A Discernment and Apostasy watch site for African Saints.
Prove all things..(1 Thesa.5:21)
Test Spirits..(I John 4:1)
Like the Bereans, check whether things are so(Acts 17:11)
Former Sports Club Villa manager Chris Mubiru walks out of court smiling after he was set free. Photo by Juliet Kigongo
By Juliet Kigongo
Posted
Tuesday, April 19
2016 at
13:02
KAMPALA. Court in Kampala on
Tuesday over turned a decision by the magistrate’s court in which former
Sports Club Villa manager Chris Mubiru was convicted of sodomy and
sentenced to 10 year jail sentence.
Mubiru had been also ordered to pay Shs50m as compensation to the victim Emmanuel Nyanzi.
However, High Court judge Wilson Musene Masalu set
Mubiru free after faulting the magistrate’s court of wrongly convicting
him. Mubiru had been in Luzira Prision since September 2015.
“It was
wrong for the victim not to report to police for having been sodomised
in 2009 and only waited in 2013 after many years had already passed. He
should have reported when it was still hot and not in 2013 to pastor
Solomon Male,” the judge ruled.
The judge further noted that there
should have been a medical report to help corroborate the evidence of
the victim as required but without it, this meant that the case weak.
On the video evidence pinning Mubiru, the judge
said it was just a waste of court’s time because none of the victims
filmed in the video recordings had complained in court.
“I find that
the trial magistrate failed to evaluate evidence and wrongfully
convicted the appellant (Mubiru). I therefore set aside the sentence by
the trial court and set him free,” Justice Musene said.
Mubiru
through his lawyer Mr Ronald Serunjogi had told court in his appeal that
the said victim only wanted to extort money from him.
But Senior State Attorney Ms Ann Kabajungu
contended that it was common for a victim of sexual offence not to
report the matter immediately because of the cultural norms.
Buganda
Road Chief magistrate Flavia Nabakooza in September last year found
Mubiru guilty of having carnal knowledge of his victim, Emmanuel Nyanzi,
adding that prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Court
heard that in December 2009, while at Mengo Kisingiri LCI, a Kampala
suburb, Mubiru had sexual relations with Nyanzi and others against the
order of nature, an offence contrary to section 145(a) of penal code
act.
FIRST READ:
Brother of Pastor Grace Kitaka , Ugandan Football
star ChrisMubiru’s Sodomy saga as a precursor for the Anti-Homosexuality Act
2009: Untold story of Chris Mubiru’s sexual troubles
Chris Mubiru’s inadvertent gay allies : Is it
true that The more the Red Pepper publishes his pornographic pictures, the more
it brings gay sex out of the closet
When Satan’s Gay devils infiltrated Uganda’s
Pentecostal prosperity Churches: Remembering the Sad story of Mr Julius
Lukyamuzi who was sodomised by Pastor Grace Kitaka( Chris Mubiri’s brother): Up
to now the Poor victim has not got an legal redress.
One of the worst night mares of
neo-liberal dictatorships such as the
one currently in Uganda
is empowering young people with knowledge
and skills in Ethics, Integrity and
Human Rights . These dictatorships are
at total variance with ethics , integrity and human rights and are therefore
very afraid about Universities empowering young people with knowledge and
practical skills in these three disciplines. The scrapping of the Bachelor’s
degree in Ethics and Human Rights is
politically driven . It is not surprising that even universities dons with PhDs
can bow down to Museveni’s orders. Museveni has infiltrated all institutions that
matter in any democracy such as the legislature, Executive and even judiciary .
The yellowness of the judiciary came out
prominently in the recent court ruling on the 2016 presidential elections. Museveni
wants to yellowrise Uganda. He wants Ugandans to have yellow
University courses, yellow dons, yellow minds, yellow reason, yellow knowledge,
yellow ideas, yellow emotions, yellow institutions, yellow structures , yellow oppositions
yellow police, yellow judges, yellow soldiers , yellow donors, yellow business
persons. He believes that the yellownisation of Uganda will help him to stay in
power in perpetuity.
Makerere University students of Ethics and Human Rights protest the
institution’s decision to merge or scrap more than 32 programmes at the
university yesterday. PHOTO BY ALEX ESAGALA
By PATIENCE AHIMBISIBWE
Posted
Tuesday, April 19
2016 at
01:00
In Summary
Report findings. The affected courses are duplications whereas others can be taught as a single unit
Kampala.
Makerere University students yesterday protested the institution’s decision to scrap 32 courses.
According to Prof John Ddumba Ssentamu, the vice
chancellor, some of the courses have either been merged, dropped or
restructured to give a holistic training to graduates.
“About 32
courses were scrapped and others merged. The decision was reached on
Thursday. Students protesting need to understand that curriculum reviews
are done after every five years,” he said, assuring affected students
that the continuing ones and those joining the university this year will
not be affected.
However, some of the affected students like those
pursuing Bachelor of Ethics and Human Rights yesterday maintained that
scrapping their courses will affect their bargaining power in the job
market when they complete school.
“We don’t see why they should remove our course.
Our status in the public is at stake because when we go looking for
jobs, they will be branding us as people with duplicated courses,” a
third year student, who declined to be named said.
Prof Ddumba explained the decision follows a report by a committee set up the Makerere University Council years ago.
Recommendations
The report recommends that 30
degree programmes be merged, 18 be restructured while 21 undergraduate
diplomas, 11 undergraduate certificates and three degree programmes be
phased out.
Chaired by Prof Richard Odoi Adome, the committee
reviewed all undergraduate and postgraduate academic programmes,
identified duplications, possible mergers and economic viability and
relevance.
They are also expected to look at the unit cost for each programme, staff teaching loads and submit findings in three months.
The findings will then be presented to President
Museveni who had directed the institution’s management to review its
academic programmes and establish a unit cost for training a student on
their various courses.
The report comes in the wake of students’ strikes
opposed to demands that they complete tuition payment before sitting
examinations.
Last week, Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda blocked
the decision to have students clear their fees and instead demanded
that the university writes a document detailing the needs of the
university and submit it to government before making any decision.
