Special attention to health workers needed...

Government should give special attention to the health workers  

Uganda is one of the ten countries globally which contribute the biggest proportion of the annual global figures on maternal, newborn and child mortality. Every day 16 women die in Uganda from pregnancy and child birth related causes. This translates 600 maternal deaths every year! In addition, 121 children under the age of one month die every day, which translates to 44,500 neonatal deaths annually. Furthermore the annual death of children under the age of five stands at 94,400. All these death are largely preventable with low cost high impact intervention. 

Health   is a key element of social and economic growth and its one of the major sectors that can directly impact on poverty eradication. Over the last four years, this sector has on average received over 9.6% of the total national budget, which is still far below the threshold of 15% agreed upon by African leaders in the Abuja declaration of 2001.

 We are concerned that Uganda’s health sector only covers 1/3 of what is needed to meet the minimum health package yet health remains an important perquisite for economic growth.  Out of the $28 per capita required to fully finance the minimum health care package only about US$ 10.4 is provided. This is far below the per capita health expenditure of US$34 for low income countries. More than 90% 0f Ugandans live in rural areas and these are the ones most affected by the weakened referral systems and equitable distribution of doctors. They are being cared for by less than 10% of Uganda’s   3600 or so available doctors –manpower.

Despite the national rage of policies and heavy investment in agriculture in rural areas, thousands of people continue to die needlessly. It’s therefore, not surprising that out of desperation many patients resort to seeking   health care from quack doctors such as faith healers, witchdoctors while others simply remain at home. 

 The acute shortage of  medical personnel has affected the performance  of clinical officers and nurses  in that  they have inevitably been called upon , from time to time , to assume tasks that are beyond  their competence  and which  would have been carried out by doctors , often which disastrous  consequences arise. The current consolidated  health workers facilitation allowance  of Ugsh 91,555  for  senior  levels  and  78,475 for junior  staff and the monthly  lunch allowance of UGX66,000 is  too meager to cover the basic amenities for which they were instituted .

 In regional referral hospitals where there are donor projects such as SUSTAIN that contribute to staff salaries, the health workers have stayed. This is proof that improved   pay leads to retention. Hospitals like mulago and butabika which are in Kampala find it easier to retain health workers due to more opportunities for supplementing low salaries like  participating in research ,consultancies and private practices .Overall 40% of the health workers in Uganda are working in private sector. In fact it’s estimated that 22% of these health workers are contracted by PNFP and 21% by the private sector. 

Government should come in and increase on recruitment of health workers to allow deployment, retention of medical personnel   as well as increasing their salaries. Increase the coverage of antenatal care from the current 42% to 70 %, provide basic emergency obstetric and newborn care at all health centers ,reduce the  unmet need for family planning services from the current 40% to 20% by increasing the number of service delivery points and access to commodities. 

By Adellah Agaba

Debt Burden Vs National Development

Debt Burden undermines Economic Growth and National Development

By June 2010, Uganda had a total external debt stock of US$ 2,343 billion according to the Semi Annual Report on External Assistance to Uganda(MoFED).Considering that recently the World Bank approved credit worth US$50M to finance the national Budget, and with the challenges in Aid Management identified in the Development Cooperation Uganda Report 2008/2009, it is difficult to determine how effectively this credit will achieve the objective of improving service delivery and poverty reduction as said by Chris Kassami, the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Finance and Secretary to the Treasury. The credit being disbursed into the consolidated fund provides government lee-way to flexibly allocate these funds to its priority areas yet widespread mismanagement and corruption cited in the Development Report undermines efficient resource utilization. As a result, some donors are reported to have reduced on disbursements pending their analysis of human rights and good governance.

Uganda has been a beneficiary of several debt burden relief since the 1980s and also benefited from debt cancellation under the first Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative of about US$ 650 million in 1998 and the Enhanced HIPC of US$ 660 million in 2000. Debt accumulated from the 1970s was as a result of  borrowing for economic recovery and stabilization programmes given the political unrest in the period but debt cancellation, provided an avenue for borrowing more external credit. This also portrayed Uganda as a risk free country prompting donors again to lend to her increasing  debt stock annually but the more relief we get, the more compelled to borrow yet by the time of the relief, the debt burden tends towards unsustainability. Does this mean we learn nothing and forget everything?

