Uganda was represented at last year’s MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) by Bebe Cool thanks to his hit ‘Love You Everyday’.
But that was then. This year, the only Ugandan ambassador at the MAMAs is Eddy Kenzo, and during the nomination party held yesterday in South Africa, Kenzo landed his first nod in the awards. The Ugandan crooner was nominated in the Best Live Act category.
“Wooo!!! crazy great news reaching us from @MTVbaseAfrica our first nomination in the mama awards #bestliveact we go,” a delighted Kenzo broke the good news to his fans via social media.
He is to battle it out with; Flavour(Nigeria), Stonebwoy(Ghana), Cassper Nyovest(South Africa) and Mafikizolo(South Africa).
Eddy Kenzo is no stranger to international awards having won a BET award last year.
The only other artistes nominated from East Africa include; Navy Kenzo, Alikiba and Diamond Platnumz – all from Tanzania, and Kenya’s Sauti Sol. The awards will take place at the Ticketpro Dome, Johannesburg on October 22, 2016.
Below is the full list of nominations.
BEST HIP HOP
Olamide (Nigeria)
Kiff No Beat(Ivory Coast)
Ycee(Nigeria)
Emtee(South Africa)
Ricky Rich(South Africa)
BEST MALE
Wizkid(Nigeria)
AKA(South Africa)
Patoranking(Nigeria)
Black Coffee(South Africa)
Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania)
PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Linda Ikeji
Wizkid
Caster Semenya
Pearl Thusi
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang
BEST GROUP
R2Bees(Ghana)
Sauti Sol(Kenya)
Toofan(Togo)
Navy Kenzo (Tanzania)
Mi Casa (South Africa)
BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT
Drake
Beyonce
Adele
Future
Rihanna
BEST COLLABORATION
Patoranking ft. Sarkodie – No Kissing
Sauti Sol ft. Alikiba – Unconditionally Bae
AkA ft. Burna Boy,Khuli Chana & Yanga – Baddest
Dj Maphorsia ft. Wizkid & Dj Buckz – Soweto Baby
Nasty c ft. Davido & Cassper Nyovest – Juice Back Remix
The Al Shabaab have said they are determined to disrupt the forthcoming Somali elections scheduled to take place later this year.
Al Shabaab Spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rageh aka Ali Dheere said Al shabaab fighters will launch attacks against the polling stations in the country, to prevent Somalia from holding an election, which he said will serve foreign agendas.
He also sent a stern warning to the 135-elders who are expected to select the lawmakers of the forthcoming Somali parliament.
The militants have recently carried out a spate of attacks over the past few weeks and the warning comes as Somalia is set to elect a new President on October, 30, 2016.
Burundi / Congolese asylum seekers from Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the compound of the National Office for the protection of refugees and stateless persons (ONPRA). These are registered Congolese asylum seekers waiting for the outcome of the Refugee status determination (RSD). They were later transferred to Musasa refugee camp in the northen province of Ngozi. All of them are from the Barundi ethnic group ( Congolese speaking Kirundi). They arrived in Burundi with the last influx of September 2012. / UNHCR / B. Ntwari
The European Union Council has renewed the restrictive measures against Burundi until 31 October 2017, and the measures consist of a travel ban and asset freeze against four persons whose activities were deemed to be undermining democracy or obstructing the search for a political solution to the crisis in Burundi.
According to the EU the activities include acts of violence, repression or incitement to violence, and acts which constitute serious human rights violations.
‘The EU has repeatedly and continuously called on all parties to refrain from, and to condemn, any acts of violence. This is essential if the conditions for progress in the search for a political solution to the crisis are to be put in place and maintained,’ a release by Africa Press Organisation (APO) on behalf of the EU states.
The release adds: ‘The Council considered that the absence of progress in the situation regarding the four persons under restrictive measures justified the prolongation of the sanctions’.
The names of the persons concerned and the reasons for listing them are included in the annex to the decision of October 1, 2015 published in the Official Journal.
