Tag: GreatLakesNews

{Six Ugandan rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and a Congolese soldier were killed on Monday in the Beni region of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), after Congolese forces clashed with the rebels.}

Spokesperson of Operation Sokola 1, Lieutenant Mak Hazukay confirmed the reports, adding that two soldiers were also seriously injured in the clash. Sokola 1 is DRC’s military mission established to fight the rebels.

The clash took place in Kokola in the troubled far North Kivu province.

Rebels have been fighting in eastern DRC since 1995. The ADF rebels are opposed to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power since 1986.

The UN Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) and the Congolese government have stepped up to respond to a series of massacres that have claimed over 600 civilian lives in the Beni area since October 2014.

The North Kivu province is torn for over twenty years by armed conflicts fueled by ethnic and land disputes, competition for control of mineral resources and rivalries between regional powers.

{Police chief Kale Kayihura yesterday addressed the press in the wake of the incident that has left more questions than others. Below are some of the excerpts.}

{{We have seen repeated attacks on security detachments. Should do we say the public has lost fear and respect for state authority?}}

Kayihura: Let me first clarify that since February elections, we have had only one incident of attack on police stations. There was one in Kapchorwa before the elections and it was a criminal gang. The one in Namayingo District where three guns were stolen was also a criminal gang. Criminality has become more viable. If you want to do investigative journalism, come and we give you information on how armed criminality has become. Criminals will always test the will of the security forces.
There is an element of organised crime. The question of whether there is political connotation is a different matter. At this stage, you cannot attribute this incident to a political objective. I cannot dispute but we believe it is just a group of criminals that wanted to obstruct justice because their colleague was due to appear in court today (yesterday).

{{What exactly was Col Opito doing that led to his arrest?}}

Kayihura: First of all, there is an ongoing joint police, UPDF operation based on intelligence we got that last week about a group of people who wanted to attack the police and military installations in Kampala. I want to thank the public for giving us this information. This group involved the police and soldiers. The first information we got was connected to a group of youth and veterans that had been gathered in Kyengera in the guise of getting jobs in Somalia. We arrested more than four soldiers, including a captain, and the investigation continued until it reached to Col Dan Opito. He is helping us with investigations. Nobody should read anything beyond that. We don’t want to jump the gun. It was in that context that Col Dan Opito was arrested.

How many have so far have been arrested in connection with rebel links and where are they being detained?

Kayihura: I don’t have the exact figures but I can say they are more than 20. We shall give you the right information because there is nothing to hide.

{{Is the arrest of Col Opito connected to the arrest of Nakawa MP Micheal Kabaziguruka and Dr Kizza Besigye?}}

Kayihura: Well, I don’t see any evidence at this stage that connects [the two] to arrest and attack on the police station. If it comes up, then we shall handle as it is.

{{What about the arrests from West Nile. Are they rebel related?}}

Kayihura: Police have not made any arrests in West Nile connected to this. However, we can arrest anyone provided we have evidence. The only thing that was there was the abductions in Yumbe District.
{{
There was an issue of Power 10; we would like to know whether these attacks are related to P10?}}

Kayihura: I am not aware. Don’t speculate. Why does your mind go wild? Otherwise, you may say this is connected to ICC. Always start with the scene of crime. I am helping you without being paid. Power 10 was there, they had their own problems such as chaining themselves. But if you have evidence, you can bring it forward.

There is a group of people from Acholi allegedly dumped in Kasubi by UPDF and people wondering about the motive. What do you have say about that?
Kayihura: I have not got information about this. I welcome you if you have details. However, we shall crosscheck.

{{The four soldiers and other people were arrested from Kyengera, how did they end up there and where are they being detained?}}

Kayihura: There were more than four soldiers arrested. They were supposed to be 32 but others ran away. They were mobilised by a captain who we have since arrested. They are being detained everywhere.

{{What do you have to say the arrest of Nakawa MP Kabaziguruka?}}

Kayihura: This is not the first time Kabaziguruka has been arrested. He also has a case of terrorism. MPs are also vulnerable to committing crime. For instance, Godi (former Arua Municipality MP) killed his wife and was convicted when he was still a serving MP. Calling Kabaziguruka to assist in investigations is not something that should make news.

