


Uganda: UPC Calls for Economic Reforms (05.04.2017)










A report released by PricewaterhouseCoopers limited has delivered this month is clearly seeing what others has seen with the economic situation and the use of funds by the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and their regime. This report by a company which is an international company who works with other businesses and civil society organizations who needs economic advice and advisory services for taxes and such; therefore the report from PwC on economic situation is telling. Their speciality on their outlook will be saying with auditors and financial analyst whose words means a lot. They are professional analysts in this field are writing and saying this on the economic climate. The Economic climate is worrying and that has been visible. The liability of the growing debt in the republic has been a hazard together with the lacking internal revenue for the state as well. Just take a look!
Sluggish economy with higher debt:
“This bulletin comes at a very crucial time for the Uganda economy when growth is slowing down, private sector credit is on a decline, consumer demand is low, implementation and execution of critical public infrastructure projects is very sluggish, and the public sector debt burden on the economy is at the highest it has ever been” (PwC, P: 3, 2017). “If the domestic revenues collections continue to underperform, the government will be forced to borrow more from the domestic market. The increase in government borrowing may result in a substantial increase in yields on government securities, which may result in an increase in borrowing rates, which may constrain the private sector credit growth even further” (PwC, P: 7, 2017).
Growing debt:
“The Uganda’s public debt burden has risen by 12.7% in the past four years from 25.9% of GDP in FY 2012/13, to 38.6% of GDP in FY 2016/17. The debt burden is projected to continue rising to 45% of GDP by 2020. Debt as a percentage of revenues has risen by 54% since 2012 and is expected to exceed 250% by 2018. The country’s ever increasing debt burden has resulted in a deterioration of the debt affordability situation” (PwC, P: 8, 2017). “Uganda’s capital expenditures are still too reliant on external finance. Currently debt servicing constitutes 11% of the total government expenditure, one of the highest debt burdens in sub-Saharan Africa. This is expected to increase to 16% of the total government expenditure by 2018. Uganda’s debt burden has risen faster than the government’s own resources, resulting in a debt-to-revenue ratio of 236%, one of the highest amongst B-rated countries. This has prompted Moody’s recent down grade of Uganda’s long-term bond rating by one notch to B2 from B1” (PwC, P: 8, 2017).
An Economy with challenges:
“2016 was an economically difficult year for Uganda. The economy faced numerous challenges due to the continued uncertainty surrounding the recovery in global economic growth, weak commodity prices and geopolitical events in our key trading partners. As a result, of these numerous challenges, our export earnings, FDI flows and remittances to Uganda all went down. These developments, together with a slowdown in the execution of public investment projects and weaker than expected private sector demand, had a major effect on the economy” (…) “Other internal risks include delays in the implementation of public infrastructure projects such as the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) linking Uganda to its East African neighbours, and the key infrastructure projects critical for the commencement of oil production” (PwC, P: 4-5, 2017).
If you are worried by the Republic and their economy after this, than you haven’t followed the class since this signs have been there for while! The state of the economy is fragile and the debt rise should concern all the ones inside the Republic and also outside. However, this could change, but that has to be done by the government and steer in another direction as today. The greed and the common sense of developing the economy is forgotten, as they are fixated on infrastructure projects and oil developments, while borrowing to fill the losses of donor-aid and internal revenue. This could be done in many ways, but that would not be easy. Peace.
Reference:
PricewaterhouseCoopers Limited (PwC) – ‘Uganda Economic Outlook 2017’ (February 2017)

