African countries have to unite to counter the growing threat of terrorism and other negative forces. This was reached upon during the four day land forces summit organized by the Uganda people’s Defense Forces (UPDF) in Munyonyo, Kampala.

Terrorism threats in Africa and other parts of the world are currently spearheaded by terror groups including Al Qaeda, Al Shabab and the new kids on the block Boko Haram that are terrorizing Northern Nigeria.

Within the Eastern Africa region, Kenya has faced the blunt of terrorism with constant attacks from Al Qaeda leaning insurgents protesting the country’s involvement in the Somalia conflict. In July 2010, twin bombings in Kampala left over 70 people dead as they were watching the finals of the 2010 football world cup in South Africa.

Closing the four day African Land Forces Summit in Kampala today, Commander of defense forces General Aronda Nyakairima called upon African countries to unite against terrorism for sustainable development.

The oil discovery in the African Great Lakes region member states of Uganda, DR. Congo, Kenya and South Sudan calls for collaborative efforts between member states to provide security for the developing countries.

Africa has a long history mired with coup de tats, civil wars, and foreign invasions. The various armies now have a task of tightening security, to repel any threats to their countries’ security.

The 2^nd African Land Forces summit has attracted 36 countries from across the region and was funded by the United States Army Africa Command based in Stuttgart Germany. The summit aimed at deliberating on the security concerns affecting the continent and finding alternative mechanisms for maintaining continental peace.

This means Uganda’s parliament might have to wait to hold elections for the third EALA, after parties failed to agree on how to share the nine slots amongst them.

Earlier on, the leader of government business Amama Mbabazi and the opposition had sought interpretation from legal minds on how to share the available nine slots as stipulated by the ruling of the East African Court of justice.

The meeting failed to agree, forcing the premier to forward the issue, to the house which also failed to come up with a position, prompting an adjournment to the evening.

Amama Mbabazi himself a senior counsel maintains the opposition misinterpreted the court’s ruling. The NRM has gone ahead to vote on the issue, forcing the opposition to head to court for a remedy.

The delays and legal battles on how to share the nine slots mean that Uganda will have to wait longer for voting in their representatives. Other member countries have already chosen members to the regional parliament.

 Namuwaya Evaline  

According to the KCCA Executive Director Jennifer Musisi, the works begin next month.

Last week, the Authority evicted over 3000 vendors from the parks to pave way for their renovations.

Zzimwe enterprises was originally contracted to renovate both parks, although no work was ever carried out.

Jennifer Musisi has told a media briefing this morning, that the authority has procured a new contractor to implement the works.

The land upon which the old taxi park sits has been mired in wrangles. There are reports that the plots were parceled out to private developers, which sections of the KCCA officials have vehemently denied. Early this week, the Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago said no private developer will be allowed to develop the land.

According to Musisi, the contractor is to start with the new taxi park which floods most whenever it rains.

In a related development, the Kampala Capital City Authority has taken over Naguru hospital recently constructed by the Chinese government. The hospital is to help in reducing overcrowding in Mulago National Referral Hospital and other health facilities around Kampala.

The hospital will soon open to the public.

 Nabakooza Lydia          

They are to decide on which members of  parliament will represent Uganda in the East African Legislative Assembly.

They had come hoping to be released on bail only to be disappointed. The nine suspects, who are mainly members of the opposition FDC party have been in Luzira prison since their arrest over two months ago.

These loud protests began after Nakawa magistrate Mackay Opolot, adjourned the case until 31st May just shortly after the beginning of the hearing at 9am. This was after the state attorney Joseph Bayigye told court that investigations into the case were incomplete.

Some of the suspects’ relatives could not take the turn of events. They shed tears, complaining that the case was dragging on, yet they needed their spouses back home to fulfill their duties.

The nine suspects feel they are being unfairly treated since police have said the key suspect in the Ariong murder is in their custody so they are wondering why they are still in Luzira prison.

The suspects were agitated further when police officers moved to take them out of the dock. They were only calmed down by this prisons officer who tried to explain the situation.

Assistant Inspector of Police Michael Ariong whose murder is the reason for the detention of the nine, was killed in March after he was reportedly hit by a brick in downtown Kampala.

He was enforcing order as Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and FDC President Dr. Kiiza Besigye toured city roads and chaos erupted. Lukwago and Besigye are also facing murder charges at Buganda road court. The maximum sentence for murder is death.

Nabakooza Lydia  

The minister says many members of cabinet feel that the economy has been so much liberalized to the extent that this has affected the delivery of social services.

He also says this group in cabinet feels there should be a change to another ideology that guarantees service delivery.

