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Uganda faces calls for UK-style referendum to leave East African community

By
Stephen Muneza
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FDC’s frustrations could also be aligned to the fact that their kingpin Dr Besigye, who was the runner up in the February 18 presidential elections, is on remand at Luzira prison on separate charges of treason

Uganda must have a UK-style referendum on its membership of the regional integration bloc EAC, the political party which gave President Yoweri Museveni a bloody nose in this year’s general elections insists.

The East African Community, comprising six countries of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Sudan and Uganda, agreed to an expanded free trade area including the member states of all.

And yet the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) says ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) members of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) are plotting to adjust the rules of procedure to prolong the term limits.

Speaking at their weekly press briefing, FDC party leaders shared their envy of United Kingdom which last week voted out of the European Union to defend the country’s interests, and confirmed they would be pushing for a similar move in Uganda.

“As a party we are concerned that the character of dismantling the Constitution has become the character of the NRM. The matter we should be looking at is now leaving the EAC; we need to discuss whether Ugandans are actually benefiting from EAC because no one knows how many Ugandans identify with anything about the Community and have ever appreciated its relevance.” FDC’s Deputy Secretary General for Harold Kaija said on Monday.

EALA assembly session in progress
EALA assembly session in progress

FDC maintains that Uganda initially rushed into the East African federation in the early 1960s and failed.

“A referendum is the only way Ugandans can truly express if they want to stay in the EAC, if they want to stay in the unfair trade bloc dominated by Kenyans.”

“Ugandans are not looked at as people who have a stake in deciding their destiny; which shouldn’t be the case. For this we are therefore calling for a referendum. They should be given a voice. They must be asked what they want.If they want to these EALA members to cling longer onto their seats.”

All the current six NRM EALA members are serving their second and last term: Dorah Byamukama, Nusura Tiperu, Dan Kidega, Mike Sebalu, Margaret Nantongo Zziwa and Bernard Mulengani. This means all six NRM slots are up for grabs. And already, several hopefuls have come out to state their intentions.

Old troubles 

NRM in 2012 forced Parliament to charge the criteria for selection of EALA representatives, they resolved that members must be based on numerical strength thus leaving the five opposition parties with only three seats.

President Museveni addressing Parliament
President Museveni addressing Parliament

The regulations provided that the election of members to EALA shall take into consideration the various political parties and organizations represented in Parliament, shade of opinion, gender and other special interest groups.

Elections of Uganda’s representatives had stalled following an order by the East African Court of Justice to the Uganda Parliament to amend its rules to conform to article 50 of the treaty establishing the East African Community.

Members of the Opposition distanced themselves from the decisions made by the house and stormed out of the chamber protesting the failure to adopt proposals made by then Leader of the Opposition Mafabi.

The LoP had indicated they are to petition the East African Court of Justice to reign in Parliament of Uganda to ensure its rules conform to the EAC treaty.

The pace of implementation varying from country to country is slow amongst all; at least not fast enough, according to Kaija. He cites the removal of non-tariff barriers which has taken long to be fully implemented due to unawareness.

Besigye battle

FDC’s frustrations could also be aligned to the fact that their kingpin Dr Besigye, who was the runner up in the February 18 presidential elections, is on remand at Luzira prison on separate charges of treason.

Prosecution claims Dr Besigye and others at large between February 20 and May 11 this year in diverse places in Uganda formed an intention to compel by force or constrain the government of Uganda as by law established to change its measures or counsels as to the lawfully established methods of acceding to the office of president.

Frustrations 

Uganda’s opposition insists they don’t know how many Ugandans expected that the EA community would lead to the abolition of national borders, creation of one nation and people would settle anywhere, abandonment of Uganda’s seat at the United Nations and African Union etc; surrender of foreign affairs responsibility; abandonment of all languages in favor of one East African common language.

They say Ugandans were under the impression that they were by and large following the European Union model of building from the bottom, sector by sector and ending up with a political union or federation. European countries would form the United States of Europe similar to the United States of America with state and federal structures. Ugandans thought East Africa would follow the same model.

