Tag: Uganda
UGANDA: UETCL assigns a new boss.
Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) has appointed Mr George Rwabajungu the new managing director.
According to a memo sent to all staff of UETCL Mr Rwabajungu takes over from Mr Valentine Katabira, the company’s deputy managing director, who has been serving in the same position in acting capacity.
The appointment took effect yesterday.
Mr Katabira had replaced Mr William Kiryahika, who left UETCL on December 31, 2019.
“After due process, the board of directors have effective today [yesterday], appointed one of our own, Mr George Rwabajungu as the new managing director,” Mr Katabira said in an email to the staff, urging staff to support him in his new role.
Mr Rwabajungu was the company’s manager finance and accounting, a position he held for 10 years.
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UGANDA: Reknown Socialite Brian White admitted at Nakasero hospital.
City socialite, Brian Kirumira also known as Brian White is ill and currently admitted at Nakasero hospital.
According to Isaac Katende who is currently his care taker at Nakasero, Brian White was admitted in the hospital two weeks ago after days of complaining about pain in the abdominal area.
Katende told journalists that Brian had for long been receiving treatment for Ulcers but he would take his medication from home and continue with his duties until two weeks ago when the pain became unbearable and had to be checked into hospital.
He said, “Brian can’t eat right now, he can only take in liquids and he is currently breathing with machine support.”
Sources at the hospital revealed that Brian’s condition is still unclear and they are waiting for a report from the United ...
UGANDA: MPs reject digital campaigns ahead of the 2021 elections.
Members of Parliament (MPs) sitting on the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee yesterday rejected the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision banning open public rallies ahead of the 2021 General Elections.The legislators raised concern that the ban would be to the disadvantage of the candidates participating in the polls.
During a meeting attended by Justice minister Ephraim Kamuntu, Attorney General (AG) William Byaruhanga, and officials from EC, the MPs are asked government to consider declaring a State of Emergency so that the polls, whose “credibility” is being threatened by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, can be postponed.
The committee chaired by West Budama South MP Jacob Oboth-Oboth was interacting with the minister, the AG and the EC officials led by their chairpe...
UGANDA: ‘I am not here to merely oppose Museveni but to stand for something’, says Kabuleta
Former sports journalist, turned evangelist, Joseph Kabuleta has said he has joined the presidential race not to merely oppose the incumbent, President Yoweri Museveni but rather to stand for something.
Kabuleta on Wednesday officially announced his presidential bid to change the status quo and oust Museveni from power in the forthcoming 2021 general election.
He joins a list of many other politicians including Kyadondo East Member of Parliament, Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, ANT’s Maj.Gen.Mugisha Muntu, controversial political commentator Charles Rwomushana and former Security Minister, Lt. Gen.Henry Tumukunde who have publicly declared interest to run for presidency.
When asked to comment on fronting a joint candidate in the forthcoming polls, Kabuleta said the op...
UGANDA: High Court judge shortlisted for ICC chief prosecutor job
High Court judge, Susan Okalany, has been shortlisted for the coveted job of the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague, Netherlands.
Justice Okalany is among the last four candidates shortlisted out of a total of 144 applicants.The shortlist was made by the committee on the election of the prosecutor of the Assembly of State parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC.
“The committee taking into account also of the views of the panel of experts, unanimously, agreed and is confident that each of the candidates proposed herein, not only meets the formal eligibility criteria of the Rome Statute, but also has the professional experience and expertise and the necessary personal qualities to perform the role of prosecutor,” the search committee wrote in...
UGANDA: 280 Ugandans expected to return from Dubai tomorrow.
The government has said the first batch of the stranded Ugandans in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are scheduled to return home tomorrow.
The 280 Ugandans are part of more than 1,000 Ugandans in the UAE who have registered to be repatriated.
Mr Zaake Wanume Kibedi, the Ugandan Ambassador in the UAE, said that those returning are majorly business people, those who were on transit, short stay visitors and some workers that have lost their jobs.He said there will be another flight in about three weeks’ time to pick the rest.
“I salute the patience exhibited by these stranded nationals here and commend the government for responding positively to the prayer to have them back,” he added.Two weeks ago, the stranded Ugandans in the UAE, in an online interaction with Mr Kibedi, decried th...
UGANDA: 92 Ugandans to return from UK today.
The Ugandan High Commission in London has successfully seen off a total of 92 Ugandan nationals and legal residents who have been stranded in the United Kingdom and Ireland following the closure of Entebbe airport due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
They are expected to land at Entebbe airport today at 5.00PM.
