The murder last weekend of Muhammad Kirumira, 35, shocked his legions of admirers.

Not only did the former Buyende district police commander die at his prime –his violent death by shooting has become too commonplace and too frightening for Ugandans.

The Observer retraces his last day and moments. Saturday, September 8, 2018 started as a normal day at the late Muhammad Kirumira’s home in Bulenga. The Kirumiras prepared to attend an introduction for a family friend’s daughter in Katereke, Nsangi.

Kirumira’s mother, Sarah Namuddu, says her son came to her house in the morning to remind her to keep time. Together with other relatives, they set off.

“Kirumira is very talkative. He drove us very well and we reached safely,” says a tearful Namuddu. “At around 1pm, he whispered to me that he was proceeding to another function along Entebbe road. However, he looked a bit moody as if not interested in leaving us.”

Kirumira left with his younger brother, Baker Kuteesa for Kawuku where his friend Maj Musisi Galabuzi was being introduced by Grace Nankya.

“From Nsangi to Kawuku, there were no people trailing us. We reached at 3pm and Kirumira was happy. He even danced to Chris Evan’s songs as the crowds cheered him,” Baker says.

At around 5pm, the duo proceeded to Kajjansi where LC1 chairmen had converged for a meeting. Kuteesa says his brother gave a brief speech and they left at around 6pm using the Entebbe Expressway to Busega.

“Kirumira told me to sleep at his home but I refused. He gave me Shs 20,000 and I got a taxi at Busega to Mpambire. Before reaching home, I received a call that he had been shot dead,” Kuteesa says. 

Kirumira has been a frequent visitor on Musoke road along Mityana road, where he met his death. Before he parks his car at the roadside, he often chats with boda boda riders at the stage.

On Saturday, he first parked on the left, as if proceeding to Kampala. Tonny Mbaziira, a resident of Busega, who was walking with two colleagues at around 8pm, told The Observer that they saw his car.

“Later, there was a taxi coming from Mityana heading to Kampala whose tyre burst. We thought passengers were hurt and we rushed to help them with other boda boda riders. Unfortunately, the taxi’s front tyre had been deflated by a gun shot,” Mbaziira recalls.

“In a split of seconds, we had more gun shots in front where men dressed in black were surrounding Afande’s car.”

Before they could reach the scene, Mbaziira saw two brand new sport bikes without lights speeding off towards Bulenga. Each bike was carrying two people whose heads were covered with black head gear. As boda boda riders gave chase, Mbaziira and others started a rescue mission.

They waved down a taxi headed for Kampala to help transport Kirumira and the lady, Resty Nnalinya, with whom he had been shot. Nnalinya, who rented a single-room house near Kirumira’s home, was friends with the family. She operated a mobile money kiosk along Musoke road. She had just been called inside the car by Kirumira before the shooting.

“He was severely bleeding but not dead. I remember him saying only one word in a very low tone; mwanguwe [hurry up]. We carried him to the taxi but Resty was already gone,” Mbaziira says.

He adds that the taxi driver came back at around 9:30pm to inform them that Kirumira died around Busega flyover.

“The driver said a police patrol from Bulenga followed and asked them to handover Kirumira before heading for Lubaga hospital.”

Kirumira was shot just opposite the road that leads to his home.

ATTACKERS ESCAPE

When President Museveni visited the crime scene at 11:52pm, he walked on foot from around Bulenga Police station. He did not get close to the bullet riddled car but picked two eye-witnesses from the crowd to give their accounts.

The first witness, a boda boda rider, talked to Museveni in the middle of the road.

Museveni started: “Tell me what happened?”

The youthful rider looked confident while giving his account. “Mzee, I saw these men. Their two brand new bikes were around Afande’s car without number plates. One of them crossed to the right side. They first deflated his hind tyre with a bullet and later started shooting at him. One of them came to Resty’s side and another to Kirumira’s,” the rider narrated.

Asked by the president in Luganda why they did not chase the shooters, he responded that as the first team rushed Kirumira to hospital, about seven of them tried to chase after the killers up to a place known as ku mwenda.

“They shot twice at us and in the process; two of our colleagues knocked each other. This is the point where these four men managed to escape from us and we took our friends to a clinic,” he said.

The rider said he did not recognise the attackers as they were all dressed in black and the crime scene was not well lit.

“You would see their eyes but it was hard to know who is who,” he said. Museveni only told the irritated crowds that: “Abantu bano tugenda kubalondoola” as he walked with the two witnesses towards his car.

Police had fired live bullets and teargas to disperse the angry crowds.

