Yasiin Mugerwa
1 November 2008
Kampala — The state of Uganda's properties abroad has had some members of Parliament coming out fuming after foreign affairs officials revealed that they would not be in position to obtain shs29 billion needed to carry out urgent repairs on the dilapidated properties.
Saturday Monitor has learnt that the Foreign Affairs ministry will not after all be in position to secure Shs29b from the ministry of finance to refurbish the properties some of which have been condemned as unfit for human occupation.
Daily Monitor on October 13 broke a story about the rot at the official residence of Uganda's top diplomat to Belgium and permanent mission to the European Union where the structure has been turned into a safe-haven for vagabonds, hoodlums and drug addicts
Although according to Ambassador James Mugume, the Foreign Affairs' Permanent Secretary, the government had formed the property management task force -an inter-ministerial technical team to steer the renovation activities of the embassies, no more has been released for such work.
"To renovate our missions abroad, we had estimated to use Shs29 billion but Finance said there was a need to look at each property requirements separately and we have started with Brussels where we have budgeted for at least 1.4 million Euros," Mr Mugume said.
Ambassador Mugume said in order to comply with the property portfolios in the respective cities, local property management companies will be hired to manage Uganda properties abroad under the guidelines provided by the national task-force.
The inter-ministerial task force include, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Works and Transport, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and the Uganda Land Commission.
"We have decided that each of Uganda's diplomatic missions where we have properties, a staff member is to be assigned to handle property management matters," Mr Mugume said.
But the Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr Reagan Okumu told said a visit to some of our other missions abroad would make one wonder what image these rotten missions are portraying to the outside world about Uganda. "We have talked to no avail," Mr Okumu said. "Our properties abroad are rotting. We cannot take it anymore and we must call these people to order."
He added, "What people see at our embassies is exactly what they perceive Ugandans to be. Rationally, any sober person could reason that there is no way Uganda can be better organised than its embassies abroad."
Ambassador Mugume said, "Renovation was finalised on our Mission properties in London, Chancery and Residence, Paris, Washington, New York and Dar es Salaam. Funds have been secured for the demolition of the dilapidated official residence in Brussels to pave way for the construction of a new structure."
An official in the Ministry of Finance, who requested not to be named because he is not allowed to speak for the ministry said, Shs29 billion was too much. "As a stopgap measure, we have cleared the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to use the Non-Tax Revenue (NTR) collected from rent and other activities," the officials said. "We hope this will help to renovate some of the dilapidated structures abroad." But Ambassador Mugume said the government collects at least Shs4 billion as NTR annually, a figure far below the required Shs29b to facilitate the renovation process.
MP Nandala Mafabi (FDC, Budadiri West), the Public Accounts Committee Chairperson, said the government's failure to appreciate the central role enjoyed by diplomatic missions is a manifestation that the Ministry of Finance is pretending that they don't have the money. "Our embassies abroad are like windows through which the world looks at Uganda. They should be renovated before it's too late," Mr Mafabi said.
"These are flimsy excuses especially at the time when Uganda's image has become a laughing stock abroad." "Ministry of Finance should provide the funds to renovate all our embassies abroad before it is too late otherwise Uganda risks losing all these properties and these officials will be held responsible."
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