Opinion: Niwagaba MP Constitutional Amendments going for VP Ssekandi’s position, maybe because his irrelevant at this point?

Wilfred Niwagaba MP is really gunning for replacing Vice-President Edward Ssekandi and also repeal the Prime Minister post of Dr. Rukahana Rugunda. Clearly, the MP has ideas and want another sort of governance put into stone or to be amended into law. As the Constitution would stipulate certain Executive and higher offices in the Republic. Like it does today with the VP and the PM, which the President shall appoint with the approval of the Parliament.

Niwagaba Independent MP are clearly that his trying to send a message, that is why Muhammad Kivumbi Muwanga (Democratic Party) and Betty Ocan Aol (Forum for Democratic Change). They have co-signed on this motion for leave for Niwagaba to finish the private bill to the parliament.

This is really a joint opposition bill and really trying to change the government by changing the constitution. This bill is also planning to find a legal ways of cutting down the size of the cabinet, because of how it has mushroomed under this President. Therefore, this is really directly attacking the NRM model of governance.

But, I will be fixated with is not the slimming of the cabinet nor the idea of how the cabinet members are picked/appointed. I feel it is more enriching to discuss the changes from VP to DP and repeal the PM.

Just look at vital parts of the amendment of the VP role into a DP!

“108. Deputy President,

(1)There shall be a Deputy President of Uganda.

(2)A candidate in a presidential election shall nominate a person who is

qualified for nomination for election as President, as a candidate for Deputy

President.”

(…)

“(14) The Deputy President shall-

(a) deputise for the President;

(b) be the Leader of Government Business in Parliament;

(c) be responsible for the coordination and implementation of Government

policies across Ministries , departments, and other public institutions

(d) perform such other functions as may be assigned to him or her by the

President, or as may be conferred on him or her this the Constitution.” (Constitutional (Amendment) 26^th July 2019).

“13. Repeal of article 108A of the Constitution.

Article l08A of the Constitution is repealed” (Constitutional (Amendment), 26^th July 2019).

If you have followed the VP and his life, his the most ceremonial public office in the Republic. Seemingly, his the face of the patronage and the laxity, since the President handles everything with his micromanaging. That is why the VP is mostly a busy body and someone that greets the President at functions or even at the Entebbe International Airport.

Surely with two roles submerged into one in away, that is what it seems by this constitutional amendment. That the possible changes would be an amplified VP and PM into a DP.

I don’t know what big difference this will do, as this role would be less ceremonial, but have actual powers. Also, being the safe-guard for the President and the one in his place. However, this is could have all been amplified with the VP himself. Alas, the Prime Minister is the one of most importance, as well, as the biggest budget with the projects underlining the OPM. This is why the repealing of this role would also affect everything being connected with the OPM.

Ssekandi should really defend his value, his importance and his ways. The VP should defend himself with a VP drive, ask for supplementary budget and maybe got on a VP Drive across the Republic. So, that people can see his face, know that he exists and even shake his hand. No, I am kidding with that part, but he needs to show his face value. Because, what has the VP done, except smiling on pictures at selected functions over the recent years?

VP Ssekandi might be a powerful man in the placement of the political order, but in practical sense. It seems like the OPM kicks him to the curb. The VP seems like useless position at this time and place. That is because his not giving enough daily remindings that his alive and kicking it.

That is why the opposition MPs are trying to revise the law. To get someone who has a real function and who does something while serving for the state. Not only getting the brown envelopes and going to funerals as the state official. There is clear need for something more and especially not only having the President doing this. Peace.

Uganda: MoDVA – Supplementary Expenditure Schedule No. 3 for the FY 2017/18 Budget (22.05.2018)

Greed 101: The 10th Parliament MPs are doubling their own salaries!

