Cover story Health Business

Fall from Uganda’s celebrated Could 2018 be Uganda’s Banks 2018 Good 2018
bankers to 2018 bummers healthiest year? surprise economy

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Most
influential
people of
2018
Reviewing events
of the year

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Dec. 21 - 27 2018
INBOX

Issue No. 552 Dec. 21 - 27 2018

News analysis Business Health Arts Motoring

Cover story
Fall of the legends
From Uganda’s celebrated bankers to 2018 bummers

4 The Week
30 Comments
Katureebe attends magistrates’
conference, speaks out on land inquiry Unlocking public wealth:
With professional, politically
independent management, a
9 The Last Word
country could earn from its
Museveni’s anti-graft crusade: commercial assets
Why the president’s efforts against
corruption may be politically appealing
32 Health
but are strategically of little value
Could 2018 be Uganda’s
healthiest year?: A look at
14 Analysis incidence of hemorrhagic fevers,
typhoid, HIV/AIDS, malaria
Torture in 2018: Justice Katureebe
pain and Bobi Wine’s pockets

35 Arts & Culture

27 Business
Sane’s white faces : How
Good 2018 economy: Economists still Africans become invisible on
question its impact on people’s pockets the global stage

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, Julius Businge.
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2 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
 Offline

Kimana, Kenya:
Traditional dancing
during the Maasai
Olympics, held by
conservation groups
led by Born Free every
two years since 2012.
The event offers Maasai “It’s sad that the commission is
warriors an alternative
to killing lions as part of comprised of judicial officers who think
their traditional rite of that it helps them to burn the same
passage. forest in which they reside”,Chief Justice
Bart Katureebe said while officiating at a
Magistrates’conference. He was referring to
claims by members of the Land Commission
of Inquiry that judicial officers are corrupt.
Panama City, Panama:
Revellers and musicians
perform during a
Christmas parade

Port-au-Prince, Haiti:
General view of the
high density of houses
in the neighborhood
of Jalousie, in the
commune of Petion Ville- “Abdullah Kitatta and has a case to
On the hills of Port-au- answer”,Lt. Gen Andrew Gutti Chairman of
Prince, a chaotic jumble the General Court Martial said on Dec.17 that
of structures stretches the patron of Boda Boda 2010 Association
ever farther into the
distance. Jalousie is a and nine of his co-accused should prepare
poor neighborhood of their defense against charges of unlawful
the capital which lacks possession of fire arms and military equipment.
sanitation and potable
water.

“I have talked to the Chief Justice

and we are going to close the gap
that land lords have been using
through courts. That game of using
courts is going to stop”, President
Museveni while handing over 300 mailo
land tittles to Bibanja holders.

the number of new students who passed exams of the votes garnered by the National

11 139 191
courses Kyambogo over 800 who sat to finish the bar Trade Unions (NOTU)’s
University has introduced course at the Law Development Wilson Usher Owere to retain
in its Faculty of Engineering. Center in Makerere. seat as the Chairman General.

Dec. 21 - 27 2018 3
week

Katureebe attends magistrates’ conference, speaks out on land inquiry

The Chief Justice Bart Katureebe on
Dec.14 officiated at the annual magistrates’
conference held in Kampala. While there,
Katureebe urged the on-going Commission
of Inquiry into land issues chaired by Justice
Catherine Bamugemereire to straighten up
a few things.
He said in a number of cases before the
commission, judicial officers have been
accused of being corrupt without hearing
their side of the story as they too deserve
a fair hearing. He noted that as a student
of land law he commends the work of the
commission but it was unfortunate that he
was being cited as one of those blocking the
inquiry from fully carrying out their opera-
tions.
Acknowledging that he had received a
dossier with names of judicial officers who
were disrupting the work of the commis-
sion, Katureebe promised that an investiga-
tion will be held and appropriate disciplin-
ary action taken.
In his end of year message to the judi-
ciary, he said magistrates should instead of
using strikes as a way of airing their griev-
ances consider dialogue with authorities.
The magistrates early this year went on
strike over poor pay something that affected
administration of justice.

Lusanja evictions illegal, court Calls for increased budget for research
On Dec.14, court ruled that an eviction as innovators’ week ends
of hundreds of people from a 75-acre piece
of land in Lusanja village in Mpererwe on
the outskirts of Kampala was illegal. In his
judgment, High Court Judge John Eudes
Keitirima ruled the Chief Magistrates Court
at Nabweru that ordered this eviction had no
jurisdiction to handle the case. The eviction
effected in October by a gang of armed men
was ordered by a one Medard Kiconco who
claims to be the rightful owner of the land.
In his ruling, the judge said it was a
responsibility of Kiconco and his lawyers to
provide the estimated value of structures that
he was seeking to demolish in order for the
trial court to determine whether it was within The Deputy Speaker, Jacob Oulanyah “The Ministry responsible for this
the ambit of the court’s pecuniary jurisdiction attended the closure of a weeklong sci- should take the initiative and make the
to order. He added that there was no effective ence, technology and innovation exhibi- appropriate proposals so that funding
service affected on the complainants and that tions at parliament on Dec.14. He said can be set aside to make these ideas come
if the trial chief magistrate had visited the that while there are appropriate policies to fruition. We need a data bank for inno-
disputed land, affected parties would have and laws to support works of innovators vation,” Oulanyah said.
been alerted that someone had sued them. in the country, there aren’t enough funds The Chairperson of the parliamentary
Before this court ruling, affected residents put aside for research and development. committee on Science, Technology and
had petitioned the speaker of parliament that Oulanyah said that innovators have Innovation Fred Bwino Kyakulaga said
they had wrongfully been evicted something enormous potential which can be boosted that the exhibitors at the event would be
that prompted the Attorney General William by more investment support making the engaged deeply, to generate a report with
Byaruhanga to make a presentation on it. Later ventures fruitful which in turn leads to clear recommendations to government.
he told parliament that the exercise was marred scientific advancement on a local level. At the closure of the exhibition, Oulan-
by a lot of irregularities and that the security Headded that there was urgent need to yah awarded certificates of participation
officials who were involved under disciplinary review the existing laws that regulate to best exhibitors – the Presidential Initia-
action. Now, area MP – Kyaddondo East innovation in a bid to eliminate what tive on Banana Development, School of
Robert Kyagulanyi is planning to sue he termed as outdated provisions that Food Science, Nutrition and Technology
government over aiding this illegal eviction. impede the development of innovation at Makerere University.
and technology.

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 Week

Reggae made it to
the global cultural
heritage list
UNESCO, a cultural agen-
cy of the United Nations,
added reggae music to a
list of international cultural
treasures. The declaration,
according to a news agency
Reuters came during a
meeting in Paris where they
agreed that the Jamaican
music that spread across the
world with its calls for social
justice, peace and love must
be safe-guarded. Born in
Bobi wine barred from performing at Jinja concert the poor neighbourhoods of
Kingston in the 1960s, reg-
Singer and Member of Parliament Kyaddondo them- Arua is still fresh in our minds, and we know gae reflected hard times and
East Robert Kyagulanyi Bobi wine was treated to what they can do”, Kyagulanyi later wrote on his struggle but could also be
a warm welcome to Jinja on Dec. 14. As he and show media after news of his disappearance started joyous dance music with its
musician colleague Nubian Lee drove into town to make rounds, “Uganda Police what a shame that distinctive off-beat.
they were greeted with chants and a following of you constantly allow yourselves to be used to break It’s most famous song-
crowds that he would occasionally rise and wave at the law”. writer and performer, the
through his open roofed car until he reached City Earlier in October after the launch of his late Bob Marley, became a
hotel where he was supposed to rest from ahead of Kyarenga concert, the police had said that the global superstar with hits
a show that evening. He was with other artistes to singer will not appear on any other show because like No Woman, No Cry
perform at a music show that happened at a popular he uttered statements that were inciting violence and Get Up, Stand Up.
spot – Queens’ Palace. But, he didn’t make it after and that he was under investigation. Other notables include
security forces put the hotel under siege and ordered Later that evening, the music show was allowed Jimmy Cliff and Toots and
his team out of town. to go on with a number of musicians performing. the Maytalls.
“I am still in Jinja town. The police are looking for By Press time, the young legislator had travelled Artists such as the Clash
me everywhere. They have even blocked some roads back to Kampala. incorporated its chunky beat
in search for me! I will try not to avail myself to and its politics into their
own music, bringing it to a
wider audience. It caught on
80% fail LDC final exam from Britain to Brazil and
Africa. “Its contribution to
Results of lawyers Nigel Othembi while 4% Othembi says once the 75% international discourse on
graduating from the Law totally failed and will have to sit for them, the number of issues of injustice, resistance,
Development Center (LDC) repeat the course, 75% have those leaving the center and love and humanity under-
were released on Dec.12 supplementary papers to do are able to represent clients scores the dynamics of the
showing 20% of the over 800 in order for them to qualify. in court will raise saying element as being at once
that sat for the final exams to The date when the he can’t flag this year’s cerebral, socio-political, sen-
have passed. According to supplementary papers will be performance as the worst. sual and spiritual,” UNES-
the Center’s Director Frank done has not yet been set but CO said in a statement.

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Week
Musisi's final day at office
Musisi bids farewell
Outgoing Executive Director Kam-
pala City Council Authority (KCCA),
Jennifer Musisi handed over office on
Friday a day before Dec.15 a day she
had set as her last day in that position
when she tendered in her resignation
in October.
Minister for Kampala Betty Kamya
who attended the handover said
there was no replacement yet and that
the president had not yet responded
to Musisi October 15th letter.
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“We receive the office as handed
over by Jennifer Musisi, but with a
rider. The rider is that His Excellency
has not yet accepted Jennifer Musisi’s
notice of resignation,” she said add-
ing that technically it means he has
not yet accepted it or has not yet
found a replacement.
“I therefore, receive this office
awaiting further instructions and
guidance from His Excellency, the
President.”
30 university students train in
robotics, artificial intelligence
Thirty students from Makerere and Kyambogo
Universities acquired skills in science and technol-
ogy through a programme called ‘The Silver Bullet
Student Development Program (SDP) 2018’ held in
Kampala on Dec.14. The program set out to strength-
en the science, technology, engineering and innova-
tion workforce by up skilling through supplemental
activities, school outreach and university after-school
training programs. “This program provides stu-
dents with practical and applicable skills allowing
them to apply the theories they have been taught in
school in a fun and interesting way,” said Maryanne
Karamagi, the executive director of Silver Bullet. He
added that this supplements the national curriculum
whilst advocating for a revision to existing curricula
to allow inclusion of subjects like robotics which
motivate young people to be excited about engineer-
ing and science careers. Prof. Ayorkor Kosah, the
head of the Computer Science Department at Ashesi
University Ghana said at a public lecture held in
Kampala on Dec.14 that in a rapidly transforming
world, subjects such as robotics needed to be intro-
duced into the curriculum to allow young people the
opportunity to be part of defining the future. “With
advancements in technology leading us towards
things like artificial intelligence, learning and educa-
tion remain important,” Kosah said.
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Humour Did you know?
December Trivia & Facts
 December is the twelfth and
final month of the Gregorian
calendar. It derives its name
from the Latin word “decem”,
meaning 10, as December was
the tenth month of the oldest
Roman calendar. The Latin
name is derived from Decima,
the middle Goddess of the
Three Fates who personifies
the present.
 December was originally the
10th month in the Roman cal-
endar. The period of January
and February did not really
count as months, and the
The outgoing KCCA executive director Jennifer Musisi bid farewell to the Authority stuff on 14 Dec. Roman calendar was based on
a 304 day year, based on the
approximate lunar month of
29 1/2 days.
 The inventor of the 304 day
calendar was Romulus, twin
brother of Remus - the same
Romulus and Remus who
founded Rome aroung 800
B.C.
 The modern Santa Claus has
the image of the Holly king
who represented the Death
aspect of God in December.
The opposite of the Death
aspect was the aspect of
Rebirth which is likened to the
Divine Child’s birth. The myth
of the Holly King/Oak King
probably originated from the
Druids to whom these two
Former Executive Director of Bank of Uganda Justine Bagyenda trees were highly sacred.
applies for passport to travel for Christmas holiday.  Saint Nickolas, who would
eventually be called Santa
Claus, was originally the
patron saint of children,
thieves and pawnbrokers.
 The first artificial Christmas
tree was made in Germany,
fashioned out of goose feath-
ers that are dyed green.
 Common decorations on a
Christmas tree each have their
specific meanings. Candles
– the light of the world, the
Star at the top is a reminder of
the first Christmas night and
Candy canes are to represent
the Shepherd’s cane.
  “Jingle bells” was com-
posed in 1857, and not for
Christmas – it was meant
Opposition Forum for Democratic Change has fired most to be a Thanksgiving song!
of its top National Executive Committee members.

Dec. 21 - 27 2018 7
review of 2018

Winners & inventors of 2018

Dec. 15 Dec.09 June 18 June 14 Sept.01 Sept 25
Miss Uganda Ugandan Uganda’s Brian Gitta Uganda’s
Quiin Abenakyo author wins Dr Amos won the Royal Former consultant
Wole Soyinka Nyathirombo Academy of KCCA ED Jen- pathologist,
was crowned nifer Musisi
Miss World Africa Prize for co-founds River Engineering’s and URA Dr Sylvester
at the 2018 Miss Literature blindness drug Africa Prize for Commissioner Onzivua
World finale in General, Doris
China. Quinn Ugandan Dr Nyathirom-
Matibabu Akolw on the led the investiga-
is the first Miss author and poet bo, 52, an eye spe- Africa Agent of tions a group of six
Brian
Uganda to make Harriet Anena cialist and lecturer Change award scientists to make a
Gitta, 24, won
it to the top 5 was on Dec.09 in the Department in recognition breakthrough about
the Royal
finalists. The Miss announced joint of Ophthalmology of their leader- Nodding Syndrome,
Academy of
World title went winner of the at Gulu University ship efforts. concluding the con-
Engineering’s
to Mexico’s Van- Wole Soyinka found a new more They received dition is a result of
Africa Prize
essa Ponce de Leon Prize for Litera- effective cure for the award at abnormal deposit of
for a device
with Thailand’s ture 2018 for her River Blindness The Women protein in the brains.
that detects
Nicolene Limsnu- poetry anthology drug. He was part Development They did a year-long
tell-tale signs
kan as first runner titled `A Nation of a team that did Centre, in Abu- research that involved
of malaria
up. Abenakyo was in Labour’ pub- a six-year research ja – Nigeria. multiple examinations
by shining
second runner up. lished in 2015. She under the World a red beam of brain tissues of
The 22-year old shared the prize Health Organisa- of light on children who died of
Bachelors of Busi- with Prof. Tanure tion. The United the patient’s Nodding Syndrome
ness Computing Ojaide. The Wole States Food and finger. This in northern Uganda.
graduate present- Soyinka Prize for Drug Adminis- is major win Prof Michael Pollanen
ed a beauty with a Literature, worth tration agency for a device from Forensic Pathol-
purpose project on US$10,000, is announced on which tests for ogy at the University
teenage pregnan- awarded every June 16 that it had malaria with- of Ontario was co-
cies in Uganda to two years to the approved Mox- out drawing leader with Onzivua
sway supporters best book written idectin 8 mg Oral blood. together with Dr
with her own story by an African. for the treatment of Janice Robertson, Dr
of being born pre- River Blindness. Paul M McKeever,
maturely and how and Gulu University’s
she considers her Prof. David Kitara,
survival a miracle. Dr. Francis Olwa and
Dr. Amanda Fong.

8 Dec. 21 - 27 2018

Museveni’s anti-graft crusade
By Andrew M. Mwenda
Why the president’s efforts against corruption may be
politically appealing but are strategically of little value
L
ast week, President Yoweri Museveni
launched an “anti-corruption unit”
in his office. This is one in many
efforts the president has tried and
failed in the last 32 years. The NRM’s Ten
Point Program had “fighting corruption” as
its number two priority. Yet Museveni has
presided over the worst levels of corruption
in our post-independence history. For our
“analysts” this is because Museveni is a dis-
honest man. Nonsense!
Corruption is not a problem of Uganda
alone. Every leader in post-independence
Africa has come to power promising to fight
it. Nearly all of them have ruled and left
power being accused by their opponents
of perpetuating it. Corruption is structur-
ally obdurate in post-independence Africa
because it is the currency of managing
power relations in poor agrarian societies. It
acts as glue to hold together the often flabby
and heterogeneous coalitions of our multi
ethnic societies. Corruption also acts as a
weapon for opponents to fight incumbents
because it has been constructed as morally
revolting and is always given as an explana-
tion for (rather than a characteristic of) our
poverty.
Thus leaders across Africa have been
placed in the difficult position of having to
rule by relying on corruption and then pre-
tend to be fighting it. I do not know of any
government in Africa today, with the sole
exception of post genocide Rwanda, where
corruption is not the main engine of gov-
ernance. This is not a moral judgement on
those governments and leaders that preside
over high levels of it. Rather it underlines
the fact that corruption and patronage are
not just cost-efficient and cost-effective ways
of building electoral and governing coali-
tions in poor agrarian societies, they are also
the only affordable options.
Corruption as a moral problem would not
have been as toxic as it is today if it was not
given as the explanation for Africa’s pov-
erty. Yet there is no evidence that the exis-
tence of corruption in a country automati-
cally stifles development. Some of the most
successful nations like the United States
(19th century) South Korea (20th century) and
China (21st century) have had extremely
high levels of corruption during their
intense period of transformation from back-
ward, poor agrarian societies to modern
affluent industrial nations. The lesson: cor-
ruption is a characteristic feature of poverty,
The Last Word
not a cause of it.
I am not suggesting that high levels of
corruption were responsible for America’s
or South Korea’s or China’s high rates of
growth, even though I cannot rule that
one out. This historic evidence demon-
strates that the existence of corruption
even at the highest levels of state does not
automatically stop a country from rapidly
transforming from poverty to riches. This is
because the effects of corruption on growth
depend on the context.
For example, if someone stole money
meant for a hospital in Kumi and bought
a luxury house in Kololo from an industri-
alist; and the industrialist used that money
to build a firm that grows into a Samsung
or Apple, such corruption would have been
more productive than the hospital. We need
only one in every ten thefts (the success rate
of venture capital) for such money to get
into the right hands and transformation will
follow. Successful firms like Google, Apple,
Facebook and Microsoft relied on venture
capital to start. Their founders did not
investigate the original source of the funds
because it was irrelevant. It is the innova-
tion, not the source of money that was fun-
damental to their success.
Many public investments have symbolic
humanitarian value but are economically
inefficient and less productive compared
to private investments. Therefore, the
diversion of resources from the benefit of
many to use by a few may, in certain cir-
cumstances, be economically productive. If
public investments created more value than
private investments, communism would
have created more prosperity than capi-
talism. Capitalism is based on the ethic of
private greed, not common welfare.
There is another example of context: if a
country has an excessively regulated busi-
ness environment but its bureaucracy is
dishonest in enforcing rules, then a bribe to
speed up business registration, issuing of an
investment license etc. will act as the grease
that turns the wheels of investment and
growth. So having an honest government
is not a magic bullet to economic success,
however politically appealing that may be.
Equally, having a corrupt government is not
a sentence to economic stagnation, however
morally repugnant such corruption may be.
The African elite are locked up in false
assumptions about the factors perpetuating
our poverty. They think it is due to absence
Opinion
of democracy and respect for human rights
and prevalence of corruption. This is fash-
ionable nonsense. There is one factor that
underlies every country that has grown
rich – it is its terms of trade (the relation-
ship between the prices at which it sells her
exports and the prices paid for its imports).
It does not matter whether the country in
question is a democracy or a dictatorship, a
monarchy or a republic, corrupt or honest,
etc. as long it has favourable terms of trade
over generations, its prosperity follows as
night follows day.
Authoritarian Saudi Arabia which keeps
its women in subjugation is many times
richer than Africa’s leading democracies.
Apartheid South Africa grew to become the
most industrialised country in Africa while
excluding 70% of its black population from
all political and economic rights. Equatorial
Guinea is the richest country in Africa in per
capita income but has equally the most rep-
rehensible government on our continent.
So if Africa devoted only 10% of the time,
energy and money expended in preten-
tious fights against corruption to building
national firms/brands that can export high
value manufactured goods and increase
national control over the commanding
heights of her economies, our transforma-
tion would be possible. We are blind to our
strategic needs (manufacturing and national
ownership) and focused all our energies on
inconsequential ones (democracy, corrup-
tion and human rights). These latter issues
make good emotional appeal but contribute
very little, if at all, to development.
Where should Africa look? America
industrialised with Ford, General Elec-
tric and General Motors; German with
Mercedes Benz, Audi and BMW; France
with Citroen and Peugeot; Sweden with
Volvo; Japan with Toyota, Honda and
Nissan; South Korea with Samsung, Kia
and Hyundai etc. China is building her
own brands. Equally Africa’s prosperity
will depend almost entirely on us putting
the most efforts on building local firms/
brands especially in manufacturing high
value exports and constructing our infra-
structure. The rest are diversionary quarrels
and recriminations over irrelevant issues.
Happy New Year.
amwenda@independent.co.ug
Dec. 21 - 27 2018 9
cover story
Mutebile
Fall of the legends
From Uganda’s celebrated
bankers to 2018 bummers
I
n 1991, some of the most powerful
people in business and public office
In Uganda from western Uganda
jointly opened a bank. They called it
the Kigezi Bank of Commerce with
a commence capitalization of US$20
million.
They included none other than current
Governor of the Central Bank, Tumusiime
Mutebile. At the time, he was the permanent
secretary to the Ministry of Finance Plan-
ning & Economic Development. Others
were tycoon Amos Nzeyi, current Prime
Minister, Ruhakana Rugunda, retired
Supreme Court judge, George Kanyei-
hamba, former Finance Minister, Ezra
Suruma, and former Information Minister
and decorated bush war heroes, Maj. Gen.
Jim Muhwezi, and Mathew Rukikaire. The
powerful Asian family; the Mukwanos
injected in capital.
A few years later, a Kenyan family
of Asian descent called the Gidoomals
acquired 86% shareholding in the bank and,
along the way, it was renamed the National
Bank of Commerce Uganda (NBCU). Later,
the Gidoomals sold their major stake to
other shareholders. In October 2009, inves-
tors from Abu Dhabi, invested US$10 mil-
10 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
Bagyenda
By Haggai Matsiko
lion in the bank. Then in July 2011, Emirates
Link, an Abu Dhabi investment company
acquired 25% shares of the bank and its
owner, Ahmed Darwish Almarar, became
Chairman of NBCU.
But these were turbulent times at NBCU
as minority shareholders squabbled with
majority shareholders about the direction of
the bank and the role of the new, powerful,
investors.
And that is when Bank of Uganda (BoU)
Executive Director Supervision, Justine
Bagyenda, in March 2012 seized the oppor-
tunity to assert her authority on the com-
mercial banking sector.
Bagyenda’s power
Bagyenda appointed a special advisor,
Abbas Mawanda, to guide NBCU through
the murky phase. Some of these actions
prompted a run on the bank of sorts by
apprehensive customers.
Then on September 27, 2012, BoU took
over NBCU and transferred its deposits and
branches to Crane Bank. Court cases ensued
that left NBCU’s affairs in limbo. But from
the ashes of NBCU, Bagyenda showed the
steel that had already earned her the moni-
ker of ‘Iron Lady’ within the corridors of the
Kasekende
central bank and strike fear in the managers
of commercial banks.
For taking action on a bank owned
by some of the most powerful people;
Mutebile, Mbabazi, Rugunda, Muhwezi,
Rukikaire, Nzeyi, Rugunda, and their
Arab tycoons, Bagyenda had showed that
nobody in the sector is untouchable.
Bagyenda’s power was again revealed
in 2014 as BoU moved to takeover Global
Trust Bank over alleged mismanagement.
This bank had powerful external tentacles,
including a former president of a foreign
country, who even flew in to meet Presi-
dent Museveni. The shareholders assured
Museveni that they were willing to recapi-
talise the bank and Museveni assured them,
GTB would be safe. Museveni was furi-
ous and threatened to fire Bagyenda and
Mutebile. They remained firm and later
convinced Museveni that the bank had to
be closed. Museveni nearly apologised to
Bagyenda.
She became known for being tough on
bankers and was easily the most feared
official both within the walls of BoU and
throughout the financial sector.
She could fire a bank chief executive
officer, a BoU official told this reporter. But

