Former Deputy CMI boss Brig CK Asiimwe has been appointed and sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo as a military attaché to Uganda’s Embassy.

 Brig. Asiimwe who was dropped from the military intelligence position in February 2022 and sent for further training will be in charge of military and intelligence operations at the mission.

Brig Asiimwe was dropped together with his boss, Maj Gen Abel Kandiho who was also removed from his position and sent to police as Chief of Joint Staff.  Kandiho has since returned to the army for redeployment.

At the moment, CMI is now under the leadership of Maj Gen James Birungi.

Stories Continues after ad

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, represented by the Vice President Jessica Alupo, opened the Global Symposium for Regulators-2024 at Speke Resort and Convention Centre, Munyonyo, Kampala, on July 2, 2024.

The event, under the theme: “Regulation for Impact’ is organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), bringing together regulators, policymakers, and industry stakeholders from around the world to share experiences and best practices in the ICT sector.

In his speech, Museveni welcomed delegates from outside Uganda and commended ITU for convening the symposium, which is aimed to promote effective regulation and policy-making in the rapidly evolving ICT sector.

The President highlighted the importance of regulating the ICT sector to promote economic wellbeing, innovation, safety, privacy, and the rights of digital technology users. He urged regulators to maximise the benefits of ICTs while minimizing negative consequences.

Uganda, he noted, had pioneered telecom sector reforms in Africa, establishing an independent regulatory body, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), in 1996. This move increased penetration and raised the standard of telecommunication services in the country.

The symposium’s theme, “Regulation for Impact,” resonated with President Museveni’s call for effective regulation. Delegates discussed topics like artificial intelligence, robotics, climate, space, and digital financial services, seeking to harness ICTs for sustainable development.

Museveni urged the ICT regulators to promote the sector’s contribution to the economic wellbeing of the people.

“The theme you have chosen is appropriate because it emphasizes the importance of implementing effective regulations that aim to positive outcomes,” Museveni said.

Museveni noted that Artificial Intelligence being a component of the 4^th industrial revolution is increasingly becoming part of people’s lives in homes and workplaces with its ability to analyze vast amounts of data, identity patterns and providing accurate predictions.

“To ensure that Uganda is not a spectator in the 4^th industrial revolution, the government established the National Task Force on the 4th industrial revolution to coordinate the integration of Artificial Intelligence into the country’s development agenda,” he said.

He added that Uganda has a fast-growing communication sector that is ripe for more investment, citing, “We have a robust regulatory framework, a good return on investment and a young population that is ICT savvy.”

However, he cautioned on the issue of cyber security which deserves greater attention.

“In the recent years we have witnessed technology being used as a tool for political interference and economic sabotage. Unlike traditional warfare where you can just secure your country by guarding the borders against intrusion, cyber warfare calls for collaborative efforts especially when emanating from outside your jurisdiction. Technology must not be used to undermine the peace and sovereignty of nations but rather to support development.”

The event provides a platform for regulators to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and collaborate on best practices, aligning with President Museveni’s vision for a vibrant and responsible ICT sector in Uganda and beyond.

Stories Continues after ad

Police are holding Pte. Robert Herbertson Birivumbuka, a soldier attached to Special Force Command (SFC), for shooting four people dead.

His arrest was confirmed by Claire Nabakka, Deputy Police Spokesperson.

Pte Birivumbuka is reported to have escaped from his place of work and proceeded to Namale village, Kabayingire parish, Buwaya sub-county, Mayuge District, where he walked into the home of Buyinza Mudhasi Isaac 40 and started spraying bullets into the house.

During the shootout, Mudhasi was killed, and his three children died on the spot, while five other family members were critically injured. The shooting is linked to land wrangles.

According to Maj. Jimmy Omara, the SFC Spokesperson, upon committing the offense, the said soldier then rushed back to his place of work in a bid to allude to any possible suspicion, but his unit had already detected his absence.

“Once he returned, he was arrested because all fingers pointed to him. He is detained in the SFC facility, awaiting the long arm of the law to dispense justice,” he said.

Maj. Omara urged the people of Namale to cooperate with the investigators so that the suspect is quickly brought forward to face the law.

Stories Continues after ad

Former Rubaga Division Deputy Resident City Commissioner Anderson Burora has been arrested and is currently detained at Kira Division Police Station. He was picked in the wee night hours from his home around Najjera.

“My home has been besieged by unknown men who claim that I should go with them,” Burora wrote on his x handle (formerly twitter).

Burora was in mid-March suspended from office for alleged continued violation of the Uganda Public Service standing orders 2021. He had openly confronted the Speaker of Parliament, Annet Anita Among following reports about suspected cases of abuse of public resources at Parliament.

He recently formed a National Resistance Movement (NRM) group to fight corruption.

Burora lost his job as RCC after he was accused of using his social media accounts to criticize Anita Among the speaker of Parliament over alleged mismanagement of the 11^th parliament.

He has resisted attempts by the RDC secretariat to silence his views against corruption at Parliament and other public bodies.

He has turned his guns to the Inspectorate of Government accusing the incumbent of failing to execute her mandate. He says the IGG, Beti Kamya should immediately resign for failure to fight corruption even when she is fully facilitated by the government.

Recently Burora handed in his resignation letter to his bosses and said that he was not ready to take on any NRM job whatsoever citing the increased rate of corruption among party members.

“I resigned and I told them that I am not going back to work, even if I get paid, I will take back that money. I don’t want to be like the IGG who is paid and facilitated with everything but the best she can give is to lament,” Burora stated.

Stories Continues after ad

The Executive Director of National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), Rosemary Kisembo, has decried the low staffing levels at the Authority, saying this has created a huge workload for staff, where each officer is required to serve 80,000 unregistered Ugandans.

Kisembo made the remarks while appearing before Parliament’s Committee of Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), where she said that some Ugandans are forced to travel 80-100Km to access their services in 24 districts and 10 cities.

“NIRA was established in 2015, today, it is 9 years. From the time of establishment, to date, it has registered 27.4 million people with NIN and issued 17.3million cards, although it has printed 20 million cards. From the time of inception, NIRA’s staffing levels have never exceeded 50% meaning that the ratio of unregistered Ugandans to staff in NIRA is 1: 80,000. We are present in 112 districts, meaning, we aren’t present in 24 districts and 10 cities,” explained Kisembo.

“There is a bulk of districts where we aren’t present like Kalaki and Kapelebyong in some of those areas, they are quite a distance apart from our service points and people have to travel between 80-100Kms to access the nearest service. The initial budget for the first year, because we would be buying equipment and chairs would come to close to Shs6.7Bn and subsequently, that budget would go down because of recurrent expenditures,” explained Kisembo.

Allan Mayanja (Nakaseke Central) asked Kisembo to explain the modalities that are being undertaken to help Ugandans whose fingerprints were destroyed in line of work, especially those working in salons and the construction industry.

“We have so many Ugandans, specifically those ladies working in salons and gentlemen who are in construction, cement destroyed their fingerprints, and these people cannot access national IDs. How are you trying to help out such people because I have so many in Nakaseke,” Mayanja said?

“The ten fingerprints sometimes all don’t work, but we try to work with the minimum of six. If all the 10 fingerprints fail, we pick the six strongest fingerprints. At the back of your ID is placed your strongest fingerprints. We have one million people on the register that didn’t satisfy fingerprints and for those ones, the biometric used for their identification is their face,” explained Kisembo.

Stories Continues after ad