“They have plundered the world, stripping naked the land in their hunger… they are driven by greed, if their enemy be rich; by ambition, if poor… They ravage, they slaughter, they seize by false pretenses, and all of this they hail as the construction of empire. And when in their wake nothing remains but a desert, they call that peace.” – Tacitus

These Members of Parliament is are the definition of greed. They already have cars paid by the government, and then not some off-back neck-in-the-woods ones, but something with 4 Wheel Drive and usually a SUV. These same MPs got tax exempt in 2016, that gotten suits, foods and other benefits in their salaries, they are so caked up with funds for themselves, it isn’t funny. And comparing these fellow brothers and sisters to average salary rate in the Republic. Would be an insult to salary rate in the Republic.

They are now in 2018 trying to get their salary doubled from 11 million shillings to 24 shillings. When they are already paid hefty sums for the cars, the monthly gratuity, medical expenses covered through insurance, wardrobe grants, furnished offices, mileage facilitation, constituency facilitations, sitting fees, allowances for plenary sittings and airtime allowances as well. There is nothing that is already covered, expect for the side-dish allowance, so if they have a man or woman on the side, the state will cover that too!

Because this is an insult to the state, the whole republic. They are already the special class who has a salary, which is tax-exempt, that they fixed for themselves in 2016. They have added and added for every Parliament, added more perks and more covering of their expenses, while their own salary has sky-rocketed.

It is a reason why they are unaccountable and not trusted, its because they are eating, while so many and plenty are living hand to mouth. While the state is figuring out more loans and added debt, these people are topping off on the loads of cash borrowed or donated. They are taking the aid and donations, the squeezing of every buck from the Republic as God-given right. They continue to do so.

So these subject isn’t new, at every twist and turn, these MPs are trying to hash out more funds from the public. Because of any reason within here and the moon. Let’s just be clear, this isn’t fair salary, this is a theft of a nation and the MPs are the embodiment of it. If they weren’t thieving like this, they are still getting kickbacks, grabbing land and also getting paid to vote in favour of the Presidents bills. That is known as the handshakes and “suits” has been given in the past for favourable bills.

This is the National Resistance Movement paradigm, we eat and the rest of you starve, because we need everything and deserve everything. We liberated you so we could eat off your plate and everyone else too. Because we deserve that, while the rest of you fork-up the money, so we can represent you. That is what they are saying and continue saying, without showing any signs of accountability or responsibility to their constituents, because they don’t matter anyway.

As long as they are paid, and paid-in-full. Peace.

10th Parliament MPs is extra greedy as they are eating another Shs. 100m. each!

You know there is something special, you know there is something out of bound and something compelling, when the Members of Parliament (MPs) who has no quarrels with eating without taxation, without thinking of their salaries compered to the ones who they represent. The constituency of the MP must feel betrayed as their allowances and their benefits are enormous, to say it at least, they are gigantic! But take a look at the latest big payment for the MPs!

“Parliament — MPs are smiling all the way to the bank after the government authorised the release of an extra Shs45b to Parliament, with each of the 449 lawmakers set to get an additional Shs100m, ostensibly to buy cars for constituency travels” (…) “In a June 13 letter titled: ‘Additional cash limit of Shs45.8b for the Parliamentary Commission’, Mr Keith Muhakanizi, the Secretary to the Treasury, authorised Ms Jane Kibirige, the Clerk to Parliament, to spend the cash as part of non-wage recurrent budget in the fourth quarter of the Financial Year 2016/2017. The clearance comes barely two weeks to the end of the Financial Year” (Arinaitwe & Manzil, 2017).

So the Members of Parliament are clearly getting another pay-day without passing to much legislation or any sort of consideration of the proposed budget or pledges they had for the financial year 2017/2018. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the NRM Caucus have clearly made together with the Parliamentary Commission to make a new pay-day for the MPs, yet again!

The National Resistance Movement and their MPs clearly like to get extra brown-envelopes without any considerations of the state of the budget or the way the funds are raised. It is not shocking, it seems like an ordinary event at this point. Not like it is the first time, the MPs uses their Noble place in the august house to enrich themselves and add cost to the state. Therefore, the added debt and interest payments should be feared by the MPs. Instead, they are adding debt and creating more interest without concern of the citizens.

