News analysis Health Business

40-year Moshi lessons Danger of eating Behind dfcu’s 52%

for younger Ugandans reused cooking oil decline in net profit

Issue No. 566 April. 05 - 11 2019 Ushs 5,000,Kshs 200, RwF 1,500, SDP 8

Museveni
succession
Why NRM doesn’t want
to talk about it

www.independent.co.ug
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TRUTH
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April. 05 - 11 2019
INBOX

Issue No. 566 April. 05 - 11 2019

News analysis Business Health Arts Motoring

Cover story
Museveni succession
Why NRM doesn’t want to talk about it

4 The Week
30 Comments
Nakalema’s unit
continues to bite
Bad news for women: Female
experts are outnumbered
9 The Last Word as sources by their male
counterparts in nearly every field
Uganda’s storm in a teacup:
How our MPs invented a scandal
around Uganda Airlines’ shares and
32 Health
our chattering elites joined the chorus
Danger of eating reused
14 Analysis cooking oil: New research
links it to breast cancer
40-year Moshi lessons
for younger Ugandans

35 Arts & Culture

27 Business
Latest art movers and
Umeme’s surprise profit growth: shakers: How they impact
Company expects more revenue from the Kampala art scene
government’s free connection policy

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

PUBLISHER: Independent Publications Limited, Plot 82/84, Kanjokya Street, P. O. Box 3304, Kampala, Uganda
Tel: +256-312-637-391/ 2/ 3/ 4 | Fax: +256-312-637-396 E-mail: editor@independent.co.ug | advertising@independent.co.ug
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2 April. 05 - 11 2019
 Offline

“Sometimes you wonder whether we

have a government people with people
who think. It is unfortunate that I am
not president, I would have sacked a few
people.”Jacob Oulanyah, Deputy Speaker on
Uganda Airlines mess

Joshua
Cheptegei and
Jacob Kiplimo
destroyed the
field Saturday “It is true the deceased was removed
for a 1-2
finish in the from the police pick up and instantly
blue ribbon shot dead by our officer; he was not
event of the armed. We can certainly say what
IAAF World
Cross Country was first reported as a typical police
Championships shooting story is now a straight
– the men’s
senior race forward murder case.”Fred Enanga,
Police Spokesperson, on the killing of Ronald
Ssebulime
Facebook chief Mark
Zuckerberg’s call for
“globally harmonized”
online regulation raises
questions about how
internet platforms can
deal with concerns about
misinformation and
abusive content while
remaining open to free “Of late, some people have started
speech.
quarrelling with us and yet we looked
after them, we gave them opportunities,
In the United States, education and good accommodation.
David Hogg is a leading
campaigner for gun
All of a sudden, they have become our
control, while in Europe, enemies over nothing. We only ask God
Greta Thunberg fights to to deal with them because we have done
defend the climate. nothing.” Hilary Onek, Minister for Disaster
Preparedness on Uganda-Rwanda standoff

Ugandans who die in lakes South Sudanese refugees Tonnes amount of

5000 140,000 3.4

and rivers annually per who returned home gold seized by police
the Lake Victoria Basin recently after the on raid at Africa Gold
Commission September 2018 peace deal Refinery

April. 05 - 11 2019 3
week
EC visits The Independent offices in 2021 election roadmap
The team from EC in a group photo with staff of The Independent
A team from the Electoral
Commission (EC) led by its
Chairman, Justice Simon Bya-
bakama paid a visit to The Inde-
pendent on March 26 as part of
its ongoing efforts to engage the
media on the 2021 election road
map. Accompanying Chairman
Byabakama were EC Deputy
Chairperson Hajjat Aisha Lube-
ga, Secretary to the EC, Sam
Rwakoojo, EC Public Relations
Officer Jotham Taremwa, Com-
missioner Sebaggala Kigozi,
and three other fellow Com-
missioners. Byabakama assured
staff of The Independent in
a meeting that the EC was
determined to engage all stake-
holders particularly the media,
address some of the issues that
surround election management
and build strong partnership
with media houses.
The meeting was attended by
Independent Publications Lim-
ited (IPL) Managing Director
Andrew Mwenda, Managing
Editor Joseph Were, Reporters;
Haggai, Matsiko, Ian Katusiime,
Julius Businge, and Ronald
Musoke. Charles Kankya IPL
General Manager, Human
Resource Manager David
Hamya and Peter Kusiima, sales
executive also attended.
Byabakama said the EC
intends to organise trainings for
journalists on various aspects of
election handling and manage-
ment. “We are also liaising with
security agencies to find mecha-
nism on preventing election vio-
lence where journalists. Safety
of people should not become an
issue simply because elections
are being held,” he said.
Meanwhile Rwakoojo clari-
fied on the issue of the delay
of ballot boxes in some parts
of Kampala in the 2016 general
election. “It was an issue of not
having enough cars to transfer
ballot boxes to the respective
areas. It was never intentional.”
Mwenda advised the EC to
establish a Research and Data
Unit to aggregate various forms
of data on elections ranging
from 1996 to 2016. “Statistics
will help you in making your
case whenever you are chal-
lenged on election numbers.”
Madhvani Foundation
offers Shs700m for
University students
In the quest for Uganda
to empower its youth
through education, the
Muljibhai Madhvani Foun-
dation has announced a
scholarship fund of Shs700
million that will be used
to support brilliant but
underprivileged university
students in Uganda. Speak-
ing at a press briefing held
at the Madhvani Head
office in the Industrial area,
Hon. Gerald Ssendaula,
the Chairman of the Mad-
hvani Foundation board
said, “Madhvani Founda-
tion is proud to be part of
Uganda’s education dream
and today we launch the
Madhvani Foundation
scholarship fund for the
academic year 2019/2020.
The Foundation has contin-
uously supported brilliant
but underprivileged Ugan-
dan students from different
universities.

Nakalema’s unit continues to bite

The suspects
A State House Anti-
Corruption Unit launched
in December last year has
continued to instill panic
among public officials
who swindle government
money. URA officials,
town clerks, district
administrators and others
have all fallen prey. In the
last week, the unit made
a string of arrests. On
March 30, the unit led by
Lt. Col. Edith Nakalema, a
former personal assistant
to President Museveni,
conducted an operation
and arrested Nicholas
Kamukama, the deputy
RDC of Kiruhura district,
and Kangume Kosea, a
district councilor, following
complaints from district
residents. The unit reported
that the two were caught
red handed soliciting a bribe
to aid the illegal operation
of an unlicensed money
lending company. The
two charged with bribery
and extortion according to
Police. A few days before
the Kiruhura raid, the
unit arrested Ruth Etibot
Achimo, Soroti University
secretary, amid accusations
of misappropriating
Shs1.6billion meant for
payment of employee
allowances, rent, retainer
fees and inland travel
disbursement. Achimo was
arraigned before the Anti-
Corruption Court on March
29 on charges of corruption,
diversion of public resources
and false accounting.
Ssebulime family living in fear
The family of account of events
the late Ronald that happened
Ssebulime on the fateful day
(Pictured) has remains vague but
cried out for police Ssebulime was on
protection citing his way to visit his
fear of unknown two daughters at the
people who roam nearby St Andrew’s
around their house SS Kabimbiri in
in Kayunga at Kayunga when the
night. Sisters and incident happened.
other relatives of Police have
Ssebulime told arrested its officers
journalists who responsible who are
visited their home act of recklessness Edward Ssali the car
on March 31 that by the police on commander, Ronald
these people knock Mukono Kayunga Opira, Ronald
on their door and Road a few weeks Baganza and is on
make suspicious back. Police the hunt for Robert
movements around shot 42-year-old Cherotich who
the house causing Ssebulime who fled. The officers
the family fear and was already are being held for
anxiety. The family handcuffed after murder, conspiracy
is now appealing he was arrested by and professional
to the state for police who judged misconduct.
security. Ssebulime him to be trailing Meanwhile Nantaba
was shot dead by State Minister has been slammed
police officers in for ICT Aidah by the public for a
an unprecedented Nantaba. The true total lack of empathy

4 April. 05 - 11 2019

More glory for Joshua
Cheptegei, Kiplimo
Long distance runner Joshua
Cheptegei has fully banished the
memories of the 2017 World Cross
Country championships in Kampala
when he collapsed in the middle of his
race and gave up a comfortable lead.
At the 2019 event held in Aarhus, Den-
mark, Cheptegei won gold after sprint-
ing past teammate Jacob Kiplimo and
defending champion Geoffrey Kam-
woror to take the world title in 31:40
minutes over the 10,240m course. Kip-
limo won silver after he came second
and their country mates Thomas Ayeko
and James Ayeko finished seventh and
tenth respectively. Team Uganda also
scooped the Senior Men’s gold for hav-
ing four finishers in the Top Ten. At the
2018 Commonwealth Games in Aus-
tralia, Cheptegei wrapped himself in
glory when he won double gold in the
5,000 and 10,000 metre categories.
Attorney General, Police clash over gold refinery
A letter from Attorney General
William Byaruhanga, advising the Police
Minerals Protection Unit to withdraw
from the premises of the African Gold
Refinery (AGR) in Entebbe was not
enough to deter the police. The army
later joined in the deployment at the
country’s only gold refinery. The
Museveni, Fenix International discuss energy access
A team from Fenix International, held a
discussion with President Museveni at State
House Nakasero. Fenix International, is a
next-generation energy company and subsid-
iary of ENGIE which operates in 5 countries
across Africa. Fenix relocated global head-
quarters from San Francisco, U.S. to Kampala
in September 2018 to invest in and help grow
the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Uganda,
to center their operations as close to their
rural, off-grid customers as possible, and to
catalyze an ambitious pan-African expansion
plan. The team engaged the President on
renewable energy sector opportunities and
measures necessary to expand access and
President Museveni with officials of Fenix International
premises of AGR have been a scene
of tension with the police raiding the
company several times over suspected
smuggled gold. The Police reportedly
seized 3.6 tonnes of gold suspected to be
smuggled from Venezuela. In his letter
dated March 26, Byaruhanga directed the
Police to withdraw from the premises
Dial *133*2#
for more bundles
Week
affordability of solar home systems, acces-
sories and appliances. The President was also
updated on the expanding contributions that
Fenix International is making in the lives of
millions of Ugandans through its life chang-
ing products and contributions to Uganda’s
economy. Morrison Rwakakamba, Global
Senior Director of Policy at Fenix, added “We
look forward to working with the President,
energy ministry and sector agencies to create
a set of policies and actions that will allow
Uganda to become the worldwide leader in
clean, renewable energy for millions off-grid
households. This will indeed accelerate trans-
formation”.
of AGR. He added that URA cleared
AGR on two of the consignments in
line with the exemption the company
got on import duty. The letter from the
government’s principal legal advisor
directs AGR, established by a Belgian,
Alan Goetz, to desist from importing
gold into the country till further notice.
AfricellUG @AfricellUG
*terms and conditions apply |
Regulated by Uganda Communications Commission
April. 05 - 11 2019 5
Week
Uganda welcomes Kenya land deal in Naivasha
Traders in Uganda were excited by the
offer of land from President Uhuru Kenyat-
ta to Uganda to build a dry port for its cargo
in Naivasha, Kenya. Kenyatta made the
pledge during a three day state visit hosted
for his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Musev-
eni in Mombasa. The offer is part of the
Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project that
East Africa countries agreed to years ago.
“I have confirmed to President Museveni
that with that development in Naivasha and
then moving the SGR to Malaba, goods will
be able to move from Mombasa to Malaba
in just two days,” Kenyatta remarked. In
6 April. 05 - 11 2019
the visit, Uganda signed other deals with
Kenya on defence and social affairs. One of
the pacts is for Kenya to increase the quota
of its sugar import from Uganda from
36000 tonnes to 90,000 tonnes. Uganda will
also import beef from Kenya after Uganda
agreed to lift its ban on the country’s prod-
ucts. In turn, Kenya also agreed to lift a ban
on Uganda’s poultry products. However
away from the grandiose ceremonies of
state summits, these deals are rarely imple-
mented when it comes to doing business
due to bureaucracy and other factors.
Controversy surrounds
Uganda Airlines
Uganda Airlines is yet to be opera-
tional as a national carrier but it is already
shrouded in enough controversy. A storm
erupted in parliament when some docu-
ments presented by Monica Ntege, the
Minister of Works, indicated that the air-
line is to be owned by two individuals; her
and the Minister of Finance Matia Kasaija.
After an uproar, she came out to reveal
the national carrier will have two million
shares, with the Ministries of Finance and
Works taking one million each.“We have
the return of allotment of shares; the num-
ber of shares allotted is two million, nomi-
nal amount of shares is Ush200 million
[$53,830] and amount due on each share is
Ush100 million [$26,900],” Ntege said. MPs
Winfred Kiiza and Joy Atim Ongom, in
their minority report, appealed to parlia-
ment not to approve the supplementary
budget until government explains the
full ownership of Uganda Airlines.
Earlier, the Budget Committee recom-
mended the approval of Shs280 billion
supplementary budget being sought by
government to purchase the first two
Bombardier planes from Canada.
Humour Did you know?
Gmail’s now allows you
to customise your swipe

You you customise what

happens when you swipe
Finance has defended government’s decision to borrow Shs1.4 your emails. All you need is
billion for a specialized hospital in Lubowa, Wakiso district.
Gmail’s latest iOS update.
Five different actions
are supported, including
archiving or deleting
emails, marking them as
read or unread, snoozing,
archiving, or moving them
to a different folder. You can
also assign different actions
to left or right swipes.
The update brings the
functionality of Gmail’s iOS
app into line with its Android
equivalent. Until recently,
the iOS app only let you
archive or delete emails
KCCA has started cracking down on entertainment places and by swiping, and swiping in
churches that are fueling noise pollution in a city.
either direction would do
the same thing. The update
comes as part of a broader
redesign announced by
Google back in January.
The functionality is available
in the latest version of the
Gmail app, which began
its rollout on March 28,
yesterday, but could take
longer to be available to
everyone, according to
Google. Once downloaded,
you can change what
swiping does by heading
into the Settings menu and
Football administrators are under fire following Uganda selecting Swipe actions.
Crane’s humiliating defeat to Tanzania Taifa Stars.

April. 05 - 11 2019 7
 News analysis Health Business
Lubowa Hospital Drug-resistant TB: MTN Uganda revenue
controversy New study offers hope rises to Shs1.38trillion

Issue No. 565 March. 29 - April. 04 2019

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

Museveni doubles
military spending
Rwanda tension cited but why

Inbox
does govt want Shs1.2 trillion?

Follow us on Twitter @
http://twitter.com/#!/ugandatalks

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www.facebook.com/TheIndependentMagazineUganda
www.independent.co.ug

Letters are East African unity is a joke Flying Taxis coming

welcome !
The Editor welcomes short and
concise letters from our esteemed
readers on topical issues. Please
send them to:
The Editor, The Independent
Publications Ltd,
P.O Box 3304,
Plot 82/84 Kanjokya St,
Kamwokya.
Kampala,Uganda.
Refer to: “New NGO steps
into Rwanda, Uganda con-
flict” (The Independent March
22). What if we spent our
precious time and resources
on more worthy things than
pretending that us Africans
might one day be willing and
able to unite in any way? I’m
not an Afropessimist, just
a realist. The East African
Community is a joke that
stopped being funny long
time ago (same with useless
African Union). Maybe it’s
time to let it go.
Anonymous
Refer to: “Forget flying car-
pets, flying taxis are coming
your way” (The Independent
March 17). Wow, this is a step
ahead and good innovation.
Hope I will live to see it happen.
Medrad Muhumuza

Email: editor@independent.co.ug
Nantaba: Extra-judicial killings with impunity
Minister Nantaba The Minister of State for ICT
and National Guidance, Aida
witness, is standard police
procedure. Social media is not
torture and imprisonment of
innocent citizens on trumped
was vigilant, let’s not Nantaba, surrender herself to
a thorough and professional
police headquarters. She bears
responsibility for the actions of
up charges. Last time they also
murdered Yassin Kawuma in
judge her wrongly police investigation into the
mysterious broad daylight
her bodyguards. Just like was
the case of Matayo Kyaligonza.
Arua with total impunity.

It is regrettable and painful to
lose a life. On Sunday March 24,
Ronald Sebulime’s breathed his
last at the hands of the Uganda
Police. The blame and politi-
cal punches are being thrown
at Aida Nantaba, the Kayuma
Woman Member of Parliament
and the State Minister of ICT &
National Guidance. She was the
one who accused Sebulime of
trailing her with evil intentions
and caused the police to chase,
capture, and execute him.
To be sincere, those blam-
ing and criticising Nantaba
are unfair. Nantaba, as a high
profile person, saw Sebulime as
a threat to her life and she made
a responsible and a reasonable
move by reporting him to police
for it to intervene and investigate
the matter. It should be remem-
bered that a number of people
have been assassinated by indi-
viduals using motorbikes.
We have been encouraging
people to be vigilant everywhere.
If security authorities had suc-
ceeded in arresting Sebulime ,
how did he die? That is the major
question from the public which
the police should answer.
killing of motorcycle enthusi- Public attention should not be
ast; the late Ronald Sebulime. diverted from the Museveni
Quizzing Nantaba, as an eye regime’s extra-judicial killings,
Uganda’s strategic dilemma
and intellectual dishonesty
Refer to: “Uganda’s strategic dilemma Part2”
(The Independent March 22). Most of the time I
hear the word ideology my mind races to those
tattered copies of the ‘ Juche Idea’ and’ the Green
book’ which as youths we religiously read in the
1986 and 87 in order to comprehend the liberation
that would propel our state to the much admired
First world status. Sadly, as it is clear to all, we
have maintained our position among the poorest
nations on earth as it was in the beginning. The fel-
las at the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC)
at Makerere University Kampala; with a few
exceptions like Dr. Fred Muhumuza, will teach the
best economic theory until they are rewarded with
those juicy perks in government offices. Then all
semblance of logic goes south. Sadly what we are
facing is not what you would term as a dilemma.
It is intellectual dishonesty. In the political arena,
we will always get our scapegoats ever ready. Ide-
ology is not Ugandan and nothing will ever make
it so. Everything revolves about who is eating
what. The cronies of Idi Amin, the praise singers
of Milton Obote and the sycophants of Yoweri
Museveni are all well educated men and women.
Hussein Amin
husseinjuruga@gmail.com
Women celebrations
at Kololo
The government’s celebration of
women and what they go through is a
huge step to women empowerment. This
year it is on April 10 at Kololo Ceremonial
Grounds in Kampala to celebrate women
who have achieved success in life. Those
facing hardships will be encouraged and
shown how to achieve success.
Many women today engage in work
previously reserved for men. Many are in
professional jobs. But many do ordinary
jobs, like stone crushing, brickmaking,
lorry driving, and motor rallying. This
clearly shows that women can now do
any kind of job that a man can do. The
government has empowered women
into personal survival and eradication of
women dependence on men.
I encourage women to take part in this
celebration because there several activities
that are going to be carried out. There will
be free screening for hepatitis B, cancer,
and many other diseases.

