State of Uganda

ON THE MARCH: President Museveni inspects a guard of honour before delivering the State of Nation address yesterday. PHOTO by GEOFFREY SSERUYANGE.

By Yasiin Mugerwa & Mercy Nalugo (email the author)

Posted Tuesday, June 7 2011 at 00:00

Opposition lawmakers yesterday abandoned President Museveni in Parliament as he delivered his first post-election State-of-the-Nation address, protesting what they said was his tolerance of graft and corrupt individuals in government.

Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Mr Nandala Mafabi, led from the front as the MPs stormed out of Serena Hotel's Victoria Conference Hall where Parliament had convened. They later denounced what they felt is President Museveni's continued failure to deal with crooked government officials. They also accused the NRM leader of ridiculing them during his address and pampering the new Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi whom they accused of being corrupt.

As soon as President Museveni reminded the country about the NRM’s policy of zero tolerance to corruption, at 6:15pm, the opposition MPs staged their unprecedented walk-out on such an occasion, accusing the President of contradicting himself. The last time the opposition walked out of a national function was in 2009 during the budget reading. Former leader of opposition Ogenga Latigo led his troops out of the chambers then—protesting the brutal arrest of opposition MPs.

“Mbabazi has been a good NRM cadre for a long time, if some of you can last as long as Mbabazi, it will be a big achievement,” the President at one time said amidst chants of “Temangalo” by the opposition.Almost throughout his two-and-a-half hour speech, the President had repeatedly defended Mr Mbabazi whenever opposition members howled “Temangalo” in reference to the Shs11 billion scandal in which the Prime Minister was accused of alleged influence peddling in the sale of his land located in Temangalo, outside Kampala, to NSSF in 2008.

This upset the opposition members whom the President described as “survivors” of his “de-toxification campaign”.

Before the walk-out, the opposition also kept interrupting the President’s speech—reminding him about Gilbert Arinaitwe, the police officer who drenched FDC leader Kizza Besigye with pepper spray in April and the Chogm scandals where nine cabinet ministers were implicated in the abuse of more than Shs500 billion in taxpayers’ money meant for the 2007 Commonwealth summit in Kampala.

Explaining why they walked out, Mr Mafabi said: “One of the major issues disturbing the country is corruption. For 25 years the President keeps saying the NRM has the will to fight corruption but nothing is being done. He is just rewarding the corrupt officials with fat positions in his government.”

“We have (written) many reports which have been quashed. We demonstrated by walking out to send a message that what he is doing is wrong. He is busy pampering Mbabazi in front of donors and everybody, yet this man and others in government were implicated in two major corruption scandals. This country is bleeding because of corruption and all of us could not agree on that.”

Yesterday, Information Minister Mary Karooro Okurut was dismayed by the turn of events, saying “the opposition walk out was very undemocratic and an abandonment of duty”. “State-of-the-Nation address handles all areas including corruption which is a key concern of the NRM government. Walking out is cowardice. They have the right to oppose, but they should know that the President is the fountain of honour,” she said.

World Bank estimates put Uganda’s losses to corruption at more than Shs500 billion per year. However that figure could be worse. Whereas the opposition walk out did not stop the State-of-the-Nation address, the President was momentarily unsettled, asking whether he should continue in the absence of quorum and whether people who walk out get allowances before he proceeded to delve into the new measures to deal with corruption in the country.

Mr Museveni promised to set up a special committee to investigate political officials, including ministers implicated in corruption scandals. He also promised to close the gaps in the existing procurement law to stop rampant corruption and asked the IGG, CID and DPP to expedite investigations of individuals named in the Chogm scam.

Offering an account of his administration’s achievements over the last financial year, Mr Museveni said Uganda economy continued to grow, despite pessimism from critics.

He predicted impressive growth in the years ahead as government deals with economic shocks. The President said the current inflation distressing Ugandans was a result of domestic, regional and global factors, singling out food prices as the main driver for inflation.

To be sorted
While the President did not offer any immediate solution to the double-digit inflation currently standing at 16 per cent, he said: “These are factors that are going to be sorted out when we begin using our oil.”

Calling for patience, Mr Museveni said globally food prices rose by 36 per cent according to the World Bank. He cited Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Zambia where inflation has also gone up, adding that “In three to four years, we are going to (resolve this) using our oil”.

On high fuel prices, the President again cited the examples of Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Southern Sudan, saying the current prices were normal -- rejecting calls for government to subsidise fuel prices.
President Museveni said there will be short-term, medium term and long-term interventions to deal with the current situation, citing provision of energy and road infrastructure to improve production and productivity.
However, the President did not provide details beyond indicating that political measures were being put in place to address the situation.
Specifically on food price inflation, Mr Museveni said 100 households in every parish will be funded to serve as model farms in various parts of the country. He said the Naads programme is now visible in the 112 districts. He said he had written to the ministers of Finance and Agriculture to study the possibility of each of Uganda’s estimated 17 million households owning four to five milk cows as part of the anti-poverty strategy.

Walk-to-work protests
But in reference to the opposition walk-to-work and hooting protests against the rising cost of living, President Museveni cited Article 43 (1) of the Constitution which says in the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms prescribed “… no person shall prejudice the fundamental or other human rights and freedoms of others or the public interest...”

He stopped short of citing the subsequent subsections of the same Article which places a limitation upon envisaged limitations on the absolute enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms where it declares that any restriction must be demonstrably justifiable in a free and democratic society.

President Museveni also quoted Article 3 (1 and 4) of the Constitution – reminding the opposition that “it is prohibited for any person or group of persons to take or retain control of the Government of Uganda, except in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.”

Amidst loud objections by the opposition, before they walked out, the President had said: “I would like to advise those engaged in riots to stop. The ulterior motives behind those riots are well known. All those groups we know what they are doing and what they are planning. The youth they invite (for riots) work for government. Those people will be handled firmly and decisively.”

Despite these pointed declarations by the President, the opposition members yesterday vowed to continue with their protests against the rising cost of living until the government intervenes.

As he concluded his two- and-half hour speech, Museveni who received a standing ovation from the NRM MPs said: “Every Ugandan should always be cautious of the fact that nobody owes them a living.”