The Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre –UWEC is set to establish regional model satellite wildlife centers across the country.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event at which UWEC was celebrating 70 years of existence, James Musinguzi, Executive Director of the entity, said they have worked with the National Forest Authority which has allocated land to them in urban forest reserves to establish zoos and educate the public on rescuing wildlife in several regions. The regions include Mbale, Gulu, Mbarara, and fort portal.

As the latter celebrated at Sheraton Hotel this week, Diamond Trust Bank sponsored UWECs 70 years’ celebration events with 30 million shillings. Other sponsors were Centenary bank with 5mn and AWF-10mn among others.

Musinguzi thanked the supporters and said: “These contributions will help in ensuring that conservation, and tourism, reach the local person through establishing satellite centers or zoos normally found in urban areas. To be able to target those communities in far areas and make them sustainable,” said Musinguzi.

He added: “A number of wildlife animals have been captured in those areas and concerned residents have to drive all the way to Entebbe to bring them for rehabilitation. We think that for us going to these areas, we shall be doing a good job in terms of conserving wildlife and avoiding human conflicts.

 In addition, Musinguzi noted that children’s conservation centers will be established to educate children about conserving wildlife.

Commenting on this initiative, The Minister of State for Tourism, Martin Magarra, said if the culture of conservation is imparted to young children, they will take on the good practices in the future.

“For instance, when these young students go there and get to understand the importance of conservation at a young age, then we are creating people who will advocate for conservation. In the long run, the challenges of poaching will be prevented,” said Magara

The tourism demand curve has gradually moved upward since records show that UWEC has received 3,000 visitors since 2021.

 Musinguzi said that the journey has had smoke and mirrors since 1952 as an animal orphanage and therefore this journey is worth celebrating.

He remarked that there has been a lot of transformation since 1952 whereby the exhibits of animals have been rebranded, forests, lakes, and above all animal welfare is in good care

Musinguzi invited all Ugandans to join the UWEC team as they are involved in way forward activities after these celebrations. These include; school outreaches, the veterinary camp for dog’s vaccination, the children’s conservation education camp, and the conservation marathon among others.

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It was a display of glitz and glam as the Institute of Corporate Governance of Uganda-ICGU unveiled the winners of the second Corporate Awards 2022.

The event took place at Mestil Hotel Nsambya this week, sponsored by different companies including Diamond Trust Bank, Vision Group, and Grant Thornton ltd, among others.

According to Micheal Mugabi, the President of ICGU, the aim is to build national capacity in corporate governance, maintenance laws of the country, and membership development.

“As the council and stewards of corporate governance; we would like to have legislation in entities as they embrace internationally developed standards of good governance practices. That way we will have leverage in promoting sustainable enterprises,” said Mugabi.

The highlights of this event were the top six companies that won under the different categories that included: SMEs, Large Private Sector, banks, Insurance, Public sector, and NGOs.

Milton Obote foundation emerged as the winner from the SMEs category, Compassion International Company was the winner from the NGO category, and Jubilee Life Insurance emerged as the award winner in the Insurance Category.

The other winners were: Electricity Regulatory Authority emerged the Winner from the Public Sector Category, Stanbic Holdings Limited won from the large private category and NCBA Bank won the award from the Bank Category.

Geoffrey Kihuguru, the Chairman Awards, and Recognition Committee said many enterprises that picked up after the pandemic effects were because they had adhered to good corporate governance practices.

“Great nations are built by great institutions which are managed by people who embrace good corporate practices. It is important to note that this year the institute resolved to introduce a modern trend of organization self-assessments as opposed to expert business assessments.

He noted that over 350 organizations were reached out to, presenting assessment opportunities.

“The rankings indicated the level of implementation of CGP principles but there is still room for improvement,” said Kihuguru.

All distinguished companies that voluntarily participated were assessed on their operations specifically in accountability, transparency, integrity, responsibility, compliance, and excellence. On governance (board processes, board contributions, board independence. Board diversity, environmental, social, Governance-ESG strategy, and the board oversight role).

DTB and several companies that engaged in this initiative were rewarded with certificates of appreciation for embracing and taking part.

However, Mugabi noted that the level of acceptance by companies to be assessed is still very low. He implored entities to come on board next year to gain experience and knowledge of operating better.

 Patrick Ocayire, who spoke on behalf of Parliament and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, commended ICGU for bringing a platform that allows both the public and private sectors to be assessed, benchmarked, and ranked on compliance and adherence to international best practices of corporate governance.

“In this economy, corporate governance plays a big role in turning entities into high-income earners. Records from Uganda’s Success view show that up to 60% of registered companies do not survive their second birthday and this is mainly attributed to poor governance,” said Ocayire.

The annual corporate governance Awards normally present an opportunity for different organizations to be assessed on the best practices of good governance and ensure the sustainability of entity operations in Uganda.

