News analysis Health Business

Oil money: big Is chicken healthier Inside URA’s proposed

decisions needed than beef? customs taxes

Issue No. 576 June. 14 - 20 2019 Ushs 5,000,Kshs 200, RwF 1,500, SDP 8

Museveni
locks out oil
investors
It’s Total disaster

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June. 14 - 20 2019 1
inbox

Issue No. 576 June. 14 - 20 2019

News analysis Business Health Arts Motoring

Cover story
Besigye gives opposition pain
But does his defiance hurt help FDC or IPOD?

5 The Week
30 Comments
Student killed in Kabale school clashes
The US economy’s dirty
secret: Temporary euphoria
as weakness abroad lifts
9 The Last Word
spirits at home amidst
Museveni’s state of nation speech: Trump-era spite and malice
Why, in spite of our continued
poverty, there is good reason to
32 Health
celebrate our gains as we plan ahead
Is chicken healthier
14 Analysis than beef?
Oil money: big decisions needed:
But Museveni, Total boss talk tough

35 Arts & Culture

27 Business
Kigali photo
Inside URA’s proposed customs taxes: fest: Rwanda gets
Local consumers and businesses – not the contemporary art festival
exporting countries – will pay the price

STRATEGY & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Andrew M. Mwenda WRITERS:Ronald Musoke, Flavia Nassaka, Ian Katusiime,
MANAGING EDITOR: Joseph Were Patricia Akankwatsa, 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
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2 June. 14 - 20 2019
 inbox

“Forceful relocation is another option that

will have to be considered by government.
I will take it to Cabinet and see whether
we can use minimum force to ensure they
are taken to the new location.”Hilary Onek,
Minister for Relief and Disaster Preparedness

Matia Kasaija, Minister of finance flags off Kiira EVS car at City Square during
budget awareness week.
Allen Kajina
(planting), UNRA
executive director
said they have
planned to “For you to access school services, you
plant over one
million trees in must provide an immunisation card as
all major roads a requirement without fail. If you don’t
Country wide in have one, we should be informed and we
addressing the
environmental will come and immunise you.”Diana Atwine,
factors that affect Permanent Secretary, Minister of Health
the survival
rate in extreme
environmental
conditions.  THE
INDEPENDENT/
ALFRED OCHWO

Museveni at
Kasanje War
Memorial
Grounds
in Wakiso
district on
Sunday 9, “If you cannot help your people because
in Horner you are in opposition that is rubbish, you
of Uganda’s
heroes are useless. I am telling that you are only
building a disruption.”President Yoweri
Museveni during his State of the Nation Address

Residents of Acres of land needed to Expected domestic

1000 Lyantonde who face
eviction by gov’t
30000 resettle 120,000 displaced
people in Bududa
Shs20trn revenue in
FY2019/2020

June. 14 - 20 2019 3
week
Student killed in Kabale school clashes
Rogers Bakashaba, a Kigezi
High School student was
killed when his school got
into a fight with Nyabikoni
secondary school in Kabale
district. The schools have a
years’ long rivalry. It all began
when a group of boys from
Kigezi escaped from school
armed with knives, machetes,
clubs and sticks and invaded
a boys hostel at Nyabikoni in
Kanyakiriro village in central
division in Kabale municipality.
The students of Nyabikoni hit
back using stones, clubs and
iron bars in a fight that has
shocked residents, teachers and
educationists in Kabale and
the western region. Bakashaba
was the lone victim in this
primitive confrontation that
left scores of students injured
who were rushed to Kabale
regional referral hospital in
critical condition. Anti-riot police
quelled the skirmish by firing in
the air. By press time, about 31
students from Kigezi high school
were arrested and locked up at
Kabale central police station.
The cause of the attack by
Kigezi is yet to be known. Police
has deployed at both schools
to prevent further attacks as
investigations into the matter
continue. Kigezi is currently
operating without a substantive
head teacher following the
transfer of Stephen Mugume to
Kichwamba secondary school
in Kamwenge district. Robert
Katebarirwe, the current head
teacher of Nyaruhanga high
school in Ikumba sub-county
in Rubanda district declined to
take up the appointment.
Kadaga warns
government
agencies on bribery
Speaker of Parliament
Rebecca Kadaga issued
a warning to Ministries,
Departments and Agencies
during (MDAs) to stop brib-
ing MPs for committee work
saying that the practice was
eroding the credibility of
parliament. Speaking before
the President’s the State
of the Nation Address at
Serena Conference Centre
in Kampala, Kadaga vowed
to take action against MPs
who receive such bribes
disguised as facilitation. She
added that the role of facil-
itating MPs is performed
by the Parliamentary Com-
mission which she heads.
“Accounting officers doing
this kind of thing should be
reported and the conduct
will be treated as corrup-
tion,” she said. The Address
delivered by President
Museveni was the opening
of the 4th session of the tenth
parliament.

Engineers scoff at
proposed new cities
Government’s plan to create new cities
in Mbarara, Gulu, Arua, Jinja and Hoima
does not make the grade, the Engineers
Board has advised. This will instead create
new slums which will be without modern
urban planning according to the engineers’
body. Micheal Odong, the chairperson of
the Engineer’s Registration Board, made
the remarks at the 24th annual technology
conference at Hotel Africana. He advised
government against employing incompetent
cadres to head technical offices and become
supervisors of technocrats. Citing KCCA,
Odong said it will be ill-advised to appoint
a non-engineering executive director to take
over the city management, which requires a
technical person with knowledge in physics,
chemistry, mathematics and administra-
tion. “They have come up with new cities.
Who has seen their designed master plans?
Were they made by religious leaders? Who
will design the sewerage system, their road
network? The cities need planning, did they
consult us?” he asked. He advised fellow
engineers to make intervention whenever
government is going astray.
FDC, Ogenga Latigo clash over Pan African Parliament seat
During the launch of
the Alliance for National
Transformation (ANT) two
weeks ago, Prof. Ogenga
Latigo had the honour
of introducing Mugisha
Muntu, the founder of
the party to the audience.
Ogenga said he was
ambushed for the act but
he was still heartened by it.
Now it looks like this single
act could have got him into
trouble with his party, FDC.
Sources in FDC say the par-
ty wants to recall him from
his posting as a member of
the Pan African Parliament
URA in Shs300bn surplus
Uganda Revenue Author-
ity (URA) has registered a
revenue surplus, collecting
more than Shs300b above its
Shs16.3 trillion target for the
2018/19 financial year. There
which is based in South
Africa. FDC leaders were
not happy with his close
association with Muntu and
was optimism URA would
hit its targets although it
had not collected about 10
per cent (Shs1.6 trillion) of
the expected revenue. URA
opened the first quarter of
now they want him recalled.
Ogenga however says it is
only parliament and not
FDC which can recall him.
FDC has already lashed out
at Muntu for targeting his
former party for recruitment
of members. Meanwhile oth-
er sources in the party say
the professor was recalled
in August 2018 and appar-
ently does not represent the
party anymore. Felix Okot
Ogong, James Kakooza, Jac-
queline Amongin and Anifa
Kawooya served in the Par-
liament alongside Ogenga in
the just ending term.
the financial year with a
surplus of Shs349.3b, which
meant that it had cut its
collection target to about
Shs7.2 trillion.

4 June. 14 - 20 2019

Landslides kill six in Bududa
The unending rains of
June are causing disrup-
tions across the country
with severe flooding in
Kampala and Mukono. Six
people were killed early this
month after a severe storm
in Kampala. But the eastern
district of Bududa, prone
to landslides has now lost
six people. The latest land-
slide hit five sub-counties
washing away houses and
Christianity should be one community- Archbishop Odama
As Mary was giving birth
to Jesus, she gave birth to
the followers of Jesus as one
community. Don’t say only
Catholic, it’s Christianity.
“Christianity is supposed
to be one because they all
belong to Christ,” Archbish-
op of Gulu Archdiocese John
Baptist Odama said during
the celebration of the annual
GANAL Mass at Namu-
gardens in 27 villages. The
Office of the Prime Minister
revealed that a 73-year old
woman and three children
died in Bugobero and
Bunamwamba parishes in
Buwaali sub-county. The
victims include a seven year
old girl who was swept
away at Bunango parish in
Nalwanga sub-county. Last
year in October, landslides
struck Bukalasi sub-coun-
gongo Martyrs’ Shrine.
GANAL is an acronym for
Gulu Archdiocese, Nebbi,
Arua and Lira, which are all
under the Gulu Ecclesiastical
Province. Odama has said
the split of Christianity into
different smaller groups is a
betrayal of Jesus Christ and
God, saying they create divi-
sions within Christianity.
He told the gathering that
Dial *133*2#
for more bundles
ty killing an estimated 40
people in eight villages.
There have been attempts
to resettle those displaced
by the recurring landlsides
with government providing
houses to families. However
the government now needs
an additional 30,000 acres
of land to resettle a total of
120,000 people.
Christ only left one Christian
faith and therefore the split
into different religious sects
is a shame. “We are gathered
here to celebrate the pouring
of the Holy Spirit and all
those who believe in Jesus
Christ. Many Christians
have abandoned the teach-
ings of the Christ and resort-
ed to their own.”
week
Corruption rocks UHRC,
Gaming Regulatory Body
A total of 15 officials employed by
Uganda Human Rights Commission
(UHRC), Uganda Lotteries and Gaming
Regulatory Body and the Equal
Opportunities Commission are under
investigations over money laundering,
abuse of office, false accounting,
embezzlement and causing financial
loss. The officials were arrested by the
State House Anti-Corruption Unit and
have been interrogated by the Criminal
Investigations and Intelligence
Department (CIID). Reports say that
a secretary of the commission and
director were arrested and released on
police bond. Investigations on some
of the cases have been concluded and
files forwarded to the Director of the
Public Prosecutions. Med Kaggwa,
the chairman of UHRC is yet to issue
a statement. UHRC officials under
probe are Patrick Mabiiho Nyakana
(Secretary), Wilfred Asiimwe Muganga,
Acting director for regional services),
Deo Wamala (Accountant), Rebecca
Nassuna (Head of Jinja regional
office)), Willy Agirembabazi (Head
Kampala regional office), and Rebecca
Tino (Head Hoima regional office). All
the three are Principal Human Rights
Officers. For the Equal Opportunities
Commission, officers are being
questioned for misappropriating
Shs1billion. These are Lawrence
Mujuni Mpitsi (Secretary to the
Commission), Harriet Byanjire (Senior
Accountant), James Mugisha (Senior
Planner), and auditor John Kisembo
and Dennis Nyangweso, a human
resource officer. Meanwhile the CEO of
the Gaming Board Edgar Agaba, CFO
Patrick Kazoora and two compliance
officers face interdiction for an
unaccounted sum of Shs950m.
AfricellUG @AfricellUG
*terms and conditions apply |
Regulated by Uganda Communications Commission
June. 14 - 20 2019 5
week
Prime Minister of the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom, Andrew Byakutaaga (L) shaking hands with
Edgar Kihumuro, the brand manager for Pilsner Lager after the press conference.
Pilsner Lager contributes Shs50m to Bunyoro fete
Pilsner Lager contributed
Shs50 million contribution
towards the 25th coronation
anniversary celebrations of
the Omukama of Bunyoro
Solomon Gafabusa Iguru
I which took place on
June 11. This was during a
handover event to the Prime
Minister of the Bunyoro
Kitara Kingdom, Owek.
Andrew Byakutaaga at
the kingdom’s palace in
Hoima town. The Empango
celebration commemorates
the beating of the royal
drum (Empango),
which was the first ritual
performed by the Omukama
upon being crowned on the
June 11, 1994. “25 years is
a significant milestone and
as the King’s beer, Pilsner
Lager finds it fitting to
ensure that the Empango,
and cultural celebrations
like it, get the full support
and recognition they very
much deserve,” said Edgar
Kihumuro, the Brand
Manager for Pilsner Lager.
Empango are anniversary
celebrations done every year
and this time it was special
because the king took took
stock of his 25-year reign.
Military deepens
Sudan crisis
The Sudanese army which threw
former President Gen. Omar el- Bashir
under the bus to end his 30 year rule
has deepened the country’s political
crisis with a vicious crackdown on
protestors. The security forces continue
to use tear gas and live ammunition
to disperse protesters setting up
barricades in Khartoum. Dozens are
already reported dead. Campaigners
have called for ongoing civil
disobedience to make it as difficult
as possible for the military to govern
Sudan.Workers in banks, airports and
other facilties were arrested ahead of
the strike against the military rule, the
main protest group said. Protestors
have asked the Transitional Military
Council (TMC) to step aside to avert
any further loss of life in Sudan.
Groups of young men have set up
barricades in roads as part of the civil
disobedience campaign. Most offices
and businesses remain shut. Protest
leaders have asked people to stay at
home. They say that demonstrations
are no longer possible because of the
violent crackdown by the military.

6 June. 14 - 20 2019
Humour Did you know?
Your brain changes when
you give up on religion

Minister of state for finance David Bahati says Uganda’s debt which has reached $11.4b is under control.
A growing body of research
suggests a loss of faith in higher
powers may have very tangible
effects on our brains, the way they
work, and our physical health.
Losing faith in a higher power
can be one of the most profound
and formative experiences in your
life. Depending on how strong
that faith was originally, or how
central it was to your sense of self
or community, the drift to atheism
can shatter the convictions and
social systems that give your life
meaning and security.
Neurologically, the faithful
and atheists have the same
architecture, and process
information in very similar ways,
explains University of Utah
neuroscientist Jeff Anderson. But
Professor Barnabas Nawangwe declared Makerere University free from strikes and hooligans. number of studies have suggested
that faith in a higher power are
associated with less activity in
areas of the brain associated with
analytic thought and more in
areas associated with intuitive,
empathic thought. Coaxing people
into using more of their analytic
brain and thought processes
seems to lead to decreased belief
in a higher power, and vice versa.
(Damage to analytic parts of
the brain also seems linked to a
boosted sense of mysticism.)
“It’s not clear if being more or
less critical-analytic is a better or
worse thing,” cautions Andrew
Newberg, a Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital neuroscientist
and pioneer in neurotheology, the
study of the links between religious
experiences and the brain.
On June 6 President Yoweri Museveni gave the State of the Nation. Address.

June. 14 - 20 2019
 News analysis Health Business
Smoke of secrecy over Type 2 diabetes and Industrial growth vs
medical marijuana high- intensity exercise environmental protection

Issue No. 575 June. 07 - 13 2019

Ushs 5,000,Kshs 200, RwF 1,500, SDP 8

Museveni’s election money

Is raiding the budget better than printing it?

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Letters are Museveni tells off the Opposition

Refer to: “Museveni tells would be off the street and prosperity; unless of course
welcome ! off the Opposition” (The we would appreciate that the opposition leaders use
The Editor welcomes short and
Independent online June 07). they can handle the bigger it to blackmail government
concise letters from our esteemed Tell them Mr. President. You one; government. The Holy to giving them money not
readers on topical issues. Please have actually read my mind. Bible also says that be faith- earned for and later cry over
send them to: If only opposition leaders ful with the little and you corruption in government.
The Editor, The Independent had model farms or firms to will be made custodian of
Publications Ltd, employ just 10 jobless Ugan- the many. This is not time Charles Muhigirwa
P.O Box 3304,
Plot 82/84 Kanjokya St, dans each, more than 45,000 for politicking but national
Kamwokya.
Kampala,Uganda.

Take Uganda, Uganda and Rwanda’s

Email: editor@independent.co.ug
Nice move on street children
The Ministry of Gender, Labour and
Social Development’s new multi-pronged
approach to permanently get children off
Uganda’s streets is a very good idea. The
Shs3.4 billion that has been invested into the
new operations by the Ministry is equally
good but money won’t help unless we deal
with corruption. These children are just
trafficked from their areas of residence;
meaning there are big people mastermind-
ing this business. First finding out these
human traffickers will make it easier to
eradicate this vice. The Shs41,000 fine on
anyone caught giving street children food
and money is also a fair punishment. But we
are forgetting our feelings when we see these
hungry children. This is where we all need
to work a lot together and not let the gov-
ernment act alone. The heart of parenthood
is normal, but we should always consider
the outcomes of whatever actions we do. We
should support government policy but the
police should place emphasis on the parents
of these children. In most cases they work
with them or send them alone because, as
adults, they are expected to be working and
not begging. They should not dodge their
responsibility.
Kevin Seguya
kelvinsegz@gmail.com
Museveni’s GDP figures
Refer to: “Uganda’s per capital income
up” (The Independent Online June 06). Are
President Yoweri Museveni’s Gross Domes-
tic Product (GDP) per capita figures correct-
ed for inflation? For me, I would rather earn
$100 in 1986 than $200 in 2019.
Rwanda to EAC
Refer to: “Uganda and Rwanda’s
slippery slope: Why the current situation
between Kampala and Kigali needs
to be deescalated before it leads to
disaster” (The Independent May 31).
Over the years, Uganda and Rwanda had
everything to show other regional and
Great Lakes states and far reaching East
African Community that they are the
cause to believing that peace is possible
at all levels. Now, with the two heads
of states at loggerheads, no one seems
to understand that the protagonists in
peace building and leaders with wealth of
experience in internal conflicts can engage
in this mouse and cat game. Interestingly,
President Yoweri Museveni has been a
little reserved and it appears he is more
of strategic rather than provocative. On
the other hand, President Paul Kagame
seems to be so bothered by such silence
and doing all it takes to break the silence
of his counterparts.
Deservingly, the two leaders are widely
known for their patriotic legacy in their
countries. If there is war to be, then the
ugly truth shall be well understood and
Ugandans and Rwandans will be told the
truth hidden behind the two leaders. As
a Ugandan, I feel our territorial sovereign
integrity and freedom must be upheld
and respected by all regional states and if
Kagame feels aggrieved, then he should
take it to the platform for which he
leads; the East African Community, for
redress. He should not take unfettered
discretionary powers vested in his
presidential immunity to kill Ugandans
from their home soil.
slippery slope
Refer to: “Uganda and Rwanda’s slippery
slope: Why the current situation between
Kampala and Kigali needs to be deescalated
before it leads to disaster” (The Independent
May 31). It gets more bizarre when you state
that the facts do not really matter. The con-
flict has exposed the two leaders for exactly
what they stand for. Pawning the lives of
their citizens into senseless and endless con-
flicts for all the time they have been in pow-
er. It is such an unfortunate stroke of bad
luck to be a poor country that prides itself in
being a natural arbiter in this conflict prone
Great Lakes Region. Eventually you become
part of the problem-in the wider scheme of
things. The Rwandese have a reason to be
jittery. But for a war to erupt- far from it As
patriotic citizens the death of the two people
should be highly condemned – the elites do
not appreciate the situation of the poor try-
ing to eke a living illicitly in a border area.
Godfrey Kambere
Banning churches,
mosques in schools
Refer to: “Education ministry bans con-
struction of churches, mosques in public
schools” (The Independent Online June 10).
For me the problem is not solved by this ban.
Actually, the issue is about dialogue and
understanding the role of religious leader-
ship in our education system. I sometimes
don’t understand how our leaders reason.
If our country is Godly; let’s not borrow
from secular countries where religion is not
respected. In fact, Government should be
constructing these places of worship so that
the boundaries are clear.

