At the official handover of office to Pius Bigirimana, the new secretary to the judiciary, Chief Justice Bart Katureebe made it clear that he was not happy with the way Kagole Kivumbi, the old hand, was edged out.

Justice Katureebe singled out his dissatisfaction with the ongoing parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) investigation into the judiciary, which led to the ouster of Kagole Kivumbi. 

In his speech during the handover of office from Kagole Kivumbi to Pius Bigirimana on July 31 at the High court in Kampala, Katureebe described the handover as an unhappy occasion because it happened at a time when the judiciary’s image has been battered and its solid foundation shaken.

“When I heard that I received Shs 2bn on my account, I was surprised because all the 36 years I have spent in public service I have never or even dreamt of that money. Even if you add up all my salary and allowances for the past five years, they don’t add up to that amount,” Katureebe said.

He, therefore, urged Bigirimana to push whoever is investigating the judiciary to quickly wrap up the investigation and allow the third arm of the state to perform its duties without any distraction. 

Katureebe said corruption is not a new vice but what is important is knowing what is being done to stop it. He appealed to the auditor general, PAC and Inspectorate of Government to finish their investigations and punish those who need to be punished.

He thanked Kivumbi for his services and the improvements he has made in the judiciary especially ensuring that judges and other court officials get their salaries and allowances in time. He urged Bigirimana to be transparent, open and always analyze any information given to him to avoid unnecessary mistakes that might affect the judiciary.

The outgoing secretary Kagole Kivumbi, who was sent on forced leave on July 26 on the coat-tail of accusations of mishandling judicial funds, said he was happy he had been replaced with a person of good character who he worked within the prime minister’s office in 2008. He appealed to Bigirimana to follow up the shelved enactment of the Judiciary Administration Bill, construction of the Supreme court and Court of Appeal premises as well as the remuneration of judicial officers and allowances of judges.

He also called upon Bigirimana to make sure the electronic court case managing system, which is now functioning in Luzira prison via video link, is rolled out countrywide.

Kivumbi thanked the chief justice and other top judicial officers for being good supervisors who gave him a helping hand. He advised the new secretary to seek advice from them.

Bigirimana who has been permanent secretary ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development since 2013, promised to start from where his predecessor stopped and take the judiciary forward.

“I come here with a lot of experience since I have been permanent secretary in other ministries. The judiciary is a new field to me but I will apply the principles required,” Bigirimana said.

jjingoernest1@gmail.com

NAKAPIRIPIRIT - After serving the Uganda Police Force diligently for the last 44 years, Rtd Sergeant Mariam Sunday Lokisa knew she would retire happily to her matrimonial land in Nakapiripirit, Karamoja in northeastern Uganda. She knew this was where life would continue from until such a time when the almighty God recalls her to the land of no return.

Lokisa, 61, a widow and the first Karimojong woman to be recruited into police in 1974, had also planned to put up a two bed-roomed house with some money she has been saving as part of her retirement benefit. She had a vision, a vision that would make her eke out a living by farming part of the land to supplement the family needs. A vision that would make her live with communities in harmony.

But as it turned out, it was a different story. When she retired from Amudat district in 2018, the 70 acres of their matrimonial land she was supposed to retire happily to, had been grabbed without her consent by the Nakapiripirit town council physical planner, Hajji Ibrahim Hugo. Hugo is said to have collaborated with the then former Nakapiripirit mayor, Hillary Topoh and the area LC 1 charmin Kalisto Lokol. Topoh, was reportedly demoted to a sub county chief of Nabilatuk following the land grabbing sprees. Lokol allegedly claiming that the land question was a no man’s land and belonged to nobody.

Lokisa and her late husband, Muhammad Lotyang, like many others, had fled the area following the insurgency from the Sudanese Dinkas and the Pokot from Kenya only to find that people were attempting to claim their land.

Available information from the institute administration indicates that the land in question, which was fraudulently grabbed, was sold by the physical planner to the Irish Aid Uganda, who set up a school, Nakapiripirit Technical Institute.

To date, the land where the institute sits on is where the graves of Lokisa’s grandparents, late Rose Amachi, Regina Nakor and a five-year-old child, one Nate, who wasn’t baptized were buried. Lokisa clearly identifies a particular area where one of the classroom blocks stands as the place where they were buried.

As she struggles for justice to get her land back, the former police officer says the whereabouts of the grandparents’ bodies buried in the land, is not known. She thinks that they were probably exhumed and thrown away during the construction of the institute.

While presenting her case before the Uganda Land Commission of Inquiry chairperson, Lady Justice Catherine Bamugemereire in Nakapiripirit, Lokisa narrated how the Nakapiripirit town council physical planner in collaboration with other officials grabbed her land with impunity. She said her tireless efforts to seek for justice, has fallen into deaf years. Instead, she is being shunned for following up her property.  

