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Members of Parliament sitting on the Parliamentary Committee of Trade and Industry have accused some Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) whom they say connive with some new sugar factories to help them evade taxes.

The Committee Chaired by the  MP for Fort Portal Municipality, Alex Ruhunda, while interfacing with the officials from the URA and Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) alluded that in their visit to sugar companies, they come across reports that   some URA officers who connive with these new factories to help them evade taxes for selfish gains.

Ruhunda said that if someone compares the metric tons these new sugar factories produce, it does not match with the taxes that are being paid.

He said that the new factories have found a clever way of going about taxes with URA .

Ruhunda said that it’s difficult for URA corrupt officials to use the original sugar factories to evade the taxes for their own benefit.

He also criticized the UIA managers for licensing one sugar factory to take all the monopoly of sugar production from one sub region.

Ruhunda noted that the UIA licensed Kinyara sugar works for production of sugar in Bunyoro sub region which he says undermines competition.

URA commissioner in-charge of customs, Dicksons Kateshumbwa

The URA commissioner in-charge of customs, Dicksons Kateshumbwa, however defended the authority saying it has zero tolerance to corruption and its does not tolerate any of its officers found guilty of corruption.

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MP for Fort portal Municipality, Alex Ruhunda

Sugar companies under the their umbrella group the Uganda Sugar Manufacturers Association (USMA) have petitioned Parliament put stringent measures on the sugar bill with a tough clause barring sugar factories away from unrecomended areas.

The sugar companies members were appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Trade, Tourism and Industry chaired by the MP for Fort portal Municipality, Alex Ruhunda, to give their position on the sugar bill which is under scrutiny.

Commenting on Section 13 (2) of the sugar bill the chairman of the USMA who is also the Director Madhvani Group, Jim Mwine Kabeho, proposed that if a sugar company establishes a sugar milling factory in a wrong place, they should be charged a penalty fee of 500 million shillings instead of 10 million shillings as proposed in the bill.

The bill seeks to license only one sugar milling factory in a zone of 25km radius and a minimum distance between any two sugar mills to be 50 km

Mwine said that due limited sugar cane supply, companies are facing, there are no more hopes for export of sugar yet sugar industries had doubled, adding that cane realization from 1 acre where 35 tones expected has reduced to 20 tones justifying the sugar shortage.

He noted sugar Cane age harvest used to be at 18 months but now has gone to 12 months which gives out low sugar production for the market because of harvesting under age sugar cane.

A man scoops sugar into a cup to make tea.

Mwine said that Uganda sugar price is the highest in the world because the cane price from the sugar farmers has gone to the alarming cost forcing sugar price going up.

He noted that a cane price is now at 175 shillings because of its shortage at the farmers gardens.

Mwine also revealed that sugar cane farmers lose an average of 4 tons of sugar per hectare per month because of harvesting the underage cane.

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Ali Kirunda Kivejinja the 3rd Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of East African Affairs

Government recently effected a proposal to raise payment for state prosecutors to reflect their workload.

This was disclosed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Affairs, Ali Kirunda Kivejinja, following a query from the Fort portal Municipality MP, Alex Ruhunda, who had demanded government to explain what it was doing on the pending State Prosecutors strike over low pay.

He said that their strikes will paralayse the judiciary work across the country if their concerns remain unattended to.

Kivejinja said that government through the minister of justice and constitutional Affairs is planning within two weeks to give parliament a comprehensive proposal for civil service salary review and state prosecutors will be part of this payment review.

In 2013 State Prosecutors and State Attorneys petitioned the 9th parliament proposing a gross monthly salary of Deputy DPP be put at 20 million shillings from the current 2.9 million shillings and for the Senior Principal State Attorney also be raised from the gross monthly salary raised to 15 million shillings from 2million shillings.

Some of the State Attorneys who had threatened to go on strike of pay.

A  State Attorney now earns  9millin shillings from 1.1million shillings while the monthly gross salary for a State Prosecutor has also been raised to 5millin shillings from 644,000 Uganda shillings.

“This is alt east a fulfilled promise from government and we are happy with the move.We do a lot of work and very strenuous circumstances yet our salaries have not been motivating enough,” said one State Prosecutor who preferred anonymity.

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Rugunda said 95% of the road accidents could be prevented if only the people followed the road traffic regulations.

The Premier made the remarks while meeting a cross section of stakeholders on road safety who were led by Alex Ruhunda, Member of Parliament for Fort Portal Municipality and Member of Parliamentary Forum on road safety at the Office of the Prime Minister .

“The weaknesses and loopholes in the implementation of these measures need to be addressed,” said the Premier.

Ruhunda noted that it is time the government drew a roadmap for establishing the National Road Safety Authority, adding that all relevant laws should be expedited and brought to Parliament.

The head of Accident and Emergency at Mulago hospital, Dr Alex Bangirana said boda boda (Motocycle Taxi) injuries account for up to 50% of the road traffic crashes.

According to Uganda Helmet Vaccine Initiative (UHVI), use of helmets reduces the risk of severe head injury by 69% and risk of fatality by 42% while the annual crime and Police report, estimates that 18,368 crashes were recorded in 2013, while 19,870 were recorded in 2012.

Another study carried out by researchers from Uganda Christian University and Makerere University(2014), involving 1600 boda boda riders in Kawempe and central divisions of Kampala estimates that 55% of Boda Boda  riders had ever been involved in an accident.

The research also revealed that it costs up to 7 million shillings to treat cyclists with serious injuries and that the economic burden of motorcycle accidents in Uganda was estimated at US$3.6 million (about 9 billion shillings) annually.

Research also indicates that Uganda is among the seven African countries responsible for 64% of all road deaths. Others are Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2011-2020 the ‘Decade of Action for Road Safety.’

Other road safety stakeholders represented at the meeting were; Safe Way Right Way Uganda, Uganda Helmet Vaccine Initiative, Mulago hospital Accident and Emergency centre, Crossroads and Uganda Christian University, Mukono.

Dr. Rugunda as well paid tribute to health workers and the Uganda Police Force for their role in saving lives of road accident victims.

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