DP Press Conference
14 Sept. 2021
City House
Democratic Party eulogizes Dr. Bulaimu Muwanga Kibirige (BMK) a celebrated Businessman, father, brother, a son, a role model who built his business empire from a humble background, indeed the country has lost an icon in the business fraternity and a great philanthropist. We shall deeply miss his works.
In a country that prioritizes foreign investors over local ones, it is worrisome when multi-billion businesses owned and run by investors close down, in not more than a month Uganda registered two multi-billion companies announcing winding up their businesses namely Shoprite and Africell among others.
The NRM government has abandoned offering empowerment and support to the local investors while focusing on the foreigners, to whom tax holidays in years are granted, and businesses end up closing before their tax holidays elapse.
Now that they have started exiting, we hope the government will give priority to the local investors in resuscitating their investments, until then the would-be local investors will continue diverting their resources from the industrial sector to real estate, which is largely attributed to heavy taxes imposed on industrial products.
Factories are very important entities in our economy since they do not only provide markets for locally produced raw materials but also creates employment for the citizenry. How shall we overcome unemployment and related challenges when there no tangible investments in agricultural and industrial sector? The government should deliberately focus on supporting local investors in order to avoid foreign exploitation of our economy.
The violation of human rights
In August this year, General Museveni addressed the nation on security matters, he criticized his men and women in armed forces for violating citizens’ rights. A few weeks later the same men and women brutally arrested the Vice Chancellor of Victoria University in total disregard of his rights.
In the same month security personnel using drones went in the wee hours of the night and arrested several people including children and women at Namaliga Bombo, the said people are now being detained incommunicado. This violation of fundamental human rights is unacceptable in modern times and should be condemned by every right thinking Ugandan.
In the last 35 years of NRM rule, Ugandans have continued to die like flies, it has increased in the recent past especially in the area of greater Masaka, we continue to demand for a well-structured comprehensive security plan to ensure safety of all Ugandans.
The government should know that its cardinal duty is to protect lives and property of the citizenry therefore whichever life that is ended the government fails in that duty, we have heard ministers make reckless utterances that the reason why the people of greater Masaka are being massacared is because they are no longer in charge. If that is the reason advanced then, they should resign because such statements are actually tantamount to a vote of no confidence in the leadership.
Therefore, we appeal to whoever that went sleeping on job in Masaka beginning from the commander in chief to retire for the good of Ugandans since they have failed. The regime apologists have always boasted of being the greatest supplier of security and peace, in the region, they now have nothing to tell Ugandans.
Collapsing buildings
There is an issue of collapsing structures that is claiming lives night and day, I should say that storey building without plans have been erected in the capital, and it they are many that are being hastely built in these times of the pandemic, as the economy struggles, Ugandans being locked at home, multibillion companies collapsing where do you get the money to construct these buildings?! As if that is not enough, those in government have allocated themselves and their cronies prime land but also have blatantly built in road reserves, they have depleted the swaps they have depleted the swamps and forests.
They have left Kampala to be a big slum, buildings continue to be raised but haphazardly, for almost four decades, they have never thought of coming up with alternative cities. We continue to advise government to benchmark countries like India which developed New Delhi to substitute Bombey that became a market city. Initially Nigeria had Lagos but later shifted her capital city to Abuja. Our immediate neighbors the Tanzanians shifted theirs from Dar-esalaam to Dodoma.
Thank you
OMUK. Luyimbaazi Nalukoola
DP National Legal Advisor
