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Public officers to face punitive action over wealth declaration

By
Our Reporter
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MPs in one of the sittings

Parliament has passed the Leadership Code (Amendment) Bill, 2020 that seeks to impose punitive measures on leaders and public officers who do not declare their wealth or who make false declarations.

The Bill requires a public officer to, within three months of starting work in the public service, declare his or her assets, incomes and liabilities to the Inspector General of Government (IGG). Thereafter, the declaration is every five years.

It also proposes to penalise a leader who does not, without justifiable cause, comply with the request within 60 days to a warning or caution, dismissal or vacation of office.

A person who does not file a declaration is liable to a fine not exceeding 20 currency points per month for the initial three months of non-submission of a declaration. The currency points rise to 40 per month for the next two months and then withholding of emoluments.

Some of the penalties for breach of the Code, include forfeiture of the monetary equivalent of the excess or undeclared property to the government where a person makes false declarations.

The Bill seeks to amend the Leadership Code Act, 2002 No.17 to clarify what constitutes interest in property by a leader and extend the jurisdiction of the Leadership Code Tribunal to complaints made by any person aggrieved by the decision of the IGG under section 7(7) of the Code.

The decisions of the Tribunal, which is mandated to hear and adjudicate breaches of the Leadership Code of conduct, the Bill proposes, are binding on the President thereby fettering his discretion in disciplining his appointees.

In 2017, Parliament passed the Leadership Code (Amendment) Act, 2017 which established the Leadership Code Tribunal.

According to the Chairperson of the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Hon. Jacob Oboth, various loopholes have been identified in the Act that will hinder the effectiveness of the Leadership Code Tribunal in enforcing the Leadership Code of Conduct.

“Prior to the amendment of the Act, penalties for breach of the Code were provided for in section 35 of the Act. Each of the prescribed penalties corresponded with a particular section regarding breach of the law.”

“When the provisions were amended and substituted, there was no consequential amendment of section 35 to correspond with the substituted provisions. Unless this is amended, it will jeopardise the enforcement of the Act since it is untenable to enforce the law as is without breaches corresponding penalties,” reads the committee report.

Hon. Oboth presented the committee report to the House in a sitting on Thursday, 18 March 2021 chaired by Speaker Rebecca Kadaga.

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Private companies boost national effort to plant 40 million trees

By
Geoffery Serugo
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Private companies boost national effort to plant 40 million trees

The Ministry of Water and Environment in partnership with Uganda Breweries Limited, American Tower Corporation (ATC) Uganda, Stanbic Bank Uganda and MTN Foundation has for the second year running announced a Running out of Trees (ROOT) Initiative which targets to plant 40 million trees countrywide.

The tree planting drive, targeted at the restoration of the indigenous tree and fruit species across the entire landscapes of Uganda will take place on May 17th on the National Tree Planting Day.

The Ministry of Water and Environment launched a National Tree Planting Campaign in 2020 built around engaging local stakeholders in attaining national restoration goals with the aim to rally Ugandans into action through increased public awareness and participation, especially the private sector in the conservation and protection of indigenous tree species to address ongoing loss and conversion of primary and secondary natural forest.

The campaign approach also involves adopting restoration strategies to fit local social, economic and ecological contexts and a wide range of eligible technical strategies for restoring a mosaic canopy of trees on the national landscape. In addition, we aim at fast tracking national restoration goals and commitments that include but not limited to;

The pledge to restore 2.5million hectares of degraded landscapes by 2030 under the Bonn Challenge. Vision 2040 aimed at restoring forest cover of total land area to 24%. Uganda’s Green Growth Strategy

Uganda’s Nationally Determined Contributions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

According to The Minister of Water and Environment, Sam Cheptoris, 65% of forest degradation takes place on private land and on several occasions the land owners choose land use change from forestry to agriculture, industry or settlement over biodiversity conservation. “Current national deforestation rates stand at 2% annually with an average of 122,000 hectares lost every year yet 6% of the GDP of Uganda and more than 90% of the population depends directly on forest for their energy needs.  It is imperative therefore that we restore these forests faster than they are being degraded by human activity”

The ROOT Campaign was launched in February 2020 as a 5-year project geared towards soliciting commitments from the private sector to support Government’s initiative to restore forest cover. Last year, the campaign managed to attract the support of various corporate companies who came together and supported financially and also by physically taking part in a relay run that started in Kampala and ended in Gulu. This year, the corporate companies joining Uganda Breweries Limited include, Stanbic Bank Uganda, ATC Uganda and the MTN Foundation.

