UPDF gang-raping a 27-year-old woman on New-Year’s day

Sunday, 13th February, 2011

UPDF soldiers from the 13th battalion of the 3rd Division in Moroto raped a 27  year -old woman on new years day.

UGANDA ELECTIONS: Opposition calls for peaceful protests

DEMO CALL: Dr Besigye (L) and Mr Otunnu at the press conference in Kampala where they called for peaceful demonstrations to push the government into organising fresh elections.  

At a media conference which began at noon today, opposition leaders Norbert Mao (DP), Dr Kizza Besigye (FDC/IPC) and Olara Otunnu (UPC) have announced that they have decided to lead a popular uprising with peaceful protests against Mr Yoweri Museveni’s government whose re-election for a fourth term they contest.

Between Friday last week and today, the leaders including Mr Samuel Lubega who ran as an independent, have denounced the election as having been a sham fraught with voter bribery, outright and widespread vote rigging and intimidation by the security services including the army.

Along with two other candidates, Beti Kamya of the Uganda Federal Alliance and Jaberi Bidandi Ssali of the People’s Progressive Party, they have refused to recognise what they describe as Mr Museveni’s  illegitimate government.

In the weeks leading up to the February 18 election, Mr Museveni promised to crush any political protests against the outcome of a now disputed election. As the country goes through the election cycle with local government polls currently underway, a heavy and suffocating military presence can be felt across Uganda’s urban centres with motorised and foot patrols of police and soldiers very visible.

Force threats
Information minister Kabakumba Matsiko told Daily Monitor that the government is well-equipped to quash any opposition uprising. “Their call is of no consequence because we shall easily suppress them,” Ms Kabakumba said yesterday.

In a joint statement read to the press and supporters after a meeting in Kampala yesterday, Dr Kizza Besigye (FDC/IPC), Olara Otunnu (UPC), Mr Matthias Nsubuga representing party president Norbert Mao (DP) and independent candidate Walter Sam Lubega repeated the accusation that the presidential election was a “big sham”.

The four, who alongside another candidate, Jaberi Bidandi Ssali, have previously said they will not recognise the new government to be sworn-in, in May, said other constitutional options in the quest for democracy have failed.

“It is now clear that Ugandans cannot advance democracy through elections, the courts or Parliament under Mr Museveni and the NRM leadership,” said Dr Besigye reading from the statement.
“We have explored several constitutional options with no success … The only option left, that is allowed by the Constitution and which is peaceful to challenge the results of this sham election, is for the people to assert their sovereign power under Article 1 of the Constitution.”

On Sunday, the Electoral Commission declared Mr Museveni winner of last Friday’s poll with 68 per cent. Closest challenger Dr Besigye trailed at 26 per cent. Mr Museveni has threatened to jail any opposition politician who incites unrest, as well as any individual who attempts to demonstrate against the results.

But the four former presidential candidates have appealed to Ugandans to take to the streets, and also asked opposition leaders in the districts to organise peaceful rallies in support of the call for fresh elections.

“The time is now for the people of Uganda to rise and peacefully protest against the outcome of the 2011 elections and demand that no further fraudulent local government elections be conducted by the existing partisan EC,”

Dr Besigye said. “We reject any government that may be formed out of these sham elections and demand that an independent, competent and representative EC, composed through criteria agreed by all stakeholders be established.”

Democracy stifled
The opposition leaders accused Mr Museveni and the NRM party of stifling multiparty democracy in Uganda. Together, they are criticised for standing in the way of constitutional and legal reforms “through reckless misuse of their parliamentary majority”.

The statement observed that, “For the last two decades, the people of Uganda, through their opposition political parties and civil society have been in the protracted struggle for a peaceful and genuine democracy. At every turn the NRM and Mr Museveni have been obstacles to the people’s aspirations. Even when he was prevailed upon by internal and external forces to embrace multiparty politics, Mr Museveni did so reluctantly and continues to undermine its genuine operation.

It additionally makes the point that Ugandans’ participation in the last four general elections has been frustrated by the NRM and Mr Museveni who jointly “subverted the will of the people through cheating and violating their human rights.”

