According to today’s morning Ekiba Kibe broadcast by Robert Kabuye, the organizers of NRM funded 2010 UNAA Washington called him and requested that he announce that UADA is cancelling it Boston conference this year. Mr. Kabuye told his listeners: “Abakulu abamu abategeka ebya UNAA eri e Washington DC batukubidde amasimu wano ku Ekiba Kibe nebagamba nti bo tubalangire nti tebalina ttabu na bya Buganda era bawagira nnyo Ttabamiruka naye nti obuzibu babulina ku UADA. Era mbu UADA ku mawulire gebalina mbu tegenda kuberayo.” (“We at Ekiba Kibe got a call from some key organizers and they requested us to announce on radio that they have no issues with Buganda and the even strongly support Ttabamiruka but only have issues with UADA. They also claimed that they have information that the UADA convention is cancelled.”

Mr. Kabuye says that Ekiba Kibe later inquired with the leaders of UADA who told him that the UNAA organizers were lying. He finishes his broadcast saying: “Ffe tetujja kulanga bintu bya UNAA, ebyo mugende mubirangire ku Radio Rwakitura, eno radio ya Buganda.” (“We are not going to announce anything fof UNAA. Go put your announcements on Radio Rwakitura, this is a Buganda radio.”)

Click on  Ekiba_Kibe20Jul10 to listen to the July 20, 2010 Ekiba Kibe broadcast, in Luganda.

From: XXXXXX
Sent: Friday, March 26, 2010 2:34 PM
To: xxxxx@bugandapost.com

Subject: Letter to baganda

Dear Writers,

Burning Of Kasubi  Follows A Plan Written In 1513

I am writing to warn every Muganda and friend of Buganda that this burning of Kasubi is really part of a long-term plan to destroy Buganda which is based on a book by Niccolo Machiavelli wrote in 1513.

The history of my warning starts around 2002/2003 when Bwaana Tamale Mirundi used to translate a book about how a dictator can stay in power – from English to Luganda. The book was by called The Prince and the writer Machiavelli.  By that time, Tamale Mirundi called himself Mr. Consultant and had a  late night CBS Radio programme (I think Sunday) where he translated the book.

Because at that time Tamale Mirundi disliked the NRM his programme was really about explaining how Mr. Museveni was using Machiavelli’s  book  as his bible for ruling Ugandans forever.  I think it is true that  Museveni is a follower Machiavelli because he quickly saw that Tamale Mirundi could awaken Baganda so he somehow brought him to his side. We heard that Tamale was fired from CBS radio because his programmes sounded like they were praising Museveni’s brain. If  that is true, then maybe Mengo made a mistake of blaming the messenger and ignoring the message. You cannot have a strong institution where people who may be a bit radical and crazy like Tamala Mirundi are fired on emotion only to be picked up by an enemy.

For me,  after listening to one of Tamale’s programmes I found them very educational. I even bought a copy of The Prince and started following Mirundi’s translations on CBS because it was tough to read in English.  In fact the day they burnt Kasubi tombs I immediately remembered that Mirundi told us on CBS in 2003 that “bwooba oyagala okufuga emirembe n’emirembe abantu b’obwakabaka obulina ebyaafayo nga Buganda oba Bunyoro, Machiavelli agamba nti olina okusanyaawo buli kantu konna akajjukiza abantu abo obwakabaka bwaabwe.”  (“if you want  to rule the people of a kingdom with history and institutions like Buganda or Bunyoro forever, Machiavelli  says that you must destroy everything that makes the people remember what their kingdom was like.”)

I found my The Prince book and it took me only two  minutes to find the place where Mirundi talked about destroying the kingdom.  Chapter 5. I paid someone to type it for me and I have double checked every word. Please anyone read it and the notes I put in brackets and tell me if I am wrong to say that BURNING OF KASUBI  FOLLOWED A PLAN WRITTEN IN 1513.

