Opinion: If Bosco and NRM have a problem with foreign interference, than stop taking their money!

“Charity … is the opium of the privileged; from the good citizen who habitually drops ten kobo from his loose change and from a safe height above the bowl of the leper outside the supermarket; to the group of good citizens (like youselfs) who donate water so that some Lazarus in the slums can have a syringe boiled clean as a whistle for his jab and his sores dressed more hygienically than the rest of him; to the Band Aid stars that lit up so dramatically the dark Christmas skies of Ethiopia. While we do our good works let us not forget that the real solution lies in a world in which charity will have become unnecessary.” – Chinua Achebe

At this days, the National Resistance Movement (NRM), the peddlers of information and defense of the ill-advised activities of the Ugandan Government are now attack the Foreign Donors for interfering in internal affairs in the Republic. However, what would President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the NRM do without the donor funds and direct government support?

As every time there is a launch of government programs and development projects, it is mostly based on foreign currency and funds, which secure the needed services of the government. That is why if a road is built, if a bridge is fixed or even possible investments into oil industry. It all defines by the need of foreign investment and donations. As without these, the government wouldn’t be able to carry it, as they are drowning in debt and lack of fiscal financial funds to actually do it. That is why either United States, European Union or China is behind the support of various development projects and direct government funds.

However, if the Republic has an issue with the criticism from the EU after the Arua By-Election. Then first do yourself a favor. Stop taking their money and their government support. As they are the ones pledging these funds and therefore, they are not wanting to help a government that hurts and kills own citizens to stay in power. That is why the EU is reacting to the open-bazaar torturing and oppressive behavior of the NRM regime. Bosco and his henchmen might be mad that this is leaking and that this hurting their pride. Nevertheless, if they have an issue with the EU, take it in the diplomatic channels and also address it as political operatives. Instead, they are attacking the EU. They should be lucky that the EU isn’t suspending their funds and stops direct support. Because we have seen what that did to Uganda, when the World Bank suspended funds to Uganda National Roads Authority and stopped building roads for a while.

Therefore, if the Ugandan Government don’t want to be transparent or questioned for their behaviors by donors or even foreign powers. Stop taking their money and use their funds for needed government services. Stop taking the donations and loans, the fiscal supply from abroad and forget that there is no free money. There will be strings with taking the money from either Multi-National Organizations, the Breton-Woods Organizations and the other Aid Agencies. All of them have a mission and policies to follow, just like the state. So if the state they operate in breaches this, they have the rights to voice it out. As this is their money and they are using them in Kampala, instead of Mogadishu or Kathmandu.

That is why the NRM and Bosco has to get real, they are not donor darlings anymore, because the reality of the acts of this government is shown to the world. Not because of Bobi Wine, but because of what the NRM does. Their acts are shown and repeated, beating civilians, not taking care of their ill bodies or even making sure their rights as citizens are respected. Especially if they question the President and his party. That is a no-go.

Therefore, the NRM and Bosco have to decide, do they want to only take loans without any interference from China or do they want funds with strings from EU/USA? Does the NRM and Bosco want to make sure that they can pay-back the loans and interests to the Chinese? As they are not as forgiving as the Western Powers, as they did write-off loans in 1980s and early 1990s to Uganda. That should be remembered, but Museveni have become forgetful, unless it fits his continued existence and rule.

That is why the defenders of the government and party, should ask themselves, if it is so critical and important to be independent and sovereign, why take foreigners money anyway? Can you not operate without it? Then you are totally free and they can shut-up, as they are not contributing anyways. They can just be naysayers from abroad and their input will not have any force behind them. However, now, the Ugandan government should ask themselves?

Can you stop the donations, the loans and funding from all the stakeholders and be truly sovereign?

If so, than the power of the donors will be depleted and their reach will be less. However, as long as they are letting donors be key part of government programs and development projects, they are obliged to listen and follow some of the strings attached. Peace.

Museveni: He inherited the Republic in 1986, but in 2018, its his Civil Service!

