“On this Workers’ Day…Spare a thought for the 8-point-2 million South Africans struggling to find work. That was the request of DA leader Mmusi Maimane. He spent the day in Cape Town, celebrating the repeal of over 300 by-laws and policies which he claimed stifled the growth of small and medium businesses” (SABC Digital, 2016)
Category: Economic Measures
The Announced Double Swearing-in (In) Uganda on the 12th of May; Doubling down on the days ahead…

There are circulated and planned demonstrations against the National Resistance Movement and their “elected” government during the General Election of 2016 and was announced and declared by Eng. Dr. Badru M. Kiggundu on the 20th February. That they waited for the Supreme Court Petition of Amama Mbabazi that they cascaded and destroyed by all means. Just the same way the Uganda Police Force went after Democratic Party Members, FDC supporters and leadership in the days after to destroy evidence of the altering and rigging of the election.
The Reason why Uganda People’s Congress haven’t done or had any issues after the Election is because their leader Jimmy Akena have done deals with the NRM and even had his own people in the party campaign for the NRM in certain areas. Therefore they have been left in peace as they in solidarity have concocted an campaign trail together with the NRM, as well as the Party had no Presidential Candidate, which is also an extended token to the NRM and their Executive.
So with all of that mind, with the electoral climate and the electoral process that have been farce, where the South Sudanese rented troops was around in the nation during the election days, together with the army and anti-riot police stationed on the streets while the election and polling where held. Where the ballots and pre-ticking extensions and the certainty of Police involvement in central parts of the electoral process, then you know that the general election was neither free nor fair for the people and the citizens hadn’t their vote, they got the people the Executive had selected, not the ones the people wanted to have elected.

Elected by the people is whole stage of difference than the Selected from the Executive. That is power of the President and the president that has presided since 1986. The man who does not believes in the will of his own people, because he selected the leaders for them, if they don’t show loyalty towards him. He is the only man with a vision, as well have heard so clearly and everybody else is not able to run the country. I am sure he has stalled the procurement of the Cobalt 60 Teletherapy Machine at the Uganda Cancer Institute to facilitate more cows to one of his ranches.
In this days and age, the reason for extra haste and other meetings at the State House is that the Russian and French investors in the Oil Development that is the key to new ways of extorting the state, as the Executive have done for 3 decades. The reason why the deals of the Pipeline between Ugandan Government, Tanzanian counterparts and the Total E&P Uganda is uncertain, as much as the drilling agreements in Lake Albert by Total, China National Oil Offshore Corporation (CNOOC) and the others who have gotten rights to do so. But, that is not important as the exotic dancing at the clubs of Kabalagala in the Suburb of Kampala is the real danger of the country. Just ask the wise-guy Hon. Jim Muhwezi, he has the vision for the sodomy of the nation and the danger of dancing!

The hesitation also of the final days of the 9th Parliament to fix themselves some more cash without questions while stalling the budget talks for next budget year of 2016/17 that was supposed to voted-in Parliament; but the Members of Parliament wanted to be sure of a pay-rise for the Nobel duty of being Selected by the Executive. The Executive knows this and let it go, because he knows if he needs anything done he can just give them little sweet brown-envelopes and they will let him be giddy.
So with that all in mind, the planned demonstrations, the running and planning building a petroleum industry behind closed chambers, the amazement of last-pitched laws of the 9th Parliament and last saga of late the speakership of the 10th Parliament.

10th Parliament like the 9 Parliament before needs a speaker and people are fighting for it, the Incumbent Kadaga believes she is the one for it again, the deputy Oulanya believes it his turn and other are throwing in their vote for confidence of being it. The NRM have no plans of letting a opposition leading the Parliament minutes and the organizing the structure of the lawful assembly of the land. That cannot happen, because the NRM and the Executive need to work in own speed and own liking as the Executive is the final word as he fix the votes and run the land. Therefore his last word on who becomes it and who is dismissed, just like Amama Mbabazi and Gilbert Bukenya have been dismissed by him for their ambition, so if the speakers become the same; I am sure he will do it again with force of the NRM CEC and the screaming tone of NRM Secretary General Justine Kasule-Lumumba. Be noted, that will happen, because he keeps people hungry and when they see a moment of eating more than expected then he hit back.
As we note the days and coming days. The tension of the faulted election will unfold and the questions will remain at what force the Police and Army will address the men and woman who walks to demonstrate, and how will the rest of the days between the 5th May and to the 12th May go. There are the historical pains of the Walk to Work where the tear-gas and the crackdown of it. The Police have ever since been monitoring and also spying on the opposition with their Political Police and Commission that been vicious on the dismantling the hopes of the opposition.

