Category: Politics

{Former presidential candidate, Dr Kizza Besigye, is unhappy with members of the Opposition who met with President Museveni under the auspices of the Inter Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) “posturing” to plead for him.}

Dr Besigye, who faces treason charges after he swore in himself as president following the disputed February general election, expressed his displeasure yesterday at a meeting with Opposition senior leaders at Luzira Upper Prison.

“I am discontented with some of the things I am reading in the press. I saw members of the Opposition who went to Mr Museveni claiming to plead for me. How can anyone plead before the oppressor for my freedom? This is unacceptable,” Dr Besigye told Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda.

He shortly after thanked Mr Ssemujju, also the party’s spokesman for speaking against the move by IPOD members led by Democratic Party’s secretary general Mathias Nsubuga.

The team met Mr Museveni last week at State House Entebbe. Early this week, Mr Nsubuga said the meeting involved discussions on the status of Dr Besigye and Nakawa MP Micheal Kabaziguluka, who was separately charged for treason at the General Court Martial in Makindye.

The President is quoted to have said Dr Besigye, former coordinator of intelligence services Gen David Sejusa and MP Kabaziguruka were engaged in subversion and the courts would handle the matter.

At yesterday’s meeting, Dr Besigye said he had told FDC’s secretary general Nandala Mafabi to disassociate himself from the IPOD’s efforts to “implore Mr Museveni to give me freedom”.

Mr Ssemujju said the group was, “trading Dr Besigye’s freedom for their own selfish agenda. They cannot trade the people’s president with Museveni over tea.”

The two leaders were given a maximum of 15 minutes each to speak to Dr Besigye after watertight security screening that saw Mr Lukwago at one point nearly lost his head when an officer asked him to loosen his belt so he check his under garments in a locked room.

The prison authorities have now spared two rooms for males and females with a curtain and wire mesh where Dr Besigye’s visitors are ordered to remove their shoes, socks, belts and their inner clothing checked even after they have gone through the ordinary check points.

New visitors’ photos are taken and inputted into a system designed to specifically handle Dr Besigye’s visitors.
“Security matters are tighter now. Anything on Dr Besigye is beyond us,” one of the officers pleaded with Mr Lukwago and Mr Ssemujju before confiscating this reporter’s notebook for what the officer said was for censuring of the content.
Meanwhile, Nakawa Chief Magistrate James Ereemye Mawanda yesterday clarified his visit to Luzira prison was not specific to Dr Besigye but part of routine visits to detention centres under the Justice, Law and Order Sector (JLOS).

Mr Ereemye, who at Dr Besigye’s last appearance in court vowed to visit his detention facility due to numerous complaints that his life was in danger, instead blamed the media for quoting him out of context.

But the trend of events leading to the visit appeared to indicate as much. By 9am, the magistrate and Judiciary spokesperson, Mr Solomon Muyita’s phones were buzzing with telephone calls. Orders were given that journalists should not be allowed in.

When he arrived at Luzira prison at 10:25am, Mr Ereemye was led in with the Resident State Attorney, Nakawa who serves as the secretary of the district chain committee, an innovation under the JLOS to converge efforts by different actors in the administration of justice chain.

Mr Apollo Akankunda who represented the Commissioner General of Prisons, Dr Johnson Byabashaija, said in the impromptu meeting, “Please clarify because the perception out there is that you have come to see an inmate by the names of Dr Kizza Besigye.”

Before he could finish his statement, the magistrate said: “No, we are here on a routine visit. We have another DCC meeting at the end of the month and we shall present a report, we visit all detention centres. Besigye has always complained and I told him I would come to Luzira and see the issues he was raising as part of the DCC mandate but not to see him personally.”

But the conduct of the meeting gave a different picture. First, the regional prisons commander for Kampala, Mr Wilson Magomu, had to be called in abruptly by Mr Akankunda who persistently took calls from his handset.

{Those who dismiss his performance cite his lackluster fight against corruption.}

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s approval rating has risen to 68 per cent over the last three months, up from 47 per cent last November, according to a new opinion poll published on Thursday.

