The fifth annual media challenge awards was conducted yesterday at Victoria hall Serena hotel Kampala.
The function that saw competitors vie for top honours in reporting news beats in both English and Luganda bulletins; essay writing, one minute of fame presentation, camera works and editing among others, attracted several many media personalities.
Participants, including students from different universities showcased their talents.
These were categorized and included Hasfah Ntambi from Kampala University (Best Political Reporter, Luganda) Best Political Reporter (English) Joseph Oluka followed by Herbert Mwesigwa and Winnie Patience Ndinawe of Makerere University; Best Health News Reporter was Hope Kihembo of Uganda Christian University (UCU) followed by Cuthbert Kigozi and Bridget Mutumba.
Others were Best Business Reporter that went to Umar Ssenyonjo of Makerere University, followed by Sharon Kanola; Best Entertainment News Reporter Luganda Category- Miriam Anzaire; Best Technology Reporter English Philip Ssentamu Philip (UCU) and Luganda category winner David Matovu (MUK); Best Gender Reporter (Luganda) Shamim Kafuko and Best Gender Reporter (English) Sheenah Namutawe of Kampala University.
The award for Best Sports Reporter in Luganda went to Steven Mayombwe, while the Best Sports Reporter for English was Sapphire Nahabwe from UCU.
Journalist Joy Doreen Biira at the police station in Kasese earlier today. Ms Biira has not yet been released despite assurances by AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi that she would be released on bail.
After a long time while out of the country, former NBS TV journalist, Joy Doreen Biira, who now works with KTN TV in Kenya was finally in her home town, Kasese, the scene of macabre killings that have attracted nationwide attention and condemnation.
The gorgeous lady news anchor had returned for her traditional wedding on Saturday and at this time anyone would be enjoying blissful moments but that isn’t the case with Biira. She is in prison! Biira was arrested last night with five others including her husband for taking photos of the killings in Kasese and sharing them on social media.
The gruesome photos of Rwenzururu King Charles Wesley Mumbere’s guards have since gone viral on social media.
But despite an earlier promise made by Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Andrew Felix Kaweesi to have her released today morning, she is still behind bars and we have since learnt that police is now searching the house in which her in-laws were staying.
“Flying Squad is doing the search in presence of Joy Doreen Biira and fiancé,” says her lawyer and human rights activist Nicholas Opiyo.
So far 55 people had been confirmed dead by Sunday morning prior to the attack of the army on the Rwenzururu King’s palace. The number is believed to have doubled after the attack on the palace that also saw Mumbere arrested.
NO MORE FOREIGN STUDENTS: Kenya School of Law boss PLO Lumumba
Ugandan post-graduate law students and those from other East African countries of Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda will not be admitted to the Kenya School of Law, beginning next year.
“We have received a letter dated October 25 from the Council of Legal Education informing us that non-Kenyans are not eligible for admission to the Advocates Training Programme (ATP) at the Kenya School of Law,” reads a memo by the Kenya School of Law Chief Executive Officer Patrick Lumumba.
In an internal memo dated November 17, Prof Lumumba said the decision was made following a directive from the Council of Legal Education (CLE).
“In light of the contents of the letter, non–Kenyans should stand informed that the admission committee has not considered their applications.”
CLE Chief Executive Officer Kulundu Bitonye said the decision was arrived at after noting an error in the procedure of admitting foreigners to the institution.
Prof Bitonye said the issue was discussed at a meeting on legal sector reforms convened by the office of the Attorney-General and the Department of Justice.
But Uganda Law Society (ULS) President Francis Gimara, in a letter dated November 22 to Law Society of Kenya President Isaac Okero, said the directive is inconsistent with the spirit of liberalizing legal services in East Africa.
“Specifically, it (Kenya) made commitments on free movement of legal services and representation services in judicial procedures concerning other fields of law with no restrictions or exceptions,” the letter states.
It adds: “Further, Kenya took the lead and autonomously amended its Advocate Act to recognize and permit advocates from the region to practice law in Kenya, an act that was progressive and demonstrated good faith.”
Mr Gimara called on LSK to engage the relevant government departments in order reverse the development.
By press time it was not possible to ascertain whether there are Kenyan students pursuing their post-graduate studies at the Law Development Centre (LDC) in Kampala, and what their fate would be after the pronouncement.
Rwenzururu king Wesley Mumbere being arrested before being taken to Nalufenya Police Station in Jinja.
Former presidential candidate in 2016 general elections and FDC strongman, Kizza Besigye has condemned the recent violence in Kasese and called for international investigation to reveal the truth about a matter that has reportedly left over 70 people dead.