The Observer understands that Kirumira’s car was towed at around 6am on Sunday to Bulenga police station. At 4pm on Sunday, it was again taken to an unknown location.

FAMILY REACTS

Kirumira’s elder sister, Jamidah Najjingo, said police owes them an apology for treating them shabbily at Lubaga hospital when they went to pick his body. “These men pushed us when our brother was at Naguru battling his case. Why did they do the same at Lubaga? Why do they show they need him more in death than us the relatives?” Najjingo said at the vigil.

Namuddu said her son has been getting death threats but he was taking them lightly. Early this year, Kirumira reported at Lungujja police station about suspects on a boda boda that were trailing him under SD Ref: 43/28/02/2018. 

“Every day, he would tell me people want to kill him. I thank Allah that I lost only one son and his friend. Maybe, I and other relatives would have been the target since the plan was for us to return together from Nsangi,” she said.

“I curse the day Kirumira joined police. If he had stayed in teaching, I would be with my son now.”

At the burial in Mpambire, her husband Abubaker Kawooya had no kind words either.

“Kirumira has been a brave man. His death has not only hurt us but the country. He has served his country wholeheartedly but that’s how they have paid him,” Kawooya said.

He also sent a sarcastic message to the president. “Kirumira is gone but I have educated more children. If you need more Kirumiras, I have them in plenty, ready to die and serve their country. Just tell me you need one, I promise to send you more.”

Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, a son-in-law in Kirumira’s family, blamed government for not cleaning up the police despite endless clues from the deceased.

He said Kirumira’s killers like in other assassinations will not be brought to book but his professionalism will forever be cherished.

“I remember a time when I was under preventive arrest but Gen [David] Sejusa came to visit me. Then, Kirumira was the DPC Old Kampala and he was ordered to arrest Sejusa. To my surprise, Kirumira showed up with his officers, called his bosses and said he was a mere AIP who will not arrest a General. Kirumira saluted Sejusa and refused to arrest him.”

Six years, 19 assassinated in identical style

• April 20, 2012 – Abdul Karim Ssentamu
• June 22, 2012 – Hajji Abubakari Kiweewa (Kigejogejo)
• August 2012 – Sheikh Muhammad Maganda in Bugiri
• September 2012 – Sheikh Abdu Jowali Sentunga in Namayemba
• November 1, 2012 – Sheikh Yunus Abubakari Mudungu in Bugiri
• December 25, 2014 – Sheikh Abdu Kadir Muwaya in Mayuge
• December 27, 2014 – Sheikh Mustapha Bahiga
• March 30, 2015 – Joan Namazzi Kagezi
• May 21, 2015 – Sheikh Abdul Rashid Wafula in Mbale.
• June 20, 2015 – Sheikh Ibrahim Hassan Kirya in Bweyogerere
• November 26, 2016 – Maj Muhammad Kiggundu in Masanafu with his bodyguard Sgt. Steven Mukasa.
• March 17, 2017 – AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi shot with his bodyguard Cpl. Kenneth Erau and driver Godfrey Mambewa in Kulambiro.
• June 8, 2018 – Col Ibrahim Abiriga, former Arua municipality MP, shot in Kawanda with his bodyguard, Saidi Bongo.
• September 8, 2018 – ASP Muhammadi Kirumira and Resty Naalinya in Bulenga.

Ninety-six hours after ASP Muhammad Kirumira was shot dead in Kampala, a senior colleague yesterday expressed a deep sense of fear that he could be next to fall to an assassin’s bullet.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Siraje Bakaleke told The Observer that he could turn up as the next victim off an alleged kill list of high-profile targets. He, however, did not say who could be after him.

“Since I started challenging my case at the Anti-Corruption court, I started receiving threatening messages on my phone and these messages through WhatsApp and SMS have persisted after the death of Kirumira,” Bakaleke said by telephone last evening.

These threats to his life are recorded at CPS Kampala under reference GF 075/20/2018, the officer said.

“I have decided to keep at my residence. I know it is because of my hard work that I am haunted; I have served my country diligently; I have sacrificed my family because I don’t sleep while solving people’s problem only to be paid with malicious uncompleted charges just to pull me down,” Bakaleke said.

Bakaleke is currently out of office, having been suspended from his influential posting as regional police commander for Kampala South on April 17 after being charged with the unlawful arrest of three South Korean nationals from whom he allegedly grabbed Shs 1.4 billion.

His interdiction came around the time several top police officers were being picked up in a wave of arrests by military intelligence and the Internal Security Organisation.

