News analysis Health Business

1000 deaths feared Doctors ‘need to talk Battle for gold: Weak legal regime What is behind Africa’s
in DR Congo Ebola early about dying fuelling rivalry amongst refineries crypto-phobia?

Issue No. 545 Nov 02 - 08, 2018 Ushs 5,000,Kshs 200, RwF 1,500, SDP 8

Can Museveni kick Mutebile,

Kasekende out of BoU?
Leaked documents raise
concerns about central bank

www.independent.co.ug
 YOU BUY THE
TRUTH
WE PAY THE
PRICE

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
E-mail: editorial@independent.co.ug, advertising@independent.co.ug, circulation@independent.co.ug Website: www.independent.co.ug
Nov 02 - 08, 2018
INBOX

Issue No. 545 Nov 02 - 08, 2018

News analysis Business Health Arts Motoring

Cover story
Can Museveni kick Mutebile,
Kasekende out of BoU?
4 The Week
29 Comments
60 FDC leaders quit FDC
for Muntu’s group Money in America’s midterm
elections: U.S. politics has
been corrupted by money,
9 The Last Word
gerrymandering and massive
Chasing the wind: Why the belief attempts at disenfranchisement
that Ugandans are angry because
youth lack jobs and other economic
36 Health
opportunities is mistaken
Sickness and death: Doctors
14 Analysis ‘need to start early conversation
with patients about dying’
1000 deaths feared in DR Congo Ebola : Uganda,
surrounding countries face increasing risk as Trump
blocks American experts
39 Arts & Culture
27 Business
What is beautiful exhibit:
Battle for gold: Weak legal regime Sekajugo’s artist inspired by
fueling rivalry amongst refineries prejudices around identity

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
Tel: +256-312-637-391/ 2/ 3/ 4 | Fax: +256-312-637-396 E-mail: editor@independent.co.ug | advertising@independent.co.ug
circulation@independent.co.ug | Website: www.independent.co.ug

2 Nov 02 - 08, 2018

 Offline

Zakynthos, Greece:
A child examines the
damaged pier at the
port of Zakynthos
following an earthquake
off the island

“One of them kicked me, they were

asking for rooms where my colleagues
were. They started squeezing and pulling
down my testicles. They threatened
to kill me if I did not stop fighting
President Museveni”Francis Zaake, Mityana
Municipality MP narrating his torture ordeal
Arriaga, Mexico: An
aerial view of Honduran
migrants heading in a
caravan to the US

“I do not believe in politics of

agitation but this is how [Robert]
Kyagulanyi and others think.”Former
Minister Bidandi Sali on People Power

Wellington, New
Zealand: The Duchess
of Sussex receives
a hongi, a traditional
Maori greeting, at
an official welcome
ceremony at
Government House in
Wellington

“FDC is free entry and free exit”

Patrick Amuriat, FDC president

Former Crane Bank staff LDUs who have so Money World Bank gave
400 who are demanding terminal
benefits worth Shs48bn
6436 far been recruited
by the UPDF
$360m to 14 municipalities for a
four year project

Nov 02 - 08, 2018 3

week
Bamugemereire attacks
judges over land evictions
Justice Catherine Bamugemereire
(Pictured), the chairperson of the
commission of inquiry into land
management has attacked fellow judges for
“catalysing rising land distress, grabbing
of protected and fragile areas causing
landlessness and a state of lawlessness.”
Bamugemereire said judicial officers are
Ankole leaders who joined New Formation responsible for the eviction of thousands
of bibanja holders and the giving away of
60 FDC leaders quit FDC for Muntu’s group wetlands and forest reserves. She decried
the rising number of orders, rulings,
Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) strongly worded statement, the FDC lead- judgments, and injunctions that have
is dealing with another defection after 60 ers of Ankole sub region, “we have tried caused evictions. Last week, President
district leaders announced they had quit everything humanly possible to engage our Museveni halted the eviction of residents
the party to join Mugisha Muntu’s New fellow leaders from the defiance group on in Mukono district after a cry out from
Formation at an event held in Mbarara. how best we can harmonise these tenden- affected families. Bamugemereire cited
The leaders led by Daniel Kafureka, the cies and be accommodated within the party a recent judgment by Justice Godfrey
General Secretary FDC Mbarara district, but all our efforts yielded no fruits.” The Namundi on June 28 which ruled that about
said that the inability to reconcile differing event happened as FDC President Patrick one square mile that is part of Kajjansi
strategies made it very difficult for them Amuriat prepared his homecoming party Central Forest Reserve belonged to Eria
to be accommodated within the party. In a in Soroti. Mubiru, Vivian Keza and Peninah Busingye
Kabingani, because the trio have land titles
over the land. She cited other four court
Pre-entry exams will frustrate new LDC centres- minister orders have been granted over Namanve
Forest Reserve where its titles were
Kahinda Otafiire, the issued on an existent forest reserve. The
minister for justice and Bamugemereire commission started in 2017
constitutional affairs and is expected to go on until next year. It
says pre-entry exams for has demanded for an extra Shs23billion to
students who wish to do continue its work into the inquiry into the
a bar course will frustrate effectiveness of law, policies and processes
the government’s efforts of land in Uganda.
at decetrnalising Law
Development Centre
(LDC); the institution
accredited for teaching LDC students at a graduation ceremony.
the bar course in Uganda.
This was in Otafiire’s law and that it would minister said that cabinet
speech read by deputy be unfair to block those would table proposals to
attorney general Mwesigwa students from accessing remove impediments to
Rukutana at the opening bar course training. He accessing the bar course.
of a new LDC in Mbarara added that LDC has the The Mbarara centre has
recently. Otafiire noted that necessary measures to 200 students. Plans are
the government licensed weed out those who unable underway to open LDC
many universities to teach to become advocates. The centres in Lira and Mbale.

eye Care Centre

Opticians
VillaGe Mall luGoGo Mall Garden City Mall
Bugolobi (On the 1st Floor) (Next to Game) (Next to Stanbic Bank)
+256 (0)41-4505 566 +256 (0) 41-4220 780 Ground floor
+256 (0)393 888 833 +256 (0) 392 264 422 +256 (0) 41-4237 700
Also open on Sundays 10:00am -2:00pm
+256 (0)392 265 500
downtown ViCtoria Mall enteBBe
KaMpala BranCh
(Plot 3 Johnstone Street)
+256 (0)717 227 066 / +256 (0)392 203 023
Also open on Sundays 11:00am-4:00pm
Free
Eye examination
+256 (0)41-4257 759 / +256 (0)393 264 400

Call: 0701/0712/0752/0772-786 400 E-mail: sales@eyecareug.com Website: www.eyecareug.com

4 Nov 02 - 08, 2018

 Week

Case backlog: DPP decries low funding

WE ARE
that it is not possible to
deploy more prosecutors
in more than 40 established

Justice Mike Chibita
(Pictured), the Director of
Public Prosecutions (DPP)
has written to the Minister
of Finance Matia Kasaija
over the low funding his
office receives worsening
the case backlog crippling
the judiciary. Chibita in
two letters one in April and
the other in October, said
HIRING!
courts. He said the low pay
of prosecutors makes it
hard to pay and retain high
quality staff. Chibita said
there is also need to provide Are you a Photo Journalist?
security to personnel We are looking for someone with
handling sensitive cases.
Amos Ngolobe, the deputy a great sense of imagination,
DPP while appearing before an eye for detail and a knack for
PAC over audit queries
raised by the Auditor
following news events.
General in his report for the
financial year ending June
2016, revealed that 400,377
cases were brought forward
at the start of that financial
year and another 130, 472
were accumulated by June
2017. The prosecutors strike
last year worsened matters.
Now in a new statutory
instrument issued by
Principal Judge Yorokamu
Bamwine, the judiciary has Send CV to:
increased the number of
chief magisterial areas to E-mail: jwere@independent.co.ug
82 and those of Grade One Tel: +256-312-637-391/ 2/ 3/ 4
Magistrate to 402.

e-passports for January

The government has said Ugandan citizens
will start receiving electronic (biometric)
passports beginning January 2019. “Uganda
is ready to migrate from the current machine-
readable passports to e-passports in January
2019,” Dr Benon Mutambi, the Internal
Affairs ministry’s Permanent Secretary,
announced via Twitter. Mutambi added
in the tweet, “This will come along with
improved service delivery. Immigration
shall be relying on the National Identity
Registration Authority (NIRA) database in
the issuance of passports.” In the East African
Community, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi and
Rwanda are already issuing e-passports.
Ugandans who have the traditional passports
will have to surrender the old one and pay
for the e one. The East African Community
(EAC) set December 31 as a deadline for
phasing out the traditional passports.

eye Care Centre

Opticians
aCaCia Mall KiseMenti
Tel: +256 (0)41-4581 458 / +256 (0)392 267 700
Also open on Sundays 11:00 am -6:00 Pm
Free
Eye examination
For: Sun Glasses
Free Eye examination Eye Pressure Examination
Large selection of frames Frame Repairs
Contact lenses & Solutions All optical Accessories

Call: 071/0712/0752/0772-786 400 E-mail: sales@eyecareug.com Kampala - Uganda

Nov 02 - 08, 2018 5

Week

Auditor General opens Jay Bolsonaro is Brazil’s next President

office in Moroto
Speaker Rebecca Kadaga has
commended the Auditor General for
reaching out to the people in their
different districts. “As Parliament
we supervise the Auditor General’s
Office and we depend on each
other for success. By opening up
different regional offices, the service
is brought closer to the people,”
she said. The Auditor General is
appointed by the President with
the approval of Parliament. The
Auditor General audits on the public
accounts of Uganda and of all public
offices before submitting an annual
report of the audited accounts to
Parliament. The Auditor General, John It is a hard time for liberals in Brazil as Jay sive support across the country and led the
Muwanga, said that the regional office Bolsonaro, dubbed by some as Latin Amer- polls throughout the campaign. Hordes of
which was curved out of the Soroti ica’s Doanld Trump, won the presidential Bolsonaro supporters flocked the streets
Regional Office will serve Moroto, election on a campaign to radically reform of Brazil where they sang Brazil’s national
Nakapiripirit, Kotido, Kaabong, Abim, Brazil’s socio-economic structure. Bolso- anthem and set off fireworks. The 63 year
Amudat and Napak districts. Moroto naro is known for his hostility to black, gay old paratrooper secured 55.1% of the vote
is 11th regional office after Masaka, and indigenous Brazilians and to women, while his leftist rival Fernando Haddad, got
Mbarara, Fort Portal, Arua, Kampala, as well as for his admiration of dictatorial 44.8% of votes. Bolsonaro has promised to
Soroti, Jinja, Mbale, Hoima and Gulu . regimes, including the one that ruled Brazil extinguish communism from Brazil.
from 1964 until 1985. However he had mas-

Ultimark (U) Ltd Urgent

Stamps &
Authorized Dealer: Trodat Stamps & Trotec Laser Machines

trodat
Seals within

Introducing in Uganda
30 min

Stamps & seals

Made in Europe
Simple Steady Clean

Plot No.17,Shop No.NS 13/2 Madhvani Bldg, Nkrumah Road, Opp.Post Bank Kampala-Uganda | Tel:0754-262707,0757-777400 | Email:sales@ultimark.co

6 Nov 02 - 08, 2018

Humour Did you know?

Just how clever crows

really are
Crows have proved they are anything
but bird-brained on dozens of occasions,
but some incredible new research shows
that the dark masters of the avian world
are perhaps even smarter than we ever
999 toll-free emergency services for police collapses as realized.
members of the public were being charged for airtime. A new study has found that New
Caledonian crows (Corvus moneduloides)
can make their own tools by combining
several different independent parts,
an ability that’s previously only been
observed in great apes (including us).
Even children can’t master this feat for
several years of their early life as it requires
a fair deal of foresight, brain power, and
problem-solving skills.
As reported in the journal Scientific
Reports, scientists presented eight of their
feathered friends with a see-through box
containing a tray of food. To acquire the
treat, the crows had to poke a stick through
a small hole and push the food over to an
opening on the side of the box.
At first, the researchers left sufficiently
long sticks laying near the box. Sure
enough, the crows quickly learned that
they could pick them up, poke them in the
The Archbishop of Kampala Archdiocese, Dr Cyprian Kizito Lwanga has proposed that the central hole, and get the treat. Simple. However,
government should start deducting 10 per cent tithe from monthly salaries of Catholic believers. they then left smaller pieces, too short to
reach the food, which could potentially be
combined with each other to make a long-
enough stick.
Remarkably, four of the eight crows
pieced together the sticks to make a longer
stick, then used it to poke out the food –
they had made their own tool.
One crow, an especially smart dude
called Mango, was even able to make
compound tools out of three and even four
parts, creating a super-long stick capable
of poking out the food from a considerable
distance.
It’s widely known that crows are among
the few animals that can master the use of
tools both in the wild and in captivity. Just
recently, another study showed that they
can learn new tool-making techniques and
apply them from memory in a way never
before seen in animals besides ourselves
Umeme wants Shs4m to shift a pole from the road. and our ancestors.

Nov 02 - 08, 2018 7

Zhejiang, China: A reader takes a selfie
on the opening of the Snail library in
Hangzhou. The library aims to offer readers
online resources alongside traditional
library and services

Chasing the wind
By Andrew M. Mwenda
Why the belief that Ugandans are angry because youth
lack jobs and other economic opportunities is mistaken
L
ast week, President Yoweri Mu-
seveni inaugurated a $600 milliom
fertilizer and aluminum plant in
Tororo. A few days before, he had
opened a new $150 million bridge over the
River Nile in Jinja. And a few days earlier
he had been to Kapeka where he opened a
Chinese ceramics factory that will produce
40,000 square meters of floor and wall tiles
per day. Even a few days before that he
visited the $2 billion Karuma hydro elec-
tricity project that will produce 600MW of
electricity.
There is a lot happening in our country
that the priests of the new secular religion
of development would cheer at. Yet there
is widespread anger, social frustration,
and anxiety on social media and in streets.
Many elite commentators say the Museveni
administration has gotten worse and is
doing little or nothing. They argue that
people are angry because government has
failed to deliver public goods and services
and jobs. I hold the opposite view: that the
anger we see is because the government has
actually been very successful in promoting
economic and social change.
From the mid 1990s to the mid 2000s, I
was one of the critics of this government.
My quarry was poor investment in trans-
port and energy infrastructure plus wide-
spread corruption and incompetence, espe-
cially in the army. At the time most roads
were in a state of disrepair with potholes
everywhere. Electricity was being rationed;
public sector employees were being paid
wages below subsistence; the army was
full of ghosts and was procuring junk mili-
tary hardware, hospitals and schools were
missing, the cost of public administration
(political patronage) was taking 20% of the
entire budget.
Since 2008, the Museveni administration
embarked on a huge infrastructure-building
program. Only 1,200km out of the 2,200Km
of paved roads that were in good condi-
tion in 2008, today we have more than
7,000km. From only 380MW of electricity in
2008, Uganda shall have over 2,000MW of
installed capacity by March next year when
Isimba and Karuma are completed. The
UPDF is today entirely different from the
army Maj. Gen. James Kazini commanded
until his removal in 2003.
In 2008, Uganda was depending on
donors for nearly 50% of her budget. Today
The Last Word
that number is down to less than 25%. In
2008, about 65% of the budget was going to
recurrent expenses, today 60% of the budget
goes to development. On such issues as life
expectancy, prevalence of malaria, child
and infant mortality, availability of drugs
in public hospitals, the quality of houses for
ordinary people and the gini-coefficient (the
measure of income distribution) there was
been a lot of improvement in the ten last
years.
I do not want to clog this column with
statistics demonstrating quantitative and
qualitative improvements in the indicators
I have referred to above. I hope the reader
will trust that I am writing this on the basis
of hard data. Suffice it to say that on the
most critical indicators the Museveni gov-
ernment has done more in the last ten years
than it did in the first 22. Therefore, anyone
following this government’s performance
would refer to the period 2008 to 2018 as
its golden age. Yet for most elite Ugandans
online and on the street this is the worst
period in Uganda’s history. Why?
This brings me to the central argument
of this column already highlighted in the
title – chasing the wind. It is a common
belief (or assumption) among many ana-
lysts that economic prosperity leads to
individual and public satisfaction with the
government seen as responsible for it. Even
Museveni believes that creating more eco-
nomic opportunities and jobs for the masses
would increase public confidence in and
support for his administration. Yet on the
contrary and historically, rapid economic
improvement has produced anxiety, frus-
tration and anger among the public.
For instance, the transition from back-
ward, poor and feudal existence to modern,
affluent industrial nations in Western
Europe was not smooth. It was accompa-
nied by equally rapid growth in social frus-
trations and public anxiety leading to the
development of such ideologies and social
movements such as socialism, communism,
fascism, anarchism, nihilism, terrorism –
(yes, terrorism was produced by capitalist
transformation in Western Europe). Indeed,
it was in the struggle to stave off social
revolution at home that the European bour-
geoisie sought colonies abroad.
The same applies to Uganda. The more
successful Museveni’s administration is in
transforming the country the more it would
Opinion
generate increased anger, anxiety and
social frustration. If the anger is insufficient
to topple him, it is because Museveni has
been less successful. Our country remains a
rural society dependent on agriculture, not
industry. If the last eight years has witness
growing public anger, it is because they
have been the most successful. Holding
many other factors constant, if Museveni
were to be more successful in transforma-
tion he would face a social revolution.
Of course the claim that increasing pros-
perity produces anger and frustration in the
masses does not hold in every society. There
are rare examples such as Singapore where
increasing prosperity led to a broad con-
sensus among elites in favour of the growth
model. The same is happening in China
today. But South Korea’s experience mir-
rored that of most of Western Europe and
the USA. In Africa, Ethiopia is the most suc-
cessful state in promoting rapid economic
growth but is equally beset by constant pro-
tests. Rwanda is the second best performer
in Africa but has secured a broad elite con-
sensus in favour of its growth ambitions.
Creating more economic opportunities
will not cure widespread social frustration
and anger in Uganda. The angriest critics
of Museveni are not ordinary peasants in
the villages or even the much hyped unem-
ployed youth in towns. They are Ugandan
professionals with jobs. The lesson is that
as growth picks apace, people go to schools
and urban areas where they are exposed
to the outside world. Their expectations
and aspirations grow faster than the rate
at which the economy can produce oppor-
tunities to satisfy them. It is the mismatch
between people’s expectations and available
opportunities that leads to social frustration,
anger and anxiety.
As I have already noted with Singa-
pore, China and Rwanda, it is possible for
economic transformation to be achieved
without any major social upheaval. But
this trajectory is rare and has only been
seen in a few countries. For most of his-
tory, rapid social and economic change has
produced anger and anxiety that Uganda is
unlikely to escape. In promoting economic
prosperity in the hope of containing public
anger, Museveni is chasing the wind.
amwenda@independent.co.ug
Nov 02 - 08, 2018 9
cover story