“I have been in court since 2015, trying to secure this land to no avail. When I go to Nakapiripirit Town Council to present my case, the physical planner just chases me away. Even the RDC, Modo, whom I thought could understand my cry, also chased me away from his office. I have been humiliated many times and deprived off my right to own property as a woman, and more so a widow” Lokisa narrated as she broke down into uncontrollable sobs.

“I am not against development. Development is good, and having a school was a good idea. If they had consulted me, I would have definitely given the town council some land for a school and I also remain with some. But if you take away all my land in the name of development, what kind of development is that?” Lokisa added.

Lokisa, a daughter of a lorry driver, and the second last born in a family of 12, has no land to settle in. A good Samaritan has temporarily given a small piece of land to stay in as she fights her way out. As the sun rises from the undulating mountain ranges overlooking the Uganda, Kenya border of Amudat, Lokisa, has to strive to make sure the 14 grandchildren under her care, do not fall victims of food insecurity.

Lokisa is appealing to the Land Commission of Inquiry to enable her to get her land taken over by Nakapiripirit town council back or be given an alternative land where she can settle in and retire happily.

“All I want to settle at my home as I retire. But now I don’t have a home. That is what is hurting me. I have been humiliated, discriminated and abused. I am confused. But when I heard that the Land Commission of Inquiry is coming to Karamoja, I was filled with tears of joy. I am now stronger than when I was crying as I began presenting my case. I pray and I do hope that Justice Bamugemereire’s commission will help me out at this critical time when I am homeless,” Lokisa said.    

Flanked by commissioners, Mary Oduka Ochan, Joyce Habasa, Dr Rose Nakayi, Fred Ruhindi, George Bagonza Tinkamanyire, and Robert Sebunya, Justice Bamugemereire, who was on a locus in quo field visit to Karamoja sub region, warned Nakapiripirit town council officials implicated against taking the law into their hands and demanded that the town council submits a report on the matter to the commission within two weeks.

“These are very serious issues that the Commission of Inquiry will not take lightly. This particular case of Lokisa, the widow and former police officer, is of serious concern to us given the gender perspective. I want a report on this matter, and when we summon you to come to the commission, please come to avoid criminal arrest ” Justice Bamugemereire said.

Lokisa, who hails from Kopedur Lodaraja Angididinga village, initially inhabited by the Sudanese Dinka, and now called Nakapiripirit senior quarters, is a case study of one of the many women suffering quietly because their voices and cries, cannot be heard, but are suffering from the effects of inequality and discrimination.  

Globally, and in Africa particularly, women’s right to equality, access to, use of and control over land and other productive resources, have been hampered by inadequate legal standards. From large-scale land acquisitions that displace communities without due compensation, to the unplanned urbanization that forcibly evicts people living in informal settlements without any compensation, and discriminatory cultural attitudes and practices at the institutional and community level, women are more ruthlessly affected by land tenure insecurity due to direct and indirect discriminatory laws and practices at the national, community and family level.

A Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) report on “Why gender is access to land” contends that gender differences in land tenure should be recognized if land objectives, such as increasing land productivity, providing affordable housing, or promoting sustainable resource management, are to be met.

“There is a need for land tenure policy frameworks that explicitly address gender inclusive access to land. Without specific attention to gender inclusiveness, important segments of society may be excluded from the benefits of land administration, management, and development schemes” the FAO report said in part.

Equitable access to land is a human rights issue. The UN Economic and Social Council Commission on the Status of Women states, “land rights discrimination is a violation of human rights.”

Women’s land rights are critical to democracy, peace, justice, sustainable development and security for all. Secure land rights for women set off powerful, continued ripple effects that go a long way toward realizing gender equality and a range of critical Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and human rights.

The Uganda Land Commission of Inquiry was constituted in 2016 by President Yoweri Museveni to investigate and inquire into the law, processes and procedures by which land is administered and registered in Uganda among other roles.

It was constituted at the time when Uganda was grappling with increasing cases of land wrangles that resulted in bloodshed. Initially, the commission was supposed to work for six months but its term was extended following the high demand and backlog of numerous cases that were registered.

jolanyo@gmail.com

The Inspectorate of Government has arrested Dr Rose Nassali Lukwago, the secretary Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and Dr Opio Okiror, the former commissioner Health Services.  

They are accused of abuse of office and causing financial loss of Shs 33 million in the 2014/2015 financial year in their role as accounting officers in the Education and Sports ministry.  

They are wanted together with Jaffar Kawooya, the internal auditor in the Education ministry and Cuthbert Kagabo, the deputy director AH Consulting Ltd.  

According to the charge sheet prepared by Brenda Kibugwe, the head of the prosecution in the Inspectorate of Government, the suspects facilitated an overpayment of Shs 33.8 million to AH Consulting Ltd well knowing it cause financial loss to the government.

The suspects are expected to appear before the Anti-corruption court anytime from now. 

There was heavy deployment of Anti-riot police in Luweero town council ahead of the burial of a Boda boda rider killed in a procession involving the Kyadondo East member of parliament Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine.  

