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Cranes players to earn Shs1m every month

By
Our Reporter
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The Press Conference at which Eng. magogo announced the Cranes pay of Shs1 million a month

Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) President Engineer Moses Magogo held a press conference today afternoon at Mengo, Kampala, the first conference since the return of the Cranes team from the CHAN tournament in Morocco.

During the conference Magogo was joined by Cranes coach Sebastien Desabre, the federation’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Edgar Watson and FUFA communications manager Ahmed Hussein.

“I thank the Uganda Cranes players and coach Sebastien Desabre and the technical team for representing us at CHAN,” he said, adding that fifty Cranes players will each start receiving salary of one million Ugandan shillings every month.

The funds will come from the new released government supplementary budget of Shs4.3bn for football plus the money received from CAF for participation in the CHAN tournament.

Ali Mwebe, the new director of football development

Meanwhile, Ali Mwebe has been appointed the new Football Development Director and will be assisted by Bashir Mutyaba.

FUFA CEO Edgar Watson confirmed the appointment during the press conference.

Mwebe replaces Asuman Lubowa who retired from his position after nine years of service.

The Federation will also organise another football symposium on March 10 targeting the technical development of the game in the country.

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Spice Diana’s result’s ‘break’ the internet!

By
Isaiah Mwebaze
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CAME UNDER FIRE: Singer Spice Diana

Recently social media has been awash with countless posts depicting the results of a one Hajjara Namukwaya aka Spice Diana, starting from her senior one to her senior six finals.

This was after the local artiste and celebrity mistakenly told NTV’s ‘Mwasuzzemutya’ host Faridah Nakazibwe that she scored ‘32 points’ at A-Level despite 24 points being the highest level of achievement at that level.

Although she took time out to correct her mistake towards the end of the show, blaming a work overload and stress arising from the loss of her fellow musician Moses Sekibogo aka Mowzey Radio, the damage had been done.

And this did not stop the internet trolls from having their way with what was later to turn out as Spice Diana’s grievous error. Consequently, social media users, influencers and some artistes took to their various platforms to criticize her, with some even going the extra mile to make the most of it by producing and rediting videos depicting her in bad light.

Alex Muhangi‏ @AlexMuhangi Feb 11

If ur going through a tough time in ur life right now, just remember that Spice Diana got 32 points at A-level & thinks she was the best.

MainMan  🏾‏ @kabderrick Feb 11

More

Spice Diana can write on the 98th page of a 96 page exercise book..

Atemele 🌻‏ @Apple_Shapple Feb 11

More

I’m still wondering how @fsnakazibwe kept a straight face while Spice Diana was discussing her 32 aggregates in UACE and that second grade. @ntvuganda give her a medal for professionalism. How did she not laugh?

However, to absolve herself of the impressions she created in people’s minds, the ‘Anti Kale’ star further ‘released’ what she claims are her official PLE, UCE and UACE results. But this only served to fuel the fire when more people used the new material to prove her ‘mediocrity’ and even question the validity of her acceptance into the prestigious Makerere University, from where she graduated this January.

Anyhow, Spice Diana is not the first celebrity and nor will she be the last to experience such backlash from society due to their linguistic shortcomings!  Eddy Kenzo and Lubaga North MP Kato Lubwama are no exceptions to such criticisms, having been in the line of fire themselves several times before due to their evident limitations in the English language.

However, whilst Kenzo and Kato Lubwama might bear the brunt of most illiterate jokes, they have never been under public scrutiny to prove their educational achievements, unlike Spice Diana, who previously took to social media to celebrate her graduation with fans and well-wishers, inadvertently setting a bar/standard by which the public will judge her.

Nonetheless, Spice Diana lives to perform another day and despite countless efforts by critics and trolls to question, ridicule and discredit the authenticity of her results, Spice Diana still remains a graduate and given her sudden rise in fame, the sky is the limit for this young lady as she continues to take over the music industry, one hit at a time.

That said, the magnitude of her mishap was so widely spread and some are beginning to wonder if it was actually intended as publicity stunt …Anti Kale!

 

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Entebbe residents up in arms against ‘offensive’ ad by funeral services provider

By
Our Reporter
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The 'offensive' advertisement at the Entebbe General Hospital

Entebbe residents have raised concerns over the inclusion of a poster signaling Rhino Funeral Services just on the same signpost with the one of Entebbe General Hospital.

According to the residents, the presence of the Rhino Funeral Service advertisement has psychologically affected lives of patients admitted to the hospital.

