News analysis
Health
Business
Let court decide, CCEDU tells EC
What’s wrong with condom campaign?
Cipla to raise Shs168bn in IPO
Issue No. 534 Aug Aug 17 - 23, 2018
Muntu’s next move Supporters say he kept FDC together, now they want him to exit. Will he?
Stanbic’s half-year earnings remain fat
Ushs 5,000,Kshs 200, RwF 1,500, SDP 8
YOU BUY THE
TRUTH WE PAY THE
PRICE
INBOX
Issue No. 534 Aug 17 - 23, 2018 News analysis
Business
Health
Arts
Motoring
Cover story
Muntu’s next mov move e Supporters say he kept FDC together, now they want him to exit and lead a new political organ. Will he? 4
The Week
29 Comments
Gun shoots as Arua campaigns end
9
If Trump ruled Venice: How his switch from laissezfaire global trade rules to mercantilist trade decit policies could imperil the dollar
The Last Word
The disintegration of the FDC: Why liberal minded Ugandans should celebrate the breakup of FDC and rally behind beh ind its enl enligh ighten tened ed lea leader derss 16
33
What’s wrong with condom campaign?: Why government ocials say you, probably, shouldn’t give your girl a Kiss
Analysis Let court decide, CCEDU tells EC: Behind the case of NGO blocked for crossing the line in election observation
35 23
Business Cipla to raise Shs168bn in IPO
STRATEGY & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Andre Andrew w M. Mwenda Mwenda MANAGING EDITOR: EDITOR: Joseph Were INVESTIGATIONS EDITOR: Haggai EDITOR: Haggai Matsiko BUSINESS EDITOR: Isaac Khisa PHOTOGRAPHER: Jimmy Siya
Health
Arts & Culture Don’t miss The Studio: 7 art masters in town for Kampala Art Biennale III
WRITERS:Ronald WRITERS: Ronald Musoke, Flavia Nassaka, Ian Katusiime, Agnes Nanta Nantaba, ba, Julius Julius Businge. nge. DESIGN/LAYOUT: Sarah DESIGN/LAYOUT: Sarah Ngororano CARTOONIST: Harriet Jamwa
PUBLISHER: Independent Publications Limited, Plot 82/84, Kanjokya Street, P. O. Box 3304, Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256-312-637-391 +256-312-637-391// 2/ 3/ 4 | Fax: +256-312-637-396 +256-312-637-396 E-mail:
[email protected] [email protected] | advertising@independent.
[email protected] co.ug
[email protected] | Website: www.independent.co.ug
OFFLINE
President Yoweri Museveni commissioning NYOKA Conversion Project at the Manufacturing and Asse mbl ing Pla Plant nt at Magamaga Barracks in Mayuge district on August 8.
President John Pombe Magufuli, of Tanzania receiving president Museveni at Julius Nyerere Internationa Internationall Airportt on August Airpor August 9. The two leaders discussed various issues affecting trade relations between their countries and in the region.
“We were informed of the smuggling of sugar products into Tanzania from Uganda. This is why we issued an embargo to stop the illegal activities.” Tanzanian President John Magufuli
“It is an established principle in International law that sitting Heads of States have immunity while conducting their legitimate duties. Do not trivialize this issue by reducing it to Uganda politics.”Adonia politics.” Adonia Ayebare, Uganda’ Ug anda’s Permanent Representative to the UN, responding to Winnie Byanyima on move to grant sitting heads of state immunity Deborah Malac, the Ame rican A mbassador American Uganda and Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng during durin g the t he launch of a Tuberculosis report on Aug.14. 14.
“Let us give Amuriat a chance because if I had not stepped down as FDC president, people would not have known the capabilities of Mugisha Muntu”Dr Muntu”Dr Kizza Besigye on new appointments in parliament by FDC president Patrick Amuriat
10
Yeas Equity Bank is marking
30
Makerere University students offered offer ed scholarships by China
37000
Ugandan babies born with blood diseases annually
WEEK
Gun shoots as Arua campaigns end
A one Yasin Kawuma, driver of Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi Bobi wine was shot and died on the spot in a scue that ensued at the end of a campaign rallies on Aug.13 ahead of Arua Municipality by-elec by-e lectio tions. ns. It’s alleged that supporters of Bobi wine who was in Arua to campaign
for the Independent candidate Kasiano Wadri aacked President Yo Yoweri weri Museveni’s motorcade as he nished campaigning for NRM candidate Nusra Tiperu. Giving a situation report, Police Spokesperson Emilian Kayima said Kawuma was shot as security operatives tried to secure the
president and contain rioters, although, other reports show that four people died and others sustained serious injuries. Also, by press time, several journalists who were covering the events had been detained at various police stations in the West Nile. However, scues and shootings have become an ingredient of campaigns recently. In a recent campaign in the newly created Bugiri Municipality, a supsup porter and body guard of one of the candidates – Asuman Basalirwa who too was being supported by Bobi Bobi win winee was was sho shott and and died at the hospital later.
Health issues cited as Imbalu festival is marked
The Bamasaba Cultural Festival – Imbalu kicked o on Aug.11 in Mutoto Sub- County, Mbale District where young males were circumcised, a rite believed to initiate them into manhood. The Bamasaba who were joined by the Bakusu of Kenya in celebration had
hundreds of youthful boys undergoing the procedure done in every even year. The festival that has been marked nationally as one of the biggest cultural events involve crowds dancing, whistling and initiates who are usually smeared with sand and ashes on their
shoulders to the initiation sites. After the cut, the cancandidates join the rest of the crowds in celebration and dancing called ‘Kadodi’. But, as the festival was marked this year, there were concerns on the safety of the cultural procedure happening at the time of diseases like hemophilia that involves uncontrolled loss of blood, hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS. Health workers warned that the procedures should be done with caution. However, the event aracted dignitaries from both bot h gove governm rnment entss of of Keny Kenyaa and Uganda.
Government returns scratch card air time Government has reversed its earlier decision to phase air time scratch cards. The ban had been imposed by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), the governgovernment communications regulator but was protested by members of parliament. This prompted ICT Minister Frank Tumwebaze to rescind the decision. Tumwebaze Tumw ebaze said government will liaise with UCC and telecommunication companies to allow for the gradual phasing out of scratch cards. “I have now directed that let us not ban scratch cards abruptly. I agree that we should have walked along with our rural people,” said TumTumwebaze during a meeting with MPs, UCC and telecommunications service providers. The move to phase out scratch
cards was mooted on grounds that they were aiding insecurity. Ibrahim Bossa, Director Consumer Aairs at UCC had said in an earlier interview that there are people who have been masquerading as airtime dealers yet they are criminals and that UCC realized a need to register and tighten the process of airtime selling so they can know who is selling airtime and to whom in order to have some form of accountability and traceability. With the changes, the only options people had to load airtime was through using mobile money, e-top ups, payway, e-value vouchers and other technologies. Critics say these methods, were seen to be problematic especially among the uneducated and rural dwellers who experience network challenges.
*terms and conditions apply
WEEK
Congo preps for new polls as Kabila steps aside Bringing to an end months of speculation, Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Jose ph Kab Kabila ila announced last week that he will not be running for presidency again. Kabila should have stepped down at the end of 2016 when his second term expired, but he invoked a constitutional clause allowing him to remain in oce as a caretaker. Now, he says he is rallying behind behi nd his Interior Minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary. Analysts say Kabila who has been in power since 2001 when he took over after the death of his
father will remain with a lot of inuinuence during the campaign and even in an event that Ramazani emerges victorious since for them fronting another candidate didn’t necessarily mean he was retiring from the country’s politics. He is said to have just succumbed to the pressure since his failure to leave oce has sparked several protests orchestrated by mai mainly nly members of the opposition. 25 candidates have so far showed interest in participating in the polls come Decem ber 23 when the country goes to the polls.
Country mourns Yona; Museveni says death could have been avoided
President Museveni lays a wreath on the casket containing late Yona Namawa Wapakhabulo 's remains on August 10. Looking on is First Lady Janet Museveni. Former National Team Cricketer, Yona Namawa WapakhabWapakhab ulo was laid to rest on Aug.11 at his ancestral home at Mafudu in Sironko district. The son to former Foreign Aairs Minister and Speaker James Wapak-
habulo died last week after a short illness. While aending requiem mass at ALL Saints Cathedral a day before this burial President Museveni encouraged people to go for regular medical checkups
if they are to live longer. “I am told Yona was performing self-medication for some time which was not right over something which developed into a bacterial infection in the heart,” said the President. President Museveni jokingly said he does not like the saying that God has taken someone when people die. “I don’t think God has run short of company and instead take young people,” added the President. Yona was aged 46 years. “It saddens me that Yona has gone at his prime and in such circumstances. I don’t mind if God takes some of us, in fact I am waiting for Him to call me, but I thin think k Yona Yona’s ’s dea death th cou could ld have been avoided,” Museveni told mourners.
DPP wants court to rule on legality of blood compensation The Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) is decrying the practice of blood compensation in Lango Sub region. ‘Blood Compensation’ alias Culu-Kwor in Luo is a practice in Lango where a person accused of murder compensates the clan of the deceased usually six or more cows as a sign of seeking forgiveness and reconciliation. Once the payment is accepted and completed, the clan of the deceased writes an additional statement withdrawing interest in the case. According to the DPP, the practice of ‘Blood Compensation’ is crippling the prosecution of murder cases. Now, the DPP is ponderponder ing engaging Lango Cultural
leaders on the practice, which they say is dangerous on the administration of justice in the region. Rukundo Martin, the Lango Regional Ocer in the DirecDirec torate of Public Prosecution, says the practice has crippled prosecutions of many cases as the state is often left without any prosecution witnesses. According to Rukundo, in some instance witnesses run away they are persuaded by the state to appear in court. Janee Okuo Jan Okuo Kaj Kajuga uga,, the the DPP spokesperson wants court to pronounce itself on the legality of the practice. Dr. Richard Nam, the Prime Minister Lango Cultural Foundation, says the practice of
blood com blood compen pensat sation ion is par partt of of Lango culture, which can’t be avoided. He says the practice is also enshrined in the new constitution of Lango Cultural institution, which has been approved by the Aorney GenGeneral and Ministry of Gender, Labor and Cultural Development as a normal practice. Dr. Nam argues that blood compensation enhances peaceful co-existence among dierent clan members of the ethnic group. Joseph Odongo, 47 a, member of Ngurapuc clan in Lango, says he once used blood compensation to reconcile with the family of a 19-year-old-girl whom he erroneously hit to death in a motorcycle accident. URN
WEEK
North Korea suspends tour visas ahead of anniversary
Mabirizi challenges age limit judgment in Supreme Court Male Mabirizi, one of the challengers of the Constitutional Amendment Act 2018 on Aug.13 filed his appeal in the Supreme Court challenging the verdict of the Constitutional Court. His petition was detailed in 3066 pages in 150 booklets that he delivered to Supreme Court premises in Kampala in a pickup car. The appeal received by Registrar Godfrey Angualia Opefeni stems from a Constitutional Court judgment delivered by a panel of five judges at Mbale High court weeks ago upholding the scrapping of the presidential age limit. The judges are Cheborion Barishaki, Elizabeth Musoke, Alphonse Owiny-Dollo and Remmy Kasule. With the exception of Justice Kenneth Kakuru who dissented in his judgment, the remaining judges
said the act was passed in line with Constitutional procedures. Hours after the constitutional court judg men t, M abir izi fil filed ed a notic n otic e of of appeal listing 80 grounds as to why he would challenge part of the majority judg men t, o rde rders rs and som e aspe a spe cts of the court findings. In his petition, Mabirizi raises sixteen grounds whe re he believes that the learned Justices erred in law while making their judg men t wi th one of the them m bein b eing g failure to summon the speaker. He now prays for orders that the failure to comply with mandatory constitutional provisions, rules of parliament, violence and failure of public participation among other lapses rendered the whole process leading to enactment of Constitutional Act, 2018 null and void and of no eect.
North Korea has stopped processing tourist visas for foreigners ahead of a high prole anniversary next month, according to a China-based tour operator. The measure follows reports that Pyongyang had suspended visits by Chinese tour groups as it prepares to mark the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as the country is ocially known. Koryo Tours, a popular agency among Western tourists seeking to visit the North, said on its website it had been “informed on 13 August by our partners in Pyongyang that they had been instructed from above that all tourist visa applications currently underway underway are to be frozen”. It was not given a reason for the freeze, the company said, but was told it would apply until the anniversary on September 9. “This suggests to us that... a higher power in the country is simply pressing pause on tourism until it is clear to them who is coming in such delegations and how many people,” it added. Pyongyang has previously lavishly celebrated the date with military parades or mass games involving thousands of people performing acrobatic choreography in unison, and is expected this time to hold its rst mass games for ve years. Speculation has also mounted that the nuclear-armed North could be preparing to mount a parade -- at which it normally shows o some of the weapons that have earned it multiple sets of UN Security Council sanctions. sanctions. In his New Year speech in January, leader Kim Jong Un said North Korean people would “greet the 70th founding anniversary of their Republic as a great, auspicious event”. AFP
Humour
Did you know?
Why left-handed people are so rare Gulu Woman Woman MP Betty Bet ty Aol Ocan has been confirmed as the t he new Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.
Kawempe South MP Mubarak Munyagwa is the new chairperson of the Committee on Statutory Authorities and State Enterprizes.
Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze received Mukono r eceived a heroic welcome back to Uganda from India where she had gone for treatment.
Scientists have long tried to answer this. In 2012, researchers at Northwestern University developed a mathematical model to show that the percentage of left-handed people was a result of human evolution — specically, a balance of cooperation and competition. But scientists have now found at least why some people are left-handed – and it has nothing to do with the brain. It was previously thought that the genetic dierences between the left and right hemispheres of the brain determine whether someone is left- or right-handed. But a study published in the journal eLife found that the answer could lie in the spinal cord. The researchers found that gene activity in the spinal cord was asymmetrical in the womb and could be what causes a person to be left- or right-handed. Arm and hand movements start in the brain, in an area called the motor cortex, which sends a signal to the spinal cord that’s translated into a motion. The researchers found that while the fetus is growing in the womb, up until about 15 weeks, the motor cortex and the spinal cord are not yet connected, but right- or lefthandedness has already been determined. In other words, the fetus can already start movements and chooses a favorite hand before bef ore the bra brain in sta starts rts con contro trolli lling ng the the bod body. y. To study this, the researchers analyzed gene expression in the spinal cord in the eighth through the 12th week of pregnancy. They found signicant dierences in the left and right segments of the spinal cord that control arm and leg movement. They concluded that the asymmetrical nature of the spinal cord could be down to something called epigenetics, or how organisms are aected by changes in their gene expression rather than in the genes themselves. These changes are often brought about by environmental inuences and can aect how a baby grows. These geneexpression dierences could aect the right and left parts of the spinal cord dierently, resulting in lefties and righties.
President Yoweri Museveni takes a selfie on Aug. 11 with some youth at the National Youth Council meeting at the Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) Conference Hall in Lugogo, Kampala.
The Last Word
OPINION
The disintegration of the FDC By Andrew M. Mwenda
Why liberal minded Ugandans should celebrate the breakup of FDC and rally behind its enlightened leaders
T
he inevitable is happening. Uganda’s largest opposition party, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), is breaking up. Twenty two out of its 36 Members of Parliament (MPs) are quiing the party to form another. They will initially present the new party as a pressure group to avoid the requirement that they seek re-election upon crossing the oor. However, one year to the 2021 elec tions they will ocially announce the new party whose leader will most likely be Mugisha Muntu. This is a welcome move. FDC has been under the control and direction of an extremely uncouth and intolerant faction led by its presidential candidate for life, Dr. Kizza Besigye. This group acts like a millenarian cult. It does not tolerate dissent, however mild. Every dissenter is labelled a mole of President Yoweri Museveni. Criticism of their cult leader, however mild and well intentioned, is treated as sacrilegious. It relies on intimidation, blackmail, slander and lies to subdue opponents. This is the rst time in the political history of Uganda that we have developed a political party as intolerant as the radical extremist wing of the FDC. It is a group that has no limits on what it is willing to do to destroy its opponents, both real and perceived. Equally it has no limits on what weapons it is willing to employ to gain and capture power. One must worry what it would do to retain power if it ever had a chance to capture it. For two years now I have waged a nearlonely ideological war against this radical extremist group. Many enlightened and liberal-minded leaders and members of the FDC have quit the party. Many others have remained members but gone silent. I often talk to these people. Some are MPs, others very senior politicians. They all tell me they are afraid to speak out because they will be labelled moles and destroyed through slander and false accusations on social media. It is tragic that a political party born to protest suppression of divergent views inside the National Resistance Movement (NRM) practices this behaviour in worse form. The radical extremists of the FDC have buried bur ied the lib libera eral-d l-demo emocra cratic tic fou founda ndatio tions ns on which that party was born. The biggest frustration I have had is with many Ugandans who position themselves as liberal-
minded in the media, academia, civil society and politics. They have exhibited enormous courage in opposing Museveni’s dictatorial tendencies. However, they have also demonstrated a deafening and dangerous silence on the growing intolerance of these FDC radical extremists. This has helped radical extremists consolidate their control over the party. Here has been the tragedy of the struggle for democracy in Africa. Claims by any group to be ghting for democracy are taktak en on face value. Its internal operations and the behaviour of its leaders and members are rarely questioned. And in many cases these groups have captured power and produced governments that are worse than those they overthrew. The lesson for Uganda is simple but fundamental: denouncing Museveni’s dictatorial tendencies is not enough to make a political movement liberal-democratic. Its modus operandi is more critical. FDC is the best positioned party to capture power from NRM. The radical extremists are its strongest faction. Hence a capture of power by FDC is a victory to radical extremism. Whatever the democratic decits manimani fest inside NRM, Museveni individually and his party and government generally are fairly tolerant and liberal-minded. I built my career as a journalist exposing the rot in his government alongside its dictatorial tendencies. Yet throughout this period I frequently visited Museveni at State House and we argued over our dierences. He would come to my radio show. He would telephone me to express disagreement over opinions or facts I had wrien. The same applies to NRM and UPDF leaders. They were regular guests on my radio show and my major sources of information. The dierence between Besigye and Museveni and between FDC and NRM became bec ame man manife ifest st to me whe when n I beg began an cri crititicising Besigye and his radical extremists. Besigye personally cannot tolerate dissent. The radical extremists around him push this behaviour to the extreme. I am aware that he personally works with them to make vicious aacks on his critics on social media. In many ways his actions reect those of Adolf Hitler. This may shock many readers to believe that I am exaggerating to compare Besigye with Hitler. But let us listen to the German dictator.
