Day

By Wilber Muhwezi Kasibante
www.mknewslink.com
In Bushenyi

The wife to the West Ankole Diocesan secretary has been arrested in connection to the murder of sister- in- law in Matimba cell Nyabubare parish Nyaburare Sub County Bushenyi district.
The suspect Justine Atwiine wife to Arthur Atwiine the Diocesan secretary is a sister to Moses Asiimwe a head teacher to Bumbaire primary school who was also arrested for the murder of his wife Florence Ainomugisha.
According to sources,it is alleged that Justine’s phone deposited 1 million Ugshs to one of the suspected murderers Mugisa Godfrey (28), a resident Bucuni cell Bucuni ward Kyenjonjo district who was also killed by a mob.
Ainomugisha Florence was recently cut and killed by two men while at her home in Matimba cell Nyabubare parish Nyaburare sub county Bushenyi district.
One of the two men was hacked to death by the mob who had come to Florences rescue while the second is still at large.

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By Darious Magara and Wilber Muhwezi
www.mknewslink.com
In Kololo
The World Food Program (WFP) and others face a legal action over suspected contaminated food they supplied in Napak and Amudat districts of the northern part of Uganda.
In a notice of intention to sue written to the Country Director WFP (Uganda) Mr. El Khidir Daloum, the director legal and corporate Affairs of Anti- Counterfeit Network Africa (ACN) Fred Muwema said we have learnt that your organization has been involved in the supply of supper cereal also described as corn soya blend fortified food in Napak and Amudat which are found in Karamoja.

A four paged notice dated 20th march, 2019 also adds that “we have also read media reports where you have confirmed that WFP suspended the distribution of the above impugned food last week because it was suspected to be poisoned or contaminated. This would amount to
counterfeit or fake food.
It adds the reports also indicate that three people are believed to have died due to suspected food poisoning and more 250 people have been admitted in various health centres with symptoms including
confusion, vomiting, headache, high fever and abdominal pain after consuming the impugned food.
Muwema said that it is not a mere coincidence that WFP suspended distribution of the impugned food at the time when only people who had consumed the impugned food were the ones dying or falling sick.
“This is a very serious food safety incident that appears to be evidently in breach of the Codex Alimentarius International food standards 1963(as amended)”
ACN had demanded a report from WFP which will furnish them with details of information to see whether due diligence was carried out on the supplier and whether the standards expected in the distributionprocess were adhered to or if they have supported the affected families.
Speaking to our reporters from his office at Kololo today, Muwema said that they intend to institute a legal case of negligence, causing injury and death against WFP, government and a supplier who is a turkey company.
He added that they will also be seeking a court order calling for an independent audit into the matter and damages for the injured plus people who have died as a result of consuming suspected poisoned food.
Meanwhile government through the central public health laboratories is investigating samples of the food to ascertain the cause of death.
www.mknewslink.com a greater western Uganda news website
Email: wmuhwezi75@gmail.com
Tel: +256702680106

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In Nakasero

The Speaker of Parliament, Hon Rebecca Kadaga has been hospitalised in critical condition.
The 62-year-old lawmaker, fell ill on Thursday evening, was rushed to Nakasero Hospital in Nakasero, a leafy Kampala suburb.
The Principal Press Secretary to the Speaker, Sam Obbo, confirmed that Kadaga was hospitalised after exhaustive trips abroad.

Madam is hospitalised at the said hospital (Nakasero Hospital), she had just returned from long trips abroad the Arab world and most recently, United States of America, said Obbo when contacted on phone today morning.
Neither Obbo nor family members could tell what the Kamuli District Woman MPs ailment was.
A family source told www.mknewslink.com that Kadaga, who had just returned from New York where she attended the 63rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations headquarters, was taken to Nakasero Hospital in a very critical condition. She was unconscious.
We were further informed by this family member that on arrival at Nakasero Hospital, Kadagas health situation was not only worrying but deteriorating hence the doctors decision to put her in the Intensive Care Unit.
When contacted,Dr Ben Mbonye the Hospital boss, said that he was not in the administration and would not know whoever is admitted thus referred our reporter to crosscheck with administration for details
On visiting the hospital, our reporter saw senior government officials also seeking permission to see the high profile patient.
In 2011, Kadaga was admitted at International Hospital Kampala (IHK) but later recovered from the illness.
In 2008, Kadaga collapsed aboard a plane before landing at Heathrow International Airport in London. The lawmaker, who is suspected of being diabetic, was treated from Watford General Hospital in London, UK.
www.mknewslink.com a greater western Uganda news website
Email: wmuhwezi75@gmail.com
Tel: +256702680106

