The Finance State Minister, Hon. Henry Musasizi on 1st November 2022 asked Members of Parliament to approve up to UGX3.5 trillion in new borrowing to finance Uganda’s 2022/23 UGX48.1 trillion budget, which he said was facing significant shortfalls. The first loan request which is up to USD464 translating to about UGX1.7 trillion is to be sourced from the Standard Chartered Bank. In documents which now stand referred to Parliament’s Committee on National Economy, Standard Chartered Bank will merely be an agent for two financial institutions that will supply the cash, should Parliament approve the loan request. Whereas Musasizi said Standard…
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Parliament’s Committee on National Economy proposed in a report to cap the minimum amount for external borrowing to under US$20 million to minimise costs related to contracting loans and maximising the benefits. The report was presented by the committee vice chairperson, Robert Migadde, during a plenary sitting held on Tuesday, 23 August 2022. “The committee further recommends that government should, in future develop mechanisms of internally financing small scale projects so as to avert future pressures of debt,” read the committee report. Migadde told the House that the overall performance of the Karamoja Infrastructure Development Phase II (KIDPII) is at…
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Lawmakers have said that corruption and connivance are to blame for the shutdown of Isimba hydropower plant. The Members of Parliament were responding to the statement by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Ruth Nankabirwa on the emergency shutdown of the plant. The 183 megawatts Isimba Hydropower power plant in Kayunga district experienced a shut down on Monday, 08 August 2022. Nankabirwa told the MPs that the plant flooded because of maintenance works. “One of the generating units was out of use to allow the contractor to undertake routine maintenance. At the time of the incident, the scheduled works…
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Parliament has approved a US$70 million loan for the construction of a state of the art facility to house the Uganda Heart institute. A loan request brought by government to collectively borrow US$70 million from the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, Saudi Fund for Development and the Opec Fund for International Development sailed through following unanimous approval from Members of Parliament. Parliament’s Committee on National Economy scrutinized the loan request and approved it with recommendations. “…the committee therefore, recommends that the request by government to borrow [up to $70 million] for the construction and equipping of the Uganda…
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The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Uganda Airlines, Jenifer Bamuturaki has said she is qualified and experienced to run the airline. Bamuturaki was appearing before the Committee on Commissions Statutory Authorities (COSASE) chaired by Nakawa West Member of Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi on Wednesday, 17 August 2022. She was accompanied by other officials from the airline to respond to queries in the report of the Auditor General for the year ended 2021. During the meeting, Bamuturaki was tasked to present her curriculum vitae to ascertain if she met standards before being appointed as CEO of Uganda Airlines. She told the committee…
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Parliament has directed the Minister of State for Trade, Harriet Ntabazi to withdraw her directive on what they termed, ‘unfair trade policy on rice importation’. On 21 April 2022, Ntabazi issued a directive to the Commissioner, Customs Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) where she directed the Authority to stop clearing Value Added Tax (VAT) exempted rice imports at the borders. This directive prompted rice traders, specifically the Kampala Rice Traders Association to petition Parliament to intervene, claiming this directive was unfair and repugnant. In their petition, rice traders also decried Ntabazi’s directive to install the Rice Agribusiness Development Foundation (RADFO)…
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Members of Parliament on the Ad hoc Committee on Bujagali Hydropower Project have discovered what they described as inconsistencies in the ownership and registration of Bujagali Electricity Company Limited. The legislators established that the company won a multi-billion contract before it was even registered. The committee also found out that the original owners of the projects forfeited their shares when the company was incorporated. Officials from Bujagali where on Thursday, 04 August 2022 appeared before the Adhoc committee investigating the operations of Bujagali. The committee seeks to ascertain the Government of Uganda equity contribution on Bujagali, return on investments and…
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Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has tasked the Uganda Airlines’ newly appointed Chief Executive Officer Jenifer Bamuturaki to create a strategic plan that will revamp the national carrier into a lucrative airline. During their meeting at the Speaker’s chambers on Tuesday, Among, who was in company of her deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa, said Uganda Airlines is funded by taxpayers therefore the airline’s management should create value for money. ‘’The airline was revived using tax payers’money. We expect you to come up with a strategic plan that will meet the vision of making national carrier a world-class airline that will compete…
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Members of Parliament have urged telecommunication service providers to adopt more friendly data and voice bundles.This, according to the MPs, is intended to ensure that consumers of communication services get quality, reliable and affordable communication services to widen Information Communication Technology (ICT) penetration as a key driver of economic growth.While chairing the House on Wednesday, 13 July 2022, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa tasked the Uganda Communication Commission (UCC), the national regulatory body of the communications sector to engage these companies to exclusively provide unlimited data and voice call bundles that do not expire.“This issue of expiry of data and voice…
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Uganda is a country governed on a three-arm system: The Executive, Parliament and Judiciary. Section 111 of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda, as amended in 2005, states that: “There shall be a Cabinet which shall consist of the President, the Vice President, the Prime Minister and such number of Ministers as may appear to the President to be reasonably necessary for the efficient running of the State. Today, Uganda’s Executive consists of the President, the Vice President and about 32 Cabinet ministers and 50 Ministers of State. The Cabinet is comprised of 40% females, 13 of whom are cabinet ministers…
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