In his autobiography, Mein Kampf (My Struggle) Hitler says that he observed the organisation of the Social Democratic Party in Germany and learnt that one of the major sources of their success was the use of “physical and spiritual terror.” Let us look at his views of “spiritual terror.” “I understood the infamous spiritual terror which this movement exerts particularly on the bourgeoisie which is mentally nor morally equal to such aacks,” Hitler wrote in Mein Kampf, “It unleashes a veritable barrag bar ragee of of lies lies,, sland slander er and per person sonal al aa aacks cks against whatever adversary seems dangerous until the nerves of the aacked person break bre ak dow down. n. Thi Thiss is is a tac tactic tic bas based ed on pre precis cisee calculation on all human weaknesses and its results will lead to success with almost mathematical certainty.” Besigye and his radical extremists may not have read Hitler. They have, of course, deluded themselves into the belief that they are a force for democracy. However, their strategies on social media are exactly what Hitler learnt from the SDP and once in power employed with deadly success. There is a misleading conception – in Africa and the Western world – that the fall of tyranny is a triumph of democracy and liberalism. This is even the more intriguing given that most experience in postcolonial Africa has disproved this belief. Indeed, the fall of many tyrannies on our continent has led to renewed tyrannies (Uganda in 1971, Liberia in 1980, Ghana in 1966, 1971, 1981), Nigeria etc., sometimes to anarchy (in Uganda in 1979, Somalia in 1991, Liberia in 1990, Sierra Leone in 1990 and Libya in 2011). All liberal minded Ugandans (as opposed to opportunists and other self-interested pretenders) need to come out openly and constantly to denounce radical extremism in FDC. They must push Besigye (if they believe he is democratic minded) to denounce it as well. Or they must demonstrate their commitment to liberal values by supporting Muntu and those courageous FDC MPs who have said enough is enough to the conspiracy of silence that has allowed radical extremism to grow and consolidate inside the party
[email protected]
COVER STORY
Muntu’s next move Supporters say he kept FDC together, Supporters together, now they want him to exit and lead a new political organ. Will he? By Agather Atuhaire
COVER STORY
Muntu campaigns in Arua.
S
upporters of opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party stalwart, Mugisha Muntu, recently held their last lap of consultations in Busoga region and finalised with a retreat in Kamuli. The Independent has learnt that a major decision was reached - to leave FDC and form a new party. Following the Kamuli meeting, on Aug.7 in Kampala, 25 FDC legislators met and resolved to reject positions in a shadow cabinet expected to be announced by the newly appointed Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Betty Aol Ochan. They also agreed not to make monthly contributions to the party,to form a pressure group in parliament and recruit more members into it, and support and campaign for independent candidate Kassiano Wadrii in Arua Municipality. Wadr The decisions of those two meetings and others mean that as Gen. Mugisha Muntu approaches his 60th b irthday, he faces what might be the best opportunity but equally the toughest decision of his career in politics. Muntu must decide whether to calm down –again- those pushing to quit FDC or lead the exodus and start a new political formation with them. Pressure is mounting and even
Muntu who has the patience of an ox, is finding it hard to remain still. Insiders say he is traversing the country in one last consultations push before he makes the big announcement. The Kasese Municipality MP Robert Centenary told The Independent that the group realise they have two options; either to rebrand FDC and find a middle ground or to form a platform of like-minded people and engage an overdrive gear and go back to the grassroots. “I don’t see the first option, which would be our first call, happening becaus bec ausee ther t heree is i s no n o will. w ill. So we w ill still harmonise our views on the next move,” he said, “While some want a new party, some of us want another kind of platform which will accommodate everyone from all groups including FDC.” Centenary said their biggest disagreements are over approach and `Besigyeism’ in the FDC. “Some members in FDC think they are the only ones with the f ormula to defeat Museveni. They do not want to hear any other alternative. When you challenge Besigye in FDC you become an adversary,” he said. “We have worked on the Muntu project for too long,” another Muntu diehard told The Independent on conditions of anonymity, “POA’s
decision has hurt all our allies and they cannot remain unhappy and unguided. There are many political actors. The fear is that if we delay too much, another political actor can emerge and seize the moment. But it is up to Gen. Muntu to judge if the time is now.” POA is short f or Patrick OboiAmuriat, the man who succeeded Muntu as FDC president and recently shuffled opposition leadership in parliament in a move that has estranged the majority of opposition leaders. Many see it as a purge of Muntu supporters. In anguish, these legislators have been bee n h oldi ng mee ting s— whi which ch insiders say, mainly centre on how bes t an d s afe afely ly to q uit the FDC and forge ahead under Muntu’s leadership. Both the mood and the numbers appear favourable to Muntu but s ome in the group are insisting that the timing is not right; that quitting FDC now and establishing another political formation might be premature. Insiders add that the group will not form a political party immediately becaus bec ausee doing d oing so woul d mean m ean los losing ing seats in parliament since the law provides that once a legislator quits a party on whose ticket they were voted, they lose their seats. As such, the plan is to have a pressure group akin to
COVER STORY
the Parliamentary Advocacy Forum (PAFO), which legislators formed in the seventh parliament. parliament. PAFO later merged with Reform Agenda to form FDC. For now, the pressure group is intended to be a mobilisation outfit for legislator that builds momentum until 2020, when they can form a political party. The Constitutional amendment Act of 2015, amended article 83 (1) (h) to allow members to cross the floor of Parliament a year to election. Well-placed sources in Muntu’s camp say all seems on course. Apart from the over 25 FDC MPs already on board, the recruitment of the Independent candidates is said to have already yielded results. A well-placed source told The Independent, that Muntu’s group is in talks with Independent MPs with Ntungamo municipality MP Gerald Karuhanga coordinating and about nine have so far confirmed. The Jinja East MP Paul Mwiru is spearheading the registration process. The group is also testing out some names f or the new organisation. There are currently 38 FDC MPs parliament. Most of the 25 MPs in Muntu’s camp breaking away would leave FDC with 13 and declining if Muntu’s camp maintains momentum up to the next elections. Muntu is also said to be favoured by some of the 66 Independents who failed to join FDC becaus bec ausee of o f the t he dom domina inating ting sha shadow dow of Besigye. But it is the latest reshuffle that has strengthened the group’s resolve to find their footing. In that reshuffle, Betty Aol Ochan, replaced Winnie Kizza as the Leader of Opposition; Budadiri West MP NandalaMafabi replaced Angelina Ossege as the leader of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC); Kawempe South MP, Mubarak Munyagwa replaced Bugweri County MP, Abdul Katuntu as the new chairman Committee on Statutory Authorities and State Entreprises (COSASE), and Moses Kasibante, the Lubaga North MP as his deputy. Other Amuriat appointments included; William Nzoghu, Busongora County North, as a representative in the Pan-African Parliament, FrankaAkello, Agago Woman MP, as the new head of the committee on Local Government, Gilbert Olanya of Kilak South, as her deputy and Kaps Hassan Fungaroo, Obongi County MP, the new head of the Public Assurance committee. Some of Amuriats appointees were rejected as ultra vires, but his card s had h ad bee been n revea r evea led and
Besigye (R) and Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago. his intention exposed. For critics, one factor characterized Amuriat’s changes—he used the changes to reward loyalists, also known as the `defiance camp’ with allegiance to FDC stalwart Kizza Besigye’s radical if not m ilitant faction and a purge of those opposed to them – even if not loyal to the perceived rival camp of Muntu which are called the ‘Organisation camp’ becaus bec ausee of ins ist istenc encee on buil din ding g party p arty organs and institutions. The pro-Muntu camp accuses Amuriat’s camp of high level intolerance. But Amuriat told The Independent that he was guided b y party loyalty in picking the new group. The other factor, he added, was contribution to the party financially.
The perfect trigger In whatever case, the reshuffle has been bee n s een as the per fec fectt trigg t rigg er f or an an exodus. Former FDC Secretary Ge neral Alice Alaso said on WhatsApp: “The bes t thing to ever happen to our cause is this reshuffle or blunder. The sooner we build our outfit the better for us and for this country.” “I will be shocked if some m embers of this family are bothered by what has happened,” another members of the WhatsApp group of Muntu supporters said following the reshuffle. “We should all celebrate this reshuffle. It presents the greatest opportunity to redefine Uganda’s politics.” Kabweri County MP Francis Gonahasa added: “We need to go to Arua and bring back Kasss iano (Wadri)) to the house to continue (Wadri buil ding sour ces of san ity fol follow lowing ing
victories in Kyadondo East, Jinja East, Rukungiri and recently Bugiri. Together with such truly patriotic individuals, the opposition coalition or alliance currently called “third force” will evolve into a mighty force which will make Uganda rise and shine again.” Abdu Katuntu said he would be reac hin hing g out o ut t o ot her fou foundin ndin g members of the FDC. This appeared to confirm reports that the Muntu camp has been reaching out to other senior members of the p arty who had bec ome alie nate d by b y the t he div divisio isio ns in the party. Some of these include; AmanyaMushega, Augustine Ruzindana, Maj. John Kazoora, among others. Katuntu is seen a major political cog in Muntu’s camp having nominated him for the party’s presidential flag bearer race against Besigye in 2015. Apart from the legislators and senior leaders, the Muntu camp has also formed alliances with other politicians. Kyadondo East legislator, Bobi Wine and AsumanBasalirwa, who recently won the Bugiri by-election are some of these. Aparently, Muntu’s camp has had engagements with Bobi Wine, who could potentially support them. Muntu and Bobi Wine have s upported and campaigned the same candidates recently including Basalirwa and Wadri. In these contests, Am uriat, Besigye and the entire defiance camp have been opponents. In both Kyandondo and Bugiri, the party refused to support opposition candidates and influential comrades in the struggle—Bobi Wine and Asuman Basalirwa—and instead supported the party’s flag bearer.
COVER STORY
In both these races, the party lost with Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi aka BobiWine and JEEMA’s Asuman Basalirwa sailing through. This has put the party and these oppos ition stalwarts and their supporters on a collision course. Amuriat’s camp has even gone as far as calling for disciplinary action against Muntu and his supporters. He will certainly not get that when, not if Muntu pulls the trigger first.
Two groups better, says Muntu Muntu has in the past toyed publicly with the possibility of quitting FDC. He says it is mainly because the party leadership has failed to handle issues maturely and pursue a common objective. “In that case then, isn’t it better for the two groups to pursue this objective separately instead of wasting time infighting and diverting the resources from the main objective?” he says.
Political analyst Frederick GoloobaMutebi agrees. “Leaving a party they no longer want to associate with allows them to establish what they think will be a better bet ter par party, ty,”” he h e told t old the Ind Indepe epe nde ndent. nt. “We could end up with two-better organized and coherent parties that are better able to contest the NRM’s hegemony.” But he cautioned Muntu’s next move depends on his short, medium, and long-term ambitions. He says a slow start and building the party slowly, first; to play a role in public debates and influence policy and decision making as this would help establish it in the minds and thinking of the general public, which in the long term may help it win power. “If the idea is to reach for power in the short or even medium term; that would be rather fanciful,” he said and cited the way all party leaders in Uganda scramble to stand for president, however insignificant their so-called parties are. “It is telling of how they are driven primarily by their desire to become president, not to build buil d viab v iable le r ival orga nis nisati ations ons to t he NRM.” The planned departure of Muntu and his group first became eminent when Amuriat defeated him in November last year. Earlier, although some of his supporters had wanted Muntu to run for presidential candidate in 2016; even after he was def eated by per perenn enn ial FDC fla flag-b g-b eare r KizzaBesigye in the party p rimaries,
he shunted them aside and threw his full weight behind Besigye’s candidature, like he had done thrice bef ore tha that. t. It was rather surprising for the group that Besigye, after all that did not support Muntu in the Nov. 2017 party Presidential race. He ins tead, with his defiance camp brought Amuriat and saw to it that he defeated Muntu. Amuriat’s victory, insiders say, marked a new chapter in the politics of FDC. Immediately after the November 2017 elections, MuniniMulera, who has served FDC for the last 13 years in various capacities wrote that: “It is m y informed and confident opinion that the contest was between the Besigye and Muntu visions for the party”. Mulera wrote in Daily Monitor:
The planned departure of Muntu and his group rst became eminent when Amuriat defeated him in November last year
“Besigye believes in militant and physical defiance to the dictatorship. This single strategy was very well articulated by Amuriat during his speech at the conference. On the other hand, Mulera added, Muntu believes that building a wellorganised party, whose fortunes are not tied to an individual, but are founded on very strong institutions, is the critical step in the struggle f or change in Uganda. It became apparent that the two tendencies—the defiance and organisation—could no longer tolerate each other. Many expected Muntu to quit the party in a fit of disappointment and anger. He did not.
Insiders say vintage reflective Muntu could not just leave in a huff— he instead launched a trek across the country in what he described as consultations. But he also m aintained a humble foothold in the party, schmoozing, putting up appearances and mumbling the right noises. Observers said he was testing the level of countrywide support which his defeat by Amuriat meant he could no longer possibly do as party flag bearer bea rer in the nex nextt natio n ational nal pre presid sident ent election in 2021. Recently, in another article in the Daily Monitor, Mulera announced his resignation from the party noting that with the two tendencies in FDC at war and with no room in him for the defiance only strategy, he had reached a dead end in the FDC. He quit. But if Muntu and group were still convincing supporters; especially in parliament, that leaving FDC was the only guarantor of th eir future in politics, on Aug.3, Amuriat made that job much easier when he fired from parliamentary leadership those opposed to him and replaced them with his loyalists. But this is not the first time Muntu loyalists are pushing him to stand. He has let them down in the past. Ahead of the 2016 elections, they held multiple meetings and strategised on how to ensure Muntu’s victory against Museveni. An official who was at the centre of these meetings told The Independent that at the time, they were betting on the fact that Muntu appealed to the moderates in both the ruling party and the opposition who are fatigued by the pol politic itic s of o f extr e xtremi emism sm by bot both h Museveni and Museveni. “Muntu has always appealed to the moderates and the divisions we see in the NRM augur well for him,” the official noted, “he has many loyal supporters in FDC and can easily mobilise those alienated by the Besigye camp.” The ocials added that Muntu also boastss of supp ort from boast f rom the t he senior s enior FDC party advisors, who found it hard to work under Besigye and stayed away. Apparently, because Besigye had approached these senior ocials before exiting the NRM and they had poured cold water on his plans saying he was jumping jumpi ng out ou t too early early,, when wh en they th ey laer l aer followed him, Besigye always kept them at bay. Back then, Muntu refused to leave FDC. Now, as pressure mounts on him again to lead an exodus one question remains: will he?
NEWS ANALYSIS
By Flavia Nassaka
S
ince it was suspended from conducting voter education and election monitoring on July 09, a local NGO – Citizens Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda (CCEDU), has been in and out meetings with the Electoral Commission in a bid to regain their freedom. On Aug.10, Aug.10, they held another meeting with the hope of geing a go ahead to observe the by-election in Arua Municipality on Aug.15. But permission was denied – again. For the CCEDU Chairman, Livingstone Sewanyana, who is the Director at another NGO; the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative, that was a sign that the EC was not about to budge. CCEDU was heading to court to challenge the EC’s move. Sewanyana says they want court to conduct a judicial review of the decision by the EC to sus suspend pend CCE CCEDU’ DU’ss elect election ion observation license. A judicial review is a case in which the High Court reviews a decision by individuals or institutions that hold power and authority is authorized and valid or not. This means the CCEDU case has a lot of signicance on the powers of the EC to determine who observes elections. The NGO world is watching the case closely because, the EC’s withholding of CCEDU’s license is a sign of the government to scare other NGO from being critical. If the court upholds the decision, critics say, the decision could have a chilling eect and limit other NGOs from reporting election irregularities. Sewanyana who has wrien a book on NGO regulation in Sub-Saharan Africa says the EC’s suspension of CCEDU’s work did not surprise them as government has always wanted to stie freedom of Association. “They have done this to journalists, NGOs and Political Parties. They have made sure that they have power to do so,” he said and relating it to recent raids on NGOs. In September last year, security agencies raided and occupied the premises of three NGOs; the Great Lakes Institute for Strategic Studies (GLiSS), Uhuru Institute for Social Development in Kampala, and Solidarity Uganda in northern Uganda. The government said it was probing reports of money laundering, and ordered another 15 NGOs to present to them a pile of documents; including annual reports and nancial statements. Apart from the pressure this caused, there has not been a report of the government nding or the reasons as to why the NGO Bureau of the government was making such demands. Sewanyana says it is all part of the government’s scare tactics. Before that, the oces of some NGOs had
Let court decide, CCEDU tells EC Behind the case of NGO blocked for crossing the line in election observation
CCEDU-Observer during an election
NEWS ANALYSIS
endured a mysterious spate of break-in and even murder of guards. In his book titled ‘Comparative Experiences of NGO Regulatory Frameworks’, Sewanyana says, there has always been a tension between NGOs and government which he calls uneasy co-existence. To him, the whole of Sub Saharan Africa is characterized by despotic regimes which cannot easily accept a new wave of democracy that has swept across the region. While Election observation started as way back as the 1950s in the west, in many African nations, it is one of those relatively new phenomena that came with this democracy. In many countries countries in Africa, it began in the late 1980s where elections monitored by NGOs and international bodies bod ies inc increa reased. sed. Among the benets that this came with, says CCEDU National Coordinator, Crispy Kaheru, is the ability of citizens and the international community to get an insight into the credibility and fairness or otherwise of elections. It also exposes areas in the election process that need strengthening for democratic practices to be ent entren renche ched d in in a cou countr ntry. y. Kaheru points out that local observers like him have the benet of understanding the local context beer, including the cultures and languages. He says local observers are, therefore, able to read the undercurrents of an election beer, contextualize each election beer, and oer sustained, constructive feedback to election stakeholders including the election management body. Although this could be true, experts say election observation came along with increased criticism of the behavior of authoritarian regimes which in the way also aected their relationships with the promoters of democracy from the west. And the catch now is that for a country to benet from foreign investment or to be members of certain international organizations they have to be seen to be democratic. This is what has helped many NGOs that do democracy promotion to thrive. But it has also meant that some governments have to push hard to muzzle critical observers. “Dictators will enact laws that are controlling and burdensome and will not create conducive environment for inclusiveness and public participation”, Sewanyana points out. He says some advocates will censure themselves. To understand Sewanyana’s view, many point at countries like Zimbabwe where international observers only returned this year for the July 30 general election. The previous president, Robert Mugabe, had suspended them for nearly two decades. Groups like the European Union and the Commonwealth had been kicked out
becausee they becaus they had rep report orted ed on ele electo ctoral ral fraud and human rights abuses during the electioneering process. In Uganda, election observers – both local and international have functioned unhindered since the 1980 elections but a wave of intolerance is creeping in. That is why the CCEDU case is critical. The case will be heard on Nov.09. “There is a lot at stake. We have petitions that have not been heard. All these maers are pursued through the right channels,” Sewanyana says. It all started on July 02, when the EC called for a meeting with CCEDU ocials and complained about how the organisation had reported on the by-elections in Rukungiri which were characterized by misuse of state resources during campaigns, hate speech during campaigns, and voter intimidation. The EC claims CCEDU pledged to
Simon Byab abaakam amaa
Criispy Kah Cr aheeru
rethink their work methods to t in the election observation guidelines that the EC provides. In his leer, Byabakama pointed out that justt two jus two day dayss afte afterr this this mee meetin ting g a CCE CCEDU DU ocial appeared on a TV talk show and castigated Village Women Council Commiee elections that took place on July 3, as a sham. “This was contrary to the big turn up registered countrywide and the public interest and yearning to have these Commiee elections conducted after such a long time,” Byabakama said in the leer, “ The Commission needs credible, honest and impartial partners to assess the electoral process and make pertinent recommendations.” A week later, the EC suspended CCEDU. The leer from the EC Chairman Justice Simon Byabakama suspended them from conducting voter education and monitoring the LC elections that were to happen the next day, on July 10 and all the other proceeding elections until further notice. Since then, it has been meetings after meetings and without reprieve for CCEDU.