The arrested police officers were detained amidst suspicion of engaging in espionage, and a crackdown on suspected collusion between criminal gangs and high- level police personnel reportedly said to be close to former police chief, Gen Kale Kayihura.

They remain in military custody and face, among others, charges of abduction and forced return of Rwandan nationals reportedly fleeing political persecution back home. Some are undergoing trial before the Army General Court Martial.

Before he fell in a hail of bullets fired by two hit men who used high-powered motorbikes to get away last Saturday night, Kirumira had appealed a demotion in rank resulting from a police disciplinary court ruling.

Agitating for a massive clean-up, Kirumira’s troubles in the force are believed to have been aggravated by his loud criticism of Kayihura’s policing methods and management style.

He had also become very outspoken, denouncing what he referred to as rogue elements in the senior hierarchy of the police whom he said were deliberately fuelling the rising crime in the country.

The last time Bakaleke was seen in public was on Sunday when he attended the Kirumira send-off prayers at Gaddafi mosque. Inside the mosque, he stood up and declared to fellow mourners that he too was on the list of those to be killed.

He did not attend High court yesterday where his petition against trial in the Anti-Corruption court came up before Judge Musa Ssekaana.

His lawyer, Robert Senfuka, also did not attend but after court adjourned, the lawyer told journalists that his client had called and said he would not come to court because he feared for his life.

“He told me his life has been in danger since he started challenging the case before him. He started receiving threatening sms and WhatsApp messages on his phone,” Senfuka said.

Deputy police spokesman Patrick Onyango last evening said that as a senior police officer, Bakaleke knows the procedure to follow when one’s life is threatened.

“The first thing is to report to the nearest police station and then go to his bosses and brief them about that alleged threat, and also ask for security which is guaranteed at his rank,” Onyango said. “This is better than going to the press”.

In March 2017, AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi died when twin hitmen, also riding on motorcycles, ambushed his convoy and pumped several rounds into his body. Kaweesi, a Kirumira mentor and close friend, died together with his bodyguard Kenneth Erau and driver Godfrey Mambewa.

During the Tuesday interview with The Observer, Bakaleke said that save for a service pistol he still carries, the police force has not taken extra measures to secure him since he reported his fears.

Bakaleke’s co-accused in the Korean affair include city lawyer Paul Wanyoto, Samuel Nabeeta Mulowooza, D/ASP Innocent Munerezo, D/ASP innocent Nuwagaba, D/AIP Robert Ray Asiimwe, PC Junior Amanya, PC Gastavas Babu and Kenneth Zirintusa.

lubwamasiraje@gmail.com

Two tourists are nursing injuries after they were attacked by robbers in Mabira forest along the Kampala-Jinja highway.

The two Israeli nationals, Itai Barsinai, 32, and his girlfriend Shakid Jil, 30, were traveling from Bujagali Falls in Jinja district on Monday evening.

They reportedly boarded a taxi from Amber Court Gardens, which, however stopped at Lugalambo, a section near Mabira forest where they were tricked into a robbery.

It is alleged that the taxi suddenly stopped and the operators pretended to be fixing a problem with the front door. As Barsinai concentrated on locking the door, a pseudo-passenger rose from the back seat and started strangling him. In the process, they sustained injuries and lost all possessions.

They say that although they tried to fight back, they were over powered by the robbers, who were 'quite a number.' One of them explains that the thugs went away with their phones, passports and money and later dumped them in the thickets of the forest.
 
"Matatu started going, and then, stopped [at a] gas station and they asked me to switch seats with the guy next to me. I was in front - next to the driver and they asked us to help close the door and I was suspicious. Then, they asked me for something to close the door and I thought they were maybe trying to take my wallet from my pocket - I was suspicious. Then all of a sudden, maybe 10 minutes later in the forest, the guy behind me strangled me and I tried to [fight back] but the driver pushed my leg outside and the passenger took my wallet and my bag," said Barsinai. 
 
Barsinai said they were helpless until a Good Samaritan took them to Kawolo hospital. The two have since been transferred to Nakasero hospital in Kampala. Sezzibwa region police spokesperson Hellen Butoto says police is investigating the incident. 

Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has called off the annual Kampala City Festival. The cancellation was announced by KCCA executive director Jennifer Musisi Semakula at a press conference held in Kampala this morning.

The event which has often drawn multitudes to the city centre over the last seven years was reportedly started to celebrate culture, innovation, unity and social life. It also offered an opportunity to companies, traders and organizations to showcase and market their products.

Musisi says that over the years, between Shs 700 and 900 million was spent on organizing the festival, whose revenue has been used to fund the rehabilitation of KCCA schools.

