*A consolidated allowance of Shs 235,000 per month for airtime and internet.
Deputy chief justice
*A monthly allowance equivalent to the basic salary of a sitting deputy justice.
*A monthly housing allowance equivalent to that of a sitting deputy chief justice or a one off payment of Shs 38m.
*An annual medical allowance equivalent to that of a sitting deputy chief justice.
*A chauffer driven car or a one- off payment of Shs 180m.
*Travel first class where the retired deputy chief justice is on official business.
*Security provided by the state or an allowance of Shs 6m per year.
*Fuel to attend any official government business or state functions.
*Subsistence allowance at the prevailing government rate where the retired deputy chief justice is required to travel inland of official business.
*A fuel and vehicle repairs allowance of Shs 1.8m per month.
*A consolidated allowance of Shs 205,000 per month for airtime and internet.
Retired justice of the Supreme court and justice of the Court of Appeal
*A monthly allowance equivalent to the basic salary of a sitting justice of the Supreme Court/ court of appeal
*A monthly housing allowance equivalent to that of a sitting justice of the supreme court or a one-off payment of Shs 300m.
*An annual medical allowance equivalent to that of a sitting justice of the supreme court/court of appeal.
*A chauffer driven car or a one off payment of Shs 150m.
Principal judge
*A monthly allowance equivalent to the basic salary of a sitting principal judge for life.
*A monthly housing allowance payable to a sitting Principal Judge or a one off payment of Shs 350m.
*An annual medical allowance equivalent to that of a sitting principal judge.
*A chauffer driven car or a one off payment of Shs 160m.
Judge of High court
*A monthly allowance equivalent to the basic salary of a sitting judge of the High court.
*A monthly housing allowance equivalent to that of a sitting judge of the high court or a one-off payment of Shs 300m.
*An annual medical allowance equivalent to that of a sitting judge.
*A chauffer driven car or a one off payment of Shs 150m.
Others
The chief registrar, registrar, deputy registrar, assistant registrar, chief magistrate, senior principal magistrate grade one and principal magistrate grade one are all entitled to a monthly allowance equivalent to the basic salaries of those holding their former offices for life upon retirement.
The path ahead for Kampala lord mayor appears silky-smooth. Almost three and half months after Jennifer Musisi, the assertive former KCCA executive director, walked out of City Hall on December 15, her nemesis City Lord Mayor ERIAS LUKWAGO says he has “some” new, larger breathing space.
In a three-hour interview with Yudaya Nangonzi, the lord mayor talked about his increased volume of work, growing influence and his cordial relationship with both the technical and political wings at City Hall among, other things.
Your office is too busy, lately…
Of course… but I hope I will be quoted properly. There’s some relative space though not much. We are gravitating towards institutional building compared to the previous times of the former executive director, Jennifer Musisi, who was hell-bent on building a personal empire.
She was obsessed with showcasing herself, personalizing everything and frustrating authority meetings. What I have done within just two months is beyond my expectation; it’s just too much but I am not complaining because this is what I have always craved.
I came here to work, not to put on garbs and preside over ceremonies only. This has always been my fight. I am in my prime age of hardworking and the law is very clear that I should be in charge of the development agenda of KCCA.
What has changed in the months since Musisi’s resignation?
Despite the fact that we are operating under an oppressive regime, at least there is some improvement internally in the functioning of KCCA organs. To begin with, Musisi had disabled authority meetings, which are a nerve centre for policy formulation and everything.
Once such meetings are disabled, everything is paralysed. We had an individual who did not believe in institutional building; a showoff, hyped so much by the press. By the way, there’s quite a lot that we would do to make things move but you would attribute every little thing to one person as if she was the Alpha and Omega.
KCCA has got a staff force of more than 1,036 councillors here. At divisional level, there are five mayors with an average of 45 councillors which makes about 260 political leaders in Kampala.
But, I was always surprised to see that these people were being treated as if they don’t matter in the institution. Now, I am glad that the narrative and perception of the media has changed. It looks like it was a project to dwarf some people and hype one person as if she was superhuman.