In case you don’t know, Tamale Mirundi has been Mr. Museveni’s  most valued advisor at the time of Ssabaluri, Sabanyala, Kayunda Riots, Kasubi Toms, Land Bill Amendment, expanding Kampala to Mukono and Entebbe, trying to force Kabaka to negotiate, and so forth. Even when they had a dispute with Vice Gilbert Bukenya on Chogom, it is Mirundi who came on top. Baganda must wake up and remember our own saying “Okwelinda si buti” (”Keeping prepared for anything is not a sign of cowardice”).  If we continue trying to please everybody then we must stop complaining when those same people treat us like rubbish for our “bampaane”.

Awangaale Ssabasajja Kabaka wa Buganda

Please do not show my name
Kawuku, Kyadondo
Buganda

MACHIAVELLI’S THE PRINCE – CHAPTER 5

HOW TO GOVERN CITIES AND PRINCIPALITIES THAT, PRIOR TO BEING OCCUPIED, LIVED UNDER THEIR OWN LAWS

WHEN a state is accustomed to live in freedom under its own  laws is acquired, there are three ways of keeping it: the first is to destroy it;  the second is to go to live there in person; the third is to let it continue to live under its own laws, taking tribute from it, and setting up a government composed of a few men who will keep it friendly to you. Such a govern­ment, being the creature of the prince, will be aware that it can­not survive without his friendship and support, and it will do everything to maintain his authority. A city which is used to freedom is more easily controlled by means of its own citizens than by any other, provided one chooses not to destroy it. [MY NOTE: The prince talked about here is the one who acquired Buganda and wants to permanently take it away. For sure we have had a few men in Buganda government who cannot survive without the support and friendship of the prince occupying Buganda].

Take, for example, the Spartans and the Romans. The Spartans held Athens and Thebes by setting up a government of a few men in each; nevertheless they lost both. In order to hold on to Capua, Carthage, and Numantia, the Romans de­stroyed them; yet they did not lose them. They hoped to hold Greece in almost the same way as the Spartans had done leav­ing her free under her own laws; yet they were not successful, and so they were compelled to destroy many cities of that province in order to keep possession of it.

For in truth there is no sure method of holding such cities except by destruction. Anyone who becomes master of a city accustomed to freedom and does not destroy it may expect to be destroyed by it; for such a city may always justify rebellion in the name of liberty and its ancient institutions. These are not forgotten either through passage of time or through benefits received. Despite any actions or provisions one may take, if the inhabitants are not divided and dispersed, they will not forget that name and those institutions, and they will quickly have re­course to them at every chance, as Pisa did after a hundred years of servitude under the Florentines. [MY NOTE: Were Baganda not accustomed to centuries of freedom until they were forced into Uganda in 1962? Are these schemes of Ssabaluri, Ssabanyala, Muchakamuchaka, Bibanja Association and land grabbing about dividing Baganda so that we can forget that name and those institutions?]

But when cities or provinces have been accustomed to live under a prince and his line becomes extinct, being on the one hand used to obeying and on the other deprived of their leader, they cannot agree among themselves in the selection of a new one and do not know how to live in freedom. Hence they are slower to take up arms, and a prince may more easily win them and hold them. But in republics there is greater vigor, greater hatred, greater desire for’ revenge, and the memory of earlier freedom cannot and will not let them rest. Thus, the surest pro­cedure is either to destroy them or to live in them. [MY NOTE: Are certain officials in Mengo not always telling us to stay calm avoid making the occupiers angry? Is it wrong to believe then that burning of Kasubi could be one of many things planned to make our royal family so weak that it is as good as extinct?]

In late February and early March 2010, a man called Ntare told listeners of SMS based Ekiba Kibe program that he is a former Rwandese soldier both in Uganda and Rwanda, who is now a Canadian citizen (see “Rwandese Former Soldier Says Baganda Must Stop Being Cowards” and “We Don’t Want You To Fight For Us, Kabuye Tells Rwandese Soldier”). He warned Baganda that Museveni intended to destroy Buganda. On March 26, 2010, Ekiba Kibe’s Robert Kabuye brought Ntare back to the Free Buganda Radio studios to discuss the burning of Buganda’s sacred Kasubi Tombs.

