ULS Response on Invitation to meet the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Entreprises (COSASE) – (23.02.2017)

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1.6 million People affected in hunger crisis and other growing issues in the agricultural sector in Uganda!

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The Republic of Uganda has certain areas that have been affected with the drought and the lacking rain, which has affected the yields and output of food. The areas that has been in dire straits since El-Nino is in Teso, Karamoja and West Nile; these areas are in different stages, but all as worrying as the 1.6 million people are in a crisis situation, while 26% of all population or 9.3 million people are in a stressed situation. Let’s take a deep breath and look at the numbers coming from the offices of Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda. That has delivered this numbers and they are worrying.

An estimated 1.6 million people (5% of the total population) are in Crisis situation. Those populations are found in Central 1 (0.58 million); Karamoja (0.12 million), Teso (0.2 million), East Central (0.38 million) and South Western (0.31 million) regions. This population has widening food consumption gaps with deteriorating dietary diversity and high malnutrition rates. They are found in Central 1 (0.58 million), Karamoja (0.12 million), Teso (0.2 million), East Central (0.38 million) and South Western (0.31 million) regions. The affected population includes the poorest households with poor food consumption score, low meal frequencies of up to 1 meal a day and low dietary diversity of less than 3 food groups. They have poor purchasing power as their incomes are low and no food stocks at household level. They are mainly coping through food assistance, remittances from relatives, begging, stealing food, wild food gathering and irreversible sale of productive assets to buy food. This population currently needs assistance to bridge the widening food consumption gaps and avert worsening malnutrition” (Office of the Prime Minister, 2017).

You can wonder what is the plan of the Republic when they know that the people have poor purchasing power, while the dwindling yields of the small-farming in these regions, doesn’t have the purchasing power of central regions. The trades and lacking production has equally hurt these citizens in Teso and Karamoja. Therefore the drought and lacking rain-fall has made the situation worse, as much as the rising refugee camps also getting aid and support from United Nation organization. While the republic have not galvanized agricultural structures and supported the citizens in dire need. This shows that the state has forgotten the reason for its existence. But there are more!

An estimated 9.3 million people (26% of the total population) are experiencing Stressed situation. Those populations are in East Central (1.88 million); South Western (1.24 million), Teso (1.1 million) and West Nile (1.04 million) regions. This population has minimum adequate food consumption, employing insurance strategies and are unable to afford some essential non-food expenditures. The prolonged dry spell due to La Nina phenomenon coupled with increasing incidences of crop and livestock pests and diseases such as Cassava Brown Streak, Cassava Mosaic, maize stalk borer, striga and Banana Bacterial Wilt grossly affected production reducing the availability and accessibility of food for this population. The low crop and livestock production negatively impacted household food stocks leading to increased reliance on markets for food. Increasing demand from external markets has induced food price increases, making it difficult for poor households to access food from the market. Deteriorating water and pasture conditions mainly in the cattle corridor have resulted in migrations of livestock keepers, reduction in livestock production and increased spread of livestock diseases. The over whelming influx of refugees from South Sudan has increased demand for food and services in West Nile region” (Office of the Prime Minister, 2017).

So it is bad that 1.6 million people are lacking resource, possibility to produce food, but also that the state doesn’t deliver help or aid to the people. The other numbers of affected people, shows even more the systematic defaults of the state to achieve good production of agricultural output, as the problems with crops, livestock and diseases that shown with Cassava Brown Strak, Cassava Mosaic, Maize Stalk Borer, Sriga and Banana Bacterial Wilt. All of these should be worked on and nourished by the state, through agricultural programs that stops the spread of diseases. This should be important at this stage by not only the Office of the Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda. Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries Hon. Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja should have used the institutions to find solutions to the added strains in the agricultural industries, together with one of his State Ministers.

That the Ministry of Agriculture and Hon. Ssempijja has been lacking guidance as well as funding, most been shown when the millions of affected citizens are the result of little or no plan on important industry as it is. Where so many work and could need state structures to help and guide. There are lacking instruments and use of government institutions to help out in the dire need. Even find out ways to stop the growing problems that makes such a big part of population affected. When a state has 26% of it affected by various issues and the State can find ways to sort it out, than that should be priority, not to buy airplanes and cut taxes for the MPs, but to fix the agricultural yields and water-irrigation that needs. Peace.

