Government Takeover of Management and Affairs of Uganda Telecom Limited (UTL) – (01.03.2017)

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

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Uganda: UPC for LC1 and LC2 Elections (15.02.2017)

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PwC report spells gloom over rising debt in Uganda!

Ugandan shillings

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)

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

copying-document

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

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Opinion: Mzee apparently turned a bit honest!

Museveni Debate16

“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.

31st Celebration of NRM Regime with a Yellow Jerrycan’s into the future!

NRM in July 2016 in Kakinga in Western Uganda.
NRM in July 2016 in Kakinga in Western Uganda.

The National Resistance Movement had their Celebration Party and unleashed their new ruling-party national newspaper. I thought that was the New Vision? Apparently, I am other we’re wrong on the Bukedde and New Vision ass-kissing mission during the three decades of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. Well, there is so much to celebrate for the NRM!

They have yet another election that rigged and had a new number of sole candidates without any competitions. This is a real victory like stealing candy from a little kid. The NRM can be so celebratory as they are having a too small Parliament, having to few cars for their MPs, added more debt every year into the state coffers with added interest rates on these loans. Together with the waiting of petroleum monies that seems more and more likely to happen closer to 2020 than ever.

NRM can celebrate that they have had a bunch of Vice Presidents, but none has outlasted the long-serving rebel on the throne, that has installed the Jerrycan irrigations as the State cannot afford proper relief or modern irrigation to the their farmers. The cash crops are also struggling as well as staple-food, even the cattle is dying in the cattle-corridor. The NRM has certainly built a perfect nation.

The Uganda Airways, Uganda Telecom, Uganda Broadcasting Company and others  are either gone, near depleted or living on their last legs. UTL the phone company is dead-broke and on life-support. UBC is the only State financed Television Company that couldn’t afford to get licence to send the African Cup of Nations from Gabon this AFCOM2017. NRM has so much to celebrate.

Certainly the lucky guests who got a Presidential Handshake can be all smiles and grin, as the illegitimate government are postponing and struggling with infrastructure projects, as they are all embezzlement projects for the UNRA to trick monies out of the state. The expenses or building roads have sky-rocketed, the Mukono – Katosi Road Project and Kampala – Entebbe Expressway is examples of the open-air bazar of looting under the NRM.

We can question the ambition of the NRM, as they have included all sorts of missions and promises. Most of them shelved out every election cycle, but then forgotten when the NRM MPs and President has entered the Parliament Avenue. The certainty of Steady Progress isn’t there, except for puppy talk of the loyal Musevenists.

nrm-m7-july-2016

This can be said as National Medicak Stores (NMS) are often empty of needed medicines or issuing issues with the sale of copy medicines that we’re not supposed to be on the market. The Hospitals lacking medicines, enough trained personnel, lacking payment structures and salaries as the nurses and teachers even have cash-crops or other jobs to survive. The lacking structure and care for the Health Care is evident as the Nobel men and honourable are travelling abroad for their curing of sickness, as even some of the Generals are suddenly dying as they are travelling to their Asian allies.

We can question if the NRM should celebrate that Nakasero Hospital is now seen as the National Referral Hospital instead of the historic hospital, the Kings Hospital Mulago, the Mulago Referral Hospital Complex that is even missing a well-working cancer machine. The only one that was last bought in 1990s and early in the reign of the NRM! The NRM forgot their mission and let it dwindle like so many other institutions; there are many hospitals without working X-Ray machines and other needed equipment to help the sick patience. This is happening on the daily. The responsibility of this fate is their maladministration and it’s all in the hands of the NRM.

Certainly they can take their Jerry-Cans into the future, with the yellow t-shirts and yellow flags. Still forgetting their mission and their purpose, they have forgotten why they exists! Since they are now only bowing their knees for the Mzee instead of workingfor the citizens. Right now the liberation was only liberating Museveni, but letting everybody else being under his mercy. That isn’t freedom, liberty or justice. That is a dictatorship and Museveni is dictating everything and behind all acts. Just like the biggest scam of 2017, the Presidential Handshake. That proves how little NRM Regime has to really celebrate. Peace.

My letter to the 10th Parliament on their reckless behaviour!