{Korir says he is “excited to be the first-ever sitting MP anywhere in the world to get the opportunity to run at the Olympics”.}

Dawn comes misty and cold on the steep sides of the Nyaru escarpment as Kenya’s Olympic men’s marathon team begin their training run, a line-up of veteran athletes including a current lawmaker.

With the Rio Olympics Games less than two months away, the team with two-time London marathon winner Eliud Kipchoge and 2012 Boston marathon champ Wesley Korir, have stepped up their preparations in a bid to reclaim the title they last won eight years ago.

The 32-year-old Korir is also a serving member of the Kenyan parliament for Cherangany constituency, well known as an anti-doping campaigner.

A surprise inclusion in the squad, he joined the team for the first time to run the 40-kilometre (25-mile) course and was left bruised after the workout near Eldoret in Kenya’s north-west region.

“The key now is to train hard, stay focused and remain healthy. I think we are going to take the top three positions in Rio,” Korir, taking a break from politics to train, told AFP.

Korir says he is “excited to be the first-ever sitting Member of Parliament anywhere in the world to get the opportunity to run at the Olympics”.

He has been training alone around the Ngong Hills outside the capital Nairobi.

“I was scared at the beginning because I have never done a 40K here in Kenya,” he told AFP.

“What I learnt today is that I need to do more hill work to build the strength in my legs. Today proved that I am on the right track — so what I need to do is stay healthy and continue the training with my teammates.”

Kenya won its first-ever Olympic men’s marathon medal in 2008, when the late Samuel Wanjiru powered his way through the streets of the Chinese capital Beijing, to become the youngest champion at age 21.

‘RUNNING AS A TEAM’

At the 2012 Olympics in London, a relatively unknown Ugandan, Stephen Kiprotich, capitalised on the benefits of training at altitude in Kenya to steal the Kenyan thunder and become his country’s first Olympic marathon champion.

Kiprotich, 27, continues to base his training in Kenya and was part of the group doing the hilly workout under Kenyan Olympic marathon coach Richard Metto.

Kiprotich, who added a World title to his Olympic crown in Moscow in 2013, is well aware of the tough competition that awaits him in Rio.

“Rio is saying I should defend my title, but the Kenyans and Ethiopians will be my biggest opponents,” the Ugandan athlete told AFP.

Among the Kenyans, Kipchoge, who won a 5,000m silver medal in Beijing behind Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele is considered the favourite to win the Olympic marathon title.

Unbeaten in the six races since making a successful transition from the track to the marathon, Kipchoge has twice come close to breaking the world record of 2 hours two minutes and 57 seconds currently held by compatriot Dennis Kimetto.

But a world record will not be on the mind of the 31-year-old in Rio.

“I know many people see me as the favourite in Rio but I don’t have any pressure. I will just go and enjoy running my own race. I always make sure I hit the target all the time,” he said.

“It is great and a big boost to train with the current Olympic champion and one of our political leaders in this country.

“I will not focus on time in Rio, but we will be running as a team. My main focus will be to run good race and aim to finish in the top three positions,” said Kipchoge.

Kenya has also named one of the strongest line-ups in the women’s team, including Helah Kiprop, the reigning world marathon silver-medallist, and London marathon champion Jemima Sumgong.

Kenya is yet to win the Olympic women’s gold medal.

{Police officers in the country have been reminded to perform hand salutes to political leaders, including Members of Parliament and Representatives in Zanzibar’s House of Representatives, as per provisions of the Police General Order (PGO) number 102.}

Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Fishery, William ole Nasha, made the reminder here yesterday when responding to a basic question by Special Seats MP, Fakharia Shomar Khamis, (CCM).

The minister responded to the question on behalf of the Minister for Home Affairs. Ms Fakharia had wanted to know the meaning of the salutation and the rank of police officers who are supposed to be saluted by their juniors.

Ole Nasha explained that the hand salute is part of salutations in the armed forces which are performed in accordance with legislation and regulations of the police force through PGO number 102. He stated that the PGO outlines political and other public officials to be saluted by police officers.

“Police officers at all ranks are supposed to salute the President and the Vice-President of the United Republic of Tanzania as well as the President, the First and Second Vice-President of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar,” Ole Nasha explained.

