News analysis Health Business

Ugandans don’t know Treating UTIs Proposed listing of Isimba dam

they are rich - study without antibiotics Telecoms excites nears completion

Issue No. 541 Oct 05 - 11, 2018 Ushs 5,000,Kshs 200, RwF 1,500, SDP 8

Muntu
Why is FDC
panicking?

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Issue No. 541 Oct 05 - 11, 2018

News analysis Business Health Arts Motoring

Cover story
Muntu
Why is FDC panicking?

4 The Week
29 Comments
Gov’t to disinfect people, vehicles
over foot and mouth disease Big food’s poisonous
propaganda: How addiction
turns sugar from a `food’ into a
9 The Last Word
`drug’ on which unsuspecting
Recasting debates on development: masses get hooked
What a reading of Marx and Lenin
teaches us about the effects of
36 Health
multinational capital on poor nations
Treating UTIs:
Why we may not need
14 Analysis to rely on antibiotics
Ugandans don’t know they are rich - study:
Twaweza report shows the government needs to
rethink how it pulls the poor from poverty
39 Arts & Culture
27 Business
Brief art comes to Kampala:
Telecom listing: Impermanent takes on
Good idea but needs to permanent social-political issues
be cautiously handled

STRATEGY & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Andrew M. Mwenda
MANAGING EDITOR: Joseph Were
INVESTIGATIONS EDITOR: Haggai Matsiko
BUSINESS EDITOR: Isaac Khisa
PHOTOGRAPHER: Jimmy Siya
WRITERS:Ronald Musoke, Flavia Nassaka, Ian Katusiime,
Agnes Nantaba, Julius Businge.
DESIGN/LAYOUT: Sarah Ngororano
CARTOONIST: Harriet Jamwa

PUBLISHER: Independent Publications Limited, Plot 82/84, Kanjokya Street, P. O. Box 3304, Kampala, Uganda
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2 Oct 05 - 11, 2018

 Offline

Port-au-Prince,
Haiti: An aerial
photograph of
the Jalousie
neighbourhood in
the Pétion Ville area
of the Haitian capital
at sunset.
“FDC is still a stakeholder in the struggle
for a free society. But I encourage them
to consider the offer we have given
them. We can still collaborate because
we have a common target of regime
change.”Alice Alaso, former FDC secretary
general who left the party

Chuuk, Micronesia:
Local fishing boats
move in to rescue
passengers and crew
form an Air Niugini
flight that ditched into
the sea on its approach
to Chuuk airport. All
47 people onboard
survived
“The board and I recommended that
her contract be renewed for another
term. She is doing a good job.”Matia
Kasaija, Minister for Finance on Doris Akol,
URA Commissioner General

Palu, Indonesia:
Motorcyclists travel
down a road next to
a boat washed ashore
by a tsunami triggered
by an earthquake
on the island of
Sulawesi. The death
toll has reached 844.

“I will fire these officials who keep

frustrating investors”President
Museveni wanring government officials

Money the Belgian Youth who were turned Ugandan

Shs102bn government gave to
Ugandan teachers
200 away during the LDU
recruitment
100,000 women suffering
from fistula

Oct 05 - 11, 2018 3

week
Gov’t to disinfect people, vehicles over foot and mouth disease
Districts in the cattle
corridor are grappling with
Foot and Mouth disease,
and to curb this, anyone
leaving affected areas will
have to be subjected to a
disinfectant called Virukill.
Joy Kabatsi, the minister of
state for animal husbandry,
USAID boosts
maize farmers
The government of Uganda
has developed and launched
revised agricultural manuals
to help maize and beans
farmers shift from subsistence
farming to commercial
agriculture. The educational
and informational materials
were created with support
from the United States Agency
for International Development
(USAID) through Feed the
Future’s Uganda Enabling
Environment for Agriculture
Activity. USAID created
the materials in response to
growing concerns by beans
and maize farmers about
inconsistencies in training
content delivered by extension
workers training farmers on
better practices.
USAID Mission Director
Joakim Parker said farming
communities must be
educated and prepared to
adjust their agricultural
operations within the context
of globalization, responding
to trends and consumer tastes
in Uganda and beyond
4 Oct 05 - 11, 2018
MUK Council, staff in
said all people, vehicles, district veterinary officers. allowance dispute
bicycles, motorbikes Some of the districts
moving out of affected affected include Budaka, A strike is looming at
areas will be disinfected. Bukedea, Amudat, Butaleja, Makerere University after the
Animal checkpoints will Kiryandongo, Kumi, Kween, University Council rejected
be established on routes Kyotera, Katakwi, Bushenyi, a proposal for allowances of
leading to these areas Kiruhura Ibanda, Isingiro, academic staff. ‘The common
manned by a community Gomba and a few others. good allowance to keep
taskforce and supported by harmony’ was meant to replace
staff incentives scrapped by the
visitation committee which was
Parliament probing alleged an inquiry into the university’s
UPDF brutality on lakes constant strikes. The proposal
was rejected during the 143rd
council session held on Aug. 23
but granted the top leadership
of the university allowances.
The Council based its decision
on accumulating revenue
expenditure, saying if it had
considered the proposal, the
university would have to incur
Shs16bn annually which is 18%
of internally generated revenue.
The staff umbrella body say the
council is in cahoots with top
officials to reward each other
with hefty allowances. They
plan to meet Janet Museveni,
minister for education, to
explain their grievances.
MPs on the Agri- ago, Oulanya’s men on some of the
culture Committee boss, Rebecca islands. In Febru-
are supposed to Kadaga, suspended ary 2017, President
expeditiously probe the House after Museveni ordered
the alleged torture government failed the deployment of
by UPDF officers to respond to the UPDF to curb
of fishermen. the issue. Bright illegal fishing on
Deputy Speaker of Rwamirama, min- lakes but there has
Parliament Jacob ister of state for been uproar over
Oulanyah directed defence, denied torture allegedly
the MPs to visit the accusations that committed by sol-
affected communi- Fish Protection diers in conflicts
ties and find a solu- Force was torturing with the fishing
tion. Two weeks and killing fisher- communities.
*terms and conditions apply
 Week

Lukwago asked to intervene in KCCA councilor/university row

Makerere University vice chan-
cellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe
has written to Kampala Lord May-
or Erias Lukwago over the con-
duct of Makerere LCV councillor,
Doreen Nyanjura. In a letter to Luk-
wago dated September 28, Nawa-
ngwe said Nyanjura should be
counseled to desist from promoting
hooliganism among students. The
VC says Nyanjura has been openly
encouraging disruptive behaviour
and leading students astray. “Ms
Nyanjura has openly encouraged
behaviour among our students,
which is not compatible with a uni-
versity of international repute such
as Makerere. There are also allega-
tions that she has funded students
to engage in disruptive activities.
I am sure that you agree with me
that this is not acceptable behav-
iour in a university of our stature,”
he said. Nyanjura, is a member of
the Forum for Democratic Change
(FDC) and a disciple of the defiance
campaign led by former presiden-
tial candidate Dr Kizza Besigye.
She won the 2016 elections to repre-
sent Makerere University at KCCA.

Students cautioned on KIU courses

Kampala International are being probed. KIU says

WE ARE
University is under scrutiny they submitted some of the
again over some of the said courses to the Council
courses it is administering. for review. Two months ago,

The National Council of
Higher Education (NCHE)
had advised students to
write to it for clarifications
about any courses they seek
to study. Alex Kagume, the
acting director of NCHE
told Daily Monitor that a
number of courses at KIU
HIRING!
students at the university
demonstrated demanding
answers from the university
as to why they were
admitted on programmes Are you a Photo Journalist?
not approved by NCHE. We are looking for someone with
Most of the courses that
are affected are those in the a great sense of imagination,
Engineering department. an eye for detail and a knack for
following news events.

Send CV to:
E-mail: jwere@independent.co.ug
Tel: +256-312-637-391/ 2/ 3/ 4

Oct 05 - 11, 2018 5

Week
Phaneroo pastor
attacked over Bobi
Wine comments
Apostle Grace Lubega of
Phaneroo Ministries came under
sharp criticism over comments
he made on politician Robert
Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine say-
ing the MP is a drug addict who
should not be talked about as
a potential leader of the nation.
Bobi Wine is the MP for Kya-
dondo East and is also a musi-
cian who once admitted smok-
ing marijuana and growing it.
In a video that made rounds on
social media, Lubega while min-
istering in his Phaneroo church,
ridicules Bobi Wine for being a
‘ganjaman’. He also told his con-
gregation that Uganda cannot be
a secular nation. Ugandans took
to social media rapping the pas-
tor for misleading his flock about
the gospel Jesus Christ spread
where he welcomed people
from all walks of life during his
teachings. Shortly after Phaneroo
Ministries issued a statement
saying the video clip was the
work of propagandists. “A video
clip of the service was created
out of context by propagandists
and posted on social media.
This short video clip was not
prepared or sent by Phaneroo
ministries, and neither exists on
any of our media platforms,” the
statement read in part.
6 Oct 05 - 11, 2018
LDU recruitment: MPs worry about unmonitored guns
Members of Parliament
(MPs) have expressed concern
over the number of guns that
could end up in the hands
of untrained personnel as
the army presides over the
Government to reduce water
tariffs for industries
As per a directive from Cab-
inet, National Water and Sew-
erage Corporation (NWSC)
will cut water tariffs for indus-
tries from Shs4102 to Shs2500
per unit. NWSC MD Silver
Mugisha told journalists dur-
ing a state of water supply for
Kampala event. The directive
is aimed at boosting industrial
development. The water body
recruitment of Local Defence
Units (LDUs). President
Museveni ordered for the
recruitment of 24, 000 LDUs
to fight urban crime after the
recent spate of killings. MPs on
forwarded its computations
to the Solicitor General who
approved them. Mugisha also
the fluctuating power supply
at the Gaaba plant was hinder-
ing stable water supply in the
areas of Mukono, Kawempe
and Namugongo. NWSC has
plans to construct a sewerage
treatment plant at Kiruddu
Hospital in Kawempe.
the Defence and Internal Affairs
Committee tasked Lt.Gen.
Wilson Mbadi, the Deputy
Chief of Defence Forces and
Charles Engola, minister of state
for defence on the guidelines in
place to ensure safety since a lot
of guns will be moving around.
MPs Muwanga Kivumbi and
Theodore Ssekikubo also asked
the pair about place of crime
preventers since Museveni had
ordered them placed under
the army as a reserve force.
Mbadi told the committee
that 260 coordinators of crime
preventers are undergoing
training at the National
Leadership Institute (NALI) in
Kyankwanzi.
UNATU accounts frozen
Meetings of teachers and other
coordination activities have been
difficult in the past three months
after Uganda Revenue Authority
froze the accounts of Uganda
National Teachers Union (UNATU)
over unpaid Pay As You Earn
(PAYE) and Value Added Tax (VAT)
arrears totaling up to Shs2billion.
The move has cast doubts over the
World Teachers Day celebrations
on Oct. 5. UNATU contributes
about Shs5million for each region
to hold celebrations. UNATU
officials say the amount URA has
arrived is outrageous, and right
now there is an impasse between
the two parties as URA says the
teachers’ body has defaulted for a
year. Some UNATU officials have
laid the blame partly on former
UNATU general secretary James
Tweheyo for poor accounting.
Humour Did you know?

Over 50m Facebook

accounts attacked
Facebook says almost 50 million of its
users were left exposed by a security flaw.
The company said attackers were able to
exploit vulnerability in a feature known
as “View As” to gain control of people’s
Members of parliament have expressed concern over reports that the accounts.
IGP has abandoned his convoy due to lack of fuel for cars. The breach was discovered on Sept.25,
Facebook said, and it has informed police.
Users that had potentially been affected were
prompted to re-log-in on Sept.28.
The flaw has been fixed, wrote the firm’s
vice-president of product management,
Guy Rosen, adding all affected accounts had
been reset, as well as another 40 million “as a
precautionary step”.
Facebook - which saw its share price drop
more than 3% on Friday - has more than two
billion active monthly users.
The company has confirmed to reporters
that the breach would allow hackers to log in
to other accounts that use Facebook’s system,
of which there are many.
The firm would not say where in the
world the 50 million users are, but it has
informed Irish data regulators, where
Facebook’s European subsidiary is based.
The company said the users prompted
Former president of Forum for Democratic Change Maj Gen. Mugisha Muntu to log-in again did not have to change their
has finally announced his exit from the party. passwords.
The company has confirmed that
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and its
chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg were
among the 50 million accounts affected.
Facebook’s “View As” function is a
privacy feature that allows people to see
what their own profile looks to other users,
making it clear what information is viewable
to their friends, friends of friends, or the
public.
The breach comes at a time when
Facebook is struggling to convince
lawmakers in the U.S. and beyond, that it is
capable of protecting user data.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg
said on a conference call that the firm took
security seriously, in the face of what he said
were constant attacks by bad actors.
Jeff Pollard, vice-president and principal
analyst at Forrester, said the fact Facebook
The constitutional court has dismissed with costs a constitutional petition to outlaw polygamy in Uganda. held so much data meant it should be
prepared for such attacks.

Oct 05 - 11, 2018 7

Gaza: A woman waves a Palestinian flag
during a protest calling for lifting the Israeli
blockade on Gaza and demanding the right
to return to their homeland, at the Israel-
Gaza border fence east of Gaza City

Recasting debates on development
By Andrew M. Mwenda
What a reading of Marx and Lenin teaches us about
the effects of multinational capital on poor nations
R
aymond Mujuni of NBS televi-
sion tweeted that he has began his
masters’ degree in development
studies with a reading of Karl Marx.
This column is a conversation with him on
Marx’s insights on development. Marx was
the first thinker to show the link between
economic development and political action.
Later thinkers within the Marxist tradition
carried his ideas further. In this article I
want to introduce Mujuni to the ideas of
Marx and Vladmir Lenin.
Marx saw capitalism as a progressive
force which, he argued, would be trans-
mitted from advanced countries (through
colonialism and/or free trade) and which
would spread to “backward” societies by a
continual process of destruction and devel-
opment of their pre capitalist structures.
He argued that as a result of this process,
a series of new capitalist societies would
emerge whose development would be simi-
lar to advanced nations.  try. Second was the effect of competition
For Marx, the central element behind the
need for capitalist economies to expand
is the tendency of the rate of profit to fall.
Such expansion makes it possible to expand
the scale of production, to lower the costs
of raw materials and the products needed
to maintain and replace the labour force at
home (making it possible to keep wages
low) and thus to increase the supply by
helping to preserve the low organic compo-
sition of capital.  Latin American nations like Brazil, Mexico
Marx distinguished between the subjec-
tive motivation behind this expansion and
its objective historic results. Thus, he con-
demns the process as brutalising and dehu-
manising but also argues that it is absolutely
necessary if backward societies are to devel-
op. For Marx only capitalism could provide
the necessary economic and technological
infrastructure that will enable society for the
free development of every member accord-
ing to his capacity.
Marx also argued that capitalism would
not evolve in poor societies through the
internal development of their productive
forces but through its penetration and
imposition from the advanced countries. He
made no distinction between the capitalism
of the West (which developed organically)
and that of poor societies (which would be
imported through colonialism). He argued
that regardless of how capitalism comes
about in any society, it would produce pov-
erty and wealth alongside each other – cre-
The Last Word
ating the rich and the poor in the society.  The result of this, according to Lenin (as it
Thus Marx saw the necessity of capi-
talism to improve the development of
productive forces and the viability of its
development in poor societies. His con-
cern was with the “necessity” of capitalist
development and he took its “viability” for
granted. He died when colonialism was
still in infancy. It was left to his followers to
observe the effects and explain them. Lenin
undertook this task.
In `The Development of Capitalism in
Russia’, Lenin analyses how capitalism in
that country is articulated both to the econo-
mies of Western Europe and to the other
existing modes of production within Russia
itself. He argued that capitalist development
in Russia was slow because of three specific
issues.
First was the weakness of the Russian
bourgeoisie as an agent for furthering
of capitalist development in that coun-
from Western Europe in slowing down the
growth of modern industry in Russia. Third
was the great and unexpected capacity for
survival of the traditional structures of Rus-
sian society.  bourgeoisie and other dominant groups in
Lenin concluded that the particular
features of development of capitalism in
any backward society would depend sig-
nificantly on the characteristics of the pre
capitalist mode of production. In the case of
and Chile, which were attempting to indus-
trialise in the same period as Russia, Lenin
held that the social formations inherited
from Spanish and Portuguese colonialism
were very different from Russia.  strands in Lenin’s argument. This is perhaps
Hence Lenin appreciated that societies
and states are not generic. They vary greatly
in their history and circumstances and these
impose different possibilities and limits on
what they can do or not do and how they
can do it or fail to and with what effect.  poor countries to industrialise in the post-
Lenin identified the economic expansion
of Western advanced nations in the financial
and productive spheres. For Lenin, Finance
and production are interrelated. The finan-
cial driving forces are related to the need
to find new opportunities for investment
because their own economies are unable to
generate such opportunities at the rate at
which they generate capital. Those of the
productive forces are related to the necessity
to ensuring supply of raw materials and
markets for manufactured products. 
Opinion
was for Marx) would be a tendency toward
the integration of the global economy, a
considerable degree of capital movement
and an international division of labour,
which would restrict the growth of back-
ward societies to the production of raw
materials. 
In fact, Lenin argued that for raw mate-
rials in poor countries to be supplied to
advanced nations cheaply, labour in these
countries had to be kept at subsistence
level. Thus as a result of the expansion of
advanced capitalist economies (as they enter
the monopoly phase of their development),
the economies of backward societies will be
characterised by increasing indebtedness
and by a productive structure which leads
them to produce what they don’t consume
and consume what they don’t produce.
Lenin argued that if this relationship
was set in the colonial period it would be
unequal and therefore the possibilities for
capitalist development would be restricted.
But if they were shaped in a post colonial
context, the possibilities for capitalist devel-
opment would depend on the national
the poor country to establish a more favour-
able relationship with advanced countries in
the global system.
Lenin argued that imperialism would
tend to hinder industrialisation in colonies
but once independence is attained, the poor
countries would be able to develop in a
different way and eventually would indus-
trialise. This is where it is difficult to disen-
tangle the programmatic and the analytical
because he was both a philosopher-thinker
and a practical politician with an agenda
for action. I think the politician could have
taken over from the thinker. 
He argued that although attempts by
colonial context would face problems and
contradictions (because of the presence of
foreign capital and technology) but as was
the case was with Russia they too would
overcome these and industrialise eventu-
ally. Since Africa’s leaders believe attract-
ing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is
the pathway to industrial transformation,
they need to read Lenin and other think-
ers of the imperialism school to appreciate
the limits of FDI.
amwenda@independent.co.ug
Oct 05 - 11, 2018 9
 Muntu
cover story
Why is FDC
panicking?
I
s Uganda’s main opposition party;
the Forum for Democratic (FDC)
worried over the recent departure of
its former president, Gen. Mugisha
Muntu to form a new political forma-
tion?
Some analysts say FDC has every reason
to be worried. They estimate that Muntu
might have departed with over 70% of its
members; among them the majority youth
and prominent leaders.
Muntu’s departure comes on the heels
of his completion of nationwide collection
of the views of the FDC rank and file on
the future of the party. At the centre of the
so-called consultation was one question:
Should I, Muntu, stay or quit FDC.
According to Muntu’s own report, which
he submitted to the FDC leaders on the
same day he announced he was quitting;
the majority of FDC supporters told him not
to quit.
“Fight for a place from within,” they
reportedly told him. Others wanted him
to remain in the party and devise ways of
resolving the problems facing the party.
Sources say Muntu considered the option
of urging the party leadership to devise
mechanisms of resolving these issues but
he eventually went with those who wanted
a split.
“We honestly do not want to spend
another day in rope-pulling,” said a source
after the meeting of Muntu and his team on
Sept 13, “We have wasted enough time yet
the country is yearning for change.”
He was possibly referring to a wave of
anti-establishment sentiments that has seen
the ruling NRM party lose several key par-
liamentary by-elections, forcing President
10 Oct 05 - 11, 2018
By Agather Atuhaire
Museveni to deploy military force against a
surging opposition led by youthful political
debutante, musician, and Kyadondo East
MP Robert Sentamu aka Bobi Wine.
But Muntu had also had enough.
“As someone who lived through that
kind of internal friction first hand during
my five-year tenure as President, I can
authoritatively say it is of no use to anyone.
It neither advances the party nor benefits
any of the warring groups. All it does is
distract the entire opposition into spending
our energy on internal power struggles that
only benefit those in government,” he said.
Muntu’s procrastination, many say, could
have been caused by the attempts by his
nemesis and FDC stalwart Kizza Besigye.
The Independent could not confirm that
Besigye himself reached out to Muntu. But
FDC party president Patrick Oboi Amuriat
aka POA urged Muntu’s supporters on the
party’s whatsapp platform to be open to
reconciliation.
“Friends, where is the bitterness coming
from?” Amuriat asked on Aug.22 as the
clamour for Besigye to quit grew, “Can’t we
do something to reconcile any differences
we may have?”
Muntu’s supporters on the platform were
skeptical.
They said Amuriat was being dishonest
to pretend that he was just awakening to the
need for reconciliation. Some were peeved
that he suggested talking about the party’s
issues “over a cup of tea”. They felt Amuriat
was trivialising the issues. But Amuriat
defended his tea talk.
“Comrades my thinking on proposing
a meeting over drink is that we can break
the ice by engaging even informally to no
detriment.” Amuriat explained. “An elders
committee will be set up very soon to com-
mence the process of reconciliation.”
Muntu’s supporters were unmoved.
“I don’t take these calls seriously,” said
one of the members. “While POA keeps
talking about reconciliation, he doesn’t
stress the need for working together.”
Others said his actions and those of other
leaders did not reflect genuine commitment.
Muntu quit anyway.
Muntu support
It is now not clear if his move will be
supported at the grassroots. There is no evi-
dence yet of the support Muntu commands.
But analysts point at the law, which makes
it risky for an MP to publicly declare mem-
bership of a political organisation other than
that on whose ticket they are in parliament
for the reluctance of MPs to endorse him.
Any breach of this condition could trigger a
bi-election. And no MP wants that.
Article 83 (g) of the constitution provides
that MPs who cross from the parties on
whose tickets they were elected to Parlia-
ment will lose their seats and go back to
ask the voters to vote them on the ticket of
the new party they are joining. This applies
to the Independents too. There are also
reports that Muntu has advised his support-
ers in elected positions not to resign.
“It is an act in futility that doesn’t
advance either my interests or theirs,” he
reportedly said.
Anecdotally, however, the analysts
claim Muntu could have over 30 MPs in
Parliament. They point out that during the
internal FDC presidential race in November
 cover story