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni must have misspoke or said something that wasn’t particularly true on Friday 14^th September 2018, when he was donating funds at NAADS in Kawempe, Kampala. I will show why I am claiming he is lying, because the Civil Service of 2018 is all his. This isn’t what he got from Milton Obote or Idi Amin Dada. True, some parts of the institutions and the protocols that is not revised is still there, but the people are there are most likely another generation, than when he came to power. In a country where the 48% of the public is between 0-14 years old, also 28% is between 25-65 years old. Lastly, only 2%, which is over 65 years old. That means, the ones that he inherited is in the range of the 2 % and most of them isn’t working anymore. As life expectency in the Republic is about 58 years old. When you been ruling for 32 years it is only the young part of the brigade that is still working and it should be very few that is inherited.

Claims he inherited Civil Service:

““I inherited thugs. These are your children that you put in the civil service and I found them there,”Museveni said in Kawempe on Friday afternoon. “Don’t blame me for corrupt civil servants. I inherited them from past governments. Since you have now disowned them, I can now sack them for being rebels inside my government.”” (Kenneth Kazibwe – ‘Don’t blame me for corrupt officials, I inherited them – Museveni’ 15.09.2018 link: http://nilepost.co.ug/2018/09/15/dont-blame-me-for-corrupt-officials-i-inherited-them-museveni/).

That is why I have hard time believing he inherited the Civil Service as it is, because most of them has only served his government and under his reign. As most of the citizens are born while he ruled. Therefore, the will be minority of civil servants that also served under Obote or Yusuf Lule. That is just a mere reality, that the President knows, but he has to blame the dead to give himself life. Just like a Dracula.

By statistics alone between 2012 and 2016, the whole civil service employed from 281,000 to 308,000, this is stats from the UBOS 2017 report ‘ STATISTICAL ABSTRACT’. In all margins of error, I doubt all advance aged people are working as civil servants, especially when only 60,000 of 2016 was working in Local Government for instance. That, is why I have hard time believing his Civil Service is inherited at this point. If we’re talking mid-1990s or 1980s. He could have gotten away with it, but this time.

All the Commissions, all the Ministries and all the created districts are all his creations, combined with the Universal Primary Education and all the other government organizations created since the inception of his rule. That is why President Museveni is lying, not only by the default of the age of the workforce in the civil service, but also in the state creation of organizations since 1986. If he uses history against the public. I will use basic math and common sense against him.

He didn’t inherit the civil service as it is in 2018. That is the civil service that is following his guidelines and his rules, they are enacted because of him and his legislation. This is all resembling the system and government he has promoted for three decades. The ones that was there in 1986 are most likely drinking waragin in a village somewhere, if not already dwelling in a grave. Therefore, it is sinister to say he inherited thugs in the civil service. When most of them is gone and the ones there is his grand-kids and the post-1986 generation. Peace.

Uganda: Cabinet Decisons taken during the Cabinet Meeting held on Monday 10th September, 2018 at State House, Entebbe (10.09.2018)

Has the Cabinet repealed the laws to able to merger the Authorities and Agencies? Didn’t think so!

Today, must been a day that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni have suddenly awaited for since writing a letter dated on the 17^th July 2017 titled: “Re: Mushrooming Agencies/Authorities” sent to Finance Minister Matia Kasija, to tell this:

“Why, then, should you separate the policy role from the regulation role for the non-commercial bureaucratic portions of the government; Forests, National Parks, Roads, NAADs, etc? Their functions are just two: policy and regulation. There is no business involved. If the Ministries of Works and Finance want to form Road Construction companies that will compete for construction jobs, then it makes sense for those companies to have Boards and Management but not a Board for a unit whose only job is to award contracts using government money” (Museveni, 17.07.2017).

That is why the Press Conference done by Frank Tumwebaze today, was to tell what the giant Cabinet has decided to do on the 10^th September 2018. Which is more than one later and also 9 months after the fixed deadline President Museveni gave to Cabinet. Seemingly that haven’t matter. What matters to me, is that they are closing Authorities and such, which is there by law. They are not repealed or gone, as the Cabinet of 80, should be able to figure that out, but certainly they are more preoccupied with doing measures that pleases the President.