Ntare, claimed that Museveni is the one who burnt the Kasubi tombs and explained that Museveni’s reasons for doing it are (1) to hit Buganda enough to kill all her strength (“ayagala abakube abamalemu amaanyi”), (2) he is testing to see if your are still united (“abagezaako amanyi alabe oba mukyaali wamu”). Mr. Kabuye then asked Ntare why Baganda must trust him: “Why should we trust you; right now we are not even willing to shake your hand. How do we know you are not Museveni’s agent?” (“Tunakwesiga tutya; kubanga kati tetusobola nakukwaata mu ngalo. Tukwesiga tutya nti toli agent wa Museveni?”). Ntare claimed that his goal is to fight injustices as a freedom fighter. But he also admitted that there was no reason why Mr. Kabuye should trust him.

Ntare also said Museveni is using “divide and rule” to confuse Baganda.. Ntare told Mr. Kabuye Museveni will keep bribing certain Baganda to create problems for strong Baganda nationalists. If that fails Museveni will try to directly try to bribe the same Baganda nationalists. And if that fails, he will use murder.

Click on Ekiba_Kibe26Mar10A to listen to the full March 26, 2010 Ekiba Kibe broadcast.

Below is the the Luganda statement that the Katikkiro of Buganda, Eng. JB Walusimbi, issued on the burning of Buganda’s sacred Kasubi Tombs. The main highlights of the statement are as follows;

• Katikkiro sends condolences to Ssaabasajja Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, ba Nnaalinnya, Abalangira n’Abambejja, and the whole of Buganda.
• The Ekibira section, the the remains of the former kings (Ssekabaka) are located suffered serious but limited damage.
• The Buganda kingdom will officially mourn for the loss of Kasubi for one week, starting on March 22, 2010.
• A committee of Buganda officials has already been formed to start investigating what materials and budget would be required to rebuild 130 year old highly unique structure.
• A special session of the Buganda Great Lukiiko has been called to discuss the grave situation on March 22, 2010.

The full text in Luganda is shown below;

March, 17, 2009

EKIWANDIIKO KYA KATIKKIRO KU KW’OKEBWA KWA MASIRO GE KASUBI

Owek. Katikkiro wa Buganda ne nnaku nyingi ategeza Obuganda n’abantu bonna aba Uganda nti enyumba enkulu Muzibuazaalampanga, omwagalamizibwa ba Ssekabaka ba Buganda bana, mu Masiro e Kasubi, abantu abettima abatannamanyibwa baagiteekedde omuliro n’ebengeya mu kiro eky’akeesezza olunaku Lwokusatu nga 16, March 2010.

Katikkiro asaasidde nnyo nnyo Ssaabasajja Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, ba Nnaalinnya, Abalangira n’abambejja n’Obuganda bwonna. Gutusinze mukama waffe.

Ekibira ba Ssekabaka gyebaagalamizibwa abaddukirize baakoze buli ekisoboka okutaakiriza yo ne watayonooneka nnyo. Olubiri luno olwakubibwa Ssekabaka Muteesa 1 emyaka egisoba mu 130 gwe mutima gwa Buganda.

Obuganda buli mu biwoobe era tutandiise okukungubaga. Okukungubaga okutongole kujja kutandika ku Lwokusooka nga 22 March era kujja kumalira ddala sabbiiti nnamba okutuuka nga 26 March 2010. Emikolo girikomekkerezebwa mu Masiro e Kasubi.

Akakiiko ka baminisita kateekeddwawo okukola enteekateeka y’okukungubaga eye sabbiiti ennamba, era kajja kutegeeza Obuganda enteekateeka nga bwe zinatambula.

Olukiiko lwa Buganda Olukulu luyitiddwa bukubirire ku Lwokusooka nga 22 March, 2010 ku ssaawa 4.00 ez’enkya tusobole okuteesa ku nsonga eno enkulu.

Watekeddwawo akakiiko kabakugu akagenda okwekenneenya ebyetaagisa (materials) n’ensimbi ezeetaagisa okuzzaawo Amasiro.

Obuganda butegeezebwa nti Obwakabaka busazeewo okuzzaawo Amasiro ga ba Ssekabaka gano, ng’akabonero k’omwoyo gwa Buganda ogutafa, ogutatya era ogutaggwawo.

Ssaabasajja Kabaka Awangaale!