Government’s frequent acquisition of credit which is accumulating annually may drift us back into the Pre-HIPC Initiative era. HIPC savings were intended to facilitate poverty reduction programmes yet poverty is reported to be highest in rural areas; one is bound to wonder whether these funds really achieve their objectives not withstanding other inequalities whose gaps keep increasing by the day. But the big question still remains; how differently we’re going to manage the incoming credit funds and service this debt as expected since good debt servicing is attributed to good debt management and governance. Cases of poor service delivery especially in the rural settings have frequently featured where little or nothing has been done to improve the situation.

Accumulation of debt stock is attributed to new loans disbursements together with on-going loans. Good debt servicing is strongly attributed to good debt management and governance but a permanently growing debt status may undermine economic growth and development since resources used to service debt contribute to the crowding out of investment. A large debt burden requires more funds for repayment thereby draining the economy of what would have otherwise been used for development. 

As a result of poor financial management and indiscipline, the burden is transferred to the future generation. What makes us think that we should remain on the receiving end of a “white man’s hard saved taxes” just to be extended to us and mishandled since its impact is almost invisible. We need government to act as expected and fully hold the duty bearers accountable, punishing them to deter others from further misuse of funds. 

Where there is a will, there is a way.  

#Just saying...

Alternatives to rising inflation...

   Alternatives to rising inflation

The current crisis in Uganda is a result of rising inflation rate, unpredictable exchange rates, which continue to be a challenge increasing debt burden for Uganda. With the rising cost of living, Uganda’s economy is persistently falling into the debt trap both domestic and foreign causing financial hardship, joblessness and decline in personal earnings. 

The current debt burden stands at $4.3b (close to 10 trillion) up from $1.4 billion (about 3.2 billion) in 2006/07. Since   2006/07 financial year public debt has been increasing steadily growing at an average of 17% per Annum and projected to increase by 20% in the medium term due to increased new borrowings to finance infrastructure projects required to enhance productivity in the country.

Economy is suffering under the 29.2 % inflation rate in 2012 which is the highest since 1993 when it was 24.9 %. The country’s inflation steadily moved from 14.1 % in April to 16.0% in May reduced slightly in July to 15.8% to 18.7%in August 2011 and now at 29.2% in January 2012 yet the shilling has not gained full momentum hence the exchange rate is expected to remain volatile due to dollar scarcity (which is hoped to improve this year 2012).

Inflation has been enhanced by reduced food supplies to most markets, increased transport costs and reduced supply of consumer goods in the country due to importation of consumer goods from countries with high inflation. Food inflation rose from 33.4% in June to 40.6% in July 2011 though its stated that prices are beginning to stabilize in 2012, some families have not witnessed the difference.

High or unpredictable inflation rates are regarded as harmful to an overall economy. They add inefficiencies in the market and make it difficult for companies to budget or plan long-term. Inflation acts as a drag on productivity as companies are forced to shift resources away from products and services in order to focus on profit and losses from currency inflation.

Uncertainty about the future purchasing power of money discourages investment and saving. This prompts employees to demand rapid wage increase to keep up with consumer prices.

Inflation leads to further inflationary expectations which escalate inflation levels like hoarding where people buy durable and non-perishable commodities to avoid losses expected from the declining purchasing power of money creating shortages of the hoarded goods.

Inflation can lead to massive demonstrations and revolutions. In particular food inflation is considered as one of the main reasons that caused the 2010–2011 Tunisian revolution and the 2011 Egyptian revolution according to many observatories including Robert Zoellick, president of the World Bank. Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak were ousted after only 18 days of demonstrations and protests soon spread in many countries of North Africa and Middle East.

With the current crisis, business owners should invest in increasing exports to boost dollar inflows.  Our investment choices need to shift from bulling houses and importing goods which reduce the amount of dollar in circulation to investing in fish farms and agriculture that bring foreign exchange into Uganda.  The government should maintain good programs to help the farmers become more productive considering that increased input in agriculture sector will bring food prices down through increased supply to markets.

The government needs to set their priorities right and reduce on the unnecessary spending and give focus to Uganda’s back bone-agriculture and ensure that the roads are in good shape to help farmers transport goods to the markets. There is also need to increase   tariffs on goods which are imported from countries with same problem of inflation indoor to control imported inflation.

#My Opinion

Saving Culture a must have...

