Health Business

NRM Day Fake health Egg prices fall as Government to hire more firms
special report news supply goes up to market tourism abroad

Issue No. 556 Jan. 25 - 31 2019 Ushs 5,000,Kshs 200, RwF 1,500, SDP 8

Museveni’s BoU
probe details leak
IGG accused, Mutebile,
Kasekende under fire

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Jan. 25 - 31 2019 1
INBOX

Issue No. 556 Jan. 25 - 31 2019

News analysis Business Health Arts Motoring

Cover story
Museveni’s BoU probe details leak
IGG accused, Mutebile, Kasekende under fire

4 The Week
30 Comments
MUASA boss responds to
Nawangwe over suspension The road ahead for the DRC:
To secure the political transition
Tshisekedi will have to reach out
9 The Last Word
to presidents Kagame, Museveni
URA’s unnecessary headquarters:
Why government of Uganda’s
approach of owning buildings to save
32 Health
on rent is economically unproductive
Fake health news: Fake
health news: How it
14 Analysis can lead you to make
dangerous decisions
The Kabulasoke solar plant: A
critique on where and how to use
solar electric energy
35 Arts & Culture
27 Business Why do you exist? To
be happy or sad?: A new
Egg prices fall as supply goes up:
exhibition asks questions that
Kenya’s increase in supply spells
annoy and delight
doom to Ugandan farmers

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MANAGING EDITOR: Joseph Were
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2 Jan. 25 - 31 2019
 Offline

President Yoweri Museveni

on Jan. 19 receives a
special delegation from
President Muhammadu
Buhari of Nigeria at
State House Nakasero in
Kampala. The delegation,
led by Special Envoy,
Prof. Ibrahim Gambari “My Lord, because of the urgency
(2ndR) and including Dr.
Muhammadu Indimi (2ndL)
of the Bill, it was deemed fit
and Ambassador Maurice to debate it without the three
Ekang, delivered the mandated days required to table
message to the president. it before Parliament.”Mwesigwa
The meeting was attended
by State Minister for Rukutana, Deputy Attorney General
Regional Affairs, Philemon told the Supreme Court hearing of a
Mateke.   PPU photo petition age against the passing of the
age limit Bill
Anti -Tobacco
activists on
Jan. 14 stage
a campaign
in streets of
Kampala City

“Bobi Wine is still young. He needs

more experience for about twenty
years before he can think of
becoming President.” John Nagenda,
Louisiana, US: A
New Orleans Saints Special Presidential Advisor on Media
fan arrives at the
NFL football NFC
championship game
against the Los
Angeles Rams

“We have received a directive from

President Museveni to stop licensing
sports betting, gaming and gambling
companies.” David Bahati, Minister of State
for Finance

Hours some survivors of the Registered P7 Kampala land titles

12 terrorist attack on a hotel in
Kenya spent in hiding
12293 Pupils who missed
PLE exams
19000 that can’t be traced
in the land registry

Jan. 25 - 31 2019 3
week

Government moves to MUASA boss responds to Nawangwe over suspension

C
regulate Arts Industry hairperson “Security reports
Makerere have shown that you
A list of ten rules and regulations University are continuing to incite
have been set by the Ministry of Academic other staff to disrupt
Gender, Labor and Social Development Staff Association university activities
to be followed by musicians and others (MUASA), Dr Deus and engage in related
in the arts industry to follow when Kamunyu has said unlawful conduct”,
releasing their works to the public. his Jan.17 suspension reads the letter in part
Among them is having the works letter from Vice , “in order to protect
approved by the culture forum before Chancellor Prof. the reputation of the
being released, getting registered Barnabas Nawangwe university, its activities,
by the culture minister and seeking wasn’t a surprise. Deus Kamunyu Barnabas Nawangwe personnel and property
clearance before performing abroad. “I received from your disruptive
Others covered in the rules include no electronic news of this kick started fabrications activities, I hereby
use of toxic substances, proper hygiene, my suspension letter as a against me as a person to suspend you from the
indecent dressing and having a valid lecturer in the department this end”. university”.
practicing certificate. of forestry. I received it In the letter, Nawangwe Kamunyu says he is
This has caused controversy with with honor simply because says Kamunyu has despite in consultations with
some sections saying the government I had known its coming several warnings continued his lawyers forge a way
is targeting specific individuals. After since April 2018. This to engage in acts that forward saying the letter
their release on Jan.17, Kyaddondo is when I was warned amount to misconduct was harsh, vague and
East Legislator and musician Robert from talking about land including inciting strikes against the law for it
Kyagulanyi Bobi Wine took to social problems, corruption at the university, speaking undermines his rights as a
media to refer to the new regulations and undermining of our ill of the university and citizen to access his official
as mere gagging by the state . He employment systems… disobedience. home and public buildings.
wrote, “I am right here in Kingston,
Jamaica- the home of creative music,
a lot of revolutionary music playing
everywhere. From generation to New URA Tower to boost revenue management
generation, the consciousness of this
President Yoweri of rent. While addressing
nation has been awakened by music
Museveni commissioned guests at the event,
in all its forms. Nothing has marketed
the new Uganda Revenue Museveni told URA staff
this country to the world more than
Authority (URA) that their most important
its music and the arts. Ironically, back
headquarters which are role was to facilitate
home, music is under fresh attack. The housed in a gleaming new business and investment.
cowardly regime is bringing up new tower in Nakawa, Kampala. URA Commissioner
laws and regulations to gag artistes in The building with 22 floors General Doris Akol said the
the hope that they can kill and stop the will bring all URA services tax body has been spending
music”. in Kampala under one roof. Shs7.4billion annually on
Bobi Wine who has had several of his The tower reportedly cost rent for all its Kampala
music concerts cancelled by government Shs139bilion and it has been offices. The URA Tower
recently because of his political activism tipped to improve revenue has usable space of 26,000
added that “you cannot kill the music. collection and management square metres and can
Just address the injustices we are services. During the launch, accommodate up to 17000
singing about. If you do not, you should Museveni lauded URA for workers. It also has a five
expect another song of the same kind, acquiring a new home and floor parking lot which can
from another artiste of the same mind”. getting out of the slavery accommodate 1000 vehicles.

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4 Jan. 25 - 31 2019
 Week

MPs discuss Roads Amendment Bill, plan to expand reserves
Members of Parliament
have welcomed a proposal
by the government to
expand the size of road
reserves from the current
15 to 40 meters. The
proposal is embedded in
the Roads amendment bill
2018, which also seeks to
reform laws relating to the
development, management
and maintenance of public
roads.
The proposal will
Museveni gives out
also introduce express that was supported Shs17b to youth, women
penalties where drivers by Arua municipality
who violate axle load legislator Kassiano President Museveni has given
regulations are made to Wadri. shs17billion to women and youth
pay cash and not taken But, Kiboga County groups carrying out projects under the
to court. MP Keefa Kiwanuka Youth Livelihood and Uganda Women
Amuru woman says  the move is Entreprenuership programmes. The
MP Lucy Akello says likely to spark anxiety youth from 26 districts received dummy
that the move is long across the country cheques worth Shs.8 billion for 915
overdue saying that because almost all road targeted projects, while women groups
Ugandan roads are very reserves are filled with from 43 districts received Shs.9 billion
narrow compared to settlements. targeting 1,459 projects.
roads in countries across Handing out dummy cheques on
the region, something Jan.19, the president said what is keep-
ing Ugandans in abject poverty is lazi-
ness and oversleeping and urged LC5
Chairpersons to register data of residents
in every parish to establish the number
of those who are engaged in income
generating activities and those that are
sleeping.
The President added that while the
government is performing its duty of
providing public services, peace and
infrastructure, the people should also
play their role of fighting poverty at
household levels.
“You cannot go on having sleeping
people complaining. The government
is doing its ‘olubimbi’ (playing its part)
to provide peace, roads and electricity,
among others. What we do is to give
guidance and support, like the funds
we are giving out but fighting poverty
should start at household level” he said.

Inaugural Makerere Defense and Security course students graduate

13,000 students graduated with diplomas
and degrees in various courses in a week
long awarding ceremony that ended on
Jan.18 at Makerere University in Kampala.
Among these were 15 army officials who
graduated with Masters of Arts in Defense
and Security Studies. The two females and
13 males were the pioneers of the course
which came into being in 2015.
The programme offered exclusively to
army officials was introduced under the
department of Political and Public Adminis-
tration following a memorandum of under-
standing between the Defense Ministry and
the University.
Course units taught under the pro-
gramme include, the theory and practice of
military intelligence; global politics; com-
mand, leadership and management; train-
ing doctrine in defense forces; theory and
practice of modern warfare; joint war plan-
ning; issues in African international studies;
and research methodology in defense and
security studies. The training is part of the
bigger strategy by government to profes-
sionalize the army and reinforce the capac-
ity of soldiers to among others learn how to
handle the growing threat of terror.

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Jan. 25 - 31 2019 5
Week
Sudan’s Bashir defiant Calls for protests as court upholds Tshisekedi’s victory
as protests continue
Protests against Sudanese
strongman Omar al- Bashir
entered their second month
with security forces firing tear
gas at the growing protestors
in the Sudanese capital,
Khartoum. Protests broke
out in December over rising
bread prices economy but
have gained momentum due
to the discontent over Bashir’s
long reign. Bashir has blamed
foreign agents for fuelling
protests against his government
and says there are groups
arming protestors. Reports say
more than 40 people have been
killed since the riots started.
The movement demanding
Bashir to step down has three
slogans; “Freedom, peace and
justice” and the youth who
form the bulk have vowed not
to leave the streets until the
75-year old leader resigns.
6 Jan. 25 - 31 2019
The constitutional court in
DR Congo on Jan.20 upheld the
victory of Felix Tshisekedi as
the country’s president – elect,
squashing an appeal by another
candidate in the race Martin
Fayulu who had asked for a
vote recount. Fayulu had earlier
told journalists that he had won
exercise’s credibility.
by 60% but had been rigged.
However, though court con-
firms the vote to have been free
of rigging, the African Union
and Countries in the west in
addition to the Catholic Church
which is an influential player in
the politics of the country have
raised red flags as regards the
Also, immediately after the
court pronouncement, Fayulu
came out to declare himself
president. “I now consider
myself as the sole legitimate
President-elect of the DRC”,
he said, “I ask the Congolese
people not to recognize any
individual who would claim
this authority illegally nor to
obey orders that would ema-
nate from such a person”.
He called upon the people to
protest the move by court and
the Electoral Commission to
usurp people’s power to choose
a candidate they have trust in to
lead them.
Earlier, regional leaders led
by Rwanda President Paul
Kagame who chairs the African
Union had planned to go to the
country’s capital of Kinshasa to
meet stakeholders and discuss
the fate of the already conflict
ridden area.
*terms and conditions apply
AfricellUG @AfricellUG
Humour
Fred Enanga bounces back as the new police spokesperson.
Uganda’s debt is still manageable says Matia Kasaija
British Prime Minister Teresa May’s Brexit deal has
been rejected by the European Union Parliament.
Did you know?
Four myths destroying
your teeth
Brush up on your skills
How you brush makes a big difference. The
mechanical act of brushing removes the very
sticky dental plaque – a mixture of bacteria,
their acids and sticky byproducts and food
remnants. Taking two minutes to brush your
teeth is a good target for removing plaque
and you should brush at night and one other
time daily. Brushing frequently stops the
bacteria developing to a stage where the spe-
cies which produce the most acid can become
established.
Use fluoride toothpaste
Most of the benefit from brushing comes
from toothpaste. The key ingredient is fluo-
ride, which evidence shows prevents tooth
decay. Fluoride replaces lost minerals in teeth
and also makes them stronger.
Spit, don’t rinse
At night, you produce less saliva than dur-
ing the day. Because of this, your teeth have
less protection from saliva and are more vul-
nerable to acid attacks. That’s why it’s impor-
tant to remove food from your teeth before
bed so plaque bacteria can’t feast overnight.
Don’t eat or drink anything except water after
brushing at night. This also gives fluoride the
longest opportunity to work.
Once you’ve brushed, don’t rinse your
mouth with water or mouthwash – you’re
washing away the fluoride! This can be a
difficult habit to break, but can reduce tooth
decay by up to 25%.
No more than four ‘sugar hits’
Intrinsic sugars are found naturally in
foods like fruit and they are far less likely to
cause tooth decay than added or free sug-
ars. Free sugars are generally those added
to foods by manufacturers but also include
honey, syrup and fruit juices.
The World Health Organization and NHS
recommend free sugars should ideally make
up less than 5% of your daily calorie intake.
So what does this look like? For adults and
children over about 11 years old, this is
around 30g – about eight teaspoons – of sugar
daily. A 330ml can of Coke has 35g of sugar.
The change4life app is helpful to track how
much sugar you consume in your diet.
Jan. 25 - 31 2019 7

Inbox
Letters are
welcome !
The Editor welcomes short and
concise letters from our esteemed
readers on topical issues. Please
send them to:
The Editor, The Independent
Publications Ltd,
P.O Box 3304,
Plot 82/84 Kanjokya St,
Kamwokya.
Kampala,Uganda.
Email: editor@independent.co.ug
Graduates need to discard
the formal job mentality
Completing University education
is no mean feat. Everyone has
their own experiences of how they
managed to beat all odds to end up
in those colorful gowns at the time of
graduation. To some, graduation and
in the current circumstances would
relate to actualisation of the popular
phrase “tuliyambala engule” literally
translated as being crowned. Therefore,
to all graduands, congratulations are
in order. But don’t limit that degree to
only securing a formal job because that
might take forever to happen.
Today, there are so many redundant
degrees lying on the streets waiting
for formal employment because our
mentality still reigns that a University
degree must translate into a well-
paying job in a certain Ministry,
NGO or Government parastatal.
Graduates need to see that their degree
is meant to unlock one’s potential to
critically think or expound on their
knowledge, abilities and talents. It is
not necessarily limited to a formal job.
They need explore alternative avenues
to guarantee self-sustenance. It’s of
no harm to start as a volunteer or at
apprenticeship level so that you are
better exposed to new skills and way of
doing things. If you started building on
your small ideas, you could become one
of those top most CEOs.
Badru Walusansa
badruwalu@gmail.com
8 Jan. 25 - 31 2019
News analysis Health Business
Cholera gives city Superfood scientists say Chinese, French firms top foreign
a wakeup call can make you live longer oil and gas suppliers’ database
Issue No. 555 Jan. 18 - 24 2019
Ushs 5,000,Kshs 200, RwF 1,500, SDP 8
Uganda’s growing
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Separating facts from fiction and
politicking
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www.independent.co.ug
Don’t kill our
music industry
I hesitate to ridicule laws, especially in a
field that isn’t mine. But the kind of pseudo-
legal guff attempting to stifle music is our
modern equivalent to phrenology. It is, I
fear, laughably naive.
The proposed laws are flawed at root,
Who is supposed to regulate
because President Yoweri Museveni’s
government is attempting to stifle music that
is not favourable to them. This will corrupt scrap business in towns?
the music industry too. The hope of these
pseudo-laws is that they can pick up enough I read the article “Moyo scrap dealer
musicians- gulls to fleece, as they are already banished for theft of hospital rails” about
doing through police clearances to hold hospital rails found in his shop. I must say
shows and stuff. Incidentally, this all has kudos to the Moyo district authorities for
come at a time when Bobi Wine’s music is taking this bold stand to banish such kind
troubling president Museveni..
Music is a prominent feature of everyday
of businesses that promote theft and idle-
ness in towns. I have discovered that scrap
life and nearly everywhere we go. Museveni business have become rampant, especially
should just enjoy his, and leave Ugandans to in big towns. The funniest thing is that
also enjoy theirs. Profit is the only thing that nobody seems to mind about what they deal
matters to musicians, and the government in because in most cases their daily custom-
should be helping them to make money ers are either children or lunatics who roam
out of their music and not suffocate them around looking for anything in the name
with laws. YouTube pays $1 billion in song of getting some cash irrespective of where
royalties worldwide each year. The govt these materials come from and whether they
should be working with our musicians to qualify to be scrap or not. That is why there
make sure they earn something from their is an alarming rate of theft and vandalism;
music too. A lot of Uganda songs are played electricity metallic meter boxes covers, doors
on YouTube daily but our musicians get etc. have continued to be removed and sold
nothing or less from it, because they have as scrap. Sincerely why can’t we regulate
got no protection and support from the this scrap business? Just two weeks ago a
government. I’m sure Museveni used to see neighbor’s toddler daughter’s brand new
Bobi with funny hair on his head, and think, bicycle went missing and was discovered at a
‘what a muyaye!’, but didn’t know that he nearby scrap dealer. It took the intervention
had his own ambitions and good ideas in his of the police to rescue the bicycle as the shop
head. Please, let people be, let Musicians be, owner was not willing to hand it back. Scrap
as we have got bigger problems as a country dealers should be licensed, and know the
to deal with at the moment. sources of their ware.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba Desmond Kenyi,
United kingdom Makerere University
Accepting Tshisekedi DR Congo election win
Refer to: “S.Africa urges blood of others. The best life outside presidency!
‘all parties’ to accept source of income to them When will one of African
Tshisekedi DRC win” is the ` presidency’. This country be like China or
(The Independent online is why those in the seat Taiwan the once colonized
Jan.20) Every African, do not want to leave and countries?
even that in the womb, those outside mobilize
wants to be a president! for war to come in! I wish Fred Alele
They enjoy ruling on the they could know there is

