Ugandans have questioned the decision by their President Yoweri Museveni to offer military protection to Chinese businesses in the East African country.
Several comments on the president’s official Facebook page questioned why so much was being done to protect foreign companies.
They called on the government to instead support local investors. Mr Museveni announced the decision after addressing a group of 120 Chinese investors on Wednesday.
Mr Museveni announced increased patrols and CCTV installation in industrial parks. China currently has significant investments in Uganda but businesses have lost large sums of money in robberies.
The President warned any security worker who loses a gun while guarding a Chinese business could face a court martial following concerns that the guards may have facilitated some of the break-ins.
Mr You Jing Shu, the chairperson of Guangdong Chamber of Commerce, a lobby of about 50 Chinese companies in Uganda, said last week that many investors were considering leaving unless the government beefed up security.
“I may personally be resilient to this kind of insecurity because I lived in South Sudan, which is more hostile than here. But other investors who are faint-hearted can leave,” Mr Shu said in an interview with Uganda’s Daily Monitor .
Source: Africafeeds.com