Prof Adome declined to comment on the report
insisting they had not completed their work as they had embarked on the
last stage of costing the courses.
The research was conducted in three phases with
the first carrying out consultations with different colleges for
possible mergers or programme phasing. The second phase looked at
content while the last will establish the unit cost.
Like before, there is resistance from some staff
who fear to lose jobs while others don’t want to lose the commercial
attachment.
The findings are not different from that of Prof Fredrick
Jjuuko whose report was submitted in 2010 but has not since been
implemented.
Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof John Ddumba-Ssentamu, on
Monday said the committee tasked to review their academic programmes in
2014, was expected to submit a final report to the Senate on March 30.
In Summary
The changes. The draft proposes that 30 degree
courses be merged, 18 be restructured, while 21 undergraduate diploma
courses, 11 undergraduate certificates and three degree programmes be
scrapped.
Kampala. Makerere University
intends to scrap or merge 83 academic courses in the proposed programme
restructuring to achieve effective training for the students.
The
draft report by a committee set up by the university two years ago,
which Daily Monitor has seen, proposes that 30 degree courses be merged,
18 be restructured, while 21 undergraduate diploma courses, 11
undergraduate certificates and three degree programmes be scrapped.
The
report suggests that Bachelor of Information Systems and Bachelor of
Information Technology from the College of Computing and Information
Science be merged into one substantive course because more than 90 per
cent of their content is similar.
The Makerere University Vice
Chancellor, Prof John Ddumba-Ssentamu, on Monday said the committee
tasked to review their academic programmes in 2014, was expected to
submit a final report to the Senate (the university’s highest
academic-decision making organ) on March 30.
“The President said
we restructure our programmes and we see what we can do. It has been a
long process but we expect the final report on March 30,” Prof Ddumba
said.
The committee, chaired by Prof Richard Odoi Adome, was
expected to review all undergraduate and postgraduate academic
programmes and identify duplications, possible mergers, their economic
viability and relevance.
They were also supposed to look at the unit
cost for each programme, staff teaching loads and submit their findings
in three months. These would then be presented to President Museveni,
who had directed the institution’s management to review its academic
programmes and establish a unit cost for training a student on their
various courses.
The students had been engaged in persistent
strikes opposing the university decision to increase first year tuition
fees by 10 per cent. To restore sanity at the university, Mr Museveni
said the government would pay Shs2.4 billion, which the university had
expected to recover from the increment. However, this has never
happened, according to sources who preferred anonymity. Prof Ddumba was
non-committal on the matter. Why restructure
According
to Dr Vincent Ssembatya, the head of the directorate of Quality
Insurance that provided secretarial services to the committe, the review
would make the academic programmes broader with core courses and
provide options for specialisation, while undergraduate programmes based
on single cross-cutting disciplines like development studies,
entrepreneurship and communication skills shall be phased out as
district courses and be studied as cross-cutting courses. “Programmes
targeting the same group and address similar job opportunities shall be
merged, each university student should be helped to learn how to make
and manage a business out of the course they study,” he said.
When a Military General dropped tears: Muntu
breaks down at FDC protest prayer: The main celebrant, Pastor Daniel Ngabo of Rock Deliverance
Church, who delivered the
day’s sermon, invited the participants to their knees to tell God their
grievances. He alluded to the Bible in Acts 12, where God sent an Angel to set
free Peter, who had been captured and waiting for trial. He said religious
leaders will not keep quiet but continue to pray for the country until it is
set free from injustices.
When the US
could not risk being dirtied by its Neo-liberal dictator : US critcises Uganda’s 2016 election says
Ugandans deserve better : Ugandan election commission lacks 'independence': EU
observers
When grey hair does not mean wisdom! Museveni’s
minister and Sociology Professor Tarsis Kabwegyere says stealing votes is part
of life…although it is painful to be cheated in an election, the aggrieved
persons should learn to “live with it.”
“I don’t like foreigners giving me orders on Uganda. Uganda is ours. If
we were to accept orders, Uganda would not be where it is today. In
1971, they told us to support Amin..... These people should leave us and
concentrate on solving their problems,” President Museveni
By RISDEL KASASIRA
Posted
Monday, April 11
2016 at
01:00
In Summary
Not bossed. The President said he does not take orders from foreigners
Kampala.
President Museveni told off donor countries that
are in the habit of criticising his government and the conduct of the
February 18 presidential elections to mind their own business.
“I don’t like foreigners giving me orders on
Uganda. Uganda is ours,” President Museveni said at a victory party held
at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds in central Kampala at the weekend. “If we
were to accept orders, Uganda would not be where it is today. In 1971,
they told us to support Amin,” Mr Museveni said without naming any
country. “These people should leave us and concentrate on solving their
problems.”
The European Union election observer team and the
US have criticised the government, saying the elections did not meet
international standards.
The United States’ Permanent Representative to the
UN, Ms Samantha Power last month described President Museveni as a risk
to Uganda’s future stability due to his government’s repressive
behaviour.
Speaking to the 15-member UN Security Council discussing
Great Lakes region, Ms Power stated: “President Museveni’s actions
contravene the rule of law and jeopardise Uganda’s democratic progress,
threatening Uganda’s future stability and prosperity.”
Elections critisised
Last week, the US
Ambassador to Uganda also criticised the manner in which the
presidential elections were conducted. “The social media shutdown, the
detention of Opposition figures, harassment of media - all of these
things combined with poor organisation of the election have weakened
Uganda’s democracy and tarnished Uganda’s image as a strong democracy in
a turbulent region.”
During the victory celebrations at Kololo
Ceremonial Grounds, Kampala last Saturday, President Museveni, however,
mocked the Opposition for claiming that he benefited from a rigged
presidential election, saying his opponents are just weak and sleepy.
“If you are saying you were rigged at the presidential level, how come
you lost parliamentary, district and sub-county elections? How can they
cheat you three million votes? Did you have agents? Did you have a
political party? That means you are in a slumber,” Mr Museveni said as
his supporters, cheered.
