Uganda’s Government has reintroduced and vehemently defended its plan to levy 5 percent tax on foreign-owned companies offering digital services in Uganda.

The proposal contained in Clause 16 of the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023 resurfaced on Thursday last week after President Museveni returned the Bill which he, among other things, demanded that Parliament revisit its initial position that had thrown the same proposal out.

Among the companies that the government targets to scoop the said taxes from include Facebook, Twitter, Google, Netflix and Amazon, among other platforms which offer paid for services in Uganda.

In submissions made before the committee by the State Minister for Finance in charge of General Duties, Mr Henry Musasizi, legislators were informed that the government taxman, Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) hopes to collect Shs5 billion from the foreign-owned digital companies.

“I recommend that [you] approve clause 16 of the Income Tax Amendment bill, 2023, to provide for imposition of a tax on income from provision of digital services in Uganda derived by a non-resident person,” Minister Musasizi asked the MPs on the Finance committee.

He added: “We are saying that the 5 percent of that income that they earn here [in Uganda] should be left as taxes. It is different from other taxes we charge from resident companies and it is not a reintroduction of the Over the Top Tax [OTT] which we [government] terminated in 2021.”

The reinstatement of the 5 percent tax proposal comes after President Museveni in letter read to Parliament on Thursday last week by Speaker Anita Among demanded that the proposal be returned.

“Clause 16 of the Bill which proposed the introduction of a tax on income derived from a non-resident person from provision of digital services in Uganda was rejected by Parliament. The measure was meant to cater for taxation of the digital economy such as Twitter, Amazon, Netflix etc,” Mr Museveni’s letter reads in part.

The same letter went on to state that “since it does not relate residents in Uganda as was mistakenly in the minority report, it should be reinstated.”

Consequently, the Speaker Among directed the Finance committee to expedite the re-processing of the same legislation and have it returned to the committee of the whole House for passing. The legislation is part of a raft tax legislations that are meant to define and guide taxman, URA on where and how to collect taxes in the financial Year 2023/2024 that commenced this month.

As Parliament processed the Bill early this year, the opposition wing led by the shadow Minster for Finance, Mr Muwanga Kivumbi through a minority report on the same supported by the Kampala Central MP, Mr Muhammad Nsereko dismissed the provision.

In their defense, the opposition reasoned that the provision, if passed, would have a trickle-down effect on Ugandans who happen to be consumers and or users of the services offered by the said digital companies.

This was eventually adopted by Parliament thereby defeating the government side but this has now returned to Parliament for reconsideration.

Much as the majority of the lawmakers on the Finance committee have pledged to support the same resolution, government side, including the Ministry of Finance officials were tasked to elaborate how they will defend it when it is tabled before Parliament for final re-consideration.

“As the committee, we did our part, we supported the minister but he failed to defend these issues on the floor of Parliament. I don’t know what he is going to do now because we are going to make the same recommendations,” Kabula County MP, Mr Enos Asimwe.

“What are you going to do with the minority team that was against your position because you are presenting the same issues to us?” he asked the minister.

In a similar tone, Chekwii County legislator Mr Moses Aleper told Minister Musasizi that “you must convince us here and if you are not able to convince us, we have a meeting and see how we are going to support it.”

No definitive approach on the same was made to the committee by the government.

Early last month, URA revealed that at least Shs5.8 million potential tax payers are not tapped into despite persistent efforts by government to expand the tax base and raise revenue to finance government programmes.

Serengeti, Tanzania’s flagship national park has been voted the third best nature based destination in the world in 2023, raising the country’s profile as the African premier tourism destination.

Nature and the outdoor enthusiasts through the Trip Advisor have voted Serengeti in Tanzania alongside with Mauritius, and Kathmandu in Nepal as the first and the second winners respectively.

“Serengeti has been voted by travellers and outdoor enthusiasts as the third top nature based destination in the World for 2023,” declared the Trip Advisor, the World’s largest travel platform serving 400 million tourists per month and organizer of the annual travellers’ choice award.

Trip Advisor wrote: “The Maasai call the plains of Serengeti national park is the place where the land moves on forever. And here, you can witness the famous Serengeti annual migration, the largest and longest overland migration on earth”.

