News analysis Health Business

New look at Uganda’s Two blood pressure Who wins in the lebrating
tourism revenue figures drugs that could kill you proposed NSSF reforms? Ce

Issue No. 512 March 16 - 22 2018 Ushs 5,000,Kshs 200, RwF 1,500, SDP 8
Years

Tumukunde sacking
How Museveni played
`inner circle’ politics

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INBOX

Issue No. 512 March 16 - 22 2018

Tumukunde
sacking
How Museveni
played `inner
circle’ politics

The Week The Last Word Analysis Business Arts &

Culture
4|New IGP Uganda’s 14|Uganda’s 24|MTN Uganda
makes reshuffles tourism revenue rebounds with Shs
in the police
myths and figures: 1.68 trillion revenue:
35|Driving in
the rain
realities: Separating fact Government move
Why Besigye from fiction to stop telcos from
selling SIM cards
can only through agents could
4|Kenyatta, Odinga govern using hurt the company’s
in talks to end revenue going
differences
Museveni’s 16|Pope Paul
VI: 1963-1978: forward
politics of 37|Adventures
Reformist pope
corruption Paul VI will soon in media, styles:
25|Who wins in
and be a saint the proposed NSSF
The open
4|MPs call for expressions of
disciplining
patronage reforms?: young artists
Minister Critics say shelving
Namuganza the proposed pension
liberalization bill
exposes the Shs
9 trillion fund to
political and corporate
governance risks

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

PUBLISHER: Independent Publications Limited, Plot 82/84, Kanjokya Street, P. O. Box 3304, Kampala, Uganda
Tel: +256-312-637-391/ 2/ 3/ 4 | Fax: +256-312-637-396 E-mail: editor@independent.co.ug | advertising@independent.co.ug
circulation@independent.co.ug | Website: www.independent.co.ug

2 March 16 - 22 2018
 Offline

The in-coming security

Minister Elly Tumwine
takes oath during the
swearing in ceremony
at State House Entebbe
on March 12.

“We need policy thinkers for budgets

like UPC’s Milton Obote had for his
five year development plans. We lack
critical thinkers to criticise and direct
government that is why parties are dying
out due to petty differences.”Tanga Odoi,
NRM electoral chairman

Kampala University
students during their 15th
Graduation Ceremony
at Gabba main campus
March 7.  INDEPENDENT/
JIMMY SIYA

“Kayihura is definitely a schemer and he

chose to be a sycophant for that purpose.
I have seen a few sycophants like
Kayihura.” Opposition leader Kizza Besigye
on the former police chief

The French Ambassador to

Uganda Stephanie Rivoal, (R)
with William Blick,President
of the Uganda Olympic
Committee (UOC) during
the launch of Uganda,
French week at the French “The simcard is now used to store
Embassy. This friendship
week activities will take off
medical records, business transactions,
from the 17th of March to legal documents and so many more, so
34th showcasing culture, it has now become more complex than
sports, foods and tourism before. Because of the improvements in
in Uganda.   INDEPENDENT/
JIMMY SIYA
its use, we cannot leave the registration
and monitoring to telecoms alone.”
Godfrey Mutabazi, Executive Director, Uganda
Communications Commission

14 35 Shs6bn
Suspects who People killed by Water supply system
escaped from a prison cholera in Hoima commissioned for
cell in Kyotera district a few days ago Kiboga district

March 16 - 22 2018 3
week

UCC directs Telecoms to halt SIM card selling

In a bid to curb rampant
telephone crime, Uganda
Communications Commis-
sion has directed Telecom
companies to immediately
halt sell of SIM cards through
hawkers, street vendors or
any other establishment that
aren’t licensed by the Kampala
Capital City Authority or other
municipal town authorities.
During a press conference
the commission’s Executive
Director Godfrey Mutabazi
asked companies to also recall
all the SIM cards that are held
in stock by street vendors. He
said they have ordered com-
panies to have card readers to
validate national ID informa-
tion during subscriber regis-
tration which will be verified
against the national data bases
at National Identification and
Registration Authority.
UCC was recently put on
spot when a one Susan Mag-
ara was murdered after crimi-
nals using several unregistered
SIM cards called her relatives
for ransom. Many blamed
UCC for failing to register all
SIM cards in circulation even
though they have previously
issued warnings of deactivat-
ing unregistered numbers.

New IGP makes

reshuffles in
the police
Just days after he was named
new Inspector General of Police,
Martin Okoth Ochola made
changes in the police force
redeploying over 88 officers to
different posts. Among those
redeployed is former Kampala
Metropolitan Police Spokes-
person Patrick Onyango was
returned to this position which
he last held in 2016. Now, he
replaces Luke Oweyesigire who
has been acting Public Relations
Officer.
Others on the reshuffle list are
Geoffrey Nkaheebwa formerly
DPC Kabarole has been posted
to Kamuli as DPC, Jaffar Magezi Kenyatta, Odinga in talks to end differences
is new DPC Mbarara, Alfonse
Ojangole is DPC Kamuli and Kenya President Uhuru two promised to work together be headed by one of the coun-
Edirisa Kyeyune is DPC Kabala- Kenyatta said he wants to leave to halt the country’s descent try’s top lawyer Paul Mwangi.
gala. a legacy of unity when he spoke especially in issues such as eth- However, these talks come
Meanwhile OKoth Ochola to journalists at Harambe house nic antagonism, divisive elec- after Odinga swore himself in
and his Deputy Sabiti Muzeeyi in Kenya shortly after meeting tions, security, corruption and as president in January saying
in addition to new Security Min- his political rival Raila Odinga lack of national ethos among he was the country’s rightful
ister Gen. Elly Tumwine were of the National Super Alliance others. leader but was just a victim of
vetted and confirmed by parlia- (NASA) party. This was their They said to tackle these; they an election manipulated by the
ment’s appointments committee first face to face meeting after had set up a programme to be ruling Jubilee party.
chaired by Speaker Rebecca the heated electoral season. The implemented by a taskforce to
Kadaga on March.07.

*terms and conditions apply

Dial *134 * 7#
4 March 16 - 22 2018

Less than 44% of facilities can manage
post-partum complications, survey
A report launched on
Mar.07 shows health facili-
ties across the country lack
crucial medicines for moth-
ers such as magnesium
sulphate and dexamethasone
for managing pre-term labor
and preventing complica-
tions due to pre-eclampsia
and postpartum hemorrhag-
ing.
The survey that was done
in 124 facilities across the
country including Health
Center IIIs, public, private
and mission hospitals found
that these crucial medicines
were found in less than 44%
of the facilities. Irregular
availability of such commod-
ities experts warn contributes
to the 336 maternal deaths
per 100,000 live births the
country still grapples with.
Dennis Kibira the Execu-
tive Director, HEPS- Uganda,
one of the NGOs that carried
out the survey said the inten-
MPs call for disciplining
Minister Namuganza
tion of the research was to
provide data on the prices
people pay for sexual and
reproductive health com-
modities, their availability,
the barriers to their access
and what causes stock outs
if they are there. He asked
government to improve the
supply chain such that accu-
rate ordering and delivery of
commodities is done.
Meanwhile at the London
Family Planning summit last
year, Uganda renewed its
commitment to reproductive
health commodities whereby
they pledged to reduce the
unmet need for family plan-
ning to 10% and to increase
the modern contraceptive
prevalence rate among wom-
en to 50% by 2020. They also
pledged to allocate $5million
annually for procurement
and distribution of reproduc-
tive health supplies and com-
modities to the last mile.
Bukono MP and Lands State
Minister Persis Namuganza
who first came under the
spot light when she publicly
quarreled with ICT state
Minister Aidah Nantaba was
on Mar. 09 kicked out of the
Busoga Parliamentary caucus
for insulting and alleging
Week
that speaker Rebecca Kadaga
wanted to murder her.
The 13 MPs who called for
criminal proceedings against
the Minister said her conduct
was unbecoming and that
she was now banned from
conducting any activities in the
Busoga region apart from her
constituency. She had recently
called on her supporters to
lynch the Kyabazinga and the
speaker at a social function held
in her Bukono constituency.
Apart from that, the Minister is
also said to have taken to social
media to attack the people of
Kamuli – Kadaga constituents
that they are unhygienic.
On Mar.12, the NRM
National Vice Chairperson
for Eastern Uganda Mike
Mukula wrote to the president
to intervene in the matter
which he says hails from
a conflict surrounding the
Kyabazingaship.

Makerere to stop providing food for resident students

Starting June students residing in halls at
Makerere University will have to buy food
after management resolved to give govern-
ment sponsored students money to cover
for their food expenses. This came up after a
report from the Finance and Planning Com-
mittee of the University Council presented
findings of its survey where they asked
students to choose whether they wanted
money or for the halls to continue giving
them food and over 50% of the students
preferred money.
Shs4000 per day per student is what the
university has been paying to the four food
service providers that have had this contract
since 2014 but there have been calls to have
the prices raised with the increase in food
prices. Now, with the contracts ending in
June, the about 6000 students benefitting
from the programme will have to buy food
from any restaurant of their choice. This has
attracted mixed reactions for one plate of
food costs between Shs3000 and 10,000.

March 16 - 22 2018 5
Week

Museveni promises to tackle crime in Lango sub-region

President Museveni has assured
the people of Lango Sub-Region in
Northern Uganda that pockets of
insecurity in the area will be dealt with
government. He said that since the
National Resistance Movement (NRM)
government had been able to deal with
notorious people like Kony, Lakwena
and cattle rustlers that peddled
insecurity, the current situation will
also be dealt with after conducting a
regional security meeting. Museveni
made the remarks at the Thanksgiving
ceremony of Paul Amoru Omiat,
Dokolo North Member of Parliament
held on March 10 at Adwoki Technical
Institute in Dokolo district. He was
happy to note that infrastructural
and personal developments in the
region have taken root. He, therefore,
encouraged the people of the area to
keep up the efforts.

Court sets April 17 to deliver verdict on Kaweesi murder case

Banyima appointed
to the G7 council
Wife to opposition strong man Kizza
Besigye and Oxfam International Execu-
tive Director Winnie Byanyima has been
appointed to the gender and equality advi-
sory council to the Canadian presidency
of the G7 member countries. Byanyima
together with nine other women activists
chosen on the basis of their ability to influ-
ence public discourse and commitment to
advance gender equality are expected to
support leaders and ministers in ensuring
that gender equality and gender-based
analysis are integrated across all themes,
activities and outcomes of Canada’s G7 Some of the suspects in the dock.
Presidency which it achieved on Jan. 01
Responding to the appointment through Nakawa Grade one Magistrates’ One of the lawyers Anthony Wameli
her twitter handle, Byanyima said her focus court has set April 17 to deliver verdict said the fact that state attorneys have
will be pursuing growth which benefits on whether or not to dismiss a case not made it to court is an indicator that
women and men equally and ending pov- in which 15 suspects are accused of they are no longer interested in the
erty in the world. taking part in the murder of former case. He said this wasn’t the first time
The G7 also known as the Group of Sev- police spokesperson AIGP Andrew for this to happen but whenever they
en, is a group consisting of Canada, France, Felix Kaweesi. This follows several apply for dismissal of the case, their
Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom attempts by the suspects’ lawyers to plea is never heard.
and the United States. These countries, with have the case dismissed but Magistrate Now, they have asked that the court
the seven largest advanced economies in Noah Sajjabbi has always proceeded refers the matter to High Court for
the world, represent more than 62% of the with the case even as prosecution has further interpretation.
global net wealth estimated at $280 trillion. failed to conclude investigations.

6 March 16 - 22 2018
Humour Did you know?
Eye-drops could
replace spectacles

On March. 5, President Museveni sacked the long- serving Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura
and the Security Minister, Lt Gen.Henry Tumukunde in a major shake-up of the national security services Scientists at Bar-Ilan
University’s Institute
of Nanotechnology
and Advanced Materi-
als, in Tel Aviv, Israel,
claim to have created
some truly revolution-
ary eye-drops that
can heal damaged
corneas and improve
vision. Described as
“a new concept for
correcting refractory
problems”, the nano-
drops developed by
Cabinet has directed that every salary earner including the self- ophthalmologist Dr.
employed must save with National Social Security Fund David Smadja and a
team of scientists from
Shaare Zedek Medical
Center and Bar-Ilan
University have so far
been tested on animals
with damaged cor-
neas. During a recent
presentation, Smadja
said that the eye-drops
repaired the animal
corneas, producing
improvements in both
short-sightedness and
President Museveni named Gen. Elly Tumwine as Security Minister to
long-sightedness.
replace Lt. Gen. Henry Tumukunde in the recent security shake-up.

March 16 - 22 2018 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
Hon. Onesmus Twinamasiko
on beating wives
“As a man, you need to discipline your
wife, you need to, you know, touch her a
bit, you tackle her and you beat her some-
how to really streamline her,” said the
Bugangaizi Member of Parliament, Ones-
mus Twinamasiko while commenting on
President Yoweri Museveni’s submission
about men who beat their wives. While he
was addressing the masses at the Interna-
tional Women’s Day Celebrations in Mitya-
na on March 08, Museveni said “men who
beat their wives are cowards, stupid and do
not deserve to be referred to as men”. The
President’s advice came after several reports
showing the increased rate of men beat-
ing their wives, leading to loss their lives,
permanent damage, and feeling inferior.
Women become silent yet their voices could
have transformed them and their societ-
ies through empowerment programs in
political, social, financial and administrative
activities.
I felt embarrassed to hear a senior citizen
at the level of a Member of Parliament sup-
porting and encouraging men to beat their
wives. We are in an era of fully transform-
ing women’s lives and when a legislator like
Onesmus Twinamasiko is against it, I doubt
his goals in leadership. If cows are no longer
beaten, why does he support human beings
to be beaten? Our leaders should lead by
example and utter words that transform
people and build their lives. Twinamasiko
should apologise to Ugandans.
David Serumaga
President, Buganda Youth Wing
serumagadavid916@gmail.com
8 March 16 - 22 2018
Follow us on Twitter @
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www.facebook.com/TheIndependentMagazineUganda
Better health care for Women
I would like to commend
all female leaders making a
positive change even as our
country seems to be in crisis
on women’s health issues.
We must also consider the
role of a key actor; the State.
We live with large and
growing inequalities in
the health sector; with
disparities in health status,
widening gaps between the
health “haves” (those under
insurance cover along with
their families, those that
take flights abroad for treat-
ment etc) and the health
“have nots,” in the villages
who cannot even afford
access to a health center, or
even buy a pain killer from
The fall of Kayihura
Refer to: “The fall of
Kayihura” (The Indepen-
dent March 09). Mwenda,
I think Kayihura was not
“extremely effective at
blocking demonstrations”.
He was
extreme-
ly brutal
and
heart-
less
at
it. A
Kayihura’s biggest mistake
The fall of former IGP
Kale Kayihura was on his
day one in the office of
IGP when he chose to be in
service of one man and not
in the interests of the whole
country. Kayihura was so
interested in pleasing and
appeasing the person of
President Museveni even
if it meant going against
the police code of con-
a drug shop. The result
is a dramatic decrease in
access to quality healthcare;
especially among women
and adverse impacts on the
pockets of both the rich and
the poor.
Factors behind this
include a frightening lais-
sez-faire mentality in our
increasingly amoral country
in which state casino eco-
nomics rides roughshod
over political, civil, social,
economic and cultural
rights. Solidarity and the
caring attitude are gone.
The state lacks vision for
the inter-sectorial nature
of health promotion and
health protection and health
deeper analysis would
reveal that he contributed
immensely to NRM/M7’s
loss of popularity in urban
areas in Uganda (not that
I care). Kayihura’s actions
were textbook style of fail-
ing a government from
within. With him building
a security base, including
the recruitment of crime
presenters that were loyal
to him and well facilitated
when the police was lack-
ing resources, it was only
inevitable that a leader with
“vision” would not keep
duct. He didn’t have the
manuscript on how high he
would jump or, how low
he would stoop. That deci-
sion left to Museveni. When
Kayihura decided to make
Museveni his only friend,
it became only natural that
once he would fall hard;
there would be no one to
pick him up. If Kayihura’s
master is disgraced with his
News analysis Health Business
English and failing More men are infertile, Why Barclays Bank lebratin
of science exams so why blame women? rebranded to Absa Ce g
Issue No. 511 March 09 - 15 2018
Ushs 5,000,Kshs 200, RwF 1,500, SDP 8
Years
Behind sacking
of Kayihura,
Tumukunde
By Haggai Matsiko
www.independent.co.ug
priorities are distorted
by vested professional,
political and economic
interests leading to narrow,
top –down medical repair
services. The individual,
family and the community
are not meaningful partici-
pants. Fewer resources go
to primary health care as
80% of the budget goes to
tertiary care for just a hand-
ful of the population and
20 % for everybody else.
These factors call for urgent
strengthening of the health
sector for the benefit of,
especially, the women.
Isabella Bwiire
him around. I do not agree
with you when you say
Kayihura was very loyal to
Museveni. He pretended to
be loyal and was waiting for
that window of opportunity
to pounce. When you say
it is because of others that
Museveni fired `afande tear
gas’, you are probably con-
firming to us that Museveni
is spineless which I would
like to believe is not the
case.
Ben
performance, who are we
to praise him? I can humbly
say, that when the question
was posed to Kayihura to
either serve person or coun-
try, Kayihura chose person
over country. He should,
therefore, be dumped onto
the dung hip of history.
Rajab Kakyama

