Jinja – Uganda: Former Kigulu South MP, Edward Kafufu Balidawa and former BUgabula South MP Asuman Kiyingi want Makerere Univeristy Business School principal’s contract to be renewed.
Prof. Wasswa Balunywa, the two legislators argue, should only leave the post if he is being appointed to a much higher position.
Sharing their views in a WhatsApp group Busoga Beyond politics, formed with a membership of mainly Busoga political and private sector elite, the legislators threatened that should the Good Ol’ Prof get anything less, they will actively lead an anti NRM campaign in Busoga.
Former Works Minister Asuman Kiyingi threw a barb at President Museveni arguing that government owes an explanation to Busoga as to why Balunywa’s contract cannot be renewed.
“If a politician can do a good job beyond 75 but a professor full of energy and ideas is ‘expired’ on clocking 60 then Trump is [sometimes] right about African countries,” he said.
Eng Patrick Batumbya’s earlier suggestion of sending a delegation of Basoga stakeholders to meet the president over matter hit a snug when all members on the forum agreed a negative political mobilization response is the language the ministry would hear.
“We should mobilize the populace to boycott voting in the forthcoming referendum. Period,” said another member before the former Kigulu MP, Edward Balidawa added that, “and for such an action to have effect and results we must not rely on the usual leaders. We know the modus operandi.”
“I think we are over allowing this man to control us, we need to start thinking outside the box and practice what we say,” said Tucker Mugogo a popular events’ organizer in Busoga.
The discussion on Balunywa’s status at the business school started after the April 11th letter to the Education Services Commission in which the First Lady and minister for Education and Sports, Janet Kataha Museveni ordered for Balunywa’s exit.
Mr Balunywa has been at the helm of the university for 15 years.
Quoting Section 83 of the University and Other Tertiary Institutions Act 2001, Mrs. Museveni asked the Education Service Commission to advertise for the post of MUBS principal before May 28, 2018 when Balunywa’s term ends.
“The purpose of this letter is therefore to inform you that the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education and Sports will make a formal submission on the job specifications, duties and age requirement for the post of MUBS Principal,” Ms Museveni wrote. It’s the paragraph the Busoga enthusiasts interpreted as a cul de sac for Prof Balunywa’s tour of duty at the institution.
She asked the Permanent Secretary to come with the nomination of a suitable candidate to be screened by the Education Services Commission. Janet Museveni said that Balunywa must be replaced before May 28 2018 to avoid a power vacuum at the highly ranking institution.
“Advertise this post of Principal of MUBS as soon as you receive a formal submission from the Permanent Secretary. I request you to ensure that the education service Commission finalizes the process of appointment of the next Principal of MUBS before the contract of the current Principle expires, to avoid a leadership vacuum at MUBS.”
Deputy Governor Louis Kasekenda, Minister of Financial, Planning and Economic Development Matia Kasaijja and Barclay Agent demonstrate the new shared Agent Banking system.
Uganda’s Minister of Finance, Matia Kasaija has Wednesday in Kampala officially launched the shared agent Banking System which is an initiative of member banks of the Uganda Bankers Association (UBA) in partnership with other agencies to bolster financial inclusion in the country.
Addressing guests at the launch which took place at UBA headquarters in Muyenga Kampala, Kasaija said the Agent Banking is in line with government’s efforts to bring majority of Ugandans into the financial system, adding that many remained unbanked or under banked.
The electronic system is an extension of banking services outside the conventional banking branches, where a licenced and supervised financial institution contracts a third party or agent, who is approved by the Bank of Uganda (BOU) in December, 2017, to provide permitted financial services on its behalf.
The minister said the current situation where majority of Ugandan adults are unbanked is not good for the country’s development in terms of revenue collections as well as extending credit to the private sector.
The Agent Banking platform will enable 25 commercial banks in Uganda to extend their services to remote areas where they expect also to increase access, address cash challenges and provide a range of products and services that are expected to bring some of the rural people into the country’s financial system.
