Ghana ‘ball boy’ receives same fee as players at 2014 World Cup

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June 26, 2015

Ghana football scandal — Documents detailing payments.

Consider a world in which the England kit man is paid as big an appearance fee as Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart or Raheem Sterling.

Tough to imagine? Not so if you worked for Ghana’s Football Association at the 2014 World Cup where their “equipment officer” earned $100,000 (£64,000), according to a government report.

In a 396-page report which investigates the Black Stars’ first-round exit in Brazil, payment for a role also defined as “ball boy” is highlighted.

Ismail Hamidu was the lucky recipient of a sum equal to that earned by individual players, doctors, coaches and manager James Kwesi Appiah.

The report also found a fee of $5,263 (£3,345) was paid to Ghana’s official drummer.

His beat was not enough to help the team beat Portugal in their final group fixture to reach the second round, a match which followed the country’s FA flying $3m out to South America to settle a pay dispute with players.

Two sentences in the Dzamefe Report that perhaps sum up the frustrations and difficulties of Ghana’s World Cup campaign are:

The government’s decision to pay $100,000 to each of their 23 players “reduced the tension”
“The players however insisted on being paid in cash and this reignited the tension”

The report aims to unpick myriad financial issues surrounding Ghana’s World Cup campaign, including some payments which could not be verified or accounted for.

The African side received $8m (£5m) for their group-stage exit, but spent almost $4m more than that on their campaign from the beginning of qualifying.

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Catholics may divorce-Pope

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June 26, 2015

gamme@eagle.co.ug

Kampala-Married Catholic couples may soon find it easy to separate after Pope Francis I said separation may be ‘inevitable’ or ‘even morally necessary’ to protect the weaker spouse or small children. “Let us ask the Lord for a strong faith to see with his eyes the reality of family life, and for a deep love to approach all families with his merciful heart,” Francis said. According to media reports, the Pope, who made the statement Wednesday at a weekly general audience, has been making several family-related statements ahead of the October Synod, where Catholic Bishops will debate the issue of divorce. “The bishops will take up many issues, including how the church can be more welcoming to divorced Catholics who remarry without going through the church process that declares their first marriage null,” media sources observed. The Catholic Church is strict on divorce; however, recent developments indicate that there is a thrust by the Vatican to ease treatment those separated receive from the church. In Uganda, the most prominent Catholic to file for divorce was former Vice President Dr Speciosa Wandira Kazibwe, who wanted to separate from her late husband Eng Charles Kazibwe, whom she accused of adultery and battering her. The Kazibwe’s were wedded in 1983 and were blessed with five children, one of whom has since passed on. Eng Kazibwe died in August 2013.

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Terrorists strike French factory

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June 26, 2015

Hollande3 — French President Francois Hollande.

Suspected terrorists have attacked a gas factory in the town of Saint Quentin-Fallavier, France, killing one and injuring two people.

The incident has prompted French President Francois Hollande to cut short a visit to Brussels, Belgium. Addressing the press shortly before going home, he said the terrorists wanted to cause an explosion at the factory using gas canisters.

“The attack has all the hallmarks of a terrorist attack, he said and added: “a decapitated body was found with inscription written on it. There is one dead and two injured.”

A 30-year old man, who interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve says has been on their ‘known list’ since 2008, has been arrested in connection with the attack.

“The suspect did not have a criminal record but has been known to the security services for some time’, Cazeneuve was quoted as saying after the attack.

The incident comes six months after suspected muslim extremists opened fire on the offices of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, killing 11 people and injuring another 11.

Meanwhile, a rampaging fire that broke out this morning in Nsambya Police Barracks has destroyed property worth millions of shillings.

It was not possible to determine the exact cause of the fire but sources at the scene said it could have been sparked of by an electric fault.

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Uganda signs GF $421m grant

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June 26, 2015

The fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has received a boost following the signing of a $421m grant agreement between Uganda and the Global Fund.

The Global Fund Board approved the grant portfolio that will also operationalize a joint effort to build the health service delivery mechanism for the period 2015-2017.

Speaking at the signing ceremony Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda said the funds will help contain the three major killer diseases.

“Under this funding model, the Global Fund aims at creating a bigger impact in controlling the three diseases, by providing predictable funding, rewarding ambitious plans, working on more flexible time lines and with a shorter processing of funds,” the Premier who presided over the signing ceremony, said.

