President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has asked the MTN Group to list its affiliate MTN Uganda on the Uganda Securities Exchange (USE) so that Ugandans can buy shares in the telecom company.
“In Davos, Switzerland, I met the MTN Group Chief Executive Officer, Rob Shuter, discussing with him an array of issues. I advised MTN Uganda to work towards floating shares on the Uganda Stock Exchange so that Ugandans can partly own the company,” Museveni says on his twitter page.
Museveni is in Switzerland attending the World Economic Forum alongside other world leaders and heads of non-governmental organisations and the private sector representatives.
Recently the Uganda Communications Communication asked MTN Uganda for US$58 million for renewal of its licence, even though sources say listing on the USE was one of the conditions that MTN Uganda pledged to fulfill in the near future.
Meanwhile other sources Eagle online has talked say Mr. Rob Shuter approached Museveni in Davos to see how they can resolve the on-going scandal involving the recent deportation of three MTN Uganda staff for allegedly working to breach Uganda’s national security.
A source said Mr. Shuter’s major objective of travelling from South Africa to Davos was to meet Museveni and pledge cooperation in as far as the current situation involving MTN staff is concerned. “MTN is a big business in Uganda and earning huge profits and the CEO cannot take the recent allegations lightly,” a source said.
MTN Uganda staff who were deported are the Chief Marketing Officer Olivier Prentout and Head of Sales & Distribution Annie Bilenge Tabura for using their who security agencies say used their employment status to plan and breach Uganda’s national security.
Government security agencies also arrest and deported of Ms Elsa Mussolini, the MTN mobile money general manager, after police authorities grilled her for at least four hours in connection with alleged incitement to violence.
Ms Mussolini and her co-worker, Anthony Katamba, the General Manager Corporate Services and chief legal counsel at MTN, were summoned to Kireka two days ago and were grilled by detectives at Special Investigations Division (SID) under the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (CID).
After government deported MTN employees on allegations of compromising national security, the CID deputy director in charge of special investigations, Mr Elly Womanya, wrote to the company’s managers inviting then to SID “without fail” to assist security in the on-going investigations into alleged incitement of violence prohibited by Section 51 and 83 of Penal Code Act. Sources within the CID say more staff are to be apprehended.
Eagle Online on Thursday reported that MTN Uganda Chairman Charles Mbire was ready to cooperate with security agencies on the matter involving the deportees should he be approached by the security agencies. “I am not aware of the police summons but I am always available to help the police in issues of national security,” Mbire told Eagle Online.
Security agencies also interrogated MTN Uganda CEO Wim Vanhelleputte as regards the alleged subversive activities of the staff.
Following the deportation of Annie Bilenge Tabura and Elsa Mussolini, the Rwandan High Commission in Kampala has castigated Uganda of deporting several Rwandans under ‘dubious circumstances’.
MTN Uganda in a press statement said it was committed to respecting the laws of Uganda. MTN Uganda together with all its employees, remains fully committed to operating within and respecting the laws of the country,” the statement said.
Shareholding in MTN Group
1.Directors and associates of the Company holdings (325087 shares)
2. MTN Zakhele Futhi (RF) Limited (76, 835, 378 shares
3.Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch &Cie (M1 Limited) (187, 657, 322 shares)
4.Government Employees Pension Fund (281, 210, 416 shares)