President Yoweri Museveni has appointed five new justices of the Supreme Court and seven other judges to the Court of Appeal.

Justices Augustine Nshimye Sebutulo, Faith Mwondha, Ruby Apio Oweri, Eldad Mwangusya and Lillian Tibatemwa Ekirikubinza were named Supreme Court judges while Alphonse Owiny Dollo, Elizabeth Musoke, Paul Kahaibale Mugamba, Simon Byabakama Mugenyi, Catherine Bamugemereire, Cheborion Barishaki and Hellen Obura are now Court of Appeal judges.

Currently, Lady Justice Bamugemereire is the chairperson of the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) Commission of Inquiry. Justice Mugamba has been the head of the anti-corruption court, while Prof Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza, formerly of the Court of Appeal, was one time a Deputy Vice Chancellor of Makerere University.

The Supreme Court has been comprised of eight justices, and the recent appointments bring the number of JSCs to 13.

Meanwhile, before the elevation of Lady Justice Mwondha and Justices Nshimye-Sebutulo, Opio Aweri and Mwangusya to the Supreme Court, their former station, the appellate court, had 12 judges, while before the elevation of Lady Justices Bamugemereire and Obura and Justice Paul Mugamba, the High Court had 53 judges.

The appointees await parliamentary approval.

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The Africa Press Organisation (APO) will award one African journalist/blogger with transport, accommodation and a daily allowance to attend the 2015 edition of AfricaCom – the biggest and best tech event in Africa to be held in Cape Town, South Africa, on 17-19 November 2015.

 

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President Yoweri Museveni has paid tribute to the late Israel Barasa Osengedo, a former LC 3 Chairman for Bulumbi sub- County and staunch NRM leader.

President Museveni, who visited the deceased’s family at their home in Bulumbi Sub-county in Busia district after addressing a rally at Masafu village, Bwanda sub-county, Busia district, told the people who gathered for the funeral rites that he came to commiserate with the family over the loss of their loved one, whom he described him as a hardworking and loyal leader.

The President later laid a wreath on the grave of the late Baraza before having a private talk with the family including Barasa’s two widows Joyce and Jane Osengedo.

Mr Barasa died on September 4, last year. He had earlier served in the Uganda Police Force before joining active politics, where he rose NRM leadership in Bulumbi and also became the LC3 Chairman for Bulumbi Sub County, positions he held up to the time of his death.

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The Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) is to be deployed to assist the fishing communities of Uganda in protecting lakes from over-fishing and the catching of immature fish, President Yoweri Museveni has said.

“Lake Victoria is here but it’s a dead lake because it has no fish. You need to help us to protect these lakes and we revamp them for the future of the country’s fishing industry. Borrow lessons from the cattle keepers who never eat female calves because they are the future of their herds as they are the ones that will produce and multiply the cattle stock,” Museveni said.

The President said that because the indigenous fishing communities had failed to protect the lakes, the Fisheries Ministry resorted to deploying of fisheries protection officers who have worsened the situation by engaging in mass corruption and extortion of fishermen and traders.

He appealed to communities that live near the lakes and the water bodies in the country to do away with the negative vices of overfishing and fishing of premature fish which he said pose a great danger to the fishing industry in the country.

The President was yesterday addressing a public rally at Masafu Sub-County grounds, Buwanda Village in Busia district to promote the Operation Wealth Creation campaign. The campaign is aimed at ensuring that each household engages in enterprises for food security and income generation to fight poverty.

The President announced that government plans to gazette Busia as an export promotion zone and said that many industries will be put up in the border district to promote industrial trade.

The President said that government will continue to work on service delivery but urged the population to engage in modern agro production to fight poverty.

“Recent research has shown that 83% of families in Busia district are engaged in subsistence agriculture while only 17% are in commercial agriculture. How do you expect to get rid of poverty in the district,” he said.

He cautioned the people against land fragmentation which he said was dangerous for the future of the agricultural sector and warned that the continued fragmentation of land will result into irreversible poverty in Uganda which is largely an agricultural economy.

On health the President said that government had done well in the immunization of children that has seen the country experience rapid population growth under the NRM regime from 14 million in 1986 to 35 million people today. He however said that the population needs to exercise quality hygiene and nutrition to avoid contracting some disease. He also warned them against living reckless life styles that such as promiscuity, drug abuse and alcoholism that he said were dangerous for their lives.

He announced that government will tarmac Tororo-Busia road and Musiita-Majanji road and that more roads will be tarmacked as the government has prioritized and allocated sufficient funds to the road sector. He also urged Movement supporters to understand the importance of prioritization in the implementation of government programs.

“We are now working on several roads with our locally generated revenue and we shall do more but we have to prioritize because if we tackle many programs at the same time we will make no impact and deliver nothing. That prioritization approach helped us in the bush as we used limited resources but registered many victories,” he said.

On security the President said that the country is peaceful because the National Resistance Movement built a strong army with a national character which is pro-people and non-sectarian.

“We had problems in 1960’s because leaders were focused on tribal and religious sectarianism. You leave a good soldier and go for a bad soldier because you are looking for your tribesman and you can’t build strong force on those lines,” he noted.

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South Sudan’s rebel leader says his group will ratify the recently signed peace agreement on Tuesday as part of efforts to restore peace and end the country’s nearly two year long conflict.

Former Vice President Riek Machar told VOA he is committed to the full implementation of the agreement. But he said he has petitioned mediators and regional leaders about the government’s continuous violation of the peace agreement signed by both parties.

“My team will be ratifying this most likely on the 8th (of September) and the cease-fire has not been holding. So we need the cease-fire to hold first and a workshop conducted for the permanent cease-fire and security arraignments, then after that we can kick off the second phase of forming the transitional government of national unity,” he said.

President Salva Kiir signed the agreement 15 days later than originally scheduled after expressing reservations about stipulations in the accord, which he said undermines South Sudan’s sovereignty.

So far, both sides have accused each other of violating the cease-fire agreement but Machar said the administration is to blame for endangering the accord.

“I can’t say I am satisfied because the government has been breaking the cease-fire. It has not stopped its offensive despite the fact that the government declared a cease-fire. So, this is not satisfactory,” he said.

Machar called on South Sudanese and the international community to pressure the administration in Juba to ensure a full implementation of the cease-fire agreement.

“I have complained, I have protested on the violations done by the government, and I have written to IGAD [Intergovernmental Authority on Development] leaders and those who witnessed the peace agreement.”

Machar’s comments came after reports that the U.N. Security Council was considering imposing sanctions following accusations of attacks that could endanger the peace agreement. Machar denied his rebels violated the accord.

“We have done nothing [wrong] we are only defending ourselves. The government has barges on the Nile [and] they were attacking our positions. We responded, we sunk some of the barges. The government is using helicopter gunships for the last four days, and also occupying our bases and we don’t see any reason for such,” Machar said.

“The U.N. sanctions should be targeting the government because they are the ones on the offensive. They are the one violating the cease-fire agreement,” he said.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called President Kiir to discuss the cease-fire violations. A State Department spokesman said: “President Kiir confirmed to the Secretary that he is committed to the implementation of the peace agreement and the cease-fire.”

A workshop to discuss the cease-fire, and how security in the country will be maintained during a 30-month transitional period, was postponed late last week, and a South Sudan official said a new date will be announced as soon as possible.

Both the government and Machar’s SPLM-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) insisted that they are not to blame for the delay.

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The newly-constituted National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Forum for Democratic Change is meeting today to among other issues discuss the party’s membership to The Democratic Alliance.

The Leader of Opposition in Parliament Wafula Oguttu, who stood in for the FDC spokesperson Semmujju Nganda, said that the meeting, where the party’s 17 newly elected executive committee members were also sworn in, is very important because it would help them discuss the TDA issues.

“We are going to agree how to move forward in the elections and decide when to pick TDA forms,” Mr Wafula Oguttu said adding: “TDA has a process, we are going to sit and discuss as a committee; we shall rally behind what has been decided by NEC.”

Wafula Oguttu noted that although there were ‘some disagreements’ at the delegates conference held at Namboole Stadium last week, the party had moved on. “Every time we are improving on our delegates conference; we learn from our mistakes,” Wafula Oguttu said and added: “There are differences but they make us united, we came out strong.”

With the deadline for returning TDA nomination forms looming, FDC needs to sort the internal differences in time so that it is able to forward a candidate who will be supported by all party members.

Meanwhile, Dan Mugarura, the FDC electoral commission chief noted that with the swearing in of the new 17 executive members, the NEC was now fully constituted and would make decisions for the party.

“We are subscribing to TDA while others finished, we wanted to have a full NEC to make resolutions on TDA,” Mr Mugarura said and commended the new NEC members for their service to the FDC.

Speaking at the same function the FDC flag bearer for the 2016 presidential elections Dr. Kizza Besigye, also commended the newly-sworn in members and committed himself to ensuring party cohesion.

“My task is just beginning; we are setting the stage and when ready, we will unveil the curtains,” Dr Besigye said and pledged to work closely with his rival for party flag bearer Major General Mugisha Muntu.

Last week Gen Muntu lost the flag bearer candidacy to Dr Besigye by a wide margin, prompting speculation of a split between members of the two rival camps. However, Gen Muntu has already conceded defeat and also urged his supporters to support Dr Besigye’s presidential bid.

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