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#COVID-19: DJ Nimrod arrested over food distribution

By
Ronard Shabomwe
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DJ Nimrod, courtesy photo.

The Joint security team has arrested two suspects for defying the Presidential directives intended to curb the spread of #COVID 19. The suspects are Disc Jockeys (DJ) Nimrod Nabeta and Shafiq Walakira.

According to Patrick Onyango the Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, Nimrod claims in his statement to police to have secured the food from the Office of the Prime Minister- OPM to distribute to fellow DJs

The duo was picked by security team from Makindye Division, Kampala while distributing food. Its alleged that the Prime Minister’s office had given them to distribute the food that was donated by well-wishers to all the DJs.

Nimrod instead of distributing food to the allocated group, he called people and started distributing it without observing the social distance.

Onyango says he was supposed to deliver the food to DJs without gathering a crowd and he did the opposite.  He is currently detained at Katwe Police Station on charges of doing acts likely to spread infectious disease.

Onyango said the Investigations into the allegations are underway.

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Jinja RDC granted bail, prohibited from addressing the media

By
Trevor S Baleke
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The Chief Magistrate of Jinja Court, Jessica Chemeri has given embattled Jinja Resident District Commissioner, Eric Sakwa bail until May 13 when court begins hearing charges preferred against him. But Sakwa’s bail has a condition of ensuring that he doesn’t speak to the media about the matter. The UPC turned NRM man is very vocal and Media hoses in Busoga have always fought for him to be hosted on their shows.

Sakwa was last Friday arrested and sent to Kirinya Prison by the same court on charges of manslaughter, robbery and malicious damage.

“In Jinja, the bail application hearing for Jinja RDC, Eric Joseph Sakwa (manslaughter, robbery and malicious damage charges) is ongoing before Chief Magistrate, Jessica Chemeri via ZOOM Conferencing Technology between Jinja Court and Kirinya Prison,” the Judiciary announced on its social media page Twitter.

Sakwa presented four sureties who include: Hon Nelson Lufafa, Hon Moses Walyomu, Jinja Mayor Majidu Batambuze and LC5 chairman Titus Kisambira.

Initially Court had pronounced that Sakwa will reappear in court on the 13th of May.

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It is morally wrong for MPs to give themselves money for personal use when people are hungry -Museveni

By
Geoffery Serugo
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President Museveni addressing parliament in a past event while Speaker Kadaga is the chair.

President Yoweri Museveni has said it was morally wrong for Members of Parliament to allocate themselves Shs20 million at the time when the country was struggling with the Coronavirus pandemic.

Gen. Museveni said this while addressing the nation on the current situation in the country in regards to the #COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is morally reprehensible for MPs to give themselves money for personal use when the country is in such a crisis; and totally unacceptable to me and to the NRM,” he said. When I met with the Speaker, I told her they should get out of that trap and the best way to do it is by not spending this money on themselves. I agreed with the her to donate that money to the district task forces,” Musevebi said.

The president further said the Auditor General would be invited to probe those Members of Parliament who utilized the Shs20 million by purchase all sort of stuff without the approval of state since the money belongs to the state. He said for those Members of Parliament who have donated the money to the district task forces, no action would be taken against them since they passed on the money to the task forces.

“I heard that some MPs went and bought things, that is not good enough. You are not the purchasing officers of the state. I have been in State House for 34 years, I have never even bought a roll of toilet paper. Many Ugandans are angry but please don’t be angry, it will be sorted” he said.

Museveni also asked why security and police only arrested Mityana Municipality Member of Parliament, Francis Butebi Zaake when he attempted to distribute relief foods while his only party MPs and Ministers where not apprehended. “Why arrest MP Zaake and then you leave other people including NRM ministers?”

On the issue of truck drivers being left to drive past the border points, the president said it would be suicidal  for Uganda to stop cargo trucks coming in at the moment because of lack of alternative means to transport cargo from the sea to Uganda and neighbouring countries.

