Nankwanga Eunice Kasirye

By Nankwanga Eunice Kasirye The United Nations High Commission for Refuges UNHCR says South Sudan’s refugee crisis is now the world’s fastest growing putting Uganda and region in critical need of help Eight months after fresh violence erupted in South Sudan, a famine produced by the vicious combination of fighting and drought is now driving the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis. Total displacement from South Sudan into the surrounding region is now 1.6 million people. The rate of new displacement is alarming, representing an impossible burden on a region that is significantly poorer and which is fast running short of resources to cope. Refugees are fleeing into Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Central African Republic with almost half crossing into Uganda at a rate of 2,000 new arrivals daily. The influx peaked in February at more than 6,000 in a single day, In March, at more than 5,000 with the current daily average of over 2,800 arrivals...

By Nankwanga Eunice Kasirye The United Nations Development Program’s   staff blundered when they characterized environmental risks related to Bidco as “ Moderate ” and indicated that Bidco was a strong candidate for membership in Business Call to Action BCtA , Part of the  Social and  Environment Compliance Unit SECU report, faults staff   for pursuing limited due-diligence approach while engaging with Bidco.   The UNDP form used while engaging Bidco for membership in Business Call to Action BCtA, contravened with the Risk Assessment Tool RAT directive to provide details for the criticism against the Candidate Company as well as obtaining public statement on how the candidate companies address the issues raised and how the same scenarios are prevented from reoccurring. Instead , the UNDP form used to asses Bidco,   requested   for limited disclosure but still   some relevant risks were listed by the UNDP staff but they did not fol...

By Nankwanga Eunice Kasirye  The Dr Peter Mwesige Review committee on Uganda Broadcasting Corporation UBC has released its report on the company indicating that UBC is marred in debts and cannot afford to pay salaries and benefits of its staff. The company has been mismanaged, chronically underfunded and not treated like a public institution of strategic value… part of the report reads. The report reveals that the public takes UBC as ruling party mouth piece instead of the state broadcaster. Government commitment to UBC has been half hearted with limited effort to guarantee secure predictable funding that can allow medium and long term planning. The broadcaster itself has done little to secure independence and remain relevant in the eyes of the pubic According to report the regulator, UCC, has discredited UBC as completely irrelevant and dysfunctional and it is just for giving people addresses The committee recommends that UBC is very important public institution wit...

By Nankwanga Eunice Kasirye President Yoweri Museveni has lashed out at critics    who claim that he has personalized oil and Gas discovered in the western part of the country over a decade back.   The   president was addressing delegates at the   2016 Uganda International   oil and Gas   Conference where he pointed at the civil society   for the promoting the Museveni's oil agenda Museveni assured the critics that he is not intoxicated with the talk on oil and gas like other people. He   went ahead to clear the air saying that Agriculture has been here   for years and will stay therefore the idea of depending on oil and gas alone is not rational, after all countries like Japan have developed without   oil and gas but Human resources President Museveni went back to his rhetoric of using the oil money to build a sound country economy, develop electricity from Hydro, and renew energy, Solar, fund sciences and innovatio...

By Nankwanga Eunice Kasirye Government has received a number of new investment interests for the oil refinery construction with hope of conclusion by February 2017. According to the minister of Energy and Mineral Development Irene Muloni, the refinery hit a snag after the lead investor issued unfriendly conditions to the government of Uganda. Through Public Private Partnership, government is seeking for a lead private investor with 60% stake in the refinery construction. Kenya is said to have agreed to invest 2.5% stake, Tanzania 8% while Total is settling in for a 10% stake. The minister who was addressing the 2016 Uganda International Oil and Gas conference also revealed that new exploration Licenses for the 60% of the Albertine Graben 3000 square mile oil field will be issued before close of this year, applications and bids are currently under evaluation. The Minister is optimistic that oil will be flowing by 2020 and with a plan for companies to add value through t...