how did she do it?
According to revelations from the on-
going investigation by parliament’s com-
mittee on Commissions, Statutory Authori-
ties and State Enterprises (COSASE) into
Bank of Uganda’s sale of assets of the seven
defunct banks, she did it recklessly, with
impunity, and without following right pro-
cedures.
She also might have enriched herself
in the process, insiders claim. The Inde-
pendent has learnt that in one incident,
Governor Mutebile learnt about the sale of
another bank in a phone call. In another,
Bagyenda simply placed a phone call to
the buyer of a bank she had chosen. In yet
another case, she sold the bank 15 days
before closing it. There is no record of nego-
tiations. Some critical documents are miss-
ing. These are some of the findings so far of
the on-going investigation by COSASE.
As these cases reveal, the investigation
is a climax of scandals that have rocked the
central bank violently bringing down its
longstanding facade as an island of excel-
lence run by people of integrity.
It appears, however, that Bagyenda’s
actions had precedents that she had wit-
nessed even before she became BoU’s Direc-
tor of Commercial Banking in 2002.
She possibly was privy to how the BoU
took over Teefe Bank (1993), International
Credit Bank Ltd (1998), Greenland Bank
(1999), and Co-operative Bank (1999), which
all appear to have been badly handled. So
she possibly did the same with the National
Bank of Commerce (2012), Global Trust
Bank (2014), and Crane Bank (2016).
The mishandling of BoU’s takeover of
banks being investigated by COSASE was
exposed by the September Auditor Gener-
al’s report, which details concerns over the
way the seven defunct banks were closed
and sold by the central bank.
More than anything in the history of
the central bank, the scandals that have
emerged out of these investigations have
unmasked the once celebrated regulators of
the country’s financial sector.
The most exposed officials at this point
appear to be Bagyenda, who has since left
her post of Executive Director Banking
Supervision (EDS) and her former deputy
Benedict Ssekabira, who remains at the cen-
tral bank.
But the biggest victims of these scandals
are likely to be Governor Mutebile and his
deputy Louis Kasekende. The two have
even been asked to resign by, among others,
President Museveni’s handlers.
For Mutebile who as Governor is directly
responsible for supervising the EDS, the
question many are asking is; where were
you when all this was happening? His
deputy Kasekende faces the same question
because he sits on the central bank’s board
that is supposed to play the oversight role
over the actions of the central bank.
But more than all these, the biggest victim
of these scandals is likely to be the central
bank itself. Once seen as an island of integ-
rity in Uganda’s government system largely
seen as corrupt, the central bank now finds
itself heavily questioned and confidence in
it severely undermined.
In a turn of events, BoU, which was once
the hunter of fraudulent private bankers
who risked jeopardising depositors’ funds,
now finds itself the hunted.
Pigs at Central Bank
For many, nothing captures this situa-
tion, albeit symbolically, as much as the
Nov.05 dropping at BoU’s premises of
piglets draped in placards with the pictures
of Mutebile and Juma Kisaame, the man-
aging director of DFCU bank, which BoU
hand-picked to acquire assets of the defunct
Crane Bank.
In the past, piglets painted in yellow
colour—the colour of the ruling party
NRM—and tagged with names of certain
legislators, have been dumped at parlia-
ment to protest the “greed” of legislators
belonging to the ruling party.
This explains why the dumping of pigs
at BoU was seen as the lowest moment in
the history of the central bank and a major
protest against its leadership over their
mishandling of the financial sector. What
remains is the unveiling of the financial
price the taxpayer will pay for the wrongdo-
ing at BoU.
In the case of Global Trust Bank, for
example, the shareholders have learnt, four
years after their bank was gobbled, that
BoU sold their bank without following due
procedure. They have learnt that Bagyenda
sold their bank 15 days even before the
central bank closed it. They are demanding
compensation to a tune of over Shs300 bil-
lion.
Elias Edu, the former company secretary
for GTB told the COSASE committee that
Abdu Katuntu.  FILE PHOTO
cover story
following a demand on the July.4, 2014
to recapitalise the bank, the central bank
did not give them time to comply—it shut
down the Bank on July 25.
“Highhanded, reckless and ill-motivated”
are the works Edu used to describe the
actions of the central bank officials.
No bank employee could have used such
language to refer to the central bank offi-
cials, at least not in reference to Bagyenda,
before these scandals emerged.
Yet the shareholders of NBCU too now
see Bagyenda in the same or worse light.
When COSASE asked about the minutes
on the sale of NBCU to Crane Bank, they
were told the minutes did not exist. Bagy-
enda told the committee that there was no
official record detailing what transpired
before and during the sale.
When Katuntu pressed the former EDS
to explain to the committee what happened
during the transaction in the absence of
an official record, Bagyenda turned to her
former deputy; Ssekabira, who she referred
to as the “one with a younger brain”, to
respond saying she did not remember the
details.
“You see the crisis you have caused the
nation,” an infuriated Katuntu charged,
“You caused a crisis because you did not
do things the way they are supposed to be
done. Now we have to rely on brains that
are younger. The problem, governor, is
that when people retire they retire with the
information and when asked they say `I
don’t remember’.”
Of the loss of memory and bank records
could be feigned and a ploy to deny the
prosecution evidence. That was the view
when COSASE on Nov.20 kicked BoU
managers out of the hearing amidst allega-
tions that they were deliberately withhold-
ing vital information on the movement of
assets, including cash, of some of the sold
banks. Special mention was made of Bagy-
enda.
On his part, Ssekabira explained that NBCU
was facing a shortage of capital and battling
a shareholder dispute, which threatened the
bank.
He explained that the potential buyer
of the bank was identified via phone calls
between Bagyenda, BoU legal counsel
Margaret Kaggwa, lawyers from MMAKS
Advocates and former Crane Bank manag-
ing director A. R. Kalani.
“When that decision was taken, the
process to acquire an acquirer who would
give comfort to depositors to easily access
their money was deployed in confidence.
That process was conducted on phone. All
the other banks were shy; it is only Crane
Bank that was strong enough to swallow
NBC. Crane Bank was strong and willing to
transact on this and we proceeded to write a
confidential agreement,” Ssekabira told the
committee.
Bagyenda explained that after getting
Dec. 21 - 27 2018 11
cover story
the buyer, they drafted a confidential sale
agreement two weeks before the actual
closure of NBCU. Bagyenda signed that
agreement on September 7, 2012. The right-
ful signatory should have been the governor
– but so what?
Upon hearing the tale of the NBC sale,
Katuntu labeled the BoU to be “hawkers” of
NBC even before its closure.
“For you to start getting phones and call-
ing people, there is a bank here, will you
buy it?’ Yet at this point you are neither a
statuary manager, you are neither a receiv-
er, neither are you a liquidator. That is noth-
ing other than hawking,” Katuntu said.
These sorts of revelations have only
served up ammo for the shareholders of the
bank. One of Mbabazi’s daughters could
be seen taking notes as the committee pro-
ceedings went on. The NBCU shareholders
already took BoU to court over the manner
in which there bank was closed. The Inde-
pendent now understands that the revela-
tions before COSASE have further embold-
ened the group to take on BoU.
Both the GTB case and NBC case showed,
as Katuntu noted, that BoU did not use the
right procedures in selling these banks. Yet
these are not the only cases, almost every
case of a bank sold reveals major excesses
and possible self-enrichment by BoU staff.
These revelations are also a major contra-
diction of what Governor Mutebile has told
the public in the past.
Mutebile lashes at The Independent
When The Independent first broke the
story of mismanagement at BoU, Mutebile
wrote a lengthy article lambasting it. The
Independent published the article detailing
the excesses by officials at BoU in its March
30 – April 05, 2018 issue under the `Mutebile
versus Kasekende’.
Mutebile responded immediately in an
April article in Daily Monitor. He wrote that
“allegations that the Deputy Governor or
other staff could have acted singlehandedly
and with personal interest in the resolution
of Crane Bank or in executing their technical
or administrative responsibilities as desig-
12 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
It is clear
that all these
developments
have dealt a
severe blow
to BoU’s most
valued assets
nated by the Board betrayed a clear lack of
understanding of the established processes
within the BoU and with other stakeholders
within Government regarding the Bank’s
mandate.”
He added that BoU and Government
broadly “have in place robust systems that
ensure that we are all held to the highest
possible levels of integrity”.
“Decisions in the BoU are not taken by
individual staff on their own, but through
a committee structure and set policies and
procedures which have been established by
the Board of Directors,” Mutebile added.
Yet while appearing before COSASE,
BoU officials themselves have testified how
they acted individually and flouted almost
all existing policies and procedures.
Mutebile also disputed claims that the
BoU management was guilty of incompe-
tence. He cited the central bank’s perfor-
mance in relation to its core strategic objec-
tives: controlling inflation and regulating
the banking sector to protect depositors and
the overall stability of the financial sector,
On controlling inflation, Mutebile said
that over the last three years, annual core
inflation had averaged 5.1 percent.
“That hardly suggests that, in terms of
macroeconomic management, the BoU is
incompetent,” Mutebile said.
With regard to supervision of banks, the
Governor explained that the central bank
had only intervened in three (NBC, Global
Trust, and Crane Bank) out of the 26 banks
operating in Uganda.
“The interventions of the BoU followed
the procedures set out in the banking laws;
the Financial Institutions Act,” Mutebile
said, “Because of prompt interventions by
the BoU, customers never lost any of their
deposits in any of these banks.”
However, what is clear now is that BoU
never followed these banking laws and as
a result while customers never lost their
deposits, they stand a risk of losing their
money as taxpayers should the central bank
have to pay shareholders of the several
closed banks.
Already, BoU spent a staggering Shs500
billion on Crane Bank before selling it to
DFCU. They then sold assets of the same
bank at Shs200 billion payable over several
years. The taxpayer already lost hundreds
of billions on this transaction and risks los-
ing more should BoU lose the case with the
bank’s shareholders led by tycoon Sudhir
Rupaleria.
Away from the banks, the Inspectorate of
Government is investigating BoU officials
over claims of ill-gotten wealth.
And President Museveni was forced to
convene another investigation led by Abdul
Katuntu, the chairman of COSASE to inves-
tigate a controversial Feb.8 staff reshuffle at
BoU.
While Mutebile could have been right
in shuffling staff, the resultant in-fighting
at BoU that sucked in the IGG, and almost
caused a near coup against him by the
board, also hardly suggested that all was
well at the central bank.
Over all and as the year ends, it is
clear that all these developments have
dealt a severe blow to BoU’s most val-
ued assets—its reputation and its once
celebrated bankers; especially Mutebile,
Kasekende, and Bagyenda and her former
deputy Ssekabira.

Gone in 2018
Feb. 01
Musician Mowzey Radio
Moses Ssekibogo, best known as
Mowzey Radio, died on Feb.01 at
Case Hospital in Kampala. Death of
the famous member of the Goodlyfe
Crew musicians shook the nation
and President Yoweri Museveni
joined millions of Ugandans to
mourn and pay tributes. Radio was
33 years old when he died following
an assault at a bar in Entebbe that
inflicted injuries on his head.
June 23
Commissioner General of
Prisons, Joseph Etima
Joseph Etima who was the Com-
missioner General of Prisons from
1988 to 2005 died on June 23 at
Nakasero Hospital in Kampala. He
joined the Prison Service in 1966 as
a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of
Prisons and rose through the ranks.
Sept.15
Malawian diplomat,
poet David Rubadiri
Malawian diplo-
mat, poet, playwright
and novelist Prof
David Rubadiri, 88,
died on Sept.15. His
poetry was published
in the 1963 anthology
Modern Poetry of
Africa.
Aug.12
Nobel Prize-winning
author VS Naipaul
Novelist Sir VS Naipaul, who won
the Nobel Prize in literature, died aged
85. Known as Sir Vidia, he was born
in rural Trinidad in 1932, wrote more
than 30 books including A Bend in the
River and his masterpiece, A House for
Mr Biswas. He also taught at Makerere
University in Kampala
Jan.05
review of 2018
Former Archbishop Livingstone
Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo
Retired Church of Uganda Archbishop, Liv-
ingstone Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo has lost the battle
to cancer at Kampala Hospital in Kololo. He had
returned to Uganda in June 2017 from the UK,
where he had been admitted at St. Mary’s Hospital
Paddington, London since 2016 after he was diag-
nosed with cancer of the oesophagus .
Feb.27
June 08 Susan Magara
28-year-old Susan Magara, the
MP Abiriga shot dead
daughter of a prominent business-
man was kidnapped for a $1 million
Arua Municipality Member of Parliament,
Ibrahim Abiriga was on June 08 shot dead as he (about Shs3.6 billion) ransom in
February ransom. He body was dis-
returned in Kawanda, on the northern outskirts
of Kampala city by assailants riding on a motor- covered along the Entebbe Express
cycle. His bodyguard was also killed. Although highway on February 27.
Abiriga was a first term MP, he had gained
fame because of easy and jocular demeanor and
funny antics, including always being clad in full
yellow block; the colours of the ruling party.
June 22
Musician Geoffrey
Oryema
Internationally
Sept. 08 renowned Ugandan,
World Music artiste,
Muhammad Kirumira Geoffrey Oryema died
in france where he has
Assailants shot and killed con- been living since the
troversial former Buyende District 1970s. He was 65 years
Police Commander, Muhammad
Kirumira, near his home in Bulen-
old. Oryema is largely
known for a highly
ga, Wakiso district. A woman who successful song; Land
was with him was also killed.
of Anaka from his 1991
album. He became rec-
ognised globally for his
Beat the Border in 1993.
He has performed on
Sept. 08 various big internation-
al music stages across
Nov.21: Veteran the world.
politician Dick Nyai
The former UPC
stalwart Dick Nyai
Sept.05
who represented Stella Nansinkombi Mukasa
Ayivu County in in
National Resistance Stella Nansinkombi Mukasa, a top
Council, Constituent lawyer and gender, governance and
human rights expert died of cancer
Assembly and 6th
on Sept.05 in Virginia, USA, where
Parliament died on
Nov.21 at Arua Hos- she was undergoing treatment.
pital in West Nile.
Dec.06 Transport and real estate businessman and
former rally champion Charles Muhangi was
Tycoon Charles found dead in his home on dec.06 with the cause
Muhangi of his death not immediately known. He was 62.
Dec. 21 - 27 2018 13
news analysis
Bobi Wine campaigning for Arua Municipality Legislator Kasiano Wadri ahead of a By-elction in August.
The year Bobi Wine
NRM, FDC battled eight by-elections but a
young untested legislator became the issue
By Ian Katusiime
T
his year, 2018, saw some upsets and
changes in the political lay of the
land as 36-year-old legislator Robert
Kyagulanyi popularly known as
Bobi Wine continued to exert his presence
on a scene dominated by personalities who
took part in a guerilla war more than thirty
years ago.
Having won a landslide victory in a by-
election in Kyadondo East in 2017, Kyagu-
lanyi an Independent MP, proved vital for
the opposition as they won a number of
similar elections where he stumped for can-
didates against the ruling party.
For President Yoweri Museveni, Kyagu-
lanyi has been a unique opponent not least
his age and the part of Uganda he comes
from. Never one to underestimate threats,
Museveni threw Kyagulanyi in jail on a
treason charge that observers say is more
politically trumped up than that pressed
against Dr Kizza Besigye upon his return
from exile in 2005.
Museveni’s longtime rival Dr Besigye
also saw significant changes in the party he
14 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
has always led during election time as its
position as the voice of opposition was chal-
lenged by the so-called “people power” of
Bobi Wine. It was ironic because Kyagulanyi
was initially seen as a protégé of Besigye.
The new leaders of FDC started their term
with the cloud of imminent break away by
their predecessor Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Mugisha
Muntu. That would end years of internal
bickering but open new challenges.
As Besigye watched FDC wrangles from
a distance with his protégé Patrick Amuriat
as party president, Kyagulanyi took up
Besigye’s place and became the opposi-
tion’s poster child for everything anti-gov-
ernment. He led city protests against new
taxes on mobile money and social media
and spoke out on a range of critical national
issues.
The ruling National Resistance Move-
ment (NRM) party started the year on a
high; reveling in a constitutional amend-
ment granting its chairman Museveni carte
blanche to contest for the presidency, but
it suffered as its Electoral Chairman Tanga
Odoi openly castigated Secretary General
Justin Kasule Lumumba as a “good dancer
and a poor administrator”. It was bad blood
flowing from the 2015 violent party prima-
ries.
More turmoil beset the party when
nearly 400 staff were laid off in February
due to a shortage of funds and as it moved
to discipline 28 of its MPs who voted
against the party positions in parliament.
It also watched in dismay as a determined
Kyagulanyi led a wave of popular reactions
against the move.
Through his musical influence and
youthful appeal, Kyagulanyi was conspicu-
ous at elections held in Jinja Municipality
East, Rukungiri, Bugiri and Arua and his
bearing on the outcome of those elections
cannot be overstated. While at rallies,
Kyagulanyi spoke often on the futility of
fighting Museveni along political party
lines. He preached and often got united
fronts by the opposition.
His arrest in Arua in August and alleged
torture at the hands of soldiers of Special
Forces Command (SFC) was a rite of pas-
sage for him as an opposition politician and
led to an outpouring of emotion and inter-
national sympathy for the self-acclaimed-
ghetto president .
Museveni took to writing public missives
against Kyagulanyi in the media and in
one of them accused him of forming rogue
groups to cause chaos under the cover of
elections. The President said, as a result “so
many women and children were similarly
attacked in Jinja East, Bugiri municipality
and, now, Arua municipality”. The three
are places where Kyagulanyi was heavily
involved and where NRM lost.

