Museveni among worst dictators

Kampala

Writing in the influential Foreign Policy magazine, Ghanian-born American Prof. George Ayitteh, listed 40 presidents, among them President Museveni, as the world’s “worst of the worst dictators”.

On Tuesday, the first day of nominations for presidential candidates, the article published in the June/August edition, became part of the 2011 election politics. Makindye East MP Michael Mabikke, current chair of the Inter-Party Cooperation and leader of the opposition Social Democratic Party, stirred the crowd at Nakivubo War Memorial Stadium by reading out this list.

The large crowd surged forward as Mr Mabikke reached Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez at number 17, and then roared as he declared: “At number nineteen, number nineteen is President Museveni.” The stage had been set for Forum for Democratic Change leader, Kizza Besigye.

http://www.monitor.co.ug/SpecialReports/Elections/-/859108/1041162/-/jkrb79/-/index.html

IPC, Suubi sign deal to reverse NRM policies

Suubi 2011, a Buganda pressure group and the opposition alliance(IPC)
signed a deal today, agreeing among other key policy issues to “reverse all NRM policies which were formulated and implemented with the sole intention of breaking up Buganda within the first year of assuming office,” in 2011.
Col. Kizza Besigye, the IPC flag bearer signed on behalf of his party FDC. The other party presidents of CP, SDP and JEEMA that make up the IPC, signed on behalf of their respective parties. Mulwanyamuli Ssemwogerere inked the deal on behalf of Suubi 2011 at Pope Paul memorial Hall.
Below is a copy of the signed deal.

THIS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING is made this 20th day of October, 2010 BETWEEN the INTER- PARTY COOPERATION (hereinafter called the “IPC”) of the one part and SUUBI 2011 (hereinafter called the “SUUB”) of the other part.
WHEREAS SUUBI is desirous of entering into a partnership with the IPC to further the objectives contained in Article 3 of the IPC Additional Protocol;-
WHEREAS the IPC has made the following undertakings on being elected to government;-
I. To respect the right of the people of Buganda and other regions throughout Uganda to enjoy, practice, maintain and promote their culture, cultural institutions and traditions
II. To implement a viable federal system of governance across Uganda by which power and resources shall be shared equitably between the regions and the Central Government so as to bring governance and services closer to the people in a meaningful way and to respect the views of Ugandans as expressed in the Odoki and Ssempebwa Commission Reports.
III. To restore to Buganda all of its expropriated properties -including its communal land (popularly known as “mailo akenda”) as well as to honour and pay all debts owed by the Central Government for the use of Buganda Kingdom’s properties over the years, within one year of assuming office.
IV. To reinstate CBS FM to the air waves in its original frequencies immediately upon assuming office or in any case not later than 30 days.
V. To reverse all NRM policies which were formulated and implemented with the sole intention of breaking up Buganda within the first year of assuming office AND  WHEREAS  the  IPC  has   no objections to SUUBI joining  the cooperation.



http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10613:ipc-suubi-sign-deal-to-reverse-nrm-policies&catid=34:news&Itemid=59

Ugandans have little trust in Police, says NGO report

Public trust in the Police  continued to slip,
 a new study on trends of crime victimisation and reporting has revealed.
The report titled, The Crime Victimization and Reporting Trends in Uganda, compiled by Human Rights Network (HURINET), also shows that unemployment is the leading cause of crime in Uganda.
HURINET coordinates the activities of different human rights organisations through sharing information and resources.
The report says the Police image has been dented largely by “wrong elements” in the force that engage in activities that are contrary to the law and code of ethics of the force hence giving it a negative image.”
The respondents also cited Police’s inability to respond quickly to crime and corruption and some external factors such as politicians and local leaders who portray the Police as ineffective.

