Handbook for Joint Training Module 3: Fighting Corruption in Local Government Service Delivery
Statement to Parliament by the Minister for The Presidency.
In Response to the Concern Raised by the Rt. Hon. Leader of the Opposition on the Appointment Of Assistant Rdcs.
Handbook for Joint Training Module 2:
Handbook for Joint Training Module 2: Anti-corruption Agencies, LegalFramework and Roles.
Handbook for Joint Training Module 1
Handbook for Joint Training Module 1
Joint Training Manual on TAAC
In a collaborative effort to strengthen good governance practices across Africa, the Africa Leadership Institute (AFLI) partnered with GIZ, the Inspectorate General of Government (IGG) of Uganda, the Office of the Auditor General, and the Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) to develop a comprehensive training manual. This blog post dives into the ‘Joint Training Manual on Transparency, Accountability, and Anti-Corruption (TAAC)’ and explores its significance in equipping public officials and stakeholders with the knowledge and tools to combat corruption and promote an ethical public service environment.
Today in Parliament | 23rd April 2024
Greetings from AFLI and the Parliament of Uganda! This is an update from the Parliament of Uganda marking the 29th Sitting of the 3rd Meeting of the 3rd Session of the 11th Parliament. This Sitting was chaired by the Speaker Rt. Hon. Anitah Among. In her communication, the Speaker indicated that Parliament will begin reviewing the proposals in the Tax Bills this week. Among the options under discussion is the government’s desire to impose a 5% capital gains tax on non-business assets such as land and rental properties in urban regions. There is also a proposal to charge UGX 500 for every 50 kg bag of construction materials like lime, as well as a 0.5% fee for cash withdrawals from agent banking and taxes on gasoline items, among other things. “If by God’s grace, we finish the RAPEX Bills today, then we shall start on the Tax Bills. We need to take our time on the tax bills, even if we pass one bill a day, we should be able to handle them systematically”, she said. Speaker Anitah Among also led Parliament in paying tribute to former First Lady Nalongo Katalina Zawedde, widow of former Ugandan Head of State Paulo Frobisher Muwanga Seddugge Muyanja. “I have been informed of the demise of the former first lady, Nnalongo Kasalina Zawedde Muwanga, widow of the 6th President of Uganda, the late Paulo Muwanga. On behalf of Parliament and my behalf, I relay our condolences to the bereaved family and all loved ones. May her soul rest in eternal peace”, she said. Reacting to the Speaker’s communication, the LOP, Hon. Ssenyonyi Joel Besekezi (MP, Nakawa West Division, Kampala, NUP) queried the government’s appointment of assistant RDCs in light of the recent rationalization strategy. “You can’t preach water & drink wine, what role are assistant RDCs going to play that RDCs & deputies are not playing?”, he said. The State Minister for Industry, Hon.Bahati David, stated that funds allocated by Parliament for the current Financial Year were used to employ assistant RDCs. The Speaker later asked the Minister for the Presidency to provide a report on the recent appointments of RDC, RCCs, and their deputies. This request comes in response to public concerns regarding the qualifications of certain appointees. The report is expected to be delivered tomorrow. The National Bureau for NGOs was approved by Parliament to become a department under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. MPs accused the NGO Bureau’s present staff of manipulating bureaucracy, which has hindered the monitoring of NGOs’ activities in Uganda. In support of the mainstreaming of the NGO Bureau to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Hon. Okeyoh Peter (MP, Bukooli Island County, Namayingo District, NRM) told MPs that although the NGOs’ Bureau received Shs4.4 billion for its operations, Shs3.4 billion of that amount was used for rent. Hon. Modoi Isaac (MP, Lutseshe County, Bududa District, NRM) underlined the value of mainstreaming, saying that it is essential to advancing the nation’s goal. According to the MP, permitting non-governmental organizations to operate autonomously from the government may cause uncertainty and impede the country’s efforts to protect its citizens. As a result, he strongly advocated for mainstreaming. On the other hand, Hon. Opendi Sarah Achieng (DWR, Tororo District, NRM) questioned why the government hadn’t made clear how the mainstreaming of the NGO Bureau would affect the current employees. “I am aware of some NGOs that have been operating and doing things that are contrary to our own values and cultures here, but I believe police and other agencies have been dealing with those other NGOs. My concern is that there is dual registration, most of the NGOs register with the NGO Bureau but also register with Uganda Registration Service Bureau and the certificate of financial implication that was issued doesn’t tell us how much we are going to save. So I find the certificate of financial implication defective because it doesn’t tell us the actual cost of this rationalization”, she said. Hon. Kaaya Christine Nakimwero (DWR, Kiboga District, NUP) urged Parliament to intervene and protect the National Bureau for NGOs. “We are battling with the issue of timely inspection when you look at the NGOs that have annoyed us, that bring in funny money, it will be difficult for timely inspection of their activities and fake monies. We should be strengthening them (NGOs) to ensure that they maintain their watchdog function”, she said. Hon. Basalirwa Asuman (MP, Bugiri Municipality, Bugiri District, JEEMA) on his part noted that “I am not so sure whether we have many experiences dealing with NGO Bureau, getting licenses, information or renewal from the NGO Bureau is extremely difficult. The fact that the basic things are being a challenge in that Bureau, I don’t think its stay is still justified. If the government is saying they can accommodate an agency as a department, within its systems and procedures, who are you to say no, that will not happen?”