Speaking at the launch of this year’s ROOT, Alvin Mbugua, the Managing Director of Uganda Breweries Limited affirmed the company’s continued support to the Ministry of Water and Environment. “The Ministry’s bid to restore forest cover and reduce on the country’s Green House Emissions ties well with UBL’s Spirit of Progress which is our 10-year action plan to help create a more sustainable world. We do this by playing a significant part in preserving the natural resources on which we all depend by regenerating and restoring the landscapes and resources we rely on.” he said.

Anne Juuko the CEO of Stanbic Bank, another annual sponsor of the event reiterated the importance of the private sector coming together to play a role in this important initiative “Our world is changing and we as corporate companies and our customers are completely dependent on this changing world. It is our shared responsibility as companies who benefit a lot from it, to protect it, to nurture it and as evidenced by the current need, to replenish it. On behalf of all the corporate sponsors, I would like to say that we take this responsibility seriously and that is why every year we do what we can to pitch in to Government efforts on environmental protection”, she said.

The other main sponsors of the event ATC Uganda attributed their participation in the event to being a key corporate responsibility purpose for the company, saying “The environment is one of ATC’s five core pillars of corporate responsibility. As a key player in the telecommunications industry, we strive to conduct our operations in an environmentally friendly manner. The ROOTS initiative therefore provides a unique platform for us to contribute towards greening our environment and contributing towards the national reforestation effort” concluded CEO Michael Magambo.

As part of the launch activities this year, the organizers have included a mechanic for the public to participate through a mobile phone app called ROOTs. Using this app, participants will “run” by downloading the app and purchasing a tree seedling at Ush 1,500 each using MTN/Airtel/Africel Mobile Money, Visa or Mastercard. What this means is that the Tree Planting this year will mainly be a virtual exercise where the 40 Million will be achieved through Virtual donations on the day but the actual physical planting of trees will happen over a period of 3 months.

Between March 21st and the end of May, a team from Tree Adoption Uganda which has been designated by the Ministry will support the planting and mapping the seedlings in the designated bulk planting areas.

The Running out of Trees initiative is an annual initiative that will be held over a 5-year period to end in 2025 with the planting of over 200 million Trees and sequester an estimated 15 million tons of carbon.

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BUKOTO LIVING: Rajiv and Sheena make their entry into real estate

By
Our Reporter
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There is no doubt that Rajiv and Sheena Ruparelia are following into their father’s footsteps as far as business is concerned.

Both Rajiv and his elder sister are managers of companies under the Ruparelia Group but that hasn’t deterred them from venturing into their ambitions. The two are daughter and son to East Africa’s richest man, Sudhir Ruparelia.

The two yesterday unveiled Bukoto Living to the public.Bukoto Living, a 9-floor condominium homes project.

Bukoto Living situated at Zimbiziwome zone Bukoto just next to former Minister Jaberi Bidandi Ssali’s home, Bukoto Living has 27 homes in a 2-3-4- and 5-bedroom configuration.

The developers of the project Sheena and Rajiv Ruparelia said this is the first of its kind lifestyle property in Uganda with Swimming pool,Rooftop bar, Terrace,Restaurant and a recreational with a Luxury Living.

Bukoto Living is likely to change the environs of Bukoto and Ntinda areas given that area is fast turning into commercial.

 

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New Vision published fake Covid fund recipients’ list & has complicated our relations with borrowers – UDB ED

By
Our Reporter
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CEO of Uganda Development Bank, Patricia Ojangole.

The Executive Director for Uganda Development Bank (UDB) Patricia Ojangole has said that the list that the state-owned New Vision published on Thursday was fake, misleading, and anomalous and should be ignored by all.

Under the cover headline “Gov’t Pays Shs443bn in Covid Bailout”, the newspaper used pages 5 and 6 to publish what it erroneously claimed was the list of the companies that had been advanced the money under the Covid-19 bailout which Parliament passed to support strategically very important businesses that were fatally crippled by the Coronavirus-related constraints.

In the said story, a total of 56 companies were listed and falsely portrayed to have shared Shs443,764,632,550 as government support channeled through Ojangole’s UDB. However, Patricia Ojangole said the New Vision story was nothing but total misrepresentation.

“There was talk about that bailout thing but the truth is as UDB, we have never got that money to have disbursed it to any company.  What is contained in that list are businesses which went through normal procedures, applied and got loans from UDB and it had nothing to do with Covid-19 bailout. That misreporting has caused us a lot of complications with our clients who took out money approved through the normal channels without being beneficiaries of the so-called Covid-19 bailout,” Patricia told Mulengera News in an interview on Friday adding that the Bank will on Monday come out with a comprehensive statement to rebut the false impression.

