CARDINAL WAMALA HAS CONDUCTED MASS TO WELCOME BASIL KIWANUKA HOME FOR THE LAST TIME

Emmanuel Cardinal Wamala the main Celebrant at the Mass conducted at Basil Paul Kiwanuka's residence Nalukolongo Wednesday, February 14, 2013 told his congregation that the mass was to welcome Basil back home for the last time. Basil who went to Nsambya for treatment was brought back today as a parcel! Cardinal Wamala sent condolences to Basil's children all of whom are around now as well as the grand children. The Cardinal said that death is a wonder, many understand death in a narrow sense he said. "We also never get used to death," said Cardinal Wamala. He said that it is painful whenever there is loss, and this time; the loss of Basil Kiwanuka is so painful, so touching. The Cardinal said that Basil had in life been grateful to the care offered to him by his children. They could at times take him out of the country for treatment. Basil Kiwanuka was fortunate not to have looked into the grave of any of his children as they are still alive, it is their mother who is dead. Children need to use his example in thier service delivery. He would have got all possible honours, as he has served with such a calibre that is hard to come-by these days. He has served faithfully his nation and the Catholic Church. He began with the Lord, and he has ended with the Lord. Cardinal Wamala wished him the treasure worth his effort. The Mass started at 11.30am and lasted just one hour. This was after one hour and ten minutes from the time the body was delivered home. Cardinal Wamala arrived shortly after the body and he had time off as various people greeted him. Among the members of SMACK Community, I was able to identify Hon. Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere and Ambassador Sendaula; 1st Deputy Katikkiro at Mengo. There were surely other OBs, but these are not known to me by name. You must be sure that Basil was put in a coffin worth any top class personality in Uganda; and two Uganda Funeral Service vehicles. It is indeed a worthy send off that he really toiled for while alive. I had some moments with Kiwanuka, Basil's son from USA and OB of SMACK, at least he has been firm. Thank God. It is sad that I took photos but unfortunately, the camera seems to have got some technical problem and I am unable to get them downloaded. William Kituuka Kiwanuka

GALLANT SMACK OB AND ELDER BASIL PAUL KIWANUKA HAS PASSED ON!