More importantly, in Uganda, there has been a tendency to view EAC integration in isolation, with no link whatsoever to the country’s development agenda. The sector plans and budgets of most ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) have not mainstreamed the EAC agenda. Their strategic plans and budgets framework papers do not refer to EAC integration and do not reflect EAC matters, even where decisions have been reached at the EAC council levels.

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Gen. Guti takes over as Court Martial boss

By
Our Reporter
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Gen. Guti being sworn in while as other Court Martial members look on.

Lieutenant General Andrew Guti, has today sworn in as chairman of the Makindye based Court Martial.

Lt. Gen. Guti was appointed last month as Court Martial boss after Maj. Gen. Levy Karuhanga passed on.

Before his appointment, Gen. Guti served as the Uganda’s contingent commander to Somalia, before being moved as head of Senior Command and Staff College at Kimaka where he has been until the latest appointment.

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JCB boss investigated in dubious court land transaction

By
Richard Wanambwa
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A land dispute case that was resolved two years ago by the High Court Land Division has found its way back in the judiciary, this time filed at the Nakawa High Court, prompting investigations.

According to sources, a city businessman is trying to circumvent the judicial system by filing an application in a matter that was resolved by the High Court in 2014.

The matter, Misc. Application 218 of 2016, which is being pursued by Gollapalli Naga Mohana Rao against Sulamain Abdu Muhabuka and four others, was put to rest by Her Worship Susan Kanyange, the Deputy Registrar of the Nakawa High Court, who ruled that the matter is Res Judicata.

Mr. Gollapalli Naga Mohana Rao is the boss of JCB Company that imports heavy machinery on 7th street industry opposite city tyres.

He has refused to pay Mr Sulamain Abdu Muhabuka as directed by court in 2014.

In her 7-page ruling Ms Kanyange said the application for an interim injunction filed by Mr Mohana Rao in respect to land comprised on LRV 3463 Folio 4 Kyadondo, Block 236, Plot 338, and LRV 3462 Folio 5 Kyadondo Block 236, Plot 1047 in Bweyogere, Wakiso District, is res judicata, meaning it had already been heard and determined by a competent court.

In the application Mr Mohana Rao had sought the intervention of court, praying that the respondents, Mr Muhabuka, Uganda Investment Oil and Transporter Company Limited, Eastern and Southern African trade Development Bank, Mr Paul Wasswa and the Commissioner for Land Registration, be restrained from carrying out further developments on the suit land.

However, Ms Kanyange averred that Lady Justice Elizabeth Kabanda had earlier pronounced herself on the matter, M/A No. 479 of 2012 arising from HCCS No. 233 of 2012, in 2014.

‘When the matter came up for hearing counsel for the 1st respondent raised a preliminary objection that the application was Res Judicata. He submitted that on May 20, 2014 the High Court made a decision regarding the application No.479 of 2012 for temporary injunction seeking to restrain the Respondent from interfering with the Applicants quiet possession of the suit property. That the trial Judge Justice Kabanda in her ruling found the 1st Respondent to be the registered proprietor of the land in possession therefor,’ Ms Kanyange ruled.

‘This court thus can’t try the same issue between the parties and I do not agree with counsel for applicant that construction is a new issue, rather they are trying to bring up the issue in a new way,’ Ms Kanyange ruled.

She added: ‘I find that the parties are the same in regard to the applicant and the 1st Respondent. Though others are mentioned the objection was in regard to the 1st Respondent only’.

In conclusion, Ms Kanyange ruled: ‘Thereby the application of the 1st Respondent is dismissed as its res judicata. Costs in the cause. I so rule,’ she ruled.

By press time efforts to contact judiciary spokesman Solomon Muyita over the matter were futile but on March 15, 2016 Mr Mohana Rao wrote to the Commandant Land Protection, seeking intervention.

‘The above matter was fully investigated by your office as per attached documents. Surprisingly, the same suspects have gone ahead to disrupt our developments on the land.

This is to call upon your good offices to go ahead and have them produced in courts of law and also avail us with protection as we develop the land,’ Mr Mohana Rao wrote in a communication also copied to the Regional Police Commander (RPC) Kampala Metropolitan Police (KMP) East, the District Police Commander (DPC) Kiira Division and the Officer in Charge (OC) of Bweyogerere.