He mentioned other leaders entitled to the salute as the Prime Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania, the Chief Justice of the United Republic of Tanzania and the Chief Justice of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar.

Also on the list are Speaker of the Union Parliament and Speaker of Zanzibar’s House of Representatives, cabinet ministers in both the Union Government and the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar.

Ole Nasha mentioned other leaders as the Clerks of the Union Parliament and Zanzibar’s House of Representatives respectively as well as MPs from both parliaments when they are in their constituencies or in parliament grounds.

He said the salutation also covers Regional Commissioners and Judges when in their areas of work while police officers with ranks ranging from constable to inspector are required to salute District Commissioners and magistrates at their places of work.

{Two boats have collided on a Congo lake, with one capsizing and killing at least 27 people, United Nations-backed Radio Okapi says.}

Deputy governor of Maindombe, Massamba Malika, told Radio Okapi the two boats were going in opposite directions between Inongo and Bokoro and to avoid fog, rerouted, leading to the collision.

He said 27 bodies are still in Lake Maindombe and there might be more. He said the accident occurred late on Saturday night when boats are advised not to travel.

Malika said it’s unclear how many people were on the boat, but they are not to exceed 100. A rescue team is recovering the bodies.

In December, 18 people died and 70 disappeared after a shipwreck on the same lake.

{More than 1,300 students of Aduku Secondary School, Apac District, have been sent home following a violent strike which resulted into the destruction of school property worth about Shs100 million.}

School authorities said the last Saturday night strike was sparked off by a ban on wearing of mini-skirts and tight trousers.

Last week, the school administration confiscated all mini-skirts and tight trousers, a move which reportedly annoyed the students.Aduku SS is an Anglican-founded mixed O and A-level boarding school.

Before the strike, the students had also claimed that they were not comfortable with having porridge for breakfast early in the morning at 6am, the time when they should still be enjoying their sleep.

The headmaster, Mr Patrick Okwir Angulo, said last term, they issued a circular to all parents warning that mini-skirts and tight trousers would not be allowed in school.

This was after it was realised that girls cut their long skirts and saw them into mini-skirts. Boys were also reducing the sise of their normal trousers making them tight.

“During the opening of this term, teachers were deployed at the school gate to check the kind of uniforms students had come with,” Mr Okwir told Daily Monitor in a telephone interview on Sunday evening.

Mini-skirts and tight trousers were confiscated and cut into pieces. But those that could be resized were kept in the school store and will be given back to the owners at the end of the term.

The headmaster said that was a way of instilling discipline in the students and added that the wearing of non uniforms at school has been banned.

{{The culprits}}

But a group of about 10 students from Senior Three allegedly mobilised and spearheaded the strike last Saturday. They reportedly pulled down a wall fence measuring 307 metres, which they say limited their movement outside the school.

“They also tried to push down the wall fence from the girls’ wing, but the girls never came out to join them in the strike,” Mr Okwir said.

He said the students broke into the computer laboratory and destroyed all the computers by pouring sewerage on them. The protesters also broke all the window panes.

The district police commander, Mr Alfonse Ojangole, and the district education officer, Mr Billy Okunyu, visited the school on Sunday and talked to the students before they were all sent home for 10 days.

This newspaper understands that there will be a joint Parents Teachers’ Association (PTA) and Board of Governor meeting on Wednesday to agree on a way forward.

{{The strike}}

A group of about 10 students from Senior Three allegedly mobilised and spearheaded the strike on Saturday. They reportedly pulled down a wall fence measuring 307 metres, which they say limited their movement outside the school.

{Mr Muburi-Muita was declared the nominee for the post during the last Regional Inter-ministerial Conference held in February.}

Foreign ministers of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) have endorsed Kenya’s candidature for the post of the Executive Secretary of the ICGLR, Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed has said.

“Foreign Ministers of the ICGLR have reaffirmed their nomination of Kenya’s candidate, Amb Zachary Muburi-Muita, for the post of the Executive Secretary of ICGLR,” Ms Mohamed revealed Sunday evening.

The decision to endorse Kenya’s candidate for the Executive Secretary’s position was reached during the 7th Ordinary Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region.

