News analysis Health Business

Museveni reversing 30 Your recurrent Medical, agric boost

years of privatization miscarriages insurance premiums

Issue No. 572 May. 17 - 23 2019 Ushs 5,000,Kshs 200, RwF 1,500, SDP 8

Bobi Wine
and Besigye
Who gains, loses
in partnership?

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Independent Publications Limited, Plot 82/84, Kanjokya Street, P. O. Box 3304, Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256-312-637-391/ 2/ 3/ 4 Fax: +256-312-637-396
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May. 17 - 23 2019 1
INBOX

Issue No. 572 May. 17 - 23 2019

News analysis Business Health Arts Motoring

Cover story
Bobi Wine and Besigye
Who gains, loses in partnership?

5 The Week
30 Comments
Senior State attorney speaks
out on sexual harassment Indicting the ICC :In the
17 years since it began
operating, the ICC has
9 The Last Word
secured lasting convictions
A preliminary peep at 2021: The against only six peopl
things opposition parties should
ignore and those they need to focus
32 Health
on to have a chance in 2021
Your recurrent miscarriages:
14 Analysis Could your man’s damaged sperm
have a significant role in them?
Museveni reversing 30 years of privatization: Will
government enterprises that failed under the 1990s
inefficiency fare any better with current corruption?
35 Arts & Culture
27 Business
Medical, agric boost insurance Cliff Kibuuka’s metropolis:
premiums: Insurers record a 17.5% Artist shows off his immense
growth in gross underwritten love for Kampala
premiums to Shs856bn in 2018

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

PUBLISHER: Independent Publications Limited, Plot 82/84, Kanjokya Street, P. O. Box 3304, Kampala, Uganda
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2 May. 17 - 23 2019
 Offline

“You decided that the people of Apaa must

evacuate their land. Your Excellency, the
decision that you came up with, I would
like to say is very poor, so primitive, very
barbaric with ill intention,” Gilbert Olanya,
Kilak County MP

An artistic impression of the Aga Khan University Hospital to be built in Nakawa Kampala starting
in July. It will be a 600 bed facility with 100 beds in the first phase/   COURTESY PHOTO PPU.

Volunteers
practice smiling “Those in the People’s Government cannot
by biting
chopsticks just come in and sideline us, we have been
during an
etiquette
there with Kyagulanyi, we started the
training PROJECT while they were looking on and
session for now they are coming to put us aside, no
the second
National Youth way.”Michael Mabikke of the DP bloc
Games in
Taiyuan, Shanxi
province,
China, on May
8, 2019

People carry
portraits of
their relatives,
World War II
soldiers, as
they take part
in the Immortal “If you look from outside, you see two
Regiment March
on Nevsky countries that are so close historically,
Avenue in politically and socially that you cannot see
downtown Saint
Petersburg, how they can fall into a situation of real
Russia, on May differences.” EU Ambassador Attilio Pacifici on
9, 2019 Uganda-Rwanda relations

Applicants for judges Ugandans who say Money EU gave

25 at the Constitutional
Court
60% country is headed in
wrong direction Shs84bn to Uganda for
budget support

May. 17 - 23 2019 3
week
Constitutional court quashes Police summons
Anyone sum- Ntende, Justice
moned by police to Cheborion Barisha-
record a statement ki and Justice Eze-
will be under no kiel Muhanguzi.
obligation to com- The judgment
ply, the Constitu- followed a 2010
tional Court ruled petition filed by
unanimously in a the then UPC party
landmark case. The Kenneth Kakuru Owiny-Dollo president, Olara
ruling also nullified Otunnu, in which
the penalty in the intention of the the Constitution,” he challenged Sec-
same section of the (Police) Act. Com- Justice Kenneth tion 27A (3) and (4)
pelling a person Kakuru ruled in
Police Act for those
who fail to honour who is not yet sus- the lead judgement.
of the Police Act
which gave Police Museveni’s regional tours
summons produce
documents. “The
pected to have com-
mitted any criminal
Kakuru added
that the aforemen-
wide-ranging pow-
ers to summon, seen as 2021 strategy
impugned provi- offence to appear tioned section of compel appearance
sion imposes a pen- before a police the Police Act is and production of President Museveni is already in cam-
alty upon a person officer at a police not acceptable or evidence by wit- paign mode making country tours as his
summoned for fail- station, to answer demonstrably justi- nesses. He said the opponents cannot be accorded the luxury
ure to comply. Such questions and pro- fiable in a free and spirit of the sections of speaking on radio or staging concerts.
a person could be duce documents democratic society. were politically Last week, Museveni was in the Tooro
prosecuted. Clearly, would be incon- The other judges on motivated to harass sub region where he tipped residents on
this would defeat sistent with and the panel were Jus- opposition politi- agriculture, land use and addressed NRM
the purpose and in contravention tice Owiny-Dollo, cians. leaders. At a rally in Fort Portal, Musev-
of Article 23(1) of Justice Egonda- eni addressed sub country and village
leaders drawn from Kabarole, Kyenjojo,
Bunyangabu, and Kyegegwa districts. He
Hilton opens first hotel in Uganda advised them against land fragmenta-
tion which he said is causing poverty in
Hilton Garden Inn Kam- Hilton Garden Inn Hotel General Manager Hilton
many areas of Uganda. Museveni said
pala has opened as the first promises busy modern Garden Inn Kampala said:
he is embarking on countrywide tours
branch of the Hilton hotels travelers quality accommo- “I am delighted to be open-
to enlighten citizens on the fight against
in Uganda. The 96 guest dation at affordable prices ing the first hotel under the
poverty but his critics say he has started
room hotel is located on with friendly service. Hil- Hilton portfolio in Ugan-
campaigning two years ahead of the elec-
Kira Road directly opposite ton Garden Inn is one of da” Tiwari remarked that
the British High Commis- the world’s most successful Hilton Garden Inn Kampa- tions, something that he does not grant
sion and next to a number midscale hospitality brands la will deliver a fresh and those with intentions to challenge him. He
of attractions such as the with more than 800 prop- affordable experience for also visited Koboko and Omoro where he
Uganda Museum, Acacia erties across 40 countries both business and leisure launched phase four of the national back-
Mall, Uganda Golf Club. worldwide. Sanjeev Tiwari, visitors to the city. bone infrastructure connectivity project
for West Nile and Karamoja sub-regions.

Five new oil blocks
up for licensing
Oil companies can now bid for the
second licensing round for petroleum
exploration after the Ministry of
Energy announced five new blocks.
The first block called Avivi covers
the districts of Obongi, Adjumani,
Amuru and part of Arua and with
an area of 1026sq.km. Then there
is Omuka covering Nebbi, Nwoya
and Buliisa, and third is Karusuban
covering the districts of Buliisa,
Hoima and Masindi. Block 4 is
Turaco covering Ntoroko and Block 5
Ngaji covers the districts of Kanungu,
Rukungiri and Rubirizi. The State
Minister for Energy Peter Lokeris in
a statement to Parliament said about
Shs3.52 billion will be utilised during
FY 2018i19 and FY 2019/2010.
Senior State attorney speaks out on sexual harassment
Samantha Mwesigye, a Senior State Attor-
ney has spoken out on sexual harassment
she has persistently faced from her former
boss, Christopher Gashirabake, the Deputy
Solicitor General. Mwesigye wrote a letter
of anguish to the Prime Minister Ruhakana
Rugunda on March 3 after failing to get
authorities to address the matter in any
possible way. She appealed to the Solicitor
General to have a sexual harassment com-
mittee set up to address the issue to no avail.
She also met the Attorney General and his
deputy but nothing yielded. “My appeal to
you as the leader of government business,
as a father and grandfather is that you inter-
vene and have sanity prevail,”Mwesigye
wrote. She added that she first faced sexual
abuse while at Makerere University and she
says she it is “further disheartening” that the
Ministry of Justice which has the mandate
to ensure rule of law has taken a stance of
silence on a matter of sexual harassment. “I
have done everything to follow protocol but
the system seems orchestrated to frustrate
me,” Mwesigye spoke about her frustration
in seeking redress. She also said the minis-
try had refused to recommend a visa for a
study course in the U.S.

4 May. 17 - 23 2019
 Week

Museveni a victim of
capitalism- Prof. Tandon
Prof Yash Tandon, famously
known as one of the ‘Gang of
Four’; the others being Prof
Edward Rugumayo, the late
Prof Omwony Ojok and Prof
Dani Wadada Nabudere, aca-
demics who played a crucial
(R-L)Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, IPOD Council chair Gerald Silanda, NRM secretary General Justin Lumumba, FDC role in rallying forces against
deputy secretary general Harold Kaija and IPOD executive secretary Frank Rusa at a meeting at the Prime Minister’s office. former president Idi Amin in
The IPOD proposed new regulations for the implementation of the Public Order Management Act.  SILVER OFWONO
1979, said President Museveni
is a victim of global imperialism
and capitalism which has held
World Bank donates $545m to Cyclone victims Uganda and other poor nations
hostage. While launching his
The World Bank that have recently been Kenneth,” said World Bank book, Common People’s Uganda,
announced that it has made available from exist- Group President David Prof Tandon said that the Inter-
mobilised over half a ing projects. Together, total Malpass, following a tour national Monetary Fund, the
billion dollars in new World Bank support to the of Beira’s affected areas. World Bank and the World
resources to help people in three countries’ recovery Mozambique, the country Trade Organisation are symbols
Mozambique, Malawi, and reaches around $700 mil- hardest hit by the cyclone, of the capitalistic order that have
Zimbabwe affected by the lion. The World Bank is also will receive $350 million captured Uganda and left lead-
assessed impact of Cyclone working with Mozambique in CRW financing to re- ers like Museven in a tight spot.
Idai.  The World Bank is and Comoros to assess establish the water supply, He described them as a common
activating the International and respond to the new- rebuild damaged public enemy to Uganda. Tandon said
Development Association est development—Cyclone infrastructure and crops, it compels people like Museveni
(IDA) Crisis Response Win- Kenneth. “Cyclone Idai and support disease preven- to fight for power at all costs by
dow (CRW) to provide up caused catastrophic dam- tion, food security, social leveraging various resources at
to $545 million in total for age earlier this year that protection, and early warn- their disposal. Tandon, 80, urged
the three affected countries. affected millions of people, ing systems in the impacted President Museveni to step
This is in addition to nearly and this tragedy has been communities. down and hand over power to a
$150 million in resources compounded by Cyclone younger generation.

AfricellUG @AfricellUG

Dial *133*2# *terms and conditions apply |

Regulated by Uganda Communications Commission

for more bundles

May. 17 - 23 2019 5
Week
UBL plants 3000 trees
As a move to restore lost tree cover, Uganda
Breweries Limited (UBL) and Rotary Uganda
planted over 3000 indigenous trees on 40 hect-
ares of land in Gangu Central Forest reserve,
Butambala district. This is the second phase of
the tree planting program that was launched
in 2018. UBL through its ‘Water of Life’ initia-
tive signed a partnership with Rotary Uganda
to jointly restore 200 hectares of forest reserves
within Lake Victoria water catchment areas.
The project worth Shs245million will see the
6 May. 17 - 23 2019
two entities continuously plant trees in differ-
ent forest reserves. In phase one of the project,
40 hectares were planted at Gangu forest
reserve last year. Speaking during the tree
planting activity, UBL Corporate Relations
Manager Rhona Arinaitwe said, “UBL is very
passionate about environmental conservation.
The water we use for our production processes
comes from Lake Victoria and as such, we need
to protect the Lake’s catchment areas as a way
of protecting the lake.”
Corruption eats into
ANC vote margins
The African National Congress
(ANC) won South Africa’s parlia-
mentary elections but with a reduced
majority with President Cyril Rama-
phosa vowing to tackle corruption
in his victory speech. Voters were
disgruntled with unending corrup-
tion and an embattled economy which
saw ANC score 58%- its lowest vote
margin ever. Democratic Alliance
(DA) came second on 21% while the
radical Economic Freedom Fighters
(EFF) led by Julius Malema came third
with 11%. Ramaphosa called for unity
in the Rainbow nation. “Let us now
work together, black and white, men
and women, young and old, to build
a South Africa that truly belongs to
all who live in it as proclaimed by our
forebears,” he told supporters in Preto-
ria. He called for a South Africa “which
is united, which is non-racial, which
is non-sexist, democratic and prosper-
ous”. It was the first time the ANC’s
share of the vote fell below the 60%
mark and it will now have 19 fewer
seats in the 400-member parliament.
Humour Did you know?
Wine prevents sore
throats and dental plaque

A new study has found that drinking

wine could actually have some health
Forgery and bribery have hit the National ID projects as foreigners benefits – and that’s both red and white.
are paying LCs and NIRA officials to hire parents to secure IDs Wine is actually a disinfectant for germs,
including those that cause dental plaque
and sore throats.
An old study in 1988 found that wine
had antibacterial properties, and the latest
research has concluded that the acidity and
alcohol concentration in wine isn’t what’s
responsible for this, as was previously
believed. Instead, it is thought to be due to
a number of organic compounds found in
both red and white wines.
The new study by scientists at The
University of Pavia in Italy was published
in the journal of agricultural and food
chemistry. It found that the compounds
found in wine kill 99.9% of dental bacteria
and germs that cause sore throats. So
if you’re coming down with a cold, a
medicinal tipple could actually help ward
it off.
“Several studies suggest that moderate
wine consumption has beneficial effects on
Former NTV news anchor Joel Ssenyonyi has been appointed People Power spokesperson. human health,” wrote the study authors. “
The antioxidant and antiradical
properties, particularly of red wine,
attributed mainly to a high polyphenol
content, appear to protect against the risk of
coronary heart disease and cancer.
“Our findings seem to indicate that
wine can act as an effective antimicrobial
agent against the tested pathogenic oral
streptococci and might be active in caries
and upper respiratory tract pathologies
prevention.
“In conclusion, both red and white wines
were proved to exert in vitro antibacterial
activity against several oral streptococci.”
Streptococci (“strep”) are a group
of bacteria that cause diseases called
Streptococcal infections. There are many
different types of Streptococci bacteria, and
infections vary in severity from mild throat
infections to life-threatening infections of
the blood or organs. Most streptococcal
Dr Kizza Besigye and Bobi Wine have implored their supporters to end hostilities among themselves
infections can be treated with antibiotics.

May. 17 - 23 2019 7

Inbox
Letters are
welcome !
The Editor welcomes short and
concise letters from our esteemed
readers on topical issues. Please
send them to:
The Editor, The Independent
Publications Ltd,
P.O Box 3304,
Plot 82/84 Kanjokya St,
Kamwokya.
Kampala,Uganda.
Email: editor@independent.co.ug
Museveni to blame 98%
Refer to” “The road to serfdom” (The
Independent May 03).Mwenda you say
President Yoweri Museveni is partly
to blame but I think Museveni is to
blame 98%y. H Joon Chang (who I read
after your very good recommendation
in one of your articles) writes about
how countries can only develop with
protectionist policies. But Joon Chang
argues that lately, western countries
have established intricate education
and economic systems to keep third
world countries poor by discourag-
ing protectionist policies. Joon Chang
writes about the Tudor monarchy’s
protectionist policy started by Henry
VII and adopted by his successor Eliza-
beth. Joon highlights how these policies
failed for decades but where supported
until they yielded fruit after 100 years!
But we are stuck with a president
who at best says Ugandans are useless
and can only manage salons and bars.
And yet Museveni is an exceptional
leader in other aspects. But when it
comes to the indigenisation of the econ-
omy and the fight for ultimate freedom
he has failed miserably. A president
should encourage and incentivise citi-
zens to reach their full potential and
not abuse and inadvertently promote
eugenic based theories.
But no, he gives Mukwano grants
and gives “investors” loans to develop
hospitals as opposed to investing in
indigenous Ugandans!
D. Mutalya
8 May. 17 - 23 2019
Follow us on Twitter @
http://twitter.com/#!/ugandatalks
Follow us on Facebook @
www.facebook.com/TheIndependentMagazineUganda
Poverty is road to serfdom
Refer to” “The road to too high. Try to run a
serfdom” (The Independent business and expenses and
May 03). Thank you challenges will collapse it.
Mwenda for wonderful There is no support from
analysis. It is true the our government for micro
mindset determines many businesses. Even those
things, but where is its who have broken through
origin? The level of poverty do not support upcoming
in our communities is ones just because they fear
Govt to blame
for serfdom
Refer to” “The road to serfdom” (The
Independent May 03). Andrew Mwenda
can make someone believe that they are
fools. Some people like him have sold their
intellectualism to bread and fear.
I grew up in Masaka selling
grasshoppers and so far it’s the food
industry I understand best. We are being
charged 350,000 per bulb per season. Is
this our mindset problem?
Sembuule who owned the first steel
rolling company, employing thousands of
people only needed Shs4 billion to remain
afloat. They instead drowned him and
compensated Basajjabalaba for a market he
never ran for a single day.
I have just learned that the salaries of
Ugandans working in the Arab world were
reduced by a half as a result of a `directive
from above’. Is this mindset as well?
As an entrepreneur, your government
taxes you heavily irrespective of whether
you are making profit or not? Why is it
that Ugandan billionaires are not given tax
holidays like investors who borrow money
from our government, only to employ their
fellow countrymen such as Chinese on our
tax payers money?
People are doing their best and
unfortunately the arrogant class that has
mastered the art of gun powder siphon
everything Ugandans work for then
hire people like Mwenda to spread their
language!
Harold
News analysis Health Business
What deal between the old, Shutting down social Rice and Ugandan banks post
new opposition leadership? media fuels violence obesity record profits in 2018
Issue No. 571 May. 10 - 16 2019
Ushs 5,000,Kshs 200, RwF 1,500, SDP 8
Museveni’s order
to police is risky
With Ochola, Sabiiti in charge,
it also means more trouble
www.independent.co.ug
competition. I’m running a
small company supplying
medical items but it’s a
straggle. Capital is less
to extent that you cannot
compete with people with
money.
Bernard
Querying Mwenda’s
success story
Refer to” “The road to serfdom”
(The Independent May 03). Much as
Mwenda’s Henry Mayanja’s example
could be true, it however, does not
depict the true nature of doing busi-
ness in Uganda. There is a bit that
Mwenda does not reveal. Ugandans
are one of the most entrepreneurial
beings in the world. However, a sur-
vey carried out in 2004, by Makerere
university Business school revealed
that 50% of the businesses fail. The
survey showed that 20% of small
businesses failed in their first year of
opening and 30% failed in the second
year. The survey also stated that
another 50% failed after five years
of operation. Mwenda’s picture of
Henry’s business is another picture
of roses without the thorns. Mwenda
claims that Henry started his busi-
ness with £15,000 which purchased
two trucks (heads). He claims that
Henry now boosts of 70 trucks and
his business empire is worth £5 mil-
lion. If Henry owns 70 trucks and if
he used £15,000 to purchase 2trucks
then Henry’s 70 truck business is
only worth £525,000. Uganda’s rate
of return on investment is about 5%.
If Henry invested £15,000 in 2013,
how do we arrive to£5m in a span
of just over 5 years? Uganda’s most
“investible” business is not “trans-
port” but “gas and oil.” What is the
true story Mwenda? We all want/
crave to be part of a success story.
This one has something missing.
Rajab Kakyama