http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10609&Itemid=59

Ritual murder cases hit snag, Police lose morale

Body parts used for catching fish
Several high profile ritual murder cases have either been shelved by the courts or dragged on long enough to offer suspects a window of opportunity to escape justice, The Observer has learnt.
Moses Binoga, commander of the anti-human sacrifice and trafficking task force, said in an interview on Monday that Police have successfully investigated many of the murders and files forwarded to the courts, but many of those cases have been shelved.
Once prosecution is too slow, Binoga says, a lot of things can happen. “In some of these cases witnesses die before the case is concluded, some of them change their minds and become hostile, others migrate,” he explained.
“So by the time you look for them, they are not there and cases end up failing. We are not happy about it and we have requested the Judiciary to take some of these cases as priority so that they are heard first.”
The Police have now compiled a list of “extreme cases of child abuse” that have been shelved or stalled.

http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10611:ritual-murder-cases-hit-snag-police-lose-morale&catid=34:news&Itemid=59

ICC and perverted justice in Africa

 

Last weekend, we celebrated 48 years of independence. Sadly, many Ugandans (and Africans generally) do not appreciate the political significance of this event largely because of the failures of post independence governments. The resultant frustration has given vent to sections of the international community, largely from the West, to seek to wrestle control of our affairs from African decision makers to international institutions.

http://www.independent.co.ug/index.php/the-last-word/the-last-word/3-the-last-word/3565-icc-and-perverted-justice-in-africa

Cabinet want to Remove and silence Kabaka.

Cabinet has approved a new proposed law to prohibit Kabaka Ronald Mutebi and other traditional leaders from engaging in politics. The decision was taken at a special sitting of the Cabinet chaired by President Museveni at his residence in Entebbe on Thursday.

According to a source, who attended the meeting, Cabinet unanimously approved a memorandum to table a Bill before Parliament seeking to enforce Article 246 of the Constitution that bars cultural leaders from politics.

“The Bill is ready and we unanimously concluded that never should any traditional leader participate in politics by either joining a party or taking sides,” said the source, who spoke to this newspaper on condition of anonymity because Cabinet proceedings are held in camera.

“This Bill is meant to catch one person, the Kabaka, who is the victim of this law because all other cultural leaders have not been getting involved in politics,” said the source.
Information Minister Kabakumba Masiko admitted in an interview that the Cabinet had discussed the issue but declined to offer specifics.

“Yes we discussed it. We discussed the paper and approved it so the Minister responsible is supposed to give drafting instructions to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice,” she said.

Article 246(e) states that a person shall not, while remaining a tradition leader or cultural leader, join or participate in partisan politics.

According to the source, the new Bill will detail penalties for those leaders who get political, the first of which is a “constitutional adjudication of his/her throne.”

“Any traditional leader who contravenes this law will be forced to renounce his/her throne,” said the source. “And the kingdom subjects will be requested to find a new leader.”

Security agencies are still bad boys.

