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    It’s Against BUBU-Top UMA Bosses Petition M7 Over NITA-Soliton Deal

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    By Grapevine
    Having obtained a copy of the very unpatriotic August 2012 contract National Information Technology Authority (NITA) signed with the Kenyan company Soliton Telmec Ltd, UMA top executives agreed to petition the President about the matter.

    UMA is working on a document to petition the President on the frustration regarding the implementation of Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BuBu) policy that his government launched early this year. Hatched in the Ministry of Trade, BuBu is aimed at making sure Ugandan indigenous businesses are given
    priority when awarding government contracts. This became necessary after M7 realized almost all private companies owned by Ugandan natives were collapsing because most of the juicy government deals were being taken by foreign competitors. BuBu is supposed to benefit Ugandans in all sectors including manufacturing which is UMA’s major mandate and IT among others. As they prepared their petition to the
    President, UMA bosses, who are bitter seeing Chinese dominating the manufacturing sector deals after manipulating BuBu by locallyincorporating many companies, decided to petition the President. M7
    greatly respects UMA because it’s full of credible investors and other groups, like Ugandan companies in the IT sector, have pleaded with UMA to incorporate their concerns and complaints frustrating them from benefiting from BuBu to be part of the broad BuBu-related petition to Sevo. The aggrieved Ugandan firms in the IT sector are the ones who obtained the copy of the NITA-Soliton Telmec contract and shared it with UMA experts.

    On examining the contract, of which we also have a copy as Grapevine news, UMA experts became very much worked up seeing the way the contract’s provisions favored the Kenyan firm Soliton so much. On looking at the revenues Soliton collects monthly in millions of dollars, UMA experts became envious and wept while saying ‘we are finished’. For purposes of the petition, the UMA experts are concerned as to why Soliton was recently given a new contract of 10 years without NITA bosses paying any attention to the BuBu policy that requires the main contractor to at least sub contract 30% of the work to local firms. Not providing for this in the contract contravenes the PPDA guidelines on BuBu that require government agencies like NITA to ensure BuBu’s 30% local content aspect is well complied with. Giving the deal for Soliton for another 10 years in total disregard of the best practice principles that stipulate a maximum of 5 years, has also raised questions and panic at the Solicitor General’s office whereby those who represented Francis Atooke in giving the SG’s no objection are living in fear as they risk being questioned as part of the broader criminal investigations into the NITA-Soliton new contract irregularities. “If NITA was mistaken, how about officials at the Solicitor General’s office whose work is to do quality assurance and make sure everything is legally okay. They slept on the job, they didn’t do their oversight work and they are going to pay for this whoever handled the file,” separately said a source close to the impending criminal investigations targeting the three most powerful officials at NITA.  It’s believed there is a syndicate in the line ministry and the Solicitor General’s office behind the suspicious circumstances under which Soliton’s contract was extended by 10 years without subjecting them to any performance assessment. The NITA management didn’t rely on any Key Performance Indicators or KPIs to determine Soliton’s suitability for another contract. It’s said that the top NITA management avoided subjecting their friendly company Soliton to any KPIs because they feared; the company would fall short of eligibility. NITA is a big cash cow for Soliton because their own quarterly report shows that last year alone, the company collected more than USD54,564,021 from the MDAs on behalf of NITA and took 50% of the revenue because the revenue sharing provisions of the contract entitle them to 50% (USD27,282,011). This is cheating to the government of Uganda represented by NITA because besides the USD27m it shares annually, Soliton pockets USD2600 per Cisco switch they install at each MDA that happens to be NITA’s client. They also charge USD1200 per manhole they sell to NITA yet the same company Soliton sells to MTN the same manhole in the same town Kampala at just 400,000!

