Human rights activists have petitioned court, challenging the legality of cash bail conditions in the country.

The petitioners want Section 78(b) of the Magistrates Courts Act, Cap. 16, be nullified in light of human rights provisions embedded under Chapter 4 of the Constitution of Uganda.

The petitioners argue that cash bail mates a lot of injustices against accused persons under our criminal justice system and depicts the concept of commercialization of human rights akin to justice for sale.

Prisoners who are granted bail with cash conditions are further remanded for a simple reason of inability to pay.

The petitioners, who include Kuuku Amos, a lawyer, Kasule Ezekiel, and Kajubi Frank, both victims of cash bail, had been on remand for a long period that qualified him for mandatory bail. 

Section 78(b) of the Magistrates Courts Act requires a person seeking bail to deposit a sum of money to such an amount as the court or officer may fix in lieu of executing such a bond.

The petitioners contend that Section 78(b) of the Magistrates Courts Act is in contravention of Article 21 of the Constitution because it is discriminatory against the poor compared to those with resources and capacity to pay as and when cash is set as a condition for their bail.

Cash bail also contravenes Article 23(6) because it is unreasonable for a court of justice to require a person to pay a specific amount of money without first investigating whether that person has capacity to pay, and further contravenes Article 28 because it violates the right to a fair hearing and defeats the presumption of innocence.

“The petitioners contend that Section 78(b) of the Magistrates Courts Act, Cap. 16, is inconsistent and in contravention of Article 126(2)(a) of the Constitution in so far as it restricts access to bail relief based on economic status,” the petition reads in part.

They further stated that the condition of cash bail contravenes and is inconsistent with Article 23(6)(b)(c) of the Constitution in so far as it imposes a cash bail condition on accused persons that have qualified for mandatory bail upon expiration of the mandatory remand period. 

“Cash bail conditions are one of the contributing factors to prison congestion, which is currently standing at 75,000 as against the approved capacity of Ugandan prison facilities, which is 20,000 prisoners. It also prohibits potential bail applicants for fear of cash conditions,” they said.

It is claimed that it is unjust for applicants who satisfy all the conditions to be granted bail, including presenting credible and substantial sureties, not interfere with investigations of the case, not pose a threat to public security, not prejudice the security of the complainant, not pose a flight risk, and that the court requires them to pay money for bail, including those whose remand period has qualified them for mandatory bail.

“The petition intends to ensure access to bail relief as a pre-trial remedy for all persons, including the poor, and eradicating barriers to access to justice for all,” reads part of the petition.

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The Minister of Local Government, Raphael Magyezi blasted the finance team and Post Bank bosses for shunning a crucial meeting last Friday to discuss the way forward for Parish Development Model (PDM) and diversion of taxpayers’ money to the new mobile wallet, Wendi.

In a stormy meeting that lasted over five hours, the furious minister wondered about the sinister motive of creating a new mobile wallet, Wendi without the knowledge of local government ministry vis-à-vis the known and tested channels (government Financial Institutions – FIs) to disburse the PDM cash to the final beneficiaries. Wendi was clandestinely launched in July 2023 to purportedly bridge the gap between the banked and unbanked population in Uganda but in the districts of Sironko and Kaliro where it has been piloted, over Shs300m has been lost. And this is attributed to its loopholes which some technocrats within the Finance Ministry and Post Bank seem to have deliberately ignored. The software was designed by the Chinese (whose address is not known) at Post Bank Uganda to deviate from the proven and tested systems of disbursing the PDM cash to the vulnerable Ugandans for unknown reasons.

Following the February 15, 2024 letter which was sent to technocrats in Finance Ministry, PDM secretariat, KCCA, OWC, ISO, State House Anti-Corruption Unit, district leaders in Kaliro and Sironko districts, the minister wanted to address the queries arising the general public about the motive of forming a new mobile wallet, Wendi and its negative publicity.  

The minister, who refuted the claims that Wendi was instituted by the Cabinet minute as the technocrats at the Finance Ministry allege, deemed it necessary to assess its performance so as to advise the National Police Committee on the appropriate way forward. The meeting did not achieve its objectives since the proponents of Wendi were conspicuously missing. What angered the minister most is the leaked Whatsapp messages where some colleagues within the Finance ministry were refrained by their bosses from attending the Minister’s scheduled meeting.

