{UAH} The Observer - In NRM, not stealing is the real scandal
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The Observer - In NRM, not stealing is the real scandal
Tuesday, 12 August 2014 23:34
As a result, a lot of money collected from the population and loans has been ring-fenced to improve the country's infrastructure. In this year's budget, we have allocated Shs 2.5 trillion to roads and Shs 1.7 trillion to energy. These two sectors have even surpassed our perennial darling – security – which is allocated Shs 1 trillion.
When you aggregate all the electricity that we generate, it comes to something like 600MW, yet Roofings Uganda Limited's Namanve plant alone, at full capacity, requires 40MW. That means 15 plants of this size will consume all the electricity that Uganda generates. We, therefore, need to build Isimba and Karuma power dams very quickly.
Nobody, therefore, can accuse this government of not knowing the development priorities. In fact, the earlier this government stopped preaching to us about the above problems, the better. Even a child now knows that we need roads, electricity and a standard gauge railway.
The question to ask is: "Why do Museveni's people steal money meant to address our infrastructural problems?"
For me, that is the big news in the story of the railway scandal that is still unfolding. Upgrading our railway to the standard gauge level is a grand project, as Justice Minister Saverino Kahinda Otafiire notes in one of those many correspondences reported about by the media. And this is a project for which billions of money will certainly be borrowed.
This is a project that would require collective cabinet wisdom. How it came to be a personal project of a minister of state, John Byabagambi, is where the story is. And now Museveni is crying that officials stole minutes of his meetings and shared them with a rival company. Meanwhile, the people working and residing near or along the railway line from Nateete to Namanve, is hearing all these stories.
And then on another day, we read in New Vision that Eng Abraham Byandala, the minister for Works, ordered Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) to sign a contract with a non-existent company. This company was awarded a contract to construct the Mukono-Katosi road and given an advance of Shs 24 billion.
While commissioning the Nakawa-Naguru Shs 4 trillion housing projects, the president revealed that work had delayed because his people were asking for kickbacks.
Kickbacks and bribes is a story that has become consistent with this government. In fact, during one of his visits to Rwanda in 2011, Museveni told the Rwandese that Uganda was full of thieves.
Mentioning the money stolen would trigger a censure motion in Parliament when we had just been sworn in. That is how we caused Syda Bbumba, Khiddu Makubuya and Kabakumba Matsiko to resign. This ninth Parliament even rejected four cabinet nominees – Nasser Sebaggala, James Kakooza, Muyanja Mbabaali and Saleh Kamba.
We also forced a two-day unprecedented debate on the oil resource, and at least forced the regime to table relevant laws and disclose some information. All these things were possible because many of the MPs were new. Then the president began meeting selected groups of young MPs at his wife's Ntungamo residence. He then flew with some in his jet. And after three rounds of Kyankwanzi orientation, they are all speaking the same language.
That is how they have conspired to keep silent or deny after the issue of a Shs 110 million bribe is mentioned. They have, after all, discovered that it is a scandal to be in NRM and not steal. You must at least steal a transmitter if you want to be considered a loyal cadre.
That is the tragedy we face as a country. Money that can construct a 120MW power dam project in Ethiopia will build half of it in Uganda. Projects will delay because to put pen to paper, something has got to be given.
And there is only one person to blame for all this, 'the chief executive.' It is him who has entrenched this culture, and getting rid of it will take years. Young people who have left colleges today want to become billionaires in their next two years of work. They have seen their colleagues become wealthy within two years. Uganda is now built on this foundation. Museveni is certainly on his way out, but his culture will linger on. That is what we must target.
semugs@yahoo.com
The author is Kyadondo East MP
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