Category Archives: Uganda

Ugandan police released names and images of the last week/s suspected bombers

From: Leo Odera Omolo

THE Police yesterday released reconstructed photos of the two men believed to be the suicide bombers who carried out last Sunday’s deadly twin bomb blasts in the city that claimed 76 lives and left more than 50 others injured.

The front view of the suspected Ugandan bomber, upper right is the side view of the suspected Ugandan bomber. And below, the front view of the suspected Somali bomber and bottom right is the side view the suspected Somali bomber

The photos, portraying how the suspects could have looked like, were reconstructed using computer technology from the two heads of the suspected suicide bombers recovered from the Ethiopian Village Restaurant, Kabalagala and Kyadondo Rugby Club, Lugogo.

Police chief Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura described the reconstruction as a major achievement which would bolster investigations.

Both Interpol and the American Bureau of Investigations (FBI) he said, had accepted to upload the reconstructed photographs of the suspects on their websites, which he said will help with identification.

Kayihura released two hotlines–– 0800299991 and 080019908 and appealed to the public to volunteer any information on the two, saying such information would be treated with confidentiality.

In addition, he said, the public could volunteer information by way of short message services (SMS) to 999.

Kayihura added that such information could also be sent to the Police website on www.upf.co.ug/comments/php.

Lots of useful evidence, he said, had been collected by all agencies taking part in the investigations and he was optimistic that it would lead to a breakthrough.

“I call on any person who was at the scenes or vicinity and could have taken photos or video before or after the blasts to share them with the Police,” Kayihura said.

One of the beamed images was dark, while the other bore strong characteristics of a Somali.
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“Our suspicion that these could be the suicide bombers behind the attacks is based on the fact that whereas all other bodies were identified and claimed by the relatives, these two, which were also clearly recognisable have not been reclaimed,” he said, adding that one head was recovered from Kyadondo and the other from Kabalagala.

The Police chief said there was overwhelming evidence, pointing to the fact that the blasts were executed with “strong external or foreign influence.”

Explaining the double blasts at the rugby club, Kayihura said, one bomb was detonated by a suicide bomber and the second was planted under the table.
“Whereas the first killed a lot of people, the second did not,” he said.

The Police, he said, was holding more than 20 suspects, among them some Pakistani nationals who were arrested in connection with an e-mail that linked one of them to the al-Shabaab.

One of the Pakistani had been mentioned in an email sent by a presumed al-Shabaab as having links with the Islamist group.

The e-mail seen by The New Vision claimed that there was an al-Shabaab operative residing on Bukoto Street in Kamwokya, Kampala.

A New Vision team visited the place on Saturday before the arrests and discovered there was a house with a tall fence reinforced with barbed wires.

Some of the occupants were armed. They declined to comment on the claims in the e-mail, saying the issues were sensitive security matters.

“We cannot at this point say that they were directly linked to the attacks but we are investigating,” Kayihura said yesterday.

“I cannot give the exact figure because our men are in the field and more arrests are being carried out while others, upon interrogation, are released if the investigators find nothing linking them to the incidents.”

He added that four Ethiopians, who had earlier been picked in relation to the Makindye explosives, had be released.

Kayihura said security had been reinforced and said the African Union summit will proceed as scheduled. He added that the Police, would be backed up by the army and sister security agencies to secure the conference

Uganda: Bombing of Kampala last week has sent shock waves and great panicking in East Africa

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News Analysis by Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City

The terrorists bombing of the Ugandan capital, Kampala a week ago in which close to 76 people lost their lives has sent shock-waves and great panicking in the entire Eastern African region.

The incident occurred when the African Unity {AU} Summit of the African Heads of State and governments in only a week away. The Summit is scheduled to be held in Kampala on July 25, and as far as the security situation, many presidents and prime ministers of African governments expected attendance of the summit could be put into jeopardy

Many dignitaries, foreign ministers and top government officials could skip the summit on security ground, although a number of African diplomats in Nairobi were rather optimistic that the summit will go on as planned and dozens of presidents and prime minister would be in attendance as they do normally.

This year’s AU summit whose theme of “maternal and child healthcare is highly likely overshadowed by the events of last Sunday terror attack on football fans watching the World up final in a Kampala suburb of Lugogo’s restaurant.

