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MTN Uganda leadership hosts 2018 CWG Gold Coast medalists

By
Badru Kasadah
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2018 CWG Medalists and MTN Uganda Leadership

MTN Uganda hosted the Uganda athletics team to a special lunch with the Executive leadership of the giant telecom company, to congratulate the athletes for their outstanding performance in the just-concluded 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.

MTN CEO Wim Vanhelleputte poses for a photo with the medalists

The lunch provided an interactive session between the athletes, UAF officials and the MTN Senior Leadership, with CEO Wim Vanhelleputte reflecting on the success of the team and the support given by the telecom company towards athletics in Uganda.

“We have been a proud partner of the Uganda Athletics Federation for the last 14 years supporting various events and activities including team selection and training,” he said.

“We are therefore very proud of the gallant Ugandan sportsmen and women who tussled it out with the more than 4,000 participants from the Commonwealth nations to emerge 15th overall on the medals table,” said Wim Vanhelleputte.

He further recounted how he has always been an athletics fan, even bearing childhood dreams of being a track and field professional athlete and winning Gold medals someday.

Uganda won three gold, one silver and two bronze medals (six medals in total); this has been noted as one of Uganda’s best performances in an international sports event since 1970. Some of the medalists who attended the luncheon included Stella Chesang (Gold – 10,000m), Solomon Mutai (Silver – marathon race) and Mercyline Chelangat (Bronze – 10,000m). The other star at the 2018 CWG was double medalists Joshua Cheptegei.

“We are extremely proud to be part of this success. We applaud the team for their hard work and efforts. As we approach our 20th Anniversary later this year, we shall continue our partnership with UAF to support development of athletics in Uganda,” said Olivier Prentout, the MTN’s Chief Marketing Officer.

Uganda Athletics Federation President, Dominic Otuchet lauded MTN for their continued partnership and sponsorship of the Federation’s events.

“We continue to register success because of your generosity. Our success is MTN’s success and for the country at large. Thank you for playing your part to build the sporting discipline of athletics in Uganda. Your efforts will not go unnoticed. We pledge to strive to excel each time we hit the race track,” Otuchet said.

At the lunch, MTN Uganda revealed that it had recently penned an additional three-year sponsorship package for Uganda Athletics Federation calendar activities.

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URA turns to local Social Media Influencers in new tax campaign

By
George Mangula
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CELEBRITY: Flavia-Tumusiime

The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) plans to engage local Social Media Influencers (SMIs) on May 11, 2018 in Kampala as it spurs innovations aimed at collecting more taxes for national development.

URA’s new move comes at the time when it has been given a target of Shs16 trillion in tax collections for the financial year 2018/19.

In the current financial year URA is expected to collected just above Shs15 trillion as tax revenue, it’s not clear how much of that money has been collected so far as the country prepares for the proposed 29 trillion national budget to be read in June 2018.

Uganda has a narrow tax base, compared to its neighbours-Kenya and Tanzania that have much bigger economies.

URA seems now to use the narrow tax base to the maximum and targeting social media influencers is one of the strategies because they can create trends and encourage their followers to pay taxes or at least have a positive attitude toward paying taxes.

President Yoweri Museveni, in a letter dated March 12, wrote to the Ministry of Finance indicating there were a number of grey areas URA was not taxing yet they could generate revenue for the country. The proposed avenues included tax on social media and commercial buildings, according to the letter.

The SMIs represent a new type of independent third party endorser who shape audience attitudes through blogs, tweets and the use of other social media. By targeting this group, URA hopes they will help create a positive attitude within their fans which should translate to paying taxes now or in the future.

Uganda’s SMIs range from media personalities, comedians, musicians and writers, with some having over 50,000 followers.

But the services of SMIs are not free, URA will have pay for every tweet, at least that is how the so-called hi-tech gurus are paid.

 

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We are on course working with stakeholders – NITA

By
Our Reporter
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TO EXECUTE PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE: NITA-U Executive Director James Saaka

The National Information and Technology Authority (NITA-U) will work with all designated stakeholders to ensure that technological advancement is achieved in the country.

The disclosure was made by the NITA-U Spokesperson Stephen Kirenga and comes in the wake of President Yoweri Museveni directing that Uganda Telecoms (UTL) take over the National Data Transmission Backbone Infrastructure (NBI) and E-Government Infrastructure (EGI) projects from NITA-U.

And in an exclusive interview seen by EagleOnline, Mr. Kirenga said NITA-U would adhere to the presidential directive. ‘We are a law-abiding agency and will adhere to the directives from His Excellency the President…from the government and Executive,’ Mr. Kirenga said.

In the interview Mr. Kirenga also dispelled talk doing rounds that the management of the multi-billion NBI deal won by technology company Soliton Telmec, was inappropriately secured.