“So these truck drivers can come and go  where they can go. The Ministry of Works is going to designate these places where they stop and rest.Secondly, there are other are other parts of Africa where there is no  railway. they are part of us and they consume our products.” he said before adding “Secondly stay away from these truck drivers. I am told our daughters have been depending on those people but i have told our people to get them (daughters) what to do”

 

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Everything You Need To Look For In A PHP Developer To Benefit Your Company

By
Boses Muhinda
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Although PHP has been in the market for quite some time now, the recent years have seen a drastic increase in its use for new projects. The fact that it is highly flexible and can be used for anything from server run scripting to developing end-to-end software makes it a preferred choice for developers. Companies prefer deploying PHP as it has hundreds of different frameworks and can run on any default web browser.

Consequently, most colleges offer PHP as a subject in graduate engineering and computer applications courses. With such a massive pool available for hiring app developers, it becomes a challenge for organizations to select the most appropriate ones. In this article, you will read about all the things that you need to keep an eye out for a while hiring a PHP developer.

 

Settle on Your Framework and Select an Expert

Take your time to find out the benefits of the different frameworks and choose which one is the most suitable for your project. If you are not technically competent to do so, it will be wise to hire an infrastructure architect on an hourly basis.

That way, you can use their technical expertise to settle on a framework and specify the same while looking for your PHP developer. There are thousands of PHP developers available, and they specialize in different frameworks. So, deciding on the framework first will allow you to choose a developer who is most proficient in it.

Basic JavaScript, HTML and CSS expertise

While it is a good idea to hire a developer who is already familiar with the framework your project demands, make sure that your developer can code websites in Javascript, CSS, and HTML.

In any organization, an essential part of the work of a PHP developer involves coordination with designers. Knowledge of HTML and CSS will help them do the job more efficiently.

Decide on The Experience of the Developer

In most cases, the experience of a developer goes hand in hand with their salary expectations. As a company, you would not want to pay a huge sum to an expert developer when the job at hand is a simple one. Similarly, having an under-experienced PHP developer can give a company’s website a naive look and, in turn, hamper its business.

As an employer, you must sit back and access the complexity of the project (or the average complexity of the projects that your company handles if you are looking for a permanent employee). Once you have these details handy, it will be easy for you to optimize what level of developer expertise you need at the moment.

Testing Experience

 

While the overall experience in PHP coding must be taken into account, you need to know how well your developer will test a website before making it live. Ideally, a PHP developer must test a website at multiple levels to detect errors and debug them. Post that, they need to seek a sign-off from you (or the management in question) before setting the website live.

A simple way to ensure that the developer has the professional ethics to adhere to all of this would be by asking them to talk about their past testing experiences. You can also ask them to throw light on some of the errors they encountered while testing and how they were rectified.

The Adaptive Approach of the Developer

PHP is not just a flexible language with lots of supported frameworks, but it is also something that is continuously evolving. Irrespective of the project in question, it is important that the developer you hire should have the capability and openness to adapt to changing technical environments.

By employing someone who has a knack for continuous learning, you will ensure that you have someone who can take criticism and gives their best for every project.

Project Management Expertise

The job of a PHP developer will involve juggling multiple projects in your organization and beyond. When hiring a developer, you need to know how good their project management tactics are and whether they can do justice to the project.

While you can opt for innovative tactics to test one’s project management abilities, testimonials from past employees are an efficient way of gauging this skill.

Talk about Database Optimization

Any company would want to have a dynamic website that not just caters to the basic needs of their clients but is also prepared for database optimization.

However, not all PHP developers are technically competent to embed the PHP script in a manner to facilitate this. While hiring a developer, look for someone who has the technical knowledge to work on optimizing your database.

Most Suitable for Your Model of Hiring

Before you set out to hire php developers, you should decide on which employment model works best for your company. Under the dedicated model, the developer will be paid based on the number of hours they spend on a particular project.

If you are looking to get PHP developers under the fixed cost model, you will have to pen down a detailed business requirement document wherein there is a fixed quote for the work in question.

Alternatively, some companies require PHP developers regularly and prefer hiring full-time employees on a monthly payroll. Once you decide on your model, look for a developer who is most comfortable in that particular model.

Critical Thinking and Problem-solving Ability

In the software development life cycle, innumerable problems may arise, and it is not possible to predict all of them. So, when you are on the lookout for a PHP developer for your company, make sure you hire someone who has good critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

Communication Skills

As a PHP developer, the person you are hiring will be responsible not just for analyzing and programming but also for testing and debugging of errors. They will be a part of the architectural aspect of software development and will have to engage in frequent communication with different in-house design teams, clients, etc.

