Parliament has issued an ultimatum to the Ministry of Local Government to issue a statement on the floor of the house, to explain why government continues to squeeze taxi operators with bogus taxes.
The matter came up after Kira Municipality Member of Parliament, Ibrahim Ssemujju rose on matter of national importance, expressing concerns the new circular issued by Ministry of Local Government.
In the new circular, regarding Management of Taxi Parks, the Ministry has ordered all Municipalities across the country to start charging Shs80, 000 on each taxi per month.
But Ssemujju questioned motive behind the new orders, saying that already, taxi operators are paying Shs120, 000 per month to KCCA.
The Opposition Chief Whip decried the new charges, saying they are bound to push the taxi operators out of business.
Speaker, Rebecca Kadaga backed Ssemujju, reminding the legislators of a petition received by Parliament last week over the high charges.
She noted, “I received petition we are really squeezing them out of business.”
In their earlier petition, the tax operators protested what they termed over taxation, with government forcing the taxi owners to cough out Shs28, 000 per seat annually.
They argued that the matter has been worsened by the proposed Shs103,000 they are forced to pay in ongoing vehicle inspection, after every six months, saying although the move are welcomes, they need the fees to be revised.
The Minister of Local Government, Tom Butime has been ordered to come and explain the basis upon which he reached to issue such orders.
Julius Kabugo has agreed to voluntarily resign as the KCCA FC chairman with effect from August 1.
During his time as the chairman, KCCA have managed to win their first ever domestic double plus winning back-to-back league titles.
The statement released today afternoon on the KCCA FC Club website:
It’s with great humility that I notify you of my resignation from the position of Chairman of KCCA FC with effect from 1st August 2017.
It’s been a great honour and privilege for me and my family to lead the biggest club in Uganda for the past two years, and I am grateful to God for all the success the team has registered on and off the pitch. Winning six trophies in two years is no small feat! I want to thank the team at the club that I have worked with for the exceptional teamwork both on and off the pitch.
Their tireless efforts have enabled us to turn our club into one of the respected brands on the African continent. Thank you so much for all the sacrifice and the brilliant ideas that you initiated and implemented.
I am also grateful to our fans for the unwavering support over the years. They can now bask in the glory of having all the bragging rights. They certainly deserve their moment in the sun. I salute the fans for standing by the club at all times.
Special appreciation also goes to my bosses at KCCA, the Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Semakula Musisi and His Worship the Lord Mayor of Kampala Hajji Erias Lukwago. Both have accorded me overwhelming support and guidance during my period at the helm of KCCA FC. They gave my team a reason to perform beyond expectations. Thank you so much.
I also extend my heartfelt gratitude to our Sponsors for trusting us with your brands! We have over the years worked so hard to make sure that we match your expectations and we are grateful that we have only received positive feedback from you.
We can only promise so much more in the years to come. I would also want to thank my family, especially my wife, for the support. You have been that very strong pillar that I ever needed. Football is a very consuming responsibility, but the support and encouragement you have given me has been tremendous! Thank you.
I have taken the decision to step down from the position of Chairman KCCA FC because of the work and personal commitments that are increasingly making it hard for me to give my all. I am, however, quite certain that the capacity we have built among ourselves presents a great opportunity to take our club to greater heights.
If I had any doubts in the capacity of the team I have been working with, I wouldn’t have considered this decision at all! I am leaving at a time when our club is in great shape. We are truly in a take off stage, ready to exploit the several opportunities teeming out there.
I therefore urge the fans and everyone associated with our club to accord the new Chairman all the support! I will continue to offer myself whenever called upon to advise and contribute in any way possible for the good of our club.
I thank everyone that has partnered with us in the past two years and beyond. The sheer hard work, commitment and passion of many of you has constantly amazed me. I urge you to continue in the same vein as we enjoy the best times of our club, which are ahead of us.
By embracing the new leadership of our club, we shall unwittingly embrace a bright future and we shall continue to scale the heights because of the capacity we have built.
