News analysis Health Business

Kidnap in the park: Crisis Best sleep position Uganda Airlines: Good
Management Unit needed for pregnant women investment, wrong timing

Issue No. 567 April. 12 - 18 2019 Ushs 5,000,Kshs 200, RwF 1,500, SDP 8

The bad in Shs40

trillion budget
Experts expose how Museveni
is destroying economy

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Issue No. 567 April. 12 - 18 2019

News analysis Business Health Arts Motoring

Cover story
5 reasons why Shs40 trillion budget is bad
Experts expose how Museveni is destroying economy

5 The Week
30 Comments
Rwanda commemorates
25th anniversary of genocide
Time for a true global
currency: Turning the SDR
9 The Last Word into a global currency would
yield benefits for the world’s
Our country’s misguided priorities: economy and monetary system
How the debate on Lubowa hospital
exposes the self-indulgence of Ugandan
32 Health
elites and their poverty of ideas
Best sleep position for
14 Analysis pregnant women: Mega study
confirms sleeping on the side
Kidnap in the park: American reduces risk of stillbirth
tourist rescued; experts call for
Crisis Management Unit
35 Arts & Culture
27 Business In memory of Serulyo :
The master of anatomy
Uganda Airlines: Good investment wrong
and individual
timing :Economists support its revival but proficiency lives on
remain skeptical about its success as a business

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

PUBLISHER: Independent Publications Limited, Plot 82/84, Kanjokya Street, P. O. Box 3304, Kampala, Uganda
Tel: +256-312-637-391/ 2/ 3/ 4 | Fax: +256-312-637-396 E-mail: editor@independent.co.ug | advertising@independent.co.ug
circulation@independent.co.ug | Website: www.independent.co.ug

2 April. 12 - 18 2019
 Offline

“For a leader to say a vote can never oust

Museveni without offering a solution is
disappointing... Don’t talk about democracy
and stand four times and on the fifth
time you say it doesn’t work, we believe it
works.”Bobi Wine on Dr Kizza Besigye

The Huangjuewan Interchange on the outskirts of Chongqing, a sprawling city

in southwest China five layers, 20 lanes, and goes in eight different directions

“We are going to hold a meeting with

Bank of Uganda, Ministry of Finance and
the management of Post Bank to come
up with a plan to enable the operations
of the bank continue,”Lt Col Edith Nakalema,
the head of Anti-Corruption Unit at State House
after raid on Post Bank

“So what merit do they use to make others

climb ladders while some of us, who did
the dirty job in the bush, are left down
here for all that long? I keep asking myself
whether it is because of indiscipline.”Maj.
Gen. Mataliyo Kyaligonza on his irregular
President Yoweri Museveni on April 04 received and held a meeting at promotion
State House Entebbe with his South Sudan counterpart, Mr. Salva Kiir.

Families displaced in Houses for soldiers to be Cash shortage EC

200 30,000 Shs16bn

Namisindwa after their constructed by the UPDF needed to implement
houses developed Engineering Brigade 2021 roadmap
deadly cracks activities for March

April. 12 - 18 2019 3
week
Questions over Mao, Bwanika coalition
Mabikke addressing the press at DP headquarters
Abed Bwanika is a
mainstay on the Uganda
presidential election
ballot and 2021 will be no
exception. What motivates
him in spite of failing to
score even 1% of the vote
is unknown. However the
three time presidential
candidate with his party,
People’s Development Party
(PDP) is now in an alliance
with Nobert Mao, president
general of the Democratic
Party, Michael Mabike of the
Social Democrats Party. The
latter is a non-starter and how
the three lightweights formed
a coalition with the hope of
ousting President Museveni
has baffled many minds.
However their coalition has
received support from Bobi
Wine, a fellow presidential
aspirant. The coalition was
announced by Mao during
a press conference held at
the party’s headquarters in
Kampala. Mao adds that
with the guidance of a legal
committee, the entities will
sign a Memorandum of
Understanding outlining their
intentions and goals ahead
of the 2021 general elections.
Mao said the political block
will lead a drive to woo
former members back
into the party; facilitate
reconciliation among
different political actors and
recruit new members into the
opposition outfit.
American tourist,
guide freed
There was a sign of relief
in Uganda and beyond when
an American tourist, Sue
Endicott, and her guide, Jean
Paul Mirenge, were freed
after a few days in captivity
in Queen Elizabeth National
Park. The abductors asked
for a ransom of $500,000
and it is widely believed the
payment of this ransom is
what brought back them back
from captivity. However, the
government spokesperson
Ofwono Opondo tweeted
that Ugandan security forces
had rescued the two. Reports
say the tour company Wild
Frontiers paid the ransom
and a spokesperson for the
company said the two were
unharmed. Endicott and
Mirenge were abducted in the
park while on a game drive.

Obore probed over Museveni continues tour of army barracks

parliament job President Yoweri Museveni, District. He has also toured the and strategic challenges we face
the Commander in Chief, is UPDF 3rd Infantry Division presently while offering solu-
Jane Kibirige, clerk to parlia- currently on a national tour of Headquarters in Moroto, the tions,” Museveni tweeted. The
ment, wrote to Chris Obore barracks around the country 5th Infantry Division in Acholi President promised to look for
in March indicating that his to assess the welfare of the Pii, Pader District, the Second funding to enable the UPDF
contract as Parliament Director UPDF, listen to complaints of Division in Mbarara and the Engineering Brigade start
of Communications had to be the rank and file in the army, Armoured Brigade in Masaka. building houses for soldiers.
terminated following an investi- with a view to resolving some “The goal of these visits is to The target is to build at least
gation that he concluded he was of them. Museveni started remind our soldiers about the 30,000 two-bedroomed housing
illegally recruited. After receiv- his tour at the First Infantry spirit in which our army was units for all our soldiers in the
ing his contract termination let- Division in Kakiri, Wakiso founded, diagnose the tactical barracks.
ter Obore sought an injunction
from the High court restraining
the Parliamentary Commis-
sion from implementing the
clerk’s decision to terminate his
employment until the matter
is determined. According to an
investigation by the IGG, Obore
did not have a Masters’ degree
by the time he was recruited. He
is said to have acquired his MA
in March last year when he was
already three years in the job.
However Parliament has not
issued a statement regarding
the fate of Obore. Meanwhile
Speaker of Parliament Rebecca
Kadaga issued a social media
post saying she is regaining
good health and will be resume
her duties soon. Kadaga has
been hospitalized for three
weeks at Aga Khan Hospital
in Kenya after she was taken ill
from a long trip in the US.

4 April. 12 - 18 2019

Rwanda commemorates 25th anniversary of genocide
Kagame and other leaders light the commemoration torch
Heads of State from Africa
and Europe joined Rwanda
as it commemorated the
25th anniversary of the 1994
genocide where an estimated
800,000 Rwandans perished.
In what is an annual ceremony
marked over 100 days,
President Paul Kagame and
his counterparts laid wreaths
and attended the lighting of
the remembrance flame at the
Kigali Genocide Memorial to
signal the start of the mourning
period, which coincides with
the duration of the brutal
campaign of killings in 1994.
The memorial in the capital
holds the remains of over a
million people who lost their
lives in the slaughter. “Fear
and anger have been replaced
by the energy and purpose
that drives us forward -
young and old,” Kagame said
during the commemoration
ceremony in Kigali. Ethiopian
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed
and Jean-Claude Juncker,
the European Commission’s
president, are some of the
leaders who attended.
Week
Cheptegei
crowned
2018 best
A week after scooping
his third gold medal in
less than a year, Joshua
Cheptegei was crowned as
the 2018 Sports Personal-
ity of the Year by Uganda
Sports Press Association
(USPA) in a glitzy ceremony
at Imperia Royale Hotel.
“In athletics, we say once
you cross the finish line, it
is the beginning of a new
race,” said the 22-year old
Cheptegei as he capped a
perfect week. A few days
ago, he had just returned
from Denmark where he
flew Uganda’s flag high at
the World Cross Country
Championship. Cheptegei
however was being
crowned for his double gold
exploits at the 2018 Com-
monwealth Games held
in Australia. On the night,
he beat Uganda Cranes’
skipper Denis Onyango,
Rugby Cranes star Phillip
Wokorach and She Cranes
assistant captain Lillian Ajio.

Old Nalubaale bridge safe- UNRA

Ministry of Works and Transport
and the Uganda National Roads
Authority (UNRA) have assured the
public that the old Nalubaale Bridge
does not pose any safety threat to
road users because the infrastructure
is still strong and durable. UNRA
has decided to restrict traffic on
the Source of the Bile Bridge which
was opened in October 2018 until
July 10 to allow for restoration
works to replace the defective pave-
ment and asphalt layer. During the
works, traffic headed to Jinja will
be redirected to the old Nalubaale
Bridge that had been closed to motor
vehicles since last year. Only the
Kampala-bound traffic will allowed
on the new bridge. The bridge was
constructed in 1954 and had report-
edly outlived its lifespan.

AfricellUG @AfricellUG

Dial *133*2# *terms and conditions apply |

Regulated by Uganda Communications Commission

for more bundles

April. 12 - 18 2019 5
Week
Ugandan farmers acquire
dairy skills from Kenya
A team of 12 dairy farmers from Sembabule
district sponsored by Fresh Dairy, in
partnership with Brookside Dairy Limited
were exposed to various technologies at the
demonstration farms they visited in Kenya.
These included use of milking machines for
quickened milking with less manpower, silage
and hay production for easier feeding by both
small and large scale farmers during periods
of scarcity. They also learnt techniques of
feeding of concentrates to help farmers realize
improved milk production and enhance
fertility for cows, farm structures constructed Emirates shines at Travellers’ choice awards
with local materials to help farmers reduce on
the cost of production as well as manage dairy Emirates has been awarded Best First the in-flight Shower Spa, the Onboard
animals easier. Rainfall recording to enable the Class in the world at the 2019 TripAdvisor Lounge and many other industry firsts.
documentation of rainfall at the farms to aid Travelers’ Choice® awards for Airlines. The The airline’s latest First Class cabin features
decision making in terms of pasture planting airline also clinched several other awards the game-changing, fully enclosed private
was another skill. The study tour highlighted including Best Regional Business Class suites inspired by Mercedes-Benz that have
the role of the youth in the dairy value chain. Middle East, Best First Class Middle East floor to ceiling sliding doors, sleek design
Some of the farmers who attended the study and nabbed the overall Travelers’ Choice features, soft leather seating, high-tech
tour were Sam Mugabi, Richard Abamu, Major Airline honour for the Middle East. control panels and mood lighting. Sir Tim
Enock Kutesa, Lawrence Mutaggubya etc. TripAdvisor has awarded the world’s top Clark, President, Emirates Airline said:
The demo farms and farmer cooperatives carriers based on the quantity and quality “Emirates’ First Class product is an end-to-
visited include Ena Demo Farm in Embu of reviews and ratings for airlines by Tri- end experience. It begins before the flight
County, Mune Dairy Farm, Kirima Dairy pAdvisor flyers, gathered over a 12-month takes off - from the chauffeur drive airport
Farmers Cooperative, Demo Farm owned period. Emirates’ First Class experience transfer to exclusive check-in counters, use
by Youth, Mbucco Demo Farm, and Mangu has defined premium travel introducing of our dedicated Emirates Lounges, and all
Progressive Dairy Cooperative. product innovations like private suites, the onboard comforts and services.

6 April. 12 - 18 2019
Humour
Parliament passed a supplementary budget of Shs280 billion
towards the payment for two Uganda Airline Bombardier planes.
The Supreme Court has assured the appellants that the
court is writing the Age Limit appeal judgment.
Internal Affair minister Jeje Odongo will lead the team
investigating the murder of Ronald Ssebulime.
Did you know?
South Korea, U.S. fight
over world-first 5G
South Korea has claimed it beat the U.S.
by a matter of hours to become the first
country to roll out a super-fast 5G mobile
network, which allows users to download
entire movies almost instantaneously.
Three South Korean carriers – SK
Telecom, KT and LG Uplus – launched 5G
services at 11pm local time on April 03,
according to media reports, but only for
a handful of celebrities in what their U.S.
rival dismissed as a publicity stunt.
The launch was reportedly brought
forward by two days, as speculation
mounted that the U.S. mobile carrier
Verizon planned to launch its own service
ahead of schedule and claim the title of the
world’s first 5G provider.
With national pride at stake, South
Korean government regulators modified
service terms so that the carriers could
quickly sign up half a dozen celebrity
customers, including two members of the
K-pop band EXO and the former Olympic
figure-skating gold medalist Kim Yuna.
Verizon’s 5G service also appeared
on April 03 in parts of Chicago and
Minneapolis – a week ahead of its
scheduled 11 April launch but a little
later than the three South Korean carriers,
according to Yonhap news agency.
The U.S. firms said it planned to
introduce the new service in more than 30
locations across the country by the end of
the year.
Ordinary consumers in South Korea,
which has one of the world’s highest
smartphone penetration rates, were able
to connect to 5G services from April 05 –
the original launch day – when Samsung
begun sales of the Galaxy S10 5G, the
world’s first available smartphone with
the technology built in. LG Electronics will
release its 5G smartphone later this month.
Verizon South Koreas launch as
a publicity stunt. They added that
Verizon launched a network and
made 5G devices available for any
customers that wanted them.
April. 12 - 18 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
On French
ambassador’s
comments
Refer to: “I can’t believe
Museveni and Kagame want
to destabilise each other,
French envoy” (The Indepen-
dent March 29). Focus should
be placed on the ambassador’s
strong points in her analysis.
For instance, “Kenya is more
mature in business, but Ugan-
da positions herself to attract
foreign investment”. This is
a strong point that should
generate debate. What has
National teacher’s policy will improve education sector
contributed to Kenya’s matur-
ing in business? When South
Sudan emerged as a serious
market in the region, Kenya
went there to provide services
like banking, transport, insur-
ance and the like. Uganda
mostly provided security
services for the Kenyan busi-
nesses. This was also good as
security in the region is para-
mount. Strategically, however,
I think we lag behind Kenya.
We need to be thinking
broadly. We should be nurtur-
ing companies that can seize
business opportunities out
there to expand our economic
influence in the region.
Fredrick
8 April. 12 - 18 2019
Follow us on Twitter @
http://twitter.com/#!/ugandatalks
Follow us on Facebook @
www.facebook.com/TheIndependentMagazineUganda
Nantaba’s impunity saddening
Refer to: “Why Minister
Nantaba snubbed police sum-
mons” (The Independent
online March 30). This is
impunity. No one should be
above the law. The police have
deemed Ronanld Ssebulime’s
Bamugemereire Uganda gold exports miraculous
land probe wasteful
Refer to: “Land probe seeks
extra Sh3bn” (The Independent
Online March 28). This is just
embarrassing and obscene in a
country that is grappling with
poverty and unemployment.
Imagine less than 10% of the
cases have been handled but
already US$3 million gone! Let
us refer to earlier commissions
for different matters and realise
that we are still just wasting
taxpayers’ money and accumu-
lating debts on issues which are
known.
Bruno Namisi Ignatius
Cabinet’s recent approval of
the National Teachers Policy to
streamline the teachers’ man-
agement for productivity, disci-
pline, retention and motivation
is a sign of empowering and
strengthening teachers to do
their work. It will standardise
teacher development, qualifica-
tions, and practice across all
levels of education.
Absenteeism, lack of com-
mitment, dissatisfaction, and
inefficiency will now auto-
matically cease. The levels and
quality of output will increase
because these do not only
depend on the qualification
but also on their commitment
towards work. The teachers
will now be well motivated and
death a murder. Someone
should be brought to book.
The fact that Aida Nantaba,
the Minister of State for ICT
has ignored police summons,
allegedly on instructions of
President Yoweri Museveni
Refer to: “Gold importers
tasked to classify gold by
country of origin” (The
Independent Online April
02). Uganda is a conduit for
bad money. If one followed
the Susan Magara murder
it carried all the hallmarks
of money laundering. How
someone is in possession
of more than US$1 million,
carries it to the forex bureau,
goes on with the exchange
without being asked the
source and its intended
purpose. The way Uganda’s
finance system is being
disciplined.
The policy will also strength-
en pre-service and in-service
teacher training to enhance
competence among teacher and
enable them to effectively deliv-
er quality learning outcomes
and leadership at all levels of
the education cycle. Teachers
will get opportunity to upgrade
their knowledge and skills to
cope with new demands.
Teacher exploitation; mainly
in private-owned schools and
institutions, has gone on for
long. It includes little pay, over-
working, sexual harassment,
and violation of rights of our
teachers because there has been
no policy to protect them.
Good education requires
News analysis Health Business
40-year Moshi lessons Danger of eating Behind dfcu’s 52%
for younger Ugandans reused cooking oil decline in net profit
Issue No. 566 April. 05 - 11 2019
Ushs 5,000,Kshs 200, RwF 1,500, SDP 8
Museveni
succession
Why NRM doesn’t want
to talk about it
www.independent.co.ug
makes for very sad reading. No
wonder all our institutions are
crumbling. At this rate, Uganda
is truly a banana republic. This
is indeed very sad.
Dan
run, it highly boarders on
insecurity. Uganda does not
have significant gold deposits
(at least publicly not known).
How then, do we manage
to export such amounts
of gold? The little that the
artisan miners at Mubende
mined was seized. Unless
God is performing another
miracle of “gold raining from
heaven”, Uganda is engaging
in an international crime of
monumental proportions.
Rajab Kakyama
good teachers because good
results are got from the most
capable and committed teach-
ers. But we still have teachers
on permanent schedule who
teach in more than two schools.
How long do they interact
with students? With the help
of media, we have seen teach-
ers who spend more time on
other jobs like motorcycle
riding (boda boda) yet they
continue getting their salaries.
This policy will handle all these
challenges. It will cut across
the government aided schools
and institutions and in private
owned ones.
David Serumaga
serumagadavid916@gmail.com