Speaking in Luanda, Angola, where the meeting took place, Ms Mohamed said Mr Muburi-Muita was declared the nominee for the post during the last Regional Inter-ministerial Conference held on February 11, 2016, but the decision was not publicly or formally announced.

“The decision of the ministers now awaits the endorsement of the Heads of States during the 6th Ordinary Summit that convenes in Angola tomorrow, Tuesday, 14th June, 2016,” said the Cabinet Secretary.

President Uhuru Kenyatta is among the ICGLR Heads of State expected to attend the Summit.

EXPRESSED GRATITUDE

“We express our gratitude to the foreign ministers of ICGLR for their gracious support and for the confidence reposed on our candidate for the position,” said Ms Mohamed.

Mr Muburi-Muita is now poised to take over from Prof Ntumba Luaba, the outgoing ICGLR executive secretary.

The ICGLR is a sub-regional inter-governmental organisation bringing together 12 countries of the Great Lakes region; namely Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Angola, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Sudan and Zambia.

It was formed in recognition of the need for the states in the Great Lakes region to work together in promoting sustainable peace and development.

Its objectives and mandate include creating conditions for security, stability and sustainable development between member states and promoting democracy and rule of law in the region.

Since its formation, the Conference has established a regional framework that facilitates the realisation of peace, stability, security and development in the region.

Leaders in the region have also been able to come together and reach an agreement on principles that have promoted good neighbourliness besides putting in place programmes of action to help end the cycle of conflicts in the region.

The ICGLR has also helped in the fight against trans-border crimes through the provisions of protocols on judicial cooperation among member states.

{The government has appealed to the Catholic Church and other religious denominations in the country to continue with their role of instilling good morals among the faithful. It has sounded the appeal as efforts are underway to pursue gangs of killers that have been attacking innocent people in Mwanza and Geita regions recently.}

Addressing the congregation at the consecration of Father Flavian Kassala as the new bishop of the Geita Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church here on Sunday, the Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, said the government banked on the support of the church and other religious institutions to advocate against immorality.

“We bank on the support of the church and other religious institutions to counter such evil deeds in our society as evidenced in the recent attacks on a Mwanza mosque,’’ the Premier stressed. He also appealed to the church’s contribution in the fight against graft.

The prime minister thanked Geita residents for their commitment towards the war on graft, which has been President John Magufuli’s main agenda since he assumed power in October last year. He said apart from the repeated assurances on the provision and supply of quality social service, such ambition will always hit a hard rock if corruption was left to flourish.

Premier Majaliwa said as the special High Court division on corruption is set to take off next month, all members of the public, including the Catholic Church, are expected to report all corrupt people for immediate action.

“This special court will become operational soon. Please accord us all the cooperation in booking corrupt people. I can assure you that the cases will be expedited,” said Mr Majaliwa.

The PM reiterated the government’s stance in supporting religious institutions to partake their functions without fear or favour, thanking them for quality provision of social services in area of education, health and orphans’ care, an area in which the Catholic Church has done exemplarily well.

According to him, the Geita Diocese has been blessed by getting a good leader like Bishop Kassala, pledging to cooperate with him in leading his people in a peaceful manner possible.

Commenting on the formation of peace committees at district, regional and national levels, Mr Majaliwa said the function of those committees depended on the contribution of all the stakeholders, including churches.

Earlier, the Archbishop of the Mwanza Archdiocese, Juda Thadeus Ruwauchi, said all the people with good track records in the public and church leadership came from God and were leading through God’s helping hand.

He noted that Bishop Kassala had a number of challenges ahead, calling on priests and worshippers to support him instead of running away. “There is a tendency of people and even old friends to run away as soon as their colleagues become leaders.

That is common in church leaderships. Please don’t run away but accord every support to the new Bishop,” he said. Bishop Kassala takes over from Bishop Damian Dallu, who was appointed Archbishop of Songea in 2014.

Prior to his appointment, Bishop Kassala, 48, was Senior Lecturer and Vice-Chancellor of the Mtwara-based Stella Maris Associate University.

Meanwhile, cotton farmers in Nyang’hwale District have incurred losses following fake farming inputs received from the Tanzania Cotton Development Trust Fund (TCDTF). This was revealed over the weekend by Nyang’hwale District Commissioner (Geita Region), Mr Ibrahim Marwa, to the prime minister.

