KAMPALA – Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) branch at Makerere University on Monday July 9 initiated impeachment proceedings against Guild President Papa Salim Were. They accused Papa Were and Mr. Isaac Kwagala, the Guild Speaker for going against their will and their failure to understand matters directly affecting students. FDC members said that Papa failed to represent the student interests as the university seeks to increase the current tuition fees rates by 15percent.
Finally, Makerere University council on Monday July 9 approved a 15 percent tuition increment across all programmes effective August 2018/2019 academic year as proposed in the students’ leaders’ committee report. This follows the FDC impeachment proceedings against the Guild President, Papa Were Salim as they had accused him of failing to fight for their rights. He submitted a report suggesting a 15 percent tuition increase for only new students instead of increasing tuition by 49 per cent and 91 percent, as it were in the earlier management proposal and this was solved.
One dead, four injured in bus accident
Meanwhile, there came sad news from Kabale District on Monday July 9, as Kigali-bound bus registration number UBA 067 Y belonging to a top passenger and courier service provider, Modern Coast, collided head-on with a Mercedes Benz trailer registration number T467BFX /T714 that left one person dead and four others with severe injuries.
Katongole out again
Former Rubaga North Member of Parliament (MP) Singh Katongole was on Tuesday July 10 caught in an embarrassing Village Council I election in Makamba Zone, Rubaga Division, Kampala. Elections held on Monday were cancelled after the former MP was accused of ballot stuffing and registering ghost voters from his home, police confirmed on Tuesday night.
Finally, Singh Katongole decided to quit the race for the Local Council One seat in Makamba Zone, Rubaga Division in Kampala. Mr Katongole’s decision came after a heated late Tuesday night meeting chaired by veteran politician Wasswa Lule, the independent candidate, Mr Grace Ssengaaga and other leaders in the area. Residents were accusing him of ballot stuffing and registering ghost voters and assured him that the election will not take place if he was still standing.
Maro joins jigger fight in Busoga
Besides that, Musician Magada Ronald alias “Maro” on Tuesday July 10, came out and expressed his optimism about the “Zero Jiggers campaign saying that he was ready to join the campaign of wiping out jiggers in Busoga, his region. Maro promised to raise awareness and sensitize his fellow Basoga as he started by releasing a new song titled ‘Tundula’ which was launched as the anthem for the campaign.
Sex video student pleads guilty, makes U-turn
UCU student makes U-turn after guilt plea on sex video
On that very Tuesday July 10, Lillian Rukundo 23, a student of Mass Communication at Uganda Christian University (UCU) Mukono was convicted upon her own plea of guilt for producing and broadcasting a pornographic video. Rukundo appeared before Buganda Road under the Utilities and Wildlife Court Chief Magistrate Ms Mary Babirye to have her charges read to her and was sent to Luzira.
Live bullets and teargas on Tuesday 10 in the afternoon rocked different areas as police dispersed people protesting what they called fake voters registers, punctuated with ghost voters. This was during the local council elections in several parts of the country including the city centre. However police called in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) personnel to quell riots and the chaos in Kinawataka, in Nakawa division as voters said the place for voting was too small to take them all.
Minister asks Investment boss to quit
Finance Minister Matia Kasaija on Wednesday July 11 directed Ms Jolly Kaguhangire the embattled Executive Director of the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) to leave office. Ms Kaguhangire was suspended on June 26 over numerous allegations of rot including corruption and blatant nepotism. However she declined to vacate office, saying the Board was witch-hunting her until she met with Mr. Museveni on July 5.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga on Wednesday July 11, summoned Finance minister Matia Kasaija to apologize to Parliament over statements he made in regards to the controversial Mobile Money tax. Mr. Kasaija had last week said that the one per cent tax on Mobile Money passed by Parliament is different from what Cabinet and the ruling NRM party caucus had initially agreed upon. Kasaija was asked to appear before the House on Thursday July 12 and withdraw his statements with an apology.
Officials in the Ministry of Finance on Wednesday July 11 reported to have received with mixed reactions as the State Minister for Investment Ms Evelyn Anite filed out for a study leave in the United States of America where she is attending the Graduate School. However, Ms Anite’s decision to go for leave sparked mixed reactions in the Finance ministry as some of the dockets under her supervision became a source of confusion in the sector especially the Uganda Investments Authority.
Cooperatives to return
As Uganda celebrated the commemoration International Cooperatives Week on Wednesday July 11, it was noted that government had put in place measures aimed at reviving the cooperatives sector across the country. Minister of Trade Industry and Cooperatives Ms Amelia Kyambade, said this had led to the growth in numbers of cooperatives. During the celebrations, Ms Kyambade said that by 30th May 2018 the ministry had registered 17,967 cooperative societies.
However on Thursday July 12, after the local council elections that were scheduled on Tuesday July 10, President Museveni congratulated Ugandans for picking 84 percent NRM in the women elections and a huge majority in Tuesday’s LCI elections. Wallowing in the thumping victory of his ruling National Resistance Movement, Museveni thanked Ugandans for putting to shame the enemies of Uganda.
Meanwhile President Yoweri Museveni on Thursday brought a smile to mobile money users’ faces when he announced, that Mobile Money users who were taxed 1% of their transaction amounts instead of his proposed 0.5%, will have their money refunded.
In the aftermath, President Museveni on Thursday July 12, ordered the Minister of Finance, Matia Kasaija to provide money for the purchase of pick-up trucks for the transportation of military personnel that will guard Members of Parliament. Museveni gave a history of the mysterious murders arguing that some of the crimes were being committed with the possible elements in the Police, although he didn’t mention the so called elements.
However, the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) on that Thursday July 12 in the afternoon attacked President Yoweri Museveni for being segregative in the way he provides security in the country. They said that instead of Mr. Museveni thinking about the security of all Ugandans, he thought about only a few individuals.” This came after Mr. Museveni had ordered Minister of Finance, Mr. Matia Kasaija to immediately buy escort vehicles for all 456 MPs in order to protect legislators from terrorists.
The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga on Thursday July 12 issued a ruling on the contentious Social media and Mobile money taxes, saying Parliament has no powers to interfere with a law that has already been enacted. Whereas there is a public outcry, Kadaga told Parliament that once a Bill becomes law, it can only be changed through an amendment and not a mere directive.
Members of Bugisu Cooperative Union (BCU) on Friday July 13 protested Nandala Mafabi’s failure to account for the transactions by the union during his tenure. A group of 30 coffee farmers from Mbale petitioned the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives on Thursday over the same issue. They described themselves as the undersigned representatives of the member societies and delegates so in their petition they claimed to be concerned about the current state of affairs of the union.
Surprisingly, a Mass Communication student at Uganda Christian University, Lillian Rukundo 23, a daughter to a UPDF soldier who earlier on Monday pleaded guilty of producing and broadcasting a pornographic video changed her plea to not guilt. Rukundo was on Friday July 13 remanded back to Luzira prison until July16, 2018 when she will be brought back to court for hearing after prosecution indicated that it has 4 witnesses to pin her.
Kampala Metropolitan Police commander CP Moses Kafeero on Friday afternoon allegedly threatened to “crash” NTV Journalist over his involvement in the social media and mobile money taxes protests that took place on Wednesday. Joel Ssenyonyi, a news anchor at NTV and a talk show host at power FM, said that CP Kafeero vowed to crash him, a statement that Kafeero totally denied.