Oct 05 - 11, 2018 11

cover story
2017, over 20 MPs out of FDC’s 36 sup-
ported Muntu. Then they point at possible
support of some Independents including
Ntungamo Municipality MP Gerald Karu-
hanga, newly elected Arua Municipality
MP Kassiano Wadri, and youth MP national
Ann Adeke Ebaju.
Sources say Muntu has also won the
hearts of some NRM MPs who unhappy
with their stay in the NRM, were not keen
on FDC, but lacked an alternative. Many
point at the results of the 2016 presiden-
tial elections in which only 66% of voters
turned out and President Yoweri Museveni
won 61% of those and FDC
got 35%. Museveni’s oppo-
nents argue that Museveni
was elected by only 40% of
the electorate and the 60%
shunned him. But the 33%
voters did not vote for the
opposition candidate, FDC’s
Kizza Besigye, either. Muntu’s
supporters believe he, as a
moderate, has a higher appeal
than Besigye across the board.
Two NRM MPs; Man-
jiya County’s John Baptist
Nambeshe, and Mbwa Teka-
mwa Gaffa of Kasambya,
are mentioned. In reality,
the speculation is built on
thin sand – the MPs’ appear-
ance at the press conference
where Muntu announced his
departure from FDC and way
forward.
Apart from the MPs, other
big wigs in the party are said
to have left with Muntu.
These include; the party’s
Vice President for Eastern
region and former secretary
General Alice Alaso, former
FDC electoral commission
boss Dan Mugarura, the chair-
man youth league Iddi Ouma,
Deputy secretary for the
Presidency and elder; Sewava
Serubiri, Rajab Kaaya, chair-
person youth Western, Ismael
Kasule; chairperson women’s
league Central, Hamida Nas-
simbwa, Kakayi Zelda, Mary
Frances Kabatereine, Nasasira
Happy, Phiona Busingye. Others are Ibbi
Florence, Abola Jane, Mary frances Kabater-
aine, Pastor Sandra Ngabo and more.
Angry supporters
As the unverifiable assertions rage, the
FDC leaders and members have not taken
Muntu’s departure as well as many would
have expected; especially since they rejected
his leadership in 2017 and have labeled him
“mole” of the ruling NRM party of Presi-
dent Yoweri Museveni. Many of them have
been attacking Muntu in the media, both
12 Oct 05 - 11, 2018
mainstream and social media for abandon-
ing the party and pushing him to leave.
There are reports that FDC has sent groups
to campaign against Muntu in the country-
side. It is an unexpected twist.
Instead of celebrating Muntu’s departure,
forinstance, Buhweju County MP Francis
Mwijukye sounded angrier than excited.
Muntu is leaving because of greed and self-
ishness, Mwijukye said.
Former Leader of Opposition Wafula
Oguttu, who had carved a career of dish-
ing Muntu also did not sound relieved and
instead continued the criticism as if Muntu
remains his problem.
“The biggest beneficiary of the MM exit
is the dictatorship that promised to destroy
opposition in Uganda by 2021,” Oguttu
posted on the party’s whatsapp platform.
He continued that by quitting FDC, Muntu
was aiding Museveni destroy the opposi-
tion as he promised.
Perhaps implying that Muntu should
not have left, Oguttu told the media that
Muntu’s problem was his failure to run the
party for 10 years.
Another Muntu foe within FDC, the par-
ty’s secretary General Nandala Mafabi said
what Muntu did by quitting was “unfair
to FDC”. Muntu’s act, he said, showed that
Muntu has never worked for the best inter-
ests of the party.
As the vitriol gushed, Muntu was flashed
his vintage smile, albeit sympathetically this
time.
“We believe that this action is mutually
beneficial to both the FDC and those of us
leaving,” he said, “In fact, if handled well,
this could be the beginning of greater coop-
eration within the opposition.
“Instead of fighting each other over strat-
egy, our departure will allow
the current Party leadership to
pursue its agenda unencum-
bered while we also pursue
the same objectives in ways
we feel better reflect our val-
ues. At the end of the day, we
are all working towards the
same goal”.
But Muntu’s supporters
were not so diplomatic. Many
questioned why the FDC was
bothered by Muntu’s exit,
considering that he has always
been accused of being a mole
that was not able to achieve
anything in the party.
During the race for party
Presidency against Mafabi in
2012, the latter’s campaign
chairman Rubaramira Ruran-
ga told voters everywhere
they campaigned not to vote
Muntu because he was a
mole.
Those allegations have been
repeated several times by
other members of the party’s
top leadership including; the
Secretary for Mobilisation
Ingrid Turinawe, Mwijukye,
and Joyce Sebugwawo
Many accused Muntu of
killing the party when he was
its President and it was the
reason many gave for not sup-
porting him when he sought
re-election.
When Muntu rose up to
speak in May 2015 at an oppo-
sition joint retreat to agree on
their response to the government’s rejection
of electoral reform proposals, Mafabi, said
he could not listen to a person who has
never participated in any election.
So when the tone changed recently after
Muntu’s departure, some of Muntu’s sup-
porters could not spare Mafabi, Oguttu and
others.
“Why are people condemning Mugi-
sha Muntu’s move yet they said he was a
mole?” asked the FDC secretary General
in Kamwenge George Muhimbise, “If the
mole talk is real, FDC should slaughter a

cow and celebrate his exit.”
Muhimbise wondered why the departure
of a mole who has been selling party secrets,
is now being regarded by FDC as a loss.
“What does the party lose?” he won-
dered, “Why were they willing to stay with
someone they never trusted or wanted?
Isn’t it hypocrisy of the highest order?”
“Hon. Wafula with all due honesty, how
would the FDC function properly with
a chief mole?” another Muntu supporter
asked Oguttu. “Why are you seemingly
bothered by the exit of a stumbling block?
Do you want us to believe that his stay in
FDC as a mole would precipitate the dicta-
tor’s exit?”
“But WAF (Oguttu) and group have
worked tirelessly to bring about this inci-
dent, which now he claims to be benefitting
the dictatorship.” said another Muntu sup-
porter.
“For sure I don’t know what FDC
wants,” said another, “I thought you would
be jubilating that Chief mole and his spies
have left the party.”
Muntu’s gamble
Crispy Kaheru, the head of the Citizens
Coalition for Electoral Democracy (CEEDU)
who has been watching the back and forth,
says it is not good for the opposition in
Uganda.
“I think this is a serious crack in the
opposition. The opposition generally needs
to reflect deeply on what this exodus and
splintering means in the current political
space.”
“The reality is,” he adds “politics is a
game of numbers. Political parties, move-
ments thrive on numerical strength.”
He says Muntu’s exit should bring to an
end the mistrust and suspicion that had
paralysed the FDC party.
The decision by Muntu and his support-
ers followed bitter wrangles that rocked the
party for years that reached peak during the
party’s presidential elections in November
2017, where Muntu lost the Presidency to
Amuriat.
While they say the main cause of fric-
tion has been the difference in strategies-
defiance and organisation, the party had not
known any peace ever since Muntu took
over the presidency after Kizza Besigye’s
early retirement in 2012.
The animosity started with the challenge
of Muntu’s election as party President in
November 2012 where he defeated Budadiri
West MP Nandala Mafabi and two other
contestants.
After Muntu’s defeat, his supporters
who had tried to dissuade him from seek-
ing re-election and leaving the party even
before the November 2017 elections insisted
it would not be wise to stay in the party.
His supporters’ worry was that Muntu
would win the election and spend another
five years putting out fires denying him
the opportunity to pursue the strategy he
always advocated for-building structures.
But Muntu did not listen to his sup-
porters and even after his loss to Amuriat,
refused to leave the party right away and
opted for country-wide consultations.
The consultations which ended in early
September and as he had promised, Muntu
met the party leaders. But apart from
informing them about his consultations, he
also announced his departure.
Uncertain future
Renowned constitutional lawyer and
FDC stalwart Wandera Ogalo says Muntu
could now pursue the strategy he has
always believed in of building structures.
Ogalo is also hopeful Muntu would tap
into the support of the moderates both in
FDC and the ruling National Resistance
Movement party who do not see either
party as the best alternative.
The FDC has dominated the opposition
politics since political parties were reintro-
duced in Uganda’s politics in 2005. It has
been the only party to appoint the opposi-
tion leadership in Parliament and has had
the biggest say in proposals for joint opposi-
tion candidates. Now, if Muntu’s gamble
succeeds, his political formation could pose
a threat to the FDC’s position.
Appointing the leader of the opposi-
tion has become coveted since the position
started attracting perks equivalent to a cabi-
net minister; including huge emoluments,
chauffeur driven official car, police escorts,
and endless travel and visibility opportuni-
ties.
It is so important that it is said to have
sparked Muntu’s exit. According to this
line, although Muntu had for over a year
toed with leaving FDC, his resolve turned
cover story
into action after the FDC President, Patrick
Oboi Amuriat on Aug.03, shuffled the FDC
leadership in parliament and kicked out
Muntu leaning MPs.
All, except Kiira Municipality MP Ibra-
him Ssemujju Nganda (who maintains an
ingenious presence in both camps), were
replaced with those loyal to Muntu’s nem-
esis; four time president candidate Kizza
Besigye and Amuriat.
The reshuffle saw the dismissal of Kasese
Woman MP Winnie Kiiza as the leader of
opposition and replaced with Gulu woman
MP Betty Aol Achan, Bugweri county MP
Abdul Katuntu from the leadership of the
Committee on Statutory Authorities and
State Enterprise (COSASE) Soroti Woman
MP Angeline Osegge and Ntungamo
Municipality MP Gerald Karuhanga and
Chairperson and Vice chairperson of the
Public Accounts Committee respectively.
Dokolo woman MP, Cecilia Ogwal, was
also dismissed from the parliamentary
Commission and replaced with Buhweju
MP Francis Mwijukye.
Muntu’s group took decisive and deliber-
ate steps to leave the party, starting with
defying Amuriat and openly campaigning
for an independent candidate Kassiano
Wadri in Arua Municipality where the party
had an official flag bearer.
Now, it appears, an unnamed FDC
member who posted online that Muntu had
just taken the struggle against Museveni
backwards by more 10 years, could have the
final word.
“History will judge Muntu. It’s clear we
are going to have NRM Vs FDC Vs Third
force,” the member said, “Who is the ben-
eficiary here?” That must wait until the 2021
general elections, at least.
Oct 05 - 11, 2018 13
INDEPENDENT SPECIAL
Kabaka Muteesa II inspects a guard of honour.
How Buganda tested Ugandan,
British independence politicians
On July 26, 1962, the British House
of Lords debated the `Uganda
Independence Bill’. A look at the
proceeding reveals many issues
that troubled the leading politicians
of the period. Top on that was
list was the place of Buganda in
Uganda, which remains to this day.
Below is a heavily edited version of
the proceedings:
Order of the Day for the Second
Reading read.
THE EARL OF DUNDEE
M
y Lords, I have at command
from Her Majesty the Queen
to acquaint the House that Her
Majesty, having been informed
of the purport of the Uganda Independence
Bid, has consented to place Her Majesty’s
Prerogative and interest so far as they
are affected by the Bill at the disposal of
Parliament for the purposes of the Bill.
THE MINISTER FOR COLONIAL AFFAIRS
(THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNE)
My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill
be now read a second time. The object of
14 Oct 05 - 11, 2018
the Bill is to provide for the Independence
of Uganda. I am sure that your Lordships
will be pleased to know that it was
the unanimous wish expressed at the
Independence Conference that Uganda
should remain in the Commonwealth
and be under the sovereignty of Her
Majesty the Queen, as Queen of Uganda.
It so happens that it is almost exactly 100
years since the explorers Speke and Grant
discovered the headwaters of the Nile and
it was from this date that our association
with Uganda began. It is now 68 years since
the Protectorate was first declared. During
these years Uganda has been growing into a
nationhood. Its peoples have been learning
to work together to create a stable and
happy country. There is a growing spirit
of co-operation in Uganda and in recent
years a real basis of political unity has been
worked out. The Munster Commission
(which your Lordships will remember was
the Relationships Commission) did much
to promote this spirit of unity, and I should
like to record the gratitude of Her Majesty’s
Government to the noble Earl, Lord
Munster, who led the Commission, and
to his distinguished colleagues Professor
Wade and Dr. Marshall.
At the Independence Conference which
was concluded on June 29 at Marlborough
House, arrangements were agreed which
offer a permanent solution to many of the
long-standing problems which have faced
Uganda. The most important and baffling
of these problems has been the welding
of the traditional kingdoms of Buganda,
Ankole, Bunyoro and Toro into a modern
structure of Government. The Report of this
Conference is contained in Command Paper
No. 1778, which was recently laid before
Parliament. Uganda, perhaps more than
any other British territories in Africa, has
been notable for the exceptional strength
of its tribal loyalties and institutions.
Buganda, with its central position, with its
highly developed system of Government,
its Kabaka, and its traditional Council the
Lukiko has tended to overshadow the rest
of the country. The other kingdoms and
districts have also been equally concerned
to preserve their individuality. They
have all, however, been willing to make
sacrifices in order that the new Independent
Uganda should have sufficient strength and
cohesion to play its part in the affairs of the
modern world.
The difficult question of the position of
Buganda was to a large extent solved at
the Lancaster House Conference last year.
The work of the Independence Conference
last month was greatly facilitated by this
preparatory work. A federal relationship
between Buganda and the Central

