Bob Marley’s youngest son, renowned dancehall and reggae musician Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley
Bob Marley’s youngest son, renowned dancehall and reggae musician Damian ‘Jr Gong’ Marley is to perform today in Kenya.
The ‘Welcome To Jamrock’ hit maker will be performing at Kenya’s Carnivore Grounds, in a concert that is part of his Europe and African tour.
Marley is already in Kenya having arrived through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) yesterday.
Meanwhile, in a space of days, another global popstar will be performing in Kenya.
RnB star, Omarion
RnB star, Omarion will be performing in Kenya on Saturday June 3, 2017 at the Ngong racecourse waterfront. He will be headlining the maiden Afro Pop festival, the first of its kind in Kenya.
Afro Pop Festival is an annual event where different parties and communities get to showcase their culture in general through food, art, dance at the sametime getting to highlight common issues affecting the society as a whole.
The entertainment scene in Kenya is continually thriving with the kind of line-ups gracing events, concerts and festivals taken a notch higher. A-list artistes of different ages, times and zones – the likes of Chris Brown last year at the Mombasa Festival, Ginuwine for the Plot, and Estelle for Blankets and Wine.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has flagged off the maiden freight and passenger trains on the 472.3km Standard Gauge Railway from Nairobi to Mombasa.
The inaugural freight train left the port of Mombasa on the evening of May 30, arriving in Nairobi the following morning. The first passenger train was flagged off from the new Mombasa Terminus station on May 31.
The passenger service has been dubbed Madaraka Express, and each train will seat up to 960 passengers with a Mombasa – Nairobi fare of Kenyan Shs700 (US $ 6.77) in standard class and shillings 3000 in first.
The line has been designed with an axle load of 25 tonnes and could move 22 million tonnes/year at a speed of 80-100 kilometer per hour for freight trains and 120 kilometer per hour for passenger trains. Freight trains will have a maximum capacity of 4000 tonnes, or 216 TEUs, and the line has been built to accommodate double-stack container trains.
The line is forecast to carry around 22 million tonnes of freight per year from Mombasa, representing 40 per cent of the port’s throughput. Kenyatta said the line will reduce the cost of moving a container between Mombasa and Nairobi from US $960 to US $480.
The Exim Bank of China provided 90 per cent of the financing required for the US $3.42 billion railway, which was constructed by China Road and Bridge Corporation.
Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) spokesperson Michael Osinde Orach has advised all pilgrims to be more vigilant ahead of Martyr’s Day celebrations on June 3.
The Uganda Martyrs are a group of 22 Catholic and 23 Anglican converts to Christianity and over 100 Muslims in the historical Buganda kingdom, who were executed between January 31 1885 and January 27 1887.
They were killed on the orders of Mwanga II, the Kabaka (king) of Buganda at a time when there was a three way religious struggle for political influence.
In a weekly press briefing at UPC headquarters on Uganda House, Osinde Orach said that the pilgrims who have trekked distances will be blessed for their sacrifices.
‘’The renewal of faith is crucial in our lives as we forgive one another in the commemoration of the Martyrs that sacrificed their lives for religion to flourish in Uganda’’. Mr. Osinde Orach said.
With few days to June, Martyrs shrines have turned into a hive of activity, where over 40,000 pilgrims from all corners of the world are expected. This year Hoima diocese will lead the Catholic Church celebrations while the Anglican celebrations will be led by the Namirembe Diocese.
VICTORIOUS: Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine and his wife Barbie Kyagulanyi.
Famous artiste Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu popularly known as Bobi Wine has this morning been nominated as an independent candidate in the Kyadondo East by election.
Accompanied by his wife Barbra Kyagulanyi aka Barbie and a number of supporters, Bobi Wine arrived at the Electoral Commission Offices in Kasangati.
Bobi Wine joined the race after the nullification of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidate Apollo Kantinti’s election by High court Judge Isabirye Kaweesa on grounds that the Electoral Commission did not comply with the electoral laws.
Subsequently, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate William Sitenda Sebalu filed an electoral petition, in which he accused the EC of violating electoral laws, and also charging that the election was characterized by voter bribery among others.
“We expect no violence and whoever may try to incite it will be dealt with accordingly,” the EC Deputy chairperson Hajjat Aisha Lubega, said after nomination of Bobi Wine.