Reference:

A Publication of the Office of the Prime Minister – Department of Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Management – “The Official Government of Uganda Inter- Ministerial/Agencies Monthly National Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning Bulletin

15th FEBRUARY to 15th MARCH 2017” Volume 01. Series No. 01. Issues No. 04.

Opinion: Besigye doesn’t need dialogue with Museveni!

Besigye 23.02.2016 Kasangati

Dr. Kizza Besigye and the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) do not need to have dialogue or negotiation with the National Resistance Movement (NRM) or the President himself. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni needs more the dialogue than the FDC and their party needs it. It is the NRM government and NRM regime who needs legitimacy and needs funds. That is proven with Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) who proves with the 16 trillion shillings funds the for the 2017/2018 budget of the 30 trillion shillings needed. With this in mind there is certainly that the NRM needs more international support to fix missing funds.

That Museveni would need Besigye now a year after the General Election of 2016 shows how dire the situation is, the added debt and the troubling waters on the giant infrastructure projects, as much as the missing funds for the salaries or the other financial expenses that are occurring for the government. So the proof of issues is growing as the direct budget support has dwindled down as well as the elite and the cronies still expect to be fed by the regime.

Besigye has still a forged treason case, as much as Rwenzururu king Charles Wesley Mumbere has as well. The FDC headquarters was attacked and a crime-scene as the FDC Youth and FDC P10 was attacked as the defiance campaign was even banned by the Deputy Court Justice Stephen Kavuma. As well, the Police Force under IGP Kale Kayihura monitored and followed the leadership of FDC like they we’re criminal. There were many detained and house-arrested, there was more people hurt and hospitalized by state security organization. Also, the many inflicted and detained without warrants or court order shows the impunity of the state towards the FDC.

So after this impunity, after the illegal house-arrest of Besigye and the others who has been taken into prison without any justice served, why should the FDC try to sell their soul to the Movement? That is waste of time and waste of energy, it would be like the men who traded their political lives in Nairobi talks: “The NRA and the government signed a peace and power sharing agreement in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital Dec. 17 that called for an immediate cease-fire, the freezing of all troop movements and a half share of the ruling Military Council for the NRA” (…) “The provisions of the accord were largely ignored and both sides used the lull in the fighting to reposition and resupply their forces. The guerrillas claimed the military committed widespread human rights abuses after the accord was signed” (Charles Mitchell – ‘The National Resistance Army of rebel leader Yoweri Museveni…’ 26.01.1986 link: http://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/01/26/The-National-Resistance-Army-of-rebel-leader-Yoweri-Museveni/5549507099600/ ). So the agreement done by NRA in December 1985 wasn’t a big deal, so that Museveni could do a final sting and coup to gain power, which he has never left.

A negotiation with Museveni would only enforce his rule and his longevity in power nothing else. Besigye would not be offered anything substantial; his part in the matter would end in little or nothing. FDC would get the stick, but not get the price. Just like they wouldn’t feel a difference between now and then since the price of going into partnership would benefit Museveni. The Movement would get beneficiary funding and regard internationally since FDC has a higher standing abroad than Museveni.

M7 Guards Inaguration 2016

Museveni is well-known now because of his 7 terms and his position of executive since 1986. The reality of this that a negotiation or dialogue with Museveni at this stage is redundant, unless the President all of sudden turns his own self sideways. That he would go back on all his empty promises and all of his glory. Certainly Museveni could do so, but he knows that he has too many people on his consciences to leave it all behind. The President has eaten too much of the state coffers and cannot leave the bank-accounts behind. The family is too connected and has all the leverage in the state. The movement is built around him and if he fails than the party does as well.

The Movement and Museveni would not co-sign their powers or the authority, not after the rigging and the massive misuse of the state funds, therefore the lacking funds for the current budget. Museveni knows that his loyal friends abroad will not give in to his ways anymore, therefore hoping to play other cards. Use his political brain to suck other donors in. That while waiting for more oil-monies and also trade of other with making the UPDF to mercenary army in Equatorial Guinea or South Sudan if needed. This is because they need to get fresh funding for the State House, which hasn’t paid their payment-arrears to the owners of the Okello House!

So Besigye doesn’t need Museveni at this point, he needs his party and the loyalty of his supporters. That is more than Museveni has who needs to pay for loyalty and to secure funding for the movement itself. Therefore the jobs and funds to come steady, there is always more mouths to feed and more people to silence with brown envelopes. So Museveni needs foreign support and foreign aid as the Uganda Revenue Authority has just enough regulations and taxes to bring in funds that scrape the surface, but not fill the state coffers.

