Police has disrupted the procession of Makerere University students who are striking over the 15 per cent Increment on tuition fees for freshers.
In July, students elect committee led by Polly Bandora made recommendations for increment after they allegedly held a number of consultation meetings from various stake holders and students at the university.
Bandora contended that the 15 per cent increase will only be paid by new students for only one semester and the process will be examined in a period of five years.
Basing on the recommendations university council approved the proposal to enable the institution’s management to enhance service delivery and undertake major improvements on university infrastructure for the good of our students and staff.
Being the bleeding place for industrial actions, this website established that there were messages written on placards putting students on notice that on Monday they will be expressing their grievances over the proposed increase on tuition fees.
Poor sanitation and luck of water in bathrooms were among the key issues that led to protests in the might learning institution.
The strike started from halls of Mary Stuart and Lumumba as students chanted this ‘15 per cent must go’. However police deployed in and around the university premises as hostel shuttles ferried students back to their rooms.
They interfaced at the round bout that is adjacent to the main gate as police fired bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters. In the scuffle, 12 students were arrested and taken to Wandegeya police station.
The Kyabazinga of Busoga at the end of his Bugabula BB tour
His majesty William Wilforce Kadhumbula Gabula Nadiope IV on Sunday concluded his three day tour of Buzaya constituency in Bugabula BB chiefdom with a massive gathering at Kisozi Sub county headquarters in Kamuli District.
The tour also coincided with the 18th Coronation anniversary of Busoga’s 4th King as the (chief prince) – Gabula of Bugabula BB chiefdom. In Busoga, each of the 11 hereditary chiefdoms has a chief Prince. It is from them that a Kyabazinga is elected.
Prior to marking the Gabula Day celebrations yesterday, the King toured various farmers and different groups including investors and guests from Canada to emphasize the tour’s theme dubbed “Kyabazinga mu bantu be”.
Gabula encouraged and advised his subjects to work harder by engaging in mechanized agriculture for both commercial and home consumption as well as educating their children.
The King also visited institutions such as Bupadhengo primary School, St Mary’s Nawanyago primary school, Kamuli girls college school and Kamuli skills development centre.
During the tour, several investors promised to offer employment to the youth.
The King climaxed the tour with an address to his subjects at Kisozi sub county headquarters where he encouraged his subjects to promote peaceful co-existence.
“We need to work together as the people of Busoga because it’s our shared responsibility to promote it and have peace coupled with development”, the Kyabazinga said.
Gabula said that unity and having one voice is the only way to go for Busoga to rekindle it’s past glory.
The enthusiastic and energized subjects of the King who visited Wankole, Bugulumbya, Mbulamuti, Nawanyago, Kisozi Sub-Counties during the tour, donated several presents to the monarch which included cows, goats, chicken, turkey, sheep, bunches of Matooke among others.
State Minister for Urban Development, Isaac Musumba and his political nemesis, Martin Muzaale have used the three day tour of Busoga Kyabazinga, William Nadiope IV to their Buzaaya county to each show the other that he has the people power (support).
The Isebantu Kyabazinga tour which started on Friday with Wankole and Bugulumbya sub-counties is part of the activities to commemorate the 6th Gabula Day, a brain child of Kamuli & Buyende Districts.
But at Buwala Primary School where Kyazinga addressed his first rally to teach the subjects on farming and education, the event was disrupted when the crowd demanded that Minister Musumba cuts his speech short and hands over the microphone to Muzaale.
Muzaale was MP in the 9th Parliament after winning the seat from Musumba who had occupied it for three consecutive terms but in 2016 Musumba (again) trounced Muzaale to regain his seat.
Musumba was the first to arrive at the venue but the crowd remained steel even when the master of ceremony pleaded with them to welcome the minister with applause.
Moments later, Muzaale arrived, sending the crowd into endless cheering and chanting.
Some of the youth and women accused Musumba of betraying them on the matter of age limit. Last year voters told Musumba not to support the amendment of Article 102b which he went against while on the floor of parliament.
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“Our hero yaaaya our man yaaaya” chanted the youth who carried Muzaale on their shoulders from the main road up to the venue.
The same thing happened in Bugulumbya, Mbulamuti and Nawanyago sub counties.
Kyabazinga toured several places that included schools, farmers who mainly deal in coffee, bananas, oranges, rearing of animals like improved breeds of cattle, piggery and goats.
He put emphasis on embracing mechanised systems of farming like irrigation, large scale farming which yield more income in order to improve on the standards of living in their homesteads.
The schools visited include Bugulumbya Primary School, Luzinga Secondary School where the King, who holds an MBA with a bias in Management emphasized the need for parents to continue educating their children, improvise career guidance, and embrace girl child education to cub early marriages, teenage pregnancies among others.
