The Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Gender and Culture have failed to reach an agreement on the proposal to have museums and monuments in Uganda be regulated under one Ministry, saying the two agencies have been working in harmony with no need to merge the two entities to oversee the historical sites sector.

This was during a meeting held with Parliament’s Committee on Tourism and Trade that is currently considering the Museums and Monuments Bill 2022 that seeks to protect cultural and natural heritage resources and the environment, strengthen and provide set up of institutional structure for effective management of the museums and monuments and to prohibit illicit trafficking of protected objects and to promote local content of cultural and natural heritage.

Clause 8 of the Museum and Monuments Bill stipulates the roles of the Minister of Culture, giving them powers to formulate, review policies and legislation on culture and heritage promotion, preservation and development for museums and heritage sites in Uganda.

However, a number of stakeholders were opposed to leaving these responsibilities to be handed over to the Ministry of Gender and Culture, arguing that the institution’s role is passive and instead proposed to have the Culture aspect of the Gender Ministry be merged with the Ministry of Tourism for effective monitoring and promotion of the historical sites.

The Committee had ordered the two Ministries of Culture and Tourism to harmonize their positions, but Minister of State for Culture, Peace Mutuzo accused officials from the Ministry of Tourism of betrayal, after they suggested to the Committee to have the Culture Ministry merged and taken to the Ministry of Tourism.

Minister Mutuzo informed the Committee that the two entities had agreed to have the tangible aspect of historical sites be regulated by the Ministry of Tourism, while the Ministry of Culture handles the intangible aspects that would fall under its watch.

“While we had harmonized and agreed that we are going to work separately, but in common, I would get shocked to see the Ministry which we have harmonized with and the position which we have come to defend here, deferring from what we have agreed on, I actually feel betrayed,” said Mutuzo.

She rejected the proposal to have her Ministry dragged back to the Ministry of Tourism, comparing the proposal to being raped.

“These two Ministries were separated 15years ago and for a purpose. Tourism can operate independently from the Ministry of Gender for as long as we can sit and harmonize on the things that bring us together. If you are proposing a marriage, you must seek for my consent, don’t come to rape here.”

However, Mwine Mpaka (Mbarara City South) said the Committee was forced to take a decision to have both the promotion of tangible and intangible historical sites be regulated under one Ministry, after the Culture Ministry failed to justify the role it plays in marketing and promotion of tourism in Uganda.

“So your justification is the reason why it can’t be taken to the Ministry of Culture is you would have been left with only wildlife, and you add the tourism value component to these sites, other than that, one Ministry can manage both. You have still not given us a justification on why one Ministry can’t manage both,” said Mwine.

But the Minister of State for Tourism, Martin Mugarra rejected the proposal for the merger of roles, saying the Tourism Committee has also failed to justify the need for the merger, because the Tourism and Culture Ministries have been managing the historical sites without any crisis.

He said:“We have been managing the museum since colonial times and nothing has happened, everything is okay. Because there is no management crisis, we aren’t losing the cultural history, let us not create a unique situation in Uganda, let us work like the others have been working. I still don’t see where the fear is. I am still trying to understand, what is it that you are trying to cure?”

Charles Okello (Nwoya East) however defended the Committee calling for the merger of the two entities saying they will be working for the same government and tasked the two Ministries to explain how they will register and regulate private entities as proposed in clause 18 of the bill.

“The Committee wanted to bring the two together… For us we think there are aspects that the law can help us to address. One of them is to bring participation of ordinary Ugandans on the issue of museums. Let us bring good faith on this table,” Okello said. 

The Museum and Monuments Bill 2022 seeks to repeal the Historical Monuments Act of 1967, Cap- 46, which the Government says has limited focus on preservation and protection of historical monuments, making it obsolete in terms of providing for a much wider cultural and natural heritage.

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Police in close coordination with the US Embassy in Kampala have arrested three suspects for allegedly submitting fraudulent documents for US Visas to the Embassy.

