The Independent candidate  for 2016  presidential race,  John Patrick Amama Mbabazi has argued FDC flag bearer Col (rtd) Dr. Kiiza Besigye to join him to defeat President Museveni come 2016.

“I welcome Dr Besigye to join me and we work together to get the change we desire,” Mr Mbabazi said at a press conference, adding that the two should work for unity.

Mbabazi also hailed his fellow candidates, Democratic Party (DP) President General Norbert Mao and former Vice President Prof. Gilbert Balibaseka Bukenya for putting ‘country first’, in reference to the two opposition politicians’ support for him to carry the TDA flag in the 2016 polls.

Two weeks ago, Mr Mbabazi was nominated by the TDA summit to contest for the flag bearer position alongside Dr Besigye, Prof Bukenya and Mao.

However, Mbabazi’s remarks came a few hours after Dr Besigye expressed reservations over his governance credentials, including his lengthy involvement with the NRM spanning about three decades.

The former Prime Minister and erstwhile Secretary General of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), Mr Mbabazi announced he would contest as the party’s chairman to lead the party in the 2016 elections.

His intentions did not materialise, prompting him to associate with  TDA, which has now endorsed his candidature.

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The nomination forms for the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential flag bearer Col (rtd) Dr Kiiza Besigye have this afternoon been returned to the Electoral Commission.

Besigye’s papers were returned to the EC by the FDC Electoral Commission boss Dan Mugarura, following Besigye’s attainment of the requisite number of signatures as enshrined in the Presidential Elections Act (PEA).

Earlier, Besigye’s nomination forms were picked from the Electoral Commission by the FDC Electoral Commission vice chairman Michael Kabaziguruka, before the former and the FDC party boss Major General Mugisha Muntu embarked on a nationwide campaign trail to introduce themselves to the electorate.

And, during a delegates conference held at the Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, last month, Dr Besigye defeated Gen Muntu to become the party’s flag bearer in the 2016 elections.

Meanwhile, early today Besigye addressed a press conference at the TDA headquarters in Naguru, and explained why he had failed to agree with rival Amama Mbabazi on the issue of joint candidature of TDA.

According to Dr Besigye, he doubts Mbabazi’s commitment to democratic practices of respect for human rights and the fight against corruption, among others.

But Besigye’s concerns did not sway TDA summit which, through Norbert Mao, announced that Mbabazi had been endorsed the TDA flag bearer, bringing to the fore an issue that seems to have prompted Besigye’s supporters to act in defiance and return his presidential nomination forms as part of the due process that qualifies him to stand for the presidential elections come next year.

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Former Makerere University vice chancellor, Professor Venansius Baryamureeba has this morning unveiled his 2016-2021 presidential manifesto ahead of next year’s general elections.

Early last week Prof Barya, as he is commonly referred to, returned his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission and he now awaits nomination to stand for presidency.

“I have already booked October 5, 2015 as the date for my nomination as a presidential candidate,” he said adding: “I would like to announce to all Ugandans that I have already fulfilled all the requirements for nomination.”

Prof Barya announced his presidential ambitions in May this year, and came up with 12 issues which form the basis of his manifesto.

Among the 12 points are provision of health services, job creation, agriculture, governance and foreign policy. Other issues are infrastructure development, minimum wage, industrialization, defence and security, zero tolerance to corruption and, the relationship between religious and cultural institutions and the central government.

The professor maintains that a special touch has been accorded the youth who make up the biggest portion of the Ugandan population, and hastens to add that the points in this manifesto represent the views of Ugandans collated after a countrywide consultation exercise.

“This is a people’s manifesto since the views in it have been collected from the grassroots through our consultations before the Electoral Commission stopped us from carrying out public consultations,” he said.

PROF BARYA AT A GLANCE

He was born in Kasharara village, Kagongo Parish, Ibanda District, in the Western Region of Uganda. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, obtained in 1994 from Makerere University. He also holds a Master of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy, both in Computer Science from Bergen University in Norway, awarded in 1996 and in 2000, respectively. In 1997, he was awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in the Analysis of Linear Programming Models by the University of Trondheim, also in Norway.

