Kampala Central MP Mohammed Nsereko (R) has joined the already heated 10th parliament deputy speakership race
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Electoral Commission chairman Dr Tanga Odoi, has advised MP Muhammad Nsereko and other Independents to quit the race for Deputy Speaker of the 10th Parliament.
“This should go out as a warning to independent candidates for this speakership race that no one will capsize the NRM EC. Our NRM candidates are time tested and its obvious having won the primaries and did the same to Kigunddu (February general elections),” Odoi roared.
Mr Odoi was speaking at the NRM party headquarters after the nomination of the State Minister for Finance, David Bahati who, alongside Kampala Central MP Nsereko, were the latest entrants into the race for Speakership.
Five other ruling party candidates and Independent Budama South MP Jacob Oboth Oboth are also vying for the post of Speaker.
But Odoi’s statement was interpreted as a veiled attack on Muhammad Nsereko, a former NRM MP who told journalists at Parliament today that he is ready to tussle it out with NRM candidates.
“My duty is to pick and scrutinize who has the best CVs among our NRM candidates as we wait for the rules to be set and followed and we shall ensure that the best candidate is offered,” Odoi vowed.
Tanga Odoi says 5 candidates have so far expressed interest for the 10th parliament Deputy speakership race
Mr Odoi’s confidence is derived from the fact that NRM has 294 MPs out of 458 legislators expected in the 10th Parliament.
But Nsereko says the numerical strength of the NRM in Parliament will not stop him from lobbying for support within NRM and other political parties.
The ruling party’s caucus will next week hold primaries at a venue yet to be announced, during which NRM legislators in the 10th parliament will elect candidates to contest for the most coveted legislative offices: that of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
Meanwhile, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) legislators who have shown interest in the deputy speaker’s job include Monica Amoding, Abbas Agaaba, Jovah Kamateka, Dennis Hamson Obua and Lwemiyaga county MP Theodore Ssekikubo.
Lwemiyaga County MP Theodore Sekikubo (C) with his lawyers Caleb Alaka (L) and Mr Medard Ssegona (R) at Masaka Chief Magistrates Court last month.
A petition not to gazette Lwemiyaga County MP-elect Theodore Ssekikubo has been dismissed.
The Constitutional Court sitting in Kampala ruled that Ssekikubo’s petition challenging the decision of Masaka Chief Magistrate Samuel Munobe over his election case against rival Mr Patrick Nkalubo, be referred back to the lower court.
Last month Mr Nkalubo won a petition in the Masaka court seeking a vote recount of the parliamentary elections, prompting Ssekikubo to apply to the same court for permission to appeal the order in the higher court. However, instead of granting the ‘former rebel MP’ permission to appeal, the magistrate referred the matter to the Constitutional Court for interpretation.
And today Judge Richard Butera, on behalf of the panel of five judges, ruled in favour of Ssekikubo, arguing that the court’s mandate to interprete the matter in four days had elapsed.
During the parliamentary elections in February, Mr Ssekikubo, the NRM flag bearer, beat his long-time rival Nkalubo with a difference of 1,198 votes. And while declaring the results on February 19, Mr Latif Ngonzi, the district returning officer, indicated that Mr Ssekikubo attained his victory with 9,272 votes (52.77 per cent) against Independent candidate Patrick Nkalubo’s 8,074 votes (45.95 percent).
Other candidates were FDC’s Wilber Nahweera ,who scored 157 (0.29 percent) and Andrew Nankunda (Ind.) with 68 votes.
A public lecture in memory of murdered state prosecutor Joan Kagezi is on today at Imperial Royala Hotel, Kampala to honor her contribution to the fight against terrorism.
According the Director for Public Prosecution Mike Chibita, the sessions start at 2pm and the lecture intends to highlight the different forms of terrorism and show the steps taken by the state to combat crime.
Chief Justice Bart Katureebe is expected to be the chief guest, on the theme “Fighting Terrorism and Organized Crime”.
Mrs Joan Kagezi was the head of War Crimes and Terrorism Department in the DPP’s office. She was in charge of the 2010 twin bomb attacks in Kampala by the terror group Al Shabaab, where about 76 lives perished.