Seven banks are already connected on to the system. They are; Stanbic Bank, Barclays Bank, Bank of Africa, Diamond Trust Bank, DFCU Bank, Housing Finance Bank and GT Bank. 14 more banks in the country are at different stages of the integration process and securing the necessary regulatory approvals, officials say.
UBA and Eclectics International early last year signed an agreement where the latter was to design, develop, deploy and operate the inter-operable shared platform that connects all member banks to the agent network spread across the Country.
Supported with agents, the Agent Banking Platform is now expected bring the big percentage of the country’s informal sector into the financial system where monetary policy and targeted interventions can be directed.
The platform will enable all agents provide agent banking services to existing customers of all the UBA member banks as well as bring on board the unbanked, unserved and underserved segments of the population for financial services. Also under the arrangement, banks will continue to drive the recruitment of customers and marketing of their other products and services.
The benefits that accrue from the establishment of the shared Agent Banking Platform include increased points of presence at a reduced cost of expansion with opportunity to upgrade technology at minimal cost as well as job creation.
Speaking at the official launch, UBA Executive Director, Wilbrod Owor said the Agent Banking platform was a major achievement for the banking sector in the country. “This is a major milestone for the banking sector in Uganda. Extension of banking services and bringing on board the bigger proportion of our population to the formal banking system is the ultimate objective of this initiative.”
UBA ED Wilbrod Owor speaking to journalists about Shared Banking Platform.
He added The Shared Banking System is part of the efforts to support the National Financial Inclusion Strategy that aims to bring more Ugandans into formal financial system.
The Acting CEO of new company-Agent Banking Company, Richard Yego said the agents being targeted are petrol stations, supermarkets, permanent mobile money agents, pharmacies, retail shops or hardware stores that are fully licenced and have been in existence for one year.
The Group Managing Director, Electics International, Paul Mbugua, said the system is a secure and “interoperable platform that will facilitate access to real time transactions. Explaining how the system works, he said it can be used for cash deposits, withdraws, bill payments among others.
The CEO and Country Manager of Diamond Trust Bank Varghese Thambi, said that the platform will help commercial banks in the country to complement each other in serving more customers. He said that 80 percent of commercial bank branches are within Kampala and surrounding areas, while 20 percent are outside Kampala.
The Managing Director of Bank of Africa, Arthur Isiko, said Shared Agent Banking is one of avenues of delivering cost-effective financial services and products to the public, adding that the new system will provide employment to Ugandans.
Deputy BOU Governor, Dr. Louis Kasekende said platform would lead to faster transactions, stating that Agent Banking is critical in addressing challenges of finance access.
He said the system would reduce operational costs of banks, which in turn makes the bank provide affordable services and products. Finance Minister said the system should bring down interest rates in the years ahead.
The Executive Director of Financial Sector Deepening Uganda (FSD), Jacqueline Musiitwa, while speaking at the launch of the platform lauded UBA for putting the system in place, saying it will helped deepen financial services in the rural areas of Uganda. She said PSD provided USD 1m in support of the project, pledging further cooperation to boost financial inclusion.
But Kasaija said that the launch of the platform requires sensitization of the public especially in the rural areas as well as ensuring that agents work closely with police to safeguard money.
That aside, minister Kasaija has lashed out at Ugandan who borrow money from backs and then fail to pay back, saying they are the reason why commercial interest rates in the country are high.
The chairman of Jinja central division, Kirunda Mubarak is out on court bail following allegations of involvement in the irregularities that marred the March 15, 2018 Jinja East by-election that pitted Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidate Paul Mwiru against National Resistance Movement (NRM) Nathan Nabeta Igeme.
Yesterday FDC’s Mubarak appeared before the Jinja Chief Magistrate Helen Agio and was charged with procuring the registration of ineligible voters contrary to section 29(F) of the Electoral Commission Act.