Government had then been agreed, and
a satisfactory relationship has now been
worked out between the other Kingdoms
and districts and the Central Government.
Noble Lords will remember that the Central
Government, under the leadership of Mr.
Obote, has been in office for less than three
months. None the less, during this short
time much constructive work has been
done.
The success of the Independence
Conference was in no small part due to
the confidence which Mr. Obote and
his Ministers were able to inspire in the
delegates from all parts of the country.
Having myself sat for many hours in the
Constitutional Committee, I was able to
see this for myself. I should like to pay my
tribute to the painstaking care and obvious
sense of responsibility with which the
Uganda delegates set about their task. I am
bound to say that again and again during
the course of the Conference regional
interests were pressed; but equally, my
Lords, when there seemed some danger
that these regional interests were being
over-emphasised, the good sense of the
delegates prevailed, and they reminded
themselves that their purpose was to
achieve a Constitution which would benefit
Uganda as a whole.
There was one issue at the Conference
which proved incapable of solution by
agreement. This was the dispute between
the Kingdoms of Buganda and Bunyoro
over the so-called “lost counties”. As
your Lordships will remember, the
Prime Minister appointed a Commission
consisting of three Members of your
Lordships’ House, under the chairmanship
of Lord Molson, assisted by Lord Listowel
and Lord Ward of Witley, to advise the
Government on this difficult question.
Those of your Lordships who have
read their report will, I am quite certain
appreciate the immense care and close
consideration of all the facts with which
they discharged their task.
Like the Munster Commission, Lord
Molson’s Commission treated the problem
of the “lost counties” as a political question
and not as a juridical one. Their report, your
Lordships will remember, recommended
that two of the counties, Buyaga and
Bugangazzi, should be transferred from
Buganda to Bunyoro. We entered upon
the Independence Conference with
the conviction that this would be the
best solution to the problem, if the two
Kingdoms could be brought to agree to
it. But, my Lords, in the event, Buganda
were adamant that there should be no
transfer of territory. They maintained that
the territory concerned was lawfully theirs,
and, furthermore, that Lord Molson’s
Commission had to a very large extent
acquitted them of charges of discrimination.
As there could be no agreement, my
right honourable friend had to weigh very
carefully the consequences of an imposed
decision. He took fully into account the
Commission’s warnings of the risk of
serious disturbances in the future if nothing
were done. He also accepted their view
that the atmosphere was quite unsuitable
for holding a referendum in the short
time available before the promised date of
independence. He, therefore, decided upon
a solution which gave the responsibility of
the administration of the two counties to the
Central Government for a period, and with
it the responsibility to give the people who
live there the opportunity by a referendum
to decide their own future in conditions of
peace and security. It is our belief that this
solution will give security to the peoples
concerned, and should greatly reduce
the threat to peace and good order at this
crucial period in the life of Uganda.
Milton Obote
Kabaka Muteesa II
INDEPENDENT SPECIAL
As your Lordships know, the view was
urged in another place that there should be
written into the Constitution a date before
which the referendum must be held, or,
at least, that a public declaration should
be made in Uganda that a referendum
will be held, without necessarily putting
a date to it. An undertaking was given
that these views would be put to Mr.
Obote and this has been done. Mr. Obote
is now embarking upon discussions
on the practical implementation of the
Conference’s decisions. I am sure that your
Lordships would not wish that by anything
we say here to-day we should complicate
the issue in Uganda.
THE EARL OF LUCAN
My Lords, the noble Marquess has
referred to the unanimous wish of all
Parties taking part in the Conference
that the independent State of Uganda
should continue to be a member of the
Commonwealth. I think we can welcome
that, and, as the noble Marquess says, we
can welcome the spirit of compromise that
was shown by the parties taking part. One
could, however, wish that that spirit had
gone just a little further. I have seen it said
in a letter from the Ruler of Bunyoro that
“compromise is quite unknown to Africans.
Yet,” he said, “we willingly accepted the
compromise proposed by the Molson
Committee.
On a smaller scale we have a
manifestation of it in the case of the “lost
counties” that are in dispute between the
Kingdoms of Uganda and Bunyoro. The
Commission of which the noble Lord,
Lord Molson, was Chairman went into
this subject in great detail and came to a
unanimous conclusion—and I can say on
behalf of my noble friend Lord Listowel
that he was entirely in agreement with
the Report of that Commission. They
recommended a certain course to Her
Majesty’s Government, and the noble
Marquess has explained that Her Majesty’s
Government also thought that that would
be the best solution; but we have to face
it that when they saw that they could not
get agreement with this solution they
decided against imposing a solution while
Her Majesty’s Government was still in
control. Remember, my Lords, that the
Act says, in line 14 of the first page: “…
as from the appointed day Her Majesty’s
Government in the United Kingdom shall
have no responsibility for the Government
of Uganda or any part thereof.” I and my
friends feel that Her Majesty’s Government
have shirked the responsibility which was
theirs of deciding on the solution which
they themselves thought was the best. They
decided that it would be dangerous to leave
things as they are and that a referendum
was impossible in the time they had
available. Delay, surely, will be dangerous.
Oct 05 - 11, 2018 15
INDEPENDENT SPECIAL
Two years’ delay before there
is a referendum will give
opportunity for feelings to be
inflamed and for passions to be
played upon, with every risk
that they will lead to a situation
which cannot be settled
peacefully. A referendum when
carried out by an independent
State cannot be supervised by
outside impartial authorities.
The changes in the
Constitution and territorial
changes in the new State have
to be passed by a two-thirds
majority. Everything depends
on the two-thirds majority. At
the moment I understand that
Mr. Obote is leading a Coalition
Government and his principal
supporters are the Buganda
Party. The Buganda Party have
gone on record as saying that
they are irreconcilably opposed
ever to giving the control of
any of the disputed counties
to another kingdom. That is
what leads one to look on the
situation with some alarm.
We think that Her Majesty’s
Government have taken the
wrong decision and have
shirked their responsibilities.
There is hope that the peoples
of Uganda who, after all, have
recognised the value to them of
a peaceful combination to make
the new state a success, may
see that, no matter what they
feel now, some compromise by
both parties to the dispute is
inevitable.
But that sort of attempt
requires mutual confidence on
both sides, and the confidence
of the smaller of the two
disputants, Bunyoro, is not
likely to be forthcoming when
you get threats expressed like
those reported in The Times
of July 19, when the acting
Buganda Premier said: “The
Kabaka’s people had been
prepared to invade Bunyoro
if Britain had ordered any
of the Lost Counties to be
transferred.” That is not the
kind of language calculated to
permit a peaceful settlement.
We can only hope that more
moderate counsels will prevail;
that the future will be assured;
and that this country, which
has been, as the noble Marquess
said, such a good example of a
Protectorate under the British
Crown, thanks to the devoted
efforts of the British Colonial
16 Oct 05 - 11, 2018
servants, will continue on its
path of independence. We hope
that the dispute between these
two component parts is settled
peacefully. I would extend our
warmest wishes to the peoples,
all of them, of Uganda.
LORD OGMORE
My Lords, I feel that the
prospects of Uganda are bright,
because, unlike so many
countries whose independence
we celebrate in this House,
it is economically viable. It
has a small population for its
size—only some 6 million or 7
million in a country the size of
Kabaka Muteesa II (L) and Obote
Britain—and it has a rich soil,
with many natural resources.
There is no large settler element
there and there is no large
racial minority. Such racial
minorities as are there are badly
needed in the development of
the country; and I am sure—
indeed, I know—that this fact
is understood by the African
leaders. Politically, therefore,
so far as those problems are
concerned—problems which
are so acute in other parts of
Africa—there is no difficulty in
Uganda.
As the noble Marquess said,
the acute problem was over
the lost counties. Originally,
there were six, and now, as the
result of the Report of Lord
Molson’s Commission, that is
cut down to two. There were
three courses which we at the
Conference thought that the
British Government might
take. The first was to give the
two counties to Bunyoro; the
second, to allow Buganda
to retain them for all time,
as it were; and the third was
to do nothing. After some
experience of Her Majesty’s
Government, I must admit
that I was afraid they would
take the third course and do
nothing. It seemed to me highly
important that they should do
something. It was quite beyond
reason to expect a young
Uganda Government to handle
a problem of this kind which
was, in any case, sixty years
ago the responsibility of Her
Majesty’s Government, and on
which nothing has been done
ever since.
So I was very glad indeed
that they took action and did
take a decision. It was quite
an unexpected one—namely,
that the Central Government
should administer these two
counties for a period of not less
than two years, after which the
decision should be taken by a
referendum organised by the
National Assembly of Uganda.
I thought that was quite an
imaginative proposal. It was a
decision which was accepted by
the Uganda Government. It was
a great step forward. Mr. Obote,
with great courage I may say,
accepted the decision, and I
think it may well be that it will
be found in time to be the right
one. The only question in my
mind is whether there should
be a maximum period as well
as a minimum one—in other
words, whether the referendum
must be held within a certain
period of time. But, on the
whole, I think it is perhaps just
as well not to include it in the
Constitution. If a declaration
can be obtained from the
Uganda Government, so much
the better. All these things will
be in the hands of the Uganda
Government, and I personally
have every confidence in
Mr. Obote. I think he is a
remarkable man and, so far as
he is concerned, I am sure he
will carry out any obligations to
the letter.
VISCOUNT WARD OF WITLEY
My Lords, I have never
regarded myself, and certainly
no one else has ever regarded
me, as an expert on Colonial
Affairs, and I ventured to
intervene briefly in this debate
to-day only because I was one
of the three Privy Counsellors,
under the leadership of my
noble friend Lord Molson,
who, at the request of the Prime
Minister, visited Uganda last
January to inquire into and
report upon the long-standing
boundary dispute between
Buganda and Bunyoro. Anyone
who has once been to Uganda
will, I believe, always take
a close interest in its future
development. For one cannot
fail to be captivated by the
beauty of the country and
by the kindness and charm
of its people; nor can one
fail to recapture much of the
magnetism which compelled
the great Victorian explorers
to return there again and
again, determined, in spite of
immense hardship, danger and
disease to uncover the wealth of
secrets it held.
But, my Lords, even in a
maiden speech which I know
must not be too controversial, I
cannot refrain from expressing
my disappointment that it
was not found possible to get
agreement between Buganda
and Bunyoro over the lost
counties dispute before the
date of independence. As the
noble Marquess has said, our
Commission recommended
that two of the counties should
be returned to Bunyoro and

that the other four should remain in
Buganda. We also recommended that
Mubende Town should be placed
under the administration of the Central
Government. Those recommendations
were accepted without reservation
by Her Majesty’s Government and, I
think, by Her Majesty’s Opposition
as well. The Omukama of Bunyoro,
although disappointed that we had
not recommended the return of all the
territory, generously agreed to this
compromise in the interests of peace,
stability and the unity in Uganda as
a whole, and he renounced all claim
to the four remaining counties. And
if there could have been an equally
magnanimous gesture by the Kabaka
of Buganda, the problem would have
been solved and the dispute settled for
all time. But, unfortunately, the Kabaka,
doubtless with the Kabaka Yekka
breathing down his neck, refused to cede
any territory at all.
As we know, my right honourable
friend produced an alternative solution
Which was agreed by Mr. Obote,
but, unfortunately, by neither the
Kabaka nor by the Omukama. It is
that these two counties of Buyaga and
Bugangazzi should be placed under
the administration of the Central
Government for a minimum period of
two years and then a referendum held
at some appropriate time to determine
the wishes of the people. I have read
carefully the arguments put forward
in another place that there should be
a maximum period within which the
referendum must be held as well as a
minimum cooling off period, and I must
admit that I have some sympathy for the
views expressed; but I very much doubt
whether it would really be practical
politics. One reason (and I think my
noble friend Lord Molson will agree)
why our Commission was so anxious
to get this matter settled before the date
of independence was precisely because
we felt it would be impossible to bind
the Uganda Government to settle it after
the British had gone. And, of course, the
same thing applies here. One cannot bind
them to stick to a maximum period.
In any case, I am sure Mr. Obote
wants to get the matter settled. Indeed,
I believe that both the major political
Parties in Uganda want to get the matter
settled, although I am not so sure about
the Kabaka Yekka, which unfortunately
holds the balance of power. But,
certainly, Mr. Obote will be in the best
position to judge the right moment to
hold a referendum, and certainly in a
better one, I think, than we are now at a
distance of two years away.
Whether or not a referendum will
work at all depends largely upon
the kind of administration which the
Uganda Government establishes in
the two counties in the next two years.
Certainly, it would not work now. As
we said in our Report: “a referendum
would inevitably fan the flames of tribal
feeling, would invite intimidation, and
would create a situation in which no
lasting settlement could be expected.
At worst it could lead to bloodshed.” I
cannot help feeling considerable doubt
whether this will not be equally true two
years from now. Certainly, Mr. Obote is
shouldering a very great responsibility.
There will be—and I am sure he realises
it—much preparatory work to do in the
selection of local chiefs, for example, and
insistence upon absolute impartiality in
their administration. Supervision must
be both independent and strict. Security
arrangements must be efficient and
unbiased.
The Buganda
Party have gone
on record as
saying that they
are irreconcilably
opposed ever to
giving the control
of any of the
disputed counties
to another
kingdom
In that connection, I wonder if I
might ask the noble Marquess, when
he replies, whether he can give us any
idea of the position with regard to the
two companies of King’s African Rifles
in Uganda; whether he is satisfied that
they are properly equipped and there
in adequate numbers to deal with any
troubles that may arise; and, if not,
whether he will assure us that the
Government will give them all the help
they can. Much will depend upon the
two tribes themselves. Any needling of
one another, and, particularly, any acts
of lawlessness, will tend to perpetuate
an atmosphere in which a referendum
is impossible. But we can only look on
the bright side and hope that things will
change considerably in the next few
years.
INDEPENDENT SPECIAL
LORD TWINING
My Lords, it was my privilege to
serve in Uganda from 1923 to 1938,
first in the Army and then in the
Administration. I know the country
well, and I count among my friends
many Uganda Africans from the most
lowly to the highest in the land. As the
noble Viscount has said, anyone who
visits Uganda must be struck by the
beauty of the smiling countryside which
has been so wall endowed by nature.
This is reflected by the happy look on
the faces of those who live there. They
are an intelligent and well-mannered
people, who go about their business with
a dignified poise suggesting a natural
pride in their land and their way of
life. If during the last few years there
have been political stresses and strains,
most of these have been resolved by the
mature good sense of the people and the
statesmanship of their leaders.
Uganda is notable for the strength of
the monarchical system. The Kingdoms
of Buganda, Bunyoro, Toro and Ankole
cover a large part of the total area of
the country. I have always thought
that the British Administration tended;
to underestimate how deeply rooted
monarchy is in the minds and the
loyalties of the people. In Buganda
the Kabakaship is regarded as being
sacrosanct. It is the outward and visible
sign of their history and of their sense
of nationhood, while at the same time it
carries with it a certain undefinable but,
nevertheless, powerful mystique. I have
known two Kabakas, and can testify to
the devotion and loyalty shown by their
subjects, both to their office and to their
person. The same is true of the other
Kingdoms. It is therefore not surprising,
though it is none the less gratifying, that
they accept our gracious Sovereign, not
only as Head of the Commonwealth but
as Queen of Uganda.
LORD MOLSON
My Lords, I should not have risen
if I did not feel bound to make certain
remarks about the settlement which
has been imposed in the lost counties
dispute. I share the disappointment
that the appeal that we made in our
Report to Buganda to make a generous
move towards a settlement has not
been accepted. As my noble friend has
said, our proposal was that, of the six
counties, two, Buyaga and Bugangazzi,
where the Banyoro were in a large
majority and were obviously very much
attached to the Omukama in sentiment,
should be returned to that Kingdom,
and that the other four should continue
to remain with Buganda. My Lords, we
did not recommend a referendum. We
Oct 05 - 11, 2018 17
INDEPENDENT SPECIAL
Obote swears in.
thought it unnecessary, and we
thought that it was likely to be
extremely dangerous, likely to
inflame political opinion and
likely to lead to intimidation
and violence.
In view of the refusal
of Buganda to accept
these proposals, my right
honourable friend who was
then Secretary of State for
the Colonies felt obliged to
impose a compromise. I feel
that this compromise is unduly
favourable to Buganda, which
is the more powerful of the
disputants, and is unfair
to Bunyoro. It is, of course,
arguable that it is desirable that
there should be a referendum
in those two counties in order
to ascertain what I think is
already quite obvious—namely,
that they wish to be returned
to the Kingdom of Bunyoro. I
cannot think, however, that it is
reasonable to lay down that that
referendum should not take
place for two years, without
any firm assurance that it will
take place at any time.
My Lords, I will certainly
heed what was urged by my
noble friend Lord Lansdowne:
that nothing I say should
complicate the issue. Our desire
was to act as peacemakers
in this dispute, and I am still
hoping that peace may come
as a result of the compromise
that has been imposed. My
Lords, we said that it was most
desirable that this dispute
should be settled before
independence. We foresaw that
18 Oct 05 - 11, 2018
there was a great danger that
under the 1961 constitution
the Prime Minister of Uganda
would be dependent upon a
bloc of representatives from
Buganda, and we said in
paragraph 103 of our Report
“that the Federal status in an
independent country, which
Buganda is to enjoy from
October 9, 1962, would make it
relatively easy for the Kabaka’s
Government, if it so desired, to
obstruct the implementation of
a settlement.”
And we said in paragraph
105 that “if a Prime Minister
of an independent Uganda
were dependent upon the
Buganda bloc for staying in
office, he would find it difficult
to support any concession to
the Bunyoro.” My Lords, that is
exactly what has happened. The
21 representatives of Buganda
are all nationalists, and Mr.
Obote is dependent upon their
support for remaining in office.
It therefore appears to me to
be important that the demands
which were made by both
Parties in another place should
be heard, and that an assurance
should be given by the present
Government of Uganda that
the referendum will be carried
out at a reasonably early time. I
share the doubts expressed by
my noble friend Lord Ward of
Witley, that the passage of time
may not necessarily lead to an
assuaging of these passions,
but that in fact the feelings
may become more inflamed
as time passes. I am quite sure,
therefore, that the next thing
which should happen to make
a settlement likely would be
that some assurance should be
given that the referendum will
in fact be held.
THE MARQUESS OF
LANSDOWNE
My Lords, although, perhaps,
the speeches which have been
made in your Lordships’
House this afternoon will not
be so closely scrutinised in
this country in view of other
speeches which are being
made at the same time to-day,
it is quite certain that they will
be very closely scrutinised
in Uganda. I am not going
to go into the details of the
negotiations which led my right
honourable friend the previous
Colonial Secretary to reach the
decision to which he came. But
I can tell your Lordships this:
he did not reach this decision
without the most careful
consideration, and without long
and patient discussion with
the panties concerned. I have
taken note, of course, of what
noble Lords have said about the
question of an assurance that
the referendum should be held.
It is, of course, the earnest
desire of us all—those of the
Commission and all of us in
this House—that this decision
will, in the end, be proved to
be right. I, for my part, have
a very considerable degree of
optimism that it will so turn
out, for the reasons which have
been so admirably stated by
other speakers in this debate
this afternoon: that there is
among the people of Uganda
a clear sense of nationhood; a
realisation that if their country
is to continue to be, as I think
the noble Earl, Lord Lucan,
described it, an oasis of calm
and stability, it will be necessary
for them to work together in
a spirit of compromise. The
noble Lord, Lord Twining,
with his great knowledge of
the country, referred to the
necessity for political stability
in order to attract the necessary
development capital. Here
again it has been our hope that
the actions of Her Majesty’s
Government will indeed ensure
the political stability which is so
necessary for the attraction of
investment capital to Uganda.
I have no doubt that the
good wishes of the noble Lord,
Lord Montagu of Beaulieu,
who knows the country well,
will be well received when
they are read in Uganda. In
conclusion, I should like to add
my own words in praise of Mr.
Obote. The solution which Her
Majesty’s Government have
decided upon was a great test
of Mr. Obote’s courage. It will
require courage for him to carry
out the responsibility which he
has assumed, the responsibility
of the administration of the two
lost counties.
Source: UGANDA
INDEPENDENCE BILL
(Hansard, 26 July 1962)

