Uganda in 2013: the first 100 days

Eriya Kategaya’s death on March 2, is one that took the country by surprise in this quarter. FILE PHOTO 

By Allan Chekwech

In Summary

On April 11, it was 100 days ago since Ugandans, with anxiety, excitement and eyes glued to the ticking clocks, braved the cold in wait of the birth of the New Year, 2013. What have we as a nation done or not done so far? It might be too early to issue a report card, but let’s look back at the events that have characterised the 100 days of 2013.

President Museveni said in his New Year message that the past year had been a difficult one, citing; runaway inflation, high prices of key commodities such as sugar and fuel, a slump in economic growth, corruption and sabotage by “some elements” of the political class were some of the troubles that blighted his government.


He, however, said the economy had recovered after 24 months of upheaval and noted that inflation that had hit an all-time high in 2011 at 30 per cent stood at 4.9 per cent, while annual rate of growth, which was at 3.4 per cent would riseto five per cent and eventually seven per cent.

OPM scandal
We ended the year with allegations of financial misappropriation in the Office of the Prime Minister. Billions of shillings meant to pacify northern Uganda and Karamoja had gone missing under the watch of government officials. OPM Principal Accountant, Geoffrey Kazinda, remains in Luzira Prison over the matter.

Following the revelations, donors such as Ireland, demanded that the government refunds the aid it had wired to the economy but was not accounted for. Eamon Gilmore, the Foreign Affairs minister for the Republic of Ireland, said Uganda refunded Shs14b.

This newspaper also broke a story that the government had raided the Treasury with a secretive Shs21b supplementary budget to use taxpayers’ money to refund the stolen aid. However, the deputy secretary to the Treasury, Mr Keith Muhakanizi, later told journalists that the government had secured up to Shs38.3b to refund donors.

Taxman
The Uganda Revenue Authority also listed top tax defaulters from whom it demanded Shs30b, in a move that attempted to raise revenue to plug the holes created by aid cuts and faltering revenue performance.

Pension scandal
The aftermath of the revelations that billions of shillings at the Public Service Ministry had been paid to non-existent pensioners also painted a largely grim picture for the country riddled with corruption. That more than Shs60b had been paid to dubious people. Police detectives, swung into action, arrested ministry officialsand the Permanent Secretary Jimmy Lwamafwa, was interdicted.

This newspaper also published photos of alleged beneficiaries, a thing that saw an old man and woman walk to police to claim faces, which stared at them with different names.

The Auditor General’s December 2012 report also said Shs88.2b, largely attributed to ghost beneficiaries from the police, prisons and the army formed part of a total Shs165.4b paid as gratuity to 3,000 non-existent pensioners. NSSF, however, denied receiving part of the cash [Shs88.2b]. Police are still investigating the pension scandal, even as the first quarter of the year is gone.

No salaries
For the past three months, the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service Ministry again have been in the spotlight over non-payment of salaries to civil servants. Secretary to the Treasury, Mr Chris Kassami asked Public Service to explain the salary delays, and the ministry in response said, Shs2.1t allocated for salaries for this financial year was not enough and requested for a supplementary budget.

The oil corruption spill
Although, oil production is expected in three years’ time, the government is still involved in political and legal gymnastics over setting up a refinery here.Recently, while meeting of ficials from Tullow, Total, China’s Cnooc Ltd and Ministry of Energy officials, President Museveni threw barbs at Parliament, saying negotiations on the Memorandum of Understanding on building a refinery and a pipeline had taken too long [seven years].

The oil companies and the government agreed to start with a refinery with a capacity of 30,000 barrels per day, under the 200,000 barrels per day the government dreamt of and Ugandans will own 40 per cent of the oil refinery while Bunyoro will get an airport and a railway line from Pakwach.

Death of big wigs
If there is a word to describe the first quarter, one would say, it has been one of “death”. From a great servicemen, First Deputy premier and Minister for East Africa Eriya Kategeya, businessman and entrepreneur James Mulwana, to the President’s father, Amos Kaguta. We also lost Brig. Patrick Kankiriho, the man who tormented LRA rebels in the operation “Lightning Thunder” in late 2008.

