BELOW IS PRESIDENT MUSEVENI’S STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS ON
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06th June 2013
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BELOW IS PRESIDENT MUSEVENI’S STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS ON
State of the Nation Address by H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
Kampala 6th June, 2013
His Excellency the Vice President,
Rt. Hon. Speaker,
The Rt. Hon. The Chief Justice,
Rt. Hon. Speaker of EALA,
Rt. Hon. Prime Minister,
The Leader of the Opposition,
Hon. Ministers,
Hon. Members of Parliament
Hon. Members of EALA,
Members of the Diplomatic Corp,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
I greet you and thank you for all the positive things you have been doing since I last addressed you on the 13th December 2012, at the Special sitting of Parliament when I was talking about the Oil Industry. My main concerns, as you may by now know, apart from peace, are socio-economic transformation of our society and economy and the integration (both economic and political) of the African continent. In the battle for socio-economic transformation, I have identified the ten (10) strategic bottlenecks that I have been repeatedly talking about. Even yesterday, I repeated them to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA). They are: ending ideological disorientation; building the State pillars to ensure that the State is capable of governing people and protecting them; developing the human resource through education and the improved health for all; promoting the Private Sector, which is a more efficient vehicle for enterprise identification and growth rather than persecuting them as used to happen in the past; developing the infrastructure (especially electricity, the railways, the roads, ICT, etc.); modernizing agriculture; modernizing services; integrating the African market to assist the Private Sector; and ensuring democracy. As you can see, integrating the African market is part of removing the strategic bottlenecks that I, normally, talk about. The East African Community (EAC) broke down in 1977 because of the incompatibility between the principled Mwalimu Nyerere and Idi Amin. Investors, however, cannot invest if they are not sure of the market. As soon as we had a chance to lead Uganda, along with Presidents Mwinyi and Moi, we revived the EAC in 1999. The EAC does not only aim at Economic Integration, it also aims at Political Integration leading to the creation of the Federation of East Africa. This is a commendable step. Rwanda and Burundi have also joined the EAC, thereby expanding the Union. We (Uganda) are also members of COMESA and we are working for the Common Market of the whole of Africa. A federated East Africa will belong to those wider markets as one Political Unit. Therefore, on the bottleneck of fragmented markets, on account of colonialism, we are moving well. We could have moved much faster but, nevertheless, this is good enough. Since 1987, we started tackling the issue of the human resource development when we launched Universal Immunization with vaccines against six preventable diseases. These were: measles, polio, tuberculosis, tetanus, whooping cough and diphtheria. We have recently broadened the list to eight (8) vaccines, by adding the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccine and Pneumococcal vaccine (PCV). The additional diseases to be prevented by immunization are pneumonia, diarrhea, meningitis, human papilloma virus (HPV). If the Ugandans, individually and/or collectively, could add hygiene, nutrition and personal discipline (e.g. avoiding umalaya, alcohol, smoking and obesity), the total disease burden eliminated would amount to 80%. We would only remain with 20% of diseases and traumas to deal with. Nevertheless, that residual percentage of diseases and traumas include accidents. These accidents are caused by reckless driving which contributes 20% to the hospital cases. I do not know where the water-borne diseases belong. Do they belong to hygiene or do they belong to their own category? The Ministry of Health will have to help me on this.
These contribute 20% of the sicknesses. Therefore, continued programme of providing safe water is a crucial element in disease elimination.
The district of Mukono recently came up with a good idea of buying its own borehole drilling equipment. This would enable them to make a borehole at a less cost compared to the money they spend when they private contractors. Even before borehole water is available, let everybody boil all the water that he/she uses. It is as effective as borehole water.
In 1997, we introduced Universal Primary Education (UPE), in 2007 we introduced Universal Secondary Education (USE) and we have now introduced free education for A-level as well as for vocational schools. In the coming budget we are going to introduce the Student Loans Scheme on top of the free education for the top 4,000 best performers admitted to Government Universities. The challenge, then, will remain, first of all, the diligent implementation of these schemes, eliminating all the corruption – especially the enforced collection of school fees. If you want voluntary contribution to the school, let the community contribute to the building of the school through labour. Then, those who are able to contribute in cash voluntarily could do so. None of that should affect the student’s attendance. The issue of lunch should also be handled in a voluntary manner – although my preference has always been for the parents to provide packed lunch in their own way (entaanda, peke, etc.). The second challenge with universal education is, then, giving the students vocational skills – technical skills as well as science education. One issue that is still lagging behind is the issue of maternal mortality. It is still 438 per 100,000. It must be brought down. What are the causes of this level of maternal mortality when we have got a health unit at every sub-county? When I was growing up in the entire district of Ntungamo plus Rwampara, there were only four Health Units at: Kinoni, Rubaare, Rwashamaire and, in 1959, Rwenyangyi or Kitwe, as I hear the present groups calling it, was added. In spite of these huge distances, I was born in the hospital in 1944 (at Mbarara), my sister Dr. Kajubiri, was born at Rubaare in 1949, etc.