Bobi wine and Besigye
Supporters of young politician shouldn’t treat Besigye
as worthy of their insults and not important anymore
By Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
I
t is a story with all the
makings of a blockbuster
novel: a brilliant composer/
politician, an attractive
woman, and a mystery that has
lasted for years now. This story,
though, is real. The composer
is Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi
Wine, the renowned Uganda
musician who burst to the scene
twelve years ago. He has also
been the Kyadondo East Mem-
ber of Parliament for one year
and two months. The young
woman is Barbie Intungo
Kyagulanyi, his wife. And the
mystery? Is how the man who
sang in a less appealing voice
could become so rich in such a
short time compared to musi-
cians that are better gifted.
A study of the politician’s
life reveals that for most of his
life he was fascinated by the
politics of our country. He tried
to pass on his political beliefs
through some of his songs. I
always admired his courage as
a musician, and I was among
those that disagreed with FDC’s
decision not to support him
when he stood for parliament. I
stood with him when he helped
brother Asuman Basalirwa
to become an MP in Bugiri. I
sympathised with him when
he was beaten up during the
recent by elections in Arua by
the Special Forces Command
(SFC) soldiers who guard Presi-
dent Yoweri Museveni. That’s
why I think that Uganda needs
an independent organisation
to watch the conduct of our
security agencies. Here in the
UK we have got the watchdog,
the Security Service Tribunal,
which deals with complaints
against the security service
(though it always clears MI5
of any wrongdoing). I don’t
think parliament has got the
tools to investigate those who
tortured the MPs, and that is
why anybody can tell them any
‘Nigeriarish’.
Eighteen years ago, while
struggling to achieve recogni-
tion as a composer, he met
Barbie, when they were both
teenagers. The daughter of par-
ents from Museveni’s tribe, the
Banyankole, she shared Bobi’s
interests in music, smoking
weed, and politics. They got
married on August 27, 2011,
and now arguably are the best
youthful political couple in the
country. Having a strong wom-
an by your side helps in politics.
For instance, one of opposition
FDC stalwart Kizza Besigye’s
luckiest decisions was marrying
Winnie Byanyima, the current
boss of OXFAM. Her family is
influential in our politics. She
has been influential almost
all her life, and a big rock for
Besigye.
But as nature would have it,
most good things in one’s life
breed jealousy. A lot of people
are attacking Bobi and Besigye
purely out of jealousy. My wish
Oct 05 - 11, 2018
NEWS ANALYSIS
is for him to work with Besigye
just like Kampala Capital City
Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago
is doing. Yes, we all have our
tastes in politicians and we
should not apologise for it.
There is no accounting for taste!
Usually, this is hurled as a
taunt of one-upmanship: “I like
it, and therefore I have ‘good
taste,’ and you, who don’t like
it, don’t.”
Life will go on whether nei-
ther Bobi nor Besigye become
president. That is why I will
never use nasty language to
attack any politician, the way
Andrew M. Mwenda does,
or what Pastor Grace Lubega
did, just because he is not my
choice as the next president
of Uganda. People should be
free to support whoever they
want,after all, anybody can be
president of Uganda. I’m not
saying they (Pastor and Mwen-
da) don’t have a right to express
their opinions, but, if they have
a right to express their opin-
ions, other people have a right
to express theirs and take the
other side.
That said, I think some of
Bobi supporter’s schizophrenic
reasoning is that simultane-
ously Besigye is not important
anymore and worthy of their
acts of abuse, and Bobi does
not need to work with him at
all. Perhaps they should ask
themselves why he has lasted
long as Museveni’s challenger
compared to the rest. Bobi too
should be warier of buying in
to the advice of some of the
resident “political experts”.
Abed Bwanika, for instance,
is a certifiable paranoiac, who
attacks anybody that works
with Besigye yet he was quick
to swear an affidavit legitimis-
ing Museveni’s re-election after
the 2016 elections.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba is a
Ugandan political commentator
and blogger who lives in the UK
xix
NEWS ANALYSIS
Ugandans don’t know
they are rich - study
Twaweza report shows the government needs
to rethink how it pulls the poor from poverty
By Flavia Nassaka
P
resident Yoweri Museveni likes to
hand out cash. He splashes on any-
one lucky enough to cross his path.
It could be a person or group in the
low income settlements around towns, a
peasant farmer in the countryside, or a lead-
er, bishop, sheik, bereaved widow or out
of job youth. Museveni also likes to set up
agencies and programmes to hand out cash.
There is the Poverty Alleviation Department
(PAD) he set up at State House in 2000, then
Prosperity for All, Operation Wealth Cre-
ation, Youth Livelihood Programme, and
recently the Ghetto Initiative. The President
20 Oct 05 - 11, 2018
appears convinced that throwing money at
people will somehow lift them out of pov-
erty. According to a new study, however,
that approach is not working. In fact, even
the targeted recipients of the money do not
support the President’s approach.
According to a survey by Twaweza, an
East African region non-governmental
organisation that does surveys of people’s
opinions on social and economic issues,
Ugandans are not convinced that the gov-
ernment is treating poverty and inequality
as a serious issue.
Up to 70% of those interviewed said lead-
ers are not treating poverty with the urgen-
cy it requires and up to 40% of Ugandans
say Museveni’s handouts make people lazy
and that it is shameful to receive handouts
without working.
A day before the Twaweza report was
launched on Sept.26; Museveni had sent the
Deputy Government spokesperson, Col.
Shaban Bantariza, to hand Shs100 million to
youths in Kamwokya low income suburb of
Kampala city. In the same week, the news
featured a public ruckus over Shs20 mil-
lion that Museveni sent to the family of the
slain driver of the controversial Kyadondo
East MP Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine.
It is believed that President Museveni’s
guards shot the driver dead in Arua, West
Nile, while Kyagulanyi and Museveni were

campaigning for opposing candidates in a
by-election.
Twaweza’s latest survey focused on
public perception on poverty, fairness and
inequality. The survey, which is the second
this year, roped in their view on other issues
like health and education.
Dubbed, ‘The haves and the have nots’,
the report of the results of the survey
showed that up to 95% of Ugandans believe
that there is huge and growing gap between
the rich and the poor. The Twaweza report
based on data collected from 1925 respon-
dents who they called through their mobile
phone panel ‘Sauti za Wananchi’ between
May 12 and 30, 2018.
But Marie Nanyanzi, the Sauti za Wanan-
chi Programme Director at Twaweza told
The Independent in an interview that many
of those they interviewed also had a false
perception of the levels of poverty.
“95% of Ugandans think the gap between
the rich and the poor is too big but
“Many of them also have an unclear
sense of relative poverty and where they
might rank,” she said.
According to her, according to national
statistics, up to 80% of people in towns are
considered to be among the 40% richest
people in Uganda. But, when Twaweza
asked people in towns whether they con-
sider themselves rich, only 5% said they
According
to national
statistics, up to
80%
of people in
towns are
considered to
be among the
40%
richest people
in Uganda
consider themselves rich.
Nanyanzi says when people in the rural
countryside were asked the same question,
10% said they see themselves to be in the
richest 40% of the population. Based on offi-
cials statistics, however, up to 30% of rural
folk are among the 40% rich quartile.
The survey also shows over half; 54%,
of Ugandans say that the reason people
are poor is because of laziness or lack of
personal effort. Other factors such as social
injustice, luck (16%) and unemployment
(11%) were mentioned by fewer people;
29% and 11% respectively.
Twaweza asked people it interviewed
questions like – why do you think house-
holds in Uganda are poor? What is the most
important thing that one needs in getting
ahead in life? Do you agree or disagree that
the gap between the rich and the poor is too
large? Is it a responsibility of government
to reduce this gap? What are the three most
important things for the government to do
to reduce income inequality in the country?
A new interesting finding in the report
is that while 80% believe that hard work
makes it easy for one to acquire wealth and
improve their status, 81% also think that it
is the responsibility of government to get
them out of their situations.
Nanyanzi said they were also asked who,
between a boy and girl child should be tak-
en to school if there is only enough money
to take one child to school and 53% said the
boy should go to school instead of the girl.
This showed the persistent unequal treat-
ment of girls, contrary to the continuous
push by the government and rights organ-
isations for equal rights for all sexes.
The findings in the current report are not
very different from the poverty and finan-
cial inclusion report that Twaweza launched
in March.
NEWS ANALYSIS
Even back then, respondents said gov-
ernment is not doing enough to fight pov-
erty. The majority said there are no formal
safeguards for people hit by financial hard
times and they rely on family, friends and
other informal groups instead of established
institutions, to borrow. When that fails,
many of them completely run out of busi-
ness in case of an emergency or a calamity.
So what does the government do with
reports from surveys such as this? Do gov-
ernment official pore over them and use
them as a basis for future interventions?
Mayanja Gozanga, the Commissioner
in charge of Monitoring at the Office of the
Prime Minister (OPM), says the surveys
should not target the central government
only. He says since Twaweza captures
voices of the people at the grassroots, their
recommendations can be used for engage-
ments at both community and parish levels.
He says everyone and all organisations and
government agencies need to be involved to
fight poverty and reduce inequality.
“Government can come up with all these
social safety nets proposed like access to
credit, reductions in taxes and insurance but
the majority have told you its hard work
that does the magic,” he said, “What to take
away from this is that even if you give them
money that won’t help much if you don’t
sensitise them on how to use it.”
But, Christopher Musoke, an Inclusive
Financial Sector Specialist says the claim
that laziness is the reason people are poor
is a false generalisation. To him, there is
a significant percentage of citizens who
remain poor because of other barriers such
as lack of access to capital to start or expand
their income generating activities and legal
barriers to running their income generating
activities.
Musoke says it is the duty of the gov-
ernment to put in place an enabling legal
framework to allow all businesses to start,
run, and expand in a fair manner.
“What is required is that there are no bar-
riers to some and open gates for others,” he
says.
He says with fair competition, the best
business gets ahead of the pack.
He says even when the government has
good intentions in its attempt to alleviate
poverty, it has not used a sustainable solu-
tion to solve the problem.
“Poverty is not uniform and is not
caused by the same factors,” he told The
Independent, “Secondly poverty needs
a holistic approach and not provision of
free funds. Thirdly government alone
cannot reduce the incidence of poverty.”
The general view appears to be that
tackling inequality is a complex chal-
lenge. But as the Twaweza survey clear-
ly shows that Ugandans are not satisfied
with their government’s approach, it is
time for a rethink.
Oct 05 - 11, 2018 21
NEWS ANALYSIS
Kirumira murder
Why security agencies are finding
difficulty catching the killers
By Independent Reporter
A
lmost a month after
the gruesome murder
of Muhammad Kiru-
mira on Sept.8 there
is little hope security agencies
can find the killers of the former
Buyende District Police com-
mander.
Part of the problem is that
elements in security agencies
are key suspects in the investi-
gation. The despair also has to
do with the fact that security
agencies have in the past failed
to crack murder cases involv-
ing other high profile public
figures.
Kirumira, become a very con-
troversial officer who was at the
centre of fights with the current
and former police leaderships,
low ranking officers, and was
increasingly seen an outspoken
critic of the entire establish-
ment—which makes it more
complicated to easily zero in on
what could have motivated his
killers.
Also while authorities have
arrested security operatives as
suspects in his murder, Kiru-
mira was murdered in a similar
fashion as public officials who
security authorities say were
killed by elements in the Allied
Democratic Forces (ADF).
Experts also say criminal inves-
tigation capability is also not at
its best.
Amidst all this, President
Museveni on Oct.1 announced
on social media that the Chief-
tance of Military Intelligence
(CMI) squads had arrested a
number of suspects in the kill-
ing of ASP Kirumira on Friday
night. “Quite a number of them
will appear in court soon,” he
posted on his Face Book page,
“In the process, one of them,
by the names of Kateregga
Abdu, was shot and later died
of his injuries. It turns out that
Kateregga was one of the ADF
terrorists that had benefited
from Amnesty in the past. This,
therefore, is to put on notice all
22 Oct 05 - 11, 2018
the killers that the wages of sin
is death ( Romans 6:23 ).”
Kirumira’s murder came
just over three month follow-
ing another murder, this time
of former legislator, Ibrahim
Abiriga, and over a year after
another high profile murder
of former Assistant Inspector
General of Police, Andrew Felix
Kaweesi, his bodyguard Ken-
neth Erau and driver Godfrey
Mambewa.
Like these officers, Kirumira
was slain by gunmen riding on
two motorbikes who sprayed
with bullets the car he was in
together with a female friend
identified as Resty Nalinya. She
died instantly and Kirumira
a few minutes later as he was
being driven to hospital.
Kirumira’s killers had been
tracking him and had estab-
lished his routine, police sourc-
es say. He, for example, had
been a regular user of Musoke
Road along Mityana Road,
where he met his death. This is
a few kilometres from his home
in Gogonya Zone B, Bulenga,
Wakiso District. Witnesses have
reported that it was routine for
him to park his car at the road-
side and chat with boda boda
riders at the nearby stage before
embarking on his journeys.
Private investigator Fred
Egesa, has told The Indepen-
dent that the most obvious
common thread in Kirumira’s
murder and that of other high
profile personalities is the
method is shooting; by assail-
ants on motorbikes as an easy
gate away.
Egesa who is a former cop
told The Independent investiga-
tion teams are still behind on
what it takes to make definitive
criminal investigations.
Like other criminal inves-
tigators The Independent has
spoken to, Egesa agrees with
the view that “machines do not
catch criminals, people do.” Yet
there has been a lot of focus on
beefing up the technology—
erecting cameras on the street,
amongst others—and less talk
on improving the personnel
that handles these investiga-
tions.
Amongst others, Egesa
says, agencies were politicised
and people with no skills and
experience were put in charge
and those with the experience
ignored.
“In the absence of refined
personnel,” Egesa notes,
“whatever evidence is picked is
likely to be messed up.”
The investigative arm of
police—the Criminal Inves-
tigations Directorate (CID)—
weakened under former police
Chief Kale Kayihura’s 13-year
reign, in part because of dis-
agreements with senior inves-
tigators like Godfrey Musana
and AIGP Grace Akullo, the
current head of the outfit.
Kayihura cut CID’s budget
and always ensured the major
cases went to the new outfits
like Special Investigations Unit
(SIU), whose control he put could taint the image of the
under loyal commanders, some military.
without requisite training and Egesa points out that the
experience, critics say. pace of the security agencies is
Some of them were not very slow yet crime is chang-
trained police officers and ing rapidly and criminals are
their only claim to fame was changing techniques rapidly.
that they had been reformed Army Spokesperson Brig.
criminals who understood the Richard Karemire, declined to
inner workings of the crimi- go into the details surrounding
nals they were supposed to be the investigations.
chasing. To make up for their “Let us not go into all sorts
weaknesses, critics say, these of interpretations now,” Brig.
elements often arrested and Karemire told The Indepen-
pinned suspects that turned out dent, “At an appropriate time,
to be innocent. the investigating team will give
President Yoweri Museveni an analysis of their investiga-
has recently turned to CMI, the tions.”
intelligence outfit of the military He added; “His excellence
to take lead in these investiga- the president has given the
tions. update and that is where we
But Egesa says the military are at.”
might not have skills in han- Following Kirumira’s mur-
dling domestic intelligence and der, President Museveni per-
investigations. Even if they do, sonally visited Busega police
he adds, the authorities need to station and later moved to the
ensure that the proper proce- crime scene about two and a
dures of criminal investigations half hours later. While there,
are integrated into the military. he picked two witnesses and
Otherwise, he fears, the way took them back to State House
they handle these investigations with him. Later on, he gave two

