07 May 2024 The Minister in Charge of Kampala Affairs Minsa Kabanda has advised Masaka city leadership to develop a sustainability plan for the infrastructure the city has acquired under Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development Project. Minister Kabanda made the call during a bench marking visit to Masaka city ahead of the implementation of the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Urban Development Program(GKMA-UDP) which started in December 2023. The program funded by the World Bank (WB) French Development Agency to a tune of USD 1,179.97M, WB contributes a credit of US $ 518M and a grant of of US$48M, AFD and the Ugandan government is intended at improving infrastructure in Kampala and the Metropolitan area. Kabanda was responding to the concern raised by Masaka city leaders that complained that several street lights had been vandalized and others knocked down while others had their life span elapse five years in use but they could not replace them. She said part of the local revenue collected from the facilities such as markets should be set aside to cater for the maintenance of the projects if the locals are to continue benefiting from these projects which are put up by government to improve service delivery. She however warned the civil servants charged with responsibility to run government projects established to improve peoples’ live livelihood, citing the upcoming Program in Kampala (GKMA-UDP) saying that this program which is estimated at over shs.1.9 trillion has been waited for so long saying that they would not like to have the program mismanaged or frustrated by anyone. Ejua Simon Masaka City deputy Town Clerk told the gathering that the city is stuck with limited funds for the maintenance of infrastructure under the USIMID program despite their efforts to get funds from the central government citing cuts of road fund which was helping the city to conduct some road works which expanded to over 360 square kilometers after the elevation to city status. The under secretary Ministry of Kampala Affairs Monica Edemachu promised to work with the benefiting communities to ensure experience acquired from the benchmarking visit in Masaka is utilized. She however also advised the city leaders to involve the community while executing the projects since they help protect the projects from vandals. Edemachu also encouraged the vendors to be more organized , generate more revenue from work spaces created and also pay back to government in terms of revenue. Story by Fahad Malik
07 May 2024 Legal brains warn that failure for African states to enact and implement appropriate competition legislations, the aspirations of regionalizing trade will fail. This as the continent gets to fully adopt regional trade integration like the East Africa Community market , Common Market for Eastern , Southern Africa(COMESA) Southern African Development Community (SADC) intended to promote exports among member states. The Founder Fidelis Leadership Institute & former President Uganda Law Society Phiona Wall says there is need to build capacity on competition practice. “Regulations in various countries in East Africa and the continent serve as crucial instruments in maintaining fairness , preventing monopolies and safeguarding consumer interests”, she explained. Wall was speaking during the launch of the competition law and consumer protection training at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala. For her part, the Executive Director SEATINI-Uganda Jane Nalunga called for flexibility in implementation of the competition legislation arguing that due to liberalization policy, small & medium entities cannot compete with multi nationals. Nalunga says government should support local companies to undertake joint ventures and take on the multi nationals who many times take up the markets at the expense of local firms. Story by Wycliffe Sebunya
07 May 2024 The Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has directed the ministry of disaster preparedness to issue a national guide and steps on the predicted climate disasters, as seen in neighboring Kenya. The Uganda national meteorological authority has warned that Uganda risks experiencing the same which the speaker says requires an explanation from line ministry on Uganda’s preparedness. The Minister of state for Disaster Preparedness Lillian Abel has asked parliament to consider financing the disaster preparedness department to enable timely response. Meanwhile The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has called upon the government to intensify its efforts in safeguarding Ugandans from the adverse effects of flooding, particularly during the rainy season. This plea follows the recent occurrence of floods in several districts, including Kasese, Bunyangabu, Mpigi, and Dokolo, where communities have been affected by the floods. Addressing journalists at the FDC headquarters in Najjanankumbi, party spokesperson John Kikonyogo emphasized the inadequacy of governmental initiatives in averting flood-related damages, which pose significant threats to both lives and property. Kikonyogo urged the government to actively seek counsel from meteorological experts and implement comprehensive measures aimed at enhancing flood resilience among Ugandans emphasizing that they are crucial for empowering communities to protect themselves effectively against the recurring threat of floods. Story by Kenneth Lukwago