That same area now has the following Health Units:
HC IVs 3
HC IIIs 11
HC IIs 25
Plus Itojo district Hospital.
All these total to 40 Health Centres in Ntungamo alone which in my time had only four Health units.
Therefore, the hardware facilities are there. What are not adequate are the soft-ware facilities; full staffing which we dealt with the other time. We decided that 19 health personnel be put at HCIV and 39 health personnel be at HCIII; female midwives instead of having men delivering women on account of our culture; underage marriages and pregnancies that turn children (abaana) into mothers (abazaire); etc. Let the Ministry of Health sensitize the population on these issues using the radios that spend endless time talking lies. The radios could be used positively to educate people about these challenges.
The remaining big health challenge is malaria. Malaria accounts for 40-50% of out patients and 20% of the inpatients of all the deaths in Uganda. We must get rid of the mosquitoes. There is the effort of bed-nets distribution. This is good. However, the real answer is to get rid of the mosquitoes through the use of larvicides. Our scientists are working on this.
I am, therefore, proud that the NRM has expended quite a bit of energy on the issue of human resource development – education and health – the very low base we started with notwithstanding.
Let everybody else do their assignment. Results will be much better. Even, however, with the failure of some of the actors doing their assignments, the results are good. That is why the population has grown from 14 million people in 1986 to 35 million now. That is why you can hardly see a youth or child below the age of 26 years crippled by polio. These are not mean achievements.
The other big bottleneck is infrastructure (electricity, the roads, the railways, water works and ICT). The issue of the underground and undersea cables has been handled. Telephones should become cheaper in time especially the international calls.
We are working aggressively on electricity, the railways and the roads. Karuma will be built. There is even the possibility that we may get good and cheap funding for it so that we can switch our own money to something else – e.g. the roads.
– Karuma (600 mgws)
– Ayago will be built (600 mgws),
– Oryang will be built (392 mgws),
– Kiba will be built (288 mgws),
– Isimba will be built (188 mgws) etc.
we have got good offers for all these.
The railway will be built. We have got good offers from some reliable financiers. Besides, we have trained the UPDF Engineering Brigade to build the railways.
Some of the roads will be built by the use of our own money and others by financing from outside. The Minister of finance in her budget speech will give the details. I am, however, very confident that the infrastructure envisaged in the 2040 Vision will be built.
Then, there is our oil and gas. It has taken long because we have been haggling with the oil companies. Our plan is clear and unequivocal – it must include a right sized refinery of 60,000 barrels per day, built in two phases according to the dictates of the market.
When more reserves are discovered, provided the internal market so dictates, this refinery will be expanded. Although we did not, initially, have interest in a pipeline, our commercial Partners, the Oil Companies seem to have a big interest in it as do their financiers we are told. Their position seems to be based on their failure to understand the new dynamics in Africa and what was, previously, called the Third World.
The groups in the West should know that this category of people categorized as Third World is an endangered species. In the next 50 years, certainly, Uganda will be a First World Country and a middle income country by 2017. You cannot have a country with 10 million of its children in schools continuing to be a Third World country for long. On account of their fundamental misunderstanding, they under estimate the consumption level of the Ugandans and their purchasing power. That is why they are desperate for a pipeline to insure their investments. They fear that they may invest and, then, nobody buys the finished oil products in Uganda.
Hence, the desperation for a pipeline. I have agreed to this re-packaging because, whatever the packaging, much of the money is ours – whether it goes through the refinery or through the pipeline. Of course, with this pipeline, the coastal countries deduct some money for transit and there is the fee for the use of the pipeline. Nevertheless, paralysis is also costly. We need the money to build our infrastructure and to do other important things.
I recommend that we all support the addition of the pipeline provided the refinery gets the first call on the crude oil if the internal and the regional market justify it. A number of groups have shown interest in building and financing the refinery.
Of course, oil and gas will also contribute to the electricity generating capacity of Uganda. These infrastructure projects will boost our growth and expand our GDP by a factor of 9%.
With the battle for an integrated market, for a developed human resource and for infrastructure going well as shown above, we need to conclude the battle on another front – a conducive atmosphere for the Private Sector-led growth. I call this concluding because we long ago started this battle in 1987 when we liberalized, de-regulated and privatized many activities in the economy. We put in place a Code of Investment and a one-stop-centre for registering and enabling investments to be implemented. The one-stop-centre has, however, never worked properly. I will insist that this Investment Authority becomes a real one-stop-centre. I will also bring amendments to the Investment Code to criminalize malicious sabotage of investments in Uganda.
The achievements and struggles enumerated above will be in vain if we do not attract and retain private investments. Nobody should obstruct private investments out of malice with impunity. A request for an investment should not take more than three days. Why? It is because these processes are well known. They are not new science for most of the time. What does a leather processing plant need, for instance? What does maize milling machine need? Etc. Does it have those requirements or does it not? UIA, NEMA, should have these standard requirements and should be able to approve or disapprove quickly.