Basil Paul Kiwanuka has been an Old Boy of St. Mary's College Kisubi, a former teacher at SMACK, a former President of the Old Boys' Association and a former Chairman of SMACK Board of Governors. 70 years ago, Basil Paul Kiwanuka joined St. Mary's College Kisubi. He has played the game; kept the School flame burning till his death. Refer to the 4th Stanza of St. Mary's College Kisubi School Anthem: Of St. Mary’s boys are we True to her we wish to be All is ours; her grief and glee Up and on! Our life here will wane away Without fear we gauge the way Always we will sing the lay Up and on! Shortly after the 9.00pm news at CBS FM 88.8 FM on Saturday, 9 February 2013, I heard an announcement; it was that Basil Paul Kiwanuka formerly of UNEB and residing at Nalukolongo had died! I came to interact with Basil Paul Kiwanuka in 2006 as I worked on the SMACK Centenary Magazine as Editor. Brother Anthony Kyemwa (former Headmaster of SMACK) told me that a contribution to the Magazine by Basil was necessary given his roles for the School. I called at Kulika office - Nsambya where he had last worked and I was directed to his home at Nalukolongo. I had good time with him, and below I have his Biography as given to me by himself. I wish to thank God for the dedication for his former school, the Catholic Community and Uganda at large. Psalm 15:1-5 O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? 2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; 3 who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; 5 who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved. John 12:23-28 23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. 27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!” Basil Paul Kiwanuka a SMACK Old Boy, a former Teacher, former President of the Old Boys’ Association and former Chairman SMACK Board of Governors. Basil Paul Kiwanuka has been an Old Boy of St. Mary’s College Kisubi. He was at the College from 1943 to 1945 for his Cambridge School Certificate (CSC), which was a three-year course then. He later got back to the College as a Graduate teacher in September 1958 when preparations were in high gear for the Higher School Certificate (HSC). During that time, he was Head of the Geography Department. He taught till end of 1960. On the staff at SMACK there were then three Ugandan lay graduate teachers that is Mr. J.C. Kiwanuka, Mr Mulindwa and himself. The rest were either Religious Brothers or lay expatriate teachers. They managed to prove to the expatriate teachers that they were equally capable and competitive. In 1960, Basil Kiwanuka was transferred to the Ministry of Education Headquarters as Assistant Examination Secretary. He was in June 1964 appointed the first African/Ugandan Chief Inspector of Schools in Uganda, after serving in various capacities as Senior Education Officer for Secondary Schools and Senior Education Officer/head of the Ministry of Education Planning Unit. In 1968, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania while under the East African Community (EAC) decided to set up an Examination’s Body for the region that is the East African Examination Council (EAEC). Basil was appointed its first Secretary. Though the East African Community broke up in 1977, the Examination’s Body remained up to the end of 1980 when each of the member countries decided to set up own Examination’s Body, and in 1981, Uganda National Examination’s Board (UNEB) was set up, and Mr Basil Kiwanuka was appointed its Secretary. He served up to 1982 when he retired. He then joined the Uganda Catholic Secretariat at Nsambya where he served as Secretary for Education up to 1999. During this period he also served on several Boards/Councils of Schools and Colleges, including Kyambogo ITEK/University as Chairman, National Teachers College as Chairman, St. Mary’s College Kisubi, St. Henry’s College Kitovu. Asked about the academic excellence at SMACK, Kiwanuka said, “The College has been having outstanding performance at National Examinations because it gets the cream of the nation, that is, very brilliant students on admission. Secondly, both the hard work of the teachers and students are major factors for the maintenance of high academic standards. The combination of all these create the College Culture of hard work at academics.” Basil was Vice Chairman of SMACK Board of Governors from 1983 and took on the Chair in 1992 after the death of Prof. Kyalwazi. About the challenges when on the School Board of Governors, and eventually Chairman of the Board, Kiwanuka said, “They encountered political, financial as well as disciplinary challenges.” While retired Basil remained an active member of St. Mary’s Old Boy’s Association. Nearer, My God, to Thee Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee! E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me, still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to thee; nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee! Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down, darkness be over me, my rest a stone; yet in my dreams I'd be nearer, my God, to thee; nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee! Direction to the residence from Nalukolongo At Lubaga Cathedral for the Requiem Mass The Editor wishes the Late Basil Paul Kiwanuka eternal Peace. Amen. William Kituuka Kiwanuka

CONGRATULATIONS TO ST. MARY'S COLLEGE KISUBI FOR THE PERFORMANCE

By AL-MAHDI SSENKABIRWA Posted Saturday, February 9 2013 at 02:00 In Summary A total of 1,332 schools countrywide fell below the 50 per cent mark ranked on the basis of Division One scores. KAMPALA Traditional powerhouse Namilyango College has dropped eight places from last year as a top performer while Mt. St. Mary’s Namagunga bounced back to the top of the best performing schools in O-Level exams. Namagunga had 135 students, of which 134 passed in Division One, registering 99 per cent. Its remaining candidate passed in Division Seven while Namilyango, which led the pack with 100 per cent in Division One last year, had only 171 candidates in Division One, representing 94 per cent and other 10 candidates, one was in Division Three and the rest in Division Two. This shows the poor performance in the 2012 UCE exams where the general performance dropped compare to that of 2011. St. Mary’s College Kisubi, which was in the fourth position in 2011 , took the second position this time round, displacing Gayaza High School, which dropped to the 14th position. Gayaza has for the last 10 ten years featured among the top performers. Of the 191 candidates who sat for exams at Kisubi, 189 passed in Division One and one candidate was in Division Two. A little known Nadiket Seminary of Moroto made it to the top 10, posting an impressive 93 per cent after 14 of its 15 registered a Division One performance. Last year, Nadiket was in the 19th position with 87 per cent in Division One. Others in the top 10 compared to last year are St Mary’ SS-Kitende, Uganda Martyrs SS, Namugongo, Ntare School, London College of St. Lawrence, and St. Henry’s College, Kitovu. Notre Dame Academy, Buseesa in Mubende, which was among the top 10 last year, appeared in the 20th position, just behind Trinity College-Nabbingo, Turkish Academy, Naalya SS-Namugongo, Nabisunsa Girls and St. Joseph’s Voc. SS-Mbarara. Kings College Budo, who have always made it among top 10, dropped to places outside that coveted class. A total of 1,332 schools countrywide fell below the 50 per cent mark ranked on the basis of Division One scores. At least 342 registered as single percentage point while 104 schools failed to get a single Division One student. assenkabirwa@ug.nationmedia.com

