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    OPINION: World Bank-Aid Cuts Exposed Neo-Colonialism Dependency…

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    Minister Dr. Sam Mayanja

    The World Bank’ recent decision to pause lending to Uganda because of the recently passed Anti-homosexuality Act exhibits the continued impact of neo-colonialism on the economic growth of countries that are dependent on international financing and foreign aid.

    The basis of the World Bank decision was that the Uganda Anti-homosexuality Act fundamentally contradicted the World Bank Group’s values. There was also pressure exerted on the World Bank from several groups and countries urging “specific, concrete and timely actions” including 170 civil groups, urging suspension of future lending.   In June 2023, countries imposed travel restrictions on Ugandan officials in response to the Uganda anti-guy legislation.

    Prior to passing this law, President Museveni had explained the history and culture of Ugandans as a huge influence in the decision making on whether to pass this bill into law. He explained that the basis of the decision making on legislative issues that fundamentally impact the moral turpitude of Uganda was solely based on internal evaluation of the relevance of the law.

    Former President of Ghana the late Kwame Nkrumah observed that the practice of neo-colonialism “means power without responsibility and for those who suffer from it, it means exploitation without redress”. Neo-colonialism is accordingly more dangerous than colonialism. Whereas colonialism required a physical occupation of territory, in neo-colonialism, there is no physical presence in the neo-colonial state. It is invisible and secretive.

    Therefore when Uganda, an independent state arrives at a decision to enact a law that contradicts the way of life of the West, the World Bank has the liberty to make a decision to stop supporting its developments and investments in cahoots with international capital. To Neo-colonialism it is insignificant that the legislation respects the general cultural values, and moral turpitude of Ugandans.

    President Museveni has continued to reject international criticism of the legislation, and has defended the law as necessary to stop the LGBTQ community from trying to degrade the moral turpitude of Ugandans. This however has had no tangible effect on those who hold the strings of International capital. To neo-colonialism, the views of a Head of State of an independent nation has no consequence as long as it is not the position agreeable to International capital entities. Africa cannot therefore make a political or legislative decision without the major influence of international capital in the decision making process of the different organs of government, whether legislative or executive.

    Neo-colonialism will not allow Africa to form market blocks with Banking and monetary systems which can compete globally. Consequently Africa will continue to be an easy catch for neo-colonialism whose hidden hand will continue to keep the continent divided into several small states which are unable to run their own affairs from a sound economic base capable of competing globally.

    The prices of the raw materials, as well as the finished goods of Africa are determined by the neo-colonial system. The African economics themselves are not complimentary. They produce what they do not consume, and consume what they do not produce. The export-import system itself is done through a banking system, shipping and insurance network, controlled by neo-colonialism.

    The value of the currency of African countries being dependent on the export value of its raw materials is eternally lower compared to those of the former colonial powers. It is constantly being devalued making it difficult for African countries to have the same purchasing power as the neo-colonial powers. Yet African countries must borrow and pay back through the neo-colonial currency with interests and penalties imposed by the international monetary systems domiciled and controlled from the neo-colonial capitals.

    The central Banks which control the fiscal policies of African states supervise Commercial Banks on the basis of best monetary criteria-the criteria itself determined by the neo-colonial powers.

    Africa is the largest recipient of foreign aid, but this aid is given through a neo-colonialism system which neither promotes democracy nor economic development. Instead, as Moyo opined in Moyo, D. (2009). Dead aid: “aid has helped to make the poor poorer, and growth slower. Millions in Africa are poorer today because of aid; misery and poverty have not ended but have increased. Aid has been and continues to be an unmitigated political, economic, and humanitarian disaster.”

    Neo-colonialism has ensured that the gamut of foreign aid put Africa under a debt servicing crisis-the debt trap. Africa is poor and its poverty undermines political autonomy to choose and decide on economic models, development programs and independent political and legislative structures.

    African aid packages have been ostensibly justified as fostering economic growth and political transformations. Contrary to such benevolent expectations, Africa has failed to achieve economic development and democracy. Rather poverty, political instability, and structural aid-dependence remains its defining hallmark.

    International bilateral and multilateral aid is for achieving vested interests rather than genuine motivation for Africa’s progress. Without an African common market with a banking system able to compete globally, Africa is clenching chains around its bosom, believing that it is embracing freedom. Foreign aid for Africa is an instrument of imperialism and domination.