Nicholas Opiyo, a lawyer and political
commentator, says Bobi Wine and People
Power dominated the year because the two
have been in the pipeline consciously and
unconsciously. “Bobi’s musical career has
been about social good, and the forgot-
ten urban poor. His political rise is not an
accident but something that has been in the
making.”
Opiyo states that going to parliament was
a change of platform for the issues Bobi has
always raised in his music.
“Unconsciously, the neglect of the urban
poor and the dismissive attitude the regime
has towards them and the result of a fail-
ing economy led to the rise of Bobi Wine,”
he argues, “The sense of injustice in the
country has also contributed to what we are
seeing.”
Opiyo adds that Bobi Wine has displaced
the traditional forms of political organisa-
tions because he is making waves without
having a registered political party. “He
seems honest, trustworthy and is not from
either NRM or FDC”.
By-elections
The Jinja Municipality East by-election
in March was the first one to be held in the
year and it was billed as a referendum on
the infamous amendment removing the
presidential age limit. FDC’s Paul Mwiru
beat NRM’s Igeme Nabeta by 1000 votes
setting the tone for subsequent by-elections
rife with tensions brought by the amend-
ment.
FDC beat NRM in a second successive
by-election held for the Rukungiri Woman
MP seat despite a generous Shs5billion
donation by Museveni to residents in the
district that included motorcycles, vans and
other goodies. It was another chance for
Besigye to prove his stature against Musev-
eni on home soil having defeated him in
the district vote tally for the first time, in the
2016 presidential election.
What seemed like a good run for the
FDC due to the rancour over the age
limit amendment fizzled out when NRM
bounced back to win victories in elections
held on July 27 for newly-created munici-
palities in Sheema, Kotido, Ibanda, and
Nebbi. FDC performed dismally in this set
of elections, appearing third in Bugiri and
Ibanda.
The party’s defeat in Bugiri was more
telling because it lost to JEEMA- an insig-
nificant party by any standard. JEEMA rode
on the national stature of its candidate and
leader, Asuman Basalirwa, but it also has
new kid on the block Kyagulanyi to thank
for the win. Kyagulanyi added vibrancy to
Basalirwa’s floundering campaign.
If the Bugiri loss was a wake-up call,
the Arua by election for fallen legislator
Ibrahim Abiriga was a bitter lesson. FDC’s
Paul Musema polled a measly 1369 votes in
fourth position and lost to Kassiano Wadri,
an Independent candidate allied to the
party.
Again, Kyagulanyi rose to the occasion,
citing his disdain for parties although with
an open rivalry with Besigye and helped
Wadri romp to victory. It was the second
time Kyagulanyi was emerging triumphant
against Besigye.
Robert Centenary, FDC MP for Kasese
Municipality, says some party leaders have
learnt no lessons and the party could suffer
more defeats. “Some people want to think
for the party and if they continue like this
with their egos, we will lose more,” he cau-
tions.
He says the party is not true to the reali-
ties of the political environment. Centenary
is perturbed that the way FDC is operating
does not create room for teamwork. “We
are in a lone fight,” he says, “When we were
together, we won Jinja.”
He rebukes the defiance strategy
although he chooses to remain in the party.
“When Ingrid says I cannot allow Bobi
Kale Kayihura Nicholas Opiyo
Wine in Sheema, that tells you a lot,” he tells
The Independent. According to Centenary,
FDC has itself to blame for mistakes made.
“There were no lessons from Bugiri, Arua
and Sheema. If we cannot pick lessons, we
are heading for doom.”
Kayihura’s fall
There was even more intriguing change
politically when Museveni replaced his
right-hand man Gen. Kale Kayihura as
police chief. For the twelve years he served,
Kayihura basked in the trappings of power
as Museveni’s go to person on fixing all
kinds of political situations; secret meetings,
mobilisation for the NRM, and what he did
most effectively- quashing opposition meet-
ings.
Kayihura’s arrest in June was a mid-year
spectacle and a familiar ploy in Museveni’s
politics. It perhaps served as a reminder to
those who may wield the power Kayihura
had, that once they have lost favour with
Museveni, he will not hesitate to discard
them.
The former IGP was arraigned in the
news analysis
General Court Martial in Makindye, Kam-
pala and is facing charges of failing to pro-
tect war materials and aiding and abetting
kidnapping of Rwandan nationals from
Uganda. Although there is talk that the
charges may be dropped, Kayihura is now
a diminished figure and a far cry from the
man who was once said to be the most pow-
erful person after his boss, Museveni.
Nicholas Opiyo attributes the fall of Kayi-
hura to the loss of trust in the role he was
playing for Museveni. “Due to his matching
failures in the killings and abductions, there
was a loss of political trust in the Police
under Kayihura.”
However he cautions that there is no
change in culture. “Kayihura was a repre-
sentation of a particular interest. His trial
and public humiliation is part and parcel of
the Museveni process of ridding himself of
powerful Generals.”
Opiyo also argues that the arrest and
trial of Kayihura painted a picture of decep-
tive accountability. “The charges that were
brought against him were minor compared
to the crimes he committed. For him it
was an end of an era but a continuation of
cleansing of Museveni’s contemporaries.”
DP Reunion
The Democratic Party (DP) staged a
reunion on May 23 in an attempt to reju-
venate itself. In the last 30 or so years, the
party has had little to show other than stat-
ing that it is the oldest party in the country.
The reunion was meant to bring together
members of the Uganda Young Democrats
(UYD), the once vibrant youth wing of the
party but the agenda of the event held at
Makerere University Rugby Grounds was
soon diverted and politicking took over.
Some organisers and speakers like Abed
Bwanika, a former member of UYD, used
the platform to lash out at Besigye. DP
officials like Erias Lukwago opposed to the
leadership of party president Norbert Mao,
felt vindicated for staying away citing the
attacks on Besigye. The hyped reunion suf-
fered setbacks when key guests from Africa
and beyond did not show up.
Small parties like DP, UPC, JEEMA
found solace in a summit organised by Inter
Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) at
Speke Resort Munyonyo on Dec. 12. Nor-
bert Mao, UPC’s James Akena and JEEMA
president Asuman Basalirwa got an oppor-
tunity to schmooze with Museveni as critics
slammed the event as a photo-op.
FDC, which remains Museveni real chal-
lenger, probably had the last laugh when
Museveni told the minions to forget talk of
a transition in power. I am going nowhere,
Museveni told them bluntly.
Throughout the year, rumours of a Cabi-
net reshuffle abounded. Names of potential
new ministers included Abbas Agaba,
Moses Balyeku, Peter Ogwang, and Anita
Among. Will 2019 be their year?
Dec. 21 - 27 2018 15
NEWS ANALYSIS
Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) appears in court in the northern town of Gulu to answer
several charges slapped against him by the state, among which include unlawful possession of a firearm and bullets.
Torture in 2018
Justice Katureebe pain and Bobi Wine’s pockets
By Ronald Musoke
M
any Ugandans, including Chief
Justice Bart Katureebe, agree
that this year has been one of
the worst for human rights
violations.
This year coincided with the 70th
anniversary of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights but in Uganda, it has
been dominated by extra-judicial killings
of civilians, abductions and violent arrests
of suspects, as well as forceful evictions of
people off their land.
The most significant human rights
issues included unlawful killings and
torture by security forces, harsh prison
conditions, arbitrary detention, restrictions
on freedoms of press, expression, assembly
and political participation; official
corruption and criminalization of same
sex consensual sexual conduct, including
security force harassment and detention
of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and
intersex persons.
The government was reluctant to
investigate, prosecute or punish officials
who committed human rights violations,
whether in the security services or
elsewhere in the government, and
impunity was a problem.
For Katureebe, it appears one particular
event stood out this year as it catapulted
Uganda on the world map for human
16 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
rights abusers: the violent arrest of MP,
Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine).
The Arua incident which also saw
Kyagulanyi’s driver, Yasin Kawuma,
gunned down triggered protests in various
Ugandan towns and even spilled over into
major cities around the world including;
Nairobi, London and New York, with
protesters demanding the unconditional
release of MP and pop star, Kyagulanyi.
At the event to commemorate the 70th
anniversary of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights in Kampala on Dec.10,
Katureebe narrated how the Kyagulanyi
incident confronted him, not in Uganda
but in New York, USA. He was there for a
conference.
“When I introduced myself, a judge
from Cayman Islands talked of the events
in Arua,” Katureebe said.
It was unexpected and led Katureebe to
reflect on it.
“As a country and as leaders, it is time
to reflect on where we have gone wrong
and how we can make our country a better
place to live,” he said, “We cannot continue
to be identified by these events.”
Katureebe said the methods of pepper
spraying suspects, kicking and beating
them with gun butts violates the suspects’
rights. Uganda must build strong
institutions and systems if it is going to
turn around its ugly past that has been
characterized by gross violations of human
rights, he said.
Human rights agencies both within
and abroad, including Joan Nyanyuki,
Amnesty International’s director for
East Africa, the Horn and Great Lakes
demanded that Kawuma’s killers be found
through a thorough independent and
impartial investigation into how he was
killed. The investigation did not happen.
Instead security agencies continued
to abuse the human rights of many
Ugandans.
Lubega Medard Sseggona, the shadow
minister of Justice and Constitutional
Affairs told The Independent that the death
of Yasin Kawuma, Bobi Wine’s driver,
is one clear example that shows that
Ugandans are slowly losing the most
sacrosanct right: the right to life.
“The trend is worrying because the
respect for human rights in Uganda is
going down,” said Sseggona, “The state
and non-state actors have continued to
violate rights with impunity.”
Sseggona told The Independent on Dec.
14 that the fact that there has not been a
prosecution let alone an investigation yet
“it is very clear who shot and who killed
him is worrying.”
Nicholas Opio, the executive director
of Chapter Four, a Kampala-based
civil liberties non-profit noted how the
re-emergency of the Internal Security
Organization (ISO) and the Chieftaincy

of Military Intelligence (CMI) in criminal
investigations has seen a return to
“disappearance” of people.
“People disappear, then they are held
incommunicado, then later you find
out they have been tortured before they
eventually get released.”
Opio also finds attempts by security
agencies to ignore court orders in cases
where court orders have been issued as a
worrying trend.
“For them to subject those court orders
to other interpretations other than the
court orders is worrying,” he said.
He also notes how the year began with
cases of extra-judicial killings of women
in Kampala and what he called the
“shambolic response” by state agencies.
Abuse of human rights is a pattern
from the past. In many surveys, they have
topped the list of human rights abusers
with police leading the list of shame.
A Uganda Human Rights Commission
report for 2017 released in June this
year showed 419 cases recorded against
police last year. Cases of abuse by private
individuals were a distant 210, the army
44, and the Uganda Prisons Service with
25.
Meddie Kaggwa, the chairperson of the
Uganda Human Rights Commission noted
the abuses throughout 2018 and pledged to
do his best to fight for people’s rights.
President Yoweri Museveni too pledged
to uphold human rights and wrote several
public notes to the security forces about it.
In one of them, on Oct.23, he guided them
on how to handle rioters, terrorists and
looters.
Museveni’s letter followed public
outrage over the violent arrest in Kampala
of a man later identified as Yusuf
Kawooya; a member of the youth wing of
the opposition Democratic Party (Uganda
Young Democrats).
Kawooya’s case caught public attention
on Oct. 18 when a video broadcast by
Record TV showed a group of five men
with guns pin, and batter a struggling man
on the tarmac of a city street.
In his letter, Museveni referred to
Kawooya’s case. But he did not condemn
the torture or order the arrest of the
offenders. Instead he said such brutalizing
of suspects is unnecessary and unfair as it
gives Uganda a bad image.
Viewed against an earlier public memo
of May 15, 2017 that Museveni wrote to
the heads of Uganda’s security organs; his
comments appeared ritualistic rather than
purposeful. Back then Museveni said using
torture in order to extract confessions was
wrong because it interferes with the fight
against crime.
Meanwhile, Dr. Livingstone Sewanyana,
the executive director of Foundation for
Human Rights Initiative (FHRI)—a human
rights advocacy that has been focusing on
civil liberties in Uganda over the last 25
years told The Independent that a culture
of impunity is growing, including acts of
abuse against fellow citizens.
“The year was punctuated with several
incidents of torture, extra judicial killings
were rampant and generally speaking,
grew,” Sewanyana told The Independent on
Dec.14.
Back to the future
Many people do not see any positive
change ahead on the human rights abuse
front. Instead, they see it worsening as the
country edges closer to the next general
election in 2021. The real jostling starts in
2019.
Sseggona says opposition politicians are
already being targeted.
“Right now we cannot associate. For
Bobi Wine’s case, they have gone into his
pockets. Now he cannot organize a concert
in a place where other musicians are
allowed to.”
Medard Sseggona Justice Bart Katureebe
“Why? They want him broke so that
he can go and beg President Museveni”
Sseggona says, “As long as President
Museveni wants power and becomes
greedier day by day, he becomes more
desperate and his handlers become more
zealous.”
“The situation is likely to get even
worse next year, and especially as we
edge towards 2021 when the next general
election is expected to be held,” he says.
Opio also expects Uganda’s human
rights record to even get worse as 2021
draws nearer. “The closer we get to
the general elections in 2021 the more
heightened cases of human rights
violations tend to become.”
“But what is deeply worrying for me is
that Uganda has gone full cycle when it
comes to militarization of governance.”
Opio says the police have been overrun
by the army as it appears it is the army
now doing criminal investigations and
arrests.
“You also have the army now involved
in key sectors of the economy. You now
NEWS ANALYSIS
have the anti-corruption fight being led by
a one Col. Nakalema.”
“The increased militarization of the
state is just becoming a new normal. We
are going to see more reliance on the army
when it comes to governance and the
economic question.”
Opio says President Museveni’s relying
on the army to entrench himself in power
cannot be good news for defenders of civil
rights in the country.
“The army is trained to look at the
person at the other end as an enemy who
must be decimated; they are not citizens
exercising their fundamental rights.”
“That can only mean one thing:
decimation in the respect for rights because
the army is not straight about the law, it’s
about dealing with the enemy.”
Sewanyana says at the level of rhetoric,
there have been attempts to uphold human
rights in the country but the practice still
speaks a different language. “The political
will to fight human rights abuse in the
country is still lacking.”
Jackie Asiimwe, a Kampala-based
human rights advocate, told The
Independent on Dec. 15 that the events that
have happened in 2018; the Arua saga and
the land question, tie in with others; right
from the Kasese incident two years ago
and have made her reflect on one question:
“Whose country is Uganda?”
“If one side can continuously prevent
thousands of Ugandans from talking yet
they are where they are on our behalf,
whose country is Uganda?”
For her, Uganda’s human rights
concerns revolve around the question of
constitutionalism.
She says many of the human rights
events that happened this year are
somehow linked to one saga last year
which saw the raid of Parliament, the
beating of legislators and the eventual
removal of an article in the constitution
which limited the age of a presidential
candidate to 75 years.
“All happened because we don’t want
to respect the rules that we have put in
place and this will remain an enduring
event.”
“Competition without
constitutionalism is no fair game
and that is especially if one feels that
they can change the constitution
whenever it suits them,” she said,
“Constitutionalism is built over time
and over the respect for boundaries that
one has set.”
Asiimwe’s views on constitutionalism
are perhaps something Justice
Katureebe, who often rules on them at
the Supreme Court, needs to reflect on
as much as he did on his encounter with
the judge from
Cayman Islands regarding the
Kyagulanyi torture incident
Dec. 21 - 27 2018 17
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18 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
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Dec. 21 - 27 2018 19
review of 2018

January

Jan.10: Former FDC presidential flag-bearer, own masters paying them pee nuts. At a news

Jan.10 Col. Kizza Besigye, launched a new campaign

dubbed ‘Tubalemese’ targeting soldiers and
other security agents who he said needed to
conference at his offices at Katonga Road in
Kampala, he appealed to UPDF top officers to
openly oppose and overthrow President Yow-
liberate themselves from victimization by their eri Museveni’s government.
Jan.02
Jan.02: President Yoweri Museveni signs
controversial Age-Limit Constitutional
Amendment Bill No. 2 2017, commonly
Jan.15 Jan.20
known as the ‘Age Limit’ bill. Jan.15: Jan.20: Soldiers from the 30 other people in a Saturday
Ministry Chieftaincy of Military Intelli- night swoop by heavily-armed
of Health gence (CMI), Abdallah Kitaata; military men. Kitata’s brother
Jan.31 officials leader of the notorious Bodabo- had been arrested earlier in
confirmed da 2010 Association and an ally connection with the murder
Jan.31: Muhammad Police disciplinary a case of of the Uganda Inspector Gen- of one Francis Ekalunga, an
Kirumira, the committee court in Crimean- eral of Police, Kale Kayihura. accountant of Case Hospital.
Buyende District Naguru, Kampala Congo He was arrested together with
Police Commander but he said they hemor-
(DPC), announced were a sham rhagic fever
on his Facebook page intended to paint in a boy
that he was resigning him as a criminal by who had
from the Uganda detractors. Kirumira been hos-
Police Force. He was gained prominence pitalized in
battling charges of when he served as the central
extortion, corruption, Officer in Charge Ugandan
bribery, torture, of Nansana Police district of
unlawful arrests Station, but soon Nakaseke.
and excessive use of fell-out with the Another
authority before the top police bosses child, a
who he accused 9-year-old
of corruption. His girl was
announcement added initially
fire to an embattled suspected
police force after to have
the Chieftaincy of died from
Military intelligence the same
arrested several illness, but
senior officers on Ministry of
charges of kidnap, Health said
extortion, and she tested
robbery. negative for
the disease.

20 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
 review of 2018
Jan 16
Jan 16: The State
minister for Water
Ronald Kibuule is
appeared before the
Justice Catherine
Bamugemereire Com-
mission of Inquiry
into Land Matters
sitting in Wande-
geya, Kampala, to
defend himself on
allegations that he
grabbed land measur-
ing 261.03 hectares
at Kigaya-Golomolo
in Buikwe District is
located on block 369.
He allegedly illegally
displaced hundreds
of people. Kibule,
in defense, said he
bought theland from
the Namasole (Queen
mother of the reigning
Kabaka of Buganda).

Jan.04
Jan.04: An preservatives, to
investigation by make foodstuffs
Saturday Vision look fresh.
newspaper reveals Formalin is used
that meat and food to preserve dead
vendors across the human cadavers.
country, especially Kampala Capital
those dealing in City Authority acted
meat, chicken, fish quickly, closed
and nsenene, use several butchers, and
sodium metabisulfite arrested several meat
and formalin, which sellers. Several were
are hazardous charged in court.
and unregulated

Jan.04
International
Jan.11: U.S Jan.05: ` Fire the staff of his
Jan.04: Starting on President Donald and Fury: Inside 2016 presidential
New Year’s Day, gangs Trump described the Trump campaign and
of unknown people ram- Haiti, El Salvador, White House’ is White House
paged through several vil- and some parts of published. Writ- and became
lages in Bukomansimbi and Africa as “shithole ten by Michael a New York
Lwengo districts, killing five countries” sparking Wolff, it sought Times number
people and injuring many. It unprecedented to detail the one bestseller
appeared to be a continua- international outrage. behavior of U.S. although some
tion of attacks by in Greater He was meeting President Don- of its claims
Masaka area by people whose with lawmakers at ald Trump and were dismissed.
motives were unclear that the White House to
started in 2016. discuss immigration.

Dec. 21 - 27 2018 21
review of 2018

February

Feb.27: The body of Suzan Magara, a 28-year-old woman who had been missing
Feb.27 since Feb.07 in a case involving suspected kidnap for ransom was found dumped in
Kigo off the Entebbe expressway. She was the daughter of prominent businessman
John Fitzgerald Magara. Police offered Shs100 million as a reward in a bid to catch the
killer of the cashier of Bwendero Dairy Farm, a family business.

Feb.15
Feb.15: The Ministry
of Agriculture
announced that
according to estimates,
Uganda had
harvested about 5.5
million metric tonnes
from the last planting
season in 2017; which
is a 38% increase from
the usual harvest of
about 4 million metric
tonnes.

22 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
 review of 2018

Feb.22
Police court in Naguru, presented former Kampala Assistant Commissioner of
Kampala granted Metropolitan Police Police (ACP), Sam Omala as
Kirumira bail after he operations commander, his surety
Feb.22
Feb.06
Feb. 06:
Members of
Two European nationals Parliament
were found dead at Pearl of grill Finance
Africa Hotel and Sheraton minister Matia
Kampala Hotel respectively Kasaija and
in the capital, Kampala. Secretary to
Terasvouri Tuomas Juha Treasury Keith
Petteri, 42, a Finland national, Muhakanizi
was killed in his room at over accusations
Pearl of Africa Hotel while that the duo
Alex Nordlarndar Sabastian mishandled a
Andreas, 41, was killed in his $200 million
room at the Sheraton. (Approx. Shs700
billion) loan.

Feb.13 Feb. O1
Feb.02
South Africa’s calling an end to his Flying Squad Unit (FSU) operatives arrest
ruling African scandal-hit rule and former Buyende District Police Commander
National Congress paving the way for Hearing of the case Muhammad Kirumira from his home in
on Tuesday ordered Cyril Ramaphosa, in which the embattled Bulenga, along Mityana road. The operatives
President Jacob the party leader, to police officer Muhammed fired bullets and teargas before tearing down the
Zuma to resign, take power. Kirumira is accused of door and extracting Kirumira from his house.
misconduct has kicked off.