The citizens are going to pay extra for this, they are the ones that are ripped off at broad-daylight. They are eating directly of the state reserve and does it with impunity. Also worth noticing, President Museveni is not sanctioning against it, since he can do as pleases. Since he is eating directly and misuse s it whenever he wants. Peace.

Reference:

Arinaitwe, Solomon & Manzil, Ibrahim – ‘Uganda: MPs Get Extra Shs100 Million Each for Cars’ (17.06.2017) link: http://allafrica.com/stories/201706190735.html?utm_campaign=allafrica%3Ainternal&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_content=promote%3Aaans%3Aabafbt

Ugandan economy could get Oil-Shocks due to external factors, recent BoU report claims!

Surprise, surprise the Bank of Uganda (BoU) has made a working paper on the possible consequences of the oil price, the oil exports and the oil imports on the Ugandan economy. This didn’t exceed my expectation of a report or paper, but said enough to clearly anticipate changes in the economy with the coming export. Even as the BoU called the domestic oil production in embryonic stages, which means the real impact will come when it is closer petroleum production the GDP and CPI feel more impact of the oil prices and the volumes exported from the Lake Albert Basin.

That the Ugandan State and the Republic of Uganda, should know that the fresh foreign exchange and currency into the economy, as the domestic parts of petroleum is not having big impact on the economy! Still, the export can change it as the oil prices and change the consumer price index for instance. Take a look!

“One such shock that is a source of major concern and risks to monetary policy-making in Uganda is the oil shock. To our knowledge, the effects of oil shocks in Uganda, to date, have not yet been analyzed. The objective of this paper therefore, is to analyze the nature and importance of oil shocks to Uganda’s economy in a dynamic framework” (Nyanzi & Bwire, P: 4, 2017).

“According to the Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (2012), oil provides about 10 percent of Uganda’s energy requirements – the rest is sourced from the small and underdeveloped and unreliable electricity sub-sector and the cheap biomass energy. The oil sector was also deregulated in 1994, under the broad structural reforms implemented by the Government of Uganda, which effectively eliminated oil prices subsidies. Uganda is endowed with commercially-viable oil reserves, but domestic oil production is in embryonic stages. Consequently, all of the oil-energy needs of the country are satisfied by imports” (Nyanzi & Bwire, P: 8, 2017).

“The results of the variance decomposition in regard to oil shock are not entirely unexpected, given the structure of Uganda’s economy. Oil and its products constitute 8 percent of total intermediate consumption and 10 percent of energy requirements. In addition, oil is crucial to electricity supply in Uganda because hydro-electricity is unreliable and insufficient. This implies little or no substitutability of oil with hydro-electric energy in production in case of adverse oil shock, which could justify the long-run 20 percent variance in output due to oil shocks. Regarding consumer prices, the small percentage of variance in consumer prices due to oil shocks is justified by the small weight of oil in the CPI basket. Oil constitutes about 1 percent in the 2009/10 rebased CPI basket, of which 0.8 percent is oil for personal transportation and 0.2 percent a source of liquefied energy at home. These numbers are not surprising given that over 75 percent of the population live in rural areas and depend mainly on wood and charcoal as a source of energy, and that rates of car ownership are generally low. Moreover, the main source of short-run volatility in the Uganda CPI is weather-related factors affecting food prices. This leaves the bulk of fluctuations in the core consumer prices (Comprising over 80 percent) explained by demand” (Nyanzi & Bwire, P: 18, 2017).

“Oil shocks are transmitted through the supply channel, as a shock that increases the international price of oil leads to opposite movements in real output and consumer prices in Uganda” (Nyanzi & Bwire, P: 19, 2017).

It is hard to say how it could impact and how the petroleum production and exports will change the economy, how the prices and the inflation, as the measure of how much the price of the crude-oil will be at the given time. That the government has secret agreements with oil companies and also agreements with other to build the crude-oil pipeline that goes to Tanzania. Therefore, the reaction in the economy is not yet known, but with the background and knowledge of the how it is now. Most likely a real output and change in consumer prices in Uganda.