The late John & Joan Kagezi’s children give a speech during the funeral service for their mother Joan Kagezi. Photo by Abubaker Lubowa
She brutally shot dead last year by unknown assailants as she drove home from collecting her children from school. A funeral service was held for her deceased soul at St Luke Church Ntinda, Kampala before she was put to rest at Bukasa, Temangalo in Wakiso district.
The body of Papa Wemba, one of Africa’s best known singers, has arrived back in the Democratic Republic of Congo after his death on Sunday in Ivory Coast.
Hundreds of people were waiting outside Kinshasa’s airport for the body’s arrival.
An all-night concert has been held in his honour in Abidjan, the city where he collapsed and died on stage.
He is due to be buried on Tuesday after lying in state in a stadium in DR Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, on Monday.
Government officials and diplomats will attend a memorial service for the singer at the airport before the body is taken to a morgue, reports the BBC’s Poly Muzalia from Kinshasa.
rport for the body to arrive
Papa Wemba, who died aged 66, was considered one of Africa’s most influential musicians of his generation.
He pioneered modern Congolese soukous music, which spread through the continent.
Many of Africa’s top musicians have paid tribute to Papa Wemba, including Cameroon’s Manu Dibango, who described him as the “voice of Africa”.
Ivory Coast’s Culture Minister Maurice Bandaman said at a memorial service before the body left that “an artist never dies… Papa Wemba is dead, and now [he is] even greater than before.”
Performers at the all-night concert in his honour included members of his Viva La Musica group, who were on stage with him when he died.
Cervical cancer screening. Credit: Rosebell Kagumire/IPS
An estimated 266,000 women die every year from cervical cancer, with over 85% of the deaths occurring among women in developing countries.
This number is expected to rise almost twofold to 416,000 by 2035 in developing countries if changes in prevention and control are not effected, leading global healthcare provider Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD)/Merck, says.
The exposé was made during the World Immunization Week, a global awareness campaign launched by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2012, and commemorated in the last week of April, that aims at promoting the use of vaccines to help protect people of all ages against disease.
The theme for African Vaccination Week 2016 is ‘Close the immunization gap. Stay polio free!’ focusing attention on the need to attain universal immunization coverage in the African region. The theme also marks the celebration of the important polio eradication milestone that has been reached in the African region.
For the second year running, the Close the Immunization Gap campaign will be celebrating the achievements to date with an emphasis on the unmet need amongst adolescents and adult vaccine uptake.
“Vaccines are one of the greatest public health success stories in history. For more than 100 years, our scientists have been discovering vaccines that have been impacting lives. By helping healthy people stay healthy, vaccines remove a major barrier to human an economic development,” said Farouk Shamas Jiwa, sub-Saharan Africa director for Policy and Corporate Responsibility at MSD/Merck.
‘Despite recent progress within African countries, there are still significant opportunities provided by immunization, particularly to help protect against human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer,’ a release by Africa Press Organisation (APO) on behalf of MSD/Merck states.
EAC Speakers: second right is the Speaker of Uganda Rt Hon Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga
Speakers from the EAC Parliaments (National Assemblies/Senates) and EALA will meet tomorrow in Arusha for the 11th Meeting of the EAC Bureau of Speakers.
According to a release, the delegates will deliberate on weighty issues relevant to the integration process.
‘The meeting is expected to revisit and make amends to the Rules of Procedure of the Bureau of EAC Speakers that guide the Forum. The meeting will also see the handover of the Chair of the Bureau of Speakers from the Parliament of Tanzania to the East African Legislative Assembly’ the release reads in part.
The one day meeting shall be preceded by a two-day meeting of Clerks on April 27th and 28th, 2016, which among other things shall review the mandate of the Bureau, discuss modalities of operationalization of the East African Parliamentary Institute (EAPI) and a number of topical issues on emerging challenges in legislature in the region. The report of the key meeting will feed into that of the Speakers’ Forum for consideration.
The Bureau of the EAC Speakers is the umbrella body that EALA and the National Assemblies utilise to champion the cause of Parliaments in the region, that of enacting legislation, oversight and representation and plays a key advisory role to the Summit of the EAC Heads of State.