DC Marwa said TCDTF leaders and some business people, who have vested interests in the cotton crop, have failed to provide required assistance to farmers. The district commissioner’s remarks were made during the Geita Regional Commissioner, Major General (rtd) Ezekiel Kyunga’s brief to the prime minister tour to the region.

Mr Marwa noted that after farm inputs were received by farmers, they were taken to the Ukiriguru Agricultural Research Institute, the oldest research station and the main cotton research centre in the country, which confirmed that they were fake.

Prime Minister Majaliwa directed agricultural officers to undertake their responsibilities in assisting cotton farmers gain profit from the crop. He asked agriculture officers and local leaders in areas where cotton is farmed, to come up with new plans for the next season, including strategies for high quality cotton seeds and ensure the farmers receive enough for their farms.

“There is no point of continuing to have extension farmers and agriculture officers who are unable to uphold their responsibilities of assisting farmers,” he noted. The prime minister directed district councils in cotton farming areas to conduct research to establish the reasons that have led to low morale among farmers in growing the crop.

{President said he had agreed to dialogue with opposition to save country from wrangles.}

President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday warned that persistent political wrangling was embarrassing Kenya on the global stage and derailing economic growth.

Mr Kenyatta said adverse international media coverage of deaths of people during street demonstrations by opposition leaders against the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) was casting aspersions on the country’s political stability among donors and foreign investors.

Addressing wananchi in Mwingi in Kitui on the second leg of his three-day tour of the region, the president urged Cord leaders to put the country’s strategic economic interests first.

“Bad politics is derailing our economic growth and we are embarrassing ourselves on the international stage,” Mr Kenyatta said after commissioning the Mwingi Campus of the Kenya Medical Training College.

The president appealed for unity in tackling challenges bedeviling the country.

Mr Kenyatta, who was accompanied by Deputy President (DP) William Ruto and 12 Members of Parliament including six from the Wiper Democratic Movement, said he had offered to dialogue with the opposition to save the country from constant wrangles.

“Whenever I meet foreign investors, they always raise concerns on the nature of our politics where we are always quarrelling as a country” he said.

He said he will make another trip to Ukambani in three weeks to launch other projects including the controversial Kitui-Kibwezi road.

Mr Ruto said the opposition should stop posturing and issuing fresh demands on the IEBC dialogue and nominate their representatives to the talks.

President Kenyatta said his administration wanted to work with Ukambani leaders to accelerate development and improve the lives of residents. He singled out implementation of water and road projects as top items in his vision for the region.

“We are keen on lifting the people of this region out of poverty and we want to work with you to achieve that goal,” President Kenyatta said.

He spoke during a meeting with Ukambani leaders and professionals at Nuu trading centre in Kitui where he commissioned a number of projects, including the newly-completed Nuu Technical Training and Vocational College.

Noting that lack of water was undermining the Ukambani region’s potential to produce surplus food, President Kenyatta cited his commissioning of the Sh2.2 billion Masinga/Kitui Water Supply project, the ongoing rehabilitation of the 59 kilometre Yatta Canal at a cost of Sh2.2 billion and the Sh2.9 billion water project in Mavoko as part of the Sh10 billion initiative by his government to address the water problem in the region.

Speaking on behalf of the residents of Kitui, the leaders – including Mwingi Central MP Joe Mutambu and his Mwingi North counterpart John Munuve – said they have tasted the fruits of working with the government and will not be convinced to abandon their stand.

Speaking earlier in Murathankari in Meru, where he presided over a harambee before joining President Kenyatta in Kitui, Mr Ruto led Jubilee MPs in demanding that Cord stops weekly protests against the electoral commission as they were hurting the economy.

He likened the effects of the demos to Al-Shabaab attacks.

“There is no difference between the deaths and destruction of property caused by the protests and terrorism,” Mr Ruto said, adding that the country was losing billions of shillings due to the disruptions.

The DP was concerned that despite the government agreeing to Cord’s calls for dialogue on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, the Opposition had come up with new conditions.

Mr Ruto, who was accompanied by Cabinet Secretaries Jacob Kaimenyi (Land), Joe Mucheru (ICT) and Judi Wakhungu (Environment), said the talks must be done in conformity with the Constitution.