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Telecommunication network interrupted as Netanyahu lands in Uganda 

By
Isaiah Mwebaze
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Minister Okello Oyrem greeting Israel PM-Netanyahu upon arrival in Uganda. Centre is Uganda PM, John Livingstone Ruhakana Rugunda.

Telecommunication network around Entebbe International Airport and parts of the municipality was interrupted as Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed into the country.

Mr. Netanyahu who is in Uganda for a one day state visit, has been received by the Prime Minister of Uganda, Dr. John Livingstone Ruhakana Rugunda and the State Minister for Foreign Affairs in charge of International Relations, Okello Oryem.

Netanyahu was treated to red carpet welcome, including traditional dances, at airport terminal in Entebbe. It is remembered Netanyahu’s brother Yoni died in a legendary operation to liberate Jewish hostages 43 years ago at the same airport.

It is averred that HaMossad leModiʿin uleTafkidim Meyuḥadim (Mossad), the national intelligence agency of Israel has been camping in Uganda since Friday trying to assess security situation in the country before the arrival of their Prime Minister. And this could explain why telecommunication networks were jammed.

He is in Uganda for bilateral talks with his host Yoweri Museveni. He is also expected to brief his host on the recent peace pact offered by President Donald Trump for the Middle East.

After inspecting a guard of honour mounted by armed forces, he was  driven to State House Entebbe to meet Mr. Museveni and will apparently participate in memorial for his late brother on the way back.

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Court dismisses case against YMCA Student Brian Isiko

By
Geoffery Serugo
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Isiko at Court during the hearing of his case

The Buganda Road grade one Magistrate, Stella Amabirisi, has dismissed cyber harassment and offensive communication cases brought against YMCA Student, Brian Isiko.

Isiko was charged of cyber harassment and offensive communication when he allegedly stalked Kabarole Woman MP, Sylvia Rwabwogo, even though the student said he has deep love for the MP known not to be officially married.

In her ruling, the magistrate argued that it was unfair for Isiko to keep reporting back to court yet the complainant has never appeared to testify even when she was summoned on four occasions.

Isiko was in July 2018 convicted of Cyber Harassment and Offensive Communication and sentenced to two years in prison for continually love texting and stalking Kabarole Woman MP Sylvia Rwabwogo. The MP contended that Isiko was being used by some selfish individuals in a mission to lure her with love and later kill her.

In October 2018 Kampala High Court judge, Justice Jane Francis Abodo ordered for a retrial of YMCA Student Brian Isiko to ascertain allegations of stalking Kabarole district woman MP Sylvia Rwabwogo.

Appearing before Court as per bail conditions, Justice Abodo ordered that since the suspect pleaded guilty in the lower Court and due to lack of love messages pinning the convict, he should be retried back at Buganda Road Court and he was ordered to produce himself there within 48 hours.

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Hearings for schools whose 2019 PLE results were withheld starts today

By
Geoffery Serugo
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The hearings for schools whose 2019 primary leaving examinations (PLE) results were withheld starts today at Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) offices in Ntinda. The hearing will be conducted before Board’s Examinations Security Committee

According to the executive secretary of UNEB, Daniel Odong, the Board sought and obtained approval of the Minister of education and sports, Janet Kataha Museveni in accordance with Section 4(3) of the UNEB Act and withheld results of 1,512 candidates pending completion of investigations.

“The 1,512 candidates is much lower than the 3,346 withheld in 2018 PLE. Schools whose results are withheld were notified through their District Inspectors of Schools.” He said

He said all candidates whose results were withheld will be accorded a fair hearing by the Board’s Examinations Security Committee. Those candidates who will be cleared will have their results released and after the hearings are concluded the Board will publish in the media the list of schools and districts from which results will have been cancelled.

This year 617,150 candidates passed the PLE compared to 599,593 the previous year. Male candidates performed better than females in all subjects.  Over 39,182 male candidates passed in grade one, 30,061 female. English and SST, performance improved at the distinction level. Overall pass level rose in Science although performance at the distinction level dropped sharply.

In both English and Mathematics performance was poor in questions where candidates were required to apply knowledge in problem solving situations or express themselves freely. Candidates were more comfortable with questions that are direct and based on recall.