Our country’s misguided priorities
By Andrew M. Mwenda
How the debate on Lubowa hospital exposes the self-
indulgence of Ugandan elites and their poverty of ideas
T
wo weeks ago Uganda government
approved $380m (or Shs1.4 trillion)
to build an “international specialised
hospital” in Lubowa. On the face of
it, this is a great idea. It is prestigious for a
poor country like Uganda to own a state-
of-the-art hospital that can handle highly
complex medical problems. Besides, if our
country is to attract high-end tourism, it
needs such a highly specialised hospital so
that rich tourists can visit our country con-
fident that in case of a medical emergency
they can be handled.
Yet I think the hospital at Lubowa has very
little to do with high-end tourism. Rather
it shows how political power in Uganda,
most especially democratic power, is in the
tight grip of a very small, parochial and self-
indulgent elite – inside government, in the
fickle opposition, and in the wider Ugandan
chattering elite class! The Lubowa hospital
is being built because Ugandan elites want
such a government owned facility to save
their lives. In their self-indulgence, they
ignore where national health priorities
should be.
The permanent secretary in the ministry
of Finance who is also the secretary to the
Treasury, Keith Muhakanizi, explained
it well. He said 8,200 persons in Uganda
applied for medical visas to India in 2016
of whom, 5,000 were sponsored by govern-
ment of Uganda at a cost of $123m ($15,000
per person). In building the hospital, gov-
ernment is cutting down on this expense,
which makes sense – until.
Muhakanizi also said the total cost of
medical treatment abroad (government and
privately sponsored persons) in 2014 was
$186 million of which only $73 million went
to medical treatment while $133 million
went to transport and upkeep. It makes a
lot of sense, therefore, that Uganda builds
a hospital to handle highly complicated
medical emergencies because it will reduce
the foreign exchange cost by 71.5%.
Consistent with the self-indulgence of the
Ugandan elites across the intellectual spec-
trum, their disagreement with the project
is over its cost, not its actual purpose i.e.
government to subsidise the medical bills
of largely a few people with influence to
get recommended by the medical board.
Our elites want the state to build a highly
specialised hospital where they can always
The Last Word
go for expensive medical treatment at zero
cost. Consequently, they have brought a
lot of heat but shade very little light on the
project.
For instance, the cost of $250m to construct
this hospital – with its 264 beds, 82-room
budget hotel, a 500 sitter conference facility,
a health training school, housing for staff
(85,000 square meters of built up area), the
cost of equipping the hospital with some of
the most advanced and high tech medical
gadgets, beds etc., medicines for one year,
training of Ugandan health professional
staff etc. is reasonable. Ugandan elites do
not want to look at the detailed bill of quan-
tities and they go yapping around.
Secondly there is the cost of interest on the
money borrowed to build this hospital at
6.5%, which I find reasonable as well. This
is because it is hard to find a concessionary
loan for building a highly specialised hos-
pital. Besides, there has to be profit for the
contractor and the promoter of this project.
Finally there is always the cost of corrup-
tion: I do not think is it possible to give out
such a lucrative contract in Uganda without
wheeler-dealers getting a cut.
A note on this corruption: this is a great
moral issue and on that I share everyone’s
concerns and outrage. However, I learnt
from Samuel Huntington, an American
scholar that an intellectual must always
separate their values/morals from their
analysis – so that they can analyse clearly.
While it is good for us to try to ensure that
public projects reflect reasonable costs, it is
often counterproductive to seek to delay/
stop them unless and until you have the
ideal price. It doesn’t exist.
Secondly, big infrastructure projects are
inherently more political than technical.
Without financial rewards to the wheeler-
dealers in the system and their ability to
create political slush funds for those in
power, it would be difficult for any country
to implement them. Often it is the corrup-
tion involved that makes such projects
possible; and why public officials are likely
to get incentivised to process them faster.
Those who believe in the altruism of public
officials should remember how commu-
nism failed.
Capitalism, which has created unprec-
edented prosperity, is based on the selfish-
ness of man (individual greed). Its cardinal
Opinion
principle is that everyone should seek that
which is to his/her best monetary advan-
tage. Therefore, it is difficult to reconcile
capitalism’s foundational creed with the
ethics we demand from public officials.
Public servants have power to allocate
lucrative rights over scarce resources. It fol-
lows that they will always seek to bargain
for a share of the rents they help to create.
The magnitude of this share may vary from
society to society and from one period to
another.
Thus, the inflation in the costs of a dam
or highway by anything between 10 to 30%
may be the necessary price to get public
officials incentivised to work hard and get
such projects off the ground. Otherwise
without a commission they may drag their
feet forever. Delaying a project in a vain
effort to stop alleged corruption is always
more costly in direct financial costs and in
opportunity cost than in letting officials take
a commission of 10 to 20%. NSSF’s pension
towers, which I will write about next time,
proves this.
The real issue in the debate over Lubowa
is that a government of a poor country like
Uganda should not be sponsoring people,
rich or poor, for expensive medical atten-
tion here or abroad. Our meagre public
resources should be spent on trying to
achieve the greatest good for the greatest
number. This means emphasis on public
health programs such as vector control,
improved sanitation, immunisation
and vaccination, clean water and public
hygiene.
If government invests in clinical care, it
should focus on those diseases that affect
the largest number of the most vulnerable:
malaria, cough and cold, urinary tract
infections, intestinal worms, gastrointes-
tinal disorders, acute diarrhea, etc. This
means government invests more in health
centres at community level – with better
medical staff, equipment and medicines.
This is not to say it should ignore treat-
ment for complicated diseases. Rather, it
can provide a long term loan at low cost to
a private investor to develop such a facility
and everyone who goes there – rich or
poor – pays his/her bills.
amwenda@independent.co.ug
April. 12 - 18 2019 9
cover story

5 reasons why
Shs40 trillion
budget is bad
Experts expose how Museveni
is destroying economy

10 April. 12 - 18 2019
 of the total
of the total budget) budget) domestically.
domestically. The domestic The domesticgrew
borrowing borrowing grew from
by 175.7% by 175.7% from



  

UGX



  

UGX 346 billion. 346 billion.

cover story
Figure 1: Increasing
ure 1: Increasing public debtpublic debt
is driven byisincreased
driven byborrowing
increased borrowing

45% 45%
40% 40%
Public debt, % GDP
Public debt, % GDP

35% 35%
30% 30%
25% 25%
20% 20%
15% 15%
10% 10%
5% 5%
0% 0%
2012/13 2012/13
2013/14 2013/14
2014/15 2014/15
2015/16 2015/16
2016/17 2016/17
2017/18 2017/18
2018/19 2018/19

Source:Report
ce: IMF Country IMF Country Report
No 17/206 andNo 17/206
Ministry of and Ministry
Finance of Finance
2017/18 2017/18
approved approved
estimates estimates
of revenue andof revenue and
nditure. expenditure.

T
By Haggai Matsiko nomics at Makerere University Business debt situation was already getting out of

Government
Government
revenue: revenue: Since School (MUBS).
2012/13 government hasrevenuehand without the new pressures.
has increased in
he budget this year isSince
proving2012/13 Other government
experts, basing on revenue
URA’s previ- increased
Secondly,in the figures before parliament
nominal terms to nominal
be a as
headache. terms
a proportion as aofproportion
After years GDP (12.7% of GDP
ous performance, in (12.7%
say2012/13
URA will failinto16.5%
to 2012/13
col- show,
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2017/18). in 2017/18).
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of borrowing to finance huge lect this money and pile even more trouble sively borrow from the local money mar-
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electricity factor behind
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huge defense and security budgets. by a whopping one trillion. risk free returns.
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get from Shs34 trillion in the early plan- failed to meet its targets because they are to build roads and bridges that contribute
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to nearly Shs40 trillion now expected to be This is because instead of expanding and used, defense and security are secre-
predominantly predominantly
announced at end of project project based.
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To understand how big
more more
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fiscal Shs40
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facilitate
budget is, it must be compared not only
trillion currently not
to facilitate
increased taxed, the government
increased
spending, thespending,
keeps heaping new taxes on the same
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often become conduits
recognises
pline.
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given economists given
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as
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proportion lowofproportion
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Shs22 trillion of 2017 and the Shs20 trillion GDP ratio or the proportion of tax revenue fifth front, the massive budget comes at
grant revenue
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Meanwhile
in the entire economy Meanwhile
other
(US$26 has other
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billion) countries
aintime
thewhenregion in the
the 2021 region
election campaigns
represents a 60% jump in the money the stagnated at slightly over 13%. loom large. Most commentators have
government is spending from back then. Ggoobi says rather than taxing the same pointed at the past to show that President
Under normal circumstances, a bigger small bracket of business people, the gov- Yoweri Museveni and his ruling NRM
budget should be great news as it would ernment should be getting into areas like party often need piles of cash during elec-
mean more money to spend on more agriculture, which remained under-taxed. tion. It is not unusual for the state treasury
schools, hospitals, and other services for Although agriculture contributes 24% of to be raided in the guise of classified
Pro-poor
poor orientation
wananchi. of orientation
Uganda's 2017/18 of Uganda's budget2017/18
GDP, budget
only 1%/ofdevinit.org
/ itdevinit.org
pays taxes. expenditure. 4 4
Instead, the government’s plan to spend “Politicians world over want expansion-
Shs40 trillion in the 2019/20 Financial Year 5 trouble points ary budgets because they want to show
which starts in July is being described as a These contradictions mean trouble for that they are spending on development in
crisis that threatens to hurt the economy. the common taxpayer on five fronts. order to be popular,” says Ggoobi.
Why? On one front, instead of increasing mon- But in Uganda’s case, he blames officials
The experts cite several other concerns. ey for social services like schools, hospitals, in charge of the treasury for failing to be
First, the government is clamouring and public service welfare; the govern- firm and saying no.
to spend more money than it can collect ment is cutting them to fund defense and “The technical managers of the economy
domestically in taxes. security. are no longer in charge,” he says, “This is
The new collection target for the Uganda On the other front, the government is not surprising because some of these man-
Revenue Authority (URA) is Shs18 trillion, to try to squeeze as much tax as it can agers have either hit retirement age or their
up from Shs16 trillion last year. from the few taxpayers in its database. So contracts are near expiry.”
“Because of this ever increasing spend- FY2019/20 is likely to be a year of tighten- “They rely on the good will of the execu-
ing appetite, we are seeing politicians ing the belt. tive (Museveni)—they are vulnerable and
initiating taxes based not on research but On the third front, the government is to cannot stand firm against the whims of the
their whims,” says Ramathan Ggoobi, a borrow big time. This approach is prob- politicians.”
renowned commentator who teaches eco- lematic at two levels. First, the national

April. 12 - 18 2019 11
cover story
Museveni should know better Sharp raises and deep cuts bills reached 21% and banks shifted a lot
Ggoobi says the budget expansion to is Next year, for example, Treasury of their lending from the private sector
a mistake and Museveni, who has been in Operations which deals with domestic to government and also increased their
power for around 33 years, should know debt refinancing, was allocated Shs9.5 lending rates.
better what happened in the past when trillion – bigger than any ministry, Because lending to government is less
governments were spending everything in government department or agency. risky, most banks limited their lending to
the treasury. The other big takers will be the Works the private sector, those that did, charged
“He should not be making the same mis- Ministry (Shs5.3 trillion up from Shs4.7 exorbitant terms—sometimes in the
takes,” he told The Independent. trillion) and Security (about Shs4 trillion). region of 30%.
Ggoobi says the problem is worse Budget allocations to other sectors— In some cases, companies that had
because the government is drifting further social sectors—are set to dip. For borrowed at lower rates all of a sudden
and further away from the best situation; instance, the Health budget is being cut had to pay more than what they had
where the money the government collects from Shs2.3 trillion to Shs2.2 trillion initially borrowed at. Many began to
in tax revenue is equal to what it spends, to and Education from Shs2.7 trillion from default and even collapsed. The biggest
a worse situation where it is always looking shs2.6 trillion, according to details in victims were banks.
to borrow to spend more and more. parliament’s Budget Committee report By 2015, three major banks suffered
This year, since donor support to the bud- on the National Budget Framework major losses as a result of Non-
get is nearly zero due to corruption; over Paper. These figures could further performing Assets. Those backed by
Shs20 trillion of the budget will be funded change given that officials at Finance are international benefactors got recaptalised
through borrowing. still tinkering with the budget. and survived. Locally owned Crane
Of the Shs20trillion, Shs7trillion is coming Uganda has over the years suffered Bank, which was the biggest lender to
from external lenders and about Shs15tril-
lion will be borrowed locally.
This is worsening the country’s debt situ-
ation and killing domestic businesses and
social services.
According to the Public Finance Manage-
ment Act, 2015, the domestic borrowing
limit for government is capped at 10% of
domestic revenues. That means this year’s
domestic revenues of Shs15 trillion, can only
support government borrowing of Shs1.5
trillion. However, government is looking to
borrow several times more.
Experts are warning that the economy
could pay a high price. The 2018 report by
the parliamentary committee on national
economy, for example, cautioned that
government domestic debt is constraining
funding to the private sector.
To understand how critical private sector
credit (PSC) is to economic performance,
one looks at years when the economy has
performed poorly and when it has per-
formed well.
In 2008 when the economy performed
at its best— slightly over 10%, PSC grew at
49.4% between June 2007 and April 2008.
In 2013 when the economy posted worst
performance since 1991, PSC had fallen
from an average of 33% to 4.5% in Septem-
ber 2012 and sluggishly picked up to about
8.8% as of September 2013. In 2017, the
economy was still struggling—no wonder
PSC only grew at 2.8%. The current wave the cost of domestic borrowing. Between local businesses, was not as lucky.
of recovery was supported by a PSC annual 2012 and 2018, Uganda’s economic The economy shrunk even further—
growth of 10.5% as of last year. growth limped on at about 4%. hitting the lows of 3% growth. These
But the new plan by government to Trouble started in 2012 when Uganda sorts of consquences explain the concerns
increase borrowing internally could reverse passed the Anti-homosexuality Act and about how Finance officials are planning
this positive trajectory. angry pro-gay Western donors reacted to finance and spend the upcoming
By end of June 2018, the total public by cutting budget support. budget.
debt stock stood at Shs41.3 trillion which is Rather than cut spending, the
equivalent to 41.5% of the country’s GDP. government, which previously only Does Uganda have a budget?
The level of debt as a percentage of GDP borrowed domestically for monetary Commenting on the shifting figures, Fred
was 26% in 2012 and went to 32% in 2014, policy objectives, started raising cash for Muhumuza, an economist who previously
and 40% in 2018. The more debt has grown, financing the budget through domestic advised the Finance Minister said the
the more it has eaten into the budget. borrowing. budget is changing at such a fast rate that he
Consequently, interest on treasury is not sure whether there is a budget at all.

12 April. 12 - 18 2019

He said government budgets are
supposed to signal its intentions for private
players, but the rate of changes is confusing
instead.
He says private players who planned
basing on the government allocating money
in certain areas get thrown off when there
are budgets cuts in those areas and the
money is taken to other areas. It gets worse
if the new areas were not planned for at all.
“There is a lot of uncertainty and lack of
consistency with a lot of off budget items
negatively affecting budget items,” he told
The Independent in an interview.
Just this March, for example, on top of the
US$100 million for Security, government
requested for supplementary expenditure
budgets worth billions of shillings to
cater for procurement of two Bombardier
planes for the revival of the national
flag carrier; Uganda Airlines, facilitation
for establishment of the Atiak Sugar
Factory, purchase Okello House which
is an extension of the Nakasero Lodge in
Kampala, and construction of a centre of
excellence in Pediatric Surgery in Entebbe,
among others.
“If you look at how much the
current budget has changed because of
supplementary budgets you wonder
whether the budget is reliable anymore,”
Muhumuza said.
Intense domestic borrowing; some of
which is intended to finance supplementary
budgets, especially ahead of the 2021
elections threatens to make the bad situation
worse.
Supplementary budgets should, under
current regulations, not exceed 3% of the
entire national budget but these have been
increasing from 4% in 2008/2009, to 7.2%
in 2009/2010 and over 30% of the budget in
2010/11.
These tend to get worse ahead of
elections.
Just months to the 2011 election, the
government pushed through parliamentary
budgets of close to a trillion shillings – with
the last round coming in December 2011
right in the middle of campaigns.
Just months to the 2016 election,
the government again requested for a
Shs847billion supplementary budget,
of which only Shs11.9 billion was for
development expenditure and a whopping
Shs728.1 billion for recurrent expenditure.
In both cases, Uganda suffered. Post-2011
election inflation hit the highs of 30% and
post 2016, the economy shrunk further.
The Defense/Security had already thrown
this year’s budget off balance.
Butambala MP Muwanga Kivumbi
who sits on the parliamentary Budget
Committee told The Independent that
already Defense/Security was consuming
the bulk of new money that the Finance
Ministry has asked parliament to approve
in an adjusted budget.
The Independent in its recent cover
story titled `Museveni doubles military
cover story
spending’ (Issue565, March 29-April 04)
exclusively reported that President Musev-
eni had directed finance officials to push
through parliament some US$100 million
(Approx.Shs370 billion) as part of a supple-
mentary for the defence budget.
The directive to increase defence spend-
ing followed two meetings this month; one
with security chiefs and another with offi-
cials from the Finance Ministry.
Museveni first met the security chiefs
and discussed “tensions with Rwanda”,
said a source familiar with the details of
the meeting on conditions of anonymity
because of the sensitivity of the matter.
After this meeting, the source added,
Museveni then summoned officials from
the Finance Ministry who he directed to
make the allocations.
The Independent also reported that the
Security docket would get a significantly
bigger allocation in the next FY2019/20
budget that Finance officials are putting
together.
The Independent understands, the
Finance Ministry will add another $270
million (Approx.1 trillion) to the defence
budget for 2019/2020 alone.
Kivumbi said the Security budget is
jumping from Shs2 trillion last year to Shs4
trillion. That will push Uganda’s defense
spending to over $1 billion dollars again.
April. 12 - 18 2019 13
news analysis