The Muslims have demand for equality and justice in Uganda saying they are being treated as secondary citizens.
The highly charged mourners that attended the prayers at Old Kampala national Mosque questioned it is ‘always’ them being targeted in assassination.
The question on every Muslim’s mind is who is next, the Muslims have been attacked from all angles, the high profiled Muslims are the target, we need an action programme, and Your Eminence, and we can’t wait. We demand that we are treated like equal citizens of this country. We should not lose hope. Allah knows the secret why these things are happening. We cannot forget the killings in Mbarara” said Muhammad Ali Waiswa, the 2nd Deputy Mufti.
On his part, the Mufti, Sheikh Shaban Ramathan Mubajje praised late Muhammad Kirumira for being peaceful and respectful saying his last message was wishing people well.
He was peaceful, respectful, I have been following him and his last message was wishing people well and this was his last and farewell message.” He said before restoring back to Kirumira’s parents “You never made any mistake giving birth to Kirumira, we have lost many and those where heavyweights of ours. Most of those killed are Muslims”
Mubajje also used the occasion to task government to explain what went wrong as far as the safety of Muslims and the deteriorating security situation in the country.
“We ask the president and the government and actually people where happy that now they sleep but now bleed is pouring. What went wrong concerning Muslims? Blood will lead to more blood. In Uganda we are all Baana (children) but Muslims are now regarded as Ebyana. Sheikh Mubajje said before Introducing troubled for Deputy Commander of Kampala Metropolitan Police Siraje Bakaleke, whom he said is another person facing persecution.
“Others when arrested with guns, they are told to move from civil court and charged there but to us Muslims, what happened. Look at Kitata. We ask government to treat us equally. We want explanations? Who are these people killing us? I am declaring that all Muslims declare national prayers, we want a country of peace” he said
Former Forum for Democratic Change party leader,Dr. Kizza Besigye implored Muslims to remain focused despite provocations like the killings that seem like targeting people of Islam faith.
Too sad for Kirumira who isn’t here with us, he has been a pillar for telling the truth. It is sad for the voice that was raised but now silent. The power isn’t with us but with the creator, we also see what is going on but be strong. All of us, will perish and however much they do much, you can kill someone but not his good deeds and his resolve.
Kirumira was assassinated last night together with a lady identified as Resty Nalinya whom he had given a lift.
Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago has ordered for investigations into his 2013 impeachment process and the allowances that were paid to Justice Catherine Bamugemereire.
Lukwago also wants City Hall probed for the acquisition and running of Usafi and Wandegaya markets. He wants details made public for allowances to Justice Bamugemereire, the venues (Metropole Hotel and Serena Hotel), legal fees paid to the lawyers hired by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) among others. He also wants to establish who determined allowances for Justice Bamugemereire.
In a letter dated September 5, Mr Lukwago instructed the KCCA Director of Internal Audit, Moses Bwire, to submit two reports to his office within one month.
“Pursuant to the provisions of Section 11 (1) (e) and (f), read together with Section 72 (2) (b) of the Kampala Capital City Authority Act 2011, you are hereby instructed to carry out a special value-for-money audit of all matters concerning the aforesaid botched impeachment of the Lord Mayor of Kampala, 2013 to-date,” Mr Lukwago’s letters reads.
Justice Bamugemereire was named by President Yoweri Museveni to head the KCCA tribunal and carryout an inquiry into whether the complaints that councillors had brought against Lukwago then held water and established that there was a prima facie case for the indictment process to proceed.
The expenditures of the commission that paved the way for the botched impeachment process of Lord Mayor Lukwago were not made public.
Lukwago wants the impending special audit to capture issues related to their management and administration of the markets, allocation and tenure of lock-ups, kiosks and open spaces; court cases; and the revenues generated since inception. The audit will also look into the court cases relating to the acquisition, administration and management of markets.
In its November 2013 report, the commission reported that the councillors would proceed to impeach Mr Lukwago on grounds of incompetence and failure to convene Authority meetings. On November 25, 2013, the councillors voted to remove Mr Lukwago from office in a process that court later ruled was void because the voting proceeded despite the presence of a court order stopping it.
Justice Bamugemereire has so far chaired two commissions of Inquiry and these are the Uganda National Roads Authority commission and now heading the Commission of Inquiry into land matters. Given the hefty allowances that come with chairing such commissions and tribunals, Justice Bamugemereire could probably be the richest judge as she is entitled to her monthly salary as a judge of Court of Appeal.
Bamugemereire who has asked for extension of the commission’s time into land matters two times has also faced it rough with Ministry of Finance officials led by Permanent Secretary Keith Muhakanizi who has on several occasions accused her of extravagance. She is on spot for busting investigating land related wrangles.
Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga has flagged off a 13-person delegation of the Busoga Consortium to attend the 18th edition of the World Shenyang Sister Cities Conference in China.