MAIN CELEBRANT OF PARLIAMENT WEEK: Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga
A team from the Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) has petitioned Parliament, urging the legislative body to make amendments to the 1964 Red Cross Act that they say is now stale.
Subsequently, in a communiqué to the House, the Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga informed MPs of the petition, saying the new amendments need to be undertaken so as incorporate current changes like disaster preparedness, which isn’t catered for in the Act.
Additionally, the URCS also wants the Good Samaritan Law, as well as the Disaster Preparedness Commission enacted so as to improve efforts in combating disaster-related challenges.
URCS PATRON: President Yoweri Museveni
The Red Cross, whose Patron is President Yoweri Museveni, also took a swipe at government for withholding the Shs200b it used to send to the Society, saying the taps have since closed.
Now, they want Parliament to prevail over the Executive so that these funds are renewed.
TO PETITION UHRC: MP Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine with his supporter Patrick Sande who was tortured by Police
Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine says he is to petition the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) over the torture of his supporters.
The brutal arrest of supporters of MP Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine
He revealed the plan when he met one of his supporters, Patrick Sande who was tortured last week by police as he protested the singer’s arrest just before the then candidate was supposed to address a rally at Kasangati Saza Grounds.
MP Kyagulanyi says that the brutal arrest of Sande resulted in severe injuries that even affected his urinary system.
“This morning, I had an interaction with Sande Patrick one of the many supporters who were tortured by Police live on TV on the 29th of June at Kasangati resort centre during the Kyadondo East by-election. Patrick was roughed up, assaulted and kicked so hard that his manhood was destroyed and up to now he is still passing blood although he is undergoing intense treatment,” Bobi Wine said.
“Since we cannot report the injustice to the perpetrators, we intend to petition Uganda Human Rights Commissions for redress. This kind of impunity must stop,” he added.
'GHETTO FIRST COUPLE': MP-elect Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine and his wife Barbie Kyagulanyi head to the swearing-in ceremony.
Kyadondo East Member of Parliament Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, while sharing his first experience in Parliament as an MP, urged his supporters not “to look back for it is just the beginning.”
Speaking to thousands of supporters that turned up at Ssaza Grounds, Kasangati for his victory party, Bobi Wine told the excited crowds that getting he realized that power belongs to the people and not in Parliament.
“The first time I entered in Parliament was when I was as a pupil in my P1 in 1989. I returned to the same house as a big man. Allow me tell you what I found there. Power doesn’t belong to the people there (Parliament). It belongs to you, the people. It’s you with power and MPs can only do things that you tell them to. I wouldn’t be here with you if it weren’t people power. I would be in jail. The reason I am saying all this is because of people power. They can’t touch me because they fear you,” the musician-turned-politician said amidst cheers and wild ululations.
He added: “Let me tell you this; the people you fear are the people who fear you most. The only way they have managed to make you (youths) fear them is by making you drunk. It’s only in Uganda that you can get drunk at just Shs500.”
However, he maintained his message was not aimed at inciting violence or criminality.
“I am not here to incite violence or criminality but I am here to awaken the fearless spirit within you……..So that even if I died or was jailed, there would be thousands of Bobi Wines out there to carry on with what we have started…….I know this is not a simple task. I am going to Parliament as someone who already made some money but they might end up making me poor.
“They might kill me because of my views but I am prepared for this for as long as the future generations can live in a better Uganda.”
After years of anticipation, this July Africa is finally getting a glimpse into the life of Bonang Matheba – one of Africa’s most sought after media personalities – and who is widely regarded as one of the most elusive superstars around.
For a very longest time, fans have yearned for a deeper look into the life of the woman they so much adore, and now VUZU AMP is giving her admirers an exclusive look into her exciting life in the reality series ‘Being Bonang’.
The show will feature Bonang in her day-to-day business interactions alongside manager Jay Badza, snippets of her romance with AKA, her very close bond with her mom, the interwoven and often exhilarating relationship with her cousin Tebogo “Pinky Girl” Mekgwe and the good times with her friend Lorna Maseko.
The production will also highlight how the now, more well-rounded and successful Bonang has transcended her ‘it girl’ status, with a successful radio show, massive public persona and thriving MC career.
