The relatives of slain child activist Kenneth Watmon Akena has tasked the Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, to investigate ‘sectarian’ statements allegedly made by Edith Byanyima, one of main suspect Mathew Kanyamunyu’s relatives.

Through their lawyer Ojok and Company Advocates, the statements that the family wants investigated are those made by Edith Byanyima, a sister to Oxfam boss Winnie Byanyima and an aunt of Mathew Kanyamunyu.

‘We act for and on behalf of the family of the late Akena with instructions to address you as here below. Our attention has been drawn to social media publication of ChimpReports attributed to Edith Byanyima, which you may be aware of, entitled ‘Byanyima; Acholi soldiers killed Kanyamunyu’s father; Acholi Policemen haunting Bahima’, reads a letter addressed to Kayihura.

Whereas the family maintains it’s not after curtailing Byanyima’s God-given right of freedom of speech and expression, ‘we support her in that regard. However, we vehemently object and oppose her abuse of that right which she expressed in an ignorant and sectarian manner against the people of Acholi. We are particularly appalled by her utterance’.

The particular statement the lawyers want investigated is; ‘what guarantee is there the buses will return to Acholi’.

‘We can only speculate about her intentions. We also respect her right to associate with whoever she pleases; we detest in the strongest term possible her utterance of association with those who lost their lives during the Amin era which she attributed to the Acholi soldiers. Criminal liability is personal and we would not wish the murder of Mr. Akena be generalised as she is doing’.

‘Our instructions are to request your office to direct the appropriate office to investigate such sectarian utterance and the perpetuators be dealt with as your office or the DPP may deem in,’ the lawyers state.

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Bugweri County legislator, Abdu Katuntu will lead the investigation into how 42 government officials shared Shs6 billion as a reward for defending Uganda in a two oil cases against two British firms, Heritage Oil and Gas and Tullow Oil.

Speaker Rebecca Kadaga ruled during the plenary sitting this afternoon Thursday, January 19, 2017 that the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Cosase) will lead the inquiries.

“I trust Cosase, it has been doing a good work,”Ms Kadaga told MPs, adding: “Investigate claims that public officers solicited for a payment, honorarium, bonus or golden handshake totaling Shs6 billion from the president contrary to standard practices of rewarding public
officers.”

According to Kadaga, Cosase should also investigate “the basis of determination of beneficiaries to the bonus payments including a full account of the role of each beneficiary in the court case.”

She further instructed the committee to examine whether all the proper and legal procedures under the laws of Uganda were followed in making the alleged payments.

“Scrutinise all supplementary requests and other budget allocations provided to the public officers in facilitating the court processes in Uganda and abroad. Establish all revenue so far received by government in the petroleum fund,” she said.

The committee is further to examine any other matters related to the matter and make policy recommendations for the sound management of public finances.

“Do anything incidental to and pursuant to the terms of reference and report back to the House within two months,” she added.

However, as Ms Kadaga instructed Cosase, government insisted on forming a parallel committee, different from the standing committees of the house.

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The Church of Uganda has today launched activities to commemorate the 40^th anniversary of former Archbishop Janan Luwum’s death.

In a press release issued today, the COU thanked President Museveni for gazetting February 16 as a public holiday, to remember Rev. Luwum, then Archbishop of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Boga Zaire.

The commemoration events begin Feb 5 at the St. Paul Cathedral, and events in Kampala will be graced by Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, while the preaching will be led by the Archbishop of Uganda The Most Rev. Stanley Ntagali.

Luwum was murdered by former President Idi Amin on Feb 16, 1977, and the commemoration of 40 years since his death will take place on Feb 16 at his ancestral home in Mucwini, Kitgum.

Meanwhile, according to the release, the public holiday will enable those intending to travel to Mucwini, where President Museveni is set to preside over the commemoration. The main preacher will be Bishop Mike Hill, the Bishop of Bristol Diocese UK, who will represent the Archbishop of Canterbury, while the guest intercessor will be the leader of Episcopal Council of the Catholic Church Bishop Most Rev John Baptist Odama.

The release also indicates that activities in Kampala include a procession by a brass band, that will march to Namirembe Cathedral, leading the laity from five centres: All Saints Church, Nakasero, Mmengo Archdeaconry Centre; St. Francis Chapel Makerere; Zana Church of Uganda and the Mackay Church of Uganda.

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Members of Parliament (MPs) have requested equal representation at the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA).

The requests were made Thursday afternoon during debate on the section on the election of the members of EALA.

Budadiri West MP and former Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP), said Uganda adopted the multi-party system of governance and should be represented at EALA basing on parties. “Uganda already went multi party, the representation to should based on the different parties,” he said.

Nandala Mafabi’s opinion was supported by other MPs including another former Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Ogenga Latigo (Agago South), Latif Sebaggala (Kawempe North) and Minister Chris Baryomunsi among others.

Baryomunsi, the State Minister for Urban Planning said there is a need for the representation of the different shades of opinions, political parties.

“When the parties are nominating their candidates they make sure that all interest groups are taken care of ,” said Baryomunsi.

Latigo expressed fears that once they go with majority representation, NRM would still dominate even at EALA. “If we go by the majority representation, we will still have an NRM majority in EALA,” he said.

However, Speaker Rebecca Kadaga responded by saying EALA members are elected to represent their country not parties. “When members are elected to go to EALA they don’t represent a political party, they represent Uganda,” she said.

Uganda has nine slots at EALA. However, of the nine, NRM has been taking five slots and leaving the remaining four to other parties.

Meanwhile, Nandala Mafabi told the house ‘tongue-in-cheek that there was no need to worry about the representation of the Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) at EALA, saying it recently merged with NRM and that the parties ‘are now one’.

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The government of Uganda has said it intercepted 101 members of the disbanded M23 rebel group that was fighting to overthrow the government of President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo, as they attempted to escape.

According to a release by the Uganda Media Centre, the former rebels, travelling in four cars, were arrested in Mbarara enroute the DRC. They had been cantoned at Bihanga military barracks in Ibanda, government said.

According to the government, the 101 who were arrested were following an earlier group of 40 which reportedly escaped from Bihanga late last week. Uganda now says there are 270 former rebels remaining in cantonement, while those arrested are being held at the Div 2 headquarters in Makenke, Mbarara.

On Monday the DRC government spokesperson Lambert Mende, said about 200 armed former members of M23 arrived from Uganda and took over the village of Ishasha, in North Kivu province.

“How could our Ugandan neighbours, with whom we are bound by very serious commitments, allow people who had been living in refugee camps to cross over – armed – into our territory?” Mende was quoted as asking.

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