Corruption jail birds
An attempt to fight graft saw Soroti Municipality MP, Mike Mukula sent to Luzira for four years after he was found guilty of embezzling Shs200m Gavi funds. He has since got bail. Businessman Hassan Bassajjabalaba was also remanded for days in Luzira Prison for forging a consent statement in the Shs142.6b compensation scandal.

Parliament
The year began with the Parliament in recess. But the nasty spillovers of the events in the previous year kept the House alive. A section of MPs put Speaker Rebecca Kadaga on pressure to recall the House from recess to debate the controversial death of former Butaleja Woman MP, Cerinah Nebanda.



President Museveni would later say Parliament would only be recalled over his dead body. Like he had said, the Speaker did not recall the House. Adam Kalungi, the alleged boyfriend of Nebanda was arrested in Mombasa, Kenya, and was handed over to Ugandan authorities. He remains at Luzira Prison on charges of manslaughter. The Nebanda storm took with it Pathologist Silvester Onzivua who was interdicted for allegedly stealing body samples of the former MP to take to South Africa for toxicological tests.

 

Coup talk
The storm, was however, tamed by the emergence of coup talk. While at the NRM retreat at Kyankwanzi, some MPs asked President Museveni to reinstate term limits and retire. He reportedly told them the armed forces were closely watching the political developments and would not hesitate to take over power should the ‘confusion’ in the political class not end. The Army Commander, Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, together with the Minister of Defence, Dr Crispus Kiyonga, re-echoed their boss’ claims

Stuck on the shelves
The Public Order and Management Bill remained on the shelves. The Oil Bill and the Anti-Homosexuality Bill also stared in the faces of lawmakers, who had largely started the 9th Parliament as one inclined towards fighting graft. Then, the Marriage and Divorce Bill came wagging, and it got all MPs pacing up and down. Realising that the MPs had pulled strings over the Bill, the President through the powers of the Executive, ordered that Finance looks for Shs1.69b to be paid to MPs to go and consult their constituents. Each MP got Shs5m.

More deaths, only that these were murders
A wave of killing is sweeping across the country. In Kampala alone, two businessmen have been killed in Kamwokya and Kisaasi, both city suburbs under mysterious circumstances. A Briton, Derrick Coggon, was also killed in cold blood in Entebbe recently. The Inspector General of Police, Lt. Gen. Kale Kayihura, has had to make rounds to areas affected, reshuffled police officers, but the vice remains in the dark. In areas such as Rakai, Masaka, and neighbouring districts, about 15 deaths have been reported in the last three months and the assailants are yet to be brought to book.

Looking back
A set of investigations carried forward from last year remain unfinished.





First, it was the death of Buyaga West MP Barnabas Tiinkasiimire’s estranged wife, Agnes Tinkasiimire, who died of burns she sustained from a fire at her Mukono home late last year. Detectives are yet to dig to the bottom of the death months later. Another death that occurred this year that remains unresolved is of Juvenal Nsenga. Police have petitioned the Attorney General to block murder charges against Ms Jackie Uwera, saying, they had found no evidence of intentional killing by the accused. The Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Richard Buteera, had brought the murder charges.

Other initiatives
The education sector has got some misdemeanours; Makerere University students battled for their future when the university introduced a 60 per cent tuition policy. It resulted in strikes, looting and some arrests. This would be settled when the university relaxed the policy.

Teachers continue to demand salary increment; but they can teach for now, even when Shs200b, enough to pay 56,000 teachers for a year, is being thrown away in dubious court awards to individuals and companies by the government. Reports recently indicate that consumers could experience power cuts in six months’ time and not two years as had been expected.

Yet, the construction of Karuma Dam, which is expected to produce 600 Megawatts to add to the existing 250MW from Bujagali plant, and 210MW from Nalubaale and Kiira plants, has failed to take off. Media reports indicate that China will fund the construction of the dam.

The construction works should have started last year, but the tendering process was rocked with graft allegations and shoddy tendering process. We are not yet half way the year, but the above events, and others, largely paint a picture of the government caught between a rock and hard place.