‘The procurement of managed services supplier for the National Backbone Infrastructure (NBI) fibre was undertaken as per the International Competitive Bidding (ICB) practice, a global practice. Additionally, all the guidelines as stipulated in the Public Procuerement and Disposal of Public Assets Act (PPDA) were followed with subsequent approvals being gotten from all relevant parties,’ Mr. Kirenga noted.

He also refuted assertions that some NITA officials benefitted from the Soliton Telmec deal.

‘Not only is this untrue, it is also unfortunate that sections of the media could publish such mistruths. The framers of erroneous news and malicious publications, however, clearly seek to create intrigue and discord that hampers the collaboration that NITA-U and various other government bodies have developed to make the NBI project successful and viable into the future,’ Mr. Kirenga added.

‘Globally, the managed services model is best practice and allows for institutions to benefit from shared value by having a Network partner take over the management and enhancement of highly evolved network process capabilities which leads to significant enhancement in the delivery of a superior Customer Experience,’ Mr. Kirenga said in a phone interview.

He also enumerated some of the achievements registered over seven years since NITA-U took over the NBI in 2013, and these included among others a reduction in connectivity costs from US$1200 in 2011 to about US$70 in 2017. He also noted that in Uganda the provision of internet services by NITA-U at about US$70 is cheaper than other service providers by 71 per cent and that the same service is 56 percent cheaper than the regional average.

Further, Mr. Kirenga said NITA-U had laid an Optical Fibre Cable Network of 2,400 kilometres, in the process connecting thirty three major towns in Uganda and offering internet communication services to 344 government offices across the country.

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Muyanga Jail Saga: MP Lubogo Claims Lawyer Has Taken Him To Court

By
Geoffery Serugo
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Lawyer Hassan Kamba (Left) defends a client in court

Kampala: Whereas city lawyer Hassan Kamba has refuted all allegations that he is no longer representing Bulamogi MP Kenneth Lubogo, the legislator has said the lawyer has instead filed a case against him seeking shs250M as court costs for the now controversial election petition.

“Muyanga must be working with kamba for cheap politics. FDC enjoys using prisons for publicity,” he said in a WhatsApp text message. “Kamba has even sued me that I owe him shs250M and the case will come up for hearing on 30th.”

He further said that, “Lawyer Kamba does not have my instructions anymore because I paid him off and notified court and all Muyanga’s lawyers.”

However, Mr Kamba says that court rejected that argument on grounds that he argued case between his client (Lubogo) and Simon Muyanga Lutaaya from the start to the end, adding that; he has never received any letter discontinuing him from representing Lubogo in court.

“Those are Lubogo’s political gimmicks; he has a diploma from Law Development Centre (LDC), he understands the law and he should seek for a court order blocking me other than going to social media because according to court that is illegal communication,” Kamba said adding that he has no knowledge of the fresh court hearing the MP is alluding to

“It’s me who argued the case both at the High Court and Court of Appeal; I am the one who filed the bills; that argument was raised by the litigant asking for another lawyer to collect costs however, court rejected it,” Kamba added.

Early yesterday, there was a voice recording purportedly from Mr Lubogo where the MP distances himself from the lawyer.

When contacted to confirm ownership of the recording, Mr Lubogo, who is out of the country, said it was his voice and he had sent it to several media houses.

Mr Lutaaya, a journalist-cum politician, was arrested on Monday after he failed to clear Shs57 million as costs incurred by the MP.

Kamba said if Lubogo genuinely wants to help Lutaaya, he should follow the Civil Procedure Act which allows him to write a commitment letter vowing to clear all the dues that Kamba claims from Lutaaya.

“And if he complies, the judgement letter will be withdrawn from prison and Lutaaya will be set free,” Kamba said.

Muyanga Lutaaya’s lawyer Asuman Nyonyintono acknowledged Kamba is the rightful lawyer to deal with because he taxed the bills and court awarded him certificate of costs.

According to Nyonyintono, as long as the money demanded by Kamba is raised, Muyanga Lutaaya will be set free.

In a campaign dubbed ‘Save Muyanga Lutaaya from Prison’, journalists and political leaders led by former State Minister for Foreign Affairs Asuman Kiyingi have joined hands to raise funds for Lutaaya to be set free.

By the time of publication, a team of politicians trying to secure Muyanga’s release had secured a production warrant for Muyanga. He will be in court tomorrow because the magistrate is today not available

 

 

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Road Safety Alert: Tree Cutting in Mabira Along Jinja-Kla Stretch

By
Richard Wanambwa
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Kampala: The rainy season is still on and rain, with its cousin hard winds, comes with all manner of danger to road users.

So dear reader, as you approach Mabira forest, drive carefully as the authorities are cutting down trees that could hamper visibility during this rain season.

However, to ensure safety on the road, UNRA, in collaboration with National Forestry Authority, are cutting all the trees the pose possible danger along the stretch.

