Uganda: Change of Dates of Birth for Public Officers (06.02.2017)

uganda-06-02-2017

Kenya: GoK Statement on the court rule concerning Dadaab Refugee Camp (09.02.2017)

dadaab-09-02-217-p1dadaab-09-02-217-p2

Uganda: No approved plan by Ministry of Health to offer Family Planning Services to children aged 10 and above (09.02.2017)

ministry-of-health-ug-09-02-2017

#ThisFlag: “Free at Last to the sound of lying ministers!” (09.02.2017)

thisflag-09-02-2017-p1

Statement by the IGAD Executive Secretary on the current drought in the Greater Horn of Africa (08.02.2017)

horn-of-africa

The Drought Situation

The Horn of Africa is in the midst of a major drought resulting from La Niña and reduced moisture influx due to the cooling of the ocean water in the east African coast. Whilst Member States of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) are adept at managing droughts, what makes the current drought alarming in the Equatorial Greater Horn of Africa (GHA) region is that it follows two consecutive poor rainfall seasons in 2016 and the likelihood of depressed rainfall persisting into the March – May 2017 rainfall season remains high. The most affected areas include, most of Somalia, South-eastern Ethiopia, Northern Eastern and coastal Kenya, and Northern Uganda.

The climate predictions and early warnings produced by IGAD through advanced scientific modeling and prediction tools, which were provided to Member States and the general public, have elicited early actions (preparedness and mitigation measures). Highly comparable to the 2010 GHA drought, the current depressed rainfall and resultant poor vegetation conditions since March 2016 eroded the coping and adaptive capacities of the affected people. It also depleted water points, reduced crops, forages and livestock production, increased food insecurity, and adversely affected the livelihoods of vulnerable communities in the region.

The number of food insecure human population in the region is currently estimated at 17 million. Certain areas in South Sudan and Djibouti are already under an emergency food insecurity phase, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) classification scale. In Somalia, the number of food insecure people doubled in the last year alone.

In the drought affected cropping lands (over Deyr area in Somalia and coastal Kenya), 70 to 100 percent crop failure has been registered. Livestock mortality has been particularly devastating amongst small ruminants with mortality rate ranging from 25 to 75 percent in the cross border areas of Somalia-Kenya-Ethiopia. In addition, livestock prices have dropped by as much as 700 percent.

Terms of trade have declined in the region, with Ethiopia registering a figure of almost 10 percent. This is exacerbated by a substantial negative impact on external balances, as well as a small impact on financial sector-soundness in the other countries. The overall impact on fiscal positions is a likely increase in current budget spending and deterioration in the fiscal balance and weak adaptation capacity.

Despite the downtrend in global agriculture commodity prices, the drought has resulted in an increase in domestic food prices in the region. Cereal prices (e.g. maize) have gone up by about 130 percent, while those of critical food items such as oils, beans and wheat flour increased by at least 50 percent in some pastoralist areas. The limited financial and institutional capacity for effective adaptation to reduce exposure and vulnerability will result in limited safety net to the most vulnerable households.

Drought Response in the Horn of Africa

With the early warning and technical assistance provided by IGAD, Member States have initiated early action to mitigate the adverse impact of the current drought.

Somalia and South Sudan have declared drought emergencies. Kenya announced a doubling of expenditure on food relief to ease the pressure in the drought-affected counties, while Uganda shifted some of its development resources to finance emergency response in order to address food insecurity and livelihood protection. In Somalia, the President of the Federal Republic, as well as state and regional administrations led the issuance of appeals for support and coordinated actors and efforts that scaled-up food security activities to respond to the humanitarian needs of the country.

The USD 730 million allocated by the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia boosted the response effort which, coupled by an above-average meher harvest, resulted to an almost 50 percent reduction in the number of food insecure people, for example, from 10.2 million to 5.6 million.

IGAD continues to reinforce the actions of its Member States using them as guide for complementary action on drought responses. Below are some of the major actions being undertaken by the IGAD Secretariat and its specialized institutions to manage the drought in the region:

  • Through its specialized institutions, IGAD continues to monitor and provide analysis of the evolving situation and advise Member States and the general public on measures to mitigate its impact. The 45th Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum (GHACOF 45), which ends today in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, will present the consensus climate outlook for the next season (March – May 2017) and its likely impact on disaster risk management, livestock production, water, energy and health etc.
  • A multi- humanitarian coordination mechanism led by IGAD that includes UN agencies, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and other Non-State Actors (NSAs) is effectively working to coordinate the response effort, as well as guide the recovery process once the situation stabilizes.
  • IGAD is also working with relevant national authorities, UN agencies and CSOs in each member state on the development of an Integrated Regional Appeal that will articulate the priority initiatives within the response plan for each Member State.
  • Furthermore, IGAD will support institutional arrangements and capacity building that needs to be in place to allow humanitarian response plans to be implemented in timely, effective manner.
  • A regional Ministerial Meeting will be convened by IGAD at the end of this month to launch the Integrated Regional Appeal and secure financial resources, which further complements the response undertaken by national authorities and humanitarian and development partners, while at the same time building resilience to climate-induced disasters.