So again I say and I stand by it, Museveni is the only one earning political capital on negotiations and dialogue, nothing is really to be earned by the FDC or Besigye. So with this in mind, Museveni will only gain and Besigye will only lose on it. If you know you would lose, why give way to somebody who comes to take it all and deplete it all? Peace.

Government of Uganda Position on Burundian Refugees (17.02.2017)

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Mzee doesn’t care about his own laws with the appointment of Kyabanzinga Gabula IV as a Special Envoy in the Office of the President!

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Whatever being said is that Busoga kingdom who’s King Gabula IV have been under fire recently as President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has appointed him as a Special Ambassador in the Office of the President.  Since this is downgrading the cultural or traditional leader, who has a kingdom to reign over.

This being Busoga which is: “Busoga comprises of 11 principalities of the Basoga people. Our kingdom’s capital is located in Bugembe, which in Jinja District, the second largest city in Uganda. Busoga Kingdom is composed of ten politically organised districts: Jinja, Buyende, Kamuli, Kaliro, Iganga, Mayuge, Luuka, Namutumba, Bugiiri and Namayingo. Each district is headed by democratically elected chairpersons or Local Council Five, while municipalities are headed by an elected Mayor. Jinja is the industrial and economical hub of Busoga. The Busoga area is bounded on the north by the swampy Lake Kyoga which separates it from Lango, on the west by the Victoria Nile which separates it from Buganda, on the south by Lake Victoria which separates it from Tanzania and Kenya, and on the east by the Mpologoma River, which separates it from various smaller tribal groups (Padhola, Bugwere, Bugisu, etc.)” (http://busogakingdom.com/).

This is a strange appointment of Kyabanzinga of Busoga William Gabula, when reading certain parts of the law. This is with the knowledge of Traditional and Cultural Leaders Act of 2011. Where the law says so in Part V – Restriction on a Traditional or Cultural Leaders:

“12. Exercise of administrative, legislative or executive powers. A traditional or cultural leader shall not have or exercise any administrative, legislative or executive powers of Government or a local government” (The Institutional of Traditional or Cultural Leaders Act of 2011).

As President Museveni himself written yesterday:

As someone who was involved in restoration of kingdoms, I know the laws governing them. I know where a cultural leader can contribute to Uganda without interfering with the law. I heard the critics say royals don’t work. That is not the case. The Kyabazinga is youthful, he recently acquired useful education from abroad. He can contribute to national development and I see no merit in denying him that opportunity. There’s a great history of royals and monarchs contributing and leading the transformation of nations. One example is King Peter the Great who is considered the father of Russia’s transformation” (Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, 12.02.2017).

So the President himself cannot be able to read or justify that an Appointment of Cultural Leader isn’t countering the law Part V paragraph 12 which says that a king inside the republic of Uganda “shall not have or exercise any administrative, legislative or executive powers of Government”. I know that is words or paragraphs that President Museveni hasn’t remembered or even cares about. Still, his own appointment counters his own law. The law of Cultural Leaders doesn’t matter if Kyabazinga Gabula becomes the next Special Ambassador in the Office of the President.

With this in mind it doesn’t matter if the King feels he wants an ordinary job, he is supposed to get funds through government budget directed through fees from the consolidation fund. That is spelled in the law of 2011, therefore they should not need to apply or work government jobs, as their job is to promote and work for their better of their people and region. The King of Busoga is supposed to be head representative and historical crown-bearer of his kingdom, not work for any political gain. Therefore, the appointment isn’t only wrong in the sense of ordinary understanding of a monarchy. However, this is also of the laws that have been put in place during the 8th Parliament or beginning of 9th Parliament.

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So when the king is quoted with this: “The Busoga cultural leader [Kyabazinga], William Nadiope Gabula IV, has said he will snap up the opportunity to serve as an Ambassador in spite of protestations by some of his subjects and other Ugandans.” (Ladu & Nakato, 2017). Even he himself wants to have position in Parliament, even in an Ordinary Ministry or becoming Permanent Secretary of Education and Sports, it would still be wrong. The laws that are put in place isn’t justifying hiring this king nor any other in Uganda. This is laws that NRM has sanctioned and put in place. Surely, because they wouldn’t have the same issue as President Obote, who in the end got rid of the kingdoms in Uganda!

