Tag: GreatLakesNews

{Suspected armed bandits believed to have crossed over from a neighbouring country have been terrorising people in Ngara District in the past three days, robbing properties and killing people.}

Latest reports from Ngara have it that on Tuesday night, the armed bandits invaded Mukalinzi village of Murusagamba ward, robbed residents of their properties and wounded two villagers identified as Marius Gerald (26) and Bernard Miburo (28).

Miburo and Gerald were currently recuperating at Rulenge Mission Hospital with gunshot wounds. On Sunday night a group of armed bandits invaded Kumunazi village where they robbed and shot dead one person who was identified as Minani Lucas (25).

On same night the bandits also invaded Keza village and wounded another villager identified as Deus Gervase (25), who has also been admitted to Rulenge hospital. The Minister for Home Affairs Mwigulu Nchemba has urged residents in Kagera Region to remain vigilant and report aliens to relevant authorities for necessary action.

He has, however, urged them to remain calm, assuring that the borders with neighbouring countries are safe and there was no reason for tension.

Minister Nchemba made the remarks after he received a report presented to him by Kyerwa District Commissioner (DC), Col Shaban Lissu. In his report, Mr Lissu informed the Minister that nine Tanzanians were mysteriously killed while fishing along Lake Goma and River Kagera along the Tanzania- Rwanda border.

According to Mr Lissu, the killings happened between April and July, this year. He did not, however, reveal the names of the missing persons. Following the report, Minister Mwigulu made a spot-visit at Kitwechenkura fish landing site where he addressed a public meeting.

He directed authorities in Kyerwa District to form a probe team to investigate the killings. Minister Mwigulu was in Kagera for a three-day tour of the region, and he inspected border posts in Ngara, Karagwe and Kyerwa districts.

{Allan Ntunguka, a senior five student of St Mary’s College Rushoroza in Kabale town was on Sunday evening shot by the police as they tried to calm the students who were striking and had attempted to riot.}

All the policemen that have been attached to Rushoroza police post have been transferred with immediate effect. This comes after one of their own shot and killed a student of St Mary’s College Rushoroza on Sunday evening.

The police spokesman for Kigezi sub region Mr Elly Maate on Tuesday confirmed the development saying that the move is aimed at a thorough investigation of the incident and normalising the situation, as the hunt for the policeman continues.

Allan Ntunguka, a senior five student of St Mary’s College Rushoroza in Kabale town was on Sunday evening shot by the police as they tried to calm the students who were striking and had attempted to riot. He died from his wounds. Job Musawo, the policeman that shot and killed the deceased dumped the gun at the police post and disappeared.

“We have deployed the police at St Marys College Rushoroza to ensure that there is law and order. After the situation has normalised, they shall be withdrawn. All the policemen that have been deployed at Rushoroza police post have been transferred so that investigations on the incident can be thoroughly conducted,” Mr Maate said.

The school head teacher Mr Remegio Byamukama said that the situation was normal at the school. He said that the deceased student shall be buried on Tuesday at his parents’ home in Nyaruhanga village Ikumba Sub County, Rubanda District. Mr Byamukama also described the deceased as a well-behaved boy and said that at the time of his death, he was not part of the rioting students.

“The stray bullet killed him and he died innocently because he was not even part of the striking students. We are in touch with his parents as we jointly manage the burial ceremony with its associated costs. May his soul rest in peace,” Mr Byamukama said.

{The six family members were confronted by six men armed with weapons, some 500 metres from their home.}

A woman, her two daughters and a niece were gang-raped in Ongata Rongai on Sunday night after a mob of six accosted them some 500 metres from their home.

The mother of five had gone to church with her three daughters — aged nine, 11 and 14 — and after service the four passed by a relative’s house to pick up the kin’s two daughters — aged four and 13 — who wanted to visit her.

They left her brother’s house at around 6.45pm for their home in Rangau, a new settlement about three kilometres away.

The six family members were, however, confronted by six men armed with pangas and crude weapons about 500 metres from their house.

The attackers robbed the victims of money and mobile phones, and harassed the woman and the three older girls.

