Jennifer Musisi the Executive Director, KCCA

Kampala Capital City Authority  and the Solicitor General’s office are at loggerheads over the payment of property tax by educational institutions endowed by government.

An interpretation by the Solicitor General in September last year of the local governments rating act 2005 established that institutions that receive endowments from the government are exempted from paying tax..

This is an opinion that officials from KCCA have sharply criticized arguing that grants from the government are not endowments, the Executive Director, Jennifer Musisi asserts that these institutions make money from tuition and use city services making them liable to pay tax for these services.

The matter came to light when the officials appeared before the Committee of Statutory Authority and State Enterprises (COSASE) to respond to queries in auditor general’s report for the year 2013/14.

The report notes that city revenue amounting to 63.2 billion shs remained uncollected, this figure rose to 77bn shs the next year.

The city authority officials highlighted the challenges they face in collecting revenue and interventions they are putting in place to increase revenue collections.

Musisi expressed her disapproval of the solicitor general’s opinion.

Musisi also requested for an amendment to the law with regard to exempting properties in the city that are occupied by their owners. She argued that the law should be reviewed such that the rates are scaled in a progressive manner.

KCCA has always raised concerns about this law since owners of residential dodge payment of rates by claiming that they live in the houses and yet they rent them out.

She pointed an accusing finger at the affluent neighborhoods that she claims are not contributing any revenue to the city coffers.

MPs took exception to the fact that the government waived payment of property rate arrears in the FY 2015/2016 by government institutions and yet this money is appropriated.

The Committee Chairperson, Abdu Katuntu, was particularly displeased with this revelation.

He has requested for a list of defaulters of property rates to be presented tomorrow.

The post KCCA and Solicitor General on loggerheads over property tax for government institutions first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Kasaijja the finance minister.

The Minister of Finance, Matia Kasaija, while appearing before the National Economy Committee of Parliament noted that new and old roads have been cut to connect pipes for water, electricity and communication cables and that this has affected most roads hence weakening them.

Kasaijja said he has now instructed the Committee Chairperson, Hon.Syda Bumba, to immediately write to the Prime Minister, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda about the dangers of cutting roads so that there is an immediate stop to the practice.

He also said he was to meet Dr. Rugunda over the same matter and discuss so that such sectors can submit their master plans in time by cutting roads which he said will not be accepted any more.

Road pavements damaged by cuttings.

The most affected roads are in the City Centre where water and electricity connections are done living portholes and it’s seen as the major destruction of road infrastructure in the Country.

The post Kasaijja decries infrastructure damages by companies fixing cables across roads first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Lands minister, Betty Amongi

The minister for lands, Betty Amongi, told the parliamentary committee on natural resources on Thursday that the move will help the ministry to control environmental sensitive areas including rivers, natural ponds and forest reserves for the common good of citizens of Uganda.

Amongi says that no leaseholds should be given out on such protected natural resources and that she directed the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) to issue the ministry of lands with an atlas of wetlands to make it easy for them to identify them.

“Some people need to be reminded that these are wetlands and forest reserves so that they stop their encroachments on restricted areas. There is a lot of encroachments going on these areas in many parts of this country and this spells doom if not checked in time,” Amongi charged, before adding, “NEMA should avail an atlas of wetlands to the ministry of lands so that we check this behavior”.

The Kinawataka wetland in Kireka, a Kampala suburb, which has been encroached on by unknown people.

The committee chairperson, Alex Byarugaba says that following the MP’s visit they have discovered that people are holding land tittles of the protected areas which is posing a big threat to the environment.

The post Amongi to cancel all land titles in wetlands, forests and wild life reserves. first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

The Committee Chairperson,  Angeline Osegge (Soroti) urged Members to actively participate in committee activities especially upcoming workshops which she said will enhance their capability in handling sensitive accountability questions.

Hon.Angeline Osegge and Hon. Winfred Kizza at the Hand Over Ceremony for the Public Accounts Committee Chairperson ship by Hon. Alice Alaso at Parliament.

“I welcome members from the Munyonyo workshop and also encourage you all to attend all other scheduled workshops which will widen our appreciation of handling accountability issues in line with our mandate,” Osegge said.

She also informed Committee Members about a two-day workshop organised by Office of the Auditor General which commences on August 15, 2016.

According to a July 27th  letter from Office of the Auditor General addressed to the Public Accounts Committee Chairperson, the workshop is intended to sensitize members of accountability committees on key highlights of the Audit Report for the Financial Year 2014/2015.

“It is will also provide guidance to committees for developing work plans to discuss the Audit Report effectively,” reads the letter in part.

The Committee, which was also scheduled to meet officials from Ministries of Internal Affairs and Local Government, adjourned after the officials declined to attend and instead proposed different dates.

