News analysis Health Business

$3.55 billion Odinga swears in as ‘Panty Condom’ hits Rough terrain for lebrating
pipeline deal ‘People’s President Ugandan market Pioneer Easy Bus Ce

Issue No. 506 Feb 02 - 08, 2018 Ushs 5,000,Kshs 200, RwF 1,500, SDP 8
Years

The fall of Kayihura's men

How the war between Kayihura
and CMI crashed Boda Boda 2010

www.independent.co.ug
 Happy 32nd NRM Anniversary
“The NRM Government is committed to improving electricity
generation and supply to support industrialisation as well as ensuring
universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy. We have
already made commitments at regional and international level to improve
electricity generation and sharing among partner states through the
Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) in a bid to rationalise the generation
H.E
H.EYoweri
Yoweri K. K. MUSEVENI
MUSEVENI Dr.
Dr. Eng.
Eng. Harrison
Harrison E.
E. MUTIKANGA
MUTIKANGA
Preseident
Preseident of
of the
the Republic
Republic of
of Uganda
Uganda Chief
Chief Executive
Executive Officer
Officer and use of modern energy.” - Page 236, NRM Manifesto 2016 -
2021

183MW
183MW Isimba
Isimba Hydro
Hydro Power
Power Project
Project (Commissioning
(Commissioning date:
date:August,
August, 2018)
2018) 600MW
600MW Karuma
Karuma Hydro
Hydro Power
Power Project
Project (Commissioning
(Commissioning date:
date: December,
December, 2018)
2018)

The Board, Management and Staff of UEGCL VISION

congratulates H.E Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI, To be one of the leading power producers in the Great Lakes
President of the Republic of Uganda, NRM Region
government and the People of Uganda on this
MISSION
occasion to mark 32 years of NRM. We also
To sustainably generate reliable, quality and affordable electricity
commit to staying true to our Mission of sustainably for socio-economic development.
generating reliable, quality and affordable electricity
for socio-economic development.
Generating for Generations.

Uganda
Uganda Electricity
Electricity Generation
Generation Company
Company Limited,
Limited, Block
Block C,C,Victoria
Victoria Office
Office Park.
Park.
Plot
Plot 6-9,
6-9, Okot
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P.O Box
Box 75831,
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INBOX

Issue No. 506 Feb 02 - 08, 2018

The Week The Last Word Analysis Business Arts &

Culture
4|Shs100bn Losing my 14|$3.55 billion 21|Rough terrain
industrial pipeline deal: for Pioneer Easy
skilling centre innocence: Contractor, gov’t Bus: Creditor plan
43|Top five
artists on the
launched How my offer pointers, urge to auction buses
Kampala Art
hubris to suppliers to get to recover Shs 151
Scene
4|Police ready mn debt
open fresh become
investigation president of
into former Uganda pulled 24|Uganda could
Crane Bank staff 16|Uganda’s
me from the hire expatriates
43|Kia
faltering fight for oil jobs:
trees of utopia against poverty Kigumba reveals
4|US, AU pile to the hard Petroleum upgraded
K5 sedan
pressure on South rock of reality Institute has
Sudan leaders trained just
133 locals with
certificates and
diplomas in oil
and gas

STRATEGY & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Andrew M. Mwenda
MANAGING EDITOR: Joseph Were
INVESTIGATIONS EDITOR: Haggai Matsiko
BUSINESS EDITOR: Isaac Khisa
PHOTOGRAPHER: Jimmy Siya
WRITERS:Ronald Musoke, Flavia Nassaka, Ian Katusiime,
Agnes Nantaba, Agather Atuhaire, Julius Businge.
DESIGN/LAYOUT: Sarah Ngororano, Harriet Jamwa.

PUBLISHER: Independent Publications Limited, Plot 82/84, Kanjokya Street, P. O. Box 3304, Kampala, Uganda
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2 Feb 02 - 08, 2018

 Offline

Allen Kagina, the

Executive Director
UNRA, briefs the press
on Jan. 24 about
UNRA’s 2018 plans on
road maintenance and
development programs
for road networks.
She said a total of 27
road projects (1,964km) “Please continue and do not speak back at
have their designs
ready and waiting
me. In case you are used to speaking back
allocation of funds in at Africans, think again.”Justice Catherine
this FY.   INDEPENDENT/ Bamugemereire, chair of the land commission
JIMMY SIYA
inquiry to Parful Patel, Mbale businessman
during a hearing

Charles Wana Etyem,

(L) Chairman Makerere
University Council
talks to Stephanie
Rivoal, the French
Ambassador to
Uganda during the
grand opening of
Campus France
Uganda academic
programs at Makerere
University on Jan
“I love [Donald] Trump because he
30.   INDEPENDENT/ speaks to Africans frankly”President
JIMMY SIYA Museveni

President Museveni, being

welcomed by Elly Karuhanga,
(2nd) chairman Uganda
Chamber of Mines and
Petroleum during a forum on
skilling and local content at
Sheraton Hotel on Jan 23 .

“The Inspectorate of Government has

150 technical staff; how do you expect
them to fight corruption in 113 districts
and with only 16 regional offices?” IGG
Irene Mulyagonja

Chinese construction employees who were Extra money needed

5 companies that were
summoned by PPDA 50 conned by a fake
Turkish investor in Shs90b for completion of
Nile Bridge in Jinja
over fraud Kampala district

Feb 02 - 08, 2018 3

week

Kutesa meets German Ambassador Albrecht Conze

Ambassador
Conze (L)
delivered
a special
invitation to
Sam Kutesa,
Minister
for Foreign
Affairs, to
attend the
Berlin Energy
Transition
Dialogue
2018, which
will be hosted
at the Federal
Foreign
Office in
Berlin in
April.

Shs100bn industrial Police open fresh investigation into former Crane Bank staff
skilling centre launched The Police have opened
A National Industrial Skills and Train- fresh investigations into
ing Centre has been launched in Namanve fraud at the defunct Crane
Industrial Park to boost employment and Bank and summoned
industrialisation. The project is being two of the bank’s former
funded by the Chinese at a cost of $30mil- Information Technology
lion (108billion) and will run until the end (IT) staff. Zaki Syed,
of 2019. The facility consists of 17 blocks, a senior IT manager
a manufacturing and electrical centre and and Samuel Mutunga,
the government is hailing it as a centre as another IT manager
a mechanism for reduction of poverty and were summoned by
promotion of inclusive economic growth. Criminal Investigations
The project is contracted to Chinese Department (CID) over a highly debated issue. software and hardware
contractor Jiangsu Jiangdu Construction hardware and software A letter summoning the supplied by Technology
Group Company which started work in procurements. A total of two officials signed on Associates and its
November last year. President Museveni, Shs400billion was lost in behalf of CID Director principals to Crane Bank
in a speech read out by Prime Minister
various transactions Crane Grace Akullo by in March and September
Ruhakana Rugunda, said the project is
Bank was involved in. The William Kototyo, senior 2013 supported with
intended to address the issue of appro-
bank was eventually sold commissioner of Police, evidence of installation,
priate technology and human capital by
to DFCU bank although read “They should invoice and payment”
introducing modern methods and prac-
the sale itself remains report with details of the
tices for machining and manufacturing.

*terms and conditions apply

Dial *134 * 7#
4 Feb 02 - 08, 2018
 Week

Salim Saleh under fire over sand mining

Gen Salim Saleh,
national coordinator
of Operation Wealth
Creation and President
Museveni’s brother has
been criticized for his
comments, encouraging
the various sand
mining activities
happening in Lake
Victoria. Saleh told
environmentalists to
stop harassing Mango
Tree Group, a Chinese
company dredging
up part of Lake
Victoria. Following
his comments,
The Parliamentary
Committee on Natural
Resources summoned
the former army
commander to explain
his comments, which
they deemed harmful
to the environment.
There has been
growing concern over
sand mining on the
lake which has seen
both local businessmen
and foreign contractors
take part in the activity.

US, AU pile pressure on South Sudan leaders Red Pepper back

The African
Union has joined After a two month shut-
the United States in down, Red Pepper, a tabloid
considering sanc- newspaper, is back on the
tions against those stands in Kampala and across
blocking peace the country. Its first edition on
in South Sudan. Jan 29 after the shutdown read
African Union ‘Our Story’ and was bent on
chief Moussa Faki explaining its side of the story.
Mahamat said President Museveni pardoned
that “the time has the directors and editors of
come” for sanctions Red Pepper after a meeting at
Salva Kiir Nikki Haley
as a way of ending State House Entebbe where
war in the central he cautioned them to be more
Haley, who has peace. Haley visited
African country. professional in their work. Red ing war between Uganda and
repeatedly spoken South Sudan in
Mahamat made the Pepper put out a statement after its south eastern neighbor,
out against South October last year
announcement at the meeting at State House, Rwanda. The directors and edi-
Sudan president where she strongly
the opening of the “The Directors and Senior tors were charged with libel and
Salva Kiir. Haley criticized Kiir.
30th annual African Editors pledged to the Presi- offensive communication. It is
told the UN Secu- South Sudan has
Union summit in dent and the nation, a more widely expected for the charges
rity Council that been at war since
Addis Ababa, Ethi- transformed and professional to be dropped. African Centre
Kiir’s government December 2013
opia. His comments publication going forward.” for Media Excellence, a media
was “increasingly when forces loyal to
rhyme with those On Nov 21, Police shutdown NGO, said it was “disturbed”
proving itself to be former Vice Presi-
of the US Ambas-
an unfit partner” dent Riek Machar the offices of Red Pepper after by the manner in which the tab-
sador to the United
in efforts to restore and those of Kiir it published a headline incit- loid was re-opened.
Nations, Nikki

Cheers over first bypass heart surgery at Uganda Heart Institute

Doctors at the Uganda
Heart Institute regis-
tered a milestone when
they conducted the first
ever highly specialized
bypass heart surgery
on a Ugandan patient,
Edward Kayondo. A
team of 14 Ugandan
medics comprising car-
diologists, perfusionists,
anesthesiologists and
theatre nursing officers
took part in the opera-
tion that lasted 10 hours.
Dr William Manyilirah,
the lead consultant
cardiothoracic surgeon,
said the surgery was
made possible after the
heart institute acquired
advanced equipment. He
told Daily Monitor in an
interview: “The coronary
artery bypass grafting
is done in three stages;
one involves transferring
grafts from one part of
the body. The grafts are
veins that we get from
the legs and arteries from
behind the breastbone.”

Feb 02 - 08, 2018 5

Week
AU rocked by China
spying allegations
The African Chinese servers
Union has for five years.
been rocked by The newspaper
allegations that reported
China bugged that after AU
the building discovered the
that houses the bugs, it ordered
headquarters for a clean
of the African sweep of the
Union in Addis entire building.
Ababa, Ethiopia. However AU
The headquarters Chairman
Unrest after Boda Boda 2010 crackdown were built by Paul Kagame
China and downplayed the
The arrest of Abdullah Kitatta, the leader after they raised issues against the latter opened in incident and
of of Boda Boda 2010, an association of group. “That talk of ‘above’, behaving with 2012. A French wondered why
boda boda riders registered in 2010 seems impunity has no place in Uganda today. newspaper, Le the continent
to have created more unrest and confusion I want to see he who calls himself big Monde, reported allowed outsiders
in the boda boda community. Rival boda -Godfather to Kitatta- to come out” he was that various to put up the
boda groups launched reprisal attacks on quoted. The comment was interpreted as
AU officials building. “We
Boda Boda 2010 claiming the latter group a jibe at Police boss Kayihura who praised
said data from should have built
was responsible for robberies, violence Kitatta, a week before he (Kitatta) was
computers in it ourselves,”
and killings in Kampala. Recently, Lt. Gen. arrested. Meanwhile on Jan. 24, Mwanga
the building had Kagame said.
Henry Tumukunde, Minister for Security, II Magistrates Court remanded 8 boda
been transferred
met 17 boda boda groups in Kampala and boda riders, (rivals to Boda Boda 2010) over
called on those who are behind Boda Boda criminal trespass and malicious damage. every night to
2010 to come forward and they face off

Former Nansana Police boss Kirumira charged with torture, extortion

Buyende District Police Com-
mander (DPC) Muhammad
Kirumira is facing six charges
for crimes he allegedly commit-
ted while he was in charge of
Nansana Police Station and Old
Kampala Division Police Com-
mander in 2013 and 2014. The
charges are torture, extortion, cor-
ruption, bribery, unlawful arrests
and excessive use of arrests.
The Police tribunal read out the
charges to Kirumira on Jan 23 at
Police headquarters in Naguru,
Kampala. Senior Superintendent
of Police Catherine Kusemer-
erwa, as prosecutor, alleged that
Kirumira used his powers as to
torture civilians and extort money
from them. Kusemererwa alleged
that Kirumira as Division Police
Commander arrested Aramathan
Kakooza and tortured him until
he paid Shs350, 000. She also
alleged that Kirumira released a
suspect in a drug syndicate after
he reportedly paid Shs4.8million.
However some sources say there
could be a witch-hunt stating that
when Kirumira was in charge of
Nansana, he had become popular
for dismantling crime rackets and
could be seen personally arrest-
ing suspects, a factor that sources
say caused his transfer. He is
however yet to be recalled
from duty in Buyende
since the charges were
announced.

6 Feb 02 - 08, 2018

Humour Did you know?

8% of people have
an extra rib?

Extra rib is
0n Jan. 16, Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda put out a notice restricting foreign
also called
travel stating that the government is spending a lot on foreign trips for public servants cervical rib ,
sometimes
known as
“neck ribs”. It
is estimated
to occur in
8% (8 in 100
people) of the
population
and it is a
congenital
Army take over fighting crime and have vowed to arrest more members of Boda Boda 2010; a group abnormality
that has been linked to robberies and murders in Kampala. The army has taken over some roles of
police, leaving people wondering whether police has failed in its duty. located above
the normal
first rib. It can
create different
problems like
chest infection,
pain in neck
and upper
arm(mostly left
side).

Senior 1 cut-offs stay high because of the improved performance across the country in last year’s PLE.

Feb 02 - 08, 2018 7

 News analysis Health Business
NRM Day: Testing NRM’s big Scientists struggle Uganda’s bank for lebratin
the promises numbers bad? to find new drugs? cooperatives a reality? Ce g

Issue No. 505 Jan 26 - Feb 01, 2018

Ushs 5,000,Kshs 200, RwF 1,500, SDP 8

Years

Should government
takeover UMEME job?
Karuma, Isimba power raises
new questions

Inbox
Follow us on Twitter @
http://twitter.com/#!/ugandatalks

Follow us on Facebook @
www.facebook.com/TheIndependentMagazineUganda
www.independent.co.ug

Letters are
welcome ! UWA’s domestic tourism initiative
The Editor welcomes short and
concise letters from our esteemed Refer to: “UWA to travel. Buses Park for example
readers on topical issues. Please boosts domestic to attractions like would be ‘miracu-
send them to:
The Editor, The Independent tourism with buses” Maramagambo, Mt. lous’ especially
Publications Ltd, (The Independent, Elgon (Kapkwata), during the rainy
P.O Box 3304, Jan.21 Online). The Queen Elizabeth season.
Plot 82/84 Kanjokya St, UWA new buses National Park (Isha-
Kamwokya. are a good gesture sha), Lake Mburo Chombo
Kampala,Uganda.
to enthusiastic National Park and
Email: editor@independent.co.ug Ugandans who wish Kidepo National

Hydro power dam puzzle Kenya Airways’ non-stop flight to New York
Refer to: “Power dams puzzle” (The Inde-
pendent Online Jan.23). Uganda used to Refer to: Kenya neer African carrier Dreamliner. For your
have annual rainfall of 2,200mm but now it Airways’s ready for that connected Africa information, Ethiopian
has dropped to 1,600mm of annual rainfall. non-stop daily flight to North America. And Airlines started its oper-
The trend is continuing given the high rate from Nairobi to New currently it reaches ation to Washington DC
of deforestation vis a vis the rate of reforesta- York (The Independent Washington DC, New in 1998.
tion. Imagine such discrepancy. With this Online Jan.13). To my York, Los Angeles and
state of affairs, Uganda will continue facing knowledge Ethiopian Canada using the ultra- Dorthy K.
interruptions in hydro electric power supply Airlines was the pio- modern fleet, B787
due to low rainfall. Therefore, we need to
have a deliberate and strong insistence on tree
planting for deliberate climate control. There German envoy’s Ugandan coffee gesture
should be a government policy with stern
enforcement and monitoring of tree planting. Coffee Development
Authority and the
Charles Muhigirwa outright capitalist
greed, all conspire to
keep me in poverty.
That is a big turn off for
Mengo Hospital surgery deaths our youth to venture
into an otherwise
lucrative farming
Refer to: “Committee to investigate Mengo venture. Right now a
deaths set up” (The Independent Online Jan. kilo of dry processed
21). Why should the minister micro-manage coffee is $1.50. I think
the health sector? There is already a deficit of that value addition to
surgeons (in the country) for such major pro- African produced items
cedures. Goodwill brings people over to help is a moral obligation for
and/or teach yet the best we do is criticize. Major humanity and a lasting
surgeries are carried out with a higher risk of Refer to: “I will a coffee farmer (typical sure way of keeping
death. Cardiac surgery is not a major cause of fight for Ugandan smallholder). Truth be “the undesirable
death. Does Parliament take note of the major coffee” (The told, it is backbreaking immigrants” out of
causes of death? What needs to be done is to Independent Jan.22). to reach the point of Europe. What a win-
leave licensing in the hands of the Uganda Med- Mr. Ambassador, your selling quality dry win solution. Uganda
ical Council. I extend my gratitude to all persons observation about coffee beans. The warmly welcomes you
who support Ugandans in any way. Do not Ugandan coffee, while vagaries of weather, the Mr. Ambassador.
despair (because) you are deeply appreciated. not new, your stated “dog eat dog” attitude
intention is noble and of middlemen, the not Joe B
Mark Yusto very considerate. I am so helpful Uganda