These awards were launched under the theme: “Corporate Governance; Recognizing Adherence to Best Practices.”

Mugabi thanked all the organizations that joined ICGU in support for the operations.

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The State House Anti-Corruption Unit in liaison with Police has arrested ten district officials in Fort Portal, Kabarole and Soroti on allegations of corruption and abuse of office.

Five land officials in Fort Portal and Kabarole district were arrested for allegedly conniving to sell government land at Millane access, along protected boundaries of River Mpanga, to a businessman. The officials approved an application without inspection.

The suspects detained are; the Chairperson Area Land Committee Mr. David Baguma, Senior Physical Planner Mr. Samuel Musana, District Staff Surveyor Mr. Simon Kugonza, Senior Staff Surveyor Kabarole Ministry Zonal Office – Mrs. Sumini Nansubuga and Secretary District Land Board Kabarole Mr. Jessy Bwango.

Additionally, two suspects; Principal Education Officer Mr. Richard Alituha and Head of Finance Mrs. Annet Kirungi have been arrested on allegations of mismanagement of over Shs180 million Capitation Grant for Fort Portal City Schools and Tertiary Institutions for Financial Year 2021/22. Police said two other more suspects are still at large.

In Soroti, three district officials were also arrested on allegations of abuse of office and causing financial loss as a result of inflating the District payroll.

It is alleged that over Shs500 million was paid to ghost workers and ghost pensioners by the officials.

The suspects are; Internal Auditor Mr. Micheal Okello, Human Resource Officer Mr. Charles Oonyu, and Principal Human Resource Officer Mr. Simon Okanya, who has been reported before on several cases for extorting money from pensioners under the pretext that they have been over paid by government.

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Police in Ntungamo district is holding a college principal over allegations of sexually harassing his female students after numerous complaints about his conduct, and the last victim who acted as the whistle-blower for the arrest.

The suspect, Gaston Twesigye, principal of Ntungamo Comprehensive Vocational College, is reported to having made a habit of asking sexual favours from his female students and employing punitive measures when his advances were rejected including: withholding their examination results, holding their examination papers and giving them unfounded retakes, among others.

The Rwizi Regional Police spokesperson Samson Kasasira, confirmed the arrest saying that Twesigye was apprehended yesterday Thursday September 29, at the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) office where he had been summoned to answer for the allegations.

“The principal was arrested on September 22 from the RDC’s office where he had gone to respond to the allegations. The RDC ordered his arrest after finding out that he was a habitual sexual harasser. We have since preferred sexual harassment charges against him ahead of his arraignment in court,” he said.

Twesigye’s recent victim recounts the tricks and threats that he used to try to get her to give in to his advances and to punish her for rejecting him.

Ronah Natukunda, a student pursuing a certificate in Records and Information Management at the college, said that Twesigye once declined to submit her examinations to the Uganda Business and Technical Examination Board (UBTEB). She would go for months without collecting her results because Twesigye insisted that she collect them in the late evening hours.

“One day he chased me out of the examination room claiming I had a fee balance that I needed to first clear. It took the intervention of some lecturers for him to allow me in, an hour later. I spent a year at the college without being able to see my own examination results apart from being told by friends since it was a college practice for students to get their results personally from their lecturers. When I would go for mine, he would tell me to come in the evening which was a bit tricky,” Natukunda said.

However, in his defence, Twesigye claims that the allegations have been fabricated by his competitors to destroy his reputation.

“I do not know what these girls are saying. I know someone must have used them just to tarnish my name because I cannot do something like that,” he said yesterday.

Following the arrest, other students came out to testify against Twesigye, with some providing evidence.

The RDC, Geoffrey Mucunguzi, confirmed the complaints and evidence saying that Twesigye is waiting in police custody to be arraigned in court.

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In July the Ugandan Government said exploration surveys in the country had revealed vast estimated gold deposits of around 31 million tonnes. Of the behemoth find, around 320,158 metric tonnes are refined gold, with an approximate value of $12.8tn.

The discovery, identified by aerial surveys, could be a boon for Uganda, which is currently a net importer of gold. It will also likely make “significant waves” in the global gold market, according Jon White, director of Gold Traders, a London-based firm which buys and sells the precious metal.

Yet this disruption could bring as many challenges as benefits, from oft-heard concerns within the sector about international mining projects failing to deliver benefits to local people, to more unique issues, such as potential disruption of the global gold industry in general.

Overseas investment

A licence for production of part of the gold deposit has already been granted to the Wagagai Gold Mining Company, a Chinese firm. The Uganda Investment Authority announced a ground-breaking ceremony at the mine in October last year, and noted at the time that Wagagai’s initial investment reached $50m, including for a refinery, which has since risen to $60m.