Uganda’s myths and realities
By Andrew M. Mwenda
Why Besigye can only govern using Museveni’s
politics of corruption and patronage
T
he discussion of a post President
Yoweri Museveni Uganda tends to
be programmatic rather than analyt-
ical. It is built on false hopes based
on textbook theories rather than the actual
social dynamics of Uganda. This problem
is perverse in nearly all Africa. It explains
why our continent has seen many changes
of government without much qualitative
change in governance. Museveni governs in
a particular way more out of the dynamics
of power and politics in a poor multi ethnic
country than out of his personality.
Precisely because of the above, whoever
succeeds Museveni will most probably
adopt his governance strategies. The
person/party with the best chance to defeat
Museveni/NRM in an election is Kizza
Besigye/FDC. Many Ugandan elites believe
that such change will improve governance
in our country. But to change from Musev-
eni’s politics of corruption and patronage
needs a political party that is fundamentally
different from the NRM. Yet FDC is a rep-
lica of the NRM, and this makes Besigye
another Museveni – most likely without the
president’s finesse.
Let us begin with Museveni’s NRM. From
its founding to this day, it has never evolved
a nationally centralised structure backed by
a coherent ideology. Instead it has largely
been a confederation of powerful elites
from Uganda’s diverse social spectrum of
ethnic and religious elites. These elites are
involved in a competition for control over
the allocation of state patronage in order
to enhance their own power and influence
among their constituents; and of course to
build private economic fortunes.
Museveni’s power is derived from his
ability to act as an effective referee of these
diverse and conflicting interests within the
party and country. His inability to get out of
power is also linked to the fear that without
him, this unruly coalition can lead to the
disintegration of the party with dire conse-
quences for the country, the state and the
president himself and his family. Of course
this may mean that he is not solving but
postponing the final reckoning.
There is a misperception that NRM’s
social base is the mass of peasants in rural
areas. Yet NRM is not an egalitarian political
party. True it is connected to peasants who
form its largest voting block. But this con-
nection is not built on an institutional and
ideological base. Rather it is through ethnic
The Last Word
and religious intermediaries – traditional
elders, successful businesspersons, accom-
plished professionals, articulate youths,
religious clerics, and prosperous farmers,
etc. who command respect in their com-
munities. It keeps the support of peasants,
not necessarily by serving their needs, but
largely by placating the interests of these
elites.
How do these elites gain and retain such
influence in their communities? It is by
exhibiting hospitality and exaggerated
generosity to their people. But where do
they get the resources to do this? They can
(and sometimes do) get it from their private
incomes, which is expensive. But most
times, because they are in government, they
use public resources; which means corrup-
tion. Therefore, corruption is the political
currency used to build constituencies of
support.
The alternative is to build a centralised
national organisation, backed by a coherent
ideology and spreading its tentacles to the
grassroots. It would have to bypass pow-
erful elites at the local level who act as a
bridge between the party and the masses.
We find this in post genocide Rwanda. Yet
RPF did not begin this way. Rather this
evolved in response to a specific experience,
something hard to replicate.
Initially RPF tried the strategy of relying
on local elite intermediaries to create a
bridge between itself and ordinary citizens.
It failed. I will return to explain why this
happened on another day. But it set it apart
from other political parties not just in Africa
but also in all poor countries including
those in the West and Asia when they were
at the same per capita income as African
countries today.
Now, how has Museveni organised and
distributed power in Uganda? How does he
exercise and reproduce it? Let us begin with
his cabinet. The president is not required to
select ministers from elected legislators. But
over 90% of his cabinet is made up of MPs.
This choice of ministers is largely based on
their individual ability to mobilise electoral
support in their areas rather than on their
individual administrative competences or
ideological and policy harmony as a col-
lective. Museveni has other considerations
of course – such as one’s historical role
in the NRM struggle, his desire to please
certain individuals and constituencies or to
reward some historic favors. But these are
Opinion
secondary.
Therefore, in projecting the way Besigye
would govern, we have to examine FDC’s
social base and how it mobilises. Who
makes up the leadership and follower-
ship of this party? At the top FDC is led by
people who have no direct role in the pro-
ductive sphere of the economy – industry,
agriculture or services. Instead they are self-
employed professionals who live by earning
a salary or unemployed political operators
whose only hope is salaried employment.
Increasingly, the more enlightened ele-
ments of this party have been sidelined in
its power structure and the crude and semi
educated faction taken control. So if Besigye
became president today, the most influen-
tial people around him would be Ingrid
Turinawe, Jack Sabiti, Wycliffe Bakandonda,
Doreen Nyanjura, Erias Lukwago, etc. You
need to be high on weed to believe these are
the women and men to democratise and
industrialise Uganda.
At the grassroots the party is supported
by an army of semi-educated, unemployed
youths in urban and peri-urban areas and
many professionals and students who look
to the state for opportunities as salaried
workers. Given this social base, FDC can
only preside over a government of job
seekers i.e. reproduce Museveni’s neo-patri-
monial politics of corruption and patronage.
The FDC has not cultivated (or has failed
to cultivate) a support-base among the
productive social groups within Uganda’s
economy – traders, manufacturers, agri-
cultural investors and innovators, service
providers, etc. Thus, if it won elections and
came into power, an FDC government
would, inevitably, be dominated by its
social base – salaried professionals and their
urban youth supporters.
The productive and innovative social
forces in the economy would therefore seek
policy favours by lobbying these people.
Such a relationship would inevitably be
based on exchange of material favors hence
corruption. FDC leaders would also seek
to enhance and consolidate power at the
grassroots and would employ exactly the
same methods as NRM functionaries hence
corruption. This has less to do with their
individual morals and/or principles but the
logic and circumstances of democratic poli-
tics in a poor multi ethnic country.
amwenda@independent.co.ug
March 16 - 22 2018 9
cover story

Tumukunde
sacking
How Museveni
played `inner
circle’ politics
By Haggai Matsiko
By the time he fired former
Minister for Security; Lt. Gen.
Henry Tumukunde, President
Yoweri Museveni had been
resisting pressure from within his
inner circle to act.
Tumukunde’s sacking was not
an easy decision because he is
married to Stella Tumukunde; a
cousin to Mrs Janet Museveni,
and, therefore, part of the first
family.
Indeed, the very day he was
fired on March 04, Tumukunde
appeared at the funeral service of
late Maj. Ian Kangaho, a nephew
to the first lady, at All Saints’
Cathedral, Nakasero in Kampala.

10 March 16 - 22 2018
P
cover story
resident Museveni also
attended the service
together with other
members of his family like
his son, Maj.Gen. Muhoozi
Kainerugaba and his
wife, Charlotte Kutesa. At some point,
Tumukunde could be seen chatting with
Kainerugaba, who is now Presidential
adviser on special operations.
Insiders say because of these ties,
Museveni had been expressing concerns
about Tumukunde but had not taken
action.
Some speculated that Tumukunde
had remained in cabinet because he
had a lobbyist in the First Lady and
Museveni’s influential brother, Gen.
Caleb Akandwanaho aka Salim Saleh.
For others, Tumukunde was still serving
Museveni’s mission – of clipping the
wings of former police chief, Gen. Kale
Kayihura.
The fight with Kayihura had
driven the Security Minister to expose
himself. Tumukunde had been nursing
a personal grudge against Kayihura.
The latter, insiders say, volunteered Gen. Elly Tumwine and Gen. Salim Saleh
to arrest Tumukunde when he fell out
with President Museveni in May 2005. when a person close to you is suffering – a month before Tumukunde was fired
Months later Kayihura was rewarded from this problem—omuhembe--, you do together with Kayihura.
with the post of IGP. Tumukunde never not chase them right away. Instead, you Kananura is a ruling party stalwart
forgot and when he bounced back to first let the mouth stink for everybody and a close contact of President
cabinet, his priority appeared fighting else such that by the time you act, Museveni. In September last year,
Kayihura. everybody is wondering what took you Museveni attended his son, Moses
Although Museveni wanted so long. Kananura’s wedding reception at Lake
Kayihura’s wings clipped, however, The president has used this approach Victoria Serena Hotel and donated ten
he severally cautioned Tumukunde to fire many high-ranking officials. cows. This time his daughter, Diana was
against openly criticising the former In the recent past, he has applied it marrying Castro Taremwa, the son of
police chief and other colleagues in on former Prime Minister Amama top businessman Banarbas Taremwa,
cabinet meetings but it did not stop Mbabazi, who he did not fire until there who is a brother to Jovia Saleh and,
Tumukunde. While police was largely was a near revolt against him over therefore, a brother-in-law to Saleh.
to blame for the security crisis, it did not his management of the ruling party This explains why the function at
help Tumukunde much that Ugandans secretariat. Mbabazi created so many Taremwa’s home in Mbarara district
were seeing the worst wave of murders enemies within the senior party ranks appeared a gathering of who is who
and crime under his tenure as Security to the extent that many party stalwarts amongst Uganda’s ruling family.
Minister. were openly calling for his sacking. Eyebrows went up when it emerged
But others say Museveni did not Once Museveni got fed up of that Tumukunde was not seated next
sack Tumukunde earlier because he Kayihura, he did the same—started to Gen. Saleh. The two are known to
the president was following an old rule talking about how the police had been be close. Usually, when the two are at
in his book on how and when to fire infiltrated. Indeed, while previously functions, they sit near each other and
officials. complaints about Gen. Kayihura came chat as the function goes on. Saleh
only from sections of the public, sections helped rehabilitate Tumukunde when
When the mouth stinks of police and sections of his inner circle, the latter fell-out with Museveni and
A source privy to the inner workings by the time he fired Kayihura, the police was arrested and put on katebe (made
at State House has told this reporter on chief’s image had been badly tarnished dormant) for about eight years. Saleh
condition of anonymity that, as is his by failures or the crisis in police. was instrumental in his return to cabinet
habit before firing anyone, Museveni Museveni applied the same approach in June 2016.
had been using an analogy to explain on Gen. Tumukunde. He let him stink A week before the wedding, on
why he takes time to fire people after for everybody to the extent that, days Jan. 27, at the introduction of Castro
falling out with them. before he fired him, Tumukunde was Taremwa and Diana, Tumukunde sat
According to the source, the being avoided by almost everyone; next to Jovia Saleh, the wife of Gen.
president’s analogy is based on a even if he is a close member of the first Saleh.
disease that makes a person’s mouth family. On that occasion, insiders have told
to stink. In the president’s local This became clear to critical observers The Independent, Tumukunde was
language—Runyankore—the disease who attended the wedding of the overheard complaining to Jovia Saleh
is called ‘omuhembe’. The president daughter of prominent businessman, about his frustrations with working as
reportedly told those close to him that Kananura in Mbarara District on Feb. 03 Security Minister.

March 16 - 22 2018 11
cover story
Gen. Kale Kayihura and Lt.Gen. Henry Tumumukunde .  INTERNET/PHOTO
“Why did Museveni appoint me if he
didn’t want me to work?” a frustrated
Tumukunde was reportedly heard
saying.
This being a public event, some
people overheard the conversation and
rallied information to both Museveni
and Saleh. Both were not happy with
Tumukunde, some insiders claim.
Museveni had allowed Tumukunde
back to his cabinet primarily because
Gen. Saleh, had recruited him into the
2015 project to neutralise Mbabazi,
have Museveni re-elected and deal with
another threat—Gen. Kayihura’s alleged
emerging presidential ambitions.
Tumukunde delivered on all and he
was rewarded with the cabinet posting.
Still, there was no love lost between
Museveni and Tumukunde following
an earlier fall-out. And Tumukunde
soon started becoming a problem –
again. His detractors said he was using
choppers to fly around—privileges that
are only seen as a preserve of President
Museveni and a select few.
Tumukunde was also reportedly
aggressively “looking for money”,
other informers claimed. Officially,
Tumukunde himself said he needed
money to revamp the country’s
capabilities to deal with insecurity.
But when accusations surfaced that
Tumukunde still nursed ambitions
of ousting Museveni, his expiry date
became imminent. His detractors
said he was using state resources to
eliminate potential competition all the
12 March 16 - 22 2018
while mobilising for himself. They
claimed he needed money to build a
war chest against Museveni.
Clash with Museveni
And Museveni reportedly made
his suspicions clear to Tumukunde in
several cabinet meetings.
At one point, when Tumukunde
said his docket of security was heavily
underfunded, needed more allocations,
Museveni dismissed him.
“How come it is only you who is
demanding more money, why do you
want this money?” President Museveni
reportedly asked.
In another cabinet meeting in May
last year, an angry President Museveni
accused Tumukunde of demonising
his government with his fight against
Kayihura. Tumukunde insisted he was
only pointing out mistakes, which
everyone could see and the public was
complaining about. The moment was
tense, as the two appeared to have an
exchange.
“Shut up and get out,” the enraged
president banged the table before
standing up himself and leaving the
cabinet meeting room. Tumukunde
was enraged too and minutes after
the meeting ended, he was overheard
telling one of the president’s aides that
he was going to resign.
“Let him go ahead and we see,”
President Museveni reportedly said
when he was told about Tumukunde’s
threats.
Many had not seen the president
this angry with Tumukunde since 2005
when the two men fell out over remarks
the security minister made on a radio
station, which got him charged with
spreading harmful propaganda, court-
martialed and kept under house arrest
for years.
After the stormy meeting, while
meeting a group of friends, Tumukunde
reportedly said he would join the
opposition and be a worse problem for
the President than former Museveni
confidants turned foes; retired Col. Dr.
Kizza Besigye and retired Maj.Gen.
Mugisha Muntu. He was adding oil to
fire.
If President Museveni did not care
about other things, he would not easily
forgive what he saw as schmoozing
with the opposition.
For many, that cabinet meeting
and events that followed signaled the
beginning of the end for Tumukunde.
“President Museveni did not fire
Tumukunde yesterday,” a source privy
to the inner workings at State House
told this reporter on March 05, on
condition of anonymity, “he fired him in
May last year.”
The May meeting happened after
Museveni returned from the conference
on Somalia that was held in London on
May 11.
The morning before he left for the
London meeting, Museveni received
findings from an investigation he
had asked his handlers to conduct on

Tumukunde.
He had called for the investigation
following allegations that Tumukunde
was closely working with agents in the
intelligence bodies he supervises to
implicate senior government officials
amongst which was Kayihura.
The previous night, the President
had called some members of the
parliamentary Appointments
Committee over the renewal of now
sacked former Inspector General of
Police, Gen. Kale Kayihura’s contract.
The morning of May.9, the same day the
committee was set to vet Kayihura, the
president called the committee’s chair,
Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga.
The president had received
information that an anti-Kayihura lobby
group, led by Tumukunde, had been
using his name saying that although
he had nominated Kayihura, he did
not want him approved by parliament.
He told Kadaga to ignore the claims as
false.
As security minister, Tumukunde
supervised both the External Security
Organisation (ESO) Internal Security
Organisation (ISO). ISO was the main
source of the intelligence the president
was interested in. And its boss, Col.
Kaka Bagyenda had grown very close to
Tumukunde.
cover story
these fabricated reports.
When The Independent put these
questions to Tumukunde last year,
the former Security Minister said, he
“didn’t get involved in those nitty-
gritties”. But insiders did not believe it
was a coincidence that these ISO reports
were showing up at a time Tumukunde
was supervising the entity.
But more than anything else, insiders
believe it is the politicking that sealed
Tumukunde’s fate. If this is the case,
nothing bears it out more clearly like
the remarks he made at the burial of
Timothy Mark Kainamura Rukikaire, a
son to Mathew and Sheeba Rukikaire in
Rukungiri district on March 02.
Many in Museveni’s inner circle
did not find innocent the decision by
Tumukunde to choose this function to
heap praises on Forum for Democratic
Change’s Kizza Besigye and former
state minister for privatisation Mathew
Rukikaire for their outstanding support
President Yoweri Museveni to the bush war that brought the ruling
party in power.
Under normal circumstances,
Tumukunde’s call on leaders with
ideological differences to resolve them
“Shut up and unite again should have been
seen as a good call but in the ears of
and get out,” Museveni’s handlers, it sounded like a
call of a man looking to position with

Sources intimated about how
Tumukunde, who had fallen out
with Kaka’s predecessor, Ronnie
Balya, was now frequenting ISO
headquarters under Kaka. This was
not all; some of the agents working
for ISO were Tumukunde’s new
the enraged
and unite the opposition.
Former Prime Minister Amama
Mbabazi and Kizza Besigye, who
president Tumukunde was calling upon, are seen
as Museveni’s biggest challengers—the
banged the two came third and second respectively
after Museveni during the 2016

table before
recruits. The president’s aides believed elections.
that Tumukunde was in cohorts It didn’t help matters that Besigye

with ISO and was the one churning
out intelligence against a host of
government officials.
Some of the officials that were
implicated in intelligence reports
included; Former Information Minister,
Jim Muhwezi, Secretary to the Treasury
standing
also seized the moment as usual to take
a barb at Museveni for not according
Rukikaire his due for the role he played
up himself during the 1981-86 struggle.
Besigye said that the first 27 people
and leaving who started guerrilla war in 1981 sat
in Rukaikaire’s home in Nsambya,

Keith Muhakanizi, Bank of Uganda
deputy governor Loius Kasekende and
former police Chief Kale Kayihura.
For instance, in March last year,
Museveni received intelligence that
Kayihura was slated to launch a
presidential bid at a hotel in Mbarara.
As part of the evidence informants
showed Museveni campaign-style
t-shirts and posters with Kayihura’s
photos, which they said was part of his
campaign paraphernalia. When Special
Forces deployed at the scene, they
discovered that it was all a hoax.
On their part, Muhakanizi, Muhwezi,
Kasekende were implicated in a scheme
that involved hacking into the treasury
and stealing millions of dollars. Again,
President Museveni called on the
the cabinet
meeting
room
BoU team including the governor and
ordered an investigation. Later when
BoU Governor Tumusiime Mutebile
tabled his findings, he said BoU had
not lost any funds as alleged in the ISO
report. President Museveni was furious
that ISO and Tumukunde were behind
Kampala.
“Museveni and his group started the
bush war at Rukikaire’s, who funded
them as he headed Shell Petrol Station
in the whole of East Africa,” Besigye
said, “You can imagine a family which
hosted rebels and supported them
through keeping their ammunitions
and giving them food, as well as
other logistics until they finished the
war, only to be forgotten soon after
getting into power. I was ashamed to
be appointed minister at 27, before
Rukikaire was appointed one.”
Tumukunde was seen as part of this
chorus. His stench had hit its peak. He
was fired.

