We look at the law differently.

 by Fred Muwema  The recent  story  about  the URA seizure  of  counterfeit  currency  notes worth Ushs.189M at the Busia  Border  on the 22 nd  /10/17 was significant  in many  ways. First it gave a clear indication that there is demand for counterfeit money in Uganda which explains why the culprits could risk importing it. Second, the demand for counterfeit money is channeled through the uncontrolled growth of mobile money transaction whose value is now in excess of Ushs. 15 trillion (approx. $  4Bn). Despite  its strong  economic attributes which includes the promotion  of  financial inclusion ,the mobile money  platform  in Uganda  today  provides  the weakest  link  in our  financial  system .It provides  the easiest  entry  point  for fake  money  and I have no doubt  that the impounded counterfeit...

by Fred Muwema The current strike by Government prosecutors which has been going on for almost two months now, though merited, is not desirable.This is the longest period any prosecutors anywhere in the world have been on strike. The other prosecutor strike this year in Ghana which was also grounded in pay did not last two weeks. They were sorted out timeously by the Government of Ghana so as to stave a national embarrassment. The prosecutors strike in Israel in April 2015 lasted 43 days and it was an agitation over political interference in their work. As a country, we cannot be proud of this world record set by our prosecutors. We have actually gained nothing from this prosecutors strike apart from damaging our reputation as a serious nation.  Unfortunately, the Courts are making it worse by stopping criminal trials because of the absence of the prosecutors. A court is a revered place where everyone including the state must submit to its jurisdiction and authority. We a...

When we planned for the First Parliament Expo on Counterfeits which was held at the Members Lounge of the Parliament of Uganda on the 26 th April, 2017, nothing fully prepared us for the issues which we eventually met at the Expo. You could tell from some speeches and murmurs at the Expo that there was considerable difficulty in distinguishing a counterfeit from a substandard good. Many thought that the fight against counterfeits was disguised as an effort to protect interests of multinational corporations only and discourage local innovators . Others needed to be reminded that counterfeiting of a trademark was an offence under both International and Local Laws. At ACN, we understand that bridging the knowledge gaps between different stakeholders who affect and are affected by counterfeits is essential in the fight against counterfeits. This article is another step in helping stakeholders gain more understanding in the counterfeit debate . In simple terms, a Counterfei...

by Fred Muwema The government push towards middle income by having an estimated 5 million working class Ugandans earn a minimum of USD 1,040 p.a ( approx. Ushs 3.7M) is an ambitious plan which is desired but may instead benefit counterfeit business in the process. To understand the magnitude of the problem, you need to know that the global value of counterfeit traded goods has surpassed the national GDP of more than 150 economies in the world according to the World Bank .If you consider that the combined nominal GDP of Africa is USD 3.3 Trillion and that of Uganda is only USD 26 Billion, you can contextualize the problem. This means that counterfeiting which is a form of organized crime, also politely referred to as illicit business has the capacity to break or distort any economic programme or economy in any African Country. As the Government attempts to increase the income of Ugandans, it needs to find out what economic activity will produce this income, what the p...

by Fred Muwema I respond to two headlines ‘ ’Powers of Judges Cut  ‘’ New Vision  newspaper and  Court declares  interim  orders  invalid   Monitor Newspaper , all of today (24 th   February,2017) where a panel of three constitutional Court  Judges  are reported to have  held  that  only 5 Justices  of that  Court  can  issue Interim  Orders . For a long time, the practice of the Constitutional Court has been that a single Justice or three Justices of that Court can entertain Interim Order Applications. The full bench of 5 Justices has been reserved to handle   Constitutional Petitions which carry questions requiring interpretation of  the Constitution. By  a stroke of a pen, the  Constitutional  Court  has now  erased its own  wealth  of  jurisprudence  developed  in this  area which  in my view had been well founded....