Weekly News Snapshot
Last week, Uganda’s main media houses reported a number of important issues that Uganda Correspondent feels its weekly readers must not miss out on. Read excerpts from those stories in our “Weekly News Snapshot” here.
Former Uganda President Binaisa dies at 90
By Our Staff Writer 9th-15th Aug 2010
Uganda’s former President Godfrey Lukongwa Binaisa QC has died. The 90yr old died in his sleep in the morning of 5th August at his home in Kizungu Zone, Makindye Division; a Kampala suburb.
“We are gutted and really depressed”; said the former President’s daughter Nakalema Binaisa. Nakalema said her father went to bed last night “smiling” but did not wake-up this morning. Binaisa is said to have been suffering from diabetes and other age related ailments. Doctors however suspect that Binaisa could have died as a result of a cardiac arrest or heart attack.
Government officials were reported to be busy coordinating arrangement for a state funeral for the departed former head of state. Binaisa studied at King’s College Budo and Makerere College before joining King’s College London where he studied law. In 1955, Binaisa was appointed a Queen’s Counsel (QC); a prestigious recognition of legal excellence in the United Kingdom. He also served as Attorney General in Milton Obote’s independence government of 1962-71 when Idi Amin snatched power in a military coup.
In 1979 when Idi Amin was overthrown, Binaisa returned to Uganda and was appointed President of Uganda by the National Consultative Commission; the supreme organ of the Uganda National Liberation Front [UNLF] coalition that had removed Idi Amin from power. Binaisa served as President of Uganda for only 11months [June 1979-May 1980]. Military men who made him President removed him from power after he tried to send the then all powerful Brig. David Oyite Ojok to Algeria as Ambassador.
Excerpts sourced from: www.monitor.co.ug
NRM polls marred by, rigging, gunshots, violence
By Our Staff Writer 9th-15th Aug 2010
Sembabule:
Gunshots, bloodshed, and general chaos marred NRM elections across the country 2nd August 2010. About 13 people in total were reported to have been injured and admitted in critical condition to hospitals across the country.
Mbale, Butaleja and Karamoja called off elections over various reasons. In Ssembabule, the gun wielding local MP Theodore Ssekikubo violently clashed with polling officials. The scuffle left Lt. Habib Nsamba injured and was rushed to Masaka Hospital after being shot while trying to disarm Ssekikubo’s guard.
The scuffle began in the morning when the area returning officer, Emmanuel Sekimpi, declared that he was ready to begin the election exercise. Ssekikubo challenged the decision, saying it was not right for the district party elections to go on when Lwemiyaga sub-county, where he comes from, had not elected its leaders.
As Sekimpi started reading the names of the voters, Ssekikubo stopped him. A group of people then surged forward to attack Ssekikubo. And at this stage, his armed guard ordered them to keep away, but they ignored him. Nsamba then confronted Alex to remove the pistol from him and Alex shot him in the stomach.
A furious Ssekikubo, who also was armed with a pistol, threw the election materials from the table as the officials fled for dear life. Police fired tear-gas to disperse the crowd.
Butaleja:
There was also violence in Butaleja in eastern Uganda, where 12 people were seriously injured. The officer in-charge of Butaleja Central Police Station, Alex Olowo, said 12 people were admitted at Busolwe hospital in critical condition. The Police fired in the air to disperse a group of people who wanted to burn vehicles belonging to the district chairman, Richard Waya. The elections were also cancelled following the chaos.
The saga started when Bunyole MP Emmanuel Dombo accused his opponent, Imran Muluga, of conniving with Waya and the Woman MP, Dorothy Hyuha, to rig the elections. Dombo claimed his rivals had kept over 300 voters at Tororo Progressive Academy to prevent the other NRM candidates from accessing them. The total number of voters at the polling station is 570.
Tororo
In Tororo, the anti-riot Police was deployed to calm rowdy supporters of Apollo Ofwono and David Okurut, the two candidates for the district NRM chairmanship. Ofwono’s group had earlier left the voting venue. When they returned, they were told by the NRM district registrar, Kirumi Mawere, that voting was already underway and that some positions had been filled.
This sparked off protests from Okurut’s supporters prompting the deputy resident district commissioner Richard Gulume to stop the exercise.
Sironko:
Tempers also flared in Sironko as a group of youth fought each other during the nomination process. One of the two groups accused the returning officer, Isaiah Shibuta, of messing up the nomination process.
Buliisa:
In Buliisa, two people were arrested by the Police while trying to disorganise the elections. The situation was later calmed.
Kapchorwa:
In Kapchorwa, the voting exercise was disrupted after Tingey MP Herbert Sabila demanded that Dr. Steven Chebrot, a former member of the Health Service Commission, be disqualified. Sabila argued that Chebrot had not yet got an acceptance letter from President Museveni following his resignation from the commission.
In turn, supporters of Chebrot demanded that Sabila be disqualified since he was also convicted of corruption early this year. Violence erupted after the NRM administrative secretary Athens Somikwo declared Sabila the elected district chairperson. Police intervened to rescue Somikwo from an angry mob which wanted to lynch him.
Kabarole:
During the tallying of the votes, MP Steven Kaliba fought with Alex Ruhunda’s supporters who were celebrating. Kaliba was contesting with Ruhunda for the general secretary’s seat.