    Evidence of the 79 vehicles Soliton assigned to work in the Ugandan market after landing the NITA windfall

    Government was also cheated on the fiber cable equipment that was used to extend internet bandwidth from Masaka to Katuna under phase 3 of the NBI project which, as per the contract, also covered parts of Mbarara and Kabale. What happened was that the cables used were NITA’s as remainder from the previous phase II but government money was spent to purchase the same cables that already belonged to government. The voluminous contract shows that phase II covered Busia, Tororo, Malaba,
    Mbale, Kumi, Soroti, Lira, Gulu, Elegu (at Sudan border), Masindi, Nakasongola, Luwero, Mbarara, Kasese, Fort Portal and Kyenjojo.  It was a lot of work but a lot of unused cable remained and NITA donated
    it to Soliton free of charge yet government money was later on recorded to have been spent paying Soliton for this very cable equipment. According to NITA’s own letter or internal memo written and signed by Ag Network Manager Joseph Jjumba (who earns a monthly salary of 6.5m), Soliton also bags USD800,000 every 3 months which is questionably levied as transport fees for carrying internet on the NBI infrastructure which the government of Uganda owns and maintains. All this combines to make the NITA deal a cash cow for Soliton Telmec Company which the leaked NITA documents show is based in Soliton Park, North Airport Road Nairobi Kenya. UMA is also an interested party because its members use a lot of internet which remains expensive because of NITA’s failure to squeeze a fairer deal with Soliton so that, being a government agency, it can lead the way to lower internet bandwidth cost in Uganda. In its Tuesday 1st December edition, the Daily Monitor showed that Ugandans were paying four times more for internet than their EAC neighbors and this is mainly because of the unpatriotic managers at NITA.  Whereas BuBu mainly targets creating jobs for Ugandans, Soliton Telmec which in the contract agreed to ensure more than 80% of its workers are Ugandans has in total breach of that condition continued to employ mostly foreigners at the expense of Ugandan citizens in whose interest NITA was created. In our next story, we shall exclusively show how all top exco positions in Soliton are in the hands of non Ugandans, contrary to well stated position in the Contract between Soliton and NITA. The very exploitative contract also imposes a lot of confidentiality obligations whereby should anything therein leak to the public or any other 3rd party, NITA is to be heavily sanctioned. Watch out for the shocking salaries of Soliton Telmec top managers that will be followed by the salary list of NITA top managers which don’t match what they own.

    Page in the contract showing (in dollars) the minimum revenue Soliton was expected to generate in the first 5 years and the 50% NITA would be given off each total collection

    The table (in dollars) showing Soliton’s non wage expenditures out of the billions they monthyly milk from Ugandan MDAs through NITA

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    NATIONAL

    Gloves Off As Prime Minister Nabbanja Declares War On Minister Lumumba Over UN Trip…

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    Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja (R) and minister Kasule Lumumba (L)

    Furious Prime Minister who also doubles as the Kakumiro district woman Member of Parliament Robinah Nabbanja Musafiiri has declared a war on Justine Kasule Lumumba the minister of General Duties in the Office of the Prime Minister over the recent trip to United States of America to attend the United Nations Assembly.

    Nabbanja revealed that she was surprised to see Lumumba attending the Assembly meeting because she was not given permission from her as the leader of government business who is responsible for giving ministers and government officials permission to travel abroad.

    She explained that she kept quiet while in US. However, when they immediately landed at Entebbe, she issued a directive not to refund any money to Lumumba and the people she travelled with because they traveled on their own.

    “She will not bring here her fighting practices she has exhibited where she came from. We don’t even have that slot of the minister for General Duties in the Office of the Prime Minister. I directed that she should not receive a refund for the money she used in that trip,” a furious Nabanja told CBS radio.

    She added that she was told that Lumumba was part of the delegation that went with Jessica Alupo the vice president whom Nabbanja said does not have authority to ask because she is her boss.

    She however explained that president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni gave her the green light to travel to the UN Assembly.

    Nabbanja noted that for her to travel to the US to attend the UN Assembly, she first received a special invitation from the UN and report to the president who allowed her to travel.

    She said that while in the US, she meet a number of investors on the sideline of the UN Assembly who picked interest to invest their money in Uganda.

    She added that she also met some of the top leaders of the World Bank who promised her that very soon, they are going to lift the ban they slapped on Uganda because of the Anti-Homosexuality Act passed by the parliament and signed by President Museveni.

    Nabbanja denied allegations that she travelled with a huge delegation including his physical trainer.

    She divulged that she traveled with only five people and among them was his bodyguard, protocol officers and others.

