Letter of 5th November 2014 – ‘Criminal Investigation against Hon. Amama Mbabazi SC MP. Secretary General of the National Resistance Movement’

Mbabazi 4jpg

NRM are reorganizing – here are some of the new committee members.

NewCommitee

NewCommitee2

My 2 cents:

Some of this people are well recognized people by now. So I won’t comment on each of one these loyal subjects to the Mzee. But we can see the wonderboy on the first page: which is Mr. Fred Mwesigye; Who will run the Ideology committee alone.  I will not read you their long list of merits and how come they are picked. But we all know why this is happening now right? He is cleaning the camp of Mbabazi loyalist and Youth who wanted him to be the presidential candidate in 2016. It would make sense right?

Because the Yellow force with one man who has a vision and a mustard seed. We can only see that this is the way to go and how it will be. It isn’t the first clean-up in his long long reign. Last time was with Mr. Mahogony aka Gilbert Bukenya and his fall from grace. We can be sure that most of the men that has been made by the president will fall on their sword, if they don’t show loyalty to the resistance and revolutionary thinking of the Mzee. Nothing else will matter.

We’ll see how long Fred Mwesigye will lead and sow the mustard seed. We can see and then offer our thoughts to all the other appointments, but they are not as juicy. Still we all can understand the way and read between the lines of why this is happening right now. Peace.

Limitations of the new oil and gas industry and its institutions in Uganda.

The limitations of the oil and gas industry in Uganda is combined and conformed by this certain institutions:

Parliament, Revenue Authority (URA), Bank of Uganda (BoU), and the National Oil Company (NOC), the Auditor General (OAG) and the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) and the Petroleum Exploration and Production Department (PEPD) (Magelah, P1, 2014).

The biggest issue for all the institutions in Uganda is the financial and human resources to enforce their mandate on the matter: “At present the house has about 5 full time researchers for about 370 Members of parliament” (…)”Under the PFB for example the minister has powers to change from the goals of the Chatter of Fiscal Responsibility without seeking parliament’s approval, under clause 61 the minister can direct BOU on what to do, the minister appoints the  petroleum investment committee and under clause 59 the minister can chose where and in which form investment of petroleum funds should be. The framing of clause 59 is such that the minister’s decision on investment of petroleum funds is final and all institutions must obey it. Under clause 71 the minister keeps the excess funds meant for district” (…)”One such example is BOU which according to article 162 of the Uganda constitution provides that BOU should be independent and not subject to the control or direction of any person” (Magelah, P2, 2014).

Three other main concerns is the basic movement between government agencies: “The end result has been court cases where oil companies are challenging URA for taxing them. It is clear from these cases that the PEPD never consulted URA in granting tax exemptions and his has resulted in the present situation”.

Second concern is: “The NOC was created under the petroleum upstream act, however the act did not provide for funding, accountability and auditing of the NOC”. Where its hard to prove and also see if there are transparency for the agencies and governmental organizations and also see the progress of the companies who drill the oil.

Third concern: “here is also luck of provisions for participation in Extractive Industry Transparency Initiatives (EITI). The National Oil and Gas policy provide for government to participate in the EITI”. It says itself: you can now see how limited the organization in Uganda is on the matter of drilling and oil and gas. Their mandate and little manpower from both the 5 researchers and to support the 370 MPs. So we can now see how this will affect the new industry and how these weak and vague institutions will keep the upkeep for industry as whole.

Links:

Magelah, Peter Gwayaka – ‘Institutional Limitations for Uganda’s oil and gas sector Paper presented at workshop on Deepening Transparency and Accountability of Extractive Sector in East Africa’ (17.09.-19.09. 2014)

Uganda and North Korea signed a friendship pact

On the pages of Parliament of Uganda its words are: “Korea-Uganda Parliaments agree to sign friendship pact” (Parliament.go.ug, 31.10.2014) if that isn’t telling the world something. Its sure is a secure sign. The second in command of Foreign affairs in the DPRK says: “The relationship between Uganda and North Korea is more than an ordinary diplomatic relationship. It is a special friendship built over the years by the relationship between the Presidents of the two states” (Parliament.go.ug, 31.10.2014).

Museveni says during a state dinner with North Korean counterparts that their new arrangement is “fighting imperialism” (…)”Not long ago, the world was divided among the colonizers and the colonized. North Korea, China, Sweden among others, were fully involved in the liberation struggle” (O’Carroll, 01.11.2014).

Just recently an agreement was signed by Minister of State for International Affairs Mr. Okello Oryem and the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – North Korea) Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Kung Suk Ung. This new deal settles for a every two years either in Pyongyang or Kampala. Mr. Okello Oryem states: “based on the ideals of independence, peace and friendship and make positive efforts toward the strengthening of cooperation in foreign affairs” (Ashaba, 01.11.2014).

