Category Money matters

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The whole notion of ‘tax-payer’ is completely out of place in Uganda

May 19, 13 6:09 PM

The whole notion of ‘tax-payer’ is completely out of place in Uganda.The population of Uganda has no solid stake in the management of public affairs because it lives outside that domain: 85% peasants, dying at 45 years of age, living in a non-monetary sector, in the rural countryside, untaxable because they do not produce any surplus to be taxed, about 50% of them are illiterate, 50.2% 15 years and below, wearing nappies, the highest in the world….that is not the kind of population that takes its government to task. Never!

As you know Ugandans have no fiscal contract with their politicians. If you do not pay the piper, you cannot call the tune.If you look at the 1,000 top tax payers in Uganda, you will find that the top two, MTN and Shell BP pay 12% of all the taxes. The top 10 pay 28% of all the taxes. And those top 10 are petrol vendors (Caltex, Total, Shell), mobile phone vendors, soft drinks and beer makers (Century bottling, Uganda breweries, Nile breweres), cigarette makers (BAT)…all foreign. No real production, no indigenous stake holder on how public affairs/finance should be managed. The other day graduated tax was scrapped…So?

The ‘donors’ contribute up to 53% of all recurrent expenditures. Th so called tax payer is in Brussels and Paris, London and Stockholm, Amsterdam and Copenhagen. More than 80% of the population live outside the monetary sector…peasants. So, which tax payer? To whom, then, are your politicians accountable?

That is why I always wonder what we mean on this forum (and indeed in Uganda) when we keep talking of the lack of democracy, accountability etc. In a country where there is no fiscal contract between the political class and the population as we have in Uganda, there can never be a social contract. Democracy, accountability, ‘good governance’: all that is rubbish. The content of democracy is a fiscal contract.

We need to come to grips with the real content of democracy. Very clearly, in Uganda, there is no foundation or basis for democracy….a cabinet of 500 is feasible.

Unless the country is radically shaken up, to transform the socioeconomic basis in the direction of making the political class dependent on the majority of the population, for get about democracy, keep mum about the ‘tax payer’.

That aid is unearned income and you know what unearned income does. If government was depending on mony deducted from 20 million Ugandas wage earners, it wold think twice before squandering it. It would be someone’s sweat and they would demand for accountability. But who in Uganda identifies with ‘donor’ aid as his money? If we do not come to grips with the relationship between paying tax and governmental accountability, then we shall keep fooling ourselves for ever with democracy for ever.

That is why I always insist that we need to proletarianise the population-urgently-create wage earners, get rid of the passive peasant class. A population that is largely wage-earners or proletariat is a population that you do not foll around with. The impunity of our political class now is a logical consequence of the fact that the country is largely peasant. That is why some of them are interested in preserving that passive class that will vote for them just because of a piece of soap. A wage labourer will tell you not to insult him by bribing him with money he contributed as PAYE or income tax.
What tax do the peasants pay?

We know that Uganda was broke right from the cradle: independence was on 9 oct 1962, 24 hours later, on 10 oct 1962 there was no money to finance the return of the colonial administrators to London. The first structural adjustment facility was arranged there and then (what ever structures there were to adjust on day one). If AM Obote had asked for grants to finance his ‘public spending’ (whatever that means) instead of expropriating foreign multinationals, he would probably have lived longer and may be succumbed to internal contradictions.


L/Cpl (rtd) Otto Patrick

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Why is the Itesto the majority Working as guards in Kampala?

Nov 18, 12 12:51 PM

The Itesot must learn to hate exploitation and pride themselves in being Itesot. Where is Dr. Were of Chicago University and Vukoni L?

I am so amazed that an entire nation of Itesot can end on the streets of Kampala earning a miserable 150’000 monthly, watching over other people’s wealth. These Itesot guards, at times go for days without proper sleep and food.

I’ve talked to so many and it’s sad grotesque scenery.Virtually all of them reside in the numerous slums of Kampala! People with a culture, a tradition, a language, a history left to fade away.

Singapore a small country has made it without the bloody oil wealth – the entire Teso region can make it without Uganda. This is a society, which like Acoli, Karamojong and West Nilers have an advantage of the frontiers.

The sooner among themselves emulate the Kigezi people who are steadily moving forward under the Banyakigezi group – the intention of a colonial state in Kampala will reduce this entire people, culture, tradition and their future to nothingness.

The first objective was attained when your cattle exactly as it was done in Luwero by bush war thugs either killed or stolen. Further was the fragmentation of Teso into smaller districts. Now, the Itesot are squabbling about these nonviable districts, taking centre stage instead of seeking economic power stolen from you.

Apart from Mike Mukula who is any other Itesot worthy a mention?

Generation and generation have lost campus only to assume when you get a rifle and sit on Kampala veranda to watch over people’s wealth, this same wealth will be transmitted to you.

Quickly like the Baganda, Banyakigezi, Bunyoro create a forum and seek autonomy. As autonomy is sought people’s attention will directed to their own potential as a people territorially and politically.

The first step in this self-redefinition is to empower the Itesot with economic and political power by creating centres of economic activities. Develop your towns and also build proper residences, for your folk, as well as sending as many as possible in technical schools.

Bwanika Nakyesawa
Luweero

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Uganda will not be a 1st Class Economy Soon according to Idi Amin’s Son

Oct 23, 12 5:56 PM

Iddil Amin's Son

Iddil Amin’s Son

Dear Ugandans, To Whom Does This Country Belong?

During the independence bonanza there was a lot of looking back at the history of Uganda but rare were the voices that used the opportunity to take a pragmatic glance at the future of this country.In this category, one resounding proclamation was President Museveni when he said during his speech that Uganda would become a 1st World country within 50 years.

