CORRUPTION AT THE PALACE! State House staff arrested for extorting shares from investor
A staff member at State House has been arrested for allegedly extorting shares from an investor.
This was revealed by President Museveni during the State-of-the-Nation-Address on Thursday, June 6, at Kololo Independence grounds.
Museveni who was speaking about corruption which he says is now the only obstacle to the country’s development was shocked that the vice is even in his backyard.
He revealed that his staff pick bribes to arrange for his audience with investors.
“I have been hearing that people even in my office take bribes from people to bring people to see me. Can you imagine? Fortunately, we recently arrested one of my staff. He allegedly extorted shares from an investor. He is in court.”
Museveni also revealed tricks officials from the Ministry of Finance in cohorts with accounting officers from various ministries to steal public funds.
“I have been hearing stories that there is a racket from the Ministry of Finance to Parliament,” said Museveni in his state-of-the-nation address on Thursday.
“I have been hearing but now I have proof,” he added.
“They work with accounting officers from different ministries to come to Parliament to ask for certain funds and then they share the money,” said Museveni.
“For sure the corrupt don’t know how strong we are, we are patient but if you make a mistake, you will see.”
Museveni did not mention names.
He, however, said the thieves are “now in trouble.”
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE
Museveni also said that foreign interference is not a threat to Uganda and that the country’s economy is moving forward.
“The foreigners interfering in our internal affairs are not a threat at all… NRM has correct philosophical ideologies and positions. That is why the economy is growing in spite of the betrayal by the parasites. With the crushing of the corruption, Uganda, given our overall correct positions, is unstoppable. Everything else is in place.”
He went on to slam what he described as “foreign agents” and “traitors” who serve interests of foreign countries.
“There are, however, other actors that get bribes from foreigners to work for foreign interests. These are both corrupt and traitors and we are monitoring their activities,” said Museveni.
“If they do not stop; and with evidence, we shall deal with them,” he added.
“They approach our people and say, ‘go and make a bad report against Uganda and we shall give you an award and it will have such money,’” said Museveni.
Museveni painted a bright future for Uganda’s economy, which he said is on the right track .
“Uganda’s economy is moving forward, mistakes by some actors notwithstanding. Given our correct position, we are unstoppable as everything is in place,”Museveni said.
Museveni said the economy has been able to grow multiple times from $1.5 billion in 1986 to now $ 55 billion by the forex exchange method and $180.29 bn by the PPP method.
Uganda is now in the lower middle-income status.
The president said these achievements will all be in vain if the East African region and Africa don’t integrate to create a market for each other’s goods and services.
“When wealth creators get serious with production, when they increase the production of goods and services, the internal market is no longer enough. We need the East African market, we need the African market and we need the global market.”
According to Museveni, since the recovery of the economy, Uganda’s sugar production has moved to 600,000 metric tonnes per year, yet the internal market can only consume 380,000 metric tonnes while 5.3 billion litres of milk are produced per year and only 800 million litres are consumed locally.
The president said cement production has reached 6.4 million metric tonnes and yet internal demand is only 2.4 million tonnes, noting that this is where the issue of integration comes in because it supports Uganda’s development.
Who will buy all this surplus? The answer for all these questions is that, it is, mainly, East and Central Africa that are buying the surplus. The COMESA area is buying goods and services worth $2.157 billion from Uganda. Therefore, the NRM was right to distil the principles of patriotism and Pan- Africanism and to oppose groups that were pushing for parochialism in Uganda and Euro- centrism globally. After careful analysis, we realized that our prosperity, first and foremost, needed patriotism and Pan-Africanism,” Museveni said.
“ We access other markets in addition, but let us secure these two levels first. This is why we worked so hard to revive the EAC and consolidate COMESA.”
According to Museveni, with a more united market, African can, then, be able to negotiate with other countries for market access like the European Union, USA, China, Russia, the Gulf and India among others.
FULL ADDRESS CAN BE ACCESSED HERE:STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS FINAL COPY 6TH JUNE
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