The Al-Qaeda sponsored Al-Shabab Somali Islamist militia group has since claimed the responsibility for the deadly bomb attack. This has prompted several governments in the neighboring countries Kenya and Tanzania included to take stringent security precautions against any possible terrorists attacks.

This is because days after the al-Shabaab twin bombing attacks in Kampala claimed more than 76 lives, nationals of Western countries living and working in neighboring countries like Kenya and Tanzania have been asked to restrict their movements amid fear of similar attack in the region, especially in Kenya.

The expatriates in Kenya have been advised area frequented by Western nationals or maximize their time spent in such areas which include leading shopping malls, clubs, or popular coffee houses.

The largest concentration of foreigners and UN agencies make the Kenyan capital, Nairobi a new target for extremists organizations that have political or economic grievances with Western governments.

Frequent statements by the Kenya government regarding political support for the Transitional Federal Somali Government in Mogadishu {FTG} also put the country at the risk of similar attacks.

The areas which have been singled out as possible danger spots include the shopping malls, expatriate bars and clubs, most of these facilities are located in Westland suburbs of the Nairobi and also popular public joint and coffee houses in the City center frequented by foreigners.

The al-Shabaab terrorist had in May this year issued a stern warning to the governments of Uganda and Burundi, which are the main contributors of peace keeping troops in Somalia, known as AMISOM that it will strike deep in Kampala and Bujumbura and cause the two governments and their people to cry for a long time.

The Ugandan government, which has close to 4300 troops in Mogadishu responded by ordering the registration of all Somalis living in the country and the issuing of special identification cards to the refugees and those Somalis conducting business in all parts of Uganda. The Somali residents concurred with the government and appealed to their people to comply with the hew security arrangement initiated by the Ugandan government.

The belligerent Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni reacted angrily by warning the al-Shabaab militia in Somali of a dire consequences should they dare to attack any important public and economic installation in the country. Museveni said he would hunt down the terrorist in all their hideouts

The Ugandan and Burundian troops numbering a total of 6,300 men are mainly guarding the installation and important key building under the Transitional Federal Somali government, which is recognized by both AU and Un as the legitimate government of that country..

The FTG is also recognized by some Western countries led by the United States. And fears persist that the AY summit of the heads of state and government which is scheduled to be held in Kampala on July 25,2010 might flop due to unpredictable security situation in that country.

“in the face what happened last week, it would be inappropriate either to the terrorist even to us. Let us leave it at that. We have intelligence and we are using it and the perpetrators must know that no one will sit back and watch them cause mayhem at will.” Those were the words of Kenya’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Moses Wetangula.

Endsleooderaomolo@yahoo.com

Uganda: 74 people died and scores injured in a Kampala terrorists bomb blast attack

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Reportes Leo Odera Omolo In kisumu City

WHAT should have been a feisty viewing of the 2010 World Cup finals between Netherlands and Spain turned tragic as three bomb explosions ripped through the city suburbs, killing over 74, leaving scores critically injured.

By this morning (2:00am), 15 bodies had been received at the city mortuary at Mulago as ambulances and Police patrol teams ferried the injured to various hospitals. Most of the deceased were part of the revellers at the popular Kyadondo Rugby Club in Lugogo.

Survivors search for the dead and injured friends at the Kyadondo Rugby Club yesterday

The first bomb went off in Ethiopian Village in Kabalaga. The explosion went off during the half-time of the match between Spain and Netherlands. The other two went off at the Kyadondo Rugby Club in Nakawa at 11:18pm – one after the other in close succession.

The Police yesterday suspected that the Al Shabaab militants from Somalia could have been behind the attacks.

“We have been suspecting that these people could be planning something like this. At least I can confirm that 13 people have been killed in the Kabalagala incident and I am still waiting for reports from Kyadondo,” the Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, said on phone last night.

Asked who he meant by “these people”, Kayihura said: “Al Shabaab.” The Kabalagala bomb, the Police said, could have been targeting foreigners.

The Police could not put a figure on the casualties at Kyadondo though eyewitnesses put the dead at more than 40. There were also unconfirmed reports of other blasts in Ntinda and Bwaise.

