TAX EVASION? The Ferrari SK Mbuga reportedly brought in fraudulently
Showy city socialite, Sulaiman Kabangala (SK) Mbuga, went on rampage last week, venting out his anger at the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), claiming the tax body refused to clear his car despite paying all his dues.
Mbuga claimed to have paid URA Shs163million in taxes for clearing his Ferrari but according to URA, the flamboyant socialite had intended to fraudulently bring in the car.
According to URA, Mbuga was importing a junk car and paid less tax for it.
“Mr. Mbuga Sulaiman imported a Ferrari car model 2011 and declared it as a 2012 model to avoid paying 35% environmental levy. The declaration of the Ferrari car white, in color, was made on the basis of a 2012 model quoting a lower value of a UK made vehicle yet it is an Italian made vehicle,” URA writes in a statement about the incident.
“This would lead to under collection of government revenue. His declaration was rightfully highlighted by our teams at the National Targeting Center (NTC) and the client was tasked to explain the inconsistencies and to also avail the documentation to support his declaration.”
City socialite Sulaiman Mbuga
However, he instead SK Mbuga went ranting on Facebook: “without regard to following the appeals procedure.”
He later reportedly apologised to URA in secret but since he had already damaged its reputation, the URA has come out and shamed him as one of the biggest tax defaulters in the country.
“It should also be noted that Mr. Mbuga has another outstanding of Shs118, 428,061 from a past fraudulently cleared vehicle vide entry no. C3381. He is yet to settle the taxes and offences related to the case. URA’s top commitment is to make sure everyone pays their equal share. We are dealing with Mr. Mbuga Sulaiman to make sure he pays the rightful tax and he has been asked to report on Monday and cooperate with investigations into these cases to bring them to conclusion.”
U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton takes the stage at a campaign rally in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. November 6, 2016. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Democrat Hillary Clinton heads into the final day of a tight White House race against Republican Donald Trump on Monday with new momentum after the FBI’s announcement that no criminal charges were forthcoming in the probe of her email practices.
Both Clinton and Trump will spend the day racing across a handful of key battleground states that could swing Tuesday’s election, which polls show is extremely close but tilting toward Clinton.
FBI Director James Comey sent shockwaves through the race by telling Congress on Sunday that investigators had worked “around the clock” to complete a review of newly discovered emails and found no reason to change their July finding that Clinton was not guilty of criminal wrongdoing in her use of a private email server while secretary of state.
Whether the announcement came in time to change minds or undo any damage from days of Republican attacks on Clinton as corrupt was uncertain. Tens of millions of Americans had cast early votes in the 10 days since Comey first told Congress of the newly discovered emails.
Clinton’s Democratic allies hoped the FBI finding would be enough to push her over the finish line and end the uncertainty and Republican attacks on her character that dogged her campaign for the last 10 days.
“The FBI’s swift and thorough review should finally close the door on this Republican sideshow,” House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said, adding the election would now be decided “on the merits of the candidates” rather than innuendo.
But Republicans kept up their criticism of Clinton despite Comey’s announcement.
“She simply believes she’s above the law and always plays by her own rules,” House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement, arguing that Clinton’s use of a private email server “compromised our national security.”
U.S. stock index futures rose more than 1 percent after the FBI announcement and the U.S. dollar also strengthened in Asian trading against major currencies.
Markets have tended to see Clinton as the status quo candidate, and news favoring her bid often boosts investors’ risk appetite. Global financial markets slipped last week as opinion polls showed the presidential race tightening.
Clinton did not mention the FBI finding during her last two campaign events on Sunday, but Trump was blunt in questioning the thoroughness of the renewed probe and saying the issue would not go away.
“The investigation will go on, the rank-and-file special agents won’t let her get away with her terrible crimes,” he told supporters in Sterling Heights, Michigan, on Sunday night.