Career

His academic career began soon after his first degree, when he worked as a teaching assistant in the Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics at Makerere University, from 1994 until 1998. He then worked as an assistant lecturer at the Institute of Teacher Education Kyambogo, which now is part of Kyambogo University, from 1995 until 1996. While pursuing graduate study in Norway, he worked as a teaching assistant in the Department of Informatics at Bergen University from 1997 until 2000. He also worked as a Research Fellow, in the same department and institution, from 1995 until 2000.

Beginning in 1998 until 2000, he worked as a lecturer in the Department of Mathematics at Makerere University. He was a senior lecturer in the Institute of Computer Science at Makerere University, from 2001 until 2006 (which was transformed into the Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Computing and IT (FCI)). He then became an associate professor, and, in November 2006, he was made a Professor, continuing to teach until August 2012 at FCI. From October 2005 until June 2010, he served as the Dean of FCI.

From November 2009 until August 2012, he was Vice Chancellor of Makerere University.

After that he founded the Uganda Technology and Management University, where he has served since September 2012 as the Vice Chancellor and as a professor of Computer Science in the School of Computing and Engineering.

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Amid scattered voices of dissent mainly from supporters of the Forum for Democratic Change, former Prime Minister John Patrick Amama Mbabazi has been unveiled as the joint flag bearer for The Democratic Alliance.

“Let me confirm for the 11th time, TDA has no Joint Presidential Candidate. No one has been agreed upon. It is unfortunate that some of TDA leaders who signed the statement I read to the media in their presence about this matter, are the same ones declaring one of the two candidates we did not reach consensus on as a TDA candidate,” Wafula Oguttu, the spokesperson of TDA wrote on his Facebook wall.

“I think that by pulling out of TDA, Dr Besigye may actually have saved the FDC party from self-destruction. There were no guarantees that after loaning his supporters and his party structures to Amama Mbabazi, he would get them back after 2016 election. With FDC’s structural support, Mbabazi would become the only formidable opposition leader after 2016 and would definitely try to own the party supporters and regional/local structures. So the 10yrs the FDC has spent building the party, would be meaningless. You build and then transfer to an opponent/ newcomer? It only makes sense if you are a weak party looking at short-term strategic gains,” Gerald Bareeba, a Teaching Assistant and PhD candidate at the University of Toronto in Canada wrote on his Facebook wall.

Mr Mbabazi, formerly a self-avowed National Resistance Movement (NRM) – leaning candidate who reportedly broke ranks with the party after a series of disagreements and FDC flag bearer Colonel (rtd) Doctor Kizza Besigye, have been locked in a marathon contest for one of them to become the joint presidential candidate of the TDA.

But later today, Mr Mbabazi was declared TDA’s flag bearer in a statement presented by Nobert Mao, one of the four people who had sought to run for the same position.

Mao, who is also the Democratic Party’s President General, said Mbabazi was selected by the alliance as its flag bearer by the majority of the summit.

“Our protocol does not allow more than one person to carry the flag for the alliance because presenting two candidates goes against our unity,” he added.

Mao’s announcement comes a few hours after the TDA Head of Operations Bishop Zac Niringiye addressed a press conference and said members of TDA had agreed on having Mr Mbabazi and Dr Besigye as TDA candidates.

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President Yoweri Museveni, who is in the US for the 70^th United Nations General Assembly, has said that the world will be more prosperous through the production and consumption of goods and services and an improved infrastructure base to link them up.

Speaking today at the 2015 African Heads of State Investment and Working Lunch on the theme, ‘Intra-African Investment: Programme for infrastructure development in Africa and Regional Economic Integration’, held at Thomson Reuters, Broadway, New York, Mr Museveni said the world’s common interest is prosperity through trade saying the production of goods and services creates jobs and enhances the purchasing power of Africans to be able to buy more goods.

“These three yardsticks when applied to Africa will see Africa as a continent of the present and future for the prosperity of the whole world. It is time for Africa to help ourselves and the world economy,” he said, adding that what Africa needs is entrepreneurs with spectacles to see opportunities and the money to take advantage of those opportunities.

The President was speaking along side other African leaders including Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Malawi’s Peter Mutharika, Ethiopia’s Hailemariam Desalegn and the South Sudan Vice President James Wani Igga. The leaders called for foreign investments on the continent describing it as the fastest growing region in the world despite various challenges including lack of infrastructure such as roads and electricity.

The leaders emphasized economic integration of Africa through regional blocs such as ECOWAS, COMESA, SADC and EAC. They said the USA administration opened access to their markets tax and quota free through Agoa and that other countries such as China, India and Japan have also opened up their markets to Africa.