“Viewers will see her outright versatility: juggling business success with family, romance, and all out stardom, and for the first time DStv customers will get to see Bonang the daughter, the entrepreneur, the lover, and the confidant,” a Manager at the station said.
Being Bonang premieres on Vuzu Amp this Friday at 19:30 CAT with a repeat on Monday at 22:30 CAT.
OWINO: Buyers sift through heaps of second-hand clothes in Owino Market
Today a public hearing is to take place at the United States Trade Representative (USTR) headquarters in Washington D.C. to help reach a decision on whether Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania should be penalized for a proposal to ban secondhand clothing and footwear imports from the US.
Kenya managed to reverse the decision having received information that the country would lose its textiles/garments market in the US as provided by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) that the US launched to allow a few African countries export mostly finished textiles products to the US, duty-free.
It isn’t clear if the three dissenting countries have sent observers to witness the proceedings in Washington, and this reporter failed to get any Uganda government bureaucrat willing to speak authoritatively on the issue.
WARNED OF REVIEW: US Ambassador to Uganda Deborah Malac
However, in the past the US Ambassador to Uganda Deborah R. Malac had warned that Uganda would face AGOA assessment in September this year.
But analysts say Uganda and her two neighbours could be deleted from the list of African countries allowed to export to the US market on a duty/quota-free basis, AGOA.
In March 2016, the EAC presidents agreed to limit secondhand clothings’ importation as one way to support domestic textiles and garment industries, and suggesting a complete ban in the year 2019.
In his 2017/18 budget speech, President Yoweri Museveni said time had come for Uganda to produce its own garments, briefly exhibiting some clothings, shoes and sandals, he said had been manufactured by the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF).
Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania argue that the continued importation of secondhand garments hinders the countries from developing local clothing/foot wear industries, which would further provide jobs to their nationals.
America’s decision to call for public hearing is a result of American firms exerting pressure on government to convince the East African governments to reverse their decision. American companies export most of secondhand clothing to East Africa, and claim that the restrictions cause economic hardship on the US used clothes industry.
The out-of-cycle review will assess the allegations contained within the SMART petition and review whether Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda are adhering to AGOA’s eligibility requirements.
In 2016, various Kenyan companies, especially in the textiles and garment sector, exported nearly USD 400 million of merchandise, while combined AGOA exports from Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda to the US totaled only US$D43 million in 2016, up from USD33 million in 2015. On the other hand, US exports to Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda totaled USD281 million in 2016, up from USD257 million in 2015.
Last month, the USTR agreed to handle the issue and announced the beginning of an out-of-cycle review of the eligibility of Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda to receive benefits under AGOA.
To qualify for AGOA trade benefits, countries like Uganda must among others meet certain statutory eligibility requirements such as making continual progress toward establishing market-based economies, the rule of law, political pluralism and elimination of barriers to U.S. trade and investment.
However, African countries say they have not fully benefited from the AGOA arrangements due to terms and are hoping that the US would soften on legislation.
TO REUNITE: MC Esco and Deyonce in the US last year
Of the seven NTV’s employees that went to US for the UNAA convention last year, two never returned. Surprisingly, NTV Xposed presenter, MC Esco whom many thought would never return was among those that made it back to the ‘Matooke Republic’.
In fact it is said that on arrival to the US, Esco went directly to the home of his cougar, a US-based Ugandan socialite and ‘Kyeyo’ lady popularly known as Deyonce, and rarely showed up at the venue where the UNAA convention was taking place. This raised doubt as to whether Esco would return to Uganda.
However, he finally returned and was back to his longtime girlfriend, Club Amnesia’s PR and Galaxy FM presenter, Hasifa Nabbanja aka Haffy Powers.
But now we have learned he that Esco will again be reunited with Deyonce this year after having secured his US visa last week, and the US-based cougar has already lined him up as a host for her Birthday Party set to be held in Miami.
This comes at a time when word has it that Esco and Haffy’s love is on the rocks.
When we keep quiet, these ‘fat cats’ think all Ugandans are stupid and can’t judge for themselves.