The statement spoke of the opposition’s and civil society’s filing of numerous court cases in a bid to bring about political reforms. But that these efforts were frustrated when court either dismissed them “on questionable grounds or are still not yet heard and concluded”.

Mr Lubega, who criticised the international community after they “quickly endorsed a fraudulent election”, said it was time for Ugandans to assume their constitutional responsibilities. “No matter the amount of intimidation, no matter what amount of soldiers Mr Museveni will deploy, the people of Uganda remain the most powerful,” Mr Lubega said.

Mr Otunnu said since democratic change of government under the current rules, structures and processes is now impossible, Ugandans should “step outside the system and confront Museveni on their own terms.”

“We can choose to remain slaves in our own country, we can choose to be subjugated by Mr Museveni, we can choose to remain subjects or we can choose to remain owners of our country, to be citizens or to be masters of our land.”
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1114440/-/c4krwyz/-/index.html

EC should resign

Throw out Sematimba, rivals demand

SERIOUS? Comedian Paddy Bitama speaks at Mr Lukwago’s press conference in Kampala yesterday as Betty Nambooze, Moses Kasibante, Lukwago and Ssemujju Nganda look on. PHOTO BY ISAAC KASAMANI 

National Resistance Movement Kampala mayoral candidate, Peter Sematimba could be kicked out of the race if the demand for his disqualification by all candidates is accepted. The Local Government Act under which this election was held states that any person who interferes with a ballot box, ballot documents or any other property in use or intended to be used for the purpose of an election shall be disqualified from standing or participating in an election for a period of not less than three years.
This law also stipulates more punishments like imprisonment not exceeding three years, and payment of a specific fine.

The candidates yesterday demanded Mr Sematimba’s disqualification, accusing him of masterminding the chaos and rigging that led to the cancellation of their polls.

Threats to pullout
“That is the thuggery that he will take to Kampala City Council and corruption will eat us the more. We don’t want him in the race anymore, us the innocent ones should continue,” said Ms Sandra Ngabo Katebalirwe (independent).

“The EC should apologise for the mess. They can’t disown ballot papers and ballot boxes, is there anyone with a master copy of the ballots?”said Capt. Francis Babu (independent). “We want to see the EC follow laws to the letter.”

Capt. Babu also alleged that a very senior ruling party official and other people met in a Kampala hotel on the eve of elections where they plotted how to buy off all the presiding officers.
“God talks through people, the man cheating has been exposed,” Capt. Babu said.
“Sematimba should be disqualified and compelled to apologise to people of Kampala for taking them for granted,” Capt. Babu said. “Our democratic process has been adulterated and dishonoured. Sematimba should be barred from engaging in active politics in this country for at least 10 years,” he insisted.

Ballot boxes seized from different polling areas around the city with ballots pre-ticked in Mr Sematimba’s favour sparked the chaos which forced the EC to cancel the whole process yesterday.
Mr Sematimba, however, denied any involvement. “This could have been done by my opponents to discredit me,” he said. “All my opponents should join me, police and the EC to investigate the cause and the guilty ones should be dealt with.”
The pre-ticking, suspected to have taken place in the wee hours of Wednesday morning came to the fore as voters turned up at the official opening timeof 7pm only to find ballot boxes full.
The mayoral candidates also cast blame on the EC and questioned the integrity of the just-concluded presidential and parliamentary polls in light of the shocking turn of events which transpired in the city yesterday.
“The EC hasn’t told us where the ballots came from. We are not sure if the February 18, general elections weren’t also done like this,” Ms Ngabo said.
Another independent candidate, Mr Erias Lukwago, who is the outgoing MP for Kampala Central, also asked that all his agents who have been arrested be set free unconditionally.