Dec. 21 - 27 2018 23
review of 2018
March Archbishop Lwanga denies
Mar.30

plot to topple Museveni

Mar.07
Massive earth crack in Kenya shocks world
Residents of the Mai Mahiu settlement
in Kenya woke up to a big surprise – a
massive crack in the Earth that appeared
to have opened up almost overnight.
Running several miles long and
measuring 50 feet deep and 65 feet wide
in some places, the terrifying fissure
damaged several homes and caused a
portion of the busy Mai Mahiu Narok-
Nairobi highway to collapse. Some
scientists, like Ben Andrews, a geologist
with the Smithsonian, believe that the
crack was exposed by the heavy rain
in the area but could have been created
by the movement of the Earth’s tectonic
plates, sections of the Earth’s crust that
move about one inch a year. In 50 million
years, he said Africa may split in two.
Some scientists said it is a common earth
fissure and not a result of the tectonics.
Leaders of the three top mainstream
Christian denominations in Uganda hold
a joint service and tell President Yoweri
Museveni that they are not plotting to
overthrow his government. The Archbishop
of Kampala Archdiocese, Dr Cyprian
Kizito Lwanga, told congregants at a holy
mass at Old Kampala Playgrounds that
President Museveni was being fed on wrong
intelligence by spies he recruited in the
churches. Thousands had converged for holy
mass, after taking part in the ecumenical
public way of the cross as part of events to
mark the crucifixion of Jesus; the founder
of Christianity and Easter. Archbishop
Church of Uganda Stanley Ntagali, Bishop
Hannington Mutebi of Kampala Diocese,
and Father Emmanuel Ssekyewa of the
Orthodox Church, attended the holy mass
celebrated under the theme “Courage, the
Lord is our strength and guide”. Lwanga,
doubles as the Chairperson of Uganda
Joint Christian Council (UJCC). He said an
anonymous caller had warned him to be
careful, saying he might be the next Janani
Luwum, the former Archbishop of Church
of Uganda, who was killed by security
agents of then-President Idi Amin Dada’s
government on February 16, 1977.

Mar.16
Makerere announces
scrapping evening
programs
Makerere University
Kampala Vice Chancellor
Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe
announced that the
university was scrapping
the evening classes
programme. Addressing
a press conference at
the university’s main
building, he said decision
had been resolved by
the university council.
He said all new students
starting with the coming
Academic Year 2018/19,
be admitted to study on
either the day programme
from 8:00am to 5:00pm
or on the afternoon
programme from 2:00pm
to 6:00pm. He said
the move would not
affect programmes of
continuing students.
March 28
Museveni assures
Crime Preventers
President Yoweri
Museveni addressed
thousands of crime
preventers at MTN
Arena Lugogo in
Kampala and pledged
to pump Shs 1.3 billion
into their Savings and
Credit Cooperative.
At the time, the loose
grouping of youth
allied to the ruling
NRM party but
heavily patronised
by former Police
Inspector General
of Police, Gen. Kale
Kayihura was in
disarray after his
removal from the
position. Museveni
assured the crime
preventers that they
were part of the
reserve force of the
Uganda army.
Mar.18
Scandal as Ministry confirms fake Hepatitis B vaccines
The Ministry of Health Ministry of Health announced
announced that the National that had cleared eight private
Drug Authority (NDA) had health facilities in Kampala
during routine post-marketing to administer hepatitis B
surveillance encountered falsified vaccination, as investigation into
Hepatitis B vaccines from eight counterfeited vaccines continues.
health facilities in Mbarara, The private health facilities
Mbale, Wakiso and Kampala cleared to provide the hepatitis
districts. The news spread panic B vaccine included: Nsambya
among members of the public, hospital, Kibuli hospital, Mengo
especially as thousands had hospital, Rubaga hospital,
thronged various private medical International Hospital Kampala
facilities after the vaccines ran out (IHK), Norvik hospital, Case
in government facilities. Later the hospital and Nakasero hospital.
Mar.04
Kayihura, Tumukunde sacked
President Gen. Henry Tumwine
Yoweri Museveni Tumukunde. to replace
removed from The President Tumukunde.
office the appointed Brig. Sabiiti
Inspector General Okoth Ochola, Muzeei was
of Police, Gen. who was the appointed the
Kale Kayihura, deputy IGP, to Deputy IGP.
and the Minister replace Kayihura
for security, and Gen. Elly

24 Dec. 21 - 27 2018

April
April 08
Uganda’s best ever Commonwealth games
Joshua Kiprui Cheptegei won the
men’s 5000m final to clinch gold at the
2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold
Coast, Australia. He also won gold in the
April 27
North Korea and
South Korea leaders
meet for first time
North Korean
leader Kim Jong Un
and South Korea’s
President Moon Jae-
in met at the line that
separates the divided
Koreas on April 27 for
the first time in over a
decade. Kim stepped
first over the raised
Military Demarcation
Line, entering territory
controlled by the South
for the very first time.
After posing for the
cameras, Kim then
grasped Moon’s hand
and they briefly crossed
into the northern side.
review of 2018
10,000m. The next day Stella Chesang bronze and Solomon Mutai silver in the
clinched gold in the women’s 10,000m final men’s marathon to complete Uganda’s best
and Mercyline Chelangat won bronze at Commonwealth games.
the same games. Juma Miiro won boxing
April 01
Man attacks Bishop Luwalira
at Namirembe alter
Drama ensued at St. Paul’s
Cathedral Namirembe in
Kampala when a barkcloth-clad
man armed with a stick beat
security and ushers and ran
towards the alter seemingly
to attack Bishop Wilberforce
Kityo Luwalira of Namirembe
Diocese who was presiding over
the Easter service. Namirembe
Diocese is the main See of the
Church of Uganda. The man
later identified as Herbert
April 10 Kadu, tripped and fell before
reaching the bishop and was
11 lions found dead in Queen Elizabeth National Park overpowered by police. Bishop
Luwalira said the man looked
Uganda Wildlife in the southwest lionesses, were possessed. “I have seen the
Authority rangers of the country. suspected to have power of darkness during my
found 11 lions The dead lions, been poisoned service as Bishop but the most
dead in Uganda’s eight of them in retaliation for powerful thing is that I have
Queen Elizabeth cubs and the killing villagers’ seen the power of God,” he said.
National Park, other three adult cattle.
Dec. 21 - 27 2018 25
review of 2018
April 24
Airbus A380 landed at Dar airport
An Emirates Airbus A380 landed at
an airport in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The landing which was forced due to
bad weather tested the capacity and
preparedness of the Julius Nyerere
April 15
Museveni donates
billions ahead of
elections in Rukungiri
President Yoweri Museveni
donated money, vehicles and
machinery to 110 groups of
people in Rukungiri District
ahead of a scheduled May
13 election for the district
woman MP. The items mini-
buses, motor vehicle spare
parts, motorcycles, garage
equipment, sewing machines,
tents, and chairs. Museveni’s
donation was criticised because
they were seen as an attempt
to create favour for Winnie
Masiko, the ruling NRM
party candidate in the race.
Rukungiri District, which is the
home of opposition stalwart
Kizza Besigye; the four-time
presidential candidate of
the Forum for Democratic
Change (FDC) has long been
an opposition enclave in NRM-
dominated western Uganda.
26 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
April 13
Uganda’s oldest known
zoo chimp dies at 54
Zakayo, a 54-year old male
chimpanzee that had lived at
the Uganda Wildlife Education
Centre (UWEC) in Entebbe for
42 years died. Zakayo celebrated
his 54th birthday in a colourful
ceremony at UWEC last year.
Technically, UWEC officials said
Zakayo is suspected to have died
of chronic gastroenteritis which
caused him to develop persistent
vomiting and diarrhea.
Gastroenteritis is either a viral or
bacterial infection. Zakayo was
the Alpha male (leader) from
1970s to 2011. He passed on the
role to younger generation but
remained a highly respected
member of the zoo chimp
community and was a beloved
of UWEC visitors.
International Airport to handle one of the It reportedly first reached Mauritius’s Sir
biggest planes in the world. Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International
Flight EK 701 was en-route Mauritius airport and circled for a while before the
from Dubai with more than 500 passengers crew decided to divert it to Dar, three hours
and crew member when it diverted to Dar. flight time away.
April 10
Oil refinery
deal signed
Uganda signed
an agreement with
an international
consortium
of four Italian
and Mauritian
companies
including
Nuovo Pignone
International
owned by
US-giant General
Electric to build
April 28 a 60.000 BPD
oil refinery. The
Police raid Usafi Mosque, two killed build and operate
refinery will be on
Police alongside police said they were nationalities from the shores of Lake
other security acting on intelligence the dinghy mosque Albert in Hoima
agencies on April alleging that the and that the two men is valued at
28 shot dead two mosque is a front were shot dead when between $3 billion
people during a for terrorists. They they resisted arrest. and $4 billion
morning raid on Usafi said the removed The number of men by the Albertine
Mosque in Kisenyi, 18 women and 94 arrested was not Graben Refinery
Kampala city. The children of different specified. Consortium.
 review of 2018

May

May 19
Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
exchanged vows in front of 600 guests
including the Queen, more than 30 royals
and famous faces such as Oprah Winfrey,
tennis champion Serena Williams, actor
George Clooney and his barrister wife
Amal Clooney, Sir Elton John, David and
Victoria Beckham and actor Idris Elba. Sir
Elton, who sang at the funeral service for
Harry’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales,
performed at the lunchtime reception. An
estimated 100,000 people turned out to
see the couple as they sat in an open-top
Ascot Landau for a carriage procession
through Windsor.

May 14 May 28
US relocates embassy in Israel to Jerusalem Museveni reappoints Balunywa in snub
The US officially in a move that was met with as deadly protests took
to Janet
relocated its embassy in clashes and protests along place ahead of, during President Yoweri Museveni
Israel from Tel Aviv to the Israeli-Gaza border. and after the ceremony in reappointed Prof Wasswa Balunywa
Jerusalem on Monday, At least 58 Palestinians Jerusalem, making it the as Principal of Makerere University
formally upending decades were killed and more deadliest day there since Business School, barely a day after
of American foreign policy than 2,700 injured in Gaza the 2014 Gaza war. he was pushed out by the University
Council. Museveni, in a letter dated
May 28, directed his wife Janet, who
May 09 May 26 is also the Education Minister to
reappoint Balunywa for another term.
Dam bursts in Kenya, kills 40 Balunywa had been replaced by
Fire in Mary Stuart Hall the MUBS Council led by former
About 40 people were killed in Kenya’s A small fire broke out in Mary Stuart Makerere University Vice Chancellor,
Rift Valley after a dam burst its banks Hall; the biggest all female students Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba. The
following weeks of torrential rain that residence at Makerere University two dons had bickered for months.
also forced hundreds from their homes. Kampala. Three students sustained Baryamereeba appointed Associate
Water burst through the banks of the Patel injuries as they were escaping the fire. The Prof. Moses Muhweezi as the acting
Dam in Solai, Nakuru County, on May 09 police said the fire started in the canteen Principal MUBS. Muhweezi has been
night sweeping away hundreds of homes, on ground floor and beginning to spread deputy to Balunywa, whose contract
including those on the expansive Nyakinyua to other floors when it was put out. expired on May 27, having worked at
Farm, which borders the reservoir. the institution for two decades.

Dec. 21 - 27 2018 27
review of 2018
May 25
Margaret Zziwa wins
case against EALA
Margaret Zziwa, the former
East African Legislative
Assembly (EALA) speaker
won a case in which she
challenged her removal from
office. Zziwa’s impeachment
in 2014 was endorsed by two-
thirds of the elected members
of the house over alleged
abuse of office, intimidation of
legislators and misbehavior.
But the East African Court of
Justice sitting on May 25 in
Arusha city, Tanzania, ruled
that that Zziwa was illegally
removed from office and
should be awarded 140,000
USD in costs (Approx. Shs549
million) with legal costs of 6%
of US$200,000 (Approx. Shs747 May 25
million.
The court in its ruling says Gaaga bus accident kills 22
all legislation passed in the
absence of Zziwa as speaker is Up to 22 people died village, some 12 kilometers Kampala hit the tractor from
null and void. on in the night of May 25 from Karuma township in its rear before it rolled and
EALA’s first speaker, when a Gaaga bus hit a Nyamasha Parish, Mutunda collided with an oncoming
Zziwa’s term in office was cut stationary tractor before Sub County, Kiryandongo cargo lorry transporting
short just after three years. She ramming into a lorry. The district. The bus traveling crates of beer.
was replaced by Dan Kidega. incident occurred at Nanda from Lira district to

May 08
Bamugemereire land probe grills Minister Amongi
Lands, Housing and Urban
Development Minister Betty
Amongi appeared before the
commission of inquiry into
land matters chaired by Justice
Catherine Bamugemereire
where she was grilled for
about nine hours from midday.
She had earlier refused to
appear until Bamugemereire
May 19
Plane crash kills 100
More than 100
people were killed
in a plane crash in
Cuba. The incident
occurred when an
ageing Boeing 737
belonging to the
state airline, Cubana,
crashed moments
after taking off from
Havana airport.
May 08
DR Congo declares
new Ebola outbreak
threatened to have her arrested. government properties. The
The minister was accused Commission heard that The Government
of abuse of office, influence Amongi, who is also Oyam of the DRC declared
peddling, conflict of interest South Member of Parliament, a new outbreak of
and Bamugemereire threatened used her company, AMOBET Ebola virus disease
to order the Inspector General Investments Ltd, to acquire (EVD) in Bikoro in
of Government to investigate Government Property of Equateur Province
her for allegedly turning Departed Asians, yet she was a on May 08. The
herself into a land broker Member of the Departed Asians outbreak declaration
and dubiously acquiring Property Custodian Board. occurred after
laboratory results
confirmed two
cases of EVD. From
May 30 4 April through 9
May 2018, a total
Parliament passes social media tax of 32 EVD cases
(among which two
Parliament on May 30 passed meant internet users would incur were confirmed,
the Excise Duty Amendment Bill a daily levy of Shs200 (approx.10 18 probable and 12
which introduced a 1% US cents) for using Facebook, suspected cases)
excise duty on WhatsApp, Twitter and were reported from
mobile money more. The tax on social Bikoro health zone,
transactions. media was ordered by Equateur province,
The President Yoweri including 18 deaths.
so-called Kaguta Museveni Three of the 32
Social to reportedly fight cases were among
Media tax “gossip”. healthcare workers.

28 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
 review of 2018

June

June 05
Mbarara’s chopper innovator crash-lands, injured
Joseph Nkaheza, the youth from
Mbarara in western Uganda who had been
fiddling with crafting a helicopter, suffered
serious injuries when he attempted to fly
his contraption and it crash landed.
Members of the crowd that had gathered
to witness the event and had been cheering
him on rushed him to Ruti Hospital in
the area. Witnesses said the home-made
chopper appeared to lift off but came
tumbling back down after just a few
metres of flight. Naheza appears to have
been overwhelmed and failed to control
the machine.
“I really didn’t know what to do at that
critical moment. So, I decided to switch
off the engine and crash-landed,” he told
journalists.
Despite the crash, conceiving the
contraption is seen by many as a sign
of a brilliant mind of the 17-year old
orphan. He first earned stardom when he
fabricated a motorbike.

June 13
Gen. Kayihura arrested
Former Inspector General
of Police Gen Kale Kayihura
was by the military from
his country home in Katebe
village, Kashagama sub-
county Lyantonde district.
He was flown to Kampala in
an army helicopter for further
interrogation and detained at
Makindye Military Barracks.
June 08
Assassins shoot Col. Abiriga dead
Famous Arua Municipality
Member of Parliament, Ibrahim
Abiriga was on June 08 shot dead as
he approached his home in Kawanda
on the edges of Kampala city. He was
killed together with his bodyguard
by two men moving on a motorcycle,
as he was approaching the gate to his
home. Although he was a first term
MP having been elected in the 2016
general elections, Abiriga gained
fame because of his antics like always
wearing yellow from head to toe;
the colours of the ruling party NRM
that he supported. Abiriga served in
the army of then-Ugandan President
Idi Amin Dada and joined President
Yoweri Museveni’s ruling party after
peace negotiations.

Dec. 21 - 27 2018 29
review of 2018

July

July 27
Removal of presidential age-limit lawful, court rules
The Constitutional Court ruled on
July 26 that removing the presidential
age limit of 75 years, a ruling that would
potentially allow President Yoweri
Museveni to extend his three-decade
rule, was lawfully done. It endorsed
parliament’s decision in December 2017
to scrap the cap. Parliament’s move led to
fracas in parliament amidst accusations
from opposition parties that 73-year-old
Museveni wants to be president for life.
There were several street protests. The
court was delivering a verdict on a petition
against the controversial age limit removal.
Although parliament in December also
voted to extend the terms of office for the
president, local governments, and the
parliament from five years to seven years,
the court quashed it together with the MPs
move to reinstate the two term limit that
had been lifted in 2005 to allow Museveni
contest in the 2006 elections.

July 10
LC One elections held
Elections of officials of village
councils across the country calls
Local Council One were held.
Although the process went back
to the old and controversial
method of supporters voting
by lining behind their preferred
candidate, it also brought
new additions; such as having
political parties sponsor
candidates. In the end, the
ruling National Resistance
July 01
July 20
National Water and Sewerage
Corporation (NWSC) announced it was
Social Media
in final stages to start generating its own Tax starts
electricity to run the Bugolobi sewerage
and waste water treatment plant. The Over The Top
Engineer Dr. Silver Mugisha, the NWSC (OTT) tax commonly
managing director, said besides treating known as social media
33 million litres of water daily before it tax took effect on July
goes into Lake Victoria, the plant will be 01 at the start of the
generating 650Kwh of electricity, which 2018/2019 financial
they will use to run all the activities at year. Many Ugandans
the plant starting September this year. immediately went over
He made the remarks on July 20 as the top in expressing
Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda their opposition to
toured the Bugolobi based plant. the tax which would
amount to Shs200 per
day of connection to
social media networks
like Facebook,
WhatsApp, Snapchat,
Movement (NRM) party swept Twitter and more. Full
the local council elections and daily connection would
claimed it had won in over 90 cost Shs1,400 for a week
per cent of villages across the or 6,000 for a month.
country. The elections were Failure to pay the daily
marred by chaotic scenes in OTT tax would lead to
60,000 villages and had to be blocked access. Some
repeated in some of them. The people resorted toVPN
elections had been overdue connections while
for over 15 years and had been a group of lawyers
postponed several times. scrambled together suit
in courts of law.

30 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
 review of 2018

July 12
Museveni promises MPs more security
President Yoweri Museveni ordered the would also get sharp shooters from the apparatus are installed as part of the
deployment of army sharp shooters and army and follow up 4-wheel drive pickups President’s 12-point security master plan
escort cars for MPs’ protection. He was with open carriage beds. Kasaija was also he shared with MPs in parliament. The
meeting the MPs when they raised concerns to buy body armor and helmets that are drastic measures were in response to several
about national security and their personal bullet resistant for the army sharp-shooters murders, kidnaps, and assassinations of
safety. Museveni in a letter to Finance and the police guards. Museveni described high profile individuals; including Arua
Minister Matia Kasaija said although MPs the measures as short-term interventions Municipality MP Ibrahim Abiriga.
already have some police guards, they until CCTV cameras and other security
July 14
Sparks over CDC shares in DFCU
On June 14 CDC informed top
management of DFCU of its intention
to sell its remaining stake. CDC,
which is a successor to Britain’s oldest
Development Finance Institution;
the Commonwealth Development
Corporation, jointly set up DFCU
with the Government of Uganda in
1964. At the time, CDC owned 60%
of shares which it gradually whittled
July 02 down to 9.97 by 2017. CDC did not
specify a timeframe for implementing
security agents raid MTN the decision to further sell, merely
stating that it would be over the
Security agents attached claimed the raid was Inspector General of Police short to medium term. It also did
to Internal Security necessitated by reports Andrew Felix Kaweesi. not say whether it was selling off
Organisation (ISO) went that MTN evades taxes. In any case, MTN all or (as it had done in past various
rogue and kidnapped two However, another view called a press conference times) a portion of its holding. Call
MTN workers and forced was that MTN was raided at which its chairman, it bad timing because of an ongoing
them to cooperate in a after it refused to cooperate Charles Mbire, said MTN unraveling at the time of a deal
raid on the telecom giant’s and provide information was not involved in any between DFCU and Bank of Uganda
data Centres at Mutundwe on different calls made investigation into alleged for the purchase of assets and liabilities
Rubaga and Port Bell Road, by suspects being held breach of national security of the defunct Crane Bank, the news
Mbuya in Kampala. in connection with the or tax evasion. did not go down well with the public.
The ISO bosses later murder of former Assistant

Dec. 21 - 27 2018 31
review of 2018

August

Aug.05
Museveni, Mbabazi reunite at
Ramaphosa-Birungi kuhingira
President Museveni
and his longtime friend-
turned political opponent,
former Prime Minister
Amama Mbabazi met
at the giveaway of the
latter’s daughter, Bridget
Birungi, to Andile
Ramaphosa, the son of
South African President
Cyril Ramaphosa. The
function took place at
Mbabazi’s residence in
Kololo, Kampala and
was attended by top
politicians, government
officials, and businessmen
from Uganda and South
Africa.