Good communication skills (both verbal and written) are necessary for a PHP developer. Your PHP developer will play an instrumental role in the success story of your organization. That is why you must hire someone who is lucid in communications and knows when to be formal.

To Summarise

It is important to realize that with greater availability of PHP developers (among a wider pool of developers), as an employer, you have more choice. Keep the above pointers in mind and do proper research before selecting a PHP Developer who will be beneficial for your company.

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Political activist Barbara Alimadi dead

By
Our Reporter
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RIP Barbara Alimadi

Barbara Alimadi, the Secretary for International Affairs in the Alliance for National Transformation is dead.

The daughter to former Ugandan Prime Minister under President Milton Obote second reign Eriphas Otema Allimadi. According to sources, she was found dead in her house in Kira Municipality.

Ms Alimadi championed democracy, human rights and she was always at the forefront of the struggle. She is remembered to have led the ‘Bra protests in 2012 in Kampala that ended up the central police station. The demonstration was against the continued harassing of women activists.

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Kagame sacks Gen. Nyamvumba as Security Minister as six others arrested

By
Simon Kabayo
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Gen. Patrick Nyamvumba

Rwandan President, Paul Kagame has sacked Security Minister Gen. Patrick Nyamvumba as investigations into his dealing are under way.

Gen. Nyamvumba is the former Chief of Defence Staff of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF). He has served in the position of Minister of Security for less than a year.

“pursuant to the consitution of the Republic of Rwanda of 2003 revised in 2015, especially in its articles 116, today April 27, 2020, His Excellency The President has removed General Patrick Nyamvumba from his duties as Minister of Internal Security owing to matters of accountability under investigation. General Nyamvumba reports back to RDF headquarters pending further decision” reads the communique signed by Dr. Edouard Ngirente, Prime Minister.

However, Eagle Online has learnt that week the Rwandan authorities arrested six more people who include a husband to an ex-minister. Sources say they are likely to be charged with Gen. Nyamvumba.

Gen. Nyamvumba is the 5th  Minister to be sacked from cabinet in a period of one year and he follows  Dr. Diane Gashumba (Former Minister of Health), Evode Uwizeyimana (Former Minister of State in charge of Constitutional and Legal Affairs).

 

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#COVID-19: Four Tanzanian truck drivers test positive in Uganda

By
Geoffery Serugo
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Trucks-at-closed-Katuna-border

 

Uganda has registered four news cases of #Covid-19 and all the four are Tanzanian truck drivers that entered the country.

Uganda has now 79 confirmed cases of #COVID-19. Uganda has registered success as over 45 patients that had previously tested positive have been discharged after under going successful treatment.

“Four  new #COVID-19 cases confirmed today out of the 1,578 samples tested among truck drivers. All new confirmed cases are Tanzanian truck drivers who arrived via Mutukula border. 411 samples from communities tested negative for #COVID-19. #COVID-19 confirmed cases are 79″ reads the statement posted on the social media platform of Ministry of Health.

After successful managing the spread of the virus internally, the country is now struggling on how to curtail the spread of the virus from the two neighbouring countries of Kenya and Tanzania by truck drivers.

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BoU cleans up as seven directors are kicked out in the latest restructuring

By
Our Reporter
-
Bank of Uganda headquarters

 

Bank of Uganda has announced that seven of the aging directors will be retired to pave way for recruitment of new new ones in a move seen as clean the bank from scandals.

BoU has issued an internal advert for positions of seven positions of executive directors and directors within the institution.

The central bank says employees have been invited to apply, and the opportunities for promotion are restricted to only them.

BoU is searching for two executive directors; the one for Information Technology (EDT) and that for Operations.

The requisite academic qualifications for candidates are must have at least two years of experience serving substantially at the rank of director within the bank.

The other five directors being sought are  director Financial Markets, Medical Administration, Olive Kamuli, director Non-Bank Financial Institutions (DNBFI), director Financial Stability, and Human Resources. Other vacant positions are  director of currency and economic advisor to the governor.

To qualify to be a director, according to the advert, one must have served as Head of Division for a minimum of two years.

In the advert undersigned by Mr Solomon O. Oketcho, the Executive Director Administration at BoU, only a maximum of five candidates shall be presented for oral interviews by the board.