Can Museveni kick Mutebile,

Kasekende out of BoU?
Leaked documents raise
concerns about central bank

By Haggai Matsiko

10 Nov 02 - 08, 2018

F
ear of heads rolling at
BoU has intensified ever
since it was confirmed that
the Inspector General of
Government (IGG) was
looking into the accounts
of top officials of the central bank,
including the Governor Tumusiime
Mutebile and his deputy Louis
Kasekende.
According to informed sources, IGG
Irene Mulyagonja has a trove of leaked
documents that her team is going
through as it looks into the wealth of
the top officials.
In turn, more questions are
now being asked about why these
documents are leaking now and who
is behind the leaks.
The documents, some of which are
in the public domain, are assumed to
be leaking as a result of point-scoring
in a three-pronged fight over the take
over and sale of Crane Bank by the
central bank to DFCU bank.
One fight is between Sudhir
Ruparelia; who was the majority
shareholder in Crane Bank and BoU
officials, the other is between Sudhir,
BoU’s lawyers and DFCU, which
bought Crane Bank from BoU, and
the last is a clique battle among BoU
senior managers. Now it appears that
the battle has gone to the heart of
Uganda’s financial sector.
According to informed sources,
President Museveni is so concerned
about the dwindling reputation of
the central bank and its impact on the
economy that he is looking to shake
up the top leadership and even get rid
of both Kasekende and Mutebile.
The only concern is that firing
the two of them at once threatens
to distablise the central bank even
farther, yet it is a very sensitive
institution with major implications for
the entire economy.
The issue reportedly was raised
when Kasekende met a very close
contact of President Yoweri Museveni
a few months back.
At the time, Kasekende appeared
about to be sacked. But then after the
meeting, talk of imminent sacking
abetted. Only to resurface now.
Kasekende meets Museveni’s
contact
The Independent has recently been
given details of that meeting and now
reports that
Kasekende had been looking to
meet President Museveni in vain and
had just returned from a work trip
abroad that week when he met with
Museveni’s contact person.
Irene Mulyagonja
Abdul Katuntu
John Muwanga
At that time, reports had just
emerged showing that President
Museveni was looking to shake up
the top leadership at the central bank
partly because of disagreements
between Kasekende and Mutebile.
Insiders say Museveni was
concerned that these disagreements
amongst senior officials at the central
bank were increasingly damaging
its reputation for monetary policy
integrity.
The main disagreement between
them appeared to be a fall-out from
the process of BoU’s takeover and
eventual disposal of Crane Bank.
The main contest was on how to
cover story
resolve the crisis that erupted after
the sale of Crane Bank to DFCU; the
myriad court suits and countersuits
and the negative publicity; including
allegation of insider dealings and
corruption.
Faced with these, Mutebile was
said to favour a quick negotiated
settlement as ordered by Museveni.
But Kasekende insisted on a court
battle, which he insisted BoU would
win. While the successful outcome
Kasekende promised was uncertain,
the court case – it was feared – would
be drawn-out, drag BoU in the mud,
and cost a tonnes of cash in lawyer
fees.
By the time Kasekende met
Museveni’s contact person, he was also
in disagreement with Mutebile on how
BoU should resolve issues of the shilling
which was depreciating rapidly against
the dollar. One side reportedly favoured
injecting dollars into the system but
the other feared the dollars would be
gobbled by speculators and result in
an unsustainable spiral. These events,
officials were concerned were further
eating away BoU’s reputation.
At the meeting, Kasekende
reportedly raised concerns that he
was being witch-hunted. And even
though he did not put it explicitly, he
reportedly suggested that his major
concern was that Mutebile’s allies
were fighting him.
At this point, Museveni’s confidante
reportedly dropped a bombshell.
“May be you should both leave,” the
confidante said.
Insiders say that from that tone, the
scenario of getting both Kasekende
and Mutebile out of BoU was being
considered. There was a sense
Museveni’s contact was putting out
feelers on what Kasekende’s reaction
to leaving BoU could be, especially
what factors Kasekende would raise in
his case.
Part of the reason for this is that
Kasekende is not an ordinary banker.
Apart from being a well-published
and well-respected economist
internationally, for years he has been
seen as Mutebile’s natural successor.
And he belongs to Uganda’s two
biggest political constituencies—he
is a catholic and a Muganda. Not an
ordinary Muganda, he is close to the
powerful Mengo establishment. The
catholic establishment and Mengo
would not take easily to his firing.
But Museveni might also not find it
very easy to fire Mutebile, a long time
loyal servant who also belonged to the
powerful Kigezi region. In fact, part
of the problem between Kasekende
and Mutebile was down to Museveni
Nov 02 - 08, 2018 11
cover story

12 Nov 02 - 08, 2018


having his hands tied.
It is the reason Kasekende was
possibly not appointed the Governor
when Mutebile’s contract expired in
2015 as had been anticipated.
According to informed sources,
when former Prime Minister Amama
Mbabazi declared intention to
challenge Museveni in the 2016
presidential election, the President felt
that he could not replace Mutebile as
this would spoil the Kigezi vote.
He decided to renew Mutebile’s
contract. He, however, reportedly
consulted the PS/Secretary to the
Treasury Keith Muhakanizi on whether
he could only renew the Governor’s
contract for two years. But apparently,
Muhakanizi said that the laws
provided for only five years.
A feud ensued as Mutebile now
sensed an opportunity to thwart
Kasekende who was waiting for his job.
Who is leaking?
But the endless slew of leaked
documents from both the central
bank and several commercial banks
is threatening the integrity of the
whole financial sector, and the jobs of
Mutebile and Kasekende could be on
the line.
By the time of the meeting with
Museveni’s contact, a trove of
documents purported to expose
Kasekende’s wealth. There were also
fears it would be a matter of time
before documents exposing Mutebile
too also emerge.
Amongst others, the documents
showed that as scrutiny intensified,
Kasekende transferred some of his
properties into the names of another
person who will remain unnamed.
They also revealed a host of companies
he has shares in, his financial
transactions over the years, and those
of his wife Edith Kasekende.
The Independent could not report
about these documents earlier because
it could not confirm their veracity. The
Independent has since confirmed that
these documents ended up at the door
of the IGG and are at the core of her
investigations.
There is a pattern too. The leaked
documents all emerged after the take
over and sale of Crane Bank to DFCU.
The first set of documents, for
example, showed that the former
Executive Director Banking
Supervision, Justine Bagyenda who
was directly in charge of the take over
and sale of Crane Bank, is wealthier
than previously known. This has raised
querries about the source of her wealth.
There are also documents purporting
to show the bank account details of
Tumubwine Twinemanzi
But following
Twinemanzi’s
appointment,
he said, BoU
was making
good progress
with the
negotiations
Juma Kisaame, the Managing Director
of DFCU; the bank that acquired Crane
Bank. Then another set of documents
and reports have also emerged
showing that DFCU is allegedly in
trouble.
Finally, there is the case of DFCU
instructing its lawyers to issue Rajiv
Ruparelia, the son of Sudhir, with
an intention to sue accusing him of
being behind a campaign to tarnish
their name through a series of articles
published online.
Rajiv, who has recently taken more
charge running his father’s empire,
has hit back. He has threatened to
sue DFCU for allegedly abusing the
customer-client confidentiality by
revealing some details he shared with
them as a client, to their lawyers and
later, the public in the intention to sue
shared publicly.
The Sudhir’s family is clearly
not happy about the takeover of
their bank. But are they behind the
cover story
exposure of those who were at the
centre of the transaction? What about
claims the documents could be leaking
from the office of the IGG?
Kasekende played a central role in
this transaction. In meetings at State
House, as Sudhir fought to save his
bank, Kasekende was on the other
side with Bagyenda, BoU lawyers,
Attorney General William Byaruhanga
and central Bank Governor Tumusiime
Mutebile.
Mutebile was sickly and while he
attended these meetings, Bagyenda
and Kasekende were completely in
charge of the hammer that would later
crash Crane Bank.
The first sign that Mutebile was
not fully siding with especially
Bagyenda, appeared in a Daily
Monitor interview. In the interview,
Mutebile said while he would
take responsibility for what went
wrong with Crane Bank, he was not
criminally culpable.
When asked who was, Mutebile
replied: “Ask the (BoU) executive
director for supervision (Bagyenda)”.
Insiders say Mutebile fell out with
Bagyenda because she hid critical
documents from him regarding the
Crane Bank matters. According to
insider sources, when he appeared
before a committee appointed by
President Museveni to answer
questions over a controversial
reshuffle he made in February, in
which he ejected Bagyenda, Mutebile
repeated the same.
Among others, he told the
committee, that senior bank officials
were in the habit of hiding information
from him.
Katuntu’s committee
Museveni convened the committee
led by Abdul Katuntu, the chairman
of the parliamentary committee on
Commissions, Statutory Authorities
and State Enterprises (COSASE) after
the IGG indicated she was ready to
probe the central bank. Museveni
preferred a quieter investigation. So
he tasked Katuntu’s committee to get
to the bottom the crisis around the
reshuffle but keep BoU matters out of
the press.
This came as a surprise to those who
thought President Museveni would
attempt to salvage the reputation
of the central bank by taking action
against its feuding senior managers.
In any case, Museveni has failed to
put a lid on the leaks to the press.
It has emerged that while Mutebile
did not get into names when he met
with the committee, insiders say he
was possibly referring to Bagyenda
Nov 02 - 08, 2018 13
 cover story
and her allies when he said senior
official kept him in the dark.
BoU records seen by The
Independent reveal that Bagyenda
authorised the law firm, MMAKs
Advocates as the Transaction
Advisor for the Crane Bank sale
and also authorised the audit firm
PriceWaterHouse Coopers to carry
out a forensic audit of Crane Bank.
Insiders say when the report came
out, Bagyenda did not share it with
Mutebile in its entirety. Mutebile was
later riled when he learnt about the
existence of the entire document and
received a copy from another source.
With Bagyenda’s successor,
Tumubwiine Twinemanzi, Mutebile
told the committee, this was a
thing of the past. In fact, he added,
while Bagyenda was still in charge,
BoU had hit a dead end regarding
the negotiations with Crane
Bank proprietors. But following
Justine Bagyenda Sudhir Ruparelia
Twinemanzi’s appointment, he said,
BoU was making good progress with
the negotiations.
Amongst all his appointees,
Tumubwiine Twinemanzi has been
the biggest problem. Twinemanzi’s
father, Manzi Tumubwiine, served on
the BoU board in the past, is seen as a
friend of Mutebile, and also happens
to come from Kigezi.
When Twiinemanzi was appointed,
IGG Mulyagonja received a
whistleblower’s report indicating that
Mutebile was driven by tribalism in
appointing Twiinemanzi and others
from western Uganda. Some board
members first blocked Twiinemanzi
from presenting before the board.
Others always made sure they
avoided attending board meetings if
Twiinemanzi was to appear.
During the interface with the
investigating committee, Mutebile’s
voice reportedly cracked as he struggled
14 Nov 02 - 08, 2018
to hold back tears while making the
point that he made the changes in the
best interest of the bank. A source
knowledgeable about what transpired
during the meeting said at that point
everyone went silent.
To make his case, he went through
the chronology of events that led to
the reshuffle crisis. In our previous
reports, The Independent had
already pieced this together basing
on correspondences between senior
officials at the bank.
In November, 2017 Mutebile had
declined to ratify the appointment of
assistant directors and instead directed
that the Internal Audit investigate the
entire process.
Then Chief Internal Auditor,
Deborah Kabahweza concluded that
the process had issues and called for its
termination.
But the Executive Director
Administration (EDA) Solomon
Juma Kisaame
Oketcho insisted that Mutebile ignores
Kabahweza’s recommendations and
approves the appointments. Mutebile
refused.
“We have to respect internal audit
and cancel,” Mutebile insisted.
When board members were engaged,
some suggested that since their term
was about to expire, the appointments
should be passed for now. But Mutebile
stuck to his guns. Shortly after this
Mutebile’s health deteriorated and he
travelled abroad on sick leave.
When he returned, he found a
tonne of complaints about several
appointments. The board had been
petitioned but had ignored the
complaints. Mutebile was concerned
that he had not been consulted.
In the meantime, the bank was in a
crisis, it had suffered loss of confidence,
Crane Bank issues, and had been facing
serious failures in some of its systems,
according to insiders.
Mutebile explained that he made
changes in order to redirect the bank.
But before Mutebile appeared,
Bagyenda’s deputy, Benedict Sekabira
complained before the committee that
the job Twiinemanzi took belonged to
him. Another senior official, Oketcho,
also initially told the committee that
Mutebile’s appointments were outside
BoU policy.
He claimed that BoU hardly
appoints people from outside its
walls. Unfortunately for him, the
investigating team had already
received information to the contrary.
While in the past BoU had a policy to
recruit about 20 people annually at the
lowest ranks who would be groomed
to grow into senior positions that had
changed.
Before BoU did not have to recruit
from outside its walls, however, over
the years this policy has been shunted
aside. Indeed, the investigating
committee was given a list of
over 100 staff who BoU recruited
from outside its walls. At that
point, Oketcho backtracked
and even apologized, a source
knowledgeable about the details
of the meeting intimated to The
Independent.
Specifically, in Twiinemanzi’s
case, Mutebile said he was not the
first to be recruited from outside
BoU. He also said that he deemed
him qualified for the job given the
fact that he was in a senior position
at Uganda Communications
Commission (UCC) and had done
research about BoU.
Mutebile was the last of the
BoU officials to appear before this
committee. Many hoped its findings
would help with reconciliation efforts
amongst the managers at BoU and also
guide the appointing authority on the way
forward.
But the leaking of documents allegedly
exposing Kasekende’s wealth might have
added fuel onto the fire in this fight. And
these documents come at a time BoU
officials are set to appear before COSASE
over the revelations of the Auditor General’s
report exposing mismanagement of seven
defunct banks including Crane Bank. Some
of the members of this committee have
already called for the resignation of both
Mutebile and Kasekende.
It is clear that what started as a
disagreement between Sudhir and officials
at the Central Bank has since spiraled into
the worst fight at the centre of Uganda’s
financial sector. In this fight, Sudhir
already lost his bank. Bagyenda?
Her job. What will Mutebile and
Kasekende lose? The jury is still out.