8 Feb 02 - 08, 2018


Losing my innocence
By Andrew M. Mwenda
How my hubris to become president of Uganda pulled
me from the trees of utopia to the hard rock of reality
I
want to continue with a line of thought
from this column last week i.e. that
African countries cannot be governed
using strategies Western governments
employ to govern their societies.
Government legitimacy in the West is
based on many things. But one critical
source of legitimacy is the ability of the
state to provide all its citizens with a
large basket of public goods and services.
Sadly, African nations do not have the
money to govern that way.
I want to make an even more contro-
versial proposition: that more than the
character and competences of individual
leaders in Africa, it is the limited finan-
cial resources that inevitably lead our
governments to rely more on patronage
(to secure the cooperation of elites) and
repression (to coerce obedience from the
citizenry). At the risk of sounding like
his apologist, I think President Yoweri
Museveni has ruled like the late Mobutu
Sese Seko of then Zaire and Kenya’s
Daniel arap Moi because of this chal-
lenge than because it’s his character.
This conclusion came to me slowly and
painfully in 2010 when, in a moment of
extreme hubris, I speculated on running
for president of Uganda. I believed, quite
stupidly I now realise, that Museveni
is an incompetent manager of public
affairs. I felt I was better.
My plan was to develop a national
budget that would ensure that my gov-
ernment would base its legitimacy on
delivering a modest basket of public
goods and services to all citizens through
arms-length interactions mediated by
public institutions.
I am aware that there are many reasons
why citizens may support a government;
provision of public goods and services is
only one of them, perhaps even not the
most important. But space does not allow
me to delve into this subject. I will return
to the different bases of legitimacy next
week. So let me deal with my hubris of
running for president against Museveni.
I decided to write a modest budget
where public officials would be paid a
living wage, build roads, dams, improve
the textbook/teacher/classroom to pupil
ratio, ensure hospitals would not run out
of drugs and all the public goods and
services associated with a modern state.
The Last Word
I did extensive research in public sector
costs whose details would clutter this
article. So I hope you just trust me. My
annual budget came to $75 billion.
Now you may think this is too much
money. Yet, when you get this $75 bil-
lion and divide it by the total population
of Uganda (39m people), you get public
spending per person of only $1,923. This
money is supposed to pay for universal
education from primary to university,
universal healthcare, roads, bridges, elec-
tricity dams, transmission and distribu-
tion lines, water and sewerage, agricul-
ture extension services, trade, pensions
for the elderly, justice, security, finance
industrialization, sports, build sea and
airports etc.
Let me ignore 2011 when I would have
become president and use the 2016/17
budget. Note that Uganda’s revenue for
that financial year was about $4.5 bil-
lion, its budget was $6.7 billion and its
GDP was about $25 billion. If you divide
this by 39m people, public spending per
person was a paltry $169.
How much can anyone reading this
article do with this money in an entire
year? Even what I had thought was
a modest budget was far beyond the
means of my country. It became clear to
me that my country simply doesn’t have
the resources to govern itself the way I
thought it can and should.
So I checked out the USA budget for
2017 in large part because it is the most
easily available online. It was $7 trillion.
Divided by a population of 320 mil-
lion people, it comes to $21,875 public
spending per person. Now remember
that this is public spending on a popula-
tion with average income of $58,000 i.e.
many Americans do not need govern-
ment to pay for their needs because they
have enough already. Relying on service
delivery as a governance strategy is a
viable option for the USA because it can
afford it. Not for Uganda.
So I decided to ask myself a counter
question. How are countries in Uganda’s
income bracket governed? I looked at all
of them and with the exception of post
genocide Rwanda, I realised they are
governed using the same strategies as
Museveni uses. In fact all the countries
in my sample, with the sole exception of
Opinion
Malawi, had per capita public spending
higher than that of Uganda. Yet when
you evaluate the outcomes of their public
services, a subject I will go into detail
another day, you find that Uganda per-
forms as good as them and even better in
many fields.
One could say that these are African
countries with the same “vampire”
leaders and “predatory” states as
Uganda. So I decided to find out when
the USA had the same per capita public
spending as Uganda. I found it was in
the year 1860. Total public spending
by federal, state and local governments
was $178 million. I adjusted this to 2016
prices and it came to $4.9 billion. Then
I divided it by the USA population of
that year i.e. 31.4m people and it came to
$159 public spending per person. Then I
looked at the breakdown of the budget.
Note that the USA in 1860 did not
spend a penny on pensions, health, edu-
cation or welfare for its citizens. How
was it governed? It was through a combi-
nation of patronage and repression, just
like all the poor nations of Africa today.
Then an idea became clear to me: the
postcolonial state in Africa adopted a
governance model for legitimacy that is
not suited to her wallet. The state is over
developed in function but grossly under
developed in capacity – especially finan-
cial. So its reach is far beyond its grasp.
That is why African politicians come
to power promising to deliver public
goods and services to citizens. Then they
discover they do not have the capacity.
Unable to fulfill their promises, they
retreat to old, traditional means of
managing power relations – patronage
(which we call corruption) and repres-
sion (which we call dictatorship). The
two twin sisters constitute what are
referred to as “bad governance” in the
modern lexicon.
In this column next week, I will argue
that what we call “bad governance”
(patronage and repression) is perhaps
not only the most cost efficient and cost
effective way to govern poor nations
but also the only affordable governance
strategy available to them given their
meager financial resources.
amwenda@independent.co.ug
Feb 02 - 08, 2018 9
cover story

The fall of Kayihura's men

How the war between Kayihura and
CMI crashed Boda Boda 2010
By Haggai Matsiko

The circumstances surrounding the arrest of Abdullah Kitatta, the self-proclaimed patron of
Boda Boda 2010, has become a talking point in security circles about how far the military is
willing to go to dismantle the power structure of Police Chief, General Kale Kayihura.
Kitatta, who has faced military court and was remanded together with 12 others over charges
of unlawful possession of arms, was arrested by the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI),
an intelligence outfit of the military that now finds itself at the apex of Uganda’s ever-changing
security infrastructure.

10 Feb 02 - 08, 2018

I
cover story
nsiders say Kitatta’s arrest
followed CMI’s interrogation
of his brother, Huzair
Kiwalabye, who was picked up
in a Jan.19 sting as part of the
investigations into the murder
of Francis Ekalungar, the former
accountant of Case Clinic.
Insiders say CMI was able to locate
Kitatta’s whereabouts after getting his
brother to call him. Once he caught
wind of the impending trouble,
sources say, Kitatta made several
frantic calls. He called the Inspector
General of Police (IGP) Kayihura,
seeking protection. In turn, the IGP
called State House and the CMI boss.
At State House, the switchboard
handler didn’t offer much.
At CMI, Col. Abel Kandiho, who
heads the outfit, was not available
and instead one of his handlers
told Kayihura that Kitatta’s matter
followed orders from above.
Until recently, Kitatta, who had in
a matter of years risen from a boda
boda operative to the highest echelons
of power with direct access to both Abdullah Kitatta
President Museveni and the police
chief, was untouchable. a while ago, the group’s leader, who incessant opposition protests in
He had procured this power and appeared to have power over life and Kampala and elsewhere. Indeed,
access by controlling and organizing death, was a regular at State House. although the opposition has been
the association of boda boda riders To understand the fate of Boda Kayihura’s bitterest enemies,
and owners into a vigilante arm of the Boda 2010, one has to appreciate the indirectly they have been his allies.
police. changing power dynamics in Uganda’s The more they hated him and
Kitatta and his group would security services, which are closely campaigned for his removal, the more
scratch the police chief’s back by tied to politics. Their fate is closely Museveni felt the IGP was effective
using his group to quell opposition tied to the fate of Gen. Kayihura. and kept renewing his contract,
demonstrations, control some gangs And by extension, some claim, the making him the longest serving IGP in
and in turn, the police chief would deteriorating relations between Uganda’s history.
turn a blind eye to their activities, Uganda and Rwanda. But because of the favour he enjoyed
insiders who are critical of that Over the last decade, Kayihura has from the president and also because of
relationship claim. Kayihura, however, accumulated a lot of power. He has the power he wielded, many inside the
defended Kitatta as a resource who done this by turning the police into security and political establishment in
helped police in dealing with crime. a political arm of the ruling National Uganda wanted his position.
Now in the last minutes of Kitatta’s Resistance Movement (NRM). For years, they have been fighting
arrest, all this appeared useless. The In using the police to fortify hard to clip his wings and cut
man who bragged about direct and Museveni in power, Kayihura has been down his power. But Museveni had
unfettered access to State House, was able to successfully divert a significant remained steadfast in his support
being hunted like a rat. amount of budgetary resources to of his IGP. Yet it is apparent from
Finally, when it emerged that he the force, thereby turning it from the recent crackdown on “crime” in
had been arrested, all hell broke loose. a sidelined and weak organization Kampala that Museveni has dropped
Mobs in Kampala broke into the into the most visible institution in Kayihura. What has changed?
offices of Boda Boda 2010, burnt down Uganda’s power politics. When Kayihura’s success appeared to walk
their furniture, documents, and even Kayihura joined Police in 2005, the hand in hand with his doom.
beat up leaders of the association. police budget was under Shs70 billion, Some analysts claim that Kayihura’s
The mobs doing all this were also it has since skyrocketed to over Shs400 problem is that while he became very
carrying placards of Museveni whom billion. successful dealing with the opposition,
they hailed as their liberator from Now armed with a large array of he appeared to fail miserably at
the group. The police was armored vehicles and other anti-riot dealing with crime.
impotent and could not gear, the Uganda Police Force (UPF) Knowing that the city is teeming
stop the carnage. has been an intimidating presence. with hundreds of thousands of
Some of leaders of This made Kayihura a very powerful unemployed and frustrated youth
the association man but equally bought him very always ready to protest, Kayihura
have gone into many enemies inside and outside the adopted a policy of counter political
hiding, fearing system. mobilization by coopting some of
for their life. To protect himself, Kayihura set these youth.
Yet only out to use the police to break down He infiltrated these groups,

Feb 02 - 08, 2018 11

cover story
recruiting many to his side and
turning others into his agents inside
the opposition camp. This way,
whenever the opposition is plotting
protest, Kayihura is tipped off, well in
advance. This is the strategy Kayihura
has used to cripple the opposition in
Kampala, insiders claim.
To make it more effective, Kayihura
facilitated the formation and growth
of Boda Boda 2010. As an organized
force, it was easy to mobilize quickly
and deploy. Indeed, many times there
is a protest in Kampala and police gets
overwhelmed, police would call in the
group to help.
This strategy is neither new nor is it
unique to Uganda, some of Kayihura’s
handlers claim. For the NRM, it has
been a long and tested strategy not
only in combating urban protests but
also in containing armed rebellion.
Thus whenever the government has
faced a challenge, it has made the
civilian population part and parcel of
the defense of the government. Presidents; Museveni and Kagame in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
For example, they claim, while
fighting rebellion in Acholi, the to get out of hand. When Assistant
government recruited a civilian militia Inspector General of Police (AIGP)

To make
called Home Guards. In Teso, they Andrew Felix Kaweesi was murdered
created the Arrow Boys. In Western in March, many pointed to rogue

and Central Uganda, they created
Local Defense Units. The NRM has
also created many vigilante groups
like Civic Defence Team, Kalangala
Action Plan of Kakoza Mutale, Popular
Intelligence Network (PIN) etc. All
too often, these groups have relied on
hardened criminals for leadership.
But by its very nature, this strategy
of using vigilantes to contain protests
comes with inevitable costs. For a long
time, it appears Museveni and his
handlers were willing to keep a blind
eye on the activities of these groups
even amidst public outcry.
Many people have accused Boda
Boda 2010 of meting torture on them,
confiscating their boda bodas and its
leader of abusing access to power.
Part of this, insiders say, is down
to the fact that Kayihura listened
a lot to Kitatta. This gave Kitatta
confidence to even interfere in police
work. Police officers were afraid to
act against Kitatta when he was in
the wrong because they felt he would
report to Kayihura. Some claim
they were instances when Kayihura
would easily transfer officers on or
put them on katebe because Kitatta
had complained. So this gave Kitatta
power over police.
To this extent, critics say Kayihura
subordinated a professional state
security institution to an unruly
militia instead of vice versa.
Secondly, critics also claim,
it more
effective,
Kayihura
facilitated
the formation
and growth
of Boda Boda
2010
Kayihura’s management style denied
him the necessary feedback loops
that would have led him to create the
necessary distance between himself
and Kitatta; and then ensure police
officers could rein in Kitatta. But
Kitatta had also grown big with direct
access to the President.
Insiders say in meetings of the
National Security Council, the highest
security body that brings together
security chiefs from different bodies,
Kayihura was often warned of rogue
elements in police but did nothing.
Last year, the situation appeared
elements in police.
The president also noted that the
police had been infiltrated by rogue
elements and starting with the murder
of Kaweesi, asked CMI to investigate
crime.
In the same year, machete wielding
gangs sent shock waves across central
Uganda. When police carried out a
sting, some of the suspects said they
were working with police. As security
officials were still grappling with this
crisis, a spate of women murders also
engulfed Kampala suburbs.
Critics say police did not only
appear infiltrated, it appeared
helpless.
To make matters worse for
Kayihura, where police appeared to be
failing, the military started delivering.
Then the president assigned them to
look into a complaint by UN officials
about allegations that Rwandan
operatives were kidnapping dissidents
and taking them back to Rwanda.
These investigations climaxed into
the arrest and trial of seven police
officers before the General Court
Martial (GCM) on Oct.27, 2017.
The seven included; Senior
Superintendent of Police Nixon
Agasirwe, the former commander
Special Operations Unit, Senior
Commissioner of Police Joel
Aguma, the commandant of the
police Professional Standards Unit,
Assistant Superintendent of Police

