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Botswana’s president bids farewell to power

By
Agencies
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President Ian Khama

Botswana’s President Ian Khama, 65, has wrapped up a nationwide “farewell tour” as he prepares to step down on Saturday after a decade in power, AFP news agency reports.
Mr Khama’s decision is in sharp contrast to some other African leaders who have tried to change the constitution to extend their rule.
Mr Khama is stepping down 18 months before the next election is due, and will hand power to his deputy, President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
He has toured all of Botswana’s 57 constituencies since December, in a long goodbye to his supporters in a country which has a population of about 2.2 million.

Vice President and incoming president mokgweetsi masisi.

In his ancestral village on Tuesday, he rejected pleas from villagers to remain in office, saying he took office only because his predecessor, Festus Mogae, persuaded him to do so, AFP reports.
“I was a soldier, I didn’t have interest to join politics, I had future plans, away from politics,” he told the crowd of thousands.
He will be succeeded by Vice President Mokgweetsi Masisi, a full 18 months before elections.

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Bar where Mowzey Radio sustained deadly injuries reopens

By
Badru Kasadah
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De-Bar

Entebbe hangout, De-Bar where fallen musician Moses Ssekibogo met his death has reopened.

The reopening of the bar followed negotiations between its owners and Entebbe municipal Council which closed it shortly after the musician’s death.

De Bar’s manager, George Egessa agreed to fulfill the conditions set by the council among which included apologising to the public.

RIP: Mozey Radio.

He called a press conference Friday and asked for forgiveness from Radio’s family and the entire music industry.

CCTV cameras were also installed within the bar and its premises.

He added that De Bar will always have a side memorial function in February to remember the life of the fallen singer Mowzey radio.

De Bar was closed by Entebbe Municipal Council early February shortly after Mowzey Radio’s death.

The reason for the closure was because De Bar is where the musician met injuries that led to his death.

He was beaten into coma at De Bar after an altercation with Egesa.

Ten days after the incident, Mowzey Radio passed on in the intensive care unit at Case Hospital in Kampala.

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I forgave Museveni like Jesus forgave those who crucified him-Besigye

By
Geoffery Serugo
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Dr. Kizza Besigye

Former presidential candidate, Dr. Kizza Besigye has encouraged believers to forgive each other just as Jesus did to all who wronged him saying whoever forgives shall inherit the Kingdom of God.
In his Easter message to Ugandans, Besigye said, Jesus was persecuted, humiliated just as Museveni’s government has for years been torturing him however, he has honestly been forgiving and leaving them to God as Jesus did.
“Some people advised us to take up arms against the military junta but I advised them that we can’t kill fellow Ugandans as the targeted people clinging onto power have capacity to flee this country leaving innocent people to die for what they were not part of. For years I have been in struggle, my focus has always been on how to revive this country from Kleptocracy that goes ahead to misappropriate funds for people seeking for asylum.” He said at his Katonga road office.
He noted that the Economy, security is dysfunctional, as they celebrate Easter festivals, he implored them to take a stand against oppression, extremisms, adding that God will reward them for struggle.
With grief Besigye said they always talk about dialogue, but it cannot workout in the country where others disrespect the rule of law, many have been mysteriously killed but instead of surrendering that they have failed in their duties instead they continue hoodwinking Ugandans that the situation is in control.
Besigye believes that Ugandans can disable the current regime the was sworn in 2016 without using any violent mean that degrades human rights instead will continue exerting pressure till they surrender this country to other ‘focused leaders’.
Besigye who has for years launched various campaigns against the current regime said Jesus died for all believers’ sins; they are too willing to sacrifice for the betterment of this nation.
Easter, also called Pascha (Greek, Latin) or Resurrection Sunday, is a festival and holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial after his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary.

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URA collects more than planned revenue in February

By
George Mangula
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The Performance of the Economy Report for February shows that the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) collected taxes worth Shs1, 125.0b against a target of Shs1, 123.6b.

The more-than-targeted revenue was attributed to international trade which saw taxes collected rise above target by Shs42.7 billion (8.8 percent). “This overage in collections on international trade taxes more than offset shortfalls in domestic taxes,” says the report.

According to the report, indirect domestic taxes were short of their target for the month by Shs 41.2b as value added tax (VAT) especially on manufactured products, services and construction among other sub sectors came out low than expected.

On the other hand, direct domestic taxes for February also registered a shortage of Shs4.1b, most of which resulted from withholding tax and rental income tax items.

On a positive note, the report says, corporate tax and tax on bank interest registered surpluses, although these were more than offset by the shortages in the categories discussed above.

Meanwhile, non-tax revenues to government amounted to Shs35.9b against a target of Shs 25.5b. The report attributed the good performance to the improved efficiency in collections following the transfer of the responsibility to collect all nontax revenue on behalf of Government from MDAs to URA.

Govt spending

Total Government spending during February amounted to Shs1, 337.0b against Shs1, 413.7b, which translates to a performance of 94.6 percent or Shs76.7b.The report attributes the performance largely to development spending, which underperformed at only 61.7 percent against the projection for the month.