Hakim Ssekamwa was killed on Tuesday evening in a nasty accident during a procession to escort Bobi Wine in Bombo town along the Kampala Gulu highway. 

The legislator together with others was on their way to Kampala from Gulu where they are being tried in the Magistrate’s court for among others treason, inciting violence and disobedience of lawful orders. The deceased’s elder brother, Isma Mpiima, says the deceased was knocked by a trailer after being forced off the road by a police patrol vehicle registration number, UP 2525. 

He sustained serious injuries and was rushed to Mulago national referral hospital where he breathed his last on Wednesday. 

"We carried my brother to the nearest hospital, but on reaching the hospital there was no medicine. They asked us to fuel the ambulance which I did and we took him to Mulago hospital. Before he died, he told me the police caused the accident because they attempted to knock him. As he tried to 'dodge' the patrol vehicle, he was hit by trailer on the other side. He kept apologising to me telling me he has left me with a big responsibility. It is very sad that I watched on helplessly as my brother breathed his last." said Mpiima. 

At Mulago, they were denied treatment after the family failed to raise Shs 270,000. This morning, a group of People Power activists led by Sam Serunjogi and Charles Ssebyala embarked on the deceased’s burial arrangements at his ancestral home at Kasana Piida in Luweero town council.     

However, scores of police officers led by the officer in charge of Kasana police station, Sperito Banomugisha deployed heavily near the deceased’s home and along the Kampala-Gulu highway in Luweero town council.

Police also summoned the organizers of the burial to provide a list of expected mourners following reports that Bobi Wine might show up at the burial. Both Serunjogi and Ssebyala defied the summons, saying they are busy mobilizing resources for the funeral.  

"It is absurd, we happen to lose one of our gallant member of People Power, Hakim when he was following the convoy of his excellency Bobi Wine. Sadly as we were preparing for the burial police has deployed heavily, we do not know their agenda but I think they have been tipped off that HE Bobi Wine is coming to attend the burial…I ask the community to send off our colleague in a deserved way. It is not the police to tell us how we should bury. It is very absurd and shameful that police is now telling us how we should bury our relatives." said Serunjogi.     

Banomugisha declined to comment on the matter. The Luweero district police commander was unavailable for comment.       

Another police officer however said that they deployed to ensure smooth traffic flow. Our reporter saw several mourners donning the symbolic People Power red berets. The burial comes a day after the burial of another People Power activist who was also killed in an accident. 

Michael Kalinda aka Zigy Wyne was laid to rest at his ancestral home in Katoma- Bukari, Kashenshero Mitoma district on Wednesday.

Seven traders have been confirmed dead and three others injured when a Fuso lorry registration number UAZ 314Z in which they were traveling, overturned in Kitgum district.

The incident happened at Akworo village, Labongo Amida sub-county about seven kilometers from Kitgum Municipality at 5 am on Friday. The Kitgum resident district commissioner William Komakech says the traders were returning to Kitgum Municipality from Paidha market in Zombo district when their truck veered off the road and overturned. He said the seven, all died instantly.  

The deceased have been identified as Gladys Aber, a resident of Ayul B village in Pager Division, Julius Ocira Ataa from Pamolo in Labongo Layamo sub-county and Jacqueline Auma, a resident of Labuece in Pager Division all in Kitgum district.

Others are Martin Ojok, a resident of Kirombe custom corner, Francis Okeny and another person only identified as Ojara, all residents of Gulu. The other is James Obua, from Oyam district.

The injured who are currently receiving medical treatment from Kitgum general hospital are Charles Abwola, from Orom sub-county in Kitgum district, as well as Brian Omony, and David Okello, from Gulu. The truck driver whose identity wasn’t readily available reportedly survived the accident.  

Komakech says the bodies have been taken to the Kitgum general hospital morgue for a postmortem before they are handed to their relatives for burial.

City socialite Judith Heard has asked Ugandan security agencies to stop harassing women who have been victims of online gender-based violence, urging them to instead pursue their tormentors.      

Heard, whose nude pictures made rounds on social media last year, made the remarks at a workshop organised by The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) and social media giant Facebook at Serena hotel on August 7 under the theme; “women’s online safety.”

In an emotive presentation, shared with a gathering that mainly constituted of personalities from civil society and the media, Heard said that it’s about time government stopped prosecuting the victims but hunt for the real online bullies.   

“I was already traumatized,” Heard said, “but then the police called me saying I had violated the Anti Pornography Act.” 

Government according to Heard hasn’t tried to earnestly follow-up cases of online bullies.

“Once my pictures were out they were saying you [Heard] are going to jail for seven years. Many girls have committed suicide because their pictures have leaked. Why can’t government act,” Heard said. 

In August of last year, after her nudes went viral, police summoned Heard insisting that it had opened up seven counts against her connected to the production of pornographic material and being a public nuisance. 

The particular accusation by police was that Heard had produced pornographic pictures and videos of herself which allegedly she posted on social media conflicting the Anti-Pornography Act 2004. 