On Monday, Trump will hit five battleground states – Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Michigan – and closes with a late-night rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Clinton will make two stops in Pennsylvania and visit Michigan before wrapping up with a midnight rally in Raleigh, North Carolina. Earlier, she will appear at an evening rally at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, as well as rock star Bruce Springsteen.
News of the renewed probe had appeared to fuel a recent slide in Clinton’s poll numbers. The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Clinton with a 5 percentage point lead over the New York businessman nationally – 44 percent to 39 percent support – while races in the swing states of Florida and North Carolina shifted from favoring Clinton to being too close to call.
BIG WINNERS: Ugandan singer Eddy Kenzo with Nigerian collaboration singer Niniola.
The 2016 edition of the All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, was held Sunday night in Lagos, with three Ugandans winning top accolades.
Among the night’s winners were our own Cindy Sanyu, Eddy Kenzo and Klear Kut’s Unique.
Kenzo’s song ‘Mbilo Mbilo’ with Nigeria’s Niniola, scooped the award for the Best African Collaboration while Cindy emerged the Best Female artiste East Africa. Unique was rewarded for writing Navio’s ‘Njogereza’. He won the category of Songwriter of the Year.
“Eddy kenzo Die Hards I know how happy you guys are right now, enjoy yourselves because we deserve it, God is great… And then for #TeamUganda Cindy scooped Best Female East Africa and Unique scooped Best Song Writer…congratulations our motherland,” writes Kenzo.
Meanwhile, Tanzania’s Diamond Platnumz emerged as the Best Male artiste East Africa.
Here is the full list of winners:
Best Female East Africa – Cindy Sanyu (Uganda)
Best Male East Africa – Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania)
Best Male South Africa – Black Coffee (South Africa)
Best female South Africa – Sally Boss Madam (Namibia)
Best Male Central Africa– Wax Dey (Cameroon)
Best Female Central Africa– Bruna Tatiana (Angola)
Best Male North Africa – DJ Van (Morocco)
Best Female North Africa– Zina Daoudia (Morocco)
Best Male West Africa – Flavour (Nigeria)
Best Female West Africa – Aramide (Nigeria)
Best Inspirational Female – Naomi Achu (Cameroon)
Best Artiste/Dou/GroupBand in African Contemporary– Flavour (Nigeria)
Most Promising Artiste– Amine Aub (Morocco)
African Fans Favorite – Phyno (Nigeria)
Songwriter of the Year – Unique (Uganda)
Special Recognition Award– King Sunny Ade (Nigeria)
Best Artist/Duo/Group African Hiphop– Stanley Enow (Cameroon)
Best Artist/Duo/Group African Ragga & Dancehall– Patoranking (Nigeria)
Best Artist/Duo/Group African Traditional music– Zeynab (Benin)
Best Artist/Duo/Group African Electro -Such (Zimbabwe)
Best Artist/Duo/Group African RnB – Henok & Mehari Brothers (Ethiopia)
Best Artist/Duo/Group in African Rock -M’vula (Angola)
Best African Jazz – Jimmy Dludlu (South Africa)
Best African Group -VVIP (Ghana)
Best African Collaboration – Mbilo Mbilo by Eddy Kenzo (Uganda) ft Niniola (Nigeria)
Video of the Year – Dogo Yaro by VVIP (Ghana)
Revelation of the year – Falz (Nigeria)
Album of the year – Ahmed Soultan (Morocco)
Song of the year – Utanipenda Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania)
DEMO: Parents and pupils of Bridge International Academies protest the closure of their schools outside Parliament. Photo/nbstv.
Pupils of Bridge International Academies and their parents are at Parliament protesting against the closure of their schools, following a previous order by the Minister of Education Janet Museveni.
Today’s protest comes in the wake of a recent closure following a court ruling last Friday, in which High Court Judge Justice Patricia Wasswa Basaza threw out a case filed by the Bridge International Academies against the Attorney General.
In her ruling, Justice Basaza Wasswa said the Ministry of Education was right in its decision, paving the way for the closure of 63 Bridge International Academies countrywide.