Sewanyana says the EC insists CCEDU must show commitment that they report whatever they observe in a ‘non - partisan’ way. “They don’t state how we should do it. It’s not clear. They don’t want us to report the ndings the way we see them,” he says. When the Independent called the Electoral Commission, they failed to comment on the maer. But, according to Sewanyana, the aim of the meetings was to try to resolve their dierences amicably. Following a by-election in the western Uganda district of Buhweju, local NGO – Citizens Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda (CCEDU) released a report calling for legal provisions that stipulate a timeframe for candidates to withdraw from an election race to deter any potential last minute withdrawals that may bear serious nancial and logistical consequences on the respective electoral processes. One of the candidates, Alisson Byamukama an Independent had withdrawn just a day leaving two competitors – FDC’s Janee Frida Jan Frida Bwi Bwiruk rukaa and and NRM NRM’s ’s Oli Olivia via Kwoyekyenga who emerged victorious. The by election was held in 2013 after the woman MP Arinaitwe Karisa succumbed to a brain tumor. In another by- election in Butambala, DP’s Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi trounced four others. Still, CCEDU reported two key ndings – voter bribery and heavy deployment of security operatives. At At one polling station – Gombe Play Grounds, the area LC1, Mr. Sulaiman Byekwaso was found distributing UGX 1,000 notes allegedly telling locals to vote for the NRM candidate, Kikulukunyu Faisal Ssali. In its recommendations, CCEDU urged the Electoral Commission (EC) and the Police to adhere to electoral laws while managing election security. CCEDU has distinguished itself as the only local NGO that observes elections from start of preparation to vote tallying. When they made recommendations after the Buhweju and Butambala by election, they had established just four years ago in 2009. Since then, the NGO has built a reputation of oering information, Election Day reporting and voter education which researchers have come to rely on. It also oers real time updates of what happens at polling stations to media houses. To be able to do this, CCEDU boss Kaheru says, they ensure they are in an electoral area days before the election, are at the EC’s stores as early as 4am to be able to witness the dispatch of electoral materials to dierent stations, and leave tally centers only after nal results are announced. Now the courts must decide whether the EC can indenitely suspend CCEDU or any other election observer from doing exactly that.
NEWS ANALYSIS
Hon. Betty Aol Ocan being congratulated by her colleagues in Parliament recently
Betty Aol Ocan New Leader of Opposition in parliament looks to biblical David for inspiration as daunting task dawns on her By Ronald Musoke
B
etty Aol Ocan, the new Leader of Opposition in Uganda’s 10 th Parliament says her Christian values of honesty, truthfulness, hard work and loyalty will help rally her fellow MPs in Parliament to work as a team to deliver results to Ugandans. “The people of Uganda expect better things from the opposition rather than the NRM,” she told The Independent on Independent on Aug.10. Ocan, 59, said just like God empowered David in the bible to kill a bear and a lion before slaying Goliath, she feels she has already been prepared for this daunting task. The Gulu Woman MP was on Aug.08, formally confirmed by Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah, as the new Leader of Opposition in the 10 th Parliament. Oulanyah, who presided over the plenary sitting, read to the House the communication from the Forum for Democratic Change Secretary General, Nandala Mafabi, naming the new
leadership of opposition. The Forum for Democratic Change President Patrick Amuriat Oboi had on Aug.3 in consultation with FDC’s National Executive Committee, replaced Winnie Kiiza as the Le ader of the Opposition even though her term was set to expire in December, this year. The new changes also saw, Mubarak Munyagwa (Kawempe South) take over the chair of the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE). In other changes, Nandala Mafabi (Budadiri West) rebounded as the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee while Cecilia Ogwal was replaced by Francis Mwijukye as parliamentary Commissioner, among others. But the reshuffle was greeted with shock and exasperation from some sections of the Ugandan public with some saying the new F DC leadership in Parliament, especially the Leader of Opposition and, the chairperson of COSASE, Mubarak Munyagwa, are “light weight.”
FDC president Amuriat came out fighting on television and FM radio talk-shows saying he had cons ulted widely over several months before the reshuffle was done. He also protested the insinuation that his new lieutenants are light weight arguing that as long as one qualifies to be MP, they qualify to be on a Parliamentary committee. “I don’t actually understand why this has raised eyebrows; opportunity should be given to as many peop le as possible,” he said, “If the positions are held by just a particular people, how do we measure the strengths and capabilities for the rest of the people in the party?” “When you talk about Betty Aol Ocan being little known, you underrate her political capacity and where she came from,” Amuriat said, “She started early and she is now a third term MP, so why would you think she would never perform in the position of Leader of Parliament.” The office of the Leader of Opposition in Parliament was created by the A dmi dminis nistrat trat ion of Parli Parliame ament nt
NEWS ANALYSIS
(Amendment) Act 2006. The Act outlines the role of the Leader of the Opposition as “to hold the government to account,” through providing alternative policies and opinion. But the office bearer who in principle serves two two-and-half-year terms also enjoys several perks and privileges of a Membe r of Parliament and a cabinet minister. Ocan, will for instance, be entitled to a lead car and chauffer driven vehicle, as well as security personnel drawn from the Uganda Police Force to guard her residence, and an official Aide de Camp. Some political analysts have explained that it is these perks that have often threatened to shred the opposition parties into pieces each time changes are m ade in Parliament. When, for instance Mugisha Muntu assumed the FDC party leadership after an acrimonious election and fired Nandala Mafabi as leader of opposition, the reaction then mirrored the current apprehension and bitt ern erness ess wit within hin the opp opposi osition tion . Wafulaa Oguttu who replaced Waful Nandala Mafabi was so shaken that he at first turned down the offer. Again, party loyalists, were disappointed that Oguttu was replacing an opposition big wig who had mas master tered ed the roug h and tumble of Uganda’s opposition politics. Oguttu had a rough start too. He inherited a polarised opposition in parliament as his predecessor’s takeno prisoners approach had alienated some opposition colleagues, especially from DP and UPC. He told Daily Monitor that Monitor that he had come in as an underdog who might not fit in the big shoes of Ogenga Latigo (2006-2011) and Nandala Mafabi. Tasked with naming a shadow cabinet, two appointees rejected his positions while others questioned the size of his cabinet. But as the storm over appointments settled, he sought to unite the opposition in Parliament into pushing in the same direction. Ocan, a professional teacher, w ill be hop hoping ing tha thatt simi s imilar lar luck com comes es her way. It also appears she is destined to follow a similar route. In a telephone interview with The Independent , , Oc an sai said d if the mem member berss of the opposition in Parliament unite, their work will be a little easier since they face a common foe in the ruling party—the National Resistance Movement. “When we are together, we are stronger and we can achieve more
than when we are divided,” she said, “When we are out of Parliament trying to mobilise, we can afford to be par partis tisan, an, but ins inside ide Parli Parliame ament, nt, we have to bury some of the conflict and differences so we work together for the people of Uganda.” Ocan told The Independent that Independent that she intends to rally her opposition colleagues so they work as a team. “I am one person who has a high sense of respect f or what others have previously contributed.” “There is no need to start f rom scratch. So I recognize and respect the work already done by the four leaders of opposition who came before me.” “I also believe in learning and the position I have been put in is not becaus bec ausee I am alre ady per fec fectt but b ut i t is to empower me.”
government. “Honourable members, I am so happy to be the fifth leader of opposition in this Parliament and I would like to appeal to all my fellow colleagues from the opposition to unite in order to check the government well,” she said. “Our key role is ensuring accountability with the government, presenting and discussing alternative positions,” she said, “To achieve that, we will need a united front.” She noted that whilst differences of opinion and ideas are healthy and should be encouraged, the opposition cannot afford to be divided because they are numerically thin. Ocan says she was elected for her ability to work with everyone, because she is a humble person, and her long
Winnie Kiiza, the outgoing Leader of Opposition receives the Japanese Ambassador to Uganda in her office at Parliament during a recent function. COURTESY PHOTO “We will continue to dialogue among ourselves, brainstorm and prioritise and then focus on what our priorities are. We will be able to m ove, once we work as a team.” Work success in Uganda’s parliament is about numbers and the ruling NRM party has got over two-thirds of MPs in Parliament. So, Ocan says, it is a challenge for the opposition to push any of its positions through. “But we will continue going back to the people to explain our positions on certain issues,” she said. In her very first address to Parliament, Ocan called for unity from all the opposition parties to achieve a common goal of checking the
time commitment to the party and also bec ausee she becaus s he has frie nds in the ruli ruling ng party. Ocan’s predecessor, Kiiza, has assured her of her full support during her reign while the government Chief Whip, Ruth Nankabirwa, also pledged to work with Ocan for a constructive opposition to critique the government. In the coming weeks, Ocan will appoint and head an alternativ alternativee shadow cabinet whose duty is to challenge and inuence government legislation on the oor of Parliament. But that small maer will come after a "small party" she has organised back home in Gulu on the weekend of Aug. 18.
OBITUARY
Nobel Prize-winning author VS Naipaul dies aged 85 By Independent Reporter & Agencies
N
ovelist Sir VS Naipaul, or Sir Vidia, who won the Nobel Prize in literature in 2001, had a close con con-nection to Uganda. His name resonates with many scholars becaus bec ausee they they kno know w him him as the fam famous ous author of `Miguel Street’ a novel which has been a xtu xture re on Uga Uganda nda’s ’s O’L O’Leve evell lite litera ra-ture syllabus. Naipaul was also writer-in-residence at Makerere University Kampala in 1966 and held the Creative Writing Senior Fellowship in the Department of Literature. It was the same fellowship held by some of Uganda’s greatest writers ever, including John Ruganda, of `Black Mamba (1972)’ , Robert Serumaga of `Return to the Shadows’, and Ngugi wa Thiongo of `The River Between’. All of them published many other books and were at Makerere in the same period as Naipaul. Ruganda, for example graduated in 1967. Other great writers at Makerere at the time included David Rubadiri, Taban lo Liyong, and Okot p’Bitek. It was in Kampala that Naipaul met another famous author, Paul Theroux, who was to be his lifelong on and o friend and foe. In an article in The New Yorker of August 3, 1998, Theroux reveals that they met in early 1966 at a party in Kampala, Uganda, which was given by Makerere UniUniversity, where the author was a member of the Department of Extra-Mural Studies as a visiting professor for one year. They became friends and Theroux compares Naipaul to a brilliant, demanding child and Naipaul’s wife, Pat, as a prey petite woman in her 30s who seemed rather frail. He says Naipaul looked down on his university colleagues and expatriates and considered them intellectually inferior. He was equally dismissive of his students’ talents. He says the longer longer Naipaul stayed in Uganda, the more morose he became and couldn’t stand the noise around his house. He decided to move to a hotel in the highlands of western Kenya. Together, they travelled to Tanzania. Tanzania. In late May, 1966, when the political situation worsened and a curfew was imposed during the Buganda Crisis, Naipaul moved out of his hotel and in with the writer for the nal month of his
professorship. Naipaul had showed interest in the great culture, history and traditions of the BaganBagan da people. And when then Uganda’s prime minister Milton Obote deposed, militarily, the President of Uganda, Fredrick Mutesa who was also the Kabaka of Buganda, Naipaul was critical of the British press for not condemning the action enough. He also travelled in rural Uganda to the Kisoro District on the south-western border with Rwanda and the Congo. He fell out with Theroux after Theroux discovered a book he had given Naipaul in a second-hand bookshop. They later reunited. While at Makerere, Naipaul rewrote a novel he had been working on with lile success in England titled ‘The Mimic Men’. He completed it quickly this time. But, according to another online report, Naipaul’s African experience also inuinu enced his writing of his next book, “In a Free State”, published in 1971. In the title novella, “In a Free State”, two young expatriate Europeans drive across an African country, which remains nameless but whi which ch oe oers rs clu clues es of Uga Uganda nda,, Keny Kenya, a, and Rwanda. The novella speaks to many themes. The colonial era ends and Africans govern themselves. Political chaos, frefre quently violent, takes hold in newly decolodecolo nized countries. Young, idealistic, expatriate whites are aracted to these countries, seekseek ing expanded moral and sexual freedoms. They are rootless, their bonds with the land tenuous; at the slightest danger they leave. The older, conservative, white selers, by contrast, are commied to staying, even in the face of danger. The young expatriates, though liberal, can be racially prejudiced. The old selers, unsentimental, sometimes brutal bru tal,, can can sho show w comp compassi assion. on. The you young, ng, engrossed in narrow preoccupations, are uncomprehending of the dangers that surround them. The old are knowledgeable, armed, and ready to defend themselves. The events unfolding along the car trip and the conversation during it become the means of exploring these themes. He became one of the rst winners of the Booker Prize for the novel in 1971. Naipaul returned to Makerere University in March 2008 as a guest of the literature
departure. He also gave a public talk in the University Main hall which aracted a full capacity crowd of scholars and curious observers. Sir Vidia, who was born in rural Trinidad in 1932, wrote more than 30 books including `A Bend in the River’ and his masterpiece, `A House for Mr Biswas’. According to the BBC, his wife, Lady Naipaul, called him a “giant in all that he achieved”. She said he died at his home in London “surrounded by those he loved, having lived a life which was full of wonderful creativity and endeavour”. Geordie Greig, editor of the Mail on SunSun day and a close friend, said his death leaves a “gaping hole in Britain’s literary heritage”, but the there re is “no dou doubt” bt” tha thatt his his “bo “books oks liv livee on”. According to the BBC, Theroux, who had a bier 15-year feud with Sir Vidia before reconciling, said: “He will go down as one of the greatest writers of our time.” Paying tribute to his friend, who he said had been in poor health, Theroux added: “He also never wrote falsely. “He was a scourge of anyone who used a cliché or an un-thought out sentence. He
OBITUARY
was very scrupulous about his writing, very severe, too.” Salman Rushdie, who also disagreed repeatedly with Sir Vidia, said he was “as sad as if I just lost a beloved older brother”. Farrukh Dhondy, a writer and long-time friend of Sir Vidia, told BBC News that his writing was distinguished by its clarity, lack of self-indulgence and for his unique perspective on the post-colonial world. “It’s window pane prose. You’re You’re looking through a very clean, polished glass winwin dow at the object beyond,” he said. “He was one of the greatest literary talents of the last century, and he was quite a remarkable personality, with insights which I don’t think anybody else had - on a personal level, on a broader civilisational level.” On social media, fans paid tribute to Sir Vidia and expressed their sadness. Author Laila Lalami described him as a “wonderful stylist and a terrible curmudgeon”, adding: “At “At his best, he could write with great tenderness and good humor [sic] about people whose lives were erased by colonial narratives.” British novelist and journalist Hari Kun-
zru recalled interviewing him and said: “When we sat down, the rst thing he said was ‘tell me what you’ve read and don’t lie’. Only then would he consent to be questioned.” Writer Jeet Heer called him a “powerful novelist” who “at his best approached ConCon rad and even the shadow of Dickens”, while blogge blo ggerr Patr Patrice ice Yur Yursik sik des descri cribed bed him as a “titan of Caribbean literature”. One fan said “no-one inspired me to read more than Naipaul” while another tweeted that his novel `A House for Mr Biswas’ stayed with me as a lasting memory for 30+ years”.