. Parliament also approved the proposal by Gov’t to mainstream the National Library of Uganda as a department in the Ministry of Education and Sports. Hon. Twesigye John Ntamuhiira the Chairperson of Parliament’s Education Committee informed MPs that the integration of the National Library of Uganda into the mainstream is expected to lead to cost savings for the Government. These savings will be achieved by reducing the wage bill and personnel-related expenses. It is projected that the savings will amount to UGX 1.282 billion in the fiscal year 2024/25 and UGX 1.622 billion in the fiscal year 2025/26. The integration of the National Physical Planning Board and National Population Council into the National Planning Authority was stopped by Parliament due to concerns raised by MPs regarding the validity of the financial implication certificates issued by the Ministry of Finance. The government argued that the National Population Council would save them Shs11.9 billion if they were integrated into the mainstream. Furthermore, the National Physical Planning Board would save Shs4.5 billion by mainstreaming. Nevertheless, the costs associated with broadening the NPA’s mandate were not mentioned. Hon.Nsereko Muhammad (MP, Kampala Central Division, Kampala, INDP) cautioned against the proposal to combine the roles of the National Physical Planning Board with
Today in Parliament | 11th April 2024
Greetings from the Africa Leadership Institute and the Parliament of Uganda! This is an update from the Parliament of Uganda marking the 23rd Sitting of the 3rd Meeting of the 3rd Session of the 11th Parliament. This Sitting was chaired by the Speaker Rt. Hon. Anitah Among. In her communication, the Speaker directed the Minister of State for Sports, Hon. Ogwang Peter to provide accountability for the Shs97Bn spent on renovations at Mandela National Stadium in Namboole. A recent CAF inspection report found that the current work by the UPDF Engineering brigade falls short of the required standard. “Let the Minister give us a status of the progress of Namboole and let him also give us accountability of the Shs97Bn. This is a very serious issue, all Ugandans have been excited about AFCON, but at the same time that there is no way we can go and play in another country, remember we are supposed to play with Algeria, but then, Morocco has offered us to go and play in Morocco for free, but Algeria has said, we aren’t going to Morocco, because of their issues, so, what is the way forward?”, she said. The Speaker’s directive came in response to a concern raised by Hon. Nambeshe John Baptist, the Opposition Chief Whip, who expressed his dissatisfaction with Minister Ogwang’s failure to fulfill his numerous promises regarding the construction of the Namboole stadium. “The inspection report has found the stadium works are not compliant with the requirements and it hasn’t been approved. The Minister had made an undertaking that by the time of inspection, the works will be ready, he has let us down and I would like the Minister to report to us what has gone amiss. More over these works, if we have an opportunity, if they can be expedited we can have a second chance because we don’t have another venue to host this FIFA World Cup United 2026 qualifiers”, he said Reacting to the Speaker’s communication, Hon. Aogon Silas (MP, Kumi Municipality, Kumi District, INDP) asked for the resignation of everyone involved in the shoddy work at Mandela National Stadium, as well as a detailed explanation of what went wrong during the renovations. “I think it is proper that when the Minister is speaking, they give us a proper statement about the gaps, is it the money which was the problem? What was the issue so that we get to know early enough, otherwise, for us to miss this actually the Minister or the person responsible will have to vacate their position because this time as Uganda, we can’t lose that opportunity. You assured us, told us that things are going to be okay and we are now here, we are asking, what is wrong?”, he said. On the same note, Hon. Odur Jonathan (MP, Erute County South, Lira District, NUP) cautioned that the government’s neglect in resolving the concerns outlined in CAF’s inspection report regarding the construction quality at Namboole Stadium could jeopardize Uganda’s opportunities to host future tournaments such as CHAN and AFCON, for which the nation has submitted bids. “The Minister promised so far there are five deadlines. This lack of seriousness and taking the House for granted and Ugandans is what the Minister has to address today. That when you come here and make promises and reassure the country the country and the country