The head of the Military in Gambia has given full backing to President Yahaya Jammeh.
The army chief says he will back Jammeh should there be an intervene force to oust him
Mr Jammeh suffered a surprise electoral defeat last month to Adama Barrow.
He initially accepted the result but changed his mind days later, citing electoral “abnormalities”.
In a letter to the pro-government newspaper, Gen Ousman Badjie pledged the “unflinching loyalty and support of the Gambia Armed Forces” to Mr Jammeh.
Gen Badjie’s intervention follows the threat of military action by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) if Mr Jammeh refuses to leave office on January 19.
President Jammeh has said any such intervention would constitute an act of war.
Mr Barrow’s team had previously claimed the support of Gen Badjie. The army’s support is seen as critical in building a transition after Mr Jammeh’s 22 years in power.
Former member with the defunct Eagles Production, Charles Sekyewa has reunited with his former band-mate.
Sekyewa, who parted ways with his colleagues upon the collapse of Eagles production, has joined Mesach Semakula’s Golden Band, finally reuniting with not only his friends but his ex as well.
“East or West home is the best, I now officially welcome and introduce my longtime friend Charles Ssekyewa a very talented musician to the Golden Band Production 2017, munawulila ekiva mu majje ga golden,” his friend from way back in the Eagles Production days received him.
It ought to be remembered that Sekyewa and Mayanja dated for years while still in the defunct band but later separated. Subsequently Mayanja dated a string of other men thereafter, even marrying a one Mubiru but their marriage didn’t last long.
The other members of Golden Band include Ronald Mayinja, Mesach Ssemakula, Maureen Nantume, Grace Ssekamate and Fred Sseruga. On the other side (Da Nu Eagles) is Geoffrey Lutaya and his wife, Irene Namatovu.
Our journey began at 9am, on December 17, when we set off from MultiChoice Uganda head offices in Kololo, Kampala.
We were headed to Jinja for the MultiChoice Uganda end year media party and it took close to two hours to come to the end of a 100km long journey.
Without wasting time, we were treated to snacks at the Rafting starting point before guides took us through the safety gears; a helmet and life jacket.
The group of journalists shortly before embarking on the fete
It wasn’t long before majority of us; over 30 were dressed in these. Some who were afraid of hitting the waters remained behind. Here, we were led down the river where rafting boats were waiting.
Majority of us were getting on water for the first but we somehow shook off our fears and got onto the boats – with each boat carrying a maximum of 7 people including an instructor on each.
Our guide, Juma or Big J like he preferred being called, assured us we were safe on water as long as we respected his instructions. He put us through the paces, teaching us how to stroke, how to hold on and how to get back in the raft if we got tossed out, which actually took a lot of strength and always ended in a thoroughly undignified wiggle.
When the boat was about 1km from the banks, he ordered us to jump off the boat. Almost none of us wanted to leave the boat! We were all scared but using his experience, he flipped the boat, dropping all us in water. It was quite scary as we all fought for our dear lives – to get back on the boat, where only he had remained.
Fighting in vain for help, we yelled for help and were helped back onto the boat. Scary as it was, it was fun! At least we had learnt a thing or two – with a life jacket on, you can’t drown otherwise many of us would have since we didn’t know how to swim.
Finally we embarked on 15Km long journey of rafting. My advice, if you’re ever going to do this, is to choose wisely. Because the next thing I knew, I was upside down in an infuriated patch of the Nile River, a ceiling of white water above me, all those tranquil birds and flowers along the banks a violently disappeared memory and we were all cheering!
And that was just Round 1. Unlike our colleagues, our rubber raft never flipped at all contrary to the others who flipped countless times. We went flying off waterfalls. We got twisted around rocks.
The whole experience was like riding a bouncy castle through a tsunami as we went through several rapids for over two hours. The scariest rapid was aptly the second last, to me.
It was basically a roaring rapid on one side of the river, with the other side flat water, so you could run the rapid, bounce over the white water and then claw across the river and paddle back up and do it again. And again. And again.
We did this at least 3 times, with Juma effortlessly steering the raft into the rapid’s sweet spot, where we just stayed, getting battered by thrashing water, not really moving as Juma struggled to flip the boat.