So how it might go is hard to predict as we can hope of the grand show-up of the Nomination Day around Kampala, if so then the Police Force cannot take them all and wind-down the demonstration with water-cannons, live-bullets and tear-gas. This I say because this is the tactics of the Police Force, even take Helicopters and Armoured Personnel Carriers and Mambas filled with officers to control with harassment of the fellow citizens. So the Police will want to dissolve the matters and the will of the people with the tarnish of civil disobedience. That is what I am worried about as the loss of life and the loss of will after 30 years of oppression.
And I have not even mentioned the started wrangles between the councillors, KCCA administration of the selected men and woman of President Museveni and the elected Lord Mayor that they want to rid-off for the second time. Because the Mzee believes all of the opposition supporters of Kampala are cockroaches or rats, depending on the way he does not talk about crash or kill opposition as proven in the Supreme Court Election Petition of 2016. But, hey maybe I am wrong. You can do the fact check on the words used by the His Excellency during and after the Election Day.

So even if Don Museveni gets President Mugabe, President Kenyatta, President Kagame, President Kabila, President Kiir, President Al-Bashir, President Sheik Mohamud, President Magafuli, President Gulleh, Prime Minster Hailemariam Desalegn and so on. They will surely grace him at Kololo and surely nobody will attack the car of President Mugabe this time. As they did last time he entered a roundabout on the road towards Kampala from Entebbe International Airport. Surely the men and woman, who grace the Kololo, will either be the few die-hards of NRM, the actually paid for the day Crime Preventers and the ones that are earning on the National Resistance Movement. Even some ambassadors and other pleasantries will show-up. Even some of the singers like Bebe Cool and Jose Chameleone will be there to sing-a-song. So you are warned.
The levels and magnitude of it all is how the world will perceive the days and how the Police Force will act towards the Opposition. How the mentality and the grandest approach, how the rhetoric and words from the ruling party will also show the TRUE state of affairs.

The international reactions and the real surface of how they will deal with it; as we know the American Africa Corp have recently given more technical gear and training to the Ugandan Army in Somalia. Not that makes headlines or be questioned as the President Obama have talked about leaders who never leaves, but at the same time gives handouts to the same men he critic. That is saying something, but acting differently and is hard to fully follow and accept.
It is in this view that the 12th May will show who is loyal and who his friends are, this will show how powerful and loyalty towards the 30 year ruling President Museveni. The Besigye move is deteriorate and also show that the legitimate Executive are something Museveni is not, not at this point and time. Therefore he uses all tactics to oppression and harassment of the opposition. That I fear also will transpire in the coming days as the Police Force, UPDF Special Force Command and the Flying Squad will surface to violate the rights of fellow citizens of Uganda without any consideration to the violence or the extended freedoms they take away to enforce the rule of their Executive. That is the sad prospects I envision, but if the people show up on the 5th May 2016 as they did on the Presidential Nomination day in November 2015, then the Police Force cannot “kill” or dissolve the demonstration. They have to let it go, because the majority will control the streets even when the Anti-Riot Police have to lay low as they can’t brawl with every person on the street. They can only take a small piece of the population, as they are a minority, but a minority with weapons.

Let’s hope that the oppressive regime will get a peaceful shock and that the preparation for the Swearing-In at Kololo Independence Ground will be shackled and feel the heave of the population tiredness of their Executive and his regime. Peace.
#TBT Ekanya reacts to Tororo County not becoming Distict in Parliament (Footage)
“Drama ensued in parliament when Tororo County Member of Parliament Hon. Geoffrey Ekanya attempted to undress and commit suicide after learning that Tororo County had not been granted District status. #9thParliment” (NBS TV Uganda, 2016).
This might be the reason for the delayed return of VP Dr. Riek Machar, as there reports of how the tension was created in Juba before President Kiir let him back into the Capital of South Sudan.

