Investors being frustrated by govt officials - Nakalema

A number of foreign investors are flooding the State House Investors Protection Unit to report cases of bureaucracy, red tape and delays in issuing investment permits. 

Col Edith Nakalema, the head of the State House Investor Protection Unit, said since its inception in May this year, they have so far held more than 40 meetings with different investors, of which majority investors are Chinese and Indians, who complain of delays at different government offices. 

“Out of the 47 meetings we have held, more than half are foreign investors who are finding it hard to progressively continue with their investments because of some government offices having a lot of bureaucracy and delays caused by red tape,” she said during a press conference in Kampala yesterday.

She said this is caused by lack of patriotism among some officials.
To facilitate smooth flow of foreign investors, Col Nakalema said she has held meetings with the Directorate of Immigration and Citizenship, Uganda Civil Aviation Authority and other ministries and agencies to streamline entry and exit at Entebbe International Airport and other entry and exit points.

“We harmonised how to handle some of the fraudsters who infiltrate the security system at the Entebbe International Airport,” she said.

She added that her office is also working with different government agencies charged with the responsibility of marketing Uganda as a preferred investment destination to ensure that everything moves smoothly.

However, Col Nakalema revealed that since her appointment as the head of Shipu, she still receives complaints from locals reporting cases of land grabbing, evictions and all sorts of other corruption-related cases, which no longer fall under her docket. 

“What we do is we coordinate with the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, which I formerly headed, and refer such cases to them. We also work with other government agencies so that cases that do not fall under my mandate are referred to such entities,” she said.

Handling corruption
Brig Gen Henry Isoke, the head of the State House Anti-corruption Unit, said while Col Nakalema is charged with investor protection, when cases of fraud are detected, his office is always ready to lend a helping hand to investigate and prosecute such suspects. He added that his office has lawyers and investigators who are always available to handle corruption cases.

“While we don’t deal directly with investors, if we detect that there is fraud in obtaining some of the paper works, we swing into action,” he said.

President Museveni established the State House Investor Protection Unit with a duty to arrest and prosecute people who sabotage investment in the country by asking for bribes to facilitate processes of acquiring licences and investment permits.