Though police were on her case, Heard, divulged that what traumatized or still traumatizes her was the thought of what her children will think of her the day they discover that her nudes were ever shared on social media.

“What will happen when my children get access to a computer and they see my nudes? What goes through the mind of my daughter when she reads in newspapers that Judith Heard’s nudes are out?"

The workshop's main objective was to engage and build capacity in understanding gender-based cyber violence and the tools to challenge, combat, prevent and counter the vice.

She added: “No newspaper has ever written about Judith Heard donating to an orphanage. It’s ever Judith Heard with nudes.”   

Before Heard could take to the floor, Juliet Nanfuka a programme officer with CIPESA in her powerpoint presentation showed how the online space in Uganda is skewed in favor of men. 

50 percent of women, Nanfuka said, are less likely than men to be online and the few of the women who are online are normally harassed.

“Very few women are on online because now we even have social media tax,” Nanfuka said, “But even those who are online they are offended. Men sending them private parts ….”

Once her nudes went viral, Heard said that what shocked her was the acidic attacks she got from her fellow women.    

“I know most Ugandan girls have nudes but the attacks they directed towards me,” she said, “Shall we cry endlessly. We must stand up for fellow women. Every time I stand and people are looking at me, I’m thinking are they seeing me naked.  I’m ever thinking what are these people thinking me.”

dkiyonga@gmail.com  

The Zimbabwean president's son, a former first lady and 24 prominent politicians are accused of abusing their positions to acquire loans without collateral from a leading bank in the southern African country. 
 
The Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe (CBZ) says it has been forced to assume debt totaling at least $160 million after Emmerson Mnangagwa Jr., Grace Mugabe and others defaulted on loans made from 2010 to 2014. Zimbabwe's government, overseeing the country's worst economy in a decade, has a 16% stake in CBZ.  

CBZ released a list of alleged defaulters this week. Most of those on the list also allegedly defaulted on additional loans totaling $200 million from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe — loans that must be covered by taxpayers. Zimbabweans are struggling to cope with soaring prices for food, medicine and other staples as wages fall and the government cuts electricity for up to 18 hours a day to try to contain costs. 
 
Mnangagwa, whose father replaced longtime President Robert Mugabe in late 2017, allegedly defaulted on a $400,000 loan from the commercial bank. Grace Mugabe, who led the ruling Zanu-PF party's women's wing and had indicated interest in the presidency for herself, is accused of failing to repay $4.5 million to the bank. She is in Singapore with her ailing husband and could not be reached for comment. 
 
But the younger Mnangagwa told VOA he owes nothing to CBZ. 
 
"I do not currently hold, or have held, an account with the Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe, nor have I ever transacted with them," he wrote in an email Thursday.  

Other prominent alleged borrowers include Obert Mpofu, a former Cabinet minister in the Zanu-PF; Ignatius Chombo, another former Cabinet minister; Mabel Chinomona, former Senate president; and Job Sikhala, a member of parliament and the only opposition member on the list.  

Zimbabwe's Education minister, Paul Mavhima, who borrowed $120,000 from CBZ, told VOA he had reached a repayment agreement with the bank.   
 
CBZ management has contracted with Tendai Biti, a former Finance minister and vice president of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, to recover the debts. The opposition group is led by Nelson Chamisa, runner-up to the elder Mnangagwa in last summer's presidential election. Biti confirmed to VOA's Zimbabwe service that he would work for the bank.

At least 62 people burned to death Saturday and more than 70 others were being treated for burns after a fuel tanker exploded in Morogoro, Tanzania, police said.  
 
Witnesses said the tanker had been involved in an accident. People were trying to siphon off fuel from the damaged tanker when the blast happened, officials said.   

Tanzanian President John Magufuli expressed his condolences but said he was "very shocked" by the looting that happened at the scene. He also called for people to stop the dangerous practice of stealing fuel in such a way. 
 
Morogoro governor Stephen Kebwe said, "The Morogoro region had never experienced a disaster of such magnitude."

He told reporters that the explosion occurred when someone tried to take the truck's battery. A witness on the scene, teacher January Michael, told the French news agency AFP, "We arrived at the scene with two neighbors just after the truck was overturned. While some good Samaritans were trying to get the driver and the other two people out of the truck, others were jostling each other, equipped with jerrycans, to collect petrol. 
 
"At the same time, someone was trying to pull the battery out of the vehicle. We warned that the truck could explode at any moment, but no one wanted to listen, so we went on our way. But we had barely turned on our heels when we heard the explosion.” 
 
Morogoro is about 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Dar es Salaam. 

Fuel tanker explosion burns to death 62 people in #Tanzania. 70 others are being treated for burns. Incident happened in Morogoro after the tanker got involved in an accident on Saturday. Acc. to witnesses explosion occurred when someone tried to take the truck's battery pic.twitter.com/lijITAfdh4

— The Observer (@observerug) August 11, 2019

The speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga has said that parliament will still push to know details about ongoing works at the International Specialized Hospital Uganda site at Lubowa in Wakiso district.  