The usual suspects: The country’s security agencies have been accused by the 2009 human rights report of torture, among other atrocities, with only two days to The African Human Rights Day. The Uganda Human Rights Commission report, released last Friday, says in spite of the existence of various accountability mechanisms for security agencies, they have continued to use unlawful force, illegal arrests and detentions, torture, killings, cruel and inhuman degrading treatment. The public funded commission noted that on several occasions, the security agencies unlawfully used force, which included shooting with live ammunition to disperse demonstrators. “This was especially the case during the riots in September (2009), which led to the death and injuries of several people. During these riots, the Police and Army used teargas and live bullets to disperse protesters. This resulted in 26 deaths and numerous injuries, some of which could have been caused by live bullets,” the report notes. Another example cited is a Special Police Constable who shot and killed two students at a school in Nakaseke. The students were demonstrating over the quality of meals they were served. The security agencies, particularly the Rapid Response Unit of the Police, the UPDF’s Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence, and the Joint Anti-Terrorism Squad were accused of violating the right to liberty. This right, according to the Constitution, states that a person that has been arrested or detained shall be brought to court as soon as possible but in any case not later than 48 hours from the time of his or her arrest. Security bosses such as Maj Gen Kale Kayihura, the Police boss, have argued severally that the 48 hours are not enough to carry out adequate investigations. However, during his critique of the report on Friday, Justice Vincent Kibuuka Musoke noted, “the law says that arrests must be made on reasonable suspicion.” But often, the Ugandan Police arrest first and then investigate later. “This explains the high number of suspects on remand,” Kibuuka Musoke said. He gave various examples of people whose rights to liberty have been violated. One case involved a woman who was held for several months without being charged simply because she was a wife to a suspected murderer. Another was of three men in Masaka who happened to have been inside a bar when another man kicked a waitress to death. The three men spent four years in jail without any charges ever being brought against them. “The Police need to do a lot in this area. Courts now are rejecting charge and caution statements made under detention,” he said. Gov't response The minister of Information, Kabakumba Matsiko, said government will come up with a position this week after the report has been internalised. The same view was shared by Army Spokesman, Lt Col Felix Kulayigye, while Maj Gen Kayihura didn’t answer our repeated calls. On torture, the report says several complaints have been made about the Police, UPDF, Prisons and ISO. “Some of the extreme cases resulted in loss of life. Complaints of allegations of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment constituted 31% of the total complaints received in 2009,” says the report. Most of the torture complaints were leveled against the Police (154), closely followed by UPDF (106). Those against RRU, the report says, more than doubled from 26 in 2008 to 55 in 2009. Complaints against ISO increased from 7 in 2008 to 11 in 2009, while those against CMI moved from 2 to 7 in 2009. Through civic education, victims are encouraged to challenge the security agencies in the UHRC tribunal. Consequently, the Attorney General’s office was ordered to pay Shs 325 million to victims of torture. The commission makes several recommendations, among them a law prohibiting torture. It also calls for compulsory human rights training for all security agencies. However, similar recommendations have been made yearly since the inception of the commission 12 years ago with little progress registered.

http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10562&Itemid=59

2011 Elections will be a cash race.

Big budgets are known to shape political campaigns and arguably election results – and this is not lost on the major political parties.

The Observer said that all major parties have drawn up ambitious budgets for the campaigns estimated in billions of shillings but they are still finding it difficult to raise the money.
NRM sources have told us that the party has tentatively budgeted for Shs 45 - 50 billion, the highest estimate amongst the parties. And this excludes the presidential candidate’s campaign. President Museveni’s budget is still confidential but we have been told that it is likely to be bigger than the Shs 15 billion he spent on his re-election campaign bid in 2006.

23 still denied bail a year later

23 still denied bail a year later.

A year after last year’s riots in Buganda in which at least 30 people died, 23 people are still languishing in prison following a refusal by the High Court to grant them bail.
The 23, facing terrorism charges for, among other accusations, burning the Nateete Police Station, are part of the estimated 150 people who were arrested countrywide in the wake of the September 2009 riots.
The riots followed government’s directive stopping the Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, from traveling to Kayunga, which falls in his kingdom.

Most of those arrested, according to Uthman Abubaker Mulindwa, a lawyer who defended them, have been released on bail, pending prosecution.
“Lack of prosecution is attributed to the fact that the state has failed to gather incriminating evidence against them,” he told The Observer.
The 23 still awaiting release were last denied bail on September 3 when High Court judge Benjamin Kabiito ruled that they could abscond from trial if released.
Kabiito encouraged them to be patient, saying they would soon have opportunity to defend themselves in court. He, however, couldn’t tell when their trial would commence, noting that it would depend on the discretion of the High Court registrar who determines when cases are heard.
“You shouldn’t be afraid; there is no need for anxiety. That is the best way of handling this issue.
You have to be patient as of now,”they committed the offences with others still at large.
Under the Anti-Terrorism Act, any person found guilty of the offence is liable to death.
 all men, were struggling to hold back tears.
To their guardians and relatives who had gathered at the court premises, the verdict ended hopes of a reunion with their dear ones.
“I need some time,” said a sobbing Nalongo Nalugo when asked for a comment. Her brother, Livingstone Jesero, is among the 23 terrorism suspects.
Nalugo attributes her brother’s arrest and continued incarceration to politics and envy among traders of Nateete market where she has a stall.
“People just came in asking for DP members and that is how he was arrested because he belongs to DP. Why did government allow political parties if they weren’t ready to tolerate divergent views?” she asked.
Before his arrest, Nalugo says, her brother had four children and a pregnant wife who has since given birth. “It is a struggle for me to look after them from my meagre earnings.”
Another relative who didn’t want to be named is worried that Jesero’s trial is not about to come. “They haven’t tried cases of 2006, how can they [look into] those of 2009?” he asked.
Sauda Namutebi, mother to Musa Ssenyondo, another suspect, wasn’t willing to discuss her son’s dilemma.
“I have always talked to journalists, but my son is still in jail; what do I gain by talking to you?” she asked.
She, however, narrated her problems, always having to travel from Butambala to Kampala each time her son appears in court.
“There was a time I came to Kampala three times a week.”
This is compounded by the fact that Ssenyondo was the breadwinner in the family.
“I am married but he was the one helping all of us,” she said.
Although Ssenyondo is comforted by her visits, Namutebi will soon stop visiting for lack of transport. On average, she spends Shs 20,000 each visit, yet she hardly earns a living.
The suspects’ lawyer, Mulindwa, laments that some of the suspects “have lost jobs or been told to stop working by their respective employers pending the decision of courts in respect of the accusations.”
He cites Evelyn Nakiryowa, Herbert Matsiko, Faruk Semakula and Phillip Mutyaba who are students and should be concentrating on their studies.