UN investigators looking into the alleged torture and killings of government opponents in Burundi have drawn up a list of suspects who should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity.
The United Nations has verified 564 executions in the central African nation since April 2015, when President Pierre Nkurunziza sparked protests by saying he would seek a third term, the investigators said, calling that ‘clearly a conservative estimate’.
The government called the report, by the U.N. Independent Investigation on Burundi (UNIIB), biased and politically motivated and denied all its allegations.
The investigators said they had received evidence of rapes, disappearances, mass arrests, torture and killings, and that there were probably many thousands of victims.
“UNIIB found that the large majority of victims have been identified as people who were opposed or perceived to be opposed to the third mandate of President Nkurunziza or of members of opposition parties,” it said, adding:
“There are worrying signs of a personality cult being built around the president.”
The list of suspects will be handed to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and be available in the event of any prosecutions.
“The charges of the UNIIB investigators are politically motivated and based on anonymous, unverified testimonies,” the president’s media adviser, Willy Nyamitwe, tweeted.
The government has sent the UN rights commissioner a 40-page rebuttal, he added.
UNIIB said a former senior army officer told investigators of the existence of lists of people to be eliminated.
Witnesses named 12 senior members of the security forces — who report directly to the heart of government — responsible for disappearances. Some of the people who said they had been tortured reported being held in secret jails, including at the homes of the president and a government minister.
The government denied the existence of such death lists and said the accusations came from ‘those who want to sow division and the panic within the defense and security corps’.
“It is deplorable that the experts believed such gratuitous and diversionist assertions,” it said.
According to the UNIIB report, the bodies of some people who were summarily executed were transported across the Ruzizi River and buried in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
It listed 17 types of torture used by the security forces, including attaching weights to the testicles, forcing a victim to sit on broken glass, and forcing a victim to stay next to the dead body of a relative.
Many women fleeing the country were subjected to sexual violence by the members of the youth wing of the ruling party, Imbonerakure, border guards and unidentified men. Women opposed to the president’s third term were also subjected to extreme sexual violence, the report said.
Satellite imagery suggested the existence of mass graves, but the government did not respond an offer to investigate the sites, it said.
Burundi has set up three commissions of inquiry to look into human rights allegations, but the report accused the government of ‘blatantly failing’ to investigate.
Burundi peace talks mediator President Yoweri Museveni talks to the facilitator Benjamin Mkapa, the former President of Tanzania
The East African Community (EAC) has had to accept extra funding from international donors including China, Switzerland and the European Union after it was forced to call off the Burundi peace talks.
After months of painstaking mediation stalling due to the reluctance of the Burundian government and opposition to participate in peace talks, the issue of national dialogue on the Burundi crisis which has rocked the country for just under 18 months remains in the lap of the EAC.
The regional organisation has, however, so far failed to secure a sustainable peace agreement between the warring parties, and the facilitator, former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa, was forced to call off meetings five times due to lack of funds.
In August, representatives of the EAC reiterated concerns over the worsening diplomatic relations between neighbours Burundi and Rwanda, warning that the growing political tensions could jeopardise the stability of the region.
The five partner states – Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda – ratified the EAC Protocol in 2010, effectively establishing a common market and, in 2014, the Protocol on Peace and Security, aimed at bolstering cross-boundary security and stability in the region.
It has now emerged that the EAC is considering an additional budget for the peace talks after receiving support from donors including China, Switzerland and the European Union.
The EAC’s Secretariat received $200,000 (£153,321) from the Chinese government as a donation to support the dialogue. “The council directed that the money be utilised for the all-inclusive dialogue activities under the office of the facilitator,” a report of the EAC Council of Ministers stated last week.
Facilitator Mkapa, meanwhile, urged the EAC to commit its own funds to ensure the talks can resume, instead of relying on international donors and organisations, in order to give the talks credibility.
Inter-Burundi Facilitator, former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa.
Tanzania’s former president Benjamin Mkapa was nominated as mediator of the Burundian Dialogue in Arusha, Tanzania during the East African Community’s 17th Head of State Summit on March 2.