EC should resign.
He demanded for resignation of the EC “because we are not sure the presidential polls weren’t rigged the same way.”
“This (rigging of elections) is the very reason that took Mr Museveni to the bush. We have seen the same stuff today. We need a free and fair poll not such vote thuggery,” Mr Lukwago said.
Electoral Commission officials, however, pleaded for understanding.
“What you can blame us on is failure to employ Angel Gabriels who can’t be corrupted to preside over the polls,” Mr Sam Rwakoojo, the EC secretary, said.
Deputy EC boss Joseph Biribonwa, who supervises Kampala electoral area, earlier in the day while announcing the cancellation accused his polling officials of conniving with candidates to stuff ballots and have an early start of polling hence violence.
He also said some other polling officials didn’t witness the opening of the exercise because it started earlier than normal.
Mr Biribonwa was, however, reluctant to delve into details of where the materials which arrived abnormally early came from when the storage is always done at the police stations.
“There has been a high degree of connivance of polling officials with candidates, we don’t know what time the stuffing took place, but the whole process is cancelled,” Mr Biribonwa said.
He added that the police will take up the matter and investigate how the leakage happened.
Inter-Party Cooperation candidate Micheal Mabikke, who also accused rival Lukwago of being part of the confusion, said he was pleasantly surprised by the EC’s reaction.
“Time and again we have raised complaints with the commission and they refuse to act. That they have acted comes as a surprise,” Mr Mabikke said.
“It’s a pity that Sematimba and Lukwago have decided to behave like that. They should actually be disqualified. They should not be allowed to stand again,” he said.

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1113948/-/c4ldbmz/-/index.html

Govt moves to prevent Libya effect

The state-owned public broadcaster, Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), has been barred from airing any coverage of the ongoing public protests in Libya and a number of other North African and Maghreb countries, The Observer can exclusively report.
Protests in this oil-rich desert country, with longstanding relations with Uganda, broke out on February 14, but gained momentum on February 17 after the government’s brutal intervention, in which hundreds of people were killed.
The gag order, according to impeccable sources within UBC, came down from the corporation’s managing director, Edward Musinguzi Mugasa, sometime in the afternoon of Sunday, February 20, as the Electoral Commission prepared to announce the official results of the presidential elections.
The explanation accompanying the order, our sources say, was that news stories, and most particularly video footage, from these countries could incite riots in Uganda.

Mugasa could not be reached for comment, but the corporation’s spokeswoman, Jane Kasumba, denied knowledge of any such directive.
“That is not true. UBC airs all the stories that are necessary and that we can,” she told The Observer on phone on Tuesday.
Kasumba explained that with the elections season, they had changed the focus and way of reporting their stories to give more prominence to Ugandan human interest stories, leaving most international news to be carried by channel France 24, usually after midnight.
Informed about the fact that since the order was released on Sunday the station has not carried any stories on protests in Libya, which is currently the top news item all over the world, she insisted that this was not true.
The Observer, however, has it on good authority from people in charge of lining up the news at UBC that there has been no story carried from North Africa since Sunday.
The order, our sources say, was verbal and passed on to the editors and anchors who were slated to work that evening and who, in turn, were supposed to pass it on to whichever shift would replace them.
As such, there has been renewed shock and surprise as every other news team has had the order literally cast at them by their peers, either some moments before the start of, or during their shifts.
In each of these cases, editors, and particularly anchors, have responded with indignation. In an informal meeting in the newsroom on Tuesday, tempers flared among reporters and news anchors, many of whom expressed feelings that the directive did not make sense.
“How credible does this leave us as UBC? This leaves us exposed; naked in our underpants and socks. You don’t feel proud of where you are or what you are doing,” said a clearly perturbed editorial staffer The Observer spoke to on phone.
“If they are gagging us, how then do they say our news is lousy? How do they expect us to compete with other stations?”
Another evidently infuriated editorial staffer added: “It’s a sensitive topic because our chief news editor has been fired. Our bosses, the editors, are following orders. Nobody wants to lose their job.”
This fear of losing one’s job was palpable in another staffer The Observer spoke to.
“As a journalist, if they give you limitations on how you can write your story, naturally you would want to challenge, but then you still need your job.”
The editorial department is scheduled to meet with the MD and management on Wednesday, during which meeting an official communication is expected.
“We want management to be clear that this is where you can go; this is how far you can reach,” said one of the news anchors.

