Good prices, increasing production excite UCDA A coffee replanting initiative, which started nearly five years ago, is expected to boost the country’s crop volumes starting this year. “We are seeing an increase in the coffee export volumes this year as the crops we started planting more than three years ago …
Read More »BUSINESS: Refinery offers golden opportunity
New $20mn firm welcomed but analysts say government must strengthen legal and monitoring framework of minerals sector President Yoweri Museveni’s launch of a $20 million African Gold Refinery Ltd (AGR) – the first in East and Central Africa – in Entebbe on Feb.20 was a bold step welcomed by …
Read More »UTL needs Shs 170.8bn in new turnaround strategy
Faisel Gergab, is chairman of the Libyan Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology Holding Company (LPTIC) that owns 69% stake in UTL. He spoke to The Independent’s Isaac Khisa on the issues surrounding the company’s poor performance and its future outlook, just before government took over its management. How do you …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Fast tracking Uganda’s oil
Government, oil companies finally appear to be chasing some useful deadlines Uganda’s oil sector might look dull and inactive to the uninformed eye but in reality it is now a bee-hive of activities with tight deadlines to be met. At least six major oil-related engineering projects are rolling concurrently at …
Read More »THE LAST WORD: Uganda’s real oil curse
THE LAST WORD: By Andrew M. Mwenda How our overblown expectations of what oil is going to do for our country are likely to cause trouble I had always thought about the “oil curse” in terms of the “Dutch Disease” and the adverse incentives it creates that foster corruption …
Read More »Muhakanizi, Isabalija ‘fight’ sparks Shs 30bn UEGCL audit
Finance PS controls government purse, but new Energy PS has Museveni’s ear A stealth fight is brewing between new Energy Ministry Permanent Secretary, Stephen Isabalija, and veteran Secretary to the treasury, Keith Muhakanizi, with insiders saying it threatens to hurt implementation of government projects worth billions of shillings, if not …
Read More »Makerere reinstates Stella Nyanzi
Suspended controversial Makerere University lecturer Dr. Stella Nyanzi has been reinstated, although she will no longer be based at the Makerere Institute of Social Researcher (MISR). Nyanzi who was directed by the University’s appointment board to report to duty by Feb.27 was suspended from the institute in April last year …
Read More »Oil cash bonanza probe in final stages
Lawyers say president has no right to dish out money The parliamentary committee investigating the Oil Cash Bonanza is in the final stages of completing its hearings with Ministry of Finance officials being the last batch of civil servants to appear. By press time, committee chairperson Abdu Katuntu said they …
Read More »Proceeds of Kabaka run to go into managing sickle cell
Ahead of the annual Kabaka birthday run scheduled for April, the Prime Minister of Buganda Kingdom Charles Peter Mayiga on Feb.24 addressed a press conference at the Ministry of Health headquarters in Kampala where he revealed that this year’s proceeds will go towards tackling sickle cell disease. While previously …
Read More »Traders stranded as park yard market is sealed off
Traders at Park yard market in down town Kampala were on Feb.27 left stranded as police sealed off their work station in the wee hours of the morning. This came after the police engaged in running battles with traders a week before as they demonstrated against their eviction, something that …
Read More »