‘Modern philosopher’ Sir Vidia, who as a child was read ShakeShake speare and Dickens by his father, was raised as a Hindu and aended Queen’s Royal College in Trinidad. He moved to Britain and enrolled at Oxford University in 1950 after winning a government scholarship giving him entry into any Commonwealth university of his choosing. As a student, he struggled with depresdepres-
sion and once aempted to take his own life. His rst book, `The Mystic Masseur’, was published in 1957. It was made into a lm directed by Ismail Merchant in 2001. In 1961 he published his most celebrated novel, `A House for Mr Biswas’, which took more than three years to write. Sir Vidia was a broadcaster for the BBC’s Caribbean service between 1957 and 1961. Awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 2001, the commiee said Sir Vidia had “united perceptive narrative and incorruptible scrutiny in works that compel us to see the presence of suppressed histories”. It added: “Naipaul is a modern philosopher. In a vigilant style, which has been deservedly admired, he transforms rage into precision and allows events to speak with their own inherent irony.” His rst wife, Patricia Hale, died in 1996 and he went on to marry Pakistani journalist, Nadira. Sir Vidia was outspoken and became known for criticisms of Tony Blair - who he described as a “pirate” - as well as Charles Dickens and EM Forster.
RWANDA
Parliamentary election campaigns on Strong RPF pledges transformation, small parties worry By Emmanuel R. Karake
V
arious actors on Rwanda’s political scene launched campaigns for parliamentary elections. Observers are, however, tipping the ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) to win with another landslide as the political terrain has not changed since the last polls. The RPF launched its campaigns in Rulindo district in Northern Province where RPF Secretary General Francois Ngarambe, who was the chief guest, spoke to a huge crowd. Observers say should RPF get more than 95% of the vote, it means all independent candidates or parties not in coalition with it will not make it to the forthcoming legislative assembly because the condition is that for a party or person to go to parliament must have obtained 5% of the total vote. “That scenario cannot happen. In the last presidential elections all parties rallied behind behi nd the RPF can candid didate ate.. In In this this ele electi ction, on, some are going it alone,” an ocial told The Independent. Rwanda operates a two-chamber House
comprising of a Senate and a Chamber of Deputies which is the lower house. The senate comprises 26 members who are elected by specic councils of adminisadminis trative entities, appointed by the president, or elected by lecturers and researchers from universities. They serve 8-year terms. Up for grabs in this election are the 80 seats in the Chamber of Deputies who are elected through two methods: 53 seats are directly elected by universal surage in a single nationwide constituency, with an electoral threshold of 5%; and seats are allocated using the largest remainder method. This means the country is considered to be one nat nation ionwid widee cons constit tituen uency cy and vot voters ers cast ballots for parties and not individuals. Each party or independent candidate that gets 5% of all votes cast nationwide wins a seat in parliament. The 80 seats are allocated based bas ed on wha whatt port portion ion of the nat nation ionwid widee vote each party or independent candidate wins. For this to happen, each party submits a list of its 80 aspirants to the National Electoral Commission. After the election, the seats are allocated based on the position the aspirants occupy on their party list, starting
at the top. The remaining 27 seats are indirectly elected by local and national councils. Of these, 24 seats are reserved for women, two for representatives of youth, and one for the handicapped. The number of candidates is 521, includinclud ing 302 from political parties, four indeinde pendent candidates, 26 for the youth, 10 for people living with disabilities, and 179 for women slots. RPF has allied with ve other political parties, which critics have termed ‘hangers on’ because - instead of providing an alternative political narrative, they ride on the back bac k of of the the pow powerf erful ul RPF to get a slic slicee of of the the national cake. However, RPF spokesperson Wellers Gasamagera speaking to the media after the party’s campaign launch rally in Rutongo, Rulindo district in Northern Province defended the partnership and dispelled the hangers on arguments, saying the party was keen on further strengthening its position in the 4th Parliament. He noted: “We do not pick any political parties. We get into coalition with parties
RWANDA
that have agendas similar to ours. It is not about job positions, but the wellbeing of Rwandans. Also, every party that allies to us, that is additional strength.” Parties in a coalition with RPF are Party for Progress and Concord (PPC), Centrist Democratic Party (PDC), Democratic Union of Rwandese People (UDPR), Party for Solidarity and Progress (PSP) and Ideal Democratic Party (PDI) of former Security Minister Musa Fazil remembered for being the rst person to voice the removal of prespres idential term limits to enable President Paul Kagame to continue to vie for presidency. Other parties in the race are Social Democratic Party (PSD) and Liberal Party (PL) of the outgoing speaker of lower chamber of parliament and Green Party of Frank Habineza who participated in the last presidential elections. PSD has members occupying cabinet posts; including long serving minister Dr. Vincent Biruta. Others are independent candidates Elisam Salim Ntibanyendera, Janvier Nsengiyunva, Allay Husseine Sebagenzi, and Phillip MpayMpay imana. Mpayimana contested in the last presidential elections as an independent.
RPF’s transformation manifesto Candidates of RPF and its allies were presented to the public in a group and did not speak save for leaders of their respective parties whom the master of ceremony alloed two minutes to speak to the public. None of them presented individual party manifestos. “The party agenda is reected in the manifesto of President Kagame that was presented in last year’s presidential election.
Parliamentarians are expected to assist in the implementation of that agenda through legislation and oversight,” a party ocial told The Independent. Key among the said manifesto is transformation of livelihoods of Rwandans. “Reasons for voting RPF are clear and known to you all; the main agenda of RPF is to impact lives of Rwandans. Here in Rulindo, there is a lot; Girinka to supplement our eorts to ght malnutrition and household poverty, hospitals, and a feeder road netnet work, among others. Campaigning for RPF doesn’t require one to labour too much… We need strong institutions, parliament inclusive, to advance our agenda of devel oping the Rwanda we want,” said Sports and Culture Minister Juliene Uwacu, who is the national campaign manager for RPF. “We know where we are coming from and where we are going, which is far but walkable. RPF has the will and energy to deliver an agenda to improve lives of Rwandans. We want a growth driven by knowledge and ICT. We need to elect a parliament that will enact appropriate laws to deliver on the plan,” said RPF Secretary General Francois Ngarambe, who was the chief guest. There are 80 seats in Rwanda’s parliament which political party and independent candidates are working to get a slice of. In the outgoing house RPF had 34 seats while the rest were shared between interest groups such as women, youth, people with disabilities and other political parties. Some observers say RPF rides on the argument of having more women in the house to gain a numerical controlling stake in the house.
Greens optimistic to gain more seats Green Party president Frank Habineza told The Independent that his party is optimistic to beat the odds presented by the uneven political terrain and make to the house. “We are the only alternative political party in Rwanda. We have been champions of citizens’ views. Rwandans have listened to us for the last 10 years,” he says. This election is being conducted under almost similar law with that of 2013. An ocial at the National Electoral Commis sion says “literally nothing has changed in the law”. The third parliament was elected at a critical time, the country was at a politi politi-cal juncture after Kagame caught many unaware when he encouraged his political party to start debating the country’s political transition in 2017. The last parliament achieved a lot in terms legislation and government oversight, and will be remembered for amending the constitution, allowing president Kagame to remain eligible to run for oce until 2034. Under the same amendment, the presidenpresidential term of oce was reduced from seven to ve years; that’s after Kagame’s depardepar ture. The campaigns will run for 20-days, startstart ing Aug.13 Aug.13 to Sept.01. Some parties say this period is too short given that they have to traverse all the 30 districts in the country. As Gasamagera explained, “when looklook ing for votes; you have to go the ground”. However, most of the parties; if not all, do not have the capacity to cover the whole country in such a small time.
RWANDA
Mushikwabo leads race for top OIF job By Daniel C. Ntwari
W
ith only two months to go to the election of new SecretaryGeneral of the Organisation International de la Francophonie (OIF), Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Aairs, Cooperation and East African Community, Louise Mushikiwabo’s chances look good. She is, however, not taking chances and is using all available channels including social media platforms to drive her campaign forward. The election is slated for October 11-12 2018 in Armenia, and in discussions with other OIF countries Mushikiwabo has said top of her agenda will be tackling the challenge of reviving the French language in a number of member countries that have over time discouraged the language. This is a
major challenge facing the OIF. Her campaign is also focusing on youth employment as key to addressing current global migration trends involving French speaking countries. OIF is a 58-member state organisation with 26 observer nations. The current Secretary-General of OIF is Canada’s Michaella Jean, 60, whose fouryear term since 2014 expires mid-October. She is seeking a second term in oce. Mushikiwabo, however, has got the endorsement of African Union chairperson and countryman President Paul Kagame, French President Emmanuel Macron and French Canadians. But she must still use all her diplomatic skills to outwit Michaella, the only other candidate in the race. While announcing his endorsement for Mushikiwabo during a recent joint press brien bri eng g with with Kag Kagame ame in Pa Paris ris,, Macr Macron on sai said: d:
“The Rwandan foreign minister has every competence to carry out this role. I will support her.” Experts believe that Macron’s endorsement of Mushikiwabo for the OIF top job, could provide the much-needed environment and goodwill to amend further broken bro ken Rw Rwand anda-F a-Fran rance ce rel relati ations onship hip ov over er disagreements on the laer’s role in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. The two nations have enjoyed very “amicable terms” since Macron was elected prespres ident in May 2017. After ocially sharing her plan for OIF, Mushikiwabo had no betbet ter opportunity to move her campaign strategies than using the recent African Leadership Forum (ALF) in Kigali, where former African Heads of State joined President Paul Kagame and business leaders to discuss nancing for sustainable development. The 5th ALF was hosted by the former Tanzania President Benjamin William Mkapa and organised by UONGOZI Institute.
Louise Mushikiwabo’s plans for OIF The priorities for the 57-year-old Mushikiwabo at the OIF released this month include; the inuence of the French lanlan -
RWANDA
in inuencing issues on the international scene. From her track record back home, many Rwandans have supported Mushikiwabo’s candidature; and some qualities have been identied in her as that could make MushiMushi kiwabo a good OIF leader, including her diplomatic skills, eloquency, and strength of women in politics. Emmy Arsonval Maniriho, a communicacommunica tion ocer at UNDP Rwanda, said: “She has strong political career in foreign aairs. Her candidacy is supported by France and Rwanda in particular. There is nothing that can prevent her from handling OIF matters.” “She is a great lady, very aentive and especially anxious about the success of our beauti bea utiful ful con contin tinent ent.. She She wil willl mana manage ge wit withhout stress... then for that and other good reasons, we are all for our sister Minister Louise Mushikiwabo,” said Bosco Sababu on twier.
Rwanda and French language
guage; the relevance of the Francophonie; youth employment, and the exchange of good practice. After moving around several African countries canvasing for support, MushikiMushiki wabo has gone as far as the Far East; including to Cambodia and Vietnam, and plans to reach other OIF members in central Europe and South-East Asia seeking endorsement before bef ore the vot vote. e. On Aug.09 Aug.09 she was in Cambodia and tweeted: “I am very pleased with the warm welcome that was reserved for me in the Kingdom of Cambodia today; and I enjoyed the convergence of ideas with my counterpart, on the future of the Francophonie. A thousand times thanks to the Mekong countries.” While Mushikiwabo has an agenda that may change OIF-Rwanda relations, she said in an interview with TV5 Monde that; “The bestt way bes way to mana manage ge the miss mission ion of the in OIF relation to democracy and freedoms is to stand very close to the states, to give them advice, not to give lessons.” The OIF SG candidate has said that La Francophonie is more than France and she believ bel ieves es the OIF “co “could uld do muc much h more” more”
Back home, Mushikiwabo will have to prove how French will be revived as the country has slowly shifted to using English in public seing since 2006, despite French remaining one of the four ocial languages, including Kinyarwanda and Swahili. However for the Vietnamese Prime Minister, in charge of the Francophonie, Samxsang Bounkeut, backing Mushiwabo’s plan of reviving the French language, will be hel helpful pful.. “The use of the language tends to disappear within the Laotian youth who prefers English, a reality that goes beyond Laos and concerns many other countries members of the Francophonie,” Bounkeut said at MushiMushi kiwabo’s latest Asia tour accompanied by Guinea’s Foreign Minister, Mamadi Toure.
Who is Mushikiwabo? Louise Mushikiwabo has degrees in Languages and Interpretation from University of Delaware, USA. She is a former translator, public relations executive and is a published author. Mushikiwabo lived in the United States for 22 years, and then in Tunisia for a short period. She joined the Rwandan Cabinet in March, 2008. She is the former Minister of Information and government spokesperson. She co-authored an intergenerational sociohistorical memoir; “Rwanda Means the Universe” in 2006, and has contributed many articles to newspapers and online magazines. She won the Outstanding Humanitarian Award (2004) from the American University’s School of International Studies. She is a sister of fallen Rwandan business busine bus inessma ssman, n, Lan Landoa doald ld Nda Ndasin singw gwa, a, who was killed in the 1994 genocide gen ocide against Tutsi and who is commonly known for the Chez Lando Hotel in Kigali.
Rwanda hosts Shared Shared Accord 2018 military exercise
T
he Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF), the United States Military, European Union and East African nations with other International Organizations, will conduct a Command Post Exercise (CPX) and a Medical Readiness Exercise (MEDRETE) Shared Accord 2018 (SA18) from August 14-29, 2018 at Rwanda Military Academy – Gako. This is according to a press release issued by RDF on August August 12. Shared Accord is a military exercise focusing on African partner capability and interoperability in support of a United Nations/African Union Peace Keeping Operations (PKO). The exercise seeks to assess abilities of participants in conducting PKO and to enhance positive bilateral and regional relationships in austere environments with coalition partners. The training exercise helps build partnership with US Army Africa (USARAF) and East African Military Forces, and is designed to help participants improve their capability to respond to regional security threats posed by violent extremist organizations, and to more effectively counter the associated ideology. This exercise will include s cenarios related to conducting peacekeeping operations during the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). SA18 will involve p articipants of government personnel from Botswana, Gabon, Germany, Malawi, Morocco, the Netherlands, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, United States and Zambia, as well as the international organizations, such as the United Nations and the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC).
RWANDA
Rwanda’s conference tourism grows Marketing efforts, Marketing ef forts, infrastructural developments, developments, and capacity improvements improvements set new MICE sector records By Stephen Nuwagira
R
wanda’s tourism industry, particularly the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) segment, is seeing signicant growth going forward, according to statistics by the Rwanda
Convention Bureau (RCB). The growth is on the back of increased interventions by stakeholders and government to make the country a top conference destination in Africa. MICE raked in US$42 million from 192 conferences in 2017, according to RCB statistics, and this is projected to increase
to US$74 million this year. Rwanda recorded 28,308 delegates in 2017, up from 23,804 in 2016, according to RCB gures. However, the country’s earnings from MICE were even higher last nancial year between July 01, 2017 and June 30, 2018 at US$51 million realized from 219 conferences hosted
RWANDA
during the period. Sector players and experts aribute this upward trajectory of the MICE segment to relentless eorts geared at improving services, conference facilities and increased connectivity of the country thanks to RwandAir’s expanding network. Ariella Kageruka, the director general of Rwanda Chamber of Tourism, aributes the growth to various factors, including continuous eorts by sector players to ensure standards, the simplied visa process where travelers get visa on arrival, as well as continuously training workers to ensure visitors get the best experience experience while while in Rwanda Rwanda.. Many sector players are also upgrading their facilities while the government was improving infrastructure, which the ocial says is essential for the sector to remain competitive. “Members are geing a lot of revenues from the MICE sub-sector; if the MICE segment is bringing in more money for the business, you would of course have to increase your investment to gain more,” Kageruka told The Independent in an interview. That Rwanda is one of the few countries that have implemented the visa for all policy, enabling travellers to get visas on arrival at entry points, has made the country a preferred MICE destination, and Kageruka says this has made it easier for all to aract conference organisers and visitors. There is also easy accessibility due to improved connectivity to Kigali and the rest of Africa, thanks to expanding of destinations operated by RwandAir. The national carrier plies routes that connect to most parts of Africa, Asia (India) and Europe as part of government eorts to continuously promote and position Rwanda as a top destination for investment and tourism. In addition, development of infrastructure, like upgrading of airports, including Kigali International Airport, and the ongoing construction works for Bugesera International Airport and a new road that will ease connectivity along the Kivu belt is being constructed will all ease accessibility. Generally, tourism is Rwanda’s leading foreign exchange earner and brought in $437 million last last year, with the MICE sector adding 15% to last year’s total tourism earnings. Rwanda Convention Bureau Chief Executive Ocer Denise Omany said earlier that the support of the government, as well as the private sector, Rwanda has been able to establish itself as a safe, secure MICE destination of choice due to the presence of world-class MICE venues, accommodation facilities,
connectivity options and ease of service due to RCB support. These gains point to the vibrancy and positive long-term outlook of the country’s MICE tourism segment.
New products Kageruka says that the sector was working with government through public-private partnerships developing new products that help increase stay of MICE delegates and other visitors. “For instance, the paramotoring and mountain cycling were introduced recently to tap into the growing segment of adventure tourism. We are also developing new products along the Kivu belt, and all of these eorts are aimed at increasing the level of stay in the country while ongoing infrastructure developments will enable
In May 2018, International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) named Rwanda as the third most popular destination in Africa for hosting international meetings and events
us to do business beer,” says the tourism chamber chief, adding that this will further benet service providers such as hotels, lodges, restaurants and RwandAir. The MICE segment was launched in 2014 as Rwanda sought to aract major conferences and more foreign direct investment (FDI), especially by renowned international hotel brands.
Improving customer service However, members must ensure great customer care to reap from the MICE windfall, and Kageruka believes that good customer service is today’s central marketing tool. “Every business owner is aware of its potential to reinforce their marketing and business strategies.
Campaigns like “Na Yombi” are there to remind service sector players to always consider excellent customer service as a maer of priority. The issue of poor customer service has over the years raised concern, prompting RDB to initiate the “Na Yombi” campaign to sensitise the private sector players particularly hospitality sector about the importance handling customers very well.
Global recognition In May 2018, International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) named Rwanda as the third most popular destination in Africa for hosting international meetings and events. In the past 7 months of 2018, Rwanda has hosted major conferences, including Transform Africa Summit, Next Einstein Forum, the 2nd Africa Innovation Summit, Africa Green Revolution Forum and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation Good Governance Meeting, and the 30th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly. The country was also recently selected to host the 7th Africa CEO Forum 2019 slated for March 25-26. Rwanda Development Board (RDB) Chief Executive Ocer Clare Akamanzi says the forum is a great opportunity for Rwanda to showcase to the world its know-how on hosting the biggest meetings on the continent as the country seeks to position itself as the preferred MICE destination in Africa. The annual Africa CEO Forum is organised by Jeune Afrique Media Group, publishers of Jeune Afrique and of The Africa Report.