March 16 - 22 2018 13
rwanda
Rwanda goes for
electric trains to Dar
By Independent Team & Agencies
R
wanda and Tanzania have agreed
to review the design of Isaka-Kigali
standard gauge railway. They have
dropped the proposed use of diesel
engines in favour of electric locomotives.
The line is proposed to link the Tanzanian
port of Dar-es-Salaam and Kigali; a stretch
of 1,320km.
The initial diesel Standard Gauge Rail-
way from the port of Dar es Salaam to
Kigali was expected to cost about US$2.5
billion. The bill was to be settled on an
approximately 50-50 basis. It is not clear
how much the new rail will cost and the
financing model for the project has also not
been revealed.
The initial project was launched on Jan.
20 in Dar es Salaam following a meeting
between President Paul Kagame of Rwanda
and his Tanzania counterpart, John Pombe
Magufuli.
The main considerations for the recent
changes were train efficiency and impact
on environment. The electric trains scored
better than diesel on both counts. The move
puts the project planning in sync with inter-
national trends which are shifting away
from diesel over environmental concerns.
The change in plan means that the pro-
posed trains will now be faster; with cargo
14 March 16 - 22 2018
trains travelling at 120km/hr instead of the
earlier planned 80km/hr and the passenger
train travelling at 160km/hr instead of the
earlier proposed 120km/hr.
Rwanda’s Minister of State in charge of
Transport, Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye, and
Tanzania’s Minister for Works, Transport
and Communication, Makame Mbarawa
agreed the changes in a meeting in Kigali.
“We need to reduce the time of travel
and cost of transportation of people and
goods between Dar es Salaam and Kigali
and improve efficiency for the railway,”
said Minister Uwihanganye during a press
briefing.
The two ministers directed the Rwanda
Transport Development Agency (RTDA)
and Joint Technical Monitoring Committee
(JTMC) to produce an updated feasibility
study for the project. This should lead to
establishment of a Project Implementation
Unit (PIU).
The proposed timeframe for ground
breaking of the railway has not changed
from October 2018. According to the plan,
the two governments plan to tender the job
in the next three months. This means that
by July and August, the selected contractor
will have mobilised necessary logistics for
project take-off.
In Tanzania, civil works are already
underway on the first section of its 2190km
standard-gauge network from Dar es
Salaam to Morogoro and a contract for
construction of the 336km section from
Morogoro to Makutupora near the capi-
tal Dodoma was awarded last October.
Contracts are due to be awarded soon for
three further sections: Makutupora - Tabora
(294km), Tabora - Isaka (133km), and Isaka -
Mwanza (248km).
According to the Tanzanian Daily News,
over 30 international firms are in the bid-
ding to supply the electric trains and the
screening process is underway.
Reli Asset Holding floated the tender for
the trains in January attracting at least 54
companies. Those have been cut down to
35 companies that applied for the job. The
latest information comes when the govern-
ment has initiated construction of the line
from Morogoro to Dodoma.
The plan is an extension to an ongoing
construction from Dar es Salaam to Moro-
goro. The government says the standard
gauge line is planned to link Dar es Salaam
with its East African neighbours Burundi,
Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, DR Congo and
Zambia. With Kenya moving very fast
to build its own standard gauge line, the
Chief Government Spokesperson says a
team of officials is evaluating the techni-
cal and financial aspects before going to a
table of discussion.

Queen Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth and President Yoweri Museveni during the opening
ceremony of the 2007 CHOGM at the Kampala Serena Hotel, November 23,2007.
By Michael Wesley
A
nyone interested in power must
visit Persepolis. Its ruins stand
defiantly in a parched valley
in southern Iran, the ultimate
statement of the capacity of humans to
dominate vast multitudes of their fellow
humans.
Amid the intricately carved stairways,
walls and plinths stand the two halls from
which the Achaemenid Empire radiated its
power, from the Indus to the Danube. The
Apadana, begun by Darius in 518 BC and
finished by Xerxes, was where the King of
Kings received tribute from the variety of
peoples he ruled.
With walls 60 metres long, its huge ceil-
ing of Lebanese cedar was supported on
72 columns of carved grey marble, each 19
metres high. Next to the Apadana is the
even larger Throne Hall, its massive roof
once supported by 100 columns, each of its
eight carved stone doorways depicting the
King of Kings wrestling with a mythical
monster.
The architecture of these two halls,
and the stairways leading to them, was
designed to inspire awe in the subjects of
the Achaemenids. Any tributary hoping to
see the King of Kings would be so disori-
ented by the time he saw the throne as to
be utterly prostrate at the heart of the larg-
est empire the world had ever seen.
The British Empire has no Persepolis.
Its beginning and end weren’t marked by
the construction and destruction of a city.
London began as an outpost of another
empire, and has continued to flourish long
after the fall of its own.
Neither is there a founding date or a
battle in which Britain decisively beat its
predecessor and was universally hailed as
the new world power – just as there is no
Empire of delusion
Today the Commonwealth exists as an
organisation in search of a rationale
decisive defeat that marks its end.
The British Empire is a story of ambi-
tious, evangelical, avaricious but ordinary
men and women, and a weary, reluctant
Whitehall bureaucracy dragged toward
formalising what its citizens had created
on the frontiers of enterprise in Asia, Africa
and the Pacific.
Far from popular notions of an empire
driven by surging jingoistic ambition, Brit-
ish society was deeply divided about the
benefits and morality of empire at the time
of its greatest expansion.
By the mid-19th century, a rising tide of
opinion opposed to imperialism on mate-
rial and moral grounds had begun to con-
test the pro-imperialist dominance of the
Tories under Palmerston and Disraeli. Brit-
ain’s economy had started to sputter and
lose ground to surging industrial rivals;
accumulated war debt and rising taxes
were generating popular resentment.
William Ewart Gladstone, at the head
of a surging Liberal movement, combined
moral attacks on the Tories’ overseas
adventurism with a hip-pocket campaign
that debt and taxes were the direct conse-
quence of imperial ambition.
And yet, the 70 years that followed 1850
saw the fastest expansion of the empire in
history. Hundreds of millions of Asians,
Africans, Pacific Islanders and Americans
found themselves ruled by Britannia.
Apart from in India, the British preferred
feature
to govern through local systems of govern-
ment – and, more often than not, reluc-
tantly.
As the French and the Germans became
determined to build themselves global
empires, the British were forced to clarify
their intentions in vast areas of the world
where they had simply asserted a sphere of
influence by virtue of the British navy and
British commercial dominance.
Repeatedly, where they had been pre-
pared to stand aside in a bid to manage
complex relations with their continental
rivals, the British found their hand forced
by the thrusting subjects in their domin-
ions, who had none of the Empire-weari-
ness of British society.
After the First World War, a bloodied
and impoverished Britain found itself
forced to take on yet more territory sur-
rendered by vanquished empires in the
Middle East and Africa.
Just as the British Empire has no found-
ing moment, neither has it an emphatic
final act. There is no burning of Persepolis
from which history will forever date the
demise of Rule Britannia. After the Second
World War, the largest empire the world
has ever seen declined exactly as it had
arisen – through the self-interested acts of
thousands of subjects, overseen by an over-
whelmed Whitehall bureaucracy, amid an
ambivalent British public, romantic and
cynical at the same time.
March 16 - 22 2018 15
feature
Even today, Britain can’t divest itself of
territories that cause it diplomatic difficul-
ties – the Falklands, Gibraltar, Northern
Ireland – thanks to the attachment of their
populations to membership of a vanished
empire.
And while the British Empire’s gracious
decline can be seen as a tribute to the prim
pragmatism of the same national charac-
ter that built it, the lack of a final act may
carry an ominous thread. Without a clear
full stop there can be no certainty that the
unraveling has ended even now.
The evolution of the Commonwealth
The key to Britannia’s reluctant rise and
dignified eclipse lies in a mystical associa-
tion: the Commonwealth.
The displacement of “empire” by
“Commonwealth” first happened amid
the horror of the First World War, at the
Imperial War Conference of 1917. Britain,
its self-governing dominions – Canada,
Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and
Newfoundland – and India had come
together to discuss the form and function of
the empire after the war.
Britain had come to rely ever more heav-
ily on the Empire for its survival during
the cataclysm. In full knowledge of this, the
dominions and India had begun to demand
a greater say over an imperial foreign policy
that could have such momentous conse-
quences for them.
The Imperial War Conference issued
Resolution IX, which recognised: “ … the
dominions as autonomous nations of an
Imperial Commonwealth, and … India as
an important portion of the same”.
The resolution further recognised: ” …
the right of the dominions and India to an
adequate voice in foreign policy and in for-
eign relations, and should provide effective
arrangements for continuous consultation
in all important matters of common imperi-
al concern, and for such necessary concerted
action, founded on consultation, as the sev-
eral governments may determine”.
Names matter. In naming something or
someone, not only do we give them a social
handle, we also aim to define the essence
of what they are and what we want them
to be. Names are meant to shape their
hosts and evoke behaviours; that’s why we
remain so fascinated by what particular
names “mean”. “Commonwealth” was
chosen by a succession of statesmen for no
less a reason.
Let’s start with the noun it replaced. The
British, as they became increasingly devoted
to liberal politics and economics, the rule
of law and freedom of religion, had grown
increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of
empire. These were what despots and auto-
crats built; Britain’s growing dominion was
something entirely different.
Like ancient Athens, they told them-
selves, Britain’s was a liberal empire: built
16 March 16 - 22 2018
The Queen with Commonwealth Prime Ministers prior to a dinner at Buckingham Palace for the
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 1969. © Press Association
on democracy, free trade and maritime
strength, not on huge standing armies and
command-and-control repression.
Queen Victoria may have been named
“Empress of India”, but Britons could not
bear to think they were in charge of a proj-
ect akin to that which Louis XIV, Frederick
the Great or Napoleon had tried to build.
And so they found a gentler, less pre-
cise title. But “Commonwealth” was not
without controversy, evoking for some the
horrors of Cromwell’s own very English
revolutionary fervour and despotism.
The rehabilitation of “Commonwealth”
was simultaneously occurring in Australia,
at a time when the colonists were contem-
plating their own momentous remaking of
their political order. As historian W.K. Han-
cock pointed out, the name was adopted:
“ … as a manifesto, a declaration of faith
in a way of life, rather than as an accurate
descriptor in terms known to political sci-
ence. The name Commonwealth is a pro-
gramme in itself”.
“Commonwealth” is an anglicisation of
the Latin term res publica: “the welfare of
the people”. But the modern usage of this
term – “republic” – carries with it a precise
constitutional framework, as defined by
the jurists of the Roman Republic and the
constitutional fathers of the U.S.
“Commonwealth” is less precise, more
mystical. It dates from the late 15th cen-
tury, when England was throwing off the
yoke of the Roman church and abolish-
ing feudalism. At a time of great political,
social and ecclesiastical upheaval, the
English coined a term evoking a comfort-
ing vision of an idealised Anglo-Saxon
harmony.
For Hancock: “The idea depended on
the conception of society as a mystical
body, as an organic unity based on a just
and harmonious distribution of functions
and rewards among the various degrees
and estates of men … The idea of the Com-
monwealth as a mystical body denied that
any man or any rank possessed a natural
right to power and wealth: it insisted on
stewardship”.
How perfect for an empire acquired by
anti-imperialists. Theirs was not a system
of domination and extraction, they told
themselves – it was a voluntary association
of free societies, held together by sentiment
and loyalty for the mutual support and
welfare of all.
Surely it is a testament to the power of
names that the Commonwealth gained in
strength and sentiment even as the empire
it tried to deny became ever more repres-
sive, extractive and attached to racial hier-
archy.
As the great Commonwealth loyalist
Alfred Deakin wrote in London’s Morn-
ing Post in 1906, the British Empire: “ …
though united in the whole, is, neverthe-
less, divided broadly into two parts, one
occupied wholly or mainly by a white
ruling race, the other principally occupied
by coloured races who are ruled. Australia
and New Zealand are determined to keep
their place in the first class”.
The Commonwealth thus became a
cypher for the arc of British imperial delu-
sion. Its siren call of volunteerism and the
good-of-all convinced a nation caught in
industrial eclipse to expand its responsi-
bilities vastly beyond what it could ever
hope to maintain.
And, repeatedly, it maintained associa-
tion among the disparate parts of empire
when rational statecraft would have
brought an emphatic end to the quixotic
enterprise.
By the 1870s, Britain was under serious
threat from the rising powers of France
and Germany in Europe.
With industrial, military and scientific
eclipse beckoning, the empire needed to

The Queen with forty Prime Ministers and Presidents of the Commonwealth after the first day
of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in New Delhi, 1983. © Press Association
become a state, refocusing its energies on
dominating the near seas and ensuring
the balance of power in Europe. Instead,
its energies were dissipated at the edges
of empire. Where it should have been con-
centrating its power in Europe, Britain suf-
fered humiliating defeats at the hands of
the Afghans in 1878 and the Zulus in 1879.
So it was for the dominions. By the early
20th century, Australia and New Zealand
were rightly preoccupied by competition
from rising powers in the Pacific.
Never was there a greater need to
manage relations and build their own
defences and military capabilities. Yet
they remained tied to the foreign policy
of empire, even as the empire entered an
alliance with Japan, the country that most
worried them, and then granted it the
right to retain the Carolines and Marshall
Islands in the Central Pacific after the First
World War.
At the Washington Naval Conference of
1921, dedicated to finding a solution to the
rising rivalry in the Pacific, the antipodean
dominions chose meekly to be represented
by the empire.
The Depression provided an opportu-
nity for the Commonwealth to become a
genuine society brought together for the
common good. But when the dominions
and Britain came together at Ottawa in
1932, the result was acrimony and hard,
self-interested bargaining.
The real power of the name was
revealed in 1949. India, the country that
had shed more blood for the empire than
any other, and that had just wrenched
itself free of the Empire’s grasp, became
a republic. And yet it chose to retain the
mystical connection, opting to remain
within the Commonwealth.
In the decades that followed, the Asian
and African colonies – never even thought
of as part of the original Commonwealth
compact in 1917 – also chose enthusiasti-
cally to remain part of the mystical asso-
ciation. By the 1960s, they were to turn an
imperial club into a radically anti-racist
force, taking the Commonwealth to the
apex of its history in its campaigns against
Rhodesia and apartheid.
Now, the Commonwealth’s once most
oppressed societies are its most ardent
supporters. Surveys show the most posi-
tive feelings about the Commonwealth
are among those societies Deakin placed
emphatically in the “ruled” category.
An organisation lacking a rationale
Today the Commonwealth exists as an
organisation in search of a rationale. The
mythology of the name has done its job:
what brings the association together now
is an act of forgetting what constructed it
in the past.
Its bonds are not hard objectives of
modern statecraft but a subterranean sen-
timentality of connectedness; it endures in
its benignity because no-one has the heart
to kill it off.
Its secretariat, a recent eminent persons’
group report, and the biennial meetings
of its leaders all desperately try to find a
rationale for its existence, loading fashion-
able issue after fashionable cause on its
feature
ramshackle shoulders – from green finance
to fair trade.
It is hard to find an issue on which the
Commonwealth has succeeded in bringing
about genuine change since the demise of
white rule in southern Africa.
When this coalition of whimsy meets a
hard policy issue, its solidarity falls victim
to its diversity, while its breadth of mem-
bership can’t deliver real weight and gravi-
tas in the present day.
Where then does the Commonwealth sit,
in the company of Persepolis and history’s
empires? Surely as the last empire – the
one that turned that word from a label of
pride to one of accusation.
An empire determined to destroy and
delegitimise the idea of empire itself.
An empire dedicated to the puncturing
of its own pretensions to grandeur and
permanence, under the reassuring myth
of a mystical Arcadian community of free
association.
Surely this is the enduring legacy of the
British Empire – which is still so potent.
We search in vain for the beginning of the
unraveling; nor can we date its end.
Perhaps it continues, as Scotland,
Wales and even England begin to assert
themselves against the British Union as
the original free association in the com-
mon interest.
Michael Wesley is Professor and
Director of School of International Polit-
ical and Strategic Studies, Australian
National University.
Source: theconversation
March 16 - 22 2018 17
news analysis
Tourists aboard a cruise boat up the Murchison Falls on the Nile. The Uganda Tourism Board’s biggest
headache remains improving the number of such visitors to Uganda.   INDEPENDENT/JIMMY SIYA
Uganda’s tourism
revenue figures
Separating fact from fiction
By Ronald Musoke
A
ccording to official figures,
tourism contributed up to
US$1.35 billion into Uganda’s
export basket in 2016, and was
the single highest foreign exchange
earner; contributing 23.5% of total
exports.
Based on those figures, the tourism
lobby; which has advocates on the
powerful Presidential Advisory
Committee on Budget (PACOB) and
is supported by the chairman of the
18 March 16 - 22 2018
Parliamentary Budget Committee, Amos
Lugolobi, is lobbying for increased
allocation of resources to sector agencies
involved in promotion and marketing.
They want the money allocated to the
tourism sector in the 2018/19 budget
raised from the current Shs16.4 billion to
29.5 billion – an increase of about 80%.
The tourism lobbyists cite the
growing number of international
visitors to Uganda, increased earnings,
and sector contribution to the local job
market.The officials say the tourism
sector also employs 6% of Uganda’s
labour force. This includes employment
by hotels, travel agents, airlines and
other passenger transportation services).
Significantly, however, the lobbyists
cite tourism’s alleged contribution to
national foreign exchange earnings. In
one case, they say, over 30 tourism and
travel companies that travelled to the
ITB Berlin between March 9 and 11 were
projected to clinch deals worth over
Shs3 billion (Approx. US$1 million).
Most of these operators are funded
by either the government or the donor
community because, they say, they
cannot afford to pay their way.
But, as such demands from the
lobbyists increase, there is a growing
rise in the number of questions about
the authenticity of the tourism sector
claims. Does tourism really contribute
the money its promoters claim it does?
How is the contribution of the tourism
sector measured? Who actually benefits?
Statistics from government agencies
like the Uganda Bureau of Statistics
(UBOS) and the Ministry of Tourism,

