BY PROFESSOR VENANSIUS BARYAMUREEBA, PhD FEBRUARY 26, 2015, 18.00-20.00HRS KATONGA HALL, HOTEL AFRICANA, KAMPALA UGANDA, EAST AFRICA

1. PUBLIC LECTURE:
THE IDEAL UGANDA
BY
PROFESSOR VENANSIUS BARYAMUREEBA, PhD
FEBRUARY 26, 2015, 18.00-20.00HRS
KATONGA HALL, HOTEL AFRICANA, KAMPALA
UGANDA, EAST AFRICA

2. OVERVIEW
• Prologue
• Orderly political transition
• Separation of powers
• National budget priorities
• Uganda’s global competitiveness
• Corruption
• The Church and the State
• Discussion
• Q&A

3. Prologue
We have never had peaceful transfer of power:
• 2March 1966 Mutesa II overthrown by Obote
• 25 January 1971 Obote overthrown by Amin
• 11April 1979 Amin –President for life
Overthrown by Tanzanians and various exiles
• 20 June 1979 Lule overthrown
• 12 May 1980 Binaisa overthrown
• 27 July 1985 Obote overthrown by Lutwa
• 26 January 1986 Lutwa overthrown by Museveni
• ???

4. Prologue Cont’d
• Separation of powers could be improved
• National budget priorities are skewed towards
infrastructure, energy, defense and security
• Education, health & agricultural sectors are ailing
• Youth bulge is more of a demographic bomb
than a demographic dividend
• Uganda’s global competitiveness is at its lowest
• Corruption in Uganda is a growing concern
• The Citizens social contract with government is a
matter of concern

5. Gen Museveni Jan 1986 - Present
• In Jan 1986 I was 16 years old & today I’m 45 yrs
• In 2016 Museveni will have served for 30 yrs
– If we had two term limits of 5 yrs each; we would
have had at least 2 presidential transitions
• Uganda has lost at least two generations of
Presidents
• NRM cadres who have made public their
Presidential ambitions have been isolated?
• What should worry Ugandans are the many
Presidential hopefuls within NRM and UPDF and
others who have remained silent? What is their
plan B?

6. Implications of Overstaying in Office
• Sometimes being a friend means mastering the
art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time
to let go & allow people to hurl themselves into
their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick
up the pieces when it's all over. Gloria Naylor.
• Dying in office or being barred due to old age as
per article 102 of the constitution
• Losing the Presidential Election in 2016
• Losing power through Military coup d’état
• Constitutional Removal of the President from
Office under article 107 of the constitution

7. What does the bible say on Age?
• The Bible in Psalms 90:10 says that “As for the
days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if
due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is
but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we
fly away.” Even the word of God recognizes that
after 70, as humans we may not be able to
achieve as much as we would in our earlier
years. Who are we to think otherwise?

8. Age Limit as per our constitution
• Public servants 60 years
• Chief Justice 70 years
• President 80 years
• We propose that the constitution be amended to
ensure that an Executive President does not
serve beyond the age of 70. This would imply
that for one to qualify for election as President
he or she should not be more than 65 years of
age. This is because of the seriousness of the
powers bestowed on an executive President by
the constitution of Uganda

9. Executive President
• Article 98 (1) of the Constitution of Uganda
provides that there shall be a President of
Uganda who shall be the Head of State, Head of
Government, Commander-in-Chief of the
Uganda Peoples’ Defense Forces and the
Fountain of Honour.
• Article 99 (1) of the Constitution provides that
the Executive Authority of Uganda is vested in
the President and shall be exercised in
accordance with the Constitution and the laws of
Uganda.
• Power & Authority is concentrated in the President.

10. Executive Vs Ceremonial
• Ceremonial Heads of State
– Queen of UK
– President of Israel
– President of Federal Republic of Germany
• Executive Heads of State
– President of USA
– President of Uganda
– Prime Minister of UK
• Ceremonial heads of state are usually very old
• Executive Heads of State are usually young when
they first assume office e.g. Obote and Museveni
– Without term limits they age while still in office

11. Implications of African Culture:
Ugandan Culture
• A Ugandan will say I want term limits and age
limit in the constitution entrenched
• Then you ask the same Ugandan a question
whom will you vote for President in 2016?
President Museveni
• Whom will you vote for President in 2021?
President Museveni
• Ugandans don’t want to disappoint leaders who
have stood by them even if its against their
wishes. But they would be happy if the law did it.