Eng. J.B. Walusimbi

KATIKKIRO

Based on the emails we are receiving from Baganda all over the world, Kabaka Mutebi’s subjects are clearly boling with anger. Most of the emails are too graphic and provocative for us to publish. Below is one example from Mr. A. Kyobe:

STALKING THE LION
A. Kyobe

Burning down Buganda’s royal tombs is the kind of provocation that this government under the generalship of Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is hunting for (yes, Uganda is under military rule—case in point, see Museveni’s martial strut after the Bududa landslides dressed in army uniform with a Kalashnikov across his chest).

This military president and his bush war comrades know they are getting close to the sensitive nerve that their armed-to-the-teethtribalistic government is hunting for in Buganda.

In fact, all their criminal acts against the people of Buganda are carefully thought-out stratagems to deprive the kingdom of its cherished culture and freedoms:

What with rigged elections, corruption, a malicious constitution that denied us our right to a federal system of government, murdering our Kikubo business corps and blaming it on armed robbers, burning our schools, grabbing our lands and creating false chiefdoms within our kingdom, and making business and economic progress nigh near impossible for the people of Buganda.

Destroying Buganda’s sources of revenue and now this arson….. The result shall be insurrection!

Such is the nerve that Museveni is probing for, prodding us into rebellion; his UPDF/NRM government is provoking us to go into the swamps as we protest these injustices so that they can unleash their lethal police force under Gen.Kayihura, and their illegal militias under the command of the likes of that madman Maj. Kakooza Mutale, and their kiboko-AK47-squads of the Banyankole-Batutsi element of UTODA, and of course the deadly beast of death that General Kaguta’s UPDF is (ask the people of Luwero, Acholiland, Teso, and Karamoja) .

Yes, these Musevenite armies are planning to grind Buganda and its king into smithereens.

And as Museveni’s blood brother, John Nagenda said, “there will not be a Buganda to make noise about but a Ruritanian jeremiad of an opera to amuse the republic.”
Long live the Kabaka.

The four insurgent generals are stalking your every movement with deatth.

You will hear, physically hear, more from us.

These will be good times to die.

Uganda NRM government has announced plans to move over 10,000 Bagisu victims of recent landslides in Eastern Uganda to Bugerere of Buganda Kingdom. The county is densely populated and very  politically charged and many Baganda see the move as an effort to reduce their Kabaka’s influence in the area. Bugerere county, and Kayunga town in particular, was the focal point of a confrontation between Uganda’s NRM government and Buganda Kingdom, which led to the massacre of over 30 Baganda.

The Kayunga crisis started when president Museveni ordered his police and army not to allow the Kabaka of Buganda to officiate at a youth function in Kayunga town until the Katikkiro (prime minister of Buganda Kingdom) obtained permission from an NRM installed lead of the minority Buganda ethnic group called the Banyala. The Banyala make up less than 5% of Bugerere’s population.  Kabaka’s government rejected the government’s conditions and sent the Katikkiro to supervise the preparations for Kabaka’s visit. Mr. Museveni’s police and army blocked the Katikkiro and the action led to major rioting throughout major Buganda cities. In the capital, scores of businesses, cars and other properties were destroyed and the NRM police and army killed over 30 Baganda. Hundreds more are feared to have been murdered after thousands were later arrested and many disappeared without trace.

Uganda Bureau of Statistics data shows that 23,000 Bagisu live in Bugerere county already, along with 47,000 Basoga, 95,000 Baganda, and other small groups.  The mud slides were concentrated in  the Bududa area of Bugisu.

According to sources, the NRM government will move between 10,000 and 20,000 Bagisu to Bugerere as soon as possible. The NRM government is soliciting assistance of Red Cross International, UNDP and UNICEF in the move. The three organizations have already helped the government to temporarily house the mudslide victims in secondary schools. The sources add that although there is much more open land in Busoga and other parts of Buganda, the NRM government sees this as a big opportunity to reduce the numeric advantage of Baganda in Bugerere county.

Other sources have told this writer that plans by the NRM to bring over 10,000 Bagisu to an already volatile Bugerere county have raised fears of possible future genocidal violence among both Bagisu and Baganda residents of the county. Some of the long time Bagisu residents of Bugerere who see themselves as Kabaka’s subjects are fearful that they will be lumped together with the new Bagisu invaders. And some Baganda fear that the NRM is doing as a long-term plan to make Baganda a minority in their native lands and create tensions that can lead to genocide in future. If the Red Cross and UN blindly support massive settlement of Bagisu in Bugerere, they could be involved in planting the seeds of future genocide in Buganda.