Wildlife and Antiquities show tourism
revenues soared to Shs 5.1 trillion
($1.4bn) last year when the country
attracted over 1.3 million international
visitors.
Longer projections show that annual
tourist numbers have continued to
grow from just 650,000 in 2007 to over
1.3 million visitors in 2016—a growth
of 106%. At this rate, local experts say,
the sector is likely to achieve the four
million mark by 2020 – just two years
away.
Earnings from tourism are also said to
have more than doubled. Between 2008
and 2016, for instance, annual sector
earnings are said to have risen from
US$540 million to $1.37 billion. That was
4.3% of GDP and 26% of exports.
The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife
and Antiquities’ annual tourism sector
performance report for financial year
2016/17, shows that tourism was
Uganda’s leading foreign exchange
earner, bringing in US$1.4 billion.
But as tourism officials revel in
the positive outlook of the industry,
questions are also being raised about the
quality of tourist data used. At the heart
of the debate is how these agencies
define a tourist.
Who is a tourist?
If you think your typical tourist is the
scruffy heavy-back-pack-carrying white
man or woman sweating and peering
into a pair of binoculars in Queen
Elizabeth National Park in western
Uganda or Murchison Falls National
Park in the north hoping to see a lion,
you are wrong.
“When a person leaves their country
of residence and crosses a border and
spends anything between 24 hours
and beyond but does not exceed a
year, we regard that person a tourist,”
says Hellen Nviiri, the director
population and social statistics at
Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS)
who has been involved in capturing
data on visitors to Uganda over the
last 20 years.
Vincent Mugaba, the publicist for
the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB),
says a tourist is, in fact, anyone who
travels from their home to another
place for at least 24 hours but not
exceeding a year.
Mugaba told The Independent that
although most Ugandans think a
typical tourist is one who visits a
national park, even people who travel
for other reasons; including visiting
relatives, business, education, and
health, are tourists.
“In tourism, there are different
reasons for travel, and these range
from leisure and recreation, business,
religion, visiting friends and relatives,
attending meetings, incentives,
conferences and events (MICE),”
Mugaba says.
Dr. Akankwasah Barirega, the
commissioner for wildlife conservation
in the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife
and Antiquities told The Independent
on March 12 that Uganda adopted
this definition from the United
Nations World Tourism Organization
(UNWTO) and put it in Section II of
the Uganda Tourism Act, 2008. In
other words, tourist is the same as
visitor to Uganda.
Using this definition, it is perhaps
not surprising that close to 70% of
Uganda’s tourist arrivals are, in fact
not Europeans, Americans, Chinese,
or Asians. They are Kenyan, Rwandan,
Tanzanian, South Sudanese, Congolese
and Burundian visitors. Only 15%
come from the United Kingdom, the
United States of America, South Africa
and India according to the 2016/17
annual tourism sector performance
report. Kenya and Rwanda,
contributed more than 50% of the
tourist arrivals to Uganda.
Surprisingly, however, the Uganda
Tourism Board (UTB); which is the
national tourism marketing agency,
news analysis
appears to base on the numbers of
tourists from neighbouring countries
to lobby for resources and concentrate
its efforts on Europe.
Since January this year, for example,
UTB has held promotional events in
Vakantiebeurs in the Netherlands,
the FITUR in Spain, the International
Mediterranean Tourism Market
(IMTM) in Israel and the ITB Berlin in
Germany.
In 2017, UTB officials alongside
the private players attended at least
15 tourism expos in the UK, Spain,
Germany, Finland, China (twice),
Japan, India and the United Arab
Emirates (Dubai), Canada and the
USA. Among our neighbours they
went to Rwanda and Kenya, and
farther afield to South Africa and
Nigeria.
It is possibly because of this that
some sector players, such as Albert
Kunihira, the Chief Executive
Officer of Pearl of Africa Vacations;
disapprove of Uganda’s definition of
who a tourist is.
“A tourist should be somebody
who travels with the first and main
objective being tourism,” he told The
Independent on March 12, “To define
somebody visiting a friend or a
relative as a tourist is a bit defective,”
he said.
Kunihira says there are thousands
of Congolese, Rwandans and
Burundians, for example, who have
lived in Uganda as refugees and
have since gone back but since they
left friends or relatives in Uganda,
they keep coming back, thanks to
the strong attachment they have for
Uganda.
“These people often return to
Uganda to see friends and associates
and I would not call them tourists.”
Similarly, Kunihira says, he knows
many Kenyans who come to Uganda,
lease land and are doing farming here
because land in Uganda is cheaper.
“I wouldn’t call these people
tourists although they could have
registered at the border entry point as
tourists,” he says, “That definition is
far too defective.”
“I have also travelled to Kenya so
many times every year to purposely
do business and visit my daughter
who studies there and although I
sleep in a hotel, I have never visited
any tourist site and I do not think the
Kenya Tourism Board should ever
register me as a tourist.”
Walter Wandera, the director of
Walter’s Tours runs the Kampala
BodaBoda City Tours. He too thinks
the people who normally come to visit
relatives and friends do not spend to
March 16 - 22 2018 19
news analysis
the level of those who come for leisure
and holidays.
Wandera finds that definition quite
inadequate because some of the people
who are visiting relatives or friends
sometimes do not spend anything.
He says he does not understand how
the statisticians come up with the tourist
statistics considering that in the eight
years he has been in business, he has
never been approached to provide figures
on tourists.
Marion Byengoma, the marketing
manager of Arcadia Lodges Uganda
also finds the definition of a tourist
problematic. She says if someone is not
actually planning to enter Uganda to visit
a tourist area in Uganda, they should not
be called a tourist.
But Akankwasah says it does not matter
where the visitor comes from. Whether a
visitor is from Congo or Kenya, they will
use public transport, they will put money
in the tourism value chain because they
will eat in a restaurant and they will sleep
in a hotel or lodge. Other tourism value
chain items include admission to nature
reserves, parks, and tourist recreation
areas, tour vehicles, crafts, souvenirs and
more.
“Every time people come into Uganda
and stay for at least 24-hours, they spend
money and that is what we capture;
because they are spending money on
hotel/lodges, public transport to visit at
least one place,” says UTB’s Mugaba.
Akankwasah says this is possibly the
reason tourism players yearn for leisure
and nature tourism is because this brings
in the biggest amount of revenue to the
industry.
“That is why it is this category of
tourists that we target more but it does
not mean we disqualify other tourists.”
But there is another challenge,
according to Nviiri of the statistics
bureau. She says to qualify someone as
a tourist, in the real sense, UBOS looks
at the reasons for travel because not
everybody coming into the country is a
tourist.
Usually the purpose of visit range
from returning residents to prospective
resident, those seeking employment,
temporary employment, visiting friends/
relatives, holiday, business/conference,
in-transit, medical treatment, tourism,
short contract/consultancy, investment,
education and trade.
But, Nviiri told The Independent, UBOS
is aware that some travelers do not want
to declare their real intention of visiting
Uganda. However, UBOS often has no
way of verifying the information provided
by the travelers, and it takes the answers
as provided. She told The Independent that
UBOS relies a lot on the information filled
on the visitors’ cards that are usually
20 March 16 - 22 2018
distributed at entry border points.
Out of the 1,206, 334 so-called tourist
arrivals, 44% visited friends and relatives
in 2013 compared to 48% registered in
2012. This was followed by business/
conference at 25% and 16% came for
leisure and holiday.
Up to 45% of travellers from Rwanda
and 41% from Kenya said the purpose
of their coming to Uganda was visiting
friends and relatives. Another 15% from
Rwanda and 14% from Kenya said they
came for trade. Leisure and holiday took
third place at 12% and 13% for Rwanda
and Kenya respectively.
Cuthbert Baguma, the former executive
director of the Uganda Tourism Board
told The Independent that the issue should
not be about arrivals, rather, it should be
about segregating visitors by purpose.
“It is after doing so that you can capture
those who come to spend time here on
leisure /holiday,” Baguma said, “If I am
Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu
coming to visit friends or relatives, my
impact on the economy may at times
be inconsequential since it is possible
that I might end up being a dependant
throughout my stay.”
Baguma told The Independent that the
focus should be on efforts to catalyze
those visitors who have come here to
spend on leisure activities—hotels,
restaurants, art and crafts, and transport.
“These kinds of visitors do not just
come; there must be deliberate efforts to
attract these kinds of visitors.”
Indeed, in the tourism industry the
world over, the holiday/ leisure tourists
are the focal point for investment and
product development as the return of
this type of tourist is higher.
Careful planning needed
Experts agree that with careful
planning and commitment of resources,
the tourism sector has the potential
to contribute to the strengthening of
the fundamentals of the economy to
enable Uganda harness her abundant
opportunities. This is because, whatever
the tourists’ main motivation for
visiting Uganda (leisure, business and
meetings), they pay taxes.
Mugaba says when Uganda recently
hosted the 25th annual East and
Southern Africa Accountant Generals
international conference in Entebbe,
more than 1000 people came in for the
conference.
“The delegates did not stop in
Entebbe; they visited Mbarara and Jinja
while others did tours of Kampala; but,
remember, they had originally come to
attend a conference.”
But critics of UTB’s current model
want the definition and target of the
tourism to be on individuals who
travel to Uganda to enjoy its natural
endowments which give her an edge
over many of the popular tourist
destinations in Africa.
Uganda stands out because it has
more than 50% of the world’s remaining
population of Mountain gorillas, over
1,060 bird species, constituting 11% of
the global population of bird species
of mammals, 86 species of amphibians,
142 species of reptiles, 1,249 species of
butterflies, over 600 species of fish and
over 5,406 species of flora.
Uganda is also home to the source
of River Nile, the longest river in the
world, Lake Victoria, the largest fresh
water lake in Africa and Mountain
Rwenzori— the renowned mountains
of the moon which is also the only
mountain in the world with snow cap
on the equator. Uganda also has 10
national parks, 12 wildlife reserves, 10
wildlife sanctuaries and five community
wildlife management areas.
However, visitors to national parks
have slightly increased by 31,801
persons from 2012 (182,149 people) to
2013 (213,950) representing an increase
of 17.5%.
The visitors to national parks since
2010 registered an increasing trend with
2013 having a 17.5% increase from 2012
with foreign non-residents dominating
the visitation of national parks for the
year 2013 with 47% followed by East
African residents (EAC) at 24%.
Nviiri acknowledges the challenge of
getting quality data on tourists in the
country. She told The Independent that the
quality of tourist figures will markedly
improve when the Ministry of Internal
Affairs introduces an electronic visa to
ease the mode of capturing this vital
information on Uganda’s visitors.
 news analysis

Pope Paul VI: 1963-1978

Reformist pope Paul VI will soon be a saint
By Agencies

P
ope Paul VI, who oversaw the
sweeping “Vatican II” reforms
of the Catholic Church in the
1960s, will soon be made a
saint, the Vatican announced on March
07.
Pope Francis signed decrees on
March 06 giving the go-ahead for
the honours on the basis of miracles
attributed to pope Paul VI. Pope
Francis put Paul VI on the path of
sainthood by beatifying him in October
2014. Following the announcement, we
reprint this story on his life and legacy
that originally appeared in America
Magazine on Aug. 19, 1978.
Each pope in the history of the
church has brought to the special
challenges of his era his own special
gifts of intellect and spirit. The
historical character of his tenure in the
chair of Peter is then determined in the
dialectic of the person and the time. In
many instances, the institution of the
papacy itself has been redefined, subtly
or radically, as a result. This recurrent
interplay of individual, institution and
historical moment was never, in the
history of the modern papacy, more
forcefully and dramatically at work
than during the papacy of Paul VI.
Has any pope reigned over a more
volatile age than Giovanni Battista
Montini?
On June 21, 1963, when the then
Archbishop of Milan was elected
by the College of Cardinals to head
the Roman Catholic Church as the
Bishop of Rome, few realized the
convulsions that would wrench both
church and world in the next decade.
In less than five years, John XXIII had
humanised the papacy and launched
an ecumenical council that captured
the imaginations and raised the hopes
of many outside the Roman Catholic
Church, as well as within. The public
ordeal of John’s final passion and
death had evoked an extraordinary
wave of affection toward the man and,
inevitably, sympathy for his church.
The process of aggiornamento—
bringing the church up to date, opening
its windows and transforming its
face—promised a newer, more vital
and more positive relationship between
the church and the modern world. And

March 16 - 22 2018 21
news analysis
that world, though surely not without
its dangers, seemed an inviting place;
its memories and its fears of war were
for the moment dimmed, its economy
steadily expanding in the industrialised
nations, its confidence in itself and
its own rationality typified by the
attractive American, also named John,
who brought to the White House and
the leadership of the Western world the
buoyancy of hope.
Yet, only a few months later, the
young president of the United States
was murdered, the first in a series of
political assassinations that would be
succeeded by an epidemic of terrorism
that mocked the rationality of the
political process. A distant struggle in
Vietnam became a global preoccupation,
and the proclaimed end of colonialism
seemed illusory when the realities of
world poverty were faced. In a time,
then, of pervasive social change, in a
time of violence and protest, Paul VI
was asked to lead his church through
the final sessions of the Second Vatican
Council (1962-1965) and into the years
that followed, when it would be his
responsibility to implement the reforms
that embodied the principal theme of
the council: the church in the modern
world.
The council document that dealt most
explicitly with this central theme began
22 March 16 - 22 2018
with the words “joy and hope,” but that
joy and hope could never be unthinking
or uncritical. The church was being
called to express its solidarity with the
world, but never its conformity to the
world. The church would change and
yet remain itself. The Gospel would be
incarnated in different cultures and in
different times, but it would always be
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Throughout
his papacy, Paul VI was caught at the
center of these tensions that are the very
nerves of Christian faith. Inevitably,
he would be criticised by those tugged
more by one current than another.
Unfairly, he would be characterised as
ambivalent and indecisive by those less
sensitive to, or even oblivious of, the
paradoxes of the Incarnation.
During the sessions of the council
and in the years immediately following,
Paul VI overcame the resistance of
reactionaries and implemented the
reforms established by the council in
the areas of liturgy, church governance
and the attitudes of Catholics toward
other religions. Liturgical reform was
not always and in all places executed
with the greatest grace, but it was clear
as the years moved on that Catholic
spirituality was being enriched by a
greater sense of Word and Sacrament.
The Italian dominance of Vatican
bureaucracy was tempered by the
presence of more cardinals and bishops
from the international church. To
pursue the council’s accent on episcopal
collegiality, national conferences of
bishops were established, and Paul
VI would preside over five synods of
bishops from around the world. The
pope’s highly personal encounters with
other religious leaders dramatised a
new openness of the Roman Catholic
Church to other faiths.
But the most important of Paul’s
achievements as he sought to extend
the inspiration of the council to an
increasingly troubled world was his
campaign for world justice and peace.
It was a campaign waged by personal
witness as well as by written document.
He broke all precedent by traveling to
distant parts of the world to urge his
message of human rights and human
development. He listened to the voices
and saw the faces of the forgotten poor
of the world in places like Calcutta and
Manila and Medellin. And he urged his
message on the most powerful leaders
of the world, traveling to the great
halls of the United Nations to issue
his plea that there would be “never
again war.” In his 1967 encyclical, “The
Development of Peoples” (“Populorum
Progressio”), he employed modern
methods of social and economic
analysis to underscore the injustice

of a world where material resources
were so unevenly distributed that they
failed to serve the purpose of human
development. It was a message that
disturbed many in the wealthy nations
of the world, but its ring of truth still
echoes 11 years later as the debate over
a new world economic order continues.
As the wealthier nations begin to take
that debate more seriously, whether
they realize it or not, they are at last
responding to the message of Paul VI.
It was another encyclical,
however, that proved to be the most
controversial of Paul’s tenure. In
1968, he rejected the majority report
of a special commission appointed
to study the question of Catholic
teaching on artificial contraception
and, in the encyclical “Of Human
Life” (“Humanae Vitae”), the pope
condemned the use of any artificial
contraceptive, a prohibition that
provoked widespread dissent and
disaffection among Catholics. The pope
lived just long enough to celebrate
the 10th anniversary of this famous
document, and he reaffirmed its
content on that occasion and expressed
his appreciation for those who
continued to uphold its teaching.
Some of those supporters point
today to the phenomena of permissive
abortion, homosexual campaigns
and widespread promiscuity and
insist that these are the inevitable
consequences of an acceptance of
artificial methods of contraception.
In certain quarters, acceptance of the
encyclical’s teaching on this particular
point is even proposed as the litmus
test of Catholic orthodoxy, something
that the encyclical’s author, Paul
VI, consistently refused to do. But
10 years is too short a time to assess
the ultimate impact of “Humanae
Vitae” on church and world. The
encyclical’s condemnation of the
“contraceptive mentality” does have
prophetic echoes at a time of popular
disregard of the deeply human linkage
of sexuality and family life. Yet many
thoughtful theologians and committed
Christians continue to believe that the
“contraceptive mentality” cannot be
defined in simply biological terms. In
other words, the Christian meaning
of sexuality as both love-giving and
life-giving is not contradicted because
every act of conjugal love is not open
to the possibility of conception, and
family bonds and conjugal intimacy
can even be supported at times by
a more deliberate control of these
possibilities.
Precisely because marital fidelity
and family responsibilities are so
often ignored and even derided
among those who most influence
our popular culture, it is regrettable
that the controversy over methods of
contraception has obscured the real
advances made in “Humanae Vitae” in  
presenting a personalist understanding
of Catholic sexual ethics. Whatever
differences may exist on the question
of contraceptive methods, a compelling
vision of the relationship of sexuality,
marriage and family can be developed
from the encyclical, and it is a vision
desperately needed by an eroticised
culture that has come to accept the  
dehumanisation of sex.
It is also unfortunate that the
argument over contraceptive methods
has obscured the significant differences
in the pastoral approach adopted by
Paul VI toward the crisis of modern  
marriage. The abstract strictures of
the past were replaced by an attitude
of compassion, sympathy and greater
respect for the individual conscience.
These differences in style have
encouraged the development of a more
mature Catholic moral conscience
and a clearer concept of the role of
the church and the pope as a moral
teacher. A new understanding of  
the relation of moral authority and
personal conscience may, in time,
prove to be the most significant legacy
of “Humanae Vitae.”
In the final years of his life, Paul
VI often spoke of the burdens of age
and the imminence of death. Yet these
shadows did not paralyse his spirit or
cause him to shrink from the challenges
of a dangerous world. He condemned  
the increasing violence of the age and
sought repeatedly to strike a responsive
chord in the moral conscience of his
contemporaries. He was saddened
by the contempt for human life that
seems to characterize our time, and
his sadness was sharpened because
he saw the possibilities of human life
transfigured by the glory of the risen
Jesus. There was an ironic beauty, then,
to the timing of his death. Paul VI, who
had waged so valiant a campaign for
a world of justice and peace, died on
August 6, the day on which the first
atomic bomb was dropped on the city  
of Hiroshima, and an age began when
the capacity to darken all life assumed
awesome proportions. Yet August 6 is
also the feast of the Transfiguration of
Jesus, and the terrible searing flash of
Hiroshima is in the end overcome by
the light of the glorified Lord. After 80
years of pilgrimage, Paul VI found his
own transfiguration in that Light.
This article also appeared in print,
under the headline “Pope Paul VI:
1963-1978,” in the November 17, 2014
issue of America Magazine.
March 16 - 22 2018
news analysis
Pope Paul VI’s four
biggest legacies
Pope Paul VI’s birth control
ruling, in the 1968 encyclical
Humanae Vitae, set the
stage for the culture wars
that overtook Catholicism
after Paul died in 1978. His
many other groundbreaking
contributions, though often
overlooked, include:
Paul called for a more
missionary church that would
be open to the world and one
that would dialogue with other
Christians and other believers,
and with nonbelievers, too.
Paul was a vocal champion
of the church’s social justice
teachings, and he sought
to embed those concepts as
foundation stones of Catholic
doctrine. He also implemented
a system of regular meetings
of bishops, called synods, to
promote a more collaborative,
horizontal church.
Paul, in 1975 pontificate,
exhorted on evangelization
in `Evangelii Nuntiandi (“On
Proclaiming the Gospel”).
Miracles attributed
to Pope Paul VI
The first miracle occurred in
the 1990s in California. Doctors
advised a pregnant woman to
have an abortion because her
own life was at risk and the
unborn baby would either not
survive or be born with brain
damage. Instead, the mother
sought prayers from a friend,
an Italian nun, who placed a
holy card with Pope Paul VI’s
photograph on her belly, along
with a piece of vestment he
had worn. The baby was born
healthy.
The miracle regards the birth
of a girl from Verona called
Amanda, who in 2014 had
survived for months despite
the fact the placenta was
broken. The expectant mother,
at risk of miscarriage, a few
days after the beatification of
Montini in Brescia, went to
the Sanctuary “delle Grazie”,
to pray to the newly beatified
Pope. Subsequently, a child in
good health was born.
23
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March is regarded a women’s month across the world because it’s when the famous International
Women’s day falls. This year, the theme for the Mar.08 events rotated around what activists
are doing to transform lives of women living under different settings. Ritah Aciro is one of the
top players of women rights activism in the country. She has touched many lives through an
organization – Uganda Women Network (UWONET) where she is Executive Director. She spoke to
the Independent’s Flavia Nassaka about their work and the challenges of a woman in Uganda
I
International Women’s Day is being don’t know whether time is now. Time
marked under the theme; ‘Time is now: was yesterday or the other day. We
Rural and urban activists transforming shouldn’t pretend that the challenges
women’s lives’. How does this play out facing women and girls in this country
for Uganda? How do you rate the state of a have just come to our attention now. It’s un-
women activist in Uganda? fortunate that they are escalating and mani-
festing themselves in different ways and it’s
unfortunate that we are making reversals on
the gains previously made.
I don’t know why they chose
the theme to focus on activists
because as far as I know
everyone is an activist
wherever they are. Each
of us has a responsi-
bility for protecting
women’s rights and
therefore time is
now for those
who have been
keeping quiet
and trivial-
izing these
issues to
wake up
and put
their foot
forward.
At least
from the
vantage
24 March 16 - 22 2018
point that I stand from the women’s rights
organizations this has been our agenda, to
advance and promote women’s rights.
What should we know about women’s
day?
Some of us have been reflecting and
having challenges of what it means to com-
memorate International Women’s day. Is
it about having celebrations or is it about
having serious reflections on how far we
have come from and how much farther we
need to go and what strategic steps do we
need to take to advance this? We need to
check ourselves on whether we are making
advancements or its just lip service. While
we are holding these national and district
celebrations, we should also be listening to
women’s challenges so that resources are
directed in those areas. Women challenges
are the same irrespective of social status; the
only difference is the magnitude and access
to information. The situation is worse for the
rural women because they are not educated
and the type of jobs that they do don’t give
them the leverage to participate in the public
sphere as most of them depend on land for
a livelihood and basically participate in the
domestic sphere.
Feminism is one field that has been inter-
preted in different ways. Who is a feminist
to you and what do you think is misunder-
stood about them?
People misunderstand feminists to be
women who are aggressive towards
men, those who disobey culture and
are odd in society but that’s not it.
Feminism means believing that
women have equal oppor-
tunities as men and is
about denouncing dis-
criminatory practices
that dehumanize
women.