Saving culture a must have for all Ugandans in current times

Lately it has dawned on me that Ug.Sh.100,000 can only purchase a few items not enough to last a whole month unlike in the past when with this kind of money, one was considered well off and self sustaining for a reasonable time.

Am very sure by this time all Ugandans are aware that times have changed having inflation still high at 20.3% this month of June 2012 (though i  must say it has reduced from 28% last year same time) and a shilling still struggling against the dollar, prices of every item still high not forgetting escalating and fluctuating transport fairs due to fluctuating fuel prices. Much as we are advocating for the government to step up and reduce prices and taxes on various commodities, citizens must have a role to play in ensuring that the prevailing economic situation doesn’t swallow them alive.

Statistic have it that, Ugandans have a poor saving culture which most people call “Live for today and tomorrow will take care of itself.”

It should be noted that, poor saving culture is one of the major causes of poverty in Uganda where in most homesteads its estimated at 5% of the total income earned the whole year and the average saving rate of individual Ugandans stands at 6.2% which is far below the minimum savings required to eradicate poverty and encourage development in the economy according to the Ministry of Finance statistics.

Its clear that in most situations people end up spending more than they earn and one wonders where the money comes from to sustain this lavish spending. Much as we want the economy to stabilize and put the government on pressure to stabilize the prices, as responsible citizens we need to have a deeply rooted saving culture which will come in handy in times like these when the economy is in a poor state.

There is need for mass awareness on issues of financial literacy since Uganda has been blamed for lagging behind in financial literacy which has been partly blamed for the country’s high level of poverty and slow economic development.

For this culture to be deeply rooted, we need to start with the young generation and equip them with financial tools and skills to save for the future for their benefit.

Our banks can play a role in encouraging a saving culture by creating investment clubs like some have which will encourage most people to have some investments to rely on incase of any unexpected circumstances that can leave us in a crisis.

With a growing population of over 30million people, we cannot rely on the government to feed us at all times. If one has been consuming ten bottles of beer, they can be reduced to five considering the current ailing economic situation in Uganda with all commodity prices inflated.

At this rate all alternatives must be exploited to get liberated from the desperate situation, hence a saving culture is a must have for all Ugandans young and old.

The Stadium that never was...

 

The stadium that never was…

Bushenyi district famously known to be a model district was blessed to have had the dream of having one of the modern football stadiums which ended up an illusion. Boma ground was the location that was demarcated to accommodate the highly thought of stadium.

Ugandans might be divided in many areas of life like tribes, languages, and beliefs but sports bring the whole world together and believe in one ideology, Uganda is no exception to this.

It should be noted that Uganda as a country does not have many up to standard stadiums when we get to compare with many countries in Africa. But surprisingly even when we have a chance to have such modern infrastructure it’s averted by the contractors themselves!

Haba group of companies owned by the famous business man Hassan Bassajabalabba was given the contract worth shs 900million to construct a stadium in Bushenyi district which up to now is an illusion to the residents of the model district.

In July 2010 West Ankole CSO Forum (then Bushenyi District CSO Forum) wrote to the CAO requesting him to provide copies of the documents containing information relating to; Contracts executed for the development of Bushenyi District stadium, Bills of quantities in relation to stadium development, Architectural plans for the stadium project, Certificates provided by the contractor, Details of payments so far made and Status reports of developments thus far.

The CAO who had ignored the request and thus refusing to provide the above information which was a  violation of the provisions of the Access to Information,2005 later released the information containing the architectural plan of the stadium, the 4 certificates of completion, contract agreement with bills of quantities, and the completion plan of the stadium.

The information released showed that in the agreement between the District and Haba Group, Haba group was paid 906,874,020 (Nine hundred million eight hundred seventy four thousand twenty shillings) and extra 40,000,000 which he won from the court on ground that the District breached the contract. Further the information got showed that there are 4 certificates of completion which a company called Space plan consults prepared showing all the four stages and the District went ahead and cleared. Now the “stadium” is only at the second phase where the soil has been leveled, but this is being done by a new company.

This was one opportunity for the district to develop and increase on its source of income. With a better facility in the district, the local community would get increased income through small markets and consumption from the sports fans and increased tourism at the end of the day, increasing the number of job opportunities in the district leading to development.