There here is certain report that was in sent in between the Kenyan Embassy in the South Sudan and their Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As the stories and taking time to get Dr. Riek Machar the leader of SPLM in Opposition instated again as Vice President of South Sudan. That took time and was speculation already, and the commentary was at the size of the guns and the amount of men that the SPLM-IO was allowed to enter the Capital. This here reports shed some lights into the tension of the capital before he returned and to what state of affairs.
That the Government we’re prepared and even decided to put up a military barrack besides an UN POC site proves the levels of tension in the country as the steps of movement before the returning of planned TGoNU or the Government of National Unity.
Information from insider memo in February:
That the President Salva Kiir decree of making 28 states in South Sudan is initially a move that violate the newly signed peace agreement.
The Formation of the TGoNU:
The Formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity will nominate 16 ministers, 10 SPLM-IO, two former detainees becoming ministers and also two minsters from other political parties. The Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) will have President Kiir decree that nominated 50 SPLM/A-IO to the TNLA, with this will expand the ARCSS to 400 MPs with the SPLM-IO getting 50 seats, and one seat of a former detainee and also 17 seats nominated from other Political Parties.
The Ceasefire Transitional Security Arrangement and Monitoring Mechanism (CTSAMM):
Have set up a centre in Juba as a Joint Operation Centre there with the South Sudanese National Police Service; but the level forces and demilitarization have slowed down the progress as the lack of resources to function.
This is reports from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kenya 15th April:
That the SPLM-IO had been travelling in civilian clothes into Juba and under UN protection sites located in Juba. SPLM-IO is believed to have 40,000 civilians/soldiers hiding at the UN POC sites with their weapons. These have prompted the Government to have a Military Base 300 meters away. They have also deployed artillery pieces and helicopter gunships around the Jebel Hill. This intended to be close to where the SPLM-IO is located.
As well as the Tiger Battalion from the Western Barh El Ghazal State transported in to Juba on the 10th April, which was 10,000 strong. This is something that SPLA have confirmed.
With tense situations before the re-entering of Riek Machar the Juba capital was reported that the Government army was walking in civilian around the town; either as change of the uniforms of the armed men; this in the style of Prison officers, Police Officers and Wildlife Officers. But they are all heavy armed.
These reports together with Public remark of SPLA Chief of General Gen. Paul Mahong, that he would never allow Dr. Riek Machar to become President of South Sudan and that if he provokes them again he would kill him. That was reported to worsen the tense situation in the capital in other parts of the country.

Afterthought:
As much as we can see the militarized politics is clear and the levels of tension create between the friction of President Kiir and VP Machar. These have to play with care especially if they are playing each other. This because South Sudan needs peace and need stability as the inflation is over 200% right now; the government need to be structured and save haven for rule of law. That is since the civil war between the leaders needs to rest and build the new country. Just as the country become a new member of the East African Community and have the ability to prosper if it gives itself peace and its citizen’s stability to build and regenerate the country. Peace.
Monetary gains over the citizens needs is the reasonable way for the Ugandan MPs

The level of arrogance that they have learned from the Executive, Chief Whip and Secretary General of the NRM comes to hunt the Parliament of Uganda. The Members of Parliament is set in their ways and used, sorry accustomed to monetary gains on the bills of the tax-payers already. The Income-Tax Amendment is just the new niche. They have already subsidized cars, housing, supported health-care and other add-ons that make their jobs easier and profitable.
As Reported in the Daily Monitor Today:
“Addressing a news conference in Parliament yesterday, Mr Peter Ogwang (Youth Eastern) and Mr Henry Musasizi (Rubanda East) warned civil servants like Mr Muhakanizi, who this week condemned their tax exemption deal, that they are also waiting for them in Parliament during the consideration of the Auditor General’s reports. “We cannot pass the budget until we are sure that our amendment to Income Tax Bill has been concluded,” Mr Musasizi said. “In case the President does not sign the Bill, it will still come back to the same people in Parliament. These are hard facts. We will still pass it without fear or favour.” The MPs also took shots at civil society groups which are raising public awareness over the controversy. “The public should be with us in the struggle to facilitate MPs. We need facilitation to go to our constituencies because a Member of Parliament without money cannot have confidence. But there is an option, if they want us to drop the amendment, the government should give us Shs30 billion in additional funding to cater for increased salaries and benefits for Members of Parliament,” Mr Musasizi said. Mr Musasizi, who moved the amendment to the Income Tax law, also revealed that what he did had the backing of the President. “We agreed with the President in the [ruling party’s parliamentary retreat in] Kyankwanzi that we should not increase our salaries and benefits but tax on our allowances should be lifted to maintain the status-quo,” he said” (Mugerwa, 2016).