Unending agony

For those who lost loved ones in the riots, the agony persists. Following a story in The Observer that detailed the names and pictures of the deceased see The 30 who never survived the riots, October 30, 2009, a lawyer contacted their relatives, seeking compensation from the government.
He didn’t make headway. He told The Observer last week that he couldn’t proceed with the case because another lawyer, Ladislus Rwakafuzi, had already petitioned on their behalf.
Florence Namayanja, who lost her brother, Bruno Mayanja, says they provided all the requirements, including a death certificate, but nothing has been forthcoming.
A mother of two who runs a food kiosk in Katwe, Namayanja says she is unable to look after her brother’s children because of her meagre earnings.
“Customers are not coming; we serve food and people don’t come; it is a struggle,” she said.
She, however, says Mayanja’s widow, who at the time of his death wasn’t working, now also sells food, earning Shs 1,500 a day.
Rwakafuzi told The Observer that he has sought compensation for only two people - Abdullah Byabashaija who lost his wife, Stella Kabasinguzi, and another man who lost two sons.
However, even these cases haven’t progressed fast enough.
“We are at the mercy of judges, no new appointments are being made; the only appointments being made are of those that die or retire,” he said.

The 23 still in prison

1. KIKULWE PAUL
2. KAGGA GERALD
3. SEKABIRA ROBERT
4. MUSA SENGENDO
5. NSUBUGA KAMADA
6. LWANGA HAKIM
7. MUGISHA MUZAFARU
8. KIJJAMBU RICHARD
9. SEKYANZI JUMA
10. KIBUUKA ADAADI
11. SEMAMBO SAM
12. JESERO LIVINGSTONE
13. NTANZI KASSIM
14. BUYUNGO SADAT LUSWATA
15. GAFUMBA JOHN
16. ZINDA ROGERS
17. KATAMBA JOSEPH
18. MAGOBA SALIM
19. KAKEMBO BOB (minor)
20. MUJUNI ELISA
21. SEKATAWA MOHAMMED
22. NSUBUGA MEDDIE
23. MUTYABA BASHIR

DP claims 20 political murders in Mukono

DP claims 20 political murders in Mukono.