Sensing that the men would molest them, the woman screamed for help and started running to a neighbour’s home. She had barely covered 10 metres when one of the attackers hit her with a stone in the back of her head, sending her sprawling to the ground.

Two of the thugs then dragged her back to the dusty road, where her daughters stood in dazed silence, unable to comprehend what was happening, and unaware of the three-hour ordeal awaiting them.

The woman and the girls were then dragged into a small thicket about 700 metres from the dirt road, where the men, described by one of the girls as “youngish”, took turns raping the woman, her two daughters and the visiting niece.

{{HOME OWNERSHIP DREAMS}}

The scene of the attack is emblematic of the home ownership dreams of the average Kenyan. Hundreds of gleaming maisonettes and bungalows jostle for space here.

Children play on the narrow dirt roads, riding bicycles, playing football, and making merry.

Rangau, in a nutshell, is a carbon copy of Nairobi’s new suburbs of the last five years – expansive, breezy, and twinkling.

It is here the victims settled a few years ago, drawn by the promise of a quiet life away from the bustle of Ongata Rongai, and by the commercial potential of the area.

That quiet life was, however, shattered on Sunday evening in the most brutal way. The gang was not in a hurry, according to one of the victims.

Three men took turns attacking her under the dark skies of the Maasai plains, while the children, screaming and wailing, were defiled by two men each.

The two younger girls — the woman’s daughter aged nine and her niece, aged four — were separated from the rest and ordered to lie face-down a few metres away, where they remained for the agonising duration of the ordeal.

A neighbour, Nicholas Gitonga, heard a commotion in the thicket and rushed to see what was happening, but was attacked with a panga by one of the thugs.

He sustained a deep cut in the back of his head, and lay barely conscious on the ground, with the rest of the victims, for hours.

Another neighbour, David Manyala, was also attacked by the same gang and detained at the scene as the attackers went on with their vile acts.

They robbed the victims of four mobile phones and a total of Sh16,000, and melted into the night.

{{SEEKING MEDICAL ATTENTION}}

The victims reported the incident to the Olekasasi Police Post, about three kilometres away, before seeking medical attention at the Ongata Rongai branch of Nairobi Women’s Hospital.

On Tuesday, the woman’s husband said his wife and daughters were treated and discharged the same night, but would undergo counselling.
Almost 48 hours after the incident, police had not visited the scene of the crime.

The Olekasasi Police Post, where the victims first reported the crime, falls under the jurisdiction of the Ongata Rongai Police Station.

As a result, officers at the station did not take any action, claiming that the area, though near Ongata Rongai, falls under the jurisdiction of Kitengela Police Station, about seven kilometres away.

Though the victims were issued with police medical examination forms, popularly known as P3 forms, the detectives investigating the matter did not take any of the victims’ clothing, which, apart from their evidentiary value, could be used as exhibits in the case.

The woman’s husband, an employee of a tourist lodge, told the Nation that he was away at work when his family was attacked and got the report at around midnight. He rushed to the hospital, where he found them.

{Tanzania-Cuban Friendship Society joined millions of Cuban friends and well-wishers throughout the world to celebrate the 90th birthday of Commandant Fidel Castro on August 12, 2016.}

The society chairperson, Mr Salim Msoma, through a statement issued in Dar es Salaam yesterday said, “This is the celebration of 90 years of Castro’s life with his reputation and stature as a dedicated champion of human liberation and development, a tireless fighter for human dignity, justice and social progress.”

He said Tanzanians cherish the bonds of fraternity with their Cuban counterparts and are forever grateful for the assistance by the revolutionary Cuban government in the sectors of education, health and agriculture, among others.

Cuban experts and technical personnel have unreservedly worked in Tanzania in the noble endeavour to conquer underdevelopment.

“Their commitment generated admiration and profound respect from our people … Tanzanians are cognizant of the fact that Cuba is under a severe economic embargo of the US which has immensely damaged her economy,” Mr Msoma said in the statement.

In a sentimental expression of their passion for Castro, the society said, “Tanzanian-Cuba Friendship Society wishes to hug Comrade Fidel on his auspicious birthday and wishes him continued good health; ‘venceremos’!” Castro ruled over Cuba for nearly five decades until he handed over power to his younger brother Raúl in 2008.