On Tuesday, a group of legislators from the National Economy Committee accompanied by the Health minister, Jane Ruth Aceng and permanent secretary, Dr Diana Atwiine were turned away by armed Local Defense Unit (LDU) and police personnel when they went to inspect the 30-acre construction site along the Kampala-Entebbe road.  

The MPs had sought permission from the ministry of Health to visit the site. However, they found the gate to the site blocked with a grader and a pickup truck.  

Later, Finasi/Roko, the special purpose vehicle which is constructing the Shs 1.4 trillion facility, notes that they blocked the MPs for safety and health reasons. But Kadaga told journalists in an interview that what happened on Tuesday will not stop parliament from undertaking its oversight role.

She said that parliament will inquire into the reasons why the MPs were blocked from accessing the site and ensure that they visit the site at the next available opportunity.     

"I don’t know why they were not allowed to do their work. As far as I know, I’m concerned it is the work of parliament, we vote for this money, we appropriate it. So it is our responsibility to follow up what has happened to the money and what is going on. I will find out why they were stopped, and ensure that they actually go and do their work because we expect a report from them which we shall discuss at some stage." said Kadaga. 

In an interview with URN, the vice-chairperson of the National Economy committee Lawrence Bategeka stated that MPs do not need clearance from the contractor to be able to access the site which was guaranteed with taxpayers money.  

In March this year, parliament approved a loan guarantee of $379 million to Finasi/Roko for the construction of a specialized hospital. The project has however been marred with controversies.  

Recently, Roko, one of the project partners, said that it was being unfairly kicked out in favour of a new company, Power China Guizhou Engineering Co, Ltd. Roko has since run to court seeking to reverse the decision by Finasi international FZC chaired by Enrica Pinnet.    

The ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development has announced that it has resettled at least 623 street children over the last six months.

Earlier this year, the ministry secured Shs 3.4 billion to resettle an estimated 5,000 street children aged between 7 and 17 years from the city streets. There is an estimated 2,000 street children in Kampala alone.

Florence Nakiwala Kiyinji, minister of State for Youths and Children Affairs said government has so far managed to evacuate 623 children off the streets. She said the children were taken to different locations in homes set up for their rehabilitation. 

“We have three places and the children have been and they include Kampiringisa, Koblin and Masulita homes for rehabilitation,” she said.

Nakiwala added; “We provided them with what they requested for, as some requested for sports equipment, and so they are undergoing intensive training in which they're expected to participate in the East African street children competitions.”

Nakiwala said so far, there are three homes for the childrens' resettlemnt, but some other 139 homes are on standby just in case the numbers increase. According to Nakiwala, security at those homes is very tight so as to prevent the children from returning to the streets soon after admission.

“We are going to put a measure on people who come up claiming these children are theirs as DNA test will be exercised to confirm whether the two are family and such people will be charged with child negligence unless evidence is provided,” Nakiwala said.  

She added that the ministry has improved youth standards through, for instance providing peace and stability, infrastructural development that has enabled over 20,000 youths involved in Youth Livelihood Program and about 8,000 youths are involved in Youth Skilling Program.

Nakiwala said this while addressing the media at Uganda Media Centre about the International Youth Day celebrations scheduled to take place in Jinja district today August 12. President Yoweri Museveni is expected to preside over the celebrations for the day whose theme is “Transforming Education for Responsible Citizenship and Creation.”

The celebrations aim at recognizing the numerical strength of the young people and their importance in achieving the aspirations of the state parties and activities to be carried out are community work.                                                       

mwanjedavid3@gmail.com   

MOROGORO, TANZANIA - Tanzania was in mourning Sunday, preparing to bury 69 people who perished when a crashed fuel tanker exploded as crowds rushed to syphon off leaking petrol.

President John Magufuli declared a period of mourning through Monday following the deadly blast near the town of Morogoro, west of Dar es Salaam. He will be represented at the funerals by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, an official statement said.

"We're currently mourning the loss of 69 people, the last of whom died while being transferred by helicopter to the national hospital in Dar es Salaam," Majaliwa told residents in comments broadcast on Tanzanian television.

The number of injured stood at 66, he said. The burials started Sunday afternoon, Parliamentary Affairs, minister Jenista Mhagama announced during the morning after relatives identified the dead.

"The preparations for the burials have been completed. Individual graves have been dug and the coffins are ready," Mhagama said, adding that experts would be available to offer psychological counselling to the victims' relatives.

DNA tests would be carried out on bodies that were no longer recognizable, Mhagama said, adding that families could take the remains of their loved ones and organize their own burials if they preferred.

In the latest in a series of similar disasters in Africa, 39 seriously hurt patients had been taken to hospital in Dar es Salaam while 17 others were being treated in Morogoro, 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of the economic capital of Tanzania.