He also claimed that most of the votes that were counted invalid by the election officials were mainly NRM votes.
“When I hear those saying they won, may be they
want to perform a miracle like Jesus turned water into wine. It is
funny. And you know about 500,000 votes, mainly ours, were classified as
invalid yet they were not.”
The President warned public servants against
laxity, promising that the next five-years of his presidential term,
that will make him president for 35-years, he will purge public service
and weed out non-performers.
Mr Museveni also told Ugandans not to worry about
the current insecurity in Rwenzori region, which has claimed lives of
civilians, policemen and soldiers.
At least 40 people have been killed in the attacks in the two districts but have escalated to a security crisis. rkasasira@ug.nationmedia.com
US lacks competence to criticise Uganda’s democracy – Govt
Posted
Thursday, April 7
2016 at
14:51Uganda has told the US it lacks the competence
to criticise its democracy with government spokesperson, Ofwono Opondo
reminding one of the country’s largest development partners that they
[government] are fully satisfied with both the pace and achievements so
far registered.
“The US, which uses raw power to project its
influence and interests around the world, is the least competent to ask
other nations for democratic accountability,” Mr Opondo, who is the
government media centre executive director said in a statement released
Thursday.
Mr Opondo was reacting to comments made by Ms
Deborah Malac on Wednesday in which the US ambassador criticised
government for poorly handling the February 18 elections, which as she
said had cast Uganda’s standing on democracy in bad sharp as well as
tarnishing the country’s image.
Ms Malac, who was speaking at a symposium in
Kampala also said the US could not ignore actions that shrink the
country’s [Uganda] political space and restrict freedoms of expression
and assembly, echoing comments made by Ms Samantha Power, the US
permanent representative to the UN, who last month told the UN Security
Council that President Museveni was a risk to Uganda’s future stability
due to his government’s worsening repressive behaviour.
However, Mr Opondo cautioned Ms Malac and other
like her against relying on partisan report, singling out the EU
Election Observers report, which slammed the February 18 elections as
having lacked internationally accepted standards.
Mr Opondo advised those who continue to criticise
the poll to “either adduce evidence or keep their peace for good”,
revealing that government was aware of some groups in the US and EU,
including diplomats, that fund Opposition elements in Uganda to cause
government change outside the constitutional framework.
In her speech Ms Malac also said it was wrong for
government to curtail the rights and freedoms of people, particularly
those who oppose it.
Her comments came a day after police re-arrested
Dr Kizza Besigye as he tried, after 42 days under house arrest, to make
his way to Najjanankumbi, his party’s [FDC] headquarters, to attend the
weekly prayers that are organsied as part of the “Free my vote”
campaign.
The US has on several occasions asked government
to free Dr Besigye, who claims he won the February 18 elections,
accusing President Museveni of having grabbed his victory.
In a unanimous ruling at the close of last month
the Supreme Court upheld President Museveni’s victory in a presidential
election petition in which former prime minister Amama Mbabazi sought to
annul the election of the NRM presidential candidate.
According to the Electoral Commission, President
Museveni polled 60.7 per cent of the total votes cast compared to Dr
Besigye’s 35 per cent.
Henry Okello Oryem, State Minister for International Relations and Deborah R. Malac, US ambassador
By PATIENCE AHIMBISIBWE & RISDEL KASASIRA
Posted
Thursday, April 7
2016 at
01:00
In Summary
Contention. Whereas the US says the poorly organised
February elections have weakened Uganda’s image, government says the
results reflected the will of the people.Kampala. The United States
ambassador to Uganda yesterday kept the pressure on government,
observing that the poorly organised February elections have weakened
Uganda’s standing on democracy and tarnished the country’s image.
Government
has, however, rejected the criticism saying while there were some
shortcomings, the process was largely free and fair and the final result
reflected the will of the Uganda people.
Ms Deborah R. Malac said the US, which is one of
Uganda’s largest development partners with key cooperation ties on
military affairs, cannot ignore actions that shrink the country’s
political space and restrict freedoms of expression and assembly.
Her
comments at a public symposium on governance and peace follow last
month’s warnings by another US diplomat that President Museveni posed a
risk to Uganda’s future stability due to his government’s worsening
repressive behaviour.
“Many of you have seen or read statements
either by the embassy or US government made concerning the elections. In
them, we expressed serious concerns about the elections and their
aftermath,” she said.
“The social media shutdown, the detention of
Opposition figures, harassment of media -- all of these things combined
with poor organisation of the election have weakened Uganda’s democracy
and tarnished Uganda’s image as a strong democracy in a turbulent
region.”
The symposium was organised by the Public Administration and
Governance Society at Hotel Africana under the theme: “Post-Election
Peace for Prosperity.” In attendance were students from Makerere
University, Uganda Christian University and Kyambogo University.
Ms Malac observed that her country’s relationship with the Ugandan government should be based on shared democratic values.
“We
respect the sovereignty of the government of Uganda, and we do not
support any one individual or political party. We have spoken out
because we believe that the Ugandan people deserve to live in a country
where every voice is heard and matters,” she said.
Opposition leader
Kizza Besigye, who remains under house arrest 48 days since polling
weekend along with other regime opponents continue to face serious
difficulties, including police brutalisation, in enjoying their inherent
rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
Elements in the security forces also continue to
harass the free media, making it difficult for journalists to do their
work which is critical to holding government accountable.
The
ambassador said: “Some of you might consider comments like these as
interference. [The] US cannot ignore actions that shrink Uganda’s
political space and restrict freedoms of expression and assembly. We
have noted significant problems with the government’s management of
funds like in the health sector.”
“Shocking Global Fund audit - not for the first
time - millions of dollars wasted, missing or unspent. This money should
have gone to provide life-saving medicines for HIV/Aids prevention and
treatment, malaria and tuberculosis…. I readily admit that my country is
not perfect. Democracy is often messy. But despite the flaws, the US
constantly tries to improve itself and live up to its democratic
principles,” she added.
But State minister for International
Relations Henry Oryem Okello yesterday said in a telephone interview
that despite a few challenges, President Museveni was validly elected.