Women’s day comes at a time when a
woman was murdered weeks back and
many other unexplained women murders
happened last year. What does this mean
for women in this country?
We are making serious reversals. Ugan-
da had in the 1980s and 90s championed
women rights in terms of giving them space
and priority that’s when things like affirma-
tive action came to be talked about, more
women joined University, more women
went to parliament and more women were
economically empowered but when we
now see women being murdered in cold
blood and no accountability is made to the
citizenry on what happened, that rises seri-
ous challenges to women and the country.
It’s an indicator of a bigger security problem
and the government should be finding
ways of winning back trust of the citizens
that they are safe in their country.
What do you make of women rights laws
and what do you think is the challenge
implementing them?
Uganda has almost all the basic laws and
policies that you can think of when it comes
to promoting gender equality and women’s
rights. The challenge has been enforcement
which ties down to the capacity of institu-
tions supposed to implement them. We
have seen files missing from police stations;
we have seen lack of fuel to visit crime
scenes and the knowledge by officials to
implement them is also lacking. The people
who are supposed to protect these laws and
ensure that they are implemented are still
held up in culture and patriarchy.
We have seen issues raised by women
in parliament being sexualized. A whole
chief whip was embarrassed in parliament
when someone said she is exposing herself.
Recently a Secretary General of the coun-
try’s biggest party was judged according to
her sex and not her office. If such women
can be judged using sexist language what
about others!
Even if we have all these goods laws, if
people are still held up in such beliefs noth-
ing much can be yielded out of them.
What in your view is the biggest challenge
facing a woman today?
If women are educated, they will have
alternatives and will make informed choices
and decisions. So if I was to invest, I would
invest in quality education because with
education you can attain a certain level of
independence both economically and pro-
tecting rights. It may not be the magic bullet
to protect a woman but it’s over and above
marginalization.
What has been UWONET’s role in ad-
dressing obstacles that are challenging
women?
As an institution that has been here for
25 years, we have been at the forefront of
championing women rights particularly
we started with ensuring that basic laws
needed to protect women rights are avail-
able so in 1993 we stood to make our voices
heard. Having known that most of the
women especially in the village depend
on land for their livelihood, we made sure
women rights are represented in the Land
Act of 1998.
It’s through our advocacy that the laws
considering women’s participation were
made and it’s an achievement because the
law gives you the basic minimum. We have
also created awareness telling women that
there are laws to help them. Strategically,
we have considered ways on how to get
women in the public sphere because before
even positions like Secretary for Women
Affairs at local government were occupied
by men. We made an effort to encourage
women to move out of the domestic to the
public sphere.
Uganda has
almost all the
basic laws and
policies that
you can think of
when it comes to
promoting gender
equality and
women’s rights
We also do a lot advocacy in health,
education and economic empowerment
through our awareness, training and skills
development programmes.
It’s said to make an impact anywhere to-
day you can’t rule out use of the internet.
How are you using the web for the benefit
of women?
Technology has its pros and cons but
as UWONET we tend to use this to our
advantage in spreading the positives and
bringing to the fore the abuses happening
in the communities. We condemn the use of
IT for advancing abuse of women especially
on social media through cropping pictures
and exposing of women bodies. This is
unacceptable that’s where we urge Uganda
Communications Commission to do some
work around protecting those victimized
including protecting children.
The institution of marriage is facing tough
times and women seem to be hit most.
Why in your view has the Marriage bill
failed to sail through parliament? Are
advertorial
there any loopholes?
The challenge is not because it’s a bad
law but it has been viewed in context of
what a wife should be according to indi-
vidual beliefs. It’s unfortunate that even
people who hold authority when it comes
to protection of women, they put their
cap of being patriarchal men and women.
Some people looking at this bill for instance
believe a wife is property because they paid
bride price for her and therefore has no
right to own property.
If you have listened to people who have
spoken out on this bill, they’re not looking
at it as a piece of law meant to protect a
person close to them but If they blindfolded
themselves and said this bill is protecting
my daughter or my mother then it would
have been passed a long time ago because
no one wants their daughter to be thrown
out of land they acquired with her husband
when a marriage is dissolved. I encourage
people to reread this bill and they should
know that there is a marriage act and a
divorce act already, the only thing the new
amendments were doing was to remove
sections that are not in conformity with the
constitution and also considering emerg-
ing issues that were never put into account
previously like for instance cohabitation
in which a big category of people fall. The
state has a responsibility of protecting its
people irrespective of whether they are
properly married or they are cohabiting.
Looking into the future, what’s the poten-
tial for a further opening of space for activ-
ism? What steps need to be taken?
My plea to government and other
implementers is to open up space. There
were gains made in the late 1990s and
early 2000 because if we felt a woman has
been murdered we did not need to write
to the Inspector General of Police to get
permission to match to parliament or police
headquarters to show our dissatisfaction.
As of now we can’t do this and because we
can’t express ourselves everybody thinks it
is okay we will continue abusing women
and no one will stand up. The world must
be thinking we are crazy. They must be
saying up to 23 women are murdered and
these women of Uganda can’t hold placards
in the public place to express themselves.
Well, we can’t do it because we need per-
mission from the IGP. Laws like the Public
Order Management Act (POMA) are very
distractive. Government needs to open up
space for civic action.
My clerical call to the women of Ugan-
da is that nobody is going to give us any-
thing on a silver platter we have to strug-
gle for it. For those of us who are benefit-
ting it’s because somebody else struggled
for us. We need to be committed to what
we want to achieve. We shouldn’t allow to
be silenced.
March 16 - 22 2018 25
advertorial
Her Dignity, Our Pride
O
ver the past 34 years, CARE In-
ternational in Rwanda has and
continues to support a significant
number of women and girls in
rural areas to graduate out of poverty and
live with dignity. In November 2017, CARE
has shifted from two (Orphans/vulnerable
children and vulnerable women) to one pro-
gram in order to deliberately address genera-
tional issues and hence multiply its impact.
The new program, “Her Dignity, Our Pride”
(translated into Kinyarwanda as “Agaciro ke,
Ishema Ryacu”), focuses on women and girls
aged 10 – 59 years from 1st and 2nd catego-
ries of Rwanda’s Ubudehe poverty ranking
and aims to graduate them out of poverty so
that they can live in dignity.
Established in Rwanda in 1984, CARE
International has worked hand in hand with
the government of Rwanda, supporting poor
and vulnerable children, youth and adult
women in education-Early childhood devel-
opment (ECD), adult functional literacy,
child protection (Nkundabana psychosocial
support program), inclusive governance,
economic empowerment including sup-
porting savings groups, financial inclusion
linking saving groups to formal financial
service providers (FSPs), enterprise/business
development and inclusive markets and
value chains. All this work has been done
through strengthening 21 national civil soci-
ety organizations to contribute to a vibrant
civil society.
Currently, CARE works in 24 out of 30
districts in Rwanda. In terms of financial
inclusion, 18,500 Village Savings and Loan
Associations (VSLA) with 550,000 people
have been created, 75% being women. In
addition, 375 VSLA groups with 9,092 out-
of-school girls and 1,930 VSLA groups with
54,000 in-school girls were created. In total,
CARE promoted financial inclusion for more
than 615,000 people and they have so far
saved more than $15.3M and 11,328 VSA
groups with 325,849 members are linked to
FSPs and have outstanding loans of $13M.
In terms of enterprise promotion and busi-
ness development, project trainings, between
2013 and 2016, led to creation of 78,780 small
enterprises and 115,535 jobs (10,385 full time
and 105,150 part-time jobs).
Under the new strategy, CARE plans to
triple its reach to directly support 1,500, 000
women and girls by 2025 to graduate out of
poverty and live in dignity. Her Dignity, Our
Pride program is embedded in developing a
framework of complementary intervention
programme models that work across gen-
erations for young and old adolescent girls,
through to young and old women.
CARE International Rwanda’s develop-
ment programming is complemented by
emergency programming addressing the
26 March 16 - 22 2018
needs of disaster-affected populations par-
ticularly refugee and will draw on CARE
International’s expertise on ‘Gender in Emer-
gencies’. The development programming
will address high rates of both poverty, and
adolescent pregnancies.
Such approach builds on CARE Interna-
tional in Rwanda’s strengths in country as
one of the few international NGOs leading in
gender justice; developer of transformational
intervention models; convener of a commit-
ted and capable civil society; and collabora-
tor with alliances, social movements, govern-
ment, private sector and civil society.
In fact, recognizing that we cannot over-
come poverty until all people have equal
rights and opportunities, CARE’s program-
ming prioritizes working with girls and
women from rural area under three pro-
grammatic areas:
Women and Girls’ Economic
Empowerment - WGEE
Village Savings and Loan Association -VSLA group
meeting for out-of-school girls (CARE, 2016)
CARE contributes to sustained access
to and control over social and economic
resources and opportunities for women and
girls by producing standard models and
packages that promote financial literacy
and linkages to financial services; and by
promoting digitalized financial services; and
advancing Village Agents’ Network - VAN
as a community platform and catalyst for
transformational change. By 2025, CARE
will triple its reach to lift 800,000 vulnerable
women and girls so that they can attain and
sustain ‘above basic’ livelihood status.
Life Free From Violence - LFFV
CARE develops and takes to scale a model
for transforming negative social norms that
contribute to gender-based violence and
expand learning about approaches that work
in GBV prevention and response across the
Great Lakes Region. By 2025, CARE will
triple its reach to directly support 500,000
women and girls, men and boys to enjoy
equal power relations at the family and com-
munity levels.
Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive
Health and Rights - ASRHR
CARE contributes to improved adolescent
sexual and reproductive health outcomes,
women & girls decide when to have sex and
when to have children, by piloting and test-
ing a comprehensive sexuality and relation-
ship model, while also engaging in policy
dialogue to promote ASRHR services for
girls. By 2025, CARE will triple its reach to
directly support 200,000 girls so that they are
able to enjoy their sexual and reproductive
health and rights.
CARE Rwanda engages a variety of prov-
en models within programming, to deliver
change for women and girls in Rwanda.
Those models and approaches include but
not limited to the Village Savings and Loan
Association -VSLA that serves as the entry
point for its gender transformative program-
ming and The Journeys of Transformation
Plus -JOT+ model to ensure sustainability
while complementing each other to achieve
gender justice.
The Village Savings and Loan Associa-
tion -VSLA groups are an innovative way
of ensuring financial inclusion for the most
vulnerable, while providing an impactful
foundation on which to build further pro-
gramming. CARE’s VSLA methodology has
been recognized within the financial inclu-
sion strategy in Rwanda, as a key economic
development driver. CARE’s economic
empowerment programming follows a
Market Driven Value Chains approach,
undertaking needs assessments, and using
findings to: support VSLA members enter
into profitable value chains; link VSLAs—as
whole group and individual members—to
formal finance; and strengthen the capacity
of individuals to interact within the market
through increased knowledge, confidence,
and negotiation capacity. Complementary
to this, is the provision of Entrepreneurship
and Business Development and Mentorship
to VSLA members, to strengthen their capac-
ity to develop and maintain profitable, sus-
tainable, and competitive businesses.
The Journeys of Transformation Plus
– JOT+ model aims at strengthening the
engagement of men and women at the
individual, family and community levels, to
challenge harmful and restrictive construc-
tions of masculinity and femininity that
drive inequality, leading to Gender Based
Violence. The JOT +, focusing specifically on
engaging men in women’s empowerment
programming, found that when men were
engaged, they began to respect their house-
holds, men approached peers living in con-
flict to advise them on how to change, and
engaged men were proud of their change in
behavior—it brought them self-esteem.
MTN Uganda rebounds with
Shs 1.68 trillion revenue
Government move to stop telcos from selling SIM cards through
agents could hurt the company’s revenue going forward

M
By Isaac Khisa year, with progress on many fronts, despite
difficult economic conditions as well as
TN’s subsidiary in operational and regulatory challenges in
Uganda has recorded a certain markets.
surge in revenue for the He said, for instance, that MTN Nigeria
year ended December showed strong constant currency revenue
2017 amidst a sharp fall growth and MTN South Africa’s post-paid
in subscriber base. business displayed encouraging improve-
The full year performance results ments.
released on March 08 shows that MTN “The group’s top-line growth was driven
Uganda recorded a 10.7% growth in rev- by robust growth in data revenue (on a
enue to Shs 1.68 trillion (5, 465milllion constant currency basis), supported by
rand) last year from Shs 1.5trilion in 2016 the combination of improving customer
and Shs1.53 trillion in 2015 supported by service and more stable and competitive
growth in demand for data and digital networks,” he said.
services. “MTN Mobile Money and rich-media
“Data revenue increased by 41.4% under- services supported growth in digital rev-
pinned by an increase in data traffic and enue, however, this slowed in the second
good growth in data bundle adoption,” half as we optimised our value-added ser-
the company states in its annual financial vices (VAS) subscription business.”
report. “Digital revenue increased by 16.1% The Group’s data revenue increased by
supported mainly by Mobile Financial Ser- 34.2%, supported by improved quality and
vices (MFS).” capacity of data networks in key markets
MFS contributed 23% of the company’s while digital revenue increased by 14, 2%,
total revenue, with the mobile money cus- driven mainly by MFS.
tomers increasing by 27.6% to 5.2million. With a subscriber base of 217 million
However, the company ended the year customers across its operations, the MTN
with 10.7milliom subscribers down from Group added 5.7million mobile money
ates in more than 20 countries in Africa and
11.2million in the previous year citing regu- customers during the year.
the Middle East, recorded a Shs 1.04trillion
latory related disconnections.
(3.3 billion rand) profit last year, exclud-
This implies that MTN has 700,000 more
ing one-off charges related to a $1.1 billion Going forward
customer subscribers compared with its Shuter said the telecom firm strength-
Nigerian fine. It had reported a 1.4 billion
closest rival, Airtel that has 10million in ened its management structures and spe-
rand loss a year earlier.
a market of about 23 million customers cialist skill capabilities to drive operational
Group service revenue rose 7.2% to
shared among the seven telecom firms. execution and to support its risk manage-
Shs38.19 trillion (124 billion rand), due to
This new development coincides with ment processes.
strong performance in Nigeria, the com-
the decision by the country’s largest tele- “We are confident that the foundation is
pany’s most lucrative where it has also been
com firms including MTN to temporarily in place for MTN to deliver strong growth
embroiled in a dispute over repatriating
halt the sale of new SIM cards to customers over the medium term. Through the con-
funds and unregistered SIM cards.
until they get direct access to the National tinued execution of our BRIGHT strategy
The Nigerian Senate approved in
Identification and Registration Authority we anticipate improved top-line and earn-
November a report largely exonerating
(NIRA) database. ings before interest, taxes, depreciation and
MTN of illegally repatriating $14 billion.
This is in response to the government’s amortization (EBITDA) growth supporting
The report followed MTN’s agreement to
move, through the Uganda Communica- acceleration in cash flows and improving
pay a $1.1 billion fine to settle a row over
tion Commission, to cease the sale of SIM returns over the medium term,” he said.
unregistered SIM cards.
cards through hawkers, street vendors, BRIGHT strategy is MTN’s new strategy
MTN Ghana, MTN Ivory Coast and
street agents and any other establishments unveiled last year arranged under six pil-
MTN South Africa also contributed posi-
that are not licensed by Kampala Capital lars comprising: Best customer experience;
tively to the group’s top-line growth on a
City Authority (KCCA) or other municipal Returns and efficiency focus; Ignite com-
constant currency basis.
and town authorities as a measure to curb mercial performance; Growth through data
Rob Shuter, the Group President and
crime. and digital; Hearts and minds; and Tech-
Chief Executive Officer, said MTN deliv-
At group level, MTN, which also oper- nology excellence.
ered a solid overall performance for the