‘Putting that advert near the hospital shows that the hospital is not committed to offers services, instead they are aiming at generating profits out of misery’, the residents indicated.

They add: ‘Such unethical practices happen only in Uganda where the ministry dispatches medicines to healthy facilities where it is not required’.

By press time this website had failed to get the Minister for Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng to comment on the matter after she declined to answer our calls.

Similarly, officials of Rhino Funeral Services were unavailable for comment.

Established way back in 1970s during Iddi Amin’s regime, the Entebbe General Hospital is one of the healthy facilities that offers quality services.

 

 

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EALA commences on-spot tour of region

By
George Mangula
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EALA legislators pose for a group photo

East African (EALA) legislators have hit the road on a mission to assess progress on the institutions, installations and facilities of the bloc.

The on-spot assessment comprising two groups commenced on Feb 12 and runs up until Feb 23, 2018, with Ugandan legislator Mathias Kasamba leading the group that is touring the Northern corridor which stretches from the Mombasa port through Nairobi, Kampala and Kigali.

The second group is touring the Central Corridor and it also runs concurrently from Dar es Salaam through to Bujumbura and eventually Kigali.

The on-spot assessment on the Northern Corridor covers Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), and border visits to Holili-Taveta Border and at the Namanga One Stop Border Post. The team will briefly tour Moshi, Tanzania then return via Namanga to inspect the Athi River Weigh Bridge before travelling by road to Kisumu where it will visit the Lake Victoria Basin Commission for meetings with stakeholders.

The delegation then detours westwards to the Malaba One Stop Border Post and then to Uganda where legislators intend to meet with key stakeholders of the various EAC institutions including the East African Development Bank (EADB), the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) and the Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Organisation (CASSOA). Thereafter, EALA travels westwards by road to Mbarara and Kabale to meet with stakeholders at Gatuna/Katuna border before entering Rwanda. While in Kigali, the team will meet the East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO).

The Members on the Central Corridor circuit will interact with the EAC Kiswahili Commission in Zanzibar as well as visit the Tanzania Ports Authority in Dar es Salaam before proceeding to Dodoma where they will meet with top government officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation. The delegation then proceeds to Morogoro and Singida. It will inspect the Vigwaza weigh bridge and the Isaka dry port before proceeding to the Kabanga/Kobero One Stop Border Post. In Burundi, the Members will interact with officials at the East African Health and Research Commission, visit Akanyaru/ Kanyaru border post, the Rusumo One Stop Border Post and the Rusumo Hydro Electro Power.

Both teams shall then convene in Kigali, Rwanda, for a wrap-up of the two-week tour. The tour is important for the region for the Members to appreciate the operations of EAC Institutions and Authorities/Agencies that provide services, create awareness among the Members on the gains and challenges of integration.

‘The tour also intends to inform the citizens of East Africa on the role of EALA in the integration process and for us to receive requisite feedback and recommendations from the citizens on their perception of the integration efforts so far. Such efforts will inform our mode of work and better equip us to legislate and to provide oversight’ a statement by EALA indicates.

 

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BAT revenues soar to over Shs140b

By
George Mangula
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Displayed samples of packets of cigarettes.

British American Tobacco subsidiary BAT (U) had its gross revenue grow by eight percent last year, the company says in its audited statement for the year ended December 31, 2017.

The eight percent growth meant that gross revenue rose to Shs149.7b from Shs138.4b in 2016 and, according to the financial statement, the rise was a result of increase in the prices of tobacco products in the second half of 2017.

The company also reports that profit after tax rose by 55 percent to Shs12.08b in 2017 from Shs7.8b in 2016. The company attributes the increase to price increases and lower operating costs.

“Operating margin improved significantly from 17.2 percent to 25.5 percent during the year the year, reflecting growth in profitability and lower operating costs,” the financial statement signed on February 14 by the Company Secretary Nicholas Ecimu says.

Meanwhile, the Board of Directors has recommended a final of Shs246 per share to be presented for approval at the Annual General Meeting in May 2018. “If approved, the dividend which is subject to withholding tax will be paid to shareholders on June 21, 2018.

The company however says that the enactment of the Excise Duty (Amendment) Act 2017 caused challenges presented by different rates for locally manufactured products and those products imported from East Africa Community member states.

‘The steep and discriminatory excise increase has not only given our competitors an unfair advantage over our products, but threatens our viability by rendering our products uncompetitive’, the company indicates.

