--- original message --- > as for yr. question, yes we stand by the article. The MOH clearly is at > fault. Incompetence, etc is the issue here. > > Bernard van der Lande > President/CEO > Ashford International, Inc. > West Park Place Blvd. > Stone Mountain, Ga. 30087 > USA > visit our web site at > www.ashfordint.com > Phone: 770-879-6266 > Direct Phone: 770-413-4022 > Cell phone: 678-794-7491 > > "An e-Business Solutions Provider" > > > -----Original Message----- > From: dbbwanika db [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Sunday, November 24, 2002 9:35 AM > To: dbbwanika db; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: SV: what do you say about this story > > > > Dear Mr. Bernard van der Lande > > I am a Ugandan by name bwanika from Luwero interested in media > publications > and stories which happen to be published in them . > > > bwanika. > > ----- > > Pls refresh my memory, but who are you. ? > > Bernard van der Lande > President/CEO > Ashford International, Inc. > West Park Place Blvd. > Stone Mountain, Ga. 30087 > USA > visit our web site at > www.ashfordint.com > Phone: 770-879-6266 > Direct Phone: 770-413-4022 > Cell phone: 678-794-7491 > > "An e-Business Solutions Provider" > > > -----Original Message----- > From: dbbwanika db [[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Sunday, November 24, 2002 7:58 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: > > > > ,[EMAIL PROTECTED],[EMAIL PROTECTED],chi > amin > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > ,[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ,[EMAIL PROTECTED],"[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: what do you say about this story > MIME-Version: 1.0 > X-EdMessageId: > > 0d0e4e57180b0803325e5f47104c4b1456585c45575251421c535f5f11541f59505f1918 > 4950 > 96 > Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="US-ASCII" > Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > Content-Disposition: inline > > > > http://www.ashfordint.com/contact%20us/contact_home2002.htm > > Ashford Bitter On Satellite Project > STALLED: The satellite > dish at Radio Uganda > Headquarters, work on > which has stopped > (inset) SHOCKED: Jim > Muhwezi > > By Emmy Allio > AN American > communications company > is complaining that > officials of the health > and information > ministries forced it to > sign a $125,000 > ?consultancy agreement? before being > awarded a > $3.5m > World Bank-funded project. > Ashford International?s president, Bernard > van > der > Lande, said their refusal to pay Crystal > Communications Limited is the main reason > for > the > termination of the contract on October 31. > However, Uganda government officials insist > that the > only reason for termination was Ashford?s > incompetence. > Ashford International (AI) which was to > carry > out an > awareness project of HIV/AIDS and other > sexually > transmitted diseases, signed the > consultancy > agreement with Hajji Habib Kagimu?s Crystal > Communications Limited (CCL). > The project was signed between AI and the > ministries > of health and information on June 22, > 2001. The > project was initially to benefit the > Ministry > of > health (MOH) and the Ministry of > Information > (MOI), > which later pulled out under suspicious > circumstances. > The MOH Permanent Secretary, Dr. Richard > Muhinda, in > the termination letter said AI breached the > contract > by failing to beat the contractual date for > completion of the contract. Ashford said > they > could > not complete because the government did not > extend > the validity of its Letters of Credit. > Sunday Vision has learnt that a lot of > pressure > was > exerted on AI to sign the consultancy > agreement > as a > precondition to signing the contract. > AI was to install a satellite up-link > station > transmitter at Radio Uganda on Nile Avenue > in > Kampala to relay audio and video signals > to a > total > of 22 down-link stations up-country. Five > of > the 10 > up-country stations have been installed in > Arua, > Lira, Masindi, Hoima and Fort Portal by a > Ugandan > company, Mancom Electronics Limited. Other > stations > whose equipment has arrived but whose > installation > is pending due to insecurity are Moyo, > Kitgum, > Gulu, > Kotido and Moroto. > Bernard van der Lande said they were > ?boxed? > into > signing another agreement with Crystal > Communications Limited of Plot 3 Kintu > road in > Kampala for ?consultancy job.? He said that > when AI > found out that the agreement meant paying > money > for > no job to be done, they refused to pay any > money to > CCL. > When contacted, the proprietor of CCL, > Hajji > Habib > Kagimu declined to comment. However, the > CCL > managing director, John Geiling, said, ?The > bottom > line is that Ashford is incompetent. This > has > been > demonstrated throught the project. Ashford > has > tried > to maximise its profits at the expense of > its > subcontractors and the customers.? > Sunday Vision failed to trace the physical > address > of Crystal Communications Limited on Plot 3 > Kintu > road. All four telephone numbers of the > company > recorded in various telephone directories > in > the > country are also inactive. Part of the > agreement > between AI and CCL reads, ?Ashford > International > hereby appoints Crystal Communications to > be > its > management consultant for the project.? > Under the agreement, Crystal > Communications was > also > to expedite payment of invoices, clearing > of > imported goods and foster the co-operation > between > the ministries of information and health. > A senior manager of Ashford, Chia Min > Chen, who > signed the agreement in Kampala said ?Only > after I > was ?consulted? to sign a letter with CCL, > which was > an agent of Vertex, and owned by Mr. Habib > Kagimu, > did the signing take place.? > RSI Vertex, another American company which > is > locally represented by Crystal > Communications > is one > of those that tendered for the project. > After > Gujarat, the original contractor, failed, > there > was > a strong lobbying in favour of Vertex. But > Ashford, > which came second to Gujarat, was asked to > take > up > the job. > Chen said, ?During each meeting, the staff > of > the > MOI was in constant touch with the MOI or > Habib > Kagimu by mobile phone. It became obvious > that > unless I was willing to include Crystal > Communications, and to change the Uplink > from > Andrews to Vertex, no contract was to be > signed.? > Chen said that although RSI Vertex lost the > contract, the aim of Kagimu and MOI staff > was > to > force them into it using other means. ?It > became > clear that unless I gave in to Vertex, the > project > was going nowhere,? Chen said. > He said Crystal had asked to be paid > $200,000, > but > later settled for $125,000. ?The services > to be > carried by Crystal Communications were > only a > vague > description of what they were supposed to > do. > We > have never seen any support from them, > except > their > constant asking for money,? he said. > But the Minister of Health, Brig. Jim > Muhwezi, > was > shocked to learn about the existence of > another > agreement besides the main contract > between his > ministry and AI. He said he knew nothing > about > the > agreement between Crystal and AI. > ?I am not aware of this agreement with > Crystal > Communications. I do not even know this > Crystal > Communications. I am not aware of a bribe. > I > must > find out what actually happened,? Muhwezi > said. > He blamed Ashford for subcontracting the > project to > local people yet there was no formal > agreement > with > the local companies. He said Ashford > breached > the > contract and the local people they > contracted > have > not been paid. > Muhwezi said his ministry is asking the > World > Bank > to extend the project for some months to > allow > for > its completion. > He said the ministry has asked the Project > Implementation Unit to get another > competent > firm to > take over the workers left by Ashford and > complete > the project in time. He said over 80% of > the > work > has been done and a total of $2.5m of the > $3.5m > has > been spent so far. > But AI?s Lande said that there was only > $200,000 > remaining on the project accounts. > ?Since this money is not enough, the MOH > has > been > looking for an opportunity to blame > Ashford and > cash > in our Performance Bonds (10% of the > contract). > It > appears that the MOH?s intention all along > was > to > obtain funds from elsewhere,? Lande said. > Sunday Vision has since established that > less > than a > week after the cancellation of Ashford?s > contract, > two other companies have been asked to > tender. > These > are RSI Vertex which is locally fronted by > Crystal > Communications of Hajji Kajimu, and Gal-Oz > Communication of Jerusalem, an Israeli > company > which > is being backed by some top officials in > the > MOH. > Lande said that a state minister in MOH had > tried to > force him to subcontract to Gal-Oz in the > same > way > Vertex was imposed on him. He said, > following > the > minister?s intervention, Gal-Oz?s manager, > Amos > Bodinger, begged many times to be awarded > part > of > the contract. > ?With 85% of the work done and only seven > weeks > left > to the completion of the contract, I think > there is > something wrong in the health ministry to > warrant > such a change,? Lande said. > He said frustration had forced him in the > end > to > make a decision and give notice to MOH to > pull > out > of the contract. He said that MOH quickly > wrote > him > the termination letter to avoid > embarrassment. > The State Minister of Health, Capt. Mike > Mukula, > said AI were not serious. He said he knew > nothing > about Gal-Oz. ?At one time when chairing > the > board > meeting on the project I almost threw out > their > representative for failing to explain why > things > were poorly done,? he said. > Lande also blames the World Bank for what > he > termed > as ?its ambivalent attitude? towards the > usage > of > funds advanced to Uganda. > ?It seemed that they were desperate to get > this > project done, while at the same time they > were > willing to let it go. They were looking > for a > way to > excuse themselves from it, to find a > reason why > this > did not work,? Lande said. > Ends > > __________ > bwanika > > Logon & Join in ug-academicsdb discussion list > > http://www.coollist.com/subcribe.html > > List ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Your Email address: > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > url: http://uhpl.uganda.co.ug > http://pub59.ezboard.com/fugandamanufacturersassociationfrm1 > > > > > >