Whereas the government previously used 13 banks to reach out to the PDM beneficiaries across the country, the architects of Wendi have scaled down the transactions to use only three banks ((Post Bank, Housing Finance Bank and Pride Microfinance).

It should be noted that the PSST and his team within the Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development have been writing contradictory letters about the disbursement of PDM funds.

The letters defy the set system in which financial institutions had earlier made investments in providing digital tools to SACCOs and trained PDM enterprises to ensure that all participating FIs did comply in liaison with the Chief Administrative Officers of the respective local governments.

Contrary to the above, the proponents of Wendi allocated this task solely to the computer illiterate SACCO leaders and the selected so-called government owned FIs which are not part of local government structures and lack the capacity to identify and recommend beneficiaries.

What is further shocking, is the motive of the February 7, 2024 letter signed by the PSST Ramathan Ggoobi to the three selected banks directing them to release all funds received to SACCO Wendi Accounts which are controlled by SACCO leaders within 24 hours of receipt. By empowering the SACCO leaders to release funds under their Wendi Accounts, the FIs and the Local Government have no control over what actions or errors the SACCO leaders take and this is likely to put the government at a risk of incurring heavy losses.

Whereas the accounting officers, RDCs, OWC officers, DISOs, Parish Development Committee (PDC) members and elected leaders at all levels were supposed to work together and enforce compliance with the PDM conditions, the PSST’s letter trashes their relevance and gives all the authority and responsivity to the less trained SACCO leaders. This disbursement method which reflects a potential conflict of interest, risk to cause huge financial losses leaves a lot of unanswered questions.

The irony that the Finance Ministry is supposed to create a conducive environment for businesses to thrive and encourage creation of jobs for ‘Bazzukulu’ is deliberately ignored hence stifling the banking industry growth and job creation processes. Once this is not checked, it may negatively impact the ruling party come 2026 Presidential elections.

Some NRM cadres who suspect that some individuals within the finance ministry are intentionally laying strategies to give a political leverage to the opposition leaders against the ruling party are calling for thorough investigations by the government security agencies.

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Police in collaboration with other security agencies have called upon the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious group of people amidst continued terror threats by rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in the districts making up the Rwenzori Sub-Region in southwestern Uganda.

Forces Spokesperson, Fred Enanga while addressing the media on Monday said: “Due to the ongoing successful UPDF pursuit against the ADF rebels in the Eastern DRC, counter-terrorism task teams continue to remain alert and closely monitor our Western borderline, for potential threats in the Rwenzori area, in coordination without territorial Joint Security Teams.”

Although there is yet no specific intelligence reflecting any new attacks along our Rwenzori axis with the DRC, Mr Enanga affirmed that security teams are monitoring ADF activities in Bukuka Hills across the border in the DRC, as well as acts of insecurity in Lhubirira Kasindi in Goma DRC, that occurred on the 12th of February 2024.

Enanga cautioned public vigilance and openness to report any suspicious activity within their vicinity to the responsible authorities for immediate action.

“We, therefore, call upon the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to our security teams,” he stated, adding that joint territorial teams continue to maintain a heightened posture, with patrols and increased visibility, to counter potential threats.

In one instance, Mr Enanga said the territorial police in Rwenzori East and Mpondwe last Monday, February 12, 2024, at around 3 pm, arrested one Bahati Abdul Razak, a 28-year-old, ADF rebel of Todoli in the DRC, who was part of the group that sneaked into Uganda in November 2023, through Butunya – Ntoroko and carried out attacks in Kamwenge.

Most of his colleagues were eliminated, as operations targeting other remnants continue.

In a separate development, Enanga further revealed the Joint Anti-Terrorism Taskforce (JATT) last week recovered an 11-year-old, ADF recruit, Kibumbo Munimbu, along Kibirizi village, Lake Katwe sub-county.

Kibumbo, according to security, had escaped from the ADF in DRC, where he had been taken by his grandfather muzungu Sulaid and 3 other children, from Erapa Nabirimba village, Buyende district.

“The parents of the victim are Kibumba Muzamil and Nabirye Fatuma. Arrangements are in place to hand over the victim, as we trace for the grandfather, who is an ADF rebel collaborator. We urge all parents to protect their children and stop handing them over to hostile collaborators, who recruit them into terrorist camps,” stated Enanga.

