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.

Police, intelligence fight of terror suspects

By Our Staff Writer- 16^th-22^nd Aug 2010

Police and military intelligence agencies have clashed over who among them should take credit for arresting the terror suspects who were allegedly behind the 7/11 bomb attacks that left nearly 85 people dead.

Both security organs held press conferences on the same day with each of them working hard to apportion credit to themselves.  The Inspector General of Police Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura held a press conference at Uganda Media Centre in Kampala and accused the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence of acting “unprofessionally” when it paraded the suspects to confess before the media.

He wondered how suspects could be paraded when investigations were still ongoing. “This will jeopardise our investigations. Please I plead with you to just give us one day and publish those photographs”; Kayihura said.

Maj. Gen. Kayihura learnt later that the information he was reluctant to give had already been given out to the press by the head of CMI, Brig. James Mugira and army and Defence spokesperson Lt. Col. Felix Kulayigye.  He said the police were the lead-agency in hunting for the suspects while the Joint Anti Terrorism Task Force and CMI were “just to keep suspects in custody”.

Excerpts sourced from www.monitor.co.ug

Ministers named in dodgy land deals

Two senior cabinet ministers have been accused of authorising the irregular sale of Ministry of Local Government stores to an investor claiming that it posed a security threat.

Local Government Permanent Secretary Muhanguzi Kashaka and the Under Secretary, Mr Gideon Obbo, yesterday said Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire [Tourism, Trade and Industry] and Prof. Tarsis Kabwegyere [Disaster Preparedness] authorised irregular sale of the ministry’s land and stores to a private party.

“I am not protecting anybody.  The Uganda Land Commission was not being honest by taking the view of the ministers that we were not using the land.  This facility was allocated to a private developer by people who thought we were not optimally using the facility. The truth of the matter is that this facility is very important to the ministry, it serves as a store for our records and other office equipment”; Mr Kashaka told Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee.

PAC Chairman Nandala Mafabi said “…we have definite evidence to prove that the two ministers used their positions to authorise the allotment of government land to private individuals without following procedures”.  The disputed plot and the ministry stores valued at Shs1 billion were sold to Midland Crop Exporters Ltd in 2005 on the clearance of the then Local Government Minister Tarsis Kabwegyere.

Excerpts sourced from www.monitor.co.ug

Speaker blames opposition over failed EC reforms

The Speaker of parliament Mr. Edward Ssekandi has blamed opposition parties under the Inter-Party Cooperation for failing to push harder for the reform of the Electoral Commission.

Opposition parties presented to Parliament a list of election reforms, including the disbandment of the Electoral Commission.  But according to Ssekandi, the opposition Members of Parliament did not do enough to ensure that this matter was well appreciated in the House.  He stressed that it was his efforts that saw compromise on the matter prevail.

“I would have expected them [opposition MPs] to wait for the government reaction and if it was hostile, they would move a Private Members Bill to amend the law.  But I did not see that even after waiting”; Mr Ssekandi said on Tuesday last week after receiving a petition from the IPC which among things, calls for a reconstitution of the EC.  The opposition have vowed to stage anti-EC demonstrations across the country.

Excerpts sourced from www.monitor.co.ug

EU cuts aid to Uganda over corruption

THE European Union has withheld sh8.5b budget support to Uganda over corruption.  The Government of Uganda and the EU had signed an agreement for a sh495b grant to be disbursed over six years.  But the EU says it has stopped about sh9b and released only sh65b “…due to slow progress on key indicators related to the fight against corruption”.

In a statement, the head of delegation, Vincent De Visscher, said the Government was the main agent of change of people’s lives and fighting corruption and efficient expenditure of public funds was of utmost importance.  “It is not a blank cheque, but based on performance”; he said.

Excerpts sourced from www.newvision.co.ug

Besigye, Kayihura strike 2011 peace deal

Opposition parties under the Inter Party Coalition [IPC] led by Dr. Kizza Besigye last week held a cordial meeting with the Inspector General of Police Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura at the Police headquarters.

At the end of the meeting, Kayihura and Besigye, hitherto considered enemies, locked hands into a handshake and smiled for the cameras.  Both Kayihura and Besigye, who is also the President of the Forum for Democratic Change, said the meeting was cordial and important.

Describing the meeting as ground-breaking, Kayihura said, “…whereas the opposition raised a number of grievances as to how they are treated by the Police, the meeting agreed on how to avoid unnecessary clashes during the 2011 polls”.

Kayihura said it was agreed that the opposition needed to only notify the Police before holding a rally and that there would be an investigation into the Kiboko squad that has been terrorising and breaking up opposition demonstrations.  Besigye said he has no problems with both Kayihura and President Yoweri Museveni, arguing that their differences are at an official level.

Excerpts sourced from www.newvision.co.ug