When the matter was concluded, Mr. Mohana’s lawyer, Mr Mulema Mukasa of KSMO advocates requested that the file be moved to the head of land division of the High Court. He said he was dissatisfied with the way his application was handled and informed Court that he was going to appeal. It should be noted that the dispute which had been initially filed in the land Division was moved to the Civil Division upon request by Mr Mohana’s lawyers.

Mr Muhabuka says he believes all these are desperate tactics by Mohana and his lawyers to try and manipulate the Court system to steal his land.

This News Website couldn’t get a comment from Gollapalli as he remained elusive with his cellphone off. However, efforts to trace him from his industrial office remained a nightmare as his office security detail couldn’t allow this reporter access office.

Principal Judge Yorokamu Bamwine, as head of lower courts is likely to cause an inquiry into this case.
Principal Judge Yorokamu Bamwine, as head of lower courts is likely to cause an inquiry into this case.

 

This is not the first time Mohana is being accused of wayward dealings in land and a complaint was filed at police against him. An example is the registered property in Bugolobi which was taken on February 23, 2013 at 8.44 am and recorded as 480-765 which was transferred three times in different names before it is finally transferred into Mr. Gollapalli Naga Mohanar Rao of address P.O. Box 5213 Kampala as an investor. The said Bugolobi property originally belonged to a one Jean Rwomuiju Kuhirwa on plot 78 Luthuli Avenue. This case is among the many land cases Mr Mohana is allegedly involved in.

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Deo Serwadda @ SC Villa: Three things he must tackle

By
Stephen Muneza
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SC Villa president Ben Misagga (left) shakes hands with new coach Sserwadda (right) on Sunday. (Monitor Photos)

Deo Serwadda’s recent coronation as SC Villa’s new head coach has created a buzz on the blue half of downtown Kampala. An appointment to grab the vernacular media headlines, the aggressive announcement of Old Boy ‘Kajambia’ shows Villa mean business.

Embattled club president Ben Misagga says he is determined to make a statement and the list of candidates he courted to succeed Ibrahim Kirya, which included Lweza’s talented Joseph Mutyaba, showed how determined the dubious billionaire was to bring in an exciting new era at Villa Park.

Though we are yet to see pictures of Serwadda conducting training at their dusty Uganda Railways yard base, work has already started behind the scenes to ensure this campaign lives up to expectations.

Though Misagga as a developed a Roman Abramovich-like coach sacking habit, Sserwadda has the job for the next two years with a backroom staff consisting of Shafic Bisaso as his assistant and Christopher Lobbo as goalkeeping coach.

Here EagleOnline highlights three issues that the former Villa leftback will need to address.

SPEND WISELY

Misagga has unfailingly backed his coaches and in the past two years Villa have smashed their transfer many times. Even in June 2015, Kirya was given over UShs 22 million to sign Umar Kasumba, who spent time doing double sessions at Villa Park to get a head start after an underwhelming start and took over 17 games to end his goal drought.

Umar Kasumba in action against URA FC in the league. He scored his first goal in SC Villa colours against JKU. He did score in March 2016 against a poor JKU in the CAF Confederations Cup as the Jogoos walloped their opponents 4-0 at Namboole.
Umar Kasumba in action against URA FC in the league. He scored his first goal in SC Villa colours against JKU. He did score in March 2016 against a poor JKU in the CAF Confederations Cup as the Jogoos walloped their opponents 4-0 at Namboole.

But what Villa have not been able to do, though, is spend big with great frequency. Finance was one of the reasons they passed on the chance to fully retain Erisa Sekisambu 12 months ago who had just inspired them into dreaming about a league and cup double that season but, with Misagga committed to bankrolling significant investment that will no longer happen.

Serwadda will have access to a modesty transfer kitty but that doesn’t mean he should spend for the sake of it. Villa need reinforcements in several areas, such as a new goalkeeper, in defence and up front, and Serwadda needs to be shrewd.

