President Museveni addresses Kasese district FDC leaders
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) leadership in Kasese district led by the LC V Chairman-elect Kasese district Geoffrey Sibendire Bigogo has rejected the idea of the demand and formation of the ‘Yiira Republic’.
Speaking at a meeting between the FDC leadership of the district and President Yoweri Museveni at Mweya Safari Lodge in Kasese district, Mr Bigogo said that they are ready to work together with the NRM government to bring about peace and development in Kasese district in particular and Uganda in general.
This follows allegations that there is a scheme by the Bayiira of Uganda and those in the Democratic Republic of Congo to break away from their nations and form their own State called Bayiira.
President Museveni blamed some of the so-called prophets who instead of positively guiding the youth, mislead them by using witchcraft to fight for the so-called Yiira Republic.
“The earlier it is clear to everybody the better,” he cautioned.
He warned of dangerous repercussions from the Congo side in-case they press ahead to demand for the Yiira state adding that it will also cause unnecessary friction between the two governments of Uganda and that of the DRC.
Museveni advised them to instead work positively to create unity among the people at home as well as those living across the borders who have similar linkages and advise them to rout-out the ADF’s and the Interhamwe’s for everlasting peace to prevail in the area.
President Museveni rubbished allegations that NRM is marginalizing the Bayiira in Uganda adding that under the NRM government the population in Kasese has increased from 190,000 in 1994 to 700,000 now, something he attributed to a successful immunization programme in the country.
“Socio-economic problems are now cropping up including in Kasese. Now some false prophets come in to take advantage of peoples’ problems they have not bothered to solve. They say the Bayiira are suffering, those in DRC are being killed and Mugurusi Museveni does not care for the ones in Uganda because he is part of the Hima-Tutsi Empire. But I am the one who has increased the Bayiira for the first time in four million years. The population of Kasese was 190,000 in the CA elections of 1994.The population now is 700,000.Who has increased the population? Museveni. The Bayiira you are talking about are my Bayiira and they have increased because of my work,” he pointed out.
President Museveni earlier reminded the FDC leadership of the role of leaders at all levels of getting people out of poverty through adopting modern commercial farming especially in the rural areas.
He emphasized the issue of enterprise selection coupled with thorough calculation for better results.
Responding to some of their concerns President Museveni defended what some FDC leaders called unnecessary arrests adding that there is incriminating evidence against some of the culprits arrested.
President Museveni also clarified on the absence of the Minister of Defense Dr Crispus Kiyonga, who is undergoing treatment after being operated three times in South Africa. Dr Kiyonga hails from the region.
“I didn’t know that Dr Kiyonga was sick, because I was looking for him. I only talked to his wife because he had just been brought out of the operation theatre,” he said.
Later the FDC leadership reiterated their stand of working together with NRM government for peace and development, and also denounced ‘some people who want to use the cultural institution to cause problems within the region and in the DRC’.
Manchester United's Dutch manager Louis van Gaal leaves the pitch after losing the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at White Hart Lane in London, on April 10, 2016. (Photo: GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images)
Manchester United suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on Sunday.
Despite having more possession, United managed just one shot on target over the 90 minutes, and the home side took their opponents apart in less than six minutes.
After the game, Louis van Gaal correctly pointed out there had been nothing between the teams before Spurs’ first goal on 70 minutes, but was wrong when he claimed United had been playing well up until that point.
Neither goalkeeper had much to do, until Anthony Martial broke in to the Spurs box, beating a couple of players along the way, before firing straight at Hugo Lloris.
Had he done better with this attempt at scored, maybe the result would have been different, but he didn’t, so pondering on this point for too long is meaningless.
United fans may point to the substitution of Tim Fosu-Mensah, the right-back who has shown great promise since making his first team debut two months earlier, as all three of Spurs’ goals came within 10 minutes of his withdrawal.
Fosu-Mensah, who turned 18-years-old at the turn of the year, put in some great challenges on the prolific Harry Kane, but was forced off the field on 68 minutes. Two minutes later, with Matteo Darmian in the Dutchman’s place, Dele Ali put the home team 1-0 up.
The collapse that followed was remarkable, with Toby Alderweireld doubling Tottenham’s lead four minutes later, before Erik Lamela wrapped up the points two minutes after that.
We’ve seen similar performances in this fixture in the past, but usually it was from the team playing in white.
The most famous occasion was in 2001 when Spurs went in at half-time 3-0 up, however half an hour in to the second half, United were ahead, thanks to goals from Andy Cole, Laurent Blanc, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Juan Sebastian Veron. To add insult to injury, David Beckham scored a late goal to make it 5-3 to United.
