Mr. Norbert Mao said all the undisciplined members would face the wrath of the party’s disciplinary mechanisms.
The Democratic Party (DP) is going to punish all its members who have been sabotaging party activities.
Speaking to the press at the party offices, the DP President General Mr. Norbert Mao said all the undisciplined members would face the wrath of the party’s disciplinary mechanisms.
“DP is not a violent party but various steps will be taken to thwart hooliganism. There is no room for hooliganism in DP,” said Mr. Mao. His warning comes two weeks after a group of youths attached the DP headquarters and destroyed property.
Mao, who has been off party politics for some time now, also lashed out at members of SUUBI, an offshoot of renegade members, branding them ‘fanatics that have open mouths but closed minds’ and saying they had caused chaos in the party.
“They claim to be DP but their actions are different; a party member must comply with party decisions. They rebelled against our decision,” Mao said before comparing SUUBI to Kabaka Yekka (KY), a chaotic political group of the 1960s.
He also wooed back disgruntled members, but hastened to say that only those that upheld party principles would be welcome.
Mao revealed that the party’s Constitution was amended making Uganda Young Democrats (UYD), DP’s youth wing, and a recognized party organ. “The UYD is under DP,” he noted. Many prominent leaders have passed through UYD and Mao himself was once a member of the UYD.
Speaking about running for presidency, Mao said that he is fit to run again since he has the experience. “I am still strong to lead the party; my level of understanding is so high compared to those (SUUBI),” he said.
The Democratic Party, the oldest political party, will hold its Delegates Conference tomorrowat Katomi Hotel, and one of the issues on the agenda is reconciliation and dialogue.
At least a dozen people have been killed in an attack on Mandera, northeast Kenya.
According to media sources, gun-wielding men sprayed automatic weapons’ gunfire on men working in a quarry, killing the 14 and injuring many. The attack comes just weeks before US President Barack Obama sets foot on his country of ancestry, to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit.
This will be Obama’s fourth visit to Kenya, and on the sidelines of the summit he is expected to hold talks with his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta.
In the recent past Kenya has been dogged by terror attacks, with the worst claiming the lives of 147 students at the Garissa University College campus in April this year.
Controversy at Uganda House is not about to end soon and the latest to emerge from the Uganda Peoples’ Congress headquarters is that the party’s newly-elected president is a ‘puppet’ of President Yoweri Museveni.
According to former UPC boss Olara Otunnu, Jimmy Akena is a beneficiary of financial support from president Museveni and therefore, an enemy of the party.
“Did Mzee Obote leave money for him, or is it Mama Miria? His source of finance is evidently the president because Akena does not have a business that makes all that money,” Mr.Otunnu said.
He added: “Hon Akena has evidently become a puppet to President Museveni; all the activities he is engaged in are null and void because they are illegal,” Mr.Ottunu said adding: “These activities are attempts of taking UPC by force and impunity on behalf of Yoweri Museveni.”
Asked for evidence regarding the allegations, the former diplomat pointed out two other reasons that link Akena, who is also the Lira Municipality Member of Parliament, to the president.
Otunnu said that Akena receives favors from police and other state security officials who help him invade Uganda House, the party headquarters.
“The role of the police in all this is another factor, when police was called to throw out (Akena’s) intruders, they instead turned on us and locked us outside,” Otunnu said.
He added: “State operatives armed with pistols also stormed the party headquarters and helped Akena force the Electoral Commission to announce him president-elect, which is against the party Constitution.”
According to the UPC party constitution, one is called president elect after approval by the delegates’ conference; this is after going through the district quota elections. Akena won in the district elections but is yet to be subjected to the delegates’ conference according to Ottunu.
On July 1st 2015, Mr.Akena in his capacity as president elect of UPC convened a consultative meeting which was supposed to consist of the delegates conference members but the section opposed to him says the people in attendance that day were not members of the Delegates Conference.
During this meeting, Akena was sworn in as party president, something Otunnu maintains is illegal, while emphasizing that Akena has no right to call for a delegate’s conference.
“In the party Constitution, it’s only the president with legitimate power to call for a Delegates Conference; Akena is not president so I shall convene a legal and properly constituted delegate’s conference soon,” Otunnu said.
It has always been their position: East Africa Community leaders meeting for the 3rd Emergency Summit on Burundi have directed the leadership of the tiny central Africa state to postpone its presidential elections from July 15 to July 30.