is excited. That Namboole is the pre-condition for us to host CHAN, and if you satisfy, then you can host AFCON and by December 2025, we should have that Stadium ready. Would the Minister address us in light of the bid we have put to host AFCON and CHAN because Namboole was the only stadium that was earmarked to host CHAN”, he said The Government Chief Whip, Hon. Obua Denis Hamson (MP, Ajuri County, Alebtong District, NRM) notified Parliament about a meeting currently taking place with Minister Ogwang, Markson Oboth, the Minister of Defence representing UPDF, and other officials. He also extended an invitation to MPs to visit Namboole to assess the progress made by the Government. “Mandela National Stadium was recently inspected by a team of inspectors from Confederation of African Football. Of the major areas that had been highlighted, when this stadium wasn’t approved about 2-3years ago, we as a country have made substantive progress and I invite MPs to go to Namboole”, he said. Nevertheless, Hon. Ssemujju Nganda Ibrahim (MP, Kira Municipality, Wakiso District, FDC) questioned whether the Minister’s request for Members of Parliament to visit Namboole seeks to supersede CAF’s expert opinion with that of the MPs. “The clarification I am seeking from Minister Hamson Obua is whether now that the inspectors have said we aren’t ready, you are now replacing them with MPs because you are issuing an invitation. So the clarification I am seeking is whether if MPs with their naked eyes say the stadium is ready, we can do away with inspectors”, he said. The House then proceeded to consider the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs on budget estimates for the subsequent votes in that sector. These votes concern the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Missions Abroad. This report was presented by Hon. Opolot Fred (MP, Pingire County, Serere Distric, NRM). The committee report indicates that Uganda’s embassies in Washington DC, London, and Pretoria were initially authorized to issue passports. However, the issuance process was later centralized back to the main office in Kampala because of insufficient resources to set up passport machines at the foreign missions. Hon. Opolot pointed out that certain certificates of titles were untraceable with the custodian of Ugandan properties. An example is the certificate of title for Uganda’s Chancery in Pretoria. “The committee thus considers it appropriate to request that the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Lands and Urban Development provide this House with an updated report and evidence of Uganda’s overseas assets within six months”, he said. He also noted that Uganda’s Ambassador to Algeria has been using taxis for the
Today in Parliament | 9th April 2024
Greetings from the Africa Leadership Institute and the Parliament of Uganda! This is an update from the Parliament of Uganda marking the 22nd Sitting of the 3rd Meeting of the 3rd Session of the 11th Parliament. This Sitting was chaired by the Speaker Rt. Hon. Anitah Among. In her communication, the Speaker urged Members to engage in extensive consultations in order to establish a robust tax framework, as Committees commence the process of scrutinizing tax bills for the FY 2024/2025. “We need to consult all stakeholders so that we make laws and bring taxes that favour the country”, she said. Speaker Anitah Among paid tribute to the late Rtd. Col. Obiale Nelson, the father of Hon. Lillian Paparu Obiale, the Arua District Woman MP. The Speaker also directed the Minister of Trade, Tourism and Industry, and that of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to resolve the woes of Kampala City Traders and report back to Parliament on Tuesday, 16 April 2024. “This is not only happening in Kampala, this must be interrogated and we must come to a solution. The Committee of Trade and Finance must do a public hearing with these traders-URA must come out, there should be certainty in collection of these taxes collection”, she said. Reacting to the Speaker’s communication, Hon. Nsereko Muhammad (MP, Kampala Central, Kampala, INDP) was concerned about the introduction of the Electronic Fiscal Receipting & Invoicing Solution(EFRIS),which led to demonstrations among traders. He emphasized that the traders have not received adequate education regarding the utilization of the new tax system. However, Speaker Anitah Among emphasized that EFRIS should be viewed as a system for tax collection and administration, rather than a tax itself. She stressed the importance of government efforts to educate and raise awareness among the public regarding this new tax system in order to enhance compliance and acceptance. On the other hand, Hon. Malende Shamim (DWR, Kampala, NUP) voiced her worries regarding the excessive deployment of security personnel in the downtown area, citing that it is deterring potential customers. The LOP, Rt. Hon. Ssenyonyi Joel Besekezi who also doubles as the (MP, Nakawa West Division) on his part urged URA to engage with traders regarding the implementation of EFRIS. “One of the cardinal principles of taxation is that you have to make it easy for people to pay taxes because once it is not easy then people are going to evade”, he said. He added “The traders need to have smartphones and internet for them to be able to interact with this EFRIS system. That is why there are run-ins with URA”. The State