How do we measure
well-being?
And why happiness may be part of evaluating
one’s well-being, but isn't the only element
By Henry S. Richardson & Erik Schokkaert
O
pinions differ on the definition
of well-being. Yet there’s a grow-
ing consensus that it cannot be
reduced to material consumption
and that other aspects of life, such as health
and good social relations, are essential to
being well.
Increasing well-being is generally accept-
ed as one of the essential components of
social progress, but if different aspects of life
all contribute to well-being, can or should
we construct an overall measure of it? For
example, is “happiness” a good measure?
Before we can begin to monitor social
progress in terms of well-being, we need
more clarity on the concept itself.
Measuring happiness
One possibility is to use large opinion
surveys in which individuals answer simple
questions on their degree of happiness or
life satisfaction. These have revealed robust
patterns, confirming that economic growth
has a weaker than expected effect on satis-
faction, and that other aspects of life, such as
health and unemployment, are important.
These simple survey measures seem cred-
ible. But according to psychologists, hap-
piness and life satisfaction do not coincide.
Life satisfaction has a cognitive component
– individuals have to step back to assess
their lives – while happiness reflects posi-
tive and negative emotions that fluctuate.
A focus on positive and negative emo-
tions can lead to understanding well-being
in an “hedonic” way, based in pleasure
and the absence of pain. Looking instead
to individuals’ judgements about what is
worth seeking suggests a preference-based
approach (a possibility we discuss below).
People judge all sorts of different things to
be worth seeking.
In other words, happiness may be an ele-
ment in evaluating one’s well-being, but it is
not the only one.
The capability approach
Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen has
pointed out that understanding well-being
on the basis of feelings of satisfaction, plea-
sure, or happiness have two problems.
The first he calls “physical-condition
neglect”. Human beings adapt at least par-
tially to unfavourable situations, meaning
the poor and the sick can still be relatively
happy. One striking study by a team of Bel-
FEATURE
gian and French physicians has shown that
even in a cohort of patients with chronic
locked-in syndrome, a majority reported
being happy.
The second problem is “valuation
neglect”. Valuing a life is a reflective activ-
ity that should not be reduced to feeling
happy or unhappy. Of course, Sen admits,
“it would be odd to claim that a person
broken down by pain and misery is doing
very well”.
We should therefore not fully neglect
the importance of feeling well, but also
acknowledge it is not the only thing people
care about.
Together with Martha Nussbaum, Sen
formulated an alternative: the capabil-
ity approach, which stipulates that both
personal characteristics and social circum-
stances affect what people can achieve with
a given amount of resources.
Giving books to a person who cannot
read does not increase their well-being
(probably the opposite), just as providing
them with a car does not increase mobility if
there are no decent roads.
According to Sen, what the person man-
ages to do or to be – such as being well-
nourished or being able to appear in public
without shame – are what really matter for
well-being. Sen calls these achievements
the “functionings” of the person. However,
he further claims that defining well-being
only in terms of functioning is insufficient,
because well-being also includes freedom.
His classic example involves the com-
parison between two undernourished indi-
viduals. The first person is poor and cannot
afford food; the second is wealthy but
chooses to fast for religious reasons. While
they achieve the same level of nourishment,
they cannot be said to enjoy the same level
of well-being.
Therefore, Sen suggests that well-being
Nov 02 - 08, 2018 15
FEATURE
should be understood in terms
of people’s real opportunities
– that is, all possible combina-
tions of functionings from
which they can choose.
The capability approach is
inherently multidimensional;
but those seeking to guide pol-
icy often think that rationally
dealing with trade-offs requires
having one single ultimate mea-
sure. Adherents of the capabil-
ity approach who succumb to
this thought often mistrust indi-
vidual preferences and apply
instead a set of indicators that
are common to all individuals.
So-called “composite indica-
tors” – like the United Nations’
Human Development Index,
which adds together con-
sumption, life expectancy and
educational performance at the
country level – are a frequent
outcome of this kind of think-
ing. They have become popular
in policy circles, but they fall
victim to simply adding up
scores on different dimensions,
all deemed equally important.
Taking individual
convictions seriously
Beyond the subjective
approach and the capability
approach, a third perspective –
the preference-based approach
to well-being – takes into
account that people disagree
about the relative importance of
different life dimensions.
Some people think that hard
work is necessary to have a
valuable life while others prefer
to spend more time with fam-
ily. Some think that going out
with friends is key, while others
prefer reading a book in a quiet
place.
The “preference-based”
perspective starts from the idea
that people are better off when
their reality matches better
what they themselves consider
to be important.
Preferences thus have a
cognitive “valuational” compo-
nent: they reflect people’s well-
informed and well-considered
ideas about what a good life is,
not merely their market behav-
iour.
This does not coincide with
subjective life satisfaction.
Recall the example of patients
with the locked-in syndrome
reporting high levels of satisfac-
16 Nov 02 - 08, 2018
tion because they have adapted sceptical about preference- two countries is heavily influ-
to their situation. This does based approaches because they enced by cultural differences.
not mean that they would not assume that human beings Germany and the Nether-
prefer to have their health back have well-informed and well- lands also do worse on satisfac-
– and it certainly does not mean considered ideas about what tion than on income, but their
that citizens without locked-in makes a good life. Even if such equivalent income rankings
syndrome would not mind fall- rational preferences exist, one confirm that they do rela-
ing ill with it. struggles to measure them tively worse on the non-income
One example of a preference- because these are aspects of life dimensions.
based measure, advocated by – family time, health – that are Greece has a remarkably low
the French economist Marc not traded on markets. level of life satisfaction. Cultural
Fleurbaey, directs people to factors may play a role here, but
choose reference values for all Does all this matter in Greece is also characterised by
non-income aspects of life (such practice? high income inequality, which
as health or number of hours is not captured by the averages
worked). These reference values The following table, com- in the table.
will depend on the individual: piled by the Belgian economists These differences among
everyone probably agrees that Koen Decancq and Erik Schok- various measures of well-being
not being ill is the best possible kaert, shows how differing hint at the important issues
state, but a workaholic lawyer approaches to well-being can involved in deciding which
is likely to place a very differ- have practical consequences. measure of well-being – if any
ent value on work hours than It ranks 18 European coun- – to select. If we want to use
someone with an arduous and tries in 2010 (just after the finan- the measure to rank nations’
hazardous factory job. cial crisis) according to three performance at providing well-
Fleurbaey then suggests that possible measures: average being, then we will be pulled
people define a salary that, income, average life satisfac- towards a single, simple mea-
combined with the non-income- tion and average “equivalent sure, such as subjective happi-
based reference value, would income” (taking into account ness. If we seek to keep track,
satisfy the individual as much health, unemployment, safety for policy purposes, of whether
as their current situation. and the quality of social interac- individuals are doing well in
The amount by which this tions). the respects that really matter,
“equivalent income” differs Some results are striking. we will be pulled towards a
from the person’s actual work- Danes are much more satisfied more multi-dimensional assess-
based income can help answer than they are wealthy, while ment, such as that offered by
the question: “How much France is the opposite. These the capability approach. And
income you would be willing large divergences are not seen if we are most impressed by
to give up for better health or when comparing equivalent disagreement among individu-
more free time?” incomes, however; which sug- als as to what matters, we will
Some psychologists are gests that satisfaction in these have reason to understand
well-being along the lines sug-
gested by the preference-based
Income Subjective life Equivalent income approach.
satisfaction This post belongs to a series
1 Norway Denmark Norway of contributions coming from
the International Panel on
2 Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Social Progress, a global aca-
3 Netherlands Finland Sweden demic initiative of more than
4 Sweden Norway Denmark 300 scholars from all social
sciences and the humanities
5 Great Britain Sweden Great Britain who prepare a report on the
6 Germany Netherlands Belgium perspectives for social progress
7 Denmark Belgium Netherlands
in the 21st Century. In partner-
ship with The Conversation,
8 Belgium Spain Finland the posts offer a glimpse of the
9 Finland Germany France contents of the report and of
the authors’ research.
10 France Great Britain Germany
11 Spain Poland Spain Henry S. Richardson is professor
12 Slovenia Slovenia Greece of Philosophy, Senior Research
Scholar, Kennedy Institute of
13 Greece Estonia Slovenia
Ethics, Georgetown University
14 Czech Republic Czech Republic Czech Republic and Erik Schokkaert is Professor
15 Poland France Poland of Economics, KU Leuven.
16 Hungary Hungary Estonia
17 Russia Greece Russia
18 Estonia Russia Hungary

Health workers carry out the body of a patient with unconfirmed Ebola virus on August 22, 2018 in Mangina, near Beni, in the North Kivu province./AFP
1000 deaths feared
in DR Congo Ebola
Uganda, surrounding countries face increasing
risk as Trump blocks American experts
By Agencies
O
ne of the largest Ebola
outbreaks in history shows
no signs of slowing — and
the Trump administration
has barred U.S. health experts
who want to help at the outbreak’s
epicenter in the Democratic Republic
of Congo from traveling there.
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) officials were
working in Beni; the city that’s ground
zero for the outbreak in eastern DRC,
for a few days in late August and
early September. Experts say that is
an unusually short period of time
for infectious disease responses. The
CDC deployments usually last at least
four weeks, and many run for several
months.
But then the White House’s National
Security Council (NSC) coordinated
a government review of the security
risks, involving representatives from
multiple government agencies and
departments. The review determined
that CDC officials could not return to
areas where militant attacks threaten
security, including Beni. News outlets
first reported on Oct. 14 that the U.S.
had pulled out of the area.
“It’s unprecedented that the CDC
expertise is not at the very center of
the response because that has been
the pattern for the other outbreaks,”
Stephen Morrison, a global health
expert at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies think tank in
Washington, told Vox. “We have some
people on CDC staff who are veterans
of almost two dozen outbreaks.”
Others who have been on the
ground working to curb this Ebola
outbreak, which had led to 251 cases
and 127 deaths by Oct.26 and growing,
news analysis
say they did not notice the CDC’s brief
presence at all. A senior humanitarian
official not affiliated with the Trump
administration told Vox that he
believed CDC experts were never in
Beni.
Another non-administration senior
humanitarian official added that while
America has vehicles on the ground in
the city, they have gone unused.
“Those three armored U.S. Embassy
vehicles sitting in the UN parking lot
in Beni for two months have never
moved,” the official said.
However, CDC officials insist in
conversations with Vox that its experts
did work in Beni.
The relatively tepid response from
the U.S., at a time when the outbreak
is spiraling, has former CDC officials
and global health experts concerned.
“I do worry that in the worst-case
scenario, we could have an outbreak
Nov 02 - 08, 2018 17
 news analysis
A group of Congolese look on as a suspected Ebola victim is picked up, on the road linking Beni to
Mangina, on August 23, 2018 in Beni, in the North Kivu province. /AFP
of tens of thousands of people,” said
Daniel Bausch, the director of the UK
Public Health Rapid Support Team,
“and complete destabilisation of an
already unstable region.”
This is an “unprecedented” response
— in a bad way
Tom Frieden, the former head of
the CDC who responded to the Ebola
outbreak in West Africa from 2014 to
2016, said that “it’s unusual” and “not
optimal” for CDC experts not to work
at the outbreak’s epicenter.
Others agree: The DRC health
workers and others who are on the
ground fighting the Ebola outbreak
“are not winning the game,” Morrison
said. “They need to have every
player they can get on the field that is
competent, experienced, and able to
fix these problems.”
The outbreak started in July and
has worsened in recent weeks, after a
spate of violent attacks on civilians by
Congolese rebels temporarily halted
the public health response.
A CDC spokesperson said its staff
has been in Kinshasa, 1,000 miles away
from the outbreak zone, since early
September, “where they continue to
18 Nov 02 - 08, 2018
support the response.” But even before
then, CDC’s involvement in eastern
DRC was uncharacteristically limited.
The CDC said its director, Robert
Redfield, was in Beni for one day,
while other staff were there for only
“several days.”
Redfield has reportedly told a
journalist that he wants CDC officials
on the ground in the DRC’s eastern
region to help with the outbreak
response, but that he was overruled by
security concerns.
“The (Ebola responders are) at an
enormous disadvantage by not having
the expertise the CDC has on the
ground,” he said, adding that he’d
be “happy” to travel there himself to
help.
As of today, the CDC has only 18
staff deployed abroad to help with
the Ebola response, and not all of
them are even in the DRC (outside of
the outbreak’s epicenter) — they are
spread out in Uganda, Rwanda, South
Sudan, and Switzerland as well.
The CDC wants to be in Beni. The
administration says it’s too risky.
The argument to keep American
health officials out of eastern DRC
boils down to this: It’s a dangerous
area, and no one wants to put U.S.
officials in harm’s way.
“This highly insecure environment
makes this response extremely
challenging and can complicate public
health activities,” a State Department
official told a journalist.
Some experts agree. There are
intensifying attacks by a militant
group in the area, J. Peter Pham, an
Africa expert at the Atlantic Council
in Washington, said. Just a few days
earlier, 15 people were slaughtered in
an attack there.
“U.S. personnel are especially
vulnerable,” Pham said, because in the
event of an emergency, there are few
U.S. troops or equipment in the area to
help. And relations between the DRC
government and the U.S. have not
been warm lately.
ACAPS, an independent group
that ranks humanitarian access in
countries, calls the DRC “nearly
inaccessible,” along with a handful
of other countries including Libya,
Afghanistan, and Somalia. That’s
just one level below the worst global
ranking of “inaccessible.”

