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Uganda Senior Police officers are facing eviction from Buganda State Police Barracks:

 

By Simon Ssekidde

 

Added 31st May 2016

 

Currently Mpigi Central Police station is faced with the challenge of housing

 

 

Officers at Mpigi Police Station gear up for deployment recently. (Senior officers have been told to leave the barracks).

 

Senior Police officers at Mpigi Central Police Station have been asked to vacate houses in the police barracks and rent rooms outside the barracks.

In the letter dated 23rd May 2016, authored by the District Police Commander, Ahmad Kimera Sseguya, he directed all officers from the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and above to immediately vacate the houses where they are currently staying.

According to Kimera, all officers from the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police and above are not allowed to sleep in the police barracks because they receive housing allowance in their salary every month.

“We have junior officers who are renting outside the barracks yet they are supposed to sleep inside the Police barracks, these senior officers are supposed to sleep outside the barracks and not inside because their housing allowances are consolidated in the salary” Kimera said.

Currently there are nine Senior Police officers sleeping in houses inside the barracks at Mpigi Central Police station who are facing eviction according to Kimera.

Kimera added that Cadet Officers are however excused because they are not yet confirmed ASPs and therefore they do not receive housing allowances.

Currently, the station is faced with the challenge of housing.

One of the officers who is facing eviction but preferred enormity, said the directive came at a time when they have no money to rent rooms outside the barracks and that they are expensive which they cannot afford now.

“We cannot afford to rent rooms outside the barracks now because they are expensive, we are still looking for money to take our children to school and they are now asking us to leave the barracks” he said.

'Paasita' eyeeyita Yesu bamuggalidde: Agaana abagoberezi be emmere enfumbe, okugenda mu ddwaaliro, n'okusoma:

By Musasi wa Bukedde

 

Added 1st July 2016

 

POLIISI mu disitulikiti y’e Nakaseke ekutte ab’enzikiriza egaana abantu okulya emmere enfumbe, okugenda mu malwaliro n’okutwala abaana ku ssomero abaabadde bakubye olukuhhaana okusaasaanya enjiri yaabwe

 

Emu ku makanisa amanji agagoberera ISA MASIYA mu nsi Buganda.

 

POLIISI mu disitulikiti y’e Nakaseke ekutte ab’enzikiriza egaana abantu okulya emmere enfumbe, okugenda mu malwaliro n’okutwala abaana ku ssomero abaabadde bakubye olukuhhaana okusaasaanya enjiri yaabwe.

Baakwatiddwa ku kyalo Tongo mu ggombolola y’e Kapeeka mu disitulikiti y’e Nakaseke.

Omwogezi wa poliisi mu kitundu kya Savana, Lameka Kigozi yategeezezza nti abaakwatiddwa baggaliddwa ku poliisi e Kiwoko ne mukama waabwe Emmanuel Semakula 35, ng’ono yeeyita ISA MASIYA era agamba nti agaba n’emikisa.

Nb

Ensi Buganda ejjudde nyo eddini. Ono naye agenda kwefunira linya LYA SADAAKA (ekiweebwayo) MU DDINI ENO EYA TONDA nga Baganda banaffe wano e Namugongo bwebajjukirwa okukamala.

Kabaka Mutebi of Buganda has approved the redevelopment of the Palace at Mengo: 

11 December, 2019

By James Kabengwa 

 

Buganda officials led by Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga (centre) tour the Kabaka’s palace in Mengo in September 2016. Kabaka Ronald Mutebi has approved a grand redevelopment of his palace in Mengo. PHOTO BY JAMES KABENGWA 

 

Kabaka Ronald Mutebi has approved a grand redevelopment of his palace, which has been subdivided into four new plots.

The second deputy Katikkiro and minister of Investments, planning and economic development of Buganda Kingdom, Mr Waggwa Nsibirwa, said “all is on course.”