URA’s unnecessary headquarters
By Andrew M. Mwenda
Why government of Uganda’s approach of owning
buildings to save on rent is economically unproductive
L
ast week President Yoweri Museveni
officially opened the new Uganda
Revenue Authority (URA) head of-
fice building in Nakawa. As a work
of art, the building is majestic. As a source
of national pride, it is inspiring. At 22 floors
high it is the tallest building in Kampala, a
beautiful piece of architecture that improves
our city’s skyline. But as an economic in-
vestment, the building is a disaster.
According to Molly Kamukama,
the Principle Private Secretary to the
president, the building will save URA
“a whopping Shs 7.4 billion in rental
expenses” – per year. Kamukama added
that it took a “record fours years” to
construct this building. In 2015, a Chi-
nese firm built a 52 storeys building in
19 days. Two years would have been
record time in Uganda’s circumstances,
not four.
According to URA, the building cost
Shs 139 billion to construct. This does
not include the value of land. Given that
URA will save Shs 7.4 billion per year
in rental expenses, it will take 19 years
to recover the cost of construction alone
i.e. a rate of return of about 5% on gross
income. Even an incompetent busi-
nessman will tell you it is a bad invest-
ment. URA has built a white elephant.
However the story even gets worse. If
you are a private investor, you would
deduct 20% cost of managing and main-
taining the building i.e. Shs1.5 billion
per year. Then you would deduct 20%
as rental tax to URA on your gross rev-
enue minus your maintenance costs i.e.
Shs1.2 billion. Therefore your net rental
income would be Shs4.7 billion per year.
It would take 30 years to recover the cost
of building the URA headquarters i.e. a
rate of return of 3.3%.
We can be fair to URA and also include
the appreciation in the value of the
building as part of the rate of return on
investment (an unrealised gain – but a
gain nonetheless). How much can such a
building appreciate; especially in Kam-
pala? Given the size of the building and
the size of our economy, I do not see
many investors who can afford to buy it.
With a limited market for buyers, the rate
appreciation in its value must be very
low indeed.
The Last Word
To understand this better, just imagine
URA decided to sell that building to a
private investor on the understanding
that it would pay rent of Shs7.4 billion
per year. Only a thief who did not make
that money (and therefore is not inter-
ested in calculating the rate of return)
would pay Shs139 billion for a building
whose annual rent is Shs7.4 billion. A
private investor would look at the rate of
return on alternative investments before
making such a decision.
Imagine a lazy investor that does not
want to do any bothersome business. He
just gets his Shs139 billion and puts it
either in a fixed deposit in a commercial
bank or buys ten years treasury bonds.
Any of these lazy investments can earn
him an interest rate of 15%. This amounts
to Shs21 billion per year while sitting on
the balcony sipping coffee, playing golf,
globe-trotting and indulging other hob-
bies.
If URA were a private company the
board and CEO would have been fired.
The building may have improved Kam-
pala’s skyline but it is a business disaster.
In fact we could have had that same
building in a better way. URA would
have asked private firms to bid to build
a headquarters for the authority to rent.
It would also have insisted that only
Ugandan nationals are qualified to bid.
URA would have put it in the bid that
it has Shs7.4 billion to pay in rent per
year. This would have made investors
careful about the size and finishing of
the structure. If URA got such a deal,
it would actually pay Shs7.4 billion in
rental income and earn Shs1.2 billion
back in rental tax. Since the investor
would certainly be a company, URA
would even earn more from profit tax
and withholding tax on dividends. By
building her own headquarters, URA has
not saved any money on rental income. It
has lost it.
There is a strong feeling across the
world that governments need to own
the buildings in which their offices are
located. This may increase the prestige
of government but it is rarely economi-
cally productive. Government ownership
of office buildings reduces the size and
dynamism of the real estate market in
Opinion
any country, a factor that may please citi-
zens but harms the economy. It is hard to
build a real estate market in a city where
the government is a big landlord.
One of the factors that drove Uganda’s
rapid economic growth rates in the
late 1990s all through to 2010 was the
progressive withdraw of the state from
real estate by selling government pool
houses. This created a huge market for
houses, led to a renovation boom and
improved the quality of housing in
Kampala. When government sells off her
houses to its nationals and pays them
rent, there is no net deduction from the
economy. Instead assets that were previ-
ously not being traded and from which
there was no rental income now become
part of market operations.
If there is a lesson to learn from the
new URA building and from the sale of
government pool houses, it is that the
private sector can do better than govern-
ment in the real estate market. Govern-
ment should sell all its remaining build-
ings like Farmers’ House, Amber House,
Embassy House etc. They are ugly,
dirty and most rundown buildings in
Kampala. Sell them to private investors
and soon government officials will be
working from well-renovated premises.
Today every government institution
is building its own headquarters. In
doing this they are shrinking the size
of our real estate market, freezing the
market for rental income and reducing
income available to the private sector. If
government wants to save money from
rent, it should buy or build embassies
and residencies for our embassy staff
abroad. This is because each and every
coin it sends abroad to pay for rent is a
net deduction from our economy to the
economy of the host country.
If nearly all government offices
were owned by the private sector, our
nationals would be earning huge sums
of income from their real estate. URA
would be collecting a lot in taxes. This is
the kind of ownership structure that pro-
motes economic dynamism.
amwenda@independent.co.ug
Jan. 25 - 31 2019 9
cover story

Museveni’s BoU
probe details leak
IGG accused, Mutebile,
Kasekende under fire
By Haggai Matsiko
Details of a draft report prepared by the Inspector General of
Government (IGG) into the controversial February 2018 staff
changes at Bank of Uganda (BoU) have leaked and sparks
are already flying.

10 Jan. 25 - 31 2019
T
he leakage occurred
partly because some of
the recommendations
in the report are being
heavily contested by
some of the members
of the committee. They accuse the
IGG, Irene Mulyagonja of including
her own views as the findings of
the committee. As a result, sources
told The Independent that some of
the recommendations in the report
are a major departure from what the
committee agreed.
“The recommendations have
already been rejected,” a source close
to committee, told The Independent,
“there is a feeling that the people
(IGG’s) who were complaining are
recommending what they wanted in
the very first place.”
President Yoweri Museveni set
up the committee in March last year
to investigate a February 2018 staff
reshuffle by BoU Governor Tumusiime
Mutebile.
Bugweri County MP Abdul
Katuntu, who also doubles as the
chairman of parliament’s committee
Commissions, Statutory Authorities
and State Enteprises (COSASE), chairs
the committee and is deputized by
Bukedea Woman MP Anita Among
as his deputy. Other members of
this committee include Mbarara
Municipality MP Michael Tusiime,
Kasilo County MP Elijah Okupa,
Mulyagonja and two officials from her
office—David Makumbi and Justus
Kaleebi.
Part of the committee’s work
involved interviewing BoU staff.
Insiders say over 60 officials were
interviewed by the two officials from
the IGG’s office within the walls of
parliament. And because they were in
charge of the committee’s secretariat,
the IGG staff compiled the draft
report.
The IGG team shared a final draft
of this report for other members to
approve and sign it before it could be
submitted to the President.
The report is a tightly guarded,
protected secret document that cannot
be edited, shared or even printed, a
source told The Independent.
By the time we went to press,
members had just met at one of the
top hotels in a Kampala suburb
and were scheduled to meet again
this week to reach more agreeable
recommendations.
An insider told The Independent
that some of the controversial
recommendations contained in
the report include firing Governor
Tumusiime Mutebile and his Deputy
During the
interface with
the investigating
committee,
Mutebile’s voice
reportedly
cracked as he
struggled to
hold back tears
Louis Kasekende because they have
failed to ensure teamwork at the bank.
But, sources told The Independent,
the majority view of the members of
the committee was that Mutebile and
Kasekende are allowed to complete
their terms.
The draft report also recommends
that the staff changes Mutebile made
on February 07, 2018 should be
reversed. Apparently, the majority
of BoU staff interviewed by the
committee said Mutebile’s reshuffle
had taken them by surprise and was
illegal.
But an insider told The Independent
that during the interviewing process
of BoU staff; only about 7 out of the
over 60 staff interviewed said the
reshuffle was illegal.
Initially, however, the sources said,
the members had agreed that a few
of the appointments Mutebile made
in the reshuffle be reversed. Notable
among these is the appointment
of the Executive Director Banking
Supervision, Tumubwiine Twinemanzi
and a few other staff—especially those
who came from outside the bank.
The reshuffle, which affected over
50 top officials of the Bank, including
nine executive directors, 13 directors
and 24 assistant directors, followed a
host of internal scandals at the bank.
cover story
The most controversial was the
takeover and sale of Crane Bank to
DFCU Bank. Others were bungled
recruitments, collapse of critical
banking sector systems, suspicions of
officials colluding with private banks
that were allegedly costing the bank
billions and undermining its roles,
bungled procurements, corruption
cases, and mismanagement.
The probe was started before
COSASE started its public hearings
into the rot at BoU.
Between then and now, BoU staff
members have been exposed for grave
mismanagement of the financial
sector as part of the on-going COSASE
investigation into BoU’s closure of
eight defunct banks.
While making closing remarks after
several weeks of appearing before
COSASE with other BoU officials,
Mutebile said that “the staff changes
which were made in February 2018
were intended to address some of the
challenges that we knew but which
have now become all too evident in
the last few weeks”.
Mutebile’s defence
Mutebile was the last to appear
before the committee and defended his
reshuffle.
During the interface with the
investigating committee, Mutebile’s
voice reportedly cracked as he
struggled 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, Solomon 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
Jan. 25 - 31 2019 11
cover story
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, was grappling with Crane
Bank issues, and had been facing
serious failures in some of its systems,
according to insiders.
He told the committee that before
he made the changes, senior officials
were in the habit of hiding details
activities at BoU from him.
While he did not mention a single
name, insiders could tell he was
referring to now controversial former
BoU Executive Director Supervision
Justine Bagyenda.
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.
When the report came out,
Bagyenda did not share it with
Mutebile in its entirety. Mutebile
was riled when he learnt about the
existence of the entire document and
received a copy from another source.
Amongst all appointments
Mutebile made, that of Tumubwiine
Twinemanzi has been the biggest
problem. Twinemanzi’s father, Manzi
12 Jan. 25 - 31 2019
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 was petitioned that
among others, 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.
Before Mutebile appeared before
the Museveni commitee, 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 said BoU hardly
appoints people from outside its walls.
But the investigating team found
that 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, it had changed. Indeed,
the investigating committee was
given a list of over 100 staff who BoU
recruited from outside its walls.
Mutebile explained that he made
changes in order to redirect the bank.
Mutebile added that before the
changes, BoU had hit a dead end
regarding the negotiations with Crane
Bank proprietors. But following the
changes, he said, BoU was making
good progress with the negotiations.
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.
Many had hoped that the committee
would make recommendations that
would streamline BoU operations;
especially at the most senior levels and
guide President Museveni to intervene
appropriately.
Instead, based on the leaked report,
tensions appear to be rising, many
staff are anxious, and those promoted
by Mutebile fear they could be
demoted.
The sources privy to the contents of
the draft report said firing Mutebile
and his deputy could plunge the
central bank into a leadership vacuum
and send a negative signal about
Uganda’s economy. They are pushing
for a smooth transition—where the
two leaders complete their terms and
are not reappointed.
Insiders also note that some of
the recommendations in the draft
report appear contradictory. For
instance, while at one level the team
recommends that the BoU Board
stay away from the recruitment
processes at the bank to be able to
play its oversight role, on the other
hand they recommend that the board
hire Mutebile and Kasekende’s
replacement.
Other recommendations are being
in positive light. One of these, an
insider told The Independent, is
the recommendation that there
should be there should be two
Deputy Governor—one in charge of
administration and the other in charge
of operations.
The current situation where there
is one deputy governor, who sees
himself as a natural successor of

the governor and controls several
administration and operation aspects
at the bank is feared to have led to the
power struggle between Mutebile and
Kasekende, which is seen as one of the
major causes of the crisis at BoU.
Also, while the IGG’s draft appears
lenient with the board, some of the
committee members see the board
as part of the problem. As The
Independent has previously reported,
the board almost overthrew Mutebile
over the Feb.7 reshuffle.
Irrelevant report?
Events that sparked the IGG
investigation started when, following
Mutebile’s reshuffle in February 2018,
aggrieved staff petitioned the IGG’s
office accusing him of wrongdoing
and calling for an investigation.
Acting on this, the IGG responded
by instituting an investigation
into the reshuffle and ordered that
the staff changes by Mutebile be
halted pending the outcome of the
investigations.
But in a March 6, 2018 letter
Mutebile rejected the IGG’s
intervention.
“The Inspectorate does not have the
authority to give direction to Bank of
Uganda,” Mutebile wrote.
In a March 12 letter, Mulyagonja
responded that the constitutional
independence of the Bank with regard
to the execution of its functions as
laid out under Article 162 is only
guaranteed where the Bank is deemed
to be acting in good faith and in
accordance with the law, relevant
regulations and policies and the
principles of natural justice.
In a March.19 letter Mutebile shot
back accusing the IGG of having
“already formed an opinion’ that he
was acting in bad faith and taking over
the role of BoU Board of Directors.
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Insiders also note
that some of the
recommendations
in the draft
report appear
contradictory
Mutebile said Mulyagonja’s
already formed opinion “makes an
investigation redundant”.
“But more importantly, this
presumption of bad faith undermines
the Bank of Uganda’s reputational
integrity,” he added.
Irked by Mutebile’s responses,
the IGG threated to have Mutebile
arrested.
With the situation appearing to
be getting out of hand, President
Museveni intervened and invited the
IGG, BoU officials and some members
of parliament for a meeting on March
23, 2018.
At the meeting which started at 3pm
at State House Entebbe, President
Museveni warned the officials that he
was tired of seeing BoU matters in the
press.
cover story
At one point, he turned to
Mulyagonja and asked: “I thought
transfers were internal matters of an
institution, why are you interfering?”
Mulyagonja said she had received
several complaints including from a
senior credible person who she said
she was willing to privately disclose to
the President.
When Mutebile’s turn to speak
reached, he said initially they
responded to the IGG’s letter and
hoped that she would at most
investigate but were shocked when
in the following correspondence she
appeared to have formed an opinion.
It is on the basis of that, Mutebile said,
that he responded the way he did.
To put an end to back and forth
between Mutebile and Mulyagonja,
President Museveni set up a
committee to look into the reshuffle
and make recommendations.
Now, there are concerns that the
report by this committee might be
irrelevant because by the time it
comes out, all the focus will be on the
COSASE report which, in any case, is
compiled by the same people.
Sources at State House say President
Museveni appears keener on the
COSASE report. COSASE is set to start
writing its report early February but
it has also been tainted by a huddle in
which the opposition leadership was
pushing to reconstitute it—an effort
Speaker Rebecca Kadaga intervened
and blocked.
Once they complete their report, it
will have to be discussed on the floor
of parliament. This debate is expected
to have a major bearing on BoU.
Whichever way it goes, insiders at
State House say President Museveni
might allow Mutebile and Kasekende
to stay on until their term ends as he
finds who to replace them with.
Urgent
Stamps &
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30 min
Jan. 25 - 31 2019 13
NRM Day special report

33 years later
In 1986 President Yoweri Museveni and the National Resitance Movement kept power and launched
the 'NRM 10 Point Programme. In this special report 33 years later this week five experts critique the
extent to which the NRM government has achieved the aspirations of the programme.

NRM programme point No.1: Democracy

It’s all about Museveni clinging on

`The real test of democracy is when an incumbent party
or candidate or both lose an election and power’
Moses Khisa is a Political scientist and Assistant Professor of Political Science in the School of
Public and International Affairs at North Carolina State University. He spoke to The Independent’s
Agnes E Nantaba about the state of democracy in Uganda under the NRM regime 33 years later.