In August the Minister of Education and Sports Janet Museveni ordered the closure of the schools in August on grounds that they were not following the ministry’s guidelines.
Subsequently, the management of Bridge Academies run to court to block the decision, saying the education ministry had condemned them unheard, but Justice Basaza Wasswa dismissed the case and ordered the schools to pay costs to the Attorney General.
In its findings, court established that none of the Bridge Academies is registered or licensed by Ministry of Education to operate. Court also found the school’s sanitary conditions lacking.
Uganda is not the first to condemn the schools; last year the Kenyan government also stopped the development of more BIA schools because of some of the same concerns as expressed in Uganda.
LAST RESPECTS: The casket with the body of Maj Gen Julius Oketta arrives at Parliament
The body of the fallen Operation Wealth Creation Deputy Coordinator Major General Julius Oketta Facki has arrived at Parliament, where MPs will hold a special sitting to pay their last respects.
The body was received at Parliament by the Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah L’Okori, before it was ushered inside the chambers for public viewing.
Major General Julius Oketta’s body lying in state at Parliament today.
Gen Oketta, 60, died of heart complications involving a blood clot on Saturday morning, after he was rushed to Kadic Hospital while in critical condition.
He served as Army MP in the Ninth Parliament and also in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), where he headed disaster management tasks, among several other assignments, both local and international.
Mourners in Parliament wait to pay their last respects to fallen Maj Gen Julius Oketta.
The General also served the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) in various capacities.
ORDERED DEPORTATION?: Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has accused Kenya of violating human rights over the forced deportation of South Sudanese prominent rebel official and criticized Nairobi for violating what it described as ‘violation of international refugee law’.
The accusation comes as Kenyan police kidnapped rebel spokesman James Gatdet Dak and deported him to volatile war-ravaged South Sudan.
The UNHCR said the Kenya action amounts to “a violation of the principle of non-refoulement, which is the cornerstone of international refugee law.”
Kenya, a guarantor of the Geneva Convention, has been labeled by UN observers as the ‘21st century abuser of United Nations international refugee law’.
Nairobi reacted angrily Wednesday after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon dismissed Lieutenant General Johnson Kimani Ondieki, who was the chief of the peacekeeping mission (UNMISS) in the troubled South Sudan.
“UNHCR is deeply concerned about the well-being of Mr James Gatdet Dak, SPLA IO Spokesperson, who was returned to South Sudan from Kenya on Monday, 2 November. Mr Dak had previously been granted refugee status by the Kenyan authorities,” UNHCR says.
The refugee agency says its repeated requests to Nairobi to not deport Dak to Juba were ignored by the highest office of Kenyan government.
After failed attempts to prevent the deportation of Gatdet Dak to Juba, the UNHCR urges Juba to treat him ‘in accordance with human rights law and standards’.
Meanwhile, UNCHR sources say that Kenya’s decision to deport James Dak to Juba was baffling and that several influential members of the UNCHR human rights body have already declared (secretly) Kenya as a nation with questionable position on South Sudan’s civil war.
Riek Machar, SPLM-IO strongman declared war against Salva Kiir and his regime in Juba.
South Sudan’s former vice president Riek Machar has ordered the protection of Kenyans in areas under control by rebels, following the arrest and deportation of his spokesman James Gatdet in Kenya last week.
Machar’s directive follows an invective by his deputy military spokesman Dickson Gatluak issued against Kenyans living in South Sudan.
Speaking from Ethiopia, Major Gatluak said they would target Kenyans in South Sudan if the Juba government harms Gatdet.
“If they do anything to harm Gatdet we will also deal with Kenyans in our territories,” Major Gatluak said.
However, according to The Sudan Tribune, Machar’s office ‘ordered all our commanders to protect all Kenyans, business people, traders and NGO workers living and working in our control areas’.
The office noted they were innocent and had no role in Gatdet’s deportation.
Machar is said to have given the commanders the order by phone on Saturday, and the directive will see the protection of Kenyan citizens in areas including Akobo.
