The Fourth Estate Updates

 Perennial litigant Hassan Male Mabirizi has written to Principal Judge Dr Flavian Zeija to appoint another judicial officer in place of Justice Musa Ssekaana of the High Court after the judge proceeded in a case in which he is a party without serving him. In his petition addressed to the Principal Judge, Mabirizi avers that Justice Ssekaana seeks to commit him to civil prison over alleged comments in pendency and after determination of Misc. Cause No. 287 of 2021. In this application, Mabirizi is challenging the Capital Markets Authority’s decision allowing the Initial Public Offering of MTN Uganda shares. Mabirizi complains that without effectively serving him, Ssekaana proceeded with the case on December 14 and December 22 “making unilateral orders of service by email, that my Application No. 846 to strike out the Application be dismissed and that final ruling will be on January 27, 2022

  DEAR BELOVED WEST NILE LEADERS ESPECIALLY MPS, PLEASE MAY YOU DEVELOP A HONEST HEART AND CORPORATE.  We live in a Sub-region of broken promises from our leaders especially MPs. We live in a time when our leaders treat their words and promises lightly. They tell a voter we will corporate and lobby this and that knowing full well they do not have the time to do so.  They promise the region they will Express,  present our grievances to the government much knowing that they cannot. FOLLOW YOUR PROMISES, THERE'S ALWAYS COMEBACK IN POLITICS. WE'RE NOT FEELING WELL AS A SUB-REGION.  And we promise ourselves as voters that  this will be the year we will get back into shape as a region and entrust them with a mandate to represent us in the parliament where all the decisions are made some end up keeping quiet with reasons best known to them! DEAR LEADERS CORPORATE, WEST NILE IS IN PAIN?  Saying things they don’t really mean becomes a habit when they practice i...

The National Resistence Movement (NRM) – Central Executive Committee (CEC) has adopted a mobilisation work plan to guide its leaders in running party activities. In a two-day CEC retreat held at Entebbe from 18th to 19th December 2021 under the theme “Mobilisation for Socio-economic Transformation”, the members adopted a strategic working and policy document written by the party National Chairman, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to act as a guiding tool to the party leadership in the execution of its work. The committee members appreciated the extraordinary and steadfast competencies of the Party Chairman, whom they referred to as an un-relenting pan-African leader. They also commended the work done by the security forces in maintaining peace and order especially in neutralising terrorism in the country. They said that NRM must at all times side with the legitimate interests of the people as opposed to those of the oppressors such as sectarian politics of religion and tribe, gender chau...

 The history of political assassinations in Africa will not be complete without acknowledging the events that transpired during the military regime of Uganda's Idi Amin. Perhaps, of the many people Amin reportedly killed, that of Archbishop Janani Luwums' will always be remembered. Before his murder on 16th February 1977, Archbishop Luwum was the head of the Anglican ecclesiastical province that was composed of four countries (Burundi, Eastern Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda) at the time. His travails began on February 5th when soldiers invaded his residence, with claims that they were looking for hidden weapons. They went on to ransack his residence, assaulted and abused him, yet couldn't find any weapon. This incidence, however, was just one of many such treatments the revered Archbishop would later be subjected to by Idi Amin and his men, which prompted his relatives and friends to implore him to leave the country. Defiant to their advice, Archbishop Luwum replied them...

The Minister of Internal Affairs General Kahinda Otafiire has asked security agencies and Ugandans to respect each other if they are to coexist in Uganda peacefully. Speaking to CBS FM radio station in Friday, Gen Otafiire have always misfired by torturing and violating rights of citizens in the name of enforcing law and order, which is wrong. “Democracy has a limit, its like taking sugar, it’s good but if you take too much of it will affect you.All of us need to respect each other and we need to abide by the rules,” the Minister said. On the issue of intern doctors who were brutally arrested by Police as they were marching to parliament to hand over their petition to the speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah, Gen Otafiire said security officers must know that in Uganda’s constitution, citizens have the right to demonstrate as a way of expressing their grievances, therefore he warned that security operatives must respect the right of the Ugandans to demonstrate. “We people who have powe...

Kayihura is among the 21 applicants that are eligible for enrollment after they were approved during the Law Council meeting held on 10th November 2021 Gen Kayihura served as the IGP from 2005 until 5th March 2018 when he was succeeded by Martin Okoth Ochola. The Uganda Law Council is established by Section 2 of the Advocates Act Charpter 267(as amended by Act 27 of 2002) as the overall Regulatory body of the Legal Profession in Uganda. The Council consists of; A Judge, appointed by the Attorney General after consultation with the Chief Justice, who is the chairperson of the Council, The Solicitor General or his or her representative, The President of the Uganda Law Society; The Director of the Law Development Centre.