With other opposition politicians still at large, Kirunda, allegedly coerced or persuaded the Electoral Commission officials who updated the voters register for Jinja East constituency to register non-citizens citizens.
It is further alleged that the accused ferried peopled from outside the constituency and added their names in the register with an aim of ensuring that the candidate of their choice – Paul Mwiru wins. Eventually, Mwiru was declared winner of the hotly contested by-election with 6,654 votes against NRM’s Nathan Igeme Nabeta, who got 5,034 votes.
Kirunda pleaded not guilty. He told court that the allegations were politically motivated. “I did not commit those offenses my Lord. I am a leader in this town, so I only mobilized the people to go and get registered. That is in my mandate according to the law,” said Kirunda, who was representing himself.
The chief magistrate then adjourned the case to May 4, 2018 when the prosecution will bring evidence to pin the accused.
Kirunda was released on a noncash bail of shillings 1m and presented two sureties; Robert Isoba and Jimmy Obalim, both businessmen in Jinja town.
Section 29 of the Election Commission Act states that any person who by himself or herself or any other person procures the registration of himself or herself or any other person on a voters roll for a constituency, knowing that he or she or that other person is not entitled to be registered on that voters roll or is already registered on it or on another voters roll or by himself or herself or any other person procures the registration of a fictitious person, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding thirty currency points or to imprisonment not exceeding one year or to both.
“These people (NRM) have made serious allegations against us. In fact the charges preferred against me are criminal in nature and I am now looking for a competent lawyer to defend me otherwise, I have been told that I am not safe,” Kirunda told this writer today.
In the aftermath of the by-election whose results were rejected by the National Resistance Movement, Kirunda went into hiding after learning that the police was arresting the persons suspected to have involved themselves in the irregularities.
Asked why he went into hiding yet he was innocent, Kirunda said it was better to hide and get court summons rather than being arrested and detained at police without trial.
“I am aware the regime wants to arrest me on fabricated cases related to the recent Jinja East by-election which we won as FDC,” Kirunda posted on various WhatsApp groups on Monday April 9, 2018 a few minutes after police arrested Jinja Municipal Council Speaker Morrison Bizitu.
“I am on my way to America where I will hide until I am sure that these guys (police) are no longer looking for me,” added the outspoken FDC man – Kirunda. But it has today been established by this writer that indeed Kirunda is hiding.
“He could be within town (Jinja) but hiding because he is wanted,” A staff at Kirunda’s office who never wanted to be named has told us that the chairman was last seen at office on Monday afternoon.
But Kirunda today said that “in fact I was not in America”. I was within my town but couldn’t avail myself just like that for an arrest.
The comical Chairman – Kirunda is a close friend to Jinja Municipal Council Speaker, Morrison Bizitu, former Walukuba Masese Division chairman, Muhammed Musisi Kibugudhu who were all arrested and detained for some days on similar charges.
Last week NRM lawyers presented a petition in which they want the High Court in Jinja to nullify Mwiru’s victory and declare their client, Nathan Igeme Nabeta as the duly elected Member of Parliament for Jinja East.
NRM insists that the election was riddled with electoral malpractices including multiple voting by known members of the opposition, voter bribery, intimidation and violence against Nabeta’s supporters.
This was the fourth time the two were facing off. And if NRM, which has decided to challenge the result in court, wins, there might be a fifth face-off ahead.
The Evidence
Butalejja Resident District Commissioner, Richard Gulume Balyaino told this writer that: “our camp has been receiving evidence to confirm that Mwiru rigged.” Gulume Balyaino, a resident of Jinja and who was in the Igeme campaign team said the party had obtained video footages, audios, still photos and confessions from some of the FDC stalwarts who executed the rigging, voter bribery, intimidation of voters and threatened violence.