Minister for FPED, Hon. Musasizi Henry Ariganyira who also doubles as the (MP, Rubanda East County, Rubanda District, NRM) told parliament that URA has conducted visits to more than 20,000 traders in the Kampala Central Business District since the launch of EFRIS in 2019. The Minister also added that “There are three options for traders to consider in the use of EFRIS. You can have the EFRIS machine installed in the shop, or an App installed on the phone or computer”. Parliament also received more than 22 new Bills that aim to streamline government agencies. These Bills have been referred to various committees for review and consideration. The Bills that have been tabled include the Uganda National Commission for UNESCO (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the Uganda Road Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre Act (Repeal) Bill, 2024; the Persons with Disabilities (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the National Youth Council (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the National Planning Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the Physical Planning (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the Tier 4 Microfinance Institutions and Money Lenders (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the Uganda National Meteorological Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the National Forestry and Tree Planning (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the Uganda National Roads Authority Act (Repeal) Bill, 2024; the Registration of Persons (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the National Library (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the National Council for Older Persons (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the National Women Council (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the Assets of Departed Asians (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the Public Enterprise Reform and Divestiture (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the National Population Council Act (Repeal) Bill, 2024; the Uganda Export Promotion Board Act (Repeal) Bill, 2024; the Uganda Trypanosomiasis Control Council Act (Repeal) Bill, 2024; the National Curriculum Development Centre (Amendment) Bill, 2024; and the Uganda Wildlife (Amendment) Bill, 2024. The State Minister for FPED, Hon. Musasizi Henry Ariganyira also presented the motion for a resolution of Parliament to determine the post-retirement benefits of the Auditor General under Section 5 (2) of the National Audit Act, 2008. Reacting to the motion Hon. Kankunda Amos Kibwika (MP, Rwampara County, Rwampara District, NRM) who also doubles as the Chairperson of the Committee stated that the current Auditor General, who has faithfully served for more than two decades, is eligible for retirement. “However, his post-retirement benefits have not been delineated in the law”, he said. Hon. Nandala Mafabi Nathan James (MP,Budadiri West county, Sironko, FDC) on his part suggested that a service award be presented to the retiring Auditor General, John Muwanga, in recognition of his outstanding and devoted service to the nation. Hon. Naluyima Betty Ethel (DWR, Wakiso District, NUP) suggested that the Speaker forms a sub-committee to assess the service award for the Auditor General, who is approaching retirement. On the same note, Hon. Akol Anthony (MP, Kilak North County, Amuru District, FDC) asked the House to agree on a clear formula to determine the retirement benefits of the Auditor General. The motion was later adopted by the House with amendments. Finally Hon. Ojara Mapenduzi, Chairperson of the Committee on Public Service and Local Government, delivered the committee’s report on the Ministerial Policy Statements and Budget Estimates for FY 2024/2025 for 5 votes. The Committee recommended that the Ministry of Public Service lifts the ban on recruitment to enable entities carry out planned recruitment and address the problem of understaffing which is greatly affecting service delivery. Concerning the Public Service Commission , the Committee recommended that
Today in Parliament | 2nd April 2024
Greetings from the Africa Leadership Institute and the Parliament of Uganda! This is an update from the Parliament of Uganda marking the 19th Sitting of the 3rd Meeting of the 3rd Session of the 11th Parliament. This Sitting was chaired by the Deputy Speaker Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa. In his communication, the Speaker urged all 529 MPs to participate in the Kabaka birthday run, as all kits have been provided by Buganda Caucus members. “The Buganda caucus has bought a kit for each MP, so there is no reason for you not to run. If you don’t go to run, please refund that money so that we can take it to Mengo. If you can’t run, contribute in another way”, he said. Tayebwa also paid tribute to the late Brig. Gen. Stephen Kiggundu, the Deputy Commander of UPDF Air Force,who died in his bathroom on Sunday. Reacting to the Speaker’s communication, Hon. Muwanga Kivumbi Muhammad (MP, Butambala County, Butambala District, NUP) who also doubles as the Chair, Buganda Parliamentary Caucus stated that Parliament’s support for the Kabaka Birthday Run is a positive step toward consolidating national unity, nourishing, and growing Uganda. He also thanked all MPs who joined Speaker Among during the visit to Mengo. “Small endeavors of