News analysis Health Business

Namugongo pilgrims New AIDs vaccine trials Isimba launch Bad news to
speak about Martyrs Day give hope to scientists for October the jobless

Issue No. 524 June 08 - 14, 2018 Ushs 5,000,Kshs 200, RwF 1,500, SDP 8

MTN under threat

11 million subscribers might
need new SIM card if it loses fight

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Independent Publications Limited, Plot 82/84, Kanjokya Street, P. O. Box 3304, Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256-312-637-391/ 2/ 3/ 4 Fax: +256-312-637-396
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INBOX

Issue No. 524 June 08 - 14, 2018

News analysis Business Health Arts Motoring

Cover story
MTN under threat
11 million subscribers might need new SIM card if it loses fight

4 The Week
29 Comments
Cancer machine closes,
patients in disarray The cost of child marriage:
Ending the practice globally
would save 4 trillion dollars
9 The Last Word by 2030 in annual welfare
expenditures
Inside NRM’s Rukungiri debacle:
How the bye-election shows us
that Besigye is the best ally in 33 Health
Museveni’s pursuit of power
New AIDs vaccine trials
give hope to scientists:
16 Analysis Four reach highest level
of testing ever
Namugongo speaks: What pilgrims
to shrine say about Martyrs Day

35 Arts & Culture

23 Business Waterproof plastic bricks
finally!: Good art for
Isimba launch for October: New facility to Makerere art students offers
boost the country’s electricity supply by 17% another reason to recycle

STRATEGY & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Andrew M. Mwenda
MANAGING EDITOR: Joseph Were
INVESTIGATIONS EDITOR: Haggai Matsiko
BUSINESS EDITOR: Isaac Khisa
PHOTOGRAPHER: Jimmy Siya
WRITERS:Ronald Musoke, Flavia Nassaka, Ian Katusiime,
Agnes Nantaba, Julius Businge.
DESIGN/LAYOUT: Sarah Ngororano
CARTOONIST: Harriet Jamwa

PUBLISHER: Independent Publications Limited, Plot 82/84, Kanjokya Street, P. O. Box 3304, Kampala, Uganda
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2 June 08 - 14, 2018

 Offline

President Yoweri
Museveni
commissioning
Maama Care High-
Tech Nutrition Food
Park in Bweyogerere
Industrial Park,
Wakiso district, He
is flanked by the
Chairman Harish “You were elected Kampala Lord Mayor
Bhuptani, wife Smita twice but what have you done apart
and Kishore Bhuptani
(R), May 31.
from turning yourself into an assistant
for Dr Besigye?”Dr Abed Bwanika, former
presidential candidate to Erias Lukwago

President Museveni
lays a wreath
on the casket
containing the
remains of Mrs.
Ruth Nampiima
Kazibwe in
Ssenge, Nansana
Municipality on
June 2. Mrs.
“I met the President and he asked me
Kasozi and her late whether I was still interested to serve.
husband contributed My response was that I was still available
greatly towards the to serve. The President appreciates my
NRM bush war.
work.” Prof. Wasswa Balunywa, on his re-
appointment as MUBS Principal

(4th L) Mike Blackburn,

Chief Financial Officer
at MTN Uganda and
Michael Kawaka Sekadde
(5th L) General Manager-
Human Resources,
MTN Uganda, handover
entrepreneurship start
up items to officials
of Kawempe Youth “Does the President go to court?
Development Center So why should the Speaker go
during the launch of the
twelfth edition of 21 to court? I am immune from
Days of Yellow Care.  prosecution.”Speaker Rebecca Kadaga
INDEPENDENT/JIMMY SIYA on why she didn’t appear before the
Constitutional Court during the age limit
petition

46 50 Shs1trillion
Congolese who were Years Makerere Classified expenditure
deported for illegal University School in the budget for FY
fishing in Lake Albert of Law is marking 2018/2019

June 08 - 14, 2018 3

week

Cancer machine for maintenance , patients in disarray

The Ministry of Health says
radiotheraphy – a form of cancer treatment
that involves use of radiation at the Uganda
cancer Institute will only fully resume on
June 11. Dr. Henry Mwebesa , the acting
Director General Health Services said in a
statement that the operations of the Cobalt
60 Radiotheraphy machine have been
scaled down in preparation for the first
periodic servicing.
This has left the about 150 patients treated
at the institute every day stranded without
treatment.
The machine had only officially resumed
service in January after it broke down
in 2016 causing a crisis that led to some
seeking the service out of the country and
others dead. Since it resumed, the machine
has been doing about 300 sessions per
day and about 1000 patients have so far
been treated, many others need have not
yet got a chance of treatment as all the
patients in the country and those referred
from other countries are treated using
the single machine. The fear now is that
because of over use, the machine could
easily completely breakdown. But there
is some hope. Mwebesa says construction
of bunkers that will house four linear
accelerator radiotherapy machines is at
95% completion rate. Although, no actual
date has been set as yet as to when these
will be complete.

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2018

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4 June 08 - 14, 2018

 Week

Oulanyah clarifies on frustrating

WE ARE
central bank audit allegations
seeking clarification after the
bank declined to be audited and

Jacob Oulanyah
The Deputy Speaker of Par-
liament Jacob Oulanyah has
defended himself over claims
that he was frustrating the pro-
posal to have Bank of Uganda
investigated. He on May 29 told
parliament that while he had
accepted that the motion be
moved to investigate the bank,
an issue was raised during that
the investigation would be tan-
tamount to subjudice because
the bank was already having
similar cases in court.
“The Auditor General wrote
to the Speaker of Parliament
HIRING!
she responded to him in a letter
dated 10May 2018 upholding
my ruling. She instructed the
auditor general to proceed
with the audit”, he said adding
that the ruling he made to stop Are you a Graphics designer?
discussing the matter on the
floor of parliament didn’t mean
that the audit was not going to We are looking for someone creative and up to date
happen. with the latest trends in design tools.
Oulanyah was accused by
Budadiri West MP Nandala Send CV to:
Mafabi who tabled this motion
in July last year at the height E-mail: jwere@independent.co.ug
of the crane bank closure saga
that the deputy speaker was
Tel: +256-312-637-391/ 2/ 3/ 4
frustrating the motion by
demanding a select committee
to investigate whether BoU fol-
lowed the Financial Institutions
Act (FIA) during the process to
close banks.
However, there has never
been a report by bank of Ugan-
da on closed banks – Greenland
bank, Global Trust Bank, Teefe
Bank, International Credit Bank,
Cooperative Bank and National
Bank of Commerce.

Social media frenzy as parliament okays tax on social media, mobile money
“Not sure what to make of
the decision by MPs to approve
tax on social media and mobile
money. It defies logic. There
must have been a concession.
More like ‘Mpa nkuhe” literally
meaning if you pass this tax
I will not reject your request
for…”, one poster wrote on his
twitter handle on May30 when
members of parliament passed
the Excise Duty Amendment
bill that has clauses okaying tax
social media and mobile money
services.
Another said, “Uganda was
full of fun till those so called
MPs amended taxes on social
media and mobile money”.
Now, each person using
social media platforms like
Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter
and others will be subjected
to a daily levy of Shs200 and
yet those using mobile money
services will be subjected to a
1% excise duty.
The proposal to introduce the
tax on social media was mooted
by the president when he wrote
to the Ministry of Finance
early in the year saying people
waste a lot on social media and
proposed a tax be introduced.
Immediately, people on social
media opposed it saying
government was trying to
frustrate their only platform
where they freely express
themselves.
However, the government
is projecting to collect Shs284
billion from the new measures.

June 08 - 14, 2018 5

Week
World awaits Trump-Kim summit
The countdown is on
for the summit between
US President Donald
Trump and North Korean
leader Kim Jong-un due
June 12 in Singapore.
The summit is aimed
at a denuclearisation
of North Korea which
has touted its nuclear
weapons program as a
major defence mechanism
against the US. In the Donald Trump
last few weeks, there
was uncertainty when
Trump wrote a letter to Kim
Jong-un cancelling the summit
expressing his displeasure
Kim Jong-un
at the hostility North Korea
was showing the US. But after
high level shuttle diplomacy
between the two countries
including visits to
Washington by some
high ranking North
Korean officials, Trump
declared the summit
was back on. The exact
venue where Trump
will meet Kim has not
yet been disclosed but
both countries and
the world at large are
optimistic that the
two leaders will meet.
It will be the first
time a US President is
meeting a leader of North
Korea after years of mutual
hostility.
New lead in Kaweesi
murder case
Abbey Kitagenda, a police
officer who was working with
the disbanded Flying Squad
unit is under interrogation fol-
lowing his arrest in relation to
the murder of former police
spokesperson Andrew Felix
Kaweesi. Chieftaincy of Mili-
tary Intelligence (CMI) opera-
tives say Kitagenda implicated
other senior officers in the mur-
der of Kaweesi that took place
on March 17, 2017. Kaweesi
was shot dead near his home in
Kulambiro as he left for work

Shock as Benedicto Kiwanuka home is demolished

There was shock over the news that the
home of the first Ugandan Chief Justice
Ben Kiwanuka and one of the country’s
independence leaders was demolished after
his son, Kagimu Kiwanuka allegedly failed
to pay a mortgage for the house. Reports
say Kagimu mortgaged the house to get a
loan, which he failed to pay. The home was
located on Ndeeba Nateete road on the out-
skirts of Kampala. Ugandans commenting
on the incident said, it destroyed Kiwanu-
ka’s legacy and brought disrepute onto the
family. Ben Kiwanuka was Prime Minister
of Uganda from March 1961 until October
1962 as Uganda attained independence. In
1971, then-president Idi Amin appointed
Kiwanuka Chief Justice but Amin killed
him the next year over a disagreement.

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6 June 08 - 14, 2018

Humour Did you know?
You can’t be fat n’ fit

Being fat and fit is a myth,

according to a new study.
Apparently, if you’re obese, but
you’re still declared metabolically
healthy, you’re still prone to
Parliament passed the controversial taxes on mobile money heart attacks and strokes.
transaction and social media use amidst strong protests The study of more than 90,000
women found that even if they
were free of high blood pressure,
cholesterol, sugar or type 2
diabetes, they were more likely to
develop cardiovascular disease as
their normal weight counterparts.
Study leader Professor
Matthias Schulze, of the German
Institute of Human Nutrition
Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Nuthetal,
said: “Our large cohort study
confirms metabolically healthy
obesity is not a harmless
condition, and even women who
remain free of metabolic diseases
for decades face an increased risk
of cardiovascular events.”
The ‘fat but fit’ theory suggests
The Office of the Prime Minister said it won’t give food if people are obese the extra
to Sudanese refugees in Omugo Camp for rioting weight will not be harmful if
other metabolic factors such as
blood pressure and blood sugar
are within recommended limits.
Last year, Dutch researchers
claimed people were able to
wipe out the dangers of obesity
if they were active for at least
four hours a day. But the latest
finding published in The Lancet
Diabetes & Endocrinology adds
to growing evidence that carrying
too many pounds is harmful to
health – irrespective of exercise
levels. Obesity is defined as having
a BMI (body mass index) of over
30. It affects almost all of the
cardiovascular disease risk factors.

International Criminal Court has said they are still studying the
petition asking them to investigate the 2016 Kasese killings

June 08 - 14, 2018 7


Inbox
Letters are
welcome !
The Editor welcomes short and
concise letters from our esteemed
readers on topical issues. Please
send them to:
The Editor, The Independent
Publications Ltd,
P.O Box 3304,
Plot 82/84 Kanjokya St,
Kamwokya.
Kampala,Uganda.
Email: editor@independent.co.ug
Kagame makes
tough decisions
Refer to “Inside the Rwanda-
Arsenal deal” (The Indepen-
dent June 01). President Paul
Kagame makes decisions that
very few leaders can dare take
and they keep paying off, for
example, the banning of plastic
bags that has defeated nearly all
leaders in the region.
On the Arsenal deal, the
`Visit Rwanda’ sleeve advert is
already making the impact even
by this very debate/discussion.
The Asian Tigers used this very
medium to market their tourism
industry. To call this waste is a
sign of being ill informed and ill
intentioned. This has happened
several times and Rwanda is
used to this. It happened when
Rwanda decided to invest in
Rwanda air, it went on when it
build the Kigali International
Conference centre.
Today, Rwanda is a preferred
meeting destination for many
continental and international
meetings.
Common sense economics
shows that you need to invest
right to get returns which can
then provide the requisite social
needs for the poor. Some ill-
intentioned politicians in the
west do not want to listen to this
reasoning because they believe
Africa is not ready for big things.
Ron
8 June 08 - 14, 2018
Follow us on Twitter @
http://twitter.com/#!/ugandatalks
Follow us on Facebook @
www.facebook.com/TheIndependentMagazineUganda
Kagame right but…
Refer to “Inside the Rwanda-
Arsenal deal” (The Indepen-
dent June 01). I agree the
President Paul Kagame makes
decisions that very few leaders
can dare take and they keep
Kagame’s Arsenal deal
Refer to “Inside the
Rwanda-Arsenal deal”
(The Independent June 01).
The Ganda have a saying
that: “Okayana ki nga
babaaga…” or something
to that effect. Translated, it
means, why argue whether
the cow being skinned is
in- calf when all will be
known when the animal is
opened up.
Three years is not a long
time. Then we shall be in
a position to decide, on
the basis of real figures,
whether President Paul
Kagame’s Arsenal deal was
good or bad.Many times,
business decisions have to
be made based on research
and cost-benefit analysis.
But if it has been made in
good faith, truly believing
that the investment will
paying off, including banning
of plastic bags which are known
worldwide as one of the worst
pollutants. My problem is that
as a pensioner about to make a
3rd visit to Rwanda, I person-
yield a return, then I have
no quarrel with it. Let us
give Kagame the “benefit of
doubt”.
On the other hand,
you cannot blame those
against the deal. We have
the common concept that
your tenant, who has not
yet paid their rent arrears,
should not be eating meat
or chicken, or sometimes
any meal at all!
A person whose tax
money is given as aid,
without their permission,
cannot imagine how a
nation that receives it
can spend $30 million on
branding the shirts of a
rich nation football team. It
is worse if the person is not
even an Arsenal supporter.
Ejakait Engoraton
News analysis Health Business
DP reunion excites Martyrs day tests Insurance market beckons Boom or bust in Uganda’s
party faithful faith – and health with huge opportunities property market?
Issue No. 523 June 01 - 07, 2018
Ushs 5,000,Kshs 200, RwF 1,500, SDP 8
Kidnappers
Why police is catching them now
www.independent.co.ug
ally cannot afford the $1500 fee
to see the gorillas.
David
Leader should help
police fight kidnaps
First Francis Ekarunga, the
Case Clinic Accountant was kid-
napped in broad daylight and
later killed, then Suzan Magara
was kidnapped, tortured, and
killed, and many more followed.
The kidnaps have caused anxi-
ety among the citizens.
So far, out of the 42 kidnap
cases reported within four
months, Uganda Police Force
has been able to rescue nine vic-
tims who include a pair of twin
girls that were kidnapped from
Luwero district in February but
later recovered from Masindi.
Police traced and arrested their
kidnapper and many others.
But some of the religious
leaders who have commented
on the kidnaps continue to cry
for police help. I think that even
they have a big role to play. They
can preach to their congregation
the value of loving one another.
Cultural and political leaders
who lament and cry for police
help should also use their influ-
ence and authority to sensitise
the public about the kidnaps.
They can also set tough punish-
ments to kidnappers and those
who kidnap themselves.
Musicians who have big fol-
lowership should use this prom-
inence to compose and sing
songs and package messages of
love and against bad acts like
killing, rape, and kidnapping.
David Serumaga
serumagadavid916@gmail.com

