Govt to review traders claim list on South Sudan

Kampala.

Trade minister Amelia Kyambadde has said no payment will be made until traders who supplied goods and services to the government of South Sudan are verified.

Ms Kyambadde said her ministry will write to the ministries of Finance and Foreign Affairs to avail a report of confirmed traders to be catered for.
She added that they will also write to the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga to halt the process regarding the matter.

“We cannot run away from you traders when they have unfinished business. Ten years of suffering is too much for one’s business to be affected. We are going to do our part to ensure that all the processes are properly done,” the minister told a group of aggrieved traders who met her in Kampala recently.

Ms Kyambadde’s remarks followed the traders’ outcry, led by Ms Joan Akello, in which they demanded for equity in the impending payment process.

The traders told the minister that the ministry of Finance plans to first pay off only 10 companies out of the 32 which were verified, with a reported $41m (Shs150b) having been earmarked for the purpose.

They alleged that the 10 companies lined up to be paid are owned by four persons who are colluding with officials at the ministry of Finance.

In a March 22, 2016 letter, President Museveni directed the Finance minister to study how government could raise money to rescue the business persons who supplied goods to South Sudan.

“…then, the government can continue with its efforts to recover the money from South Sudan government. The fund should be run transparently so that the only people authenticated by the South Sudan government are the only ones to be paid,” reads part of the President’s letter.

Loan repayment
On Monday, the traders met Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda and told him that the minister of Finance and one of his deputies separately wrote to different banks asking them not to attach collateral staked by traders who supplied goods to the government of South Sudan but were not paid.
The traders, however, said the banks are still pursuing them despite the letters from the finance ministry.

“Some of our members have already been taken to courts of law due to failure to meet their commitments concerning their loans with the banks, while others have already completely lost their property to the banks,” Ms Akello said.

Government has reportedly set aside more than Shs360b to compensate the said traders.