The High Court is today expected to rule on whether to add Makerere University as a party to an application seeking to challenge the academic qualifications of Rubaga South MP Kato Lubwama.

Justice Margret Oguli Oumo is to deliver her ruling at 2:30pm at the High Court Civil Division.

Habib Buwembo, who dragged Lubwama to court for lack of the required academic qualifications to be an MP, asked court on Monday to add Makerere University as a party in his case.

Mr Buwembo wants Makerere University to avail him with policies regarding its mature age entry examinations so as to establish whether Lubwama sat and passed the exams before being admitted for a Diploma in Music, Dance and Drama in 1992.

He also accuses the University for failing to produce the Diploma Certificate it awarded to Kato Lubwama.

According to court documents, Buwembo contends that Kato Lubwama lacks the minimum academic qualifications to be a Member of Parliament and that he failed his Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations.

This allegation is further clarified by then Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) Executive Secretary, Peter H Anywar, who says that having obtained result 7, Kato Lubwama did not qualify for the award of a certificate.

Having obtained such information from UNEB, Buwembo sought for the same at Makerere University, requesting for Lubwama’s certificate, a request the University turned down.

Buwembo’s lawyers argue that these documents cannot be accessed anywhere as he didn’t use them even on nomination day.

He just presented a letter titled ‘To Whom it May Concern’ to the District Returning Officer. It was written by the University’s academic registrar on 15th/October 2015, they add.

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Engineer Kalisa Kabagambe, the longest serving Permanent Secretary since President Yoweri Museveni came to power in 1986, has been dropped.

Evoking his constitutional powers under Section 174 of the Constitution, Mr Museveni named Professor Stephen Isabalija as the new PS for energy.

Prof Isabalija is the immediate former Vice Chancellor of Victoria University, and replaces Eng. Kalisa, who now becomes the Senior Presidential Advisor on Oil, Gas and Minerals. Eng Kalisa has been the energy ministry PS for over 25 years.

Other long-serving PSs dropped include foreign affairs’ James Mugume, who has been replaced by Ambassador Patrick Mugoya; and the Ministry of Agriculture PS Vincent Rubagumya, who has been replaced by Pius Wakabi; and Internal Affairs’ Patrick Kagoda, who has been replaced by Dr Benon Mutambi Mugisha. Bageya Waiswa, the PS of the Inspectorate of Government, has also been replaced by little-known Rose N. Kafeero.

Meanwhile, Education PS Dr Rose Nassali now moves to Judicial Service Commission (JSC), while Public Service Commission (PSC) Chairman John Mitala and his deputy Vincent Opio Lukoni, retain their offices. Other PSs who retained office are Lucy Nakyobe Mbonye (State House Comptroller); Christine Guwatudde (Office of the Prime Minister); Deborah Katuramu (President’s Office) and Catherine Musingwiire (Ministry of Public Service). Also announced was Dr Diana Atwiine, who was named the health ministry PS last week, replacing Dr Asuman Lukwago, who now moves to the Education Service Commission. Previously, Dr Atwiine worked as Head of the State House Health Monitoring Team.

The other notable appointees are from State House and these include Molly Nawe Kamukama, who becomes the Principal Private Secretary to the President (PPS) replacing Ms Mary Amajo, who now becomes Senior Presidential Advisor on Public Service; and Major Edith Nakalema, who has been elevated to become President Museveni’s Personal Assistant. Maj Nakalema is deputised by Maj Night Irikiriza.

Full list below:

1. Head of Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet John Mitala

2.Deputy Head of Public service Vincent Opio Lukone

3. State House (Comptroller Lucy Nakyobe Mbonye
4. Presidents Office Deborah Katuramu
5. Office of the Prime Minister Christine Guwatudde Kintu

6. Public Service Catherine Musingwiire

7. Lands, Housing and Urban Development – Dorcas Okalany
8. Works and Transport – Bageya Waisswa
9. Water and Environment – Alfred Okot Okidi
10. Energy and Mineral Development -Dr Stephen R. Isabaliija
11. Gender, Labour and Social Development – Pius Bigirimana.
12. Foreign Affairs – Ambassador Patrick Mugoya
13. Ethics – Alex Okello
14. Justice/ Solicitor General – Francis Atoke
15. Agriculture – Pius Wakabi
16. Public Service Commission – Dr Geoffrey Mbabazi
17. Inspector General of Government – Rose N. Kafeero
18. Principal Private Secretary to the President – Nawe Molly Kamukama
19. Education Service Commission – Dr Asuman Lukwago
20. Defence – Rosette Byengoma
21. Internal Affairs – Dr Benon Mutambi Mugisha
22. East African Affairs – Edith Mwanje
23. Judiciary – Kagole Kivumbi
24. Trade, Industry and Co-operatives – Amb. Julius Onen.
25. Judicial Service Commission – Dr Rose Nassali
26. Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities- Doreen Katusiime
27. Local Government – Benjamin Kumumanya
28. Finance, Planning and Economic Development- Keith Muhakanizi
29. Science and Technology- David O.O. Ebong
30. Health – Dr Diana Atwiine
31. ICT and Information – Vincent Bagiire Waiswa
32. Education and Sports – Alex Kakooza
33. Heath Service Commission – Teopista Mary Wenene