The man behind the Presidential Handshake, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has outdone himself today, as the report of that his people shouldn’t be begging for money. Well, every time he travels with his liaisons and cronies he brings brown envelopes to dole around. Therefore it is refreshing to read this from the man who is the walking ATM. The man who buys loyalty has a problem that people begs him and his government for money. This is the same government that allocates and spends monies without any proof of where it was used. Just take a look!
President Museveni said on last Thursday:
“People should get out of poverty through labour but not begging. You cannot get out of chan (poverty) through kwayo (begging),” (…) “There is a cancer called Leukemia. Now when your body cannot make its own remo (blood), you depend on blood transfusion. They put in blood, after two weeks it is finished; they put in more blood, it is finished [again]. How can you go on like that?” (…) “So when you want to fight poverty through begging, it’s not a good idea. In fact when you try to get out of poverty through begging you spread poverty. Even the one who gives you also becomes poor” (Oketch, 2017).
Well, President Museveni knows his bit of poverty and how he earned his fortune. He got it through a rebellion and coup d’état against ruling regime. Since then he has ruled and made ways for himself to profit on the state coffers. The added debt on the state over the years and the donors leaving, therefore he suddenly doesn’t want the Republic to beg. Still, he walks with brown-envelope and gives them to the ones he sees fit. Then you shouldn’t wonder why the inflation and BoU has to borrow funds to keep up with the spending of the State House.
So the begging comes from Museveni’s own actions and how his government has operated over time, over three decades. Therefore, inevitably the public would be sucked into the ways as they see and follow the procedure, even if it isn’t written in stone. The Government has created their own monster. Today on the Tarehe Sita 36th Celebration Day in Apac at the Boma Grounds, the President gave another brown envelope of unknown value to the Apac Church of Uganda Mothers Union.
If Museveni was wanting to stop the begging culture, maybe there would be procedures and through meaningful ways of governance, where the applications and the filing through needed ministry and funds would have given Apac Church of Uganda Mothers Union could have gotten Membership support through a Ministry who has sufficient programs to deliver it through. Instead, it is all on the mercy of President and when he visits in goodwill. That is not building resilient and institutional practice to end begging.
So if Mzee want to stop begging for real and wants change, he has to steer the wind and use the wind so he knows where the winds blow. Instead he is a tornado who drops money where ever he turns and nobody can control that. Peace.
Reference:
Oketch, Bill – ‘President warns against begging’ (06.02.2017) link: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/President-warns-against-begging/688334-3801038-m4e4ewz/index.html

There are many budget posts in a National Budget, but as there are talk of lacking international support of the budget in the Republic of Uganda. The certainty is that even as the donors are fleeing the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and the President Museveni own way of saying he doesn’t need them. Still, I want to show the world collectively what the NRM government have donor sponsored projects through the National Budget, these are projects and development of infrastructure that the NRM needs to show something after over 30 years reign.
Like take Japan the donor funding to the Northern Uganda Farmer Livelihood Improvement Project in the next Financial Year gives to the project Ush. 31.33bn. also donate funds to is the Nakawa TVET Lead Project got Ush. 4.69bn. Japan also donates to Kampala Flyover Construction and Road Upgrading Project with Ush. 155.44bn.
World Bank itself is donating funds in different ways to two other projects, which is African Centeres of Excellence that got Ush. 13.36bn. and Albertine Region Sustainable Development got Ush. 9.35bn. On the other hand the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia donated to the Construction of 5 Regional Technical Institutes with funds of Ush. 6.98bn.
Belgium has also offered their donor funds into the Ugandan state through various projects, like the Program/Project Support to Improve the Quality of Teaching and Learning with Ush. 11.97bn. also the Rehabilitation of the National Teacher Training Centre Kaliro allocated Ush. 15.16bn, they also gave to Rehabilitation of the National Teacher Training Centre Muni funds of Ush. 15.16bn. another project that Belgium was behind is the Support to the Implementation of Skilling Uganda with Ush. 15.96bn.
The Democratic People’s Republic of China has donated to new development projects in Uganda, like they are donating to Industrial Substations Ush. 91.74bn. they also donated to Isimba Hydro Power Plant Ush. 407bn. and also Karuma Hydro Power Plant where they have pledged Ush. 1,305.07bn. or Ush. 1.3 trillion to that alone! The Chinese is also involved in Entebbe Airport Rehabilitation where they have funded Ush. 148.13bn. the pledged funds for Standard Gauge Railway will first come next Financial Year 2018/2019 and not this financial year.
African Union (AU) funds to the UPDF Peace Keeping Mission in Somalia with total Ush. 256.66bn. United Kingdom pledged funds to the Road Infrastructure for Delivery of First Oil with Ush. 252.63bn.
The pledged funds for Kampala-Jinja Highway are first for FY 2018/2019, but no official donor or loaner of funds. Therefore the estimated funds come from thin air. What is also relevant is to see that the Funds from Austria and Denmark has been suspended for different development projects. Still, which I haven’t mentioned is the funds from African Development Bank, also GAVI and Global Funds still gives to health care development, even with the knowledge of the rampant corrupt behaviour in the Ministry of Health.
Therefore if the NRM are contemplating that they are themselves giving these sorts of projects to the people, I hope the donors are putting up boards or signs in the entrance or hallways, even start of the roads where it says what sort of amount of funds they spent on it. So that President Museveni or any other crony can take all the credit, because the credit and the footing the bill to somebody else! Peace.