More than 20 people have been murdered in Mukono North Constituency in the past four months with the opposition DP claiming that the spate of killings is targeting its members.
DP President General, Norbert Mao, told The Observer in a phone interview last week that the murders are politically motivated.
“These murders are intended to intimidate the electorate. During the by-election, the Residential District Commissioner of Mukono, Maj. David Matovu, clearly stated that if people vote for DP’s Betty Nambooze, the district will be unstable, which is the case now. This statement was a clear and direct threat to people’s lives,” he said.
He added that the murders are intended to punish the electorate in Mukono for rejecting NRM’s candidate, Peter Bakaluba Mukasa.
Mukasa Mbidde, the DP Legal Advisor, said the murders are conducted by professional people. Calling for an investigation, he said the victims are mainly Baganda and staunch DP supporters.
A list of the victims that DP says are its members include Reagan Amanya of Bugoba zone, Moses Lubulwa of Ntinda in Seeta, Moses Muhumuza of Baggala zone in Seeta, Sekitoleko Segawa of Namyoya in Seeta, Nsubuga ( a former worker of UMEME) and a resident of Seeta, Peter Ntetuliye and Denis Ssenkumba of Bajjo in Seeta.
Others are Segujja of Kiwanga, Fred Sebufu of Nabuta, Munana Njini of Jjogo, one Julius of Seeta, Jackson Mukwaba of Gwaffu, John Nkugwa of Kiwango-Namwezi, Amos Kawoya of Nyanja in Bukerere, Senfuma of Nasuuti in Mukono, Nalongo Najjuma of Kikooza in Mukono, Baker Ekayu (student Kyambogo University) and resident of Wantoni in Mukono, and Dickson Sentongo, a journalist with Spirit FM who was killed in Natabulirwa.
DP also names Kajubi of Nabuti in Mukono, Mustafah Ssali of Kiwanga, Senfuka of Nabuti, Elias Musanje of Kigombya in Mukono, Kasumba of Nasuuti, Babirye Nazziwa and Grace Bizibu of Butebe zone in Mukono.
In a security meeting held at Nantabulirwa village on September 22, residents accused security agents of complicity in the murders. The district Zonal Intelligence Officer, Maj. Segujja, and area MP Betty Nambooze attended the meeting.
“These cadres used to warn Dickson Sentongo that he would be killed like a simple mosquito. It is a fact that some of us heard him screaming for help that fateful night as he mentioned the names of those who murdered him,” said Sheik Ibrahim Busulwa, a resident.
The residents claimed that Sentongo’s killers wore Police and military camouflage.

Uganda Open Secret

Uganda Open Secret on illegal  killings and Torture
Release Read the Report ISBN: 1-56432-467-2
Report Synopsis - 04/08/2009

Uganda: Charge or Release People Secretly Detained 

And secretly this way violates both Uganda's own laws and its international obligations ... report released in April, " Open Secret: Illegal Detention and Torture by the Joint Anti-terrorism Task Force in Uganda ," which detailed multiple abuses by the task force, including killings ...

News - 07/17/2009

Uganda: Appoint Special Coroner Into Detainee Death

, Open Secret, Prison and Jail Conditions, Torture, Uganda) ... ;quot; Open Secret ," documented numerous cases of illegal detention, torture, and some extra ... in December 2009 to seek a court order for an investigation under Uganda's Inquest Act. Four months ...

http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2009/04/08/open-secret-0

Uganda torture victims speak for out.
And You can lisen to story on Audio.

http://www.hrw.org/en/audio/2009/07/16/ugandan-torture-victims-speak-out

Ugandan Army takes Over Kampala City

Ugandans rise up and fight the Dictator. Yoweri Museveni Must GO!

In a Soldier's Footsteps part03 (uganda)

In a Soldier's Footsteps part04(uganda)

Can NRM hide the truth?Besigye on the trying moments of his trial

Besigye on the trying moments of his trial
Kampala

Many Ugandans know him as a forceful politician. Some have even dismissed his firebrand demeanor as that of a power hungry individual intending only to dislodge President Museveni for his selfish interests.

What most Ugandans, however, do not know about opposition Forum for Democratic Change -FDC - president, Dr Kiiza Besigye is that beneath the fiery persona is a quiet, humane and contemplative individual, whose tears have rolled down his cheeks many a time when his basic human instincts have gotten the better of him.

In an exclusive interview with Sunday Monitor, the grouchy-voiced politician for the first time speaks emotionally about his most painful moments during his trial on treason and a rape case that he says “fragrantly aggressed” his moral and ethical standing.
Although describing the recent dismissal of his treason case by the Constitutional Court as a courageous move by the judges, Dr Besigye says the rape trial was very painful from different perspectives.