FACT OR FICTION: ABORTIONS COST GOVERNMENT SHS 31BN YEARLY - REPORT

Abortions cost government Shs31b yearly- report By Flavia Lanyero Posted Saturday, February 9 2013 at 02:00 In Summary Health experts say unintended pregnancies should be addressed to avoid complications that result from abortions. Kampala Post-abortion care is costing government an estimated Shs31 billion ($13.8m) annually - money which could otherwise be saved if pregnancies were planned, a new report finds. The report, conducted by the Guttmacher Institute and published in the Journal Health Policy and Planning, is based on data collected from a sample of 39 health facilities between August and November 2010. It found that at least 105,900 women reported to health centres and referral hospitals with post-abortion complications. The lead researcher, Dr Fredrick Mugisha, said post-abortion care is eating up colossal amount of government money yet it is not being given attention. He said women show up with incomplete abortions, sepsis, perforations, shock and many other complications that put their lives in danger. Health practitioners are now questioning Uganda’s health care system in dealing with reproductive health issues among the youth which would otherwise see fewer people get unintended or unwanted pregnancies. Dr Charles Kiggundu, a consultant gynecologist at Mulago hospital, said of the three million pregnancies that occur every year, at least 56 per cent are unintended. At least 30 per cent of these end as induced abortions. Dr Kiggundu said abortion contributes to 25 per cent of maternal mortality in the country. He said urgent attention is needed in terms of post-abortion care, safe abortion methods and planned pregnancies. The head of reproductive health in the Ministry of Health, Dr Zainab Akol, said funding for the sector has increased from $3.5m to $5 this financial year and that it will help scale up supplies for reproductive health services like contraceptives and information dissemination to communities. “This study will help tease out issues that can scale up family planning uptake. The President in July last year made five global commitments to improve reproductive health in Uganda and with the increase in the reproductive health budget, it will support implementation of his commitments,” Dr Akol said. flanyero@ug.nationmedia.com

M/S WIKIPEDIA ADDRESS THE STATEMENT BELOW

Refer to Web address: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mary%27s_College_Kisubi The statement below on St. Mary’s College Kisubi is very wrong and should be changed: The school was established in 1906 by the Brothers of Christian Instruction, affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. The correct version: St. Mary’s College Kisubi was founded at Lubaga in 1906 by Reverend Father Modesta Raux, a brilliant French missionary of the White Fathers society. It is owned by the Catholic Arch Diocese of Kampala. The Brothers of Christian Instructions were brought from Canada in 1926 to relieve the White Fathers. William Kituuka Kiwanuka – SMACK OB Lourdel House (1974 – 1979)

DID ALL DISTRICTS CELEBRATE THE INDEPENDENCE JUBILEE?

