The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has blamed the 10th Parliament for delaying the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines, even as the country struggled to beat the pandemic during the first wave.
The Government Chief Whip Thomas Tayebwa told the NRM Chairpersons and Vice Chairpersons of the different Parliamentary committees that the President was unhappy about the delays in approving supplementary budgets tabled before parliament at the time. He said that when the government sought a supplementary of 292 billion Shillings which included 18.5 billion Shillings for the COVID-19 vaccines in February 2021, the tenth Parliament delayed its approval for over two months.
According to Tayebwa who was quoting President Museveni, the decisions by parliament are what delayed the procurement of vaccines from the serum institute of India before the situation in India got out of hand, leading to the suspension of sales for the AstraZeneca vaccines. Tayebwa was speaking during orientation for committee leaders on their mandate and how they are expected to conduct business.
He adds that if it wasn’t for the Parliament’s delay, the country could have moved far ahead towards vaccination. The ministry of health intends to vaccinate up to 22 million Ugandans aged above 18, yet according to records, less than 2 million people have so far received at least one of the two recommended jabs and less than 300,000 people have received the two recommended jabs.
Tayebwa also warned the leaders of the committee against ‘uncoordinated troop movement’ especially when it comes to introducing bills, saying previously there have been conflicts between the government and National Resistance Movement (NRM) members when it comes to who should table a bill. He observed a need for consultation before a bill is tabled before parliament.
Tayebwa also asked the chairpersons to avoid internal politics between government ministries, departments and agencies, and remain people of integrity. He says that the President had clearly stated that MPs should be people of integrity to save the image of parliament.
“In all our work let’s have integrity as we execute our roles in the committees. This will protect the image of Parliament as a whole and the party. Let us be at the forefront to fight corruption in our committees,” Tayebwa said.
He says that the Office of Government Chief Whip will develop a performance evaluation tool to be discussed with the members in the next meeting to assist in the evaluation of the committee’s performance in each session. He says that this will help them to determine what works well, and what could be improved in our committees.
He says members who do not work well with the the party will be dropped from chairing committees, adding that, for instance, if the chairperson of the National Economy Committee fails to approve loans, they will be replaced, asking members not to be comfortable with nonperformance.
But Butambala County MP Muwanga Kivumbi, who sat on the budget committee that processed the supplementary budget said that the supplementary budget was delayed by the fact that government figures and budgeting were not adding up. He equally faults the government for wishing to have its requests approved without scrutiny.
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URN
IS MUSEVENI COOKING COVID IN A BEER BOTTLE?
TRANSFERENCE (PART II)
You don’t have to listen to Museveni if you don’t want to….. There’s nothing new that will set his tonight’s speech away from his previous televised speeches since when he first announced the first lockdown in March 2020. It will be more less an abridged version of Boris Johnson’s of July 19th, when UK lifted it’s lockdown. Museveni too, is going to lift the lockdown. The only difference between Johnson’s and Museveni’s will be that for Johnson was scientific- 88% of the targeted population was immunised by the time of lifting the lockdown….. implying that it was 80% safer for the UK to open up. On the other hand, it will be majorly out of Political expedience for Museveni to lift the lockdown but his choices are dimly slim. Although Uganda has pushed too much funds towards the covid fight (so far over 4 trillion) little tangible results seem to be apparent. It is now 16 months since the first covid 19 wave and it is 16 months of lockdown but of the 45 million Ugandans and the 22 million that the Uganda government targeted to immunise, only over 800,000 have at least been immunised once, and slightly over 170,000 have so far received two jabs…. indicating, that out of the country’s total population, only 0.4% have so far received double doses and of the government’s targeted population, only 0.8%…..this only puts us in covid’s arms-range for the 3rd wave 🌊. I am always reminded that this president doesn’t take beer 🍺… but his planning and talk show otherwise. In Uganda there is a local beer called “Tonto”, it’s made by fermenting e’mbidde (mwenge bigere) and omuwemba (sorghum). I am not saying that my president sips on beer but maybe those around him do and somehow, the president catches winds of it…..(sniffs it.) And maybe it’s the more reason there’s a deafening echo among the Movement Schmos that this president is not bad but it’s those that surround him……. Rubbish. (I’ll be returning to this later.) In my previous post (Museveni’s Political transference), I noted that transference is a cognitive disorder where the patient places blame onto the therapist. Museveni has been bashing the West, referring them to “idiots” but he’s now patiently waiting for their rescue- holding the country in perpetual lockdown until a time they (idiots) release the covid-vaccine-Saviour. But let’s interrogate this “idiocy” claim by the president because recently at the world health summit, he was lambasting the past African leaders for being so obsessed with their paraphernalia and equating them to clowns 🤡 Is there evidence to suggest that Europeans are idiots or can it be proved to the contrary- let’s see how the two governments- Boris Johnson’s UK and Yoweri Museveni’s Uganda under the period from April 2020 to-date. On 1st October, 2020, UK was the first European country to setup for a massive vaccination. It procured 340 million vaccines from six different pharmaceutical companies- with a population of 66 million people, it meant that Britain could immunise its entire population 5 times over. By 8th December,2020, the UK acquired 800,000 doses of vaccines from Pfizer BioNtec. As of now, the UK has vaccinated 88% of its targeted population and on the 19th July, 2021 they were again the first European country to lift the lockdown.
