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Hundreds flock registration centres as deadline ends

IDRegistration3

Hundreds of prospective voters today flocked voters registration centres to register ahead of the 2016 general elections. The verification exercise ends today 4 May.
Many Kampalans flocked various registration centers to cross-check register data after the Electoral Commission (EC) announced 4 May as the deadline date. On 29 April the Electoral Commission announced that it had extended the verification period to 4 May since many voters had not checked out their data.
According to the number of people at various centres today, it showed that many people had not registered and verified data. In Najjanakumbi, over 100 people lined up to check out the register at Namuli Church zone Voting Centre.
The EC official at the centre who wished to remain anonymous revealed that many people had been sent back home since time had run out. “I am not even sure these people lining up will cross check and verify their data;’ said the official.
Most voters at the centre complained and urged EC to give them more time since it’s them to blame for the delay. “We find it hard tracking these people they shift all the time, they should extend the exercise for one month,” said Busulwa Vincent a resident of Najanankmbi. The official said EC was not to blame but the people. “The verification exercise started on April 7, but they didn’t turn up.” The same sentiments are shared by Mbabazi Margret, the Chief Supervisor at Nooku Zone, Kisenyi 3 parish voting centre.
Ms Mbabazi says that in the past month, few people verified the Voter’s Register and that during early April they would get about 10 to 15 people. “After EC announced it won’t extend the deadline, it’s when they are coming in big numbers, we have been verifying since early April but it’s now that they are coming.”
Some of the voters at Kikoni Zone C voting centre, said that the National Identity Card Registration exercise and National Voters’ Register Verification exercise confused them. “I was only told by a friend that I needed to check the voter’s register to verify my data, I didn’t mind at first because I thought they had my correct data from the Identication card register,” said Meele Nabankema.
“They didn’t sensitize us so much and am sure many people have not cross checked their information,” Kakande Gilbert a Boda Boda rider said.
Although there are a number of people that haven’t verified their data in the National Voters’ Register, the EC commission in a Press Release published on 29 April confirmed that there would not be any extensions after the 4 May deadline. Many election officials at the various verification centers have considered the exercise a success. They claim many people verified their information compared to those that did not.
The updated National Voter’s Register will be displayed for one month staring 20 June to 20 July.

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Miss Tourism 2015 launched

Miss Tourism beauty pageant, 2015 pose for a photo with Tourism minister Maria Mutagamba
Miss Tourism beauty pageant, 2015 pose for a photo with Tourism minister Maria Mutagamba

The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities in conjunction with the Uganda tourism board has today launched the third edition of the annual Miss Tourism beauty pageant, 2015.

Speaking at the launch held at the ministry headquarters, Maria Mutagamba the minister for Tourism and Wildlife attributed a few positive reasons why they carry out this pageant.

“Apart from just promoting the tourism sector, this undertaking also brings the girl child to the limelight,” she said adding, “We therefore call upon all stake holders,bmedia fraternity and Uganda at large to promote this cause because it benefits the entire country.”

The competition
This year’s competition is under the theme, Celebrating Uganda’s Cultural Diversity. This will see a total of 33 contestants from various regions of the country that make up the 11 target clusters. These will participate in countrywide auditions that have already kicked off in their different clusters.

All contestants will undergo a rigorous training both at regional level and at three week national boot camp which is aimed at transforming the finalists to impart them with knowledge about tourism, conservation and prepare them as tourist ambassadors.

The previous Miss Tourism beauties have represented us well, for example in competitions in Kuala Lumpur and at Miss Heritage International. This has helped promote our tourism industry abroad,” the minister noted.

With weekly elimination, 11 contestants will vie for the grand finale that will be held on 28th August 2015 at Kampala Serena Hotel where President Museveni is expected to be the chief guest. From here, the top three winners will go on to represent Uganda at various international competitions.

Tourism minister Maria Mutagamba addressing the press on Monday.
Tourism minister Maria Mutagamba addressing the press on Monday.

The Minister also dropped a massive hint on a possible opportunity for Uganda to host the international Miss tourism pageant later this year, “We sent a request to the organizers and we received a confirmation. So hopefully, we shall take up this opportunity,” Mutagamba added.

It should be noted that this is the third contest of a kind to be organized by the ministry in a long-term bid to promote tourism in and out of the country. The contest has over the years of its existence seen vibrant and ambitious young women become tourist ambassadors of Uganda with the recent and current one being Miss Patricia Babirye Ntale .