Inside NRM’s Rukungiri debacle
By Andrew M. Mwenda
How the bye-election shows us that Besigye is
the best ally in Museveni’s pursuit of power
L
ast week, NRM lost a bye-election
in Rukungiri in spite of (and I think
also because of) deploying all its
resources in the area. The army
and police made a strong presence. Many
NRM’s big guns from the district and the
secretariat camped in Rukungiri. President
Yoweri Museveni also visited the district
twice; on the first visit donated 500 motor-
cycles, 25 Fuso trucks, seven tractors, 20
commuter taxis and high powered wood-
work machines; on the second visit, he cam-
paigned energetically.
Yet NRM’s candidate for Rukungiri
District Woman Member of Parliament,
Winnie Matsiko, got 46,000 votes against
FDC’s Betty Muzanira with 50,000 votes.
This was a sharp fall for Matsiko who got
61,000 votes against Muzanira’s 58,000 in
the 2016 elections. Matsiko’s votes fell by
15,000 votes while Muzanira by only 8,000.
It shows that Matsiko lost in large part
because many NRM supporters did not
turnout to vote.
This may have partly been due to the
unpopularity of the amendment of the
constitution to remove age limits: the other,
the extension of the life of parliament for
two more years. Matsiko was associated
with both actions. Secondly, Museveni’s
use of money had a negative effect on the
NRM base. He gave it to groups many of
which were allied to the FDC. Many NRM
supporters felt left out and stayed away in
protest.
But this also shows that Museveni’s reli-
ance on money to win support has become
increasingly counterproductive. It has led
to a culture in NRM that for anything small
to be done, huge sums of money must be
spent “buying off people”. I am reliably
informed that many people in Rukungiri
were only willing to work for NRM if they
had been paid. The use of money in this
crass manner has inflicted untold damage
on Museveni’s brand. His opponents have
now successfully used it to brand anyone
who defends the president a hired gun.
However, FDC has a different version of
events. According to them, Matsiko’s 61,000
votes in the 2016 were a result of ballot
stuffing. There may be truth in this allega-
tion but it can only be part of the story. FDC
is given to wild claims and exaggerated alle-
gations. However, if their allegations hold
any water, they lead to a more important
The Last Word
question: why didn’t NRM successfully rig
again and get the same numbers again?
FDC says that this time it was able to
deploy its resources in this one district and
protect votes and stop NRM from ballot
stuffing.
This claim actually demonstrates that a
well-organised opposition can surmount
intimidation, bribery and rigging. Yet
Besigye and his confederates have always
claimed that there is no way anyone can
defeat Museveni via elections because
of intimidation and rigging. The story of
Rukungiri, like the story of Kyadondo East
and Jinja East where Bobi Wine aka Robert
Kyagulanyi and Paul Mwiru respectively
won against all odds clearly demonstrates
that opposition victory is possible.
Therefore, if the NRM rigs itself to victory,
it is because the opposition is weak, unor-
ganised, disorganised and under organised.
It means that where rigging is successful,
it is only because the opposition is unable
to mount relatively unified and concerted
action to protect its votes and stop ballot
stuffing. The solution, therefore, is not to
discount the opportunity available to cause
an electoral upset but to build capacity to
counter rigging. This means that the opposi-
tion strategy should be to convince Ugan-
dans that defeat of Museveni is possible
through elections – if only everyone who
cares about change can turn out to vote and
stay at the polling center to protect opposi-
tion votes and block NRM from rigging.
Yet this message is counter to the message
Besigye has been feeding to his supporters
for over a decade now. Besigye claims that
he has won all the four elections he has con-
tested and been denied power by Museveni
because of rigging. This message is very
discouraging for potential voters. It shows
voting is meaningless. For many people, it
does not make sense to vote, win and still
be rigged out. This partly explains low voter
turnout.
A close look at Uganda’s last three
presidential elections shows that low
voter turnout is the most critical factor in
Museveni’s electoral fortunes. Therefore,
although Besigye has positioned himself
as the greatest and toughest opponent of
Museveni, he is ironically the president’s
best ally. His message dampens voter
turnout, thereby playing directly into
Museveni’s hands.
Opinion
The numbers say it all: in 2006, 69% of
voters turned out and Museveni got 58%
against Besigye’s 38%. In 2011, turnout
plummeted to 58% and Museveni got
68% against Besigye’s 26%. In 2016, voter
turnout jumped to 68% and Museveni’s fell
to 60% against Besigye’s resurgence to 36%.
Holding other factors constant, an increase
of voter turnout to 85% would cause
Museveni to lose – regardless of whichever
tricks he employs.
There is no opposition politician with
the credibility that Besigye enjoys among
anti-Museveni forces. He has been arrested
scores of times and charged with rape, ter-
rorism and treason. He has been beaten and
tear-gassed on the streets and jailed for his
stance. The sacrifices he has made are what
reinforce public trust in him as a reliable
leader – people know/feel/believe that in the
face of the biggest challenges, Besigye will
remain true to his principles. This is espe-
cially critical in a country where Museveni
is believed to buy off, compromise or intim-
idate many (if not most) of his opponents.
Yet Besigye has used this profile to help
perpetuate the myth of Museveni’s invinci-
bility – that elections cannot deliver change.
This message discourages many people
from registering to vote or turning out to
vote. And it is Museveni’s most important
asset, which ironically Besigye perpetu-
ates for him using his immense credibility
among Ugandans.
The lesson from the analysis above is that
an opposition victory is possible if voter
turnout increases. This means convincing
people that their vote counts and can
make a difference. The best person with
the highest credibility to make this case to
Ugandans is Besigye. But alas, Besigye has
been doing the exact opposite – tirelessly
campaigning that people should not register
to vote, and telling everyone that voting
won’t change anything.
Hence although subjectively Besigye is
Museveni’s strongest opponent, objectively
he is the president’s strategic ally. This
explains why Museveni has kept Besigye in
the limelight, knowing he is the enemy he
needs to have. Besigye and his radical sup-
porters may never know how valuable they
are to Museveni.
amwenda@independent.co.ug
June 08 - 14, 2018 9
cover story

MTN under threat

11 million subscribers might need
new SIM card if it loses fight

facing
s
MTN i
Fights
s U C C
TN sue M T N
M s ue s
ara g e TN
VA S g ue s M
pir e s
S Em
SM T N
ue s M e
UR A s s M TN to su
y s ue aten
M o n e r s thre
Ezee n ey u se
e M o
Mobil

10 June 08 - 14, 2018


T
By Haggai Matsiko
elecom giant MTN’s days in
Uganda might be numbered
- if it loses an ongoing
case in the High Court in
Kampala.
If it loses the case, MTN
which controls about 55% of the market,
could also lose its operating licence
which expires in October and leave its
11.5 million subscribers looking for a
new subscriber.
Such an occurrence would also have
far reaching implications for the telecom
sector and the larger economy.
What is on trial is whether the sector
regulator; the Uganda Communications
Commission (UCC) and President
Yoweri Museveni can refuse to renew
MTN’s licence and let the telecom
behemoth close.
MTN appears convinced that it is
too big to be let go in Uganda and that
could explain why it is in court.
Trouble for MTN in the ongoing case
is at two levels; one that it is suing UCC,
the telecom sector regulator who has the
power to renew or not renew its licence,
and two, that this case shows growing
bad blood between UCC and MTN.
If the two instances are not amicably
resolved, MTN could be in trouble. If
MTN wins this case, however, it will
have rendered UCC toothless.
The case itself is brief but complex.
MTN wants court to quash an
order by UCC that it pays one of
its former service providers called
VAS Garage Shs450 million resulting
from a disputed commercial debt,
restores VAS’s database, undertakes
unconditional reconciliation with the
company, and negotiates a new contract
with the same company.
If MTN loses the case, it will have to
pay not only Vas Garage but potentially
a large number of companies that it
contracted to do its none-core work –
such as mobile advertising, e-commerce,
mobile money, and more, technically
called Value Added Service (VAS)
providers. These companies provided
MTN subscribers with services such as
SMS alerts, entertainment, caller tunes,
games news, and more.
MTN already has several battles it is
fighting in and out of court with such
service providers and customers.
Amidst all this, MTN has been
a subject of intense criticism over
complaints surrounding Mobile Money,
its mobile money transfer platform. A
complaint by Makerere Law lecturer
Busingye Kabumba that MTN customer
care service was dismissive after he
mistakenly sent money to a wrong
recipient has sparked intense public
MTN Uganda CEO Wim Vanhelleputte (left) and the Company's
General Manager Corporate Services, Anthony Katamba
outrage. As a result, UCC has said it will
put in place a special committee to look
into MTN’s billing systems and how the
company manages mobile money.
Away from subscribers, the former
service providers accuse MTN of breach
of contract, violation of fair competition,
under declaring of revenues, illegal
takeover of their businesses, violation of
laws, and withholding of payments to
local companies.
These are serious crimes which if
proven can cause MTN’s license not to
be renewed. Under the UCC Act which
regulates the telecom sector, serious
and repeated breach of the licence
conditions, any fraud or intentional
misrepresentation by the operator, are
grounds, which UCC could base on to
revoke an operator’s licence.
High Court Judge Henry Peter
Adonyo on November 06, 2017 found
MTN Uganda guilty of aggressively
taking anti-competitive practices against
EzeeMoney, which was awarded
damages of Shs2.3 billion. MTN
appealed the ruling.
More companies sue MTN
The VAS Garage case originates from
actions MTN took in 2014 following a
directive by UCC to telecom companies
regarding unsolicited messages.
Trouble started in November 2014,
when UCC directed that following
public outcry against receiving
unsolicited messages, telecom
companies should include an option
of “Dial *196# or send “STOP” to 196
to opt-out” for subscribers to block
unsolicited messages. The telecoms
were also directed to create a Do Not
Disturb (DND) register of subscribers
cover story
who opted out of receiving unsolicited
messages.
MTN implemented the UCC directive
by handing the Value Added Service
contract to UK registered company; IMI
Mobile, to handle VAS services under
an MTN product called MTN Play. This
locked VAS Garage and others out of
business.
Some of them accepted compensation
from MTN and moved on but others
wanted more and have been wrangling
with MTN.
Another company called SMS Empire
has been in court with MTN over the
same for the last four years now.
SMS Empire on May 7 slapped yet
another suit against MTN jointly with
the regulator, and the government.
SMS Empire says MTN has falsified
declarations and its numerous breaches
offend the South African Stock
Exchange Regulations on which it is
listed.
SMS Empire says between January
and October 2015, it offered services to
MTN subscribers and MTN billed and
collected revenue but never declared or
paid the company any coin. This forced
SMS Empire to close shop and sue.
SMS Empire says that earlier MTN
arbitrarily amended the contract and
introduced new terms, which SMS
Empire claims were detrimental to their
business. MTN introduced fees of Shs5
million a month and monthly expiring
of databases.
SMS Empire says it also discovered
that all along MTN had been cheating
them by under declaring revenue.
SMS Empire officials say in 2012, SMS
Empire earned Shs. 1.4 billion, the
following year Shs. 2.27 billion and in
June 08 - 14, 2018 11
cover story
Customers at an MTN outlet.
2014, 3.3 billion.
SMS Empire discovered this by
carrying out a spot check on the
numbers in their database.
In its defense, MTN refutes the
accusations. A witness statement by
Mike Blackburn, the Chief Financial
Officer (CFO), noted that he did not
recall any time when SMS Empire raised
financial issues on the statements shared
between the two of them that MTN
failed to address.
SMS Empire wants court to halt the
process of renewal of MTN’s licence,
direct the Attorney General to conduct a
forensic investigation into MTN’s false
declarations, and collect the pending
taxes.
Earlier in February, a group of
service providers, petitioned President
Museveni, parliament and UCC asking
that MTN is probed for several alleged
violations before its licence is renewed.
The group, Wireless Applications
and Service Providers Association of
Uganda (WASPA-U), claims that it
represents over 60 ICT companies all
together.
MTN plays nice-n-dirty
Owing to its sheer size and influence
in the Ugandan market, MTN is accused
by critics of playing “nice” and “dirty”
and getting away with it.
A study on USSD and SMS services
commissioned by UCC and carried out
by Macmillan Keck, a Geneva-based law
firm, confirmed this perception.
The study dated December 13, 2017,
12 June 08 - 14, 2018
a copy of which The Independent has
seen, reveals that the biggest telecom
companies in Uganda were exploiting
their market domination to treat service
providers unfairly.
The study recommended formal
investigation into potential abuses of
dominance and other anticompetitive
market conduct. Among others, it
recommended fines of up to 10 percent
of the telecoms’ annual turnover and
issuance of an order to stop the unfair
competition.
In the case at hand, VAS Garage was
providing Value Added Services to
subscribers on behalf of MTN. However,
in 2014 MTN ended this arrangement
locking VAS Garage and others out of
business. MTN also expired all their
databases. When they appealed, UCC
ruled that MTN’s decision was illegal
and it is this UCC decision that MTN is
challenging in court.
Details of the MTN case
MTN’s case is hinged on three
grounds; that UCC had no powers to
resolve its commercial dispute with VAS
Garage, let alone award remedies to the
complainant, and that the procedure
UCC used to resolve the matter
was contrary to the communication
regulations.
The Independent has learnt that MTN
initially negotiated with VAS Garage,
which was claiming Shs900 million from
MTN.
According to Vas Garage, following
negotiations, MTN offered to pay half—
Shs450 million, arguing that UCC’s
DND directive does not allow payment
of the full amount.
The VAS team rejected the offer
because the new directive MTN cited
was issued after VAS Garage had earned
that money. But later, VAS Garage
accepted because, as part of the deal,
MTN accepted to restore their databases
amongst other “deal sweeteners”.
But Vas Garage says once MTN paid
half of the money, it refused to restore
its database forcing VAS to report the
issue to UCC.
When the matter dragged, VAS
Garage escalated it to the Center For
Arbitration And Dispute Resolution.
MTN protested the decision, insisting
that UCC should resolve the matter.
But at UCC, MTN allegedly snubbed
an initial meeting intended to resolve
the matter. When UCC asked it to
present its side, MTN submitted a brief
document. When UCC pressed MTN
for more details, MTN resubmitted the
same.
At a meeting intended to resolve the
matter, MTN officials appeared bullish.
When the chair of the commission asked
them to address certain concerns, some
of their officials asked to be excused
insisting it was their right to leave the
meeting.
In the end, UCC made the decision,
which MTN is now challenging in the
High Court.
UCC noted that “the blatant
expiry of the said databases by MTN
was unjustified, unfair and a clear

violation of fair competition.” MTN’s
actions, according to UCC, violated
communications sector regulations.
UCC, however, offered MTN a 30-day
window to appeal. MTN did not appeal
at UCC.
Asked why MTN did not appeal
UCC’s decision, MTN’s lawyer,
Barnabas Tumusingize of Sebalu and
Lule Advocates says the company went
to court because there was no avenue
for appealing UCC’s decision.
“The UCC Act is clear. It says that
when you are dissatisfied with the
commission’s decision, you appeal
before the UCC tribunal. But the
tribunal is not there. They (UCC) have
never set it up. That is why we applied
for a judicial review,” he told The
Independent in an interview.
Tumusingize also noted that MTN
had already challenged the arbitration
process on grounds that VAS Garage
engaged in “forum shopping”.
He explained that VAS Garage took
the matter to UCC, obtained a decision
and brought the same matter to the
High Court’s Centre for Arbitration.
“We are challenging that,”
Tumusingize said, “We are saying that
you can only go higher.”
But critics say MTN is deploying
delay tactics in a bid to frustrate those
complaining against it. An MTN
official reportedly boasted to one of the
claimants that the telecom giant can
stay in court for even 15 years.
“Is that what you want,” the official
taunted the claimant.
They cite the fact that MTN took its
case to court just a day before the 30
day appeal period set by UCC expired.
MTN also did not serve both UCC and
VAS until a month later.
When asked about delaying to
appeal, Tumusingize said that MTN
appealed well within the 30 days
required by law.
As to why they served UCC and VAS
almost a month later, Tumusingize
explained that “with a judicial review
application, you cannot get the papers
out of court until a date for hearing is
fixed”.
For now, therefore, MTN appears
determined to pursue the judicial
route, however, dangerous.
UCC misjudging MTN?
When The Independent contacted
MTN for details, however, the
Company's General Manager Corporate
Services Anthony Katamba said they
could not comment because the case is
before court.
What is clear is that because MTN
appears vulnerable as it seeks renewal
of its operating license, disputants
Godfrey Mutabazi
Charles Mbire
appear to have calculated that it would
easily make concessions.
When The Independent spoke to
UCC Executive Director Godfrey
Mutabazi, he said the MTN case
against UCC is not complicated.
“It is something we can ably
handle,” he said.
Then he added: “It is interesting
because we have been too pre-occupied
with the process of renewing MTN’s
application.”
Although Mutabazi did not
delve into details, it is clear that the
implications of MTN’s suit could
include a delay of the process of
renewing its licence.
Already, in its Evaluation report on
MTN Uganda Licence Performance
From 1998-2018 dated March 2018,
UCC reveals that MTN has violated a
host of obligations.
These include; non-payment of
assessed spectrum fees, failure to meet
statutory timelines in the negotiation of
interconnection agreements, erroneous
cover story
billing of customers, discriminatory
trade terms, unfair pricing, unclear
vetting criteria, delayed reconciliation
of revenues with 3rd party dealers,
non-compliance with the commission’s
regulatory directives, non-compliance
with regulatory directives.
Between June 30 and Nov. 17 2014,
forinstance, MTN’s data customers
recorded more than 360,000 incidents
of erroneous billing. The regulator
ordered it to make reimbursements of
up to Shs.770 million.
The report also revealed that MTN
has responded to only 76% of the
consumers’ complaints. 90% is the
threshold required by the regulator.
“Over the years, the Commission has
noted that there are instances where
MTN has not implemented or complied
with the Commission’s directives,” the
evaluation report reads in part, “This
does not only tantamount to a breach
of the license agreement but leads to
failure to realise sector objectives.”
But as the court cases rage, the
players are also deeply aware that
the final decision on MTN could be
political not judicial.
Some of the complainants have
even reached out to key shareholders
of MTN Group Eskom Pension and
Provident Fund. The Fund CEO Sbu
Luthuli was very vocal when MTN
was fined US$3.9 billion for failing to
disconnect unregistered subscribers
in Nigeria and insisted that such an
incident must not be repeated. He is
now being courted by MTN’s Ugandan
disputants and has cautioned the
MTN bosses in South Africa to mount
pressure on the Ugandan managers to
deal with these tensions before they
spread.
To add more pressure, the
complaints are calling on UCC to
revoke MTN’s licence. Revoking
MTN’s licence would be a huge blow
to its shareholders, subscribers, and
destroy a business built over the last 20
years, which last year earned revenues
of Shs1.6 trillion.
Because of the significance of the
Ugandan subsidiary, top officials
including the head of the South African
mother company, MTN Group, came to
Kampala early this year to politically
plead its case.
While in Kampala, they made a
donation of Shs. 1 bn to Uganda’s
refugee crisis fund. They met Prime
Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, senior
officials, and lawyers representing some
of MTN’s complainants. They pledged to
settle some of the matters. Trouble is that
settlements of this kind could potentially
expose MTN to new dangers, from new
claims by new disputants.
June 08 - 14, 2018 13
rwanda