Kabale:
In Kabale District, Fr. Gaetano Batanyenda, the NRM chairman for Kashambya Sub-county, said he boycotted the election because of the vote registration in the Yellow books was messed up. He also alleged that the voters register was inflated at grass-root levels to favour Ms Mwesigye. “That is not democracy. I cannot participate in elections where the grass-root party elections were messed up in favour of one person – Hope Mwesigye”; he said.
Excerpts sourced from: www.newvision.co.ug
Ministers face suspension over vote-rigging
By Our Staff Writer 9th-15th Aug 2010
The ruling NRM-O party announced last week that it would suspend two senior cabinet ministers over their alleged involvement in vote rigging and voter manipulation in the just-concluded NRM district elections.
NRM Deputy Spokesperson Ofwono Opondo, said “…if the NRM still wants to be seen as a party that can deliver a clean vote in 2011, it should expel Lwemiyaga County MP Theodore Ssekikubo and suspend Minister of State for Labour Emmanuel Otaala and Minister without Portfolio Dorothy Hyuha over their alleged misconduct during the elections”.
Opondo also said the party will investigate allegations that Vice President Gilbert Bukenya was involved in vote buying in the race for Wakiso District chairman. “If the Vice President and NRM Vice Chairman did this, then suspension must be [effected]”; Mr Opondo said. Eng. Ian Kyeyune has been the incumbent Wakiso District chairperson. He, however, withdrew from the contest saying the Vice President used money to influence voters.
On the allegations that Ms Hyuha connived with her brother Butaleja District chairman Richard Waya to hide voters in a hotel to deny area MP Emmanuel Dombo access to the electorate, Opondo said “…it was a shameful act. They hid voters in a hotel and bought them booze and snacks and denied their opponent access to them. That is what happened in Butaleja”.
Mr Opondo also took a swipe at Dr Otaala and said he should “feel ashamed” for hijacking the entire electoral process in Tororo District. He accused the minister of locking out ethnic Iteso voters from Tororo County from the voting process. “He later emerged from the meeting with voters from his tribe and declared himself winner. This was very improper”; Opondo charged.
Crucially however, Mr Opondo said the shooting in Sembabule has left the public unsure about his party’s commitment to organising peaceful elections in next year. “If NRM, a party that is leading the country uses violence against one of its own, how then can it convince the world that it will preside over peaceful elections against our opponents”; Opondo wondered
Excerpts sourced from: www.monitor.co.ug
Besigye promises peoples’ protests
By Our Staff Writer 9th-15th Aug 2010
The opposition last week announced plans to stage what it called “nation-wide protracted peoples’ protests” against the Electoral Commission. In the process, the opposition hopes to raise more than one million signatures from voters for a petition to be presented to the Speaker of Parliament Edward Ssekandi.
Dr Kizza Besigye, the leader of the Inter-Party Leaders’ summit, the highest organ of the Inter-Party Cooperation, said the protests are intended to emphasise their demand for a free and fair election in 2011. He, however, did not say when the protests will start.
Dr Besigye said electoral reforms can be pushed through if there is political will to change. He dismissed the view that there is no time to implement reforms. “What is lacking is the will not the time”; Dr Besigye said. “The Constitution was amended in two days to remove [presidential] term limits and that’s because there was [sufficient] will by those concerned because it would benefit them”; he added.
Besigye also said a free and fair election is a non-negotiable facility that the people of Uganda, like other nationalities, must enjoy. Promising a much robust campaign, Besigye said, “…we are changing it from a campaign led by ourselves to a people-led campaign. We are re-stating our rejection of the President Museveni-imposed Electoral Commission. It has been very instrumental in rigging on behalf of the regime and that is why we insist on a new and independent Commission”.
Besigye further added that, as IPC, they “…insist that elections in Uganda must be subjected and judged by the same internationally accepted standards of electoral probity applied everywhere in the world. We therefore condemn the exceptionalism which has been accorded to the Museveni regime in the past2”.
Excerpts sourced from: www.monitor.co.ug
Court issues warrant of arrest for Otunnu
By Our Staff Writer 9th-15th Aug 2010
A Magistrate in Lira has issued warrant of arrest for Uganda People’s Congress [UPC] President Dr. Olara Otunnu after he failed to appear in court to answer two charges of sedition and sectarianism.
The prosecution said Dr. Olara Otunnu was personally served with criminal sermons to appear in court August 3rd but he failed to appear.
Dr. Otunnu was represented in court by his lawyers Erias Lukwago and Ojakol Moses who argued that the provision under which Dr. Otunnu is being charged is being challenged in the constitutional court. Mr. Lukwago said where a matter is still under challenge; the lower court cannot proceed with the case until the matter is disposed off by the constitutional court.
Lukwago said it was erroneous for the State to sanction the case file in the first place. In the afternoon, Grade One Magistrate Everest Faith Palodi announced that a warrant of arrest had been issued for Dr. Olara Otunnu to be produced in court on August 17th.
But Otunnu’s Lawyers protested. “This is outrageous, unprecedented, is unheard of…that is an abuse of office…this Magistrate has abused his authority. If we had rule of law in this country, he should have been prosecuted for what he decided to do today because he is overthrowing the constitution…this bogus ruling; it must be set aside. We can’t let it pass. We are going to take it to the appellant court in Kampala and wait for him to come there and defend his decision”; said Lukwago.
Excerpts sourced from: www.newvision.co.ug
