{{Uganda Entertainment industry has definately evolved so quickly….there have been several international superstars performing in Kampala city..
This year in December US star performer Chris Brown will entertain Ugandans on December 21.}}
Tag: GreatLakesNews
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President Kibaki Warns Against Mombasa Independence
{{President Mwai Kibaki has once again warned the Mombasa Republican Council that his government will not tolerate calls for secession.}}
The president, who spoke when he led the nation in commemorating Mashujaa Day, warned that his administration will not tolerate any groups that threaten the country’s security.
“As a government we will take firm and decisive action in dealing with those who have issued threats of secession or those who threaten our security. Kenya is one unitary state. The Constitution is clear on that and so is our history. Let us learn from that history and not seek to distort it and let us respect our Constitution,” he warned.
“Let it be known to those who seek to harm us that we will not relent in the work we have begun. We shall get the job done, until we have order and security,” further warned the president saying that he intends to abide by the oath he took to defend the Constitution and the people of Kenya.
President Kibaki spoke a day after a magistrate in Mombasa declared the MRC unlawful and ordered the police to arraign all its leaders in court to face charges of being members of the banned group.
Mombasa Chief Magistrate Stephen Riech who declared the group illegal following a successful application by the State, said all its leaders – including those who are in remand after failing to raise bonds of Sh2 million each for incitement and firearm possession charges – will face fresh indictment.
On Saturday, President Kibaki further called on Kenyans work closely with security forces and the Provincial Administration in order to flush out dangerous elements who threaten Kenya’s security.
The Commander in Chief of the armed forces congratulated the Kenyan Defence Forces for their role in liberating Somalia from the Al Shabaab – for over a year now – as well as internal security agencies that have continued ward off threats of terrorism.
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Oil Production To Resume Immidiately in South Sudan
{{South Sudan issued an order October 18, instructing foreign and national companies involved in oil industry to immediately resume production and exports through the territory of neigbouring Sudan.}}
Stephen Dhieu Dau, South Sudan’s Minister of Petroleum and Mining on Thursday said the government had completed assessing all oil infrastructures located in the world’s youngest nation and was technically ready to recommence operations within three months.
Production was halted at the beginning of the year over a transit fee disputed between the two countries. South Sudan split from Sudan in July 2011 without bilateral agreements on oil and other issues leading to a conflict over a disputed border area in April this year.
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DRC to Connect to Submarine Optical Fiber
{{DRC is expected to get connected to the Optical fiber The Managing Director of the Company Congolese General of Posts and Telecommunications (SCPT), Placide Mbatika said October 18.}}
Mbatika said the work of installing transmission equipment will start next Monday at the Moanda landing station, where the DRC must be connected to the optical fiber.
According to Mbatika, the connection to the optical fiber must be made two weeks after the beginning of this work.
However,Mbatika said that the commercialization of the connection will begin three months later.
DRC missed a first opportunity to connect to the fiber in May. Thirteen other African countries had done at the start of the project WACS (West African Cable system submarin).
This project Telecom giant MTN aims to connect fourteen African countries to use fiber optic broadband internet.
“The DRC has not been connected because we’re a little behind the construction of the landfall to be connected to the optical fiber.
In two months, the work [construction of this station] will be finished, “said Mbatika who attended the launch of the WACS in South Africa.
Arrested at the National Assembly in June, about this failure, the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Kin-Kiey Mulumba, said connecting the DRC to the optical fiber was blocked following the hijacking of the US$3 million for this operation.
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Kenyan Woman Dies After Wedding in Hospital
{{A Kenyan woman whose wedding took place in a ward at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi this week, has died.}}
Mrs Agnes Wathanu Muchoki, 54, died on Tuesday night after her wedding to her husband, Mr Peter Muchoki, two days earlier.
During the interview with a Kenyan Press, a tired Mrs Muchoki, who had cancer, had recalled how doctors, relatives, friends and even journalists witnessed the two love-birds tie the knot before hospital chaplain Fr John Kariba.