I haven’t been much focused on the budget for 2017/2018 because the more I know, the sadder I be for the citizens of Uganda. Since the revelations of the use of funds and allocations are usually not in sync. The allocations and maladministration is so rampant that the allocated funds are most likely spent on other projects than we’re they was anticipated to be. Either saves a Bank with owners tied to Museveni or to pay for gasoline for his Presidential Jet. Who knows right?
Well, we know that over the past few months and year President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has attacked the hypocrisy and the West for interfering in his democracy. Mr. I-Am-Not-A-Civil-Servant, but I am your President. Since there are some questionable things in Uganda National Budget Framework Paper of December 2016. That are putting numbers for how they see fit for the government use of funds.
Key numbers:
| Area | FY 2016/2017 | FY 2017/2018 |
| Budget Support | 926,6bn | 33,8bn |
This numbers says a lot of the usual donor-friendly regime of Museveni, which has been since he was the new-breed of African leaders that was even praised by Bill Clinton during the 1990s. Therefore the revelation that over a year period the donor-funding to direct budget support is scrapped says something. That of 30 Trillion budget of 2017/2018 is only getting meagre sum of 33 billion. That is just a few Presidential Handshakes to loyal cronies an then they are spent!
President Museveni must really angered and made them tired of throwing monies at his regime since they are not as friendly with their taxpayers monies as before. I am sure they have another cause and another country that they are doling their budget aid funds to. Now they are not directed at the NRM or the Mzee who certainly eats more alone. Peace.








Uganda’s economy has performed reasonably well in a complex environment.
WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America, January 11, 2017 – On January 5, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the seventh review of Uganda’s economic program under the Policy Support Instrument (PSI).1 The Board’s decision was taken on a lapse of time basis.2 In completing the review, the Board granted a waiver of the nonobservance of the end-June 2016 assessment criterion on the overall deficit of the central government.
The PSI for Uganda was approved by the Board on June 28, 2013 (see Press Release No. 13/78), and a one-year extension was approved on June 6, 2016 (see Press Release No. 16/263).
Uganda’s economy has performed reasonably well in a complex environment. Growth slowed marginally to 4.8 percent in FY15/16, reflecting muted sentiment in an election year and adverse global and regional developments. The current account deficit improved by 1 percentage point to 5.9 percent of GDP, and the Shilling has stabilized after a sharp depreciation in 2015. Growth is projected to nudge up to 5 percent in FY16/17.
Program performance under the PSI has been mixed. Tight monetary policy in 2015 has helped contain inflation in the target range, and the Bank of Uganda (BoU) has started an easing cycle in April 2016. Reserve cover remains adequate. Fiscal revenue and deficit targets were missed, reflecting lower-than-expected growth and election effects. Investment spending fell short, while current expenditure overshot. Structural reforms have progressed, albeit with some delays.
The banking sector remains overall well capitalized, despite elevated non-performing loans. The BoU appropriately took over an undercapitalized bank and is identifying a strategic investor.
Uganda remains at a low risk of debt distress. The scaling-up of infrastructure investment implies a temporary increase in debt, putting a premium on domestic revenue mobilization and ensuring that public investment yields the intended growth dividend.
Looking ahead, priorities include close cooperation with the Financial Action Task Force to ensure Uganda’s swift exit from its “gray” list; strengthening domestic arrears monitoring; and amending the Bank of Uganda Act to reinforce central bank independence.
1 The PSI is an instrument of the IMF designed for countries that do not need balance of payments financial support. The PSI helps countries design effective economic programs that, once approved by the IMF’s Executive Board, signal to donors, multilateral development banks, and markets the Fund’s endorsement of a member’s policies (see imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/psi.htm). Details on Uganda’s current PSI are available at imf.org/uganda.
2 The Executive Board takes decisions without a meeting when it is agreed by the Board that a proposal can be considered without convening formal discussions.