The National Unity Platform party (NUP) has amended its constitution limiting all party leaders and all elected members under the party flag to two five-year terms in the same position.

The announcement was revealed in the ten (10) constitutional amendments reached on April 15,2023 during an extraordinary meeting of its Delegates Conference at the Party’s new premises in Makerere – Kavule.

The party revealed, “The Constitution imposes two five-year term limits on all Party leaders as well as all elected leaders under the party flag. This means that a person cannot be a Party President, Party Chairperson or Secretary General for more than two terms. Likewise, a person cannot be a Member of Parliament or Councilor at the same level under the NUP flag for more than two terms. This provision will be operational beginning with the next elective term.”

However, a person can still be the presidential flag-bearer of the party, even if he or she is no longer the President of the Party. Likewise, term limits do not apply to a person who stands for elections at any level and is not declared a winner, but they apply whenever a person wins an election.

The meeting which was attended by over 66% of its members also passed other amendments as follows;

1) The Constitution eliminates the President and Secretary General’s nominees to a Delegates Conference and expands the composition of the Delegates Conference from the current 150 members to more than 500 members, depending on the number of elected leaders the Party has at the level of MP, Mayor, and Local Government District Chairperson. All NUP District Chairpersons and District Secretaries for Women Affairs are now members of the Delegates Conference. The Diaspora is also represented through the Diaspora Leadership Council.

2) The Constitution provides for a representative National Executive Committee that largely comprises of representatives for special groups, i.e. Women, Youth, Institutions, PWDs, the elderly, professionals and the informal sector.

3) In addition to ordinary membership, the Constitution introduces honorary membership which shall be awarded to not more than three persons in any given year. It shall be awarded by NEC only to persons who have made a contribution to the values and objectives of the Party in a significant manner.

4) The Constitution sets in place structures for the Party from village level to the national level. It establishes Committees and Conventions right form the village to the District, and the District leadership is represented at the Delegates Conference.

5) The Constitution introduces the position of Party Chairperson and Deputy Party Chairperson elected by the Delegates Conference. Their role is to chair the Delegates Conference, carry out some diplomatic functions as mandated and be generally responsible for cohesion and conflict resolution amongst senior leaders.

6) Given the hostile environment under which we operate, the Constitution provides for various options of candidate selection which may include holding party primaries, vetting of candidates or a combination of approaches. In case the Party decides to hold primaries, the Constitution lays down the Electoral Colleges (Party Structures) responsible for election of flag bearers at different levels.

7) The Constitution introduces an Advisory Council comprising of former Party Presidents, Party Chairpersons, Deputy Chairpersons, Deputy Presidents, Secretaries General, former leaders of Government Business or Leaders of the Opposition and all honorary members. The role of the Council is to advise and give guidance on the general direction of the Party at any time.

8) The Constitution introduces 10 departments and corresponding committees, through which the work of the Party is to be done. Whereas the Constitution empowers the President to appoint heads of departments and some other offices within the Party, their appointment (and removal from office) shall be with the approval of the National Executive Committee.

9) The Constitution makes it difficult to amend certain provisions of the Constitution, especially those related to term limits, the mode of election of the National Executive Committee as well as those relating to the dissolution of the Party.

The Party’s Code of Conduct and Integrity Oath are annexed to the Constitution.

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The Anti-Corruption Court has charged Minister of State for Finance, Planning and Economic Development Amos Lugoloobi and remanded him to Luzira Prisons until April 20.

Lugoloobi was nabbed last week over allegations related to the mismanagement of iron sheets which were meant for the impoverished people in Karamoja. He reportedly used the 400 iron sheets to roof animal shade at his farm in Bbaale. He is the second minister to be charged over the iron sheets with the first being the minister for Karamoja Mary Goreti Kitutu.

Appearing before Senior Principal Magistrate Grade One, Albert Asiimwe, Lugoloobi was charged with two counts of dealing with suspect property contrary to Section 21 (a) of the Anti-Corruption Act.

Prosecution avers that between the 14th day of July 2022 and 28th February 2023 at the office of the Prime Minister’s stores in Namanve in Mukono district, He dealt with government property- 400 pre-painted iron sheets marked Office of the Prime Minister having reason to believe that they were acquired as a result of loss of public property. The minister however pleaded not guilty to the two counts.

Through his lawyers, Lugoloobi didn’t relent, he applied for bail. Lugoloobi contented that he is suffering from hypertension, Diabetes, and is fresh from a heart surgery which was conducted last year. During his arrest, he had just arrived from Agha Khan Hospital.