Ojangole says that some of the companies on the list applied for and had their loans normally approved from UDB long before even the Coronavirus and the resultant lockdown had come into existence. “What they published is nothing but a list of our normal borrowers who have nothing to do with the Covid-19 bailout money,” she clarified imploring the state-owned media, which is supposed to set standards for the rest of the industry, to desist from sensational reporting.

The proposed bailout package for stressed businesses is something the President has always talked about in his televised addresses but UDB has never been availed with such money to effect the President’s offer to the businesses as was implied by the New Vision story.

Ojangole clarified that at the instigation of government, they have been very deliberate in their loans’ disbursement by prioritizing essential businesses like those involved in food production, production for exports and manufacturing of sanitizers which at some point were very essential to the country’s overall Covid-19 response. That this isn’t the same as disbursing out Covid-19 bailout funds that the News Vision referred to in their Thursday reporting.

A number of companies and businesses are so aggrieved with the misreporting by the New Vision and they have already instructed their lawyers to consider filing a multiplicity of suits against UDB and the newspaper according to Mulengera News. That contrary to best practice rules, the impugned publication by New Vision wasn’t only false but also breached the confidentiality requirements between the bank and its customers (borrowers).

Some of the businesses that were published and erroneously portrayed as having benefited from the GoU Covid-19 bailout fund (which Ojangole says has never been availed to UDB) are already being targeted for unjustified political demonization with social media users falsely portraying them as regime stooges who are being favored ahead of other equally struggling businesses.

Such demonization is pushing many of the affected businesses and companies to defend themselves against such misrepresentation by referring the matter to court. The impugned Thursday story is an outrageous misrepresentation which both UDB and New Vision must urgently correct to deescalate the detriment the same has caused the companies or businesses that have improperly been named and portrayed as beneficiaries of a nonexistent GoU covid19 bailout package.

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Liverpool land Real Madrid, PSG to face Bayern in Champions League quarterfinals

By
Our Reporter
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UCL-trophy

Liverpool have been drawn to face Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The last time the two face was in the 2018 final in Kiev when Madrid won 3-1.

Defending champions Bayern Munich take on Paris St-Germain in a repeat of last year’s final.

Manchester City will play Borussia Dortmund, while Chelsea will face Porto.

The Champions League final will take place on Saturday, May 29 at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, which was set to host the 2020 showpiece before Covid postponed the tournament. In August it was eventually completed from the quarter-final stage onwards in Lisbon.

The stadium was the stage of Liverpool’s ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ comeback victory over AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final.

Champions League quarter-finals

First legs: April 6/7 – Second legs: April 13/14

Manchester City vs Borussia Dortmund

Porto vs Chelsea

Bayern Munich vs Paris Saint-Germain

Real Madrid vs Liverpool

Semi-finals

First legs: 27/28 April – Second legs: 4/5 May

Bayern Munich OR Paris Saint-Germain vs Manchester City OR Borussia Dortmund

Real Madrid OR Liverpool vs Porto OR Chelsea

Final

Saturday 29 May (Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul)

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Stanbic Bank pays Shs110 billion to shareholders amidst #Covid-19 pandemic

By
Our Reporter
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Stanbic Bank

Stanbic Bank Uganda has paid out a total of Shs 110 billion to its shareholders for financial year 2019, continuing a long track record of returning consistently positive earnings despite prevailing challenges.

At the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, Bank of Uganda (BoU) directed supervised financial institutions to defer all discretionary payments, including dividends, until they can demonstrate a solid financial base.

After confirmation by BoU that the bank was adequately capitalized, it gave the bank a go ahead to pay dividend for the 2019.  On December 29th, 2020 the Board of Directors Stanbic Uganda Holdings Limited, the parent company of Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited approved a final dividend payout of Shs 2.15 per share.

Speaking at Kampala Serena Hotel, Anne Juuko, the Chief Executive of Stanbic Bank Uganda said that despite a very challenging season, the bank was able to wade through and ensure it keeps its promise to pay its shareholders of ensuring they consistently receive a return on their investment.

She said, “In 2018, our shareholders received Shs 97.5 billion in dividends. Despite the slowdown in business activities, raising trade deficits and increased Non-Performing Loans, we have decided to increase the dividends pay-out by 13% to give back the trust placed in us by our shareholders.”