Billions of money were got by Presidents' Office according to Muhakanizi to see to the celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of Uganda's Independence. We were told that after the official Kololo celebrations, districts were to arrange their own celebraations. What is not clear is whether Government funded districts to celebrate, or it just became a matter of history. William Kituuka Kiwanuka ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the sins of Uganda, I repent — Museveni Publish Date: Oct 18, 2012 For the sins of Uganda,I repent — Museveni Christians dedicate Uganda to God during the National Jubilee prayers . At the National Jubilee Prayers in Namboole, President Yoweri Museveni made history when he openly repented his sins and the sins of Uganda, a move that has excited many religious leaders. Moses Mulondo brings you the prayer verbatim Father God in heaven, today we stand here as Ugandans, to thank you for Uganda. We are proud that we are Ugandans and Africans. We thank you for all your goodness to us. I stand here today to close the evil past and especially in the last 50 years of our national leadership history and at the threshold of a new dispensation in the life of this nation. I stand here on my own behalf and on behalf of my predecessors to repent. We ask for your forgiveness. We confess these sins, which have greatly hampered our national cohesion and delayed our political, social and economic transformation. We confess sins of idolatry and witchcraft which are rampant in our land. We confess sins of shedding innocent blood, sins of political hypocrisy, dishonesty, intrigue and betrayal. Forgive us of sins of pride, tribalism and sectarianism; sins of laziness, indifference and irresponsibility; sins of corruption and bribery that have eroded our national resources; sins of sexual immorality, drunkenness and debauchery; sins of unforgiveness, bitterness, hatred and revenge; sins of injustice, oppression and exploitation; sins of rebellion, insubordination, strife and conflict. These sins and many others have characterised our past leadership, especially the last 50 years of our history. Lord forgive us and give us a new beginning. Give us a heart to love you, to fear you and to seek you. Take away from us all the above sins. We pray for national unity. Unite us as Ugandans and eliminate all forms of conflict, sectarianism and tribalism. Help us to see that we are all your children, children of the same Father. Help us to love and respect one another and to appreciate unity in diversity. We pray for prosperity and transformation. Deliver us from ignorance, poverty and disease. As leaders, give us wisdom to help lead our people into political, social and economic transformation. We want to dedicate this nation to you so that you will be our God and guide. We want Uganda to be known as a nation that fears God and as a nation whose foundations are firmly rooted in righteousness and justice to fulfil what the Bible says in Psalm 33:12: Blessed is the nation, whose God is the Lord. A people you have chosen as your own. I renounce all the evil foundations and covenants that were laid in idolatry and witchcraft. I renounce all the satanic influence on this nation. And I hereby covenant Uganda to you, to walk in your ways and experience all your blessings forever. I pray for all these in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Religious Leaders React The Church of Uganda Archbishop elect, Stanley Ntagali said the prayer was a step in the right direction. That it was appropriate for the head of state to repent of his sins and the sins of Ugandans. The leader of Pentecostal churches, Apostle Alex Mitala, said the prayer was the beginning of the healing of a nation. “All the nations we read about in the Bible were healed when their leaders repented and acknowledged God’s supremacy,” he said. Mitala urged Ugandans to turn away from their wicked ways. Pastor Dr. Martin Kalibbala of New Testament Covenant Church warned that the fruits of repentance are what matter. “If you repent of stealing, God expects you to immediately stop stealing. If the President’s repentance is genuine, it will be measured on God’s yardstick of bearing the fruits of repentance,” he said. Pastor Dr. Martin Ssempa of Makerere Community Church said it was a good thing for the President to repent on his behalf and on behalf of the nation. He commended those who encouraged and helped the President prepare the prayer, adding that God will answer it. “We hope the President’s repentance will result into greater obedience to God by the executive, which he heads.

WHAT LOOKS LIKE POOR PERFORMANCE MAY BE FRUITS OF THE FIGHT TO END EXAMINATION CHEATING

It is most probable that what UNEB and Ministry of Education see as a decline in performance is the fruits of the fight of mal-practices in examinations. It is no news that many schools for long have been and continue to cheat in examinations. Now what we are seeing is the true picture of how students are standing with less cheating. UNEB needs to address the issue of examiners who visit schools and advise what students should read and how they should go about answering questions. In the forthcoming results, before the release, those excelling students should be called to UNEB and given trial short exams to ascertain whether they have the brains to have got so many A's etc. William Kituuka Kiwanuka

GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT STOP INFANTS IN BOARDING SECTION