The survey by Ipsos shows that only 31 per cent of those interviewed disapproved of Mr Kenyatta’s leadership.

The approval rating was highest among Jubilee supporters, at 85 per cent, up from 73 per cent in November.

The poll was immediately disputed by Senator Minority Leader Moses Wetang’ula, who described it as “a ploy to hoodwink Kenyans that Uhuru is still electable”.

“These are cooked figures to depict some imagined popularity on the part of Jubilee,” said Mr Wetang’ula, one of the three top Cord leaders.

According to Ipsos, the poll was conducted between June 4 and 18, around the time that the Cord leaders, was holding rallies to push for the resignation of the electoral commissioners.

The results did not take into account President Kenyatta’s “development” tour of Ukambani between June 10 and 12 or the agreement between the Teachers Service Commission and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the

Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) on salaries.

They also did not factor in the deal between Jubilee and Cord to nominate seven members each to a special parliamentary committee on the IEBC.

All these events, if considered, could have influenced the outcome of the survey one way or the other.

The poll indicates that opposition to President Kenyatta’s leadership has waned among Cord supporters.

In November, 75 per cent of Cord supporters interviewed in a similar poll said they disapproved of Mr Kenyatta’s leadership. Three months later, this has dropped to 60 per cent.

Mr Kenyatta’s approval was highest in Jubilee strongholds of central Kenya (88 per cent), Rift Valley (71 per cent) and Eastern (68 per cent).

However, in what is likely to generate some heated debate within the political class, the poll shows that the Cord strongholds of Coast and Western also approve of President Kenyatta’s leadership at 66 and 52 per cent, respectively.

On Thursday, Mr Wetang’ula said that Mr Kenyatta had not done anything to justify his supposed improved ratings in the two regions.

“What has he done in Western to boost his ratings in the Mulembe nation? Even in Coast, the ratings fly in the face of the recent Malindi by-election, where voters returned a resounding victory for Cord,” he said.

Mr Kenyatta also scores favourably in North Eastern (58 per cent) and Nairobi (57 per cent). His approval is lowest in Nyanza, at only 30 per cent.

Respondents who approve of his performance cite infrastructure development (31 per cent), education (15 per cent), the economy (13 per cent) and fighting corruption (eight per cent).

Those who disagree cite his lacklustre fight against corruption (39 per cent), poor economy (19 per cent) and lack of infrastructure (six per cent).

The poll shows that 90 per cent of those who feel that Kenya is headed in the right direction also approve of the President’s performance with only six per cent thinking otherwise.

“Yet, on the other hand, nearly half of those holding a negative view regarding the country’s direction likewise give the President approval (49 per cent). To put it another way, while nearly all of those who feel Kenya is headed in ‘the right direction’ also approve of his recent performance (90 per cent), not even half of those who feel the country’s direction is ‘wrong’ fault his recent performance (44 per cent),” the pollsters explain.

“Such a contradiction underscores two key questions raised earlier. One is, how much of the support enjoyed by such a political leader rests upon identity rather than (attributed) performance? The other is; given the reduced/shared powers of the presidency under the Constitution, how much credit or blame should the President be given for the (perceived) performance of the (national) government?”

JUBILEE GAINS

The poll shows that Jubilee has maintained its advantage over Cord with 46 per cent support against 32 per cent.

This represents a one per cent rise in Jubilee’s support which stood at 45 per cent last November against Cord’s 32 per cent.

Some 73 per cent of the respondents said they either have “a lot” or “some” confidence in the President, as opposed to 59 per cent, who said they had either “a lot” or some” confidence in Deputy President William Ruto.

Fifty per cent of those interviewed said they have “a lot” or “some” confidence in the current Cabinet.

Interestingly, whereas 72 per cent of Jubilee supporters have confidence in President Kenyatta as an individual, only 33 per cent have confidence in his government.

By contrast, only 13 per cent of Cord supporters have confidence in President Kenyatta, and seven per cent in the government.