So certain ones are putting the budget on a stalemate in favour of getting more money and not paying tax as ordinary citizens as they are MPs and for some reason deserves more facilitation then the people of Kalerwe or Kaabong. The ignorance and arrogance is just learned by the Inner-Circle of the NRM. This is just the works of decades of decadence from the ruling elite and now the chicken comes to roost. The egg is ready to put in the basket and the MPs are ready to be paid their salaries without having income-tax.
The interesting is that the Kyankwanzi 2.0. that was recently and made implications to the doing of the Parliament, how it was practically empty as the NRM CEC and the Executive set the agenda for the next Parliament, the 10th One. The tone of now more benefits for the MPs in general, no salary increase for the MPs; the Income-Tax Amendment is an increase of salaries as they will get all the monetary gain and not pay for their facilitation for being an Member of Parliament instead of secretary at the district office in Mbarara.
That the MPs want to stifle the voting for the 2016/2017 budget for the steady “progress” of the country proves what values the representatives of population have. They are in parliament to eat, get fat and get bonuses that would be out of reach in other jobs. They want to make their life splendid on the tax-payers salaries and not become a “tax-payer” as long as they are representing the tax-payers. Which in turn is ironic; just recently they passed legislation that was made to fix the budget shortfalls of 2015/2016 as certain ministries was broke after the economic maladministration during the NRM campaign. That was done in hurry to secure salaries of the State House and other positions of the state. So they can offer something as long as the Executive also get his cut. But now they are forcing the Parliament and becoming hostile to create a functioning economic climate in the sense of their pockets. That is what they are initially saying. The proud men and woman who is supposed to be representing the tax-payers are saying that does not deserve to be taxed by the state. So who deserve it then?
The ones representing the tax-payer should pay tax. The ones that levy new taxes and regulations should themselves get taxed on what they earn. It is over the edge to see the moment of monetary greed from the Members of Parliament in Uganda. Their act of disgrace and attitude towards fellow citizens is overbearing. But they have just learned from their Executive who has teach them how he runs the Racket and racketeering, so that the NRM elite and the inner-circle also want their goods and glory as long as the cost is not theirs. The same way the Executive get funded for cars, jet-planes, housing and cattle-farms. Now the MPs want’s the same as their master. Peace.
Worrying signs of devalued ballot value in the American Democracy as their to many disfranchised voters, PACs holds on campaign funds and the Corporate Media hold on message sent to the Citizens.

Just as the Primaries in the United States are winding down and getting closer to the Conventions of the Democratic Party and the Republic Party. The main candidates and Presidential Candidates have soon been selected and gotten picked through the mixed of ballots and the caucuses differing how the Primary Elections in the states was done.
I am not an American and can only see it as an outsider and with the view as an outsider has. To listen to the American TV reporters on FOX, MCNBC and NBC makes a European shake. The TYT is some positive, but still shows the fragmented media landscape that have been created in United States. As the grand corporate media is loyal to a certain party or a certain candidate; much like the state media houses are for their ruling parties in LDC. So the FOX channel follows and hates anything from the Democratic Party even if the person initially acts and votes similar to the Republic Party. That is the irony. The same with certain “liberal” media who follows the Democratic Party by any means and blackballs the Republican by any means.

As the Progressive and the liberal are supposed to be on the Democratic side, and the conservative side is on the Republic side. The Parties have big sides and the range of political spectrum could initial be based into four parties as the suction between all the areas and range should be concern as the Presidential candidate cannot be like a Tea-Party General and at the same time be affiliated with the establishment when it comes to certain policies. That means of actions from a Tea-Party member should be different then the Conservative party member!

The Same is in the Democratic Party the establishment of the this party is more moderate and clear-faced close to the conservative establishment of the Republican. The Moderate in the party believes for instance in the sense like lax-taxation and the government institutions as small-corporate friendly environment for the 1 % instead of 99 %. While the Progressive are more on the line of Bernie Sanders and wants the taxation on the rich corporation and have labor right for the workers. So the Sanders line is far from the moderate part of his party. Still they both belong to the Democratic Party. That is what initially makes the American a rare venue of political discourse.
The Political discourse and the view on political aspects are in view concoction of corporate media, losing old papers who was the ones setting the agenda and is now not as big as before and the new media as TYT, Huffington Post and Buzzfeed changes how the political news get spread and questioned. As the radios and local broadcasters do not have the only venue and the corporate media is not the only place. Even live feeds on Youtube gives the voters more access to other sources then the ones supported by the giant multinationals who wants to decide and continue in the same level as of recent as it is profitable to keep it that way.

