As Ugandans wait for the investors to take over the indebted Uganda Telecom (UTL), a firm that was among the first to bid has come out, accusing the State minister for investment Evelyn Anite of derailing the bidding process that should have produced the best bidder by now.
Mauritius Telecom says Anite is fronting two new firms that did not participate in the four rounds of the bidding process. They are; Afrinet, a subsidiary of Kenya’s Safaricom,. The firm is said to be represented by Kampala businessman Bob Kabonero who initially was the front for Telecel Global. We could not verify this from Kabonero as his telephone number was off.
The other firm that the bidders say Anite wants to be included is Hamilton Telecommunications. Hamilton is being fronted by a senior minister and a member of of the first family. according to sources, Mauritius says they are being frustrated by Anite. Mauritius has Reportedly complained of the entire process being a fraud. Apart from Mauritius Telecom, the other firm that is reportedly performed well in the four stage bidding process, is Teleology Holdings Limited. Teleology Holdings Limited actually offered to pay US $500 million during the bid process for the sale of 9mobile in Nigeria. It emerged as the preferred bidder beating MTN Nigeria and Dangotel
Mauritius says firm says Anite has usurped the powers of the Provisional Administrator Bemanya Twebaze who is also the executive director of the Uganda Registration Services Bureau. UTL went into receivership effective April 28, 2017, following its heavy indebtedness amounting to Shs533 billion. Anite could not answer our calls.
“I shall refer you to the request of expression of interest for acquisition of UTL in the New Vision dated 10th January 2018. This expression of interest closed on 25th January 2018. We are now in huge shock and wondering how these two companies have been solicited. It is now a question of transparency of the bidding process,” the company says.
The investors of the company now looking upon God and President Yoweri Museveni to save the situation. “Only divine intervention from God and or H.E.Y.K. Museveni can salvage the UTL situation from Anite and The Administrator,” they say.
The first round saw 11 firms bid to take over UTL. Some of the companies were; China Telecom, , Telecel Global, Teleology Holdings Ltd., Liquid Telecom and Baylis Consortium.
The companies underwent a rigorous exercise as regard their technical and financial capabilities which left only seven in the second round where further scrutiny was done, leaving only five companies, even though China Telecom did not submit at this level.
It is at the third round that new companies emerged, one-Neubacher allegedly supported by Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa and his business associates. The Administrator opted for the third round in the hope that he would get a company with huge monies to pay off UTL’s creditors. No company among the first bidders had the figure required for the sale of UTL assets.
Further Cabinet’s pronouncement on its commitment to extent UTL’s service licence for 20 years, extend frequency band width, provide tax waivers and free access to the national backbone meant that the Administrator had to make bidders to revise their bids and thus the fourth round. Afrinet and Hamilton Telecommunications did not participate in any of the rounds.
According to investors of Mauritius Telecome, the administrator should have announced the best bidder by April 2018. More fear is that the administrator’s term of operation expired on May 22, 2018.