At this rate it’s every citizen’s mandate to be transparent and accountable in order to achieve the change that we really want to see in Uganda. Let the responsible people account and show us value for money instead of ripping off the scarce resources drawn from tax payers.

Sports have sold Uganda internationally, and this anticipated stadium was one way of encouraging its growth. We need to see the stadium up and running for the growth of Bushenyi district.

This is the state of the stadium as of August 2011

By Adellah Agaba

We need honest contractors for change and development

We need honest contractors for change and development.

Media reports have shown that over shs 270bn has been lost to contractors citing forgery of some documents which has led to an overwhelming loss to government and of course pushing the tax payer to the wall.

It should be noted that Uganda spends a lot of money on awarding contracts considering that most of them are heavy with big sums involved. A lot of care should be taken by government while awarding such contracts to avoid cases of forgery and losses which affects the economy in the long run.

The contractor is supposed to oversee and manage improvement and remodeling of projects ensuring that work is done to the satisfaction of the contracting body. This requires skills, expert knowledge, and lots of time on the site to ensure quality work is done.

With this kind of work, it’s highly encouraged that contractors make it their duty to be honest and deliver as expected.

Lack of quality consciousness by contractors induces sub-standard inspection, which may prove to be devastating even leading to a plant shutdown. All this tends to aggravate the situation and in certain cases creates a situation where relationship between the client and the contractor is strained to the extreme. This then affects adversely on any other reputed firm engaged in providing such services.
While placing a contract with any firm/contractor, the client in this case the government must ensure that the contractor is capable to deliver goods and services as required. A proven track record of having provided services should be well assessed, the firm should be equipped with all the necessary support of qualified professionals, reliable equipment/materials and associated activities including the earth moving equipment depending on the nature of the contract and the client should carry out necessary evaluation of the firm by physically conducting visit at its premises/workshops, in the best interest of projects of national importance.

These conditions if followed will of course not only filter out those firms/ companies which are sub-standard but will also be assisting such companies/contractors in fulfilling the pre-requisites so that they enter into competition in a befitting manner having completed such requirements hence having  no compromise on quality to be done.

Today, one wonders why the works done are sub-standard to the extent that when roads are constructed they never last more than three years without having pot holes which look like lakes making it hard for the transport business to be smooth prompting inflated transport fares to people who use public means.

Research has shown that some schools have unfinished classrooms, few latrines, health centres have also fallen victims to these inefficient contractors who only think of themselves and yet the taxpayer continues to cough a lot of money.

We need honest contractors who will take on the jobs with all honesty and integrity. With this kind of setting, all works will be long lasting and of high quality which will make Uganda a better and developed place prompting the taxpayer to smile considering value for money will have been achieved.

Contractors need to show some compassion to the taxpayer in ensuring that their integrity and honesty is priority.

Youth unemployment can be managed

Youth Unemployment can be managed

The National Budget of 2011/12 allocated a big chunk of money of about 44.5bn to youth activities and ensure unemployment levels are reduced considering that that there are many youth on street with no work to bring in income for sustainability. Uganda is one of the countries in the world with the highest youth population of over 80% and yet idle. Education made easy, most young people are educated with good grades and degrees but no jobs.

Thousands of graduates pour onto the streets every year looking for jobs. Statistics from the Labour department show that 390,000 students who finish tertiary education each year have only 8,000 jobs to fight for. This means that for every one job that is available they are about 50 people to fill it. The UBOS findings indicate that illiterates are more likely to be available for any work than the literates. Statistics from all government departments point to major job crisis in Uganda. According to the Labour force flow figures, more than 400,000 Ugandans who enter the Labour market each year, only about 113,000 are absorbed in formal employment, leaving the rest to join the informal sector. Uganda's unemployment rate stands at 80 per cent and underemployment, which is mainly prevalent in rural areas, is at 17 per cent.

Undergraduate degree enrollment alone expanded by 1045% between 1990 and 2004 and, annually, Ugandan universities produce about 20,000 graduates who face competition for employment opportunities from the graduates of over 325 non-university higher education institutions in the country.

In a developing economy, where choices are limited, voluntary, or frictional unemployment is rare, hence the case in Uganda with skills mismatch and petite Labour market. Unemployment further causes further grounds for unemployment since prolonged unemployment can lead to an erosion of skills, basically robbing the economy of otherwise useful talents. Unemployed individuals are unable to earn money to meet basic financial obligations including Medicare, shelter, and education, clothing and personal development.