The Roads Authority warns drivers to approach the Mabira stretch with care- and patience with the long traffic queue that may form.

The warming was published on the AUthority’s official Twitter Account.
UNRA warns drivers to approach Mabira forest stretch with care due to ongoing tree cutting

UNRA’s spokesperson, Allan Sempebwa said the work has been ongoing since the weekend because, “it’s along stretch where a canopy had formed creating a darkness at noon experience.”

Asked whether the felled trees were being taken by random people or the Authority Allan said, “We are working with NFA in all this . We got approval from NFA and they will take custody of the cut trees.”

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Foreign Affairs signs MOU with promotional company

By
George Mangula
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Mr David Nsubuga and Amb. Patrick Mugoya after signing the addendum to the MOU

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has signed an addendum to the 2006 partnership agreement with local company Promote Uganda Ltd., to promote the country’s tourism and investment opportunities abroad.

The MOFA Permanent Secretary Amb. Patrick Mugoya signed on behalf of the ministry while David Nsubuga signed on behalf of the company he heads as CEO. The signing ceremony took place on Wednesday at the ministry’s headquarters in Kampala.

Since 2006, Promote Uganda Ltd. has been working with the ministry to install and maintain TV plasma screens in the lobbies of Uganda missions abroad. This later evolved into provision of promotional videos about different sectors of Uganda, ranging from tourism promotion to investment opportunities.

Areas of cooperation in the addendum which include the production of ‘Meet Your Ambassador’ TV program, production of promotional materials and digital content about Uganda for use both at MOFA Headquarters and Uganda Missions abroad.

Promote Uganda Ltd will also place at MOFA’s disposal, its production team for purposes of documenting and archiving audio-visual records of selected ministry activities particularly in the area of Commercial and Economic Diplomacy.

The “Meet Your Ambassador” TV program will target government as well as players in the sectors of business, investment, Information communication and  technology (ICT), regional cooperation, tourism, Agriculture, manufacturing, trade and exports, energy, youth and women.

Speaking of the MOU, Amb. Mugoya said:  “It is important that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is able to reach out and educate the public about what it does, what Uganda’s Ambassadors abroad do and to help the public.”

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Kiir appoints new SPLA chief

By
Agencies
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NEW SPLA BOSS: General Gabriel-Jok-Riak

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir appointed General Gabriel Jok Riak as the new head of the army on Wednesday, according to a decree read out on State Television.

Riak’s appointment follows the death in Cairo last month of army chief General James Ajongo after a short illness.

Riak, from Jonglei State in the Upper Nile region, was the deputy army chief for operations and has been serving as the acting army chief.

“I..do hereby issue this Republican Decree for the appointment of General Gabriel Jok Riak Makol as the chief of the Defense Force of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA),” Kiir’s statement read.

South Sudan, which obtained independence from Sudan in 2011 and is the world’s youngest nation, has been mired in civil war since 2013, when Kiir fired his deputy. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in fighting often along ethnic lines, and much of the nation has faced dire food shortages.

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Ways to pitch your innovation to today’s customers

By
Guest Writer
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By Martin Zwilling

Every entrepreneur with a new technology tells me that his innovation will be industry-disrupting, meaning that it will render the existing technology obsolete, and create a new market. Yet truly disruptive innovations, like the smartphone from Apple and the rise of the Internet, are very rare, and are generally unpredicted. So why would any investor ever believe any of these claims?

In fact, as a mentor to entrepreneurs and an investor, I recommend that entrepreneurs avoid using the term disruptive with investors, since many see it as implying extra high risk, a long time for payback, and extensive marketing to build the new market. Yet a win in this department clearly has huge implications for success, and a very real potential to change the world.

Thus, it’s worth some extra effort to understand attributes of the market, in concert with your new technology, which might really indicate that industry disruption is possible with your innovation. In a classic book, ‘Disruption by Design’ by the renowned innovation consultant Paul Paetz, I found a list of common patterns and recognizable attributes that I like, called disruption fingerprints.

I suspect that several of these will surprise most entrepreneurs as being counter-intuitive to their thinking. Entrepreneurs tend to look for big changes and big markets when seeking disruptive opportunities, when the opposite may be more effective. I agree with Paetz that the following approaches are often more likely to find a disruptive opportunity around the corner:

Initially address a small market niche. Disrupting a huge market intuitively has greater potential, but it’s also like turning an aircraft carrier. It takes a long time and lots of effort to overcome existing momentum, and both investors and customers want to see results on a small scale in their lifetime, before they line up to join the movement.

Pick a technology that somehow seems inferior to the major incumbents. Existing players normally think in terms of bigger, better, and faster, whereas more customers may really be satisfied by smaller, cheaper, and simpler. Think personal computers compared to mainframes, or smartphone cameras compared to professional cameras.