Many have brushed aside this speech as posturing or insignificant (after reading the full script, I personally thought it needed more inspiring input for the occasion) and party politics have sadly again taken the depth out of the one topic that stood out in the speech: 1st World Uganda.

Some commentators have questioned whether it was a genuine realistic pronouncement based on sound critical thinking, or had our president lost his bearings as poverty and lack of basic services is obvious to everyone else including the international guests who were in attendance.This has prompted me to consider the enormity of the task and the national effort required in order to achieve such a goal.

Shouldn’t we possibly start by evaluating the critical indicators that put a country in the category of the Developed World?Statisticians and economists would immediately look at the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the pace or prospects of economic growth say for the next five decades.

We could also look at the legal frameworks (or lack of them) like intellectual property rights, anti-monopoly laws, taxation, trade balance and inflation; basically all the legal and economic cornerstones that maintain developed countries.

Crucially, these countries create wealth through research and development that brings about global pioneering innovation with technological advances then being used to add significant value to raw or semi-processed products. They then use intellectual property laws to protect their advantage for an average ten to fifty years on any specific innovation.

Creating the industries and technologies that enable transformation of raw products into high value items is no easy feat as considerable investments in initial research and development are required in order to lead in specific sectors.

Budgetary allocations for the next five decades would also reflect the priorities that such a vision presents. For example, without a complete, high-tech, modern education system with institutions that churn out intelligent, highly skilled and multi-talented researchers, engineers and scientists that innovate and therefore create our progress, it is hard to think that we could achieve 1st World status.

With the advent of oil, we could improve only to a certain extent, but oil does not provide us with the, mentality and attitude that could turn Uganda into a developed country.For example, many oil rich countries are statistically better off than Europe if we consider their per capita income but that does not mean that they are 1st World.Their industries and services sectors depend heavily on foreign labor/skills and their progress is based on acquiring whatever innovations so as to at least improve their basic standards of living.
Their general attitude towards hard work, conducting research, and being innovative remains relaxed, thereby remaining categorized as Third World.

In my humble opinion, being in the Developed World is primarily a national state of mind that provides consensus for a strong urge to improve and excel in all fields.

It also comes with its own package of minimum acceptable standards particularly in education, infrastructure, nutrition, transportation, legislation, housing, government services, technology and even behavioral attitudes like self-respect, productive work ethics and personal hygiene.

The notion of private property and competition are the drives behind capitalism and the market economy that 1st World countries have relied on to thrive, but in order to achieve success, capitalism also implies that someone has to be exploited in order for the other to be successful.

So I am skeptical at how the millions of Ugandan peasants in the thousands of countryside villages and “trading centers” will attain Developed status given their current predicament where we depend on them to continue cultivating our staple foods and yet we have to uplift the downtrodden to the levels required by the Millennium Development Goals.

International industries aim at making products and services that have global impact and generally make life ever easier for those who can afford. That is why we look in awe at the standards of living in Western countries and find our youth struggling to get to the west without first pondering if they could afford those services and products.

Do we give due consideration to the considerable investment in time, money and hard work required to guarantee continuous international success, particularly how steadfast we actually have to be in order to maintain competitiveness if we ever achieved the required global standards in the first place?

Compare the citizen in the developed world to the jobless youth in our cities or to the hardly clothed poor farmer in rural Uganda, many of whom are only able to focus on whether some divine good luck will come their way for them to sleep on a full stomach that day.

At a national level, we hardly even look beyond our borders to compete with our neighbors who are also our partners in development.

Yet, believe it or not, capitalism is also a sport where national pride is at stake and where competition between countries creates progress.

As for now, the overwhelming perception is that we are already striving beyond the imaginable to make the best of our current predicament. However, if we don’t outshine ourselves even further by achieving beyond where we never thought we were capable of reaching, how will we attain this terrestrial glory?

Becoming first in the world is not a joke. Just ask any Ugandan living abroad what real life in Europe or the US is about? Getting there and struggling mostly in vain to live like the average European.

And that’s where I urge all of us to and sustain maintain our strife for achievements in our respective fields at home.Without attaining and surpassing minimum standards in our professions and different fields of expertise, an otherwise good idea remains in the realm of utopia.

If we took industrial, scientific and economic competitiveness more seriously, we would possibly be organizing programs for researchers, engineers, scientists and economists to train and collaborate with the best in the world.

Why wouldn’t a Ugandan be the one to discover a cure for cancer or HIV/Aids for example? Wouldn’t that be worth trillions of dollars if we went by international patent and intellectual property rights plus guaranteed production for the global market over say 50 years?

The word “Developed” not only means uplifting standards of living but also raising a critical mass of activities to standards of international excellence like South Africa is already on course of achieving.

It also requires that every Ugandan citizen represent this country at all times especially in the face of outside competition.But do Ugandans know that they also own this country and should be outstanding in order to uplift ourselves and our countries image?

Just ask why the Ugandan marathon runner grabbed the national flag from an onlooker in the last Olympics so as to complete the last few hundred meters with the Ugandan colors on his shoulders.

Fellow Ugandans, this country also personally belongs to you. And if there is anyone who will actually carry the nation to the 1st World, it is ultimately you who has to make the effort and behavioral changes necessary to achieve that goal.

Such an ambitious projection requires that we demand it from all leaders while doing whatever is necessary to at least head in that direction regardless of individual political inclinations.

President Museveni talked of “removing bottlenecks” in his independence speech. However, to attain 1st World status it would also require the local equivalent of a “Marshal plan” (the US Economic Support to Europe after the 2nd World War) to pro-actively transform this country.But ignoring or dismissing such an idea like many are doing, is exactly what this country has to immediately avoid.

As of now, I am not convinced that the Ministry responsible is working on any elaborate road-map that could provide the national progress that is sought.