Okello Oryem has stated other places this on the matter: “Uganda has an outstanding army in Africa, so thank you for your contribution towards building the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF)” (Worldbulletin.net, 01.11.2014).

Okelle Oryem has also stated about North Korea this: ““I will also advise him (Museveni) that we should stand by our friends (North Korea). We have always stood by our friends in the region on ICC. Go back with assurance that we shall stand by you” (Wandera, 01.11.2014).

If the free world isn’t listening to this and wondering what this is. Then you can also ask about the old deal that Zimbabwe had trained a special unit for Mister Robert Mugabe in the 90s. If that is still on the table I don’t know, but this deal sure brings money for military expertise. An the regime of North Korea can sure show how to oppress people and Ugandan government see that as a investment worth buying. Also trade information that is relevant for each other can be worth a lot. Considering the ties that Uganda has is well connected USA and also with Russia. Plays big in the AU’s AMISOM and armies in the South Sudan, but by this they are trying to be a bigger power-broker. President Museveni sure knows by now how to play his cards to his advantage. Let see how this plays out.

Links:

Ashaba, Anita – ‘Uganda, North Korea To Establish Consultative Committee To Tighten Relationship’ (01.11.2014) Link: http://news.ugo.co.ug/uganda-north-korea-establish-consultative-committee-tighten-relationship/

O’Carroll Chad – ‘Ugandan President hosts state dinner for N. Korean delegation’ (01.11.2014) Link: http://www.nknews.org/2014/11/ugandan-president-hosts-state-dinner-for-n-korean-delegation/

Parliament.go.ug – ‘Korea-Uganda Parliaments agree to sign friendship pact’ (31.10.2014) Link: http://www.parliament.go.ug/new/index.php/about-parliament/parliamentary-news/472-korea-uganda-parliaments-agree-to-sign-friendship-pact

Wandera, Steven- ‘N. Korea requests Uganda to oppose International Criminal Court resolution’ (01.11.2014) Link: http://www.nknews.org/2014/11/n-korea-requests-uganda-to-oppose-international-criminal-court-resolution/

World Bulletin – ‘Uganda, N. Korea ink cooperation deal’ (01.11.2014) Link: http://www.worldbulletin.net/economy/147511/uganda-n-korea-ink-cooperation-deal

NSSF: Statement on the suicide jump that happened at Workers House

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Letters from MUK- A set gradution fee (21.10) and UPDF- On Partisan Politics(21.10)

MUK 21.10

After the unrest and issues at MUK, this is the answer today. Well, power to the people and glory to the students who are the future.

UPDF 21.10

Feel like the mail-man. But this was also to interesting to let it pass by. When I work less and have more time of. I will do more reaserch and not just drop letters. Until then have a splendid time. Peace

4 Letters: (20.Oct NRM – M7, 01.Oct – KCCA, 10.09.11 – UGAWU and 11.11.86 – UG Statehouse).

NRM - CEC

If this wasn’t juicy enough for you! I got one more letter for you!

KCCA

A third one which is old from statehouse, but worth a look:

UG - AGU 2011

The way I see it. They haven’t done scrap about this one from 2011. Nothing will happen.

A 4th is from Statehouse in 1986:

Statehouse UG

All of this has to spark some interest for you. If not, I don’t know what will tingle your mind.

Never the less. Peace.

UPF Press statement – Police seeks clues in ‘hit and run’ suspected death

Today 17/10/2014 at around 06:20O/C a Kampala city tycoon Eria Ssebunya Bugembe aka Kasiwukira was found dead a distance of about 300 meters from his home, alongside the road sloping from diplomat zone to Muyenga main road. This was moments after he had left his home at diplomat zone, Muyenga for a morning road run.
The police visited the scene and transported the body to Mulago city mortuary for post-mortem analysis.
The nature of injuries that led to the death of the deceased were grave suggesting the probable involvement of a moving object like a speeding motor vehicle.
The police have set up a joint investigative team from the homicide and traffic department to gather intelligence and information on the suspect(s) and or a motor vehicle involved.
The police call upon any eye witness or persons with information to reach it on; Tel. No. 0715989998 or 0711778265

CP ENANGA FRED
PRO

Uganda – Bill No.09 Amendment on the Value Added Tax (VAT):

 

VAT2014

VAT2014 2

VAT2014 3

Link:

Bill Supplement 06 – Value Added Tax (Amendment) bill 2014, (27.07.2014), Printed by UPPC, Entebbe by Order of Government.

President Museveni’s speech on 9. October – 52nd Independence day celebration – Theme: Unity, Security, Economy and Regional Integration.

