In a few days’ time, Ddembe FM’s morning show hosted by Kasuku, Ruth Kalibala, Hajj Shafiq Kayima and Mzee Muteweta will go live on TV.
We have learnt that Nation Media Group is planning to move the show to NTV’s sister TV station, Spark TV.
According to a reliable source, the show will start airing soon. Twezimbe is one of the biggest shows on Dembe FM.
The deputy team leader of the Truth and Justice Forum Samuel Walter Lubega has called for reconciliation of rival groups of the Democratic Party.
Lubega’s intervention comes after the DP Vice President for Buganda region Betty Nambooze Bakireke launched ‘the bad DP’, a splinter group that seeks to oust Norbert Mao from the DP presidency amid claims that he and DP Vice President Mukasa Mbidde ‘sold’ the party to President Yoweri Museveni.
And today, while addressing the press at Speke Hotel, Lubega called for “rethinking the relevance of the opposition parties, tackling their challenges and consolidating the opposition gains to democratic struggle in Uganda.”
He also pointed an accusing finger at President Yoweri Museveni, saying he meddles in the internal affairs of opposition political parties.
According to Lubega, in a bid to reverse the downward spiral of the DP, the Truth and Justice Forum has organized a leadership convention at St.Matia Mulumba church on Friday, aimed at harmonizing all opposition leaders.
In 2011 Lubega contested for presidency as an Independent after failing to clinch the DP flag bearer ticket, which was taken by Norbert Mao.
After the 2016 presidential elections Mr Museveni set out to woo some opposition figures, and from the DP he has so far managed to integrate State Minister for Children Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi and the former party National Chairman Muhammad Kezaala, who was named Ambassador.
Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) boss Allen Kagina has refuted reports indicating she has resigned from her job.
“There’s rumor going around that you have resigned your position as Executive Director of UNRA? Is it true?” renowned city lawyer, Hussein Kashillingi asked in a tweet.
In her response, Kagina rubbished the rumours that had already gone viral on social media.
“Whaaaat!! Why would I resign??!! Some crazy person started this. I wonder who…. Feel free to fill in the gap! I am very much here!” she responded.
The rumours were further rubbished by UNRA spokesperson, Mark Ssali.
“Good people, tell those talking of UNRA’s ED resignation that they are too late for April Fools Day!”
The rumours come at a time when many say she has failed to deliver, with claims that all the ongoing road works were signed by the previous management.
UNRA last week cancelled bids for the construction of the Rukungiri-Kihiihi-Ishasha-Kanungu road. In a letter dated March 29, Kagina wrote to all bidders informing them of the body’s decision to reject their bids.
UNRA has also been embroiled in internal squabbles over jobs with Kagina herself being a subject of investigation by the Inspectorate of of Government over allegations that she employed some of her relatives in top positions.
There are eight players still competing in the Singleton Challenge golf tournament as it enters its fourth and penultimate round at the Entebbe Club this Saturday, April 8.
Eight pairs remain in the amateurs’ category, while the pros group has eight individual golfers competing.
The eight pros left include Fred Wanzala, Abbey Bagalana, Vincent Byamukama, Denis Anguyo, Phillip Kasozi, Herman Mutawe, Dickson Lagoro and Deo Akope.
In the amateurs category, the eight pairs left are Ray Kahiigi and Ibra Bagalana; Elly Mukasa and Kiryowa Kiwanuka; Dan Kajungu and Collins Nuwagira; Allan Muhereza and Moses Matsiko; Moses Ssebugwawo and Emmanuel Mugabi; Isaac Mariera and John Muchiri; Jadu Patel and Anthony Agaba; as well as Enock Nuwagaba and Paul Nsereko.
The winners this weekend will earn a place in the final round due in May, where the triumphant pair stands to take home the big prize of a once-in-a-lifetime all-expenses paid trip to watch The Open at the Royal Birkdale in Southport, England.
Saturday’s action will be crowned with a 19th hole African themed experience, courtesy of The Singleton.
