Two Bank of Uganda (BoU) security officers have been charged with negligence of duty which caused the disappearance of documents related to the liquidation of some of the seven commercial banks.

Ms. Beatrice Kyambadde and Charles Mollo appeared before City Hall Court in Kampala on Tuesday and charged with negligence of duty before they were remanded to Luzira Prison until December 6, 2018. This was after prosecution told court that police investigations into the matter was not yet complete.

Ms Kyambadde and Mr Mollo were keeping the access gates that the former BoU executive director for Supervision, Ms Justine Bagyenda used to take out bags suspected to be carrying bank documents. They were arrested last Thursday on orders of MP Abdu Katuntu, the Chairman of parliamentary committee investigating the closure of commercial banks.

The two security assistants were arrested alongside Bagyenda’s bodyguard Juliet Adikot and her driver Job Turyahabwe on orders of the Abudu Katuntu, the chairman of parliamentary committee probing BoU over the closure of commercial banks.

Ms Adikot and Mr. Turyahabwe last week gave contradicting testimonies to the committee in relation to Ms Bagyenda’s movements on the day three bags were returned. The two were captured by CCTV cameras felling out bags into Bagyenda’s car. Ms Adikot caused drama in parliament when she said police’s standing orders do not permit her to give any information to any authority.

Parliament will next week host the second Science, Technology, Innovation and exhibition that is intended to identify creative ideas that require government interventions and funding.

Under the theme ‘Transforming the country through Ugandan innovations,’ the exhibition will be held at the Parliament Ground parking from December 10 to 14, 2018.

Over 800 local innovators are expected at the exhibition, which is being organized by the Parliament Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation.

According to Kigulu North MP and Committee Chairperson of Science, Technology, Fred Bwino Kyakulaga said exhibition and entrance are free of charge, government will support innovators so that Uganda can match the pace of developed nations, where innovation, science, and technology are the primary pillars of economic growth.

“The objectives of this exhibition is to empower and support the innovators, enhance social economic transformation of the country through application and use of local materials and finally identify innovations that require government interventions and funding,” he said Parliament.

“We did not get any funding because there was no framework governing the use of the fund. The innovation fund was to be drawn from the Consolidated Fund and since its public resources, the guidelines are necessary,” He said.

He revealed that the Ministry of Science and Technology is currently carrying out countrywide consultations to draft guidelines before the next budget reading.

He implored innovators to come and exhibit new ideas, creative thoughts and imaginations in form of new devices, methods and procedures and value additions, in the various fields.

Mr Bwino said, the institution of the Uganda Registration Services Bureau would attend the exhibition so as to provide important information to innovators on the need to protect their intellectual property rights from what he called ‘intellectual thieves and pirates’.

Internal Affairs Minister Gen Jeje Odong has revealed that over 24,000 passports are ready for collection in the first step towards transiting from paper to electronic passports.

Recently Uganda joined the two East African countries of Kenya and Tanzania using electronic passports compelling president Museveni to direct for phasing out of paper passports to electronic come January 2019.

“We are not in line to fulfill that directive, we are due to receive the initial batch from Uganda security Printing Company who are our suppliers, electronic Passport is significantly different from the current passport, it is going to improve the security of the document and delivery of service,” he said at his office in Kampala.

The EAC electronic passport are printed in three coolers, red for diplomats, green for officials and sky blue for ordinary people. The minister said those with old passports have up to 2021 to acquire the current ones.

He said passengers bearing electronic passports will be quickly processed through cross boarder points through self-service point or a counter manned by an individual.

He said a national identity card can be used as a travel document through East African member states of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.

Uganda is now part of the family of the over 150 countries travelling using electronic passports.

Gulu Grade One Magistrate Court presided over by Isaac Kintu on Monday adjourned the Arua by-election saga case involving Bobi Wine and others to January 10, 2019.

The adjournment of the hearing follows the prayer by Paul Weponde, the state prosecutor who said the police are yet to complete investigations into the case.

Bobi Wine and several others are alleged to have caused havoc in during the Arua by-election that was won by Wadri Kasiano months ago.

Earlier on, Counsel Tony Kitara, who is one of the lawyers representing the accused persons, said court should proceed with the case.