While we might be thinking that we were already doing our level best, we could learn from our own success stories that there is still much more that we could achieve to improve our quality of life and that of generations to come.If only we could consistently excel at the local, regional and international level, and in all productive activities ranging from school performance, to good performance in our individual professions, in scientific innovation, sports, technology, business, creative arts and progressive national politics.

Unfortunately just a few weeks after the independence celebrations, are we or aren’t we back to “business as usual” as usual? For God and My Country


Hussein Lumumba Amin

Media Consultant & Son of Former President Idi Amin Dada

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UAH T-SHIRTS: CAN ANYBODY STEP FORWARD AND DO BUSINESS

Sep 14, 12 7:04 PM

Hello,

Is there anyone willing to do business with us right now? I think we need UAH-T-shirts, caps, e.t.c urgently to take this spirit outside the internet. So, if you think you know your way round designing T-shirts, calendars or stuff like that, and you know how to do business, please get in touch with me at: abbeysemuwemba@gmail.com.

We want our UAH members to have something tangible they can remember this forum with. Obviously, whoever wants a T-shirt, they gonna have to folk some money out to get it. We will make arrangements on how these T-shirts can be bought and delivered to members that pay for them. For now, we need some business angel committed to this deal to help himself and the moderators make some money, and also promote the spirit of nationalism in the country.

We hope that the money received from selling such items will help us to build an independent forum ( away from Google and other networks), and a good website. In case a lot is raised, then we will find a way to build a UAH library somewhere on the outskirts of Kampala where we will be asking members here to donate various books for our people back home inishallah.

Like I told the publicity Secretary for the Uganda Media Centre, Ms.Sarah Kyobe, yesterday: UAHs are patriots and an unofficial presidential advisors, and deserve to be appreciated by the government instead of looking at them as enemies. It is not easy to advice a government that does not want to be advised on a daily basis. But we still do it despite the risks involved because we love our country.

So, if anybody wants to do this deal for us please step forward and make us proud.

Thank you

–

Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba

Stalk my blog at: http://semuwemba.com/

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/semuwemba

Join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbey.k.semuwemba

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The distinction between economic progress and improved standard of living

Sep 14, 12 6:33 PM

Economists and other commentators have difficulties drawing a distinction between economic growth, per capita income, economic progress and improvement in the general standard of living of the population. Many use these terms interchangeably. They think that when an economy is growing rapidly, everyone is enjoying the benefits of growth as rapidly. They think that controlling inflation will create favorable conditions for everyone to invest and reap profits. They think that increased and diversified exports will earn foreign exchange with which to import goods and services that will benefit everyone equally or equitably. In reality, the situation is different. Rapid economic growth doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone will benefit unless the trickle down mechanism works but it doesn’t.

Many visitors to Uganda since 1987 when NRM government adopted structural adjustment program (SAP) have reported economic progress in terms of economic growth, macroeconomic stability, privatization of public enterprises, downsizing the public service, reducing or eliminating subsidies and diversified exports and have given NRM government credit for this economic progress, urging other countries to emulate Uganda success. They used per capita income to demonstrate that the economy and people were doing very well. But per capita income doesn’t tell us how different regions and economic groups are faring. In economies like Uganda where income distribution is highly skewed, economic growth and per capita income leave a lot to be desired. During the 1990s, Uganda’s economy grew very fast reaching 11 percent in the mid’90s. However absolute poverty remained very high.

This distinction was underscored by James Gustav Speth, former Administrator of UNDP, when he observed that “Uganda is a leading example of an African country that is doing many of the right economic things to lift its people out of poverty. It has posted growth rates averaging 6% a year for a decade. Yet two-thirds of the population remain in absolute poverty, and per capita income is only now approaching the level it had attained in 1970” (Proceedings of the Development Cooperation Seminar 1998. Japan 1999). It hasn’t reached that level on the eve of Uganda’s 50th independence anniversary in 2012. In fact, structural adjustment program upon which the assessment of Uganda’s economic progress is based was abandoned in 2009 because it had failed to deliver as expected. Yet commentators continue to report economic progress in Uganda.

Stabilization and structural adjustment program failed because it was based on wrong premises. It was assumed that market forces and laissez faire policies in concert with trickledown economics would produce the desired results. Individuals were more or less left on their own instead of working in tandem with the state. The market forces or manipulated market forces based on willing seller and willing buyer of property have resulted in dispossessing many household of land the only asset and source of livelihood they have since the majority of Ugandans don’t have functional education and skills to work in sectors outside agriculture. A deregulated economic system has resulted in massive de-vegetation and exploitation of natural resources such as fish and timber that the future of Uganda has been seriously undermined. The get rich-quick mentality of leaders and individualism has brushed under the carpet the age old traditions of community cohesion and rational management of natural resources. Uganda is on the brink of turning into a desert which doesn’t appear to have bothered the NRM regime. Poverty, unemployment, hunger, disease and ignorance are undermining the country and generations to come.

NRM lack of long-term vision and focus on strengthening the military and torture chambers together with rampant corruption, sectarianism and cronyism as well as obstructing legitimate dissent is planting seeds of trouble in years ahead. You can’t have peace and stability in the absence of development that reduces poverty. As Kofi Annan former Secretary-General of the United Nations observed “In the world we live in, most of the countries now in conflict also turn out to be poor. They lack good governance; they do not provide the basic amenities for their people. And here I’m referring to education, good health, and clean water. Having these basic necessities, the right regulatory system – and a government that believes in establishing ‘an enabling environment’ – frees and releases the energies of the people to participate in economic and social activity, and prepare for their future. They will be too busy in these constructive areas to get engaged in the sort of wars or conflict that we’ve seen destroying so many of these countries” (Share International Jan-Feb 2000). In short development underpins peace and security which Uganda has missed. Anti-sectarian and anti-terrorist laws alone won’t bring peace in a swamp of poverty and youth unemployment.