12 Feb 02 - 08, 2018


Nixon Agasirwe (left) at the General Court Martial.
Magada, crime intelligence; Benon
Atwebembeire, Sgt Abel Tumukunde,
the Kampala Metropolitan Police
flying squad commander, Faisal
Katende, flying squad and Amon
Kwarisima.
They were supposed to be 12 but
five were yet to be netted, a source
intimated. Jonathan Baroza, the former
aide to Gen. Kayihura, was also
targeted.
Apart from these police officers,
the other two suspects were; a former
Rwandan soldier, Rene Rutanungira,
who has been living in Uganda and a
Congolese national, Bahati Mugenga.
Reading from the charge sheet,
Lt. Gen. Andrew Gutti, who was
appointed the Chairman of the
General Court Martial last year,
said the officers, around October 25,
2013, while in unlawful possession
of firearms and grenades, ordinarily
a monopoly of the Defence Forces,
conveyed Joel Mutabazi a former
presidential guard for Rwandan
President Paul Kagame and Jackson
Kalemera without their consent to
Rwanda.
Since then, the arrest of Rwandans
in Uganda has intensified with the
military claiming it is investigating
Rwandan operatives.
It is on the basis of this that some
analysts say the fall of Kayihura has
little to do with crime in Uganda
but a lot to do with the deteriorating
relations between Uganda and
Rwanda.
The more these tensions have
worsened, they claim, the more it has
become inevitable to clip the powers
of Kayihura.
There has always been suspicions
against Kayihura whenever relations
between Kampala and Kigali have
soured. The IGP has confided to
friends before that whenever Uganda
and Rwanda are at loggerheads,
Kampala accuses him of being a mole,
Kigali of being a traitor. Kayihura has
a strong connection with the Rwandan
leadership at the highest level.
President Kagame was Kayihura’s best
man at the latter’s wedding. Kagame’s
wife used to live at Kayihura’s home
during the RPF struggle.
Those who peddle this view, claim
that once Museveni was convinced
that Kayihura was serving Rwanda’s
interests, the IGP’s job became
precarious, his long stay at his post
cover story
untenable.
He instructed CMI to take over
many police functions including
arresting and detaining police officers
accused of worked with Rwanda.
Being a loyal person to his
subordinates who serve him loyally,
insiders say, and knowing how much
Kayihura has served him, Museveni
has decided to clip his wings without
firing him.
Thus, CMI and ISO have come and
taken over most of the security work
in Kampala and sidelined Kayihura
and the police.
If Kayihura falls or is neutralized,
some insiders claim, it will be because
he had also become expendable.
They claim that he will most likely
be removed and humiliated but the
strategies he employed will remain. A
new group will fill the void of the old
and its members will most certainly
recruit from Boda Boda 2010 because
their experience is invaluable.
But in this war with CMI and the
regional tensions, insiders agree,
Kayihura stands very little chance
just as the vigilante groups he has
supported.
Feb 02 - 08, 2018 13
NEWS ANALYSIS
Uganda is looking at building such infrastructure to commercialize her oil.   INTERNET PHOTO
$3.55 billion pipeline deal
Contractor, gov’t offer pointers, urge suppliers to get ready
By Ronald Musoke
E
xcitement filled Hotel Africana’s
spacious Nile Hall on Jan.17 as
hundreds of local suppliers braced
for details about the specifics of the
$ 3.55 billion pipeline deal contained in the
study about its engineering designs.
Houston-based Gulf Interstate Engineer-
ing (GIE) carried out the year-long study
at $ 11.5 million to guide Total, CNOOC,
Tullow, the Uganda National Oil Com-
pany (UNOC) and the Tanzania Petroleum
Development Corporation (TPDC) on
investing in the project.
The Africana event, officials said, was
intended to share findings of what is tech-
nically called the Front End Engineering
Designs (FEED) of the pipeline with poten-
tial suppliers to help them identify and pre-
pare for business opportunities.
But as Mark Lamb, a jovial elderly engi-
neer at GIE delved into what Ugandans are
14 Feb 02 - 08, 2018
expected to do to partake of the expected
billions, gloom permeated the hall.
“How ready do you think we are?” Elly
Karuhanga, the Chairman of the oil and
gas investors lobby—the Uganda Chamber
of Mines and Petroleum (UCMP) asked
rhetorically. He also noted that that Lamb’s
presentation had filled Ugandans with fear
and that he felt they might not be “field
ready.”
Karuhanga’s observation could also be
seen in the questions that Lamb received
from the Ugandan prospective service pro-
viders.
“Shall we be allowed to cross to Tanza-
nia to do business there? How are the two
countries’ standards going to be harmo-
nized? Is it possible for Ugandan service
providers to bid beyond Tanzania?”
The anxiety is mainly driven by the fact
that the portion of the pipeline in Uganda is
only about 296km which is about 21 percent
of the entire route. The bulk of it, 1,149km
is in Tanzania. Given that the whole deal is
$ 3.55 billion, if Ugandans were to get deals
on only the portion in the country, they
would be looking at a paltry $743.5 million.
Patrick Odwe, a local service provider
feels that this would be unfair given that
Uganda is the source of the opportunity—
the oil.
The pipeline is set to carry oil from fields
in Uganda currently being developed. So
far, the fields are two—the Total E&P oper-
ated Tilenga project in Buliisa and Nwoya
Districts and the CNOOC operated King-
fisher project in Hoima District.
The Tilenga project will have a process-
ing facility with capacity of up to 190,000
barrels of oil per day and the Kingfisher
project, 40,000 barrels of oil per day. These
processing facilities will feed into the refin-
ery and the 1,445km pipeline terminating at
Chongoleani peninsula near the Tanga Port
in Tanzania.
It will comprise a buried insulated 24”

pipeline with an electrical heat tracing sys-
tem associated above ground facilities, and a
marine storage terminal with export facilities
near Tanga.
It will start from Kabaale and traverse
eight districts including Hoima, Kyakwanzi,
Kakumiiro, Mubende, Gomba, Ssembabule,
Lwengo and Rakai. It will then enter Tan-
zania through Mutukula to Chongoleani in
Tanga on the Indian Ocean coast.
Expect high standards
But rather than worry about whether
there would be access to deals in Tanzania,
Lamb appeared to urge suppliers to concen-
trate on their core competencies and create a
track record.
He said the project’s codes and standards
have been borrowed from best practices
around the world to ensure safety of the
project and that they will have to be strictly
complied with.
“Every service provider including sup-
pliers and contractors will be bound by all
these regulatory requirements (safety, con-
struction, operation and IFC regulations),”
he said, “We don’t want to do it fast we
want to do it right so the project survives for
25 years.” In describing the work packages
that may hold interest for Ugandan busi-
nesses, Lamb said the project has four tiers
of contracts.
He said Tier-4 looks at the more technical
service suppliers like Halliburton and Sch-
lumberger and Tier-1 is looking at basic sup-
plies like labour, security, field inspections,
pipeline, safety, and electrical inspectors.
“This is where a lot of opportunity is,”
Lamb said. About 10,000 people are expect-
ed to be employed during the construction
phase.
“There will be early civil works (building
camps, temporary and permanent roads for
the pump stations).”
About 2.6 million cubic metres of earth
will have to be moved, he added and there
will be need for portable power generators.
There will be temporary fencing, permanent
fencing, construction labour, dry land trans-
port, and security along the pipeline.
“There will be need for manual, semi-
skilled and skilled camp managers, fore-
men, drivers, supervisors, warehouse man-
agers, equipment operators. This meeting is
about business opportunities, so get ready,
get ready.”
Opportunity galore
Irene Batebe, the Commissioner Mid-
stream Petroleum Department at the Min-
istry of Energy and Mineral Development
explained that the Jan.17 event was intended
to point out to Ugandan service providers
the available opportunities for investment
and supply of goods and services.
“In taking forward this project the Minis-
try would like to emphasize the importance
of collaboration and working in partner-
ships with all stakeholders,” Batebe said.
As part of this, she noted that the ministry
is in the process of putting up a national con-
tent policy that will promote participation
of Ugandan labour and enterprises in the oil
and gas industry.
Peninah Aheebwa, the Director technical
support services at the Petroleum Authority
of Uganda (PAU) in charge of national con-
tent also emphasized optimal participation
of Ugandans.
Over the years, several studies have
focused on this. A 2011 study highlighted
available opportunities and challenges that
would inhibit Ugandans from fully partici-
pating in the sector.
In 2013, an industry baseline survey done
Elly Karuhanga Ali Ssekatawa
NEWS ANALYSIS
by the international oil companies, assessed
25 of the local industries in Uganda and also
identified what they could and could not do.
And in 2014, a capacity needs analysis also
put in place a workforce skills development
strategy and plan and the government was
able to set targets for foreign companies.
PAU has, as a result of these studies,
developed the national supplier data base
–a platform where the PAU, the suppliers
and the buyers (IOCs) interact. The idea
is to increase the local suppliers’ visibility,
efficiency in the supply chain and create fair
competition.
So far, the database has 927 companies
(both local and foreign registered) and more
are expected to register in another window
expected to open at the start of March.
Ali Ssekatawa, the director Legal at PAU
noted that the disclosure of the FEED find-
ings was intended to further help these sup-
pliers weigh their options in the project.
On whether Ugandan businesses would
get deals in Tanzania, Ssekatawa said the
two governments were involved in negotia-
tions with the view of standardizing the local
content regulations of the two countries.
Aheebwa also noted that the pipeline was
a single-integrated project and discussions
are ongoing to open it up for service provid-
ers to cross borders.
Aheebwa even revealed that the govern-
ment has even ring-fenced services for locals.
Aheebwa was referring to the 3-tier
procurement process where if an
international oil company is not able to get a
Ugandan company to do something, the law
requires that the foreign company partners
with the local company.
She advised the local entrepreneurs
to look beyond transporting between
Mombasa and Tanga to the site.
“Look out for foreign firms that are
coming into the country,” Aheebwa said,
“do joint ventures and prepare so the
biggest portion of the investments on the
project does not leave the country.”
Lamb offered the same counsel
before exiting the podium to head to
Tanzania where he was to make a similar
presentation.
“Don’t be fearful to partake in the
opportunity,” he said, “look at the
documents and interpret the information.”
Douglas Evans, the Chairman of GIE
described the pipeline route, which
Uganda chose in 2016 as the least cost and
most robust route, as one of the “world
class” projects his firm has recently worked
on.
“You have an opportunity here and our
challenge is to inspire you and explain to
you those opportunities so you take them
up,” Evans said.“But the opportunities are
not going to happen overnight, they will
take months or even years to develop.”
Feb 02 - 08, 2018 15
NEWS ANALYSIS

Experts say Uganda needs to invest in storage facilities to cut down on losses for farmers.  INDEPENDENT /IAN KATUSIIME

Uganda’s faltering
fight against poverty
By Dicta Asiimwe
Days after it emerged that the number of Ugandans living below the poverty line has increased to levels last seen
twenty years ago, debate amongst experts is raging.
But while the figures have raised eyebrows, experts say they are not overly surprised given the failure to
industrialise, a high population growth rate and a limping agricultural sector that has over the years received
minimal and ill-advised investment. The new poverty figures are contained in the latest Uganda National
Household Survey (UNHS). The number of people living below the poverty line, the survey shows, increased
from 6.6 million four years ago to the current 10.1 million.

T
his 53 per cent increase means
Uganda is back to where it was
in 1997, when there were 9.8
million people living below the
poverty line.
Several factors including low
productivity have contributed to
this situation, experts say. A recent
study by the University of Denver
on behalf of USAID shows that most
of Uganda’s productivity is in urban
areas, while rural districts where close
to 80 per cent of the population live,
are doing very little.
Joseph Muvawala the Executive
Director of the National Planning
Authority says Uganda has only
experienced economic growth because
the country liberalised the economy,
controlled inflation and ensured a
stable shilling. But, he adds, such
interventions are no longer enough.  not happened since 2010. Matters
Due to these interventions, the
service and construction sectors have
been growing and spurring economic
growth leading to little reduction in
poverty, even if agriculture which
employs majority of the population
was under performing.   
To return to the path of reducing
poverty, economists say, Uganda
would have to maintain economic
growth at above 7 per cent. This has
are not helped by the fact that
agriculture productivity, an important

16 Feb 02 - 08, 2018


contributing factor, has been largely
underperforming.  country’s prisons, armed forces,
Information from the World Bank’s
2017 economic update shows that
over the last seven years, agriculture
has consistently grown at a rate lower
than the country’s over 3 per cent
population growth rate.
This makes the 69 per cent of the
Ugandan households that survive on
subsistence agriculture vulnerable
to sinking further into poverty and
explains the decline.
To have a meaningful reduction in
the number of people living below
the poverty line, Ezra Munyambonera
the Head of the Macroeconomics
department at the Economic Policy
Research Centre (EPRC) says that
Uganda and African countries
will have to invest in increasing
agriculture productivity through
the use of fertilisers, investment in
extension services, irrigation and
storage facilities for when there is over
production. Market systems have to
also be structured to work for farmers.  With investment in improving
 “Poverty in Uganda can only be
fought by increasing crop and animal
productivity,” Munyambonera says,
“Agriculture productivity is at 20 per
cent of its potential. It is too low to
eliminate poverty.”
According to EPRC data, fertiliser
UNHS shows
that the
average
monthly
expenditure
for a Ugandan
household is
just Ush351,
600 ($96.3)
usage stands at 5 kilograms
per hectare compared to the
recommended 60 kilograms.
There is also little investment in
storage facilities, which leads to
losses for farmers. President Yoweri
Museveni has said that Uganda
currently has a maize glut of 4 million
tonnes.
He says that Ugandans harvested
5 million tonnes of maize but the
schools and the occasional household
that consumes maize meal could only
absorb 1 million tonnes, leaving the
rest for mainly export.
Yet to effectively export surplus
crops, Dr Munyambonera says, proper
storage facilities and a regulated
marketing system are necessary so
that farmers can wait out the glut.
But instead of these investments,
Uganda has provided seeds in an
environment that is delivering very
little returns. So far the ministry of
agriculture has distributed 400 million
tea seedlings which should now
cover 62,000 hectares of land. Instead
Uganda only has 16,000 hectares
under tea production.  to these officials this is necessary for
Without the appropriate
investments, agriculture productivity
has been poor making it impossible
for Uganda to benefit from $40 billion
in foreign exchange that Africa sends
abroad to import food.  other things other than availability of
agriculture productivity, experts say,
Uganda would benefit from increased
income at the farm and limited
industrialisation processes would start
to take off.
Vietnam, one of the Asian tigers is
highlighted to show how investment
NEWS ANALYSIS
in agriculture now would pay
off much better than the current
investment in infrastructure expected
to start paying off ten or so years
from now.  In the 1960s, Vietnam was
producing 1 million bags of coffee,
which was lower than Uganda’s 3
million bags.
Vietnam’s tea production has
since increased to 32 million bags,
which earns the country $3 billion.
In comparison, Uganda last year
exported 4 million bags of coffee
making $490 million according to data
from Bank of Uganda.
Were Uganda’s coffee production
to expand to the levels of Vietnam,
Dr Munyambonera says the country
would not only benefit from the
increased income for farmers but
there would also be more jobs from
the processing factories. With about
400 coffee processing factories instead
of the 35 licensed processors that
currently exist, some Ugandans now
stuck on the land, contributing very
little to productivity, would get jobs. 
“The Asian Tigers first looked at
their domestic economy by starting
with medium agro processing,” says
Dr Munyambonera.
An increase in jobs would increase
money available for Ugandans to
spend, leading to more local investors,
while at the same time making the
market attractive for international
investors. Currently the UNHS shows
that the average monthly expenditure
for a Ugandan household is just
Ush351, 600 ($96.3).
This amount is too little to attract
foreign investors, experts say. Yet
according to Kasingye Kyamugambi
the Coordinator of the Standard
Gauge Railway (SGR) project, Uganda
is investing heavily in the road,
railway and electricity infrastructure
to attract investors. The same view
is held by officials at the Electricity
Regulatory Authority who have
argued that it is okay for Ugandans to
buy electricity expensively. According
Uganda to invest in electricity which
will attract investors.
But Dr Munyambonera says
this policy is ill advised as foreign
investors are attracted by several
infrastructure. He highlights skilled
labour and market availability which
Uganda doesn’t have at the moment.
Feb 02 - 08, 2018 17
 NRM 32nd Anniversary

President Museveni during the NRM celebrations in Arua on Jan 26.

