Seven newly appointed envoys from Ethiopia, the Vatican, Saharawi Republic, Poland, Brazil, Slovakia and Canada have presented their credentials to President Yoweri Museveni during a ceremony at State House, Entebbe.
The separate ceremonies that took place yesterday, were witnessed by State Minister for International Affairs, Henry Okello Oryem.
While receiving the letters of credence of the new Ethiopian Ambassador to Uganda, Ms. Alemtsehay Meseret Gelaw, President Museveni and the envoy discussed issues centering on constructing of a road that will link Uganda to Ethiopia from Moroto through Kotido, Kaabong, parts of North Western Kenya up to Southern Ethiopia.
Mr. Museveni warmly welcomed the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Luigi Bianco, and congratulated him on his new posting. He commended the good relationship between Uganda and the Vatican. Archbishop Bianco, on his part, wished the people of Uganda continued peace and God’s blessings.
The new Saharawi envoy, Mohammed Bachir Elouali, also presented his letters of credence to the President who welcomed him to Uganda
Later, President Museveni received and welcomed the new Polish Ambassador, Jack Bazanski to Uganda and the two leaders discussed issues of economic development between Poland and Uganda.
Museveni and the new Brazilian envoy, Fernando Estellita Linsde Salvo Coimbra, reviewed matters of development cooperation between Uganda and Brazil; noting that the two countries share a lot in common and have enormous potential to develop their relationship in the sectors of agriculture, education and industry, among others.
The new Slovak Ambassador, Frantisek Dihopolcek, and Museveni discussed, among other areas, energy and Information Communication Technology (ICT).
Museveni asked the envoy to encourage Slovak companies to take advantage of the big markets on the African continent through working on increased investments on the continent.
Later, President Museveni received the credentials of the new Canadian High Commissioner, Lisa Stadelbauer, and congratulated her upon her new assignment in Uganda.
At least five new blocks have been put for the second licencing round in the Albertine Graben
This announcement was made during the 9th East African Petroleum Conference and Exhibition in Mombasa _Kenya last recently by the energy and mineral development Minister Engineer Irene Muloni
The Minister said they were expecting many potential exploration companies for the blocks given since the current price of crude oil was high and very attractive for investment , adding that the cost of finding oil in Uganda has been very low of less than a dollar per barrel as compared to world average of two dollars per barrel
” I am very pleased to announce that my five new brides are ready ,they are very attractive and easy to find ,invite investors to come and take them up ” said Muloni
She also noted that the investment climate in Uganda was very conducive for investment singing out peace and security , infrastructural development , tax incentives and good human resource made of youthful and educated population
The five blocks are Avivi with area coverage of (1026km2) , Omuka (750km2) , Kasuruban (1285km2), Turaco (637km2) and Ngaji (1230km2) .
In regard to the announcement, the Ministry will issue a request for qualification inviting interested firms to submit application within a duration of six months there after the successful applicants will be issued with bidding documents comprising of modal of production sharing agreement and data sale regulations among others .
The bidding process will take five months and result in the negotiations and signing of production sharing agreement between government and the successful bidders , the licencing round is expected to be concluded with the award of petroleum exploration licenses for successful firms by December 2020.
Eng.Muloni led the Uganda delegation to the 9th East African Petroleum Conference and Exhibition which included Members of Parliament , Ministry Official , the petroleum authority of Uganda , Uganda National Oil Company , Uganda Chambers of Mines and Petroleum , Uganda Wild life Authority and the Media.
Mr. Christopher Gashirabake on the right who is being accused of sexual harassment. On the left is Mr Atoke, the Solicitor General.
The latest interaction with Ms Samantha Mwesigye, a Senior State Attorney who is making headlines in the media because of telling her ordeal of sexual harassment, has finally revealed her tormentor as Christopher Gashirabake, the Director of Legal Affairs in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.
She says t Gashirabake sexually harassed her for over 10 years even though he is the Chairman of the disciplinary committee at the ministry.
Sleeping with Christopher Gashirabake!
She denies sleeping with her Gashirabake as alleged by some of her associates, saying it is the reason why he has sexually harassed her for a decade. “People are trying to make it look like I slept with him and now that it has gone sour I have chosen to speak out,” she says, adding in an audio that she has become a subject of conversation in the public with some people supporting her while others disagreeing with her story.
She says Gashirabake put her into hell with his sexual advances that could latter affect her professional work as well as personal development. She says she has never been in a private space with Gashirabake or even had lunch with him despite his requests.
