The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, has urged the delegation of Members of Parliament attending the 29th Annual Uganda North American Association Convention (UNAA) to project the good image of Uganda as well as promoting the country as a tourist destination.

The Ugandan Parliament annually participates in the Convention to bridge the gap between Ugandans living in the Diaspora and Parliament.

“We should note that the Diaspora are important to our economy being that their remissions contribute greatly to the GDP as well as being a source of skilled labour,” she said.

The four-day UNAA Convention, which takes place in Miami, Florida, starts on August 31, 2017 and will attract participants from various sectors that include Immigration, Lands, Uganda Investment Authority among others.

“We need to be patriotic and present a good image of Uganda and listen to the issues facing Ugandans in the Diaspora,” she told the legislators.

Kadaga noted that the issues of voting rights for Ugandans in the Diaspora and dual citizenship remain sticking issues, which will be addressed.

“Although we agreed on dual citizenship, we have not yet set up the proper structure for acquiring dual citizenship. So it remains a challenge for our people in the Diaspora,” she explained.

While 100 MPs were invited to the Convention, the Speaker nominated 23 MPs to attend. Kadaga explained that the legislators will attend different fora and make presentations on different sectors, loans approved, their implementation and what’s going on in the country. The MPs were nominated from across the political parties and committees in Parliament.

Among the various committees, the MPs will attend include the trade and investment forum; youth forum; the fistula campaign for northern Uganda, among others.

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High Court Judge Justice Wilson Kwesiga has adjourned the hearing of a murder case against Sheik Amir Yahaya Mwanje and other three others to September 7.

Sheik Mwanje, the prime suspect, Musa Sekandi, Muhammad Buyondo and Abdul Wahhabi, all boda-boda cyclists, are accused of killing Major Muhammad Kiggundu and his bodyguard Sergeant Steven Mukasa.

The slain UPDF officer, a husband to local medicine woman Sophia Namutebi aka Mama Fina was gunned down on November 26, 2016 at Masanafu, a Kampala suburb, by four gun men who were trailing his vehicle on to two motor cycles, while he was on his way to radio Bilal for a talk show.

The four were arrested basing on a video in which Maj. Kiggundu was pinning Sheik Mwanje of masterminding the killing of Muslim clerics and for targeting the deceased.

Occasionally, the four have been appearing before Justice Kwesiga, who has been adjourning the case, saying that the prosecution is still gathering evidence and dealing with the protection of its witnesses.

However, today Justice Kwesiga told prosecutor Yowan Batisita Siimwe, who represented the DPP, to sort out his evidence material in a bid to avoid delayed hearing of the case.

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President Yoweri Museveni has met with the supremo of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer, who called on him at State House Entebbe yesterday.

Maurer, who was accompanied by Mr Zoran Jovanovic, the Head of the ICRC delegation in Uganda, said he called on President Museveni to hear his perspective concerning the situation in South Sudan, adding that  as a humanitarian organisation, ICRC wanted to establish progress of the peace process as well as the confidence building measures that are being applied to unite the warring factions in Africa’s newest state.

Mr Maurer, who visited South Sudan said the country was ICRC’s second largest operation worldwide after Syria, and that the organisation was worried about the impact of the conflict on its people.

Maurer lauded Museveni and the people of Uganda for the good reception and treatment of refugees. The ICRC official also lauded Museveni for his engagement in regional peace processes, pledging that his organisation would continue to provide logistics and support refugees.

On his part President Museveni told the delegation of his efforts to reconcile the mainstream SPLA/M party with the breakaway factions, and that meetings have been held to this end.

“Discussions are on-going to implement what was agreed in these meetings. A critical minimum in stability will be achieved, now that the factions of President Salva Kirr and Mrs Garang are talking,” Museveni said.

Museveni assured the ICRC officials that the peace process was progressing well and that he was confident that the agreements signed in Kampala will act as major building block on restoring peace in the country that has had over a million of its people flee to Uganda as refugees.

Mr. Museveni opined that although there is war, “humanitarian organisations need to offer support to farmers in the more stable areas, so that you are not only providing relief items/food but also building capacity.” He also said there was need for agencies to provide seeds and farm implements.

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