Rwanda’s coffee enters

West Africa market
Nigeria’s JR Coffee brand partners with farmer’s company
By Stephen Nuwagira

R
wanda’s coffee will soon be on
shelves across the greater West
Africa following launch of a
new coffee brand by Rwanda
Farmers Coffee Company (RFCC)
targeting the market of almost 200 mil-
lion people. The unveiling of the JR
Coffee brand is a result of a partner-
ship deal signed in February between
RFCC and a Nigerian firm, JR Farms.
The firm already shipped out the
first consignment of 4 tonnes of roast-
ed coffee processed by Rwanda Farm-
ers Coffee Company to Lagos, Nigeria
on June 1. The coffee worth $20,000
(about Rwf17.4 million) will be sold
in Nigeria and part of the West Africa
region, according to Olawale Rotimi
Opeyemi, the JR Farms chief executive
officer.
“The coffee will be sold under the
JR Coffee brand; roasting and packing
will be done in Rwanda by Rwanda
Farmers Coffee Company and the cof-
fee will bear the Made-in-Rwanda as
source of origin,” he explained at the
launch of the brand and shipment in
Kigali.
“We are confident that this partner-
ship will boost intra-Africa trade,
create new jobs, as well as improve
the coffee value chain and strengthen
economic ties between Rwanda and
West Africa,” Opeyemi added. “We are
taking Rwanda’s coffee to the bigger
West African market; we are not only
selling coffee, but also the experience
to buyers out there.”
Rwanda Farmers Coffee Company
Sales and Marketing Manager, Eric
Rukwaya, said the firm will continue
to look for new and better markets so
that farmers can benefit more from
their efforts.
The company works with six coffee
cooperatives with over 4,530 members
in districts of Gakenke, Huye and
Rusizi as well those in Eastern Prov-
ince. Rukwaya said they will soon take
on more cooperatives to expand the
fair trade model.
The fair trade model is a trading
partnership based on dialogue, trans-
parency and respect, seeking greater
equity in international trade. It con-
tributes to sustainable development
by offering better trading conditions
to, and securing the rights of, margin-
alised producers and workers, espe-
cially in the geographical South.
Rukwaya said is targeting a niche
market with its specialty coffee, noting
that the firm will build on Rwanda’s
position as one of the top five pro-
ducers of specialty coffee globally to
penetrate more markets. The country
mainly sells its Arabica specialty cof-
fee on the international market, in
Europe, the US, North Africa and
China, among others.
Birasa Nyamulinda, an invest-
ment advisor (agriculture) at Rwanda
Development Board, said the break
from Rwanda exporting coffee bean
to Rwandan coffee on shelves in
West African supermarkets is a sign
that farmers are embracing agro-
processing. “We want to increase
coffee export volumes, especially as
more investment is channeled toward
improving agro-exports,” Nyamulinda
said, “RFCC is one of such efforts as it
is involved in roasting and packaging
targeting the local and export mar-
kets.” Rwanda supports export-ori-
ented firms through the Rwf2 billion
Export Growth Facility managed by
Development Bank of Rwanda which
seeks to help the country to increase
its export earnings and narrow the
trade deficit.
Promoting local coffee consumption
Meanwhile, coffee sector players
have been urged to t promote local
consumption of the beverage “to avoid
dependence on the global markets that
are prone to price fluctuations”.
Though there are about 28 roasters,
some marketing coffee locally through
supermarkets, shops and coffee bars,
only about 1% of Rwandans drink cof-
fee, according to officials at NAEB.
To drive local consumption of cof-
fee, stakeholders like NAEB and pro-
cessors always participate in different
expos to promote the beverage.
Sector players say the move is
important to cushion the sector and
farmers in case of low demand on the
global market.
RFCC’s Rukwaya said if more
Rwandans adopted a culture of coffee
drinking this would boost the sector’s
performance and farmers’ income. He
was optimistic that more Rwandans
will embrace a coffee drinking life-
style, explaining that the firm’s sales
on the local market have risen from
500 kilogrammes of coffee per month
in 2005 to about 10 tonnes last year.

14 June 08 - 14, 2018


Rwanda’s art gets
its groove back
New exhibition space availed in Kigali city
as Presidential Museum changes roles
By Francis Byaruhanga
R
wanda’s Presidential Palace Mu-
seum is no more, at least in name.
Housed in the residence of two of
Rwanda’s former presidents - Ju-
venal Habyarimana and Theodore Sindi-
kubwabo, the palace is now a national arts
gallery that will also cater for other related
activities, according to the Institute of Na-
tional Museum of Rwanda. It was turned
into a museum after the 1994 Genocide
against the Tutsi of 1994 that left over one
million Tutsi dead, making it part of Rwan-
da’s tragic history.
The Institute of National Museum of
Rwanda has now renamed the museum,
commonly known as ‘Kwa Habyarimana’,
Rwanda Art Museum to “suit changing
times and demands from art lovers and
visitors to expand the institution’s offerings.
The move that also saw the former National
Art Gallery shifted from Rwesero in Nyan-
za District, Southern Province and relocated
to Kigali as a result of name.
Isidore Ndikumana, the director of cul-
ture, tourism and promotion unit at the
Institute of National Museum of Rwanda,
says the former presidential museum was
more historical, noting that the art museum
will cater for many disciplines and interests.
It will also be easier for artists and art lovers
to visit the place that is about four kilome-
tres from Kigali International Airport.
“The museum was visited by few people,
so turning it into an art museum will pro-
mote cultural tourism besides showcasing
the originality of Rwandan creativity, arts
development from centuries ago to date,”
says Ndikumana.
He adds that the move was also in
respond to the needs of tourists, who have
been complaining about the long distance to
Nyanza. It takes over two hours to the for-
mer National Art Gallery in Nyanza.
The art gallery was based at the former
palace of King Mutara Rudahigwa III. “We
wanted to respond to the wishes of the visi-
tors and partners by shifting the National
Art Gallery from Nyanza to the city and
renaming it according to the intended pur-
poses,” says Executive Director Amb Rich-
ard Masozera.
Richard Kandt Museum in Huye was
also recently renamed Natural History
Museum.
“The new museum will also display
contemporary artworks produced by both
Rwandan and international artists,” he said
while launching the Rwanda Art Museum
at Kanombe.
Ndikumana says that apart from per-
manent exhibitions, the museum will be
hosting temporally and ‘moving’ arts exhi-
bitions as well. For young visitors, the Art
rwanda
Kids Studio will be a must-visit as they will
be given the opportunity to put their art
skills to work.
He adds that the former art gallery was
for only fine artists, but the new one will
cater for many disciplines, including film
exhibitions, conferences, and dance troupes,
among other entertainment forms.
“We want the museum to be a place
where artists can meet and exchange ideas.
That’s why the institute has set aside a room
for the Rwanda Art Council, where they
can exhibit their artworks and also discuss
matters concerning the development of the
trade. The council is an umbrella body that
brings together all artists in Rwanda.
The former Presidential Palace was the
residence of the two of Rwanda’s presi-
dents; Juvenal Habyarimana from June,
1973-April, 1994; and Theodore Sindikub-
wabo, who was a tenant for a few months,
from April 1994 to June 1994. The debris of
the Falcon 50 presidential plane in which
Habyarimana died, still lies in the com-
pound of the museum.
Move tipped to boost revenues, number
of visitors According to Masozera, 80% of
the artists are based in the city. “Therefore,
relocating it was better decision to bring
closer the beneficiaries where they will be
able to exhibit their products.”
He says over 350,000 people visited the
Presidential Museum annually, a figure that
is now expected to double over the next
year. According to Pascal Bushayija, a con-
temporary artist, relocating the art museum
to Kigali will help improve their business
through exhibition to showcase their prod-
ucts and talent.
“The former National Art Gallery in
Nyanza was far away from Kigali, making
it hard for artists to exhibit their products.
Being in a rural area, there are very few
buyers or visitors there,” he says.
June 08 - 14, 2018 15
World Environment Day 2018:
Beating Plastic pollution
By Our Reporter
W
orld Environment Day, cel-
ebrated every year on June 5, is
a United Nations-led event and
is the single largest celebration
of our environment by thousands of com-
munities worldwide.
The celebration of this day provides
people with an opportunity to broaden
the basis for an enlightened opinion and
responsible conduct by individuals, enter-
prises and communities in preserving and
enhancing the environment.
The UN designated the day in 1972 with
the consciousness that protecting and ame-
liorating the human environment should
be a major concern for everyone since all
people around the world are affected.
Every year, this day is organized around
a theme that focuses attention on a particu-
larly pressing environmental concern. The
theme for 2018, “Beat Plastic Pollution,” is
therefore a call to action for all people to
come together to combat one of the great
environmental challenges in our everyday
lifestyle: single use plastic pollution.
This year’s celebration explicitly focuses
on exploring alternatives to avoidable sin-
gle-use polythene bags commonly referred
to as kaveera in Uganda, which has become
a menace to the environment. While plas-
tic has many valuable uses, people have
16 June 08 - 14, 2018
become over-reliant on single use or dis-
posable plastic with harsh environmental
consequences.
The United Nations Environment Pro-
gramme (UNEP), for instance, estimates
that the world consumes up to 5 trillion
plastic bags every year. Of these five tril-
lion bags, 50% of them are single-use or
disposable. UNEP says at least 13 million
tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans. That
is the equivalent of a full garbage truck
every minute. In the last decade alone, more
plastic was produced than in the whole of
the 20th century, thanks to the world’s over-
dependence on plastics. UNEP notes that at
least one million plastic bottles are bought
every minute and they actually make
up about 10% of all the waste generated
around the world.
Polythene bags take hundreds of years to
decompose and as such prevent water from
seeping into soil which scientists say affects
agricultural productivity. Kaveera also pol-
lutes lakes, rivers and wetlands which pose
a threat to marine life, livestock and other
wildlife.
Environmentalists also argue that the
dangerous use and indiscriminate disposal
of polythene bags has contributed to fail-
ing human health thanks to such practices
as cooking food wrapped in kaveera and
inhalation of toxins when polythene bags
burn slowly in open spaces. These practices
are said to be exacerbating respiratory infec-
tions and non-communicable diseases like
cancer.
In Uganda, the fight against plastic use
has been rather ambivalent with environ-
mentalists arguing that the government
needs to implement a decisive ban on poly-
thene bags while the plastics manufacturers
through their strong lobby—the Uganda
Plastics Manufacturers and Recyclers Asso-
ciation (UPMRA) — has always offered the
counter-argument that the problem is not
the plastics bags but the behaviour of Ugan-
dan users who indiscriminately dispose
garbage.
Policy analysts insist the plastics menace
in Uganda is nothing but a governance
problem. They argue that unlike her more
decisive neighbours, Rwanda and Kenya
which have gone ahead to implement the
ban, Uganda has for the last 10 years been
going back and forth to effect the ban which
was first passed in 2009.
Still, Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary
General’s World Environment Day message
is quite simple: “Reject single use plastic.
Refuse what you cannot re-use. Together,
we can chart a path to a cleaner, greener
world.”
The eastern town of Mbale, once dubbed
as the cleanest town in East Africa thanks to
its then efficient waste management system,
hosted the 2018 national celebrations.
Coca-Cola initiative leads in
cleaning up the environment
Plastic Recycling Industries (PRI), which is Coca-Cola Africa Beverages subsidiary in
Uganda, is supporting efforts geared towards conserving the environment. Simon Kaheru,
the company’s Public Affairs and Communications Director explained more in this interview.
How does Coca-Cola Beverages Africa
business fit into this year’s environment
A
day theme - ‘beat plastic pollution’- ?
s a business Coca-Cola, Beverages
Africa in Uganda has three enti-
ties – Century Bottling Company
that bottles sodas, water and juice;
Rwenzori Bottling Company that bottles
Uganda’s biggest brand – Rwenzori Water;
and Plastic Recycling Industries which
recycles PET and HDPE plastic waste into
flakes for re-use in manufacturing. We
reckon that the weight of the PET bottles
we alone put out onto the market could be
close to 800 tonnes a month. These bottles
are taken and consumed by Ugandans and
some do not disposed of them properly.
Instead, they end up in the soil, in landfills
along with organic waste, and in drainage
points and waterways. What we are doing
at PRI is taking all this plastic waste out of
the soil, landfills, waterways and people’s
homes and offices, processing it and turn-
ing it into value.
 Describe the strategy for handling plastic
materials by PRI
PRI is making it profitable for people to
protect the environment. We have turned
plastic waste into a business that involves
many women entrepreneurs who gather
up plastic waste from the environment and
then bring it to either centralised collection
centres or straight to PRI at Nakawa-Kyam-
bogo. We have formed partnerships with
key stakeholders such as Kampala Capital
City Authority and the Masaka Diocese in
conjunction with an organization called
Masaka Marathon to set up Collection Cen-
tres in Kampala and Masaka in this area.
We have also helped establish Community-
Based Organisations to do the plastic waste
collection on a wider, more profitable scale
than individual collectors can manage on
their own. After we have collected, sorted
and processed the plastic waste into flakes,
we export the flakes abroad.
What tangible benefits is your campaign
on collecting plastic waste in Kampala and
other areas recording?
The most significant is the amount of
waste being taken out of the communi-
ties – we have achieved over 35% collec-
18 June 08 - 14, 2018
tion rates as of May 2018 and our target
by end-of-year is 40% of the plastic we put
out. We have also created a line of income
for vulnerable women and youth who earn
respectable money from plastic waste that
they did not have before. Trough this initia-
tive we have created coalitions of willing
Ugandans such as the Uganda Water and
Juice Manufacturers Association (UWJMA).
What challenges are you facing, and how
are you managing them?
The biggest challenge is the lack of
awareness amongst the general public.
The poor disposal of plastic waste is a
behavioral issue and we need to fight it
with education and awareness. We need to
target especially the people who drive on
our roads. We need to tell all the children
as they grow so that they make it a habit to
separate waste and ensure plastics do not
get into the soil and waterways. And we
need to establish a garbage disposal and
collection system that covers the full cycle
so that organic waste is turned into manure
and then other waste gets recycled.
Broadly speaking, what opportunities
does this campaign expose to the people
involved in the value chain, and the coun-
try on matters of environment?  field?
There is money to be made because
plastic waste has value even in its raw
form since we pay for it. We currently buy
a kilogram of PET at about Shs400 and a
kilogramme of HDPE at Shs600. But even
besides that, there is money to be made
transporting it to PRI as many people are
doing and more.
Could you suggest policy issues to gov-
ernment in relation to handling plastic
waste?
Government should quickly build plastic
waste separation and disposal into our val-
ue system, through our schools and homes.
We also need the municipal authorities to
make all garbage disposals follow the right
route so we curb plastic pollution. We also
need the authorities to police the bad habits
that lead to plastic pollution.
What is your general call to players in the
plastics field?
Everybody has a role to play in plastic
waste collection and recycling – not just the
companies and government and environ-
mentalists – all of us. We must get together
to beat plastic pollution by using less plas-
tic, disposing of it responsibly, re-using it
where we can, and recycling as much as
possible. The war for a cleaner, healthier
environment for ourselves and generations
to come makes all of us soldiers and we
all need to understand that we are on the
frontline.
Going forward, what is your long term
plan for this initiative?
We are committed to an initiative that we
call ‘World Without Waste’ – and in that
commitment we have pledged to ensure
that by 2030 we collect 100% equivalent of
the plastics we put out through our busi-
ness. This year we are going for 40% but we
will be at 100% before 2030 in Uganda. We
do not collect only our own products but all
plastics that are PET (the light plastics that
forms our bottles) and HDPE (the heavier
plastics that jerrycans and basins are made
out of). We will not only collect and turn
them into flakes for export but plan to start
up local manufacturing as well.
What is your last call to players in this
 
We have placed an advert here [our
offices] asking people to sign it as their
personal pledge and commitment and to
put it up on their walls as a daily remind-
er that they will all be part of the war to
Beat Plastic Pollution.
Connecting..
with Nature 2018 theme“Beating plastic pollution”.
CNOOC Uganda Limited is committed to ensure sustainable and
environmentally friendly development of the oil and gas industry in
Uganda.