Pursuing Masters degree Appointment letter
Ms Mwesigye who has been employed in the ministry since 2007 further reveals that Gashirabake who also worked in the Solicitor General’s office at one time had also gone ahead to frustrate her ambitions of gaining a Masters degree in Executive LLM in Public Procurement Law and Policy.
She had been admitted to the University of Nottingham the course commencing in September 2011.
She says it was the current Solicitor General Francis Atuke who enabled her to do her masters after being frustrated for one and half years, having been approved to get the funds to enable her study. “I got my masters when Mr Atoke was first appointed Solicitor General He found my request pending after having pursued it for one and half years and was being frustrated. I was even put aside for someone who was on probation and didn’t qualify,” she says.
She adds: “He called me and asked why I was sidelined and then approved my masters. It was the decision of the new Solicitor General as he was then who had never seen me before who approved it.”
After listening to Ms Mwesigye’s ordeal Atoke wrote to the university. “We are committed to paying her tuition charged at Seven Thousand Pounds … for the duration of the course. We would further request that you allow her commence the course while we process the payment which shall not be latter than the end of October. The delay is to allow us follow the mandatory procedures attached to spending government money,” -Atoke who was then the Acting Solicitor General said in a letter dated August 29, 2011 to the Postgraduate Admission Office of Nottingham University, UK. Samantha Mwesigye
The official who she says she studies with his daughters at university also went ahead to frustrate her when she qualified for UNDP-sponsored course on procurement to the extent that she reached the Office of the Prime Minister for intervention.
Tormentor’s name on shortlist of judges
She says she learnt that her tormentor’s appears on a shortlist of judges to be interviewed for posting. In March the Judicial Service Commission advertises for Justice of the Court of Appeal and Judge in the High Court.
Her promotion to Senior State Attorney
In 2015 Ms Mwesigye was offered an appointment on promotion to Senior State Attorney by the Public Service Commission that sent Ms Mwesigye’s appointment letter through the Director Legal Services in the ministry who would in turn congratulate her and append his signature on that appointment letter. She denies she was wrongly promoted.
The letter of promotion was written by Mr Atoke on November 12, 2015 and copied also to Auditor General Audit Department, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Public Service and the Secretary Public Service Commission under PSC minute No. 1654 of 2015.
Twist of events
Meanwhile, in the twist of events Ms Mwesigye told this website that her tormentor has turned around to say his enemies are using her to tarnish his image. I guess they are the ones who sent him the email using my email account!!!,” she says. “Have forgotten people offering to fund a polygraph either in Kenya or South Africa. If anyone can convince him to take it we shall put this to rest once and for all,” she says.
She says that she complained to various offices, starting with the ministry itself, Solicitor General, the IGG, Office of the President and the Office of the Prime Minister but all those offices failed to come to her rescue.
Understanding sexual harassment is
Experts define sexual Harassment at workplace is a direct or implicit demand or gesture to a worker for any form of sexual favor to get preferential treatment at workplace; or threaten the worker of detrimental treatment on present or future employment status of the worker. It also includes use of uncouth language such as verbal advances, sexist comments and jokes, unwarranted flirting and also extends to sending by text or other media platforms sex laden suggestive pictures, objects or written materials .It may also entails physical contact and unwanted touching and patting.
Need for sexual harassment committee
Experts further say that in an establishment with more than 25 workers the employer should put in place a sexual harassment committee in addition to issuing a policy statement on sexual harassment, which defines sexual harassment and states that the workplace is free of sexual harassment. Employer must take measure to ensure that workers are not subjected to sexual harassment and take appropriate disciplinary measures against the person involved in sexual harassment.
Employment Act prohibits Sexual harassment. The Penal Code has sanctions against perpetrators of sexual harassment. Any person who intends to insult the modesty of any woman or girl, utters any word, makes any sound or gesture or exhibits any object, intending that such word or sound shall be heard, or that such gesture or object shall be seen by such woman or girl, or intrudes upon the privacy of such woman or girl, commits a misdemeanour and is liable to imprisonment for one year.
In addition Employment act (Sexual Harassment) Regulations 2012 prescribes that those who contravene the sexual harassment related provisions commit an offence and are liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding six currency points or imprisonment not exceeding three months or both.
Sexual harassment affects ones esteem and productivity at a work place and it is prudent to report to relevant authorities, experts say.
Frustrated by the increasing cases of syndicated corruption and in fights at the Inspectorate of Government, IGG Justice Irene Mulyagonja has applied for a job at the Judicial Service Commission as judge of the Constitutional Court.
Justice Mulyagonja is among the 24 applicants that have been shortlisted for vacant positions on the panel of the Constitutional Court.