“Bank of Uganda projections show the economy will grow by three to 3.5 percent in 2021 and 6% to 10% by 2023. This will be as a direct result of the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines; implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCTFA); an expected rebound in tourism; improvement in global investment and the continued recovery in exports due to a revived strength in foreign demand,” Juuko said.

However, on a cautionary note, commodity and tourism dependent economies remain vulnerable over the next 12 to 18 months. Uganda also has the highest number of active cases of Covid-19 in the region and an outbreak of a second wave cannot be ruled out.

The BoU’s Central Bank Rate has remained fixed at 7% for the ninth month in a row into February 2021 and this trend is projected to continue in 2021. Consequently, commercial bank lending rates have also fallen from 13.8% in January 2021 to 12.3% in February with Stanbic dropping its average prime lending rate from 18% to 16.6% (1.4%) thus saving customers borrowing in local currency at least Ugx 26bn in interest payments off a local currency book of Ugx 1.9 trillion as at end of December of 2019.”

Inflation peaked at 4.7% in July 2020, but came down to close the year at 3.6%. It is expected to remain within the Central Bank’s medium target of 5% throughout the year while the Uganda shilling is expected to average 3,750-70 for ’21 from current levels of 3,660/70

Samuel Mwogeza, Chief Financial Officer at Stanbic said, “Uganda’s private sector credit is expected to grow rapidly. The Stanbic Purchase Manager Index (PMI) had dropped to record lows in April 2020, but regained momentum in the second half of the year. It crossed back to the 50 area in February 2021 as employment increased for the first time in three months, after the elections and a wider reopening of schools. There is renewed optimism and a pickup of business activities. This ended a two-month sequence of job cuts and a subsequent increase in staffing and employment levels.”

He said the sectors of agriculture, manufacturing, utilities and transport registered growth signaling commercial banks’ appetite to provide financial support. However, the trade sector was hit by disruptions in access to both working capital and bottlenecks in imports and export processes. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were the most impacted by the pandemic causing a decline in business activities and an increased need for credit restructuring.

BoU encouraged commercial banks to restructure credit facilities for their clients and waive limitations on loans to minimize the likelihood of previously sound businesses going into insolvency.  Uganda’s financial regulator also decided to moderate credit relief measures to allow banks adjust the criteria of Non-Performing Loans.

Mwogeza said the government’s interventions in such target sectors like tourism and education are likely to harness economic growth and provide substantial resources to support SMEs. The government has already stepped support in the form of funds, training and other capacity building in enterprise development for SMEs so that they are able to withstand the present shocks.

Uganda financial markets remain one of the favorite destinations for portfolio investors. With an improvement in tax administration, it will attract significantly more inflows. This would eventually lead to lower borrowing costs for the government.

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Kadaga runs to UCC, calls for investigation of online paper after pocketing Shs2.8bn

By
Geoffery Serugo
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Speaker Kadaga

The speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga has petitioned the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) calling for investigation into an online newspaper, Capital Times after it published an article alleging she received over Shs2.8 billion in travel allowances in less than two years.

The online paper revealed that Kadaga and her close confidant who is also Kasilo County MP Elijah Okupa spent 986 days on travel and pocketed Shs2.8bn as per diem.

In a letter to the Capital Times, the Executive Director of UCC Irene Kaggwa Sewankambo said that the Capital Times made a false, biased, and defamatory statement against the speaker and were never afforded an opportunity to share their perspective on the subject matter.

“The complainants allege that you made a false, biased, and defamatory statement against them whereas you never accorded them an opportunity to share their perspective on the subject matter,” partially reads UCC’s letter.” the letter reads in part.

She directed the editor of the newspaper to respond to Speaker’s complaints in writing to aid in the investigation processes.

The newspaper reported that its editor Capital Hannington Mbabazi has since revealed that he is having evidence over the said article.

“I have evidence over this story. The problem for Kadaga is a lot of documents have since been stolen from her office. That’s why she has since sacked all her handlers. Now they want to squeeze my balls to tell them my source of the story….” Capital times reported.

UCC letter to Capital Times on Speaker complaint

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Sand Cranes qualify for 2021 AFCON Beach Soccer tournament

By
Our Reporter
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Sand Cranes players in training

The Uganda national Beach Soccer Team-Sand Cranes has qualified for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Beach Soccer tournament to be hosted by Senegal this year.

Uganda’s opponents Ghana were due to play the Sand Cranes over two legs starting with the first fixture at the FUFA Technical Centre, Njeru on 27th March 2021 but the West African giants withdrew from the tournament.