Kampala city has 79 primary schools many of which were constructed in the early 1960s and 1970s. Until recently, the schools with a population of 85,000 pupils are characterized by dilapidated structures due to lack of renovation, coupled with population pressure that has put excessive stress on the available infrastructure.

Some of them have since been given a new look, with the construction of extra classrooms, rain water harvesting systems, provision of school furniture, libraries, dormitories, toilet facilities, teachers houses, wall fences and new roofing. However, several others still remain in a poor state.

Musisi says that all contributions from the festival sponsor's this year will be used to improve the status of the remaining schools and health centres across the district. The task will include getting rid of asbestos roofs in schools where they still exist.

"This year, we have agreed to focus the contributions of our partners on actually implementing projects to improve our schools and health centers.  We shall start with re-roofing Nakivubo Blue and Nakivubo Settlement primary schools," she said.

Musisi says a total of 11 schools in Kampala had asbestos roofs. KCCA has so far worked on five of them, adding that the Authority needs Shs 1.9 billion to replace the remaining roofs with iron sheets.

Asbestos has been classified as a known human carcinogen (a substance that causes cancer). According to health experts, exposure to asbestos causes cancer of the lung, larynx, ovary and mesothelioma, a relatively rare cancer of the thin membranes that line the chest and abdomen.

Asbestos exposure can also cause shortness of breath, coughing, and permanent lung damage as well as abnormal collections of fluid between the thin layers of tissue lining the lungs and the wall of the chest cavity.

She says part of the money will be used to construct a maternity ward for Kiswa health centre, in Nakawa division. 

The Higher Education Students’ Financing Board (HESFB) has today awarded loans to at least 2,950 needy but brilliant students to pursue diploma and undergraduate courses this academic year 2018/19.

This is the fifth cohort of beneficiaries since inception of the student loan scheme in 2014. Speaking at the Uganda Media Centre, HESFB chairperson Prof Callisto Locheng said all applicants were subjected to a uniform score card which considers proxy indicators to arrive at the lending decision.

“The board took into consideration regional balance, gender, social economic status and equity in accordance with the HESFB Act of 2014 while selecting beneficiaries,” Locheng said.

The number of beneficiaries moved from 1,448 in 2017/18 to 2,950 in 2018/19 representing an increase of 103 per cent. Of the 2,950 beneficiaries, 2,459 will undertake undergraduate courses and 491 diplomas.

Like the previous years, more males 2,158 (73 per cent) have got loans this year compared to females 792 (27 per cent). Some 4,603 students applied for the loans with females constituting only 961.

Loceng said the board continued to award loans to 31 persons with disabilities (PWDs) on affirmative action to pursue humanity courses.

Of these, 20 are male and 11 female. HESFB has continued to register low participation rates from northeastern Uganda notably in districts of Moroto and Nakapiripirit which did not have applicants. This academic year, the board received the very first loan applicant from Amudat, a female who has been considered. 

The board called for loan applications on May 23 and the deadline was first set for July 20 before extending it to July 27 for undergraduates and August 10 for diploma applicants. According to Loceng, this was meant to give a chance to students who received admission letters late to apply for the loans.

Student loans cover their tuition, functional and research fees; aids and appliances for PWDs all payable directly to institutions. The state minister for Higher Education, Dr John C. Muyingo, said government has increased funding to the board due to the overwhelming number of applicants in quest for higher education.

“The good news this year 2018/19 is that government has increased the HESFB budget to Shs 27.7bn to support 2,950 beneficiaries in addition to 3,496 other continuing students under the scheme,” Muyingo said.

He urged beneficiaries to take their studies seriously and finish in time with excellent grades.

ELIGIBILITY

In line with the 2014 HESFB Act, an applicant must be a Uganda, needy, brilliant and admitted for an accredited course or programme at any chartered institution of higher learning. HESFB executive director Micheal Wanyama said the selection process for applicants has remained transparent.

“The selection criterion is very robust and targets the poorest students. We use an ICT based score card that ensures no human interference in the process,” Wanyama said adding that they continue to receive applications who do not meet the eligibility criteria.

This year, the board rejected 892 applicants for reasons such as being continuing students yet loans cater for first year students, incomplete loan application forms, master’s degree and certificate course applicants while others applied in non-accredited higher learning institutions.

Muyingo said at least 1,751 students have completed their studies and are out in the field; some are working while others are still seeking employment.

The board has given them a grace period of one year but also encourages early repayment in case one can afford. Of the 1,751, some 628 students have completed the grace period and expected to start repayment.