The history has taught us a lot and President Museveni have forgotten more and more. As his will of putting himself full-circle for all movement; soon he will offer the Baganda and Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II another token of goodwill, as he cannot burn everybody’s palace down or create havoc there too. The Same with King Oyo of Toro, who has been silent since the fall of Gadafi, but that, is another matter.

That President Museveni says he knows and then counters his own law, shows that he doesn’t respect his own laws or has any plans of doing so. Because he now beliefs that his judgement means more or behest more power than the laws of the nation he reign. President Museveni doesn’t respect the laws he has enacted and sanction. Mzee is careless with the appointment of Kyabazinga Gabula IV. It is a proof of his mismanagement and clear-cut Machiavellian tactics of paying of people for loyalty, if not he burns or make more districts to make more people loyal to him. This is the proof of that and isn’t just mere words, but acts of using will power to control. Busoga kingdom is proven to be a walkover if this is an end-product.

The Busoga King Gabula wills sell-out his role as a king for becoming a little working ant for Museveni. That is the end-game, the result of this appointment with the neglect of the law and the rule of law. As his appointment is alone being breached, if the king was abdicating for serving the President. It would be different, than somebody else could rule as king and he could be a Special Envoy under the wings of the President. Naye, which is not the case!! Peace.

Reference:

Parliament of Uganda – ‘The Institution of Traditional or Cultural Leaders’ Act of 2011

Ladu, Ismail Musa & Nakato, Tausi – ‘I’ll take paid envoy job – Busoga king’ (30.01.2017) link: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/I-ll-take-paid-envoy-job—-Busoga-king/688334-3792974-4rfdjg/index.html

#PresidentialHandshake: URA Staffer’s earns nearly UGX30m bonus for clerical work!

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The Republic under the National Resistance Movement doesn’t create any dull moment. Uganda Revenue Authority staff Paul Ojiambo got UGX29.5m net for photocopying beyond official time. That was a part of the Presidential Handshake, since he copied the documents that contained information of the Tullow tax case.

As NTV Uganda put it:

“URA’s Paul Ojambo was paid UGX 29.5M for overtime photocopying of documents used during the oil court cases” (NTV Uganda, 08.02.2017).
“Katuntu- What extraordinary work did you do?

Ojiambo-Photocopying beyond official time.

Katuntu-Is that extraordinary

Ojiambo- yes” (Parliament Watch, 08.02.2017).

Ojiambo also claimed this: “official says he served documents, raised assessments and kept documents confidentialy” (Parliament Watch, 08.02.2017). So the copying of documents is a job that deserves higher payment than usual, especially when they are kept secret. Ojiambo is the next Police Officer or Clerical worker for Central Intelligence Division in the Uganda Police Force.

Another civil servant from URA getting extra funds was Rose Adakuni who received UGX 29m because of the handshake; usually her yearly wage is UGX 2m monthly. With these to you can wonder how the spoils really got served around and to what point inside the Uganda Revenue Authority. She was doing the E-Mail management during the case; therefore she got a big pay-out when the case was over.

Third office worker who got UGX 29m Joseph Agulla as a Clerical Officer got his with his statement, not done anything special. Still, the Authority thought of him as worthy of big-bonus.

You should question the URA, when one person for copying document later than 17:00 got millions upon millions. This shows how rotten the system is and how they all eat of the government funds without any concern of the wasted monies. The trust in URA and spending of the taxes is not strengthening, as the governance in the URA isn’t trustworthy.

When people are getting bonuses for doing their duty as civil servants and given such massive funds, than you have the right to wonder and boggle your mind around the values that are given away from the Authority to their civil servants. The Movement really is careless with their spoils and internally giving away bribes to their own. Peace.

URA: Rolling Out of the URA Costoms Centralized Document Processing Centre (DPC) in Kampala (04.02.2017)

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Opinion: Flabbergasting to know that funds used from Ministry of Works was used to print NRM Manifestos in 2016!

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“Ministry of Works officials reveal to PAC that UGX47m budgeted for the roads fund was used to print NRM manifesto last year” (NBS TV Uganda, 01.03.2017).

The Yellow Movement have no nerve; they have Presidential Handshakes, buying jet-planes for the President, but not money for maintenance. They want to buy helicopters to the Speakers of the Parliament this year. But last year they impressed as well!