Aug.30
Rev. Diana Nkesiga leads women prayer for peace
Rev. Diana Nkesiga, the retired vicar soldiers deployed heavily at the church into its dark history”. She was referring
of All Saints Cathedral Nakasero, led a premises in an attempt to block the launch to the violence in the Arua byelection and
Morning Prayer service at St. Luke’s Church of the national movement to pray for peace the brutal arrest and torture of opposition
in Ntinda, a Kampala suburb that was in the country. Rev. Nkesiga explained that politicians. She said the country could
attended mainly by women activists to pray as mothers of the nation, women cannot sit explode into anarchy if Ugandans do not
for peace in the country. Police and UPDF back and watch as the country “slides back call for God’s intervention through prayers.

32 Dec. 21 - 27 2018

Aug.01
Low prices hit maize farmers
The New Vision newspaper reports
that maize farmers across the country
have been hit by low prices for their
crops which had slumped to as low as
Aug.24
Gen. Kayihura charged
in court martial
Gen Kale Kayihura, the former
Inspector General of Police, was
charged in the General Court
Martial sitting at Makindye in
Kampala. He had been in military
detention since his arrest earlier
in the year. He was charged with
three counts; of aiding and abetting
the kidnapping by commission,
repatriating Rwandan exile and
refugees and Ugandan citizens to
Rwanda between 2012 and 2016,
and failing to protect war material
by issuing arms to unauthorised
persons including Boda Boda 2010
members led by jailed Abdallah
Kitatta between 2010 and 2018.
Shs200 per kg in many places. Experts
attributed the low prices to a glut
in maize caused by bumper harvest
because of good rainfall. Neighbouring
Aug. 13
Bobi Wine driver killed as violence rocks Arua by-election
Violence
erupted in Arua
Municipality on
the final day of
campaigns for
the August 15
parliamentary
by-election. Special
Forces Guards of
President Yoweri Museveni opened fire on
rowdy crowds of citizens coming from the
final campaign rallies before raiding hotels
in the area and arresting several opposition
MPs and one of the contestant; Kasiano
Wadri who was running as an Independent.
By the time the situation calmed down,
Aug.24
One person dies of Crimean Fever in Kampala
An unidentified woman died of Crimean
Congo Heamorrhagic Fever (CCHF) at Naguru
Hospital in Kampala. The Ministry of Health
confirmed the death of the 32-year-old female
from Bukerere, in Mukono District, died of the
disease. She was buried by medical personnel in
Sembabule District. Her case was one of several
review of 2018
Kenya which often imports maize
grain and products from Uganda also
had a bumper harvest.
maverick Kyadondo East
MP Robert Kyagulanyi,
aka Bobi Wine was
among those arrested
and his driver was
dead by shooting. Bobi
Wine, Wadri and other
opposition supporters
were later charged
with treason after they allegedly pelted
the President’s convoy with stone missiles.
Bobi Wine and another MP, Francis Zaake
suffered major injuries during arrest and
in detention and had to be flown out of the
country for specialised care.
Crimean Fever cases this year. In May a 35-year-
old male from Nkoko sub-county in Bugangaizi
County, Kakumiro District died of the disease at
Mubende regional referral Hospital. In January
five cases were recorded in Nakaseke District
with one fatality and four survivors.
Dec. 21 - 27 2018 33
review of 2018

September

Sept.06
Four-day Nyege Nyege festival on in Jinja
Nyege Nyege, the four-day festival
attracted thousands of revelers from
across East Africa and beyond to the Nile
Discovery Resort in Jinja, eastern Uganda.
Organised byTalent Africa and sponsored
by MTN Uganda, the fourth edition of the
festival had ben earlier been banned by the
Minister of State for Ethics and Integrity, Fr
Simon Lokodo, over allegation that it was
a gathering of homosexuals intent on sex
orgies. Homosexuality is banned by law in
Uganda. However, the controversy appears
to have ignited interest in the festival which
was thronged by an unprecedented crowd.
Sept.08
Muhammad Kirumira shot dead
Former Buyende District
Police Commander, Muhammad
Kirumira was shot dead near his
residence in Bulenga, Wakiso
district. He was driving when
the gunmen opened fire killing
Kirumira and a woman who
was in the car. The shooting
happened at around 9pm. The
assassins were riding on a
motorcycle, eyewitnesses said.
Rescuers rushed the bleeding duo
to Rubaga Hospital in Kampala
but they were declared dead.

Sept.11
Cabinet decides to disband or merge agencies
As part of reforms
first raised by President
Museveni in a July 27 letter
to Prime Minister Ruhakana
Rugunda, the government
finally moved to merge
agencies and reorganize
Sept.24
The trial of former
Lord’s Resistance
and align functions. The Army commander,
decision reached at a Thomas Kwoyelo
cabinet meeting chaired started Sept.24 in the
by President Museveni Gulu High court. It
was aimed at preventing was conducted by a
duplication of roles and panel of three judges;
wastage of public resources. Jane Persis Kiggundu,
Michael Elubu, and
Duncan Gaswaga of the
International Crimes
Division. He faces
93 charges related to
rape, kidnap, murder,
enslavement, torture,
and imprisonment,
among others.

34 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
 review of 2018

October

Oct.13
Museveni opens new Jinja bridge
President Museveni on Oct.13 opened the
new bridge over the River Nile in Jinja. He
was flanked by Masahisa Sato, the Japanese
State Foreign Affairs minister, for the ribbon stay bridge is a few meters away from the
cutting. Japan funded the construction 60-year old Owen Falls Dam Bridge and is
of the bridge at Shs313 billion. The cable expected to have a lifespan of 120 years.

Oct.02
Museveni opens Mulago Specialised Women Hospital
President Yoweri
Museveni officially
opened the new Mulago
Specialised Women and
Neo-Natal Hospital
on Oct.02. He said the
facility should be a
purely referral hospital.
“Do not come here with
diarrhoea or fever,”
he said because such
ailments are supposed
to be handled by the
lower health facilities in
villages and sub-counties.
The hospital was build
using a loan from the
Islamic Development
Bank to improve the
quality of maternal and
neonatal healthcare
services and decongest
Mulago National Referral
Hospital.

Dec. 21 - 27 2018 35
review of 2018
Oct.12
Kanye West, Kardashian visit Uganda
Kanye West and Kim
Kardashian visited Uganda
from Oct.13 The two American
A-listers enjoyed a safari, did
some sightseeing and some
philanthropical work. They
traveled with their eldest child,
daughter North West, 5 and
stayed at the five-star Chobe
Safari Lodge. Kim posted
their suite looked out upon
a breathtaking view of wild
animals like elephants and
hippos chilling in the water
as she and North watched.
They also went on a safari,
sightseeing, and immersing
themselves in the culture
of Uganda. They even met
President Yoweri Museveni
and discussed arts and tourism
and flew on the President’s
helicopter to visit the UWESO
children’s home in Masulita
where they handed out Yeezy
shoes. Since the trip was to
finish his new Yandhi album,
Kanye did some recording
at Chobe and gave his fans a
preview of his work on Twitter
on Oct.14 with a surprise
show. According to ENews,
In the video, Kanye is seen
performing in and around
three dome-like tents, which
appear to be part of a pop-
up studio. He captioned the
video, “Spaceship call earth| 3
Uganda Domes.” He started
his impromptu performance
sitting on a couch inside one
of the tents, while wrapped
in the Uganda national flag.
“Relax your mind / Let your
conscious be free/No matter
what they say / I’ma still be
me / We’re free / We’re free,”
Kanye reportedly rapped.
Oct.18
Police goons attack
man in city centre
Gun wielding-men in civilian
clothes on Oct.18 attacked a
man, pinned him to the ground
and hit him with gun butts,
kicks, and fists before bundling
him into a waiting van which,
it turned out, had fake number
plates. That the arrest and
torture happened in broad
daylight in the city centre at the
junction between Colville Street
and Portal Avenue, just adjacent
to Theatre Labonita and Christ
The King Church, brought back
memories of the dark day when
goons from previous regimes
bundled civilians into car
boots with impunity. The man
was later identified as Yusuf
Kawooya, and the attackers as
operatives of the dreaded Police
Flying Squad. But the motive
of the brutal arrest remains
unexplained.
Oct.11
Mudslides kill 47 in Bududa
A mudslide in Bukalasi,
Buwali and Bubiita sub- counties
in Bududa district in eastern
Uganda killed at least 47 people.
The incident happened on Oct.11
when River Sume burst its banks
after heavy rains. The muddy
water washed away people,
animals, and crops. Bududa is
a high risk area for landslides.
Mudslides killed over 100 people
in the area in in March 2010.

Oct.24
Parliament starts probe into Bank of Uganda
Parliament’s Committee on Commissions,
Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises
(Cosase) started investigations into alleged
irregularities in Bank of Uganda’s handling of the
assets and liabilities of seven commercial banks
BoU closed from 1993 to date. The closed banks
are Teefe Bank (1993), International Credit Bank
Ltd (1998), Greenland Bank (1999), Co-operative
Bank (1999), National Bank of Commerce (2012),
Global Trust Bank (2014) and of Crane Bank Ltd
(2016). The Committee investigation follows
a forensic report on BoU’s handling of the
bank closure transactions by the Office of the
Auditor General. The AG found unaccounted
for cash, undervalued loans and other assets,
missing land titles, disputed payments to
external lawyers and more.

36 Dec. 21 - 27 2018

November
Nov.11
Fire broke out in a
dormitory at St. Bernard’s
Mannya SS in Kifamba
Sub-county, in Rakai
district, killing at least 10
Nov.29
Nov.29: Kasese bus accident injures 27
An accident occurred at
Kikorongo in Kasese district
when a Link Bus carrying
64 passengers failed to
brake and overturned on a
Nov.11
Nov. 08: Americans voted
in the midterm elections for
members of the Congress,
including all 435 seats in
the United States House of
Representatives, and 33 or 34
review of 2018
Nov.24
A boat carrying joy riders
capsized on Lake Victoria killing
32 people near Mutima Beach
Resort in Mpatta sub-county,
Mukono district. Initial reports
claimed about 120 people were
on the boat but the actual number
remained unclear because police
recorded only 33 survivors.
Among the dead was Templar
Bisase and his wife and Bosco
Owecho; a local fisherman who
was among the first responders
to the tragedy. The boat was
described as “an accident waiting
to happen” as it was in dangerous
mechanical condition, lacked
safety equipped, and was not
licensed or authorised to operate.
Nov.19:
The Uganda National Gobero-Kakiri-Masuliita, Kawanda-
senior three. Arson was Meteorological Authority (UNMA) Kayunga and Bubale. In Kampala
suspected and police forecasted average rainfall across the rainfall set off floods in most low
arrested several people country. But when it came, it saw lying areas including Bwaise,
including students and River Mayanja in Wakiso district Kalerwe, Kawempe, Kyebando,
the school warden. bursting its banks destroying bridges Kasangati and Kawanda destroying
between Buloba Kikubampanga, homes and businesses.
Nov.24 Nov.30
slope. There were no deaths Five teachers Nov.30: 7 killed in deadly
but 27 people suffered
injuries and were treated
of Pearl Primary accident in Buvuma
School in Kasese
in Kagando and Kilembe town died in a A truck at Walwanda
hospitals. motor accident carrying people village in
at Rutoto trading from a meeting Buvuma district.
centre in Rutoto of evangelical The injured
sub-county in Christians were treated at
Rubirizi district. swerved off Buvuma Health
of the 100 seats in the United the road killing Center IV and
States Senate. Democrats They were
travelling in a seven and later referred to
overturned the Republic injuruing 17 Kawolo Hospital.
majority in the House while van that was hit
the Republican extended by a truck.
their majority in the senate.
December
Dec.12
The attendance were
Interparty party heads
Organisation Norbert Mao
for Dialogue (DP), Asuman
(IPOD) summit Basalirwa
of political (Jeema),
party leaders President
was held at Museveni
Speke Resort, (NRM) and
Munyonyo in Jimmy Akena
Kampala. In (UPC).
Dec. 21 - 27 2018 37
review of 2018

2018’s funniest stories

Namesakes claim Tororo man eats cobra to avenge his lost chicken
same RDC job
When President Yoweri Museveni in Kenneth Odiom it after immersing it
October released a new list of Resident Dis- 34, shocked fellow in boiling water. He
trict Commissioners (RDCs), it included that villagers in Kwapa then chopped it into
of Moses Nuwagaba for Kisoro District. For central village in pieces; dip fried it, and
these jobs, Museveni usually appoints loyal Tororo district when, feasted on it as villag-
to him or to his ruling NRM party. In an for his birthday meal, ers looked on in awe
unprecedented coincidence this time, two he hunted and killed as eating a snake was
people called Moses Nuwagaba showed a venomous cobra unheard of in the area.
up claiming to be the one Museveni had snake that had been But Odiom, who is a
named. Moses Nuwagaba is the speaker of eating his chickens and ate it. The giant transporter, possibly picked interest in eat-
Eastern Division in Rukungiri Municipality serpent had made a habit of grabbing the ing snakes from his travels to neighbouring
and another Moses Nuwagaba is a former chickens before slithering to feast on them DR Congo. He washed the meal down
deputy RDC of Kaberamaido District in in its home in anthill just outside Odiom’s with a glass of juice and a beer. Not all
eastern Uganda. Eventually they petitioned compound. Fed up and perhaps hungry, snakes are safe to eat. The cobra is eatable
the Office of the President to clarify. Odiom first dug up the anthill, smoked out because it is venomous but not poisonous.
(Source: Daily Monitor) the cobra, chopped off its head then skinned (Source PML news)

State House recycles Museveni Independence Day speeches
Kampala. President Musev-
eni’s 56th Independence
anniversary speech that State
House shared with the media
shows the first four para-
graphs are word-for-word a
reproduction of what he spoke
at last year’s celebrations. The
heavily replicated parts of the
speech follow immediately
after the preamble in the same
order as in the October 9, 2017
Independence anniversary
remarks and, counted togeth-
er, run 167 words. President
Museveni, who was the chief
guest, did not read his official
speech during the national
observance of the 56th fête
in Kyotera District. He had it
circulated for publication in
the newspapers since, accord-
ing to him, it was late and
people needed to go and enjoy
themselves.
(Source: Daily Monitor)
Woman chops off
husband’s genitals
A jealous wife in Mukono,
has been arrested for cutting
off her husband’s genitals with
a kitchen knife after suspect-
ing he was cheating on her.
Rehema Kabayana, 24, was
convinced that her husband
Anthony Sekawa,28, was
having an affair with another

Arua police
bribed with beer
Residents of Offaka Sub-
county in Arua District accused
the police of demanding
crates of beer before releasing
suspects. The residents said
when the police arrest them, the
first thing they ask for are crates
of beer before considering the
merits of the case or posting
bond. Lillian Andama told
Lawrence Sydey Etima-Ojara,
the deputy chief of party/
judiciary technical advisor, and
Ms Maria Kaddu Busuulwa, the
coordinator of rights and rule of
law at Foundation for Human
Rights Initiative (FHRI), FHRI
that the police demand between
five and six bottles of beer
before considering the case.
The police in Uganda often
demand bribes to do their
work, but asking for beer is a
new development. Etima-Ojara
and Busuulwa told residents
that police bond is free.
A hotel in Uganda cooks longest rolex woman in the neighbour-
hood According to the Police,
Best Western Premier Garden Hotel at Entebbe Victoria Mall
held an event to make the longest rolex under the theme “Reach out
Kabayana waited for her hus-
band to fall asleep before cut-
to the needy; teach to cook not to beg. A ‘rolex’ is a Ugandan street ting off his penis from its base
food recipe comprising of an omelette rolled in a chapatti.” The using a four- inch knife. The
general manager, Kumar Bhupendra, said the rolex was prepared incident took place in Wantoni,
by eight chefs, using 100 eggs, 5kg of wheat flour, 6kg of tomatoes, Mukono Municipality. Sekawa
5kg of onions, two litres of cooking oil and 2kg of cabbage. It was was rushed a hospital in Kam-
unveiled at a function attended by the Entebbe Mayor, Vincent de pala where he was treated.
Paul Kayanja, Charles Magumba; the town clerk and Miss Tourism Kampala Metropolitan Police
Challa Elma. Three metres of the rolex was shared with all the guests Spokesperson Luke Owoye-
and the remaining two metres was donated to a school of children sigyire said an investigations
with special needs in the neighbourhood. Pupils of the school were team had already visited Seka-
also trained how to make the recipe. The function coincided with wa’s home to gather evidence.
the Entebbe Tourism Festival that was hosted by Entebbe municipal The suspect was detained.
council and Uganda Tourism Board in Entebbe.
(Source: Daily Monitor).
Snake invades Museveni tent
A snake invaded the red kill the serpent. They trampled Water Ronald Kibuule, and the
carpet, and passed just inches on it with heavy military boots, Mukono District chairperson
from President Museveni who smashing it to death. The fight Andrew Ssenyonga and Justice
was addressing a public rally to kill the snake in a dimly-lit Catherine Bamugemereire,
in Kirangira Village, Mukono VIP tent interrupted Museveni’s the chairperson of the Com-
District. Ministers and senior speech. “What is it?” the Presi- mission of Inquiry into Land
district officials fled from the dent murmured in Kiswahili Matters were among those who
VIP tent as soldiers in the Spe- as he moved his feet away. The scampered for dear life. Order
cial Forces Command, who Minister of State for Lands, was restored and the President
guard the President, raced to Persis Namuganza, of State for resumed his speech.