12. Term Limits
• Ensure that elected public officials cannot remain
in power indefinitely
• May indeed remove an honest man from office
but overall it is a great safeguard against the
incompetent, undutiful, corrupt and negligent
• Allow the new generations’ access to the
government and ensures that the government
always represents the people most honestly
• Ensure a wider range of perspectives in govt and
prevent power from being consolidated in one
person, which could easily happen due to the
popularity or privilege of a particular individual

13. Term Limits
• Term limits offer an automatic check on
consolidation of power. This rule makes it easier
to replace ineffective leaders. As a result of
election irregularities as it happens quite often in
many African countries, Uganda inclusive, it is
very hard for incumbents to lose elections and
therefore term limits is one way of changing
leadership at the top.

14. Advantages of Term Limits in Brief
• Term limits prevent incumbents from using the
benefits of office to remain in power indefinitely
• Term limits make room for fresh candidates and
encourages participation
• Term limits stop politicians from making choices
solely to prolong their career or stay in office
• The 22nd Amendment was passed by the Republican
Congress in 1947 & ratified in 1951, & it aimed to do
to Franklin D. Roosevelt in death what his opponents
couldn’t do to him in life: deny the President more
than two terms. The first two it affected were Dwight
D. Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan, both Republicans.

15. Disadvantages of term limits in Brief
• Term limits take away the right of voters to be
served by the politician of their choice
• Term limits result in a lack of experienced
politicians since with experience, comes greater
skill
• Term limits may lead to cases where politicians
approaching their term limit no longer have to
worry about what voters think and it is the very
fact that politicians need to go back to the voters
for approval and reelection that keeps them
responsive

16. So which way?
• In the end the disadvantages to term limits pale
in comparison to the advantages. Citizens are
truly affected when an incompetent, corrupt or
negligent official fails to perform his or her duties
and their everyday life is affected in a negative
way. Term limits, help weed out the treacherous
and vile, offer an alternative way to handle
political transition and are especially important
in a society where voters are not required to be
educated and their simple susceptibility to
demagogues makes the implementation of term
limits absolutely mandatory, lest the population
be enslaved by the most manipulative politician.

17. Presidential Term Limits & Age Limit
• We need to reinstate Presidential term limits to
two consecutive terms of five (5) years each
• We need to entrench presidential term limits in
our constitution
• We need to entrench age limit in our
constitution such that one vacates the office of
the President on turning 70 years
• THIS CALLS FOR ORDERLY POLITICAL SUCCESSION

18. Orderly Political Succession
• Yoweri K Museveni is likely to be Franklin D.
Roosevelt of Uganda; So we need to think
beyond Museveni era: We need to think of a
Harry S. Truman who will reinstate term limits &
institute various social and economic reforms
• We need to put in place institutional structures
that can guarantee orderly political transition
– Vice President/ Cabinet Ministers
– Governors of Regional Governments
• Central, eastern, northern, southern and western
– Senators of the upper house of Parliament
– Successful CEOs/ MDs that are politically oriented

19. Federal System of Governance
• Federalism is a system of government in which
the same territory is controlled by two levels of
government i.e. the federal government and the
regional governments (Central, Southern,
Western, Northern & Eastern Regions)
• overarching national government governs issues
that affect the entire country, and smaller
subdivisions govern issues of local concern
• The regional governments would be headed by
executive governors
• The national government would be headed by
the President

20. In a Constitutional Monarchy
• Like Buganda the regional government would
have the King as the Head just like the
Queen/King is the Head of the UK. The King
would not have a political or executive role as
these would be performed by the elected
Governor of the Regional Government.
• The King would act as a focus for regional
identity, unity and pride; giving a sense of
stability and continuity; officially recognising
success and excellence; and supporting the idea
of voluntary service.
• This setup would sort out the Buganda question

21. Objectives of Regional Governments
• Promotes democratic and accountable exercise
of power
• Ensures checks and balances and the separation
of powers and prevents tyranny
• Ensures equitable sharing of national and local
resources throughout Uganda
• Promotes social and economic development and
the provision of proximate, easily accessible
services throughout Uganda

22. Objectives of Regional Governments
• Creates laboratories of democracy: regional
governments can experiment with policies, and
other regional governments and the federal
government can learn from their successes and
failures;
• Leads to political stability: By removing the
national government from some contentious
issue areas, federalism would allow Uganda to
achieve and maintain stability.

23. Objectives of Regional Governments
• Encourages pluralism: Federal systems expand
government on national, regional, and local
levels, giving people more access to leaders and
opportunities to get involved in their
government.
• Facilitates the decentralization of State organs,
their functions and services, from Kampala;
• Fosters national unity by recognising diversity;
• Gives powers of self – governance to the people
and enhances the participation of the people in
the exercise of the powers of the State and in
making decisions affecting them.