He urged court to prevail over the prosecutor and police so that the case goes on to avoid what he called persecution of his clients.

He also asked for a longer adjournment of the hearing since majority of the accused are peasants who struggle to raise money to report to court and that some stay in faraway districts like Kampala and Arua.

In his ruling, Isaac Kintu asked the prosecutor to speed up the investigations since most of the accused persons come from outside Gulu district.

“I have heard from both the state and the defense teams. Accordingly, the state is called upon to speed up their investigations because I also note that most of the accused persons come from outside this jurisdiction,” said Kintu before adjourning the case to January 10, 2019 for further mention.

Hon. Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, the MP for Kyadonodo East and one of the accused said despite them full filling their responsibilities, the outcome is not encouraging.

“We came to court today to full fill our side of responsibility although the outcome is not encouraging, for example we have been given a very nearby date to show up to court even though our lawyers tried to bring it up to the judge that we need some time as the state goes on with investigation.” Said Hon. Kyagulanyi

Hon. Kasiano Wadri, the Arua Municipality MP said they will stop reporting to court if the required six months elapsed before investigation is completed.

“The charge against us is of a capital nature and the law is very clear in its provision that when a suspect is brought before court of law for capital offense of that nature, the investigation must be completed within six months so that the evidence is produced before court to be taken to high court.” Said Hon. Kasiano

“This therefore means we are counting the months we’ve reported to court and should we clock and hit six months to report here and police continue dilly darling that they are not through with their investigations, we shall by the law, stop coming to court.” He went on

Hon. Kasiano Wadri, Hon. Robert Kyagulanyi and 33 others are facing charges of treason following the saga of the Arua Municipality by-election on 13th August.

Meanwhile the court has issued criminal summons for Ntungamo municipality MP, Gerald Karuhanga and Jinja east legislator, Paul Mwiru after they failed to appear before court alongside others.

Defence lawyer Henry Kirima informed court that Mwiru was not obliged to appear for mention of the case while MP Karuhanga was in Burundi for inter-parliamentary games that are scheduled to take 10 days.

Uganda has become the latest on the continent to submit the instruments of ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA. The development was confirmed by Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AU) who is hopeful that other countries would follow suit.

As of July 2018, six countries had submitted ratification instruments – Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Niger, Chad, and Eswatini with the expectation that many more would do so before the end of the year.

In March 2018, 44 African countries out of the 55 AU member states signed the vital continental free trade agreement in Kigali, Rwanda to enable the long-awaited economic integration and movement of goods and persons across member states.

This agreement was first introduced in January 2012 during the 18th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The member states adopted the decision to establish the Continental Free Trade Area by 2017.

The agreement is meant to establish a single continental market for goods and services; enhance free movement of business persons and investments; enhance competitiveness at the industry and enterprise level through exploiting opportunities for full-scale production.

It will also bring together the 1.2 billion African population with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of more than US$2 trillion with the commitments of the countries to remove tariffs on 90 per cent of goods, with 10 per cent of “sensitive items” to be phased in later.

However, 11 countries at the time did not sign the agreement for diverse reasons. The countries are Nigeria, South Africa (which later signed in July), Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Namibia, Sierra Leone and Zambia.

One of the reasons for these countries not to sign is that they faced pressures from business leaders and labour unions who believe the agreement could affect their economies.

Five more countries signed the AfCFTA at the African Union (AU) summit in Mauritania in June, bringing the total number of countries committing to the agreement to 49 by the end of July.

For the agreement to take effect, at least 22 countries must submit instruments of ratification to commence the process. Depositing the instruments of ratification means the country has undertaken all required internal legislative and legal measures in readiness to implement the agreement.

During the signing of the agreement in March this year, African Union Member countries set a deadline of 180 days to ratify the agreement through their respective legislative bodies.

The UN Economic Commission for Africa’s (ECA) Conference recently urged African countries to speed up the ratification and adoption process of the agreement with reasons that it is a powerful tool for driving industrialisation, economic diversification and development.

The implementation of the agreement could also boost intra-African trade from its current level of 16 per cent to 52 per cent by 2022, according to estimates by the ECA.