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450 government vehicles involved in accidents in 2014

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Our Reporter
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The Uganda Police Force Director of Traffic and Road Safety, Steven Kasiima, has said the soon to be released annual crime and traffic road safety report, 2014, indicates that 453 government vehicles were involved in accidents in the year 2014.

This therefore means there has been zero difference with the year 2013 which also had the same number as indicated in that year’s Police report.

Speaking about the Uganda Police Force’s experiences, challenges and lessons in the management of government Vehicles, Kasiima who was the guest of honor at a public dialogue organized by the Uganda Debt Network (UDN), on reversing the tide against misuse of government vehicles, said, there has been a significant decrease in accidents caused by the Police and Prisons.

Kasiima held that in the prisons for instance, the number shot down to 5 in 2014 from 15 in 2013.

According to Kasiima, public officials continue to misuse public vehicles despite the provisions in The Uganda Public Service Standing Orders 2010, General Rule No.3 which provides that public officers shall safeguard public property entrusted to them ensuring no damage.

Kasiima listed the forms of misuse of public property as violating traffic regulations by using sirens to beat jam, using government vehicles for private errands, using vehicles after official hours, unauthorized drivers and poor maintenance.

He also said grounding of government vehicles and stealing fuel and lubricants are some of the misuses that continue to exist in government institutions.

According to the UDN executive Director, Patrick Tumwebaze, government should popularize the standing orders and institute more measures that hold officials allocated with public vehicles personally responsible and liable.

Tumwebaze also suggested that all government ministries, agencies and departments should install vehicle tracking systems for easy accountability of vehicle movements and fuel usage.

According to the Auditor General’s report by financial year 2009/2010, government expenditure on vehicle maintenance alone exceeded 100 billion, the same applied for the cost of fuel.

In 2006/2007 however, vehicle maintenance took shs 68 billion while fuel was Shs24 billion bringing the total expenditure to Shs92 billion.

However, according to Kasiima, in a bid to promote responsibility over government vehicles, police has established rules and procedure amongst which include submitting weekly reports and making police officers personally repair vehicles that are spoilt under them.

Kasiima said 4 District Police Commanders (DPCs) where directed to repair police vehicles and they did, 17 police drivers were criminally charged of which some are still in Luzira, and seven DPCs faced disciplinary action of which others are still on suspension.

“We are training and re-training police drivers, screening and re-screening them to ensure that we have the best drivers,” Kasiima said.

gamme@eagle.co.ug

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Absenteeism and backlog hinder business in Parliament

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Our Reporter
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Kampala – Accountability committees are always praised for their good work, but the current backlog burden they carry says otherwise. The committees are also dreaded for the massive load of work that they handle. However, backlog in Parliament cuts across all committees of the August house

Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is stuck with more than 300 undebated reports left behind by the previous group. The committee has some undebated Auditor General’s reports, value-for-money audits and inquiries dating WAY back as 2005.

To make matters worse, the Auditor General just released the new report for year 2014.

What the Law says

Article 163(4) and (5) of the Constitution says that the Auditor General shall submit to Parliament annually a report of the accounts audited by him or her for the financial year immediately preceding Parliament then debates and considers the report and takes appropriate action.

The reports are supposed to take 6 months for it to be completed, then the report is handled and Committee refers it back to the house. However the 6months for many of the accountability committees have progressed to years.

“The end result of the committees is also a challenge. Non action on the recommendations and findings de-motivates the committee members so the 6 months period is very hard to follow,” says MP Kwizera, a member of the PAC committee

He further added that the political conflicts within the committee kill morale for some of the NRM members go to accountability committees to defend or protect the interest of the government and opposition wants to criminalise everyone to show that government is not working.

According to MP Paul Mwiru, Vice chairperson PAC, backlogs are as a result of 3 issues, Capacity of the technical staff, report writing is wanting and the number of technical staff, initially PAC had 1 clerk and this largely explains the backlogs.

The committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) and Local Government Accounts, has reports date way back to 2000 and hasn’t handled reports of 2013

The committee has registered just about 3 per cent performance, creating a huge backlog of 97 per cent of the reports to be handled by current chair, Mr Ibrahim Ssemuju Nganda (Kyaddondo East).

“We are bogged down and we are going to change our method of work. There are years where Parliament did not debate any reports at all from this committee and we cannot apply the same work method,” said Chairperson Committee MP Ssemujju Nganda

While addressing legislators at the end of year party for the 9th Parliament last year, Kadaga noted the embarrassment of backlog and complained that committees had failed to work within the legal time frame and promised to enforce the 45 day rule for bills referred to all committees.

Backlog on None accountability committees

Petitions, motions and bills are gathering dust in committees but for MPs, it is business as usual.

About the committee on legal and Parliamentary affairs, as of January 2015, the committee is still looking at the Parliamentary Pensions (Amendment) Bill, 2014,

Considering of the Reports from 2007-2013,IGG Reports

The Committee is also considering the petition on the under-performance on the Law Development Centre.

On the Committee on rules, privileges and discipline, status of business as at 13th January 2015.

The Committee is currently compiling a report on the allegations of bribery against the members of parliament about the termination UMEME contract.

The Committee has scheduled a study to Eastern Uganda from 20th January 2015 to assess the performance of Local Governments in the region.

Committee on physical infrastructure committee business status as of dec 31st 2014, there are four petitions pending from 2014, 4 petitions are placed on business to follow, one petition lost interest, there are 3 reports on business to follow, yet the committee has to look at the ministerial policy statements for the budget for Financial year 2015/2016.

As Parliament suffocates with backlog, deputy speaker Jacob Oulanyah informed the house that due to Government delay to submit the budget framework paper, budget bills and ministerial policy statements, Parliament is to handle the entire budget process in one month.

The Executive also has its flaws, for at the start of the Fourth Session, the government had proposed 64 new Bills but they have only brought one: Registration of Persons Bill, 2014.

“The Government promised to bring bills to this house but they haven’t, the Prime Minister should check on this “ said the Speaker Kadaga during ask the Prime minister session.

A treasury memorandum is then supposed to be prepared by the Permanent Secretary ministry of finance and Secretary to the Treasury (in this case, Keith Muhakanizi) but this has happened once during the 9th Parliament.

The Treasury memoranda to Parliament indicate government’s actions taken on Parliament’s recommendations arising from the report of the Auditor General. But PAC and COSASE got a Treasury memorandum was in the financial year 2004/2005.

This revelation would suggest that the government has never acted on the previous committees’ recommendations rendering their work redundant.

Way forward

Chair person PAC committee MP Alice Alaso suggests that to ensure the dedication of MPS to the committees, the chief whips should work with the chairperson to follow up on their attendance and monitor the performance of their MPS so that when they next apply to go to those committees they can refuse them, maybe it will improve the attendance.

Mr Kaasiano Wadri, when still PAC chair, once proposed that the committee be divided into two to handle various reports at the same time but structural and administrative problems were raised by Parliament with concerns that the committee needed two clerks, and two permanent committee rooms which could not be availed.

MP Kwizera a member of PAC suggests that the members of the Accountability committees should be members that understand accountability processes, not merely political, this would help fasten the works of a committee.

The question of backlog in Parliament is that is still suffocating the work of the august house, with “no show” of MPs leading to the lack of quorum, most of the work by committees hasn’t been carried out.

 jkemigisa@eagle.com

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Ex-UBC’s Basoga in celebrity dreamland

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Our Reporter
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Basoga billboard
Basoga billboard
Basoga billboard
Basoga billboard

Former UBC anchor and reporter Joseph Basoga, a man who holds a full tribe for a name, is a miserable man. Basoga set out with a massive dream of being the Ugandan version of CNN’s Richard Quest, hoping he would be the thing on the lips of every yawning Ugandan, but after a decade in the media, he has realised that some dreams can only be achieved in a castle.