Kidnap in
the park
American tourist
rescued; experts
call for Crisis
Management Unit
By Ronald Musoke

T
he kidnap of an American tourist
and a guide in the Queen Elizabeth
National Park in early April spread
jitters across Uganda’s tourism
industry.
Kimberley Sue Endecott, was one of
three guests on an evening game drive on
April 02 when she and the guide, Jean Paul
Mirenge, who works for Wild Frontiers
Uganda, a local tour company, were both
ambushed and abducted by four armed
men.
The gang left the other two tourists; an
elderly couple, and made off with Endecott
and Mirenge. The kidnappers later used
one of the abductees’ phone to demand
a ransom of US$500,000 (about Shs 1.8
billion).
Fortunately, Endecott and Mirenge’s
ordeal ended on April 07 when the two
were found alive inside the Democratic Tourists take vantage positions to view a lion hiding in the grasslands of Queen Elizabeth National Park on
Republic of Congo thanks to a joint security Feb.06, 2019. The park is very popular with visitors from around the world.  INDEPENDENT/RONALD MUSOKE
operation that included; the Uganda
People’s Defence Force, police, the Uganda Secret rescue plan teams at Queen Elizabeth National Park
Wildlife Authority and the Joint Intelligence Until the day of the rescue, it remained which borders parts of the restive eastern
Task Force. unclear how the government was going Democratic Republic of Congo.
Lilly Ajarova, the new executive director about saving the two. Fred Enanga, the The police and government appeared
of the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) told Spokesperson of Police had two days earlier determined to reassure tourists and the
The Independent that much as this is an told The Independent that there would be general public that although this is the
isolated case, dealing with its aftermath no public updates on the kidnap because first incident of this kind registered in a
requires more effort. “over-reporting” on the matter could very peaceful setting, “strengthened safety
“Tourism is a very sensitive industry and endanger the already precarious lives of the measures were in place for both the local
this incident just frustrates all the efforts victims. residents and visitors.”
that are being made to develop the tourism Enanga said in the early afternoon of Baguma had earlier told The Independent
industry,” she said, “Going forward we April 06 when The Independent asked him that as soon as such incidents happen, UTB
need to strengthen our efforts that are being for an update on the kidnap that there was a should have been passing out re-assuring
geared towards making the tourism sector continuous man-hunt operation going on. messages in the media showing how the
the heartbeat of the economy.” Following news of the kidnapping, a joint government is responding to the incident
Cuthbert Baguma; a former executive security operation by the Uganda Police, and showing how tourism activities are still
director of UTB, said much as this is Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) going in Queen Elizabeth National Park and
an isolated incident, it should help the and Uganda Wildlife Authority game other parks around the country.
government to create a Crisis Management wardens was mounted to rescue Endecott Dr. Akankwasah Barirega, the
Unit that ably responds to incidents like this and her guide. commissioner for wildlife conservation
one. He says Kenya which often suffers An April 03 statement signed by deputy in the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and
such incidents has done this very well by Police Spokesperson Polly Namaye said Antiquities was one of many who told The
partnering the Kenya Wildlife Service with police had dispatched an elite squad from Independent that the Queen Elizabeth Park
the Kenya Tourism Federation. the Tourism Police to reinforce the security incident should be viewed as an isolated

14 April. 12 - 18 2019

case.
He said tourism activities were still going
on in Queen Elizabeth National Park and
other conservation areas in the park and
that the world needed to know that this was
not a case of degenerated security but an
isolated incident that can occur anywhere in
the world.
“Uganda still remains a country with the
lowest crime rates in the region and even
the continent; we hope that our prospective
visitors shall not cancel basing on this
particular incident,” Barirega told The
Independent.
Parks safe from crime
The kidnap happened when
the government was announcing
unprecedented surges in tourist numbers
over the recent years with thousands more
visitors coming in from the key source
markets of the U.S, the U.K and Germany.
It remains to be seen how the latest setback
will impact the industry.
Bashir Hangi, UWA’s communications
manager told The Independent that
Uganda’s game parks have been safe
from this kind of crime.
The only such incident he could recall
happened 20 years ago when Rwandan
rebels known as Interahamwe ambushed
and killed eight foreign tourists in
Bwindi; a park which is 150km south of
Queen Elizabeth National Park and is
renowned for gorilla trekking. The rebels
were part of a militia group that was
involved in the 1994 Rwandan genocide
before fleeing to the jungles of the DR
Congo.
Hangi also told The Independent that
the Queen Elizabeth Park incident is a
wake-up call for all the tourism sector
players.
“This is not only about UWA; it is for
the entire tourism sector; it is a pointer to
how we are working with our colleagues
in the private sector and the government
agencies.”
Popular tourist destination
Queen Elizabeth National Park
is Uganda’s most popular tourist
destination. The park’s diverse
ecosystems, which include the sprawling
news analysis
savannah grasslands, dense forests,
dazzling lakes and the mashy wetlands,
make it the ideal habitat for big game,
primates including chimpanzees and
hundreds of bird species.
Among its other attractions are
several dozen enormous craters carved
dramatically into rolling green hills,
panoramic views of the Kazinga
Channel with its banks lined with
hippos, buffalo and elephants. These
attractions make the park easily one of
Uganda’s most popular conservation
spots and it is the reason it receives
thousands of visitors every year.
Data from the Uganda Tourism
Board, the national tourism marketing
agency shows Uganda recorded a 1.5%
growth in international tourist arrivals
to 1.32 million in the 2016/17 financial
year.
The U.S is said to have contributed
the biggest number of visitors to
Uganda with 57,959, followed by the
U.K (39,539), India (30,210), China
(19,179) and Germany (10,586).
Among visitors from Africa, Rwanda
contributed the biggest number of
visitors (362,865), followed by Kenya
(352,817), DR Congo (90,148), Tanzania
(86,091) and Sudan (35,353).
Of all the total arrivals during the
year, 18% visited for purposes of leisure,
recreation and holiday, 22% visited for
business and professional conferences,
38% visited for other reasons such as
transit, education and medical.
As a result, tourism remains the
country’s leading foreign exchange
earner bringing in U.S $ 1.4bn (about
Shs 5.1 trillion) that year. This is almost
three times the revenue Uganda earned
a decade earlier (US $498.3 million).
Executives in the sector link the
sudden interest in Uganda as a top
tourism destination to the recent
recruitment of three marketing firms
that have been selling Uganda in Europe
and North America.
In the national budget for FY 2018/19
the Ministry of Finance, Planning
and Economic Development said the
procurement of market destination
representation firms has so far
yielded good results. As a result the
government expected to rake in twice as
much as much (U.S $ 2.7bn) every year
by 2020 from the sector. The projection
was that tourist arrivals will have hit
four million.
It is not clear now how the kidnap
and rescue of the American will affect
those plans. Members of the Association
of Uganda Tour operators have in the
past spoken about how unrest and
similar incidents scare away tourists
who suddenly cancel their trips.
April. 12 - 18 2019 15
news analysis
Inside the ransom business
Why kidnapping rarely pays
By Anja Shortland
A
kidnapper’s phone call announc-
ing that a family member or
employee has been abducted is
the stuff of nightmares – as is the
eye-watering ransom demand that often
accompanies this news. How should you
respond?
Most kidnappings take place in countries
where governments are weak and territory
is disputed. Without a police force able to
help, you will need to negotiate to get your
loved one back. So, what is the “right”
price for their life? When I ask my students
this question, their answers range from “I
would never pay a criminal or terrorist”
to “I’d pay whatever they’re asking for” or
“everything I could possibly spare”. Some
point to their government’s responsibility to
help. Depending on the family’s, employer’s
or government’s attitude and means, the
kidnappers might make several million dol-
lars here – or nothing at all.
In my book “Kidnap: Inside the Ransom
Business” I analyse the tricky question of
how much to pay using the tools of eco-
nomics and look at the problem from the
perspective of all parties. The kidnappers
want to extract the maximum amount of
profit, subject to not being caught. If they
have time, they will want to probe how
much the victim is really worth: starting
with a demand beyond their dreams of
avarice.
Depending on how the victim’s represen-
tatives respond, the kidnappers will either
revise the ransom upwards or downwards.
If they are offered a large amount, say a
million dollars, straight away, the kidnap-
pers will believe there is a lot more they can
extract.
16 April. 12 - 18 2019
So, the best response to a ransom demand
is never to agree immediately to a kidnap-
per’s demands. If the kidnappers have time,
they will keep doubling the price and judge
the response to this accordingly. If the kid-
nappers agree to the first ransom offer they
are given, they are probably negotiating
from the back of a car and are desperate to
return the hostage already. If the victim’s
representatives prevaricate, the case will
most likely end with the victim withdraw-
ing whatever cash they can from an ATM
once before and once just after midnight:
the so called “express kidnap” or “million-
aire’s ride”. By contrast, a swiftly agreed,
overgenerous ransom puts a bulls-eye tar-
get on your wider family, your firm’s other
employees (if you’re travelling with work),
and fellow nationals. News of easy profits
spread quickly in criminal communities
and can cause local or regional kidnapping
booms.
The case of Somali piracy is an excellent
example. Somalis had hijacked a few ships
a year for decades, releasing hostages after
a few months for low six-figure sums. Yet
when nervous negotiators tried to accelerate
this process by offering million-dollar ran-
soms, Somali piracy escalated and became
a threat to global trade. It is therefore in
the financial interest of those being issued
ransom demands, as well as their moral
responsibility, to try to limit the payments.
Haggling a compromise
Getting the right price requires haggling
out a compromise that both satisfies the
kidnappers and is affordable (and ethically
acceptable) for the victims’ representatives.
Economic reasoning tells us where this
undignified bartering ends: kidnappers will
release when the cost of holding on to the
hostage exceeds what they expect to gain
from the next ransom increment.
Some describe this process as wringing
the towel dry: kidnappers squeeze and
squeeze until the victim’s representatives
stick to their answer, “there is no more”. If
those paying the ransom permit the kid-
nappers to literally squeeze them dry, they
will pay all they can afford. But knowing
that they will have to endure all the painful
squeezes (replete with horrendous threats)
anyway, they can also set a lower limit and
hide some resources from the criminals. If
they stick to their guns, they often achieve
a release for a small fraction of the first ran-
som demand.
When foreigners are abducted in a kid-
nap prone area, there is often another actor
and that’s the professional ransom negotia-
tor. For kidnap insurers it is of paramount
importance that hostage markets develop
norms of non-violence and ways of nego-
tiating ransoms that facilitate swift and
reliable releases – while at the same time
ensuring that kidnapping is not an easy
way to riches.
Firms that purchase kidnap insurance
for their employees operating in dangerous
places are therefore advised and coached in
how to handle the ransom negotiation, how
to react to threats, and when to stay firm.
They learn to barter the kidnappers down
to a price that just about covers the costs
of staging the kidnap and conducting the
negotiation.
The result is an orderly but very lim-
ited market for foreign hostages in which
the crime barely pays. The kidnapping
of expatriates, tourists, and foreign firms’
local staff is discouraged by the unhurried,
firm approach to negotiations and hostage
incidents resolved by professional crisis
responders result in the safe return of more
than 97% of kidnap victims. For the few
cases that go awry, the main problems are
pre-existing medical conditions and escape
attempts.
The vast majority of insured hostage
negotiations conclude in less than a week
and generally with ransoms that don’t
break the bank, keeping other travellers
and expatriates safe. By contrast, if people
follow their gut instinct, fundraise aggres-
sively, mobilise the media, or lobby politi-
cians to get involved they most likely put
their loved one in greater peril and more
people at risk.
Anja Shortland is a Reader in Political
Economy, King’s College London

Youth wait for the arrival of Rwanda’s PresidentPaul Kagame to perform as part of the 25th
Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide at the Amahoro stadium in Kigali, Rwanda, on April 7./ AFP
Rwanda 'a family again'
President Kagame sees hope, 25 years after genocide
By Cyril Belaud
P
resident Paul Kagame said on April
07 that Rwandans had become a
family again; 25 years after more
than 800,000 people were slaugh-
tered in a genocide that shocked the world.
Kagame lit a remembrance flame at the
Kigali Genocide Memorial, where more
than 250,000 mainly Tutsi victims are
believed to be buried, as the country began
its annual 100 days of mourning that coin-
cides with the length of the slaughter.
“In 1994, there was no hope, only dark-
ness,” said Kagame, at the Kigali Conven-
tion Centre, a dome-shaped auditorium in
the centre of the capital, a modern building
emblematic of the regeneration of Rwanda.
“Today, light radiates from this place ...
How did it happen? Rwanda became a fam-
ily once again,” he added.
“The arms of our people, intertwined,
constitute the pillars of our nation. We hold
each other up. “Our bodies and minds bear
amputations and scars, but none of us is
alone. Together, we have woven the tattered
threads of our unity into a new tapestry.”
The genocidal Hutu forces, members of
the old army and militia forces called the
“Interahamwe”, began their campaign of
killing on April 7, 1994, the day after the
assassination of President Juvenal Habyari-
mana, a Hutu.
Some were shot, but most were beaten or
hacked to death with machetes.
“Our people have carried an immense
weight with little or no complaint. This has
made us better and more united than ever
before,” Kagame said.
“The fighting spirit is alive in us. What
happened here will never happen again.”
The killings lasted until Kagame, then
36, led the mainly Tutsi Rwandan Patriotic
Front (RPF) into Kigali on July 4, ending the
slaughter and taking control of the devas-
tated country.
Kagame, now 61, and in power ever
since, is leading the memorial to the dead.
After his speech, Kagame led hundreds
of people on a walk to the country’s main
football ground. The Amahoro National
Stadium -- whose name means “peace” in
Rwanda’s Kinyarwanda language -- was
used by the UN during the genocide to
protect thousands of Tutsis from being mas-
sacred on the streets outside.
Dignitaries lit a candle which they used
to light candles held by the youth, a sym-
bolic passing of the baton to the younger
generation, before the stadium turned into a
sea of flickering lights.
Two thirds of Rwanda’s population was
born after the genocide.
“Our children enjoy the innocence of
peace. They know trauma and violence only
from stories. Our aspirations rest in this
new generation,” Kagame said.
Deep trauma
For many survivors, forgiveness remains
difficult when the bodies of their loved ones
have not been found and many killers are
still free. A quarter of a century on, the east
African nation has recovered economically,
but the trauma still casts a dark shadow.
Kagame has kept an authoritarian hold as
he steers the small, landlocked East African
nation through economic recovery. Growth
in 2018 was a heady 7.2 percent, according
to the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Some 10 leaders were expected to pay
their respects, mostly from nations across
news analysis
the continent.
Former colonial ruler Belgium sent Prime
Minister Charles Michel.
French President Emmanuel Macron did
not attend, but expressed his “solidarity
with the Rwandan people and his compas-
sion to the victims and their families” in a
statement on April 07.
The statement said Macron would like
to make April 7 a “day of commemoration
of the genocide” in France, without giving
further details.
France was represented by Herve Ber-
ville, a 29-year old Rwandan-born member
of parliament in Paris. Rwanda has accused
France of being complicit in the genocide
through its support for the Hutu-led gov-
ernment and of helping perpetrators escape.
Paris has consistently denied complicity
in the bloodshed, though former president
Nicolas Sarkozy in 2010 acknowledged
France had made “serious errors of judge-
ment”. On April 05, Macron appointed an
expert panel to investigate France’s actions
at the time.
Macron was not the only notable absence;
former ally Ugandan President Yoweri
Museveni was also absent, amid a diplo-
matic spat between the two nations.
During his speech, Kagame sent out a
warning to those who interfered in Rwan-
dan affairs.
“For those from here or from outside who
think our country has not seen enough of a
mess and want to mess with us ... I want to
say, we will mess up with them big time.
“No adversary should underestimate
what a formidable force Rwandans have
become as a result of circumstances.”
Source: AFP
April. 12 - 18 2019 17
NEWS ANALYIS

Nicholas Kamukama (in handcuffs) the deputy RDC of Kiruhura district and Kangume Kosea (R) a district councillor who were arrested by the Anti-
Corruption Unit for allegedly soliciting a bribe.   COURTESY PHOTO

Museveni's commando
war on corruption
Is the Nakalema Anti-Corruption Unit driven by
media frenzy or is it getting good results?
By Ian Katusiime Also unusual was the way the Unit cited (CIID) are in the loop. But the question

O
n April 06, the State House
Anti-Corruption Unit sent out
an unusual press statement. It
announced that it had carried
out a special investigation on Post Bank
Uganda. That meant there had been a
swoop.
“The matter under investigation is for
abuse of office and a number of senior
bank personnel are under investigation.
Bank operations remain uninterrupted,”
said the statement signed by Lt. Col. Edith
Nakalema; the head of the unit.
While the statement to the press was
unusual, the operation was typical: Make
an unexpected swoop, interrogate suspects,
arrest culprits.
the law under which it entered into Post
Bank; Article 99 (4) of the Constitution of
Uganda – “Subject to the provisions of this
Constitution, the functions conferred on
the President by clause (1) of this article
may be exercised by the President either
directly or through officers subordinate to
the President”.
It was an acknowledgement that the
Unit’s style is unconventional – without
much locus in the either typical corruption
investigation or prosecution. In the case
of Post Bank that mandate is with Bank of
Uganda.
So Nakalema made a point of saying BoU
and the Ministry of Finance, Planning and
Economic Development, and the Criminal
Investigation and Intelligence Directorate
remains: If that is their mandate, why did
they not act? Why did Nakalema have to
step in? And Post Bank is not the only case
begging this question.
Since President Yoweri Museveni
launched it in December last year,
Nakalema’s unit has instilled panic among
public officials. The former personal
assistant to President Museveni has
raided districts; swooping on Residential
District Commissioners (RDCs), Chief
Administrative Officers (CAOs), engineers,
town clerks. She has swooped on tax
officials, district administrators and Lands
ministry technocrats. Her unit appears to
be making gains and Ugandans; ever wary
of bureaucratic lethargy in anti-corruption
cases, are applauding.

