Rwanda will July this year host the Africa Union Summit, an event previously held in three other countries in Africa: Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa.

And, on hosting this year’s summit Rwandan President Paul Kagame will become only the second leader in the EA region in recent times to hold the chairmanship after former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, who held the chairmanship between January 2008 and February 2009.

In regard to hosting this year’s summit Ms Hope Tumukunde, Rwanda’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and African Union, today signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that gives details of the material and technical commitments for organizing the summit.

“The signing of this MoU today is merely symbolic; Rwanda has and continues to put all in place to make the Kigali Summit memorable, in terms of organisation components and as regards quality outcomes of the summit,” Ms Tumukunde is quoted in a statement that was released by the Rwandan Embassy in Ethiopia, which also doubles as the permanent mission to the AU and UNECA.

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Judge Cecilia Ogwal has made her ruling and it appears Hon. Rebecca Kadaga has been acquitted in the mysterious “Who deserves Speakership?” case.

Actually the Opposition chief whip’s colleagues in Lango Parliamentary group have also Tuesday endorsed Rebecca Kadaga for Speaker of the 10th Parliament.

The NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC) decided Monday night to maintain the status quo; Ms Kadaga remains the speaker and Mr Jacob Oulanyah her deputy.

Cecilia Ogwal who also hails from the same region as Mr Oulanyah is explaining that the opposition is not fronting any candidate for the positions because their number cannot favorably compete with that of the ruling NRM party.

The Dokolo Woman legislator reveals that with less than 60 opposition MPs, they cannot compete with the huge NRM numbers.

“Because first of all i will have to count to my numbers and even in the bible, you know I read the bible a lot.  The bible says before you go to war count your cost so I already know, if am a member of the opposition and we are about 50 or 60 of us confronting 300 NRM. I will definitely vote for the NRM candidate because we’re too weak to have our own.  All we have to dos is build consensus around the right leadership, consensus is important for us as Ugandans and I think that’s the position we have taken at the moment.”

Guess all that animosity was enough for Mr Oulanyah to opt for the lesser job.

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Social media in Uganda is being monitored following the announcement by the opposition that it would stage a huge demonstration on May 5.

Government authorities within security are considering a possibility of shutting down the social media platforms if they remain errant.

According to sources, the government is wary of the impact social media may have on Ugandans in the course of the demonstration that is expected to start from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) offices in Najjanankumbi to Nakivubo Blue Primary School, on the outskirts of the city.

Contacted for comment, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) Executive Director, Eng.Godfrey Mutabazi was cagey, only promising to meet with this writer for better details tomorrow.

During the presidential elections on February 18, all social media including Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp was disabled, something that was criticized by among others the US government and several local civil society organisations.

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Opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) strongman, Kizza Besigye has been placed under ‘house arrest’.

According to police Chief General Kale Kayihura, Dr Besigye will be confined at his home in Kasangati to regulate his movements, following the opposition’s denouncement of the results of the February 18 polls.

A day before the elections, Dr Besigye was confined to his Kasangati home, where he spent 47 days, after announcing a ‘defiance campaign’.

And today Gen Kayihura asked Besigye’s Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party to drop the defiance campaign, which he says disrespects the Court order which Deputy Attorney General Mwesigwa Rukutana secured from Deputy Chief Justice Steven Kavuma, to restrain opposition activities ahead of and during the swearing in ceremony of President-elect Yoweri Museveni on May 12.

Dr. Besigye told EagleOnline last week in an interview that without an audit of last February general elections, he intends to lead a countrywide defiance campaign and thereafter, name his cabinet that he will work with as an ‘elected president’.

“So, as it is, there is a constitutional crisis because the candidate declared as a winner by the Electoral Commission is not conclusively elected unless the Supreme Court process has been completed” Dr Besigye said.

Adding “No! Of course we have made it very clear that the government is only formed by the winner. We have categorically stated that we are the winners of this election so if there is any consideration of forming a government of national unity, it should be us forming it and inviting Mr Museveni’s party to join such a government. And in our own manifesto we made it clear that we intend to form a government of national unity and we are already in the process of doing so. And if as it seems our proposal for an independent audit is not taken seriously, then we shall be left with absolutely no option but to go ahead and form government as mandated by the people of Uganda”

FDC party president, Gen. Mugisha Muntu yesterday revealed that the party isn’t deterred by the Court order because matters of worship are enshrined in the constitution.

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