KAMPALA-The US has awarded six Ugandan military generals with prestigious medals for commanding African Union troops that have been fighting the Al-Shabaab, an affiliate of al-Qaida in Somalia.
A statement issued by the Ugandan army spokesperson, Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda Wednesday the generals were given Legion of Merit, a US military award issued for exceptionally meritorious performance.
“The Government of the United States of America has decorated six UPDF Generals in recognition of their exceptionally good contribution in the fight against terrorism and pacification efforts in Somalia,” Lt. Col. Ankunda said.
Gen. David Rodriguez, the Commander of US-Africa Command based in German, decorated the officers at Uganda’s military intelligence headquarter in Mbuya.
“I represent my Country to say thank you,” he said after a citation signed by the US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter.
Gen. Katumba Wamala, the Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces was decorated for his role as the former Land Forces commander whose role was to oversee Ugandan military operations in Somalia.
Others are; Lt. Gen. Andrew Gutti and others Major Generals, Levi Karuhanga, Nathan Mugisha, Francis Okello and Fred Mugisha.
Gen. Rodriguez said less than 200 of the awards have been given to foreign leaders and that the six are the first in Uganda. “It’s the efforts and tremendous leadership that has been demonstrated by the Ugandan leaders in AMISOM,”
Breaking: Fire has gutted Gazaland, an arcade that accommodates hundred of small scale businesses that range from boutiques to salons that trade in mainly weaves for ladies. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Mwesigwa Rukutana is seen as the most available minister to defend his boss and government policies.
Despite changing names from Francis Mugasha to Mwesigwa Barati Rukutana, the academic qualifications are mine
The Deputy Attorney General Mwesigwa Rukutana and Minister of State for Constitutional Affairs has said that his father registered him under different names in a bid to avoid computer hitches that would impact negatively on his education after repeating Primary Seven.
“I remember what they told us was that if you used the same names, the computer would chew the results and so my father went and enrolled me using my young brother’s names Mwesigwa Barati Rukutana,” the Minister said.
According to the Minister, as a 14-year old boy, his father changed the names from Francis Mugasha to Mwesigwa Rukutana, borrowing one name each from the father and brother, Mwesigwa Barati.
“I was admitted for senior one at Old Kampala and at that time (1973), I was only 14 years and my father was a poor man so he said to me: “you are still very young to go to Kampala and I don’t have money to afford a private school in Kampala.”
“He said you repeat so that you can get marks to take you to a nearby government school and I did adhere to the advice and I repeated,” he said.
“That time computerization had just been introduced and everybody who studied at that time will tell you that the advice was that when you repeat Primary Seven (P7) you would not use same names you used in a previous year,” the Minister said and named some of the people he studied with. “I remember Stanley Ampaire, he is a secondary teacher at Ruyonza Seed Secondary School, Rev Emmanuel Mujuni, church priest, Jackson Tugume, Fredrick Toroto, now a qualified primary teacher,” the Minister said.
He also named other P7 peers but from different schools and among them are Dan Mugarura Bakagyi, the Chairperson of Forum for Democratic Change party Electoral Commission and Stephen Tashobya, the Member of Parliament for Kajara County and Chairperson of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee in Parliament.
The Minister’s clarification follows a petition by a one Julius Twesigye Kyobwe of Kayonza, Rushenyi who, on September 11, wrote to the NRM Electoral Commission boss Dr Tanga Odoi accusing Mwesigwa Rukutana, the party’s aspiring candidate for Rushenyi County, of using academic documents that are not his.
In the letter Twesigye said that the Deputy Attorney General is actually called Francis Mugasha and not Mwesigwa Rukutana, a name Twesigye says belongs to someone who passed his exams but could not proceed with is education.
The petitioner now wants ‘Mwesigwa Rukutana’ to be blocked from contesting in the forthcoming parliamentary elections and according to Dr Odoi, the matter was being handled by relative party organs.
Rukutana’s full narrative regarding his name
I was born on November 15, 1959 at a place called Ruyonza village, Nyanka parish, Rubaare sub-county Ntungamo district but by then it was Bushenyi district.