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The newly elected East African Representative to the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), has promised to be a strong voice for Africa and called for urgent reforms needed to transform Africa into the global powerhouse of the future.

Thomas Tayebwa was on Saturday elected unopposed to one of the coveted positions at OACPS-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Luanda, Angola.

Mr Tayebwa was nominated by Seychelles and Kenya and he will be representing a total of nine countries including Mauritius, Seychelles, Djibouti, Comoros, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.

“I will be a voice of the Global South on issues of climate change, gender parity, energy transition, human rights, democracy, peace and conflict resolution which are cornerstones of the international framework,” Mr Tayebwa said after his election.

“We shall ensure that unfair trade practices and restrictions which are coming from our big brothers in the European Union are negotiated properly and on fair terms. The voice of the Global South must take center stage at the European Parliament.”

He added: “We must be able to exploit our resources without damaging the environment, but also Africa, which is contributing only 3% of global emissions, cannot be the one paying the price and receiving the heaviest penalties, when it comes to energy transition.”

More than 500 delegates are in Angola to participate in the 64th Session of the OACPS Parliamentary Assembly and the 1st constitutive meeting of the OACPS-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly. It is a historic session for the OACPS, hosted by the President of the 10^th OACPS Summit of Heads of State and Government. This session is expected to launch the new Parliamentary Assemblies under the Samoa Agreement.

The Deputy Speaker, has been an indomitable voice in the OACPS, rallying developing countries to jointly reject what he recently described as “unfair trade and deceitful practices” orchestrated by the European Union against other countries.

Speaking at a previous OACPS-EU Parliamentary Assembly in Brussels last year, Mr Tayebwa, without mincing words condemned what he called the double standards, unfair taxes on African coffee and exporting EU-banned pesticides and products to developing countries like Uganda.

Speaker Anita Among and Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja were among the notable leaders who congratulated and thanked the Deputy Speaker for accepting the task and raising Uganda’s flag high.

The Speaker wrote on her official X handle: “Congratulations my brother

Thomas Tayebwa on your significant election as East Africa’s Representative to the Organisation of Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Countries Parliamentary Group in Luanda, Angola. This is a confirmation of your firm Pan African credentials. The trust colleagues in the region and continent have shown in you is a true reflection of your commitment to the African cause. Thank you again for hoisting the Parliament and National flag high in Parliamentary Diplomacy.”

The Prime Minister also wrote on her X handle, “Congratulations my brother Thomas Tayebwa on your election as East Africa’s Representative to the Organisation of Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Countries Parliamentary Group. Your election is a vote of confidence in your ability and I have no doubt you will effectively represent our region. Best wishes.”

The OACPS-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly is a unique and permanent democratic institution which brings together an equal number of elected Members of Parliament from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states and Members of the European Parliament. The Organization comprises 79 Member States. The body strives to achieve the sustainable development of its members and their progressive integration into the world economy.

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Police have arrested a 27-year-old man who filmed himself and posted on TikTok a video recording abusing the Kabaka.

Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga said the Directorate of Crime Intelligence picked Ibrahim Musana a resident of Kauga in Mukono after video clips of him abusing the Kabaka of Buganda Kingdom and Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga went viral.

“He was picked following a series of hate crimes, defamation of the Kabaka and Katikkiro and a lot of offensive communication through various digital communication channels,” Enanga said.

Last week, social media was awash with videos of Musana abusing Kabaka and Buganda. The videos that went viral especially on TikTok were condemned by the public.

According to Enanga, following arrest by Crime Intelligence, Musana was handed over to the Criminal Investigations Directorate where detectives are now processing him on various charges of misuse of social media, hate speech, offensive communication and incitement to violence.

“We are aware a large section of people in Buganda are annoyed with these speeches which are embarrassing and disrespectful. As a country, we have very strict laws against incitement to violence, hate speech and any kind of offensive communication which we can’t allow to continue since it can cause devastating effects to communities,” Enanga said.

He noted police will continue arresting perpetrators of hateful ideology, not only against the Kabaka of Buganda but against all Ugandans and visitors to the county.

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The registration for the National Identification Cards kicks off in June. Rosemary Kisembo, the Executive Director of the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), revealed.

