More Foreigners in Retail Trade
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4 SATURDAY VISION, July 9, 2011 More foreigners in retail trade Lukwago fights BY JOHN MASABA more Wongs, local traders are increasingly thority the foreign nationals involved in the becoming uneasy, arguing that the Govern- retail businesses are doing so illegally. for authority IN the dusty Soweto slum in Namuwongo, ment is not protecting them from moneyed Doris Kimuli, the agency’s spokesperson, a Kampala suburb, it is business as usual. foreigners says individuals or companies that want to BY JOHN SEMAKULA A middle-aged man calls out in his Christine Ayebare, who sells ladies’ do business in Uganda must have the abil- Chinese-accent Luganda as he brandishes clothes on Nakivubo Road, in the city says: ity to invest $100,000 (about sh250m). She THE power struggle between the Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias a cabbage outside an Ipsum car parked “Earning a profit has become a nightmare. says an investor who meets such require- Lukwago and executive director Jennifer Semakula Musisi is by the roadside. Ever since he set foot in Most of us are running on loans, but the ment would not involve in retail business getting deeper. Uganda, Wong has wasted no opportunity Government is not helping us.” that the traders are complaining about. Lukwago says the power struggle between him and Semakula to put his business skills to good use. Mansoor Nkalubo, a dealer in electronics “Most of the Asians involved in retail trade started as soon as he was sworn in and he would no longer Standing beside his stall - the open boot on Ben Kiwanuka Street, in Kampala, says are not licensed at the investment author- keep quiet about it. “I had decided to ignore them, thinking that of his car, he hands a cabbage to an excited sometimes their foreign counterparts sell ity,” she said. they would end soon, but they are not, and I have decided to female buyer and reaches for another as their wares at unrealistic prices. Nkalubo In 2008, some Asian businessmen in break the silence,” he said. more people inch forward to make their says sometimes local traders are thrown Uganda were implicated in a slave trade The Lord Mayor says he will fight relentlessly to exercise his buy. out of a shop whenever foreign nationals scam. full authority, accusing the executive director of usurping his Grace Ajok, one of Wong’s customers of want space to start a business. According to the Police, the businessmen political powers. the day, says his prices are pocket-friendly. Saturday Vision has learnt that one of the lured workers from India and Pakistan Musisi, on the other hand, says she has not usurped Luk- “You can sell what you buy from him at sticking points in the standoff between with promises of juicy jobs, but when they wago’s powers and will continue to do her work diligently. She twice the price,” she says. Kampala traders and the Government over got here, their passports were seized and argues that all her work has been given to her by the Kampala Wong is among the growing number of last few days, is the involvement of foreign employed in jobs of little pay Capital City Act, 2010. foreign nationals, many of them Chinese nationals in retail businesses. According to the Uganda Bureau of Sta- Lukwago insists that as the Lord Mayor, he has political and Indians, doing business in Uganda, tistics, of the 400,000 graduates churned authority over Musisi and that must be reflected in their opera- thanks to the country’s favourable invest- WHAT HAS GONE WRONG? out annually, only 80,000 get formal tions. ment climate. Unlike Ajok’s wish to have According to the Uganda Investment Au- employment. “KCCA is governed politically and is headed by the Lord Mayor, not the executive director. But the executive director has overstepped her mandate and played my roles, which is wrong. I cannot sign KCCA’s books of accounts because it’s not my ++Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has pledged his support to South Sudan +++ role,” Lukwago said. ++A writer, Tristane Banon, claims former IMF’s Dominique Strauss-Kahn almost raped her in 2003 ++ almost raped Dominique Strauss-Kahn IMF’s former claims Banon, Tristane ++A writer, But Musisi says her line of responsibilities is different from PICTURE BY JIMMY ADRIKO that of the Lord Mayor and she has a mandate to do her work, independent of him. The disagreement started to peak on July 4 when Musisi blocked Lukwago from meeting Uganda Tax Operators and Drivers Association (UTODA) officials in a bid to probe their operations. Lukwago wanted to scrutinise UTODA’s audited books of accounts, memorandum and articles of association, return files and the structure of taxi fares. But in a letter dated July 4, Musisi told Lukwago that there was no need for the meeting to take place because the KCCA had not yet pronounced itself on the issue. The law and its implementation is part of the problem. Section 3 of the Act says Kampala will be administered by the central government. Section 5 says the Kampala Capital City Author- ity will administer the city on behalf of the central government. Section 6 says the authority shall consist of the Lord Mayor, deputy Lord Mayor and councilors. This particular section is si- lent about the executive director. On the basis of this, Lukwago argues that if the Authority is in charge of the city, and Musisi is not part of the Authority, then she cannot be above the Lord Mayor. In response, Musisi said she is a legal advisor to the authority and that to remain independent, she needed not to be part of the authority. Section 11 says the Lord Mayor will be the political head of the city. Section 17 says the executive director will be the chief executive of the Authority and will be appointed by the President of Uganda. Whereas the Act defines the roles of the Lord Mayor and executive director in details, it does not directly mention the power relations between the two. This leaves room for varied interpretations. Muhammad Nsereko, the MP for Kampala Central, believes the only way such a power struggle would end is by letting the politicians take over full control over the technical persons. But Rubanda County MP Henry Banyenzaki argues that the two leaders should concentrate on delivering services rather News Eye than who is bigger than the other. “Why is Lukwago fighting for People of the Republic of South Sudan match powers? If the two work in harmony, they will deliver and both through the streets of Juba town yesterday as get the credit at the end of the day,” says Banyenzaki. they prepared to usher in the world’s newest nation today FUNCTIONS OF: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR LORD MAYOR Heads public service The political head of the Accounting officer capital city Manages all public funds Presides over meetings Minister Jessica Alupo introduces today and is accountable to Parliament Performs ceremonial and Advises the mayor and the civic functions authority on Govt policy Hosts foreign and local BY NORMAN KATENDE The minister will also use the function Legal advisor on management dignitaries to celebrate her appointment as the edu- Ensures proper physical plan- Heads the authority in devel- THE education minister, Jessica Alupo, cation minister. She has selected a del- ning and dev’t control oping strategies and programmes will today introduce her long-time egation of over 50 guests from Kampala, Oversees delivery of quality for developing the city fiancee, Lt. Innocent Tukashabe to her including ministers, for the function. The services to the people Monitors the administration parents in in Katakwi, before shifting her entourage was booked at the Karamoja Monitors and oversees activi- of the capital city focus to a church wedding in Kampala Diocese Guest house, which is in the ties of the directorates Guides the division admin- later. vicinity of the introduction ceremony. Supervises and evaluates staff istrations Alupo is a retired army officer and also The wedding meetings are already tak- Is the custodian of all assets Represents the capital city on Alupo introduces fiancee today the Woman MP for Katakwi district. ing place in Kitante. Enforces ordinances, byelaws the metropolitan authority.