President Yoweri Museveni and his DRC counterpart Joseph Kabila are set to address a joint press conference at the Mpondwe border point, in Kasese later today.
The two leaders have been meeting at the Mweya Safari Lodge and according to government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo, President Kabila crossed into Uganda at midday for one-on-one talks on bilateral issues including a deal under which Uganda would export a surplus 100MW of electricity to the DRC.
Evolving story
South Sudan’s ruling party’s (SPLM) former secretary-general, Pagan Amum has formed an advocacy group seeking to bring the world’s youngest nation under the administration of the United Nations.
In an interview with VOA, Amum said he wants the international community to directly intervene in South Sudan to prevent the country from collapse.
He described ‘South Sudan Reborn’, as a platform for advocacy and education; campaign to keep the young nation united and not divided on tribe.
The initiative, he further stressed, would have to involve regional players like the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African continent, the Troika countries and members of the international community to save South Sudan.
The group’s aim “is to bring the violence to an end through calling on the United Nations to take over South Sudan.”
According to Amum, South Sudan President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar have “failed” the country.
“President Salva Kiir took the country to a civil war, which he made very brutal and tribalistic, and now the genie is out of the bottle and it is out of control,” he said adding: “President Kiir has miserably failed to take the country back to peace.”
Amum urged appealed to leaders, including Kiir and Machar, to pave way for technocrats.
He said the South Sudan can only succeed if those tasked with managing it put in place strong institutions that promote good governance, democracy and human rights.
Amum, one of the country’s former political detainees, recently expressed the African Union proposal to send foreign troops in South Sudan to support the United Nations peacekeepers, a move rejected by the Kiir administration.
A striking senior Makerere University non-teaching staff official has said that money meant for their arrears was channeled to the evacuation of Ugandans caught up in the skirmishes during the recent fighting in South Sudan.
Appearing on the NBS TV talk show ‘Morning Breeze’ Jackson Betihama, one of the leaders of the striking assemblage from five public universities in Uganda, said: Muhakanizi (Keith Muhakanizi, the Secretary to the Treasury) told us our money was spent on evacuating Ugandans. What does the disaster preparedness ministry do?” But contacted for comment, finance ministry spokesperson Jim Mugunga said he was unaware of the words attributed to Mr Muhakanizi, hastening to add however, that Shs 20 billion had been provided for the non-teaching staff in the 2016-17 budget.
Meanwhile, Betihama also lashed out at government, saying it had not even bothered to communicate to their umbrella organization, the Public Universities Non-Teaching Staff Executives Forum (PUNTSEF) further complicating their woes. ‘If there is no money, at least we deserve an official communication. Even that hasn’t come through,’ he said.
Betihama, who was squaring off with Dr Tanga Odoi, a former varsity don-turned-politician, said the government owed them 57 billion Uganda shillings, for the financial years 2015/16 and 2016/2017, which it had promised to pay at the beginning of this year.
Dr Odoi, the current chairperson of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) Electoral Commission, is a former chairperson of the Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA), whose tenure was characterized by industrial action, usually related to salary disparities.
And, as if to temporarily recalibrate with his past, Dr Odoi said the industrial action over unmet promises is genuine. He, however, noted that it shouldn’t affect the varsities’ programme.
‘No university can operate smoothly without non-teaching staff. Not even calling in UPDF can help … the strike about unmet promises is genuine but they shouldn’t frustrate issuance of admission letters. Non-teaching staff agreed before the strike that administrations should give out admission letters,’ Dr Tanga Odoi said, adding that the non-teaching staff at Mbarara University had been paid.
But staff at all the public universities are on ‘Day Four’ of their nation-wide strike and Betihama will hear none of Dr Tanga Odoi’s soothing words.
‘No university should dare open for the new semester unless our issues are resolved. Opening date should be extended,’ Betihama charged and, recounting their experiences, said non-payment of their arrears had almost brought their lives to a standstill.
‘The industrial action has even turned into a hunger strike. We are stuck. The inconvenience comes from government. Our accounts are dry. Many university non-teaching staff are unable to buy food or take their children to school,’ he said.
Meanwhile, by press time efforts by the Minister of Education, First Lady Janet Museveni, to convince the striking workers to return to work, had proved complicated, with Betihamah saying: ‘…they (striking officials) know what they want and the promises that the government made to them’.
Nine people including a Bishop have died following an early morning horrendous accident at Matanga, along the Masaka- Mbarara highway.
Initial reports indicate the deceased include Rt. Rev. Enoth Komunda of Kanungu, who was travelling to Kampala with his daughter, who survived with broken limbs. Last evening, more nine people perished in Oyam district when a pick-up collided with another truck killing all the nine on the spot.