In an exclusive interview with EagleOnline, Dr. Besigye said the government ought to own up and address the real issues afflicting the ‘Banyarwenzururu’.
“It was not necessary to exterminate the people. I condemn the actions of government and I think there should be international bodies to investigate and reveal the truth,” Dr. Besigye said.
Besigye also said it was “unfortunate that public institutions like police and army are being used to commit crime like what has happened in Kasese.”
Dr Besigye said the problems of Kasese are three: lack of respect for the traditional leader by government, the land question and politics. He added that “having installed Mr. Charles Wesley Mumbere as king, government thought they would manipulate him like in other areas but Mr. Mumbere turned out to be no-nonsense individual.”
“The people of Kasese and wider Banyarwenzururu have several grievances that have been mismanaged. Mr Museveni and other NRM people thought they would grant and manipulate the king just like Buganda where they set up other traditional leaders but after having realized that Mumbere was not easy to manipulate, they instead started divide and rule by setting up other traditional leasers like Omudingiya and among the Basongora,” he said.
On land, Dr. Besigye said the donation of land for the prison farm at Mubuku and the other land given to national parks left the Banyarwenzururu landless, a development he said, was compounded by the recent land redistribution where cultivators were allotted less land as compared to pastoralists.
“The government has also been discriminatingly giving much land to Basongora as compared to other groups,” he said, adding that politics had also led to the divide in Kasese.
“Above all, the politics of Kasese has been supporting and voting for Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party and that voting consumed people like Crispus Kiyonga (former Minister of Defence) and Dura Muhindo Mawa (former Kasese district LCV chairman) and some of these politicians have been trying to say FDC is subversive,” he said of the current volatile situation in Kasese.
FINALLY: SK Mbuga and wifey Jalia and their guests
“Jalia and I want to thank all of our friends and wellwishers for taking the time to celebrate with us our memorable moments. Indeed, it was a long but blissful week and we understand that being there for us was an honor given the number of events we organised for you before our wedding,” city socialite, Suleiman Kabangala Mbuga writes two days after his wedding.
GRAND: Tycoon SK Mbuga and wife Jalia Mbuga
Mbuga and his new wife Vivianne Birungi (now Jalia Mbuga) exchanged vows at Old Kampala and Kibuli mosques on Saturday before hosting their guests to a lavish reception at Serena Hotel, Kampala.
FINALLY: SK Mbuga and wifey Jalia and their guests
What a day it was! In attendance were city socialites, people from the entertainment fraternity and the religious world who included Sheik Nuhu Muzaata.
“It was indeed a special day for Jalia and I, and I hope that the support that you’ve shown us will continue as we embark on our new life together, we are committed to staying married for the long haul, and we know it will be so much easier with all of you by our sides,” he adds.
SK Mbuga and his bridal entourage of groomsmen
Below we bring you the day in photographs.
HUSBAND AND WIFE: The Mbuga’s pose to give a speechTHERE I GO: SK Mbuga just before his wedding
Fireworks Advertising Group was the biggest winner at the 6th Annual PRAU Excellence Awards after it scooped four awards; three of which are from its PR arm – brainchild Burson-Marsteller.
The awards at the Golf Course Hotel in Kampala last Friday were organised by the Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU), and recognised top PR agencies, professionals and corporations that have excelled in the execution of PR, digital and communications functions over the last one year.
Brainchild Burson-Marsteller emerged best PR Agency, had the best crisis management execution and also managed to organize the best event between November 2015 and October 2016 – the Vodafone Power Talks. Fireworks advertising won the best media management campaign for the Pepsi Sala Puleesa promotion.
“We are extremely happy to have won several awards tonight. We thank PRAU and our clients for giving us the opportunity to showcase our work and professionalism. Our success at these awards demonstrates the effectiveness of our PR campaigns in solving our clients’ business challenges. I thank the teams at Brainchild Burson-Marsteller and Fireworks Advertising that made this happen,” said Walter Wafula, the Business Unit head, Brainchild Burson-Marsteller.
This year the PRAU Excellence Awards were organized under the theme ‘PR Excellence in a Competitive and Digital World’ and were graced by ICT and Information Minister Frank Tumwebaze and the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Uganda, Rosa Malango, who gave a keynote speech.
“We have witnessed increased competition in the public relations industry with more and more companies keen to sustain a good image in the eyes of their stakeholders. However, company resources to support this has not come easily with more professionals citing budget cuts, forcing them to scale back on public relations activities or cancel them all together,” said PRAU president Cynthia Mpanga.
The other winners on the night were Airtel (Best Corporate Social Responsibility Campaign), Umeme (PRAU Sheppard Honors) and MTN (People’s Choice Award) and Hon. Mary Karooro Okurut (PRAU Golden Honors).
The 2016 PRAU Excellence Awards submissions were judged by an independent panel of senior practitioners who delivered the results with clear explanations for each winner, making it one of the most credible professional awards in the region.
Meanwhile, Burson-Marsteller Africa, which Brainchild Burson-Marsteller is affiliated to, was named 2016 African Network Agency of the Year for the second consecutive year at the 2016 Financial Mail Annual AdFocus Awards ceremony, last Wednesday in Johannesburg.
“I would like to congratulate all the winners for their contribution to the industry and for the great achievements within their respective agencies over the past year. A big thank you also goes to the agencies that went the extra mile in packaging their submissions and making the task of the judges so much easier. Good luck to all again for next year’s entries,” says AdFocus Jury chairman, Craig Page-Lee.
Big Music boss, Ibrahim Mayanja popularly known as Big Eye has a concert on December 3 but all seems not well.
And as the date for the show draws near, the ‘self-contained’ singer won’t take any chances and has reportedly sought the blessings of his parents.
Culturally, parents are the ‘earthly Gods’ and late last week the father of one headed to his ancestral home to seek the parents’ blessings so that his show succeeds.
And going by the photographs posted on his social media platforms, Big Eye’s parents were happy to see him for they have been used to seeing him only during the Christmas festive season and a few other public holidays.
His show dubbed ‘Nkuziniremu/Self Contained’ is scheduled for this Saturday at Hotel La Grande, Bwaise.
Chair of EALA Chapter, Kenya, Hon Nancy Abisai .The Chapter engaged a number of stakeholders at the Sensitisation held recently
The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) has recommended that sensitisation and awareness on the integration process be institutionalized as a continuous activity on its agenda.
Outlining a raft of resolutions adopted by EALA late yesterday urged the Partner States to fully implement the Common Market Protocol which provides for free movement of people, capital and services among others, to allow citizens of East Africa to enjoy their rights.
The members were deliberating on the sensitization activities carried out by EALA between October 27 to November 7 this year.
The sensitisation, the third such series this year for EALA, targeted various stakeholders in outreach and was anchored on the theme: ‘EAC Integration Agenda: Accessing the gains’.
EALA also called for the need for the Partner States to eliminate Non-Tariff Barriers ‘which impact negatively on intra- Regional trade activities’.
The EALA members also said peace and security in the region should be prioritized, including the fast tracking of the implementation of the EAC Peace and Security Protocol, and the increased efforts with regard to the on-going peace negotiation in Burundi. Other areas include issuance of work permits to facilitate those who wish to work in EAC Partner States as well as addressing the issue of Certificates of Rules of Origin to facilitate cross border trade.
In a bid to foster integration, the Assembly is urging the Summit of Heads of State to upgrade Kiswahili to be one of the official languages of the Community.The sensitization programmes targeted Parliamentarians, youth groups, representatives of the business community and local government authorities. Other groups include Government officials, students and media in the respective Partner States.
In Rwanda, the EALA Chapter toured the Rwanda Standards Board to hold discussions with the stakeholders. Also visited were the Nemba One Stop Border Post on the Rwanda/Burundi border as well as a tour to the Rusumo One Stop Border Post bordering Rwanda and Tanzania and at Gatuna on the Rwanda/Uganda frontier.
The Uganda Chapter on its part, met with students at the Kyambogo University before meeting with representatives of the Chamber of Commerce. The Chapter also held talks with the Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda, Rt Hon Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga.
They later visited the Uganda Heart Institute which is an EAC Centre of Excellence and the Uganda Cancer Institute. The Chapter also visited the Kyambogo University, before holding Public Hearings on four Bills. The Bills are the EAC Gender Equality and Development Bill, 2016, EAC Prohibition of Female and Genital Mutilation Bill, 2016, the EAC Whistle Blower Protection Bill, 2016 and the EAC Retirement Benefits for Specified Heads of Organs Bill, 2016.
In Burundi, the EALA Chapter paid a courtesy call on the President of the Burundi National Assembly and the Minister for EAC Affairs before heading to Muyinga Province. There, the Chapter met with the Governor before proceeding to the Kobero One Stop Border Post. The Chapter also held talks with the Business communities living at the border, where discussions on the benefits of integration took centre stage. The EALA Burundi also held discussions in Ngozi Province with various stakeholders as well as public hearings on a number of bills.
Hon Abdullah Mwinyi addresses the House
The Chapter in the United Republic of Tanzania toured the Immigration Department in Dar es Salaam. They also paid a courtesy call on the Chama Cha Mapinduzi Secretary General and EALA Speaker Emeritus, Rt Hon Abdulrahman Kinana, as well as sensitisation of different stakeholders in the coastal areas of Dar, Tanga and the environs. The Chapter led by Hon Makongoro Nyerere, further visited the border post of HoroHoro, which neighbours that of Lunga-Lunga on the Kenyan side where they sensitised citizens who reside on both sides of the borders.
In Kenya, EALA visited Government authorities including courtesy calls on the Immigration department and its parent Ministry of Internal and Co-ordination of National Government. The Members similarly met with the Directorate of Immigration where key matters on the e-Passport and border management were discussed and at the Communications Authority of Kenya.
The report presented to the House also cites a number of challenges of the integration process. They include the overlapping of RECs Memberships by Partner States which continue to pose harmonisation and co-ordination challenges and lack of political commitment among Partner States. Weak institutions that lack the capacity to enforce sanctions against Partner States that fail to implement Protocols are also cited. Other challenges include Non-Tariff Barriers, poor infrastructure and energy shortages and corruption.
REPRESENTED: THE EAC was represented at the Mauritius Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).
The Sixth Africa Regional Platform (AfRP) on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) concluded over the weekend in Mauritius.
The platform was organized by the African Union and United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction and co-hosted by the SADC and the Government of Mauritius, with the East African Community (EAC) represented both at the Experts segment and in the High Level Ministerial Session by Jean Baptiste Havugimana, the Director for Productive Sectors.
The AfRP is a biennial forum that brings together African Member States, intergovernmental organizations and development partners to review progress in the implementation of the continental and global disaster risk reduction frameworks.
The 6th AfRP on DRR is the first continental meeting on DRR organized after the adoption of the Sendai framework on DRR by UN member states in Sendai, Japan in March 2015. The Framework provides a critical strategy for building resilience and addressing the impact of disasters representing a serious threat to millions of people in Africa and across the world.
EAC DELEGATE: Mr Jean Baptist Havugumina, the EAC Director of Productive Sectors.
During the Experts segment, Mr. Havugimana was a panelist under the theme: “Risk governance to showcase the status of EAC in implementing the Sendai Framework and the role of the DRR Act in achieving priority two of the Sendai Framework – Enhancing Risk governance”.
Mr. Havugimana further presented during the Ministerial Session the EAC Position Paper and Commitment in the implementation of the Sendai Framework. The Statement was a summary of discussions held by all EAC delegations during their session as a REC.
The 6th AfRP was a concrete opportunity for Africa to set up a functional path to alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable communities in Africa.
The Platform also enabled delegates’ sharing of good practices, success stories and lessons learnt with a view to enhancing coordination, increasing awareness, and mobilizing commitments to disaster risk reduction across Africa.
The outcome of the 6th Africa Platform on DRR is an Africa Statement of DRR, the Mauritius Declaration on continental commitment and a revised Programme of Action on DRR for Africa.
'DROP TERRORISM CHARGES CPJ IMPLORES UGANDA GOVERNMENT': Renowned TV Anchor Joy Doreen Biira who was arrested by police yesterday.
Renowned news anchor Joy Doreen Biira is soon to be released, a prominent media personality has indicated.
Ms Biira, who was in Kasese for her traditional wedding, was arrested after allegedly posting on her social media pages, photos and videos about the flare up in her home town of Kasese involving the security services and local guards attached to the King Charles Wesley Mumbere, who is also under arrest.
And, posting on his Twitter handle NBS TV boss Kin Karisa said he has held a meeting with the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Andrew Felix Kaweesi, who promised him that Biira, a news anchor with Kenyan media company KTV and who formerly worked with NBS, is to be freed ‘in the next 10 minutes’.
“Just had a meeting with AIGP Felix Kaweesi, Joy Doreen Biira will be freed in next 10 minutes,” Karisa wrote.
Earlier AIGP Kaweesi was quoted saying that Ms Biira would be released on bond.
“Joy Biira is safe and I have talked to commanders that if there are charges, let her be granted police bond” he said.
‘Police in Kasese at this moment are interrogating Joy on allegations that she took and shared photos of events in Kasese,’ human rights lawyer and activist Nicholas Opio posted.
Meanwhile, available information indicates that over 60 people including Uganda Police and army officials have died in the fighting that erupted in Kasese on Friday.