Mr
Oryem’s views will seat uncomfortably with the Forum for Democratic
Change party that insists that its candidate, Dr Besigye, was the true
winner of the February elections.
Yesterday, Makerere University
lecturer Susan Nansozi Muwanga, a former presidential debate panelist,
said with the prevailing political impasse, government’s accountability
to the people is meaningless.
“The issue of insecurity has to be addressed. It
is very hard to expect a fair election where the environment by and
large is corrupt, no substitutes for Electoral Commission considered
partial or where there is no neutral police that can guarantee
independent security,” Ms Muwanga said.
The criticism was echoed by Uganda Christian University lecturer Christopher Twesigye.
“The
elections in my view were not free and fair. They were characterised by
monetisation, intimidation and ballot stuffing. The role of the police,
army, resident district commissioners was not to ensure there was
peaceful elections but to intimidate and campaign for a particular
candidate,” he said.
“EC let down Ugandans. It was incompetent but we
knew it. [EC] chairman [Badru] Kiggundu doesn’t deserve to be in that
chair. As an engineer, he should be fixing our sewers somewhere in
Bwaise and Kawempe. I am one of those who wouldn’t want to see violence
in our country but the events we see in Kasese and holding politicians
and keeping them in their homes illegally doesn’t augur well. I have
been in exile several times. I don’t want to go back,” said Mr Twesigye.
The controversy
President Museveni was announced winner of the
disputed elections with a 60 per cent poll victory, extending his
30-year rule for yet another five-year term. His main challenger, Dr
Besigye, is said to have polled 35 per cent, according to the Electoral
Commission. The Supreme Court last month maintained the status quo
dismissing a petition filed by former presidential candidate Amama
Mbabazi challenging the results.
The President has described his
critics as “jokers”, saying that he does not “need lectures from anybody
on elections.” He ruled out claims of rigging, and said anyone with
intentions of contesting the results “is not serious.”
Last month,
United States Permanent Representative to the UN Samantha Power told the
Security Council: “President Museveni’s actions contravene the rule of
law and jeopardise Uganda’s democratic progress, threatening Uganda’s
future stability and prosperity.”
Ms Power cited the arbitrary
detention of Opposition leaders and supporters, harassment of
journalists and gagging of civil society.
Islamic banking is based on Sharia law and does not
allow interest rates to be charged on the loans or other products
from the commercial bank. Instead, the bank enters into an agreement with the
other party to share profits or losses equally from the venture they are in. “That’s great news, not just for Uganda’s Muslim population,
but anyone keen to see a thriving Ugandan banking market based on
choice for consumers,” said a statement from Stanchart. Uganda joins countries such as Kenya and Nigeria
in accommodating Islamic banking. (http://www.observer.ug/business/38-business/42023-islamic-agency-banking-to-change-face-of-industry
)
Comment
It is surprising that Christian church leaders
are protesting Islamic banking that does
not allow charging interest on loans but are silent on Neo-liberal oriented
banks and micro- finance institutions in Uganda
that are oppressing and exploiting the poor in Uganda by charging a lot of interest. Some micro-finance institutions charge
interest of over 35% . The poor in Uganda have lost assets such as land
to these tyrannical institutions because of failure to pay back the loans. Islamic
banking is an assault to Christians religious institutions that have embraced
neo-liberal capitalism and its ruse to oppress and exploit the poor. I wonder whether
these religious leaders have forgotten that even the Lord Jesus Christ condemned the oppression of the poor.
Any attempt of modesty was thrown out of
the window the minute some religious leaders learnt that government had
pushed through the amendments to the Financial Institutions Bill 2015,
part of which paved the way for Islamic banking, saying the country was
bound to face its most serious security threat if the Muslims had their
way, writes ALON MWESIGWA.
A group of religious leaders has
petitioned President Museveni, protesting the incorporation of Islamic
banking into Uganda’s financial system.
In letter dated January 14, 2016, the
authors, who describe themselves as “church leaders in Uganda” urge the
president not to sign the amendments, arguing that Sharia law, the base
on which Islamic banking operates, “will have far-reaching implications
beyond the suggested purpose of finance.”
The statement, which The Observer has
obtained, is signed by arch bishop of Church of Uganda Stanley Ntagali
as chair of the Uganda Joint Christian Council.
Other signatories are Bishop Simon Peter
Emau, the chairman of the Evangelical Churches of Uganda, Pastor Daniel
Matte, the president of the Seventh Day Adventist church.
The Financial Institutions (Amendment)
Bill 2015 was passed on January 6, 2016, paving way for inclusion of
Islamic banking, agency banking, and bancassurance in Uganda’s financial
sector.
The bill now awaits the president’s
assent but the protest of some sections of the church leaders could
prove a setback and an indication that not enough sensitization was done
before the passing of the law.
The church leaders noted that “we view
the passing of this bill as one of the most serious threats to national
security and stability with potential threats to future generations as
well.”
One key feature in Islamic banking is
that it enables a financial institution to lend without charging
interest. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), it is a
form of financial intermediation based on profit and loss sharing (PLS)
and the avoidance of interest rate-based commitments and contracts that
entail excessive risks and finance activities prohibited under Islamic
principles such as alcohol.
“We regret to note that the introduction
of Sharia law in the country opens door to the ultimate
operationalisation of fully-fledged Sharia not only in the finance
sector as contained in the bill but in all aspects of our national
life,” reads the church leaders’ letter.
It adds that it would create a “legal
stalemate with the Constitution of Uganda” and that all under this
arrangement, all Muslims might be compelled to use only Islamic banking
which may deny them the right to freedom of choice.”
The church leaders explained that the
bill “creates two parallel financial and economic systems for the
population of Uganda; for the Muslims, in conformance to the Sharia law,
and the non-Muslims. This will promote economic discrimination, and
will widen the already-existing income inequalities in the population.”
“Since in this bill the central Bank
seeks to establish a separate regulatory body to oversee Islamic
banking, there will be a serious challenge to harmonize this kind of
banking with the traditional banking system. This is because Islamic
banking will be run on Sharia law which is hinged on unique legal
principles which are in many ways contrary to Uganda’s constitution,”
they added.
