A number of senior military commanders, mainly from Guit, the home county of the newly appointed First Vice President Taban Deng Gai in Unity region, have defected to the South Sudanese army (SPLA) under the leadership of President Salva Kiir.
Gen. Liah Diu, Gen Makal Kuol and Lt. Gen. Dor Manjuor confirmed in separate satellite phone interviews that they no longer support former first vice president Riek Machar, adding they are part of the group allied to new South Sudan first vice president Taban Deng Gai.
Although the three Generals were reported last month to have defected to Gai with their bodyguards, at the time Gen. Liah denied that he had defected and added that he did not support the new South Sudan first vice president.
But yesterday Gen. Liah said he is no longer loyal to Machar, a move which contradicted his earlier last month’s statement. Observers said he refused to declare his open support to Gai because he feared for his life in the location where he was as he was only with his bodyguards and could be attacked by Machar’s loyalist forces in Guit area.
RETURN TO JUBA: A group of Generals led by SPLA-IO Chief of General Staff (Centre) arrive in Juba following the signing of a peace deal in August last year. Now, some of the Generals have defected to SPLA under President Salva Kiir.
However, Gen. Manjuor, another army officer hailing from Gai’s home town, declared his allegiance to Gai, and claimed he joined the group in support of President Kiir to defend the country.
“What I want to tell you the whole of Guit county is for peace. We support the peace under President Salva Kiir and his deputy Taban Deng Gai,” he said.
The declaration came as the SPLA Chief of General Staff, Paul Malong Awan flew to Guit county with some senior officers including SPLA spokesperson, Brigadier Gen. Lul Ruai Koang.
The group claimed they had defected from the SPLA-IO to President Kiir’s SPLA with 11,000 troops currently allegedly stationed in Guit area, waiting for full integration into the SPLA under the command of President Kiir.
However, Major Weirial Puok Baluang, press secretary for the opposition’s appointed governor of Unity state, has dismissed as ‘propaganda’ the alleged number of troops that defected to President Kiir for integration.
He said the three Generals only defected with the total of 80 soldiers, describing the claim as ‘white lies’ from desperate people in need of cash money from the regime of Juba.
PULLED OUT OF KCCA CARNIVAL: Singers Radio and Weasel
Saturday, August 20, 2016, may have seemed just like any other day of the week for Mbarara revelers. But for the large audience that witnessed the Mbarara edition of the Uganda Breweries Tubbaale party that took place that day, it will remain etched in their memories. The event held at the Agip Motel, was the first of four regional tours.
The line up of stars at the event was impressive. Radio, Weasel and MunG dazzled the audience on the night besides setting the venue on fire with their scintillating performance.
While the established stars shone, the upcoming stars in Western Uganda also had ample opportunity to showcase their talents which saw performers slugging it out in singing, dancing and comedy.
At the same event, many UBL customers walked away with a range of prizes such as motor cycles, flat screen TVs, airtime, among other many giveaways.
Speaking about the event, Maureen Rutabingwa, the Bell Brand Manager said the party was meant to celebrate the Mbarara customers and reward them for their support for the past 70 years.
“It has been a rollercoaster ride for us since Tubbaale started and we are satisfied with what we have been able to achieve so far as we take the fun and prizes to other parts of Uganda,” she said.
Part of the cargo seized at Mombasa port with suspected cocaine./ Courtesy Photo
It is almost a month and Uganda Police authorities are still silent about claims that the US$3 million cocaine haul seized at the Mombasa port on July 27 was destined for Uganda.
According to an investigation by a Kenyan daily, The Star, the narcotics worth Uganda shillings 11 billion was destined to ‘Mshalle Commodities’, Bugolobi Industrial Area, Uganda.
Sources that sought anonymity said that the drugs might have been loaded in Oman. The vessel left the Port of Santos in Brazil on June 10, 2016, and a bill of lading obtained by The Star – printed on July 29 2016 from the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) – stated that the vessel carrying the drugs, MSC Letizia V. SS621R, had been loaded with 18 by 20 containers among others, each containing 520 bags of ‘brown sugar’.
The investigations indicate that MSC Letizia V. SS621R allegedly docked in Oman and the cargo was loaded onto MSC Posetano which then docked at the Port City of Mombasa, berth number 16, on July 27, 2016.
By July 31, the same ship that delivered the consignment was reported to be missing from the port.