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Museveni addresses UN this afternoon, received by UN President Sam Kutesa

PPU
PPU
PPU

Museveni addresses UN this afternoon
. Strengthening cooperation
. Peace, security and human rights

President Museveni is due to deliver a key-note address to the United Nations High Level thematic debate on Strengthening Cooperation between the United Nations and Regional and Sub-Regional Organisations in the maintenance of peace and security, human rights and development in their respective areas.
The President who arrived in New York on a five day working visit to the United Nations at the invitation of both the President of the UN General Assembly Mr. Sam Kutesa and the UN Secretary General Mr. Ban ki Moon will have his address transmitted live this afternoon, courtesy of the United Nations.
The debate will focus on what concrete measures can be taken to build and strengthen strategic partnerships between the UN and regional and sub-regional organizations and what needs to be done to strengthen mechanisms to promote common understanding and effective coordination across a range of issues including conflict prevention and mediation.
The debate also seeks to exploit ways of how regional and sub-regional organizations can secure human, logistical and financial funding in a predictable and sustainable manner and how to galvanize international support towards building the capacities of regional and sub-regional organizations in conflict prevention and resolution, peacemaking, peace building and development.
The President was received on arrival at JFK International Airport, New York, by the UN General Assembly President Mr. Sam Kutesa, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mr. Okello Oryem, Uganda’s Head of Mission and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dr. Richard Nduhura, his deputy Mr. Kintu Nyago Military Attache Brig. Silver Kayemba and senior UN Protocol officers. Also to receive him at the airport was Uganda’s Ambassodor to the United States Olive Wonekha.
While in New York, President Museveni is expected to hold official talks with both the President of the UN General Assembly and the UN Secretary General in their respective Chambers at the UN Headquarters. On the sidelines, the President will meet a number of American investors and prospective investors in the Ugandan economy at his residency.

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Frustration as Reds suffer third straight defeat

UNITED

Manchester United suffered a third straight loss as they were beaten 1-0 by West Brom, despite dominating the game, and a top-four finish in the Barclays Premier League remains in the balance. As there efforts to hung on to the top four finish were frustrated by West Brom. Robin van Persie passed up a golden opportunity to equalize when his penalty was saved by Boaz Myhill, and the keeper was magnificent throughout.

Manchester United coach Louis van Gaal has stressed he wants to see improvement in his side – starting in next Saturday’s match at Crystal Palace.”I have seen a lot of good things today and, in our evaluation, I shall show that,” he stated. “But I’ll also show what I have always shown in an evaluation, the things that we have to improve upon. Despite a third successive defeat, 1-0 against West Brom at Old Trafford, the fourth placed United remain determined to clinch a Champions League spot.

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Sports heroes to get state assistance

Sports

Sports personalities of yesterday could see their fortunes take a change for the better after President Museveni announced that government will find and support all Uganda’s sports heroes for the contribution they made to their country.
“We should look them up and help them or their families. They made a contribution to their country but because of the insecurity we had in our country we did not follow this up,” he said.
The President was meeting Uganda’s boxing legend Grace Sseruwagi, 83, a 1960’s light-welter weight boxer who had three friendly matches with former President Idi Amin and knocked him out each time before becoming his coach. Sseruwagi successfully represented Uganda at the Rome Olympics and later became one of the most successful boxing coaches in Uganda.
Of recent exemplary sportsmen have seen the State come to their assistance, with notable athletes like Stephen Kiprotich, the World and Olympic marathon champion being promoted to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Prisons and also receiving huge sums of money and other accolades.
Similarly, Moses Kipsiro, a double Commonwealth Games champion has also been accorded state recognition, while government built for former world champion Dorcus Inzikuru a house in Arua and also named a road in the same area, after her.

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King Saha claims his throne at Freedom City

Saha1

He came, he saw, he conquered and walked smiling all the way to the bank. Saha had sent tongues wagging after he announced that he was to have his Gundeeze album launch on 1st May, the same day that Chameleon was holding his Wale Wale/double trouble concert at Kyadondo rugby grounds.
Many called it disrespect for the man whom they believe mentored him into music. Bebe Cool was even prompted to come out on Facebook and tell the public off for comparing Saha and Chameleone. Whether Saha and his team took this as a direct attack on their crew is a bit hazy. However the fact that they used this as a publicity opportunity for Saha’s launch is crystal clear. They called upon their fans and encouraged them to show up at Freedom city on labour day. And it worked! The fans turned up in multitudes.