The Ugandan Government is looking to develop domestic mining within its borders to boost the economy. Through the Uganda Free Zone Authority (UFZA), a government agency established for the purposes of creating opportunities for export-oriented investments, is trying to attract foreign investors to sector, which is otherwise dominated by informal mining, by offering tax incentives.

The Wagagai mine and refinery has been granted a ‘free port zone’ under the UFZA, making it exempt from import and export tax. The move may well encourage investment, but has led some to question how the country will benefit – or whether it will benefit enough – from the project.

New legislation

Uganda hopes rewards will come through its newly-overhauled mining code, the Mining and Minerals Bill, which parliament passed this February and is waiting to be signed into law by the president. The code will see the establishment of the Uganda National Mining Company, which, under the new bill, will hold 15% free equity in all large and medium mining ventures, as well as have the right to buy up to 20% of extra shares in the mining ventures at the commercial rate.

 “The new law is intended to provide a robust, predictable and transparent legal regime, improve mining and mineral administration and business processes, ensure efficient collection and management of mineral revenues, promote value addition to minerals and increase mineral trade,” the government has said.

However, gold experts Aaron Hoddinott and Alexander Smith of Pinnacle Digest noted that such legislation introduces the threat of nationalisation to the deposits. This is not uncommon in other countries, and raises the prospect of the vast riches of the deposits becoming tied to the whims of the national government.

The bill is also intended to end widespread informal mining, from which the government receives no revenues. Under Ugandan law people can be convicted, imprisoned and face fines if caught illegally mining. Critics have said the move will render more than 20,000 miners effectively jobless, as well as impacting on those indirectly making money through the informal sector, raising question as to who will truly benefits from this vast gold discovery.

Delivering domestic benefits

In response, the government has appealed to gold mining investors to use local labourers and train them where necessary to help in the fight against poverty. Uganda’s GDP per capita is currently just $858.1, more than just 18 countries in the world, according to the World Bank.

Wagagai’s activities are expected to create 3,000 direct jobs, though the specifics remain unclear, and the company will construct a new refinery, valued at $200m according to the government.

However, the work of refineries in the region has been dogged by allegations of corruption, posing a threat to local security and dissuading foreign investment.

In March, the US imposed sanctions on Belgian businessman Alain Goetz and a network of companies tied to him, including the African Gold Refinery in Uganda. The refinery was set up in 2014 but is accused of being involved in the illicit movement of gold from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Challenges remain

Smith and Hoddinott have also argued that the validity of the gold reserves in Uganda first need be proven, with geophysical and geochemical surveys and analyses done to date representing only “step one of 20 exploratory steps needed”.

Furthermore, the development of any new mining deposit in Uganda isn’t without its risks or challenges; mining activities by both Chinese and other firms in Karamoja, where much of the gold said to be identified is located, have in the past created tensions with local communities.

Mining in the region has been subject to a Human Rights Watch investigation, which was critical of miners for environmental damage caused and not providing compensation for those whose land was impacted by the work.

The government has tried to address such tensions in the new bill by providing for the participation of host communities in the entire decision-making chain of mining, including information on licences, environment and social impact assessments provided both at the national and local government levels. It also states that training and employment should be prioritised for host communities. However, it remains to be seen how this will work out in practise when the bill finally becomes law.

For foreign mining firms looking to operate in Uganda there will also likely be political and corruption risks to consider. Uganda joined the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative in 2020 but is yet to be assessed.

Potential growth and potential disruption

Globally, White says there has been a decline in the value of gold, particularly in the US market, as the strength of the dollar increases, and this discovery could ultimately undermine its value further.

 “The bottom line is larger gold reserves tend to lower the value of the metal, due to the increased supply,” White says.

Yet gold remains a safe haven for investments, and is still valued for its ability to protect investors from economic volatility caused by new economic policies or geopolitical shifts.

 “Therefore, it’s likely that by the end of 2022, when this newly discovered gold will begin to be refined and sold, it will certainly boost the Ugandan economy and bring about a significant shift in the global market,” he continues.

“Whether this will cause prices to rise, or fall will depend on how easy it is to supply this new stock of gold, the economic and political situation at the time, and global interest rates and inflation levels.”

Smith and Hoddinott’s take is that extraction at the deposits are not ”even close to a done deal” and will likely be difficult to get out the ground. They went on to point out that the world only produces around 3,000 metric tonnes of gold annually and 80 – 100 grams of gold per ton, as is claimed for this reserve by the government, is “insane” and “extremely optimistic”. Indeed, $12tn exceeds the entire market cap of all gold mined ever.

If there was more evidence of the deposits’ existence, they add, it could see the price of gold drop by “50% overnight,” however, echoing White’s sentiment, and highlighting the uncertain future of these vast gold deposits.

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