Newly launched phone assembly plant selling stolen gadgets – President’s aide

A former presidential aide has trashed Uganda’s capacity to manufacture and assemble phones in the country.

Instead, Tamale Mirundi, President Museveni’s presidential press secretary for 12 years, has claimed that the phone assembly plant is outing stolen phones.

Last week, President Museveni launched the country’s first mobile phone manufacturing and assembling plant in Namanve.

The Chinese firm, Engo, will produce SIMI-branded handsets.

At full capacity, the factory will run three production lines; each line with daily production of 2,000 feature phones, 1,500 smart phones, 800 laptops, 2,000 chargers, 4,000 USB cables and 4000 sets of earphones and directly employing more than 400 staff.

During the launch, President Museveni said he was happy with the Chinese solidarity with Uganda and Africa.

“Uganda is moving very well, the economy has grown to $35 billion using the normal method of calculating GDP,” said President Museveni.

Each phone will cost only Shs20,000.

But Mirundi alluded that the phones shown to President Museveni at the assembly plant on Friday had been confiscated in raids from various arcades in Kampala by a joint security teams comprising of the military police, Uganda police, traffic police, Local Defense Unit and Field Force Unit, last month.

The arcades –  Mutaasa Kafeero Plaza, Royal Plaza, Cooper Complex, Temuseo Mpoza Plaza and Kizito Towers – were  suspected to be dealing in stolen electronic devices and motorcycles.

250 people were arrested and detained.

Then, Fred Enanga, the police spokesperson, said the operation was aimed at cracking down robberies and criminality in the city.

“How can you raid phone shops and then open a phone factory the next day,” Said Mirundi inquired during the ‘One on One Show with Tamale Mirundi’ on NBS TV on Tuesday adding that he would mobilize Ugandans not to buy the said phones.

“What prompted the raid? People should have first complained of stolen phones but no one did. Time matters.”

On the same show, Mirundi also maintained that all female cadres brought by the President Museveni will be neutralized by the mafia.