Presenting seven sureties who included Namutumba District woman MP Mariam Naigaga; Former State Minister for Health (Primary Care) and EALA legislator James Kakooza; Kiboga County MP Kefa Kiwanuka; Joseph Muvawala, Executive Director of National Planning Authority; Paul Mugamba,  Lugoloobi, Moses Kalangwa the Chairman of NRM Kayunga  district and Martin Ssekajja, his application was turned down.

“I am mindful of the fact that Justice delayed is justice denied and Justice hurried is Justice Barrett. There are several documents that the court cannot analyze now. I want to borrow the interest of both parties and also to ensure that the decision to grant or not grant bail is judiciously arrived at court would require ample time to study the documents and authorities cited by the parties. For this reason, the ruling on this date application is reserved for 20th April 2023 at 12 noon,” he ruled.

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State Minister for Karamoja, Agnes Nandutu has snubbed the police summons, Eagle Online can reveal.

According to Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga, Nandutu was summoned to appear before Police CID over the mismanagement of iron sheets which were meant for the people of Karamoja; however, he didn’t show up.

“She was summoned to clarify some additional areas of inquiry but she didn’t turn up. I would like to remind all witnesses who are a subject of investigation to cooperate with the task team of Investigators. The information required can either approve or disapprove the allegations,” he said.

At least two Ministers have been charged over the Karamoja iron sheets with the first being minister for Karamoja Mary Goretti Kitutu, and Ntenjeru North MP Amos Lugoloobi.  Enanga however confirmed that another minister had been arrested however he didn’t reveal who.

Individuals who are involved in the scandal include; Rebecca Kadaga, Jacob Oboth Oboth, Hamson Obua, Amos Lugolobi, Matia Kasaija, Speaker Anita Among, Prime Minister Robina Nabanja, Henry Musasizi, Monica Kaducu, Lukia Nakadama and others.

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Government of Uganda has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the China Road and Bridge Corporation, (CRBC) to rehabilitate the Tororo to Gulu section of the meter gauge railway line.

This comes days after the company completed the rehabilitation of the Malaba-Tororo stretch which is now operational.

The signing was presided over by Al-Hajji Abdallatiff Dhakaba Wangubo, the Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) board chairperson.

Wangubo expressed satisfaction with the quality and speed of the Chinese company in the completed phase.

He said, “Completing the task within the timeline will save the entity money and other resources, and the project will go a long way in boosting economic activity in the region and also protecting roads from overuse by trucks.”

The 375-kilometer railway line runs through Mbale, Soroti, and Lira before terminating at the Gulu Logistics Hub (GLH), bringing the total distance of the northern corridor so far to more than 700 kilometers.

The rehabilitation works for the Tororo – Gulu line are scheduled to last 24 months, but the contractor is given one more month to organize the needed materials, equipment, and manpower.

The URC acting managing director, David Bulega Musoke, urged the contractor to use the same commitment and complete the project within time, so as to realise the much-needed boost to business in the northern region.

The 199.9 billion-shilling project is fully funded by the government of Uganda, according to Wangubo, as part of the efforts to increase the stock and quality of strategic infrastructure to accelerate Uganda’s competitiveness and create integrated transport infrastructure and services in the country.

He called on the contractor to abide by the local content clauses in the contract. He said that this will help empower Ugandans economically by giving them business but also training them to be able to take on other projects or assignments with URC.

Dai Dexin, the country manager for CRBC, pledged that they will beat the deadline and could finish the project even before the said date.

This, he said, is because URC has been very supportive of all the company’s undertakings which had made it easy for them to accomplish the work accordingly.

 “We will put emphasis on training domestic manpower as a way of transferring technology,” Dai said.

The works will feature drainage improvement, including the construction of new culverts and lining of side drains; earthworks; relocation of utilities, and rehabilitation of five steel girder bridges.

Others are railway track relaying works including ballasting, supply of new railway track materials, refurbishment of existing railway track materials, and construction of level crossings including signage.

Future plans include extending the line to Pakwach in West Nile.

In 2020, European firm Sogea Santon was contracted for the works funded by both the European Union (EU) and the government, but the contract last year ran into funding problems on the part of the government, leading to its termination.

The EU also terminated its grant contract with Uganda which was worth almost Sh100 billion.

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Retired High Court Judge Wilson Musalu Musene is dead. The judiciary has announced.

“This is to announce the death of retired Judge of the High Court Wilson Masalu Musene that occurred this evening in Mbale. Funeral arrangements to be announced later” reads the statement posted on the judiciary social media platforms.

Musene died last evening at Mbale Referral Hospital. He had retired in 2021 after clocking the age of 65. At the time of his retirement, he was a residential Judge in Soroti.

Musene was in 2020 sanctioned by the United States government, through the US Department of Treasury, imposed financial sanctions and visa restrictions on him among other top dignitaries.

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