Officials at the Bank of Uganda said
they hadn’t seen the petition. Last month, the central bank informed
journalists that they were working on regulations that would
operationalise the new amendments.
Meanwhile, some commercial banks had expressed their gratitude to the introduction of agency and Islamic banking.
In a statement in January, Standard
Chartered bank said: “That’s great news, not just for Uganda’s Muslim
population, but anyone keen to see a thriving Ugandan banking market
based on choice for consumers.”
Uganda joins countries such as Kenya and Nigeria in accommodating Islamic banking.
“With the first licenses granted in
Kenya just six or seven years ago, that would make Uganda’s leap into
Islamic banking a competitive advantage,” Stanchart says. It is also
present in Tanzania.
The market for Islamic financial assets
has grown at an annual average rate of about 16 per cent since 2006,
according to the IMF.
Starting with a handful of institutions
and negligible amounts in the late 1970s, Islamic finance grew to about
350 institutions and global total assets of about $1.7 trillion in 2013,
according to a 2014 IMF working paper.
Islamic finance has expanded throughout
the Middle East, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, North Africa, and, more
recently, in some sub-Saharan African countries, said the IMF, adding
that this is despite the fact that Islamic financial assets make up less
than one per cent of the world’s financial assets.
Islamic, agency banking to change face of industry
The long-awaited Islamic banking is now
accepted in Uganda. Also, the new law allows for agency banking.
However, in a highly-competitive market such as Uganda, the new forms of
banking could face a stern test, writes ALON MWESIGWA.
Amendments
to Uganda’s Financial Institutions Act 2004 will change the way banks
carry out business in the country and certainly set stage for major
growth, Standard Chartered Bank Uganda has said.
Herman Kasekende, the CEO of the bank,
told the press on Friday that Parliament’s passing of the amended
Financial Institutions Bill, which opened the way for Islamic banking,
among other things, would change the face of banking in the country.
“This is going to revolutionalise the
way we do business here,” Kasekende said. “It’s been a journey of about
four years pushing for these changes.”
The new law allows banks to engage in
agency banking, a sector Standard Chartered bank remains keen on,
Islamic banking and bank assurance. In particular, Islamic banking is
based on Sharia law and does not allow interest rates to be charged on
the loans or other products from the commercial bank.
Instead, the bank enters into an agreement with the other party to share profits or losses equally from the venture they are in.
“That’s great news, not just for
Uganda’s Muslim population, but anyone keen to see a thriving Ugandan
banking market based on choice for consumers,” said a statement from
Stanchart.
Uganda joins countries such as Kenya and Nigeria in accommodating Islamic banking.
“With the first licenses granted in
Kenya just six or seven years ago, that would make Uganda’s leap into
Islamic banking a competitive advantage,” Stanchart says.
Meanwhile, agency banking allows a
financial institution to contract, say a retail shop, supermarket chain,
postal outlet or mobile network operator to process transactions on
behalf of the bank.
The agent can receive deposits, offer
cash withdrawals and sell other bank products. This allows the bank to
reach more places without having brick and mortar presence. This
massively cuts on the costs of operation for the bank.
“In a short time, we can have presence everywhere,” said Kasekende.
In Kenya, this sort of banking is
already popular with large financial institutions such as Equity bank.
In the first quarter of 2014, for instance, 14 Kenyan banks had
appointed 24,645 agents. They had executed about 93 million transactions
worth Ksh 500bn ($4.9 billion) since 2010, according to the Business
Daily, a Nairobi-based newspaper.
Equity bank reported that its agents
were carrying out more transactions in a day than its tellers and ATMs.
Rwanda, too, has okayed agency banking. In Uganda, banks remain thin in
some remote areas of the country, which they deem not commercially
viable to have a fully-fledged branch.
This is where telecoms have taken
advantage by recruiting more people on their mobile money platforms to
support some financial transactions.
Agency banking could not have come in
more handy. Less than five million Ugandans have bank accounts, out of a
possible 14 million adults in the country.
However, the current law does not
address the issue of one agent serving two banks at the same time.
Already, there are clear-cut examples within the telecom sector where
some companies do not prefer its agents to sign up to a second company.
Cecilia Muhwezi, the head of compliance at Stanchart, said she did not think one agent would serve more than one bank.
“That will be provided for in the regulations.”
In regards to bancassurance, banks will
be able to offer insurance products in partnership with insurance firms.
The banks would then earn a commission on policies or products sold.
The products can range from coverage for
illness, funeral expenses, to education expenses. Insurance coverage in
the country remains low, at less than one per cent of the population.
The banks’ entry into the industry could re-energise the sector.
Banks
made more money in the financial year to June 2015 compared to the year
before, with the biggest amount of profit generated through earnings on
lending out money to the private sector.
In the 2015 financial stability report,
Bank of Uganda says the level of after-tax profits for the banking
sector increased by 55.1 per cent, an improvement from the decline of
27.8 per cent experienced in the year ended June 2014.
The rise in profitability was driven by
the increase on profits on loans, and falling operating expenses as a
share of income, the central bank said. Money earned on loans increased
by 9.8 per cent in the period under review, owing to the stock of
outstanding credit and high interest rates.
Yet while interest earned on loans and
advances continued to contribute the largest share of interest income,
it was income from banks’ holdings of government securities that
registered the highest rate of growth, at 22.7 per cent, boosted by a
rise in interest rates during the year.
Government borrowed Shs 1.4tn from the
domestic market between June 2014 and June 2015 and commercial banks
remained among the biggest lenders to it.
“Between June 2014 and June 2015,
interest rates on 91-day treasury bills increased by 3.8 per cent,
compared to average lending rates on shilling loans which rose by 1.2
per cent,” BOU said.
On the other hand, over the same period,
the banking system’s return on assets reached 2.5 per cent, while the
return on equity increased from 14.2 per cent to 15.6 per cent.
The shilling depreciated by more than 24
per cent during the same period, which favoured banks. As the central
bank raised its key rate to arrest inflation, interest rates and yields
on securities – money earned on government debt – increased. Banks
cashed in.
