Mbale Times

22/04/2024

21/04/2024

I am a married man with a lovely wife and two kids. I was just goofing around on Facebook and saw one pretty sister and that was how the Casanova spirit inside me pushed me to send her friend request which she accepted after two days.

Some days later, I sent her hand wave on Facebook messenger, she responded and that was how it all started. Something in me was saying take it easy, but this spirit of Casanova was really prepared to deal with me.

After I applied some pressure, she accepted and she even told me she did not want any unserious fellow but I kept assuring her I am different that my love is here to stay

Deep inside of me, I only wanted her for the fun.

Last weekend she visited me in her Rav-4 and we spent the weekend together.

On Sunday morning, she asked me to drop her off at home which I obliged.

We drove close to an army barrack and she pointed at the gates and asked me to drive in.

I thought she was joking, but she was not. We got to the gate and the soldiers at the gate were saluting her.

At that point I didn't know if the car's AC went off or I accidentaly turned it off, but I began to sweat.

Luckily she did not notice. I dropped her off and she pecked me and told me to go with the car and use it as she would come to my place after service to discuss about our marriage. I managed to drive out of the gate.

Later in the day she came as promised and ask if she surprised me. I said not really; that I was proud of her...meanwhile I had peed like 20 times already.

Just this morning, she fully introduced herself as a Major in the army and her only two brothers are Lt Colonels, and she is the only girl of her father who is a retired General.

I know I am in hot soup! My wife and kids are due to return next week.

Please I need advice

21/04/2024

UGANDA COFFEE TRAGEDY

by Robert Kabushenga

On Monday, during a cabinet meeting, it was proposed to give & his another US$36m. Last year they got US$10m which they shared among themselves.

, the political head of objected, arguing that he had nowhere to find the money. He was blasted & told to shut up. Then tried a different approach. She suggested first getting accountability for the US$10m disbursed last year before committing more money. It is her that pays out this money & therefore accountable for what it does. Musenero was simply told to shut up & sit down. This was followed by an awkward moment of embarrassment & uncomfortable silence. The meeting adjourned for a short break. When they resumed, the proposal passed without debate. It will now go to parliament where it will be passed without question. Once that is done the money will be disbursed expeditiously without delay. And then it will be promptly shared out & eaten without shame. End of story.

This was never the approach to public affairs. Robust debate & analysis was the method by which a preferred direction was determined. What has changed? It is not those in charge nor their ability to engage meaningfully & eloquently. It is the purpose. It is no longer the public good.

The only reason you entrust a known fraudster with money to execute policy with public funds is because you want to rely on these kinds of skills for a hidden purpose. If you subject this to debate & analysis it will reveal the true intention. These kinds of scams are simply money laundering projects. You sink billions in a false promise so you can extract money from the Treasury which you then externalize. The public is left holding an empty can. The best example of this is along the Old Entebbe Road at a place called Lubowa. We are supposed to have a modern medical facility giving is specialized services so we don’t have to go out of the country at an exorbitant cost. It is 9 years now & all there is, is a slab hidden behind corrugated iron sheets. So if you are expecting to find processed coffee products on the supermarket shelves or coffee shops here & overseas because millions of dollars have been given to a bunch of conmen, I suggest you manage your expectations. It is not going to happen, certainly not from Ntungamo. If you are still in doubt, check what happened with the Soroti Fruit & Atiak Sugar factories.

The conventional (& well informed) wisdom in the Ugandan coffee circles is that the two individuals who are purporting to set up ready to drink coffee processing units in Ntungamo & Namanve have simply purchased cheap equipment & pocketed the difference. So what will pass for verification whether we are getting value for money is a preparatory visit to Ntungamo by & Musenero to inspect on going works. This is in preparation for one by their boss scheduled for 26/04/2024. The real purpose for this is to lend political cover to this scam & hope to legitimize the US$36m heist in the eyes of the public as investment in our prosperity.

Every which way you look at it, this is taking out from our children’s future prosperity. It is to feed the greed & consumerism of a few individuals. The future price of this will be heavy.