This reality hit Basoga so hard when he stomped Wairaka in Jinja for Easter holidays. He expected his jalopy registration number to be known to whoever cared to glance and his name shouted, but nothing happened. A beat up Basoga hit Photoshop with a kind of miserably picture that can light the mood of undertakers at the rundown Mulago Hospital mortuary. He grafted the misery on a billboard of a picture that supposedly shows a white couple mesmerised by whatever was on it.

The Early Bird said: “I thought this guy was the spokesperson of Uganda Christian University, no? Is UCU so miserable that their PRO should be grafting himself like that? He should be charged with terrorism of a minor considering how he has forced his innocent child on such a joke of a dream.”

Meanwhile, Basoga’s neighbours claim he has already framed the grafted image on his living room wall, regaling villagers from Iduudi that the image is as real as the smile of a coffin maker during disas

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Cancer: Drive to fundraise for former NTV’s Rosemary Nakabirwa on

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Our Reporter
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Cancer: Drive to fundraise for former NTV’s Rosemary Nakabirwa on
Cancer: Drive to fundraise for former NTV’s Rosemary Nakabirwa on
Cancer: Drive to fundraise for former NTV’s Rosemary Nakabirwa on
Cancer: Drive to fundraise for former NTV’s Rosemary Nakabirwa on

KAMPALA – Workers at Serena based NTV have started a campaign that is aimed at raising funds for their former workmate Rosemary Nakabirwa who is battling for her life with skin cancer.

Using their social media platforms, Faridah Nakazibwe and Josephine Karungi have utilised their publicity to ask for mobile money that will Nakabirwa get better medication.

A bank account in Diamond Trust Bank has been also provided to whoever may offer any amount for the patient.

Skin cancer is a common, usually low-grade cancerous (malignant) growth of the skin. It starts from cells that begin as normal skin cells and transform into those with the potential to reproduce in an out-of-control manner.

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Police probes Shs70m fraud at Soroti Flying School

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Our Reporter
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KAMPALA: The Police’s Criminal Investigations Department (CIID) is investigating the manner in which Shs70 million was suspiciously wired from a Ministry of Defence (MoD) account to the East African Civil Aviation Academy (EACAA), but the funds are said to have vanished in thin air and officials have falsified documents for accountability.

The CIID boss, Grace Akullo, told Eagle   Online last week, that her office had received the complaint towards the end of 2013 and a team of investigating officers were assigned to look into the matter.

“I received that case a while back, and its conclusion has been long overdue” due to some hiccups, largely pending audits of aviation school by the Auditor General.

She added, “Our officers also had to go to Soroti but am yet to get a briefing about what they found out.”

The complaint to CIID was filed by a whistle blower who indicated that on February, 02, 2013 the funds were transferred to the EACAA account in Stanbic bank by the MoD.

The money was to pay various expenses, namely allowances for course instructors on air traffic control, induction courses for the UPDF Air Force.

However on 22nd of the same month, a total of Shs19 million and Shs18 million respectively was withdrawn using cheques, and a one Captain Patrick Nduru, a financial controller for the said training and representative of UPDF Airforce based in Soroti was allegedly given Shs30 million, according to documents seen by this newspaper.

The documents indicate that another Shs15 million and Shs16 million respectively were withdrawn and used by the acting Director of the Soroti based flying school Ronald Lodiong.

“The documents and or vouchers used seen, however indicate that they were paying instructors from Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) who trained UPDF Air traffic controller trainees on allegedly non-existent courses at EACAA and on a course that didn’t take place,” the whistle blower  document reads in part.

Documents however add that CAA maintains air traffic control assistants at the academy and meets all its expenses at the school. The document seen by Eagle Online also indicate that the said training never took place  and  all the vouchers for the expenses were “falsified” by Mr Lodiong, Capt Nduru and the accountant David Atenyi.

Each of the eight chief flying instructors for a period of 10 days, according to documents, was to receive Shs11o,000 for a period of 10 days which totals up to Shs8.8 million, but “utterly no training did” take place prior and even after the funds were wired.