Meanwhile, by press time today FDC candidate Apollo Kantinti had been nominated at 3pm.
FIRED: The letter suspending former Soroti RDC Filbert Ocailap
Soroti Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Filbert Ocailap has been suspended over ‘misconduct’ related to land disputes in the district.
In a letter dated May 29 and signed by Deborah Katuramu, the Secretary Office of the President, Mr. Ocailap is to proceed on forced leave as investigations into his conduct are being carried out.
According to Ms. Katuramu, former RDC Ocailap failed to honour the Public Service Standing Orders and is to hand over office to Isaac Kawoya, hitherto his Hoima counterpart.
IN TROUBLE? makerere University finalist Rebecca Naddamba has been ordered to defend self
The Makerere University administration has summoned a student whose semi-nude photographs shocked the country last week.
According to a letter written to Rebecca Naddamba, a Bachelor of Education finalist, has been summoned by the University’s Dean Of Students, Charles Kabagambe.
“It is alleged that the picture, which appeared last Friday/Saturday (26/27 May, 2017) in the social media, of a lady dressed in a red top and red long robe-like skirt but cut into many small strips that exposed part of her nakedness, was your picture. The background of that picture revealed that this act of exposing nakedness happened at the Finalist Education Dinner, which was a University function.
“If it is true that person was you, your action, as a student of this University, would have contravened University Regulation 8 (2) (a) which states that “every student shall respect him/herself and behave in a manner that will not bring his/her name and that of the University into disrepute’ and Regulation 8 (2) (d) which states that ‘every student shall dress in a neat and decent manner’.”
She was given up to Friday to defend herself ‘without fail, to guide the next cause of action’.
Naddamba shocked her colleagues last Friday when she turned up almost naked for the School of Education Finalists Dinner held at Fairway Hotel.
It even became worse when the photos made it to social media; immediately going viral and attracting widespread condemnation from the public.
BOU DRAGGED TO COURT: Uganda currency notes that were thrown into the grave of tycoon Ivan Sewmanga
Fallen socialite and chairman of the ‘Rich Gang’, Ivan Ssemwanga was laid to rest in his ancestral village, Kayunga.
But as promised by his family, his send-off was with pomp. His colleagues of the ‘Rich Gang’ poured champagne in his grave before throwing money. Famed for throwing around money, there is no doubt they too are feeling the current economic pinch as the money thrown into the grave was different from one they are known for.
Normally, they are known for throwing around huge notes like $100 notes and Shs50,000 notes but this time, it was Shs10k which dominated the money thrown in the grave. A Shs1,000 note was also among those thrown in the grave.
Meanwhile, Ssemwanga is not the first public figure to get such a send off.
Celebrated Kadongokamu musician Paul Job Kafeero
Celebrated musician, Paulo Kafeero famed for both his songs and love for booze was also buried almost in a pool of booze.
His friends and relatives poured liters of different types of booze in the grave before burying him.
But the recent ‘strange’ burial that left tongues wagging was one of Charles Obong, who worked as a senior personnel officer in the ministry of Public Service from 2006 to 2016. He was buried with over Shs200million.
According to the wife who had already placed over Shs200million in the grave, the money was intended to ‘bribe’ God on Judgement Day so he could forgive Obong his earthly sins. That’s what he had included in his will.
Obong was buried in a metallic coffin estimated to have cost Shs20m.
The widow of South Sudan liberation hero John Garang has called on government soldiers to forsake President Salva Kiir.
Rebecca Nyandeng said on VOA’s South Sudan in Focus that the country’s internal conflict benefits mainly the president, who she said is amassing wealth while soldiers go without paychecks.
“I am appealing to soldiers of the SPLA not to fight one another, to come back for peace, and leave this senseless war for President Salva,” Nyandeng said Monday.
The SPLA, which fought for South Sudan’s independence from Sudan, split into pro and anti-government factions at the start of the war in December 2013.
Nyandeng said if government solders put down their arms, Salva Kiir ‘will not be able to stay in power.’
According to the United Nations, more than 1.8 million South Sudanese have fled the country since fighting broke out in late 2013. Another 1.9 million are internally displaced from their homes.