“His majesty is pleased that the Lubiri should be redeveloped and the Katikkiro went into consultations. The first product of these consultations agreed on the land use and what can be done in Lubiri. However, the Kabaka directed that we should not lose sight of our cultural heritage as we implement the transformation,” Mr Nsibirwa said yesterday.

 The old palace building built by the British colonialists

 

In the new arrangement, the Kabaka’s current official house, Twekobe, will be occupied by a museum.

A surveying firm, RTK Surveys Ltd, has completed drawing the topographic aspects of the 216-acre land that is encircled by the Ring Road and a conclusive report on land use. The report has been approved by the administration at Mengo, according to Mr Nsibirwa.

RTK surveys has been paid Shs40 million for the job. Among the things in the topographic report are boundary demarcations, site elevations and water movements.

 

Other three firms have also signed agreements with the kingdom and will bag Shs400 million to draw the master plan within a deadline of 12 months starting this month.

These firms include Arc Forum represented by Robert Kiggundu, Gepoka Associates Ltd represented by Edward Kayiso Golooba (head of surveyors in Uganda) and Design Forum represented by Lugemwa Lugalambi.

Initially, the three firms presented their papers separately but sources said they agreed and made a singular proposal that they are already implementing as a joint group.

A source privy to the redevelopment, however, said a definitive redevelopment budget has not yet been tabled because the master plan is still being developed.

Other developments
The kingdom also looks forward to investors who can make a housing project in Buswa, Wakiso District and those that can lease land to undertake agriculture.

Buganda constitutes 25 per cent of the Ugandan population with approximately 10 million people.

Background
The Kabaka made a directive to revamp the palace and make better use of the prime land within the city suburb of Mengo to suit the modern standards.

 

 The Idi Amin building where the dictator tortured the citizens of Uganda to death

 

The earlier proposed controversial plans for the construction of an airfield and shopping malls, which were earlier on opposed by some Baganda, was dropped.

Mengo then selected a seven-man committee chaired by Mr Francis Kamulegeya, the country director of PriceWater- HouseCoopers, which has now zeroed in on four projects and the new set up will now have a multipurpose modern palace on (70 acres); a specialised teaching hospital (60 acres), schools that will include a kindergarten, primary and high school (25 acres) as well as a Buganda cultural village that will comprise an exhibition centre, cottage industries, ceremonial grounds, a model of Kiganda homestead and a garden (61 acres).
Museum
In the new arrangement, the old palace will be converted into a museum that will mainly showcase Buganda’s heritage, historical aspects, and participation in the national politics, among other things, according to Mr Kamulegeya.
The new palace will be constructed with five-star facilities that will include banquets, conference rooms and lodging rooms for Kabaka’s top visitors, among others.

editorial@ug.nationmedia.com

 

 

 

 

 

Oil Companies want a Uganda industrial refinery delayed to 2026 as they start to export only crude oil from the country:

November 26, 2018

Written by Jeff Mbanga

 

The beautiful landscape of Uganda where oil must be excavated at once for financial profits. 

 

One-and-half years since Uganda and Tanzania signed an intergovernmental agreement for the East African Crude Oil pipeline – the start of what was supposed to be a smooth process to signing off other crucial documents such as the Host Agreement and the Final Investment Decision - the three main oil companies in Uganda say many of the critical numbers that should inform their decision of whether to put money on the table don’t make much business sense, writes JEFF MBANGA.

The oil companies – Total E&P, Cnooc and Tullow Oil - want a revision of the terms they had earlier agreed upon. Their most interesting demand is for government to allocate all the available crude oil resources to the pipeline at the expense of a delay in building the oil refinery. As expected, government has balked at such a proposal. 

Due to this deadlock, Uganda’s oil industry is experiencing yet another bout of investor fatigue, with the patience of many businesses being stretched to the limit.

According to a secret cabinet memo prepared recently by the ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, a copy of which The Observer has, one of the biggest bones of contention is the tariff that the companies are expected to charge for the transportation of the crude. Companies charge a tariff per barrel of oil in order to recoup their investments.