Chief news editor, TV manager sacked

Meanwhile, the chief news editor, Andrew Mugyema and the TV manager, Charles Musana, were summarily fired on Tuesday morning under unclear circumstances, an action that paralysed the editorial department.
“We are all in shock because we think he (Mugyema) did the best he could, but UBC management is just [confused],” said one editorial staffer.
While Mugyema could not be reached, Musana told The Observer that he was not given any specific reason why he had been relieved of his duties. Mugyema had been hired expressly from NTV to help turn around UBC’s newsroom, yet his role put him in constant altercations with the managing director, sources at the station say.
The Observer has also learnt that a few days into the campaign, the managing director issued instructions to the editorial department, asking them not to cover opposition presidential candidates, especially those perceived to pose a real threat to President Museveni, particularly Dr Kizza Besigye, Norbert Mao and Olara Otunnu.
This was contrary to the constitutional obligation that mandates UBC to give equal airtime to all candidates. In fact, in one instance, the managing director is reported to have turned away an advertisement for Besigye paid for by the Inter-Party Cooperation.

http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12309&Itemid=59

IPC raises fears over Besigye's security

IPC flagbearer Dr. Kizza Besigye displays ballot papers he alleges were pre-ticked in President Museveni's favour. IPC rejected the 2011 election results. Photo by Ronald Kabuubi.  

The Inter-Party Cooperation has written to the Inspector General of Government, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, claiming that IPC presidential candidate, Dr Kizza Besigye’s security is at risk because he is being trailed by unknown security operatives.

The February 23, 2011 letter, signed by the Director of Security in the FDC/IPC Campaign Bureau, Salim Angoliga, says Dr Besigye is being trailed by vehicles Reg. No. UAK O53K, a white Premio; and Carina Kibina Reg. No.UAK 526P, dark grey.

Mr Angoliga says, in his letter, which is also copied Electoral Commission and the Ambassadors of Ireland, USA and the European Union, that Dr Besigye has been trailed from February 19, 2011 to date.

“The said vehicles have each three plain clothed armed security men. They have been trailing him from his residence in Kasangati to wherever he goes and back to his residence,” says Mr Angoliga’s letter. “We would like to know the meaning of this trail as it amounts to violation of his constitutional right to privacy and grave harassment.”

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1113744/-/c4levnz/-/index.html

Not Free and Fair?

SCARE TACTICS? The opposition say heavy deployment of the military, like these in downtown Kampala, was part of the wider rigging plan. PHOTO BY STEPHEN WANDERA .

Kampala

Barely 72 hours since the February 18 polls’ result was declared, pressure is mounting on the government and Electoral Commission as more presidential candidates contest the outcome and observers raise searching questions about the integrity of the process.

Democratic Party president general Norbert Mao yesterday morning joined three other candidates in refusing to recognise President-elect Museveni. He also denounced the EC, which declared Mr Museveni winner with 68 per cent of the vote, of being an accomplice in what he said was an unparalleled electoral fraud. “The outcome of an electoral process which is marred by massive rigging, bribery, intimidation and a disenfranchisement of voters cannot be legitimate. We cannot and will not accept as legitimate the outcome of such a manifestly flawed process,” he said.

The President, meanwhile, should have addressed a press conference yesterday. But by press time, media teams were still waiting to be told the time and venue for the briefing. Mr Museveni and his party deny allegations of any malpractice levelled against them and have warned of firm action against post-election protests.

Between Friday and Monday, the Forum for Democratic Change leader, Dr Kizza Besigye, Uganda Peoples Congress’ Olara Otunnu and independent candidate Sam Lubega had individually promised to take steps that they say will return the country to the path of constitutional and true democratic rule.

The four candidates are leaving all options open as they reject the outcome of what they agree was a “sham election”. Separately, the only female candidate in the race, Ms Beti Kamya, has also denounced the election as unfree and unfair, and fraught with intimidation and bribery.

Yesterday, Mr Mao also declared what he called a campaign of defiance against the “illegitimate” government of Mr Museveni. The DP leader said “what President Museveni and the NRM have done can only be categorised as a coup against the people of Uganda”, arguing that “through fraud, intimidation and bribery, the Ugandan people have been denied the right to exercise a free choice.”

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1112940/-/c4m2n1z/-/index.html

EC reaps more blood than ballots

BLOODY: Police escort an injured voter to safety after he was beaten in Rubaga during the chaos between rival supporters. PHOTO BY ISAAC KASAMANI.