According to communiqué issued after the meeting on Monday, the leaders have appointed Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni to lead a two-week dialogue between the belligerent parties, with a view to sorting out all the thorny issues before the
Meanwhile, the government and opposition have been told to disarm and disband all armed groups allied to political parties, including the deadly Imbonakure, a militia group allied to the ruling FDD-CNDD party. The AU will deploy forces to oversee the disarmament, while the new election date.
According to the communiqué, the winner of the presidential elections should establish a Government of National Unity, respect the Arusha Accords and the Constitution.
Furtther, the communiqué states that theExpanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM) and Joint Intelligence Fusion Centre (JIFC) of International Conference Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) will urgently deploy to Burundi to verify allegations of the presence of Rwanda rebel group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, the FDLR.
Other recommendations of the EAC leaders’ summit include the regional body sending elections observers to Burundi.
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.
Time: 7.15 pm-local time in Alexandria, 8.15 pm EAST.
CHAN 2016 qualifiers
Second leg: Uganda 1 – 1 Tanzania
First leg: Tanzania 0 – 3 Uganda
Aggregate score: Uganda 4 – 1 Tanzania (Uganda advances)
A late goal by Chiukepo Msowoya in the 90th minute ensured Malawi overcome Uganda Cranes.
The Ugandan team, largely comprised of U23 players lost the match played at the Kamuzu Banda stadium in Blantyre on Monday and are expected back today night.
Meanwhile, Uganda progressed to the next round of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2016 qualifiers despite a 1-1 draw at home against Tanzania in the return leg tie at Nakivubo Stadium on Saturday.
John Raphael Bocco put the visitors ahead after restart to reduce their deficit following a 3-0 first leg defeat a fortnight ago.
But substitute Kezironi Kizito leveled the score to snuff out any hope for the Tanzanians to advance.
Uganda advanced 4-1 on aggregate and will now meet Sudan, with the winner over the two upcoming legs qualifying for the CHAN finals due in Rwanda next year.
Uganda XI:
Mathias Kigonya, Kiyemba Ibrahim, Bukenya Deus, Bakaki Shafik, Kasagga Richard(Captain), Lwanga Taddeo, Yunus Sentamu, Kizito Keziron, Fahad Muhammad Hassan, Kasumba Umar and Kiiza Martin.
Subs: James James, Brian Ochwo, FaroukMIya, Erisa Sekisambu, Abel Eturude, Tekkwo Derrick and Ssemazi John.
How They Polled
Rugby Cranes – 415pts
Vision Volleyball Camp – 350pts
Farouck Daku – 330pts
It’s been nearly five years since the national Rugby team last earned recognition at the monthly sports scribes’ meeting but when it came it was more than appreciated.
Rugby Cranes polled 415 votes to beat Volleyball club, Vision Volleyball Camp (350pts) to the Nile Special/Uspa sports personality for the month of June. Interim coach Robert Seguya led Uganda to their first Elgon Cup triumph since 2012.
Rugby Cranes claimed the 2015 Elgon Cup after edging Kenya on Saturday with a 30-25 score at Legends Rugby grounds in Kampala.
Having lost 20-17 in Nairobi during their first leg tie, Uganda needed only a 4 point difference against Kenya to lift the Elgon Cup.
VVC, 2015 bronze winners at the Rwanda Genocide tournament on top of clinching gold at the Nkumba and Dr Aporu Memorial tourneys, came second.
Third-placed awardee, the Netherlands-based Light weight boxer Farouk Daku, was recognized for beating Tanzania’s Mbelwa to win the African Middle weight belt at the Nakivubo stadium parking yard.
USPA commended several sports teams for the work well done during the June month.
Kawempe Muslim Secondary School girls’ football team was recognized for winning the inaugural FUFA women elite league, while Buganda region golf team dethroned defending and record holders, Western to win this year’s version of the Inter-regional golf tourney at the par 71 Entebbe golf course.
SC Villa won their 9th Uganda Cup crown after beating KCC 3-0 in the replay of the controversial final that aborted at Kyamate ground over suspect refereeing.
Other commendation was showered to the Uganda Cranes for winning two international matches in June – first the June 13th 2-0 AFCON 2017 qualification victory over Botswana and then the first leg away to Tanzania 3-0 in the CHAN 2016 qualifier.
Yet again another gruesome accident has claimed the lives of three promising Ugandans: two Miss Tourism contestants Norah Atim and Barbra Nakiwolo, and a journalist working with NTV, Resty Namawejje.
The number of accidents on our roads is worrying and something needs to be done and pretty fast. Several reports drafted have indicated that Uganda is one of the African countries with a high rate of accidents.
For instance, according to World Health Rankings, road accidents come in at Number 12 of the twenty major causes of deaths in Uganda.