Over 40 were injured. By 1:00am, Kyadondo was deserted, save for the injured awaiting evacuation as security operatives sealed off the place.

Witnesses said the two bombs exploded right in front of the giant screen relaying a live telecast from South Africa.

The night was soon after punctured with sirens on racing Police patrol trucks as the Police and counter-terrorism unit moved in.

The explosions took the victims by surprise as many were blown off their chairs and others died in their seats. Many others could have been killed and injured in the pandemonium that ensued.

In Kamwokya, a suburb popularly frequented by expatriates, all was quiet save for the car park which was full of vehicles where the Dutch Community hosted a live telecast of the match at Iguana restaurant.

Ntinda, a suburb that “never sleeps”, was deserted as several bars emptied hastily. Public transport was scarce save for a few brave boda boda riders. Most revellers in groups were seen walking home, some still carrying the famous vuvuzela, a trademark of the 2010 World Cup, South Africa.

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Uganda has relaxed weighbridge art border crosing point to facilitate easy crossings

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo In kisumu city

THE Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) yesterday suspended the weigh-bridge operations at Busitema in Tororo district to ease the traffic hold-up.

The one-week suspension, follows a story in The New Vision that reported on hundreds of cargo trucks from the Malaba and Busia border posts were stranded at Busitema.

The hold-up was caused by the slow weight verification exercise reintroduced by the works ministry on July 1.

The UNRA spokesperson, Dan Alinange, attributed the slow pace to lack of adequate equipment.

He said the roads authority was moving new equipment from Kampala to weigh the vehicles faster.

“We are also repairing the weigh-bridge at Busia border post. Stickers will be put on the vehicles so that they are not weighed again at Busitema,” Alinange explained. He accused the truck drivers of causing the pile-up.

“Vehicles are not released from the border at once. They wait for each other and come in a group, trying to make us look incompetent,” Alinange explained.

On Monday, trucks from Mombasa port in Kenya and others from eastern Uganda, created a massive traffic jam stretching several kilometres at Busitema.

The crisis caused fears that fuel supply and revenue collection would be disrupted. Works minister John Nasasira last October suspended the operations of six weigh-bridges over corruption after an investigation unearthed irregularities in their management.

The service only resumed last week.
Alinange explained that the weigh-bridges are necessary to protect the roads and ensure their durability.
He said when vehicles carry more than the mandatory 56 tonnes, a lot of pressure is exerted on the roads, wearing them down in a period less than they are built to last.

“That’s why a road that was meant to last 20 years lasts only 10 years. It’s like the human body, they might say the life expectancy is 50 years, but if you don’t look after it, you will not make even 20 years,” Alinange explained.

He warned that the ministry will penalise drivers who over-load their trucks.
“They overload to benefit from it. Cargo that should have been carried by two trucks is carried by one.” Alinange stated.

“We want to remove that incentive by penalising them,” he added.
The weigh-bridges are based in Sironko, Busia, Busitema, Lukaya, Mbarara and Mubende districts. Another six mobile ones are used across the country.

By last evening, the traffic flow had normalised and only 28 trucks, whose cargo documents were confiscated by the roads authority due to over-loading, remained parked.

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Kenya & Uganda: Trucks pile up at the border as impact of free common market not yet felt

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Writes Leo idera Omolo In Busia Biorder Point

HUNDREDS of cargo trucks from Malaba and Busia border posts are stranded at Busitema in the eastern district of Tororo due to the slow weight verification exercise reintroduced by the works ministry on July 1.

The trucks, some from Mombasa port, Kenya and eastern Uganda, yesterday created a massive traffic jam stretching several kilometres long. The crisis caused fears that it could disrupt supplies of fuel and revenue collection.

Three long queues had formed by yesterday evening. One stretched from Busitema check-point to Busitema University. Another from Busia border to the checkpoint and a third from the check point towards Muwayo.

The works ministry, through the roads authority, UNRA, established a weigh-bridge check-point at Busitema on the Iganga-Bugiri-Busia highway. All the cargo vehicles are expected not to exceed 56 tonnes per truck.

However, because small bridges were being used, the clearance process hit a crisis with trucks blocking either side of the main routes to and from Busia and Malaba border posts.