Towards the end of the course, Juma allowed us to jump into the water and take a swim. We had got over our fears already and we swam competing against ourselves.
It was the perfect way to end the trip. We climbed back to the banks, exhausted, shoulders sore and feet raw.
It’s here where we met the cowards among who included Daily Monitor’s Mark Namanya and Capital Radio’s Sam Ayo who stayed behind.
We had lunch then embarked on a journey to the Bungee Jumping point; it took us about 30minutes to get there.
Being December, we found quite a number of people at the place – who were supposedly on their holiday.
The 40-meter high Bungee-Jumping that scared the author out of his wits.
However, my heart was too weak to consider jumping from over 40 meters high into the river, and I kept a distance as I watched other scream mid-air as they jumped. Here, we were treated to all kinds of drinks and eats before being addressed by MultiChoice Uganda spokesperson, Tina Wamala.
MultiChoice Uganda PRO Tina Wamala has a word with members of the group
She revealed that 2016 had indeed been a good year for Multichoice as more channels were added onto its franchise and even at a reduced subscription fee. Most importantly, MultiChoice had maintained its spot as the number one digital TV provider. She promised MultiChoice customers to expect so much more in 2017.
The party was sealed off with an energetic performance from the duo of Peter Miles and Menshan. What a performance it was!
Sadly, we had to leave all this fun behind as we finally embarked on a journey back to Kampala at10:30pm. Though, the fun I had that day will always have a space in my memory!
Kasese MPs led by Winnie Kiiza address a press conference.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has acknowledged receiving a petition by Members of Parliament from Kasese, filed on the behalf by lawyer Samuel Muyizzi of Alaka and Company Advocates, to investigate President Yoweri Museveni, Division 2 Commander Brigadier Peter Elwelu and the Police Director of Operations Asuman Mugenyi, for their culpability in the Kasese attacks in which about 100 people were killed.
The killings in their region followed clashes between security forces and traditional guards of Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere and, according to the six MPs, they want the ICC, the international judicial body charged with investigating and prosecuting genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, to among others investigate and hold Museveni and his two security bosses accountable for ‘impunity’.
The petitioners include Kasese Woman MP Winnie Kiiza, who is also the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in parliament; Busongora North county MP William Nzoghu; Kasese Municipality MP Robert Centenary; Bukonzo West MP Atkins Katushabe and his Bukonzo East counterpart Harold Muhindo.
“We want these 3 people be brought to book for the acts of impunity on the people of Kasese. We therefore invite the ICC to make investigations to these atrocities,” LoP Kiiza was quoted as saying, adding: “We believe these were crimes against humanity that the ICC should look into.”
The ICC letter written to lawyer lawyer Samuel Muyizzi of Alaka and Company Advocates.
And, in a letter dated January 3, the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP)/ICC Head of Information and Evidence Unit Mark P. Dillon, acknowledged receipt of Muyizzi’s letter, indicating however, that no investigation has commenced.
‘Please note this acknowledgement letter does not mean an investigation has been opened, nor that an investigation will be opened by the Office of the Prosecutor,’ Mr Dillon’s letter to lawyer Muyizzi referenced OTP/ CR/442/16, reads in part.
According to Mr Dillon, a decision will be reached and communicated to counsel Muyizzi in due course.
By press time the EagleOnline was unable to get counsel Muyizzi on phone, but Caleb Alaka, the Senior Partner at Alaka and Company Advocates, acknowledged his firm was handling the matter.
“Yes, it is counsel Muyizzi following up on that matter,” Alaka said on phone.
South Sudan President Salva Kiir has, in an unexpected move, sacked two governors and replaced them with two other officials from two newly-created states.
Kiir, in a decree read on the state-owned media, sacked the Twic state governor, Bona Panek Biar and his Gogrial state counterpart, Abraham Gum.
In a separate decree, the South Sudanese leader appointed former Twic state finance minister, Kon Manyiel Kuol as the new state governor, replacing Biar, while in Gogrial, Gregory Deng Kuach Aduol, an in-law of the President, is the new governor. Aduol’s appointment has drawn mixed reactions from supporters and political allies.