The other thing that is special about the American Politics are the level of money that the candidates needs to raise, the amount of adverts in the media and how much they matter; that together with the presence how the Super-PACs matters in the campaigns for either senators, representatives and also Presidential Candidates. PAC stands for Public Action Committee (PAC) where they pool funds and collectively works to enhance a campaign for a certain candidate or political idea. They are not supposed to be directly connected with a Candidate up-for nomination or for a State Senator who needs ads and commercial space for their “Message”. The PAC can run to donors and financial beneficiaries that will give to the PAC as a calculation on how they can be “puppets” or necessary persons to get the legislation that the corporations who funds the PAC need. So the business has the opportunity to “own” candidates and nominations instead of the ones that are there in public confidence. That is something that make the American system lacking democratic values as the cash cows and the cash hungry campaigning endorse the idea of corporations funded candidates instead of the party funded and the people funded through this PACs. Therefore the American democracy is very corporate.
The American media that are connected to certain Political Parties and even endorse certain candidates are embedded with the ones that give highest ratings and can keep the legislation in positive favor of the stakeholders and owners of the corporate media. Not the ones that are there for the middle-America or the middle-class, working-class or any other class then the owners of the Multinational corporations or Wall-Marts of America instead citizens.

That is why I am little skeptical to the American Democracy. The value of the vote is less there as the system is built around the corporations and the money train. As of now it is. The ones with wealth, the ability to gain amounts of funds and collect delegates in the inner-party elections get to be the Presidential Candidate for their party. The Positive is the political range in the Democratic and Republican parties as the public can find their different candidate inside their parties.
So as an outsider I am worried and does not like with what I talked about when it comes to democratic values that the money fueled and cash registered American democracy is supposed to be the greatest and the one to aspire to. That in mind as the American Government condemns and explains their values whenever a foreign government holds an election and they are a “stakeholder” in it or support the government there.

Certainly with the values of respecting the ballot and having systems that certainly transparent and securing the vote. As the American Government have had the hanging chad and the electronic malfunction of Florida that helped George W. Bush into power in 2000. That is not the only one issue coming with the ballots loss of value in recent times. Not the delegate system of primaries. I will speak about the election laws.
The Election laws are made to make it harder to register as voter, shorter time and if your felon or former-felon in certain states is impossible to become a voter again. We know that their groups of people who have become disfranchised by the directives and laws. Certainly this deficiency and also fear for ghost-voters make it harder to get voter-ID then getting license at the DMV in some states. If it is easier to get license to ride their Buick in Texas then getting to vote, then there something missing. Certainly something missing in the so-called democratic state in question; I just mentioned Texas the laws might be worse in Utah for all I know.
The main subject is the voters and the ballot should get respect. The Delegate in convention should follow the voters as much as the votes follow the registered ones in the tally; so the ones with the most votes in Indiana should become the Indiana Senator or Representative in Congress and Capitol Hill. That is the same if they are independent, Democratic or Republican.
But why does this matter, it is a principal. That in a democracy the votes should equally matter and the voice of the men and woman who are parts of the civic duty does it in good-faith of dropping their vote and delivering a just change or keeping status quo after their own fate in the government system and picking the right candidate to do so. If the candidate fails in their tenure or term, then the voter can through ballot pick somebody else and change guards of the democracy.

The issues with election laws that disenfranchise people, when the corporations of the media spreads certain message and ideas swallows the minds and the grand idea of the free speech and level playing-field together with the monies used and needed to campaign. Gives the race and campaigning for the Presidency and the Senators’/Representatives addicted to the donors and funders of their campaigns instead of the confidence of their citizens.
And if that is the way and the corporate policy of the American Dream, if that is the vision that the forefathers of the American Democracy wanted for their American Centaury and the American ideals. That cannot be what the men and woman who fought against the British and wanted to be free nation for the settlers. As they wanted to be free to build their own nation in the vision of their citizens not in the vision of GM, Doritos, AIG, Warner Brothers, AT&T and American Express. I don’t believe that the American Government and the citizens who picks the ones that votes for the ones that represent them; that it was built for the corporate citizens for the corporations and to serve the Limited Liability Company (LLC). I thought the American Government and the ideals of their democratic values was built for the citizens and not to fit the corporate agenda and their needed heads-up to get their bills through congress either by lobby-money or PACs to secure the right Candidates in the Senate. Peace.
NRM Party in economic shambles; Still not payed for T-Shirt used in 2011 Election!