“One of the nagging challenges that our facilitation efforts are forced to grapple with every time we organise the session, is the issue of finance. We have been almost entirely depending on the generous support of the EU and China,” Mkapa told the leaders during the 17th EAC Heads of State Summit last week.
“I feel the need for your excellences to consider providing more reliable financial wherewithal now that we are going to the mediation phase.”
Last week, Mkapa urged leaders at the summit to crack the whip on the parties in the talks to ensure their co-operation.
The bloody crisis that has killed up to 900 people in the country pits supporters of President Pierre Nkurunziza against those who say his re-election in July 2015 for a third term violated the constitution. After a failed coup in May, the government intensified its crackdown and most of those arrested or missing are young men and women accused of participating in or supporting opposition groups.
Hopes of any progress were quashed in May when the government of Bujumbura refused to hold talks with key members of the umbrella National Council for the Restoration of Arusha Agreement and Rule of Law (CNARED) and a major civil society movement known as Halte au 3e mandat.
Both opposed Nkurunziza’s bid for a third-term in office. At the time, the regime agreed to attend peace talks in Arusha in which only government officials, two former heads of state and a selection of like-minded individuals participated in an exchange with mediators.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May makes her miaden address at the 71st UN General Assembly in New York
More than £100m of the UK aid budget will be spent on returning Somali refugees to the country they fled and encouraging people escaping war zones not to cross the Mediterranean under plans outlined by Theresa May in New York.
The prime minister used her maiden speech at the United Nations to expand on proposals aimed at stopping ‘mass uncontrolled population movement’, which has seen refugees travelling long distances in search of better lives. Her plans attracted criticism earlier in the summit over the suggestion that those fleeing war zones should stay and claim asylum in the first safe country they reach, rather than seeking sanctuary in European nations such as Britain.
However, May pressed on with the argument in an address to the general assembly, as she focused on actions in north Africa to stop migrants crossing the Mediterranean.
In her speech, May said Britain would send more troops to Somalia to help train local troops to combat the al-Shabaab militant group, including up to 30 teams of between five and 30 personnel with no more than 70 in the country at any one time.
“The UK is now going to increase further our security support and we will be calling on others to do the same, hosting an international conference on Somalia in 2017 to maintain this vital momentum,” the prime minister said.
While acknowledging Somalia is facing serious security problems, the government is also contributing £20m from the aid budget to encourage refugees who fled the country to return home from the Dadaab camp in Kenya.
“We will invest £16m in Somalia to help do things around food, education, shelter and sustainable livelihoods and then £4m to Kenya to help support the process of returning these people,” a UK official said.
The process has recently been criticised by the Human Rights Watch group, which said the return of the refugees from Kenya to Somalia cannot be considered voluntary as the Dadaab camp is at risk of being shut down. The UN has insisted there are no forced returns.
At a later summit on refugees, hosted by the US president, Barack Obama, May said another £80m from the aid budget will be aimed at helping migrants, largely Eritreans, stay in Ethiopia through the financial support for the construction of new industrial parks offering 100,000 new jobs, including 30,000 for refugees.
This is an expansion of the programme used in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon to try to encourage refugees to settle in the region rather than make journeys to European countries.
Of the 124,000 refugees who crossed the Mediterranean to Italy between January and September this year, 12% were Eritrean – second only to Nigerians who made up 20% of the numbers crossing.
At the Obama summit, May also announced that more of the UK’s aid budget would be spent on humanitarian efforts.
A UK official said £1.5bn for the year would be going towards refugees and others in dire need, which is an increase of 10% on the aid budget. About £2.5m will go to an international fund to help resettle refugees in other countries.
However, May unveiled no new commitments for the UK to take in more than the 20,000 vulnerable Syrians who David Cameron agreed to accept by 2020, despite calls from charities and Labour for Britain to do more.
Speaking before the summit, May argued it was better to help a greater number of refugees at camps in countries bordering Syria than to resettle a smaller number in the UK.