MAKE NAKIVUBO ROCK AGAIN

When Godfrey Lwesibawa scored the only goal against Sudan’s Khartoum Al Watani in the CAF Confederations Cup preliminary round, the noise inside Nakivubo Stadium was remarkable, an ear-splitting, senses fuddling din. When the old stadium is like that, there aren’t many better places to see football in the country.

But when it is quiet? It is inhospitable and the tension is palpable. Towards the end under Ibrahim Kirya, as results failed to improve, it became intolerable.

Jogoo fans had become bored by the methodical way Kirya wanted his side to play and Serwadda needs to appreciate that while the home crowd want to see attractive football, they want it to have a tempo that unsettles the opposition and creates an energy in the Kirussia stands.

Jogoo fans can nolonger lay claim to being the loudest after a huge crowd, rarely seen at most local games, turned up to cheer Onduparaka in the Uganda Cup final.
Jogoo fans can nolonger lay claim to being the loudest after a huge crowd, rarely seen at most local games, turned up to cheer Onduparaka in the Uganda Cup final.

Villa last season found themselves playing catch-up in the league because of their involvement in the Caf competition. Surprisingly, they went 360 minutes in continental football without conceding a single goal but also scored seven in four games. Most of the league games they were supposed to play earlier were postponed, which had repercussions, as seen in the fatigue they had to endure.

SC Villa Kirya

Serwadda is not walking into a club that is on its knees and requires major surgery just to stabilise. He is taking over one of the best institutions in the land with history and a solid fan base that just needs t be awakened with good results. Providing he makes the right moves, he has the chance to make them a force once more.

TRANSFORM THE ATMOSPHERE

A change of coach always provides a lift but Serwadda will be aware of how much work needs to be done to get the bounce back at Villa Park. It is not wrong to say that, during the first three months of the campaign just gone, the mood around the club was appalling.

Even the most level-headed players had lost faith in Antonia Flores’ project and it made what has traditionally been a lively, vibrant place of work become a centre of disenchantment. For that reason alone, Villa’s hierarchy had to take action, promote Kirya and then fire him after stabling the boat.

Former SC Villa Nigerian striker Victor Emenayo controlling the ball with his chest in the 1-1 draw with SCVU that hurt the club's title bid in May 2015
Former SC Villa Nigerian striker Victor Emenayo controlling the ball with his chest in the 1-1 draw with SCVU that hurt the club’s title bid in May 2015

One of Villa’s strengths over the last two decades has been the unity within. Paul Hasule assembled a squad that worked relentlessly for one another and never got carried away and every incoming chairman has always endeavoured to ensure that everyone adheres to tradition. Before then, an all-conquering Villa side of the 1990s that played in two Caf event finals (1991 Africa Club championship and Caf Cup) fell to Tunisia’s Club Africain (3-7) and  (1992 Caf Cup) Shooting Stars (0-3) of Nigeria.

Serwadda cannot be overlooked because he comes with a wealth of experience having coached many of the top sides in the country. He famously led URA to their first league title in 2006 and had a brief spell at Villa in the late 2000s.

He is a Caf License B holder and has been handling fourth division side Police Mobile (Police’s junior team) and Kyambogo University.

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I need the UCC job to feed my family – ex minister Nyombi Thembo

By
Esther Natambi
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Axed junior ICT Minister Nyombi Thembo has been coy about why he applied to head the Rural Communication Development Fund at the Uganda Communications Commission … but on Monday he involuntarily revealed to every Ugandan’s worst fee .. he had a family to feed.

That said, Nyombi whose wife Prisca Mashengyero died in 2012 in an accident at Bwebajja on Entebbe Road, also said that he had become a street boy after the people of Kassanda and President Museveni had put on the street.

“I was dropped by my constituency and the President himself yet I still have a family to feed and I can’t do that when I don’t have a job,” Nyombi told CBS FM. Now I am a private person and I am free to apply where I see a job.”

When asked if being an ex-boss to the UCC hierarchy would not cause conflict of interest in his quest to get the job, Thembo replied, “Ugandans are not used to educated ministers and I tell you, UCC is very independent, using a highly-qualified consultancy to carry out the recruitment and I cannot not Influence its decisions.”