The National Resistance Movement is in a pickle as their Swearing-In ceremony is coming in the near future and the government supposed to have a lavish party with 50 invited Head-of-States to celebrate the 7th Term of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. After so-called “winning the Presidential Election of 2016”; that is their view and their perspective. But the NRM-O and the NRM Party has an economic pickle to catch-up with.
This is as the documents from the High Court have ordered a certain debt that the NRM Party have gained towards the Centenary Rural Development Bank and the Housing Finance Bank (Uganda) Limited. The debt is in 4,990,700,000 Uganda Shillings. That is lots of monies. The accounts that the NRM party is frozen in the banks until the debt are settled with the creditors. This document comes from the court yesterday on the 25th April 2016.

Already in March 2016 the allegation and courtship over the debt started. As it said then:
“Judgement on admission is hereby entered against the respondent (NRM) in the amount of Shs4.9b. The issue of cost of the application shall be determined by the suit” Mr. Opesen held yesterday” (…)”The money arouse of supply 60,000 T-shirts, one million scarves and 200,000 sleeveless shirts” (…)”Kampala Modernity Stationers and Printers sued the ruling party in 2013 for contribution of the said money to be paid to Dubai based firm, Bright Arrows Trading which supplies the ready-made garments” (…)”M/S Bright Arrows Trading have sued Kampala Modernity for breach of contract leading to third party proceedings compelling court to add NRM as party in the case” (Buule, 2016).
So the truth is there and the Money that are dealing the problems as the buyer of the amounts of garments and clothes for campaigning in 2011 is biting the NRM Party today, as they still have sufficiently paid the Kampala Modernity who could not cough-up the invisible money that is owned to the producer of Brighter Arrows Trading from Dubai. And the people in Dubai is under the accord of doing business directly in Uganda, so they just want their money for their already delivered t-shirts that seemed at the time to be sufficient and well-used products by the NRM Party. As the NRM have a tendency to give away Yellow T-shirts and other material; even if they give away the producers still need their money and their production of the T-Shirts covered.

So that Kampala Modernity Stationers and Printers sues NRM for neglecting their concern and pay bills for their procurement of T-Shirts and other garments. The Kampala Modernity wants and need this money to pay-up to the Dubai Based Company Brighter Arrows. But the buck and shillings stops at NRM Party who has not lived-up to their credit or honoring their agreement with Kampala Modernity. Therefore the issues with their accounts now at extent of the Party have to 6th May 2016 to pay the debt and clear the accounts in the Centenary Rural Development Bank and the Housing Finance Bank (Uganda) Limited.
So the monetary question seems to be climbing and this is stemming from the last campaign. Not even from this one who stopped in February 2016. If the party of NRM struggles to pay-up for the 2011 elections, what about the 2016 campaigns and the big spending of recent months as the State House needed additional funding? There certainly a mismanagement of funds and dwindling concern of honoring agreements as he static use of funds is not accountable, as the display of monies used to fund 2011 Elections still is questioned and not yet accounted for or even payed for and we are just done with last election of 2016.
The NRM Party and their NRM CEC does not look like they are a controlled unit as the NRM Task Force of 2011 couldn’t fix the issue and fund the needed T-Shirts and they are still gripping with lost funds. That must be worrying as the ruling party is dozing away cash without being accountable to the creditors and need to go to court to get them to facilitate the money for the purchase done in 2011. Peace.
Reference:
Buule, Jon – ‘N.R.M. in 4 billion debt over poor quality Yellow T.Shirts!!!’ (01.03.2016) link: http://mycampusjuice.com/2016/03/01/n-r-m-in-debt-over-poor-quality-yellow-t-shirts/
VFS Global rejects DA claims of Gupta alignment (25.04.2016)

Opinion: Who is really the “Empty Suit”? Who might it be the Empty Suit in the Ministry of Health Care or KCCA? As the recent unfolded operations of maladministration in the public view… henceforth somebody who is just nodding to the Executive for the brown envelope.