I will looking into a few of the Agencies and Commissions that are now in the spotlight, as most of these are parts of laws and are in-forced. Meaning, this laws needs to be repealed or amend them. To take away the legality of having the set commissions and such. This is something the President and the Cabinet should already know, however, this is more a learning sessions of the ones that is mentioned for being reverted into the Ministries of the Republic.

With the likes of Uganda Retirement Benefits Regulatory Authority (URBRA), which was commencement on the 26^th September 2011. Have the cabinet a plan to repeal the Uganda Retirement Benefits Regulatory Authority Act of 2011? Until then, they cannot discontinue this Authority, right?

The same can be said with Uganda Free Zone Authority (UFZA), which was established because of the Free Zone Act 0f 2014. The Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) was established by enactment of the Investment Code Act of 1991. The same can be said that Uganda Export Promotions Board Act of 1996 established the Uganda Export Promotions Board (UEPB). This is just three acts, which shows there was laws creating these ones, that being URBRA, UFZA, UIA and UEPB. This I did with very little or no research, all of these laws are still in-force, meaning that they have to repeal these to kill of these boards and authorities.

Who knows if it similar with the rest of the Authorities, but if I was working there, I would sue the government as the laws are allowing their existence and their mandate under a minsitry and lawful funds to operate. Therefore, there should be reactions to the Cabinet Resolutions.

At this point, if there is any rule of law and the laws have some value, than the government should work on repealing the Authorities laws and ensure there is no legal ground to keep them alive, if they are a waste of government resources. Until, then, the laws are giving them mandate and also a lawful existence, no matter what the Cabinet enacts or written resolutions. Peace.

Opinion: Mzee don’t want to bother foreign investors with taxes, just give him a Presidential Handshakes!

Well, I am biased, as the President are visiting Dubai for 4th Global Business Forum on Africa on the 2^nd November 2017. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is trying to cater to foreign investors. People who he usually cater to at the State House, so he can get favors and Presidential Handshakes. That is why he isn’t bothered with taxes, because the tax-holidays and possible offerings will be huge for the investors who comes in. That is what the National Resistance Movement (NRM) are doing, especially if it is for instance a nations offering the state loan, than the same state can come with state-companies to build infrastructure like Chinese companies coming in after offering loans to the same NRM government. Therefore, just look at what he was saying yesterday, which is weird, but fit a pattern.

“Since you are business people, we must be talking about profits. When you talk of Uganda and Africa, you are talking about peace as an enabling environment; which we have. We have raw materials, and have a population of 40 million people that’s’ a market. And if we talk of integration we have a four tear market” (…) “In Africa, the demand is there and growing because we have been under-consuming while the rest of the world the demand is falling because they have been over consuming” (…) “There are plenty of raw materials, minerals, tourism and so on so when you invest there you have access to all these” (…) “I don’t have to bother investors with taxes, what I want is for them to invest, use our raw materials, create jobs, add value and promote exports” (State House Uganda, 2017).

Well, so the President trying to say to foreign investors, you don’t need to pay taxes for your output, just cater to me. The state you don’t have to bother about, just bother about catering to the State House and me. We will add value and promote exports, we will agreements and make sure you get the value on our resources and low-payed workers.

We know who is the biggest taxpayers in the republic, because of Uganda Revenue Authority own statement in the media on the 31^st October 2017, which stated names like Mr. Alnasir Virani Gulam Hussein Habib, Dr. Sudhir Ruparelia, Mohammed Hussain, Nakayima Janat, Karia Minex, Karia Kunnal, Alykhan Hudani and Dayalijil Karan. Who are sounding like foreign investors and they are on the top 25 biggest taxpayers in Uganda. So the state has already connected families from abroad to invest there in various businesses. This shows there are already people who is not worried about taxes, but about the output of their companies.

