A delegation the United States Congress visited Mauritius March 26-27 to assess the implementation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).  

The visit underscored the United States’ commitment to deepening the economic cooperation between our two countries and to support Mauritius’ continued utilization of AGOA benefits. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Mauritius&Seychelles.

The U.S. Embassy condemns the utter lack of transparency and due process in the March 30 arrest of former Juba mayor Kalisto Ladu by security personnel in South Sudan. His detention is yet another example of the South Sudanese transitional government’s failure to open civic and political space for its citizens. 

We call on transitional government authorities to respect the rule of law and provide a public accounting of Mr. Ladu’s detention.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in South Sudan.

Responding to a decision by Uganda’s Constitutional Court to only revoke parts of the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 (AHA), a law which prompted rising attacks against LGBTI people, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, said:

“We are dismayed that the Court has turned its back on its responsibility to fully uphold Uganda’s Constitution which protects the human rights of all people, including rights to equality and non-discrimination, protection of personal liberty, protection from cruel or degrading treatment, and privacy.” igere ChagutahAmnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa

“It is shocking that an opportunity was missed to revoke a law that undermines the rights of LGBTI persons in Uganda, their allies, human rights defenders and activists by criminalizing consensual same-sex acts, ‘promotion’ of homosexuality with all its vagueness as an offence and contemplates the death penalty for the offence of ‘aggravated homosexuality’.

“As we mark the 10th anniversary of the African Commission’s Resolution 275 on the protection against violence and human rights violations against persons on the basis of their real or imputed sexual orientation or gender identity, the Government of Uganda must repeal the entire Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 and ensure accountability for the attacks against LGBTI people.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Amnesty International.

The Uganda National Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) is seeking an additional Shs23.7 billion to settle tax obligations for 120,000 tablet computers procured for the upcoming national population census scheduled for May this year.

The tablet computers cost Shs132 billion. 

With the Executive Director of UBOS, Chris Mukiza, at the forefront, alongside officials from the finance ministry, they appeared before the Committeeon Finance, Planning and Economic Development to present their Ministerial Policy Statement on Wednesday, April 03, 2024.

In August, UBOS purchased 38,000 tablets priced at US$540 each and 82,000 tablets at US$164 each, which are set to be used by the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) and the Electoral Commission after the census.

Despite UBOS’s plea for a tax waiver, the finance ministry opted for a deferral, prompting concerns about future compliance with Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) requirements. 

Mukiza warned of potential disruptions to UBOS operations, adding that it is still a struggle for some of their consignments to get through customs. 

“At customs, for each consignment to come, we have to write and they do a provisional release. They have given us up to September 2024, and so they may come and close Statistics House,” he said.

The Minister of State for Finance, Amos Lugolobi, remained firm, stating that granting waivers would establish an undesirable precedent for other entities. 

“The minister wrote and said this one we shall accommodate. He delayed the payment of the tax. He does not need to be unnecessarily worried,” Lugolobi said.

However, the committee chairperson, Hon. Amos Kankunda, expressed solidarity with UBOS, asserting the need to alleviate the bureau’s tax burden. He pledged the committee’s cooperation with the government to resolve the issue, emphasising UBOS’s vulnerability within its reporting structure to the Ministry of Finance.

Hon. Mpindi Bumali (Indep., PWDs) questioned the cost and types of the tablets and whether they will be sold or given out in the future.

According to Lugolobi, the tablets will be used by three entities of UBOS, NIRA and EC, and that the procurement was sanctioned by Cabinet especially because it will not be used only once.

“This is a synchronised approach, Cabinet had to put the three together including NIRA, UBOS and Electoral Commission to synchronise their approach on the procurement of these devices. They all belong to government anyway,” he said.

Meanwhile appearing before the same committee, the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) led by its Executive Director, Benson Turyame, has called on the committee to consider additional funding of Shs13.6 billion increasing the coverage of procurement audits, monitor the implementation of local content in in Public procurement among others.

The projected budget for the authority is Shs24.1 billion.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.