King Charles III paid tribute to the Queen and said he feels the “weight of history which surrounds us” as he addressed parliament for the first time as monarch.

In the speech, he quoted William Shakespeare in a tribute to his late mother, saying: “As Shakespeare said of the earlier Queen Elizabeth, she was a pattern to all princes living.”

The King spoke after the Lords Speaker and the Commons Speaker expressed their condolences to His Majesty in a ceremony in Westminster Hall.

King Charles referenced the connections to “my darling late mother” in the 11th-century chamber, such as the “magnificent” stained glass window to honour her Diamond Jubilee.

He said: “I cannot help but feel the weight of history which surrounds us and which reminds us of the vital parliamentary traditions to which members of both houses dedicate yourselves, with such personal commitment for the betterment of us all.”

The King said parliament is the “living and breathing instrument of our democracy” as he pledged to follow his late mother’s example of commitment to constitutional government.

He finished his speech by saying: “While very young her late majesty pledged herself to serve her country and her people and to maintain the precious principles of constitutional government which lie at the heart of our nation. This vow she kept with unsurpassed devotion

“She set an example of selfless duty, which, with God’s help and your counsels, I am resolved faithfully to follow.”

As part of the official mourning period following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the King and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, heard tributes from MPs and peers.

The Speakers of both Houses – Sir Lindsay Hoyle for the Commons and Lord McFall for the Lords – presented letters of condolence, which the King responded to.

In his tribute, Sir Lindsay said the death of Queen “is a loss that is felt around the world”.

Lord McFall said the Queen’s “humility and integrity commanded the respect and captured the imagination of peoples and nations across the globe”.

The ceremony ended with both Charles and the Queen Consort standing as the national anthem was played.

Prime Minister Liz Truss, as well as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, joined MPs and peers under the cavernous timber roof of the ancient building in central London.

Westminster Hall, the oldest building on the parliamentary estate, is also where the Queen’s coffin will lie in state from Wednesday for public viewing.

Having left Balmoral yesterday morning, the Queen’s cortege is now at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

King Charles, who will fly to the Scottish capital after his address to parliament, will lead the Royal Family in procession as his mother’s coffin is moved to St Giles’ Cathedral for a service of thanksgiving this afternoon.

Members of the public will be able to view the coffin at the cathedral and pay their respects from 5pm for a period of 24 hours.

During his day in Edinburgh, the King is also due to hold audiences with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Alison Johnstone, the presiding officer of the Scottish parliament.

Later in the evening, the King and the Queen’s three other children will mount a vigil at the cathedral in honour of their late mother.

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Buganda Road Grade Magistrates Court has dismissed the case of inciting violence against Kawempe North MP Muhammad Ssegirinya.

In her ruling, Chief Magistrate, Gladys Kamasanyu said the three prosecution witnesses failed to adduce evidence implicating Ssegirinya on the said charges.

“No reasonable court after directing its mind on the law and the evidence adduced by the prosecution can convict the accused because by the time prosecution closed its case it had not proved any of the ingredients of the case, I, therefore, find no prima facie against the accused warranting his defense and he is, therefore, discharged,” she ruled.

Ssegirinya was arrested in March 2021 and remanded to Kitalya prison. Prosecution averred that on 22nd March 2021 at Mini price in Kampala District, Ssegirinya and others still at large did an act calculated to incite violence against other persons by holding placards demanding for their Presidential victory; Free Mubiru James; Free Nubian Lee; Free Eddie Mutwe by reason of their political opinions.

The MP is currently facing separate charges with Makindye West legislator Allan Ssewanyana and four other suspects of terrorism contrary to sections 7 (1) and (2) (d) and (d) of the Anti-Terrorism Act 2002 in count one, aiding and abetting terrorism contrary to section 8 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 2002 in count two, murder contrary to sections 188 and 189 of the Penal code Act in Counts three, four, five and attempted murder contrary to section 204 (a) of the Penal code Act.

The prosecution states that the two legislators together with other suspects -some on remand and others still at large on August 2, 2021, allegedly killed Joseph Bwanika, a resident of Kisekka Village in Kisekka Sub County in Lwengo District.

It is further alleged that on August 23 at Ssettaala Village in Masaka City, the MPs and their co-accused persons killed Francis Mugerwa Kiiza aka Nswa, Sulaiman Kakooza, and Tadeo Kiyimba .

