President Yoweri Museveni has written to Finance, Planning and Economic Development Minister, Matia Kasaija directing him to suspend Uganda Revenue Authority officials for supposedly ‘frustrating’ investors.
In a letter dated August 14, 2018, Museveni wonders why just a mere staff who have power to frustrate an investor. The president says URA is supposed to facilitate, assist and expedite that but instead URA staff, either out of ignorance, malice or corruption are tossing investors endlessly.
“I am writing to you to, with immediate effect, suspend the officers in URA that have been involved in frustrating our good investors Dongsong, by refusing to clear some of his machinery for the phosphates and steel processing plants in Tororo worth US $650 million. These two factories will employ 2,000 workers”.
“I therefore, direct that all those involved in this scandal must be suspended immediately, starting with Okaka whose signature i saw on a number of documents in this case. anybody who does not understand the mission of modersing and industrialising Uganda must leave the URA. I have heard od similar sabotage actions by elements in the URA”
Museveni says in addition to the steel and fertilizer factories, Dongsong is such a serious investor who intends to turn the waste of the steel factory into construction blocks and also wants to import sewing machines for sealing the bags of the fertilizers.
“These useless ura crowd would have nothing of this. A gentleman by the name of Okaka in different correspondence, maintained that the operation in Sukulu was a mining operation and it did not require air compressors and block makers.” Museveni wrote
He continued “Amazing, Honourable Minister, how can such a person be even a junior officer in Uganda’s URA let alone acting on behalf of the Commissioner Customs.”
Museveni emphaised that the Sukulu operations is not only about mining but also about processing and producing many items out of the minerals like fertilizer, steel, rare earth, construction blocks and sulphuric acid.