    Dr. Sam Mayanja

    Minister of State for Lands

    smayanja@kaa.co.ug

    www.kaa.co.ug

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    MY MONEY

    KISAKA’S ROTTEN KCCA: Panic As More KCCA Bosses Face Arrest Over Giving Bribes, Asking For Sex In Exchange For Jobs…

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    KCCA ED Dorothy Kisaka (L) and troubled David Balondemu (R)

    As flamboyant city lawyer David Balondemu who also the Kampala District Land Board is still on remand at Luzira prison over multimillion fraud cases, the mighty Grapevine has learnt that more Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) bosses will soon face arrest over giving bribes and offering sex in exchange for jobs.

    On Wednesday, Buganda Road Grade One Magistrate Winnie Nankya held Balondemu’s application for bail while delivering her ruling on after an emergency application filed by the State led by Ivan Kyazze.

    State claimed that the accused person forged some of the documents his lawyers presented including some former East African Assemble legislator Fred Mukasa Mbidde.

    He based on the affidavit of the Chief Executive Officer of Kampala Hospital Limited Dr. Peter Kibuuka who claimed that the said document indicating that the accused person was going for surgery at their hospital was not authored by his hospital.

    State alleges that the accused together with others between the months of November 2022 and April 2023,  at Bloom Advocates with intent to defraud, obtained $553,000 from KG Unlimited LLC by falsely pretending that they were going to award it a contract of supplying agricultural drone sprayers and fertilizers which was false. Balondemu denied all the charges.

    Balondemu was re-arrested last week few weeks after being released from Luzira prison on allegations that between the months of March and November 2021 at the offices of Balondemu and Company Advocates along Parliamentary Avenue in Kampala City, he obtained US Dollars 600,000 by falsely pretending that they were selling 53 kilograms of Gold to Hyun UK Kim a Korean investor whereas not.

    Highly placed sources at Brig. Gen. Henry Isoke’s State House Anti-Corruption Unit revealed that Balondemu is one of the many bosses at KCCA who have been under investigation for the past two years.

    These sources boasted that all the people that Balondemu has been working with to defraud investors are going to be handled in piecemeal.

    A KCCA insider disclosed to theGrapevine that Balondemu still has over three criminal files set to be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Justice Jane Frances Abodo for sanctioning and advised him not to waste his money and time on applying for several court bails.

    Sources said that very soon, another top boss at KCCA who is a lawyer is going to be arrested after DPP gathered overwhelming evidence that he paid a bribe in exchange for the job.

    “He is currently sitting on one of the boards at KCCA but to be appointed, he paid Shs70m to one of the political heads at KCCA. He also gave another Shs40m to the same political head which he shared with some KCCA City Hall councilors to soften his way to the office.

    This is the reason why there is a lot of corruption at KCCA because such people want to recover their money through fraudulent deals including giving away public land,” a source said.

    Sources said that politicians at KCCA are using their Personal Assistants to receive bribe.

    They gave the example of a Chinese national who has already recorded a statement at State House Anti-Corruption Unit narrating how a Personal Assistant to a politician at City Hall defrauded him of over Shs3bn.

    He was taken to his boss’s office at City Hall to show him that even the boss knows what was going on.

    Detectives are also investigating a male boss at KCCA technical wing who has been made it a business to sleep with young girls especially those from the university after promising them jobs.

    Sources said that the said boss was using the same tricks at one of the government agency where he was working before joining KCCA.

    In her report, the Inspector General of Government Beti Namisango Kamya declared ED Dorothy Kisaka led KCCA as one of the top government agencies with high levels of corruption.

    Kampala affairs State Minister Joseph Kabuye Kyoffatogabye recently pined top technical wing bosses of fueling the vice by sleeping on the job to buy popularity among the population.

     

    By Sengooba Alirabaki

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    CELEBRITY GOSSIP

    Lubaga South Legislator Mukasa On Suicide Watch After Landlord Throws Him Out Of Rented House, Puts His Properties On Sale To Survive …

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    Lubaga South legislator Aloysius Mukasa

    Flamboyant Lubaga South legislator Aloysius Talton Gold Mukasa is on suicide watch with money lenders breathing down his neck.

    His woes escalated recently when his landlord threatened to throw him out of his house along Entebbe road over delayed rent payments.

    Mukasa is among the National Unity Platform(NUP) legislators who have not enjoyed their stay in parliament and is always on the run, hiding from moneylenders to elude arrest him over none payment.