More than a year ago when the three oil companies and government negotiated for the construction of the crude oil pipeline, it was agreed that the tariff would be capped at $12.2 per barrel for the 25 years that project would be in place. There was a provision that the tariff would fluctuate downwards but not breach the $12.2 per barrel cap.

The tariff is supposed to factor in four main items: the oil resources moving through the pipeline, the capital expenditure, the operating expenditure, and the return on investment. 

However, it has emerged that in May this year, the oil companies had a change of mind over this model.

“The business structure and assumptions of the pipeline project then supported this tariff. These key assumptions included: a one-period tariff structure for the entire life of the project of 25 years, ship and pay revenue mechanism, fluctuating tariff capped at $12.2 per barrel, and a pipeline throughput of 866 million barrels after the right of first call on volumes to the refinery has been met,” reads the cabinet memo.

These assumptions, it has now come to light, no longer appeal to the oil companies. The companies now don’t just want all the available crude oil resources but a higher tariff too.

“The revised business model, proposed by the upstream oil companies for the pipeline project in May 2018, has changed the earlier assumptions that underpinned the development of the project,” the ministry of energy points out, adding: “Some of the revised proposals include the allocation of all the available resources of 1.046 billion barrels of crude oil to the pipeline project.”

The figure of 1.046 billion throws up another question: what happened to the 1.7 billion barrels of recoverable oil that government has long touted?

Anyway, that is not all. The ministry of Energy says that the oil companies have proposed a revised business model that “also introduces a new tariff methodology that requires the targeted return on all capital investments to be recovered within the first 10 years. After the first 10 years when the investment and the return have been recouped, the upstream oil companies propose a tariff methodology that recovers all the costs incurred in a particular year in that same year, with a profit element of 10 per cent.”

The oil companies’ targeted rate of return is set at 10 per cent, which translates into a return on equity of 16 per cent. These figures, according to the ministry of Energy, are way too high, and has opposed them. Government says the return on investment should not exceed seven per cent.

So, what if government rebuffs this particular demand from the oil companies over the tariff and sticks to putting up its oil refinery with a capacity of 60,000 barrels of oil per day, what then? The oil companies say this scenario leaves them demanding for a higher tariff.

The companies argue: “Using the proposed revised business model, an allocation of 60,000 barrels of oil to the refinery in accordance with the 2014 MOU and the remaining volumes to the pipeline, results into a tariff of over $16 per barrel for the first 10 years. In this case, the pipeline project is only viable for 13 years, beyond which the tariff reaches significantly high non-commercial levels.”

There are a number of viewpoints to interpret the oil companies’ decision to adjust what they had earlier agreed on. On one hand, this whole back and forth points to a growing fear that has for at least eight year engulfed Uganda’s oil industry: oil companies are worried about policy changes that create an unpredictable environment. 

For example, some oil companies have over the years been left uncomfortable by the amendments to Uganda’s income tax laws. Tullow Oil has over the last two years struggled to receive government approval for the sale of 21 per cent of its Uganda interests to Total E&P and Cnooc partly due to a difference in interpretation of tax laws. 

Then earlier this year, a Statutory Instrument – a policy tool - that sought to give Uganda’s government more power to regulate what private investors spent in the oil midstream industry, and how much costs they could recover, rubbed the oil companies the wrong way.

The instrument, which Irene Muloni, the minister of Energy and Mineral Development, issued around June this year, was later withdrawn after Total E&P, Cnooc and Tullow Oil mounted pressure against the policy.

On the other hand, the whole deadlock over the oil resources and the tariff for the pipeline shows the kind of oil politics that Uganda faces. Uganda, fighting to claim its place on the high table of Africa’s big oil producers, faces a daunting task of getting a number of stubborn oil companies to play by the rules the country has set for its oil industry.

Dennis Kamurasi, the vice chairman of the Association of Uganda Oil and Gas Service Providers, says either way, Uganda’s oil industry will take off.