Before coming up with a law to stop children / infants being taken to boarding sections of the schools, one ought to be aware of the situation on ground. It is a fact that many parents more so single parents take the children to the boarding section having done a lot of calculations and found that these will offer relatively better situations to their children. Some parents by virtue of their jobs have no time for their children. Sometime children were found very dirty and a teacher tried to find out what actually was going on at home. It was found that these children were staying with their father who would find them already asleep and leave before they were awake. These are real situations which we have to live with. It is also true that some parents by virtue of their jobs do such work which is not good like running bars from their households. It is better for such children to be in a boarding section than grow exposed to what takes place at home. So, what Government has to ensure is that the children in boarding schools get the right care, but declaring them illegal would mean that not much research has been done to establish why such facilities may be better given parent circumstances. William Kituuka Kiwanuka

WAS SHS 133BN ALLOCATED TO NAADS FOR IMPROVED SEEDS IN 2011/2012 RECEIVED?

http://goodgovernancepractice.blogspot.com/2013/02/was-shs-133bn-allocated-to-naads-for_5.html

AS SHORT SIGHTED AS UGANDA POLICE

http://goodgovernancepractice.blogspot.com/2013/02/as-short-sighted-as-uganda-police.html

THE BUTALEJA WOMAN SEAT BI-ELECTION IS FOR CONTINUITY OF NEBANDA TERM AND HER PROGRAMMES

Had it not been the poisoning, Hon. Nebanda would finish her 5 year term as Woman MP for Butaleja. Nebanda stood for the ideal Uganda which any patriotic Uganda MP would stand for. She was able to be on the same side with opposition MPs on matters where common sense dictated that the future of Uganda was a concern of all positive thinking Ugandans. She never got short sighted. There is all the hope that Nebanda's sister will fit in the shoes of her late sister when she wins the forthcoming elections "God rest Nebanda's soul in eternal peace." William Kituuka Kiwanuka

AS CHILDREN GO BACK TO SCHOOL, I WISH TO APPRECIATE THE LATE WILSON SSONKO

In 1973, the Late Wilson Ssonko was Manager of Mityana Tea Estate (at Bakijjulula) under the Mitchell Cotts. The Late was a parent not only for his children but to many of us. I was in Primary Seven at Namutamba Demonstration School with his Late son John Semwanga. In 1976, his other son the Late Joseph Kimbowa was admitted to form one at St. Mary's College Kisubi, when I was in form three. From then on wards, the Late Ssonko made it a point to send a vehicle to collect us from school as well as take us to school, and by the way, the vehicle would collect me from my fathers' place! While in holiday, the late Ssonko would send a vehicle to collect me so that I read with the Late Semwanga and the late Lutaaya! I was encouraged to read more so when i realized that Semwanga was better compared to me at Mathematics (given that he was attending at St. Henry's College Kitovu). Back to school at St. Mary's Kisubi, I was able to get the services of Mr. Malengane who was then teaching us Mathematics. In the games time, solving mathematics problems becaame my sports, and by the time we sat O 'level, I could feature among the best 5 students in the whole S 4 class of about 120 students. It is sad the Lord called Ssonko and three of his sons for whom he toiled so hard to see well educated. I wish to thank the Late Ssonko posthumously for the love and care as well as guidance he gave us. It is such guidance that is helping us to try to push our 'lost leaders' into line as we advocate for good governance. May the Almighty God grant our father the Late Ssonko eternal peace. William Kituuka Kiwanuka

IS THE PROPOSAL FOR GOVERNMENT TO PUT MONEY INTO THE BUDGET FOR CHURCHES TARGETING 2016 ELECTIONS?