If the labor market in the economy does not work in an optimum manner, it will lead to few job openings, hence unemployment. The world rankings still place Uganda amongst the sorry environments for investment, with countless regulations, and lack of clear information for investor match making, or investor relations, and investment generally.

 However, the government has taken several initiatives like running entrepreneurship programmers and establishing vocational training institutes to create job creators, not job seekers. Through various partners, it has established funds, including the Youth Venture Capital Fund, to fund youths going into business.

At a glance, the successive governments of Uganda have had excellent policies with regard to education and internship placements. However, the implementation has not been effected. There is still a gap in the growth of the economy and the expansion of the Labour market.

As the youth we cannot keep blaming the government for the increased unemployment levels, we have to play a role in ensuring that this reduces to our advantage. Youth need to be more creative and stop looking at the white collar jobs only and consider other options especially with jobs that involve use of hands.

However, the government has a role to play in ensuring that its citizens (youth being majority) are catered for and given an opportunity to earn a living which is sustainable. The budget allocations to the youth need to be effectively used to show change or else the Minister for the youth will be held to account.

Adellah Agaba is a member of Young Leaders Think Tank for Policy Alternative (KAS).

Adellah_agaba@yahoo.com

Rationalism and prudence must precede public decision making..

Rationalism and prudence must precede public decision-making  

In these precarious times the question of whether rationalism and forethought are duly exercised by Government when making long-term decisions impacting on citizen’s welfare is debatable. Media reports recently revealed that MPs on the Public service and Local Government Committee were advocating for reinstatement of Graduated tax abolished in 2005, arguing that abolition of graduated tax had created a huge funding gap and massively constrained operations of local governments due to a revenue shortfall.

It was recalled that government used to collect over Shs 80billion before G-tax was scrapped and graduated tax alone had contributed 80% of local revenue to most local governments. Government replaced this tax with the local services tax and an annual Graduated tax compensation to districts. However, local government officials lament that the tax compensation cannot meet their expenditure and the amount transferred is well below the revenues generated by G-tax. This in turn adversely impacts on their ability to deliver quality social services to their people.

The Local Government Finance Commission noted a while back that only 5% of district and local budgets now come from local sources. Transfers from central government to districts are mostly conditional grants meaning that priorities are pre-determined from the Centre. Hence there is limited flexibility in the use of such grants and decision-making based on local priorities is equally limited. Further, the substitute taxes approved by parliament in 2008 mostly failed to meet the needs of local governments. The hotel tax boosts larger population centers but provides little income for towns and villages with few if any hotels. The local service tax works well with salaried people but raises little revenue from rural peasant populations.

Essentially, potential local revenue sources available to local governments are very limited in the funds collected or do not respond to the unique needs of communities. The questionable timing of abolishing the G-tax towards the 2006 presidential elections was considered by many a popularity gimmick aimed at appeasing the electorate, and time has proved that abolishing G-tax was decided without rational aforethought.

On the other hand, in 2009 the President announced government would start funding patriotism clubs in schools. A number of schools across the country started the clubs. Last month however, Lt Col. Henry Matsiko, national coordinator for patriotism secretariat, revealed that lack of funds has crippled many school programmes only a year after its launch. Mr. Didus Ngaya, the president of Jinja SS Patriotism club said that since inception the government has never given them funds, making it impossible to preach the patriotism gospel.

These scenarios demonstrate a significant disconnect between decision-making processes and actual implementation, which spells trouble for those charged with implementing government programs. Matters are worsened when policies directly impact on citizens’ welfare but implementation is frustrated by poor planning hence thwarting development interventions.
Similarly, the 1998 Land Act established a Land Fund to compensate absentee landlords and resettle those made landless by government action. However implementation has been mired by bureaucracies and delayed funds. More peculiar is that there are no comprehensive guidelines stipulating management of the Fund. This undermines transparency and accountability over how the Fund will be effectively monitored and leaders held accountable over it’s utilization.
The Land Act also provides that the accounts of the Land Fund shall be audited by the Auditor General who will report to Parliament. Further, the Uganda Land Commission shall submit to the responsible Minister bi-annually, a report on management of the Land Fund who will inturn submit progress reports to Parliament annually on the Funds’ performance. Whether all these provisions are being adhered to remains a mystery to the public who as the primary stakeholders deserve to be informed on utilization of the Fund.
Equally, the Government in June launched the national Job Stimulus Programme through which youth will obtain training and access funding for entrepreneurship to solve unemployment. From media reports, out of Shs44.5billion the Finance Ministry allocated towards Job creation, sh25b would be for the Youth Entrepreneurship Venture Capital Fund, sh3.5b to equip youths with business management skills while sh17b will offer market spaces for youth to engage in manufacturing and processing. Oddly, although funds are currently being expended, no clear policy guidelines exist detailing utilization of the funds. Considering the financially constrained times we’re living in, its high time government exercises rationalism when making long term decisions bearing on poverty reduction. Only posterity will judge whether citizen’s interests were duly put at the forefront of decision-making.