“The project has gone too far not to take off,” he told us. “Agreements have been signed, and a lot of resources have been committed. But there is a lot of anxiety among investors [over the delays]. But like in any other business, there are many variables that are beyond your control. What I would advise is for investors to tighten their belts.”

If there is a group that should tighten their belts, it is the government officials pushing for the oil refinery. According to the memo, “upstream oil companies have recently proposed an alternative allocation mechanism that requires a reduction in the refinery capacity to 30,000 barrels per day and a delay in the refinery commission date to 2026.”

The government maintains that “its position is that a refinery of 60,000 barrel per day capacity is developed given the fact that the projected demand for petroleum products in Uganda and the neighbouring countries will exceed 60,000 barrels per day by the time the refinery is commissioned in 2023.

Uganda’s demand for petroleum products is currently at 36,000 barrels oil per day and is expected to grow at nine per cent annually over the short to medium term.

To put all these disagreements to rest, President Yoweri Museveni has called for a meeting on December 12, where he is expected to make a make a final decision.

It is, however, hard to see Museveni welcoming the demands of the oil companies, especially after government signed a framework agreement with a consortium of companies to build a refinery. Already, a team of Ugandan officials were in Italy recently to see off the start of the Front End Engineering Design studies for the refinery. All this work is premised on the assumption that the refinery will have a capacity of 60,000 barrels per day.

At that meeting, Museveni will come up against a prospect that former International Monetary Fund representative to Uganda, Tom Richardson, once said of the task Uganda faces in managing its oil affairs: “This is like playing in the football World Cup.”

jeff@observer.ug

 

 

 

 

 

In Uganda, the Justice James Ogoola of the Elders Forum has warned Members of Parliament not to make irrational decisions on the one hand and then creating a false impression of themselves on the other:

Mr Mbabazi and M/s Kadaga on their part need government to creat more political employment:

 

Light moment. (Left to right): Former Prime

Light moment. (Left to right): Former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, former Principal Judge James Ogoola, former Tororo Municipality MP Sanjay Tanna and Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga at a dinner in Kampala on Friday. Photo by Stephen Otage 

Former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi and Parliament Speaker Rebecca Kadaga are pushing for a bicameral legislature for Uganda and want an additional Upper House introduced.

The proposal seeks to divide the legislators into two separate Houses, with directly elected members serving as a primary point of legislation, while the Upper House will offer advice and direction to the country on legislative matters.

The plan was mooted at a dinner for MPs of the 9th Parliament at the Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala on Friday night. 
The 9th Parliament ran from 2011-2016, with Mr Mbabazi as Leader of Government Business and Ms Kadaga as Deputy Speaker.
Mr Mbabazi was invited as a guest speaker at the function that was presided over by Ms Kadaga.

Mr Mbabazi said the Upper House will be composed of “knowledgeable former MPs and other personnel of expertise” to streamline the country’s socio-economic and political agenda.

He also said as a Constituent Assembly (CA) delegate, he had proposed a Council of State as a second tier assembly but the idea was defeated on grounds of financial implications. 
The CA, which lasted more than a year (1994-1995) was established to discuss and debate the Draft Constitution and make a new constitution for Uganda.

It was dissolved on October 8, 1995, with the proclamation of the new Constitution. 
“We should have a forum where people of wisdom, people of experience can channel in a practical way their collective skills, knowledge and experience for the benefit of the country,” Mr Mbabazi said.

In the absence of such a forum, Mr Mbabazi said former MPs should form an association through which they will advance their views to the different policy making organs of the country, especially where they feel, things should be done differently.

Mr Mbabazi was backed by Kabula County MP John Kakooza, who said debate in the 10th Parliament was cold because of absence of experienced legislators with institutional memory.
“It is high time we thought of a second chamber of Parliament because this is a huge human resource with institutional memory,” Mr Kakooza said.

He said he has done some research and had handed over the findings to Parliament for consideration.
The Speaker, in her reply supported calls for a special chamber to accommodate such brains and expertise.
“The Upper House is really necessary; there is so much knowledge in this body that we need to harness,” she said.