A journalist who covered the election and spoke on condition of anonymity said the NRM claims hold water. The journalist said he had witnessed incidents at Main Street Primary School polling station, where opposition youths prevented those perceived to be NRM supporters from proceeding to vote.
“I have the footage my brother. And remember at one press conference Mwiru himself incited his supporters when he told them to kill anyone who would stand in their way,” says the reporter.
In fact several election observers claimed that the election was marred by violence, intimidation, voter bribery and other electoral malpractices. The Igeme camp also accused the heavily deployed police of connivance with Mwiru for reportedly just looking on as he broke the electoral laws.
In the aftermath, the Kiira Regional Police Commander, Gerald Twishime and the Jinja Central Divisional Police Commander, Martin Mbabazi were suspended and put under investigations.
But Mubarak says NRM is simply, again wasting their resources. “They should accept defeat and we work for our people,” he posted on Tufumintirize, a whatsapp platform.
The Katikiro of Buganda Charles Peter Mayiga has faulted police, judiciary and land registries for exacerbating the land problems in the country.
Appearing before the Justice Catherine Bamugemereire-led Land Commission in Wandegeya this morning the Katikiro said the three agencies are complicit in the rampant land fraud by siding with the rich including politicians to grab land from the poor.
“Every person across the country has a negative a story to tell about Police on how they have failed to investigate into land matter and how they side line with the rich persons and politicians to grab peoples’ land,” Katikiro Mayiga told the Commission.
“We implored the Land Division of the High Court gets judges to dispose of cases in a timely manner. The Land Act has not been fully implemented and this needs to change,” he added.
He also took swipe at an amendment bill by government last year, proposing to acquire land for putting up public structures before compensating the land owners.
“Government is known for taking its time before people are compensated, and therefore we believes Government can only acquire land from owners after clear compensation,” he noted.
And, reacting to the Commission’s recommendations to abolish Mailo land, Katikiro Mayiga said the Buganda kingdom will outrightly oppose the recommendation.
“There is a perception the the land commission is aimed at denying the Buganda Kingdom and the Kabaka a rightful ownership of land. We recommended for the reinstatement of a Federal system of governance for each area to manage its own affairs,” the Katikiro emphasized.
Instituted in 2016 to investigate land matters, the Land Commission includes among others Justice Bamugemereire, Robert Sebunya, Ms. Mary Oduka Ochan, Ms. Joyce Habasa, Dr. Rose Nakayi, former Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Fred Ruhindi and George Bagonza Tinkamanyire.
FLASHBACK: KCB SME Business Club members being flagged off for a trip to Germany and Turkey.
Small and Medium Enterprises constitute 99.95% of all companies in Germany. There are 3.67million SMEs in Germany, employing 68% of the working population of the country.
The SME sector is thriving in this part of the world with an annual turnover of up to 500m Euros, SMEs are arguably among the biggest contributors to the GDP of the Republic of Germany.
SMEs in Uganda and Germany are not fundamentally different in terms of philosophy.
However, the degree of success these entities have scored over the years compared to their Ugandan counterparts presents us with numerous lessons.
Heads of over 30 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Uganda recently visited Germany and Turkey on a 10-day familiarization trip organized by KCB Bank Uganda Business Club. Below are the lessons learned from the trip.
Family Businesses: 95% of the SMEs in Germany are family businesses, even the big names like BMW and Liebherr were started by families.
Family businesses in Germany have got a ‘we’ philosophy that is ingrained in all the family members as opposed to the ‘I’ philosophy in our Ugandan entities.
This ideology enables these SMEs to be handed over from one generation to another, and they embrace a ‘work in progress’ approach, every member at the helm of the company gives it his best and passes it on to the next one in line.
Every family member has got a responsibility to ensure that business survives and does not collapse in his time. Nobody works to satisfy his own needs but to fulfill the ideology of the founding father.
Brand resilience: Germany SMEs build Brands not personal empires.