Tourism earnings rise Tourism has become Rwanda’s biggest source of foreign exchange, earning $438 million in 2017, creating over 90,000 jobs so far. Rwanda received received 1.3 million visitors in 2017. “We are condent that this number will rise this year because of our marketing eorts, tourism infrastructural developments and overall destination aributes,” Sanny Ntayombya, the head, communications and marketing at Rwanda Development Board, said. The sector should be further boosted by planned expansion of RwandAir destinations to 31 this nancial year, including Addis Ababa-Ethiopia, Guangzhou-China, Tel Aviv Aviv in Israel, Guinea, and New York in the U.S. The national carrier presently plies 26 routes in Africa, Asia and Europe. RwandAir transported 926,571 passengers for the year ended June 2018, and projects to ferry 1.15 million travellers this scal year supported by the new planned destinations.
RWANDA
Rwanda to host continental annual ne coffee forum
By Daniel C Ntwari
R
wandan farmers expect the annual African Fine Coee Conference and Exhibition (AFCCE) to be held in Kigali next year. The AFCCE conference addresses factors aecting the sector, especially challenges that are hurt productivity. Theopista Nyiramahoro, the head of cofcof fee farmer’s associations in Rwanda, said that farmers have a lot of expectations from the conference, especially practical solutions on how to address issues of climate change impacts on the sector, pests and diseases control, and low international prices. Nyiramahoro said prolonged droughts and pests and diseases were devastating coee plantations on the continent, while low prices were discouraging some farmers from continuing with coee producproduc tion. Many are abandoning coee for other crops. She was hopeful that the international coee conference will expose Rwanda farmfarmers to beer buyers and equip them with skills to engage in global coee trade meanmean ingfully. The 17th African Fine Coee Conference and Exhibition (AFCCE) in Kigali will run from February 13 to 15, 2019 under the theme “Rwanda - Specialty Coees at the heart of Africa”.
Speaking during the announcement of Rwanda as hosts on Aug.10 in Kigali, Jean Claude Kayisinga, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, said Rwanda will showcase its potential in coee research and strategies of shifting focus from production for export to increase local consumption to leverage the countries competiveness. AFCCE is organised by the African Fine Coee Association (AFCA), and Rwanda will be hosting the annual event for the second time since 2009. “The conference promises to be an exciting opportunity for Rwanda coee produc ers and will greatly support the country tourism sector given the big number of global delegates expected,” said Eng. Ishak K. Lukenge, the AFCA board chairman. chairman. Samuel Kamau, the AFCA executive director, said that Rwanda will be the rst country to benet from a specialised farmfarm ers training that will address issues of coee growers’ contract management. “This is the rst training of its kind where farmers will be equipped with necessary skills to analyze and understand contracts, enabling them to guard against bad agreements and benet from international coee trade,” he said in Kigali on August August 10. Speaking at the event, Amb. William KayKayonga, the CEO of Rwanda National AgriculAgricultural Export Board (NAEB), was optimistic
the conference would create a platform for stakeholders along the value chain to nd ways on how they can embrace technology to propel the sector to the next level of growth. “We need collaboration of all key players to bring farmers on board so that they benet fully and understand the trading process. For instance, they should be able to know where their coee is sold, how they have gained, and also to ensure that we trace how farmers benet,” Kayonga said. Currently, the country produces between 18 and 23 metric tonnes annually and exports 96% of the produce. Despite the dwindling global prices, Rwanda plans to produce 24,000 metric tonnes, with 80% of this as specialty coee by 2020, up from the current 60%. The country is also promoting a coee consumption culture among Rwandans, and the number of coee bars continues to increase driven by support from corporates. The (AFCCE) is the largest coee trade event in Africa and is expected to be aended by about 2,000 participants from delegates from around the world. The conference brings together African and international delegates, representing buyers buy ers fro from m Euro Europe, pe, the Amer America icas, s, Asi Asia, a, the Middle East and African coee producers, buyers buy ers and con consum sumers. ers.
By Isaac Khisa
D
rug manufacturing rm, Cipla
Quality Chemical Industries Limited, hopes to raise at least Shs168.56bn through an Initial Public Oer that opened on August 14-24. The rm that is 62.3% owned by India’s Cipla, is oering 657.17million shares at a cost of Shs 256.5 per share. Nevin Bradford, the rm’s chief execuexecu tive ocer, said the proceeds from the oer, which represents 18% stake of the entire shareholdings, will be used to expand drug production capacity and portfolio. “We are looking at increasing the volume of existing drugs and also add on new ones (in our portfolio),” he said. He said the rm, whose monthly producproduc tion capacity has increased from merely 25million tablets per month in 2009 to 100million currently, is expected to reach 130 million soon. Besides the production of World Health Organisation pre-qualied anti-malarials, anti-retrovirals and Hepatitis B drugs, the rm plans to add new drugs including, tuberculosis, hypertension and diabetes to its portfolio through licensing arrangements with the parent company Cipla or third parties. This comes nearly ve years since the rm expressed interest to list on the Uganda Securities Exchange (USE). The Kampala based USE last had a listing in 2012 with the electricity distributor, Umeme. With the new listing, the bourse now has 17 local and regional companies. Emmanuel Katongole, the executive director at Cipla QCIL said Cipla will retain the rm’s majority shareholdings of 51% for strategic reasons such as technological transfer, procurement eciency and operaopera tional excellence. “We are listing at particularly exciting time in the evolution and development of the company,” he said. “Our mission to provide access to quality aordable medicines has never been more relevant. We We see tremendous potential for growth, geographically and in the scope and breath of our product oering.” USE CEO, Paul Bwiso said the drug rm is highly commended for allowing mem berss of ber of the the publ public ic to own par partt of of the the rm as it starts a new growth journey. “We know that many companies are not willing to come to the market because of issues of scrutiny from the public, investors and analysts. Cipla’s decision to open up to the public is highly commendable,” he said. He added that more than Shs1.2trillion has been bee n rais raised ed thr throug ough h the the sto stock ck exc exchan hange ge to
Finance Minister Matia Kasaija (R) and Cipla QCIL shareholders launching IPO at Kampala Serena Hotel on August 14. INDEPENDENT/JIMMY SIYA
Cipla to raise Shs168bn in IPO grow business. Cipla QCIL bold move comes when SubSaharan Africa has the highest incidence of a range of communicable diseases and accounts for 93% of malaria-related and 73% of HIV/AIDs related deaths in the world and approximately 12 and 7% of Hepatitis B and C infections, respectively, according to the rm’s prospectus. Similarly, the healthcare spending in the region has demonstrated high growth rates from US$20bn in 2000 to US$85bn in 2015 driven by economic development and donor funding. CIPLA QCIL started operations in 2005 as a joint venture between Quality ChemiChemi cal Limited (QCL), a Ugandan company dealing in the importation and distribution of pharmaceutical drugs, and Cipla Ltd, a leading Indian pharmaceutical company specialising in manufacturing anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) and Artemisinin-based Com binati bin ation on The Therap rapies ies (AC (ACT Ts) to to comb combat at HIV HIV// Aids and malaria respectively. Since then, the rm has initiated multiple capacity expansion programs and portfolio expansions, including the launch of new therapies. Cipla QCIL’s plant is currently approved by drug drug aut author horiti ities es in in 13 13 SubSub-Sah Sahara aran n African countries and its products sold in nine countries – Uganda, Kenya, CamerCamer -
oon, Angola, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia, Mozambique and South Sudan. It also hopes to sell its products to 19 countries by the end of 2020. The rm manufactured over 1 billion b illion tabtab lets – the highest volume in its history, with a monthly production in December alone reaching a record of 124 million m illion tablets. In terms of returns, the rm has consisconsis tently recorded growth in revenues over the last ve years due to rapid expansions into new markets. For instance, its revenues have increased from Shs89.7bn as at the end of March 2013 to Shs227.3bn as at the end of March 2018. Consequently, the rm’s net prot has increased from merely Shs8.28bn to Shs44bn. Its assets have grown from Shs106.7bn to Shs 209.29bn in the period under review. With this upward trend curve for net prots, assets in addition to its planned expansion strategy, one can easily conclude that the company could be a good buy.
Cipla QCIL drug portfolio
Duovir-N (ARV) and Lumartem (ACT) Trioday Efavirenz and Duovir Duomune and Nevimune Texavirr and Zentair Texavi
BUSINESS
Stanbic’s half-year earnings remain at Bank’s CEO is optimistic that the second half will be better By Julius Businge
S
tanbic Bank has recorded same net prot in the half year of 2018 as it was last year, underscoring how the industry is struggling to grow in the era of low interest rates and tough economic conditions. Financial results released on August 08 shows that the lender generated a merely 0.7% growth in revenue to Shs96bn during half year of this year, up from Shs 95bn. However, this is below the Shs107bn recorded in the previous year. Patrick Mweheire, the bank’s chief executive ocer said the slight increase in prot is aributed to growth in non-interest income revenues supported by increase in customer transactions. “Operating costs were also well managed, growing by only 3.6% year on year and credit risk also remained very strong with credit loss ration improving to 0.9%,” he said. Out of the bank’s Shs321bn income earned during the period, Shs7bn higher compared with last year, non-interest revenue recorded a 12% growth while net interest income dropped by 5% due to a downward trend in the interest rates. The bank’s income distribution split was at 47% to 53% on non-interest and in net interest income, respectively, compared with last year that was 43% and 57%. Loans and advances grew by 13.2% to Shs263bn. Similarly deposits from customers grew by Shs 523 523bn, bn, rep repres resent enting ing 16. 16.2% 2% gro growth wth compared with the same period last year, supported by the bank’s strong customer focus through its client eco systems and nurturing new customer relationships. Total assets grew by 7.4% to Shs 353bn supported by strong customer deposit growth. The bank said the excess liquidity is being deployed across the dierent asset classes, mainly customer loans, in government secusecu rities and interbank lending. This new development comes at the time the economy is showing signs of recovery and interest rates taking a downward trend. It also coincides with the high uptake of the bank’s new services, with agent banking transactions being far the fastest growing –
estimated at 1.6million transactions for the full year, 2018. Commenting on Stanbic’s and general performance of the banks, Salima NakiNaki boneka bon eka,, a nancial analyst at the South Africanbased rm, Stanlib told The Independent that the overall performance of Stanbic was at in the rst half of 2018 partly because of the tough economic environment that did not support growth of businesses. Nakiboneka said as private sector credit continues to grow upwards on the back of reduced interest rates on the market, chances are that loans will become more aordable and banks will earn more. She said the bank also need to think of beer ways of reducing their costs by embracing digital banking, agent banking so as to improve protability. Data from Bank of Uganda (BoU) shows that the country’s economy is expected to grow by 6.5% in the next three years. This will be supported by public infrastructure investments, improving agriculagricul tural productivity, recovery in foreign direct investment and strengthening private sector credit growth. This recovery ideally means banks will have chance to lend more cash to those involved in these sectors and earn more.
Mutebile’s policy stance On Aug.13, Aug.13, BoU Governor, Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebilee said he was keeping Tumusiime-Mutebil the central bank rate at 9% in line with the objective of keeping ination in check. Data from Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) indicates that headline ination rose to 3.1% in the year ending July 2018 from 2.1% in the year ended June 2018. Core ination, which is the target for BoU’s monetary policy also went up to 2.5% from 0.8% in the period under review. Mutebile said core ination is expected to continue rising and peak in the range of 6-7% in the second half of 2018/2019 but will stabilise around the medium term target of 5% by end 2019. However, Mweheire said there are indiindi cations of a beer second half of 2018. “We are beginning to see 6% and 6.5% in the last couple of quarters, a sign that we are turning the corner,” he said. He said the private sector credit is also beginni begi nning ng to to boun bounce ce bac back k at at abou aboutt 12% 12% after some anaemic growth the last couple of years. Personal borrowing, agriculture, manumanu facturing and services have also started showing signs of growth, Mweheire, said.
BUSINESS
By Stephen Nuwagira
T
he Rwanda Stock Market (RSE) equity market recorded sluggish growth for the rst six months of the year ended June 30, with both benchmark indices dropping over the reporting period, but the bourse is expected to rally during the second half of the year. According to RSE market statistics, the Rwanda Share Index, which measures performance of local counters, dropped to 131.07 points as at June 29 compared to the year’s opening of 135.8 points recorded on Jan.03. The All Share Index shed 1.95 points during the rst six month of the year, closing at 131.53 down from 133.48 points on January 3. This poor performance of the equity market is aributable to falls in share value of four counters – Bank of Kigali which closed at Rwf286 per share, down from Rwf300 in January; KCB was at Rwf330 compared to Rwf340 over the same period, while I&M Bank dropped by one franc to Rwf94 and Crystal Telecom inched lower by Rwf13 francs to Rwf53 on June 29 compared to its year’s opening of Rwf66. The declines in share value eroded the gains made by the equity market for the calendar 2017 year when the index for local counters went up by nearly 13% year-on-year, market gures show.
RSE performance expect to rise The 2017 performance was buoyed by investor condence in the resilience of Rwanda’ss economy. Rwanda’ The performance recorded last year was also driven by the ‘renewed’ condence in the economy, generally and perception of stabilisation stabilisati on across all the listed companies, Pierre-Celestin Pierre-Cele stin Rwabukumba, the RSE chief executive ocer, said in an earlier interview. With the economy recording impressive growth of 10.6% in the rst quarter of this year, experts foresee continued recovery and progress in general if commodity prices continue to stabilise. The continued increase in returns from the Made-in-Rwanda initiative and growing services sector, especially tourism and other subsectors, as well as improving performance of the local mining sector and recovering recoveri ng commodity prices on the global market should help improve Rwanda’s balance bala nce of of payment payment and furt further her bur buress ess investor condence. In 2017, the index for domestic listed companies closed at 135.38 points, indicating 12.9% growth compared to 119.84 points recorded in 2016. The All Share Index, which measures performance of all companies listed on the exchange, rose by 4.8 per cent, closing at 133.48 points compared to 127.26 points the previous year.
Stock market dips, tipped to improve However, the local bourse’s performance for the period January to June 30 is higher than what was registered over the same period in 2017. The Rwanda Stock Exchange RSI was at 119.32 points on June 30, 2017, lower than this year’s close of 131.07, while the All Share Index was also down at 124.81 points, RSE market reports indicate.
Losers and gainers According to the statistics, Bank of Kigali lost Rwf14 share value between Jan.03 and June 29, maki making ng the the lende lenderr the the bigge biggest st loser during the rst six months of the year followed by Crystal Telecom that was down Rwf13, while the cross-listed counter for regional commercial bank KCB declined Rwf10 and I&M Bank shed one franc. The drop in share prices of the four counters aected the RSE market capitalization that went down to Rwf2.89 trillion as at end June from the higher of Rwf2.93 trillion during the rst day of trading this year. The RSE market capitalisation closed at a high of Rwf2.9 trillion in 2017, up from Rwf2.7 trillion in 2016, which is an increase of 6.8 per cent on annual basis. The other counters were unchanged over the reporting period with beverages rm Bralirwa at Rwf150; NMG Rwf1,200; Uchumi Supermarkets Rwf104, and regional lender Equity Group Rwf350.
New strategy
During the 2018/19 budget speech, nance minister Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana announced that government would launch and implement a new 10-year Capital Market Master Plan, which sector players say will help concretise initiatives by the CMA to position Rwanda’s capital markets as the preferred nancial economic hub for domestic, regional, and international fund ows. The plan is also expected to position the capital market to play a central role in mobilising long-term funding to support Rwanda’s development goals, according to Eric Bundugu, the acting RSE Executive director. Last year, two key stock market laws were published - the new law establishing CMA; the law on commodities trading, as well as seven new EAC directives on capital markets.
Reissues of TB Meanwhile, government reopened a 7-year Treasury bond worth Rwf10 billion in June in a move the central bank called “another milestone achieved in the journey of bond market development in Rwanda”. A bond reopening is tapping again, once or several times, into a previously issued bond, with the same maturity and coupon to gradually build its outstanding volume to the desired targeted level. The National Bank of Rwanda added that more volumes listed on RSE will aract investors and increase activity on secondary market.
BUSINESS
BT Cotton Opportunity Local players unhappy with govt’s shelving of biotechnology law By Isaac Khisa
W
hen conned eld trials for insect-resistant and herbicidetolerant BT coon started at the National Semi Arid Resources Research Institute (NaSARRI) with support from the US-based Monsanto in 2006, researchers thought farmers would no longer worry of pesticides and weeds in the garden. The researchers rested their hopes on a gene that is inserted in the coon – Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) thuringiensis (BT) to enable the crop produce proteins that are toxic to bollworm boll worms. s. The The crop crop was was also also engin engineere eered d to be tolerant to herbicide Roundup so farmers could forego weeding by simply spraying the crops with the herbicide.