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Uganda tops Africa’s coffee exporters – UCDA

By
George Mangula
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Ugandan men picking ripe coffee berries. Uganda is Africa's leading coffee exporter

As Uganda hosts the 16th African Fine Coffee Conference in Kampala from February 14-16, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) has stated that 42 percent of Ugandan households grow the country’s number one foreign exchange earner.

UCDA says the 1.8 million Ugandan households that grow coffee make Uganda the number one exporter of the crop on the African continent even as Ethiopia is the continent’s largest producer that consumes most of its produce domestically.

Uganda, the birth place of Robusta coffee, also grows Arabica coffee and according to UCDA, is the eighth largest producer of coffee globally. The country exported 4.6 60kg bags in coffee year 2016/17, earning US$545m in the same period, which was 20 percent of the total foreign exchange earnings.

According to UCDA there is approximately 353,907 Ha of land under coffee production with Robusta occupying 80 percent and 20 percent planted with Arabica. UCDA says about 111.000 ha of land is available for coffee production in the north, west, east and central Uganda.

UCDA says that coffee in Okoro from the West Nile mountain ranges is characterized by a strong body and medium acidity while Kisoro coffee from Mt. Muhabura provides a unique floral flavor. Coffee in Bugisu comes from Mt. Elgon and is reminiscent of the fine taste that is the characteristic of the East African Arabicas.

On the other hand, highland natural Robusta is renowned for its soft and sweet flavor while Drugar coffee is from the slopes of Mt. Rwenzori.

UCDA says that joint ventures and concessions if utilized could unlock further opportunities in coffee production as middle-class land owners and institutions that own land want to make productive use of the land

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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URA gives fraudsters 90-day deadline to verify business records

By
George Mangula
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URA Commissioner General Doris Akol

As one of the measures to collect more taxes, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has given tax payers with fake VAT invoices a grace period of 90 days to rectify their records and correct any other anomalies in VAT returns, failure to do that will lead to prosecution.

Patrick Mukiibi, the Commissioner Tax Investigations, said a cross section of VAT registered taxpayers obtain fake invoices, which they incorporate in their business purchases to reduce tax payments. “The forged invoices are generated to portray a business transaction which is not genuine. In reality, there is no supply or movement of goods and services,” he says.

Mukiibi says URA has launched an investigation into this kind fraud and urged taxpayers to pay monthly VAT payments to URA before 15th of every month.

URA is mandated to collect all taxes in Uganda and for the financial year 2017/18, the agency was tasked to collect just over Shs15 trillion, latest records show it has failed to achieve monthly targets.

 

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Israel PM Netanyahu faces corruption charges

By
Agencies
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Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli police say that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be charged over alleged bribery cases.
A police statement said there was enough evidence to indict Mr Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in two separate cases.
Speaking on Israeli television, Mr Netanyahu said the allegations were baseless and that he would continue as prime minister.
The allegations, he said, “will end with nothing”.
What are the allegations?
One case centres on an allegation that Mr Netanyahu asked the publisher of an Israeli newspaper, Yediot Aharonot, for positive coverage in exchange for help in reining in a rival publication.
Police said the editor of Yediot Aharonot, Arnon Mozes, should also face charges.
 Is this game over for Netanyahu?
 Netanyahu: The commando turned PM
The second allegation centres on a claim that Mr Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister since 2009, received gifts worth at least a million shekels ($283,000; £204,000) from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and other supporters.
The Jerusalem Post says the gifts included champagne and cigars, and were given in exchange for help getting Mr Milchan a US visa.
Mr Milchan, the producer of films including Fight Club, Gone Girl and The Revenant, should face bribery charges, police said.
The police statement said that Mr Netanyahu, after receiving gifts, pushed for the Milchan Law, which would have ensured that Israelis who return to live in Israel from abroad were exempt from paying taxes for 10 years.
The proposal was eventually blocked by the finance ministry.
Police say Mr Netanyahu is also suspected of fraud and breach of trust in a case involving Australian billionaire James Packer.
Israel’s Channel 10 reported in December that Mr Packer told investigators he gave the prime minister and his wife Sara gifts.
Israeli media say Mr Netanyahu has been questioned by investigators at least seven times.
What happens now?
A final decision on whether Mr Netanyahu should face charges will come down to the attorney general’s office. A decision could take months to reach.
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said any prime minister who has been charged should not be obliged to resign.
Speaking on Israeli television, Mr Netanyahu said he would continue in his role.
The next legislative elections are scheduled for November 2019. Mr Netanyahu heads a fragile coalition, but on television, he appeared confident the allegations would not spur new elections.
How has Mr Netanyahu responded?
“Over the years, I have been the subject of at least 15 enquiries and investigations,” he said in his TV address.
“Some have ended with thunderous police recommendations like those of tonight. All of those attempts resulted in nothing, and this time again they will come to nothing.”
The 68-year-old is in his second stint as prime minister, and has served in the role for a total of 12 years.
He has faced a number of allegations in his time in office.
After his first term as prime minister two decades ago, police recommended that he and Sara face criminal charges for keeping official gifts that should have been handed over to the state. The charges were later dropped.
In July 2015, the couple was accused of charging the government for the services of a contractor who did private work for them. The charges were later dropped.