The commission coordinated their return aboard Ethiopian Airlines which is expected to arrive at E
Among some of the Ugandans returning from the United Kingdom are notable personalities such as Rwot David Onen Acana II, the Acholi Paramount Chief and Prof Francis Gervase Omaswa, the executive director of the African Centre for Global Health and Social Transformation (ACHEST),
Other categories of people including students, government officials, business people and others who ha...
UGANDA: Bomb mows two LDUs leaving six injured.
Two Local Defence Unit (LDU) trainees have been killed and six others injured by a bomb that was fired by their colleagues during a training exercise in Ruhengyere, Mbarara District.
According to sources, the rocket propelled bomb hit the LDUs who had taken defensive positions in the training camp on Monday morning.
Military sources had earlier told Daily Monitor that four had died and “many were injured” but the army spokesperson, Brig Richard Karemire, said two died and six were injured.
“This is one of the accidents that happen when our personnel are training and it is unfortunate that they have lost their lives in the process. Two died and six are nursing injuries. We have informed their immediate relatives and we shall be responsible for the burial of these people,” Brig Kar...
UGANDA: President Museveni’s jet bonded in the US amid the Virus Pandemic.
The State House Comptroller, Lucy Nakyobe,has revealed that covid19 pandemic has greatly affected the operations of State House like other sectors in the country hence incurring a lot of expenses.
Appearing before Parliament’s Accounts Committee to answer queries raised by the Auditor General in financial year 2018/19, Nakyobe said the presidential jet is stuck in the US where it had been taken for maintenance.
She told the committee that a lot of money has been spent to maintain the crew of the jet
“Our jet was out for maintenance in the US and the maintenance normally takes a month but because of the lockdown globally, it has taken four months and for all those months we have had to maintain our crew which is very costly,”she said.
She said State House has also incurred expe...
CORONAVIRUS: World Bank donates Shs1 trillion to Uganda to fight Covid-19.
The World Bank has approved $300 million (about Shs1.1trillion) budget to aid Uganda in fighting the coronavirus Covid-19.The money will be used “to boost the government’s capacity to prevent, detect and treat coronavirus, protect the poor and vulnerable population and support economic recovery,” the Bank announced Tuesday.
It said Uganda’s efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus had battered the country’s economy and was likely to send an extra 3.15 million citizens into poverty. Already, about 8.7 million Ugandans are living below the poverty line of less than two dollars a day.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the economy and livelihoods. This budget support operation will enable the Government to provide vital services, social safety nets and...
UGANDA: Government should honor radio and TV pledge.
News that government has no money and is fumbling to locate Shs300 billion for TVs to facilitate long-distance learning across Uganda is distressing (Govt has no money for TVs. This means the majority of nearly 15 million eager learners have their spirit dampened.
With more than three months into the coronavirus-forced lockdown, our rural school-going children have lost more than three months of learning and have gone rusty. This contrasts sharply with their counterparts in urban settings with more financially well off parents and guardians.
Moreover, these urban counterparts have easy access to Internet-driven learning media such as Zoom and TV channels. Yet such media are inaccessible or are unaffordable to the rural poor.
This poorly matched scenarios mean that while schools r...
UGANDA: Prof. Baryamureeba arrested for knocking pedestrian dead.
Police in Kampala has arrested former Makerere University vice-chancellor Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba for knocking a pedestrian dead and injuring another.
The incident according to the deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire happened on Wednesday afternoon at Kibuli-Muyenga junction, Makindye Division in Kampala.
“The vehicle registration number “U” being driven by Prof. Baryamureeba Venansius knocked two female pedestrians and a perimeter wall, killing one person on spot. The deceased was identified as Mariam Jagenda and her body was taken to Mulago City Mortuary for postmortem,” Owoyesigyire said.
The police publicist named the second victim as Mariam Namusoke
The second victim Namusoke Mariam is still admitted at Mulago hospital.
Owoyesigyire ...
UGANDA: Government dismisses Masaka Covid-19 Patients video in a fury.
A section of the public took to social media yesterday, criticising the Ministry of Health officials for looking on when hospitals abuse the rights of Covid-19 patients.Trouble started after ministry officials dismissed details in a video recorded by a asymptomatic nurse, who on behalf of other patients, denounced the horrid state of an isolation ward at Masaka hospital.The public accuses the ministry of refuting the claims instead of attending to the situation.
A one Blessings Geokel tweeted: “Stop playing the defence game, please take off your knees from our necks, Mama, we can’t breathe!”On Sunday, Ms Mary Aliona, a Covid-19 asymptomatic patient, admitted to Masaka hospital, asked government for help following the facility’s sorry state.Ms Aliona claimed the hospital does not have r...