“We are deeply concerned about
continued loss of life due to armed
group attacks in the region,” the State
Department official continued, adding
that the department is “currently
engaged in an interagency deliberative
process.”
Other countries and NGOs are
sending people to the DRC. The U.S.
isn’t.
The response to this DRC outbreak
may be unusual in part because it’s the
first time Ebola has spread in an active
war zone. In eastern DRC, armed
opposition groups are carrying out
deadly attacks on civilians, forcing
more than a million people from
their homes, according to the United
Nations Refugee Agency.
But while the U.S. is staying
back, officials from other countries,
including Canada and the United
Kingdom, as well as NGOs and
humanitarian groups are sending
personnel to help with the Ebola
crisis. As of Oct.15, there were 450
responders on the ground. One of
them — Scott Dowell of the Gates
Foundation — was a veteran of CDC’s
Ebola response unit, having helped in
more than a dozen Ebola outbreaks.
“We know the response is
struggling,” said Morrison, the health
expert from the Center for Strategic
and International Studies. “Something
much more needs to happen here. ...
The security situation — security risks
— are real, but they are manageable.”
Ron Klain, the former “Ebola czar”
during the 2014-’16 outbreak in West
Africa, is also concerned about the
lack of an American presence.
“The fact that our country’s
top experts from CDC have been
relegated to the sideline by the White
House shows an unwillingness to put
together the right team and security
partnerships to enable these talented
men and women to do their jobs,”
Klain said.
“There’s a fear of a Benghazi-type
situation”
In February, the Trump
administration announced deep cuts
to the CDC, State Department, and
USAID budgets. And because there
was no sign that the $1 billion pot of
money Congress gave USAID and
the CDC in 2015 to fight Ebola in
West Africa would get replenished,
that prompted these agencies to plan
a retreat from 39 of the 49 foreign
countries they were working in.
Just one day after a separate Ebola
outbreak was declared in the DRC
NEWS ANALYSIS
early this year, the head of global
health security on the NSC, Rear
Adm. Tim Ziemer, left the Trump
administration amid a reorganisation
by National Security Adviser John
Bolton. That means the top White
House official who would lead a
pandemic response is not there to
coordinate.
The health security team Ziemer led
was also dismantled. (According to the
NSC press office, Ziemer’s team has
been “assigned to two different offices
that have a direct relationship to their
mission sets.”)
When asked why the administration
might not want to send people to
DRC this time, especially since the
U.S. government operates in many
active war zones, Morrison offered
a few ideas — some political, some
ideological.
“There’s a fear of making a mistake
and getting clobbered by Congress.
There’s a fear of a Benghazi-type
situation, that Americans might be
targeted,” he said. “We’re looking at
possible change of power in the House
of Representatives in another 14 days.”
(In 2012, an Islamic militant group
attacked U.S. government facilities in
Benghazi, Libya, leading to the deaths
of four Americans.) The broader
Trump administration ideology —
prioritizing American interests and
letting others lead abroad — may also
be a factor, Morrison said.
“I’m a believer the U.S. should be
leading on the response; we have
exceptional capacity to lead and we’ll
bring others with us,” said Morrison.
“We’re losing the game there and at
risk of a much bigger outbreak. And if
there’s a much bigger outbreak and we
are hanging on the sidelines, we will
be blamed.”
Source: https://www.vox.com
Nov 02 - 08, 2018 19
INTERVIEW
Broad day torture sign
of failing government
Dr Livingstone Ssewanyana is the Executive Director of Foundation for Human Rights Initiative. He spoke
to the Independent’s Agnes E Nantaba about implications of the vivid torture incidents in the country.
Comment on the recent torture
incidences of torture including DP’s
T
Yusuf Kawooya.
he recent arbitrary arrests
of Yusuf Kawooya and
subsequent treatment is a
clear indication of a growing
culture of impunity in the conduct of
state affairs. Not only does it speak
volumes about the lack of respect
for human dignity but it also shows
the lack of professionalism in the
law enforcement system. Like many
other previous ones, it is becoming
increasingly difficult to apportion
responsibility and blame. While some
may put the blame to CMI, SFC, police
or any other security organ, none
of them comes out to clearly claim
responsibility. This mix up indicates
a country that is characterised by a
democratic backlash; that the state
institutions now abdicate their
responsibility of being guardians of
the law and become abusers of the
law creates a sense of hopelessness
in the population and leads to
increasing cases of disappearance
and killings which can’t be explained.
That leaves the duty of the state to
protect people and their property
hanging because when all these
senseless murders occur, it just
20 Nov 02 - 08, 2018
means the state is under siege, is not
They are mindful functioning properly and this is not
by accident, but by design. We started
of the existing expressing our discomfort with the
arbitrariness in the maintenance of
legal framework; law and order some time ago when
especially ever we expressed disappointment with
the militarisation of the police; the
since we enacted army deals with enemies of the state
and the police is supposed to protect
the Prohibition people but when the two roles are
Against Torture mixed up, the lines of responsibility
are lost. We expressed discomfort in
Act 2012 where the continued emergency of militia
groups like Kifeesi, Boda-boda 2010
one is held and as of now, you can’t know who is
individually liable exactly arresting people. Other times,
people have complained about police
having many uniforms which makes
it hard to apportion responsibility
and hold them accountable. The
creation of crime preventers who are
now being deployed as reserve force
and just recently LDU’s which were
created much earlier and proved
a problem. The state is using fear
as an instrument of management
of state affairs that if you dissent
then you must be mindful of the
consequences. So no one can argue
that the state is inept or has no
capacity. For instance, when it
comes to dispersing an opposition
rally, they are very fast and

effective but when it gets to rescuing
people, the police does not turn up.
It is an unfortunate and worrying
trend but also creates the feeling that
Ugandans are capable of moving on
irrespective of the abuses going on.
Often times, the police and other
security agencies like the army have
been accused of engaging in massive
cover-ups of the true suspects in
crimes of torture. What is your take
on that?
They don’t want to be held
responsible for acts of abuse. They
are mindful of the existing legal
framework; especially ever since
we enacted the Prohibition Against
Torture Act 2012 where one is held
individually liable. Initially, it was
the Attorney General who was held
liable on behalf of the state which has
since changed. In an effort to avoid
that responsibility, they all claim
knowledge of who is responsible for
the act, parade people to try to show
their attempts at dealing with the
problem but they don’t go far enough.
They also know that the law states that
you are innocent until proven guilty.
Many of the existing state practices are
diversionary.
To what extent have the provisions
of the Prohibition of the Torture
Act been implemented since it was
passed in 2012?
There were attempts; for instance to
have the DPC who tortured Andrew
Lwanga the WBS TV journalist
tried under the Act but it was not
successful. There have also been
attempts to bring to book former
Inspector General of police Kale
Kayihura but the charges brought
against him in Makindye court were
not successful. There have been
no attempts to implement the law.
The people who are supposed to
implement the law are actually the
targets of the law and that explains
why they are reluctant to implement
this law.
Where do the increasing incidences
of torture leave a country that is
party to the United Nations Torture
Convention?
It is misleading today to argue that
Uganda has respect for international
obligations with the open admissions
on many occasions that rights
don’t matter and that human rights
defenders are a pain the neck.
Going by the outcome of the second
Universal Periodic Review (UPR)
that Uganda underwent, Ugandan
declined to uphold issues to do with
implementation of Torture Act. The
whole question of the death penalty,
electoral reforms, and freedom of
association and assembly were noted
to be unaccepted by the Uganda
government. In practice we are yet
to appreciate the importance of
upholding these international norms
and values.
What can be done to reduce or put an
end to the increasing torture in the
country?
We should not view torture in
isolation; what we are witnessing is
part of a broad governance challenge.
You can’t expect the police to treat
you humanely when they work under
poor conditions or when the lines
of authority are not clear. You can’t
expect that we can uphold the law
when the institutions of the state
are not independent or when there
INTERVIEW
is no culture of constitutionalism. It
would be too idealistic and optimistic
that these problems can disappear
today. The broad agenda is transition,
fair play, equity, independence
of institutions like judiciary and
legislature. Ideally there exist people
who are not held accountable for
anything so they continue to abuse
rights and walk free. There has to be
a renewed commitment to respect
for human rights, rule of law and
democracy. This is a commitment
of not only the citizens but the
leadership. The NRM government in
1986 set out to commit to the respect
of the rule of law, democracy and
human rights but when they abdicated
that, their behavior speaks to another
context. There is also a challenge of
increasingly trading off liberties in
search for economic advantage which
makes it difficult to prioritise rule of
law and respect for human rights.
Where does that leave human rights
defenders?
It means that the rights are
increasingly being relegated to the
periphery; that the rights discourse
is in danger and that there must
be renewed efforts for the rights
discourse to gain prominence. It is
not new since there have always
been periods globally when rights
have been under threat, at the lowest
and there were renewed struggles
to bring them back to moments of
peace and stability worldwide. There
is a very clear connection between
instability, insecurity and abuse of
rights; when abuse of rights gains
more prominence, peace and security
suffers. We need to renew the struggle
for us to enjoy these freedoms.
*terms and conditions apply
AfricellUG @AfricellUG
Nov 02 - 08, 2018 21
obituary
Sarah Ntiro: First East Africa
graduate dies at 93
By Independent Reporter
I
n 1944, Evangeline Sarah Nyendwoha,
might not have imagined it, but she
was about to make a move that would
change her life and that of many women
in Uganda. At the time, she was a 19-year
old student at the prestigious King’s Col-
lege Budo. She had joined the school from
Budo Junior when she was 13 years old. In
1944, she was in the last of her six years and
possibly unsure of her next move. The only
institution of higher learning then; Maker-
ere College admitted only male students.
And to reaffirm its point, its motto was
simply “Let Us be Men”. So Nyendwoha
considered herself locked out.
Despite offering only post-school cer-
tificates and no degrees, 22-year old Mak-
erere College was regarded the center for
higher education in all of the east African
region; which comprised pre-independence
Uganda, Kenya, and then-Tanganyika (now
Tanzania).
Nyendwoha was possibly bitter that, for
her gender, she could not join this presti-
gious institution which was later to morph
into present day Makerere University Kam-
pala. But change was coming.
In 1945 the Makerere College motto was
suddenly changed to “We build for the
future”. It went on to admit its first female
students. Among the six was Nyendwoha.
This girl from Hoima in the Bunyoro
kingdom of western Uganda was surely
born lucky. Her parents; Erasto B. Nyend-
woha Akiiki and Jane Nsungwa Nyendwo-
ha, were teachers, which meant they were
relatively educated, affluent, and liberal. At
a time when girls were only good for mar-
rying, Nyendwoha’s parents found nothing
odd about sending their two children; a boy
and girl to school. A bright child, she easily
excelled and was admitted to King’s Col-
lege Budo which had only started admitting
girls five years earlier in 1933. She stayed
there for six years starting 1938. Then in
1945, another barrier against women was
torn down and she joined Makerere College
to train as a teacher.
A story is often told about how she
preferred to train as a math teacher; since
that was her favourite subject, but she was
rejected by a British tutor who considered
her better suited for “female subjects” like
knitting and tailoring.
According to that story, the tutor refused
to teach the class when the teenager refused
22 Nov 02 - 08, 2018
to leave. So, for the sake of others, she
reportedly submitted and left the sciences
section for the humanities where she stud-
ied history, geography and English. She
also did teaching practice at her alma mater,
King’s College Budo and Kyebambe Girls
School.
However, in an interview in November
2012 with the Financial Times newspaper
titled `First Person: Sarah Ntiro’ she said
simply that one of her teachers suggested
that academically the course at Makerere
was not stretching her enough, and that
she should go to university. Of course, that
meant going abroad, as there was no uni-
versity in Uganda then. She was advised to
apply to Oxford University, was admitted,
and in 1951 started a history degree at St
Anne’s College, Oxford.
She explained that she chose to study
areas that she felt had some bearing on
her life back home. She studied England’s
agricultural revolution because she came
from an agricultural area and the French
revolution because she was proud of com-
ing from Bunyoro Kingdom, and wanted to
know why “anyone would be mad enough
to overthrow their king”. She also studied
English settlement in America to under-
stand what inspired the settlers to make
that dangerous journey across the Atlantic
Ocean.
But, she said, the other big new thing she
learnt was how to ride a bicycle – because
everyone rode bicycles Oxfordshire.
When she graduated in June 1954, she
became east Africa’s first female graduate.
And she returned home by boat so that she
could take her bicycle with her. She recalled
that in Hoima there was a festival for about
a week. She also recalled riding her bicycle
as her father took her to visit relatives.
Then she began teaching at Gayaza
School, Uganda’s oldest girls’ secondary
school, and another legend around her life
was born. It is said she realised that, as a
woman, she was to earn less that her male
counterparts. And she protested, arguing
that she deserved equal pay for equal work.
When that failed, she offered to teach with-
out pay; as a volunteer teacher. Her protest
reached the wife of the colonial governor,
Ms Anne Cohen, who intervened and she
started to receive equal salary with men.
Her stay at Gayaza was short as in 1958
she was appointed to Uganda’s legislative
council, as parliament was known then. She
recalled that she immediately introduced a
private members’ Bill on equal pay for men
and women.
That same year, she married Tanzanian
Prof. Sam Joseph Ntiro, a renowned artist
and one of the founders of the Margaret
Trowel School of Fine Art, Makerere Uni-
versity. Joseph Ntiro went on to become
Tanganyika’s High Commissioner to Britain
and Nyendwoha returned to Britain. Her
husband was a commissioner from 1961-64.
They had two sons.
When she returned to Uganda, she joined
the civil service in the Ministry of Education
from 1965- 1967and was instrumental in
starting the Teaching Service Commission.
She also worked for Makerere University.
Her life’s work, however, was devoted
to fighting for equality for women. She
founded many organisations to support
women. She became an inspiration and
mentor for many girls and women and won
man accolades for it. In 2000 the Forum for
African Women Educationalists – Uganda
(FAWEU) started the Dr. Sarah Ntiro
Lecture and Award Event to celebrate her
achievements.
“I’d still like every woman to know that
you can fight any battle, if it’s worth listen-
ing to,” she said in the 2012 FT interview.
She might have been born to the right
parents at the right time, but she also was a
warrior for women’s rights.