SahaF

King Saha has followed up the success of his 2014 Mulirwana concert that had theatre La Bonita filled to capacity, with an even bigger and more statement-making concert. By 9pm, his VIP tickets that were going for only 20,000 shillings were sold out while the general section was already packed with eager sweaty bodies. I tried to squeeze through so i could find a good spot where I could see the action on the stage and failed. Thank God the children’s section was turned into an overflow for the still increasing number of revelers. But that too, filled up within no time.

curtain raiser
curtain raiser

With a big number of curtain raising acts like Lydia Jazmine, Scooter, Young Mullo, Nince Henry, among others, the show kicked off to an exciting start. This was before Big Eye, Bobi Wine, Sheeba, Gravity Omutujju and Ziza Bafana sent the crowd into frenzies. Damn! These guys are performers.
So after waiting for five noisy hours for the night’s main act, King Saha shows up on stage at Midnight and gives the fans a mediocre performance. After having seen his rehearsal pictures on Facebook, I expected musical Heaven only to be served with quite the usual hustled Freedom City performances. Nothing great! His microphone was a bit lower than those of the backup singers which spelled disaster for the show. After watching Bafana rip the stage apart with guluma nasomye, the crowd unfortunately had to cool down with Saha’s weak start. He kicked off with the late AK47’s tukikolemu and then went into some of his older songs like signal and vimba. And that is where he went wrong. In an attempt to save the best for last, he killed the crowd’s mood. By the time that he performed his best songs,(which he still did not perform to the crowd’s expectations) mulirwana and gundeze, some revelers had begun moving out. This however did not stop those who stayed to sing and dance along.
At the end of the show, two things were clear; King Saha is loved by his ever-growing fan base but his live performance and planning is still lacking.
While Chameleon also filled up Kyadondo rugby grounds, the big numbers that showed up at Freedom City proved to the “elders” that an ant attempted to fight an elephant and it came out alive.

Revelers danced their hearts out????????????????????????????????????
Revelers danced their hearts out????????????????????????????????????
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Govt gives Kabale Church Shs200m for Community Projects

Kabale

President Museveni commends Christians in Kabale for initiating self
help community projects saying development projects generate income
for the Church and promote continuity and enhancement of God’s work.
He announced a government contribution of Shs200million towards the
construction of All Saints’ Church, in Kabale district which, when
completed will also run a Primary and Nursery school.
The President was recently meeting the Bishop of Kigezi Diocese, the
Rt. Rev. George Bagamuhunda and his delegation, who called him at
State House, Nakasero to brief him on the progress of the construction
project.
The delegation included the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Dr. Ruhakana
Rugunda, the Chairman of the Construction Committee, Mr. Benjamin
Mayanja; Archdeacon Erikana Tugyenda, the Chief Church Warden, Mrs.
Jenina Kabakiraho and Mr. Matama, a member of the committee.
The President acknowledged efforts by the people of Kabale, who raised
over Shs2 billion on their own, for project and said this will enable
the Church have an income and serve Christians better.
Bishop Bagamuhunda told the President that at the time the project was
first conceived, it had been estimated to cost Shs2 billion but due to
various factors, the construction is now expected to cost Shs.3
billion. When completed, the church will comfortably accommodate 4,000
people.
The Bishop said currently, the construction works are at the roofing
stage with over Shs2 billion so far spent largely from the collections
of the Christian congregations and from individual donations.

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Ugandan Diaspora remittances hit the US1b mark

Remittances from the Ugandans working and living abroad hit the one billion mark in the financial year 2012/13.
The revelation is contained in the President’s Labour Day speech in which President Yoweri Museveni noted that the remittances had shot up by over 250 per cent to USD 1,392 million, up from US646 million in the FY2011/12. According to the President the remittances account for 4.6 percent of the GDP.
“In addition to the remittances, the migrants have acquired new skills, methods of work, and experience,” the President noted.
Over the past decade the government has recognized the contributions made by the Ugandan Diaspora, prompting the Central Bank to keep a sharp eye on the foreign remittances by monitoring inflows and issuing yearly information.
Last year the remittances amounted to US$873 million (over two trillion).
‘The United Nations estimated that 628,845 Ugandans lived and worked outside Uganda in 2013’ the President observed adding that ‘as of May 2014, 29 external employment recruitment agencies had been licensed and over 42,000 Ugandans formally recruited.’
The formal deployment, he said, was to countries that include Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Somalia and South Sudan.
‘Labour markets abroad provide employment opportunities for Ugandans in the short run as the country develops its capacity to generate sufficient jobs for its labour force’, the President observed.