As we begin the next fifty years of Uganda’s independence, let us all Ugandans reflect on why we have failed to realize the dream of independence; why we have spent more time fighting and grabbing what belongs to others; why we have continued to harbor notions of superiority and inferiority; why our 1962, 1967 and 1995 constitutions and institutions have failed to deliver the fruits of independence. We have to remember that together we stand and divided we fall as a nation, region or families.

What is likely to contribute significantly to the destruction of Uganda is the current breakneck speed of grabbing land from peasants by the rich or those wielding AK 47. Whoever is advising the president and the prime minister to dispossess Ugandans of their land needs to think again. Since time immemorial, land has contributed significantly to wars and revolutions as exemplified by the French, Russian, Mexican and Ethiopian revolutions. Wars of African decolonization were very fierce and bloody in areas of white occupied Africans’ land including in Algeria, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Uganda must learn from these experiences. It must be understood that Uganda government does not have land to dish out to developers. Land belongs to the people. The British colonial government understood this well in her – protectorate model – and stayed away from people’s land. Uganda has the potential to rebel: don’t ignite it.

Eric Kashambuzi

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Huge sexual appetite and NRM Industrialisation – Part II

Jun 14, 12 1:47 PM

Now, European or American countries, and now Asians if not independent organisations, finance virtually all doctoral research projects and programs in Uganda. If Africans in Uganda are lucky, the donor or supporting agency will then come in, yet, to finance implementation of the research result, but in key areas where they benefit!

Do not be surprised that having a doctorate in Uganda is completely useless!Let me exemplify the above:
Karuma – Arua Road
Mityana – Mubende
Mubende Fortportal
Masaka to Mbarara Road
Iganga to Mbale Road
Jinja to Kampala Road
Kampala to Karuma road
Kampala to Masaka Road
Natete to Mengo Road
Nsambya to Ggaba Road
Kibuye to Munyonyo Road
– all these roads have different designs! Designed by donating agencies or a contractor. Has this country any sort of road designing and construction research facility?! The answer is NO.

Bridges in this country have been collapsing and swept away by rain – pity the engineers. How could they maintain and later repair what they never designed in the first place!The story of the Africans and their independence is heart rendering and chilling.

Reach a road heading to Pope Memorial Hotel in Ndebba in Kampala – that is exactly when you see the debacles depth, of being an African in NRM Uganda. The Germany financed facility to repair 18th century train wagons, is just that a rusting and for an African politician, a dead end, that is all right!

They can sing so much about tourism and liberation.Do not mind that Idi Amin initiated the above, introduced cable and colour Television to Uganda. Mpoma streamed pictures before the Internet was here, as if Idi Amin who built Mpoma, had a greater vision.

Orange telecom is providing a faster Internet service. Mpoma is dead! China has stepped in now, with their Star Television, clearly connected to Chinese satellite link to milk this country dry.

Now just think about it a bit, that Uganda has 32 Universities, Yet all them, teaching and skill imparting facilities, physics department have not found a way of digitising Uganda, without using Chinese satellites and technologies. All let us put it mildly utilising the existing infrastructure.

It is a farce of mega proportions. Has Uganda transformed at all, over the past 26 years? Yes! In a purely theoretical economics, it has and this is negative growth, which is also termed as development. It is measurable and can give very positive figures.
Here is another falsehood. Uganda Revenue Authority for example, collects so many shillings from imports and junk cars sold in Uganda and makes 400 billion shilling in the first quarter period. So if Uganda through stealing state funds increase their consumption of the above, items by 10 billion the total will be 410 in another quarter hence

1Q Revenue: UG X 400 billion
2Q Revenue: UG X 410 billion

(410-400)/400 = .025 or 2.5% per quarter. One can then multiply that figure by 4 quarters to get the annual growth. Idiots like Amin and Obote could then start singing about growth – can you imagine!

The question though, will be on what items is Ms. Kigina’s URA getting the UG 400 billion? On Mivumba (old cloth), old cars imports, Chinese industrial junk, Kakira sugar and steel products etc!

This is interesting, because we are taught in economics that Gross Domestic Product is the total market value of all final goods and services produced in a country in a given year: Consumer, Investment, Government Spending and Value of exports minus the imports.

What is composed of Uganda’s Gross Domestic Product of the above really? What is Uganda producing? What are the investments in Uganda? Hotels and weapons. What is government spending on? Healthy care, Roads Uganda by the way has less than 250000 public workers
What is Uganda exporting? Still coffee, foodstuffs,

In Europe, unlike Uganda they have the technical know how, technology, industrial infrastructure and the skilled manpower.
Is Europe failing – my answer is an absolute no.

What is happening in Europe is a situation where negative growth is taking place, but the real value of wages has been increasing. Workers and consumers may feel as if the economy is getting worse.
In Hungry, Poland, Albania the industrial structure has never been better since firms and companies that have migrated to china from Europe are actually relocating here.Negative growth in European countries is causing adjustment in wages and hence lowering production costs in the long run.

NRM’s divestment from major industrial infrastructure spelled doom for this country. And the only way this country can be resurrected is to reanalyses the debacle and the government start reinvesting in all meaningful industrial infrastructure they eliminated in the fundamental change.

But even then, it will be difficult to do the above unless there is total reorganisation of all our urban areas, fully equipped with the necessary infrastructure (proper urban planning infrastructure and national roads, electricity, landlines phones, internet facilities, commercial buildings, cheap transport infrastructures, skilled and competent work force, workers housing, ware houses, produce marketing agencies, produce storage facilities).

Sorry to note that the social fabric that NRM has created is lumpen therefore will never be able to develop this country. It is too late.
For instance if you close down Nytil textiles (negative development) there is a positive economic development in alternative sectors like used cloth imports which are taxed in millions of shillings to bring about the 8% growth.