By Robert Mahoney
Stop killing the messenger
Reporters need be allowed to work because silencing
them increases crimes and threatens democracy
W
hat does it cost to silence a
muckraking reporter? In the
Philippines, officials needed
just $250 in 2011 to buy the
services of a journalist-slaying gunman. In
Slovakia, Ján Kuciak and his fiancée were
killed in February for about $80,000.
For corrupt politicians and crime bosses,
neither sum is significant. The cost to
democracy, however, is immeasurable.
Every year, more journalists are murdered
because of their reporting than die in war
zones. Since 1992, when the Committee to
Protect Journalists (CPJ) began compiling
data, 1,324 journalists have been killed on
the job, and 849 of them were executed for
their work. But in nearly 90% of these mur-
ders, the people who ordered the attacks
escaped justice. On the rare occasion that a
full investigation was conducted, only low-
level associates were ensnared. The big fish
usually got away.
The problem is not confined to countries
in the Global South. October 16 marked one
year since Daphne Caruana Galizia, a Mal-
tese journalist investigating corruption, was
killed by a car bomb just minutes after filing
a story that seemed to forecast her death.
Three men have been charged with her
assassination, but the masterminds remain
at large.
Similarly, Slovakia – like Malta a Euro-
pean Union country – has failed to deliver
justice in the brutal murder of Kuciak and
his fiancée, Martina Kušnírová, at their
home near Bratislava. Although police have
made arrests in the case, not all of the orga-
nizers – who presumably did not want him
digging into allegations of mafia activity in
the country – have been found.
And while Saudi Arabia has now
admitted that the journalist and Washington
Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was killed
in the Kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, the
ongoing investigation of the case is equally
unlikely to lead to the prosecution of all
those responsible for his disappearance.
Impunity in such cases is a cancer on
accountability and democracy. Reporters
need the rule of law to work effectively.
When law enforcement and the judiciary
are in thrall to organised crime, journalists
know that no one will protect them when
they dig up stories threatening the interests
of criminals or corrupt officials.
The consequences are easy to spot in a
country like Mexico, where cartel crime
goes unreported in huge swaths of the
country. Brave reporters who have refused
to be cowed have paid with their lives, and
cartel-linked killings have had the intended
effect of silencing others. In fact, most Mex-
ican journalists can instinctively identify
“zones of silence” where democracy and
transparency perish.
In 2013, the United Nations sought to
bring global attention to the problem by
making November 2 the annual Interna-
tional Day to End Impunity for Crimes
Against Journalists. My organisation sup-
ports this effort with our yearly Global
Impunity Index, which shows that democ-
racies like Mexico, Brazil, India, Pakistan,
and the Philippines consistently fail to con-
vict journalists’ killers.
Journalists know that democracy and a
free press are mutually dependent, and
that when reporters are silenced, embezzle-
ment, extortion, and environmental crimes
increase. And while many are fighting back,
they could use some help.
One of the most promising weapons in the
struggle against impunity is sanctions. Since
2016, the Global Magnitsky Human Rights
Accountability Act in the United States
has authorized the US president to impose
visa bans and freeze the assets of foreign
One of
the most
promising
weapons in
the struggle
against
impunity is
sanctions
comment
nationals suspected of gross human rights
violations. Canada enacted its own Mag-
nitsky law in October 2017, while Estonia,
Lithuania, Latvia, and the United Kingdom
have introduced similar measures.
But enacting a law is not the same as
using it. With the exception of several indi-
viduals implicated in the 2004 murder of
Forbes editor Paul Klebnikov in Moscow,
Magnitsky-type laws have not been widely
deployed in the defense of journalists. Gov-
ernments committed to upholding democ-
racy should not hesitate to use the tools at
their disposal to protect those who risk their
lives defending free speech. Governments
in Europe, in particular, have a responsi-
bility to ensure that national and EU-level
commitments are upheld.
Press-freedom organisations can also
do more to end impunity. In Mexico, for
example, CPJ worked with reporters and
advocacy groups to lobby the national
government to treat attacks on journal-
ists as federal offenses – and to bypass
state-level law enforcement agencies when
corruption is suspected. The federal gov-
ernment responded by creating the Special
Prosecutor for Attention to Crimes Against
Freedom of Expression (FEADLE).
Still, a lack of funding for the prosecutor’s
office is threatening to reverse its modest
gains. The incoming government of Presi-
dent-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador
can tackle the impunity problem, but only if
FEADLE is fully resourced.
As governments dither, journalists are
defending themselves the best way they
know how: with journalism. The collective
response to the deaths of Caruana Galizia
and Kuciak illustrates this well. Both were
members of international investigative
networks, and today, those groups are
following the leads and finishing the stories
that murder interrupted. The message
to would-be assassins is simple: killing
reporters will not kill the story.
Robert Mahoney is Deputy Executive Director
of the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2018.
Nov 02 - 08, 2018 23
comment
By Joseph E. Stiglitz
Money in America’s midterm elections
U.S. politics has been corrupted by money, gerrymandering
and massive attempts at disenfranchisement
A
ll eyes are on the United States as
November’s Congressional elec-
tions approach. The outcome will
answer many alarming questions
raised two years ago, when Donald Trump
won the presidential election.
Will the U.S. electorate declare that
Trump is not what America is about?
Will voters renounce his racism,
misogyny, nativism, and protectionism?
Will they say that his “America First”
rejection of the international rule of law
is not what the U.S. stands for? Or will
they make it clear that Trump’s win was
not a historical accident resulting from
a Republican primary process that pro-
duced a flawed nominee and a Demo-
cratic primary process that produced
Trump’s ideal opponent?
As America’s future hangs in the bal-
ance, impassioned debates about what
caused the 2016 outcome are more than
academic. At stake is how the Democratic
Party – and similar parties of the left in
Europe – should position themselves to
win the most votes. Should they lean
toward the center or focus on mobilising
young, progressive, and enthusiastic new-
comers?
There are good reasons to believe that
the latter course is more likely to bring
electoral success and stymie the dangers
posed by Trump.
American voter turnout is abysmal, and
worse in non-presidential-election years.
In 2010, just 41.8% of the electorate voted.
In 2014, only 36.7% of eligible voters cast
ballots, according to data from the United
States Elections Project. Democratic
turnout is even worse, although it appears
to be on the upswing this election cycle.
People often say they don’t vote because
they think it makes no difference: the two
parties are as similar as Tweedledee and
Tweedledum. Trump has shown that’s
not true. The Republicans who aban-
doned all pretense of fiscal rectitude and
voted last year for a massive tax cut for
billionaires and corporations have shown
it’s not true. And the Republican senators
who rallied behind the nomination of US
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh,
despite his misleading testimony and
entirely credible evidence of past sexual
misbehavior, have shown it’s not true.
But the Democrats are also responsible
for voter apathy. The party must over-
24 Nov 02 - 08, 2018
come a long history of collusion with the
right, from President Bill Clinton’s capital
gains tax cut (which enriched the top
1%) and financial market deregulation
(which helped bring on the Great Reces-
sion), to the 2008 bank bailout (which
offered too little to displaced workers and
homeowners facing foreclosure). Over the
last quarter-century, the party has some-
times seemed more focused on winning
the support of those who live on capital
gains than those who live on wages.
Many stay-at-home voters complain that
the Democrats are relying on attacks on
Trump, rather than putting forward a real
alternative.
The thirst for a different kind of con-
tender is evident in voter support for
progressive candidates like former presi-
dential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders
and New York’s 28-year-old Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez, who recently defeated
the fourth-ranking Democrat in the U.S.
House of Representatives in a party pri-
mary.
Progressives like Sanders and Ocasio-
Cortez have managed to present an
attractive message to the voters whom
Democrats must mobilise to win. They
seek to restore access to a middle-class life
by providing decent, well-paying jobs,
reestablishing a sense of financial security,
In 2010, just
41.8% of the
electorate
voted. In 2014,
only 36.7% of
eligible voters
cast ballots,
according to
data from the
United States
Elections Project
and ensuring access to quality education
– without the chokehold of student debt
that so many graduates currently face
– and decent health care, regardless of
pre-existing medical conditions. They call
for affordable housing and a secure retire-
ment in which the elderly are not preyed
on by an avaricious financial sector. And
they seek a more dynamic, competitive,
and fair-market economy by curbing the
excesses of market power, financialisation,
and globalisation, and by strengthening
workers’ bargaining power.
These perquisites of a middle-class life
are attainable. They were affordable a
half-century ago, when the country was
substantially poorer than it is today; and
they are affordable now. In fact, neither
America’s economy nor its democracy
can afford not to bolster the middle class.
Government policies and programs –
including public options for health insur-
ance, supplementary retirement benefits,
or mortgages – are crucial to realising this
vision.
I am encouraged by the outpouring of
support for these progressive proposals
and the political leaders who support
them. In a normal democracy, these ideas
would, I am confident, prevail. But U.S.
politics has been corrupted by money,
gerrymandering and massive attempts at
disenfranchisement. The 2017 tax bill was
nothing short of a bribe to corporations
and the wealthy to pour their financial
resources into the 2018 election. Statistics
show that money matters enormously in
American politics.
Even with a flawed democracy –
including a concerted effort to prevent
some from voting – the power of the
American electorate matters. We will
soon find out whether it matters more
than the money flowing into the Repub-
lican Party’s coffers. America’s political
and economic future, and most likely the
peace and prosperity of the entire world,
depends on the answer.
Joseph E. Stiglitz is the winner of the 2001
Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.
His most recent book is Globalization and its
Discontents Revisited: Anti-Globalization in
the Era of Trump.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2018.

By Barbara Ntambirweki
Dewayne Johnson v. Monsanto
Lessons for Uganda as parliament debates concerns
raised over National Biosafety Bill 2017
I
n August 2018, jurors in California,
USA, ruled that Roundup, a popular
weed killer, was responsible for Mr.
Dewayne Johnson’s terminal cancer
illness. A former groundskeeper, Johnson
was awarded US$289 million in damages
for Monsanto’s failure to warn a ground-
skeeper that Monsanto’s weed killer,
Roundup, might cause cancer. Jurors
found that Monsanto acted with “malice”
and that its weed killers Roundup and
the professional grade version RangerPro
contributed “substantially” to Johnson’s
terminal illness. Monsanto said it would
appeal the decision. Monsanto Vice
President, Scott Partridge, stated: “To-
day’s decision does not change the fact
that more than 800 scientific studies and
reviews—and conclusions by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
the U.S. National Institutes of Health and
regulatory authorities around the world—
support the fact that glyphosate does not
cause cancer, and did not cause Mr. John-
son’s cancer,”
Bayer, a German Agro chemical com-
pany, recently acquired Monsanto for
US$ 63 billion. Both Bayer and Monsanto
are major global manufacturers of agro-
chemicals and seeds, including genetically
modified (GM) seed. The merged entity
will be the world’s largest supplier by
sales of both seeds and pesticides, con-
trolling up to 30 percent of the world’s
commercial seed markets and 24 percent
of the world’s pesticide markets. In 2015,
the World Health Organisation (WHO’s)
International Agency for Research for
Cancer released a hazard statement
that found glyphosate to be “probably
carcinogenic to humans”. In December
2017, the United States Environmental
Protection Agency released a draft human
health risk assessment that concluded that
“glyphosate is not likely to be carcino-
genic to humans.” Monsanto claims that
several scientific studies have been done
proving that roundup does not cause
cancer.
However, according to the evidence
produced in the Johnson case and internal
emails between Monsanto scientists, it
was acknowledged that roundup – the
glyphosate weed killer that Monsanto
sells, does cause damage. Glyphosate is
the world’s most used active ingredient
in herbicides. Genetically modified (GM)
crops grown worldwide are engineered
to tolerate being sprayed with glyphosate
herbicides. The idea behind such crops
is to simplify weed control for farmers.
The farmer could douse the entire field
with glyphosate herbicide, killing all
weeds without killing the crop. In this
case Mr. Johnson developed a severe and
fatal form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
while working as a school groundskeeper,
repeatedly spraying with large quanti-
ties of Monsanto’s Roundup and other
glyphosate herbicide brands.
This case is a massive precedent for
thousands of other cases in the USA
against the world’s largest agrochem-
ical company. Another trial is set for
October where more than 450 lawsuits
are pending in U.S. District Court in San
Francisco, filed by people alleging that
exposure to Roundup herbicide caused
them or their loved ones to develop non-
Hodgkin lymphoma, and that Monsanto
covered up the risks.  held strictly liable for any damage caused.
Increasingly there is growing evidence
linking the use of glyphosate weed killer
to a range of health problems and dis-
eases. According to statistics available,
glyphosate is used around the globe
(an estimated 826kg a year). It has been
noted that glyphosate residues are com-
monly found in food, water supplies, in
In Uganda,
several
farmers are
using various
chemicals to
kill weeds on
their farms
comment
soil and air samples. In Uganda, several
farmers are using various chemicals to kill
weeds on their farms. Are they safe for
agricultural use? Are they a health hazard
to our food chain? As a matter of impor-
tance we need to reflect on the toxicity
of glyphosate in food to assess whether
foods sprayed with herbicides containing
glyphosate are safe to consume.
As members of parliament continue
to deliberate on the National Biosafety
Bill 2017 to address the concerns raised
by the President of Uganda, The pre-
cautionary principle should be followed
as the guiding principle of our law as
enshrined in the Cartagena Protocol
to which Uganda is a signatory. The
principle implies that there is a social
responsibility to protect the public from
exposure to harm. We need to ensure that
a strict liability is clearly stipulated in our
law indicating that whoever introduces a
GMO, or any other chemical, should be
This will ensure that the big multinational
companies are held accountable for the
public health and other risks caused by
their products and supplies.
The Uganda National Bureau of Stan-
dards (UNBS) should endeavor to ensure
that roundup, or any other Glyphosate-
containing herbicide, is not allowed in
our markets. Perhaps cancer ailments are
on the increase in Uganda partly because
we are exposed to many carcinogenic
substances: in this case efforts should be
made to investigate most-consumed prod-
ucts on the Ugandan market to establish
their possible carcinogenic contents.
In light of the verdict of the Johnson
case, it is imperative that the controversy
surrounding glyphosate becomes the
basis of discussion for deeper conversa-
tion about future direction of Uganda’s
agriculture system. We need to shift from
chemical input intensive weed manage-
ment to Agroecology methodologies.
Agroecology is gaining interest world-
wide as an effective answer to climate
change and interrelated challenges facing
food systems.
The writer is a Research Fellow with
Advocates Coalition for Development and
Environment (ACODE) b.ntambirweki@
acode-u.org
Nov 02 - 08, 2018 25
President Museveni (R) interacts with officials of AGR at the official launch of the refinery in Entebbe on Feb.20, 2017.

Battle for gold lack of well-regulated system in Central

and East Africa.
However, AGR has also been accused
previously for being opaque when it
comes to disclosing the source of its gold
Weak legal regime fuelling and general business operations.
But in an email to The Independent, a
rivalry amongst refineries one Cheery, the administrator at AGR
said: “AGR handles and processes gold
from the approved licensed dealers.”
She said that since AGR started

E
By Julius Businge
xecutives at the East Africa’s
largest refinery, Africa Gold
Refinery are nervous about
the future of the country’s
precious industry.
The firm’s Chief Executive
Officer, Alain Goetz, said during the 2018
Mineral Wealth Conference in Kampala
that the fears emanates from smuggling
and exports of raw gold, a situation that
could threaten formalized businesses
such as theirs.
He said the government’s initiative of
mineral certification that comes out of the
Great Lakes region such as gold is not
only impractical but also cumbersome.
“We want to have a system which is
more practical, cheaper and is easy for
African miners to operate,” he told The
Independent.
A source that understands the inner
workings of the Entebbe based refinery
told The Independent that AGR business
might not be sustainable if smuggling
and related irregular gold activities are
not stopped.
The source said for many decades,
gold has been trafficked directly out of
the region via several gold market hubs,
particularly to the Middle East due to
poorly considered fiscal regimes for
small-scale producers and traders and
operations in Uganda in 2015, it has been
declaring every single gold export and
that Uganda Revenue Authority captures
all the statistics that are also accessible at
the Bank of Uganda.
She said AGR has paid over
Shs1.8billion as tax to URA – which
includes 18% VAT, PAYE, import duties,
withholding tax, infrastructure levy,
excise duty, domestic VAT, environmental
levy, motor vehicle registration and
local taxes. And that the company also
employs 85 local workers who have been
trained in gold trade by experts from
Dubai and Europe.
This development comes barely three
years since AGR opened its US$23million

26 Nov 02 - 08, 2018


refinery facility in Entebbe to process gold
for exports.
The company had in 2017 alone
exported 7.3tonnes of pure gold out of the
refined 7.6tonnes as at the end of October
16.
This also coincides with the Uganda
Revenue Authority’s recent move to
license two new gold refinery companies
– Bullion Gold and Simba Gold.
This development coupled with the
gold smuggling seems to have triggered
panic among the AGR executives, and are
now calling for new measures to curb the
vice.
Sources say smuggling of minerals
in the country including gold is aided
by weaknesses in security checks at the
Airport.
“Banning the transport of precious
metals as hand luggage at Entebbe
Airport is a significant factor to reduce the
smuggling,” a source said, adding “apart
from this, there are some purported
refineries that do not have legitimate
refining facilities, but are exporting raw
gold without paying the 5% royalties.”
The source said that there should be
refinery accreditation initiatives which
certify gold and silver refinery regulated
by Bank of Uganda or other government
entities.
The source adds that the refinery
company must also comply with
international standards and strict criteria
prior to getting any related licenses as
well as ensuring that the companies add
value to the precious commodity.
Back in 2014, President Yoweri
Museveni said during the 3rd Mineral
Wealth Conference in Kampala that
value-addition was the only pathway to
job creation.
“You should always bear this in mind,
add value to minerals so that we get more
jobs as well as build technical capacity
and a strong base for the economy,” he
said then.
However, the absence of a law or
policy banning exports of this precious
commodity has seen traders export
unprocessed gold, leaving the country to
only reap peanuts.
Whereas AGR claims to refine gold to
99.99% for export and meets the other
stringent requirements, sources in the
industry claim Simba Gold Refinery and
Bullion Gold Refinery are refining only
at 94%.
Although The Independent could not
get hold of the two companies, scanty
information on Bullion Refinery website
states that ‘it is Ugandan company
and employs Ugandan personnel in all
technical processes to ensure a beneficial
transfer of skills and technology.”
It is not clear where Simba refinery
operates from though sources said it
Alain Goetz Dicksons Kateshumbwa
The report indicates
that gold export
permits issued were
for only 16.281
kilograms
compared to
records from URA
which indicated that
8,691
kilograms
of gold, valued at
US$339.09
million
were exported
exports its gold through Bullion Refinery
for reasons that are known to them.
Tough law, audit in offing
Robert Kasande, the permanent
secretary for the Ministry of Energy
and Mineral Development told The
Independent that they are reviewing the
2003 Mining Act to include value addition
on all raw materials including gold as
measure to stop raw gold exports.
Asked to explain reports about
companies exporting raw gold and not
paying the legal 5% royalties, Kasande
said it was the responsibility of URA.
However, Dicksons Kateshumbwa,
the Uganda Revenue Authority Assistant
Commissioner for Customs said the
Mining Act 2003 mandates the ministry of
energy to collect royalties.
The 2016/2017 Auditor General’s report
revealed that gold exports recorded by
the directorate of geological surveys and
mines in the ministry of energy were
not tallying with ones declared by the
Uganda Revenue Authority – that means
officials have to wakeup.
business
The report indicates that gold export
permits issued were for only 16.281
kilograms compared to records from URA
which indicated that 8,691 kilograms of
gold, valued at US$339.09 million were
exported.
“There was equally no evidence of
payment of royalties on the exported
gold. The above implies that, during the
financial year, the country lost revenue
ranging from US$3.39m to US$16.95m
in royalties from the undeclared gold
exports and imports depending on
the applicable rates of 1% and 5% for
the imported or locally mined gold
respectively,” the report revealed.
Meanwhile, Kateshumbwa said they
had instituted an audit to investigate
reports that the two new refineries
(Simba and Bullion) were not meeting the
standards stipulated in the manufacture
under bond license.
“When you look at what they are
exporting its characteristics are like those
of AGR,” Kateshumbwa said.
He said that if the two companies are
found guilty, revoking their license and
other penalties as provided for in the laws
will be applied.
Kateshumbwa, however, said the two
new refineries are ideally sparking a
business rivalry with AGR given that gold
is a scarce raw material.
He said having many refineries in the
sector would help in fighting informality
which has seen government lose billions
of taxes and Ugandans losing out on jobs.
Don Binyina, the executive director at
Africa Centre for Energy and Mineral
Policy (ACEMP) told The Independent
that these fights are happening
partly because of the absence of the
comprehensive law to guide on mining,
refining and exporting of gold.
He said that the new mining policy
that was cleared by Cabinet in July this
year would help to minimize the current
rivalry.
He also supports the idea of licensing
more gold refineries in the country as
one way of fueling competition in the
sector, creating new jobs and taxes to
government, and dealing with the issue of
gold smuggling.
Data from Bank of Uganda shows
that gold exports recorded an increase
in earnings by US$36million to
US$340million in 2016 compared with the
previous year even as the country was
not known as a big gold exporter. This
was good news because gold became
Uganda’s second largest export good after
coffee.
Therefore, any move by government to
fight smuggling and other irregular trade
of the mineral would yield more tangible
economic benefits.
Nov 02 - 08, 2018 27
business
What is behind Africa’s
crypto-phobia?
African central banks should set up specialised units
dedicated to researching cryptocurrencies
By Allen Choruma
A
s the use of cryptocurrencies
gains momentum, African
central banks, gripped by
crypto-phobia, are pressing
panic buttons, with some taking the easy
way out by banning the use and trading
in cryptocurrencies in their territories.
What are they afraid of? African
Business Magazines’ Allen Choruma
writes.
Cryptocurrencies, also known as
virtual currencies, are a digital medium
of exchange, which is unlike our normal
fiat currency that exists in the form
of physical bank notes or coins, or
commodity money, backed by gold or
other precious stones.
The blockchain digital technology is
as vital to cryptocurrencies as the central
nervous system is to humans. Blockchain
uses cryptography to create (mine)
and store units, secure transactions,
transfer tokens and effect payments.
These processes metamorphose a crypto
28 Nov 02 - 08, 2018
from being a mere digital token into a
digitised asset with an economic value.
That is to say, users can earn it, store it,
trade it, transfer it, and sell it.
African central banks by and large do
not recognise cryptocurrencies as money,
mediums of exchange or legal tender.
But this is not only unique to Africa as
similar patterns are being experienced
in other parts of the world, especially
developing countries.
In Europe and the US, central
banks have generally cautioned, but
not banned, the use of or trading in
cryptocurrencies. Although trading
in cryptocurrencies in Africa has not
spread widely to people at the bottom
of the pyramid, their use is spiralling
upward like a whirlwind in tandem with
ICT technological advancements, high
mobile penetration, growth in literacy,
and financial inclusion and consumer
sophistication.
African central banks link
cryptocurrencies to price volatility,
fraud, money laundering, tax evasion,
exchange control circumventions,
terrorism financing and other criminal
activities fuelling illicit financial
transactions. While some of these
concerns are genuine, others tend to be
rhetorical and hyperbolic, as traditional
financial systems are also fraught with
similar risks.
Gripped by crypto-phobia, African
central banks have convulsed, issuing a
plethora of warnings against the use of
cryptocurrencies while others have gone
to extremes, outright banning trading
in them – an easier way out of what
they perceive as the ‘crypto-quagmire’.
According to a March 31, 2018 public
notice issued by Adikwu Igoche,
Manager, Research Development at
Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation
(NDIC), cryptocurrencies are not
recognised as currency in Nigeria as
they do not belong to the category of
currencies or coins issued by the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Similar announcements were issued by
Uganda’s Central Bank during the Africa