The reports from Examiners, however, indicated that there is an improvement in candidates’ handwriting. Candidates also organized and presented their work more clearly even when the answers are wrong. The number of candidates scoring zero has also reduced greatly compared to previous years.

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Museveni, Kagame to hold talks at Katuna border

By
Our Reporter
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President Yoweri Museveni and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, will hold another round of talks in three weeks’ time, at the Katuna border post, as they continue to seek ways of resolving sticking issues between the two countries.

The resolution was one of five that the Heads of State arrived at during the third round of talks in Luanda, Angola.

Dubbed the Quadripartite Summit, the talks are facilitated by Angola’s President Joao Lourenco, while DRC’s Felix Tshisekedi is an observer. Before yesterday’s summit, two others were held in July and August last year in Luanda.

The summit saw the four Heads of State hold an over four-hour closed door session at the Angolan Presidential Palace in the heart of Luanda. President Lourenco, who briefed the media on behalf of the other Presidents, noted that unlike the last summit that involved signing memoranda of understanding, this time round there were no such documents.

Instead, he invited his country’s Foreign Relations Minister Manuel Domingos Augusto to read a communique containing five points agreed upon by the summit.

The meeting, according to the communique, resolved that both countries release duly identified nationals who are in detention of the other country, saying the lists had been exchanged between the delegations.

Also, that both countries refrain from conduct that creates the perception of support or financing of ‘destabilizing forces’ in each other’s territory.

That each country will respect the human rights of citizens of the other parties and that the adhoc committee that was created to facilitate discussion between the two countries will continue with its work.

The summit resolved that the heads of state reconvene on February 21st at Katuna border post for another summit.

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HARD TIMES: Dfcu thrown out of Sudhir buildings as the bank is to lay off workers

By
Our Reporter
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Dfcu bank has been thrown out of Meera Investment Limited properties also owned by tycoon Sudhir Ruparelia.

Bank properties were seen being loaded into waiting trucks along Kampala Road at Crane Chambers that used to be the headquarters of Crane bank.

This comes after Dfcu bank last year asked Bank of Uganda to take back titles for the 48 properties that belong to Meera Investments Limited.

 

Eagle Online has also reliably learnt that Dfcu is also set to down size on the workers plus closing more 20 branches across the country.

The development, which first came out about last year but denied by the Dfcu bank has now come true with the bank facing the consequences of controversial Crane Bank takeover in 2017.

The Dfcu bank in October issued a statement denying the bank was shutting down 20 branches housed in the disputed Meera Investments Limited buildings, but insisted that a review of the bank’s branch network was part of her digital strategy

On August 26, 2019, Court ruled on Miscellaneous Application No.320 of 2019 in favor of Sudhir Ruparelia and Meera Investments Limited dismissing Suit No.493 of 2017 where Crane Bank (receivership) had sued Sudhir Ruparelia and Meera Investments Limited to recover Shs397 billion allegedly swindled.

Court ruled that costs of the application be paid by the Bank of Uganda on the basis that Crane Bank (in receivership) is non-existent and does not have locus standi to put forth any claim against Sudhir and Meera Investments Limited.

This development comes at the time when Dfcu is embroiled in yet another scandal after Britain’s Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) Group is  stuck with its 9.97 shares in Dfcu bank following the insistence by the potential buyer, Investment Fund for Development Countries that Dfcu bank avails minutes regarding the purchase of Crane Bank Limited on January 25, 2017.

 

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Facebook brings Amber Alerts to South Africa in a first for the continent

By
Our Reporter
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Officials at the launch

 

South Africa has become the first country in Africa to join to the Facebook Amber Alerts programme. This follows the announcement of a partnership between Facebook and The South African Police Service (SAPS) to use the Facebook platform and community to help find missing children.

The system enables the South African Police Service to seek assistance from the public when it is suspected that a child has been abducted and there is reason to believe there is an immediate and serious risk to the health or welfare of the child.

Through Facebook’s Newsfeed, the Amber Alert enables people to instantly share important information about the missing child and suspected abductor, such as a photo, hair colour and clothing with their friends, family and Facebook groups.