Of course there are various reasons why accidents are rampant on our roads, the most prominent among them being speeding, impetuousness, driving without cause for other road users, bad roads and drink driving.
And, whereas some of the bad road habits are difficult to tame, bad roads and drink driving can be handled to a degree of satisfaction by the relevant authorities.
In this regard, the Traffic Police should deploy personnel with Breathalyzers, Speed Guns and highway police patrol cars along the busy routes, as a means of announcing their presence and commitment towards protecting the lives of travellers.
Also, while it is true that government has put emphasis on the construction of roads, at times there are indicators of shoddy works by contractors, thereby putting the lives of the users in danger. Similarly, most of the roads in the country lack road signs, another precursor for road carnage. This miscarriage of trust must stop.
Meanwhile, in Uganda the story of road accidents can never be complete without mention of boda bodas. These ‘mobile deathtraps’ have caused untold suffering to both the riders and their passenngers that the National Referral Hospital had to set up a ward known as the ‘Boda boda ward’, specifically for victims of these motorcycles.
Experts at the Department of Orthopedics at Mulago have since evaluated the impact of the boda bodas on the hospital, establishing that commercial motorcycle accidents etch up to 62 per cent of the budget allocated to the department of Surgery, with one victim using up over US$360, about a million shillings.
So, as we mourn the three departed souls of our sisters, there is need for the police to step up its act and make the roads safe for all users.
Rebecca Kadaga is the current Speaker of Parliament
Rebecca Kadaga is the current Speaker of Parliament
In the second part of our series detailing the men and women who have been instrumental in Museveni’s campaigns and eventual election victories in 1996 and 2001, today Eagleonline brings you the ‘king makers’ from the Busoga and Bukediregioions, writes Steven Mandu.
Busoga Region
Rebecca Kadaga
Rebecca Kadaga is the current Speaker of Parliament, who joined national politics when she was elected to represent Kamuli District in the NRC in 1989 and later in 1994 as delegate to the Constituent Assembly. In 1996, she was elected Woman Member of Parliament representing Kamuli District and at the time she also served as Secretary General of the East African Women Parliamentary Association.
From 1996 until 1998, Kadaga was the Ugandan Minister of State for Regional Cooperation (Africa and the Middle East). She then served as Minister of State for Communication and Aviation from 1998 until 1999. Between 1999 and 2000 she was the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs. She was elected Deputy Speaker of Parliament in 2001, a position that she held until 19 May 2011, when she was elected Speaker of Parliament
The above appointments made her a force to reckon on with in Busoga region but more so in Kamuli and she used her popularity to deliver victory for the President.
Basoga Nsadhu
The late David Livingstone Basoga Nsadhu hailed from Kalitumba Village Busiki County in Iganga District. He came in touch with Yoweri Museveni during the National Resistance Army (NRA) days and joined politics win 1989 when he was elected to the National Resistance Council to represent Busiki County. He served as Minister of State for Information from 1997 to 2003 when he passed on. He was very instrumental in soliciting support for Museveni in Busoga region particularly in Iganga.
Specioza Wandira Kazibwe
Dr. Specioza Wandira Kazibwe began her political career as a member of the youth and women’s wings of the Democratic Party. She later won her first election as a village leader, on the ticket of the National Resistance Movement in 1987. She was later elected as Women representative for Kampala and became chairperson of Advisory Committee of Museveni election campaign in 1996.
She first began serving the administration of Yoweri Museveni in 1989, when she was appointed Deputy Minister for Industry, a post she held until 1991. From 1991 until 1994, she served as Minister for Gender and Community Development. She was a member of the Constitution Assembly which drafted Uganda’s new constitution in 1994. In 1996, she was elected Member of Parliament for the constituency of Kigulu South in Iganga District. From 1994 until 2003, Specioza Kazibwe served as Uganda’s Vice President and as Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries.
There is no doubt that having held all these dockets Museveni’s success in Busoga and especially Iganga heavily depended on Kazibwe. She did a lot in wooing female supporters into Museveni’s camp.
Patrick Bageya
Known as the Lion of Iganga (Nsolo Nkambwe), the late George Patrick Bageya was a significant figure in Iganga. He met President Museveni during the anti- Amin struggles while a member of FRONASA. He came to elective politics in 1994 when he was elected as a Constituent Assembly delegate to represent Kigulu South. In 1996, he attempted to go to Parliament but was defeated by Specioza Wandira Kazibwe. In 2001, he made a political comeback by becoming district chairman for Iganga before Bugiri and Kaliro were carved out. He then lost to Mr Assuman Kyafu but was appointed as RDC for Busia. With this background he did a lot for Museveni in Busoga. He died in a road accident.
Victoria Ssekitoleko
She hails from Busoga and served as Minister for Agriculture from 1986 to 1995. She was a member of the National Resistance Council. Her career in Uganda’s politics came to an end in 1995 when she was appointed by FAO to work as Sub Regional Representative to Eastern and Southern Africa, based in Harare, Zimbabwe, till 2004. From 2006 she was FAO representative in China, Mongolia, and South Korea, till 2011.. She also worked with FAO in Ethiopia under the African Union (AU), and to the Economic Community for Africa (ECA) (2005–2006).
Kirunda Kivejinja
Kirunda Kivejinja is a veteran politician, having started his journey under the Uganda People Congress in the 1960s.
In 1986 when Museveni came to power, he was appointed Minister of Relief and Social Rehabilitation. He has since served as Minister of Internal Affairs and Third Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda. Since August 2012 he has been made Senior Presidential Advisor for Internal Affairs to President Museveni. Kivejinja played a great part in mobilizing votes for the Movement and Museveni in particular since he had always been in mobilization since his youth days.
Henry Kyemba
He has seen it all, having served under almost all regimes in Uganda. He was a career civil servant when Milton Obote was ousted from power in 1971. He was later to return and at one time became health minister under Iddi Amin. He fled to exile and on return served in the post-Amin government. He then worked under Yoweri Museveni’s government, serving as minister and later in various portfolios including as chairperson of the Health Service Commission. During his active days in politics under the NRM, he was instrumental in party activities mainly in Busoga.
Fred Mukisa
Following the capture of power by the National Resistance Movement in 1986, Fred Mukisa returned to Uganda and worked as a Political Mobilizer, for the NRM in the Busoga Region from 1986 until 1987. In 1987, he was appointed Special District Administrator (SDA) until 1991 after which he was transferred to the NRM Headquarters in Kampala, where he served as the Deputy Director of the NRM Secretariat from 1994 until 1998.
In 1998, he was appointed Minister of State for Fisheries, serving in that capacity until 2001. He also served as a member of the Uganda Land Commission from 2003 until 2006.In 2006, he was re-appointed Minister of State for Fisheries. In a space of about six months from November 2010 until May 2011, he lost both his parliamentary seat in a primary election and his cabinet post in a cabinet reshuffle. Mukisa role was always vital for Museveni’s victory both in 1996 and 2001.
Bukedi Region
Paul Etiang
Paul Orono Etiang is a veteran diplomat and politician from Tororo and served as Member of Parliament, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs under Iddi Amin in 1973 and was also Uganda’s envoy to the OAU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He eventually became Deputy Prime Minister under the NRM regime. During the days when he was Minister, he was very influential in Tororo and he helped to deliver victory for the National Resistance Movement and Museveni particularly.
Chango Macho
The late Chango Macho W’Obanda was an academic and politician right from his youthful days as a student in the United Kingdom. He was also incorruptible, blending in very well with Museveni’s policies on zero tolerance to corruption. Chango Macho, who many admired for his steadfast belief in fairness, died about two years ago.
Gabriel Opio
Gabriel Opio served as Member of the National Resistance Council between 1989 and 1996, representing Samia Bugwe in then Tororo district.
In 1996, he joined the Ugandan Parliament, representing Samia-Bugwe South in the newly created Busia District. Later in 1999, he was appointed State Minister for Finance, responsible for planning and investments, serving in that position until 2001 when he lost his parliamentary seat to Simon Mayende.
Opio also worked as gender minister under the NRM and also served in various capacities before eventually fading from the political scene. Available information indicates he is planning a comeback after the 2016 elections.
Emanuel Dombo
Emmanuel Dombo joined national politics in 1996 after having completed university where had served as Guild President. He was elected to Parliament representing the people of Bunyole, a position he still holds. Referred to as the longest serving MP, Dombo at one time attempted disagree with NRM by joining the Parliamentary Advocacy Forum (PAFO), but was wooed back. He has played a great part in preaching the NRM ‘gospel’ in Bunyole, scoring high percentages in both1996 and 2001 elections.
Alleluya Ikote
Alleluya Ikote was Member of Parliament for Paliisa District until she was defeated by Jennifer Namuyangu Byakatonda in 2001. But much as she lost her seat she had been instrumental mobilizing support for President Museveni.
Dorothy Hyuha
Dorothy Hyuha was first elected to the Uganda Parliament in 1996, as the Member of Parliament (MP), for Tororo District, a post she held until 2006. In 2006, after Butaleja District was carved out of Tororo District in 2005, Ms Hyuha contested for the seat of Women’s Representative for Butaleja District, on the National Resistance Movement party ticket but was defeated by the youthful Cerinah Nebanda (RIP).
Ms Hyuha played a key role in ensuring Museveni’s victory in the Bukedi region especially due to her position as Deputy Secretary General of the National Resistance Movement. She lost her husband and is today Uganda’s High Commissioner to Tanzania.
Otheino Akika
He hails from Budama in Tororo District and he is a former MP for West Budama constituency. He has also served as State Minister for Water in the Museveni government. His closeness with the president gave him the strength to influence the people of Tororo to vote for President Museveni both in 1996 and 2001.
Tezira Jamwa
Tezira Jamwa hails from Tororo and came to the political limelight when she was elected as delegate to the Constituent Assembly in 1994. From 1996 to 2001 she was Member of Parliament for West Budama North in Tororo District. She was later appointed Resident District Commissioner, a position she held from 2001 until 2007. This therefore, gave her the mandate to mobilize support for Museveni in Tororo both in 1996 and 2001.
The Police Director of Traffic and Road Safety Dr.Kasiima Steven has warned government and private security organizations against misuse of sirens on Ugandan roads.
Speaking to journalists at the police headquarters in Naguru, Dr. Kasiima said many cars had illegally been fitted with sirens.
“It has come to our notice that many vehicles possess sirens illegally and others are misusing them, an act we are not going to allow.”
Among the violators that Dr Kasiima pointed out include VIPPU lead cars, army cars, funeral organization cars and private cars .These are said to use sirens either illegally or when they are not supposed to use them.
“Some of these vehicles should not have the sirens constitutionally like the funeral cars and the private security vehicles, the VIPPU cars also decide to play their sirens even when they do not have any dignitary they are escorting,” he said. We are therefore going to apprehend all the drivers we find in such actions and organizations that acquire these sirens illegally,” he added.
Legally, the Ministry of Works and Transport is the only institution mandated to approve whether a vehicle should have a siren and lead cars issued to different persons are given when the Inspector General of Police authorizes.
Uganda’s Security Minister Amama Mbabazi meets with Russia’s counterpart Sergey Lavrov, not pictured, in Moscow on Thursday, March 31, 2011. (AP Photo/ Alexander Zemlianichenko)
KAMPALA:Police might be poised for a showdown with former Prime Minister and presidential hopeful Amama Mbabazi, following the latter’s avowed stance to hold ‘consultative meetings’ around the country.
Mr Mbabazi, who was addressing the media in Kampala on Monday, said police have no powers to stop any public assembly, warning that police should not dare stop his meetings, scheduled to start in the eastern town of Mbale on July 9.
“I am stickler to the law. Police has neither authority nor a role in organizing these meetings,” he said.
Mr Mbabazi and his legal team were planning to meet today before he starts his scheduled meetings setting the stage for a probable clash between his supporters and police.
The former prime minister who is planning to challenge his former ally Yoweri Museveni, who is now a rival in the ruling party, called for peaceful transition of power from Museveni to the next leader.
“One of the greatest things we have not achieved in Uganda is peaceful handover of power. It’s time for peaceful change,” he said.
He warned the economic successes made in 30 years under NRM would go to waste if violence breaks out in 2016 as a result of “rigged elections”.
Mr Mbabazi said he would not abandon “the democratic path” even if he loses the NRM party primary elections unfairly. He did not explain the kind of democratic path he would take.
Mr Mbabazi’s statement comes in the wake of police warning it would block any meeting the former PM has scheduled.
Addressing journalists this afternoon Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said Mbabazi’s scheduled meetings were illegal and breach the Public Order Management Act.
He also said that Mr Mbabazi has not come to a consensus with his party, the National Resistance Movement and that the Electoral Commission has not given him the green light to carry out the consultations.
“We are monitoring the situation and we have information that Hon.Mbabazi is to start his meetings in Mbale; however these meetings are illegal and no one should deceive the public,” Enanga said adding, “We shall take all measures we can in case he violates the law.”
Mbabazi is set to start his national wide consultative meetings on July 9th in Mbale and the Kinkiizi West MP has insisted that the police does not have the power to stop him from carrying out national consultations.
But quoting the Section 3 of POMA, Enanga maintained that it is the Inspector General of Police Gen Kale Kayihura with power to regulate the conduct of public meetings ‘in accordance with the law’.