“The axis of fraud at EACAA has grown up to vertically and extensively to the highest impunity that should be investigated,” the whistle blower report reads.

Mr Lodiong, told Eagle Online on Saturday that that he had been interrogated by police investigators but the allegations against him are false. CAA officials were not readily available for comment.

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THE FRYING PUN: Tamale Mirundi explains what ‘commissioner’ means

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Our Reporter
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Tamale Mirundi
BLAMED IT ALL ON MBABAZI: Senior Presidential Advisor on Media and Communications Tamale Mirundi
Tamale Mirundi
Tamale Mirundi

Every week, our resident chef moves around carrying a frying pan with steaming cooking oil and words in it. The pan becomes pun as he sets out to interview personalities on topical issues.

It is not every day that you hear Jesca Ababiku speak. The fiction all over the wall is that the Adjumani Woman MP talks only at home, but here we were in Parliament canteen when she observed that President Museveni was on a launching spree in the countryside. Gerald Karuhanga, the Western youth MP, said the head of state was on a morphing mission from Sabalwanyi to Visionary to Chief Viewer and now ‘Commissioner’ of the Republic of Uganda?

“Commissioner? I like that word. Museveni is virtually commissioning everything. He will soon commission a new suit he has imported,” Ssemujju Nganda, the man from Kyadondo East, said.

“But who can he delegate?” Ababiku offered meekly, prompting Ssemujju to joke that ‘non-stately’ functions such as commissioning school laboratories, Gishu circumcision rituals, pit-latrines and receiving NRM hardliners ‘crossing’ to NRM be delegated to Frank Tumwebaze or Tamale Mirundi.

That caught my attention. Mirundi is the man I have been trying to meet recently to discuss some issues on Buganda. Karuhanga suggested I could waylay him at UBC after one of those morning shows or camp around some of the mango-tree radio stations that host the chatterbox.

Two days later, I meet the presidential spokesperson leaving Metro FM where he had just been, for lack of a better word, spewing a lot of verbal garbage about irrelevant issues that dominated decibels in Kampala.

The last time we met, we talked about the rift in State House over Sarah Kagingo where I deliberately took the latter’s side just to make more saliva dribble out of his mouth in a war of words. True to himself, the presidential verbal missile went: “Aha! Frying Pun, I hope it’s not another Kagingo thing you’re going to start me on again, eh?”

I told him that my people in Busoga were launching an outgrowers’ Sacco and we needed him to push so that the Big Man is chief guest.

“The Office of the President is for running the State, not your duck and sugarcane meetings,” Mirundi said as he adjusted his oversized striped coat. “I wonder how you became an MP. I need to visit your constituency firsthand and see firsthand what kind of electionrate you have there.”

“My friend, let’s get the Busoga thing going,” I said. “It will give you that chance to meet my electorate or ‘electionrate’ as you call them.”

“This Tamale Mirundi before you is not stupid. I can’t fall for cheap talk,” he said.

“But let the intelligent Mirundi at least tell the president to consider delegating some of those responsibilities to VP Ssekandi…” his baritone laughter cut me short.

He said: “Ssekandi? We let that man go to some athletics function in London, you saw his suit? The sandal and kaveera? And you still want him to misrepresent the person of the president?”

“Mirundi, Ssekandi is the vice-president who draws salary for that office…”

He interjected like a student of Andrew Mwenda. “It’s better to pay him for doing nothing than pay him for causing more damage to our reputation, especially at this juncture when the President’s presence near his voters helps the re-election cause.”

“So you mean mzee is canvassing? I see we have moved from quarter pin to Kyakuwa through sacks of money and now we’re commissioning everything from Imbalu to saucepans. Meanwhile, UNRA and KCCA keep coming up with impressive artistic impressions of infrastructure that we never see,” I said.

“Frying Pun, don’t insult our party and the party chairman,” he said. “You talk of useless art impressions? The arts you see are the foundation of the changing city.”