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Dear Members of Parliament!

I know by now that you doesn’t’ care much about the National Economy or about Transparency as you excluded yourself from the citizens you represented when you gave yourself a giant tax-break with no-income tax. That is the way you are I guess, reckless misbehaving children who are creating havoc in the candy store pointing at all the different kinds of treats and wants them all, even if it make them sick of sugar; they still want it all!

You guys, ladies and gentleman, the so called nobles, the so-called honourable citizens of the Republic have no totally forgotten your place and your reason for co-existing in the Republic. You might think that your above the people, the citizens, the one that you represent exist because of. Even if you think you exists and breathes eats and have pleasure because of President Yoweri Museveni, let’s be clear he is just using you!

I am not mad that you want to have air-conditioner in the North or the Eastern Building of the Parliament, it’s hot and you guys doesn’t want to turn into hot-air or Wokoloso. I know that, you want to peaceful creatures, which doesn’t kill Kasese or support arms for the rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo. You want to keep cool and be great support of the Republic.

I am furious over you wish to grand yourself 4 station wagons for whatever purpose of trading socks at Kololo Airstrip or having secretaries to drive some of you around on your shopping spree at Game or Garden City. That is all up to you and the use of the Station Wagons that you acquire to Parliament. You already have a massive fortune in Car money and doling it out when you started your terms as MPs because your official duty needs that the public offer you luxurious transport. Not take Taxis, Specials or boda-boda’s to Parliament Avenue, which is beneath you. You just like eating the monies of the public who would so!

I understand that the Parliament isn’t built for nor have the facilities for all the MPs now. Since you’re Executive, the chief of Rwakitura and the whole nation has let the nation sore with districts and parishes since his dire beginning of power in the 80s. It was nearly any districts when he entered the building as a Defence Minister under Dr. Milton Obote, now it is more than pages in the Kampala Eye and whatnot Tourist Information brochures that are delivered at Entebbe International Airport. Therefore the amount of MPs has soured with the amount of districts; a cow hasn’t been butchered as many ways the districts in Uganda has been during the last decades under Museveni.

So that the MPs needs office space and rebuild their accommodations is responsible acts of the Parliament, though costly because the share amount of MPs created under the President all of his terms. The MPs are in this one reacting with sense, but they should question the need for all of their services, even if it means giving up their wealthy new acquired lifestyle in the Capital.

What makes doesn’t make sense to me, in a nation where the state doesn’t have enough funds to allocate for the Presidential Jet or Helicopter of the farmer of Rwakitura. So when the current reflection of that in mind, the 10th Parliament are allocating funds and finding ways of giving Speaker Rebecca Kadaga and Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah. Because these noble creatures and honourable minds needs to take into air and land wherever. Since their roles in Parliament is damn important that they need to follow the Presidential Jet and Helicopter that the State House cannot allocate enough funds too. So they can all stand still at the Helicopter Landing-sites in Kampala. At the Merry for the Kadaga and Oulanyah who dearly need them for their service of the country. They need to be mosquitos who can travel in the air and suck funds out the taxpayers coffers like the mosquito suck blood of their pray. If the Speaker and Deputy Speaker are lucky they will give the nation malaria as of the purchase and maintenance so the inflation keeps rising and the dwindling economy needs more debt to feed the fiscal imbalance of the state budget. The same state budget the Parliament allocated funds to their helicopters. Their needed helicopter that they will silence the MPs and show their way in Parliament; the Parliament will controlled by the waving wings of silence and the blood sucking drones the Speakers have become.

If you don’t understand the spending is of the chain, when the Mulago Hospital still lacks needed equipment, when other state institutions is depleted and civil servants not getting salaries. At that moment of time… the Speakers doesn’t need more perks, they need to be fiscal responsible and show the Executive just ways, since he is not caring about the Bank of Uganda’s hard work to stagger Inflation and the running debt rate. So when they are using public funds as their playground, these runs rapid wild in spending to be sure they can play all the cool games and be spoiled kids. That is what the Parliament and MPs are right now. Time to stop, rehash ideas and think of accountability, transparency and being fiscal responsible! Peace.

ug-24-01-2017

Written

By the Writer of this Blog!