Juma Mukasa, a taxi driver who operates on the Kampala-Malaba route, said by morning heavy trucks had blocked the entire road. He said the diversion route in nearby villages was impassable and vehicles got stuck in the mud.

The traffic Police restored order later in the day by instructing the drivers to make one queue on the side of the road. Some drivers blamed the crisis on the system being used by UNRA officials at the Busitema weigh-bridge. The New Vision learnt that it takes 45 minutes to weigh a truck.

A Uganda Revenue Authority official said unlike in the past, UNRA was using a smaller mobile weigh-bridge unsuited for heavy duty. The small weigh-bridges are meant for spot-checks. The big ones used previously are non-functional, sources said.
The truck drivers said Kenya uses big weigh-bridges, making the process faster.

Julius Ssemakula, a truck driver, who was transporting industrial materials from Mombasa to Kampala, said Kenyan authorities take only three minutes to clear a truck.

The drivers also complained that the delays posed a big risk to them. William Kosgei, a truck driver, said he was carrying sensitive and expensive cargo.
“This slow exercise has disrupted the cargo flow. There is no security. We are at risk of being attacked,” said Kosgei.

David Kipsiro, another heavy truck driver, said he reached Busitema at dawn yesterday yet his vehicle had not yet been checked by 6:00pm.

William Kakaire, another driver, feared a fire outbreak, given the many fuel tankers stuck in the long queues.

UNRA officials declined to comment on the situation. Sources, however, said the officials had seized 28 cargo trucks found exceeding the maximum load of 56 tonnes per truck. Whoever breaches the rule is liable to a fine of sh6m or two years in jail.

Peter Kaujju, a URA official, said the tax authority was concerned about the problem at the weigh-bridge. He said the delays could affect revenue collection.
“We have received reports that some Kenyan drivers have refused to cross into Uganda until the long queues are cleared,” he said.

The slow fuel supply across Uganda was also starting to push prices up, he added.

“This is an inconvenience. We are not able to clear the trucks as and when they come,” Kaujju explained.
He said a big number of trucks in the queues were in transit to Rwanda and the DR Congo. He was happy, however, that no problems had been reported at other stations.

Works minister John Nasasira last October suspended the operations of six weigh-bridges over corruption after an investigation unearthed gross irregularities in their management. The service only resumed last week.

The weigh-bridges are based in Sironko, Busia, Busitema, Lukaya, Mbarara and Mubende. Another six mobile ones are used across the country.

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UGANDA: RITUAL KILLINGS ARE ON INCREASE IN NATION AS POLICE FOUND MUTILATED BODY OF A MAN WITH BODY PARTS MISSING.

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City

ANOTHER body with the head and private parts missing has been discovered in Busabala, Wakiso district, raising fears that ritual murders have regained momentum.

Residents first saw a swarm of flies alongside a path leading to a well in Kaabuma village. The path marks the boundary between Kaabuma and Kibiri village in Makindye Sabaggabo sub-county, near Kampala city.

On checking, the residents saw a human trunk. “We made an alarm and people gathered. We then called in the Police,” said Israel Ssentongo, the Busabala parish defence secretary, who was among the first people to arrive at the scene on Sunday morning.

Three suspects, all traditional healers in the area, were arrested yesterday with blood-stained clothes, according to the Police.

Police chief Kale Kayihura and the LC1 chairman of Busabala parish, John Kasule, after touring the murder scene

The Busabala murder comes hardly a day after a mutilated body was recovered from a stream in Mafubira zone, Jinja district. Similar to the Jinja case, the Busabala body had no head or private parts.

Katwe Police division CID chief Vincent Okurut said they suspect that the man was first disabled before being beheaded, as his right leg had a cut.

“He was slim. We believe he was a young man, perhaps in his 20s. He had no scar on his body. Apart from the torn blood-stained vest, the body was naked.”

The Police took the body to the city mortuary. The southeastern Police spokesperson, Samson Lubega, said two people turned up to claim the body.

“One came from Kampala and the other from Iganga. They came in at different times, but we have to first verify whether they are the bonafide claimants.” Lubega said the claimant from Kampala identified the deceased as Benon Bwayo while the other one from Iganga (only identified as Tezikoma) said the deceased was Kalibbala Gwayita. Lubega said they would carry out a DNA test to ascertain the relatives.