18 April. 12 - 18 2019

Unlike the Inspectorate of Government,
which has been criticised for apparent
lethargy, Nakalema’s unit reportedly acts
fast on whistleblower calls from concerned
citizens about corrupt leaders. It arrests first
and investigates later.
This could have been what President
Museveni demanded during the State of the
Nation Address in June 2018 when he said
the Inspector General of Government (IGG)
was not as effective. The IGG investigates,
arrests, and prosecutes. It takes time.
Nakalema’s unit is militaristic; conducting
commando-like raids.
From its first operation in the Wakiso
land offices on December 20, 2018 up to the
end of March, the unit has arrested close to
40 people after tip offs. That is an average
of 10 arrests made per month. The IGG
office makes an average of three arrests in a
month according to informed sources.
But it appears too early to make a
proper critique of the unit. How many
of those arrested end up in jail? Can the
unit maintain the momentum? At what
financial cost? And there are allegations that
Nakalema’s unit does not have clean hands.
Nakalema’s style
Nakalema’s unit typically starts with
a public meeting in an area. The unit’s
counsel interrogates technocrats like
engineers, internal auditors and chief
financial officers as members of the public
look on. Nakalema chips in when progress
is slow.
The public questioning could be about
misappropriation of funds for schools, or
using money meant for the district health
department for road or even a delay to
install lightning arrestors as was the case
in Bataebwol Primary School in Dokolo
district. Officials who fumble or are accused
by members of the public are grilled further.
Some are arrested. In January and February,
Nakalema and her ‘small army’ carried
out operations in Tororo, Arua, Gulu, Jinja,
Kiruhura, Mbarara. In mid-March, the unit
visited Amolatar and Dokolo districts in the
Lango sub-region.
In terms of making arrests and practically
waging war on corruption, some observers
say Nakalema’s outfit is doing very well.
In one of their impromptu raids recently,
the unit arrested Nicholas Kamukama,
the deputy RDC of Kiruhura district, and
Kangume Kosea, a district councilor for
allegedly soliciting a bribe to aid the illegal
operation of an unlicensed money lending
company. The police are set to charge the
two with bribery and extortion.
A few days before the Kiruhura raid, the
unit arrested Ruth Etibot Achimo, Soroti
University secretary, amid accusations
of misappropriating Shs1.6billion meant
for payment of employee allowances,
rent, retainer fees and inland travel
disbursement. Achimo was arraigned
before the Anti-Corruption Court on March
29 on charges of corruption, diversion of
public resources and false accounting.
A frenzy without impact?
However some observers say that
whereas the operations of the unit are
commendable, it should see these actions
to their logical conclusion if the war on
corruption is to be won by the new entrants.
Cissy Kagaba, the executive director
of the Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda
(ACCU), says the process on fighting
corruption should be more than just a
“frenzy” for it to have impact.
“The arresting does not amount to
prosecution. The suspects can be released
on police bond, but then again there are
investigations to be made and a court
process.”
Kagaba says such cases are usually
frustrated by the typical case backlog and
judicial corruption. “What’s the end game?
Edith Nakalema Cissy Kagaba
Most likely they will get out,” she says.
Kagaba says the unit is doing good work
but cautions that the new team needs to
avoid doing work amidst a media frenzy.
After all everyone is innocent until proven
guilty. “The unit does not have its own
police or judiciary. It has to work within
existing structures.”
She adds, “Right now there are some bits
of arrests and there is fear in public servants
but we need to look at the bigger picture.”
For Kagaba, what is even more important is
to ensure that stolen monies are returned.
Since the Anti-Corruption is just getting
started, it usually hands people of interest to
the CIID to aid with investigations although
a number of suspects have also appeared
before the Anti-Corruption Court.
The State House Anti-Corruption unit
does not respond to queries from the media
although it regularly shares news of its raids
on its Twitter page.
Police spokesperson Fred Enanga says
the unit has a police component attached to
it and that it works with police in a gazette
area. “They have an arm that gathers
intelligence which is what coordinates with
the public,” he says. To him, they are there
to support the work of the CIID and the
Anti-Corruption Court.
NEWS ANALYIS
Franca Akello, Agago Woman MP
and the new chairperson of the Public
Accounts Committee on Local Government
says enough time should be given to the
new unit. However she says the team is
doing the right thing because that is what
Ugandans have been waiting for, for a long
time. She agrees though with Kagaba on
one thing. “We should ensure that for the
kind of people who are found culpable of
swindling government resources, recoveries
of money are made.”
She adds that they should not just end up
in jail. Akello says that when in a few days,
her committee starts conducting hearings
of accounting officers, she hopes she will
collaborate with Nakalema’s unit.
There are concerns about the proverbial
big fish when it comes to fighting
corruption in Uganda. Going forward,
scrutiny may be placed on the unit for
the big shots it can fell such as ministers,
permanent secretaries or even MPs.
Abbas Agaba, MP for Kitagwenda
County tells The Independent he appreciates
the President’s efforts on dealing with
corruption and he thinks different tactics
should be employed although he thinks
every effort can be improved.
“We do not want it to act in a disjointed
manner but sometimes people respond to
situations that scare them,” he says. He says
the unit should be beefed up that it has a
proper legal status. He cites other dangers
that the unit may come into when it does
not have a well-established status.
“There are times when the State House
Health Monitoring Unit would victimise
people. For instance they would arrest
an innocent doctor and cause them
humiliation”, he adds that the lack of
professionalism may be a liability.
Agaba stresses that Nakalema’s unit
ought to be linked to a legal unit. “Having
a counsel is not enough. There must be a
more able bodied team to assess the case.
Right now they are doing the work of a
state attorney and a trial magistrate.”
He says it is important to deal with
people respectfully without jeopardising
their work. “SIU in Kireka has long
ceased to be credible. People would
spend five days in detention and suffer
all the embarrassment before meaningful
prosecution could take place.”
For now, Nakalema and her unit
are operating with the ammunition of
having the blessing from the highest
office in the land. District officials whom
The Independent spoke to about possible
operations in their territory were coy on
commenting the work of the unit.
“You may comment today and the
next day you are the victim,” one CAO
said, another one commented. “Up to
now, I don’t understand the mandate of
that unit.”
April. 12 - 18 2019 19
NEWS ANALYIS
Japanese versus
European colonialism
How Japanese colonialism in East Asia was transformative
compared to its European counterpart in Africa
By Andrew M. Mwenda
I
spent about ten days between late Feb-
ruary and early March in Japan; talk-
ing to government officials, academics
in universities, policy wonks in think
tanks, tasting Japanese cuisine, visiting tech-
nology museums and art galleries.
I was intrigued that the Japanese do not
want to speak about their role as colonisers
because many of them think it was their
nation at its worst.
Japanese today are polite socially and
pacifist politically. They hate war; some-
thing taught from nursery school to univer-
sity. It is what they are taught at home and
told in temples and shrines. Of course there
is a right wing margin that talks of Japa-
nese rearmament. But overall pacifism is a
totem. Yet the Japan of the first half of the
20th century was a war-mongering nation:
its people were militant, its generals aggres-
sive, its political leaders belligerent and its
20 April. 12 - 18 2019
diplomats bellicose. Transformative colonialism
It is this Japan that invaded and colonised I, however, believe Japanese colonialism
Taiwan in 1895 and Korea in 1910. Then it in East Asia was transformative compared
invaded China, occupying Manchuria and to its European counterpart in Africa.
annexing it in 1937, marking the beginning I will select a few factors to illustrate my
of the Second World War – according to the point. But we must recognise that there are
Chinese; the European war that began in many other factors that shaped the develop-
1939 simply joined the Asiatic war to make ment outcomes of Korea and Taiwan than
it a world war.  can be compressed in one article.
According to Western reports and Korean For instance, by the time of European
and Chinese records, the Japanese were intrusion into the region, the societies of
brutal. They conducted their colonisation East Asia (Japan, China, Korea) had enjoyed
with unprecedented violence and unmerci- fairly advanced civilisations for millennia
ful harshness. They killed, pillaged, looted and the process of state formation; complete
and exploited. They took young Korean with meritocratic bureaucracies and the
and Chinese girls into sex slavery to serve as development of common national con-
entertainment for Japanese generals. They sciousness, had deep roots.
grabbed land, extracted forced labour and The East Asian peoples already had
imposed extortionate taxes.   widespread formal education and technol-
Most Koreans, Taiwanese and Chinese ogy was diffuse. Therefore, whatever Japa-
– and their scholars, poets and politicians – nese colonialism achieved was only possible
think Japanese colonialism was an evil that because of these initial conditions in these
only wrecked their lives.  societies.

For instance, Taiwan and South Korea
were poor in 1960 in terms of per capita
income, but many studies show that their
social indicators placed them among the
ranks of countries at several times their
income levels. In 1967, Adelman and Morris
did an index of social-economic develop-
ment for a range of countries as measured
in the late 1950s and 60s. The index was
derived from factor analysis and was based
on a large number of indicators meant to
capture characteristics such as social struc-
ture and social organisation. They included
the level of urbanisation, importance of an
indigenous middleclass, social mobility, lit-
eracy levels (availability of human capital),
mass communications, cultural and ethnic
homogeneity, national integration, and a
sense of national unity and modernisation
outlook.
Aldeman and Morris’ index placed Tai-
wan and South Korea in the most advanced
group of countries even though their per
capita income was con-
siderably below average.
The study concluded
that they had “initial
conditions” necessary
for rapid development;
their governments only
needed to remove coor-
dination bottlenecks.
As one can see,
cultural and ethnic
homogeneity, national
integration and a sense
of national unity were
not a Japanese legacy
but the inherited civilisa-
tion of these societies.
However, factors such as
the level of urbanisation,
importance of an indig-
enous middleclass, social
mobility, literacy levels
(human capital), trans-
port and energy infra-
structure plus mass com-
munications were much
more developed than
other poor countries in large part because of
the nature of Japanese colonialism.
All Sub Sahara African countries in the
study were at the bottom of the pile in the
index. One illustrative factor, which shows
the difference between European and Japa-
nese colonialism, was school enrolment and
literacy rates (human capital), which we can
use as a proxy for availability of technical
and managerial skills but also an important
basis for sustaining progressive politics.
By 1940, Taiwan had 60% of primary
school age going kids (both girls and boys)
enrolled in school, similar to South Korea,
which also had 43% secondary school enrol-
ment. Uganda (among the best educated in
Africa) had 10% primary school enrolment
in 1940, 2% in junior secondary and 0.3% in
senior secondary and technical education.
In fact, student enrolment as a percentage
of overall population in South Korea in 1954
(at the end of the civil war) was 17%; higher
than England and Wales (15%), Germany
(13%) and only lower than USA (22%) and
Japan (23%).
After annexing Korea, Japan expanded
the number of public education institu-
tions. By 1939 a total of 2,727 public schools
had been built and student enrolment has
grown from 110,000 in 1910 to 1.4 million
in 1939. The number of students registered
in high schools rose from 1,100 in 1910 to
69,200.
The number of students in Korea enrolled
in industrial and professional schools rose
from 1,100 to 34,100 between 1910 and
1939. Compare this with Uganda, which in
1962 had only 343 students enrolled in high
school (S5 and S6).
Secondly Korea and Taiwan under Japa-
nese colonialism went through land reform
that swept away the power of absentee
landlords while in Uganda, the British cre-
ated this feudal system. According to Robert
Wade, a good communications infrastruc-
ture was laid down in Taiwan and Korea
during Japanese rule designed not with the
narrow purpose of extracting some primary
raw materials but with the aim of increasing
production of smallholder rice and sugar,
that were demanded in Japan.
Wade’s study shows that in Taiwan, the
Japanese expanded irrigation and drainage,
disseminated improved or better seeds and
spread the use of fertilizers and manures
energetically, sometimes even with the aid
of the police. He also shows that farmers
were grouped into farmers’ cooperatives,
irrigation associations and landlord-tenant
NEWS ANALYIS
associations, which accelerated the spread
of technical knowledge.
Wade also shows that in case of industrial
development, Japanese colonialism differed
from others by bringing industry to labour
and raw materials rather than the other way
round. During the 1930s, prompted by rais-
ing wages in Japan and by the government’s
plan for war, the Japanese in Taiwan devel-
oped such industries as fruit processing,
textiles, pulp and paper, cement, chemical
fertilisers, aluminium and copper smelting,
petroleum refining, and ship building.”
Thus, manufacturing grew in real terms
at 6% per year during the long period from
1912 to 1940 and by more than 7% per
annum in the 1930s. Both Taiwan and Korea
had a higher rate of GDP growth than Japan
between 1911 and 1938 (Japan 3.4%, Korea
3.6 and Taiwan 3.8%).  Between 1911 and
1940 the share of manufacturing to GDP in
Korea rose from 6% (where Uganda and
most of Africa is today) to 28% while the
share of agricul-
ture fell from 76%
to 41%.
On infrastruc-
ture, the Japanese
invested heavily.
It is true that even
before 1905 (the
year Japan took
over manage-
ment of Korea
before annexing it
officially in 1910),
Korea had a
fairly well devel-
oped telegraph
network. How-
ever, the Japa-
nese increased
telephone lines
from 500km
to 13,000km
between 1905
and 1943; tele-
graph lines
from 5,500km
to 8,800km and
railway from 39km to 3,400km and private
rail tracts and spur lines grew from zero to
1726km. Utilisation of rail was so high that
by 1940 it carried 100 million passengers
per year – and 28 million tonnes of freight.
Investment in electricity generation in Korea
grew to 2,800MW of electricity in 1940; elec-
tricity consumption per capita was higher
than Italy.
As a result of these Japanese investments
in communication, transportation and
energy infrastructure, industrial growth
in Korea took apace. There was even a
noticeable shift from light industry (food
processing, textiles, book binding, printing,
ceramics etc.) to the heavy and chemical
industry (metals, machinery and equip-
ment) during this period between 1910 and
April. 12 - 18 2019 21
NEWS ANALYIS
1940. Consequently, the country became
more industrialised; with growing steel and
iron production, machine and tool manu-
facturing. In shipping, tonnage bottoms
multiplied 14 fold between 1910 and 1937;
and tonnage of ships entering Korean ports
grew to 15 million.
Thus, the interaction of investment in
education; especially technical education,
with highly developed transport, energy
and communication infrastructure, led to
rapid change. Indeed, this is the reason
why in South Korea in 1960, there were
51,000 engineers and technicians – in the
manufacturing sector alone there were 4,424
engineers, 31,350 managers, 5,025 sales
executives, 13,660 white collar workers,
17,330 workers classified as “clerical” and
404,735 workers in industrial plants (blue
collar jobs). This only reflects investments in
human capital that had been done decades
earlier under Japanese colonial rule.
Comparing with sub-Saharan Africa
Compare this with any
country in Sub Sahara Africa,
and the differences would
be humongous. Take the
example of Uganda, among
the most educated nations in
the region.
A survey was done in 1963
on Uganda’s stock of “high
level manpower.” It set out
to cover all people in Uganda
who had a minimum of 12
years of formal education or
who were in posts that, for
replacement purposes, would
be filled by someone with 12
years of formal education.
Note: 12 years corresponded
with 6 years primary, 2 years
junior secondary and 4 years
senior secondary schooling.
The survey covered all sectors of the econ-
omy except the army i.e. it included central
and local government, parastatal bodies,
the private sector, the self-employed and
churches and missions. The total came to
20,440 people; most of who were non-Ugan-
dan and left the country after independence.
In other words, Uganda was without skilled
manpower.
In 1960, Uganda’s entire public service;
excluding nurses, police and all but a few
hundred teachers was a little more than
5,000 strong in a country of more than six
million people. Out of the top 10% of the
civil service jobs categorised as “profes-
sional”, Ugandans occupied only 10% i.e.
90% were non-nationals – Europeans and
Asians. Then out of the next tier 30% cat-
egorised as “technical” jobs, only 40% were
Ugandans; and out of third tier 30% catego-
rised as “sub-technical”, 65% were Ugan-
dans. The rest of the jobs categorised as
clerical were largely occupied by Ugandans;
22 April. 12 - 18 2019
showing limited managerial skills.
On Taiwan, studies show the welfare of
the Taiwanese peasant under Japanese colo-
nial rule in the first half of the 20th century
may have exceeded that of the Japanese
peasants. This was largely because, as part
of the agricultural development effort, the
Japanese instituted agriculturally oriented
two-year secondary schools in the more
populous parts of the country – one in each
township.
Nor were Taiwanese excluded from mod-
ern professions as was happening in Euro-
pean colonies in Africa. By 1940, there were
five times as many Taiwanese managers as
there were Japanese, three times as many
agricultural technicians and medical techni-
cians and the same number of professional
workers. By 1945, Taiwan was probably
the most agriculturally, commercially and
industrially advanced of all the provinces
of China.
For Korea, the level of participation in the
management of the country and ownership
of the economy under Japanese colonialism
was very high. For example, at the end of
World War Two, Korea had nine (9) gener-
als in the Japanese army; the man who later
became president (1961-79) and presided
over its rapid transformation, Park Chung
Hee, was a colonel in the Japanese army
in 1945. Compare this with the British in
Uganda. At independence, the highest-
ranking Ugandan officer in the army was
Idi Amin; an illiterate soldier, at the rank of
sergeant.
Indeed, in practically every field – manu-
facturing, banking, insurance, trade, min-
ing, transportation – although the Japanese
dominated, there was substantial Korean
participation and ownership. For instance
the number of Korean owned transport
companies increased from two in 1913 to
18 on 1923 to 258 in 1938. In 1906, Kore-
ans owned six commercial banks. This
increased to nine in 1921, and 12 in 1923 –
double that of the Japanese. And there were
four banks jointly owned by the Koreans
and Japanese.
In industry, Japanese invested in joint
venture companies most of which were
owned and operated with Koreans. Kore-
ans established their own industrial firms.
There were only eight Korean industrial
companies in 1913, which grew to 202 in
1923, 445 in 1931 and 740 in 1938. Korean
owned and operated manufacturing busi-
nesses increased from a negligible number
in 1905 to 2,652 in 1938, exceeding that of
the Japanese, which was 2,144 – even those
output from Japanese firms was many times
higher.
Many Africans with knowledge of colo-
nial experience would be surprised by how
much a colonial power allowed “natives”
to own and operate businesses in practi-
cally every sector, some as joint ventures
with colonial masters. At independence,
there is not a single Ugandan who owned
a manufacturing firm, a bank, an insurance
company, a trading company etc. – any-
thing. Worse than that,
there was not a single
Ugandan who was even
a junior manager in such
business – we were only
hired as clerks and officer
messengers.
More critically, under
Japanese colonialism, Tai-
wan and Korea got even
more involved in interna-
tional trade. By the end
of the 1930s, Taiwan was
the biggest trader in East
Asia even though most of
this was with Japan. The
annual per capita trade
of Taiwan was $39, Korea
$26 and Japan $23, Philip-
pines $18 and China $1.
For Korea, the proportion
of international trade to GNP in 1929 was
69.6%; in 1920s, the proportion of interna-
tional trade to GNP in UK was 38%, France
51%, Japan 35%, USA 11%, Germany 31%,
Denmark 57% and Norway 53%.
I have seen studies (one of them by Dani
Rodrick – `How South Korea and Taiwan
Grew Rich’), which, relying on economic
regressions suggests that 90 of the growth
of Taiwan and South Korea after 1960 was
a result of these “initial conditions”, many
of which were established by Japan. As I
have already noted above, many of these
achievements are partly a result of the level
of the social development of Korean and
Taiwanese societies at the time of colonial
conquest, and, therefore, may not accurately
be said to be a result of Japanese benevo-
lence. However, it is hard to deny that the
Japanese, even though brutal, brought with
them a more benign colonial attitude to
their subjects compared to their European
counterparts.