“If the shortlisted candidates are more than five, written leadership and management test shall be administered and a maximum of five successful candidates shall be shortlisted,” the advert further said.

The day for submission of applications shall be May 22.

BOU Cleans up 7 Directors

In February Eagle Online  ran a story where International Monetary Fund cautioned government to retire senior servants at BoU in public interest.

Governor Emmanuel Mutebile was among those who the IMF report says should be retired or never retained. However, it was reported that Mutebile had refused to make the report public as he was among those being mentioned.

According to sections of the leaked report which a source at BoU had seen, several directors who are currently holding offices have been recommended for sacking or retirement in public interest.

The directors listed are head legal services, Margaret Kasule, Benedict Ssekabira, the director of Financial Markets Development Coordination (FMDC), Director Statistics Charles Abuka, Director Medical Administration, Olive Kamuli, Director Financial Markets, and David Sajjabi. Others are director Administrative Services plus a host of deputy directors.

However, this created created panic at the central bank saying the report is biased as it only affects those directors who are said to have forged their age.

Eagle Online has learnt that just last week, there was a bitter exchange between the governor and one of the lawyers brought in to defend those accused for falsifying the age.

Parliament in 2018 recommended that contracts of the governor Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile and his deputy, Dr Louis Kasekende should not be renewed, the report of the Parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) has recommended. However, Kasekende’s contract expired and wasn’t renewed.

The report, which was tabled in Parliament last year by Abdu Katuntu, the then chair, accused the top management of the central bank of mismanaging the sale of seven commercial banks, including that of Crane Bank.

Other officials that COSASE wanted to be held culpable are Benedict Ssekabira, the director of Financial Markets Development Coordination (FMDC), Justine Bagyenda, the former executive director for Commercial Banks supervision; and Margaret Kasule, the legal counsel.

 

 

 

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Electricity shock a young girl dead in Kamwokya

By
Boses Muhinda
-

A 5 year old girl has been electrocuted to death in Kisenyi 1 Kamwokya 2 parish today when she was trying to prepare herself breakfast.

The deceased Mariam Sabano is a daughter of Mr. Jackson Sitaru and Mrs. Milabu Namudaka who come from Mbale who are the residents of Kisenyi 1 Kamwokya 2 parish and their landlord is Alex Otumu.

According to ASP Ivan Matovu the OC Kamwokya market police station, the girl wanted to boil water using a spoilt kettle that had naked wires and ended up electrocuted and was rushed to the nearby clinic called Gods mercy clinic and drug shop, but upon reaching, the medics realized she had breathed her last.

Matovu says when they received the bad news, they had to come and handle the situation and they are waiting for 99 to carry the body to Hospital for postmortem for further treatment.

Kabuye Sebata, the chairperson LC1 Kisenyi 1 Kamwokya 2 parish says he was called immediately and rushed to check and found when the girl had dead.

Sebata urges his residents always to be careful with electricity and always safe guard their children because children are so vulnerable to such.

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Dissecting loan restructuring

By
Guest Writer
-
Ms Ekudu

 

By Hope Ekudu

 

As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves globally, disruptions in organisational operations, business and the social-economic status quo remain evident across different countries, organisations and entities. This has seen a number innovations by different organisations to offer solutions that meet their customers’ needs.

One of the solutions has been the restructuring of credit facilities by financial institutions. While a good number know what this stands for, other individuals may have a few questions in the same regard.

Housing Finance Bank’s Head Business and Institutional Banking, Ms. Hope Ekudu, takes time to answer some of the top 10 questions on loan restructuring:

 

  1. What does restructuring mean?

At times, customers may face difficulties in paying back their loans. When this occurs, the Bank and customer may agree to change the loan installment amount, length of the loan (tenure) and any other parameters. This is called restructuring the loan.

2.  What does a moratorium or holiday mean? 

A moratorium or holiday means that a customer is given a grace period during which their payments for loan principal or interest or both are pushed until a later date.

For example, if a loan holiday for principal payments is granted for three months, the customer will pay only interest for each of those three months however after the end of the holiday, they will start paying back both the interest and principal amount until the entire loan is completed including the principal amount for the three months.