“The Singleton Challenge has been an amazing journey. It has provided lots of great memories, and as we get closer to its end, as UBL, we feel humbled by the love and support we have experienced at the Entebbe Club,” said Ms Annet Nakiyaga, Brand Manager, Diageo Scotch. “We hope this tourney is the start of more partnerships with the club in the near future.”
The Singleton Challenge takes a four ball better ball mode of play and will tee off at 7am and run up to 2:30pm. There will also be prizes for others not participating in the match play event, that is men’s groups, A, B, C, as well as women’s groups A and B. The green fees stand at Shs30, 000.
The Singleton Challenge teed off in January and will run for five months, with its climax set for May this year.
The Government and the Tourism Private Sector, with the support of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Uganda are launching the Uganda Tourism Inclusive Business Ecosystem Platform on Thursday April 6, 2017 at the Golf Course Hotel – Kampala.
According to a March 4 release by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), its Country Director Ms. Almaz Gebru, together with the Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Ephraim Kamuntu and the Representative of the Swiss Development Cooperation, will preside over the launch of the platform.
‘Uganda’s tourism sector has emerged as one of the fastest growing sectors in the country, single largest export earner and generator of foreign exchange. However, the rapid economic growth of the sector has not brought prosperity to all. Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by world leaders call on countries to mobilize all efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind,’ the release indicates.
It adds: ‘Strengthening the supportive ecosystems can stimulate the development of more inclusive businesses and holds the key to unlocking Uganda’s tourism potential. On the other hand, Inclusive Business offers an opportunity for private enterprises to meaningfully contribute to attainment of SDGs and national development whilst realizing commercial success’.
The US Department of Homeland Security has announced steps to prevent the fraudulent use of H1B visas, used by employers to bring in specialized foreign workers temporarily, which appeared to fall short of President Donald Trump’s campaign promises to overhaul the program.
Trump had promised to end the lottery system for H1B visas, which gives each applicant an equal chance at 65,000 positions each year.
Lobbyists for businesses who rely on H1B visas, commonly used by the tech sector, had expected Trump to upend the lottery in favor of a system that prioritized workers who are highly skilled and would be highly paid in the United States.
The lottery for fiscal year 2018 opened on Monday without changes.
The start of the lottery was seen by those watching the issue as the unofficial deadline for the Trump administration to enact H1B visa reform, and the failure to meet that deadline signals that Trump’s promised overhaul of the system may be off the table or long delayed.
“More oversight is a good start, but employers can still use the program legally to depress wages and replace American workers. That falls short of the promises President Trump made to protect American workers,” said Peter Robbio, a spokesman for Numbers USA, a Washington-based group that advocates for limiting immigration into the United States.
The White House could not immediately be reached for comment.
In keeping with the practice of former President Barack Obama’s administration, employers and foreign workers will enter a lottery system where 65,000 workers are permitted to enter the United States to work. An extra 20,000 H1B visas are reserved for workers with advanced degrees.
Last year, the lottery remained open less than a week before the program reached its cap.
Tech companies rely on the program to bring in workers with special skills and have lobbied for an expansion of the number of H1B visas awarded.
Proponents of limiting legal immigration, including Trump’s senior adviser Stephen Miller, have argued the program gives jobs that Americans could fill to foreign workers at a less expensive cost.
The measures announced by DHS on Monday focus on site visits by U.S. authorities to employers who use H1B visas.
In future site visits, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agents will investigate incidents where an employer’s basic business information cannot be validated; businesses that have a high ratio of H1B employees compared with U.S. workers; and employers petitioning for H1B workers who work off-site.
Bally’s hope of winning the coveted prize of N25 million and an SUV finally met a brick wall as he has been evicted from the on-going Big Brother Naija reality TV show.
Bally becomes the ninth housemate including the fake housemates, to be evicted.