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More senior police officers arrested

By
Our Reporter
-
WHAT NEXT: Siraje Bakaleke

Professional Standard Unit of the Uganda police has arrested their own senior officers over allegation corruption.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Siraje Bakaleke has been arrested in crackdown on errant and corrupt officers.
Bakaleke is the Kampala South Regional police commander and is detained alongside Assistant Superintendent of Police Munerezo, the officer in charge of crime intelligence at Katwe police station, who doubles as an investigating officer, ASP George Kayongo an operative, Police Constable Kenneth Ziritusa an operative and Patrick Ochen also an operative. Bakaleke has been under investigation for deploying Kaweesi’s bodyguards to protect city socialite Bryan White.
Bakaleke is the current commander of Kampala Metropolitan South which is under the Directorate of Kampala Metropolitan police headed by Commissioner of Police Frank Mwesigwa who reports directly to Inspector General of Police Gen. Kale Kayihura.
Bakaleke’s arrest come at the time when IGP, made changes that has seen Assistant Inspector General of Police, Haruna Isabirye appointed as Director Human Resource Development while his blue eyed boy AIGP, Lemmy Twinomugisha transferred from parliament police to Director Welfare and Production. He has been replaced at parliament by Superintendent of Police (SP) Anabera Nyamiro.

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ANC orders Zuma to step down as South African president

By
Agencies
-
President Jacob Zuma

South Africa’s ruling party ordered Jacob Zuma on Tuesday to step down as head of state after marathon talks over the fate of a leader whose scandal-plagued years in power darkened and divided Nelson Mandela’s post-apartheid ‘Rainbow Nation’.
Leading members of the African National Congress now want new party leader Cyril Ramaphosa to replace Zuma as president, ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule told a news conference.
But the party’s national executive was split on precisely when Zuma should go, Magashule added, leaving the president’s immediate fate still hanging in the balance.
There was no word from Zuma or his spokesman but Magashule said the president had promised to respond to the order by Wednesday. The rand weakened, with traders blaming uncertainty caused by the lack of a clear timetable.
Magashule said he had met Zuma personally to pass on the decision. “We haven’t given him any deadline to respond,” he said. “The organization expects him to go.”
Zuma had asked the party to give him a notice period of three to six months but that had been rejected, Magashule said. “Timelines? No. The NEC believes that this is an urgent matter so it should be treated with urgency,” he said.
BORROWED TIME
Zuma has been living on borrowed time since Ramaphosa, a union leader and lawyer once tipped as Mandela’s pick to take over the reins, was elected as head of the 106-year-old ANC in December.
Ramaphosa narrowly defeated Zuma’s ex-wife and preferred successor, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, in the leadership vote, forcing him to tread carefully in handling Zuma for fear of deepening rifts in the party a year ahead of an election.
Despite the damning decision to order Zuma’s “recall” – party speak for ‘removal from office’ – domestic media said the 75-year-old might yet defy the party’s wishes, forcing it into the indignity of having to unseat him in parliament.
South Africa’s economy has stagnated during Zuma’s nine-year tenure, with banks and mining companies reluctant to invest because of policy uncertainty and rampant corruption.
But since mid-November when Ramaphosa emerged as a real ANC leadership prospect, economic confidence has started to pick up. The rand – a telling barometer of Zuma’s fortunes – has gained more than 15 percent against the dollar over that period.
Since becoming president in 2009, Zuma has been dogged by scandal. He is fighting the reinstatement of 783 counts of corruption over a 30 billion-rand (now $2.5 billion) government arms deal arranged in the late 1990s when he was deputy president.
Some within the ANC and the opposition say the Gupta family, friends of Zuma, have used their links with the president to win state contracts and influence cabinet appointments. The Guptas and Zuma have denied any wrongdoing.

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