

Motion for a Resolution of Parliament to Investigate the Circumstances under which Rewards were made to 42 Public Officers for Winning the Tax Arbitation Case between the Government of Uganda and Heritage Oil and Gas (09.01.2017)





There are certain aspects of governance that is still weak in Uganda, as the Food Insecurity in major parts of the Republic is still high. The knowledge of the Famine and lacking food in big regions of the Cattle Corridor and Northern Uganda; the pastoral areas have been hit hard after the El Nino and the draught. This has left many small-farmers behind and left their crop to die on the fields. This as the lacking irrigation and building of proper wells has also stopped the constant use of water. Therefore what the Hon. Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja, the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries has some words to say. Here are the important aspects of the findings of the Ministry and how the lacking levels of food is reported from him.
Falling Crop Levels:
“The Food Security Analysis done by MAAIF in collaboration with other stakeholders in July 2016 indicated that at national level, the country experienced an average crop loss of approximately 40% for pulses (beans, groundnuts, peas) and 80% for cereals (maize, millet, rice, sorghum) from the first season harvests. The most affected crop was maize”(Ssempijja, P2, 2017).
Food Crisis:
“Colleagues the latest Food Security situation (2nd November, 2016) that was a result of rigorous scientific analysis indicated that the most affected areas are the districts that lie in the cattle corridor, stretching from North Eastern up to South-Western Uganda. This information was later confirmed by the follow up of the National Food Security Awareness Campaign that was undertaken by Inter-ministerial teams led by Cabinet ministers and/or Ministers of State and coordinated by the Prime Minister in late November 2016. The sub regions of Karamoja, Teso, Lango, Acholi, Bukedi, West Nile, Parts of Busoga and most districts along the Cattle Corridor including lsingiro, Kiruhura, Rakai, Ssembabule witnessed massive crop failure, leading to little or no harvest. This has resulted into the food crisis we are experiencing” (Ssempijja, P: 3, 2017).
Market Price on Food on the rise:
“Harvests of cereals, Matooke, bananas, cassava, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes and beans are on markets but the supply is low and the demand both domestically and regionally (Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi, Southern Sudan, DRC-Congo, Tanzania, and Central African Republic) is high. Market prices for all food commodities have increased” (Ssempijja, P: 3, 2017).
Current affected areas with mass food insecurity:
“The current estimates however, indicate that 25% of the population in lsingiro District are in an emergency phase of food insecurity; meaning they access half a meal or nothing at all in a day” (…) “65% of the population in Karomoja sub region are in a crisis phase of food insecurity; meaning they access one meal or half a meal in a day” (…) “35% of the population in the districts of Katakwi, Amuria, Kumi, Bukedia, parts of Serere and Kaberamaido are in the same phase with Karamoja sub region (Crisis); meaning they access one meal or half a meal in a day” (…) “50% of the people of Koboko, Yumbe, Moyo, Maracha, Arua, Zombo.Nebbi, Adjumani, Amuru, Nwoya, Gulu, Pader, Lamwo, Kitgum, Agago, Soroti, Ngora, Amolatar, Pallisa, Buteleja, Rakai, lsingiro and Tororo are in a stressed pahse of food insecurity; meaning they access one and half meals in a day” (…) “the total population that was in need of relief food, as of November, 2016 stood at about 1,300,000 people (the sub regions of Karamoja, Teso , Lango, Acholi, Bukedi, West Nile, Parts of Busoga, lsingiro, Bukomansimbi, and Kalungu)” (Ssempijja, P: 5, 2017).
Allocated funds to Food Security:
“Note the need to continue providing Food relief by the Ministry of Disaster preparedness costed at 52.65 billion to the affected families, this was already alluded to by the District Local governments during the recently concluded food security awareness campaigns” (…) “Note the need to re-allocate and frontload funds from the NAADS Secretariat/OWe equivalent to UGX 26.63 Billion to avail quick maturing food security planting materials such as: maize, beans, cow peas, cassava and banana suckers to rehabilitate destroyed plantations (especially to farmers in lsingiro district) in season one of 2017 as soon as the rains are established” (Ssempijja, P: 9, 2017).