State minister for planning Matia Kasaija told a round-table discussion involving policy makers, members of the civil society and the media that capitalism has failed to deliver some key development indicators, forcing government to look elsewhere.

He says government is contemplating reviving the defunct Uganda Development Corporation that was responsible for investing in ventures like Uganda Hotels, NYTIL and others that the private sector saw as not profitable.

The private sector has also failed to invest in manufacturing fertilizers from the huge phosphates in Tororo while government has also failed to woo more investors into coffee processing, despite 20 years of trials.

The discussion that centered on enhancing Economic Growth and Social Justice was convened by the African Centre for Trade and Development (ACTAD) on the theme “How can the values of a social market economy guide Uganda’s economic policies.

Experts say a social Market Economy is based on the principles of freedom and individualism where each individual has the opportunity to develop their potential and use of it. This means an individual has freedom over purchase, contract, and choosing employment.

Germany was able to weather the recent economic meltdown because of this ideology.

Minister Kasaija told the dialogue that next year, commodity production funding will be undertaken in the agricultural sector. Through this, selected crops like Matooke, beans, rice, beef and milk, coffee and tea will be given emphasis.

Junior finance minister Kasaija seems to have recovered fro m the incident yesterday when he stormed out of the NBS TV studio after failing to answer queries on prioritizing government expenditure. He was featuring on the Morning Breeze programme.

TYABA S. ABUBAKAR

This, after Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi told Parliament this morning that government does not have money to increase the salaries this financial year by 30 percent but instead stick to the promised 15 percent .

The Prime Minster, alongside four ministers, was appearing before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee to answer queries on the budget framework of various ministries including the Justice Law and Order Sector.

Some the thorny issues the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee sought answers to were the uneven salaries of staff in state agencies like Uganda Revenue Authority, URA, the Electoral Commission, Office of the Auditor General and KCCA. But Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi says government, for instance has to pay URA staff very well so that they improve tax collections.

But teachers, who have demanded salary increments for years, will have to wait a little longer for the 30 percent proposed increment they sought. Government says that salary raise could come next financial year.

The other issue in the proposed national budget that raised dust in the committee, was the four billion shillings appropriated for compensation of court awards.

MPs lashed out at Premier Mbabazi and the four ministers on his team – Henry Muganwa Kajura, Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafire, Aston Kajara and Ssezi Mbaguta, for forgetting about the common person yet a city tycoon Hassan Basajjabalaba was recently given billions of shillings in compensations that court did not sanction.

It also emerged that Parliament is drafting the relevant laws to govern the long-awaited Local Council one elections. Current LC structures were declared illegal by the Constitutional Court six years ago. Mbabazi says government needs over one hundred and twenty billion shillings not only for the LC 1 elections but also the same amount to organize women council elections.

The premier says government cannot afford such expenses this financial year but hoped that with legal reform, the expenses could be cut down.

This will be taking place at the FDC head quarters in Najanankuba.

More on this story, later today.

It is a unique trail of legal questions and answers that has not only disturbed, the Lubaga North voters but the judiciary as well.

And as Kasibante joins the ninth Parliament, his case leaves psychological scars in the minds of Singh Katongole who was ousted and Mr.Phillip Odoki, the former Mengo Magistrate who sanctioned a vote recount that has lived to haunt him.

NBS Television reminds you of the highlights of the Kasibante Vs Katongole case!

It was a race to replace former legislator and now Uganda Federal Alliance President Beti Olive Namisango Kamya Turomwe that attracted ten candidates from FDC, DP, NRM, UFA,SDP and scores of independents.

Throughout the campaign period, it was clear that Mr. Moses Kasibante, a news caster with CBS radio also located in the constituency and NRM’s Deputy Treasurer Singh Marwaha popularly known as Katongole were the strongest candidates.

And when the voting came on February 18, the counting ended late and the declaration of results went into day two.

Funny scenes involving Kasibante and Singh’s supporters characterized the long wait for the final declaration and there was real pressure mounted on Kampala District Returning Officer Molly Mutazindwa to announce the results.

She declared Moses Kasibante backed by the Mulwanyamuli – led SSUUBI grouping winner of the polls followed by Katongole Singh Marwaha of the ruling NRM.

But before celebrating his victory, Mr Katongole secured a court order for a vote recount by Mengo Chief Magistrate Phillip Odoki.

This was the birth of the controversy that has dragged on for more than a year.

The February 28, recount heavily guarded by police was contested by Kasibante after some boxes appeared to have been tampered with.

Kasibante through his lawyers Medard Ssegona and Erias Lukwago secured a High Court order to stop the recount but this was ignored by Electoral Commission officials who were seemingly working on the guidance of Mr. Singh.