CNOOC Uganda Limited, Simba Towers, Plot 22 Acacia Avenue, Kololo, Kampala, Uganda
Tel:+ 256 (0) 204 500 205, Email: aminah.bukenya@cnoocuganda.com
NEWS ANALYSIS
The Rukungiri rebellion
What Muhwezi, Museveni loss of Woman
MP race to Besigye means for NRM
By Ian Katusiime
W
hen President Yoweri Musev-
eni visited Rukungiri in April
ahead of the Woman MP by-
election, he advised the leaders
of the ruling National Resistance Movement
(NRM) in the district to do three things:
avoid intra-party divisions, court the youth
and grassroots support, and avoid elitism
and religious division. He also carried bags
of money.
He was campaigning for the NRM flag-
bearer, Winfred Matsiko, who had been
kicked out of parliament over an illegal
donation she made.
At Matsiko’s nomination, she was
accompanied by NRM stalwart Maj. Gen.
Jim Muhwezi, who remains the lame duck
NRM Rukungiri District chairman after
being defeated in the 2016 Rujumbura
County MP election by the opposition
Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) can-
didate, Fred Turyamuhweza and losing his
ministerial position. Another prominent
NRM son of the soil, Lt. Gen. Henry Tumu-
kunde, who is a lame duck too after being
kicked out of cabinet, stumped for Matsiko.
It is not clear how much Museveni’s
purging of Muhwezi and Tumukunde hurt
NRM in Rukungiri, but when the election
was held on May 31, the candidate they
backed was trounced by the FDC’s Betty
Muzanira. In a reversal of events, FDC beat
NRM by 4000 votes in the by-election, the
same margin with which NRM had beaten
FDC in the original election held in Febru-
ary 2016. What had gone wrong?
The margin of loss was small, only 4%
with Matsiko garnering 46,379 votes to
Muzanira’s 50, 611 votes in a poorly attend-
ed vote that saw only 59.8% turnout. Signifi-
cantly, however, President Museveni had
lost the district to FDC by an even smaller
margin in the 2016 presidential election.
Museveni garnered 48.3% of the vote to the
50.4% of prominent son of the soil, Dr Kizza
Besigye, who was the FDC flag bearer.
Museveni had won Rukungiri district by
59.3% in the 2011 presidential election.
The loss in 2016 was the first time Besigye
was defeating Museveni in Rukungiri and
FDC’s Turyamuhweza had defeated long
serving Muhwezi in Rujumbura County.
FDC’s victory leaves NRM with one MP out
of three in the district.
Even before this election, there is now a
fear that a revolution away from Museveni
and NRM could spread in Rukungiri. The
20 June 08 - 14, 2018
Betty Muzanira
fear was based on recent NRM losses in
by-elections in Jinja Municipality and Kya-
dondo East. That is why Museveni pulled
out all guns to try to win Rukungiri. The
loss is significant because it signals that the
next elections will be do or die races.
Some of the reasons for the change of
winds against Museveni and NRM in the
district have been described in exactly the
terms Museveni described. But the removal
of the presidential age limit to enable
Museveni to stay in power is also said to be
a factor.
The Jim Muhwezi-led NRM in the district
is seen as elitist and anti-democratic. Muh-
wezi’s family, being one of those that fought
with Museveni in the 1980s bush war that
brought him to power, and have enjoyed
prominent positions since then, act with a
sense of entitlement.
Muhwezi is accused of imposing the
NRM candidate Winfred Matsiko on the
NRM voters. Many allege that during the
NRM primaries for the 2016 election, Sezi
Prisca Mbaguta; the former Minister of Pub-
lic Service emerged winner but her win was
frustrated and Matsiko imposed instead.
Not surprisingly, Mbaguta uncharacteristi-
cally broke ranks with Museveni and ran
as an independent. Although she scored
an insignificant tally of votes, her name on
the ballot and her presence in the campaign
set a poignant message; the NRM house in
Rukungiri is divided, members are in revolt.
When The Independent was compiling this
story, for example, and sought to speak to
the leader of Matsiko’s campaign, Jim Muh-
wezi’s name was mentioned several times.
He also confirmed that he led the campaign.
But when The Independent asked Matsiko
about it, she gave a different name; Ivan
Katwesime from Nyakishenyi sub-county.
Meanwhile, another group claimed the
Minister for Housing, Dr. Chris Baryomun-
si, who reportedly carried the campaign
cash bags, was in charge.
A turning point appears to have been
when villagers openly gave cash to Besigye
at rallies claiming it was part of what
Museveni had dished to residents. Musev-
eni, when he campaigned in the area in
April, gave out about Shs5billion in cash
and kind. He donated tractors, trucks,
500 motorcycles, commuter taxis, sew-
ing machines, tents and chairs, and motor
vehicle spare parts to various individuals
and groups. His actions were criticized and
divided the party further.
The religious factor
But Muhwezi blamed the loss on some
church leaders who used religion to cam-
paign for FDC. He said church leaders in
Rukungiri have differences and some of the
leaders are using their positions as a cover
for their opposition allegiances. He also
accused FDC leaders of bribing voters and
hiring people from other districts across the
country to intimidate and beat up NRM
supporters and pointed at FDC president
Patrick Amuriat, for allegedly `arresting’
NRM supporters in the villages.
But FDC says it won the election in spite
of acts of rigging, bribery and intimidation
by the NRM.
“Some of our polling agents are still in
custody,” said Gadson Mutabazi, a member
of the Taskforce for Muzanira in a phone
interview with The Independent on June 3.
He says NRM stuffed ballot boxes and the
army and police, the RDC and Minister
Baryomunsi intimidated and beat up FDC
supporters.
Brian Atuheire, another member of the
FDC Taskforce says a group of 25-30 people
aided by armed police officers invaded poll-
ing stations, beat up FDC supporters, and
connived with presiding officers to disrupt
FDC voters and enable rigging for NRM.
Justice Simon Byabakama, the chairman
of the Electoral Commission has promised
to look into all the issues being raised from
the by-election. When The Independent con-
tacted him on June 3, he said he will act
after receiving a formal report on the elec-
tion. In any case, he had better start prepar-
ing for the next hot race in Rukungiri.
 NEWS ANALYSIS

Namugongo speaks
What pilgrims to shrine By Julius Businge

O
kuyingira lutalo, okufuluma

say about Martyrs Day lutalo,” one man said in Luganda,

meaning “entering is a hustle,
getting out the same”.
It was the end of the June 03 Uganda
Martyrs Day mass at the Namugongo
Uganda Martyrs Shrines near Kampala city,
and thousands of tired pilgrims hurrying to
journey back home were hustling to squeeze
through one of several exit points.
Earlier, the pilgrims had arrived by car, by
bus, and on foot. They had arrived alone or
in groups; carrying banners of their mother
churches, singing, banging pans and pails or
praying quietly.
They all converged at the Namugongo
Uganda Martyrs Shrines, scene of the
martyrdom of 46 young men (22 Catholic
and 24 Anglican) in 1886 during the early
years of Christianity in Uganda.
They were martyred between May and
June 1886 on the orders of Kabaka Mwanga
of Buganda Kingdom. In October 1964, Pope
Paul VI canonised the Uganda Martyrs.
Many pilgrims shouted excitedly and
others wept as the circular steel dome of the
Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs came into
view in Kyaliwajala on the edges of Kampala
city.
An Anglican shrine dedicated to the 23
martyrs of that faith lies about 3kms away
on the same hill and hosts a separate mass,
also attended by millions. A major attraction
is water from the Nakiyanja stream which
pilgrims believe is holy because the blood of
the martyrs flows in it.
The basilica itself is a place of atonement
and celebration combined with sanctity and
the brutality of its birth. Inside it, the effigies
of the bloodied martyrs, wrapped in reeds,
and tied to the logs that burned them draw
many tears. It is at this minor seminary of
the Roman Catholic Church that the pilgrims
climax their journey with a massive mass
attended by millions every June 03.
Many pilgrims had started their pilgrim
in early May, and timed their arrival as
conveniently as possible for the annual
Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations on June
03.They came from East Africa countries
and the wider Great Lakes Region, Nigeria,
Ghana, South Africa, Europe, America, and
more.
Up to 4,000 pilgrims (who came walking)
were recorded and estimates are that four
million people took part in this year’s event.
Last year, officials quoted three million
while a year before it was 2.5 million
people. These numbers are guess as no
scientific count is done.
An elderly pilgrim bringing her offertory The mass was hosted on a spectacular

June 08 - 14, 2018 21

 NEWS ANALYSIS
Bishops arriving for Mass on Uganda Martyrs Day.   INDEPENDENT/JIMMY SIYA
covered round alter set above a huge
pond of greenish muddy water the size
of about four football fields. The priest,
mainly bishops, clad in their red and
white ceremonial robes and massive
golden mitreswere quite a spectacle as
they matched along the narrow bridge
of a few hundred metres to take their
places around the alter. The priests were
joined by a massive choir from the hosting
Archdiocese of Tororo which presented
a very animated liturgy. Christian songs,
prayer, and the panoply of different
sights, sounds, and colours create an
indescribable mood.
Unmanageable crowds
The event is growing in popularity every
year and attracting new challenges as it
expands. And the crowds are becoming
almost unmanageable.
Outside of the main celebration area,
a totally different celebration takes place
– marked by intoxication, feasting, and
unchristian merrymaking. Unfortunately,
its sounds and smells sometimes waft and
invade the sanctity of the pilgrimage.
Amidst the hustle, and dwindling
fresh air and space, weary pilgrims are
demanding better facilities.
When Pope Francis made the pilgrimage
to Namugongo in November 2015,
many roads to and around the area were
widened, upgraded, and tarmacked. But,
just two years later, the facilities appear
overwhelmed.
Several massive covered pavilions that
seat thousands were erected in a half moon
around the alter but many more pilgrims
still sit or stand on the bare earth or grass
beneath the trees on under the blazing sun
to hear the mass. Some faint from dizziness
of the heat and crowds, or effects of their
long treks, or even hunger.
Security is another issue. It is tight,
with roads leading to the shrines closed
to motorised traffic to ensure smooth
movement of pilgrims. That means,
however, that depending on which
direction one arrives from, they might have
to trek up to 10kms to the basilica.
Ngozi Agboegbulem, a pilgrim from
22 June 08 - 14, 2018
Pilgrims from Congo bring offertory during the celebrations.
Nigeria, says the celebrations which she
has attended before have strengthened
her faith. She described the day as ‘very
interesting and spiritually fulfilling’.
“As Catholics, there is so much we have
learnt from the Uganda Martyrs,” she says.
But she says the event can be bettered.
“I believe the Uganda Catholic
community and the government can even
make it better because the Uganda Martyrs
are getting more popular in the world,”
she said, “We are mobilising our colleagues
to join celebrations next year.”
Panta Babinaga, a Ugandan pilgrim says
the place needs more facilities, including
toilets, washing places, accommodation,
and health points to cope with the
increasing number of pilgrims.
He says covered shelter and television
screens should be fixed in more parts of the
shrine for pilgrims to follow proceedings.
“The country is being sold in many parts
of the world and as such there will be need
for more space and facilities,” Babinaga,
who is the chairman board for Universal
Galaxy Insurance Brokers Limited, says.
Villey Zaidi Agaba, who has been
practicing urban planning privately and
for government for over 10 years, told The
Independent on June 04 that government
should come up with an appropriate
redevelopment plan for the whole
Namugongo area.
This would involve relocating and
compensating people living around the
shrines so as to create more space for
facilities to serve the growing pilgrim
numbers.
Zaidi says other institutions like schools,
President Yoweri
Museveni, who was the
chief pilgrim at both the
catholic and Anglican
shrines this year, also
spoke of the need for
better facilities
health, and houses would be rebuilt
as multi-storey structures to maximize
surface space use.
“This would make the whole place
beautiful and attractive to pilgrims,” he
says.
A question of money
President Yoweri Museveni, who was
the chief pilgrim at both the catholic and
Anglican shrines this year, also spoke of
the need for better facilities.
He said the renovations at the Catholic
and the Anglican side had made an impact.
“Namugongo is now looking very good
as you can see,” Museveni said, “people
should come and see what is here.”
He promised to work with the church
leadership and offer support at both
shrines to do more improvements.
One of the most important persons to
recognise the hustle pilgrims were dealing
with was part of the organising committee
from Tororo Archdiocese, Fr. Timothy
Mayamba Masaba, from the Archdiocese
of Tororo which organised the event, says
there is need to expand the shrine area.
“The gates to the shrine were closed
at 9am by security so they can manage
those who were inside,” he told The
Independent moments after mass, “This
whole place was filled up and many
people were left out.”
He says space and infrastructure
at the shrine means the current
pavilions should have been designed to
accommodate many more people.
“This construction of the shelters is
too extravagant and I believe with better
arrangement –even this same space can
accommodate many more people…with
different levels of sitting,” he says.
Masaba says organisers of Martyrs
Day face two major problems; money
not coming on time and the high cost of
coordinating with the Kampala team.
”It seems every year the numbers
are increasing,” he says, “the next
organisers will have to work hard to
deliver this good day.”
 NEWS ANALYSIS

Pilgrims attending Mass.

This year, the Catholic Church celebrated the day under the theme ‘Let us walk in the light of God as a family’ derived from 1
John Chapter 1 Verse 5, while the Anglicans picked a theme ‘Be faithful even to the point of death and I will give you the Crown
of life’ – it was derived from Revelations Chapter 2 Verse 10. The Archdiocese of Tororoorganised the colorful event on the side
of Catholics while at the Anglican shrine (at Nakiyanja-Namugongo) the lead organising diocese was Greater Kigezi Diocese
which comprises of Kigezi, North Kigezi, Muhabura and Kinkiizi.In his message, Rev. Emmanuel Obbo, the archbishop of
Tororo, whose diocese last organised the event in 1998, said the Uganda Martyrs; revered for their faith, courage, and their
countercultural witness to Christ, are “the seed that helped to draw Uganda and all Africa to Christ.” “Let the spirited fight
demonstrated by the martyrs inculcate in us the courage to challenge the bad practices in our families today,” he said.He said
the youth, who are the majority in Uganda, should be supported in their search for a holy life.“We encourage our communities
to listen to them, dialogue with them, and respond boldly and without reservation to the difficult conditions in their growth.”