In a communication sent to FUFA by CAF partly reads; “Kindly note that Ghana FA has officially withdrawn from the Beach Soccer AFCON. Accordingly, the above mentioned two qualifying matches have been cancelled and Uganda is automatically qualified to the Final Tournament of Beach Soccer AFCON.”

The FUFA Communications Director Ahmed Hussein Confirmed the latest developments.

“We have received communication form CAF in regard to the Beach Soccer Finals. FUFA National Teams Department will provide further guidance on the team camped in Njeru. However we also need to know that there is little time left as the tournament in in May this year. We were supposed to host the tournament in 2020 but passed on the opportunity back to CAF to find a replacement. Now we have the right to play at the finals,” Ahmed said.

Uganda that started playing beach soccer in 2009, and will make its maiden show at the continental tournament.

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Samia Suluhu Hassan swears-in as Tanzania’s president

By
Agencies
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Samia Suluhu Hassan swears-in as Tanzania's president

Samia Suluhu Hassan has today been sworn-in as Tanzania’s President following the sudden death of John Pombe Magufuli.

Hassan, 61, who has been Tanzania’s vice president becomes the first female head of state in the East African country.

“I, Samia Suluhu Hassan, promise to be honest and obey and protect the constitution of Tanzania,” said Hassan in a brief ceremony as she took the oath of office in Dar es Salaam.

According to Tanzania’s constitution, the vice president serves out the remainder of the term of a president who dies in office. Therefore Samia Hassan will serve the remainder of Magufuli’s second five-year term, which goes until 2025.

Magufuli died on Wednesday, March 17th of a heart attack at Mzena Hospital in Dar es Salaam which he had been treating for the last ten years. Samia confirmed in a televised statement.

Magufuli, who was first elected in 2015, secured a second five-year term in polls in October last year.

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Musumba challenges Kadaga’s Kamuli victory in Court

By
Our Reporter
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Rebecca Kadaga and Salaamu Musumba

Forum for Democratic Change-FDC’s Proscovia Salaamu Musumba has petitioned Jinja High Court challenging the victory of NRM’s Rebecca Kadaga as Kamuli District Woman Member of Parliament in the 2021 elections.

Through her lawyers led by Galisonga & Co. Advocates and Isabirye & Co. Advocates, Musumba is suing both the Electoral Commission for failing to conduct a free and fair election and Kadaga accusing her of voter bribery and rigging.

Kadaga was declared the winner of the Kamuli District Woman MP seat with 92,388 votes while Musumba got 26,851 votes.

Musumba now wants Court to nullify Kadaga’s victory and order for fresh elections be organized, conducted and held again in Kamuli.

“Your humble petitioner contends that in the conduct of the aforementioned elections, the 2nd respondent grossly failed in its constitutional duty of organizing a free and fair election, in that the agents refused to properly use biometric voter identification machines at most of polling stations,” part of the petition reads.

Musumba says that Kadaga’s polling agents presided over malpractices at polling stations like ballot stuffing, falsifying declaration of results forms, forcing her agents of the petitioner to sign declaration of results forms among others.

She adds that there was inflating the votes purportedly scored by the Kadaga and that EC agents refused to properly use biometric voter identification machines at most of the polling stations.

Musumba states that during the campaign period, with the intent of influencing voters to vote for her, Kadaga personally and through her agents with her knowledge, bribed voters with money, gifts like tents- written on ‘Donated by Kadaga’, motor vehicles, motorcycles and money and many other items.

She accuses Kadaga of organizing violent groups to deface her campaign posters in Kamuli and using abusive language against her during campaigns.

“Organized violent groups to meet violence and/or threaten violence against the petitioner and her supporters and defaced campaign posters in Nabwigulu sub-county, Kmauli municipality, Kitayunywa sub-county, Magogo sub-county, Balawali sub-county and several other places in Kamuli district.”

“The 1st respondent used abusive language, character assassinating statements against the petitioner at campaign rallies calling her all sorts of names like and describing her as a thief who stole from Kamuli district when she was a district chairperson. That the petitioner is a liar and was sponsored by political detractors.”

She accused the electoral body of selectively recruiting polling officials hostile to her and intentionally doing so to assault the tenets of level-ground competition and fair play thus compromising the electoral process.

Salaamu Musumba wants Court to nullify Kadaga’s victory so that she vacates her seat, and to order for fresh elections for Woman Representative Kamuli District be held again.

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