The Bureau holds meetings annually under the guidance of a Chairperson who is elected under the principle of rotation. The inaugural meeting of the Bureau of Speakers was held in May 2008.
Dr Stella Nyanzi, a Research Fellow at Makerere University Institute of Social Research (MISR) has sued state owned media house New Vision Printing and Publications Company LTD which wrongly infringed on her family’s privacy including her late father and their family graveyard.
Nyanzi who is now so popular for undressing before students and academic staff, is pretty annoyed that New Vision desecrated the burial grounds of her family.
A complaint filed in the Civil Division of the High Court read: “The publications gave unsolicited and unauthorized publicity in its newspapers, radio, television and online publications to inherently private information about Dr. Nyanzi’s parents, home and childhood.”
Dr. Nyanzi and her two sisters claim the publications infringed on their nuclear family’s fundamental human rights and freedoms protected by Article 24 and 27 of the Constitution.
She added that she wants the court to order New Vision to publish “a full and unreserved apology” to her and her family considering her father was an important leader in the Mbogo Clan of Buganda Kingdom thus the publications violated cultural norms and customary values protected by Article 37 of the Constitution.
A fortnight ago, Dr Nyanzi stripped, protesting being locked out of her office by her boss Prof. Mahmood Mamdani who accused her of refusing to teach MISR’s doctor of philosophy (PhD) students.
LUSAKA-Leading Zambian opposition party, the United Party for National Development (UPND), has to written the country’s Electoral Commission body asking it not to award a ballot printing contract to Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing Limited of Dubai, one of the companies which printed ballot papers for the recently concluded elections in Uganda.
Through their lawyers, the UNPD wrote to the Zambia electoral boss Pricilla Isaac to exclude the Dubai-based publishing company on grounds that it provided printing services in petitioned elections.
“Our clients categorically object to the award of the contract to Al Ghurair Printing Company for the following reasons: 1. Procedural Impropriety – Due Diligence and Litigation Status: our clients posit that ECZ did not conduct due diligence on this printing company because if you did, you know that this company, together with two other printing companies namely Paarl Media (South Africa), TALL Security Print Limited (United Kingdom) – provided printing services in the petitioned elections that saw the impugned victory of President Yoweri Museveni in the elections held in that country on February 18, 2016. Whereas the Supreme Court of Uganda upheld the outcome of the election results, the judgment of nine justices, read out by the head of the Supreme Court, Bart Katureebe, said they had found valid evidence of several malpractices including late delivery of polling materials…,” read part of the letter.
Zambia is headed for polls on August 11 and according to the UPND, the party does not want participation by a firm that was involved in the Ugandan presidential elections.
“Our clients object to subject the process of preparing and delivering ballot papers- for the forthcoming elections in this country – to any firm that participated in the just ended Uganda elections, which include Al-Ghurair Printing and Publishing Limited of Dubai,” the letter adds.
Al-Ghurair Printing and Publishing Limited of Dubai has been shortlisted on a list of companies to supply voting material in the oncoming Zambia national elections.
However, contacted for comment Uganda’s Electoral Commission (IEC) spokesperson Jotham Taremwa dismissed UPND’s assertions as speculative and inconsistent, devoid of any meaningful ground?
According to Mr Taremwa, the alleged late delivery of ballots in Uganda has nothing to do with the printing in Dubai.
The UPND is Zambia’s second leading party. Established in 1998 the party fielded Anderson Mazoka in the 2001 elections and he came second behind Movement for Multi Party Democracy’s (MMD), the late Levy Mwanawasa.
Maroons confirmed their relegation to the 2016/17 FUFA Big League after losing narrowly 3-2 to Soana at Kavumba
2012-13 Uganda champions Maroons’ relegation from the Premier League has finally been confirmed by yesterday’s results.
Their only other two league titles came in 1968 and 1969 – then as Prisons – won the gong with two games to spare.
Under Asaph Mwebaze, Maroons SC ended a 44-year wait for silverware after winning the 2012/13 Bell Super League title
Fans, administrators and players alike have admitted that the club’s torrid season has reduced them to tears and a return to the Fufa Big League is all but certain.
