Winnie Byanyima, the wife of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) flag bearer has lashed out at Independent presidential candidate Amama Mbabazi, saying the latter orchestrated electoral theft and violence during his time in government.

“When Amama was in the NRM government he meted out violence to Musinguzi and his supporters in Kanungu not once, three times,” Ms Byanyima, wrote adding: “Even when the court nullified his elections, he did it again in the subsequent bye elections.”

Posting on social media platform in apparent reference to Mr Mbabazi’s elections rivalry with tycoon James Garuga Musinguzi, who contested against the former for the Kinkiizi West parliamentary seat in 2006, Ms Byanyima also wondered why Mr Mbabazi expected a leveled ground and privileged treatment while in the opposition.

Ms Byanyima, a former Member of Parliament for Mbarara Municipality and staunch National Resistance Movement cadre, also accused Mr Mbabazi and the NRM Chairperson President Yoweri Museveni, for using the security personnel to cause election violence in the past elections.

“Together with Museveni, they have used security forces, army, ISO operatives up to the village level, LDUs, armed militia, etc. to terrorize KB and opposition candidates and supporters in all past elections,” she wrote on her Twitter handle.

She urged the former Prime Minister to join hands with the ‘democratic forces to stop this vote theft’.

“Amama should be honest and admit and that NRM has been stealing elections and should join hands with democratic forces to stop this theft,” Ms Byanyima, who is the Executive Director of Oxfam, wrote.

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The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has released the roadmap for electoral office, skipping the election schedule for the Workers Representatives and Youth MPs.

According to a release dated January 4 and signed by the Acting EC chairperson Joseph Biribonwa, the presidential and parliamentary elections will be held on February 18, followed by the elections of the LCV Chairpersons and councilors, both directly elected and women onFebruary 24.

The election of the Lord Mayor and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) directly elected councilors and women councilors will take place on February 24; while elections for Councillors for People With Disability (PWDs), Older Persons and Youth to district councils and KCCA will take place on February 26.

Elections for Chairpersons, Directly Elected Councillors and Women Councillors for Municipality and Kampala Capital City Divisions will take place on March 2, while PWDS, Older Persons and Youth Councilors for the same jurisdictions will be held on March 4.

Further, the elections for Chairpersons, Directly Elected Councillors and Women Councillors for Municipal Division, Sub County and Town Councils will take place on March 9, while PWDS, Older Persons and Youth Councilors for the same jurisdictions will be held on March 10.

The elections for the Workers Representatives hit a snag after the Constitutional Court ruled in September last year that their presence and that of the army and youth in Parliament was illegal. Subsequently Government appealed the ruling but it is yet to be disposed of.

Meanwhile, the EC has urged journalists to exercise high level professionalism during the election period, saying that would avert chaos and lend credence to the process.

The observations were made earlier today at the Training Workshop on Elections Reporting Guidelines held at the Royal Suites in Bugolobi, an upscale Kampala suburb.

‘As media professional and practitioners, we urge you to exercise the highest level of professionalism, as this is critical to the electoral process, the journalism profession, your personal safety, the safety of others, and the image of our country,’ the EC release distributed at the training, states.

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The World Bank is organizing an essay competition for people from Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, to post a blog on how to boost opportunities for youth in their respective countries.

The competition dubbed Blog4Dev is open to any interested writer aged between 18 and 28, who will submit entries in English, of not more than 500 words, not later than January 31, 2016.

The top five entries from each country will be published on the WBG’s Nasikiliza blog page, and also be promoted on World Bank social media channels between April to May 2016.

The winner will receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington to attend the World Bank Group-IMF Spring Meetings in April 2016.

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Rwandan President Paul Kagame rejected US criticism of his decision to seek a third term as leader of the East African nation.

Kagame, 58, announced on December 31 he will run for office again in elections in 2017 after voters approved a change to the Constitution.

The US State Department said it was “deeply disappointed” with Kagame for “ignoring an historic opportunity to reinforce and solidify the democratic institutions the Rwandan people have for more than 20 years labored so hard to establish.”

African issues including poverty, disease and governance “will not easily be solved by what is behind this” attitude, Kagame said in statements on his Twitter account. “There are quite many very disappointing things happening across the globe. We hope to carry our own burden and not be others’ burden.”

Kagame has governed Rwanda since 2000, after he led a rebel army that ended the 1994 genocide in which 800,000 people were killed. The amendment would also enable him to stand in two subsequent elections for the future, with a reduced term limit of five years, potentially retaining the country’s top job until 2034.

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Over 120 million shillings has been collected by police from traffic offenders during the New Year celebrations between December 31, 2015 and January 1, 2016.

This followed massive operations carried out countrywide by the traffic police within a space of the two days.

Addressing journalists at police headquarters in Naguru today, the Police Director in charge of traffic and road safety, Dr Stephen Kasiima said many drivers had been rounded up during the nation-wide operations for failing to observe the traffic rules and regulations.

Dr Kasiima said some of the offences included driving vehicles in dangerous mechanical condition, non-possession of driving permits, drink driving and speeding, adding however, that not all the culprits were fined.

“We have recorded a few more serious cases that are to go to court, but the biggest number of the victims we have fined,” he said.

Traffic police says that it recorded four accidents in Kampala metropolitan area which claimed three lives and three cases outside Kampala that claimed three lives.

More revelations show that pedestrians were injured more as they were hit by speeding motorists between 9pm and midnight on December 31, 2015.

Speaking at the same conference police spokesman Fred Enanga, described the New Year celebrations as “one of the most peaceful of recent” with a few cases of violence recorded in the different places where people celebrated entering the New Year. He also said 477 venues countrywide were licensed by police to display fireworks.

Meanwhile, police has said that after a postmortem carried out on the 15 people whose bodies were found floating on beaches in Entebbe, indicates that they drowned. Police further states that blood samples from each body are going to be examined to determine whether they were influenced by alcohol or any other drugs.

The police explanation comes after various reports emerged on social media, with claims that the victims might have been killed and dumped in water.

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