Painful experience
“First of all, it was painful because my moral and ethical standing was being fragrantly aggressed when it was very clear that there was not even a slight basis for doing so and that is a source of pain to know that you are being treated in that way deliberately. It was quite painful,” he says. It was also painful to see a former National Resistance Army war veteran, Malita Namayanja, whom he said had “a parental kind of relationship” testify against him in the rape case against him in 2006.

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1034036/-/cmfj1mz/-/index.html

Kampala riot Uganda Kabaka

Museveni's Govern't Family Tree.

“Family Rule In Uganda: How The Museveni ‘Clan’ Runs Government”
in our Issue 050 of The Independent, only a small list of the president’s relatives in government was mentioned in the story. In this issue, we publish a bigger list of relatives and in-laws around the president or in high government positions.
Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho a.k.a Salim Saleh: He is President Museveni’s younger brother. Saleh is a retired bush war hero who still holds much influence in the military and security. Until last month’s cabinet reshuffle, he had been Minister of State for Micro-finance. He is now a senior presidential advisor on defence.

Janet Kataha Museveni: She is the president’s wife, MP for Ruhaama County and also Minister of State for Karamoja Affairs. She wields a lot of influence among NRM MPs in Parliament. She has recently been stepping out of the shadow of her husband. During the Temangalo land scandal, she demanded Security Minister Amama Mbabazi’s resignation or refund of the Shs11 billion irregularly taken out of NSSF coffers by the Mbabazi group.

Maj. Bright Rwamirama: He is the State Minister for Agriculture in charge of Animal Husbandry, and also MP for Isingiro North. Rwamirama is a cousin to Museveni and although the two had bitter disagreements especially after Museveni ordered his arrest in the early ‘90s on allegations of causing financial loss to the army, they are still close. He was at the time financial controller of the NRA now renamed UPDF. The two have since reconciled. Rwamirama is said to be very rich and wields a lot of influence in Isingiro district.

Shedrack Nzeire: He is Museveni’s step-brother.  He is currently involved in youth mobilisation at State House although his docket is not very clear. He contested for the Nyabushozi seat in 2001 parliamentary elections and lost narrowly to Mary Mugyenyi. He has his eyes on it again, come 2011.

Miriam Karugaba: A sister to the president, she is employed as an administrator at State House.

Faith Katana Mirembe: She is a cousin to President Museveni and is also employed as his assistant private secretary in charge of Education and Social Services.

Amelia Kyambadde: She is the Principle Private Secretary (PPS) to the president. The grand-daughter of Maj. Murari Kafureka, a former airforce officer during Amin’s regime, she is related to the president through Sam Kutesa. Her cousin (their mothers are sisters) Albert Muganga marries Kutesa’s daughter Ishta who is a sister to Charlotte Kutesa, the wife of President Museveni’s son Muhoozi.

IN THE MILITARY

Lt. Col. Muhoozi Keinerugaba: He is the president’s eldest son and is currently the commander of Special Forces under the Presidential Guard Brigade. He has gone through accelerated promotions to reach his current rank. His influence in the UPDF is palpable, with officers aligned to him emerging at the helm of the army over the last few years.

Maj. Sabiiti Magyenyi: He is a cousin to President Museveni and hails from Mbarara district. He is currently the overall commander of the elite Presidential Guard Brigade. Sabiiti is said to belong to the young generation of educated professionals who joined the army because of the Muhoozi influence. He abandoned his PhD in Bio-chemistry studies at a UK university to join the army. His star is rising – fast.

Col. Kateera: A cousin of Janet Museveni, he is currently second in command at the Gulu-based 4th Division. Kateera once served in the “lucrative” finance department of the army. He also served as the intelligence officer (IO) in PGB.   

Lt. Allan Matsiko: Is the Counter Intelligence Officer at State House. He is a brother to Albert Muganga, Amelia Kyambadde’s cousin, and also husband to Sam Kutesa’s daughter Ishta.

THE IN-LAWS

Maj. Gen. Jim Muhwezi: This bush war hero and Rujumbura MP is an in-law to the Musevenis; his wife Susan is a cousin to Janet Museveni and also acts as the Senga to Museveni daughters. Muhwezi publicly fell out with Museveni over the GAVI and Global Funds money.