Paul Muwanga Adrhis Lamster Oyang Rev. Innocent Mark Nabimanya

8 June. 14 - 20 2019

Museveni’s state of nation speech
By Andrew M. Mwenda
Why, in spite of our continued poverty, there is good
reason to celebrate our gains as we plan ahead
L
ast week, President Yoweri Museveni
gave his State of the Nation (SOTN)
speech. He gave interesting facts
about Uganda’s economy, which
many of our “intellectuals” deny. Between
1986 and 2015 (when I have reliable data),
Uganda’s economy grew at an annual
average rate of 6.92%. Given that population
growth has been 3.3% over the same period,
per capita output has grown at an average
annual rate of 3.62%. This is an excellent
performance by both contemporary and
historical standards.
Some Ugandans have argued that this
rate of growth is below our country’s
potential. One economist has even
wondered why we should be celebrating
6.92% growth when that is considered
slow-down in China. But surely, should
every good runner be judged by the
standards of Usain Bolt? Should we
consider Mo Salah a poor player because
he has not reached the heights of Messi
and Ronaldo? In any case, what is in
Uganda’s potential that would have made
our country perform better than China in
economic growth rates?
Nearly all the rich countries of today
are rich not because they grew fast but
because they grew slowly and steadily
over a very long period of time, lasting
generations. For instance, the USA has
one of the highest per capita GDP in the
world. But its annual average rate growth
rate between 1900 and 2000 was only
2%. Between 1913 and 2012 (a whole 100
years), average annual GPD per capita
growth of Europe was 1.6%. Ugandans
are asking their country to perform
miracles. It is good for us to aspire to
have per capita income growth of 10%
over 100 years. But such aspiration in
very unrealistic since no country has
ever performed such a feat. The lesson
is simple but fundamental: there are no
shortcuts to development.
The best measure for Uganda is
to look at its position in global and
regional rankings; both historical and
contemporary. Between 1986 and 2015,
Uganda was the 17th fastest growing
economy in the world, 4th in Africa. If we
exclude mineral rich countries from the
sample (for the simple reason that they
are enjoying God’s or nature’s bounty),
The Last Word
it is 11th globally, first in Africa. Without
having to repeat Museveni’s speech,
the geographical context of Uganda in a
troubled region makes this achievement
remarkable.
Historically, few countries have
sustained the GDP and per capita GDP
growth that Uganda has enjoyed over
30 years. Only West Germany after
World War Two did an average of 3.8%
in per capita income growth over 30
years. Uganda is beaten by the Asian
economies, which averaged 5.6% between
1960 and 1990. But this is largely on
account of our exceptionally high rates of
population growth. If we had averaged
2% population growth rates as Asian
nations did, our per capita growth would
have been 5%.
Yet in spite of her impressive
performance, Uganda is still extremely
poor. With a per capita GDP of $724, we
are among the bottom poorest countries
in the world, 176th out of 187 countries in
the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
rankings in nominal dollars. However,
when measured using Purchasing Power
Parity (PPP), which Museveni wrongly
called a “shortcut” during SOTN, our per
capita output is $2,500 and our rank is
159th out of 187 countries.
In fact, using nominal dollars to
calculate a nation’s income is lazy. Just
imagine a person earning $1,000 in
Kampala and another earning the same
amount in New York. On the face value
of the dollar bills (which economists
call “nominal”), the two earn the same
income. But when it comes to the basket
of goods and services the same dollars
can buy in Kampala and in New York, it
is different.
One way of expressing this is to say
that the cost of living in Kampala is
lower than in New York i.e. most of the
things a person needs to live on (like
paying rent, buying food, hiring a maid
at home etc., renting a boda, eating in
fancy restaurants, getting a haircut,
consulting a doctor, etc. are much cheaper
in Kampala than in New York. When we
convert $1,000 at market exchange rates, a
Ugandan earning Shs3.8 million can buy
much more than his/her counterpart in
New York.
opinion
Thus, according to the latest IMF
estimate, one dollar in Uganda has a
purchasing power of $3.45 in America. So,
if we take a basket of goods and services
that people buy, prices would be the same
in Uganda and America if the exchange
rate were Shs1,100 to the US dollar. This
is, therefore, the “correct” exchange rate
that should inform our calculations.
PPP is a more reliable estimate because
Ugandans spend their income in Uganda
and on things whose prices are really low.
Market exchange rates are volatile.
For instance, about two months ago, the
exchange rate of the shilling to the U.S.
dollar fell from Shs3,800 to Shs 3,500 i.e.
by about 7%. That is big, but did it really
change much in the prices Ugandans
pay for most of the things they depend
on the live – food, transport, medicines,
haircuts, school fees etc.? Today, it has
again appreciated to Shs3,780 without
significantly impacting prices of most of
the goods and services that Ugandans
spent on. The advantage of PPP is that
it is much more stable than market
exchange rates and deals with values as
opposed to prices.
As a caveat, I am aware that there are
many weaknesses with the PPP method,
which I should not delve into because
they will divert us unnecessarily. Suffice
it to say that some economists give PPP
a margin of error to the tune of 5-10%
and sometimes more. Yet even with all
its weaknesses, PPP is not a shortcut as
Museveni said. It is a much more realistic
measurement than nominal dollars.
To illustrate this point further, if
Uganda ended its absurd tax claims on oil
companies, and let them move towards
the Final Investment Decision (FID), that
will ensure an influx of huge volumes of
dollars into the country. This investment
will be to the tune of US$12 to 15 billion.
Even with high import content, such
investment can appreciate the value of
the shilling to $2,700 to the dollar. Hence
even without changing anything on the
ground, our per capita GPD in Uganda
would rise from the current $724 to $1,018
i.e. we would achieve the proverbial
“middle income status.”
amwenda@independent.co.ug
June. 14 - 20 2019 9
COVER STORY

Museveni
locks
out oil
investors
It’s Total disaster

10 June. 14 - 20 2019

President Museveni (C), Energy Minister Irene Muloni (R) Total SA’s Patrick Pouyanne (L) and other officials.   NET PHOTO
U
By Haggai Matsiko
ganda’s oil sector has be
thrown into another toss
up after President Yoweri
Museveni cancelled a highly
anticipated meeting on June
05 between him and oil pro-
duction company executives; The Independent
can exclusively report.
The meeting was to be a follow up of one
on April 29 that went badly as the oil execu-
tives attempted to squeeze a breakthrough
from Museveni but he left them empty
handed and, according to highly placed
sources, pushed hopes of Uganda’s first oil
farther.
Museveni’s cancellation sinks any hope
of early or easy resolution of disagreements.
According to insiders, it shows Museveni is
still seething from the outcome of the April
29 meeting.
At the meeting, the oil executives wanted
Museveni to direct URA on what to do to
resolve a tax dispute. But Museveni report-
edly insisted the oil firms had to go and
resolve the issue with URA not him. At that
point, one of the oil executives reportedly
bluntly told Museveni that, in that case, there
would be no movement.
By no movement, the oil executive meant
the company would freeze its activities in
Uganda. It appears this did not go well with
Museveni and the meeting reportedly ended
prematurely.
At the centre of the disagreement between
Museveni and the oil companies are several
issues including; new regulations for mid-
stream activities that include processing,
storing, marketing, and transport the oil.
There are potentially lucrative deals in this
sector, which the oil companies are anxious
to retain but the government insists it must
be a player. The other point of disagreement
COVER STORY
is over recoverable tax costs that the oil com-
panies are claiming, and Capital Gains Tax
(CGT) that the government wants.
Initially, the CGT dispute was over a
US$167 million (Approx. Shs625 billion) bill
that the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA)
slapped on Tullow for its sale announced in
January 2017 of US$ 900 worth of assets to
Total E&P and the Chinese oil firm CNOOC.
Tullow had refused any of it insisting given
the costs it had incurred, the cost didn’t
arise—sparking a stalemate.
But since Total and CNOOC want to
move on to the next stage; the Final Invest-
ment Decision (FID) into production with
even bigger money at stake, they offered to
clear the US$82 million in dispute and got
Tullow to offer the remaining $ 85 million.
However, they also offered tough condi-
tions, which URA has refused to accept and
it appears Museveni has now also rejected.
The June 05 was seen as an opportunity to
June. 14 - 20 2019 11
news analysis
push the past behind and move on.
Museveni instead fired off a letter to Total
E&P, the oil giant leading negotiations on
the side of the oil companies, indicating that
he rejected all their demands and, therefore,
there was no point of meeting. By presstime,
it wasn’t clear how the negotiations would
move forward.
President Museveni has remained over-
ly cautious at every point in the journey
towards Uganda becoming an oil produc-
ing. This could be partly because of lessons
learned from elsewhere—where poor deci-
sion making around oil extraction has hurt
more than developed economies. He is also
surrounded by technocrats who appear
keen to squeeze out the best deal for the
country.
The hardball stance has strong backers;
especially at the Petroleum Authority of
Uganda (PAU), the Ministry of Energy, and
taxman, URA.
But it frustrates oil companies which are
equally looking for the best deal, and the
Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC),
who partly owing to their business
approach, want the government to get the
oil cash now and invest it in other ventures
to make even more money.
Indeed, when the UNOC boss, Jose-
phine Wapakabulo, announced early May
that she would quit the job within three
months, some cited frustrations surround-
ing delayed decision-making.
Pro-business experts warn that Uganda
is also discouraging future investors with
its decision gridlock. Indeed, the last time
the country put up fresh oil blocks for
exploration in 2016, it only attracted small
and in some cases dubious companies.
Some pessimists insist more exploration
blocks offered last year could equally suf-
fer.
Uganda first discovered commercially
viable quantities of oil—now totaling 6.5
billion barrels with over one billion of these
recoverable—in 2006 but delays in estab-
lishing the necessary laws and institutions,
erecting the requisite infrastructure, dis-
agreement over route to production, and
major tax wrangles have delayed the start
of production for 13 years now.
The government’s failure to resolve
disputes quickly delays the FID by oil
companies. This in turn delays everything
else—the oil pipeline through Tanzania, the
refinery, and all the critical works on the oil
fields.
Last year, the hope was that the investors
would reach FID in the first quarter of this
year. But going by what is happening, it
will take a miracle to reach FID this year.
That is why Museveni’s cancelling this cru-
cial meeting is a major setback.
Big money at stake
A 2017 internal study commissioned by
local office of the UK Charity, Oxfam, titled
12 June. 14 - 20 2019
Securing a Fair Share of Ugandan Oil Reve-
nues: A Revenue Risk Assessment Focused on
TOTAL SA concluded that while Uganda
has already demonstrated a strong com-
mitment to protect its revenue interests
during the exploration phase, mega risks
lay ahead. Uganda won the Capital Gains
Tax dispute with Heritage, the stamp tax
dispute with TOTAL. It has also reviewed
Double Tax Agreements, and its Office of
the Auditor General has done recovery cost
audits.
But the money in the next phase, the
development phase, the study noted, will
dwarf those of the exploration phase.
Oxfam, which is headed by Winnie
Byanyima; a Ugandan, did not stop at com-
missioning this study—it shared findings
with Museveni and his army of technocrats
at Finance, Energy and even URA, insiders
say. A source who attended one such meet-
ing at State House Entebbe said the Presi-
dent couldn’t stop taking notes.
“Many hundreds of millions of dollars
are at stake,” an Oxfam study noted, add-
ing that Uganda faces major revenue loss
risks through treaty shopping, the mispric-
ing of oil sales, the inflation of project costs
and potential profit shifting to the pipeline.
Josephine Wapakabulo CEO UNOC Ernerst Rubondo ED PAU
And it appears officials are keen to limit
these potential leaks.
President Museveni firmly belongs in the
camp that plays hardball in negotiations.
And the situation is not helped by the lead
negotiator for the oil executives, Patrick
Pouyanne, the Total SA chief executive.
Pouyanne has built his executive manage-
ment reputation around one issue; cutting
costs.
Within Total, Pouyanne has built his
career partly by cutting costs.
Since he took over in 2014, Pouyanne has
elevated the company’s financial perfor-
mance, partly through cost cutting. Given
this, Pouyanne is not likely to be any softer
on any of these issues that rotate around
costs of the oil projects.
Total E&P, has already sued over order
a government order (statutory instrument)
seeking to control key decisions on mid-
stream activities; including over the $ 3.55
billion East African Crude Oil Pipeline
(EACOP). Total E&P is the main investor in
the pipeline.
Total E&P sees these new rules as regu-
latory overreach partly because they grant
government more control on the costs of
midstream infrastructure, specifically, in
the case of the French oil giant, the costs of
the pipeline.
However, the Midstream Act empowers
government to approve the pipeline tariff
(now set about $ 12.7 per barrel of oil) and
Museveni’s technocrat see this as a basis to
have a say on the investment costs of the
EACOP. Apart from this, experts say since
government will own a stake in the pipe-
line, it has fair ground to claim a say on the
costs as these have a bearing on the com-
mercial viability of the project. That fight is
still raging. Insiders say negotiations could
soon resolve it.
Fight over taxes
But at another level, government and oil
companies are involved in hot exchange
over three tax issues.
One, government insists Total E&P
cannot deduct tax costs worth over $600
million arising from the Tullow oil farmout
deal. The URA and officials at the Energy
Robert Kasande PS Energy
Ministry cite the tax laws to insist that
Tullow Oil had already booked the same
as losses and as such these cannot be trans-
ferred.
Apparently, according to the law,
these losses can only be inherited if the
buying company is buying shares. Total
and CNOOC are not buying shares—they
are buying assets. The companies are also
insisting that they are incurring these costs
and therefore, they should be treated as
tax losses the same way they were treated
under Tullow.
Two, government insists the companies
should pay income tax on first oil, meaning
immediately oil starts flowing. This stems
from a 2017 amendment of Income Tax Act.
As a result of this amendment, government
demands that oil companies pay income tax
immediately oil starts flowing. Ordinarily,
income taxes are imposed on profits, experts
say. According to Production Sharing Agree-
ments (PSAs), oil companies are supposed to

start paying such taxes after recovering their
costs, which according to some estimates
could be in like six years of steady oil pro-
duction.
Experts say that companies in other sec-
tors are allowed a full deduction of their
business costs in determining their income
tax liability. They argue that denying oil
companies full deduction of their annual
business expenses, as government seeks
to do, is contrary to normal principles of
income taxation.
Three, the government wants the pipe-
line holding company, the Special Purpose
Vehicle (SPV) for the pipeline, which will be
registered in the UK to be a tax resident in
Uganda, where it will have to pay taxes on
its operations.
On top of this, government wants the
same company to pay withholding tax (15
%) on dividends before they are paid to the
UK Company. The companies are saying
no.
This is all part of on-going negotiations for
the Host Government Agreements (HGA).
The oil companies have to enter HGAs
with both Uganda and Tanzania, where the
biggest portion of the pipeline passes all the
way to the coast in Tanga. The agreements
spell out obligations of the two governments
and the oil companies, amongst others.
Insiders tell The independent that the mat-
ters before court case could be resolved soon.
But the tax issues could drag on because
they are many and have long term impact.
Details of main dispute
The main disagreements, which needs to
be resolved with the oil companies stems
from Total E&P and CNOOC’s purchase of
majority of Tullow’s stake in Uganda’s oil
fields.
The trio control 100% of Uganda’s oil
fields currently under development; initially
with 33% each for Tullow, CNOOC, and
Total.
Tullow’s share was cut in January 2017
when it offered 21.57 % of its share for sale.
Initially, the deal was to sale to Total E&P;
however, CNOOC insisted on its rights and
they shared the Tullow offer 50/50. That left
Tullow with 11% of the oil fields.
At this stage, however, another challenge
appeared. Since Tullow would stop operat-
ing its assets; the question arose around who
would operate these assets.
This became contentious because, since
Tullow first negotiated with it, Total E&P
had already integrated these assets into its
bigger project also known as Tilenga.
But CNOOC again insisted on its rights
until President Museveni intervened and
offered CNOOC another deal—an explora-
tion block. That got them to surrender the
operatorship to Total E&P. Then the dispute
over a $ 167 million tax bill emerged. This
too appeared resolved in January.
Insiders say both government and the oil
companies were in the midst of concluding
documentation on how this $ 82 million
(exgratia pay) would be treated when yet
another huddle emerged.
The oil companies want to inherit Tullow
oil’s recoverable costs. Most importantly,
this means that if Total and CNOOC start
making income, they would not be charged
tax until all these costs are deducted. The
government has refused this position.
Museveni brings optimism
As the negotiation, posturing, and court
cases rage, President Museveni and execu-
tives of oil companies are keeping their cards
close to their chests. But industry observers
news analysis
are reading into anything they can find to
give a sense of the direction of things.
So when on June 6 while reading the state
of the nation address President Museveni
said the commencement of oil and gas pro-
duction and work on the oil pipeline and the
refinery “will be starting soon”, it was seen
as a hint of optimism.
The President also said that work on
three key oil roads-- Karugutu-Ntoroko and
Kabwoya-Buhuka (98km), Masindi-Biso;
Hohwa-Nyarongwa-Kyarusheshe-Butore
and Kabale-Kiziramfumbi, and Lusali-
ra-Nkonge (97km), would commence in the
new financial year.
Stakes are high. Uganda’s ability to dig
itself out of the current debt hole and guar-
antee future economic growth prospects
have been pegged on activating oil invest-
ments by the World Bank, International
Monitory Fund (IMF) and the officials at the
Finance Ministry.
Indeed in the state of the nation address,
President Museveni cited the commence-
ment of oil as part of the basis for the
country’s “very positive” economic growth
outlook.
Despite economic growth picking up
from 4.5% in 2016 to 6% since last year, it can
only be sustained and possibly improved
by the expected dividend from oil related
investments; in infrastructure projects like
oil roads, pipelines, refinery, and other oil
processing facilities. This could gradu-
ally bring in some estimated $ 20 billion
(Approx. Shs75 trillion). While the oil
companies will be the spenders, they also
stand to make a big chunk of their money
in this phase as some of the work will be
subcontracted to their sister companies.
Continued delays, therefore, hurt both
these companies and the country.
June. 14 - 20 2019 13
NEWS ANALYSIS

