Besigye bags democratic union seat

SOURCE: THE DAILY MONITOR, 16 NOVEMBER 2011

Kampala

The Forum for Democratic Change president, Dr Kizza Besigye, has been elected the vice chairman of International Democratic Union (IDU), a global association of centre-right political parties.

FDC was also officially admitted as a new member of IDU during a two-day London conference that ended last week. The association has 70 centre and centre-right political parties from 56 countries worldwide.
Dr Besigye and the chairman of Ghanaian New Political Party, Mr Peter Mac Manu, were the only African political party leaders elected to senior positions.

According to the statement issued by IDU, the IDU Chair was retained by Mr John Howard, Australia’s former Prime Minister.
Members are admitted based on their convictions to fight for liberty, freedom, equality and development.

Protests erupt over Umeme blackouts

SOURCE: THE DAILY MONITOR, 16 NOVEMBER 2011

Police clear the road of paper. PHOTOs BY ISAAC KASAMANI & STEPHEN WANDERA 

IN SUMMARY

Traders countrywide, who mainly depend on electricity, say their businesses are on the verge of collapse due to power blackouts.

Kampala

Traders operating on Nasser and Nkrumah roads in Kampala, yesterday blocked several roads in the central business district protesting the 24-hour load-shedding schedule.

Police now fear the protests could spread to other areas of the country. Similar protests broke out in Lira last Friday, when residents organised peaceful demonstrations to show anger over the continued power outages.

In September, Kisenyi traders also staged demonstrations when Umeme announced there would be a 12-hour load-shedding. Subsequently, load shedding continued to fluctuate between the 12 and 24-hour blackout schedules.

However, the return to a full 24-hour load-shedding was again announced by Umeme last week prompting the angry response from traders whose businesses have been paralysed.

Umeme, however, said the problem set in after owners of thermal generators stopped supplying power to the national grid. Consequently, several business people, especially those that depend on power, countrywide say their businesses are on the verge of collapse.

Machines guttedSeparately, Umeme yesterday said the current load-shedding will go on until alternative power sources are fixed. The Umeme outage manager, Ms Florence Nsubuga, made the disclosure at a press conference in Kampala, hours after the protests erupted.

Ms Nsubuga said load-shedding is as a result of fire outbreak that gutted the machines at Mutundwe power substation four days ago which left most of their power machines damaged which supply power to other parts of the city.

Ms Nsubuga said Umeme has lost at least 80 megawatts from the weekend damage which has been causing the inconsistencies in power stability. She said the company has devised some ways of handling the power blackout, such as using other power substations at Lugogo, Kitante, and Kisugu Service Centre to reduce on the load-shedding problem, at least by next week.

MPs in mid-August asked the government to terminate the Umeme contract but if the move is effected this year, it would require payment of Sh421b to Umeme. But the director of Privatisation Unit, Mr David Ssebabi, yesterday defended the concession to Umeme.

“It is a good deal. Our understanding and our effort was to get the best deal for Uganda,” Mr Ssebabi told the parliamentary Ad hoc Committee that is currently probing the inefficiencies in the power sector.

Traders Riot Over Lack of Electricity

Picture Of The Day: Traders Riot Over Lack Of Electricity

SOURCE: THE RED PEPPER, 16 NOVEMBER 2011

A trader displays a placard on Nasser Road that reads ‘’we are tired of darkness’’. This was during a demonstration by Traders on both Nkurumah and Nasser streets over 24hr load shading schedule that was introduced my UMEME on Tuesday.

Traders rioting over power

Police stands guard of a bonfire lit by angry traders

Protests at persistent load shedding

Magistrate orders Kayihura to shut up over FDC treason case

Maj. Gen. Kayihura has been criticised for making comments on a pending case. 

IN SUMMARY

Undermined. Mr Ssewanyana says police action tried to undermine the constitutional right to a fair trial which is being promoted and supported through a court process.

Human rights activists last evening welcomed court’s decision barring police chief Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura from commenting on an ongoing treason case in which members of the FDC have been remanded in connection with the walk-to -work protests.

More than three weeks ago, FDC women league leader Ingrid Turinawe, Mr Sam Mugumya, a political assistant to party leader Kizza Besigye and Francis Mwijukye, the head of the FDC youth wing, were remanded over charges of alleged treason.

Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court Charles Sserubuga yesterday ordered Maj. Gen. Kayihura to stop commenting on the case.

His order followed a petition by counsel for the defence that he and other officers have been going around publicly purporting to have evidence pinning the accused, which they said was not right because this prejudices the proceedings.

“The court is right in its decision. It is good for the rule of law,” said Mr Livingstone Ssewanyana, the executive director of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI), a body that has separately petitioned the Constitutional Court challenging the treason case preferred against the suspects. Mr Ssewanyana added: “The right to freedom of expression is not absolute; one of the grounds to restrict it is when a matter is before court. The decision is trying to protect the parties before court from being adjudged unfairly due to undue influence of public opinion.”

According to Mr Ssewanyana, the police action was trying to undermine the constitutional right to a fair trial which is being promoted and supported through a court process.