The Court of Appeal of Uganda also known as the Constitutional Court of Uganda is the second-highest judicial organ in Uganda. It derives its powers from Article 134 of the 1995 Constitution. It is an appellate court when hearing cases appealed from the High Court of Uganda. However, it has original jurisdiction when adjudicating matters relating to the constitutionality of matters before it. All judgments by the Court of Appeal are theoretically appealable to the Supreme Court of Uganda, if the Supreme Court decides to hear the appeal
Justice Mulyagonja was appointed on April 12, 2012 from the High Court where she served as the judge.
She has served for seven years and she replaced Raphael Baku who stepped in as acting Inspector General of Government after the Justice Faith Mwondha refused to appear before Members of Parliament for vetting and thereafter she resigned and reverted back to the judiciary for redeployment.
Recently junior workers at her office wrote to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, crying of corruption, impunity and maladministration taking place at the IGG that is supposed to fight corruption in public offices, saying that the institution requires a new leadership at the helm.
A group of disgruntled staff at IGG on March 3, 2019 wrote to the Head of the Anti-Corruption Unit Lt Col. Edith Nakalema, calling on her office to intervene and save the situation at the IGG’s office. “We write in good faith, and pray that your good office shall take action on that matter,” the letter reads in part.
They accuse the Secretary to the Inspectorate Rose N. Nakafeero together with members of the board and the management team for handpicking and interviewing people and that are yet to issue new appointments to new inspectorate officers without following the normal recruitment procedure set by the Internal Human Resource Policy of 2017 or the Public Service Standing Orders 2010.
The claim some officials at the IGG’s office are receiving bribery of Shs350 million for people whose cases are not registered with the inspectorate. They want President Museveni to disband the management team lead by Mariam F. Wangadya.
In response to the allegations, Justice Mulyagonja told Eagle Online that what her staff ought to understand is the fact that the budget allocation to the institution isn’t sufficient to have all salaries increased. On other allegations, Mulyagonja dismissed them as untrue.
“Actually it is members of who staff and their main concern that we don’t listen to them is untrue. However, they do not know the environment we are operating in because everything rotates on the budget allocation given to us. For other issues in their letter are baseless only intended to grab attention” Justice Mulyagonja told Eagle Online in a telephone interview.
The junior staff accuse top managers at the Inspectorate for taking long to confirm their colleagues who were posted to upcountry as Regional Inspectorate Officers or Principal Inspectorate Officers in various regional offices such as Fort Portal, Gulu, Lira, Arua, Moyo, Tororo and Hoima. The officers, according to the petitioners were posted about three years ago on the promise that they would be confirmed in six months but this has not happened.
Sources within the inspectorate further say the IGG is frustrated by the mere fact that another unit was created to do exact work like the Inspectorate does and so, she feels she has no docket to supervise given that Col. Nakalema seem to be better facilitated than the Inspectorate.
President Museveni recent during the 9th Commonwealth Regional Conference for Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Africa held at Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort and Spa, Kigo. said he didn’t appoint Col. Nakalema to fight the Inspector General of Government but rather help her fight corruption where she had failed.
Museveni said State House ant-corruption team led by Col. Nakalema is not meant to take away the work of the IGG or make it useless, “I appointed it to complement the IGG.”
Adding “When people start complaining of a watchman, then you have to hire a watchman to watch over that watchman and that is why I started and setup units in President’s office to watch over the IGG”.
He noted that it is critical to work with the victims of corruption, in the fight against it to enable them demand for accountability. The victims need to be able to rally support from society to pinpoint and call out corrupt officials.
At the same time, Mr Museveni used to occasion to introduce Col. Nakalema to the audience.
IGG is also accused for not being assertive on many top government officials implicated on corruption like her predecessor Justice Mwondha was. She has been accused of failure to release reports on top Bank of Uganda individuals that were involved in the sale of banks.
Prof. PLO Lumumba is among keynote speakers earmarked for the event
Uganda will for the first time host the annual FIDIC-GAMA conference from May 12 -14 at Kampala Serena Hotel, according to the latest press release from the organisers.
The conference serves as a forum for key trendsetters, industry practitioners to discuss the ways forward for the continent, businesses and the engineering sector in Africa and is to run under the theme, “The Role of Consulting Engineers in Driving Growth in African Economies.”
Unlike past events of its kind that have been held in other countries, this year’s conference will focus on what works in Africa. It also tries to import some case studies from beyond Africa. A lot of discussion is centered around: Regional infrastructural projects as a catalyst for economic development, emerging approaches to infrastructure development, sharing best practices to enhance sustainability in engineering design and implementation, smart and resilient infrastructure for sustainable development Facilitator, among others.