The recount then went on until after two o’clock on March 1, 2011 overturning Kasibante’s victory.

Judiciary spokesperson Elias Kisawuzi issued a statement castigating the proceedings at the Mengo court in defiance of a High Court order.

Singh the had twenty four thousands eight hundred and two votes against Moses Kasibante’s twenty two thousands eight hundred and fifty votes, a margin of one thousand nine hundred and fifty two.

Kasibante hurried to block the gazzeting of Singh as new MP – elect for Lubaga North but he was late because Singh was gazzeted on March 1,2011 just hours after he was declared winner in a recount that ended at 3am.

He rushed to court of Appeal to nullify the gazetting that his lawyer Erias Lukwago called a nullity in itself.

NRM spokesperson Ofwono Opondo then told off Kasibante who wanted to stop Singh’s swearing in.

Katongole was hurriedly sworn – in on May 16, 2011 although the order of swearing in published by the Parliamentary Clerk had put him on schedule for the following day.

He beat another injunction that had been secured by his opponent against his swearing – in.

Kasibante had however within the gazzetted days filed a main suit against Katongole’s election and its hearing begun later before Justice Vincent Zehurikirize.

First Katongole petitioned court on whether Kasibante’s petition would remain valid with the omission of the Electoral Commission as a respondent.

He shortly thereafter filed another petition to have some questions determined by the Constitutional Court and therefore asked Justice Kibuuka Musoke to stay his proceedings until the questions are interpreted.

The questions were on sectarianism and tribal insults allegedly hulled against Katongole by Kasibante’s lawyer and Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and whether the High Court still had merit in hearing a case that it had pre – judged through the judiciary spokesperson Elias Kisawuzi who had earlier issued a statement condemning the recount that defied a high court order.

Court overruled Singh on both questions but he opted to appeal. The appellate court has never ruled on the matter.

Kasibante has never given room to such delays; he filed another petition bringing on the Electoral Commission as a respondent.

Singh later lost his lawyers, Dr.Akampumuza and Simon Tendo who withdrew from his case for unclear reasons.

He immediately got another lawyer Peter Musoke who was later proved unfit to represent any one in the High court; he had just represented Counsel Godfrey Lule, so he said before he was disqualified from representing Singh.

Katongole then attacked Justice Kibuuka Musoke accusing him of bias on allegations that he was receiving bribes from Mr. Moses Kasibante.

Singh was given more days to get new lawyers and have them study his case before hearing continues.

Every time Katongole and Kasibante appeared at court, their supporters exchanged verbal artilleries.

New Lawyers David Bwambale and Denis Musede took over the case for Katongole who true to his style derailed the hearing by asking for a Punjabi translator for his cross examination.

Kibuuka Musoke ruled against Singh reminding him that as a Member of Parliament he deliberates in English and had campaigned in English, Luganda and Swahili; he therefore understood other languages other than Punjabi, besides he had swore several affidavits in English.

He ordered him to continue in the dock with the cross examination. Which he actually did in Luganda.

Justice Kibuuka Musoke ruled on Monday, October 14, 2011 that Mr. Singh Par minder Marwaha Katongole was declared winner of the Lubaga North Parliamentary seat under shady circumstances and threw him out of the house with costs to Kasibante.

The judgment was appealed but Kasibante again floured his archrival Katongole on May 3.

It is the May 3 ruling that has seen Kasibante swear – in today.

It is a unique case, no bye – election but a declaration that one leaves and he is immediately replaced straight away by another.

Congratulations Mister sorry now Honorable Moses Kasibante, man of the tightened fist.

Muyanga Lutaaya

Simon Kaggwa Njala, the co-host of the Morning Breeeze programme, on which Kasaija was featuring had asked the junior minister of finance whether government was cash-strapped, in regard to reports that the census had been postponed, due to financial constraints.

Just before he walked out of the studio, the minister claimed that the host was speaking from a point of ignorance after Kaggwa wondered, where the money had gone yet even the health sector budget for the new financial year had been cut.

Morning Breeze was this morning revisiting a story that was published in the observer, that indicated that government had suspended the 2012 national population and housing Census, which was to be carried out in August citing lack of funds.

Reports say the government can’t find money to fund the massive exercise. Uganda Bureau had asked for 140b to fascilitate the exercise.

President Museveni seemed to have not been enthusiastic about the project claiming, that there were more pressing demands, so the census could wait.

Hon. Maria Kiwanuka was earlier contacted and she neither denied nor confirmed, but said that the matter was under discussion and was being handled by the ministry’s permanent secretary adding that the clear picture would be available yesterday. There fore it was on this ground that the  State Minister of planing Matia Kasaija was hosted.

VIDEO ON YOU TUBE