Speech By

H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni

President of the Republic of Uganda

On the Occasion of the

52nd Independence

Anniversary Celebrations

Of Uganda

THEME:  UNITY, PEACE, SECURITY, ECONOMY AND REGIONAL

    INTEGRATION: KEY PILLARS FOR TRUE AND

SUSTAINABLE INDEPENDENCE

 

Kampala – Kololo Airstrip

9th October, 2014

Your Excellencies the Invited Heads of State and Government;

H.E the Vice President;

The Rt. Honourable Speaker of Parliament;

The Hon. Chief Justice;

The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister;

Honourable Members of Parliament;

Your Excellencies the Ambassadors and High Commissioners;

Distinguished Invited Guests;

Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is with great pleasure and honour that I welcome Your Excellencies and all the distinguished guests to this occasion as we mark 52 years of Uganda’s independence.

I greet you and congratulate you on the 52nd anniversary of Uganda’s Independence.

As we celebrate this day, the whole of Uganda is peaceful and has been so since we ended the removal of the 40,000 rifles from the cattle-rustlers in Karamoja some six (6) years ago.  Earlier on, in 2005, we had defeated the terrorists of Kony.  This is therefore, the first time in 114 years that the whole of Uganda has been peaceful.  Even, during the time of the British, cattle-rustling in Karamoja, using guns from Turkana and from Ethiopia, was going on.  On account of the strength of the UPDF and the growing strength of the Police Force, this peace will not be disturbed.  Use this peace to create wealth for your families as we have guided you before.

On the side of the economy, it will grow by 6.1% this financial year. Having started from a very low base of US$1.5 billion as the size of GDP in 1986, our GDP will be US$25.3 billion by the end of this financial year.  This economy has been growing (in spite of the bottlenecks of electricity, high transport costs, insecurity in the past), at the rate of 7.3% per annum for the last 28 years.

Now that we have the capacity to address the issue of tarmacking the major roads with our own money (such as the just completed Kampala-Masaka road and many others), some of the electricity dams (big and small) and we continue to benefit from solidarity from friends (such as ADB, World Bank, EU, Japan, Badea, etc) on some of the other roads, our economy will grow much faster. The Chinese are helping us to solve the issue of electricity for some of the hydro-power stations on the Nile and its tributaries and are feverishly working on the building of the Standard Gauge Railway.  The Uganda economy will, therefore, for the first time, get a low-cost base from which to operate.  The sky will be the limit.

As you know, Uganda discovered petroleum and gas in 2006.   It is now 8 years since that time.  We have, finally, agreed with the oil companies on these issues of the refinery, the pipeline and power generation. With more investigations, it is now established that the oil reserves in the 40% of the potential area are 6.5 billion barrels and 499 billion cubic feet of gas.  This is good because this gas can help us to remove oxygen from iron-ore (obutare) so that we develop our steel industry given our considerable iron-ore reserves of over 200 million tonnes already identified so that we stop the importation of steel from very far.  By 2017 our oil will be flowing into the refinery and the pipeline.

Apart from the oil and gas, after the recent survey, we have identified alot of minerals as follows: iron-ore, marble/limestone, gold, uranium, vermiculite, nickel, platinum, chromium, kimberlites (diamond), bentonite, aluminium clays, phosphates, copper, cobalt, wolfram, tin, coltan, rock salt and brine.  Uganda has, therefore, a large base of natural resources that will help us in our development.

As the Government is solving the infrastructure problems, the rural families should take advantage of the deployment of UPDF officers to distribute the planting and breeding materials to get themselves out of subsistence farming and join commercial farming.  I have repeatedly pointed out to you the unacceptability of having only one (1) homestead in a whole parish like Ndangaaro in Rubirizi district of 2,500 homesteads as I found out when I visited that area many years ago or seven (7) families in the parish of Rwengaaju out of 1,500 homesteads being the only ones engaged in commercial farming. I am happy to report that in Ndangaaro parish today, 112 homesteads are engaged in commercial farming out of 2,560 homesteads while in Rwengaaju, 130 homesteads are engaged in commercial farming out of 1,946 homesteads.  This, however, is not enough.  Why should the other thousands of homesteads be spectators (abaloleezi) of commercial farming while only the minority are the only ones engaged in that poverty eradicating activity?

With the involvement of UPDF, I am sure that many more families will get access to planting and breeding materials.  Their role in the former NRA/Fronasa operational areas in the last two seasons has already seen them distribute 11 million seedlings of coffee, 2 million seedlings of tea and 464,135 seedlings of fruits.  This involvement of more families into commercial farming, will boost the volumes of production in the country to unprecedented new levels.  Already, the involvement of UPDF officers in the former war zones has pushed the volume of maize from 1,163 million tonnes per annum to 4,100 million tonnes per annum of maize.