“I’m celebrating the most wanted appointment of Gen. Gregory Vasili with the people of Gogrial state. Congratulations to H. E. The president of the Republic of S. Sudan Gen. Kiir for his wise decision to respond to the people’s thirty for change”, said Ariech Mayar Ariech, an ally of the new governor and close friend to president Kiir’s family.
FLED: The Gambia's Electoral Commission boss Alieu Momar Njai
The Gambia’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) chief has gone into hiding, his family has said.
There are unconfirmed reports that Alieu Momar Njai, who announced Yahya Jammeh’s defeat in the polls last month, has fled the country.
President Jammeh initially accepted defeat, but then changed his mind and is now refusing to step down.
Security forces took over the headquarters of the electoral commission shortly afterwards.
Writing on his Facebook page,Mr Njai’s son did not confirm whether his father had left the country, but said that he hoped and prayed that he was ‘in safe hands’.
President Jammeh, who has ruled The Gambia for 22 years, is due to be replaced by property developer Adama Barrow, who won elections on December 1, with more than 45% of the vote.
Diplomatic efforts to convince Mr Jammeh to accept defeat have so far proved unsuccessful and three private radio stations have been taken off air in the country since Sunday, in the first sign of a media crackdown since the president’s election defeat.
The West African regional bloc Ecowas, which has been leading these efforts, has threatened sanctions against Mr Jammeh if he does not step down.
“Happy New Year,” Joel Kamadhi bellowed, before assuming his seat and listening to a few pleasantries from the other members. Then, in his usual demeanour of self-importance, he signaled other members to ‘lend me your ears’.
“Shhh! Do you people remember the narration by one of our leaders about the proverbial animal that he hunted down and that as he was just beginning to slay it some undeserving Ugandans sprung out nowhere clamouring for some of its meat?
Well, he is not alone, and there is another carcass in town, this time round hunted, felled and skinned in the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) ‘hunting grounds’ in Nakawa and in the corridors of the ministries of Finance, Energy and Justice.
BENEFICIARY: Former head of URA legal affairs and current KCCA Executive Director Jennifer Musisi Semakula
“Members, have you people ever heard of the names Doris Akol, Jennifer Musisi, Kalisa Kabagambe, Peter Nyombi, Keith Muhakanizi, Christopher Gashirabake, Lawrence Kiiza and Harriet Lwabi Musoke, and do those names make sense to you?” Kamadhi, just fresh from the Christmas holidays in his Itakaibolu village of Busoga, asked his fellow members of the Mutungo Malwa Group.
BENEFICIARY: Former Attorney General Peter Nyombi
“Well, those Ugandans and other officials from the ministries and government agencies recently guzzled Shs7 billion ostensibly after a ‘hunting expedition’ in Ugandan and foreign courts, in which they successfully saved Uganda US$403 million in ‘the Capital Gains Tax carcass case’ against Tullow Oil and Heritage Oil and Gas companies,” Kamadhi added. According to Kamadhi, 37 people were each paid monies ranging from Shs93.3 million to 266.4 million, the latter being the highest amount ‘hunters’ derived from the hunting expedition, part of which was posthumously paid to a ‘ghost beneficiary’, the former finance ministry Permanent Secretary/Secretary to Treasury Chris Kassami (RIP).
Kamadhi further said the money, untaxed, was paid out as both ‘basic salary’ and ‘gross income’.
Interestingly, according to Kamadhi, some of the current beneficiaries of the bonanza, reportedly from the Attorney and Solicitor General’s Chambers, had at first opposed the ‘court hunting expedition’, opting instead to ‘hunt’ from Tullow and Heritage, a development that was reportedly scuttled after a ‘very high level meeting’ in which the then URA top legal guru advised the powers-that-be that the case was ‘winnable’ in any court, local or foreign.
“Are the people you are talking about shareholders in a big private equity firm that is A-listed on the London Stock Exchange? Are they whistleblowers or expatriates working on a mega hydro-electricity project or they work for the government of Uganda?” the soft-spoken but controversial Bwambale asked. He further prodded: “Does the URA have a Board of Directors and is it the board that could have cleared such monies to be paid?”