Our in-house political expert though insists Nyombi is a far cry from the typical Ugandan politician who views politics as a do-or-die affair because of the lucrative ministerial posts and Parliamentary seats involved. Actually Ugandans were thrilled when  graciously conceded defeat to former Police spokesman Simeo Nsubuga in the NRM primaries for Kassanda South in Mubende District. To add to that, he wrote a nice article in the media stating that there is life after politics.

It unclear whether Nyombi will get the job using his vast qualifications including a diploma in project planning and management from Bradford University (UK) or his credentials of being a good NRM cadre.

We’ve reached out to the UCC camp … so far no word back.

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US rallies other EU countries to ‘stay’ after Brexit

By
Our Reporter
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US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron during a bilateral meeting.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is travelling to Brussels and London today for talks on the future of the European Union and the fallout arising from the June 23 Brexit vote.

A senior US official said that at the EU leaders meeting in Brussels Mr Kerry would stress the importance of other EU members not following Britain to further weaken the bloc.

Through a referendum held on June 23, citizens of the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU and Mr Kerry’s travel to the EU headquarters comes as the European Parliament’s chief urged UK Prime Minister David Cameron to begin formal proceedings to leave the EU as early as Tuesday.

EC Parliament Chief Martin Schulz
EC Parliament Chief Martin Schulz

Martin Schulz said that a period of uncertainty over Brexit would “lead to even more insecurity and thus endanger jobs”.

“Hesitating simply to accommodate the party tactics of the British conservatives hurts everyone,” he said.

“That is why we expect the British government to now deliver. The summit on Tuesday is the right time.”

The four biggest groups in the European Parliament are also reported to have drawn up a draft resolution calling for the Prime Minister to begin the process of the UK leaving the EU.

UK foreign Secretary Philip Hammond
UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond

But the Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said: “There is no imperative on us to serve Article 50 at any particular time. We’re under pressure from our EU partners to do it quickly, but the timing is entirely up to us.”

One of the leading Brexit campaigners, Conservative MP Liam Fox, insisted talks should begin with the aim of the UK leaving the union by the beginning of January 2019.

“What we want to be doing is seeing a process that means we can leave the European Union on 1 January 2019. That seems to me like a reasonable timetable,” Mr Fox said.

The Prime Minister said in the wake of the referendum result that he would step down by October and leave negotiations on Brexit to his successor.

To begin the withdrawal process, Britain must invoke Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon treaty, which has never been used before.

The EU’s summit on Tuesday and Wednesday will discuss the fallout from the British vote and the European Parliament will also hold a special session.

Mr Schulz’s demands came after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there is no need to be ‘nasty’ during talks to discuss Britain’s exit.

She told a news conference it “shouldn’t take forever” for Britain to deliver formal notification that it wants to leave the European Union but made it clear that the matter is in London’s hands.

 

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Uganda Waragi’s exciting ‘Cocktails in the Wild’ headed for Lake Mburo

By
Our Reporter
-

This upcoming weekend, Uganda Waragi in partnership with Roundbob will be sponsoring a unique cocktail event known as ‘Cocktails in the Wild’.

This experience is targeted at encouraging Ugandans to venture out and explore their country in bid to grow the tourism industry in Uganda.

Roundbob, an online tour and travel company, has organized the two-day venture dubbed ‘Cocktails in the Wild’ where participants will enjoy a road trip to Lake Mburo National Park, wildlife and a Uganda Waragi sponsored overnight cocktail party.

uggg

“This trip is about giving Ugandans an unforgettable party experience. There could be no better venture than this partnership for Uganda Waragi which has for the last 50 years embraced the passion for celebrating the spirit of Uganda. UG is famously known as The Spirit of Uganda that has over the years taken a leading role in bringing people together. We are doing it yet again!” said Rhona Namanya, the Uganda Waragi Brand Manager.

According to David Gonahasa, the Managing Director of Roundbob, this trip has been organized to encourage the ordinary Ugandan to go out, explore and appreciate Uganda. “We want Ugandans to go and see Uganda, and to appreciate the beauty that lies in our backyard before venturing out to outside countries to appreciate their beauty there. Even charity begins at home.” He added that this experience will be different from the familiar bar partying that Ugandans are accustomed to today.

ugg

Participants in the experience will get a chance to wild game like Zebras, Impala, Elands, Warthogs, Buffalos, Hippos in Lake Mburo National Park all with a cocktail in hand.

