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Gov’t contracts National Housing to construct EC headquarters

By
Geoffery Serugo
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NHCC Chief Executive Officer Eng. Kenneth Kaijuka, NHCC board chairman Wanjusi Wasieba, EC chairperson Justice Byabakama and Works Minister Gen. Wamala during the handover ceremony.

The Electoral Commission is set to build a state of the art headquarters in Lweza. The revelation was made by its chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama Mugenyi.

On December 16, 2022, the Commission embarked on the process of relocating our offices, personnel and equipment from Plot 55, Jinja Road, Kampala, to this new temporary office premises. The relocation aimed at paving way for construction of a flyover.

Byabkama said EC headquarters will be constructed by National Housing and Construction Company however he declined to reveal the total cost of the project.

“In collaboration with the National Housing and Construction Company and other relevant Government agencies, we are progressing with the development of designs for the permanent home for the institution,” he said.

“The custom-built home to be constructed at Lweza, Lubowa, will go a long way in improving service delivery by ensuring that all necessary facilities and services are located in one centre,” he said.

Eng. Kenneth Kaijuka, the Chief Executive Officer of National Housing and Construction Company said they will construct and install all the technology, machinery needed for EC to execute its mandate.

On 17th July 2022, National Housing and Construction Company received a proposal to relocate EC to temporary premises as we design new state of the art facilities for EC at Lweza, Lubowa.

“Before 2026, the new state of the art facilities for the Electoral Commission should be ready,” he said.

Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala, the Minister of Works and Transport said the National Housing and Construction Company was identified to build a permanent home for the Electoral Commission because we didn’t want to outsource. This is going to save the government a lot of money.

“When I put them to charge, they didn’t hesitate, and have now proven that they can work by finding a home for the Electoral Commission,” he said.

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 China on spot for using Africa to violate UN sanctions on North Korea

By
Editorial
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Chinese nationals on the road site project in one of the African countries.

Despite the strict United Nations against North Korea, China has continued to secretly and flout these sanctions in Africa and around the globe. 

The recent example of the violation in Africa came last week when North Korean labourers were arrested in Mauritius disguised as Chinese employees of China Belt and Road Initiative, a massive infrastructure project spread around the world.

There are reports that some Chinese provinces like Zhijiang and Henan are using state-owned companies to gain entry into Africa and do business which is against the UN sanctions. 

It’s not clear if the Chinese construction companies in Uganda are doing the same but cases of China hiring North Korean Laborers have been reported in other African countries like Algeria where ZCIGC has hired 170 North Koreans for different construction projects.

Uganda’s foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Vicente Bagire said Uganda has not had such cases. ” When a country is put under such sanctions, they must be followed,” he said.  

Still in Mauritius, a Chinese fishing company was found hiring North Korean sailors after registering them as Chinese nationals.  According to media reports on December 6, 2022, Mauritius’ Passport and Immigration Office (PIO) apprehended six North Korean sailors disguised as Chinese nationals on board Vessel Jin Xiang 8.

Mr Wang Wong, captain of the vessel, thought to be Chinese, initially stated that all of the 14 sailors are Chinese nationals before the Mauritian authorities confirmed that six of them are actually North Koreans who were detained in Le Chaland Detention Center two weeks ago. 

In Senegal, China Henan, a Chinese state-owned company hired North Korean laborers for Touba’s city modernization project. About 50 North Korean workers in Senegal are currently working at multiple construction sites, such as for hotel construction projects.

 The U.S government has offered $5m as a reward for information about violation of sanctions against North Korea. 

 There are reports that both Chinese private companies and state-run companies have been involved in the illicit act of clandestinely employing North Korean personnel at a low cost, supporting the North’s illegal foreign currency-earning activities.

China has been accused of using North Korea as a buffer zone and playing as a guardian to Pyongyoung even in the midst of nuclear weapons and missile provocation. 

During the Covid-19 pandemic in May 2022, China was the only country to provide quarantine supplies to North Korea. It provided 100,000 tons of rice to help the country avoid food shortage. 

Despite the sanctions, North Korea has continued to develop its missile and nuclear capability. In 2022, the country launched more than 40 missiles with the capability to strike South Korea and the U.S mainland.

Several attempts to increase sanctions against North Korea have been frustrated by China and Russia which have veto powers on the UN Security Council.  Instead, China and Russia submitted a joint resolution seeking to ease sanctions against the North in October 2021. 