This week’s live eviction show will pass as one of the toughest as four popular housemates TBoss, Debie-Rise, Marvis, and Bally were subjected to a popularity contest in less than one week to the end of the reality TV show. TBoss polled the highest votes, leading with about 26 percent, followed by Debie-Rise who polled 25 percent, Marvis with 24 percent and the only male in the contest, Bally polling 23 percent.
On the eve of the eviction show, Ebuka- Obi-Uchendu, the show host, to the surprise of the housemates, announced that they will be hosting very important guests.
This later became the shock of their lives when the visitors turned out to be their family members and in some cases, friends. Amidst tears, the housemates, after about 80 days of separation, sat and watched their favorites eat specially prepared meals, even though they were prevented from touching or speaking with their guests as they were all put in a ‘freeze mode’.
During the eviction show, Ebuka, again invited the housemates’ visitors to the stage and gave them the opportunity to finally speak with each other. The dreaded moment, however, came when Ebuka revealed that this week’s eviction process would be played out differently. He explained that the family member or friend that walks into the house would signal the evicted housemate.
Without wasting time, the guests were ushered to the arena as the nominated housemates anxiously waited for the doorbell to ring, each fervently praying against seeing their ‘person’ come in. It was the shock of the night when Tola, Bally’s friend walked into the house. In a moment of disbelief, the five standing housemates watched as Bally and his ally walked out of the house.
Bally joins Soma, Miyonse, CocoIce, Gift, Uriel, ThinTalLTony, Bassey, including the two fake housemates, Ese and Jon.
Bally, while on stage with Ebuka said: “I’m actually surprisingly okay. I’m not going to lie to you. I mean, I got this far. It wasn’t easy you know. And a week away, it’s not too bad. ”
When Ebuka brought up the issue of his constant nomination of some the housemates, Bally disclosed that he went out for the game.
“The people that are my friends are going to remain my friends forever regardless of what happened in the house. It was the game, to be honest and I had to play the game the way it ought to be played,” he said.
On the hardest part of being in the house, the statistician and DJ said, “You are living with people who are more than tough strangers, different people from different backgrounds, so you have to learn to tolerate these people.”
Meanwhile, the moment of respite came when Ebuka, to the delight of the last five housemates standing, announced that there wouldn’t be a nomination show and head of house task this new week. He also said the housemates will no longer be allowed to campaign for votes in front of the cameras.
Now, the question in the minds of millions of viewers across Africa is who will be the ultimate winner of the Big Brother Naija show? The facts remain that all the housemates are quite popular as their various teams are vigorously canvassing for support deploying different strategies all in a bid to win with their favorite housemates. Who will the winner be come Sunday? Will it be Efe, Bisola, Debie-Rise, or TBoss?
This week’s live eviction show was graced by popular artiste and songwriter, Davido and he treated the guests to two of his current hits, twice on stage.
Former deputy commandant of Special Forces Command, Brig. Sabiiti Muzeeyi has been appointed as the new head of Military police.
Sabiiti who is currently in Moscow in Russia for a military course will replace Brig. Emmanuel Kanyesigye who has been named 4th Division commander in Gulu replacing Brig. Kayanja Muhanga who was sent to AMISSOM.
Brig. Sabiiti after being relieved off his duty as SFC deputy commandant was supposed to travel to the United States for another military training but the American authorities refused to grant a visa and in the process, he was sent to Russia for training.
Renegade General David Sejusa has weighed in on the raging diatribe of controversial Makerere University Researcher Stella Nyanzi against the First Lady and Education Minister Janet Museveni, indicating the academic is a revolutionary standing up to oppression.
No stranger to controversy, Gen. Sejusa says Dr. Nyanzi’s tirades against Mrs. Museveni represent ‘a rejection of the established political and social order’ and a snub to the ‘powerful’.