Footage from the scene showed the truck engulfed in flames and huge clouds of black smoke, with charred bodies. The burnt-out remains of motorcycle taxis lie scattered on the ground among scorched trees. A video posted on social media showed dozens of people carrying yellow jerricans around the truck.

'No-one wanted to listen'

"We arrived at the scene with two neighbours just after the truck was overturned. While some good Samaritans were trying to get the driver and the other two people out of the truck, others were jostling each other, equipped with jerricans, to collect petrol," teacher January Michael told AFP.

"At the same time, someone was trying to pull the battery out of the vehicle. We warned that the truck could explode at any moment but no one wanted to listen, so we went on our way, but we had barely turned on our heels when we heard the explosion."

President Magufuli called Saturday for people to stop the dangerous practice of stealing fuel in such a way, a common event in many poor parts of Africa.

He issued a statement saying he was "very shocked" by the looting of fuel from damaged vehicles.

"There are vehicles that carry dangerous fuel oil, as in this case in Morogoro, there are others that carry toxic chemicals or explosives, let's stop this practice, please," Magufuli said.

Last month, 45 people were killed and more than 100 injured in central Nigeria when a petrol tanker crashed and then exploded as people tried to take the fuel.

Among the deadliest such disasters, 292 people lost their lives in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in July 2010, and in September 2015 at least 203 people died the South Sudan town of Maridi.

Angry residents of Bardege Division in Gulu Municipality have forced the Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP), Betty Aol Ocan to trek for three kilometers in protest over the poor state of their roads.

The LOP had paid an impromptu visit to the people who had gathered at Gulu Municipal council offices Monday morning demanding for answers about bad roads in their area. The angry residents had earlier on blocked the five-kilometer Oola Lubara road, which connects Gulu town to St Marys Hospital Lacor via Gulu airfield and Gulu Archdiocese Cathedral.    

The residents led by the area LC III chairperson, Patrick Oola Lumumba tasked Aol, who also doubles as Gulu Woman MP to step out of the comfort of her vehicle and walk with them so as to get the feel of the bad state of the road, which they say has lasted for close to six years.

The residents walked with the legislator from the Gulu Municipal council offices up to the residence of Yusuf Adek Okwonga, the Pageya clan chief, about three kilometers away. Paul Onyegiu, one of the residents, says the road has been impassable for over six years especially during the rainy seasons but their leaders remain silent about the matter.  

Aol, who was dressed in a light green gomesi and shiny black shoes moved for over two hours in the company of her four bodyguards who all ended up with muddy shoes and dirty clothes. She told URN at the chief's palace that she accepted to move in solidarity with the suffering people whose plight for better services hasn’t been addressed. 

Earlier the residents used vehicles tyres, boulders and logs to block the road. They also mockingly planted crops on the road, arguing that it has become a garden. They later moved to the Gulu Municipal Council office from where the Gulu municipal engineer, Terence Okwonga assured them that the road will be upgraded to tarmac next year in January at Shs 6 billion.

Staff representatives from the nine public universities are expected to meet President Yoweri Museveni to discuss their delayed salary enhancement.    

Khalid Mahmoud, the deputy spokesperson Gulu University, says they received an invitation to meet the president at State House, Entebbe on Tuesday to discuss salary matters. Both teaching and non-teaching staff across public universities laid down their tools early this month so as to compel the government to fulfill the president’s directive to enhance their salaries.   

Mahmoud, who, also doubles as the Gulu University Academic Staff Association (GUASA) chairperson, says each public university is expected to send four representatives for the meeting with the president. He says each university will be represented by two leaders from the Forum for Academic Staff of Public Universities (FASPU) and Public Universities Non-Teaching Staff Executive Forum (PUNTSEF).   

He says after the Museveni meeting, they will meet on Wednesday to discuss the outcome of the State House meeting. Gulu University staff under their umbrella body Gulu University Staff Association (GUASA) and National Union of Educational Institution (NUEI) on August 1 went on an industrial strike.   

Mahmoud says they will not call off the strike even when the first semester commences on August 12.  

"Students can report to the university but we cannot take part in the orientation because we are not working. Only a few offices are receiving admissions, the health center is functioning and only heads of departments are active.’’ Mahmoud said during an interview.

The demand 

In 2015, Museveni directed the enhancement of salaries of staff in public universities with a professor earning at least Shs 15 million each month from the current Shs 2 million.

The Finance, Planning and Economic Development ministry decided to phase the enhanced of the salaries over a period of five years ending in the financial year 2019/2020. However, the staff say the salary enhancement isn’t reflected in the salary structure for the 2019/2020 financial year issued by the ministry of Public Service.  

Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwiire the Public Service permanent secretary issued a circular to vice-chancellors of public universities announcing that Shs 15 billion had been earmarked to pay the striking staff.   

Musingwiire said this is part of the Shs 150 billion meant for enhancing the salaries for all public officers. At least Shs 138 billion is needed for the enhancement of the salary of staff in all public universities. Shs 58.5 billion is meant for arrears while Shs 78.5 billion is for enhancement for the 2018/2019 financial year.

Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has suffered a third office break-in in the last three months. According to sources at KCCA, a number of computers in the office of the directorate of public health were vandalized and hard disks taken.

Peter, Kaujju, the KCCA spokesperson confirmed on Monday the break-in that he says happened on August 8. He says investigations are ongoing to ascertain how it happened and how much was lost. This is not the first time KCCA offices are being broken into this year.

On June 11 unidentified people broke into the directorate of engineering department of road surveyor and took off with the Central Processing Units (CPUs). About a week later on June 21, there was another break-in at the legal directorate and litigation office.

In all the break-ins, computers have been vandalized and hard disks taken - pointing to the possibility that the target is to steal KCCA information. The two break-ins happened at a time when the directorate of legal had been tasked to explain the authority’s debt amounting to over Shs 65 billion with much of the debt said to have been accumulated due to lost court cases.

According to the Kampala District Public Accounts Committee Report 2018, the majority of the cases being handled by the legal department originated from the department of engineering. Since the June break-ins, there has been no report produced to that effect although Kaujju says this is not a sign of weakness or loophole in the administration of KCCA.

Kaujju adds that KCCA is working on beefing up its surveillance. Currently, KCCA does not have security cameras at its headquarters at City Hall. Kaujju says there are plans to install the cameras to boost security at the premises.

Security has now been beefed up at KCCA with all visitors requested to produce their identification cards and undergo a thorough body checkup using metal detectors and bare hands

Mityana police have launched a manhunt for unidentified thugs who robbed a Russian miner, Andrew Svobodin. 

The thugs reportedly stormed Svobodin’s home in Piida LC I in Central Division in Mityana Municipality over the weekend disguised as security operatives.

In his statement at Mityana central police station, Svobodin says three men armed with AK-47 rifles stormed his home pretending that they were searching for opium.  

“When they introduced themselves as security officers on an operation. I ordered the guard to open for them. However, when they entered into the house before showing me their IDs, they tied me and the guard,” Svobodin told the police.      

He says the thugs ransacked the house for valuables and made off with three laptops, $7400 (about Shs 27.4million), several phones, and Shs 8 million cash.   

The Wamala Region police spokesperson, Norbert Ochom, says during their investigations have since established the vehicle the thugs used during the raid. Ochom said the thugs were driving a grey-colored Toyota Harrier, registration number UAB 235J. 

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has defended the ongoing rice growing and sand mining activities in Lwera wetland despite uproar from area leaders, civil society organizations and the general public.   

A number of people have in recent years questioned the viability of ongoing activities in the wetland, which to many, is the last line natural filter and protection for Lake Victoria. The wetland crosses through the districts of Mpigi, Gomba and Kalungu. 

But NEMA executive director Dr Tom Okurut says that although the public may have an ignorance-based bias on the utilization of wetlands to satisfy man’s needs, it doesn’t make the activities illegal as many presume. 

Okurut observes that NEMA has carried out several studies on how these activities can commendably be carried out without tampering with the biodiversity of the area. The studies form the basis of the approvals for any such activity.    

In the case of rice growing, Okurut says that they carried out several studies on the topography, tested the soils, and carefully made an Environmental Impact Assessment which all proved that the activity could be carried out in the area.  

"Let me use this opportunity to educate the Ugandan population about the decisions that make, we make them based on science, ok. Lwera wetland is big, certainly where water is flowing is there, there is a river, then there is a section where there are larges deposits of sand and there are sections which are actually dry with different soil structures. We look at the soils - that is where the rice is growing [and] we can describe it as marginal soils. So that part of Lwera we did an analysis of the soil and the water interface is at the end." said Okurut. 

"The ministry of Agriculture are the ones who requested that; can we utilize this part with a view of improving the soil? Can we use it for rice growing? First of all, it is there and there is no economic value to anybody in those areas there. Of course, we did a study on whether with enhanced capacity and support to the soil can gain a comparative advantage by growing something that is of commercial value. That is why we permitted rice growing." Okurut added. 

His remarks come at the backdrop of an ongoing campaign championed by civil society activists under Citizens Concern Africa to stop activities in Lwera. They have petitioned the president to intervene and stop rice growing carried out on a leased 700-acre piece of land in the Lwera stretch by a Chinese Company, Zhong Industries Ltd.

Okurut has however trashed their petition saying that Lwera is not the first wetland where the government has permitted commercial rice-growing citing Doho and Kibimba. He adds that the project has created job opportunities for the area population. 

"This is not the first place we have licensed rice growing in a wetland. Maybe people have not travelled. Just in Uganda, if you go to Kibimba, Kibimba has been growing rice since 1970 and it is in a wetland. Doho in western Uganda is in a wetland. There are others that we have licenced and they are growing in a wetland. This is a pedestrian thinking of reasoning. We’re not fools and in any case, there is a full buffer of wetlands before the thing [rice project] goes on it. 3000ha goes up to Bukakata and now we want to convert that land into economic land so the community can also benefit from that wetland by adding value [through] growing rice. We gave licences for mining sand, it was the same thing." he said. 