David Serumaga Godfrey Kambere Kevin Seguya

Kampala kelvinsegz@gmail.com

8 April. 05 - 11 2019

Uganda’s storm in a teacup
By Andrew M. Mwenda
How our MPs invented a scandal around Uganda Airlines’
shares and our chattering elites joined the chorus
T
hose who can make you believe
absurdities can make you commit
atrocities,” Voltaire
Last week, our parliamentar-
ians alleged that some unscrupulous
ministers had stolen government shares
in Uganda National Airlines Company
Limited (UNACL) by registering them in
their private names on the shares allotment
form. A “vigilant” committee of parliament
“unearthed” this fraud. Parliament went
hysterical with the deputy speaker, Jacob
Oulanyah, saying he would have fired the
ministers if he were president. On tradi-
tional and social media, pundits outdid one
another denouncing this blatant theft.
Yet for all the hysteria, there was actually
only a minor clerical error on the forms
that did not affect the substance of owner-
ship of UNACL. MPs and other Ugandan
elites exhibited a degree of ignorance that
makes one worry about democracy in our
country. Socrates described 5th century
Athenian democracy as “empowered
envy.” The democratic assembly sentenced
him to death by drinking hemlock because
he always questioned the self-righteous
claims of Athenian elites. Increasingly, I find
myself in the same position.
I wrote in this column last year that the
revival of Uganda Airlines is a good idea
that has been introduced into a wrong
country. Ugandan elites are not interested
in the good of their country, but in proving
their biases. So mistakes in the airline will
not be an opportunity to reflect and reform
the way it is run but a chance to grandstand
and score political points in order to win
cheap popularity.
Last week, our MPs and pundits sunk
to their lowest level. They claimed that
because the share allotment form reflected
the names of the ministers rather than the
ministries as owners, the airline shares
had been stolen. They ignored the fact that
UNACL is registered as a public company.
Therefore there is no chance in hell that a
private person can own its shares.  alarms they raised ignored the fact that
A background: at incorporation of
UNACL on January 30, 2018, the company
was given 2m shares and only two shares
were proposed pending allotment of all
the shares at a later date: one share by each
of the two shareholders – the ministry
of finance and ministry of works. This is
The Last Word
normal. The real allotment was filed on July
11, 2018. Here the form provides for name
of shareholder, address and particulars of
allotment. On name, it says Matia Kasaija
and Monica Aruba; address, it gives min-
istry of finance and the ministry of works
and on shares one million shares for each.
Ideally, on name of shareholder, it should
have said “minister of finance, Matia
Kasaija, and minister of works, Monica
Azuba.” The clerk omitted the title of min-
isters. But this was not fatal because the
memorandum of incorporation and articles
of association describe the objectives of the
company, the share capital, the owners, the
shareholding and the value of the shares.
These documents state clearly that the sub-
scriber is government of Uganda through
the ministries of works and finance; and
were signed by both Kasaija and Azuba in
their official capacities as line ministers.
Therefore legally there was no risk to
government losing the shares because the
ministers whose names appeared on the
registration documents are the same per-
sons who appear on the allotment form.
If the ministers later, after leaving their
current jobs claimed ownership, the claim
would not stand because the articles of asso-
ciation and memorandum of incorporation
clearly show the subscribers; and they also
clearly show that they signed in their official
capacities. Even a third grade lawyer in a
third world country would see this.
If Kasaija and Azuba tried to sell shares to
anyone, the buyer would have to go to the
registry to transfer the shares. The registry
would tell him/her that they bought air
because UNACL is registered as a public,
not private, company. So when the minister
said there was a clerical error and amended
the documents by adding the title of “min-
ister” to the names of Kasaija and Azuba,
it was not meant to change anything of
substance but to satisfy the emotions of MPs
and our chattering elites.
The MPs and the cacophony of shrill
under the Company’s Act, the registrar of
companies has powers to rectify errors on
documents. What if the share allotment
forms had indicated any other name other
than that of a person who has a relationship
with the ministries of finance and works?
That would have been a big error, though
Opinion
not a fatal one, that cannot be rectified by
the registrar. But even here, that person
would not “steal” the shares (by claiming
them) because he would have to explain
how he got them! You cannot own some-
thing you did not buy and have no sale
agreement for.
The other issue was Gad Gasatura who
was appointed chairman of the board but
the company did not notify the registrar
of companies. So the issue was: in which
capacity was he signing company docu-
ments? This was later rectified. But delaying
to inform the registrar does not nullify
appointments; it only causes the registrar
to impose penalties for the delay. The MPs
reached the height of absurdity when they
asked why a company registered last July
2019 could have its documents certified in
March 2019. Really? I will not honour this
stupidity even with a comment.
Ugandans are angry and frustrated at
their government – often for the wrong rea-
sons. This has led a large section of the pun-
ditry to always look for an opportunity to
vent their spleen at those holding power. It
has gotten worse because in the event of no
scandals, they are beginning to invent them
– like this alleged theft of UNACL shares.
Yet this mistrust in government is most
likely going to cause more failure rather
than promote success.
The failure of a nation is sometimes (in
Africa, most of the time) attributed to cor-
ruption and ineptness of leaders. Yet all too
often nations fail because of the collective
delusions of their societies. Uganda is in
crisis because its elites, suffering from acute
psychological insecurity and guilt, seek
meaning through exaggerated hostility to
state action, even though backed only by
ignorance and emotions.
Uganda airlines will fail not because the
government is corrupt and incompetent but
because Ugandan elites are suspicious of
the state. Our democratic institutions like
parliament and the press, which are meant
to give citizens opportunities to check gov-
ernment, actually make us hold the state
hostage to our emotions and delusions.
amwenda@independent.co.ug
April. 05 - 11 2019 9
cover story

Museveni
succession
Why NRM doesn’t want
to talk about it

President
Museveni
Current age : 75
2021 age: 77
2026 age: 82
Muhoozi Kainerugaba
Salim Saleh Current age : 44
Current age : 59 2021 age: 46
2021 age: 61 2026 age: 51
2026 age: 66

Janet Museveni
Current age : 70
2021 age: 72
2026 age: 77

10 April. 05 - 11 2019

I
By Haggai Matsiko
n 2021 when Uganda goes to the next
polls, President Yoweri Museveni
will be 77 years. At the next polls in
2026, he will be 82 years and possibly
one of the oldest state leaders in Af-
rica and the world.
Despite such clear indicators, the Presi-
dent’s ruling National Resistance Move-
ment (NRM) party appears determined
not to talk about succession or life without
Museveni at the helm of the party and
country.
“There are no discussions in the party
on who should succeed President Yoweri
Museveni,” said the NRM Secretary Gen-
eral Kasule Lumumba recently when cor-
nered by journalists.
“The NRM Central Executive Commit-
tee-CEC; the top party organ has never
discussed succession,” she added. The ques-
tion is why?
According to politicians from opposition
parties, it could be that the NRM is planning
to spring a surprise constitutional amend-
ment as early as this April.
While Museveni does not appear to have
serious challengers ahead of 2021 and 2026
appears far off, insiders say he is already
planning ahead.
The plan, according to those knowledge-
able about the inner workings of the NRM,
Museveni’s handlers intend to eliminate
presidential elections and instead have
the party with the majority in parliament
select the president. The idea is to save an
ageing Museveni from a grueling election
campaign.
With a near-70 percent majority, the
ruling NRM and its chairman Museveni
would be the immediate beneficiaries. The
ruling party would easily retain power and
Museveni who by that time will be too old
to campaign would just stay in office.
But when opposition politicians publicly
spoke about such plans in January this year,
the NRM dismissed the same as mere spec-
ulation. Of course such NRM denials do not
mean it will not happen. The plot to remove
the constitutional 75-year age-limit to allow
President Museveni to run again started as
a rumour, was dismissed by NRM, but was
eventually pushed through parliament by
Museveni.
It is not unusual for ageing leaders to
adopt coping strategies that ensure they
stay in power.
The 93-year old Queen Elizabeth II of
Great Britain in April 2018 allowed her son
and heir apparent, Prince Charles, to take
over the grueling role of leader of the Com-
monwealth.
Africa’s oldest leader, 87-year old
President Paul Biya of Cameroon has been
dubbed an “absentee president” because
he rules through the prime minister and
spends most of his time in Geneva, Switzer-
cover story
land.
The oldest person to ever head an African
state, the late President Hastings Kamuzu
Banda, before he was removed in 1994 at
the age of 97 had left the country in the
hands of his companion Cecilia Tamanda
Kadzamira.
Museveni is comparatively young. But
the cross country electoral campaign, which
is already underway – two years before the
election in 2021 – can be draining.
As a result, even though President
Museveni still appears stronger than his
challengers, observers say that more than
ever a conversation about his successor
–meaning someone clearly designated
from within his circle succeeding him or a
transition – meaning a switch to any leader
other than him - is unavoidable and must be
planned for.
In 2017, Workers MP Sam Lyomoki even
came up with “The Museveni Succession,
Transition and Immunities Bill, 2017” say-
ing he wanted to ensure smooth transition
of power.
This planning is critical because Uganda
does not appear to even have a proper
succession plan in case of an emergency.
The constitutional provisions have never
been tested and the only precedents are too
diabolical to think about – another military
takeover.
April. 05 - 11 2019 11
cover story
Saleh Muhoozi
Between Muhoozi and Salim Saleh
In the past, whenever talk of succession
or transition has arisen, political punditry
has focused on four areas; members of
Museveni’s family, top members of the
NRM party, top generals in the army, and
finally an opposition politician.
Currently, however, talk of succession
or transition is easily dismissed because
Museveni either appears too strong or the
would-be successors appear too weak.
Within President Museveni’s family,
possible successors have been seen as his
wife, Janet Museveni, son Lt.Gen. Muhoozi
Kainerugaba, and brother Gen. Caleb
Akandwanaho aka Salim Saleh.
By 2026, however, Janet and Saleh will
be 77 and 66 years respectively. While they
are all popular amongst supporters of the
ruling party; a combination of the Museve-
ni brand fatigue (he will have spent over 40
years in power) and their age could make
either Janet Museveni or Salim Saleh hard
to sell as successors.
Gen. Kainerugaba, who will be 51-years
old, is a different proposition. He could
also face the challenge of the Museveni
fatigue but he would offer youthful hope.
He could also have the backing of the army
The Bobi Wine factor
Within the opposition, potential contend-
ers, Kizza Besigye, will in 2026 be 69, Nor-
bert Mao 59, Mugisha Muntu 67 and Kya-
dondo East legislator Kyagulanyi Sentamu
aka Bobi Wine 44.
In this group, Besigye has challenged
Museveni the most times —the next election
will be his fifth if he contests. Muntu and
Mao, however, feel that this is their chance.
They also have to contend with Bobi
Wine, who despite only recently arriving on
the political scene, appears the most popular
opposition politicians going by both interna-
tional and local attention.
12 April. 05 - 11 2019
But aware of how entrenched Museveni
is, the three—Muntu, Mao, and Bobi Wine—
appear to be planning to be testing out the
possibility of fielding one candidate. The
challenge they face is that they all see this
as their turn.
Mao has said that the north is tired of
endlessly voting for the south. Muntu’s exit
of FDC was a clear indicator he was tired of
waiting in Besigye’s shadow—his support- Kadaga
ers say he is the best candidate; that he can
unite both the opposition and moderates
2026 age: 69
within the NRM, and are banking on
this. Bobi Wine says it time for his gen-
eration.
Signs that Bobi Wine could face stiff Rugunda
resistance from the establishment can be Ssekandi 2026 age: 78
found in the comments of senior officials 2026 age: 84
in Museveni’s government.
“If you surrender government to small
boys like Bobi Wine, you would declare the
entire country a national emergency in a
period of six months,” Justice Minister Gen.
Kahinda Otafiire recently said.
Former coordinator of Intelligence Ser-
vices, Gen. David Sejusa also jumped in.
“The Military formation of Uganda I
know currently would not allow the civilian
likes of Bobi Wine as their Commander-In-
Chief,” Sejusa reportedly said, “Museveni
positioned their mind in a way they can Mbabazi Bukenya
only accommodate a president with a
strong military background or a known
political veteran.” Weak leaders in NRM
To make a point about the stake the
military has in Uganda’s politics, while Looking and finding a Museveni
campaigning for the 2016 elections, Musev- successor within the ruling NRM
eni said that with the army, there is no way party is more complex. Gone are the
he would leave Uganda in the hands of days when one could point at a raft of
“wolves”. He was referring to his challeng- pretenders to the throne; from then-
ers in the opposition. powerful `super minister’ Amama
Mbabazi, former Vice President Gilbert
Bukenya, and even former VP Speciosa
Kazibwe. Today, VP Edward Ssekandi
and Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda
cut an indifferent figure. That could be
a survival strategy but none has a clear
political base. Speaker Rebecca Kadaga
is an ambitious possibility. Significantly,
however, Ssekandi is older than
Museveni and will be 84, Rugunda 78,
and Kadaga 69.
Kadaga has been mentioned as a
favourite among voters—in a 2014
opinion poll, 25 per cent said they
would vote her if she stood against
Muntu Besigye Museveni. In that poll, Kadaga
performed better than opposition
leaders Kizza Besigye, Gen Mugisha
Muntu, Bukenya, Mbabazi and former
UPC leader Olara Otunnu.
While Kadaga managed 25 per cent
in a contest with Museveni, Besigye
only managed 22%, Muntu only 19%,
Bukenya the same, Mbabazi 18%, Mao
Bobi Wine 19%, and Otunnu 18%.
Mao But Kadaga’s popularity had largely
soared because of how she had steered