24. Objectives of Regional Governments
• Recognises the right of communities to manage their
own affairs & to further their development;
• Protects and promotes the interests and rights of
minorities and marginalised communities.
• Fosters regional loyalties: Many Ugandans feel close ties
to their regions & federalism would maintain that
connection by giving power to regions;
• Practices pragmatism: Running a country the size of
Uganda, with such a diverse population, is much easier
to do if power is given to local officials. Likewise,
regional and local officials are closer to the problems of
their areas, so it makes sense for them to choose
policies to solve those problems.

25. Parliament of Uganda
• Upper House, The Senate
– Two representatives (male and female) of each
regional government
– 10 representatives of political parties based on the
party strength in the house of representatives
– A house of 20 Senators for population of 36M people
• Lower House, House of Representatives
– 180 Constituency representatives of approx 200,000
people
– 20 sits for interest groups like women, youth etc
– A house of 200 MPs for a population of 36M people

26. Cost Effective and Efficient Cabinet
• President
• Vice President
• 15 sector Cabinet Ministers
• Attorney General
• Government Chief Whip
• We propose
– that the position of Prime Minister be abolished and
powers of the office transferred to the Vice
President
– That cabinet Ministers have both executive and
accounting powers over the ministries and their
tenure be secured in the constitution; we need to

27. Separation of powers
• Separation of powers is a political doctrine
of constitutional law under which the three arms
of government (executive, legislature, and
judiciary) are kept separate to prevent abuse of
power.
• Also known as the system of checks and
balances, each arm is given certain powers so as
to check and balance the other arms of
government.
• Any good Constitution should not give any arm
of government too much power.

28. the Constitution of Uganda
• Article 91 (1) provides that exercise of the
legislative powers is vested in the Parliament of
Uganda
• Article 99 (1) provides that the executive
authority of Uganda is vested in the President
• Article 126 (1) provides that the exercise of
judicial powers is vested in the Judiciary

29. Shortcomings in checks & balances
• The President of the country is also the Party
Chairperson of the ruling party
• The Executive is fused with the Party
parliamentary caucus and usurps the powers of
Parliament
• The President may take 5 years before
submitting to Parliament nominations for the
positions of Chief Justice and Deputy Chief
Justice; this a mockery of the 3rd
arm of
government- the Judiciary.

30. Strengthening Checks and balances
• Key positions like that of Chief Justice should not
be vacant for more than 3 months
• Cabinet should be able to pass a vote of no
confidence in the the President by 2/3 majority
on grounds of incompetence or abuse of office
• All Cabinet Ministers should not be members of
Parliament
• Speaker, Deputy Speaker & Leader of Opposition
should not hold any positions in their parties
• The Party Chairperson should not qualify to be
nominated as a Presidential Candidate

31. Proposed National Budget Priorities
Sector Sector
1. Education 20% 10. Justice 3.5%
2.Health 16% 11. Foreign & EAC Affairs 3.5%
3. Agriculture, Water and Environment 11% 12. Info, Communications & Tech
3.0%
4. Trade, Job Creation and Industry 06% 13. Finance and Planning 2.5%
5.Energy and Natural Resources
06%
14. Public Service 2.5%
6. Transport and Urban Development
06%
15. Youth, Gender, Culture & Tourism
1.5%
7. Defense
05%
16. Attorney General 0.5%
8. Security and Presidential Affairs
05%
17. Government Chief Whip 0.5%
9. Internal Affairs &Regional Govts 18. Other Sectors/Miscellaneous 4.0%

32. Uganda’s Global Competiveness
• Competitiveness is the set of institutions,
policies, and factors that determine the level of
productivity of a country; Global competitive
index 2013-14 ranked Uganda 129th
out of 148.
Pillars Pillars
1. Institutions 7.Lobour Market Efficiency
2. Infrastructure 8.Financial Market Development
3. Macroeconomic Environment 9. Technological Readiness
4. Health and Primary Education 10. Market Size
5. Higher Education & Training 11. Business Sophistication
6. Goods and Market Efficiency 12. Innovation

33. Corruption
• The 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index by
Transparency International ranked Uganda
among the most corrupt countries in the world.
The same 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index
ranked Rwanda 55th
with a score of 49%,
Tanzania 119th
with a score of 31%, Uganda 142nd
with a score of 26%, Kenya 145th
with a score of
25% and Burundi 159th
with a score of 20%.
• The 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index
measured the perceived levels of public sector
corruption in 175 countries and territories

34. Consequences of Public Sector Corruption
• Poorly equipped schools
• Poor health services and counterfeit medicine
• Poor infrastructure (like roads, railways and
buildings)
• Incompetent workforce
• Election rigging (elections decided by money)
• Bribes and backroom deals don’t just fleece
resources from the most vulnerable – they
undermine justice and economic development,
and destroy public trust in government and its
leaders.