By working with law enforcement in helping to share the right information with the right people, Facebook aims to help reunite missing children with their families as soon as possible.

Commenting on the launch, Emily Vacher, Facebook’s Director of Trust and Safety, said: “Amber Alerts is available in more than 20 countries worldwide, with more to follow. We are excited to partner with the South African Police Service to make Amber Alerts available in an African country for the first time.

“Africa is an important and growing market for us, and we are investing in our community across the continent. This partnership is a signal of our commitment to bringing the latest Facebook features to Africa, building communities, and giving people access to digital tools that improve their lives.”

How Amber Alerts work in South Africa

The decision to declare an Amber Alert is made by the law enforcement when investigating suspected abduction case. Once the law enforcement has been notified about an abducted child, they must first determine if the case meets their Amber Alert criteria, which includes: The abduction is of a child age 18 or younger; There is a reasonable belief that the child has been abducted; The South African Police Service believes the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily harm and there is enough descriptive information about the victim and suspected abduction for law enforcement to issue an Amber Alert to assist in recovering the child.

A senior member of the law enforcement will assess whether these criteria have been met before authorising the Amber Alert. The police service will then notify Facebook’s Global Security Operations Centre, which operates 24/7, that a verified Amber Alert is active. Facebook will then quickly send the alert to the News Feeds of people located in targeted search areas within the specific country.

 

 

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Tondeka buses: Lasting solution to Kampala’s persistent traffic jam problem!

By
Isaiah Mwebaze
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On Thursday the Tondeka Metro Bus Company held a ‘Greater Kampala Mass Transit Bus Service’ conference at the International University of East Africa under the theme “From Planning to Execution”. The conference that was attended by a number of high profile guests and various stake holders in the transport sector revealed a new bus system that would not only decongest the capital city but further provide a more organized and sanitary mode of transportation within Kampala and its neighboring districts.

The conference was officially opened by the Minister of Works, Gen. Katumba Wamala, who strongly urged for the support of the new bus system that would be more organized in terms of distribution of funds as well as pick-ups and drop offs of passengers compared to current and previous taxi organisations. “I am set to meet with taxi drivers to organize the transport industry and see how they can work together with Tondeka drivers and reduce the fights and chaos that usually happen-we need more laws and order within this sector.” said the Minister.

However, Matia Lwanga, the LCV, Wakiso district strongly believes that the problems in the taxi industry are majorly caused by the leaders in power due to the absence of clear, official line of authority and thus everyone can be a leader.

Being the capital city of Uganda, Kampala serves as both an administrative and business center within the nation and therefore attracts a lot of people and which inevitably leads to a lot of activity within the town. Studies have shown that although only 1.6 million people live within Kampala the number rises to a whopping four million during the day with the average Ugandan spending over 24 hours in traffic; forfeiting the businessman about two million shillings daily.

“As a leader of local government we welcome Tondeka because we have always had an issue of traffic Jam in towns,” George Frederick Kagimu, Mayor of Mukono Municipality stated. The leader expressed his dissatisfaction with the amount of time that Ugandans wasted on the road, especially those who lived outside of Kampala. With the introduction of the Tondeka buses the number of low capacity vehicles on the road is expected to reduce and this will eventually lead to a more organized traffic system as well as a drop in pollution levels.

Despite its delay in launching since last July when it first made an appearance, the Tondeka Metro buses were given the support of Government including a directive from the President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who asked for the co-operation between local government, taxi drivers and Tondeka buses in order to fast track this project and also create employment opportunities within the transport industry.

Despite preceding companies such as Pioneer and Wakula Enume failing to maintain their route structures, Tondeka’s future looks brighter due to the involvement of a number stake holders such as Kampala Capital City Authority, Kiira Motors as well as taxi drivers who have promised to work hand in hand with the Tondeka operatives.

Sheikh Muzaata Baate thanked the organizers and leaders for involving the people of Uganda in the launch of such a timely initiative. He urged for leaders and people to continue working together in order to avoid misunderstandings and fights amongst their various colleagues: “Everyone is cooking their own thing, but if we cook together, then we can move forward as a country.” He went on to bless the occasion and chastised the leaders of Uganda for not respecting religious leaders and yet they are deemed to be the elders within their respective communities.