www.mknewslink.com
In Kampala
Authorities at the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) have questioned the integrity of Bank of Uganda (BoU) staff records with contentious dates of birth and have demanded copies of their national identity cards for verification.
The NSSF scrutiny of BoUs staff records also found that a tune of Shs1.6b was paid out to unidentified BoU staff between August 2016 and January 2019, without remitting Shs246m worth of statutory contributions to NSSF.
Due to what NSSF officials called staff with contentious dates of birth on March 6, Mr David Mwesigwa Rwamatungi, the Funds acting head of business, wrote to Mr Ralph Bakashabaruhanga, the BoU director of pension administration department, and explained the Funds reluctance to issue the Central Bank with the mandatory clearance certificate.
Although BoU officials wanted the clearance certificates urgently to enable its employees, particularly those in the legal department headed by Ms Margaret Kasule to renew their practicing certificates, Mr Rwamatungi insisted that the Fund cannot be rushed.
Referring to BoUs application for clearance certificate, a statutory requirement under NSSF Act (Chapter 222), Mr Rwamatungis letter titled: Application for an NSSF clearance certificate, reads: We understand the urgency of the situation, however, you will appreciate that we have to follow the due process of assessing an employers records to ensure compliance with NSSF, before we can issue out a clearance certificate.
Section 7 (5) of NSSF Act (Chapter 222) requires BoU and other employers applying for a business licence to produce a clearance certificate of up-to-date payments of due contributions issued by the managing director. And for the purposes of sub-section (5), business licence includes practicing certificate for any profession.
Section 7 (7) of the same Act reads: No employer of a class or description specified in an order made under subsection (1)(b) shall leave or attempt to leave Uganda, whether temporarily or permanently, unless he or she is in possession of a clearance certificate issued by the managing director.
Mr Rwamatungi also indicated that NSSF was only availed with the appropriate records from BoU for assessment of the period (August 2018-January 2019) on March 1, and therefore, needed time to go through the staff records and other supporting documents.
Providing specifics on the discrepancy, Mr Rwamatungi wrote: Our subsequent communication to BoU pointed out the issue of staff who are below 55 years of age as per their NSSF registration details, and who are above 55 years as per BoU records.
To determine whether there was no foul play, sources at BoU told www.mknewslink.com that the authorities at NSSF have since instructed Mr Bakashabaruhanga, through his boss, the Governor [Mr Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile] to submit National Identify cards for the affected BoU staff to NSSF to verify their correct age with the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA).
NSSF also pointed out other variances discovered for the six months assessed, which BoUs finance department/ accounts team could not account for. The earnings unaccounted for stand at Shs1.6b, which created NSSF liability to a tune of Shs246m. BoU officials did not remit this money to NSSF as the law requires.
In November last year, the Inspector General of Government, Ms Irene Mulyagonja, also appointed a team of 200 officers to probe into the wealth of 100 BoU officials at the time when Parliaments Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises, was concluding a three-month inquiry into the irregularities in the closure of seven commercial banks.

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Tel: +256702680106

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In Kampala

President Yoweri Museveni set up the Presidential Tripartite Committee to investigate Bank of Uganda after the Governor , Professor Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile issued an internal memo that affected several staff leading to a standoff with the IGG.

On 7th Febuary 2018, the Governor issued an internal memo in which he communicated a number of staff transfers and appointments. By way of the said memo, he communicated appointments of five staff from outside the bank to various juicy positions in the bank of Uganda.