While market integration, the human resource development and the infrastructure development are enablers, the real wealth creation is effected and created by the Private Sector investing in real estate, services, manufacturing, agriculture, ICT, etc. Everybody must promote this and not obstruct or delay investment. It is the Private Sector that will create jobs, produce more goods and services for domestic consumption as well as exports and expand the tax base. The investors may be local or outsiders. They are all, however, doing one job of expanding the GDP of Uganda.
The ignorant but really subversive talk I normally hear must stop. You hear people talking of “factory y’omuyindi” – an Indian’s factory; or “factory y’omuzungu” – the European’s factory. When I was commissioning Coca Cola factory in Namanve recently, I told those present that there is not a single Muyindi’s factory or Muzungu’s factory in Uganda. All the factories in Uganda are Ugandan whether they are owned by Ugandan citizens or outsiders. If a Ugandan African built a factory in India, that factory would not be Ugandan, it would be Indian. Sometime ago, we had a Ugandan that was getting wealthy, the Late Chris Mboijana. He had businesses and properties in Kenya, in Mombasa. Those properties were Kenyan and not Ugandan. To prove they were Kenyan, when he died suddenly, I heard some wrangles about those properties but I could not easily follow up precisely because they were in Kenya and not in Uganda.
Apart from the small investments that will be attracted by the conducive atmosphere created by us, especially if UIA and NEMA correct their ways, there are big projects that we have for long been promoting without success. There are two in particular – the Phosphates factory in Tororo which will also produce Sulphuric acid and iron ore and the Muko iron ore near Kabale. We seem to have, finally, identified capable investors who can get these huge projects going. These will add significantly to the size of our GDP and also feed into the other sectors of the economy – fertilizers into agriculture and iron ore and steel into construction, dam building, manufacturing, etc.
The sector that can reach many Ugandans and quickly is agriculture. Let us work on the 68% of the homesteads that were found by 2002 census to still be in subsistence agriculture. What is amazing is the lack of seriousness by many of our actors. Since 1996, we talked of a cluster of enterprises per household per zone – the 18 zones of Uganda. Where this has been implemented, the results have been dramatic – in the Bundibugyo area, in the Kanungu area, in the Kiruhuura area, in the Kapchorwa area. Yet the other day, when I was in Asia, I heard some of our people talking of Asian Model of “one product per village”!!! Maybe that is a good model. However, before you go for that model, what about our own model of several products per zone? Where it has been implemented, it has done miracles. Why not implement it elsewhere? Let each home of 4 acres of land do the following according to the respective zones: an acre of coffee, an acre of fruits, an acre of bananas and an acre of elephant grass or other pasture. In some variations, you can plant cassava, Irish potatoes or rice instead of bananas or you could have two acres of fruits instead of giving one acre to coffee. At the level of processing, you will then have all those products to deal with. In the courtyard, behind the house, you will, then, add chicken as layers, Pigs, Improved goats, apiary in one corner of the land and fish farming in the valley. Then, there are the six or so cows fed by animal fodder in the shelters (what we call zero grazing). This will work. It has already worked in some parts of the country. There are two disappointments in the sector of agriculture and fisheries. One is the problem of over fishing on Lake Victoria and the other is the mismanagement of tick control in Uganda. African communities have been specializing in their respective activities over the millennia – crops, livestock, fishing etc. Normally, these specialized communities develop conservation practices that ensure sustainable use of these resources even in very difficult circumstances. These practices get ingrained in the culture. Banyankore, being cattle-keepers and crop people, have practices that have preserved certain activities, the neglect and discouragement by the colonial and subsequent governments notwithstanding. That is why the Ankore cattle, this bananas and the millet, for instance have been preserved. A Munyankore will, for instance, never slaughter a female young cow (enyena) under any circumstances. Even today, in spite of the commercialization of the economy that has forced Banyakore to sell female cattle, they still sell the middle aged ones (ejigija) and not the young ones (enyena). I was sure that the Bassese and other fishing communities of Lake Victoria had such deeply ingrained cultural practices to preserve the resources of the lake. Who, then, was destroying the resources of the lake by eating the young fish? It is called mudeeke in Lussesse dialect. If only you allow the fish to survive for 9 months, it will have laid many millions of eggs. The lake will always be well stocked. Who, then, is so uncivilized, so unconcerned that he/she eats the mudeeke? I am beginning to get information that the people causing destruction to the resources off the lakes are not indigenous people around the Lake. That it is immigrants who come from other areas of Uganda and/or other parts of East Africa, push aside the locals and inflict such damage to our heritage. One thing I cannot compromise on is our heritage. Those who do not respect our heritage should not be tolerated. What should we do with this situation? We are going to discuss it in the cabinet and in the NRM Caucus and find a radical solution. In the meantime, the many factories we attracted on Lake Victoria, 21 of them in number are closed or are operating far below capacity. This is not acceptable. Our earnings from fish had gone to US$ 196 million in 2005/2006; they have now declined to US$ 142.6 million in 2012/2013 because of these parasites. This is not acceptable. The Banyakore have a superstition regarding preventing lightning strikes (enkuba). It is called okugangahura. When the lightening damages something, the most indigenous resident of the area is the one that can perform the ceremony and rites that will stop the lightening from causing damage again. Riding rough against indigenous practices can sometimes, lead to serious mistakes. We should all assist the Minister Nankabirwa to solve this problem. It is a big shame. It is a type of suicide. Polluting the Lakes must also stop. People who dig gardens up to the edge of the lakes or the rivers should be stopped. The Minister of Environment should ensure that. I flew over Luzira Bay the other day. The whole lake is full of algae, a sign of pollution. This should also be addressed by the Minister of the Environment. The other bad phenomenon is drug resistant ticks because of the laxity of the veterinary department. There are four categories or classes of acaricides. These are: Pyrethroids, the amidines, the organophosphates and the co-formulations. Each class kills ticks in specific ways. However, ticks develop resistance after about three years. The correct thing is to change to a different class after three years. Unfortunately, the technical staff never told us about this. We, therefore, ended up, including myself, using the same class of drugs for up to 15 years, in my case. When the ticks became resistant to the drugs, recently, the cattle started dying. Although the good news here is that the Ankore cattle and the other indigenous cattle are still immune to the tick-borne diseases. One of my cattle, Kiremba, was found with 154 drug resistant ticks and it was still up ticking and kicking. Anyway, I have moved from pyrethroids to the amidines and all the ticks have disappeared. We have instructed the veterinary people to sensitize the farmers on this issue. I, recently, went to Ireland (UK) specifically on this issue and the drug manufacturers have solution to these drug resistant ticks.