“These are loans and must be repaid back to create a revolving fund for other needy people to benefit,” Muyingo said, urging beneficiaries who are not yet employed to engage the loan board on a repayment plan.

CHANGES

There has been an increase in the number of participating chartered universities from 18 to 20 while approved Other Tertiary Institutions have moved from 33 to 36 this year.

The chartered universities participating in the financing scheme are; Makerere, Kyambogo, Busitema, Gulu, Muni, Kabale, MUST, Lira, Soroti, MUBS, Ndejje, Nkumba, Uganda Martyrs University, UCU, Bugema, IUIU, KIU, Bishop Stuart, Kampala University and Mountain of the Moon University.

Kyambogo registered the highest number of beneficiaries at 564. It is followed by Makerere (476), Ndejje (375), KIU (248), and Busitema with 208.

HESFB also approved undergraduate programmes from 76 in 2017/18 to 126 in 2018/19 including five courses in humanities for PWDs.

The affirmative courses for PWDs are; Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Arts with Education, Bachelor of Social Sciences, Bachelor of Psychology and Bachelor of Finance. Diploma programmes were also increased from 63 to 71 programmes in areas of Science and Technology.

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After more than 3 years of construction, the modern Mulago Specialised Women and Neonatal hospital has officially been handed over to government by Arab contractors Osman Ahmed Osman. 

Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda received the keys to the 450-bed capacity hospital on behalf of government. The hospital will start receiving patients next week on Monday September 17.

Construction works for the 9-storey hospital was funded using a $25m loan from the Islamic Development Bank. The specialised equipment installed in the hospital cost at least $8m according to Health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng. 180 health workers have also been trained in specialised maternal and neonatal services. 

Dr Rugunda led a team of cabinet ministers including Frank Tumwebaze, Sarah Opendi, Musa Ecweru, Jane Aceng and Matia Kasaija on a guided tour of the facility. Rugunda appreciated the work done by the contractors, saying the facility is a state-of-the-art and a model on the continent. 

"I'm happy that this is now going to be a referral hospital, it's not going to be a hospital for everyone to rush to because we have a enough facilities and more facilities are being created for mothers for mothers. However complicated cases, cases that require specialised treatment." he said. 
 
The hospital is designed to accommodate 450 patients with one attendant each. The hospital is all piped to enable medical gases, nitrous oxide and oxygen to be pumped directly to patients on their beds without using an oxygen cylinder. There is also a laboratory where urinal tests and cancer screenings can be conducted. 

"We have what we call uro-gynaecological services that is addressing the issue of urinary area, the reproductive trunk and so on. Then we have the gynaecology-oncology - those are cancers that affect the reproductive area of a woman. Then we have reproductive health and fetal maternal medicine which includes the in vitro fertilization  and many others," Aceng said. 

IVF involves extraction of female eggs and a sperm sample, and then manually combining them in a laboratory before implantation in a woman’s womb. There are 11 operating rooms, intensive care units (40 beds), recovery sections (25 beds), children’s nursery section (50 beds), oncology department (80 beds) and high-risk delivery sections (170 beds).

The hospital will have different pricing for the different categories depending on the preference of patients; Silver will be for general patients, Gold – Very Important Persons and Platinum - Very Very Important Persons.

According to Aceng, patients will be required to follow the referral procedure and make some payment towards their treatment.

"So whereas government will be contributing a huge amount of money to this facility as is government obligation, we shall also require patients to pay but at a subsidised cost. Right now we have a committee that is discussing the pay policy. Cabinet set in place a cabinet sub-committee to review what the committee in Mulago is discussing. The committee started its work, we’re also benchmarking with other facilities to make sure that we don’t charge enormous amounts." Aceng added. 
 
Paul Kabanga, a laboratory technologist, says the hospital is equipped with equipment has the ability to deliver results within minutes compared to traditional equipment that can take longer. Initially laboratory technicians used strips to carryout urinal test something they say was time costing. 
 
According to Dr Baterana Byarugaba, the executive director of Mulago national referral hospital, the hospital is also equipped with a laundry facility, saying patients will only be allowed to use gowns provided by the hospital. He said the hospital has enough gowns, one per patient each day or if need be, can also be changed during the course of day. 

The European parliament has today issued a 14-point resolution in relation to the recent events of Arua in which at least four people lost their lives and several got arrested. 

Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi's driver Yasin Kawuma was shot dead on August 13 and about 35 others arrested and charged with treason on allegations of stoning President Yoweri Museveni's vehicle.