According to an official press release by the Kabaka’s Government, the Lion of Buganda, Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II has chosen to cerebrate his 55th birthday with the various theatrical groups in Uganda.

According to the committee chairperson, Minister Mohamood Thobani, celebrations will be held on 13th April 2010 at Theatre Labonita where theatrical groups will be hosted among other guests to celebrate with their King.

Thobani explained that this has been done to appreciate the artists for their tremendous efforts in promoting the cultural norms and values of Buganda through talents.

He added that “most times, artists have supported the Kingdom and therefore there is no better way to thank them than to let them cerebrate Kabaka’s birthday with him”.

He further elaborated that this year’s celebrations under the theme “Obuwangwa bwaffe n’obukozi ge maanyi” will also include bringing the youth closure to their cultural background.

In this regard, Kabaka Mutebi will visit Kibuli Senior Secondary School where many young people will gather to cerebrate Kabaka’s birthday.

Celebrations will begin with general prayers at Kibuli Mosque, thereafter, Kabaka will visit Kibuli hospital to extend his sympathies to those in pain from where he will head to Kibuli Senior Secondary School. The day’s cerebrations will be crowned by a cocktail party to be hosted at Theatre Labonita.

This year’s organizing committee includes among the following, Mohamood Thobani as the chairperson, Ahmed Bamweyana, Ahmed Lwasa, Hajati Mariam Mayanja, Kayima Stephen Nawuba Rajin Tailor, Samlie Mwanje, Nakimuli Leticia, Omulangira David Wasajja, Muganga John Herman, Huruna Njuki and Nalinnya Nabanakulya.

For nearly 20 years, the World Bank and western countries that finance the NRM government have ignored the excesses of president Museveni and his cabal and funnelled billions of dollars into Uganda.  Baganda analysts tend to cite corruption and racism within the donor community as the primary reasons why president Museveni and his NRM have had such a successful run. Since 1992 Uganda’s NRM government has depended on foreign aid for 50-60% of its budget (donors usually understate it to avoid embarrassment).  During the same period, Uganda’s rulers and their families have taken advantage of the donor support to invade Congo, steal billions of dollars from the national treasury and murder citizens using illegal militia like Black Mambas.  Using traditional “Mbulira gwoyita naye” logic, many Baganda opinion leaders argue that the corruption in the NRM government is undisputable evidence that their benefactors, the donors, are also corrupt.

Many  Baganda intellectuals also believe that, Uganda’s western foreign donors  think that black Africans do not deserve the same human rights as others. For example, most  European countries do not tolerate use of selective laws to steal property and deny self-determination rights from a distinct European nation like Bosnians or Slovaks or Danes or Latvians.  However, in Uganda, countries like Norway and Denmark aggressively  fund projects like Decentralization and the 1998 Land Act, which are specifically designed to deny Baganda their human rights. This irrationality is leading many Baganda intellectuals to conclude that racism is a major factor in the Uganda donor community’s approach to Museveni.  The theory is also supported by the radically different reaction seen from the western countries when Robert Mugabe applies similarly inhuman policies to whites in Zimbabwe.

In what some Banda observers believe might be a USA led shift in tolerance towards Mr. Museveni in 2010, however, the Western countries appear to be taking some steps to distance themselves from Museveni’s policies.  President Obama sent a strong signal when he refused to grant Mr. Museveni private meeting at the UN Annual Meeting late last year. Last month, the US Congress passed a resolution instructing the State Department to monitor and report  on Uganda 2011 election campaign. Recently, the USA Ambassador to Uganda officially recognized the Kingdom of Buganda when he trekked to Kabaka Mutebi’s Banda palace for an official visit (see “United States Ambassador Listens To Kabaka Mutebi”).

In the latest move by Museveni’s benefactors, a western diplomatic official has leaked a World Bank  statement that threatens the withdraw of funding. It was presented to the NRM government  in a closed door national budget workshop late last month.  The periodic national budget workshops are popularly known as the Uganda’s begging conferences in local circle.