In 1966, when I was seven years old, I started going to school at Ruyonza Church School, a school with only three classes and that is to say P.1, P.2 and P.3. The school had upper classes but with the help of other parents, my father suggested that we keep on being promoted to other upper classes. He also suggested the school should open up to P7 and indeed they did and my teacher was Raphael Mukwikwi, who I think was a Senior Four drop out.
I sat for Primary Living Examinations in 1972 but got a second grade like everybody that year, given that that was the first time the school was partaking in national exams. Naturally, all of us failed to get grade one but I was the best in grade two as I got 180 marks.
I was admitted for Senior One at Old Kampala (Secondary School) and at that time in 1973, I was only 14 years and my father was a poor man so he said to me “you are still very young to go to Kampala and I don’t have money to afford a private school in Kampala”.
He said you repeat so that you can get marks to take you to a nearby government school and I did adhere to the advice and I repeated and at that time computerization had just been introduced and everybody who studied at that time will tell you that when you repeated primary seven (P7) you would not use same names you used in the previous year.
And I remember what they told us was that if you used the same names, the computer would chew the results and so my father went and enrolled me using my young brother’s names, Mwesigwa Barati Rukutana. Actually, the Rukutana name belongs to our father.
My young brother Mwesigwa Barati never went to school at that time because my father could only afford to take one child to school. Mwesigwa Barati actually went to school much later but dropped out in Primary Four.
And so back to the point; I repeated and did PLE at that church school (Ruyonza) in 1973 and I did perform well given that this was the second time the school was sitting national exams. I performed better and became the best in Western Region with 257 marks out of 300.
The people I sat (exams) with whom I remember are Stanley Ampaire, he is a secondary teacher at Ruyonza Seed Secondary School, Rev. Emmanuel Mujuni, church priest, Jackson Tugume and Fredrick Toroto, who is now a qualified primary teacher.
Other contemporaries in primary seven although from different schools are Dan Mugarura Bakagyi, the current chairman of Forum for Democratic Change party Electoral Commission, Stephen Tashobya, the Member of Parliament for Kajara County and Chairman of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee in Parliament.
So in 1974, I was admitted at Mbarara High School for Senior One on scholarship. For 1978-1979, I did study Advanced Level at Kigezi High while 1980-1983, I did study for a Bachelors Degree in Law at Makerere University.
In 1984, I enrolled for Law Development Centre and I did so well that the administration of LDC asked to retain me and I lectured there until I joined politics.
I don’t know where this whole thing of me using someone else’s papers is coming from but I remember I did explain to someone in Parliament in 1994 during the Constituent Assembly.
However, it is a waste of time by those who think they can dislodge me using such malicious propaganda.
The Supreme Court has today rejected an appeal by former Arua Municipality MP Hussein Akbar Godi against conviction for murder.
Godi was in 2011 handed a 25-year sentence by then Mukono High Court Judge Lawrence Gidudu after being found guilty of killing his 19 year old wife Rehema Ceasar Nassur in 2008.
According to Gidudu, prosecution adduced enough evidence to show that Godi had murdered his wife and held that the 30 prosecution witnesses produced by the state then led by the late Joan Kagezi directly linked the former legislator to Ms Nassur’s murder.
former Arua Municipality MP Hussein Akbar Godi
Court also held that the two bullet cartridges found at the murder scene, came from the pistol owned by Godi, and that the soil sample got from his shoes was similar to that found at the murder scene.
Godi first appealed against the sentence in 2013, but his appeal was rejected, forcing him to seek reprieve in the highest court.
Today’s judgment was delivered at the Kololo-based Supreme Court by a five member panel of justices John Wilson Tsekooko, Esther Kisakye Mayambala, Galdino Okello, Jotham Tumwesigye and Christine Kitumba.
In a 4-1 ruling, the Coram upheld the Court of Appeal ruling, in effect sending Godi back to Luzira to serve his jail term. “We have carefully looked at evidence on record by the High Court and Court of Appeal and have found there is no basis for the appeal,” read Justice Tsekoko, who read the SC ruling said.