A brand like Schussenrieder, have survived since 1183 and today it is one of the most popular brands of beer in Bavaria Germany. Brands have the capacity to live on long after their founders but personal empires don’t.
Ugandan SMEs must embrace the registration of their trade names and endeavor to grow them with a connotation of quality and reliability, this is how Germany has built strong brands.
Technical education: University Degrees are good but to build sustainable SMEs everyone in the business must have the knowhow of the primary business the entity deals in. SMEs in Germany provide training for more than 1.2million youth constituting 89% of all trainees in the country.
Liebherr, a market leader in the manufacture of Mobile and crawler cranes has got a fully-fledged apprentice ship department on their more than 10 acre manufacturing complex, for students as young as 15 years learning to create breath taking technological breakthroughs in the engineering arena.
We need to embrace this approach in every line of business we are doing as SMEs, our young ones should be exposed to the primary business before they are elevated to management positions in the organization, and this is the sure way to create sustainable and resilient brands.
Succession Planning: Bavaria, Germany is well known for its good brands of beer and milk production.
One farmer running a modern dairy farm with 85 heads of cattle single handedly with state of the art technology, confessed that “this farm has been running in the family for the last 50 years”. He learnt the trade from his father and he was training one of his daughters to care for the animals in preparation of her taking over from her father.
Irrespective of the profession one has taken at college or University, he pays allegiance to the family trade and this way everyone is a producer in Germany, from lawyers, teachers, doctors, bankers mention it. This how Germany has managed to maintain a high GDP.
The writer is the head of SME banking at KCB Bank (U) ltd,
He holds a B.Com (MUK), PGDFM (UMI), MBA (MUK) and Candidate CFA Level II
After a humiliating 7-2 defeat by the Kampala Capital City Authority Football Club yesterday, Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Football Club Head Coach Paul Nkata has resigned.
According to sources, Sam Timbe, himself fired by Kenyan side Tusker on Monday, is tipped to replace Nkata at URA.
With the emphatic home-ground win at the KCCA Star Times Stadium, the ‘Kasasiro Boys’ now lie in second position on the table, while URA is in eighth position.
The United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has issued a security alert in respect of Tanzania, cautioning Brits to stay safe during planned anti-government protests tomorrow.
The April 26 protests have been banned by authorities even though the Tanzanian activist behind it, US – based Mange Kimambi, insists the nationwide protests will go ahead as planned.
Its foreign travel advice of April 23, cautioned against political gatherings which it said could get confrontational. It cited the recent incident where a passer-by was hit and killed by a bullet during protests.
“Political demonstrations across Tanzania are possible on April 26, 2018 (Union Day). Previous political demonstrations have resulted in fatalities and the police may use tear gas and/or live ammunition.
“You should take care, be aware of your surroundings and avoid large crowds or public demonstrations. Make sure you have a means of communication with you at all times and monitor local media for updates, the advice added.
It stressed that even though most of the estimated 75,000 British nationals who visit Tanzania annually have incident-free trips, there was an increase in criminal activities across the East African nation, hence the need to beef us personal security at all times.
The banned protests are specifically against the style of leadership of President John Pombe Magufuli, who is increasingly accused of dictatorial use of his executive powers.
Local media portals have reported arrests made by police in relation to persons associated with planning for the banned protests. Police are on record to have said they will cripple persons who defied the ban on protests.
Among other things, opposition meetings and protests are banned across the country. Those that defy are clamped down by the police. There are laws that expressly criminalize insulting or defaming the president.
Politicians have been jailed and a number of media outlets closed for breaching such laws. In the latest media clampdown, bloggers are expected to register their blogs by dishing out around $900. A situation media watchers say will affect jobs of many young people in the media.
Magufuli, who came to power in 2015 has, however, been lauded in the area of anti-corruption and public service delivery. He has fired close allies and heads of utility agencies for failure to protect public interest.
REJECTED CALLS TO STEP DOWN: South Sudan President Salva Kiir.