In any case, we are also working on vaccines with other African countries – such as Kenya and Malawi. Yesterday, I read the malicious self-deception of the Daily Monitor. I am told that the so-called “The East African newspaper”, which is a sister to the Daily Monitor, was similarly jubilating that Museveni will have a hard time making the State of the Nation Address this year, because the things he talked about last year were not fulfilled. Of course, not all the things I talked about last year have been fulfilled because many of them take time and, in any case, the resources are limited. Do the Daily monitor and the East African paper and some members of the opposition in the Ugandan Parliament think that Ugandans cannot understand that? Mao Tse Tung once said: “It is still better if the enemy attacks us wildly and paints us as utterly black and without a single virtue; it demonstrates that we have not only drawn a clear line of demarcation between the enemy and ourselves but achieved a great deal in our work.” Therefore, it is a compliment when the Daily Monitor and the East African paper attack us because it means we are right. However, unfortunately for the anti-NRM groups, Uganda is moving forward. The performance of the economy this year has been as follows:
i) GDP rate of growth is 5.1%;
ii) Inflation rate is 3.6%;
iii) Foreign exchange Reserves are US$ 3.3 billion;
iv) Export earnings are US$ 4.9 billion;
v) Remittances from Ugandans abroad are US$ 767.26 million;
vi) The total size of GDP of Uganda is 54.7 trillion shillings;
vii) The total size of GDP in US$ (exchange rate) is US$ 21.2 billion;
This is reasonable given the difficult situation created by the past mistakes caused by the anti-NRM elements prior to 2011, when inflation went up to 30%. I said that the difficult situation will be reversed and it has been reversed. We are also resolved to resist firmly those who block investment programmes, delay development and when difficulties arise they turn round to criticize. The bottlenecks are clear to us. They will be solved partly using our money, partly using money from our Partners outside or through a sovereign bond using regular financial sources because Uganda’s credit rating is good at B+. Besides, our oil money is not very far off.
The evil of corruption is being handled. You saw what happened to the officers who were accused of stealing money in the office the Prime Minister and in the Ministry of Public service by holding ghost seminars, in 2011. In the past, NRM has handled bigger problems than bunches of thieving public servants. These are easier to handle. I promise to give a special address on corruption.
Madam Speaker, it will be recalled that the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament commenced on 7th June 2012. As at 14th February 2013, Parliament had been able to transact business as follows:
(i) Bills passed – 11
(ii) Motions passed – 12
(iii) Reports considered and concluded by Parliament – 6
(iv) Petitions considered and concluded by Parliament – 5
(v) Ministerial Statements presented to Parliament – 13
(vi) Other statements – 2
(vii) Questions for oral answer presented – 3
Among the Bills which Parliament has passed are the following:
The National Council for Older Persons Bill, 2010;
The Finance Act 2006 (Amendment) Bill, 2012;
The Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2012;
The Excise Tariff (Amendment) Bill, 2012;
The Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2012;
The East African Excise Management (Amendment) Bill, 2012;
The Uganda Communications Regulatory Authority Bill, 2012;
The Supplementary Appropriation Bill, 2012;
The Petroleum (Exploration, Development and Production) Bill, 2012;
The Accountants Bill, 2011;
The Geographical Indications for Bill, 2008;
In the coming session, the Government will present a number of Bills including the following anti-money laundering Bill, Public Finance Bill, etc. The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister will communicate these Bills to you.
I thank you very much.
