The top contenders for The Democratic Alliance presidential elections flag bearer have disagreed, with each of them deciding to pursue an individual political journey in the quest to replace incumbent President YoweriMuseveni.

According to sources, former Prime Minister John Patrick AmamaMbabazi and Col (rtd) Dr Warren KizzaBesigye have failed to reach consensus on who should be fronted by the TDA as the presidential candidate for the 2016 elections.

The retreat sitting at Royal suites in Bugolobi started Wednesday last week with the aim of announcing a successful joint candidate on Friday.

However when they failed to come to come up with a common position, they postponed the consensuses meeting to this week with the  four aspiring candidates engaging themselves to come up with one candidate but in vain.

According to an inside source speaking on condition of anonymity, Former Vice President, Hon. Gilbert Bukenya and DP PresidentGenearl,Nobert Maoare willing but disagreements have ensued between FDC flag bearer, Dr. KiizaBesigye and NRM leaning independent candidate, Hon. AmamaMbabazi.

The alleged disagreement follows weeks of intense lobbying and bickering by supporters of both contestants, with each side claiming its candidate has better credentials to wrest power from MrMuseveni and the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government, which has been in power for close to thirty years.

Besigye’s supporters are citing his experience in opposition politics and the role he has played in building and sustaining opposition in Uganda. However, on the other hand, those in favor of Amama argue that he brings in a new image and NRM support to the opposition.

TDA summit members had said they would announce the choice candidate today, but information from the headquarters in Naguru indicates otherwise; Mbabazi will now run as an Independent while Dr.Besigye will run on the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) platform.

As to whether the TDA itself will remain having failed its first test, is something that the TDA leadership has refused to comment on.

This is a developing story. We shall keep you posted as events unfold.

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The constitution-making process for a political federation of the East African Community, the ultimate stage of the EAC integration, is set to begin this year.

The revelation was made by the EAC Secretary General Dr Richard Sezibera, while he was meeting India’s High Commissioner to Tanzania and Representative to the EAC, Mr Sandeep Arya.

On his part, Mr Arya, who was presenting his credentials to the EAC said the relations between India and the East African Community are to be revitalized especially in the areas of trade, cultural exchange and development cooperation.

Mr Arya noted that India already had bilateral projects in most of the EAC Partner States particularly in health and agriculture, adding that his country wanted to partner with the EAC to boost trade volumes and promote industrial growth in East Africa.

The envoy said he would work closely with the Confederation of Indian Industries and the Indian Exim Bank in these initiatives, noting that these partnerships should for a start be between the two institutions and the East African Development Bank and the East African Business Council.

Dr. Sezibera thanked India for its support to the Partner States singling out the scholarships granted to students from the region to study in India.

He also cited the support granted to the Community by India in the preparation of the East African Railways Master Plan, the implementation of which he said would revolutionize the transport sector in the region.

The Secretary General said there would be common rules of origin for goods within the EAC-COMESA-SADC Free Trade Area which is expected to become operational soon. He added that the EAC was also cooperating with COMESA and SADC on infrastructure development.

Later in the day, the Danish Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania and Representative to the EAC Ambassador Einar Jensen also presented his letter of accreditation to the EAC Secretary General, designating him as his country’s representative to the EAC.

In his remarks, the Danish Ambassador hailed EAC for the remarkable achievements so far recorded in the establishment of the Customs Union Protocol, Common Market Protocol and Monetary Union Protocol.

“Denmark has chosen to formalise its relations with the East African Community in recognition of the aspirations and ambitions of the EAC,” Amb Jensen said.

On his part Amb Sezibera lauded the long-standing ties between the EAC Partner States and Denmark, and reaffirmed the EAC’s commitment to strengthen the relationship.

Present at the function was the Counsel to the Community, Dr. Albert Kafumbe.

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Police officers tracking stolen vehicles from the United Kingdom have helped find 29 Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) in different parts of Uganda.

According to media reports, the UK police officers were tracking a Lexus but ended up finding 28 other stolen cars, with a value of about one million Pounds Sterling.

“They are likely to represent just a fraction of the cars smuggled out of the UK,” The Daily Mail reported.

According to the reports, the stolen vehicles are shipped to the port city of Mombasa in Kenya, before corrupt officials in both Kenya and Uganda connive to clear the pricey loot.

The officer who led the tracking team to Uganda, National Crime Agency Regional Manager Paul Stanfield, said they had cracked an international syndicate that steals mostly SUVs like Range Rovers, Audis and BMWs.

‘This investigation is an excellent example of the close cooperation between the UK National crime Agency, National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service, Interpol and (anti-fraud investigators) APU to tackle the increasing threat from organised vehicle crime. Working with the police and security services of Kenya and Uganda, we have been able to dismantle an international criminal network that has been responsible for stealing high-value cars from the UK and exporting them to East Africa,” Mr Stanfield was quoted as saying.

