From the Archives: During the years President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni was fighting in Luweero and following the overthrow of the regimes of the day, there was a general scarcity of goods commonly used in the day today life.

The resumption of the war immediately after Dr. Apollo Milton Obote had taken over the reigns of power only aided to compound matters. Obote had just inherited a really stressed economy from the junta of Idi Amin Dada who had in 1976 debatably goofed by ejecting Asians who are said to have been the oil that ran the economy.

That Obote ended up replaced by military fellows who happened to know next to nothing in as far as handling the economy is concerned, let alone running the government itself, saw things surely turning from worse to the worst.

Such vital goods that were in short supply during the days of Obote and later Tito Lutwa, included sugar, table salt, soap, kerosene, cooking oil, human and veterinary drugs and so on. Given the fact that these are things which people cannot do without ordinarily, smuggling them became the order of the day.

They were being sneaked in principally from Nairobi through mostly the eastern boarder of Busia. Such was the gravity of the matter at the time that Nairobi came to be referred to as the official market for Uganda.

Because of the raging guerrilla war, there was scarcely little to talk about in terms of export of commodities. That being the case, there was a general scarcity of the much needed foreign currency particularly of the United States dollars.

Simply put, Uganda was selling almost nothing on the world market, meaning it was not earning the much needed foreign currency, yet the matooke republic was buying practically everything from the global market, hence wiping out its pitiable foreign reserves. That is how bad the situation was economy-wise during the days of Obote and Gen Tito Lutwa.

Given the fact that the dollars were in negligible supply, the regime of the day resorted to rationing them to ensure that they could at least go round those who were involved in foreign trade. Some of you who valued readers who happened to live through these miserable days, would quickly recall these were the days of window 1 and window 2 in reference to how the dollars were being rationed among those who desired to trade with that dominant tender.

For the interest of this article, this is also the time the present-day tycoon Sudhir Ruparelia is said to have joined the forbidden business of smuggling. He jumped on the illegitimate bandwagon to not only ease the availability of the much needed goods that were missing on the Ugandan market, but also make a quick but illegal buck for himself.

We know these were also the days Sudhir possibly entered the prohibited business of making what is in the crime world referred to as the black dollars. “That man had a shop near Spear Motors where he was dealing in smuggled things. He made a kill really particularly from selling table salt. Before joining smuggling, he first visited Kenya to comprehend firsthand, how it is done,” our informers inside the business community have it.

Our informers tell us, after making rounds to Nairobi, Sudhir decided to sit back in Kampala because he had secured agents good at the game of smuggling, who would replenish his stocks whenever they could run short. “He did not want to risk his life crossing the boarders with smuggled goods. He let the audacious smugglers do their thing and bring the goods directly to him” our sources enlighten.

The fact that the new government of Museveni had inherited a badly tattered economy, they let the smugglers be, since they were helping to bring into the country essential goods that were virtually absent.

Those of you who were present at the time would recall how the former rebels used to procure and then ration sugar for Ugandans through the village Resistance Councils (RCs). This can ably explain the general lack of such essential goods dominant before and after the advent of the new rulers.

Just like the new leaders were somehow lenient with the smugglers, they also looked the other way as far as the illegal business of black dollars was concerned. They did not raise a finger because the dominant tender was hard to come by since the new government was selling nothing at the world market in the first years of capturing power, but merely depended on handouts from people of goodwill in the developed world.

And given that Museveni ignored the people who thrived on making the black dollars, Sudhir and his ilk are believed to have made quite some good money from the otherwise prohibited business. It is paramount to note that what mattered most for the new leaders fresh from the jungles was to put in place new structures of government as well as engage in diplomatic talks with foreign governments looking for the much needed recognition in order to to ease the cumbersome job of running a country.

Remember also that some pockets of rebellion fighting to recapture power were also ongoing, to see how impossible it was for government to fight crime such as smuggling and making black dollars which were, besides, a blessing in disguise.

After the new leaders had consolidated power, the Sudhirs reformed by going into formal businesses with the money they had ostensibly earned from smuggling. No wonder, Sudhir who had gained a sizeable clientele selling foreign currency which was illegal, converted to the legal forex trade and hence the opening up of several forex points including Crane Forex Bureau.