Uganda Police are yet to make any statement over the seizure and those interrogated in connection to the shell company, Mshalle commodities. Outgoing Police spokesperson Fred Enanga last week did not answer any questions about the cocaine haul and their alleged destination.
However, a fortnight ago, Uganda’s Mombasa consular for Trade and investment Tayebwa Katureebe said no one had launched a complaint with his office regarding the drugs.
Former Kenyan President Emilio Mwai Kibaki has been flown to South Africa for specialized treatment.
Reports indicate that the former Head of State is suffering from complications arising from a December 2012 accident as he returned from a presidential campaign rally.
He was later hospitalized in London, United Kingdom but went ahead to win the 2003 elections, defeating his former boss-turned-political foe Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi.
An octogenarian Kibaki, whose wife Lucy died in April, served as Kenyan President from 2002 to 2013.
President Yoweri Museveni has commended the people of Rushere in particular and of Kiruhura district at large for engaging in income generation projects.
The President was speaking yesterday at Emmanuel Cathedral in Rushere, seat of North Ankole Diocese in Kiruhura district during a thanksgiving service commemorating the first anniversary since the consecration of Rt. Rev. Stephen Namanya, as Bishop of North Ankole Diocese.
The event was also used to celebrate the victory of President Museveni and the National Resistance Movement (NRM) during the 2016 elections. President Museveni, who was the guest of honour, commissioned the Diocesan SACCO and milk plant and also laid the foundation stone of the girls’ school
North Ankole Diocese, created in 2003, has a variety of investments worth Shs. 800 million that, among others, include a dairy farm, milk plant, a bee farm, a girls’ school and health insurance.
“I am pleased to note that the people have stopped nomadism, embarked on work and are generating income. I thank God who has enabled them to educate their children,” he said.
He expressed happiness that the people had gathered to thank God for the NRM victory. He said that NRM has built the Lyantonde – Ibanda – Kamwenge – Fort Portal road adding that the facility would go a long way towards promoting development in the area. He further informed the gathering that the NRM Government will build the Kazo – Kyegegwa – Hapuyo road.
President Museveni commended the congregation for their commitment to educating their children in schools near their homes. He, however, cautioned the youth over the dangers of the HIV/AIDS scourge. He called on them to avoid the situation of what he called ‘winning a trophy in AIDS.’ He urged parents and religious leaders to sensitize the youths over the pandemic.
Regarding environment, the President called on the people of Kiruhuura district and the Ankole Sub-Region as a whole, to protect water sources. He made particular reference to River Rwizi which transverses the area but is threatened with drying up because of the harmful activities of the people along its course. He asked them to leave intact the swamps that are water catchment areas for the benefit of the community. He informed them that the Government has made plans to promote irrigation in order to ensure sustainable agricultural production adding that it would also promote work on valley dams to ensure that wananchi are served.
Mr. Museveni said plans are underway to enable wananchi cultivate perennial crops such as coffee, fruits, tea and cocoa. He gave assurances that this would be done through the provision of quality seedlings. He urged wananchi not to worry about incidents of East Coast fever that affects cows because veterinary officials are working to ensure that the threat is contained.
President Museveni thanked the people of the area for establishing a Diocesan SACCO to which he donated Shs.10 million to boost it. He pledged to donate a tractor to facilitate their agricultural venture and that he will assist them to search for an investor to help them tap into the resource of their 670-acre land.
During the thanksgiving service, Shs. 372 million was realized towards the girls’ school building project to which the President had auctioned a cow at Shs.10 million; donated Shs.10 million for the thanksgiving cerebrations and also pledged Shs.200 million for the girls’ school building, out of which he gave cash of Shs.20 million. The President further bought 21 cows at a total of Shs.42 million and donated the cows to Bishop Namanya.
North Ankole Bishop, Rt. Rev. Steven Namanya, saluted President Museveni for his wise leadership and thanked God for the gift of Mr. Museveni. He congratulated him for the general elections’ victory.
NEW ROLE: Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Andrew Felix Kaweesi
The Inspector General of Police Gen Kale Kayihura has shaken up the police media department, bringing in Andree Felix Kaweesi to ‘stand in’ for long-serving Fred Enanga.
According to available information, Commissioner of Police (CP) Enanga is away on assignment, while his deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Polly Namaye and Kampala Metropolitan Police (KMP) spokesperson Superintendent Patrick Onyango have been sent to study.
AWAY ON ASSIGNMENT: Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga
By press time it was not possible to establish the replacements for ACP Namaye and Supt. Onyango.