A preliminary peep at 2021
By Andrew M. Mwenda
The things opposition parties should ignore and those
they need to focus on to have a chance in 2021
T
he opinion poll by Research
World International (RWI) found
Kyadondo East Member of
Parliament (MP) Robert Kyagulanyi
aka Bobi Wine (at 22%) far ahead of
long-standing opposition leader, Dr.
Kizza Besigye (at 13%). President Yoweri
Museveni led the pack with 32%, but far
below the 50% plus one he needs to win
a first round. While this may be great for
Bobi Wine, it has potential to be a risk to the
opposition chances of beating Museveni in
2021. I will return to this subject towards the
end of this article.
I am frustrated that opposition activists
consistently spend most of their time
complaining about how unfair the electoral
process is. They have devoted most if their
efforts in pushing for electoral reforms and
changing of the composition of the Electoral
Commission (EC). Indeed, in the opinion
poll, 88% of opposition supporters said
they do not trust the EC, while 45% of all
respondents agreed with them, 43% trust
the EC.
I think focusing on the EC is misguided
and hides the real challenge of the
opposition.
This article is, therefore, a dialogue with
the opposition leaders and activists on how
they can do better. It is advice they hate but
which they need.
It makes little sense to expend your
energies on a struggle – like disbanding
the EC and changing the electoral laws
– you have little chance of winning. The
NRM has an overwhelming majority in
parliament to block any serious electoral
reform legislation. Museveni is not going to
change the EC if that creates risks for him to
lose power. It makes little sense to fight over
what you have no control over.
The opposition should devote most of
their effort on things that are under their
direct control. They need to recognise that it
is difficult, if not impossible, for the NRM to
steal elections at the EC tallying center.
Most (if not all) of the rigging happens at
the polling station and is largely through
stuffing ballot boxes. This happens where
the opposition has little or no presence
during the balloting and counting of
votes, itself a sign of opposition numerical
weakness.
The Last Word
Yet I also think rigging is the least of the
problems facing the opposition in Uganda;
the real challenge is voter turnout; a factor
that needs high levels of organisation to
overcome.
But let us deal with vote rigging first: to
monitor polling effectively, the opposition
has to ensure it has polling agents at every
polling station.
NRM can thwart this by either planting
operatives as opposition polling agents
or buyoff opposition agents to become
complicit in the rigging on polling day.
To neutralize this threat, the opposition
needs to have at least 20 polling agents at
every polling station. This requires high
level of organisational capacity which the
opposition needs to build.
The best way to build an effective
opposition organisation is to ensure that
the opposition work together to field
a candidate in every single geographic
parliamentary constituency. This is vital
because now the parliamentary candidate
would have a personal interest in securing
his/her own votes. Without parliamentary
candidates, and indeed strong ones, the
opposition individually and collectively
cannot marshal enough organisational
strength to place a large number of polling
agents on every polling station.
For instance, during the 2016 presidential
elections, the leading opposition party,
the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC)
had candidates in only 201 out of 290
geographical constituencies, 61 out of
112 district woman MP slots, and 43 out
of 112 district LCV chairpersons. It got
worse at the lower LC elections. Most of
these candidates were weak, and therefore
unable to rally enough confidence in the
population to generate effective polling
agents. Why? Many high profile individuals
are afraid to go against NRM because they
can lose their careers and/or businesses.
However, the fact that an argument is
rooted in one set of facts regarding a specific
case does not mean all opportunities are
closed. For instance, in many constituencies
across the country, including in NRM’s
bastion in Western Uganda, opposition
supporters with a strong local profile in the
church, mosque, business, and traditional
institutions win elections. Therefore, the
Opinion
existence of risks and threats of going
against the NRM does not automatically
stop influential individuals from standing
on the opposition ticket.
Friends in FDC told me that in the 2016
presidential elections, they had polling
agents in barely 7,000 of the 28,010 polling
stations i.e. 25%. The opposition can cry foul
about NRM rigging. However, if it cannot
get polling agents to watch its votes, why
does it expect to get voters in such areas?
Indeed, the fact that Besigye got many votes
in places where he did not have polling
agents only shows that the electoral process
in Uganda is largely free and fair.
In the RWI poll, 22% of voters said they
are undecided. Only 35% showed support
for the two leading opposition candidates.
This means that between Museveni’s 32%
on the one hand and Boni Wine’s and
Besigye’s 35% on the other is a 33% which
needs to be courted. Yet opposition leaders
and activists in Uganda think they are so
awesome, everyone is on their side and,
therefore, they do not need to win them
over. This is perhaps the most tragic aspect
of our politics.
For Museveni, the division of support
between Bobi Wine and Besigye is an
opportunity to play the two sides against
each other.
Bobi Wine wants Besigye’s crown.
Besigye and his supporters are unlikely to
surrender it without a fight. First they think
their man has made enormous sacrifices to
surrender his crown of an upstart. Second
they do not trust Bobi Wine to remain true
to the anti-Museveni cause, suspecting
that his business interests and his personal
flexibility can lead him to be bought off or to
compromise. And finally, Besigye’s people
think Bobi Wine lacks the competence and
pedigree to become president.
This is likely to allow Museveni to exploit
such differences, stimulate and simulate a
fight between the two sides as he sits back
and watches the sparks fly. As the two sides
fight, many Ugandans will lose hope in
the opposition as a viable alternative. This
may lead to a nose dive in election turnout
– exactly what Museveni needs to win even
when most of the country is tired of him.
amwenda@independent.co.ug
May. 17 - 23 2019 9
cover story

Bobi Wine
and Besigye
Who gains, loses
in partnership?

10 May. 17 - 23 2019

D
By Haggai Matsiko
id the May 6 agreement
between Bobi Wine
and Kizza Besigye
to “partner” against
President Yoweri
Museveni weaken the
People Power leader? Did it strengthen
a sinking Besigye?
Besigye, representing the People’s
Government, and Robert S. Kyagulanyi,
the Kyadondo East MP also known
as Bobi Wine, representing the People
Power Movement and their teams met
on May 06.
The cover for the meeting that took
place at Bobi Wine’s home in Magere,
Wakiso District, was that they were
there to welcome him from jail. Bobi
Wine had been jailed on April 29 and
released on bail on May 02.
It was an unexpected turn because
before it, Besigye and Bobi Wine had
been lobbing sharp criticism at each
other and their supporters appeared
divided. Some were excited to see them
working together but others were
not.
In a joint statement after the
meeting, Besigye and Bobi Wine
had said: “we agreed that despite
belonging to different formations/
fronts, we must all work together
as partners”.
What does being `partners’
mean? This was the main issue
when the joint statement signed by
Besigye for the People’s Government
and Robert S. Kyagulanyi, the
Kyadondo East MP also known as Bobi
was released to the press on May 08.
But Mukono Municipality MP Betty
Nambooze who spoke for Besigye and
erstwhile NTV news anchor turned
politician Joel Senyonyi who spoke for
Bobi Wine either stuck to the vague
statement or issued clarification after
clarification.
The statement said: “We acknowledge
that the forces of change are stronger
when we work together and speak
with the same voice as we confront the
common enemy”.
Does that mean that Besigye and Bobi
Wine camps will field one presidential
candidate in 2021, journalists asked.
“At this moment, it is difficult to talk
about candidates,” Nambooze said.
She added: “We are in discussion.
What is best for Uganda is that they see
us as one team at the polls”.
Meanwhile Senyonyi said: “We hope
we can pull all entities together and
then we discuss”.
Both said each group will continue
carrying out its own, separate activities
but added that there would be some
joint activities.
When it became clear that nothing
was clear yet, some commentators
said Bobi Wine, who appears to be
surging ahead of all opposition leaders,
had squandered his popularity by
being associated with Besigye whose
popularity is said to be sinking.
But did the May 6 agreement weaken
Bobi Wine? Was Besigye sinking and
did Bobi Wine rescue him? Was that
a smart move? And can Besigye now
cause trouble for Bobi Wine ahead of the
2021 presidential election?
Besigye excited
In any case, Besigye appears to have
embraced the renewed links to Bobi
Wine.
At the most recent activity for his
mother party; Forum for Democratic
Change (FDC) leaders and supporters
at the party headquarters in
Najjanankumbi on May 12, Besigye
scoffed that those who thought he had
failed to overthrow President Museveni.
He said that they had reached an
2001 2006
Candidates Votes % Votes % Votes
Yoweri 5,123,360 69.33% 4,109,449 59.26%
Museveni
Kizza 2,055,795 27.82% 2,592,954 37.39%
Besigye
understanding with Bobi Wine that in
the war to overthrow Museveni, they
faced the same challenges and that if
they were to overcome them, they have
to cooperate in that fight. Party leaders
and supporters, he added, should not sit
whenever Bobi Wine is mistreated.
The event comes after recent poll by
Research World International (RWI) put
Besigye behind Bobi Wine in popularity.
The poll showed that if elections were
held today, Bobi Wine would get 22% of
the vote and Besigye 13%. It is the first
time any opposition leader is ahead of
Besigye in a poll.
But Bobi Wine remains a far second
to President Yoweri Museveni who
got 32% in the popularity vote. That is
why many think only a joint opposition
candidate can challenge Museveni.
Besigye’s biggest challenge is that
after four attempts, many see his efforts
as an exercise in futility. The excitement
appears to rotate around Bobi Wine.
But can Besigye, who has rejected such
moves in all previous elections, allow to
Bobi Wine to lead the opposition?
These events are also happening
when Besigye, who is a former FDC
flag-bearer, has intensified activities in
what appears an effort to shore up his
cover story
support ahead of the 2021 elections.
He has been holding events across
the country in recent months. His name
has been in the headlines as police has
teargased his meeting, dragged him
out of radio stations, and occasionally
detained him. These events are aimed at
maintaining his position as the de facto
leader of opposition.
Also, perhaps as a strategy, Besigye
and FDC party loyalists have ignored or
dismissed the poll showing Bobi Wine’s
popularity.
FDC stalwart Salamu Musumba says
polls gauge the opinion at the time they
are done and do not determine how
people will vote in future.
In any case, FDC spokesperson and
opposition Chief Whip Semujju Nganda
says, polls conducted in the past have
not been accurate about Besigye. They
have showed Besigye to be unpopular
yet he has gone on to score highly in
elections.
In the run-up to the last election in
2016, for example, the emergency of
former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi
2011 2016
% votes %
5,428,369 68.38% 5,971,872 60.62%
2,064,963 26.01% 3,508,687 35.61%
as a contender, had led many senior
opposition politicians to write off
Besigye.
They claimed Mbabazi had a better
chance than Besigye of defeating
Museveni. They insisted on Mbabazi
as a joint opposition candidate. But
Besigye rejected him and run as the
FDC candidate. By the time the election
ended, Besigye had posted one of his
best performances ever.
Back in 2001, Besigye got 2,055,795
votes representing 27.82% against
Museveni’s 5,123,360 or 69.33%.
In 2006, he got 2,592,954 or 37.39%
against Museveni’s 4,109,449 or 59.26%.
This meant that while Museveni lost
over a million votes, Besigye gained
over half a million.
But in 2011, Besigye secured only
2,064,963 or 26.01% against Museveni’s
5,428,369or 68.38%.
This was easily Besigye’s worst
performance both in percentage terms
and number of votes.
In 2016 Besigye was, as is happening
now, told that he has no chance having
been given three chances and failed
to dislodge Museveni and Maj. Gen.
Mugisha Muntu appeared set to be the
FDC presidential candidate.
May. 17 - 23 2019 11
cover story
Besigye changed strategy. He
repeatedly said he would not participate
in elections if the electoral process was
not reformed. He was even abroad
during the party nomination period.
However, at the last minute, in
the last week of June 2015, he wrote
an email to the FDC’s Electoral
Commission indicating that he was
picking nomination forms – by proxy
through Godfrey Ekanya and Ingrid
Turinawe.
Besigye told his supporters that
Museveni was at his weakest and
would be defeated this time. A few
critics reminded Besigye that he had
pronounced Museveni to be at his
weakest the previous times but failed to
dislodge him.
Still, he ran against Muntu and
defeated him to become, once again, the
FDC flag-bearer.
But more hurdles lay ahead for
Besigye. The opposition was planning
on a joint presidential candidate under
the Democratic Alliance (TDA).
The FDC under Muntu, Democratic
Party (DP), Uganda Federal Alliance
(UFA), UPC, the Peoples Progressive
Party (PPP), Justice Forum,
Conservative Party (CP) and Pressure
for National Unity leaders had all
signed a protocol as members of TDA.
And majority seemed to favour
former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi
as the joint opposition candidate.
Besigye initially appeared to go
along with the TDA process but later
abandoned it when it became clear
that he would not be picked as the flag
12 May. 17 - 23 2019
bearer. He decided to run on his own.
At the time, Busiro North MP and
DP stalwart Merdard Segona likened
Besigye to tiny and cheap silver fish
(mukene) in terms of political clout,
with Mbabazi as the bigger, richer Nile
Perch.
Then, while addressing the press on
September 29, 2015, party spokesperson
Kenneth Kakande said that with
Besigye, the the opposition has been
having a good player but never scored
any goal and “we think Mbabazi knows
the tricks as to how we can secure that
victory”.
Some FDC MPs like Beatrice Anywar
openly criticised Besigye and the party
responded with threats to crack the
whip forcing other members like former
Leader of Opposition Morris Ogenga
Latigo to come out and state publicly
that they do not support Mbabazi.
Despite all this, Besigye ran one of the
best campaigns in 2016 and posted one
of his best performances so far.
He got 3,508,687 or 35.61% of the
election. Amama Mbabazi who many
had marketed as the better shot against
Museveni only managed 136,519 or
1.39%. But Museveni still won; with
5,971,872 or 60.62%.
Besigye felt strengthened. He declared
that he had in fact won the election, was
clandestinely sworn-in and formed the
`People’s Government’ that Bobi has
ended up agreeing to “partner” with.
However, ever since Bobi Wine
joined elective politics in 2016, the
view of Besigye as the lead opposition
contender since 2001 has changed. Bobi
Wine is seen as the biggest political
threat to Museveni ahead of the 2021
elections.
Behind Bobi Wine popularity
Part of the reason is that Bobi
Wine’s music is seen as his most lethal
mobilisation tool. His November 2018
Kyarenga concert at the One Love Beach
in Busabala, which he owns, is to-date
the biggest concert by any Ugandan
artist.
Since then, the artist claims that
the state has blocked 124 of his music
concerts in what is seen as an effort
to cripple him both financially and
politically. But it is not clear how the
state will deal with Bobi Wine’s music
when the campaigns proper start. His
rallies might be music concerts.
Previously Bobi Wine was just a pop
star and even his music was more social
issues-oriented than political.
Then in the build up to the 2016
elections, he made the switch; focusing
mainly on political music, and
targeting President Yoweri Museveni’s
government directly. In just two years,
he has been christened Uganda’s king of
protest music in Uganda.
Using protest music, Bobi Wine
challenged the ruling party shortly
before and after the elections. His
music set the stage for him to win the
Kyadondo East election in 2017 but his
supremacy was seen as he defeated
candidates fronted by Besigye and FDC
and Museveni and the ruling NRM.
Immediately he was sworn in at
parliament, he led the campaign against