FIDIC-GAMA conference is a critical regional gathering and networking event providing a forum for engineers, contractors, government officials, private investors, funding agencies, construction equipment and material suppliers to discuss and tackle infrastructure development issues in a continental context. The conference draws 100s of attendees and is rocked by social events like dinners, galas, exhibitions among other.
According to the press release FIDIC-GAMA 2019 is the 26th annual conference and being held in Uganda for the 3rd time. “It is a conference created by consulting engineers for the world we live in, with real-hands-on work and in-depth understanding of the engineering provided by the industry’s key experts and opinion leaders,” organisers say.
The conference will help those in the engineering practice and material suppliers to know their positions at the infrastructure-economic growth interface, benefit from top notch profitable networking sessions, establish long lasting business and professional partnerships, experience human connection and great inspiration and explore Uganda as a consulting engineers.
Young professionals in engineering have been urged to attend specially dedicated breakout session for them. Suppliers, Vendors, Manufacturers all have a lot to grab from this conference, says the press release.
Beyond learning from other attendees, FIDIC-GAMA’s educational breakout sessions are world-class. Over 18 speakers from countries like Tunisia, South Africa, Ghana, Mali, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Uganda among others will attend. Keynote speakers like PLO Lumumba and spotlight paper presenters including Mr. Ian Massey, Eng. Paul Karekezi, Ms. Allen C. Kagina, Eng. Samson Bagonza among others are expected.
“Overall, FIDIC-GAMA 2019 humbly boasts corporate networking, fun, entertainment, critical topics for our growth etc. Previous attendees say FIDIC-GAMA is not just a conference, it’s a two-day whirlwind of brilliant consultants, engineers, innovative speakers, new ideas and thought-provoking takeaways. It’s an event that connects like-minded professionals from all over Africa and the world to join one major conversation and collaborate on the new state of Africa,” the press release says.
Singer George William Kigozi aka Geosteady is in trouble over child neglect and is likely to face the wrath of minister Youth Minister Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi.
It’s alleged that he begot a son from a woman known as Nabweteme but he doesn’t give them support. Nabweteme says she tries to call him but he doesn’t want to pick. He blocked Nabweteme’s sister WhatsApp number after the latter sent him his son’s photos.
Nabweteme says what hurts her most is that recently Geosteady bought a luxurious expensive car for his expectant wife Prima yet for her and her son)are there suffering with nothing to eat as he doesn’t give them even a single coin. She has asked Minister Nakiwala to intervene and help her out as she did to Mathis Walukagga.
The latest assessment by a United Nations Environment Programme-administered treaty has confirmed that poaching continues to threaten the long-term survival of the African elephants.
Based on the Proportion of Illegally Killed Elephants data, or PIKE, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has evaluated the levels of illegal killing through MIKE the Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants programme (MIKE).
MIKE has calculated that illegal killing is the chief cause of death for elephants.
New evidence reveals that PIKE levels peaked in 2011 when an alarming 10 per cent of African elephants were poached, before steadily declining through 2017. That level has remained relatively unchanged throughout 2018.
Such high PIKE levels are of concern because even in well-established and protected elephant populations, the annual losses to illegal killing and other mortalities are not being compensated by birth rates.
Many African elephant populations are small and fragmented and not well-protected, making them even more vulnerable to poaching. As PIKE levels remain above 0.5 in Africa, the number of elephants in some countries continues to decline.
African elephant populations have fallen from an estimated 12 million a century ago, to some 400,000, according to the most recent estimations contained in the 2016 African Elephant Status Report.
“Illegal killing of African elephants for ivory remains a significant threat to elephant populations in most of the range States”, said CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero. “At the same time, the human population of Africa has grown tenfold, from 125 million to 1,225 million, creating competition for land with elephants”.
While international trade in elephant ivory has been banned by CITES since 1990, opinions differ between countries about whether it should continue or not.
The African elephant and the debate over the ivory trade will be a major item on the agenda of the next triennial CITES Conference of the Parties, originally planned for May in Colombo, Sri Lanka, but now to be rescheduled for a later date.
“We must continue to reduce poaching and illegal trade in ivory and find solutions to ensure the coexistence of elephants with local people”, stressed Mr. Higuero. “The international community should further expand its work with the African range States to find solutions that work both for the elephants and for local communities”.
Mbarara RDC Lt. Col James Mwesigye Mwesigye with his team speaking to the managers
Security agencies in Mbarara have closed Alliance in Motion Global offices in Mbarara over alleged fleecing of residents’ money under the pretext of investment.
This follows a number of complaints to the Resident District Commissioner, accusing the drug supplements company of taking people’s money without fulfilling the agreed terms.