{15 August 2016 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon joined his envoys from the Great Lakes Region and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today in strongly condemning the killing of dozens of civilians during an overnight attack in Beni, located in restive eastern part of the country, where the UN mission and national authorities have now deployed forces in the wake if the incident.}

“The Secretary-General is appalled by reports of the killing of at least 36 civilians on 13 August in the area of Rwangoma village, North Kivu province of the DRC, by suspected members of the Allied Defense Forces (ADF),” said a statement issued by his spokesperson.

“[Mr. Ban] condemns in the strongest terms this latest attack in the Beni area where, since October 2014, several hundred civilians have been killed by suspected members of the ADF,” the statement continued, extending the UN chief’s condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Secretary-General in his statement went on to call for those responsible for this attack to be brought to justice. He reiterated the commitment of the UN to support the authorities of the DRC in their efforts to address the threat posed by armed groups and end impunity, in line with the mandate of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO).

Earlier in the day, United Nations Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region Said Djinnit also strongly condemned the attack, referring to the incident as a “massacre.”

“Attacking a vulnerable, innocent population is unacceptable,” Mr. Djinnit told UN Radio.

“We also encourage […] the authorities of the DRC and MONUSCO to increase their cooperation in addressing the scourge of armed groups in eastern DRC in general and Beni, in particular,” he added.

At least 36 people were killed in the attack which took place overnight on 13 and 14 August. The attack is believed to have been carried out by the ADF, a rebel group of Ugandan origin, operating mainly in eastern DRC.

Additionally, in a press release issued earlier today, the Special Envoy noted that “[The] attack will not deter from the collective determination to neutralize all negative forces that continue to cause sorrow and atrocities in eastern DRC.”

Mr. Djinnit added that the attack is a reminder of the urgency to implement the commitments of the Peace, Security and Cooperation (PSC) Framework, and the decisions taken in that regard by the Heads of State of the region.

According to the press release, the Special Envoy also reiterated his readiness to continue to support ongoing efforts to end the plague of negative forces in the region, together with other representatives of the “guarantors” of the PSC Framework agreement.

Mr. Djinnit also expressed his condolences to the Government and people of the DRC on the deadly incident.

For its part, MONUSCO strongly condemned the killings as an act of barbarism, noting that reports indicate that 31 victims were brought to Beni town, while 5 victims were reportedly buried at the scene of the attack.

MONUSCO, in cooperation with the national forces, known by the French acronym, FARDC, and the national police, deployed forces throughout the territory of Beni to contribute to the protection of the population and prevent further attacks.

Joint patrolling is under way and a senior MONUSCO delegation was expected to fly to Beni today to express support to the national authorities in addressing the situation.

{ISO boss Brig Balya ties the government’s fate to its ability to control leak of public resources .}

he domestic chief spymaster has warned that pervasive graft involving bureaucrats coupled with deteriorating public services are a security risk, and could take down President Museveni’s government.

“Corruption can lead to loss of legitimacy and trust in government,” noted Brig Ronnie Balya, the director general of the Internal Security Organisation (ISO), adding: “Because of corruption, disenchanted citizens can resort to mass demonstrations, violence and mob justice [and] in some countries; governments have collapsed because of this.”

He made the comments in a presentation to last month’s Cabinet retreat, and the details, which until now remained secret, are believed to have prompted the Executive to authorise the domestic spy agency to lead the anti-corruption fight.

Brig Balya added: “[The] failure to provide, monitor and evaluate service delivery, could result in undesirable situations; including political dissent, rebellion, demonstrations, attempting violent regime change/coups or any form of instability.”

A senior Makerere University lecturer, however, disagreed.

“Corruption has been instrumentalised as a tool for power consolidation,” said Mr Ndebesa Mwambutsya who teaches history.

Although pilfering of public resources by some government officials is not new, with Uganda ranked 139 out of 168 countries in last year’s Transparency International corruption perception index, this is the first time a serving topmost spymaster strings the government’s survival to its ability to rein in graft.