How has the NRM government performed pation under the Resistance Councils pro- assault on the 1995 constitution that has
in relation to democracy and rule of law vided a sound framework and solid plat- turned the constitution into, as President

T
since 1986?
here is no doubt that Uganda made
remarkable progress; especially in
the first ten years of the NRM re-
gime. The system of popular partici-
form for citizen representation and public
accountability. The conclusion of the 1995
constitution, its many flaws notwithstand-
ing, was historic and a major achievement.
But since 2004 there has been a sustained
Museveni has said in the past, a “mere piece
of paper.” Since 2006, Uganda has been in
reverse gear on the democratic front. The
state of rule of law has been deteriorating
rapidly. It’s all about Museveni clinging

14 Jan. 25 - 31 2019

to power and those opposed to him hav-
ing to fight hard to dislodge him. We don’t
have principled and constructive political
engagement around policy issues; rather
it’s about Museveni stays or he goes. This is
what regime longevity and Museveni’s life-
presidency project has brought.
What are the key elements of democracy
in Uganda in line with parliamentary
democracy, popular democracy and a
decent level of living for every Ugandan?
First, Uganda is not a parliamentary
democracy. We have parliament as a branch
of government charged with legislation and
oversight but ours is actually a presidential
system. In fact our political system is
fundamentally presidential in the sense that
everything revolves around presidential
power. Second, popular democracy is a
loaded concept. There has to be a difference
or relationship between “parliamentary
democracy” and “popular democracy.”
At the heart of popular democracy is
the popular will of the people, what the
majority will. In Uganda today we have
neither functional parliamentary democracy
nor popular democracy. Third, the notion of
“decent living for every Ugandan” is rather
misplaced. Democracy, whether popular
or parliamentary may have little to do with
standards of living. Democracy is primarily
procedural, meaning it is about how to
decide who governs or who gets the right
to make decisions. This is quite apart from
whether or not democracy can deliver on
the substantive issues. In fact as a system of
government, democracy is not necessarily
the best when it comes to substantive issues
such as delivering goods and services to
the public and bettering people’s lives.
But there is also evidence, globally, that
democratic governments on average tend to
do better over the long term in substantive
terms. This though is not the case with
African states. In Uganda, matters are made
worse by the perversion of democracy,
meaning the mess that we have which
passes for democracy when it’s not. We
have a façade of democracy, cosmetic and
superfluous shows of democracy which
are travesties and not genuine democratic
practices. Better to have an authoritarian
system that can deliver on economic
issues than a system that purports to be
democratic when it’s a mere mockery.
What implications does an illiterate, sick,
superstitious population have on the
political life of a country?
There is a generally accepted proposition
in academic debates of a positive
relationship between the quality of life,
meaning the socioeconomic status of the
people, and the quality of democracy.
Countries that have high standards of
living, like the Nordics, Germany, etc., also
tend to have stable democratic practice and
superior governance systems. The question
that remains a point of contention is which
one comes first: do you first achieve high
standards of living before gaining better
government, or better government and
prudent public management is what
gives you economic prosperity and social
transformation? It’s arguable.
What is your take on the argument that
NRM has passed the test of conducting
regular elections in 1996, 2001, 2006 and
2011 but has failed the test on free and fair
elections?
The real test is not just holding regular
elections but regular free, fair, credible
and transparent elections. That’s what the
constitution provides. The constitution
does not say that we hold elections that
are unfree and unfair. Therefore, to the
extent that we have not had credible
elections, especially since 2006, the NRM
has not passed the democratic test. In real
democratic practice, the test of elections is
when an incumbent party or candidate or
both lose an election and power. Until that
happens, you can’t say that the test has been
passed.
For many years, the security agencies like
the police and army have topped lists of
human rights violators in the country?
Who is to blame?
Those in charge of commanding security
agencies and the armed forces. There are
two sets of human rights violations among
the police and the military. First, errant
officers and rogue elements who commit
personal violations either out of sheer reck-
less conduct or in pursuit of material ends.
They violate people’s rights because they
are ignorant and are just bad-mannered or
because they want to extort. This is a prob-
lem of administrative failure. The second,
more critical source of violations is political.
NRM Day special report
The police and military have become tools
and instruments of political repression.
This applies to abuses and wrongs com-
mitted against members of the media. The
exigencies of regime survival and Museve-
ni’s life-presidency pursuits fuel the resort
to the armed forces which inevitably leads
to physical and emotion abuse to members
of the public. Our politics in recent years
has degenerated to more confrontation
than conversation, street battles than struc-
tured dialogue.
Where does the challenge lie?
The challenge is now with building a
new national consensus because the con-
sensus embodied in the 1995 constitution
has been decidedly eroded. The idea of a
national dialogue is a good starting point.
But the way it is being pursued now is a
non-starter. It will end up being another
of those rituals where Museveni gives
lectures about how he brought liberation
and is still on a mission to take Uganda to
prosperity.
How best can the challenges be addressed
to get the country on track?
We need deep soul-searching. Uganda
has a patently broken political system. Cor-
rupted and decayed. What we call democ-
racy is nothing short of a travesty. We need
to get back to the drawing board. But to do
so pressure has to be exerted on the cur-
rent rulers to realise that they are taking us
down the drain and need to change course.
We have to turn around things but it can’t
happen with the kind of national dialogue
being proposed and pursued. It has to start
with pressure being placed squarely on the
rulers so as to abandon the course they have
been pursuing. Whatever will get us out
of the current mess has to be the work of
Ugandans, all of us. If we stay stuck in the
old frame of a savior or liberators, we shall
end up exactly where we are now: with a
group of self-seekers pursuing personal
aggrandisement at the expense of the com-
mon good.
There are arguments that the government
should work towards reversing the mon-
etisation of politics as this tends to dictate
the decision of elected leaders rather than
defending the common good of a nation.
What is your take on this?
No doubt. There is way too much money
in our elections. But this is a symptom of a
larger problem. You cannot get rid of exces-
sive money in politics/elections under the
current system. The system has to change to
solve the problem of money in election. The
laws are weak but even those in place are
not followed. Parties are supposed to sub-
mit financial reports to the EC; they don’t, at
least the ruling party is known not to.
Jan. 25 - 31 2019 15
NRM Day special report
NRM programme point No. 10. Following an economic strategy of mixed economy
Mixed economy was right
`We can’t build a mixed economy when the private
sector side is parasitic on the public sector’
When the NRM government took power in 1986, it introduced a 10-point programme. Point No.10 on
the programme was to pursue a mixed economy strategy. The Independent’s Isaac Khisa spoke to
leading economist, Dr. Fred Muhumuza, from the College of Business and Management Science,
Makerere University, about NRM’s record on that goal after 33 years of NRM in power.
The NRM government undertook a mixed
economy once it took power in 1986. What
is your assessment of NRM’s performance
on this type of economy over the past
I
three decades?
t was a proper aspiration at the time
because most countries have reverted
to the mixed economy, finding a loca-
tion between extreme capitalism and
extreme socialism. But it has yielded mixed
results for Uganda. After 30 years, the pri-
vate sector remains immature. Where the
private sector is supposed to complement
government, the expectations to grow the
economy remain hinged on government
projects. Mixed economy should have been
riding on market opportunities triggered
by government investments and policies
such as conducive environment, low inter-
est rates, moderate exchange rates and low
inflation. Initiatives like Operation Wealth
Creation and NAADs should have been
private led. Given that framers of the mixed
economy were still in the bush, nobody
had planned how the mixed economy will
materialise. It was a coincidence that it
happened when the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund were telling
them to liberalise and privatise; scale back
government involvement. The few private
sector investments seen today, one can ar-
gue, are by people stealing public funds and
investing in private initiatives.
What is your view on the government’s
role in regulating export-import, MPC,
inflation, and exchange rate as was envis-
aged in the mixed economy?
These are largely in the domain of the
public sector. However, it is difficult to
judge their performance based on what they
anticipated. They didn’t expect the public
sector to take over exchange rates - that is
determined by imports and exports which
is largely driven by the private sector. The
public sector should only do infrastructure
investments, policy and regulations, and
encourage the private sector to thrive. Mon-
etary policy is supposed to merely intervene
and stabilise the shilling. But given the shil-
16 Jan. 25 - 31 2019
ling has not been stable, I don’t think perfor-
mance has been adequate.
So where did the government go wrong?
I think the NRM government did not
have time, effort and possibly interest to
see how to actualise the mixed economy.
They found the economy in a bad shape
and urgently needed foreign exchange. It
made them to think long term strategies.
Some decisions were right; like the liberali-
sation of exchange rates but they needed
to think through the short term, medium
term, and long term. This, unfortunately,
has come to haunt the economy as most of
the assumptions about the mixed economy
have not been realised. For instance, there
was an assumption that liberalising the
economy will attract both local and foreign
investments, and that privatised former
non-performing government entities will
perform better. Some successes happened
in the telecoms and beverages, but not in
agriculture.
How can this situation be reversed?
We need to get back to the same argu-
ment of the mixed economy but this time
be deliberate and logical. Not this business
of Operation Wealth Creation providing
farmers with inputs. Inputs are provided
by private entity engaged at a higher level
of processing in the value chain not the
government operating on the mode of civil
service. We have seen factories come up
but not have enough inputs; an abattoir on
Bombo Road lacks cattle to slaughter, the
steel industry is dependent on imported
iron raw materials. Dealing with corrup-
tion will ensure that a right private sector
emerges. We can’t build a mixed economy
when the private sector side is parasitic on
the public sector.
Where do you see the country in a few
years to come if nothing changes as you
suggest?
The trend has been downwards. The
economy used to grow at 8-9% and then it
came down below 3%. Now you cannot be
happy when it grows by 5% yet the target
was 7%. The signals are not the right. Inter-
est rates are high, partly driven by the pub-
lic sectors need to borrow. These are affect-
ing the fundamentals of the economy.
But there’s an argument that the govern-
ment investment in infrastructure will
drive growth of the economy?
We have had that discussion for the last
10 years. Government projects were expect-
ed to drive the economy. Regrettably, those
investments give you growth at the time of
happening but what you need is sustainable
growth. The completion of Bujagali Hydro-
power dam contributed to the growth that
year but Bujagali hasn’t continued spur-
ring private sector growth because all the
energy investments have not reduced the
tariff. Electricity and water bills are going
up. Inflation, though stable at a rate of
4-5% over 10 years, means those prices are
always going up. The cost of living is also
going up. Therefore one cannot claim that
the investments will in future favour the
government.
Looking at the trend of the value of the
shilling against other international curren-
cies, where are we?
Definitely in 1986, there was hardly any
dollar. It was a completely a black market.
But we don’t want to compare with that
extreme case. Sufficient investment should
have turned that around. The gradual
decline in the value of the shilling tends to
discourage local and foreign investors who
need dollars.
 NRM Day special report

NRM programme point No.9: Co-operation with other African countries

An economic cancer is harming

relations between EAC countries
'Museveni is more trusted elsewhere than in his home'
Fred Mukasa Mbidde is a member of the 3rd East African Legislative Assembly representing
the republic of Uganda. He sits on three committees, committee of communication; trade and
investments, committee on legal rules and privileges and the committee on regional affairs and
conflict resolution. He talked to The Independent’s Patricia Akankwatsa about the cooperation
of Uganda with other African countries before and after the NRM government came to power.

What was Uganda’s relationship with am doing a study of this, particularly

other African countries like before the matters to do with Rwanda and

B
NRM came to power?
efore, they came to power; we
are talking of the former East
African Community which
had collapsed by 1977 because
of the pursuant leaderships that had
taken over Kampala. There had been
an economic war between Britain and
Uganda, investors lost investments
by law of property because of Amin’s
pursuant declaration of economic
independence. Also, there had been
prevalence of Article 3 of the former
charter for the Organidation of
African Unity which had the effect
of forbidding other countries from
observing the respect to fundamental
rights by other countries considering
them internal matters. That was the
policy and barricade established by
African leaders to erect protective walls
around them and execute leaderships
in their countries without any policy
from outside. By the time NRM came
into power that is when the discussions
of formation of a constitutive act
and African Union came into place.
Normative instruments like the African
Charter on Human and People’s Rights,
protocol for the establishment of the
African court were debated, passed
and implemented during the current
regime.
How did these change relations
between African countries ?
Juxtaposed with what happened
during Amin’s time, Dr. Obote had
better relations with Tanzania, but
of course the NRM later on would
establish fairly good relations. There
was formation of trade areas like
COMESA, and regional economic
communities including IGAD.
Then substantially, you can say the
development of the East African
Community. Right now we have the
oldest president in the region, the
possibility that leaders from other
countries are listening to him is high.
Just like a prophet, he is more trusted
elsewhere than in his home.
What challenges remain with the
relations between these countries?
I think what are thinking, is specific
arms of government which have
become pecuniary in nature. They are
looking forward to making money
rather than serving the objects for
which they were established. They
have adopted a mentality of developing
reports that represent antagonism
between states that otherwise would
never have any differences at all. I
Uganda. There is nothing fundamental
that causes differences between the two
countries. But specific security agencies
intending to obtain gadgets are
misrepresenting the party on ground,
thereby causing a friction at higher
levels. There is a cancer growing which
is economic in nature which includes
our own security agencies. It can even
cause war between Kampala and Kigali
if this problem is not handled as a
joint effort. They have done it once for
Kisangani1 and 2 before.
What steps is the government taking
to improve these relations?
As players regionally, we are doing
all it takes to advise. If our advice
is taken, certainly solutions will be
obtained.
Uganda has been a great player in
attempts to pacify other African
countries by defending their human
and democratic rights, what is your
take on that?
That kind of participation is part
of the UN sub arrangement. It is not
entirely Uganda. It has been having
contributive effects that are coached
in UN camps. Apart from S. Sudan
on 16th Dec 2013, the first entry was
on Uganda’s motion but was later
joined by the region’s contributing
partners (Kenya and Ethiopia). But
the ones in Somalia are mostly UN
sponsored material. We can however
say, nationally, the contribution of
pacification of the region, Uganda
stands a higher chance of recognition.

Jan. 25 - 31 2019 17
NRM Day special report
NRM programme point No.4: Defending and consolidating National Independence
NRM is just a power relation-
enjoyment of power
‘Independence is about Africans rediscovering themselves’
James Magode Ikuya is a political activist who has worked with UPC, FRONASA and
NRM. He spoke to Ian Katusiime about consolidating national independence, one of
the ten point programmes outlined by NRM when it captured power in 1986.
As someone who has been part of all
these liberation struggles, what does the
T
NRM anniversary mean to you?
here are two strands there; the
values which were espoused dur-
ing the period of struggle give me
a very clear vision of what things
would be, including what NRM could
have been. Now, there are several trends
on what you are calling NRM, there is
NRM official; those speak for myriads of
new tendencies which have crept in the
country. They are not part of that origi-
nal concept and it has been given a new
concept. To some people, NRM is just a
power relation-enjoyment of power, its
use and how to wallow in it and the im-
punity.
With us, we mainly look at the popu-
lation and consequently what indepen-
dence meant for our country. Indepen-
dence was significant in a sense that the
population had been dispossessed of
power including being human. At first
there was slavery, then came colonial-
ism which made Africans slaves in their
own homes. The control of Africans to us
was a terrible thing. Regaining indepen-
dence was a process, it was not just about
declaring things. The process of taking
away independence was very systematic
so regaining it had to be a very deliber-
ate process which inculcates new values
and enables Africans to make discoveries
about themselves. It was about rebuilding
a society for Africa. That’s a completely
different process. And that is what our
view of independence was.
NRM has stayed with one leader for so
long. How has this affected its ability to
defend and consolidate national inde-
pendence?
That is a partial issue, the question is
bigger than just one person. The question
is whether those ideas of independence
have been inculcated as a system so that it
18 Jan. 25 - 31 2019
is part of a process. That’s the bigger chal-
lenge. Regardless of how many people
you change, the problem will stay.
Whether you have Bobi Wine today,
another one tomorrow, it will not change
the structure of that tragedy. What we are
trying to address is a diversion of issues.
We haven’t brought to the core the ques-
tion which should have been there and
because of the lack of core issues, we are
bringing secondary questions.
In the end the politics is being taken
over by those who have money. If you
have ideas, who will listen to those ideas?
None can even be raised. The few of us
who can raise those ideas are getting
expired-our voices are getting less heard
and we are getting elderly.
Do you think the NRM has made some
gains in the quest of consolidating na-
tional independence?
We had hopes which are being dissi-
pated. The good thing is to have hope. It
gives some people direction. And now we
are discussing different concepts. A lot of
things are required to be in place. I gener-
ally hesitate to discuss individuals. I want
to discuss tendencies.
Politically what does independence
mean to you?
Independence is a process of ensuring
Africans rediscover themselves. That’s a
fundamental question. The Africans have
to discover themselves. We are lost some-
where. That process has not been con-
summated. On the contrary, it has been
interrupted by many new factors and
therefore we are always diverting from
addressing the core questions. Because of
lack of that discovery, we have not built
institutions to point us in that direction of
discovery.
How can the youth be involved in con-
cepts of consolidating independence?
The youth will be obliged to reflect
on that more seriously than anybody
else. They have a more serious stake in
the future than any of us who have been
talking about Uganda in the past. But the
dawning of reality on them is the most
important question. They must look at
the reality of the situation and take inter-
est in it. You have to take interest. If you
don’t take interest in it, nobody will have
answers to that. Study the history of the
country and the experience of those in the
past in order to know where this present
came from and join forces whether old or
young.
It is not youth against old people. That
is another misleading factor; other people
pit the youth against old people as if the
old people are their problem. The youth
must generate ideas; get ideas from those
who have been there. Then you can map
out the future.