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European Union, UNHCR offer Shs61b for Uganda’s Refugee Response

By
Simon Kabayo
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The European Union (EU) in partnership with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has announced a €15 million fund (equivalent to Shs61 billion Ugandan Shillings) to support Uganda’s response to refugees.

The three-year funding will be allocated to improving water, sanitation, hygiene, healthcare, energy, education, and environmental conditions for both the refugees and the host communities.

The announcement was made during the visit of officials from the European Union and the UNHCR to the Nakivale refugee settlement in southwestern Uganda. During their visit, the delegates had the opportunity to interact with refugees in groups, discuss key challenges, and assess opportunities for further support.

Myrian Ferran, the Deputy Director General of the European Union Commission in the Department of International Partnership, stated that although funding will be given to the government of Uganda, the EU is also developing strategies to shift from providing solely humanitarian assistance to offering development assistance, which will ensure resilience and self-sustainability among the refugees through livelihoods.

Rauf Mazou, the Assistant High Commissioner for Operations at the UNHCR, explained that the funds will be used to help refugees become more self-reliant, which will reduce their dependence on humanitarian aid.

Matthew Crentsil, the UNHCR Country Representative, added that the funds will address significant gaps that have existed in refugee response in Uganda since last year. The Minister of State for Relief, Disaster Preparedness, and Refugees, Esther Anyakun, expressed her gratitude for the funding, stating that it will help resettle the large number of refugees who have entered Uganda from the Democratic Republic of Congo since March 2022.

She also noted that although Uganda has included refugee activities in all three National Development Plans, the government lacks a specific budget for refugees, making resources from partners like the European Union vital in supporting the refugees.

Currently, Uganda hosts over 1,542,000 refugees, primarily from the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, making it the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa. The Nakivale settlement alone houses 168,946 refugees from twelve different nationalities, including Congolese, Burundians, Rwandans, and Somalis.

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Uganda upgrades to polycarbonate e-passports

By
Simon Kabayo
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Government of Uganda has today upgraded the current paper-based e-passports to polycarbonate e-passports.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs Permanent Secretary Lt Gen Joseph Musanyufu, said the aim of this upgrade is to ensure enhanced security features, durability as well as conforming to the standard requirements as recommended by EAC and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

“This implies better quality, easy data verification at various airports of ICAO member states, better data protection and minimal chances of damage,” he said in a statement.

According to Musanyufu, the Republic of Uganda introduced an East African Community (EAC) e-Passport in Dec 2018, which replaced the machine-readable light blue passports.

“These were paper-based passports that were presented in the following colors; Light Blue (ordinary passport), Green (service passport) and Red (diplomatic Passport). There was a two-year transitional period to allow for a gradual phase out of the previous Machine-Readable Passports which ended on 4. April, 2021 when Machine Readable Passports validity ceased,” he said.

“As a follow up on the above, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has completed an upgrade of the current Paper-based e-passports to Polycarbonate e-passports,” he added.

The ministry has so far issued over 1,008,401 e-passports since the launch in December 2018.

But Musanyufu said both passports (e-paper based and e-polycarbonate) shall continue to be used until expiry or leaflets run out.

The upgraded Polycarbonate passports, just like the e-paper passports have electromagnetic chips. E-Polycarbonate passports however have polycarbonate (tough plastic) layers infused together, leading to a finished material where personal data is engraved inside the deeper layers of the document with laser. This cannot be delaminated.

According to Musanyufu, this gives the new e-polycarbonate passport the resilience and robustness for data security and protection, with strong anti-fraud features.

“These features make the EAC e-Passport suitable for use at e-gates for self-clearance; easy and automated issuance of boarding passes; quick passenger processing worldwide (for ICAO member states); and full compliance with international security standards, hence easing traveller experience. Travel, specifically document verification is going to be easier and seamless than ever before, due to improved technology,” he said.

The cost of the passports remains unchanged, according to the ministry.

An ordinary Passport costs Shs250, 000, while processing an express Passport attracts a fee of Shs150, 000, which makes a total of Shs400, 000. Official and Diplomatic passports cost Shs400, 000 and Shs500, 000 respectively though these are for specific identified categories of Government officials.

Ordinary passports take between 7-14 working days to be ready, while express Passports take 3-5 working days. All these lead times are subject to due diligence and other verification procedures. If there are queried cases, these tones may change.

The ministry said it is very important that the stakeholders understand that Paper based e-passports are not being invalidated.