The economy is estimated to have grown
at five per cent, more than the year before at 4.6 per cent. This was as
a result of the growth in economic activity. In the 2015/16 financial
year, the economy’s growth is expected to be slightly high owing to
government’s huge investment in infrastructure.
On the stock market, there was a decline
in activity, with the turnover of Shs 310bn in 2014/2015 compared to
Shs 333bn the year before.
“The drop in equity turnover was driven
by rising interest rates that have seen investors shift to the
government bond market and a weak shilling that has seen off-shore
investors’ scale down activity,” BOU says.
Going forward, BOU says the increase in
interest rates in the US will enhance the appeal of US assets and this
could create negative implications for Uganda’s economy due to capital
outflows.
Also, the fall in commodity prices will
lead to a decline in incomes of households and commercial farmers which
in turn, affects government revenues. In addition, the slowdown in China
may lead to the reduction in Chinese investment in the country.
This may translate to reduced economic activity with a negative impact on growth, BOU says.
The former assistant bishop of Kampala,
DR ZAC NIRINGIYE, has engaged in political activism since taking early
retirement four years ago.
Bishop Niringiye played a central role
in the ill-fated The Democratic Alliance (TDA) process to select a joint
candidate to challenge President Museveni. In this interview with Benon
Herbert Oluka, Bishop Niringiye discusses that process and other events
that have happened in the last six months.
When you were
taking early retirement from your pastoral duties, you said you were
going to “help President Museveni finish well.” Given that the status
quo remains as it was, do you feel that you have failed in your mission?
First of all, I think it is a
misunderstanding – either deliberate or not – to suggest that that was
the primary reason I took early retirement. If you check both my public
interviews as well as my written communication, I was very clear that
the overall reason for my early retirement was to be able to devote
time, attention and energies to be an activist for social justice,
accountable governance and accountable leadership.
Really, [it was] to focus on the fact
that the dignity of every Ugandan and, indeed, of every human
everywhere, matters to God – and that is why Jesus was sent. So I need
to re-state that my early retirement was not a departure from my call to
follow Jesus, to serve the Lord and his Church because it is very clear
that the gospel is about justice; it is about salvation, which is about
human flourishing and, indeed, the flourishing of all of creation. So,
anything that goes against all that, God abhors.
Now, serving as assistant Bishop of
Kampala, I did that and, as you know, I was chair of the Africa Peer
Review Mechanism for about four years. So, I was engaged in efforts and
initiatives for advocating for and ensuring good governance, accountable
leadership and fighting corruption. But it wasn’t something that I gave
my full-time attention to because, in addition to all that, I was
engaged with civil society.
You will recall that I was the chair for
the national taskforce for peace and conflict transformation during the
2011 general elections. I could give you a number of other engagements.
The difference was that now I was going to commit all my energies to
the work of justice and dignity of every Ugandan and beyond. So, that is
the wider call.
Have I failed? Absolutely not. The day I
stop following Jesus is the day I will have failed. I am following
Jesus and I am seeking to do God’s will every day. It is a journey. I am
not finished until I leave this earth. It is at that moment that
[anyone] can look back to, and history will be able to judge.
Indeed, there is not a question, that
one of my conclusions at the time – and it still is – is that the
Museveni-NRM regime had become an obstacle to the human flourishing and
the quest for justice and human dignity for Ugandans. Why?
Because the Museveni-NRM regime has come
to be characterised by militirisation; the denial of freedoms of
speech, of assembly, of association; [and] the denial of the basic
rights of Ugandan citizens. It is really sad that the Museveni-NRM
regime is synonymous with impunity, unbelievable levels of theft – not
just misappropriation or embezzling but money is taken from the public
coffers and used for purposes not of public interest, not for that for
which it was designated.
So, for President Museveni, having
served for 26 years at that time, it was very clear – and it hasn’t
changed – he has done his bit. So, it is true that for a person who has
served the country for that length of time, it is important that he
finishes well.
But also as the head of state of this
country, which has never known peaceful transfer of power from one
president to another, I believe that it is important that we see, at
least in our time, a president hand over power peacefully, and not by
bullets and violence. Is that still a cause that I want to see through?
Absolutely. Why? Because that is actually a very necessary step towards
the achievement of accountable leadership, accountable governance, and a
Ugandan society where there is shared opportunity for all.
Since
you retired, you have spoken strongly about the role some of the
bishops play in our society. Now, given the prevailing situation that
you have talked about, do you feel that the Church is speaking out
strongly enough about some of the things you feel are going wrong?
There are definitely a number of
Christian leaders in all the Christian traditions in Uganda who have
been speaking and who are men and women of integrity. Some [have spoken]
at parish levels, in the congregations; people who are really faithful
to the gospel and who seek to see what the scriptures command; to be
salt and light; to be voices for the downtrodden; to speak against
injustice. So, there are many across the levels, and that I think we
need to acknowledge.
However, what people often want to hear
are clear statements by the institutional Church, where the Church
leadership speaks either from its synods, diocese or provincial synods
(in the case of the Church of Uganda) or the synod of the Episcopal
Conference for the Roman Catholic Church – and often the institutional
voice, as represented by the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda or the
Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC) or the Church of Uganda House of
Bishops, or the Church of Uganda Provincial Archbishop in his Christmas
or Easter messages.
We really want to say there could be
more. If you look at statements of Inter-Religious Council or UJCC in
broad terms over the years, they have been true to challenging
corruption levels, challenging impunity, and demanding leveled ground
for elections. I think that has been consistent. The challenge has been
whether the Church will follow through their speech with actions.
What kind of action? That they will go the next step and put in certain drastic actions that would reflect that speech.
Number two; that there would be speech
that is not just generalised. I think the faithful long to hear voices
that say, we demand A, B, C, D, E, F, G actions; clear actions demanded
of those who are entrusted with authority to manage resources.