NRM Programme point No.7: Corruption
NRM has fought half the battle
`There are many untouchables who hide under the presidency’
Peter Wandera, the executive director TI Uganda Chapter spoke to The Independent’s
Flavia Nassaka about the NRM government fight against corruption.
When Transparency International arrived
in Uganda, NRM had been in power for
about eight years. The new government
had come with a 10 point agenda – one of
the points being fighting corruption and
misuse of power. How was the corruption
T
situation then?
he coming of Transparency Interna-
tional to Uganda can best describe
the context of corruption then. The
president had set up an Inspectorate
of Government desk under his office. It was
looking at corruption and human rights.
Later it became an independent agency
and Augustine Ruzindana became the first
IGG. During one of his travels, he met with
founders of the Global Transparency Inter-
national and decided the country needed
such an entity. There were few special-
ised agencies to fight the vice. So Uganda
Revenue Authority was set up to stump
out corruption in customs, then came the
Directorate of Public Prosecutions, and the
Directorate of Ethics and Integrity came up.
New laws were also put in place to set up
the entities and address the type of corrup-
tion that was happening. In the 1990s, there
was petty corruption involving say bribery,
where people basically wanted small mon-
ies to make ends meet but now it’s about
accumulating wealth, property and its syn-
dicated. It has evolved. Big monies are lost.
Ironically, just last month Transparency
International awarded President Museveni
for fighting corruption. What was your
basis?
It’s unfortunate that people were missing
out on the wider debate. Our chairperson
was clear that the President was being
recognised for putting in place laws and
institutions. We were not rewarding him for
having no corruption; it’s a different matter.
But, Ugandans feel the corruption situa-
tion is worsening, basing on your annual
CPI. Why?
Corruption has many faces that affect
our score. There are two types of surveys
that we use to come up with the Index. In
Uganda, there is the East African Bribery
Index which looks at five countries in the
region and focuses on key public institu-
tions like the Police, Revenue and Health. In
this survey, we ask citizens about their deal-
ings with a particular institution. Eventually
we consolidate the answers and gauge the
country’s performance. Then, the CPI is
done globally using international sources of
data – 13 of them now, including the World
Bank and the IMF (International Monetary
Fund). We get information about different
countries to come up with the scores.
Ugandans feel corruption is worsen-
ing because of what they see; the scandals
uncovered almost every day. It is worse
now with politicisation of everything and
patronage. If we can have an anti-corrup-
tion conversation without involving parties
and politics our performance is likely to
improve. Everything is now connected to
the NRM government because some of the
cases are facilitated by big political figures.
There are many untouchables who hide
under the umbrella of the presidency. It’s
such that make our CPI worse. Let there be
thorough investigations, let officials step
aside when they are implicated in corrup-
tion scandals.
If the NRM left power now, would we
score better in terms of CPI?
Change of government alone may not
help. Ugandans who will come into office
with the same attitude will also have people
who will say it is our time to eat. Fighting
corruption needs a concerted effort that
can’t be given a blue, red or yellow color.
NRM Day special report
Most of internal quarrels in political parties
are about money. In Uganda, the anti- cor-
ruption fight is only half way fought. It’s a
complex struggle that will take us a bit of
time.
What do you make of the newly created
State House Unit to fight corruption?
Creating a new entity is not bad but
this one is providing more of fire-fighting
response. It would work better under other
agencies as a special department. As it is
now, issues of the law will come in eventu-
ally. The good thing with such entities is
that they expose criminals but Ugandans
are interested in what happens after that.
It can be made consistent and empowered
to follow through to ensure properties are
recovered. What such new units do is cre-
ate some fear but people eventually get
used to them. It’s what happened with the
IG. Those days, some people even feared
to associate with Ruzindana because of the
office he was holding.
What needs to change if the country is to
wipe out the vice?
People should realise that it’s also up to
them to fight corruption. There’s a sort of
acceptance of corruption as a way of life
and people don’t question anything. In
developed countries, you can’t become rich
overnight and people don’t question it. The
state will also pick interest in you. Secondly,
the many agencies should be equipped to
investigate cases by allocating them enough
resources and cushion them against inter-
ference.
Finally, what’s your take on the good and
bad corruption talk?
The discussion of bad corruption or good
corruption shouldn’t arise because corrup-
tion is corruption. It becomes a viscous cycle
which eventually makes someone suffer.
The likes of Geoffrey Kazinda, if you went
to his home village people were happy
because he used to help them a lot but look
at northern Uganda where the resources
were stolen, they are languishing without
clean water.
Jan. 25 - 31 2019 19
news analysis
The Kabulasoke solar plant
A critique on where and how to use solar electric energy
By Dr. Eng. Kant Ateenyi Kanyarusoke; M-ASHRAE;
M-SASEE
F
irst, we will congratulate Ugandans
and their son Dr. David Alobo for
the recent commissioning of a 20
MW photovoltaic power plant. The
project follows the 2016 Soroti solar plant
of 10 MW, which was famed as the biggest
in East and Central Africa then. As I have
argued both locally and internationally
in the past, solar energy harnessing is the
way to go for countries with a plentiful
solar resource and with dysfunctional
electric grid systems such as in most
of sub-Saharan Africa. As a primary
resource, solar energy is everywhere,
free, inexhaustible. It can easily be used
20 Jan. 25 - 31 2019
to provide different forms of energy:
electric – as in these plants; heating – as
in solar water heaters; refrigeration – as
in solar powered refrigerators and air
conditioners; cooking – as in solar cookers;
agricultural – as in solar irrigation-water
pumping, solar crop drying and perishable
foods preservation; transportation – as
in solar powered vehicles; biochemical
as in solar water purifiers, etc. It is safe,
and can be completely free of corrupting
tendencies, so rampant in Africa’s energy
infrastructure. More interesting, it is a
powerful discipliner to users, because the
primary source is not directly available at
night.
The above narrative notwithstanding,
we need to be a bit more careful on how
we go about exploiting it than displayed
in the above two investments. This article
argues that in sparsely populated Africa,
solar electric investments are better if
directed to smaller individual home units
and to isolated power supplies in remote
areas than to feed into the dysfunctional
grid systems. There are technical,
economic, environmental, social and
political reasons for this approach – which
I explain hereunder.
Technical – Too many odds are against
feeding solar electricity into an existing
grid: The uneven power generation from
minute to minute creates an unsteady grid
voltage and frequency, which badly affects
equipment connected to the grid. In the
worst of situations, it can also cause death

of lines maintenance personnel trying to
rectify faults emanating from conventional
generators, transformers and transmission
lines. To avoid the fatalities, the solar
units would have to be simultaneously
switched out before maintenance. This
means, they do not improve reliability of
the supply at all - even as they do increase
risks of equipment damage and human
life loss. The other issues are to do with
actual solar electric energy delivered to the
consumer. Solar panels as used in Soroti
and Kabulasoke produce direct current
(like that in your torch or car battery) at
an operating efficiency of about 15-18%.
This power is then converted to alternating
form at efficiency of about 96% (even
though the Kabulasoke investors claim a
99.5% value!). If it is to be transmitted over
a long distance it would have to be stepped
up to the transmission line voltage at
another 96% and then stepped down to 240
V at a further 96%. This means, from say
100 W of solar energy arriving at the panel,
only about 14 W enters the grid. Now, if
the grid is dysfunctional, even much of this
The transformer
near the
consumer will
receive only 11.5
W, which will
reduce further
to 11, after the
final step down
transformer to
the consumer
14 will never reach the consumer.
For Uganda, with a transmission loss of
16.5% (which is a very good performance
by the way), the transformer near the
consumer will receive only 11.5 W, which
will reduce further to 11, after the final
step down transformer to the consumer.
This is about 73% of what was actually
produced by the panels. In other words,
from a 20 MW plant, we could reasonably
expect the consumers to receive just about
14.6 MW!
Economic – The losses and risks
indicated above have serious implications
on the economics of the plant. For the
Kabulasoke investment running at about
1 US$ per installed Watt power, this
works out at over 1.4 US$ per UMEME
delivered Watt. This is not to include
the cost of added risks. The investor will
have of course agreed with UMEME (and
government) on a suitable energy sale/
purchase rate to ensure he makes a good
profit. No problem there – but in the
larger scheme of things, for society, the
actual investment cost is over 40% more
than it would be if the same amount had
been invested at household level (i.e. with
no conversion and transmission costs).
There are also opportunity costs to do
with loss of agricultural or other usage of
land occupied by the panels when ground
mounted as in the two plants.
Environmental – It is easy to romanticise
the environmental benefits of the
investments, and on which romance,
NEMA will have pleasantly approved
them. However, considering the ground
mounting of the installations, as opposed
to roof mounting or home compound
installations, there is an issue of loss of
alternative use of land. The 120 acres in
fertile Luwero and another 33 in Soroti
news analysis
may now look uniformly beautiful to
the eye, but the ecology of those acres is
irreversibly affected. Does this mean we
should never have such plants? No – they
are better located in dryer and more barren
areas, where it is even easier to justify
the 25-30% energy loss than in highly
agriculturally productive areas.
Social – My biggest concern here is the
lie that feeding this energy into the grid
is the easiest and most convenient way to
get more rural people to use electricity. It
is a lie because you must still expand the
transmission and distribution system to
reach the peasants. This is not possible
for all peasants, and even if it were, it
would be dangerous for many of Africa’s
peasants, as they would be receiving
potentially fatal 220-240 Volt supply. The
second point is that this energy would
have to be paid for on a recurrent basis.
If the peasants do not have sustainable
incomes, they cannot pay for it – and in
that case, other tax payers would have
to pay these bills. It is acceptable to run
transmission lines to rural trading centres
principally for small and medium scale
artisanal businesses which are generating
incomes to meet the bills, but not to
peasants’ homes. The latter ought to be
encouraged to obtain roof-mounted units
on which recurrent expenses are minimal.
Investors like Xsabo Power Limted would
do well to invest in solar PV assembly
plants or in direct current devices for use
with these panels without having to go
through conversions. We should take a leaf
from neighbouring Kenya, which within 5
years, has pushed up access to electricity
from below 20 to 75% now, not through
grid supply, but through small, affordable
roof-mounted photovoltaic systems.
Political – here I want to address myself
to the independence bit. Reliance on power
from the grid keeps people tied to and
‘enslaved’ by a centralised, largely corrupt
system, when there is a clear independent
alternative. This is not just at individual
home level. At national level, African
countries are easily held at ransom by
so called foreign donors and investors in
supplying large and grandiose systems
for merely transforming what is naturally
and abundantly available to electricity,
and subsequent degradation through
conversions and transmissions. For some
African countries, Uganda inclusive, at
present state of home solar energy systems
technology development, the truth is that
there is hardly a need for many of these
foreign vampires to help our people access
modern forms of energy.
Kant is a pan-Africanist Engineering
Pracademic and Team leader of
Progressive Africa Solar Engineering
Company.
Jan. 25 - 31 2019 21
By Patricia Akankwatsa
U
gandan farmers are suffering
losses from falling egg prices due
to lost market opportunities in the
region and high feed costs.
Farmers and traders that spoke to The
Independent said a tray of eggs now goes for
between Shs 6,000 to Shs 7,500 compared
with between Shs 10,000 to Shs 12,000 in
October last year.
The egg dealers said the increase in egg
production in its key market, Kenya, has led
to a reduction in demand for the country’s
eggs amidst a surging cost of production.
“Approximately 60% of the eggs pro-
duced in Uganda are exported to Kenya
and now Kenya is also producing eggs on
a large scale,” said Aga Sekalala, the Execu-
tive Director, Ugachick in an interview with
The Independent.
“That leaves us with no market as
demand is fixed. That is why the egg prices
had to be cut.”
He said there is need for government to
boost tourism as tourists have a culture of
consuming more eggs than the local popu-
lation. “Tourists can make a good market
for the eggs here,” he said.
However, the price of poultry feed has
gone up following a shrinkage in supply
according to 256 businessnews.com.
Maize prices have moved up from Shs300
to Shs650 for a kilogram in recent weeks
feeding into prices for maize bran which
is now retailing at Shs720 from Shs500 per
kilogram previously.
Soybean is currently trading at Shs2400
up from Shs1, 000 while prices for Sesame
have reached Shs4, 500 at farm gate. Prices
now are expected to peak off in May on the
limb of the first harvest for 2019.
Prices for cereals crashed following a
bumper harvest last year as farmers who
were running out of storage were forced to
22 Jan. 25 - 31 2019
Egg prices fall as
supply goes up
Kenya’s increase in supply spells
doom to Ugandan farmers
dump the May – July crop. Also, farmers
discouraged by the poor prices planted less
resulting into a lower harvest in December.
This is the second time that farmers are
experiencing a sharp drop in egg prices in
nearly four years. In 2015, a tray of eggs
was selling at Shs 6,400 and Shs6, 500 per
30-egg tray in Kampala, and an average of
Shs 7,000 outside the city — down from Shs
7,500 and Shs 8,000.
Data from Uganda Bureau of Statistics
shows that the country’s egg production
has increased from 831.9million in 2013 to
907.1million in 2017. However, data for egg
production in 2018 remains scanty.
Dr. Okoth Ochola, the executive director
at Asiima Agriculture Concern Limited said
the inadequate regional market coupled
with the conflict in South Sudan and the
Democratic Republic of Congo has placed
farmers in a big fix.
This development comes as Kenya retains
its January 2017 ban on poultry from Ugan-
da, even though Kampala had contained
the avian flu outbreak by March 2017.This
contravenes the East African Community
rules, which provide for the free movement
of goods and services within the region.
The east African nation, however, has
opened the window for only three major
firms – Hudani Manji Holdings Rainbow,
SR Afrochick and Kukuchick.
Dr. Doris Kiconco, Uganda’s assistant
commissioner of veterinary regulation and
enforcement told The Independent that they
have written numerous letters requesting
that the ban is officially lifted.
However, the Kenyan officials have never
responded to the requests, she said.
Situation not a blessing to Kenyan
farmers
This current situation, however, seem
not to be a blessing to Kenyan farmers who
have advocated for a ban of egg imports
from Uganda citing increased competition
and losses.
The wholesale prices of a tray of eggs
have dropped to an all-time low of Ksh180
in January from Kshs217 last December,
while retailers are selling an egg at Ksh7.
It is the lowest price an egg has ever gone
for in the East African nation in more than
a decade, with farmers feeling the pinch as
costs of production rise, according to the
Chinese news agency Xinhua.
Going forward Dr. Okoth says the local
population needs to be sensitized about
the health benefits of consuming eggs.
“This would increase local market and
demand,” he said.