Brig Balya, in his capacity as ISO chief, also chairs the Joint Intelligence Committee and serves as the secretary to the National Security Council.

He warned that if corruption is not tackled urgently, it could shut down the government and state organs, making the government in power “irrelevant to general population”. If this happens, he said, “It would be a recipe for insecurity in all forms.”

This newspaper has seen a 50-page brief to Cabinet in which the one-star general highlights weaknesses in the fight against corruption and provided crucial leads on how corruption, a national threat, undermines service delivery, hence facilitating what he called, “political and economic sabotage of government programmes”.

Where trust in public institutions is poor, ISO boss explained that, peoples’ ability and willingness to engage in gainful activity also reduces. This, according to him, becomes a recipe for poor segments of society to sink further into poverty since they are highly dependent on services provided by government.

There are no up-to-date figures on the amount of resources that government officials spirit away, but the World Bank estimated in 2005 that the country loses $300 million (about Shs1 trillion at current conversion rate) annually.

Unchecked corruption, Brig noted in the July 2016 presentation, can “lead to insecurity and uncertainty and undermine democratic and development gains of a regime in power.”

Uganda has a plethora of anti-graft agencies such as the police, the Inspectorate of Government (IGG), the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets (PPDA), a Drug Monitoring Unit at State House and the Ethics ministry. In spite of sporadic prosecutions and convictions, corruption continues to thrive, offering the opposition bullets to sting the government.

Opposition chief whip Ibrahim Ssemuju Nganda implored state actors to take Brig Balya’s warning seriously because “the government collapsed long time ago but citizens are ruled [at] gun point and kibooko (lashes).”

Mr Frank Tumwebaze, the government spokesman, in comment on the spymaster’s analysis yesterday said: “As [the] government, we acknowledge the need to fight corruption in order to improve service delivery. When intelligence uncovers the schemes and good clues are got then, prosecution and any other sanctions are easy.”

IGG spokesperson Ali Munira however, said: “We recognise that corruption is still a big problem and we are building capacity of our investigators to be able to deal with syndicate corruption in ministries.”

Brig Balya had warned that corruption leads to elite capture (where the technocrats and connected individuals turn institutions, opportunities and resources to their private advantage) and on the other hand, patronage and clientelism are both cause and consequence of corruption.

He explained that clientelism entails a situation where a small but highly organised group controls power and uses its influence to benefit from public resources at the cost of the would-be beneficiaries.

{At least 64 bodies recovered near Beni town in North Kivu, but local authorities warn death toll could rise.}

At least 64 people have been killed in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in an attack carried out by suspected rebels.

Nyonyi Bwanakawa, the mayor of Beni in North Kivu, told Al Jazeera the attack on Saturday night happened in the town’s Rwangoma district.

DRC troops and local officials recovered 64 bodies, but the number could rise as the search was still going on, Bwanakawa said on Sunday.

Other officials said the death toll was closer to 75.

DRC army spokesman Mak Hazukay also confirmed to AFP news agency that bodies have been recovered in Rwangoma.

Reports said the victims were “hacked to death”.

Reagen Kyaviro, a survivor, told Al Jazeera that the attackers had turned up outside of his house.

“The guy in front turned his weapon on me. When I tried to run away from the house, he hit me on the neck with the side of his gun. He took me by my shirt. I was forced to run. By chance, they did not follow me.”

The DRC troops blamed the attack on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan rebel group known to operate bases inside neighbouring DRC.

Hazukay said the rebels had “bypassed” army positions “to come and massacre the population in revenge” for military operations in the area.

Local residents also told Al Jazeera that they had spotted ADF rebels coming out of the forest on Saturday. There was some confusion, however, as some residents said that some of the men were wearing “army uniforms”.

The attack happened barely a week after 14 people were killed in another incident near Beni.

ADF troops were also suspected of carrying out that attack, but there was no independent confirmation.

In the past, independent observers have blamed both the ADF rebels and DRC forces for deadly attacks.

On August 4, DRC President Joseph Kabila and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni held talks in Uganda seeking a coordinated military strategy against the ADF rebels.