You aren't welcome to Uganda, Ethics Minister Simon Lokodo tells gays.
State Minister for Ethics and Integrity, Fr. Simon Lokodo has warned people intending to participate in gay festivities.
According to a statement that he has issued on Wednesday, Lokodo says that government has learnt of the planned festivities/activities that are being organized to take place in different locations of Kampala and Wakiso district by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) movement.
“The promotion of these festivities, which would purportedly culminate in a “Gay Pride match” on Saturday September 24, 2016, is criminal and illegal as they have not been cleared by the Uganda Police Force, and are against the laws of the Republic of Uganda; specifically the Penal Code, which is built on precedents, set in many other countries.”
Adding “We wish to emphasize that whereas the promotion of homosexuality is criminalized under the Penal Code, there is no violence against the LGBT community in Uganda – contrary to some claims made loosely by proponents of this movement.”
The Penal Code Act of 1950 (Chapter 120) (as amended). Section 145. Unnatural offences. States that; “Any person who” – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; (b) has carnal knowledge of an animal; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature, commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment for life.”
Section 146. Attempt to commit unnatural offences states that; “Any person who attempts to commit any of the offences specified in Section 145 commits a felony and is liable to imprisonment for seven years.”
Section 148 – on indecent practices states that- “Any person who, whether in public or in private, commits any act of gross indecency with another person who procures another person to commit any act of gross indecency with him or her or attempts to procure the commission of any such act by any person with himself or herself or with another person, whether in public or in private, commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment for seven years.”
Lokodo further states that in Uganda, our African values and cultures consider sexual activity to be private and personal, and it is not conducted in public. Certainly, neither is homosexuality. It is for this reason that the promotion of ‘gay’ activities is unwelcome. In addition, we have noted that these planned festivities are aimed at, promotion, exhibition and recruiting people to join this LGBT movement, which interestingly goes against the argument that gays are “born” that way. We are aware that there are inducements, including money, being offered to young people to promote the practice.
The Constitution of the Republic of Uganda (as amended) under Article 31(2a), reads: On Rights of the family. “Provides that “Marriage between persons of the same sex is prohibited.”
“Government will not condone the promotion of the illegal activities of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) movement and through the Uganda police will work to ensure that the criminal and illegal activities of the gay community are halted. I therefore, call upon all stakeholders, ministries, departments, local governments and other agencies of government, faith based organizations, civil society organizations and the media fraternity to join government to curb the escalating levels of immorality by upholding and integrating the National Ethical values of Uganda into their daily life and work.“
Public Accounts Committee of Parliament has heard that government analytical laboratory obtained a land title without any acreage.
This revelation was made today by the Director of the Government Analytical Laboratory, Kepher Kuchana to PAC as he tabled the title without acreage.
PAC today probed the authenticity of land title on which the headquarters of the directorate of analytical laboratory sit on in Wandegeya.
Acreage is one of the basics that are indicated on a land title after surveillance. It shows the size of land that is being titled.
MPs sitting on PAC were left in shock when a land title without acreage was presented with some including committee Vice Chairperson Gerald Karuhanga and Masaka Municipality MP, Mathias Mpuuga describing it as fake.
On Tuesday, the team from the analytical laboratory led by Kuchana had been asked by PAC to return today and explain issues related to entity’s land title. In his 2015 audit report, Auditor
General, John Muwanga noted that the entity was not in possession of its land title.
While appearing before the committee this afternoon, Kuchana presented a land title but further scrutiny by the committee unearthed loopholes in the land title.
Gerald Karuhanga, the Vice Chairperson PAC revealed that the land title presented didn’t bear the acreage of the land where the laboratories are sitting.
“The land title has no acreage, you may look through it to see if its forgery or created at night.” said Karuhanga.
In his defense, Kuchana said the land title was acquired in 1962 hence a reason for it not to bear details on the acreage.
Masaka Municipality MP Mathias Mpuuga cited a possibility of forgery by officials of the government analytical laboratory to get off the hook with the audit query. He accused Kuchana for peddling a forged land title which cannot be submitted anywhere.