NRM’s 32 years
President Museveni promises to fight and defeat corruption
like he routed out indiscipline from the army

O
n Jan. 26, Uganda’s ruling party, because one cause of parochialism and sec- going to be used to transform the society
the National Resistance Move- tarianism of ideology is a stunted society in further. For this to happen there is need for
ment, celebrated its 32nd an- terms of socio-economic transformation. correct policy stimuli to do so. Its effective
niversary in the northwestern President Museveni has always insisted implementation by government and other
town of Arua with focus on the economy, that the middle class in the country should stakeholders would serve a good purpose.
have a high proportion of the national bour- Meanwhile, the other policy undertak-
governance, the peace dividend and national
geoisie and not just traders especially not ing, liberalization since the early 1990s has
unity.
importers of goods and services that can, helped in the creation of the middle-class by
What was unmistakable from the celebra-
more economically, be made in Uganda. removing the state (government) from doing
tion is the fact that although significant
business. The State used to monopolise the
achievements have been garnered over the
last three decades some challenges remain
Other key sector interventions business of hotels, transport, imports and
For the country to overcome challenges, others.
for the NRM leadership to tackle.
the NRM maintains that there is need The state transferred these sectors to the
President Yoweri Museveni noted in his
to understand the proportions of social- hands of the private sector with a view that
speech that the years of neglect, apathy, mis-
economic transformation which is very this would create efficiency and spread
management and institutional inefficiency
crucial and unique. Some questions have wealth amongst the people. To a larger
that had eroded the country’s image no
been raised in this regard. What stimuli, for extent this policy shift has yielded positive
longer exist.
instance, did the NRM use to encourage results.
For many years, the NRM evolved using
this process? The President has been clear in On democracy, NRM leadership believes
two principles – patriotism and pan-African-
answering this question. strongly that much has been achieved. The
ism. Patriotism meant unity within Uganda
Apart from peace, he has said before that democracy pushed by the NRM, is much
to ensure prosperity and security while Pan-
the NRM used four other stimuli – education richer than anything, anybody, has attempt-
Africanism was adopted to promote unity in
for all (Universal Primary Education, Uni- ed to do in the world, other than the ancient
East Africa and Africa in order to guarantee
versal Secondary Education); liberalization Greeks who produced direct democracy, in
the same prosperity and security.
of the economy; improved health (especially the city states. In the process, women have
The President has on many occasions said
immunization) and improved infrastructure been empowered, the youth, the workers,
that the unity of Uganda and its market is
(roads, electricity, telephone, the ICT back- the disabled; the soldiers have all been well
not enough to guarantee prosperity and stra-
bone, piped water and safe water in the vil- sucked in the country’s democratic pro-
tegic security. The unity of East Africa, the
lages among others). cesses.
unity of Africa can do these two better than
Regardless of the challenges faced, as a
the mere unity of Uganda.
In order for the people to benefit from
consequence of these deliberate steps, the lit- Dealing with 10 strategic bottlenecks
eracy rate is now 75%, up from 43% in 1986. Over the last 50 years, the NRM has iden-
Pan-Africanism and from Uganda’s unity,
The social base for socio-economic transfor- tified 10 strategic bottlenecks which include;
the society had to undergo a metamorphosis
mation has, therefore, been laid. ideological disorientation, a weak state espe-
─ a socio-economic transformation. This is
Going forward, this transformation is cially the army that needed restructuring;

18 Feb 02 - 08, 2018


the suppression of the private sector and the
underdevelopment of the human resource
(lack of education and poor health).
The others are; the underdevelopment of
the infrastructure (the railways, the roads,
the electricity, the telephones, piped water
and other facilities); a small internal market;
the lack of industrialization; the underde-
velopment of the services sector (hotels,
banking, transport, insurance); the underde-
velopment of agriculture and the attack on
democracy.
Over the years, the NRM has aggressively
been handling many of the strategic bottle-
necks. This stance means that the country is
better placed to convert Uganda into a mid-
dle-income country by 2020 and an upper
middle-income country by 2040.
Whereas recent numbers have seen a
slight rise in poverty amongst Ugandans
largely because of bad weather affecting the
agriculture sector and a few other causes,
President Museveni, being a veteran of fight-
ing poverty and working for socio-economic
transformation in Uganda, there is hope that
this trend will be reversed.
Agriculture remains the country’s big sec-
tor in terms of providing income to over 70%
of the population. The population is encour-
aged to continue engaging in the growing
of crops such as coffee, food crops (bananas,
cassava or Irish potatoes, vegetables, toma-
toes). There are also opportunities in animal
rearing, poultry, piggery, fish farming and
others. These activities have potential to get
68% of the households out of poverty.
The bigger picture is; agriculture con-
tinues to provide raw-materials for a wide
spectrum of industries – dairy, beef, textiles,
fruits, grain milling, coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar,
wood products, tobacco, and medicinal
herbs. This is critical because many people
are getting jobs in these industries.
In addition, the other industries will be
based on minerals. There are also those
based on human skills such as the Kiira elec-
tric car, the Kayoola electric bus, the multiple
computer applications developed by com-
puter scientists and others.
Fortunately, the services sector is already
providing important stimuli for moderniza-
tion – tourism, transport, banking, and trad-
ing, insurance and professional services.
Capital mobilization
There are five wealth and job creation
funds which the NRM has been pushing for
to support groups get capital and go about
businesses that would transform their lives.
These funds are: the NAADS Fund, the
Youth Livelihood Fund, the Women Fund,
the Micro-Finance Fund and the Innovation
Fund. These are expected to boost income
for the people involved and have multiplier
benefits for the economy.
They are meant to be interest free or low-
interest loans to those who cannot borrow
from commercial banks. In general terms,
Advertorial
these funds aim at eliminating the 68% of the
homesteads that were identified by the 2002
census as being outside the money economy.
The other key area of interest that the
NRM is looking at is attracting more Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI) and the activities of
the bigger investors. This has already been
happening. The country hopes to see more
of this happening. There is hope that this
will create bigger units ─ factories for sugar,
steel, fertilizers and others.
Going forward, the government will con-
tinue to ensure there is peace and security,
a stable and growing economy, democracy
and rule of law and above all, civil servants
serve the interests of the common man.
For all these to yield tangible results,
however, everyone has a role to play. The
President has however identified one big
problem that must be dealt with. This is
corruption among public servants ─ judicial
staff, medical personnel, staff dealing with
licensing projects as well as some elements of
the political class.
In his detailed speech in Arua, President
Museveni assured the public that corruption
will be eliminated.
“There will be no equivocation on this
issue. “Enjokyi, ihakuurwa omuriro” (you
use fire to tame aggressive bees). The way
we defeated the indiscipline of the army, is
the way we are going to defeat corruption,”
Museveni said.

SBI INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS AG (UGANDA)

The Management & Staff of SBI International Holdings AG (Uganda) congratulates

H.E. The President of the Republic of Uganda, Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament
and all the people of Uganda on the occasion of the 32nd NRM Liberation Day

ONGOING PROJECTS

Kabaale International Airport

Kikagati Hydro Power Project
Mukono-Katosi-Nyenga road
Lubowa Housing Project

FIL Courts, Plot 88, Luthuli Avenue Bugolobi, P.O. Box 11713 Kampala-Uganda,
Tel: +256-31-2500500 | Email: sbi@sbi.co.ug | Web: www.sbi.co.ug

Feb 02 - 08, 2018 19

Congratulations
Advertorial

The Board, Management and Staff of

Uganda Road Fund Congratulate
the President of the Republic of Uganda,
H.E General Yoweri .K. Museveni
and all the People of Uganda upon the
celebration of the
32nd NRM anniversary.
Happy
32 Years
of
NRM

Financing Road Maintainance

The Uganda Road Fund (URF) 5th Floor, Twed Towers,Plot 10,
Kafu Road Nakasero, P.O Box 7501, Kampala
Tel + 256 (0) 414 257 072 + 256 (0) 312 178 250 e-mail address info@roadfund.ug
20 Feb 02 - 08, 2018
Uganda Road Fund @UgandaRoadFund www.roadfund.ug

Odinga swears in as
‘People’s President’
NASA’s Musyoka, Mudavadi skip event
By Ian Katusiime
H
uge crowds gathered at Uhuru
Park in Nairobi to witness the
swearing in of Kenya’s Leader
of Opposition, Raila Odinga as
the ‘People’s President’ on Jan. 30. Earlier
in the day, the government shut down
three television stations; Citizen TV, KTN
and NTV and had also warned media
houses against broadcasting the event of
the leader of the National Super Alliance
(NASA) swearing in.
Deputy President William Ruto had
told a church congregation a few days
before NASA’s planed activity that the
government does not recognize the
swearing in of Odinga. He added that the
Kenyan people had elected their leaders
in 2017 and the government was now
focusing on development.
Odinga took the oath, administered
by Ruaraka MP TJ Kajwang, in an act
not lasting more than ten minutes. He
was surrounded by close allies Miguna
Miguna, Siaya Senator James Orengo,
and Mombasa Governor William Joho as
thousands of supporters cheered him.
Odinga’s co-principals in NASA like
Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and
Moses Wetangula (NASA) were absent but
Odinga said Musyoka would be sworn
in another day as the deputy people’s
president.
“I Raila Amollo Odinga, in full
realization, of the high calling, assume
the office of the People’s president of the
Republic of Kenya, do swear that I will
be faithful and bear true allegiance to the
people and the Republic of Kenya,” said
Odinga. He also swore to preserve, protect
and defend the constitution of Kenya.
The swearing in of Odinga had been
initially scheduled for December 2017,
months after his rival, Uhuru Kenyatta,
took his oath as President of Kenya. For
six months, Kenya has been embroiled in a
political crisis that has bitterly divided the
nation and derailed East Africa’s largest
economy.
Odinga petitioned Kenya’s Supreme
Court after he deemed the re-election of
Uhuru Kenyatta on Aug.8, 2017 a sham.
On Sept. 1, the Kenyan Supreme Court
annulled the election citing massive
irregularities by the country’s election
body, the Independent and Electoral
Boundaries Commission (IEBC). As the
country prepared for a fresh election,
Odinga withdrew from the poll and asked
his supporters to shun voting. The 2017
presidential election was Odinga’s fourth
and the second where he was facing off
with Kenyatta.
The repeat presidential election
happened on Oct. 26 but with only
supporters of Kenyatta taking part.
Since then, it has been protests and
demonstrations as supporters of Odinga
clashed regularly with the police.
kenya
Odinga’s oath is also happening at the
time Kenyatta’s new cabinet has faced
criticism over inclusiveness. The president
has also been criticized over a new position
he has added to his cabinet set up- Chief
Administrative Secretary, which many
analysts say will likely duplicate the role of
Principal Secretary.
Kenyan activists and journalists
criticized the shutting down of the
television stations. Boniface Mwangi,
photographer turned activist posted on
Facebook: “President Uhuru Kenyatta
behaving more and more like his political
father, Moi. Threatening and shutting
down media houses is DICTATORSHIP!
President Uhuru, your attempt to follow
in the footsteps of dictator Moi, will totally
fail. The year is 2018 and we shall not allow
Kenya to slide back to dictatorship and
censorship. Leave the media alone!”
The Kenya Editors Guild also put out a
statement expressing concern on the trend
of media intimidation taking toot in the
country. “We would like to state it with
all the clarity we can that the media is not
an actor in the ongoing contest between
Jubilee and NASA over the outcome of the
last General Election. The Media remains
a mere messenger and a chronicler of any
events happening in our country,” the
statement read in part, signed by Linus
Kaikai, Chairman of Kenya Editor’s Guild.
The swearing in of Raila Odinga is likely
to increase political tension in a country
still recovering from a deeply divisive
election. As soon as the election ended,
debates and maneuvers on Kenyatta’s
succession had already set forth.
Constitution of the current cabinet has
reportedly caused a rift between Kenyatta
and his deputy and recently, Odinga told
Ruto that the deputy needed him as the
two strategize for the 2022 election.
Feb 02 - 08, 2018 21
rwanda
Kigali City
Rwanda records US$1.67bn
in investments in 2017
Over 38,261 jobs to be created in eight sectors
By Isaac Khisa
R
wanda recorded a 30.7% growth in
investment to US$1.675bn last year
compared with the previous year,
data from the country’s promotion
agency, Rwanda Development Board (RDB)
shows.
According to the data, three sectors –
construction and real estate, mining and
infrastructure – attracted more invest-
ments, contributing US$637.66million,
US$267.34million and US$202.66 million or
38%, 16% and 12% of the total investments,
respectively.
Bugesera Airport Company Ltd  regis-
tered the largest individual investments
worth US$ 398.68 million followed up close-
ly by Ignite Power Rwanda Ltd worth US$
113.84 million, Gasabo Investment Company
(US$ 89.02 million and African Panther
Resources Ltd ($USD 54.02 million).  population.
Kigali View Hotel and Apartment Ltd reg-
istered US$53.2 million worth of investment.
Of these, Foreign Direct Investment domi-
nated the level of investment, contributing
US$1.041billion or 62.26% of all investments.
In 2016, FDIs contributed investments worth
US$ 650.4 million.
22 Feb 02 - 08, 2018
This was followed by local investments
that stood at US$ 470.98 million, down from
US$479.5million in the previous year while
joint ventures – local and foreign investors –
registered investments worth USD$ 160.47
million.
Commenting on the performance, RDB
Chief Executive Officer, Clare Akamanzi,
said the country’s investment has increased
from US$800million in 2007 to US$ 1.675bn
in 2017, signalling the country’s ability to
attract and retain investments.
“This is evidence that Rwanda is being
seen more and more as a great place to do
business,” she said adding that RDB’s ambi-
tion is to create 150,000 off-farm jobs per
annum.
She expressed confidence that the newly
recorded investments in the East African
nation would have an immediate impact
on the employment prospects of the young
RDB hopes that 38,261 jobs are to be cre-
ated in the last year’s investments in infra-
structure, services, manufacturing, tourism,
construction and real estate, agriculture,
Information, Communication and Technol-
ogy, and mining sectors.
This represents an increase of 184% from
2016 where 13,477 jobs to be created were
registered in the eight sectors.
This comes at the time Rwanda has con-
sistently recorded improvements in the ease
of doing business, with the latest World
Bank report on the Ease of Doing Business
Index, indicating that Kigali had the biggest
jump, improving 15 places from last year’s
rank of 56 to 41.
This is attributed to RDB’s  introduction
of  a One Stop Centre for investors, which
provides information and services to guide
investors through the key steps of starting
a business such as registration, licenses,
immigration, land, utilities, environmental
clearances and tax and mortgage registration
services. 
RDB helps investors to sort out sim-
ple and complex challenges they encounter
along the way and provides any guidance
required.
Also, RDB has introduced investor
engagement platforms such as the’ Investor
Open Day’ every Friday as well as ‘CEO
Forum’ four times a year where RDB senior
management meets and engages with busi-
ness leaders.

Airtel’s Tigo Rwanda take-over
The merger will boost the telecom’s customer base to 5.9 million
India’s telecom firm, Bharti Airtel, has received regulatory approval to acquire Millicom
International Cellular’s Rwanda unit, Tigo Rwanda
T
he Sunil Mittal-led mobile carrier
said on Jan 23 that it had received
approval from the Rwanda Utilities
Regulatory Authority (RURA) to
acquire Millicom’s Rwanda subsidiary.
Last December, Bharti Airtel had inked a
definitive pact with Millicom International
under which Airtel Rwanda would buy
100% equity interest in Tigo Rwanda, and in
turn, consolidate the Rwandan mobile mar-
ket by putting Airtel as a strong No 2 carrier
by revenue in the African country.
Millicom’s move to sale Rwanda’s opera-
tions was in line with its strategy to focus on
providing advanced fixed and mobile data
services in Latin America, which contribute
86 % of its revenue, according to Millicom’s
website.
“The merger will result in the only nega-
tive Ebitda operating company joining 13
positive Ebitda operating companies in
Africa,” Bharti Airtel said in a statement.
By Agencies
Meaning, all 14 Airtel units in Africa will
become Ebitda positive, going forward.
The Airtel-Tigo merged entity will have
the largest customer base in Rwanda with
5.9 million subscribers. It will also have the
largest sales and distribution network in
Rwanda.
The combined networks of the two compa-
nies will serve customers with voice/data
services, global roaming and mobile bank-
ing services, Bharti Airtel said, adding that
subscribers will not be required to change
their existing Tigo telephone numbers
and existing Tigo cash services will not be
affected.
Statistics released by RURA in Oct 2017
shows that Tigo had 40% market share of
Rwanda’s total 8,675,826 active subscribers,
compared to MTN’s 41 % while Airtel had
19 %.
Bharti Airtel has been performing well
in Africa, having reported a profit of US$76
rwanda
million in the December quarter compared
with a loss of US$93 million a year earlier,
helped by a surge in data traffic and Airtel
Money transactions. Airtel’s Africa revenues
too have grown 5.3% on-year to US$783
million in three months ended December.
Over the years, Bharti Airtel has been
bolstering its market position to become a
key player in the continent with in-country
acquisitions.
In the past, it has acquired assets in Ugan-
da (Warid Telecom) and Congo B (Warid),
Kenya (yu Mobile) and consolidated opera-
tions in Ghana (Millicom).
In a recent interview to Economic Times,
Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Mittal
said that the company would look at con-
solidation in countries like Kenya, Rwanda
and Tanzania through mergers, acquisitions
or both, even as the overall Africa business
was turning a corner.
Feb 02 - 08, 2018 23
Pioneer buses at the Mandela National Stadium parking yard.  INDEPENDENT/JIMMY SIYA

Rough terrain for

O
By Isaac Khisa

n the road leading to

the Western gate of

Pioneer Easy Bus

the Mandela National
Stadium, located about
8 kilometres away from
Kampala City Center
on the Kampala-Jinja highway, one
would easily observe that something
wrong.
Creditor plan to auction buses
Nearly three dozens of Pioneer
Easy Buses with no wheels are parked
to recover Shs151m debt
at the Stadium’s parking area, as a
section of mechanics clad in over-
sized green and blue aprons are
carrying out inspection and repairs company is increasingly facing and auctioned.
to the buses. Some of the buses, stiff competition from the 14-seater He said the move follows the
however, appear to be degenerating commuter taxis that have since company’s inability to defend itself
towards the irreversible status. reduced their fares to match Pioneer’s in court after securing a temporary
A section of the company’s staff fares. injunction last year for the then
told The Independent that lack of spare And to make the situation even worse, planned auction.
parts on the local market is one of the there is a looming auction of at least 26 However, Esther Kemigisha
reasons behind the grounding of the buses to recover Shs141million owed Tayebwa, a senior partner KNT
orange-coloured buses. to a business man, Charles Mushabe. Advocates and the PEB legal advisor
“The problem with these buses Bonnie Rwamukaaga, a bailiff said she was yet to receive an update
is that there are no spare parts sold at Libra Auctioneers, told The about the company’s pending court
locally,” sources told The Independent. Independent in an interview that case.
“Management has to import all spare Mushabe and his lawyers, Lex Uganda The company’s woes stem from a
parts from China – where these buses Advocates and Solicitors, are working 2014 judgment delivered by Nakawa
were purchased.” on the paperwork required by court Court ordering it to pay businessman
The sources added that the bus to have the company’s buses attached Charles Mushabe Shs141 million for