Light industries include the manufacture of; clothes, shoes, furniture, consumer electronics and home appliances. So far none is actually manufacture for even NRM politicians are no longer sleeping on beds made from Uganda trees!

There is no investment world over, unless it Mercantilists and an extortionist economy: investment in commercial building constructions at more than ¼ a million dollars and the same building is not occupied for months on. This happens in Uganda! The question will be who pays for the premium on land, where the building is seated and other running costs for the unoccupied building?
Some question comes to mind in the above circumstance. Is the money invested borrowed or simply stolen?

Pure economic theory has little to do with development of a nation state. European economic transformation was brought about by; zeal, pragmatism, rather than recent financial and fiscal prudence.

Brazil and India have the worst poverty levels in emerging nations; yet have developed the most visible indigenous technological, and scientific practices. They still lack the distributive and implementation capability.

Norway (tinned fish and Oil) , Denmark (milk , Bang Olofsson) and Finland (Nokia) had nothing substantial on the world export markets before the 1980s. Small countries like Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia and Japan, North American markets aside, have developed substantial technological, and scientific practices that have transformed their societies.

Is Europe declining – NO! Europe is readjusting. The problems of Europe are exactly the same as “Veblen Effect” of conspicuous consumption that has made production so costly.

NRM’s Uganda economic cannibalism is amazing. Don’t mind how it happens. There are chilling examples though.
Banks, insurance companies on realising this flaw in Uganda’s economic status and are therefore making windfall profits.

The same goes with Ugandan so called investors. He will for example set up an AGOA factory, don’t mind what that means, so long as it will promote the investors social status whether AGOA produces anything or not! This same factory, on close examination might be filled with scrap machines.

The business will takes a loan and of course an insurance policy! Such businesses must pay very high premium and interest rate on each shilling borrowed. In a way the above economic sectors, are benefiting highly from this negative economic development.
In essence NRM economic miracle exist by a defacto socio-political and economic corrupt grouping. Mafia economics. Swept aside by history, Uganda as a whole is destined to an absurdity and tougher times ahead.

Uncertainty. Risk! Ugandans who are living or have lived in developed organised economies of the world will ask – what is leading to the growth of shopping malls and who does the shopping in them for example? The answer is a “Veblen Effect” rather than pure economic development.

Ugandans with NRM have developed a skewed way of life and perception of their world. Every morning, a bodaboda rider, a milk vendor or road sweeper for example puts on a nice cloth, well polished shoes, a class bracelet or shoes and head to work, instead of an overall or working cloth. Reaching the workstation stand for an hour discussing Villa or Arsenal, or her fights with a lampooned husband. This same individual will later have time to seek supranormal profits characterised by sheer demand for it rather than applied effort to acquire the same.

Do an experiment i.e. on William Street or Kampala road and ask for a shoe or a dress at a higher price and when brought you later decline to buy. The seller will instantly want to committee suicide as if it is a guarantee that you had to buy by all means! If in any case this person had nothing of the item, which you needed in his, or her stock, will convince you to buy an alternative despite the fact that is not what you exactly needed or demanded for. It is all robbery on a national scale.

Bwanika, Nakyesawa Luweero

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HOW IS M7 GOING TO PAY BACK USA? ASKS PROF MUCHAI

Apr 15, 12 5:39 PM

Dear Ugandans at heart,

After the winds of change in the 1960s, Africa found itself fast-gaining independence from colonialists, one country after another, until South Africa became the last country to claim uhuru.

Since then, there appeared to have been a surrender of the colonial ideology by the colonial masters but sooner rather than later, the colonial masters regrouped and came up with a more subtle manner of re-colonising Africa through regime change disguised as “humanitarian military interventions, democracy, good governance and accountability”.

The sad story is that all these high-sounding words were crafted and started being implemented largely from an American, British and French point of view and, generally from a Eurocentric point of view.

Democracy, good governance and accountability were never sought and implemented from an African perspective, not from an Africa eye and each African leader who has defied this has been a victim of regime change.

The pseudo-democrats, created and hoisted into power by the Americans, the British the Canadian and the French, have all turned out to be sell-outs with no interest of Africa and the Africans, but giving all the resources to the master of regime change.

This has been the dilemma of Africa and an affront to African humanism.

The United States of America in particular has set up military commands for the absolute control of Africa’s resources and is willing to deploy is soldiers to any portion of Africa, firstly disguised as helpers bringing peace and stability but behind the scenes, America will be milking that country’s resources or effecting regime change.

All Africans in the know got worried late last year when America deployed 100 soldiers to Uganda, to hunt for the Lord’s Resistance Army and save President Yoweri Museveni.

The question by all and sundry is saving Museveni from what?

The other question is how is Museveni going to pay back the American?

What with Museveni’s involvement in the DRC?

What has Museveni done to deserve special protection from the Americans, which Sudan’s Al-Bashir does not deserve?

What special protection does Museveni deserve which Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe does not deserve from the MDC onslaught?

The point is, while we should not support the rebels in Uganda, it is equally interesting to question the motive of the Americans yet there is the African Union that should be expressly dealing with such problems.

Is it not correct for the African Union to come up with a military contingent to deal with such problems, since SADC already has a Standby Brigade?

The LRA is not silly and reports from its camp are that they have done a tactical withdrawal until they understand the American mission.

They have not disbanded but they have gone underground.

For a country as big as America to have a military intervention in yonder Uganda, there must be something special and Africans should smell a rat.

Why America?

The UN, itself a latterday mouthpiece of American foreign policy claims that it has noted a reduction on LRA presence, effectively giving credit to the American operation in the same manner it did in Libya until the violent overthrowing of Muammar Gaddafi.

What is needed in Uganda is an African solution not an American solution.

