The poor state of Iganga hospital

The Health committee also recommends for increase of health workers lunch allowances. The MPs observed that since 1996, health workers continue to receive 66,000 and 44,000 shillings for Doctors and nurses respectively as
their monthly lunch allowances yet the cost of living and inflation has gone up.
The committee members recommended that lunch allowance for nurses, Doctors and other health workers be revised to 288,000 shillings to cater lunch at a unit cost of 12,000 shillings.

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Dr. Muvawala (right) with Dr.Kisamba Mugerwa who he replaced at National Planning Authority.

Otto’s remarks come shortly after the Executive Director to National Planning Authority, Dr.Joseph Muwala told a Parliamentary Committee on Budgets that they were constrained by unfulfilled pledges by the President.

He says that every time the President visits different constituencies and districts, the electorates ask him for different things which sometimes cannot be met because of the budget constraints.

He says each leader including LC 1 to be availed with a copy of the budget and a strategic plan and that anyone who asks the president for something that is not streamlined be arrested.

Otto says that it would be dangerous for the Authority to prioritize instructions other than an approved budget.

The Chairperson of the Budgetary Committee, Henry Musasizi , conquered with Otto saying that these unbudgeted pledges result into the President promising ‘air’ to his electorates.

Musasizi says there is need for government to adopt guiding principles which it should follow while making these pledges for better implementation of government plans.

However, the minister of state for planning, David Bahati refuted claims that the President promises air and instead blamed ministries which he says fail to capture the President’s pledges for implementation.

Bahati also says that in order to reduce the 400 billion domestic arrears government has ordered all ministries to make it a priority to pay all the companies that owe them money in this first quarter and they have instructed them to stop acquiring services from companies when they know they do not have the money to pay them.

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Eng. Dr. Ajedra Gabriel Gadison Aridru

The implicated minister in the irregular land allocation to investors has dismissed the findings by the members of parliament sitting on the Parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), saying the findings were biased against him.

Eng. Dr. Ajedra Gabriel Gadison Aridru who is the minister of state for Investment says that the committee report has errors and omissions and misinformation. He says that he never employed his tribesman Basil Aja as Director Small and medium Enterprises dropping Charles Musana who had better qualifications than Aja. He says that Aja was approved by a penal and his name was brought to him after serious examination and added that Basil Aja is a son of Lango not west Nile as portrayed by the chairperson of COSASE while reading the committee report last week before parliament.

Ajedra says that he will not resign as demanded in the committee report because the committee’s report was based on misinterpretation of facts. He says that his ministry has reposed 540 acres of land from investors whom he termed as speculators who failed to redevelop the land within 18 months.

The minister was also pinned for allocation of  10 acres of land to Picfare and other companies which had  defaulted in paying for land. These companies included Tiang-Tang Group limited belonging to Chinese Nation which was allocated 2o Acres against the solicitor general’s advice; the minister paid a deaf ear to this advice. Tiang-Tang Group of Company wanted to set up a furniture company on the Namanve industrial Park, Wakiso District,also included is Alied graphic system which defaulted in paying for land in Namanve and had conflicts with Tiang-Tang over the 20 Acres but later it was allocated land in Luzira.

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NDA Spokesperson Fredrick Ssekkyana says that the country has equipment for detecting substandard condoms and drugs.

This follows an incident early this week in which a whistle blower who had petitioned parliament on the quality of condoms in circulations has decided to take government and the United Nations population fund to court.

Joseph Sseremba claims that he was not given enough attention by the parliamentary committee on trade and therefore it will be court to help Ugandans by stopping the circulation of such condoms in Uganda.

He says that by the time he petitioned parliament in February this year there were only three fake types but now there are six types putting people’s lives at risk.

He says that those condoms are not properly packaged; they have no company details which are the major requirements for the condoms as recommended by Uganda National Bureau Standards.

The chairperson of the parliamentary committee on trade Steven Kagwera however said that Seremba was given enough time by his committee which later referred him to the committee on health.