ADF rebels, who oppose Museveni, have been present in eastern DRC for more than 20 years.

The group has been accused of human rights abuses and is thought to be deeply embroiled in criminal networks funded by kidnappings, smuggling and logging.

The Beni area in particular has seen numerous massacres since October 2014 that have left in total more than 600 civilians dead.

{Instead, the President promised land on which the doctors can build a house for their Savings and Credit Society Organisation (Sacco) projects to which he offered Shs5 billion.}

President Museveni has again rejected the demand by doctors for a pay rise. Instead, the President promised land on which the doctors can build a house for their Savings and Credit Society Organisation (Sacco) projects to which he offered Shs5 billion.

After listening to a plea by the President of the Uganda Medical Association (UMA), Dr Fred Bisso, making a case for a pay rise, the President lectured the doctors on prioritisation for economic transformation.

“In planning as a State, we need to focus on strategic investments that need a one-time expenditure yet have an influence on the system,” President Museveni said.

{{Prioritising }}

He added: “Educated people like you (doctors) must address these bottlenecks in a prioritised way. When we are discussing priorities, we need to focus on those that don’t need recurrent expenditure like salaries.”

The President was speaking at a dinner organised by UMA and other specialist associations after a three-day scientific conference, where medical practitioners came up with resolutions on how to improve the quality of health service delivery in the country.

The resolutions outlined by the chairperson of the conference organising committee, Dr Richard Idro, included better facilitation of medical workers.

UMA president, Dr Bisso, then remarked that government has been making investments in other sectors while ignoring the health sector.

“You can’t afford to keep ignoring the health sector because it is the one that keeps people alive, healthy and productive,” Dr Bisso said.

However, the President citing an example of security, said in 1991 the government took a decision to demoblise and reduce the size of the army which then stood at 100,000 soldiers, after it had become untenable to carter for their demands.
In that period, he said, government focused on buying fighting equipment which have kept Uganda peaceful and safe.

“We remained with 40,000 soldiers but spent more money on buying tanks which are more lethal than spending more money on break tea for soldiers,” the President said.

{{Critical sectors}}

President Museveni said handling critical sectors like road network, power dams and the railway, which don’t need recurrent expenditure, in a prioritized way was better than the civilians cry of “nyote ni nzuri.”

“You must do one thing at a time. Even God in the book of Genesis, first created the earth before he created a human being because he saw that after creating the earth it needed someone to look after it,” the President said.

The President’s rejection of the doctors’ demand for salary enhancement comes at a time when government is grappling with a-two-weeks’ strike by non-teaching staff that has paralysed operations at five public universities.

The Public Universities’ Non-Teaching Staff Executive Forum (PUNTSEF) is protesting government’s reneging on its promise to enhance their pay so that it’s at par with salaries of teaching staff.

Puntsef raises its arguments basing on September 3, 2015 President’s directive that non-teaching staff salaries in all public universities would be enhanced starting 2016/2017 academic year.

At the dinner, the President blamed all the challenges faced by the medical professionals on the weakness of the NRM Secretariat, which does not interact with different cadres in the country, and also poor planning on the side of the health ministry.

{{Saving Cooperatives}}

During his address that turned into a two-hour lecture on the economy, President Museveni asked the doctors to look at alternative welfare solutions like; savings (Sacco), schools for educating their children and shops where they can buy subsidised goods like in the army.
“Our soldiers get little money but their children go to schools because we built schools in barracks, therefore the Ministry of Health should work on special programmes, especially non-recurrent ones like Sacco where government makes a contribution once.”

{{Budget}}

Concluding his speech, the President said in the next financial year 2017/2018, government will budget for Shs5b as his contributions to the medical doctors’ Sacco and also promised them land for the association’s development projects.

{{Doctors’ past strikes}}

In the recent years, doctors especially, interns at Mulago and other referral hospitals have demonstrated against the government’s failure to pay their allowances on time. Last month, senior doctors petitioned the Speaker of Parliament decrying poor working conditions and asked the institution to help pass a series of allowances. In 1995, doctors at Mulago went on strike and the government responded by arresting union leaders and also ordered military doctors to staff the emergency rooms.