6th June 2013 – UICC, Serena
Un-Answered Questions on Freedom of Speech
As I write this the proverbial media siege that has rocked Kampala and the Ugandan news for over 12 days now has been lifted. The images on our television sets depicting the manner in which the journalists were treated are still fresh in our minds, they are yet to be archived. The Ugandan government on the 20th May 2013 raided and shut down two radio stations and two newspaper houses. This was because of a letter that had been published by the media houses. The letter was written by an army general currently in hiding in the UK. The letter had something or a lot with Museveni grooming his beloved and not begotten son Kainerugaba Muhoozi for presidency. Muhoozi has risen to the ranks quite quickly I must be quick to add and he is currently in charge of the Special Presidential Guard Brigade. Whether or not he has the clout and or ‘revolutionary’ spirit to take on after his father, we wait to see.
The issue though here for me is: the media siege as it has been termed. It is quite worrying that a country that is 50 going on 51 would have women clad in police uniform MAN-handling fellow women that are journalists. It is more than worrying, it is sad. It is also absurd that on the day the UN secretary general and the Head of World Bank are in town, the police would find it okay to raid the said media houses. Have we grown that old that we no longer care for a positive international image? I do not understand: One of the things that I was taught while growing up is that when the neighbors come visiting, however badly you may be doing, keep things in control, open a closet and throw everything in, you can get back to re-opening he closet when they are gone. We on the other hand are doing contrary.
So many questions remain un-answered and some will never be asked. One thing is for sure though, this media siege was probably not about the letter. In my opinion it was about the government trying to teach the media a lesson: we are still the bosses here. If it was about the letter then the majority of our gadgets would have gotten arrested or shut down when the second letter came through. The second letter by the general was sent via his ipad and circulated via email to the many people in media circles. So has the first letter been found? Was it worth all the government resources put into guarding the media offices and tear gas thrown at the journalists who were merely asking for their jobs back? The questions continue.
Interesting to note is what the international media has had to say about what was going in Uganda;
The Guardian was/is asking if President Yoweri Museveni has ‘outstayed’ his welcome as the Ugandan president. The Museveni regime has been riddled with lots of corruption scandals especially in the recent past. It is no secret that after 27 years in power, there is a lot that Museveni and his government could have done but has not done. The latter list seems to be longer.
The Huffington Post run a piece that talked about the rule of the law vs human rights. The Information minister of Uganda at that time [she has since been given a new office] said that the police in closing down the media houses were operating within the parameters of the law. In Uganda we have a knack of getting things done and then creating laws to back them up. Maybe that is the law under which the shutting down of media houses falls: the one which is yet to come.
The reflections show that this was hardly about a letter. It is about the core of what the government thinks is vital and what it holds dear. The events that have transpired over the last two weeks show something. That Ugandans are free to talk. There is freedom of speech, but there is not necessarily freedom after speech. And also whatever medium you have used to amplify your voice may be in trouble as well.
By Ruth Aine – www.ruthaine.com
Mr. President, We Have a Letter Situation…and Then Obama
Three months ago a letter supposedly authored by a little known member of opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Catherine Ddembe caused a buzz among Ugandans on social networks. “
The letter detailed a plot to frame senior government officials in subversive activities. The letter also spoke of plans to kill key figures allegedly opposed to what has come to be known as the ‘Muhoozi project’. The project of trying to groom Museveni’s son Brig Muhoozi Kainerugaba for the presidency (We don’t know when- the father hasn’t shown signs of retiring in 2016).
Gen. Sejusa
It was this letter that Gen. David Sejusa (Tinyefuza) picked up and wrote asking that an investigation be carried out. His letter was leaked to the press (Daily Monitor). Gen. Sejusa had travelled to London on April 30 days before the leaked document was published. And before that his aide was arrested for treason (the most misused charge by the Ugandan government.)
In the same week, the president went to attend the London Somalia conference. All didn’t go well there as British Prime Minister David Cameron kept President Museveni out of the picture.
There was a feeling that Museveni who took our forces to Somalia in 2007 (they have done great but at a great cost) was humiliated and sidelined at a western world show of who is who in Somalia.
And the president returned – with fury. Cameron screwed up the Somalia show and so Gen. Sejusa’s letter wouldn’t be freely available on airwaves and newspapers. If the regime couldn’t have the General then they could have the media.
The Police summoned Daily Monitor editors and reporters and in a day-long quizzing they got nothing. Then the highly partisan Ugandan Communications Commission (UCC) was the next call. With UCC it is always a pleasure to get such a gig from the powers that be. Next, UCC wrote to radio stations and warned (read intimidated) them over broadcasts of Gen. Sejusa’s letter.
UCC Executive Director Godfrey Mutabazi told Daily monitor:
If somebody complains to the UCC, it is under obligation to act. The government complained that the media is trying to create insecurity, which is unacceptable. If the material broadcast could cause insecurity, we shall withdraw the licence…”
In the document UCC created a new charge for radio stations saying that they would lose licences because they engaged in political campaigns instead of news reporting.
Four days later, a court order to search for the lost Gen. Sejusa letter came in. On Monday 20th May, state operatives and police turned Daily Monitor and Red Pepper into crimes scenes. They also closed Dembe FM and KFM. The search warrant allows them to go on and we are now into the second day.