Blockchain Conference in Kampala in
May this year and so is Kenya’s Central
Bank in December, 2015.
Bank of Uganda Governor, Prof
Emmanuel Tumusiime- Mutebile
said blockchain technology lacks the
necessary prerequisites to work as
a currency and that people who sell
cryptocurrencies risk being burned when
the bubble eventually bursts.
He cautioned that no cryptocurrency
can match the legality of a national
currency adding that the technology can
only succeed in the presence of a legal
provision to give a currency status to a
crypto.
“Cryptocurrencies perform only two
functions. First, they allow payments
especially cross-border payments to be
made anonymously there by facilitating
illicit transactions such as money
laundering and financing of crime,”
Mutibile said.
“Second, cryptocurrencies offer
an avenue for speculation. However,
unlike many other assets which attract
speculators such as gold or equities,
cryptocurrencies have no intrinsic value.
Unless cryptocurrencies can command
worldwide acceptance as a medium of
exchange, the demand for them will be
negligible.” he added.
Other African countries such as
Morocco (2017) and Algeria (2018) have
promulgated laws banning the usage
and ownership of virtual currencies. The
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)
in May this year issued a notice
warning the public against the use
of cryptocurrencies and directing all
banking institutions in the country not
to provide banking services to facilitate
any person or entity in dealing with or
setting up cryptocurrencies.
RBZ announced in the same notice that
Bitfinance (trading as Golix) and Styx24,
leading local cryptocurrency exchanges,
were not licensed by it and any person
buying, selling or otherwise transacting in
cryptocurrencies, did so at their own risk
and will not have recourse to the central
bank. On May 15 Golix was directed by
RBZ to cease all cryptocurrency exchange
operations in Zimbabwe. Golix was in
the process of rolling out its initial coin
offering (ICO) which sought to raise $32m
through a token sale. Golix was stopped
right in its tracks by the RBZ, but didn’t
take this threat lying down.
Golix filed an urgent chamber
application with the High Court in
Zimbabwe challenging the legality of
RBZ’s ban on the basis that the central
bank acted illegally, irrationally and
unconstitutionally and outside the ambits
of administrative law in closing its virtual
currency exchange. The High Court,
on May 24 issued a default judgement
Emmanuel Tumusiime- Mutebile
against RBZ and ruled, inter alia, that
“The ban issued by the respondents [RBZ]
against the applicant [Golix], directing
it to cease its operations, shut down its
cryptocurrencies exchange business and
ordering the closure of its bank accounts
with its bankers, be and is hereby
suspended…”
It seems central bank challenges in
dealing with virtual currencies are not
only restricted to Africa. India seems
to be faced with similar challenges on
how to deal with virtual currencies, just
as Africa is. The Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) in April this year issued an official
statement banning financial institutions
and consumers from the use of virtual
currencies. The RBI notice read as follows:
“Reserve Bank of India has repeatedly
cautioned users, holders and traders of
virtual currencies, including Bitcoins,
regarding various risks associated in
dealing with such virtual currencies. In
view of the associated risks, it has been
decided that, with immediate effect,
entities regulated by RBI shall not deal
or provide services to any individual or
business entities dealing with or settling
virtual currencies… ”
The Internet and Mobile Association
of India (IAMAI) filed a petition with
the Indian Supreme Court challenging
the RBI ban on virtual currencies and
seeking court relief to set it aside. The
court provisionally upheld the RBI ban on
virtual currencies until a date was set for
the hearing of the petition.
Though the court heard the petition
in July, it could only listen to limited
arguments, postponing the matter to
September for a full hearing.
The legal position
The legal challenge for African central
banks is that their cases may not hold water
in courts as there is limited legal precedence
and in many countries there are no laws
that address issues of virtual currencies.
business
Legal cases, triggered by central bank
prohibitions involving virtual currencies,
have only now started to appear before
the courts. The banning of trading in
cryptocurrencies from mainstream financial
systems does not seem to be practical and
effective. Such prohibitions force consumers
to use black market trading avenues or
simply resort to peer-to-peer (P2P) digital
trading platforms.
How South Africa is handling the
issue
The South African Reserve Bank
(SARB) has taken a very pragmatic
approach. While the SARB does not
officially recognise cryptocurrencies
as ‘money’ but as ‘cyber-tokens’, it is
considered as one of the pioneers in
Africa over the use of cryptocurrencies.
SARB has preferred to adopt a more
cautious but pragmatic approach to
ensure that the use of cryptocurrencies
complies with relevant financial
surveillance and exchange-control
regulations. 
Already a sizeable number of
merchants in South Africa have
embraced cryptocurrencies and accept
Bitcoin for payments. François Groepe,
Deputy Governor of SARB, was quoted
by the online Cryptonews in May as
saying the central bank has set up a
special unit to review the possibility of
putting in place crypto-specific policies
and regulations.
More stable alternative
Africans are becoming attracted to
cryptocurrencies not only as speculative
investments, but as alternative and
cheaper  payment and settlement
methods, conduits for capital
investments and options for savings
and storing value as most African fiat
currencies are very volatile and unstable
and do not hold value against major
currencies such as the US dollar.
 Technological innovations underlying
cryptocurrencies such as blockchain
should be embraced by central banks
as they have the potential to improve
efficiency in financial services.
Instead of throwing tantrums at
technological innovations, African
central banks should be pragmatic
and set up specialised units dedicated
to researching cryptocurrencies and
emerging blockchain and other digital
and artificial intelligence technologies
to enable them to come up with
informed and guided practical policy
and regulatory interventions that work
for Africa.
Adopted from African Business Magazine.
Additional reporting by Isaac Khisa.
Nov 02 - 08, 2018 29
 Executive Style
‘It is the right time for e-commerce’
What are the reasons
behind Jumia’s success
W
story in Uganda?
e have been
growing
because of our
best prices
in the market. We offer
convenience by delivering
products to customers. We
guarantee our products –
the quality is good and we
deal in genuine products.
We also allow customers
to pay after receiving the
product and allow them to
return the product in seven
days in case they are not
comfortable with it.
What is your assessment of
e-commerce in Uganda and
the region at the moment?
E-commerce is on the
upswing evidenced by
many companies coming on
the market – Uber, Taxify,
SafeBoda and others. This
is the time for e-commerce
in Uganda. People are
using technology to get
convenience.
In the U.S and Europe,
internet business makes up
15% of the overall economy
but in Uganda and most
African countries, internet
or e-commerce makes up
less than 1% of the economy,
which means 99% of trade
is still happening offline.
But the opportunity is here,
companies are making
money, customers are
buying, businesses are selling
and internet is becoming
cheaper and more affordable.
This is the good time for
e-commerce.
How has a slowing economy
affected online business in
recent years?
Despite the economy
being tough, Jumia has been
growing steadily. Obviously
if the economy was better,
we would even have a more
positive story. We are part
and partial of the Ugandan
experience.
What is your strategy for
30 Nov 02 - 08, 2018
Ron Kawamara is Jumia Uganda’s new
Chief Executive Officer. He spoke to The
Independent’s Julius Businge about his
strategy and related online developments.
turning around fortunes of
Jumia Uganda?
I want to make sure that
we continue to have the best
prices, the widest range of
products and to give our
customers the best experience
by delivering on time.
How positive has been
your business to Uganda’s
economy?
We employ hundreds of
people directly and several
indirectly. We have our
business partners – hotels,
sellers, restaurants who are
making a lot of revenue
through this alternative line
of revenue. For customers,
they are able to save money
and use savings to do other
development things. In
addition, we train young
leaders – for instance,
Uber and Taxify managing
directors have all been
trained at Jumia.
How are you dealing with
the challenges that you face
as a business?
Internet is still expensive
for many of our customers
and as a result, many of them
find it expensive to reach us
online and we lose on those
sales. That is the biggest
challenge.
So how should relevant
players go about driving
down the cost of the
internet?
I must admit that internet
prices are reducing but not
fast enough. Government
can help reduce it faster by
investing in infrastructure.
There are many people who
don’t understand that a
lot of fiber has been laid in
Kampala and that they can
connect to it. There needs
to be an education on the
benefits of using the internet
and how affordable it is
becoming day-by-day.
What is your position on
regulating e-commerce in
this country?
We welcome regulation
because we want to
play in a clean and safe
environment. Regulation
should protect the buyer
and the seller. Laws
regarding data protection
for the consumer are
coming and we hope
government will ensure
that whoever goes to the
internet plays by the rules.
What should consumers
expect from Jumia’s black
Friday starting Nov.16 –
Dec.7?
Black Friday is the
biggest online sale of
the year. We negotiate
thousands of deals for our
customers. We have up
to 80% discounts on over
1000 products. This is the
only time that you find the
best prices in Uganda in a
short period of time. We
negotiate with importers,
manufacturers, distributors
to achieve this. We hope to
generate Shs17.5bn in terms
of economic activity during
that period.
Going forward, what is your
reading of e-commerce and
Jumia’s business in Uganda?
In the next 5-10 years,
Jumia will be a household
name that will be known for
good quality, best prices and
with happiest customers. We
believe internet technology
is a great equaliser and can
allow us offer people the
value that people who are not
online canot get. E-commerce
is no longer the future, it is
here with us.
In executing your roles, what
defines your leadership
traits?
I try to understand people.
I invest time to understand
the inner person and through
that I am able to get the best
out of people. I understand
my team; I know their fears
and I know what it takes to
manage them.

TAX
Kenya’s fuel dealers told to issue receipts
T
he Kenya Revenue
Authority now wants
oil marketers to issue
electronic tax register
receipts to motorists fuelling at
their stations following the sign-
ing of the Finance Bill, which
loaded 8 percent Value Added
Tax on petroleum products, ac-
cording to the country’s media.
The taxman says petrol
TRADE
Africa gets private sector to spearhead FTA
President Museveni (in a hat )with members of the private sector in Kampala.  COURTESY /PHOTO
A
frica’s leading private
sector institutions and
corporates have estab-
lished a Pan-African
Private Sector Trade and Invest-
ment Committee (PAFTRAC) to
serve as an advocacy platform
to support the implementa-
BANKING
Centenary, MasterCard widens payment option
C O
entenary Bank in partnership
with MasterCard and M-KO-
PA Solar has unveiled Quick
Response (QR) payment
technology to enable customers con-
veniently pay for the solar services.
Centenary Bank’s Managing
Director, Fabian Kasi, said the tripar-
tite partnership shall enhancing the
bank’s efforts towards promoting the
use of clean and safe energy by its
customers in the various communi-
ties.
“The mode of payment is an
affordable solution for our custom-
ers, many of whom live in rural areas
with little or no access to electricity
and other necessities including struc-
tured financing which this campaign
stations risk penalties for non-
compliance to the requirement
which most marketers believe is
logistically strenuous owing to
the high number of transactions
taking place in petrol stations.
Judith Njagi, the chief man-
ager for domestic taxes at KRA
told petroleum dealers during a
stakeholder engagement forum
in Nairobi that the Authority
tion of the African Continental
Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and
enhance African private sec-
tor participation in trade and
investment policy formulation,
including trade negotiations.
A communique issued in
Addis Ababa on Oct. 18 at the
addresses,” he said.
M-KOPA’s life-changing products
combine lights, mobile phone charg-
ing, radios, smart phones, TVs and
fridges.
To connect to M-KOPA and start
to build their credit history, custom-
ers pay a deposit and then small
daily payments towards electricity
that are usually less than what they
would have spent on kerosene,
candles and batteries over the same
period of time.
This comes as data from the Unit-
ed States Agency for International
Development shows that Uganda
has one of the lowest electrification
rates in Africa, at 22 percent as at the
end of last year.
Business
officials will be using undercov-
er purchase agents to determine
non-compliant dealers who will
then face appropriate penalties.
The dealers, however, said
they should be exempted from
the hustle since petroleum is a
highly regulated product whose
sales are easy to track through
the pump and supply chain.
TELECOM
Airtel launches 4G
smartphone
A
end of a meeting co-hosted
by the African Export-Import irtel Uganda has put
Bank (Afreximbank) and the on the market a mobile
African Union Commission, telephone it describes
said PAFTRAC would enhance as 4G for its Ugandan
African private sector participa- customers. Officials said the mo-
tion and galvanize the views of bile phone cost is Shs200, 000.
the African private sector, main- The gadget comes with value
streaming them into trade and back to the customer of 15GB of
investment policy making. data amounting to Shs90, 000,
The African Union Commis- a 4G SIM card, one year war-
sioner for Trade and Industry, ranty, 200SMS working for Airtel
Amb. Albert Muchanga, who customers and Shs500 worth of
co-chaired a meeting with Prof. airtime.
Benedict Oramah, the president The company’s Chief Com-
Afreximbank, said PAFTRAC mercial Officer, Amit Kapur,
was an important stepping- said on Oct.22 that they expect
stone towards the establishment the new mobile gadget to
of the African Business Council improve people’s lives through
provided for under the AfCFTA e-commerce, education and
Framework. Continental free financial inclusion.
trade is expected to take effect
next year.
TELECOM
Airtel Africa raises US$1.25bn
n Oct. 25, to reduce existing debt
Airtel Af- of about $5 billion and
rica Ltd, a grow its Africa opera-
subsidiary tions.
of India’s Bharti Airtel “The transaction
Ltd, said it raised $1.25 will help us further
billion from six global leverage our balance
investors including sheet and boost our
SoftBank Group Corp, capacity to upgrade
Warburg Pincus LLC networks, expand
and Temasek Hold- coverage in different
ings (Private) Ltd. markets and achieve
The firm said the rapid growth of Airtel
fundraising, through Money across our
a primary equity issu- operations,” Raghu-
ance, now values the nath Mandava, chief
telecommunications executive of Bharti
company at us $4.4 bil- Airtel’s Africa unit,
lion and will be used said in a statement.
Nov 02 - 08, 2018 31
Business