35. Some of the Corruption Scandals
• Mismanagement of about UGX 500 Billion
meant for 2007 Commonwealth Heads of
Government Meeting (chogm) summit
• A Principal Account in the office of PM in 2012
misappropriated about UGX 5 Billion meant for
PRDP in Northern Uganda
• UGX 169 Billion meant to clear outstanding
claims of 1,018 former EAC workers embezzled
• Amman Industrial tool and Equipment Ltd
contracted by Ministry of Local Government to
supply 70,000 bicycles to LCs was paid about

36. Strategies to Curb Corruption
• Reinstate term limits
– Politicians and diapers should be changed frequently
and all for the same reason. ~José Maria de Eça de
Queiroz, translated from Portuguese
• Secure political will to fight corruption
• Put in place salaries & remuneration commission
• Enact laws to facilitate the recovery of wealth
acquired through corruption
• Make corruption very unattractive
• Demand for high standards of accountability
from public officers

37. Strategies to Curb Corruption Cont’d
• Institute a reward system for performers and
whistle blowers
• Promote E-government
• Promote ethics and integrity among public
officers
• Religious leaders must be seen to act even
publicly by refusing gifts linked to corruption
• THIS REQUIRES US TO DISCUSS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
THE CHURCH AND THE STATE
• Remember that Ugandans have a social contract
with the government of Uganda

38. Vatican City State
• Vatican City State was founded following the signing of
the Lateran Pacts between the Holy See and Italy on
February 11th 1929. These were ratified on June 7th 1929.
Its nature as a sovereign State distinct from the Holy See is
universally recognized under international law.
• State and government services: State departments; Judicial
governing bodies; International relations; and Structure of
Governorate.
www.vaticanstate.va/content/vaticanstate/en.html
• The Holy See is the Ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the catholic
church of Rome, the Episcopal see of the Bishop of Rome—
The Pope. It is the central point of reference for the church
everywhere and the focal point of communion due to its

39. The Church and the State
Papal/Apostolic nuncio is the title for an
ecclesiastical diplomat, being an envoy or
permanent diplomatic representative of the
Holy See to a state or international organization.
Both the church and the state have say in:
• Human Rights, marriage
• Education, Health, and other services
• Employment, security and economy
• Public Expenditure and corruption etc
• Religious leaders should play an advisory role
• The voices of religious leaders must be heard

40. Archbishop J. Kiwanuka Letter, 1961
• God Almighty has appointed the charge of the
human race to two powers: the Church and the
State. These two powers are distinct; each in its
kind is supreme. Each one is a domain of its own,
whose limits are defined by the nature and
special object of the province of each. (Leo XIII
Immortale Dei). ‘’What ever is consecrated to
God, all matters concerning souls, religious and
moral matters, is governed by the Church who
judges them. On the other hand, whatever
concerns government of people in temporal
matters belongs to the realm of the State.
(Immortale Dei).

41. Archbishop J. Kiwanuka Letter, 1961
• The state is bound by the laws of God. Civil rulers
have a duty to remember that God is the
Authority above them, that He rules over
everybody on earth & in heaven. They must
relate all their activities to him, & in the exercise
of their governmental duties, God is the Rule
which they have obligation to follow. If a ruler,
even when engaged in State duties, neglected to
concern himself with religion, he would be
openly violating God’s law & would thus refuse
to achieve the end for which God created him as
well as that for which He created the country
that the ruler is governing.

42. Archbishop J. Kiwanuka Letter, 1961
• God himself made and established the two
authorities (Church and State) and commands all
men and women to obey both powers. Each of
these two powers has authority over the same
subjects, and as it might come to pass that one
and the same thing might belong to the
jurisdiction of both, therefore God, who foresees
all things, and is the Author of these powers.
• ‘’Romans 13: 1 Let everyone be subject to the
governing authorities, for there is no authority
except that which God has established. The
authorities that exist have been established by
God.’’ UG Motto- For God and My Country;

43. Discussion, Debate, Q&A, Thank You
• God is central in whatever we do: Every Leader
takes an oath of office holding a Bible/Quran in
the right hand. Also remember Uganda Motto –
For God and My Country!!!
• Discussion by:
– Dr. Robert Rutaagi, PhD and Dr. Patrick Wakida, PhD
• Public Debate and question and answer session
moderated by Michael Niyitegeka, MBA
• www.facebook.com/baryamureeba
• www.twitter.com/baryamureeba
• For God and My Country, I thank You.