addresses to the nation addressing the secu-
rity challenges.
The address was a build-up on another
he gave to parliament on June 20 outlining
what he intended to do to address the secu-
rity challenges.
Amongst these were; finger printing
all the guns in Uganda; requiring every
motor-vehicle and every piki-piki to have
electronic number plates installed at the cost
of the owner or inserted in the engine; and
installation of cameras on the town roads
and streets and also along the highways,
amongst others.
He also pointed out that part of the
problem has been “intelligence staff that
have been neglecting information from the
public, unjustifiably labeling information
sources as intelligence peddlers or not con-
cluding investigations”.
He also added that the purge of the crimi-
nal and corrupt elements that had infiltrated
the police is continuing.
“The Police force is being cleaned of
them,” President Museveni said, “By the
end of nine months from today, most of
the elements of the smart and safe City will
be in place. We can, then, scale down the
reliance on human intelligence and human
observation because the technical (the
machine) means will be in place.”
CMI is taking lead on the investigations
of the Kirumira murder. The military outfit
is working closely with the Internal Security
Organisation (ISO) and Police.
Like the Kaweesi murder case also han-
dled by CMI, ISO and police detectives, the
Kirumira investigations had until recently
largely focused on elements within police.
Insiders say the investigators have
been hunting down police operatives that
belonged to the defunct Flying Squad Unit
(FSU). Several have been arrested and are
being interrogated at Makindye Military
Barracks in Kampala.
Kirumira severally accused operatives
under this unit of being criminals. He also
openly accused his bosses of conniving with
criminals.
He recounted how, after arresting about
600 thieves in one day in 2012 from Kam-
pala, his bosses were not pleased.
“The public was happy but my bosses
who were conniving with these people
were angry with me,” Kirumira would tell
journalists.
His major fallout with police started
when Kirumira was transferred to Buy-
ende district as the DPC in 2017. He said
another of his successful operations in 2016
occasioned a transfer that he opposed and
instead announced his resignation from the
NEWS ANALYSIS
police on social media.
Kirumira had become the most outspo-
ken critic of Kayihura whom he blamed for
putting criminals in charge of police opera-
tions. On top of openly criticising him, Kiru-
mira celebrated the firing of Kayihura.
Disappointed that Kayihura’s successor
Martins Okoth-Ochola did not like him
much and publicly accused him of indisci-
pline, Kirumira took him on too.
“He is worse than Kayihura,” Kirumira
said referring to Ochola, “The country will
also not benefit because he only knows how
to sit in office and draft draconian laws.”
Kirumira’s hero had been Kaweesi, who
trained him at Kabalye Police Training
Institute in Masindi before he was commis-
sioned as a police constable in 2005. He had
even named one of children after the fallen
AIGP.
The police establishment fought back and
at one point dispatched the Flying Squad
Unit to forcefully arrest him. Apart from
firing bullets and teargas at his home, the
police plucked out his door when he locked
himself in the house and finally arrested
him.
The police establishment also slapped
him with multiple charges. Specifically,
the police court found Kirumira guilty
of parading flying squad operatives to
the media and declaring them as thieves,
unlawfully arresting people and excessive
use of authority. As a result, Kirumira was
demoted from ASP to AIP.
Despite this, Kirumira was not shaken. It
is under these circumstances that he started
receiving death threats, which he reported
to police.
Part of this explains why investigators
have been looking into elements in police,
insiders say. But other insiders say that his
killers could have targeted him precisely
because his fight with authorities in police
gave them a perfect cover. Away from this,
Kirumira, who had given himself the moni-
ker—Mwoyo Gwa Gwanga—loosely inter-
preted as the soul of the nation, had become
so popular and some say had become a per-
fect target of elements targeting high profile
public officials.
Indeed, even on the day the assassins
struck, Kirumira was from speaking at a
public event along Entebbe road, where
he had made a stopover on his way from
attending an introduction ceremony in
Kawuku, still along Entebbe road.
Kirumira was accompanied by his broth-
er, who later revealed that on their way
back from Entebbe, they used the Entebbe
Express Highway. But Kuteesa would later
leave Kirumira and get a taxi at Busega to
another destination.
“Before reaching home,” Kuteesa says, “I
received a call that he had been shot dead.”
It was around 8pm when the assailants
struck. As he was accustomed to, Kirumira
had packed by the roadside.
Oct 05 - 11, 2018 23
Telecom listing
Good idea but needs to be cautiously handled

By Julius Businge
Uganda’s plan to have telecom companies list on the stock market
is a good step towards inclusive growth but should be handled
cautiously to avoid discouraging investments.

F
inancial and economic experts
who spoke to The Independent
said directing telecoms to list
on the Uganda Securities Ex-
change (USE) will create sense
of ownership while at the same
time promote transparency as a result of
the mandatory disclosures to the stakehold-
ers – customers, analysts, government and
shareholders.
Enock Nyorekwa Twinoburyo, an econo-
mist familiar with the industry says the
return on investments in the telecom indus-
try significantly went up in the past nine
years since the launch of mobile money in
2009. Because of this, he says there is need
for Ugandans to have a pie in this fast grow-
ing and profitable industry.
He, however, says government needs to
be cautious in handling the matter so as not
to create an economic situation that would
discourage normal flow of foreign direct
investments.
Ibra Kasirye, a senior research fellow at
the Makerere University-based Economic
Policy Research Centre (EPRC) said the
government’s latest move was long overdue
and that it was a right step towards devel-
oping the stock market.
He says it is an opportunity for people
who have been investing in traditional areas
such as land and livestock to also venture
into stock market and earn dividends from
profitable entities.
He said that stock markets like the Nairo-
bi Stock Exchange are busy because authori-
ties there have encouraged segmented
income earners from different sectors like
teachers [in the education sector] to invest
in stocks.
“It is (also) about discloser aspect…possi-
bly government wants to know more about
MTN,” he said.
Frank Tumwebaze, the minister of Infor-
mation, Communication and Technology
(ICT) said on Sept. 19 that cabinet had
approved a new National Broadband Poli-
cy, which among others, required telecom
operators to list shares on the stock market.
He said local listing for all telecom opera-
tors as a licencing condition will help miti-

24 Oct 05 - 11, 2018


gate capital flight. All the big telecom opera-
tors in the country are foreign owned.
“Every operator that seeks a national
operator licence must be able to cover the
entire geographical place of Uganda so as to
enable universal access, promote effective
competition and quality of service,” he said.
But the operators said they are yet to
receive official communication regarding
mandatory share listing.
“It is something we have heard but have
not officially been told to us,” said MTN
Uganda Communications Manager, Val
Okecho, said.
In case the government communicates
to them, then, they will share their views
with different stakeholders and consider
the matter appropriately and in accordance
with the laws governing the entire process,
he added.
“We have not received an official commu-
nication as yet. We shall discuss it upon the
official communication,” said Airtel’s Public
Relations Manager, Sumin Namaganda.
Currently, MTN and Airtel control
Frank Tumwebaze Matia Kasaija
approximately 95% of Uganda’s
telecommunication industry market share
with a combined total of around 21 million
voice subscribers out of about 23million – in
a market that has four other small players.
Last year, MTN Uganda recorded
a 10.7% growth in revenue to Shs 1.68
trillion compared with Shs1.5trilion in 2016
supported by growth in demand for data
and digital services. On the other hand,
Airtel – trading as Bharti Airtel Limited,
operating in 20 countries across South Asia
and Africa, recorded a 53% growth in net
profit in Uganda to Shs245bn.
In a telephone interview with The
Independent on Sept.28, Finance Planning
and Economic Development Minister,
Matia Kasaija insisted that cabinet will not
rethink this decision that was made public a
few weeks ago.
Kasaija revealed that he was among
those who attended the cabinet meeting
that resolved that telecom companies must
list on the stock exchange.
Beyond telecoms
Kasaija also said that there are also plans
to have formerly government owned
companies to list on the USE so that the
locals can benefit from their profitable
ventures.
Some of the companies that were
supposed to list include the struggling
Uganda telecom ltd, which was supposed to
have floated 49% of its shares, Kakira Sugar
Ltd not less than 10% shares, Kinyara
Sugar 19% shares, Tororo Cement Works
(20%) Barclays Bank (25%), Apollo Hotel
currently trading as Sheraton Kampala
Hotel would list not less than 20% shares.
Others that were supposed to list
includes; Lake Victoria Hotel which was
supposed to have offloaded at least 10%
of its shareholdings and Uganda Grain
Milling Company that was supposed
to float nearly 30% stake held by the
government.
Currently, the country has 17 firms listed
on the USE compared with 21 listed on the
Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange in Tanzania
and 63 on the Nairobi Stock Exchange in
Kenya.
business
In June last year, Prime Minister,
Ruhakana Rugunda, speaking on behalf
of President Yoweri Museveni during
the launch of the 10 year Capital Markets
Development Master Plan appealed
to private entities and public interest
companies such as telecommunications
and banks to consider listing on the stock
market to complement other sources
of funding, as well as sell a part of their
shares to Ugandans who have supported
their growth as customers, suppliers and
employees among others.
Many businesses in the country are reluc-
tant to float shares on the USE for fear of full
disclosure, onerous issuance requirements
and limited innovation to allow for innova-
tion.
Wave of telecom listings
This development come when a number
of African countries are putting pressure
on foreign-backed telecom companies to
list their shares on the stock exchange as a
measure to reduce profit repatriation and
enhancing transparency.
For instance, the Tanzanian government
passed a new finance bill in 2016 requir-
ing telecom firms to list at least 25% of
their shares on the Dar es Salaam Stock
Exchange.
As a result of that, Vodacom became the
first telecommunication firm in Tanzania to
list on the DSE last year and it is expected
that India’s Bharti Airtel and Tigo, which
have already submitted prospectus to
Tanzania’s Capital Markets and Securities
Authority will receive approvals for their
Initial Public Offerings and list soon.
President John Pombe Magufuli’s admin-
istration is targeting at least eight telecom
firms to float part of their shares to the stock
market including state-owned –Tanzania
Telecommunications Company Ltd.
In May this year, MTN Ghana offloaded
a 35% stake on the Ghana Stock Exchange
as part of the agreement between MTN
Ghana and the West Africa country’s
National Communications Authority (NCA)
in 2015 for MTN Ghana to deploy high
speed 4G LTE mobile services to its custom-
ers in the country.
At the same time, MTN Nigeria is work-
ing out mechanisms to settle its disagree-
ment with the central bank of Nigeria
regarding the alleged illegal transfer of
about US$8.1billion out of the country
before being allowed to list on the Nigerian
Stock Market.
The company hopes to list its shares by
May next year as part of the settlement of a
separate dispute between Nigerian telecom-
munication regulator and MTN two years
ago over unregistered SIM cards.
The pledge helped enable the Johannes-
burg-based company to reduce the penalty
related to that charge to about US$1billion
from more than $5billion.
Oct 05 - 11, 2018 25
Business
Hope as Isimba dam
nears completion
Two units set to go live within three months
By Isaac Khisa
T
here lies a stretch of land in Isimba
village on the Victoria Nile in Ka-
yunga District, 44km downstream
of the 250 MW Bujagali Hydroelec-
tric Power Station where dust has never
settled.
In the past five years, hundreds of work-
ers have been crushing rocks, laying con-
cretes and embankments across the Africa’s
longest river – the Nile.
It is this site that the Isimba Hydropower
Dam, the third largest electricity plant and
one of the country’s largest projects is taking
shape.
Two of its four turbines, commonly
referred to as units, each with a generation
capacity of 45.75MW, are expected to go
live in the next three months as construction
works now stands at 95% completion.
The government is pinning its growth
on the new dam and the 600MW further
downstream of the river to boost the coun-
try’s economic growth agenda.
“This economy hinges on electricity.
Without it, we cannot have economic devel-
opment,” said Harrison Mutikanga, the
Chief Executive Officer of the state-owned
Uganda Electricity Generation Company
Limited, mandated to oversee dam con-
structions and electricity generation.
“This project is therefore very critical
for government...it will be used to power
factories, homes, schools and the planned
standard gauge railway.”
But the implementation of this project
has not been that rosy. It has faced various
bottlenecks including resettlement, shoddy
26 Oct 05 - 11, 2018
work by contractors and strict rules from
donors such as the World Bank.
In June this year, the commission of
inquiry into land matters led by Justice
Catherine Bamugemereire directed the
Ministry of Finance to halt the payment of
Shs600bn as compensation to claimants of
a rock underneath the Isimba power dam
construction site.
Also, the government has been criticised
for what is said to be over-borrowing
to fund the huge infrastructure projects
including Isimba Dam where China Import
and Export Bank is providing 85% of the
US$567.7million (Approx.Shs2.1trillion)
construction costs.
Since 2013, the government has injected
huge resources in massive infrastructure
projects including dams, roads, airports,
railway and roads.
But the growth in the economy has been
subdued to an average of below 5% over the
past few years as opposed to higher levels
of 6-8% in the early 2000s.
This has been partly blamed on the con-
stant power outages, inaccessibility in some
areas especially in the rural, high electricity
tariffs and high interest rates.
Mutikanga said the sale of electricity to
the national grid will be priced at US$5cents
compared with the current over US$8cents
offered by Bujagali hydropower project.
The Isimba hydropower plant is expected
to boost the electricity generation with
183MW, pushing the country’s electricity
generation to 1,133MW.
This is expected to further increase to
1,733MW when the 600MW Karuma dam
comes onboard in July next year.
President Yoweri Museveni recently
assured investors and the business commu-
nity that the high electricity tariffs will soon
go down.
“The electricity costs; you don’t have to
worry about that because we expect it to go
down after completion of the many dams
we are constructing,” Museveni said while
commissioning the new Simba cement fac-
tory in Tororo District last month.
Features of Isimba dam
The Isimba hydropower dam covers a
distance of 1.2 kilometres and it is expected
to hold 1.7million cubic metres of water that
will always flow only through the power
generation facility known as the Power
House.
It is in this Power House – a gigantic five-
storeyed-like erection bay structure – that
the four turbines (units) will be fixed to
generate electricity. So far, two units have
been fixed.
The project covers approx.3, 000 acres
of land and comprises of concrete gravity
dam, a clay-core rock fill dam, spillways,
electro-mechanical equipment, switching
stations and auxiliary power transmission
works.
The concrete dam, located on the left side,
consist of a reservoir retaining structure in
front of the erection bay, while the rock fill
type with central clay core right dam pro-
vide storage for emergency gates and stop
logs.
The dam’s external switchyard is situated
at the left bank of the river, and it is already
connected to the Power House with four
overhead lines.
Once the power has been generated in the
Power House, it will be sent to the switch-
yard, and later transmitted to the substation
at Bujagali hydropower station through a
132kV Isimba-Bujagali double circuit trans-
mission line.
The project will also include the construc-
tion of a bridge across the river a few metres
from the dam to connect Kayunga and
Kamuli districts.

By Julius Businge
U
ganda could soon
have a National Com-
petition Bill enacted
into law, ending along
running delay that is believed
to be hurting local businesses
as a result of uncompetitive
practices.
If it succeeds, Uganda will
join the ranks of Kenya, Tanza-
nia, Rwanda and Burundi in the
Common Market for Eastern
and Southern Africa that have
already done so.
Trade Minister, Amelia
Kyambadde, said during the
closure of a five-day sensitiza-
tion of District Commercial
Officers workshop organized
by the COMESA Competition
Commission (CCC) at Ridar
Hotel in Seeta on September 28
that government hopes to have
the law before the end of the
year.
CCC is an affiliate of the
regional business bloc [COME-
SA] that oversees all mergers
and acquisitions as well as
checks anti-competitive prac-
tices within the 19 COMESA
member-states in Africa. It has
been operational since 2013.
“We shall fight to ensure it
[bill] comes out,” Kyambadde
said. In a presentation, Stephen
Kamukama from the ministry
of trade said that in August cab-
inet directed that the competi-
tion bill be redrafted to exclude
the creation of the Competition
Authority following a decision
by government to merge some
of its agencies.
“The first Parliamentary
Counsel is now redrafting the
bill,” he said. He added that
the COMESA Competition
Regulations have a force of law
in Uganda as enshrined under
Article 4 of the COMESA Trea-
ty implementation Act 2017 and
that of the East African Com-
munity Law which is domesti-
cated under EAC Act 2002.
Kamukama said the ministry
is now working on institu-
tional and regulatory aspects to
implement COMESA and EAC
Laws.
The ministry officials say the
absence of the law has fueled
unfair trade wars especially in
the sugar, tobacco and other
industries. In 2010, steel manu-
facturer Uganda Baati threat-
ened to stop further capital
Looming law to curb
unfair competition
Government to earn money from
COMESA deals once law is in place
Kyambadde (L) arriving at Ridar Hotel in company of CCC and Ministry of
Trade officials.   Independent/Julius Businge
investment in its plant due to
what it termed as unfair com-
petition.
The company wanted
the government to protect it
through imposing a 10% import
duty on galvanised coils that
competing firms imported.
Uganda started the process
of drafting the law 14 years ago
but has not been given priority.
Other countries without the law
in COMESA are Eritrea and
Libya.
Currently, Uganda has
US$1million locked in the
coffers of the CCC accrued
from mergers and acquisition
deals of companies in Uganda,
according to CCC officials.
The secretariat says the
money can only be remitted to
government once the competi-
tion law and its implementation
framework is in place.
The CCC has over the
last five years collected
US$27million as fees collected
on mergers and acquisition
deals for companies within the
COMESA trading bloc.
Kyambadde said the compe-
tition law would target among
other groups Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)
spread across all sectors of the
economy.
Data from Uganda Bureau
of Statistics show the country
has 49% of MSMEs working in
the services sector, 33% in com-
munication and trade, 12% in
manufacturing and 8% in other
fields.
The old version of the com-
petition bill promises to create
an independent body — the
Uganda Competition Commis-
sion — with powers to inves-
tigate uncompetitive practices
and behaviour and impose pen-
alties where appropriate.  ing the cooperative movement,
The Bill articulates three
main competition issues of
anti-competitive agreements,
mergers and acquisitions and
abuse of dominant position in
the market.
George Lipimile, the director
and chief executive officer of
CCC told The Independentthat
coming up with a competi-
tion law will stimulate trade in
various products and services,
ensure value for money by
ensuring firms compete on
price and quality and stimulate
innovation and productivity by
motivating firms to create new
products and reduce costs in
order to win customers.
He said the proposed law
would also enhance favourable
competition among local and
international firms.
“It is also one of the best
economic instruments available
in order to ensure that regional
integration remains a source
of welfare for the citizens and
the enterprises operating in our
respective countries,” he said.
He said anti-competitive
business practices damage
economies by maintaining
artificially low or high prices
Oct 05 - 11, 2018
Business
and suffocates small firms, stifle
innovation and allowing inef-
ficiencies.
Private sector players say
the competition law would
effectively work in a favorable
economic environment.
Martin Okumu, the former
director of communication at
the Uganda National Chamber
of Commerce and Industry
and now the executive director
of Sapientia Professional Con-
sultants told The Independent
that as the competition Bill
takes shape, important issues
to address for businesses are
about lowering the cost of cred-
it, finding markets for goods
and services, softening the
political environment, revamp-
addressing issues of local
content to minimize profit repa-
triation and implement high
standards for Ugandan goods
to access good markets globally.
“Without these issues in
place, drafting the competition
law would be a waste of time,”
Okumu said.
Roles of DCOs in
competition practices
 Maintain an enterprise
database for businesses
 Advise local government
councils on appropriate
commercial byelaws and
ordinances
 Advise enterprises on
ingredients of contracts that
do not offend the competi-
tion laws
 Support enterprises by sen-
sitising them to register as
legal entities
 Supporting efforts to ensure
that the trade licensing act
is implemented in accor-
dance with competition
laws
 Provide advisory services
to the district investment
committees
27
Business
AVIATION CSR