SENT TO STUDY: ACP Polly Bagambaki Namaye
The changes come in the wake of a sustained negative publicity stunt that engulfed the police hierarchy following the beating of citizens by officers on duty to monitor the travels of opposition key figure Dr Kizza Besigye after his release from a two-month incarceration in Luzira prison on treason charges.
EFFECTED CHANGES: IGP Gen Kale Kayihura
Since then, the IGP and seven other senior police officers have been dragged to court, though they have failed to turn up. Their failure to appear before court however, has not been without drama; first, goons who are reportedly supporters of the IGP raided and disrupted proceedings at the Makindye magistrate’s court, where Gen Kayihura had been scheduled to appear August 10.
‘NO SHOW’: Internal Affairs Minister Gen Abubaker Jeje Odongo addressing the press at the Media Centre. He said Gen Kayihura would not show up in court
Then his boss, minister of Internal Affairs Gen Abubaker Jeje Odong took to the microphone at the Media Centre last week, and suggested the IGP would not go to court when he is next required to, on August 29. “…What we are talking about is a gentleman performing his constitutional duties. Therefore, we would be talking about General Kale Kayihura, the institution, and not General Kale Kayihura, the individual… Therefore, when you are talking about going to court, it is the institution and not the individual,” Gen Odongo was quoted by local media as saying.
Former Olympic marathon champion Stephen Kiprotich and Uganda is confident he can use his Rio disappointment as a springboard to fresh World championship glory.
The marathoner posted 2:13:32 in the wet and lightly rainy conditions to finish a distant 8th on the final day of the Rio 2016 Olympics, a race won by Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge who has done extremely well since switching from track to marathon.
Kiprotich and Kipchonge share a manager, Jurrie van der Velden.
Now that the four year honeymoon within which Kiprotich has inflicted so much pain on the East African neighbours, beating them to gold twice is over, the 27-year-old prisons officer has said his next focus once he relaxes in the hilly Bukwo district, is the IAAF World Championship in London next year.
“The marathon in Rio was difficult but now my focus turns to the World Championship in London,” Kiprotich said on Monday.
In the shadow of the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue, poking through the rain clouds from high above the city, Solomon Mutai was the best placed Ugandan in 8th while Jackson Kiprop finished 80th. The trio blamed their poor finish on weather as Uganda left Brazil empty handed.
Incidentally, Kiprop was selected to undergo a doping test.
ORDERED ILLEGAL BARUNDI IMMIGRANTS OUT OF TANZANIA: Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa
Thousands of Burundi refugees who fled conflict from their home country to Tanzania have been naturalized, and granted citizenship.
Official statistics indicate that over 160.000 Barundi had applied for citizenship, with many successful, the regional Defence and Security Committee chairman for Katavi region Major General (rtd) Raphael Muhuga, has said.
The Katavi region is host to Katumba and Mishamo in Mpanda district, home to refugee settlements occupied by Burundi nationals who fled their country following the violence that erupted last April after President Pierre Nkurunziza announced he was running for a third term.
Since then about 400.000 Barundi have left their country, majority moving to nearby Tanzania. However, there is a caveat for those with the recently-granted citizenship: they should not accommodate those who have not been naturalized, the Tanzania Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, has warned.
According to reports, Mr. Majaliwa, while touring the region on Saturday, ordered all Burundians illegally staying in the camps to return to their country lest the face the wrath of the host country. He also ordered General Muhunga to ensure that his directive is adhered to, and also urged the refugees to desist from assisting in the proliferation of small arms into Tanzania.
MISSION SAVE SOUTH SUDAN FROM CRISIS: US Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting 8 African counterparts to deliberate on the South Sudan situation
Foreign affairs minister from eight African countries including Uganda are meeting the US Secretary of State John Kerry in Nairobi now to discuss ways to prevent South Sudan from sliding back into civil war and advance a political transition in Somalia.
Kerry arrived in the Kenyan capital late on Sunday for his second trip as secretary of state to Nairobi since May 2015, and met Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta before joining foreign ministers from Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, Djibouti, Tanzania, Somalia and Ethiopia to discuss South Sudan and Somalia, where there are concerns that delays in the approval of new election rules could dampen its recovery from conflict.
“We will … talk about how we move forward in trying to implement peace in this country,” a senior State Department official said of South Sudan. “The people of South Sudan have suffered for far too long, and the continued instability there has led almost a million refugees and a humanitarian crisis that is far beyond the abilities of even the international community to respond to,” the official told a conference call.