The regions that are hit says a lot of the lacking resources and the government programs that are supposed to control, the worst hit areas are still in Isingiro and Karamoja regions. The other ones those are also hit, but not as bad in Katakwi, Amuria, Kumi, Bukedia, Serere and Kaberamaido. These shows the level of food insecurity, but the final number dropped from the Minister shows the amount of people who are need of food relief, they we’re 1,300,000 people. That is the people of the Republic. This is happening as the food prices are souring as the food insecurity is happening in the nations around Uganda. So they are not in a secure vacuum, the need of food relief around Uganda is also growing.
Therefore the draught and death of the pastoral farming is showing the lack of government support to crisis. Certainly there are needed allocations and institutions to bring the needed relief and also revive the agricultural use of water and also systems to secure the citizens. This is what the Ugandan Government is missing. To keep food stocks and secure that the citizens, the farmers are sufficiently harvesting and securing their fields for any sort of changes. Peace.
Reference:
Ssempijja, Vincent Bamulangaki – ‘Statement on the Food Security Situation in the Country’ (09.01.2017)








“Do not malign the good people. You know i will defend them because I am the one who gave them the money. You are abusing them, I do not want to hear that anymore.” – President Yoweri Museveni (Daily Monitor, 19.01.2017)
We know by now that you are corrupt and keep your cronies satisfied with crony capitalism and loyal services rendered through paychecks instead of good governance and accountability. Since that has not mattered since 1986. What matters is loyalty to you first and then the knowledge that. That pays off!
They could be similar to Mother Theresa, Jesus and all the other good people, but it is the principal that they get a payout for serving their nation and their republic. That because the Republic won a case against a Petroleum and Oil Drilling Company, which justify the means of transactions to various accounts of different civil servants and leaders in government institutions. It is not abusing them; it is questioning the reason for the increased salary as an effort of awarding without practical procedure. That is what counts Mr. President.
I know it is a hard concept for you to grasp as you see the public coffers and taxes as free fund to salvage as much wealth as possible while you are breathing and leave behind as much property for the next generation of the clan of Museveni to live happily until oblivion. Therefore, a few extra shillings is a small bargain in the end.
I understand why you do not want to hear more about it, it makes you look like a fool. As a fool who allocated funds without proper procedure and spent unwise tax-money that in effect. It seems like a chaotic situation, where you are orders a cash-bonanza. A cash bonanza of free government funds ending up in the pockets of loyal cronies. These funds could been used on government institutions or payed ordinary civil servants salaries. Instead, they are inappropriately gave away to the fellow loyalist in disregard of the public. So I understand why you don’t want hear about that anymore, just like you are happy that people have forgotten about CHOGM monies and other sagas of theft from your administration. Because there are enough tales of maladministration and corrupt behaviour when your been in-charge of steering the wheels. It is well-known and common practice. What was not known before this was that the knowledge of “Presidential Handshake” as a common thing? Certainly, what was we could not know was that you sanctioned these handshakes and gave them away as a rewarding system to keep men and woman loyal to you?
So now matter who you gave this money too. The issue is not the people who got the money. They are “innocent” to a certain degree, but your act of doling the monies away with no regard of the citizens. That is the insulting part of your handshake. That the people have so little value compared to your highly paid elite. If you cannot see that issue, you cannot see anything, because that blinds your efforts and acts of accountability. Which is not something you have flexed since coming into power in the 1980s. Accountability and Transparency is two things you hate… we know it and so do you know very well. Peace.

A letter dated from the 12th January 2017 from the Ministry of Public Service is estimating the current salaries and then the new salaries of certain civil servants. These are interesting as the first one mentioned in this letter where the salary of the Chief Justice Bart Mugunda Katureebe who had a salary of 11,560,150 UGX per month in 2016. But from now on he will get the double salary of 20,000,000 UGX per month. Certainly it is service rendered for the positive judgement and also accepting the rigged election results. This means by a full year wage as CJ will earn UGX 260m.
The other lucky guy who gets new pieces of gold every month is his underling, the Deputy Court Justice Stephen Kavuma went from a decent 10,532,581 UGX per month to the gracefully 18,000,000 UGX per month; which is very close to the double salary for his acts against defiance and proven loyalty to the regime. DCJ would then earn in a year’s salary UGX 116m.