Mr Mbabazi said in nation building, political differences need not interfere with the shared vision for posterity.
Addressing Ms Kadaga directly, former premier Mbabazi said despite their known public differences, he has nothing personal against the person of Ms Kadaga.

The Speaker also advised the MPs to always plan for their lives after Parliament. 
The need for a special chamber is also premised on fears that MPs become unemployable after losing their seats, despite their intellectual ability to constructively contribute to nation building.

Former MPs asked Ms Kadaga to ask the President to redeploy them since some of them are still energetic. The forum for former MPs is chaired by Mr Tanna Sanjay, the immediate former Tororo Municipality MP.

Advice
Justice James Ogoola of the Elders Forum said the MPs dilemma was self-inflicted.
He accused them of making irrational decisions on the one hand and creating a false impression of themselves on the other. Justice Ogoola challenged the law makers to always plan for their exit, rather than living as victims of political enslavement.
“The retirement of an MP is a dramatic thing, it comes at a time when you least expect it, it comes at a time when instead of rejoicing, you shed a tear or two,” he said.

mkyeyune@ug.nationmedia.com

 

 

 

 

 

There is a greater need for the Kingdom of Buganda to have its own Military Army so that it is able to defend its interests:
Buganda Kingdom makes big strides 25 years later:

 

Kabaka 25year journey

Celebration. Men carry Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi during his 24th Coronation anniversary last year. PHOTO BY ABUBAKER LUBOWA 

By James Kabengwa

Until July 31, 1993 when Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II was enthroned as king of Buganda, the kingdom had almost lost hope for its revival.

The kingdom was abolished after the May 24, 1966 attack at Lubiri that led to the exile of the then Kabaka Edward Muteesa II and a subsequent abrogation of the 1962 Constitution.

After the Lubiri raid, it was required under law that: “the institution of king or ruler of a kingdom or constitutional head of a district, by whatever name called, existing immediately before the commencement of this Constitution under the law then in force, is hereby abolished”.

But after marathon bush war talks that included Kabaka Mutebi visiting the then National Resistance Army troops in Luwero and post war talks, Buganda Kingdom was restored and Kabaka Mutebi crowned as king at an event at Nagalabi in Wakiso District that was graced by thousands of kingdom enthusiasts.

Kabaka Mutebi became the 35th – and currently the longest serving –king to reign as Buganda’s top executive since the kingdom’s founding in the 11 century by Kabaka Kato Kintu.
Twenty five years later, the kingdom has registered strides amid challenges that have shaped its existence in the current Uganda.

Hopeful of uplifting Kabaka Mutebi’s subjects in the face of abject poverty, deplorable living conditions, joblessness, environmental degradation, and food insecurity, the kingdom is being driven on five pillars that its administrators say will take Buganda to its former glory.

History has it that Buganda once topped other similar institutions in cultural, economic and administrative cohesion and political strength before the arrival of colonialists.

Today, under the reign of Kabaka Mutebi, five pillars have been drawn in an attempt to regain that former glory. These include strengthening and safeguarding the throne (the king); power sharing through lobbying for federo (a federal system of governance); protecting kingdom land and all its boundaries; strengthening household income and advocating for unity.

According to Kabaka Mutebi, such strategic interventions will lead the kingdom to greater heights.
“Returning Buganda to greater heights requires explicit planning. We were once at the top and our people memorise how determination helped us during those times. We experience economic challenges but we will get to our destination,” Kabaka Mutebi said as he launched the 2018-2023 strategic plan early this year.

Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga echoes these sentiments. He says Buganda’s future is a package of optimism under the reign of Kabaka Mutebi. “Our norms and culture are flourishing; administrative structures are stronger than ever; youth and women empowerment is taking root as is sports,” he says.

He says strategic interventions to revive the agricultural sector, especially through growing bananas, cassava and coffee is underway while mainstreaming land management, health and education are on course.