The international community has poured billions of aid into supporting the world’s youngest nation, which gained independence in 2011. Oil production, by far the biggest source of government revenue, has plummeted. But worsening violence has raised fears of a return to civil war that erupted in late 2013, which broadly ran along ethnic lines, pitting President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, against his rival and vice president Riek Machar, a Nuer.
Violence flared when Machar withdrew his forces from the capital Juba in July and was sacked by Kiir as vice president. Machar was picked up by UN peacekeepers in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo a week ago with a leg injury and was handed over to authorities in Congo. Machar led a two-year rebellion against forces loyal to rival Kiir before the two sides reached a peace deal in August 2015. Under the deal, Machar returned to Juba in April to resume his role as vice president.
World powers and regional states have struggled to find leverage over the warring factions in South Sudan, despite US and European sanctions on some military leaders and African threats of punitive actions. Especially of concern to Washington was an attack on a Juba hotel in July by uniformed men who killed a US-funded journalist and raped civilians, including aid workers.
The UN has launched an investigation into accusations UN peacekeepers in Juba failed to respond properly to the attack. In Kerry’s talks with Kenyatta, he will also discuss Kenya’s presidential election set for August 2017, the senior State Department official said.
Opposition protests in Nairobi since April have stoked fears among church leaders and Western diplomats of a repeat of the violence following the 2007 election in which 1,200 people were killed. In a letter to Kerry before his visit, the Human Rights Watch group urged him to discuss rights concerns with Kenyatta. The group said it had documented 34 cases of extrajudicial killings and another 11 deaths of people last seen in state custody over alleged links with al-Shabaab militants in Nairobi and in the northeast.
Meanwhile, tomorrow Secretary Kerry travels to Sokoto, Nigeria, the historic Muslim city in the remote northwest, followed by talks with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.
The Uganda Communication Commission has refuted allegations that its boss Eng. Godfrey Mutabazi blew over Shs10 on travelling to different destinations alone.
Instead the communication regulator says the said money was spent by Mutabazi alone as Members of Parliament on ICT committee, sector line Ministers and Uganda’s diplomats in the respective countries are used the money for the air tickets, accommodation among other things.
“UCC staff, ministers responsible for communications, Members of Parliament on the Sessional Committee on ICT – just to mention a few – travelled on the UCC ticket to participate at events abroad during 2011-15. This was in line with UCC’s mandate of representing Uganda at and/or coordinating the country’s participation in regional and international fora and organisations as spelt out under Section 5 (1) (q) of the Act” wrote, Mr Fred Otunnu, UCC Director for Corporate Affairs
Adding “The delegation to such meetings is usually led by the Minister responsible for ICT. The delegation often includes officials from UCC, Uganda’s diplomatic missions, Ministry of ICT, and MPs on the Sessional Committee on ICT where applicable.
Below is the full statement
UCC a Global ICT Player
Introduction
The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) is a statutory body mandated to regulate Uganda’s communications sector as established by the Uganda Communications Act 2013. The sector comprises telecommunications; electronic media (broadcasting), social media; postal and courier services; radio communications; and data communication and infrastructure.
UCC would like to draw the attention of Ugandans to the article entitled “UCC bosses blow over UGX10b on foreign trips and legal fees” that appeared Sunday Vision of August 14, 2016 (p.5) – an article that depicts UCC as a corrupt and spendthrift organisation. I wish to provide the facts as follows;
UCC staff, ministers responsible for communications, Members of Parliament on the Sessional Committee on ICT – just to mention a few – travelled on the UCC ticket to participate at events abroad during 2011-15. This was in line with UCC’s mandate of representing Uganda at and/or coordinating the country’s participation in regional and international fora and organisations as spelt out under Section 5 (1) (q) of the Act.
UCC represents Uganda at such international fora as the Africa Telecommunications Union (an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to fostering ICT infrastructure development in Africa), Commonwealth Telecommunications Union (a Commonwealth membership organisation in the field of information and communication technology), and East Africa Communications Organisation (an East African regional organisation that brings together national ICT regulators, operators, services providers in the telecommunication, broadcasting and postal sub-sectors).
Others include the GSM Association (an association that represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide), International Telecommunications Service Organisation (an intergovernmental organisation aimed to provide public telecommunications services, including voice, data and video, on a global and non-discriminatory basis), International Telecommunications Union (the United Nations specialised agency for ICT), Pan Africa Postal Union (a specialised agency of the African Union aimed to improve co-operation on postal matters in Africa) and Universal Postal Union (the primary global forum for cooperation between postal sector players).