If a loan holiday for principal and interest is granted for three months, the customer will not pay any installment for those three months however after the end of the holiday, they will start paying back both the interest and principal amount until the entire loan amount is completed including the amounts for the three month holiday.

 

This DOES NOT mean that the Bank has waived payment or that the customer will not ever pay the principal and or installment amount. It means that payment has been delayed but must be paid at a later agreed date or time.

3.  What is the impact of a restructure or holiday?

If a customer is granted a holiday for example for three months, they will not pay their installment for those months however at the end of the three months, the delayed installments (including interest) will be added back to their loans and installments will start again. This will mean that there may be a slight change in the installment amount paid. The loan will also be extended by the period of the holiday.

If a customer’s loan is restructured then the installment amount and or the loan tenure will change according to the terms agreed between the customer and the Bank.

For the holiday and restructure period, the interest rate terms will remain the same as the original loan amount.

All loan information is submitted to the Credit Reference Bureau and customers are rated according to performance on their loan obligations. Normally a restructure would affect the customer’s credit rating negatively however for this period that is between April 1, 2020 and April 1, 2021, if a restructure or moratorium is granted, the customer’s records within the credit reference bureau will not be affected in line with guidance from Bank of Uganda.

4. Who is eligible for a restructure or holiday?

All customers who have been affected by the #Covid-19 Pandemic are eligible for restructures and holidays on a case by case basis. The Bank understands that customers may have been affected differently by this crisis and may have unique needs. In some cases, customers may actually want to pay back their loans early so as to remove this ‘burden’ on their revenues. It is therefore necessary to consider the impact of the virus and government restrictions such as the lockdown on each business before applying for a holiday or restructure.

5.  How does one apply for a restructure or holiday?

 The Bank is reaching out to various employers to establish the impact of the pandemic and agree on relief packages for their staff who have borrowed under a scheme arrangement.

Individual or personal customers can proactively reach out for support by sending a request for a restructure or holiday to the Bank specifying the impact of the virus on their ability to continue payment and attach evidence such as an E-mail or Letter clearly stating the impact of #COVID-19 as the reason for unpaid leave, termination or redundancy. These requests can be sent directly to salaryloanhelp@housingfinance.co.ug or mortgageloanhelp@housingfinance.co.ug

Business loan customers should complete the request for restructure form available on our website and submit the same through their branch or directly to businessloanhelp@housingfinance.co.ug

In terms of documentation, business customers should

  1. Provide management accounts for quarter 1 that will provide a view of their performance before #COVID-19.

 

2. Provide documentation that shows the impact of #COVID 19 on their business for example notices ( can be emails/letters ) of cancelled contracts, closures of their business, cancelled or delayed orders from/to suppliers, public notices that affected their ability to work or carry out business during the lockdown.

 

6. Which options are available in terms of length of holiday or postponement of payments? 

Depending on the impact of the crisis, a customer may apply for a repayment holiday between 1 to 12 months effective  April 1, 2020.  It is necessary to do a proper analysis of the business to determine the best period for the holiday taking into account the need to show that there will be a sustainable source of income after the holiday period.

7. Are there fees involved for a restructure or holiday?

Normally yes but due to these unique circumstances, Bank fees have been waived for these restructures and holidays however third party fees such as stamp duty and legal fees will have to be paid.

8. From the guidelines and communications, a customer must prove the impact of COVID on their business. How do they show that?

Individual or personal customers can provide proof of impact by sharing communication from their employer such as an E-mail or Letter clearly stating the impact of #COVID-19 as the reason for unpaid leave, termination or redundancy.

Business customers should provide management accounts for quarter 1, 2020 that will provide a view of their performance before #COVID-19. In order to show the impact, there is need to show through a narrative or documentation e.g notices of cancelled contracts, closures of their business, cancelled orders, inability to work during the lock down etc.

The Bank will consider various public notifications from various ministries as well.

9. How long will it take for the customer to receive feedback?

 The process of evaluation and approval will take an average of one week. After this, the customer will need to agree to the new terms before changes are complete

  1. Can a customer still get a new loan after a restructure or during the holiday period? 

Customers can approach the Bank to request for new loans after a restructure or holiday and the Bank shall consider the unique circumstances before any final decisions are made.

The writer is Head Business and Institutional Banking

Housing Finance Bank

 

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