According g to the report, development spending totaled to Shs399.6b against a projection of Shs647.4b and was attributed to low execution of a number of projects.

Projection execution was affected by lengthy procurement process, which delayed the start of some road infrastructure projects; including Kigumba-Masindi-Hoima Road Project, Rwenkunye-Apac Road Project, and Muyembe–Nakapiripit Road Project.

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FIFA appoints 36 referees for World Cup duty

By
Steven F Mandu
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FAILED: Ugandan Referee Mark Sonko failed to make the FIFA World Cup 2018 cut

FIFA has named 36 referees from 46 different countries to officiate at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, with six of them coming from the African continent.

Ugandan FIFA referee Mark Ssonko was among the 17 officials CAF had shortlisted among those nominated to officiate at the 2018 World Cup in Russia but he failed to make the cut.

Range Marwa from Kenya, Burundi’s Jean Claude Birumushahu and Sudan’s Ahmed Wareed were selected as assistant referees from the East African region, for the World Cup in which England will be without a refereeing representative for the first time in 80 years.

Preparations for appointing the referees kicked off in September 2014 not only for the 32 participating teams. FIFA based on each referee’s skills and personality, as well as his level of understanding of football and ability to read both the game and the various tactics employed by teams.

Between now and the World Cup in June, the selected referees, assistant referees and Video Assistant Referees will be monitored and supported by FIFA Refereeing on an individual basis to ensure they are fully prepared.

The World Cup will take place in Russia between June 14th to July 15th. Africa will be represented by Nigeria, Egypt, Senegal, Morocco and Tunisia.

Meanwhile, Ali Tomusange remains the only Ugandan referee to officiate at the World Cup, having officiated four games at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

Before Tomusange, Keith Bukenya was the first Ugandan to be selected to officiate at the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain, but he died a few months to the opening ceremony.

 

The 2018 Referees: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy), Damir Skomina (Slovenia), Clément Turpin (France), Felix Brych (Germany), Çakır (Turkey), Sergei Karasev (Russia), Norbert Hauata (Tahiti), Matthew Conger (New Zealand), Enrique Cáceres (Paraguay), Andrés Cunha (Uruguay), Néstor Pitana (Argentina), Sandro Ricci (Brazil), Wilmar Roldán (Colombia), Julio Bascuñán (Chile), Mark Geiger (United States), Jair Marrufo (United States), Ricardo Montero (Costa Rica), John Pitti (Panama), César Arturo Ramos (Mexico), Joel Aguilar (El Salvador), Malang Diedhiou (Senegal), Bakary Gassama (Gambia), Gehad Grisha (Egypt), Janny Sikazwe (Zambia), Bamlak Tessema Weyesa (Ethiopia), Mehdi Abid Charef (Algeria), Alireza Faghani (Iran), Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan), Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates), Ryuji Sato (Japan), Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain), Alireza Faghani (Iran), Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan), Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates), Ryuji Sato (Japan) and Fahad Al-Mirdasi (Saudi Arabia).

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Archbishop Ntagali sends Easter message, implores Ugandans to embrace Jesus

By
Steven F Mandu
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SENT EASTER MESSAGE: Archbishop of Church of Uganda, Stanley Ntagali

The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda Rt. Rev. Stanley Ntagali has called upon Ugandans to turn to Christ in exchange for eternal life.

The Archbishop was delivering his Easter message at his provisional office at Namirembe before he joined other Christians in ‘Carrying the Cross’ to symbolize the suffering of Jesus Christ.

“The message of Easter is that if you want to have eternal life, the only way is through Jesus. You must first renounce the world, the flesh, and the devil. You must renounce the ‘thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy …’ Rt. Rev. Ntagali told the Christians.

The Man of God condemned the rampant murders especially of women, witnessed in the recent past.

“I want to encourage all of us this Easter to reject the growing culture of death around us and, instead, promote a culture of life,” he said, adding: “We all know about the random killings that have been taking place, especially of women, and the delay in solving the mystery of who the killers are and bringing them to justice. The increasing number of deaths and the seeming inability to do anything about them is part of our current culture of death but this is not the way of Jesus.

He also castigated those advocating for the legalization of abortion, saying that it promotes the culture of meting out death to the most vulnerable among us, the unborn.

“When someone kills someone else just to steal a phone, what does that tell us about the value of life? It says that life is cheap but, actually, life is not cheap. Jesus died and rose again so that we could have life. Life is very costly,” the Archbishop stressed.

He also noted that the culture of death has taken root in South Sudan and many provinces in eastern Congo, creating a big impact on Uganda.

The Archbishop said in two months’ time, Uganda Martyrs Day will be commemorated at a special celebration in Namugongo on June 3, and he revealed that the Greater Kigezi Dioceses will organise of this year’s celebrations, with the committee co-chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda and his predecessor John Patrick Amama Mbabazi.