Inter: Uganda: On the 18th March,2020, president Museveni announced the first lockdown which was to last for two weeks, however, one day to the end, he televised another lockdown which was to last for three weeks. In May, there was an easement as bodabodas were allowed back but everything else remained the same. Government came out and made promises of masks and food to the most vulnerable…… Masks were distributed almost after four months into the lockdown. The army was deployed to distribute food stuffs in parts of greater Kampala- however, there were complaints about the quality of beans and posho that was being distributed. Schools had long closed and there was no way of opening them soon. Again, government came out and promised to provide each family with radios and at least to have each village given a TV set…….. to this day the promise is still in waiting……. But away from the internal arrangements- there was handling of the covid situation at an international level. In May 2020, the world Bank provided the Uganda government $300 million. Through the Rapid Credit Facility, the IMF delivered $490 million. This was in line with the Development Policy Operations (DPOs) and encompassing Uganda’s Vision (2040) which was built on two pillars- Pillar one, was to support the health response by reducing the cost of the necessary medical materials (equipment)- in order to prevent, treat and manage covid 19. Support the most vulnerable and those most affected by multiple crises facing Uganda. The pillar aimed at strengthening social safety nets.
Pillar two, was about fast tracking economic recovery and debt sustainability. The aim was to ensure liquidity is provided to the financial sector through Bank of Uganda, temporary relief was to be provided to the financially distressed businesses by postponement of taxes to prevent them from winding up. As if February 15, 2021 report, progress on follow-on activities was “mixed up.” These activities were to follow:- re-aligning spending to levels committed to support social development ie education and health, accelerating efforts to benefit from Debt Service Suspension Initiative and an independent audit of the covid-19 expenditures which would facilitate access to information and promote social accountability. They were also meant to expand on the coverage of the senior citizens grant to cover at least, 71 districts and to provide income to more than 200,000 Uganda elderly people. Furthermore, the funds were meant for the existing customers of National Water and Sewerage Corporation and the umbrella authorities of electricity services (UMEME) to continue receiving services over the lockdown period. There was also to be a temporary cash for work scheme to cater for 500,000 Ugandans mainly from the informal sector (the Nabbanja covid relief money.) All these programmes have been tainted with allegations of corruption, mediocrity, caprice and maladroitism. With such evidence, one can make up a personal judgement and place the presidential claims of “idiocy” in their rightful corner.
I want to disabuse of the narrative that president Museveni is a hostage/victim of the advice from his aides……….far from the truth, Mr Museveni Tibuhabura(the one who takes no advice) he’s his own man. And he has exhibited this time and again. He led a guerrilla war for five years and stormed himself into the statehouse-he has held that office for the last 35 years…….. and still counting. So, whose “victim” is he? Revolutions can’t outlive their purpose- they always have to be reproduced for them to remain relevant. In order for this to happen, the “revolutionaries” tend to recreate the circumstances/situations that led to them in the first place………. Museveni or the movement thrives/rides on the plight/misery of Ugandans. It’s the violence and the economic hardships that led to their uprising- So, to remain relevant, Museveni will recreate (or, try to) the very situation that ushered him. He will employ tactics that will replicate violence and only pay lip-service to economic reforms- why? To do otherwise, he will be acting the fool that cuts the arm that feeds him. (And this president is a thinking Devil 😈…..) He will employ/deploy the people/personnel who “need him the most”- (vulnerable). In the late 80s, he picked John Cosmos Adyebo for prime minister. In the early 90s, he catapulted Dr Wandera Kazibwe to vice President and later Dr Gilbert Bukenya. He follows the same within the army when he promotes those who seem to be less deserving of their ranks. He has followed the same within his political party- the NRM. But he mainly does this for the selfish reasons of self preservation. People who won’t question his authority and are not a threat to his life-presidency bid. Those that have shown some level of independence, he has always tended to show them signs of cynophobia and treated them like lepers…….. This president is a malefactor whose levels of perfidity are insanely inhumane. In appointing Nabbanja and Jessica Alupo, Museveni was only following his usual pattern of identifying and selecting the most vulnerable- those that need him the most. In actuality, Museveni can disperse of all his entire cabinet and the country won’t suffer a sea of changes. Why? He has created carrels within cabinet that will see ministers as personal dockers. They will only load Museveni’s message and off-load it……no creativity, no personal initiative. So, the only safety net for such ministers is MUSEVENI…… If there hasn’t been a presidential initiative, (presidentialism) nothing will happen. And this is the main cause of the dithering that is experienced in almost all the government departments and agencies. The only project that this whole country is looking forward to preserve is MUSEVENI………… I don’t ever try to think that this man believes in eschatology- a sense of belief that there is hell-fire after death…………
When we were toddlers, we used to visit rubbish pits, pick used-up blue-band tins, get tree-twigs, get one banana finger- peel it, cut it into small pieces and place them in the tin. We would then make fire 🔥 and the “mother” would serve us the meal. This was called “Maama ne Taata” game. And, even when we had displayed our future roles at an early age, it wasn’t sufficient for a proper meal. When Museveni and his government inoculates only 0.8% of its entire population in a space of 16 months on a given budget of almost $1 billion, it’s only reminiscent of our aesthetic antics that we displayed as youngsters……….. but this is a country of 45 million abled men and women…..it can only indicate that Museveni and his fishmongers are only taking us on a drunken rampage…….. but I know that when the dirge is done, it will only be Museveni (singularly) in a personal inquisition with God……. and that, gives me great satisfaction.
Rajab Kakyama.
It Seems I missed Part 1 can you direct me to the link? Thank you!
This is the most vivid, explicit and descriptive examination of our “dear” leader and his psyche. The man is indeed Lucifer himself! Excellent piece Rajab I implore you to publish this piece to a major newspaper for wider consumption.
KUDOS!