Police chief Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura visited the scene of crime in Kaabuma yesterday and said they would involve the residents in community policing to fight crime. He said they were investigating whether the new wave of murders was for ritual purposes, for human organs or due to other reasons.
“The murderers may cut off their victims’ body parts to make it look like a ritual murder yet it is not.”

Kayihura urged residents with information to give it to the Police, saying it would be treated with confidentiality. But the residents told the Police boss that some of his officers expose their identities on top of harshly interrogating them when they report criminals.

A vividly angered Kayihura asked the residents to expose such unprofessional officers so he could discipline them.

None of the accused officers was present. Kayihura gave the residents his cell phone number (0712755999) and asked them to report any misconduct through short messages (SMS).

A resident, Abbas Kiwanuka, told Kayihura that there was a growing wave of crime in Busabala, adding that he had on several occasions chased thieves at his home but he still lost 300 chicken to the thugs.

Kayihura announced that he would directly oversee the team investigating ritual murders.

“In 2009, we formed a unit to investigate ritual murders. They did some work and the murders had reduced since mid last year. But the cases are coming back again. I am joining this team because they need to be guided especially in the methods of work.”

The Busabala murder is the third of its nature since the beginning of this month. The other case was the murder of a one-year-old boy, Kham Kakama, from Bugolobi.

Kayihura disclosed that the Police and the department of chemotherapeutics in Wandegeya would screen traditional practitioners.?

“We are going to scientifically distinguish whether someone is a genuine traditional healer or not by subjecting them to tests regarding the way they use medicine to treat diseases on top of checking whether they are registered.”

Kayihura later met with traditional healers in Busabala and visited their shrines

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Uganda & the Hague: ICC is blamed by a Ugandan firm for failing to settle its debts

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Wrirtes Leo Odera Omolo.

THE International Criminal Court (ICC) has been accused of failure to pay $6.565m for setting up its operations in Uganda, a situation that could dent its credibility.

DNA Cable and Sylcon Travel Bureau, two private sister companies, claim that the Hague-based Court was in 2007 presented with a joint claim for $888.203 but has been “unwilling or unable to pay up to date.”

However, the amount accrued to $6,565,588 due to interest calculated over the 42-month of non-payment at 5% per month from January 2007 to date.

“This came about from four areas of claim (including) compensation for business damages, compensation for deliberate repeated breach of contract, payment not received for goods and services consumed by the ICC and professional fees for lawyers and financial experts,” Joseph Ossiya, the firms’ managing director disclosed.

The ICC, governed by the Rome Statute, was established to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.

Ossiya said the Court required and depended on a lot of “guidance from these companies” to set up their operations base and systems in Kampala.”

He explained that intervention from the foreign affairs ministry to resolve the matter failed.

“This process reached the decision for the ICC to provide a financial expert to immediately convene with my financial principals to establish the compensation for my companies,” Ossiya recalled.

“We were all duped by the senior legal adviser of the ICC when he agreed and promised in writing on March 28, 2007 to make payments within 30 days of confirming the extent of their liability.”

Eunice Kigenyi, the then acting permanent secretary in the foreign affairs ministry, confirmed the development.

“It was agreed that ICC and DNA each point out a financial expert to scrutinise and set the interest rates on the compensation for delayed payments, rental charges for the partitions, and penalty for the breach of contract,” she said in a letter dated April 10, 2007.

“ICC pays a sum of $92,000 and two months rent into neutral account which will only be paid out after the matter is resolved and ICC may leave the building after it has met condition (its debt obligations).” In response to Kigenyi’s letter, Phakiso Mochochoko, the ICC’s legal adviser, rejected the demands.

“It will not be possible for the ICC to make the payment of $92,000 into a neutral account in accordance with your proposal as this would be in violation of ICC financial regulations and rules,” he pointed out.

“It is important to note that a publicly-funded organisation, the ICC is accountable to the assembly of state parties in the use of its funds and any violations of the financial regulations and rules could have serious consequences such as disciplinary action including recovery of the monies from staff member and could also result in budget cuts.”

Mochochoko stated that “without supporting evidence that payment is in respect of goods and/or services delivered/rendered, the finance section is unable to authorise payment.”