A
By Lesley McCowan & Robin Cronin
New Zealand-led inter-
national study published
today provides the strongest
evidence yet that women can
more than halve their risk of
stillbirth by going to sleep on
either side during the last three months of
pregnancy.
This mega study (known as individual
participant data meta-analysis) has also con-
firmed the risk of stillbirth associated with
sleeping on the back applies to all pregnant
women in the last trimester of pregnancy.
In New Zealand, stillbirth is defined as
the loss of a baby after 20 weeks of preg-
nancy. An estimated 2.64 million babies die
before birth globally each year, and around
300 babies are stillborn in Aotearoa New
Zealand each year. About one in every 500
women in New Zealand will experience
the tragedy of a late stillbirth and lose their
baby during or after 28 weeks of pregnancy.
We have analysed all available data
worldwide from five previous studies,
including our earlier research, the 2011
Auckland Stillbirth Study, which first
identified a link between mothers’ sleeping
position and stillbirth risk. The main finding
in the mega study, which included informa-
tion from 851 bereaved mothers and 2,257
women with ongoing pregnancies, was that
going to sleep lying on the back (supine)
from 28 weeks of pregnancy increased the
risk of stillbirth 2.6 times.
This heightened risk occurred regardless
of the other known risk factors for stillbirth.
However, the risk is additive, meaning that
going to sleep on the back adds to other
stillbirth risk factors, for example, a baby
who is growing poorly in the womb.
Best sleep position
for pregnant women
Mega study confirms sleeping on
the side reduces risk of stillbirth
Existing common risk factors for late still-
birth are not easily modifiable. They include
advanced maternal age (over 40), obesity,
continued cigarette smoking and an unborn
baby that is growing poorly, especially if the
poor growth is not recognised before birth.
Women also have a higher risk during their
first pregnancy, or if they have already had
three or more babies. Women of Pacific and
South Asian ethnicity also have an elevated
risk of late stillbirth, compared with Euro-
pean women.
If modifiable risk factors can be identi-
fied, some of these baby deaths could be
prevented. Importantly, our mega study has
shown that if every pregnant woman went
to sleep lying on her side after 28 weeks of
pregnancy, approximately 6% of late still-
births could be prevented. This could save
the lives of about 153,000 babies each year
worldwide.
Reduced blood flow
The relationship between the mother
going to sleep lying on her back and still-
birth is biologically plausible. A supine
position in late pregnancy is associated with
reduced blood flow to the womb. Hence,
women in labour and women having a cae-
sarean section are routinely tilted onto their
side to improve blood supply to the baby.
Recent research carried out at the Univer-
sity of Auckland has provided sophisticated
evidence about how the mothers’ position
influences blood flow. Results obtained
using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
demonstrate the major vessel in the moth-
er’s abdomen, the inferior vena cava, being
compressed by the pregnant womb when
she is lying on her back. This reduces flow
through this vessel by 80%.
Although the mother’s circulation
NEWS ANALYIS
responds by increasing the flow through
other veins, this does not fully compensate.
The mother’s aorta, the main artery which
carries oxygen-rich blood from her heart,
is also partly compressed when the mother
lies on her back. This decreases blood flow
to the pregnant uterus, placenta and baby.
We speculate that while healthy unborn
babies can compensate for the reduced
blood supply, babies that are unwell or vul-
nerable for some other reason may not cope.
For example, our mega study showed that
the risk of stillbirth after 28 weeks of preg-
nancy is increased approximately 16 times
if a mother goes to sleep lying on her back
and also is pregnant with a very small baby.
What to do
New Zealand research has shown that
pregnant women can change their sleeping
position. In a recent survey conducted in
pregnant women from south Auckland, a
community that has a high rate of stillbirth,
more than 80% of women surveyed stated
that they could change the position they
went to sleep in with little difficulty if it was
best for their baby. Our advice to pregnant
women from 28 weeks of pregnancy is to
settle to sleep on their side to reduce the
risk of stillbirth, and to start every sleep,
including day-time naps, on the side. It
does not matter which side. It is common
to wake up on the back, but we recom-
mend that if this happens, women should
simply roll back on to either side.
Lesley McCowan is Professor, Obstetrics &
Gynecology, University of Auckland and Robin
Cronin is midwife researcher, University of
Auckland
Source: theconversation
April. 12 - 18 2019 23
interview

How Uganda built best

prison service in Africa
The Uganda Prisons Service has reformed over the years and has won praise
for the best correctional system for prisoners in Africa. Canon Dr. Johnson
Byabashaija, the Commissioner General of Prisons spoke to The Independent’s
Ronald Musoke about running a human-rights based correctional service .

Uganda’s prisons system has been praised just behind Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Tell us about the core values of Uganda
as the best in Africa when it comes to of- Singapore. Prisons Service?
fering correctional programmes. How have Once you talk about prisons service, you
you managed to achieve this over the last What motivates you to maintain these are talking about discipline. We are the

I
decade?
t is just commitment from all of us. We
are not the most resourced government
institution but we became committed to
what we were doing because we grew
up in the system. My predecessor (the late
Joseph Etima) is the one who started re-
forms not only in Uganda but in Africa. Eti-
ma called for a conference here (Kampala)
of all commissioners of prisons in Africa in
1996 and they came up with what is called
the Kampala Declaration on Prison Condi-
tions in Africa. The Kampala Declaration
recognized that prisons in Africa had poor
conditions. This was the first reform that
Etima advocated for. Then he advocated for
the education of inmates. With a little more
resources, we improved the system and we
are now part of the education system in the
country. You cannot miss basic education
because you are in prison. Etima was also
the first advocate of the humane treatment
of prisoners and now I have no major hu-
man rights cases. Haven’t you heard prison-
ers in court saying, ‘take us to Luzira?’ It is
unbelievable for inmates to request to go
into an institution. It says a lot.
high standards in Uganda Prisons Service? most disciplined uniformed outfit you have
I joined Uganda Prisons Service as a in the country. This is why we shall take
young cadet officer from the university inmates to court even if it means
in 1983 and I rose through all the ranks to walking
head the institution. I have competent staff there.
that have been recruited on merit. You
can never break those people who
were recruited on merit. I actu-
ally pay tribute to my staff and
middle managers; they are
recruited on merit, they are
competent and we have
trained them well. I don’t
have an Assistant Com-
missioner who has not
gone through Uganda
Management Institute’s Post
Graduate Diploma in Public
Administration and Management.
So I also have competent managers.
I have also recruited professionals;
electrical, agricultural and mechanical
engineers who can do some of these
things which we are doing. So nothing
in prisons has come by chance.

What explains this commitment in Ugan-

da Prisons Service that is so rare these days
in public service?
We have always been systematic in what-
ever we do. The prisons standing orders
which we inherited from Her Majesty’s
Prisons Service in 1962 have not changed
much. The way prisons are managed in the
U.K— the systems in place for admission,
discharge and rehabilitation are the same. I
think we have just perfected them and we
have ended up being one of the best cor-
rectional services in Africa and the fourth
best in the world.We still maintain those
systems which are sound systems of man-
agement of prisons but for us, we gave it a
human face. I can tell you that out of 100
convicted prisoners they give me; only
20 re-offend and come back. This is
the best rate of recidivism on the
continent and fourth in the world—

24 April. 12 - 18 2019

Inmates walk to court because I am yet to
provide vehicles for all the 254 institutions
around the country. But they walk there
because we are committed to justice. We are
also a very accountable institution. Have
you seen our maroon vehicles? There is
no vehicle which leaves a station to go to
another without a marching order. That
is why we have almost unequalled main-
tenance of vehicles. I can proudly say that
we have never had ghost staff in prisons.
My officers in the field have to make a staff
casualty return every week. They tell me
how many staff they have and where they
are deployed and every month a nominal
roll is sent to the headquarters to verify all
these things. Those things we have main-
tained and that is what makes us Prisons.
These are the values I am talking about:
discipline, accountability, and unity.
What explains the success you have reg-
istered with some of the rehabilitation
programmes that are aimed at helping ex-
convicts re-integrate into their communi-
ties with ease?
It is because of the programmes Uganda
Prisons Service has adopted. These include
the rehabilitation tools and the vocational
skills which we have adopted and empha-
sized. This uniform you see me putting on
is tailored by inmates; all the uniforms of
my staff are tailored at Luzira Maximum
Security Prison and all the uniforms of my
prisoners all over the country—are tailored
in Masindi. At Luzira, we have a screen
printing department which does screen
printing and we are the ones who produce
mast flags and car flags like the presidential
flags. We also do furniture after training
inmates in carpentry skills. The President
has given us some capital and directed
us to produce furniture for the ministries,
departments and agencies. We are now on
the path of revamping our six workshops
around the country. The first thing we have
done is invest in a kiln for drying timber. In
the old days, we never used to do that.
We would buy timber and keep
it for five years and then
start using it. So our fur-
niture was made out
of timber which
was air-cured.
That is why
our furniture
you see is
durable.
The furni-
ture you
see in
Parliament is made by Uganda Prisons Ser-
vice. Most of the furniture in the President’s
office is made by Uganda Prisons. Those big
maroon chairs you see during important
ceremonies are made by Uganda Prisons
Service. We also do brick making. When the
president passed out our warders in Janu-
ary, 2018; he also commissioned a project
for low-cost housing. Those houses were
built by prisoners and prison staff without
external assistance at a cost of Shs27, 000 per
sq metre. We are also doing metal works.
You must have noticed recently when the
Prime Minister commissioned houses for
the Bulambuli project of housing the land-
slide victims in eastern Uganda. Prisons was
showcasing the window and door frames
which are going to be put in those houses
fabricated in Luzira. All this is because of
the skills we have imparted in the prisoners.
We discovered that people who go through
these rehabilitation programmes do not
come back to prisons. People in Busoga
grow a lot of maize but the Ministry of
Agriculture did a study which found out
that 90% of those people who grow maize
in lines are our graduates from our prison
farms. These are the only people in the
country who know how to apply fertilizer
manually.
How important is your prison farm sys-
tem which is probably your most famed
programme where prisoners work to grow
their own food while gaining agricultural
skills?
For a long time, we have been grow-
ing maize but in 1998, we decided to end
the peasantry ways of farming. We got a
consultant and we started implementing.
You know Uganda is a country with two
planting seasons. So we realized we could
produce food for ourselves and we started
doing commercial agricultural farming fol-
lowing commercial agricultural principles.
We have since mechanized the process of
planting. We have planters and we use her-
bicides. I have reached about 10,000 acres a
year (Uganda Prisons has about 40,000 acres
of arable land) which gives us 180,000 met-
ric tonnes but this is only about two-thirds
of what I require to feed my prisoners. We
are now going to mechanize the harvesting,
the cleaning, drying and storage. In one
year’s time you will see these production
processes.
Human rights abuse in Uganda’s armed
forces remains a big challenge. How have
you handled it at Uganda Prisons Service?
For us we are observers of human rights
and we have trained our warders in this
area. We now almost have no cases with the
Uganda Human Rights Commission. The
only cases we have date back to before 1998.
We now have the anti-torture law (Pre-
vention of Torture Act, 2012). When you
abuse a prisoner, you stand trial. I already
interview
have two convicted staff; one is actually
sentenced to death and two are still under-
going trial for assault and causing death of
inmates. We have generally only improved
what was already here. I am sure once I
leave, those who come after me, will carry
on with the process of transformation. I
have no doubt about that unless somebody
is appointed from outside because he or she
will not know the philosophy and culture of
handling corrections.
How have you managed to achieve all this
success with a meager budget?
We have partnered with NGOs like
the Africa Prisons Project, Foundation for
Human Rights Initiative, Penal Reform
International and many more. We have
had a deliberate partnership with all these
organisations to make sure that things are
very good.
What plans do you have to solve the
overcrowding problem at Luzira and the
upcountry jails?
Overcrowding in Ugandan prisons is
mainly a (result of) the criminal justice
system. If the police were doing thorough
investigations, the DPP would just prefer
charges and then the judges would have
very simple work in taking decisions and
then I would have the convicts. Overcrowd-
ing is caused by the people on remand who
are still attending court. On a happy note,
for the first time, I have more convicts (those
who have gone through the full cycle of the
court process) than those on remand. I have
been having more remands (60%) but this
has now fallen to 48%. I think the judiciary
is beginning to do better. Even our infra-
structure is catching up. We are building a
mini-max prison somewhere which is very
significant because this is the first time since
colonial times that the government is build-
ing a prison which will hold about 2000
inmates. Our maximum security prison was
built in 1927 with a capacity of 600; now it
has about 3000 people. With a stroke of a
pen, we are going to finish congestion in
Luzira and when you finish congestion in
Luzira, the effect it will have is quite magi-
cal. This is going to be a game changer.
You are 62 and you are probably on your
way out. What will be your proudest mo-
ment when you eventually retire?
My contract is ending next year in
May, and depending on the appointing
authority, whether he renews it or not, I
will go out of prison with my head held
high— that we have transformed prisons
from the gutter to a proud institution of
government. That is why when my officers
walk on the streets in town here, they are
not taunted. Actually when the public
see our uniform, they only talk about
(Stephen) Kiprotich. So why shouldn’t I be
proud when I eventually leave?
April. 12 - 18 2019 25
Uganda Airlines: Good
investment, wrong timing
Economists support its revival but remain
skeptical about its success as a business
U
By Julius Businge
ganda Airlines will soon
be back in the skies again
but the questions remain
on how the national carrier
will avoid the past mistakes
that led to its liquidation 18
years ago.
Economists who spoke to The Indepen-
dent on April 4 said starting operations of
the national carrier is a good idea but will
not be profitable in the foreseeable future
and could most likely fail unless a miracle
happens.
“It is a mistake to build infrastructure
and let the managers run a non-profitable
venture,” Ramathan Ggoobi, a researcher
and senior economics lecturer at Makerere
University Business School said.
Ggoobi said the government needed to
26 April. 12 - 18 2019
carefully analyse the events that unfolded
18 years ago that included but not limited
to mismanagement of the Airline connect-
ed to unnecessary government interference
and uncontrollable accumulation of debts
that led to the closure of Uganda Airlines
in May 2001.
“…what they are now doing is promot-
ing stubborn nationalism and trying to
reclaim our turf,” Ggoobi said.
Does this therefore suggest there is
no sense in reviving the national carrier
under the name Uganda National Airlines
Company Limited? While answering this
question, Ggoobi said the government
should as much as possible avoid using a
business model centred on borrowing to
fund the company because the latter will
not easily make profits to meet borrowing
obligations.
He added that those in charge should
think of business management strategies
that are in line with tight competition
in global aviation space and high safety
standards. He also said they should avoid
the confusion that was recently exposed
regarding ownership and registration of
the company. He also said that players
should avoid politicising the process of
reviving the airline and its whole opera-
tions.
Beyond the above challenges, sector
experts say airlines globally have to be
mindful about corporate governance, fuel
prices, and unfriendly customs regimes if
they are to run profitable ventures.
The International Air Transport Associa-
tion (IATA) in its recent forecasts predicts
that Africa would remain the weakest air-
line region in the world in 2019.
It says that African carriers are expected
to report US$300 million net loss in 2019 —