On her wedding, Mrs Muchoki said: “It was wonderful… It was nice… In fact I have no words to describe what happened. I have been pestering my husband for a long time to tie the knot.”
“Oh, the flowers and the cake..I have also been given a marriage certificate as well as the wedding sacrament by my Catholic church,” she added.
She had said she was looking forward to being discharged from hospital so she could be near her family on her road to recovery.
In the story, the mother of seven, had appealed to well-wishers to assist her family.
She said her first born son, who completed his medical laboratory degree course in 2009, remains unemployed.
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Snake Disrupts Kenya Killings Incquiry
{{Proceedings of the Commission of Inquiry into the Tana River clashes were adjourned for 30 minutes on Thursday when a green snake appeared at the roof of the Maridhiano Hall at Minjila, Tana River sending officials scampering for safety.}}
Trouble begun with an unusual chirping of birds at the roof of the hall. It attracted those in the hall to look up whereupon they noticed the green serpent coiled on the makuti fronds.
At that time, the advocate for the Pokomo Council of Elders (Gasa) Mr Joel Obura was in the middle of making an application for the council to be granted full standing to give evidence on the clashes.
Joint secretary Mr McDonald Oguya sent a notice to the Commission chair Lady Justice Grace Nzioka.
Lady Nzioka gave the ‘warning snake note’ to Ms Emily Ominde, the assisting commissioner who was sitting beside her. They then waited nervously for Mr Obura to end his submission.
When he finished, Ms Nzioka gave the assisting counsel Mr Wamuti Ndegwa the opportunity to respond to the application, after which the hearing was adjourned.
“This Commission adjourns for two or three minutes,” she announced, and with her colleagues quickly dashed out to safety with tension building among participants who had now spotted the reptile.
Administration Police officer Mr Amin Hussein, from the Minjila DC’s office, climbed on the roof to battle the snake. But it slithered and disappeared into the makuti roofing.
But that was not the end of drama. The serpent re-appeared after about five minutes causing another round of anxiety.
The three commissioners, Ms Nzioka, Ms Ominde and Mr Abdulkadir Lorot, were still at their rooms a few meters from the hall and were alerted not to come out yet.
Pokomo elders present and staff of the Maridhiano CBO Center volunteered to pursue the snake on the roof with sticks. One of them managed to hit it. It was then dumped in a pit latrine ending the drama and to the relief of all.
The commissioners were called in after at the end of the 30-minute interlude.
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Mai-Mai Veterans Form New Rebel Group
{{Veterans of the Mai-Mai militia have created a new armed group called “Raïa Mukombozi.”}}
MONUSCO military spokesman, Lt. Col. Felix Prosper Basse, said, October 17 the leaders of this new armed group intend to fight their former comrades and control Shabunda territory.
Felix Prosper Basse reveals that the two former executives of Mai-Mai Raïa Mutomboki who created the new militia could not stand the regular clashes between the two factions of their former internal movement.
“These two factions have been fighting for a long time to control Shabunda, especially control of the mines that are in this area,” he noted.
It’s alleged that the new armed group wants to recruit in Shabunda, Lt. Col.Felix Basse is very concerned by the situation, announcing that the Congolese military “will soon launch operations in this sector.”
In September, the Joint United Nations Office for Human Rights (UNJHRO) expressed his concern for violations of human rights committed by militia Raïa Mutomboki between mid-August and early September 2012 in the territory of Masisi in North Kivu.
The militia was accused of killing dozens of civilians and burned villages.
The Raïa Mutomboki claim to be a self-defense militia fighting against Rwandan FDLR rebels. But they illustrate regularly abuses against civilians.
In April 2012, they signed an agreement in principle with the FARDC Shabunda-center for the pacification of the territory.
The militiamen were committed to disarm and return to civilian life. The military authorities had promised to guarantee security if they laid down their arms. The agreement was never followed.
In September, the militia had even taken control of some areas of North Kivu including Njingala and Walikale-center, before being dislodged by the FARDC.