Mazuri County Member of Parliament Hon. Akora Maxwell, also a Committee member, requested the Committee to reject dates set by officials meant to appear before them but rather move in line with appointments set by the Committee.

“I wonder whether it is proper for the officials to choose when to appear before us,” said MP Akora, before adding  that according to the current backlog, officials’ response to summons from the Committee must be swift and prompt.

The post MPs on PAC develop work plan to deal with accountability backlog first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

They were supposed to explain to MPs why Ugandans living in United Arab Emirates are not helped by the embassy when they face problems related to exploitation and illegal arrest while working in United Arab Emirates.

Foreign Affairs PS, James Mugume

The mps through the committee chairperson Alex Byarugaba told Ambassador James Mugume to leave because he could not be with what they wanted from the minister of foreign Affairs.

Mugume had told mps that the two ministers were not available because the president had directed minister Assuman kiyingi to be somewhere today and Minister Okello Oryem is out of the country.

Isingiro Member of Parliament who is also the chairperson of the committee Alex Byarugaba said that mps want Foreign Affairs ministers to respond to the petition which was brought to parliament by Ugandans living in United Arab Emirates through MPS Betty Nambooze Bakireke and Makindye west mp Hussein Kyanjo.

Byarugaba told the permanent secretary in the ministry of foreign Affairs to ensure that the ministers appear next time when are summoned by the committee because they have failed to be before the committee for three time now.

The ministers of foreign Affairs were also supposed to explain why ambassador semakula Kiwanuka is not cooperative to Ugandans in United Arab Emirates and respond to issues related to under facilitation of this embassy.

By Isaac Senabulya

The post MPs chase Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary James Mugume first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

The board of the Electricity Regulatory is appearing before the probe committee into the energy sector that has been overshadowed by reports of corruption.

Members of the committee yesterday questioned the authority’s management over why new electricity tariffs were announced before they could be approved by the board.

The MPs demanded for a copy of the approved minutes which the management failed to produce.

Though the committee directed that the implementation of new tariffs be halted, the regulatory authority hit back, saying Parliament does not have powers to determine electricity tariffs.

The committee chairperson Jacob Oboth Oboth has tasked the ERA authorities to explain the statement issued, which he says belittled the oversight role of Parliament.

MPs Elijah Okupa and Reagan Okumu are demanding a clear explanation and extraction of the statement.

Rukungiri Municipality MP Roland Mugume says Parliament has the right to protect the interests of citizens and warns that the hiking of tariffs could spark protests.

The authority’s Chief Executive Officer Dr. Benon Mutambi denies defying the committee, saying he only implied that retracting implementation of the new tariffs might be difficult.

The post MPs ask ERA to withdraw statements on power tariff increase first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

The Attorney General peter Nyombi had been summoned by the oil Adhoc committee chaired by Michael Werikhe to explain oil company agreements and contracts signed with government and whether there is oil policy and regulations which can be used to manage oil.

Furious members of parliament who included Michael Werikhe , Hussein Kyanjo and Cecilia Ogwal told the minister to leave the committee for the president meeting in Entebe after the Attorney General Peter Nyombi insisted that he was supposed to be in the president meeting however much he wanted to be in the oil Adhoc committee proceedings as requested .

The committee chairperson Michael Werikhe said that they are disappointed with the executive for not taking the oil committee investigations serious.

The Member of Parliament Makindye West Hussein Kyanjo had wanted the Attorney General to call the president  and inform him that he is busy with parliament work because the president can be seen any time but the committee has time frame to produce its report .

By Isaac Senabulya

The post Peter Nyombi angers oil committee over call from President first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

bank of Uganda Governor, Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile

Mutebile had appeared before the committee chaired by Micheal Werikhe to answer questions related to oil revenue and how the oil money was kept in shillings yet it came in dollars.

Mutebile had told the mps on the committee that in a meeting he had with the president and the ministry of finance, he was directed to release funds from the consolidated fund to purchase fighter jets in 2010 on ground that the money will be recovered to the consolidated fund from the capital gain tax of oil companies.

However, the Governor angered the MPs on the committee when he totally rejected to give the committee evidence  indicating president’s  directive to governor to release jet money from the consolidated fund with out parliament approval.

The member of parliament for Makindye west Hussein Kyanjo had wanted  the evidence from governor that shows that the president directed him to draw money from consolidated fund which the governor declined to do and the committee ordered him to leave .

The committee chairperson Micheal Werikhe told the governor to go if he cannot give evidence to the matter he rose before committee because this information is vital in the committee’s investigation into oil sector.

The member of parliament for Buhanguzi county in Hoima District Julius  Junjula Bigiirwa  was furious with the governor’s failure to give them the alleged president Museveni ‘s  directive to use the consolidated money to buy jets and he said how sure are they that the oil money in bank of Uganda will not be mismanaged .

By Isaac Senabulya

The post Parliament chases Mutebile over spending oil money on jets first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.