The full text of the leaked World Bank statement is reproduced in full below:

DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS REMARKS
NATIONAL BUDGET WORKSHOP
25-26 February 2010
(As prepared for delivery)
Your Excellency, the President of the Republic of Uganda,
Right Honorable Prime Minister,
Honorable Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development,
Honorable Ministers,
Honorable Members of Parliament,
Representatives of civil society organizations and the private sector,
Members of the diplomatic community,
Distinguished participants, Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the development partners, I wish to thank the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development for organizing this budget workshop.

We recognize that the 2010/11 budget is being developed in tandem with the National Development Plan. This provides an opportunity to focus the budget on Uganda’s development priorities.

Let me take this opportunity to commend the Government of Uganda on its continued macroeconomic achievements.

Sustained economic growth has translated into a significant decline in poverty levels. Moreover, the economy is weathering the impact of the global financial crisis better than anticipated and headline inflation has returned to single digits.

We also welcome the introduction, by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, of performance based budgeting, quarterly release of funds to spending agencies, and allocation of more resources to monitoring of results.

The Office of the Prime Minister has improved reporting on government performance. This will help to improve accountability. And we congratulate the Government for its efforts to bring peace to Northern Uganda and championing reconstruction of that region.

Your Excellency, past accomplishments by the government of Uganda have been remarkable. However, the real test of prudent and effective government lies in how you will address the challenges of the future.

The vision for Uganda laid out by your Excellency is inspiring and clear: Uganda has to become a middle income country over the next 15 years. Consequently, this statement by development partners has only one theme: what will it take for Uganda to achieve this goal?

There are three challenges that Uganda needs to tackle.
The first challenge: Uganda needs higher economic growth and lower population growth. For Uganda to attain middle income status over the next 15 years, per capita income growth needs to be 6% per year, meaning the economy has to grow at close to 10% per year.

Is this possible? Yes, it is: Thailand had the same GDP per capita as Uganda in 1963; it became a middle income country 18 years later. Indonesia had the same GDP per capita as Uganda in 1978; it became a middle income country 17 years later.

And, Malaysia grew 135% in per capita terms over 20 years from 1960.
These three countries have one common factor: during the period of dramatically rising per capita incomes, fertility rates fell between 40 to 50%.

This is no coincidence. These countries were basically “harvesting the demographic dividend” – the period where falling fertility rates leads to a falling dependency ratio: that means a larger proportion of the population is in their working age, compared to children and the elderly.

At 3.2% growth per year, Uganda has one of the fastest rates of population growth in the world. Uganda’s population is projected to reach 38 million by 2015 and close to 100 million by 2050. This has serious implications for livelihoods, food security, maternal and child mortality, and the environment.

Providing social services such as education and healthcare to a rapidly growing population will put enormous strains on both households and the public purse.

Despite economic growth over the last 20 years, profound inequality in incomes, living standards and life expectancy persist within and across regions. Making economic growth more inclusive should therefore be a priority.

The second challenge: Uganda can only attain middle income status with a healthy and educated labor force.

Uganda needs to accelerate progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals for health and education. The NDP states unequivocally that the health and education MDG indicators will only “marginally improve”.

Only slightly more than half of the children that enter primary one, reach primary five. This is well short of the goal that all children, boys and girls alike, should complete a full course of primary education.

In addition, the targets for child and infant mortality and maternal health are also unlikely to be reached and Uganda still has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world.

Building an effective and accountable state is the third crucial challenge Uganda is faced with. The fast growing countries of Asia mentioned earlier are not free of corruption.

But corruption in these countries has not affected the effectiveness of the state to the extent that it affects the Ugandan state. Development partners are particularly concerned about Government failure to take effective action against high level corruption.

A recent example is CHOGM, where there has been minimal follow-up on recommendations in the audit reports, which have been known since 2008.

The PAC hearings have publicized the issues surrounding the leakage and abuse of CHOGM funds. Yet, government administrative action to sanction offenders or recover funds has so far been inadequate.