The Speaker, who is the patron of the consortium, said the team led by Minister for Presidency Esther Mbayo, will sign a letter of intent to establish friendship city relationships between Jinja city and Shenyang city in China, among other memoranda of understanding.
“The delegation will sign an academic exchange agreement between Jinja School of Nursing and Midwifery and Shenyang Medical College… a Memorandum of Understanding between Busoga Consortium and Shenyang Construction University to promote scientific research,” said Kadaga.
She added that the consortium is working with government to secure over 500 acres of land in Iganga as well as 380 acres of land in Jinja for setting up an industrial park.
“We have identified 450 acres of land in Kige, Kamuli district for possible development of an industrial park and the land is ready for investors, so please inform our Chinese friends,” Kadaga told the delegation.
Mbayo said that at the World Shenyang Sister Cities Conference, they would promote Busoga’s tourism and business potential and that of Uganda so as to attract more investments into the country.
“We shall venture into discussions in areas of the industrial park, tourism, culture and health; we seek your commendation as our patron,” Mbayo told the Speaker.
The Busoga Consortium was initiated by Vice President, Edward Ssekandi in 2017 following a MoU signed by 10 District Local Government Chairpersons, intended to rally the people and friends of Busoga to unite and steer socio-economic development.
RIP: Kirumira, former Buyende District Police Commander (DPC).
Secretary General of the ruling National Resistance Movement, Justine Kasule Lumumba has joined the rest of peace lovers in the country to mourn slain police officer, ASP Muhammad Kirumira.
The Assistant Superintendent of Police was shot by unknown gunmen as he entered his home in Bulenga, a suburb of Kampala on Sunday evening.
He was killed alongside his neighbour, Resty Narinya who had sought a lift from him on their way from a function.
Police and other security agencies have embarked on a hunt for killers who were reportedly using a motorcycle.
“I learnt with shock the assassination of ASP Mohammad Kirumira and the female occupant in the car last evening,” said Lumumba in a text message released by the NRM communications chief, Rogers Mulindwa.
Kirumira, Lumumba said, is known to have been an open minded and committed young police officer whose service especially in fighting crime will greatly be missed within the Uganda Police Force and the entire security circle.
“NRM continues to strongly condemn these brutal murders and call upon the President of the Republic of Uganda, and Commander In Chief to task the security team to bring such incidents to zero level,” she said.
Praying for his soul to rest in peace, Lumumba said that Kirumira has gone too early leaving behind a young family.
“Condolenses to his parents, relatives, the people of Busega and the entire Ugandan Community for this great loss,” a shocked looking Lumumba said.
Kirsty Coventry, a former Olympic champion and a current member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC’s) executive board, has been appointed minister of sport in Zimbabwe.
The 34-year-old Coventry was vice-president of the Zimbabwe Olympic committee. She also chairs the IOC’s athletes’ commission.
She was appointed to Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s cabinet as minister of youth, sports, art and recreation on Friday.
Mnangagwa won elections in July after replacing long-time ruler Robert Mugabe last year when Mugabe stepped down.
Coventry won gold medals in the 200m backstroke at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and also has four silvers and a bronze, the most Olympic medals by an African athlete.
She shares the record of most individual medals by a female swimmer at the Olympics with Krisztina Egerszegi of Hungary.
Coventry retired after the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games – her fifth Olympics – having won seven of Zimbabwe’s eight all-time medals. The other was gold by the women’s field hockey team at the boycotted 1980 Moscow Games.
Mwesigwa Rukutana is seen as the most available minister to defend his boss and government policies.
Parliament typically plays host to sparring debates between the government and the opposition over policies, legislations, motions and other day-to-day affairs relating to the Uganda.
But even as the NRM commands an overwhelming majority, it nonetheless has to contend with outnumbered opposition MPs, who employ filibustering tactics to outfox the government.
There are some Ministers and NRM MPs who wear their hearts on their sleeves, ready to vociferously defend every government proposal, however ridiculous it may be. These are the front-benchers who will take the bullet for the government and argue that no one was tortured following the Arua by-election and that Uganda is a corruption-free country.
On the other hand, there are Ministers and NRM MPs who simply don’t give a damn. These rarely show up in Parliament. You will not hear them boisterously defending Museveni and the government publicly. These are the withdrawn, reserved type who long took a backseat and just watch the nonchalantly as the drama unfolds.