{Political uncertainty over Democratic Republic of Congo’s next presidential election could spiral into a severe crisis and United Nations peacekeepers are developing contingency plans for widespread violence, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned.}

In a report to the U.N. Security Council released on Tuesday, Ban said that under those plans peacekeepers in Congo might need to ask for help from other U.N. missions.

“I am concerned that in the absence of a credible and meaningful political dialogue among Congolese stakeholders, tensions could degenerate into a severe crisis, with a high risk of relapse into violence and instability,” Ban said.

The Congolese government has said it is unlikely it will be able to hold elections in November for logistical reasons but opponents of President Joseph Kabila accuse him of trying to cling to power. The government has denied the claim.

Kabila, who has been in power since 2001, is barred by the constitution from standing for a third term. But a Kabila ally has raised the prospect of a referendum to allow him to run.

Dozens of Kabila’s critics have been arrested since last year as part of what the United Nations and rights groups say is an escalating crackdown on political dissent ahead of a presidential election.

“I urge the government of Democratic Republic of Congo to respect freedom of expression, assembly and information as fundamental rights that are essential to the conduct of free and fair elections,” Ban said.

Dozens died in street protests in January 2015 against a revision to the election code that could have pushed the election back by years.

“(The U.N. peacekeeping mission) MONUSCO is developing contingency plans in the event of widespread violence in the context of the electoral process,” Ban said.

The U.N. Security Council is due to be briefed on the U.N. peacekeeping mission on Thursday.

The overthrow of longtime Congolese ruler Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997 fuelled years of conflict in the mineral-rich east that sucked in more than half a dozen countries and killed millions of people. U.N. peacekeepers have been deployed in Congo since 2000.

{The European Union’s trade deal with Burundi might suffer some delays as a member of the European parliament has raised reservations about the process.}

Belgian socialist MP Marie Arena is on a campaign to stop the signing of a trade deal with Burundi citing human rights violations in that country.

The Trade Committee of the European parliament has given the green light for the signing of an economic partnership agreement with five countries in east and central Africa including Burundi.

But Bujumbura has been under EU sanctions since its controversial election of 2015 which saw the re-election of Pierre Nkurunziza as president for a third term.

Burundi is said to have violated the Cotonu agreement signed in 2000 recognising human rights as an essential component of the Europe-Africa partnerships.

Marie Arena argues that trade must be a way to help development as well as democracy and not the opposite.

Arena hopes to rally enough members to block the procedure at the September vote in the European parliament.

{Kampala- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, yesterday described his country’s clinical mission to rescue the 103 nationals who had been held hostage at Entebbe airport in 1976 as a “watershed moment” that taught his people a lesson of fighting back and protecting themselves.}

Mr Netanyahu, who was in the country for a day’s visit to commemorate the 40th anniversary of this mission often referred to as the ‘Raid on Entebbe’ in which his brother, Lt Col Yonatan Netanyahu, was shot dead by a Ugandan soldier, said it was not only an “emotional privilege” but also a new chapter in the Israel-Africa relations.

“Forty years ago, a group of Israeli commandos landed in the dead of the night in a country led by a brutal dictator on a rescue mission. Today, we land in the light of the day in a country led by friendly president,” he said.

Israeli delegation
Mr Netanyahu, accompanied by his wife Sara Netanyahu and a group of about 100 military officials touched down at about 1:40pm at the old Entebbe airport; where 40 years ago on the same day, an elite squad commanded by his elder brother Yoni Netanyahu attacked on a rescue mission.

Yoni was the lone casualty in the group. The mission has since been christened “Operation Yonatan.”

Also accompanying him were the surviving members of the elite squad that raided Entebbe and select hostages who were rescued that day.

In his speech, Mr Netanyahu commended Uganda’s efforts in the fight against terrorism and vowed to contribute to these efforts, also promising to help other African countries.
“When terrorism succeeds in one place it thrives everywhere. When it is defeated somewhere it is defeated everywhere.”

He said the raid on Entebbe “delivered a devastating blow to the spirits of terrorism” and vowed that the fight will continue guided by two principles -clarity, to distinguish between good and evil and courage, to fight.

