Uganda will start exporting milk products to Algeria in October this year following the completion of the procurement processes between the two countries.

This was revealed by the Executive Director of the Dairy Development Authority (DDA), Mr Samson Akankiza, at the opening of the 16th African Dairy Conference in Kampala on Monday, September 11, 2023.

 Akankiza said as part of the agreement signed with Algeria in March this year, they are supposed to export 1.4 billion litres for the first quota.

He said the exporters are Amos Diaries, Brookside Diaries, and Pearl Diaries.

“Since on one side, it is the government buying, and on this side, it is the private companies selling, there was a need to go through the country’s procurement procedures, which all three of our major suppliers have completed,” Mr Akankiza explained.

The development will come as a relief to Uganda, which produces 4 billion litres of milk annually but the sector lacks a reliable market both domestically and outside the country’s borders.

The 16th African Dairy Conference and Exhibition is meant to showcase the opportunities for dairy investment in Africa. It also intends to strategize on the promotion of domestic milk consumption.

Peter Ngaruiya, the Executive Director of the Eastern and Southern African Dairy Association (ESADA), said the protectionist tendencies of most of the governments in the region are a technical barrier to milk trade.

Frank Tumwebaze, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries said “H. E Kaguta Museveni has given us a target of producing 20 billion litres of milk…we can only be able to achieve this through climate smart agriculture.”

Khadija Nakakande, the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) spokesperson, urged Ugandans to embrace milk consumption as a way of supporting fellow Ugandans.

 “The government has so far injected over 70 billion shillings in the dairy sector through milk coolers, to improve storage, crossbreed animals for improved production, tractors to farm animal feeds. She adds that they have also supported the establishment of five value additional factories and two more are on the way, and this will total them to seven,” she said.

Uganda’s domestic milk consumption stands at 64 liters per capita annually, which is very low compared to the UN-recommended 200 per capita.

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The National Unity Platform Principal Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine will be arrested and charged with sectarianism talk following the recent comments in Luweero during his nationwide mobilization.

While in Luweero, Kyagulanyi said that Uganda is being ruled by a small group of people that is Museveni, his family and relatives who look at Baganda people as a curse in their own land.

Police have said Kyagulanyi is going to be investigated for making such comments publicly.

“Such comments normally attract the attention of any investigative body. Once the facts are gathered and analysed by our teams, the opinion of the DPP will be sought to guide on any further action,” Director of CID, Tom Magambo, said.

“Uganda is being ruled by a group of small people who are controlling everything. These are the people who have enslaved us on our own land. I need to tell you these things because I am taking on the responsibility to make you people aware of the truth. What is sad is that the Museveni regime is using fellow Baganda to oppress the Baganda,” Bobi Wine said.

“They openly practice tribalism & nepotism in every sphere and institution, but they’re not ashamed to blame those who expose it and call them out. What a bunch of hypocrites!” Bobi Wine accused.

“Fellow Baganda, who bewitched us? Museveni thinks he is going to build a dynasty on the land of our ancestors in Buganda. Over my dead body, that will not happen,” he added.

He is today expected to head to Hoima and extend his message to the supporters.

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President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has insisted that the digital motor number plates project must go on as planned, saying it will be very vital in fighting crime in Uganda.

“Now, I’m insisting on the issue of electronic number plates; It will be a very big blow to crime because most of the people move to and from the scene of crime by either a vehicle or a boda boda,” said President Museveni who is also the Commander in Chief of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF).

The President made the remarks today as he passed out 2,234 Uganda Prisons Service Officers at Kololo Independence Grounds. The commissioned officers included 200 Cadet Assistant Superintendents of Prisons (CASPs), 318 Cadet Principal Officers (CPOs) and 1,716 Recruit Warders and Wardresses.

Gen. Museveni noted that if the crime gap is closed through the use of the digital number plates, it will be very difficult for the criminals to do what they are doing now because walking to and from the crime scene will not be a walk in the park.

“All those arguments which are going on should come down and the project be done so that the issue is resolved,” he emphasized.

The CCTV cameras and the fingerprinting of the guns of the security forces are also helping in fighting crime but I hear they were not included in the army. I direct all the army guns to be fingerprinted like all the others. They can be kept separately and may be under military police but every gun must be fingerprinted,” he added.

On the other hand, President Museveni congratulated the graduates and thanked them for persevering up to the end of their training.