24 Feb 02 - 08, 2018


the supply of spare parts.
James Kasiita, the company’s
information systems analyst, who
also doubles as the public relations
officer, told The Independent that the
2-year closure of the PEB at the onset
of its operations and the subsequent
requirements to remit taxes and
dues to Uganda Revenue Authority
and Kampala Capital City Authority
affected its cash flow.
“Regular payments of taxes to URA
and KCCA affected our cash flow to
maintain buses,” he said. “We also
have to pay our staff totalling 150.”
URA impounded 100 buses
belonging to PEB in 2013 – just after
spending a year in business – for
failure to clear outstanding tax debts
amounting to Shs 8 billion.
Though the company was allowed
to operate 10 months later, after
negotiation and an agreement to
pay between Shs270million and
Shs300million monthly within 24
months, plans to resume operations
early 2014 were put on hold, pending
a review of a contract signed with
Kampala Capital City Authority.
This was intended to accommodate
the interests of authorities in Mukono
and Wakiso Districts as the Pioneer
buses were to ferry passengers to and
from the two districts as well.
And while a fresh contract was
eventually drafted and agreed upon
by all the four parties, it could not
be signed until the government had
revised its Road and Public Safety
Act to regulate the activities of city
commuter buses.
Currently, PEB ply around a few
parts of Kampala City. These are
Kampala-Kireka-Banda-Kyambogo-
Nakawa-Bweyogerere route; Kampala-
Luzira-Kitintale-Bugoloobi route;
Kampala-Kajansi and Kampala-
Namugongo routes.
It charges range between Shs 500-
Shs 1, 000 depending on the distance
covered by the passenger.
“We operate three trips a day on
each route yet we would be making
five if we had a special lane for our
buses as agreed in the contract with
KCCA,” Kasiita said, adding that
full implementation of the contract
would have enabled the bus company
generate more revenue.
Though the executives were cagey
to disclose the company’s revenue
performance, The Independent
analysis shows that each bus carrying
61 passengers at full capacity per trip
would generate about Shs 360,000 per
day, translating into Shs 9.36 million
per month and Shs112.3million per
year excluding taxes and operating
expenses.
This implies that if all the 100 buses
are in operation, PEB would be making
at least Shs11.2billion in revenue per
annum.
Efforts to get a comment from KCCA
Publicist Peter Kauju or his assistant
Robert Kalumba on the issue of special
lanes allocated to PEB were futile as
they could not pick our repeated calls.
Previously, KCCA officials
have said the process to give PEB
exclusive routes would be executed
in collaboration with the Ministry of
Works and Transport as one avenue of
ensuring order in public transport in
the city prevail.
Towards the end of 2013, there were
reports that President Yoweri Museveni
had been approached by a section of
people with interest in PEB business
for executive advice on this matter.
He was quoted as saying that
he would support the proposal by
KCCA to give exclusive routes to the
company. It is not clear up to now
why this move has not seen light of
day. Is this a potential cause for PEB’s
troubles or the entire business strategy
was wrong?
Brains behind PEB
Launched in 2012, the Pioneer buses
were welcomed by city residents as
they were seen as a long awaited
solution to reducing public transport
costs and eliminating disorder created
by the 14-seaters.
Prior to its financial troubles, PEB
had purchased 100 buses and planned
to import more units progressively,
until it met the 522 units that it agreed
upon with the KCCA.
First incorporated in 2005, the
company lists former Privatization
Minister and National Resistance
Movement (NRM) historical cadre,
Matthew Rukikaire and businessman
Fred Senoga as chairman and secretary
respectively, according to the registrar
of companies.
Rukikaire owns 45.04 % shares in
the company. The other shareholders,
according to available records, are former
Premier Kintu Musoke, Former Deputy
Premier Eric Adriko, Faizal Kasujja, a
banker, Muhammed Kasajja, a real estate
developer and Ida Wandendeya.
Feb 02 - 08, 2018
business
Timelines of Pioneer
Easy Bus troubles
 12 Mar 2012: PEB starts
operating in the Kampala
City
 13 Mar 2012: Lord Mayor
Erias Lukwago calls PEB’s
operations illegal
 10 Oct 2012: Pioneer bus
workers strike over lack of
pay; then later called off
strike
 20 Oct 2012: Pioneer bus
attempts a move to partner
with UTODA to remain in
business
 19 Nov 2012: PEB threatens
to end operations in press
release after a standoff with
city and government author-
ities over contract issues
 30 Dec 2012: Parliament
wants Pioneer Easy bus deal
reviewed
 6 Feb 2013: Parliament
orders KCCA to sign new
agreement with PEB,
Wakiso and Mukono urban
authorities
 14 Feb 2013: URA executes
a warrant of distress against
Pioneer Easy Bus by
impounding all their buses
due to failure to pay tax
arrears amounting to Shs
8bn. They threatened to auc-
tion the buses
 16 Feb 2013: Wakiso
and Mukono authorities
demands the Central Gov-
ernment to pay over Sh940m
lost during the period PEB
had operated in their areas
 18 Feb 2013: PEB executives
claim the company has
lost Shs13.2 billion because
KCCA has not fulfilled its
contractual obligations.
 21 Dec 2013: URA allows
PEB to resume operations
for the first time in 10
months after reaching an
agreement over tax arrears.
 2 May 2015: PEB resume
operations
 18 May 2017 – to-date:
Kampala High Court’s
Execution Division orders
attachment of 26 buses to
recover Shs151 million owed
to business man, Charles
Mushabe.
25
business
Museveni addressing participants at the Forum on Jan.23 at Sheraton Hotel.  Independent/J.Businge
Uganda could hire
expatriates for oil jobs
Kigumba Petroleum Institute has trained just 133
locals with certificates and diplomas in oil and gas
By Julius Businge
U
ganda will start investing in the oil
and gas infrastructure ahead of the
planned production in 2020 but
there are indications that majority
of the work will be undertaken by expatri-
ates.
This is based on the fact that the Uganda
Petroleum Institute, one of the institutions
mandated to impart skills to the local popu-
lation interested in working in the sector,
has so far trained and graduated just 133
Ugandans with diplomas and certificates.
Makerere University, which introduced
undergraduate courses in oil and gas in
2009, seems to have done little to address
the human resource gap.
Speaking during a forum dubbed ‘skill-
ing and local content forum’ organized by
Uganda Chamber of Mines and Petroleum
(UCMP) in collaboration with the Ministry
of Education and Sports on Jan 23, President
Yoweri Museveni, said the number is ‘too’
small. He blamed the current situation on
the low level of student enrolment in sci-
ence disciplines.
“Many Ugandans are trained in humani-
ties but there is a sizeable group who do
science and technical courses,” he told the
audience. Energy Minister, Irene Muloni,
however attributed the limited number of
trained Ugandans in matters oil and gas to
the high costs involved in the international
certification, lack of internationally accred-
26 Feb 02 - 08, 2018
ited training centres and a mismatch of the
domestic curriculum to the international
industry demands.
Oil and gas activities are expected to cre-
ate at least 167,000 jobs at their peak during
field development as well as pipeline and
refinery construction, according to Muloni.
Of those, 14,000 will be direct jobs, 42,700
indirect and 105,000 induced jobs. In terms
of competences, 15% [of the 167,000] are
estimated to be professionals (engineers and
managers), 60% technicians and craftsmen
and 25% unskilled laborers.
Way forward
An official from the petroleum institute
said they plan to introduce six more courses
related to oil and gas this year so as to
attract more students.
Muloni said the government would con-
tinue to push for skills development pro-
grams to close the identified gap together
with development partners.
“It is important that we prepare the coun-
try’s population for these new opportunities
that are emerging in the sub-sector especial-
ly at the next stage of Engineering Procure-
ment and Construction (EPC) scheduled
later this year,” she said.
President Museveni, however, said the
activities in oil gas sector will go ahead as
planned with or without the local human
resource.
“If we don’t have our people immedi-
ately (to do the jobs), we can go ahead and
bring the ones near us…” he said.
Museveni said the other options are;
the government would do a cost-benefit
analysis on allowing oil companies establish
training institutions and thereafter get back
their returns [investment] by deducting on
revenues to be paid to government.
The other option is to have as many
private sector players starting institutions
to train oil and gas skills to Ugandans who
would either pay for themselves or govern-
ment would foot the bill, he said, without
giving the timelines for possible implemen-
tation.
Elly Karuhanga, the chairman of UCMP
said the government needs to wake-up, use
the legal and policy frameworks in place to
urgently equip Ugandans with skills so as
not to allow oil companies import labour.
Quick facts
 Uganda has confirmed 6.5 billion bar-
rels of oil in about 20% of the potential
area of which about 1.5 billion barrels is
recoverable
 Uganda expects a total investment of
about US$15 -$20bn in the sub-sector in
the next 3-5 years. These include about
$8 billion in the upstream development,
$4 bn in building the crude oil export
pipeline, $3.5 bn in building a refinery
and other investments in support infra-
structure like the airport, roads
Executive Style
Uganda Clays pegs growth on innovation
How would you describe
business at Uganda Clays as
T
we speak?
alking about 2017,
the key thing to note
is that we had a fair
year. We grew but
not to our expectations. We
did better than the previous
year – in terms of revenue
growth, cost reduction, gross
margin and on the overall
profitability of the business.
We would have grown better
but the economy was not
good in the first half and
our clients had to prioritize
and or post-pone buying
decisions of our products.
This year, we started
reasonably on a fair note.
We opened up an outlet in
Arua, Lira, Gulu and Kabale.
This year, however, we have
started the plan is to go into
deep West and in the other
areas. We will also focus
our business in Kampala and
Wakiso which we believe have
a high per capita income.
How has your business
strategy dealt with the
growing industry competition
since you took over as MD in
2014?
There is no rocket science
on this. The key thing is visible
leadership. We are selling
clay products. The biggest
agenda for us as a business is
to increase our top line, drop
costs, motivate staff and raise
the bar on control environment
and ensure the health and
safety of our staff, our
customers and the community
where we do business. Yes,
we feel the competition; you
cannot run away from it. But
we shall uphold our quality
agenda and ensure that our
products are available and
distributed on time and rightly
priced. We will continue to
have customer centric attitude
in addition to dropping
waste in the company. In
addition, we are the only
company that is ISO certified
in the clay business. We still
feature amongst the top 100
best taxpayers and we have
improved salaries for our staff
and people feel positive change
in the company.
How far has NSSF gone with
converting the debt that you
owe them into equity?
That is work in progress.
In principle, both the Board
of NSSF and that of UCL
agreed that equity swap will
take place. The process is not
as simple as you talk about it.
The plan was to have it done
last year but we had many
priorities…but I am very
optimistic that this year, it will
be put to rest.
There is a general belief that
our economy will get better
in the short-to medium term–
how are your business plans
pegged on this optimism?
While the forecasts are
there, we don’t use them
predominantly to peg our
operations and projections.
There is what we call organic
growth; but there is also
growth that you can cause by
doing certain things like road
shows to influence demand.
George
Inholo is the
managing
director of
clay products
maker,
Uganda Clays
Limited. He
spoke to The
Independent’s
Julius
Businge
about their
operations
and industry
issues
We can’t rely on organic
growth because it can only
deliver single digit.
What is the update on your
plans to have physical
presence in the regional
markets?
We already have people
on ground that distribute our
products in Rwanda. We are
also doing business in Kenya,
Tanzania and South Sudan.
Exports to these markets
account for about 3% of our
sales per year. In the short term
that is what we are doing there
but in the long term we would
love to have presence there.
There has been talk
about the ageing factory
facility at Kajjansi and the
underutilization of the
Kamonkoli plant. What has
changed of late?
Last year we had steady
production because we
brought in the requisite spare
parts, replacing the old ones.
We spent close to € 300,000
(Shs 1.35bn) on that. We ran
the factories efficiently and this
ensured that we did not run
out of stock. This year, we will
Feb 02 - 08, 2018
bring in more parts basing on
the available need.
What about the raw materials
especially clay?
We don’t have an issue with
clay reserves. We are located
in Kajjansi because our raw
material that is underneath.
We have enough of it for
Kajjansiand Kamonkoli. Every
year we do projections. The
clay reserves that we have can
last for over 20 years. Note
that we always buy more land
to ensure that we have enough
clay for our business.
What should the market
expect from UCL in 2018 and
beyond?
We want to grow our
business by double digits
so we give value to the
shareholder. We are going to
do innovations – we want to
go into other colored/glazed
kind of tiles, clay paver. We
will embrace passion to excel
in everything that we will
choose to do. We will also do a
lot of marketing, geographical
expansions by opening up
outlets which will be stocked
adequately at all times. We are
going to put in place a robust
advertising program. We will
also have a builder’s academy
that will bring architects,
property developers, engineers
and people in the real estate to
help sharpen their knowledge
about the industry and our
products. We will also raise
our bar on the corporate side
when it comes to designing
strategies to serve them well.
We maintain the proven slogan
that when you build using
our products, you build for a
life time unlike other roofing
products. We are also going
to raise our bar on health and
safety; these are simple things
but they mean a lot. We shall
also do a lot of corporate social
responsibility especially with
coffee farmers because we
use coffee husks in our firing
process.
27
business
telecom csr

Airtel unveils 3G internet DStv Eutelsat Awards winner to view rocket launch
countrywide see a rocket launch into

A
space and the student who
irtel Uganda has started the New
Year with the launch of 3G internet designs the best poster
to all its sites across the country. will win a trip for two to
Speaking at a press conference South Africa and visit the
in Kampala on Jan.24, the company’s Man- South African National
aging Director V.G Somasekhar, said that Space Agency as well as
the upgrade in technology to 100% mobile exploration of several
broadband means that all their custom- heritage sites.
ers will have access to high speed internet Students can enter the
regardless of their geographical location. competition by writing
“Today is about internet for everyone; it is an essay or designing
about how we unlock, refine and make data a poster based on the
available for everyone,” Somasekhar said. sixtieth anniversary since
“Data is a new asset class, people who Previous winners of the awards the first satellite, Sputnik,
have it are going to be empowered, countries was launched into space.

T
that have it are going to be rich.”  The schools attended
The company invested US$50 million he 2017 DStv schools on the continent by the two winners
in FY2017/18 in its broadband services. Eutelsat where MultiChoice Africa will also receive a DStv
Currently 154 sites are being rolled out Star Awards maintains operations. installation, including
and an additional 165 sites are under competition is In the awards seventh a dish, TV, decoder and
implementation. It has 10 million back. The awards are edition, the winner of free access to the DStv
subscribers, out of that 30% are actively open to all learners from the essay competition Education Package.
using its internet, according to Somasekhar.  secondary or combined will travel to France and

Hospitality trade
Latitude Hotels to open new property in Kampala
UNBS to spend Shs 22bn

H
otel chain, ties in Malawi and Zambia operation in September.
Latitude Hotels in 2012 and 2014, respec- Reports also indicate on food lab

Group, plans to
open up a new
hotel facility in Kampala as
it seeks presence in the East
African region. This follows
the opening of similar facili-
industrialisation
Kenya bets on biotech cotton to create 50,000 jobs
T
tively. that the hotel group plan
While no official open- to set up similar facilities in he Uganda
ing is yet to be confirmed, other African cities includ- National
reports indicate that the ing Addis Ababa, Nai- Bureau of
hotel to be called ‘Latitude 0‘ robi, Kigali, Dar es Salaam, Standards
with 52 rooms, will start Maputo and Harare. (UNBS) plans to
build a Shs 22bn
modern food
testing laboratory in
in Bweyogerere, a
Kampala suburb, to
check distribution
The plan, which includes policy and sale of harmful
review and crafting of new incentive foodstuffs in Ben Manyindo
schemes, is also expected to generate the country as
10,000 jobs in the apparel sector, well standardise
according to Business Daily, a local Ugandan food He said the
newspaper. exports. construction of
The Treasury Secretary, Henry Rotich, “We expect to the lab is part of
says in the draft Budgetary Policy start construction UNBS master plan
Statement that the plan will start with soon after signing of having modern
the training of 50,000 youth and women the contract with infrastructure to
to engage in biotechnology (BT) cotton the contractor enable it carry out
production. because we are its mandatory tasks.

