Restructuring :all LDC lecturers sacked asked to reapply for jobs afresh

Restructuring :all LDC lecturers sacked

asked to reapply for jobs afresh

AL-MAHDI SSENKABIRWA

assenkabirwa@gmail.com

posted on 3,December ,2011

KAMPALA. The management committee of Law Development Center (LDC) has terminated services of all lecturers and asked them to reapply for the jobs in the on-going restructuring aimed at improving academic standards at the centre.

LDC Deputy Director, Ms Florence Nakachwa confirmed the changes saying the decision had been taken by the by the management committee.

“Yes it is true but contact the secretary (Joyce Werikhe) for the details,” Ms Nakachwa told this paper on Friday.

However, when contacted, Ms Werikhe said their decision had been misinterpreted as sacking by a section of the academic staff but they are simply regularizing their employment.

“It is not true, all we did is to give them options on whether they should be given permanent contracts or temporary contracts. We have not terminated any contract,” Ms Werikhe said in a telephone interview.

The Centre employees 40 full time lecturers , 30 part-timers and host of over 100 support staff. A source at the centre, which preferred anonymity to speak freely about the changes said management was effecting a human resource audit report which will change the employment regime from the traditional permanent and personable job to ‘flexible employment contractual arrangement’.

“In fact what they are trying to do is in the best interest of staff because they will be getting benefits annually unlike in the current arrangement .But of course since it requires re-submitting applications for one reason or the other, one can be rejected, ” the source said

According to the source, staff have up to the end of this month to submit their applications since the new system become operational in January.

The development comes hardly two months after the same committee declined to renew the contract of the director, Mr Elijah Wante, ending his nearly three -decade career at the helm of the centre's management. Mr Wante, whose job has already been advertised in the papers, is expected to handover office in March next year.

The centre is currently under spotlight over falling academic standards, partly blamed on absenteeism of lecturers, congestion and poor quality of students admitted for the Bar Course. Majority of the lawyers admitted at the Centre fail to complete the course in the record 11 months after failing exams which they re-sit, something graduating after four years .

The centre was designed to enroll 120 diploma and bar students, but currently has five-times the number.

Although the blame has been put on LDC lecturers for failing to bring the best out of the students, management instead accuses universities of sending them poor quality graduate lawyers.

Early last year, the centre on training all the 40 full time lecturers and 30 part-timers in a bid to curb the failure rates which have dogged the centre over the years.

Last year, LDC introduced a new policy that requires all lawyers joining LDC to do pre-entry exams, a measure meant to weed out sub-standard students.

LDC is the only institution in the country that admits law graduates to obtain diplomas in legal practice. A lawyer cannot practice as an advocate in Uganda without the diploma.

Over the years ,there have been calls to break the monopoly of LDC to offer the bar course but this move has faced stiff resistance from the Law Council which argues that opening up the market could compromise the standards.

Is Lukwago on course to ‘clips’ Utoda wings ?

AL-MAHDI SSENKABIRWA
assenkabirwa@gmail.com
posted on 25 ,August ,2011

Kampala

“I will sort them out! They are simply exploiting people they purport to serve and even the driver themselves are crying,” these are the words City Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago used say at most of his rallies during campaigns.

Even since his assumed office on May 20, issues pertaining to Uganda Taxi Operators and Drivers Association (Utoda) contract to manage city public transport have been on his table almost daily. It could be drivers complaining of exploitation and harassment from Utoda agents or Utoda officials themselves trying to clear their name.

In all the meetings Lukwago has held with Utoda officials, the former say they have failed to convince him why its contract shouldn’t be withdrawn. “They have proven to be extremely uncooperative and I have no option but to refer their matter to an ordinary Authority meeting to decide their fate,” Lukwago said on August 24 after a special Authority meeting convened to discuss among others, the Utoda contract .However, councilors failed to resolve the matter and defer it to another meeting to be convened in two weeks.

Lukwago also pushes the Authority meeting to approve among other proposals, the split of Utoda contract to manage city taxi parks to allow other players.

“ For effective management and maintenance ,no single service provider should be given a contract to manage more than one taxi park,” he says in his three-page report to the Authority .He says his office empowers him to create policies aimed at improving service delivery in the city.

“What I am proposing is within my mandate and it is in the best interest of the people of Kampala,” he says

Sounding as if he is referring to Utoda, Lukwago said no company limited by guarantee will be contracted to run taxi business in the city in future.