The rebel leader also called for Kenya to support its peace agreement.
Machar condemned his spokesman’s deportation, terming it a violation of the Geneva Convention.
The rebel leader accused Deputy President William Ruto and Attorney General Githu Muigai of ignoring his appeal not to deport Gatdet for fear of his life.
He said in a press statement on Friday that he called the two seeking their help in stopping the deportation.
Gatdet fled South Sudan finding sanctuary in Kenya, but police collected him from his Nairobi home on Wednesday and put him on a flight to South Sudan’s capital Juba the next day.
A Kenyan government source confirmed the spokesman’s extradition but did not explain the legal grounds for it.
UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon with Burundi president Pierre Nkurunziza. Over 50 officials in his country are set to face ICC investigations.
A lawyer representing families of victims of killings and torture in Burundi has confirmed his team has been granted 55 new warrants – or ‘referrals’ – to bring cases to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek justice for the victims of Burundi’s security crackdown.
In April, the Hague-based court launched a preliminary inquiry into alleged crimes committed in the country after 60 Burundian families of the victims of alleged extra-judicial executions officially mandated a group of lawyers to bring cases to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as the ICC. Less than six months after the ICC said it was opening its examination, Burundi became the first state ever to withdraw from the jurisdiction of the court.
Bernard Maingain, one of the three lawyers representing the families of victims of alleged extra-judicial executions confirmed lawyers acting for the defence and civil parties had handed an additional 55 warrants to the ICC prosecutor.
Last month, Maingain said his team had 110 warrants, and was expecting an additional 50 to 100 warrants.
“The number of civil parties is approximately 200 people. It’s an inescapable group in the fight against impunity in Burundi. The [alleged] crimes they are denouncing are crimes against humanity, crimes of genocide and torture,” Maingain said.
A preliminary examination is not an official investigation, but a process of examining the information available in order to decide whether there is a reasonable basis to proceed with a full investigation under the ICC founding Rome Statute. There are no timelines provided in the Rome Statute for a decision on a preliminary examination.
According to Burundi’s civil society lawyer, civil parties were forced to resort to the ICC courts because of the absence of proper investigations and lack of independent and impartial judicial power in Burundi.
Civil society lawyers are facing reprisals – including threats of disbarment – for having provided evidence to support torture in a report handed to the United Nations, and defending civil parties.
“The civil parties refuse to be silent and stop, even if they [the Burundi state] tries to disbar the Burundian defence lawyers,” Maingain said.
The ICC receives and analyses so-called warrants, or referrals to determine whether there is a reasonable basis to investigate, to conduct investigations into genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes and to prosecute persons responsible for such crimes’.
Given “the development of the case and its magnitude”, the civil parties collective has endorsed a defence charter to protect the lawyers committed to the cause. Two lawyers – Lambert Nigarura and Alain Detheux – have joined the legal team.
Since the beginning of the crisis in April 2015, Human Rights Watch found that ‘hundreds of people have been viciously tortured, killed, raped or disappeared’ in Burundi. Also, hundreds of people have been arbitrarily arrested, or detained on trumped-up charges.
Gen. Julius Oketta, handing over a certificate to participant at a previous event.
The demised Maj. Gen. Julius Oketta died a day after UPDF sent a military message that all officers under the Operation Wealth Creation should go for medical tests.
He was deputizing Gen. Salim Saleh the Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation, a UPDF led agricultural project intended to eradicate poverty in Uganda.
According to the military message, all the officers including General Saleh were supposed to go for medical tests to know their health status.
Sources say President Museveni is getting tough on the officers who distributing seedlings and animals like cows, chicken and pigs.
A statement issued by the army on Saturday says the body of Gen. Oketta had been transported to Mulago Hospital for autopsy to establish the cause of death.
The Late Gen. Oketta had a rich working experience since his enrolment in the armed forces in 1979. He was among others the Operations and Training officer of 32 Battalion from 1984-1985 which resisted and stopped NRA for three months to capture Masaka barracks.