T
By the end of 2018, the State expects done with the This comes at the
he Kenyan government is to have expanded acreage under cotton procurement time the country
betting on mass production of to 200,000 hectares, up from 29,000 process,” UNBS is awash with
genetically modified cotton to currently. This development comes at Executive Director, reports of butcher
create 50,000 jobs and generate the Uganda is still dilly-tallying with Ben Manyindo said. operators using
Sh20 billion in apparel export earnings the enactment of the biotech law that “We hope that in formalin and other
this year as part of President Uhuru will facilitate the safe of the technology the period of 18 deadly chemicals to
Kenyatta’s final term economic revival in a number of crops including cotton, months the facility preserve meat and
plan. bananas, potatoes and cassava. will be in place.” keep away flies.

28 Feb 02 - 08, 2018

 business

BATU’s tax reprieve in Uganda

BY Isaac Khisa goods originating from any of

P
the EAC Partner States.
roducts of cigarette But in 2017, the said Act
maker, British Ameri- was amended to creat a dis-
can Tobacco (BATU) tinction between locally man-
manufactured at its ufactured goods and imported
Kenyan subsidiary in the East goods.
African Community will now Consequently, URA
be exempted from Uganda’s imposed a higher excise duty
excise duties. on goods imported into Ugan-
This follows a ruling in the da from Kenya and imposed
East African Court of Justice a lower duty on goods manu-
(EACJ) on Jan 25, barring the factured in Uganda, the com-
Uganda revenue Authority pany claims.
(L-R) Express Shipping and Logistics (ESL) Merreck Getugi, country manager, from imposing the tax on the The EACJ also took the
Silvester M. Kututa, Managing Director/ CEO and Martin K. Ikiara, group CFO company’s products from view that, the justice of
briefing the press on Jan. 25 during their office opening ceremony in Ntinda the neighbouring state due to the matter dictates that the
to expand their services to Uganda and the region.   INDEPENDENT/JIMMY SIYA discriminatory rates, pending respondent would suffer less
the case hearing and determi- injury from being temporarily
nation. prevented from exercising its
The ruling was delivered by right to collect the extra excise
Principal Judge, Lady Justice duty billed to the applicant if
Monica Mugenyi. the interim orders sought in
BATU filed the case at EACJ the present application were
in last August, claiming that granted, than the injury the
the new excise duties imposed applicant stands to suffer as
on cigarettes imported from the consequence of paying the
Kenya into Uganda were additional duty.
discriminatory and in contra- BATU recorded a profit of
vention of regional customs Shs7.8 billion in 2016, down
regulations. from Shs20.2 billion at the
BATU claims Uganda enact- end of 2015 citing increased
ed the Excise Duty Act No. 11 taxation, discontinuation
of 2014, which made provision of the tobacco leaf export
for an excise duty on cigarettes businesses and a tough
uniformly applied to all such economic environment.
Civil Society organization members, Baliraine Hakim, (R) director Eastern and
Southern Africa small scale Farmers Forum, Bridget Mugambe, (M) of Alliance
for Food Sovereignty in Africa and Agness Kiraba of Food Rights Alliance (FRA)
briefing the press on their joint statement against genetically modified organisms
(GMOs). They said that labeling of GMOs sh’d be inclusive with clarity on how it
sh’d be done to cater for all consumers.   INDEPENDENT/JIMMY SIYA Weekly share price movement (Jan. 24)
Security Jan 24 Jan 17 Movement
BATU 30000 30000 00
BOBU 115 112 2.6
CENT 1,631 1,579 3.3
DFCU 680 681 0.1
EABL 8,758 8,401 4.2
EBL 1,524 1,491 2.2
JHL 17,730 17,650 0.5
KA 592 582 1.7
KCB 1,577 1,579 0.1
NIC 12 12 00
NMG 3,758 4,024 6.6
NVL 515 515 00
SBU 29 29 00
UCHM 134 141 4.9
Uganda Breweries Managing Director Mark Ocitti, (L) hands over a 15 years’ UCL 29 29 00
service award to Moses Mukama at the brewery on Jan. 22, during a
UMEME 400 400 00
ceremony to recognize and award the brewery’s longest serving employees,
some of whom have been there for over 30 years.   INDEPENDENT/JIMMY SIYA ALSI -- -- --

Feb 02 - 08, 2018 29

COMMENT
By Simon P. Kasyate
UEGCL’s strategic plan
Launched in December 2017, the 5-year plan
is to ensure reliable, affordable electricity
T
he renowned English
strategic thinker and
consultant, Dr. Max
McKeown, in one of his
best seller books on strategic
planning titled `The Strategy
Book’, opines that: “With a clever
strategy, each action is self-
reinforcing. Each action creates
more options that are mutually
beneficial. Each victory is not just
for today but for tomorrow.”
The words sound sophisticated,
but their application applies
even to the most mundane of our
actions. Problem is, often we just
do things without a care to plan
on what the results of our actions
are and how better they could
be if we applied a little more
thought. It is also important to
place an objective measure of
the result. Take for example,
choosing to work harder at
your job by putting in more
hours gives the general feeling
that the rewards will be heavier
and come quicker. But what is
heavier and what is quicker?
What is the measure of these?
And so what, with heavier and
quicker rewards? It’s at the point
of answering these questions that
one realises the need for a stra-
tegic plan in the first place.
Slightly over the last three
years, the mandate and obli-
gations of Uganda Electricity
Generation Company Limited
(UEGCL) changed from mere
concession management of the
Nalubaale-Kiira hydropower
complex to the development of
new electricity generation facili-
ties as well their operation and
maintenance. This meant it was
not business as usual and hence
the need for a strategic plan.
Even more, the assignment as
implementing agency for the
flagship government projects of
Karuma (600MW) and Isimba
(183MW) meant that UEGCL
had to make its governance
structure as well as its operations
more systematic lest it falters on
this noble but uphill task.
30 Feb 02 - 08, 2018
For the period 2015-2017, there the leading power producers in and takes impeccable leadership
was a strategic plan largely to the Great Lakes Region’ UEGCL both at Board and management
address the direction the com- can’t afford to transact business levels. UEGCL is not lacking in
pany was to take to deliver on in a manner akin to ‘beating the composition of these two
the new hydropower plants. about the bush’. Even more, with leadership levels.
Subsequent to this UEGCL a mission ‘to sustainably gen- Drawing from Dr. Max
embarked on the formulation of erate reliable, quality and afford- Mckeown therefore, each theme
a new 5-year Strategic Plan (2018- able electricity for socio-eco- in our strategic plan above rakes
2023). nomic development,” UEGCL in individual benefits but the
The plan has been formulated needs nothing short of a robust collective sum of these benefits
through a rigorous and consulta- strategic plan and the commit- are mutually reinforcing and
tive process, involving various ment to execute it to the letter if are not for the short term scores
stakeholders, and the result is a the Mission must be achieved but rather long term gains. We
concise document that enshrines and the Vision realised. remain confident and deter-
the aspirations of the Company The pillars of this new strategic mined to at worst achieve and
over the next 5 years. plan are operational excellence, or at best, exceed on the reali-
Key among the milestones for stakeholder and reputation man- sation of this, our new 5-year
the next 5 years are the comple- agement, sustainable growth and strategic plan.
tion of the on-going flagship engaged workforce. Unpacking
projects, and the commencement these thematic areas is at the core Simon P. Kasyate is the Manager,
of operations and maintenance of executing this strategic plan Corporate Affairs UEGCL.
in line with the Government
policy to provide employment,
and ensure affordable Tariffs
through least cost-of-energy
generation.
The cardinal pillars of the
plan are to ensure; availability,
reliability, affordability and The Management & Staff of Ham Enterprise (U) Ltd,
the delivery of Quality elec- congratulates H.E. The President of the Republic of
tricity services to the people Uganda, Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament
of Uganda. This strategic Plan and all the people of Uganda as we celebrate the
was launched in December 32nd NRM Anniversary.
2017. It is imperative for any
organisation to have a long-
term outlook if it is to succeed
in its aspirations. It is impor-
tant to note that UEGCL as a
Government agency has learnt
and puts into practice the Gov-
ernment’s policy framework
which is guided by a five year
National Development Plan,
which is part and parcel of the
Governments Vision 2040.
The UEGCL Five Year Stra-
tegic Plan takes into account
the aspirations of the Govern-
ment, key among which is
the delivery of the Key Flag-
ship hydropower projects of
Karuma and Isimba, while at
the same time improving the Plot 923. Makerere Hill Road Ham Towers, Makerere 4th floor, Suite 02
operational efficiency of the | P.O.Box 2183, Kampala. Uganda
Kiira/Nalubale hydropower Tel: +256-414 662 855 | Mob:+256-772 885 155, +256 - 772 - 507 088
complex. | Email: ham@hamenterprises.co.ug
With a vision “to be one of Website www. hamenterprises.co.ug

By Joseph Were
Museveni’s decision on Kayihura
Unlike what the public is hoping for, ending criminality
in the police is not the President’s biggest concern
F
ollowing recent revelations of
shocking criminality in the Uganda
Police Force, Inspector General Kale
Kayihura’s number is up it appears.
Equally feeling the chill wind must be Presi-
dent Yoweri Museveni who must make at
least three serious decisions regarding the
force’s politics, loyalty, and budget.
Museveni knows that 90 percent of police
officers are not criminals, although the tiny
10 percent pollutes the air so badly that it
is difficult to sniff the strawberry from the
garlic.
However, although the recent arrest of
Kayihura’s ally; one Abdullah Kitata, the
obnoxiously noisy leader of the so-called
Boda-Boda 2010 gang set off a heavy stench,
treating the other security agencies like the
Internal Security Organisation (ISO) and the
Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI)
which were dreaded names in previous
years as angels is a mistake. Their current
leaders; including Security Minister Henry
Tumukunde, CMI boss Abel Kandiho and
ISO boss Bagyenda Kaka cannot be anti-
criminality altar boys.
The police entanglement with the under-
world has tainted Kayihura’s image and
that of the police so badly that they need to
be scrubbed using a very strong brush and
a detergent that is ten times stronger than
JIK. But Museveni knows that Ugandans
have short memories and he has long term
plans.
While many people are surprised at the
level of police criminality, Museveni pos-
sibly is not. So while many commentators
are focusing on how to end the criminality,
Museveni most likely isn’t.
The view that Ugandan police stations are
dens of criminals might be news to many
but not Museveni. His intelligence network
has furnished him with even the scariest
bits; that the police are hiring out guns to
criminals, aiding drug, ivory, and human
traffickers, and using fake charges in extor-
tion rackets and torture and killing suspects.
Museveni must have seen a video that
aired recently of policemen battering an
NBS TV journalist reporting on criminals
who confess to be police collaborators in
crime. One collaborator, ex-convict Paddy
Sserunjoji alias Sobi, in December shook
airwaves when he confessed on TV to
killing people. Another criminal had told
IGP Kayihura the same thing at a suspects’
parade at Katwe police station in Kampala
before he was ordered to shut up. Police col-
lusion with the kiboko squad, Kifeesi and
other goons is well documented. Museveni
said as much after the murder of then AIGP
Felix Kawesi.
So police criminality is not news to
Museveni. He could have acted already if
it was his main concern. Instead, he must
be devising a strategy that ensures the force
remains a political tool of his government,
that the army of boda-boda and other urban
youth remain firmly loyal to NRM, and that
the Shs530 billion budget of the police force
does mainly NRM work. If Tumukunde,
Kandiho, Kaka, or anyone else can guar-
antee these three items for Museveni, they
will oversee the police.
Museveni is not focusing on merely
removing Kayihura because that is sim-
plistic and will not solve the problem. That
is because Kayihura is a problem only oper-
ationally. Even here, the bigger problem
is systemic, and a result of our society and
politics. For Museveni, Kayihura is politi-
cally impeccable.
So Museveni will calculate that generally
speaking, removing a police boss like Kayi-
hura per se does not solve operational prob-
lems because the patterns of criminality
in the Uganda Police force can be seen all
over the world; from London to New York,
Brazil to Mexico, Egypt to South Africa, and
Nigeria. In fact, compared to others, the
criminals in the Uganda police are babies.
Consider this: Hungary gave its police
the biggest pay rise in history but corrup-
tion persisted. It sacked 240 but corruption
remains. In Argentina the police have been
involved in terrorist bombings, murder of
journalists, drug trafficking, cattle rustling
and more. Police officers in Brazil are hit
men for criminal gangs and aid drug traf-
fickers. In one incident 42 policemen were
paid US$1000 for each person they killed on
behalf of criminal gangs in the city of Rio
Branco. Another 150 policemen were hired
by powerful landlords to murder hun-
dreds of squatters on land. The cases were
quashed in courts after judges were bribed.
In Los Angeles, USA, up to 70 police offi-
cers went on trial for routinely beating and
shooting suspects, planting fake evidence,
and lying under oath. In New York City,
USA, two police officers sodomised a man
with a stick at a police station. The case was
COMMENT
reported and ignored.
So the criminality in the Uganda Police
Force is not unique. It will continue under
new leaders or worsen because what the
police require operationally is not indi-
vidual change at the top but organisation-
wide change right to the bottom.
Kayihura came to the force as a cerebral,
clean operator. But he found a police force
that recruits many wrong elements from
our sick society, trains them poorly, and
promotes some on the basis of technical
know-who. The force is plagued by low pay
and lack of resources, functional account-
ability and disciplinary mechanisms. It
finds and recruits easy accomplices in crime
in other state agencies and department;
especially the courts.
But the bigger problem is that profession-
alism is not demanded. Only political loy-
alty to Museveni and relentless effort to pre-
serve Museveni’s power are required. This
foments a culture of indiscipline, impunity,
and total lack of professional standards.
Kayihura initially succeeded in turning
the police around; especially when he was
propagating the concept of community
policing. He improved facilities; including
transport, regular pay, training, housing,
and more. However, the project started stut-
tering when short-term politically expedient
moves and lack of resources led to more
reliance on criminal militias to catch other
criminals or defeat opposition protests.
Of course no police officer likes what is
going on and the public expects change.
Unfortunately, things are no so straight-
forward for Museveni. Under Kayihura,
the police force has got a huge budget.
Museveni cannot withdraw it overnight.
Yet he cannot let it fall into untrustworthy
hands.
As Niccolo Machiavelli wrote in `The
Prince’: “It must be remembered that there
is nothing more difficult to plan, more
doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to
manage, than the creation of a new system.
The initiator has the enmity of all who
would profit by the preservation of the insti-
tutions and merely lukewarm defenders in
those who would gain by the new one.”
This means Museveni will reflect deeply
about the individuals to select to sort out
the police. It means criminality in police will
remain because Museveni’s decision will be
political, not operational.
Feb 02 - 08, 2018 31
A
By Flavia Nassaka

new condom
said to
be more
pleasurable is
undergoing
tests to be
used in Uganda. The ‘panty
condom’, as it is called,
has already been given a
greenlight by the Uganda
National Council for
Science and Technology.
The condom is a
combination of lingerie and
a contraceptive made of
polyurethane and intended
for a one time use. It is
anti-allergic and has been
made with thinner than
usual layer meant to make
one have a no-condom feel,
says Dr. Moses Muwonge,
the Executive Director
SAMASHA Medical
Foundation, a local non-
profit promoting the
condom.
Made by a Columbian
manufacturer, Innova

‘Panty Condom’ hits

Quality, the condom is
likely to hit the market
by October, according to
Muwonge. This will be after

Ugandan market
six months of acceptability
studies expected to start at
Makerere University soon.
Once they are on
the market, Muwonge
anticipates that Uganda will
be the hub of the device
on the continent because Experts say it is more pleasurable and
his non-profit has secured
a contract to supply the
condom to the whole of
puts power in the hands of women
Africa.
Muwonge is excited that
women will this time have day and only expose the condom use in Uganda This group is also the most
something that puts them in device when about to have by the Ministry of Health affected by HIV in Uganda.
control. intercourse. “You only have revealed that female Preliminary results of the
“Women are frustrated by to flip the slit”, Muwonge condoms were mostly being Uganda Population based
men who don’t want to use says as he demonstrates taken up by sex workers but HIV Impact Assessment
condoms,” Muwonge told how it is used. The panty Muwonge is not targeting survey released last year
The Independent, “We are has an opening which these. show prevalence among
now telling them that don’t exposes the condom that He is aiming for a stylish this group of 15 to 24 years
remove your panty if you looks no different from corporate lady, a young was at 7.6% compared to
are not sure your man has the current male condom. woman or an adolescent males at 4.7%.
condom. This panty is your Once exposed, the condom girl. This is partly why But Muwonge says the
security.” unrolls on the penis during the condom is in form of new condom targets men
He explained that one penetration. a G-string, a type of panty too. For him, once men
can wear the panty all A 2009 study on female popular among that group. realize that if they do not