The trials were carried out in two cropping seasons of 2009-2010 and 20102011 in the traditional coon growing areas of Serere in the East and Kasese in the south-western Uganda. Though preliminary ndings conrmed positive results, the trial that was meant to be conducted in three cropping seasons came to a halt citing absence of bio-safety laws and regulation regulations. s. Parliament Parli ament passed the bio-safety bill in October, last year, but it was returned by President Yoweri Museveni two months later with a request to address numerous concerns. Faced with this dilemma, researchers now say the government seems to have missed the opportunity to utilise the technology to boost coon export volumes
and the recovering of the local textile industry. “We feel that growing BT coon was a missed opportunity that would have revived the struggling coon and textile industry,” said Barbra Zawedde, a coordinator at the Uganda Biosciences Information Centre during the launch of the global status report of biotech crops in Kampala on August. 09. She said biotech research started in 2003 with the launch of the biotech laboratory by Preside President nt Yowe Yoweri ri Musev Museveni. eni. “Since then, we are yet to see any products reach farmers let alone coon,” she said, “We think it has been too long and it is time for government to tell us its position – abandon the biotech research altogether or sale the research work to
BUSINESS
other countries that need them including Malawi and Tanzania” Zawedde, who also works at the National Agriculture Agriculture Research Institute said researchers feel frustrated, and that it is time for the government to make a pronouncement on whether or not it is interested in using biotech technology currently in use in in 24 countries globally. To make maers even worse, Zawedde said a number of African countries including Ethiopia, Kenya and Malawi are in the nal stages of growing BT coon leaving Uganda that pioneered research on the crop behind. “This implies that our farmers will start bringing this BT coon from the neighbouring countries without our knowledge as our export volumes continue to tumble,” she said. In July this year, Ethiopia became the latest African country to authorize cultivation of biotech crops by granting two approvals for environmental release of BT coon. With the approval, Ethiopia joins the the ranks of South Africa and Sudan Sudan that have been growing the crop for some time now. Biotech crops were rst commercialised in the US, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, China and Australia in 1996, and in 2017 more than 17 million farmers in 24 countries planted biotech crops, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA). Four-fths of the world’s coon crop is biotech, as are soybean in the same proportion and a third of maize. India is the world’s biggest BT coon producer, accounting for a quarter of the market share of the world’s coon production. Kenya licensed the India- based rm Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co (Mahyco) in July this year to import BT coon seeds for sale to local farmers after the ongoing eld trials. Mahyco is a global agricultural company founded in India in 1964 with operations in Asia and other African countries. Mahyco will distribute the seeds on behalf of Monsanto, which this year was granted permission by the National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) to conduct the national performance trials on biotech coon. The licensing of the rm implies that the country is set to lift a six-year ban on importation of biotech material. Commercialisation is expected in the next two years. The eld trials are currently being conducted in Mwea, Bura-Tana, Katumani, Kampi ya mawe (Makena) and Perkerra in Baringo County. The project is expected to be completed within 24 months, which is the validity period for the permit issued
by Nema. Nema. There Thereafte after, r, the the seeds seeds will will be commercialised once proved that that they are indeed resistant to pest and has higher productivity that the current variety. President Uhuru Kenyaa said in January Janu ary this year that he was was being being on mass production of biotech coon to create 50,000 jobs and generate KSh20 billion in apparel export earnings this year as part of his nal term economic revival plan. But Charles Mugoya, the chairperson of the National Biosafety Commiee, an independent technical commiee established under Uganda National Council for Science and Technology, to facilitate the testing and development of potentially useful genetically engineered organisms, said the researchers need to be patient. “Though the proposed biosafety law has taken long to be passed into an Act, I request that you be patient…I believe that once it is in place, we will benet from it maximally,” Mugoya said. He, however, however, said delay in passing the biosafety biosa fety law – that that has has stalle stalled d for more than a decade –is regreable regreable given that a section of the country’s researchers are helping a number of countries including Rwanda, Malawi and Zambia to build
Jackson Jack son Juru Jurua, a, the the vice vice preside president nt of of the Uganda Farmers Federation said there’s need for government to pass the biosafety law to enable farmers access the new coon variety. “Farmers have been waiting for this variety for a long time, and some are giving up on the crop in favour of other crops,” he said. This new push to have BT coon on the Ugandan market, however, comes as a San Francisco jury on August 10 ordered agribusiness giant, Monsanto, to pay $289 million to a former school groundskeeper dying of cancer. The jury said the company’s popular Roundup weed killer contributed to Dewayne Johnson’s terminal illness and was the rst of thousands of cases led in state and federal courts alleging that Roundup causes cancer, which Monsanto denies.
Way forward Zawedde says there’s need to carry out a study on the cost benet analysis on whether the country’s exports abroad will be aecte aected d by the propo proposed sed biote biotech ch crops. crops. Fred Muhumuza, an economists and a lecturer at Makerere University, shares
Uganda’s cotton export volumes Year
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Total Exports (85kg bales)
235,187
92,519
40,671
63,512
126,633 171,934
Source: Bank of Uganda capacity in biotech research. Coon is Uganda’s third largest export crop after coee and tea grown in over 60 districts in Busoga, Bukedi, Bugisu, Teso, Lango, Acholi, West Nile, Mid-west and Western Wester n regions, according to the stateowned Coon Development Organisation. It is grown among smallholder farmers with an average farm size of less than 0.5 hectares and it is the main source of income for some 250,000 low-income households. However, since the 1990’s when coon trade was liberalized, liberalized, Uganda has been a net exporter of coon lint with over 90% of the locally produced coon being exported as a raw material. Domestic consumption of coon lint has been minimal ranging between 3 – 5% of the total coon production as a result of few, small to medium sized rms with modest technology and low capacity to utilise available coon production. Data from Bank of Uganda (BoU) shows that the country’s total coon export volumes fell from 102, 149bales in 2004 to 14,703bales 14,703bal es in 2008. Though the volumes increased to 235,187bales in 2012, it again fell to 171, 934bales in 2017.
similar views with Zawedde. He says there is need to open up discussions and come up with a cost benet analysis of biotech technologies. “We need to think through and trust our scientists. Genetically modied organisms have all the scares just like swimming has all the scares, crossing a road in Kampala has all the scare but it does not mean that whenever there’s a possibility of something going wrong, we should withdraw. We We develop means of managing and controlling risks,” he said. Muhumuza noted that had Uganda been grow growing ing biot biotech ech soybea soybean, n, it it would would have grabbed the Chinese market in the midst of the ongoing tax dispute between the US and China. China had threatened to impose a 25% tari on American soybeans as retaliation against the US’ planned move to impose a 25% tari on the US$50 billion Chinese imports. The US exports about $14 billion worth of soybeans to China, according to the US Department of Agriculture, and accounts for half of US soybean exports.
Executive Style
‘Logistics and courier sees bright future’ What explains your focus on international e-commerce now? nternational e-commerce is growing at a remarkable pace, and we want our customers to grab their share of the market which means adding value to their e-commerce proposition. Our customers’ success is closely tied to their buyers’ satisfact satisfaction ion with with the delivery experience and the delivery options oered. Our services have moved over time to now target upcountry towns of Jinja, Mbarara, Lira, Soroti, Fort Portal and others. We are regularly meeting our clients to make them understand how they can target other markets instead of concentrating on the domestic market. Research has shown that retailers who actually trade internationally are as twice successful as the others who sell the products locally.
DHL is a global brand in the logistics industry with operations in more than 220 countries including Uganda. The Independent’s Julius Businge spoke to Fatma to Fatma Abubakar , the country manager for DHL Uganda on the sidelines of an e-commerce workshop held at its headquarters in Kampala on August Aug ust 08.
I
So how big is DHL business in Uganda’s logistics industry and beyond? We are present in 220 countries. We serve 51 countries in the Sub-sahara Africa and we reach out to 40,000 customers. In Uganda we have a total of 700 customers who are connected to more than 220 countries and territories where we oer our service. We have 13 vehicles, 59 employees, 130 DHL retail outlets, one dedicated air eet and we have Entebbe Gateway Oce or logistic hub. Would you say the courier or logistics business in Uganda is a viable investment area? Uganda has a big potential or opportunity for businesses in all sectors. What we have noticed is that businesses need a reliable logistics partner who
can support their business with speed. On our side, we understand the business of our customers before we support them to grow. This is partly the reason we are present in other towns outside Kampala. Some people say this business is risky? Just like like in any other country and business, risks are all over. But it is how you mitigate them. As DHL, we have got systems and people in place to do that. We know how to deal with the risks… and our customers are happy. You recently moved to this You new bigger building that houses your headquarters… what value has it added to your business in general terms? We moved here in 2016. I can say that it has motivated employees. It has given good working environment to us. When you have motivated sta, they will deliver great quality service. They will
reach out to customers more. The new oce has improved our eciency and productivity. Our business is now faster and growing. How has the rising prices of fuel aected your business? We use commercial airlines, vehicles that require fuel to run and our business is here and must run. Just like any other business, you plan for these things. I cannot say to my clients that I am not going to deliver their package because fuel fuel price price is up. Price uctuation for fuel is a factor in business that is beyond our control. That said our performance has been at the peak. How has DHL performed in the past few years when Uganda’s economy grew at less than anticipated growth numbers? Uganda as an economy has a lot of opportunities. We notice the economy is recovering going by what Bank of Uganda and the
ministry of nance and other agencies are saying. Uganda’s infrastructure is growing – that is good news for us. Coee as a business and sector is growing and we think this presents great opportunity for us to move customers’ consignmentss at a speed consignment that supports them to grow. It is an exciting moment for Uganda, our customers who we want to grow with. Some people say it is tough being Country Manager for a global company like DHL. What is your response to this? DHL promotes women leadership. I believe a woman can do what a man can do and probably even beer. It It is a balance. balance. We have our core values that we believee in – we deliver believ deliver our our work without compromising on the respect of ourselves and clients. What is your reading about the future of logistics or courier business in Uganda? The most important thing is that Uganda’s economy is growing. More investors are coming in as the already established ones work out mechanisms to expand their operations. And that means this economy; the logistics sector and DHL as a business have a bright future. What more can the market expect from DHL going forward? We believe that cross-border e-commerce has a huge upside that many merchants have not yet tapped. Our aim is to support web sellers as they go global and to stand as the international express provider of choice for e-commerce.
BUSINESS
CSR
BEVERAGES
NBL donates reusable pads to pupils
UBL records 4% growth in revenue
E
mployees of beer maker, Nile Breweries Limited have donated reusable pads to Kiyaji Primary School, Jinja, in line with its eort to help local communities improve their lives. The pupils, as well as their teachers and other female school employees, each received reusable pads enough to last last one year. year. The brewer bre wery y emplo employee yeess rais raised ed the money to buy 300 pieces of So Sure reusable pads from AfriPads, through individual contributions, in an internal campaign. This is the second time that NBL is carrying out
Onapito Ekomoloit, Corporate and Legal affairs Director, NBL (L) hands over reusable pads to Kiyaji Primary School, Jin J inja. ja. such an initiative having done the same to Murchison Bay Primary School in Luzira last July. Jul y. This new initiative is in response to the available studies that show that menstrual hygiene continues to be a
leading factor in increasing the school dropout rate of girls in Africa, with the lack of sanitary products being a major challenge. “As a company, comp any, we engage in initiatives that are over and above prot making because it is important that our communities strive and education is a vehicle that can make this possible,” said Onapito EkoEkomoloit, Corporate and Legal aairs Director, NBL. NBL has in the last 11 years provided 72 scholarships packages for secondary school education, through its EqualEqual ity Scholarship program, worth Shs2billion.
AVIATION A VIATION
Air Tanzania to unveil flights to Entebbe, Bujumbura
T
anzania’s national carrier, Air Tanzania, will bring bri ng its new Boe Boeing ing B787 Dreamliner to both bot h Ente Entebbe bbe and Buj Bujumb umbura ura Burundi, when the airline launches the planned regional ights on Aug. 26. The airline will operate
three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. It will share the Entebbe route with another Tanzanian-based Precision Air while on the route between Dar es Salaam to Bujumbura, it will be the only carrier with nonstop ights, cuing out stopovers
in Nairobi. The use of the wide body aircraft is to showcase potential regional customers the carrier hopes to aract when launching a three times a week service in next month to Mumbai, India.
U
ganda Breweries Limited (UBL) has reported an overall 4% revenue growth for the year ending Junee 2018 Jun 2018.. UBL Managing Director, Mark Ocii, said the growth was driven by the Spirits segment – Uganda Waragi and Gilbeys and Bond 7. “Our goal as company is to ensure that we continue to satisfy our consumer hence innovation being bei ng at the cen cen-ter of our success. We have seen our new Uganda Waragi
PAY TV
CS R
Tanzania to suspend MultiChoice MultiChoice for charging free channels
Qatar Airways supports local school
T
anzania says it will suspend the licence of MultiChoice Tanzania, DStv and GOtv services provider, for charging clients to access free-to-air television channels. The Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority Authori ty (TCRA) said MultiChoice has on several occasions failed to comply with its licence condition to exclude the free-to-air stations from its Pay-tv services. “In exercising its powers, the authority hereby noties the general public that it intends to suspend all the licences issued to MultiChoice Tanzania Tanz ania Ltd for failure to comply with the authority’s orders and failure to adhere to the licence conditions including failure to exclude free-to-air television channels from among its subscription channels,” TCRA said in a statestate ment on Aug.07 Aug.07.. On July 27, the regulator said it would sussus pend Star Media Tanzania Limited, providers of StarTimes, for charging clients to access freeto-air channels and refusal to the pay ne it was charged for the breach of law.
avors taking shape and contributing to our boom bo om lin linee in in a big way,” he said. “We recently launched a new spirits glass production line, which means that more of our spirits products like Gilbeys, Richot and Smirno will now be boled here, which make these brand bra nd mor moree aordable and accessible to our consumers.” The company added that premium beers like Tusker and Guinness grew 11% over mainstream beers such as Bell and Pilsner.
nursery school, 75 plastic chairs for nursery school and other goodies. The handover of the desks was done on August 07 by the Airline’s ocials, Ministry of Education and Sports ocials and politicians. Qatar Airways Uganda Commercial Manager, Haileab Netsereab Mehreteab, said they believ bel ievee in in supp support orting ing com commun muniti ities es in which they serve and helping develop environments in which students can learn beer. “By providing the necessary Qatar Airways hands over desks to students of Kauthara Islamic School in Wakiso District resources to students, we aim to inspire them and encourage them to aim for the skies,” Mehreteab s part of its corporate social said adding, “We look forward to responsibility, Qatar Airways further collaboration to help support the has provided students at education of children in Uganda in the Kauthara Islamic School in future.” Wakiso district with desks for their Qatar Airways operates a daily ight classrooms. to Entebbe International Airport with a The Airline donated 70 desks Boeing 787 Dreamliner. for P1-P7 classes, 10 tables for
A
BUSINESS
MTN Uganda makes Shs7 Sh s734 34bn bn By Julius Businge
I
Wilfred Baluku (L), the t he Total Total Uganda distributor sales executive hands over a 6 kilogram Total Total Gas cylinder to Brendah Bantu (C) – the winner of the Kampala Restaurant week Total Gas cook-off cook-off at Karveli Restaurant recently. Looking on is Chef Isaac Lewa. INDEPENDENT/JIMMY SIYA
t has been a good half year again for MTN Uganda as the telecom firm recorded 8.8% growth in revenue to Shs734.4bn compared with the same period last year. The growth was powered by imp improve rove d data d ata and mobile money business. The company’s CEO, Wim Vanhelleputte said the company is well positioned to deliver growth in the sector despite the shake ups experienced in the market. “Our half year results notwithstanding, I see MTN ending the year on a good note,” he said. He said the number of active mobile money customers increased to 5.3 million, out of its 10.5 million subscribers. But the number of active data subscribers rose to 1.8 million, helping lift data revenue by 17.8%. This comes at the time the government is implementing a contested
new 1% excise tax on mobile money transactions, targeting customers withdrawing and sending money. The government is also charging Shs200 – Over the Top tax (OTT) – popularly referred to as social media tax. MTN Group, however, recorded lower profits and revenue in the first half of 2018, due in part to foreign-exchange losses and challenging economic environments across the continent. The Johannesburg-based telecom firm reported a profit of Shs 1.12 trillion during the six months ended June 30, down 20% from the first half of 2017. Revenue fell 3.1% at 16.trillion, even as total subscribers rose 2.8% from the end of last year to 223.4 million. MTN declared a firsthalf dividend of Shs 446.25 a share, down 30% from a year earlier, while debt rose 23% to Shs 17,850.
Vivo Energy MD Gilbert Assi (R) (R) and Britam Brita m Insurance CEO Allan Mafabi fuels a vehicle at Shell kabalagala ka balagala after both companies launched launched a partnership that will enable motorists access insurance insurance services services at Shell service sta stations tions on August Augu st 10. 10. INDEPENDENT/JIMMY SIYA
Weekly share price movement (July 17) Security
July 17
BATU
30,000
30000
00
BOBU
145
155
6.5
1,277
1,429
10.6
DFCU EABL
970 7,574
870 8,211
11.5 7.8
EBL
1,792
1,870
4.2
JHL
19,451
19,300
0.8
KA
402
437
0.8
KCB
1,755
1,851
00
NMG
INDEPENDENT/JIMMY SIYA
Movement
CENT
NIC
The National Gaming Board Uganda Uganda CEO, Edgar Agaba, speaks at the official launch of Super 3, a 3-digit numbers game on August 13. The company has invested over US$3million to kick-start the game in Uganda.
June 25
17 3,456
17
00
3,606
4.2
NVL SBU
450 32
450 32
00 00
UCHM
45
55
18.1
UCL
23
21
9.5
UMEME ALSI
350 --
300 --
16.7 --
COMMENT
By Asad Jamal
If Trump ruled Venice How his switch from laissez-faire global trade rules to mercantilist trade decit policies could imperil the dollar
M
arco Polo, the famous thirteenth-century Venetian merchant, was one of the rst Europeans to trade with China. Now imagine that, after a while, the VeVenetian state became concerned that Polo was purchasing too many silks and spices from China to sell at a prot in Europe. The “trade decit” he was creating, the authori authori-ties worry, would deplete the stock of gold in Venice, while creating jobs for Chinese, rather than for Venetia Venetians. ns. In this imaginary history, Veni Venice ce assemassem bless a cou ble counci ncill of of expe experts rts to dec decide ide whe whether ther the risks posed by the trade decit merit retaliation in the form of taris, quotas, or potentially even a ban on trade with China. As the council deliberates, two competing theories emerge. One group – the “mercantilists” – argue that it is up to the state to maximize gold holdings and protect domestic manufacturing employment, by imposing taris, restricting the use of gold for imports, and forcing China to buy the same amount of goods from Venice that Venice buys from China. If China refuses to do so, Polo’s purpur chases will have to be restricted. The second group, led by Adamo Fabbro, subscribes to the laissez-faire argument that the state should avoid intervening in markets. By buying goods from China, Polo was promoting economic wellbeing in Venice: consumers beneted from goods they could not acquire domestically – at least not at such a low cost – and merchants were proting by re-selling Chinese imports at a markup. While manufacturing jobs might be lost, retail jobs were gained, and spending – not just on Chinese goods, but also on local products and investments – rose. As for the depletion of Venice’s stores of gold, Fabbro oers an ingenious solution: a paper currency, the Venetian dollar (V$), which other countries could be compelled to accept, because Venice was the world’s top trading power. China would receive no more Venetian gold, and it could use the V$ to purchase goods from Venice, thereby boosti boo sting ng loc local al man manufa ufactu cturin ring. g. In ord order er to preserve the value – and thus the credibility – of the V$, Fabbro proposes establishing a central bank to manage the money supply, thereby preventing excessive ination.