March 16 - 22 2018 27
business

Who wins in the

NSSF reforms?
Critics say shelving the proposed liberalization bill exposes the
Shs 9 trillion fund to political and corporate governance risks
By Julius Businge

U
ganda’s National Social Security
Fund finally won the battle to retain
its status as a mandatory scheme
for all employees in informal and
formal sectors as cabinet announced plans to
withdraw the proposed liberalization bill from
parliament.
The cabinet, instead, proposed to amend the
National Social Security Fund Act Cap 222 to
include some of the liberalization related pro-
posals that were gathered by the Parliamentary
Finance Committee.
These proposals relate to expanding social
security coverage, enhancing efficiency and
effectiveness in investment, introduction of
new benefits and streamlining of staff appoint-
ment to key positions of the Fund.
The decision, however, has elicited debate
among the working population. Announcing
the new decision on March 09 in Kampala, the
Minister of Gender Labor and Social Develop-
ment, Janat Mukwaya, said the Cabinet’s deci-
sion to retain NSSF as the sole recipient of man-
datory worker’s contributions was to shield it
from business oriented competition.
“Opening up mandatory contributions (to
other companies) would mean surrendering
both the banking and non-banking financial
sector to foreign capital because indigenous
firms will have a very limited role to play,” she
said. She said NSSF has demonstrated steady
progress in its performance with its total assets
today standing at about Sh9 trillion.
She also said that the public sector retirement
benefits schemes across the globe have over the
years demonstrated that they are the most reli-
able tool of guaranteeing benefits.
“Furthermore, the state has a duty to provide
social security to her citizens,” Mukwaya said.
The other justification for cabinet’s deci-
sion was that across all the countries in Latin
America and Central Europe that liberalized,
the number of workers covered by pension
schemes has declined.
This is because the private pension schemes
were mainly interested in recruiting workers
with huge salaries at the expense of low income
earners especially operating in rural areas.
For instance, in Uruguay, coverage fell from
55% to 51% after eight years of reform; in
Argentina coverage fell from 45% to 40% after

28 March 16 - 22 2018

12 years; Bolivia coverage fell from 19% to
15% after five years; Columbia coverage fell
from 24% to 22% in five years.
In Ghana specifically, a mixed system
is operated where Security and National
Insurance Trust (SSNIT) (which is the
equivalent of NSSF Uganda) and the private
schemes collect 13% and 5% respectively of
employee’s monthly pay.
Proposals
The proposed amendments by cabinet
will make NSSF a mandatory scheme for
all Ugandans in the formal and informal
sectors. New rules would also scrap the 5+
cap to include employers with less workers
starting with one.
Another decision that will be popular
with NSSF members is that the fund will
now be allowed to provide for mid-term
access of voluntary benefits.
The amendments will also enable NSSF
to make independent investment decisions
and transform the fund from a provident
Fund offering lump sum benefits to a
hybrid scheme offering both lump sum and
pensions.
Amendments will also be made in sec-
tions 39 and 40 to provide for appointment
of the Managing Director and Deputy Man-
aging Director by the Minister on recom-
mendation of the Board while persons over
the age of 60 years shall not pay tax on their
benefits.
The new proposals would also provide
that the NSSF Board shall be tripartite
and therefore comprised of government,
employers and workers representatives.
Also the term of the managing director
and that of deputy will be five years renew-
able subject to satisfactory performance.
New amendments would involve provision
for the appointment of the secretary by the
board on a contract of five years renewable
subject to satisfactory performance.
Furthermore, provision should be made
for voluntary contribution by workers
over and above their mandatory contri-
bution and voluntary contributions by
self-employed persons. Consequently, all
employers registered under the Companies
Act, Partnership Act or any other law for the
time being in force governing the establish-
ment of business entities should be specified
as persons who shall register as contribut-
ing employers.
The proposals also include giving the
Fund’s Board of Directors discretion to use
in-house expertise and fund managers in
managing investments of scheme funds.
The others are; allowing the NSSF to
lend to government; including a provi-
sion that any amount of contribution and
any other sum together with interest or
penalty thereon may be recovered from a
third party who owes money to a default-
ing employer; to amend the Act to provide
that an employer who fails or refuses to
remit contributions within the prescribed
time may have the business managed by a
third party.They would also provide that
the annual levy paid by the NSSF to the
Uganda Retirements Benefits Regulatory
Authority be capped.
Rubanda County East Member of Parlia-
ment, Henry Musasizi, who also doubles as
the Chairperson for the Finance Committee
in Parliament told The Independentthat the
new move provides a win-win situation.
“There were strong arguments on
whether to open up the sector or amend the
NSSF Act to include new reforms,” Musa-
sizi said, adding that he believes over 80%
of the issues that were included in the Bill
would be considered in the amendments to
the NSSF Act. He said that Parliament and
his Committee will wait for the NSSF Bill to
come and “handle it accordingly.”
Workers too have welcomed the new
development. The National Organization
of Trade Unions (NOTU) Chairman, Usher
Wilson Owere, whose organization has
1.5 workers, told The Independent that
liberalization bill had no clear form of guar-
anteeing workers savings as opposed to
the NSSF Act that has government, which
he described as a reliable guarantor of the
savings.
Owere said workers are looking forward
to proposals in the NSSF Act related to
reducing the age of accessing benefits and
savings; products like health insurance,
mortgages and more.
He also said NSSF should be allowed
to invest without going through the Pub-
lic Procurement and Disposal of Public
Assets Authority (PPDA) processes which
described as cumbersome.
He watered down the arguments of NSSF
being a monopoly, saying that the laws in
Uganda including the Uganda Retirement
Benefits Regulatory Authority Act which
allows other groups to form saving schemes
under its supervision.
On government borrowing from NSSF,
he said the new development will support
economic development like it has been the
case in neighboring countries like Tanzania.
Tanzania’s National Social Security Funds
currently invests in various infrastructure
projects in partnership with the government
with the construction of a 680 metre long
Kigamboni bridge that connects Kurasini in
Dar esSalaam to Kigamboni in which NSSF
provided 60% of the funding.
In addition, all members of NSSF have
access to medical care through the Social
Health Insurance Benefit upon undergoing
registration with only one facility of their
choice – public and private – as part of their
20% contribution.
Owere, however, insists that there should
be a mechanism in place to ensure that gov-
ernment borrowing does not compromise
workers savings.
business
Contrary views
Critics, however say the Cabinet’s deci-
sion to withdraw the bill exposes savers
money, now about Shs9 trillion, to political,
corporate governance and other risks.
They single out NSSF’s previous financial
scandals related to land, the irregular sale
of treasury bills and bonds, property (build-
ings), which in many instances have frus-
trated efforts geared towards fast-tracking
some of its important projects.
Joseph Kibuuka, the head of Investment
Banking at the brokerage firm, Crested Cap-
ital, told The Independent that the Cabinet
move comes with challenges and opportu-
nities. He said the new development might
see NSSF and the government negotiate
amongst themselves on borrowing terms
and conditions and thus eliminate the Capi-
tal Markets Authority that has been playing
a central role in this arrangement.
“This will make the capital market stunt-
ed since NSSF is the major player there,” he
said, adding that widening NSSF’s mandate
in the sector and giving it a monopoly status
would easily lead to misuse of member’s
funds. Nevertheless, Kibuuka says NSSF
has in the recent years been doing well in
terms of corporate governance and hopes
that it will uphold the high standards not to
be seen using its monopoly status to serve
interests of management and not the mem-
bers. Commenting on the new development
on a local television station, the NSSF Man-
aging Director, Richard Byarugaba, said
they will study the proposed amendments
to the NSSF Act to ensure that their strategic
plan is redesigned in a way that the Fund
remains strong and members earn good
return on their investment.
But a government official familiar with
the pension sector told The Independent that
NSSF should be forced under new reforms
to outsource the investment function as one
way of preventing negative repercussions
that might come with political and corpo-
rate governance risks.
“You know politicians are looking at that
money,” the official said, “It is important
that it is invested by an independent institu-
tion which cannot easily be compromised.”
Currently about 15% of the NSSF’s
investments are manned by independent
entities – Fund Managers – leaving the
bulky (85%) balance in the hands of the
investment function inside the Fund to
decide where to invest it.  
Going forward, Mukwaya [the minister]
said that old age poverty remains a key
challenge in Uganda today where about
29% or 406,000 of the I.4 million older per-
sons are considered poor.
“This is a challenge that we must all
tackle,” she said, adding, “Tackling old age
poverty starts with planning during work-
ing age life… I therefore, would like to urge
all workers in the country to start planning
for their retirement.”
March 16 - 22 2018 29
 Executive Style
‘Investments in distribution
will cut electricity tariffs’
How would you describe
Uganda’s electricity sector
U
at the moment?
ganda’s genera-
tion capacity has
increased from
60MW in 1987 to
929MW as at November
2017. Out of this total gen-
eration capacity, 874MW
of the total capacity was
supplied to the national grid
in 2017 with hydro-power
being (81%), thermo (11.4%),
co-generation (5.3%). Our
generation capacity is higher
than the demand. But re-
member, access to energy
in the country stands at
23% which means, the other
population (77%) is waiting
for this surplus. We are also
a country yearning for in-
dustrialization and to attract
industries, we need to have
power supply security.
What will happen in case we
generate more electricity and
there happens to be no ad-
equate demand?
There will be demand growth.
At a bare minimum, every fresh
graduate will need to buy a ket-
tle, flat iron and electrical con-
suming appliances. Those who
go through the rank will want
to buy heaters, cookers. There-
fore, demand naturally grows.
But here, we are talking about
accelerated demand growth and
that is the reason government
intervention and that of other
stakeholders in all segments of
the economy is very important
to ensure that we consume this
power, reduce our tariff, and
create industries that will trans-
form our society from peasantry
to middle income status.
Why is it too expensive to join
the national grid?
It is a concern to us as govern-
ment, and this revolves around
connection costs especially those
that are outside the Umeme con-
cession. Cabinet has approved
30 March 16 - 22 2018
(Umeme) to write-off Shs
115.3bn in the first half of
2017. Are there lessons that
you learned from that con-
flict?
There has never been a
cold war between the regula-
tor and the licensees, Umeme
included. We agree and
disagree on principle and
where they feel that our lack
of approval disadvantages
them, there is recourse which
is the Electricity Dispute
Tribunal. We sit on the oppo-
site side of the table and are
guided by the licensing terms
Ziria Tibalwa Waako is the Chief Executive and conditions. In terms of
Officer of the Electricity Regulatory Authority lessons learned, maybe on
their side they could have
(ERA). The Independent’s Julius Businge learned some lessons because
this matter was around for
attended a media training workshop on March 6 some time; it could have been
where she responded to a number of questions mitigated gradually. But
you know that each party in
a case believes they have a
the free connection policy the treasury. The other impor- good case. As usual, our desire is
meaning that the whole popula- tant thing to note is that we have to balance interests of all stake-
tion that has proximity to the invested heavily in generation holders in this sector.
network will be connected free assets which are not subsidized.
of charge. The consumer will be This generation cost contributes The licensing process appears
responsible for internal wiring 61% of the electricity price that to be tedious yet government is
and paying for the power con- the consumer pays not to men- preaching the gospel of reduc-
sumed. We hope that this policy tion the ongoing renegotiations ing the cost of doing business.
together with the lifeline tariff of Bujagali Hydropower project. What is your response?
of Shs150 for the first 15 units What is at stake are millions
would aid our rural population Some people still have concerns and millions of dollars. Most of
to access clean energy. regarding the methodology for these projects average around
calculating the tariff? US$20 million. We enter into
What is the role of the regulator We do not control the indica- power purchase agreements,
as tariffs go up even when the tors that are used to calculate licensing and other contracts for
determinants are going down? the tariff. For instance, fuel price 20 years. We engage the project
Tariffs have always gone is internationally determined, affected people; we do environ-
down. For instance, in 2017 it the exchange rate that we use, mental assessments for these
went down three times. But we get it from Bank of Uganda, projects and many other things
what the public needs to know is inflation figures are also pro- to ensure that no mistake is done
that the more we consume power, vided to us by Uganda Bureau while dealing with independent
the lower the price because there of Statistics (UBOS). If there is power producers.
are fixed costs within the tariff an error in these indicators, it
determination methodology which would come from the sources What is the way forward for the
irrespective of our consumption, of these figures. But in general sector?
must be paid. I must add that the terms, our tariff methodology is Increasing and accelerat-
tariff that we charge is fairly cost a global benchmark. ing more investments in the
recovery because government transmission and distribution
subsidizes the capacity payment There was a cold war between infrastructure is the way to go.
of the thermo power plants and ERA and Umeme regarding This will increase electricity con-
it also invests in the transmission amendments made to their sumption leading to a decline in
assets using grants, loans and concession which forced it electricity prices.
 business
banking transport

Equity Bank eyes refugee clientele Safe Boda in a new campaign

The Director for Special Projects at Equity
Bank explains how the Biometric Card
Solutions works   Independent/J.Businge
On March 6, the two partners
showcased the technology, process
and applicability of this solution at
the Kampala Serena Hotel.
The product that is already
working in other East African
Community Countries uses
biometric card solutions to secure
electronic cash transfer from
donors and other well wishers to
refugees.
The bank’s Executive Director,
U
ganda’s motorcycle hailing firm, Safe-
Boda, has unveiled a new year-long
campaign dubbed YourCityRide aimed
at encouraging people to go out and
discover the best of Kampala City.
The campaign will feature among others, city
tour, street food festival and a boda themed
street fashion show.
“SafeBoda was founded in Kampala, for Kam-
palans, and we are so proud of our city,” said
SafeBoda co-founder, Ricky Rapa Thomson.
“We are excited about this campaign and

E
Anthony Kituuka, said refugees about starting a conversation with our custom-
quity Bank Uganda in would benefit from the program ers about Kampala. I encourage everyone to
partnership with the by borrowing a leaf from markets take part in the activities and share pictures.
United Nations Capital like Kenya where a program – Let’s show off Kampala to the world.”
Development Fund has the National Hunger Safety Net Founded in 2015 in Kampala, SafeBoda,
intensified its drive for financial with 420,000 beneficiaries have so provides a safe, convenient, mobile-first urban
inclusion in Uganda by unveiling a far received Ksh4.79bn. Uganda transportation solution for Africa’s booming
new program called Mobile Money has about one million refugees young population. So far, the company has
for the Poor (MM4P) that will mainly from South Sudan and the built a community of 1,500 branded, equipped
ride on agency banking targeting Democratic Republic of Congo. and trained boda drivers.
refugees.

csr

Students excel in NBL’s Shs 1.8bn scholarship

O
n March 07, Beer Maker, Nile
Breweries Limited, announced
the exceptional performance of
the 2017 Equality Scholarship
candidates.
The beneficiaries that completed
their O and A level examinations are set
to join S5 and university respectively
under the Shs1.8 billion scholarship
programme called Equality Scholarship.
“Central to this scholarship
is academic excellence. All our
beneficiaries performed well and we
continue to support them,” said Onapito
Ekomoloit, the Legal and Corporate
Affairs Director, NBL. The company,
which selects the beneficiaries from
schools in communities that grow barley
and sorghum used for beer making,
sponsors bright pupils from rural
primary schools to study in Uganda’s
prestigious secondary schools.
So far, the programme has 71
beneficiaries from the districts
of; Budaka, Bukedea, Buikwe,
Bundibugyo, Dokolo, Hoima, Isingiro,
Kabarole, Kamuli, Kanungu, Katakwi,
Kiryandongo, Kisoro, Kitgum,
Kween, Lira, Mubende, Nebbi, Ngora,
Ntungamo, Oyam, Soroti and Zombo.

Finance csr

More than 300 graduate DFCU trains women in business

with accounting courses Victoria Byenkya, the
manager of Women in

T
he Institute of Certified Public Accoun- Business (WiB) at DFCU
tants of Uganda (ICPA-U) on March 09 said since the start of
graduated 308 in various courses includ- the progamme in 2007,
they have witnessed a
ing Accounting Technicians (AT-U) and
significant uptake of the
Certified Tax Advisor (CTA).
program with over 30,000
ICPAU President, Protazio Begumisa (CPA)
members currently.
said during the graduation ceremony held at the
She said access to credit
Imperial Royale Hotel that the Institute maintains
was one of the major
its core objective of producing competent profes- challenges that women
sional accountants and accounting technicians. Victoria Byenkya (standing) talks to some women that
attended the Kampala session.   Independent/J.Businge in business face as major-

R
He urged graduands to demonstrate profes- ity have low levels of
sional knowledge, skills, values, ethics, and ecord keeping, to succeed. financial literacy and thus
attitudes in the field as articulated by the accoun- formalizing busi- Last week, the bank unable to document their
tancy profession. ness, paying taxes, organized financial lit- business, articulate their
To the employers, he urged them to make forming groups or eracy sessions in Kampala, business plans and projec-
use of the new graduates and offer them networks are among the Mbale, Gulu and Mbarara tions, which are key in
employment. He described the graduates key issues that Dfcu Bank where over 400 women assessing bank credit.
as fresh and eager to contribute to “our is engaging women in gained knowledge on
economic development”. business to do if they are matters business.