Each time we speak out about this hemorrhage, we are accused of being foreign agents & slave traders. In my case I have been described as an agent of disorientation.

Look guys, if there is one thing that makes us vulnerable to rapacious foreign forces, it is a parasitic political establishment. One that thrives on corruption, profligacy, greed which diverts resources from development to consumerism. This is what precolonial chiefs did. The practice is clearly alive & well. If US$46m was properly deployed in improving our productivity & quality of our coffee value chain, we would be in a better position to extract better value.

As it is now, we are desperate for financing & this undercuts our bargaining power. There is no way in the world that giving millions of dollars to questionable individuals so going to reverse this situation. To articulate this set of circumstances is to speak for the interests of the majority. As Oliver Tambo (the illustrious President of the African National Congress in exile) taught us, the masses are always right. Power does not confer correctness. Force does not objectivize subjectivity. Experience cannot replace process. The future direction of our country is a collective national project. And for this reason it must draw on the vast cognitive reserve of all Ugandans. To restrict this process is to lock ourselves in an embrace with disaster. It is to put us at the whims & limitations of an individual’s subjectivity. Therefore what should be done with our coffee must involve all the real sector players. Otherwise it will end in tragedy

A note on the foreigners/imperialists argument. It is simply opportunistic. The same foreigners become investors/friends of Uganda when dealing with government. The same people become imperialists & homosexuals when they engage with those who hold different views on public matters. This line of reasoning conveniently forgets that the so called foreign agents are subsidizing public expenditure. Part of the reason corruption reigns supreme. In our case, a lot of foreign money is plugging the hole in crop finance, cost of inputs, extension services & other needs in the coffee sector. The government is absent. We are on our own. So investment misadventures like financing crooked individuals supposedly to execute a value addition strategy is possible because there is no spend to support primary producers of coffee. Just so you know, coffee nursery operators have never been paid for supplying seedlings. The last I heard the figure was only UGX 7bn. In many sectors, the foreigners are picking up the tab.

Anyway, I have been at this issue since December 2019. I am driven by the conviction that a bottom up broad process of defining the direction of the coffee sector is the only one that will deliver sustainable & sustained success. A top down muscular approach will fail. It is not the first time it has been tried. And no amount of speechifying however voluble & forceful will bring the desired outcome into existence. It is going to be a long & difficult exercise, even slow. But we can learn from our neighbors particularly the Tanzanians. They have figured out a workable coffee model.

To those who have been dismissive or even contemptuous, I leave you with an interesting lesson from history. Churchill, one of the most powerful leaders of the British Empire, dismissed the Mahatma Gandhi as an Indian Coolie. Today, a man Indian extraction is in 10 Downing Street. Diwali is now THE religious celebration at that residence. Life has a way of delivering cruel ironies.

16/04/2024

Implications of a Tax Regime on Democratic Credentials: An Analysis of Old Israel and Contemporary Uganda
By Mahir Balunywa
April 16, 2024

Around 975 B.C., the biblical scriptures (1st Kings, 9:15/19) tell us that the people of Northern Israel rose up in opposition against King Rehoboam, the successor of King Solomon, over high taxes levied against them. Prior, King Solomon had established a burdensome tax regime to the people of Israel in order to sustain his standing army of over thousands of soldiers, whom he believed to be the custodians of his regime.

1st Kings, 5:13/9:21/22 states that King Solomon levied exorbitant taxes to maintain his family and the bulk of established courts around Israel. It was these levied taxes that led to the development of his renowned philosophical pursuits, later known as King Solomon's 3000 Proverbs and 1,005 songs. In this respect, David Ben Gurion, former Prime Minister of Israel, contends that the primitive, inhuman, oppressive taxes compelled the people of Israel to oppose his son, King Rehoboam, as the new king of Israel. David Ben states, "He increased national taxes to a very great extent but his wisdom seems to have failed him when in his last days his hands grew heavy upon the people."