slightly improved from the US$400million
net loss in 2018, with an expected net loss
per passenger of US$3.51.
Similarly, Fred Muhumuza, a senior
economics lecturer at Makerere Univer-
sity and former adviser to the Minister of
Finance said the timing of this venture is
wrong because most carriers are making
losses.
He said that the best option would be,
forming a partnership with the already
existing Airline to minimise initial costs
and avoid the would-be likely big losses.
“We have been advising government
on this matter for the last 3-4 years…but it
has not listened,” Muhumuza said adding,
“those involved are only talking politics
and not business.”
He added that leasing aircrafts would
have been a better option instead of buy-
ing. This would also cut initial costs.
He also supports the idea of starting
small – with domestic and a few regional
flights – then grow bigger in years to come
– with international flights.
Regrettably, Muhumuza said the gov-
ernment has already made commitments
towards procurement of aircrafts and
related processes which means there are
limited cost cutting options other than the
government waiting to face the tough real-
ity on the ground.
“We are at a point of no return,” he said.
He advised that going forward govern-
ment should think of a business combi-
nation involving passenger travel, cargo
and ground handling which could make
money for the company.
On March 31, Parliament approved
government’s supplementary schedule
for an additional Shs280billion to cater for
investment costs for the revival of Uganda
Airlines.
Part of this money would help secure
four Bombardier CRJ planes each cost-
ing US$27.7m (Shs102.5billion) and two
A330-800neo made by Airbus each costing
US$108million.
Last year, the government forwarded
US$1.2 million to the carrier so that Airbus
could start production of the two A330neo
aircraft.
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft recent-
ly extended the final payment schedule for
the planes to March 29 after government
failed to meet the first deadline of Decem-
ber last year.
The first jet that was supposed to be in
the country early this year has now been
extended to April 23.
Beyond a funding gap, there have been
challenges related to registration and share
allotment of the company, recruitment of
technical staff and political disruptions
that government technocrats, say are being
dealt with to have the airline in the sky by
end of year.
Government’s views
The feasibility report compiled by the
National Planning Authority that is being
used to operationalise the Uganda Nation-
al Airlines recommends that government
implements the investment option for
aircraft purchase with a combination of
regional and international operations that
gives greatest financial and economic ben-
efits.
It also recommends that the investment
in the national carrier should be consid-
ered as an infrastructure for enhancing the
country’s global connectivity and com-
petitiveness, beyond the direct financial
benefits.
In addition, the carrier will play a criti-
cal catalytic role in tourism development
and promotion, export growth, investment
in various priority sectors and global net-
working.
The carrier will
play a critical
catalytic role
in tourism
development
and promotion,
export growth,
investment in
various priority
sectors and global
networking
On the type of aircrafts, the report says
that a comparative technical evaluation of
the different aircraft types based on market
suitability, aircraft cost, efficiency, reliabil-
ity and resilience, cargo capacity and con-
figuration, cabin comfort and technology,
among others, the team identified the CRJ
900 and Airbus A300-200 series as the most
appropriate aircraft types for the national
carrier’s regional and international opera-
tions, respectively.
“The scenario to purchase aircraft for
both regional and international operations
gives the highest financial and economic
benefits to Uganda compared to all the
options under the scenario of leasing air-
craft,” the report further reads in part.
It adds that all leasing options give
financial and economic results that are
business
below the minimum threshold required
for investment decision. In particular, it is
only the case of leasing aircraft for regional
operations that marginally meets the
threshold for investment.
The report says that total cash [equity] of
US$140million will be required to replace
the option of using aircraft as the asset
base.
Government officials believe that the
national carrier will help the country save
about US$540 million (Shs2trillion) annu-
ally which is being incurred in form of
higher transport costs (extracharges) to
passengers originating and terminating
at Entebbe International Airport, due to
absence of a national carrier.
The feasibility report says that the
best-case investment scenario (combined
regional and international aircraftpur-
chase) would generate a direct net present
value economic benefit of US$580 million,
after taking care of all the investment and
operating costs, over a 15-year period.
The study recommends operation of
domestic air transport routes through fran-
chising and or partnerships with domestic
private operators.
Going forward
In an advisory tone, a senior economist
at the World Bank Uganda office told The
Independent on April 03, that as the govern-
ment hurries to operationalise the carrier,
it must take into consideration the risks
involved and use a business model that
will not only see it operational but become
a valuable company to its shareholders –
the taxpayers.
Ggoobi said the idea of having a nation-
al carrier supporting growth sectors of
tourism, agriculture and exports of goods
is good for the entire economy.
However, he said that the best idea now
is to fund the Airline using public finance
even if it means forfeiting a few roads and
political activity funding.
He also said that the government could
also opt to use some of the funds meant for
development projects whose absorption
capacity is low to fund the national carrier
activities.
“We should not be borrowing to invest
in the Airline because it won’t make mon-
ey to pay back the loans,” he said.
He added that the government is mak-
ing a mistake to operationalise the Airline
basing on recommendations made by the
National Planning Authority top officials,
who he said, are merely planners, theorists
and bureaucrats, with unknown aviation
expertise.
“Cumulatively we are making mistakes;
someone needs to call this thing to order,
run it in an orderly way…it is not too late
to halt the process.”
April. 12 - 18 2019 27
business

FAO Representative to Uganda, Antonio Querido, launches the 5- year programme on Climate Resilient Livelihood Opportunities for Women Economic
Empowerment at Muni University on April 2. Looking is Parliamentary Forum on Climate Change Committee Chairperson, Lawrence Biyika Songa (R)
and State Minister for Northern Uganda, Grace Kwiyucwiny.   COURTESY PHOTO.

FAO moves to boost

income for women
The challenge is that only two sub counties
will be selected from each district
By Isaac Khisa bands saunter aimlessly in their villages. go to the market to simply ‘pass time’ and

L
ike in most communities in Uganda,
rural women in West Nile and Kar-
amoja regions have limited access to
resources to cater for their families.
They have to search for food, school fees
for their children as a section of their hus-
“More than 80% of women in Yumbe
District now bear most of the burdens in
their homes,” Alia Kadala from the Uganda
Muslim Supreme Council- Yumbe told The
Independent in an interview.
“A section of husbands have gone to as
far as resorting to leaving home early to
only return home late in the night, some-
times pretending to be having stomach
ache, so that their wives do not ask them
for food.”
Kadala is not happy with this situation.
“I always prayed that something happens
in our communities so that we all partici-

28 April. 12 - 18 2019

pate in various economic activities and that
none is burdened,” she added.
Indeed, part of Kadala’s dreams seem
to have come true on April 02 as the Food
and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations in partnership with the Swedish
Embassy in Uganda and the government
launched a US$9million project dubbed
‘Climate-Resilient Livelihood Opportuni-
ties for Women Economic Empowerment
(CRWEE) at Muni University in Arua.
The project will also benefit youths aged
18-30 including women living with dis-
abilities, and people living with HIV and
AIDS as well as school dropouts of working
cohort of 14-17 years.
The five-year project is to be imple-
mented in eight districts of West Nile that
include; Nebbi, Zombo, Arua, Maracha,
Koboko, Yumbe, Moyo and Adjuman and
four districts in Karamoja sub-region that
include Abim, Napak, Moroto and Naka-
piripirit.
Kennedy Igbokwe, the project manager
for Climate Resilience at FAO said the inter-
“Prospective
beneficiaries
who, for
instance, want
to venture
into poultry or
cattle, will be
trained and
given birds or
heads of cattle
vention aims to increase production and
income while attempting to ease burden to
the already over-burdened women.
He said the project has three result areas
that include; improved women’s access
to and control of productive resources,
improvement of household incomes and
climate resilience livelihood as well as pro-
mote bioenergy plantations, biogas models
and energy saving technologies to enhance
climate adaption.
“The project will be implemented in such
a way that once an individual has been
selected, they will be trained and given seed
capital to start and grow their ventures,” he
told The Independent in an interview.
“Prospective beneficiaries who, for
instance, want to venture into poultry or
cattle, will be trained and given birds or
heads of cattle.”
He revealed that with the help of the
district officials, two sub counties in every
selected districts have been selected based
on the poverty levels and refugee influx.
Data from the Uganda Bureau of Statis-
tics (UBOS) shows that all the sub-counties
with the highest poverty rates—ranging
from 65% to 95% — are located in Karamo-
ja. Poverty rates are also extremely high in
the West Nile sub-regions.
More than 52,500 direct beneficiaries
organized in 250 Farmer Field Schools will
be selected in a group of ten, of which, six
will have to be women, Igbokwe said.
He added that FAO will also enter into
partnership with relevant government
departments, research institutes, universi-
ties, civil society organisations and private
sector in the implementation of the project.
This development comes as the food
agency also plans to invest US$9million in
up scaling valley tank technologies in the
business
cattle corridor starting from Nakasongola to
Karamoja in the next five years.
Antonio Querido, the FAO representative
for Uganda said the links between climate
change and sustainable developments are
undeniable and that poor countries will be
among those most affected and least able
to cope with the anticipated shocks to their
social, economic and natural systems.
“However, climate change can be tackled
by addressing the root causes of poverty
and inequality…,” he said.
He said although Uganda has 20% of the
land covered with water resources, there are
still investments in hydrological infrastruc-
ture to capture and deliver water where
it is needed for domestic and production
purposes.
Statistics from the Ministry of Waster and
Environment shows that the country’s pop-
ulation still depends on rainfall for agricul-
ture and water for domestic, use with only
0.2% of the estimated 8.85million hectares of
farm land being under irrigation.
Querido said FAO’s invention in West
Nile and Karamoja regions in commercial
forestry, refugee response, agricultural
water for production, livestock health and
disease support and management of Fall
Armyworm, among others will comple-
ment and enhance the impact of this new
project.
Ola Hallgren, the head of cooperation at
the Swedish Embassy in Kampala said Swe-
den prioritises five perspectives in develop-
ment cooperation: The perspective of poor
people, rights, environment and climate,
gender and conflict perspectives.
He said the Swedish government is
committed to support Uganda to increase
economic empowerment of rural women
through support to production, productiv-
ity and productive employment in the agri-
cultural sector, particularly in West Nile and
Karamoja regions.
“The government of Sweden recognises
the need to address a number of bottle-
necks such as the use of rudimentary tools
and technology in production, impacts of
climate change and environmental degra-
dation, lack of markets and market infor-
mation, limited access and ownership of
production assets for women and youths,
limitations to financial access and vulner-
abilities to shocks,” he said.
State Minister for Northern Uganda and
Woman MP for Zombo District, Grace Kwi-
yucwiny, said the emphasis now needs to
be on production, employment and income
to improve status of our livelihood.
Cultural leaders from the region,
including Stephen Drani of the Madi
community and Phillip Ubim of Alur
Kingdom pledged to mobilise communities
and leaders to support women in accessing
resources for development.
April. 12 - 18 2019 29
Business
CSR TECH

Centenary Bank unveils “Kwasa with Cente Visa” campaign. Jumia launches

O
n April 02, Cen- a month in order to enter mobile phones week

O
tenary Bank the weekly draw and stand
unveiled a week- a chance to win from the nline shop, Jumia
long “Kwasa with numerous prizes to be won has launched this
Cente Visa” customer re- including a chance to be one year’s ‘mobile week’
ward campaign to reward of 10 grand prize winners of running from April
its customers who use a fully paid trip to the Afri- 8-21. During this period, its
Cente Visa card to transact can Cup of Nations games clients will purchase mobile
business across its digital slated for 21 June to 19 July, phones with discounts of up to
platforms except ATMs. 2019,”he said. 60%.
The Bank’s Managing The cente visa card was Ron Kawamara, the CEO
Director, Fabian Kasi, said Centenary Bank’s MD, Fabian Kasi, unveils introduced mid last year to Jumia Uganda said on April
the lender is enthusiastic CenteVisa campaign to reward customers who ease access of services for 02 that the move is intended to
use their CenteVisa Cards.   COURTESY PHOTO.
about the transformation their customers. With over, benefit customers.
that the new campaign will and other digital services. 1.6 million customers, the “Mobile device has become
bring to the lives of ordi- “To participate in this cam- bank has so far issued and an integral part on how people
nary Ugandans who have paign, customers will need distributed 725,000 visa interact and trade with each
embraced its CenteVisa card to transact at least four times cards. other,” Kawamara said.
He added that the mobile
TRADE week is one of the initiatives
aimed at driving e-commerce
Dry spell dampens private sector activity transactions that are currently

T
he continued dry
spell into March hurt
farming which in turn
dampened general
business activity and pushed
down the Stanbic Purchasing
Managers Index from 54.4 in
February to 51.7 in March.
However, experts say the sea-
sonal rains are expected soon.
Jibran Qureishi, the Regional
Economist East Africa at Stan-
bic Bank said, the decline in the
PMI, similar to last month is
mainly due to weaker agricul-
tural productivity owing to the
dry weather conditions.
“That said, delayed pay-
ments both from the public and
private sector continue to hold
back domestic demand. In any
case, activity should start to
pick up as the long rains poten-
tially come through in April,”
he said.
Now in its 26th month,
the PMI is a monthly survey,
sponsored by Stanbic Bank
Uganda and produced by IHS
Markit. It covers the agricul-
ture, industry, construction,
wholesale and retail and ser-
vices sectors.
reported at 2% in Uganda,
lower than an average of 15%
recorded in developed markets
of North America and Europe.
Jumia’s 2019 mobile
report shows that 42% of
the population in Uganda is
connected to the internet, which
is equivalent to 19 million out of
slightly above a population of
40million people. 

CSR AVIATION

Centenary Bank, Rotary boosts Rwandair starts flights to Kinshasa

R
health sector in northern Uganda wanda’s na- Wednesdays, Fridays return flights will be on

N
tional carrier, and Sundays. Friday and Sunday.
early 100,000 Ugandans suffering from dif- RwandAir, will These will be com- Departures from
ferent health diseases are set to receive free start a thrice plemented by another Cairo will be at
medical care following the launch of the weekly services to Kin- three night time flights 9.40pm local, arriving
2019 Rotary Family Health Days (RFHDs) shasa in DRC starting starting May. The night in Kigali at 2.40am
by Rotary Uganda and Centenary Bank. The benefi- April 17 while Egypt service will be operated local. The aircraft will
ciaries will receive free medical treatment and check- Air will start a twice using a Bombardier turnaround at 3.20
ups in Kochko in Gulu District till April 30. The ser- weekly flight to Kigali CRJ-900 NextGen. am Kigali time for the
on April 27 this year. In a related devel- return leg which will
vices will range form specialized and general services
RwandAir said the opment, Egypt Air’s touch down in Cairo at
in the areas of cancer screening (cervical, breast, and
weekly daytime service rotations to Kigali will 9.35am local, Egypt Air
prostate); child immunization and nutrition; family
will start with a Boeing be on Thursdays and said on April 3.
planning and maternal health; HIV/AIDs counseling
737NG, operating on Saturday’swhile the
and testing; dental services, among others.
Centenary Bank’s General Manager Business Devel-
opment and Marketing, Beatrice Lugalambi said the
bank together with Rotary Uganda have screened
over 10,000 women and enlightened millions through
cancer parades, the cancer runs, brochures, and media.
She handed over the bank’s sponsorship of up to
shs30 million towards the health days and announced
a commitment of shs230 million towards cancer
related initiatives in Uganda this year. The money
shall be channeled to Rotary. Last year, 70,000 patients
benefited from the initiative.

30 April. 12 - 18 2019
 Business

Jubilee insurance
unveils new product
By Isaac Khisa Ibrahim Kaddunabbi

U
ganda’s insurance
firm, Jubilee, has
unveiled a wedding
product dubbed
Kwanjula Plus.
The product is targeting
individuals who wish to
finance their wedding plan or
celebrating their wedding an-
niversaries.
Besides offering life cover
during the policy term, the
product among others will
enable the policyholder build
(L-R) Airtel Uganda’s Remmie Kisakye, Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald up a fund to cater for visits,
Muwenda Mutebi II, Airtel Uganda Managing Director V.G. Somasekhar
(Kukyala), traditional wed-
and Airtel’s Amit Kapur at this year’s Kabaka Birthday run at Bulange dings (Kwanjula), dowry, wed-
Mengo on April 7.   COURTESY PHOTO.
ding day, honey moon, gifts
and home start-up.
Patrick Kimathi, the com-
pany’s life manager said the
policyholder will be paid 25%
of the sum assured two years to
the maturity of the policy, 25%
a year to maturity period and
full amount of the sum assured
upon maturity of the policy. He
said an individual will have to
save for a minimum of 5-years,
with the minimum sum as-
sured set at Shs10million. Ajit
Kumar, the CEO Jubilee Life
Insurance said the new product
will inculcate saving habits
amongst the young population.
MTN Uganda acting CEO, Gordian Kyomukama (R ), handover a dummy
cheque to CoRSU Hospital CEO, Dr. Davide Naggi, to improve the quality
of life for children with disabilities in Uganda. The donation will see 60
children and 20 youth drawn from different parts of the country benefit
from this initiative starting this month.
Lubega, the chief executive
officer at the Insurance Regula-
tory Authority of Uganda
commended Jubilee Life Insur-
ance for the innovation that
will allow insurance operators
and practitioners respond to
growth and competition.
He encouraged all players to
invest heavily in new products
and services and make strides
in technological innovations
to reach a wider population
by striving to become trusted
partners for our stakeholders,
drive significant increase of
customer’s loyalty, leverage on
the multi- channel distribution
channel system and address
emerging customer needs.
“To do this, I challenge the
stakeholders in the insurance
industry to deploy a combina-
tion of strategies,” he said.
He said the Authority is
committed to create an en-
abling environment for innova-
tions in the insurance sector to
deepen the penetration levels.
Currently, Uganda’s
insurance penetration is the
lowest in the East African
region at 0.85%. Kenya’s
insurance penetration stands
at 3.4%, Tanzania’s 2.3% and
Rwanda’s 1%.