March 16 - 22 2018 31
business

Listed firms told to increase

women on their boards
By Independent staff officer’s out of 20 in the local

U
ganda’s listed firms
need to increase
women on their
boards to enhance
inclusivity, according the
Capital Markets Authority
CEO Keith Kalyegira.
Kelyegira, who spoke dur-
ing this year’s International
Women’s Day at the Uganda
(L-R) CSBAG executives, John Mark Agong, Julius Mukunda and Sophie Securities Exchange under
Nampewo Njuba address the press about the Civil Society position on the theme ‘Women’s Role in
destruction of expired drugs on March 09, 2018. They vow to petition Finance and Investment’ on
Parliament to ensure improved drug management.   INDEPENDENT/JIMMY SIYA March 13, said the number of
women in the boards of the
listed companies is dispro-
portionately lower than that
of men.
“Uganda Clays Ltd has 3
women out of 10 board mem-
bers, BAT has one woman out
of 8 board members, Bank
of Baroda has no women
representative on the board,
New Vision has 3 women out
of 11 where the chairperson
is a woman, Umeme has 2
women out of 11 board mem-
bers while, DFCU 1has out of
6 board members,” he said.
He also said there are
only 3 women chief financial
President Yoweri Museveni (in a white shirt) during the inauguration of the Mbale
Industrial Park in Mbale Municipality on March 09, 2018. Among the guests is
finance minister, Matia Kasaija (R) and privatization minister, Everlyn Anite and the
Industrial Park Chairperson Paul Zgang.   INDEPENDENT/JIMMY SIYA
financial institutions and only
3 CEO’s of financial institu-
tions out of the 24 licensed
banks, a trend he says need to
be reversed.
Paul Bwiso, the CEO at the
USE said there’s need to take
a deliberate effort to ensure
gender inclusion in all the
policies.
“We not only have to
pass reporting regulations
and requirements for gen-
der inclusion, we will need
to introduce products that
women would be interested
in such as for the rural wom-
en so that they also invest in
eh stock exchange,” he said.
This comes at the time
the country’s eight domestic
listed firms are in their final
stages to announce their
financial performance for the
year ended 2017.
The celebration was sup-
ported by Sustainable Stock
Exchanges (SSE) initiative,
UN Global Compact, Inter-
national Finance Corpora-
tion, UN Women, Women in
EFT’s and the World Federa-
tion of Stock Exchanges.

Weekly share price movement (March .12)

Security March 12 March 05 Movement
BATU 30000 30000 00
BOBU 120 115 4.3
CENT 1,626 1,681 3.3
DFCU 710 683 4.0
EABL 8,639 8,594 0.5
EBL 1,726 1,654 4.4
JHL 18,544 19,022 2.5
KA 469 521 10
KCB 1,762 1,717 2.6
NIC 16 16 00
NMG 3,687 3,739 1.4
(L-R) Huawei MD Liujiawei, Patrick Muinda Assistant Commissioner NVL 510 510 00
Information Management, Chu Maoming, Deputy Chief of Missions Chinese SBU 29 29 00
Embassy Head of Innovations Barbra Nalubega, Makerere University, and UCHM 95 115 17
Muzanilu Mukwatampola Acting Commissioner Higher Education/training
UCL 29 29 00
Ministry of Education during the launch of the Huawei Seeds for the Future
Ceremony at Kisementi on March 7. Seeds for the future is a Huaweei programs UMEME 405 405 00
that tends to change the face of ICT in Uganda.   INDEPENDENT/JIMMY SIYA ALSI -- -- --

32 March 16 - 22 2018

By Ian Buruma
Moralism and the arts
To judge the moral component of artistic expression,look
not at the person who made it but at the work itself
C
huck Close is an American artist,
famous for painting large por-
traits. Severely paralyzed, Close is
confined to a wheelchair. Former
models have accused him of asking them
to take their clothes off and of using sexual
language that made them feel harassed.
This behavior prompted the National Gal-
lery in Washington, DC, to cancel a planned
show of Close’s work. And Seattle Univer-
sity has removed a self-portrait by the artist
from a university building.
If we were to remove all the art from
museums or galleries because we disap-
proved of the artists’ behavior, great col-
lections would soon be severely depleted.
Rembrandt cruelly mistreated his mistress,
Picasso was beastly to his wives, Cara-
vaggio lusted after young boys and was a
murderer, and so on.
And what about literature? Céline was a
vicious anti-Semite. William S. Burroughs
shot his wife in a drunken haze, and
Norman Mailer stabbed one of his. And
movie directors? Forget sexually inappro-
priate language: Erich von Stroheim shot
mass orgies for his own pleasure. Charlie
Chaplin liked very young girls. And then
there is Woody Allen, accused of but never
charged with molesting his seven-year-old
adopted daughter.
The New York Times movie critic A.O.
Scott wrote an interesting article about this.
He grew up idolising Allen. To a bookish
young man, Allen, the anxious intellectual
who still gets the girl, was a kind of role
model. But now that we know the accusa-
tions against the comedian and movie
director, we are forced, in Scott’s view, to
reappraise the work in that light. There may
be something sinister and immoral in the
films that we should take into account.
In other words, bad behavior, or even
alleged bad behavior, can taint an artistic
work, because the artist cannot be sepa-
rated from his art. This is at least a more
interesting proposition than the notion that
art should be disqualified just because we
don’t like the way the artist behaved in pri-
vate. But is it right?
Oscar Wilde famously said that there is no
such thing as an immoral book, just well or
badly written books. This is open to chal-
lenge. There is a moral component to most
forms of human expression, including art.
Moral depravity can make for bad art.
This may be one reason why there are
so few examples of good Nazi art. Racial
hatred was morally reprehensible in a way
that Communist idealism, for example, was
not. Sergei Eisenstein made Communist
propaganda films, but these are also great
works of art. Leni Riefenstahl’s Nazi propa-
ganda films are technically astonishing, but
otherwise repellent.
It is also true that art can transcend the
private behavior of the artist. A writer,
filmmaker, or painter who behaves badly
toward wives or lovers can produce art that
is deeply sympathetic to women. By the
same token, perfectly behaved people can
break all kinds of social taboos in their art.
To judge the moral component of artistic
expression, then, we must look not at the
person who made it but at the work itself.
Last year, an online petition with 8,000
signatures asked the Metropolitan Museum
of Art in New York to remove a famous
painting by Balthus, showing an adolescent
girl sitting on a chair with a patch of her
underwear showing. To see this as a form
of child pornography, or “the objectification
of children,” as the signatories did, seems
highly dubious. Balthus was moved by the
Oscar Wilde
famously said
that there is
no such thing
as an immoral
book, just
well or badly
written books
COMMENT
dreaminess of girls on the cusp of adult-
hood. But even if Balthus, in his private life,
was attracted to young women, there is
nothing in the painting that suggests moral
depravity or abuse.
The same can be said about Allen’s
movies, whatever the truth may be about
his alleged misdeeds. It is no secret that
Allen finds young women attractive; his
current wife was not yet 20 when he started
an affair with her. She was also the adopted
daughter of Allen’s partner at the time. One
of Allen’s best known and most successful
films, “Manhattan,” released in 1979, when
he was in his forties, featured a relationship
between a middle-aged man (Allen) and a
young girl, played by Mariel Hemingway,
who was 16 at the time of filming.
These relationships were unconventional.
Some might find them creepy. But this
is not the same as molesting a child. Nor
is there anything in “Manhattan,” or any
other film by Allen, that reveals any interest
in assaulting young children. This would be
the case even if everything alleged against
the director were true.
Again, morality is not irrelevant. It is
hard to imagine admiring art that espouses
child abuse, racial hatred, or torture (even
though this seems to get people much less
agitated than sexual content). But just as we
should not condemn a work of art because
of the artist’s private behavior, we should
also be careful about applying norms of
social respectability to artistic expression.
Some art is meant to provoke, transgress,
and push boundaries. People can do things
in works of imagination that they would
never do in life.
That is the way it should be. If we limited
artistic expression to subjects that are com-
monly regarded as socially respectable, we
would soon be left with moralistic kitsch,
just the kind of thing rulers of authoritarian
states like to promote in public, while doing
things that are far worse than most artists
would like to imagine.
Ian Buruma, Editor of The New York Review
of Books, is the author of numerous books,
including Murder in Amsterdam: The Death of
Theo Van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance and
Year Zero: A History of 1945.
March 16 - 22 2018 33
COMMENT
By Richard N. Haass
Cold War II
Why a quarter-century after the end of the Cold War,
we unexpectedly find ourselves in a second one
T
he Cold War lasted four decades,
in many ways both beginning and
ending in Berlin. The good news is
that it stayed cold – largely because
nuclear weapons introduced a discipline
missing from previous great-power rival-
ries – and that the United States, together
with its European and Asian allies, emerged
victorious, owing to sustained political, eco-
nomic, and military effort that a top-heavy
Soviet Union ultimately could not match.
A quarter-century after the end of the
Cold War, we unexpectedly find our-
selves in a second one. It is both different
and familiar. Russia is no longer a super-
power, but rather a country of some
145 million people with an economy
dependent on the price of oil and gas and
no political ideology to offer the world.
Even so, it remains one of two major
nuclear-weapons states, has a permanent
seat on the UN Security Council, and is
willing to use its military, energy, and
cyber capabilities to support friends and
weaken neighbors and adversaries.
This state of affairs was anything but
inevitable. The end of the Cold War was
expected to usher in a new era of friendly
Russian ties with the United States and
Europe. It was widely thought that post-
communist Russia would focus on eco-
nomic and political development. And
relations got off to a good start when
Russia, rather than standing by its long-
time client Iraq, cooperated with the US
in reversing Saddam Hussein’s invasion
of Kuwait.
The goodwill did not last. Just why will
be a matter of debate among historians
for decades to come. Some observers
will blame successive U.S. presidents,
pointing to a lack of economic support
extended to a struggling Russia, and
even more to NATO enlargement, which,
by treating Russia as a potential adver-
sary, increased the odds it would become
one.
It is true that the U.S. could and should
have been more generous as Russia
made its painful transition to a market
economy in the 1990s. Nor is it clear that
NATO enlargement was preferable to
other security arrangements for Europe
that would have included Russia. That
34 March 16 - 22 2018
said, the lion’s share of the responsibility
for the emergence of a second Cold
War is Russia’s, and above all Vladimir
Putin’s. Like many of his predecessors,
Putin viewed the US-dominated world
order as a threat to his rule and to what
he regarded as his country’s rightful
place in the world.
Russia in recent years has used armed
force to seize, occupy, and annex Crimea,
in the process violating the fundamental
principle of international law that bor-
ders may not be changed by armed force.
Putin continues to use military or covert
means to destabilise Eastern Ukraine,
Georgia, and parts of the Balkans. And
Russia employed military force in par-
ticularly brutal ways in Syria to prop up
Bashar al-Assad’s appalling regime.
Putin’s Russia also went to great
lengths, in the words of US Special
Counsel Robert Mueller, to carry out
“fraud and deceit for the purpose of
interfering with the US political and elec-
toral processes, including the presiden-
tial election of 2016.” Heads of US intelli-
gence agencies have made clear that they
expect further such efforts between now
and the midterm congressional elections
in November.
As Russia has become a revisionist
country, with few if any qualms about
overturning the status quo by whatever
means it judges necessary, shoring up
Europe’s defense and providing lethal
arms to Ukraine is a sensible response.
But what more should the U.S. do,
beyond reducing the vulnerability of
voting machines and requiring tech-
nology firms to take steps to prevent for-
eign governments from trying to influ-
ence US politics?
First, Americans must recognise that
defense is not enough. Congress is right
to call for additional sanctions, and
Donald Trump is wrong to refuse to
implement sanctions that Congress has
already passed.
The U.S. government also needs to find
its voice and criticise a Russian regime
that arrests its opponents and reportedly
murders journalists. If Trump, for what-
ever reason, continues to coddle Russia,
then Congress, the media, foundations,
and academics should publicly detail
the corruption that characterises Putin’s
rule. Circulating such information might
increase internal opposition to Putin,
persuade him to hold off on further inter-
ference in U.S. and European politics,
and, over time, buttress more responsible
forces within Russia.
At the same time, the objective should
not be to end what little remains of
the US-Russian relationship, which is
already in worse shape than it was for
much of the first Cold War. Diplomatic
cooperation should be sought whenever
it is possible and in America’s interest.
Russia may well be willing to stop inter-
fering in Eastern Ukraine in exchange for
a degree of sanctions relief, if it could be
assured that ethnic Russians there would
not face reprisals. Likewise, the Kremlin
has no interest in a military escalation in
Syria that would increase the relatively
modest cost of its intervention there.
At the same time, Russian support
is needed to tighten sanctions against
North Korea. And maintaining arms-
control arrangements and avoiding a
new nuclear arms race would be in the
interest of both countries.
There is thus a case for regular diplo-
matic meetings, cultural and academic
exchanges, and visits to Russia by con-
gressional delegations – not as a favour,
but as a means to make clear that many
Americans are open to a more normal
relationship with Russia if it acts with
greater restraint. The U.S. and its part-
ners have a large stake in greater Russian
restraint while Putin remains in power
– and in a Russia characterised by other
than Putinism after he is gone.
Richard N. Haass, President of the Council
on Foreign Relations, previously served as
Director of Policy Planning for the US State
Department (2001-2003), and was President
George W. Bush’s special envoy to Northern
Ireland and Coordinator for the Future of
Afghanistan. He is the author of A World in
Disarray: American Foreign Policy and the
Crisis of the Old Order.
Two blood pressure drugs
that could kill you
H
By Honor Whiteman and heart disease, among other health prob-
igh blood pressure, or hyper-
tension, is a major risk factor
for heart disease, a leading
cause of death. A new study
has found that two classes
of medication that are com-
monly used to lower blood pressure could
present a death risk all on their own.
Scientists at the Intermountain Medical
Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City, UT,
found that individuals with hypertension
who used alpha blockers and alpha-2 ago-
nists to control their blood pressure showed
an increase in blood pressure variability,
which could increase mortality risk.
Lead study author Dr. Brian Clements and
team have recently presented their findings
at the 2018 American College of Cardiology
(ACC) Scientific Sessions, held in Orlando,
FL. Blood pressure is the force of blood that
pushes against the wall of the arteries. And,
in November last year, the American Heart
Association (AHA) and the ACC set new
guidelines. Now, a person is considered to
have hypertension if their systolic blood
pressure (the top number) is 130 millimeters
of mercury (mmHg) or higher, and their dia-
stolic blood pressure (the bottom number) is
80 mmHg or higher.
Systolic blood pressure is the force of
blood against the artery walls when the heart
is beating, while diastolic blood pressure is
the force of blood when the heart is at rest, or
between heartbeats.
The updated guidelines mean that more
adults have high blood pressure, which puts
them at greater risk of heart attack, stroke,
lems. Of course, when it comes to treating
hypertension, the goal is to lower blood pres-
sure. This may be achieved through lifestyle
changes — such as adopting a healthful diet
and increasing physical activity — medica-
tion, or both.
Previous research, however, has discov-
ered that consistency is key for blood pres-
sure levels. A study published in The BMJ
in 2016, for example, associated higher vari-
ability of systolic blood pressure with a 15
percent increase in all-cause mortality.
According to the new study from Dr. Cle-
ments and colleagues, certain types of medi-
cation that are used to lower blood pressure
may be contributing to this mortality risk.
Two medications ‘should be avoided’
For their study, the researchers analyzed
the data of over 10,500 adults with high
blood pressure. The participants had their
blood pressure measured at least seven times
between January 2007 and December 2011,
and the type of blood pressure medication
they were using was monitored.
The team used these data to assess wheth-
er certain classes of blood pressure medica-
tion were associated with variability in blood
pressure levels.
The study revealed two classes of blood
pressure medication that were linked to
higher blood pressure variability in subjects:
alpha blockers and alpha-2 agonists.
Alpha blockers — which include doxazo-
sin mesylate and prazosin hydrochloride —
work by dilating the blood vessels. Alpha-2
agonists, such as methyldopa, work by tar-
geting sympathetic nervous system activity,
thereby reducing blood vessel constriction.
Based on the study results, Dr. Clements
and colleagues say that these two medica-
tions should not be used to treat hyperten-
sion. “Patients should know what their
blood pressure is,” he says, “and if it’s up
and down all the time, the patient should
work with their physician to explore options
for the best blood pressure medications that
will reduce variances.”
“Where possible, the two types of medi-
cations that show an increase in variances
should be avoided.”
Dr. Clements adds that ace inhibitors,
angiotensin receptor blockers, calcium chan-
nel blockers, and thiazide diuretics may
be safer treatment options for people with
hypertension. “People who are on other
types of blood pressure medications have an
increased risk of death,” he adds.
However, blood pressure variability is not
solely down to medication; Dr. Clements
notes that the way in which blood pressure
is measured can have a significant effect on
readings.
“[...] because of the variables that affect
blood pressure measurements,” says Dr.
Clements, “finding ways to more accurately
measure blood pressure can better identify
effective treatments for patients who have
hypertension.” For accurate blood pres-
sure readings, he recommends sitting or
laying down for 15 minutes before mea-
surements are taken. Avoiding stressful
situations and using a well-fitting blood
pressure cuff may also help.
Source: Medical News Today
March 16 - 22 2018 35
health
Why is your eyebrow
twitching?
By Bethany Cadman If a person suspects that their medication
E
yebrow twitching can be caused by
everyday things that might include
caffeine, stress, and eyestrain. It
may also be a sign of an underlying
disorder, such as Bell’s palsy or Tourette
syndrome.
Twitching of the eyebrow is when the
skin around the eyebrow moves or spasms
involuntarily. It often occurs when the eye-
lid twitches, as this can pull the skin around
the eyebrow.
Eyebrow spasms are usually painless but
can be annoying and uncomfortable. They
can last for just a few seconds or can con-
tinue for several hours and will usually go
away on their own.
In this article, we firstly look at every day
causes for eyebrow twitching, then at long-
term disorders that can cause this symptom.
We also look at how to stop the eyebrow
twitching, and when to see a doctor.
Everyday causes
Many people will experience eyebrow
twitches sometime in their lives. There are
many common, everyday causes of eye-
brow twitching. These include:
Too much caffeine
Ingesting too much caffeine can cause
muscle twitches, including around the eyes.
If a person suspects that caffeine may be
causing their eyebrow twitches, the twitches
may stop if they reduce their intake.
Magnesium deficiency
One symptom of a magnesium deficiency
is muscle spasms. This is because magne-
sium plays a key role in normal nerve and
muscle functions.
Magnesium deficiency, which is also
called hypomagnesemia, can have other
symptoms that include: nausea, tiredness,
weakness, tremors, loss of appetite, and per-
sonality changes. Good sources of magne-
sium that are cashew nuts, and groundnuts,
black beans and kidney beans, spinach,
soya milk, and avocado.
Certain medications
People can experience eyebrow twitching
as a result of particular medications. Stimu-
lants, such as medication to treat ADHD,
and antipsychotics may cause tics and
tremors. Antiepileptic medication can also
prompt twitches, though the frequency of
this is unknown. Diuretics are another drug
type that may lead to muscle twitching, as
they can result in a magnesium deficiency.
36 March 16 - 22 2018
is causing spasms, they should talk to their
doctor and consider switching to a different
type or lowering the dosage.
Eyestrain
If a person strains their eyes, this can
result in the eye muscles being overworked
and becoming tired. Spending a lot of time
looking at a screen can cause eyestrain, and
people should try to take regular breaks to
avoid this happening. Eyestrain can also
occur when someone is straining to see,
in which case they may need glasses or
a change in the prescription for their glasses.
Allergies
When someone has allergies, these can
result in twitching around their eyes. When
an allergic reaction is triggered, histamine
is released, which causes itchiness. When
a person rubs their irritated eyes, this may
cause them to twitch.
Tiredness
When a person feels fatigued, their eyes
are more likely to twitch. Getting plenty
of sleep, which is usually considered to be
between 7 and 9 hours a night, may help
reduce instances of eye twitching. If a per-
son believes they are getting enough rest yet
still feel extremely tired, they can consult a
doctor to find out if there is an underlying
condition causing these symptoms.
Stress
Stress is another common reason why a
person’s eyelid or eyebrow might twitch.
Stress can affect the body in many ways,
so paying attention to stress levels and try-
ing to reduce stress can bring many health
benefits. Relaxation techniques and exercise
are known to help alleviate stress and could
help to reduce instances of the eyelids or
eyebrows twitching.
Drugs, alcohol, and tobacco
Drinking alcohol, smoking, and tak-
ing recreational drugs may also cause a
person’s eyes and the areas around them
to twitch. Reducing the amount of alcohol
consumed, stopping smoking, and avoiding
recreational drugs can help to alleviate the
spasms.
Disorders that cause eyebrow twitching
Less commonly, eyebrow twitching may
have a more serious underlying cause.
These include:
Hemifacial spasm
Hemifacial spasms are different to other
eyebrow or eyelid twitching and occur
because of irritated facial nerves. These
spasms continue throughout a person’s life
and usually affect the left side of the face,
often around the eye. Hemifacial spasm is
a relatively rare condition, affecting around
11 per 100,000 people.
Bell’s palsy
Bell’s palsy is a temporary condition that
causes a weakness in the facial muscles, or
partial facial paralysis. Facial spasms can
occur when the facial nerves become com-
pressed or swollen. The cause of Bell’s palsy
is not known, though it is thought to be
linked to conditions that include diabetes,
high blood pressure, and ear infections. It
can occur because of a virus, such as herpes
simplex.
Facial muscle twitching is a possible com-
plication of Bell’s palsy, which can occur
during or after recovery from this disor-
der. Additional symptoms of Bell’s palsy
include: one side of the face dropping, an
inability to open or close the eyes, drool-
ing, difficulty smiling or controlling facial
expressions, difficulty eating or drinking.
A person should consult a doctor if they
experience any of the above symptoms.
Bell’s palsy does not necessarily need treat-
ment, as many cases get better on their own.
However, it can be managed with the help
of medications and eye drops.
Blepharospasm
Benign essential blepharospasm (BEB) is
a condition where the eyelids close force-
fully or spasm involuntarily. It is a type
of dystonia or condition characterized by
unusual movement or muscle tone. In more
than half of people with BEB, the muscle
spasms will spread beyond the eyelids to
other facial muscles. This condition is twice
as common in women as in men. Other
signs of BEB include: frequent blinking,
dry eyes, eye irritation, involuntary squint-
ing, symptoms affecting both eyes, onset
in mid-to-late adulthood. Botulinum toxin
(Botox) injections can help reduce twitch-
ing that occurs due to BEB. However, a
person may need additional treatments, as
the effects of Botox wear off. Myectomy is
a surgery where doctors remove muscles
and nerves in the eyelids. Myectomy is an
option for more severe cases of BEB.
Source: Medical News Today
 ART | BOOKS | SOCIETY | TRAVEL | CULTURE
A
By Dominic Muwanguzi
n exhibition of
student’s art
is bound to be
interesting. Oc-
casionally, some
students defy
their inexperience and produce
great art. Usually, however,
gaps in art creation and presen-
tation become perfect talking
points for gallery visitors and
possible dampeners for the
students. Only the most open-
minded artists benefit from the
inevitable censure. In any case,
it is the overall the passion and
spirit of adventure that under-
lies most of the artwork that
should be the focus.
Such is the mood at the
`Open Expression’ exhibit at
the Mukono- based Tadooba
gallery by students of art
from Kyambogo University in
Kampala. When we visited
March 03, the students
had put up pieces that
adhered to classroom dis-
cipline in art making that
emphasises aspects like
light, tonality, perspective
and texture. Nonetheless,
the open expression theme
was aggressively explored in
diverse media, multi-disci-
plinary creations, and adven-
tures in myriad styles.
The employment of diverse
styles and media on canvas
was a relief from the monoto-
ny of a single artistic narrative
and inquiry. Themes ranged
from cityscapes, wildlife, por-
traiture, and rural scenery.
A conceptual drawing
(Untitled) that integrated both
synthetic and organic media
in form of used airtime cards,
washing sponge (ekyangwe)
and aluminum wires was
outstanding in innovation.
From the close observation of
the artwork, the artist exuded
confidence in the employment
of the media, and immediate
response to the common-
placed question of how to
make art when you are limited
by material. Where artists often
Adventures in
media, styles
The open expressions of young artists
times complain about and are
inhibited by how materials are
expensive, this artist defied
such limitation by sourcing for
local or waste material to work
with.
On the technical front, the
young artists sometimes lacked
the competence in picture con-
struction and a void in colour
application on canvas. In this
regard, some of the artwork
came off as mediocre and less
exciting to a critical eye. A
painting of the Old Taxi-
park in Kampala (Untitled) was
awkwardly done with little
or no attention to detail. The
Matatus were not familiar even
to those in the park; they were
“too clean” and not bartered
by the rough nature of the
square. Similarly, an attempt
to draw three human figures at
work, ended in disarray. The
bodies of the figures were not
proportional. The hands stood
out larger and longer than
other body parts rendering the
March 16 - 22 2018
subject almost disfigured.
With such disparity, the
piece depicting a clay figu-
rine resting on a pedestal
provided some relief to the
audience. The artist made
an effort to study his sub-
ject– a male figure seated
on a stool in an inclined
posture -with the right
attention to depth and
form.
The Open Expression
exhibition provided, per-
haps a first time platform
for the student artists to
showcase their learned
skills in art making.
Much as many of the
exhibitors lacked enough
technical skills on canvas, the
opportunity to exhibit exposed
them to criticism from the
audience to better their craft.
Nonetheless, it is only the open
minded artists that will benefit
from such censure.
The exhibition, featuring mainly
second and third year art
students, is at Tadooba Gallery
located after MukonoTown, in
Nangwa Butwalo village.
37
 Shop cancels sale for 200 Apple gadgets after 11,000 people queue up
A Malaysian reseller of Apple of only 200 discounted gadgets. for only $50, 64GB MacBook definitely didn’t anticipate a
products was recently forced to The shop in Kuala Lumpur, Air for $128, or 24-inch iMac queue of 11,000 people stretch-
cancel its warehouse sale after was supposed to host a clear- for $255, among others. Even ing out from the second floor
11,000 people lined up outside ance sale of various Apple though the company expected of the mall, all the way to the
its store for a chance to buy one gadgets, including iPhone 5s to have a busy weekend, they parking lot.

