[UAH] IBRAHIM NGANDA BEAMS LIGHT ON SMALL ETHNIC MAFIOSO SUFFOCATING KAMPALA
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I spent Thursday morning at the Court of Appeal listening to lawyers argue an election petition appeal filed by Luweero Woman MP Brenda Nabukenya whose victory, High Court Judge Tiwangye Zehurikize overturned nearly a year ago.
The panel listening to this appeal comprises Steven Kavuma (lead judge), Augustine Nshimye and Remmy Kasule. Court of Appeal is housed in Twed plaza near Fairway hotel. This building charges parking fees, Shs 2,000 the first hour and Shs 1,000 per hour thereafter. At the end of the court, I was asked to pay Shs 6,000.
I found this payment irregular and exploitative but couldn't appeal because I had left the judges at the 3rd floor. Court of Appeal is a public institution and if it has paid for space, why should a private person charge people trying to access its services? Isn't this double payment on the side of the taxpayer? I leave that to the Court of Appeal to handle.
But most important to me as a leader is the growth of the new landlords in Kampala. There are several buildings in the city, some of them nice-looking without tenants with very visible signposts – to let. There are also buildings that are occupied before paint on them even dries up. You will never see "to let" signposts on such building.
Many such buildings have got government departments as their tenants. I asked these people collecting parking fees on whose behalf they were doing it. They told me they were working on behalf of proprietor Dan Twebaze. This Dan Twebaze was a Kampala City Council auditor during the reign of mayors John Ssebaana Kizito and Nasser Ntege Sebaggala.
He is the official owner of this tall building Twed, which houses the Court of Appeal. The same man is also the official owner of Twed plaza on Buganda road which houses Umeme, another almost public institution. But other people tell me that these same buildings are owned by Brig John Mugyenyi, one of the wealthiest army officers.
Mugyenyi also owns another building near the ministry of Health which he constructed in a road that used to connect to Yusuf Lule road. This too was rented out almost before completion by another public institution – Land Information Centre.
Question is: how does government or its agents always get to know that Mugyenyi has dug a foundation for a new building? There is something special with the likes of Brig Mugyenyi. You remember he was given Shs 14.9 billion as compensation for losing Kisekka market. Imagine he had not added onto it a litre of paint, but for cancelling his contract, he was swiftly given Shs 14.9 billion.
And if I am not mistaken, he is one of the lucky few to be awarded a ranks of colonel and brigadier in retirement. This story of Mugyenyi and Dan Twebaze serves you to know that our country is under siege, and occupying of media houses such as The Monitor and Red Pepper simply illustrates the point.
To do business in Uganda today and you succeed, you must somehow be connected to the state. To keep his hold onto power, President Museveni must control the military and economy. All successful businessmen must be connected to the state or must confess to having no political ambition. And because you cannot run a country without businessmen, you create your own using taxpayers' money.
There is absolutely no doubt that the Mugyenyis are being created by the state as a new breed of businessmen. They are offered obscene compensation and, structures constructed using this money are rented out before completion.
That may partly explain why this government sold all state properties. Uganda Hotels was the biggest hotel proprietor in the country. We now pay Sudhir Ruparelia billions of shillings to host state functions, never mind that roads leading to his resort are constructed using taxpayers' money.
All I am labouring to explain is that a small clique has captured our country and we now live on its mercy. They control the state business and they are the businessmen. This clique is so much afraid of the public that it will close newspapers trying to reveal their dirty game. And before these newspapers are reopened, they must plead guilty and swear never to do it – write about the First Family.
And to avoid writing about a family whose head is a president, wife a minister, son a commander and uncle an advisor to defence is a difficult undertaking by any media organisation. Yes, Monitor doors are now open but the country remains under siege. Can you freely do journalism in a country that is under siege?
The author is Kyadondo East MP.
semugs@yahoo.com
--
H.OGWAPITI
-----------------------------------------------------
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
---Theodore Roosevelt
The panel listening to this appeal comprises Steven Kavuma (lead judge), Augustine Nshimye and Remmy Kasule. Court of Appeal is housed in Twed plaza near Fairway hotel. This building charges parking fees, Shs 2,000 the first hour and Shs 1,000 per hour thereafter. At the end of the court, I was asked to pay Shs 6,000.
I found this payment irregular and exploitative but couldn't appeal because I had left the judges at the 3rd floor. Court of Appeal is a public institution and if it has paid for space, why should a private person charge people trying to access its services? Isn't this double payment on the side of the taxpayer? I leave that to the Court of Appeal to handle.
But most important to me as a leader is the growth of the new landlords in Kampala. There are several buildings in the city, some of them nice-looking without tenants with very visible signposts – to let. There are also buildings that are occupied before paint on them even dries up. You will never see "to let" signposts on such building.
Many such buildings have got government departments as their tenants. I asked these people collecting parking fees on whose behalf they were doing it. They told me they were working on behalf of proprietor Dan Twebaze. This Dan Twebaze was a Kampala City Council auditor during the reign of mayors John Ssebaana Kizito and Nasser Ntege Sebaggala.
He is the official owner of this tall building Twed, which houses the Court of Appeal. The same man is also the official owner of Twed plaza on Buganda road which houses Umeme, another almost public institution. But other people tell me that these same buildings are owned by Brig John Mugyenyi, one of the wealthiest army officers.
Mugyenyi also owns another building near the ministry of Health which he constructed in a road that used to connect to Yusuf Lule road. This too was rented out almost before completion by another public institution – Land Information Centre.
Question is: how does government or its agents always get to know that Mugyenyi has dug a foundation for a new building? There is something special with the likes of Brig Mugyenyi. You remember he was given Shs 14.9 billion as compensation for losing Kisekka market. Imagine he had not added onto it a litre of paint, but for cancelling his contract, he was swiftly given Shs 14.9 billion.
And if I am not mistaken, he is one of the lucky few to be awarded a ranks of colonel and brigadier in retirement. This story of Mugyenyi and Dan Twebaze serves you to know that our country is under siege, and occupying of media houses such as The Monitor and Red Pepper simply illustrates the point.
To do business in Uganda today and you succeed, you must somehow be connected to the state. To keep his hold onto power, President Museveni must control the military and economy. All successful businessmen must be connected to the state or must confess to having no political ambition. And because you cannot run a country without businessmen, you create your own using taxpayers' money.
There is absolutely no doubt that the Mugyenyis are being created by the state as a new breed of businessmen. They are offered obscene compensation and, structures constructed using this money are rented out before completion.
That may partly explain why this government sold all state properties. Uganda Hotels was the biggest hotel proprietor in the country. We now pay Sudhir Ruparelia billions of shillings to host state functions, never mind that roads leading to his resort are constructed using taxpayers' money.
All I am labouring to explain is that a small clique has captured our country and we now live on its mercy. They control the state business and they are the businessmen. This clique is so much afraid of the public that it will close newspapers trying to reveal their dirty game. And before these newspapers are reopened, they must plead guilty and swear never to do it – write about the First Family.
And to avoid writing about a family whose head is a president, wife a minister, son a commander and uncle an advisor to defence is a difficult undertaking by any media organisation. Yes, Monitor doors are now open but the country remains under siege. Can you freely do journalism in a country that is under siege?
The author is Kyadondo East MP.
semugs@yahoo.com
--
H.OGWAPITI
-----------------------------------------------------
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
---Theodore Roosevelt
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