the ninth parliament in the two
years to the poll.
In 2011, she acted firmly when
she led parliament to lock out
some of Museveni’s nominees
for ministerial positions. She
presided over parliament during
the oil debate in which some
of Museveni’s ministers almost
got censured. The climax of her
popularity came in 2013 when she
lashed out at a Canadian Foreign
Minister about homosexuality.
Then Prime Minister Mbabazi
in 2012 told a high level NRM
meeting that Kadaga, an NRM vice
chairperson was building a power
base for her presidential ambitions.
Indeed, in March 2012,
outspoken Kabale priest Fr.
Gaetano Batanyenda publicly
endorsed her to become Uganda’s
first woman President.
But since she got a new term as
Speaker of Parliament in 2016, she
has focused on her parliamentary
work and not showed any
enthusiasm for the highest office.
An army of surprises
The current highest level of leadership in challenged Museveni in the 2016 elections.
the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF)
is in the mid-50 and will be in their early 60’s
by 2026.
It is also difficult to look into the crys-
tal ball of the military because President
Museveni routinely promotes, shuffles,
and retires them. The UPDF strategic force
today appears to be in the Gen. Muhoozi
cohort, most of who are between the ranks
of Brigadier and Colonel. Following normal
career paths, these will be the major generals,
and lieutenant generals of 2026. Prominent
names of today such Lt. Generals Charles
Lutaaya, Joseph Musanyufu, Peter Elwelu,
Lakara Nakibus, Prossy Nalweyiso, John
Mugume and Pecos Kutesa could either
have retired or slowed down. Their position
will be have taken over by the likes of cur-
rent major generals; Sabiiti Muzeyi, Leopold
Kyanda, Don Nabasa, Joram Tumwine and
more. This list is big.
While many of them have tended not to
make political statements, they have acted.
Indeed, the military today has permanent
representation in parliament, heads the
police, deploys heavily during elections,
protects all the key strategic installations,
and has `attaches’ or spies in key ministries,
among others.
Museveni has also deployed military
doctors to replace striking doctors, has
commanded military operatives to raid
parliament and forcefully ejected legislators
opposed to his quest to lift the constitutional
age limit, and has made the intelligence arm
of the military—the Chieftaincy of Military
Intelligence (CMI)—the most dominant
security agency.
Apart from this, the army has in the past
sprung some of the biggest challengers of
Museveni.
Retired Col. Kizza Besigye was a Musev-
eni confidant for 19 years until he rebelled
in 1999. At the time he rebelled, Besigye was
a Senior Military Adviser to the Ministry
of Defence. He has since, as the flag-bearer
of the biggest opposition party, challenged
Museveni at the polls thrice.
Col. Besigye’s successor as president
of the opposition Forum for Democratic
Change (FDC) party, Maj. Gen. Mugisha
Muntu, was an army commander under
Museveni for nine years.
Another soldier, Gen. David Sejusa aka
Tinyefuza sparked excitement with his 2012
letters and particularly the last one warn-
ing of a plan to eliminate those against the
Muhoozi project. At the time he fled into
exile in London, he was a member of the
army High Command, the army’s top gov-
erning body, a Senior Presidential advisor
on defence, and the coordinator of Military
Intelligence. Capt. Ruhinda Maguru, a for-
mer Aide-de-Camp to Museveni has twice
challenged him for leadership within the
ruling NRM party.   The other high ranking
retired army officer, Maj.Gen. Benon Biraaro
Interestingly, all eight governments in
Uganda, except two, since independence in
Saleh
Muhoozi
Muhoozi
cover story
1962 have been over-thrown in a military
coup. This has made Uganda the most coup-
prone country in the region; with an average
of a coup for every six years, before Musev-
eni came to power in a coup in 1986.
Currently, Museveni does not see the
army as threat. A few years ago while
addressing a judges’ conference in Entebbe,
Museveni scoffed at “idiots” who say that
the NRM government can be overthrown
by arms.
“Some of these people are just idiots…”
the president said, “They just go around that
they want to overthrow the Uganda govern-
ment, Uganda government to overthrow
it? You don’t know what you are talking
about…the NRM government to overthrow
it with arms, but that is our speciality.”
While Museveni appears in charge now,
by the time he is in his 80s the situation
might be different. It is not impossible to see
how that could force the army to intervene.
In Zimbabwe, with Robert Mugabe seen
as seen as a senile at 93, his once-trusted
army commander, Gen. Constatino Chi-
wenga, turned against him.
In Algeria, chief of staff General Ahmed
Gaid Salah, has joined the opposition called
for the aged and ailing 82-year old Presi-
dent Abdelaziz Bouteflika to step down.
For now, however, Museveni and his
handlers do not appear bothered about
such events.
Nalweyiso
Nabaasa
Kyanda
Kutesa
Sabitii
Elwelu
April. 05 - 11 2019 13
news analysis
How `unity’ died in Uganda
Remembering the Moshi Spirit of the 1979 liberation war
By Independent Team
T
his week marked 40 years since a
combined force of armed groups of
Ugandan exiles under the Uganda
National Liberation Front/Army
(UNLF/A) and the Tanzania Peoples De-
fence Forces (TPDF) toppled the govern-
ment of then-president of Uganda, Field
Marshal Gen. Idi Amin Dada.
Amin’s forces were routed from the
capital Kampala on April 11 after a quick
six-month war that begun on October
30, 1978. The specific trigger of the war
remains unclear to this day. But the events
are not disputed.
According to many accounts, on the
auspicious Independence Day of October
09, 1978, there was a minor cross-border
clash between a lone Ugandan soldier, his
Tanzanian lover, and a fight with Tanzani-
ans men in a bar.
Following the lone incident, the Uganda
army invaded Tanzania on the orders of Lt.
Gen. Juma Oka Mafali aka Butabika (the
mad one) . This is significant because, ac-
cording to some accounts, Butabika did not
consult or get authorisation from Amin to
invade Tanzania and appeared to be react-
ing to the lone soldier incident because he
was a relative.
However, according to some versions,
Gen. Butabika’s move was carefully
14 April. 05 - 11 2019
calculated to push Amin into a war with
Tanzania. Many generals in Amin’s army
allegedly wanted the war but Amin had re-
fused to attack Tanzania although he spoke
often of annexing the Kagera region.
The environment was tense. Tanzanian
President Julius Nyerere had never recog-
nised Amin as president and kept many
Ugandan dissidents, including former
president Milton Obote in Dar es Salaam.
The exiles occasionally launched attacks on
Uganda.
However, by October 18789, Amin’s
warmongering soldiers had become restless
– just like the rest of the country. According
to renowned Ugandan historian, Phares
Mukasa Mutibwa, in his book `Uganda
Since Independence: A story of Unfulfilled
Hopes’, Amin was also beginning to lose
control of the army and the country around
this time.
Mutibwa writes that in April 1978, a
major rift within the inner core of Amin’s
government was revealed when he publicly
denounced his Vice President and Minister
of Defence, Gen. Mustafa Adrisi together
with Brig. Moses Ali; the Minister of
Finance, and Maj. Gen. Isaac Lumago; the
Army Chief of Staff. Others similarly con-
demned by Amin were Kassim Obura; the
Chief of Police and Lt. Col. Nasur; the Com-
mander of the dreaded Malire Mechanised
Regiment based in the current Lubiri, seat of
the Buganda Kingdom.
According to Mutibwa; at least four
senior army officers confronted Amin in the
middle of 1978 and told him point-blank
to step down and handover to a civilian
government. Amin reportedly told them
he would think about. But knowing him,
the soldiers fled and joined a mutinous bat-
talion of Amin soldiers based at the Simba
Battalion in Mbarara. To quell down the
mutiny, Amin reportedly moved the Chiu
Battalion from Gulu to Mbarara. But the
Chui battalion instead joined the mutineers.
To quell down the insurrection, Amin
reportedly called in his special forces; the
Marine Brigade backed by some fresh train-
ees. But these were badly beaten in battle.
It was, therefore, within this volatile situa-
tion that the lone soldier reportedly caused
the skirmish across the Tanzanian border on
October 09, 1978.
Conspiracies and attacks
All these conspiracies and events are
often interpreted differently by different
analysts to serve different agendas.
Just a few days before the October 09,
1978 border incident, for example, un-
known attackers had ambushed Amin at
the Presidential Lodge in Kampala (the cur-
rent Nakasero State House). They intended
to kill him but Amin escaped by helicopter.
Such attempts on Amin’s life were nothing

unusual. But soon after this, Amin’s Vice
President, Gen. Mustafa Adrisi was injured
in a car accident and Amin was reportedly
suspected to have attempted to kill him.
However, Adrisi who died in 2013 never
accused Amin of this.
Therefore, whatever triggered what came
to be called the “Liberation war of 1979” is
not clear. But the war moved swiftly.
After pushing back Amin’s men and
launching a hot pursuit, the invading force
advanced faster than anticipated. Mbarara,
which is about 130km away and was home
to the dreaded Simba Mechanised Infantry
Regiment, easily fell in late February.
Then the invading forces; called the lib-
eration army pushed on to Masaka. There
were fierce battles here and the Tiger Bat-
talion in Masaka was captured much later
on April 6. But the invaders had already
moved past Masaka for Kampala.
When they started leaving Masaka for
Kampala, a few Libyan soldiers tried to stop
them as the rest of the Amin’s army appears
to have mutinied or fled. These small
bands of lost and hungry Libya
souls, mercenaries whom Muam-
mar Gadhafi had sent in to aid Amin
appeared to be fighting for their sur-
vival not Amin. They had nowhere
to run to as they did not know the
area or speak and, as Arabs, were
conspicuous in appearance.
Gadhafi appears to have sent his
men half-heartedly; believing that
under the non-interventionist treaty
of OAU member states, President Ju-
lius K. Nyerere of Tanzania would be
prevailed upon to end the invasion
and not capture Kampala or topple
Amin. Gadhafi was aiding Amin as a
fellow Muslim.
Nyerere also appears to have Yusuf Lule
been of the view that taking Kampala
was not the objective of the war. However,
five months into the war, Nyerere pos-
sibly realised that any withdrawal that left
Amin in power would have irreparable
consequences. It was clear that Amin would
exact revenge on the residents of especially
Mbarara and Masaka. The ensuing chaos
could create a flood of refugees into Tanza-
nia. Nyerere was keen to avoid that.
At the same time, Tanzania was under
international condemnation for invading
Uganda. Nyerere had to devise an accept-
able camouflage for the invasion.
Nyerere decided to create a united front
for all Ugandan political dissidents to be
the ones to remove Amin with Tanzania
as their backer. That was acceptable to the
international community which was tired
of Amin’s brutality and antics and had been
waiting for diplomatic wiggle room. He
facilitated a meeting of dissidents in the
Tanzanian town of Moshi that came to be
called “The Moshi Unity Conference”. It
was a four day affair, from March 23 -26,
1979. In total, 22 groups of Ugandans from
the entire globe converged on Moshi. So
as the battle raged in Masaka, Mpigi, and
Kampala, Ugandans in exile formed the
Uganda National Liberation Front/Army
(UNLF/A).
The Libyans were defeated and killed af-
ter some fierce fighting. This was a big blow
because Amin appears to have designated
Lukaaya as a red line. The attackers now
adopted a broad pincer attack on Kampala
city.
One arm moved via Mityana along the
Kampala-Mubende highway. This was
the fastest moving. By March 28, it had
encircled Uganda’s capital city Kampala
and occupied all strategic positions and
mounting heavy artillery on the hills,
including their saba-saba (Russian made
BM Katyusha rocket launchers) that Amin’s
fighters dreaded. Only Kampala-Jinja Road
was left open for anyone wishing to flee the
city; including diplomats who scurried to
neighbouring Kenya. Shooting was com-
Julius Nyerere
mon in the city. Radio Uganda said it was
“aimless” shooting by “a few runaway
soldiers who are cowards”.
By March 28, in one of several bizarre
reports, Radio Uganda reported that
President Amin “had visited the front
line in a sports car to “enjoy an hour-long
battle with the enemy”.
By end of March 1979, Radio Uganda
– the only radio and source of official
government information and misinforma-
tion at the time – was reporting that the
Tanzanian forces had captured Mityana,
35km from the Kampala city. Effectively,
western Uganda was cut-off and became a
“liberated zone”.
Meanwhile, the other arm of the invad-
ing force came in from Masaka. Soon
Mpigi, which was closer to the city, was
also captured. This meant the invading
force could now fire long‐range artillery
– the Saba-Saba could hit Kampala city
and Entebbe Airport. Soon Radio Uganda
was announcing that the invading forces
news analysis
were just 15km out of Kampala. For the
onslaught on Kampala, this axis was
backed by forces that had earlier captured
Entebbe International Airport.
Death of Moshi spirit
When small arms gunfire intensified, it
became clear that Bulange; the palace of
the Baganda kingdom which was then
called Malire Regiment and one of the few
bastions of defense, was under attack.
Kampala city fell to the liberating forces
on April 10. On April 11, as the invading
forces were conducting mop up opera-
tions around Kampala. It is said that it
is in one of these operations that Lt Col
Juma Butabika, aka Juma Oka Mafali, the
man who started the war was killed in the
Bwaise-Kawempe area.
Many Amin soldiers were captured
after the Tanzanian army tricked them
into reporting for deployment. They were
bundled on buses and trucks as if they
were going to their new postings only
for them to end up in Luzira
Military prison.
Three days after the fall of
Kampala, on the afternoon of
April 13, a new government
headed by Prof Yusuf Kironde
Lule was sworn-in on the steps
of parliament. Current Presi-
dent Yoweri Museveni was
minister of state for defence.
He was the youngest minister,
aged 35.
Lule was described as a
reserved academic with no
known enemies who described
himself as apolitical. He was
given the title of chairman of
the front’s Executive Com-
mittee and was asked to
form a shadow cabinet subject to
the approval of a 30-member National
Consultative Council (NCC). This was in
the so-called “Moshi Spirit” – the spirit
of unity (including in executive decision
making). It was a fallacy.
When Lule was pressed on the issue he
made it clear that he, and not the NCC, was
in charge of executive authority. He said he
was bound by the constitution and not the
demands of the ruling body, the Uganda
National Liberation Front (UNLF).
“The constitution of a state is different
from that of a party which is in government
and clearly the front [UNLF] is quite analo-
gous to a party in this regard,” he explained,
“Failure to understand this basic distinction
is faulty and could lead to confusion and
unsatisfactory results.” He was right. There
were indeed unsatisfactory results – for
him. He was kicked out after only 68 days
in office. The Moshi spirit was dead.
April. 05 - 11 2019 15
interview
40-year Moshi lessons
for younger Ugandans
Moshi teaches us that anybody with a simple gun must never be allowed
to take over power when they have no idea on how to use it - Kabwegyere
Prof. Tarsis Kabwegyere was the convener of the Moshi conference held in March 1979
in Moshi, Tanzania . Its agenda was to remove then-Ugandan President Idi Amin from
power. Kabwegyere spoke to Ian Katusiime about the 40th anniversary of the conference.
We are marking 40 years since the Moshi
conference. What does this mean for
I
Uganda politically?
believe that the removal of Amin
was very significant at that time and
even today because Amin really
did so much damage to Uganda
incomparably.
That is when you compare him with the
British in colonial times and with Milton
Obote just before him. There is no part of
Uganda that was not affected by Amin’s
rule, or I should say there is no part in
Uganda which did not lose a person to
his murderous agents. So I believe our
coming together in Moshi was such a
beginning of a review of our history.
I recall that after we had put
together the commissions it turns
out that there were so many
Acholi in the committees. We
were not concerned with ethnic
identity of the person but their
possible role in reorganising
16 April. 05 - 11 2019
Uganda. We had people like Semei
Nyanzi, Martin Aliker, Akena p’Ojok; it
did not matter because each had a role to
play. The intervention of Tanzania shows
even today that Mwalimu Nyerere was
more than a leader for Tanzania; he was
a leader that had the whole continent at
heart. He hosted a liberation committee,
he played roles in Zambia, Angola,
Guinea Bissau, South Africa.
The removal of Amin lifted a huge
burden lying on Uganda’s neck.
Possibilities were opened up. No
wonder challenges were undertaken and
transformation of politics and
the understanding of where
we were going took
place. Those efforts
that were being made
now had a context
because they were
home. That is why
we have had 33
years of continuity
which is not
anywhere in our past
history.
As the convener of this historic
conference, what was the process like?
Whom did you call, and how did you
become convener?
The damage by Amin was so much
that so many had left Uganda. I recall
that we had been sent out by Makerere
University, we were as many as 27, to do
a PhD programme in universities across
the world.
And we had come back having
finished but nearly all of us fled because
of Amin. Everywhere in Uganda where
Ugandans were, they were all organising
on how to come back. Bishop of Church
of Uganda Festo Kivengere who was
praying for us at the conference said, he
was praying to God that Amin makes a
mistake. So by attacking Tanzania that
was a Godsend. We gathered from all
corners and we had all been in touch, if
you travelled abroad you met Ugandans.
In East Africa, Kenya was a big centre
for us and so was Tanzania. There
was a wedding of Steven Tindyebwa,
a businessman who had fled Uganda,
which took place in Nairobi in December
1978 after Tanzania had been attacked
and we all gathered there. That is when
this idea of a meeting in Dar-es-Salaam
and eventually Moshi was conceived.
I was assigned the chairmanship of
the organising committee. We tried
to be as representative as possible
on the committee. Members
included Edward Rurangaranga,
Okot Nyoromoi, Dr. Peter
Sinabulya, a dentist based
in Nairobi who was
the secretary of our
committee.
We had

long established contact with Tanzanian
authorities because Save Uganda
Movement was already based there. So it
was not difficult after the committee was
formed. The Tanzanian internal security
knew us. I used to be an external examiner
at University of Dar-es-Salaam, where
I would meet people like the current
president (Yoweri Museveni), Prof. Dan
Nabudeere, and a few others so it was not
as difficult as it appears. The contacts were
there. Messages went and I recall spending
about Kshs6000- 8000 on calls. So we were
enabled.
Who were the other key players from
Uganda?
We had people like Prof. George
Kanyeihamba leading the group from
London, Kawanga Semogerere with
Democratic Party (DP) although he was
living in the U.S., Andrew Kayiira with
Uganda Freedom Movement (UFM) who
was also living in the U.S. The Front for
National Salvation (FRONASA) team had
been operating from Tanzania already.
Museveni, its leader, was organising
a western wing against Amin based
in Mbarara. We faced pressure from
Museveni and Paulo Muwanga saying
we were delaying the process of Amin’s
removal with the conference. Tanzania
even wanted us to form a government
in exile. There was Kikosi Malum, Save
Uganda Movement which had people like
Eteker Ejalu. There were efforts to make
sure we build strength so that we had a
Ugandan face with Tanzanian support.
Tell me something memorable from this
conference. Who made what argument,
who gave an impassioned speech?
It was actually one day but we took
time to sort out credentials. We were as
many as 88 groups and some were jostling
to enter from outside the compound and
we ended up with only 22. We took time
to decide who will qualify to get in lest it
becomes a rally. I gave a speech and used
a Runyankore proverb saying it is better to
feed someone with a running stomach than
to feed the ungrateful. As Ugandans we
were seemingly ungrateful by taking a long
time to form a united front.
Then also how we got Yusuf Lule to
become chairman of the National Executive
Committee (NEC). Nyerere knew him, they
had studied together at Makerere and he
was an academic and he was also from the
central province. He also had no record of
being a UPC figure. He was the right person
to lead but as it turned out, we removed
him after 68 days because he betrayed the
whole trust Nyerere had put in him. He
wanted to bring in British and Kenyan
troops and betray the Tanzanians.
How influential was Mwalimu Nyerere
in facilitating this conference?
By the time we met in Moshi, Mwalimu
had already made up his mind that Amin
must go. His involvement is inestimable.
For him to commit his army and support
Uganda the way he did even after the
removal of Amin says a lot. He supported
the liberation struggle that followed even
under NRA. This is someone who went
beyond the boundary of his country.
He never recognised Amin as a leader
of Uganda. That is why he kept Obote in
Tanzania. Also, to him the end of Amin
did not mean an automatic return of
Obote. Obote tried to fill Moshi with his
people but Mwalimu was very clear about
Uganda being more than Obote.
That is the mark of a statesman and
a historical figure. It is why those of us
there at the time feel Mwalimu deserves a
It was actually one
day but we took
time to sort out
credentials. We
were as many as 88
groups and some
were jostling to
enter from outside
the compound and
we ended up with
only 22
greater recognition than he has had.
This event led to the formation of the
Uganda National Liberation Front
(UNLF). However, immediately after
the overthrow of Amin, there were
two short-lived regimes. Was this a
shortcoming of the conference?
No, it served its purpose of getting
Ugandan to give a backing to Mwalimu
for removal of Amin. It became a
beginning of the reorganising of Uganda.
Efforts had been made previously like in
1972 to remove Amin but none succeeded.
Ugandans were enabled to get back
home. Those who were inside could
organise and overcome the damage done.
When you look back, you are looking
at a kind of termination of a history
that had recorded failures. Colonialism
had yielded to forces of change but the
way Independence was managed had
interview
produced that situation of Amin. The
alliance between UPC and KY producing
21 MPs without being elected, but
dominated by Mengo undermined the
beginning of democracy. This was a major
fault in the foundation of the new politics
of Uganda. When the Kabaka of Buganda
became president of Uganda; this was an
incompatible role.
Do you think a Moshi-like conference
can happen today and successfully
agitate for political change?
But you see the conditions and reasons
for this conference don’t obtain. If you are
talking about democracy, the British had
been here effectively from 1900 and in
1962, they had not any significant general
election. We did not have significant
voters in Uganda. So democracy was not
here. And if independence meant that
you are starting democracy, then that was
an abortion.
A constitution that was established in
Britain is amended in 1967. After elections
in 1962, they do not happen again until
1980. That is 18 years of independence
without elections. Then we had an Amin
who disorganises Uganda. You can’t say
you have a similar situation in Uganda
today.
The Ugandan diaspora are among
those who contribute to Uganda’s
development. That time we were all
looking to get rid of the one keeping us
outside. The Ugandans outside are not
anxious to come and see a new situation
by organising a meeting outside. Second,
the attack on Tanzania is not replicable.
When Uganda has now gone out to help,
it has been accepted and recognised be it
for Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan etc.
Looking back after 40 years, what
lessons can young Ugandans learn from
this historic meeting?
To me, things that led to Amin taking
over must be objected to. That history
must be understood. Those weaknesses
must be obviated. I am satisfied that
Ugandans are autonomous where
development, national integrity, unity
and social progress are all on our menu.
There is a lot of people who need
to be appraised on what we he have
gone through. They should know the
mistakes that led to that confusion
must not be made. They should know
democracy must be thorough; where we
are all involved and where the roots of
democracy are deep in our body politic.
People should know why we have army
representatives in parliament. When you
hear of the Military Commission; the idea
was that we never allow anybody with a
simple gun to take over power when they
have no idea on how to use it.
April. 05 - 11 2019 17
news analysis
Students’ test scores
Why they tell us more about the community
the students live in than what they know
By Christopher Tienken
E
very year, policymakers around
the world make life-changing deci-
sions based on the results of stan-
dardised tests in schools.
These high-stakes decisions include, but
are not limited to, student promotion to
the next grade level, student eligibility to
participate in advanced coursework, and
eligibility to graduate. However, research
shows that the outcomes of standardised
tests of students don’t reflect the quality
of instruction, as they’re intended to. This
raises the possibility that there are serious
flaws built into education accountability
systems and the decisions about educa-
tors and students made within those
systems.
Colleagues and I have conducted stud-
ies whose results show that it’s possible to
predict the percentages of students who
will score proficient or above on some
standardised tests. We can do this just by
looking at some of the important char-
acteristics of the community, rather than
factors related to the schools themselves,
like student-teacher ratios or teacher qual-
ity.
18 April. 05 - 11 2019
Predicting scores
It’s already well-established that out-
of-school, community demographic and
family-level variables strongly influence
student achievement on large-scale stan-
dardised tests.
For example, median family income is
a strong predictor of SAT results. Other
factors strongly linked to achievement on
state standardised tests include parental
education levels, percentage of lone par-
ents in the school community and per-
centage of families living in poverty in the
community.
In 40 states in the USA, teachers are
evaluated in part based on the results
from student standardised tests, as are
school administrators in almost 30 states.
Colleagues and I have conducted stud-
ies in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachu-
setts, Iowa and Michigan.
We decided to see if we could predict
standardised test scores based on demo-
graphic factors related to the community
where a student lived. By looking at three
to five community and family demo-
graphic variables from U.S. Census data,
we have been able to accurately predict
the percentages of students who score
proficient or above on standardised test
scores for grades three through 12. These
predictions are made without looking at
school district data factors such as school
size, teacher experience or per pupil
spending.
Our models can identify how much a
particular variable affects students’ scores.
That allows us to identify the most impor-
tant demographic characteristics as they
relate to the test results. For example, by
looking at just one characteristic – the per-
centage of families in a given community
living in poverty – we can explain almost
58 percent of the test’s score in eighth
grade English language arts.
Our most recent study explored three
years of test scores from grades six
through eight in more than 300 New Jer-
sey schools. We looked at the percentage
of families in the community with income
over US$200,000 a year, the percentage of
people in a community in poverty and the
percentage of people in a community with
bachelor’s degrees. We found that we
could predict the percent of students who
scored proficient or above in 75 percent of
the schools we sampled.
An earlier study that focused on fifth

grade test scores in New Jersey predicted
the results accurately for 84 percent of
schools over a three-year period.
Standardised tests
Students’ scores on mandated stan-
dardized tests have been used to evaluate
U.S. educators, students and schools since
President George W. Bush signed the No
Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2002.
Although more than 20 states had pre-
viously instituted state testing in some
grade levels by the late 1990s, NCLB man-
dated annual standardised testing in all
50 states. It required standardised math-
ematics and English language arts tests
in grades three through eight and once in
high school. State education officials also
had to administer a standardised science
test in fourth grade, eighth grade and
once in high school.
The Obama administration expanded
standardised testing through require-
ments in the Race to the Top grant pro-
gram and by funding the development of
two national standardised tests related to
Common Core State Standards: Smarter
Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC)
and the Partnership for Assessment
of Readiness of College and Careers
(PARCC).
Forty-five states initially adopted the
Common Core in some form. Approxi-
mately 20 are currently part of the PARCC
or SBAC consortia. Key portions of Race
to the Top applications required states use
student test results to evaluate teachers
and principals.
Smarter assessments
To be clear, the results of our study do
not mean that money determines how
much students can learn. That couldn’t be
further from the truth. In fact, our results
demonstrate that standardised tests don’t
really measure how much students learn,
or how well teachers teach, or how effec-
tive school leaders lead their schools. Such
tests are blunt instruments that are highly
susceptible to measuring out-of-school
factors.
Though some proponents of stan-
dardised assessment claim that scores can
be used to measure improvement, we’ve
found that there’s simply too much noise.
Changes in test scores from year to year
can be attributed to normal growth over
the school year, whether the student had
a bad day or feels sick or tired, computer
malfunctions, or other unrelated factors.
According to the technical manuals
published by the creators of standardised
assessments, none of the tests currently in
use to judge teacher or school administra-
tor effectiveness or student achievement
have been validated for those uses. For
example, none of the PARCC research,
as provided by PARCC, addresses these
issues directly. The tests are simply not
designed to diagnose learning. They are
simply monitoring devices, as evidenced
by their technical reports.
The bottom line is this: Whether you’re
trying to measure proficiency or growth,
standardized tests are not the answer.
Though our results in several states
have been compelling, we need more
news analysis
research on a national level to determine
just how much test scores are influenced
by out-of-school factors.
If these standardised test results can be
predicted with a high level of accuracy by
community and family factors, it would
have major policy implications. In my
opinion, it suggests we should jettison the
entire policy foundation that uses such
test results to make important decisions
about school personnel and students.
After all, these factors are outside the con-
trol of students and school personnel.
Although there are ideological disputes
about the merits of standardised tests
results, the science has become clearer.
The results suggest standardised test
results tell more about the community in
which a student lives than the amount
the student has learned or the academic,
social and emotional growth of the stu-
dent during a school year.
Although some might not want to
accept it, over time, assessments made by
teachers are better indicators of student
achievement than standardised tests. For
example, high school GPA, which is based
on classroom assessments, is a better pre-
dictor of student success in the first year
of college than the SAT.
This change would go a long way to pro-
viding important information about effec-
tive teaching, compared with a test score
that has little to do with the teacher.
Christopher Tienken is Associate Professor
of Education Leadership Management and
Policy, Seton Hall University
April. 05 - 11 2019 19
 















How Umeme has As a company, Uganda’s

biggest power distributor
directly employs a team
created thousands 



 


indirectly, the company
of jobs has created thousands of
jobs in Uganda.

58 UMEME POWER: Transforming Uganda

UMEME Power Book.indd 58 12/8/18 10:19 AM

UM
 U
meme has between 2,000 to 4,000 Apart from SMEs, there is an estimated
contractors, who also employ hundreds 3,000 industries in Uganda. All of these rely on
of thousands more. For instance, one power supplied by Umeme.
of these contractors, Haso Engineers




Company, employs over 400 people.
Assuming that on average all of








Umeme’s contractors had 100
workers and they were just 2,000
that is a total of 200,000 jobs.
Away from the contractors,
Umeme has over 1.2 million
customers, who range from
small, rural customers to large
industrial producers of steel and
beverages. Regardless of the size
of business, almost all of them
have created jobs.
For instance, Umeme
provides electricity to 500 SMEs
in Uganda. SMEs employ 2.5
million people. They account for
approximately 90% of the entire
private sector, generating over
80% of manufactured output
that contributes 20% of the gross
domestic product (GDP).
Cabling works
MEME Power Book.indd 59





largest steel producer in East Africa, employ



Namanve Industrial Park to the
east of Kampala, and another
1,000 on its plant on the Lubowa
Estate to the south of Kampala.
Another manufacturer, Alam
Group, who consumes 120MW
of Umeme electricity per month,
employs over 1,000 people;
200,000+ Mukwano Groupis in excess
of 7,000; and even Musa Body,
JOBS an indigenous metal fabricator
in Katwe employs up to 113
Umeme has people both on permanent and
contractual basis.
between 2,000 to
Umeme also powers schools,
4,000 contractors, banks, telecoms, hospitals, local
who also employ government administration
hundreds of centres, amongst others, all
thousands more of which employ hundreds of
thousands of people.
UMEME POWER: Transforming Uganda 59
12/8/18 10:19 AM
Behind dfcu’s 52%
decline in net profit
Top managers are optimistic
the future of the business is bright
S
By Julius Businge
hareholders of dfcu would be
happier if the bank’s financial
accounts showed a decline in
costs and increase in revenue.
This is not the case for the fi-
nancial year 2018.
However, dfcu’s top management are
optimistic that the lender will make profits
in the year ahead.
Financial results released on March
27, indicate that the bank recorded a 52%
decline in net profit from Shs127bn in 2017
to Shs61.7bn in 2018.
Mathias Katamba, the bank’s managing
director and chief executive officer told
journalists and sector analysts at the bank’s
headquarters on March 27 that they were
not worried about the sharp decline in rev-
enue for 2018 because the year before was
unique and had been boosted by ‘a one-off
income’ resulting from the acquisition of
Crane Bank assets.
In 2018, the bank posted Shs61bn as total
comprehensive income, far higher than the
Shs127bn recorded in the previous year,
which had Shs119bn one-off income accru-
ing from the purchase of Crane Bank.
Meanwhile, the bank’s core business of
loans and advances registered a 5%increase,
from Shs242bn in 2017 to Shs260bn in 2018.
The annual average growth in private
sector credit in the quarter to Dec. 2018 for
the entire industry was 11.3%, according to
Bank of Uganda data.
Katamba said in 2018, the bank focused
on ensuring asset quality of their consoli-
dated book, which reduced impairment
expenses by 61% from Shs49bn in 2017 to
Shs19bn in 2018.
Customer deposits remained flat at
Shs1.9tn for the period under review as the
bank focused on a strategy of growing the
current and savings deposits that area more
cost effective source of funding.
The strategy resulted into 11% reduction
in the interest expense from Shs88bn to
Shs78bn. Interest on government and other
22 April. 05 - 11 2019
Mathias Katamba
securities declined from Shs98.8bn in 2017
to Shs65.5bn in 2018. Non-funded income
in terms of fees and commission increased
by 29% from Shs39.3bn to Shs51bn as the
bank continued to harness the benefits of
the investments in technology and growth
in customer base.
Total expenditure reduced from Shs-
350billion in 2017 to Shs326bn in 2018. But
total assets reduced by 5% from Shs3.1tn
to Shs2.9tn due to repayment of borrowed
funds and subordinated debt.
This resulted in a 39% reduction in the
bank’s interest expense from Shs44bn to
Shs27bn.The bank paid out Shs22.6bn as
tax, lower than Shs41.4bn remitted in 2017.
Katamba said 2018 was not a normal year
for the bank but the figures have taken back
the bank to its normalperformance trend
which gives them momentum to normalize
the post-merger operations.
“Last year was not an ordinary year but
it showed resilience of the institution,” he
said.
He said that if it was not for good man-
agement, the negative publicity that hit
the bank following the acquisition of some
assets and liabilities of Crane Bank, the per-
formance would even have been worse.
He said that the stable customer deposits
recorded during the year is a justification
that its customers are loyal and confident
that they are getting value from the bank.
“This is an extremely well run institu-
tion,” Katamba said, adding “we managed
to achieve that even in a hostile environ-
ment.”
The bank recorded a jump in bad debts
written off from Shs27bn in 2017 to Shs82bn
in 2018. Katamba said that some of these
loans were acquired from Crane Bank.
“We didn’t take over the best performing
institution,” he said, “These are costs that
come with mergers and takeovers.”
William Sekabembe, the bank’s chief of
business and executive director was equally
positive about the results.
“You don’t have to worry,” he said, “the
bank’s capital levels are way above…and it
[bank] is extremely liquid.”
Going forward, Sekabembe said that
they will be implementing a more cost cut-
ting strategy so as to increase revenue by
deploying more new skilled staff at various
branches to attend to the bank’s clients.
On the other hand, Katamba, said they
are working towards reducing the cost to
income ratio currently at 79.5% [registered
in 2018] to below 60%.
He said this will be done through
strengthening agent banking where they
already have 700 agents manning 10% of
the total bank’s transactions. The bank aims
to have 30% of its total transactions man-
aged by agents in the next 12 months.
“We will continue to be prudent while
doing the right things,” Katamba said. The
Bank’s Board of Directors has recommend-
ed a cash dividend of Shs33.01 per share as
opposed to Shs68.24 paid out a year before.
This has to be approved by the Annual Gen-
eral Meeting planned for June 13.
While commenting on the entire financial
position of the bank, an accountant with
over 10 years of experience working at a
private company told The Independent that
the bank’s position is not bad going by its
total assets in comparison with liabilities.
He said the bank must work towards cut-
tingunnecessary operational expenditure by
embracing new technology, agent banking
and reducing on borrowings.
Listed on the Uganda Securities
Exchange, dfcu bank is owned by Arise
(Norfund, NorFinance, Rabobank &FMO
(58.70%), Commonwealth Development
Corporation (9.97%), NSSF (7.46%), Kimber-
lite (7.35%) and others 16.52%.

Stanbic raises dividend payout
as profit surges to Shs 215bn
The lender’s cost cutting strategy delivered good returns
By Isaac Kh\isa
U
ganda’s largest commercial
bank, Stanbic Bank, seem to
have surprised its investors with
a 7% growth in net profit to Shs
215bn in 2018, closing out the year that
the banking industry generated some
Shs 700bn in net profit amidst worries of
eased monetary policy.
The bank had in February last year
anticipated ‘worse performance’ for the
year owed to the central bank’s decision
to lower the Central Bank Rate to 9% and
10% - the lowest since 2011 when Inflation
Targeting Lite (ITL) was introduced to
tame inflation, a move that saw banks
lower interest rates from as high as 25% to
as low as 18% per annum.
“2018 is going to be a tough year;
there is no doubt. If you look at the yield
curve…it is in the unchartered territory,”
Stanbic Bank’s Chief Executive Officer,
Patrick Mweheire, told journalists then as
he announced the bank’s financial results.
“Banks in this country have never
had a Central Bank Rate of 9% (as it is at
the moment). It is a good thing for the
economy (as interest rates will drop) but it
is very hard for banks to make money.”
Faced with such circumstances, Stanbic,
seem to have done something magical to
make money for the shareholders.
For instance, the lender increased
its market share in extending letters of
credit, government guarantees, bonds
and funding the ongoing construction of
power and infrastructure facilities from
38.9% to 44.6%.
The bank also recorded increase in
revenue from diversified revenue streams
with the ratio of net interest to non-
interest income standing at 44% to 56%.
Similarly, the private sector credit
across the banking industry –recorded
11% growth to Shs 1.4trillion during the
years – driven by manufacturing and
agriculture sectors, trade and personal
and household finance also boosted the
bank’s profitability.
Mweheire, who announced the bank’s
financial results at the Kampala Serena
Hotel on March 28, revealed that since
the bank anticipated pressure on their
revenues as a result of a decline in lending
rates, they had to optimize on cost
Patrick Mweheire
structure to deliver good returns.
He said the bank also heavily invested
in a customer centric model of operation
that enabled it to create innovative
solutions and channels that helped
improve convenience for the customer
while bringing down transaction costs.
“Digital channels have enabled us to
see overall transaction growth of over
25% year on year basis with transactions
on these alternate channels growing by
over 40%,” Mweheire said.
“As at end of 2018, approximately 80%
of our transactions were being done on
our alternative digital channels.”
Commenting on the bank’s key
performance indicators, Sam Mwogeza,
the bank’s chief financial officer, revealed
that the bank also reported improvement
across all key financial metrics.
“We recorded a double digit growth in
our loan book which recorded an annual
growth of 18% in 2018 growing to Shs2.5
trillion from Shs2.1 trillion in 2017. This
resulted in a market share gain for the
bank of 20% from 19% at the start of the
year,” he said.
“We were very particular with the
sectors that we lent money to and we
availed more credit to those sectors
that we saw having a higher growth
rate rebounding…that enabled us to be
more proactive in seeing the switch in
borrowing appetite and requirements
from clients.”
As a result of the superb performance,
the bank earnings per share also went
up to Shs4.2 in 2018 up from Shs3.9 the
business
previous year. The dividend payout
increased by 8% to Shs 97.5billion.
Going forward
Mwheire said the bank has
transitioned into Stanbic Bank Holding
Uganda Ltd, a step that would enable
it access funding more easily but
also tighten capital requirements and
regulatory oversight.
He said this development will enable
the bank to set up a number of non-core
banking businesses including Stanbic
securities, Stanbic Digital and Stanbic
real estate.
He said, for instance, that the Bank
plans to transfer its real estate assets it
acquired from the Uganda Commercial
Bank to the new company and simply
rent the facility to enable the bank earn
some income.
He said the new business model will
ensure that the bank sustain its market
leadership position and attain business
growth.
Mweheire said the bank also plans to
set up upcountry business incubation
centres in Mbarara, Mbale, Gulu and
Hoima to train entrepreneurs eyeing the
oil and gas sector.
So far, more than 192 small and
medium enterprises trading different
goods and services have been trained
under the bank’s Business Incubator
initiative housed in Kololo, a leafy suburb
of Kampala.
April. 05 - 11 2019 23
business
Umeme’s
70% growth
in net profit
Company expects
more revenue from
government’s free
connection policy
By Julius Businge
P
ower distributor, Umeme
Limited recorded a 70% jump
in profit after tax for the year
ended December 2018 compared
to the previous year.
This came after the company settling a
conflict regarding a specific clause in its
contract that suppressed revenue in the
year 2017.
Based on the original contract,
Umeme had been allowed to earn some
extra revenue accruing from extra pow-
er sold beyond the target set by the reg-
ulator, a clause that show the company
record Shs115bn as revenue by close of
financial year 2016.
However, in the period before
2016, Electricity Regulatory Authority
amended the license and in the process
Umeme had to forego Shs115bn which
it recorded as expenses in its financial
books for the year 2017 – leading to a
decline in profits.
However, in 2018, the company
bounced back to its normal perfor-
mance, recording a Shs132bn as net
profit, up from Shs35.4bn in 2017. The
cost of sales reduced from Shs960bn to
Shs912bn.
But repair and maintenance costs
increased from Shs37bn to Shs45bn.
Administrative expenses grew from
Shs161 to Shs179bn, leading to an
increase in general operating costs of
the business from Shs199bn to Shs226
billion during the same period under
review.
Officials said prolonged rainy season
in the year increased expenditure on
network repairs and maintenance to
ensure public safety and supply reli-
ability.
24 April. 05 - 11 2019
Total assets increased from
Shs2.3billion in 2017 to Shs2.4billion in
2018. Shareholder equity increased from
Shs618billion in 2017 to Shs722 billion in
2018. The increase is attributed to profits
for the year.
The company also reported that net
cash flows generated from operating
activities increased by 31% to Shs395bil-
lion. The funds were used to fund
investments in the network and financ-
ing commitments of the business. Cus-
tomers connected to the grid, within the
Umeme footprint, increased by 14.8% to
1.3 million.
“We acknowledge the need to acceler-
ate the connections rate under the gov-
ernment’s electricity connections policy
to achieve the national development
plans,” officials said in the financial
statement.
The energy losses for 2018 were 16.6%
compared to 17.2% for 2017. Over this
regulatory cycle, energy losses have
reduced by 10.7%.
Selestino Babungi, the company’s
managing director told journalists at
Protea Hotel on March 25 that through
the introduction of prepaid metering,
improvements in quality of service and
open platforms for electricity bills pay-
ments, the company achieved an aver-
age revenue collection rate of 99% over
the seven year cycle.
This development comes as the com-
pany is still in negotiation with the gov-
ernment to extend its concession that
expires in 2025.
On a positive note, the operating
cost per customer in the year 2018 was
Shs174, 665 compared to Shs177, 092 in
2017 due to the use of technology, roll-
out of pre-paid metering, increase in
customer connections and efficiency in
business operations.
Babungi said the company remained
resilient in 2018 and focused on the path
forward to deliver and to satisfy cus-
tomers’ needs, meet the expectations of
stakeholders, while achieving sustain-
able returns to shareholders.
The directors recommended a final
dividend of Shs 28.2 per ordinary share
to be paid for the year ended December
2018, up from Shs7.6 paid in 2017.
Meanwhile, during the year, electric-
ity sales increased by 9.1% to 3,011 GWh
from the 2017 out-turn of 2,760 GWh.
The industrial segment recorded an
average growth of 12% in 2018.
Going forward, Babungi expects an
upward trend in demand for electricity
that should translate into more sales by
Umeme and its growth.
“Umeme continues to focus on
improving efficiencies that benefit our
customers in the form of reducing ener-
gy losses, increasing revenue collections
and reducing operating costs,” he said.
He said Umeme’s investment in
the network is in line with Uganda’s
increase in installed generation capac-
ity projected at 1,167 MW once Karuma
HPP Dam (600 MW) is commissioned at
the end of this year.
In addition, he said that investments
will support efforts by government to
implement the 2018 electricity connec-
tions policy, aimed at accelerating grid
connections, through subsidisation of
the last mile capital costs. The govern-
ment aims to add at least 300,000 con-
sumers to the grid every year through
this policy.
The company also invested Shs231
billion in the distribution network
relating to load growth and grid
expansion projects.
 Executive Style
Remaking Africa’s tax system
What were the key
highlights of the
session on recent
economic and social
T
trends in Africa?
he key
highlights
from today’s
discussion
relate to recent
economic and social
developments in
Africa. We looked at
how Africa performed
in 2018, in terms of
growth. The continent
grew at 3.2% in 2018
down from 3.4% in
2017, but growth is
expected to increase
again to 3.4 in 2019
and 3.8 in 2020.
What are the main
growth drivers in the
region?
The main growth
drivers are recent
increases in investment
and commodity
prices, especially oil
prices, and continued
improvement in
macroeconomic
management and
increase exports in
particular. And the
continent benefited
from relatively
strong global growth.
The conversation
highlighted the need
for Africa to treble
its growth rate to grow
at 9-10%, at a minimum
of 6% in order to make
considerable progress in
achieving their sustainable
development goals.
Can all African countries
leapfrog into the digital age
when they are grappling
with domestic realities such
as budget deficits sand poor
infrastructure?
 The problem of budget
deficit has to do with
outdated fiscal systems in
many African countries,
and so digitalisation and
with digital skills but
slim on employment
opportunities, how does
this theme address youth
unemployment, and
what solutions do you
envisage for proposal
and discussion at this
conference?
We count a lot on
digitalisation, which offers
a lot of opportunities
for African countries
to modernize their tax
systems and mobilise more
government revenue for
tax, sources and better
manage government
expenditure to build
infrastructure and an
environment that is
conducive to private
investment. And all that is
important for job creation
is important for job
creation for African youth.
So what we are saying is
A digital overhaul of Africa’s tax system is that finance is the main
needed to boost revenue collection, regional constraint to investment
and development in Africa. 
coordination and financing, Adam Elhiraika, If you address the
Director of Macroeconomic Policy at the financial constraints
we’ll be able to analogue
Economic Commission for Africa says opportunities in many
in conversation with Shoshana Kedem other areas and be able to
address issues of social
during the recently Conference of African development, employment
Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic and so on.
Development in Marrakech, Morocco How will Brexit affect
trade with African
countries and what
opportunities does it
leapfrogging and building First we need legislations present?
infrastructure will help and institutional changes, We already adjusted to
countries eventually address and second we need soft Brexit when it was first
the issue of budget deficit. systems, not new hard discussed three years ago,
We are saying African infrastructure. so I don’t see an immediate
countries have the potential It shouldn’t cost African effect on Africa in the short-
to at least double their countries much to digitalise run. Maybe in the long-run
current tax GDP ratio of their tax and fiscal systems. countries might engage with
15.4%. For some countries it the UK and European Union
Ten years ago, African tax [digitalisation] is jumping under new agreements
GDP ratio was about half the gun, but for others its that will affect how they
of what we have today, and not. Some countries like cooperate with the UK
the potential is still there to South Africa, Rwanda, vis-a-vis the EU. New data
double it to 30% over the Kenya and Morocco already
will tell which sectors and
next 5-7 years. have very modernized fiscal countries will present the
So there are two forms of systems.
best opportunities.
interventions governments
need to put in place to As the youngest continent Adapted from African Business
make use of digitalisation: in the world, saturated Magazine
April. 05 - 11 2019 25
 Business
ENERGY
Vivo energy introduces discounts on Shell V-power fuel
F
uel distributor, Vivo
Energy Uganda has
introduced discounts
on fuel prices for its
Shell V-power fuel in a bid to
ICT
Digitisation key
to development
A
frica must digitise its
economies, broaden its
tax base, prevent further
deterioration of fiscal and
debt positions, and aim for double-
digit growth to achieve the UN 2030
global goals (SDGs), and the AU
Agenda 2063, according to the 2019
Economic Report on Africa. This
year’s Economic Report on Africa,
a flagship publication of the United
Nations Economic Commission for
Africa (ECA) focuses on fiscal policy.
Government revenues account for
21.4%, insufficient to meet countries’
development financing needs.
“The Report identifies several quick
wins in Africa’s pursuit of additional
fiscal space to finance its accelerated
development,” Vera Songwe, the
ECA’s Executive Secretary stated at
the launch in Morocco on March 24.
“[It also] focuses on the instrumen-
tal role of fiscal policy in crowding-in
investment and creating adequate fis-
cal space for social policy, including
supporting women and youth-led
small and medium enterprises.”  said “the girl child needs to
This comes as economic growth in
Africa remains moderate at 3.2 per
cent in 2018 – due to “solid global
growth, a moderate increase in com-
modity prices and favourable domes-
tic conditions.”
Report emphasises African states
to do more, and work towards
achieving a fine balance between rais-
ing revenue and incentivizing invest-
ments, in order to boost growth.
26 April. 05 - 11 2019
have more of its clients spend
less. A litre of Shell V-Power
costs about Shs300 higher than
the price of other fuels that the
company sells. In an interview
ICT
HP fight fraudulent manufacturers in EA
H
P’s Anti-Counterfeit-
ing and Fraud team,
alongside local African
authorities, have con-
ducted two highly successful
operations to stop the trade of
counterfeit cartridges for HP
printers across Uganda and
Mozambique. Firstly, In Sep-
tember and October 2018, HP’s
ACF team and local authorities
raided several premises in the
CSR
Centenary Bank to equip Girl Child with financial skills
Lugalambi handing over a dummy cheque worth
Shs50m to beneficiaries.  COURTESY PHOTO
T
he girl child aged 13
to 18 years have been
challenged to embrace
the savings culture.
This was during the launch
of the campaign #365Saving
organized by y Women4Her
dubbed whose goal is to
with journalists held at the com-
pany’s fuel station in Lugogo on
March 29, Emmanuel Ssebunya,
the brand manager for fuels
said that the promotion, dubbed
‘Power Weekend’ will be avail-
able at all 80 Shell stations coun-
trywide that sell V-Power on
every last weekend of a month
until December 2019. “We en-
courage our customers to get a
full tank so they can experience
the benefits of this fuel,” Ssebu-
nya said. The company’s new
fuels contain exclusive dynaflex
technology which helps clean
and protect key components in
vehicle engine innovations and
customer needs.
Maputo (Mozambique) and
Kampala (Uganda) areas. In
total, these anti-counterfeiting
successes resulted an impressive
total of 33,000 illicit items seized.
Secondly, in January 2019,
Ugandan authorities dis-
mantled a criminal ring that
had distributed counterfeit car-
tridges for HP printers destined
for sale in several East African
countries.
impact the lives over 25,000
girls across 50 schools in the
country.
It is expected that at
the end of this 16-week
campaign, the over 25,000
targeted students, will be
better savers and be in
HOSPITALITY
Sheraton, Marriot
announces new
service
O
n March 28, Shera-
ton and Marriott
brand hotel brands
unveiled the Mar-
riot Bonvoy, a new travel
program which is built on
the belief that travel enriches
all its members.
According to Stephanie
Linnartz, the global chief
commercial officer for Marri-
ot International, the new ser-
vice would enable members
to access the world’s leading
hotel portfolio at the best
prices in addition to other
benefits as well as a collec-
tion of experiences that bring
exploration and discovery of
the world to the forefront.
The Sheraton General
Manager, Philippe Bitten-
court and his Assistant
Director (sales and market-
ing) said the guests who will
enroll for the service will
achieve elite membership
status and will be awarded
annual points. “The more
members stay and spend, the
greater the reward and rec-
ognition,” officials said.
position to start businesses.
The project lead Anatalia
Nambooze, said the girl child
needs to be encouraged to
engage in some activities that
can in turn earn them some
money to realise financial
empowerment.
Beatrice Lugalambi, the
General Manager Corporate
Communications and
Marketing at Centenary Bank
be empowered because soon
they will be influencers of
household financial decisions
and it is key that they know
what to do by then.”
She said Centenary
Bank will be opening up
Centevolution accounts for
the girls as a platform to
encourage savings.
 Business

UEGCL names new supervisor

for Karuma dam
This new development fol-
By Julius Businge lows the failure by the current

I
n a bid to deliver a fit-
for-purpose hydropower
dam, the Uganda Electric-
ity Generation Company
Limited has named a new
Owner’s Engineer to super-
vise works for the 600MW
Isimba Hydropower dam.
Eng. Harrison Mutikanga,
the chief executive officer at
UEGCL told reporters at the
company’s headquarters in
MTN Uganda Chief Technology Officer and Acting CEO, Gordian Kyomukama (L) Kampala on March 27 that AF
chat with Ali Monzer, Acting General Manager, Mobile Financial Services, during Consult, based in Switzerland,
the prize handover ceremony to the winners of the recently concluded MTN was chosen after a competitive
Open API Challenge held at the Innovation Village on March 28. The telecom bidding process and emerged
firm handed over cash prizes worth Shs 66m to winners in the competition. the winner.
The new OE will start
official work on May 06 after
the expiry of the contract of
Energy Infratech Pvt. Limited
(EIPL). The new OE has been
hired for 12 months at a cost
of US$4.9million.
Mutikanga said the new
OE has rich experience in
supervising design and
construction works for large
hydropower developments.
AF Consult was formerly the
Karuma HPP Project Manage-
ment Consultant.
UBL Marketing and Innovations Director, Juliana Kaggwa (R) and
Robert Nsibirwa, Deputy Buganda Premier hands over running kit to
participants of the Airtel Kabaka Birthday Run on April 01, 2019.
OE, EIPL, to hire competent
staff and strictly adhereto con-
tract specifications in addition
to allegations of fraud.
Mutikanga said the prob-
lems that were experienced
at Isimba dam were similar
to those at Karuma dam that
EIPL was supposed to man-
age.
He said the dam construc-
tion is at a critical stage and
they cannot continue using
services of EIPL which could
easily compromise the quality
of the entire project.
“You cannot expect better
results when you continue
doing things the same way,”
Mutikanga said.
The US$1.398bn dam on the
River Nile in Kiryandongo
District is 93% ready and
is expected to be commis-
sioned in December this year.
Some of the critical works
remaining include installa-
tion of dam equipment and
diversion of the river. The
dam is being constructed by
Sinohydro Corporation Lim-
ited from China that is closely
supervised by UEGCL and
other players.

Weekly share price movement (March. 29)

Security March 29 March 05 Movement
BATU 30,000 30000 00
BOBU 130 134 2.9
CENT 1,182 1,190 0.6
QCL 190 292 0.6
DFCU 670 670 00
EABL 7,610 7,181 5.9
EBL 1,487 1,515 1.8
JHL 15,202 15,585 2.5
KA 185 224 17.4
KCB 1,619 1,541 24.5
NIC 13 14 7.1
NMG 2,214 2,221 0.3
NVL 334 336 1.2
Minister for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Amelia Kyambadde (4th L) SBU 30 29 3.3
hands over an award to Roofings Group staff members led by Business UCHM 22 22 00
Development Manager Stuart Jason Mwesigwa at the Presidents Export UCL 16 17 5.8
Awards recently. Roofings Group received the top award under the UMEME 298 292 2.0
category of Manufacturing -Construction Materials.   COURTESY PHOTO ALSI -- -- --

April. 05 - 11 2019 27
Wishing others well
boosts your health
Kind people are happier and less anxious
By Ana Sandoiu mood-boosting potential of three such strat-
W
hether it is escaping the city,
going for a walk, or hanging
out with our friends, we all
have our strategies for reducing
anxiety, coping with the stresses of modern
life, or just lifting our mood.
But what role does helping others play in
our well-being?
Many people say that helping others
through acts of charity or volunteer work
makes them feel better and happier. New
research goes further and finds that simply
wishing someone well may have a similarly
positive effect on our moods.
Simply thinking of others in a kind and
loving way could make you happier, sug-
gests the new study.
Past research has confirmed that being
generous makes people happier. Some
studies have even pointed to specific brain
areas linked to acts of generosity affect, sug-
gesting that giving to others can help reduce
anxiety and stress.
New research, appearing in the `Journal
of Happiness Studies’, investigates deeper
into several strategies for lowering anxiety
and boosting well-being and finds that
merely wishing a person well may do won-
ders for our mood.
Researchers Douglas A. Gentile, Dawn
M. Sweet, and Lanmiao He compared the
28 April. 05 - 11 2019
egies: loving-kindness, interconnectedness,
and downward social comparison.
Douglas Gentile is a professor of psychol-
ogy at Iowa State University in Ames.
The effects of 12 minutes of ‘loving-
kindness’
Prof. Gentile and colleagues asked col-
lege students to walk around the university
building and try out one of the three strate-
gies for 12 minutes. The loving kindness
strategy involved them looking at people
and thinking: “I wish for this person to be
happy.” The psychologists encouraged
the study participants to really mean this
thought and say it to themselves with con-
viction. In the interconnectedness strategy,
the researchers asked the participants to
look at people and wonder about what
hopes, aspirations, or feelings they might
share with them. Finally, the downward
social comparison strategy had the students
think about how they might have a better
life than the people they encountered.
Prof. Gentile and his colleagues also
included a group of control students who
were asked to look at people but simply
focus on their physical appearance, clothing
style, and so on.
Finally, the participants filled out sur-
veys that measured their anxiety, stress,
empathy, and happiness levels both before
and after the experiments. The researchers
compared all three groups with the control
group.
The study found that of all three tech-
niques, people who practiced loving-kind-
ness had overall higher levels of empathy
and happiness, as well as lower levels of
anxiety. Wishing others well also improved
the participants’ sense of care and connect-
edness. By contrast, the downward social
comparison did not benefit mood at all
and made the students feel less caring and
empathetic. The researchers explain their
results. Sweet, the study’s co-author, says,
“At its core, downward social comparison is
a competitive strategy.” “That’s not to say
it can’t have some benefit, but competitive
mindsets have been linked to stress, anxiety,
and depression.”
By comparison, “Walking around and
offering kindness to others in the world
reduces anxiety and increases happiness
and feelings of social connection,” says Prof.
Gentile. “It’s a simple strategy that doesn’t
take a lot of time that you can incorporate
into your daily activities,” he suggests. Co-
author He concurs, saying “This simple
practice is valuable regardless of your per-
sonality type.”
“Extending loving-kindness to others
worked equally well to reduce anxiety,
increase happiness, empathy, and feelings
of social connection,” said Lanmiao He.
The study’s lead author also mentions the
implications that the findings may have in
our digital age.
“It is almost impossible not to make
comparisons on social media,” says Prof.
Gentile.
“Our study didn’t test this, but we often
feel envy, jealousy, anger or disappoint-
ment in response to what we see on social
media, and those emotions disrupt our
sense of well-being.”