And that is why for us in the Black
Monday Movement we went the next step and demanded specific actions;
that if a minister is implicated in a corruption scandal, the president
needs to take political actions. Such a minister should be asked to
resign as investigations are proceeding. If you read the scriptures,
read the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, they were very specific on
what kind of action God demanded of those who were entrusted with public
responsibility and the authority to govern and manage public resources.
So, why are the religious institutions not playing such a role?
I must say that the UJCC report was
very, very clear – and it must be applauded – in terms of the level of
theft of that election, the failures of the electoral commission. So,
you should have an interview with the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda
to say, ‘you had a UJCC report say there was [election] theft and
failures of the electoral commission.
How could you then, as the chair of the
UJCC, go ahead and congratulate Museveni?’ How could he then do that
when he knew that there was even a case before the Supreme court?
We will take up your suggestion.
I asked the previous question because you have been a senior leader in
the church and you are privileged to know its inner workings. We want to
get your insight on what could be wrong.
There are at least three things that may
explain the silence of these structures or the lack of clarity in terms
of giving direction and challenge to the governing authorities. The
first, broadly speaking, is lack of an appreciation that to speak and to
act demanding that those who hold public office are accountable; that
they are just; that they lead based on the rule of law; and that the
laws that are passed must be for the well-being of the people; that that
is part of the mandate of being a minister of the gospel.
I fear that there are a number of
religious leaders who have believed the lie that that is the duty of
politicians. And President Museveni plays back that kind of religion,
which is complete heresy, by the way.
The duty of a minister of the gospel is
the whole, the human flourishing, that the salvation that God brings is
total, for the whole being in community, in creation – not just the
individual. And, therefore, we must be at the forefront of fighting for
the environmental integrity. This abuse of the environment is
unacceptable. So, do our religious leaders understand that?
Secondly, every dictatorship, in its
quest to entrench itself, targets centres of conscience of society.
Dictators work in one of three ways. First, through co-optation, buying
out, ensuring that people are part of their patronage network. The
second one is coercion; instilling fear and force. The third is seeking
legitimacy through laws that are not really for the common good but are
to entrench the dictatorship.
If you look at the president’s
donations, the State House budget, all that money is for oiling the
patronage machinery. Truth be told, religious institutions, churches,
mosques, Sheikhs and Bishops have become very much targets of
dictatorship.
Now, we have been very clear that there
is absolutely nothing wrong in a president putting our taxes to
contributing to developments that are initiated by religious
institutions. The difference is when he begins to disperse these
resources as though they were his own, as though it was an act of
benevolence on his part as an individual. That then becomes corruption
because it becomes part of developing a patronage system.
It is not just religious leaders who are
being compromised, but even cultural leaders. You have seen how
cultural leaders are being created and funded.
Number three is the fear factor. You
have what I call the Museveni state. There is no doubt that when I was
arrested and detained and roughed up in 2013 and 2014, I am very sure
that that was intended to be a message to religious leaders that if you
should act for justice, demanding in a very clear activist manner, this
is how you are going to be treated.
But truth be told, it is failure [on the
part of religious leaders] to be true to God and to the calling to be
ministers of the gospel, ministers of faith.
Now, towards the
2016 elections, your activism evolved into trying to form an opposition
coalition through The Democratic Alliance (TDA)....
Let me first clarify that the TDA effort
wasn’t an effort to bring together the “opposition.” It was an effort
to bring together all democracy-seeking forces and individuals because
the mood and drive for change is clearly for the whole country.
The scriptures enjoin us not only to
speak for justice but to organise for justice, to act for justice. So,
we must organise to bring down the forces of injustice but also organise
to build, to put in place systems, processes, mechanisms that could
work for the common good. So, I was deeply involved in organising the
campaign for free and fair elections because it was necessary. And that
became the launch pad for TDA, an alliance that seeks to remove the
dictatorship not by violent means but through elections as a means to do
that.
You have spoken about the weaknesses of Museveni
and NRM. The government in waiting are the people in opposition. Having
worked with them during the TDA process, what are your candid views
about those who seek to replace Museveni?
First of all, the level of brokenness is
not just in government but our society. We all acknowledge, and it is
very easy to show, how the Museveni-NRM regime has brought total
collapse to institutions of the state. They have totally co-opted them
and they have become Museveni institutions; they are no longer state
institutions. There are a few positive signs here and there but the
overall story is that all these are on their knees.
What we are faced up with is not simply
that you have institutions of the state that have collapsed, but
actually we risk the collapse of our society and the evidence of that is
failure for society to bring about leaders who will provide leadership.
But I need to say this; the work is not over.
What failed has to do with the nature of
our society; the way in which the Museveni-NRM has created a culture of
selfishness, greed, and stealing. Leadership creates culture. We have a
culture of stealing and selfish leadership because you see that from
the top level and across the entire body-politic. This is something we
must work at so that we have leaders who are committed to the common
good; who put aside their own self-ambitions and are able to commit to
the common good. That is a massive challenge.
So, while the [TDA] process did not
yield common leadership for this cause, it is not all lost because we
are still on that journey. Why? Because the dictatorship is still here
and we can’t give up. We still must work to find a united leadership
that holds this cause together.
Secondly, we were very clear that the
future of this country must be negotiated. There are issues that have
bedevilled the country. Injustice reigns. There have been killings by
the state, various governments. It is necessary to have a process of
truth-telling, justice and national reconciliation.
Elsewhere, we have spoken about a
predator state, a thieving state. The structure of our state is such
that it makes dictators thrive. The re-structuring of the state,
therefore, is a matter of priority. All this needs to be in a
discussion.
We need joint leadership for this
process. We need leadership that is able to put the dictator the other
side and say, “By the way, this process is also for you so that you
finish well. You need not be afraid.” So it is not over and this work is
ongoing.
When a Military General dropped tears: Muntu
breaks down at FDC protest prayer: The main celebrant, Pastor Daniel Ngabo of Rock Deliverance
Church, who delivered the
day’s sermon, invited the participants to their knees to tell God their
grievances. He alluded to the Bible in Acts 12, where God sent an Angel to set
free Peter, who had been captured and waiting for trial. He said religious
leaders will not keep quiet but continue to pray for the country until it is
set free from injustices.