07 May 2024 The Minister in Charge of Kampala Affairs Minsa Kabanda has advised Masaka city leadership to develop a sustainability plan for the infrastructure the city has acquired under Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development Project. Minister Kabanda made the call during a bench marking visit to Masaka city ahead of the implementation of the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Urban Development Program(GKMA-UDP) which started in December 2023. The program funded by the World Bank (WB) French Development Agency to a tune of USD 1,179.97M, WB contributes a credit of US $ 518M and a grant of of US$48M, AFD and the Ugandan government is intended at improving infrastructure in Kampala and the Metropolitan area. Kabanda was responding to the concern raised by Masaka city leaders that complained that several street lights had been vandalized and others knocked down while others had their life span elapse five years in use but they could not replace them. She said part of the local revenue collected from the facilities such as markets should be set aside to cater for the maintenance of the projects if the locals are to continue benefiting from these projects which are put up by government to improve service delivery. She however warned the civil servants charged with responsibility to run government projects established to improve peoples’ live livelihood, citing the upcoming Program in Kampala (GKMA-UDP) saying that this program which is estimated at over shs.1.9 trillion has been waited for so long saying that they would not like to have the program mismanaged or frustrated by anyone. Ejua Simon Masaka City deputy Town Clerk told the gathering that the city is stuck with limited funds for the maintenance of infrastructure under the USIMID program despite their efforts to get funds from the central government citing cuts of road fund which was helping the city to conduct some road works which expanded to over 360 square kilometers after the elevation to city status. The under secretary Ministry of Kampala Affairs Monica Edemachu promised to work with the benefiting communities to ensure experience acquired from the benchmarking visit in Masaka is utilized. She however also advised the city leaders to involve the community while executing the projects since they help protect the projects from vandals. Edemachu also encouraged the vendors to be more organized , generate more revenue from work spaces created and also pay back to government in terms of revenue. Story by Fahad Malik
07 May 2024 Legal brains warn that failure for African states to enact and implement appropriate competition legislations, the aspirations of regionalizing trade will fail. This as the continent gets to fully adopt regional trade integration like the East Africa Community market , Common Market for Eastern , Southern Africa(COMESA) Southern African Development Community (SADC) intended to promote exports among member states. The Founder Fidelis Leadership Institute & former President Uganda Law Society Phiona Wall says there is need to build capacity on competition practice. “Regulations in various countries in East Africa and the continent serve as crucial instruments in maintaining fairness , preventing monopolies and safeguarding consumer interests”, she explained. Wall was speaking during the launch of the competition law and consumer protection training at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala. For her part, the Executive Director SEATINI-Uganda Jane Nalunga called for flexibility in implementation of the competition legislation arguing that due to liberalization policy, small & medium entities cannot compete with multi nationals. Nalunga says government should support local companies to undertake joint ventures and take on the multi nationals who many times take up the markets at the expense of local firms. Story by Wycliffe Sebunya
07 May 2024 The Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has directed the ministry of disaster preparedness to issue a national guide and steps on the predicted climate disasters, as seen in neighboring Kenya. The Uganda national meteorological authority has warned that Uganda risks experiencing the same which the speaker says requires an explanation from line ministry on Uganda’s preparedness. The Minister of state for Disaster Preparedness Lillian Abel has asked parliament to consider financing the disaster preparedness department to enable timely response. Meanwhile The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has called upon the government to intensify its efforts in safeguarding Ugandans from the adverse effects of flooding, particularly during the rainy season. This plea follows the recent occurrence of floods in several districts, including Kasese, Bunyangabu, Mpigi, and Dokolo, where communities have been affected by the floods. Addressing journalists at the FDC headquarters in Najjanankumbi, party spokesperson John Kikonyogo emphasized the inadequacy of governmental initiatives in averting flood-related damages, which pose significant threats to both lives and property. Kikonyogo urged the government to actively seek counsel from meteorological experts and implement comprehensive measures aimed at enhancing flood resilience among Ugandans emphasizing that they are crucial for empowering communities to protect themselves effectively against the recurring threat of floods. Story by Kenneth Lukwago