Among those arrested were four MPs; Francis Zaake, Robert Kyagulanyi, Paul Mwiru and Gerald Karuhanga as well as then MP-elect Kassiano Wadri. Kyagulanyi and Zaake were reportedly tortured and are currently abroad receiving further treatment. 

Now, the European parliament in a resolution issued today September 14, says it expresses its deep concern at the arrest of opposition parliamentarians in connection to the Arua by-election. 

The parliament also said it "stresses that it is vital for Ugandan democracy that the president and government of Uganda respect the independence of the country’s parliament as an institution and the independence of the mandate of its members and ensure that all members of parliament can freely pursue their elected mandate." 

Further, it called on the Ugandan government to drop what it said, appear to be trumped up charged against Kyagulanyi and the brutal treatment of opposition politicians and supporters. Kyagulanyi and his co-accused were charged with treason in Gulu Chief Magistrate's court following their brutal arrest. Since Kyagulanyi's arrest, protests broke out allover the country and across the globe. The brutality of security agencies against protesters and the media has also drawn condemnation from across the world. 

The European parliament also demanded for an immediate launch "of an effective, impartial and independent investigation of the killing of Kyagulanyi's driver Yasin Kawuma and other deaths and the use of excessive force by security agencies." 

Government was also reminded of its obligation to guarantee, protect, respect and promote fundamental rights including civil and political rights. The parliament also asked the security forces to desist from using live bullets when policing protests. The use of live ammunition when quelling protests led to the death The protestors were also urged to exercise their rights and freedoms with the law.

The European parliament called on the European Union "to take advantage of the political leverage provided by development aid programmes, especially budget support programmes with a view of enhancing the defence and promotion of human rights in Uganda." 

It also called on the EU to closely monitor the situation in Uganda and that parliament must be "informed of any other signs of opposition MPs being hindered or obstructed in their work as legislators."

The resolution was forwarded to the President Museveni, speaker Rebecca Kadaga, African Union and other EU institutions.

The European parliament's resolution will likely draw the ire of the Ugandan government which has lately been complaining about external forces meddling in the affairs of the country. 

Rwandan farmers are stealing Uganda's fertile soils to use as manure in their gardens, Rubanda district chairperson Kenneth Jogo Biryabarema has said. 

Biryabarema said the Rwandans are stealing fertile soils from Echuya forest reserve, in southwestern Uganda. The reserve, ranked Uganda's most important forest habitat due to the rarity of its flora and fauna, stretches from Rubanda to Kisoro districts near the Rwandan border and runs between Lake Bunyonyi and Mgahinga Gorilla national park.

It is home to more than 150 species of birds, eighteen of which are endemic to the reserve, including the Grauer's swamp warbler, the world's highly endangered bird.

But the future of the forest is threatened by human activity according to Biryabarema. He says that for a long time now, Rwandans have been crossing into Echuya, mining fertile loam soils which they take to use as fertilizers and manure in their gardens back home. 

He says that in the process, they dig trenches that are left open and endanger the lives of wild animals, in the forest.

Biryabarema says that the forest has also been ravaged by National Forestry Authority (NFA) staff, who were deployed to protect it but instead, put up gardens in the forest and failed to guard it against afforestation and soil mining by Rwandans. 

"There is a forest called natural Echuya forest reserve and it is in the hands of NFA and that forest has been ravaged by NFA staff because cut trees, they have gardens in that forest reserve and they raise animals in that forest. [Rwandans] who are near that forest come and carry fertile soils and take to their gardens as manure which is practically endangering the flora and fauna of that area. So we partnered with Kisoro local government and we agreed that that area should be upgraded from a level of a forest reserve to a national park because it is good for bird viewing. There are very many birds in that area." he said. 

Biryabarema told URN that Rubanda and Kisoro district officials agreed to lobby for the upgrading of the forest to a national park as well as transfer its protection from NFA to Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). 

"We feel it can be better protected by UWA when turned into a national park. The government can generate some money from tourists and as a district, we get some money through revenue sharing."

He added that although there are very many bird species in that area, the government is not collecting any money from people who visit it for birding activities. "It is generally the tour operators who benefit by bringing tourists for bird viewing," Biryabarema said.

Biryabarema argued that the district has no manpower to protect the forest stretch along the Rwanda border. The Rwanda side of the forest, he explained, was completely cut down and turned into gardens while that of Uganda is still protected. 

Biryabarema added that they have convened meetings with local leaders from Rwanda to address the issue. He said that with the election of the lower level - local council leaders, surveillance will be increased on the Rwanda border. 