Your Excellency, corruption in Uganda is endemic and we have seen no signs of improvement. The costs of corruption, stealing and leakages are staggering: $1.6 million lost in the global fund to fight aids, tuberculosis and malaria; $4.6 million lost in the GAVI immunization scam; at least $27 million lost in connection with CHOGM; billions of Shillings lost in the NAADS scam and the NSSF Temangalo scandal; and the loss in procurement corruption is estimated by the PPDA to be more than $100m per year.

However, government effectiveness is not only undermined by corruption. There remain fundamental gaps in public financial and public sector management. Basic rules are not adhered to. Lines of accountability are confused, mandates of central and local governments are not clear.

This has created a fundamental lack of accountability in Government. How else to explain high levels of absenteeism of teachers and health workers estimated at causing losses of up to $70 million per year?

Last but surely not least, only effective and accountable states are able to turn oil into a blessing for a country. Without an effective and accountable government, Uganda could easily become the next African country where oil has become a curse.

Your Excellency, let me now address the concrete steps that can be taken to ensure Uganda becomes a middle income country.

First: government needs to remove the binding constraints to growth and curb population growth. The dual challenge of increased economic growth and rapid job creation requires that the binding constraints on growth, such as poor transport infrastructure and insufficient supply of electricity are tackled.

The increased investments in the transport sector are therefore commendable. However, increased investments should be matched by an equal effort to improve governance and capacity of the sector to ensure that money is well spent.

We would like to urge the government to stick to the time-tested policy of trusting the private sector for implementing major works.

Only a vibrant private sector construction industry will provide Uganda with the roads that are so badly needed. The re-introduction of district force account operations was and still is a bad idea.

The current low level of absorption capacity in the private sector is a result of lack of investments in the past. The private sector will meet the challenges of road construction and maintenance only if investments by the Government are predictable.

Despite the huge increase in spending on road construction and maintenance, the government has yet to put in place a system for monitoring road conditions.

This leaves the sector open to fraud and undermines efforts to achieve value for money in the road sector. A big proportion of future oil revenues will surely be spent on the transport sector.

This makes it even more urgent to improve the governance framework for road construction and maintenance.
The NDP has identified a reduction in fertility as a major strategy.

According to surveys, Ugandan women would like to have fewer children than they currently have. However, 41% of demands for family planning services are currently unmet.

Without a rapid expansion of family planning programs, Uganda will not be able to replicate the impressive growth rates in the Asian countries mentioned earlier.

What is needed, therefore, is a commitment on the part of government to increase its share in procurement of contraceptives, which is currently less than 10% of national requirements.

Equally important is increased focus on girls’ education and improvement in reproductive health, to address the shortfalls against the MDG indicators mentioned earlier.

Lastly, Mr. President, as demonstrated over the last 23 years, a stable political environment is the single most important factor for a good business climate.

Political upheaval is very bad for investment and doing business, as we have recently witnessed in Kenya. In turn, respect for the rule of law and human rights is essential to guarantee political stability.

Second: government needs to prioritize public spending while ensuring that Uganda’s labor force is healthy and educated.

Addressing the challenge of providing quality services to the growing Ugandan population necessitates prudent and efficient use of Uganda’s limited financial resources. Achieving value for money is therefore essential.

In addition to curbing waste and inefficiencies the government should prioritize public spending. Development partners share the concern of Uganda’s civil society and media about the high and increasing levels of spending on government’s administrative structures.

These are resources that could otherwise be invested in infrastructure and on providing basic education, health care and clean drinking water to the poor.

The sharp increase in the number of districts in recent years (and continued plans for new ones), diverts both human and financial resources from existing districts and undermines the capacity of local governments to effectively deliver services.

Starting at 36 districts, 80 districts last year, and now 91 districts: who can make a serious case that this expansion of the number of districts is good for service delivery?

I now turn to concrete suggestions to strengthen the capacity of the Ugandan state.

An effective and accountable state is needed to guarantee value for money in service delivery by tackling corruption, waste and inefficiencies. Oil will provide much of the resources needed to increase public and private investment in future years.

However, if these investments are to yield lasting results, the management of public finances has to improve.

While we recognize the Government of Uganda’s commitment to the value for money agenda, much more needs to be done. The NDP identifies public sector management and administration as the number one binding constraint to achieving Uganda’s development objectives.