“They are valid until the expiry date or until the leaflets are finished. The Polycarbonate e-passports merely present an upgrade akin to upgrading software that does not negate the upgraded software itself. So, holders of the paper-based e-passports should not worry as they are as valid as the polycarbonate ones and they will be used concurrently,” he said.

“There is no need to replace paper-based e-passports. Going forward, new applicants will be issued with polycarbonate e-passports,” Musanyufu added.

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Over 50 women benefit from agribusiness training and mushroom gardens in Luzira

By
Simon Kabayo
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Over 50 women have benefited from agribusiness training and mushroom gardens to boost their household income.

A study from the World Bank indicates that females account for 76% of Uganda’s workforce in the agricultural sector and contribute about 60% to 80% to the production of locally consumed food.

With Uganda’s population standing at 45 million people at the current growth rate of 3.6%, the population is expected to double by 2050. This means that the demand for food will keep increasing and so there’s a need to empower women with the right skills they need so that they are able to produce food for their families as well as income generation.

Speaking after the training, the Corporate Relations Director Uganda Breweries, Juliana Kagwa said many women living in urban settings bear the burden of growing income gaps due to the multiple forms of barriers women face in their everyday lives which have put them at a greater risk of poverty and limited negotiating power to access to resources.

“We recognize that inequitable access to skills and resources are some of the key reasons why having equal opportunities for women is seemingly difficult. This means that equitable actions need to be put in place to empower women and one of the ways is through acquiring skills. As players in the private sector, we pledge to continue working together with the local leadership to empower the women of Luzira and beyond so that we completely eliminate poverty and achieve gender equality for all women,” said Kagwa.

“Most inclusive and diverse culture makes a better business and a better world and this can be done through championing inclusion and diversity within our business, our partners, and communities around our areas of operation. We pledge to continue providing avenues where there’s equal opportunity for those in our communities to grow as we grow,” she said.

Fatumah Naigaga, Luzira Women Councillor LCIII said women living in urban slums in particular endure multiple hardships ranging from basic needs such as; unemployment, nutrition, durable housing, limited access to clean water, and improved sanitation facilities which often go unmet. This has constrained women’s participation in all spheres of life with serious implications for human resource development and, in that capacity, the economic development of the country and the general state of gender equality is still a great need.

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Museveni pledges to empower LC Chairpersons

By
Simon Kabayo
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President Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday 29 said that the government is committed to helping local council leaders in fighting poverty.

Museveni who is also the chairman of the ruling National Resistance Movement party revealed this while speaking to NRM Village chairpersons from Kampala City at Kololo ceremonial grounds.

“Paying a salary to all LC leaders is practically impossible. What the government is going to do is to encourage you to form SACCOs so that financial assistance can be given to you and you invest in production or agriculture,” Museveni said, adding, “This SACCO idea will not cripple government operations because it is easy to manage.”

Museveni also said the government’s priority is to get the entire population out of poverty saying, “That is why all this time we have been trying out all these programs like NAADS, Microfinance, Operation Wealth Creation, Youth lively program, Emyooga, and the recently introduced PDM.”

He however, added that PDM money in Kampala will be increased since their parishes have bigger populations compared to parishes in rural areas, “We are going to study the idea of investing more money in the city since there are many people. But the principle is one, borrow and invest then return it for other people to use it,” the President said.

He advised the leaders to also consider venturing into pre-urban agriculture since there is a ready market to buy their products, especially poultry and vegetables. 

 The president also said he will work with Kampala leadership to acquire many more spaces for markets, skilling, and artisan centres.

“As a policy, the government will construct more skilling centres so that thousands of youth are taken in, trained and are equipped with skills to startup businesses,” President Museveni promised.

 The NRM Secretary-General, Richard Todwong said he was excited about the love that the local leadership of Kampala has towards their party Chairman.

“The desire they have for you is overwhelming. We might have differences and challenges as leaders, but, waking up every day to your leadership as our President gives us hope,” Todwong said.

He requested the president to kindly take the demands of his people to stand in the next election, saying the voice of the people is the voice of God. “Your current advanced age is the best time for you to lead. You make us comfortable as our president and the party leadership equally supports you,” Todwong added.

Todwong told the President that the poor performance of the NRM party in the central region has been captured in the findings that were recently captured in research that the Secretariat commissioned under the Department of Mobilization.

“Very soon, the people’s concerns from the Central and Busoga regions which require special attention will be sent to your office,” Todwong said.