Maxwell Ogwal, the Regional Police Commander Greater Masaka, said the accident occurred after a speeding bus rammed into a stationery trailer, parked by the roadside.
Accidents on Masaka road are commonplace and this year alone several travellers have lost their lives on the road that has come to be dubbed ‘Massacre road’.
Major Pop Francis Origi, a Ugandan officer serving under the Africa Union Mission to Somalia, has been jailed for one year and demoted to rank of Captain, after he was convicted for selling military supplies.
Maj Origi, who was arraigned before the AMISOM Military Court in Mogadishu, faced the charges with 17 other Ugandan peacekeepers, whose trial was adjourned to a later date. Ugandan soldiers serving under AMISOM have occasionally had to contend with accusations of selling military logistics, and in October 2013 forty soldiers were arrested on the orders of President Yoweri Museveni, for allegedly engaging in the vice.
And in June this year, the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) came in the spotlight after five of its soldiers serving under AMISOM were arrested by Somali authorities in Mogadishu for stealing and selling military supplies and fuel.
At the time UPDF spokesman Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda confirmed the arrests of the soldiers and said investigations had been initiated to establish the facts.
“It is true they (Ugandan soldiers) were arrested for being involved in the black market trade,” Lt. Col. Ankunda told EagleOnline then.
As Makerere University staff demand for arrears from government, the student guild contestants have had to wait for a re-election for over five months now, two developments that might affect the re-opening of the university.
The Makerere University Electoral Commission presented 13 students for the guild elections of the 2016/2017 academic year, and announced Basil Biddemu Mwota, a student majoring in Arts with Education, winner.
However, his close competitor Roy Ssembogga, former varsity EC chairperson, disputed Mwotta’s election and petitioned the Tribunal, which suspended the process.
In response, Mwotta sought reprieve in the High Court, which was futile, paving the way for the tribunal’s stand to hold sway. The tribunal comprises the Dean of Students Cyriaco Kabagambe, who is the secretary to the tribunal, a legal advisor, Imaam of the MUK mosque; the chaplains of St. Augustine and St. Francis chapels, and the Guild Speaker and his deputy.
“The elections in one of the polling centers, specifically the School of Education where the initial winner resides, had a lot of irregularities,” Ssembogga, a student offering Bachelor of Medicine in Surgery, said.
However, Mwotta denied any such allegations saying: “There cannot be vote rigging in Makerere since the votes keep around the polling centers and students safeguard their votes till when the results are announced.”
For the last five months the Students Guild is conducting its affairs through the Office of the Dean since the outgoing Guild Council was technically dissolved, but the incoming student leadership is yet to be sworn in due to the tribunal’s delay in resolving Ssembogga’s grievances.
Efforts by EagleOnline to get comment from the Dean of Students Mr Kabagambe were futile, as he hung up and did not answer repeated calls.
However, the tribunal had promised to communicate to the candidates the date for the re-election as soon as the university opens for the new semester. But this development has been affected by the strike by the non-teaching staff, who are demanding that the Ministries of Finance and Ministry of Public Service honor a pledge made to them by the President in 2015.
‘’The Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development and that of Public Service promised to pay the non-teaching staff in the next financial budget since they were not included in the 2014/2015 financial budget, however, the Permanent Secretary who had given this ultimatum has again tried to resort to the same trend of pushing our money to the next year which we are not allowing,’’ Pascal Kyalimpa, the Chief Custodian of Nsibirwa Hall said.
Cabinet sitting at Parliament Buildings has today approved a US$71 million World Bank loan to finance the grid expansion and reinforcement project to strengthen the rural electrification strategy (RESP) for 2013-2022, a roadmap to increase power access to 26 percent by 2022.
The loan will finance a series of investments in power distribution and off-grid solutions in the northern districts of Gulu, Lira, Nebbi, Arua, Kole, Oyam and Nwoya.
Also approved by Cabinet was consideration and approval of a request from the Minister of Energy to allow her issue three petroleum production licenses to Total E&P Uganda Bv, over discoveries in exploration area one of the Albertine graben, that is, Ngiri, Jobi-Rii and Gunya to be operated by total E&P Uganda BV.
The ministers agreed that the production licenses to be issued have a 25-year duration and can be renewed for an additional five years as provided for in the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA). The licenses also provide that where there are oil fields which extend across boundaries of license areas, the oil fields be developed as one unit.
‘The final investment decision is planned to be taken in 18 months after issuance of the production licenses and first oil is expected in the financial year 2019/2020’, they said.
According to the cabinet minutes, the Petroleum Authority of Uganda will regulate the licensed companies while the National oil company will participate in all licenses to take care of government’s commercial interests.