“We shall not sign any contract with any company to provide services in the this sector which is limited by guarantee since companies are not permitted under the law to engage in profit making venture,”

Although Utoda insists that it has a running contract with KCCA, Lukwago rejects this saying its expired a year ago.

Utoda is currently struggling to mend fences with taxi drivers who accuse it of exploitation and harassment. The drivers who even staged a one day sit-down strike last month in protest of mistreatment from Utoda agents oppose payment of welfare fees from each taxi which they say is unaccounted for. The fee rages between Shs 1000 and Shs 10000 depending on the stage.

In addition to these charges, taxi drivers also pay ‘loading fees’, which are equivalent to the fare of three passengers. The fee is paid each time a taxi loads passengers from the taxi park or any city stage.

Government has since suspended the collections until investigations into its use are complete though some driver complain that it is still collected at some stages.

Utoda, which has been managing public transport for over two decades, had earlier vowed not to meet Lukwago saying ‘they need nothing from him’.

But in all the meetings they have had with the Lord Mayor they have appeared apologetic and have repeatedly stated that they are ready to work closely with him to improve public transport in the city. Although Utoda insists that its contract is valid, Lukwago rejects this saying it expired a year ago.

This has pitted him against the city executive Ms Jennifer Musisi who insists that the taxi body has a running contract with KCCA which expires in 2014.

The multi-billion Utoda contract has also divided councilors with a section siding with the Utoda claiming that the Lord Mayor was simply ‘witch-hunting’ the taxi body for no good reason .

“He could have accepted to create a working relationship with them and other things will follow. But basing on what is happening, he is simply making life hard for them,” said Nakawa Division councilor Apollo Mugume on Thursday.

An insider in Utoda who preferred anonymity to speak freely about the matter said due to none-remittance of welfare fees, Utoda can longer afford to clear wages and salaries of some of its staff including traffic wardens and guides.

On average, Utoda was reportedly collecting Shs400million daily from the welfare fees before it was suspended

Lukwago accuses Utoda of under-declaring the number of taxis plying city routes-something he said had caused revenue losses to KCCA. He insists Utoda manages over 12,000 taxis, yet the drivers’ body says they were 7,000.It remains to be seen whether Lukwago will break Utoda monopoly given the fact that the taxi body is politically well-connected with the ruling NRM government.

Ends

Taxi parks in city:

-Old Taxi Park

-New Taxi Park

- Nakawa Taxi Park

-Natete Taxi Park

Lukwago proposals on city public transport :

-Any company contracted to provide services in this sub sector shall be required to remit all the revenue collected onto KCCA collection account and a commission to be paid to such service provider should be agreed upon

-All stickers and receipts to be issued out to PSV operators should be printed by KCCA in its names and regularly given out to the service providers

- All dues payable by the PSV operators should be assessed and collected on a monthly and NOT daily basis

-Each taxi park should be provided with a self-loading refuse truck which shall carry all the garbage generated to the land fill

-KCCA should prepare an ordinance to regulate the management and conduct of PSV transport in Kampala

-A service provider contracted to manage a particular taxi park should be responsible for general maintenance

Of all the facilities thereon including public conveniences and pothole repairs .

How the ghost of 2011 likely to haunt Ugandans in 2012

Posted on December 31

AL-MAHDI SSENKABIRWA

assenkabirwa@gmail.com

KAMPALA. As the year comes to a close, there are actually indicators that some of the problems that have been haunting the country may spill over into 2012 and at some point it may call for divine intervention.

Going by the predictions made by experts, the political, economic and social terrain is likely to remain non-conducive or getting more worse in the New Year.

The profligate government spending which threw the country into a nearly economic coma, making the cost of living higher for majority Ugandans is partly blamed for this unbearable economic situation.

Although inflation has declined from 29 to 27 percent in the last four weeks to the close of the year, this can pass unnoticed by the population, already battered by the hard economic times.

Prices of food and other commodities are likely to remain high in the New Year due to erratic rains that have destroyed crops in many areas yet there is increased demand from neigbouring countries like South Sudan, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Fuel prices are also not likely to come down following the failure by the government to build fuel reserves that could provide a buffer against fluctuating global prices.

The year 2011 had a series of strikes and demonstrations by opposition politicians, teachers, university lecturers, public transporters (taxi drivers), lawyers and traders.

With the economy showing signs of getting worse before it gets better, such protests are likely to continue in the coming months unless government can undertake reforms required to arrest the downward spiral.