Type of meetings
Eng. John Nasasira, Former Minister of Information & Communications Technology.
In these bodies, UCC participates in three categories/types of meetings:
Plenipotentiary Conferences. This is the top policy making organ of the international organizations. The delegation to such meetings is usually led by the Minister responsible for ICT. The delegation often includes officials from UCC, Uganda’s diplomatic missions, Ministry of ICT, and MPs on the Sessional Committee on ICT where applicable.
The Commission participates in Study or Working Group meetings. These are highly specialised meetings tackling technological issues. These are attended by technocrats from UCC. Worth mentioning are Study Group 11 and Study Group 13 of which UCC has been Vice Chair persons.
Study Group 11 is responsible for producing international standards (ITU-T Recommendations) that define how telephone calls and other calls (such as data calls) are handled in the network; and developing signalling requirements and protocols for Software-defined Networking (SDN). This Group leads ITU’s work on conformance and interoperability (C&I) testing, as well as developing test specifications focusing on global interoperability testing parameters, services, and quality of service (QoS) and testing parameters.
On the other hand, Study Group 13 is responsible for Future Networks (FNs) – networks of the future beyond NGN (2020). It is also concerned with the evolution of NGNs, while focusing on future networks and network aspects of mobile telecommunications. These include cloud computing, mobile and next-generation networks, future networks studies, network aspects of the Internet of Things (IoT), IMT-2000 and IMT-Advanced (ITU-R standards commonly referred to as 3G and 4G, respectively.
The third group of international engagements that UCC attends is Conventions, and exhibitions. These are usually headed by a government official at ministerial level participating on High level panel sessions on topical issues. For exhibitions, UCC has taken winners of innovation awards to showcase Ugandan technology, innovations and service provision up to the grassroots.
Therefore, UCC and/or Ugandan participants are required to attend these meetings which consider issues pertinent to the communications and technological industry. Therefore, many of the travels queried in the Sunday Vision article and/or their sources were related to these meetings and events.
Examples of meetings attended
Benefited from the UCC travel allowances, Nyombi Thembo, the former State Minister of ICT.
Between 2011-2015, UCC (or a Ugandan delegation coordinated by UCC) has attended a number of meetings and events such as the CTO Council in London (2011), which UCC had chaired for two years (2009-2010); the 31st PAPU Administration Council held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at which Uganda was elected to the PAPU Council of Administration; 19th ITU Plenipotentiary Conference held in Busan, South Korea, at which Uganda was elected to the ITU Council for Africa (Region D) for the period 2014-18; 4th ATU Plenipotentiary Conference held in Harare, Zimbabwe from July 3-11, 2014, where Uganda was re-elected to ATU Administration Council (2014-18); and the World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 (Geneva, Switzerland).
It should be noted that UCC votes and is voted for various posts. Since this is at regional, continental and global levels, the Government is heavily involved including but not limited for soliciting and lobbying member states at diplomatic lobby. Accordingly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Uganda’s diplomatic missions abroad are usually involved.
Events hosted events
In return, either as chairperson or out of goodwill, Uganda occasionally hosts international events. In June 2015, UCC hosted the 21st EACO Congress and Exhibition at the Sheraton Hotel from June 22-26, 2016. UCC was elected EACO chairperson; in 2013, UCC hosted a five-day regional digital migration workshop at Munyonyo under the theme: “Strategy for Broadband Access for All in East Africa.”
Other important events hosted include the 7th Annual eGov Africa 2013 under the theme: “eGovernment Policies, Practices and Innovation: The Road Ahead” (March 25-27, 2016); ITU Standardisation Meetings (Study Group 11 and 13) -November 4-15, 2013; and the 9th eLearning Africa Conference 2014 under the theme: “Opening Frontiers to the Future” (Munyonyo from May 28-30, 2014.
Conclusion
While time and space do not allow us to exhaust all the issues raised in the above article, it is evident the article contained a number of inaccuracies and distortions that inadvertently depicted UCC in an unfavourable image. Therefore, through this article UCC has put the issues raised into clear perspective.
UCC advocates open dialogue and is open to constructive criticism, but such communication ought to be from an informed point of view, fair and balanced. We would like to assure our communications sector is healthy, vibrant and on the right course to prosperity.