Some of these investors has made big names, while others have worked more in silence. Still, this shows that the top earners even promoted by URA and Doris Akol. Proves how they are working, as there wasn’t that many own citizens on the list. That shows that the foreign investors must get a special advantage and special agreements at the state house for their dealings. Especially, considering how it has been done, just for tearing down markets in Kampala for own investors and financial agreements. This has been done and arranged from the State House without consultation with locals, neither KCCA or the renters of these markets. That is how the NRM and Museveni do deals in favor of him and if he get ill-gained funds, he will support the “development”. It is in similar fashion he exposes his intent in Dubai.

That the State doesn’t need taxes or need structures to facilitate for foreign investors, they just needs agreements with State House and then it is all fair-game. It is insane, but fits the Modus Operandi of the Musevenism and NRM regime. Give him a Presidential Handshake and you can operate as you want in the Republic. Peace.

Reference:

State House Uganda – ‘President Museveni woos Arab investors to Uganda “We have the raw materials, human resource and market”’ (02.11.2017) link: https://www.africa-newsroom.com/press/president-museveni-woos-arab-investors-to-uganda-we-have-the-raw-materials-human-resource-and-market?lang=en

Opinion: It’s ironic that President Museveni is talking about disciplining the government!

“The three arms of government and their sub-branches must have discipline. For example I have been involved in disciplining the army. We should do the same for other sub-branches of government. If the Judiciary is also disciplined in fighting corruption, citizens will lead a good life.” – Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on the 1^st October 2017, State House Entebbe.

Its just one of these days that hearing the news and seeing the tweets of the President, makes me laugh and wonder if he listen to himself. He knows his system and has made his garden. The way the government steers and govern is because of his policies, his regulations and his support. It is not like there been other ruling for last 30 years in Uganda. The Republic has been under the control of Museveni and his National Resistance Movement (NRM).

The NRM has suffocated all other free-will and control. Therefore, Ministers, Members of Parliament and others seek guidance and funds directly at the State House in Entebbe. Even foreign investors meet there to make agreements. Everything is nearly sanctioned out there. The Discipline now is more on the narrow-minded government that is run from there. The institutions and the procedures are not so important. Since most things happening is with the words from “above”, meaning the President and his close advisers.

It is not rocket science to know where the benefactor or the reason for lacking structures. That is because government waits for their go sign by the State House, they are waiting for funding of the projects and institutions from the State House. The projects and the works of the State House and under the Prime Ministers Offices are the key organizations within this government. They might say all of the massive cabinet has part to play, but that is the facade.

Therefore, it is ironic for a man so controlling and so disorganized that it gives sometimes way to the unthinkable. Just like the Presidential Handshake, that was sanctioned by the State House, but taken form the wrong account. That was the problem for the President, not that the corrupt behavior was occurring on his watch. Its like he talks against himself. Because he has no problem speaking anti-corruption, but if corruption benefit his cronies – its fine and dandy!

I am not surprised by him at this point of time, its fit his narrative. He says what he expects and wants out of others, but the next day he finds a way to benefit or use the loyalty of his cronies. Not like he would have excepted the UCC not to listen and stop the suspended MPs to hit the airways and be broadcast on TV. He rather being himself on radio and in the spotlight, but will accept anyone else sharing the same space.

President Museveni is the proof of someone saying something noble, but doing opposite. He might say something insane, but act rational. Therefore, you never know where you have him. I will never believe him actually disciplining the government, if doing so. It means they are all blindfolded and following his guidelines. It does not mean building proper governance and protocol, neither is institutionalize the departments and ministries, it is all about his will and his stature.

When it comes to Museveni, discipline is about following him. Not building transparent and proper government institutions. Peace.

Opinion: President Museveni claims in a letter to the FM Kasaija – ‘that the government is “mushrooming”’, well, that is his own creation!