This fact is attributed to a gradual decrease in Joseph Kony’s troops.

According to the Ugandan government, their numbers do not exceed 350-400 fighters.

But truth is that Kony now has more sympathisers in the Arab world than he had before as the anti-American sentiment is high in that section of society.

Considering this, one can clearly see how flimsy the US official excuse for sending 100 troops to the Great Lakes District is that there is need for stability in that region and that Kony has butchered ordinary people.

At the same time, this move is completely in line with the US plan to penetrate African and consolidate its military, political, and economic grip on the continent.

The move has given US AFRICOM one step into the African soil and it is fact not fiction that Museveni no longer has the power to withdraw the American soldiers and neither will he have the power to determine when the mission will end.

It is equally true that Museveni no longer has the power to defend his country’s independence and that he will now dance the American tune to the fullest.

The first stage of the plan was implemented in Libya, with the AFRICOM being brought into play there to deal with Gaddafi, disguised as America’s contingent to help Nato. Now the Africom troops are deployed in the Great Lakes District and what is next for Africa?

The decision made by the government of Uganda, DRC, Central African Republic, and South Sudan to allow the AFRICOM troops to their respective territories undermines the other AU member-countries’ effort to establish their own peacekeeping forces.

African leaders must put on the agenda of the January 2012 AU summit, the issue of deploying a regiment of the SADC Standby Forces in the Great Lakes as soon as possible, not AFRICOM.

This step would enable African countries to maintain control over the situation on the continent, keep any foreign players from meddling in African affairs and put an end to the new wave or colonisation.

The move is an affront to all effort for Africa to control and defend its independence in a manner it sees fit not in manner other countries and continents see fit. – DayAfrica.com

*Professor Muchai Wa Muthatha teaches History at Makerere University

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Dr.Byamugisha deserves his compesation but Kabatsi should never have been presidential legal advisor

Mar 16, 12 8:11 PM

The head of legal department, Joy Kabatsi was fired.

Folks:

I think Dr Joseph Byamugisha deserves to be compensated for his services to NSSF. He has been on the case for years. Without him, NSSF would have paid a lot of money to crooks claiming to represent Alcon. I actually believe the reason he was suddenly replaced as the NSSF outside counsel is because he was stubborn and refused to settle the case out of court. Some crooks somewhere did not want him there so they terminated his services.

And who replaced him? Kasirye, Byaruhanga advocates. These are known NRM lawyers. Granted, Dr Joseph Byamugisha was and probably still is YKM’s lawyer. But he is also a former chief Legal adviser of DP during the reign of Dr Ssemwogerere. Today DP’s legal adviser, Mbidde Fred, just graduated from LDC! Imagine. DP deserves better than Mbidde.

Dr Joseph Byamugisha deserves to be paid. Whether he deserves 30 billion let the Supreme Court decide. But again if Ms JenniferMusisi is making 36 or 38 m a month, and many junior lawyers barely out of LDC where many failed and failed and failed before finally passing, and are now demanding billions, surely Dr Byamugisha deserves to be paid well a lot more.

Firms like Karugire and Kiryowa advocates are now apparently the firms of choice to handle government files. And you guys wonder why the state is losing billions of money through dubious court rulings. Many of these junior lawyers who barely made it out of LDC have no ability to defend such cases. So they COLLUDE. Yes. COLLUDE to lose cases and take their cut. At the end of the day someone somewhere did not like Dr Byamuugisha defending NSSF because they are pressuring NSSF to pay off ALCORN.

Now Mr Ssekono insists that he wants Mr. Mohamed Nyaoga the lanky kisii lawyer who is the managing partner of Mohamed Muigai advocates-Dr Muigai was appointed Kenya’s AG- to defend NSSF. Surely Mr. Nyaoga is an able lawyer and one of the best litigators in Kenya. But some within NSSF do not want him on board? Why?

Yes if the Karugire, Kiryowa advocates or Muzamil Kibedi advocates are being paid billions for essay deals, Dr Byamugisha should be paid his dues. If it is shs.30 billon should the Supreme Court rule so be it. He saved NSSF billions of money. Blame KCC’s Ms. Musisi for the wage inflation in Uganda.

MIRUNDI INTERVIEW

The Chimreport interview Muhame Giles had with Tamale Mirundi portrays what I have been saying all along. State House is in total chaos. No one is in charge. Those who are there have no clue. The PPS herself has no clue. My bet is that the next person to be sacked will be the PPS MS Grace Akello. If General Saleh is pissed off on UAH, she must know that her days are numbered.

Tamale Mirundi accuses Ms. Kabatsi of portraying State House negatively. Well Tamale Mirundi makes it worse. He illustrates Garbage In- Garbage-Out (GIGO) perfectly.

Listen to him that the legal department is very important and should be manned by women and men of high intellect. But look at the previous holders of that office: all of them were there not because they were smart or competent. . No. they were there because of nepotism: Fox Odoi, One Kashilingi and Joyce Kabatsi. Strange choices but the trend is there: either ‘saved’ be mediocre. Of all Ms Kabatsi is the most intriguing. Granted her husband is a sharp legal mind-did YKM hire her to get two for one-but certainly not her.

The big question remains. Why is YKM afraid of bright, competent types? Only in Uganda do you have a character like Tamale Mirundi as the secretary to the President and someone like Ms. Joyc Kabatsi as Legal advisor.
Hopefully YKM will learn from the Basajabalaba shit. Once again listen to the nonsense from Tamale Mirundi that the legal officials were fired for giving the crook state house secrets. Which state house secrets?

YKM gave everything to the crook, so there are no secrets to leak. Muhame Giles did a good job interviewing Tamale Mirundi and exposing his lack of depth.