32 Feb 02 - 08, 2018


carry a condom, a woman will have
one they will also start carrying one.
In addition he says, the panty looks
good for both sexes.
‘A search for a more pleasurable
condom’
Vastha Kibirige, the Condom
Coordination Officer at Ministry of
Health, who has been in the condom
business for more than twenty years
is as excited and full of anticipation
as Muwonge. This is exactly how
Kibirige and her colleagues at PATH
an NGO that specializes in health
innovation felt in 1998 when a
‘Fermidome’ also known as FC 1 was
introduced in Uganda.
“We said finally women have got
something they can control” she
said,” we got a million condoms and
divided them. We planned to give out
half through the public sector and
half through social marketing.”
But he says that most of the women
looked at the condom—a large
slippery device with a ring at the
bottom-- as something weird.
“The attitude is already very
bad,” Kibirige says, “Someone looks
at your face and says this thing is
terrible. And, yet it is a life saving
commodity”.
However, Kibirige is now optimistic
that the panty might work because, he
says, the challenge has always been
finding a more pleasurable condom.
Uganda has about 30 brands of
condoms on the market. A condom
market survey done by the Ministry
of Health in 2016 shows that while
there were 19 brands of condoms on
the market in 2011, they had risen
to 28 brands by 2016. At the end of
2017, another contraceptive giant DKT
International based in the US joined
the market with its KISS condom
targeting the middle class. In total,
the market volume has increased
from 89million condoms in 2012 to
179million in 2016.
‘Only 19% can use condoms well’
However, Kibirige says that while
all these brands are on the market,
condom use amongst both men and
women appears either stagnant or on
the decrease. Between 2011 and 2016,
the percentage of males and females
using condoms increased slightly.
In 2016, 21.5% of males and 21.3%
of females reported using a condom
the last time they had sex compared
to only 19% of males and 12% of
females five years prior. Among the
unmarried youth while the figures
were higher at 41% for the males and
54% for the females in 2016, there
was a decrease from 62.7% among
males in 2011 and yet the percentage
of females remained unchanged even
after five years.
Overtime, Kibirige says he has
learnt that for a condom, whether
male or female, to be used, there
needs to be a lot of promotion
activities done.
She says condom programming
is four times the cost of the product
and thus having the product alone
doesn’t help. This is partly because,
she says, they didn’t have resources
to dispel the myths and teach many
people how to use the device that the
FC1 failed to survive its fifth birthday
in the country. By 2003, when the
condoms were to expire, their stores
were still full.
Market
volume has
increased
from
89million
condoms
in 2012 to
179million in
2016
“Even in areas that were still
demanding the condom,” she added,
“we later found out they were not
using them for their purpose. In
Karamoja for instance women wanted
the ring to use it as bangles. Almost
no one in western region was asking
for the condom” she recalls.
Many other complaints came too
as she recalls some saying the ring
was uncomfortable, others it was
noisy during intercourse. Stories that
the condoms were sliding away and
getting lost in the body also appeared
to worsen the situation.
Very soon an improved version FC2
came to the market with a smaller
ring making it easy to insert and
made of polyurethane, giving it a
no-condom feel. But still, Kibirige and
her group have failed to get women to
health
embrace the female condom, at least,
to the success of the male condom. Of
the 240million condoms needed every
year, only 2million is the current need
for the female condom.
“Women still find it weird,”
Kibirige says, “They say it’s hard to
put on.”
Muwonge sees no excuse in not
using the panty condom. He says
they inverted it after studying the
flaws in all the old condoms on the
market and that with it, one can be
able to change positions during sexual
intercourse.
But Uganda Health Marketing
Group (UHMG)’s Timothy Damulira
is concerned about innovation and
sustainability on the market.
He says anything that concerns a
change in behavior requires constant
innovation and information because
people tend to suffer from exhaustion
using one product for a long time. For
him, the search for a more pleasurable
condom continues.
Indeed, UHMG continues to
innovate even when they have already
built a brand in the contraceptive
world. They recently ferried in a
new brand of male condoms that is
chocolate scented and of a golden
color.
Muwonge’s condom just like many
on the market is planned to be sold
both through the public sector, social
marketing and commercially for
those who can afford to buy out of
the pocket. On the market, a packet
of condoms costs between Shs2000
and Shs20,000 whereas the subsidized
ones sold through social marketing go
for as low as Shs500 per packet.
A 2016 condom use study by the
Ministry of Health revealed that the
value of the total condom market
was estimated at $88million, a 95%
increase from the market value in
2011. Commercial contributes to
only 2% of the condoms used in the
country, 19% are sold through social
marketing. The majority get their
condoms free through public sector
at 79%.
In 2016, approximately 336 million
condoms were needed to cover all
risky sex acts in Uganda, about 212
million more than were needed in
2011. In 2011 alone, the need exceeded
condom distribution by 67%.
Muwonge hopes the panty condom
will spring its own surprises .
Feb 02 - 08, 2018 33
 ART | BOOKS | SOCIETY | TRAVEL | CULTURE
By Dominic Muwanguzi
Samson Xenson Ssenkaaba
X
enson is a first class graduate of
the School of Industrial and Fine
Arts at Makerere University and
his name is synonymous with
colossal experimental artwork produced
from both indigenous (barkcloth) and
synthetic material. He is a multi-media
artist blending elements of fashion,
poetry and hip-hop culture in his artistic
practice. His performance of Ensi yaleta
at the Johannesburg Art Festival 2015
and Musisi at the itinerary exhibit Kabo
Ka Muwala 2015 held at Makerere art
gallery, highlighted his creative ingenuity
and elicited a standing ovation for the
youthful artist. But it is GunflowerMask
2017 that got everyone talking on the
Kampala art scene. In the exhibition,
Xenson demonstrated his exalted
proficiency at pushing the boundaries of
art. He exhibited Photography, Painting
and Installation in large scale and with
attention to detail. His artistic narrative
was largely dominated by the global
current situation that includes issues of
immigration, neo-colonialism, exploitation
and material culture. With such energy,
skill and genius mindset, Xenson is fast
transforming the local art scene from a
mediocre landscape to a vibrant one.
Sanaa Gateja
He is known as the paper bead King
locally and internationally. The ability to
recycle paper into colourful beads with a
motive of inspiring a visual narrative of
recycling and figurative representation
of day to day life experiences, endorses
him as a uniquely creative artist. He also
works with barkcloth as a symbol of
blending the traditional art practices with
the contemporary. But it is the stories
he tells with his art that capture the
audiences globally. He is keenly aware of
the global political and social landscape
and as such, constructs his installations to
respond to such conversation. His large-
scale installation Paths is a response to the
subject of immigration that is a hot topic in
Europe. Similarly, his popular figurative
installation of a pair of spiritual deities:
woman and man convey the message
of African spiritualism in an era of neo-
colonialism. Sanaa has featured at the
Johannesburg Art Fair, Paris Art Fair and
recently at AKAA Art Fair, Paris 2017.
34 Feb 02 - 08, 2018
Top five
artists on
the Kampala
Art Scene
Immaculate Immy Mali
She defies the stereotype that experience
comes with age. This young artist has
probably had the most illustrious art
career, any artist on the local art scene
would dream of. She makes art out of her
own life struggles, and that perhaps is
an added advantage because her stories
are both genuine and heart-rending. Her
installation Virtually Mine, at Kabo Ka
Muwala exhibition was poignant. She
worked with small glass panel inscribed
on with WhatsApp messages. The
dangling glass panels demonstrated her
fragile relationship with her boyfriend
who lives overseas. Such long distance
love is delicate and is either sustained or
destroyed by social media discourse. As
if that was not emotional enough, she set
out to perform Safe Here at Kampala Art
Biennale 2016. Mali, albeit her physical
inability in the right leg, struggled to
find balance on a bicycle, so as she could
ride it. The performance that lasted a few
minutes left her dripping with sweat as the
audience looked on in disbelief. Presently
pursuing an international art residence in
Europe, Mali is an undisputed influence on
the local art scene and beyond.
Eria“Sane” Nsubuga
The strength of this lanky artist lies in
his invoking political satire in art. As such,
Sane is a political satirist with a knack of
fusing artistic parody with political evils.
The motive for this blend is to create
simple understanding and interpretation
of complex subjects like immigration, neo-
colonialism, racism and homosexuality
for his audience. Another trait of his art
is to invoke academic theories of political
revolutionaries in his art in order to evoke
the idea of authenticity in his narratives.
Exhibitions like Abaneene 2014, Black
Faces, White Masks 2015 and Creases
and Tears 2017 share this common
characteristic. Sane’s deep conscious of
inspiring such political discourse to the
public through art makes him a bold artist.
Few artists on the local scene are brave
enough to use their craft to interrogate
political injustices. It is a venture they think
will land their art into jeopardy. With such
brevity, the PhD student at the University
of Southampton, England has showcased
at the Johannesburg Art Fair, Kenya Art
Fair and Paris Art Fair, France.  
Ronex Ahimbisimbwe
What Ronex cannot say in speech,
he will say eloquently in his art. He is
undoubtedly known as the trendsetter of
technical innovation on the local art scene,
and this he continuously emphasizes
with art that is a creative blend of
technical dexterity and the power of the
subconscious. He is a multi-media artist
working in painting, digital art, sculpture
and installation. Nonetheless, his art is
dominated with figurative contrasts of
simplicity and complexity, naivety and
sophistication, and beauty and ugly.
This technique stimulates visual inquiry
into his art culminating into a myriad of
answers and questions from the audience.
Unlike his contemporaries who create
art to entertain and convey a particular
message, Ronex primary motive is to elicit
dialoguefrom the public. As such, he’s
eager to move art outside its comfort zone
of an elitist audience

Bank of Uganda's golden odyssey
E
very book should have a purpose.
And commemorative books ap-
pear to make this easy for
the publisher because they
are purposely obvious; especially
if an anniversary is inked in.
However, to produce really
great work, there is catch. The guar-
anteed budget (whether big or small),
the easy access to source material, and
the collegial spirit around the project
require creativity to manage team
expectations.
I was recently reading Bank of Ugan-
da’s commemorative book to mark
its 50th anniversary (1966-2016) when
these thoughts intruded. Under the title
`The Golden Odyssey’, the coffee-table
style publication is a picture perfect ren-
dition in book form of what is known
in the corridors of the central bank as
the `Bank of Uganda way’. It is a culture
that the committed staff members describe
as “the aspiration for excellence”. And this
tendency shines through the book.
Compiled by a joint Bank of Uganda
editorial team and external consultants led
respectively by the central bank director of
Communications, Christine Alupo and con-
sultant Chris Wasswa, it offers the reader a
peek into the inscrutable vaults of an institu-
tion whose invisible hold on the country’s
monetary sector touches everyone.
It shows how, over the years, the men
and women behind the walls on Plot 37/45
Kampala Road have strategised, negoti-
ated, and plotted to ensure that the shillings
retains its value in a turbulent currency
environment and everyone with money
in any commercial bank sleeps soundly,
knowing there is a force watching over their
mostly hard-earned savings.
The book’s purpose is to tell the story of
the bank’s evolution through the actions
of its leading men (yes men, as only a few
women shine through; current bank secre-
tary Susan Wasagali Kanyemibwa and Janet
Kahirimbanyi from the past and the impor-
tant spouses of the period; Janet Museveni,
Miria Obote, and Teopista Mubiru).
Through twists and turns, and creativ-
ity, courage and tragedy, they are revealed
as masterful players on a financial sector
stage built on challenging political tapestry
on which the mysterious murder of the
Bank’s first governor; the exceptionally bril-
liant and brave Joseph Mubiru casts a dark
cloud.
Fortunately, the Mubiru murder under
Idi Amin is also an emotional charge that
makes any successes in the turbulent years
since more poignant; especially the steer-
ing of the economy from the years of post-
Title: The Golden Odyssey:
Bank of Uganda 1966-2016
Publisher: Bank of Uganda
Reviewer: Joseph Were
independence central planning to present
day market-driven liberalism and incessant
innovations in a globalised environment.
From its cover page, which boasts a per-
fectly framed photo of the Bank’s old and
new bank head office buildings to epito-
mise the journey, the book records mainly
success. The other archival photographs tell
equally amazing stories.
It is a masterfully crafted tale of records,
recollections, and conjectures of members of
an army that has kept an eye on economic
transactions with the rest of the world,
ensured that commercial banks oper-
ate smoothly, and prices flow smoothly;
remaining relatively stable and changing
only as they should.
Narration of technical, management,
operational and statutory developments
delves into issues of security, integrity, and
continuity of financial sector. It is exciting
to read about how innovations emerged to
protect deposits in an environment shift-
ing from analogue to digital and national
inward-looking to increasing global inter-
connectivity.
It is difficult to imagine that at one point,
the Bank’s most hi-tech equipment was the
IBM AS/400 with storage capacity of just
2GB.
It covers the evolution of policy and
strategies to protect deposits, including the
inception of digitalisation, the emergence
of mobile money and payment services,
to grappling with new challenges like the
Petroleum Fund as custodian of the US$250
million taxes from Tullow oil and a Petro-
leum Revenue Investment Fund, the credit
reference bureau, Islamic banking, bancas-
surance, agent banking and more.
The soft side of sports and culture
(including a powerful choir), impeccable
book
human resource management
practices, and Corporate Social
Responsibility are also docu-
mented.
A turning point for the bank
was the promulgation in 1993 of
the Bank of Uganda statute which
delinked it from the public service and
ring-fenced areas of its autonomy. It was
a happy moment but also challenging.
The team that put this book has a
record of excellent work. Even when,
as in this case, instances of paucity in
analysis (especially in tracing how the
monetary policy challenges have evolved
since 1966 and some of the drama of
grand decisions the Central Bank gover-
nors have had to make), and lack of rigor
in expert recollection and documentation,
it is clearly a resource imperative and
not a dent on execution. Some laughable
memories include the fuss in 1999 over
the so-called year 2000 “Millennium Bug”,
which was predicted to strike and wipe out
all unsecured data but didn’t happen.
When a speech Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala(
former managing director, World Bank)
gave as part of the Joseph Mubiru lectures is
reproduced, it is inescapable that the inter-
esting topic she tackles; `African Central
Banks: Rethink the role or stay the course?’
would have been enriched by local nuances.
Instead, it is the deftness of the editorial
team that shines through as they attempt to
fill the space with speeches of such distin-
guished financial managers.
The missed opportunity for articulating
the vision of Bank of Uganda is most felt
in Part II: Core Mandates, Part III: Exter-
nal Perspectives, and Part IV: The Future.
The evolution of the central bank’s core
mandate from 1966 when the East African
Currency Board divested its roles to the
respective member states central banks.
Even present day Inflation Targeting-Lite is
treated fleetingly yet the switch from focus-
ing ensuring exchange rate stability to price
stability deserves more than the paragraph
it’s given.
The 50 year anniversary was marked as
the bank was embarking on the fourth cycle
of its five-year strategic planning round
starting in 2017. Launched in 2002 under a
new strategic planning philosophy; the cur-
rent cycle runs up to 2022. Over this period,
important developments are envisaged;
including the establishment of a common
EAC currency by 2024, through the EA
Monetary Institute, an East African Central
Bank. In reality, however, this book shows
that nobody actually knows what will hap-
pen. Instead, it is a near perfect prototype
for recording the next 50 years.
Feb 02 - 08, 2018 35
 Schoolboy’s journal entry questions Columbus ‘lies’
A young schoolboy, a powerful entry in his
King Johnson, recently journal, noting that “there
challenged his teacher fol- were lots of people who
lowing a lesson on ‘the man were already living on the
who discovered America.’ American continent.”Today
Christopher Columbus is was not a good learning
widely remembered in his- day,” Johnson wrote. Blah
tory as having discovered blah blah. I only wanted to
America. But Johnson didn’t hear you not talking. “You
hold back in his account, said something wrong and I
and clearly wasn’t afraid to can’t listen when I hear lies.
tell his teacher exactly what Columbus didn’t find our
he thinks about the lesson. country, the Indians did. I
He reacted to the class with like to have Columbus Day
Bar bans customers from saying ‘most
annoying word in the English language’
A bar has literally banned confines of his boozer. Gram- but his hatred of the word is
customers from using the mar pendants are quick to air real. Phrases such as ‘It’s all
word ‘literally’ in a bid to their disgust. These days, the good,’ ‘You know what I’m
quash the rise of ‘Kardashian- word ‘literally’ is often used as saying?’ and ‘My bad’ also
ism.’ The usage of the word a crutch word, and arrived on inflame his rage. “What’s
has risen in recent years, the scene as such around the annoying is people aren’t even
particularly among younger time young people started say- aware they’re saying it. How
generations. The owner of ing ‘like’ unnecessarily. Worse could you be so unaware of
dive bar Continental in New still – at least in the eyes of your words that it’s coming
York’s East Village has been some – is people using literally out every couple minutes?”
so upset by the erroneous when they mean figuratively. Some drinkers have come out
placement of ‘literally’ that he Trigger Smith also admits that in support of Trigger’s notice.
has totally banned it from the the policy is tongue-in-cheek, Most fail to see the funny side.
Woman answers marriage advert on Facebook
as a joke, gets married a week later
to say I do and I am wasting no time. Send in
your applications.” The most qualified will
be married on 6 January, 2018. Application
closes 12 midnight, December 31, 2017. I am
serious about this and don’t say you did not
see it on time. Goodluck.” Amedu received
a few responses from interested parties, but
the one that caught his attention came from
Sophy Ijeoma, an acquaintance he barely knew.
“Am interested, just DM me…lols.” After two
hours of conversation, Amedu asked Ijeoma
to meet his uncle. It was after we met the
Nigerian makeup artist, Sophy Ijeoma uncle and his wife, that I realized that this
decided to comment on an acquaintance’s could actually happen and I wanted it.” The
Facebook marriage advert as a joke but she couple decided to keep their momentum and
never imagined she would marry the man seek the approval of Ijeoma’s family on the
seven days later. The day before New Year’s same day. It was official – Amedu and Ijeoma
Eve, Nigerian furniture maker, Chidimma were engaged to be married all within hours
Amedu, decided it was time to find a wife of meeting. All went well, and on January 6,
and posted an advert on Facebook, asking all 2018, the couple officially became husband
women interested in becoming his wife to reply and wife, in a traditional Igbo ceremony.
to his post. It read: “Am of age and I am ready
36 Feb 02 - 08, 2018
off but I want you to not
teach me lies. That is all.
My question for the day is
how can white people teach
black history?” Apparently,
the teacher appeared unim-
pressed with Johnson’s take-
down, and wrote in red pen
about being “disappointed”
by Johnson's efforts. While
Johnson’s teacher might not
have thought much of his
thoughts - everyone else
thinks he’s done a good job
Pet Chicken
gets Obituary
A Texas chicken has received an
honour few, if any, other birds get
— a formal obituary. The obituary
of “Big Mama”, a 6-year-old Rhode
Island Red, appeared recently in
a local newspaper based in Bryan,
Texas. The obituary noted that Big
Mama initially had been raised in
an apartment in Houston. It is here
that her previous owners took her
to be euthanized in 2013, when
a compassionate veterinarian
instead had them relinquish their
rights to the chicken so she could
find a new home. Big Mama was
adopted by Stephanie and Gregory
Sword and their two sons, who
live in College Station. The family
said in the obit they were “hooked
instantly” after seeing a photo of
the bird. The chicken recently died
in her sleep, at her favorite spot in
the chicken coop, the Swords told
local media. “We’re just hoping
that the story of Big Mama will
remind others that every life, even
that of a chicken, is valuable and
worth saving.”
 Kia reveals
upgraded K5 sedan
Car maker, Kia has revealed an upgraded K5 sedan in
South Korea offering a new look of the new 2018 Optima.