From the sprawling Serengeti plains in Tanzania to the champagne coloured hills of Kenya’s Maasai Mara game reserve, over two million wildebeests and half a million zebra as well as gazelle, relentlessly tracked by Africa’s great predators, migrate in a clockwise manner over 1,800 miles each year in search of rain-ripened grass.

The Conservation Commissioner of Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa), Mr William Mwakilema, received the news with gratitude, saying it was a vote of confidence to Tanzania’s destination from the global consumers.

“No doubt, our painstaking efforts to conserve Serengeti flora and fauna, the customized tourism services, innovation, and experience have brought us at the top to receive the ultimate prize as the third winner of best nature based national park in the World,” Mr Mwakilema said.

“We are deeply grateful for continued support from satisfied tourists and green supporters whose anonymous votes enabled our victory. We feel extremely honored and humbled by such a prestigious decoration,” he said.

He is optimistic that the award will stirs morale for the staff and enhance confidence to the tourists.

No doubt that an award, Mr Mwakilema said, will create a buzz among the staffs, giving them a better sense of confidence as well as a rise in engagement and productivity knowing that their hard work is internationally recognized.

“Equally important, the prize comes with an intensified client awareness and recognition, as the tourists will feel confident in Tanzania’s credibility and will have more trust and loyalty to the tourism destination than ever before” Tanapa chief noted.

Tanapa board Chairman, Rtd General, George Waitara said the award comes at the opportune moment as it will complement the President Samia Suluhu Hassan and her government’s efforts to spur tourism industry and contribute significantly in the economy.

“Tanapa prize will go a long way in stimulating tourism, thus putting the country into a better position to achieve its five million visitors target by 2025” Rtd Waitara noted.

The ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) manifesto clearly stipulates that tourism will attract five million tourists who will leave behind nearly $6.6 billion by 2025 with expected real multiplier effects to a critical mass of common folks in Tanzania, particularly women and youth.

Tourism remains at the centre of the Tanzania’s economy in terms of contribution to its GDP growth, foreign currency, jobs and also plays an integrator role of connecting other sectors with the global economy.

In real terms, tourism is a money-spinning industry in Tanzania as it creates 1.3 million decent jobs, generates $2.6 billion annually, equivalent to 18 as well as 30 percent of the country’s GDP and export receipts, respectively.

Serengeti National Park is undoubtedly the best-known wildlife sanctuary in the world, unequalled for its natural beauty and scientific value, it has the greatest concentration of plains game in Africa.

The Serengeti National Park in Tanzania was established in 1952. It is home to the greatest wildlife spectacle on earth – the great migration of wildebeest and zebra.

The resident population of lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, and birds is also impressive.

There’s a wide variety of accommodation available, from luxury lodges to mobile camps. The park covers 5,700 sq miles (14,763 sq km), it’s larger than Connecticut, with at most a couple hundred vehicles driving around.

Google’s pioneering West Africa Director Juliet Ehimuan has announced her departure from the company after 12 years of service at the helm.

Ehimuan, who is considered as one of the most prominent African women in tech has been instrumental in Google’s regional growth.

She announced her departure via LinkedIn, stating her intent to take on a broader role within the regional tech landscape.

She unveiled plans to collaborate with corporate executives, global investors, African governments and startup founders to drive growth, excellence and digital transformation within the African tech ecosystem and the broader business landscape.

Ehimuan’s departure marks a significant transition for Google in Africa. She was a key player in many of Google’s African initiatives.

During her tenure, first as Country Director for Nigeria and then Director for West Africa, Ehimuan led her team in driving transformative digital initiatives, like the deployment and localisation of key products like Google Maps, Streetview, and YouTube.ng.

She also led the execution of high-priority access projects such as the launch of Google’s public wi-fi service and the landing of Google’s Equiano fibre-optic cable which runs from Portugal, through West Africa, to South Africa.

Under her stewardship, the Google team across Africa has trained over 6 million people in digital skills, 100,000 developers in in-depth web and mobile development skills, and empowered over 200 African startups who have gone on to raise over $1 billion, including some unicorns.

Over the last 12 years, the continent has become increasingly important to Google’s global strategy and a destination for significant investment.

Google has for instance, committed to increasing funding for growing Africa’s tech ecosystem – including $50 million for growth-stage start ups through the Africa investment Fund and $1 billion toward Africa’s digital transformation.