M
By Agencies
ore Ugan-
dans are
consuming
fast-food
than in
the past.
According to a study titled
`Determinants of fast food con-
sumption in Kampala’ by Sarah
Ayo, Jackline Bonabana-Wabbi,
and D. Sserunkuuma, Chips,
deep fried chicken, fish, and
meat, sausages, chaps, pizza,
and kebabs are among the most
consumed fast foods.
Almost all are cooked by
deep frying in cooking oil
which, according to new
research, can cause cancer if not
done properly. Apart from the
other health concerns linked
to consumption of fatty meats
which are associated with fast
food, researchers are increasing-
ly pointing at danger thought
to be resulting in the tendency
to reuse cooking oil in fast food
preparation.
According to the research,
reusing oil creates free radicals,
a type of molecule, that attach
themselves to healthy cells and
may cause diseases, including
cancer.
Consuming food prepared
using reused oil over long peri-
ods also has a risk of causing
acidity, heart disease, Alzheim-
er’s and Parkinson’s disease,
and irritable throat.
Specifically, a recent study
has shown that thermally-
abused or reheated cooking oil
possibly triggers cell changes
that can promote late-stage
breast cancer growth.
The study is interesting
because the incidence of breast
cancer in Uganda has nearly
tripled in three decades and
the cause of this is not wholly
understood.
According to 2014 statistics
from the Kampala Cancer Reg-
istry the prevalence of breast
cancer in women stands at 3.7%
or four women out if every 100
having the disease.
Researchers from the Univer-
sity of Illinois at Urbana-Cham-
paign tested “thermally abused
frying oil,” which is cooking oil
that has undergone reheating
to high temperatures multiple
times, in laboratory mice and
found that it increased meta-
Danger of eating
reused cooking oil
New research links it to breast cancer
static breast cancer growth.
The team reported these
findings in the journal `Cancer
Prevention Research’.
The scientists fed all of the
lab mice a low-fat diet for a
week. Then, they gave some of
the mice unheated fresh soy-
bean oil for 16 weeks while the
rest ingested thermally abused
oil instead.
They chose to use soybean oil
because the restaurant industry
commonly uses it for deep fry-
ing.
To simulate breast cancer,
they injected 4T1 breast cancer
cells into a tibia of each mouse.
These breast cancer cells are
very aggressive and have a high
rate of metastasis to multiple
distant sites. As a result, they
often appear in the lymph
nodes, liver, and lungs.
The effects of reused oil
At 20 days after the injection
of the tumor cells, there was a
notable difference in the rate
of metastatic growth between
the two groups of mice. In
the mice who had eaten ther-
mally abused oil, the metastatic
growth of the tibia tumors was
four times greater than that of
the tumors in the mice who
consumed the fresh oil.
There were also more lung
metastases in the former group.
Lead researcher William G.
Helferich, a professor of food
science and human nutrition,
noted that there were twice as
many lung tumors, which were
also more aggressive and inva-
sive than those in the fresh-oil
group.
“I just assumed these nodules
in the lungs were little clones
— but they weren’t,” says
Helferich. “They’d undergone
transformation to become more
aggressive. The metastases in
the fresh-oil group were there,
but they weren’t as invasive or
aggressive, and the prolifera-
tion wasn’t as extensive.”
Here’s what needs to be done
Fast-food is popular because
it is seen as an easy solution to
consumers’ busy schedules and
limited meal preparation time.
The research shows that
as the population grows and
feeding tastes continue chang-
ing coupled with the need for
convenience, consumption of
fast-food is expected to rise
even higher; especially in urban
areas.
The trouble is that although
the danger of cooking with re-
used cooking oil is known, it
is not practical in the fast food
industry to use new oil every
time. The practical approach is
to reuse oil but limit the dura-
tion of its use and hopefully
reduce its negative effects.
April. 05 - 11 2019
health
Unfortunately, there is no set
number to how many times one
can reuse the oil. This depends
on many factors; including type
of oil used, how long the oil
remains heated, and what was
deep fried.
Anyone routinely cooking
with reused oil could try to
reduce its negative effect by:
 Ensuring that leftover oil
from cooking or frying is
cooled and properly sieved
to remove food particles
before being store; prefer-
ably in an airtight container.
Food particles in used oil
spoil it.
 Avoid using oil that is dark-
er and greasier or thicker
than usual.
 Avoid oil that emits a lot of
smoke when heated. This
shows the oil has accu-
mulated HNE which is a
toxic substance suspected
to cause diseases including
Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s,
stroke, and liver disease.
 Use oils that have a high
smoke point i.e. they do
not break down at high
temperatures. These
include oil from sunflower,
soybean, sim sim and so
on. Oils with a low smoke
point such as olive oil
should never be used for
deep frying
29
comment
By Kavuma-Kaggwa
Buganda and EAC political federation
Katikkiro Mayiga should summon the Lukiiko
come out with a clear Buganda position
P
resident Yoweri Museveni has been
selected to oversee and provide po-
litical guidance to the legal experts
tasked with the drafting of the East
African Community (EAC) constitution on
political confederation.
The decision was made by the EAC Heads
of States at the 20th Ordinary Summit in
Arusha, Tanzania on February 1, 2019.
On May 20, 2017 the EAC heads of state
adopted the political confederation as a
transitional model of the East African polit-
ical federation.
The thorniest issue is regional integration;
which means creating an East African polit-
ical federation. Besides the high degree of
political ineptitude among some people in
East Africa, the people in Uganda say that
they will never surrender their sovereignty
to any other country.
Ugandans strongly believe that they
fought for the Independence of Uganda
to remain independent all the time and
cooperate with other African countries on
common services. Uganda will continue to
fly its own flag and Uganda will continue to
have its own government, parliament, and
a president elected by the people of Uganda
every after five years.
What Uganda will accept is to share the
common services with other African coun-
tries. The common services are: airways,
railways, harbours, research; including on
veterinary and agriculture, trade and some
sectors of communication. Oil production
and export too requires cooperation; espe-
cially on building the pipeline from Uganda
to the Indian Ocean.
Buganda rejected the Political Federa-
tion of East Africa right from the time of
Kabaka Sir. Daudi Chwa II in 1921. Again in
1948, the British tried to establish it and the
Buganda Lukiiko passed a strong resolution
rejecting it.
In 1953, the- British Governor Sir Andrew
Cohen brought the proposal again and
Sekabaka Mutesa II refused to sign the
papers and referred it to the Lukiiko. He
demanded Independence for Uganda and
told the Governor that it was time that the
Protection Agreements made with Britain
ended. The British Governor exiled him to
UK for two years. But he returned in great
triumph to Uganda on October 17, 1955.
The Baganda rejected the Political Fed-
eration because it was intended to abolish
30 April. 05 - 11 2019
and completely dismantle the Buganda
Kingdom and abolish the Luganda
language and impose Kiswahili on the
Baganda.
I call upon the Leadership in the Buganda
Kingdom to resist by all means any mea-
sures or approach that may require them to
accept federation. Katikkiro Peter Mayiga
should summon the Buganda Lukiiko to
debate the East African Federation and
come out with the clear Buganda position.
The removal in 1994 of Margaret Zziwa
from the position of the Speaker of the East
African Legislative Assembly, when all the
members, except Fred Mukasa Mbidde,
ganged up and passed a motion of no con-
fidence which removed her from the post of
Speaker, added to the Baganda have of East
African political federation.
The Baganda saw that as confirmation that
should Uganda make a mistake of entering
the political federation of East Africa, then
anti-Buganda elements will get together
and move a motion “that the kingdoms in
Uganda should be abolished so as to make
the federation function smoothly”. All other
countries in the EAC do not have kings.
I know that in this modern life, politics
means sharing power and money. So
money will be poured by the “anti-Buganda
elements” to enable the vote for the motion
to abolish the kingdoms in Uganda.
Instead of pursuing the political federation
of East Africa, President Museveni should
be contented with the power and wealth
which the Baganda have rewarded him
with for restoring the Buganda kingdom
and maintaining peace in the country. This
has resulted in “thirty years of political
stability” that has caused people to prosper
economically and to build themselves in all
sectors of life.
President Museveni, between now and
the year 2021 or for that matter 2026,
should concentrate on working out plans
with the ordinary Ugandans on how to
eradicate poverty, create employment for
young Ugandans, and looking for overseas
markets for our products. He should build
an economy controlled by the indigenous
people of Uganda.
In August 2011, there was the Fast
Tracking Committee setup by the three
EAC governments to get the views of the
people on the proposal for the East African
Political Federation. The committee was
chaired by Godfrey Muriuki; a professor
of history at Nairobi University in Kenya.
When it visited Uganda, I told the com-
mittee the Buganda cannot accept political
federation because it would abolish the
Buganda Kingdom.
At Mengo; the seat of the Kabaka Gov-
ernment, the committee met then-Katikiro
Dan Muliika. He told them clearly that the
Baganda rejected and they will never accept
the federation of East Africa. He told them
that anybody who will try to impose it on
the Baganda will be trying to organise a
wedding in a den of lions.
Muliika was told that the people of Tan-
zania and Kenya had rejected the East
African Federation. In Tanzania the people
said “Hatutaki Waganda kuingia Tanzania
kugitawala” meaning that “we do not want
the people of Uganda to come to Tanzania
to rule us”.
In Kenya the people said “the sons and
daughters and grandsons/daughters of the
MAU MAU freedom fighters will be the
presidents of Kenya but not people from
Uganda”.
One of Kenya’s leading politicians, Ste-
phen Kalonzo Mushoka, while esided
over a graduation ceremony of Uganda
Technology and Management University
(UTAMU) in Kampala in 2017 proposed
that President Museveni be elected first
President of East Africa. But this cannot
work and will never materialise.
The people of East Africa live under dif-
ferent political systems and trying to put
them under one political system is like
organising a dancing party for lions, leop-
ards, and zebras and antelopes.
We still have a long way to go before
people of the other five partner states can
elect a Ugandan freely and fairly without
any problem under a political federation.
At the moment I don’t see it happening
because in some areas of East Africa you
will find people having a lot of xenophobia
in their heads.
Kavuma-Kaggwa is an elder from Kyaggwe,
Mukono District.