Venice’s Venic e’s leaders are convinced. They implement Fabbro’s recommendations, and, as he had predicted, Venice becomes the world’s leading power, thanks to burbur geoning trade, rapid economic growth, and broad prosperity – all enabled by free markets. One large Venetian merchant, Walmartius, is buying V$50 billion worth of Chinese goods each year to sell for prot locally, an endeavor that supports the creation of thousands of local retail jobs and lowers costs for Venetian consumers. Another merchant, Appleos, designs high-tech goods in Venice and manufactures them in China, enabling the company to achieve a market valuation of V$1 trillion. Trade decits do swell, but they cost Venice nothing, because they are denomidenomi nated in Venice’s own currency, in exchange for which other countries freely provide goods. In fact, before long, all international trade is conducted in V$, which is univeruniver sally accepted as a surrogate for gold. Thanks to the Venetian central bank’s reliable prevention of V$ depreciation, condence in the currency continues to grow, creating a virtuous cycle. Soon, every country in the world purchases V$ bonds to hold in their foreign-exchange reserves, thereby eectively nancing Venice’s large budget bud get de decit cits. s. All of thi thiss enab enables les Veni enice ce to fund large public programs and maintain the world’s largest military, deepening its international clout as it leads the way in enforcing global trade rules and securing sea lanes. This happy state of aairs continues for a few centuries. Though lower-value-added jobss in job in sect sectors ors lik likee manu manufac factur turing ing shi shift ft to China, where labour costs are lower, jobs in higher-value-added sectors – such as technology, nance, media, and retail – ourish. Venice remains the world’s largest economy and leading trade power, enjoying a secure position at the top of global value chains. Sometimes in history, one can pinpoint the precise moment when things take a turn for the worse. In this story, that moment comes with the emergence of Donaldo Trumpi as the ruler of Venice. Trumpi understands lile about ecoeco nomics. He is more performer than policymaker, eager to win votes however he can. He sees that a subset of Venetians are upset
about the loss of manufacturing jobs – they lacked the skills or exibility to move to higher-value-added sectors – and he capitalises on it. He likens trade decits to ecoeco nomic losses – almost to theft – and declares China the enemy. Some of Trumpi’s advisers try to explain to him how trade decits work in an economy that benets enormously from having the world’s leading reserve currency. Challenging the trade decit, they tell him, can imperil the V$’s reserve-currency status. Moreover, the Venetian decit amounts to just 3.4% of Venice’ Venice’ss massive GDP. They explain that a return to mercantilism could spur others to do the same, potentially by creating an alternative reserve currency through a global institution. Only then would Venice’s trade decits become a problem, they tell him. The government would be forced to reduce spending, including on the military, throwing the economy into recession and eroding Venice’s international inuence. But Trumpi refuses to listen. Centuries after mercantilism was abandoned in favour of highly successful laissez-faire policies, he decides to embrace it, imposing taris on Venice’s trade partners, beginning with China. And it ends about as well as his advisers thought it would. Trumpi’s approach erodes the rules-based global economic order that had served the world – and Venice – so well. Eventually, the rest of the world reverts to mercantilist policies as well, imposing trade barriers and refusing to use the V$ for international trade. An institution the Venetians helped establish and once led, the International Monetary Fund, creates a new reserve curcur rency, based on gold convertibility. Over the subsequent century, Venice watches helphelp lessly as its economic and military power dwindles. Unfortunately, this imaginary past is now threatening to become our real future. If it does, it will be a major turning point in world history – and all the more remarkable becaus bec ause, e, unl unlike ike most suc such h shift shifts, s, the there re wil willl be no dou doubt bt abo about ut wher wheree the the bla blame me lies. lies. Asad Jama Asad Jamall is is the the fou founde nderr and and cha chairm irman an of ePlanet Capital, a Silicon Valley venture frm. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2018.
COMMENT
By Karl P. Sauvant and Axel Berger
Putting FDI on the G20 Agenda Area requires a multilateral organisation for rule-making, policy developments, dispute adjudication
W
hile much of the world’s aenaen tion is focused on the economic damage being wrought by U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade wars, global trade’s twin – foreign direct investment – has largely been neglected. And yet, with FDI ows valued at $1.43 trillion in 2017 – on top of the $28 trillion already invested – how these ows are managed maers. International investment has become an important source of external nance for many countries; for developing economies, in particular, FDI can exceed ocial development assistance by wide margins. But if FDI is to contribute meaningfully to economic growth and sustainable development, existing ows must increase even more. For that to happen, international investment policies need beer coordinacoordina tion, and we believe that the G20 is the best forum to facilitate this process. The current FDI framework – a muddled mess of more than 3,000 agreements – is insucient to aract the level of investment needed to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals for the year 2030. For example, some of the world’s largest economies are encouraging domestic rms to “re-shore” their operations and invest more at home. Many countries are also tightening controls on inward FDI; applying stricter screening measures to mergers and acquisitions; and demanding reciprocal market access in return for investment. Moreover, an increase in the number of disputes being led by foreign investors against host countries has challenged eorts to improve dispute-selement mechanisms, as some countries withwithdraw from global arbitration forums altogether. If these trends are not reversed, the result could be declines in FDI ows, and perhaps even the emergence of “investment wars” stemming from the over-politicisation of foreign investment approvals. Yet, increased investment ows obviously are needed to meet global development goals; what is less clear is how to bring them about. Unlike the global trading system, the international investment regime does not currently have a multilateral organisation to facilitate rule-making, monitor policy developments, or adjudicate disputes. But one can be built, and the G20 is the most
sensible place to start. At the very least, the G20 can oer the appropriate level of guidguid ance to help advance FDI policy. The G20’s members already account for two-thirds of global outward FDI ows. Moreover, they participate in most investinvest ment treaties, and include both developed and developing countries. Not only is the G20 an important venue for policy dialogue and coordination; it is also well suited to lead on eorts to address key international investment issues. To be sure, this is not a new idea. For example, during China’s G20 presidency in 2016, the G20 adopted the “Guiding PrinPrin ciples for Global Investment Policymaking.” This set of nine concepts was designed to foster an open, transparent, and conducive policy environment for investment, while promoting coherence between national and international rules. Still, as we argued in a recent policy brief for the G20’s T20 think-tank, work on this issue has only just begun. In fact, at least three additional steps need to be taken if eorts to improve the international investinvest ment regime are to succeed. First, the G20 should call on other inter national groupings to conduct analyses
If these trends are not reversed, the result could be declines in FDI ows, and perhaps even the emergence of “investment wars” stemming from the over-politicisation of foreign investment approvals
of their investment policies to ensure alignment with the bloc’s nine principles. When gaps are identied, strategies for plugging them must be developed. Furthermore, to promote compliance and knowledge-sharing – and to chart a course for the negotiation of future agreements – the G20 should facilitate a peer-learning network that links interested governments and regulators. Second, the G20 should encourage the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and the International Center for Selement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) to intensify eorts to reform their own dispute-seledispute-sele ment mechanisms. Because dispute resolution is key to any successful investment regime, the process for resolving disagreedisagree ments must be beyond reproach. To make certain that it is, the G20 should track prog ress by requesting regular updates from UNCITRAL and ICSID. Lastly, the G20 should support the World Trade Organisation’s discussions on investment facilitation. More precisely, the G20 should stress that future agreements need to be compatible with the “most-favorednation” principle while prioritising sustain able FDI over other forms of foreign investment. The G20 can play a leading role in overcoming the deciencies that plague the international investment regime. To do this, however, current and future G20 presiden cies must provide a home for discussions about action-oriented policymaking. International investment can avoid the type of tensions currently enveloping global trade, but onl only y if if the the rul rules es of of the the gam gamee rece receiv ivee the the aention they need. Karl P. Sauvant is Resident Senior Fellow at the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment at Columbia University. Axel Berger is a senior researcher at the German Development Institute. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2018.
the Kiss condom brand ambassador named Joe Chuuma. Dick describes him as an ‘everyman’– one that all men wish they could be, and whom all women want to be with. Dick says he is great looking, funny, and condent, and uses condoms to enjoy sex. At the launch of the condoms brand in November 2017, Dick said: “We want to deliver a message and a brand that is not solely hammering a safety, quality, or protecprotec tion message, but more about enjoying one’s sex life with condoms”. He described DKT’s condom marketing as fun and interesting and designed to make one; especially a young person, want to buy the condoms. “If we can somehow make condoms cool for young people to use then we might be able to contribute to the ght against new infections,” he added. Radio, TV, and billboard adverts soon hit the airwaves and street.
Not going down well
What’s wrong with condom campaign? Why government ofcials say you, probably, shouldn’t give your girl a Kiss By Flavia Nassaka
D
o you prefer your man sweet like chocolate, fresh like straw berry berr y or clas classic sic like ……… You
decide! That is according to a new
series of adverts which, on TV and billboards, features an energetic looking muscular man showing o dierent packages of a new condom brand bran d on the marke markett called called KISS. The adverts end with one message: “Be a man, Give your girl a KISS.” The ad campaign, which hit
the market in recent months in English and vernacul vernacular, ar, is by the the world world renown renowned ed family family planning and HIV social marketing group DKT International of the USA with operations in 24 countries. DKT’s Managing Director for East Africa, Collin Dick, says the man in the advert is
But Dick and DKT’s message is not going down well with some ocials at the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC), the government agency responsible for ensuring a harmonized response to HIV/AIDS in the country through overall coordination, coordinati on, monitoring and evaluation evaluat ion of related activities; including condom promotion campaigns. Its Acting Director General, Nelson Musoba, says UAC has launched an investigation into the contents of DKT’s condom advert campaign message. “It’s clear that this message is not good,” he said, “You can’t go out telling everybody to have sex. “Am told the man is naked,” he added. While airing public health messages requires approval by either UAC or the Ministry of Health, Musoba says the KISS condom message was never
HEALTH
submied to the commiee for scrutiny and approval. Musoba’s UAC has instituted a multiorganisational commiee of seven headed by Noe Noerin rinee Kale Kaleeba eba,, the the glo global bally ly cel celebr ebrate ated d founder of The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO), which is supposed to analyze all public information on HIV AIDs control and prevention. He said they specically look at what the likely eect of the message is; whether it is age appropriate and culturally acceptable to ensure that people are being fed on appropriate messages. He says a simple message that is not well packaged can hugely impact on people’s behavior. He says UAC is always on guard and ensure that messages go through an elaborate clearance process that includes categorization of specic target audiences, pretestpretest ing, tweaking for appropriateness based on feedback, and specic airing time. He said UAC had received complaints from parents that when some young children see the DKT condom adverts, they say they want to eat strawberry. He said UAC has communicated its concerns to the Ministry of Health and the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) which regulates the broadcast sector. He said they want action to be taken. And that could, according to experts, include banning the condoms from the market. Unfortunately for Uganda’s Ministry of Health, such concon troversy appears to be exactly what DKT is courting. Armstrong Mukundane of Communication for Healthy Communities; the makers of some of Uganda’s biggest public health campaigns – including ‘Obulamu’, says DKT could have easily avoided the looming threat and controversy. But, he says DKT could be deliberately engaging in an aggressive social marketing campaign – one that stretches the limits of what is acceptable and creates strong reactions for or against. If DKT is, in fact, deliberately courtcourt ing controversy with its condom adverts, Mukundane says that is a wrong strategy that should never be used for products that have a health or moral link.
It appears DKT does not think so. In favour of shocking condom advertising DKT, in fact, appears to favour aggresaggres sive, controversial, controversial, and shocking condom advertising that uses sensual, humorous, and macho themes to aract aention, build buil d a brand qui quickly, ckly, and grow sales fast. When The Independent spoke with DKT’s Uganda boss at the launch, Dick emphasized that they would be using “advertising “advertisi ng that will set them apart from the onset”. “We want to speak about contraceptives and family planning products in a very dierent way, one that resonates more
with consumers; especially young people,” he said. The DKT Internationa Internationall President, ChrisChris topher Purdy, once wrote an article titled `To promote family planning, let’s have more controversy”. In it, he narrated how when he was working in Ethiopia in 1997, DKT International introduced introduced a second brand bran d of cond condom om called called `Sensa `Sensation tion’’ with with blue packa package ge featuri featuring ng a Cauc Caucasia asian n couple couple embracing on a beach in their swimwear. It became controversial and the Ministry of Health banned it. In another incident, DKT Internationa Internationall once launched an advertisement in the Philippines for strawberry-scented Trust condoms. The Archbishop of the Catholic Church there, Cardinal Sin, quickly con demned the ad as an illicit promotion of sex.
Then in July of 2013, a DKT condom advert in Pakistan was pulled o air by the regulatory authorities authorities who deemed the ad indecent. He concludes that “while some public health advocates might suggest that a more nuanced approach to condom promotion would have been beer, I disagree”. “Why? In all three instances, some very positive public health outcomes emerged — especially for consumers,” he says. In the Philippines, the controver controversy sy resulted in record sales of strawberry condoms. “Because of the brouhaha, consumers wanted to see what the fuss was about.” He says and adds that Trust condoms are now the most popular brand in the country. In Ethiopia, after two years, the SensaSensa tion condoms and even a third brand were
relaunched and it now sells 30 million pieces a year. In Pakistan, the controversial ad ban catalysed widespread discussion. Purdy concludes that, in his view, controversies controversi es such as the one on the Kiss condoms in Uganda are partly because of cultural taboos and universal nervousness about sex. When speaking to a group of health journali jour nalists sts aend aending ing a medi medical cal male cir cir-cumcision workshop in Nairobi, Dr. Fred die Ssengooba, a Professor at the Makerere University School of Public Health said condom use is a very sensitive topic in Uganda and its handling needs to be done with similar sensitivity. Ssengooba was part of the strategists involved in introducing condoms to Uganda and he recalls the moralist and religious arguments they had to deal with. Both he and Mukundane seem to hold the same view that DKT should exercise more caution than aggression on the message. “You have to take caution because you are unsure of the eect it might have. You have to ask yourself that with this messages won’t moralists cause a hullabalo hullabaloo,” o,” Mukundane says. Mukundane is more practical on the condom use message. He says DKT, like any other commucommu nication campaign designer, needed to do informative research to understand the dierent perspectives which help in generating messages that tackle the key issues of the campaign, consulted widely, pre-tested the message to gauge its acceptability, acceptabili ty, and submied dummies for approval by either the Ministry of Health or any other responsible authority. He told The Independent: “Mine would have been, ‘the best way is to abstain but in case you can’t then use condoms’, then I can put whichever brand that I am marketing”. That, it appears, is exactly what DKT would never do with its Kiss condom adverts. They appear determined that the uproar over similar adverts in the neighboring Kenya should happen in Uganda. In Kenya, the government has reacted by ordering media houses to stop running the advert during prime hours of 5am to 10pm and to pull down billboards of the half-naked Joe Chuuma with his products. The controversy is unlikely to die out because the Ministry of Health is pursuing very dierent goals from those of the Kiss condom makers; the Ministry wants a change in aitude away from increased sexual activity; especially with multiple partners, but the condom makers want people to have more sex and, therefore, buy more condoms.
ART | BOOKS | SOCIETY | TRAVEL | CULTURE CULTURE
Don’t miss The Studio 7 art masters in town for Kampala Art Biennale III By Dominic Muwanguzi
S
omething exciting is happening on the Kampala art scene this August. It is the third edition of the Kampala Art Biennale Biennale. And even more exciting is that the world renowned writer, lecturer, art critic and essayist, Simon Njami, is curating it. And nally, Njami has invited seven art masters from all over the world to the revived annual extravaganza. Bili Bidjocka, the 56-year old of Cameroon origin based in Paris, France, Godfried Donkor; the 54-year old of Ghana origin based in London, UK, with works in the Smithsonian Institution of the USA, Abdoulaye Konate; the decorated Malian textile-based artist, and and Pascale Marthine; the 51-year old from Cameroon. Others are the Franco-Gabonian Tayou Myriam Mihindou , Aida Muluneh from Ethiopia, and Radenko Milak from Bosnia-Herzegovinia. These are masters of mediums such as collage, textile, photography, performance, and installation. Njami’s idea is for the Kampala Art Biennale 2018 to take the ancient masterapprenticeship model of artistic training which he dubs `The studio’. The plan is to have the seven masters set –up studios in Kampala with talented young artists from across the African continent and beyond taking up residences as apprentices in the studious in order to gain knowledge from the masters. The approach is inspired by the African traditional practice of transmission of knowledge from the older to the young
generation for future use. Traditionally, young artists in the African seing – also in Europe from medieval medieval times- worked with masters who employed them as apprentices in their studio space in order to skill them in their craft. “Our aim is to revitalise ancient practices that are more than needed in our contemporary world,” says Njami. Bili Bidjocka has already given a workshop about the making of books from traditional Buganda barkcloth, Godfried Donkor who works with collage and painting has worked with young artists archival visual material in Uganda from the earliest times to present, Abdoulaye Konate has shared knowledge on textile as a form of artistic expression, and Pascale Marthine Tayou has an installation. The culmination of this master- apprenticeship engagement will be an international exhibition in Kampala between Aug. 24 and Sept. 24 in dierent venues in Kampala city. The Biennale gains its strength from revisiting the concept of knowledge trans-
mission and togetherness. By allowing young artists to learn from internationally recognised art masters, the festival organizorganiz ers are consciously building a vibrant and enviable art scene within the region that can suciently be part of the wider global art scene. This is the dream of the biennale and gives Kampala the potential to be next art destination of the world. The novel arrangement has given the KAB 18 Biennale a completely dierent character from the past festivals. In the Dakar’ Art biennale, pavilions are built for the public, artist, and artwork to dialogue. The studio approach seeks to grow the nascent art scene in the East African region and Africa, especially in the era where there’s renewed interest in art from Africa and traditional African practices by the West. The Kampala Art Biennale will ocially open on 24th August until 24 September in Kampala. The Festival is organized and presented by Kampala Arts Trust and funded by the Eur Europea opean n Union Union..