Earlier this month, a U.N. report said South Sudanese pro-government forces killed at least 114 civilians between July 2016 and January 2017 in Yei town.
The Human Rights Division of the U.N. Mission in South Sudan said the crimes, including indiscriminate shelling of civilians, targeted killings and burning of civilian property “may amount to war crimes.”
Former Principal Accountant in the OPM Geoffrey Kazinda
Former Principal Accountant in the Office of the Prime Minister, Geoffrey Kazinda has again been convicted of fraud by the Anti-Corruption Court.
This is after he was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud government of Shs316 million worth of fuel drawn by ‘ghost vehicles’ of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). The said vehicles were meant to carry relief to disaster victims.
kazinda was today found guilty together with a Clerk in the OPM, Beatrice Keezabu; Shamim Masembe – the proprietor of former Caltex fuelling station in Ntinda and Hussein Katumwa, the station manager.
Masembe and Katumwa were found guilty of aiding government officials to steal public funds while Keezabu was separately found guilty of making forged entries claiming that fuel was taken.
Trial Judge Lawrence Gidudu ruled that prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused persons had engaged in conspiracy to defraud, embezzlement, fraudulent accounting, forgery and uttering false documents.
The group awaits sentence upon finishing of mitigation from both Prosecution and the Defence.
Kazinda has already spent four years in jail on other charges. In June 2013, the same court found him guilty of forging the signature of then Permanent Secretary Pius Bigirimana. He was sentenced to five years which he is about to complete.
But addition to that, he is still facing more charges. He is jointly charged with officials of the finance ministry for allegedly misappropriating Shs21 billion from the NRDP funds meant to rehabilitate the war torn Northern Uganda.
Gen. Kayihura at his re-appointment celebratory party in Mbale. Photo credit, Daily Monitor.
Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Secretary General and Budadiri West Member of Parliament Nathan Nandala Mafabi has warned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), General Kale Kayihura to desist from using Elgon zone as a ground for promoting his ‘interests’.
Mafabi made the comments on a Whatsapp group known as Elgon Thinkers Forum where he was questioning why, of all places, Gen. Kayihura chose Mbale to hold his celebratory party.
“Why didn’t the Banyankole welcome their own and instead Bugisu did so?” Mr. Mafabi wrote.
Asked by www.eagle.co.ug why he thought Gen. Kayihura didn’t deserve to celebrate his re-appointment in Mbale, Mafabi said the IGP should instead have celebrated his re-appointment in his home area of Bufumbira.
Leave issues of Bagisu to Bugisu Mafabi to Kayihura.
“Why didn’t he go to his home? These are hopeless things being done in our area. Instead of advocating for service delivery to the region or promoting sons and daughters of the soil in the police force, he is using crime preventers to show that Mbale loves him and why should we allow this in our area?
Gen Kayihura was in Mbale to celebrate his re-appointment for a fifth three-year term as police chief. While there, he is reported to have told the Mbale residents that he had ‘forgiven’ individuals maligning him and the police on social media.
This website failed to get a comment from Gen. Kayihura however, he was quoted by the media as having said that the party at Nauyo Primary School in Bungokho County, had been organised by his admirers in political circles and the police in the Mt Elgon region.
“What you have done; it’s not a small thing. I am like a born-again now and I thank God. I now know the reason why President Museveni started fighting [against] the bad government of Idi Amin from here,” Kayihura was quoted saying, but declared no political ambitions of his own.
The Elgon region, according to Gen Kayihura, is a political Mecca for freedom fighters. In the 1970s, Mr Museveni, who at the time headed the Front for National Salvation (Fronasa), established a cell in the Elgon region to recruit for and advance interests of the rebel group. He later founded the National Resistance Army guerilla outfit, which enabled him to shoot his way to power in 1986.
In 2015, former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi sought to launch his political consultations in Mbale as he made a bid for the presidency.
Another member of the same Whatsapp forum questioned the organizers’ intentions, saying all those that attended were paid.
“Mbale has always been a town of great thinkers but of late it’s the opposite and these thugs know it. I was in Mbale and I saw how excited the crime preventers were, I guess because of a few coins, alcohol and food. I felt so small that we have been reduced to such a level where we can celebrate the likes of such people,” the member posted.