He added: “We have not found any merit on all the three grounds of the appeal; we therefore uphold the decision of the Court of Appeal and upholding the sentence.”
However, the former Arua Municipality legislator, who was all along calm during the court session, told journalists that he was not satisfied with the Supreme Court’s decision.
“Everyone knew the outcome of my case when the President went public and said that I had to be jailed. All will be said but the fact and history will always remain that I became an MP at a tender age,” Godi said.
He said the sentence will enable him read extensively to broaden his understanding.
“Since age is on my side, I will bounce back,” Godi asserted.
Even after refusing to join a group of parties and individuals seeking to wrest power from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), the Uganda Peoples’ Congress (UPC) has said that The Democratic Alliance (TDA) protocol failed because its members placed self interest above matters of the coalition.
Speaking to the journalists during the weekly press conference held at the party headquarters in Kampala today, UPC spokesperson Michael Osinde Orach noted that TDA, a loose association of those opposed to President Museveni and the NRM, had good objectives but was crippled by individual selfish interests.
“TDA was good but individuals put personal interests first and distorted the alliance’s goals,” Mr Orach said adding: “Don’t think about taking power yet people are dying of hunger every day, put country first.”
Last week, TDA failed to reach a consensus on who would carry the coalition’s flag in next year’s presidential elections, and Mr at the press conference Mr Orach warned UPC adherents that taking part in TDA activities could have implications for some of them.
“TDA will have implication on whether Electoral Commission will take you on as a UPC member,” he said adding: “If you pick nomination forms under TDA and not UPC, the Disciplinary Committee will convene.”
He also warned TDA not to fly the UPC flag at their headquarters in Naguru, arguing that the party is not in the coalition. “We will take them to court if our flag is flown again at TDA offices,” cautioned Mr Orach.
In a jibe at Dr Olara Otunnu, Mr Orach ‘advised’ the ‘former’ party president to contest on the TDA ticket only if he has a following.
“TDA is not about individuals who carry briefcases around town, it’s about those that have a following,” Mr Orach said before dismissing claims that UPC party president, Jimmy Akena was siding with Kizza Besigye, the FDC flag bearer.
“Those are baseless allegations; FDC can follow us if they want but we have never followed them. Our foundation is focused on our party structures not in their individual goals.”
Meanwhile, Mr Orach has also blamed government for failing to fight poverty, adding that the youth had fallen victim.
“Poverty has led to exploitation of the youth; this is a huge matter that must be handled before 2016,” he said and also attacked government and other stakeholders for not promptly responding to the famine-stricken Teso and Karamoja regions.
“We call upon government, WFP and all stakeholders to treat the hunger with urgency. Instead of helping the affected communities, they are fighting on how to retain power,” he noted.
Last week government sent relief aid to Karamoja after it was reported
South Africa has leapt seven places, becoming 49th out of 140 countries following the release of the 2015/16 results of the World Economic Forum’s annual Global Competitiveness Index.
South Africa’s biggest improvements came in the areas of infrastructure (up 8 places), health and primary education (up 6 places), labour market efficiency (up 6 places), technological readiness (up 16 places), and innovation (up 5 places).
The country has also improved in the areas of: macro-economic environment (up 4 places), higher education and training (up 3 places), and business sophistication (up 2 places).
“Building a country’s competitiveness is a collective endeavour involving the collaboration of government, business and civil society. Ultimately it involves all South Africans to coalesce around this national objective,” Brand South Africa’s CEO Kingsley Makhubela said of the improved performance.
“The report resonates with our own assessment that we must work towards strengthening, amongst others, the education and health sectors to ensure our sustained competitiveness. The National Development Plan outlines the steps we need to take to achieve this.”
Meanwhile, there were some challenges in the area of institutions (down 2 places), goods market efficiency (down 6 places), financial market development (down 5 places) an
The fourth edition of the university football league continues today in Nkozi, with the Uganda Martyrs University hosting Uganda Christian University in the first leg of the quarter finals.
The two teams met last year and Canons emerged winners by 2- 0 goal margin but this time Martyr’s tactician Simon Ddungu believes his team has greatly improved.
“We have got a number of new players on the team and the progress has been fantastic. The game is to prove our critics wrong including the media,” Ddungu said.