The remaining gaps in some of the fundamental aspects of public financial management need urgent attention in order to improve spending capacity and efficiency.

For example, zero tolerance towards non-adherence to the Commitment Control Systems, or the circumvention of IFMIS, is required to address the long standing abuse of Public Financial Management (PFM) systems.

Making sure basic PFM systems work requires in the first place fundamental behavioral change. This change can only be brought about by the Government and each one of you sitting here.

Weak public sector management and administration is one of the main causes of absenteeism of teachers and health workers. This waste of public resources should not be allowed to continue.

Action should be taken to address absenteeism. This should include not only positive incentives, but also strong disciplinary measures.
Lastly, Mr. President, the Government of Uganda has to start fighting corruption seriously.

The undeniable lack of government action to follow up on cases of grand corruption is a key area of development partner concern. Policies, laws and institutions are in place, but enforcement is limited, creating a culture of impunity.

Offenders should be sanctioned, money should be recovered and criminal investigations taken forward on key cases. We commend MoFPED on the recent initiative to develop an Action Plan for follow-up on CHOGM, which we hope will lead to concrete action being taken in the near future.

The Government’s failure to act on high level corruption will have implications, and donors under the Joint Budget Support Framework are currently considering a range of actions.

This may include withholding disbursements, reductions in aid, or re-programming away from direct budget support etc. These were all options discussed and agreed to with the Government in the 2007/08 budget appraisal.

In conclusion, Your Excellency, we would like to assure the government of Uganda that Development Cooperation will increasingly be a results-oriented partnership, where development partners can demonstrate to their own taxpayers that money is well spent.

We are committed to improving the predictability of aid and to working with Government to address the serious challenges Uganda faces to consolidate past gains and achieve lasting results for the people of Uganda.

Thank you for your attention.

Kundhavi Kadiresan
World Bank Country Manager
Chair, Local Development Partners’ Group
Co-Chair, Joint Budget Support Framework Policy Committee

On March 1, 2010, the host of SMS based Ekiba Kibe program told a man who claims to be a Rwandese soldier that, this time, Buganda does not need foreigners to liberate her. Mr. Kabuye was responding after the man called Ntare described himself as a Cuban traine freedom fighter who ready to fight to liberate Buganda. Mr. Kabuye told Mr. Ntare that the problem is that the people of Buganda are not will anymore to trust foreigners to liberate them.

At one point in the interview Mr. Kabuye asked Mr. Ntare: “Okimanyiiko nti Museveni Munyarwanda?” (”Are you aware that Museveni is Rwandese?”). Ntare replied:

“Museveni Munyarwanda kikumi ku kikumi. Njagala mbategeeze nti Museveni ne Kagame bakolera wamu.” (”Museveni is 100% a Rwandese. 1 want you to know that Museveni and Kagame work together.”).

Later in the interview, Ntare said: “I am a Canadian citizen kikumi ku kikumi, ekyokubiri ndi ready okulwanirira Buganda” (”I am a Canadian citizen 1 00%, secondly 1 am ready to fight for Buganda.”). Mr. Kabuye responded: “Awo abantu kyetutakiriziganya nakyo ssebo … Abaganda … bagamba nti eyali alumiddwa ku musota tosobola kusaawo kugulu nga ogulabye.” (”That is where we cannot agree with you sir. .. Abaganda … have a saying that if you were bitten by a snake before, you cannot put your leg forward when you see a snake.”). Mr. Kabuye continued: “Njagala otuwe birowoozo naye tosobola kutulimba nti ogenda okutulwanirira.” (”I want you to just give us your ideas but do not lie to us that you are going to fight for our liberation.”

Mr. Ntare told Ekiba Kibe listners that he is a Canadian citizen who first run to the USA after running into problems with both the NRM and the Rwandan governments. He says that he moved from the USA to Canada because he believed that he can be more secure there.

On February 23, Ntare told Free Buganda Radio listeners that he was a former soldier in both Uganda and Rwanda (see “Rwandese Former Soldier Says Baganda Must Stop Being Cowards“).

Click on Ekiba_Kibe01Mar10 to listen to Mr. Kabuye’s March 1,200 interview with Mr. Ntare.