Solomon's personal pride and selfishness certainly contributed to the national crisis. His stress on industry led many people away from the land, and his added tax for the supply of his wasteful courts was extremely burdensome. The people soon realized that they were being sacrificed for personal enrichment rather than for national welfare.

This compelled the people of Northern Israel to oppose his son as the next King of Israel, leading to the division of Israel into Southern versus Northern Israel. When Jeroboam attained power, he went to meet the people of Northern Israel who told him that they would only accept him as their king on condition that he reduced their tax burden. To this end, Rehoboam sought the advice of the elders who advised him to yield to their request.

Jeroboam went ahead to seek the advice of the young, friendly youth, who advised him to the contrary, even suggesting doubling the taxes. Rehoboam followed the advice of the young men, and in return, Israel disintegrated as Northern Israel seceded away from Southern Israel. This narrative speaks to the current standoff in Uganda between the businessmen and the government.

As businessmen contest the new tax regime, the government through its URA spokesperson doesn't seem to have the intention, let alone the appetite, to rethink their tax decisions. On the contrary, the government goes on to offer tax holidays to foreign investors at the expense of local investors, something which is even contrary to the local content legislation, which promotes the notion of BUBU (Build Uganda Buy Uganda).

Students of the international political economy, on the contrary, have defined foreign investors as economic imperialists who come to fleece natives of their meager resources in the name of investors. In this respect, Adam Smith, David Ricardo, and Gibson contend that imperialism benefits a small favored group, but never the nation as a whole. Marxist theory interprets imperialism as a late stage of capitalist economy, with its monopolistic tendencies of primitive exploitation of the meager resources. To this end, one can argue that the government seems to be conspiring with the so-called investors to deepen the natives' poverty levels as the latter foolishly fools its citizens into entering the middle-income status. The question remains: Who or which category is in this Middle-income status? Natives or foreign investors?

When Rehoboam refused to listen to the plea of the people to ease the tax burden, they said to him, "What portion do we have in David's? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse," meaning that tribalism had set in. This was the same scenario which played out in early colonial Uganda when the Baganda opposed and rioted against the Indians, the sub-British imperialists. Today, the talk is about foreign investors (Indians and Chinese); even a whole desk has been set up to protect them from natives. But today, as we speak, the Indian shops have also closed in this tax strike for fear of an impending second Indian expulsion. There has been much anger against Indians; this we witnessed during the Save Mabira strike in the early 2020s. That said, the biblical Tax revolt against King Solomon and later Rehoboam speaks volumes to what might happen in the long run. In the short run, you might suppress native strokes, just as King Solomon did, but will you sustain these tax suppressions? King Solomon succeeded in suppressing them, but his son, King Rehoboam, failed, and finally, the Israel monarchy crumbled.

This brings us to the second most important organ that would help in putting an end to this tax malaise. This is the Parliament of Uganda. Ideally, we relate the August House to the dispensation of democracy, where our views are expressed, including those of businessmen. What affects business affects natives because the latter sustains business, and business supports the social welfare system of the natives. There is an increasing argument that Parliament has betrayed the people whom they are supposed to represent. Many Ugandan scholars have, to this end, ridiculed the Parliament, describing them as betrayers. In this respect, Francis Imbuga, the distinguished playwright of "Betrayal in the city," first published in 1976. In this playwright, Imbuga crafts a fictionalized country called "Kafira," for fear of reprisals. Imbuga does not directly reference Uganda and its current events but what he writes clearly reflects our contemporary Uganda. He introduces characters like Nina and Dogs, who from the onset are grieving for losing their son "Adika" during anti-government protests by natives. University students cannot afford to overlook how the government is running the affairs of the state; they resort to demonstrations in the city, leading to the death of one of them, "Adika." Jasper, a university student, is pained by the killing of his brother. As he demonstrates, government forces dawn on him in a move to silence him. He later ends up organizing a coup that topples the government.