But since old habits die hard, we understand how the legal forex business was also being used from now and then to do some disguised trade that was fishy. Please refer to our story last night… (In Sudhir’s Dark Closet: The Day when today’s Nepal Consul was arrested and his trading license cancelled for fraudhttps://theinvestigatornews.com/2021/09/in-sudhirs-dark-closet-the-day-when-todays-nepal-consul-was-arrested-and-his-trading-license-cancelled-for-fraud/) Watch this space…

In 2017, a man allegedly made numerous copies of DVD’s of his ex-girlfriend performing sex and distributed them on random car windshields along with the woman’s name, address and phone number. He was angry that the woman had broken off their relationship. The woman, who had not known the intimate acts had been recorded, began receiving visits and phone calls from strange men who took the video as a sexual proposition. Refer to CHESTERFIELD OBSERER (Apr. 25, 2007), http://www.chesterfieldobserver.com/news/2007-04-25/news/009.html).

Today, intimate photos are increasingly being distributed online, potentially reaching thousands, even millions of people, with a click of a mouse. The most recent victim in Uganda is Martha Kagimba a.k.a Martha Kay.

A person’s nude photo can be uploaded to a website where thousands of people can view and repost it. In short order, the image appears prominently in a search of the victim’s name. It can be emailed or otherwise exhibited to the victim’s family, employers, co-workers and friends. The internet provides a staggering means of amplification, extending the reach of content in unimaginable ways.

Revenge pornography’s serious consequences warrant its condemnation. Nonconsensual pornography raises the risk of offline stalking and physical attack. In a study of 1244 individuals, over 50{0945c2a372ac1e8bbfe7cc3e10f9b82eb0b8ae872b07368d754f0396b6ef2afe} of victims reported that their naked photos appeared next to their full name and social profile.

Over 20{0945c2a372ac1e8bbfe7cc3e10f9b82eb0b8ae872b07368d754f0396b6ef2afe} of the victims reported that their email addresses and telephone numbers appeared next to their naked photos. Posting naked images next to a person’s information often encourages strangers to control the person offline. Many revenge porn victims worry that anonymous callers and emailers would follow up on their sexual demands in person.

Victims’ fear can be profound. They do not feel free leaving their home. Jane for example, did not go to work for days after she discovered the postings. Victims struggle especially with anxiety and some suffer panic attacks. Anorexia nervosa and depression are common ailments for individuals who are harassed online.

Researchers have found that cyber harassment victims’ anxiety grows more severe overtime. Victims have difficulty thinking positive thoughts and doing their work. According to a study conducted by the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, over 80{0945c2a372ac1e8bbfe7cc3e10f9b82eb0b8ae872b07368d754f0396b6ef2afe} of revenge porn victims experience severe emotional distress and anxiety.

The professional costs of revenge porn are steep. Because internet searches of victims’ names prominently display their naked images or videos, many lose their jobs. Schools have terminated teachers whose naked pictures appeared online. A government agency ended a woman’s employment after a co-worker circulated her nude photographs to colleagues (Lester v Minesota, No. C-04-3074 SI, 2006).

Victims may be unable to find work at all. Most employers rely on candidates’ online reputation as an employment screen. According to a 2009 study commissioned by Microsoft, nearly 80{0945c2a372ac1e8bbfe7cc3e10f9b82eb0b8ae872b07368d754f0396b6ef2afe} of employers consult search engines to collect intelligence on job applicants and about 70{0945c2a372ac1e8bbfe7cc3e10f9b82eb0b8ae872b07368d754f0396b6ef2afe} of the time, they reject applicants due to their findings. Common reasons for not interviewing and hiring applicants include concerns about their lifestyle, inappropriate online comments and suitable photographs, videos and information about them.

Recruiters do not contact victims to see if they posted the nude photos themselves or if someone else did in violation of their trust. The simple but regrettable truth is that after consulting search engines, employers do not call revenge porn victims to schedule interviews or to extend offers. Employers do not want to hire individuals whose search research might reflect poorly on the employer.

To avoid further abuse, targeted individuals withdraw from online activities which can be costly in many respects. Closing down one’s blog can mean a loss of income and other career opportunities. When victims shut down their profiles on social media platforms lime Facebook, LinkedIn and twitter they are saddled with low social media influence scores that can impair ability to obtain employment.

Companies like Klout measured people’s online influence by looking at their number of social media followers, updates, likes, retweets and shares. Not uncommonly, employers refuse to hire individuals with low social media influence scores.

Revenge porn affects both men and women but empirical evidence has shown it primarily affects women and girls. In a study conducted by the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, 90{0945c2a372ac1e8bbfe7cc3e10f9b82eb0b8ae872b07368d754f0396b6ef2afe} of those victimized by revenge porn were female (Study conducted in 2013). Majority of Ugandans implicated under the Anti-Pornography Act are women. The figures are disturbing. But as a society, should stand together with victims and condemn revenge porn.

Ronald is a law student from the Islamic University In Uganda.

He can also be reached via email [email protected], or telephone number 0704329097.