“Anyway, is there a board worth its salt that can sanction monies to be paid out even to civil servants as inducement, knowing very well that it is against the Public Service Standing Orders?” Bwambale shot out, inadvertently giving an unsolicited answer to his own question, as if provoked by the ‘ghosts of Kasese that were lamenting the incarceration of Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere’.
Then the all-knowing Kamadhi leapt to Bwambale’s aid, giving a detailed account of the processes that lead to such huge sums to be paid out.
“Much as it is still difficult to place a finger on who in government sanctioned the payment but, given my 40-year experience with the public service, what is apparent is the payment was not in good faith,” Kamadhi said, adding: “Otherwise why was it kept secret if the payments were merited?”
Kamadhi added: “Anyway, the process involves the officials from the chief government advisors’ offices; that is the Attorney General and Solicitor General, and the Ministry of Finance. It is these people who cleared the way for the others from the Uganda Revenue Authority and the energy ministries to join the ‘carcass slaying bonanza.”
“But you have not talked about the Parliament; isn’t it the institution that appropriates funds for government expenditure? Was that money appropriated in the last financial year to be paid out as inducement to the beneficiaries, all of who are in the employ of government?” an unrestrained Bwambale further charged, this time slicing off noticeable discussion space from the ever-assuming Kamadhi.
Then Joseph Lakony P’Orach, who had all along been listening attentively, joined in. “But Parliament is like the proverbial Irishman who walks with his head facing where he is coming from!” P’Orach kicked off his tirade, adding: “For the MPs, they just get to know about developments in Uganda after action has already been taken. Do you remember the ‘retrospective clearances’ made in respect of the purchase of the Sukhoi jets and for the deployment of peacekeeping troops for foreign missions?”
Undone, Lakony P’Orach added: “Even in the august house they sometimes work retrospectively, like when they are to purchase cars and make payments and other perks for MPs in the newly-created constituencies (which some MPs are even not aware of) and travel for foreign ‘missions’ like the Uganda North America Association (UNAA) convention.”
Then Gaudensia Mbaroraburora, the tough-talking lady who claims to be a Princess from Toro joined in the discussion, suggesting ‘Patriotic Clubs’ be shifted from schools to ministries and other government agencies.
“I think it is high time government revisited its policy on patriotic clubs, for they seem to be misplaced. The Ugandans who desperately need to attend those clubs are busy sipping cold beers every evening, day in-day out, while the students, who even have nothing to steal to show that they hate their country are made to attend the patriotic clubs; it just doesn’t make sense to me,” Ms Mbaroraburora, aka the ‘Club Belle’, said.
“For instance, how can almost 10 lawyers working in the legal department of URA benefit from the ‘oil capital gains tax bonanza’ yet they were doing a job they are ordinarily handsomely paid to do?” she asked.
“Now, can you imagine these shameless fellows even involved the name of my tribesmate Kassami, an honourable citizen of Uganda who died after serving the public without a bloat for over 40 years?” she went on. “They reportedly paid ‘him’ a measly 93 million; internally I am bleeding as I cry for my beloved country,” the Club Belle said, making scant reference to the title of Alan Paton’s 1948 betseller.
Then, as the group tried to internalize Club Belle’s missive, former rebel-turned ruling party reformist Hitler Eregu, also freshly returned from Christmas holidays in Teso, asked: “By the way, can the carcass slaying bonanza be regarded as the highest form of corruption? And if so, what do the proponents of Kisanja Hakuna Mchezo think about the Capital Gains ‘carcass slaying bonanza’ and, will heads roll now that is seems to have turned into grand larceny?”
Then, to sum up the evening’s discussion and just like Ms Mbaroburora before him, Tororo Hospital pathologist Dr. Odoi Opondo, an infrequent guest who had all along been quiet, sprung into action, evoking another tribal trait that this time round sent all the members into uncontrolled laughter.