“ I don’t see any serious efforts made by government to contain the situation .What we need to do as Ugandans is to work hard and pray to God to change things for the better ,”says Mr Livingstone Ssewanyana, the Executive Director, Foundation for Human Rights Initiative .

In fact, teachers, university lectures have already put government on notice to resume their strikes, saying the concerns that led to earlier strikes have not yet been addressed.

Activists for Change (A4C) pressure group, which spearheaded the ‘Walk-to-work’ protests over high food and fuel prices in the past year could soon be on a collision course with the authorities as they also announced plans resume widespread demonstrations this year.

As a human rights defender, Ssewanyana says government ignored its role to protect Ugandans in 2011 and many have been oppressed or maimed while trying to exercise their rights.

“ Yes, they have disbanded the Rapid Response Unit but Police as a Force remains repressive and they are bent on doing that even in the New Year because the challenges forcing people to riot haven’t been addressed ,” he says

On the political stage, the ensuing public anger over the oil bribery allegations (whether true or false) is likely to range on and those who enjoy political drama should get set to for more entertainment on the floor and corridors of parliament.

President Museveni like he has been in 2011 ,is likely to get more busy trying to contain an ever more restless population, a more emboldened opposition and a new breed of rebellious, independent-minded young legislators within the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) who think he shouldn’t be the one steering the party after 2016 . Parliament is expected to debate whether to reinstate term limits in the Constitution lifted in 2005, to formulate new legislation to govern the oil sector, and whether to turn down a proposal by Mr Museveni to formulate a law that gives the government the right to deny bail to anybody accused of causing ‘economic sabotage’ to the country through demonstrations and other activities.

It remains to be seen whether authorities will do magic to avert the repeat of situations that have dogged the country in the 2011 or the country will seek divine intervention.

Loan scheme for higher education taking shape

Loan scheme for higher education taking shape

By Al-Mahdi Ssenkabirwa (email the author)

Posted Monday, May 16 2011 at 00:00

Poor but bright students will have to wait a little longer to access loans to pursue higher education after government announced that it will take it nearly two years to introduce the education loan scheme.
Though two years might seem a long wait, it will come as a major relief when it finally happens for parents and students who have waited for decades.

It emerged on May 2 that government had instituted a team of experts to ensure that all the necessary legal, financial and institutional frameworks are put in place.

The team includes Mr Michael Wanyama who will serve as coordinator for the secretariat, Timothy Ojala (legal officer), Samson Wanangwe (IT system analyst) and Peace Bategeka (Administrator).

“We expect this team to finish its work in 18 months so that we embark on the implementation phase. This scheme has dragged on for so long and we must all work around the clock to ensure that it becomes a reality,” Ms Namirembe Bitamazire, the education minister, said during a consultative meeting with the experts on May 3 at the ministry board room.

The team, according to Ms Bitamazire will among other tasks draft the Students Loan Scheme Bill drawing lessons from Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania where the scheme is already operational.

“Once this law is in place, sourcing for resources to operationlise the scheme won’t be a problem,” the minister said.

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She said the scheme will start after the 2011/12 fiscal year when government implements free A-level education which President Museveni pledged during the recently concluded general elections.

The financial framework, according to Mr Charles Kitonsa, the spokesperson ministry of education would stipulate the sources of the initial fund, repayment and recovery mechanisms, while the legal framework would spell out the laws that will govern the operationalisation of the scheme.

During the meeting, some members suggested that the scheme should only benefit poor students offering expensive science courses, but the minister said this would be decided when consultations are completed.
Mr Kitonsa said the selection of the experts was done on the recommendation of Ernest &Young, one of the world’s leading professional services organisations which help companies to identify and capitalise on business opportunities.

In Uganda, Kampala International University is the only institution implementing a private loan scheme after partnering with Orient Bank.
Under the scheme, KIU students are offered loans at 2 per cent per annum interest rate .The loan must not be more than Shs6 million and has to be repaid within a year, in two installments, according to the set university loan scheme guidelines.

Mr Issa Matovu, an educationalist said the scheme is long overdue and urged government to speed up the process. “For a long time, higher education has been a preserve of the rich and we pray that this scheme comes and the poor who normally miss chances of joining university also benefit,” he said.

However, he warned government against putting the funds in the hands of individuals who might end up misusing the funds. “There is need for close supervision of the fund right from the start such that the scheme achieves its ultimate goal.” He said.