Besigye
gives
opposition
pain
But does his defiance
hurt help FDC or IPOD?
By Agather Atuhaire

L
ydia Wanyoto knows how to kill boredom
and keep stress away. Dance. And she did
exactly that on May 20 at the Protea Hotel
in Entebbe when President Yoweri Musev-
eni kept delegates to the 2nd Summit of the Inter-
party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) waiting
for over 10 hours.
Wanyoto took to dancing when the summit
failed to start as scheduled at 9.30am. Most leaders
of political parties represented in parliament and
organisers from the IPOD secretariat arrived
promptly by 8am. They included the holder of the
rotational chair of the summit, Norbert Mao of the
Democratic Party (DP), Jimmy Akena of the Uganda
Peoples Congress (UPC), and Kibirige Mayanja;
from the Justice Forum party (JEEMA), and their
delegations. Wanyoto was on Museveni’s team.
But where the other delegates yawned, cursed,
and loafed around, Wanyoto danced.
Eventually, President Museveni arrived
past 6pm and the meeting started at
6.48pm. It ended at 11.30pm.
Museveni’s late coming has now
become another headache for IPOD.
The biggest opposition party, the
Forum for Democratic Change (FDC),
which is next in line to hold the rotational IPOD
Summit chair, is citing it as one of the reasons why
holding any dialogue with Museveni and NRM is
pointless. “What does it help us, for example, to go
and sit and wait for Museveni for hours?” says Patrick
Oboi Amuriat. Not that FDC would have been keen
to attend the next IPOD summit if Museveni arrived
promptly. The FDC had already boycotted the May
20 summit any way. And it had boycotted the first

14 June. 14 - 20 2019

IPOD Summit in November last year. In
fact, Amuriat was trying to explain to The
Independent why they keep boycotting the
summits when he spoke against Museveni’s
late coming.
Amuriat says FDC party officials have
decided to stop wasting their time since it is
clear that there is no willingness on the part
of NRM to remove the sticking issues.
“We as FDC can’t go into a time wasting
venture,” Amuriat says, “We get into
activities that are of direct benefit to us
as a party and we don’t think there can
be a meaningful dialogue in this kind of
environment. Our argument is why go for
dialogue when there are things that need to
be corrected first that the other party isn’t
willing to correct.”
He adds: “You can imagine today we are
teargassed and tomorrow we are expected to
sit and discuss with our tormentor!”
Besigye, who is the de facto leading
ideologue of FDC, while appearing on
NTV’s `On the Spot Show’ on May 30 also
said that IPOD is meaningless.
The conditions the FDC officials, Besigye
and Amuriat talk of include the curtailing
of their assemblies and arrest of its officials
among others.
They point at how state security personnel
have dragged FDC officials and Besigye,
who is its former president, out of several
radio stations in various parts of the country;
including in Kabale, Jinja and Mubende.
The security agents and NRM officials
routinely switch off transmitters of radios
that dare host Besigye. Many radio stations
are threatened with being switched off if
they hosted Besigye or other FDC officials.
This is sometimes followed by arrests of
Besigye and other FDC officials; including
Amuriat, in various parts of the country
where they have attempted to hold public
allies.
FDC will not `beg’ from Museveni
The question many people ask is why
FDC leaders do not use the IPOD Summit
as an opportunity to sit across the table with
President Museveni and pin him face-to-face
on these issues?
Amuriat says that would be begging
and the FDC does not need to beg for their
inherent rights from Museveni. According to
him, belonging to an opposition, holding a
political rally, or airing political opinions are
inherent rights of citizens which Museveni
and NRM are trampling.
“We are not going to negotiate for our
inherent rights. The NRM doesn’t give these
rights to us as a favour. In any case, we have
written to IPOD in respect of our concerns
before the first summit meeting but no one
has bothered to respond to our issues.”
Some people agree with the FDC position,
among them Godber Tumushabe, the
respected political pundit who is the director
of an NGO; the Great Lakes Institute for
studies (GLISS). Tumushabe says the FDC is
right to protest the violation of its rights by
the NRM government.
“I believe in dialogue but I fully
understand the grievances of FDC,” he told
The Independent, “What is important, to
take the dialogue forward, is to address the
FDC’s grievances.”
Like Amuriat, Tumushabe says
compliance with the law is not something to
negotiate about. they failed to take their electoral reform
When IPOD was mooted in 2010 by
the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty
Democracy (NIMD), the idea was to
promote dialogue and reduce animosity
between Uganda’s political parties. The
organisation had observed that the political
party system in Uganda is characterised by
mistrust and antagonism between the ruling
National Resistance Movement (NRM) party
and the opposition parties.
But the persistent boycott of the IPOD
Summit meetings by the biggest opposition
political party, FDC, now threatens that
agenda.
The summit meeting of May 20 was the
second the FDC has shunned saying that
the conditions that prevented the party from
attending the first summit in December 2018
had not changed.
“My view is that IPOD is a non-starter,”
says Besigye, “It will never achieve what it
thought it would achieve.”
IPOD future uncertain
The future of IPOD is possibly at stake.
While NIMD might not be shaken because
it has programmes in 18 countries across
Eastern Europe, the Arab World, South Asia,
Latin America, and seven other African
countries, IPOD needs FDC’s endorsement
for credibility.
For example, one of the major points
agreed at the Entebbe Summit is that the
government of Uganda shall increase
funding to political parties and IPOD from
the current Shs10 billion to Shs35 billion in
financial year 2019/2020.
Up to 15% of this money; about Shs5
billion, will go to IPOD. The balance will
be shared by all parties in parliament. Each
party will get an equal share on one portion
and another portion will be distributed
based on numerical strength in parliament.
The leaders of opposition parties will also
get a specific sum based on numerical
strength in parliament. NIMD will also give
parties about Shs1 billion. But IPOD does
not look good to be handling this money
when one of the biggest players discredits
the IPOD process.
Already, the other reason FDC gives for
shunning IPOD meetings is that they are not
binding on any of the parties and, therefore,
are a complete waste of time.
“Their resolutions lack the force of
law. We don’t want to waste our time on
things that will not be implemented,” says
NEWS ANALYSIS
Amuriat, “If we already see that there is no
goodwill to implement what is agreed upon;
why should we continue wasting our time?
For us as FDC we want to spend our time
more meaningfully.”
Tumushabe again agrees with Amuriat
that IPOD is not very helpful.
“I have reservations about IPOD too and
if you want to understand how unhelpful
IPOD is, you need to remember that
proposals to Parliament yet they constitute
parliament,” he says.
But some analysts say FDC’s position is
a total misconception of IPOD’s mandate
and objectives. They say FDC is demanding
negotiations when IPOD was set up as a
platform for interparty dialogue. They cite
the FDC’s insistence that there cannot be any
meaningful dialogue if it excludes the issue
of transition of power from Museveni to
another leader as insistence on negotiation.
Frank Rusa, IPOD’s Secretary General,
shares this view.
“I am afraid these parties do not
understand the objectives of IPOD,” he
told The Independent in an interview, “A
dialogue is not a negotiation where some
form of settlement is expected to be arrived
at. It is just a conversation to moot ideas on
how to change the political environment.”
He explained that the purpose of IPOD is
to promote constructive engagement and to
strengthen multipartism.
“But it seems the FDC wants to have their
own agenda because I saw Besigye on TV
talking about issues like who is in charge
of the negotiations and things like that,” he
said.
Tumushabe says Rusa’s view reinforces
his view that IPOD is not really helpful.
He dismisses Rusa’s explanation of IPOD’s
reason to exist.
“I find this argument lazy,” he says, “that
IPOD is a platform where people meet and
have coffee and talk about themselves and
then what?”
Such views from political analysts are
weighing heavily on the future direction of
IPOD.
In its internal mid-term review done in
2013, IPOD showed awareness that there
are feelings of frustration over its failure to
change the broader political environment.
The report predicted that failure to get the
political players to dialogue could make
IPOD lose momentum to carry on its
mission.
The report noted: “It seems unlikely that
any of the political parties will leave the
forum, and thus bring an end to multi-party
dialogue, but there does appear to be a
danger that it could lose momentum unless
it can find ways of showing progress”.
With FDC persistently boycotting the
IPOD Summits, pressure is mounting on
IPOD to do something to change that.
June. 14 - 20 2019 15
NEWS ANALYSIS
Museveni using IPOD
Analysts say IPOD is
currently thriving on a think
lifeline thrown at it by President
Museveni because of his own
political agenda. Museveni
has previously also shunned
IPOD meeting, preferring the
NRM secretary general to be
the lead person. Now, however,
Museveni needs the support of
other political party leaders to
collectively block the emergence
of powerful political players
outside of political parties;
the so-called independents.
Museveni is battling the growth
of the bloc of independent
MPs in parliament and the
emergence of popular musician
Bobi Wine (real name Robert
Ssentamu Kyagulanyi), who is
MP for Kyadondo East.
Bobi has already declared
intention to run against
Museveni in the 2021
presidential election. Since Bobi
Wine is not shackled by party
rules, the restrictions imposed
by the current legal regime
which disadvantages opposition
political parties and favours
NRM appear not to completely
affect him. He acts on personal
whims, without known
organisational backing, and is
loose cannon. Yet Bobi Wine,
together with Besigye and FDC
generally appear to be setting
the political agenda.
For example, independent
candidates will now be
required to resign from any
political party 12 months prior
to general elections, and they
will be required to go through
the tough task of collecting
signatures of endorsers from
their electoral areas while
candidates backed by parties are
exempted.
The push for the repeal or at
least review the Public Order
Management Act (POMA)
which is sometimes interpreted
to give the police discretionary
powers to deny opposition
parties, especially Bobi Wine,
Besigye, and FDC their right to
assemble also remained top of
the agenda.
Reforms of this law have been
discussed at the two summit
meetings and regulations agreed
but it remains to be seen if they
will be implemented.
Despite all the tough talking,
the FDC appears to be holding
16 June. 14 - 20 2019
the aces. The party leaders in
Entebbe, for example, resolved
that “securing FDC attendance
at IPOD must be a top priority
ahead of the next Summit”.
That might not be easy
because FDC appears to
have calculated their boycott
carefully. The FDC officials
attend attend other activities
of IPOD; including the IPOD
Council meetings and various
training activities. The FDC’s
decision to shun IPOD summit
meetings has, therefore, left
many people confused.
Rusa says FDC’s stance
could be perceived as double
standards.
“The council of secretaries
general is where most of the
(L-R) Norbert Mao, Kibirige Mayanja, President Museveni and Jimmy Akena
at the IPOD Summit in Entebbe on May 20.   COURTESY PHOTO
business happens and in the
council FDC has been very well
represented at this level and the
decisions taken to the summit
had the input of FDC,” he says.
Rusa also says FDC’s stance
is causing conflict with other
parties.
“I think the challenge FDC is
facing is the political pressure
that they might be seen as a
sellout if they talk to Museveni,”
he says.
That could be indirect
reference to FDC president,
Amuriat, because Besigye who
is the most outspoken against
meeting with Museveni, is not
party president and, therefore,
cannot be in the IPOD Summit.
Rusa is right; however, about
the FDC decision is pitting FDC
against other opposition parties.
At the May 20 summit meeting,
DP’s Nobert Mao called FDC
out for what he called “ playing
politics of pretense”.
“Why would one be
uncomfortable with partaking of
a meal one has participated fully
in preparing?” Mao said, “We
call upon our colleagues who
have consistently denounced
IPOD Summit meetings simply
because they feel that sitting
in a meeting with President
Museveni waters down their
image as an opposition party to
change their attitude.”
Even Citizens Coalition for
Electoral Democracy (CCEDU)
coordinator Crispin Kaheru
calls the non-attendance of FDC
political posturing.
“Why does FDC lend
credence to background IPOD
processes and then posture
when it comes to summits?” he
asks. Kaheru says FDC’s absence
from IPOD has the overall effect
of benefiting Museveni and
NRM.
“Of course NRM is going
into IPOD with purely vested
interests; to finish off the
opposition, to obtain an extra
lease of life and to galvanise
parties against independents,
their particular target being Bobi
Wine.”
But some analysts say
although FDC officials do not
want to sit at the same table
with President Museveni, they
attend other IPOD activities
because FDC wants to enjoy the
benefits of participating in other
IPOD activities. IPOD gives
both financial and logistical
support to the parties in terms
of institution building and
conflict resolution. In any case,
NIMD in Uganda works rough
IPOD works in two ways; by
facilitating dialogue between
the parties represented in
parliament, and secondly by
supporting parties to develop
organisational skills under
the Political Party Capacity
Strengthening Project (PPCSP)
started this year.
Amuriat explains there are
some activities of IPOD that
FDC values; for instance the
trainings, and strengthening
capacity of party staff.
“But once we see that a
program doesn’t suit our needs,
we don’t participate in it,” he
says.
Strangely, the FDC
supported the establishment
of IPOD saying it would be
an opportunity for opposition
party leaders to talk to Museveni
directly. But they appear to want
him to behave as the chairman
of NRM and not as President of
Uganda on IPOD activities.
Many say this objective
has so far not been achieved.
Tumushabe says Museveni
comes to the summit as
President of Uganda. That is
why he arrives hours late for the
meeting and the others have to
sit and wait for him.
But Tumushabe also sees
Besigye as a problem.
“There is the internal
governance structure in FDC;
where Besigye still wields
influence and his views on
dialogue are clear; he doesn’t
trust Museveni as a person,” he
says, “So I think the FDC has
to align its decisions with those
of Besigye and his people’s
government.”
Rusa meanwhile is confident
the misunderstandings will be
resolved.
“The missing of FDC in
these meetings does not
spell doom for IPOD,” he
told The Independent, “It is
just a challenge and it is not
insurmountable. So I don’t share
the general sentiment that this
is the end of IPOD but I don’t
downplay it either.”
FDC is supposed to be the
next chair of the summit as
the position is rotational but
Amuriat has stood his ground.
“We are going to press for
better terms of engagement
before we participate in these
meetings. We will not assume
the chairmanship of the
summit before our issues are
addressed,” he says.