Gonahasa had this to say about partnering with Uganda Waragi on this experience, “We are excited to be partnering with Uganda Waragi on this trip as a true testament to the great Ugandan Brand it is. We would encourage other Ugandan brands to take part in such initiatives that seek to redefine the Ugandan story.”

Ug

Uganda Waragi, with the UG Mixology Initiative recently innovated ’50 ways to drink you UG’ that offers consumers the best chance of enjoying The Spirit of Uganda. UG’s signature cocktails, Kololo Sunset and Muyenga Sunrise together with UG’s newest flavors, coconut and coffee will make ‘Cocktails in the Wild’ even more exciting.

“UBL is committed to delivering the ultimate drinking experience to the consumers who enjoy our spirits. Taking the cocktail experience out of the ordinary bar setting to the wild is the ultimate Uganda Waragi adventure. We encourage all our customers to become part of this wild adventure,” Namanya remarked, adding “However, we continue to remind our consumers to practice responsible enjoyment of our beverages.”

ug i

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Judiciary ‘to probe’ Besigye ‘tormentor’ Steven Kavuma

By
Stephen Muneza
-

Uganda’s Judicial Service Commission has given in to the pressure of former presidential candidate Kizza Besigye and promised to ‘look into’ the suitability of Justice Steven Kavuma serving as a justice of the Court of Appeal/Constitutional Court.

Dr Besigye, who is currently incarcerated in Luzira prison on treason charges, alleges that Justice Kavuma is close to the Executive and that his professionalism is compromised.

Dr Besigye, a four-time FDC presidential candidate, recently wrote a wordy letter to the JSC, whose core mandate is to recruit and discipline errant judicial officers, charging that Justice Kavuma is doing the bidding of President Yoweri Museveni, the appointing authority.

“Judicial Service Commission has received a complaint against Deputy CJ Kavuma,” Judiciary spokesman Solomon Muyita told NBS TV on Monday. “It will be looked into.”

JSC Secretary Mr Kagole Kivumbi, also confirmed receipt of Dr Besigye’s complaint against Justice Kavuma.

“JSC currently has no chair but the public can still lodge complaints. Once we have a chair, they will be handled,” Mr Muyita supplemented.

“If anyone is unhappy about the outcome, they should appeal. That is why we have an appeal system.

“The judiciary is open. That’s why we allow cameras into courts for live coverage.

Deputy Uganda Chief Justice Steven Kavuma
Deputy Uganda Chief Justice Steven Kavuma

Mr Besigye’s troubles with Justice Kavuma reached boiling point at the beginning of May this year when the Judge made an ex parte order placing an interim ban on the FDC’s ‘defiance’ activities.

However, Dr Besigye contends that Article 43 of the Constitution only limits one from enjoying his rights if it is in the public interest.

He also termed as ‘very strange’, a decision by Justice Kavuma to bar the magistrate at Kasangati court from ruling on whether his confinement at his residence in Kasangati by police, was legal.

Justice Kavuma is no friend to some opposition politicians who accuse him of bias and last year Gerald Karuhanga, then Western Youth MP, tried to sue President Museveni insisting that he illegally appointed Justice Kavuma  on March 5, the same day Mr Museveni also named Bart Katureebe chief justice.

Justice Kavuma has also once come under attack when, sitting as a single judge, he  on March 31, 2014, issued an order against Lord mayor Erias Lukwago’s reinstatement to office, which was issued by the High Court Judge Lydia Mugambe.

Until his appointment, Kavuma had led the judiciary for two years both as acting chief justice and acting deputy chief justice. His leadership was attacked in court, in speeches and through a lawyers’ boycott.

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Heartbroken Messi retires from international football

By
Our Reporter
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Argentina’s Lionel Messi after the Copa América final defeat to Chile. Photograph: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

Lionel Messi has said his international career is over at the age of 29 after he blazed a penalty over the bar in Argentina’s defeat in the Copa América final to Chile.