the ruling party’s move to eliminate the
presidential age limit. He became the
centre of both local and international
attention as a desperate Museveni
deployed soldiers to invade parliament
to force the vote.
Then the Arua Municipality
by-election happened. The seat had
been held by maverick NRM stalwart
Ibrahim Abiriga and Museveni was
determined for NRM to retain it.
He campaigned there vigorously.
Besigye and the FDC also fielded a
candidate. But Wadri, a late entrant who
Bobi Wine campaigned for won.
Bobi Wine’s credentials as the
opposition leader were cemented
because he paid the highest price; his
driver was killed in what was seen as an
assassination attempt on him. He was
later badly tortured and locked up on
trumped up gun possession charges.
Bobi Wine was not the only
opposition politician who was arrested
and beaten. But both international
and local media focused on him. This
exerted pressure on the state to release
him and allow him to get medical
treatment in the U.S. for him to recover
from the injuries he suffered.
While in the U.S. Bobi with the help of
U.S. based lawyer Robert Armsterdam
held a press conference that won him
unprecedented air play on most major
international cable networks.
Back home, Bobi Wine’s touch was
credited for other opposition victories.
Many started seeing him as a kingmaker
hardly a year after he joined elective
politics.
The Buganda, Catholic factor
Apart from the music, Bobi belongs
to three major voting blocs—he is
catholic, which is the biggest religious
group in Uganda, he is also a Muganda
and therefore belongs to the biggest
tribe, and at 38, he more than anyone
else amongst the presidential hopefuls,
appeals to the youth who ahead of
the 2021 polls could make up over 70
percent of the voters.
Observers say tribe, religion, and the
youth card might play a bigger role in
the 2021 elections. Already, videos have
started emerging showing priests either
singing along to Bobi Wine’s song or
using the pulpit to call on the state to
stop blocking his concerts.
In one video, a priest is seen urging
followers to fight for the truth just like
Bobi Wine is doing even in if it means
being killed. The youthful priest says
this is the turn for youth.
The Catholic and Buganda leadership
have in previous elections either spoken
in favour of the opposition; especially
Besigye or used the opposition as a
bargaining chip to win concessions from
Museveni.
In return, President Museveni has
always tried to create the impression
that he shares power with the powerful
Baganda constituency. Al Hajji Moses
Kigongo has been ruling party vice
chairman since it came to power in 1986
and all vice presidents except one have
been Baganda; Samson Kiseka (1991-
94), Gilbert Bukenya (2003-2011), and
Edward Ssekandi (2011 to present).
Sekandi and Bukenya are also Catholics.
cover story
None of these could challenge
Museveni in an election.
All presidential elections have
featured a Muganda, although most
have been also-run without any chance
of winning. Only Paul Kawanga
Ssemogerere was a credible challenger,
first to Milton Obote of UPC in 1980 and
to Museveni in 1996.
Bobi Wine is now seen as Buganda’s
best shot at the presidency, he runs in
2021. As he plans for the 2021 elections,
Besigye must bear all this in mind. It is
the first time he is running against or
alongside an opposition candidate who
is seen to be more popular than him.
Bobi Wine is also different from
President Museveni and Besigye in
many other ways. They are in almost
the same age bracket (Besigye 63 years
and Museveni 75 years), they fought
together in the 1981-86 war together,
are from the same religion—protestants,
and come from the same region—
western Uganda.
In contests where these things have
tended to play a role, Bobi Wine is a
clearly differentiated product.
Besigye has always benefited from
the sympathy vote owing to the brutal
treatment from security forces. With
Bobi Wine facing the same treatment,
the sympathy vote could at the very
least be split between them. For now,
whether Bobi Wine working with
Besigye will appeal or put off voters is
the question.
May. 17 - 23 2019 13
news analysis
Uganda Airlines will get back into the competitive business of flying passengers around the world later this year.
Museveni reversing 30
years of privatization
Will government enterprises that failed under the 1990s
inefficiency fare any better with current corruption?
By Ronald Musoke
W
hen Uganda’s newly
acquired two Bombardier
CRJ900 aircraft arrived in
the country on April 23,
there was excitement.
‘Historic occasion,’ proclaimed the
newspapers. Amidst the excitement,
however, was some apprehension.
The planes are part of a quartet that
the government acquired recently in
a bid to revive the country’s national
carrier, Uganda Airlines a.k.a The
Flying Crane, which was dissolved in
the 1990s frenzy to get government out
of business. It was all part of policies
imposed by the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund (IMF).
So the old Uganda Airlines which had
been flying the black-yellow-red flag
since 1976 was gobbled up in 2001 by
President Museveni’s government.
Up to 140 parastatals were put up
for either privatization or dissolution,
according to Jim Mugunga, the
spokesman of the Ministry of Finance
which set up a Privatization Unit. By
2018 only 20 enterprises remained.
Among the other prominent
14 May. 17 - 23 2019
businesses sold were Uganda Bus
Company, Uganda Commercial Bank,
Uganda Dairy Corporation, Uganda
Grain Milling Company, Uganda
Tobacco Corporation, the Coffee
Marketing Board, Lint Marketing
Board, several sugar factories, Uganda
Hotels, Nytil Jinja Textiles, Uganda
Conference Centre, Nile Mansions,
and Apollo Hotel. Others like Uganda
Electricity Board, Uganda Railways
Corporation, and Uganda Posts and
Telecommunication Corporation
were chomped into tinier entities and
privatized in bits.
At the time, the IMF/World Bank
and the government argued that public
parastatals needed to be privatized
or disbanded because they were
inefficient and an unnecessary burden
on taxpayers as they needed constant
injection of new money.
But when Museveni received the
new planes, he assured Ugandans that
the new national flag carrier will be a
successful venture this time round.
“I was among the undertakers of
the funeral of the old airlines. Here I
am among the midwifery delivering
the new baby,” said President Yoweri
Museveni who was on hand to receive
them at the old airport in Entebbe.
Even current IMF Country
Representative Clara Mira agrees with
the return of government into doing
business directly.
“Things have changed very
significantly since the late 1980s,” she
told The Independent on May 8, “there
are very many different ways of doing
things; the challenges that we were
seeing back then are not necessarily the
same now.”
No business plans
In reality, many of the new
enterprises the government is venturing
into do not have viable business plans.
Instead of bringing money into the
government’s coffers, they are being set
up to take taxpayers money.
The long list includes projects being
promoted as nationalist enterprises
designed to restore national pride
and cut costs spent on catering for the
international travel and medical needs
of the country’s political elite.
Some of the projects the government
is pushing are shrouded in allegations
of corruption and selfish interests.

The government’s decision to issue
promissory notes worth US$379.7
million (over Shs 1.4 trillion) to facilitate
an elusive Italian investor to construct
the International Specialized Hospital at
Lubowa has been criticized.
The new Uganda Airlines has also
already run into trouble with Parliament
oversight for attempting to operate
without a substantive board of directors
and self-ground handling facilities.
Such incidents indicate that where the
old parastatals failed mainly because
of inefficiency, the new ones being
created could fail because of runaway
corruption. Most commentators are
resigned to not seeing any profits from
the new parastatals.
“Parastatals like Uganda Airlines are
not there for profit but they are there
for other reasons like national pride and
job creation,” says Isaac Shinyekwa, a
research fellow at Makerere University’s
Economic Policy Research Centre
(EPRC).
Shinyekwa told The Independent that
when these public enterprises were
created in the 1960s across Africa
following independence, they were
meant not only to spur economic
development; they were also supposed
to boost employment opportunities and
distribute incomes.
Ramathan Ggoobi, a senior lecturer
of economics at Makerere University
Business School (MUBS) agrees with
Shinyekwa.
“The government is trying to shift
away from the neo-liberal thinking
which has led to the challenges many
African governments have been
grappling with; including what many
economists say is ‘jobless growth’.”
According to information available to
The Independent, the decision to reverse
the government’s privatization policy
was sealed at a cabinet meeting in 2015.
At that meeting, President Museveni
reportedly informed his ministers
that no more parastatals would be
privatized. Instead, the government
would invest directly into several
businesses.
Apart from reviving Uganda Airlines,
the government has invested heavily
in the power generation sector and
in enterprises like the Kiira Motors
Corporation, the Soroti Fruit Factory,
the Atiak Sugar Factory, and an
International Specialized Hospital
at Lubowa in Wakiso District. There
has also been talk of the revival of the
national commercial bank which has
caused bickering between the Finance
Minister and the National Planning
Authority (NPA) and the Katwe Salt
Industry and the Kasese Copper Mines
in Kilembe, Kasese District.
Talking to government officials,
however, it is not clear if there is a clear
strategy on the government’s place in
business. Instead, every official appears
to have their own version of what is
going on.
No clear government policy
The Uganda Development
Corporation (UDC) is behind most of
these projects. Its Executive Director,
Patrick Birungi, calls the process
a “de-risking.” In his view, all the
government is trying to do is ‘de-risk’
certain sectors so that it can later
relinquish them to the private sector.
“It is the responsibility of the
government to go into sectors where
the private sector feels it is too risky for
them to invest,” he told The Independent
on May 10.
“This is why the government went
into opening the fruit factory in Soroti,”
he said, “The idea is to try to drive up
prices for the fruit farmers in the area
who have been selling their fruits to
Kenyan and Rwandan buyers at very
low prices.”
It is the
responsibility
of the
government
to go into
sectors where
the private
sector feels it
is too risky for
them to invest
He said the government will go into
starch production because it spends a
lot of money in importing both food and
pharmaceutical starch.
“Why should we continue spending a
lot of money on this when we can produce
it locally? We want that starch produced
here,” Birungi said. He also mentions
clinker, a binder in cement, which cement
manufacturers currently import. Birungi
told The Independent that he expects the
government to continue investing in agro-
processing, mining, mass transport and
telecommunications sectors.
news analysis
On the other hand, Syda Bbumba; the
former minister of Finance and current
chairperson of the Parliamentary
Committee on the National Economy,
does not see any deep direct
government engagement in business.
“These are limited strategic
interventions,” she told The Independent
when asked about Uganda Airlines and
others.
But Shinyekwa of EPRC and
Ramathan Ggoobi of Makerere
University see a more deliberate move
by the government.
Shinyekwa told The Independent on
May 08 that it appears the government
“after a lot of soul searching,” has
realized that it made some “technical
mistakes” during the 1990s privatization
drive that it is determined to fix.
Ggoobi meanwhile says perhaps the
government has realized that economic
development of Uganda will after all
require the participation of both the
state and the private sector.
“The NRM government is trying
to retrace its footprint to where they
started in 1986 with their 10-point
programme, one of which talked about
nurturing a mixed economy.”
He added: “If the investments that
the government is trying to go for are
very well appraised and backed up by
robust corporate governance, the best
development strategy is one that has
the private sector and the government
participating.”
Ggoobi told The Independent that
African countries should actually
embrace “second-generation reforms”
to not only facilitate business but also
participate in sectors which the private
sector has been shunning for a long
time.
Not everyone is convinced about
the new government move. Dr. Fred
Muhumuza, a senior economics lecturer
at Makerere University says he does
not see any justification for government
rushing back into business.
“What problem is the government
exactly resolving? If the government
must get back into business, it must
be via calculated economic reasoning,
not emotions and politics,” Muhumuza
says.
“The reasons why the private sector
has not gone into some sectors need to
be investigated because none of these
sectors in which the government is
re-entering is non-profitable,” he said,
“The re-entry of government is not the
solution to the constraints of doing
business in the country that the private
sector has been complaining about.”
May. 17 - 23 2019 15
 news analysis
ADF attack at DR Congo border
Tracking terrorist
links of ADF rebels
ADF offshoots have been reported in Mozambique
By Stig Jarle Hansen
I
n April the Islamic State (ISIS),
took responsibility for an attack on
an army base in the troubled Beni
region of North Kivu province,
eastern Congo, close to the border with
Uganda. The Islamic state credited this
and four other attacks to the Central
African Province of the Islamic State.
The attacks came amid signs that the
Islamic State’s offshoots outside the
Levant (the area encompassing modern
day Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Syria,
Jordan and Iraq) are growing in relative
importance. Some of these offshoots
have been depicted, or mentioned in the
latest video of Islamic State leader Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Links between groups within North
Kivu province and the Islamic state are
16 May. 17 - 23 2019
not new. As early as 2017 a poorly-made
video emerged showing a small group
of fighters (including what seemed to
be foreigners), declaring loyalty to the
Islamic State. The troubled province of
North Kivu has seen almost continuous
violence for more than two decades,
with violence erupting from 1993 and
onward.
In 2018, Kenyan authorities arrested
two people they accused of raising
money and supporting various Islamic
state organisations in Syria, Libya and
the Congo. In Congo’s case, the fingers
were pointed at a group called Allied
Democratic Forces, based in North Kivu.
The case is yet to be prosecuted, but the
group was mentioned in other cases of
alleged links to Islamic State as well.
The last link was the discovery of a
book published by the Islamic State’s
Al Himmah Library on the body of a
dead Allied Democratic Forces soldier
in February 2018. The book is easy
to download from the internet, so it
remains unclear whether the download
was at the instigation of the Islamic
State or not.
All of these signs indicate that
there are some links, ideological or
organisational, but the nature of
these links might be complicated and
fragmented.
The Allied Democratic Force
The Allied Democratic Forces was
a creation of Congolese and Sudanese
attempts to undermine the Yoweri
Museveni regime in Uganda in the
1990s. Created in Congo in 1995, it
consisted of two very distinct elements
with relatively strong ideological traits,
 news analysis
and separate past histories.
The first group that entered the
union that was to become the Allied
Democratic Force was the National
Army for The Liberation of Uganda.
This was one of many based around
the mainly Christian Bakonjo-Baamba
people of Rwenzori, and their struggle
for more autonomy and independence
from Uganda.
The second component was
the Islamic Salafi Foundation, an
organisation with roots going back to
protests against Uganda’s attempts to
control Islam.
Inside Congo, the two ideologically
different organisations were fused
together into a new organisation by the
regimes of Mobutu Sese Seko in Congo
and Omar al-Bashir in Sudan. The two ADF leader Jamil Mukulu in prison in Uganda
men envisaged it could be used as a tool
against Uganda, to check Museveni’s
influence and stir up domestic politics.
I trace the development of the group
in my book` Horn, Sahel and Rift: Fault-
lines of the African Jihad’, pointing
out that the new organisation quickly
became embedded in Congo. This
happened in two ways. The first was
through the active attempts by Mobutu
to integrate it into the local governance
and security of his regime. The second
was through Bakonjo-Baamba networks.
Mobutu also encouraged the Allied
Democratic Forces to invest in local
businesses and partner in business
ventures. Some of these links remain
active. These old business associates
tend to be seen as a part of the
organisation which has led to the
perception that the Allied Democratic
Armed forces at the Uganda- Congo border
Force has wider reach than is actually
the case.
The early golden age of the Allied became a vital component in its training Mozambique.
Democratic Forces ended when Mobutu camps. In 2018, the Ugandan security services
lost power in Congo in 1997. It was However, compared with other also accused the group of being behind
forced to relocate into the Rwenzori African jihadist outfits such as Boko killings of sheikhs in Kampala.
Mountains on the border between Haram and the al-Shabaab, the group It’s hard to determine if violence in
Uganda and Congo to avoid offensives lacked the ideological focus, religious the region is being committed by the
from Uganda and the new regime in sophistication and wide distribution. Allied Democratic Forces, or other
Congo. militias. It’s also hard to determine
Recent developments the exact borders of the organisation.
Radicalisation phase At the start of 2018 Allied Democratic And it’s hard to say if the new Islamic
In the subsequent years the Allied Forces were dealt severe blows from a State affiliate in Congo is a breakaway
Democratic Forces grew in a more Congolese government offensive. Many organisation of the Allied Democratic
Islamist direction. A number of factors local respondents predicted its end. Forces.
contributed to this. The first was that Rumours of Allied Democratic Forces But, given it’s history, it’s safe to say
its Uganda liberation component had factions “for hire” in local conflicts that the Allied Democratic Forces has
slowly weakened as soldiers and officers surfaced, with local low level sub- vital experience in surviving hardship
left the organisation. Seven top leaders commanders appearing on different and pressure, and that it’s aided by
of the old National Army for The sides in the complex conflicts in Kivu. regional rivalries and local tension.
Liberation of Uganda also surrendered Over the past two years there have Stig Jarle Hansen is Associate
under a UN disarmament programme. also been regular rumours of tension Professor of International Relations,
Secondly, the organisation seems within the organisation. Norwegian University of Life Sciences
to have increasingly used religious But in late 2018 Allied Democratic
networks to harness funds in the Congo Forces again attacked villages in Source: theconversation
and Uganda. Religious rhetoric grew Kivu, and Mozambican media even
more important and indoctrination reported about potential offshoots in

May. 17 - 23 2019 17
news analysis

Jobs fight at KCCA

months after Musisi
Return of Public Service seen as chaos after fake calm

By Ian Katusiime
Jennifer Musisi, the former Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) executive director
hired on a `know-who’ basis. “To hire you, she needed to trust you,” is a common
assessment of the recruitment process during her time. This is because, informed
sources say, the institution in charge of governing the capital city was largely run on
the personality of Musisi.