Martyrs Day T
he Uganda Martyrs Day celebrated
on June 03 every year attracts mil-
lions of pilgrims from all walks of
life.
For Stephen Asiimwe, the chief executive
Great tourism opportunity officer of Uganda Tourism Board(UTB), this
presents a unique opportunity for tourism.
He told The Independent on June 04 that
Martyrs day provides opportunities for
believers to strengthen their faith and spiri-
tual belief but also to Uganda’s economy.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for us to
grow the tourism project,” Asiimwe said,
“We need to rethink the strategy of Namu-
gongo.”
According to him, people in the Namu-
gongo area who are not directly linked to
the Uganda Martyrs Shrine might have to
be relocated.
He said that the pilgrims that go to
Namugongo annually spend on food,
accommodation, transport and other facili-
ties – and are part of tourism value chain.
Already, he said, UTB is working with
churches, Ugandan Embassies abroad,
consumer groups and private companies in
other countries to among other things pro-
mote the Uganda Martyrs Day in Uganda
– which would translate into more pilgrims
coming to Uganda.
“We want the Uganda Martyrs Shrines to
become a must visit for pilgrims across the
world,” he said.
He said private investors could provide
accommodation and related facilities near
Namugongo Shrinesbecause of the antici-
pated increasing numbers.
Already, many small players do brisk
business on Martyrs Day but Asiimwe
wants the pilgrims to be persuaded to visit
Pilgrims from Burundi other tourist destinations across Uganda.

June 08 - 14, 2018 23

Isimba launch for October
New facility to boost the country’s electricity supply by 17%
T
By Julius Businge
he commissioning of the
US$567.7million Isimba hy-
dropower dam, located on the
downstream of River Nile is
expected in October, according
to the Uganda Electricity Gen-
eration Company Limited (UEGCL), Chief
Executive Officer, HarrisonMutikanga.
The dam is expected to add 183MW onto
the national grid, to reach 1033MW. UEGCL
is the official government agency responsi-
ble for supervising the works and operation
of the dam upon its completion.
Mutikanga, who was speaking during a
visit to the dam by the Company’s Board of
Directors on June 01, said the dam construc-
tion is at 87% completion and the first unit
would be commissioned in the next four
months.
The earlier plan was to have the launch in
September 2018. But Mutikanga said there
were technical challenges that engineers
faced at the site which is why the commis-
sioning date had to be extended.
Government officials are optimistic that
the launch of Isimba dam and later Karuma
(600MW) will support its move for lowering
power tariffs, critical for fueling industriali-
sation and rural electrification agenda.
Uganda’s power tariff is currently the
second highest in the East African region.
Emerging issues
Mutikanga revealed that they are cur-
rently working on what he called ‘right
embankment dam’ to help in rising water
levels to support the generation of power
through the four turbines.
“You cannot generate power without the
embankment dam or the concrete gravity
24 June 08 - 14, 2018
dam,” Mutikanga said.
“We have to build a minimum head of
water to be able to generate power through
the turbines.”
He said the engineers are technically rais-
ing the lake level to be able to have enough
water to generate electricity.
In the powerhouse – where turbines are
being fixed, Mutikanga said engineers are
still installing equipment, with the first
of the three units installed being at 95%
completion.
The June 01 visit by the BOD came
barely two months since the Dam Safety
Independent Panel of Experts consisting of
seven membersincluding, the Chairperson
Charles C. Hutton from the USA, Prof.
KaareHoeg from Norway, Dr. Jean Pierre
Tournier from Canada, John Gummer from
Australia, John Russel and LjiljanaSpasic-
Gril from the UK and Prof. Jackson Mwaka-
li from Uganda visited the dam for a whole
week to scrutinise the quality of the work to
ensure the lifespan of the dam is not com-
promised.
The team’s core purpose was to indepen-
dently evaluate the quality of construction
works, review basic and detailed designs
and construction methodologies, and assess
the risks associated with construction and
operation phases of the project, to ensure
that international standards of design, risk
evaluation and impact assessment are met.
While the detailed report of the findings
is yet to be shared to the public, Mutikanga
told The Independent on the sidelines of the
visit thatthe experts discovered inadequate
instrumentation and cracking of concrete.
“They made recommendations on how
the repairs should be carried out and as I
speak, the[repairs] are being executed,” he
said.
The other positive note, according to
Mutikangais the improved quality of work
at the dam following the new appointment
of the site engineer supervisors in Janu-
ary this year, technically called Owner’s
Engineer(OE) – Artelia EAU & Environ-
ment (from France) in association with
KKATT Consult Limited (a Ugandan firm).
The OE is mandated with providing pro-
fessional services, personnel and technical
resources appropriate for the supervision of
the engineering, procurement and construc-
tion works done by the contractor, China
International Water and Electric Corpora-
tion (CWE).
Meanwhile, Mutikanga said they have
challenges related to land compensation
involving three people. But he said UEGCL
together with other line government agen-
cies were working hard to ensure smooth
compensation of the affected persons so
that project operations are not hindered.
Another key highlight about the proj-
ect, Mutikanga said was that UEGCL has
already taken over operation and mainte-
nance of the Isimbahydropower dam after
securing the generation license from the
regulator – Electricity Regulatory Authority.
A number of UEGCL engineers and
technicians were sent to China for 40 days
working under a similar plant to get hands-
on experience, he said.
“By the time we are ready to commission
we believe they will be able to run this plant
efficiently,” Mutikanga said.
ProscoviaNjuki, the Chairperson,
Board of Directors did not differ from
Mutikanga’s views. She said, the work
is “generally moving on well” and that
Ugandans should expect a fit for purpose
facility upon completion.

Bad news to the jobless in E.A
Should CEOs want to position their companies for success
in the future, there is need to hire relevant skills and talent
By Isaac Khisa
J
ob seekers in East Africa face a bleak
future as majority of the business ex-
ecutives in the region do not see hiring
additional staff in the next three years,
a new survey shows.
The survey conducted across the region,
involving 51 Chief Executive Officers
including 10 in Uganda whose organisa-
tions have in excess of US$500 million and
US$10 billion in a year in revenues shows
that they anticipate moderate increase in
both revenue and headcount in the next few
years.
The survey carried out by a consultancy
firm, KPMG, also sampled 19 CEOs in
Kenya, 10 in Tanzania, 8 in Ethiopia and 4
in Rwanda.
In the survey, 53%, said they are waiting
to achieve certain growth targets before hir-
ing employees with new skills as opposed
to 47 % who are hiring those with new skills
regardless of future growth targets.
David Mbatha, director management
consulting at KPMG, said demographics
also come into play and that it is important
to pay particular attention to East Africa’s
young population.
“Given that this category represents not
only a significant portion of the current
workforce, but also a majority of the work-
force for the coming decades, the need to
have one eye on the future when it comes
to hiring and talent management, becomes
even more apparent,” he said.
This development comes as the United
Nations 2017 Human Development Index
(HDI) shows that 39.1 % of the Kenyan
population of working age are unemployed
compared to Tanzania’s 24%, Ethiopia’s
21.6%, Uganda’s 18.1% and Rwanda’s
17.1%.
Mbatha said should CEOs want to posi-
tion their companies for success in the
future and the long term, there will be need
to consider hiring employees with skills and
talent that will lead the organisation there,
as opposed to waiting it out and hiring tal-
ent after this anticipated success has been
realised.
He said they anticipate that employees
will be more focused on innovation, creativ-
ity, value creation and social intelligence.
“As Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues
to grow and be improved, it is estimated
that 30% of global corporate jobs, particular-
ly the more deterministic tasks, may be per-
formed by robots just ten years from now,”
he said, adding that for this trend to hold
true in the region, significant investment in
information technology and a mind shift
will be required.
Rethinking growth
When asked about the most important
strategies to drive growth over the next
three years, 4 in every 10 Kenyan CEOs see
strategic alliances whereas in Uganda, 3 in
10 CEOs see mergers and acquisitions and
organic growth as the most important.
Tanzanian CEOs have similar priorities as
4 in 10 see organic growth as most impor-
tant, with their Rwandan counterparts
employing a range of strategies, although
none identifies as strategic alliances.
On the other hand, Ethiopian CEOs in
the survey give equal priority to organic
growth, strategic alliances and outsourcing
as the strategy for growth.
At least 48 % of the CEOs interviewed
in the region mentioned that the primary
driver of any potential mergers and acquisi-
tion activity over the next three years will be
to eliminate direct competition.
Sheel Gill, the Partner Deal Advisory at
KPMG, however, said in evaluating their
growth strategies, focus on simply eliminat-
ing direct competition should not supersede
other considerations such as forward and
backward integration and innovation,
which may in the long term yield higher
sustainable returns.
Gill said they expect the regional expan-
sion trend to continue as CEOs and private
equity backed companies seek to gain scale
as part of their profitability growth strategy.
She explained that this is evidenced by
the recent strategic investments such as
Airtel Rwanda Limited’s investment in Tigo
business
Rwanda Limited; Swala Oil and Gas Plc’s
investment in PanAfrican Energy Tanza-
nia Limited; Kenya’s Commercial Bank of
Africa Limited’s investment in Crane Bank
Rwanda Limited.
Other areas of study included the execu-
tives’ views on technological disruptions,
turning cyber and information risk into
real business advantage and navigating the
complexities of strategic alliances to drive
business growth.
Economic outlook
The survey notes that CEOs are very
confident about their businesses, with 9 in
10 saying they are confident in their com-
pany’s growth prospects for the next three
years. This is largely consistent with the
views of global CEOs, in which three quar-
ters said they have confidence in growth at
the industry, country and country levels.
All Kenyan and Ethiopian CEOs in the
survey are confident in the growth pros-
pects for their company, compared with 9 in
10 Ugandan CEOs, 8 in 10 Tanzanian CEOs
and 3 in four Rwandan CEOs.
In terms of revenue growth, three-quar-
ters of the CEOs anticipate top line rev-
enue growth for their organisation of two
percent or less, while the same proportion
expect headcount to increase by less than
five percent.
“The survey indicates that the East Africa
region is freeing itself of the political turbu-
lence and uncertainty that characterized the
region over the last three years, and there
is now a shared and almost universal opti-
mism amongst all CEOs about the growth
prospects of their own businesses,” the sur-
vey says in part, adding that the optimism is
however a cautious one.
June 08 - 14, 2018 25
business

Bidco’s expansion to Buvuma

Island gains momentum
The company to invest US$70million in the
second palm-oil estate in the next five years
By agencies &Independent Team

T
he Uganda government began
handing over tracts of land for
palm-oil production to Wilmar In-
ternational Ltd.’s local unit, remov-
ing the final hurdle for an expansion project
that’s been delayed for almost a decade.
The government in East Africa’s third-
biggest economy started allotting the land
on Lake Victoria’s Buvuma Island in the last
quarter of 2017 to Bidco Uganda Ltd., which
plans a second nucleus palm-oil plantation.
The state is procuring land on behalf of
the company to hasten the process. Pres-
ently the country imports about 200,000
metric tons of palm oil annually, mainly
from Malaysia and Indonesia. Palm oil is
used in a wide range of products including
food, soap, cosmetics and biofuels.
Bidco expects to receive 6,500 hectares
for its second plantation, where it will begin
establishing nurseries for trees that will start
producing in three to four years, according
to the company’s Managing Director Rao
Kodey. This is in addition to about 3,500
hectares that will come from out growers
and small holder farmers. The company
already has 6,000 hectares of palm-oil trees,
4,000 hectares for its out- grower and small
holder farmers on Bugula Island.
“The process involves willing buyer
and willing seller,” Kodey said, without
divulging how much land the company has
received so far. Smallholder farmers on the
Island may plant a combined 4,000 hectares,
he said. The company that plans to invest
US$70million in the new oil palm estate,
currently produces 30,000 metric tonnes,
with potential to expand to 45,000 metric
tonnes of edible oil per annum.
This development comes at the time
edible oil consumption in the country has
increased over the past decade from just
2.5kilogramme in 2005 to 4.5-5kilogramme
per person per annum.
However, this is still below the 21 kilo-
gramme per person per annum as per the
World Health Organisation.
Based on the agreement signed between
the Uganda government under the Veg-
etable Oil Development Project and Bidco,
the government was supposed to give the
former firm 24,000 hectares and an addi-
Kalangala Oil Palm Growers Trust general manager Nelson Basaalidde (centre) demonstrates how oil
palm is cultivated at the BIDCO factories in Kalangala.   Net photo
tional 16,000 hectares of land throughout
growers countrywide. However, poor
land documentation and resistance from
landowners have stalled the project. Bidco
was to start planting palm oil trees from
July 2012, when the implementation date
was re-scheduled to April 2014, and later
to an indefinite date due to the lack of suf-
ficient land. Land ownership on Buvuma
Island has been a thorny issue ever since the
government showed interest in growing oil
palm trees in the area.
Oil palm programme to roll to
other areas
In June 2012, residents of Buvuma Island
led by their district woman MP Nantume
Egunyu protested the government’s move
to give Bidco land on the island, insisting
that residents have to be compensated to
allow the project to start.
Besides the nucleus estate and the out-
grower scheme, the together with Bidco also
plan to establish a processing plant on the
island as part of a $147 million programme.
Meanwhile the Minister of Agriculture,
Vincent Ssempijja, announced in March
this year that the government has secured
$200m to roll out the oil palm project to
other parts of the country.
He said the government had tasked oil
palm scientists to take soil samples for test-
ing following a successful tour of the project
on Bugala Island.
The new areas under consideration
includes; Buikwe, Mukono, Mayuge,
Namayingo, Masaka and the Bunyoro Sub-
region.
Bidco began processing palm oil from its
plantation in the Ssese Islands in the north-
western part of Lake Victoria in Uganda
in 2009 under a $100 million World Bank
financed vegetable oil development project.
The project was supported by the Interna-
tional Fund for Agricultural Development
and the World Bank, with Bidco Uganda
Ltd and Wilmar Plantations playing a major
role as the private investors.
Environmentalists, however, have been
against Bidco’s expansion into Buvuma and
further north into Lake Victoria, citing a
rise in environmental degradation and land
grabbing.
However, he High Court exonerated the
manufacturer in 2016 for alleged deforesta-
tion for a vegetable oil farmland.

26 June 08 - 14, 2018

 Executive Style
Uganda’s insurance market
displays untapped potential
What is your leadership style
I
as a manager?
believe in team work and
that each of individuals I
work with takes respon-
sibility or ownership for
their work and the decisions
he or she makes. I prefer a
more solution - oriented ap-
proach. I therefore like to
work with individuals that
take initiative and are de-
cisive. I am also aware that
people will make mistakes
but they must learn from the
mistakes.
What have been some of
your impressions of Ugan-
da’s insurance industry?
With a market potential
of over 90%, the insurance
industry is one with as yet
untapped depths- both from
the client side as well as from
the industry side.
Over the past few years,
we have seen opportunities to
broaden the services we pro-
vide and those sought by our
clients.
We have seen this in our for-
ay into micro insurance servic-
es, which target the low income
populations; we are developing
Takaful insurance which mainly
targets the Islamic community
and Bancassurance, where we
are partnering with banks to
distribute insurance products
and develop products specifi-
cally suited to the bank clien-
tele.
On the client side, we are also
seeing further use of technolo-
gies and the demand for our
services to conform to these
channels- which I am glad to
say, the insurers are positively
responding to.
Some insurers have included
options for purchase of insur-
ance, quotation requests and
claims processing on mobile
applications as well as mobile
money transfers as a way
to collect premium and pay
claims, and some are looking
into handling the entire client
management process online.
This will no doubt make them
more efficient at meeting client
expectations.
One of the main challenges
that the industry still unfor-
tunately struggles with, is the
negative opinion that the public
has about us. I do admit that
there are some areas in which
we are yet to meet client expec-
tations but we as the Associa-
tion will continue to ensure that
these are addressed.
What are some of the initia-
tives you have overseen during
your tenure?
Over the past seven years, I
have been involved in a number
of initiatives, key among which
is the strengthening of our
relations with both the govern-
ment and private sector players
which have resulted in among
others, the establishment of the
Uganda Agriculture Insurance
Scheme which is administered
by the UIA, the reduction of
stamp duty on micro insurance
products from Shs 35,000 to Shs
15,000.
I was also part of the team
that established the National
Reinsurance Company- Ugan-
da Reinsurance Company
Miriam
Magala is the
outgoing CEO
of Uganda
Insurers
Association.
She talked
to the
Independent’s
Isaac Khisa
about the
insurance
market where
she has
served for
nine years.
which became operational in
2013 and served on the Insur-
ance Institute of Uganda’s
board for 5 years thereby being
part of the transformation to
having more professionals
within the industry.
In my tenure, we also more
recently launched the industry
Market Growth and Develop-
ment plan to guide the industry
to enable her achieve 3% pen-
etration by 2025.
Insurance penetration still
stands at less than 1%, what do
you think will spur growth?
I think that the building
blocks to ensuring consistent
growth in the medium and
long term have been and will
continue to be built upon by the
industry. Our 10 year Market
Growth plan gives us a clear
direction in terms of; how the
increase in the understanding
and appreciation of insurance,
research, lobbying and advo-
cacy and leveraging on tech-
nology will lead to increased
penetration -all within a posi-
tive regulatory and business
environment.
What have been your major
challenges/frustrations if any?
June 08 - 14, 2018
As a young industry, it is
critical that a positive regula-
tory and business environ-
ment is maintained to enable
growth and development of
the market, the industry and
the client base. Unfortunately,
on occasion, the industry has
unfairly suffered with the taxa-
tion which has contributed to
impressions that insurance is
expensive and that it is only for
a certain class of people. Insur-
ance, for example, is one of the
only services on which both
Value Added Tax (18%) and
stamp duty (Ushs 35,000) are
applied. When you consider
that the actual premium on a
private motor vehicle is Shs
22,000 (taking the Premio as an
example), it is unfair that the
higher component the client
pays is not for the service itself
but the taxes.
Why did you decided to resign
even when you still had 2
years to the end of your con-
tract?
At nine years, I had played
my part in developing the
Uganda industry. It is therefore
time for a new person to take
over as CEO.  I worked with
a great team including the
industry players and the regu-
lator in bringing the industry
from where it was in 2009 to
where it is at the moment. I
was involved in a number of
projects including establishing
our oil and gas consortium, set-
ting up a national reinsurance
company, legislative reviews
to encompass regional and
international trends, localisation
of imports (marine) insurance,
among others. It was therefore
time to get involved in new
opportunities. 
Where are you headed to?
I will be engaged in legal
& regulatory work with Zep
(PTA- Reinsurance Company),
a regional reinsurance company
in the COMESA region.
27
business
csr telecom