Emirates in its Stanbic Bank partners with M-Kopa to light up schools

October celebrations  desire to achieve transforma-

E
mirates continue to de-
light customers with its
annual celebrations called
‘Oktoberfest’ both on-
board and on the ground.
On September 24, said cus-
tomers travelling in all classes
before October 07 between
Dubai and Germany would
enjoy a special seasonal menu
of Bavarian-inspired food and
beverage.
The celebrations would kick
off in the iconic A380 onboard
lounge with Paulaner Oktober
tional change in the communi-
ties. “This means we have to
continue funding the various
aspects that facilitate a good
education… (and) energy solu-
tions for schools is one of the
key factors,” she said.
M-Kopa MD David Dam-
berger said the firm is currently
powering over 100,000 house-
holds countrywide.
(L-R) Stanbic Sector Head, Power & Infrastructure Henry Kamuntu, “…it is amazing the impact
Stanbic Head of CSI Barbara Kasekende, M-Kopa Managing Director
solar solutions can bring to the
David Damberger and Samuel Sewankamboa teacher at Ssenene Primary communities. We have seen
School. The school is the first beneficiary of solar solutions following a
partnership between the bank and M-Kopa.   Courtesy Photo. school children in the rural

festbier served in a traditional
stein or German beer glass.
Paulaner is a mainstay at the
festival and has played an active
part in Oktoberfest for over 200
years. Paulaner is one of only six
breweries to serve at the event,
giving customers an authentic
Okotberfest celebration at 40,000
feet on Emirates
S
tanbic Bank Uganda
has contributed Shs 50
million in a partnership
with M-Kopa towards
the installation of solar solu-
tions in twenty schools coun-
trywide.
M-Kopa is a company that
uses the pay-as-you-go model
popularized by mobile phones
to provide rent-to-own solar
energy products that help
deliver cheap solar power to
rural areas.
Stanbic Head of Corporate
Social Investment (CSI) Barbara
Kasekende said the lender’s
focus on education is driven by
areas manage to study bet-
ter at night after school hence
improving on their learning,”
he said.
, “As such, we are glad to be
part of this partnership with
Stanbic and we believe these
schools will be a great example
on how solar solutions can
impact lives.”

BANKING LOGISTICS

dfcu wins financial literacy accolade Gulu to become a

fcu Bank has been recognized as a seeking to drive a savings culture among logistics hub
d
big promoter of financial literacy in Ugandans through Investments Clubs. In

Uganda. The recognition was made
at the 2018 Digital Impact Awards
Africa held on Sept.21 at the Kampala
Serena Hotel, organised by HiPipo.
The award for promoter of financial lit-
eracy was given to the bank for its Invest-
ment Clubs TV campaign dubbed, ‘Battle
for Cash’ which is in its second year and
TRANSPORT
UberBODA offer insurance to its riders
2017, over 200 Investment Clubs applied
to enter the competition, 20 clubs were
selected and pitted against each other in
a competition that saw Geneber Outspan
Organic Farmers from Amolatar emerge
as overall winners, walking away with a
cash prize of Shs25 million.
G
ulu town in Northern Uganda,
is to get a new $8.8 million trade
logistics hub with money being
provided by the European Union
(EU) and the British Department of Interna-
tional Development (DfID).
The project is to be implemented by non-
profit trade consultancy firm, TradeMark
East Africa (TMEA) which has regional
headquarters in Nairobi, but country offices
in the East African Community member
states.
“The Hub is expected to improve capac-

T
he taxi-hailing firm,
Uber, has offered
riders with insur-
ance covers in the
event of an accident dur-
ing the trip. This follows a
partnership with the UAP
Old Mutual Life Assurance
Uganda.
The package to be pro-
vided by UAP Old Mutual
Life Assurance Uganda
covers up to Shs 1.8million
per person in the event of
accidental death and per-
sonal disability while next
of kin will receive Shs 550
manager for Uber East said
the insurance coverage is
part of fulfilling its goal of
providing reliable, afford-
able and safe transport to
the Kampala residents.
“This partnership shows
that we are committed to
the safety of passengers
using the Uber app,” he
said.
UberBoda in
Kampala.   Courtesy Photo Anthony Githuka, the
managing director- UAP
000 for funeral expenses.
Old Mutual Life Assurance
The passenger will also be
Uganda said they are look-
covered up to Shs 600,000
ing forward towards a long
for accidental injuries.
term beneficial partnership.
Loic Amado, the general
ity of transport infrastructure in Northern
Uganda to serve markets in South Sudan,
Northern Uganda and parts of the Demo-
cratic Republic of Congo (DRC), enhance
efficient management of freight transport
through Northern Uganda and improve
capacity to handle containers and other
cargo in Gulu,” acting director, TMEA
Uganda, Damali Ssali told local online pub-
lication 256buisnessnews.com
The Gulu Logistics Hub (GLH) will serve
the trade corridors of Kampala – Gulu –
Elegu/Nimule – Juba Trade Corridor; and
Gulu – Pakwach Goli/Pader/Lira/Vurra
DRC Trade Corridor.
Over the years, Uganda has played a big
role as a distribution hub for goods destined
to Rwanda, South Sudan and the DRC.

28 Oct 05 - 11, 2018

 Business

Sadolin unveils
anti-mould paint
By Isaac Khisa that we made a decision to

S
adolin has ventured
into a new market
segment with the
launch of anti-mould
growth paint.
Company executives say
the new paint, Sadolin Wall-
guard, has properties that
prevent mould growth on
surfaces where it is applied.
A 20-litre tin of the paint
Margie Kigozi, (3rd L) handing over an award certificate to Centenary Bank’s will cost Shs369, 630, which
Micheal Jjingo, the Chief Manager Business Growth (3rd right) and Matred translates into a 13% increase
Murungi, Supervisor Corporate Affairs. This was during the Digital Impact from the average price of the
Awards Africa (DIAA) where Centenary Bank scooped the overall award - Digital standard paint. A four-litre
Brand of the year as well as Best Mobile Banking and Best Digital Customer tin will go for Shs75, 417.
Experience awards. The awards Ceremony was held at Kampala Serena Hotel, on Deon Nieuwoudt, the
September 21st, 2018.  Courtesy Photo. Commercial Director for
East Africa at AkzoNobel,
the brand owner of Sadolin
brand, said the company’s
move to unveil the product
on the market was owed to
the increasing incidences of
mould growth on buildings
as a result of high humidity.
“I have been visiting Ugan-
da for the last 10 years…
and a number of buildings
have some degree of mould
growth including the roofs,”
he said. “It is a result of this
develop a special product to
deal with this problem.”
This comes as competition
for paint market continues
to tighten, with Sadolin
and Regal paints ganging
up against a new entrant,
Japan’s Kansai Plascon.
Though Plascon acquired
the assets of the holders of
Sadolin brand last year enjoy-
ing a market share of up to
60% that the latter brand
held, sources in the paint
market say its market share
has dwindled amidst increas-
ing demand for paint.
Last year, AkzoNobel,
appointed Crown Paints East
Africa to manufacture and
distribute Sadolin Paint in
return for commission across
the region. The company
says it has also completed the
construction of the Shs13bn
(US$3.5million) plant in
Namamve, Kampala, to
boost production.
Sadolin’s other exte-
rior products on the market
include; Sadolin Roof-
guard, Sadolin Rainsheild
and Sadolin Dampshield.

Hima Cement CEO Nicolas George (R) hands over a new General Ward
at Hima Health Centre III to Kasese District officials on September 24,
2018. The cement firm constructed the Shs 260 million ward for the
community to ease access to health services for the people of Hima and
surrounding villages.   Courtesy Photo.
Weekly share price movement (Sept. 24, 2018)
Security Sept. 24 Sept. 14 Movement
BATU 30,000 30000 00
BOBU 126 140 10
CENT 1,070 1,071 0.09
QCL 262 - -
DFCU 850 895 5.1
EABL 7,051 7,330 3.8
EBL 1,497 1,635 8.4
JHL 17,817 18,231 2.3
KA 288 343 16
KCB 1,469 1,559 5.5
NIC 16 16 00
NMG 2,653 2,706 1.9
NVL 402 402 00
SBU 33 33 00
NBL Country Director Thomas Kamphuis shakes hands with Daniel Nsumba, UCHM 43 48 10
of Designate drivers after signing a partnership for the Smart Drinking UCL 23 23 00
Campaign at Kyadondo Sports Ground on September 28, 2018. Looking on UMEME 350 350 00
is NBL’s Legal and Corporate Affairs Manager, Onapito Ekomoloit.
ALSI -- -- --

Oct 05 - 11, 2018 29

comment
By Bertrand Badré
Making the most of emerging economies
Some have managed their debt levels, increased
productivity, improved infrastructure, and reformed
O
nce again, the world’s
emerging economies are
facing a bout of uncertainty.
Argentina, South Africa, and
Turkey are among those generating the
most concern, owing to a combination
of questionable monetary policies and
currency depreciation vis-à-vis the U.S
dollar that threatens to undermine these
countries’ ability to service their debts.
But not all emerging economies are cre-
ated equal.
To be sure, as in the past, there is a
distinct risk of contagion. The emerging
economies that are most vulnerable
each must address its own chal-
lenges to avoid falling victim. And the
approaches countries take to the chal-
lenges they face will have knock-on
effects of their own.
Given this, investors may find it
tempting to pursue a broad risk-off
approach to the entire emerging world,
especially in the context of rising
global trade tensions. But it would be a
mistake to ignore the very favourable
conditions that exist in some emerging
economies. For example, many have
made significant progress in managing
their debt levels, raising productivity,
improving infrastructure, and imple-
menting needed reforms.
All of this has contributed to strength-
ening these economies’ resilience
to external shocks. Indeed, despite
enduring uncertainties over the degree
to which they have absorbed the lessons
of the past, not to mention inconsisten-
cies across countries, many emerging
economies have developed much
sounder fundamentals over an extended
period.
The disparity between perceived and
actual risk and the tendency to paint
all emerging economies with the same
brush is a longstanding problem. But
investors should eschew a wholesale
retreat from emerging economies in
response to high-profile problems in
a few. Instead, they should adopt a
more nuanced approach, one focused
on improving the risk-return profile
by investing in selected regions and
markets, while working with the right
institutions.
30 Oct 05 - 11, 2018
In particular, now is not the time to
ignore Latin America and the Carib-
bean, which have a wide range of
investment needs – touched upon
during the recent G20 meetings in
Argentina – and also offer a broad range
of growth opportunities. Countries in
this region have pursued substantial
reforms that have boosted economic
growth and laid the foundations for
strong financial returns in the longer
term.
The emerging
economies
that are most
vulnerable
each must
address
its own
challenges to
avoid falling
victim
More broadly, stakeholders should
strengthen their commitment to using
the “billions to trillions” approach to
resolving the world’s most vexing prob-
lems. That approach uses a combination
of measures related to finance, skills,
capacity, and risk allocation to leverage
relatively scarce public-sector capital
to mobilise more robust private-sector
resources.
The multilateral development banks
have a critical role to play here, and
many have made great strides in
responding to market needs. More-
over, the world has agreed, under
the auspices of the United Nations,
on complementary road maps for
addressing global challenges: the Paris
Climate Agreement and the Sustainable
Development Goals. By establishing
the right mechanisms to take advantage
of related investment opportunities,
we can use billions of public dollars to
make trillions of dollars’ worth of prog-
ress.
Many of us in the investment commu-
nity are working to boost the effective-
ness of our work by ensuring that the
right financial and risk-management
instruments are in place to connect the
public and private sectors. Already,
mechanisms are in place to facilitate
capital flows into emerging economies,
particularly those in Latin America and
the Caribbean, where opportunities for
attractive risk-adjusted returns are now
available.
In this context, even a very modest
allocation by large institutional inves-
tors will have a major impact on the
pursuit of sustainable outcomes, while
also providing attractive, competitive
financial returns. This dynamic – a
fundamental component of the billions-
to-trillions approach – can become
embedded, creating the basis for a
broader system in which there is no
trade-off between making money and
doing good.
The current turmoil in some emerging
economies must not be allowed to derail
past progress. On the contrary, it should
spur stakeholders to redouble their
collective efforts to establish a broadly
beneficial system. This means, first and
foremost, taking a nuanced approach
to risk assessment that recognises the
attractive long-term growth opportuni-
ties that many emerging-market econo-
mies offer.
Bertrand Badré is CEO and Founder of Blue
like an Orange Sustainable Capital, and
Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s
Global Future Council on International
Governance, Public-Private Cooperation,
and Sustainable Development.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2018.