KQ opens E. African
skies to United States
By Isaac Khisa & Agencies Kenya Airways has dedi-

T
he newly unveiled Ke-
nya Airways non-stop
daily flights between
Nairobi and New York
is set to open up the East Afri-
can skies to the United States,
making a milestone develop-
ment in travel and tourism
business in the region.
The carrier’s long-awaited
inaugural flight was unveiled
on October 28 at 11: PM a
board 234 passengers, becom-
ing the third African carrier to
Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma flags off Kenya enter the US skies directly from
Airways’ first ever direct flight to New York, USA, at the Jomo Kenyatta their hubs.
International Airport on October 29, 2018.   Courtesy Photo. Ethiopian Airlines and South
African Airways are the only
other African carriers that have
been granted Category One
permit to access the US skies.
RwandAir, which has sub-
mitted application to directly
fly to the United States, still
awaits approval from the US
Federal Aviation Administra-
tion. Kenya Airways first flight
between JKIA in Nairobi and
the JF Kennedy International
Airport comes more than a
year since the US Federal
Aviation Administration gave
Kenya the Category One rating
in February 2017.
Airtel Uganda MD VG Somasekhar (2nd R), Buganda Prime Minister,
Peter Mayiga (R) and the Buganda King, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi (L)
hands over a trophy to Ssingo FC for emerging winners of this year’s
Masaza Cup 18 final on October 27. Ssingo FC edged out Buddo FC
during the finals held at Namboole Stadium.   Courtesy Photo.
cated two Dreamliner aircraft
to the daily non-stop flights on
the Nairobi to New York route
made up of a night flight from
Nairobi and a mid-day return
flight from New York. The car-
rier takes 15 hours to connect
the two destinations, down
from 17-28 hours using other
carriers with connecting flights
through their hubs.
This new development
is expected to reduce over-
reliance on foreign carriers to
bring US visitors to the Eastern
and Central African states
through their hubs outside the
region.
President Uhuru Kenyatta
said that the new route will
open up Kenya to the rest of
the world.
“These flights are set to pro-
vide a seamless experience for
business and leisure travellers
alike. It will allow the world to
taste Kenya’s diverse cultures
and hospitality,” he said.
The carrier, which flies 53
destinations, 45 in Africa,
charges Shs 3.3milion return
ticket for an economy class
and Shs 9.6million for a
business class between two
destinations.

Weekly share price movement (Oct. 26, 2018)

Security Oct.26 Oct. 10 Movement
BATU 30,000 30000 00
BOBU 140 125 12
CENT 918 976 5.9
QCL 253 262 3.4
DFCU 849 849 00
EABL 6,644 6,950 4.4
EBL 1,438 1,484 3.0
JHL 15,850 16,981 6.7
KA 426 409 4.2
KCB 1,484 1,469 0.1
NIC 16 16 00
NMG 2,579 2,667 3.2
NVL 350 400 12.5
(L-R) Global Alliance for Banking on Values Executive Director,
Marcos Eguiguren, Centenary Bank MD Fabian Kasi and Prof Chris SBU 33 33 00
Ogbechie former Chairman, Diamond Trust Bank Plc addressing UCHM 24 30 20
journalists during the Global Alliance for Banking on Values UCL 23 23 00
conference at Sheraton Hotel recently.   Courtesy Photo UMEME 347 350 0.9
ALSI -- -- --

32 Nov 02 - 08, 2018

D
By Agencies

octors need to get better at

having difficult conversa-
tions with dying patients
and not just in their final
days, according to a report
from the Royal College of
Physicians.
It says doctors should talk to people who
could die within 12 months, who may be
frail or terminally ill, and give them choices
over their future care.
But the report says that rarely happens
and doctors should be more proactive.
It recommends involving family, friends
and carers in the conversation too.
The report, `Talking about dying’, gath-
ered the views of patients, trainees and doc-
tors on how to begin conversations about

Sickness and death

the end of someone’s life.
Although doctors say they find these
types of conversations challenging, the
report said it was important they didn’t
“shy away” from them.
It said doctors in all areas of healthcare
should engage with a patient who wanted
to talk about dying.
But it shouldn’t be “a one-off, tick-box
event”.
Linda Magistris set up a charity called the
Good Grief Trust after her husband died
from cancer.
She says she was shocked by the way he
was told the end was close.
“They literally just said you’ve got weeks
to live, and, sadly, it was done in an envi-
ronment that wasn’t private.
“There were five people around the bed,
pagers were going off at the same time - it
was very chaotic.
“That was a private moment and a really
significant moment for him and it should
have been done more sensitively.”
How do you talk about dying to someone
who is dying?
Dying of frailty
One in three adults admitted to hospital
with a serious illness or injury and 80% of
care home residents are estimated to be in
their last year of life.
The General Medical Council says
patients should be considered to be
approaching the end of their life if they:
are likely to die in the next year, have pro-
gressive, incurable conditions, have other
conditions and are generally frail, have con-
ditions that could cause death if there was a
sudden deterioration, have life-threatening
acute conditions caused by sudden cata-
strophic events.
Doctors ‘need to start early conversation
with patients about dying’
But only a quarter of patients in these
categories are given the chance to discuss
the end of their life with a doctor, the report
says, and those with heart failure, dementia
and frailty are much less likely to be identi-
fied.
Nearly half of all deaths in England hap-
pen in hospital - and 25% of people who die
there have been in hospital for more than a
month.
But surveys suggest hospitals are where
communication about the end of life is
poorest.
What should doctors do?
 Ask the patient if they would like to
have the conversation and how much
information they want
 All healthcare professionals treating
patients with chronic conditions or a
terminal illness should help plan their
care
 Start conversations about the future at
any point - and there doesn’t have to be
a conclusion reached
 Use appropriate language with patients
and their families - and involve all the
relevant people
 The report suggests junior doctors don’t
get enough hands-on training talking
about dying with real patients.
Dr Victoria Tzortziou Brown, from the
Royal College of GPs, said patients should
feel reassured that GPs were “highly-
trained to have sensitive conversations”
with them and their families.
She said: “The entire relationship
between GP and patient is based on good
communication, and we have a unique role
in the NHS of caring for our patients from
when they are born to the end of their lives.
“We are pleased that the report highlights
this and hope it will help GPs and other
healthcare professionals with their conver-
sations on these important issues.”
‘Clear conversations’
Prof Andrew Goddard, president of the
Royal College of Physicians London, said:
“This is not just about palliative care in
the final days but about having a series of
conversations much earlier after a termi-
nal diagnosis.”
Prof Dame Jane Dacre, the previous
president of the RCP, said: “Patients value
and benefit from clear conversations
about the end of life.
“These conversations are difficult, but
we need to get better at having difficult
conversations.”
Source: BBC

Nov 02 - 08, 2018 33

health
Latest on brain cancer treatment
Why killing the fastest growing cells
may not be the only treatment
By Florian Siebzehnrubl
B
rain cancers are fortunately rare
tumours in adults. Nevertheless,
the most common type of brain
cancer, glioblastoma, is incurable
and almost always lethal. Because of the
lack of effective therapies, the average sur-
vival with glioblastoma is only 15 months.
US senator, John McCain suffered from this
form of tumour, as did former British MP
Tessa Jowell, who was outspoken about the
need for more experimental treatments.
Finding new and more effective thera-
pies for glioblastoma is very difficult for
many reasons. Glioblastoma cells can move
far away from the main tumour into the
healthy brain, which makes complete surgi-
cal removal of the cancer impossible. These
cancers are typically also very resistant to
current drugs and radiation therapy. As a
result, glioblastomas usually regrow after
treatment, and these “recurrent” tumours
tend to resist all efforts to treat them and
ultimately cause the patient’s demise.
The so-called “blood-brain barrier” pre-
vents many anti-cancer drugs that work
well in other organs from entering the brain
in the first place. This severely limits the
number of drugs that can be applied. Glio-
blastomas are also very dissimilar between
patients, and no genes are known that are
mutated in all glioblastomas. Even within
a tumour in a single patient, there are large
differences in the tumour cells themselves.
34 Nov 02 - 08, 2018
It is these differences between tumour cells
that we wanted to understand better.
Feeding on fats and sugars
In a recent study, we compared glioblas-
toma cells and how fast they divided. And
we saw that there were remarkable differ-
ences in the division rate of these tumour
cells.
This led us to classify glioblastoma cells
into faster-dividing and slower-dividing
cancer cells and we investigated these
further. Intuitively, we expected faster-
dividing cells to be more aggressive, as they
cause a tumour to grow more rapidly. But
surprisingly, we found that glioblastoma
cells that are dividing slower were more
likely to resist chemotherapy.
Likewise, slower cells were more likely to
move away from the main tumour, making
them harder to remove surgically. Genetic
signatures of these slower cells resemble sig-
natures of “recurrent” glioblastoma, which
indicates that slower cells may in fact be the
ones that cause tumours to regrow.
Interestingly, the genetic signatures of
“recurrent” glioblastomas and slower divid-
ing glioblastoma cells were similar and
revealed an increased dependence on fats
for energy consumption of these tumours.
Since the 1920s it has been hypothesised
that cancers predominantly rely on a less
effective way than normal cells of using
sugars for their energy support. This is
known as the Warburg effect.
Our research shows this to be true for
faster-dividing cells, but not for slower cells,
which mainly use fats as their source of
energy. In experimental models, we could
show that withholding sugars affects only
the faster-dividing cells. Conversely, in
experiments where we blocked the metabo-
lism of slower-dividing cells, their faster
counterparts continued to grow unchecked.
When we combined treatments to stop both
faster and slower dividing cells in experi-
mental models, we found that this was most
effective to stop the tumours from growing.
In our study, we also identified a certain
transport protein for fatty acids that is spe-
cific to slower-dividing glioblastoma cells.
An important question arising from our
work is whether this transport protein car-
ries specific types of fatty acids into these
tumour cells, and if this can be stopped for
future therapies of glioblastoma. We used
an experimental drug to block this transport
protein, which was effective in our models
in combination with treatments targeting
faster dividing cells.
It is too early to tell whether this drug
could one day be effective in the clinic, but
based on our findings, it seems a question
that is worth exploring.
Florian Siebzehnrubl is a Research Fellow,
European Cancer Stem Cell Research
Institute, Cardiff University
Source: theconversation.com
 ART | BOOKS | SOCIETY | TRAVEL | CULTURE

What is
beautiful
exhibit
Sekajugo’s
artist inspired
by prejudices
around identity

E
By Dominic Muwanguzi

ach of us is unique. It is im-

possible to judge us outside
of our individuality or using
one yardstick. Still, stereo-
types persist. And these
issues are the inspiration for
Collin Sekajugo’s recent exhibit `What
is beautiful’. He interrogates themes of
personal identity.
Sekajugo is of multi-ethnic back-
ground. His mother is from Rwanda and
father from Masaka in South –western
district of Uganda. He grew up in Kenya
and has lived in Uganda and Rwanda.
Defining his individuality has been a
preoccupation for him since attempts by
society to define him by his physical looks
often fail. He prefers to be defined by his
inner person when confronted with the
question of who he is.
In his art, Sekajugo seeks to dismiss
prejudices by deploying his body on canvas
as a central subject and a symbol of a vessel
that inhabits the good qualities sometimes
the public misses when they set out to judge
someone. What lies beneath our bodies is
often beautiful but it cannot be revealed
easily, he suggests. Misjudgment often
leads to stereotyping based on, for example,
particular tribes. The Banyakore are this
(mention stereotype), the Bakiga that, and
the Basoga and Baganda that. These stereo-
types are attached to identities of people
without ascertaining their inner values,
character and relations with the community
they live in.
Technically, Sekajugo’s approach is
unconventional, possibly because he is a self
–taught artist, without the rules of formal
art training. He creates outside the box, is
innovative and experimental. He integrates
non-traditional material; especially collages
of synthetic media, in his collage painting.
He uses found objects - Kitengi, Kikoyi and
denim fabrics.
The synthetic materials create a familiar-
ity in his art to the audience since most are
used in everyday fashion; on shirts, dresses
and interior décor.
Sekajugo is founder of Ivuka Arts Centre,
Kigali, Rwanda that became internationally
recognised for its initiative to rebuild the
Rwandan society that had become frag-
mented because of the 1994 genocide. He
defines himself as an “artist with a social
conscience.”
Ivuka means re-birth in Kinyarwanda
and Ivuka Arts Centre gives youth an
opportunity to re-discover themselves and
heal through the arts.
Additionally, the community artist, estab-
lished Weaver Bird ( Ndegeya) Arts Foun-
dation, in Masaka, as a platform to develop
the local community through the arts.
So he is quit experienced in relating with
the local community and is always keen
to promote such ideology in his art. This is
evident in his series of `Boda-boda helmets
2015’ that emphasizes the theme of road
safety and `If Wishes Were Horses 2014’
exhibit that touched on the theme of African
migrants to Europe.
What is beautiful, Sekajugo’s recent solo
exhibition is showing at Afriart on 7th,
located on 7th Street industrial Area, within
the Studios Building.

Nov 02 - 08, 2018 35

Celebrity charges R15K entrance to her birthday party
South African social media
influencer Nadia Jaftha was
a hot topic recently after she
shared a flyer for her upcoming
birthday party. She is hosting
the event on Nov. 16 at Saint
Champagne Bar and Lounge
in Cape Town, and table prices
range from R1 500 (Approx.
Shs400,000) for a standing table
of four, to R15 000 (Approx.
Shs4million) for a sitting table
of 12 people. Social media was
Angulas – an ultra-
expensive food that
doesn’t even taste good
Angulas, the Spanish word for
baby eels is one of Spain’s most
expensive foods (cost about $1,150
(Approx. Shs4.5 million) per kilo,
but no one seems to understand
why. They hardly have any taste
at all, their texture is best described
as slimy and they look like limp
worms on a plate. So why are peo-
ple paying hundreds of euros to eat
angulas at expensive restaurants?
Apparently many people like to act
like snobs every once in a while, so
they pay a premium to enjoy a food
that most people can’t afford.
Lonely man calls
left shook by the price tag, with police 45,000
many wondering why anyone
would want to pay that kind
times, faces jail
of money to stand or sit at “an
influencer’s” birthday party. A man who phoned the
Following the social media police 45,210 times in just one
uproar, Jaftha took to her Ins- year – that is five times per
tagram stories and explained hour every day – might end up
that these are the normal table in jail. The incidents happened
prices and that she’s not the in Bayrampaşa district of
club owner. According to Santa, Istanbul in Turkey.
the R15 000 table service charge Şeref Can, a divorced 55-year
is standard for VVIP. old man, allegedly called
the police line well over 100
times per day between May
Pay in Instagram followers at this restaurant 15, 2017 and May 15, 2018,
Social media promotion has become so important nowadays but never once made any sort
that businesses are offering freebies to anyone with a certain fol- of complaint or asked police
lowing on popular social networks. Matteo and Tomaso Pittarel- assistance. Instead, he only
lo, the owners of the “This Is Not a Sushibar” restaurant in Milan, tried to make conversation
are well aware of the potential of social networks like Instagram, with whoever picked up the
and they’re more than willing to give away some sushi, if it means phone. At one point, police
getting some exposure. At their restaurant, people have the clas- staff became so irritated
sic payment options – cash or card – plus a novel one, paying in by Can’s unusual habit
Instagram followers. The idea is pretty simple, the more followers that they filed a complaint
you have, the more you can eat without having to spend a cent. about him with Istanbul
There is one catch though. Patrons also have to publish a post on Police’s communications and
their Instagram account and tag @thisisnotasishibar and include
the hashtag #thisisnotasushibar. They will only receive their free
electronics department. After
confirming that Can had called
sushi after showing the publish post at the counter. the 115 emergency number a
total of 45,210 times in a year,
investigators charged him with
obstructing service of public
institutions and preventing
public officials from performing
their duty. He faces up to five
years in jail.