18 May. 17 - 23 2019

M
usisi’s human resource plan
became apparent as soon as
she arrived in April 2011 to
head the newly created KCCA.
She argued that since she was building
an institution from scratch with reform
measures, she needed to be directly in
charge of hiring so as to forego the delays
caused by recruitment of employees by
Public Service Commission which can take
several months or even up to a year.
She immediately set about getting rid of
the old employees of the defunct Kampala
City Council (KCC). For that she set up
new organisational structures which
phased out many of the jobs under the old
organisation. In some cases, Musisi merely
wanted a fresh start. Her actions resulted
into multiple lawsuits, and in some of
these, KCCA paid heavily.
But even with her new hires, Musisi
ensured they worked on short contracts
of four months which were renewed
persistently.
This, according to some of her staff,
created uncertainty in terms of career
growth and hindered long term planning
among departments of KCCA. But Musisi
somehow found a way for this strategy to
work for her in eight years at the helm.
Musisi has been gone for about five
months now. She resigned in December
2018 to take up the position of first ever
City Leader in Residence at Bloomberg
Harvard City Leadership Initiative at
the Ash Center of the Harvard Kennedy
School, in Cambridge, Massachusetts,
USA. But people who work under her
remember her tenure at KCCA with
mixed emotions. This, especially after
her successor, Andrew Kitaka, ditched
Musisi’s recruitment style and ordered a
return to recruitment through the Public
Service Commission. The result has been
a return to fights of jobs that was last seen
under the old KCC.
A lawyer familiar with the workings
of KCCA told The Independent that there
have been several resignations in quick
succession since Musisi threw in the towel.
These are both in the high level positions
and the rank and file of KCCA. This
information could not be independently
verified. Musisi cited political interference
as one of the reasons she left although
it had always been an impediment to
her work. After the 2016 elections, she is
reported to have drafted her resignation
letter when President Museveni said
KCCA highhandedness was the reason
NRM badly lost elections in the city.
Museveni however rejected her
resignation and she
soldiered on with
politics hovering
over her work.
The same
political
interference had led to the resignation of
Musisi’s deputy Judith Tukahirwa in 2016.
The latter position has remained vacant.
The latest high level resignation to rock
KCCA was that of Charles Ouma who
resigned as Director of Legal Affairs in
April. Sources at KCCA say, however, that
he may bounce back as Deputy Executive
Director in a move to align administration
of the city authority. He had joined KCCA
in 2011, at the time it was recast from KCC
into KCCA; a central government agency.
Some see the apparent jostling for jobs as
a transition from employment by KCCA to
Public Service Commission. The confusion
is expected as the new order takes shape.
Some are embracing the new recruitment
style, saying it should not have been
changed in the first place. They argue that
What happened
at KCCA was
regrettable.
The
management
decided to
hire people on
short contracts
of about four
months
it offers a more stable work environment
for employees and for KCCA to deliver on
its mandate.
But some people are quitting either out
of disgruntlement or fear of being screened
out by the Commission, sources say.
Depending on who you talked to, KCCA is
either in chaos or in the pangs of rebirth.
“We are happier now,” says an officer at
KCCA who preferred anonymity because
of the sensitivity of the matter. “A career
growth path had never been defined under
the KCCA of Jennifer.” She says she is
relieved because she does not have to wait
for four months to wait for another process
of contract renewal.
She told The Independent that the last
time KCCA put out an advertisement for
a job was in 2012 for a mass recruitment
but it never got round to anything. Public
Service Commission went ahead and
recruited hundreds of staff but these never
got a chance to step at KCCA.
news analysis
At the time, the Commission asked
Musisi why KCCA did not stop
the process and their answer was
unsatisfactory. Section 25 of the KCCA Act
2010 grants the Commission powers to
appoint KCCA officers particularly those
below the rank of Director. But it is at this
time, after snubbing the Commission,
which has the constitutional obligation to
recruit for government bodies that KCCA
reportedly started its own hiring mission.
Sources say a team put together by
Musisi under the Human Resource
department embarked on measures to
recruit personnel for KCCA. It is under
this arrangement that it was agreed that
employees be given contracts which would
be renewed after four months depending
on performance.
This is now being reversed. Justice
Ralph Ocan, the Head of the Public Service
Commission told The Independent that
doing so is a “slow and painful process”.
“What happened at KCCA was
regrettable. The management decided to
hire people on short contracts of about
four months,” Ocan says, “We are trying to
correct that and bring back everything on
track.”
Ocan says the Public Service
Commission recruited close to 300 people
in 2012 as submitted by KCCA in their
vacancies but were surprised by KCCA’s
reaction after.
“KCCA turned around and said there is
no money. Some of them went to court and
court ruled in their favour,” he says.
Now Ocan is leading efforts to put
things back in order. “It is a slow and
painful process of correcting things
because they go back over a long period of
time.”
Another source at the commission says
a meeting between KCCA and the former
agreed that those who were recruited back
then in 2012 should take up the positions
they were asked to fill back then. How this
will play out, is another challenge KCCA
has to deal with.
KCCA spokesperson Peter Kaujju
told The Independent that those who were
being recruited on short contracts were
temporary staff.
“We had a lot of work to do and we
did not have a budget for them. So that
explains the short term contracts,” he says.
He says the Commission is going
to ensure the recruitment process is
streamlined and everyone is hired on
permanent basis.
“It is going to be a much better system,”
he adds.
Kaujju was non-committal on whether
KCCA has now secured an increased
budgetary allocation now that its staff will
be hired on permanent basis.
May. 17 - 23 2019 19
interview
Uganda needs to create
600,000 jobs per year for
economic growth to be felt
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on May 9 released a report on
Uganda. The Resident Representative for Uganda, Clara Mira, talked
to The Independent’s Haggai Matsiko about its important points.
What is the IMF’s assessment of the per-
A
formance of the Uganda economy?
round 2011, Uganda started a
period during which it grew
less, and trend growth declined.
But now we are seeing a re-
covery. The year that ended in June the
economy grew by 6.1% and now we are
predicting the current fiscal year to con-
tinue improving and reach about 6.3%,
supported by construction, manufac-
turing and services.
In the medium term, we do see
growth going from 6% towards 7%
in the next five years or less. We are
projecting based on assumptions of
stable global environment, private
sector confidence being maintained
so the private sector credit contin-
ues to recover, the growth dividend
from infrastructure development
is realised, and oil sector invest-
ments are made as planned. We are
assuming that oil is going to start
flowing at some point in 2023 or so.
There is a view that ordinary
Ugandans do not feel this
recovery. How do you
respond?
On the social front,
the indicators are
mixed. Indicators
like infant mortal-
ity and maternal
mortality have
improved but
some others have
not. Primary
school comple-
tion rates have
deteriorated.
The household
survey of 2016
showed that
national pover-
ty increased
from 19% to
21%. This
means that
20 May. 17 - 23 2019
about 21% of the Uganda population has
to live with less than one dollar a day.
This answers the question of why don’t
we feel the recovery.
The other factor is agriculture. We
know agriculture employs 70% of the
population. When we look at the rate of
growth of the agriculture sector over the
last five years, the average growth was
2%. If the Uganda population grows at
3% this means that agriculture was grow-
ing below the capita terms. That affects
70% of the population. I think this also
has to do with the feeling that the growth
is not widespread.
In the report, how do you propose this
should be addressed?
We are saying that Uganda needs to
create 600,000 jobs just to match popula-
tion growth. We need to generate inclu-
sive and stable growth going forward and
this is the basis of our report. There are
several suggestions on how to get there,
including continuing the investments in
infrastructure, and supporting human
capital development to ensure adequate
budget allocations for social sectors and
efficiency in public services.
What other issues do you raise in your
report?
On the fiscal side, the first problem
that we see is that Uganda doesn’t really
have an effective fiscal anchor. In the
last few years when we did our first
Debt Sustainability Analysis in 2013, we
thought that public debt was going to
peak at around 31% of GDP. But follow-
ing our latest analysis, we are projecting
that by 2021/22, debt will peak at 50.7%.
Therefore, we see that there has not been
a guiding process to set what debt should
look like because it has been increasing in
short periods of times.
In June 2018, public debt reached
41.3%. This is the latest available number.
According to our debt sustainability anal-
ysis, Uganda´s debt is at low risk of debt
distress, but there are high vulnerabilities.

It doesn’t mean that we are fully happy and
comfortable because Uganda is at low risk
distress because we see other indicators that
concern us as well.
What are these other indicators that con-
cern you?
One of the things that worry us is the
speed at which debt has increased. When
we look at 2013, since 2013-2014, debt has
increased by 12% of GDP. Another issue is
that interest payment rates have increased
a lot. Now one out of every five shillings
in revenue has to be used for interest. This
is more than allocations for health and
education. This traditionally happens for
countries that are at a high or moderate risk
of debt distress.
That is why our key advice is that Ugan-
da needs to establish an operational fiscal
anchor; something that gives a direction of
fiscal policy, which now could be keeping
debt at 50% of GDP. It is not a magic num-
ber but a good indicator that would give a
buffer and provide some predictability.
And in terms of revenue mobilisation,
what shifts do you find important to note?
The Domestic Revenue Strategy is being
prepared and we think it is a very good
idea. Government is taking a comprehen-
sive medium term approach to revenue;
looking at the five-year period, with
improvements both in the tax policy and tax
administration fronts. We do see potential
to increase the tax to GDP by at least a half
a percent per year. That would take us to
around 2- 2.5% of GDP increase in the tax to
GDP ratio.
We have focused a little bit on the fiscal
side. What is worth noting on the mon-
etary side?
Inflation has been subdued. The latest
report for April shows that inflation is at
3.5%. Core inflation has increased to 4.8%.
Bank of Uganda has a target of 5% inflation
in the medium term. And we see this has
been attained and it is likely to continue to
be.
Also Bank of Uganda and Uganda as
a whole now have over four months of
imports in foreign exchange reserves and
this is very good. It is higher than what the
rule of thumb would suggest but given the
vulnerability, we think it is a good position
that should be maintained.
However, Bank of Uganda’s capital is
in the negative and we think it should be
recapitalised in the next budget. It is impor-
tant to maintain an independent and effi-
cient central bank.
In the recent past, BoU has had a few
challenges, has this affected the financial
sector?
The latest data we have for September
2018 shows that the financial sector is
healthy. Banks are well capitalised, they
are liquid, and they are profitable. We have
some small banks that make losses and get
capital injections. Non Performing Loans
(NPLs) have declined and banks have
become less averse to lending.We are start-
ing another cycle of credit growth after a
few years of it being sluggish. What is more
important is that Bank of Uganda maintains
strong regulation and supervision.
In 2018, we had a team from IMF that
worked with Bank of Uganda to conduct
a financial sector stability review and they
found out that Bank of Uganda supervision
and regulatory structures broadly follow
international best practices. May be the key
issue that they highlighted in terms of what
needs to be improved is regulatory forbear-
ance so that some kind of enforcement
policy has to be strengthened. Another key
recommendation is that BoU improves
stress testing and BoU is already working
on this. We also think they should continue
working with banks to strengthen banks’
financial reporting and internal controls.
This is because some of these factors had to
do with the most recent bank failure. All in
all, Bank of Uganda is doing a good job in
ensuring financial sector stability.
Uganda has not had the Policy Support
Instrument (PSI) programme for a few
years now, why?
Uganda had been on our programme
for a very long time. Since 2006 it was a
non-financing programme. It was a pro-
gramme where we would agree on a fiscal
framework, macroeconomic objectives and
work together discussing progress towards
these objectives in light of how the macro-
economic picture was evolving. The PSI
ended in summer 2017. The following year
we engaged and discussed the principles of
a successor programme. But at the time, we
didn’t have much clarity on the intentions
of the authorities. We decided to concentrate
on the Article IV, and for the time being we
are engaging closely with the authorities
through the dialogues like the one we had
recently.
There is this impression that that pro-
gramme was critical signal to international
lenders that they could lend Uganda. Did
the programme have that value?
While it is mostly for these other interna-
tional lenders to say, IMF programmes can
traditionally help in that sense. But there
are many other ways in which the IMF can
help. It is true that we are saying there is
no efficient fiscal anchor, and the IMF pro-
gramme can be used as fiscal anchor (and
it has been used as fiscal anchor in the past)
but that is not only the fiscal anchor avail-
able. There are others.
When the Mobile money tax was intro-
duced, the IMF and other development
interview
partners had concerns. What has been its
impact and what lessons have we learnt?
Our concerns come from the fact that
our thinking is that mobile money has
been a game changer for Uganda. Mobile
money has brought financial inclusion to
Uganda. It has expanded access to financial
services to rural areas and to populations
that otherwise wouldn’t have it. Therefore
we thought that taxing that would curtail
financial inclusion, and that maybe there
could be other ways to raise taxes. While the
revision of the mobile money in the middle
of the year to reduce the rate to 0.5 percent
and only to cash withdrawals was positive,
we still worry that the tax is likely to hit the
rural poor disproportionally hard.
Do you foresee any pressures on the econ-
omy ahead of the 2021 elections?
In the report we note that we are already
seeing more excitement. Uganda is not the
only country in the world in which when
there is an election, more resources are
spent. These are some of the risks that come
out and that the following year also might
see more spending due to the elections.
Looking at the impact on the economy
caused by spending that went into elec-
tions in 2011 and 2016, what is your advice
to the managers of the economy?
It is important to plan well, prioritise,
and make sure you mobilise all resources
available. It is also very important to stick
to that plan because if there are many sur-
prises that come, that can have an impact in
terms of increasing the cost of government
debt, private sector loans becoming more
expensive and then that can have an impact
on local economy. So plan well and follow
the plan. What is realistic, what is necessary,
what are the priorities and what cannot be
touched? From what we are seeing, social
sector spending is something that should
always be protected. You can always delay
a road or a bridge but you shouldn’t be
delaying health and education because if
you do, it will be too late for young and sick
Ugandans.
In the report, you project that first oil could
come in 2023, what are the implications if
we do not produce oil then?
The best place to look at that is the debt
sustainability analysis. If oil is not pro-
duced, indeed the debt dynamics don’t look
as nice. The whole macro-economic frame-
work will look different. We always do the
historical scenario, which is to ask what will
happen if nothing new happens? If there is
no oil, the situation will be more difficult.
If oil comes late and we have a delay in
exports, this could result in some liquidity
pressures, as the current investments for the
oil sector do rely on the enhanced repay-
ment capacity that oil exports will bring.
May. 17 - 23 2019 21

A
By Isaac Khisa
surge in uptake
of medical and
agriculture
insurance ser-
vices coupled
with increased
distribution network helped
Uganda’s insurance industry
to record a 17.5% growth in
gross underwritten premiums
to Shs856bn in 2018. This is
more than double insurers
recorded in 2012 when gross
underwritten premiums stood
at Shs351.23bn.
The increase in demand for
medical insurance saw this seg-
ment record a 24.5% growth
in gross underwritten premi-
ums from Shs161bn in 2017
to Shs200.45bn in 2018 while
agriculture insurance recorded
a slight increase in gross
underwritten premiums from
Shs5.2bn to Shs5.3bn during the
same period under review.
Financial results released on
May 09 also show that non-life
business continued to dominate
the insurance industry in terms
of composition, though its
relative share has continued to
decline over the years.
The relative share of non-
life business in total premium
declined almost four percent-
age points from 70% in 2017
to 66.6% in 2018. Though life
insurance attracts less business
volumes, it continued to grow
relatively faster at 28.6% to
Shs216.9bn during the period
under review.
On the other hand, non-life
insurance business recorded a
12.3% growth in gross under-
written premiums to Shs570bn.
Health Membership Organisa-
tions (HMOs) that include,
among others, Case Medical
Clinic, International Air Ambu-
lance and AAR recorded a 31%
growth to Shs69.1bn.
The contribution of the
industry towards the country’s
Gross Domestic Product also
known as insurance penetra-
tion increased from 0.81% to
0.84%. This, however, is far less
compared to other countries in
22 May. 17 - 23 2019
Medical, agric boost
insurance premiums
Insurers record a 17.5% growth in gross
underwritten premiums to Shs856bn in 2018
Gross Premiums Underwritten (2011-2018)
1000
800
600
400
200
2011 2012 2013 2014
Source: IRA
the region. Currently, Kenya’s
insurance penetration stands
at 3.4%, Tanzania 2.3% and
Rwanda 1%.
Similarly, the industry’s net
asset base increased by 11%
from Shs458bn to Shs508bn
signalling a growing strength of
insurers to handle more insur-
ance risks locally as well as pro-
vide adequate protection to the
insuring public.
Claims payments which is
the core value that the insur-
ance industry offers to the
policyholders and beneficia-
ries increased by 11.9% to
Shs326.7bn.
Ibrahim Kaddunabbi
Lubega, the Chief Executive
Officer at the Insurance Regu-
latory Authority of Uganda
(IRA-U) said innovations into
the development of customer-
centric products and strategic
partnerships have improved
2015 2016 2017 2018
Ibrahim Kaddunabbi
both product affordability and
accessibility.
“There were also improved
distribution platforms – banca-
surance and mobile technolo-
gies as well as enhanced public
awareness campaigns under-
taken by various insurance sec-
tor stakeholders,” he said.
He also said the company’s
redress platform, Complaints
Bureau, has enhanced public
confidence in insurance as the
public is now aware that there
is a dependable agency to seek
for help in case of a challenge.
Last year, the Complaints
Bureau received 153 complaints
compared with 139 in the previ-
ous year, as at the end of last
December, 101 cases had been
resolved. Uganda’s insurance
industry has 32 insurance com-
panies, one micro insurance
firm, one re-insurer, and five
HMOs. In addition, the indus-
try has 14 commercial banks
and two credit institutions that
have been granted license for
insurance products in partner-
ship with the insurers.
Going ahead
The insurance industry is
expected to remain on a posi-
tive growth curve in 2019 owed
to the projected growth of the
economy, according to Kad-
dunabbi.
Uganda’s economy is pro-
jected to grow at 6.3% in the
current financial year 2018/19,
the same rate is projected for
the following year 2019/2020,
following a recovery from the
slump during financial year
2016/17, according to the Inter-
national Monetary Fund.
“Increased investment in
infrastructure investment such
as Standard Gauge Railway, oil
pipeline, Uganda Airlines and
the CCTV cameras in metro-
politan Kampala should further
stimulate the market to form
consortiums to underwrite
these risks,” he said, “the coun-
try’s reforms to improve busi-
ness environment will drive
stronger growth over the short
and medium term.”