"Being a big forest, they easily access because the side of Rwanda was completely cut down and they have families and homes along whereas the one of Ugandan side is still protected. So they easily access, they sneak in into the Ugandan side and carry Ugandan soils into their gardens. They don’t buy manure but they use it in their gardens as manure. We have been trying to have some cross-border meetings with the people in Rwanda, the governors and their local leadership to ensure that we protect our forests because we want to ensure that we need it and still love it and need to protect it for our future generations.
 
Biryabarema further said the district is facing a challenge of wild animals that destroy residents' gardens. He says that people who have had their gardens destroyed by wild animals have not been compensated for a long time, prompting them to start killing wild animals in revenge because of anger. 

 He added that Rubanda local government leaders proposed to Uganda Wild Life Authority to create buffer separating the part from residents' gardens but received no response.

In nine months time, Kampala will be a different city - smarter, cleaner and safer, President Yoweri Museveni has assured the nation. 

Museveni said as government moves to implement the elements of a smart and safe city solution, Kampala will be transformed into a modern city; where there's more reliance on technology than human capacity to fight criminality. 

This was part of Museveni's national address on the state of security from State House Entebbe on Saturday evening.

A safe and smart city solution enables the inter-linking of public and private networks for more efficient and effective security management. In other words, with the inter-connection between devices and networks, government gets access to new tools so as to have a wider outlook of the security of an area at any given time. 

Museveni said machines are cheaper than human beings, adding that government will rely on human beings for a short time then scale down the number human beings manning security.
 
He said when one visits modern cities like London, there is more use of technology compared to reliance on human capacity. Museveni said he's annoyed and pained by the killing of innocent Ugandans, adding that having fought criminality with limited means in the past to defeat LRA and ADF rebels, with advanced technology, this will be history.
 
Museveni's statement comes at the climax of insecurity in the country characterised by assassinations of high profile and low profile citizens. Barely two weeks ago, former Buyende district police commander Muhammad Kirumira was gunned down together with his friend, Resty Nalinya in Bulenga, in Wakiso district.
 
There have been several assignations in the country, for instance, the brutal assassination of Ibrahim Abiriga, the Arua municipality MP and his brother Saidi Kongo, former police spokesperson Andrew Felix Kawesi, state prosecutor Joan Kagezi, and sheikhs in the country.
 
The president also reiterated the need to expedite his 10-point security program of installation of cameras, finger printing of guns, use of drones, banning of hoodies for motorbike riders, installing tracking devices on motor vehicles and motorbikes among others.

The European parliamentary debate on the chaos that ensued in Arua and the subsequent arrest and alleged torture of suspects, was based on rumors picked from social media, Uganda government spokesperson, Ofwono Opondo has said.
 
The European Union parliament on Friday last week challenged President Yoweri Museveni and his government to respect the independence of the country's parliament as an institution and the independence of the mandate of its members and ensure that all members of parliament freely pursue their elected mandate.

During the debate, the European parliament high representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini said allegations of torture of 33 suspects, referred to as #Arua33 on social media including four members of parliament are serious and perpetrator must be prosecuted.
 
Mogherini told the European parliament that security forces have a duty to respect human rights and that Ugandans deserve peace and a right to peacefully express their political opinions.

"Let me state once again very clearly that security forces have a duty to respect everyone's freedom to peacefully demonstrate for their opinion. The allegations of torture are serious, and, if confirmed, the perpetrators must be prosecuted and the victims must obtain redress." Mogherini said. 

"Uganda, unfortunately has a long history of violence and conflict, and we know very well that its people deserve some peace and the right to demonstrate their opinion. We've made this very clear to the Ugandan government and will continue to engage so that the responsibilities are established and perpetuators are brought to justice"

She added that the European Union representatives in Uganda visited Kyadondo East legislator Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi also known as Bobi Wine during incarceration at Makindye Military barracks and Mityana municipality MP Francis Zaake who was then admitted at Rubaga hospital. She said the EU representatives found that the two legislators had several wounds and needed comprehensive medical treatment. 

Today, Opondo told journalists that at long last, the European Union has finally removed all pretense and is now showing which side they support when it comes to Uganda's politics.

"Uganda would like to assume that the EU parliamentarians either acted out of their natural limited knowledge of our country, or picked rumors and unverified information on social media, and, therefore have chosen to remove any veil of pretense about where they stand when it comes to judging various players in the Uganda political scene...They formally and unashamedly warned the Ugandan people and their government; that budget support funds given to the country for development should be used as leverage to monitor whether opposition MPs are being hindered."
 