When the US
could not risk being dirtied by its Neo-liberal dictator : US critcises Uganda’s 2016 election says
Ugandans deserve better : Ugandan election commission lacks 'independence': EU
observers
When grey hair does not mean wisdom! Museveni’s
minister and Sociology Professor Tarsis Kabwegyere says stealing votes is part
of life…although it is painful to be cheated in an election, the aggrieved
persons should learn to “live with it.”
L-R: FDC leaders Aswa County MP Reagan Okumu, party chairperson Wasswa
Birigwa, president Mugisha Muntu, former presidential candidate Kizza
Besigye and deputy secretary general Harold Kaija pray at the party
headquarters in Najjanankumbi, Kampala, yesterday. Photo BY ABUBAKER
LUBOWA
By SOLOMON ARINAITWE & EBBER ATURINDE
Posted
Wednesday, April 13
2016 at
01:10
In Summary
Testimony. The Opposition activist notes that it was God who guided them through the Bush war as they fought for justice
KAMPALA.
At his debut prayer service following a 47-day
virtual confinement, Opposition leader Kizza Besigye yesterday said the
Bush war that ushered President Museveni’s government into power was
largely aided by God and rallied his supporters to believe in a “God of
defiance”.
Dr Besigye, who police allowed to leave his
Kasangati home yesterday, but trailed him and forced him to use
alternative routes, recounted the problems that conspired to frustrate
the war ranging from the 1983 UNLA’s Maj Gen Oyite-Ojok led offensive to
severe drought and the aborted attack on Kabamba barracks.
“If it was not for God, all of us, including Mr
Museveni, would not have come from the bush. It was not because of
Ssabalwayanyi [Museveni] that we who won the war, it was because of God.
Some people were rather spiteful of this idea of prayer but the first
testimony I am going to give is that our God is God of defiance. He
defies injustice and he stands with all those who seek justice,” he
said.
Mr Geoffrey Tayebwa, the Kampala south deputy regional police commander (2nd R), with other plain-clothed security operatives.
Though the party was holding the prayers for the
fourth week, it was the first time Dr Besigye was allowed to access the
FDC headquarters in Najjanankumbi since he was picked up from there as
the party prepared to address the media on what they said was a
results-manipulating racket on February 20.
On his first attempt to participate in the party’s
weekly Tuesday prayers last week, Dr Besigye was arrested at Mulago
roundabout and held for the entire night after disagreeing with police
on routes to access the city.
Throughout the enforced routes that he used
yesterday, Dr Besigye was trailed by tinted unmarked vans while
plain-clothed operatives sprayed teargas on unsuspecting road users and
warning onlookers not to applaud the Opposition leader.
Yesterday, Dr Besigye told the party supporters
that although God may be sympathetic to the anti-Museveni struggle,
Ugandans must also take the initiative.
One the plain-clothed security operatives who beat up and pepper sprayed
some road users as they trailed Kizza Besigye yesterday.
“Let those who are evil fight the people who are
praying. With God, we will not fail. But that is not to say we should
sit and do nothing because God helps those who help themselves. Our
country is in captivity by those who are wielding the power of the gun,”
Dr Besigye said.
Buoyed by the harsh criticism of the election by the US, Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago rallied the international community.
“They have a duty of helping in dismantling the dictatorship which they contributed in building,” he said.
The prayers
The ‘Free My vote’
campaign was unveiled to protest the Electoral Commission’s results
that indicated that Dr Besigye polled 35 per cent of the valid votes. It
envisaged forcing an international audit of the disputed results. “We
serve a God of justice. The Bible says those who exalt themselves will
be brought down low and will perish. I am sure that with the passing of
time, we will see it ourselves,” party boss Mugisha Muntu said.
The Kampala Metropolitan Police
commander, Abbas Byakagaba, has disowned goons who were draped in black
T-shirts with masked faces, wielding recoiling whips that they used to
beat up supporters of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC)’s Col Dr Kizza
Besigye.
Byakagaba says police will investigate
and take action against its officers who looked on as strange men
unleashed terror on citizens. His statement should embarrass Byakagaba!
Does he realize how incompetent he sounds with such a statement?
The constitutional duty of the Uganda
Police Force (UPF) is to protect people’s lives and property. In this
particular incident, the police officers who were equipped with guns and
other tools meant to subdue and control crowds looked on as these men
beat up people as if they were approving their actions.
Masked men beating up people on Tuesday
In the past, police officers in similar
circumstances have looked as the so-called Kiboko squad bashed
demonstrators on Kampala streets. Again, in the beginning, police,
including their leader, General Kale Kayihura, disowned this group but
could not explain why they were not arrested as they beat up people.
Later, President Museveni owned up, and
introduced the squad as peace volunteers. The question is, is police in
charge of the security of this country anymore? In the past, they have
been arresting members of outlawed groups such as Kifeesi, Power Ten,
and many other groups that had come up to counter the police-backed
crime preventers.
Police is being dishonest in this matter
because how on earth can a stranger beat up people in full view of the
security agents, and police does not react? If everyone in this country
is allowed to take over the security of their life and property, would
it be a country governed by rule of law?
Is the police so weak and ill-equipped
as to fail to control the crowds – in that they have to rely on the
support of illegal outfits such as these masked men?
The action of these men could suggest
that actually police is not able to maintain law and order, and such a
duty has now been delegated to illegal organisations.
During the elections, police arrested
people who were involved in the beating up of President Museveni’s
supporters in Ntungamo district. The police chief even offered the
police helicopters to fly them to hospitals.
A Shs 20m bounty was placed on former
head of candidate Amama Mbabazi security, Christopher Aine, for whoever
would arrest him because of his alleged involvement in the Ntungamo
fights.
We only hope that the gusto and spirit
with which they hunted down those involved in Ntungamo fights would be
the same or even more while hunting down the masked men. We need to end
impunity, and police needs to own up.
Banks
made more money in the financial year to June 2015 compared to the year
before, with the biggest amount of profit generated through earnings on
lending out money to the private sector.
