Wabugo Michael

In a few days, Kenyans will turn up in droves at various polling centers to exercise the constitutional right to vote for their leaders of the next five years. The political temperature is at its apex as each camp makes its final attempt to entice voters who are still undecided. This is a hotly competitive race so much so that each camp is leaving no stone unturned as manifested in the political machinery deployed at the grassroots level. It will be a second showdown between Uhuru Kenyatta (Jubilee) and Raila Odinga (Nasa) for the presidency. Uhuru is making a bid for a second term, whether he will bounce back, the question will be determined by the voters on the polling day. The politics in Kenya is a subject which must be a concern for all Ugandans worthy of giving attention and keen interest. When Kenya sneezes, Uganda catches a cold. The ugly incidents of the post-election violence in 2007 gnaw on our memories. Every Ugandan therefore should pray for a peaceful elec...

               The Retirement Benefits Sector Liberalization Bill 2011 is likely to turn into a still birth if not brought back on the floor of Parliament. The Minister of Finance withdrew the Bill amidst incessant pressure from National Organization of Trade Unions (NOTU) and the minister of Public Service. This Bill which seeks to provide for fair competition, portability and transfer of accrued benefits, innovation of new products and services, repeal the NSSF Act Cap 222 and among other objectives will drastically reform the pension sector, assuming it gets passed into an Act. The calls by NOTU to ditch the Bill and instead amend the NSSF Act are spurious, limited in scope and analysis. To assert that a private company would close shop and vanish with savings of workers money is not only shallow but also lacks insight. It is also contemptuous of the supervisory oversight provided by the competent authori...

Uganda’s history is littered with bloodshed and political turmoil. It is a past defined by war, wanton destruction, killing and lawlessness. The horrific tales of this past will always linger on the mind of those who witnessed and experienced the excesses of political power. Because of the ugly history which our country straddled, the 1995 constitution was written while recalling this past. The framers were mindful of the tyranny and the lack of rule of law which reigned unabated throughout the dark periods of the successive regimes. It was envisaged that by having a popular and durable constitution, Uganda will never slide back in anarchy and discord. The constitution was established based on the principles of unity, peace, equality, democracy, freedom, social justice and progress. In an effort to prevent a return to a reign of terror, there are safeguards which were included as provisions in the constitution. These could serve as a curtailment of any emergence of a dictato...