such nature go a long way towards consolidating our national unity and nourishing and growing our country Uganda”, Kivumbi said. Following Jacob Kiplimo’s victory at the 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships, the Leader of Opposition, Hon. Ssenyonyi Joel Besekezi, urged the government to prioritize sports infrastructure development in the country. He further called for timely construction and equipment of Akii-bua Stadium, in memory of Ugandan athletes. “As parliament, we need to take sports more seriously. Sometimes, we think it’s a leisure activity, but it’s serious stuff. That’s why whenever athletes go out there and shine, our country is in the news for good reasons. We want to remind the government that in recognition of these athletes we are celebrating today, can we construct Akii-bua Stadium and have it completed soon”, the LOP said. Responding to the LOP, the Government Chief Whip, Hon. Denis Hamson who also doubles as the (MP, Ajuri County, Alebtong District, NRM) stated that support for the sports sector has been incremental. “At the time of Covid-2019, the budget of the sports sector came down from Shs25 billion to Shs17 billion and further to Shs10 billion, but this parliament has since increased the sports budget to Shs47 billion”, he said. Raising on matters of national importance, Hon. Omara Paul (MP, Otuke County, Otuke District, NRM) requested Parliament to support the Bank of Uganda’s decision to require Stanbic Bank Uganda to hire a Ugandan national as the next Chief Executive Officer to replace Anne Juuko. He noted that Uganda has people with the qualifications to take on the job, despite the fact that such a lucrative position should be given to a foreigner, and that the Bank plays an important role in Uganda’s financial sector. “Uganda has people with the qualifications to take on the job, despite the fact that such a lucrative position should be given to a foreigner, and that the Bank plays an important role in Uganda’s financial sector”, he said. In response, the Deputy Speaker supported Uganda’s Bank Of Uganda in rejecting the appointment of a non-Ugandan as CEO of Stanbic Bank Uganda. He argued that Uganda should follow Kenya and South Africa’s lead in protecting Ugandan workers by reserving such lucrative positions for their own nationals. “Stanbic Bank was in the hands of a Ugandan, Patrick Mweheire, it performed very well. The brought in a female, young Ugandan lady, it also performed exceedingly very well. Now the question of bringing in a non-Ugandan to a Bank which we entrusted our biggest assets & most of our money, you would ask yourself why? If Ugandans were performing badly, you would have an issue. There is no foreigner who can go to Kenya and become a Managing Director of the Bank. In South Africa where Stanbic is coming from, there is no foreigner who is the Managing Director of any Bank, why Uganda?”, Tayebwa said. “I want to support the Central Bank for rejecting the non-Ugandan who was nominated because when the Bank performs well, now they want to take it back themselves. Otherwise, let them give us a swap, let a Ugandan be the Managing Director in another country then they come here. Some of us support the central Bank, it was right to reject the foreigner to come and be”, he added. Hon. Ebwalu Jonathan (MP, Soroti West Division, Soroti City, INDP) stated that Teso war claimants have not yet received their livestock compensation benefits. “I would like the Attorney General to bring a schedule of payments for people of Teso who lost their property and also bring a progress report of payment for not only Teso but also Lango and Acholi sub-regions”, he said. In response, the Attorney General, Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka didn’t agree with Hon. Ebwalu, claiming that some payments were made and that a report on the matter was submitted to Parliament. He said, ” It’s not correct that we are not doing anything [on cattle compensation], in fact, we were required to submit a report on all payments made in cattle compensation and I am absolutely certain because I presented them to Parliament myself”. He added that he would meet with all MPs from Teso, Lango, and Acholi to resolve all issues concerning cattle compensation to war claimants. Hon. Okot John Amos (MP, Agago North County, Agago District, NRM) later presented a petition on behalf of the community of Lapono and Lira Kato sub-counties in Agago North against land grabbers of their customary land. In response, the Deputy Speaker referred the petition to the Minister of Lands for redress and will report back to the House within 30 days. The House later considered a report of the Committee on Education and Sports on the phasing out of comprehensive nursing
Museveni launches Uganda’s first Islamic Banking Institution