Mafia offers Shs260 to kill sniffer dog! Usually, bounties get put on the heads of humans but a snier dog for the Colombian police, with the cute/scary name of Sombra (Shadow in English), has been named as the target of a $70,000 (Approx. Shs260 milmil lion) bounty by the Urabeños maa. The Urabeños are, according to CNN, “one of Colombia’s most powerful criminal
groups,” tracking in enough cocaine that one dog could seize 9 tons of it. That dog, as you may have have guessed, is Sombra. Sombra has helped the Colombian Anti-Narcotics Police capture 245 people before turning six years old. This record has led Sombra to be refer referred red to as “th “thee torm torment ent of ‘Ot ‘Otoni oniel, el,’’” who is the head of the Urabeños maa.
Man fakes own Barber with no hands is death to stop giving proof anything is possible wife money
2-year-old `Super Girl” falls from 17th floor, simply walks it off
A 27-year-old foreign man working in the United States recently tried to fake his own death in an eort to stop his wife constantly asking him for more money. She kept asking him to send her mobile phones, although he had already sent six. She claimed they had been stolen. So he decided to trick his wife into thinking that he had died, and to that end, sent her some photos of himself lying on a bed with coon balls in his nostrils and mouth and covered with a white sheet. What Danny Gonzalez didn’t count on was his wife taking the photos to a local television station in Honduras, which actually showed them on television. As the photos went viral on social media, people voiced their suspicion that Gonzales had faked his death, local media decided to investigate and it didn’t take long for them to nd out that the 27-year-old was actually alive and well. He immediately admied to staging his own death.
A two and a half year old girl from Changzhou, China’s Jiangsu Jia ngsu Pro Provin vince, ce, has been dubbed a “super girl” after falling from the 17th oor of an apartment building and sustaining only minor injuries. The accidental fall took place on July 11, when the girl climbed onto a chair, then on the computer desk and leaned out an open window. She lost her balance and plunged 17 oors down. Eyewitnesses told reporters that the girl rose to her feet almost instantly after hiing the ground, started crying and went straight for the front door of her building. She was rushed to Changzhou Children’s Hospital for a thorough examination but doctors were stunned by how few inj injuri uries es the chi child ld had sustained. “She is a lile superman,” one of the doctors said in an interview. “This child is too lucky.” It is believed that the branches of the trees outside the high-rise apartment building cushioned the girl’s fall.
When faced with hardships in their lives, many people nd them too challenging and give up, especially on their life dreams. But not for Gabriel Heredia. Gabriel is a 20-year-old Argentinian barber who was born without with out hands. Despite his handicap, he was able to grow up happy and independent. In fact, his inspiration for such a
line of work was his mother, who is a hairdresser. At the tender age of 14, he started working as a barber, and learned all the techniques to perfecting both haircuts and beard trimmings. trim mings. Although Althou gh he rst saw it as a hobby, Gabriel quickly determined that this was the profession he wanted to work in.
Book about history of Ferrari costs more than car $30,000 (Approx. Shs112 million) may not buy you a new Ferrari, but it’s enough to cover the cost of this limited edition book on the history history of the the iconic sports car brand. Before you freak out about the price, you should know that it includes a
beautifully sculptured beautifully sculptured steel and chrome book stand, as well as an aluminum display case for the incredibly rare book. Together, Together, the two artistic pieces created by designer Marc Newson are supposed to emulate the legendary Ferrari
12-cylinder engine. Titled simply ‘Ferrari’, the book itself itself is described described as a “massive tome” and includes loads of photographs from the Ferrari archive that tell the history of the luxury Italian brand.
Toyota rules off road But which SUV is best? A look at the Toyota LandCruiser, Toyota Fortuner GX, and Toyota Prado GX Toyota 76 LandCruiser Workmate
N
o 4X4 adheres to the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principal quite like Toyota’s 76 LandCruiser Wagon. It is old-school with a separate chassis, live axles front and rear, ve-speed manual gearbox, a part-time 4×4 system and, in base-spec Workmate trim, unencumunencum bered ber ed wit with h fancy fancy stu stu like like car carpet pet and clo cloth th trim. This is great when you’re jumping in and out of the vehicle in dirty, dusty or muddy conditions, because all you have to do to clean up later is wipe everything over with a damp cloth. Its one-piece 16-inch steel wheels that can take a beating in the bush bus h and and be eas easily ily rep repair aired ed if the they y cop cop a
Toyota Toy ota Fortuner GX Based on the HiLux platform, the Fortuner is a basic yet rob basic robust ust bit of kit kit.. It It has has a separ separate ate cha chassis ssis,, independent front suspension with MacPherson struts, a live-axle rear with coils, a six-speed manual gearbox (or optional six-speed auto) and a part-time 4×4 system. Its 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine makes a claimed 130kW of power at 3400rpm and 420Nm of torque from 1400-2600rpm, and decent low-range gearing aids slow-speed o-road driving, as does the standard rear di lock and electronic traction control. The original was equipped with 17-inch steel wheels, but an update in late-2017 saw these replaced with 17-inch alloys shod with 265/65R17 tyres, rear parking sensors to go with its reversing camera, and manual seat adjustment, durable cloth trim, manual front and rear air conditioning, a 7-inch display with Toyota Link and a cooler for the glovebox. It boasts seven airbags, ABS, TC, VSC, EBD, HSA (Hill Start Assist) and TSC (trailer sway control). The manual variant oers a class-stan dard 3000kg towing capacity.
hard knock. And the o-road-friendly 225/95R16 tyres oer plenty of sideside wall for driving in extreme conditions. The 76 Wagon’s V8 turbo-diesel means there’s a handy 151kW of power available at 3400rpm and 430Nm of torque from a low 1200rpm through to 3200rpm. A generous 785kg payload means you can kit it out with accessories such as bull bar, winch and lights and still have plenty of load carrying capability. It comes standard with ABS, TC, VSC, HSA (Hill Start Assist), BA, EBD and front airbags. It has air conditioning and a Bluetooth compatible sound system with two speakers.
Toyota Toy ota Prado GX The base-spec Prado GX has everything you need for bush travel and not too much of the unnecessary ‘fruit’ that you’ll nd on higher-specihigher-speci cation models. The Prado has separate chassis architecture with independent front suspension and a live axle rear with coil springs. It is powered by a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that makes a claimed 130kW of power at 3400rpm and 420Nm of torque from 1400-2600rpm mated to a six-speed manual gear box,, or box or 450N 450Nm m with with the opt option ional al six six-spe -speed ed aut auto. o. The Prado GX oers a generous 150L fuel capacity which results in a touring range in excess of 1000km, and it features a full-time 4×4 system with a lockable centre di. Low-range reduction is excellent and the Prado oers a good combination of ground clearance and wheel travel for o-road forays.The Prado GX manual has a generous 760kg payload capacity.
Prole
Agnes Akite aka Arach on funny Ugandans By Agnes E Nantaba
C
omedian Agnes Akite has recently received heaps of praise from fans after her clip about real life experiences of people who mimic songs and insert own words and the escapades of pregnant women went viral. Like her previous performances, Akite prepared the script to get a feel of how her audience would react. Many social media fans were impressed by her talent and creativity and for someone who is just four years into the comedy industry, Akite is yet to wake up from the trance the fan reaction has taken her to. “I didn’t expect it to go that far but it has humbled me,” she says, “From the comments, some people didn’t know about me, which is a sign that I should work harder to get to greater heights.” Unlike some comedians who basee on bas on use use of of vulg vulgari arity, ty, Aki Akite’ te’ss jokes jok es are base based d on on every everyday day life and experiences.
It is from such that she picks up a line or two, builds up on them, and eventually crafts something funny out of it. Her creativity has birthed decent lines in her scripts. “It’s funny how people think that we just jump on stage and start yapping yet we spend time preparing for the best show,” she says. Akite says comedy performance has bad and good days but her pos positi itive ve ene energy rgy keep keepss her focused to deliver the best. “I still get nervous at times for not knowing what kind or size of the audience to
expect or even how they will receive you because it’s always a dierent reception,” she says. The mother of two says she never saw herself anywhere close to making people laugh for money. But she jumped onto comedy after hiing fame for her role as Arach in the NTV series, ‘The hostel’. She acted the role of an illiterate young woman from Northern Uganda who follows her boyfri boy friend end to Kam Kampal pala. a. As he he pursues university education, she starts a canteen at the drama
lled hostel where the boyboy friend lives. It is through the series that she met renowned comedians like of Daniel Omara and Anne Kansiime. Her acting was so powerful that the village girl character has stuck in the audience and her challenge today is to prove her exibility in character. Akite says her fun is inborn; inherited from her father who has always been funny cracking jokes that leave the family laughing. “From his stories told with a tough face, everyone in the famfamily is crazy in their own way,” she says, “We are all comedians by natu nature re beca because use we nd fun in almost everything.” The tourism graduate from Makerere University who started the comedy journey with Punchliners before joining Comedy Files says she has no regrets having comedy as her way of life. Her dream is to cross borders and make a name in the comedy industry making fun for an international audience. Akite says Uganda is gifted with the funniest and happiest people on earth and the comedy industry requires just a lile support to boost the talent and grow. Akite is the fth born of the nine children of Anthony and Hellen Opio. She had her early years of school at Our Lady of Africa Nursery School - Mbuya, St Kizito Primary School Bugolobi, Our Lady of Good Counsel Gayaza, Naalya SS and St Lawrence Schools and Colleges - Creamland Campus from where she joined Makerere University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in tourism graduating in 2007. She is married to Brian Makalama with whom they have two children. “My husband is part of my jokes and I have put him on stage sometimes; so he is supportive of my journey,” she says.
Q&A Q& A
ADVERTORIAL
Agnes Akite’s Liteside Any three things that we don’t know about you? am a very reserved person; I mind my own business and if I meet you for the first time, you might mistake it for pride. I am very short tempered which may sound funny for a comedian but it’s the truth.
I
What is your idea of perfect happines happiness? s? Family time is all time happiness for me. What is your greatest fear? Dying before my children can fend for themselves; I fear leaving my children in the hands of a merciless and cruel world. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? I have a soft spot for people; when I like someone, I overdo it and eventually some take advantage of me. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Hypocrisy. Which living person do you most admire? I admire my father; even at 70 years, he is still hardworking and energetic enough to take care of the family. He is my superstar. I also admire every hardworking woman becaus bec ausee it ’s goo good d to to hustle and have your own money. What is your greatest extravagance? I like hanging out a lot even when I know that it’s not a good habit.
What is the greatest thing you have ever done? Settling down for marriage; I never imagined myself settling down for marriage but I am there and still going. What is your current state of mind? I am happy because things are working out slowly. What do you consider the most overrated virtue? It is a character of all Ugandans; we waste too much time yapping about unnecessary stuff that never adds value to our lives. We also like fighting wars on behalf of others. What does being powerful mean to you? Knowledge is power; it can be used to build or destroy anyone so a person with knowledge is powerful. On what occasion do you lie? If I ever tell lies, it won’t go unnoticed so I avoid telling lies. What do you most dislike about your appearance? Although I usually joke about my legs, they don’t bother bot her me. Which living person do you most despise? Anyone who is a hypocrite. What is the quality you most like in a woman? God fearing, hardworking, and selfrespect.
What is the quality you most like in a man? God fearing, selfrespect, and hard work. What or who is the greatest love of your life? My family and that incorporates many people. When and where were you happiest? Giving birth to my son and daughter in 2004 and 2013 respectively is unforgettable. I was also happy graduating from university in 2007 becaus bec ause, e, clea rly rly,, peop p eople le had lost hope in the playful me. It disp roved many people. Which talent would you most like to have? I would love to add music but it’s one thing that I was never gifted with. I tried it s everal times until I came to terms that I can never be a musician even when my entire family can sing. Where would you most like to live? Where else would I live apart from Uganda? What is your most treasured possession? I treasure talent becaus bec ausee it i t foots f oots my bill s. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? I would never wish for any woman to have a miscarriage because it is a very painful experience. What is your favorite occupation? Being a mother is also an occupation so I put it before anything
else. I take that job very seriously. What do you most value in your friends? I am more comfortable having male friends because bec ause the they y are a re straightforward and less dramatic. Who are your favourite writers? I don’t read a lot but I believe bel ieve tha thatt a sta standnd- up comedian should read widely to get a feel of what is trending and guide his or her work. Who is your hero of fiction? I like Tyler Perry; he is an actor, playwright and filmmaker whom I learn from a lot. I highly recommend his film ‘Acrimony’ to all women. Which historical figure do you most identify with? I have read about Bob Marley as a brave activist; I wish I could be an activist standing up for peoples’ rights if not for being a coward. Who are your heroes in real life? My father is my hero. What is your greatest regret? Everything that happens does so for a reason and it teaches lessons so I don’t regret anything. How would you like to die? In my sleep but in old age. What is your motto? Keep walking.
GLOBAL COMMENT
By Danny Bradlow
The BRICS summit Important small steps, but little to show on big issues
T
rying to evaluate a meeting like the BRICS summit that recently took place in Johannesburg is challenging. On the one hand, a summit is an exercise in political theatre. In this sense, success means that the leaders put on a good show of international camaraderie and issue a communique expressing their rm commitment to solving the common challenges facing their countries and the world. On the other hand, an annual summit is the culmination of a year-long process of meetings of ocials, politicians, and non-state actors from the participating countries. They spend the year trying to reach agreement on specic deliverables that they hope their leaders will endorse in their communique, which is the sumsum mit’s primary output. This means that understanding the real meaning of the communique is essential to assessing the success of the summit. This requires paying close aention to what the communique does – and doesn’t – say as well as to the things that it promises. The Johannesburg BRICS summit delivered a mixed bag when judged jud ged on thes thesee two two cri criter teria. ia. The com commumunique makes clear that some solid work was done and that the participants have agreed to undertake some useful initiatives. But it’s also clear that on some issues the leaders resorted to vague statements that hide their real dierences. This suggests that, despite their accomplishments, there are dierences in their overall commitment to the BRICS. In addition, key countries view it as merely one option for advancing their grand international relations strategy.
The positive notes
The leaders issued a communique that suggested that they had a productive meeting and agreed on a range of issues. They announced the formation of a new vaccines research centre in South Africa and their intentions to collaborate more in tourism and customs, technology, energy, the environment, and agriculture. On trade, the leaders followed the ChiChi nese lead. They expressed their support for a rules based multilateral international trading system and called on all countries to comply with their World Trade Organisation (WTO) commitments. They also stated their support for the newly signed African Continental Free Trade Agreement and for the African Union’s Agenda 2063. They agreed on the importance of promoting a more inclusive and sustainable
international society, stressing the imporimpor tance of the Sustainable Development Goals. And the leaders commended the BRICS’ New Development Bank for discussing innovative approaches to development nance. They also praised ocials for the progress that’s been made in establishing a BRICS local currency bond fund. This will help the countries raise funds for development projects from each other and further develop their local capital markets. Progress also has been made in operationalising the Contingent Reserve Arrangement which is designed to provide central bank support to a member state facing balance of payments problems. They also announced more people-to-people exchanges in sports, culture and research collaborations. The leaders called for South Africa, Brazil and India to play a larger role in the United Nations and for a larger voice for Africa in the governance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The gaps
The summit communique had some noteworthy gaps. First, while the leaders expressed support for IMF governance reform, they failed to explicitly support South Africa’s lobbying for a third chair for Africa on the IMF board of directors. They also did not propose any other specic measures to improve African participation in IMF governance. Second, the communique failed to spespe cically support Brazil, India and South Africa’s eorts to win permanent seats on the UN Security Council. The leaders highlighted their concerns about the challenges in the international trading system and called for it to become more inclusive and development oriented. But they did not set out how the system should be reformed to achieve these objectives. This is particularly striking because their meeting came soon after the U.S. and the European Union announced that they could begin working together to reform the WTO. Similarly, their expression of supsup port for the AU’s free trade agreement and Agenda 2063 was devoid of any specic commitments. This is particularly noteworthy because both the Chinese and the Indian leaders combined their participation in the summit with visits to various African countries to whom they made specic oers of support. This suggests that India and China see the BRICS as only one channel for developing economic relations in Africa. It
also means that South Africa’s position as the BRICS’ gateway to Africa is not assured.
Financial intervention
While the communique highlighted the progress made in operationalising the Contingent Reserve Arrangement, it gave no indication that the BRICS are planning to de-link the Contingent Reserve Arrangement from the IMF. This means that about 70% of the nancing available through this initiative will be linked to reaching agreement with the IMF. This should be seen in the context of the BRICS lukewarm support for increased African representation in IMF governance. In addition, while the comcom munique commends the BRICS Bank for considering innovative approaches to development nance, it makes no mention of its poor record when it comes to transparency, participation, and accountability. In fact, the bank ban k is is less less tra transpa nsparen rent, t, les lesss open open to con consul sul-tation and less accountable than any of the other multilateral development banks. Without improvement in these areas it is hard to see how the New Development Bank can become an environmentally and socially responsible funder of sustainable and inclusive infrastructure. The bank’s lack of progress in the transparency scale exposes it to signicant reputational risk.
Hedging bets
The BRICS have agreed some impressive initiatives and have taken some steps to strengthen their ties. But they have also failed to demonstrate that they will live up to their promise to be an eective advocate for global governance reform. Key leaders have also shown that they are hedging their bets on the BRICS. They are using other vehicles to develop their international relations in Africa and at the global level. The key takeaway therefore is that South Africa should be proud of its participation in the BRICS but should retain a healthy scepticism in its approach to the group. It should continue to diversify its international economic and political relations, should aach appropriate value to the BRICS and all the other regional and international forums and groupings in which it participates, and should avoid over-investing in the BRICS. Danny Bradlow is SARCHI Professor of International Development Law and African Economic Relations, University of Pretoria
Live Live
GEE A V G A EERR V OO CC We are live everywhere, everywhere, Always.
#NBSUpdates