    His woes started in Court where he spent millions of shillings to settle the legal battle instituted against him by his immediate political rival Princess Eugenia Nassolo who was contesting his education and accusing him of committing election offences.

    Nasolo hired some of the best lawyers in Kampala who included; Caleb Alaka, Samuel Muyizi Mulindwa and Kenneth Paul Kakande who convinced her to settle the matter out of Court, where a juicy deal was reached.

    This deal punched big holes in Mukasa’s pockets.

    Mukasa also hired Justine Ssemuyaba another serious lawyer who he paid huge sums of money in legal fees to represent him.

    It should also be noted that Mukasa was among the candidates who spent a lot of money during campaigns and sources close to him claim that he spent more than Shs5bn in campaigns including facilitating the process of winning the NUP ticket.

    Sources divulged that Mukasa thought that he was going to get a lot of money in politics by cutting deals which would help him to cover the gaps in his businesses among which included FACO which is dealing in solving the problems of manhood among men, changing women’s figures and DX4.

    However, news reaching our political desk shows that the landlord on the building which has been housing FACO for years in Ndeeba along Masaka road has thrown him out of his building over delayed rent payments.

    Sources added that Mukasa first sold his primary school and used part of the money to pay the loans to survive money lenders who were on his neck.

    Recently, he sold his Ambulance car which he bought during the campaigns to Rhino Funeral Management Company.

    He also sold the vehicle truck which he bought to help his people to solve the problem of water especially at the functions and sources claim that he sold it to Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi the Butambala County legislator at Shs53m.

    Kivumbi was not interested in the track but he bought it to save his fellow legislator and he added it to his two water tracks in the constituency.

    Sources said that the big problem that Mukasa currently has is to settle the landlord at home because he is going to be embarrassed if he throws him out of his house with his wife and entire family.

    His competitors claim that Mukasa was among the NUP legislators who were facilitated by the State to infiltrate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu’s camp during the 2021 general election.

    theGrapevine made a number of efforts to talk to Mukasa for a comment by making several phone calls to his five known phone numbers but they were all not going through.

     

    By Levi Yashayahu

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    MY MONEY

    City Businessman, King Ronnie Court Battle For UNRA Shs6bn Compensation Cash Goes To Court Of Appeal…

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    Dr. Kasasa (L) and the Kabaka of Buganda Ronald Muwenda Mutebi (R)

    The Lands Division of the High Court judge Flavia Nassuna Matovu has allowed controversial city businessman Dr. Muhammad Buwule Kasasa to appeal against her ruling at the Court of Appeal.

    In her ruling, justice Nassuna noted that there are substantial questions of law that warrant consideration by the upper court.

    She explained that it is fair for her to allow Dr. Kasasa to appeal her ruling to the court of appeal and argue out his case and see whether he can convince the Court of Appeal justices to allow his application to withdraw Shs6bn which he is fighting for with the Kabaka of Buganda Ronald Muwenda Mutebi’s family.

    In July, Justice Nassuna dismissed Kasasa’s application on ground that he cannot allow him to withdraw the Shs6bn which Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) deposited on the bank accounts of the judiciary.

    UNRA secured a court order to deposit the money to the judiciary bank accounts after both Dr. Kasasa and King Ronnie’s family claimed ownership of the land at Mutungo hill where Kampala-Jinja Expressway which is under construction is going to pass.

    In his application, Kasasa insisted that he is the rightful owner of the 640 acres of land comprising Kyadondo Block 237 plots 178, 388 at Mutungo in Nakawa Division Kampala City.

    Dr. Kasasa through his lawyers lead by Simon Kizza claims that they defeated King Ronnie’s family who also double as the Administrators of Sir Edward Mutesa Walugembe’s Estate who are; Prince David Kintu Wasajja, Princess Dorothy Nasolo and Princess Sarah Kagere at the Court of Appeal.

    He submited that Justice Elizabeth Musoke, Justice Christopher Gashirabake and Justice Eva Luswata declared him the rightful owner of the contested land which gives him the green light to get the compensation because King Ronnie’s family did not appeal the decision.

    He stated in his application that he is very sick and he needs the said money to get medication abroad and to cater for his family.

    However, King Ronnie’s family lawyers of K&K Advocates led by Usaama Sebuufu protested the application.

     

    By Grapevine Reporter

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