By Robert H. Lustig
Big food’s poisonous propaganda
How addiction turns sugar from a `food’ into a
`drug’ on which unsuspecting masses get hooked
E
very advertising executive knows
the difference between marketing
and propaganda. One uses facts to
espouse a point of view, while the
other relies on falsehoods and deceit. But if
the difference is truth, what is the common-
ality? For scientists, it is dopamine. And for
the processed food industry, that fact has
been worth trillions of dollars.
Dopamine is the neurotransmitter of the
brain’s reward center, and it is activated by
stimuli like cocaine, nicotine, and alcohol.
But it is also triggered by information.
For example, brain scans show that when
people hear a statement that they believe is
true – the veracity is irrelevant – they get a
dopamine hit. Propagandists have taken
advantage of this quirk in our brain physi-
ology for centuries, and today, this neuro-
scientific flaw can be individually targeted
to weaponise populist politics.
But the biggest opportunists are busi-
nesses. Several sectors have propagandised
their products to the public, systematically
suppressing concerns about real harms; the
petroleum, tobacco, and opioid industries
immediately come to mind. But no industry
has provided more party-line disinforma-
tion over the years – and contributed to
more morbidity, mortality, public cost, and
economic havoc – than the processed food
industry.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs)
account for about 50% of the global disease
burden and some 75% of total health-care
spending. The role of processed foods in
these chronic conditions is undisputed;
every country that adopts the high-fat, high-
sugar “Western pattern diet” is plagued
by the same diseases and costs. But the big
question for health professionals is whether
the quantity or the quality of foods is to
blame. This is an important distinction,
because quantity is determined by the user,
while quality is determined by the industry.
Some health experts argue that specific
components of processed foods – in partic-
ular, sugar – are as addictive as cocaine and
heroin. For example, sugar is consistently
the ingredient with the highest score on the
Yale Food Addiction Scale, which measures
people’s food cravings.
The processed food industry says, “You
need sugar to live.” Dietary sucrose – or
common table sugar – is composed of two
molecules in equal proportion: glucose and
fructose. But despite being calorically iden-
tical (4.1 calories per gram), they behave
very differently when consumed.
Glucose is the energy of life; it is burned
by every cell in the body. Glucose is so
important that if you stop eating it, your
liver compensates with a process called
gluconeogenesis. Conversely, fructose,
while also an energy source, is a vestigial
nutrient for humans; our cells do not need
it to function. My research has shown that
when fructose is eaten in excess of the liver’s
ability to metabolise it, the surplus is turned
into liver fat, and those deposits can pro-
mote insulin resistance and contribute to
development of NCDs.
Fructose also influences dietary sugar con-
sumption. For example, studies on animals
have shown that sucrose alters the brain’s
dopamine and opioid receptors in a way
similar to morphine and establishes hard-
wired pathways for craving. In laboratory
rats, sweetness even surpasses cocaine as a
coveted reward.
Human brain scans demonstrate that glu-
cose activates the cerebral cortex (the “cog-
nitive” part of our brains), while fructose
suppresses that signal and instead lights
up the limbic system (your “lizard” brain).
Moreover, while sugar does not exhibit
classic withdrawal symptoms, it does lead
to tolerance and dependence that can cause
bingeing, craving, and cross-sensitisation
to narcotics. These are some of the reasons
why the World Health Organisation and
the U.S. Department of Agriculture recom-
mend that people reduce the amount of
sugar in their diets.
The addictive qualities of sugar are
embedded in its economics. Like coffee,
sugar is price-inelastic, meaning that when
costs increase, consumption remains rela-
tively constant. Purchases of soft drinks and
other sweetened foods are not dramatically
affected by taxes or fluctuating prices.
Not everyone who is exposed to sugar
becomes addicted; but, as with alcohol,
many do. While refined sugar is the same
compound found in fruit, it lacks fiber and
has been crystallised for purity. It is this
process that turns sugar from a “food”
into a “drug,” allowing the food industry
to “hook” unsuspecting consumers. The
evidence is visible in every aisle of every
comment
grocery store, where a staggering 74%
of all food items are spiked with added
sugar. In fact, sugar’s allure is a big reason
why the processed food industry’s current
profit margin is 5% (up from 1%), and why
so many of us are sick, fat, stupid, broke,
depressed, and just plain miserable.
Propaganda has been essential to sus-
taining mass addiction. Since at least 1954,
food-industry executives have known that
excess sugar consumption causes health
problems. Using the same tricks as tobacco
companies – and in some cases, the same
people – they covered up the evidence
and doubled down. They funded shoddy
science, co-opted researchers and critics,
shifted blame, advocated for weaker gov-
ernment oversight, and even marketed
their products to children (as with Tony the
Tiger, breakfast cereal’s equivalent of Big
Tobacco’s Joe Camel).
As my colleagues at the University of
California, San Francisco, have reported, the
Sugar Research Foundation – the industry’s
trade group – even sought to persuade
clinical medicine to focus on saturated fat
instead of sugar, and pushed clinical den-
tistry to focus on a vaccine for tooth decay
rather than sugar reduction. In other words,
Big Food’s tactics are no different than Big
Tobacco’s.
Treating any kind of addiction is difficult
once the brain’s limbic system becomes so
damaged that dopamine no longer gener-
ates reward. The best solution is to prevent
addiction in the first place, and in the case
of sugary processed foods, that means mar-
keting truth to consumers. We have already
lost one generation to the scourge of NCDs.
It is time to hold Big Food’s feet to the fire
before we lose a second.
Robert H. Lustig is Emeritus Professor of
Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at
the University of California, San Francisco. He
is the author of Fat Chance: Beating the Odds
Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and
Disease and The Hacking of the American Mind:
The Science Behind the Corporate Takeover of
our Bodies and Brains.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2018.
Oct 05 - 11, 2018 31
comment
By Harrison E. Mutikanga
Uganda needs 17,000MW of electricity
UEGCL could play a role in developing
crucial new generation infrastructure
I
n his address to the Nation on Sep-
tember 9, 2018; His Excellency the
President stated that we are aiming at
generating 17,000MW of electricity in
the next 10 years. We at Uganda Electricity
Generation Company Limited (UEGCL)
could not agree more and here is why.
Electricity access in Uganda is estimated
at 22% implying that over 30 million Ugan-
dans have no access to electricity. With an
annual average electricity consumption of
80 kWh per capita, this translates into sup-
pressed demand of over 500 MW. If this
demand is un-locked through the new gov-
ernment electricity connection policy (2018-
2027) with an annual target of providing
300,000 free on-grid connections, it is likely
that the whole of Karuma (600MW) could
be exhausted by 2028.
In the past few months, the President
and Cabinet Ministers have presided over
ground-breaking ceremonies and commis-
sioning of several new factories including;
Simba and Hima Cement Factories in
Tororo; Sukulu Phosphate in Tororo; Sino-
Uganda Industrial Park in Mbale; Kapeeka
Ceramic and Fruit Processing in Nakaseke;
Atiak Sugar Factory in Amuru; Soroti Fruit
Factory; and Global Tea Factory in Bushenyi
among others. When all these factories are
in full operation, they are likely to exhaust
the Isimba 183MW. This boom in factories
has already created over 20,000 jobs. More
job creation and the anticipated revenues
from oil exports will enhance per capita
income and with it per capita growth in
electricity consumption.
From the 2014 National Population
Census data, Uganda’s population will
be 53.3 million people by 2028, assuming
the average annual growth rate of 3.0%.
In the event that the National Develop-
ment Plan (NDP II) goal of middle income
status by 2020 is achieved, the average per
capita consumption in 2028 could be about
1,874 kWh (World Bank dataset for low
middle income). Allowing for 22% energy
system losses, and a capacity factor of 70%,
Uganda will need not only 17,000MW but
20,505MW in installed generation capacity
by 2028.
In the background report to the budget
for 2018-2019, the Ministry of Finance
reports a 5.8% GDP growth from FY
2013/14 to FY 2017/18. In their 2015 report
on Powering Africa, McKinsey reveals
that there is a direct correlation between
32 Oct 05 - 11, 2018
economic growth (GDP per capita) and per
capita electricity consumption.
Uganda’s installed electricity genera-
tion capacity is a meagre 955 MW with a
GDP per capita of about US$615. Wealthy
countries have invested heavily in elec-
tricity infrastructure. For example, South
Africa with a population of about 56 million
people has an installed generation capac-
ity of 46,943MW with a per capita GDP
of US$6,268 and per capita consumption
of 4,198kWh. If Uganda is to sustain GDP
growth, we need electricity - and lots of it.
For Uganda to realise an additional
17,000MW of installed generation capacity
over the next decade, it will require close to
US$51 billion in new investments based on
the average unit investment cost of US$3
million per MW of the ongoing and recently
developed large hydropower projects in the
country. The challenge for the government
will be how to mobilise the huge capital
investments amidst public debt ceiling con-
straints and requirements from other prior-
ity public sectors like health and education.
The government will certainly need sup-
port from the development partners, foreign
and domestic private investments, Interna-
tional Financial Institutions like the World
Bank, inter-country joint investments,
expanding and integrating the regional elec-
tricity market and trade, and floating gov-
ernment infrastructure bonds. Innovative
ways of securing foreign finance such as
securitisation of a portion of future oil rev-
enues should be considered by government
to obtain low cost finance and circumvent
the debt ceiling.
The government will also need an energy
mix to tap into the country’s vast renewable
energy potential (hydro, solar, geothermal,
wind) and non-renewable sources such as
gas and oil fired thermal power plants to
ensure energy security and reliability of
supply. The government has already signed
MOUs with potential investors for a cascade
of hydropower plants along River Nile with
a total of 1,862MW (Ayago-840, Oriang-392,
Kiba-330, and Uhuru-300) which should be
fast-tracked.
Investment in electricity generation
infrastructure generally calls for an equity
investment of 30-40 percent of the total cost
– the remaining 60-70 percent being largely
financed by long-term debt. According to
the World Bank, most successful companies
aim to secure internally generated cash
surplus at least equivalent to 30-40 percent
of the incremental investment needs. With a
conducive regulatory framework, UEGCL
could play a crucial role in the development
of new electricity generation infrastructure.
The Electricity Regulator (ERA) should
appreciate and support the need for gener-
ating surplus cash for meeting the compa-
nies’ investment needs.
For example, the Energy Regulatory
Commission (ERC) in Kenya has empow-
ered KenGen, a similar government com-
pany to UEGCL, to execute infrastructure
investment projects. KenGen posted a profit
of US$ 90 million (KShs. 9,057 million) in
the year ended June 2017 according to the
2017 annual report. In the past 10 years
KenGen has executed investments worth
US$2.2 billion from internally generated
cash flows, and added over 700MW new
capacity bringing their total installed capac-
ity to 1,631MW. All this has been achieved
while ensuring competitive tariffs within
the region. KenGen’s good financial health
has enabled the company to list on the stock
exchange, thus making it easy to mobilise
infrastructure investment funds.
UEGCL is prepared for this growth chal-
lenge and has committed through its 2018-
2023 strategic plan to deliver 1,300MW. In
order to keep the unit cost of generation
low, UEGCL has recruited young engineers
and technicians for operations and mainte-
nance who are currently undergoing inten-
sive training to ensure efficient operations.
The electricity sector is currently vibrant
and busy executing several infrastructure
expansion and renewal projects to ensure
efficient electricity evacuation (UETCL) and
delivery to the end users (UMEME, REA, &
UEDCL). In his seminal article on closing,
merging public agencies in the Independent
of September 21-27, 2018, Andrew Mwenda
states that “Uganda has sustained an
impressive rate of economic growth for over
30 years” and partly attributes it to the good
performance in the energy sector. Therefore,
the recent proposed mergers of the electric-
ity companies by government should be
implemented with caution to minimise
disruption of the good progress being made
towards improving operational efficiency
for effective service delivery.
Dr. Eng. Harrison E. Mutikanga is the
Chief Executive Officer, Uganda Electricity
Generation Company Limited (UEGCL).
Treating UTIs
Why we may not need to rely on antibiotics
D
By Monica Beyer possible, because early treatment with
octors tend to prescribe
antibiotics to treat common
bacterial infections, such as
those of the urinary tract.
However, a new study
shows that there may be a
new strategy to reduce or potentially even
eliminate the need for using antibiotics.
The new findings were recently
published in the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences.
The investigators who conducted the
study are from Stanford University in
California.
They discovered that bacteria found in
urinary tract infections (UTIs) require a
version of the cellulose molecule to attach
successfully to bladder cells.
If this cellulose attachment can be
interrupted, there may be another treatment
option in the future that does not involve
antibiotics.
UTIs and antibiotics
A UTI can occur in any part of the
urinary tract, such as in the urethra,
bladder, ureters, and kidneys. Symptoms
include a burning feeling when you urinate,
as well as a frequent need to urinate, even
when your bladder isn’t very full. UTIs
can lead to dangerous conditions if not
promptly treated.
It is vital to see a doctor as soon as
antibiotics can clear up a UTI before it
travels to the kidneys. Though antibiotics
are the first line of defense against UTIs,
there is a reason why they may not always
work — namely, antibiotic resistance.
What causes antibiotic resistance?
Antibiotics are often prescribed for
viral illnesses that do not respond to other
medication, or when patients do not take
that medication properly.
Both scenarios can have the same result:
antibiotic resistance. This means that when
you become sick with a bacterial infection,
the antibiotics that your doctor prescribes
might not work properly.
Also, antibiotics can impact the “good”
bacteria that make up your gut microbiome,
which can lead to further problems.
The results of the new study are very
promising. Study co-leader Lynette
Cegelski — an associate professor of
chemistry at Stanford University’s School
of Humanities and Sciences — notes that if
we can target the way bacteria adhere to the
body, we may be able to fight the infection
without worrying about antibiotics at all.
The cellulose key
Plants, algae, and some bacteria produce
cellulose. It has several scientific and
practical uses, such as in fuel and paper.
The study revealed that there is a
chemically unique form of cellulose called
phosphoethanolamine in the biofilm of
Escherichia coli. These bacteria can cause
a number of maladies in the human body,
and they are one of the most common
causes of UTIs.
Also, the study found that this cellulose
is pretty important to the bacteria. “Our
experiments,” notes study co-leader Prof.
Gerald Fuller, of the School of Engineering,
“here reveal a specific function for the
cellulose in which it serves a mortar-like
role to enhance the adhesion strength of
bacteria with bladder epithelial cells.”
In other words, the cellulose found in
E. coli acts as sort of a glue between the
bacteria themselves and cells found in the
bladder.
What the future may hold
The results of this study suggest that
in the future, it may be possible to target
this cellulose instead of the bacteria
themselves.
“Attacking the cellulose could be a great
alternative to traditional antibiotics as
preventing bacterial adhesion could help
break the cycle of infection,” explains
Emily Hollenbeck, a former joint-graduate
student, adding:
“This type of treatment also avoids
the ‘life-or-death’ pressure of traditional
antibiotics that lead to drug-resistant
mutations.”
Oct 05 - 11, 2018 33
health
Blood test your
inner body clock
Know when it’s best to eat, work, exercise, sleep
By Agencies
T
iming is everything, and
it also has a huge impact
on your health. Now
there’s a blood test to
better understand your internal
time clock and optimize it for
better well-being.
The TimeSignature test was
developed by researchers at
Northwestern Medicine sci-
entists. It requires two blood
draws. It offers insights through
gene expression markers into
the time in your body com-
pared to time in the external
world. For instance, it may be
8 a.m., but your body may be
operating as if it’s 6 a.m. Previ-
ously, determining a person’s
internal clock could only be
done by drawing blood mul-
tiple times over a specific span.
The test, which measures 40
different gene expression mark-
ers in the blood, can be per-
formed any time of day, regard-
less of the patient’s circadian
pattern or level of restfulness.
A report on it was published in
PNAS earlier this month.
What’s the big deal?
Knowing more about your
internal clock can help you
optimize your time, take medi-
cation at the best time, and may
even prevent disease, experts
say.
“There is plenty of evidence
indicating that the alignment
between your internal clock
and when you schedule your
activities throughout the day
can impact your overall health,”
said Melissa A. St. Hilaire, PhD,
an instructor in medicine at
Harvard Medical School and a
biostatistician in the division of
sleep and circadian disorders at
Brigham and Women’s Hospi-
tal in Boston.
She said that there seem to be
optimal windows for when to
sleep, eat, and complete other
activities based on our internal
34 Oct 05 - 11, 2018
time clocks, which vary among
people.
In healthy people, the timing
of the internal clock varies by
up to five hours, which means
one person’s optimal bedtime
might be 9 p.m. and someone
else’s might be 2 a.m. If you try
to sleep at a time that’s not ideal
for your internal clock, then you
may have trouble sleeping, St.
Hilaire said.
Similarly, eating a meal at the
“wrong” internal time could
cause changes in metabolism,
including
weight gain.
“If we
know our
personal
internal time,
then we
may be able
to schedule
these activi-
ties around
our optimal
windows,”
St. Hilaire
said.
Testing your clock
“This is a much more precise
and sophisticated measure-
ment than identifying whether
you’re a morning lark or a night
owl,” Rosemary Braun, PhD,
co-author of the report and
assistant professor of preven-
tive medicine at Northwestern
University Feinberg School of
Medicine in Chicago, said in a
statement.
Our body’s biological clock
directs our circadian rhythms,
which include sleep and wake
cycles. Previous research has
linked circadian misalignments
with everything from obesity
and depression to heart disease
and asthma.
“Before, we didn’t have a
clinically feasible way of assess-
ing the clock in healthy people
and people with disease. Now
we can see if a disrupted clock
correlates with various diseases
and, more importantly, if it
can predict who is going to get
sick,” said Dr. Ravi Allada, co-
author of the PNAS study and
a professor of neurobiology at
Northwestern’s Weinberg Col-
lege of Arts and Sciences.
Researchers say the informa-
tion from the blood test will
help people take medication at
the most effective time for their
bodies. It can also help scientists
better understand how mis-
aligned circadian clocks impact
health conditions and diseases.
“This is really
an integral part
of personalized
medicine,” said
Dr. Phyllis Zee,
a co-author and
chief of sleep
medicine in
neurology at
Feinberg School
of Medicine in
Chicago. “So
many drugs have
optimal times for
dosing. Knowing
what time it is in your body
is critical to getting the most
effective benefits. The best time
for you to take a blood pres-
sure drug or chemotherapy or
radiation may be different from
somebody else.”
Better clock, better health?
“We know if you have dis-
ruption of your internal clock,
it can predispose you to a range
of diseases. Virtually every
tissue and organ system are
governed by circadian rhythm,”
said Allada.
St. Hilaire pointed out
that disruptions to circadian
rhythms have been associated
with mood disorders such as
depression, neurodegenerative
disorders like Alzheimer’s dis-
ease, and metabolic disorders,
including obesity and diabetes.
“Circadian rhythms play
a complex role in just about
every system in your body,” St.
Hilaire said. “Maintaining good
circadian health therefore seems
to be a key factor in maintain-
ing good overall health.”
Keep your internal clock
running smoothly
Follow light and dark pat-
terns to keep your internal clock
running on a 24-hour cycle.
St. Hilaire advises people to
have good sleep habits which
means going to sleep at the
same time every night, wak-
ing up at the same time every
morning, and exposing yourself
to outdoor light as early as pos-
sible after waking up. Addition-
ally, she says people should
avoid electronic devices before
bed and eat and exercise at the
same time of day.
“Occasional disruptions to
your schedule aren’t expected
to cause long-term harm,” St.
Hilaire said. “If you’re consis-
tently altering your bedtime
or meal times from one day to
the next, however, then your
internal clock will not be stable,
and that instability over months
or years may contribute to some
disease processes.”
The bottom line
A new test measures 40 dif-
ferent gene expression markers
in the blood, and can tell offer
insights into the time in your
body compared to time in the
external world.
It can be performed any
time of day, regardless of the
patient’s circadian pattern or
level of restfulness. A report on
it was published this month in
PNAS.
If you optimize your inter-
nal clock, you may be able to
improve your health by tak-
ing medication at the most
optimal time, working out at
the right time, or figuring out
if you’re a morning person or
a night owl.
Source:sciencedaily
 ART | BOOKS | SOCIETY | TRAVEL | CULTURE
'Brief' art comes to Kampala
Impermanent takes on permanent social-political issues
M
By Dominic Muwanguzi
ost Ugandans are famil-
iar with anthills; mounds
of soil built by termites
or ants, usually out-
doors, in open grounds,
away from modernity.
But what if you find the anthill inside a
house or along a busy city street? Now, that
would be shocking and uncomfortable.
And that was the inspiration for a gigan-
tic art installation titled `Invaders’ by Gilbert
Musinguzi at the KAB018 exhibition.
Musinguzi’s art is part of a new move-
ment to appreciate art that is not painting or
sculptures; solid and long-lasting. Instead,
it is art that is temporary and imperma-
nent, or as it is largely known in art circles
- ephemeral.
Ephemeral art is art that is created to last
for a short amount of time. It could be a
video installation, performance art, or site
specific installation.
It emerged on the global art scene in the
1960s; pioneered by the Fluxus movement
that spanned the globe from New York,
USA, with a view that anyone can produce
art. It featured top names like renowned
sculptor, and art theorist Joseph Beuys from
Germany and others who were dissatisfied
by the long tradition of heroic and object-
oriented paintings and sculptures.
On the Kampala art scene, it is a new
trend popularised by artists like Bruno
Ruganzu, Sandra Sssubi and Reagan Kan-
dole and featured in two recent art festivals:
The Kampala Art Biennale2018 and KLA
ART 018.
Hellen Nabukenya had a voluminous
installation `Munno Mu Kabi’ perched on
a storied building in Kiyembe Lane, a busy
part of the central business district of Kam-
pala city, as part of the theme of KLA ART
018 dubbed `OFF THE RECORD’.
Ephemeral art uses appropriated objects
or materials like earth, textiles, wood,
organic media like human figures, and
animals. The artist has no motive to create
the artwork to be stored in a museum or the
traditional art gallery. Therefore, most of the
art is constructed in open space to enable
easy access to it. To ensure the audience
relates to it, the artists usually tackle the
prevailing political-social issues.
They use objects that the audience is
familiar with; often adopting found objects.
In light of such familiarity, this art is more
eloquent in providing a social and political
commentary on the prevailing situation in
any community.
Musinguzi’s installation; `invaders’, for
example, is social commentary on the sub-
ject of immigrants in Uganda. He depicts
the immigrants, in their great numbers like
the ants or termites on an anthill. They are
located in a surprising context to conjure
the idea of invasion. Mostly refugees from
S. Sudan, DR Congo, Somalia, Burundi, and
Eritrea, they sometimes create discomfort in
the space they occupy because of their for-
eign culture that the locals find peculiar.
As a persuasive response to the social-
political context, impermanent art is less
prone to commercialisation that usually
dictates the traditional art forms like paint-
ing and sculpture. Instead it is experimental
and creative in a non-traditional art space
like the derelict warehouse or a busy-street
lane in Kampala. It is uncompromising,
innovative, and pushes, the boundaries of
traditional art making. It largely empha-
sises content and context rather than style
and technique, says artist Bruno Ruganzu,
whose `Shithole’ video installation has
recently featured in an international exhibit
responding to the subject of Shithole that
was referenced to third world countries by
U.S. President, Donald Trump. It also pres-
ents a challenge because it is short-lived and
future possibilities of research and critiqu-
ing it are almost impossible.
Oct 05 - 11, 2018 35
 Tax on trying out clothes in shops!
Shoppers in controversial
the Spanish idea at a recent
province of Retail Industry
Castilla y León Conference.
might soon She argued
pay a fee to that nowadays
Man chases plane try on clothes. too many
after missing flight The authorities
say the tax is
shoppers
tend to first
A man who missed his flight at Dublin to discourage visit brick-
Airport has been arrested for running after the ‘unethical and-mortar
the plane on the tarmac. Witnesses say a man practice’ of boutiques
who appeared to be in his 20s broke through trying on just to try on
a door and ran toward the Ryanair plane, clothes in brick clothes, and,
which was about to take off for Amsterdam. and mortar having figured
The airport said in a statement that a man clothing stores out which
became “agitated” after he and a woman only to buy items and sizes
arrived at the gate too late for their flight. them cheaper fit them best,
It said the man “broke through a door and online. The leave empty-
made his way onto the apron, trying to flag area Economy handed only to
the aircraft down.” and Treasury buy the same
He was restrained by Ryanair staff until minister clothes online,
police arrived. revealed the at lower prices.

