Don’t recruit ex-UPPC workers, Museveni directs German firm

Kampala. President Museveni has ordered Veridos Identity Solutions Group, a German company that signed a deal with Uganda to, among other things, print money and passports, to reject all former employees of Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation (UPPC) who would wish to rejoin the entity.
Mr Museveni, who accused the former UPPC employees of ruining the operations of the corporation, warned that there should be no recycling of the old group because they had failed and will not add value to the revamped UPPC.
“You Germans, look for your people whom you trust. They should not impose anyone on you,” Mr Museveni said at an end of year dinner organised by State House employees in Kampala on Wednesday night.
“Do not recycle the old group. You can recycle kaveera (polythene bags) but please do not recycle people who had let down the corporation. Do not accept any recycled material from the old company. No, because many of them failed, I know them,” he added.
Uganda and the German company entered the deal to start printing own security documents, including bank notes, passports and cheques.
At the dinner, Mr Museveni hailed the deal, saying the country will save money that has been going to foreign companies to print such security documents, including $70m (Shs259b) that goes to printing money alone.
Presidency minister Esther Mbayo used the event to ask the President to compel Finance ministry officials to release funds that can be used by officials under her office.
“In January, you appointed 18 advisers. The cost implication is Shs15.3b per annum, but Finance has not availed a budget for them,” Ms Mbayo said.
She also said out of 210 Residence District Commissioners and their deputies, “only 28 have sound vehicles”.
Ms Mbayo said the vehicles are important as they will help in monitoring of government programmes and the party manifesto.