By David Keith
Let’s talk about geoengineering
Deadlock at UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi
shows it’s a complex problem without a single solution
N
egotiations on geoengineering
technologies ended in deadlock
at the United Nations Environ-
ment Assembly in Nairobi,
Kenya, recently, when a Swiss-backed pro-
posal to commission an expert UN panel
on the subject was withdrawn amid dis-
agreements over language. This is a shame,
because the world needs open debate
about novel ways to reduce climate risks.
Specifics aside, the impasse stemmed
from a dispute within the environmental
community about growing scientific
interest in solar geoengineering – the pos-
sibility of deliberately reflecting a small
amount of sunlight back into space to help
combat climate change. Some environ-
mental and civil-society groups, convinced
that solar geoengineering will be harmful
or misused, oppose further research,
policy analysis, and debate about the issue.
Others, including some large environ-
mental groups, support cautious research.
By reflecting sunlight away from the
Earth – perhaps by injecting aerosols into
the stratosphere – solar geoengineering
could partly offset the energy imbalance
caused by accumulating greenhouse gases.
Research using most major climate models
suggests that solar geoengineering might
reduce important climate risks such as
changes in water availability, extreme pre-
cipitation, sea level, and temperature. But
any version of this technology carries risks
of its own, including air pollution, damage
to the ozone layer, and unanticipated cli-
mate changes.
Yet research on solar geoengineering
is highly controversial. This has limited
research funding to a few tiny programs
around the world, although a larger
number of climate scientists are beginning
to work on this topic using existing funds
for climate research.
Why the controversy? Many fear, with
good reason, that fossil-fuel interests will
exploit solar geoengineering to oppose
emissions cuts. But most researchers are
not driven by such interests. The vast
majority of those researching solar geoen-
gineering or advocating for its inclusion
in climate-policy debates also support
much stronger action to reduce emissions.
Still, it’s very likely that Big Fossil – from
multinational energy companies to coal-
dependent regions – will eventually use
discussion of geoengineering to fight emis-
sions restrictions.
But that risk is not a sufficient reason
to abandon or suppress research on solar
geoengineering. Environmentalists have
spent decades fighting Big Fossil’s opposi-
tion to climate protection. And although
progress to date has been insufficient,
there have been some successes. The world
now spends over $300 billion per year on
low-carbon energy, and young people are
bringing new political energy to the fight
for a safer climate.
Open discussion of solar geoengineering
would not weaken the commitment of
environmental advocates, because they
know emissions must be cut to zero to
achieve a stable climate. At worst, such a
debate could make some in the broad, dis-
engaged middle of the climate battle less
interested in near-term emissions cuts. But
even this is not certain; there is empirical
evidence that public awareness of geo-
engineering increases interest in cutting
emissions.
It is sensible to focus on cutting emis-
sions, and reasonable to worry that dis-
cussing solar geoengineering could distract
from that fight. But it’s wrong to indulge
a monomania whereby emissions cuts
become the sole objective of climate policy.
Vital as it is, eliminating emissions simply
stops adding to the burden of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere. The CO2 from
the fossil-fuel era, and the resulting climate
changes, will persist. We need adaptation
that increases resilience to climate threats.
But adaptation by itself is no solution.
Neither is solar geoengineering. And nor
is removing CO2 from the atmosphere –
another emerging set of technologies that
were considered in the Swiss-backed pro-
posal in Nairobi.
As the American writer H.L. Mencken
put it, “there is always a well-known
solution to every human problem – neat,
plausible, and wrong.” Complex problems
like climate change rarely have a single
solution.
My hope is that emissions cuts, solar geo-
engineering, and carbon removal can work
together to reduce the human and environ-
mental effects of climate change beyond
what is possible with emissions cuts alone.
Are these hopes justified? The geoengi-
neering research community is small and
dominated by a narrow group of members,
most of whom are (like me) white, male,
comment
and based in Europe or America. Group-
think is a distinct possibility. We may
simply be wrong. It would be reckless to
deploy solar geoengineering based only on
hope and early research.
Instead, an international, open-access
research program could, within a decade,
dramatically improve understanding of the
risks and efficacy of solar geoengineering.
Such a program would cost a small share
of the sum currently spent on climate sci-
ence, and far less than 0.1% of outlays to
cut emissions. A wise program would
reduce groupthink by increasing the diver-
sity of researchers, and by establishing a
deliberate tension between research teams
developing specific scenarios for deploy-
ment and others tasked with critically
examining how these scenarios could go
wrong.
Governance is the toughest challenge for
geoengineering. A global research program
should therefore be coupled with greatly
expanded international discussion about
these technologies and their governance.
Such a debate was unfortunately cut short
in Nairobi last week.
Although my generation will not use
solar geoengineering, it seems plausible
that before the middle of this century, a
dramatic climate catastrophe will prompt
some governments to consider doing so.
By foregoing debate and research on geo-
engineering now, political leaders may be
hoping to eliminate the risks of its future
misuse. But their stance may actually
increase this danger.
Humans rarely make good decisions
by choosing ignorance over knowledge,
or by preferring closed-door politics
to open debate. Rather than keeping
future generations in the dark on solar
geoengineering, we should shed as much
light on it as we can.
David Keith, a professor of applied physics
at Harvard’s School of Engineering and
Applied Sciences (SEAS) and a professor of
public policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School
of Government, is the founder of Carbon
Engineering.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2019.
April. 05 - 11 2019 31
comment
By Johnstone Oltetia
A new shape for the mortgage industry
Ensuring affordable housing for citizens requires
a radical overhaul involving mortgage refinancing
T
here are two essential parts to
achieving affordable housing:
building decent, low-cost
homes, and developing housing
finance market that enables low-income
earners to buy those homes. For,
without finance, almost no home price
is low enough to be affordable on an
average salary.
For this reason, the mortgage market
has been growing. Housing loans
have risen more than ten-fold since
2006, from 1,278 loans valued at Shs19
million 12 years ago to 24,458 loans
valued at Shs203.3 billion by 2015,
according to the Central Bank of Kenya
(CBK).
But the market still remains tiny
when compared with other nations. In
Tanzania and Uganda, the mortgage
loan value is under 2.5 per cent of GDP
while in Kenya stands at 3.15 per cent
of GDP by 2015. In South Africa, it
contributed some 32 per cent of GDP.
Yet in countries where mortgages
drive a large flow of home buying,
home owners prime the pumps of the
economy with additional spending
power in an inflow that makes for
faster economic growth.
However, our own mortgage market
is held back by multiple constraints;
including bureaucracy. Normally, the
purchase of a property takes around
three months to complete. For instance,
mortgage finance in Kenya typically
takes six months to arrange, mired in
nine separate, manual, administrative
processes.
These span land rent and rates
clearance certificates, transfer filing
and consent, the search, the valuation
and its endorsement, and the stamp
duty and lodging of documents. This
process, which the government is now
working to simplify, adds cumbersome
work, as well as risk, thus increasing
the cost of mortgages.
Most primary mortgage lenders in
the region thus set higher mortgage
rates and focus on high net worth
individuals and high earners who
can afford higher rates. They also run
shorter repayment periods, ranging
from as low as three years to an
32 April. 05 - 11 2019
average of eight years.
But repaying at such high rates,
so rapidly, puts borrowers under
considerable pressure and leads to
defaults, which today stand at some
12 per cent of Kenyan mortgages. It is
additionally a model that offers very
few opportunities for low and middle-
income Kenyans to own homes.
We, thus, need a radical overhaul of
mortgage financing if we are to achieve
widespread home ownership, which is
where mortgage refinancing comes in.
Providing a source of secure, long-
term funding for mortgages has a
direct impact on the affordability of
home loans for home buyers and is a
vital pillar to achieving a developed
mortgage system. Such funding was
critical, for instance, in Malaysia and
Singapore, where about 80 per cent of
houses are now mortgage-owned.
For this reason, the Kenyan National
Treasury is contributing to the
Affordable Housing Pillar of the BIG 4
Agenda by supporting the creation of
a lending facility (the Kenya Mortgage
Refinance Company) to provide longer-
term funds for banks and SACCOs for
residential mortgages in Kenya.
The Government
Affordable
Housing project
seeks to develop
500,000 houses
in five years,
which presents
the largest
real estate
opportunity for a
long time
The Kenya Mortgage Refinance
Company (KMRC) will provide secure
funding to mortgage lenders so that
they can offer more mortgages at lower
prices. With such long-term funding,
primary mortgage lenders will also be
able to lengthen repayment periods to
15 to 25 years, and offer a fixed interest
rate, making mortgages both safe and
affordable for low income earners.
The new financing will mainly be
available for lower cost housing, valued
at less than Shs4 million in Nairobi
metropolitan area (Nairobi, Machakos,
Kiambu and Kajiado) and Shs3 million
elsewhere. Likewise, to qualify for the
housing loan, Kenyans must be earning
less than Shs150,000 a month.
Refinancing the financial institutions
will also enable them to expand their
lending scope to finance developers
as well. A strategy that can also
be borrowed by other East African
countries in meeting there affordable
housing agendas.
The Government Affordable Housing
project seeks to develop 500,000
houses in five years, which presents
the largest real estate opportunity
for a long time. But with the country
having only managed to produce about
50,000 units over the last two to three
years, achieving the targeted 100,000
houses a year will require considerable
investment in construction.
The financing structures necessary
to achieve this will be outlined in
forums at the April 10th -11th East
African Property Investment Summit,
which aims to support the Government
Affordable Housing Project. But as
government and industry leaders
convene to discuss the delivery of the
targeted affordable housing, mortgage
refinancing will be taking center stage
as a crucial enabler.
Johnstone Oltetia is the Interim CEO
Kenya Mortgage Refinance Company
(KMRC)
 MINISTRY OF FINANCE, PLANNING
AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
INTERNATIONAL SPECIALIZED HOSPITAL OF UGANDA (ISHU) PROJECT
Mr. Keith Muhakanizi,
Permanent Secretary/ Secretary to the Treasury
Following several public and media com-
ments about the proposed International
Specialized Hospital of Uganda, I wish to
make the following clarifications in light of
the various mis-understandings that have
been made.
1. Who is the Project Owner?
The Project is fully owned by the Govern-
ment of Uganda. The responsibility for the
Hospital development has been given to
FINASI-ROKO Construction Ltd.
2. Who owns the Project Land?
i. The Project land was legally acquired
by Government and given to the Joint Clini-
cal Research Center (JCRC), a portion of
which has been transferred to the Ministry
of Health.
ii. The ownership of the Project Land
has been and will remain Government of
Uganda represented by the Uganda Land
Commission – Ministry of Health. No Land
has been given to FINASI-ROKO Construc-
tion Ltd.
3. What is the role of FINASI – ROKO
Construction Ltd?
FINASI-ROKO Construction Ltd is the
Project Developer responsible for raising
the financing for the design, construction,
equipping, and the training of medical per-
sonnel over a 2 years.
4. What is the cost of the Hospital?
i. The total Project Cost is US$ 249.9 mil-
lion inclusive of a 264-bed Hospital, an
82–room budget Hotel, a 500-seater Confer-
ence Hall, Health Training School and Staff
MINISTRY OF FINANCE, PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
STATEMENT
Housing; all covering85,000squaremetersof
built-up area.
ii. The cost also includes medicines for 1
year; and training costs for Ugandan health
professional
5. What is the additional cost that increases
the amount to US$ 379.71 million?
The additional US$ 129.81 million repre-
sents the ‘Time Value of Money’ or interest
cost of payment that Government has to
incur as a result of repaying FINASI_ROKO
Construction over 6 years. The US$ 129.71
million represents an effective interest of
6.49%.
6. How will FINASI-ROKO Construction
Ltd be repaid?
FINASI-ROKO Construction Ltd will be
repaid over 6 years after the 2 year period
for the development for the Hospital
7. What assurances/security does FINASI
–ROKO Construction Ltd require from
Government that it will be re-paid?
FINASI-ROKO Construction requires
that Government issues Irrevocable and
Unconditional Promissory Notes for only
completed and certified Project activities
and works clearly showing how much is
due to FINASI- ROKO Construction, and
when the amount will be paid by Govern-
ment of Uganda
8. Will Government lose money on the
Project?
Government will only issue Promissory
Notes for Project activities and works that
have been completed and certified by Gov-
ernment’s Owner’s Engineer.
9. Is Government issuing a guarantee for
a loan that the FINASI-ROKO Construc-
tion may be getting to finance the Project
Development?
Government is not issuing any guarantee
for a loan. It is only giving assurances (a
firm Promise though irrevocable Promisso-
ry Notes) that what is due to FINASI-ROKO
Construction will be paid at a future date.
10. Who will manage the Hospital after
construction?
The Hospital will be managed for 8 years
after construction by the International Spe-
cialized Hospital of Uganda Ltd., which
is owned by FINASI International Group,
which is partnering with the Pope John the
23rd Hospital in Bergamo (Papa Giovanni
the 23rd Hospital, Bergamo)
11. Why has Government chosen this
model for Hospital development?
FINASI International Group has experi-
ence in developing Hospitals at Internation-
al Standards to enable Joint Commission
International (JCI) accreditation which Gov-
ernment requires in order to stop outflow
of foreign exchange used to send persons
abroad for advance medical care.
12. How will the Hospital affect the Health
Sector budget?
The Promissory Notes amounts will be
funded from additional allocations made to
the Health sector
13. What are the benefits of the Hospital?
The Hospital Project will benefit Uganda
in the following ways:-
i. Stop the outflow of foreign resources
not only medical treatment abroad (US$ 73
mn in 2014), but also the costs of travel and
upkeep (US$ 113 million in 2014). Informa-
tion from the High Commission of India in
Uganda indicates that 8,200 persons applied
for medical visas in 2016, 5,000 of whom
are Government-sponsored. At an average
spending of US$ 15,000 per patient, this
totals approximately US$ 123 million.
ii. Use the current Government expendi-
ture on treatment abroad to establish a Gov-
ernment- owned, world-class healthcare
capacity to treat complicated medical ail-
ments for both national and African region.
iii. The presence of a world-class health
facility locally, will allow many more
patients to be treated with the same Gov-
ernment resources.
iv. Increase foreign exchange inflows
as persons from the region will also have
access and also increase medical tourism.
v. Develop skills and expertise of Uganda
health professionals to provide advanced
medical care, given that ISHU will use
1,100 Ugandan medical personnel at ISHU,
supervised by 30- 40 medical expatriates.
vi.Provide advanced diagnostics for early
detection of major complicated ailments,
as many cases of Government sponsored
persons are sent abroad when ailments are
advanced and more difficult or impossible
to successfully treat.
comment
By Hannah Storm
Bad news for women
Female experts are outnumbered as sources
by their male counterparts in nearly every field
N
ancy Pelosi is the highest-ranking
elected female politician in the his-
tory of the United States. Theresa
May is only the second female
British prime minister. Amal Clooney is
a world-renowned human-rights lawyer.
Serena Williams is arguably the greatest
female athlete of all time.
All four are succeeding in environments
where high-achieving women are the excep-
tion rather than the rule. Yet parts of the
media have portrayed them in a way that
suggests their achievements and abilities
are secondary to their appearance, age, or
association with other people, particularly
the men in their lives.
Consider Pelosi, the Speaker of the US
House of Representatives. On the day she
was elected to serve another term in the
post, The New York Times published a tweet
accompanying an image of her: “Nancy
Pelosi, wearing a hot pink dress, ascended
to the marble dais in the center of the House
chamber to accept the wooden gavel.” The
tweet was later deleted, with the Times
calling it “poorly framed.” But it spoke
volumes about the sexism, whether implied
or overt, that still exists at the heart of the
media industry.
Theresa May has been one of Europe’s
leading female politicians for most of the
past decade. Yet the British media have
long been fascinated by her love of fashion,
devoting many a column inch and image to
her sartorial choices and penchant for shoes,
instead of focusing on her policy decisions.
The subconscious effect of the messaging
is to diminish May’s role as a woman in a
male-dominated world.
Clooney knows exactly what it feels like
to be judged by association. In August 2015,
the Associated Press published a tweet
that read: “Amal Clooney, actor’s wife,
representing Al-Jazeera journalist accused
in Egypt of ties to extremists.” The tweet
drew widespread criticism, and the AP later
referred to her as a human-rights lawyer.
But the episode underscored the media’s
obsession with “clickbait” and the need for
more outlets to pause before publishing
pictures or words that reinforce outdated
gender stereotypes.
Williams has won a record 23 Grand Slam
singles titles, but some media outlets have
perpetuated the sexism and racism she has
faced from inside the old-fashioned, male-
34 April. 05 - 11 2019
Amal Clooney,
actor’s wife,
representing Al-
Jazeera journalist
accused in
Egypt of ties to
extremists
dominated tennis world. A media storm
erupted last September after Williams lost
the final of the US Open and accused tennis
officials of treating her more harshly than
men. The umpire had earlier penalised
her for getting coaching signals from the
stands, breaking her racket, and calling him
a “thief.”
Some of the subsequent media coverage
reduced Williams to the trope of the angry
black woman, and a cartoon of her outburst
in the Herald Sun newspaper in Melbourne,
Australia, sparked a furious backlash from
critics who deemed it racist and offensive.
The newspaper defended the cartoon as
satire and said its critics were being politi-
cally correct.
Billie Jean King, who helped pioneer the
women’s tennis tour, later thanked Williams
via Twitter “for calling out this double stan-
dard,” whereby women are often described
as “hysterical” while men behaving the
same way are “outspoken.” By continuing
to use such terms, the media reinforce the
message that women and girls should not
strive for leadership positions, and must still
overcome many barriers to achieve their
potential in a man’s world.
Although depressing, the media’s por-
trayal of women is not surprising, given
the gender imbalance in the industry.
According to the Global Media Monitoring
Project, which produces a quinquennial
report on gender in the news, the represen-
tation of women in the media has changed
little in the past two decades. Women still
rarely occupy positions of power in news-
rooms, and female journalists tend to cover
less serious topics than their male counter-
parts. Furthermore, women are the subjects
of fewer news stories, and female experts
are outnumbered as sources by their male
counterparts in nearly every field.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Over the
past few years, some high-profile media
outlets have acknowledged their failings
and sought to fix systemic imbalances.
Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal,
among others, are committed to increasing
the number of women in leadership roles,
as well as improving the conditions of
female staff and editorial coverage of
women.
Elsewhere, the Women’s Media Center
runs SheSource, an online database of
female experts for journalists. Poland-
based NewsMavens produces a weekly
round-up of news chosen by women to
counterbalance the media’s prevailing
male-dominated perspective, while France
24’s The 51% is a weekly show that almost
entirely features women and how they are
reshaping the world.
But for every news outlet working to
change the gender narrative, there are
others that remain woefully sexist. We still
have a long way to go until the media cover
women in a balanced way and finally put
hoary stereotypes to rest.
The media have a responsibility to reflect
society not only as it is, but also as it should
be. This means more reporting about
women – particularly in male-dominated
industries – and portraying them in the
same light as the men they cover. Other-
wise, these successful women will not be
perceived as role models to emulate. After
all, we can’t be what we don’t see.
Hannah Storm is outgoing Director of the
International News Safety Institute and will
soon be taking up the position of CEO of the
Ethical Journalism Network.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2019.
 ART | BOOKS | SOCIETY | TRAVEL | CULTURE

Latest art movers

and shakers
How they impact the Kampala art scene

By Dominic Muwanguzi Ronex Ahimbisimbwe Abruzzi, Italy) expedition of the

Rwenzori Mountains. She is a hands-
on- curator with no formal training
Afriart Gallery

T
he first private art gallery
established by a Ugandan
artist, Daudi Karungi to exhibit
contemporary art from Uganda.
It has inspired many artists to work
more creatively in order to exhibit here.
Through such display and engagements,
it has been able to launch and promote
art careers of individual artists on the
local and global scene. The gallery has
exhibited and promoted artists like Eria
Sane Nsubuga, Stacey Abe Gillian, Fred
Mutebi, and Xenson Ssenkaaba.
32º East
The art space offers an artist residency
program to encourage creativity and
innovation through research. The
research process of working is made
easier through access to a resource
centre installed with free-internet
and literature on contemporary
art from Africa and globally.
Additionally, the KLA ART festivals
like KLA ART 012 and 014 organised
and presented by the institution has
encouraged more art awareness and
understanding among members of
the public. They stage installations in
the public spaces around Kampala.
His experimenting with different
techniques and media in his craft is
inspirational. He works with different
art forms like installations, photography,
digital art and painting. All his artworks
are functional with intent to attract the
public to art. In 2008, he established a
Facebook digital archive, Art Uganda,
that records, preserves and showcases
art events and exhibitions around
Kampala. He’s also the brainchild of the
Makerere Alumni annual exhibition that
brings together former art students of
MSTIFA who are actively involved in art
production to showcase their creativity
in one space and network.
Robinah Nansubuga
Nansubuga
is an
independent
curator who
has done a
number of art
shows around
Kampala;
including an
archival photo
exhibition
of Luigi
Amedeo’s
(Duke of
in discipline that is still new. She
has embraced it with passion and
energy. Her dynamism is already a
motivation to young curators like
Martha Kazungu who want to walk in
her footsteps.
Bruno Ruganzu
A co-founder of Eco-Art Uganda,
Ruganzu is a young lecturer at
Kyambogo University where he
graduated in 2010. He is a community
artist who has built installations like
children playgrounds in slums of
Bwaise and Banda- Kireka. He uses
plastics (plastic bottles) and glass
bottles to construct his installations
and, therefore, engages with the
public on the critical topic of recycling
and innovation. The artist has inspired
several artists, several of these his
former students, into the production
of functional art using plastics. He
is the curator of TedX Kampala and
founder of Ubuntu Talks.
Images courtesy of the Web

April. 05 - 11 2019 35
Where students must get 1,667 friends on social media to get an A+
A Chinese university professor has sparked a heated online debate after giving his students an unusual assignment that required them to
add 1,667 friends on WeChat, China’s most popular social network, in order to get an A+. The controversial assignment required students tak-
ing the Online and New Media course at the Henan University of Economics and Law to add at least 1,001 new friends on WeChat in order
to earn a score of 60 out of 100. The more friends they would add above that threshold would increase their score, with those getting at least
1,667 new friends guaranteeing themselves an A+. Although some of the students – especially the most introverted ones – complained that the
task was too difficult, faculty at the university defended their colleague, explaining that the assignment prepares the youths for real life.