Reports say the deputy RDC, Emmy Katera had earlier summoned the officials of the company but they denied any claims of extortion.
It’s reported that for one to join the company, one pays Shs778,000 and is given a package of drugs to sell.
John Bosco Mutabazi, Mbarara district OC CIID contends that so far they have 16 cases of extortion registered at Mbarara police station about the company.
Company members were found in their usual trainings in a fully packed and stinking hall before the RDC grabbed the microphone and told them not to come back.
According to media reports, the Mbarara RDC Lt. Col James Mwesigye Mwesigye and team later met the managers in their offices and told them not to open again.
“These people are supposed to be arrested how you can hold all these people here and start extorting money from them, at the end of the day the disgruntled people become a threat to the security of this country and remember whatever happens here, as leaders, we are to blame,” he said.
Mwesigye added, “so we cannot sit and keep on getting complaints that you are fleecing money from members of the public, we have to do something, remember we warned you before but it has become too much, police if you don’t have enough enforcement, let the army help you I no longer to see any person here come tomorrow.”
Samantha Mwesigye is said be fighting a proxy war.
Samantha Mwesigye, the Senior State Attorney in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, in the latest letter, says government agencies that she sought help from after being sexually harassed by her supervisor over a decade, have neglected her to the extent that she has been excluded from committee meetings as well as being blocked from flying out of the country on some occasions.
Days ago Eagle Online ran a story as the lady came out publicly to tell Ugandans about her ordeal with her tormentor at the ministry.
After a frustrating meeting with a small business client recently who didn’t “have time” for social media, I was surprised to find evidence on the Internet that up to one quarter of small business owners are still hesitant to invest time, money, and effort into a social media strategy.
They don’t realize that they are missing out on a great opportunity for “free” promotion, as well as taking a great risk by not listening to what customers are saying, and not monitoring or responding to undeserved challenges to their reputation.
The classic example from several years ago was United Airlines not staying tuned in to social media, resulting in a unrecoverable customer problem causing great damage to their reputation, escalating to countless articles, and even a book, “United Breaks Guitars.” On a more positive note, there is a wealth of evidence that social media has resulted in some big paybacks.
Of course, nothing is totally free, and I have heard the horror stories of relatively small companies finding thirty or more employees spending most of their time scanning and using social media for promotions, or engaging high-priced consultants who never seem to be able to show any real return for all of their efforts.
I recommend the following steps as a start for maximizing your own return. I recognize that some of these may seem, well, basic to our social media-savvy readers, but based on my own recent experience in the real world, there are still plenty of people looking for a place to start:
Research the use of social media by your customers. If your customers are consumers, especially on the upscale and younger side, social media is likely their number one source for brand decisions. On the other hand, if your business is selling commodities to government entities, social media may rightly be at the bottom of your list.
Choose the best social media platform for your domain. If your interest is in reaching business professionals, LinkedIn has by far the greatest potential. Snapchat is almost exclusively a young person’s hangout, but you will likely find consumers of all ages on Facebook and Twitter. For B2B environments, consider who makes the buy decisions.
Approach influencers and key stakeholders appropriately. Social media is not all about being social, or treating everyone casually. For serious customers and investors, treat them with respect and stick to topics that are interesting and relevant to them. Viral videos, personal anecdotes, and informal surveys would likely be counterproductive.
Integrate social media into your overall marketing strategy. Just like ignoring social media is not smart, relying on it totally is likely not an optimal strategy. Most businesses need a mix of offline and online marketing, promotions, loyalty programs, and community involvement. This required mix must be reviewed and updated as your brand matures.
Pay special attention to attract a strong first impression. It definitely pays to get some help with your first step into social media, since first impressions often become lasting ones. Jumping in haphazardly with poorly a focused message is definitely non-productive, and may harm your business. Do your homework before you begin.
Use business metrics and tools to tune your efforts. More social media activity doesn’t mean a higher return on investment. Start by getting familiar with social media analysis tools, such as Google Analytics, Snaplytics, and SproutSocial. Always gauge progress by business indicators, like customer acquisition cost and customer satisfaction.
Demand professional business skills and customer advocacy. The people who lead and deliver your social media content need to fully understand your business, and be able to make real decisions on behalf of your customers and your business. Customers today rate will your business by the quality of your social media listening and response.
Too many business owners still consider social media a fad for chatting with your friends, or keeping up with the news. In fact, it’s much more than that today, and has become one of the most important tools for every business to keep in touch with customers, and build a brand. As with any business tool, you need to use it correctly, and measure the cost against the return.
The writer is a veteran startup mentor, executive, blogger, author, tech professional, professor, and investor. Published on Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc, Huffington Post.