 

Archbishop Ntagali urged Christians to make a special effort to mobilise big numbers from their dioceses to participate in this year’s Martyrs’ Day celebrations, and also disclosed that there will be a health camp and other programs for children and youth.

 

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Kabaka congratulates Christians on completion of Lent

By
Geoffery Serugo
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Kabaka Muwenda Mutebi
Kabaka Muwenda Mutebi

Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi has congratulated Ugandans for completing the Lenten period, and asked them to reflect on their relation with God.

‘As we read in the Scriptures, the resurrection of Jesus offers us hope that we shall one day die and resurrect to eternal life in heaven. In this period we meditate about our lives and repent all our wrongdoings to strengthen the bond between us and the Almighty God,’ the Kabaka’s message reads in part.

The Kabaka also noted that cultural institutions had contributed in helping Ugandans develop their country, and was appreciative of the progress registered in the development of several projects such as ‘Twekobe’ in Mengo among other palaces.

“Income rate in the Kingdom is low therefore we shall insist on demanding for all our monies to finalise all our projects this year,” his message adds.

Meanwhile, a few days ago the Buganda Kingdom hosted delegates from Kikuyu Kingdom of Kenya in a bid to strengthen the bond between the two cultural institutions.

 

 

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Ruparelia Group franchises scoop top tourism industry awards

By
Steven F Mandu
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The Award for Ruparelia Group being received

The Ruparelia Group won an award of top tourism investor in Uganda during the just concluded Third Edition of Pearl of Africa Awards 2018 held in Kampala yesterday at the Pearl of Africa Hotel.

Ruparelia Group affiliate Speke Resort Munyonyo was voted Best Service/Luxury Standard Hotel while Victoria Café-emerged winner of Best Cuisine Restaurant.

An official announcing the handing over of the plaque

The three received their respective certificates to accompany the plaques for the work well done in promoting Uganda’s tourism industry.

The function was presided over by the Director of Tourism in the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities James Lutalo, who handed over the award of Best Service/ Luxury Standard Hotel.

Best Tourism Association award went to at Uganda Hotel Owners Association (UOHA).

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, re-known for mountain gorillas, won award of Best tourism destination in Uganda.

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US$41m bailout of Ugandan traders owed by South Sudan okayed

By
Steven F Mandu
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Syda Namirembe Bbumba, the head of the committee that compiled report

The Parliamentary Committee on National Economy has recommended for entry into a bilateral agreement between Uganda and South Sudan to pay monies owed to Ugandan traders amounting to over forty one million dollars.

In its report, the committee wants Uganda to pay the money to the verified traders under their umbrella organization, the Uganda Southern Sudan Grain Traders and Suppliers Association Limited and, according to the committee chaired by Nakaseke North MP Syda Bumba, the money is to be repaid by South Sudan within a five-year period ending December 2022.

On December 18, 2015, during a meeting in Juba, the Government of the Republic of South Sudan (GoRSS) proposed that Uganda pay the said sum with a view of reimbursement subject to terms of the bilateral agreement.

The list of Uganda verified traders includes Rubya Investments Limited, Kibungo Enterprises, Aponye (U) Limited, Afro Kai Ltd, Swift Commodities Establishment Ltd, Sunrise Commodities, Ms. Sophie Omari, Apo General Agencres, Ropani International and KK Transporters, with Aponye (U) Limited owed the highest sum of money to the tune of UD$13, 542, O92.61.

Meanwhile, the MPs also want Ugandan traders to insure their business engagements against various risks when participating in cross border trade.

“Informal business operators should register their business with Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) and regularly file returns with URA; while at the same time enter into formal contracts with recipients of their goods and services,” the report emphasized.

Further, the government should partner with financial sector players to establish an Export Credit Guarantee Scheme for exporters to minimize financial risks associated with volatile export markets, the report adds.

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Reduce government borrowing, Parliament tells Finance, BoU

By
Geoffery Serugo
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Finance Minister, Matia Kasaija with the briefcase that contains the Budget

The parliamentary committee on the national economy has implored key institutions involved in economic management to find means of reducing the country’s borrowing.

According to a report by the committee chaired by Nakaseke North County legislator Syda Bbumba Namirembe, the institutions like Bank of Uganda and the Ministry of Finance and other stakeholders should hold a conference focusing on building a resilient integrated and self-sustaining economy.

The committee also recommended the borrowing of Shs736 billion from the domestic market to finance the budget.

‘The proposed funds will be used to finance the on-going infrastructure projects whose certificates will fall due this financial year, statutory obligations such as wages and interest payment,’ the report reads in part.

The committee further advised government to increase sources of tax revenue through improvement of tax administration, widening the tax base and providing an environment that is conducive for growth of private enterprises.

Last year government approved a Shs 29.008 trillion budget for financial Year 2017/8 of which the government is expected to contribute Shs 21.175 trillion. Other sources include external financing of Shs7.075 trillion and Appropriation in Aid of Shs0 .757 trillion.

The report indicates that the country has registered shortfall in revenue collection of Shs 167 billion in this financial due to lower import, aggregate demand and tax exemption on husked rice.

 

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