Early this year, Ugandans woke up to shocking news that DFCU had by order of Bank of Uganda (BOU) taken over Crane Bank. No one knows for how much?
It was the 3rd biggest indigenous bank in Uganda with over 44 branches countrywide, employing over 700 workers. But its sale was akin to how someone would sell a goat.
Sunday Vision reported that Sudhir must now refund UGX400bn, six months after the Bank was sold! But how much was Crane Bank sold to DFCU? How much did Crane Bank demand from the people who had borrowed from it?
We understand people who are very close to State House had borrowed money to the tune of over UGX 300bn.
In my post I am quoting Sunday Vision, BOU alleges that Sudhir concealed fraudulent transactions and deceived BOU. BOU has an independent department called ‘Supervision’ headed by Justin Bagyenda, I hear a respected lady in the banking industry. Her primary duty is to oversee operations of all local banks. She has been Executive Director Supervision from 2015 up to today.
The law allows BOU to carry out impromptu audits and every after six months, they would visit all Crane Bank branches and do the same.
Now this takes me to again Sunday Vision where they allege Sudhir did not remit workers savings between 2007 to 2016 amounting to UGX 52bn. Surely, someone in NSSF must answer for this? How can savings of over 700 staff not be remitted for 9 years without a red flag?!!
Sunday Vision again; BOU does not mention the Managing Director for Crane Bank, Operation Managers, basically the top management brass for Crane Bank anywhere. Their focus is Sudhir in his personal capacity, why? Was Crane Bank a brief case company for Sudhir? BOU should go for the former Crane Bank board or management.
We all know Sudhir is one of the directors of Crane Bank but all my friends who I have talked to, who borrowed money from Crane Bank say there were systems in place. You did not need Sudhir to secure a loan from Crane Bank. What the public is interested in knowing is why dBOU doesn’t mention the management staff or the other board members?
If all this is true, then this is the biggest cover-up in the banking history of Uganda and BOU particularly the Governor and the Director Supervision must have been involved. In developed countries, BOU’s role should have been involved already.
What surprises everyone though, is other than BOU and its external lawyers, no one is complaining.
Nevertheless, these top BOU officials must resign within the next 30 days or we are going to petition court to halt this scandal.
Is there a cartel fighting Sudhir or it’s another day for BOU external lawyers to eat money? When you closed the bank, do not think Sudhir as a person was more affected as Ugandans who worked there.
How can someone who has never run a mobile money booth recommend the closure of a bank? It’s in Uganda where you find a veterinary officer without a rabbit advising cattle farmers.
As Sisimuka Uganda, we have been contacted by hundreds of people not to take this issue lightly and we have decided to involve our lawyers to drag BOU to court for issuance of certificates of incompetence to these officials so that other public officers can learn from it.
Do you remember when Allen Kagina went to Parliament recently and apologized for loss of billions of taxpayers’ money and nothing was done?
Are you willing to join us as we smoke out these ‘fat cats’.
The writer, who sought anonymity, is a member of advocacy group Sisimuka Uganda
David Shearer, the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS
South Sudan government forces have launched an offensive against a rebel stronghold in the north of the country, forcing over five thousand people to flee to Ethiopia, the UN has said.
David Shearer, head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), described ‘heavy fighting’ and an ‘extremely worrying’ situation around the town of Pagak, in Upper Nile region, over the past week, forcing civilians and aid workers to flee.
Speaking in the capital, Juba, Shearer said 5 000 civilians “from the area north of Pagak” have so far crossed the border into Ethiopia to escape the government offensive while “at least 25 aid workers have been forced to relocate from Pagak and surrounding areas due to increased insecurity.”
South Sudan’s civil war began in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy, Riek Machar, of plotting a coup. Tens of thousands have been killed and millions forced from their homes in the years since as a series of peace deals have been abandoned.
Machar was forced into exile in South Africa last year but Pagak has remained a military stronghold for his loyalists and the headquarters of his rebellion.
Shearer called for both parties to stop the fighting, insisting there is no military solution to the conflict.