After joining NRA in 1985, he was appointed Second in Command of 25 Battalion from 1986 – 1987. The late was appointed the Commanding Officer of 23 Battalion and later 31 Battalion in the same year.
He was then elevated to serve as a Brigade Operations and Training Officer of 151 before taking up a higher command position as brigade Commander of 310 Brigade in 1989.
A year after, he was again elevated to a senior command position of a Division Commander of 6th Division in Eastern Uganda.
In 2001, the Late Gen. Oketta served as the Acting Chief of Logistics and Engineering of the UPDF before he was transferred to be the Head of Procurement of the Ministry of Defence and UPDF in 2003.
In 2006, Gen. Oketta was elected a Member of Parliament Representing the UPDF where he served for ten years. Gen. Oketta was also attached to the Office of the Prime Minister in 2007 where he held an appointment of the Director of National Emergency Coordination and Operations.
In 2013, the Secretary General of the United Nations endorsed Maj. Gen. Oketta to join the advisory group of the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).
In 2014, Gen. Oketta worked with the Africa Union Support to Ebola Outbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA) and in 2016 he was appointed the Deputy Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation.
The nation has lost a person whose contributions to national peace and development were enormous. The UPDF extends its deepest condolence and stands with the family of Late Gen. Julius Oketta at this difficult moment.
To an outsider, it is a normal transfer but to those in the know, it is not the obvious reasons why President Yoweri Museveni shuffled permanent secretaries.
President Museveni yesterday November 4, 2016 made changes that saw a number of long serving Permanent Secretaries dropped while youthful ones like Vincent Bagiire being appointed.
Long serving Dr. Kabagambe Kaliisa, James Mugume, Stephen Kagoda and Gabindade Musoke were dropped.
The reshuffle came hardly five months after they together with ministers underwent rigorous training at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) Kyakwenzi [on how to deliver the promises contained in the 2016 manifesto].
Reasons for reshuffle
Kabagambe Kaliisa
Born in 1954 in Hoima District, Fred Kabagambe-Kaliisa has worked with the ministry for over 40 years and has been at the helm of Uganda’s oil deal negotiations for 20 years.
He graduated with Honours in Geology and Chemistry in 1976. Before going to Australia in 1980 for a post-graduate diploma in Mineral exploration, Dr. Kabagambe who by the time of retiring was holding a PhD discovered 12 million tonnes of gypsum, a mineral used in the making of cement in Semiliki, in 1976. Three years later, he discovered 30 million tonnes of Marble in Moyo District.
He was among the first lot of people President Yoweri Museveni seconded for Master’s degree in 1987 soon after capture of power so as to widen their scope of knowledge and comeback help in human resource capacity.
Fall-out
Kaliisa has been in good books for his hard work and paying attention to detail. However his stars started winding when reports on how Bujagali dam was constructed with disregard to the advice of another sector players. Kaliisa remained firm and defended his position on Bujagali that saw him and line Minster Eng. Hilary Onek falling out.
Another hurdle which he managed to skip but left him bruised is when he clashed with Gen. Salim Saleh who chaired a preisential committee tasked with whether Umeme was exorbitantly charging. The two clashed before Museveni with Gen. Saleh recommending for slashing in the price of unit per kilowatt while Eng. Kaliisa insisted on an increment. With Mr. Museveni backing the latter, it left Gen. Saleh bitter and the two have not been on talking terms.
However the final nail came when the Ministry of Energy gave birth to Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited. UEGCL leadership and the mother ministry have been at logger heads over authority on who should have full powers to supervise the two dams (Karuma and Ismba). It is reported that whereas the cracks were minor, UEGCL capitalized on them to lure the President on their side while the ministry was being under looked and the rest is history as the mission is achieved.
With the two pulling ropes, UEGCL out maneuvered and drafted reports on how the Ministry of Energy under the supervision of Kaliisa was allegedly paying little attention to the construction works at the two dams and that had allegedly led to cracks.