Steven Kagoda, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Internal Affairs admitted that the land title submitted was a mistake saying that it was not forged but a document availed by the Secretary Uganda Land Commission in response to efforts by the analytical laboratory to have its land title.
Jessica Ababiku, the Adjumani Woman legislator couldn’t have any of the entity’s excuses accusing PS Kagoda of not being in charge.MP Karuhanga wondered why PS Kagoda who has been at the helm of leadership of Internal Affairs Ministry for over 12 years could receive a crucial document and just keep it simply because he is excited.
PAC members threw out the land title ordering the entity to produce a valid land title to Parliament.
Ugandan rapper, Tracy Joselyn alias Keko shocked the entertainment community in March this year when she announced that she retired from music.
“Yes I am retiring from recording music, I hope my last compositions add to the legacy. Thank you for being supportive and buying the music,” she announced through a tweet, leaving her fans begging her to stay.
Well, if you believed her statement, you were taken for a ride. In fact, the statement appears to have marked the beginning of her career!
She is back with a bang, and unlike before, she is back with international music. We can authoritatively reveal that international music recording label, Sony Music is finally set to release Keko’s maiden album with the label.
Keko was among the first African musicians to be signed by Sony Music. She signed a deal with the international music label in 2012 thanks to her hit, ‘This Is How We Do’, a song she recorded Radio & Weasel.
However, she had not outted any song under the label not until this week.She has not only outted a song but a whole album!
“Pre-order Keko’s new album ‘Strides’ featuring new single “Move Your Body”……” Sony Music announced.
‘Move Your Body’ is Keko’s first song under Sony and she couldn’t hide her excitement. “The wait is over,” she tweeted on Wednesday.
Sony Music is an American label and company owned by Sony through Sony Entertainment. The company was first founded in 1929 as American Record Corporation and renamed Columbia Recording Corporation in 1938, following its acquisition by the Columbia Broadcasting System.
Among the musicians signed to Sony Music include Beyonce Knowles, Bruno Mars, Back street Boys, Bow Wow, Chritina Anguelira, Michael Jackson among others. Keko is the only Ugandan musician signed to the label. The label also signed two Nigerian artists, Davido and Wizkid a few weeks back.
As many Ugandans in the city await for yet another city festival the KCCA team has partnered with much more sponsors to create a lot of fun in the annual festival.
This year’s city festival will take place on Saturday October 1 and Sunday October 2, this change from the one day event follow the new entertainment schedule of both motor cycle riders and rally cars.
On Saturday during the eve of the festival events, Nakawa estate area will be occupied by motor cycle riders from 11:00 am to 5:30 pm. There will also be product showcasing by different persons.
‘’On the real festive day Sunday October 2, the rally cars will set off from Hotel African through a designed road map via Jinja road till Grand Imperial Hotel’’. Said Cedric Buzabo the organizer of the rally
The said route will therefore be closed to allow the rally vehicles ease to trek through the city Centre.
Over 45 drivers had confirmed participation by press time but more are expected said an official from FMU.
Jenifer Musisi the KCCA Executive Director said “the KCCA city festival is the only period where all people are allowed to enjoy the city with any harassment”
She added people can make all the noise they want, step on the grass and show whatever they have to the rest of the world.
However, she cautioned the public that KCCA is working closely with all security agents in the country to ensure a secure and successful festival process.
The principal sponsor of the rally and the entire festival is VIVO energy Uganda. They presented a cheque dummy of Shs500 million.
In addition Mr. Hans Paulsen Managing Director of Vivo Energy said all stations in the city will offer discount of V-power during the festival period.
This he says is just a token of appreciation to Ugandan since Shell has been in existence from 1953 and is the leading fuel station company in Uganda.
The festival is funded only by sponsor and KCCA only organizes the events, on this note Musisi thanked all the sponsors like MTN, Kampala Casino, Movit, City tires and Uganda Breweries Limited.