Airtel aids Gadaffi Mosque MTN most admired

Faith Bugonzi said they
were sharing the joys of
telecom brand in Africa 

Ramadan by distributing
foodstuffs every week to
the underprivileged in the
over 24 mosques across
the country. “Ramadan
presents a special time for
our organisation to com-
municate and interact with
the community through
our charitable programs,”
Faith Bugonzi (2R) hands over items to Muslim leaders.
M
TN has been announced as
one of the most admired
home-grown brands in
Africa, this is according
to research done by Brand Africa in
association with the Johannesburg Stock
Exchange.
 In the 6th annual “Brand Africa 100:
Africa’s Best Brands” research report,

A
Bugonzi said adding, “Ev- MTN was announced as the number one
s part of its holy munity foodstuffs to assist ery year at Airtel we prove African brand spontaneously recalled
month of Rama- in preparing their Iftar that we are a company that irrespective of the continent of origin.
than support, meals. Commenting during pioneers in the social in- The Brand Africa 100 ranking is based
Airtel Uganda the handover of the items volvement, where we play on a survey among consumers 18 years
donated foodstuffs to resi- on June 1, the company’s a big role to give back to the and older, conducted in 23 countries
dents of Old Kampala com- public relations manager, community.” across Africa.
African brands rose slightly to
account for 17% of the Top 100 brands
Bancassurance in Africa, while non-African brands
DFCU insurance products launched retained their firm position in Africa

A
fter receiving a
Bancassurance
certificate from
the regulator three
months ago, DFCU bank
is now extending medical
insurance, life insurance,
funeral and related
expenses insurance to its
customers with specific
accounts with the bank.
William Ssekabembe, the
bank’s executive director
told participants at a
bancassurance dialogue,
organised by the bank in
Kampala on May 31 that the
bank’s insurance products
presents their one million
customers with a better way
to secure a legacy whether
it is about getting cover
for their assets, education
for children and life after
employment. He said the
bank has created several
insurance products for their
customers with individual
accounts and for those with
group portfolios. “Insurance
is about securing the
future,” Ssekabembe
said adding, “We want
to create value and a
long lasting relationship
with our customers.”
Martha Aheebwa, DFCU’s
principle officer in charge
of Bancassurance said
they are partnering with
Liberty, ICEA, Britam,
Sanlaam, Jubilee, Goldstar
and Prudential insurance
companies to offer these
products.
with 83% share of the Top 100 most
admired brands in Africa.
Overall, the 2017/18 Brand Africa
100 list, which started out with over
15,500 brand mentions covering over
2,200 admired brands, illustrates a very
diversified portfolio of categories and
brands in Africa. 
Other most admired brands in Africa
include Nigeria’s Dangote and Glo,
South Africa’s Shoprite, Kenya’s Tusker
and Ethiopia’s Anbessa.
 Brand Africa 100 was developed by
Brand Leadership Group supported by
GeoPoll, and insights by Kantar TNS.

Beverage Insurance
NBL to boost beer Afrisafe, Jubilee launch 3rd party insurance product
retailer’s profits launched the product dabbed ‘3rd party

B
eer maker, Nile Breweries Ltd has
unveiled a remodelled Retailer
Development programme to train
retailers how to manage their business
effectively. The programme, now in its third
year, aims at training over 200 retailers this
year mainly within Kampala. “We aim to train
over 200 retailers with a revised version of the
syllabus that is targeted to business owners
with a commitment to fast track their business
growth,” he said NBL Country Director,
Thomas Kamphuis. The training is based on the
Nick Mutiso (R) and other officials at the launch.
Ku Simu’ in Kampala on May 29. The
product is targeting owners of all vehicles
and motorcles that are legally allowed
to pay for third party while on the road.
For one to use the service, they have to
simply dial *210*22# on their phones and
then follow the prompts. After paying for
the service, the insurance sticker will be
delivered to the customer anywhere in the
greater Kampala. Nick Mutiso, the chief
finance officer of Jubilee, Juliet Namayanja,
the senior consultant at Afrisafe and Sean

fact that most Small and Medium enterprises
in Uganda collapse without celebrating their
first birthday due to limited skills. So far,
1160 Ugandan business benefited from the
programme.
This comes at the time the firm is investing
US$22million in upgrading its two plants – in
Jinja and Mbarara –to meet booming demand.
M
Oseku, the business relations manager
otorists intending to pay of Afrisafe said the service is meant to
for third party insurance lessen the burden on motorists buying the
can now use mobile phones product by driving long distances to the
with money SIM cards of selling points. Jubilee paid out 3rd party
any telecom company to do so, thanks claims amounting to approx. Shs2bn in
to Afrisafe Risk Consultants and Jubilee 2017, according to Mutiso.
Insurance Company. The two companies

28 June 08 - 14, 2018

 business

City Tyres unveils third season

of Pirelli Formula One Promotion
By Ian Katusiime official tyre supplier

C
ity Tyres, part
of the Mandela
Group of
Companies has
unveiled the third season
of the Pirelli Formula
One promotion that will
see eight lucky winners
travel to Abu Dhabi in the
United Arab Emirates to
watch the Formula One
Oliver Mary, (L) Marketing Director Fresh Dairy and Ademun Rose the Grand Finale to be held at
Assistant Commissioner Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Yas Marina in November.
Industry and Fisheries launching the newly re-branded Fresh Dairy “We are honoured
yoghurt cup coming in 5 flavours, Strawberry, Vanilla, Mango, Plain and once again to be joined by
Mixed Berri on JUNE 4 at Serena.   INDEPENDENT/JIMMY SIYA Pirelli, our valued partners
in this promotion for the
third year running,” said
Herbert Bashasha, the
head of communications
at Mandela Group of
Companies. “As usual
this is in line with
our Corporate Social
Responsibility of giving
back to the community.”
Other prizes to be won
include; free full car
service at City Oil stations,
50 litres of fuel at City Oil
stations and dinner for
two at Café Javas.
Pirelli is currently the
to the Formula One
championship until 2020.
To enter the draw, one has
to buy four Pirelli tyres
from any City Tyres outlet
and a coupon issued for
the draw.
Robert Gow, the East
Africa representative
from Pirelli said he
looks forward to more
Ugandans going to Abu
Dhabi for the treat.
“I am excited to be a
part of this launch and
we look forward to more
seasons in the future,” he
said. City Tyres has so
far sponsored dozens of
lucky winners to watch
Formula One Grand Finale
in Abu Dhabi in the past
competitions. The monthly
draws shall be categorized
into four sections; the
first winner gets a fully
expenses paid trip to Abu
Dhabi, the second winner
full vehicle service at City
Oil while the third and
fourth winners will get 50
liters of fuel and a dinner
for two at Cafe Javas
respectively.

Andrew Mwenda, (R) the Managing Director for Independent Publications Limited
hands over a copy of The Independent's special project book to the Managing
Director of Coca Cola Uganda, Conrad Van Niekerk during a visit to the plant in
Namanve industrial park.   INDEPENDENT/JIMMY SIYA
Weekly share price movement (May 29)
Security May29 May 14 Movement
BATU 30000 30000 00
BOBU 160 150 6.7
CENT 1,422 1,396 1.9
DFCU 896 890 0.5
EABL 8,685 9,281 6.4
EBL 1,783 1,885 5.4
JHL 18,110 19,747 8.3
KA 365 412 11.4
KCB 1,727 1,849 3.0
NIC 19 19 00
NMG 3,843 3,993 3.8
NVL 450 460 2.2
L-R, Moses Watasa MICT, Gerald Sserunjogi Film Fraternity, Steven SBU 31 31 00
Musoke Chairman MultiChoice Uganda, Juliana Akoroy Commissioner UCHM 59 72 18
Culture and Fred Otunnu UCC unveil MultiChoice Talent Factory on June 1 UCL 25 28 10.7
at MultiChoice head offices in Kololo. MultiChoice Talent Factory aims to
UMEME 350 380 7.8
ignite Africa’s creative industries   INDEPENDENT/JIMMY SIYA
ALSI -- -- --

June 08 - 14, 2018 29

comment
By Henrietta H. Fore, Natalia Kanem, and Mabel van Oranje
T
he human costs of child
marriage are well known;
around the world, child brides
are, on average, less educated,
poorer, and more prone to sexual
violence than women who marry later
in life. But when the economic impact
of child marriage is added to this grim
tally, the bill is truly staggering.
According to the International
Center for Research on Women and
the World Bank, ending the practice of
child marriage would save billions of
dollars in annual welfare expenditures,
resulting in global savings of more
than $4 trillion by 2030. Simply put,
the world cannot afford to allow child
marriage to continue.
Many governments have already
recognised this. In Indonesia, for
example, where the economic impact of
child marriage is negatively affecting
long-term growth forecasts, President
Joko Widodo has vowed to outlaw
the practice, a significant pledge in a
country where 14% of girls are married
before their 18th birthday.
But in most countries where child
marriage is prevalent, change is
not occurring fast enough. While
strategies have been discussed from
Bangladesh to Zambia, funding for
programs proven to reduce rates of
child marriage – such as improving
girls’ access to health care, education,
and job training – remains inadequate.
If ending child marriage is ever to be
more than a political talking point,
holistic strategies must be backed by
financial commitments.
To be sure, the child-marriage
challenge is immense. Today, roughly
one in five girls worldwide is married
or in an informal union before they
turn 18, and most of these girls will
become mothers before they reach
adulthood. In Niger, which has the
world’s highest rate of child marriage,
76% of girls are married before they
can vote. And wherever child marriage
occurs, girls often have little say in the
decision.
The good news is that there has never
been a better time to tackle this global
problem. With the economic costs of
30 June 08 - 14, 2018
The cost of child marriage
Ending the practice globally would save 4 trillion
dollars by 2030 in annual welfare expenditures
child marriage now clear, governments
in the developing world are beginning
to address the issue with more
urgency. To tip the scales, however,
rich countries must be enlisted in the
fight, and the next opportunity for
them to engage is fast approaching.
On May 31, G7 finance and
development ministers held the first
of a series of meetings in Canada to
discuss how economic growth can
be more equitably shared. These
meetings will pave the way for
broader discussions the next week,
when Canadian Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau hosts the full G7 summit.
Trudeau has already vowed to
make gender equality a key theme
at this year’s meeting, and we
certainly welcome his focus. But
we also recognise that unless G7
ministers match their words with
dedicated funding, the summit’s lofty
pledges will fall short – and children
everywhere will continue to suffer the
injustice of early marriage.
Ending child marriage will require
ambition, creativity, and money. But
that is just a start; targeted solutions
are essential. While education is critical
Today, roughly
one in five girls
worldwide is
married or in an
informal union
before they turn
18, and most
of these girls
will become
mothers before
they reach
adulthood
to girls’ futures, simply building
schools and paying teachers will not be
enough. To be fully empowered, girls
need access to safe, quality education
that gives them the confidence and
skills to succeed. Achieving that will
require long-term engagement.
If the world’s richest countries were
to make this issue a high priority,
the payoffs would be significant. For
example, the World Bank estimates
that if Niger could ban child
marriage, it would realize annual
welfare savings in the vicinity of $1.7
billion. Bangladesh could generate
an additional $4.8 billion in annual
earnings and productivity, and welfare
savings in Nigeria would total $7.6
billion.
Governments are starting to make
strides in reducing rates of child
marriage; in fact, the number of girls
married as children each year is
declining. Unfortunately, change is
happening too slowly. If the world
does not dramatically accelerate
progress and scale up investments,
rapid population growth will reverse
current gains, and the number of child
brides will grow once more.
Girls can change the world, but at the
moment, circumstances beyond their
control are limiting their potential.
When G7 ministers met, one theme
they discussed was “investing in
growth that works for everyone.”
From our perspective, the best way
to translate that goal into reality is by
addressing a social ill that generates
huge costs – and not just for girls.
Henrietta H. Fore is the Executive Director
of the United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF). Natalia Kanem is Executive
Director of the United Nations Population
Fund (UNFPA). Mabel van Oranje is
initiator and Chair of Girls Not Brides: The
Global Partnership to End Child Marriage.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2018.
www.project-syndicate.org