 
In what has been described as possibly the worst local council elections ever in Uganda’s recent history, several parts of the country yesterday erupted in sporadic violence sparked off by allegations of ballot stuffing, voter bribery and pre-ticking of ballot papers.
The military and police were deployed heavily across the country in anticipation of violence. In Kampala, security has been on high alert since the presidential and parliamentary elections. This, however, did not stop skirmishes in hotspots of Mengo, Rubaga, Nansana, Bwaise, Nakawa and Makindye.
Several people, including a Channel 44 journalist, were shot and injured as security personnel fought running battles with supporters of mayoral candidates Erias Lukwago and NRM’s Peter Ssematimba, who apparently, had been fighting from 3am on the eve of yesterday’s botched Kampala mayoral elections.
By last evening over 81 people were going to spend the night behind bars over electoral-related violence incidents. At least 14 were detained at the Central Police Station in Kampala for assault.
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1113954/-/c4ldauz/-/index.html

 

Chaos in Kampala city.

BLOODY AFFAIR: Journalist Nicholas Bbale (L)after he was attacked at Kakika polling station, while (R) police move to rescue a Lukwago supporter who was attacked near Super FM .PHOTOS BY ISAAC KASAMANI 

Kampala mayoral candidates, observers and legal minds have demanded the disqualification of the ruling party candidate, Peter Sematimba, from the contest after leaked ballot papers pre-ticked in his favour were intercepted in various parts of Kampala.

Large-scale ballot stuffing and other electoral malpractices yesterday forced the Electoral Commission to suspend the voting exercise in Kampala and promise an investigation into the source of the ballot papers and boxes found in possession of private individuals.

Calls for disqualification
The local government elections went on in other parts of the country even though our correspondents talked of a very low voter turn-out, largely blamed on voter disillusionment and fatigue.
Mr Michael Mabikke, Mr Erias Lukwago, Ms Sandra Ngabo Kateblirwe and Capt. Francis Babu accused the NRM party of hatching a plan to help Mr Ssematimba win through dubious means, an accusation the NRM candidate stoutly denied.
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1113944/-/c4ldbqz/-/index.html

Opposition calls for peaceful protests

 

People protest in Kampala on the eve of the February 18 election. Opposition leaders have vowed to spearhead peaceful protests against President Museveni’s government whose re-election for a fourth term they contest. PHOTO BY YUSUF MUZIRANSA 

At a media conference which began at noon today, opposition leaders Norbert Mao (DP), Dr Kizza Besigye (FDC/IPC) and Olara Otunnu (UPC) have announced that they have decided to lead a popular uprising with peaceful protests against Mr Yoweri Museveni’s government whose re-election for a fourth term they contest.

Between Friday last week and today, the leaders including Mr Samuel Lubega who ran as an independent, have denounced the election as having been a sham fraught with voter bribery, outright and widespread vote rigging and intimidation by the security services including the army.

Along with two other candidates, Beti Kamya of the Uganda Federal Alliance and Jaberi Bidandi Ssali of the People’s Progressive Party, they have refused to recognise what they describe as Mr Museveni’s  illegitimate government.

In the weeks leading up to the February 18 election, Mr Museveni promised to crush any political protests against the outcome of a now disputed election. As the country goes through the election cycle with local government polls currently underway, a heavy and suffocating military presence can be felt across Uganda’s urban centres with motorised and foot patrols of police and soldiers very visible.

http://www.monitor.co.ug/SpecialReports/Elections/-/859108/1114086/-/k32hh0/-/index.html

The Military in control of the country before and after the elections.

Military Police patrol Kampala streets Monday Feb, 21, 2011 after Presidential elections conducted on Friday Feb. 18. Photo.

With the presidential and parliamentary elections now history, business and life in major towns around the country is normalising although a heavy troop presence is still visible in Kampala both during and after dark.

A few days to the polls, scores of people left Kampala for the country side; some to vote and others out of fear in case the elections turned violent.
The city was left to police and military officers walking around town in single file and it looked deserted, and quiet.

An occasional car would once in a while speed on the deserted roads, as tree branches rhymed with the sweeping wind.
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1112136/-/c4m8xez/-/index.html