“Issues to do with constrained resources; unemployment and poverty are a result of the increasing population available, especially in the urban areas like Kampala city, Wakiso, Mukono and Mpigi districts. And so, these require concerted efforts,” the head of the NRM Secretariat said, adding, “I believe you are the leader of the ordinary person. So, we request you to handle them.”

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UPDF kills senior ADF commander in Eastern DRC

By
Geoffery Serugo
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The Uganda People’s Defence Forces -UPDF and Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo -FARDC have killed an Allied Democratic Force (ADF) commander in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo –DRC.

The killing was confirmed by the Brig. Gen Felix Kulayigye, the spokesperson of UPDF.

“UPDF Put Out of Action an ADF senior Commander in Mwalika Valley in Eastern DRC. Seka Wankaba, a Ugandan & Musoga by tribe was part of ADF leader Mularo Seguja’s Group & a highly trained Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Expert,” Kulayigye said.

He said UPDF troops will not relent till ADF command and control structure is fully decimated.

Since it was launched in November 2021, the operation is being conducted by UPDF and FARDC. Since then, the joint forces captured over 34 ADF terrorists and injured scores.

The two Forces are currently engaged in road construction and rehabilitation works to facilitate and further secure the movement of soldiers and the displaced civilian population, particularly on Mbau- Kamango and Mobili axes, Kamango-Semuliki- Beni.

In November 2021, the two Forces launched joint air and artillery strikes against ADF camps. The attack on ADF camps follows three terror attacks which claimed four lives and scores injured.

 According to police the first explosive occurred at Digida Pork joint in Komamboga, Lungala along Kampala Masaka Highway, Parliamentary Avenue and Kampala Central Police Station (CPS).

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Uganda signs new Bilateral Labour Agreement with Saudi Arabia

By
Geoffery Serugo
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Betty Amongi

Government of Uganda has signed the new Bilateral Labour Agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Eagle Online has reliably learnt. The agreement was signed by Betty Amongi, the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development.

In December 2022, the government of Uganda suspended a bilateral labour export agreement with Saudi Arabia over the continuous mistreatment and torture of Ugandan migrant workers.

In 2017, the government of Uganda signed a five-year labor agreement with Saudi Arabia aimed at promoting the welfare and rights of Ugandan migrant workers.

The Observer newspaper on December 23, reported that the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Gender, Aggrey David Kibenge had issued directives to recruitment agencies and pre-departure orientation and training institutions that the agreement with Saudi Arabia had been suspended effective immediately pending re-negotiations of the agreement.

“This is therefore, to inform you that clearance and deployment of migrant workers, approval of job orders, and training of migrant workers under this agreement are suspended with immediate effect. Note, however, that this temporary suspension does not affect migrant workers whose travel had already been cleared by the ministry, prior to this date, and are in possession of signed contracts, travel tickets, and entry visas” read the letter in part.

Kibenge also said that the government is pursuing other efforts for the protection of Ugandan workers. In the pipeline is the recruitment of labour attaches to follow up on Ugandan laborers abroad, strengthen embassy offices and establish a call center in Uganda to which complaints about the welfare of Ugandan workers can be reported for action.

Remittance and Revenue

That was the only bilateral labour agreement that Uganda had. As of June, last year, there were 235 licensed private recruitment companies. Every two years, each company pays Shs2 million in license fees. Annually, Government collects $1.3 billion globally from labour export business the Middle East alone sends in $700 million.

The government collects $30 (Shs110,000) job order fees for each eternalized worker. That money is wired directly to the Uganda Revenue Authority accounts. From August 2021 to August 2022, the government collected over Shs12 billion from Job orders.

Ministry of Internal Affairs says they process 10,000 passports every month and the biggest percentage goes to individuals seeking to work in the Middle East.

According to the ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development, there are over 150,000 Ugandan migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. Most Ugandans are employed in the informal sector as housemaids, gardeners, cargo handlers and other jobs.

Eagle Online   has learnt that in 2021, Uganda externalized 89000 Ugandans of which 79000 went to Saudi Arabia. Of the 79000, 75000 were female. By June 2022 Uganda had externalized 50,000 nationals and a high percentage went to Saud Arabia.

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2022 financial report: Stanbic Bank Uganda records Shs360b profit

By
Simon Kabayo
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Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited has released its financial results for the year 2022, indicating that they made a gross revenue of more than Shs1 trillion and Shs360 billion profit after tax.