Selective prosecution cannot eliminate corruption

Selective prosecution cannot eliminate corruption

According to the National Strategy to Fight Corruption and Rebuild Ethics and Integrity in Public Office 2004 -07, corruption in Uganda has become endemic and systemic. The Annual Corruption Perception Index (CPI) by Transparency International shows that Uganda is among the top 10 most corrupt countries in the world and only third in Africa. Out of 178 countries, Uganda was ranked 127^th i.e. the 51^st most corrupt in the world.

During the induction ceremony of new MPs, the Inspector General of Government (IGG), Raphael Baku, was tasked to explain why not all officials implicated in the CHOGM report were prosecuted for their involvement in the misuse of public funds. MPs asked the IGG to resign for handling the alleged CHOGM offenders in a selective manner and that his decisions were not independent from the Executive.

This debate followed the prosecution of former Vice President Prof. Gilbert Bukenya, who had been charged before the Anti-Corruption Court with abuse of office and flouting of the PPDA guidelines during the procurement of executive cars for the CHOGM meeting. Intriguingly, the Inspectorate of Government exonerated Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi who had also been implicated in the CHOGM report, for his role in the procurement of security communications system for the 2007 meeting. The IGG claimed there was no evidence to implicate Mbabazi and recommended his file to be closed.

It should not be forgotten that we have witnessed this kind of selective prosecution before. Former Works Ministry chief engineer  Samson Bagonza was tried and convicted by the Anti Corruption Court for causing the government a financial loss of over sh1.6 billion, while former NSSF chief David Chandi Jamwa was also convicted by the same court (and judge) for causing a financial loss of sh3 billion. In the case of Jamwa, we all know that he had not been implicated singly in financial mismanagement. Why did the others escape prosecution?

We had also seen selective application of the law in the eviction of former Mayor Nasser Sebaggala from the official residence of the town clerk. Kampala City Council Authority had not used its power to evict Gen. David Tinyefunza from the official residence of the mayor in Kololo until hell broke lose and the General was finally evicted. This discriminative application of the law raises one lingering question: what criteria are followed to prosecute some officials while exonerating others?

Chapter Four of the Constitution of Uganda provides that “all persons are equal before and under the law in all spheres of political, economic, social and cultural life and in every other respect and shall enjoy equal protection of the law[1]…” As such selective prosecution of officials implicated in corruption scandals violates the supreme law of the land.

During this same induction for MPs, Kenyan Anti-Corruption Commission chief, Prof. PLO Lumumba, defended the IGG’s decisions, stating that selective prosecution could be a deterrent for junior officers against misusing public funds.

However, Justice Bosco Katutsi, while sentencing Jamwa, opined: “Selective prosecution must be condemned because you cannot simply pick one person and leave others. Selective prosecution is evil."

As an individual working for an organisation that champions the fight against corruption and good governance, I believe that it is the duty of government law enforcement institutions such as the Police, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions and the IGG to restore public confidence in their office. These institutions ought to remain independent! The fight against corruption should be a deliberate government effort to rout the evil that corruption is, and not to appease donors or settle political scores. Justice Katutsi’s remarks are not only widely shared by Ugandans, but it has formed a wide (but may be mistaken) belief that the State has sacrificed a less significant NRM ‘insider’ to hoodwink donors that it ‘finally’ has the political will to fight corruption. 

The sooner we eliminate this discriminative and evil-minded prosecution, the better. Otherwise, relying on selective prosecution to eliminate corruption is akin to writing on water.

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[1] Article 21(1) of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda