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Eight people including two police officers killed in the latest Kasese violence

By
Francisco Adongo
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Eight people including two police officer are reportedly dead in the latest clashes in Kasese district

The eight are reported to have been shot dead at the palace of Omusinga Bwa Rwenzururu as a combination of forces stormed the palace where attackers were reportedly hiding.

According to NTV reporter Raymond Mujuni who is following events on ground, posted on his twitter handle” We have gained access to the office of the Kingdom where earlier heavy fighting took place, 8 people died in the fighting”

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It is after this incident that in retaliation that the two police officers were attacked while on duty on the outskirts of Kasese Municipality and two were killed. Police has also reportedly lost its truck at Kaganda as it was burnt by the revenging forces.just last week before the army started operations in Rwenzori Mountains, two police officers were attacked and killed while on duty by unknown assailants. Early this week, the army battled the same group that had started levying taxes and imposed a curfew in some parts of Kasese and Bundibujyo districts. The army recovered explosives which second division commander Brig.  Peter Elwelu said are majorly used in Somalia.

The Leader of Opposition and Kasese Woman legislator, Winfred Kizza is yet to address the press conference at Parliament about the situation.

 

 

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Police links Maj. Kiggundu killers to ADF

By
Our Reporter
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RIP: Andrew Felix Kaweesi.

Police Spokesperson, Felix Kaweesi has linked the murder of Sheik Maj. Mohammed Kiggundu to Allied Democratic Forces rebels.

Speaking to media, Kaweesi said that the tactic used is similar to that used in the past killings of Muslims leaders.

“We thought we had neutralized ADF elements but it seems we still need to do a lot of work.” He urged all the other clerics who had been given security not to take any chances.

According to Kaweesi, Kiggundu was one of the clerics on a list of Muslim leaders being targeted by hit men.

Kiggundu, a rebel reformist was killed today morning at Masanafu, a Kampala suburb. His bodyguard, Sgt. Steven Mukasa too was also shot dead.

The incident happened at about 7:30 am when the two were driving to Pearl FM, where he has been a preacher of Islam.

Over seven Muslim clerics have been killed in a similar way in the last three years. Among these include the leader of Shia Muslim sect in Uganda, Abdulhakim Muwaya.

 

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From being a rebel to fighting terrorism, AK-47 ends Maj. Mohammed Kiggundu’s life

By
Badru Kasadah
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After several escapades as an Allied Democratic Forces rebel and as a government soldier, he couldn’t survive city gunmen, who have been on loose in recent years.

Maj. Kiggundu was killed today morning at Masanafu, a Kampala suburb. His bodyguard, Sgt. Steven Mukasa too was also shot dead.

The incident happened at about 7:30 am when the two were driving to Pearl FM, where he has been a preacher of Islam.
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Maj. Kiggundu was among the commanders of rebel group, ADF. However, he denounced armed rebellion with a group of ADF in 2007. He was integrated into the UPDF and promoted to the rank of Major in the same year.

Maj. Kiggundi will be remembered as a soldier who surrendered to government side and collaborated with the security forces to infiltrate ADF and hence bring an end to the war in the Rwenzori Mountains that had threatened stability and development.

It is said that while still Chief of Military Intelligence, the then Brig. Henry Tumukunde approached Kiggundu and others with a view of collaborating with security forces to bring an end the war.

Kiggundu didn’t hesitate and took on the assignment and was able to penetrate the urban squads that ADF had allegedly set in Kampala and the camps in the Rwenzori and the rest is history.

Basing on Kiggundu’s old connections with ADF and then turned UPDF soldier fighting terrorism the Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Paul Kangave, says similar to the recent shootings in the city, the assailants who were moving on a motorcycle followed them for some distance before shooting one of the car tyres forcing the truck to veer into a drainage trench.

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It is reported that at this moment, Maj. Kiggundu, jumped out of the UPDF truck which made it easy for the killers to shoot him.

The body guard was also shot dead amidst the chaos as he attempted to take action.

Having participated in the ADF rebellion and later on surrendering to government and to fight terrorism, Maj. Kiggundu relied on the Ak47 machine gun to execute his activities and indeed it is the same gun but this time used by other user that have brought his live to an end. AK-47 and sometimes referred as AK  is officially known also known as the Kalashnikov or in Russian slang.

 

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Farewell letter from Che to Fidel Castro

By
Editorial
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Che Guevara

As the world mourns and bids farewell to Fidel Castro, the true Cuban revolutionary, EagleOnline retraces historical events that played out during his liberation and one such the emotional parting of Ernestro Che Guevara, a comrade to Castro who participated in Cuban revolution but later on opted out and went back to his home country. Below is the emotional letter.

Ernesto Che Guevara

Farewell letter from Che to Fidel Castro

Fidel:

At this moment I remember many things: when I met you in Maria Antonia’s house, when you proposed I come along, all the tensions involved in the preparations. One day they came by and asked who should be notified in case of death, and the real possibility of it struck us all. Later we knew it was true, that in a revolution one wins or dies (if it is a real one). Many comrades fell along the way to victory.

Today everything has a less dramatic tone, because we are more mature, but the event repeats itself. I feel that I have fulfilled the part of my duty that tied me to the Cuban revolution in its territory, and I say farewell to you, to the comrades, to your people, who now are mine.

I formally resign my positions in the leadership of the party, my post as minister, my rank of commander, and my Cuban citizenship. Nothing legal binds me to Cuba. The only ties are of another nature — those that cannot be broken as can appointments to posts.

Reviewing my past life, I believe I have worked with sufficient integrity and dedication to consolidate the revolutionary triumph. My only serious failing was not having had more confidence in you from the first moments in the Sierra Maestra, and not having understood quickly enough your qualities as a leader and a revolutionary.

I have lived magnificent days, and at your side I felt the pride of belonging to our people in the brilliant yet sad days of the Caribbean [Missile] crisis. Seldom has a statesman been more brilliant as you were in those days. I am also proud of having followed you without hesitation, of having identified with your way of thinking and of seeing and appraising dangers and principles.

Other nations of the world summon my modest efforts of assistance. I can do that which is denied you due to your responsibility as the head of Cuba, and the time has come for us to part.

You should know that I do so with a mixture of joy and sorrow. I leave here the purest of my hopes as a builder and the dearest of those I hold dear. And I leave a people who received me as a son. That wounds a part of my spirit. I carry to new battlefronts the faith that you taught me, the revolutionary spirit of my people, the feeling of fulfilling the most sacred of duties: to fight against imperialism wherever it may be. This is a source of strength, and more than heals the deepest of wounds.

I state once more that I free Cuba from all responsibility, except that which stems from its example. If my final hour finds me under other skies, my last thought will be of this people and especially of you. I am grateful for your teaching and your example, to which I shall try to be faithful up to the final consequences of my acts.

I have always been identified with the foreign policy of our revolution, and I continue to be. Wherever I am, I will feel the responsibility of being a Cuban revolutionary, and I shall behave as such. I am not sorry that I leave nothing material to my wife and children; I am happy it is that way. I ask nothing for them, as the state will provide them with enough to live on and receive an education.

I would have many things to say to you and to our people, but I feel they are unnecessary. Words cannot express what I would like them to, and there is no point in scribbling pages.

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Fidel Castro, Cuba’s leader of revolution, dies at 90

By
Agencies
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RIP Fidel Castro

Cuba’s former president Fidel Castro, one of the world’s longest-serving and most iconic leaders, has died aged 90.

His younger brother and successor as President Raul Castro announced the news on state television.

Castro toppled the government in 1959, introducing a Communist revolution. He defied the US for decades, surviving many assassination plots.

His supporters said he had given Cuba back to the people. Critics saw him as a dictator.

 

Ashen and grave, President Castro told the nation in an unexpected late night broadcast on state television that Fidel Castro had died and would be cremated later on Saturday.

“The commander in chief of the Cuban revolution died at 22:29 hours this evening (03:29 GMT Saturday),” he said. “Towards victory, always!” he added, using a revolutionary slogan.

There is to be several days of national mourning on the island.

He temporarily handed over power to his brother in 2006 as he was recovering from an acute intestinal ailment. Raul Castro officially became president two years later.

News of his death left some in Havana stunned.

“I always said it couldn’t be,” said one woman, a government employee. “Even though they said it now, I say it can’t be.”

How he defied the US

Throughout the Cold War, Fidel Castro was a thorn in Washington’s side.

An accomplished tactician on the battlefield, he and his small army of guerrillas overthrew the military leader Fulgencio Batista in 1959 to widespread popular support.

Within two years of taking power, he declared the revolution to be Marxist-Leninist in nature and allied the island nation firmly to the Soviet Union.

Yet, despite the constant threat of a US invasion as well as the long-standing economic embargo on the island, Castro managed to maintain a communist revolution in a nation just 90 miles (145km) off the coast of Florida.

Despised by his critics as much as he was revered by his followers, he outlasted 10 US presidents and survived scores of attempts on his life by the CIA.

How has the world reacted?

Latin American leaders have been quick to pay tribute.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said Castro was a “great friend” of Mexico, while to El Salvador’s President Salvador Sanchez Ceren he was an “eternal companion”.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro said “revolutionaries of the world must follow his legacy”.

The Soviet Union’s last leader Mikhail Gorbachev said: “Fidel stood up and strengthened his country during the harshest American blockade, when there was colossal pressure on him”.

Vladimir Putin described him as a “reliable and sincere friend” of Russia.

For French President Francois Hollande Castro embodied Cuba’s revolution in both its “hopes” and its later “disappointments”.

In Miami, where there is a large Cuban community, there have been celebrations in some parts of the city, with people banging pots and cheering.

A Cuban exile group, the Cuban Democratic Directorate, said Castro left “legacy of intolerance” and had set up a “vicious totalitarian regime”.

Fidel Castro’s key dates

  • 1926:Born in the south-eastern Oriente Province of Cuba
  • 1953:Imprisoned after leading an unsuccessful rising against Batista’s regime
  • 1955:Released from prison under an amnesty deal
  • 1956:With Che Guevara, begins a guerrilla war against the government
  • 1959:Defeats Batista, sworn in as prime minister of Cuba
  • 1961:Fights off CIA-sponsored Bay of Pigs invasion by Cuban exiles
  • 1962:Sparks Cuban missile crisis by agreeing that USSR can deploy nuclear missiles in Cuba
  • 1976:Elected president by Cuba’s National Assembly
  • 1992:Reaches an agreement with US over Cuban refugees
  • 2006:Hands over reins to brother Raul due to health issues, stands down as president two years later

 

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Drama as Muslim clerics’ murder trial progresses

By
Hussein Musisi
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When the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs Maj. Gen.  Kahinda Otafiire was once quoted saying that ‘Leave issues of Generals to Generals’, the public considered it a minor issue.

Something almost similar played out yesterday in the International Crimes Division of the High Court during the trial of Muslim clerics charged with murder and attempted murder of their fellow clerics. Five prominent Muslims including Prince Kassim Nakibinge, Sheikh Mustapha Bahiga, Sheikh Hassan Kirya, Najib Ssonko and Umar Swidiq Ndawula were on the list of those to be murdered, with Sheikhs Bahiga and Kirya killed by assailants.

But in court, the show now turned to a verbal exchange of words between city lawyer Fred Muwema and State Principal Witness Sheikh Abdul Hamid Haruna Jjemba Katungulu, a 60 year old Muslim scholar with a PhD in Religious Studies and who doubles as a lecture of Religion and Peace Studies at Makerere University Kampala.

State witness 15 Sheikh Jemba was introduced to court by Principal State Attorney Lino Anguzu.

Sheikh Jemba then told court that he is the leader of the Jami Dawa Salafia, who replaced Sheikh Muhammad Yunus Kamoga, one of the accused.

According to Sheikh Jjemba, the Salaf executive relieved Sheikh Kamoga from leadership, accusing the latter of among others, fomenting conflicts within the organization; force fully taking over the administration of mosques in Kampala, and registering a parallel organisation called Ummah House without knowledge of the original Tabliq organization.

Trouble then ensued when counsel Muwema started cross-examining Sheikh Jjemba, with both men turning name-calling, jabbing each other as ‘liars’.

The diatribe between Muwema and Sheikh Jjemba prompted the presiding Judge Ezekiel Muhanguzi to issue caution and also remind them about the conduct that is expected in court. Sheikh Jjemba also evoked memories of yesteryears when, he said, Muwema once acted as his counsel. The Judge intervened again, restraining Sheikh Jjemba from ‘going personal’.

Then Muwema told Sheikh Jjemba that he illegally usurped Kamoga’s powers as Amir, telling the cleric that he was ‘elected’ by just nine people, as opposed to the requisite quorum of 20 executive committee members. But Sheikh Jjemba dismissed Muwema’s assertions of ‘usurpation’ saying Sheikh Kamoga ‘locked the offices and refused to vacate the leadership’.

Then counsel Muwema pulled a ‘tough’ one, telling Sheikh Jjemba that the faithful at all mosques he had ‘hijacked’ including the Tabliq mosque at Nakasero and the Masjid Noor on William Street, all still pledge allegiance to ousted Sheikh Kamoga as the Amir.

But this was not before Sheikh Jjemba turned to State Attorney Anguzu, seeking for ‘protection’ for ‘fear that any of the accused could attack’ him, citing an attack on his home in January 2015, which he pinned on Kamoga’s followers.

However, as Sheikh Jjemba and Muwema engaged each other person whose identity has been withheld for security reasons, said despite Sheikh Jjemba being nominated without quorum, “Sheikh Kamoga was never popular within the executive but he has a much bigger following from the Muslim community.”

Amid all the drama court was adjourned to December 5, with none of the antagonists ‘leaving issues of Generals to Generals’.

 

 

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Finance ministers clash over UEGCL top job

By
Richard Wanambwa
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WORRIED OVER SINKING ECONOMY: Finance Minister Matia Kasaija

There is bad blood flowing at Ministry of Finance as two ministers are embroiled in a fight over the appointment of new board chairperson of Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited (UEGCL).

The two are Minister Matia Kasaija and Evelyn Anite, the State Minister for Privatisation and Investment who, in a space of only two days, wrote to two different people, informing them of being appointed to chair the UEGCL board.

By virtue of his appointment Mr. Kasaija is mandated by the UEGCL Act to appoint the board at the electricity generation company and indeed on November 8, 2016 he did appoint Eng. Frank Katusiime as the board chairperson replacing Eng. Stephen Isabalijja, who was appointed Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Energy.

“We have reviewed your profile available with us and we observe that you possess the skills and experience necessary to steer the board of directors of Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited (UEGCL). To achieve the intended objectives of the company, accordingly, I am pleased to appoint you as the chairman of board of directors of Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited for an initial period of 3 years renewable upon satisfactory and effective upon receipt of your letter of acceptance of this appointment,” reads Minister Kasaija’s letter to Eng. Katusiime which was copied to Minister of Energy and Mineral Development (Irene Muloni), State Minister of Finance, Planning  and Economic Development in charge of Privatisation and Investment (Anite), Permanent Secretary/Secretary to the Treasury (Keith Muhakanizi), Permanent Secretary Ministry of Energy (Isabalija), Director Parastatal Monitoring Unit and the Chief Executive Officer UEGCL, Harrison Mutikanga.

Minister Kasaija added: “Your appointment is based on the prevailing terms for the board chairman and these should be available to you by the Company Secretary together with all the necessary documentation to acquaint you with the affairs of the company.”

Interestingly, in the same week, on November 11, 2016, Ms Anite, a recipient of Minister Kasaija’s earlier communication, wrote to Eng. Proscovia M. Njuki informing her of her appointment as a new board chairperson replacing Eng. Isabalijja.

In her letter to Eng. Njuki, Minister Anite quotes a letter from Eng. Isabalijja referenced Ref: SRI/MoFPED/APPT-00-286-16 which ‘formed the basis of her appointment of Eng. Njuki as new UECGL board chairperson.

Eng. Isabalijja had accordingly advised UEGCL to appoint his replacement ‘from among the existing board members for continuity’. And not surprisingly, within hours, Anite who had just given birth and was reportedly on ‘sick leave’, wrote the letter of ‘appointment’ for Eng. Njuki.

 

The two letters from the two ministers appointing two different persons as board chairperson of UEGCL.
The two letters from the two ministers appointing two different persons as board chairperson of UEGCL.

“Reference is made to the UEGCL chairman of the board’s letter (Ref: SRI/MoFPED/APPT-00-286-16 of November 11, 2016 informing the stakeholders of his recent appointment as Permanent Secretary. We are pleased to inform you that you have been appointed the chairperson of the board of UEGCL with effect from January 1, 2017. This will allow a smooth transition of leadership and ensure continuity of the board activities with minimal interruption,” Minister Anite wrote and copied to Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Permanent Secretary/Secretary to the Treasury, Director Parastatal Monitoring Unit, Board Chairman Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited and Chief Executive Officer Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited.

Privatisation and Investment State Minister, Evelyn Anite.
Privatisation and Investment State Minister, Evelyn Anite.

Anite’s letter added: ‘We believe that with your vast experience of the UEGCL board you will continue to drive the organization to attain its strategic objectives and continue to generate electricity for generations in line with the company’s mandate. The tenure of your appointment will be three years from the date of appointment with an option for renewal while the rest of the terms shall be in accordance with the prevailing terms of service for the position’.

When contacted for a comment by this Website, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Permanent Secretary/Secretary to the Treasury, Keith Muhakanizi, regretted the anomaly and said “Ms Anite is on leave and therefore, she wasn’t aware that Mr. Kasaija had already made the appointment.”

Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development,Permanent Secretary/Secretary to the Treasury, Keith Muhakanizi acknowledged the mistake and apologised on behalf of the ministry.
Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development,Permanent Secretary/Secretary to the Treasury, Keith Muhakanizi acknowledged the mistake and apologised on behalf of the ministry.

“Yes, I accept there was ‘uncoordinated…’ and Anite has been on leave but she is human like all of us; and we are going to sort it out on Monday or Tuesday next week,” Mr Muhakanizi said on phone.

However, another source privy to the saga said the ‘uncoordinated movement of troops’ was a result of infighting between two factions seeking to control both the administrative and financial reins at UEGCL, known for its multi-billion deals.

 

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Mogas clears air on ‘petrol leaks’

By
Lydia Nankinga
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DEPOT: The MOGAS depot in Banda, a Kampala suburb

Petroleum dealer Mogas has taken to social media and allayed fears of ‘a possible fire outbreak at their Banda depot’. According to Mogas, the company was carrying out a routine security drill to ‘check emergency response effectiveness’.

Early this morning a ‘concerned citizen’ took to the same platform and warned area residents to beware of ‘petrol overflowing and jetting under high pressure from all storage tanks’.

‘The depot for Mogas petrol at Banda may catch fire any moment from now. The control systems failed and petrol is overflowing and jetting under high pressure from all the storage tanks. A term we refer to as bust in NWSC. Several fire brigade tanks are camped waiting for the next action at Banda. Avoid that road for now if possible until otherwise,’ the ‘concerned citizen’ posted on his Facebook Page.

According to the ‘concerned citizen’ the police fire brigade deployed several firefighting trucks near the depot in Banda, ‘following the failure of control systems that have led to the jutting of petrol’.

CLEARED AIR: The MOGAS statement made after the 'petrol leak scare'.
CLEARED AIR: The MOGAS statement made after the ‘petrol leak scare’.
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‘Farmer-Nenkukabala’ singer wants to set up betting company

By
Badru Kasadah
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'FARMER': Singer Sheebah Karungi with colleague Ykee

One of the biggest songs on the local airwaves is ‘Farmer’, a song performed by Sheebah and upcoming musician, YKee Benda.

In addition to farmer, his other songs like; Eva, Munakampala and Badumbu are all enjoying fair airplay on radios and night spots.

With such success, any other musician would be planning for a concert. But not the ‘farmer’ hit maker. He revealed to media that he plans to set up a betting company. But prior to this, he wants to venture into farming where he hopes to get the money to invest in the betting company.

Interesting however, all his aspirations are in direct contrast with his ‘engineering’ profession.

Benda claims he is a first class bachelor’s degree holder in Chemical Engineering.

 

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Steven Gerrard was nothing at all claims controversial former Liverpool teammate

By
Agencies
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RIVALS: Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard and former teammate El-Hadji Diouf

Steven Gerrard announced his retirement from football on Thursday, but not all of his former Liverpool teammates had nice things to say about him.

El-Hadji Diouf had his issues with the Reds skipper during his time at Anfield, and it sounds as though he hasn’t really forgotten about them.

The pair have exchanged digs at one another over the years, and Diouf was asked for his opinion on the 36-year-old on French TV and wasn’t exactly entirely complimentary about him.

“People told me at Liverpool, there were some guys you could not touch, but I touched them. That is why it is complicated for me,” he is quoted as saying by The Sun.

When pressed by fellow guest Emmanuel Petit on who he meant, he confirmed it was Gerrard: “I do. Stevie G and Jamie Carragher. The two scousers.

“When I arrived I showed him he was nothing at all. Nothing at all.”

Petit took exception with him on the Liverpool icon and defended him from any form of criticism, but Diouf remained resolute on the matter and went on to explain why he felt the way he did.

“I respect the player, very big player, but the man I do not respect. And I told him. I let him know that. That was the real problem. When Gerrard did that [spoke to the manager], we had an argument, like real men.

“That is why he does not like me. He knows I say what I think, that when it is not right, no problem, I am up for it.

“He could not – he was afraid of looking into my eyes. He was afraid of talking to me.”

Clearly the pair are never going to see eye to eye and if questioned on it, Gerrard will in all likelihood have a response of his own for his former teammate.

Diouf’s comments will also likely anger the Liverpool faithful given his own relationship with them during his time on Merseyside, and so it probably wasn’t the smartest idea to come out and say what he had to say on the day Gerrard hung his boots up.

 

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