Stanbic Bank Uganda Chief Executive Anne Juuko said the strong performance was underpinned by increased growth in credit demand as the economy recovered from the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic.

“As a result of the economic recovery of our customers, we saw a 9.8% growth in demand for new credit in 2022 with the volume of disbursed loans increasing to 77,819 worth Shs4.0 trillion from 63,639 approved applications worth Shs3.7 trillion disbursed in 2021,” Juuko said.

She added that the company’s innovations aimed at helping small businesses also paid off’

“It gives us great pleasure to also report that over 11,000 small businesses have opened accounts with us in the past year and that over 1,800 of them have already benefited from access to affordable credit at rates as low as 15.5%, to the tune of over Shs30 billion,” the CEO said.

Ronald Mataka, Acting Chief Finance Officer at Stanbic Bank Uganda, said in 2022, they paid a total of Shs272 billion in taxes, making the entity the biggest taxpayer in the country’s banking sector.

“We collected another Shs7.5 trillion on behalf of the government by enabling taxpayers to remit through our expansive channels network, representing 33% of total remittances to the government by the entire banking industry,” he said.

Juuko added that through the StanbicForHer programme launched in 2022 with support from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), over 18,500 women received training in the fundamentals of bookkeeping, tax reporting, and accounting, giving them the confidence to run their businesses.

“We are happy to note that these SACCOs have accessed affordable credit through our multi-stakeholder Economic Enterprise Restart Fund (EERF) to the tune of Shs40 billion at as low as 10% per annum for those involved in the agricultural space,”Juuko said.

“We have also invested in their digitalisation as well as governance capacity to ensure that they serve their members, efficiently, like ‘micro Stanbic banks’ in their respective areas. We manifested our purpose of driving Uganda’s growth in ways that directly and indirectly benefited millions of Ugandans and engineered the economic recovery of customers from effects of the Covid-19,” she added.

Despite the emerging challenges in the economy, Juuko said they are pleased with our contribution towards economic recovery success stories of our customers registered in 2022, most of which are a result of sustained dividends of Covid-19 interventions implemented between 2020 and 2021.

Japheth Katto, Board Chairman Stanbic Uganda, speaks at the function.
Andrew Mashanda, Chief Executive Stanbic Uganda Holdings Limited, said Stanbic Properties Limited remains profitable and is executing various projects geared towards revamping our real estate portfolio.

‘FlyHub received its first revenues during the year and continues to pursue more opportunities as businesses explore ways to become more efficient through automation while our SBG Securities revenues were impacted largely by a drop-in capital markets activity, we remain optimistic about its potential as the diversification into asset management is implemented. Stanbic Business Incubator continued to execute its mandate, as a beacon of SME capacity development in Uganda by directing and supporting over 3000 small businesses for the period under review,’ Mashanda said.

Japheth Katto, Board Chairman Stanbic Uganda, said their performance is commendable given the challenges they have gone through.

“We are coming through a period which has had its challenges, coming from #Covid-19 then Ebola, and an increase in the CBR rate. However, notwithstanding all those challenges, the team at Stanbic Bank with the support of the regulators, we have performed well,” he said.

“We have done a lot to support the businesses that are recovering from #Covid-19. We do not only look at the number of customers we have. We look at the impact that we create in society, and how many people we are touching. This is really seen in the support we extend to SACCOs,” he added.

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UPDF joins Kenyan troops for peacekeeping mission in Congo

By
Geoffery Serugo
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Uganda’s contingent of the East African Community regional force is set to join Kenyan troops to foster peace in the war torn eastern Democratic Republic of Congo-DRC. The revelation was made by Brig. Gen Felix Kulayigye.

“Our officers are at Bunagana border post as Uganda Contingent of the East African Community Regional Force prepare to be flagged off to join their counterparts in Eastern DRC,” he said.

Last month the UPDF said it would deploy 1,000 soldiers as part of the regional military force. The North Kivu province is occupied by different militia groups including the M23 rebels who are fighting government forces and causing civilians to flee.

East African Community (EAC) Heads of State Conclave on Inter-Congolese Dialogue deliberated in 2022 to jointly deploy in Congo.

According to Museveni the crisis in Congo needs a collective approach from all regional members of the East African Community. “We must insist on working together because these people have suffered a lot” he said during the meeting last year. 

Kenya first deployed its troops in November 2022 and is expected to deploy 900 soldiers in the area.   

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