“We are always mindful of the sub judice rule that is why it is very hard to for us to simply comment.”But Police spokesperson Judith Nabakooba yesterday said the accusations against the Force were baseless.

“Much as the court has ordered so, we respect the court process more than anybody,” she added.

Magistrate Sserubuga, in his order, said: “This is a high profile case with a lot of public interest therefore the police chief should act like a professional lawyer because he knows the law very well. He should stop making comments on a case still pending in court,” Mr Sserubuga said.

Mr Sserubuga’s order also included instructions to the state to speed up investigations and have the accused persons committed to the High Court by November 28. He remanded the suspects to the same date.

Ms Turinawe; Mr Mugumya and Mr Mwijukye are part of 15 opposition members who allegedly mobilised the launching of simultaneous riots countrywide until government is overthrown.

Monitor’s Githinji Axed Over Besigye Coverage

SOURCE: THE RED PEPPER, 15 NOVEMBER 2011

Gitahi Githinji

Giatahi Githinji was last week reportedly shown the exit and highly placed sources in State House say it were orders from above after media mogul Aga Khan was arm-twisted into swinging the axe at the Namuwongo based newspaper.

The newspaper confirmed the development in their Saturday edition by publishing that  “The Monitor Publications Limited has changed the face of its top management, with Dr Simon Kagugube as new board chairman and Alex Asiimwe as the new managing director,” Monitor reports. “Dr Kagugube replaces Dr Martin Aliker, who has been chairman for more than 10 years, while Mr. Asiimwe takes over from Dr Gitahi Githinji, who asked to retire.”

Sources now intimate that “Museveni reportedly complained to Aga Khan during the presidential campaign season in January that Monitor was offering overwhelming media coverage to opposition leader Col. Kizza Besigye.

The President also complained that the paper was shunning NRM campaigns. “They enlarge photographs of Besigye’s campaigns on the front page,” the big man reportedly complained.

Kayihura re-appointed after apology

SOURCE: THE DAILY MONITOR, 10 NOVEMBER 2011

Inspector general of police Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura telling MP Theodore Ssekikubo of the ‘fire’ he went through when he appeared before a parliamentary committee on appointment to renew his contract.

The Appointments Committee yesterday approved Police chief Maj. Gen. Edward Kale Kayihura’s re-appointment on a three-year contract after he reportedly apologised for the excesses of a Force he has led for six years.

The ruling-party-dominated committee chaired by Speaker Rebecca Kadaga grilled the Police chief for more than three hours mainly about gross violations of human rights and corruption in the Force.

But following in-house deliberations, the lawmakers later agreed that he be allowed a new contract after the Army General reportedly apologised for the brutal clampdown on civil liberties, promising improvements. “He had to apologise for spraying the Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP) and other opposition members with pink water,” a source said, quoting him saying: “I confess I am sorry”.

Maj. Gen. Kayihura was reportedly reminded about a recent incident in the House when LoP Nandala Mafabi tabled his soiled suits and underwear as an example of police brutality. “A number of reservations were raised but these didn’t stop us from approving him,” a source said shortly after the committee meeting ended at 7:30pm. “It was a unanimous vote. Even the opposition members like the Leader of Opposition, Nandala Mafabi and Mathias Mpuuga who sit on the committee, approved him but blamed other police officers like Grace Turyagumanawe and others for denting the image of police.”

According to sources, Maj. Gen. Kayihura reportedly apologised for “mistakes committed by the bad apples within the Force” and said that some of the mistakes are not the making of the police but political. He promised to change the situation. “We have put it to him that there is a problem in Police which needs urgent attention and we are going to raise the same concerns with the President in our report to him” a committee source said.

“The problem with police is brutality and gross violation of human rights. We have lost many innocent Ugandans including babies. We have reminded him about Ugandans who have died at the hands of the Police and infiltration of the Force by other security organs.”

A few minutes after 6pm, Gen. Kayihura emerged from the vetting room looking tired. “I have answered all questions put to me to the best of my ability and I leave the outcome in their hands,” Gen. Kayihura said. He also told journalists that some of the members were concerned about police discipline. “There are some mistakes here and there but we shall always try to rectify them,” he said.Another committee members said: “He took long in the Committee because his answers were long, but the good thing with him he was confident” a source said. “But the good thing with him he apologised for the mistakes and promised to ensure that mistakes are not repeated.”

In a report released in March, Human Rights Watch accused the police’s Rapid Response Unit of frequently operating outside the law, carrying out torture, extortion, and in some cases, extra-judicial killings. Amnesty International also recently strongly criticised police excesses.

But in his response, Gen Kayihura who at first looked uncomfortable taking questions from the journalists said he would engage the Amnesty International to discuss the matters they always raise about human rights, like he has done with the Human Rights Watch. “We shall also work towards promoting better welfare to our policemen at family level,” he said.

President Museveni’s re-appointment of Gen. Kayihura, who he has in the past praised as a cadre of the ruling NRM party, attracted criticism from politicians and rights activists over growing brutality and human rights abuses by what they said was an increasingly militarised police, particularly in dealing with government’s critics and opponents.