Janet Museveni Amelia Kyabadde
Women in power
Why cabinet matters more than parliament
By Melinda Adams & John Scherpereel
H
ow do we know whether women
are achieving equitable levels of
political representation? For many
years, scholars have focused on
women’s representation in legislatures.
But in many African states power is in fact
concentrated in the executive branch.
In most African countries heads of state
and cabinet ministers enjoy significant
discretion over resource distribution
and policy agendas. This means that it’s
important to pay close attention to who
holds executive posts when trying to
work out the role of women in a particular
country.
Ethiopia and Rwanda stand out head and
shoulders above other African countries.
Last year both appointed cabinets with 50%
women representation. This meant that they
joined eight other states in the world that
have achieved at least 50% women in the
cabinet.
Rwanda and Ethiopia have also received
attention for their gains in women’s
legislative representation. They rank
1st and 18th in the world for women’s
representation in national parliaments.
This makes it tempting to view women’s
legislative and cabinet representation as
linked or correlated. But the findings of a
paper we wrote with political economist
Suraj Jacob suggest it’s best to avoid making
this link. We found that African countries
with high levels of women’s legislative
representation didn’t necessarily have high
levels of women’s cabinet representation.
Our findings suggest that even in contexts
where pathways to women’s legislative
representation are blocked, there can still
be breakthroughs in women’s cabinet
representation. Such breakthroughs can
influence policies.
The top 10
Our study put together data on women’s
cabinet representation in all African
countries from 1979 to 2010. We also used
Irene Muloni Janat Balunzi Mukwaya
the International Parliamentary Union’s data
on women’s legislative representation in
African countries over that period.
In aggregate, we found that the trends
for legislators and cabinet members were
relatively similar. Women’s legislative
representation grew from a continent-wide
average of 7.2% in 1979 to 18% in 2009.
Women’s cabinet representation rose from
3.5% to 18.7% in 2009.
But the aggregated data masked
important country-level variation.
For each year from 1979 and 2009, we
compiled two “African top 10” lists. The
first list identified the 10 countries with the
highest percentages of women legislators.
The second list identified the 10 countries
with the highest shares of women cabinet
members. We found that just four countries
per year, on average, appeared on both lists.
The number of overlaps ranged from
two to six across the 16 examined years.
But updated data continue to demonstrate
such misfits. In 2017, for example, just four
countries – Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda,
and Namibia – appeared on both lists.
The inclusion of Ethiopia, which increased
women’s cabinet representation last year,
would still mean that only half of the
countries on the lists overlap.
In strong executive countries where
women’s legislative gains are not matched
by women’s cabinet gains, women MPs
are likely to encounter serious barriers. On
the other hand, women cabinet members
in strong executive countries with male-
dominated parliaments may be able to effect
significant change.
The case of Ghana
Our study took a close look at trends in
Ghana. The country is a laggard in women’s
legislative representation. But it has achieved
relatively high levels of women’s cabinet
representation. We believe that women’s
gains in parliament have been limited by
a number of factors. These include the
incremental change from military rule to
democracy as well as the legislative electoral
NEWS ANALYSIS
Mary Karooro
system.
In spite of this, women have had a
relatively strong presence in the Ghanaian
cabinet. There are numerous reasons for this.
Ghana’s constitution allows the president
to put together cabinets from up to 49% of
members who are not MPs. In addition,
the country’s repeated international
commitments to gender equality appear to
have influenced the appointment of women
cabinet ministers.
Ghana’s autonomous women’s movement
has used these commitments to pressure
presidents to include women on their
executive teams.
Significant policy implications
Political scientists Amy Atchison and Ian
Down have shown that women’s cabinet
presence matters. The larger the share of
ministerial seats that women control, the
more likely a state is to promote policies that
improve women’s lives. Atchison and Down
found that this effect is stronger than the
effect of women’s share of legislative seats.
We expect it to be stronger still in
cases where executive actors dominate
legislatures. In addition, the symbolic effect
of observing a female defence minister
directing a “sea of generals” can be
transformative.
That’s why keeping keep a close eye on
women’s inclusion in the executive branch is
important.
Recent data from across the continent
show an overall dip in women’s cabinet
representation. This suggests that while
cabinet seats have substantial political
upside, they may also be more tenuous
than legislative seats. Women’s legislative
gains are often locked in via quotas, but
women’s presence in cabinets is often tied
to the party in power and the leader of
the government.
Source: theconversation
June. 14 - 20 2019 17
NEWS ANALYSIS
A jovial Museveni during the State of the Nation Address
State of the Nation Address
An assessment of the President’s annual speech
By Ian Katusiime
A
lot has happened in the last
one year; the standoff between
Uganda and Rwanda has esca-
lated into a full-blown crisis and
there are fears over what could happen
anytime due to the tension at the com-
mon border.
Therefore many Ugandans expected
President Yoweri Museveni to hint about
the tiff the country has with its south-
eastern neighbour as he delivered his
annual State of the Nation Address. He,
however, did not.
It was a long three hour speech of diz-
zying statistical overload about econom-
ics, growth and projection. An analysis
of the speeches by Museveni in the last
few years shows a mix of monotony,
distractions and lofty promises and with
a strong focus on infrastructure and
growth of the economy.
For the average Ugandan and perhaps
those in the opposition, it was the same
story; a glossing over of events, a weak
hand on security and a fitful attempt to
18 June. 14 - 20 2019
deal with job creation and present an
impressive performance of the economy.
The president spoke with the feeling that
Ugandans do not appreciate his efforts.
“Those are the facts, you can go and
hang,” Museveni said cheekily as he
belted out some of the economic statis-
tics from his speech to the audience at
the Kampala Serena Hotel.
Museveni, however, found time to
elaborate on subjects he has been vocal
about lately like land fragmentation. He
lamented that land could be of no value
if the activity is unchecked. “The Idea
of land fragmentation is equivalent to
disabling the land. Land that could pro-
duce a lot for generations ago can now
barely produce anything because it has
been fragmented into small pieces. We’re
now having land with disabilities,” he
remarked.
And what is Museveni’s annual
address without touting economic per-
formance? The President stressed that
Uganda had grown its per capita income
faster than most European countries in
the last thirty years. Adding that Ugan-
da’s economy stands at Shs109trillion
($29.5 billion) in FY 2018/2019 with per
capita income at Shs3 million.
“Although this is below the level
required for the attainment of middle
income status, the renewed impetus of
the economy and the large economic
base being created will catapult the econ-
omy to prosperity within a short period
in the future,” he said.
Ordinarily, the State of the Nation
Address is the annual accountability
exercise from the Head of State with
each year bringing different expectations
from the public. And despite the weari-
ness of some of the public to a president
who has delivered it for 30 years, there is
still expectation from this speech.
Last year was no different as many
were disappointed by the manner in
which Museveni glossed over the then
state of the nation- one of fear caused by
the high profile shootings and the inces-
sant kidnappings, the latter happening
on a near daily basis.
Museveni revealed that the Allied
Defence Forces (ADF), a shadowy reb-

el group based in eastern Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC), was behind
the killings in Kampala in the last few
years. The statement, however, appeared
ironic since Museveni said the ADF were
in DRC being protected by the UN and
that if the ADF dared to re-enter Ugan-
da, they would be defeated.
In 2018, Museveni laid emphasis on
the wide reach of roads and electricity,
in typical Museveni fashion. “There is
tarmac connecting all border points from
Koboko to Kisoro,” he stated. In 2018,
Museveni surprised the audience when
he named a new committee to fight cor-
ruption which to some looked like a dis-
traction because of the tenuous security
situation in the country then.
This year, he reveled in the revival of
Uganda Airlines in addition to a total of
4,900 factories employing an estimated
700,000 people.
Some of the issues he addressed,
however, like government focusing on
ICT, services, industrialisation are car-
ried over from previous years. So is the
recapitalisation of Uganda Development
Bank (UDB), meant to give soft loans to
businesspeople in agriculture and those
in small industries. Museveni said UDB
has so far received Shs272billion; includ-
ing Shs53billion which came in this
financial year.
When The Independent interviewed
then UDB chairman, Samuel Sejaaka,
in 2017, he revealed that the bank had
received Shs39billion in total since the
first capital injections started coming in
in 2015.
At the end of his speech, Museveni
touched on another of his pet projects;
the East African Federation which he
said he was happy to champion with the
blessing of the current EAC chairman,
Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
It was surprising when Museveni
delved into political economic inte-
gration given that Kagame closed the
Rwandan border to Uganda and it is
now four months since. It was even more
surprising because the EAC is marking
the milestone of twenty years later this
year in November with the EAC in such
a fractured state.
The reactions to the speech reflected
a not so enthusiastic tone. Norbert Mao,
president general of Democratic Party,
commenting on the address joked that
Museveni had put his 2018 speech in
a microwave and served it for his 2019
edition.
Masaka Municipality MP Mathias
Mpuuga told journalists that the speech
was a “catalogue of selected lamenta-
tions.” This could be due to Museveni’s
persistent complaints about Uganda
importing a lot of items. The President
also complained about the lethargy of
government officials and in one particu-
lar example, the low voltage of electricity
which frustrated a new factory estab-
lished in Karamjoa sub-region.
NEWS ANALYSIS
2016 & 2017
Since his fifth term, President Musev-
eni has been kicking off his annual
address with one major topic like he did
with the economy last year and focusing
on it this year. In 2016, after facing a
grueling election and capping 30 years
in power, Museveni started off with a
lecture on democracy telling off those
agitating for political reforms in Uganda.
After a highly disputed election with his
main challenger Dr Kizza Besigye in jail,
Museveni said that he was not aware of
any society “more democratic” mention-
ing that Uganda has special representation
for the women, for the youth, the disabled,
the workers and soldiers. He added that
Uganda had MPs for vanishing tribes.
In 2017, Museveni’s address focused
on security concerns since a few months
before, AIGP Felix Kaweesi had been
killed outside his home in addition to
criminal gangs hacking residents of
Greater Masaka after dropping leaflets in
their homes. Lamenting on the absence
of CCTV cameras in towns and high-
ways, Museveni said it was difficult to
catch assassins by just depending on eye
witnesses.
In the same speech, Museveni rapped
the police for poor intelligence gathering
and protection of criminals, citing the
latter as a reason for the spike in crime.
June. 14 - 20 2019 19
NEWS ANALYSIS
By Andrew M. Mwenda
I
n February and March of
this year, I visited Japan
and travelled extensively
across that country’s major
cities – from Tokyo to Kyoto
and Hiroshima to Osaka, the
commercial capital of Japan. I
was intrigued and impressed by
the orderliness and cleanliness
of the country. Many people
argue that Kampala is dirty and
disorganised because it is large;
with many people (1.5 million)
living in it. Osaka is a city of
19 million people (counting its
entire urban area) while Tokyo
is 14 million people. The streets
of these cities remain spotless
clean.
The difference between Kam-
pala and Tokyo is in each city’s
sense of community and the
attitude of the public towards
their cities. My friend Timothy
Kalyegira would argue that
Japanese are more dedicated
to their work than Ugandans.
Therefore, city authorities and
ordinary city workers in Japan
work harder at ensuring clean
cities than their counterparts
in Kampala who are lazy and
uncommitted.
Yet every morning when
I am walking or jogging on
Kampala streets, as early as
5am, I get intrigued by the
punctuality and dedication of
the men and women who clean
our city’s streets. I wonder what
motivates these ordinary folks
and their supervisors to wake
up this early to work in horrible
conditions – dust, traffic, dirt
etc. This is the more intriguing
because their effort is never
recognised. Instead it is abused
by us the residents of the city at
every twist and turn when we
continue to throw more garbage
on the streets.
My many and long walks on
Kampala streets have taught me
that the difference is not in effort
of the workers in Japan’s cities as
opposed to the ones in Kampala.
Rather it is in the attitude of the
general population in our two
countries. People in Uganda
throw garbage wherever they
please because they do not value
cleanliness in their city. And this
could be because there is little
sense of community in Kampala.
This undermines the efforts of
hardworking city workers.
20 June. 14 - 20 2019
Mwenda in traditional
Japanese attire
Inspired by
Japan
Where people, values,
mentalities, and habits create
pure harmony
Ugandans, especially those
frustrated with President Yoweri
Museveni, would like to claim
that the city is dirty because of
bad leadership. But what is the
contribution of each one of us to
ensuring cleanliness? A country
that needs leaders to instruct
people on how to behave for it
to achieve its goals is doomed.
Leaders’ instructions are only
effective when they are in sync
with the values, habits and men-
talities of their people. Short of
this, the cost of enforcing rules
would be excessively severe and
exceed the benefits sought.
The Japanese are exceptional-
ly efficient and dedicated. This
is a shared value and mentality.
They respect authority and obey
superiors, something I see in
Rwanda. People keep time and
race to achieve their goals as if
inspired by the gods. Take the
example of my chauffeurs in the
different cities I visited. These
people were working for a pri-
vate company that the Japanese
ministry of foreign affairs (my
hosts) had hired. I do not know
whether it is their culture or
their training. However, each
time the car stopped, the driver
would race at breakneck speed
from his seat in the front of the
car to the opposite rear door
where I sat to open for me.
I have never had the privilege
of having my car door opened
for me. In any case I always
drive myself. But I also find it is
unnecessary to have someone
open the door of the car for me,
even when I am chauffeur driv-
en. So in Japan, I tried consis-
tently to open my own door to
discourage my chauffeurs from
doing it. But each time the driv-
er would increase his running
speed in order to reach the door
before I could touch it. I found it
strange and while still in Tokyo,
asked him not to. He said it is
his work.
I had an escort, also working
for a private company, which
had been hired by the ministry
of foreign affairs of Japan, to
take me wherever I had official
engagements or private meet-
ings. She was, like all Japanese,
punctual and polite to a fault.
She was surprised I always kept
time and told me a story of a
Ugandan lady she once escort-
ed. The lady never kept time
even once. This Ugandan (she
did not name her) would come
20 or even 30 minutes late, yet
seemed not to recognise she had
done anything wrong.
I spent nine days with this
lady, driving in the same car,
having meals together, visiting
museums, factories, theatres,
libraries, site seeing around
the different cities etc. She was
very kind and patient with me,
and friendly – a great host so to
speak. Finally when I had to say
bye to her, I behaved like a good
American (or human being)
would do. I went to a shop and
bought her a gift. In America,
tipping someone for a good
service is basic courtesy; in fact it
is impolite not to do so. But my
Japanese escort was horrified
(and I mean horrified) by this
gesture and turned it down.
She told me I did not need
to give her anything because
this was her job. Then a battle

ensued where I insisted that
in my culture this is a courtesy
I had to do while she insisted
I didn’t have to do it. After a
few minutes of back and forth,
she realised I was determined
to have her accept the gift and
she relented. She opened the
gift and expressed such appre-
ciation beyond whatever value
was in the gift. I promised to
return to visit Japan later this
year in July and that I would
look for her so that we can meet
again.
Throughout my stay in Japan
and having visited about seven
cities I could not find an obese
person. Yet this is a rich coun- Mwenda and and his escort
try with a per capita GDP of
$39,000 ($44,000 by Purchasing
Power Parity). There are many
countries in this income bracket,
but most especially the USA,
have high percentages of their
people over weight. I searched
online and found that only 3.6%
of Japanese are obese. Indeed,
66.5% of Americans have a
Body Mass Index (BMI) above
25 (making them overweight)
compared to 25% in Japan.
Good diet makes Japanese
look much young than their
age. For all the time I spent in
Japan, I hardly saw old people.
Most people I met in offices,
restaurants, markets, streets,
museums etc. looked young.
This was contrary to my first Mwenda and and his driver
experience when I first visited
Europe, the USA and Canada in the mid
1990s. Coming from a young country (the
median age in Uganda is 14) where seeing
elderly people is a rarity, I was intrigued
by the mass of old people in airports – in
Brussels, Paris, London, Toronto, New York,
Washington DC etc. I wondered what pos-
sesses these elderly people to be traveling
this much.
With time I realised that these nations
have large percentages of their people in old
age compared to Uganda. Therefore, the
issue was not that old people in Uganda do
not “roam around”. They are too few to be
seen, only 4% of our population is above 60
years, 49% are below 14 years. Consequently, eral Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan, used
at every event little kids below 10 will out-
number the octogenarians by a big factor. Yet its current president, Shinzo Abe, amended
Japan, even with the highest population of
elderly citizens in the world (33% are above
60 years), does not look old. I was intrigued.
I guess the trick is in Japanese diet, which
is low on fat and high on protein. Being an
island nation, Japanese eat largely fish and
their cuisine has not suffered the introduc-
tion of oils and other fattening aspects. In
fact Japanese are a contradiction: they have
embraced many aspects of western culture
yet at the same time retained many aspects
of their traditional systems. In this regard
Japanese are very much like Ugandans. For
instance, Japanese eat their local cuisines yet
they abandoned their traditional clothing
(which I find elegant) for the Western suits,
trousers and skirts and shirts and blouses.
Equally, the political system in Japan is
Western liberal democracy but I guess it is
held together by specific Japanese traditional
values and norms. Japan does not have term
limits; an obsession Africa borrowed from
the USA which its intellectual elites worship
like God. However, the ruling party, the Lib-
to have term limits. Two years ago, however,
the party constitution and removed term
limits so that he can remain prime minister
longer. There was hardly a hue and cry that
he is power hungry.
More than that, the LDP has ruled Japan
continuously since it’s founding in 1955. It
has lost power – and only briefly – twice:
1993-94 and from 2009-2012. So it has ruled
Japan for 59 of the 63 years since it was
NEWS ANALYSIS
founded. To many Africans
obsessed with Western democ-
racy where political parties in
power change hands regularly,
Japan looks like the quintessen-
tial one party dictatorship. The
only difference of course is that
in Japan, prime ministers do not
last long, often they rule for two
or three years. Only Eisaku Sato
(1964-72) did eight years, and
Abe has done more than six.
Secondly, Japanese easily and
quickly embraced and mastered
Western technology without
abandoning their religion and
culture. The country remains
predominantly Buddhist and
Shinto. This is different from
Uganda where Christianity
and Islam actively fought and
overwhelmed out traditional
religions. Japan is also the only
country I have visited where
hardly anyone speaks English.
I had to rely on interpreters for
most of the time. While most
Western liberal democracies
have increasingly become
multicultural, Japan remained
ethnically and culturally homo-
geneous. Even in the face of a
declining population, I did not
see much desire to admit many
foreigners into the country.
Japan is similar to Uganda on
cultural preservation yet differ-
ent on openness to foreigners.
Ugandans have embraced
Western education and religion,
yet retained a lot of their cultures
(look at our marriage ceremonies that mix
traditional marriage –kwanjula, gubaba,
kweranga etc. – with church weddings).
We have also retained our cuisines (at our
weddings we mix Western and traditional
cuisines into one package) and have also
retained our languages. However, Uganda
is more accepting of foreigners: Rwandans,
Congolese, Ethiopians, Eritreans and South
Sudanese all come and settle in our country
with little or no hostility.
Japanese are exceptionally polite and treat
one another and even strangers with courte-
sy. I have not encountered a people as polite
as the Japanese, perhaps South Koreans. The
common feature of Japanese and Koreans is
the speed in doing things. You call a waitress
in a restaurant and she literally comes run-
ning at full speed to address your concern. It
is rare for people to be polite and also quick.
Yet Japanese (like Koreans) do things
quickly and yet retain politeness. Is this a
cause or consequence of their rapid devel-
opment? This is a subject I will address in
my next article.
June. 14 - 20 2019 21
NEWS ANALYSIS
Food safety in markets
Why it must be driven by consumers
By Arie Havelaar & Ashagrie Zewdu
Woldegiorgis Professor, University of Florida
Ashagrie Zewdu Woldegiorgis Assistant
Professor, Addis Ababa University
D
irty food kills about 140 000
people every year, and leaves
91 million more suffering
from diarrhoea, tapeworm,
hepatitis and even dysentery and
typhoid in Africa.
Many of the pathogens and foods
at the centre of the crisis also strike
elsewhere around the world. Listeria
22 June. 14 - 20 2019
in processed meat products from South
Africa, E. Coli in romaine lettuce in the
U.S., Salmonella in eggs across Europe
and Campylobacter in chicken liver
pâté in Australia. These are some of the
recent food safety crises worldwide,
estimated to impact as many people as
infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS,
malaria and TB.
But while deaths and illnesses from
unsafe food hit countries worldwide,
the incidences of these illnesses and
lost lives are disproportionately high
in Africa.
This is on course to become
even worse as income growth and
urbanisation in Africa are enabling
better, more diverse diets. Ironically,
these healthier foods – such as dairy,
eggs, meat, fruits and vegetables – are
more likely to be contaminated.
Because the food system across
most of Africa is largely informal and
unregulated, pinpointing the source of
food illness, critical to its eradication,
is challenging. It could be meat
contaminated in an abattoir, listeria-
tainted food doled out from a food