The first batch of buses is set to arrive in September will comprise of 980 Leyland buses from India, these will be accessible only through electronic payment by use of a metro card. The buses are supposed to cover a wider radius than taxi drivers in a bid to ease transportation and reduce the number of vehicles on the road. Some of the proposed routes include: Mukono-Kampala, Nsanji, Kampala-Buloba, Kampala-Wakiso, Kampala-Matugga, Kampala- Entebbe and Kampala-Ggaba. The buses will be monitored by the Uganda Development Corporation (UDC) and will greatly improve on the customer care of commuters.

Other partners such as KCCA have committed themselves to supporting the Tondeka bus system by improving the infrastructure like: road signage, Parking and improved roads in order to ensure the operations of the bus services run smoothly.

 

 

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Boys beat girls as UNEB releases 2019 UCE results

By
Geoffery Serugo
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Minister of Education Janet Museveni (L) with UNEB officials releasing 2019 UCE exams results

 

 

Male candidates have significantly performed better than females in the just released 2019 Uganda certificate of education (UCE) examination results. Females have however exhibited good performances in English subject even though boys still performed better in Mathematics and other sciences.

The examination results were released by the first lady Janet Kataaha Museveni who doubles as minister of education and sport. She said the teaching of English language has degenerated to encouraging learners to cram content that consists of very complicated words noting that this needs to stop as it is not helping students.

According to the Executive Secretary of Uganda national examination board (UNEB), Daniel Odong, UNEB registered 337770 for 2019 UCE exams however only 333060 appeared for exams.

Alluding to results, 9.9 per cent of male students passed in division and only 6.8 percent of the females got first grade. Grade two; 19.6 per cent males, 15.5 per cent females. Grade three; 24.9 per cent males and 22.5 per cent female. Grade four; 39.7 per cent males and 46.3 females. Division nine; 6.8 per cent male and 8.8 female.

He said overall performance improved with 92.2 per cent passing compared to 87.2 percent in the previous years. Failure rate dropped significantly from 12.8 per cent to 7.8 per cent. Malpractice cases Reduced from 1825 in 2018 to 1262. The cases are alluded to teachers providing assistance to the students during practical and students copying from one another particularly in the science subjects.

“A total of 410 special needs candidates registered for the 2019 UCE examination, as compared to 357 in 2018. These consisted of the blind, those with low vision, the deaf, and the dyslexics and physically handicapped.”

“A total of 1,262 candidates’ results withheld in accordance with the law, and to give the affected a fair hearing. This number was 1,825 in 2018. After the hearing of case, last year the board cancelled 1086 candidates and released the rest.”

The minister implored teachers to ensure that learners assess all the learning in the curriculum saying the entire curriculum and co-curricular activities are meant to develop the learners in a holistic manner.

“Malpractice at UCE2019 level has significantly reduced. We should recognize UNEB’s efforts in making this happen. It should be viewed as a way of fighting corruption,” she said.

 

 

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Apple tops global smartphone market in Q4

By
Agencies
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Apple edge Samsung to become the world’s top smartphone vendor in the final quarter of 2019 thanks above all to the huge popularity of the iPhone 11, according to the latest report from Strategy Analytics. The company shipped 70.7 million iPhones during the 3-month period ending in December, equivalent to 18.9 per cent of the global market, up 7 percent from the 65.9 million units shipped a year earlier. The result was Apple’s best growth performance since 2015 due to cheaper iPhone 11 pricing over the holiday period and healthier demand in Asia and North America.

Samsung was close behind in second position, shipping 68.8 million smartphones for an 18.4 per cent market share in Q4, slightly down on the 69.3 million units shipped a year earlier. China’s Huawei fell to a 15.0 per cent share in third place on the back of 56.0 million unit shipments, down 7 percent year on year due to slowing domestic demand and tougher competition abroad in key markets like Europe. Xiaomi and Oppo rounded out the top 5 with shipments of 33.0 million and 30.5 million units for a market share of 8.8 per cent and 8.1 per cent respectively.