MISSING FILE IN STATE HOUSE

It is not funny anymore. Shit keeps hitting YKM’s state house. Someone wrote that YKM’s State House is a den of thieves who stole 300 million and more from Okello House. It is also full of mediocre and incompetent types.

Now YKM claims that the file is missing from State House. Give me a damn break. That is a deliberate act by YKM. The file is missing because YKM wants it missing. Full stop.

How gullible are some of the journalists who swallow every nonsense fed to them by state house to report without asking any serious questions. For example, when did the file go missing? When did YKM know it was missing etc? Folks, the file is missing because it mentioned minister Amelia Kyambadde, so YKM wants to protect her because like the supper crook she knows where skeletons are buried. No wonder Uganda is dysfunctional.
Actually YKM knows that the file incriminates him and his stooges at state House including Minister Amelia Kyambadde and more. So he goes to PAC to clean up his act. My worry is with PAC. Why? Because PAC will write a report and YKM will summon the NRM caucus to expunge incriminating recommendations as was the case in the Governor Mutebile saga.

YKM has now found a way with PAC, so PAC should re-rethink. Why is YKM suddenly willing to appear before PAC? He knows that it is saving him rather than pinning him.

Those copies must have been collected and taken somewhere or even destroyed. That is criminal.
PIONEER BUSES

What are the real issues involving Buses? Who is opposed to buses in Kampala? What are the illegalities we keep reading about -ok, no number plates?

I think the buses are a good thing for the city given a) the level of pollution which is a health hazard, b) cost of living C) NRM control of UTODA.

Is NRM opposed to the buses because they wound end UTODA abuses? Remember UTODA is NRM’s cash cow. But so are the people behind the buses. Is NRM split as who to support?

But again, why did all of a sudden did KCCA end UTODA’s monopoly? Was that a hint that the powers that be now wanted Pioneer buses? And what about Kayola train which suddenly started caring passengers this Monday?

Well, Ugandans/Kampalans should be given all the choices they can have: Kamunye/taxis, Pioneer buses, Kayola train and of course piga mugu.

Of course lack of number plates is a big issue. But that tells you that there are bigger forces at play. Ordinarily no car can carry passengers let alone be on the road without number plates.

One wonders about third party insurance. If the buses have no number plates, do they have insurance?

I tell you what; the owners of Pioneer will soon show up at state House. They may had showed up already to talk compensation!

Mark you they include NRM people like Mr Mathew Rukikaire father in law to Nina Mbabazi, daughter of PM Mbabazi. That is to say that only buses with such owners can apply roads without number plates. They are behaving like Kalenjins during Moi, who pissed on everyone. The conditions are in place for another billions scam to be visited on the people of Uganda.
W.B.KYIJOMANYI

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Dr.Muhumuza’s Defence of Mutebile is absurd

Mar 12, 12 6:52 PM

In the week that the Muteebile saga reached its peak here, next door in Kenya, we celebrated the lives of two prominent nationalist Men of Men: Njenga Karume and John Michuki. These need no introduction, save for the uninitiated, who I advise to seek out Karume’s book, Beyond Expectations. The passing of of these two luminaries, only served to inspire and reinforce the ‘Tuinuwane’ spirit, which was Karume’s philosophy, whose baton he passed onto three generations below him. The world in Kenya did not stop. On the contrary, everybody was fired and charged to add to what these two great men had done in their lives.

That Ugandan ‘experts’ are warning of dire consequences if Muteebile goes, is not only defeatist, but a clear demonstration of intellectual dishonesty, one key tragedy besieging this country. Dr Muhumuza’s argument is the most absurd. It is a loser on two fronts: one, advancing western speculative capital practices and policies as the panacea to Uganda’ s economic woes. In case he missed it, Dr Muhumuza will find Dr Mahathir Muhammad’s treatise on the fallacy of euro-centric arrogance in global economic and financial matters, very edifying. It was published about 3 weeks ago in The New Vision. Muteebile has been doing nothing at the Central Bank,but creating an artificially-controlled ‘economic stability’, a prescription from the Breton Woods Twins. And it works in their favour, not ours.

The second front where Dr Muhumuza loses it is about the ‘strong personality’ of Muteebile. This itself is another fallacy, since what is needed is professionalism, expertise and a clear national vision, not so much personality in the narrow psychological sense. Moreover, by bending to political pressure and embedded interests, even when he had constitutional protection, Muteebile glaringly stripped himself naked, showing all and sundry, that he can be compromised: what strong personality is this, even if we were to dwell on this variable? Muteebile betrayed the Mukiga in him, even after swearing to his peers at Kampala Club, that he would rather go home, than implement strange directives: but what have we seen? Trillions squandered on parade jets, billions( perhaps trillions) drawn for election campaigns,unexplained currency printing, capital flight( the actual cause of the dollar crisis late last year), and here we are, with ‘experts’ talking of one man’s invincibility???

It boils down to the intellectual dishonesty alluded to above. On three occasions at least, I have listened to Dr Muhumuza advancing Prof. Ha Joon Chang’s theory of ‘kicking away the ladder’, which explains why the western world is prescribing to us economic policies that they themselves never used on their path to industrialisation and the current dominance of the world. Chang aptly argues that the West, having reached the top, are now kicking away the ladder they used to climb, so that nobody uses the same ladder to reach where they are. That Dr Muhumuza knows this, yet advances the opposite is the tragedy of this country: the intelligentsia( in the larger sense of the word), knowing the truth and speaking( or keeping quiet) from their stomachs. This is treason by commission and/or omission. Dr Ssewanyana chooses the latter. Knowing what keeps EPRC going, she decides to play safe, not to ‘comment on matters political’. Of course she very well knows who Muteebile represents and their influence on her source of buttered bread: EPRC.