Weekly share price movement (April 05)

Security April 05 March 29 Movement
BATU 30,000 30000 00
BOBU 130 130 00
CENT 1,178 1,182 0.3
QCL 180 190 5.2
DFCU 670 670 00
EABL 7,758 7,610 1.9
EBL 1603 1,487 7.8
JHL 15,045 15,202 1.0
KA 180 185 2.7
KCB 1,656. 1,619 2.2
NIC 14 13 38
NMG 2,297 2,214 3.7
NVL 334 334 00
SBU 30 30 00
UCHM 19 22 00
UCL 16 16 00
Customers push trolleys full of drinks outside the newly opened Shoprite UMEME 297 298 0.3
outlet at Village Mall, in Kampala.   INDEPENDENT/ SILVER OFWONO ALSI -- -- --

April. 12 - 18 2019 31
comment
By Julius Wandera
Uganda’s increased power generation
What are the implications of the commissioning
of the 183MW Isimba dam for end-user tariffs?
T
he installed capacity of Uganda’s
electricity generation increased to
1,177 MW in March 2019, following
the commissioning of the Isimba
Hydro Power Plant (HPP) that added
183 MW to the National Grid. The Isimba
Hydro Power Project was developed by the
Government of Uganda; with 85% of the
project costs financed with a loan from the
EXIM Bank of China, and 15% financed by
the Government of Uganda.
The Isimba Hydropower Plant’s addition
to the National Grid is timely for support of
government policy on accelerated access to
clean energy and industrialization for the
country’s socio-economic transformation.
However, some stakeholders have used
different media platforms to cast doubt on
the possible reduction in Electricity End-
User Tariffs following the commissioning
of the Isimba HPP in March 2019, and the
600 MW Karuma HPP expected later in
December 2019.
In light of the several assertions and dis-
cussions about the expected Tariff trajectory
due to these projects, the Electricity Regula-
tory Authority clarifies as follows:
The Isimba and Karuma Hydropower
Plants have been developed by Government
of Uganda, with Government being the bor-
rower of the project debt. Compared to pri-
vately-developed power plants, Isimba and
Karuma will generate electricity at relatively
lower tariffs over the term of the licence.
The Electricity Tariff for the two plants
will reduce over time, in a phased manner,
from US Cents 4.16/kWh (year 1 to year 15)
to US Cents 1.01/kWh (after year 15) for
Isimba Hydropower Plant. For the Karuma
Hydropower Plant, the Electricity Tariff
will reduce from US Cents 4.97/kWh (year
1 to year 10) to US Cents 2.7/kWh (year 11
to year 15), and US Cents 1.17/kWh (after
year 15). The changes in the generation tar-
iffs for the respective plants are on account
of fluctuation in the debt service obliga-
tions. Basing on these generation tariffs
and the utilisation of the power plants, the
Weighted Average Generation Tariff is pro-
jected to reduce.
Following the commissioning of the
Isimba and Karuma Hydropower Plants,
a critical factor for the reduction of Elec-
tricity End-User Tariffs will be growth in
Demand for/Consumption of electricity.
32 April. 12 - 18 2019
The generation Tariff for Isimba Hydro-
power Plant is lower than the Weighted
Average Generation Tariff. Increase in elec-
tricity consumption (for both Domestic and
Industrial customers) will lead to increase in
dispatch/utilisation of Isimba Hydropower
Plant. This will result into reduction in the
Weighted Average Generation Tariff and
therefore reduction in the End-User Elec-
tricity Tariffs.
In support of the Demand Growth
agenda, the Government of Uganda,
working with several stakeholders, has initi-
ated several measures aimed at growing
demand and increasing the consumption of
electricity. These include:
 Heavy investment in Industrial Parks
where industries are expected to con-
sume a substantial amount of energy.
Out of the 25 planned Industrial Parks,
works on four electricity substations
in Mukono, Iganga, Namanve, and
Luzira are at advanced stages, with
commissioning expected by June 2019.
The 25 Industrial Parks are projected to
consume upto 1000 MW in eight years’
time (by 2027).
 Electrification of all sub-counties across
the country and all potential consumers
along the sub county electricity lines.
Government
of Uganda has
obtained funding
worth United
States Dollars
200,000 from the
World Bank, for the
Energy for Rural
Transformation
(ERT) Program
This project is at mobilisation stage and
once implemented, all sub counties
shall be connected to electricity.
 In August 2018, the Government of
Uganda launched the Electricity Con-
nections Policy to accelerate access to
electricity across the country. The policy
targets to promote mass electricity
usage by all Ugandans with a connec-
tion target of 300,000 Domestic Custom-
ers per year.
 In order to support the Electricity Con-
nections Policy, the Government of
Uganda has obtained funding worth
United States Dollars 200,000 from the
World Bank, for the Energy for Rural
Transformation (ERT) Program (Phase
III). Part of this funding will be utilised
to improve electricity connection, tar-
geting growing the number of Certified
Wiremen/women and contractors.
These will provide sufficient manpower
to connect houses and factories in a
timely manner.
 For Industrial Customers, the Electricity
Regulatory Authority is implementing
an incentive for accelerated connection
through the Energy Rebate Mechanism.
The Rebate mechanism ensures that
Industrial Customers who use their
own resources to fund an electricity
connection to a plant/industry recover
their money over a period of three years
through consumed energy rebates.
 The Government of Uganda is fast-
tracking the implementation of regional
interconnection projects, which will
boost export of power within the East
African region, with an export poten-
tial of 690 MW, to countries such as
Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania,
Democratic Republic of Congo, and
South Sudan.
With these initiatives aimed at massive
electricity consumption in both homes
and industries, the revenue base of the
Electricity Supply Industry will grow,
subsequently leading to reduction in the
End-User Tariffs. Ugandans are, therefore,
encouraged to use electricity productively
and in large quantities so that the End-User
Tariffs can reduce across all categories.
Julius Wandera is Manager Communication of
the Electricity Regulatory Authority

By Alex Turihohabwe
Wastage on road drainage structures
Ministries responsible must ensure that for any road to be
worked on, it should be well designed by technical people
R
oads existence and
sustenance depend on
three major aspects; these
are drainage; drainage and
drainage; that may be called 3Ds.
1 st D is the camber, 2nd D are the
road side drains, and 3rd D are the
drainage road structures.
Of the 3Ds, the 3 rd D has been
done unprofessionally on most of
the district and community access
roads. Below we illustrate how this
comes about and how it has led to
wastage of resources in terms of
funds, materials and time.
Drainage road structures that are
basically known by us in the road
infrastructure include culvert lines,
vented drifts, bridges, and box
culverts.
The major use of these structures
is to carry water from one side
of the road to the other and this
is known to everyone. Because
of this there is a lot assumption
that the laying, location and
construction can be done by
everyone without an input of
experienced Engineers.
The above structures have
different sizes and these depend
on what volumes of flow they are
to carry. This concept is known
to both the technical and non-
technical people. But the technical
are able to calculate and determine
the volume of the flow while the
non -technical do not.
It is assumed that using the
experienced professional technical
staff is very expensive on the
surface of it and this has led to
some organisations using non
-technical or inexperienced
technical staff in laying and
construction of these drainage
structures.
Move along the roads; especially
the district and community access
roads, and what you find and
observe is quite threatening in
terms of wastage of resources. To
The major
use of these
structures is
to carry water
from one side
of the road to
the other and
this is known
to everyone
mention a few cases that can give
a highlight of what is happening
in this road industry; it is known
to us that the district roads in
the entire country are towards
35,000Km while community access
roads are far above 70,000 Km.
Travelling along district and
community roads in West Nile and
some other districts in Northern
Uganda; where hosting of refugees
is common and hence there are
operations of NGOs, this is what
we saw: a road of approximately
27Km had about 100 culverts lines
of different sizes. Most of them
had poorly built head and wing
walls. Over 80% of these were
non-functional; this meant that
they were either blocked/silted or
had no outlet. Others had broken
because of less culvert cover
material.
Now, let’s analyse the cost of
a culvert line; say of a 600mm
diameter consisting of an average
of six culvert rings. One culvert
comment
ring costs Shs150, 000 and six
culvert rings cost Shs900, 000,
and 100 culvert lines cost Shs.90
million. If 80% of them are
unfunctional; that is wastage of
Shs.72 million. The above cost
only considers the purchase
prices; excluding the cost of
transportation, excavation, and
installation.
Further is analysis at the
national level for the length of
mentioned district roads. We
assume the culverts lines are
not installed and are therefore
lacking or they have been
installed at three culvert lines
for every kilometer of road. A
total of approximately 100,000
culvert lines are installed but
non-functional. This translates to
Shs7.2 trillion.
If the drainage system is not
functional, it means that you
have no road. This is because
the moment it rains, the road is
washed away.
To avoid these loses the ministry
responsible for policies and those
implementing projects must ensure
that for any road to be worked on,
it should be well designed. For a
developing country like Uganda
every shilling counts; whether it is
from a donor or not.
Eng. Alex Turihohabwe is The Past
chairman Uganda Association of
Consulting Engineers and Continental
finalist 2017 CEO Global in the
Business and Professional Sector.
April. 12 - 18 2019 33
comment
By José Antonio Ocampo
Time for a true global currency
Turning the SDR into a global currency would yield
benefits for the world’s economy and monetary system
T
his year, the world commemorates
the anniversaries of two key events
in the development of the global
monetary system. The first is the cre-
ation of the International Monetary Fund at
the Bretton Woods conference 75 years ago.
The second is the advent, 50 years ago, of
the Special Drawing Right (SDR), the IMF’s
global reserve asset.
When it introduced the SDR, the Fund
hoped to make it “the principal reserve
asset in the international monetary sys-
tem.” This remains an unfulfilled ambition;
indeed, the SDR is one of the most under-
used instruments of international coopera-
tion. Nonetheless, better late than never:
turning the SDR into a true global currency
would yield several benefits for the world’s
economy and monetary system.
The idea of a global currency is not
new. Prior to the Bretton Woods negotia-
tions, John Maynard Keynes suggested the
“bancor” as the unit of account of his pro-
posed International Clearing Union. In the
1960s, under the leadership of the Belgian-
American economist Robert Triffin, other
proposals emerged to address the growing
problems created by the dual dollar-gold
system that had been established at Bret-
ton Woods. The system finally collapsed
in 1971. As a result of those discussions,
the IMF approved the SDR in 1967, and
included it in its Articles of Agreement two
years later.
Although the IMF’s issuance of SDRs
resembles the creation of national money
by central banks, the SDR fulfills only some
of the functions of money. True, SDRs are
a reserve asset, and thus a store of value.
They are also the IMF’s unit of account. But
only central banks – mainly in developing
countries, though also in developed econo-
mies – and a few international institutions
use SDRs as a means of exchange to pay
each other.
The SDR has a number of basic advan-
tages, not least that the IMF can use it as
an instrument of international monetary
policy in a global economic crisis. In 2009,
for example, the IMF issued $250 billion in
SDRs to help combat the downturn, follow-
ing a proposal by the G20.
Most importantly, SDRs could also
34 April. 12 - 18 2019
become the basic instrument to finance IMF
programs. Until now, the Fund has relied
mainly on quota (capital) increases and bor-
rowing from member countries. But quotas
have tended to lag behind global economic
growth; the last increase was approved in
2010, but the US Congress agreed to it only
in 2015. And loans from member countries,
the IMF’s main source of new funds (par-
ticularly during crises), are not true multilat-
eral instruments.
The best alternative would be to turn the
IMF into an institution fully financed and
managed in its own global currency – a pro-
posal made several decades ago by Jacques
Polak, then the Fund’s leading economist.
One simple option would be to consider the
SDRs that countries hold but have not used
as “deposits” at the IMF, which the Fund
can use to finance its lending to countries.
This would require a change in the Articles
of Agreement, because SDRs currently are
not held in regular IMF accounts.
The Fund could then issue SDRs regu-
larly or, better still, during crises, as in 2009.
In the long term, the amount issued must be
related to the demand for foreign-exchange
reserves. Various economists and the IMF
SDRs
could also
potentially be
used in private
transactions
and to
denominate
national
bonds
itself have estimated that the Fund could
issue $200-300 billion in SDRs per year.
Moreover, this would spread the financial
benefits (seigniorage) of issuing the global
currency across all countries. At present,
these benefits accrue only to issuers of
national or regional currencies that are used
internationally – particularly the US dollar
and the euro.
More active use of SDRs would also
make the international monetary system
more independent of US monetary policy.
One of the major problems of the global
monetary system is that the policy objec-
tives of the US, as the issuer of the world’s
main reserve currency, are not always con-
sistent with overall stability in the system.
In any case, different national and
regional currencies could continue to cir-
culate alongside growing SDR reserves.
And a new IMF “substitution account”
would allow central banks to exchange their
reserves for SDRs, as the US first proposed
back in the 1970s.
SDRs could also potentially be used in
private transactions and to denominate
national bonds. But, as the IMF pointed
out in its report to the Board in 2018, these
“market SDRs,” which would turn the unit
into fully-fledged money, are not essential
for the reforms proposed here. Nor would
SDRs need to be used as a unit of account
outside the Fund.
The anniversaries of the IMF and the
SDR in 2019 are causes for celebration. But
they also represent an ideal opportunity
to transform the SDR into a true global
currency that would strengthen the inter-
national monetary system. Policymakers
should seize it. 1. Kidnap
José Antonio Ocampo is a board member of
Banco de la República, Colombia’s central
bank, professor at Columbia University,
Chair of the UN Economic and Social
Council’s Committee for Development Policy,
and Chair of the Independent Commission
for the Reform of International Corporate
Taxation.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2019.
 ART | BOOKS | SOCIETY | TRAVEL | CULTURE
In memory of Serulyo
The master of anatomy and individual proficiency lives on
By Dominic Muwanguzi
T
he sculpture in stained
glass depicts rural
scenery. A herdsman
stands; leaning on
a stick, while another man;
squatting, milks a cow with
birds hovering nearby. The
sculpture is considered a mas-
terpiece and is admired for
showing the studio dexterity
of the artist in exploring con-
cepts of form and proportion-
ality of the human figures.
The artist is Ignatius Seru-
lyo; a former student and lec-
turer at the Margret Trowel
School of Industrial and Fine
Art at Makere University
Kampala where the sculpture
stands in the façade of the
sculpture studio.
Serulyo died in 2018, years
after he left the school, but his
name still reverberates across
the walls and spaces and in
the minds of the art commu-
nity at this most prestigious
institute in the East and Cen-
tral Africa region.
A few metres away from
the sculpture studio, is the
art gallery; and sitting within
the gardens of the art space,
on the left as one enters the
gallery, is a somewhat disfig-
ured human figure with sag-
ging breasts seated on a dais.
Titled ` Old Woman 1963’, it
is another Serulyo piece. This
one interrogates the subject of
anatomy; proficiently execut-
ed under the theme of old age.
In this sculpture, the artist
vividly captures the physical
problems that can affect an
older person. The artist skill-
fully shows that the physi-
cal decline in old age in not
inability. In fact, the old wom-
an exudes dignity and pride.
The `Old Woman’ explicitly
argues the complexity of old
age and beauty. At the same
venue is `Frog (undated)’ that
was built in stone and also
illustrates the artist’s skilled
approach and obsession with
anatomy.
Serulyo had passion for tex-
ture and modeling of colours
that spilled into his sculptures.
His series of paintings on the
ceiling of St. Francis Chapel,
Makerere University and a
large artwork that resides
within Mary Stuart Hall bear
the same hallmarks. His lush
palette evokes a rustic energy
and vibrancy.
He grew up in the rural
south eastern district of Masa-
ka; a place of verdant savan-
nah vegetation which, in his
work, became symbolic of the
vitality of the African people
and their hospitable nature.
He composed a mural
painting at the sculpture
studio as a response to the
vitality of the immediate post-
independence years. He was
part of a movement of art-
ists on the continent eager to
decolonise art with the inclu-
sion of indigenous lifestyles
April. 12 - 18 2019
and forms.
They sought to detach
themselves from western
modernist art. To be skilled
and technically competent
was not enough; each sought
a degree of individuality in
their work. He eagerly inte-
grated indigenous lifestyles
within his practice creating a
constellation of cultures in one
artwork.
Dr. George Kyeyune, art
historian and sculptor, says
through Serulyo’s work one
sees that “as much as he was
formally trained, his tutors
Cecil Todd and Jonathan
Kingdon were liberal enough
to allow him to explore him-
self through the art”.
Kyeyune says “it is not
enough as an artist to be
skilled technically, but indi-
vidual proficiency is key in
establishing a unique artist
because after all, art is not
just about being able to draw
someone, but it should ask
questions and be relevant to
the public”.
While the artist may have
passed on, his outstanding
approach to art making con-
tinues to inspire many artists
including Dr. George Kyeyune
and Dr. Kizito Maria Kasule
both of Makerere University
where the deceased artist
taught for thirty years. They
say Serulyo’s “individual pro-
ficiency” observed through his
work makes him stand out of
the crowd.
Ignatius Serulyo passed on
December 2018 and remains one
of the most important artists of
his time. His work is collected by
private collectors in Uganda, but
mostly in Germany.
35
Jeff Bezos wife gets Shs13 trillion divorce settlement
The world’s richest man,
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos,
and his wife MacKenzie
have agreed a record-break-
ing divorce settlement of
at least $35billion (Approx.
Shs13 trillion – Uganda’s
proposed 2019/20 budget
is Shs40 trillion). They took
to social media on April 04
to announce the terms of
their high-profile divorce.
MacKenzie said she is
“happy” to be giving her
ex-husband all of her inter-
ests in the Washington Post
and rocket developer Blue
Origin and granting him
75 percent of their shared
Amazon stock, including
voting control. Mrs. Bezos’s
exact net worth is hard to
estimate, but her four per-
cent stake in Amazon alone
is valued at roughly $36
billion based on Amazon’s
current share price. That
makes her the fourth richest
woman in the world. Bezos
vaulted ahead of Bill Gates
this year to capture the title
of the world’s wealthiest
person worth a mind-
boggling $112 billion. The
Bezoses met in New York
in the early 1990s.