cart or mold-infected grain baked into
bread.
Contaminated food will continue
to be a public menace until countries
implement systems ensuring the safety
and quality of food throughout the
food chain — from the farm to the
table.
Limited knowledge
Ethiopia is among the first
African countries to prioritise food
safety. Deaths and illnesses from a
range of food borne pathogens are
commonplace. Adulteration is also
rampant. Producers of the beloved
national dish, injera, have even been
caught mixing sawdust with teff flour
for economic gain.
The Ministry of Health is developing
a functional food safety system that
incentivises companies to deliver safer
A 2015 report
offering the first-
ever estimates
of the incidence,
mortality
and disease
burden due to
31 foodborne
hazards
worldwide
marked a
turning point in
this thinking
food and regulates those who don’t
deliver standard food products.
But Ethiopia, and countries like
it, won’t conquer the complex food
safety challenges that come with
informal food systems until everyday
consumers are empowered to become
the first line of defence against unsafe
food.
In many countries across the
globe, well-informed consumers —
often with the help of lawyers and
NGOs - have successfully used their
purchasing power to compel bad-
acting companies to fall in line with
food safety standards.
African consumers could likewise
become catalysts for better food. But
before this power can be unlocked
citizens need a crash course in food
safety. Right now, this knowledge is
limited. This is certainly the case in
Ethiopia where we are involved in
ongoing research.
The country’s consumption of raw
foods illustrates the case. Raw beef is
deeply embedded in Ethiopian food
culture. People are aware it could make
them sick, yet they don’t know how
to ensure it’s safe — and they don’t
want to give it up. Raw milk is also
beloved. But a study found that most
households were unaware of milk-
borne diseases.
Lessons from elsewhere
In the UK and elsewhere in Europe,
consumer faith in beef collapsed after
an outbreak of Bovine Spongiform
Encephalopathy. The result was that
the European Union’s food safety
NEWS ANALYSIS
system was completely overhauled to
win back trust.
And in South Africa, the company
responsible for the Listeria-tainted
bologna that killed 200 people faces
class action lawsuits from the families
of the victims.
In Ethiopia, new research – jointly
funded by the UK Government’s
Department for International
Development and the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation – underway is
trying to determine how consumers’
relationship with food can be
transformed to improve food safety in
informal markets for vegetables and
poultry. We’re focused in areas where
monitoring and regulation is difficult
to achieve.
While previous efforts to weed out
bad food have focused on training
producers or regulators, this project
also seeks to harness the voice of
consumers.
Related studies in the country are
devising how to manage the health
risks of raw foods. Other factors being
looked into are foodborne disease
epidemiology, surveillance and control.
A central aim is to build the know-
how Ethiopian government officials,
academics and consumers need to take
on foodborne illnesses.
These initiatives demonstrate that
policymakers, donors and researchers
are increasingly asking themselves how
they can tackle food safety challenges
to ensure food is not just plentiful and
nutritious, but also safe.
Turning point
A 2015 report offering the first-
ever estimates of the incidence,
mortality and disease burden due to 31
foodborne hazards worldwide marked
a turning point in this thinking.
Fuelling this momentum, the Food
and Agriculture Organisation of the
United Nations, the World Bank and
the African Union co-hosted two of
the largest international gatherings on
food safety this year, which took place
in Switzerland and Ethiopia.
Clearly, international and national
actors are moving in the right
direction, but more must be done
to maximise the role of consumers
— where they buy and eat the food,
whether it’s in markets, food stalls or
at dining tables.
A bottom up approach that educates
and empowers consumers is the only
way to ensure that the drive toward
healthier, more sustainable diets
delivered through agriculture doesn’t
neglect the role of food safety in
securing the health of millions.
June. 14 - 20 2019 23
Inside URA’s
customs taxes
Local consumers and
businesses – not the exporting
countries – will pay the price
T
By Isaac Khisa
he good news coming from
the Nakawa-based Uganda
Revenue Authority (URA) is
that local firms, will effective
July this year, be protected
from external competition as
government increases taxes on imported
products similar to those produced locally.
However, the concern with the new move
is that the taxes will be applied to goods
coming in, and the local businesses are the
ones that will be responsible for meeting the
obligation and eventually pass them onto
consumers in form of higher prices.
URA executives said the step is in
response to the amendments in the customs
laws for the financial year 2019 /2020 that
comes into force on July1.
As such, a section of economic experts
told The Independent that the move will push
up the price of products and possibly affect
people’s lives.
“The price (of these products) is likely to
go up as manufacturers in the local market
still experience high production costs,” Fred
Muhumuza, an economist and lecturer at
Makerere University told The Independent in
an interview.
“….and given that producers will not be
in position to respond quickly to meet the
market demand given the shorter timelines
there will still be imports that the consumers
will pay at a high price.”
Muhumuza said the surge in prices could
force the poor population to abandon a
number of various products which might
negatively affect their living standards.
Isaac Shinyekwa, the head of Trade and
Regional Integration Department at the
Makerere University-based Economic Policy
Research Centre (EPRC), however, said the
decision is welcome arguing that there is
no country in the world that has developed
without protecting its local firms.
24 June. 14 - 20 2019
He cites countries such as the US, China
and Japan.
However, Shinyekwa says URA should
have done a thorough analysis of the local
demand viz-a-viz local production to ensure
that there is no supply shortage that might
push up prices.
Local firms says the new development
is welcome as it will boost local production
that have for a long time faced stiff
competition from imported products.
In a notice issued to the newsrooms
recently, URA said it will increase taxes on a
number of products to protect the interest of
local producers of similar products.
For instance, importers of ball point pens,
exercise books, and tooth brushes will be
required to pay 60% as tax, up from the
current 25%. This represents approximately
140% increase in tax.
Similarly, chicken, peanut butter,
processed tea, coffee, ginger, cooked
potatoes fresh or chilled, potato and other
crisps, bread spreads including Nutella as
well as onions, shallots and garlic, will see
importers pay 60% tax, up from the current
25%.
The same tax rate will apply to importers
of refined sunflower seed or safflower oil,
chocolate and other food preparations
containing chocolate contents, refined
cotton seed oil, butter and other fats and oils
derived from milk.
On the other hand, toothpaste including
Colgate and other mouth wash will attract
a tax of 35%, up from 25% and so will
television sets with the same margin.
Importers of motorcycle tyres will pay
35% tax, up from 10%, a step URA says
is intended to boost local production of
motorcycle tyres.
Steel related products too, have not
been spared. Flat rolled products of iron
or non-alloy steel will attract US$250 per
metric ton or 25% whichever is higher for
a year as tax. Soap and organic surface
active products including Dettol, blankets,
furniture, mattresses, pictures, designs and
photographs and toilet will also attract a tax
of 35%, up from the current 25%.
Critics say the move contravenes the East
African Common Market Protocol that
allows free movement of goods and services
within the region.
To make the situation worse, critics say, it
is coming at the time the African Continental
Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is expected to
take shape starting July 07.
Critics also argue that increasing taxes on
imports could trigger retaliation, making
consumers pay high prices for the products
as the local firms struggle to meet the
demand within the shortest available time.
They cite the case with the US, in which
consumers are the biggest losers in the
current US-China tariff feud. For instance,
a paper published by the London-based
Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)
shows that American consumers and firms
paid more than US$19.2bn and are still
counting since President Donald Trump
imposed taxes on $283 billion worth of
imported goods, including steel, washing
machines, and solar panels in 2018 from
China.
The study says the prices went up, as
 business
expected, disrupting supply chains and Proposed taxes for the new financial year
budgets.Though the results were still
preliminary, the evidence suggested that Commodity/product Old customs tax New customs tax
Trump’s protection wasn’t working. Cooked Potatoes fresh or chilled, other than seed, Refined cottonseed 25% 60%
oil, refined Sun flower seed or safflower oil, Cocoa powder
The authors – Mary Amiti, assistant vice
president of New York’s Federal Reserve Honey, potato and other crisps, Onions,shallots, garlic,leeks...
etc,fresh or chilled
25% 60%
Bank, Princeton Professor Stephen
Granite, Marble, and Clay (ceramic) tiles 25% 35%
Redding, and Columbia professor David
Weinstein – said prices for the affected Tomato Paste and other Preserved tomatoes 25% 35%
goods responded quickly to the taxes, Ready to drink juices 25% 60%
increasing between 10% and 30%. Television sets Toys, Colgate 25 35%
The jump closely matched the tax
Processed Coffee/tea/ginger 25% 60%
levels, which suggests that buyers –
American consumers and importers Show polish-Kiwi 25% 35%

– absorbed the increase, not the foreign Semi Processed Edible Oils 10% 25%
sellers of those goods. Chicken 25% 60%
At the same time, US firms increased § Bovine animals
§ Meat of swine
prices for their own goods, given the § Meat of sheep
higher prices for their foreign competitors’ Peanut Butter/Bread Spreads-Nutella 25% 60%
products. Wigs, false beards, eyebrows and eyelashes - 35%
However, as prices increased, demand
Doors, windows and their frames and thresholds 25% 35%
for the taxed products fell by 25% –30% in
the total value of imported goods as firms Butter and other fats and oils derived from milk; dairy spreads 25% 60%

and consumers had less choice. Mixes and doughs for the preparation of bakers’ wares 25% 35%
The researchers calculate Americans to Tarpaulins 25% 35%
have paid more than US$12.3 billion to the Buses for transportation of more than 25 persons 10% 25%
US government in taxes, and lost US$6.9
New pneumatic tyres of rubber, of a kind used on motorcycles. 10% 35%
billion in income due to trade-war-related
market disruptions. Flat Rolled Products of Iron or non-alloy steel products of Iron or
Non-Alloy steel
- USD 200/MT

For that, the study says the tax revenue

Flat rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel - 25% or USD 250/MT
the US is collecting is not enough to cover
the losses to consumers and companies. Flat rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel 25% or USD 250/MT

More research released by economists Chewing gum 25% 35%

from the Federal Reserve Bank of Other sugar confectionery (sweets), Chocolates 25% 35%
New York, Columbia University and Biscuits, Tomato sauce, Mineral water 25% 60%
Princeton University found that the
Partly refined base oil 0 10%
burden of Trump’s tax fell entirely on
U.S. consumers and businesses that buy Lubricants in liquid form 25% 35%
imported products. Lubricating greases 25% 35%
By the end of last year, the study says Soap and organic surface active products for use as soap 25% 35%
companies were paying $3 billion a month
Cartons, boxes, cases, bags and other packing containers of paper 25% 35%
in higher tariffs and absorbing $1.4 billion
a month in higher costs. Toilet paper, Exercise books 25% 60%

The researchers noted “that US Trade advertising material, Pictures, designs and photographs 25% 35%
responded to reduced import competition Instructional charts and diagrams 25% 35%
by raising their prices.” Blankets 25% 35%
Similarly, US introduction of taxes on
Steel articles of chapters 72 and 73 comprising of; 25% or USD 350MT
other countries has also led to retaliation · Corrugated iron sheets (galvanized and preprinted)
from member states of the European · Pre painted coils
· Galvanized coils
Union (EU). Others include Mexico, · Hoop iron
· Twisted bars
Russia, and Turkey, who all began levying · Flat bars
· Mild steel plates
retaliatory taxes on U.S. exports.
Gideon Badagawa, the executive Furniture and parts thereof 25% 35%
director at the Private Sector Foundation Mattress supports and mattresses 25% 35%
of Uganda (PSFU) told New Vision that the Toothbrushes, Ball point pens 25% 60%
move is good as long as it does not work
Electric accumulators 25% 35%
at the expense of the consumers.
He said the move could either cause Wheat (Wheat grain) 35% and apply a duty
rate of 10% for one
scarcity or push prices up, leading to year
inflation. Iron or steel wool; pot scourers and scouring or polishing pads, EAC CET rate and
Going forward, Shinyekwa said the gloves and the like apply a duty rate of
35% for one year
country should also work on creating
Coated electrodes of base metal, for electric arc-welding EAC CET rate and
conditions that will lower operational apply a duty rate of
35% for one year
costs to boost competitiveness.This,
he said, would make the country’s Safety matches EAC CET rate and
apply a duty rate of
products compete favourably with the 25%
imported products. Odoriferous mixtures of a kind used as raw materials in the food or 0 10%
drink industries

June. 14 - 20 2019 25
business
The newly open Kingdom Mall Kampala
Sudhir’s Kingdom
Kampala Mall
The US$300 million property is already
attracting top corporate clients
By Julius Businge
T
he recently opened Kingdom Kam-
pala Mall is already attracting top
clients that consist of corporate com-
panies, civil society organisations
and government agencies and ministries,
according to Prabhat Mishra, the General
Manager at Crane Management Services
Limited.
Crane Management Services Limited
is a subsidiary of the Ruparelia Group of
companies that offer property management
services.
Speaking to The Independent in an inter-
view on June.08, Mishra said they are
impressed with the bookings so far and are
ready to offer first class service to tenants.
Located along Nile Avenue in Kampala
city, the Kingdom Towers is an additional
investment to Ruparelia Group of compa-
nies. The Mall sits on a 14-acre piece of land
located on Nile Avenue, Yusuf Lule Road
and Dewinton Road, just to the North-East
of Kampala Central Business District.
The facilities at the Mall are expected to
compliment the ones already existing nearby
which include Garden City, Nakumat Oasis
26 June. 14 - 20 2019
Mall and Crested Towers that houses Ugan-
da’s largest bank, Stanbic.
This comes as the latest Knight Frank’s
Kampala Market Update for the first half
of 2018 shows that there is limited vacant
Grade A space in the core central business
district and secondary office locations avail-
able on the market.
The market update says, the market
expects the supply gap in Grade A office
space to narrow in the medium term given
the number of good quality developments
in the pipeline.The report said the yields for
Grade A space were recorded at 9%-10%
during the fast half of 2018, with the average
net rent per square meter standing at $15-
$16 in the period under review.
Mishra said they are not worried about
the competition from the surrounding
facilities. “We have set our standards; the
building meets international standards and
rules,” he said.
He added that the site has excellent
visibility and access which will be further
improved by planned road upgrades.
He added that they have laid fiber optic
cables for MTN Uganda and Airtel to ease
communication around the facility.
Construction on Kingdom Kampala start-
ed off in 2006 after Saudi investor Prince
Alwaleed bin Talal leased 15 acres of prime
land in the center of Kampala from the gov-
ernment of Uganda for 99 years.
Alwaleed’s company, Kingdom Holding,
was supposed to build a five star hotel to be
opened in 2009. But because of the 2008/2009
financial crisis, Kingdom Holding failed to
mobilise financing to complete the Hotel,
and in 2016, Ruparelia’s Crane Management
Services acquired the property and restarted
construction work.
The project is a blend of light retail as well
as 10 floors of office space offering 22,000m2
of let table space – 18,000metres square of
office space and 4,000 metres square of retail
as well as parking for up to 450 cars.
The building has 2-floors of retail space,
altogether, a total of 47 units, linked by an
elevator. The building has been fitted with
a modern sprinkler fire suppression system
consisting of a 200,000-litre water tank and
two fire pumps with a back-up generator.
There is a separate holding water tank
with a capacity of 150,000 litres.
The building is also equipped with six lifts
– four with a capacity of 13 passengers and
two with a capacity of 20 passengers.
It also has three 500kva backup generators
and has been fitted with 400 CCTVs for secu-
rity management.
Rajiv Ruparelia, the managing director
of Ruparelia Group, said the rent fees in
the Mall are affordable and determined by
negotiations between the client and the man-
agement.
He said the building has been designed
to create unmatched shopping and work-
ing environments in line with the group’s
philosophy of satisfying the unmet need for
affordable modern space.