Umeme’s licence renewal
BOD Chairman Patrick Bitature says
negotiations to be concluded soon
By Julius Businge
P
atrick Bitature is a top businessman
and entrepreneur in Uganda with
interests in the energy, telecom-
munication, real estate, mining and
hospitality sectors.
He has earned respect by chairing boards
of several big business entities.
His rich experience in these areas is the
reason why, whenever, he gives his two
cents on a particular matter, it is taken seri-
ously in business circles.
On May 09 at the Kampala Serena
Hotel – Addis Hall, Bitature, who is also
the Umeme Limited Chairman Board of
Directors, flanked by the Managing Direc-
tor, Selestino Babungi, revealed on the side-
lines of the company’s 6th Annual General
Meeting that the firm’s power distribution
license – which has 5 years to go – would be
renewed. He also said there is need for play-
ers to invest more in the energy sector to
match government’s development plan that
is targeting energy, roads infrastructure and
industry. “We had a good year (2018) finan-
cially with a few challenges but we shall
overcome,” Bitature said. “Government
called us to renegotiate our concession.”
The company’s gross profits have since
2012 increased from Shs235bn to Shs581bn
in 2018.
Amidst this solid financial performance,
Bitature, however, said they are mindful of
the fact that negotiations about a conces-
sion of 20 years requires time, experts in the
legal, accounting and energy fields to avoid
penning a bad deal for either parties.
“We are optimistic that negotiations will
be concluded in the next 3-6 months,” Bitat-
ure said.
He said one of the items that Umeme is
considering to admit is to reduce on their
return on investment noted as 20% in the
current concession so as to allow more
money to go into strengthening investments
in the sector and drive down tariffs.
He said renewing their contract at this
time is critical given that government has
recently commissioned the 183MW Isimba
Hydropower dam and is about to commis-
sion the 600MW Karuma hydro power dam
which will depend on their distribution
infrastructure to reach final consumers.
The good thing, he said, is that the
company has invested immensely in the
infrastructure with 2018 alone amounting
to US$62million. Overall, the company has
invested US$627 million in the network as
at December 2018 up from US$102million
in 2010.
In 2018, investments focused on new
customer connections, quality of supply
for Kampala Industrial Business Park,
upgrading of Tororo Cement Industries
power, upgrading of Kakira power line,
transformer injections and smart metering
installations.
The company has connected more people
on the national grid noted as 513,000 in 2012
and 1.2million in 2018.
Babungi said they expect further growth
with the implementation of the govern-
ment–led electricity connections policy that
aims to achieve 80% access to clean energy
by 2040.
Energy losses have reduced from 26.1%
in 2012 to 16.6% in 2018. This, according
to Babungi, has been achieved through
deliberate investments in the distribution
network to reduce technical losses and
implementation of the commercial losses
reduction strategy.
He said that since 2005 when they got
the concession, the company has more than
doubled the electricity distribution network
infrastructure, quadrupled the number of
customers connected to the grid, increased
distribution efficiency to 85.5%, built
business
organisation and staff capability.
The company is investing heavily in auto-
mation of the business processes, with tech-
nology to enhance operational efficiency.
However, he said there is a long road
ahead to further propel electricity penetra-
tion to acceptable regional levels from the
current 26%.
He said the continued investment in
the network has met demand for electric-
ity from various customers. For instance,
demand increased to 9.1% in 2018 com-
pared to a year before, with 3, 011 GWh of
sales. The demand was driven mainly by
industrial customers, new customer connec-
tions and reduction in energy losses.
In addition, the distribution efficiency for
2018 was 85.5% compared to 50% in 2005
when the concession was given to them.
The company continued to focus on col-
lecting existing bills and arrears from past
sales as part of its strategy to improve the
cash generation capability of the company.
The future
Babungi said as the company commence
the next regulatory period – 2019 to 2025,
the electricity industry is growing at a
faster rate and that they consider the key
priorities being; expansion of the electricity
distribution grid to evacuate the additional
783MW of generation capacity, creation of
demand and delivery of reliable and quality
electricity to industrial customers as well as
increasing electricity penetration from the
current 26% to 60% by 2027.
A total of two million new customers are
projected to be connected to the electricity
grid by 2025.
Other areas targeted include; efficiency
gains through reduction in distribution
costs per MWh, energy losses reduction,
and revenue collections efficiency – that
are important elements in determining the
tariff.
He said more resources shall be required
to service the increased customer base in
addition to enhancing organisational capac-
ity and human capital development.
May. 17 - 23 2019 23
interview
Now customers can
access credit information
via mobile phones
Sam Omukoko is the group managing director for Metropol Corporation Limited, a
business, information and credit management company. He spoke to The Independent’s
Julius Businge about their business in Uganda and the East African region.
Could you describe the role of
O
Metropol Corporation Limited?
ur role is to compile and
share credit history of bor-
rowers in the credit market.
We are a company operat-
ing in Kenya and Uganda. We got our
application and license in November
2015 for Uganda. We delayed enter-
ing the Ugandan market because
the regulator (Bank of Uganda) had
made certain commitments where
an entity had been given exclusive
rights of operation for five years and
had applied for an extension for an
additional two years. In Kenya, we
got our operational license in 2011
but our involvement in the credit
information sharing mechanism
started in 1994.
Then, what have
you been doing
over the last
four years?
The core
business of
the bureau
is based on
the data it
gets from
24 May. 17 - 23 2019
the banks. Therefore, the first task for
us was to seek for data. The good thing
is that there is a rule that ensures that
data is shared with the already exist-
ing player. We therefore got data from
BoU and the existing player and later
did data cleaning. (However), we had
noticed a problem of standards not
being observed and banks not doing
all submissions. So, we had to develop
tools to help banks cleanup the data
that they were sending to us. In mid-
2017, we started connecting banks to
start referencing. And given that these
banks already had a relationship with
the existing player, we never wanted
to go in as a low cost provider as that
would in the long run destroy the
industry. We had to first focus on spe-
cific value proposition regarding our
system, quality of data, and the quality
of the credit report. So, quite a num-
ber of banks have moved to us. We
have spent quite a bit of money on the
system and we believe we are almost
ready to launch the bureau officially
in November this year. So far, we have
two million customers in Uganda and
27million in Kenya.
On May 08, 2019 you launched a new
product known as Metropol Crysto-
bol in Uganda. How does it benefit
the market?
This product helps users to monitor
and control their credit information
using their mobile phones. The prod-
uct enables users to have direct access
to the bureau using MTN and Airtel
networks. It is enabling borrowers to
take control of their creditworthiness
and to negotiate favorable credit
terms with lenders.
What have you observed on the
Ugandan market so far?
We have realised that many bor-
rowers in the market are not aware

of the existing and roles of credit reference
bureau in Uganda because the system is
only locked to the banks that are supervised
by the Bank of Uganda. Yet there are many
lenders that are not under the BoU. Also
for one to borrow, they have to be given a
financial identity manufactured by the other
player in the market.That means that the
other player has an advantage and it is the
reason we told BoU to create a level playing
field for all of us. We are talking to relevant
authorities to see how people can use the
National Identification Number to be able
to join the bureau instead of using the finan-
cial card number. We believe that the lack
of the National ID is hampering the use of
the CRB and growth of the financial ser-
vices products. Our mobile phone product
is connecting the lender and the borrower
on the system and all are seeing each other.
Borrowers can now know and see how
the lender has arrived on the decision to
give the loan at a specific price. You can see
that it is all about developing a transparent
credit market.
With these new innovations, aren’t you
giving your competitor new ideas to fight
you back?
That is what a free market is all about. We
expect that competition will stiffen. We have
set up a call centre here and already calling
customers in the market who are saying
they only get a few services. We will try to
harvest from the first mover advantage and
see what forms of partnerships we would
create with lenders. With support from
BoU, we are now going to non-regulated
entities like micro finance institutions,
money lenders; SACCOs who we think
shall start sharing data amongst themselves
and help their customers built credit history
using National Identity Cards.
But banks have been hit with bad loans
even with the CRB services in the market?
Every time a mechanism like this [CRB]
is out to the market, some people will go
out to beat the system. If some borrowers
understand that SACCOs and other entities
are not part of the credit reference system,
they will run there and borrow with their
bad history. Our objective is to try and bring
everybody into the net. There is significant
number of initial borrowers who are inac-
tive in our system. Where did they go? They
are in SACCOs and Micro-Finance Institu-
tions borrowing with a bad history. The
bureau mechanism is supposed to allow
more people to come into the borrowing
and lure banks develop more products that
are non-collateral. When that happens, the
product fit become more refined. Many
people default because they get wrong
products. We expect banks to be more inno-
vative and develop more new products. In
Uganda, interest rates are high and that is
a significant fact towards defaults we see in
the market.
In September 2017, Equifax – a U.S. based
Credit Reference Bureau was hacked into and
143 million consumers data was exposed
to the danger of identity theft. How safe is
your system?
That is the only incident I have heard
about. It is not that the hackers were
smart…it is because Equifax forgot to run
an update which would have made the
system more secure. A small mistake can
cost the breach of trust of the system. CRB
systems are not new globally. The World
Bank has a special unit that supports the
development of credit bureaus across coun-
tries. They have given standards which cen-
tral banks enforce. For you to get a license
from the central bank, you must have met
those standards – which are developed by a
technical team at the International Finance
Cooperation. Our activities have to be audit-
ed annually by internationally respected
firms in addition to us sending monthly
reports to BoU.
With support
from BoU, we are
now going to non-
regulated entities
like micro finance
institutions,
money lenders;
SACCOs who
we think shall
start sharing
data amongst
themselves
You are strong in Kenya and you want to
be stronger in Uganda. What is your strat-
egy for other markets in the region?
Our strategic plan running from 2019-
2023 is targeting about 10 countries on the
African continent including Tanzania, Zam-
bia, Malawi, Zimbabwe and other markets.
We still want to consider more from the
South before we consider more from the
North. We have relationships with strong
players like Afreximbank who want to see us
covering more countries on the continent
before partnering with us.
You hinted on the cost of doing business
interview
being high in Uganda. What are your rec-
ommendations?
There is a lot of rigidity in the financial
system. Everything here follows the law
unlike in other places where the law follows
innovations. Here, before you do anything,
the law has to be in place first. Look, when
we came in 2015 there was an amendment
that had gone to Parliament to expand the
mechanism to allow MFIs to come on the
CRB. By February 2016, Parliament passed
that amendment to the banking act which
gave way for drafting regulations which
have never been approved to date. The sys-
tem is slow, rigid. I have told BoU to some-
times wear some hat of an entrepreneur to
be able to allow innovation to happen in
the market. We have revised our strategic
plan because most of the assumptions we
made collapsed because of the delays we
faced. The National ID can do much for the
economy but it is politicised. It can become
a unique identifier for access of financial
services – and this market can change
overnight. The other issue is about internet
– many banks have a narrow bandwidth
and when it comes to using internet based
applications it becomes a problem because
systems are slow. Banks don’t want to incur
more costs.
What other economic related opportunities
are you offering?
We are contributing towards Pay as You
Earn, National Social Security Fund and
have the capacity to create jobs. Our new
mobile phone product has made us open a
call centre currently manned by four peo-
ple. This number will increase to between
50-60 people when SACCOs and other
Micro Finance Institutions join the CRB.
We have capacity to create around 500 jobs
within three years time.
What picture do you have in mind for your
business in five years time?
We should be having between 7-10 mil-
lion borrowers in the database. In terms of
number of businesses, we envisage to have
between 500, 000-750, 000. We will be hav-
ing a product for each lender depending on
the environment they are working in. We
will continue to raise awareness on CRB
system since we are not a monopoly in this
market.
How do you manage your tight schedule
as a manager?
This is a highly knowledge business and
you cannot supervise people. People have
to think to come up with solutions. My style
has always been management by objec-
tive –sit down and agree on targets and put
tools of work at work. I support internal
training programmes and we have a system
that empowers managers not to fear to take
initiatives.
May. 17 - 23 2019 25
 Executive Style
business
ICT empowers local population
First, recently you held a
three-day international
conference on ICT4D in
Kampala. How signifi-
cance was the conference
I
to Uganda’s economy?
CT4D stands for Infor-
mation and Commu-
nication Technology
for Development. It is
basically the use of digital
technologies to improve
the future for the poor and
marginalized. ICT4D is
an annual event founded
by CRS together with
various regional and global
partners. In Uganda, we
have technology innova-
tion in agriculture, health,
emergency response
among others some of
which have been developed by
Ugandans. Participants at the
conference, including Ugan-
dans, got to share how they
use innovations in digital tech-
nology for the benefit of their
work. We also heard from ICT
companies and development
professionals how they adopt,
adapt, or completely reengineer
to integrate ICT into demand-
driven solutions for local and
global challenges. Uganda
hosted the conference because
it is at the forefront of utilising
ICT for development.
Catholic Relief Services has
been organising ICT4D con-
ferences for the 11th time now.
What have been the impact
so far?
CRS started ICT4D to
improve our work because
we wanted to improve older,
paper-based processes, have
better quality data, and be
more accountable and transpar-
ent to our donors and those
we serve. But every year we
have seen the technologies
change and we have realized
that ICT4D is empowering the
people we serve to be more
independent, self-sufficient and
successful, rather than tools
for international organizations
like Catholic Relief Services.
We still use ICT4D in a wide
range of projects including
26 May. 17 - 23 2019
emergency response, agricul-
ture and health. Early this year
in Uganda, for example, we
distributed android tablets to
370 social workers across the
country through our 4Children
program. These tablets are
equipped with legal policies
and frameworks, learning and
reporting tools, and contacts
of various officials. We have
already registered a great suc-
cess as social workers have
reported back to us saying they
can now refer to laws and poli-
cies in real time by just a click
away. But the real impact of
the conference is that it attracts
over 900 professionals from the
private sector, governments,
donor and NGO community
to share ideas and products,
and take them to scale. This
sharing, testing, networking
and developing of new ideas
and approaches is what brings
real impact for people on the
ground.
What is your assessment
of ICT usage in Uganda to
achieve economic develop-
ment?
Uganda is on a good trend
when it comes to adoption of
ICT4D and it is going to help in
moving the country forward.
Ugandans seem to run with
technology as there is a vibrant
ICT entrepreneurial start up
sector in Kampala. We also see
Catholic Relief
Services has worked
in Uganda since
1965 in agriculture
and microfinance
sectors among
others. Country
Representative,
Niek de Goeij,
spoke to The
Independent’s Isaac
Khisa about their
efforts to promote
ICT for development.
broader adoption of basic ICT
across the country especially
with the availability of internet.
The government need to keep
on providing a regulatory
framework that enables innova-
tion and creativity in the private
sector.
What are some of the chal-
lenges, if any, that the local
population face to embrace
ICT for development?
Broadband infrastructure
is still low in Uganda. Not
all Ugandans have access to
internet and when connected,
the cost of internet service is
still high. In the mobile sector,
for instance, only 45 percent
of the country has 3G cover-
age. Ugandans and especially
the youth are eager to adopt
ICT4D, but access remains
a challenge – which actually
includes accessing the basics of
internet capable phones.
Five years ago, you partnered
with Farmer to Farmer to im-
prove farmer’s productivity
and grow agribusiness. How
has the initiative performed?
Farmer-to-Farmer is a peo-
ple-to-people flagship program
of the USAID that promotes
agricultural sector develop-
ment. The program provides
technical assistance from U.S.
volunteers to farmers, farm
groups, agribusinesses, and
other agriculture sector
institutions in developing
and transitional countries.
CRS Uganda between 2013
-2018 ran the Farmer to
Farmer program in Cen-
tral, East, North East and
South Western Uganda.
The program benefitted
13,258 farmers as direct
beneficiaries (51 percent
women) with the support
of 132 volunteers. Some
key achievements include:
Farmer organizations that
received and adopted vol-
unteer technical training
and recommendations reg-
istered 20-30% increase in
yields per acre due to better
agronomic practices, 60%
reduction in post-harvest
losses due to improved post-
harvest management practices;
and rural financial institutions
(SACCOs) that received F2F
technical assistance registered
average 65% increase in share
capital with more than double
increase in savings volumes.
Through volunteer trainings
and adoption of recommenda-
tions from tailored technical
assistance that addresses issues
of climate change, land deg-
radations, pests and diseases,
202,388 Ha of land was brought
under improved produc-
tion management and 37,010
Ha under improved natural
resource management.
What next now that the project
came to an end in 2018?
Having successfully complet-
ed the first cycle of the project
(2013-2018), CRS Uganda has
been awarded a second cycle
of F2F program running 2019
-2023. Uganda is part of CRS
global F2F program, imple-
mented in six countries includ-
ing Rwanda.
In consultation with the
agriculture ministry, the local
USAID mission, and other key
stakeholders in the agriculture
sector; the Uganda F2F pro-
gram is providing technical
assistance to the livestock and
agribusiness value chains.
 business
PENSION CSR

Enwealth to host Airtel promotes mobile money with new promo

pension forum bands. The reduction applies

P
ensions administrator, En-
wealth Financial Services, is
set to host representatives of
pension funds and strategic
investors from across the globe this
month in the second annual Global
Investment Opportunities Conference
(GIO).
The conference is expected to
explore ways of spurring growth in
Africa’s pension industry through
Alternative Investments.
The 3-day conference to be held
to sending money (person
to person). The promotion,
dubbed ‘Suukuma Cash’
will see 22 customers and
three agents standing a
chance to win Shs500,000
daily upon sending money
worth any amount in the 90-
day duration.  In addition,
10 subscribers will stand
a chance to win an all-
expense paid trip to watch
Airtel-Head-of-Brand-and-Communications, Remmie-Kisakye the Uganda Cranes live at
(R) speak to the press recently AFCON in Egypt. According

O
on May 21-23 in Mauritius, themed to the company’s Managing
“Investment and n May 08, Airtel enjoy a major discount in Director, V.G. Somasekhar,
Strategic Uganda announced tariffs. Officials said the new the promotion is an
Leadership in Social 90-day promotion tariffs have been streamlined addition to the convenience
Security” will bring during which up to 60% with three prices and instant solutions the
together regulators, subscribers sending money respectively; Shs100, Shs500 platform offers especially
pension fund within the network would and Shs1, 000 across all during the Ramadan season.
managers,
investment experts
and thought leaders FARMING
to discuss unique perspectives,
approaches and
opportunities for pension funds to UBL MD, trade minister urges farmers

contribute to Africa’s development
needs and global trends in
investment.
“Infrastructure, for instance, is one
of the emerging asset classes which is
lucrative and long-term with huge po-
tential benefits for pension funds and
guarantees strong future cash flows
with regard to return enhancement
and portfolio risk management,”
Enwealth CEO, Simon Wafubwa
(Pictured), said.
This conference comes at the time
pension funds are grappling with
diminishing and volatile returns from
traditional asset classes whose returns
have become less attractive due to
volatile markets.
F
armers supply-
ing inputs to beer
companies have a
big opportunity to
earn more by increasing
production and sustaining
supply of inputs. Speak-
ing at a cocktail for host-
ed by Uganda Breweries
Limited at the Lake Victo-
ria Serena Hotel in honor
of visiting board members
from East African Brew-
eries Limited (EABL) on
May 08, Trade minister,
Amelia Kyambadde urged
farmers to take advantage
of the increasing demand
for sorghum and cassava
by beer companies and
take to commercial farm-
ing.
She said the use of the
local raw materials is in
line with the current Buy
Uganda Build Uganda
initiative implemented
by the government with
the aim of supporting the
local enterprises.
UBL MD, Mark Ocitti,
said local production of
beer brands like Ngule,
Senator, Bell Lager and
Tusker presents an oppor-
tunity for local farmers to
provide high quality raw
materials.
The key local raw
materials used in Uganda
for beer production are
sorghum, barley, corn
starch (maize) and tapioca
(cassava). The company
invests around Shs20bil-
lion in agriculture and
agri-business to enable it
collect over 25,000 metric
tons of raw materials
from 17,000 farmers
across Uganda

TECH

TECNO unveils upgraded SPARK 3 phone series

C
hinese mobile maker, TECNO
Mobile, has unveiled the SPARK
3 and SPARK 3 Pro mobile phone
series on the Ugandan market and
prices at Shs 429 and Shs 489, respectively.
The device that is the third installment
from the SPARK series, comes equipped
with AI technologies and high camera
configuration for brighter photos that
results in high quality, bright and smooth
pictures. The smartphone also comes
with special feature to protect consumers’
privacy as it enables users to set up their
personal APP such as Tinde “invisible”
from their mobile phone desktop. The
spark 3 series also comes with 16GB RAM
+ 2GB ROM version and runs on HiOS 5.0
and the Android 9.0 Pie.
“ Also, the device comes with the
MTK 6761 processor and a 2.0GHz more
powerful CPU that gives a more enjoyable
experience when interacting with the
device, coupled with a memory capacity
of 16GB RAM + 2GB ROM that provides
adequate storage space for users. (SPARK
3’s 16GM RAM + 1GB ROM version still
run on Android O Go system,” said Gladys
Liu, the company’s e Marketing Manager
in Uganda.
This development comes a week since
Infinix unveiled the Infinix S4 on the
Ugandan market. Established in 2006,
TECNO Mobile has presence in more than
60 countries globally.