38 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
Beer production line at Nile Breweries Limited in Jinja.
Behind URA’s Digital
Tax Stamps controversy
SICPA embroiled in fraud cases in various countries
U
By Patricia Akankwatsa
gandan government has
bowed to pressure from
manufacturers and decided
to put on hold the intro-
duction of Digital Stamps
intended to plug revenue
leakages.
This follows a series of meeting between
the Minister of Finance, Planning and
Economic Development, Uganda Revenue
Authority and Uganda Manufacturers
Association.
Finance Minister, Matia Kasaija, said dur-
ing the latest meeting held at the ministry
premises on December.13, that he ‘will not
endorse anything that will be a burden to
the manufacturers.’
Last month, the government said it had
finalized plans to introduce Digital Tax
Stamps as part of taxman’s scheme to com-
bat illicit trade, seal revenue leakages, boost
collections and increase efficiency in man-
aging taxpayer compliance.
Digital Tax Stamps are physical paper
stamps that are applied to goods or their
packaging but in this case contains security
features and codes to prevent counterfeit-
ing.
They are sought to enable manufactur-
ers, distributors, retailers and consumers to
conveniently verify and trade all specified
goods throughout the distribution chain
while ensuring that they meet their tax obli-
gations.
This development comes as statistics
from Uganda National Bureau of Standards
show that 54% of products on the Ugan-
dan market are either fake or counterfeits,
signaling sale of counterfeit products to
consumers and also loss of government rev-
enue as they do not pay taxes.
However, manufacturers have opposed
the new development arguing that it will
increase cost of production to a staggering
figure of about Shs100bn per annum.
Onapito Ekomoloit, the Legal and Corpo-
rate Affairs Director at Nile Breweries Lim-
ited, said introduction of the Digital Stamps
means that the beer maker has to part with
Shs30bn in installation of equipment to put
the stickers on each beer bottle produced.
Similarly, Simon Kaheru, the Public
Affairs and Communication Director at
Coca Cola Beverage Africa (Uganda), said
introducing the new technology means that
the soda firm has to invest at least Shs 22bn
to comply with the taxman’s requirements.
“Now these costs do not make any busi-
ness sense at all,” he said.
“We are very disturbed about the Digital
Tax Stamps. In a way, it is negative and it is
going to add to the cost of doing business,”
said Barbara Mulwana, the board chairper-
son at the Uganda Manufacturers Associa-
tion at an earlier meeting.
“It is going to make it hard for consumers
to afford our products and that will affect
revenue that the government will collect.”
The manufacturers have also raised 37
other issues seeking for clarification from
URA prior to the Digital Tax Stamps intro-
duction.
Among the issues includes; the URA’s
move to single source Swiss Company,
SICPA, to install and run the Digital Tax
Stamps system and why URA is starting to
Dec. 21 - 27 2018 39
business
implement Digital Tax Stamps with formal
manufacturers who have clear and audited
production and distribution processes.
The manufactures also want URA to prove
if introduction of Digital Tax Stamps will
stir growth of the manufacturing sector and
create more jobs for the local population,
increase revenue collection and compliance
considering that the formal manufacturers
are already compliant, and show proof that
there is under-declaration and undervalu-
ation.
The manufacturers are also asking why
they should bear the cost of installing Digi-
tal Tax Stamps equipment as well as pay for
the stamps in advance, prefer foreign firm
to undertake the task instead of the local
functional security printing firm, and thus
undermining Buy Uganda, Build Uganda
policy as well as why URA cannot use
barcodes to track and trace goods, a formal
system that was already in the works by the
standards bureau.
Besides manufacturers interest to know
how much of the money paid for the
stamps will go to the government and the
contracting firm, the manufacturers also
accuse the Swiss firm of involving fraud in
countries they have won tenders including
Kenya, Brazil, Morocco, Albania and the
Philippines. The manufacturers also want
to verify the contracts signed between URA
and SICPA.
In May this year, Kenya’s High Court
ruled that the Kenya Revenue Authority
had not adequately followed constitutional
provisions in terms of public consultation
when imposing excise duties on bottled
water, juices, soda and other non-alcoholic
beverages.
The contract that KRA had with SICPA
for the supply of the duty stamps was
annulled, but KRA appealed the ruling and
on 11 May received permission to continue
with the implementation of the excise goods
system.
However, Christopher York, SICPA’s
representative in Uganda and Kenya said
the company would fulfill its tax obliga-
tions, a response that manufacturers said
could only be confirmed with making the
contract public.
Lessons from other countries
Successful implementation of Digital Tax
Stamps could see the east African nation
follow Tanzanian’s and Kenyan’s footsteps
that have already done so in the region.
Tanzania introduced the Digital Tax
Stamps in September this year for both local
and imported products amidst protests
from traders while Kenya did so in 2003, ini-
tially covering tobacco products alone and
expanded it to wines and spirits, a sector
that had presented challenges in tax man-
agement and also public health risk associ-
ated with illicit alcohol, four years later.
John Njiraini, the Commissioner General
40 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
at the KRA told his quests during the 2018
Tax Stamp Forum in Nairobi in May this
year that while tax stamp technology is now
well developed, its effectiveness especially
in combating tax evasion, depends to a large
measure on the extent to which, such tech-
nology is infused into other tax compliance
processes.
“There is need therefore to look at tax
stamp systems not in isolation but as part
of the holistic process of addressing tax
compliance, and hence as part of the wider
technology infrastructure built to support
tax compliance,” he wrote for the Standard
newspaper, Kenyan-based daily.
He said the present practice where tax
stamp systems are developed as standalone
platforms, may not in the long run effec-
tively deliver the kind of holistic solutions
required for tax administration.
After all, he said, detecting evasion of
excise taxes without having commensurate
interventions to address other tax streams
There is need
therefore to look at
tax stamp systems
not in isolation
but as part of the
holistic process
of addressing tax
compliance, and
hence as part of the
wider technology
infrastructure
built to support tax
compliance
equally affected is not only narrow minded
but also possibly as well self-defeating.
“There is therefore a case for strong
partnerships between existing tax system
developers and those involved in develop-
ing tax stamp systems, in order for full
value to be delivered to customers,” he said,
adding that KRA intends to deepen its rela-
tions with key players in the excise product
control chain including the World Health
Organization through the Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)
Protocol which calls for implementation of
global track and trace systems for tobacco
products.
However, Ian Rumanyika, the manager
for public and corporate affairs at URA said
the reason behind the introduction of Digi-
tal Tax Stamps is mainly to help increase
government revenue and fight counterfeit
products on the market.
“One of the primary goals of the system
is to close any existing gaps in excise tax col-
lection, which means addressing both illicit
trade as well as under-declaration,” he said.
He said the new system is intended to
monitor and control the production and
importation of all excisable goods, not just
beer, and to give URA data to ensure and
verify full and fair taxation of all products
that are subject to excise taxation.
Way forward
The manufacturers propose that the
taxman could first carry out a free trial to
ascertain its feasibility prior to rolling out to
all the products.
Meeting Coca Cola Beverage Africa
Uganda executives in October this year,
President Museveni, said the government’s
planned introduction of Digital Tax stamps
are only meant for imported items, not
locally manufactured products.
“We only introduced them so that we can
stop smuggling,” Museveni said.
Quick facts about SICPA controversies
 May 2015- Brazilian Police raids the
country’s federal tax agency and nation-
al mint as part of an investigation in a
fraud scheme that allegedly channeled
US$32.26 million in bribes to finance
ministry executives. The public ser-
vants were allegedly paid bribes to give
the Swiss firm multi-billion service con-
tract to monitor the production of cold
beverages such as beer and soft drinks.
 May 2018- Kenya’s High Court ruled
that the Kenya Revenue Authority had
not adequately followed constitutional
provisions in terms of public consulta-
tion when imposing excise duties on
bottled water, juices, soda and other
non-alcoholic beverages.
 The contract the KRA had with SICPA
for the supply of the duty stamps was
annulled, but KRA appealed the ruling
and in May received permission to
continue the implementation of the
excise goods system. KRA was to pay
Ksh+ 27.68 billion for that financial
year for services rendered.
 In the Kingdom of Morocco, a SICPA
contract raised concerns when it
appeared than the price it was offering
for tax stamps were 10 times higher
than the price for the same service
in Turkey. The company was said to
have been giving out bribes to the
leaders in the incumbent party during
campaigns.

Economy expands in 2018
Economists still question its impact on people’s pockets
By Julius Businge
U
ganda’s economy expanded
faster than expected in the past 10
months compared with the previ-
ous year supported by accommo-
dative monetary policy, rebound in private
sector credit and continuous investment in
infrastructure.
Data from Bank of Uganda, Ministry of
Finance, Planning and Economic Develop-
ment and the Uganda Bureau of Statistics
shows that the economy grew between
7-8% higher than the projected 6% growth.
This is higher than the annual 4.5% and
2.5% recorded in 2017 and 2016, respec-
tively, demonstrating improved confidence
in the economy.
Last month, the central bank retained the
central bank rate at 10%, the lowest since
2011; a decision that has triggered a sharp
drop in lending rates from as high as 22.6%
at the beginning of the year to 20.3% at the
moment.
Private sector credit increased by 10.5% as
at the end of June this year compared with
5.6% in the previous year.
At the same time, the government has in
the past year invested billions of shillings
in various infrastructure including Karuma
and Isimba hydro-power dams as well as
airports and roads.
Additionally, both core and headline
inflation was contained at an average of
3-5% – almost the same rate as that of 2017.
On the other hand, the exchange rate has
been high throughout the year but some-
what stable at 3,700 per US dollar – slightly
higher than the 3,600 mark for last year.
The current growth in the economy
signals increased job creation as well as
increased production of goods and services.
However, city economists including Isaac
Nkote, a senior economics lecturer at Mak-
erere University Business School (MUBS)
told The Independent that the reported
growth is good and that he cannot disagree
with the official figures released by govern-
ment.
He, however, said he would like to see
how this good performance has had an
impact on individual consumers’ incomes
and other key players like industrialists and
agriculturalists that drive the economy.
He said the continued huge investments
in public infrastructure projects need to be
evaluated to ascertain its real impact on the
economy.
“Yes roads and power dams are being
constructed but how many jobs have been
created, how much tax has been collected
as a result and are the exports growing,” he
said.
Meanwhile, the BoU statistics shows that
the total government revenue (including
grants) in July and August 2018 amounted
to Shs2.5trillion, which was Shs46.1 billion
lower than the projected amount in the
approved budget due to an under perfor-
mance in grants revenue, specifically project
support grants.
While grant receipts during the period
amounted to Shs98 billion, domestic rev-
enue amounted to Shs2.5trillion, which
was Shs132.5 billion higher than the pro-
grammed amount.
The current account balance (CAB)
remained fragile in the quarter to August
2018, according to BoU registering a 10%
increase in the deficit to US$565.3 million,
from a deficit of US$513.6million in the
quarter ended May 2018. The increasing
current account deficit was largely driven
by the expansion in the services deficit and
the trade deficit.
In terms of public debt, the stock was
Shs.41.8trillion in August (42% of GDP). But
with the exception of debt stock, BoU execu-
tives say all the public debt risk indicators
were within the recommended international
and regional benchmarks.
The executives said the risks to the debt
remains high worsened with high capital
outflows as a result of high interest rates in
advanced economies and the tightening of
global financial conditions.
Good rating
But the Standard and Poor’s (S&P), an
business
international rating agency, says in its latest
rating that the Ugandan government stayed
broadly on track with its policy support
instrument and coordination program with
the International Monetary Fund as well as
with its wider relations with official credi-
tors.
The rating agency states that public-sec-
tor-led hydropower projects whose funding
continued in 2018 will boost the power sup-
ply in the next few years, helping growth
prospects.
The rating states that the government
made notable progress in reducing the per-
centage of the population below the poverty
line though their incomes remains highly
volatile, subject to climatic changes and fluc-
tuations in export price.
This, according to the rating, is based
on the fact majority of the workforce is
employed in the agriculture sector
The rating agency says that due to what
they consider to be a narrow export base,
they do not expect consistently high export
growth over the medium term.
And that while commodity prices (tea
and coffee) have improved in 2018 they
have observed that only limited growth in
non-traditional exports was recorded.
Due to Uganda’s investment program,
S&P expects imports related to capital proj-
ects to continue driving imports and mate-
rial current account deficits (CAD) in the
range of 5%-6% of GDP.
“In our forecasts for 2018-2021, the cur-
rent account deficit will widen to about 6%
of GDP, due to higher oil prices and a pick-
up in public investments, resulting in higher
imports,” it says.
Dec. 21 - 27 2018 41
business
URA shuts down six
service centres in Kampala
Move to save taxman Shs3.8bn
in rental and administrative costs
By Isaac Khisa
U
ganda Revenue Authority has
shut down six service centres in
Kampala as it relocates most of its
services to the newly built URA
Towers.
The service centres that have been relo-
cated to the new office space in Nakawa
effective next year includes; large taxpayer
office, customs offices and legal services
offices at Crested Towers, Tax investigations
office in Kololo, Kampala North Office at
Kubiri, Kampala South Office at Old Kam-
pala, Kampala East Office at the Nakawa
Business Park and the URA Training School
on Lugogo Bypass.
URA said on its twitter account that the
new building will provide a one-stop-center
for all URA services while cutting down on
revenue administration costs.
URA is said to have been incurring
approx.Shs3.8bn annually as rent and other
administrative expenses.
However, the taxman has also opened
five new service locations at Finance
Trust Bank (Katwe branch), DTB at Ham
Shopping Ground, Nakivubo and Bwaise
branches and Post Bank and United Bank
for Africa on William Street, to assist in
managing domestic taxes.
42 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
This development comes as URA plans
to collect an additional Shs1.9 trillion to Shs
16.3 trillion this financial year compared
with the last financial year.
Prior to its deadline extension, the Shs-
139bn URA Tower was set for completion in
August this year. It is now the tallest build-
ing in Kampala with 22 floors divided into
four podiums and 18 tower floors totaling
to 26,021 square metres.
Pearl of Africa Hotel and Crested Tow-
ers have 20 floors while Mapera House
and Uganda House have 19 and 16 floors,
respectively.
Constructed by Ms Seyani Brothers & Co.
(U) Ltd as the contractor, the office complex
will also provide for a car parking structure
for 360 cars and surface parking for 710
vehicles.
The total area of the parking structure
is 12,923 square metres with five levels for
parking, with the sixth floor designed to
house a crèche for breastfeeding staff, gym,
Sauna and Unisex Saloon.
It also has an auditorium or multipurpose
high end conference hall for 300 people and
mini-meeting rooms at every floor.
The building is also designed to be green
with an Intelligent Building Management
System (BMS) and other ICT innovations
including security access control, lighting,
water, fire-fighting and air conditioning
services.
In addition, the office complex has a cen-
tral core atrium to enhance natural ventila-
tion and minimise mechanical cooling of the
building as well as house modern forensic
and science laboratories that support Tax
Investigations, Customs and Domestic
Taxes operations.
Facilitating service integration
Ian Rumanyika, the spokesperson in the
office of Commissioner General earlier told
The Independent that the office complex will
facilitate a full integration of the back office
service to support the self-service business
model of e-transactions, under one roof,
while maintaining only tax payers’ service
centres. 
“It is expected that URA will offer faster
and better services to clients resulting from
process integration while reducing admin-
istrative costs to the taxpayer and URA,” he
said.
The building will also improve the URA
image and corporate brand in the public
domain based on the fact that it has been
the only revenue administration body in the
EAC region without a befitting headquar-
ters building.
The tower will provide modern office
facilities that support URA’s current and
future work methods of different depart-
ments. It will also improve security of vital
URA computer and other records through
provision of state-of-the-art and round the
clock security.
 business
By Isaac Khisa

U
ganda’s commercial banks
will pull off a surprise profit
growth amidst low interest
rates that dominated 2018.
This is due to a sharp decline in the
Non Performing Loans and growth in
the private sector credit as prospective
investors sought for more credit to
finance various investments.
Patrick Mweheire, the chief
executive officer at Stanbic Bank and
the chairman at the Uganda Bankers
Association told The Independent
in interview that banks are likely to
record at least 12-13% growth in profit
this year compared with 2017.
“NPLs are now around 2%
compared with around 7% last year.
Private sector credit is around 10-11%
from around 2% last year,” he said,
“So, the risk is down, growth is back

Banks 2018 surprise

up, and that means that we shall see
some growth in profits.''
Last year, the country’s banking
industry recorded a 10% growth in
net profit to Shs 673bn, up from Shs
611bn in 2016 excluding Crane Bank
(Shs 302bn including Crane Bank),
according to Bank of Uganda.
Based on individual bank
performance, Stanbic Bank recorded
a mere 5% growth in net profit to
Shs200bn last year, up from Shs191bn
in 2016.
Ecobank and Equity Banks recorded
a Shs 1.5bn in net profit, up from Shs
813 million and Shs 29.2bn, up from Shs
17.1bn, respectively, during the same
period under review.
Centenary Bank witnessed a drop
in net profit from Shs 110bn in 2016 to
Shs 101bn to 2017, a similar trend was
witnessed by Standard Chartered Bank
that recorded a reduction in net profit
from Shs 128 bn to Shs 106bn. Bank of
India recorded a net profit of Shs 3.5bn in
2017, up from Shs 2.3bn recorded in 2016.
However, Commercial Bank of
Africa, Cairo International Bank and
Top Finance Banks, which recorded Shs
1.2bn, Shs 1.1 bn, and Shs 4.2 bn loss,
respectively, are some of the six banks
that recorded losses during the year.
Mweheire said the improvement in the
performance of the economy and easing
of the monetary policy played a role in
the industry’s profitability.
Uganda’s economy is estimated to
have grown between 7-8% in the first 10
months of 2018 higher than the projected
6% growth, according to the Bank of
Uganda. This is higher than the annual
4.5% and 2.5% growth rates recorded in
2017 and 2016, respectively.
This development comes as the Bank
of Uganda Annual Report 2017/18 shows
Low interest rates still
hinder industry profitability
that the private sector credit, though
still weak, showed a sign of recovery in
the FY 2017/18 relative to the previous
year as monetary policy remained
accommodative over the period under
review.
The current Central Bank Rate at
10% is still the lowest since 2011 when
Inflation Targeting Lite (ITL) was
introduced to tame inflation that had
jumped to 30%, the highest since 1993.
The highest point, the CBR has been was
23% at the end of 2011.
This has triggered a sharp drop in
lending rates from an average of 22.6%
last year to 20.3% at the moment.
Private sector credit grew, on average
by 6.5% in the FY 2017/18, which is
higher than the 4.2% in the previous
year.
Similarly, the private sector credit
had increased by 10.5% as at the end of
June this year compared with 5.6% in
the previous year. However, the annual
private sector credit was 5.3% during the
year compared with 3.3% in the previous
financial year.
The growth in Private sector credit is
attributed to the easing monetary policy,
improved economic conditions and
reduction in supply-side constraints as
NPL declines.
The sluggishness in the same growth,
is in part due to the banks present risk
aversion given high default rate in the
past.
Sector-wise, growth in private sector
credit was mainly driven by growth
in credit to agriculture, personal and
household loans, and trade, which
together constituted 50% of the total
private sector credit.
Credit growth to manufacturing,
mortgage, building, construction and
real estates, which together account
for 33% of the total credit, has notably
recovered, having been negative for
more than half of the financial year.
“The trend, if sustained, is likely to
boost investment and consumption
which should in turn boost growth,” the
report reads in part.
BoU said the banking system remained
safe and sound during the year as all
commercial banks were well capitalized.
The asset base of the banking
industry grew by Shs2.5trillion or
10.2% growth from Shs 24.9trillion to
Shs 27.4trillion during the same period
under review.
The industry’s gross loans and
advances grew by 11% from Shs11
trillion to Shs 12.2 trillion while
NPL and advances reduced from Shs
542.8bn to Shs 136.8bn. Total deposit
rose by Shs98.1bn to 438.8bn over the
same period under review.

Dec. 21 - 27 2018 43
Business
retail
Shoprite opens first outlet in Kenya
S
outh African Mall in Nairobi, becoming
retailer, Shoprite, the anchor tenant at the
has taken over shopping complex.
space which was Kenya’s Business Daily
vacated by Nakumatt reported on Nov. 14 that
supermarkets at Westgate Shoprite store located at
aviation
RwandAir seeks approval to
run-Accra-New York Route
R
wanda’s national carrier, RwandAir,
hopes to use the West Africa hub of
Accra to feed its direct flights to the
US once it gets the final approval
from the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority
(GCAA) and the US Federal Aviation Agen-
cy (FAA).
A statement from the Ghana Civil Avia-
tion Authority said although RwandAir has
formally made the request, the Authority is
yet to approve it.
“RwandaAir has requested for 5th Free-
dom Traffic Rights from the Ministry of
Aviation to operate the Accra - New York
route. This has however not been approved,”
the Authority said.
The move by RwandAir to use Accra as
its feed for the New York route comes as
competitor Kenya Airways cuts down its
frequency on the newly launched New York
route from seven to five due to low numbers.
In October, Kenya Airways launched daily
direct nonstop flights from its Nairobi hub to
New York’s JFK Airport.
44 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
transport
Uber unveils phone
the mall’s ground floor
will be the retailer’s first
service to users
T
outlet to be opened in axi hailing company Uber has intro-
Kenya. duced a 24-hour telephone support
The South African service on its app owed to increased
retailer, which currently demand.
operates in Tanzania and Previously, they had to rely on the US firm’s
Uganda with a strong in-app messaging service for assistance or were
presence in Central, forced to visit the Uber website for help.
Southern and West Africa, “Our new 24/7 phone line is the latest in a
also plans to open four series of improvements we’re making for both
outlets in the country next riders and drivers. This follows the new app
year. we’ve introduced for drivers, in-app emergency
The planned outlets button as well as Injury Protection cover in the
will be at Garden City event of an accident On-Trip,” Alon Lits, Gen-
Mall in Nairobi, City Mall eral Manager for Uber Sub-Saharan Africa, said.
in Nyali, Mombasa, and To call, users simply need to tap ‘Help’ in the
Waterfront Mall in Karen main menu of the Uber app and select the ‘Call’
and at a new mall under option to be connected to Uber’s support team.
construction off Nairobi’s The lack of a human voice assist has been a
city centre dubbed the grievance for passengers and drivers using the
Beacon. application.
trade
Maiden Intra-African Trade Fair held in Egypt
T
he first-ever Intra- initiatives that will facilitate
African Trade Fair movement of goods across
(IATF) to be held borders in competitive
on the continent terms,” Prof. Oramah said
was held in Cairo, Egypt, during the IATF opening
between Dec.11-17, with ceremony.
the President of the Afri- The IATF, organized by
can Export-Import Bank, Amb. Pacifici and Kasaija Afreximbank, in collabora-
Prof. Benedict Oramah, tion with the African Union,
calling for the implementa- event, initiatives that will and hosted by the Egyptian
tion of initiatives that will catalyse a strong produc- government, attracted
add meaning to that Afri- tion/industrial base for pro- about 70,000 visitors.
can Continental Free Trade duction of export manufac- The trade fair came fol-
Agreement (AfCFTA). turing, initiatives that will lows the successful signing
“We need to implement improve our knowledge of the AfCFTA that seeks to
initiatives that will add of, and access to, trade and enhance trade and econom-
meaning to that singular investment information and ic growth across Africa.
trade
EU boosts Uganda’s coffee sector
U
ganda’s coffee sector has 3.7mil- East African Community-EU Market Access
lion Euros boost to help increase Upgrade Program (MARKUP) to help trad-
market access to the largest and ers in coffee and the cocoa sector access EU
most lucrative markets in the markets and other inter-regional markets.
world. The EU accounts for 30% of the an- EU Head of Delegation in Uganda, Amb.
nual global coffee consumption. Attilio Pacifici, said the program will sup-
Finance Minister, Matia Kasaija said, port small and medium size enterprises
“This intervention will in return help (SMEs) in the country to gain better access
improve the livelihood of the communities to markets in the EU as well as increase
and business in the country and the region regional trade by enhancing the competi-
at large.” The money comes as part of the tiveness of the coffee and cocoa exports.
 Business

dfcu gets US$30m for SME

By Julius Businge Shs639bn.