“No, don’t misunderstand me, my friend,” I said. “It’s just that we are concerned people are saying our leader is being reduced to a mere commissioner. People like you and the presidential advisors should do something. As for artistic impressions, only those architects take home huge envelopes. In 1996, government gave us one on Wankulukuku as a satellite city, but you and I both know how that place is a swamp to this day.”

“Presidential advisors?” he sneered. “Some of those guys don’t even know their titles. The President does his own things. Give the archi… archi.. ash… assistest-whatever. Give them time.”

“Mirundi, those artistic impressions are like a constipated man buying toilet papers. Then there is the Cabinet Recycle with geezers like Kajura and Mateke as the faces of “government of children”. By the way, I understand even your own job description was embalmed years ago, so you jump from radio to radio to keep relevant, but the President speaks for himself… he doesn’t even follow speeches written for him, which is why we hear about wolves, swine, bean weevils and poisonous mushrooms. Those things are not written in his speeches.”

“But Frying Pun, the President is not stupid. Do you think he’s in P2B to just read after a teacher?” Mirundi fired. “Let me go.”

 

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Uganda Oil refinery deal: Russia scolds US

By
Our Reporter
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KAMPALA:  Russian authorities in Kampala have defended the awarding of the US $4 billion refinery deal to RT Global Resources a consortium, led by Russia’s Rostec, saying Uganda has a right to “cooperate with all partners who are ready to come here and invest.”

The Russian ambassador to Uganda, Sergey Shishkin told Turkish news Anadolu Agency, on Monday that: “Ugandans are wise people; if this deal benefits them, all the best.”

He was reacting to a recent threat by the US. Envoy to Uganda, Scott DeLisi, who said whilst government had given the refinery deal to RT, it was not yet a done deal.

Amb. DeLisi warned that: “It is not my job to tell the government of Uganda with whom they can engage but it is my job to share with the government the US policy, its concerns if there any and to define the nature of our partnership. So that is what we focus on, but I wish them well even in other dealings but we will see how that all plays out.”

RT, is a subsidiary of the Russian state conglomerate-Rostec-with a weighty foot print in arms dealing and whose chief executive Sergei Chemezov, is under heavy US and EU sanctions.

The government in 2013 started the search process for a lead investor to undertake construction of the 60,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery and about 75 companies expressed interest by picking the Request for Qualification document.  Only eight made it to the last submission round but four companies pulled out citing various reasons.

The four that reached the last round included, RT Global Resources, Japan’s Maruben Corporation, China’s Petroleum Pipeline Bureau (CPPB), and the South Korean SK Group. The Chinese company reportedly was kicked out, according to insiders, for links to the former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, and the race remained between the South Korean and RT.

Mr Chemezov, Rostec’s chief executive, is a former officer in the Russian spy agency-KGB- and close ally of President Vladimir Putin. He has US sanctions on him—freezing assets and barring US companies from dealing with him — since 2014 in response to Russia’s annexation and military adventures in Ukraine.

The Russian envoy, added that, Russia would never advise Uganda on which partner they should work with.  “We will never say, ‘Do not cooperate with these people’ – it’s not Russia’s style,” he was quoted.

Can Uganda stay clear of the US-Russia customary sabre rattling?

Discussions between RT and government on the Shs12 trillion venture are still ongoing but officials at the Ministry of Energy, the Permanent Secretary, Kabagambe Kalisa, said earlier that the deal between RT and Uganda is not yet final and that if it became problematic-at most worsened by the sanctions-they could go back to the drawing table to renegotiate with South Koreas SK.

President Museveni has in the recent past scolded Western countries for what he called arrogance, and said China and Russia were available as alternatives because they do not meddle in internal politics of other countries.

In 2011 President Museveni directed the fishing of $744 million out of the government coffers to buy for him eight fighter jets and other military hardware from Russia, kick starting a now years running romance.

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Africa Investigates – Uganda: Temples of Injustice

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Our Reporter
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Emmanuel Mutaizibwa and Richard Wanambwa in this documentary are finalists in the 2015 Most prestigious One Media World Award. This film aired on Aljazeera in December 2014: Find more details here

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