President Museveni also thanked the Commissioner General of the Uganda Prisons Service, Dr. Johnson Byabashaija and the Prison staff for rebuilding the Prison service from the low level up to where it is now.

“I want to thank the Commissioner General and his staff for contributing to the peace of Uganda by building the prison service from the low level of where it was to what it is now,” he noted.

According to President Museveni, the Prisons have four tasks; that is to reform the criminals, skill them so when they get out of prison, they have skills they didn’t have before, punish according to the law and then contribute to wealth Creation efforts.

President Museveni further told the graduates to protect their health and embrace the knowledge they acquired from training and use it wherever they will be deployed and also be patriotic.

He promised to support the Uganda Prisons Service with equipment and any other support they will need. However, he added that he has no problem with the Prisons supplying uniforms to the armed forces but cautioning that he will not allow the importation of fabric.

President Museveni also cautioned the Prisons Service officers against indulging in corruption, in their respective tasks.

“In doing all this whether you are police, prison or the army, fight corruption because it is a disgrace and a big waste of public resources,” President Museveni warned.

The Minister of Internal Affairs, Maj. Gen. (Rtd). Kahinda Otafiire congratulated the trainees and encouraged them to be patriotic in their next endeavours.

On his part, Dr. Byabashaija thanked the President for boosting the Prisons service numbers, saying that it has greatly improved the performance of the force.

He also thanked the Chief Justice, His Lordship Alfonse Owiny-Dollo for reducing the number of inmates on remand compared to those on convict through offering timely justice to Ugandans.

However, Dr. Byabashaija noted with concern that Uganda Prisons Service still has a challenge of machinery equipment like tractors to use to plough the land for agriculture.

 “We cannot do sufficient farming, we have to engage the machines,” he noted.

Dr. Byabashaija cautioned the graduates to stick to the Prison Service Commission core values if they want their careers to be worthwhile.

The pass out ceremony was attended by the Chief Justice, His Lordship Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, Auditor General Mr. John Muwanga, senior army and police officers among others.

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The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) is set to conduct an independent investigation into the utilisation of  Shs9.6 Billion allocated for the purpose of ‘coffee consumption’.

“We want to know who disbursed that money and who benefited from it. We need that money and the person who benefitted from it must bear the liability,” Speaker Anita Among said during the plenary sitting on Thursday, 07 September 2023.

It is premised on a report by the Public Accounts Committee (Central Government) on concerns raised by the Auditor General for Financial Year 2021/2022, on 15 MDAs.

The report presented by Committee Chairperson, Hon. Medard Sseggona, indicates that as part of NUSAF-III programme, OPM signed a two year memorandum of understanding with M/S Inspire Africa Uganda Limited as a capacity building partner.

The programme that ran from 16 May 2017 to 15 May 2019 was extended for another two years up to 31 March 2021, a period in which Inspire Africa was allocated Shs9.66 billion for its activities.

“The Committee takes exception that Shs9.66 billion had been invested in a project that was not well thought out, with Shs1.9 billion being paid for coffee consumption,” reads the report.

Sseggona said spending on teaching coffee consumption was a nugatory expenditure, adding that coffee shops supposed to be set up in Arua, Mbale, Lira and Tororo were non-existent or non-operational.

“When a team of CIDs visited Malaba, they established that the coffee shop did not take long in operation because Inspire Africa never involved the trained youth. Arua did not raise the 150 youth for training,” further reads the report.

The Committee recommended forensic investigation by the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) and other arms of Government.

“If found wanting, the Accounting Officer and Project Director for NUSAF-III project should be prosecuted for any loss of funds. A recovery mechanism should be instituted within six months of adoption of this report,” Sseggona said.

Hon. Betty Aol Ocan (FDC, Gulu City) said that much as the coffee shop in Gulu had been operational, it had closed.

“The shop was closed because Inspire Africa failed to pay rent. It was meant to be a youth project and it was run for close to three years,” said Aol Ocan.

Hon. Yusuf Mutembuli (NRM, Bunyole East) said he had consumed coffee from the Inspire Africa coffee shop in Mbale, but it did not meet its intended purpose of ‘coffee consumption’.

“Nobody came to tell me how to take coffee when I was there. If they gave money for the purpose of teaching people how to make coffee, then I did not benefit from it,” Mutembuli said.

The Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Matthias Mpuuga urged the House to take stricter care in monitoring social empowerment programmes.

“It is an invitation to the House that whenever such programmes are brought here for funding, we should undertake elaborate scrutiny on how the common person will benefit,” said Mpuuga.

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