In the same 14-point resolution, the EU parliament asked the Ugandan government to "drop what appear to be trumped-up charges against Bobi Wine and to stop the crackdown against opposition politicians and supporters," as well as launching an "effective, impartial and independent investigation into the killing of Yasin Kawuma (Bobi Wine's driver) and the reports of deaths and excessive use of force during the protests."
 
But Opondo said Uganda hasn't formally received the European parliament resolution. The motion, and subsequent resolution, Opondo argued were "unfair, unsubstantiated and not objective."
 
He said the European parliament fell below the bar when they failed on the diplomatic front after they failed to formally ask for a response from Uganda before the debate.

"Contrary to well known established diplomatic procedures, the EU parliament in Brussels entertained, discussed a motion and passed a resolution which in our view we deem unfair, unsubstantiated, not objective. To this day as we speak, it has not formally furnished the government of Uganda either through our embassy in Brussels or the ministry of Foreign Affairs who raised those complaints against Uganda and why was it rushed without seeking formal Uganda government response."
 
Opondo further said the government is dismayed by the MPs' call to drop the charges against those who were arrested in Arua instead of calling for an impartial and speedy hearing. 

"It is inconceivable that a parliament in Europe would pass a resolution asking our courts to drop charges instead of calling on the courts of Uganda to be as transparent as possible to do correct investigation and let the course of justice take its course. We see this as premeditated attempt to hijack and subvert our institutions. Could the EU parliament and those who actively promote impunity in other people's nations have some humility in this area especially given the fact that the matters they are discussing are under investigating and some of them are actually before court." Opondo added. 

The resolution, Opondo said government believes was debated and passed at the instigation of local and international NGOs as well as some lawyers recently hired in London and Washington. The lawyer that Opondo was referring to is; Robert Amsterdam who ushered Bobi Wine unto the international scene and media. Amsterdam has been calling for sanctions against Uganda's top leaders over torture and abuse of human rights.
 
Opondo argued that the nature of the debate and final resolution showed glaring signs of active coaching and prepared short notes for the MPs to read.

"The mere fact that we have an extremely vocal minority that can reach EU parliament, doesn’t mean that the silent majority in their shambas, market stalls, dukas [shops], workshops, schools, and health centres shouldn’t be protected against hooliganism," he said. 

The death toll for Sunday's River Nile accident in Pakwach has now risen to seven after more bodies were retrieved today, Monday.

At around 5am on Sunday, a truck registration number, UBA 904Z carrying over 20 people from Pabbo county, Amuru district to Panyimur market plunged into the river at Lubiri landing site in Pakwach town council after failing to break. 

According to West Nile region police spokesperson SP Josephine Anguncia, three people died on spot while 12 others were rescued. She said the bodies were taken to Pakwach health centre mortuary pending identification by relatives. Two more people are still missing. 

Also, a 3-year-old boy who was not among the accident victims but got lost while watching the rescue exercise yesterday, was today found alive stuck between papyrus shrubs. After medical examination, he was handed back to his mother. 

The driver of the truck Johnson Okot is reportedly on the run after being rescued. 

Uganda is on high alert following reports that Ebola has claimed three lives in Butembo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - just 51 kilometres from the Ugandan border in Mpondwe. 

Lying west of the Virunga national park, Butembo is a busy trading centre with a population of around one million people and an important commercial centre with large markets, often frequented by traders from Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were 137 confirmed and probable cases and 92 deaths in the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has mainly devastated the areas of North Kivu.

Following the confirmation of deaths in the area, the ministry of Health has procured five walk-through scanners to detect travellers' temperatures. The scanners will be placed at border crossings, according to Emmanuel Ainebyoona, the senior public relations officer of the ministry of Health.

Right now, two of the five scanners have been placed at Entebbe International Airport and at Mpondwe border post in Kasese district.

Others will be placed at the VIP lounge at the airport and the other two at border crossings. Ainebyoona says that all posts are now on high alert monitoring the situation closely in districts that border the DRC.
 
Last month, Health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng announced that emergency vaccination against Ebola will be carried out on people in high risk situations such as health workers. According to the Health ministry, up to Shs 3 trillion is needed in Uganda's efforts to combat Ebola.

The country has been on alert since outbreaks of the disease were announced in North Kivu in early August. The ministry and other partners like Red Cross, WHO and UNICEF are carrying out surveillance in the five districts of Bundibugyo, Kasese, Ntoroko, Bunyangabu and Kabarole that are close to North Kivu.

Argentina's former president Cristina Fernandez was indicted on Monday on charges that her administration accepted bribes from construction companies in exchange for public works contracts, according to an indictment released by a federal judge.