According to Police, two Diplomatic Notes dated 21^st June 2022 and 4^th July 2022, were issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, using fraudulent or falsified police certificates.

“The attached police certificates that are alleged to have been signed by an unknown person on behalf of the Director for Interpol and International Relations, were established to be a forgery,” Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said.

“It is further established that the Diplomatic Note issued on the 21^st June was signed by a one Opio Innocent, a 1st Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He however, did not give clear reasons for issuing the Diplomatic Note. The second Diplomatic Note dated 4^th July was signed by a one Wandera Emmanuel a Foreign Service Officer, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He claimed that we had signed the document after correcting an error on the original document, allegedly signed by his superior. He however, did not notify him of the changes,” Enanga added.

All the 11 applicants were fronted as police officers going for a training course in Washington D.C in the US. Out of the 11 applicants, 10 were established to be civilians, while one police officer, used false information, claiming he was a detective attached to CID Headquarters, yet he was a police driver.

Out of the 11 applicants, 3 travelled to the US and are wanted, three were arrested, two have their passports pending at the US Embassy and 3 had not submitted their documents.

“It is also surprising that the Diplomatic Notes were delivered to the US Embassy, by a one Kiwanuka Louise Mary, a courier at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after informally receiving them from an intermediary, known as Odong John Baptist, who was not an employee at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Enanga said.

“We are investigating the entire racket for issuing Diplomatic Notes, in total disregard to the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as inquiries in utterance of false documents and conspiracy. We have also re-instituted a similar case file, which was opened against Opio Innocent, for issuance of fraudulent Diplomatic Notes in 2017.”

The investigations do show that a number of travel agents, intermediaries in conspiracy with rogue officials, were submitting fraudulent applications for US visas at a cost. They compile profiles with forged work experience, bank documents, birth certificates, police certificates, marriage certificates among others, to help applicants acquire student visas, study visa’s and resident visas among others. 

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Uganda is still hosting Afghan asylum seekers, the Eagle Online has learnt. The revelation was made by Henry Oryem Okello, the State Minister for Foreign Affairs.

On 25 August 2021, Uganda received the first group of Afghan asylum seekers. The group comprised 51 evacuees including men, women, and children. Initially, the Afghans were meant to stay in Uganda for a period of three months however it is a year later, and the decision to have them relocated lies in the hands of the US government.

According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Afghans make up one of the largest refugee populations worldwide. There are 2.6 million registered Afghan refugees in the world, of which 2.2 million are registered in Iran and Pakistan. Another 3.5 million people are internally displaced, having fled their homes and searching for refuge within the country.

“The Afghans are still in the country. We so far have less than 100 Afghans. We have not registered them as refugees, they are asylum seekers and they will soon be leaving the country,” Mr. Okello said adding that, “Uganda has not received any security threat from the Taliban despite hosting Afghan asylum seekers.”

The minister said the US government is accessing the security situation in Afghanistan and at the same time working on the program to have them relocated.

Due to its generosity and home to over 1.5 million refugees from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, and other countries, the Afghans can be registered in  Uganda as refugees and allocated to various settlements. About 93 percent of refugees live in settlements located in 12 districts of Uganda and most of those in the urban areas live in the Kampala district.

Esther Anyakun, the minister of State for Refugees said the Afghan evacuees in the country were mostly working with the toppled government.

“Uganda is temporarily hosting the Afghan refugees before they could be relocated by the US government. We are hosting them on request from the US government to His Excellency President Yoweri Museveni,” Ms. Anyakun said.

The refugee bills are catered for by the American government ever since they arrived in the country. Unlike other asylum seekers, the Afghans were not registered and allocated to refugee camps but instead are hosted in various hotels in Kampala.

Ms. Dorothy Nanyonga, the Information Assistant at the US Embassy in Kampala has since not responded to questions sent to her as she asked.  

In August 2021, the Taliban took over Afghanistan and declared victory after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. The militants’ return to rule brought an end to almost 20 years of a US-led coalition’s presence in Afghanistan. Kabul was the last major city to fall to a Taliban offensive that began in July 2021.

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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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