No man is invicible. No single man has a single vision. This line of argument is very poisonous, leading to the mentality of ..only him can manage the army…, a very terrible danger to the institutions, individuals and national destiny. Even in basic management, you are the worst manager if you believe that your office cannot run in your absence. A visionary leader, at whatever level, creates systems and structures that will see continuity after his departure. On a day-to-day operations basis, it saves you the hassle, since you achieve through your lieutenants.

The world existed billions of years before each one of us was born and it will continue to exist ad infinitum, after we are dead. A friend in our team puts it better: …’not even to my wife, the world will stop briefly for her for the first few minutes of my last breath…and very soon, she will be gauging who is the most suitable replacement’….!!!

Muteebile, listen to the God within you…. only Him can sack you!!!!!!!!!!!!

SANDRA BIRUNGI

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Mutebile, corrupt ministers, MPs and Bassajabalaba have a symbiotic relationship with M7

Feb 28, 12 1:02 PM

Folks:

Some should warn Karoro Okurut and Margaret Muhanga (Andrew Mwenda’s sister)that once Yoweri Kaguta Museveni(YKM) is out of office they will lose all the illegally acquired land without any compensation. Title deeds will be nullified the way it has been done and is still being done in Kenya. The good thing is that land is not a movable property. And even the buyers better be aware. The excuse that they bought from Karooro or Muhanga will not fly. And if you dig deeper where those women got their chits to go and lot public land, you will find that they got them from State House. Surprise!

And estates build on stolen or illegally acquired land will be torn down the way it has been done in Kenya where mansions were destroyed. Yes it is painful but for the sake of sanity it will have to be done. And it will be done

According to Daily Monitor, “Fr Lokodo told Saturday Monitor that the position of Cabinet is that Prof Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile (Governor Bank of Uganda), Billy Kainamura (former Solicitor General), and Harriet Lwabi (acting Solicitor General) will be forced to resign to ensure transparency during investigations over the case and thereafter prosecuted”

Why should Ms Hariet Lwabi resign whens he came in long after the swindle? I believe she was parlimentary counsel or something like that at the time.

With all due respect to Fr Lokodo, he is engaged in window dressing and he knows it.

Basajjabalaba and his shs.169b

Ugandans are funny people. Even the chairman of PAC Hon Wadri said that he believed YKM on Basajabalaba. In the story in the DAILY MONITOR, YKM says he ordered Ms Muloni to sign the papers. In a story published in one of the papers, the journalist said he believes that Basajabalaba did not carry away all the 169 billion and that Minister Bbumba, Prof Khidu Makubuya and Governor Mutebile took some. But what about YKM? The big question is this: how much of the money paid to Basajabalaba ended up in YKM’s pockets or in the pockets of his cronies? Did PAC ask YKM to go on record on that issue? There are signs everywhere that Basajabalaba is a front for YKM. He uses him to steal public monies. Then we have PAC which says they believe in YKM. What is it they believe?

PAC is one of the most important committees of the house and members should not compromise. That is not the case with the current PAC. Why has PAC not ordered for the arrest of the crook if as YKM claims he was wrongly paid? Why can’t the state recover the monies? Can those in the press help us out here? How many billions has Basajabalaba returned since beyond what YKM called “fair”. What is fair about paying crook public money apparently for business lost for taking over markets? Think about it, markets that were meant for the peasants have turned out to be the cash cow for YKM’s sidekicks. Col Mugyenyi not sure whether he won the Nyabushozi seat is the other crook being compensated for taking over markets. And who gave them those markets in the first place. Was it not YKM?

The issue is not whether YKM knew. I was even surprised by Hon Semujju’s article in the OBSERVER. The truth of the matter is that it was President Yoweri Museveni who originated the scheme that would allow that crook scumbag to rip off the country. YKM not only knew, but he must have signed off whatever the crook presented. So Hon Semujju, stop trying to sanitize YKM’s actions. How can the president originate the scheme and not know what was going on? How can the scheme that was plotted in state House take place without YKM- the Ssebaggabe’s knowledge? Who else has the guts to plot theft of such public funds from State House? What is the matter?

I bet you YKM met with those crooks in state house not once but severally. Yes, Let Mirundi deny this. And how many times did YKM use that red/hot line to call the ministers ordering them to just pay the crooks? This issue is bigger than Watergate.

For the avoidance of doubt, President Yoweri Museveni was an active participant in the Basajabalaba schemes to defraud Ugandans public money. Whether YKM personally benefited, I live that to your judgment. But I hope UAH is not a forum for dummies.

Well, what more to say about Ugandan MPs? 28 billion as emoluments- I guess this is the money paid to MPs for sitting in endless committees. Now think about it. If you let hyenas decide how much to get paid, how many committees do you think they will attend and for how long, just to take home more money?

So the big question is this: what is Uganda foregoing to pay MPs 28 billion on top of shs.103 million each for cars? That is, what can 28 billion do elsewhere in a productive way? Nodding disease needs 7 billion to fight, yet MPs and MOF are telling health to find the money from its budget. In the meantime MPs are finding money for their tumbo and petty projects. Notice that 7 billion is a mere quarter of 28 billion! If you still had doubt about the symbiotic relationship between YKM and MPs, there you have it.

Pioneer Buses

Now the news about the Buses is that they are owned by among others one Muganga who is described a son in law to Mr Sam Kutesa. Other shareholders include Mr Mathew Rukikaire, father in law to Ms Nina Mbabazi, and a few others. That tells you one thing: The buses will ply Kampala. If not, expect YKM to approve several billions for businesses lost! YKM determines and decides everything.

On that score he is like Mr Moi. I do not know how crowded YKM’s state house is, but it seems to be crowded with crooks and thieves that he favors the way Moi’s state house was. It was not unusual for the crooks to fight each other in Moi’s state house. Yes within state house!

W.B.KYIJOMANYI
NEWYORK

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