Government to hire more firms
to market tourism abroad
But are the already hired firms delivering results?
G
By Julius Businge
odfrey Kiwanda is a
Ugandan politician, junior
minister for tourism and
speaks passionately about
Uganda’s tourism sector.
On January 16, he told
The Independent that he is among the gov-
ernment officials spearheading the govern-
ment’s move to hire more public relations
firms to market Uganda abroad this year.
The new firms that are yet to be disclosed
will market the country’s tourism potential
in China, Japan and the Middle East.
“It is part of our bigger marketing strat-
egy this year,” he said, “We have the poten-
tial; what we need is to make people know
world over about it.”
The new firms will join three other PR
firms that were hired in 2016 to market the
country’s tourism potential in the United
Kingdom and Ireland, USA and German,
each at a fee of US$500,000 per annum. The
three firms are PHG Consulting headquar-
tered in USA, Kamageo of UK and KPRN
of German.
The PR firms are expected to raise the
profile of Uganda as a preferred destina-
tion, increase inbound numbers to Uganda
and promote investment opportunities in
Uganda’s tourism sector. The firms are also
expected to help clear the negative percep-
tion about Uganda so as to attract more
investors in the tourism sector, generate
more tax revenue and employment oppor-
tunities to the local population.
Mixed reactions
The new strategy, however, has received
mixed reactions from sector experts; with
some saying it is a waste of resources while
others say it is a good marketing strategy. A
section of the stakeholders in support of the
plan, however, say it must be transparent to
achieve its objective.
Herbert Byaruhanga, the vice president
for Uganda Tourism Association (UTA),
who has worked in the sector for 20 years,
told The Independent on Jan.17 that it is a
good strategy because “we are not visible,
not known.”
He said that China being one of the
leading economies in the world, its people
needs to know about Uganda through such
marketing strategy.
Minister Kiwanda (middle) addressing a press conference at Golden Tulip on Jan.15. On the left is
Miss World Africa 2018, Quiin Abenakyo.   Independent/Julius Businge
He, however, said Uganda Tourism
Board (UTB) needs to conduct a thorough
research to determine the tastes and pref-
erences of the people within those new
markets for it to be able to achieve tangible
results.
“It is not a matter of just hiring the firms
and putting them there,” he said adding,
“more needs to be done in terms of collect-
ing actual data regarding tourist arrivals
from the markets where the PR firms are
going to work.”
He said the neighbouring Kenya shares
the number of tourist arrivals monthly in
order to plan ahead.
Everest Kayondo, the chairman of the
Association of Uganda Tour Operators and
the proprietor of Ever Based Tour and Trav-
el Company told The Independent on Jan.17
that the hiring of PR firms should be treated
as part of the bigger marketing strategy for
Uganda’s tourism.
“Hiring marketing firms alone is not a
solution,” he said, adding that more fund-
ing is required for the sector to grow. Cur-
rently the sector gets around 0.1% of the
national budget and contributes 10% to the
national Gross Domestic Product.
Kayondo said more efforts should be
geared towards training of tour guides in
tourism and related work for the sector to
grow faster.
He added that government must quickly
expedite plans to have the national carrier to
complement marketing that is being done
by the PR firms.The airline, according to
government, is expected to start operations
in June this year.
business
No specific statistics
The new development comes even as the
government is unable to ascertain the finan-
cial returns or the number of tourists that
the earlier PR firms were able to persuade to
travel into the country.
However, Kiwanda, said the increasing
number of tourists visiting the country per
year is partly attributed to the work of the
PR firms.
Latest data from Civil Aviation Authority
shows that the total number of arrivals at
the Entebbe International Airport increased
by 199,703 visitors to 1.8million in 2018
compared with the previous year.
Of the total arrivals at Entebbe, 60% of
arrivals are normally tourists, according to
the executives at the Authority.
Speaking separately at a Uganda Tourism
Board media briefing held at Golden Tulip
Hotel in Kampala on Jan.15, Kiwanda said
the country recorded more visitors to the
National Parks in 2018, the highest over the
last seven years.
He said that visits to Uganda’s national
parks increased by 14% to 325,345 visitors
in 2018, up from 285,671 recorded in the
previous year owed to increased domestic
marketing campaigns such as Tulambule
campaigns.
“Overall the sector demonstrated an
upward curve in visitor numbers with
Ngamba Chimpanzee sanctuary registering
an increased growth from 3421 visitors in
2016 to 4526 in 2018,” he said.
Kiwanda said the target for 2019 is to
add at least one million tourists to the
estimated two million tourists that visited
Uganda in 2018.
Jan. 25 - 31 2019 23
business
Solar energy to stir
growth, create jobs
Dr. David Alobo is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Xsabo Group and
an expert in economics and business. He spoke to The Independent’s Julius Businge
about his expertise and the planned US$200million investment in solar energy in Uganda.
I
Who is David Alobo?
am a management consultant
who has over the years mainly
provided global business
players and medium sized
companies with answers to their
challenges and opportunities
of globalisation. I also advise
governments on issues of
image building and commercial
diplomacy. I attended Johns
Hopkins University School of
Advanced International Studies
(SAIS) in the USA, earning a
Master’s degree in International
Economics and International Law.
I also have a Master’s
degree in
International
24 Jan. 25 - 31 2019
Relations from the Catholic
University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt
in Germany as well as PhD in
International Economic Relations.
What exactly does Xsabo Group
do?
Locally, Xsabo brand is mainly
associated with the pilot solar
power park in Kabulasoke that
was commissioned by President
Yoweri Museveni early this month.
The Kabulasoke power project is
the first in a portfolio of five solar
power projects that Xsabo Group
is undertaking in various parts of
the country with a total capacity of
150MW worth US$200million. We
are the sponsor of youth income
generation activities, the annual
youth football tournament in
greater Masaka, art groups and
the medical youth camp which has
to-date provided free treatment
to over 10,000 disadvantaged and
needy people in rural areas. We are
also empowering girl and women
groups to produce self-made
sanitary pads out of banana fibres.
So far more than 800 sanitary pads
have been made. Beyond Uganda,
Xsabo Group helps international
clients expand into new markets
and provide interim management
services where such multinational
companies still donot have the
requisite management team.
What is the general
philosophy of investing
in solar energy in
Uganda when most
people believe
hydropower is the
most popular
form of

energy?
Solar power technology can do
for Uganda and Africa what mobile
phone technology has done for the
communications industry. I believe
every Ugandan can easily have reliable
and enough electricity within the next
eight years just as almost every Ugandan
owns a mobile phone. A forward-looking
study done for the German industry
and the German Federal Ministry for
Economics and Technology on changes
to the global energy mix up to the year
2,100, forecasts that oil will account for
just above 10% of the world energy mix,
water (hydropower) about 10%, wind
10%, biomass 10% and solar/photovoltaic
will account for over 50%. Coal is likely
to become negligible in the energy mix
while hybrid of solar and thermal and
other renewables together will account
for the remaining 10%. Uganda will
therefore remain in the third world if
it does not wake-up. Solar-powered
cars, airplanes, industries, homes will
become the norm in affluent societies.
With the current disadvantageous
water levels and countries like Egypt
openly complaining that the many
existing or planned hydropower plants
on River Nile are becoming a threat to
their existence, the potential for conflict
and the fact that these hydropower
stations have difficulty operating at
full capacity must have long become
an eye opener to both national and
international energy policy strategists
and planners.
Why did you choose Uganda as your
number one investment destination?
Uganda is my home. This
notwithstanding, Uganda has a
solid macroeconomic record and
the government has been able to
ensure peace, stability and a reliable
investment policy. Doing business in
Uganda is also becoming easier and
with attractive rewards.
How are you dealing with the very
familiar challenges such as, financing,
bureaucracy and corruption?
The biggest challenge any investor in
Uganda will face is financing. We are
lucky that we were in position to raise
our own capital worth US$24.5 million
(Shs91.4bn) required for engineering,
procurement and construction.
However, not every investor can
afford that. Bureaucratic gymnastics
was and remains a big headache. I
have raised this issue passionately
with both the President and the Vice
President. Corruption was a non-starter
in our case.There is a Presidential aide
who asked me for US$7,000 when I
requested for an appointment with
Uganda
has a solid
macroeconomic
record and the
government
has been able
to ensure
peace, stability
and a reliable
investment
policy
President Museveni, four years ago. I
told him I will never pay money to see
my President.
What is the anticipated impact of
your planned total investment on the
economy?
Our pilot solar power project in
Kabulasoke and the two other solar
power parks in Soroti and Tororo have
already made Uganda a role model
for renewable energy on the African
continent. At the full capacity of
150MW, our solar project will lead to a
significant reduction of carbondioxide
emissions in the country, namely
240,000 tons per year, which translates
into 4.8million tons for the 20 years
of our Power Purchase Agreement
(PPA) with the government-owned
Uganda Electricity Transmission
Company Limited (UETCL). With
regard to jobs, the pilot solar power
park gave 400 people jobs during the
construction phase. Our next power
project site is expected to be almost
two times bigger in size compared
with our first pilot project. All these
sites will provide people with more
and more jobs both directly and
indirectly. As Xsabo Group, we expect
to provide over 10,000 good steady
jobs to the population in the long-run.
On technology transfer, our technical
partners will soon be looking for
young students in various fields to
train in various areas such as electricity
generation, engineering, construction
and management.
You say that Uganda can achieve 100%
electricity access in just 8 years. Aren’t
you too optimistic?
business
It is not difficult to have reliable and
clean power for all at an affordable
rate.We just have to open our eyes.
The reason we are failing on this is so
sensitive..I prefer to discuss it personally
with President Museveni. Xsabo Group
and its partenrs has a blueprint on this
which the Presidnet is aware of.
What is the best strategy for reducing
the power tariff in Uganda?
The best strategy for ensuring fair and
affordable tariffs is something that is
contained in our blueprint that I offered
to share with the President first.
As a development consultant, how best
can the government achieve vision
2040 that is running under the theme
‘A Transformed Ugandan Society from
a Peasant to a Modern and Prosperous
Country within 30 Years?‘
The government need to think big and
be realistic. The world is expected to be
a global village in the few years to come.
With all due respect, the government
needs more people who are exposed
enough to an increasingly “borderless”
world economy. A country may have
a sound macroeconomic framework
but wealth and prosperity will remain
elusive if it does not work on the
microeconomic side.We will not manage
if our mindset is that the government
must give us jobs and food. We need to
develop innovative strategies for wealth
creation by promoting the private sector
as the engine for growth. There is need to
restructure and stregthen the value chain
right from our farms and industries
to optimize efficiency, revenues and
profitability in the steadily globalising
world. With the right ideas, the right
conditions, the right policies and the
right measures, people all over the world
will in a few years be talking with deep
admiration about the sensational socio-
economic transformation of the “African
lions” and forgetting the fascination
with the “economic miracle” of the “East
Asian Tigers” (South Korea, Malaysia,
Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore) or
China’s economic success. I believe we
can take the lead here.
What should Ugandans expect from
Xsabo Group in the coming few years?
The Xsabo Group will continue to
give strong support to government and
the people. We will do this by powering
economic growth and using commercial
diplomacy to invest directly or enable
investment by our partners in strategic
areas that can bring us to the realisation
of our vision as a country. We have the
money ready for the short term, medium
and long term.
Jan. 25 - 31 2019 25
Business
Insurance ict

Sanlam to pursue bond 2.3 million Young Africans equipped with digital skills
default directors petite for digital skills development among

S
Africa’s girls. Launched in 2015 by SAP’s
anlam Kenya now wants Corporate Social Responsibility EMEA de-
directors of companies that partment, ACW is an award-winning initia-
defaulted on Ksh1.15 billion tive taking place every year in the month of
through corporate bond issues October.
held personally liable for “misleading” It is now actively supported by key part-
the investment firm, according to ners UNESCO YouthMobile, Google, the
Business Daily. German Federal Ministry for Economic
CEO Patrick Tumbo said the company Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the
will take legal action against firms Cape Town Science Centre, the Camden
such as Kaluworks, a manufacturer of Education Trust, 28 African governments,
over 130 implementing partners and 120

A
aluminum utensils and roofing sheets.
“We are going after the persons. ambassadors across the continent.
frica Code Week (ACW) 2018
We will follow and pursue them Cathy Smith, Managing Director of SAP
exceeded all expectations by em-
through courts… We are going to have Africa, said the resounding success of Africa
powering 2.3 million youth across
individual cases against them,” he said. Code Week is a wake-up call unveiling what
37 countries with digital and cod-
He also said Sanlam will move away the young generation actually needs and
ing skills - compared to 1.3 million youth
from such “high toxic” investments rightfully expects: “young people in Africa
engaged across 35 African countries in the
and focus on areas such as government don’t just need opportunities: they need to
previous edition.
infrastructure bonds until the law governing know how to take the first steps to get there.
More than 46% of this year’s 2.3 million par-
the corporate bond market is strengthened. They need role models and guidance.”
ticipants were female, reflecting a huge ap-

banking aviation

Afreximbank lends $170 m to Orascom for African expansion RwandAir appoints an

O
agent in Australia

n Jan. 17, Pan-African multilateral ogy, and cable businesses. It also invests in
lender, African Export-Import
Bank, signed a facility agreement
lending $170 million to Egypt-
based conglomerate Orascom Investment
Holding (OIH) to assist the company ex-
pand its pan-African activities in pursuit
of its short and medium-term expansion
strategy.
The company plans to explore new busi-
ness and investment opportunities in a
number of countries including Rwanda,
Togo, Eretria, Nigeria and Sao Tome. The
North-African-based firm has interest in the
investment in the telecom, media & technol-
Energy
British solar firm secures US$31million for expansion
energy, financial services, agriculture, real
estate development, logistics and transport.
Afreximbank President Prof. Benedict
Oramah said the facility agreement was part
of the Bank’s effort to promote intra-African
investments and export manufacturing
using the framework of its Intra-African
Investment Finance Facility.
Naguib Sawiris, Chairman of OIH, said
that the company’s main focus was cur-
rently on investing in Africa, adding that the
continent would only achieve progress if
intra-African trade and investment growth
happened.
R
wanda’s national carrier, RwandAir,
has appointed Airline Rep Services
a General Sales Agent (GSA), a com-
pany division of the CVFR Travel
Group as its representative for the region of
Australia and New Zealand.
The airline’s CEO, Yvonne Manzi Makolo,
said the deal was accomplished owed to
their standards and wealth of experience in
air travel management.
“We are challenging them to capitalize on
their strengths and capabilities to help maxi-
mizing our sales and revenues, promote the
airline’s presence in both markets, and con-
nect our customers to over 26 destinations
in Africa, Middle East, Europe and Asia,”
she said. The Airline Rep Services Manag-
ing Director Roheena Gidwani said “It is

B
ritish renewable
energy firm,
BBOXX, has
secured $31
million investment from
the Africa Infrastructure
Investment Managers
(AIIM) fund for African
expansion.
The firm said it will
also use the cash to roll
out its solar platform that
incorporates photovoltaics,
battery systems, real-time
analytics and the option
of mobile phone utility
payments in Rwanda and
the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC).
“AIIM’s investment will
turbocharge our operations
in Rwanda, Kenya and
the Democratic Republic
of Congo,” Mansoor
Hamayun, the company’s
chief executive and
an amazing opportunity to partner with
co-founder, said. RwandAir and its growth story for the ANZ
This will allow region.”
us to scale rapidly With a fleet of twelve aircraft including
and continue to two wide-body Airbus A330, the airline cur-
drive disaggregation rently reaches out to twenty-six destinations
in what has across East, Central, West and Southern
traditionally been a Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
vertically integrated The carrier also plans to start flights to
market.” Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in April, while
The Africa-focused Guangzhou and Tel Aviv will also be added
energy firm recently teamed to their expanding network.
up with EDF for operations
in Togo, with General
Electric in the DRC and
Orange for streamlining
telecoms in West Africa.