The Cabinet has today deferred a US$50 million World Bank request from the Ministry of Finance, to support refugee hosting areas and communities.
‘While cabinet members appreciated the problem refugee hosting communities face, they noted the need for; the loan to be comprehensive and cover all refugee hosting areas of the country and a policy on how government can sustainably support refugee hosting communities with or without a loan,’ a release states in part.
The loan will be brought back to cabinet after wider consultations have been carried out on the areas cabinet raised.
Also discussed at today’s Cabinet meeting was the plight of Ugandan exporters to South Sudan market that suffered non-payment on account of the instability there.
As a result, the ministers directed the ministries of finance and foreign Affairs to liaise with the government of South Sudan on modalities for the repatriation of proceeds of Ugandan companies held in commercial banks and also pursue government of South Sudan to expeditiously form a joint cooperation commission to arbitrate the pending claims of Ugandans against South Sudan individuals.
‘A cabinet subcommittee comprising of Attorney General, ministers of Trade and finance has been tasked to oversee the whole process of negotiations of the modalities with the government of South Sudan,’ the release adds.
Meanwhile, that Cabinet today resolved that any future borrowing should never finance components of administration and capacity as these are always catered for in ministries’ domestic budgets.
The ministers also directed that loan beneficiary entities and Ministry of Finance -the contracting entity, should never procure or sign off any loan before all the preparatory activities are in place to avoid delayed implementation that results into financial penalties on un-utilized loans.
‘This is in furtherance of the resolutions of the recently concluded Kyakwanzi retreat that termed this tenure of government ‘Kisanja Hakuna Mchezo’, they noted.
Uganda Cranes continue preparations for their final AFCON 2017 qualifier match against Comoros with the team getting ready for the upcoming Buganda regional tour on Saturday.
The Cranes coach, Micho Srejovic named the squad for the tour during the weekly press conference on Wednesday at FUFA house in Mengo, Kampala.
The team will be captained by midfielder Hassan Wasswa Mawanda. Mike Sserumaga has been recalled after a long time while one guest player, Sulaiman Luzige from Sweden is also among the players to travel with the team.
The last training session in Kampala will be on Thursday evening at Phillip Omondi stadium, Lugogo before the team sets off for Masaka on Friday morning to Masaka Recreational Stadium where it will hold a training session that evening.
The match will be played on Saturday, August 6, 2016 at 4 pm.
Previously the Cranes have also visited the Western Region (Mbarara), North East (Soroti), Northern (Gulu), Kitara (Masindi), West Nile (Arua) and the Eastern Region (Mbale).
The full team:
Goalkeepers: Benjamin Ochan (KCCA) and Yasin Mugabi (SC Villa)
Defenders: Nicholas Wadada (Vipers), Joseph Nsubuga (SC Villa), Hassan Musana (Bul), Hassan Wasswa Mawanda – Al Shorta, Iraq, Rashid Toha (Onduparaka), Timothy Awanyi (KCCA), Halid Lwaliwa (Vipers), Bernard Muwanga (SC Villa)
Midfielders: Ivan Ntege (KCCA), Kezironi Kizito (Vipers), Mike Sserumaga (SC Villa), Vincent Kayizzi (KCCA), Abdumalik Tabu (SC Villa), Martin Kizza (SC Villa)
Strikers: Geofrey Sserunkuma (KCCA), Erisa Ssekisambu (Vipers), Shaban Muhammed (Onduparaka), Musa Esenu (Soana), Edrisa Lubega (Proline)
Guest Player: Sulaiman Luzige (Vaxjo, Sweden)
The Egyptian-born Nobel-winning scientist Ahmed Zewail has died in the US, aged 70.
Mr Zewail won the Nobel chemistry prize in 1999 for his pioneering work in femtochemistry, the study of chemical reactions in ultra-short time scales.
A professor at the California Institute of Technology, he was a science advisor to President Obama and the first Arab scientist to win the Nobel Prize.
Mr Zewail became a naturalised American in 1982 after studying there.
No immediate cause of death was given.
In 40 years working at the California Institute of Technology , he experimented with lasers to monitor chemical reactions at a scale of a femtosecond, which is a millionth of a billionth of a second.
He is also credited with developing a new research field dubbed four-dimensional electron microscopy, which helps capture fleeting processes and turn them into a kind of digital film.
Mr Zewail was appointed US science envoy to the Middle East, and became outspoken on political issues in his native country.
In 2014, he wrote an opinion piece for the Los Angeles Times that urged the US to avoid cutting aid to Egypt after a military coup that ousted the elected president Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood.
He argued that constructive engagement was important in keeping Egypt as a partner in the war on terrorism.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi expressed his condolences over the death, saying the country had lost a son and role model.