It is said all the stolen cars have ‘keyless ignition’, something the thieves breach by reprogramming the manufacturers computerized set up.

This is not the first time the issue of stolen foreign vehicles is coming up; in September 2013 the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) impounded 27 cars with foreign number plates, some of which were reportedly stolen.

In February this year the URA impounded 47 foreign-registered cars, two of which had been stolen from the UK. Also, in September last year, a BMW belonging to the Presidential escort Unit (PEU) of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta was stolen from Nairobi, only to be found ‘abandoned’ in Tororo, Uganda.

Meanwhile, The Daily Mail indicates that the 29 vehicles stolen from the UK, each estimated at 50,000 Pounds Sterling would be shipped back.

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Burkina Faso’s army has given the coup leader an ultimatum to surrender or face an assault, as its troops reach the capital, Ouagadougou.

Negotiations between army chiefs and the presidential guard have broken down, a senior military officer said.

Troops are moving through the capital, as a 10:00 GMT deadline to Gen Gilbert Diendere to surrender passed.

He staged a coup last week after opposing moves to integrate the presidential guard into the army.

He has released the president and the prime minister, following talks brokered by mediators.

• Africa Live: BBC News updates

The coup has been widely condemned, with the European Union calling on the presidential guard to lay down its weapons immediately to avoid bloodshed.

‘Wants a fight’

Troops have been urging anti-coup protesters, gathered at the city’s Revolution Square, to return home, reports BBC Afrique’s Yacouba Ouedraogo from the capital.

Gen Diendere “wants a fight”, an army officer said, following the collapse of talks.

Earlier, a senior army officer said soldiers would launch an assault to retake the capital, if the presidential guard did not surrender by 10:00 GMT.

Gen Diendere says he will step aside once regional leaders, due to meet in Nigeria, endorse a peace plan, including an amnesty for coup plotters.Prime Minister Isaac Zida was captured by the presidential guard in last week’s coup.

France’s ambassador to Burkina Faso, Gilles Thibault, has also tweeted that interim President Michel Kafando, who was arrested last Wednesday, has been released from house arrest and is now at the ambassador’s residence.

Burkina Faso coup

• Why presidential guards stage coups
• What is behind the coup?
• Burkina Faso’s coup: Who’s who?
• The coup in pictures
• The rise and fall of Blaise Compaore
• Guide to Burkina Faso

Gen Diendere seems to be backed into a corner by international and national pressure, and on Monday thousands gathered to celebrate what they believed was his defeat, says the BBC’s Maud Jullien in Ouagadougou.

But in an interview with BBC Afrique, the general said he would only step aside once an agreement proposed by West African leaders was confirmed.

The proposed deal would give him and his troops full amnesty, and allow candidates of former ruler Blaise Compaore to run for presidency in November.

Speaking from a secret location, Gen Diendere said: “Ready to surrender? We are not there yet… We wish to continue the discussions and we say to all that we are ready to implement Ecowas’ [West African regional group’s] decisions.”

He also apologised to the population, saying an apology was “the least we could do”.

The Ecowas plan should be discussed by West African heads of state in Nigeria later on Tuesday.

The presidential guard is loyal to ousted President Compaore and installed Gen Diendere as the new leader last week.

Since then, at least 10 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in clashes.

Ecowas’ plan includes the return to civilian government, an amnesty for the soldiers behind the coup and elections by the end of November.

But on the streets, there was resentment at the proposals, in particular the amnesty.

“We have no need of Ecowas here, nor the international community,” said one man protesting against the coup.

Gen Diendere, who was the chief of staff to Mr Compaore, led the coup a month before elections had been due in the landlocked country.

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Volkswagen says 11 million vehicles worldwide are involved in the scandal that has erupted over its rigging of US car emissions tests.

It said it was setting aside €6.5bn (£4.7bn) to cover costs of the scandal.

VW added this would pay for “necessary service measures and other efforts to win back the trust of our customers”.

The boss of Volkswagen’s US business, Michael Horn, has admitted it “totally screwed up” in using software to rig emissions tests.

VW shares were down more than 20% on Tuesday in Frankfurt.

Last Friday, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said VW diesel cars had much higher emissions than tests had suggested and that software in several diesel cars could deceive regulators.

“Volkswagen does not tolerate any kind of violation of laws whatsoever,” the firm said in its latest statement.

It said provision for the scandal would be made “in the profit and loss statement in the third quarter of the current fiscal year”.

It added: “Due to the ongoing investigations, the amounts estimated may be subject to revaluation.”

EU probe call

French Finance Minister Michel Sapin has called for an EU inquiry, but a UK car industry spokesman said there was “no evidence” of cheating.

Mike Hawes, who is chief executive of the UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said the EU operated a “fundamentally different system” from the US, with tests performed in strict conditions and witnessed by a government-appointed independent approval agency.