I thought I was in dreamland when I heard a news item on radio One that the youthful Minister for youth had told a gathering that Uganda Government would like Church collection strategy using baskets phased out! This is against the background that the 'bubbo' (baskets) keep many from places of worship, hence Government would like to put money into the budget to cater for those collections! What is absurd, is that while some of our leaders go to places of worship, they don't seem to pick a thing there, otherwise, they would not be corrupt and killers of the people through the implementation of programmes that simply impoverish the masses. The question then , is where do such people get the heart for concern that people should be bailed out on collections so that they can turn up in bigger numbers? Like the Government has struggled to create districts even where potential beneficiaries did not need them, this one is another of the similar schemes, may be targeting to get votes come 2016! For those who may not be in the know, all is not well in the Government of Uganda's purse, in fact one needs to be a great brain to make out a better situation if Museveni left tomorrow and he/she has to run Government. The amount Government has to pay in servicing foreign loans, the local debts, that is amount due to suppliers of various services is just incredibly big yet with yawning resources! It is even a greater priority paying better pay to Civil Servants many of whom survive on corruption while others don't even know how they are able to make ends meet. The situation of UPE, USE are some of the priorities Government has to address other than think of helping the collections in Church. William Kituuka Kiwanuka

THE CORRUPT IN UGANDA NEED TO GET THE MESSAGE IN WORLD BANK PRESIDENT'S SPEECH

World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim Speech on Anti-Corruption at the Center for Strategic and International Studies World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim Washington, DC January 30, 2013 “Anti-corruption Efforts in a Global Environment: A Commitment to Act” Colleagues, Friends and Development Partners: It is apt that we meet here at CSIS, where since 1962 the Center has pushed boundaries to find practical solutions to the major, intractable problems of the times. Among these, perhaps none has been more ubiquitous or enduring than the problem of corruption, which is on our agenda for today. Not long ago, it was accepted in many development circles that little could be done about the problem. In the 1990s, such attitudes started to change in response to many factors, including the end of the Cold War and the growth of global NGOs, such as Transparency International. During this period, a growing body of evidence began underscoring that corruption exacts a pernicious toll on development. Research by the Bank and others has demonstrated that there is a negative association between growth and corruption. Corruption acts as a regressive tax, penalizing poorer citizens and smaller firms. It restricts access to services for the more vulnerable citizens and is associated with a lower quality of public services. It is a significant cost for business. By one estimate $20 to $40 billion are stolen from developing countries each year. The World Bank has played an important role in the evolution of the global integrity and good governance agenda ever since Jim Wolfensohn’s “Cancer of Corruption” speech at the Bank’s annual meeting in 1996. For me, Jim’s original words resonate every bit as strongly today as when they were first uttered 16 years ago. Jim said: “Corruption diverts resources from the poor to the rich, increases the cost of running businesses, distorts public expenditures and deters foreign investors…it is a major barrier to sound and equitable development.” I am privileged to have this opportunity to spell out my thoughts as to how the Bank will address issues of anticorruption during my tenure. Let me begin with two caveats. The first is that the anticorruption agenda is an important subset of the broader good governance movement and needs to be viewed within this setting. Few issues are more important for development and shared growth than good governance. Public institutions deliver vital services such as health and education, upon which the poor are particularly dependent. Corruption subverts and undermines all these functions and as such serves as a major impediment to development. It is in this context that combating corruption both has been and will continue to remain one of the Bank’s top priorities. Second, as our recent Governance and Anti-corruption Strategy Update notes, much of the Bank’s work on this agenda is about managing—and not avoiding—risk. We need to be engaged in settings and contexts that do not rank highly on global indices of good governance. We need to be fighting poverty in areas where the legal framework for combating corrupt and illicit behavior is imperfect and institutions of public accountability may not function well, or even exist at all. We need to be encouraging staff to take risks and innovate in the service of development, as long as the risks are carefully thought through up front and managed during implementation. Our response must be swift and decisive when problems emerge—as they inevitably will. Enforcement is important. To give you a sense of the problem, last week we took stock of the World Bank’s investigations into misconduct in its projects. This exercise revealed that we had closed 609 investigations and generated 205 debarments over the past four and a half years. I have asked the relevant units in the Bank to sift through this body of evidence, distill the lessons so that we can better modulate risk to ensure that those insights guide future business decisions. Our willingness to work in difficult situations and an appetite for measured risk should never be confused with a willingness to tolerate corruption in Bank projects and activities. Let me say it loud and clear: When corruption is discovered in our projects and activities, we have zero tolerance for it within the World Bank Group. So where does this leave us? Should we shy away from high-risk interventions and forgo the potentially massive benefits to the poor or should we rather take a calculated risk, design