Susan Muhwezi: Not only is she wife to the powerful and rich Maj. Gen. Muhwezi, she is the presidential assistant on the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA), a programme of the US government to encourage African  countries to access the American markets. This project is currently under State House, but has terribly failed.    

Justus Karuhanga: He is a cousin to Janet Museveni. He is a legal aide to President Museveni. This young man in his early 30s replaced Hussein Kashillingi when the latter left State House after allegations of abuse of office last year.

John Wycliffe Karazaarwe: He is a cousin to Janet Museveni and is the Ntungamo district chief. He has dominated this district since it was carved out of Bushenyi and Mbarara in the early 90s.

Sam Kutesa: Currently minister for Foreign Affairs, Kutesa is the father-in-law to the president’s son Muhoozi and an in-law to President Museveni himself. His late wife Jennifer was a cousin to Janet Museveni.

Brig. Henry Tumukunde: Until recently, Tumukunde enjoyed all the trappings of the family rule. He is married to Stella Tumukunde, a cousin to Janet Museveni. Although he is now not on talking terms with his former boss, pundits say that Tumukunde is under rehabilitation and sooner or later he will bounce back. He once headed the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) and Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI).

Elly Rwakakooko: He is a cousin to Janet Museveni.  Rwakakooko was at one time commissioner-general of Uganda Revenue Authority, managing director of Uganda Commercial Bank which was later sold to Stanbic Bank. He was also chairman of UCB. However, he seems to be currently out of favour with the first family; he holds no public job.

Moses Byaruhanga: He is the all-powerful presidential assistant on political affairs. He is married to Janet Museveni’s cousin. Byaruhanga is not a mere presidential assistant but a king maker in this regime. Vice President Prof. Gilbert Bukenya once confessed how it was Byaruhanga who made him what he is today; that all his political fortunes were because of Byaruhanga. Most people who are offered political office in President’s Office or State House, first get Byaruhanga’s endorsement.

Hope Nyakairu: She is a cousin to Janet Museveni and is under-secretary for finance and administration at State House. She is in charge of the money and those who work in State House say she wields more clout than the State House comptroller Richard Muhinda.

Jolly Sabune: She is a cousin to Janet and is the long serving managing director of the Cotton Development Authority. The cotton sector has crumbled under her watch. She is virtually inaccessible by the public, brooches no media interviews and has no apologies for that.

Natasha Museveni Karugire: She is President Museveni’s eldest daughter and is currently a presidential assistant in charge of household at State House, Entebbe.

Dr Joseph Ekwau: The son of Museveni’s sister, Dr Violet Kajubiri, is a presidential advisor on veterinary issues.

Alice Kaboyo. Until recently when she was embroiled in the Global Fund money scandal, she was a presidential assistant in charge of youth in the President’s Office. She is a cousin to Janet Museveni.  

Richard Kabonero. He is the elder brother to Bob Kabonero, the Kampala Casino honcho. He is a cousin to Janet Museveni, and currently Uganda’s ambassador to Rwanda. 

Jimmy Karugaba: He is husband to the president’s sister Miriam Karugaba (therefore Museveni’s brother-in-law). He is the officer-in-charge (OC) of the accounts department at State House.

IN BUSINESS

Edwin Karugire: He marries Museveni’s eldest daughter Natasha. He is into real estate and handles many government contracts. He handled the sale of former assets of Uganda Railways Corporation and was also part of the legal team privately hired by the State to prosecute FDC president Dr Kizza Besigye in the PRA treason case in 2006. The Karugire team was paid Shs2.5 billion.

Odrek Rwabwogo: He marries Museveni’s second daughter Patience. While he has no clear government appointment, his public relations company, Terp Consult, has got many lucrative contracts from government, the most prominent being the US$1 million ‘Gifted By Nature’ CNN marketing campaign. He also was awarded the 2007 CHOGM communication and publicity contract which he handled with Saatchi & Saatchi company.  His wife Patience runs a high class Pentecostal church called Covenant of Apostles of God, at their Buziga home in Kampala.