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Wemali: I was only exercising my labour rights

Peter Wemali
Peter Wemali
 Peter Wemali
Peter Wemali

This was a very brief interview. The kind where you barge into a security ring and shove your mike into the face of a handcuffed suspect being escorted in or out of a court.

It was outside the Kapchorwa Chief Magistrate’s Court where Peter Wemali had just had the charges he faces for turning female athletes into sexthletes amended to aggravated defilement.

The court had heard that of his many victims, the athletics coach had infected three minors aged 15, 16 and 17 with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

The Frying Pun had earlier tried to cajole Sipi Regional Police Commander James Ruhweza into fixing an interview with the rabid coach but the cop boss said this was a high profile ‘sexpect’ that could not be interviewed without the permission of Gen. KK.

Known telephone contacts of the general with a dry scalp were switched off by press time.

The stunt we decided on was the last option. Of course, it worked.

“Peter, did you do it? Did you actually turn athletics into sexlethics?” The Pun probed.

A guy dressed like a penguin, aka lawyer, said something about the Miranda law to dissuade Wemali from speaking to The Frying Pun.

The cops escorting the sexpest heard it but there is no prize for guessing: none of them knows of the Miranda rule. We also don’t know if it would apply here or whether the lawyer was just bragging. But Wemali responded.

“What I have done is like what Jesus did,” he started. “And what the public is doing is what the Jews did to Christ… then there are these Pharisees passing for sujui magistrates and you, the scribes,” he added, wagging a finger into The Frying Pun’s face.

“Jesus was misunderstood, he tried to do the right thing, to tell the people that they would access the Kingdom of Heaven by following his instructions, but they crucified him. I have told these athletes that they will make Kenyan athletes look like some jokes at an amusement park, but you people have hounded me out of my success story with false allegations.”

“In short, I merely gave them the sexcret to success,” he added, turning around for emphasis before explaining further.

The embattled coach said after giving the girls these sexcrets, he realised that they did not even know what he meant, besides, there was no one to readily help them with the application of the instructions since the athletes were more focused on timing themselves chase the wind than humping around.

“So what did you expect me to do?” he asked with the innocence and seriousness of a doctor administering a penicillin injection—we love the pun—on the butt of his patient.

He said: “Jesus did not just teach his disciples how to catch the fish, but also caught for them the fish. Peter Wemali did not just teach those athletes how to beat Ethiopians and Kenyans at long distance races but also showed them the sexcret in a live and practical sense.”

Laughing, Wemali said the Kipsiros were busy running and running. The only thing they did besides running was checking their wrist watches.

“You think they had time to help these young athletes, the future medalists? No. You think they cared? No. Only Peter Wemali had the time. Only Peter Wemali cared,” he said.

“Peter, with all due respect, you seem to be delusional,” The Frying Pun said. “You can’t possibly have seen your actions in such a sordid light unless these are all jokes… whatever you are saying and they can be used against you; every word you just said. Jesus? You are like Jesus? Infecting girls with HIV and you equate your sordid deeds to Jesus?”

He ignored the angry remarks and smiled like he had just been given the compliment of his life.

“You see, Mr Panner… is that what you said your name is again?… yes, Flying Pan… you see, ten years from now, those girls will be winning gold medals,” he said. “Surely, like Jesus, it is only then that the fruits of Peter Wemali’s ingenuity will be recognized, but by then Peter Wemali would be long gone… like Jesus.”

Dilating his eyes, he changed his diatribe and alluded to another scenario, a political one. “Well, you think I am insane, don’t you? Take it from me, even if they find me guilty and crucify me, this persecution I face will make me stronger. Even if they said I did wrong, what is wrong with having sex with girls? In a country where people exchange bribes in dollars, shouldn’t Peter Wemali eat where he works to supplement his meager allowances?”

Embarrassed, The Frying Pun slithered into the crowd behind him. The man is surely a beast. This world would be a better place without Wemali.

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Kabaka to grace Buluri – Bulemezi in Masaza Cup Opener

Players in action
Players in action
Masaza Cup to start this weekend
Masaza Cup to start this weekend

The Kabaka of Buganda Ronald Muwenda Mutebi will tomorrow flag off the annual Kingdom Masaza (county) football tournament as Buluri take on Bulemezi at Mijeera grounds, Nakasongola district.

At least all the 18 counties in four groups will participate in this year’s tournament.

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