Kasaija’s budget
transparency initiative
It aims at putting citizens at the centre
of its formulation, implementation
By Julius Businge
T
he budget is no longer
interesting to us. We
no longer listen to it
because it does not give
information that we want as
farmers. Many years ago, the
minister would read the budget
and inform us about the chang-
es in the price of coffee and
other commodities. Today the
budget does not target majority
of us people in the agriculture
sector.”
These were the words of a
man seemingly in his late 50s
hailing from Buwama in Mpigi
District who took part in the
budget service exhibition week
held at the Kololo Independence
Grounds from June 5-7, ahead of
budget reading on June 13.
Matia Kasaija, the minister for
Finance, Planning and Economic
Development said gone are the
days when the budget making
process was for only the Pres-
ident, the Minister of Finance
and a few technocrats.
“We have now changed that;
the budget making process is
now transparent,” he said.
Kasaija said the new initiative
is aimed at enhancing budget lit-
eracy and citizens’ engagement
in prioritization, budgeting and
oversight for poverty-reducing
interventions.
It also intends to strengthen
budget transparency by dissem-
inating budget information and
generating feedback from citi-
zens and thus enhance account-
ability for improved public
service delivery.
It is partly due to these
initiatives that Uganda was
recognised by the Open Budget
Survey of 2017 conducted by
the Uganda Debt Network and
International Budget Partnership
(IBP) for having the second most
transparent budget in Africa
Minister Kasaija speaking at the service exhibition week on June 05.
after South Africa.
Prime Minister, Ruhakana
Rugunda said budget events are
critical for the people to know
their budget and participate
in its formulation and perfor-
mance.
He said the implementation
of the budget has over the years
been successful because of the
proper designing of government
programmes and good coor-
dination between government
agencies and supporting part-
ners.
For instance, Rugunda said
the number of kilometers of
tarmac roads increased from
3, 050 in 2017/2018 to 4,551 in
2018/2019; electricity genera-
tion increased to around 1,200
MW with the coming onboard
of Isimba hydropower dam
(183MW) and other mini-hy-
dros.
He also said tremendous
achievements have been record-
ed in the education, health, agri-
culture and other sectors.
Going forward, Kasaija said
budget service exhibition week
would be held annually target-
ing different regions country-
wide.
He urged the members of the
public to follow up and demand
for accountability from the gov-
ernment in order to improve the
delivery of services.
Creating opportunities
Gideon Badagawa, the exec-
utive director of the Private
Sector Foundation Uganda said
the budget transparency initia-
tives are important for creating
opportunities and strengthening
governance.
“The private sector has been
deeply involved in the process
and we will continue to support
it,” he said.
Badagawa said most govern-
ment officials at local govern-
ment level needed to interrogate
the budget and understand it
because they are the core in ser-
vice delivery to the people.
Doris Akol, the commissioner
general of the Uganda Revenue
Authority, said the taxman is in
support of budget transparen-
cy initiatives because it would
fill gaps in revenue collection,
budget expenditure and overall
service delivery.
She said the URA has invest-
ed heavily in automation of
systems to easily facilitate their
engagement with the taxpayers.
“We are now better placed to
render services and playing a
June. 14 - 20 2019
business
significant role in financing the
country’s development,” Akol
said.
In another speech read for
him by Junior Finance Minister,
Evelyn Anite, Kasaija said that
over 120 government ministries,
departments and agencies and
around 17 civil society organisa-
tions showcased their products
and services during the three
day exhibition event. That 2400
people received the Yellow
Fever Vaccine, 248 units of
blood were collected and 3000
litres of milk were distributed.
He said that the national
budget month activities in gen-
eral and the service excellence
activities have facilitated public
awareness and understanding
of how the national budget has
been spent by various ministries,
departments and agencies.
The activities have created
and inspired inroads in public
ownership of the national bud-
get and buy-in for government
programmes. There has also
been improved collaboration
between the different govern-
ment agencies in demonstrat-
ing accountability for public
resources and there is increase in
public awareness about the key
government programmes and
how the public can get involved
in demanding better services.
Kasaija said the public needs
more sensitisation on govern-
ment programmes; there is an
even greater demand for gov-
ernment interventions in the
everyday lives of Ugandans in
the areas of health and agricul-
ture.
Kasaija said that through the
exhibition week, government
had been able to account to the
public and to obtain feedback
that will lead to an improvement
in the delivery of services.
27
business
So, we have an African free
trade agreement. Now what?
The devil lies in the complicated negotiations for implementation
By Yinka Adegoke
M
ay 30, 2019 was a notable
date in African economic
history as the day the
African Continental Free
Trade Area (AfCFTA) came into effect,
after which it comes to market on July
7.
In a nutshell, it means a single
market of goods and services for 1.2
billion people with an aggregate GDP
of over $2 trillion. UNCTAD, the UN’s
trade body, predicts reducing intra-
African tariffs under AfCFTA “could
bring $3.6 billion in welfare gains
to the continent through a boost in
production and cheaper goods.”
One of the more stark economic
data points about Africa is just how
little African countries trade with each
other—just 16% of total continental
trade in 2014. The UN Economic
Commission for Africa thinks AfCFTA
has the potential to raise intra-African
trade by 15% to 25%, or $50 billion to
$70 billion, by 2040.
Brookings’s analyst Landry Signé
estimates that if AfCFTA works as
intended, Africa will have a combined
consumer and business spending of
$6.7 trillion in 2030.
But Signé also notes the devil will be
in the detail of ongoing complicated
negotiations for implementation.
Among issues to be ironed out include
understanding how “most favoured
nation” (MFN) deals get worked out
between all the countries given the
near total reciprocity this deal would
need.
Another sticking point will be
the “rules of origin” issue which
decides which products get the
preferential tariffs depending on
its classification. “Is a blouse made
from Chinese silk, designed and
stitched in China, but packaged in
Kenya eligible to receive AfCFTA
preferential tariff rates? What if it is
made of imported Chinese silk, but
stitched together in Kenya?” ask the
Brookings analysts.
But the more straightforward
concern about the negotiations for
AfCFTA implementation is that they
28 June. 14 - 20 2019
might not be, well, straightforward.
The concern is they could instead add
complexity to existing agreements
across regional bodies like ECOWAS in
West Africa or EAC in East Africa.
And while many of the trade
discussions are often about moving
goods around the continent it’s worth
noting exports of African services
grew more than six times faster than
merchandise exports between 1998
and 2015. Services could be expected
to grow even faster across borders as
more African start-ups gain traction
offering everything from fintech
services to online education as they
disrupt traditional sectors.
It’s also worth remembering the
continent’s largest economy Nigeria—
alongside Eritrea and Benin—has yet
to sign up as the Buhari government
figures out how to salve the concerns
of powerful labour unions and big
business. And while many believe
Africa’s largest oil producer could
benefit, analysts believe more
diversified large economies, led by
South Africa and Egypt, would benefit
much more.
One of the realities of implementing
an agreement like AfCFTA is that it
requires not just the governments
but crucially the input of African
businesses and everyday Africans.
And not many institutions are asking
them, so Kasi Insight, which carries out
consumer insight studies across some
of Africa’s larger economies, did just
this with consumers.
Among the key findings was that
many respondents were skeptical
about what AfCFTA represented or
as Kasi describes it, “a significant
indecisiveness.” 
That said, it varied on a country
spectrum, with respondents in Côte
d’Ivoire much more positive (85%)
than South Africans (45%), who were
the least positive.
But the survey also found
respondents weren’t so much skeptical
about AfCFTA specifically as they
were about benefiting from
multi-country agreements overall
given past or current regional
agreements.
That said, when the question
was asked in the context of a
comparison with the benefits of
European Union membership,
those who understood how the EU
works were much more positive
about the potential of AfCFTA.
Adapted from Quartz Africa

AVIATION
Uganda Airlines selects Nairobi for maiden flights
A
ir passengers are ex-
pected to enjoy lower
fares as Uganda Air-
lines launches its oper-
ations in the region. The Ugan-
da’s national carrier announced
plans to commence the maiden
flights to the Jomo Kenyatta In-
ternational Airport soon.
CSR
Kotido residents receive free health services
A
irtel Uganda camped
in Kotido District for a
two-day health camp
as part of its continued
efforts to boost socio-economic
development in communities
across Uganda by ensuring ac-
cess to health information and
services.
Held at Nakapelimoru Health
center III, the health camp
offered free health care services
such as dental and eye care,
blood donations, menstrual
FINANCE
Stanbic contributes
Shs50M to NSSF’s
symposium
S
tanbic Bank Uganda,
Liberty Life Assurance
Uganda Limited and
STANLIB Uganda
Limited made a significant
contribution of Shs50 million
towards the NSSF Money Talk
symposium that took place on
June. 10.
This was the first time
NSSF held the Investment
and Wealth management
symposium aiming at
equipping prospective retirees
with financial literacy skills.
The carrier said on its twitter
account that it is making prepa-
rations to commence its first
flight at the Entebbe-Nairobi
route.
The move will come as the
biggest challenge for Kenya Air-
ways and its subsidiary Jambojet
that ply the route. The carrier
hygiene, antenatal and postnatal
checks, family planning services,
screening for hypertension, dia-
betes, breast, prostate and cer-
vical cancer, immunization and
health education with a focus on
nutrition, safe water and disease
prevention.
Airtel Uganda Corporate
Social Responsibility Manager,
Charity R Bukenya, said the
health camp is yet another spoke
in Airtel’s major plan to improve
the lives of its subscribers.
AVIATION
Kenya Airways CEO Mikosz quits
K
enya Airways,
CEO, Sebastian
Mikosz will step
down from the
troubled state airline five
months before the end of
his three-year contract.
“I have made the deci-
sion to shorten my contract
term and I have decided to
resign on personal grounds
effective Dec. 31,” Mikosz
said in an internal memo
sent to employees, without giv-
ing a reason.
The decision by the for-
mer CEO of Polish govern-
ment-owned carrier LOT comes
after Kenya Airways reduced
is also expected to ‘eat into’ the
RwandAir market.
“Ready to fly with us on our
maiden flights? Well, pack your
bags Uganda; for we are head-
ing to Nairobi,” said the airline
on its official tweeter account.
The Kenya Civil Aviation
Authority (KCAA) director
general Gilbert Kibe, however,
told Shipping and Logistics that
the agency has not received the
request from Uganda Airlines,
according to Kenya’s Business
Daily.
Uganda Airlines acquired
two aircraft in April this year as
it started plans of reviving its
national carrier to ply regional
routes before expanding to
Europe and other destinations.
“Having achieved network
leadership across Uganda, we
are committed to ensuring that
Ugandans use this connectivity
to empower themselves. One of
the biggest hindrances to this is
lack of proper health care ser-
vices and information,” she said.
Tony Ajuma, an official from
the Kotido district health office
said many residents are still
suffering from malaria, typhoid
and hepatitis B.
losses to Kshs6 billion shillings
in the year through March 2018
from a record Kshs 26.2 billion
shillings two years earlier.
Sub-Saharan Africa’s
third-biggest carrier by passen-
ger traffic has a plan to be profit-
June. 14 - 20 2019
business
TECH
Kaspersky Lab
to open regional
office in Rwanda
G
lobal cybersecurity
firm, Kaspersky
Lab, plans to open
a regional office in
Rwanda to support the rapid
growth of its business in East
Africa.
This follow a meeting
between the firm’s CEO,
Eugene Kaspersky, and Rwan-
da’s President Paul Kagame,
at the Transform Africa Sum-
mit.
“Governments and enter-
prises across Africa need
an integrated approach to
complex threat detection and
response as they fight cyber-
criminals who have significant
financial resources and are
constantly looking to exploit
any vulnerability,” Kaspersky
said.
The Kigali office will serve
the requirements of the
growing number of partners
and customers in the region.
Kaspersky Lab’s solutions and
services will be offered to all
industries and for all kinds of
businesses in Rwanda and the
wider region.
Currently, Kaspersky Lab
has operations in almost 200
countries and 35 representa-
tive offices around the world.
able in 2022, though
this is dependent on
gaining government
approval to become
the operator of Nai-
robi Airport.
Kenya Association
of Travel Agents
said they
welcome the new
development. “We
need a CEO who
understands Kenya,
who is not losing touch with
the market, who engages with
key stakeholders, who works
closely with travel agents,” a
leading travel agent in Nairobi
to ATCNews.
29
business

Stanbic’s PMI shows

improved business activities
By Julius Businge indeed support growth in the

T
he Stanbic headline Pur-
chasing Managers Index
(PMI) posted 57.3 for the
month of May, up from
54.7 in April.
Improving business condi-
tions were seen across all five
sectors – agriculture, industry,
construction, wholesale nd
retail and services.
New business increased
again in May, with panelists
linking this to improving cus-
tomer demand. Firms remained
Airtel Uganda Public Relations Manager (R) together with the Hinds optimistic that output would
Feet Director Sandra Muhanuka (L) volunteer at the Airtel quarterly increase further over the com-
health camp. Airtel Uganda recently held its signature Airtel ing year, amid business expan-
Quarterly free health outreach at Nakapelimoru Village in Kotido
sion plans, investment and
District. More than 2,800 residents of Kotido District received advertising.
medical attention.   COURTESY PHOTO.
Jibran Qureishi, the regional
economist for East Africa at
Stanbic Bank said private sector
activity remains solid. He said
despite higher input costs, the
rise in new orders has support-
ed overall output.
“Of course, once poor weath-
er conditions are behind us,
agricultural output could some-
what recover in the second half
of the year,” he said.
“This also may coincide with
a rise in investment mainly in
the energy sector which will
private sector.”
In addition, the report says
that despite ongoing new order
growth, companies were able
to keep on top of workloads in
May, as signaled by a further
reduction in backlogs of work.
This was achieved in part due
to continued job creation, with
some companies indicating they
had specifically raised staffing
levels to make sure that projects
were completed on time.
Benoni Okwenje, the Stanbic
Bank fixed income manager
said that overall, input costs
rose in May. He said the higher
purchase prices and staff costs
were also recorded.
This comes as the latest
Uganda Bureau of Statistic’s
Consumer Price Index (CPI)
shows that short to medi-
um-term conditions are expect-
ed to remain positive with
inflation confined within the
3.0% - 5.0% range.
The PMI is a composite
index, calculated as a weight-
ed average of five individual
sub-components – New Orders
(30%), Output (25%), Employ-
ment (20%), Suppliers’ Delivery
Times (15%) and Stocks of Pur-
chases (10%).

Centenary Bank rewards customers with shopping vouchers

worth Shs 4 million in the ongoing Centenary Bank Visa
promotion.   COURTESY PHOTO

Weekly share price movement (June 10)

Security June 10 May 13 Movement
BATU 30,000 30000 00
BOBU 128 129 0.8
CENT 1,225 1,178 4.0
QCL 170 170 00
DFCU 670 700 4.2
EABL 7,593 7,944 4.4
EBL 1,474 1,553 5.0
JHL 14,666 15,229 3.6
KA 132 143 7.7
KCB 1,470 1,544 4.7
NIC 14 14 00
NMG 2,023 2,154 6.0
NVL 330 334 1.1
(L-R) MTN Uganda General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Enid Edroma, CEO
Wim Vanhelleputte handover a contribution to Bunyoro Kingdom 2nd SBU 29 30 3.3
Deputy PM, Apollo Rwamparo, and Minister for external Affairs, Phillip UCHM 18 12 50
Katahoire, towards the Bunyoro Kingdom 25th Empango celebrations UCL 15 16 6.25
slated for June 11. Dr. Solomon Gafabusa Iguru, the reigning Bunyoro King UMEME 300 300 00
ascended to the throne on June 11th 1994.  INDEPENDENT/ALFRED OCHWO. ALSI -- -- --