In January, the Ministry of Finance released Shs336.3 billion to kick-start the process of ensuring the renewal of the National IDs project. Of the funds released, Shs192 billion will be used to purchase tablets that will be used in the National Population Census (Shs144.3 billion) and other votes.

The renewals of IDs were scheduled to start in August 2023 up to August 2025, targeting 17.2 million citizens who have never been registered and 20 million Ugandans who wish to renew their national IDs.

The first batch of 15.8 million identity cards that were printed and issued in 2014/2015 will expire between August 2024 and June 2025, thus justifying the need for renewal under Regulation 19(1) of the Registration of Persons Regulations SI 67/2015.

“We are going to carry out the national identification registration exercise in the 10,717 parishes of Uganda beginning in June for ten months. However, we shall first track all persons over the age of 16 because our register is an input into the voter register. Our register is not the voter’s register, but it is an input into the voter’s register,” she said earlier today.

She said NIRA has a task to onboard every Ugandan into the National Identification Register. Section five of our act says we create, manage, and maintain a national identification register.

“Every Ugandan, regardless of age, sex, religion, background, occupation, or clan, is entitled to a National Identification Number. Every Ugandan above 16 is entitled to a national identification card,” she said.

She said, “We keep all citizens, and in Part 2, we keep all aliens; the law calls them aliens, but these are non-citizens who are legally living within the borders of this country. We are supposed to give them an alien identification number.”

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In a strategic move to promote sustainable agriculture and reduce import reliance, the Ugandan government has signed a Joint Development Agreement with Industrial Promotion Services (Kenya) Limited (IPS) for a green hydrogen-based fertilizer plant.

The plant will be strategically located at Karuma, Kiryandongo District, within the Bunyoro sub-region, to leverage its proximity to the 600 MW Karuma Hydropower Plant.

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD), representing the Government of Uganda, has committed a minimum 100 MW supply from Karuma HPP to develop this innovative project.
Energy Minister Dr Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu signed on behalf of the government.

“Uganda is embracing green technology to transform its agricultural sector and become a regional sustainability leader,” said Dr Nankabirwa.

“This project will not only reduce dependency on imported fertilizers and empower farmers but also catalyze Uganda’s green hydrogen economy, fostering innovation in mobility, power generation, oxygen production, and other key sectors.”

The project, facilitated by the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial
Development (PACEID), aims to boost domestic fertilizer production, improve food security, and create economic opportunities for farmers.

IPS, part of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), will lead the project alongside Westgass Internasjol AS, a Norwegian green energy specialist, and Maire Tecnimont S.p.A, an Italian multinational renowned for fertilizer plant engineering.

This venture enjoys the vital support of the British and Norwegian governments, global champions of green initiatives. Financial backing is anticipated from British International
Investment (BII) and Norfund, Norway’s development finance institution.

“IPS is dedicated to climate-positive development,” said Galeb Gulam, CEO of IPS. “This project is a game-changer for Ugandan agriculture, demonstrating our commitment to low- carbon economic solutions.

Odrek Rwabwogo, PACEID chairman, emphasized the project’s support of Uganda’s export goals. “This initiative will harness resources and technology to make a decisive impact on our agricultural sector and national export ambitions,” he said.

This collaborative effort envisions a future of resilient, sustainable agriculture with lasting benefits for Ugandan farmers and the economy. It demonstrates the Ugandan government’s strong commitment to import substitution and enhanced food security.

“Our sustainable approach will create jobs, decrease fertilizer imports, and address national food and income security. This partnership exemplifies Uganda’s focus on ecological responsibility and economic success,” added Kinar Kent, CEO of Westgass.

Westgas is the international project development arm of Westgass Hydrogen, a green energy company focused on accelerating the transition from fossil fuels in Europe and emerging markets. The Company enables customers to run carbon-neutral businesses by 2030, supplying affordable and secure green hydrogen and green ammonia, leveraging on its experience, expertise and network in the energy sector.

Westgass is collaborating on this project with Norfund, the Norwegian Investment Fund for developing countries. Norfund’s committed portfolio totals 3.1 billion USD in Sub-Saharan Africa, South-East Asia, and Central America. Norfund has four investment areas: Renewable Energy, Financial Inclusion, Scalable Enterprises and Green Infrastructure.

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