Thursday 28 March 2024

Uganda’s Neo-liberal Dictator Museveni appoints his son Muhoozi as Chief of Defence Forces

 gen muhoozi

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Uganda President Museveni appoints his son Muhoozi as Chief of Defence Forces

 https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/museveni-appoints-gen-muhoozi-as-chief-of-defence-forces-4564918 

Friday March 22 2024

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has appointed his son General Muhoozi Kainerugaba as the new Chief of Defence Forces (CDF). He replaces Gen Wilson Mbasu Mbadi who was appointed Minister of State for Trade in the new cabinet reshuffle announced Thursday evening. 

Gen Muhoozi has been serving as his father's senior presidential advisor in charge of special operations.

This comes days after President Museveni on February 17 presented the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Establishment 2021, an instrument of delegated Command, Control, and Administration, to then CDF Gen Mbadi, to command all elements of the army.

"By virtue of the powers enshrined under Article 98(1) of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, and Section 8(1) and (2)(a) of the UPDF Act, 2005, yesterday, on February 17, 2024, at the Defence Council meeting, I presented the UPDF Establishment 2021, an instrument of delegated Command, Control, and Administration, to General Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, the Chief of Defence Forces of the UPDF, to command all elements of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces," Museveni said in a February 18 statement. 

In the new appointments announced Thursday evening, Gen Museveni named Lt Gen Samuel Okiding as the deputy CDF. He replaces Gen Peter Elwelu whom the President named as one of his senior advisors.

 FILE - Lt. General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, attends an event in Entebbe, Uganda, May 7, 2022.

Uganda’s Museveni Appoints Son as Military Chief

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When the UNDP told lies about human development in Neo-liberal Uganda: UNDP confirms Uganda’s Middle Income status

 

 Fnance PS Ramathan Ggoobi briefing President Museveni during the meeting last year. Uganda claimed Middle Income status two years ago

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UNDP confirms Uganda’s Middle Income status

https://www.independent.co.ug/undp-confirms-ugandas-middle-income-status/ 

March 26, 2024

 

NEWS ANALYSIS | THE INDEPENDENT | Reports from a UNDP Human Development Index released last week, that Uganda had attained middle-income status, has drawn less reactions than the 2022 announcement by government that the country had attained the necessary indicators.

Experts are of the view that it could be that the announcment has generated little excitement because Uganda stated that they had actually achieved this two years ago, or perhaps, the country faces the unexciting answer to the question, “So what?”.

Nevertheless, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) congratulated Uganda on “attaining the indicators”, adding that the task was now to sustain the progress.

Of interest, the HDI showed that Uganda had made progress , much better than her regional peers, in improved services, especially health and education, but also, even though many Ugandans state otherwise, on personal incomes.  It also said Uganda that Uganda had made progress regarding reducing social inequalities.

Uganda climbed from position 166 in 2021/2022 to 159 in 2023/2024, on the global index that ranked 193 countries and territories.  The government has defended the two indicators; education and health access with evidence of physical infrastructure like health centers and educational institutions built over the years, though the quality of health and education standards continue to be questioned.

It means, however, that more Ugandans now access medical services and schools within a certain distance than was the case before. The Human Development Index (HDI), from which the country reports are drawn, is a statistical composite index of life expectancy, education (years   spent in school and levels completed) and per capita income indicators.

A country scores a higher level of HDI when the lifespan is higher, the education level is higher, and the GNI (purchasing power parity) per capita is higher.  HDI is divided into four tiers: very high human development (0.8-1.0), high human development (0.7-0.79), medium human development (0.55-.70), and low human development (below 0.55).

In the latest HDI, therefore, the UNDP ranked Uganda with 0.550, just at the cut-off line, up from the 0.525 score of 2021 which had kept it in the lower category. “According to the Human Development Report 2023-2024, Uganda has for the first time moved to the category of ‘medium human development’,” UNDP posted on X, repeating what officials had said during the launch of the report.

Susan Ngongi Namondo, the UNDP Resident Coordinator also said that the UN Committee on Development Policy (CPD) had announced that Uganda had attracted the requisite indicators for the lower middle-income status. It is not mentioned which population and GNI figures the CPD had assessed to determine Uganda’s status, what the per Capita income was, and whether it is in agreement with the World Bank assessments.