Ossiya claims his companies have suffered massive business and reputation damage “because of the egotism of the ICC.”

“Three years on and counting, it is now unquestionably imprudent to trust that the ICC retains sufficient goodwill or moral marrow to resolve this issue without external pressure,” Ossiya said.

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Uganda: Oil extraction hit a snag over disagreement between government and exploration firm

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Business and Economic Report By Leo Odera OMOLO

A PLAN to start extracting and refining Uganda’s oil has hit a snag due to tax disagreements between an exploration company and the Government.

Heritage Oil and Gas Company Ltd has to sell its interests to a richer company that has the resources to extract and refine the oil, but does not want to pay taxes on the sale.

The Government, on the other hand, insists Heritage has to pay the capital gain tax amounting to over 800b.
Heritage is now seeking arbitration with the London-based United Nations Commission for International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), a process that usually takes years.

President Yoweri Museveni has often said local oil production would create jobs, address shortage of petroleum products and lower the prices. Uganda currently needs about 11,000 barrel of oil per day.

Production was expected to start next year with heavy fuel oil and gas, later to be followed by paraffin, diesel, petrol and aviation fuel. But now Ugandans will have to wait longer for the $1.5b project.

Heritage wants to sell its interest in oil blocks 1 and 3A to either Italian giant ENI spa or Tullow Oil and is supposed to earn $1.5b from the sale.

The transaction requires that a prospective buyer immediately pays $1.35b and a further $150m or surrender a stake in a producing oil field of a similar value within two years.

President Yoweri Museveni has often said local oil production would create jobs, address shortage of petroleum products and lower the prices.

Uganda currently needs about 11,000 barrels of oil per day.

Production was expected to start next year with heavy fuel oil and gas, later to be followed by paraffin, diesel, petrol and aviation fuel.

But now Ugandans will have to wait longer for the $1.5b project.

Heritage wants to sell its interest in oil blocks 1 and 3A to either Italian giant ENI spa or Tullow Oil and is supposed to earn $1.5b from the sale.

The transaction requires that a prospective buyer immediately pays $1.35b and a further $150m or surrender a stake in a producing oil field of a similar value within two years.

But after negotiations with the Government collapsed, Heritage on Thursday issued a statement saying the sale could not start immediately.

“Heritage’s position, based on comprehensive advice from leading tax experts in Uganda, the United Kingdom and North America, is that the disposal of the assets is not taxable in Uganda,” the company said.
Heritage argues that they are not under obligation to pay the tax.

But it “has also offered to deposit $108m with the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) on receipt of the payment from its transaction, which would be refunded to Heritage if it is ultimately determined that no tax is payable.”

The United Kingdom-based oil company claimed that the offer of $108m was based on Uganda’s Income Tax Act, which requires a taxpayer to deposit 30% of the disputed amount of tax with the URA pending final resolution of the dispute.

Efforts to get a comment from energy minister Hilary Onek and his permanent secretary were futile.

However, the Financial Times yesterday quoted Onek as saying Uganda “would not budge” and that, like any company in Uganda, Heritage was liable for the tax.

He rejected arbitration in London.

“The oil fields are not in London. They (Heritage) are doing business here based on a national asset. They are obliged to pay the tax,” he said.
“If I were Heritage I would not go for arbitration. I would just pay my tax and get my super profit. I don’t understand that greed.”

Asked for a comment, Tullow Oil said they would buy Heritage’s interests as soon as the company sorted out its issues.

“It is clear that all parties support the transaction and that the Heritage tax issue is now the only matter outstanding,” said Jimmy Kiberu, the company’s spokesperson.

“We expect the Government of Uganda to give its approval of the transaction shortly after the Government and Heritage have agreed the mechanism for resolving that issue.”

ENI, on the other hand, said they are willing to pay the taxes plus the amount that Tullow was going to pay Heritage.
However, Tullow has the first right to purchase Heritage’s interests, provided they meet the Government’s conditions.

“ENI is ready to pay the amount due to Heritage and will respect the rights of Uganda’s Government by paying the taxes on top of the transactions,” said a company official.