Persistence
According to Mengo’s local government minister and attorney general, Mr Daudi Mpanga, Kabaka Mutebi’s reign amid the challenges that started in 1884 with the advent of the colonialists, is a big achievement.
“He (Kabaka) has lived a unique life characterised by consistence and persistence. He has driven Buganda in the times of adversary even when there was no hope,” Mr Mpanga says.

Kabaka Mutebi’s grandfather King Mwanga died in exile in Seychelles where he was sent by the colonialists. His own father, Sir Edward Muteesa II, also died in exile after the 1966 crisis. And Daudi Chwa also reigned under storm.

“Our Kabaka has (so far) made a historical reference and his reign is nearly a whole generation. He is the longest serving king Buganda has had in history,” Mr Mpanga adds.

Kabaka Mutebi’s reign is commonly referred to in Luganda as “omulembe Omutebi” and the kingdom has dedicated it to the youth.

According to Mr Mpanga, many monarchs worldwide were destroyed but were never restored “but ours has miraculously existed. One of the core reasons we celebrate his capacity to see hope and possibility to restoration”.

He says Kabaka Mutebi has set a pace for Buganda to fix on well thought targets and strategic planning through several engagements, advocacy and negotiations.
“Buganda occupies and utilises to the best out of what it has. In that way we have revived the local government to mobilise local structures from villages to county.”

Indeed, this has been visible in many ways where the central government Ministry of Health has engaged the kingdom to mobilise masses to participate in health campaigns such as immunisation, malaria fight, HIV testing and prevention campaigns.

In April 2017, Kabaka Mutebi was appointed by the United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (Unaids) as its goodwill ambassador in the fight against HIV/Aids, given the authority and respect he commands in Buganda.
“Our local government structures have helped a lot in mobilisation and we are currently piloting dispute resolution and justice centres in Masaka, a project we hope to roll out in the kingdom,” he says.

Mr Mpanga also admits that in the face of successes, Buganda faces stiff challenges such as unemployment, particularly of the youth, poverty, constitutional instability, land fights, and rural to urban migration.
“But these are a result of a larger problem that was created by the colonial state that has failed us. Colonial governments have failed on community cohesion. We better get back to our native entities where people decide for themselves and created their (own governance) systems. These neo-colonial elites are not able to sustain our needs,” Mr Mpanga explains.

He adds that for a solid, sustainable, prosperous, happy and peaceful nation, Buganda’s model will inevitably be adopted given the fact that it has withstood challenges.
“We, the natives, will have to come up with our own solutions. Buganda is reservoir of many things,” he says.

According Prof Ahmad Kasule, the acting Vice Chancellor of Mutesa I Royal University, Kabaka Mutebi’s reign scorecard has seen an improved education sector in the kingdom with a host of schools from primary, secondary, vocational training institutions and a university set up.
“The Kabaka Education Fund provided 1,000 bursaries at all levels annually regardless of student’s origin and these are bound to double in the coming years,” he says.

With institutions such as Buganda Royal Institute, a good number of youth have received vocational training and some graduates have been able to employee themselves.

A professor of history and Kampala University Vice Chancellor, Badru Kateregga, says Kabaka Mutebi’s era has brought what had been lost - a country with a Kabaka where there was none and has cultivated persistence and dedication to the cause of Buganda: omwoyo gwa buganda ogutafa’ (Kingdom unending love).
“All children born between 1966 and 1993 didn’t know about the kingdoms. His coronation revived what had been lost. Kabaka Mutebi’s era has educated children and reignited kingdom culture. People love their king,” Prof Kateregga says.
Kabaka Mutebi’s era is a package of light, he says, adding: “these are years of hope despite the challenges but we need to remain focused.”

Good seed
“Kabaka Mutebi is important in the history of Buganda and a good seed for the future. His era is a seed of civility, love for culture, competitiveness and development,” Prof Kateregga says.
The chairman of Imam Council in Uganda, Mr Sulaiman Guggwa, praises Kabaka Mutebi for his visionary leadership that has created a strong team of administrators at Mengo.
“The kind of people Kabaka chooses for leadership posts are innovative and have helped in redemption of the kingdom. We don’t yet have enough self-funding but they have come up with fundraising innovations such as Ettofaali that have yielded good income to do projects,” says Guggwa.