Middle Income Status is different from the middle Human Development ranking, as it is dependent on economic indicators based on the value of goods and services, while the Human Development  Index is the value of human life or standard of living. On the income side, it means that all Ugandans combined now earn (GNI) more than what they were earning when the previous report was compiled.

Who got it wrong?GNI, which refers to the total incomes of nationals within and out of the country minus the incomes of foreigners resident in the country, is now the World Bank’s preferred method of classification of economies as opposed to GDP (a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced in a specific period by a country).

The two measures usually offer almost the same values, but in 2022, when Uganda National Bureau of Statistics (UBoS) announced a GDP Per Capita of more than 1,046 dollars enough to put the country in the lower middle-income bracket), the World Bank said that its calculations, based on GNI showed a far different picture of 840 dollars per person. UBOS based its calculations on the financial year 2021–2022, while the World Bank used the calendar year 2021.

There were also differences in the population figures at the time, though both used the 2002 and 2014 national census results to make their 2021 estimates. However, based on the UN estimation factors, the World Bank adjusted this data upwards based on post-census surveys, by about 2.3 million people.

Who cares?

 In 2021, the government reporter in the National Household Survey, that 15.5 million Ugandans (a third of the population) were in the middle-income status, which indicator, even if it could be disputed, made more sense of incomes as a show of national transformation.

According to the World Bank in 2022, Africa’s richest countries by GNI per capita were Seychelles (the only high-income economy on the continent), Mauritius, Gabon, Botswana, Libya South Africa, and Equatorial Guinea, all with GNI above 5,000 dollars per person.

This also came as countries were suffering the effects of COVID-19 which had seen more people fall below the poverty line. Nevertheless, it gives a glimpse of what to pick from a country’s Per Capita Income and the economic status or classification.

Based on the 2022 figures, for example, Equatorial Guinea, one of the richest countries on the continent by GDP, GNP, and Per Capita Income due to its vast petroleum revenues, is also one of the poorest on the continent. The World Bank shows that 76 percent of the Equatorial Guineans live below the poverty line, much like 55.4 percent of South Africans.

At the same period, the Bank said the poverty levels in Uganda, which had declined to 30 percent before the pandemic was estimated between 30 and 35 percent of the population. So, the class of a country by income does not necessarily mean a better or worse standard of living, as the wealth of the nation may as well be held by a very small minority.

Whether or not to celebrate

Under its low-income country status, Uganda benefits from special development programs with development partners, such as trade and economic agreements with some countries and blocs, which are recognised by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Among them is the All But Arms trade deal under which the European Union allows ports from Uganda quota-free and tariff-free. Such preferential treatments do not apply to middle-income countries and Uganda will have to forfeit them.

Jan Sadek, the Head of EU Delegation in Uganda said as Uganda moves towards achieving the status, it should focus on signing the EU-East African Community Economic Partnership Agreement to avoid trade disruptions. This was also hinted on by UNDP’s Ms Namondo. “It will cause short-term disruptions in the budget. Some things will disappear,” she said urging for proper planning for this shift.

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UNDP's Human Development Report: Uganda ranks second in East Africa

https://www.ntv.co.ug/ug/news/national/undp-s-human-development-report-uganda-ranks-second-in-east-africa-4563732 

Wednesday March 20 2024
By Sudhir Byaruhanga

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) presented its latest Human Development Report for 2023/24 at Makerere University today. The report highlights Uganda's significant strides in improving the well-being of its citizens, positioning it as the second-highest performer in the East African region, trailing only behind Kenya.


Prime Minister Robina Nabbanja, the guest of honor at the event, reaffirmed the government's commitment to enhancing service delivery, underscoring its dedication to national development.

 However, questions have arisen regarding the criteria used by UNDP to elevate Uganda's ranking, particularly in light of the country's ongoing challenges with corruption.

Despite these concerns, the report points out specific areas where Uganda must direct its improvement efforts to sustain progress.


The UNDP Human Development Report takes a holistic approach, assessing countries based on various human development metrics rather than just income per capita. Uganda's placement in the 159th position out of 193 countries reflects this comprehensive evaluation.

 

2023/2024 UN Human Development Report in Pictures

https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/news/202324-un-human-development-index-report-laun-NV_184005 

Uganda achieves lower-middle income status, says UN report

https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/uganda-achieves-lower-middle-income-status-says-un-report-4563794  

 

 

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