The President launched the bank today during Ramathan dua prayers organised by the Office of the National Chairman-NRM at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds. Speaking during the event, President Museveni wished the Muslims a fruitful Ramathan and prayed that God protects them. He also reiterated his call to believers to make sure that they take part in income-generating activities to improve their livelihoods. “Where I come from in Ntungamo, we don’t entertain laziness. As a norm on that side, every person must have what he/she does like rearing animals, growing crops, fishing, manufacturing and artisanship. Therefore, when I got an opportunity to lead Uganda, I started to encourage you to fight poverty and create wealth,” he said. “We said there are four ways through which a person can fight poverty. The first sector is commercial agriculture, then manufacturing, the third sector is services like transport, hotels, among others and finally ICT.” He however noted that all those avenues need capital that is why the government has been coming up with several interventions like Entandikwa, NAADS, Operation Wealth Creation, Emyooga and Parish Development Model (PDM) to enable Ugandans to get the necessary start-up capital. “These were in the form of grants, and they had nothing to do with riba (interest). The riba issue came into place recently when we launched the Parish Development Model.” He however assured Muslims that shortly he will have a meeting with their leaders so that they discuss PDM and riba and how Muslims can benefit from the program without any limitations. “If you convince me that the PDM and Emyooga money have some contradictions as per the Islamic teachings, then I will find a way how to send your money directly to this bank.” President Museveni further said as the NRM, they don’t believe in discrimination, and they serve all Ugandans equally irrespective of their religions or tribes. He said such attribution has enabled the country to develop socially and economically. “When Amin left, those of Lule dislodged Uganda from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) saying that the majority of Ugandans are not Muslims but when we took over power, we readmitted the country back to OIC. I told them that some of my people are Muslims so they must belong to such an organisation and it was also not a taboo to belong to OIC even if you are not a Muslim. We believe in politics of interest not identity,” he said. “When the Islamic University in Uganda was beginning, some people were against it. I said no, leave it to operate. Now, it has produced so many graduates of different professions including non-Muslims. When they told me about Islamic banking, I told them I had no problem with it. I said we should let them operate and that is why we have Salaam Bank now.” President Museveni also welcomed the bank to Uganda, before assuring them of support to smoothly run their operations in the country. “I welcome Salaam Bank to Uganda. This is a big market with a population of 48 million now and in the next 27 years, the population of Uganda will be 106 million. You are going to start right away to serve the people of Uganda,” he said. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Djibouti who led the Djiboutian delegation to Uganda, Mr. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, extended warm greetings of the President of Djibouti, H.E Ismaïl Omar Guelleh to President Museveni. Mr. Ali Youssouf underscored the inspiring ambition of the Salaam Group to broaden the scope of its activities all over the continent including Uganda which he said has a safe and solid financial institution. The ONC Manager, Hajjat Hadijah Uzeiye Namyalo thanked President Museveni for loving and always supporting Muslims in the country. She also thanked the President for economically empowering Muslims by granting them an Islamic Bank. “Your Excellency, you are the true definition of a God-sent leader who feels empathy for us the poor. Your Excellency, we are all gathered here because you love us and we love you too and for a particular purpose, you are ready to empower us,” Hajjat Namyalo said. The Wakiso District Kadhi, Sheikh Erias Kigozi who spoke on behalf of Muslims, thanked President Museveni for being a hero, a patriot, a parent and a visionary leader with a mission and an ambition. “We thank you for being a good leader who thought of us Muslims and made it possible for us to have our bank in line with the Sharia law,” he said. He also commended President Museveni for fighting and protecting the property of Muslims in the country. “We also thank you for reappointing our fellow Muslims like Hajjat Rukia Nakadama, and Hajjat Minsa Kabanda, among others to Cabinet.” The Board Chairman of Salaam Bank, Mr. Ibrahim M. Abdirahman informed the President that he signed the Islamic bank regulations into law at a time when the Islamic community needed it. “Indeed, you have been a true friend of this community. This licence for Salaam Bank was handed over to us on the 8th of September 2023, which was the birthday month of Your Excellency, Mr. President, we sincerely thank you for supporting us wholeheartedly. The establishment of an Islamic Bank marks a significant milestone in Uganda’s journey towards economic empowerment and inclusive financial growth,” he said. “Islamic finance offers among others, Shari’a compiled bonds from which the government can raise capital for various infrastructure and projects. We are hopeful that the government of Uganda will embrace this opportunity because of its immense benefits.” In September last year, the Bank of Uganda granted its first Islamic banking license to Salaam Bank Uganda Ltd, a subsidiary of a Djibouti-based bank after Parliament passed legislation to authorize Islamic banking, which President Museveni signed into law in August 2023. The event was also attended by Salaam Bank officials, Ugandan government officials, and religious leaders, among others. Source: Nile Post