A repeat of Spurs’ capitulation was seen in the 2008-09 season, with five games left to play, and United just three points ahead of title rivals Liverpool.
With half an hour played, Tottenham were 2-0 up at Old Trafford, and that’s the way it remained until an hour on the clock. In the following 10 minutes, United scored three goals, and went on to win the game 5-2.
Now, United’s performance on Sunday can’t be compared to closely to these matches, as they didn’t have a foothold in the game, but to concede three goals in such a short period of time was ridiculous, and highlighted how little fight this United squad has in it.
It was clear the tables had turned between the two clubs ahead of kick-off, just from looking at the league table, but the result, and the manner of United’s defeat, shows how the roles of these two teams has reversed.
Spurs are unlikely to win the title this season, suggesting they are still falling short of emulating United of the past few decades, but they certainly occupy a position United fans would love for their club to be in.
Opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has suspended the ‘stay home’ campaign, carried out under the larger post election campaign of ‘Free my Vote’.
The stay home campaign was launched in solidarity with Dr Kizza Besigye, former party presidential flag bearer who has been incarcerated at his home by police for over a month.
“The stay home campaign under the Free my Vote will be temporarily withdrawn because of police withdrawal from Kizza Besigye’s home,” FDC spokesperson Ibrahim Semujju Nganda, said while addressing journalists at party headquarters, Najjanankumbi today.
However, Mr Semujju Nganda said should police siege Besigye’s home again, the campaign will resume.
He also stressed that the Free my Vote campaign has not yet been called off. “The fight and this campaign will continue until when we get our rights and freedom back,” Semujju Nganda said.
“The stay home campaign under free my vote will be temporarily withdraw because of police withdrawal from Besigye home.
“Some activities may stop while others will stand during this campaign. The fight and this campaign will continue until when we get our rights and freedoms back.
“#FreeMyVote campaign is a campaign to rescue the country, it will go on until we free our country.
“Our aspiration is not who takes power from Museveni, it’s to have better governance for the country.
“Police withdraw from Besigye home is because of public and international pressure I assure you.
Under the stay home campaign, supporters were asked to abandon work every Thursday and keep indoors in the sense and feeling of self imprisonment.
Passengers boarding a Kenya Airways plane at Entebbe International Airport
As far as pitiable national airlines go, dead Uganda Airlines has to be up there with the worst of them.
But its struggling sister Kenya Airways Ltd is plotting to make a comeback adding seven routes in Uganda and the region in the next five years.
Uganda Development Corporation (UDC), an institution charged with reinstating the flag carrier of Uganda fumbles, KQ boss Willem Hondius has already formulated plans to dominate the Entebbe skyline using Jambojet, the low-cost carrier owned by the Kenyans.
“We want to be a greater Eastern African operator, flying to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, the Comoros, South Sudan and Goma and Kisangani in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo,” Hondius is quoted in an interview in Nairobi.
Economic growth in the Uganda and her neighbours who Jambojet is targeting, along with its home market of Kenya, is expected to average 5.2 percent this year, outpacing the 4.3 percent expansion in sub-Saharan Africa that’s forecast by the International Monetary Fund. Rival budget carrier FastJet Plc, which was founded with the ambition to become a pan-African carrier, last month said it’s closing routes on the continent including Uganda’s after sales failed to meet expectations.
British Airways last year also suspended flights between Entebbe International Airport and Heathrow, London, airport on grounds that the flights are not “commercially viable.”
KQ’s Jambojet will probably enjoy a better reception that BA and FastJet have.
EAC Secretary General Amb Richard Sezibera receives a gift from the Liquid Telecom's boss Eng Sam Nkusi
The Secretary General of the East African Community Dr Richard Sezibera recently received Mr Sam Nkusi, the Group Executive of Liquid Telecom, the leading independent data, voice and IP provider in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa.
The Secretary General, who was accompanied by the EAC Senior Engineer in charge of Planning and Communications, Eng Robert Achieng, warmly welcomed the Liquid Telecom Group Executive to the EAC Headquarters.
Mr Nkusi briefed Amb Sezibera on the operations of Liquid Telecom and said the company was embarking on a project to build a new submarine cable infrastructure that will provide a cost-effective and reliable link for landlocked, southern, central and east African countries to the Internet and to the world.
“Leveraging Liquid Telecom’s 20,000km-long fibre optic terrestrial network, this pan-African private sector project will support fast growing needs for Internet connectivity and help Africa’s Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector leapfrog towards achieving its Sustainable Development Goals,” noted the Liquid Telecom CEO.