 President Museveni has urged his advisers to get a clear understanding of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ideology to be able to aid the success of government programmes, especially wealth creation. Mr Museveni met his advisers for the first time yesterday at the National Leadership Institutes, Kyankwanzi, where they had camped for a week. Organisers told Daily Monitor that the aim of the retreat was to audit government performance. In his address, however, the President explained the four core principles of the NRM ideology, dwelling much on social economic transformation and Pan Africanism, and asked the advisers to monitor government programmes, and also sensitise the public.

Over a dozen Uganda People’s Defence Forces soldiers under the 71st Battalion in Okidi detach, Atiak sub county, Amuru district are homeless after a devastating fire razed down their huts. The fire reportedly began on Friday last week from a sugarcane plantation in Atiak sugar factory but escalated on Sunday before spreading to the army detach. The army detach strategically situated at the Uganda-South Sudan border offers security along international frontier and at the sugarcane plantation belonging to Horyal Investments Holding Company Limited.

The minister of Finance Planning and Economic Development, Matia Kasaija, has expressed concern over the increase in external borrowing, which he said is taking a toll on service delivery. The minister made the remarks while officiating at Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), tax payers’ appreciation awards gala where the 40 most compliant taxpayers were recognised. Kasaija urged URA to widen the tax base and increase the tax to GDP ratio, adding that the tax body’s urgent task at hand is increasing the GDP ratio from the current 13% to at least 20%. “I am not proud to be a borrower and these days in Parliament they call me Minister of borrowing because every two weeks I am forced to go to cabinet to seek permission to borrow,” he said.

DECEMBER 9 Tanzania Independence Day is a celebration of independence from the British in 1961 of Tanganyika, which merged with Zanzibar in 1964 to become Tanzania. The day is a national holiday celebrated with parades, youth leagues marching before the president at the stadium in Dar es Salaam, school games, cultural dances, and aerobatics by the air force.

 ARUA CITY: Police in Arua has arrested five people over the disappearance of an ambulance belonging to Arua regional referral hospital. The Toyota Land Cruiser reg. no. UG 6812 M disappeared from the hospital parking yard on Saturday, March 27, 2021. However, the ambulance was only reported missing two days later on Monday after the Arua resident city commissioner, Martin Oroch requested for it to transport two enforcement officers attached to Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) who’d been attacked by the mob from Ayivu East to Arua hospital. The brand-new ambulance that cost more than Shs 300 million was given to Arua hospital by the ministry of Health last year for highway emergency service response and had barely lasted for five months when it was stolen. Three security guards who were on duty on the night of Saturday and Sunday when the ambulance disappeared, were the first to be arrested and charged with neglect of duty. They were however released when police failed to find proper...

 Currently each MP is entitled to;  A consolidated pay of sh25m or more (subject to income tax) A one-off car grant of sh200m A monthly gratuity of sh950, 000, which is also taxed A town run allowance of about sh1m A wardrobe grant of about sh50m or less depending on individual needs A sh2.6m iPad A medical insurance cover of about sh5.5 per year (about sh458, 333m per month) paid to a service provider of their choice and a furnished office. Under the consolidated pay of sh25m or more each MP receives mileage facilitation of sh4.5m depending on how far the constituency is from Kampala A constituency facilitation of sh3.2m A basic monthly salary of sh11.68m, which is taxed to a net pay of sh6.129m Subsistence allowance (lunch, tea, etc.) of about sh4.5m A committee sitting allowances of sh50, 000 for an ordinary MP and social security benefits of sh9m per month — (government contributes sh6m and each MP pays sh3m) to the Parliamentary Pension Fund. Whenever an MP...

  President Yoweri Tibuhaburwa Kaguta Museveni has summoned all his Advisors for a presidential retreat at Kyankwanzi according to the Office of the President. The retreat is scheduled to begin on the 12th of December, and will run for a full week. All Presidential Advisors are expected to attend in order to have their inaugural general interface with the President for the 2021-2026 term. The planned retreat arrangement has been confirmed by the Minister for the Presidency Milly Babirye Babalanda while appearing on a local radio station in Busoga on Saturday, 27, November, 2021.