F
rench Development
Finance Institution,
Proparco has arranged
a US$30m senior debt
facility to support dfcu bank in
bridging the long-term financ-
ing gap for small businesses.
Proparco extended financing
of US$15m alongside US$15m
from FMO (the Dutch Devel-
opment Bank) to dfcu.
The facility is primarily
earmarked for financing small
and medium-size businesses
in line with the bank’s SME-
Emma Mugisha, the Stanbic Bank Head of Corporate & Investment Banking, hands oriented strategy.
over a trophy and TV set to Capt. Evelyne Asiimwe, the overall ladies winner of the Proparco’s head of financial
2018 Stanbic Bank Mug of Mugs golf tournament finale. institutions in Africa, Emman-
uel Haye said on Dec.14 that
they are pleased to once again
to partner with dfcu Bank in
extending financial services to
the SMEs.
He added that the new cred-
it line reflects the commitment
of both institutions to support
an inclusive and sustainable
growth in Uganda.
This line of credit builds
on the long-term relationship
between FMO, Proparco and
dfcu Bank which spans two
decades since 1999.
Over the two decades, the
partnership has extended
more than US$170m to the
Head of Mission at the Embassy of Denmark Majbrit Holm Jakobsen
bank which is equivalent to
and the Managing Director of Century Bottling Company Conrad van
Niekerk on December 13 signed MoUs in which the former would
collect used plastic materials at the embassy headquarters and staff
residences.   INDEPENDENT/JULIUS BUSINGE
The facilities have been used
to finance various SMEs in
sectors including education,
health, manufacturing, agricul-
ture, transport, construction,
hotel and tourism.
The new funding (US$30m)
will go towards financing
SMEs in similar sectors with
emphasis on businesses with
foreign currency earnings
potential, with the aim of
boosting the country’s export
earnings.
Mathias Katamba, the
incoming CEO of dfcu said the
operations of SMEs occupy an
admirable position in Ugan-
da’s economic landscape.
He said despite being a key
driver of economic growth,
long term development finance
remains a huge challenge.
“This line of credit will
facilitate dfcu in providing a
range of financing instruments
to SMEs in order to enable
them to continue to play their
role in growth, innovation and
employment,” he said.
He added that the facility
would further strengthen the
bank’s capacity to grow its
business and subsequently
consolidate its position as one
of the leading provider of long
term development finance.

Weekly share price movement (Dec.03, 2018)

Security Dec. 03 Nov. 19 Movement
BATU 30,000 30000 00
BOBU 139 139 00
CENT 980 1,015 3.4
QCL 249 255 2.3
DFCU 845 845 00
EABL 6,862 6,017 14
EBL 1,434 1,422 0.8
JHL 13,507 15,225 11.3
KA 347 349 0.5
KCB 1,434 1,413 1.5
NIC 15 15 00
NMG 2,487 2,519 1.3
NVL 337 340 0.9
Prime Minister of Buganda Kingdom Charles Peter Mayiga (left) hands
SBU 31 32 3.1
over a Shs30 million dummy cheque to Akuna Muchezo Development
UCHM 24 23 52
Club, the winners of the dfcu Bank Savings and Investment challenge
dubbed ‘Battle for Cash Season II’ at Kampala Serena Hotel on UCL 20 20 20
December 14.   INDEPENDENT/JULIUS BUSINGE UMEME 321 340 5.5
ALSI -- -- --

Dec. 21 - 27 2018 45
hemorrhagic fevers as the health sector’s
Could 2018 be Uganda’s
healthiest year?
A look at incidence of hemorrhagic
fevers, typhoid, HIV/AIDS, malaria
A
By Flavia Nassaka
s 2018 ended, the Minister of
Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng,
was on Dec.05 in Goma
city in the neighboring DR
Congo on invitation from
her counterpart; Minister
Sem Llunga.
Llunga must have noticed that Uganda
has had five hemorrhagic fever outbreaks
recently, mostly in western region close to
the DR Congo border and at all times man-
aged to control them shortly after they were
confirmed. These include Ebola, Marburg,
and Crimean – Congo fever.
The DRC minister wanted Uganda to
show them how it is able to control the
deadly Ebola hemorrhagic fever from
spiraling out of control whenever there
is an outbreak. For Aceng, it was another
sign that the success of her ministry in con-
46 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
trolling disease and infections was being
noticed globally.
At the time Aceng visited, DRC was
going through what experts are describing
as the world’s second biggest Ebola out-
break. The DRC outbreak was declared in
August and by December, 405 cases of the
virus had been confirmed, with 267 deaths.
There was fear it could worsen and become
like the biggest case so far that happened in
West Africa. Over two years, 11,310 people
lost their lives of the 28,616 confirmed cases
in West Africa.
Aceng and her DRC counterpart agreed
that to contain Ebola, Uganda and DRC
needed to have high level coordination
mechanisms and a platform to address
common challenges between the two coun-
tries. Uganda has not recorded a single case.
To achieve zero cases, according to the Per-
manent Secretary in the Ministry of Health,
Dr. Diana Atwiine, Uganda has had to flag
hemorrhagic fevers as the health sector’s
biggest challenge in 2018.
As the year started, the country had just
been declared Marburg free in December
2017 following outbreaks in Kapchorwa
and Kween districts in the Sebei sub region
in eastern Uganda. Then Ministry of Health
in January confirmed an outbreak of equally
tough Crimean – Congo Hemorrhagic fever
in the central district of Nakaseke after
samples from a nine year old sufferer tested
positive. The Crimean Congo fever threat
remains as the year is ending. But the big
threat has been the Ebola fever outbreak
in DR Congo in August. Atwine says, as a
result of that, the ministry has had to beef-
up its High Hemorrhagic Fevers Surveil-
lance Programme.
“We increased alertness, which comes
with huge expenditure. At the border points
for instance, we needed to start screening
those who enter the country. We also had to
ensure that the refugee camps and the bor-
der districts are guarded. We also resolved
to vaccinate our medical workers, mobilis-
ers and others,” she says, “I can’t put a fig-
ure to this and we are still spending. Most of
this money is coming from donors.”

That costs a lot of money and resources.
According to Atwine, the country had by
December spent Shs4billion on the outbreak
and more was still required. By March,
Atwiine says the ministry had spent up to
Shs5.2billion on managing Marburg alone.
And it is money well spent, according to
Dr. Jimmy Opigo, the head of the Malaria
Control Programme at the ministry. For
him, the focus is on the experience the
ministry accumulated from battling hem-
orrhagic fevers that is being used to keep
other outbreaks at bay. He says the few
cases like typhoid, cholera and malaria that
sporadically came in were managed in a
timely manner too. The Surveillance and
Monitoring unit set up to monitor hemor-
rhagic fevers, in the process, also captured
information on these diseases.
In Opigo’s docket of malaria, for instance,
he says surveillance showed they needed
to change approach from purely biomedi-
cal to a public health approach that was
being used with the hemorrhagic fevers.
He says they are now focusing on provid-
ing messages that emphasize behavioral
action and also have involved President
Yoweri Museveni and other politicians in
campaigns like distribution of mosquito
nets and how to use them, spraying of
households and emphasizing testing before
initiating treatment.
Opigo says even as malaria remains the
biggest killer, the number of deaths record-
ed from January 2018 to end of September
2018 was 1,600 and yet by end of 2017 they
had recorded more than 5000 deaths. That is
a 70% drop.
Hospital admissions, according to weekly
malaria status reports Opigo gets from
districts show a decrease in severe malaria.
Even facilities have unused stocks of anti-
malarial drugs of up to a year. Opigo is
excited.
“Supply from Global Fund for malaria
was cut by $10m. One would have expected
a stock out but health facilities are telling
us they have excesses of anti malarials,” he
says.
He says the Ministry of Health can tick
off the numbers because it came up with a
system of tracking and counting all medi-
cines.
The Ministry of Health on Dec.11
launched the Uganda Malaria Indicator
Survey (UMIS) to survey 9000 households
across the country to provide the latest
statistics on incidence, prevalence and trans-
mission patterns of the disease as well pre-
vention countrywide. Opigo is optimistic.
HIV drugs available
Generally, the budget for drugs and sup-
plies was also enhanced by 18% to Shs41 bil-
lion. Even in HIV where there have always
been strikes over stock outs, only a few of
such stories came up. The major complaint
by people living with HIV had to do with
a supplementary drug Septrin whose stock
out still was largely due to guideline chang-
es where government resolved to withdraw
those that are suppressing their viruses
from the drug.
Kenneth Mwehonge, an Advocacy Offi-
cer with a local NGO – HEPs Uganda that
monitors availability of essential drugs
says the country scored highly on provid-
ing essential drugs as most of the facilities
they monitor did not report a stock out.
Only contraceptives were affected by a
move by a US donor agency USAID to
cancel a grant of the country’s biggest
provider Uganda Health Marketing Group
(UHMG) in June over fraud allegations.
Still, Mwehonge points out, a lot of
people continued buying their drugs out
of pockets as only 50% of the country’s
drug needs are financed by donors and
government. To him, this is a risk and that
as we go into 2019, the government should
be thinking about how to sustain the good
gains made in 2018 especially in terms of
keeping out breaks at bay and minimiz-
ing stock outs with these high levels of out
of pocket expenditures on healthcare. He
says we are bound to lose the gains if the
government doesn’t quickly put in place
the national health insurance scheme, well
equipped medical facilities and ensuring
that there are enough human resources for
health that are well facilitated to man them.
Mwehonge’s worry can be seen at the
health
newly opened Mulago Maternal and
Neonatal Hospital. At its grand opening
in October, healthcare managers signaled
that it would offer world class service and
be a solution to the still high maternal
mortality rates at 336 deaths per 100,000
births and cut child mortality rates.
The reality at the facility now is one
of only few doctors handling thousands
of waiting patients some referred and
others not. As one of the desperate
measures, administrators have now
resorted to sharing doctors with other
government facilities; especially at
Kawempe General Hospital which
equally exclusively handles reproductive
and maternal health issues.
Atwiine acknowledges this challenge
and says training and staffing of more
health workers is high on agenda for
2019 now that even the renovations at the
main Mulago hospital are complete and
is expected to open next month.
For her, they wanted to initially
tackle welfare issues of those already
employed. This year the government
increased salaries medical workers
with now a senior consultant earning
shs4.5million from Shs3.5million, a
consultant earns Shs4.2million from
Shs2.6million whereas a medical officer
earns Shs3million.
This followed strikes by health
workers in November and December
2017 where they vowed not to return
to work unless they have supplies,
good housing and an enhanced salary.
Their strikes hit hospitals so hard that
government in April threatened to
import doctors from Cuba to fill the gap
something that was opposed by sections
of the public; including civil society
organisations and trade unions. The
proposal of bringing in Cubans was put
on hold because they thought salary
enhancement would improve efficiency.
But according to the Minister for
Health Dr. Ruth Aceng this appears
not to have happened. “We are hearing
this is not the case,” she told The
Independent in an interview.
*terms and conditions apply
AfricellUG @AfricellUG
Dec. 21 - 27 2018 47
COMMENT
By Dag Detter
Unlocking public wealth
With professional, politically independent management,
a country could earn from its commercial assets
A
fter World War I ended, Havana
emerged as one of the world’s
most vibrant cities. During the first
half of 1920, rising sugar prices
and a favourable global environment meant
that credit and finance were flowing into
Cuba, fueling the so-called Dance of the
Millions. But, as David Lubin recalls in his
book Dance of the Trillions, the party ended
abruptly before the year was over, owing
largely to U.S. interest-rate hikes, which
drew liquidity back into the United States.
The Cuban sugar industry never recovered.
With U.S. credit to non-bank borrowers
in developing countries having more than
doubled since the 2008 global financial cri-
sis – reaching $3.7 trillion at the end of 2017
– Cuba’s experience should serve as a warn-
ing. But, for developing countries today,
there is an additional complication: global
finance is increasingly governed not by the
Washington Consensus, which encourages
transparency and adherence to rules that
apply to all, but rather by an opaque and
biased “Beijing Consensus.”
China is now the world’s second-largest
national economy and the leading supplier
of credit to emerging markets globally, hav-
ing filled the gap left by retreating Western
creditors. The terms of this lending are so
murky that only China has information
about the volume, maturity, and cost of
outstanding loans, which are issued on a
bilateral basis, often for political or strategic
reasons. As a result, assessing debt sustain-
ability is more difficult than ever.
But there is good reason to believe that
many countries face serious risks. Accord-
ing to the International Monetary Fund,
more than 45% of low-income countries
are either in or near debt distress. And the
credit-ratings agency Moody’s notes that
many of the countries China has chosen to
participate in its infrastructure-focused Belt
and Road Initiative are among the world’s
financially insecure.
Countries do not need to be at the mercy
of major lenders like China. According
to the IMF, the world’s public assets are
worth at least twice global GDP. Instead
of neglecting those assets, as most govern-
ments do today, countries should be using
them to generate value.
Most governments own airports, har-
bours, metro systems, and utilities, not to
mention far more real estate than people
generally realise. For example, Boston’s
48 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
financial statements indicate that the city
has a negative net worth. But Boston’s total
real-estate assets are actually worth almost
40 times their book value, because they
are reported at their historic cost. In other
words, the city has massive amounts of hid-
den wealth.
And Boston is hardly unique. Public real
estate is often worth around 100% of the
GDP of a given jurisdiction, the equivalent
of a quarter of the total value of the real-
estate market. Governments simply don’t
realise this, implying massive opportunity
costs.
With professional and politically inde-
pendent management, a city could, it can
reasonably be assumed, earn a 3% yield on
its commercial assets. This would amount
to an income many times more than Bos-
ton’s current capital plan. In fact, for many
economies, professional management of
public assets could generate more revenues
annually than corporate taxes, drastically
increasing the amount of funding available
for infrastructure investment.
This approach is proven not least by
Asian cities like Singapore and Hong
Kong, which at one point were just as poor
as many of the cities in developing Asia
today, and certainly much less affluent than
Havana in the past. It is worth remembering
that when Singapore achieved indepen-
Public real estate
is often worth
around 100% of
the GDP of a given
jurisdiction, the
equivalent of a
quarter of the
total value of
the real-estate
market
dence in the late 1960s, it was hardly a very
promising place. In fact, it was more dan-
gerous and riskier than most cities today.
At the time, few expected Singapore to
survive, let alone prosper. Singapore’s first
prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, is often
quoted as having said (as early as 1957)
that the idea of a potentially independent
Singapore was a “political, economic, and
geographical absurdity.”
Yet it has managed to thrive, thanks
partly to its unorthodox decision to unlock
its public wealth by incorporating portfolios
of assets into public-wealth funds, making
professional managers responsible for pub-
lic commercial assets.
Temasek and GIC, the holding companies
set up by the government, have used appro-
priate governance tools borrowed from the
private sector to fund Singapore’s economic
development. HDB, Singapore’s housing
fund, has provided almost 80% of the city-
state’s citizens with public housing.
Likewise, in the 1990s, economic malaise
and high unemployment impelled Copen-
hagen’s leaders to get creative, consolidat-
ing the city’s old harbor area, as well as a
former military garrison on the city out-
skirts, in a professionally managed public
wealth fund. Beyond transforming the city’s
harbour district into a highly desirable area,
the fund enabled the government to build a
transit system, all without dipping into tax
revenues.
Similarly, Hong Kong, acutely aware of
its own fiscal limitations, found a way to
build a subway and railway system the size
of New York City’s without using a single
tax dollar: it developed the real estate adja-
cent to its stations.
There is no question that depending on
outside capital carries serious risks, espe-
cially when that capital can quickly flee,
as Cuba learned the hard way. Leverag-
ing existing public assets, however, can
strengthen government finances, boost debt
sustainability, and enhance credit worthi-
ness, bolstering economic development in
the longer term. It shouldn’t take a crisis to
spur governments to pursue this course.
Dag Detter, a former director at Sweden’s
Ministry of Industry, is a co-author of The
Public Wealth of Cities: How to Unlock Hidden
Assets to Boost Growth and Prosperity.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2018.

By Daniel Mundeva
Building Africa’s scientific talent
Discovering them means rethinking the entire
education system in Africa around three priorities
T
en years ago, South African physi-
cist Neil Turok made a bold predic-
tion: the world’s next Einstein will
be from Africa. A decade later, it is
worth considering whether the continent is
any closer to finding the next global genius.
Statistically, there is indeed a high prob-
ability that it will happen. By 2050, 40% of
the world’s young people will be African.
By virtue of demographics alone, it stands
to reason that Africa is destined to generate
prodigies in science or technology.
Africans have led the world in science
before. In fact, some of humanity’s great-
est innovations – from vaccines to brain
surgery – were pioneered by Africans. One
of the oldest measuring devices ever used,
the Lebombo Bone, was carved by people
believed to have lived some 35,000 years
ago in modern-day eSwatini (Swaziland). In
other words, mathematics itself is an Afri-
can invention.
For decades, science and policy luminar-
ies like Calestous Juma, a global advocate
for science-driven sustainable development,
and Wangari Maathai, an environmental
activist and Nobel laureate, championed
Africa’s science agenda. With these vision-
aries now gone, Africa needs a new brain
trust to inspire future generations of ethical
and public-spirited researchers.
But how do we ensure Africa discovers,
supports, and develops innovative, game-
changing scientists? The missing element
has been an African education system that
supports innovation in research, and that
provides the next African revolutionary
scientist with the training and support he or
she needs – in Africa.
Across the continent, there is a growing
consensus among governments that educa-
tion and research in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is
critical for economic growth and develop-
ment. At the moment, however, too many
of Africa’s young researchers see no option
but to go abroad for school and work. That
can change, but only with concrete invest-
ments in homegrown talent. This means
rethinking the entire education system in
Africa. Three priorities stand out.
First, African countries need to fix the
knowledge pipeline. That means investing
in teacher training, improved learning out-
comes, retention of girls in STEM courses,
supporting research earlier in university,
helping young researchers through so-
called sandwich programs, establishing
university-private sector labs on campus,
and more.
Second, Africa needs indigenous knowl-
edge creation. This requires facilitating
both fundamental and applied research
and creating the necessary infrastructure
for the dissemination of research outcomes.
This could include making more funding
available to researchers and research institu-
tions, as well as promoting open sources for
knowledge sharing.
The third priority is putting knowledge
into practice. This could involve making
scientific information accessible to the
general public and innovators, and sup-
porting public-private partnerships to pilot,
demonstrate, and apply research outcomes,
thereby creating jobs addressing public
problems.
A good example is Zipline, which
deploys drone technology to deliver blood
transfusions to remote areas of Rwanda. To
deploy this technology, which is based on
American research but piloted in-country,
Zipline signed agreements with the aviation
authority and the ministry of health, among
others, and a public-private partnership was
set up to fund the program. After success-
fully deploying the technology in Rwanda,
At the moment,
however,
too many of
Africa’s young
researchers
see no option
but to go abroad
for school and
work
COMMENT
it is currently being rolled out in Ghana.
Zipline has saved hundreds of lives and
demonstrated the potential of technology
transfer with large-scale impact.
The Next Einstein Forum (NEF), an initia-
tive of the African Institute for Mathemati-
cal Sciences (AIMS) and the brainchild of
Turok, supported partly by the Mastercard
Foundation, is demonstrating that Africa
produces strong scientific talent. The NEF
focuses on convening Africa’s innovators
to highlight breakthrough discoveries and
catalyze scientific collaboration for human
development. Since the first cohort of NEF
Fellows was selected in 2015, the program
has highlighted the contributions of young
African researchers who are working to
tackle some of the world’s toughest scien-
tific and technological challenges.
NEF’s current cohort includes Somalia’s
Abdigani Diriye, who created a blockchain-
enabled lending platform in Kenya and
was recently named one of Africa’s top 30
innovators; Nigeria’s Peter Ngene, whose
work on nanotechnologies is being used
to improve renewable energy and who
also recently created a hydrogen-based
eye sensor that detects lactose intolerance;
and Vinet Coetzee of South Africa, whose
research in non-invasive measures of health
has led to a patent application for a device
that could detect malaria.
With so many complex issues vying for
attention today, Africa will need innovative
education and research models. But as long
as the NEF and similar efforts continue to
nurture the continent’s brightest young sci-
entists and tackle systemic issues like fund-
ing, mobility, and research infrastructure,
the odds are good that those leading the
search for solutions will be the very people
Turok predicted.
Daniel Mundeva is an associate program
manager for education and learning at the
Mastercard Foundation.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2018.
Dec. 21 - 27 2018 49
 ART | BOOKS | SOCIETY | TRAVEL | CULTURE
Sane’s white faces
How Africans become invisible on the global stage
S
By Dominic Muwanguzi
ane produces politically en-
gaged art: the art that inspires
conversation on ensuing politi-
cal situations. He draws interest
in his work with metaphors
that satirically communicate the
evils of the Capital Empire with its villains.
He sardonically implicates world political
leaders like Theresa May (British Prime
Minister), Donald Trump (U.S President)
and Queen Elizabeth II (Queen of Britain)
because they infuse familiarity in his work.
They are white faces everyone can relate
to; archetypical of the incessant capitalistic
excesses like corruption, racism, neo-
colonialism, war and greed that subjugate
the African continent. The artist is blant;
declares that the continent’s socio-political
misfortunes are naturally handed down to
it by its oppressors: the western powers.
In spite of this adversity, Africans bliss-
fully enjoy walking in the shadows of the
oppressor. Sane writes, thus, ‘Black’ people
live in the shadows of ‘white’ people and
accept their position as living shadows for
whiteness. Whiteness symbolises power in
this age and for people like Blavatsky, in
ages to come too. Yes, the artist is not assert-
50 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
ing a novel experience here. It is obvious
that Africans accept whiteness. Many
whiten their skin and adopt western names
as transformative symbol of newly acquired
power or status. When African travel to the
west, many ditch the mother tongue they
have spoken for years.
This appetite to be someone else, while
losing the true self, is destructive and
has prompted the rise of puppet leaders,
especially on the African continent. In his
drawings, Sane paints familiar African lead-
ers swinging as puppets for world leaders
like Donald Trump whose political dogma
involves white- nationalism. The collage
printed photograph of Donald Trump
wearing his traditional comic smile, with
the word nationalism, emblazoned on his
forehead, is symbolic of the creepy char-
acteristic of arguably the world’s greatest
leader that renders him a tragic character
for the social-political development of the
world. Is nationalism still a relevant ideol-
ogy in this context of the new world order
– globalisation-where national sovereignty
is rapidly receding?
Sane adopts myriad collage texts from
international newspapers and glossy maga-
zines in his work to respond to the contro-
versy and imagery these articles invoke in
the respective communities they’re pro-
duced in and beyond. Here, he’s also con-
cerned with the concept of moving histories
from one part of the globe to the other;
perhaps as a metaphor for a question; who
writes history and where is Africa’s position
in this global archiving? Is Africa visible,
anyway? Apparently, collage is a European
modernist technique used by artists like
Picasso and working with it, especially in
this body of work, echoes the notion of our
living in the shadow of white people or the
fixation to be white in these present times.
The exhibition `Shadows’ provides
important perceptions into the political-
social context of the Capital Empire to
which Africa is clutching. As Africa seeks an
outside identity of whiteness, has it consoli-
dated its local identity? It’s a dilemma or
uncertainty that makes black people on the
continent susceptible to manipulation by
powerful capitalistic nations or individuals
who often are promoting their own inter-
ests.
`Shadows’ - a multi- disciplinary exhibi-
tion is showing from December 12 to Janu-
ary 2019 at Afriart gallery, Kampala. Eria
“Sane” Nsubuga is a Phd student.
Coca Cola company paying you $100,000 to give up smartphone
Enhanced water company year. That’s a tough thing to do in and tablet as well as agreeing not to
Vitaminwater, Coca Cola-owned this day and age, but the company use anyone else’s handhelds either.
company, recently launched a contest is ready to make it worth your while Sounds easy enough, but first you
challenging entrants to give up their by putting up a $100,000 prize. That have to convince the company that
smartphones and tablets for a whole means giving up your own phone you’re the right person for the job.