‘Vulgarity in politics is a rejection of the established political and social order. It is the overt way of rejecting the set social conventions normally set by society. It is the rejection of the so called civilised discourse whose content and usage is normally set and controlled by those with the power. Be that power wielded by the state or the church or elders, the bottom line is that they are social norms used by those with authority to keep in check those they rule over’, Gen. Sejusa wrote in a communication titled ‘The Stella Nyanzi revolutionary journey; vulgar politics as a method of resistance’, issued through, the Freedom and Unity Front (FUF) spokesperson, one Vincent Magombe.
The FUF was formed by Gen. Sejusa in November 2013, a period he was in exile after penning a missive critical of President Yoweri Museveni’s government, in which he indicated that there were plans to ‘eliminate’ top army and political leaders including himself.
In the same document he alleged that Mr. Museveni was hell-bent on being succeeded as President by his son, Major General Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
For long General Sejusa, a former Coordinator of Intelligence Services, has been known for his liberal-minded commentaries on civil-military affairs and this time round the maverick General says Dr. Nyanzi is mistakenly ridiculed by many, yet she is sane but possibly unaware that in taking on the First Family she is engaging in revolutionary politics.
‘Many are amused as why Stella Nyanzi writes that way. I see many calling her names, mad, gay… my mind tells me Stella Nyanzi is none of all those. She is sane and intelligent,’ the General wrote.
He added: ‘what I am not sure is whether she, herself (Dr. Nyanzi) understands that what she is doing is a well-practiced method of political revolt employed throughout history. And I watched poor Janet Museveni wondering why Stella hates her … and saying she forgave her. Janet, like most people is preoccupied with the words used but don’t know that Stella’s method of resistance is called vulgar politics. Hence, throughout history, vulgar politics has been employed in the fight against the powerful. Vulgar politics is very effective and hard to ignore. Indeed it is an effective political tool for the oppressed’.
According to the General, those in power are usually offended when ‘minnows’ take on them, in the process exposing their vulnerability.
‘Vulgar politics does not serve well those in power. It depicts them in bad light. Yet, for the oppressed like Stella Nyanzi, it serves them well because they lure you in their trap. You cannot ignore them. And because it’s nasty, ugly and mean, it gets under the skin of those with authority. It provokes their raw nerves and they overreact. It’s piercing. As brutal as hot lead! So it’s an effective symbol of peoples’ revolt,’ Gen. Sejusa asserts, drawing parallels to the French Revolution and Jacobinism.
Further, he adds: ‘Therefore vulgar politics should not be merely looked at with moral lenses. It is a political tool imbued with violent revolutionary traits and totally at variance with the common pragmatist liberal ideas of political dissent’.
The General also said that the government has probably failed to internalize the possible ramifications of Dr.Nyanzi’s actions.
‘I doubt the Museveni oligarchy even understand what’s happening, thus the Janet Museveni attempt to forgive Nyanzi. In a rebellion, people don’t seek for your forgiveness nor your understanding. Neither are they afraid of the consequences. So your usual methods may not be effective after all,’ Gen. Sejusa wrote.
South Sudan will not go ahead with plans to charge foreigners a $10,000 (£8,200) fee for work permits as officially announced in early March.
The plan has been dropped in response to criticism that it would penalise aid agencies, the finance minister said.
The controversial measure was announced just four days after famine was declared in parts of the country.
However, the revised fee will be reviewed by MPs and could be introduced at a later date.
Foreign workers are currently required to pay $100 (£80) for a work permit.
South Sudanese officials argued that the fee was one of the lowest in the region hence suggesting the 100-fold increase.
But the fee hike faced criticism with people saying that it would burden aid workers at a time when the country was most at need.
Finance Minister Stephen Dhieu Dau acknowledged the complaint as part of the reason why the fee increase has been dropped.
“The ministry of finance acknowledges these significant issues… and steps are being taken to formulate the best way forward,” Mr Dau said.
Even before the uproar over the fee increase, the officials of the famine-stricken country had been accused of impeding access for humanitarian agencies.
South Sudan is currently facing food shortages and parts of the country are experiencing a famine.
The on-going civil war has compounded the difficulties of dealing with the country’s food problem.