The MPs are also accused of attempting to kill Ronald Ssebyoto, a resident of the same area. They are also accused of financing the killings in the Greater Masaka region.

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Amid surging humanitarian needs for 96,000 refugees who have fled to Uganda so far this year, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and partners urgently require US$68 million (Shs 259.3billion) for life-saving assistance and services.

As refugees from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continue to flee violence and seek safety in Uganda, the humanitarian response is being stretched to the breaking point.

In an inter-agency appeal, being revised from April, which covered an initial period of three months, UNHCR and 41 partners  including six UN agencies, 25 international and 10 national non-governmental organizations  are seeking funds through the end of the year to support up to 150,000 refugees, as arrivals continue.

At the start of 2022, Uganda was already hosting over 1.5 million refugees, making it one of the most important refugee host countries in the world and the largest on the African continent.

Uganda is also a global leader in promoting peaceful coexistence and refugee settlement among host communities. Refugees are provided with plots of land for housing and cultivation. Refugees and host communities access the same health facilities, and their children attend schools together.

Important gains in refugee self-reliance and economic inclusion are now at risk due to severe underfunding for UNHCR’s operations in the country.

By the end of August, UNHCR had received just 38 percent of its 2022 funding requirement of US$343.4 million (Shs 1.3trillion) to respond to the needs of refugees in Uganda, as determined at the start of this year.

The funding gap has strained UNHCR’s capacity to provide critical support, including basic humanitarian assistance, child protection services, civil registration, and livelihood opportunities.

Refugees are seeing a sharp reduction in support for income-generating activities, including agricultural inputs that are critical to cultivating allocated land.

Children, especially girls, face a high risk of dropping out of school as UNHCR will be unable to pay teachers’ salaries, and already crowded classrooms will increase in size. With no more funding to procure soap and hygiene kits for women and girls, their health and access to education will be negatively affected. UNHCR cannot afford to purchase new stocks of medicines for health centers, while progress in reducing child and maternal mortality will regress, and infant malnutrition will increase. 

UNHCR and its partners need urgent financial contributions to meet the urgent needs of new refugee arrivals in Uganda, upgrade the reception capacity and basic infrastructure of refugee settlements and prioritize the relocation of refugees to more suitable facilities.

Kisoro, in southwest Uganda, has received most new arrivals from the DRC. At the Nyakabande transit center, refugees  overwhelmingly women and children – face substandard and crowded conditions which expose them to risks, including gender-based violence.

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The Mayuge Deputy RDC, Trevor Solomon Baleke has this afternoon addressed members of the veterans’ wing of the Front for National Salvation (FRONASA) at their general assembly at St Andrew’s Primary School in Magamaga Town Council. 

The veterans who helped fight Idi Amin in the early 1970s invited the Deputy RDC as a neutral person to preside over election of their leaders for their eastern group.

But only listening to the initial speeches, Baleke sensed there was some bickering among some individuals within the veterans and some had not been mobilized for the meeting. 

“You are the reason we are. Therefore you deserve to be one person, loving one another and listening to each other. A divided house cannot stand the test of time,” he said.

“At important occasions like this meeting, kindly always don’t leave out your other colleagues especially representaives of the families of the late Nkoko, Ntale, Bireko, and Ayasi Dhikusooka of Mayuge, Lubanga, Ikoda Jamira and Mbigiti of Iganga, Kasadha of Bugweri, Waibi of Kamuli and Zake Magidu and Funga of Mafubira, Jinja among others,” Baleke guided. 

He therefore advised members to adjourn the meeting to a later date, creating time for enough mobilization so that no member is left out because of a communication gap.

He offered paying for the group radio announcements so that everyone is informed of their meeting.

Members resolved to return to the same venue on Saturday October 1 for election of leaders.

The  regional committee will comprise of a chairman, vice chairman, general secretary and a coordinator for every district.

Fronasa was a Ugandan rebel group led by Yoweri Museveni. The group emerged in 1971, although it was formally founded in 1973. FRONASA, along with other militant groups such as Kikosi Maalum led by Milton Obote, formed the Uganda National Liberation Front [UNLF] and its military wing the Uganda National Liberation Army [UNLA] in 1979 to fight alongside Tanzanian forces against Idi Amin.

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