26 Jan. 25 - 31 2019
 Business

PSFU skilling Ugandans

By The Independent lead to improved productivity

Q
and competitiveness in the for-
-sourcing, a human mal and informal sectors.
resourcing consulting So far, 36 companies have
firm, could only train been awarded grants, with
120 people annum, some companies based on their
according to its Managing Di- success received grants more
rector, Patrick Mbonye. than twice. A total of Shs 34.7bn
Now, the firm is able to train had already been committed
400 people per annum after for skilling 46,556 employees,
receiving a grant from the Pri- interns and members of com-
vate Sector Foundation Uganda panies and organisations as at
in 2018. the end of December 2018.
“The grant helped the firm Gideon Badagawa, the exec-
set up two mobile training utive Director at the Private
facilities to extend training ser- Sector Foundation Uganda,
vices to majority of the popula- said the interventions that the
tion countrywide, “he said. Foundation is making is fun-
Uganda Clays Managing Director, George Inholo (C) and Kajjansi The company does human
United Football Club players and executives display the jersey’s as the damental to the growth of the
resourcing for companies private sector.
construction material maker officially extends support to the local team as well as does trainings in
on Jan. 16.   Independent/ Silver Ofuono. “We have been talking
various fields including coded about creating jobs, increas-
welding, electrical installation, ing exports yet we did little in
plumbing, and environmental improving skills of our peo-
health and safety. ple,” he said.
Q-Sourcing is one of the ben- The Skills Development
eficiaries of the US$ 18million Facility is a 5-year project that
Skills Development Facility that support short term employer-
is part of the US$100million led training and recognition
Uganda Skills Development of prior learning as well as
project, which is a government increased access to internships
project funded by the World for Technical and Vocational
Bank. Education Training students.
The Fund is implemented It involves machine han-
through the grant facility mech- dling, technical ability expo-
anism that is co-financed by the sure, career guidance, work
private sector through a match- ethics and actual interpersonal
ing grant contribution and a relationship and professional.
support-training activities that
dfcu Women in Business Advisory Council Chairlady, Dr. Gudula N. Basaza,
flags off 10 women entrepreneurs to Nairobi, Kenya, on an all-expense paid
study trip on Jan. 16. The women entrepreneurs were part of 80 women
who responded to call for business proposals under the Rising Woman
initiative that ran from July to November 2018.   Independent/ Silver Ofuono
Weekly share price movement (Jan. 14)
Security Jan. 14 Jan. 04 Movement
BATU 30,000 30000 00
BOBU 135 138 2.2
CENT 1,049 1,071 2.0
QCL 174 190 8.4
DFCU 822 822 00
EABL 5,941 6,313 5.8
EBL 1,346 1,242 7.7
JHL 15,135 15,259 0.8
KA 290 319 9.0
KCB 1,345 1,350 0.4
NIC 14 14 00
NMG 2,296 2,386 3.7
NVL 338 338 00
SBU 30 30 00
(L-R) Private Sector Foundation Uganda Grants Specialist, Fredrick Nabbimba, UCHM 31 29 6.8
Head Skills Development Facility, Ruth Musoke and the Executive Director, Gideon UCL 19 19 00
Badagawa address the media on the progress of Skills Development Facility UMEME 300 320 6.2
implementation in Kampala on Jan.17.   Independent/ Isaac Khisa ALSI -- -- --

Jan. 25 - 31 2019 27
Fake medical news and information can also cause patients to doubt what their doctor advises and lead them to make risky health decisions.
Fake health news
How it can lead you to make dangerous decisions
F
By Agencies
ake health news can do real
harm. Here’s how to spot the
difference between false stories
and verified information.
Sleeping with raw, sliced
onions in your socks can release
toxins from your body. Two handfuls of
cashews can alleviate depression just as
much as a dose of Prozac. And were you
aware that a vaccine for diabetes has been
found in Mexico?
If you believed everything you read
online, you might as well never go to your
primary care doctor again. (Or at the very
least you’d be heading to the store for
onions and cashews, then booking a flight
to Cabo San Lucas.)
But in fact, all three of these popular
health stories have been debunked by fact-
checking resource Snopes.com.
Not that it matters, though — there’s
still plenty of questionable health news out
there.
28 Jan. 25 - 31 2019
“Fake news” isn’t just a phrase that poli-
ticians haul out in an attempt to discredit
information they’d rather the public not
believe. It can also refer to medical stories
that are more speculation (intentional or
not) than truth.
“False medical information and news
makes patients scared unnecessarily and
can often delay necessary medical care and
attention,” pointed out Dr. Shilpi Agarwal,
a board-certified family medicine physician
in the Washington, D.C. area. “Addition-
ally, [it] can sometimes cause individuals
to spend money on treatments that are not
actually medically proven or accurate…
People who are not trained medical provid-
ers can put out any information online.”
Why fake health news spreads like a
virus
“Most of us have done it — some more
than once,” acknowledged Dr. S. Adam
Ramin, urologist and medical director of
Urology Cancer Specialists in Los Angeles.
“You come down with an illness… and
what do you do? You page Dr. Google and
research your condition online. Depending
on the words you search and the preexisting
knowledge you may or may not have, such
an activity can send you spiraling down a
rabbit hole of worry and despair.”
Or conversely, make you feel that you’ve
found a research study or new treatment
for your health issue that your doctor — for
some reason — isn’t privy to.
In 2016, an article with the intriguing
headline, “Dandelion weed can boost your
immune system and cure cancer,” was
shared 1.4 million times on Facebook. It was
the most shared “cancer” story on the social
media platform that year.
The only problem? It wasn’t true.
While dandelion may have benefits for
cancer patients, at the time of publication, a
study had just launched and no results had
been confirmed.
“There’s lots of false information on the
internet because there are people who want

to believe things to be true, have incentive
to believe that they’re true, are trying to sell
you something or convince you not to buy
something. You have to sift through all of
that,” explained Dr. Ivan Oransky, presi-
dent of the board of directors of the Associa-
tion of Health Care Journalists.
The internet is an insatiable beast that
requires content around the clock. (As do
all us readers.) And not just any content, but
that which is clickable and easy to digest.
Medical studies don’t organically fit that
bill. They’re dense with scientific jargon,
figures and tables to interpret and methods
of analysis to take into account. Much can
get lost in translation — by either accident
or convenience — by the time all that’s
transformed into a must-click headline.
Take, for instance, a 2017 study published
in the medical journal, JAMA Internal Med-
icine. Its decidedly unsexy title? “Compari-
son of hospital mortality and readmission
rates for Medicare patients treated by male
vs. female physicians.”
It was far more interesting to the internet
when it was whittled down to the “news”
that women doctors are superior to men.
What wasn’t captured: the fact that this
was an observational study, meaning it pro-
vided data, but not a specific cause about
the data.
“It is almost as though, when it comes to
medical headlines, popularity beats out the
evidence,” Dr. Roger Ladouceur, an associ-
ate scientific editor for Canadian Family
Physician wrote in response to the “news”
this particular study generated.
By the time of its publication, the JAMA
study had been viewed a whopping 230,000
times, with 4,000 of those coming from out-
side the academic world.
How fake health news hurts your
health
The fake health news you read also
makes your doctor’s job harder.
“We often spend a good amount of a
medical visit correcting misinformation and
re-educating the patient,” said Agarwal.
It can also cause a patient to doubt what
their doctor ultimately advises.
“Patients don’t know who to trust,” Agar-
wal explained. “Their online source or their
doctor?”
She recalls several of her patients who
purchased supplements to cure their vari-
ous ailments — weight loss, depression,
even diabetes. Some paid up to $400, and
were hopeful these new treatments would
work, based on what they believed were
legitimate medical claims. They didn’t.
Ultimately, Agarwal went online with
each of her patients and explained why
what they’d read was false. “Then,” she
said, “we worked together to find a plan I
could help monitor.”
How to spot the fakes
To keep an open mind, but also remain
clear-eyed about what you read, consider
these tips:
 Seek out reputable sources
Take cues from medical advisory
organisations. What’s the American Heart
Association response about a new heart
disease study? Has the American Cancer
Society weighed in on that supposedly
breakthrough cancer treatment everyone on
Facebook is sharing? The information from
organisations like these have been carefully
written, reviewed and vetted by experts.
“In other words, it’s credible medi-
cal information that has been scrutinised
through rigorous review processes and can
generally be trusted,” Ramin said.
 Look for more than one source of info
Can you find sustained information —
health
that is, a pattern, trend, or a number of stud-
ies which have all reached the same conclu-
sion? “If something says, ‘the first study to
show…’ I wouldn’t use that to make deci-
sions,” said Oransky. “You want to make a
decision about your health based on a body
of evidence, not a single study.”
 Get in touch with your inner skeptic
“Trust and verify,” advised Oransky,
noting the tried-and-true rule of journalists:
“If your mother says she loves you, check
it out.”
Just because a research study or claim
from an expert sounds good — or appeals
to what you’re already doing, doesn’t mean
it’s authentic. And beware of easy-peasy
claims — for instance, “Eat this super fruit
once a day and you’ll never get cancer.”
If it’s too good to be true, Oransky points
out, it probably is.
 Talk to your doctor
“Even the most credible information
found online is useless in the absence of
expert physician evaluation and diagnosis,”
said Ramin. Tell your doctor what you’ve
read online. Email them the article that’s
captured your interest, or print it out and
bring it to your next appointment. “A good
doctor will walk you through it,” Ramin
noted.
 Get a second opinion
“I would be wrong if I said that every
physician’s assessment and recommenda-
tions are 100 percent perfect, all of the time,”
acknowledged Ramin. “Like you, we are
human after all.”
If you walk out of your doctor’s office
feeling like your questions were blown off,
it may be time to look for another doctor.
“This isn’t necessarily because the doctor
is ‘wrong.’ It has more to do with how you
feel about the interaction,” said Ramin. “In
fact, research has shown that patients are
more likely to follow the course of treatment
when it’s recommended by a physician they
trust. Internet research aside, it’s important
to go with your gut on this one.”
Source: healthline
Jan. 25 - 31 2019 29
comment
BY Julius Odeke
Safeguarding minority groups
Indigenous minority groups in Uganda have five
major problems that need to be addressed holistically
R
ecently, I traversed the
Ruwenzori sub-region making
it to almost all the sub-counties
in the area, enjoying the
beautiful landscape and the cultural and
environmental atmosphere of the area.
It was not my first time, though
being in Ruwenzori region. The first
time, I was there was in 2002 during
the hand-over ceremony of the then
Kasese Resident District Commissioner
now a State Minister of Relief and
Disaster Preparedness, Musa Ecweru.
My programme at that time was highly
controlled by the programme of the
RDC and his security detail but this
time around, I was a free man.
While in Bundibugyo - the heartland
of the Bwamba people, one of the
nine indigenous minority groups in
Ruwenzori sub-region, I happily met
and had a luncheon talk with the Prime
Minister of the Obudhingiya Bwa
Bwamba (OBB), Wilson Mubulya. I
have also developed a strong friendship
network with the youth in the region,
who were mostly my students at
Kampala International University. I love
them so much, for they are nice people.
Ruwenzori region has the following
indigenous minority groups: the
Batuku who live in Ntoroko district,
the Basongora, Bagabo, Bakingwe, and
Banyabindi in Kasese District and the
Batwa, Bavanuma, Bamba and Babwisi
in Bundibugyo district.
“We are the original indigenous
occupants of Ruwenzori upper and
lower lands. We share common features,
but form distinct groups, with the
only difference being in languages, art
forms, traditional cultural practices and
sources of livelihood,” the OBB Prime
Minister said.
He cited some groups that have
formal cultural institutional leadership
recognised by Government, such as the
Obudhingiya Bwa Bwamba.
According to the National Census
of 2014, the minority groups in
Ruwenzori region are approximately
220,000 people. Countrywide, there
are other minority groups that face
the same challenges as the way those
in Ruwenzori do and they include the
Ik in Kaabong district in Northeastern
30 Jan. 25 - 31 2019
Uganda.
In my brief chat with Mubulya on
that day, I noticed that he is a fine and
honest man who loves his culture and
wishes for everybody to have a sense
of respected belonging. But I realised
from his talk that the indigenous
minority groups in Uganda seem to
be experiencing many problems in
the country that need to be addressed
holistically.
In my talk with Mubulya, he said
all the minority groups suffer several
similar challenges such as the declining
use of their mother languages, eviction
from ancestral lands, limited political
representation, and poor access to
cultural sites.
The above challenges should
expressly be solved by the government
and I know the National Resistance
Movement is a championed of people’s
rights. Parliament of Uganda under
the leadership of the Speaker Rebecca
Kadaga and the Prime Minister,
Ruhakana Rugunda the Leader of
Government Business should address
the above concerns.
Ugandans who hail from bigger
ethnic groups such as the Baganda,
Banyankole, Basoga, and Iteso should
not be seen discriminating other
people based on numbers. For those
minority groups too, are people who
deserve respect like any tribe. The only
distinction is that they are few, which is
not their making.
The indigenous minority groups in
our country have given five current
situations that they need government to
come to their rescue and they include;
land (access and boundaries), education
and language, political representation,
safeguard of the cultural heritage and
identity and recognition.
However, the biggest concern for
all minority groups is identity and
recognition. There is a negative attitude
leading to severe marginalisation of the
minority groups as it’s perpetuated by
the surrounding majority communities
that use their numbers to justify their
actions.
Yes, there is a tendency by many,
mostly those from the majority
communities to feel they are superior
but note, “We are what we are, not by
our own will but by God’s choice. So
our different cultural norms, values,
ethics and etiquette need to be respected
not only quantitatively but also
qualitatively.”
In Ruwenzori region, I was told
that even prices of items and medical
services change depending on one’s
identity: if one does not speak the
dominant language, the costs are higher.
While on the side of health facilities: if
one’s names do not reflect belonging
to the dominant community, then that
person will not be quickly attend to or
completely neglected.
This, therefore, has forced people from
the minority groups to adopt names of
those from the majority community in
order to access medical care and this
too, hence forcing the minority groups
to have two or more national cards
bearing different names for security,
protection and for service delivery.
Why should such a thing happen
to our fellow country citizens under
the watch of a competent leadership
of President Museveni, Kadaga and
Ruhakana Rugunda and others and
most importantly in the 21st Century?
To make matters worse, even in the
recently concluded Local Council One
elections, communities like the Batwa
and Bavanuma in Bundibugyo; the
Bagabo and Bakingwe in Kasese do
not have any political representation.
Communities such as Batwa,
Banyabindi, Bakingwe, Bagabo, and
Bavanuma to-date lack political
representation at LC III level and this
makes it difficult to contribute to the
formulation and implementation of
policies that affect the governance
of such minority communities in the
country.
We should know that despite
supportive laws including the Uganda
Constitution of 1995, it also weakens
the capacity to advocate for human
and cultural rights for the indigenous
minority groups.
The writer is a journalist