 

It is ironic and hard to take serious that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni wrote a letter to the Finance Minister Matia Kasaija, Minister of Public Service Muruli Mukasa, Minister of the Presidency Esther Mbayo and Head of Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet John Mitala. This letter was sent on the 17^th July of 2017 and was titled: “Re: Mushrooming Agencies/Authorities”. It is ironic and weird, it is the irrational part of Musevenism. The ones that speaks against corruption, but give provisions for a “Presidential Handshake”. Therefore, this is in line of the others chronic problems, this is just one of them.

This here is in line of this, just like the President has problems to understand that the state will have higher costs with each added district and carving out every single county to have someone to be leaders as Residential District Commander and other local government. The same feeling I’m getting by this letter. Since it is his creation and his vision behind the new agencies and the bold hiring of cronies to any department in Uganda. That shouldn’t be shaved from history. He has had 30 decades, most of the Ministries and their agencies has come as answer to his reasoning and him sanctioning it.

Therefore this quote from the letter is obvious trying to put blame elsewhere:

“The questions are: “Why have an Agency when you have a department of the government dealing with the same area of responsibility?” “Why have an Authority when you have a department of the government dealing with the same area of responsibility?” “Why have Boards for money consuming units rather than money generating units?” Boards came into existence when capitalism was growing. In the infancy of capitalism, the owner (the proprietor) would also be the manager because the operations were small. When capitalism grew, it was too much for the owner to manage. Ownership, therefore, got divorced from supervision (board work) and management (managerial work)” (Museveni, 17.07.2017).

I would say most of them are created for the same issue that the state are soon paying former ministers with remuneration to them, even when they are not in cabinet. The same procedure is with hiring cronies to the boards and agencies. Not all about need or necessary for the government or the ministries. How come there are City Hall of Kampala, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and the Ministry of Kampala. That is because the state needs to hire enough cronies to make sure they stay loyal, also the state needs more administrative organs to make sure they can find jobs for their loyalists. Not because Kampala needs all of these administrative bodies to function, it does not help that the state also have a Presidential Advisor for Kampala. All of this is proof of the mismanagement. This is only in Kampala and without taking a deep dig into the wards and under all the mayors of Kampala. Not what that is under Lord Mayor and KCCA Executive Director.

The letter continues:

“Why, then, should you separate the policy role from the regulation role for the non-commercial bureaucratic portions of the government; Forests, National Parks, Roads, NAADs, etc? Their functions are just two: policy and regulation. There is no business involved. If the Ministries of Works and Finance want to form Road Construction companies that will compete for construction jobs, then it makes sense for those companies to have Boards and Management but not a Board for a unit whose only job is to award contracts using government money” (Museveni, 17.07.2017).

It is ironic again, because NAADs, SACCOs and other Youth Livelihood Programmes have all been created by Museveni and run by close associates, even Salim Selah in some instances. That the President suddenly have issues with this weird. Since on the Campaign Trials, it seems like it is remedy and the solutions to use these government programs, but now with growing debt, it is an issue? You need this money to build a petroleum pipeline and refinery? You can wonder, I wonder, if this is the reason! Since these sort of boards, sort of agencies has been put in place, by laws signed by Museveni and accepted by him. Many is part of legislation to secure each and several ones for pivotal parts of government. Others are just created to hire cronies! Therefore, weird that he want to sack cronies… but maybe it is within need?

“I want efficient with no further delays. You have up to 20^th December 2017, to propose a plan to Cabinet” (Museveni, 17.07.2017). It seems only to able to change this with bringing in new tools. President Museveni needs these boards for every produce and every parts of government. That is within himself, as the ideology has no value and also no vision. Other than keeping himself in power by any means. Therefore, the boards and agencies will not cease to exists, he needs to hire cronies and pay them by either a hook or a crook. If not he has to go forward or change his system. Maybe he shouldn’t create so many ministries, districts and sort of specialized organizations, but he cannot help himself. That is his MO, nothing else. This will not change! Peace.

The letter:

Uganda: Ministry of Public Service – Establishment Notice No. 1 of 2017: “Dressing Code for the Non-Uniformed Officers in the Public Service” (04.07.2017)

Mzee gives the government officials double or triple salary rises in the Ministry of Public Service!

A letter dated from the 12^th 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.