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The Vendors say for the last three months since KCCA evicted them form the city streets poverty is biting hard at least parliament should intervene so that they can survive during this festive season.

The committee Chaired by Burahya MP in Kabalore District Steven Kagweya has promised to assist the vendors acquires temporary venues to work as government seeks for the permanent land to settle the vendors.

Makindye East MP John Simbwa and Kampala District Woman MP Nabila Nagayi say that this committee will do everything possible to help vendors get venues to sell their merchandize and already few venues have been spotted in Kampala suburbs.

Kampala Central MP Muhammad Nsereko says the Nakivubo Stadium was been booked by a few of Council Authority officials for the Bazaar at Nakivubo Stadium to solicit money from the poor vendors.

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The shadow attorney general Abdu Kantutu together with shadow minister for justice and constitutional affairs medard Lubega segoona told the parliamentary committee on rules discipline and privileges that the attorney general is misguiding the nation and that his advice is creating the rift between parliament and executive.

According to Kantutu, Nyombi is the one who fuelled the whole debate and therefore he has no capacity to interpreted the law.

He says that the executive must respect the decision of parliament because parliament is the representative of people of Uganda. He says that there is no way parliamentary decision can be categorized saying that whoever is categorizing them is just trying to hide something.

Segoona however say that parliament has powers to suspend any minister because without its input one cannot become a minister.

He also said that no one should hide behind the technicalities of the law saying that contempt of parliament is a disciplinary matter not a criminal matter.

He said that what the ministers have done is despising the rule of common sense and therefore they should be held responsible for contempt.

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According to the head of DP parliamentary committee on by elections, Joseph Ssewungu, over 1000 youths have been stationed at the different polling centers in a bid to avert any plans of vote rigging or ballot stuffing by their rivals.

Ssewungu expresses confidence that the party will secure a landslide win in the elections.

He is however worried of voter bribery and rigging but warns those intending to do so that DP is watching them sternly.

The race is between former Vice president, Gilbert Bukenya, Dps Caster Bukenya, and independents Henry Kiwuuwa and Kanzara Theopista Baliluno

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A member of this committee engineer Gabriel Ajedra says that the excuse that the draught has caused the water levels in the lake to go down does not arise but it’s due to the fact that the dams were built parallel to each other and are being operated at the same time.

There have been claims from the energy sector that they cannot generate enough power from these dams due to water levels.

Ajedra says the option now is to close one of the dams to allow the water levels move up so that more power can be generated.

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The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Kabagambe Kalisa says that oil production has not started and will commence in 12-18months from 2012.

While appearing before the adhoc parliamentary committee on oil Tuesday morning, Kalisa said the government and oil companies are currently carrying out a testing program intended to understand how the oil will be produced.

He explained that while some oil has been extracted, it is being stored for testing and will sold later to cement factories and power generation firms.

The PS says the supply of crude oil to the companies will be the second phase in about a year and half, before the government embarks on the 3^rd phase of oil production with construction of a refinery being planned to start in three years.

He says the government is planning to start with a small refinery to produce about 200000 barrels of oil per day for the local market as the oil companies and government to develop capacity.

Kalisa says within 5years, the oil refinery will be able to produce 60000 barrels of oil per day which will be targeted at the regional market.

This, he said will be expanded to a production capacity of 12, 0000 barrels of oil per day in ten years when the country should start exporting oil on the global market.

Ultimate Media

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Drug abuse dangerous

The committee vice chairperson Milton Muhuma says the arrest and penalizing of those found abusing drugs is not enough in eliminating drug abuse in the country.

Muhuma says there is need to re-integrate such people into normal society by rehabilitating them through treatment to get them back into their normal life.

He argued the government should setup Regional Centre’s to handle such cases for the benefit of the society.

The committee meeting on Monday has also recommended that the relevant authorities embark on sensitization campaigns to sensitize the public on the negative effects of consuming narcotics and other drugs.

By Mugisa Isaac Mathias

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