Target large but moderate-to-low-growth segments. Usually these are low-growth for a reason – a new technology or price point could easily be the trigger to a large opportunity. On the other hand, high-growth segments may look more attractive, but are likely being attacked by the big players and many other competitors.

Look for sizable customer populations unattractive to incumbents. These may be people who can’t afford existing products due to income levels or location, but need the solution. Remember the explosion of cell phones throughout the world when cheap versions and new pricing models were introduced a few years ago.

Explore industries where you are an outsider. Most business advisors recommend that you stick with the business area you know, where you have inside knowledge. Often entrepreneurs are more able to think outside the box and bring disruptive change to less-known business domains. Consider Apple’s move into music, telephones, and watches.

Compete against non-consumption and non-existing markets. The most disruptive products are ones that never existed before, and no forecasts are even available to size the opportunity. Facebook built the social media market before customers even knew they needed it. Naturally, these are very high risk efforts, but have unlimited potential.

Of course, entrepreneurs looking for disruptive opportunities should never forget the more likely disruptive alternatives, such as bypassing existing channels to go direct to the customer, finding an order-of-magnitude cost breakthrough, addressing underserved needs, or offering dramatic improvements in ease-of-use and convenience to new and existing users.

Yet, even with these alternatives, market disruption is rarely predictable – it’s obvious only in hindsight. Every entrepreneur should aim for it, but restrain themselves from highlighting that focus to early investors, or even early customers. It’s one of the quickest ways to lose your credibility, and maybe even your opportunity. Pitch your innovation against today’s market.

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Journalists awards delayed, ACME in search for long term funder

By
George Mangula
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ACME ED Dr. Peter G. Mwesige

Ugandan journalists who submitted their work for the 2018 Uganda National Journalism Awards (UNJA) will have to wait a little bit longer to be recognised, following an announcement of the delay by organisers, the African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME).

ACME says it doesn’t have ready funds to organise the annual gala as early planned and says it regrets the delay.

“The delay has been caused by funding challenges following the expiry in December 2017 of the framework under which the awards process was previously funded,”  Dr Peter G. Mwesige, ACME’s Executive Director, was quoted as saying.

“ACME is in the process of securing long-term funding for the Uganda National Journalism Awards, he said, adding that they have already secured commitment from a couple of major partners and that a date for the UNJA 2018 gala will be announced in due course.

“We would like to assure the journalists who submitted entries of their best work in 2017 or those that nominated them that they will be recognised and rewarded by 30 September 2018,” Mwesige said.

UNJA 2018 attracted entries from 239 journalists, a 28 per cent increase from the previous year.

The Uganda National Journalism Awards are presented annually to recognise and promote reporting that informs and empowers the public, increases the voices and spaces for debate, and holds the powerful to account.

Launched five years ago, the awards represent a pinnacle of achievement for Ugandan journalists, many of whom work tirelessly to attain journalistic excellence, often in the face of enormous financial and political pressure.

The last two editions of the awards were organised with support from the Democratic Governance Facility (DGF).

Award winners are selected by a panel of judges that comprises eminent Ugandans who have excelled in the field of journalism, media, communications and other areas of public affairs.

“ACME continues to work on a strategy that will ensure sustainable funding for this important project,” said Dr Monica Chibita, the Chair of ACME’s Board of Directors.

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Equity Bank profits jump 83 percent in 2017

By
George Mangula
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An Equity Bank branch

Business for the year ended December 31 2017 was good for Equity Bank as it had profit before tax jump 83 percent to hit Shs38.8b, up from Shs21.2b the bank earned in the year ended December 31, 2016.

According to the Bank’s extract of financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2017, the value of its total assets also rose by 60 percent in the year 2017 to Shs1.03 trillion, up from Shs642.8b it amassed in the year 2016.

Equity Bank attracted more deposits in the year 2017 as they rose by 52 percent to amount to Shs729b from Shs480b it collected in the year 2016. The bank’s deposits curve has been on an upward trend since the year 2011 when it collected Shs167b.

The bank in the year 2017 also gave out net loans worth Shs496b compared to Shs319b it extended to clients in the year 2016, representing a 56 percent increase. The loans’ graph shows that the bank extended similar loans worth Shs197b in the years 2012 and 2014. In the year 2013 the bank had its loan portfolio drop to Shs189b.

Equity Bank had its Non- Performing Loans (NPLs) in 2017 reduce to Shs30.70b from Shs 45.57b it incurred in the year 2016.

The year 2017 saw bad debts written off by the bank fall by 41.27 percent to Shs4.91b compared to Shs8.36b it wrote off in the year 2016.

The financial statement shows that bank’s cash and balances with Bank of Uganda increased in the year 2017 to Shs164.78b compared to Shs101.97b in the year 2016.

 

 

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