The Argentina captain missed his spot-kick in the decisive shootout at Met Life Stadium, which Chile went on to win 4-2 and secure a second Copa crown in two years, and was disconsolate on the pitch after the game. “It’s tough, it’s not the time for analysis,” he said. “In the dressing room I thought that this is the end for me with the national team, it’s not for me. That’s the way I feel right now, it’s a huge sadness once again and I missed the penalty that was so important.

“I tried so hard to be [a] champion with Argentina. But it didn’t happen. I couldn’t do it. I think it’s best for everyone, for me and for many people who want it. The choice for me is over, it is a decision. I tried many times [to be a champion] but did not.”

Sergio Agüero and other Argentina players could now follow Messi’s lead, with the Manchester City forward telling Olé: “The likelihood is that Messi is not the only one that will leave the national team. There are several players like me that are evaluating whether or not to continue.

“One doesn’t want to think about it but at times, there are things that happen and the thought [of retiring] comes into your mind. Afterwards, it’s difficult to get it out. Unfortunately, the one that leaves most affected is Leo Messi after his penalty miss. This is the worst that I’ve seen him in the changing room. We are all affected and we will try to think about something else and move forward. Again, luck was not on our side.”

The defeat continued Argentina’s 23-year trophyless run and Messi’s own personal misery now extends to four lost finals with the national side – at the 2014 World Cup against Germany and at three Copa Américas, in 2007, 2015 and now 2016.

Argentina coach Gerardo Martino said: “The burden of the consecutive games [lost] has been accumulating these last two years. He feels like you would expect a player to feel after playing and losing a final.”

Messi had enjoyed another impressive outing in the latest final of his international career but failed to find a finishing touch over 120 minutes of play. Still, few would have expected him to miss from 12 yards after Chile’s Arturo Vidal had seen the first kick of the shootout saved by Sergio Romero. But the Barcelona forward conspired to balloon the ball over the bar and pass up the chance to give his side an early advantage.

Lucas Biglia also missed for Argentina with his penalty being saved by Messi’s Barcelona team-mate Claudio Bravo, before Chilean midfielder Francisco Silva scored the decisive spot-kick.

Messi, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, was representing his country for the 112th time since making his debut in 2005 as an 18-year-old.

In that time he scored 55 times, including five this tournament. He surpassed Gabriel Batistuta’s all-time leading mark of 54 for Argentina with a superb free-kick in last week’s semi-final against the US.

“Messi’s numbers are unparalleled and I think they’ll remain that way forever, because it’s impossible for a football player to do what Messi has done,” said Juan Antonio Pizzi, the Chile coach who is from Argentina. “My generation can’t compare him to [Diego] Maradona that’s for my generation, because of what Maradona did for Argentine soccer. But I think the best player ever played today here in the United States.”

Immediately after Sunday’s shock announcement, goalkeeper Romero said he hoped Messi would change his mind. “I think Leo spoke in the heat of the moment because we missed that great chance,” said Romero.

Messi now stands to miss the 2018 World Cup, with the odds of Argentina breaking their long-standing major trophy drought in Russia just having lengthened significantly.

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Saudi Arabia warns citizens over recruitment of EA maids

By
Our Reporter and Agencies
-
Public Service Minister Wilson Mukasa Muruli

Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry has warned its citizens against travel to Tanzania and Burundi to recruit domestic workers unless all legal measures have been completed and an official recruitment office has been opened.

With the possible exception of Rwanda, the issue of maids suffering at the hands of their employers in the Middle East is a contentious barb between almost all East African countries and the Arab world and mid last year then Uganda Gender and Labour Minister Wilson Mukasa Muruli issued a statement suspending the travel of maids to the ME for employment.

And, in a statement, Mohammed Al-Marool, the director general at the ministry’s Department of Public Relations and Media, said the ministry had been informed by the Foreign Ministry that the authorities in Tanzania and Burundi were investigating some Saudi citizens, accused of human trafficking, illegally recruiting domestic workers and working without a government permit.
“The Interior Ministry urges all citizens to keep themselves abreast of the laws and regulations in other countries,” said the statement.

 

 

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