Overall global smartphone shipments held steady in the fourth quarter at 374.5 million units compared to 376.0 million units in the year-earlier quarter, with sharp declines in China balanced by strong growth across India and Africa.

Full-year smartphone shipments hit 1.41 billion in 2019, dipping 1 percent from 1.43 billion in 2018, attributed to mild inventory build in the second half of the year. However, the researcher warned that US trade wars and the China coronavirus scare could prove to be significant barriers to growth for smartphones in 2020.

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Lack of minutes of Crane Bank sale complicates transfer of CDC Group shares

By
Our Reporter
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Dfcu head office

Britain’s Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) Group is still stuck with its 9.97 shares in Dfcu bank following the insistence by the potential buyer, Investment Fund for Development Countries that Dfcu bank avails minutes regarding the purchase of Crane Bank Limited on January 25, 2017.

Dfcu Limited on December 19, 2019 announced that CDC Group was to sell 74,580,276 shares which make up 9.97 per cent of the total 748, 144,033 ordinary shares in the company troubled by the controversial acquisition of CBL at Shs200 billion, paid in installments.

The demand by the Danish Company to look at the minutes, according to sources, has forced Dfcu management look at the possibility of approaching parliament and see if they can delete one of the findings of parliament’s Committee on Commissions, State Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) that investigated BoU over the controversial sale of seven commercial banks between 1993 and October 20, 2016. That finding is that BoU transferred CBL assets without any minutes written, something that COSASE found unusual in the transaction of such a magnitude.

During the probe of BoU, the then Executive Director of Supervision, Ms Justine Bagyenda confirmed to COSASE that the sale of CBL to Dfcu was done over telephone and that there was no any minutes written to effect the sale. The same was confirmed by MMKAS Advocates who were the transactional advisors acting on behalf of BoU.

During COSASE probe, Dfcu officials led by chairman board of directors Jimmy Mugerwa who appeared before COSASE as witnesses in the closure and purchase of Crane bank, made a defense presentation in regards to the terms of purchase of Crane bank agreement, however, the presentation was backed by fake documents which were neither dated nor signed by the bank authority. However, this prompted MPs of the committee to kick them out and allow them reorganize themselves.

“It’s prudent for this committee to throw out Dfcu team because they are so confused and disorganised; they are fidgeting with their own documents. It is in the best interest that Dfcu withdraws and reorganizes themselves,” the then COSASE chairman, Abdu Katuntu said.

Some of the documents that caused the MPs to chase away Dfcu bank officials led by Chairman Juma Mugerwa and new MD Mathias Katamba included one on “Fair valued loans and advances of customers of Crane Bank Limited (CBL). The other included schedules of CBL loans and advances.

The Auditor General John Muwanga in his report on defunct banks faulted Dfcu bank for engaging in transactions that did not follow proper guidelines as it bought of CBL assets at Shs200 billion, paid in installments. Dfcu Bank also bought the assets of Global Trust Bank without following guidelines as laid in the Financial Institutions Act, 2004.

However, matters were made worse when former Chief Executive Officer of Dfcu, Juma Kisaame confirmed to MPs on the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises that the invite for Dfcu to come and buy Crane bank was done on phone.

According to sources within the Dfcu group, a rift has cracked among the top executives as they blame each other for mess the bank is facing over lack of minutes. It is understood, the Managing Director, Mathias Katamba, board chairman, Jimmy Mugerwa are reportedly accusing Mr. Kisaame, former Deputy Governor, Dr.Louis Kasekende, William Ssekabembe and former Executive Director in charge of Supervision, Justine Bagyenda for having fast tracking the deal without minutes.

Eagle Online has also learnt that matters have been made worse by parliament rejecting a secret move by the bank to have a parliamentary hansard doctored so as to have sections implicating them of having bought Crane bank without any minutes removed so as they can be able to generate minutes to enable them sell CDC shares.

Sources also reveal that an attempt by Kasekende and top managers of Dfcu to meet the Speaker, Rebecca Kagada have been rejected leaving them without any solution CDC shares.

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