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir rejected calls from some opposition groups to resign as part of a deal to end the four-year civil war in the oil-producing African nation.
“They want me to sign the agreement and then step down immediately,” Kiir said Tuesday in the capital, Juba, at a gathering to mourn army chief James Ajongo, who died last week after a short illness. “What is my incentive in bringing peace if it is peace that I will bring and then I step aside? Nobody can do it.”
Eight of nine opposition and rebel groups that have been in stop-start talks with South Sudan’s government on April 14 issued a statement urging him to resign. “The people who are fighting with us have very unreasonable conditions to make peace,” Kiir said.
Conflict that erupted in December 2013 has claimed tens of thousands of lives, caused Africa’s largest refugee crisis and left parts of South Sudan on the brink of famine. A decline in crude production — the government’s almost sole source of revenue — and lower global oil prices have shattered the economy.
The eight organizations also called on Riek Machar, a former vice president and rebel leader commanding the ninth group, to hold no role in any transitional administration. Machar briefly returned as Kiir’s deputy in mid-2016 under a short-lived peace deal, before being forced to flee the country amid renewed violence.
Negotiations backed by other East African countries were due to resume in neighboring Ethiopia on April 26, but were last week postponed to a later date. Kiir, 66, has ruled South Sudan since independence from Sudan in July 2011.
Parliament has this afternoon congratulated Ugandan sports personalities who recently won medals in the just concluded Commonwealth games that took place in in Australia.
In August House chaired by Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanya, the motion was moved by Hamison Obua, (Ajuri county) who noted that the future of sports in Uganda is bright adding that investment in sports isn’t a choice rather an obligation of government and the entire nation.
“There is need to repeal the 1964 National Council of Sports law, the new law will help to solve underfunding sports.”
He called upon government to complete the high altitude training center in Sebei sub-region for the sports persons to train saying most athletes train in Kenya.
According to Obua, Namboole stadium has a master plan but until now it is incomplete, “It is supposed to host indoor arenas for various sports disciplines, why don’t we as a government complete that structure?” he asked.
Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah noted that, Ugandan National Anthem will be sung in every capital where games will be held if we put the resources together. He lauded all sports personalities who scooped medals on top of those all that failed.
On taking the floor, Dokolo Woman MP Cecilia Ogwal implored government to reflect on promises that are always made, create a database of all Ugandan heroes. “I would like all those who played a role in the field of sports to be recognized too, she wondered why we always focus on success and forget its basis?” she added.
In his submission, Ayivu MP Bernard Atiku said this government needs to put its act together, where you have made pledges, fulfill them. “The Minister should stop chest thumping, athletes did not get support before the games.” he added.
The Five Participants who scooped six medals include: Joshua Cheptegei (two gold medals), Stella Chelangat (gold), Solomon Mutai secured silver, Mercyline Chelangat (bronze) and Juma Miiro (bronze).
90 per cent of Ugandans want to criticize President Yoweri Museveni.
A substantial majority of 9 out of 10 Ugandans or 90 per cent of the citizens sampled in a recent survey say they believe it is their right to criticize the President for making bad decisions and not listening to advice.
These findings of the report were released by Twaweza in a research brief titled Frankly Speaking: Ugandans’ opinions and experiences of information and the media.
The brief is based on data from Sauti za Wananchi, Africa’s first nationally representative high-frequency mobile phone survey. The findings are based on data collected from 1,980 respondents across Uganda in November 2017.
The survey also shows that 85 per cent of the respondents believe it is their right to criticize the government for making bad decisions whereas 87 per cent of the respondents say it is their right to criticize their Member of Parliament (MP) for being lazy. 89 per cent said they would also criticize their MPs for not caring about constituents (89 per cent).
A large majority (78 per cent) believe that criticism is constructive, helping government to correct mistakes (78 per cent) while 72 per cent think it makes the country stronger.