Investments
Through the Lukiiko and cabinet, strategies have been developed to start investment ventures and attract investors into the kingdom because big things start at small levels, according to Kateregga.

City businessman Godfrey Kirumira says the kingdom is now full of investment opportunities in various fields of agriculture and real estate.
“Through Emwanyi Terimba campaign, we are able to see an increased production in coffee growing and this is an opportunity for exporters,” Mr Kirumira says.

In 1993 when Mutebi was crowned King of Buganda, the kingdom operated on a budget of Shs100 million that was donated by well-wishers.

Kingdom budget
The budget trends over the past three years have shot to billions of shillings. In 2015/16, the kingdom operated a budget of Shs15 billion; in 2016/17 (Shs17 billion), in 2017/18 (Shs74 billion) and 2018/19 has Shs96.4 billion.
“We are there because of strong systems, investments and reforms. We want to have a sustainable kingdom where we will fund projects with our own money,” says Mr Waggwa Nsibirwa, the finance, economic planning minister of the kingdom.

Mengo now boasts of 16 enterprises, including educational institutions, media and tourism companies.
“Transformational investment has enhanced youth employment. At least 10,000 people directly benefit from our investments but the multiplier effect puts the beneficiaries at 80,000 people because averagely a family has eight people,” says Mr Nsibirwa.

The kingdom strives for financial inclusion and has emphasised value chains, according to Mr Nsibirwa.
He says small Saccos have been created and members have created own cottages which generate income.
With Chinese investors, the kingdom has constructed upper class residences – Mirembe Villas. More low cost houses are being proposed at Ssentema.

Bright future
At Mirembe Villas, 1,000 units are planned with facilities such as shopping malls, schools among others.
Mr Nsibirwa says over the next five years, Mengo plans to run a budget of Shs500 billion and it will triple the current bursaries from 1,000 students annually to at least 3,000. A referral hospital for the kingdom and a demonstration farm will be put in place in every sub- county.

Already, more rentable property, including Muganzirwaza, Masengere have been put in place to create income for the kingdom. The proceeds from the business ventures have helped generate revenue that is financing health and education sectors in the kingdom. The kingdom recently acquired a mobile clinic imported from the United States.

Social-economic transformation
Programmes have been put in place to uplift rural subjects through agricultural schemes. Coffee, cassava, banana planting is being emphasised to boost incomes.

Mr Mayiga says over the past three years, Buganda Kingdom has mobilised farmers and at least 5 million coffee seedlings have been distributed in conjunction with the Uganda Coffee Development Authority.
“We anticipate boosted incomes from coffee production while we also want to ensure household food security. We want to have vibrant communities who can take care of themselves,” Mayiga says.

Challenges
Mr Mpanga says the problems facing the kingdom are largely reflected in the wider society where constitutional instability and impunity have spared none.
“Some individuals take it as if they are above the law and have caused land insecurity through evictions but also rural to urban migration, exploding population and poverty remain major challenges,” Mr Mpanga says.

He urges natives to take the mantle to build a solid-sustainable kingdom to achieve long lasting peace, happiness and prosperity.

Mr Nsibirwa says their development targets have been impeded by government’s reluctance to remit arrears worth Shs172 billion.
“This revenue shortage has significantly impacted on our budget performance. We don’t know what will happen when another Shs500 billion currently under validation will be paid,” Nsibirwa said.

In 2009, the kingdom faced its ugliest challenge when government stopped the Kabaka from visiting one of his counties, Bugerere, intercepting his advance team of Kattikiro JB Walusimbi at Ssezibwa, leading to clashes. The burning of the Kasubi Tombs in March 2010, whose reconstruction has taken too long, also remains a challenge.

editorial@ug.nationmedia.com

 

 

 

 

 

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