Hon. Monica Azuba Ntege, the Minister of the Ministry must feel stupid, as she knows perfectly well that the funds should go to transport or to roads, even gone to the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) development, even to build ports like Bukasa Port on the Lake Victoria.

That this proves something that we all have feared all along, is that the National Resistance Movement are eating of the plate of the public funds when they need. This is if the NRM needs money for gasoline or hiring buses during the campaigns they just take the unallocated salaries for teachers to that. If President Museveni needs more funds to pay musicians for campaigning for him, than going to the function where the allocated taxpayers monies we’re supposed to go.

This shows the lack of transparency and respect of the government funds when the ruling regime and ruling party uses state funds to inner-party campaigning. That NRM and their party organization used Ministry of Works funds to print NRM Manifestos for the General Election of 2016, show lack of governance and allocation procedures. We can question the oversight of the allocation of state funds that is diverted to party work.

The NRM regime is now openly telling to the world that they are misusing the funds and doing in broad daylight, during the plenary sessions on the audit of funds from former financial year of 2015/2016. The world would not be surprised if the NRM used more funds from other ministries to campaign in the recent campaign. Especially knowing that NRM and President Museveni doesn’t seem to have any care with the scrutiny or good-governance. Good governance is apparently a giant issue that will continue be hurt one for regime, because they don’t have the ability or wish to change. Since President Museveni are only focused on his own riches and own wealth, as he is not a civil servant, but his own master who controls the Republic. Peace.  

Makerere: “Re: Suspension from University Service” (30.01.2017)

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Opinion: Mzee apparently turned a bit honest!

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“I am not an employee. I hear some people saying that I am their servant; I am not a servant of anybody. I am a freedom fighter; that is why I do what I do. I don’t do it because I am your servant; I am not your servant. I am just a freedom fighter; I am fighting for myself, for my belief; that’s how I come in. If anybody thinks you gave me a job, he is deceiving himself. I am just a freedom fighter whom you thought could help you also” – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (Muzoora, 2017).

The 1986 coup d’état goes full circle; it goes into the wind, get distilled and has been repackaged more than Destiny’s Child best of hits. It’s been sold in so many ways and to so many outlets, that the stories of the battles and reasons for the coup to even happen. I hate that I have to bring up 1986 again. But it’s because the whole legacy and reason for the Presidency of Museveni, is because of his NRA/NRM battle to supremacy in the 1980s. Since Museveni wanted to be different and have a democratic government compared to the predecessors in the republic.

Still, now he sounds more like them and acts like them. He uses the military against them and uses political positions to buy of opposition and even own cronies. Museveni depletes banks and economy. Certainly, together with election rigging and having added economic interest rates, these sorts of significant outbursts prove what is wrong in the Republic.

President Museveni is now showing his true character. Museveni is saying he isn’t a civil servant. That means that he shouldn’t be the Executive, be the Commander-in-Chief or His Excellency. He should be in the bush as rebel. Not be in power and not head of government. Because government is to serve the public with the usage of taxes and using public coffers to deliver public goods and working government institutions that serves the citizens. The government is there for the citizens, not the government for the government itself.

So President Museveni can charge his guns, take his tanks and his jet-planes to scare the hell out of the public during the elections. The rigging might make the President forget his role, as if he we’re legitimately elected he might feared the public and citizens more. But when the public fear him and his guns than they don’t need to have a civil servant, however they have a thief-in-command instead.

President Museveni has invented the “Presidential Handshake” and given way to all sort of non-governance behaviour. As he has tried to get friends and culpable men in power around his neighbourhood, so he has installed and helped keeping totalitarian and despots in Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo. He has used support of guns to get Paul Kagame as President in Rwanda, sent military support after the third term fraudulent election of President Pierre Nkurunziza, also helped to elect both President Joseph Kabila in the DRC. These men have not proven that they care about democratic societies or the trust in the governance.

Not that Museveni has cared, as he put’s family and loyal cronies in all sort of government institutions, instead of getting the educated or the ones who does it as professions, with lacking level of staff, with massive amounts of ghost workers and forged spending, allocated funds misused and transaction without proof. These is ordinary after 30 years of rule, as rampant corruption, parliamentarian greed and government mismanagement. It is not strange that President Museveni isn’t an civil servant.

President Museveni is the head-crook in charge, the head thief who robs the Republic with passion and for the freedom of his family and cronies, nobody else. Peace.