Why women regret Garbage meat gives

Corporate man wears
high-heels to work
Ashley Maxwell-Lam,
a project manager for a
major bank in Sydney,
Australia, has been wear-
ing six-inch stilettos to
work for about a year and
claims they make him feel
empowered. 30-year-old
Ashley has always loved
women in high-heels and
the power they exude, so
he decided to adopt the
same footwear in order to
feel empowered as well.
His manager didn’t really
know what to say when
casual sex less ‘Junk Food’ new
Previous research has found that in
meaning
general women regret one-night stands Life in the slums of Manila can
more than men. But when researchers be incredibly difficult, and put-
interviewed 547 Norwegian and 216 ting food on the table every day
American university students, all of them is a big challenge. That’s what
heterosexual, they found that the “clear- makes “pagpag” so popular.
est gender-differentiating factor” for This term usually refers to the
regret after casual sex is who made the dust one shakes out of clothing
first move. They also found that women or carpets, but in the slums it
means meat picked out of the
feel less regret if the “partner was skilled
and they felt sexually satisfied”. All the landfill, cleaned and recooked
participants in the the study undertaken into cheap meals. Pagpag has
the 30-year-old told her
by researchers at the Norwegian Univer- long been a staple of Filipino
that he planned on wear-
sity of Science and Technology (NTNU) slum cuisine, but in recent years
ing high-heels to work,
and the University of Texas were aged it has also become a lucrative
but he let her know that
under 30 years. “Women who initiate business both for landfill scaven-
he was very serious about
sex are likely to have at least two dis- gers and small restaurant own-
it. Ashley, who is openly
tinguishing qualities,” says Prof David ers who buy the discarded meat
gay, says he loves the
Buss from the University of Texas. “First, at cheap prices and recycle it into
attention he gets when
they are likely to have a healthy sexual various dishes.
he’s trotting around in his
manly suit and high-heel psychology, being maximally comfort-
shoes, but it’s not why able with their own sexuality. “Second,
he does it. He just loves women who initiate have maximum
the “contrast between choice of precisely who they want to
masculinity and feminin- have sex with. Consequently, they have
ity” and the way it makes less reason to feel regret, since they’ve
people question things. made their own choice,” he adds.

This boat won’t sink Degree courses to be rated

The Thunder Child
is a revolutionary
search and rescue
boat that is virtually
impossible to capsize.
Even when flipped
upside down in the
water, the vessel is able
to right itself almost
instantly. Developed
by Irish company
Safehaven Marine
for use by the Irish
Navy in high-pressure
situations, the XSV-
17 ’Thunder Child’
fits a crew of up to 10
people and is designed
to absorb shocks
from rough seas. But
its most impressive
feature is the ability
gold, silver and bronze
Up to 50 universities in the UK are to be part
of a pilot scheme to rank their teaching quality
and value of degrees they award. In other
words, which degrees make a student rich and
the ones that don’t. Universities Minister Sam
Gyimah said: “Prospective students deserve to
know which courses deliver great teaching and
great outcomes - and which ones are lagging
behind. “In the age of the student, universities
will no longer be able to hide if their teaching
to bounce back into quality is not up to the world-class standard that
an upright position in we expect.” The new system to rate teaching is
any situation, which part of the government’s attempt to get tough
makes it impossible to on universities, which charge students nearly
capsize. £30,000 for a three-year degree.

38 March 16 - 22 2018
Driving in the rain
D
o you know the best precautions
to take and how to practice safe
driving in the wet weather? Here
are some tips can add on your list:
Before driving:
 Make sure all vehicle lights are
working properly: headlights, tail
lights, brake lights, signal lights,
daytime running lights, high beams,
interior lights. Seeing and being seen
at all times is an effective means of
making your presence known to
fellow motorists and for standing
out from dull, grey conditions and
surroundings.
 Make sure windshield wipers are
working and in good condition.
Driving well is all about vision. To that
end, good quality wiper blades are
essential to driving well in the rain.
Wipers require periodic inspection
for cracks and wear that reduces their
ability to swipe the glass clear. If the
wiper blades are cracked or worn,
replace them immediately.
 Make sure your car horn is working.
 Check your brakes.
 Check air levels in tires and the tire
treads. The right tires are essential
to safe driving in the wet. Having
properly inflated tires with good treads
is sure to help you better stick to the
road.
Take note that the first rainy day after a
dry spell always produces the slipperiest
roads. Be extra alert as rainy weather
causes more road accidents.
While driving: 
 Brake sooner than you normally
would. This gives you extra space
between you and the car ahead and
gives the car behind you more time to
react.
 Headlights must be on when the
windshield wipers are in use, even if it
is sunny.
 If you feel your car hydroplaning, take 
your foot off the gas; do not step on
the brake. Keep a steady grip of your
steering wheel and you will feel your
car gain traction again.
 Drive at a slower speed and drive with
more space between you and the car
ahead. Excessive speed for conditions
is by far the greatest cause of rain-
related accidents. Slowing down
allows your tyres to more efficiently 
store, then displace the water beneath
them, allowing the treads to stay
in contact with the road surface to
provide maximum grip. It also gives
you more time to react, sharpens
steering accuracy and shortens braking
distances.
 Turn off cruise control when water
begins to pool on the tarmac, and
manage the throttle yourself. Having
a foot already on the pedals sharpens
March 16 - 22 2018
the driver’s reaction times. If the tires
hydroplane with the cruise turned on,
the car could actually accelerate when
grip is regained.
Avoid running water. If the road
ahead is under water, don’t try to
drive through it unless you can see
the roadway underneath; never
attempt driving through it if water is
rushing over the roadway. Remember,
modern cars bristle with electronic
technologies, and it doesn’t take much
water to render them inoperable.
Dry your brakes. Driving through
standing water will soak your brakes,
leaving them virtually ineffective
until they can be dried. By driving
slowly once you’re out of the water
and applying the brakes gently, you
can generate enough heat to dry them
rather quickly. Satisfy yourself that
each brake is pulling evenly before
resuming higher speeds.
Pull over and wait it out. If it’s raining
so hard you have difficulty seeing the
road surface or vehicle ahead of you,
avoid the temptation to press on. Pull
over well off the road or, preferably,
into an adjacent roadway or parking
lot. Turn on your flashing hazard lights
and wait for the worst of the storm to
pass before proceeding further.
39
Global comment
By Kenneth Rogoff
Economists vs. scientists on growth
What to expect when, someday, thinking machines become
so sophisticated that they will invent other machines
M
ost economic forecasters
have largely shrugged off
recent advances in artificial
intelligence (for example,
the quantum leap demonstrated by
DeepMind’s self-learning chess program
last December), seeing little impact
on longer-term trend growth. Such
pessimism is surely one of the reasons
why real (inflation-adjusted) interest
rates remain extremely low, even if
the bellwether U.S. ten-year bond rate
has ticked up half a percentage point
in the last few months. If supply-side
pessimism is appropriate, the recent
massive tax and spending packages in
the United States will likely do much
more to raise inflation than to boost
investment.
There are plenty of reasons to object to
recent US fiscal policy, even if lowering
the corporate-tax rate made sense (albeit
not by the amount enacted). Above all,
we live in an era of rising inequality and
falling income shares for labour relative
to capital. Governments need to do more,
not less, to redistribute income and
wealth.
It is hard to know what U.S. President
Donald Trump is thinking when he
boasts that his policies will deliver up
to 6% growth (unless he is talking about
prices, not output!). But if inflationary
pressures do indeed materialise, current
growth might last significantly longer
than forecasters and markets believe.
In any case, the focus of economists’
pessimism is long-term growth. Their
stance is underpinned by the belief
that advanced economies cannot hope
to repeat the dynamism that the U.S
enjoyed from 1995-2005 (and other
advanced economies a bit later), much
less the salad days of the 1950s and
1960s.
But the doubters ought to consider
the fact that many scientists, across
many disciplines, see things differently.
Young researchers, in particular, believe
that advances in basic knowledge are
coming as fast as ever, even if practical
applications are taking a long time to
develop. Indeed, a small but influential
40 March 16 - 22 2018
cult touts the Hungarian-American
mathematician John von Neumann’s
“singularity” theory. Someday, thinking
machines will become so sophisticated
that they will be able to invent
other machines without any human
intervention, and suddenly technology
will advance exponentially.
If so, perhaps we should be far more
worried about the ethical and social
implications of material growth that
is faster than humans can spiritually
absorb. The angst over AI mostly focuses
on inequality and the future of work.
But as science fiction writers have long
warned us, the potential threats arising
from the birth of silicon-based “life”
forms are truly frightening.
It is hard to know who is right: neither
economists nor scientists have a great
track record when it comes to making
long-term predictions. But right now,
and leaving aside the possibility of
an existential battle between man
and machine, it seems quite plausible
to expect a significant pickup in
productivity growth over the next five
years.
Consider that the main components
of economic growth are increases in the
labour force, increases in investment
(both public and private), and
“productivity,” namely the output than
can be produced with a given amount
of inputs, thanks to new ideas. Over
the past 10-15 years, all three have been
dismally low in the advanced economies.
Labour force growth has slowed
sharply, owing to declining birth rates,
with immigration failing to compensate
even in pre-Trump America. The influx
of women into the labour force played
a major role in boosting growth in the
latter part of the twentieth century.
But now that has largely played out,
although governments could do more to
support female labour force participation
and pay equity.
Similarly, global investment has
collapsed since the 2008 financial crisis
(though not in China), lowering potential
growth. And measured productivity
growth has declined everywhere, falling
roughly by half in the U.S. since the
tech boom of the mid-1990s. No wonder
global real interest rates are so low, with
high post-crisis savings chasing a smaller
supply of investment opportunities.
Still, the best bet is that AI and other
new technologies will eventually come
to have a much larger impact on growth
than they have up to now. It is well
known that it can take a very long time
for businesses to reimagine productive
processes to exploit new technologies:
railroads and electricity are two leading
examples. The pickup in global growth
is likely to be a catalyst for change,
creating incentives for firms to invest
and introduce new technologies, some
of which will substitute for labour,
offsetting the slowdown in the growth of
the workforce.
With the after-effects of the financial
crisis fading, and AI perhaps starting to
gain traction, trend U.S. output growth
can easily stay strong for the next several
years (though, of course, a recession is
also possible). The likely corresponding
rise in real global interest rates will be
tricky for central bankers to navigate. In
the best case, they will be able to “ride
the wave,” as Alan Greenspan famously
did in the 1990s, though more inflation is
likely this time.
The bottom line is that neither
policymakers nor markets should be
betting on the slow growth of the past
decade carrying over to the next. But that
might not be entirely welcome news. If
the scientists are right, we may come to
regret the growth we get.
Kenneth Rogoff, Professor of Economics and
Public Policy at Harvard University and
recipient of the 2011 Deutsche Bank Prize in
Financial Economics, was the chief economist
of the International Monetary Fund from
2001 to 2003. The co-author of `This Time
is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial
Folly’, his new book,`The Curse of Cash’, was
released in August 2016.
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