Why should Uganda finance ‘investors’?

Feb 12, 2007

SIR — I was not surprised when I read that the Government was planning to inject sh26b into some of the operations of the Rift Valley Railways (RVR), a company that won the tender to run Kenyan and Ugandan railways for the next 25 years.

SIR — I was not surprised when I read that the Government was planning to inject sh26b into some of the operations of the Rift Valley Railways (RVR), a company that won the tender to run Kenyan and Ugandan railways for the next 25 years.

It is not the first time government has planned to inject money in failed investor projects.

After having lost more than sh24b in loans and subsidies to Apparels Tri-star Uganda, we should know better.
Relatedly, billions of shillings were advanced to businessman Hassan Basajjabalaba, to help finance his business, on directives from President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

When privatisation and liberalisation policies were introduced some years back, some argued that it was a great innovation, while others disagreed.

However, to-date, the Government has not explained what the proceeds from the sale of the Government parastatals were used for!

Instead of the Government wasting money on these so-called investors, this money should be used to improve on agriculture, health, education and infrastructure in rural areas.

Johnson Maganja
gentlej2005@yahoo.com

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});