UGANDA: Cabinet drafts new rules for parties.
A special Cabinet meeting chaired by President Museveni on Tuesday discussed and approved new regulations for the conduct of political parties during the Covid-19 pandemic.Justice minister Ephraim Kamuntu is expected to table the new draft regulations to Parliament today.
The government regulations seek to regulate the conduct of political parties and align their activities with the Public Health Act.
The draft regulations provide for several options which political parties may adopt in holding party meetings. The guidelines supplant party constitutions and will guide political parties to identify flagbearers ahead of the 2021 General Election.The new statutory instrument provides for virtual meetings for political parties, use of newspapers to circulate resolutions, phased election...
BREAKING: Another UPDF General passes on
RUKUNGIRI — Brig Gen. Victor Maregano Twesigye, Uganda’s Defence attaché to the India has died.
Tge Uganda People’s Defense Forces —UPDF sources, without giving details of his death have confirmed the news on Thursday July 2 morning.
UPDF Deputy Spokesperson, Lt. Col Deo Akiiki says the Brig Twesigye died on Thursday morning. He said the UPDF will issue a statement on the same.
“It is very true. You know we have lost two Generals this week! It is very very painful,” Lt. Col. Akiiki said on phone.
Brig Twesigye has served in New Delhi since 2016.
Unconfirmed sources say he died from Nyarushanje Kisiizi Rukungiri after he slid in the bathroom and died instantly on Thursday.
“He went to the village yesterday and this morning he slid in the bathroom while bathing and died in...
UGANDA: UCC suspends sim card registration for corporate bodies
Following allegations of fraud in Sim card registration, especially regarding corporate bodies, Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has temporarily suspended the sale of sim cards to companies, NGOs and public institutions pending investigations.
In a letter issued last week, the UCC Ag. Executive Director Irene Kaggwa Sewankambo directed all operators “to immediately suspend the sale of SIM cards to companies, Non-Governmental Organisations, Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government and any other unnatural persons.”
The suspension is to avert the risk of further breach of the law pending the conclusion of the ongoing investigations, Kaggwa Sewankambo wrote.
UCC has received complaints alleging failure and/or refusal by operators to adhere to the set SIM card registra...
UGANDA: President Museveni renews contracts of Court Martial members
KAMPALA – President Yoweri Museveni has renewed the tenures of the members of the General Court Martial under the leadership of Lt Gen Andrew Gutti.
Business at the Makindye-based Court Martial had come to a standstill following the expiry of the contracts of the court members. The one year contract of the court officers expired on June 9th, 2020.
But in a letter dated June 24, 2020, the President renewed the tenures of all court martial members.
“I hereby require the General Court Martial to convene and exercise its jurisdiction as under sub section 2 of section 197 of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces Act,” Mr Museveni letter reads in part.
The other court members include Maj. General Joseph Arocha, Lt Colonel Medard Bagambe, Captain Wilfred Karugwara, Lt. Faridah Amooti Ki...
UGANDA: MP Zaake drags police officers to court over torture allegations.
Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake has filed five charges against six officers he accuses of torture during his arrest in April this year.The officers include the Regional Police Commander Bob Kagalura, Mityana District Police Commander Mwine Mukono, one Amudan Twesigye and others involved in torturing him during his arrest on April 19, 2020 when he was arrested for allegedly distributing relief food to his constituents affected by the Covid-19 induced lockdown.
Through his lawyer, Mr Eron Kizza, the MP filed the case on Wednesday at Mityana chief magistrate court stating that he was subjected to torture by the officers from April 19 to 29."We have registered five counts; three of torture, one of unreasonable detention and another of disobedience of lawful orders," Mr Kizza said.Mr ...
UGANDA: MultiChoice reveals efforts to support global campaign on clumsy COVID-19 misinformation.
KAMPALA – The MultiChoice Group has unveiled another initiative in the fight against COVID-19.
The group has said it has become an official supporter of the United Nations’ global COVID-19 awareness campaign Pause which launched globally on Tuesday June 30.
The aim of the Pause campaign is to highlight the dangers of sharing false information related to COVID-19.
The campaign asks everyone to pause, think and take care before sharing information which could be inaccurate or misinformed and may have harmful effects.
“We are in a moment of global reckoning as COVID-19 and its social and economic consequences challenge the world in unprecedented ways.Misinformation, hate speech and fake news are fueling and distorting all of these challenges and eroding the truth. We are very exc...