ENI had entered into a sales agreement with heritage before Tullow preempted the deal.
Tullow said it had an agreement compelling Heritage to give them the first option in case it was selling its shares.

Prior to that, ENI spent close to $15m preparing an integrated oil and gas development plan for Uganda.

So far, two billion barrels of oil in reserve have been discovered in the Lake Albert basin, an amount that can meet Uganda’s petroleum needs for 25 to 30 years.

This is considered enough for commercial oil production and putting Uganda among the top 50 oil producing countries in the world.

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leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

Uganda: Buganda to be Museveni’s biggest headache in 2011 general election

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo

BUGANDA Kingdom has joined a list of organisations and institutions that have drafted strategies for the 2011 general elections. In its strategy, the kingdom intends to back aspirants who would support and pursue the interests of the kingdom regardless of their political parties.

The kingdom’s information minister, Charles Peter Mayiga and his deputy Medard Lubega Ssegona, separately confirmed they have a strategy for the 2011 elections.

They said they would not ally with a particular party, but in each party, they will support candidates who are willing to advocate their cause.

“Of course we have a strategy, which we shall unveil at the right time and we do not want to shy away from it. But at the moment, we urge the voters to go and register and vote for the right candidates who would support Buganda’s interests,” said Mayiga.

Mengo officials declined to say who they would be supporting. However, a number of Mengo loyalists have been linked with the 2011 parliamentary race.

Among them are Moses Kasibante, a former news anchor on CBS FM, who is heading to Butambala; the Mengo deputy information minister, Medard Lubega, eyeing Busiro East; Betty Nambooze for Mukono Municipality and Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda in Kyadondo East.

Others are Mathias Mpuga the Buganda youth minister who is set to vie in Masaka Municipality, Beti Olive Kamya in Rubaga South, Isha Ntumwa in Mawogola County, JEEMA’s Hussein Kyanjo, John Chrysostom Muyingo in Bamunanika and Erias Lukwago to stand again in Kampala Central.

Buganda’s state minister for co-operatives George Kumama is going to Bbale county, Kayunga district. Aloysius Kyeyune, commissioner of education in Mengo government and a teacher by profession, is standing in Busujju county, Mityana district.

Dr. Lulume Bayiga, who is standing in the Buikwe south constituency in the newly created Buikwe district on the DP ticket, is also a strong advocate of Mengo’s demands.

Asked why they were mobilizing voters at this time and not in the past, Mayiga said Buganda Kingdom would like to consolidate the democratic principle of backing candidates who can give them what they want.

“In the past there was no need to come up with a strategy, but today the need is there. It is important that we tell our people the right candidates to vote for when the right time comes,” he said.

In a separate interview, Ssegona said they would not publicise the details of their strategy. “Strategies are not discussed, but know that we have one for 2011,” he said.

Last week the Buganda king, Kabaka Ronald Mutebi, urged the people of Buganda to turn up in large numbers to register for elections and subsequently vote for leaders who will support Buganda’s interests.

While meeting his representatives from Buruli county, Kabaka Mutebi urged Mengo loyalists to vie for various elective offices in 2011. The meeting took place at Buganda’s seat of power, Bulange.

Ssegona defended the Kabaka Mutebi’s remarks, saying the king was free to mobilize his people to participate in democratic activities.

“The Kabaka has always mobilised his subjects to respond to the government’s programmes, like immunisation and taking their children to school,” he said.

Ssegona noted that Buganda has interests it is pursuing, like seeing that the Kingdom is granted a federal status, which they had chased after for a long period of time, but in vain. Ssegona noted that the Kabaka’s voice was louder this time because he was disappointed by the failure of Government to grant Buganda’s demands.

Ssegona criticized the argument that cultural leaders should be excluded from politics. He said as long as they are not support a particular political party, there was no problem with them being in politics.

“Cultural leaders nurture the political maturity of their subjects because of the strong bonds which exist between them and the subjects,” he said.

On the issue of whether Mengo had the power to influence the electorate to vote the leaders the Kingdom wants, Ssegona noted there was no doubt BUGANDA Kingdom has joined a list of organisations and institutions that have drafted strategies for the 2011 general elections. In its strategy, the kingdom intends to back aspirants who would support and pursue the interests of the kingdom regardless of their political parties.