McNULTY: “West Baltimore is dying and you empty suits are running around to pin some politician’s pelt to the wall. Thought you was real police, brother” (The Wire Season 2, Episode 13).
There is in this day and age lots of appointed government officials, they work supposed to be diligent and with honour of the codes of their work, not work directly for the ones that appointed them. That cannot always be easy as the station and the position would not been opened or given to the person if the appointee didn’t give that extended hand or blessing for the job. When you have that situation you need a strong state and strict regulatory regime that counter the possible backhand and kickbacks to the ones that appointed them.
Why do I discuss this at this point? Because it is a vital part of our government regimes and is a question that can be asked in nearly all parts of the globe. As all jobs in the branches of government does not automatically goes to the most educated, relied on or the one person who has the most integrity in the position. Instead the man or woman who gets appointed is an “empty suit”.

What some of them might do?
“What typically saves the empty suit is the tenuous relation between what he or she does and any actual business results. This may be a function of the job he’s in: a staff post, with lots of power to nix others’ initiatives but no responsibility to make or sell anything. Or a pocket of avoirdupois in a still-too-fat corporate bureaucracy, the kind of position that causes underlings to scratch their heads and wonder, ”Gee, do we really need all these vice presidents?” Or the empty suit may have come up through a system that rotates fast- trackers through a new job every 18 months, even though the effects of his tenure don’t become evident for two to three years. He hardly had time to get any grounding in the work his people do, and he may have royally screwed up the few decisions he was compelled to make, but when the chickens come home to roost, he has flown. If somebody has the bad taste to try to assign responsibility, the suit can easily fuzz the matter over by suggesting that the blame rests with his successor or former subordinates” (Kiechel, 1989).
There certainly similar like the ones described in our time in every department, every corporation and every single institution we know of. This might be the Electoral Commission of Uganda and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission of Kenya. As much as the regulatory chairs of the banking industry of Kenya must feel like empty suits these days as the confidence at that is low-key as well. The Chase Bank, The Imperial Bank and National Bank of Kenya have fallen from grace. The most likely selling of the Barclays Bank African Group might also make the fragile banking sector into more disarray as the leading regulators seems like the extra board-members instead of people who uses their position and chair with care and uses the mandate to make a difference and even square.

The situations are different when the appointed is not hired for their knowledge of their field, but the loyalty of the regime or government that is running in the country. The likes of Ministry of Health in Uganda for the moment where the hospitals are creaking and the machines are criss-crossing between life and death. Electricity and other cases of depleted. As the missing extra blood for surgery, the copy-medication and the loss of necessary equipment; that shows the lack of management and reasons for empty suits. The highest empty suit for the moment must be State Minister for Health Hon. Dr. Chris Baryomunsi who seems to be more concern with catching checks then doing his job at this point. This point comes with the correlation of Minster of Health Hon. Elioda Tumwesige and the State Minister for Primary Health Hon. Sarah Opendi Ochieng. One of the three must generate a valued pay-check and makes sure that the NMS delivers the Global Funded projects and the other government funded health care, but either Chris, Elioda or Sarah, one of them or more must be a hired “empty suit” as the three of them are put into ministerial position working for initially the same thing.

It is just like the same mess with the KCCA where you have KCCA Executive Director of Jennifer Musisi. You have Frank Tumbewaze who is both Minister of the Presidency and Kampala Affairs. Then you have the third person who got a mandate the Presidential Advisor for Kampala affairs Mr. Singh Katongole what he does is surely only him and the Executive of Uganda who knows, since his appointment in December 2015 his silence must mean a envelope and letting Hon. Tumbewaze and Hon. Musisi does what they like. To make it more hectic you have the actual people’s elected through the ballot who supposed to run the Kampala Capital City Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago. So you have hon. Musisi, Hon. Tumbewazi, Hon. Katongole and Lord Mayor Lukwago. All of them are supposed to central people in the running of administration and regulate the divisions of Kampala politically and create policies that builds and secure the functions of KCCA. That must be hectic one of these men and woman must be a empty suit. Unless Hon. Katongole who I haven’t heard a word from since appointment is an ear-to-the ground and talking or addressing letters directly to the Executive or Head of State as his role has still not been served. As the accountability of the NRM-Regime is not strong they prefer keeping people in the dark. Hon. Tumbewaze seems more to be the ones who was appointed to turn opposition Lord Mayor on his knees and therefore also gotten a permanent Executive Director in Musisi to shut down the elected person. But the end-game is that one of them must be an “Empty Suit” as the basic needs cannot be that big, and one of them is catching the brown envelopes without doing anything.
There are certainly more empty suits in the system as I started with the appointed men who is not educated for the position, but are there for the loyalty not because of the office is needed or there for a general purpose. That is the same as extra board-members in a corporation who is hired to vote for the general consensus in the board, but not to generate profits in some sense. They are there because the Corporation and LLC need useful idiots to be paid to follow the remarks of the stakeholders and shareholders, not the common-sense of their position.