We will start with the diehards, no matter what…
Mwesigwa Rukutana, Deputy Attorney General (MP Rushenyi County)
Rukutuna is a no-holds barred debater who will not shy away from ruffling feathers when it comes to defending contentious government proposals. An almost permanent figure for plenary sessions, Rukutana was the legal shield of the notorious Constitution Amendment Bill that removed age limits. His next assignment is finding a way of forcing through a bill that proposes forceful acquisition of private land for public use. Be sure he will pull all the stops to force through this unpopular law. He leads the government charge in the House. Ruth Nakabirwa
Ruth Nankabirwa [Government Chief Whip, Kiboga Woman MP]
Angry MPs have roundly accused Nankabirwa of being a jack of all trades and a master of none. Why? Because Nankabirwa literally leaps to the defence of every government position, often stepping in to replace absentee Ministers. Nankabirwa will want to answer questions on topics as disparate as water scarcity, insecurity and bills-literally defending everything government.
Granted, she is the Chief Whip but she takes it too far. Nankabirwa was instrumental during the contentious removal of age limits. State Finance minister David Bahati
David Bahati [State Minister Finance, Ndorwa East MP]
Bahati is one of the leading lights of the front bench. As junior Finance Minister, Bahati’s most grueling time is during the budget process. Allocation of money is a dicey issue. Every sector will want a lion’s share. Negotiating such allocations is a delicate balancing act but that Bahati excels at. Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Kahinda Otafiire.
Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire (Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister)
This Bushenyi bred politician is known for his confidence and he is among a few ministers who will answer his phone or return a missed call. Otafiire is arguable a great debater and based on that, Otafiire will not fear take on any person in the house defending a government police or his FRONSA comrade President Museveni. Also what makes Otafiire excel is his frankness when it comes to telling the truth. Hon. Chris Baryomunsi State Minister for Housing
Chris Baryomunsi [State Minister Housing, Kinkizi West MP]
Chris Baryomunsi is a Paul-turned-Saul or Saul-turned-Paul, depending on which side of the political aisle you fall. Chris, as he is fondly called, was once a “human rights crusader”, as Lwemiyaga County MP Theodore Ssekikubo irritably branded him this week. Chris spent the 2012 Christmas behind bars for questioning the circumstances of MP Cerinah Nebanda’s death.
Chris then said he would never forgive Museveni. Today’s Chris is a reformed man. He now professes absolute, unflinching loyalty to anything Museveni. Time, as they say, heals wounds.
Frank Tumwabaze (Information and Communication Technology)
Like his first name, Tumwabaze will never shy always from defending government and President Museveni. He is never nervous as he is also confident of his actions and decisions. However, lately Tumwabaze has gone low and this is perhaps to give chance to the ever ready Chris Baryomunsi who seem to be in love with the mick.
Beti Kamya [Minister for Kampala]
Beti Kamya famously promised Museveni to win the 2021 election with 100 per cent votes in Kampala, courting derision. She was one of those vocal ex-officio during debate on the Age Limit removal. Kamya is a vocal voice and she never minces her words to profess adulation for her darling-Museveni. Tourism Minister, Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu.
Ephraim Kamuntu [Tourism Minister, Sheema South]
Kamuntu is a figure of comedy and ridicule but a passionate defender of Museveni and government policies in the House. When he takes the podium in the House to shout praises for Museveni, opposition MPs cheekily remind him of his days as a UPC henchman.
Adolf Mwesige [Defence and Veteran Affairs Minister, Bunyagabu MP]
Mwesige is an aloof legal brain who only comes out of the shell when a government position is under fire.
Irene Muloni (Energy and Mineral Development)
She is ever amiably and with figure and facts about her docket but will not pick on an argument in the house to defend government positions. It is said she fears interfering in dockets or duties that aren’t her.
Other are
Elly Tuwmine
The I don’t-give –a- damn
Idah Nantaba [State Minister for ICT, Kayunga Woman MP]
The Kayunga Woman MP is such an indifferent figure to government policies that she was a no-show for the contentious voting on the removal of age-limits.
Bamulangaki Ssempija [Agriculture Minister, Kalungu South County]
Ssempija is said to be very active on the ground. He says Agriculture is in the fields and not in boardrooms. Rarely will he be caught locked in verbal brawling with MPs.
William Byaruhanga (Attorney General, ex-officio)
Picked from the backwaters and appointed Attorney General in 2016, Byaruhanga is an ex-officio who is rarely seen at Parliament. Those close to him say he is a shy and apolitical folk who prefers the lustre of business deals to the rough and tumble of politicking.
Tom Butime [Local Government Minister, Mwenge Central South]
Age really mellows down. Col. Tom Butime was once so vocal that he rejected a ministerial appointment as Karamoja State Minister on grounds that it was disrespectful. Butime is now meek and subservient.
Others in this category include
Sam Kutesa (Foreign Affairs)
He is either defending the country’s image abroad or busy chasing for his deal and so, might not have time for defending government in Parliament.
Muluri Mukasa
Betty Amongi
Jiji Odongo
Those that are not here are either care free and don’t want to court controversy or just don’t know how to debate.