30 June. 14 - 20 2019

By Todd G. Buchholz
The US economy’s dirty secret
Temporary euphoria as weakness abroad lifts
spirits at home amidst Trump-era spite and malice
T
here is a dirty little secret in
economics today: the United
States has benefited – and
continues to benefit – from
the global slump. The U.S. economy
is humming along, even while
protesters in the United Kingdom
hurl milkshakes at Brexiteers, French
President Emmanuel Macron confronts
nihilist yellow-vested marchers, and
Chinese tech firms such as Huawei fear
being frozen out of foreign markets.
Last year, the U.S. economy grew by
2.9%, while the eurozone expanded
by just 1.8%, giving President Donald
Trump even more confidence in his
confrontational style. But relatively
strong U.S. growth amid sluggishness
elsewhere is not what economics
textbooks would predict. Whatever
happened to the tightly integrated
world economy that the International
Monetary Fund and the World Bank
have been advocating – and more
recently extolling – since World War II?
The U.S. economy is in a temporary
but potent phase in which weakness
abroad lifts spirits at home. But this
economic euphoria has nothing to do
with Trump-era spite and malice, and
much to do with interest rates.
Borrowing costs are currently lower
than at any time since the founding
of the U.S. Federal Reserve in 1913,
or in the UK’s case since the Bank of
England was established in 1694. The
ten-year US Treasury bond is yielding
about 2.123%, and in April, the
streaming service Netflix issued junk
bonds at a rate of just 5.4%.
If a Rip Van Winkle economist were
to wake up today after a decades-long
sleep and see only those numbers, he
or she would assume that one-fifth
of Americans were unemployed and
standing in lines outside soup kitchens.
Instead, the U.S. jobless rate is at its
lowest level since Neil Armstrong took
his famous first step onto the Moon’s
surface 50 years ago.
The idea that the US wins in a global
slump might sound like the sardonic
musing of some unreconstructed
Marxist in the dingy corner of a
faculty lounge. But such a view is not
ideological. Rather, global interest
rates are scraping the floor because
GDP growth outside the U.S. is so
sluggish.
Persistently low interest rates and
weak inflation bring multiple benefits
to the U.S. economy. For starters,
American consumers, whose real
(inflation-adjusted) wages are finally
increasing after decades of stagnation,
are seeing all sorts of bargains. When I
visited an Apple store a few days ago,
an employee at the repair counter told
me that I could finance a new iPhone
at 0% interest. Car dealers are offering
zero-interest financing, too.
Moreover, the U.S. stock market
has soared because yields on bank
certificates of deposit (CDs) look so
puny. When I was a kid in the 1970s,
my mother placed our family savings
in a bank and received not only a 6%
return, but also a blender. Today, a six-
month bank CD might pay only one-
third of a percentage point. And my
mother can no longer expect a blender
or even a lollipop from the bank in
return for parking her money there.
Finally, low interest rates mean that
U.S. businesses can obtain nearly
free financing when they purchase
equipment. As a result of low
They would
prefer if the U.S.
stumbled along
beside them
and was forced
to concoct
cooperative
ways of
boosting global
growth
comment
borrowing costs and new tax write-
offs, the U.S. economy added 215,000
new machine manufacturing jobs in
2018. And foreign investors realise
that new equipment will make US
companies more competitive.
But surely, the textbooks insist, a
hobbled global economy will squeeze
U.S. exports. That is true – especially
when combined with China’s new
tariffs on American goods and a strong
dollar, which makes U.S. exports more
expensive internationally.
Still, exports make up only 12% of the
US economy, and nearly one-third of
them go to Canada and Mexico, whose
economies have been doing okay.
Moreover, many of the most valuable
U.S. exports are “must-have” items
(or oligopolistic goods made by only
a few companies), such as Boeing jets,
Qualcomm chips, or Apple iPhones. It
is hard even for dejected Frenchmen or
angst-ridden Germans to do without
these.
The buoyancy of the U.S. economy
worries policymakers in other countries.
They would prefer if the U.S. stumbled
along beside them and was forced to
concoct cooperative ways of boosting
global growth. Instead, Trump needles
rather than wheedles for trade deals,
and happily pockets the benefits to the
US economy that result from doldrums
abroad.
No one knows when Trump’s trade
needling will stop, of course. But as long
as inflation remains a distant specter,
America’s economy will continue to
enjoy this unusual type of growth.
Todd G. Buchholz has served as
director of economic policy under
President George H.W. Bush and
as managing director of the Tiger
hedge fund. He was awarded Harvard
University’s Allyn Young Teaching
Prize in economics and is the author of
`New Ideas from Dead Economists’ and
`The Price of Prosperity’.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2019.
June. 14 - 20 2019 31
comment
By Ambrose Byamugisha Muhoozi
Jobs are critical for economic growth
With an unemployment rate below 5%, it is apparent that
Ugandans are working hard, but with low productivity
C
reating quality jobs is a challenge
for the Ugandan government, but
implementing policies to ensure in-
clusive growth will help the country
reach middle income status.
Agriculture is the core of the economy
and the primary source of employment.
Therefore, creating better jobs on the farm
and promoting agribusiness are critical to
improving productivity.
The budget should have focused on the
importance of jobs in the context of Ugan-
da’s economic growth. As it is for other
countries around the world, jobs are essen-
tial for Uganda’s development because
they determine the living standards of
individuals and households, support eco-
nomic transformation, and promote social
cohesion.
While Uganda’s economy has grown
significantly over recent years and could
continue to do so into the future, presently
a significant proportion of the country’s
population are not benefiting optimally
from this growth. Rather, the vast majority
of Uganda’s labour force remains employed
in low productivity activities. This is largely
because the most productive, rapidly
expanding economic sectors are often more
capital intensive than labour-intensive and
employ only a small proportion of the work-
force.
In particular, the bulk of the population
continues to work in the agricultural sector,
often engaged in subsistence activities,
with only a small proportion of agricultural
workers engaged in the cultivation of high-
value, commercialised crops. In the urban
areas, a significant proportion of the popu-
lation works in the informal sector, which
faces particular constraints that prevent it
from achieving high levels of productivity,
including limited access to capital, limited
support and recognition by the authorities,
and limited access to workspaces and other
facilities.
“With Uganda’s labor force growing above
four percent per annum, Uganda can add
over 10 million potential workers into the
labour market by 2020, adding to the chal-
lenge of creating goods jobs and achieving
equitable growth,” . “The challenge for
Ugandan policy makers will be to manage
32 June. 14 - 20 2019
the labour force’s transition from a pre-
dominant involvement in low productivity
subsistence agriculture to increased involve-
ment in higher productivity manufacturing
and services sector.”
Uganda’s economy is recovering from
years of unstable economic growth and is
expected to achieve a growth rate of 5%
per annum. Instability in economic growth
attributed to the lack of discipline in public
expenditure has caused withdrawal of donor
aid from the national budget and delays in
the implementation of major investments
projects. However, the economy is progres-
sively recovering; driven by renewed macro-
economic stability, export policies, increased
access to credit, and low inflation.
Like in other African countries, creating
quality jobs is a major policy challenge
for Uganda government. With an unem-
ployment rate below 5%, it is apparent
that Ugandans are working hard, but too
many of them are involved in low produc-
tivity formal and informal sector activities.
This hinders the structural transformation
required to drive Uganda’s economic devel-
opment. The government needs to imple-
ment proper policies and the creation of a
greater number of productive employment
opportunities to ensure an inclusive growth
that will enable Uganda to fulfill its aspira-
tion of becoming a stable, integrated middle
income country.
Agriculture is the core of the economy
and the primary source of employment,
engaging 73% of the country’s labour force
primarily in the rural areas. But, other forms
of employment are growing faster; espe-
cially in the urban areas where jobs are more
diversified. Exploiting agribusiness opportu-
nities and improving farmers’ access to mar-
kets, credit and lower cost inputs, better land
policies such as expedited issuance of titles,
extension of research and advisory services
will increase productivity and create better
quality rural jobs.
Although they are usually seen as a
burden, farm jobs have the potential to drive
job creation and revenue if operators in
this sector have access to capital, raise their
technical and entrepreneurial skills and
have an enabling work environment. This
can be achieved through implementation of
a matching grant that provides capital and
workstations, and also enables these entre-
preneurs to raise their skills.
Ensuring that the labour force has the
appropriate skills will increase productivity.
Skills allow firms to operate at a higher level
of productivity and empower the labour
force to participate in higher productivity
jobs. Providing foundation skills through
high quality primary education and a higher
rate of transition to secondary education,
and encouraging the private sector to partic-
ipate in upgrading of Uganda’s labor force
are necessary.
Improving survival, growth and produc-
tivity in the formal sector increases inno-
vation. The formal sector, which is largely
concentrated and urban-based, will be the
source of innovation and the driver for
shifting Ugandan workers from relatively
low-productivity activities to higher ones.
The large number of firms setting up in
Uganda suggests that there are no barriers
to starting a business. Survival and moving
up the production value chain are key chal-
lenges that need to be mitigated by man-
aging infrastructure costs, improving access
to finance and enhancing appropriate labour
skills through the education system, on the
job training and private sector interventions
tailored to specific skills for particular indus-
tries.
Promoting a more efficient urbanisation
process will support firm growth and job
creation in urban areas. Firms concentrate
in urban areas because they value the
cluster benefits of information sharing, pro-
cess and product innovation and produce
amenities such as business services, finance,
logistics, banking, advertising and legal
services. The process can be made more
effective by reforming land policies and
institutions to a credible system for docu-
menting and valuing land. Urban transport
systems should be better reformed to ease
the movement of people and resources in
the urban areas and ensure a high level
of coordination with land use planning to
reduce urban congestion.
Ambrose Byamugisha Muhoozi is a students
support officer at Victoria University, Kampala
Is chicken healthier than beef?
New research challenges the widespread belief that white meat, such as chicken,
is better for cholesterol levels than red meat, such as beef, pork, or lamb
A
By Agencies
new study breaks some bad
news for meat eaters, as
researchers find that white
meat is just as harmful to cho-
lesterol levels as red meat.
The paper counters the
widespread belief that white meat is more
healthful than red. This belief relies on a vari-
ety of observational studies that have found
a link between red meat intake and a higher
risk of cardiovascular disease.
However, the authors of the new research
argue that the connection between white
meat and cholesterol has not received
enough attention in specialised literature.
So, a team of researchers — spearheaded
by senior author Dr. Ronald Krauss, senior
scientist and director of Atherosclerosis
Research at the Children’s Hospital Oakland
Research Institute in California — set out to
investigate this link in more detail.
Dr. Krauss and colleagues tested how
different meat intakes affected the levels of
lipids and lipoproteins that can cause fatty
deposits to form on the arteries. They pub-
lished their findings in the American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition.
The researchers divided healthy men
and women into two groups, according
to whether they regularly consumed high
levels of saturated fatty acids or low levels of
saturated fatty acids.
Within these two arms of the study, the
researchers randomly assigned the partic-
ipants to a red meat group, a white meat
group, and a nonmeat protein diet group.
Within each group, the participants —
who were 21–65 years old and had a body
mass index of between 20–35 kilograms/
square meter — consumed the allocated
foods for 4 weeks.
After the intervention, the researchers
measured low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol), levels of
apolipoprotein B, small and medium LDL
particles, as well as total and high-density
lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (“good” cho-
lesterol).
Red and white have ‘identical’ effects
The study found that abstaining from
eating meat altogether lowered blood cho-
lesterol much more than researchers had
previously believed.
Consuming both red and white meat
raised blood cholesterol levels more than
consuming equivalent levels of plant-based
proteins. “This was due primarily to increas-
es in large LDL particles,” note the authors.
The raised levels of cholesterol did not
depend on whether the diets also had high
levels of saturated fats.
“When we planned this study, we expect-
ed red meat to have a more adverse effect on
blood cholesterol levels than white meat, but
we were surprised that this was not the case
— their effects on cholesterol are identical
when saturated fat levels are equivalent,”
says Dr. Ronald Krauss.
The senior author adds that non-meat
protein sources, such as vegetables, dairy,
and pulses, have the most beneficial effect on
cholesterol levels. However, the authors also
note that the study did not include grass-fed
beef, fish, or processed meats.
“The findings are in keeping with recom-
mendations promoting diets with a high
proportion of plant-based food but, based on
lipid and lipoprotein effects, do not provide
evidence for choosing white over red meat
for reducing (cardiovascular disease) risk,”
write the researchers.
Dr. Krauss and colleagues conclude, “the
present study is the first to show that both
categories of meat protein result in LDL
concentrations that are higher than those
resulting from vegetable protein sources in
otherwise comparable diets”.
Health tips
Cholesterol levels vary by age, weight,
and gender. Over time, a person’s body
tends to produce more cholesterol, meaning
that all adults should check their cholesterol
levels regularly, ideally about every four to
six years.
Cholesterol is measured in three catego-
ries: total cholesterol, LDL, or ‘bad cholester-
ol”, and HDL, or ‘good cholesterol”.
The struggle for most people is balancing
these levels. While total and LDL cholesterol
levels should be kept low, having more HDL
cholesterol can offer some protection against
a person developing heart-related illnesses
including heart attacks and strokes.
These risks only increase over time, espe-
cially for adults who are not taking action to
reduce their cholesterol buildup. All adults
should stay active and maintain regular
exercise routines.
Generally, the earlier an adult starts living
a healthful lifestyle, the better for their cho-
lesterol levels. Cholesterol levels build over
time. A sudden change in lifestyle will help
eventually, but the older a person is, the less
impact they will see in cholesterol levels.
June. 14 - 20 2019 33
health
Drug-resistant TB
A new study offers new hope
By Andrew Nunn & I.D. Rusen
T
uberculosis (TB) is the leading cause
of death in the world from a single
infectious disease, causing more
deaths than HIV/AIDS. In 2017, 10
million people developed TB disease global-
ly and an estimated 1.6 million died.
One of the biggest blocks to beating the
epidemic is the growing resistance to drugs
that have previously cured TB.
The World Health Organisation (WHO)
has declared drug-resistant TB a global
health crisis. Worldwide in 2017, an estimat-
ed 558,000 people developed TB that was
resistant to the most effective first-line drug
– rifampicin (RR-TB). Of these, 82% had
multidrug-resistant TB.
But treating drug-resistant TB is still hope-
lessly inefficient. The 20-month to 24-month
regimen used in many countries to treat peo-
ple is costly and has significant side effects.
In addition, the length of the regimen makes
it hard for patients to adhere to, as well as for
health systems to sustain. Globally, the regi-
men has an average treatment success rate of
little more than 50% in real-world treatment
settings, although there is considerable varia-
tion from country to country.
As a result researchers around the world
have been urgently exploring shorter, more
effective, and safer treatments for patients
who have drug-resistant TB.
One of these efforts has begun to bear
fruit. Results from Stage 1 of a clinical trial
have recently been published. The news is
encouraging. The trial provides evidence
that a shorter treatment regimen – of nine to
34 June. 14 - 20 2019
11 months – is as effective for the treatment
of multidrug-resistant TB as the longer,
20-month treatment recommended by the
WHO in 2011.
The STREAM trial presents robust evi-
dence for the effectiveness and safety of the
nine to 11-month regimen when compared
to the much longer 20-month regimen. The
results are as good and the fact that the
regimen is shorter should make it much
more acceptable to patients. It is also likely
to result in cost saving to both patients and
health services.
The trial
The STREAM trial (Standardised
Treatment Regimen of Anti-TB Drugs for
Patients with MDR-TB) is the world’s first
multi-country randomised phase III clinical
trial to test the efficacy, safety and economic
impact of shortened MDR-TB treatment
regimens. The randomised nature of the
trial means that patients were assigned to
the long or short regimen in such a way as
so as to avoid bias. Treatment allocation is
determined by chance not by the choice of a
physician.
Phase III trials are designed to assess the
effectiveness and safety of a new interven-
tion in practice.
Stage 1 of the trial was designed to assess
whether a nine to 11-month treatment regi-
men that demonstrated promising cure rates
during a pilot programme in Bangladesh,
is as effective as the longer regimen when
assessed in other settings under rigorous
control trial conditions. Seven sites in Viet-
nam, Mongolia, South Africa, and Ethiopia
participated.
The results from Stage 1 show that the
shorter regimen is as good as the 20-month
regimen.
Nearly 80% of patients in the trial showed
a favourable outcome after two and a half
years of follow-up from entry into the trial.
The percentage was 79.8% in the 20-month
regimen. In the nine to 11-month regimen
the percentage was 78.8%.
Results in participants with HIV, although
not as good as in those who were HIV-nega-
tive, were very similar in the short and long
regimen.
The findings on side-effects were also
interesting. There were very similar rates of
severe side-effects during treatment and fol-
low-up between the two regimens. But there
were differences in the types of side-effects.
The most common side-effects were cardiac
conduction disorders, which increase the
risk of serious and potentially fatal arrhyth-
mias, in the nine to 11-month regimen. In the
20-month regimen the most common side
effects were metabolic disorders, particularly
hypokalemia.
A health economics data analysis is ongo-
ing and will assess potential cost savings to
patients and health systems when the nine
to 11-month regimen is compared to the
20-month regimen.
Conclusions
The final results from the trial are encour-
aging because they show that the nine to
11-month treatment regimen is comparable
in efficacy and safety to the 20-month regi-
men. This supports the use of a shorter reg-
imen for patients with rifampicin-resistant
TB.
The nine to 11-month regimen presents
substantial advantages. It reduces treatment
times, may improve patient retention under
programmatic conditions, and reduces the
number of pills patients have to take.
However, the required ECG monitoring is
an important consideration.
In its latest guidelines issued last year the
WHO again highlighted the need to con-
tinue to look for regimens that are not only
shorter, but are also less toxic for the patient.
The STREAM Stage 1 results suggest that
some progress is being made.
STREAM Stage 2 is currently evaluating
an all-oral regimen that is potentially
as effective and more tolerable than the
injectable-containing regimens currently
used some countries. This, too, would be
another major step forward in the battle
against MDR-TB.
Andrew Nunn is Senior scientist, MRC
Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, UCL & I.D.
Rusen is Adjunct Professor, Dalla Lana
School of Public Health , University of
Toronto.
 ART | BOOKS | SOCIETY | TRAVEL | CULTURE
Kigali photo fest
Rwanda gets contemporary art festival
P
By Dominic Muwanguzi
hotography is more than the
art of taking a picture. It is a
powerful story-telling tool. It is,
therefore, not surprising that it
is increasingly being courted as
a medium to narrate the di-
verse African experience on one stage called
the festival.
The Kigali Photo festival is the latest addi-
tion on the African contemporary art scene;
after the Lagos Photo Fest and Addis Foto
Fest.
Hosted under the theme: `In Search of
Relevance: Locality and Remediation’, the
festival will bring together bodies of work
that celebrate Africa’s diversity and foster
learning. It will involve workshops on issues
that matter on the continent.
The idea is to contextualize the exhibitions
and workshops in the global setting. Such
context enables varied consumption and
understanding of the specific themes interro-
gated to different audiences across the globe.
An example of such approach is the film
‘The Faces We Lost’ that explores the impor-
tance of family photographs for the survi-
vors of the Rwanda genocide. After 25 years
of the genocide the survivors remember
their beloved ones through family portraits
taken during celebrations of different family
events and not through death. The notion
of keeping memories alive through pho-
tography resonates with archiving the past
and present that saturates around the world
today. The thousands of migrants separated
from their families are able to relive those
happy moments of yesterday by a single
picture taken before the migration.
Still, the nature of the program for the
festival offers intriguing approaches to the
appreciation of the objectives of this biennial.
The program meanders through guided
tours of the main exhibition by the event’s
curator, Robinah Nansubuga (Uganda) to
workshops with groups of photographers
and writers on topics like human rights and
culture (Rwandan culture); through panel
discussions with key figures like Chris
Schwagga, Bathsheba Okwenje and Yves
Manzi in the photography discipline on how
ones identity and past connections with
different places layer over their positioning
at the precise moment. Such interactive
engagement seek to find answers to some
of the complex questions photographers
encounter in their daily artistic practice, but
more so, create inclusiveness for the public
for future sustainability of the festival.
With intent to validate this fete to an
international stage of contemporary art, the
organisers deliberately choose to evoke Bisi
Silva’s memory in the festival. Bisi Silva
(RIP) was the founder of the Lagos Centre
for Contemporary Art and acclaimed cura-
tor of Contemporary Art from Africa. Her
artistic practice has been credited to inspire
many already and upcoming artists, not
to mention the numerous art festivals she
curated in and beyond the continent. In
providing a stage at the KPF to celebrate her
work, the organisers are playing a critical
role in the art: keeping her memory alive
and also transmit her valuable knowledge to
the young generation of female curator she
inspired along the way.
The Kigali Photo Fest is another step
forward in propagating a new chapter of
Africans taking part in their destiny, and
therefore undercut the notion of cultural
imperialism that dominated the arts for the
first part of the 21st century and before. If
sustained, it will continue the tradition of
interactive and collaborative artistic practices
on the continent that includes art festivals, in
order to genuinely grow the Art scene with-
in the region and beyond.
The Kigali Photo Festival is organized by
the Kigali Centre for Photography is a collab-
orative initiative by Artistic Photographers
in Rwanda. The festival started on 7th- 16th
June 2019 in Kigali.
Image courtesy of the Kigali Photo Fest
June. 14 - 20 2019 35
Millionaire uses roadside billboards to find love
A mysterious million-
aire has been making
news headlines for his
unusual approach to
finding a new wife – post-
ing large ads on roadside
billboards asking women
to audition for an exclu-
sive group date. The
mysterious millionaire is
a Mormon - a mysterious
member of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints - and the billboards
sprung up in Salt Lake
City, Utah in USA in
May. They read simply:
“LDS Millionaire looking
for his wife,” and invited
potential candidates to
sign up for an “exclusive
VIP event” on June 7, via
a custom website. Many
thought they were a
joke. But self-proclaimed
“LDS matchmaker”, Erin
Schurtz, described her cli-
ent as a 30 to 45-year-old
“handsome” millionaire.
“This person has tried
lots of different avenues
and hasn’t been suc-
cessful yet. He’s a great
guy and has so much to
offer,” she said. By May
7th, 326 women had
signed up and thousands
probably did later.
Stolen beer van returned
after free beer offer
The firm put the appeal on social media
after CCTV showed three people stealing the
vehicle from Charlotte, North Carolina in the
early hours. The Unknown Brewery Company
posted: “Whoever finds it, Brad will buy you a
keg party! If you stole it and bring it back, you
will also get a keg party (smile for the camera).
Please DM us if you see it.” The distinctive
black and green van was tracked down in
under an hour after 15 people contacted
them with tips, with Instagram user Caroline
Klimowski the first to spot it. To celebrate
the van’s speedy recovery, the brewery said
it would produce a special beer named “Van
Theft Auto”, selling for 25 cents a pint (20p) to
cover the taxes. “That’s as close to a free keg
party as we can do for you,” said the brewery.