appropriate safeguards and move forward with them? My answer is that we need to take risks for development results but we have to do so with our eyes open and try to mitigate those risks as much as we can. However, sometimes things go wrong and then we need to stand firm. This is what happened in the case of the Padma Bridge Project where insufficient response by the authorities to the evidence of corruption at the time made us terminate a $1.2 billion credit in June last year. I have no intention to preempt things, as legal and other processes have to run their course. Until certain conditions are met to heighten oversight in the project and give assurance that a complete and fair criminal investigation is under way, we cannot consider financing the bridge. I say this knowing how much this bridge means to the people and economy in the southwest of Bangladesh. It is a steel lifeline linking them to opportunity. Open Quotes Public institutions deliver vital services such as health and education, upon which the poor are particularly dependent. Corruption subverts and undermines all these functions and as such serves as a major impediment to development. It is in this context that combating corruption both has been and will continue to remain one of the Bank’s top priorities. Close Quotes Jim Yong Kim World Bank Group President But we have remained engaged in Bangladesh. Our current portfolio includes over 30 projects with commitments of about $4.3 billion. Our lack of tolerance for corruption does not mean that we ignore the larger development picture. Good institutions have systems, checks and rigor to prevent bad things before they happen. The World Bank’s Integrity Vice Presidency trains both World Bank staff and client country counterparts on detecting red flags in public procurement, and we’re in the process of developing software that will help automate these processes. In 2010, the Bank launched the International Corruption Hunters Alliance, with the goal of bringing together the heads of national level anticorruption agencies, prosecutors and auditors so that they could learn from and draw moral support from each other. Senator Leahy addressed the Alliance members at the time, and very pointedly outlined the consequences of failing to stop corruption. He said if we turn a blind eye—in any country—we fail our own citizens, we fail the people of the countries we want to help, we undermine the rule of law domestically and internationally, and we damage our long-term interests. We should learn from governments’ enforcement and prevention measures – Brazil has made some radical interventions to turn drug-infested favelas into safer neighborhoods; in Italy the tax authorities are using an unorthodox approach called Redditometro to expose tax dodgers; in India the government is grappling with an anti-corruption bill. These anticorruption efforts, and the work of Leonard and our Integrity Vice Presidency, are a critical link in a broader chain contributing to good government, integrity and development effectiveness. More broadly, our recent Governance and Anticorruption Strategy, endorsed by the Board unanimously in March 2012, emphasizes six pillars for combating corruption and advancing the cause of good governance. They include: Integrate governance issues more systematically within these instruments; Support capable, transparent country institutions; Focus more sharply on results; Aim to more effectively management of risk; Improve global governance, including ongoing support for important discussions at the level of the G-8 and G-20, as well as initiatives such as the Stolen Assets Recovery (StAR) and Extractive Industry Transparency (EITI) initiatives; and finally Facilitate the implementation of the governance agenda across the scope of Bank operations. Our governance and anticorruption practice needs to be carefully informed by robust data and analysis—capturing more of the “science of delivery” that I have spoken about on many occasions. Our team needs to do a better job of capturing tacit and implicit knowledge about how to conduct governance and public sector reform—particularly in difficult circumstances such as those involving Fragile and Conflict Afflicted States—along with disseminating this knowledge more effectively to our staff and development partners. We need to be focused more upon solving real-world problems than the traditional “best practice” model of institutional development. Let me tell you one short story. I was in Haiti late last year and one of my meetings was with a group of private sector leaders. I know the history of Haiti well, having worked there for many years through an NGO that I co-founded, Partners in Health. In Haiti, there is a long history of crony capitalism, where just a few close to those in power reap nearly all the benefits of trade and business. This is a common and insidious form of corruption. And it can’t be allowed to persist. That’s what I told the group of private sector leaders on that morning – that the economic system of crony capitalism had to be broken open, become more inclusive, and involve women, young people, and entrepreneurs. That has to happen if Haiti is ever going to succeed. Bono came to speak at the World Bank recently, and he called corruption “the biggest killer of them all.” His statement seemed to surprise many people, but corruption is indeed often the slow, silent killer of effective development. When corruption seeps into the social sector, it means that a hospital is built without life-saving equipment or that a school is built without adequate salaries for teachers. It means roads are built without guardrails, or in some cases not built at all. And who pays for this? It is the poor who pay --sometimes with their lives. Corruption steals from the poor. It steals the promise of a brighter future. I am constantly challenging Bank staff to think about “bending the arc” of history. As we all know, the history of corruption is a lengthy one, and bending this arc will not be easy. But please know that a central priority of my tenure at the World Bank Group will be taking forward the corruption-fighting agenda that Jim Wolfensohn so ably articulated during his presidency and adapting it to today’s challenge of shared prosperity and the end of poverty. Thank you very much.