Ethiopian love Pope Francis doesn’t want ring kissed

raw meat
In most places around the
world, people are taught
that eating raw meat is bad
for them due to the high risk
of contracting parasites and
harmful bacteria, but in Ethiopia
raw meat is a popular delicacy.
Walking through the streets of
Addis Ababa, the capital city of
Ethiopia, it’s not uncommon to
see groups of people gathered
around restaurant tables feasting
on chunks of raw beef or goat
meat. It’s popular on weddings.
They say raw meat is a hearty
meal that energises them and
refreshes their bodies. As for
the risks; including exposure
to tapeworms and dangerous
bacteria like salmonella and
E-coli, most just choose to
ignore them. Dr. Mesafint
Abebe, who runs a private
clinic in Addis Ababa, says
many people are diagnosed
with health issues caused by
consuming uncooked meat.
Footage
of Pope
Francis
pulling his
hand away
from being
kissed by
a long line
of people
went viral
recently;
with
conservative
critics
condemning
what
they said
was Francis’s “graceless
disrespect for the tradition”.
The incident was in a church
in Loreto, in the Marche
region, in Italy. Catholics
For women, drinking a bottle of wine is like smoking 10 cigarettes
When you don’t smoke, it’s
easy to feel a little smug about
your health. Who cares if you
had McDonald’s for dinner
three times this week – at
least you’re not puffing on
death sticks, right? But there’s
another vice you really do
need to watch out for: booze.
New research has compared
drinking a bottle of wine per
week to smoking 10 cigarettes
according to
experts and
senior members
of the Catholic
Church; Francis’s
gesture indicates
an uneasiness
with an element
of traditional
protocol that has
lost its original
meaning. They
say the pope
retracts his hand
to communicate
that he and
traditionally kiss the ring the faithful are
of bishops, cardinals, and made of flesh and bone like
the pope. But a Vatican everyone else. “He’s not
spokesman said that Pope a Roman emperor” said
Francis was worried about Monsignor Calogero Peri,
spreading germs. However, the bishop of Caltagirone.
for women, and five for men. between drinking and breast
According to researchers cancer, and cancer of
from the University the bowl, liver, and
Hospital Southampton NHS oesophagus. It is
Foundation Trust, Bangor well established
University, and the University that heavy
of Southampton, drinking drinking is linked
one bottle of wine per week to cancer of the
increases the lifetime risk of mouth, throat,
cancer to the same extent as voice box, gullet,
smoking up to 10 cigarettes, bowel, liver
mostly due to the link and breast.

Rare gene makes woman not feel pain, anxiety, stress

Jo Cameron, 71-year-old woman
from Scotland, is one of only two
people in the world known to have
a rare genetic mutation that makes
them virtually immune to pain.
Doctors discovered this when she
underwent a serious operation but she
didn’t feel any pain at all. Tests at the
University College London and Oxford
University showed she had a mutation
in a previously unknown gene, which
scientists now believe plays a major
role in pain signaling, mood, and
memory. An X-ray showed her hip was
broken she never reported any pain,
didn’t feel pain when giving birth to
her children, and only realised she
had burnt her hand on the stove while
cooking when she smelled it. She also
scored zero on stress and depression, is
always upbeat and never panics. When
another car ran into and flipped her car
on its roof, Jo simply climbed out. She
didn’t even notice her own bruises.

36 April. 05 - 11 2019
Range Rover Evoque 2019
Brit car-maker’s second Range Rover Evoque builds on old model’s
success with similar looks, more advanced tech and hybrid power
L
By Agencies
and Rover has revealed its re-
placement for its fastest-selling
model of all time, the 2019
Range Rover Evoque.
Revealed at a converted
brewery in east London’s ultra-
cool Brick Lane, the second-generation
Range Rover Evoque is set to arrive Down
Under around the second quarter of next
year. The original Range Rover Evoque
invented the premium compact SUV seg-
ment, or that’s what Land Rover likes to
claim. Keen to hold onto its best-seller spot,
the British SUV-maker has little intention
of messing with an exceptionally success-
ful formula that has, so far, led to almost
800,000 sales over eight years.
That’s why, instead of “ripping it up and
starting afresh”, Land Rover design boss
Gerry McGovern took a more conservative
approach, tasking his team of stylists to
carefully preserve the Evoque’s “distinctive
DNA”. “How can we make it better without
losing that DNA” -- was the creative man-
tra driving the development of the second
installment of the shrunken Rangie.
In pictures you might argue McGovern
may have gone too far with the preserva-
tion, with the new car looking more like a
clever mid-life facelift rather than an all-new
car. In the metal, it’s another story and fans
of the baby Range Rover will be relieved to
see the changes are far more noticeable. And
they should be, since Land Rover claims
99.9 per cent of the 2019 Evoque’s body is
all-new, with only a set of door hinges car-
rying over from before.
It’s up close that you begin to appreci-
ate design details like the smoother Velar-
inspired integrated grille, the hidden flush
door pulls, slimmer headlights, cleaner lines
and precise panel gaps.
In other words, the Evoque looks and
feels more grown up and sophisticated.
For the second-generation Evoque,Land
Rover has ditched the three-door and
focused on the more family-friendly five-
door. Engineers behind the new Evoque
promise class-leading comfort from the new
adaptive (optional) dampers and unbeat-
able refinement. This includes lowering the
engine mounts to reduce lateral rotation of
the engine under acceleration -- a move that
is attributed with substantially reducing
vibration from entering the cabin.
Speaking of engines, Land Rover says
that from launch 90 per cent of all Evoques
sold will feature some level of electrification.
This includes introducing a mild-hybrid
(MHEV) version of the car-maker’s turbo-
charged 2.0-litre Ingenium petrol and diesel
powertrains.
The 48-volt mild-hybrid system uses an
11kW engine belt integrated starter genera-
tor and an underfloor battery.
Making off-roading easier, the Evoque
sequel gets Ground View tech that effective-
ly allows you -- with the help of on-board
cameras -- to peer ‘through’ the bonnet to
the front wheels when traversing narrow
gaps or treacherous rocky landscape.
A similar camera mounted in the
Evoque’s trademark shark-fin antenna also
projects a widescreen image, improving
visibility both on and off the road.
It’s the changes in the cabin that will
delight both existing owners and new buy-
ers to the brand. Adopting its dual-screen
Touch Pro Duo infotainment system, the
look and feel of the cheapest Range Rover
is nothing short of trespassing into Velar
territory.
Better yet, thanks to over-the-air-updates,
Land Rover claims the Evoque’s infotain-
ment system will remain cutting-edge and,
with embedded AI learning your habits and
behaviour, the combination of a clean cool
design, decent functionality and plentiful
on-board tech is likely to give rivals like the
Audi Q5 a run for its money.
April. 05 - 11 2019 37
Robert Katende on changing
lives through chess
`I’m happy knowing there are people who
celebrate me for making their lives better’
By Agnes E Nantaba
R
obert Katende is best known for
taking the game of chess to the
slums and attracting street kids to
it. He has since expanded the game
to disabled youngsters at the Kampala
School of the Handicapped. He uses chess
as a tool to nurture, mentor and disciple
young people; especially vulnerable chil-
dren.
“My programme is not just bringing
chess players but leaders who can take
other people’s lives to the next level,” says
Katende, “Each child is accountable to
another child and
through that I
create a
38 April. 05 - 11 2019
chain of leadership.”
And he has won many local and inter-
national awards for creating social impact
through chess. The World Chess Federation
has awarded Katende for his use of chess
as a vehicle to create positive social impact
for less privileged children in the slums. He
was also appointed the General Secretary
for the Social Action Commission of the
World Chess Federation.
His best known breakthrough has been
as the mentor of Phiona Mutesi; the real life
inspiration for the 2016 biographical Holly-
wood blockbuster movie, `Queen of Katwe’.
The Walt Disney Pictures movie depicts
the life of Phiona Mutesi and her rise from
the slums to become a chess champion.
Directed by Mira Nair and written by Wil-
liam Wheeler, it starred top names David
Oyelowo, Lupita Nyong’o, and little-
known Madina Nalwanga. Katende
and over 2,000 street children worked
on the movie. Katende was a consul-
tant, helping in particular with the
chess scenes.
In real life, at only nine years,
Mutesi accompanied her brother
to play chess in the slums where
they lived. It was her introduction
to chess. Two years later, Mutesi
was among the three winners of
the first Uganda Junior Girls’ Chess
Championships and by age fifteen
won the African National Junior
Chess Open Championship title.
Mutesi represented Uganda at the
World Chess Olympiad in Turkey.
Katende is the Director of Sports Out-
reach in Uganda; an organisation whose
headquarters are in Lynchburg Virginia.
He works through this organisation to
reach out to these young people.
Katende’s journey to get the slum and
street dwellers involved in chess dates as far
as 2003. He was pursuing volunteer oppor-
tunities at Sports Outreach Ambassadors,
an NGO. Although he had just graduated
from Kyambogo University with a bach-
elor’s degree in Civil engineering he had
failed to get a job. Two years later, Katende
managed to field a team in the national
chess competition at the elite Kings College
Budo. He said they had been nominated to
play in international competitions earlier
but failed to attend because they did not
have money to cover the travel expenses.
Eventually children from well-to-do could
take up the slots.
But by 2009, Katende’s prodigies had
dominated the game of chess previously
linked to the elite class. So the Uganda
Chess Federation was convinced that the
only team to return glorious in the African
Chess championships was Katwe slums.
The story of Robert Katende and his
persistence to help young people living in
slums is inspired by his own life. He was
born to teenage mother, Nawaguma, who
was only 14 years old in Kiboga town.
His father showed him no affection and
he grew up with his grandmother and
assumed she was his mother. Until his
mother showed up one day. He was six
years old.
At seven years, Katende joined his moth-
er in the Nakulabye suburb of Kampala to
start school. It was tough life as they lived in
a very low income area. But more tragedy
struck when his mother passed on. At the
time of her death, Katende’s mother had
saved up to Shs200, 000. This kept him in
school for the next two years. Then Katende
was tossed from the care of one kind rela-
tive to another. Often it was in search of
school fees. Somehow he completed prima-
ry education at St Elizabeth Primary School
with good grades. He was admitted to
nearby Lubiri Secondary School. His hard
work pleased both relatives and teachers at
school. He was nicknamed “engineer” for
his academic excellence. And that is how his
career choice was determined. He started
working to be an engineer. At Lubiri SS, he
was also introduced to chess.
He made it to Kyambogo University
where he pursued a diploma in civil engi-
neering. He also mastered chess here. And
also took up football. He was later to play
professionally for Miracle Football Club,
Top TV FC and Sports Outreach Ambas-
sadors under Coach Aloysius Kyazze. He
realised he could help young people with
their soccer and chess and started volun-
teering with Sports Outreach. He mainly
was inspired to help young people living in
slums. He wanted them to have a better life.
Today, Katende is married to Sarah Ntongo
with whom they have three children.
 Q&A

Robert Katende’s Liteside

Any three things that for my survival. What do you most feel I am called to serve
we don’t know about dislike about your fellow Ugandans. Home

R
you? What is your greatest appearance? is Uganda.
esilience defines extravagance? Nothing.
me. I am a I care so much about What is your most
pathfinder and other people and Which living person do treasured possession?
independent. that has many times you most despise? Living consciously.
I believe it is my challenged me. I guess My heart is free.
background that has it’s a natural thing What do you regard
shaped me into what I within me. What is the quality you as the lowest depth of
am. I believe in fate. most like in a woman? misery?
What is the greatest Ability to see and take Being falsely convicted
What is your idea of thing you have ever others as fellow human is too harsh.
perfect happiness? done? beings.
Being a family person. The chess programme What is your favorite
From my background, wasn’t embraced; What is the quality you occupation?
I always wondered especially having been most like in a man? Being a life coach.
the type of father I commissioned to teach Empathy.
would make and was football and my leaders What do you most value
encouraged to read a didn’t embrace it What or who is the in your friends?
lot about being a good initially. I had to switch greatest love of your Friendship shouldn’t
father. I am also happy to football in the official life? be only on the receiving
knowing that there are time and while other My wife; Sarah end.
people who celebrate me coaches retired, I stayed Ntongo Katende.
for making their lives back in the slums to Who are your favourite
better. teach the children chess. When and where were writers?
I am happy about how you happiest? Ricky Warren the
What is the trait far the journey of chess In 2010 when I author of ‘Purpose
you most deplore in has gone. wed with my wife; driven life’ teaches me
yourself? it is something that I a lot.
Sometimes I get too What is your current had never thought of
pushy because I always state of mind? achieving because I dint Which historical figure
want everyone to give in I am challenged to see see a future in me. I was do you most identify
their best. how best to inspire and also happy qualifying with?
lead those that God has for government Mahatma Ghandi and
What is the trait you brought into my life. sponsorship in 2000 at Nelson Mandela looked
most deplore in others? Kyambogo University at other people as human
Having negative What do you consider because it was my only beings irrespective of the
energy and referring the most overrated rescue. I appreciate divisions. They wished
the past to present. As virtue? being on the different well for others.
a people developing Very many people live auditoriums where I
person, I find so much an imagined life and yet have met some of the What is your greatest
challenge with people when you don’t live in world’s great people that regret?
who never follow the reality, you tend to I had never thought of I am convinced that
instructions. Sometimes hype. I prefer to be seen meeting. my life was a divine
people fail for being by others as though I arrangement.
complacent. am nothing but when I If you could change one
know my worth. thing about yourself, How would you like to
Which living person do what would it be? die?
you most admire? What does being I grew up thinking When he chooses to. I
My grandmother powerful mean to you? that I would do only desire to see a lasting
Namusisi Ireda; she is The ability to make everything if given the system of people willing
an uneducated woman use of a situation to lift opportunity but felt to live for others and hope
but her perseverance others up. like I didn’t have the that some of the youths I
to make us survive necessary resources. have mentored will live it.
through trying times is On what occasion do
unmatched. If it wasn’t you lie? Where would you most What is your motto?
for her perseverance, I I am an open and like to live? Be a blessing to others.
wouldn’t have survived. honest person I have had invitations
She laid the foundation to stay elsewhere but I

April. 05 - 11 2019 39
Global comment
By Lee Jong-Wha
Investing in inclusive growth
The first step is to expand access to quality education
and vocational training across social groups
I
nequality has skyrocketed in recent
decades, and those who have not
shared in the fruits of economic
growth and development are be-
coming increasingly frustrated. Some
political leaders have responded to
rising public discontent with massive
social-welfare programs or beggar-thy-
neighbour protectionism. That is the
wrong prescription.
Populists on the right and the left
have led the charge in implementing
such counterproductive policies. The
former often embrace protectionism,
and the latter advocate unproductive
social-welfare spending. Even if they
provide short-term benefits to some
groups, these policies will fail to bring
about inclusive growth – and they may
do serious harm to the economy in the
long run.
The most prominent proponent of
protectionism today is U.S. President
Donald Trump, who has aggressively
pursued his “America first” agenda
since his inauguration in 2017. Trump
blames free trade for job losses and real-
wage depression in the United States’
manufacturing sector, and argues that
measures like higher import tariffs will
bring back manufacturing jobs, raising
many American workers’ wages and
improving their welfare.
But most economists agree that
protecting less productive industries
and unskilled workers against global
competition will not lead to long-term
economic gains. Even in the short term,
there is no evidence that Trump’s pro-
tectionist policies have had the intended
effects.
The other favoured approach to
reducing inequality – excessive redis-
tributive policies – is similarly prob-
lematic. In South Korea, President
Moon Jae-in’s administration has raised
the minimum wage by 29% over two
years, while expanding social-welfare
spending. This was supposed to boost
the wellbeing – and consumption – of
low-wage workers and low-income
households, thereby strengthening
inclusivity, a key pillar of sustainable
growth. But the change hit small busi-
nesses hard, and job creation remains
weak. The country’s income distribution
40 April. 05 - 11 2019
has worsened significantly.
Then there’s Venezuela. For two
decades, left-wing populist govern-
ments – led by the late Hugo Chávez
and now by his protégé, President
Nicolás Maduro – have pursued exces-
sive social-welfare policies, funded by
large oil revenues. Yet, because the gov-
ernment failed to diversify the economy,
Venezuela was quickly consumed by
a dire economic crisis when crude oil
prices plummeted.
Over the last three years, Venezuela’s
real GDP has contracted more than 15%
annually. Last year, the annual inflation
rate exceeded 1,300,000%, with prices
doubling every 19 days. As food and
other basic necessities became unafford-
able, the average Venezuelan reportedly
lost 11 kilograms (24 pounds). More
than three million people, about 10% of
the population, have fled the country.
By weakening incentives to work and
invest, protectionism and excessive
social-welfare policies undermine job
creation, impede technological progress,
and drive down economic growth. In
other words, far from boosting inclusive
growth, these strategies discourage it.
A far more effective approach would
emphasise human-capital development,
achieved through greater investment in
education and skills training. The World
Bank, among other international organ-
isations, recognises this, advocating
human-capital investment – together
with improved infrastructure, pro-
competition regulatory reform, anti-cor-
ruption measures, and adequate social
security systems – as key components of
any successful strategy to secure inclu-
sive growth.
In order to remain competitive, an
economy must pursue open trade poli-
cies, promote technological develop-
ment, and encourage higher-value
production – all while building a
workforce with the skills to match. That
is precisely the strategy that enabled
East Asian economies to create quality
jobs, raise incomes, and achieve strong
“growth with equity.”
The first step is to expand access
to quality education and vocational
training across regions and social
groups. Governments must provide
financial assistance, including subsi-
dised loans or scholarships to children
from low-income households. Public
support for vocational training must
target low-skill and other disadvan-
taged workers, especially those in small
firms or the informal sector.
Sustaining such policies will require
considerable financial resources. That
is why governments must not only
place a high priority on education in
their budgets, but also attract additional
resources from the private sector and
the international community. Moreover,
they must strengthen the efficiency and
accountability of school systems and
vocational-training programs. Encour-
aging competition among institutions
and strengthening monitoring and
evaluation mechanisms would support
the efficient use of resources.
In an environment of rapid technolog-
ical change, education and vocational
training must evolve to equip people
with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes
they need to prosper now and in the
future. In particular, lifelong learning
opportunities should be improved and
expanded, so that workers can con-
tinue to secure quality employment
throughout their lives.
If governments are to fulfill their
responsibility to support people’s ability
to reach their potential, they must not
succumb to the siren song of protec-
tionism or excessive social-welfare
spending. Establishing an inclusive
labour market is a prerequisite for
inclusive growth. To achieve that goal,
policymakers must make education
and skills development for all workers
– together with pro-growth polices to
expand economic opportunities – a top
priority.
Lee Jong-Wha is Professor of Economics
and Director of the Asiatic Research
Institute at Korea University. His
most recent book, co-authored with
Harvard’s Robert J. Barro, is `Education
Matters: Global Gains from the 19th to
the 21st Century’.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2019.
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