His Canon’s counterpart Jackson Nyiima is also optimistic that his team will emerge.
“We hope for a great and interesting game,” he said.
It is expected that both teams will play under intense pressure considering that neither has ever qualified for the semifinals.
As Parliament meets to debate electoral reforms, an erstwhile unconsidered reform has been introduced by constitutional court: reform the way special interest groups are elected or do not elect them at all— the court ruled.
What that means is that mostly in tomorrow’s Parliament session, the national resistance movement, which is the singular beneficiary of the special interest representation, will have to introduce amendments proposed Parliamentary elections (amendment) bill 2015 or else it will lose twenty of its membership in the House.
Col. Shaban Bantariza, Deputy Executive Director of Media Centre who doubles as deputy government Spokesperson
According to the government spokesperson and Deputy Executive Director, Col. Shaban Bantariza there will be an appeal filed tomorrow, Wednesday for stay of the execution.
The same day, Parliament will be convening to pass the three electoral reform bills with haste— so that MPs can return to their recess.
The bummer is that in case court does not honour the appeal, government risks missing a chance to sneak the ordered reform in the bills to be handled.
For NRM to move across this tight rope with confidence, it should needs to bring amendments when Parliament convenes.
Indeed, as this story was being written, the top brass of the party had their phones switched off. Those in the know but could not speak on record, because they are not the official spokesperson of the party, told Eagle Online that their bosses were locked in a meeting to agree on the way forward before Parliament convenes on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court declared that representatives for the army, the youth and workers in Parliament were elected unconstitutionally because they were elected to under an illegal system that only favours one side.
Gen. Elly Tumwine, one of ten army representatives affected by the ruling.
“The impugned law in relation to the election of the representatives of the army, youth and workers is void and we declare so in in accordance with Article 2 of the Constitution,” the ruling reads in part.
The ruling was drafted by a Coram of five Justices: Augustine Nshimye, Remmy Kasule, Ruby Opio, Richard Buteera, and Fredrick Egonda-Ntende.
“We do grant an injunction against the respondents restraining them from conducting elections for the special interest groups of the army, youth and workers under the law that we have found unconstitutional,” the learned justices ordered.
Ever since special interest groups were introduced in Parliament, the ruling NRM party has been treating them as an extension of their membership a thing that prompted a series of petitions filed in 2010 in which different concerned citizens were objecting to the procedures used.
Does the ruling throw out current MPs?
Constitutional law expert Peter Walubiri
Interpreting the ruling Constitutional lawyer Peter Walubiri, who is also an opposition sympathiser, said it is not about the special interest groups, per se, because the constitution provides for that.
“If the elections are to be held they have to comply with the new direction of court. Now that this has happened, there is going to be a stampede by the NRM in parliament in trying to implement the amendments to fit in the 2016 road map.
“Hopefully they (NRM) fail and we get rid of them because they have been eating our money for nothing,” he said.
Lawyer and Lord Mayor, Eriasa Lukwago, however, thinks the affected members should cease being MPs.
“We welcome the ruling because the law under which they elected to Parliament was irregular. Secondly, they are not necessary in Parliament. For example, we have very old men representing the army but are always absent and even when they attend, they never contribute to the parliamentary debate,
“I only hope that President Museveni does not fight his way into having them back to increase numbers for voting in favour government positions because he is good at that,” he said.
Lukwago’s sentiments are shared with fellow Democratic Party member Medard Ssegona.
“Yes they cease to be MPs because according to the judgment, they were elected to parliament under an illegal law and therefore their stay in parliament is illegal as well. It is now up as parliamentarians to make sure that the court decision is respected.
“The question has always been whether we need these special interest groups in parliament since some of them do not even represent their constituencies. It is very important that court has pronounced itself on the matter. The petition has been before court for a very long time but the government did not bother to correct the law or settle the matter before court,” he said.
Charles Bakabulindi, one of the five workers’ representatives in Parliament.
Bakabulindi is confident the ruling has no bearing on his being in the House.
“As far as I am concerned the ruling is only directing the Electoral Commission not to carry out elections because the current law is not clear until the law has been amended. Therefore, we are still in Parliament but if they insist on throwing us out we shall appeal,” he said.
Gen Tumwine hope the two arms of government will complement each other and do what is right to deliver good governance.
“The courts are balanced by the other two arms of government and I am sure the legislature can feel their (court’s) concerns by addressing the loopholes they have raised.
“But why didn’t they tell us earlier? They (special interest groups) are elected basing on the recommendations of the constitution but by the interpretation of the judges, they are helping in interpreting it,” he said.
The trail of former Vice President of Democratic Republic of Congo, Jean-Pierre Bemba and six others opened today before trial chamber VII at the International Criminal Court at Hague in the Netherlands
Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, Aimé Kilolo Musamba, Jean-Jacques Mangenda Kabongo, Fidèle Babala Wandu and Narcisse Arido are accused of offences against the administration of justice in connection with witnesses’ testimonies in the case of the prosecutor v. Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo.
The trial started with the reading of the charges. Presiding judge Bertram Schmitt verified that the accused persons understood the nature of the charges. Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, Aimé Kilolo Musamba, Jean-Jacques Mangenda Kabongo, Fidèle Babala Wandu and Narcisse Arido pleaded not guilty to the charges. The Court’s Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and Senior Trial Lawyer Kweku Vanderpuye then took the floor for opening statements.
The hearings will resume tomorrow with the start of the prosecution’s presentation of evidence. The opening statements of the defence will be made at the beginning of the presentation of evidence of the defence.
The trial is expected to take several months. During the first part, the office of the prosecutor will be presenting the evidence at the prosecution’s disposal. Once the prosecution has presented all its evidence, it is the turn of the accused persons, with the assistance of their counsel, to present their case.
Trial Chamber VII is composed of presiding Judge Bertram Schmitt, Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut and Judge Raul Pangalangan.
Judges will ensure that the trial is fair and expeditious and is conducted with full respect for the rights of the defence, the equality of arms and the principle of adversarial debate, having further due regard for the protection of victims and witnesses.
Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, Aimé Kilolo Musamba, Jean-Jacques Mangenda Kabongo, Fidèle Babala Wandu and Narcisse Arido are accused of offences against the administration of justice in connection with witnesses’ testimonies, between the end of 2011 and November 14, 2013, including corruptly influencing witnesses by giving them money and instructions to provide false testimony, presenting false evidence and giving false testimony in the courtroom.
Aimé Kilolo Musamba, Jean-Jacques Mangenda Kabongo, Fidèle Babala Wandu and Narcisse Arido are appearing voluntarily before the Court as they were granted interim release on October 21, 2014. Bemba is in ICC custody.
The Uganda National Roads Authority has laid off its entire staff, Allen Kagina, the Executive Director, has announced.
According to Ms Kagina the decision to lay off over 890 workers was arrived at after a comprehensive review of the performance of the Authority since its establishment in 2008.
She said that the Board of Directors, in bid to make UNRA a fit-for-purpose-Authority, embarked on a comprehensive restructuring process which also includes disbanding the entire staff.
Further, that a notice of collective termination of all incumbent staff excluding the Executive Director has been issued and a new staff establishment, salary structure, and human resources policies framework has been commissioned.
According to Ms Kagina, the Board has embarked on a recruitment drive to fill the positions in the new structure giving priority to interested qualified outgoing staff. Under the same structure, a new and improved system has been introduced which will see a staff recruitment of about 1736 workers.
“UNRA has had a number of challenges one being inadequate staffing; this system will therefore help us solve this issue,’’ Kagina said, adding that incompetence, corruption and abuse of office are some of the reasons for the massive lay-off.
“The organization has suffered corruption, mismanagement of office among other vices we look to terminate,” she said
All those laid off will be required to reapply during a three month transition period, Ms Kagina said, adding however, that all projects that were already initiated will go on during this period.
“The recruitment will take place gradually as work continues,” Ms Kagina said.
In a related development, a Commission of Inquiry headed by Justice Catherine Bamugemereire is currently carrying out a probe into various scandals in UNRA, most of which are corruption-related.