An activist outside Monitor offices to protest the media clampdown on May 20. Photo by Edgar. R. Batte
Many Ugandans used social networks to discuss the siege on media houses. UCC is still struggling to dispel rumours that they could cut off access to social media networks. The regime doesn’t need more international scrutiny, the closure of the media houses making headlines is enough.
The more government hunts down the messenger, the more we believe there’s a Muhoozi project. The Army Spokesperson Paddy Ankunda was in the media saying that Muhoozi has been an excellent officer. The only thing I can remember is Garamba. His daddy gave him major operation (Operation lighting thunder) to capture elusive Joseph Kony and all we got was a famous photoof officers with Kony’s saucepans. It is our perfect postcard from Congo sent by Brig. Muhoozi and his team. If Museveni wasn’t busy trying to shut Ugandans out of the discussion on the future of their country we would forget the saucepans for now.
Museveni’s problem isn’t the letter only. President Obama’s first visit to Africa has been announced. Since we are busy searching the printing press for a handwritten letter, Obama thinks he might be caught up in the Sejusa letter search so no visit! and no mention of this great violation of press freedom in Uganda.
President Barack Obama’s African tour due next month will see him visit Senegal, Tanzania and South Africa. Seems that young man Jakaya Kikwete is stealing our show by sending troops to DRC as Sejusa engages us 24/7. Our old man in the hat is no longer the kingpin. And of course Kenya just elected a suspected criminal so no Kogelo and grandmother for Obama.
It is tough times not just for Museveni but one thing is for sure, this whole letter-searching thing is only making Sejusa’s letter seem like gold. The suspected Muhoozi project and other likely succession issues are talked about among Ugandans daily. It must be annoying to see people to speak about your departure right in your face (hello!! am still here!) but when you have been at a place too long the anxiety should be understood.
Whatever happened to the letter – may be the goat ate it- the role of the army in Uganda’s future is an important issue that Ugandans must discuss openly without intimidation and made up accusations on breach of security
Gen. Sejusa, who ironically in the past has led missions to close down some media outlets, has been the most outspoken general on this. In February he wrote about President Museveni threatening parliament and the coup talks.
…we must confront is the role of the military in the management of the State. Will it remain an embodiment of the aspirations of the people from which it derives its legitimacy and power or will it try to subvert the power of the people and by so doing loose its historic pro people position which would of course result in its collapse and inevitable defeat, for the people always win no matter how long it may take.
People will always win, in due time!
Uganda Media Siege Protested Worldwide
His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
President of the Republic of Uganda
State House
P. O. Box 25497,
Kampala,
UGANDA.
Fax: +256 414 235 462
info@statehouse.go.ug
27 May 2013
Your Excellency,
We are writing on behalf of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors Forum, which represent 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries, to express our serious concern at a raid by armed police on The Daily Monitor and Red Pepper newspapers and their subsequent closure, as well as the forcing off air of two radio stations which share office space with The Monitor.
According to reports, on the morning of 20 May heavily armed security personnel cordoned off The Daily Monitorand Red Pepperpublications, then forced KFM and Dembe FM radio stations, which are housed within The Monitor’s premises, off air. Security forces searching the premises reportedly claimed that they had a court order declaring the building a ‘crime scene’. The newspapers and radio stations remained closed on 21 May.
The raid follows the publication of a leaked memo by a senior general alleging that you are grooming your son Muhoozi Kainerugaba to succeed you and that those who oppose him risk being murdered.
This act of censorship and intimidation occurred only one week after Ugandan politicians were at the forefront of a resolution supporting press freedom at the Pan African Parliament (PAP).
The Midrand Declaration on Press Freedom in Africa was unanimously endorsed by members of the PAP, which also recognised our organisations’ Declaration of Table Mountain, which calls for greater press freedom in Africa, and launched an annual media freedom index for the continent.
During the PAP discussion, Ugandan parliamentary member Hon. Sam Amooti Otada said: “We believe in the media as the fourth estate, because in Uganda, we understand where there is no free media there is no democracy.” In line with the Midrand Declaration, we respectfully call on you to immediately end the blockade of The Daily Monitor, Red Pepper, KFM and Dembe FM so that they may carry out their journalistic role of informing the public. We urge you to take all possible steps to ensure that in future Uganda fully respects its international obligations to freedom of expression
We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Yours sincerely,
Jacob Mathew
President
World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers
Erik Bjerager
President
World Editors Forum
WAN-IFRA is the global organization for the world’s newspapers and news publishers, with formal representative status at the United Nations, UNESCO and the Council of Europe. The organization groups 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries.
cc.
Hon. Onyango KAKOBA, Chair, Justice and Human Rights Committee, Pan African Parliament
Hon. Sam Amooti Otada, Committee on Transport, Industry, Energy, Communication, Sicence and Technology Pan African Parliament.