Mr. Nkusi reiterated that the cable, running along the East coast of Africa and into the Red Sea, will take a less congested route to Europe, and will interconnect with all existing networks and with other international submarine cables. According to Liquid Telecom, this will also address the need for mobile operators to increase internet speed delivered over their mobile broadband networks.
He said the project was a major step towards fulfilling EAC’s mission to widen and deepen Economic, Political, Social and Cultural integration in order to improve the quality of life of the people of East Africa.
The Secretary General hailed the private sector-led initiative and urged Partner States to support the project. He noted that the biggest support EAC could provide towards the overall implementation of the project would be to provide a Cross-Border Inter-Connectivity Regulatory Framework in order to guide and facilitate inter-connections across borders within the EAC, and could .possibly be shared with other regional economic blocs in Africa.
FDC Spokesperson Semujju Nganda says the opposition party has temporarily halted its unpopular ‘stay home’ campaign but other #FreeMyVote campaign activities continue.
Speaking at the FDC party headquarters in Najjanankumbi, Kampala Monday, he said: ‘The campaign is suspended. For now.’
FDC last month urged their supporters to boycott any person or businesses that are owned by people suspected to have supported President Museveni in the just concluded elections pointed to sheer opportunism to say the least according to political analysts.
He said, “However, we have postponed the Stay at Home campaign since its target of freeing Dr. Kizza Besigye has been achieved.
“The campaign shall be revived in case Police tries to imprison him again.
“We shall be announcing several other activities that will be carried out every Thursday in which Dr. Besigye shall be actively involved.
Among others, party officials also asked Ugandans to boycott all Mr Museveni’s activities as well as those perpetuating his stay including musicians who campaigned for the National Resistance Movement flag bearer in the presidential elections.
Tubonga Nawe lead singer Moses Ssali aka Bebe Cool had earlier dismissed the call as “cheap politics”, saying FDC should concentrate on showing them what “we can do better not what we have done wrong.
Buganda Broadcasting Services (BBS) Telefayina is in position to follow in Bukedde TV’s footsteps and cash in with TV advertising worth millions, but the new station is gonna have an edge over its popular state-run cousin with the Kabaka’s endorsement.
Several big-time media sources tell us pitchmen did well putting together BBS owner Smart Kiyimba with the Katikiro (Prime Minister) and Kabaka of Buganda Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II.
We’re told the most lucrative path was to start be a telefayina that Buganda relates with as compared to the state run Bukedde.
BBS’ CEO, former football pundit Joe Kigozi has the Luganda football fraternity, including Kabaka, under a blanket deal after stealing former employer NBS TV’s rights for the free-to-air game on SuperSport every week.
The Kabaka, himself, has accepted to launch it as part of his celebrations to mark his 61st birthday. So, that is a reaffirmation; the Kabaka has never launched a television before.
So, come Tuesday, the King will make a short stroll from his palace at Lubiri to Masengere building in Mengo-Bulange where the TV station that hit the airwaves in December last year is housed.
Sources close to Industrial Area based Bukedde TV tell us they’re scared as netherworld.
President Museveni chatting with mothers during his working visit to the Rwenzori region
President Yoweri Museveni has urged Ugandans to treat murder, promotion of any form of sectarianism and maintaining backwardness.
President Museveni, who is on a four-day working visit in Rwenzori region, made the remarks while meeting leaders of Bughendera county in Bundibugyo district today at Fort Portal State Lodge.
President Museveni addresses people of the Rwenzori region
President Museveni said that the National Resistance Movement has always opposed sectarianism and extrajudicial murders and warned that the government will not tolerate those promoting the two vices.
“Sectarianism, extrajudicial murders and backwardness have been Movement taboos and anyone promoting them today is our number one enemy. I was in the Democratic Party but I had to leave the party because the party exercised sectarianism and I left to join the Uganda People’s Congress but sectarianism had done great damage to the country that the post independence government collapsed four years after independence,” he said.
He said that the Movement will not therefore discuss matters of extrajudicial murder with criminals but will have to handle them in accordance with the law.
The leaders pose for a group photo
Museveni expressed disappointment that Ugandans and the Movement is degenerating from the core principles on which the National Resistance Movement was founded.
“Issues of criminality and murder are resolved by the constitution of Uganda and even God’s laws are against murder. I think we misled you by being too soft on some of you who made mistakes in the past but we thought some of you were committing crimes out ignorance but I think it has gone out of hand. How do you kill someone for voting in a certain way? Then what is democracy for and what did the NRM fight for? ” he said.
The President said they will deal with the criminals decisively.