The survey further shows that 6 out of 10 respondents think the media should have the right to publish any views and ideas without government control, 68 per cent think that radio and television stations should be free to produce their own news programs whereas 72 per cent of the respondents think that the news media should investigate and report on government mistakes and corruption.
Additionally citizens have an active culture of seeking information, at least from some government institutions. In the past three months before November 2017, the majority of citizens sought information from public health facilities (87 per cent), public schools (79 per cent), and village or Local Council I offices (62 per cent).
A significant minority also demand information from water suppliers (31 per cent), government offices (27 per cent) and political parties (23 per cent).
“It should be noted, however, that most of these requests are for information about services, rather than more sensitive information about staff¬ing, budgets and other resources,” reads part of the survey report.
Furthermore most Ugandans believe in their right to government information – three out of four say it should only be restricted for national security reasons (71 per cent). Ugandans also have faith in government institutions’ responsiveness; more than 4 out of 10 believe that if they ask they will get the following information: district development plans and budgets from their local authority (41 per cent), details of how to report wrongdoing in government (48 per cent), and how much capitation grant their school had received (50 per cent).
However, the report says, the reality often does match citizens’ democratic aspirations. Most citizens do feel free to criticize leaders and institutions closer to them such as Local Council V Chairs (56 per cent), their MP (59 per cent), their Local Council III Chair (64 per cent) and their village or street chairs (68 per cent).
But citizens are unsure about criticizing national leaders including the President (44 per cent), the Vice President (45 per cent) and the Prime Minister (46 per cent).
And although citizens support media freedom and seek government information, they have very low levels of trust in all sources of information – from the media or that provided by government officials and leaders. No information source is trusted completely by the majority of Ugandans, from Local Council 1 Chairs (45 per cent completely trust their information), the President (34 per cent), or MPs from the ruling party (26 per cent) or the opposition (22 per cent), to radio (48 per cent), public meetings (39 per cent), people they know well (34 per cent), or social media (12 per cent).
Dr. Mary Goretti Nakabugo
Furthermore, almost all citizens are unaware of laws that govern their information and communication rights including the Uganda Communications Commission Act (2013) (3 per cent), the Computer Misuse Act (3 per cent) and the Access to Information Act (2005) and its regulations (1 per cent).
Similarly, few citizens are aware of government platforms to proactively provide information to citizens and to seek their feedback including their experiences and opinions. Very few have ever heard of “Barazas” (community-based forums) (6 per cent), the budget information website (4 per cent) or the Ask Your Government platform (3 per cent). Nonetheless 1 out of 50 citizens (3 per cent) say they have participated in the local forums (Barazas).
However, it is encouraging to note that citizens are well documented and identifiable in government systems: 90 per cent have national ID cards, 66 per cent have voter ID cards, and 56 per cent have birth certificates while far fewer have passports (4 per cent) and driving licenses (5 per cent). There are fairly small variations between demographic groups and no clear patterns that advantage specific groups.
Marie Nanyanzi, Sauti za Wananchi Officer at Twaweza, said: “On the positive side there is a fairly active culture of citizens seeking information from government offices and institutions, and of government responding to those requests.
Citizens also support free expression for the media and themselves and see healthy debate and different opinions as constructive, providing support for government.
On the other hand, citizens express low trust for all information they might receive publicly, are not confident of their own personal freedom to criticize and are less likely to seek sensitive information around resources.”
Dr. Mary Goretti Nakabugo Country Lead in Uganda for Twaweza, said: “Citizens’ opinions on access to information and free expression present a challenging outlook for citizen agency. With low levels of trust and the feeling that they are not free to express themselves fully, citizens cannot be expected to participate actively in government processes and projects.”
She however said there was “some cause for optimism in terms of Barazas where millions have been reached by this government feedback and sharing platform. And similarly, the prevalence of identification documents means that citizens are ‘visible’ in the system. Documenting citizens is a first and critical step in ensuring their participation and in delivering better services.”