    She threatened to take legal action against the Monitor Publication adding that some papers are used to fight her by publishing malicious stories which put her in bad light before right thinking members of socity.

    “They wrote that I stole Shs9bn which was allocated to teach youths how to drink coffee, yet the money was misused before I was even appointed a prime minister. Enough is enough, I’m going to act against them and you will hear the results,” a furious Nabbanja threatened.

    She explained that her predecessors used to travel abroad with huge delegations but they were never publicised as it was done to her.

    It is on this note that she alleged that her enemies are using the media to put her down but vowed to go down fighting.

    Hamson Obua the government Chief Whip in parliament revealed that during the NRM parliamentary caucus meeting at State House Entebbe, Nabbanja and Alupo were given the opportunity by the president to clear the air over the huge delegation they both traveled with to UN Assembly. They both denied the allegations.

    theGrapevine has established that there has been a silent war between Nabbanja and Lumumba with the Prime Minister accusing Lumumba of disrespecting her and backbiting her.

    Before being appointed a minister, Lumumba, who was the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party Secretary General had a bad working relationship with Dr. Tanga Odoi the party Electoral Commission chairperson.

    theGrapevine made efforts to get a comment from Lumumba over her boss’ allegations against her but her known phone numbers were not going through.

     

    By Sengooba Alirabaki

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    CRIME

    Brig. Gen. Ddamulira Advised To Clear Air On Allegation Of Shielding Criminal Gangs To Avoid Ending Up Like Gen. Kayihura…

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    Criminal Intelligence boss Brig. Gen. Christopher Ddamulira

    Uganda’s representative to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) James Kakooza has advised the nonsense police’s Director for Criminal Intelligence Brig. Gen. Christopher Ddamulira Sserujogi to come up openly and clear the air on allegation made against him of shielding criminal gangs in Kampala city and Metropolitan areas because he fears a nasty ending like former Inspector General of Police Gen. Edward Kale Kayihura.

    Kakooza revealed that when Gen. Kayihura was at the helm of police leadership, allegations were made against him that he used criminal gangs to solve political questions.

    Kakooza narrated that he severally pleaded with Kayihura that if the allegations are true, he should stop because it was soiling his name.

    He added that Gen. Kayihura’s enemies based on his cooperation with criminal gangs to fabricate criminal allegations against him including pinning him over his involvement in the high level murders in the country.

    He stated that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni based on the said allegation to fire Kayihura from police leadership and ordered for his arrest and prosecution in the court martial.

    “If president Museveni didn’t handle Gen Kayihura’s issues with maturity and experience, he would have ended up being sentenced to death or life imprisonment because the allegations placed on him were very treasonous. So my young brother Brig. Gen. Ddamulira should come out and clear the air on those allegations put against him,” Kakooza stated.

    He added that Brig. Gen. Ddamulira’s statement will not only cleared him but it will also clear the good name of the UPDF institution.

    Kakooza’s advice comes days after Kira Municipality legislator and also the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda accused Brig. Gen. Ddamulira of shielding criminals that beat up FDC delegates and stole their belongings both at Busabala and Katonga where they had gone to attend the Extra-Ordinary Delegates Conference summoned by party national chairperson Wasswa Birigwa.

    The Observer newspaper journalist Baker Batte also accused the criminal gang of stealing his brand new laptop.

    However, while speaking to theGrapevine, Batte confirmed that his latotop was recovered by Katwe police even though they have not yet handed it over to him.

    The ghetto leadership in Kampala city, Mukono, Wakiso districts also issued a statement asking Ssemujju to apologize to Brig. Gen. Ddamulira for tarnishing his name that he is shielding criminal gangs in the city.

    Shafik Kalyango, the coordinator ghetto structures, John Lukuse and Geoffrey Nsamba who were arrested by police for terrorising FDC delegates.

    They confessed that they are members of the ghetto structures which is supervised by State House, Brig. Gen. Ddamulira and officials from the ministry in charge of Kampala Metropolitan whose objective is to turn them into good citizens.

    Kalyango added that they are mobilizing the ghetto youths who have not yet joined their structures to avoid being used by the politicians to fight their battles against their political enemies and among them are those who beat FDC delegates and journalists.