By Catherine Dolan
Keeping girls in school
The financial, logistical, and cultural barriers
to schooling need a multi-pronged approach
E
ducation is essential for all
children, whether boys or
girls. Yet nothing has proven
more important to global
development than educating girls.
Educated women tend to earn more,
be healthier, marry at a later age, and
have fewer children. They also raise
healthier and better-educated children.
This is why educating girls is also
crucial in the fight to eradicate global
poverty. Countries that invest in
girls’ education typically enjoy faster
economic growth and lower rates of
poverty, and benefit from positive
public health outcomes such as lower
rates of HIV transmission and of
infant and maternal mortality.
Yet, despite considerable progress
over the past two decades, there
are still over 130 million girls out of
school worldwide. The main reason is
poverty. For example, in Nigeria, only
4% of girls in the poor North West can
read, compared with 99% of girls in
the wealthier South East. But poverty
also compounds other obstacles to
education such as child marriage,
early pregnancy, a girl’s household
responsibilities and social restrictions,
as well as the cultural preference for
sons.
In recent years, another barrier
to girls’ education that has gained
increased attention is infrastructural
constraints such as a lack of latrines,
water, and sanitary supplies.
Menstruation, in particular, has been
found to influence the rates of school
participation among adolescent girls.
Data show that less than half of girls
in lower- and middle-income countries
have access to basics such as sanitary
towels or tampons, soap and water, or
facilities to change, clean, or dispose
of hygiene products.
In parts of Sub-Saharan Africa and
South Asia, girls often manage their
periods in unsafe, uncomfortable,
and unhygienic ways, using mud,
leaves, or old cloth for sanitary
protection, because sanitary products
are unaffordable, unavailable, or too
shameful for girls to purchase. And
comment
schools often lack adequate latrines or
separate latrines for boys and girls.
Unable to manage their menses
privately and hygienically at school,
many girls choose not to go at all. A
UNESCO report estimates that 10%
of girls in Sub-Saharan Africa miss
school during their menstrual cycle,
with many dropping out altogether
once they begin menstruating.
So what can we do? The solution lies
in Menstrual Hygiene Management
– ensuring that girls have access to
adequate information, sanitary care,
and soap and water with which to
manage menstruation in a healthy,
safe, and dignified manner. A joint
SOAS-Oxford study in eight schools
in Uganda found that when girls were
given reusable sanitary pads and
education about menstruation, their
attendance rose by an average of 17%.
In other words, educational
outcomes can be improved through
a simple solution like a sanitary pad.
But this is just a start. Addressing the
problem of girls’ education requires a
Despite multi-pronged approach that tackles
the financial, logistical, and cultural
considerable barriers to schooling. It’s the right
thing to do for girls and women – and
progress for the health and wellbeing of society
over the past
as a whole.
two decades, Catherine Dolan is a reader in
there are anthropology at SOAS, University of
London.
still over
130m
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2018.
www.project-syndicate.org
girls out
of school
worldwide
June 08 - 14, 2018 31
Crimean Congo fever
death, alert ordered
E
By Flavia Nassaka
xperts are closely monitoring
five people at an isolation center
set up in Mubende district. This
was after a patient succumbed
to Crimean Congo Hemor-
rhagic Fever (CCHF).
The 35-year old man was first recorded
at a clinic in Nkoko Sub-county in Kaku-
miro district with high fever and persistent
vomiting. When his symptoms did not sub-
side after a few days of treatment, he was
on May 23 referred to Mubende Regional
Referral Hospital.
On arrival, several tests were carried out
and turned out negative. Suspicious health
officials placed the patient in the isolation
center from where he received intravenous
fluids. He died in the wee hours of the night
he was admitted.
Dr Sarah Opendi, the Minister of Health
In charge of General Duties told The Inde-
pendent that samples from the patient test-
ed at the Uganda Virus Research Institute
revealed he had succumbed to CCHF. The
incident immediately triggered the stan-
dard hemorrhagic fever response, including
monitoring of known contacts of the dead
patients.
A national rapid response team was
dispatched to Mubende to collect more
information and assist the district to mount
an appropriate response that included ori-
entating health workers on how to carefully
handle suspected patients.
Staff members of the hospital who got in
contact with the dead patient were given
digital thermometers and instructed to
record their body temperatures twice daily
to capture any changes in a timely manner.
Mortality rate from Crimean-Congo,
according to experts is approximately 30%,
with death occurring in the second week of
illness. But whenever it is confirmed, there
is panic.
When it broke out early this year in
Nakaseke and Luweero districts, there
was initially denial. The Ministry of Health
dismissed reports by district officials that a
nine-year old girl who had died in Decem-
ber had succumbed to any viral hemor-
rhagic fever.
But the incident sent a wave of fear
32 June 08 - 14, 2018
among residents and district leaders
who demanded a clear explanation by
government;especially after two other
people developed similar symptoms. That
is when it was confirmed there was actually
an active outbreak.
The disease was first characterised in the
Crimea in 1944 and given the name Crime-
an hemorrhagic fever. It was then later rec-
ognised in 1969 as the cause of illness in the
Congo, thus resulting in its current name.
CCHF is generally a disease of animals
but also attacks herders and other people
who come in contact with tick harboring
animals. It can also be human to human
transmitted when one gets in contact with
infected blood or other bodily fluids.
Although Crimean-Congo fever behaves
somewhat like Ebola hemorrhagic fever
which is currently ravaging people in
the neighboring Democratic Republic of
Crimean-Congo fever outbreaks
 May 23, 2018: A 35-year old man from
Nkoko Sub-county in Kakumiro district
dies at Mubende Regional Referral Hos-
pital.
 December 2017: A nine-year old girl
dies. Two other people develop symp-
toms in Nakaseke and Luweero districts.
 August 2013: A farmer in the Northern
Uganda district of Agago dies. This was
the first confirmed case after more than
50 years of no reported human CCHF
case. Three others in the same area who
had died before this case was confirmed
were also suspected to have succumbed
to the infection. Around the same time,
another case was confirmed at Mulago
National Referral Hospital in Kampala.
 September 2013: A female patient dies
in Nansana on the outskirts of Kampala
city. The Ministry of Health had just
declared that the country was Crimean
Congo fever free.
 2015: A 33-year old male admitted to
Mengo Hospital in Kampala tested posi-
tive for the infection.
The disease was first characterised in the
Crimea in 1944 and given the name Crimean
hemorrhagic fever. It was then later recog-
nised in 1969 as the cause of illness in the
Congo, thus resulting in its current name.
Congo, Dr. Julius Lutwama a virologist at
the Uganda Virus Research Institute says
the two are not in the same viral family as
CCHF is a bunyavirus similar to Rift Valley
fever which also attacks animals.
Experts say the onset of the disease is
sudden, with initial signs and symptoms
including headache, high fever, back pain,
joint pain, stomach pain, sore throat and
vomiting. As the illness progresses, bleed-
ing eyes, large areas of severe bruising,
severe nosebleeds, and uncontrolled bleed-
ing at injection sites can be seen, beginning
around the fourth day of illness and lasting
for about two weeks.
Lutwama who heads the Arbovirology,
Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases divi-
sion at the institute says although the dis-
ease is not as fatal, recovery is slow whereby
improvement generally begins on the
ninth or tenth day after the onset of illness.
And,treatment is primarily supportive.
For him, the best way to go around the
illness is working really fast.
“The faster you can get a diagnosis of the
fever, the faster you can stop it,” he told The
Independent, “And the only way to stop it is
to break the chain of infection.”
Lutwama however says CCHF’s labora-
tory diagnosis is made when the infection is
in acute stage where they use different tech-
nics to identify the virus through detecting
antibodies, the virus RNA or the virus itself.
But, even before tests are made, Lutwama
says health workers must be able to eas-
ily identify a suspected case and put them
under surveillance to ensure that the virus
does not jump to another person.
The outbreaks that have happened in the
country according to Lutwama all confirm
one point – that there should be constant
surveillance for all the viral hemorrhagic
fevers. For now however, the Ministry has
embarked on creating awareness and warn-
ing people in the cattle corridor districts to
use protective wear while slaughtering and
handling animals to prevent transmission.
They are also advised to use insect repel-
lents that are effective in warding off ticks
from exposed skin or clothing. To avoid
infection at health facility level, medical
workers are advised to use proper infection
control precautions to prevent exposure.

New AIDs vaccine trials
give hope to scientists
Four reach highest level of testing ever
By Flavia Nassaka
H
IV/AIDS prevention
researchers at the Medical
Researcher Council (MRC) are
excited about two upcoming
vaccine trials. The two trials; a PrepVac
and a mosaic concept study will
start in December and January 2019
respectively. The scientists hope that
the studies might give the world the
much awaited vaccine.
The PrepVac trial will involve up to
2800 participants and up to 100 people
are already being followed by scientists
at the MRC Uganda facility in Masaka.
These potential participants were
selected because they are at high risk
of HIV infection. Their number will
gradually be increased to 300 people
for the first phase.
Dr. Freddie Mukasa Kibengo, an
HIV Prevention Vaccines Researcher
at MRC says they will be given Pre-
Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs as
background and then be initiated on
either normal saline as a placebo or the
trial vaccine under the PrePVac trial.
The PrePVac trial is a Phase Two
trial. It is exciting for the scientists
because Uganda has not done a HIV
vaccine study that has gone beyond
Phase One although the country was
the first in Africa to conduct an HIV
prevention vaccine trial in 1994.
Phase One of a vaccine trial is
basically to establish whether the
contents of the trial vaccine are safe to
be used in the human body. In Phase
Two, participants are followed to see
the effects of the vaccine.
“First we do laboratory tests on
chemicals and when we see there’s a
chance of it working we do early phase
testing on mice and apes. If we see a bit
of safety then we will go into humans,”
says Kibengo who has been doing this
for the last 10 years. He says testing
and approving a vaccine for another
phase is an important milestone
because many ideas do not make it out
of the laboratory.
At least four Phase Three other
studies on HIV Vaccines are being done
in Africa and Uganda will participate
in one. The other three are being done
in South Africa. The two countries
are among the top five most HIV hit
countries in the world with adult
prevalence rates of 6.5% and 18.9%
respectively.
Kibengo said the Mosaic Concept
health
study that starts in January next year
involves taking pieces of different
viruses and sticking them together to
generate immune responses that can
cover a broad range of HIV subtypes.
The scientists are also employing
the mosaic concept in these studies
considering the fact that they need a
vaccine that will kill different types of
HIV.
There are up to 10 HIV subtypes
called clades. While the prevailing
strains in Uganda are predominantly
clades A and D, South Africa has
clade C and yet in Thailand where the
studies were initially done has B and E.
All this is put into account, if they are
to come up with vaccine that will work
for all not some.
Dr. Francis Kiweewa, the Head
of Research and Scientific Affairs at
Makerere Walter Reed Project, told The
Independent that it is a big challenge
because the scientists are working
against a moving target.
“As you are searching here, the
virus has changed and you will have
to come up with new strategy. We
can’t learn from the natural history of
the infection. We have to always start
afresh”.
June 08 - 14, 2018 33
health
“These studies will end in 2020
and 2021. That’s when we will know
whether we will soon have a vaccine or
not”.
The vaccine they are testing is not
new but a modification of another trial
done nine years ago in Thailand. The
trial – RV144 according to Kiweewa
had showed a 31% efficacy then but
now, with the modifications, he says
scientists are aiming initially for a
50%.
The trial, which tested a
combination of two vaccines that had
each initially failed on their own,
involved over 16,000 HIV negative
participants. At the end of three –year
duration, 125 participants had become
infected – 51 who had received the
vaccine and 74 who had not.
Kiweewa said the new studies are
based on three concepts; adding to
that combination a protein adjuvant to
enhance the body’s immune response,
giving participants an initial dose, and
(if it works) giving them a booster
dose at 6, 12 and 18 months. These
modification studies could not be
done in Thailand because the epidemic
there is abating.
The approach the scientists are
using is also not new. Like all vaccines
Dr. Freddie Mukasa Kibengo
We have done studies showing
with early enrollment on ART
one can reduce infection rate
by up to
today for people with HIV to live a full
productive life. We also have all the
tools to prevent infection including pre
and post exposure prophylaxis,” she said.
Recent researches have showed
pre- exposure prophylaxis (PreP) that
involves giving HIV drugs to negative
people at risk of infection can reduce
one’s risk of infection by about 92%.
Also, Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP)
drugs given to a negative person within
72 hours of suspected infection can also
reduce infection by over 70%. Also when
a person adheres to their HIV treatments,
the risk of infecting others is reduced by
up to 90%.
But, researchers say this is not
enough.
Brenda Okech, the Director of the
International AIDs Vaccine Initiative
Uganda, says the fact that studies are
showing efficacy of 30% means having a
vaccine is an achievable target. For her,
efforts to prevent people from becoming
infected have not been very successful
even with aggressive awareness
campaigns.
To understand why they keep pushing,
Kiweewa says one has to look into history.
For him no single epidemic – measles,

for other diseases, the purpose for this
HIV prevention vaccine is to simply
mimic an HIV infection and train the
body to be able to fight this pseudo
virus. Kibengo says they are using
a model used many years ago when
scientists were developing a tetanus
vaccine. He said they inject broadly
neutralizing antibodies into the body
so that they can fight off infection.
An expensive venture
Vaccine research is an expensive
venture right from when the idea is
developed in the lab up to the time it
is tested on humans. This, according
to Kibengo, is partly why many
ideas fail in the lab because there
are no pharmaceuticals to fund them
forward.
He however adds that even after
2021 if the results of current trials
are negative, the scientists will have
learnt what to adjust and what to drop.
Kibengo says there is no question of
stopping even after 20 years of fruitless
searching.
But Sande Amakobe, a former Joint
United Nations Programme on HIV/
AIDS (UNAIDS) Uganda Country
Director, had told The Independent in
an earlier interview that while having
a vaccine and cure would be nice, HIV/
AIDS can still be defeated with the
interventions currently available.
“We have all the tools we need
96%
polio and small pox that was a threat has
been managed without a vaccine.
“I was around in the 80s when all they
could do is to counsel patients so they can
but we are seeing just a have a decent death, I was around when
ARVs started to come and saw people
2.3% reduction in new take many times a day , now they take
infection one a day. We have done studies showing
with early enrollment on ART one can
reduce infection rate by up to 96% but
we are seeing just a 2.3% reduction in
new infection. So, can we eliminate HIV
without a vaccine? The answer is No”.
He says strategies that need continuous
investment and application cannot be
relied on to eradicate an infection the kind
of HIV in a low resourced country like
Uganda that cannot enroll everyone on
treatment or even keep the few on ARVs
getting their medicines sustainably.
Kenneth Mwehonge, an advocacy
Officer with Coalition for Health
Promotion and Social Development
– HEPs Uganda a civil society
organization, says while the country
would be comfortable with the
available avenues for prevention and
control, the country is not so good at
rolling out interventions. For instance,
he says, while studies have okayed
general use of PreP, it is still only used
in controlled settings.
“A method like vaccination that is
used once and for all would be the best
option,” he says.

34 June 08 - 14, 2018

 ART | BOOKS | SOCIETY | TRAVEL | CULTURE
Waterproof plastic
bricks finally!
Good art for Makerere art students
offers another reason to recycle
A
By Dominic Muwanguzi
rt suffers many prejudices,
including the perception
that it does not contribute
much to the community.
To counter the claim, art
schools try to get students
to do art that benefits society in obvious
ways.
At Makerere University Kampala, the
Faculty of Industrial and Fine Art of
the College of Engineering, Design and
Technology (CEDAT), does this through
what it calls “problem based learning”.
Students are trained to get first-hand
knowledge of a problem afflicting a
community and to devise an art-based
way to dealing with it. “Students have
to identify a problem in the community
and solve it using the available minimum
resources within the same community,”
says Dr. Venny Nakazibwe, coordinator
of the project and deputy Principal,
CEDAT.
That is how five students from
Makerere art school ended up visiting
Kalerwe, a low lying, low income, and
high density population suburb of
Kampala city. Although the area is most
known for its bustling daily farmers
market, the students focus was on the
Kalerwe River Tunnel which flows
through the area carrying runoff from
the higher areas around, including
Mulago hill. This river carries a lot of
debris but the biggest menace to the
community appears to be plastic.
The plastic blocks the water drainage
channels, causing floods that leave the
ground soggy for long periods. As a
result, many houses in the area, which
are built using wet mud bricks, suck in
water and crumble, leading to accidents
that leave many homeless. But the
Makerere students think they have found
a solution that the community will love
– plastic bricks, technically called a Low
Cost Building Units (LCBUs), made from
recycled plastic.
The prototype brick measures 10cm
x 5cm and weighing about 500grams is
made from plastic bottles, sand, and steel
chippings. It is said to be waterproof.
This brick finds a novel use for the plastic
menace, could be a solution to building
in wet soils, and potentially gives jobs
to the youth who are the majority in the
area. Not surprisingly, the locals were
excited about the plastic waterproof
bricks. The question is whether making
bricks from plastics is sustainable.
The work is part of the Problem based
Learning project of East Africa, which is
a collaboration of Makerere University,
the Uganda Community Art Skill
Development and Recycling (UCASDR),
and Aalto University of Finland.
June 08 - 14, 2018 35
Shortest marriage ever? Divorce 15 minutes after marrying
A Dubai couple’s union
is a serious contender for
the title of shortest marriage
in history, after the groom
decided to divorce his bride
less than 15 minutes after
marrying her. You may be
wondering what on Earth
could make a man to divorce
his wife so fast. Well, in this
case, the answer is money,
more specifically the dowry
payment he had agreed to
pay the bride’s father. Upon
signing of the marriage con-
tract inside the Sharia office,
his father-in-law demanded
it in full. The newly-married
man asked the bride’s father
to wait just five minutes but
he refused as his friends
and family watched. Feeling
“insulted and demeaned”,
the man went back into the
court house and divorced
his wife less than 15 minutes
after marrying her.