Those increased levels of production must be matched with increased levels of processing and value addition.  Therefore, the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA), the Ministry of Trade and Industries and the Ministry of Agriculture must work in overdrive speed to solve the problem of value addition and processing for the increased production as well as the problem of storing.  We have reactivated Uganda Development Corporation (UDC) to, where unavoidable, to step in and do the processing if the private sector do not show up.

On regional and global matters, you all saw that UPDF, working with the Somali army, liberated a number of Somali towns southwards from Mogadishu, including the Port of Barawe.  It is said, that this is the last Port that the terrorist group, Al-Shabaab, controlled.  Globally, there is alot of suffering in North Africa and the Middle East caused, mainly, by mistakes by certain global players, initially.  These global players are always in cahoots with incapable puppets.  It is that permutation that is, mainly, responsible for these tragedies of human haemorrhage, destruction of social and economic capital and loss of development time in those unfortunate lands.

Serious dialogue is necessary in the world to see how these tragedies can be rolled back and new ones avoided.  Within the under-developed countries themselves, who are the victims of these global mistake makers, the main authors of the tragedies are the ideologically disoriented groups that, instead of working for the legitimate interests of the people, promote sectarianism of religion or tribe; or promote male chauvinism.  In so doing, they tear up society and cause tremendous damage.  Our brothers in Somalia need to evolve the ideology of patriotism and Pan-Africanism so that they re-orient their country into a sustainably positive and progressive direction.  With the building of the Somali army, supported by AMISOM, it is possible to pacify Somalia.

The pushers of the hegmonistic agenda have been misusing the ICC, an institution we initially supported.  In the matter of President Uhuru Kenyatta, the African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State resolved that no African sitting President should be summoned by that court.  This resolution was taken to the Security Council where there is no permanent member from Africa.  There are only seasonal members. That group did not see much merit in the collective wisdom of the African leaders; and the court summoned President Kenyatta on the eve of our Summit here.  Was the aim of ICC to disrupt our Summit?  Too bad for them!  Our Summit went on yesterday.  The problems that occurred in Kenya in 2007 and that happen in other African countries are, first and foremost, ideological.  ICC to handle them as just legal matters, is the height level of shallowness.  My view is that, at the next summit, African countries should review their membership of the ICC treaty.  The ICC is turning out not be the value addition product that we had expected it to be.  It is instead, a biased instrument of post-colonial hegemony.

As far as Uganda is concerned, the greater mutual interest with the western countries is trade and tourism.  The total global trade is valued at US$ 101 trillion per year.  The USA accounts for US$16 trillion of this.  The EU accounts for US$17.4 trillion of this.  The two of them, therefore, account for about US$34 trillion of this.  The other US$66 trillion is accounted for by the other countries with China taking US$16 trillion and Africa taking US$2.5 trillion but growing very fast. The USA, EU and Africa need, therefore, to harmonize our long term vision based on mutual benefit and equality.  Our recent meeting in the USA was a good beginning.  It is irresponsible for anybody to mishandle this potentially lucrative relationship.

Finally, a point on public health involving another incident of Marburg here in Uganda, recently, as well as the Ebola which is ravaging West Africa.  These are zoonotic diseases; this means that they are diseases that can go from the human being to the animals and vice-versa.  They are very aggressive and lethal.  Yet, they are easy to stop because, fortunately, they do not go through the air like flu.  They infect by contact.

Therefore, in order not take any chances, I request you to suspend the habit of shaking hands in addition to the measures the Ministry of Health is taking in respect of handling those who are sick or who are suspected to have had contact with the sick or with those who died.  I must also request those communities, especially in the forest zones, who have the customs of eating monkeys and other primates to stop that custom.  Those creatures are relatives of humans.  Moreover, they are the ones that harbor those dangerous viruses ─ Marburg, Ebola, etc. Avoid them please.  Eat the livestock we look after ourselves: cattle, goats, chicken, pigs, etc. as well as plant proteins.  The bats also seem to harbour these viruses.  The Ministry of Veterinary should work out plans to eradicate these dangerous sources of this problem.

The fact that 60% of the infected people survive, means that we can develop a vaccine.  When you get sick, please report to the medical authorities immediately. Infected people have a high chance of surviving if they get medical support of especially rehydration early.   Therefore, prompt reporting is crucial.  As far as the medical staff is concerned, they should always use gloves.

There is also another factor in connection with these repeated outbreaks of Ebola and Marburg.  These viruses have not just emerged.   They have always been there, in the forests.  It is the reckless invasion of the forests by those who break the law of conservation that are provoking these viruses. Therefore, conservation is part of Public Health.  Leave the forests alone for tourism and conservation,

Thank you so much and I wish you success in the next year of Independence.

Yoweri K. Museveni

P R E S I D E N T