By Aditi Lalbahadur
The road ahead for the DRC
To secure the political transition Tshisekedi will have
to reach out to presidents Kagame, Museveni
I
n the early hours of January 10, election
authorities in the Democratic Republic
of Congo finally announced that Félix
Tshisekedi, leader of the opposition
Union for Democracy and Social Progress,
won the election held on December 30, with
38.57% of the vote. If Tshisekedi’s victory
is confirmed – predictably, the results are
being contested – an opposition politician
will assume power after 18 years of rule
by President Joseph Kabila. But it does not
follow that peace and prosperity will auto-
matically ensue.
Tshisekedi has a long road ahead of him.
Central Africa’s giant holds the continent’s
richest mineral wealth. Yet, having suffered
war and violence for most of its history, its
economy remains woefully underdevel-
oped and its people impoverished.
Kabila assumed power in January 2001,
after his father, President Laurent Kabila,
was assassinated. Over Joseph Kabila’s
18-year rule, the DRC has remained fragile,
owing to persistent, protracted conflict in
the country’s eastern regions and elsewhere,
as well as rampant corruption and looting
of state assets. Little has changed for ordi-
nary Congolese, 80% of whom live on less
than $1.25 a day.
Apart from the enduring challenges of
poverty, neglect, war, and corruption that
have characterised domestic politics in the
DRC, Tshisekedi has some serious and
immediate hurdles to overcome if he is to
make it to Inauguration Day on January 18.
First, Tshisekedi will have to contend
with accusations surrounding the legiti-
macy of the election, which was peppered
with irregularities. According to the 40,000
observers organised by the Catholic
Church, late poll openings, problems with
ballots, and reports of intimidation resulted
in many being unable to vote, with turnout
reaching just 47.56%. These issues, coupled
with earlier concerns about the reliability
of voting rolls, cast a shadow over the elec-
tion’s overall integrity.
Furthermore, two political heavyweights
who were barred from participating in
the election, Jean-Pierre Bemba and Moïse
Katumbi, back Tshisekedi’s closest oppo-
nent, Martin Fayulu, who won 34.8% of
the vote. Western media widely reported
on Fayulu’s popularity and his likelihood
of winning, and reports from Kinshasa, the
capital, indicate that Fayulu is contesting
the election’s legitimacy, charging that Tsh-
isekedi made a backroom deal with Kabila.
The French government has expressed its
support for Fayulu as the election’s real
winner, and election officials’ delay in
announcing the results for a few days lends
further credence to the perception that the
result was rigged.
There is now a large near-term risk of
violence by Fayulu’s supporters. Without
an outright victory, it is vital for Tshisekedi
to solicit the support and collaboration of
the broader opposition in order to bolster
his position and minimise the risk of unrest.
Fortunately, such an approach could work,
given that the forces behind Tshisekedi
and Fayulu managed to coalesce at various
points over the two years during which
Kabila had been postponing the election.
An even more difficult task for Tshisekedi,
if he is to manage a peaceful transition and
stay alive long enough to lead the country,
may be to secure the acquiescence of Kabi-
la’s regime. The protracted delay in holding
the elections (originally slated for December
2016), and a slew of constitutional amend-
ments in recent years, reflects Kabila’s
unwillingness to cede power. Indeed, there
was a pervasive sense in the run-up to the
election that Kabila would stop at nothing
to maintain his grip on the presidency.
Little has
changed
for ordinary
Congolese, 80%
of whom live on
less than $1.25
a day
comment
This has not changed, and nor has the
militarisation that characterises Congolese
politics. Tshisekedi must secure the accep-
tance of the generals, which may require
some tricky trade-offs, given that he vowed
during the campaign to root out corruption.
Negotiating an exit strategy for Kabila and
his many cronies (including possible immu-
nity from prosecution) will be an important
component of this process.
Tshisekedi will also have to reach out to
the region’s leaders in order to secure the
political transition. With the eastern DRC
experiencing ongoing violence involving
Rwandan, Burundian, and Ugandan forces,
as well as rebel forces opposing those coun-
tries’ regimes, the cooperation of Presidents
Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Pierre Nkurun-
ziza of Burundi, and Yoweri Museveni of
Uganda remain crucial. To obtain it, Tsh-
isekedi will have to demonstrate quickly
that he has their interests at heart, as well
as the sheer stamina to keep abreast of the
challenges that emerge in the Great Lakes
Region .
South Africa and Angola, too, enjoy close
relations with the DRC, and their accep-
tance of the presidential vote will be vital
to ensure regional stability. South Africa’s
tenure in the United Nations Security
Council, which began this month, is likely
to increase its importance as a potential ally.
The Security Council remains engaged in
the DRC through the deployment of forces
under the umbrella of MONUSCO (the
United Nations Organization Stabilisation
Mission in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo).
Tshisekedi’s apparent victory, and the
promise of a new government, should
be a cause for celebration, at home and
throughout the Congolese diaspora. But the
transition now facing the DRC is certain to
be long, perilous, and frustrating. The cel-
ebrations may prove short-lived if no work-
able reconciliation among the country’s
opposing forces is achieved in the coming
days and weeks.
Aditi Lalbahadur is the Foreign Policy Program
Manager at the South African Institute of
International Affairs.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2019.
Jan. 25 - 31 2019 31
comment
By Musa Mayanja Lwanga
After good economic
performance in 2018
Can the Uganda economy maintain the momentum?
D
espite the political violence
that threatened Uganda’s
international image, the
year 2018 was a great year
for the country in terms of economic
performance. Estimates show that the
economy grew at above 6 percent,
beating earlier forecasts. This is a growth
figure that has not been achieved since
2010.
This robust growth was largely driven
by favourable weather conditions
that boosted agricultural production,
government investment; especially in
infrastructure, foreign capital investment
in oil and gas, and the low inflation that
facilitated a relatively loose monetary
policy. Indeed, the Central Bank maintained
a relatively low Central Bank Rate (CBR),
enabling prime lending rates to fall to
their lowest level in 10 years by the end of
June 2018. This had a positive effect on the
growth of private sector credit and boosting
growth in private sector investment.
The question stakeholders, both in
government and the private sector, are
asking is “can the economy maintain this
momentum?”
32 Jan. 25 - 31 2019
Monetary Policy
Early growth indicators show that the
economy is indeed poised to maintain
the momentum and forecast better
performance in 2019. This projection
is anchored on strong macroeconomic
fundamentals and the expected political
calm.
However, some of the challenges the
economy suffered in 2018 persist. For
example, Uganda’s ranking by the Word
Bank’s Ease of Doing Survey deteriorated
from 122 out of 190 economies in 2017 to
127 in 2018 casting a cloud on the future
performance of the economy.
The shilling continued to depreciate
affecting the cost of production through
increased prices of imported inputs, high
transport costs due to increased prices
of petroleum and other oil products
amplified by upward swings in the
international oil prices.
In 2019, on the monetary policy side,
Bank of Uganda is expected to maintain
an expansionary monetary policy
stance by keeping the CBR low despite
a slight tightening we observed in the
second half of 2018 owing to inflationary
expectations.
The Central Bank is expected to lower
its policy rate as inflationary pressures
continue to subside. Inflation is expected
to stay low ranging between 3 to 6
percent, having ended the years at 2.2
percent far below the Central Bank target
of 5 percent and below the 3.3 percent
registered at the end of 2017.
This is based on the assumption that
the favourable weather conditions
witnessed in 2018 continue boosting
agriculture production as well as keep
food prices low, a major driver of
overall inflation. The loose monetary
policy is expected to boost private
sector credit and investment, leading
to increased employment, increased
incomes, consumption expenditure and
consequently high economic growth.
Fiscal Policy
On the fiscal side, the government is
expected to continue investing heavily
in infrastructure; especially in the road
network. This is expected to boost
demand and drive growth in sectors like
construction. However, on the downside,
due to low domestic revenue collection,
public debt and expenditures on debt
servicing are expected to increase.
Private sector performance
Private sector growth is expected to be
robust in 2019 stemming from increased
investment as a result of favourable
macroeconomic conditions, increased
foreign capital inflows following
investments in the oil and gas sector, and
reduced cost of power due to increased
generation capacity if Karuma and
Isimba hydropower dams are completed.
Real sector indicators show increased
optimism and positive expectations
regarding the health of the economy.
The Business Tendency Index and the
Composite Index of Economic Activity
collected by Bank of Uganda have
generally been improving over time.
The Overall Business Tendency Index
stood at 59 in December 2018 compared
to 58 and 54 recorded in 2017 and 2016
respectively. Expectations in all sectors
are positive with increased optimism

Business Tendency Indicators
Source: Bank of Uganda, 2019
in agriculture and whole sale trade (see
figure below). Likewise the Composite
Index of Economic Activity has been
on an upward trend ending the third
quarter of 2018 at 218.3 way above the
202 recorded in the same quarter of 2017.
What could go wrong?
This positive outlook subject to a
number of risks which include weather
shocks (in the form of drought and
floods); pests and disease that could
affect agricultural production, shortfalls
in government revenue collection,
political unease which could deter
investors and disrupt business as we
come close to the 2021 general elections,
corruption and delays in public project
implementation.
In addition, external factors such as
political uncertainties in DR Congo, the
Sudan, the war in South Sudan and other
disruptions in the region could spillover
and negatively affect this outlook.
Globally, the trade wars between the
U.S. and China are beginning to affect
world output and trade, affecting the
demand for commodities. Europe
is still grappling with uncertainties
resulting from the BREXIT as well as a
recession in Germany, Europe’s biggest
economy. Poor performance in advanced
economies would not only affect demand
for exports and the flow of financial
capital, it could also negatively affect the
comment
What can be done?
If the projected economic growth
is to be realised, government and
other stakeholders need to improve
Real sector complementary services that support
indicators
the sector that employs most Ugandans-
agriculture. This could be attained
show increased through increasing the coverage of
the agriculture insurance scheme,
optimism as well as investment in the Water
for Production sector in agriculture.
and positive In addition, the government needs
expectations to adopt policies that crowd in the
domestic private sector; especially when
regarding the it comes to the procurement of large
infrastructural projects. This will have
health of the a huge multiplier effect, boost domestic
economy demand and consequently increase
economic activity. Furthermore,
improvement in domestic revenue
mobilisation, a reduction in domestic
government borrowing, fighting
corruption and improving project
implementation will improve the effect
of public spending on the economy.
Musa Mayanja Lwanga is Head of Research
and Market Development, Uganda Bankers’
level of remittances as well as the foreign Association
aid flows to Uganda. Other factors
that could derail this forecast include
movements in the exchange rate and in
international oil prices as well as the US
policy on interest rates that could affect
the flow of international capital.
Jan. 25 - 31 2019 33
comment
By Shayera Dark
Selling Africa’s good news stories
How to stop negative Africa stereotypes that feed
western hunger for one-dimensional narratives
A
nywhere in the world, freelance
journalism is an extreme career
choice. The job requires with-
standing pitch rejections, ignored
queries, stolen story ideas, and delayed pay-
ments. It means reconciling oneself with the
economic precariousness that comes with
having little or no leverage in pay negotia-
tions. But for African freelance journalists,
covering the continent presents its own set
of unique challenges.
In Nigeria, for example, most media com-
panies need diligent editors, seldom publish
incisive features and analysis, and struggle
to compensate their staff due to lack of
funding. Kenyan media entrepreneur and
former CNN anchor Zain Verjee recently
bemoaned the reluctance of African billion-
aires and governments to fund and imple-
ment policies that support African media
startups, even though they bridle at often
jaundiced Western media coverage. And,
where positive coverage can be bought and
sold, and journalism is viewed as glorified
public relations, African freelancers can only
dream of proper remuneration.
Consider a recent 800-word article I wrote
for one of the country’s largest newspapers;
it ran barely edited and earned me a paltry
10,000 naira (about $30). And that was after I
haggled with the editor to bump it up from
5,000 naira. A story of similar length would
earn me $200 or more from a publication in
the West. Perhaps it is no surprise, then, that
many Nigerian freelancers – including me –
gravitate toward Western media.
But that leads to other problems, such
as an over-emphasis on crises, strife, and
other issues viewed as relevant to Western
audiences. I’ve experienced this firsthand. I
once pitched a story about a Nigerian Para-
Olympian to a news website in the United
States that frequently showcases African
writers. The editor rejected it because it was
too “optimistic.” On another occasion, a
Western magazine tried to edit my initial
draft to suggest that a refugee’s deceased
parents were killed by armed militias when,
in fact, her father’s death was undisclosed
and her mother died from an illness.
As Karen Rothmyer pointed out eight
years ago in the Columbia Journalism
Review, foreign media outlets seem
beholden to the idea that Africa is in per-
petual chaos. Rothmyer, who lived in
Kenya for several years, traced the endless
34 Jan. 25 - 31 2019
stream of bad news to nongovernmental
organisations’ use of data to justify their
existence, which in turn shaped Western
reporters’ “frames of reference” before they
even arrived on the continent. Eight years
later, those reference points have not really
changed.
This penchant to accentuate the negative
does more than reduce Africa to stereo-
types; it also feeds the one-dimensional
narrative of Africa as a war-torn, disease-
ridden, poverty-stricken hellscape where
all hope dies. This inclination to fit people
and events into simple plot lines leads to
what Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi
Adichie calls the “danger of a single story.”
A limited viewpoint, repeatedly promul-
gated, comes to frame all coverage and
emerges as the only truth.
And yet, editorial bias is not the only
challenge for African freelance journalists.
Another common problem is relegation to
co-author or “fixer” status when assisting
Western media. Nigerian photojournalist
Fati Abubakar, who is often a source for
foreign reporters writing about Northern
Nigeria, describes the current situation as “a
brain-drain sort of relationship,” and says
her consulting services should be compen-
sated but rarely are. Changing this would
obviously benefit local journalists and help
International
coverage of
Africa can
sometimes feel
patronizing,
either from a
lack of local
knowledge
or because of
sheer laziness
foreign media avoid embarrassing and
dangerous cultural faux pas, like revealing
the identities of assault victims or photo-
graphing dead bodies.
Then there is the issue of the pay discrep-
ancy between African and Western journal-
ists. Many publications expect local hires to
charge less than their foreign counterparts.
When Abubakar was just starting out, she
accepted whatever was offered. Now, as an
established and sought-after photographer,
she is able to turn down work that pays too
little. But most freelance journalists in Africa
are not so lucky, which leaves many vulner-
able to the whims of commissioning editors.
International coverage of Africa can
sometimes feel patronizing, either from a
lack of local knowledge or because of sheer
laziness. A recent photo essay in The New
Yorker about some of Nigeria’s biggest
Afrobeats musicians fell flat with Nigerians,
with some criticising its shallowness and
the absence of quotes from the included
artists. Hiring a well-versed Nigerian music
critic (yes, they exist) would almost cer-
tainly have resulted in a deeper and more
compelling feature.
Aside from commissioning African jour-
nalists to provide insight – which is the
minimum we should expect – Western
publications could improve their Africa
coverage by surveying the views of contrib-
uting freelancers. It would also be beneficial
for foreign media outlets to staff dedicated
and robust Africa “desks” with local jour-
nalists and hire African editors who have
the nuance and experience to identify topics
and frame coverage in ways that best serve
readers.
But, above all, African governments and
philanthropic organisations need to assist
African media startups, and media compa-
nies must pay journalists better, properly
train their editorial staff, and resist the
temptation to accept money for coverage.
Only then will African stories be given
the attention they deserve, and be told by
journalists who are unencumbered by the
skewed preferences of Western audiences
and media.
Shayera Dark is a freelance writer based in
Lagos.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2019.
 ART | BOOKS | SOCIETY | TRAVEL | CULTURE
Why do you
exist? To be
happy or sad?
A new exhibition
asks questions that
annoy and delight
A
By Dominic Muwanguzi
painting of a nun piously
crossing her hands, en-
grossed in prayer, hangs
at the entrance of Ronex
Ahimbisibwe’s exhibit. Atop
the painting, on the right
hand side, is a rosary hanging as if it is an
installation rather than a sacred symbol of
the catholic faith. The rosary is a medium
of spiritual reflection and is occasionally
recited by the penitents, represented here by
the nun.
So what thoughts occupy the individual
as they recite the rosary? Are they spiritual
or secular thoughts? This is one of those
experiences that the artist is questioning in
his body of work titled `Contemplation’. It
explores the idea of humans who, at any
moment, live a certain experience or life,
while thinking or desiring, another life alto-
gether.
Ronex has in the past shown fascination
with such juxtaposition of extreme con-
trasts; the ugly versus beautiful or naivety
versus sophistication. He uses the approach
to question relationships between them.
This time, he looks at the concept of the
ideal versus the reality.
Are we, as humans, more drawn to the
reality or the ideal? Can human beings be
contented living the reality or the ideal?
Ronex draws no conclusions. He instead
delves more into the subject of the `what
if’ such an interrogation on canvass reveals
unexpected aspects of life’s contradictions.
He constructs- he is a sculptor, printmaker
and painter- irregular shapes from card-
boards into artworks as a metaphor to life’s
inconsis-
tencies. In his paintings, he paints two or
more artworks into one, to suggest the idea
of varied thoughts that reside in one indi-
vidual.
The media he adopts in his art are the
found-objects that he collects from the
environment. Ronex here seemingly sug-
gests that what is considered waste by some
people can be made valuable. He creates
“canvases” from newspaper and magazine
cuttings or denim jean rags, uses leftover
automobile paints collected from motor
garages in his neighbourhood to paint, and
assembles nuts, bolts, aluminum or steel
plates to construct his installations.
This experimental approach draws on
the nature of his locale that is filled with
humble settlements and innovative spaces
like motor garages coupled with a dense
population of the youth from the nearby
Makerere University Kampala.
Inevitably, such an environment has a
fast-paced life laced with ironies: a posh
storeyed house amidst a crowded environ
of shanty houses with garbage heaps every-
where, food kiosks next to public toilets and
university students carrying expensive gar-
gets like smart phones ,but living in shanty
one room abodes- Muzigos.
Ronex’s art is a mirror of his inner-self:
his aspirations, joy and frustration. They
are the conflicted thoughts of someone who
was brought up by a strict father and loving
mother, who wanted him to study law, but
he ended up studying art.
But even at art school, he was always
uncomfortable with the traditional
approach to fine art making. This trait of
defiance, while reflecting on what everyone
considers the usual, defines his artistic prac-
tice. Ronex never makes art to generally
ease the mind of this audience. He instead
incites emotions like anger, frustration, and
confusion. His art evokes diverse conversa-
tions.
`Contemplation’ is no different. Its intro-
spective tilt will be talked about. The artist
figuratively examines a crucial aspect of
human nature; its irony and hunger for
something more, better. Human beings are
never fully content with what they are or
have. Yet they never find the better some-
thing they crave. Is better an illusion? Such
contradiction inspires another question;
why does mankind exist after all - to be
happy or sad? Both can be experienced at
once like Ronex’s art that can delight and
annoy at the same time.
Ronex’s Contemplation exhibit is showing
at Afriart on 7th, located on 7th street,
Industrial Area, in the studios building.
Jan. 25 - 31 2019 35
 Company launches fragrance that allegedly enhances productivity
International workspace
company Spaces recently
teamed up with Dutch
lifestyle brand Marie-Stella-
Maris to create ‘Spirit de
Travail’ a fragrance that can
allegedly boost productivity
and make people feel more
at ease in the workplace.
Productivity at work can
be influenced by a variety of
factors, of which smell is one
of the least obvious. Accord-
ing to research done by Prof.
Gary E. Schwartz from the
University of Arizona, nega-
tive feelings like irritation,
annoyance and stress can
effectively be countered by
fragrances that induce posi-
tive effects like happiness,
relaxation and productivity.
The findings of this study
inspired Spaces, a company
that specializes in building
custom workspaces for busi-
nesses and professionals, to
come up with a fragrance
that both relaxes users and
boosts their productivity.