Source: http://www.wan-ifra.org/articles/2013/05/27/protest-campaign-uganda-27-may-2013
President Museveni’s Speech on OAU/AU 50TH ANNIVERSARY
H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
Speech By H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
President of the Republic of Uganda
At the OAU/AU 50th Anniversary
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
25th MAY, 2013
Your Excellencies,
As we celebrate 50 years of Independence, we need to ask ourselves the following questions:
1. Why were we colonized? Why could we not defend ourselves and preserve our sovereignty? Why couldn’t the African Peoples, who are similar or linked, work together to defeat Colonialism?
2. Are we aware of what happened to the other conquered peoples in the World?
3. Why did the African Peoples survive the nightmare of colonialism and slave trade?
4. How did we regain our freedom? Which factors helped us to do so?
5. How have the African peoples worked to insure their freedom since Independence?
Africans insure cars, houses, etc. How have we insured ourselves and our future as free people since Independence?
I have addressed these questions before. However, there is no harm in answering them again because a convergence on these issues has not yet emerged among our people.
The answer to the first question is that we were colonized because we were not united in spite of the similarities among us and the linkages we have. Some people try to use the excuse of the superior technology of the Europeans. I do not accept this excuse because the Chinese and the Japanese were also lagging behind the Europeans in technology. The Europeans could not, however, defeat them, not for lack of trying. They were too big to swallow. On account of a higher degree of integration, our Ethiopian brothers and sisters were able to defeat the imperialists.
The Chiefs that should not be forgiven are the ones of the Great Lakes area and Southern Africa. Vasco Da Gama went around the Cape of Good Hope in 1498.
The Portuguese, thereafter, started frequenting the East African Coast. These Chiefs of ours could have seen and heard that a new power, with stronger weapons, had come on the scene. It was not until 1862, a full 364 years afterwards, that the European aggressors got to Uganda. Why couldn’t our ancestors get together and plan to defeat them? No. Instead, they were busy fighting each other and even assisting the slave trade by selling the captives from neighbouring tribes to slave traders. Poor political organization, lack of political integration, was, therefore, the main cause of our defeat. The fire-weapons of those days were not much better than spears or arrows, especially in the Tropics where there was a lot of bush cover.
You know what happened to other conquered peoples – the Indian Americans, the Incas, the Aztecs, the Australian Aborigines etc. They either disappeared (were exterminated) or are marginalized.
Why did we survive colonialism, slave trade etc? It was because of our strong genes and advanced civilization. Since we had achieved advanced agriculture, the domestic animals we kept had inoculated us against the zoonotic diseases (diseases that go from man to animals) that had exterminated the other indigenous peoples. Our survival proved that we were strong genetically and culturally (civilization, agriculture, science). However, our shameful colonization proved that we were weak in terms of political organization.
How, then, did we regain our Independence? It was on account of three factors:
i) The continued resistance of the African peoples – initially by the Chiefs – Cetswayo, Lobengula, Mkwawa, Kabareega, Mwanga, etc, but, eventually, by the liberation movements or mass political organizations – Nkrumah, Azikiwe, Nyerere, Lumumba, Luthuli, Mandela, Thambo, Sisulu, Kaunda, Ben-Bella, Musaazi etc, etc.
ii) The mutual weakening among the imperialist countries with their inter-imperialist wars – the so called First and Second World Wars. Even after these horrible wars among the imperialist predators, in which a total of 1.8 million Africans were used as cannon fodder, the imperialist countries tried to re-impose their colonialism – in Kenya, Indo-China, Southern Africa, etc.
iii) The support our cause got from the Socialist countries – the Soviet Union, China, Cuba, etc.
These were the three factors that enabled us to regain our freedom.
The final question to answer is: How have we worked, since our liberation, to insure ourselves from the present marginalisation or from future re-colonization? We have attempted 50% of what we should do. We have attempted economic-integration – with ECOWAS, COMESA, EAC, SADC, etc.
This is good. This is one of the factors the African economies are growing at the rate of 5%- per annum while some other parts of the World are growing at miserable rates. Even here, a lot remains to be done. You still have unnecessary non-tariff barriers, unequal distribution of benefits within the economic blocs, insufficient attention to infrastructure (e.g. electricity where the Khw per capita is as low as 12 in some African countries while in the USA it is 14,000), inability to build effective State pillars in some cases etc. Nevertheless, Africa must be commended here because, at least, we have started on the long journey to economic integration.
Where performance is totally deficient is in the other 50% – political integration. Apart from Tanzania, which was moulded by our great leader Mwalimu Nyerere along with another freedom fighter, Mzee Abeid Karume, nothing has been done on this crucial front. You remember the first sin of our ancestors was failure to unite politically.
That is why we were colonized. This failure is not excusable because the African peoples are either similar or linked. They are just grouped into four linguistic groups: the Niger–Congo groups of languages (including the Bantu and Kwa languages), the Nilo-Saharan (Cushitic, Nilotic languages), the Afro-Asiatic (Arabic, Amharic, Tigrinya etc) and the Khoisan languages of the click speakers of Southern Africa. This is a cardinal mistake which this Anniversary Convention should revisit.