You are more visible in KCCA projects. Does this mean a better working environment now?
Slowly, like I said, we are crawling towards institutional building and getting back to the normal processes of the institution. Internally, the meetings are sitting and this is the most important thing. We are doing our work and religiously following the calendar for these meetings without interruptions.
We have a technical team led by the acting executive director who respects, submits reports and observes the decorum of the authority. Despite some challenges, they [technical people] participate in meetings and make contributions and we hold them accountable because that’s our mandate.
The biggest challenge we had was for the former executive director to disable systems. We must build a strong, vibrant and robust institution of KCCA that will deliver quality services. I am glad we are making headway – today, KCCA is not an institution of Lukwago or Andrew Kitaka, but an output of so many players.
It’s good that the current leadership has accepted that the head of KCCA is the lord mayor unlike Musisi who failed to concede to that. I even took her to court, which many people didn’t appreciate, but what took me to the polls?
Why did parliament make a law which made it very clear in Section 11 that the head of the institution is the lord mayor? If we believe in the rule of law and systems, there’s no way you can make an accounting officer to be the head, make her own policies and doesn’t account to anyone. This was totally unacceptable.
This implies you are at par with the acting executive director, Eng. Andrew Kitaka...
I don’t want to dwell much on that. Let us not reduce the authority to just the two of us because the technical team is also very big with various positions. So, it takes more than just two individuals to build an institution.
I want to run away from that perception of zeroing the issues of KCCA to the working relationship between the executive director and lord mayor. So, you may be working closely with the ED but what happens if other directors, councilors, mayors and others, are not happy with what you are doing? Just know I’m not quarreling with any councilor; they don’t boycott authority meetings and I have a cordial relationship with the five mayors and MPs of Kampala.
KCCA acting executive director Andrew Kitaka
So, all is well at KCCA…
No! Don’t say there is nothing [wrong] because we still have a long way to go. The minister for Kampala, Beti Kamya, is still bent on pushing for the amendment of the law [KCCA Amendment Bill 2015] to precisely take away what I am doing right now.
She is pushing it vigorously. In the amendment, she wants to be the political head of Kampala and authority meetings would be rendered redundant if policies are made by the central government.
There’s an ongoing battle over this matter and I don’t want you to paint a rosy picture that all is well. If you have a minister who has got a sinister motive, what do you expect? We’re preparing for another battle.
Mr Museveni has put it clearly that as long as you don’t subscribe to NRM, you will not be given room to deliver. So, Madam Beti Kamya is on a mission to dance to those tunes and re-echo the message of her superior. I wouldn’t want to engage in endless battles but if you find a situation where you can’t extricate yourself, you fight up to the last atom of your strength.
Take us through some of the projects you have focused on in the past months.
It’s quite a lot. We have come up with a number of ordinances such as the administration and management of markets to address the leadership crisis and sewerage and fecal sludge management for sanitation in Kampala. National Water and Sewerage Corporation ought to have installed the sewer lines across Kampala but only six per cent of residents are connected to the national sewer line.
So, majority of Kampalans rely on onsite sanitation facilities that lack standards required of pit latrines and septic tanks emptied regularly. For cesspool emptiers, we have 106 private operators but they were not regulated.
We want to bring them under our control so that we manage not only the depositing of fecal sludge but also transportation of the same to treatment centres. We are also going to pass a bill about green infrastructure in Kampala in line with the climate change action plan. In this, we are also installing air monitoring equipment because we have been relying on data from the American embassy and Makerere University.
This ordinance will also compel people to plant specific trees on private land before their plans are approved because we are doing badly on trees in Kampala. The latest ordinance that we are working on is regulating street vending. This is something I would be proud of once approved because vending needs regulation, and not harsh measures like massive evictions.
Doesn’t this take you back to previous skirmishes with the technical team on maintaining vendors on streets?
No… street vending is a worldwide phenomenon. The reason you see the crisis in Kampala is because street vending is not regulated. If you have tried evictions and failed, you need to think twice. With licensing, it doesn’t mean everybody who comes on the street will get a license to ply their trade anywhere.