The Luzira Prisons side are now rooted to the bottom of the league table having amassed just three wins all season and a 24th defeat of the season sealed their fate.
They had gone into the game against Soana fully aware that anything short of victory would relegate them despite having three games still to play.
They gave their all against the hosts but like it’s been the story throughput the season, it wasn’t good enough after labouring for a 3-2 defeat at Kavumba Recreational Stadium.
“I’ve said since Christmas that we’re going down and for me it’s so unbelievably sad, so difficult to put into words,” said 27-year-old James Olupot who was raised by a Uganda Prisons warden father inside Luzira .
“Forget the Uganda Super League chaos, Maroons will be the biggest club to ever be relegated that way, in my mind. It’s been my life for such a long time and it’s breaking my heart to see. I won’t shed a tear now because I did that at Christmas. We’ve just got to accept it and get on with it.”
“The coaches made a grave mistake selling the best players and not replacing them for sustained results. The team that won the Big League was too good to be relegated. It breaks my heart to see our club going down in such fashion.
Needless to say, this Tuesday was a miserable day for Maroons supporters and everyone involved with the club, but it’s also a sad day in Uganda football history.
One of the ever-presents of the league since it’s the late 1960s, it’s surreal to think of a club of this size now playing in the lower league where they emerged champions last year to earn promotion to the Azam Uganda Premier League.
Maroons ended a 44-year wait for silverware by winning the 2012/13 Bell Super League titleMaroons gave their all against the hosts but like it’s been the story throughput the season, it wasn’t good enough
How Maroons’ trouble started
In mid-2013, Maroons SC ended a 44-year wait for silverware after winning the 2012/13 Bell Super League title. Their joy was short-lived though because they were unceremoniously relegated.
Prior to the champagne popping and just a week or so to the league kick-off, local football governing body Fufa had banned the new season’s start, saying some conditions like all 16 clubs being registered as directors and USL presenting the clubs’ share certificates to Fufa prior were not met.
The USL went ahead with the kick-off amid comedy our entertainment industry would have had help with. Officials from Fufa were allegedly paraded at different venues with orders to ensure games did not take off on September 9. Fufa all season maintained that the played games were illegal since match officials were never sanctioned by them.
Maroons anchored by controversial but brilliant coach Asaph Mwebaze won the SuperSport bankrolled Uganda Super League. Kampala City Council were also crowned winners of the parallel Fufa Super League in the same top-level football calendar.
After three months, the High Court in Kampala then temporarily stopped the 2014/15 Uganda Premier League from commencing. Maroons, one of the aggrieved clubs had raised a red flag after being unfairly excluded from taking part and yet it has never been relegated to a lower league.
Maroons’ petition against Fufa and its officials was as a result of alleged breach of the contract it had with them to play in the top flight football but the team was instead excluded from the new fixtures under unclear circumstances.
Further in its complaint, Maroons stated that in the football season of 2012/13, two parallel football leagues were created and that a deed of adherence was signed by it to play in the Uganda Super League and indicating how clubs would be relegated to the lower league.
It’s unclear why the court never bought any of this, but it has been more evident this season that Maroons SC has paid for its past sins.
Police in Malawi is holding two suspected Ugandans for allegedly stealing a vehicle, a Noah registration number DA3875 from the capital city, Lilongwe.
Media reports indicate Lilongwe Police Public Relations Officer Inspector Kingsley Dandaula identified the two as Godfrey Kisame, 39 and Jackson Chikume 33, both residents of Lilongwe.
IP Dandaula said that the two attacked a home at around 6 in the morning and waylaid the owner at the gate.
“As he was about to drive out the suspects pulled out a pistol and told him to get out of his car and managed to get another vehicle and drive away,” said the officer.
He added that the victim managed to get into another vehicle and chase the two, who however, tried to stop his pursuit by pointing a gun at him.
“Coincidentally, there was a police patrol vehicle within the vicinity which blocked and stopped the suspects,” IP Dandaula said, adding that police found them with four rounds of ammunition.
The two have been charged with robbery with violence contrary to Malawi Penal Code and are currently in police custody awaiting to appear in court.