In the EAC we are very explicit on this issue. Our treaty aims at an eventual Political Federation of East Africa. We cannot guarantee the future freedom of Africa, the way we are organized politically today. Why do we get mesmerized and are awed by the strength of others but do not strive to build our own strength? If we admire the strength of the USA, China, Brazil, etc, let us build our own strength.
All the raw materials are here – similar or linked peoples and a common land mass that has got all the resources we need to build incredible strength, with very rich islands around it and two vast Oceans – the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean – giving us huge marine resources.
You remember, I did not support the ideas of the late Muammar Gaddaffi of uniting politically the whole continent. However, there are parts of Africa that can unite politically. Economic and political integration are the two factors that can give full meaning to the renaissance of Africa. Renaissance means modernization and integration (economic and political). We cannot take renaissance to only mean singers, paintings etc.
When Africa acts together, we win. The founders of the OAU determined to defeat, militarily, the incorrigible colonial and racist white regimes that were controlling Southern Africa at that time. Many people thought the Africans were joking.
However, by 1971, Frelimo, led by Samora Machel, had defeated the big offensive, “Operation Gordian Knot”, by the Portuguese General Kaulza D’Arriaga, leading an Army of 70,000 Portuguese soldiers in Mozambique.
The blows the Portuguese were receiving in Mozambique were duplicated in Angola and Guinea – Bissau. By 1974, the Fascist Regime in Portugal had collapsed. Africa had liberated Portugal from fascism and had also liberated Mozambique, Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Sao Tome. The defeat of the Portuguese in Mozambique, led to the defeat of the Ian Smith White regime in Zimbabwe. Zanu and Zapu were leading that struggle.
By 1994, South Africa and Namibia had been liberated by military action. When Africa unites, nothing can stop us.
In those anti-colonial wars, Africa was supported by the Socialist Countries (the Soviet Union, China, Cuba etc) with military equipment and know-how. Some of the Western countries were giving non-lethal aid -scholarships, relief for refugees etc. These were mainly the Scandinavian countries, Holland etc.
In our Luganda dialect, we say: Agali awamu gegaluma enyama” – teeth that are tight in the gum are the ones that can successfully chew meat”.
I thank you.
YOWERI KAGUTA MUSEVENI
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA
UWA ED Meets Prince of Wales in England
The Executive Director of Uganda Wildlife Authority Dr. Andrew Seguya who is also a board member of the Uganda Tourism Board,on May 21st,2013, was among the Ugandan delegation that attended a meeting hosted by his Royal Higness the Prince of Wales.
The meeting also attended by the commissioner for wildlife in the Ministry of Tourism Mr. James Lutalo sought to discuss action areas of potential collaboration and partnershipsto combat illegal wildlife tradeand related products.
The UWA boss also utilized his visit to hold meetings with the Ugandan embassy staff to discussissues pertaining to the promotion of Uganda Wildlife Authority and visit tourist sites and businessesin London.
90% Of Ugandan Women are Sexually Harrased At Work
Government has been called upon by Uganda Human Rights Defenders Association to find ways of protecting women in Uganda against “sexually hungry” men at places of work.
The Executive Director HURIDA, Gideon Tugume on Friday condemned the increasing rate of women sexual harassment in the country with many more still suffering from humiliation and self dejection.
Tugume said a research was carried out between March 15 and May 11, 2013 in 1500 companies, 1000 secondary and primary schools, 10 Universities,200 health centers, 100 churches, 50 mosques and 50 financial institutions where 10,000 respondents were interviewed to find out the situation in which women are working and challenges they face at their place of work.
“It was discovered that 90 percent of women are sexually harassed at their places of work by their male seniors by raping them in their office or using their authority to force them into sexual intercourse in lodges, cars and after dump them without care,” said Tugume.
According to Tugume cases of female job seekers who are asked to offer sex to their male employers before offering them jobs is increasing but surprisingly they refuse to offer them jobs. And where the jobs has been offered, after one month they are dismissed after failing to keep every day sexual demand.
He added that 88 percent of female students who go to different companies for internship are sexually abused but they keep quite “because most of the assaults happened in the closed offices of the bosses who offer some money or favors after the act.
He added: “99 percent of house girls are sexually abused by men in their bedrooms when their wives are away for work or when they are sick after either delivery or both.”
Tugume, however, appealed to Women Non- Government Organizations both National and International to rise up “and condemn this increasing human rights abuse against women in Uganda.”
Police, like other government institutions have been urged to crack down on sexual harassment of women at workplaces
Sri Lanka President Visits Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park in My hosted a number of high profile visitors including the Sri Lankan President HE Mahinda Rajapaska.The Sri Lankan head had a boat ride to the bottom of the falls,the Delta where Victoria Nile joins Lake Albert,a game drive and also visited the top of the falls.
He toured the park after attending the Commonwealth Conference for Local Governments in Kampala and was impressed by the beauty of the park especially the magnificent Murchison Falls. He was accompanied on the tour by the Minister of State for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities.
Other high profile visitors to MFNP included Her Royal Highness the Queen of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom as well as the French Ambassador to Uganda accompanied by the General Manager Total E&P that were on a tour of Oil exploration sites inside Murchison Falls National Park.
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