    Ssemujju admitted to having seen Kalyango’s letter on social media even though it he not yet been officially served.

    He appreciated the efforts made by Brig. Gen. Ddamulira to organise youths in the city.

    He added that officially, Brig. Gen. Ddamulira denied having knowledge of the criminals hired by the Najjanankumbi FDC camp of party president Patrick Amuriat Oboi and Nathan Nandala Mafabi the Secretary General.

    Ssemujju however noted that there are elements in security circles who are working with criminal gangs in the city.

    He pleaded with Brig. Gen. Ddamulira to use his office to tame them because they will wreak havoc in the country.

     

    By Sengooba Alirabaki

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    NEWS

    Shadow Minister Warns Speaker Among To Prepare For The Worst As Zaake Asks For Special Audit On Parliamentary Commission…

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    The shadow Internal Affairs ministers who also doubles as the Mukono North legislator Abudallah Kiwanuka has warned his boss the speaker of parliament Annet Anita Among to prepare the worst after the Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka on behalf of the parliament lost the Constitutional petition against maverick Mityana Municipality Member of Parliament (MP) Francis Butebi Zaake.

    In a majority judgment of 4-1, the Constitutional Court allowed Zaake’s petition and declared the actions of Speaker Among to dismiss him from the parliamentary commission illegal.

    Court ordered the Attorney General to pay half of the costs of the petition.

    In her leading judgement, Justice Irene Mulyagonja supported by the judgment of other justices who include; Justice Eva Luswata, Justice Muzamir Kibedi and Justice Oscar Kihika declared that the then deputy speaker Among acted as a judge in her own case when she continued chairing the parliament in a matter which she had personal interest which resulted into contravening with Article 2(2),(2), 8A, 28, 42, 44(c) of the constitution.

    They added that parliament violated rule 111(5) of the Rules of Procedure of the parliament during the debate of the motion to remove Zaake from the office of the Commissioner.

    The amendment of the recommendations in the report of the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline to include a recommendation that Zaake be removed from the office of the commissioner had no legal basis and was illegal.

    However, Justice Catherine Bamugemereire disagreed with other members of the panel and dismissed the application but her judgment was defeated by the majority judgment.

    The entire legal battled started in 2022 when speaker Among made statements while presiding over plenary concerning legislator Zaake’s gold medal win in the East African parliamentary games even though he claimed he was still nursing torture wounds as a result of State operatives torture which did not went well the youthful legislator.

    Zaake took his anger to social media and blasted Among which resulted into his dismissal from the parliamentary commission.

    However, Kiwanuka insists that Zaake’s win in the Constitutional Court is a vote of no confidence from President Museveni explaining that if he wanted Among to win, she would have won.

    He insisted that Museveni wanted to show that she doesn’t have the powers she thinks she is exhibiting and she should be very careful because very soon, she could be impeached from her office.

    Kiwanuka explained that Museveni has been sending serious warning signals to Among that she is nothing.

    That’s why he refused to respond to her when parliament impeached junior Lands, Housing and Urban Development minister Persis Namuganza.

    Namuganza is still sitting on the front benches at parliament where ministers sat even after her impeachment.

    Kiwanuka’s warning comes hours after Zaake boasted that he is going back to the parliamentary Commission in high gear and he will start with asking for a special audit on the funds which were okayed by the parliamentary commission to be used by parliament.

    He insisted that one of the reasons why he was illegally dismissed from the parliamentary Commission was because he questioned the manner in which the money was released and sabotaged some of the deals in the commission.

    Zaake asked fellow legislators like; Dr. Twaha Kagabo, Jim Lukwago to believe in themselves and stop taking looking at Among as goddess because she can also be defeated.

    However, Kira Municipality legislator Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda warned Zaake that even if he has won the court case, he might fail to perform as a Commissioner as a result of being frustrated by fellow commissioners.

    He pleaded with the Leader of Opposition in Parliament Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba to talk to the speaker so that she mends her relationship with Zaake to create a good working relationship.

    The Attorney General has already filed a notice of appeal to the Supreme Court against Justice Mulyagonja’s leading judgment.

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