The above dossier led to the President Museveni to warn the Ministry of Energy on their reluctance to supervise and also sent Eng. Paul Mubiru, the director energy on suspension.
It is also said that whereas the above fights where going on, UEGCL board chairman, Dr. Stephen Isabaliija convinced President Museveni that authorities at the Ministry of Energy weren’t doing enough to help him find buyers of Bujagali. And at this time, Mr Museveni summoned a meeting involving officials from Energy Ministry and UEGCL and told them to stop the process of looking for a buyer of Bujagali has he gave powers to Isabaliija to transact.
However, to date, Isabaliija has failed to find a buyer for Bujagali despite him moving with the letter from President.
Largely, Kaliisa’s problems can be summed up on his allegedly woes with Dr. Isabaliija and UEGCL Chief Executive Officer Harrison Mutikanga. Nevertheless, among those that have been fighting Kaliisa is his replacement and so we wait and see whether he will put right what failed Kaliisa.
Amb.James Mugume
Amb. James Mugume
The Harvard- trained lawyer has had his contract renewed three times which was unusual. But his majorly caused his dropping was the wrangles within the ministry. For example he recently posted a Foreign Service officer Julius Ankunda was posted to Turkey Ankra but two days was recalled and instead sent to Tehran in Iran. Mr Ankunda has instead sued government in what he called an “arbitrary cancellation”.
In an application filed at the High Court Civil Division on September 23, Mr. Ankunda also wanted court to stop Foreign Affairs permanent secretary James Mugume from meddling in his posting. Ankunda’s brother Adonia Ayebare was also pushed out of the ministry in a similar manner.
There are also many wrangles in the ministry and there are issues of accountability at the Ugandan embassies in across the globe.
PPS Mary Amajo
Former PPS-Mary Amajo.
She has been one powerless Principal Private Secretaries in the history of that job. Ms Amajo’s humble demeanor was exploited by young powerful women like Maj. Judith Nakalema and Maj. Night. She was sidelined and many times, it was the powerful Nakalema who was doing all the work as PPS.
Maj. Nakalema and Kamukama are reportedly not reading from the same page.
She was very unhappy being of mistreatment from Maj. Nakalema. One time she was embarrassed by this army officer. She carried this embarrassment to her Church and asked her friends to pray for her. Dropping her is not surprise. In fact, sources say she wanted to leave that job long ago.
She has been replaced by Ms Molly Kamukama, a young, brilliant and assertive lady. Formerly, working with Electoral Commission, Ms Kamukama will most likely clash with this strong Nakalema.
In fact, it had never happened when the President is announcing new appointments for this position that you see him also appointing Personal Assistant to the President who is Maj. Nakalema and her deputy Maj. Night Ikiriza.
There are two power centers in State House fighting to push each other out. For someone to survive, has to be careful with group to ally with. Ms Kamukama who is a bully of sorts may not work well with the two ladies.
Dr. Asuman Lukwago
Former Health PS, Dr. Asuman Lukwago has not been seeing eye to eye with Dr. Ruth Acen, former Director General of Health Services who was recently appointed Health Minister.
However, sources say for outgoing Ministry of Health, Dr. Asuman Lukwago, his transfer from health docket to Education Service Commission, it was more than a transfer as Dr. Lukwago is reported to have ambushed President Museveni with a resignation letter for his new appointment at international level. However, sources say Mr Museveni was hesitant to commit himself and before Dr. Lukwago knew his fate, Diana Atwine had been appointed to replace him at the Ministry of Health. However, what isn’t certain is whether Lukwago will accept his new posting at Education Service Commission or he will decline and go for his new international job.
Lukwago has not been working well with former Director General of Health Services, Ruth Acen who was recently appointed Health Minister. Whereas Lukwago is accused of being a radical person, into Acen connived with others like Diana Atwine who has actually replaced him to run the Health Ministry.
Otters
For Stephen Kagoda, Kabindadi Musoke, other that had clocked 60 years, were overdue for retirement.