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South Sudan Coup Plotters Warned
{{South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir Mayardit has warned the army from being carried away by rumours of coup attempts, saying any leadership that will overthrow his regime militarily will not be recognized by the international community.}}
Kiir delivered the warning on Tuesday at the army’s general headquarters in Bilpam in his second meeting with the army since he returned from Uganda after the rumours of a coup plot.
The Tuesday meeting included all SPLA officers residing in Juba from junior officers to the chief of general staff. Kiir on his way to Bilpam was guarded with huge heavily armed presidential guards packed in several army vehicles including an ambulant.
There were serious rumours of a coup plot by unknown army officers, but Kiir told thousands of soldiers during the meeting that even if the coup plotters succeeded they would face difficulty getting recognition by the international community.
He called on anybody who wants to lead the country to ascend to power through democratic processes.
He narrated that the news about the coup attempt reached him while he was on mission in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, with both the minister of defence, John Kong Nyuon and the Chief of General Staff, James Hoth Mai, adding that it was the deputy minister of defence and veterans affaires, Majak Agoot who was in charge of the army at the time.
The Vice President, Riek Machar, was also abroad in the United States where he was delegated to attend to meetings of the United Nations.
Kiir told the army that the reports that reached him implicated Maj. General Simon Gatwec Dual as having links with the rebels of David Yauyau in Jonglei state. The general who is in prison, he said, will be investigated further to face the law if found guilty or acquitted if not found guilty.
An intellectual from the Lou-Nuer community who asked to remain anonymous told Sudan Tribune that Maj. Gen. Gatwec, who was the deputy director for production at Bilpam, was used as a scapegoat to try to explain “the unknown” to the public, denying that he did not have any link with rebels nor did he involve in any coup plot.
Rumours about a coup attempts have been talked of several times suspecting different groups, particularly from Jonglei state.
The army, he added, should be vigilant and cooperate with the intelligence to communicate any strange moves, but warned them not to listen to rumours any more.
On discontent against the Addis Ababa cooperation agreement with Sudan, Kiir said he did not intent to give away Mile 14 to Sudan, but that was a temporary security arrangement to create a buffer zone between the two armies of Sudan and South Sudan.
Citizens from Aweil in Northern Bhar el Ghazal state demonstrated in Juba on Monday against the agreement, prompting the police to fire live rounds to disperse them.
The demonstrators later on converged in front of the national parliament holding placards and banners and chanting “down, down, Salva Kiir.”
Kiir told the army that even though he was insulted by the demonstrators he did not order the police to fire live bullets to disperse them.
He challenged those who were against the Mile 14 arrangement as returnees from the Diaspora who worked to instigate the situation.
Meanwhile the national parliament endorsed the Addis Ababa cooperation agreement on Tuesday as requested by President Salva Kiir during his briefing to the lawmakers on Monday.
(ST)
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Burundi Revenue Collection up by 9.1%
Burundi has recorded a huge leap in revenue collection rising by 9.1% annually at US$257.5 million tax collection in the nine months to September.
The anti Corruption efforts are paying off in a largely corrupt East African country.
Burundi Revenue Authority says, “The tax base grew with a registration of 5,000 new contributors who were in the informal sector and who didn’t pay tax before.”
Monthly tax revenues collected in September this year fell to 41 billion francs from 44.5 billion francs in September 2011.
The board said this was due to the government’s decision to suspend tax on basic food imports to the landlocked central African country, to ease the impact of soaring prices of essential commodities.
The decision came into effect in May and will last until the end of December.
In order to plug a US$64 million revenue deficit on the current 2012 budget, the government has raised taxes on beer, liquors, mineral water and other beverages.
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Pastors Warned Against Mixing Politics & Religion
{{A French Missionary Emmanuel Rapold has asked evangelical pastors operating in the great Lakes region to avoid mixing politics with religious matters.}}
Emmanuel told pastors to spread word of God and not support activities aiming at destabilizing their countries sovereignty.
Rapold said since the region is increasingly facing political instability, pastors should not be among people standing for conflicts, but, teach members of their church how to solve conflicts within the region.
Pastors who were gathered in Rusizi District came from Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo.