Kampala– Uganda government has received Shs1.3 trillion from the European Union, Germany and France to help strengthen energy development in the country.
According the statement from the European Union, the signing took place on May 18-21, New York between Energy Minister Irene Muloni and a joint delegation from the above countries.
During the signing, Ms Muloni, stated that government has prioritized investments in energy to facilitate accelerated growth of the sector to improve service delivery. “The SE4ALL Action agenda developed by the government of Uganda will be an important tool in bringing private sector, civil society, development partners (and in particular the European Union and its member states) and government agencies together in prioritizing the actions to meet our objectives”.
The joint declaration with Uganda – co-signed by Germany and France – will serve to reinforce the political ownership and the partnership between Uganda and the European Union and its more active Member States in the sector, France and Germany, in the field of energy policy and investment in renewable energy.
In Uganda, France, Germany and the EU are currently financing projects for more than €406 million (Germany €240 million, France €116 million and European Commission €50 million) in the Sustainable Energy sector.

Below is the statement in full.
Uganda, European Union, Germany and France reinforce their Partnership towards development of Sustainable Energy Shs1.3 trillion in grants and loans.

May 20, 2015, New York, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, the Ugandan Minister of Energy, Irene Nafuna Muloni, and the representatives of France and Germany have signed a joint declaration underlying their mutual commitment towards the development of Sustainable Energy in Uganda.
The signature took place in New York in the framework of the 2nd High-Level “Sustainable Energy for All” Forum hosted by the United Nations between May 18 -21. Minister Muloni and the EU Commissioner also participated in the launching of the new EU instrument, called “ElectriFI”, a financing mechanism for rural electrification projects to reduce energy poverty and ensure viable access to affordable energy services in the EU partner countries.
Ahead of the event, Commissioner Mimica said: “The EU joined the UN Secretary General initiative to provide sustainable energy for all by 2030 right from the start. Fulfilling this promise will require strong cooperation and the political will of our partner countries. Our ElectriFI initiative will, in combination with other financing resources offered by the EU, help ensure that access to affordable energy services will be possible for poor households in rural areas. The joint declaration with Uganda confirms our political determination to work closer in partnership to fight energy poverty. “.
Ms Muloni, has stated that “Government has prioritized investments in energy to facilitate accelerated growth of the sector to improve service delivery. The SE4ALL Action agenda developed by the government of Uganda will be an important tool in bringing private sector, civil society, development partners (and in particular the European Union and its member states) and government agencies together in prioritizing the actions to meet our objectives”.
ElectriFIis not only a financing mechanism, it puts forward an innovative business model to leverage more private investments and involve more key stakeholders in all areas of expertise on a global level. It has the potential to take donor funding and increase it five or ten fold. Through ElectriFI, EU grants will complement private financing, bridging potential financial gap in order to make a project bankable. This will provide the security investors and banks are expecting to boost investments. If investments are successful, the grants will be converted into loans, at a concessional rate, and the EU will be “reimbursed”. The EU will then be able to reinvest its grants in new projects, allowing more and more people to get access to electricity services. A total of €270 million have been earmarked to support this effort.
The joint declaration with Uganda – co-signed by Germany and France – will serve to reinforce the political ownership and the partnership between Uganda and the European Union and its more active Member States in the sector, France and Germany, in the field of energy policy and investment in renewable energy.Germany is financing alone more than 240 Million Euro, France another 116M€ and the European Commission additional 50M€, for a total of nearly Shs1.3 trillion.
This is a clear sign of the commitment of the European Union and its member states to strengthen cooperation in the field of energy with Uganda and the key development partner, and it will be used as a concrete road-map for action.
Nearly 1.3 billion people in the world do not have access to electricity and 2.7 billion rely on the traditional use of biomass for cooking. The situation in sub-Saharan Africa is particularly concerning. On current trends, 75% of the global population without electricity access will be concentrated in this region by 2040.
Rural electrification projects, which are smaller in size, require a different approach. In less than two years, the EU has provided significant grants to 31 projects, targeting more than 3 million people directly and many more indirectly in 20 countries.
In Uganda, France, Germany and the EU are currently financing projects for more than €406 million (Germany €240 million, France €116 million and European Commission €50 million) in the Sustainable Energy sector.
In the period up to 2020, the European Union will invest overall €3.5 billion in the creation of sustainable energy systems. This is expected to leverage between €15 and €30 billion in loans and equity investment.

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Militants from the Islamist group al-Shabab briefly took over a mosque in northern Kenya, local leaders say.

The jihadists are said to have addressed the congregation for two hours before escaping into a forest.
They criticised Kenyan authorities and warned people not to pass intelligence to the security forces.
The mosque is in Garissa county, 240km (150 miles) from Garissa town, where al-Shabab last month killed at least 148 people at a university.
Police commander Caleb Matoke told The Standard newspaper that 25 fighters were involved. He said he believed they were sent by Mohamed Kuno, the man Kenyan authorities have accused of being behind the Garissa University college attack.

Al-Shabab has been at war with Kenya ever since Kenyan forces entered Somalia in October 2011 in an effort to crush the militants.
It has staged numerous attacks in Kenya. As well as the attack on Garissa university, al-Shabab also attacked a shopping mall in 2013, leaving at least 67 dead. Westgate Mall is due to open again in July.
The BBC’s Abdullahi Abdi in Nairobi says Kenya is building a wall between Somalia and Kenya in an effort to keep out al-Shabab militants but this shows that the militants are active deep inside Kenya.

Who are Somalia’s al-Shabab?

Al-Shabab Islamist militants are battling the UN-backed government in Somalia, and are suspected of links to a string of attacks in neighbouring Kenya.
The group, which is allied to al-Qaeda, has been pushed out of most of the main towns it once controlled, but it remains a potent threat.

Who are al-Shabab?

Al-Shabab means The Youth in Arabic.

It emerged as the radical youth wing of Somalia’s now-defunct Union of Islamic Courts, which controlled Mogadishu in 2006, before being forced out by Ethiopian forces.

There are numerous reports of foreign jihadists going to Somalia to help al-Shabab, from neighbouring countries, as well as the US and Europe.

It is banned as a terrorist group by both the US and the UK and is believed to have between 7,000 and 9,000 fighters.

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Midrand South Africa-Parliamentarians must identify causes of religious violence and find solutions to reduce its occurrence, a Ugandan legislature has said.

The representative of Lwemiyaga County in the Ugandan Parliament, Theodore Ssekikubo told Members of Pan African Parliament, yesterday in Midrand South Africa that religious violence that is on the increase on the continent ought to be checked otherwise it could curtail the development of Africa.

Ssekikubo said that legislators should not limit themselves to condemning the violence but engage with leaders of major monotheistic religions on all continents.

“We ought to make a joint effort to identify the causes of violence and barbaric behaviour in the religious beliefs and discuss together the ways and means to reduce and eliminate such,” said Ssekikubo.

Ssekikubo was speaking at the Pan African Parliament (PAP) on invitation to present a statement on behalf of the Inter-parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy. This was at the opening of the 6^th Ordinary Session of the 3^rd Parliament, held in Midrand, South Africa, on Monday May 18, 2015.

The Secretary General of the Inter-parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy Mr. Ioannis Amanatidis was also present at the ceremony.

 “We members are vehicles of expression of people’s sufferings; and must show today’s society that we are against any form of violence.  We need to become vectors of social calm, serenity and peace to our peoples,” Ssekikubo said.

He also said that parliamentarians must highlight and condemn acts of vandalism; an offence against human dignity.

“We are pointing out with great concern and sorrow that during the last few years such acts are targeted against Christians, in an effort to wipe them out from the areas they have been residing in for thousands of years,” he said. He adding “This is unacceptable and inhumane”.

The 6^th Ordinary Session of the 3^rd Parliament of the Pan African Parliament is currently taking place from Monday 18^thMay to Friday 29^th May 2015 in Midrand, South Africa.

The theme of the session is “Year of Women’s Empowerment and Development towards Africa’s Agenda 2063”.

Uganda’s representatives to PAP are; Onyango Kakoba (NRM, Buikwe North), Beatrice Barumba Lusaniya (NRM, Kiruhura district), Jacquiline Amongin (NRM, Ngora district), Elijah Okupa (FDC, Kasilo) and Sam Amoti Otada (Ind., Kibanda).

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