Boy, 10, calls 911 for help with math homework
Police in the U.S. state of Col-
orado have shared audio from a
911 call placed by a 10-year-old
boy who needed help -- with
his math homework. The boy
‘Bestie,’ ‘twerk’ among 300 words added to Scrabble dictionary
Merriam-Webster on Sept.24
published a list of 300 new
words added to Scrabble’s dic-
tionary. It includes the two-let-
ter expression of disgust “ew”,
and “OK”. The word “frowny”
returned after being removed
from the 1961 edition, giving
players another opportunity to
play a valuable “Y” tile.
Others were “bestie” --
although “BFF” is not yet play-
Less children’s screen time means better brains
Children’s recreational
screen use should be limited
to improve their cognition.
Researchers say children aged
eight to 11 who used screens
for fun for less than two hours a
day performed better in tests of
mental ability. Combining this
with nine to 11 hours of sleep
was stuck on a long division
problem.
“Hi, this isn’t an emergency,
but I’m 10 years old and I’m
working on my math home-
able -- and “twerk” along with
other forms of the word such
as “twerks,” “twerked,” and
a night was found to be best
for performance. The study of
4,500 U.S. children, published in
The Lancet Child & Adolescent
Health journal did not look at
how children were using their
screen time, be it to watch tele-
vision, play videogames or use
social media. Dr Jeremy Walsh,
work right now and I can’t
figure out what 71 divided by
3,052 is,” the caller says to the
dispatcher. The police helped
the boy find the answer: 42.9.
“twerking” but not “twerkings”
and twerkery.” Two words
didn’t originate in English;
“Qapik” -- a variant of the word
gopik, from Azerbaijan and
“arancini” an Italian style rice
dish. The remaining additions
included “bizjet”, a merging
of the words “business” and
“jet,” “zomboid”, which added
another playable word ending
in “-oid” and “beatdown.”
from the CHEO Research Insti-
tute, in Ottawa, Canada, said:
“Based on our findings, paedia-
tricians, parents, educators, and
policymakers should promote
limiting recreational screen time
and prioritising healthy sleep
routines throughout childhood
and adolescence.”
World’s ‘most
expensive’ heels
cost Shs65bn
A pair of shoes thought to
be the most expensive in the
world went on sale for US$17
million (Approx. Shs65 billion)
recently. They are embellished
with 236 diamonds, and
created by UAE-based
designer Jada Dubai©
Provided by Associated
Newspapers Limited Twinkle
toes! A pair of shoes thought
to be the most expensive in
the world will go on sale for
£13million today, embellished
with 236 diamonds, and
created by UAE-based
designer Jada Dubai.

36 Oct 05 - 11, 2018

Best time to
buy a Subaru
Forester
The model cycle just changed!
By Motoring Guru
T
here is a new Subaru
Forester model; and
it is a redesign. This
means that although
the defining traits of the
Subaru remain intact, this fifth
generation model has some
completely new features.
The look is similar to the
fourth generation but this one
has a quieter engine with the
unique Subaru sound less
intrusive. It also has an Eye-
Sight safety system, DriverFo-
cus system,refined powertrain
and suspension, and is built
on a totally new larger plat-
form shared with the Subaru
Ascent and Crosstrek.
The new model is causing
excitement among most Suba-
ru lovers. Unfortunately, not
everyone is happy; especially
those who had just bought the
outgoing fourth generation
model 2018. It happens. Mod-
el cycles can be frustrating for
some people holding on to old
models.
This is mainly because a
new model is different from
the facelifts or updates that
car makers use to keep a
model looking fresh and mod-
ern every two to three years.
Facelifts or updates include
minor changes like headlights,
new bumpers, new wheel
designs, and new paint colors.
Occasionally some new fea-
tures or tech gadgets might be
introduced.
A redesign, on the other
hand, means building a com-
pletely new car. In fact, car
makers sometimes change
the name of the vehicle. Even
1997
where the name is retained,
the vehicle often has a com-
pletely new model engine,
styling, chassis, suspension,
2003
brakes, and exterior and inte-
rior features. Redesigns hap-
pen for all vehicles, often after
four to six years. These inter-
vals are what are known as
model cycles. Keeping an eye
on them can save you money
and frustration. Specifically,
for the Ugandan market, it is
akin to watching when a num-
ber plate series is to hit the
market. The arrival recently of
2009
the UBE series automatically
knocked some value off the
“older” UBD series. The new-
er series has a higher resale
value. Sometimes holders of
a UBD-Z vehicle might wish
they had waited just a little bit
and got the UBE, which will
hold value for a year or two.
On the other hand, savvy
car buyers know that there is
really no difference between
a UBE-A and UBD-Z. So they
2014
happily buy the UBD-Z; at
a cheaper price! Something
similar goes on with model
redesigns.
Often the new models
command a higher price. On
the other hand, car dealers are
eager to offer the old model at
even lower prices. So, instead
of buying an old model at a
high price, savvy buyers wait
a little for the new model to
2019
land and then make a move.
Sometimes it means waiting a
bit –until the new model hits
the used car market.
Oct 05 - 11, 2018 37
Profile
Margaret Nakato Kisitu:
The natural hair woman
By Agnes E Nantaba “We identified the need and jumped into ence of hair and scalp health. Babirye is tak-

M
the space to fulfil it,” says Nakato. ing the course first, and Nakato will follow.
argaret Nakato Kisitu loves The name is meant to show that while Nakato and her twin are the fifth born
hair, especially natural African they focus on natural hair, they have the in a family of seven. She believes they are a
hair. And she has turned her ability to go beyond Afros. He decision to perfect fitin business.
passion into one of the leading quit paid employment as a customer rela- “We are business partners who trust,
hair styling businesses in Uganda. Together tions officer in a major bank was criticised agree and have the same vision and pas-
with her twin sister; Maria Babirye, she by family and friends who feared the uncer- sion,” Nakato says.
runs Afros and Mo, a top beauty parlour in tainty of the entrepreneurial world. But Nakato went to Namugongo Primary,
Kampala city. Their customers are mainly passion is powerful and Nakato says her Makerere College School, St Balikuddembe
high income people, some from the corpo- belief in God to ensure success strengthen Secondary School and Makerere University
rate world. Nakato and Babirye are riding her resolve. “It’s very exciting when you where she pursued a degree in social
on a new trend of people eager to express begin start the journey with faith,” she says, sciences.
their African heritage through hair. Their “We followed the process, took time to learn
business is to encourage and guide women before making regrettable financial deci-
of African descent to keep their natural afro- sions that lead to loss.”
textured hair beautiful whether coiled or Nakato started with two stations
curly. “We are natural hair people because that have since multiplied to
our goal is to see every woman return to her 34 and the queues of clients
God given beauty,” says Nakato. just keep growing. She says
Their approach is unusual as it treats it has been a journey of
beautiful hair as a matter of health. self-growth and learning
“We deal with matters of health so the with intense reading
natural way is healthier,” she says. and research daily.
Nakato says their passion for hair dates And they now have
back to their early days in school. She says an added mission; to
everyone knew them for following the lat- return respectabil-
est hair trends. “For every trendy salon ity to the hairstyl-
that opened in Kampala city, we would be ing job.
among the first clients to experience the She says,
new touch,” she says. Back then, it was all “Our pursuit
about relaxed and treated hair. This was is respect to
mainly because growing and maintaining return back
African hair is not easy. At that time, they to the hair
questioned why many people with natural industry
hair in Uganda never or rarely had it longer because
than average, why it was not bouncy and the hair
often looked unhealthy. stylist has
Everything changed when Nakato’s twin never been
travelled to America where she learnt skills rewarded for
in styling African hair to grow, look bouncy, their skill”.
and full of body. And to
Her journey of self-discovery would further their
encompass not only hair but identity and dream, the
embracing the new her. Babirye spent two twins are
years in the U.S. and, when she returned taking on
home, everybody was wowed by her hair. trichology
Nakato was convinced to follow the natural (profes-
hair trend in 2013. It was not easy. sional
She says, “The journey of natural hair is study in
not just trimming and it can take as short as hair care
six months or even long as a year”. management
Nakato also started sharing her experi- that deals with
ence on a blog. She offered DIY tips. Then the sci-
she realised that not everybody is into doing
their own hair. She decided to open a brick
and mortar shop where she could style
natural African hair. That is how Afros and
Mo came to be.

38 Oct 05 - 11, 2018

 Q&A

Margaret Kisitu’s Liteside

Any three things that we person do you most What is the quality you where I discovered my

I
don’t know about you? admire? most like in a woman? trade. It’s not just about
am rooted in God; God I am a great listener to Grounded in God. hair as a business but
has taken me on this inspirational speakers; passion and responsibility
journey and I know I follow a lot on Oprah. What is the quality you so I can’t trade it for
that he has put me Iyanla Vanzant of ‘Fix my most like in a man? anything.
here for a purpose. Other life’ also motivates me. Grounded in God.
people say that I am a I also love Joyce Meyer What do you most value
humble and gentle person because she is real and What or who is the in your friends?
which maybe explains why helps me believe that life greatest love of your life? Sincerity and comfort
many of my clients connect belongs to God. Maria Babirye, my around them.
to me easily. twin is another me. I also
I am also hardworking What is your greatest love my immediate and Who are your favorite
and would love other extravagance? extended family. writers?
people to climb with me; I love movies. Florence Scovel Shinn’s
it’s not interesting when When and where were you writings have literally
you are up there alone What is your current state happiest? changed my life. She helps
of mind? The first time I jumped me demystify life and
What is your idea of I am comfortable. onto a plane to travel to know how to live from
perfect happiness? another country. When inside than out. She frees
Being complete and What do you consider the I tested God with one me a lot from negativity
finding yourself. To be most overrated virtue? prayer of choosing for me a and depression.
complete is to find God We dwell so much on husband and he surely did.
who completes you; it’s what is negative and end It was another defining Who is your hero of
a journey of freedom, up complaining. There is moment that you can ask fiction?
empowerment, and more activity in negative God for something and Denzel Washington
fulfilment groups. We need to put our it actually comes to pass. knows how to pick his
mindset to fulfilling our Every growing experience character and his stories
What is the trait you purpose in life. of Afros and Mo is a happy have purpose. There is
most deplore in one. something I relate to his
yourself? What does being powerful personal life that has to do
It’s not so easy mean to you? Where would you most with his level of godliness.
to bend me when Being completely like to live?
I have decided grounded in God. I love Uganda as home; Which historical figure do
on something. I, it’s a place where God has you most identify with?
however, know that On what occasion do you blessed me. Maya Angelou is one the
at some point, you lie? celebrated women that I
need other people I try to pursue a What is your most identify with.
to speak something righteous journey and at treasured possession?
else. a time of fall, there are There is a place in me What is your greatest
strong convictions that that is pure; it’s a safe regret?
What is the trait won’t let me keep with a place for me and hardly I regret all the people I
you most deplore lie for long. depresses me. might have caused pain.
in others? However, all my regrets
Being negative What do you most dislike What do you regard as the have turned into lessons
about life; you about your appearance? lowest depth of misery? and successes.
would rather know I like me ever since I I have heard my share
nothing than have embarked on this natural of suffering but one How would you like to
negative attitude hair journey. place I wouldn’t wish die?
issues. anyone to be is a place of When I have seen my
Which living person do helplessness. If not careful, grandchildren but let me
Which you most despise? it can make life seem so also have an opportunity to
living My mind doesn’t draw meaningless. bless them and sleep away.
so much to what I don’t
need so I focus on those I What is your favorite What is your motto?
need. occupation? God service is a real
I am at a place in life spirit of humility.

Oct 05 - 11, 2018 39

Global comment
By Anu Madgavkar and Jeongmin Seong
The emerging high achievers
A look at 18 countries making the “secret sauce” that
enables more stable and robust economic growth
E
merging economies are often
grouped together as something of
a monolith. But when it comes to
economic performance, they diverge
widely, with only some countries achieving
rapid and relatively consistent growth over
long periods. What is their secret?
In the McKinsey Global Institute’s
recent review of the per capita GDP
growth of 71 emerging economies, 18
stood out. In seven – China, Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South
Korea, and Thailand – per capita GDP
grew by at least 3.5% annually over the
half-century from 1965 to 2016.
The other 11 high performers tend
to get less attention, as their per capita
GDP growth began to accelerate more
recently. Yet Azerbaijan, Belarus,
Cambodia, Ethiopia, India, Kazakhstan,
Laos, Myanmar, Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan, and Vietnam all achieved per
capita GDP growth of at least 5% for 20
years, from 1996 to 2016.
Development economists have long
sought to identify the “secret sauce” that
enables certain economies to achieve
more stable and robust growth than
their counterparts. A look at what these
18 economies have in common provides
powerful insights into what that formula
might be.
From a policy perspective, all 18 of
the economies on our list have pursued
pro-growth policies that encouraged a
virtuous cycle of rising productivity,
income, and demand. Those agendas
included, for example, steps to increase
capital accumulation, such as by forcing
retirement saving; efforts to boost
government effectiveness; and measures
to encourage more competitive dynamics
in the domestic market.
This has enabled the rise of a
generation of large companies that have
served as powerful engines of GDP
growth. And, indeed, the 18 standout
emerging economies have twice as many
competitive, publicly listed companies
with annual revenues of $500 million
or more as other developing countries
(adjusted for economy size).
In these countries, the revenue-to-GDP
ratio almost tripled in just 20 years,
40 Oct 05 - 11, 2018
from 22% in 1995 to 64% in 2016 – far
higher than the ratio in other emerging
economies, and approaching high-
income country levels. Over the same
period, the contribution of value-added
to GDP also rose sharply, from 11% to
27%.
Examples of highly successful
emerging-economy firms include the
Chinese giants Alibaba and Tencent.
Regional titans like as M-Pesa, a mobile
phone-based financial-services firm that
started in Kenya, has spread throughout
East Africa, and Go-Jek, an Indonesian
ride-hailing and logistics company,
is now expanding to the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Contrary to popular perception,
these companies succeed in a hyper-
competitive environment, where
getting to the top is hard, and staying
there is even harder. Those that do
often become formidable competitors
in the international arena. In the 18
high-performing emerging economies,
only 45% of firms that were in the top
quintile, in terms of profit generation,
in 2001-2005 were still there a decade
later in 2011-2015. Over the same period,
in the high-income economies, 62% of
incumbents managed to hold onto their
positions.
From 1995 to 2016, large publicly
listed companies in the fastest-growing
emerging economies expanded their
annual net income 2-5 percentage points
faster than firms in other emerging and
high-income economies. From 2005 to
2016, they contributed about 40% of the
total combined revenue and net income
growth of all big public companies
worldwide, even though they accounted
for only about 25% of total revenue and
net income in 2016. More than 120 of
these companies have joined the Fortune
Global 500 list since 2000.
The most successful emerging-economy
companies – which tend to be export-
oriented – not only boost growth,
but also help to spur progress in the
business environment. Moreover, they
fuel productivity gains by investing in
assets, research and development, and
job training at a higher rate than small
and medium-size firms, though the latter
are also essential elements of successful
countries’ business ecosystems.
The question now is whether the high-
performing emerging economies can
sustain rapid and consistent growth, and
whether their peers can emulate their
success. Given changes to the economic
environment, the challenge ahead is
certainly formidable.
For starters, a phenomenon known as
premature deindustrialisation is taking
hold, with manufacturing growth in
developing countries peaking at much
lower levels of income than in the past.
Furthermore, economies around the
globe are being challenged by the rise
of automation – a process that will
only accelerate. Trade patterns are also
shifting.
Nonetheless, the potential of the
emerging economies must not be
underestimated. If the other 53 emerging
economies we looked at matched the
productivity growth of their 18 high-
performing peers, the global economy
would be $11 trillion richer by 2030 – the
equivalent of adding another China.
The key for emerging economies will
be to seize the opportunities ahead.
For example, as China moves from
low-cost manufacturing to knowledge-
intensive manufacturing, it will create
space for low-income countries like
Bangladesh and Vietnam to expand their
manufacturing sectors, such as in textiles.
Over the past 15 years, the emerging
economies have accounted for about
two-thirds of global GDP growth.
That trend is likely to continue. If
countries implement smart policies,
building on the lessons of their most
dynamic counterparts, robust and
consistent growth can prevail across
the emerging world.
Anu Madgavkar is a McKinsey Global
Institute partner. Jeongmin Seong is a senior
fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute in
Shanghai.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2018.
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