May. 17 - 23 2019 27
 business

Posta Uganda gets new board

By Isaac Khisa lowing the end of his contract

U
ganda Post Limited
popularly known as
Posta has received
a new Board of Di-
rectors for a three-year term
chaired by former Budiope
Member of Parliament, Sulei-
man Balyejusa Kirunda.
UPL has been with no BOD
since March 2018. Other mem-
bers appointed on the board
include; Dorothy Telopecho
Butuli, Hussein Kashillingi
Rugaba, a former legal assis-
MTN Uganda Ag. CEO, Gordian Kyomukama (L) hands over a dummy tant to the President, Richard
cheque to Chief Executive Officer, UMC Victoria Hospital, Dr. Anurag Shah, Mwesiga, Herbert Kiggundu
on May.08 to facilitate provision of corrective surgery to children with Mugerwa, Lillian Aber and the
disabilities and/or special needs.   COURTESY PHOTO. sitting managing director.
This follows cabinet approv-
al of the appointed mem-
bers on May.06. For now, it
remains unknown on whether
the new board will appoint a
new managing director.
The Solicitor General, in a
letter dated April 04, to the
ICT ministry said it is the role
of BOD to appoint a managing
director.
This comes at the time the
current MD, James Arinaitwe,
is caught up in a fight with a
section of employees demand-
ing that he be shown exit fol-
on March 31, 2019.
He has been accused of
financial mismanagement,
intimidation, nepotism and
non-alignment of the entity’s
strategic plan to the National
Development Plan, the claims
he has vehemently denied.
Arinaitwe has been at the
helm of UPL since 2008 amidst
the company’s poor perfor-
mance. The Auditor General’s
report for 2015 shows that
UPL generated Shs18.98bn but
incurred Shs18.45bn as expen-
diture during the year under
review. This left the company
with merely Shs528.2million
as profit.
In 2016, the company
recorded a Shs1bn net profit.
But in 2017, the company
recorded a 540% drop in prof-
its to Shs 4.45bn loss.
Further, the Auditor Gener-
al’s report for 2018 shows that
UPL had an outstanding tax
payment of Shs4.3bn related to
unpaid Pay As You Earn and
value added tax.
Further, the report notes
that there was high staff turn-
over at the entity which affects
its operations.

Stanbic Bank CE Patrick Mweheire handover a dummy cheque worth Shs

1 million of seed money to St Marys College Aboke, one of the finalists
crowned to battle it out at the Stanbic National Schools Championship Finale
in July this year. The money will be injected into a juice making business the
students founded.   COURTESY PHOTO.
Weekly share price movement (May. 13)
Security May 13 April 29 Movement
BATU 30,000 30000 00
BOBU 129 129 00
CENT 1,184 1,178 0.5
QCL 170 173 -1.7
DFCU 700 670 00
EABL 7,944 8,118 00
EBL 1553 1,531 00
JHL 15,29 15,313 00
KA 143 183 00
KCB 1544 1,660 00
NIC 14 14 00
NMG 2,154 2,140 0.6
NVL 334 334 00
SBU 30 29 3.4
Airtel Uganda Sales and Distribution Director, Ali Balunywa, handover food stuffs UCHM 12 14 14
to the Muslim fraternity in support of their Holy month of Ramadan on May. 10. UCL 16 16 00
UMEME 300 300 00
ALSI -- -- --

28 May. 17 - 23 2019

By Aryeh Neier
Indicting the ICC
In the 17 years since it began operating, the ICC has
secured lasting convictions against only six people
T
he International Criminal Court
has come under withering criticism
from the first four presidents of its
oversight body, the 123-member
Assembly of States Parties, following its
decision not to investigate war crimes and
crimes against humanity in Afghanistan.
The reproach, which came in the form of an
essay published by the Atlantic Council, is
unprecedented but not unwarranted.
While the four diplomats – including
former United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein –
remain “strong supporters” of the ICC, they
are “disappointed,” “frustrated,” and “exas-
perated” by its weak performance. Given
how desperately the world needs the ICC,
they argue, an “independent assessment of
the Court’s functioning by a small group of
independent experts is badly needed.”
As someone who urged the creation of the
ICC two decades ago and has been among
its leading proponents ever since, I agree
that the court needs fixing. The presidents’
letter cites the April 12 decision on Afghani-
stan, which reflected a lack of confidence
that the ICC could successfully carry out the
job. But frustration with the ICC’s ineffec-
tiveness has been building for a long time.
Consider the case of former President Lau-
rent Gbagbo of Côte d’Ivoire. After his elec-
toral defeat in 2010, Gbagbo refused to step
down. The ensuing violence, which was
widely attributed to forces under Gbagbo’s
control, resulted in some 3,000 deaths. Yet,
after several years in ICC custody, Gbagbo
was recently acquitted of all charges of war
crimes and crimes against humanity. He
remains in detention while the prosecution
appeals the trial court’s judgment.
In fact, though the ICC has initiated
proceedings against multiple heads of
state, none has been convicted. Sudanese
President Omar al-Bashir was indicted a
decade ago for crimes against humanity
and genocide in Darfur, but was never
apprehended. And while Kenyan President
Uhuru Kenyatta faced charges related to
ethnic violence that followed disputed elec-
tions in 2007, the case was withdrawn after
witnesses against him became unavailable
to testify, presumably due to intimidation
or bribery.
Gbagbo’s acquittal was preceded by
another major setback for the prosecution
at the ICC. Last June, an appellate tribunal
overturned the conviction (for war crimes)
of Jean-Pierre Bemba, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo’s former vice presi-
dent and the highest-ranking official the
ICC had ever convicted.
All told, in the 17 years since it began
operating, the ICC has secured lasting
convictions against only six people. This
weak record contrasts sharply with those
of the ad hoc tribunals established by the
UN to prosecute the war crimes committed
in the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and
Sierra Leone. Together, these tribunals have
secured about 165 convictions, including of
top officials, after thorough, credible trials
and appellate proceedings.
As the former Assembly presidents’ essay
acknowledges, “we have never needed
the [ICC] more than today.” In Syria and
Yemen, for example, atrocities are being
committed on a daily basis. The ICC should
be securing justice for these crimes, not only
for the victims, but also to discourage com-
batants in future conflicts from behaving
with such blatant disregard for the rule of
law, international norms, and human rights.
But, as it stands, the ICC is unable to act,
because Syria and Yemen have not agreed
to be subject to the ICC’s jurisdiction, and
Russia – probably joined by China – would
veto a decision by the UN Security Council
the ICC will need
to overcome
strong resistance,
not only from
dictators and
warlords, but
even from
elected leaders,
especially U.S.
President Donald
Trump
comment
to refer crimes being committed there to
the ICC. China would also veto any resolu-
tion referring to the ICC its so-called re-
education camps, where roughly a million
Uighurs – an ethnic and religious minority
that the authorities view as a security threat
– are currently detained.
This does not mean, however, that the ICC
has no options. For starters, it should indict
Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte, who
has directed the extrajudicial execution of
about 20,000 alleged participants in the illicit
drug trade. Though the Philippines recently
revoked its ratification of the ICC treaty,
the investigation was already underway,
meaning that proceedings could continue.
The ICC could also indict those respon-
sible for Myanmar’s forcible expulsion of
more than 700,000 Rohingyas to Bangla-
desh, which is a party to the ICC. Carrying
out such investigations effectively and
without delay would restore the ICC’s
credibility and bolster its ability to fulfill its
intended role as a powerful force for inter-
national justice.
To succeed, the ICC will need to overcome
strong resistance, not only from dicta-
tors and warlords, but even from elected
leaders, especially U.S. President Donald
Trump. In April, when the ICC was deter-
mining whether to proceed with its inquiry
into war crimes in Afghanistan – including
any that may have been perpetrated by
American forces – the Trump administra-
tion revoked the visa of the court’s chief
prosecutor.
If the ICC is to fulfill the role for which
it was created, it can neither bow to such
pressure, nor allow its deficient perfor-
mance to continue. Instead, its leaders
– especially its chief prosecutor, the Gam-
bian attorney Fatou Bensouda – must take
recent criticism as motivation, and prove
that they are up to the task.
Aryeh Neier, President Emeritus of the
Open Society Foundations and a founder
of Human Rights Watch, is author of `The
International Human Rights Movement: A
History’.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2019.
May. 17 - 23 2019 29
comment
By Folashadé Soulé and Camilla Toulmin
The truth about African migration
Africa as a whole accounts for only around 14% of
global migrant flows, most of it on the continent
I
n recent years, images of young Africans
attempting to reach Europe, sometimes
through the most daring and desperate
routes, have become a fixture on global
and national news channels. Cynical
politicians in Europe and the United States
have argued, for the sake of winning votes,
that these (largely male) immigrants are
“invading” their countries, threatening to
steal locals’ jobs, or worse.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
As we were reminded during the 2019 Mo
Ibrahim Foundation Governance Weekend,
there is, in fact, no mass exodus from Africa
at all.
In 2017, more than 50% of the world’s
migrants originated from just 21 countries.
The top four were India (6.4%), Mexico
(5%), Russia (4.1%), and China (3.9%). The
African country that accounted for the
largest share of migrants, Egypt, ranked
19th.
Africa as a whole accounts for only
around 14% of global migrant flows, most
of which are confined to the continent.
Several recent reports – by the International
Organisation for Migration and the
United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development, among others – indicate
that around 70% of Sub-Saharan African
migrants remain on the continent, mostly
within East and West Africa (18.5% and
16.7%, respectively). Almost half (46%) of all
intra-regional African migrants are female.
Western countries thus face little risk
of a massive wave of African migrants.
And a substantial number of migrants is
not necessarily a bad thing for the African
countries that receive most of them. As
intra-African migration fosters economic
connections between rural and urban
areas, and among regional neighbors, host
countries can reap important economic and
social benefits.
This point is underscored by a 2018
Afrobarometer survey of 34 African
countries, which shows that younger,
better-educated urbanites are more likely
to have considered emigrating than their
older, less-educated rural counterparts.
They are motivated, most often, by the
desire to find a job (43%) or to escape
economic hardship (33%).
Tapping these migrants’ potential, and
ensuring that intra-African migration is
a safe, orderly, and productive process,
will require African governments, with
30 May. 17 - 23 2019
the support of international institutions,
to create better frameworks for managing
migration on the continent. Beyond
collecting and sharing data, international
institutions can share knowledge and
best practices with governments, as the
Migration Dialogue in West Africa has
done. African governments should increase
their contributions to such initiatives, which
have so far been funded largely by Western
donors.
Technology can also help. The non-profit
Techfugees, for example, is already working
to coordinate the tech industry’s response
to the refugee challenge, spurring the
development of solutions “for and with
displaced people.” Existing projects include
Migreat, which helps refugees navigate the
asylum application process, and GeeCycle,
focused on recycling and donating mobile
phones to refugees.
More fundamentally, keeping migrants
safe requires governments and media to
set the record straight. In South Africa,
for example, anti-immigrant rhetoric has
recently fueled xenophobic attacks on
Malawians and Zimbabweans.
While African migration flows are not
as large as some politicians claim, they
could increase, as the effects of climate
change – such as droughts, floods, and
other natural disasters – intensify. Already,
climate change is contributing both to
extreme events, such as Cyclones Idai
and Kenneth in Mozambique, and to
chronic emergencies, such as increasingly
unpredictable weather patterns in the Sahel.
These trends highlight the growing urgency
of improving how migration is managed.
Of course, migrants’ home countries also
have a role to play. Migration represents
a brain drain within Africa – given that
most young African migrants are educated,
their departure undermines development
in the countries that need it most, while
fueling growth it in host countries by filling
labour gaps, boosting consumption, and
expanding the tax base.
Migrants do send back remittances,
which amount to one of the largest sources
of financial flows to developing countries
globally. But this money is used mainly
to supplement consumption for recipient
families and pay for school fees, rather than
to finance productive investments. That is
why home-country governments – again,
with international support – should be
working to generate the quality jobs needed
to entice young Africans to stay home.
In recent years, entrepreneurship has
been hailed as the solution to Africa’s jobs
problem. But spurring entrepreneurial
activity will require concerted action from
governments. For example, to address
the mismatch between the skills private
companies seek and those Africa’s young
people possess, governments should
invest in education in science, technology,
engineering, and math, and in improving
vocational training. Moreover, governments
should work with the private sector to
improve the business environment.
Governments should also capitalize on
the dynamism of the large informal sector,
which employs an estimated 75-90%
of Africans. Formalizing agriculture,
agro-processing, and many small-scale
manufacturing and service enterprises
will require governments to provide
infrastructure, public services, and access
to credit.
At the Now Generation Forum in Abidjan
earlier this month, debates among youth
delegates made clear that African young
people will no longer passively await a
better future. They are doing everything in
their power not just to develop their skills
and find quality jobs, but also to bring
about political change, even if it means
taking to the streets to challenge their
governments, as just occurred in Algeria
and Sudan. But they cannot do it alone.
African governments and the international
community must do more to support their
ambitions – and the continent’s future.
This commentary summarizes the
debates at an INET-CGET workshop
held during the Mo Ibrahim Governance
Weekend, which brought together
panelists from Afrobarometer, the African
Development Bank, UN Migration, UNU-
INRA, the African Union Development
Agency, and representatives from the
African private sector.
Folashadé Soulé and Camilla Toulmin are
associates at the Institute for New Economic
Thinking’s Commission for Global Economic
Transformation.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2019.