Doctor sues Cockroach milk

patient over bad super-food, any one!
online reviews
Consuming a fluid
A New York woman who post- secreted by cockroaches
ed some not so favourable online may not be everyone’s
reviews of Dr. Joon Song, a Man- idea of a balanced meal,
hattan gynecologist she visited, but scientists believe that
now faces a US$1 million defama- the “cockroach milk”
tion suit filed by the doctor. She produced by a certain
has so far been forced to spend species of cockroaches is
close to US$20,000 to defend one of the most nutritious
herself. The 36-year old Michelle substances on the planet,
Levine’s insurance company was and could one day become
billed for $1,300 for a “new-patient the ultimate superfood.
visit and ultrasound”, including
$427 that was not covered by her
Virgin Mary statue cries rose-scented tears Scientists discovered that
milk from the Pacific
plan. She was so disgusted she Thousands like roses. clean, only to see beetle cockroach has three
wrote a review on several online of Christians Churchgoers the tears flowing times the energy content
sites. “Very poor and crooked from the state at Our Lady down the Virgin of buffalo milk, making it
business practice,” Levine wrote of New Mexico of Guadalupe Mary’s face again. one of the most nutritious
in one review. “I suspect that this and beyond have Church, in Hobbs, “That’s when substances on Earth. The
doctor gives unnecessary proce- been flocking first noticed the I saw that she nutritious substance can
dure [sic] to a lot of people and to the city of scented tears really was crying,” be extracted in either
then charges the insurance sky Hobbs to witness coming out of Father Segura told liquid or crystal form
high prices”. The woman says she what many are the statue’s eyes the Las Cruces through a process called
was just expressing her opinion considering a during Mass. Sun Sentinel. “cockroach milking”. The
about the service she received. But real-life miracle Father Jose “I think it’s a scientists are looking at ways
Dr. Song’s lawyers have a differ- – a statue of the ‘Pepe’ Segura reminder for all of of recreating this substance
ent view, though – they are seek- Virgin Mary said he himself us to get closer to in the lab, or creating a
ing $1 million from Levine. crying tears that had people wipe God and to stop cockroach milk pill.
allegedly smell the statue’s face being violent.”

Pastor wants flock to buy him new $54m jet

Jesse Duplantis, one of
America’s most popular
prosperity preachers has
his eyes on a new $54
million Dassault Falcon 7X
private jet and he wants his
followers to pay for it. He
already owns a private jet;
his third one and all paid
for with donations from his
flock.
He says in a video that
God told him “I want you
to believe in me for a Falcon
7x”, and when he asked
how he was going to pay for
it, the preacher said that he
remembered what God told
him back in 1978 – “Jesse, I
didn’t ask you to pay for it, I
asked you to believe for it.”
So he’s now asking his flock
to “pray about becoming
a partner for to it”, which
basically means donating
money to his ministry.
“I really believe that if
the Lord Jesus Christ was
physically on the Earth
today, he wouldn’t be riding
a donkey,” Duplantis added.
“He’d be in an airplane
flying all over the world.”

36 June 08 - 14, 2018

Is this a right time
to sell your car?
By Motoring Guru
T
iming is important in any business
deal. But it is more critical in the
car selling business. Car prices vary
sharply depending on time of the
year; with holiday and year end seasons
marking the peaks of car selling. This has
usually been the best time sell. This June
period is usually a slow car period.
This time, however, news coming out of
the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has
raised unusual interest in the car market.
Since URA announced that it was raising
taxes on car imports and banning import
of cars beyond eight years (this was later
revised to cars manufactured beyond 15
years of import date), the question has been
whether this is a good time to buy or sell a
car.
The market has been frenzied as anticipa-
tion mounts that car prices are set to rise.
Small cars (think Vitz) which have been
going for about Shs15 million are antici-
pated to rise to over Shs30 million. Bigger
cars (think Land Cruiser could reportedly
see prices increase four-fold). Some buyers
are considering acquiring a car before the
changes come into effect and sellers, espe-
cially car swappers who usually get excited
around Novemeber-December, have also
been considering early deals.
Determining when to sell your car has
always been tricky, not least because of the
difficulty in determining the fair value of
a car you have driven for some time. The
anticipated changes in the car market mere-
ly add to the complexity of the decision.
Previously, car selling has been guide by
following the two steps: (1) Visiting vehicle
selling websites and bonds to get a feel of
what other sellers with cars similar to yours
are asking. Here, sellers are advised to look
beyond the car they are selling to similar
ones. If you are selling a Toyota Rav4, look
at the Subaru Forester, Mitsubishi RVR,
Toyota Vanguard, Honda CRV, and Kia
Sportage. Always note that the prices you
see or are told are asking prices. If they
notice you are a serious buyer, the transac-
tion price could be very different. (2) Assess-
ing your car on condition, mileage, color
and more. Is your car well maintained, with
new tyres, and a recent major service?
Another important consideration is what
type of car you are selling. Family cars
(Toyota Noah, Ipsum, Raum, and more)
will always be on high demand whether or
not prices go up. Family people love them
because they are roomy, dependable, fuel
efficient, and easy to maintain. Getting a
good price on such cars is easy anytime. The
same applies to trucks and other cars which
people use for work.
Other cars are popular because of fuel
economy. This is a very important consider-
ation as the pump price for petrol inches to
Shs4500 a litre. Cars like Toyota Premio will
sell faster that Toyota Land Cruiser.
In the end, however, be guided by what
you want and your gut feeling. If a decision
to sell at this time feels right, don’t hesitate,
go for it. You might have reasons for want-
ing to sell your car that are not the usual
seller’s consideration or connected to the
coming URA changes. Also, your car might
have a higher resale value than most. In any
case, don’t be fooled into asking a low price.
It is always better to ask a high price then
go lower than asking a low price, selling
quickly but ruing the deal.
June 08 - 14, 2018 37
Profile
Gloria Akech: Girl on a mission
By Agnes E Nantaba from her background. She was raised by a

I
single mother even when her father lives.
n the long run, we shape our lives, and Her mother, Lynn Makoha Wandera did
we shape ourselves. The process never her best to keep all her six children in fairly
ends until we die.  And the choices we good schools and Akech recalls no moment
make are ultimately our own responsi- of lack. Although it was not a perfect home,
bility” is a saying by Eleanor Roosevelt. It truth and honesty were instilled in them.
is the summary of the life of Gloria Akech “I have always wanted to have a man in
who suffered rejection, hatred and betrayal my life, one who can command respect in
but has since discovered her purpose in life. his home and protect his family,” she
Perhaps, the triumphant victory explains says.
why she is never regretful of her past even Akech is the last born among the
when some people use it against her. six children born and raised in
“Some people will try so hard to make the heart of Kampala city. She
you remember your past or always want to went to Nakasero Primary
throw the past into your face,” she said. School, Wanyange Girls for
“But with the boldness God has blessed Ordinary level, Taibah High
me with, I have walked through and cel- and Standard High School
ebrate in success”. for Advanced level. She
Akech is a counselor, preacher, mentor, pursued a bachelor’s degree
motivator and inspirational speaker. Her in Social Sciences from
job involves mending hearts of broken Makerere University but
people especially young married people during the completion year,
and meeting them for solutions on life’s Akech had her first child, a
challenges. She says it is a journey she boy. One year later, she had
embarked on four years ago upon accept- her second son and several
ing the Lord Jesus Christ as the savior and others later, had her last son.
letting God to use her for His purpose. To her, every part of her life
On that afternoon, Akech was convinced is a special book, from child-
out of boredom to attend a lunch hour hood, university, after universi-
fellowship with a colleague. But to her dis- ty and after accepting the Lord
may, the place was dull and in a moment, Jesus Christ.
she offered to spice up the congregation
with her life’s story. Her story would
later turn out to be the sermon
of the day and in the process
many were overwhelmed
breaking down in tears as
they listened to the story of
a struggling young woman
and her survival tales.
The pastor was also moved
and advised her “to let God
use her for His work”.
“I started on a mission
and asked God to make a
way through using me,”
says Akech.
Four years later, Akech
has put her dirty past; of
being an alcoholic, drug
addict and failing at two
marriages, behind her.
But she cautions, “It
takes a gifted and spir-
ited person to under-
stand my journey”.
Her fight for faith-
ful and standing rela-
tionships is some-
thing that stems

38 June 08 - 14, 2018


Gloria Akech’s Liteside
Any three things that we
I
don’t know about you?
am a very weird
character; a loner yet
very loyal. It explains
why I don’t take it
lightly when other people
become disloyal. I am a very
loving person but also very
principled and bold. I move
on easily after a break. There
are also things where I am
still a work in progress.
What is your idea of perfect
happiness?
My whole life revolves
around good gospel music.
It calms me down.
What is your greatest fear?
Not fulifilling what
God has tasked me to do
frightens me.
What is the trait you most
deplore in yourself?
I get angry too fast
although I quickly get over
it.
What is the trait you most
deplore in others?
Dishonesty and disloyalty.
Which living person do you
most admire?
My mother Lynn Makoha
Wandera is a very strong
woman. I have learnt a
lot from her, the most
being the sacrifices
she made for us
which makes me
feel sometimes
that I haven’t paid
back enough. From
her experience,
I vowed never
to be a single
mother.
What is your
greatest
extravagance?
I love shoes
What is the
greatest
thing you have ever done?
Accepting Jesus Christ
as my personal savior and
letting God to use me. My
dream world is very alert
with the gifts from God.
What is your current state
of mind?
I am satisfied well
knowing that even that
which hasn’t come yet is on
the way.
What do you consider the
most overrated virtue?
Controversy and
negativity; nobody sees
the good in you but
controversies can spread like
bush fire.
What does being powerful
mean to you?
Knowledge means being
powerful because with it,
you can tackle all the other
things about life.
On what occasion do you
lie?
I would rather fail to
respond than tell a lie.
What do you most dislike
about your appearance?
I have a lot of ink and
piercings on my body and
not to mean that I don’t like
them. However in some
places, people expect me
to be different and without
them due to the nature of my
job. They ought to know that
all my tattoos are stories.
Which living person do you
most despise?
Every man who tries to
pull down a woman.
What is the quality you
most like in a woman?
Knowledge of God
empowers a woman and
others flow naturally.
What is the quality you
most like in a man?
Having a vision.
What or who is the greatest
love of your life?
My sons; I sacrificed my
happiness of being a mother
to them at that particular
time to let them have a
father figure, something I
will never take away from
them.
When and where were you
happiest?
Four years ago when I got
saved, made me feel light
and rebirthed.
If you were to die and come
back as a person or a thing,
what would it be?
I can go through my past
over and over again because
I know where the ending is.
Where would you most like
to live?
There is a reason why God
created me here so it’s where
I will live.
What is your most treasured
possession?
My gifts from God
because without them, I
wouldn’t do whatever I have
managed to pull off.
What do you regard as the
lowest depth of misery?
Being away from your
children is a very painful
decision because whichever
way it is done, the children
hurt.
What is your favourite
occupation?
I earn from speaking to
people and it comes with
less stress but more effort
through research and
learning every day.
What do you most value in
your friends?
I don’t have friends save
for acquaintances but I
would value loyalty.
June 08 - 14, 2018
Q&A
Who are your favorite
writers?
Benjamin Carson in his
books ‘Gifted hands’ and
‘Think big’; his stories
are inspiring and provide
answers to so many
questions.
Who is your hero of fiction?
Denzel Washington and
Morgan Freeman are real
actors.
Which historical figure do
you most identify with?
Nelson Mandela spoke for
long with nobody listening.
Those who listened were
of low caliber and couldn’t
do much. He was in jail but
took it as an opportunity to
speak the more and from
that I learnt to be a voice to
the voiceless.
Mary Magdalene in the
bible was a prostitute but
was the very first person
whom Jesus appeared to. It
has taught me that the way
God wants to use his people
is entirely up to Him.
Who are your heroes in real
life?
Nelson Mandela, and
Jesus Christ for choosing to
die for others. I also love my
pastors because God used
them to prove that He loves
me.
What is your greatest
regret?
As much as I was lost,
I should have explained
myself the more to my
ex-husband. I feel and
believe that I gave up on him
so fast.
How would you like to die?
I could sleep through it.
What is your motto?
‘I will rise by lifting
others’, ‘You are loved’ and
‘Standing with you’.
39
Global comment
By Akinwumi Adesina
Roadmap for African industrialisation
To develop a strong manufacturing, leaders must
distribute resources fairly and work with private sector
A
frica is at a crossroads. Six of
the world’s ten fastest-growing
economies are now located in the
region, and the continent’s GDP is
expected to grow at a rate of 4.1% this year,
up from 3.6% in 2017.
Yet Africa’s economic growth has not
been accompanied by a commensurate
level of job creation, which has particu-
larly negative implications for women
and young people. In fact, today’s job-
less growth could even reverse the gains
made in eradicating poverty in recent
years.
The problem is that Africa’s growth,
while impressive, has been volatile,
because it has been driven mainly by
high commodity prices, rather than by
manufacturing. The economic effects of
this imbalance should not be underesti-
mated. Among other things, it explains
why a region that produces about 75% of
the world’s cocoa accounts for just 5% of
the nearly $100 billion annual chocolate
market.
Despite its vast natural resources,
Africa will remain at the mercy of com-
modity prices and trade flows until it
undertakes a profound structural trans-
formation. The time has come for Africa
to unlock its true economic potential
by following in the footsteps of every
modern economy and undertaking the
transition from agriculture to manufac-
turing.
Africa’s manufacturing sector is the
weakest link in its ongoing integration
into the global economy. Today, primary
products (raw materials) comprise 62%
of Africa’s total exports, the highest share
in the world. At the same time, manufac-
tured exports per capita in 2014 totaled
just $218, which is among the lowest
levels in the world, and far below other
developing regions such as Asia ($883)
and Latin America ($1,099). Clearly,
Africa must start catching up.
Fortunately, there is already a global
consensus that industrialisation mat-
ters, and that it is in everyone’s interest
for Africa to become the global manu-
facturing power it ought to be. With its
“High 5 Agenda,” the African Develop-
ment Bank (AfDB) has made indus-
trialisation a top priority. Likewise,
40 June 08 - 14, 2018
industrialisation is a key component
of the African Union’s “Agenda 2063.”
And, in 2016, the United Nations General
Assembly declared 2016-2025 the “Third
Industrial Development Decade for
Africa.”
But such pronouncements are meaning-
less in the absence of concrete action. To
change the region’s economic trajectory,
African policymakers must focus on
three key areas: industrial policies, infra-
structure financing, and leadership.
We now know that industrial poli-
cies can be effective in boosting growth.
The question is whether states possess
the capacity to implement the policies
they design. If they do, they can channel
resources toward industry and marshal
available technologies to create synergy
between the agriculture and manufac-
turing sectors.
A number of African countries have
already moved in this direction. Ethi-
opia, for example, has created special
economic zones, where it has lowered
production costs by investing in infra-
structure. As a result, the country has
emerged as Africa’s largest hub for
textile manufacturing, attracting major
players like H&M and Primark. Simi-
larly, Rwanda’s Kigali Special Economic
Zone, which exempts firms from taxes
for ten years, has attracted a $20 million
investment from Volkswagen for a new
vehicle-assembly plant.
But industrialisation cannot happen
without power, roads, and railways,
which is why infrastructure must be a
key focus. As of now, the AfDB pegs
Africa’s infrastructure gap at $130–170
billion per year. Closing it will require
not just more financing, but also more
innovative thinking, particularly con-
cerning joint public-private efforts.
To that end, the AfDB has expanded its
portfolio for financing new infrastructure
projects in several countries. As part of
our “New Deal on Energy for Africa,”
we have scaled up investment in renew-
able energy and put $265 million toward
developing two solar-power plants
in Morocco. In Côte d’Ivoire, where
demand for energy is surging by 8-9%
annually, we are investing $60 million to
bring a new 44-megawatt hydropower
plant onstream.
African countries should make such
investments now to reap the demo-
graphic dividend of the continent’s
population bulge in the years ahead. As
manufacturing activities expand, they
will need to be supported by more robust
knowledge- and skill-based economies,
which will require higher investment in
education to boost technical and voca-
tional skills and training.
No country has ever undergone eco-
nomic modernisation without industry.
But, more to the point, no functional
industrial sector has ever emerged in the
absence of strong, committed leadership.
Consider Mauritius, which in the 1970s
was a low-income mono-crop economy
with a per capita GDP of just under $250.
Today, Mauritius is an upper-middle-
income country with a more diversified
economy and a per capita GDP of around
$9,600. It is often cited as a model of eco-
nomic success in Africa.
How did this come about? As former
Mauritian Prime Minister and President
Anerood Jugnauth has put it, “There is
no miracle. It is due simply to hard work,
discipline, and will.” Leaders who want
to develop a strong manufacturing base
must have the political will to distribute
resources fairly and pull the private
sector along.
Mauritius experienced its fair share
of challenges in moving from low-end
manufacturing to technology-intensive
goods and services. But it now stands
as an example of what committed lead-
ership can accomplish. Other African
countries would do well to emulate it as
they pursue their own economic trans-
formations.
All told, Africa is well placed to
seize many of the opportunities that
the global economy offers emerging
markets. It already has the resources
and the labor; now it needs committed
leaders like Jugnauth who will imple-
ment the right policies.
Akinwumi Adesina is President of the
African Development Bank.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2018.
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