NATIONAL NEWS NEW VISION, Thursday, February 9, 2012 13 Monitor editors Museveni assures students on loans acquitted By EDWARD ANYOLI PICTURE BY ENOCH KAKANDE BY FRANCIS KAGOLO ing university education Two senior editors of the Daily becomes more expensive for Monitor, who had been ac- President Yoweri Museveni the average Ugandan. cused of forging President has reassured the public that Hence, the Government, in Museveni’s letter on Bunyoro the Government will soon an effort to make university land, were yesterday acquitted. roll out the students’ tuition education more affordable, Joyce Kavuma of Makindye loan scheme, thanks to bil- is planning to roll out the Chief Magistrates’ Court ac- lions of shillings to be saved student tuition loan scheme quitted Daniel Kalinaki and through generating electricity next financial year. Henry Ochieng, saying pros- from Bujagali hydropower The President was opti- ecution failed to prove that the station. mistic that if implemented, duo forged the letter. A total of 50MW were the programme would boost “No prima facie case has added to the national grid access to higher education. been established,” he said. last week after the first of He was responding to The magistrate ruled that Bujagali’s five turbines was MUBS officials, includ- the two editors could not have switched on. ing guild president James forged the letter since they had The dam is to produce Batabare, who advocated for authority to publish it. 250MW upon completion. the loan scheme, saying most Kavuma said by publishing The President yesterday students faced challenges the letter, the editors had no said the loan scheme as well looking for tuition fees. intention to defraud or deceive as many other social devel- The officials also asked the the public. opment programmes had Government to expedite the Prosecution, led by Resident stalled because the Govern- process of making MUBS an State Attorney Samalie Wak- ment was concentrating its independent university from holi, had alleged that Kalinaki finances towards subsidising Makerere University. They and Ochieng altered the Presi- thermal electricity. argued that independence dent’s letter published in Sun- The President explained would bolster MUBS’ posi- day Monitor of August 2, 2009. that because of the subsidies, Museveni after commissioning the new library at Makerere University Business School tion as the leading institution Wakholi said the editors it was costing the Govern- in commerce and business forged the letter by introducing ment 23 US cents to produce delaying the Bujagali project ed, this is going to stop. We out on the 4,000 government education. The President words such as “absentee land- a unit of thermal power when they protested against shall be able to come back to scholarships will be offered promised to once again study lords should leave, instead of compared to 3 US cents for its construction over fears projects we had postponed loans for tuition, which they their request. should be compensated”. hydroelectricity. that it would degrade the like the tuition loan scheme,” will repay after acquiring However, education min- In that article, President “The Government squan- environment. he said. jobs. ister Jessica Alupo said her Museveni was reported to dered sh1.5 trillion in form of “For the last seven years, He was speaking at the A similar tuition loan ministry had already okayed have, among other things, thermal power subsidies in we have been squandering opening of a five-storey scheme also operates in MUBS’ independence. proposed the ring-fencing of just seven years,” he said. the money we should have library at Makerere Univer- Ghana and Tanzania. The newly commissioned elective political positions in He attributed the problem used to give poor students sity Business School (MUBS) Plans to introduce the sh11b library has a sitting Bunyoro for natives who were to opposition politicians tuition loans because of yesterday. scheme in Uganda started capacity of slightly over 1,000 outnumbered by immigrants. like Lubaga South MP Ken politicians like Lukyamuzi,” Under the loan scheme, in 1990, but the programme students, making it one of Wakholi could not say Lukyamuzi who he has Museveni said. needy students who excel in had been shelved since then. the biggest libraries in the whether the Director of Pub- continuously accused of “After Bujagali is complet- Senior Six exams but miss As the years go by, access- country. lic Prosecutions would appeal against the ruling or not. PAC wants Bbumba, Makubuya fired By JOYCE NAMUTEBI spared in that case. There were also attempts to The public accounts commit- put blame on the President so tee (PAC) of Parliament has that the ministers are spared. recommended that two min- Sources said although there isters, Syda Bbumba (Gender) were heated debates, the MPs and Khiddu Makubuya (Gen- eventually agreed on a com- eral Duties, Office of the Prime mon ground. Minister), be relieved of their Last year, PAC met President duties. Yoweri Museveni to explain his The committee has for the role regarding compensation past one week been holed up Syda Bbumba to companies whose contracts at Imperial Resort Beach Hotel, had been terminated under Entebbe compiling its report to unclear circumstances. Parliament. These included Haba, Rhino PAC wants the two relieved and Dura Cement Limited, of their duties for causing fi- which was given $16m. He nancial loss to the Government was also asked to clarify on in respect of payment to Haba payments to the Burundi Gov- Group of Companies owned ernment amounting to $13m. by businessman Hassan Basaj- The meeting was requested jabalaba, sources on the com- by the MPs after almost all wit- mittee said. Khiddu Makubuya nesses mentioned his name The pay was in compensation while appearing before the for losing tenders to manage Rhino Investments sh14b. committee. city markets. PAC has also recommended The President was mentioned The committee said the min- that former Solicitor General mainly in the compensation isters should take political re- Billy Kainamura and the cur- claim for Haba Group. sponsibility for the loss. It also rent acting one, Harriet Lwabi, The company sought sh142b recommended that the Inspec- be probed to establish their in compensation for lost busi- torate of Government and the motives in the matter. ness after its contracts to devel- Criminal Investigations De- The committee urged the op the Constitution Square and partment pick interest in the President to pay keen attention manage Nakasero, Shauriyako matter, sources said. to the violation of guidelines by and St Balikuddembe (Owino) In its about 60-page draft re- his ministers and ensure that markets were cancelled by the port, PAC also recommended they are corrected. Members Government. that the Governor of Bank of also called for overhaul of the When the Ministry of Justice Uganda, Emmanuel Tumusi- Attorney General’s office. agreed to pay Basajjabalaba ime Mutebile, be relieved of Sources said during PAC’s sh22b, he petitioned the his duties for acting recklessly. deliberations, there were at- President who again wrote to The report is on payments tempts by some MPs to save Makubuya to review the fig- to Haba Group of Companies Mutebile on tribal grounds, but ures. But the figure kept in- and Rhino Investments. other MPs argued that Bbumba creasing from sh22b, sh55b, Haba was paid sh142b and and Makubuya should also be sh99b and finally to sh142b..