In modern cities worldwide, they gazette streets and limit numbers of vendors to guarantee order. You cannot just phase out all vendors on the streets; authorize those you want and deny licenses to those who don’t meet your standards. Right now, we have directed the physical planning department to liaise with the directorates for gender and legal to identify areas for certain trades and the required kiosks.
At least a policy has been made and in two weeks, I will call an authority meeting and we adopt it. We’ve also tabled a bill for boda bodas and CCTV cameras for commercial buildings, among others. In terms of other infrastructural transformations, we are finalizing the Kampala Institutional and Infrastructure Development Project (KIIDP) II expiring this December. We have sat with the World Bank and we are preparing KIIDP III, which will start next year.
What plan do you have for your enforcement officers who brutally arrest vendors?
You mean their role is just to deal with street vendors? Actually, that is a misconception we want to do away with. It’s absurd that their orientation was poor since they have a narrow perspective.
They think they are supposed to run after vendors. Our enforcement team shouldn’t only focus on vendors but enforce all KCCA ordinances. For instance, we have neighborhood planning and they have to crack down on people with illegal constructions.
It is very unfortunate that the officers have descended on the most vulnerable and it is a very lucrative business for them. Many of them extort money from vendors and have set up markets on the streets. Recently, nine officers were interdicted and should be prosecuted. Gradually, I know we shall push them into line.
Early this year, you called for an audit in the recruitment of all KCCA employees. How far have you gone?
The KCCA Public Accounts Committee indeed came up with a report and we gave it to the Audit Committee, which is supposed to come up with a report in the next authority meeting.
For instance, there are staff that were employed on four months’ contracts but are still working. So, we are waiting for recommendations from the audit committee chaired by Honorable Kennedy Okello.
The committee is supposed to interface with the executive director and director, human resource, to explain themselves on those audit queries. As an individual, I cannot pronounce myself on that audit until all those avenues have been exhausted.
These reports are handled on a quarterly basis and we are still within the required time. My work is to hold accounting officers accountable and I will do so. For the period Jennifer stayed here, I played that role to my satisfaction and it’s a huge achievement but you media people didn’t see these things.
Are you saying the media is against you?
I have my misgivings in the way you [media] played in the hands of the former ED. You created a demi-god of sorts; somebody beyond reproach. Today, there seems to be some change in the media.
I must commend Mr Kitaka that he is not the type who wants to steal the show. I have seen in him the attribute of a leader who believes in shared division. In this regard, I have given credit where it is due but it does not stop me from scrutinizing him because it’s my work.
To minister Beti Kamya, her biggest problem is the desire to please the appointing authority. She has gone ahead to give directives as if we are on the receiving end of decrees. Personally, I adopted a defiant approach towards her decrees because they are in bad taste and not good for the institution. Madam Kamya, please keep within your lane. You will not patronize the person of Lukwago because I came here on the mandate of the people.
The 2021 mayoral race is on… Kawempe North MP Latif Ssebaggala has expressed interest, among others.
No comment! Whether I am standing or not, that is immaterial now. Will you force me do make a comment? My central focus now is to deliver on the mandate entrusted to me.
Secondly, I want to fight the maneuvers of Mr Museveni and his proxies like Kamya who want to usurp my powers using the amendment because the bill is before parliament. How sure are you that once that bill is passed, there will even be elections in Kampala?
Remember, you are dealing with a person like Museveni who has a problem of mood swings. Today, he may say let people of Kampala have the right to vote and tomorrow, he may wake up on the wrong side of the bed and directs parliament to do away with adult suffrage so that the lord mayor is chosen from among councillors.
Why would I be focusing on 2021 when I have immediate challenges before me? I think it would be self-defeating on my part. You have a hurdle to jump today then you look at two years to come! Are you really a sensible person? I don’t want to clog my mind with anything concerning 2021.
Your message to government…
It should abandon all the machinations of belittling the powers of elected leadership in Kampala and abandon the KCCA Amendment Bill 2015 which seeks to take away the powers of the lord mayor. Secondly, government should inject adequate resources in all KCCA projects.