Chinese city to launch “artificial moon” bright enough to replace streetlights

The ambitious project was announced
at a national mass innovation and entre-
preneurship event held in Chengdu, a
city of 14 million people in China’s south-
western province of Sichuan. Wu Chun-
feng, the chairman of the private space
contractor Chengdu Aerospace Science
and Technology Microelectronics System
Research Institute Co (Casc) revealed
plans to launch an illumination satellite
referred to as an “artificial moon” that
would be eight times as bright as Earth’s
natural satellite and capable of an area
with a diameter of 10-80km. The inno-
vative satellite has apparently been in
the works since for years, but thanks to
the rapid advancement of technology it
should be ready for launch in 2020.

36 Nov 02 - 08, 2018


By Agencies
F
or a car to be
considered safe for
passengers, it must
be able to perform
well in accident avoidance
and maximally protect
them in case of accidents;
especially collisions and
roll-overs. This means the
car must have effective
driving and collision
avoidance technologies;
including braking systems,
lights, and roof crush
strength.
Many countries have
agencies to measures
vehicle safety against
standards. In South Africa,
it is the Automobile
Association. Generally, it
advisable when considering
the safety of a car, to check
out its crash-test rating
done by a reputable agency
such as America’s Insurance
Institute for Highway
Safety (IIHS).
Generally, however,
and in addition to those
ratings, you can look at
three primary factors to
determine how safe a car is.
These are vehicle weight,
vehicle center of gravity,
and safety equipment.
Heavier is better
The heavier your vehicle
is, the better it will protect
you in a collision. Crash-
test ratings for a given
vehicle are valid when
compared to other vehicles
of a similar size and weight.
0783 614 601 / 0753 614 601
0783 614 601 / 0753 614 601
How safe is
your car?
The five factors to consider
In a collision involving a
large vehicle and a small
vehicle, the large vehicle
wins. It is just the laws of
physics. But remember that
heavier vehicles also tend to
consume more fuel.
Newer is better
During the past 20 years,
car companies have made
significant advancements
in vehicle architecture
design. From engineering
crumple zones and crash-
energy dispersion paths to
employing high-strength
and ultra-high-strength
steel in specific areas,
new cars are much safer
than they were a decade
ago. Furthermore, newer
vehicles typically include
safety features that can help
you to avoid an accident
in the first place. Vehicle
architecture or structure
is what lies beneath its
exterior skin. Most vehicles
use steel for this structure,
though other materials,
such as aluminum and
carbon fiber, may also be
employed. These more
expensive materials are,
Only Available at Spear Motors Limited
Only Available at Spear Motors Limited
Jeep
Jeep Grand Grand Cherokee
Cherokee
sales@spearmotors.co.ug
sales@spearmotots.co.ug
naturally, typically found in
more expensive vehicles.
Low center of gravity is
better
By this point, you must
be thinking that if a heavier
and newer vehicle is safest,
then it must be a big truck
or SUV. However, another
factor in vehicle safety
that you must consider:
roll-over resistance, shows
that might not be the case.
Rollover accidents can
happen due to sudden
steering inputs, sliding on
wet roads or colliding with
another vehicle, pavement,
or curb. Each of these
situations is different, but
given equal circumstances,
a vehicle with a lower
center of gravity is less
likely to flip over than a
vehicle with a higher center
of gravity. That means the
taller a vehicle sits off the
ground; the more likely it is
to roll-over following a loss
of control.
Modern vehicles are
increasingly equipped with
safety technologies that
Call for Special Offers
Call for Special Offers
www.spearmotors.co.ug
Nov 02 - 08, 2018
are designed to prevent a
collision from occurring
in the first place. Stability
control is required on all
new vehicles, and many
vehicles now have a
reversing camera.
In addition to these
mandated technologies,
many automakers are
voluntarily pursuing
improved safety by
offering features such as
forward collision warning,
automatic emergency
braking, lane departure
warning and prevention,
blind-spot warning, and
rear cross-traffic alert
systems.
Beyond the issues
discussed above, you need
to properly maintain your
vehicle for optimum safety.
Bald tires, broken lights,
dirty windows, and fading
brakes can all contribute to
increased likelihood for loss
of control and a collision.
Choosing proper seating
and mirror positions is
important, too. If you sit
low and reclined, it is hard
to see out. Your side mirrors
should show just a little
bit of your own vehicle
for orientation purposes.
Otherwise, they ought to
be positioned for as wide a
view of your blind spots as
is possible.
Finally, it should go
without saying that driving
when you are drunk, high,
sleepy, or distracted is a
bad idea. Nothing good
comes of that.
www.spearmotors.co.ug
37
Profile
Shifah Musisi: Mixing music and fashion
By Agnes E Nantaba RnB. To create her unique sound, she does But it during her long senior six holiday

S
her afro-soul with a fusion of African instru- that Musisi began her professional music
hifah Musisi is a fashion designer, ments like addungu (arched harp), akogo journey. Her father, who has since passed
singer, guitarist, and songwriter (thumb piano), drums and more which she on, paid for the studio session to record
with an eye for the unique mixes into her music. Her latest song a song that she had written for her sister
and unusual. Her ‘Ebilowozo’ in which she sings and spouse reflecting how true love comes
music genre; afro- about longing for true love is from a far. It was publicly unveiled on their
soul, is a fusion of quite big. wedding in 2011. This was followed by two
contemporary, In fashion, she con- tough years of attempting to win audience
centrates on urban acceptance and recognition.
African fused “My kind of genre was a bit new to the
together under music audience but I had to keep in there,”
Marisha designs. says Musisi.
And she has big She has since written all her music selec-
dreams. tion with over 12 songs on two albums.
“I refer to After the first album Musisi went
myself as a ahead to work on her second album that
world artiste is still running. About the same time she
because I want embarked on music professionally, Musisi
to be a world also joined Records Fashion School to better
star,” she says. her fashion and design skills. One year into
The bud- school, she opened her first fashion shop.
ding artist says Still, music remains her passion.
her musical gift “Music has surprised me and although
was spotted by it might take long to yield, you just need to
her parents who keep doing what you do and perfect it,” she
encouraged her says, “People love good work and when
to learn musical you have it, they will come to you”.
instruments like She says it is inspired by real life experi-
the guitar along- ences and the environment. She says she
side singing. Her spent her early years of life in Kapeeka-
father was a song Luweero district which she says had beauti-
writer. She was also ful scenery and playing in the neighbor-
encouraged by her hood was her favourite pastime.
best friend at the time, “My mother sent us all to the village to
a pianist. get an experience of the village life and we
Even at school, she would only visit her in Kampala,” she says.
studied music and Musisi is a middle child in a polygamous
excelled. family. She attended Kampala Nursery
School, Greenhill Academy, Kibuli Second-
ary School and Mulama Secondary School
back in the village.
Musisi says she is excited to be
part of Uganda’s music industry
at this time because “every-
one is growing creatively
as opposed to before
where almost every
musician was
treading along
the same
line”.

38 Nov 02 - 08, 2018


Shifah Musisi’s Liteside
Any three things that we
I
don’t know about you?
am very humble and
God fearing. I am
also a fighter who
always goes for my
dreams and will never
stop until I achieve them.
What is your idea of
perfect happiness?
Being around people
with positive vibes. I like
people of positive energy
because everyone is
fighting a battle and they
just need someone who
will encourage them to
push on.
What is your greatest
fear?
I have acrophobia
(extreme fear of heights)
What is the trait
you most deplore in
yourself?
I get angry at the
smallest things. Small or
petty things put me off.
What is the trait you
most deplore in others?
Bad vibes; I just like
people with good energy.
Which living person do
you most admire?
I admire my family but
the person that I have
really looked up to is
Helen Folasade Adu CBE
known professionally as
Sade Adu. I listen to her
music and look up to her.
What is your greatest
extravagance?
I like shopping guitars
What is your current
state of mind?
I am happy
What do you consider
the most overrated
virtue?
Everything to do with
politics. There are lots you happiest?
of beautiful things that Being the first
we can attend to if only Ugandan artiste invited
we could lessen the time to take part in a big
wasted on politics. government project
in Sudan. I am always
What does being happy on my birthday
powerful mean to you? because it’s an indication
You are only powerful of continuity as God adds
after self-discovery another year to my life
and reaching a point of and to carry-on.
contentment. It takes
being contented with Which talent would you
what you have; little or most like to have?
too much. I like to take care
of people; especially
On what occasion do children professionally
you lie? either as a nurse or
So many times; I don’t doctor. I wish I could
do it in a bad way or become one even if it’s
hurting so much. I have for just a day.
lied about time many
times but haven’t lied for Where would you most
things that bite me. like to live?
There is no place like
What do you most home; Uganda is rich,
dislike about your has good people and
appearance? freedom. I like to live in
As a young girl, I Uganda,
always thought that my
gap in the teeth wasn’t What is your most
a blessing until it was treasured possession?
cleared when I travelled. My musical
People appreciated me instruments; especially
and that has ceased to the guitar. Even in my
happen. darkest times, it’s there
to restore my hope. All
Which living person do my music emanates from
you most despise? its melody and tones.
I don’t despise.
What do you regard
What is the quality you as the lowest depth of
most like in a woman? misery?
God fearing, humble. Rape; I have heard of
stories of rape. No one
What is the quality you should go through such
most like in a man? an experience because
God fearing, it comes with a lot of
knowledge and trauma and other adverse
fulfillment of effects.
responsibility
What is your favorite
What or who is the occupation?
greatest love of your Music is just taking
life? a little longer to bring
I Love my family and in the money than I
friends. expected but I will be
patient until I get there
When and where were because it is one thing
Nov 02 - 08, 2018
Q&A
that I am so passionate
about doing.
What is your marked
characteristic?
I am too kind.
What do you most value
in your friends?
I value the difference
that you can’t find in
family.
Who are your favorite
writers?
I don’t read too much
Who is your hero of
fiction?
I love how Julia
Roberts acts and smiles
all the way. She is the one
that brings out love so
well and affectionately.
Which historical figure
do you most identify
with?
I want to learn from
Michael Jackson; he
always adjusted to
anything to get where he
wanted to. The difference
between me and his
personality is that I lack
the urge because I am a
little reserved but I wish
I could get to that urge.
He never stopped even
when he became weak.
What is your greatest
regret?
There are few things I
regret about; I feel that I
should have done them
differently or acted a
different way towards
something.
How would you like to
die?
At 100 years in my
sleep. `
What is your motto?
Stay humble, be motivated
and be good to all.
39
Global comment
By Carlos Lopes
Potential of EU-Africa trade
Research suggests for Africa to avoid losses, focus
should be on strengthening AfCFTA and EPAs die
C
hina’s use of trade and investment
links to expand its influence in
Africa is fueling growing concern
in some European capitals. But,
instead of complaining about China’s
activities, the European Union should be
deepening its own engagement with the
continent.
In recent years, the EU has been
actively seeking to secure new trade
and investment opportunities around
the world. As of July 2018, the EU was
engaged in negotiations for 21 free-trade
agreements. This includes talks initiated
in the last seven years with six ASEAN
countries – Indonesia, Philippines,
Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and
Vietnam – which could pave the way for
a future deal with the entire region.
The EU has also initiated talks with
New Zealand and Australia. And it
recently concluded comprehensive
free-trade agreements with Armenia,
Canada, Japan, and Vietnam, as well as
a standalone investment agreement with
China.
But what about Africa? The continent’s
trade with the EU is already massive:
together, African countries represent the
EU’s third-largest trading partner, after
the United States and China, accounting
for nearly 7% of total extra-EU trade
in goods, including 7% of imports and
8% of exports. And though the EU ran
a persistent trade deficit with Africa
in 2000-2014, it ran a €22 billion ($25.5
billion) surplus in 2015 and a €22.7
billion surplus in 2016.
Africa’s trade with the EU is triple that
of, say, Canada, which amounted to €94.7
billion in 2016. With the Comprehensive
Economic and Trade Agreement, annual
EU-Canada trade is expected to increase
by at least 8%, or some €12 billion. But
that is still the equivalent of just half the
EU’s trade volume with Egypt alone.
Similarly, the EU’s future free-trade
agreement with New Zealand agreement
could increase bilateral trade by about
36%, yet that increase would still amount
to less than half the volume of goods that
the EU now trades with Tunisia. In the
case of Australia, the expected increase
of around one-third in trade volume
40 Nov 02 - 08, 2018
represents the bulk of trade with Egypt.
Africa’s share of EU trade could
increase even further, given the
continent’s impressive economic
prospects. In 2000-2010, Africa achieved
real annual GDP growth of 5.4%; that
rate held strong at 3.3% in 2010-2015.
Today, Africa remains the world’s
second-fastest-growing region, after
emerging and developing Asia.
For Europe, Africa’s economic potential
remains far from tapped. Spending by
households and businesses, estimated at
$4 trillion in 2015, is projected to reach
$5.6 trillion by 2025, reflecting 3.5%
annual growth. Moreover, according
to the McKinsey Global Institute,
investment opportunities stemming from
infrastructure demand in Africa will
amount to at least $150 billion annually
over the next decade. Africa is also
home to strategic natural resources for
emerging low-carbon industries, and
is well positioned to play a key role in
renewable energy.
Africa’s value as a trade and investment
partner is not news to Europe. Over
the last five years, the EU has been
negotiating with each of Africa’s sub-
regions under the Economic Partnership
Agreements (EPAs) framework, with
the goal of eventually producing a free-
trade agreement between the EU and the
African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of
States.
Yet, so far, only one EPA (with
Southern Africa) has been ratified.
Progress on the others has stagnated,
owing largely to a lack of political
enthusiasm. Africans have serious
concerns about how the EPAs would
affect their industrial development and
the African Continental Free Trade Area
(AfCFTA), signed by almost all African
countries last March. Uncertainty arising
from Brexit has not helped matters.
African leaders are right to be
concerned. Though the EU claims that
the EPAs will buttress the AfCFTA,
preliminary research indicates that the
trade gains brought by the EPAs, as
negotiated, are likely to be concentrated
on a few agricultural products – and to
exclude the least-developed countries. In
most areas, the EPAs will actually hurt
intra-African trade, weakening trade
revenues and undermining trade-driven
industrialisation in Africa.
Some argue that the problem is more
about timing, because the losses are
likely to materialise immediately,
and the possible benefits brought by
increased access to the EU market will
take longer to emerge. Given this, EPA
proponents argue, a special fund should
be established to compensate for some
of the short-term losses. But research
suggests that the best way for Africa to
avoid losses is to focus on strengthening
the AfCFTA and let the EPAs die.
To be sure, the EU is also taking
steps to help strengthen the AfCFTA. It
recently announced a sevenfold increase
in assistance – from €7 million in 2014-
2017 to €50 million in 2018-2020 – for
institutional and technical support, as
well as for data collection and analysis.
But, as African Union leaders
confirmed at the AU-EU Summit in
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, last November,
they are eager for the relationship
to mature beyond the traditional
dependency model. Though progress
has been made in this regard, the EU
still largely sets the agenda and provides
financial assistance to implement it.
If the EU is to seize the opportunities
that Africa offers in a way that is
mutually beneficial, it will need to work
with the continent’s leaders to build
a new kind of partnership that treats
African countries as equals. Simply put,
the new EU-Africa relationship must be
based on trade, not aid.
Carlos Lopes is a professor at the Mandela
School of Public Governance at the
University of Cape Town and High
Representative of the African Union for
partnerships with Europe post-2020.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2018.
www.project-syndicate.org
 LIVE AT 9
We tell the story beyond the story.

#NBSLiveAt9