After the Governor made these reshuffles a number of complaints were filed with the Inspector General of Government and the parliamentary committee on Commissions, statutory authorities and state enterprises (COSASE).

The Allegations that were picked by the Presidential Tripartite Committee were eight in number and they are below.

1- The complainants wondered how six new staff were appointed from outside the bank without interviews. They include Dr Twinemanzi Tumubweine, Executive Director Supervision, Valentine Ojangole as Director Banking, Edward Mugerwa as Director IT Operations Department, Ms Kande Sabiiti as Procurement Assurance Manager (Director), Dr Natamba Bazinzi as Assistant Director Currency Administration in currency Department.

2- The newly appointed staff were granted permanent and pensionable terms contrary to probationary policy.

3- Two new externally recruited staff lacked the minimum academic requirements for entering bank of Uganda; they are Twinemanzi Tumubweine and Kande Sabiiti.

4- Governor Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile created five new positions that did not exist on approved structure of Bank of Uganda and some lacked job descriptions.

5- The Governor Promoted nine staff members to assistant director level without conducting interviews.

6- Two new Directors have been appointed to departments with substantive directors creating confusion as to what happens to existing directors.

7- One deputy Director was demoted to assistant director without justification, Ms Angela Kasirye.

8- The appointment of Tubemanzi Tumubweine was premised on nepotism, influence peddling and conflict of interest.

After the complainants were filed, the Inspector General of Government wrote on 23rd February 2018 to the Governor and requested him to respond.

On 6th March 2018, Governor Mutebile responded to the IGGs letter saying he followed the law.

“The appointment of new staff from outside Bank of Uganda was done in accordance with the Bank of Uganda Act and internal recruitment policies of the bank. The staff in question were recruited through headhunting subject to headhunting policy of the Bank as approved by the Human resource and remuneration committee of the board of Directors on 11th May 2016”, Mutebile wrote.

Mutebile quoted section 28(4) of the Bank of Uganda Act and also in line with the authority granted to him by the board of directors on 30th May 2012.

The authority granted by the board permits me to take decisions on behalf of the board in the absence of a fully constituted board whose term had expired on the 12th November 2017.

Mutebile further defended the creation of new staff positions in the Bank of Uganda structure as being consistent with section 4.2.2 of the human resource policy of the bank. He explained that he approved the creation of five new positions to improve efficiency and enhance internal controls in the bank.

He said the promotion of nine staff without subjecting them to interviews on the grounds that a previous promotions process had been faulted by internal audit.

“There was need for the positions to be filled as quickly as possible to allow bank operations to proceed efficiently”, Mutebile wrote.

The Governor denied accusations of nepotism and influence peddling saying Tubemanzi Tumubweine and Kande Sabiiti were appointed on ground that they possessed specialized skills which under exceptional circumstances can be approved by the Governor or the board. He said they were sourced from specialized institutions.

The IGG was not convinced with the Governors explanations, on 12th March 2018, the inspectorate wanted additional information to support his decision. Lady Justice further directed that the decision of the Governor taken on 7th February 2018 should not be ratified by the board of Directors pending conclusion of investigations.

The Governor wrote bank asserting the independence of Bank of Uganda and the IGG also asserted the as not being applicable to the situation in question. The media was blamed for escalating the fight that had a potential to hurt the economy.

Due to the increasing press coverage of the Bank of Uganda, President Museveni deemed it necessary to establish a tripartite committee that would bring together the Parliament of Uganda, the Inspector General of Government and Bank of Uganda to study the allegations and report back to him.

The President appointed Hon Abdu Katuntu(MP) Chairperson , Hon Anita Among (Hon) member, Hon Micheal Tumusiime(MP) member, Hon Elijah Okupa (MP) Member , Lady Justice Irene Mulyagonja Kakooza (IGG) Member, David Makumbi(IG Staff) member, Justus Kareebi(IG Staff) member, Sarah Birungi(IG Staff) Committee Secretary , Judy Obitre-Gama (BOU Board) member and Keith Muhakanizi(BOU Board) member.

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Email: wmuhwezi75@gmail.com
Tel: +256702680106