NABAGESERA IS AWARDED 15,000 EUROS FOR PROMOTING GAY RIGHTS IN UGANDA

Details of the article can be accessed at the link below: http://goodgovernancepractice.blogspot.com/2013/02/nabagesera-is-awarded-15000-euros-for.html

BUGANDA INVESTENT BANK (BUGIBA) CAN SAVE UGANDA FROM POVERTY

If I were at all influential or a mover of things in Buganda, I would put all my effort into a successful Buganda Investment Bank (BUGIBA). A well managed Buganda Investment Bank (BUGIBA) is the sustainable strategy to see Buganda and Uganda out of poverty. Buganda does not need to start a Commercial Bank as of now, instead it needs to mobilize capital locally and internationally to see a soundly based investment bank in place. This bank would basically handle big projects that can generate tangible multiplier effects in Buganda and Uganda at large. The starting point is to form a Public Limited Liability Company, where all interested would buy shares. Secondly come up with a very technical and ethical Board as well as management team of experts in the field; and these don't need to be a preserve of Baganda. One area the bank would encourage is the promotion of the growing of plants that can be used in the extraction of Bio-fuels that can substitute Diesel use. It is unfortunate that as of now, industrialization based on Hydro - electric power can not produce goods that can be competitive on World market simply because the cost per watt hour is out of the ordinary! But Bio- fuels can run industries that we can target and have goods competitive on international market, the reason why the bank would take great interest in seeing locals grow plants that can be extracted for bio-fuels, yet, many such plants don't need fertile soils. Buganda needs the existing Commercial banks to help fund the people in their ventures for the produce which would form the raw materials in the agro- processing industrialization; and working together with Busoga region for the start would increase viability of the projects as Busoga has prime land that can greatly boost agro- processing industrialization. So, it would be wrong for Buganda to start a Commercial bank whose impact may not be there given that the existing commercial banks and micro finance institutions can provide the resources the people need to feed the Investment bank which can have tangible multiplier effects in the economy once well managed. The Investment Bank would promote industries which are not generally owned by individuals. A case in point if fruit canning in Masaka. The industrial infrastructure would be put in place through use of support from external source lines of credit and skilled management would be established and the bank would help in the realization of capital to buy off farmer produce, while the farmers would reach out to existing financing channels to be able to produce. When big industrial establishments are opened up countrywide, chances are that these will be the poles of growth of various regions in Uganda, and you can be sure, if right professionals are picked and good supervision network enhanced, then the region and Uganda at large will get the impact of the bank and poverty would gradually be overcome. What is needed as of now is not to rush, but come up with an establishment that will enhance growth that is sustainable in Uganda. The powers that be MUST avoid the experience of Teefe bank. Merely having influential Baganda in any bank establishment cannot ensure success. Competent management with very strict rules can make a difference. William Kituuka Kiwanuka