Then you have one who walks in the shadow who also got a decent pay rise John Mitala, the Head of Public Service goes from earning 4,952,059 UGX in 2016 to earn the loads of 17,600,000 UGX. Mr Mitala surely has worked his loads of paper to be so well compensated the year after the elections. He gets his new salary increase which can be calculated up to a triple of what the current one is, that means that his current new yearly salary will be about UGX 211m.
Under the well paid Mitala, there is the Deputy Head of Public Service Vincent Opio-Lukone who also deserves recognition it seems by the regime. His meagre monthly salary until now has been UGX 4,099,486. So the government will give him better conditions for his hard work and labour so they raise the salary up to UGX 15,500,000 per month. That means the Deputy Head of Public Service earns per year UGX 186m.
So when all of these men has gotten their pay rise and the key civil servants under the State Minister and Minister of Public Service, the Permanent Secretary Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwiire deserves a rise from the meagre monthly pay UGX 3,768,835. So the Secretary gets a salary to the levels of UGX 15,400,000 per month. Yearly salary will that will be UGX 184m!
So we can see that the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and President Museveni can afford to pay handsome wages to loyal cronies as the “Presidential Handshake” make him dole out more funds on his allies. The regime does what it can to pay for loyalty. This is happening while the government are getting more in debt and troubles with interests on those loans. That is certainly a evil spiral of bad spending government funds. Peace.


Parts of this has been reported before, but that was as reports of the coverage from Parliament as the Auditor General John Muwanga we’re attending preliminary sessions and delivering OAG Report of 31st December 2016, which is the end of year report from the OAG. That one has stories to tell. Parts of this are known, but they are proving that words in Parliament had other numbers than the report that is released later on online. Still, the vast waste of funds and the unallocated or unaccounted funds proves questionable use of public coffers in the Local Government, the districts, parish and municipalities. These funds are important that is well spent and accounted for, because the funds are supposed to go to local government salaries and investments for the citizens. Therefore the mismanagement of this is thieving or maladministration from the civil servants or the locally elected officials. Take a look!
Outstanding Court Awards:
“Government had outstanding amounts in court awards, compensations and other liabilities totaling to UGX.684Bn as at 30th June 2016. The outstanding amount in Court awards and compensations has been accumulating over the last five financial years raising from 54Bn to now 684Bn. I observed that as a result of government’s failure to pay these court awards on time, the awards have accumulated interest and in some instances the interest has exceeded the principal award. As at the close of the year outstanding interest had accumulated to UGX.175.3Bn” (OAG, P: 12, 2016).
Local Government issues:
“The amount is comprised of UGX .1.310Bn which lacked procurement files, UGX.21.225Bn where there was breach of procurement procedures, UGX .4.695Bn involving inadequate contract management and UGX.0.315Bn of unauthorized contract variations. Consequently, it becomes difficult to ascertain whether value for money was achieved” (…) “Expenditure amounting to UGX.3.896Bn was identified as funds unaccounted for. Consequently, I could not confirm that the funds were utilized for the intended purposes. The delayed submission of accountability may also lead to falsification of documents resulting into loss of funds. This was caused by failure of Accounting Officers to enforce accountability controls and lack of an advances ledger to monitor advances” (…) “Regulation 32 of the Local Governments Financial and Accounting Regulations, 2007 requires Councils to ensure collection of all budgeted revenue in an approved manner. Review of revenue performance revealed significant under collection of Local revenue in 161 Councils amounting to UGX.17.165Bn” (OAG, P: 31, 2016). “Out of 307 Local Governments, 148 entities representing 48% of the Local governments lacked land titles for the land where council properties are located. There is a risk that council land is exposed to encroachment and disputes which later leads to litigation in courts of law arising from land disputes between the Councils and the Communities” (OAG, P: 33, 2016).
Here you can see the numbers and it is dozens of Presidential Handshakes, the handshakes of the President could go unaccounted for a dozens of times. That the Government have learned from the Parliament and Central Government is clear, since this is rampant and seems to indicated in many local governments. It cannot be okay that the lacking of documentation and of how the monies where spent. Of how and where the documentations went before the allocation of the funds. That shows malpractice and maladministration in the Local Government. Something that is also evident in the Courts, the Courts hasn’t paid out their awards on time and adds extra interests, which the government have to pay as well. Peace.