By CPA Dr. Protazio Begumisa
Sustaining Uganda Airlines
An accountant’s perspective regarding the
sustainability of the airline based on previous pitfalls
T
he euphoria around the re-birth of
Uganda Airlines can be felt in nearly
every part of Uganda. With two
new aircraft already in the country,
maiden commercial flights are slated for
June 2019.
On the flip side, some aviation pundits
have expressed skepticism regarding 
the sustainability of the airline, based on
previous pitfalls.
A national airline is ideal for Uganda.
Its contribution to the economy cannot
be overstated as it opens doors for
several revenue streams. These include
air navigation and airport charges levied
by the Civil Aviation Authority, income 
for catering service providers, and
business for tour operators and travel
agents. It will increase traffic to hotels;
especially around Entebbe and create
more employment opportunities for
Ugandans. There will be a substantial
boost to tourism due to the direct
routes to Uganda. Over the years,
tourism numbers have not risen to the
required numbers, partly owing to the
absence of a national carrier. The cost
and inconvenience of having to change
several flights in order to arrive in
Uganda is a deterrent. The re-birth of
Uganda Airlines, therefore, is welcome.
So what should the management of the
Airline do to ensure the sustainability of
this goldmine?
 Recruit Professionals: Job positions
should be advertised openly and
offered to competent candidates.
Recruitment policies for specific
professionals should be adhered to.
For example, accountants should have
professional accountancy qualifications,
such as the Certified Public Accountants
(CPA). Heads of Finance and audit
should be members of the Institute
of Certified Public Accountants of
Uganda (ICPAU), in tandem with the
Accountant’s Act Section 34 (2).
 Manage Costs: Bankruptcy and
corruption are the major issues that
plagued the defunct Uganda Airlines.
Therefore, belt tightening and ring
fencing should be applied.
 Ground Handling: Uganda Airlines
must be allowed to self-handle rather
than be handled by private operators.
Ground handling costs are the heftiest
in the airline business. Therefore, if
empowered to self-handle, a substantial
cost will be saved by Uganda Airlines.
Ground handling also avails additional
income generating opportunities if
the ground-handling entity provides
handling services for other operators.
The aircraft hangar: The national airline
must have its own aircraft hangar, to
enable routine maintenance checks.
This saves exorbitant costs incurred in
contracting external service providers.
The old hanger for the defunct Uganda
Airlines should be refurbished or a new
one constructed.
Use the Leasing Model to Acquire
Aircraft: Whereas Uganda Airlines has
purchased the CRJ-900 Bombardiers for
regional flights and plans are underway
to purchase larger Airbus aircraft, this
does not adequately position the airline
to counter competition from the already
established airlines plying long-haul
routes. Traffic is highest along routes
to business destinations like Dubai and
South Africa. Therefore, smaller aircraft
become less viable, as cargo must either
be shipped or placed on alternative
airplanes. This creates unnecessary
delays for the business folk who love to
fly with their cargo.
There
will be a
substantial
boost to
tourism
due to
the direct
routes to
Uganda
comment
Uganda Airlines should consider
leasing rather than purchasing the larger
aircraft, because leasing is a more cost
effective option. In the aviation business,
it is commonly said, “why purchase an
aircraft when you can lease one?” If a
leased plane becomes problematic you
can return it and get another one from
the same leasing company or other
operators. What happens if a purchased
plane develops a major problem that
requires say a D-Check (sometimes
known as a `Heavy maintenance Visit’)?
The cost may become unbearable.
Right from the onset, we must think
beyond Rwanda, Kenya, Juba and
Burundi routes and do a proper route
cost analysis to guide decision making.
We must invest in the high traffic routes,
through a cost effective model.
 Establish in-house Catering: This will
have a trickle-down effect, as income
will be ploughed back to support
Uganda’s agricultural sector and save
on the operating costs.
 Invest Substantially in training:
Training for pilots, cabin crew and
ground staff is a costly but worthwhile
investment, to ensure competence and
reinforce confidence in safety standards.
 Minimise Government Interference:
One of the setbacks that the previous
airline encountered was insufficient
cash flow. This was exacerbated by,
among others, government officials
who travelled on credit but did not
fulfill their obligations to clear payment
on time. Tickets for all travelers must be
purchased in cash or by credit card, and
not on credit.
 Plan for Domestic Flights: The airline
should plan for smaller aircraft like
a 15-25 seater aircraft to facilitate
travel to Uganda’s numerous tourism
destinations, and tap into the business
potential in the oil rich Hoima.
CPA Dr. Protazio Begumisa is the immediate
past President of the Institute of Certified
Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU)
May. 17 - 23 2019 31
comment
By Nathan Were
Uganda’s jobs of the future
The government needs to tag its industrialisation with
investments in right skills for the fourth industrial revolution
P
resident Yoweri Museveni has
over the last couple of months
been launching factories in
several parts of the country
as one of the many strategies his
government has adopted to transform
Uganda to a middle-income status
by 2020 and arrest the ballooning
youth unemployment which stands
at over 64%. While this is a good
and applauded move, the changing
and dynamic nature of work will
soon require that industrialisation
efforts are coupled with investments
in building the right skills for
employability in the fourth industrial
revolution which is largely being
driven by technology.
While the base infrastructure such
as roads, energy and streamlining
processes of doing business are key;
industrialisation efforts will suffer if
investors cannot find the right skill
set to run operations. The influence
of technology and automation means
that the future of work will look very
different than it is today. This will
require strategic long-term planning
by governments to shape the skills
people need to become employable.
About 65 percent of children entering
primary school today will end up
working in a job that does not yet
exist. A recent International Finance
Corporation (IFC) study titled ‘Digital
skills in Sub-Saharan Africa’ indicates
that over 230 million jobs in Sub-
Saharan Africa will require digital
skills by 2030. The supply of digitally-
skilled labour will have to increase to
meet the anticipated labour market
needs, otherwise, African economies
will falter. In many countries we have
already witnessed companies turning
to talent in the western world because
of absence of local resources.
Uganda will need to think beyond
basic infrastructure to strategically
invest in the right skills employers
need. Employers anticipate that more
than 40 percent of skills required for
the workforce will change before 2022,
32 May. 17 - 23 2019
with more than half of employees
needing to learn different or more
advanced skills. The International
Finance Corporation report indicates
that critical thinking, communication,
problem solving, leadership,
collaboration, computer literacy,
application of technology, creativity,
data analytics, decision making, and
reasoning and team work will be
among the top skills needed for the
future of work.
Education systems will need to
change what, how and when people
learn. The current learning approaches
and pedagogy are not prepared for
the pace or scale of change required
to address the current technological
shift. The education institutions will
need to get closer to employers and
continuously refine their in-class
learning to meet the demands of the
job market now and in the future.
The education system will have
to prepare learners from early on
to acquire the skills needed and
Uganda will
need to think
beyond basic
infrastructure
to strategically
invest in the
right skills
employers
need
continuous evolve the learning as they
monitor the trends in the general labor
market for skills needed for an ideal
worker of the future.
The current workforce will equally
have to strive to learn a new skill
or two if they are to survive the
wave that will be sweeping the
labour market. These changes are
generally anticipated to cut across
all professions, from engineering to
medicine and anything in between.
Finally, is there a business
opportunity for the private sector
educationists? Absolutely yes. The
shift in the future of work presents
a huge revenue opportunity for the
private sector educationists. In Sub
Saharan Africa alone, the market
opportunity for digital skills is
estimated at $130 billion through 2030
with trainings focused on business to
business, business to government and
business to consumer models. Well
designed and delivered short courses
are going to be on high demand
as employees and those looking to
enter the labour market seek to keep
up with the demands and changing
nature of work.
The government, therefore, need to
plan and strengthen the capacity of the
human resources and position them
for the jobs being created by these
factories now and in the future.
The writer is a Senior Operations
Officer at the World Bank Group based in
Nairobi.
Email: were.nathan@gmail.com
Your recurrent miscarriages
Could your man’s damaged sperm
have a significant role in them?
I
By Adam Watkins
t’s an unfortunate fact that one in
four pregnancies will end in a mis-
carriage, typically within the first 12
weeks of pregnancy. In most cases,
this will be a single, one-off event
with the underlying biological cause
unknown. However, around 1% of couples
will suffer the agony that is recurrent mis-
carriage.
Recurrent miscarriage is typically
defined as the loss of three or more preg-
nancies in a row. As the mother carries the
pregnancy, the traditional belief has been
that the underlying cause of miscarriage
resides with her. But maternal factors such
as hormone imbalance or an inability for
the womb to support the pregnancy only
account for about half of recurrent miscar-
riages. It’s clear, then, that other unknown
factors apart from maternal health play a
significant role in miscarriage risk. This
lack of understanding has lead research-
ers to investigate whether the quality of a
father’s sperm may be involved.
Healthy fathers, healthy sperm
Before becoming pregnant, many wom-
en will assess and modify their current
lifestyle choices, for example drinking or
smoking less, in order to ensure a healthy
pregnancy. But the health of the father at
the time of conception is one factor that is
often overlooked. We now know that the
quality of a man’s sperm is directly linked
to his health.
Excessive alcohol consumption, smok-
ing, stress – and even the type of under-
pants he wears – can all affect the quality
of a man’s sperm. One of the biggest fac-
tors affecting sperm quality is obesity. In
many countries, while rates of obesity have
been increasing, male fertility has been
declining. Studies in both men and mice
show that sperm from overweight males
are less motile, are less likely to fertilise an
egg and are less likely result in a healthy
birth.
The prime goal of sperm is to fertilise
the egg and pass on the father’s genes to
the next generation. It is therefore essential
that the DNA contained within the sperm
is not damaged or fragmented. Studies
have shown that factors such as poor diet,
being overweight, smoking, infection and
pollution all increase how fragmented the
DNA is within sperm. As sperm cannot
repair their damaged DNA, high levels of
sperm DNA fragmentation is viewed as a
leading cause of infertility in men.
Researchers now believe that high lev-
els of sperm DNA fragmentation are also
linked with increased risk of miscarriage
and a recent study demonstrated a link
between sperm DNA fragmentation and
recurrent miscarriage.
Researchers from Imperial College Lon-
don studied the quality of sperm in men
whose partners had suffered with recur-
rent miscarriage. They then compared
those sperm with sperm from men whose
partners had not experienced miscarriage.
They saw that sperm DNA fragmentation
levels were twice as high in men whose
partners suffered with recurrent miscar-
riage than in the control group.
The researchers also found that the lev-
els of a group of molecules called “reactive
oxygen species” were four times higher in
men with DNA damaged sperm. Reactive
oxygen species are produced naturally by
every cell, and small amounts are neces-
sary for male reproduction. However, at
higher concentrations, reactive oxygen
species can damage sperm cells and their
DNA.
The researchers also noted that the men
whose partners suffered from recurrent
miscarriage were also heavier than the con-
trol men as well as older. Recently, there
has been a lot of interest in the relation-
ship between a father’s age, the quality of
his sperm and the health of his offspring.
As men produce sperm throughout their
lifetime, the belief has been that age does
not affect a man’s fertility. However, recent
studies have suggested that a father’s age
at the time of conception might affect the
health of his children.
Some studies have shown that for men
over 40, there is an increased risk for mis-
carriage, rare birth defects, autism, schizo-
phrenia and some types of cancer such as
leukaemia. Studies in mice and humans
also suggests that poor paternal diet (too
much or too little) can influence the long-
term health of offspring, increasing their
chances of developing obesity, diabetes
and/or heart disease.
The link between a male’s health and
well-being of a male and the quality of
his sperm is now well established. It is
also becoming apparent that sperm qual-
ity influences a range of factors including
a man’s fertility, the likelihood of him
becoming a father and even the long-term
health of his children. However, more
research is needed to understand the links
between the health of a father, the qual-
ity of his sperm and the well-being of his
offspring.
Much of the fundamental research
to date has been conducted in animals.
As such, it is vital that we now establish
whether the same effects are seen in
humans. What is clear though is that both
prospective parents in couples who intend
on becoming parents should assess their
current lifestyle habits to maximise their
chances of a healthy pregnancy.
Adam Watkins is Assistant Professor,
University of Nottingham
May. 17 - 23 2019 33
health
Does living alone increase
mental health risk?
Studies have shown that loneliness
is linked with depression and anxiety
By Tim Newman increase mortality risk.
A
new study has con-
cluded that living
alone is linked to com-
mon mental disorders.
The authors have also identified
the main driver of this worry-
ing relationship.
Some common mental disor-
ders (CMDs) include mood dis-
orders, anxiety, and substance
use disorders.
According to some studies,
almost one-third of people
will experience a CMD in their
lifetime.
These conditions can have a
significant impact on the indi-
vidual, of course, but due to
their high prevalence, they also
affect society at large.
Due to the widespread influ-
ence of CMDs, scientists are
keen to understand the full
range of risk factors that feed
into mental health.
In recent years, scientists
have investigated whether liv-
ing alone might be one such
risk factor.
A new study, the results of
which now appear in the jour-
nal `PLOS ONE’, takes a fresh
look at this question. The study
authors conclude that there is a
link between living alone and
CMDs. They also find that it
affects all age groups and sexes,
and that primarily, loneliness is
the driver.
Living alone
The number of people liv-
ing alone is steadily growing
throughout much of the world;
this is due to a number of
reasons, including the aging
population, people tending to
get married at an older age, and
increased divorce rates.
Researchers have already
looked at the relationship
between CMDs and living
alone, but most have focused
34 May. 17 - 23 2019
on older adults, so their find-
ings may not apply to other age
groups.
Also, earlier studies generally
focused on just one mental con-
dition: depression. This might
not provide the full picture.
Previous work has also not
quantified how other factors
influence this relationship; for
instance, people who live alone
are more likely to be over-
weight, smoke, use drugs, and
lack social support. So which of
these, if any, is the main driver
of CMDs?
The authors of the new
study aimed to fill in some of
these gaps. They looked for
links between living alone and
CMDs in general, and they
investigated which factors
seemed to be influencing the
relationship.
Looking at the data
To investigate, scientists from
the University of Versailles
Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in
France analyzed data from
20,503 adults, ages 16–74, liv-
ing in England. The data came
from three National Psychiatric
Morbidity Surveys that experts
conducted in 1993, 2000, and
2007.
Participants completed Clini-
cal Interview Schedule-Revised
questionnaires, which assessed
whether they had experienced
neurotic symptoms during the
previous week.
The surveys also collated
data on a range of variables,
including height and weight,
level of education, employment
status, alcohol and drug use,
social support, and feelings of
loneliness.
As expected, the authors
found that the number of
people living alone has steadily
grown. In 1993, 8.8% lived
alone. This is compared with
9.8% in 2000 and 10.7% in 2007.
Their analysis also showed
that across all age groups and
sexes, there was a significant
association between living
alone and having a CMD. The
size of this relationship was
fairly similar across the three
surveys.
CMDs were more common
in those living alone than those
not living alone: 1993: 19.9% vs.
13.6%, 2000: 23.2% vs. 15.5%,
and 2007: 24.7% vs. 15.4%.
The trouble with loneliness
When the scientists delved
deeper into the relationship
between CMDs and living
alone, they found that loneli-
ness explained 84% of the
association. Earlier studies
had shown that loneliness is
linked with depression and
anxiety. Others still had investi-
gated whether loneliness might
During what some experts
call a “loneliness epidemic,”
this finding is particularly
important. Similarly, because
ill mental health is a growing
concern, understanding the risk
factors associated with CMDs
might help turn the tide.
Of course, not everyone who
lives alone is lonely. However,
for those who are, interventions
to tackle loneliness are avail-
able. These may include talking
therapies, social care provisions,
and animal-based interventions.
The next and most chal-
lenging step is to find ways to
ensure that people in need get
access to these tools.
The researchers acknowl-
edge certain limitations to the
study. For instance, this was a
cross-sectional study, meaning
that it looked at a snapshot of
people at one point in time. The
authors call for longitudinal
studies to ascertain how this
relationship might play out
over time.
As with any study of this
nature, assessing cause and
effect is not possible: Did a
person develop a CMD because
they lived alone, or did they
develop a CMD and then
decide to live alone?
Or, perhaps, someone with
a predisposition for CMDs
is more likely to want to live
alone. As ever, scientists will
need to carry out more work to
fill in the gaps.
Earlier findings back up
these results, but the new find-
ings also go a few steps further;
they show that the relationship
between mental health and liv-
ing alone is stable across time,
that the link is not restricted to
older adults, and that loneliness
plays a pivotal role.
Source: Medical news today
 ART | BOOKS | SOCIETY | TRAVEL | CULTURE
Cliff Kibuuka’s metropolis
Artist shows off his immense love for Kampala
C
By Dominic Muwanguzi
liff Kibuuka will talk about
Kampala City anywhere, any
time – but not anyhow. He
loves the city and sees only
good even in its bad side. He
adores its bustle and multi-
cultures. In his latest solo exhibition My
“Metropolis” is dedicated to it.
The paintings are exuberant: washed in
a rich dark and bright palette to showcase
the varied character of the city; from order
to disorder, rich neighbourhoods sitting
next to the shanty settlements, the thriving
informal businesses that are fast eclipsing
the traditional permanent structures and the
magnificent skyline.
Kibuuka’s immense passion is clear as he
depicts the city metaphorically but without
exaggeration and focuses on navigating it
with his palette to highlight unfamiliar sides
of Kampala. For example, his series of paint-
ings on the skyline both under nightfall
and in the morning as the sun rises, offer
almost a novel identity to that specific place
to the extent that even someone who resides
within those neighbourhoods is startled by
the magical look.
Unlike in previous work where he
predominantly painted the rusty and
clustered roofs of Kampala’s shanty
settlements, Kibuuka concentrates on the
capital’s skyline that he describes as “ com-
pletely unique and keeps on shifting.” This
is evident in all the paintings in the exhibit
that portray a varied cloud formation at
very specific time of the day or night.
Such quality appears effortlessly in the
artist’s work, probably inspired by the fact
that as a passionate landscape artist, he
submerges himself into the subject matter.
This is enhanced by the fact that he rarely
employs human figures in his work. Why?
“As a landscape painter in its purest form
I restrict the use of human figures in the
paintings to not take away the attention
from the subject,” he explains. Nonetheless,
one can observe abstract human figures in
one of the painting, Docked at Ggaba 2, per-
haps to break away from the usual compo-
sition, but also as a symbol of his evolution
as an artist.
The ability to be critically observant is
undoubtedly Kibuuka’s forte. He thus
paints that personality of Kampala that not
everyone sees, but is there! For example,
the fruit stalls figuratively represent Kam-
pala as a warm welcoming space because it
has enough food for its inhabitants.
His partner, Camilla, describes the artist
as a very passionate, patriotic, hardworking
and focused individual. She says Kibuuka’s
paintings have a particular premonition to
them.
“It is as if the thunderstorm is coming,”
she says.
`My Metropolis’ is showing now at Umoja
Art gallery, located opposite Kobil Petrol
Station in Kamwokya. Images courtesy of the
Artist.
May. 17 - 23 2019 35
 Nairobi governor
has 1000 land
titles, 200 cars
Flamboyant Nairobi
Governor Mike Sonko has hit
back at his critics who often
question how he amassed
wealth saying all the properties
he has acquired were obtained
legally and genuinely. The
county chief said it was
unfair for people to question
his source of wealth and
associating him with imaginary
illegal business deals without
understanding where he has
come from. Speaking to NTV,
Sonko said he has over 1,000
title deeds for pieces of land
that he acquired genuinely and
over 200 vehicles registered
under his name. The governor
44-year old is known for
flashing out money to his fans.
He said his money comes from
the matatu sector, clubs, music
promotion. He has never been
charged in any corruption case.
Nurse crochets tiny crowns for newborns to Harry, Merkel baby
Babies born on May 06, Sussex on the healthy arriv-
the same day as Prince Har-
ry and Meghan Merkel’s
al of their first child, a nurse
at California Pacific Medical
baby were all princes and Center’s Van Ness Campus
princesses for the day at a welcomed nine babies that
hospital in San Francisco. As same day. One crafty nurse,
the world celebrated with June Shiraki, crocheted tiny
the Duke and Duchess of crowns for her patients.
David Beckham banned from APP lets you hire
driving for using mobile phone someone to protest
David Beckham has been given a six-month driving ban
for using his mobile phone while behind the wheel. The Wistand, an online platform
former England captain previously pleaded guilty to using allows people to hire proxies
the device while driving his Bentley in central London on to protest on their behalf any-
21 November last year. A court heard he was photographed time, anywhere. All you have
by a member of the public holding a phone as he drove in to do is go on the Wistand
“slowly moving” traffic. Beckham, 44, received six points website, start a “cause” or find
on his licence to add to the six he already had for previous one that you care about, and
speeding matters. He was also fined £750 (Approx. Shs3.7 then donate a set fee that will
million), ordered to pay £100 (Approx. Shs490,000) in go toward funding a “messen-
prosecution costs and a £75 (Approx.Shs370) surcharge fee ger”, a person to attend that
within seven days. The judge acknowledged the slow pace of protest on your behalf. Sorry,
the traffic but told him there was “no excuse” under the law. it is only available in France!