That will be an oil-shock no-one can be prepared for. Unless the Government and Parliament created legislation and policies who might soften the change of the economy. Therefore, with this in mind, the National Resistance Movement, the State House and the President Museveni have work to do. That is if they consider the implication the petroleum production and exports will have on inflation, currency value and consumer prices index as well. This report should open some eyes into it, but it should not be surprising. Peace.

Reference:

Nyanzi, Sulaiman & Bwire, Thomas – ‘Working Paper No. 04/2017 – The Macroeconomic responses to Petro Shocks for Uganda’ (May, 2017)

Opinion: Mzee apparently turned a bit honest!

“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.

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

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 10^th 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.

Written

By the Writer of this Blog!

Mzee is missing a “Presidential Handshake” to maintain the Presidential Jet!

Long live the almighty President Yoweri Museveni, who can spoil his fellow cronies and mismanage funds in a splendid way that even his Presidential Jet is lacking funds. He is the only Executive and President who has this capacity and this arrogant ignorance to pull this one off without any consideration to the current state of the economy or the implications of where the funds has to be taken from. There are certain lack of fiscal policies and holding procedures as the constant scrutiny from Auditor General and other Government Officials are steady on the allocated funds used without supervision or proof. Therefore a Presidential Jet and Helicopter at the State House budget is not overwhelming, it is more of the same. Apparently, the maintenance of the Jet and Helicopter is underfunded and need to get money.

As the Parliament Watch so wonderfully stated today:

“State House is seeking for Shs 6.2 billion shillings to facilitate routine maintenance of the presidential jet and helicopter. State House Comptroller, Lucy Nakyobe, while presenting the institution’s budget for the 2017/2017 financial year before the Presidential Affairs committee on January 23, 2017, told legislators that the current budgetary estimates are meager to fund maintenance of the chopper and jet. Nakyobe presented the budget before the committee, in which under unfunded priorities, Shs 4.6 billion is provided by the Ministry of Finance, out of Shs 10.8 billion budgeted for by State House. Committee chairman, Fred Mwesigye acknowledged the need for money to maintain the presidential jet to be provided. “These machines must be properly maintained so we need to get the money,” Mwesigye said” (Parliament Watch Uganda, 24.01.2017).

Certainly, the President needs to shake his own hands and find the needed funds. Because there are apparently enough there to pay the cronies and “winner” of the Heritage Oil and Tullow Oil drilling tax case. Still, there is not enough to buy parts and fuel for the Presidential Jet. Which is ironic that it is about the same amount of monies that are spoiled on the Presidential Handshake. If the President was wise he would see this malfunction, but I think he rather take monies from a ghost-SACCO or ghost-NAADS than actually take the ill-given funds to his own Presidential Jet.

President Museveni surely would be reckless to take the funding from Health Care and allocations there, as the state of Ministry of Health is dwindling, not only with fires, but also with lacking medicine and procured machinery for their treatment. It is reasons why the rich and the elite fly abroad to salvage their health. Still, the State House really needs money for this plane, they do not want to be in charge when the Presidential Jet falls from the sky and the reason is a knock-off unit from a Ukraine Airplane instead of the real-deal fresh from the factory without any defects or even been used in 10 planes before.

We can surely see the headline: “Museveni dies in Plane Crash: Cheap parts for the wings are the reason for the crash”. First line of the article reads: ‘Let us wait for the black box to determine outcome of preliminary results of the crash-site, which is look after by the Police and Interpol’. That would be dangerous and misgiving that the lack of oversight was the reason for the technical deficiency because of his own Presidential Handshake. That the President are his own worst enemy, the sole reason and sole candidate for the lacking funds to his own airplane. Sounds like a bad movie, but still very real.

President Museveni has a Presidential Jet that lacks funds, that lacks maintenance and needs new fresh funds. Certainly all he needs is a Presidential Handshake! Peace.

Motion for a Resolution of Parliament to Investigate the Circumstances under which Rewards were made to 42 Public Officers for Winning the Tax Arbitation Case between the Government of Uganda and Heritage Oil and Gas (09.01.2017)