“We shall deal with them decisively. We have done it Karamoja against the advice of the opposition politicians who said that we should talk to the Karamajong cattle rustlers who were killing people. We must make it clear that killing in Uganda is out of question,” the President said.
He also warned against mixing traditional and cultural leadership with political leadership and administrations, saying some of the problems in the Rwenzori region are because some players are mixing the two.
He said that although the NRM government allowed the reinstatement of cultural institutions in parts of Uganda they must operate in accordance with the Constitution.
Hi Valentine; How can I know for sure if my partner is cheating on me? I have this strong feeling that he is but I don’t know how to prove it.
Monica
Well, Monica. This is definitely one of the million-dollar questions out there. The truth is, I have no idea. That said, there are signs that have never led me the wrong way.
Are you getting frequent yeast infections? Are you trying to convince yourself that they are due to all the sex that you are having with your man? Maybe you are having a reaction to condoms or lubricant? In speaking to many women, I have come to the conclusion that this is a definite sign that something is amiss. Does your partner seem sexually distracted? This might be hard to pinpoint if you are the new partner and you don’t have a long history to compare things to. Just pay attention, does he forget the last time you had sex? Or think you like certain things when you’ve let him know that you do not? Compartmentalising two or more women is not an easy thing to do and he will probably slip up. It won’t be as obvious as calling you the wrong name, but it will happen.
Unexplained silences and absences are another sign that your partner is elsewhere. Does he disappear for stretches of time? Suddenly travelling for work or working longer hours than usual? These might show his attention has been diverted elsewhere.
Trust your gut and pray. I have been cheated on twice and each time, it is God who told me. I feel you. Just pay attention and trust that the truth will come out because it always does.
The recent reports that Karuma Hydroelectric power station under construction to produce 600 megawatts and valued at the cost of US $1.6 billion had cracked isn’t necessarily true.
The reports forced President Yoweri Museveni to issue stringent directives to Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development to make sure that the project is implemented in accordance with the plan and if not so, the constructor (Sinohydro Corporation Limited) be expelled.
Energy Permanent Secretary Dr. Kabagambe Kaliisa (L) being briefed at Karuma HPPPresident Yoweri Museveni recently issue stringent directives to Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development to make sure that the project is implemented in accordance with the plan
It was alleged that Ministry of Energy officials and officials from its agency, Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited (UEGCL), and among the other three consulting firms hired to supervise the construction of the dam had left the contractor to get away with shoddy works at both Karuma and Isimba hydropower dams.
It is upon this that President Museveni questioned the quality of works at the two dams had been compromised. “If it is necessary to suspend work until the defects are corrected, it should be done. The “owners Engineers” could either be reinforced or even dismissed,” he wrote.
Adding “My information, for instance, points out that there is something known as draft tube where the turbines are supposed to sit. These draft tubes should be assembled outside the hollow structures that are supposed to be their ultimate home and put in the hollows when they are able to align with the other parts. Instead, I am told they wielded in the hollow. I am told that is very risky.”
However, according to a tour of both dams by Ministry of Energy officials, UEGCL plus both constructors Sinohydro for Karuma and China International Water and Electric Corporation for Isimba, Energy Infratech who are lead supervisors for the Ministry including SMEC and AF Consults who supervise on behalf of UEGCL as well as the media, it is true, there were minor cracks but by the time the team visited, some had been fixed and according to Eng. V. Vasu, Chief Executive Officer of Energy Infratech PVT Limited, in engineering cracks occur but they do so for a reason.
“We are very particular with our work and it is true that minor cracks were observed but we have since fixed them. However, that aside, we are also doing investigations on that very particular area as we observe” Eng. Vasu said.
Karuma HPP has minor cracks but by the time the team visited, some had been fixed according to the contractorsEng. V. Vasu, Chief Executive Officer of Energy Infratech PVT Limited said in engineering cracks occur but they do so for a reason.
According to the Sinohydro engineers, the cause of the cracks on one particular spot can’t be explained as they give variation of explanations.
According to an engineer from AF Consults who spoke on conditions of anonymity because he isn’t free to speak to the media, what might have caused the cracks at the upper stream could have been the hard granite rock that hadn’t been crashed well, lack of coolant due to the high temperatures experienced at the site or non-conformity to the plan by using less materials.
According to the Sinohydro engineers, the cause of the cracks on one particular spot can’t be explained as they give variation of explanations.The consultant’s report claimed the company lacked competent key personnel on the ground and asked the ministry to ask it to improve its performance by assigning personnel at the site.