Barcelona team bus leaves Archaeologists find 1,000-year-old cocaine

Lionel Messi at Anfield
after Liverpool defeat
Barcelona’s team bus did not wait for
Lionel Messi as it departed Anfield without
the Argentine after the Champions League
defeat to Liverpool. Messi suffered a misera-
ble night for his club as Liverpool completed
a stunning comeback to knock Barca out
of the Champions
League on May 07.
Barcelona appeared
to have a com-
manding advan-
tage after securing
a 3-0 win in the
first leg at Camp Nou last week. But Jurgen
Klopp’s side put four past Barca without
reply to book their place in the Champions
League final in Madrid on June 1. Messi,
meanwhile, was required to undergo a dop-
ing test immediately after Barca’s crushing
defeat at Anfield. And according to El Chir-
inguito, the process took so long that Barca’s
team bus headed to the airport while Messi
was still at Anfield.
A new discovery in possibly magic mushrooms.
South America makes
perfectly clear that
Radiocarbon dating
suggested the artifacts were
humans who roamed the around 1,000 years old, and
continent 1,000 years ago samples from inside the bag
had some of the same revealed the presence of a
vices that we do today. cocaine metabolite, traces of
A new research paper DMT, and what appeared
published in `Proceedings to be a compound found in
of the National Academy a “ritual bundle” which psychedelic mushrooms,
of Sciences’ reveals contained a number of but the researchers couldn’t
the discovery of what psychotropic substances, be sure of that last part.
archaeologists are calling including cocaine and
Try this crazy `Cockroach Challenge’!
We’ve seen some crazy internet challeng- began in April when a young man from
es go viral in recent years, but this latest one Myanmar posted a photo of himself with a
takes the cake as the most disgusting of all. large cockroach on his face to his Facebook
The Cockroach Challenge has people put- account, captioning it “new challenge, Can
ting live cockroaches on their faces, taking a you do this?”. The photo quickly went viral,
selfie and sharing it on social media. and at the time of this writing, it has over
It’s hard to say for sure how and when 5,600 reactions and 18,000 shares. People
the Cockroach Challenge came to be, but started sharing their own selfies with creepy
according to several sources, the craziness crawlies on their faces.

36 May. 17 - 23 2019
 These car repairs will cost you
But you can avoid them
By motoring Guru
O
wning a car also brings to re-
sponsibilities; maintaining it and
repairing it. Maintenance is done
when the car is not broken and
repair follows when the car is broken. Gen-
erally, maintenance costs less than repair.
That is why we bring you these tips about
some of the most costly repair jobs you
want to avoid by ensuring that your vehicle
is well maintained.
Cylinders
Cylinders are the chamber where the fuel
is burned and turned into power. Most car
engines have four, six, or eight cylinders.
Generally, more cylinders mean more
power. But fewer cylinders mean better fuel
economy. A car can’t run without an engine,
and an engine can’t run properly without
functioning cylinders. Any type of engine
damage is expensive to repair, but cylinders
are the most expensive. The cost goes up
with the power of your engine. So don’t let
you bad luck, bad driving or bad mainte-
nance habits damage your cylinders.
The Suspension
Your car’s suspension system; the shock
absorbers, control arms, springs, and tie
rods perhaps take the biggest beating of any
part on our rough, potholed, and dirt roads.
Whenever, you hit unexpected road bumps,
abandoned stones and more on the road,
these parts suffer. Fortunately you can do
regular maintenance of parts of the suspen-
sion instead of waiting to do a major repair
job. Unfortunately mechanics usually insist
on replacing whole components. Shock
absorbers, for example, consist of struts, coil
springs, dampers, bushes etc. which makes
replacement costly. But it is better than wait-
ing till they fail. Then they will damage the
steering rack and other parts.
The camshaft
Inside a car’s cylinder head; the top part
of the engine is the camshaft. It is long rotat-
ing rod called a shaft that supports several
oval-shaped parts called cams. Below the
camshaft is the row of air intake valves
which control how the engine takes in air.
The air is important because that is how the
vehicle burns fuel to convert it into energy.
Because the cams are oval-shaped; meaning
that as they rotate they push the valves to
open and close. Over time, a car’s camshaft
collects debris and dirt. But it is a very
solid part and should never fail if engine is
well maintained. But lack of regular engine
changes and valve cleaning leads to clog-
ging and eventual breakdown. Getting a
camshaft replacement is expensive even
before you add labour costs and add-ons.
Head Gasket
The head gasket is the seal that sits
between the cylinder head and the cylinders
or engine block and, critically it prevents
engine coolant or engine oil leaking into the
cylinders. The head gasket often goes bad
because of the engine temperature going
high. The engine
gets heated
because of many
things; bad radia-
tor, no coolant
(possibly because
of leak), faulty
fan etc. These
in turn could be
cause by lack of
basic servicing or maintenance.
You should check head gasket if engine
becomes overheated or runs rough, vehicle
lacks power, there is steam or white smoke
from the exhaust etc. This problem can
cause other problems, including a lot of
water getting into the cylinders, ‘hydraulic
lock’, and complete engine failure. The head
gasket itself is not costly. It is the mechan-
ics who charge more because they have to
dismantle the top of the engine; the cylinder
head. To be done well, the must do valve
reconditioning, timing chain replacement,
water pump service, or intake and exhaust
gaskets.
Engine block
A blown engine is about the worst news
that your average car owner is likely to
receive. Normal engine issues are the most
common car problem reported to mechan-
ics. But a ‘blown motor’ means the engine
has suffered so much internal damage that
it needs extensive repair or a full replace-
ment. That can be quite costly.
May. 17 - 23 2019 37
Barbara Katende Kivumbi On a practical
approach to personal financial freedom
‘We lose sight over the fact that genuine wealth
is achieved over time after taking steps’
‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad.’ And being a provided with information ahead of
By Agnes E Nantaba transformational speaker and coach, time.

B
Katende would share a lot on personal “Our elder siblings passed on the
arbara Katende Kivumbi is financial management among the information through coaching,” she
a lecturer, personal finance many areas. And to her surprise, the says.
coach, transformational audience would request for copies of But they were also provided with
speaker and author of ‘Money her presentations most of which were lots of reading materials something
Cure.’ But her favorite reference is only bullet points. And these wouldn’t that instilled a reading culture and laid
‘mother of twins.’ help much. Initially ‘Money Cure’ was a foundation for Katende’s acumen to
Katende’s passion lies largely in in English only but she has translated write ‘Money Cure.’
helping people become financially it to Luganda and is working on a Her father kept raising the bar
empowered through personal financial simplified version for Teens and Kids. higher and every time there would be
management and that is what she Katende comes from a family something to achieve.
strives to achieve in her book. In the of lawyers and says excelling in Katende went to Gayaza High School
book, Katende teaches the practical academics was not a subject of for both Ordinary and Advanced
way to save, invest and accumulate discussion. And that laid a foundation Levels before joining Makerere
genuine wealth. for all that she has been trying to University for her first degree in Mass
Katende says, “We lose sight over achieve. In a way of encouraging them Communication graduating in 1994.
the fact that genuine wealth is achieved to excel through extra effort, She has a Master’s degree from the
over time after taking steps.” Katende’s father John W. University of West Georgia.
The long term goal of saving and Katende often ensured In her pursuit to get
investment, according to Katende, is that she and her everyone started on
to prepare for retirement. And that siblings were the path for financial
is what she addresses in the first independence,
chapter. She maintains that preparing Katende says,
for retirement should be at the back of “I would love
every individual as they start out on people to say
their career journey. that I tried
“If you don’t start saving the little my best and
money now, it will be very difficult to ran my
manage retirement,” she says. race.”
In the subsequent chapters, Katende
discusses the futility of banking on
chance, the immense power of idea,
the process of wealth creation through
stewardship, resourcefulness and the
significance of small but consistent
choices among other principles
that should be applied towards the
attainment of personal financial
freedom. With a wealth of experience
in financial services, Katende says
financial literacy is needed to make
empowered and profitable decisions.
Katende says, “The lessons are
simple, priceless and timeless.”
She says Ugandans have a
low saving culture because
many people seek instant
gratification.
Writing the book was
Katende’s own simple
quest after reading

38 May. 17 - 23 2019

Barbara Katende’s Liteside
Any three things that we don’t
I
know about you?
am passionate, driven and I
believe life is short so I enjoy
it. We can budget for the
good life; including person-
al shopping and gifting. Every
time I get my money, I spend
on myself and it gives me the
energy to work more.
What is your idea of perfect
happiness?
Being in a garden or a room
full of flowers; I love flowers;
especially roses. The scent and
look of roses makes me happy.
To me it’s seventh heaven.
What is your greatest fear?
The unknown; I would love
to be in the know. Uncertainty
makes me uncomfortable.
What is the trait you most de-
plore in yourself?
I am an introvert and very
private so I never like talking
about myself.
What is the trait you most de-
plore in others?
Lack of integrity. I believe
that we have been given so
much and so let us have integ-
rity.
Which living person do you
most admire?
I love Michelle Obama. Even
with the great heights she has
reached, Michelle maintains
that she is still becoming. I have
learnt from her that each day
is one to discover. I admire
Donald Trump for his ability to
manage real estate because real
estate is the bedrock of financial
management. I also admire
my father for raising us to be
independent.
What is your greatest extrava-
gance?
I love books and movies. I
have a library at home filled
with shelves of books. But with
the coming of audio books, I
do more audio. I am a lifelong
learner so I read everything.
What is the greatest thing you
have ever done?
I have not yet done it. Like
Michelle Obama, I am still
becoming. Looking at the past
makes one complacent and
gives a false sense of achieve-
ment. My greatest achievement
is yet to come.
What is your current state of
mind?
I am excited especially about
my book ‘Money Cure’ which
has now been translated into
Luganda to reach yet another
audience.
What do you consider the most
overrated virtue?
Success; when someone is
successful, we put them on a
pedestal forgetting that it didn’t
happen in a blink of an eye or
overnight. We tend to focus a
lot on success forgetting that
we also learn a lot from failure.
Failure is not when we fall but
when we fail to rise again.
What does being powerful
mean to you?
Power is related to influence
and being able to bring about
change. With power, you can
lay a foundation for what will
happen next.
On what occasion do you lie?
We all tell lies; for instance
I would tell lies to save my
family.
What do you most dislike
about your appearance?
So many things; It’s hard
to choose one. However God
doesn’t make mistakes and
he purposely made each of us
unique and different.
Which living person do you
most despise?
I don’t despise people
because I believe that we can all
do better and we have different
callings. The difference is that
some people haven’t yet found
their calling and are therefore in
the wrong place.
What is the quality you most
like in a woman?
Honesty and integrity.
What is the quality you most
like in a man?
Honesty and integrity.
What or who is the greatest
love of your life?
I love my family.
When and where were you
happiest?
My first graduation was
a turning point, birth of my
children and every time I am in
a place where there are flowers,
it is seventh heaven.
Which talent would you most
like to have?
I wish I could be a landscape
artist. I respect talented people
in the arts and greatly admire
their work.
Where would you most like
to live?
I can never work or live
outside Uganda. I have had the
opportunity to experience life
elsewhere, and that opened my
eyes to the beauty of Uganda
and the good people. We are
friendly and hospitable.
What is your most treasured
possession?
My faith is intangible but
has got me through the highs
and lows of life. I would never
exchange it for anything in this
world.
What do you regard as the
lowest depth of misery?
Death of a parent at a very
young age is so traumatizing
and the trauma keeps coming
back for many reasons.
What is your favorite occupa-
tion?
I wear different hearts at
different points of the day.
I am happy being a mother
and transformational speaker
May. 17 - 23 2019
news analysis
Q&A
because we change people with
words.
What do you most value in
your friends?
Authenticity and consistency.
Who are your favorite writers?
Sydney Sheldon, Jeffery
Howard Archer and Barbara
Taylor Bradford. I love to read
books about humble begin-
nings. I also love to read biogra-
phies because it opens a whole
world and draws me closer to
such people.
Which historical figure do
you most identify with?
I am inspired by Queens Vic-
toria and Elizabeth I. I also like
William Shakespeare. Their sto-
ries are so fascinating. I respect
people who have given back to
society like the late American
Senator J. William Fulbright. I
respect Robert Toru Kiyosaki
(of `Rich Dad Poor Dad’) for
opening up the financial person
to the ordinary person. He got
a very big backlash from many
people and his company ran
bankrupt but he worked to
make life better for others.
What are your favorite names?
Barbara of course; to date
I have named 12 children
Barbara. If you call me asking to
suggest a name for your daugh-
ter, it will be Barbara.
What is your greatest regret?
Life is full of regrets but the
tough and challenging situ-
ations have been the areas of
growth. I also don’t want to live
a life full of regrets. Looking
back today, those were mo-
ments of growth that helped
me develop resilience
How would you like to die?
God knows best. My consola-
tion would be that my last day
on earth would be my first day
in heaven. You can’t beat that.
What is your motto?
‘Going for the gold’ ‘Making
a difference’ and ‘Joyously win-
ning God’s way.’
39
Global comment
By Hassan Hakimian
Fallacies of economic sanctions
Arguments used to justify them taint our
understanding of their rationale and effectiveness
T
he sanctions imposed on Iran by
US President Donald Trump have
begun to bite the country’s economy
hard. Inflation, seemingly defeated
by President Hassan Rouhani, has returned
with a vengeance, hitting 31% in 2018. Ac-
cording to the International Monetary Fund,
the economy is poised to shrink by 6% this
year, and inflation could reach 37%. Many
industries are experiencing severe dif-
ficulties, and unemployment is mounting.
Aiming to cut Iranian oil exports to zero,
Trump is threatening to sanction countries –
like China, India, and Japan – that continue
to buy Iranian oil.
Given the pain that Trump’s unilateral
sanctions are causing Iran, are they really
the “silver bullet” policy that his adminis-
tration hopes they will be?
Since World War I, governments have
increasingly used economic sanctions to
achieve their international political objec-
tives. Despite a century of experience,
however, the rationale for such measures
remains far from compelling.
Economic sanctions have become even
more popular in recent decades. In the
1990s, for example, sanctions regimes were
introduced at an average rate of about seven
per year. Of the 67 cases in that decade, two-
thirds were unilateral sanctions imposed
by the United States. During Bill Clinton’s
presidency, it is estimated that around 40%
of the world’s population, or 2.3 billion
people, were subject to some form of U.S.
sanctions. In fact, the great majority of sanc-
tions are imposed by large countries against
small countries. Currently, the U.S. has
nearly 8,000 sanctions in place worldwide,
with Iran by far the largest state target.
In addition, since the 1960s, the United
Nations Security Council has established
30 multilateral sanctions regimes under
Article 41 of the UN Charter. The most suc-
cessful of these arguably played a key role
in ending the apartheid regimes in South
Africa and Southern Rhodesia (today’s
Zimbabwe). In addition to targeting specific
countries, the UN has also imposed sanc-
tions on non-state entities such as al-Qaeda,
the Taliban, and, more recently, the so-
called Islamic State (ISIS).
But it remains highly doubtful that Iran
will change its policies, let alone its regime,
in the face of Trump’s sanctions. The simple
truth about economic sanctions is that,
though widely used, they often fail. A com-
40 May. 17 - 23 2019
prehensive study of 170 twentieth-century
cases in which sanctions were imposed con-
cluded that only one-third of them attained
their stated objectives. Another study esti-
mates the success rate of sanctions regimes
to be lower than 5%.
Such a high failure rate suggests that
governments often use flawed arguments
to justify imposing sanctions, tainting our
understanding of their rationale and effec-
tiveness. Seven misconceptions or fallacies
stand out. Each needs to be debunked.
First, sanctions are justified as a gentler
and more humane alternative to war. But
this underestimates the potential for inter-
national diplomacy to resolve conflicts. And
in reality, sanctions often pave the way for
wars rather than averting them: 13 years of
international sanctions against Iraq were
followed by the 2003 US-led invasion, for
example.
A second argument is that “if sanctions
are hurting, they must be working.” But this
criterion of effectiveness fails to define what
would constitute success. Worse, it flies in
the face of evidence suggesting that – even
when essentials such as food and medicine
are excluded – sanctions hurt large swaths
of the civilian population. They stymie eco-
nomic growth, undermine production, and
cause businesses to fail, resulting in higher
unemployment. Sanctions can also fuel
inflation by restricting imports and fueling
currency crises.
Third, sanctions are often said to be
“smart” and “targeted.” In practice, how-
ever, comprehensive economic sanctions
are collective punishment. They squeeze
the middle classes and impose a dispro-
portionate burden on the poorest and most
vulnerable, who are arguably the biggest
victims of the very regimes that sanctions
are designed to punish.
Fourth, some governments justify sanc-
tions as a way to uphold and promote
human rights. But evidence suggests that
civil-society entities and NGOs are gener-
ally among the biggest losers under sanc-
tions. By portraying sanctions as foreign
aggression and economic warfare against
their country, authoritarian regimes often
accuse human-rights activists of being allied
with the enemy. From there, it’s a short step
to a national-security crackdown on such
organisations.
Iran is following that pattern. Trump’s
withdrawal of the U.S. from the 2015 Iran
nuclear deal last May, coupled with the
imposition of a new round of sanctions, has
emboldened Iran’s hardliners, who now
claim that their distrust of the U.S. was justi-
fied and are pushing back against Rouhani’s
centrist administration. Similarly, sanctions
against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq in the 1990s
led to the wholesale destruction of civil
society there, helping to stoke the identity
politics and sectarianism that continue to
bedevil that country and the wider region.
A fifth claim is that sanctions are neces-
sary and effective in bringing about regime
change. The cases of South Africa and Zim-
babwe notwithstanding, this is probably
the weakest of the seven arguments – as the
longevity of sanctioned regimes in countries
such as North Korea, Cuba, and Myanmar
indicate. Even the blockade imposed on
Qatar by Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain,
and Egypt since June 2017 has boosted the
emir’s popularity and led a significant part
of the population to rally behind him.
Sixth, sanctions are said to weaken the tar-
geted governments. But by worsening the
business and investment climate, economic
sanctions take their toll primarily on the
private sector. If anything, power becomes
more centralised and concentrated as gov-
ernments increasingly control supplies of
strategic commodities given the shortages
they cause.
Finally, sanctions are supposedly effective
in containing nuclear proliferation. Here,
too, their record is demonstrably poor. Since
the Non-Proliferation Treaty entered into
force in 1970, four countries have acquired
nuclear weapons: Israel, India, Pakistan, and
North Korea. Three of them did so while
under sanctions.
Ultimately, the success or failure of eco-
nomic sanctions is judged by whether they
bring about regime change or change a gov-
ernment’s behavior. Given the prevailing
misconceptions about their rationale, it is
not surprising – as we are likely to see again
in Iran – that they so often achieve neither
goal. What is more certain is that destabi-
lising Iran will make the region more dan-
gerous than ever.
Hassan Hakimian, Director of the London
Middle East Institute and Reader in Economics
at SOAS, University of London, is a co-editor of
Iran and the Global Economy: Petro Populism,
Islam and Economic Sanctions.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2019.
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