The Minister of State for Gender and Culture Affairs Peace Regis Mutuuzo, has urged public officials to perform their duties diligently, exercising their discretionary powers in way that promotes the public interest.

Speaking ahead of the Labour Day on May 1, Minister Mutuuzo said President Yoweri Museveni will lead the national celebrations at Ssembabule Town Council Play Grounds in Ssembabule District.

Labour Day will be celebrated under the theme: ‘Promoting Public Spirit in Public Sector’ and, according to the minister, the theme is drawn from the fact that ‘public servants like all workers seek employment as means to a livelihood; they also have an over-arching obligation to act in the public interest’.

She also said that leaders must move to end child labour and the exploitation of workers.

The Minister’s message comes at a time when the country is involved in a campaign to stop trafficking, exploitation, torture and killing of Ugandans in Arab countries.

“We have embarked on registering companies that take Ugandans for labour; always visit the gender ministry to check for appropriate companies legalized to export labour,” Minister Mutuuzo said.

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The Public Service and Local Government Committee of Parliament has rejected the local government (amendment) bill tabled by Bubulo County West legislator Rose Mutonyi Masaba, seeking to among others, exempt elected political leaders from being subjected to elections in the ‘carved out districts’.

Committee members led by Aringa North County MP Godfrey Onzima, noted that the Bill does not ‘introduce anything new except the need to give the chairperson of the original local government an opportunity to choose whether to move to a newly created local government or to remain in the old one’.

The MPs were citing Article 1(4) of the Constitution and the principles contained in the Local Governments Act which give the people the right to choose who shall govern them through regular, free and fair election.

They further noted that in case political leaders exonerated from new election processes, chairpersons will influence the District Council to pass resolutions for creation of districts which are in their favour ‘and this will lead to rampant emergence of new districts’.

‘An existing Council cannot be termed as an ‘interim council’ on the basis that its chairperson has opted to join a newly-created local government yet the other persons that form the Council are still in office,” reads in part the Committee report.

They also rejected the notion that the proposed amendment would limit the financial burden on government.

‘It is misconceived because even if the Chairperson is given the opportunity to move to the newly created local government, there would still be a vacancy created in the old one which would have to be filled through an election,’ they argued.

This year government is set to create six new districts: Nabilatuk out of Nakapiripirit; Bugweri out of Iganga; Kassanda out of Mubende; Kwania out of Apac; Kapelebyong out of Amuria and Kibuube out of Hoima. They will all become operationalized from July 1, 2018.

Then in 2019 government will create another six new districts: Obongi out of Moyo; Kazo out of Kiruhura; Rwampara out of Mbarara; Kitagwenda/Kamwenge and Madi-Okollo/Arua.

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William Echwenyu, a former Intelligence Officer at Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), has today been sentenced to two years in prison for forgery and uttering false documents.

Appearing before Buganda Road Magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu, Echenyu was convicted on three charges.

Prosecution alleges that during investigations that were carried by the Inspector General of Government (IGG), Echenyu forged a letter claiming it was written by the IGG, ordering UWA to reinstate and promote him, pay school fees (for his children) and clear all his withheld salary arrears.

On suspecting fraudulent conduct, the then UWA Executive Director reportedly contacted the IGG who denied having issued any directives to that effect.

Following IGG’s submission on the matter, Echwenyu was arrested, tried and remand to Luzira prison, where he has been since October 5, 2017.

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The Parliamentary committee on Finance, Planning and Economic Development has recommended the passing of Investment code bill of 2017 to streamline the functioning of Uganda Investment Authority (UIA).

If the Bill is passed into an Act, it will modernize and replace the Investment Code Act Chapter 92 of the Laws of Uganda and inter alia to make it conform to the Constitution.

The bill vests much power to the Mister of Finance who oversees all activities that are carried out by the authority.

The Bill gives the minister power to among others expel any board member who will miss three consecutive meetings without notice.
The members of the committee led by Rubanda East legislator Henry Musasizi, noted that the Bill will redefine the functions of the Authority, modifying the composition of the Board, providing for the registration of investors and issuing of the investment certificates investors.

“The Bill will incorporate provisions relating to finance, accounting and auditing, to providing for the submission of annual reports by the Authority and other related matters.” the report reads in part.

According to legislators, the Bill defines a domestic investor as a citizen of the East African community Partner State and they will be able to benefit from government incentives there are availed to local investors.

Due to mass rooming fake investor in the country, the Bill prescribes US$ 50,000 (Shs180 million) as the minimum capital requirements for investors to be granted an investment licensee and this will require the minister to come to Parliament every time this amount has to be revised depending on the circumstances.

Currently Uganda investment authority is supervised by the State Minister for Investment Evelyn Anite.

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