“The point is when you invest in Africa, you not only access market of a country but also the region, the continent and the world,” President Museveni said.

The luncheon was organized by Africa Investor, the premier African investment and private sector development platform for domestic and global institutional investment decision makers, African governments, development Finance Institutions and business leaders working in Africa and other stakeholders.

Meanwhile, Mr Museveni has explained why he uses his left hand to greet following concerns from the public over his bandaged right hand.

“When I was going to Japan, while in a hurry, I strongly hit my right hand against the door of the car. The doctor applied some anti-inflammation gel when there was some swelling. We did not concentrate on it because it did not hurt but remained slightly discomforting. When later an x-ray was done, it was discovered that there was a small spiral fracture on the metacarpal bone of the right last finger (akahara) which is being managed conservatively. It is not painful except when direct pressure is applied on it.

That is why I use the left hand to greet. Managing conservatively means using a bandage for two weeks,” Mr Museveni said.

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Burkina Faso’s interim President Michel Kafando has been formally reinstated a week after the military takeover.

The ceremony took place in the capital, Ouagadougou, in the presence of several West African leaders who helped mediate an end to the crisis.

It comes a day after the presidential guard, who were behind the coup, signed a deal with the regular army to avoid violence.

They pledged to return to barracks and the army to withdraw from the capital.

• Africa Live: Transfer of power updates

The presidential guard (RSP) is loyal to Blaise Compaore, the country’s long-time ruler who was ousted in a popular uprising last year.

The elite troops installed Gen Diendere as the leader last week – a month before elections had been due in the landlocked country.

The army on Monday ordered the coup leaders to step down or be ousted by force, raising the spectre of a civil war.

At least 10 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in clashes between the RSP and protesters.

The BBC’s Maud Jullien in Ouagadougou says President Kafando thanked the West African leaders, to cheers from the audience of politicians and civil society leaders.

They put together a plan to end the crisis at an emergency meeting of the regional bloc Ecowas on Tuesday.

Benin’s President Thomas Boni Yayi, at the ceremony, said efforts must now be focused on efforts to quickly bring free, fair and transparent elections.

It is not clear whether the mediators’ peace plan includes key RSP demands for an amnesty for the coup leaders and the lifting of an electoral ban on those connected to Mr Compaore.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Kafando said he was not fully committed to the plan, put together on Tuesday by West African presidents at an emergency meeting of the regional bloc Ecowas.

• Why presidential guards stage coups
• What is behind the coup?
• Burkina Faso’s coup: Who’s who?

“We are proud of the mobilisation and fearlessness of the people of Burkina Faso, in particular of its youth, whose determination has stopped” the coup succeeding, Mr Kafando said.

“I salute the international community for having rejected unequivocally this action…

“Regarding the Ecowas proposals for a solution to the crisis, it is obvious that we will only commit to them if they take into account the will of the Burkinabes.”

He had been detained during a cabinet meeting last Wednesday.

The agreement overnight between the RSP and army was signed in front of the country’s most influential leader, Mogho Naba.

Regular army troops had entered Ouagadougou on Monday vowing to retake it.

The deal ended the 24-hour stand-off and defused the tension ahead of the African leaders’ visit.

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Forum for Democratic Change flag bearer and top contender for TDA joint candidature has this afternoon left the alliance’s meeting taking place at its offices in Naguru.

Clad in a white shirt and black trousers, Besigye, stormed out of the meeting and briefly talked to reporters camped outside the alliance’s offices before being driven away in his white landcruizer.

TDA  is expected to communicate its long awaited pronouncement on who becomes the opposition joint candidate to face off with President Museveni this evening.

Hon. Wafula Oguttu the official Spokesperson for the TDA says Besigye moved of the meeting because he had finished making his contribution and therefore was free to leave. “He has just finished talking to us and he is heading for another meeting,” he said.

Besigye on his part while talking to reporters said he is anticipating that the summit will decide in favor of him since he has convinced them to the best of his ability that he has the best credentials to out Museveni.

“Every white smoke will be in my favour because we are looking for TDA candidate not my candidate,” said the visibly confident Besigye.

However his main contender, John Patrick AmamaMbabazi is still inside the meeting while Former Vice President BalibasekaBukenya is said to be absent without apology.

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