“There is no evidence that manufacturers cheat the cycle,” he said. “Vehicles are removed from the production line randomly and must be standard production models, certified by the relevant authority – the UK body being the Vehicle Certification Agency, which is responsible to the Department for Transport.”

However, he also described current testing methods as “outdated” and said the car industry wanted an updated emissions test, “more representative of on-road conditions”.

France’s Mr Sapin said inquiries in Europe had to be conducted “at a European level”.

“We are a European market with European rules,” he told Europe 1 radio. “It is these that have to be respected. It is these that have been violated in the United States.”

The French carmakers’ federation backed Mr Sapin’s call, saying such an inquiry would “allow us to confirm that French carmakers respect the procedures for approval in all of the countries where they operate”.

For its part, the Italian transport ministry said it would open its own investigation, saying it wanted to know whether such cars were sold in Italy.

However, a European Commission spokeswoman said it was “premature to comment on whether any specific immediate surveillance measures are also necessary in Europe”.

Elsewhere, the South Korean government said it would test up to 5,000 Jetta and Golf cars, along with Audi A3s made in 2014 and 2015.

Its investigation will be expanded to all German diesel cars if issues are found.

The White House in Washington also reportedly said it was “quite concerned” about VW’s conduct.

Fines looming

Volkswagen was ordered to recall half a million cars in the US on Friday.

In addition to paying for the recall, VW faces fines that could add up to billions of dollars. There may also be criminal charges for VW executives.

In its latest statement, the firm said it was “working at full speed to clarify irregularities” concerning what it called “a particular software used in diesel engines”.

The EPA found the “defeat device”, the device that allowed VW cars to emit less during tests than they would while driving normally, in diesel cars including the Audi A3 and the VW Jetta, Beetle, Golf and Passat models.

VW has stopped selling the relevant diesel models in the US, where diesel cars account for about a quarter of its sales.

The EPA said that the fine for each vehicle that did not comply with federal clean air rules would be up to $37,500 (£24,000). With 482,000 cars sold since 2008 involved in the allegations, it means the fines could reach $18bn.

That would be a considerable amount, even for the company that recently overtook Toyota to be the world’s top-selling vehicle maker in the first six months of the year. Its stock market value is about €66bn ($75bn; £48bn).

VW has ordered an external investigation, although it has not revealed who will be conducting it.

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The High Court has acquitted Dr Tiberius Muhebwa, the former Project Coordinator of the Project Management Unit (PMU) of the Global Fund, over a case that has dragged on for ten years.

Justice Lawrence Gidudu of High Court Anti-Corruption Division ruled on September 18, that Dr Muhebwa and three others had no case to answer since there wasn’t enough evidence to implicate them in the loss of the Global Fund money.

“The result is that prosecution did not adduce sufficient evidence to necessitate the accused persons to go on their defence. It falls far short of establishing a prima facie case to require the accused to go to their defence. Either the essential ingredients are lacking in some counts or the charges are false in some counts. A combination of the two leads to one conclusion, a finding that each of the accused persons has no case to answer and each is accordingly acquitted,” reads Justice Gidudu’s ruling.

It was alleged that on Nov 11, 2004 at PMU offices, Dr Muhebwa deliberately sold US$1m Global Fund money to DFCU Bank at a lower rate of Shs1, 712 per dollar leaving a better rate of Shs1720 per dollar that was offered by Stanbic Bank and yet he had been cautioned by the PMU’s finance department, a move that caused a financial loss of Shs8 million.

Dr Muhebwa was also accused of causing a financial loss of Shs100m when he allegedly sold US$4m Global Fund dollars to DFCU bank at a lower rate of Shs1, 700 per dollar leaving a better rate of Shs1,725 per dollar that was offered by Stanbic Bank.

Dr Muhebwa was jointly charged with Mr Robert Katuntu, a former DCFU Bank Managing Director, Mr Godfrey Lule, a former head of Treasury of DFCU Bank and Mr Kituuma Magala, a High Court advocate.

Katuntu, Lule  and  Kituuma Magala  have been facing  charges  of  conspiracy  to defraud   government  of Sh295 million, which was allegedly fraudulently raised  by Katuntu and Lule through manipulation of  Global  Fund  foreign exchange rates and illicitly  paid  to Kituuma Magala as brokerage  fees claiming that  Kituuma Magala had introduced Global Fund to DFCU bank. They denied the charges.

However, Justice Gidudu said in view of his findings that no evidence has been adduced to establish fraud in the brokerage agreement and the fact that PMU did not complain about loss of money through Forex transaction.

“I am unable to find the reason to put A2, A3 and A4 on defence. I cannot ask them to explain what the prosecution has not accused them of. This count collapsed once PW1 took the stand and denied losing money in a project where he was overall supervisor and principal signatory,” Justice Gidudu avers in an 11-page ruling.

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