However, it was agreed that works at that specific spot be suspended as investigations continue. And in compliance with the Ministry’s directive, the contractor and the three supervisors concurred and promised that the findings of the investigation should be made public in one month.
“We have managed to see cracks and the EPC managers have told us that they suspended work two weeks ago and a thorough investigation is going on and a prescribed framework on how they will be filed will be issued after then work will resume at that spot . Cracks are inevitable in this kind of work and so all this we have discussed and the EPC have said that within a month the repairs will start,” Eng. Irene Muloni, Energy Minister said.
She added “All in all, work is going on well and we have seen the underground tunnel. The tunnel had not collapsed but it was a misinterpretation and an engineer from A F Consults has apologized.”
AF supervises Karuma while SMEC supervises Isimba.
The Minister also told the media that a crack could be as a result of bent arch that isn’t straight or due to the mixture of concrete. She however advised all the parties involved to remain calm as the investigations go on. Reports that the tunnel had collapsed were also found to be untrue as a comprehensive tour of the tunnel didn’t indicate any collapsed area.
An official working with Energy Infratech in Kampala recently insisted their men are on ground and instead accused UEGCL of paying monies to experts who are not on ground and “keep raising small and negligible issues” with their work.
Earlier, there was exchange of words between officials of Energy Infratech laboratory officials and UEGCL Executive Director, Eng. Harrison Mutikanga. The visibly inceased Eng. Mutikanga accused the contractor of not giving him results of the tests that had been carried out earlier. The Laboratory officials didn’t take it lightly hitting back at Mutikanga as a liar.
“You have not given us conformity results, where are the results?” Mutikanga asked the laboratory official before Muloni and Permanent Secretary Dr. Kabagambe Kaliisa.
The Laboratory official shot back, “Results are shared in the laboratory. We have provided all the results and the hard copies are in the laboratory. Stop this game of accusations,” she retorted back. At this point, EagleOnline has established that the public bickering between these institutions is all blamed on UEGCL headed by Eng. Mutikanga for allegedly authoring reports that portray the two projects as failures. However, Eng. Mutikanga denies and says the contractors aren’t doing enough.
“We have all agreed and there were issues but everything will be sorted,” Eng. Mutikanga told a presser at Karuma on Friday.
Infratech insist there are just a few concerns with respect to quality and effective supervision in both projectsEnergy Infratech bosses told Minister Muloni they have 40 staff on site that are rich with industry experience in similar projects around the world.
It is alleged that whereas the Ministry hired Energy Infratech as the lead supervisor, UEGCL went ahead to hire SMEC from Australia and AF Consults from Switzerland to carry out supervision on their behalf. And it is from this that each of the supervisors authors reports that aren’t shared amongst all the players.
Muloni also warned on intrigue and bickering saying the Ministry is the owner of the project and any fights involving any of the agencies won’t be tolerated.
“Since the ministry decided that we have agencies (Generation and Transmission) and the understanding is that when this project is complete, we shall handover to the agencies to run it. But if these companies are running to compete with the mother, then it is wrong,” she said
Minister for Energy and Mineral Development Irene Muloni address journalists as Mr Harrison Mutikanga, the Chief Executive Officer UEGCL looks on. The ping-pong between Energy officials and UEGCL would continue unabated, culminating in the latter contracting two firms as a stop gap measure to practically do the same work Energy Infratech is doing.
Nonetheless, Muloni said in every field, there are challenges and so engineering isn’t exceptional but encouraged the parties involved to stick their roles and adhere to the project plan.
“We just need to ensure that we work as a team because of different interests and training. And on that note, I am going to rearrange the managerial structure in terms of reporting and duties for people involved in these projects to come with a better formal structure,” she said.
The current cost of power from the Bujagali Hydro Power Project is 12 US cents (Shs409.2) per Kilowatt Hour, according to State Minister for Energy Simon D’Ujanga (R)
Dr. Kaliisa warned the parties to ensure that the project is completed on time. “This is a strategic interest of government. Government took this public sector project to produce cheaper power and so we must be mindful of time.”
During the guided tour, it was discovered that works on the excavation of the tunnel was at 80 per cent as it is only the two kilometer distance left to complete the excavation of the 15 kilometer underground tunnel which is 100meter below the surface.
Karuma is to produce 600 megawatts of power and is one of its kind in Africa as both the power house and turbines are going to be underground. Part of the Nile River will be diverted underground into a tunnel where power will be produced and then after water will be released into the 8.5 kilometer distance downstream to join the river exactly 8.5 kilometers down of the bridge.
Due to the wildlife concerns, it was decided that the dam is constructed underground so that wildlife along Nile River isn’t endangered.