This water Rare condition leaves woman unable to hear men’s voices
hydrates and A Chinese woman recently wrong when she woke up one bed. Ms. Chen was told by an ear,
made the news after being diag- morning and realised that she nose and throat specialist she had
gets you drunk! nosed with a very rare form of couldn’t hear anything her boy- a rare condition known as reverse-
hearing loss which leaves suffer- friend said. She had been suffering slope hearing loss. It gets its name
Pura Still is being ers unable to hear low frequency from nausea and ringing in her ears from the shape that results on an
advertised as the first sounds, like men’s voices. The the night before, but figured that audiogram, the test conducted to
spiked water that woman from Xiamen, on China’s a good night sleep would make determine a person’s ability to hear
doesn’t need bubbles east coast, knew something was everything better, so she went to sounds of increasing frequency.
to keep things inter-
esting. It’s still, but
definitely not flat The `Yellow Man of Aleppo’
as it has an alcohol
content of 4.5% by Abou Zakkour, a 68-year-old man from the
volume. war-torn Syrian city of Aleppo has become
Pura Still by known as the “Yellow Man” after wearing
FIFCO USA, only yellow for the last 35 years. The story of
formerly North the Yellow Man of Aleppo started on Janu-
American Breweries, ary 25, 1983, when Abou Zakkour made the
targets the growing decision to only wear yellow, because in his
number of health- eyes the color represented love. From that day
conscious consumers forward, Zakkour only wore yellow garments,
who like to consume including underwear and accessories like
of bit of alcohol neckties and hats, as well as yellow footwear.
from time to Even his umbrella and smartphone cover are
time, but hate the yellow. And when he couldn’t find something
calories associated to match his attire, he simply took a bottle of
with it. Pura Still yellow nail polish and painted the differently-
is essentially an colored item to fit his Yello Man persona.
alcoholic water, but Many items in his apartment are yellow as
the fact that you can’t Company makes employees crawl through well; including the tablecloth on his kitchen
table, the bed sheets and even the trashcan.
tell a glass of Pura
Still apart from one the streets for not meeting sales targets “When I walk down the street or go to
of simple still water crowded places, people would smile and
A company in Shandong red flag emblazoned with take photos with me. Many people stop to
is an added bonus. province, China, has come their company’s name. They
It was launched in talk to me and joke with me and I think it’s
under fire for forcing six of its probably feared losing their called love,” this living, breathing legend says,
the United States last employees to crawl through jobs. Police end their cruel
month. adding that he will never wear another color
the streets on their hands punishment. The beauty but yellow for as long as he lives.
and feet as punishment for products company managers
not meeting sales targets. claimed that they were trying
The humiliating procession to motivate poor-performing
reportedly took place in employees who failed to
the city of Zaozhuang on meet their year-end sales
January 14 and was recorded targets. Chinese companies
by shocked passers-by. Six are notorious for coming
people can be seen crawling up with unusually cruel
on all fours through traffic punishments for under-
behind a man carrying a performing employees.

36 Jan. 25 - 31 2019
Stolen motor vehicle
number plate
How to avoid it and what to do if you’re hit
By Motoring Guru
M
otor vehicle registration (num-
ber) plates have become a major
target of criminals. The goal of
the criminals, in most cases,
is to extort money from the car owner. It
is not unusual to find whole neighbour-
hoods where the criminals snatch num-
ber plates from 50 or more cars in one
swoop. They are attacking public gather-
ing, wedding, graduations etc.
Usually, they will hold on to the num-
ber plate, demand the extortion fee from
the car owner, and reveal the hidden loca-
tion of the number plate to the
car owner upon payment
of the extortion fees.
And the extortion
fees have been going
up. They are also
doing it more often.
It is not unusual for
a car owner to be hit
twice or three times
in one year.
Why is vehicle number plate
theft on the rise?
Vehicle number plate theft is on the rise
because the criminals know that getting a
replacement is a hassle, expensive, and time
consuming. The victim must report the theft
to police, then they must publish details
of the stolen number plate in the newspa-
0783 614 601 / 0753 614 601
pers, the get an
assessment form for payment of
a motor vehicle registration plate replace-
ment from the Uganda Revenue Authority,
pay the money to the bank, return receipts
to URA, go to the authorised number plate
issuer, pay the fees, wait, the finally get the
number place replacement. The fees are
about Shs200,000 minius cost of adverts.
The Largest 7 seater 4x4 In Uganda
Only available at spear Motors Limited
Mercedes Benz GLS
sales@spearmotors.co.ug
Many people are not willing to go through
the torture. They simply pay the criminals
and get their licence plate back. Unfortu-
nately, this emboldens the criminals and
explains why the vice is on the rise.
What needs to be done?
By car owners:
 Park in a garage or other secure and
well-lit area
 Always report vehicle number plate
theft to police. The criminals might use
in it for other criminal activity and, if
there is no record, the vehicle is regard-
ed as a suspect.
 Secure vehicle number plates more
firmly. The current system of using riv-
ets appears to make it easy for the crimi-
nals. They have the machines to quickly
remove the rivets. So make it tougher.
 Time for number plate anti-theft
measures. This vice is global. So look
at what other countries use; anti-theft
screws are more secure.
 Anti-theft number plates are also avail-
able elsewhere. They are designed to
shatter into pieces upon removal.
By the government:
 The government can ease process
of getting number plate replace-
ment. This could include authorising
more agents to issue number plates,
removing need for adverts, and waiv-
ing the URA fees.
Driving you into the Future
www.spearmotors.co.ug
Jan. 25 - 31 2019 37
Housen Mushema on
his modeling and acting
`Rising up and having hope in life counts’
By Agnes E Nantaba
H
ousen Mushema is a Ugandan
runway commercial and editorial
model, actor and fashion pro-
ducer famous for his lead role
in ‘Balikoowa in the city’ and Andrew in
`Second Chance’ local TV series on Spark
and NTV respectively. Mushema has
also walked the most popular runways
in Uganda and East Africa; including the
trendy Abryanz Style and Fashion Awards
(ASFA). He is a recipient of the ASFA 2015
as most outstanding male model and has
also received several mentions as Uganda’s
most revered model.
He has worked at a number of local
and international fashion shows including
Kampala Fashion Week 2014 and Swahili
Fashion Week. He also showcased with
world renowned fashion designers like Jose
Hendo, Motions and Emolsam-DNA.
His modeling career dates back while a
student at Makerere University pursuing a
bachelor’s degree in Records and Archives
Management. Modeling and ushering was
the most immediate and available job to
cover his tuition and living expenses.
As he and colleagues treaded the walk-
ways of Makerere University, they landed
on a job advert inviting applications for
models and ushers. And out of curiosity,
the trio applied and Mushema was one of
the few successful applicants.
Although he had mixed feelings about
the job demands and the future, Mushema
took it on with an open mind. His first
ushering gig required him to wear a black
suit and paid him Shs70,000; enough for
meals for some days. For hustling campus
student, it was a good start.
Working under a model management
agency, Mushema in 2013 secured his first
modeling gig with Abryanz of popular
fashion designer Brian Ahumuza. Dubbed
‘Men’s First Explosion’ it was also Ahu-
muza’s first fashion show.
Mushema honed his runway skills by
watching YouTube videos. He also took to
the gym for a more appealing physique at a
time when male modeling was fast rising in
the country.
He says, “The feedback from the audi-
ence was motivating and that is how I
raised my bar”.
Soon he received a call from Fast Track
Productions, the producers of then-popular
TV series ‘The hostel’ whilst in its fourth
38 Jan. 25 - 31 2019
season where he acted as a regular. In
2016, he featured in a video collabo
by Irene Ntale and Sheeba titled
‘Otubbattisa’ which he says gave
him more mileage. About this
time, Mushema left school
to concentrate on the acting
and modeling.
He says that his modeling
score kept rising with continu-
ous featuring in the ASFA and in
2015 he was awarded for the most
outstanding male model by ASFA.
In 2016 he got a lead role in
‘Balikoowa in the City’ another
production by Fast Track. The role
required him to bring out the life of a
villager something that he says was a
walk-over since he had spent the early years
of his education in a village setting.
“It was just awakening the village life in
me and I believe that I nailed the character,”
he says.
The following year in May, Mushema
took over the role of Andrew Masa from an
original actor in the `Second Chance’ Tele-
novela, a Uganda remake of the Spanish
language telenovela `El Cuerpo del
Desco’ that aired on NTV. For this
particular role, Mushema had
previously been invited for screen
testing but failed. He resolved
to take on acting classes to gain
confidence, grasp the dynamics
of acting; including emotions and
deal with the problem of stammer-
ing. With 49 episodes down `Second
Chance’, Mushema successfully took
on the character.
He also played in a Nana Kagga
directed and produced upcoming series,
`Reflections’. His latest feature was in
‘Veronica’s Wish’ by Nisha Kalema that
was premiered at the end of last year.
For his modeling career, Mushema has
resorted to training male models and pro-
ducing shows under his Jangu Productions
Company.
Mushema was born and raised in Jinja
before the family shifted to Kampala dur-
ing his high school days. He is a Muganda
who was named Mushema after his Congo-
lese great grandparents. He attended Jinja
Islamic Primary School, Catherine Primary
School and Kibuli Demonstration School
before joining East High School and finally
Makerere University.

Housen Mushema’s Liteside
Any three things that we
I
don’t know about you?
am humble, truthful, and
patient
What is your idea of
perfect happiness?
I define happiness by
achievement at any level.
What is your greatest fear?
Failure; especially in a
situation where it becomes
clear and evident that the
decisions taken lead to failure.
What is the trait you most
deplore in yourself?
I have taken time to work
on my temper after figuring
out that people are different in
character.
What is the trait you most
deplore in others?
Pretending to know much
about me; I don’t like it when
someone holds a conversation
about me at length when it’s
not based on facts.
Which living person do you
most admire?
I admire Will Smith because
we have a lot in common and
I have followed him for quite
some time. He is versatile;
which is something I consider
so much in my acting space.
Most of my haircuts are
inspired my him.
What is your greatest
extravagance?
I love food and clothing.
What is the greatest thing
you have ever done?
From how far I have
come, it is very evident that I
didn’t have the resources but
managed to get this far.
What is your current state of
mind?
I am happy.
What do you consider the
most overrated virtue?
Many people attach more
value to outer beauty as
opposed to the inner beauty;
beauty should come with a
goal or purpose.
What does being powerful
mean to you?
Being able to push on
and never give up on life.
Presently, there is not so
much to learn from; so it is
very easy for some people to
give up. It doesn’t matter how
many times you have failed
but rising up and having hope
in life counts.
On what occasion do you lie?
It is hard for me to live with
a lie; I also like to keep my
promises.
What do you most dislike
about your appearance?
I love myself.
Which living person do you
most despise?
I don’t despise anyone; I
would actually love to work
with as many people as
possible.
What is the quality you most
like in a woman?
Listening and reaction.
What is the quality you most
like in a man?
Listening and reaction.
What or who is the greatest
love of your life?
My parents, Jamil
Lumanywa and Jamala
Mohammed. I also love my
auntie, Naira for they have
supported me all the way.
When and where were you
happiest?
In 2015 when I was
awarded most outstanding
male model by ASFA, in
2017 when I got the chance
to work with Nana Kagga in
‘Reflections’ and in 2018 at
a time when I witnessed the
premier of ‘Veronica’s Wish’
as part of the audience. I was
also happy being nominated
in Uganda Film Festival.
Which talent would you most
like to have?
Singing or playing an
instrument.
If you could change one
thing about yourself, what
would it be?
I wouldn’t change anything
about me.
What do you consider your
greatest achievement?
I have managed to get my
own production company; it
becomes easy for me to bring
out what I really want to see.
Where would you most like
to live?
I would prefer to live in
UK because there are more
Jan. 25 - 31 2019
Q&A
opportunities.
What is your most treasured
possession?
My physical appearance.
What do you regard as the
lowest depth of misery?
Falling in love with all you
have only to be hindered from
accessing the person you love.
What is your favourite
occupation?
Being an actor is so fun; I
am willing to be on set for as
long as is required.
What do you most value in
your friends?
Loyalty and sacrifice.
Who are your favourite
writers?
I am not a very good reader.
Who is your hero of fiction?
Bruce Willis, Denzel
Washington and Will Smith.
Which historical figure do
you most identify with?
Liam John Neeson has a
very beautiful story. For the
things he has gone through;
including rejection in the
acting industry, he fought
hard to get there.
Who are your heroes in real
life?
My parents and my
extended family.
What is your greatest regret?
I regret about a few things;
it’s been hard for me on the
side of relationships. It’s hard
work for me to convince
someone considering the kind
of job that I do.
How would you like to die?
I can’t predict matters
relating to death.
What is your motto?
Work hard and make it.
39
Global comment
By Lee Howell
Long live globalisation
The world is moving toward a multipolar system,
in which the U.S. is no longer dominant
W
ill global cooperation finally
emerge from the doldrums in
2019? The international com-
munity’s recent agreement on a
“rulebook” for implementing the Paris cli-
mate agreement seems to offer some hope.
But opinion polls suggest that many remain
concerned that a global economic recession
or major geopolitical crisis will test the inter-
national system’s resilience. And it is not at
all clear that the system will pass.
As it stands, perhaps the biggest bar-
riers to international cooperation are
political. In recent years, there has been
an intensifying backlash against interna-
tional cooperation, rooted partly in fears
– stoked by populist political leaders
in many countries – that transnational
“elites” are trying to impose “globalism”:
an “ideology that prioritises the neolib-
eral global order over national interests.”
But perspectives that refute this narrative
seem to be gaining ground. Many world
leaders believe that the Western countries
squandered their influence over the interna-
tional system by intervening politically and
militarily in the affairs of others without any
clear endgame. Some also argue that the
global elite has only pretended to pursue
socioeconomic change, while actually main-
taining a status quo that has benefited them.
Many believe that now, however, the
vertical hierarchies that have long sustained
the global order are being disrupted by the
growing political and economic influence
of horizontal networks. Even the United
States, it is often claimed, has moved from
supporting the multilateral system to
undermining it.
But, though belief in globalism – a top-
down conspiracy to impose an international
system that trumps national sovereignty
– may be dead, globalization is alive and
well. As the historian Yuval Harari put it in
his book Sapiens, history continues to move
“slowly in the direction of global unity.”
An effective and resilient international
order, comprising strong nation-states, thus
remains essential.
World leaders do not question the need
for such an order. Rather, the major political
challenge to global cooperation lies in man-
aging our diversified and pluralistic world
within the established institutional architec-
ture, while overcoming the tendency among
some to associate any effort to shape global-
40 Jan. 25 - 31 2019
ization with globalism, internationalism, or
imperialism.
What would it take to build a more
resilient system, capable of withstanding
sudden shocks while maintaining its core
functions? The answer is not cut and dried.
While there has been important recent
research into what makes a person resilient,
there is no clear overarching explanation of
what makes a resilient country or interna-
tional system.
Nonetheless, humans seem to have a pre-
disposition toward building broad organ-
ising systems. In Sapiens, Harari chronicles
the efforts of merchants, prophets, and
conquerors, over millennia, to “establish an
order that would be applicable for everyone
everywhere.” This leads him to the observa-
tion that humans are the only social animal
“guided by the interests of the entire species
to which it belongs.”
In practical terms, an updated interna-
tional order must account for the four
distinct developments that characterize
the latest incarnation of globalization. For
starters, the world is moving toward a
multipolar system, in which the U.S. is no
longer the dominant international force.
Moreover, we have entered the Anthro-
pocene epoch, in which human activity is
the primary influence on the climate and
As the historian
Yuval Harari put
it in his book
Sapiens, history
continues to
move “slowly in
the direction of
global unity
environment. We now have the capacity
to destroy other species so effectively that,
as Edward O. Wilson warns, we may well
“eliminate more than half of all species by
the end of this century.”
Third, sharply rising inequality has made
economic inclusion and equity a priority for
many voters. This will shape national poli-
tics for the foreseeable future, and thus help
to determine the fate of the current liberal
order.
Finally, what WEF Executive Chairman
Klaus Schwab calls the Fourth Industrial
Revolution is forcing us to consider “how
technology is affecting our lives and
reshaping our economic, social, cultural,
and human environments.” For example,
the economist Richard Baldwin foresees
arbitrage of wage rates in the service sector,
enabled by digital platforms. As a result,
he cautions, “hundreds of millions of
service-sector and professional workers in
advanced economies will – for the first time
ever – be exposed to the challenges and
opportunities of globalization.”
Given globalization’s shifting nature, it
may be better understood in conceptual
terms than as a historical phenomenon.
This is the rationale behind the theme of the
forthcoming annual meeting of the World
Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland:
“Globalization 4.0: Shaping a Global Archi-
tecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial
Revolution.”
Figuring out how best to influence the
course of globalization will not be easy. But
here, too, humans seem to have a natural
inclination. Indeed, many scientists now
believe that thinking about the future is
humans’ defining characteristic, and argue
that “looking into the future, consciously
and unconsciously, is a central function of
our large brain,” and that planning for it
results in less stress – and more happiness.
We are hard-wired to think about the
future of our planet – and that future
demands a more robust and resilient insti-
tutional architecture that accounts for the
four key forces shaping Globalization 4.0.
We should get to work on building it.
Lee Howell is a member of the Management
Board of the World Economic Forum.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2019.
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