B
ringing fresh front and rear de-
signs, new alloy wheels and more
technology, the facelifted mid-size
sedan features a more aggressive
front bumper with three-part lower LED
lamps instead of foglights and a revised
grille with vertical slats.
Out back there are fresh LED tail-lights
atop a reshaped rear bumper with relo-
cated reflectors and new contrasting-colour
diffuser element with twin oval exhaust
outlets.
Inside, there’s a different four-spoke mul-
tifunction steering wheel, new LED ambient
interior lighting and revised trims including
a luxurious quilted leather option.
Finally, Kia has fitted an updated info-
tainment system with surround-view func-
tionality and new driver aid called High-
way Assist, which works with the adaptive
cruise control and lane assist systems to
provide semi-autonomous high-speed func-
tionality.
However, despite the fact the Optima
was the only Kia model to decline in popu-
larity last year, when the new Stinger large
sedan was launched with a $45,990 starting
price, it’s clear that Kia’s direct rival for the
Toyota Camry and Mazda6 will not be dis-
continued.
Chief operating officer Damien Meredith
recently told motoring.com.au that Kia Aus-
tralia was currently rethinking its Optima
strategy, in light of the Stinger’s success
and the mid-year arrival of the Korean car-
maker’s larger new Cerato sedan, which
debuted at the Detroit motor show earlier
this month.
“There’s two issues we’ve got to look
at,” said Meredith at the time. “One is that
we did have a strategy in place for Optima;
how we’re going to handle it, put it back
into the market and make it more competi-
tive.
“I think that we will have to review that
with what we saw in Detroit, with the new
Cerato sedan. It’s a big car. I think the top
end of the Cerato sedan will put pressure
on the Optima, so we’ve got to rethink that.
“Personally I don’t want to cut it [Opti-
ma] loose at all, but we’ve got to make sure
it fits in between the new Cerato sedan,
which is a bigger car, and obviously the
Stinger.
“We’ve got a bit of homework to do on
itIt’s not as easy as just re-pricing the car
and de-speccing it and things like that.
We’ve got to work smarter than that.”
Source: Motoring.com

Feb 02 - 08, 2018 37

 Profile
Male Mabirizi on managing
a contentious life
By Agnes E Nantaba family division court to forward his com-

H
plaints through an adult.
assan Male Mabirizi Kiwanuka was “My father was summoned after which
largely unknown until Aug.29, 2016 he agreed to pay the fees but still banned me
when he sued Buganda’s King Ron- from returning to his home,” Mabirizi said.
ald Muwenda Mutebi II over the Despite being banned from home, Mabirizi
land registration rationale in Buganda. continued with school when the then head
Being a Muganda and as such the King’s teacher at Crane High School in Kampala
subject, to many, Mabirizi did the unthink- offered him a vacancy in the boarding sec-
able when he accused the former of illegally tion. This meant hard work and persever-
collecting land fees through the Buganda ance for the half orphan whose mother had
Land Board (BLB). passed on while he was still in Primary
Mabirizi says he had to follow his con- Two. At the end of the four years, Mabirizi
science even though the move appeared too was the best candidate at the centre with
contentious. Perhaps, it is the very reason he eight aggregates in the best six subjects.
could hardly find any lawyers to represent This performance earned him a place at
him in court. Luckily, Mabirizi was a lawyer Kawempe Muslim Secondary School and
and decided to represent himself. also made his father offer him financial
“The Kabaka has so many subjects and and other logistical support.
supporters some of whom believe that suing While here, Mabirizi worked even
him is demeaning,” said Mabirizi, “Many fear harder in order to qualify for government
to be associated with such a case”. sponsorship and pursue his dream course
Born in 1987 to Mohammed Mutumba and of Bachelors of Laws at Makerere University.
the late Ndwaddewazibwa Mastula, Mabirizi Indeed, Mabirizi was among the excellent
has never been the kind to back down. Apart performers with 25 points, which earned him
from the that case, in December last year, a place at Makerere University. During his
Mabirizi petitioned the Constitutional Court second year at the university, Mabirizi started
challenging the process through which Par- a money lending business from his savings
liament passed the controversial Bill on the as a taxi conductor during the long senior
amendment the Constitution to remove the six holidays. He still earns from that
presidential age limit. money lending business
Mabirizi filed the suit against the Attorney on top of his legal
General in his own capacity as a concerned profession
citizen, contending that the actions of Par-
liament to consider and grant leave to Mr
Raphael Magyezi [Igara West MP] to table
a Private Member’s Bill when the Leader of
Opposition in Parliament, Opposition Chief
Whip and other opposition MPs were not in
the House, was in contravention of the Con-
stitution.
While Mabirizi has just caught the atten-
tion of many people for this fearlessness, he
says he has always been like this.
In his early days in secondary school, he
refused to apologize to his step mother on the
orders of his father and other relatives. The
stepmother accused him of disrespecting her
and when he refused to apologise, the rela-
tionship between them got worse.
As a result, Mabirizi was chased away from
home and his father also refused to continue
paying his school fees.
In an effort to stand up for his rights, the
16 year old decided to sue his father for neg-
ligence and neglect of his fatherly duties. But
being a minor, Mabirizi was advised by the

38 Feb 02 - 08, 2018


Male Mabirizi’s Liteside
Any three things we don’t
I
know about you?
am always ready to stand
up for my rights. I so much
want to defend my con-
science and I don’t mind
what others say. Even when
I loose, my conscience will be
clear that I fought and lost the
war. I can only do business be-
cause I can’t imagine how I can
survive in a public office where
many are prone to corruption.
What is your idea of perfect
happiness?
If I do something which
is up to my conscience, I am
happy.
What is your greatest fear?
There could be challenges
but I am not scared to encoun-
ter them and once done tact-
fully, you win.
What is the trait you most de-
plore in yourself?
My voice tends to be so loud,
which makes some people
think that I am so arrogant.
At times, I am quick
to anger and
never hold
back to my
reservations.
What is the trait you most de-
plore in others?
Some people don’t mind
selling their conscience and
that practice is hard for me to
tolerate.
Which living person do you
most admire?
I may not be able to point to
one person because I pick a few
good points from an individ-
ual. I don’t know of any indi-
vidual who I admire wholly.
What is your greatest extrava-
gance?
I spend a lot on my clan
activities.
What is the greatest thing you
have ever done?
Standing up for my rights
while holding onto my con-
science.
What is your current state of
mind?
I am happy.
What do you consider the
most overrated virtue?
Some people speak more
than they act. For instance, on
this Kabaka land issue, many
people were aggrieved but few
could stand up to take action.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t
solve the problem at hand.
What does being powerful
mean to you?
You only become powerful
when you comply with what
the law says.
On what occasion do you lie?
All individuals lie for one
reason or another.
What do you most dislike
about your appearance?
I am perfectly made.
Which living person do you
most despise?
I don’t despise people.
What is the quality you most
like in a man?
Being straightforward and
honest.
What is the quality you most
like in a woman?
Being straightforward and
honest.
What or who is the greatest
love of your life
In my grandmother, I had
a confidant but she has since
passed on and no one has
replaced her.
When and where were you
happiest
The moment I scored 25
points in my A-level exams
was not only definitive but also
an assurance of admission to
Makerere University to pursue
law. I had gone through a lot so
it was a very big climax.
On May 6, 2017 when I won
Kabaka in the discovery appli-
cation when Court ordered
to produce the documents.
So much had been said with
a lot of scary utterances on
how the Kabaka can never be
challenged. It was a very big
milestone.
Which talent would you most
like to have?
No other.
If you could change one thing
about yourself, what would
it be?
Absolutely nothing.
If you were to die and come
back as a person or a thing,
what would it be?
As a human being and the
same person doing the same
things.
Where would you most like
to live?
Uganda is my country and
even if it has challenges, the
duty is upon us to solve them
and make it a better habitable
country.
Feb 02 - 08, 2018
Q&A
What is your most treasured
possession?
It has to be my conscience.
What do you regard as the
lowest depth of misery?
A child losing a mother is
incomparable. It comes with
so many challenges and deter-
mines the future regardless of
whether your father and pater-
nal relatives have the resources
or not. Every child needs a
mother’s guidance.
What is your favorite occupa-
tion?
Being a money lender.
What do you most value in
your friends?
Once transparency and hon-
esty are breached, I close that
chapter.
Who are your favorite writers?
I am an ardent reader of legal
documents so I am not attached
to any writer.
Who is your hero of fiction?
I am a fan of physical fiction
and Charles James Ssenkubuge
does it for me.
Which historical figure do you
most identify with?
Nelson Mandela did it: he
stood to his word, suffered a
lot and at the end of the day, he
wasn’t too greed to rule for life.
What is your greatest regret?
I am a perfectionist. So, once
I make a decision to do some-
thing; I offer my best to leave
no room for regrets.
How would you like to die?
I wish I could die past at least
70 years just in my sleep but
not outside Uganda.
What is your motto?
Make transparency and con-
sistency your own
39
Global comment
By Kaushik Basu
Africa’s arrival
The latest African Development Bank (AfDB) Economic
Outlook for 2018 predicts 4.1% average growth
T
he African Development Bank
(AfDB) has just published its
African Economic Outlook for 2018.
This year’s revamped publication
– shorter than usual, analytically well-
structured, and written in lucid prose,
without hyperbole – in some ways mirrors
Africa’s own transformation, as it raises
hopes that we may at last be witnessing the
continent’s long-promised economic arrival.
Africa’s rise has been a long time
coming. In the 1960s, hopes were
high. The remarkable leaders of the
independence generation – such as
Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah and Kenya’s
Jomo Kenyatta – received advice
from the world’s top economists.
The Caribbean-born Nobel laureate
Arthur Lewis became Nkrumah’s Chief
Economic Adviser.
In India, we read about these
leaders’ friendship with our own post-
independence prime minister, Jawaharlal
Nehru, and the hope for a new dawn
for all emerging economies. And many
emerging economies did indeed take
off. In the late 1960s, some East Asian
economies surged ahead. Beginning in
the early 1980s, China began its decades-
long rise. And, from the early 1990s,
India’s economy also began to grow
robustly, with annual rates reaching the
9% range by 2005.
But Africa remained stagnant, mired in
poverty. Ironically, it was the continent’s
resource wealth that hampered economic
progress, as it fueled conflicts among
governments and insurgents eager
to control it. The resulting political
instability attracted outsiders keen to
exploit governments’ weakness. As
the Indian poet and Nobel laureate
Rabindranath Tagore put it in his 1936
poem “Ode to Africa,” which played on
perceptions about who is “civilized,”
the continent fell prey to “civilization’s
barbaric greed,” as the colonists “arrived,
manacles in hand/Claws sharper by far
than any of your wolves.”
Finally, at the turn of the twenty-
first century, things began to change
for Africa. A few dynamic leaders,
democratic stirrings, and emerging
40 Feb 02 - 08, 2018
regional cooperation led to a decline
in poverty and a pickup in growth.
Commodity exporters faced a setback
around 2014, when prices plummeted.
But this turned out to be a blessing in
disguise, because it forced countries to
diversify their economies and increase
production – factors that supported
renewed growth.
According to the AfDB report, Africa’s
54 economies grew by 2.2% in 2016, on
average, and 3.6% in 2017. In 2018, the
AfDB predicts, average growth will
accelerate to 4.1%, while the World Bank
expects Ghana to grow by 8.3%, Ethiopia
by 8.2%, and Senegal by 6.9%, placing
these countries among the world’s
fastest-growing economies. And these
figures are not wishful thinking: in 2016,
Ethiopia’s GDP grew by 7.6%.
Of course, serious challenges remain.
South Africa, the continent’s strongest
economy, is now facing the difficult task
of tackling its deep-rooted corruption.
Yet, with the African National Congress
now apparently determined to replace
President Jacob Zuma’s scandal-ridden
administration with one led by the
party’s new leader, Cyril Ramaphosa,
there is reason for hope.
More broadly, many African countries
need to find ways to create more
employment – and fast. The share of the
working-age population is rising faster
in Africa than in any other region. This
“demographic dividend” has immense
potential. But if job creation stalls, the
unemployed or under-employed are
likely to become frustrated – a recipe for
conflict.
Consider the case of Tanzania. Thanks
to President John Magufuli’s effort
to mobilise more domestic revenue
to support increased development
spending, the economy is doing well.
But, with roughly 800,000 individuals
entering the labour force each year,
Tanzania needs much more working
capital, better infrastructure, and
educational reform aimed at ensuring
that workers have the skills, resources,
and opportunities to secure decent jobs.
The same is true of Ethiopia. In the
last couple of decades, the country has
made great strides in export-led growth,
supported by a growing industrial sector
and large investments from China. Now,
it is poised to take over as the economic
powerhouse of East Africa. Yet the urban
youth unemployment rate stands at
23.3%. Left unchecked, this situation
could easily end up fueling ethnic
conflict and political turmoil.
Another, related challenge concerns
resource mobilisation: countries need
funds to invest in infrastructure, human
capital, and the creation of trade and
digital links within and beyond Africa.
The AfDB report estimates that, for
infrastructure investment alone, the
continent needs some $170 billion per
year, which is $100 billion more than is
currently available. As it stands, Africa
receives a total of about $60 billion in
foreign direct investment each year.
To close the gap, African governments
must attract more money. That will
require establishing effective regulatory
structures that facilitate long-term
borrowing and repayment, while
ensuring that lenders do not exploit
borrowers, as has occurred everywhere
from rural India to the United States
mortgage market.
The challenges are daunting, to say
the least. But there are lessons that
African countries can learn from one
another. For example, Ghana’s smooth
transfer of power after the December 2016
election set a positive democratic example.
Nigeria’s Lagos State and Tanzania have
done a good job of mobilising internal
resources for development. Add to that the
emergence of an indigenous intelligentsia
in the region, exemplified by organizations
like the AfDB, and it seems that Africa’s
moment may have arrived at last.
Kaushik Basu, former Chief Economist of the
World Bank, is Professor of Economics at
Cornell University and Nonresident Senior
Fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2018.
We are live everywhere, Always