We can all question the value of these leaders and honourable men-or-woman in a representative or appointed position by the President for instance. The level of credible men and woman and the need for expertise in the government organisations, into the department and the civic care from the road-development to the health care facilities need men and woman who knows the trade. As long the men does what is needed for the President or for the Stakeholders. The ones that lose are the ordinary person, employee or civil servants as they will either work under them or have to pay them tax-money to keep them. As they have to be paid an envelope to be the empty-dress. The person who is an empty dress doesn’t become that for free. Somebody has to be charge to keep him there. Most likely it is me or you. We can just ask ourselves. Who of the appointed leaders in government is an empty suit? Who in the corporate world are the extras?

Lastly, why does the Minister Without Portfolio. Hon. Abraham Byandala gets away and is not questioned by the opposition or anybody else. Why is this man the free-man the invisible creature in the parliament that does not have scruples? This since this position is the epitome of a Empty Suit. He is a MINISTER, but does not have an OFFICE, Department or a MINISTRY to run. Hon. Byandala can do as he pleases and still get paid. You cannot check his ministry or running government portfolio as it is non-existence from the get-go. The Government Official without any oversight and anything to initial control or say in other words the official Minister of Nothing (MoN). Hon. Byandala is running the Ministry of Nothing. The Minister of Hot-Air and the checking the chapattis’ in parliament is fresh enough for Hon. Oulanyah’s taste.
Well, what do you think? Are the somebody you feels are an Empty suit? Somebody you question or wonder if really have anything more than pay-check from the Tax-Payers money, but does not use it’s office or even delivers anything. Then that person might be an empty suit who just nods the head to the Executive and the general leadership without exercising power or determine the future of the government institution, department or ministry. Even if the person is really doing anything in the boardroom or a needed voter for the stakeholders; if it is only the needed majority to follow procedure then the scheme need a check or reform.

There will certainly be more stories and the existence of similar men and woman who can be described as “Empty Suits” and be stooges needed by any administration and corporations as they viciously need structure to control the citizens and the policies without questions from the inner-circle. Even if that means not procurement of needed medicines, fuel, transformers or building bridges to easier access the missing Okor Bridge in Kumi District: “This project was intended to connect Nyero and Mukongoro sub-counties in Kumi district” (MoFED, March 2015). A bridge that does not exist or is built by now so the sub-counties is not yet connect because of the altered situation and have to run long roads around the area than crossing straight over the river. So a project like this says there some empty suits as in 2009 as company was hired to build the river, by December 2012 the works by the river had stopped. Even if the departments to UNRA gave reports of progress of the project was last monitored in 2014 and by 2016 there not been done more to build the bridge since the monopoly of the Chinese Contractor have stifled the progression and in the end wasted government funds into a building a bridge who does not exist. Just like the Ministry of Nothing Hon. Byandala.
Think that is enough for today! Peace.
Reference:
Kiechel, Walter – ‘HOW TO SPOT AN EMPTY SUIT This breed of modern manager looks good and gets along splendidly with the brass. But is he contributing anything?’ (20.11.1989) link: http://archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1989/11/20/72761/index.htm
Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development – ‘NATIONAL BUDGET FRAMEWORK PAPER FY 2015/16’ (March 2015).
Would you steal 791 million from the government? | Nairobi Vibe Ep. 5 (Youtube-Clip)
“Recently Ann Waiguru and other prominent members of state have been accused of embezzling 791 million from the Kenyan government. it seems as though corruption has become a normal part of life in Kenya, is it normal? Would you steal 791 million KSH from the government without a problem? We went to KCA university to find out if they would steal 791 million from the government and we got some interesting answers, check it out” (Swafi TV, 2016).