Nurse swapped
5,000 babies in
12 years for fun
The former nurse who
is suffering from cancer
revealed she exchanged about
5,000 babies while working
at the University Teaching
Hospital (UTH) in Zambia.
The Zambian nurse, Elizabeth
Mwewa, said it became a
habit and she used to do it for
fun over 12 years. According
to the elderly woman, she is
now born again and did not
want to hide anything that
would stop her from visiting
the land of honey and milk.
“I know I sinned against God
and may he forgive me for
that. I am also asking Zambi-
ans to forgive me for the evil
things I was doing to innocent
children. I have caused some
faithful couples to divorce
after going for DNA Tests,”
she said. Mwewa also added
that kids born between 1983
and 1995 at the hospital
should check themselves.
Zimbabwe spend Shs575m on judges’ wigs
Lawyers in Zimbabwe
have hit out at a
government decision to
spend thousands of pounds
on wigs made in England
for local judges, saying the
tradition evokes a colonial
past that should not exist
in modern Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe’s judicial
services commission has
placed an order for 64 wigs
from Stanley Ley Legal
Outfitters in London, at a
cost of £118,400 (Approx.
Shs575 million). The
move has been criticized
as unnecessary when
courtrooms are cramped
and ill-equipped, the
national economy is
crumbling and 63% of the
population lives below the
poverty line. The use of
wigs has been abandoned
in South Africa, Kenya,
Britain and several other
Commonwealth countries.
Identical twins fool
girl but not judge
When Valeria started dating a
man named Fernando, she did
not know he had an identical
twin brother named Fabricio.
Things got tricky when she got
pregnant and Fernando denied
responsibility although a DNA
test showed there was a 99.9%
probability that he was the
father. Fernando claimed his
brother Fabricio was the father.
Since the twins have virtually
the same genetic code, Fabricio’s
DNA test also showed there
was a 99.9% probability that
he was the father. But he also
denied being the father. Valeria
was confused but not foolish.
She headed to court. After hear-
ing the case since August 2017,
Judge Filipe Luís Peruca of the
Brazilian state of Goiás, ruled
that the two men were blatantly
attempting to escape responsibil-
ity. He ordered each pay 30% of
the minimum wage as child sup-
port. He had been shown evi-
dence that the twins had always
impersonated each other to date
women and deny.

Harry Potter books burnt over witchcraft

Catholic priests from
an evangelical group in
northern Poland recently
sparked a heated online
debate after staging a
controversial protest against
occultism, idolatry and
sorcery by burning various
“sacrilegious” items,
including Harry Potter and
Twilight books, traditional
masks and idols, and even
a Hello Kitty umbrella. The
objects were reportedly
brought in by parishioners,
who were encouraged by
the priests from the SMS
from Heaven Foundation,
to clean their homes of such
evil items.

36 April. 12 - 18 2019
 The 2020 Jeep Gladiator
5 things you need to know about
T
he Jeep Gladiator went on
sale in the US this month,
and if you are looking out
for it; here are the 5 things
you need to know about it.
Looks matter
Starting with the front of the
Gladiator it would be easy to
point and say, that’s just the
front from a Wrangler. And it
kind of is. I mean, the Wrangler’s
seven-slot grille was the starting
point, but because Jeep reckons
Gladiator buyers will want to tow
they widened the slot gaps for
improved airflow into the engine
when towing. The other thing that
instantly stands the two apart is
the length of the Gladiator and
its tray. The Gladiator is a longer
vehicle with much of that extra
room gone into the backseat. It
also has higher ground clearance.
Let’s look at the tray
The Gladiator tray has some
clever touches that clearly show
how Jeep thinks this thing will
be used and who will be buying
it; those who tow and tradies.
The tailgate can be easily opened
with just one hand and partially
opened and locked in three
different positions. The width of
the tray is intended to hold loads
on wheel arches and within the
tray. The spare wheel is mounted
under the tray. The Gladiator
engineering for load carrying
ensures the tray optimally load
balanced.
How much can it tow?
Depending on the variant, the
Gladiator, based on U.S. specs
is rated to tow between 1800kg
and 3469kg and that’s hardly
segment-best towing.
Can it still off-road?
It offers up to 283mm of ground
clearance; from the ground to the
lowest part of the vehicle (usually
the diff pumpkin), with standard
on 33-inch tyres (but it’s capable
of taking 35-inch tyres). All
sounds very good. Water fording
is a claimed 762mm.
What’s it like on the inside?
The interior follows in the
same vein as the Wrangler with
its heritage-inspired design.
Everything inside is designed to
be weather proof and you can
choose from either cloth or leather
seats, the front seats and steering
wheel can be heated too.
April. 12 - 18 2019 37
Josephine Mugerwa: From
child dancer to music icon
“Becoming a star despite my poor background wasn’t easy; but I am
grateful that the highs and lows in life had pushed me to become stronger”
By Agnes E Nantaba focus on school. That would be the schedule

J
until Senior Six Vacation when Mugerwa
osephine Mugerwa also known as failed to make it on government scholarship
Phina Mugerwa Masanyalaze is a and her parents could not afford private
Ugandan musician and dancer. Muger- sponsorship at the university. There was an
wa captivated Ugandan revellers and opening at Diamonds Ensemble for dancers
in 2006 was nicknamed ‘Uganda’s Shakira’ and Mugerwa was among the few selected to
after Colombian singer, songwriter, dancer, join the group in late 1990s. The role involved
philanthropist and businesswoman Shakira her dancing along in plays and musical
Isabel Mebarak Ripoll. Her stage name Ma- performances for different artistes. But she
yearned to pursue her dream of music and
sanyalaze relates to her first single ‘Masan-
dance. Her mother helped her money for the
yalaze’ and her energetic performance.
first recording.
Mugerwa says she chose and stuck
“I didn’t just want to record any song but
to such energetic and audience engag-
do it with the professional producers,” says
ing performance to cut through the
Mugerwa, “I booked with one of the produc-
competitive music industry.
ers who fixed me within recording breaks for
“Many Ugandan musicians could
well financed musicians in the wee hours of
only manage to sing and hire
the night”.
queen dancers to spice up their
Mugerwa finally recorded her first song
performances’, says Mugerwa.
‘Masanyalaze’ in 2006 and she has since
“Pursuing it was in one way
never turned back. The Pearl of Africa Music
of proving to some people
Awards (PAM) were an annual national
that a musician
music award event held in Uganda that
can also be a good
recognised efforts of musicians, producers
dancer”
and others for their record efforts to promote
Growing up in the
the music industry. Mugerwa emerged win-
slums of Kawaala in
ner in the category of ‘Best New Artiste’. The
Kampala city, Muger-
boosted her profile in the music industry.
wa was exposed to
She says, “PAM awards were still a big
many opportuni-
thing for Uganda’s music industry and it was
ties of dance. She
the right time for me to shine”.
developed a love
Her next project would be featuring in
for musical perfor-
one of Bobi Wine’s songs in which she re-
mances. Her mother
awakened the once popular Calypso dance
appears to have
leap. That meant exporting her talent across
spotted the young girl’s
borders. For the greater part of her music
talent and took her to trade
journey, Mugerwa has been a solo perform-
shows and promotional events
ing artiste. But, until 2014, she was signed to
that featured musical perfor-
Fusion band of Water Front Beach.
mances. Her mother would raise
Mugerwa is the fourth of the five children
the hand as soon as MC’s called
of Francis Kiwanuka and Annet Komugisha
for volunteer dance competi-
born in 1984. She went to Namirembe Kin-
tors. The little Mugerwa was
dergarten and Namirembe Infants Primary
guaranteed to thrill while her
School for primary education before joining
mother collected any pro-
St Andrew’s Kaggwa and Daniel Secondary
motional goodies on offer.
School and Springfield College for Ordinary
She says, “The gifts kept
and Advanced level respectively.
pushing me to get back”.
Her latest release ‘Tonooba’ literally mean-
She did her gigs
ing ‘don’t divorce’ is a totally different style
outside school time; in
of music something she says rhymes well
the evenings, over the
with her age and role as a mother.
weekends or during
“Everything comes of age and so is mu-
holidays to allow for
sic,” she says.

38 April. 12 - 18 2019
 news analysis
Q&A

Josephine Mugerwa’s Liteside

children; I can fail to buy woman.
Any three things that we anything good for myself Which living person do

I
don’t know about you? but not for my children. you most despise? What is your favorite
am an open minded I don’t hate anyone occupation?
person; when I realise What is the greatest because we are made I love marketing
something about a thing you have ever different. What you may because it introduces me
friend or colleague, I done? despise about someone to different people. I also
openly tell them. I am a Becoming a star despite may be making him or enjoy speaking to people.
straightforward person my poor background. her happy. I appreciate
and I hate hypocrites. I The journey wasn’t easy the difference amongst What do you most value
am a workaholic some- but I am grateful that the us. in your friends?
thing that even one of highs and lows in life had Trust and knowing
my sons has complained pushed me to become What is the quality you that I have their back just
about. I don’t lie back stronger day by day. most like in a woman? as they have mine.
until I get something. God fearing.
What is your current Who are your favorite
What is your idea of per- state of mind? What is the quality you writers?
fect happiness? I am happy and con- most like in a man? I only got interested in
Happy moments with tented but still working God fearing. Harry Potter after my son
my mother and children towards achieving my requested to buy him a
dreams. What or who is the great- series of his books. I am
What is your greatest est love of your life? just learning to read and
fear? What do you consider My sons and parents. have realised that they
Losing my parents; I the most overrated vir- are the bestselling books.
have been disappointed tue? When and where were
by friends and have Curiosity and fair- you happiest? Who is your hero of fic-
since been left to lean mindedness; we spend 2011 and 2018 when tion?
on my parents. I fear the too much time finding I gave birth to my sons. I love Mel Colmcille
thoughts of having to lose out about how other I was also happy the Gerard Gibson; he is
them. people conduct or carry day my husband made unpredictable and keeps
themselves and at the a traditional visit to my the audience guessing.
What is the trait you end of the day, it doesn’t parents in 2017.
most deplore in your- help us much. I love to as- Which historical figure
self? sociate with people who If you could change one do you most identify
I get impatient; es- concentrate on carrying thing about yourself, with?
pecially with dishonest forth their vision as op- what would it be? Nelson Mandela was
people or liars who don’t posed to wanting to pull I am too good to very strong and deter-
deliver as promised. others down. change. mined; it only takes
What does being power- people with such charac-
What is the trait you ful mean to you? Where would you most ter to fight temptations
most deplore in others? Power is relative and like to live? and reach the peak.
Laziness and being dependant on circum- I am an African and I
slow; I don’t like it when stances. It is an inner love living in Uganda. What is your greatest
we set out to do some- feeling that amounts to regret?
thing and others take caring for others knowing What is your most trea- I don’t have regrets
their time to deliver. that our destinies are sured possession? because I believe that
different. I treasure my relation- everything happens with
Which living person do ship with God because God’s plan.
you most admire? On what occasion do He is everything.
I admire fellow Ugan- you lie? How would you like to
dan musician Joanita I don’t tell lies and I What do you regard die?
Kawalya; she is my other teach it to my children. as the lowest depth of Silently in my sleep
parent; especially in the misery? in old age when I have
music industry. At her What do you most dis- If there was a choice, accomplished whatever
age, she is still a very like about your appear- children should live God set me out to do.
good performer. ance? under the care and
I like myself and appre- support of both their What is your motto?
What is your greatest ciate God for everything parents. Single parenting Never give up because
extravagance? about me. is very challenging and I you never know your
I spend a lot on my wouldn’t wish it for any turning point.

April. 12 - 18 2019 39
Global comment
By Biniam Bedasso & Neil Cole
Fixing Africa’s budget problems
It requires understanding of local context and
management of political and administrative constraints
A
fricans had good reason to be
hopeful when all 193 United
Nations member states ad-
opted the Sustainable Devel-
opment Goals in 2015. Alongside their
ambitious pledges to end poverty by
2030 and “leave no one behind,” world
leaders aimed to mobilise a wide array of
domestic and international resources to
realise the SDGs. But rising national debt,
a slowing global economy, and weakening
multilateralism are preventing many Af-
rican countries from making progress.
Faced with these headwinds, African
governments must improve their own
public financial management (PFM)
to help realise the SDGs. This will
require governments and their develop-
ment partners to rethink the standard
approaches to tackling Africa’s complex
public-finance challenges.
Most African governments’ budgets are
already under stress, even before SDG-
related spending is taken into account.
And the situation for some could become
even more challenging as commodity
prices fall and developed countries con-
sider whether to raise interest rates.
To make reasonable strides toward
the SDGs in these circumstances, gov-
ernments will need to deliver public
services more economically and effi-
ciently. Besides providing greater value
for money, many of Africa’s developing
and low-income countries also need to
improve their policy design, planning
and budgeting, implementation, and
evaluation.
These adjustments may not be easy
in countries that struggle to carry out
basic state functions. For some, even
the seemingly simple act of using bud-
geted resources to procure and deliver
textbooks to rural schools in time for the
start of the academic year could prove
to be a daunting task. And although
many African countries have inadequate
budgets for much-needed capital invest-
ments, some governments spend as little
as 2% of even these amounts, owing to
misaligned procurement policies and
insufficient administrative capacity.
The problem often starts with the
preparation and presentation of the
annual budget. Weak revenue fore-
casting, unpredictable donor funding,
40 April. 12 - 18 2019
and fragmented decision-making pro-
cesses can make this a highly uncer-
tain exercise. The most recent round
of Public Expenditure and Financial
Accountability (PEFA) assessments,
covering 40 African countries, points to
the likelihood that, in the typical African
country, the existing budget calendar “is
rudimentary and substantial delays may
often be experienced in its implementa-
tion.”
These delays are often accompanied by
poor budget execution, which leads to
overspending, extra-budgetary transac-
tions, and resources being shifted away
from development priorities. Transpar-
ency and accountability suffer, too, not
least because legislatures usually lack
the capacity to scrutinize budgets effec-
tively. The 2015 Budget Practices and
Procedures survey of 23 African coun-
tries, for example, gives legislatures’
budget-research capacity an average
score of just 11%.
There is no shortage of development
assistance to tackle these problems.
Development partners have spent an
estimated $20 billion worldwide since
2002 to improve PFM in low- and
middle-income countries. There is now
an entire industry of PFM advisory
services, and hundreds of technical
advisers have crisscrossed the continent
trying to help struggling countries get
their financial house in order.
Despite all that money and effort,
Africa’s public-finance challenges per-
sist. The Gambia, for example, has a
modern PFM regulatory framework, but
the frequent shifting of funds between
line items continues to create discrep-
ancies between budget appropriations
and actual spending. And off-budget
expenditures remain common in Liberia,
despite bilateral and multilateral assis-
tance aimed at boosting fiscal credibility.
Many PFM investments in Africa have
financed the rollout of costly integrated
financial-management information
systems, known as IFMIS. These com-
puterised systems were meant to solve
problems such as corruption, lack of
transparency and accountability, and
poor service delivery. But they have gen-
erally failed to do so.
This is because most PFM problems
tend to have multiple interlinked causes.
True, some of these may be technical,
and can be fixed by applying a known
solution, such as a robust information-
technology system or a best-practice
norm. In many cases, however, the prob-
lems are more complex and rooted in
the local context; as a result, transferable
solutions often fail.
Such dysfunction is more pervasive in
the “downstream” tier of government,
such as state-run schools and hospitals,
where tacit local knowledge is more crit-
ical. This bodes ill for Africa’s prospects
of making progress toward the SDGs,
because much development depends on
the performance of such institutions.
We need a different PFM approach, one
that helps African governments prioritise
better, improve planning and budgeting,
and deliver much-needed services to
their citizens. Instead of relying on one-
size-fits-all solutions, such an approach
should acknowledge that PFM reform
requires careful management of political
and administrative constraints, together
with a deep understanding of the local
context.
Reform programs should therefore put
government officials center stage and
aim for incremental change. Together
with Harvard University, for example,
our organisation is using the Problem
Driven Iterative Adaptation approach
to help public-finance officials across
Africa deconstruct complex problems
and experiment with solutions. This
“learning by doing” is the less-trodden
path of PFM reform.
There is no shortcut to building effec-
tive public administrations, or to real-
ising the SDGs. But by finding new and
improved ways to manage their public
finances, African countries can take big
steps in the right direction.
Biniam Bedasso is a researcher
and public-finance specialist at the
Collaborative Africa Budget Reform
Initiative (CABRI). Neil Cole is
Executive Secretary of CABRI.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2019.
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