UGANDA: Uganda is one of the principal recipients of development aid from Ireland.
Last year the Government donated €29m through the aid division of the Department of Foreign Affairs, formerly Development Cooperation Ireland but shortly to change its name to Irish Aid.
This represented a cut of €3m in Uganda's share of the Irish aid budget. Noting that other donor countries had made similar reductions, Minister of State Conor Lenihan commented: "This cut was not a sign that our money was being misused, but a signal of our concern about the pace of democratic reform and the transition to a multiparty system in Uganda."
John O'Shea, chief executive of the humanitarian aid agency Goal, is a longtime critic of President Museveni and has consistently advocated that no aid whatsoever should be given to the Ugandan government.
Mr O'Shea claims corruption is widespread in Uganda and accuses Mr Museveni of warmongering in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
Speaking after the election result was announced, Mr O'Shea said Ireland had given more than €9.4m in direct budgetary support to the Museveni administration in 2004 and the figure had probably increased since then.
He said this type of aid was "a fee to be allowed work in the country" and there was no way of knowing for what purpose the money was used, whether to buy arms or food. The Kampala administration was "one of the most corrupt governments in Africa" and the re-election of Mr Museveni was "a very bad day for the poor of Uganda" but also for Ireland and its aid programme. Mr O'Shea pointed out that, at the same time, Ireland was giving no direct budgetary support to Ethiopia because of concerns about the conduct of the regime in Addis Ababa.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said at the weekend that Ireland's budgetary support to Uganda was "ring-fenced", that is it was specifically allocated to the Poverty Action Fund of the Ugandan government and reserved for spending on such sectors as health, education, rural road-building and agriculture.
On a visit to Ireland in 2003, the Ugandan president rejected Mr O'Shea's criticisms, describing them as "stupid and contemptible". When Mr O'Shea refused to meet him, Mr Museveni commented: "You wish for the buffalo to come and, when the buffalo comes, you run away." However, Goal claimed a "notable success" in the same year when € 10 million in direct budgetary support to the Kampala administration was diverted to non-government channels.
Meanwhile, Mr O'Shea's critics argue that there are no perfect democracies in the developing world and that cutting off direct aid will only hurt the ordinary people of Uganda.
They also point to President Museveni's successes in promoting greatly increased access to education and combating the spread of HIV/Aids.