Ehimuan joined Google with a strong background in strategy and technology and her contributions to ICT policy and strategy have been critical.

She has been a key player in the development of policies that have fostered investment and infrastructure growth in the Nigerian tech ecosystem.

Her leadership in high-profile committees like the National Economic Summit Group (NESG) and the Presidential Committee that created the national broadband plan in 2019 has been instrumental in shaping the ICT strategy of the region.

Her passion for leadership development and personal excellence coaching will continue to have a global impact through her 30 Days of Excellence program.

Based on her book ’30 Days of Excellence’ published in 2020, this program, which rolled out within Google over the last 18 months, is set to continue its global expansion.

The government has temporarily suspended its plans to reopen Kenya-Somalia border points following a surge in terrorist attacks in the Northern region.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki stated that the government will only consider reopening the borders once they have effectively addressed the issue of cross-border crimes and terrorism that has plagued the area.

“The Government will delay the planned phased-out reopening of the Kenya-Somalia border points to facilitate comprehensive and conclusive handling of the recent wave of terror attacks and cross-border crime,” Kindiki said.

Kindiki announced the delay on Wednesday during a visit to the Dagahaley and Ifo 2 Refugee camps in Garissa’s Dadaab camp.

He pointed out that despite the setback, both governments remain committed to reopening the border to improve cross-border trade and co-operation.

“We are still on track to reopen the border points. However, owing to the recent surge in terrorist activities in the last two months, we have temporarily halted the plans in order to first deal with the terrorist elements within our borders before resuming the plans,” Kindiki said.

The recent upsurge in terrorist activities has been attributed to Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group based in Somalia.

The terrorist elements have targeted both civilians and security personnel operating in the region in recent months further exacerbating the security concerns.

In the last month at least 30 people have been killed and dozens injured in separate attacks in Wajir, Garissa, Mandera and Lamu counties blamed on the Al-Shabaab militants.

On May 15, Kenya and Somalia officials endorsed the phased reopening of three border posts between the two countries over a 90-day period.

According to Kindiki, the ministry’s original plan aimed to commence the opening of the Mandera – Bula Hawa border by June 2023, with three additional borders scheduled to follow within two months.

“We have resolved that the border between Kenya and Somalia will be reopened in a phased-out manner within the next 90 days.

“Within another 60 days from now, we should be able to open another border point,” Kindiki announced.

Kenya Power Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Joseph Siror has condemned all forms of assault against the organisation’s staff while on official duty.

This comes a day after Kitui East Member of Parliament (MP) Nimrod Mbai was captured on video beating up a Kenya Power engineer for allegedly disconnecting an illegal power line at his home in Kitengela, Kajiado County.

In a statement on Wednesday, Siror noted that MP Mbai’s incident was the latest to be observed among many attacks which have been staged on Kenya Power’s staff while on duty.

The Company said the emerging trend of violent attacks on employees doing their work is ”regrettable”.

“While working to weed the network of illegal and dangerous connections, we regrettably note an emerging trend of violent attacks against our staff. The latest of these incidents happened on Monday, July 3, in Kitengela where our staff were attacked by the Kitui East Member of Parliament, Nimrod Mbai”.

“We have taken up this issue with the relevant authorities and the matter is now before the courts. As an entity that prioritizes the welfare of its staff and the public, we condemn this incident and we wish to categorically state that we do not condone any form of violence, at least not on our staff while on official duty,” Siror said.

The Managing Director has noted that KPLC will be working with security agencies to ensure safety of their members while undertaking their responsibilities.

“The company will intensify network surveillance and continue to work closely with the administration offices and other security agencies to stamp out illegal connections,” he said.

Further, Siror has invited members of the public to report any cases of vandalism, illegal connection and other suspicious activity on the electricity network through 9771. 

“We are inviting the members of the public who suspect the connection they have is irregular or is connected illegally, to come forward so that we take steps of correcting it otherwise, if through our efforts we find them, then the penalties will follow them,” Siror warned.

Similarly, the Institution of Engineers of Kenya has condemned MP Mbai’s attack demanding firm, legal action against him as it calls for the former police officer’s firearm license taken away and have him permanently barred from being a licensed arm holder.