Reference:
Office of Auditor General (OAG) – ‘Extracts of the Summary of Key Findings of the Annual Report of the Auditor General for the Year Ended 31st December 2016’ (31.12.2016)

This had to be an issue, as the Trump Organizations and businesses had to be obligated away from the Executive, the Commander-in-Chief as he ushers himself into the Presidency. The family seems to be picked to run his company, as they are already Executive Vice-President in the Cooperation, this being Eric Trump, Donald Trump Junior and Ivanka Trump. These have been behind their father, the President-Elect. This is important as the interest of Trump Organization should not be the sole purpose of the presidency, that should be as civil service and also guiding with good governance without having own personal gains by having the office. Therefore the nominees and the appointed government leaders in the Trump Organization has to go through not only sessions in the Senate before their appointments are getting accepted; as well as they have to give way to their business connection and positions in the boards in general.
That the international hotels and golf courses, the trademarked products in the portfolio of the Trump Organization that can implicate and create issues with both the foreign trade policies and also import regulations. The same can be seen in general with the regulation of banking, loans and all other fiscal regulation that can hurt the Trump Organization. Something Trump will already know before going to office, what he needs to create of legislation and what sort of economic stimulus or even economic framework that can absorb more profits on the business that are already owned by the Trump family.
Let’s take look at what a blind trust is and what sort of agreements that can happen when Trump gets into office in just days.
What is a Blind Trust?
“Blind trusts are often used when a wealthy individual is elected to a political office where his investment holdings could potentially put him in a conflict of interest with a regulatory issue or other sensitive exercise of political power. In this context, there are some obvious issues with blind trusts in that the beneficiary setting up the blind trust is at least aware of the investment mix going in and cannot realistically forget that information when weighing future decisions. The trustors may also set the rules under which the investments are managed and, of course, pick trustees that they are confident will act in a certain way in potential situations. So again, the efficacy of the blind trust in truly eliminating conflict of interest is far from proven. That said, politicians with a large amount of wealth or in high office use blind trusts to show that at least the effort is being taken to establish impartiality” (Investopedia).
Director of Government Ethics Shaub on 11th January on Blind Trust:
“I think Politico called this a “half-blind” trust, but it’s not even halfway blind. The only thing this has in common with a blind trust is the label, “trust.” His sons are still running the businesses, and, of course, he knows what he owns. His own attorney said today that he can’t “un-know” that he owns Trump tower. The same is true of his other holdings. The idea of limiting direct communication about the business is wholly inadequate. That’s not how a blind trust works. There’s not supposed to be any information at all” (…) “Here too, his attorney said something important today. She said he’ll know about a deal if he reads it in the paper or sees in on TV. That wouldn’t happen with a blind trust. In addition, the notion that there won’t be new deals doesn’t solve the problem of all the existing deals and businesses. The enormous stack of documents on the stage when he spoke shows just how many deals and businesses there are” (…) “The President-elect’s attorney justified the decision not to use a blind trust by saying that you can’t put operating businesses in a blind trust. She’s right about that. That’s why the decision to set up this strange new kind of trust is so perplexing. The attorney also said she feared the public might question the legitimacy of the sale price if he divested his assets. I wish she had spoken with those of us in the government who do this for a living. We would have reassured her that Presidential nominees in every administration agree to sell illiquid assets all the time. Unlike the President, they have to run the gauntlet of a rigorous Senate confirmation process where the legitimacy of their divestiture plans can be closely scrutinized. These individuals get through the nomination process by carefully ensuring that the valuation of their companies is done according to accepted industry standards. There’s nothing unusual about that” (…) “Back when he was working for the Justice Department, the late Antonin Scalia also wrote an opinion declaring that a President should avoid engaging in conduct prohibited by the government’s ethics regulations, even if they don’t apply. Justice Scalia warned us that there would be consequences if a President ever failed to adhere to the same standards that apply to lower level officials. The sheer obviousness of Justice Scalia’s words becomes apparent if you just ask yourself one question: Should a President hold himself to a lower standard than his own appointees?”(Shaub, 2017).