“We must condemn all acts of terrorism everywhere, whether in Paris, San Bernado, Orlando or Nairobi.”

He later met select African presidents, Zambia’s Edgar Lungu, Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, South Sudan’s Salva Kiir, Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta, Malawi’s Peter Mutharika and the Ethiopian premier Hailemariam Desalegn.

He said the visit, the first by an Israeli premier on the continent in 30 years, marked a new page in relations saying that “Israel is coming to Africa, and Africa is coming to Israel”.

The celebration of the anniversary was attended by several government dignitaries, Ugandan military officials, select members of the Jewish community in the country and members of the Diplomatic Corp.

President Museveni used the moment to talk tough promising to double the efforts in the fight against terrorism but also set the record straight that he supports Israel living side by side and in harmony with her arch rival Palestine.
It was, however ,not clear why the President repeatedly referred to Palestine.

In his opening remarks using political and biblical facets, President Museveni dwelt a lot on the bond between Palestine and Uganda/ Africa which caused some discomfort among the visitors.

In the presence of his guest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his delegation and the top brass of the Ugandan government, Mr Museveni also advanced a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict saying Uganda’s view is guided by the Bible and cannot accept “bigotry” which holds that “either of you [Palestine or Israel] does not belong in that area.”

{A least 348 people have died in extrajudicial killings in Burundi over the past one year, a UN report says.}

According to the report issued by the UN rights chief, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the killings were largely blamed on police, intelligence agents, anti-riot officers and militias linked to the ruling party.

“The report further details the tragic and comprehensive deterioration in the human rights of the people of Burundi,” he said.

{{“The report further details the tragic and comprehensive deterioration in the human rights of the people of Burundi.”
}}
Aside from violence blamed on the security services, the UN rights office also documented over the same period 134 murders committed by armed men.

The international body said the armed men are likely those opposed to president Pierre Nkurunziza’s government.

Over the 12-month reporting period, the UN rights office also recorded 651 incidents of torture.

According to the report, the incidents were primarily committed between April and July 2015 and from December to April 2016, when the repression of opposition supporters was mostly intense.

The African Union plans to send some 200 military and human rights observers to Burundi to help tame the broiling crisis in the country.

{Parliament- As work in the 10th Parliament starts shaping up, MPs have raised issues with the practice of political parties designating committee leaders and commissioners, saying it is undemocratic as it infringes on the members’ rights to choose their leaders.}

During the ongoing post-election seminar, the MPs also expressed disgust with the ever present shadow of party influence through whips, saying that too gags free flow of thought and expression in Parliament.

They want the practice to cease and if it can be reversed through the return of the Movement system, some argued, then a proposal will be made when a chance for constitutional reforms comes up.

“The indicators of democracy is electioneering. You give people powers to decide on who should be their leader and that’s how we come to Parliament. If we were to have designations in the constituency, we would be in real tatters,” former house commissioner, Ms Jalia Bintu (NRM, Masindi), said.

“That way of handling issues and even imposing leaders on members like in committees is just designation and you can’t elect your leaders within the committee like other parliaments of the Commonwealth, the party designates membership of committees and the members elect from among themselves the leaders but here, they are designating everyone. Now, where is democracy, really?” Ms Bintu asked.

Ms Bintu reminisced over the past that in the Movement political system, one had the democracy of articulating and airing out their concerns on the floor and everyone would be given an opportunity to contribute and then consensus would be generated.

“But under multi-party dispensation, you first discuss in the caucus and even if you had a genuine concern but the party doesn’t want it and doesn’t agree with you, they will take an omnibus position and you have to agree and vote according to it in the house yet you would be stepping on your voters feet,” he said.

Currently, political party leaders choose MPs who sit on the Parliamentary commission, a body concerned with the MPs’ welfare.The parties also choose the chairpersons and deputy chairperson of the different house committees, not to mention representatives to the regional and continental parliaments.

Buliisa County MP, Stephen Biraahwa Mukitale, however, asked MPs to “wake up and stop being naïve” because there are no functional political parties but “a revolution only interested in retaining power through any means”.