Certainly, the government needs not to underestimate the current spikes of resistance, for it was once upon a time in a state of minority (NRA war with 27 people and 27 guns) but later overran a fully-fledged established government and army. Anything can happen, including nothing. David defeated Goliath. Let the government listen and heed to the demands of their citizens. John Locke and Thomas Hobbes, in their classical "Social contract theory," allude to the fact that citizens sustain a regime, not the reverse; thus, the government should listen to their bosses (citizens). The government has a social contract with the people for five years, which is renewed every five years. The government can only respect this contract by listening to the demands of the people. The natives' arrogance of "We have the army and the guns to suppress and annihilate you" is what ended British colonialism, Obote, and Amin regime. Interpreting Ngugi Wa Thiongo, in his book "The Devil on the Cross," cautions those in power to desist from arrogance when he reveals the darkness curved open to the cross which

26/03/2024

There are places you move around Kampala and find dozens of dogs hanging out together. Who owns these dogs? Are they even vaccinated?

21/03/2024

They look identical but one is from Mbale Industrial park and another from India. Strangely, they cost the same price. The one from India is 1000 watts and Mbale is 1500watts. I didn't know Mbale was assembling such stuff.

20/03/2024

As-salamu alaykum! Ramadan Mubarak! May this holy month bring you and your loved ones blessings, peace, and spiritual growth.

19/03/2024

Such a protest by the former Rubaga Division RCC Anderson Burora. I am told this was the T-shirt he wore while handing over the office. Kyika.

08/03/2024

Discover yourself, abandon familiarity and change!

08/03/2024

Makerere university rugby grounds for M***i Menk tour.

07/03/2024

Tomorrow all roads lead to Makerere University Rugby Grounds for the M***i Menk lecture. He is accompanied by Dr. Ahmed Sallah. Let's meet there Insh-Allah.

06/03/2024

Parents sending children to schools especially in new areas kindly give them extra transport. Found a young man pulling a very heavy suitcase trying to find a taxi to his school.

He traveled by bus and jumped off at the wrong spot because the school has two campuses. The young man strictly had 2k to his campus but now that he was dropped at the wrong campus he needed extra transport. Musasire abana. I know things are hard. Keys squeeze the little to make things easy.

06/03/2024

Mukono should officially be gazetted the capital city of ...... Oh boy this town...olemwa!!

25/02/2024

Property for sale in Busia shops and rentals. Asking price is UGX 150M.

24/02/2024

Mbale loses another giant. Counsel Samuel Wegoye.

24/02/2024

Support your children to get skills they will come in handy.

19/02/2024

https://ugandaradionetwork.com/s/uce-mother-of-four-passes-in-division-one-eyes-agriculture/ In an exclusive interview with our reporter on Sunday, Nafuna revealed that she had dropped out of school in 2010 after becoming pregnant. Nafuna shared that her dreams were momentarily shattered when she got pregnant while in Senior One at Budadiri Girls in Budadiri town council, Sironko district.

In Sironko district, a mother of four children achieved an impressive feat by scoring 17 aggregates in the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) exams of 2023. Sarah Nafuna, aged 30 and a resident of Mutufu town council sat her UCE examination at Sironko Parents under registration number U2031/047.

17/02/2024

Visit Jilbab House next to the main gate of Gaddafi National Mosque for your Islamic wear.

16/02/2024

Watching Botched Bodies, which focuses on people who went for surgery to improve their looks and ended up in disaster. There is a guy who wanted his noise sharpened a little. The surgery went wrong and now has to wear a mask and stay indoors for some days after undergoing seven unsuccessful surgeries that cost him huge sums of money. He also ended up with damaged ears cause doctors had to cut some part of his ears to repair the nose!!! But why? Is it about money or what exactly pushes people to such extremes?

15/02/2024

Those who wish to repeat UCE under the old curriculum should use the 2024 window to do so.

15/02/2024

UCE Results: Cases of malpractice have continued to reduce. There were some cases involving physics and chemistry. The affected schools will be notified.

15/02/2024

Six inmates from Luzira prisons passed in division one and 14 division 2.

15/02/2024

UCE results: Female candidates performed better compared to their male counterparts in the English language. This has been the trend in the past exams-UNEB Secretary Odong.