Human mouth-shaped Wife parades cheating

purse is freaky!
A Japanese amateur artist has decided to
give the popular phrase ‘to put your money
where your mouth is’ a literal sense by creat-
ing an ultra-realistic coin purse shaped like a
human mouth. Complete with stubble beard
and soft pink lips, the coin purse designed
by Japanese music producer and amateur
artist ‘Doooo’ is one of freakiest things I’ve
ever seen. Not only does it look like the low-
er half of a man’s face, but it even opens up
like a human mouth, revealing ultra-realistic
teeth and pink, wet-looking gums.
man naked on top of car
A Colombian man recently
became the laughing stock of the
internet after allegedly agreeing to be
paraded naked on the roof of a car as
punishment for cheating on his wife.
A video of a naked man lying
on top of a white car and being
Music star eyes
paraded around the Colombian presidency in Ghana
city of Barranquilla has been doing
the rounds worldwide. The bizarre Popular Ghanaian dancehall musician
scene reportedly occurred on May Shatta Wale has revealed plans concerning his
15, when the man’s wife caught him ambition to stand for president in Ghana in the
in bed with another woman at a local next elections in 2020. The A self-proclaimed
motel. He begged for forgiveness, king of African dancehall is already asking fans
but the scorned wife told him that to vote him on several occasions. It is not clear
the only way to save their marriage if the ‘Gringo’ hitmaker is really serious about
was for him to accept a humiliating getting into politics or he is just making fun.
punishment. He was to agree to
Shatta Wale is one of the most popular figures
lie naked on top of their car as she
in Ghana as he has been used as a campaign
drove home, with nothing but a
tool by some political parties.
towel to conceal his face with.

Company sells `Young woman aroma” deodorant

Deoco, a range of women’s beauty prod-
ucts that allegedly captures the coveted
“young woman smell”, has become a huge
hit in Japan, among both older women who
want to smell younger and lonely men who
crave the fragrance of a younger woman.
The story of this intriguing line of
cosmetics began last year, when Japanese
company Rohto Pharmaceutical announced
that it had successfully isolated two fragrant
chemical compounds, called Lactone
C10 and C11, which younger women’s
bodies seemed to produce in much larger
quantities than those of older women.
After making the discovery and isolating
the two compounds, Rohto quickly started
working on Deoco, a line of body soaps and
deodorants rich in Lactone C10 and C11.
The beauty products are being snatched up
by single men, because the sweet aroma –
described as a fruity combination of peach
and coconut – makes them feel like there is a
young woman in close proximity.

36 June. 14 - 20 2019
 Kampala driving
needs courtesy
It means you give up your right for the sake of safety
Motorist face it tough to join the Logogo bypass through Prince Charles drive junction
By motoring Guru
T
here is a junction in Kampala City
that should be called the `devil’s
death trap’. It connects Prince
Charles Drive to Lugogo Bypass
in the Bukoto area. The junction was not
designed for faint-hearted drivers. Driving
here often involves entering and sharply
cutting through three lanes of thick traffic
to reach the right turn to Naguru. Not to
mention crisscrossing boda-bodas, fruit ven-
dors, and pedestrians. I can only compare
it to the wildebeest crossing of the crocodile
infested waters of the Masai Mara River in
Kenya. It requires desperation, courage, and
recklessness. But success depends on luck
and courtesy of other drivers.
On a recent trip, I almost got clobbered by
a no nonsense driver of a huge Volvo SUV. I
had cleared two scary lanes and was desper-
ate to go into the third and fortunately last
lane for my turning. Since I was in lane two
but slightly ahead of Monster Volvo who
was in lane three, I indicated right turn and
assumed he would understand my situation
and let me squeeze into lane three (It is the
only way to drive here and most drivers
easily understand this). Not Volvo Monster
although he had left a gap. But by the time I
understood he was not giving me way and I
stopped, our vehicles were almost touching
side by side (because Monster Volvo had
accelerated to close the gap!). Too late – driv-
ing mirrors flew off cars. Unfortunately his;
not mine. And fortunately, he just drove off.
Still, I wonder – should changing a lane
in heavy jam have led to flying side mirrors
and rising heart rates? Absolutely not. All
that was required was a little driving cour-
tesy.
Driving courtesy in many situations
means you give up your right to be where
you are on the road, to the person trying
to be there. It is about being forgiving and
making allowances, recognising that you
will benefit when this goodwill is recipro-
cated.
Courtesy on the road also involves recog-
nising and accepting some responsibility for
the actions of fellow road users. I was clearly
in the wrong lane for my turning, right
next to the Kira Road police cross junction.
But it was because of the bad road design
not by choice. The cross junction used to
be a roundabout which we would circle to
Naguru. Now we have to cut through night-
marish traffic. Too many crashes are caused
by lack of courtesy and impatience.
Driving courtesy is required mostly when
someone is overtaking, driving slower or
faster than normal, is aggressive, distracted,
or merges badly. In most cases, our roads
have traffic congestion, have no passing
lanes, and are narrow, full of potholes and
hazards, and are known high crash roads
like the Masaka highway.
In spite of this, simple courtesy and
respect for fellow road users would make
driving more enjoyable even in these condi-
tions. More importantly the `devil’s death
trap’ junction would be safer.
June. 14 - 20 2019 37
Basemera Stella Maris makes math fun
‘Parents sometimes feel sympathy for their
children and deny them chance to explore’
By Agnes E Nantaba
S
tella Maris Basemera Stella Maris
is a private tutor, academic coach,
creative learning methods re-
searcher and C.E.O of Creative
Learning AfricA+; a learner support Com-
pany. Basemera is also an inaugural am-
bassador of Connections Based Learning
by Sean Robinson, Canada.  students and teachers.
For private tutoring, Basemera trains
both teachers and students through
teaching aids and learning materials that
make mathematics simpler and enjoyable
to learn. She says that her basic target for
teachers is mindset change and getting
them think outside the box and be cre-
ative through research.
“Teachers shouldn’t only look at what
is written in books because the 21st centu-
ry needs more creative thinkers to be rele-
vant to the learning needs of pupils,” says
Basemera, “It’s a way of making learning
fun and real.”
As part of making learning more fun
and enjoyable, she makes use of the out-
side environment because, she says, learn-
ing shouldn’t be tagged to classrooms
only. She encourages use of learning
materials made from the environment
such as leaves, tree branches.
She says, “Sometimes classrooms get
boring to the learners”.
For some children, Basemera says she
works through their school homework
assignments while others are given
individual exercises through use of the
available resources in line with existing
cultures.
For the love of math, Basemera has also
published a logical reasoning book for
learners, “Fun Math Activities” and is
soon releasing another for parents and
teachers called “My Top Secrets To Mak-
ing Learners Love Math”. The books are
guides to enabling students love math.
She also plans to make tangible play
learning materials for those in pre-school.
Basemera’s love for teaching and math
is a childhood dream. She says she loved
to teach fellow children and everything
in her surrounding - including chicken! It
was, however, during her Senior Six Vaca-
tion that Basemera’s love to help students
who had difficulties with math pushed
her to explore her teaching skills.
“I used to just help needy students
38 June. 14 - 20 2019
from the neighborhood and family until
it started hitting me that it is something I
could do professionally,” she says.
She graduated as a teacher with a
Bachelor of Science with Education and a
Certificate in Guidance and Counseling
both from Makerere University Kam-
pala. Her interest was, however, not to
go to class but offer learning support to
The best platform to use was social
media and particularly Facebook.
She displayed how good she was
with calculations and would make
herself visible by commenting
on especially issues related to
education. Noticing that some
parents had a negative attitude
towards mathematics, Basemera
introduced her tutoring services.
Her first assignment was to prepare
some students for transition into a
new school. She operated on social
media for two years without a physical
office. She has since worked with a wide
range of learners, teachers, schools and
organisations. She has done a series of
professional development courses and
has recently done a curriculum develop-
ment support role for Rutindo Math +
Culture project. 
She says, “It was a ripple effect
from happy clients as well as being
relevant on Facebook”.
Basemera is the last child of
Christopher Kaliisa Bwanswa
(RIP) and Scolastica Aku-
gizibwe Kaliisa. Born in
Mulago Kampala, she
went to Shimoni demon-
stration school and
Taibah High School
before joining Mak-
erere University.
She says she
has found that
parents some-
times feel sym-
pathy for their
children and
push them away
from math, but
she says it is bet-
ter to give chil-
dren a chance
to explore.
 Q&A

Basemera’s Liteside
Any three things that What is your greatest What is the quality united.
we don’t know about extravagance? you most like in a

I
you? I love shoes and woman? What do you regard
am so passionate bags. I also like movies. Caring and honest as the lowest depth of
about what I do women usually stand misery?
and have a strange What is your current out. My father passed
determination that state of mind? away at a very critical
pushes me to achieve I am happy. What is the quality moment; it is the most
what I set out to. I am you most like in a disorganised year I
very honest about life What do you consider man? have ever had and
and the surrounding; I the most overrated Caring and honest. wouldn’t wish anyone
will not tell you what virtue? to lose a parent at a
you want to hear but Failure and the What or who is the young age.
what I must tell you. whole blame game greatest love of your
towards government; life? What is your favorite
What is your idea of we have focused so I love my family; occupation?
perfect happiness? much on expecting they are very Being a teacher is
There is nothing too much from the supportive people. the best job in the
like perfect happiness; government and yet world because it’s very
only happiness and it’s as individuals, we When and where were flexible and fulfilling.
about accepting the can do a lot more. you happiest?
world the way it is and Government and other Everything has a What do you most
going with the right authorities can come in different degree of value in your friends?
choices. We all have later. happiness; I am happy Unity, reliability and
a conscience and that on my birthday and support for each other.
usually dictates what is What does being moments with my
right or wrong. powerful mean to you? family. I look at every Who is your hero of
Being powerful has day as one to celebrate fiction?
What is your greatest got to do with being life and enjoy. I like avengers and
fear? able to make a positive marvel related things.
Fear of not being impact on others. Which talent would I normally look out for
informed. you most like to have? the latest releases. They
On what occasion do Talent is inborn but make me laugh which
What is the trait you lie? I want to add a skill is healthy.
you most deplore in I strive to be honest of sign language. I am
yourself? and that has gotten me just giving myself time What are your favorite
I don’t like into trouble sometimes but will soon embark names?
disappointing so with the kind of work on that journey. I love the names
sometimes I make I do. I however ensure Raphael and Michelle.
programmes even after that I strike a balance. If you could change
knowing that I can’t Lies usually come back one thing about What is your greatest
have extra hours. to you and you know yourself, what would regret?
that whatever you do it be? I normally turn
What is the trait or tell in the dark will We are all imperfect challenges into
you most deplore in always find a way humans so I wouldn’t learning experiences.
others? through the light. want to change I turn regrets into
I am a very flexible anything about myself. motivations.
person so I try to What do you most
match up. dislike about your Where would you How would you like
appearance? most like to live? to die?
Which living person I am enough so I I am very I prefer when I am
do you most admire? don’t wish for things I comfortable in Uganda very old and just sleep
Dr Nanyonga don’t have. because there is away.
Kivumbi; I admire everything you need to
her smartness and Which living person live well. What is your motto?
ability to teach math do you most despise? ‘Be open minded
in a simple way. I also I prefer not to mention What is your most and face anything’
admire Prof. Maggie names but generally I treasured possession? and ‘Always try to be
Kigozi; I like the way have issues with arrogant I love my family so different’.
she has earned it all people although I try to much and especially
but remains humble. be flexible. the fact that we are

June. 14 - 20 2019 39
global comment
By Alzbeta Klein
Climate-smart investment in Africa
Emerging-market cities could attract $29.4 tn in
cumulative climate-related investments by 2030
O
n the evening of March 14, tropical
cyclone Idai slammed into the
southeastern coast of Africa. On
the same day, some 1,700 miles
due north, I gathered with global leaders
and climate experts at the third One Planet
Summit (OPS) in Nairobi, Kenya. The two
scenes could not have been more different –
or more closely linked.
The humanitarian emergency triggered
by Idai continues to unfold. Beira, Mozam-
bique, with its 500,000-plus residents, bore
the brunt of the cyclone’s impact. But the
consequences extend much further, not least
because Beira is home to the main port for
some of its regional neighbours, including
landlocked Malawi and Zimbabwe. An
inland lake the size of Luxembourg is now
displacing hundreds of thousands of people
across all three countries.
At a time when climate change is making
catastrophic weather events more common,
Idai amounts to a stark reminder of our
collective responsibility to boost resilience,
especially in the most vulnerable areas. After
all, as Beira’s severely strained budget makes
clear, the costs of waiting for disaster to
strike are much higher. According to Lloyd’s
City Risk Index, even in a conservative sce-
nario, climate-related risks could cost cities
$123 billion annually, on average, in lost
GDP.
The challenge will be compounded as the
adverse effects of climate change on agricul-
ture and other rural livelihoods accelerate
already-rapid urbanisation. In Sub-Saharan
Africa, the number of urban dwellers,
already in excess of 470 million, is set to
double over the next 25 years. By 2050, the
region is expected to account for 20% of the
world’s urban residents.
But rapid urbanisation can also serve as an
opportunity to build climate-resilient cities.
To make the most of it will require mobil-
ising large amounts of investment in areas
like climate-smart water management, clean
transport, and green buildings.
Mobilisation of climate finance was a cen-
tral theme at this year’s OPS, with Africa
being the main region of focus. The partic-
ipants, who included some of my World
Bank Group colleagues, as well as heads
of state, civil-society organisations, and
private-sector actors, proposed the Africa
Pledge, which contains a set of commitments
40 June. 14 - 20 2019
aimed at accelerating climate action that
serves the continent’s people.
As part of the Africa Pledge, the World
Bank announced that it will deliver $22.5
billion in new climate financing to Africa
from 2021-2025. This financing, combined
with the World Bank Group’s Action Plan
on Adaptation and Resilience, better posi-
tions African countries to unlock investment
opportunities and manage the risks of a
changing climate.
Even with such financing from interna-
tional institutions, however, the costs of
building climate resilience will far exceed
public budgets. Mobilising private capital
will be crucial to close the financing gap, and
here the role of the International Finance
Corporation – the largest global develop-
ment institution focused exclusively on the
private sector in developing countries – is
essential. In particular, the IFC, a member of
the World Bank Group, has been developing
and implementing innovative financing
products, such as green bonds and carbon
credits, to enable private-sector actors to
invest in climate mitigation and adaptation
efforts.
The green-bond market alone, after a
decade of rapid growth, is poised to exceed
$180 billion this year, and the IFC is eager to
help the world seize the unrivaled oppor-
tunity in climate finance that this market
In Sub-Saharan
Africa, the
number of
urban dwellers,
already in
excess of 470
million, is set to
double over the
next 25 years
represents. In 2016, the IFC created the For-
ests Bond, a first-of-its-kind instrument that
gives investors the option of being repaid
in cash or carbon credits that can be used to
support forest conservation. And last year
the IFC launched the world’s largest green-
bond fund dedicated to emerging markets,
the Amundi Planet Emerging Green One
fund, committing $256 million to increase
the capacity of emerging-market banks to
fund climate-smart investments. Such efforts
earned the IFC the title of Green Bond Devel-
opment Bank of 2018 at this year’s Green
Bond Pioneer Awards.
But even with the most innovative instru-
ments, sufficient private investment will not
be forthcoming if governments do not create
the right conditions. To attract private invest-
ment to climate-smart projects and generate
a viable project pipeline, African cities and
countries must improve their creditworthi-
ness and boost project bankability.
The rewards of such efforts would be
enormous. A recent IFC study, Climate
Investment Opportunities in Cities, esti-
mates that emerging-market cities could
attract more than $29.4 trillion in cumulative
climate-related investments by 2030 in six
key sectors: green buildings, public transpor-
tation, electric vehicles, renewable energy,
climate-smart water systems, and waste
infrastructure and management. Of that, $1.5
trillion would go to Sub-Saharan Africa.
Of course, the specific composition of
investment opportunities depends on local
contexts. For example, this year’s OPS host,
Nairobi, has investment potential of $8.5 bil-
lion, including $5 billion in electric vehicles.
Some governments might be tempted to
channel investments toward other devel-
opment objectives that promise tangible
short-term benefits, such as poverty erad-
ication and education. But, if these gains
are to last, they must be secured along-
side progress on building climate resil-
ience. Otherwise, disasters like cyclone
Idai will continue to wash away people’s
lives, livelihoods, and futures.
Alzbeta Klein is Director and Global Head of
Climate Business at the International Finance
Corporation.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2019.
www.project-syndicate.org
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