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Asman Kamama, an opposition Member of Parliament in Kenya has reportedly accused his country of receiving US$1m from the government of South Sudan, to effect the arrest and deportation of rebel leader Riek Machar’s spokesperson, James Gatdet Dak.

The South Sudan Tribune quoted sources saying Mr Kamama ‘believes that Juba government has paid $ 1 million for the arrest and deportation of the opposition spokesperson. The payment is also to track down other opposition (SPLM-IO) members residing in Kenya’.

If true, Mr Kamama’s allegations come in the wake of the deportation of Gatdet Dak who, on his Facebook page wrote that the SPLM-IO welcomed the sacking of the United Nations Mission to South Sudan (UNMISS) force commander, Kenyan Lieutenant General Johnson Mogao Kimani Ondieki.

It is believed that Dak’s post angered some politicians in Kenyatta’s government, with reports emerging that the Kenyan government has now turned down a request from the UN to name a replacement for Lt Gen Ondieki.

Through an investigation the UN admitted to the failure saying the malfunction of the mission was mostly due to poor command, with revelations that UNMISS failed to protect civilians and foreign aid workers in South Sudan’s Juba and Malakal cities.

Meanwhile, relatives said that Gatdet Dak was picked from his Nairobi home on Wednesday afternoon in what a appears to have been a coordinated operation organised by the special services of Kenya and South Sudan and taken to the airport where he was allowed to speak to some of his family members and relatives. The motive behind Gatdet’s kidnapping remains unclear and speculative.

But some people attribute the cause to the statement in which he welcomed the sacking of Lt Gen Ondieki, while others, some of who are high ranking members of the government, blamed the South Sudan government for engineering Dak’s deportation.

“This is a coordinated operation. The office of the president and the first vice president paid the money to the Kenyan government to execute this operation. They wanted James Gadet to be deported to South Sudan so that Riek Machar is denied an opportunity to speak to the outside world through his spokesman. This is the strategy employed by Taban Deng Gai. Now James Gadet is here. They brought him this afternoon. I saw at him at the blue house”, a highly placed source reportedly told Sudan Tribune.

No official statement from either the government of Kenya or South Sudan was made, with officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Office of the President declining to comment.

SPLM-IO officials speak out

SPLM-IO opposition officials in Addis Ababa said that Gatdet was flown to the capital Juba Thursday afternoon, after being held at Jomo Kenyatta Airport awaiting deportation.

Another official in the Office of the SPLM-IO leader’s office said Gatdet’s deportation came hours after SPLM-IO leader, Riek Machar, who is currently in South Africa for medical treatment, had early yesterday established contacts with the Kenyan authorities to set free his spokesperson.

Earlier, Machar had also contacted UNHCR officials as Nairobi prepared to deport Dak, who also is a United States citizen.

Opposition officials say Dak could be killed, prosecuted or subjected to different forms of abuses while in the hands of the Juba government.

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“I am not a factory, I do not sugarcoat anything; if you ask for my opinion, that is what you get…my head is not powered by anyone. If I was meant to be controlled, I would have been created with a remote control,” social critic Frank Gashumba fumed upon learning of a directive from Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) stopping Nation Television (NTV) from hosting him.

According to the directive, Gashumba is accused of using a language that UCC finds profane and abusive on radio and TV programmes where he appears as a guest.

“When did UCC become a complainant? When did UCC become an investigator, court and a judge? In any case if I had committed any crime in any of my submissions, I would have expected the Police to summon me! Who conducted the investigations that found that I was using an abusive language? And how come NTV that hosted me is cautioned and I the purported offender have not been cautioned!” he wondered.

Well, he has been arrested this morning and is currently being held at CID headquarters in Kibuli.

Apparently, the complaint in this case is Godfrey Mutabaazi, the Executive Director of UCC.

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