His sons will run the Trump Organization:
“President-Elect Trump will relinquish management of his investment and business assets for the duration of his Presidency. To accomplish this, all of President-Elect Trump’s investment and business assets, commonly known as The Trump Organization—comprised of hundreds of entities—have been or will be conveyed to a Trust, which will be managed for the duration of his Presidency by his sons, Don and Eric, and a Trump executive, Allen Weisselberg. Collectively—and unanimously—Allen, Don, and Eric will have the authority to manage The Trump Organization and have full decision-making authority for the duration of the Presidency, without any involvement whatsoever by President-Elect Trump. To implement this transfer, President-Elect Trump will resign from all official positions he holds with The Trump Organization entities” (…) “the Trust Agreement prohibits The Trump Organization from entering into any new transaction or contract with a foreign country, agency, or instrumentality thereof, including a sovereign wealth fund, foreign government official, or member of a royal family, the United States government or any agency or instrumentality thereof, or any state or local government or any agency or instrumentality thereof, other than normal and customary arrangements already undertaken before the President-Elect’s election” (…) “President-Elect Trump is taking these extraordinary steps to ensure that the Office of the Presidency is isolated from The Trump Organization” (…) “the Constitution does not forbid fair-market-value transactions with foreign officials. To put to rest any concerns, however, the President-Elect is announcing he will donate all profits from foreign governments’ patronage of his hotels and similar businesses during his presidential term to the U.S. Treasury. Historically, when federal officers received a gift or emolument from a foreign state, they surrendered possession of it to the federal government, though they were permitted to retain amounts necessary to offset their business expenses. Although the Constitution does not require the PresidentElect to do the same for profits from his businesses’ fair-market-value transactions, he wants to eliminate any distractions by going beyond what the Constitution requires” (Morgan Lewis, 2017).

That Trump Organization can be run by his family it is acceptable by looking at the trust, but the initial issues with the way it gets done and that he shall not be reported on the way of the trade or business, is hard to believe as the business and family is very connected, hence with the campaign where all of the older kids we’re taking part more or less. Therefore the Vice-Executives of the Trump Organization, his kids are now taking charge and taking his position in his company. That he owns and has controlled over decades. That needs to be clear that the family members cannot tell or say him company secrets as long as he is the Executive of the Republic. If they do than their doing illegal information and destabilizing the interests of the government, why is it so? That is so because the President is the head of the government and has to serve all the citizens, not just the ones that are working in his owned company. That is why the nominees for positions in the Trump Administration have to leave their boardrooms and their former businesses. This is done because they will not have other interests than serving the Republic, if not they should be back in the corporate office instead of being civil servants. If they serve Exxon or other businesses while they are serving as ministers or secretaries of departments, than they are opening up for corrupt and illegal trading from the top and stealing from the bottom. That is what we can worry about when we know how close the President is still connected with his businesses, without a clear line of procedure for how the transactions and creation of future business inside Trump Organization is not known.
The President-Elect have not delivered his IRS Tax Returns, neither proven his real value or what he owns, if it is in Missouri or Mississippi, because for all we know he could own a lobster-shack in Louisiana. Even than he should open the door so he could explain why he hasn’t been through the process of showing his true colours and trade. The real honest profits and the expenditure of his companies, the facts of his royalties and the tax rate on his businesses as well. There are many open questions as to where he does business, what sort of people are he connected with abroad and what sort of agreements does the Trump Organization have and own outside of the United States. If he has a dungeon in St. Petersburg or has a palace in India, we don’t really know, but if he was accountable or transparent. Then we could know what sort of conflicts and interests the President-Elect have. This is the missing picture in a flawed Presidential-Elect who doesn’t’ trust anybody, but himself.
Why does I say that is because he cannot be transparent with his own and therefore why would he be that with the public coffers? Are the public coffers safe when we have no idea about how he used his own private funds? Will the public coffers be used to function and give contracts to businesses close to him or to cronyism in the new Trump Administration? Peace.
Reference:
Investopeida – ‘Blind Trust’ link: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/blindtrust.asp
Remarks of Walter M. Shaub, Jr., Director, U.S. Office of Government Ethics, as prepared for delivery at 4:00 p.m. on January 11, 2017, at the Brookings Institution (11.01.2017)
Morgan Lewis – ‘WHITE PAPER Conflicts of Interest and the President Background for President-Elect Trump’s January 11, 2017 Press Conference Prepared by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP’ (11.01.2017)

