Senior leaders in Kaabong district in Karamoja sub-region and the joint security forces have recovered 12 guns from the local community in the last seven days of operation.

The Uganda Peoples’ Defense Forces (UPDF) third division commander, Brig Gen Joseph Balikuddembe, confirmed the development.

“Within seven days, we have managed to recover 12 guns from criminal elements in Kaabong District,” he said.

He added: “Our forces are also hunting down criminal elements who had raided livestock from Turkana County, in the Republic of Kenya.”

He noted that the division has used both forceful and voluntary approaches in recovering a total of 626 and 4,023, guns and ammunition respectively and over 28,341 livestock recovered since July 2021, when operation was launched.

Balikuddembe, who has since pitch camped in Kaabong District to oversee and direct the operations, remains optimistic and committed that more recoveries of arms and livestock shall be made in order to enhance security.

He commended the local leadership of Kaabong District for their positive efforts towards gun recovery from illegal hands and for them to continue with mass mobilisation and participation in the ongoing disarmament operations.

The operations, he said, are aimed at creating a more conducive environment within Kaabong District and Karamoja sub-region.

Balikudembe asserted that some of the arrested suspects are subjected to further investigations, and they will undergo through the processes of law to answer offences related to murder, illegal possession of firearms and livestock thefts.

Speaking at UPDF’s 45th Infantry Battalion headquarters, Lokut Mukasa Joseph, the vice-chairperson Kaabong District, emphasised the leadership’s positive participation.

“As a district we are mobilising and sensitising the communities against the dangers of illegal possession of guns,” he said.

Lukut said the district leadership denounces all forms of armed criminality. He called upon the cattle rustlers (warriors) to desist from the vice and hand over guns to security forces voluntarily.

Lt Col Gaston Mugarura, commanding officer, for 45th Infantry Battalion whose area of responsibility is Kaabong District reaffirmed the forces’ tempo and zeal in conducting the simultaneous cordon and search operations.

Most recently, the senior commanders and leaders met in Kaabong District where they drew a number of strategies to curb internal and cross border armed criminality.

As the rest of the areas are peaceful, Kaabong, Nabilatuk and Karenga Districts are on spotlight and currently the joint security forces are conducting operations.

The joint security forces’ commanders and local leaders are more committed to consolidate relative security and peace in order to totally pacify the Karamoja sub-region.

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The Magistrate’s Court of Mukono presided over by Her Worship Patience Koburungi, a Magistrate Grade One, has convicted Ponsiano Lwakataka, a renown rally driver in two different cases on charges of malicious damage to property and sentenced him to 18 months and 6 months imprisonment respectively.

In the first case, Mukono CRB 027/2019, Lwakataka and his cousin Ssekitoleko John were charged for maliciously damaging the fence of Namanya Joseline.

In this case, the trial magistrate found each of the accused persons guilty and convicted and sentenced each of them to 6 months imprisonment. This case was prosecuted by Ms. Irene Nambozo, a State Attorney in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

In the second case, Mukono CRB 1714/2018, Lwakataka, was charged with eight others for maliciously damaging the house of Mzee George William Kawooya, a 75 year old man.

Prosecution led evidence to prove that during the night of 22nd December 2018, at around 1:00am, Lwakataka took a group of people on a Fuso lorry from Kampala to a village called Luanda at Seeta- Mukono, and instructed them to pull down the house of the complainant, and they complied.

In the course of the trial, all the accused persons absconded for a period of seven months and were put on warrant of arrest. Prosecution applied to proceed in their absence, and this was granted by the trial magistrate.

Lwakataka was then re-arrested on 13th September 2022 and remanded pending judgment.

Consequently, the accused persons applied for criminal revision at the High Court, challenging their trial in absentia. This application was dismissed.

On 22nd November 2022, the trial magistrate, delivered a judgement against Lwakataka, who was present in court. He was found guilty and convicted accordingly. He was then sentenced to serve 18 months imprisonment.

The case was prosecuted by Jonathan Muwaganya, a Chief State Attorney in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

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Parliament observed a moment of silence in honour of the late Dr Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere, who was the Democratic Party (DP) leader for 25 years.

Ssemogerere died on Friday, 18 November 2022 aged 90 years and was laid to rest on Monday, 21 November 2022 at Nattale- Nkumba, in Entebbe, Wakiso District.

He contested twice for the presidency – in 1980 and 1996, losing both to Dr Apollo Milton Obote and President Yoweri Museveni respectively. After a decade of service, he retired from active politics in 2005 but remained a senior figure in the Opposition until his death.

He led the DP for 25 years after replacing Benedicto Kiwanuka who was murdered in 1972. Dr Ssemogerere handed over the party leadership to the late John Ssebana Kizito 2005, the former Kampala City Mayor.

As MPs convened for the plenary on Tuesday, 22 November 2022 the, Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, formally communicated the demise of the veteran politician, describing him as a distinguished leader with an illustrious political and leadership career.

“The return of multi-party democracy in 2000 is attributed to the consistent advocacy by Dr Paul Ssemogerere, among other national leaders,” said Among.

The Speaker urged the Leader of Government Business and the Leader of the Opposition to consider moving a bi-partisan motion for the House to pay tribute for the distinguished service that the late Ssemogerere offered to the country.

The Government Chief Whip, Denis Obua, undertook to present a motion to Parliament on Thursday, 24 November 2022 in honour of the late Ssemogerere.

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Parliament has approved a request for government to borrow up to US$331.5 million, from the International Development Association of the World Bank Group, upon which it will obtain a grant worth US$ 276.5 million.

The loan is for financing the Electricity Access Scale Up Project (EASP), whose aim is to increase access to electricity nationwide.

While presenting loan request to Parliament, the Minister of State for Planning, Amos Lugoloobi, said the EASP envisages an increase in access to electricity from the current 19 per cent to 44 per cent by 2027.

“In this, the project forecasts an increase in the number of connections annually from the current average of 70,000 to 300,000 connections,” said Lugoloobi.

This was during the plenary sitting of Tuesday, 22 November 2022 chaired by Speaker Anita Among.

Lugoloobi added that the loan is expected to increase the share of clean energy usage for cooking from 15 to 40 per cent by 2027.

He said that the project will be equitable as it will include the disadvantaged communities in its beneficiaries. “The project will benefit households, commercial enterprises, industrial parks, public institutions. It will support refugees and host communities and women,” Lugoloobi said.

He further stated that the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and the Uganda Energy Credit Capitalisation Company (UECCC) will be the main project implementing partners.

The loan request did not meet any resistance during its processing in the committee and in plenary, which MPs attributed to the project’s equitable nature.

“Ordinarily we [the Opposition] are not opposed to borrowing. We are only opposed to misguided borrowing and poor loan management but with respect to this loan, it is national in character and reflects equitable distribution. It is good for development,” said Medard Sseggona who represented the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament (LOP).

He applauded the component of grant as one of the conditions for the loan and asked government to formulate a debt management policy.

The report for the loan was presented by the Chairperson of the Committee on National Economy, John Bosco Okojo, also Bukedea County MP.

Sseggona, also Busiro County East MP, however, opposed the proposal to have the energy ministry run the project and instead sought restoration of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).

“Now you are taking us back to this ministry that has always dodged its responsibilities in electricity infrastructure. I wish government could reconsider the disbandment of Rural Electrification Agency. REA did a good job,” said Sseggona.

Speaker Among, in agreement with Sseggona, called on government to reinstate REA whose track record she said was commendable.

“I also want to agree with the LoP on the issue of REA. Give us back our REA, the management could have been bad, but you can get other management. REA did a good job and it had good success stories,” said Among.

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