Geoffrey Kamuntu: He is a son-in-law to Museveni (married to the president’s third daughter Diana) and owns a procurement firm that does consultancy work for the oil explorers in the Albertine region. He is alleged to have key interests in the Heritage Oil Company, one of the companies doing oil exploration in the region.  He also benefited from the Butabika Hospital land bonanza (giveaways).    

Bob Kabonero: The Kampala Casino proprietor is a cousin to Janet Museveni. Bob has many businesses in the country. He recently won exclusive rights to import dry cell Tiger batteries from China, in effect throwing out any other importer in Uganda. Traders almost went on strike over the deal.   

Hannington Karuhanga: He is the chairman of UGACOF, a leading coffee exporting company and a director in Stanbic Bank. He is cousin to Janet Museveni.

Don Nyakairu:  He is the corporation secretary of Uganda Telecoms Ltd and marries Janet Museveni’s cousin Hope Nyakairu who is the under-secretary for finance and administration at State House.

Albert Muganga: He is related to the president’s family through marriage. Him and the president’s son Muhoozi marry sisters (Ishta and Charlotte respectively), daughters of Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa. Their mother, the late Jennifer Kutesa, was a cousin of First Lady Janet Museveni. He is in import/export business and in 2008 his company Kenlloyds Logistics was awarded exclusive rights to manage the country’s oil reserves in Jinja. The contract was cancelled after protests from big oil companies like Shell, Caltex and TOTAL.

Jovia Saleh: A wealthy business lady, she is wife to Gen. Salim Saleh, the younger brother to Museveni. She is into real estate and a host of other businesses. She was implicated in the UN Congo Report by the panel of experts investigating the plunder of DR Congo resources.

Kellen Kayonga: She is the younger sister to Jovia Saleh and therefore a sister-in-law to Gen. Saleh. She is an accomplished business lady; she recently won the lucrative deal of exporting security guards to the troubled Iraq through a security company, Askar. There has been a lot of criticism about her deal by many of her employees claiming that her company is creaming off the larger chunk of their earnings leaving them with piecemeal payments at every end of month.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVYu-rzf_LE

Museveni is a war criminal

Government sells prison land.

Government sells 250 acres of prison land at Shs1.2m

 When will Government corruption end?

The government is once again in the spotlight over questionable sale of land in Jinja to private investors—at a laughable price. Kirinya Government Prisons land on the shores of Lake Victoria was parcelled out to investors at Shs5,000 an acre reportedly on the President’s directives.

The entire piece fetched Shs1.2m. Brokers Daily Monitor spoke to yesterday said land in the area goes for Shs20m an acre on the open market.

 

Sale of Mabira forest.

Mabira forest giveaway.

Cabinet has agreed to give away part of Mabira forest for sugar cane growing.

The Mabira Forest is a rainforest area covering about 300 square kilometres (120 sq mils) in Uganda, located in the Mukono District between Kampala and Jinja. It has been protected as Mabira Forest Reserve since 1932

Destruction (Deforestation plans)

The Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited (Scoul), owned by the Mehta Group, planned to clear one-third of the Mabira Forest (around 70 km²) for sugarcane plantations, and had proposed to the government to de-notify and transfer this land.

President Yoweri Museveni and his cabinet supported this plan.
The deforestation plans were disputed within Uganda. While environmentalists feared the loss of hundreds of endangered species, increased erosion, the damage of livelihoods of local people and negative impacts on water balance and regional climate.

 "supporters hoped for money".
 A cabinet paper said the plan would generate 3,500 jobs and contribute 11.5 billion Ugandan shillings to the treasury.

The Kabaka (King) of Buganda opposed the deforestation plan and has offered alternative land for sugarcane production.

The Anglican church of Mukono has also offered land.

At several people were killed during a demonstration of about 1,000 for the protection of the Mabira Forest. There were also riots against Asians, since the Mehta Group is Indian-owned.

President Museveni defended the deforestation plans, saying that he shall ”not be deterred by people who don't see where the future of Africa lies”.

"Is this really the right future for our County?"