Dr Rugunda also pledged to ensure a harmonious implementation of the grants to maximize achievements and added that the grant will be implemented in partnership with TASO and various sub-recipient organizations.

‘The public signing ceremony of the Global Fund grants, was intended to inform all actors and beneficiaries for the grants, about the implementation beginning in July 2015’, he said.

The Minister for Health Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye said the grant will consolidate the gains and achievements from the previous grants, and pledged to ensure that the funds are utilized and accounted for.

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Issue of Minimum Wage should be discussed alongside salary disparities

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June 26, 2015

Yesterday, Information and National Guidance Minister Maj Gen Jim Muhwezi released a list of names of members of the Minimum Wage Advisory Board, who are supposed to help direct debate on the issue of remuneration in the country.

The Minister also informed the country that the last time government set a minimum wage; it was scaled at Shs 6000 in 1984, way back in Milton Obote’s second regime.

Since then there was a wage adjustment after the 1987 currency reform, setting the wage at Shs60, the equivalent of a dollar then.

The above scenario is disturbing: for the last three decades workers have had a raw deal.

It is important to note that in any national setting, workers are the engine of growth and as such need to be recognized for their efforts in sustaining the respective economies.

The said recognition is the responsibility of the State and that is why it must intervene at the earliest if it detects that there are imbalances in the salaries and wages offered to workers, something that is likely to affect national growth.

So, Muhwezi’s minimum wage communication is a welcome move that is supposed to give hope to the many Ugandan workers who have been short-changed for long.

Indeed, the symbiotic relationship between an employer and an employee cannot be over emphasized: businesses thrive on the acumen of the proprietors and the industriousness of the employees.

This therefore means that we need to put our act together and start debate on how a ‘living wage’ can be arrived at, without hurting the interests of the employer or the employee.

That noted, much as the national purse is not very stable in respect to the development challenges Uganda faces, it is heartening to note that President Yoweri Museveni has always weighed in and given guidance on matters of remuneration.

But there is also need for the President to go a step further and give policy direction on how to solve the issue of salary disparities, by setting up an institution that oversees remuneration matters across the divide.

For instance, it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth to see that an Executive Director of one semi-autonomous government institution gets Shs40 million, while a Permanent Secretary, the topmost Civil Servant and who is almost equal in rank with the ED gets paid a paltry Shs1.6 million a month. Such a scenario should not be allowed to gain currency because it is also one of the recipes for corruption in the public sector!

Lastly, government must prioritise the issue of remuneration in the critical sectors like education and health, and pay the teachers and doctors salaries that are commensurate with their responsibilities.

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Rwanda intelligence chief Karenzi Karake granted bail by UK court

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June 25, 2015

Africa

A photo taken on December 17, 2010 shows Rwandan Lieutenant General Karenzi Karake at Nasho Military training school in Kirehe District, in Rwanda"s Eastern Province, — Gen Karake has vowed to fight his extradition to Spain

Rwanda’s intelligence chief Karenzi Karake has been granted bail of £1m ($1.6m) by a court in London.

Karenzi Karake was detained at London’s Heathrow Airport on Saturday, in response to a European Arrest Warrant.

Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame had earlier launched a scathing verbal attack on the UK government over Gen Karake’s arrest.

Mr Kagame said it was a continuation of “colonialism” and accused the British of “arrogance and contempt”.

Gen Karake is accused by Spain of ordering massacres in the wake of the 1994 Rwanda genocide.

He will be freed once the £1m is paid and other bail conditions are met.

After the hearing, Rwanda’s High Commissioner to Britain, Williams Nkurunziza, said: “I’m very happy but I would have been happier if he would have been allowed to return.

“This is the best it gets with this legal system.”

Gen Karake will have to report to police daily and live either at the high commissioner’s home or in a house rented by the Rwandan embassy.

President Kagame said that the British authorities “must have mistaken [Gen Karake] for an illegal immigrant. The way they treat illegal immigrants is the way they treat all of us”.

He added that the British had been patronising, “wagging a finger at the African and telling him this is where you belong. We are no longer the African that belongs there”.

The BBC’s Newsnight programme reported that Gen Kagame was in the UK to meet the head of MI6, Britain’s foreign intelligence agency.

The scene in court – Richard Galpin, BBC News

The public gallery of the magistrates’ court was packed with Gen Karake’s supporters, who applauded and shouted as he entered the courtroom, dressed in a bright green and yellow tracksuit.

Sitting in the dock with a policeman either side of him, he turned to acknowledge his supporters, raising his hands in a gesture of solidarity.

For the rest of the hearing, he remained impassive, speaking only a few words when required by the district judge, including confirming that he opposed the extradition request made by the Spanish authorities.

After hearing lengthy arguments about whether to release him from custody, the district judge eventually agreed with Gen Karake’s lawyer that he was a suitable candidate for bail.

But the judge imposed a series of conditions to ensure the police can constantly monitor his whereabouts.

On the street outside the court, his supporters started singing in celebration.

Africa Live: latest updates

Gen Karake, 54, was greeted by cheers and clapping by supporters as he arrived in the courtroom.

A full hearing to discuss his extradition to Spain will take place on 29 and 30 October.

Gen Karake’s defence team includes Cherie Booth, former British prime minister Tony Blair’s wife.

In Rwanda, there have been protests outside the British High Commission in the capital, Kigali.

Protesters have threatened to remain until Gen Karake is released.

Accusations facing Gen Karake:

Accused of ordering massacres after the 1994 genocide while head of military intelligence
Wanted for genocide, crimes against humanity and terrorism
Accused of ordering the killing of Spanish aid workers in 1997

William Gelling, the UK’s High Commissioner to Rwanda, addressed the crowd briefly on Wednesday.

“All I can say is that this was a legal decision as you understand, on behalf of the Spanish legal authorities.

“The UK is a very close partner with Rwanda,” he said, as quoted by the AP news agency.

Spanish investigative judge Andreu Merelles indicted Gen Karake in 2008 for alleged war crimes, along with 39 other current or former high-ranking Rwandan military officials.

He is accused of killing ethnic Hutu civilians in both Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo, after the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) came to power in 1994.

The Tutsi-dominated RPF helped end the genocide, in which some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered by Hutu extremists.

He is also accused of ordering the killing in 1997 of three Spanish nationals working for Medicos del Mundo.

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US$70m for rural electrification

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June 25, 2015

The project will enable 15,807 new consumers in rural Uganda access electricity by 2022.

Uganda is set to borrow US70.73 million from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) for the implementation of the Grid Rural Electrification Project, in a bid to improve rural electricity connections.

According to a June 25 release signed by Information and National Guidance Minister Maj Gen Jim Muhwezi, Cabinet has directed the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to seek parliamentary approval for the funds, that will help ameliorate power needs and enhance electricity connections to over the current 20 per cent in the rural areas.

“It (project) will provide sufficient power transfers from the existing hydro-electric power stations to meet the growing electricity demand. It will also reduce transmission losses by improving system efficiency, stability and reliability,” the release states in part.

According to Muhwezi, the project will enable 15,807 new consumers in rural Uganda access electricity by 2022.

Previously, a ten-year programme, the Rural Electrification Strategy and Plan (2001-2010), aimed at increasing access to electricity in rural areas from one to 10 per cent by 2010.

“It will also enhance Uganda’s on-going industrial development by providing stable electricity in all regions of the country,” the Minister observed.

Meanwhile, the development of skills in the country might receive a shot in the arm after Cabinet approved the borrowing of US$100 million from the International Development Association, (IDA), to enhance the skills’ programmes.

According to a June 25 release signed by information minister Maj Gen Jim Muhwezi, the money will be used for both institute and enterprise-based training, with the former carried out under Business, Technical and Vocational Education Training to involve public and private training institutions, while enterprise-based training will cover the informal sector to improve appropriate skills development including ‘craftsmanship, enhancement of local innovations and technologies, agri-business value addition, electrical /cottage and garment production skills with emphasis on quality assurance required by the market’.

In April this year, the World Bank approved the equivalent of US$100m for the Uganda Skills Development Project, ‘to boost government institutions to provide high quality, demand-driven training programmes in key areas such as agriculture, construction and manufacturing’.

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Wages Advisory Board approved

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June 25, 2015

Minister Maj Gen Jim Muhwezi, — Minister Maj Gen Jim Muhwezi said the board will in nine months ‘undertake studies and make proposals about a minimum wage in Uganda, for Government’s consideration’

Minister Maj Gen Jim Muhwezi said the board will in nine months ‘undertake studies and make proposals about a minimum wage in Uganda, for Government’s consideration’

Former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance Chris Manyindo Kassami has been appointed the Chairman of the Minimum Wages Advisory Board.

Kassami, who was also Secretary to the Treasury, heads a seven-man team that includes Chris Kanya, Milton Turyasiima, Fred Robert Namawa Wapakhabulo, Juliet Musome Nazziwa, Joram Bruno Pajobo and Dina Kusasira.

According to a June 25 release signed by Information Minister Maj Gen Jim Muhwezi, the board will in nine months ‘undertake studies and make proposals about a minimum wage in Uganda, for Government’s consideration’.

The release states that the last time government set minimum wage of Shs 6,000 was in 1984, by Statutory Instrument (SI) No.38 of 1984. Then in an adjustment after the currency reform of 1987, the minimum wage was set at Shs60, the equivalent of a dollar then. Such a wage is, indeed, inconsistent with the cost of living and other aspects of employee welfare in Uganda today.

‘The Minimum Wages Advisory Board, will, therefore, float proposals to ensure that our workers are not exploited, especially those in enterprises without vibrant Labour Unions’, the Muhwezi release states in part.

According to the Minister, the recommendations of the Board once approved, will guide investors on labour regulations in the country.

Currently, the issue of wages in Uganda is not streamlined, with employers determining how much to pay to the workers.

Indeed, the issue of minimum wage has been on the stakes for some time now, with President Yoweri Museveni weighing in at different times.

In 2013, while in Tororo for the Labour Day celebrations, Mr Museveni said that an increase in the number of investors would lead to increased job opportunities and labour demand, culminating into better wages.

And this year, while addressing people on the Labour Day in Kabale, Mr Museveni called for patience, saying he was not opposed to a minimum wage but that the government had prioritized national development programmes like road construction and security, over wage concerns.

Meanwhile, the development comes in the wake of inaudible labour grumbling over wages and salaries, with the teachers taking pivotal position in the quest for improved salaries.

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Deejay Sharq of Big Fish Entertainment

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June 25, 2015

What is your name?

My name is Moses Owiti but Deejay Sharq is my stage name, aka the Big Fish

Where were you born?

I am a Kenyan born in Yala division, Gem constituency and Siaya County in western Kenya.

What is your family background?

My dad is a polygamist and my mum is the youngest wife, with me as her only child. There are four boys and one girl from another wife. Both my mums are businesswomen and my retired dad is farming in the village.

Which schools did you attend?

I attended Joseph Kange Primary School in Nairobi, class eight in Ochol Primary School in Nyando district, Thurdibuoro High School in Paponditi Nyando district, KIU for Access Programme then I pursued a degree in journalism and communication still at KIU. I graduated in 2009 with an Upper Second degree.

Why did you choose to be a deejay yet there are ‘better’ careers in limelight industry?

I did not choose to be Deejay, I wanted to be a radio presenter and I worked at Hearts FM, KIU radio before it was closed. I went to UBC for a Dance Force show with Bob G and I am still doing the show. Then I ventured into club as opportunities were scarce but I kept on working hard with hope of getting spots and I still chase the dream.

What are the challenges you have encountered in the struggle to be who you are now?

There are so many challenges in the Deejay industry. Ugandan industry is not well structured in terms of recognition and payment compared to my country Kenya; equipment like laptops, Mbs for downloading music from the internet, transport costs, lack of respect for Deejays as most people, especially parents, view us as people who lost focus. We are seen as people who do drugs and sex workers that’s all. This has tarnished our reputation before everyone.

How are you paid?

Poor payments have forced us to work in so many night clubs and bars, TVs and radio stations in order to make ends meet since we are paid according to hours worked.

What have you achieved in this job so far?

I have been able to build a house for my mum in the village, bought my self-equipment and a car; I pay rent and buy other basic needs. Besides that, I have made many friends, visited many countries and districts, got platform to play music for both national and international artistes on the same stage, recognized by different media houses like NBS, Galaxy FM and Life among others. And all this has pushed me to the limelight.

What are your future plans?

In future I want to do big promotional events both locally and internationally and own a big entertainment company. Good enough bar, club and company owners have started recognizing deejays importance so I am sure deejays will get good money just like their colleagues in other countries.

How do you survive those ‘yummy’ club girls?

The girls are yummy and if you do not practice, you may be soon gone. But if you have displine you can conquer the odds. You have to be careful because these days there are parasites. The truth is those babes are daring however much we try to resist. I survive by taking selfies with them only for Facebook likes, you know girls. But other issues, “no way”.

How are you different from other deejays?

By creating my own style of play, understanding more genres, when to play, how to drop and make people dance, the energy I out on set, love and passion drives it all. Creating a fan base on social media; giving out t-shirts, mix tapes and interacting with the fans on daily basis. My attire is blonde hair, my identity and logo and how I behave while on duty by keeping it professional.

Why did you choose to establish yourself as a Deejay in Uganda and not in Kenya?

I chose to stay here because I see potential; there is demand for the game and opportunities are opening up day by day; it has been an untapped industry and not fully explored unlike in my country.

People say you are Deejay Nimrod’s brother, what do you say about it?

Deejay Nimrod is my ‘brother’ from another mother. He has helped me establish a lot; he taught me how to play Ugandan music and how to mix it and through him I became star. That is why I call him brother. He acts like a guardian in Uganda and I owe him a lot. He has been there for me in good and bad times and I salute him. He is the one man I would donate my kidney if in case of need.

What club brought you to the limelight?

Las Vegas that is owned by Charles Muhangi, the former rally driver and owner of Horizon buses. I played there from 2007-2013 then I moved to Club Venom. Being pioneer Deejays gave us a platform because it was the first microbrewery club in Kampala.

You married?

No, but I am dating a beautiful girl though I will not mention her name.

Why do most deejays live reckless lifestyle?

Excitement, exposure, quick money, lots of women who envy them, drugs and alcohol drives them. They do not save or plan for the future since they can make quick money, just in hours.

Which female celebrity do you have a crush on?

If I was to date a Ugandan female artiste, I think I would go for Grace Nakimera because she’s cool.

Why do people call you Big Fish?

Big Fish entertainment is a label where I belong and I have few Deejays in my team.

What is the craziest thing you will never forget in your life?

The day my girlfriend had a fight in club with a fan who had come to the Deejay box to request for a song. She boxed me as well.

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Burundi VP ‘flees’

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June 25, 2015

One of Burundi’s Vice President Gervais Rufyikiri has fled the country, claiming his life was in danger. According to media reports, Rufikyiri, who said that a third term for President Pierre Nkurunziza was unconstitutional, fled to Belgium, even as officials back home claimed he had gone on ‘official duty’.

If Mr Rufikyiri’s departure is confirmed, he will become one of a handful of top government officials to flee the troubled central African country; Constitutional Court vice president justice Sylvere Nimpagaritse sneaked out in early May, just as the court was about to pronounce itself on the legal issues surrounding Nkurunziza’s presidential bid, while a senior official at the country’s electoral body also fled shortly after.

In the past few months Burundi has been embroiled in persistent turmoil following the President’s announcement that he would seek re-election in the polls that were earlier slated for June 15, but have since been rescheduled for July 15.

However, Nkurunziza’s announcement was met with stiff resistance, with several people flooding the streets of Bujumbura to protest. The protests culminated in a temporary coup led by a former intelligence chief, Maj Gen Godefroid Niyombare, staged on May 13.

At the time president Nkurunziza was in Dar es Salaam attending the East African Community Heads of State Summit on the crisis in his country. However, forces loyal to Nkurunziza were to recapture his seat the next day Thursday 14 and landing in his home area of Ngozi, in the north of the country, after which he made a triumphant return to Bujumbura on Friday, May 15.

After his return, tens of protesters were arraigned before court and charged with attempting to overthrow the government, with top coup plotters, former defence minister Gen Cyrille Ndayirukiye and Police Commissioners Herman Ndabaneze and Hermenegilde Nimenya leading the pack in the courtroom.

A former rebel leader, Nkurunziza has led Burundi since 2005, after the belligerent forces in the country agreed to lay down arms following peace talks held in the northern Tanzanian town of Arusha.

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Ghana ‘ball boy’ receives same fee as players at 2014 World Cup

Catholics may divorce-Pope

Terrorists strike French factory

Uganda signs GF $421m grant

Issue of Minimum Wage should be discussed alongside salary disparities

Rwanda intelligence chief Karenzi Karake granted bail by UK court

Africa

The scene in court – Richard Galpin, BBC News

US$70m for rural electrification

Wages Advisory Board approved

Deejay Sharq of Big Fish Entertainment

Burundi VP ‘flees’

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