“Can you imagine my tribesmate, ‘doctorate holder’ and one of the leading Kisanja Hakuna Mchezo protagonists and his staff have not received salaries for six months?” Dr Odoi Opondo asked, before delving into his own ‘occupational hazards’.
“Can you also imagine we doctors save millions of lives but nobody seems to realize that we also need ‘hunting expeditions’ of such nature?”
It was now time for retreat to our enclaves and Kamadhi, as usual, had the last word.
“Well, members, let us wait and see whether Parliament will summon those Ugandans, or whether the other powers-that-be will act,” Kamadhi said and bade us all ‘goodnight’, promising to return with ‘more interesting stories’.
This is a burlesque column that usually runs on Friday but has this time come early. It will resume on Fridays.
Former NBS Television presenter and news anchor, Doreen Biira currently working with Kenya’s KTN TV recently introduced her fiancé to her parents in Kasese.
However, things aren’t going well for her as bad omen isn’t giving her room to breath after she was arrested in Kasese.
In fact, it was during this time that the Rwenzururu Kingdom Palace was attacked consequently leading to her arrest over taking photos of the attack that left more than 100 royal guards dead.
Surprisingly, another man has come up claiming to be dating the mother of one.
The revelation was made today during a Court hearing where one of Doreen’s workmate, KTN News editor Aaron Ochieng is accused of stealing her car – a Mercedez E220.
The car went missing a few weeks back. This was after the news anchor found her car keys missing on the desk and that’s when she ran to the parking lot of Standard’s Group headquarters to find her car missing-.
She reported the matter to Industrial police station and that’s when investigations commenced where they got to be successful and the car was recovered in Kisumu with new number plates.
Further investigations led to Ochieng being the suspect and he was arrested alongside two guards who were on duty at the time.
But in an interesting twist of events, Ochieng has denied the claims arguing he couldn’t have done it claiming that they were actually lovers. He was later released on a cash bail.
It ought to be remembered that Doreen has been dating a one Newton Kung’u whom she met in 2013.
It’s coming to four years since NTV news anchor, Gabriel Epenu last appeared on our screens, after he got involved in a life-threatening accident.
Former NTV anchor Gabriel Epenu
Over that period, many have forgotten about him but not singer Irene Namubiru who, at the time of the accident, was dating Epenu.
Unfortunately, the artiste was not in the country when the accident happened; she was in Japan where she had been arrested for drug trafficking.
Fortunately, she survived the hang man’s noose while there and returned to the country safely. But even then, Epenu’s relatives did not allow Namubiru visit her boyfriend in hospital.
In an interview with NTV last month, Namubiru said she would sneak into the hospital at night when everyone is asleep and check on him.
But that was then. At the moment, she doesn’t need to sneak to see her man, if we are to go by the latest developments.
The two have secretly been meeting for the past days, according to one of Epenu’s friends.
Epenu’s condition improved over a year back though he is yet to make his much anticipated appearance on TV.
EMPHASIS ON STANDARDS: UNBS Executive Director Dr. Ben Manyindo
The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) will conduct a food safety workshop between February 6 and 17, to analyse veterinary drug residues and contaminant in foods and feeds.
The UNBS office complex in Bweyogerere on the outskirts of Kampala city.
Organised under the theme: ‘interregional technical meeting on optimization, harmonization and validation of radio receptor assay’, the workshop will be held at the UNBS headquarters Standards House, Bweyogerere, on the outskirts of Kampala city.
Aziz Mukota, Head of UNBS Chemistry Laboratory and ‘Counterpart Member’ will lead the Ugandan team and will also be the focal point person during the workshop, whose matrices will include tissue/meat, eggs, milk, fish and feed.
The technical meeting, to be held under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in cooperation with the Government of Uganda, will be under the broader technical cooperation project aimed at ‘improving food safety through the creation of an interregional network that produces reliable scientific data using nuclear and isotopic techniques.’
The project aims at equipping several member state laboratories with unique capabilities to gather residue occurrence data, working as a group that can be useful in standards setting.
Countries from various regions will be involved in laboratory practical exercises and group discussions as well as data processing and reporting.
The countries will include among others Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Chile, Costa Rica, Pakistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Singapore and Tanzania.