This tiny sticker African leopards

keeps fruits fresh
for 14 days?
Food waste is one the
greatest challenges of
our time, and fruits and
vegetables are particularly
problematic, as an estimated
52% of harvests go bad
before reaching consumers.
But one Malaysian company
claims to have come up
with a simple and effective
solution to this problem;
Stixfresh – a tiny sticker
that keeps fruits from
spoiling for up to two
weeks. It allegedly contains
a special, all-natural
formula that slows down the
ripening process, keeping
the fruit fresh and juicy
for much longer. Stixfresh
founder Zhafri Zainudin
says he came up with the
idea for the stickers four
years ago, after visiting
a friend who operated a
fruit stall and was losing
money every day due to
spoiled fruits. He partnered
with universities, research
institutions, and agencies to
create Stixfresh.
Two slices of Christmas cake could
push you over the drink-drive limit
Christmas cake is the best.
Boozy, stodgy, festive delicious-
ness. But if you’re planning on
driving, then you may want
to take it easy. Experts have
warned that just two slices of the
brandy-drenched dessert could
put you over the legal drink-
driving limit. And it would be
all too easily done. If you’ve had
a single glass of wine or a beer,
`Russia’s most advanced robot’ turns out to be man
When Russia’s annual
“PROJECT” scientific forum
in the city of Yaroslavl
opened, the audience got to
see Boris, a highly-advanced
robot that major news chan-
nel Russia24 called “the
country’s most modern
robot”. Boris can reportedly
walk and talk, do mathemati-
cal calculations and even
dance, feats he demonstrated
on the stage of the “PROJECT”
forum, on December 11. The
audience, made up primarily
of young students, was blown
you might think you’re fine –
forgetting about the healthy
dose of spirit in the cake. Not to
mention the dollop of brandy
butter on the side. The research,
conducted by All Car Leasing,
suggested that drivers need to
think about what they eat as
much as what they drink, to
avoid getting into trouble and
putting their safety at risk.
away by the Russian robot’s
advanced capabilities, as were
several news outlets, includ-
ing Russia24. However people
began asking questions as Boris
appeared not to have’ sen-
inspire Chinese
`Leopard Fitness’
Mi Youren, a 68-year-old
pensioner from Jinan, China
was watching Animal World
on TV when he saw the African
leopards chasing antelopes
and got an idea. Today, he
loves nothing more than to
put on a goofy tight leopard
costume complete with tail and
pointy ears, and practice a fit-
ness routine based on moves
he created himself based on
the movements of the athletic
leopards. He does what he calls
his `Leopard Fitness’ routines in
parks and gardens in his home
city. He walks, runs, and climbs
stairs on all fours, lays flat
on the ground with his limbs
extended, imitates the clean-
ing ritual of the leopard, does
handstands, all to keep in tip
top shape and at the same time
entertain passers-by. He has
been doing it for 18 years and,
as goofy as some of his exercis-
es look, they seem to have kept
him in great shape for his age.
sors and speakers like other
robots, and its movement did
not appear to be robotic. He
was also too bulky, as if a per-
son could easily fit inside it.
Boris was unmasked as a man
in a commercially available
robot suit called the “Alesha
Robot Costume”. News out-
lets like Russia24 apologised
for blundering and removed
the video news segment from
its YouTube channel, but the
media outlet has yet to offer any
explanation for the blunder.

Dec. 21 - 27 2018 51
 2019 car of the
year awards
The organizers of the 2019 European Car of the Year (ECOTY) have announced
the seven finalists of this year’s competition that will fight for the ECOTY crown.
T
he seven finalists in alphabetic order
are; Alpine A110, Citroen C5 Air-
cross, Ford Focus, Jaguar I-Pace, Kia
Ceed, Mercedes-Benz A-Class, and
Peugeot 508.
The nominees were elected from a total of
38 candidates that were announced earlier
this year. Among them were the Aston Mar-
tin Vantage, Audi A6, BMW 3 Series, Dacia
Duster, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe,
Lamborghini Urus, Volkswagen Touareg,
0783 614 601 / 0753 614 601
52 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
By Agencies
and even the cute Suzuki Jimny.
Many of the candidates were tested prior
to the 2018 Paris Motor Show in October
in a week-long event held in Northern
Denmark. The test drive was organised by
the Nordic members of the ECOTY jury,
and journalists from a total of 18 different
countries attended. Following these exten-
sive evaluations, the next round of voting
will decide the 2019 European Car of the
Year, which will be announced during the
The Largest 7 seater 4x4 In Uganda
Only available at spear Motors Limited
Mercedes Benz GLS
sales@spearmotors.co.ug
Geneva Motor Show in March 2019.
Meanwhile, some of the finalists for
the 2019 ECOTY are among the contend-
ers for the 2019 World Car of the Year
awards. A total of 85 international jurors
will test the cars in the months to come
and the big winner of the 15th edition will
be announced next April at the 2019 New
York Auto Show.
Source: European Car of the Year
Driving you into the Future
www.spearmotors.co.ug

Uganda top car in 2019
Race between Rav4, Subaru Forester, Kluger, Harrier
By Motoring Guru
W
hen The In-
dependent’s
motoring guru
did a column
in December 2017 predict-
ing the popular car of 2018,
the focus was on the ever-
green compact SUV; the
Toyota RAV4.
Buried deep in that
review was mention of an
emerging competitor in
that segment on the Ugan-
da market; the Toyota
Kluger. As 2018 ends, it is
clear that a year is a long
time in the car business.
Apparently, and without
official statistics, it looks
like it is the Kluger and
not the Rav4 that has ruled
2018. In fact, the competi-
tion appears to have been
between the Kluger, main-
ly its Third Generation
models, stretching from
2014, and the Subaru For-
ester models of the same
period.
The shift is interesting
because in terms of looks,
the latest Rav4 models
on the Ugandan market –
which means Second and
Third Generation models
(2000 – 2012) still boast
better looks and the Fourth
and Fifth Generation
(2012 – to date) Rav4 look
even better. The Rav4 also
makes a greater attempt
than Subaru and Kluger
at updating its technology
and entertainment package
of touchscreen multimedia
and sound system, smart-
phone integration, and
safety.
But it appears the For-
ester is loved because it’s
compact enough to pass
for a small car when it’s
necessary yet its interior
is larger than the Rav4
and ideal for whole family
comfortably. It also has the
power of its permanent
motoring
AWD system and the X
for off-road driving. It is
a high quality car, with a
good safety record, and
robust suspension suited to
Uganda’s often tough driv-
Rav4
ing conditions.
The Kluger is favoured
mainly because of its larger
external frame matched
with high ground clear-
ance which give it a more
commanding presence
on the road than even its
clone; the Toyota Har-
rier – which is also quite
well-liked. In fact, Harrier
would have more appeal
Subaru Forester
if it did not guzzle so
much fuel. That has left
the Kluger commanding a
higher price – model year
for model engine – than
the Harrier.
It will, however, be inter-
esting to watch the comple-
tion between these four
SUVs in 2019; the Subaru,
Kluger, Rav4, and Harrier.
Toyota unleashed a Fifth
Generation Rav4 in 2018
that looks quite exciting.
However, locally, the focus
will be on the Fourth Gen-
eration (2013 -2018) which
could become more com-
Kluger
mon especially because of
new import restrictions on
cars older than 15 years
since production. In March
2018, Subaru released its
Fifth Generation Forester
which appears to break
with the past in the looks
department and offers an
impressive array of safety
and driving technology
and gizmos. But it will be
interesting to watch if the
Fourth Generation Forester
models (2012-2018) hit our
Harrier
market. If that happens,
the Kluger – which has
not had a major model
upgrade since its 2013
Third Generation offerings,
could be in real appeal
trouble. The same goes for
the Harrier.
Dec. 21 - 27 2018 53
Hajji Hussein Kyanjo on politics
of honesty and openness
By Agnes Nantaba
H
ajji Hussein Kyanjo is a former
MP of Makindye East constitu-
ency in Kampala district. He was
one of the most candid opposi-
tion figures in the eighth and part of the
ninth parliament, a position enhanced by
his moderate approach to legislative issues
generally, yet very uncompromising on
others. Then he was struck by sickness and
his speech failed.
In 2011 he was on a trip to Johannesburg,
South Africa when he woke up in the morn-
ing only to discover that he was struggling
to speak. He imagined it was something
small that could be fixed easily by a doctor
on return home but he was diagnosed with
dystonia, a movement disorder in which
a person’s muscles contract uncontrol-
lably. The contraction causes the affected
body part to twist involuntarily, result-
ing in repetitive movements or abnormal
postures. Dystonia can affect one muscle, a
muscle group, or the entire body.
Although the doctors pointed to about
three potential causes of the problem
including inheritance of the disease, effects
of a serious accident or poison. Kyanjo
sticks to the poison bit and is unwilling to
investigate the suspects or even the motive.
“Only God can tell and as Islam says, we
shall have no control over our body parts
on the Day of Judgment,” he says.
Back then engaging him in conversation
appeared like one was torturing him and
many people avoided it. He is much better
today. His speech is less labored and he
comfortably chats for hours. His words are
still drawn out but he sits in a simple office
space at Tirupati Mall in Kabalagala where
he meets with people in his private capac-
ity. To many political analysts, he remains
one of the hardest hitting law makers in the
history of Uganda. Kyanjo keeps an eye on
the political events of the country as they
unfold. He is often consulted by sitting
MP’s and other political figures.
“Mine was politics of honesty and open-
ness, “says Kyanjo about his tenure in
parliament, “My politics was shaped by the
kind of training that I undertook.”
Prior to winning the Makindye West seat
in 2006, Kyanjo was the spokesperson of a
little known party, JEEMA, and campaign
manager of its presidential candidate, Kibi-
rige Mayanja in 2001. He also run for the
Makindye West seat in 2001 and lost. He
54 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
won re-election in 2011 but did not com-
plete the term due to illness.
The American embassy chose him to be
among the observers of elections in 1996
that brought U.S. President Bill Clinton
for the second term in office. He says he
received a lot of training on conduct as a
legislator during the trip. After scooping
the MP position, he still went about search-
ing for a skilled and experienced legislator
and reached out to Emmanuel Pinto who
coached him on how to deal with anger and
the press. Kyanjo also sponsored himself to
visit the House of Commons where he met
Jack Straw who also trained him.
He says serving in parliament consumed
a lot of his time but it is worth it and “any
good MP lets go of
many other
things”.
One of his highest moments in the house
was maintaining his position against gov-
ernment sale of Mabira forest. His role in
street demonstrations landed him in Luzira
prison. He says he doesn’t regret it because
it paid off; the forest wasn’t sold.
As a member of the defense committee
and shadow minister of Internal Affairs and
Human Rights in parliament, Kyanjo also
fought against army representatives in par-
liament coming from one region. He want-
ed it balanced. Kyanjo has since returned to
private business.
Born in 1960 in Ntuuma Bukomansimbi
district, Kyanjo the seventh born of 10
children of Hajji Siliman Zirabamuzaale
and Mariam Nabuuma, started school in
the same village attended Islamic educa-
tion (Madarasa) at the current Bilal Islamic
School in Bwaise, then back to the village
and Kako primary school. He proceeded
to Masaka Secondary School before
joining Makerere University in 1983
to pursue a bachelor’s degree in
Industrial and Fine Art.
He chose to go into self-
employment as a graphics
designer and supplier of
printing materials until
he joined parliament.
Kyanjo married his first
wife at only 21 years as a
student at Masaka Second-
ary school. By the time, he
entered university; they had
their first born child. In 2007,
he married a second wife
who passed on recently. He
has six children. Kyanjo’s
wish is to be remembered for
being honest, consistent and
respectful.

Hussein Kyanjo’s Liteside
Any three things that
we don’t know about
I
you?
am governed largely
by my religion. I
am also strongly
governed by the
norms of Buganda
because they satisfy and
complete me. I am also
directed by the general
character of fairness
and justice; whenever
someone is being
cheated, I feel I must
do something and on
whether I succeed or not
is a different thing.
What is your idea of
perfect happiness?
I find life easy because
I am modest in all
aspects and I don’t carry
grudges. Happiness is
defined by six goals;
pray and work to live
well, eat well, dress
well, have a fair means
of transport, affordable
medication and save
some money to help the
poor and destitute.
What is your greatest
fear?
I have no fears and
take everything simple.
What is the trait
you most deplore in
yourself?
Sometimes I take a
long time to accept a
position. Often times, I
insist on an old position
and it is hard to bend
me. I have however
learnt not to circumvent
on a position to avoid
stopping others from
going ahead.
What is the trait you
most deplore in others?
I find difficulty in
people who don’t fear
God. It would be natural
that most of my friends What is the quality you
are Muslims but it’s not most like in a woman?
enough. You must be Ability to present
good Muslims who fear her case honestly and
God. protect her husband if
she is married.
Which living person do
you most admire? What is the quality you
I have great most like in a man?
admiration for my Quality is defined by
uncle Hajji Hussein behavior, conduct and
Ssengendo, a retired the way he treats others.
Magistrate, Dr Kawanga
Ssemwogerere and Joyce What or who is the
Mpanga. I admire their greatest love of your
modest life and decency. life?
My parents and my
What is your greatest wives are people who
extravagance? stay all the time when
Making other people everyone else has run
happy; I try to help away.
people in my modest
way. When and where were
you happiest?
What is your current When I joined the
state of mind? university in 1983; I
I am fine. was the first to join
university from my
What do you consider village and I felt so
the most overrated privileged. The first time
virtue? to perform pilgrimage
Acquisition of wealth; to Mecca and Medina in
everybody worships the 1988 was also a happy
rich ones and they are moment. The other
the only proud people in happy moment was
Uganda today. the first time winning
elections in 2006.
What does being
powerful mean to you? Which talent would you
Even with a lot of most like to have?
power, restrain from I would rather
using that power; concentrate on the good
especially when angry. conduct and die with it.
On what occasion do What do you consider
you lie? your greatest
I can’t tell a lie achievement?
deliberately but as a Maintaining my
human being, sometimes stand in society; I have
what I say doesn’t come been so careful not to
true. I however try to damage my reputation
find time to apologise. and sometimes I force
myself to do things that
Which living person do look awkward but repel
you most despise? hatred. I am proud that
I despise anybody I have friends across
who worships wealth or all areas including the
material things. opposition.
Dec. 21 - 27 2018
Q&A
Where would you most
like to live?
I have to live here.
What is your most
treasured possession?
My religion.
What is your favorite
occupation?
Being a graphics
designer is my best
occupation of all times.
What do you most value
in your friends?
Honesty, not being
greedy and respect for
respective religions. I
also long for friends
who wish others to be
happy.
Who are your favourite
writers?
Wole Soyinka; I find
a lot of education in his
writings. They solve a
lot of problems within
me.
Which historical figure
do you most identify
with?
I will live to admire
James Mulwana (RIP)
who never made any
effort to show that he
was powerful and rich.
Hajji Abdu Bbumba
(RIP) is another one;
he was very rich and
humble all the time.
What is your greatest
regret?
I don’t regret
anything.
How would you like to
die?
Abruptly.
What is your motto?
Believe in God.
55
Global comment
By Joseph E. Stiglitz
Beyond GDP measurement
We have to know what matters to people, improves
their wellbeing, and how we can supply it more
J
ust under ten years ago, the Interna-
tional Commission on the Measure-
ment of Economic Performance and
Social Progress issued its report,
Mismeasuring Our Lives: Why GDP
Doesn’t Add Up. The title summed it up:
GDP is not a good measure of wellbeing.
What we measure affects what we do, and
if we measure the wrong thing, we will do
the wrong thing. If we focus only on mate-
rial wellbeing – on, say, the production of
goods, rather than on health, education, and
the environment – we become distorted in
the same way that these measures are dis-
torted; we become more materialistic.
We were more than pleased with the
reception of our report, which spurred an
international movement of academics, civil
society, and governments to construct and
employ metrics that reflected a broader
conception of wellbeing. The OECD has
constructed a Better Life Index, containing a
range of metrics that better reflect what con-
stitutes and leads to wellbeing. It also sup-
ported a successor to the Commission, the
High Level Expert Group on the Measure-
ment of Economic Performance and Social
Progress. Recently, at the OECD’s sixth
World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge, and
Policy in Incheon, South Korea, the Group
issued its report, Beyond GDP: Measuring
What Counts for Economic and Social Per-
formance.
The new report highlights several topics,
like trust and insecurity, which had been
only briefly addressed by Mismeasuring
Our Lives, and explores several others, like
inequality and sustainability, more deeply.
And it explains how inadequate metrics
have led to deficient policies in many areas.
Better indicators would have revealed the
highly negative and possibly long-lasting
effects of the deep post-2008 downturn on
productivity and wellbeing, in which case
policymakers might not have been so enam-
ored of austerity, which lowered fiscal defi-
cits, but reduced national wealth, properly
measured, even more.
Political outcomes in the United States
and many other countries in recent years
have reflected the state of insecurity in
which many ordinary citizens live, and to
which GDP pays scant attention. A range
56 Dec. 21 - 27 2018
of policies focused narrowly on GDP and
fiscal prudence has fueled this insecurity.
Consider the effects of pension “reforms”
that force individuals to bear more risk, or
of labor-market “reforms” that, in the name
of boosting “flexibility,” weaken workers’
bargaining position by giving employers
more freedom to fire them, leading in turn
to lower wages and more insecurity. Bet-
ter metrics would, at the minimum, weigh
these costs against the benefits, possibly
compelling policymakers to accompany
such changes with others that enhance secu-
rity and equality.
Spurred on by Scotland, a small group
of countries has now formed the Wellbeing
Economy Alliance. The hope is that gov-
ernments putting wellbeing at the center
of their agenda will redirect their budgets
accordingly. For example, a New Zealand
government focused on wellbeing would
direct more of its attention and resources to
childhood poverty.
Better metrics would also become an
important diagnostic tool, helping countries
both identify problems before matters spiral
out of control and select the right tools to
address them. Had the U.S., for example,
focused more on health, rather than just on
The hope
is that
governments
putting
wellbeing at
the center of
their agenda
will redirect
their budgets
accordingly
GDP, the decline in life expectancy among
those without a college education, and espe-
cially among those in America’s deindustri-
alised regions, would have been apparent
years ago.
Likewise, metrics of equality of oppor-
tunity have only recently exposed the
hypocrisy of America’s claim to be a land of
opportunity: Yes, anyone can get ahead, so
long as they are born of rich, white parents.
The data reveal that the U.S. is riddled with
so-called inequality traps: Those born at
the bottom are likely to remain there. If we
are to eliminate these inequality traps, we
first have to know that they exist, and then
ascertain what creates and sustains them.
A little more than a quarter-century ago,
U.S. President Bill Clinton ran on a platform
of “putting people first.” It is remarkable
how difficult it is to do that, even in a
democracy. Corporate and other special
interests always seek to ensure that their
interests come first. The massive U.S. tax cut
enacted by the Trump administration at this
time last year is an example, par excellence.
Ordinary people – the dwindling but still
vast middle class – must bear a tax increase,
and millions will lose health insurance, in
order to finance a tax cut for billionaires and
corporations.
If we want to put people first, we have to
know what matters to them, what improves
their wellbeing, and how we can supply
more of whatever that is. The Beyond GDP
measurement agenda will continue to play
a critical role in helping us achieve these
crucial goals.
Joseph E. Stiglitz is the winner of the
2001 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic
Sciences. His most recent book is
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited:
Anti-Globalization in the Era of Trump.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2018.
www.project-syndicate.org
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