In the same development, he confirmed that NEMA has since issued five permits to different companies to carry out responsible sand mining as the country desperately need the resource. On the contrary, the National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) executive director Frank Muramuzi says the activities are likely to cause more harm than good.   

Muramuzi argues that given the fact that Lwera drains directly into Lake Victoria and the use of agro-chemicals like fertilizers, the activities are putting millions of lives at risk. He further questions why current leaders are selfishly exploiting almost every resource without considering the needs of the future.   

"They should avoid growing rice in a wetland. I think that is an activity that is not wanted in a wetland. When you go there and you have cleared a big chunk of land, you have removed the wetland, that wetland is the one that goes through Lake Victoria, it naturally filters the water that goes into the lake - those chemicals, whatever comes with floods, the faeces. First of all, you have affected the biodiversity but also you have not regulated the movement of the water. You have [allowed] dirty water into the lake." said Muramuzi. 

Lwera wetland has for long been utilized by locals as a source of materials for construction, crafts, furniture, and food in addition to grazing cattle among other activities. However, its commercial use leaves a number of questions. 

During his Operation Wealth Creation tours, President Yoweri Museveni also questioned the said activities, hinting on the possibility of halting them. In fact, last week while presiding over the West Nile Investment Symposium at Muni University in Arua, Museveni ordered that all people including investors and subsistence farmers encroaching on wetlands and forests should get out so as to minimize environmental destruction.

Meanwhile, Okurut says the authority has also embarked on supporting research on sand mining and rice growing in different wetlands in Uganda and has so far put up funds to environment students at university.   

Handwriting experts in the police forensic directorate are analyzing the purported suicide note left by an Indian national, Vikrant Sangir who is said to have committed suicide at Fairway hotel last Friday.

Sangir’s lifeless body was found hanging by the rope in room 2204 at Fairway hotel a day after his colleague, Sidharth Shyamsunder Sharma reported him missing at Kampala central police station (CPS).

Deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire says preliminary investigations show that Sangir checked in at Fairway hotel around 10:44 am on August 8, 2019. The next day, the hotel staff gave him extra hours to check out in vain.

The hotel manager was reportedly forced to open the room at around 1 pm only to find the deceased’s lifeless body hanging by a rope. Owoyesigyire says police rushed to the crime scene after being alerted by Fairway hotel management. 

Handwriting experts in the Police Forensic Directorate are analyzing the purported suicide note left by Indian national, Vikrant Sangir who is said to have committed suicide at Fairway hotel last Friday. Sangir’s lifeless body was found hanging on a rope in room 2204 at Fairway hotel a day after his colleague, Sidharth Shyamsunder Sharma reported him missing at Kampala Central Police Station (CPS).

Deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire says preliminary investigations show that Sangir checked in at Fairway hotel around 10:44 am on August 8, 2019. The next day, the hotel staff gave him extra hours to check out, in vain.

The hotel managed was forced to open the room around 1 pm only to find the deceased’s lifeless body hanging by a rope. Owoyesigyire says police rushed to the crime scene upon after being alerted by Fairway hotel management. Police found the body still hanging on a rope.

It was cut down in the presence of the deceased’s colleague who had reported his disappearance.  Sangir was a businessman and resident of Old Kampala along Martin road in the Kampala Central Division. He operated a hardware shop along Nabugabo road together with other Indians including Sharma.

“Investigations show he left his workplace on the 8th day of August 2019 at around 10:30hrs and told his workmates that he was sick and going for treatment at Norvik hospital along Bombo road in Wandegeya, Kampala. He never reached the hospital,” Owoyesigyire said.  

Police found a handwritten note in, which, Sangir allegedly urged police and hotel staff not to blame anyone, saying he willingly chose to take his life. Owoyesigyire said the note doesn’t conclude the reason why he killed himself, a reason it is being analyzed by handwriting experts.   

He explained that Sangir cut a string on the swinging chair (Homook relaxing chair), which was in his room and used it to end his life. He was suspected to have had some food, drinks and smoked some cigarettes before taking his life.   

Scene of crime officers from CPS, Kampala visited the scene and took the body to Mulago national referral hospital morgue for postmortem. The officers also recorded statements from several hotel staff.

Police are currently interviewing Sangir’s relatives and friends to understand what could have prompted him to take his own life. Owoyesigyire said investigators were reviewing CCTV footage from the hotel to understand whether anybody accessed his room during night hours. 

Sangir’s death comes a few days after an Italian national, Pierluigi Ruiliano Benni was found lying dead in a pool of blood. Preliminary investigations show that Benni shot himself using a private licensed star pistol serial number UG IND T1102-06A01087 00241.

Benni, who also possessed a Uganda passport, was a resident of Bulago islands at the home of Lucas Bally, a Swiss national and a businessman living in Kampala.