Through the IGAD Drought Disaster Resilience and Sustainability Initiative (IDDRSI) Platform, the ultimate purpose and objective of IGAD and its Member States is to mitigate the adverse effects of disasters through building resilience of relevant national institutions, communities and people, to end drought emergencies and contribute to the achievement of sustainable development in the region.

In this regard, IGAD will remain vigilant in monitoring and advising the people of the region on the drought situation through its’ specialized institution, the IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Centre (ICPAC) domiciled in Nairobi, and shall continue to support and complement regional and national actions on drought response and recovery.

South Sudan: Upper Nile Operations worrying (09.02.2017)

un-south-sudan

On 8 February, UNMISS received reports of hostilities between the government SPLA and opposition forces in Owachi and Tonga, Panyinkang County.

JUBA, South Sudan, February 9, 2017 -Fighting in the west bank of the River Nile in the north of South Sudan has reached what the head of the UN mission in the country (UNMISS), David Shearer has described as “worrying proportions.”

What began with an exchange of fire between SPLA and Aguelek opposition forces, has expanded geographically. Military resupplies have since been observed arriving in the area.

Humanitarian workers have been evacuated and aid is not being provided

On 8 February, UNMISS received reports of hostilities between the government SPLA and opposition forces in Owachi and Tonga, Panyinkang County.

Military operations on the west bank of the Nile river are taking place in an area where people, predominantly from the Shilluk ethnic group live, forcing people out of their homes.

The town of Wau Shilluk town is now reported to be deserted.

Humanitarian workers have been evacuated and aid is not being provided.

President Trump: “Presidential Memorandum: Suspension of the Conflict Minerals Rule” – Legalizing export of questionable minerals from the DRC!

conflict-minerals-08-02-2017-p1conflict-minerals-08-02-2017-p2conflict-minerals-08-02-2017-p3

#PresidentialHandshake: URA Staffer’s earns nearly UGX30m bonus for clerical work!

copying-document

The Republic under the National Resistance Movement doesn’t create any dull moment. Uganda Revenue Authority staff Paul Ojiambo got UGX29.5m net for photocopying beyond official time. That was a part of the Presidential Handshake, since he copied the documents that contained information of the Tullow tax case.

As NTV Uganda put it:

“URA’s Paul Ojambo was paid UGX 29.5M for overtime photocopying of documents used during the oil court cases” (NTV Uganda, 08.02.2017).
“Katuntu- What extraordinary work did you do?

Ojiambo-Photocopying beyond official time.

Katuntu-Is that extraordinary

Ojiambo- yes” (Parliament Watch, 08.02.2017).

Ojiambo also claimed this: “official says he served documents, raised assessments and kept documents confidentialy” (Parliament Watch, 08.02.2017). So the copying of documents is a job that deserves higher payment than usual, especially when they are kept secret. Ojiambo is the next Police Officer or Clerical worker for Central Intelligence Division in the Uganda Police Force.

Another civil servant from URA getting extra funds was Rose Adakuni who received UGX 29m because of the handshake; usually her yearly wage is UGX 2m monthly. With these to you can wonder how the spoils really got served around and to what point inside the Uganda Revenue Authority. She was doing the E-Mail management during the case; therefore she got a big pay-out when the case was over.

Third office worker who got UGX 29m Joseph Agulla as a Clerical Officer got his with his statement, not done anything special. Still, the Authority thought of him as worthy of big-bonus.

You should question the URA, when one person for copying document later than 17:00 got millions upon millions. This shows how rotten the system is and how they all eat of the government funds without any concern of the wasted monies. The trust in URA and spending of the taxes is not strengthening, as the governance in the URA isn’t trustworthy.

When people are getting bonuses for doing their duty as civil servants and given such massive funds, than you have the right to wonder and boggle your mind around the values that are given away from the Authority to their civil servants. The Movement really is careless with their spoils and internally giving away bribes to their own. Peace.

NRM EALA Primary Election at the State House Day 2: Has-beens are the Flag-Bearers this time around!

nrm-eala-08-02-2017

Banyenzaki after quitting race: “The whole system is a fraud and stage managed. I can’t submit myself to such kind of election” (NBS TV Uganda, 08.02.2017).

The National Resistance Movement had to postpone the activity for another day at the Parliament, as the NRM could not with amended rules and with problematic ballot papers as it ended in suspended election yesterday, which even got the NRM MPs mad at NRM Electoral Commission chairman Dr. Tanga Odoi. Surely, they didn’t want a second day of embarrassment at the State House of Entebbe. The famous Okello house that President Museveni himself lingers in.

The people who dropped out yesterday, went back into the fold, while some dropped out today instead, therefore the EC surely had enough work on before the ballots could be signed and delivered to be counted today as well.

The one winning was Paul Musamali was a beaten NRM MP who lost his place in Parliament before the 10th Parliament. Rose Akol, the Bukedea MP lost also her place in the Parliament before this term. Former State Minister for Agriculture Mary Mugyenyi also we’re elected. Resident District Commissioner of Lira, George Odongo was elected today. Dennis Namara is a former Chairperson NRM Youth League. The Rakai District and MP for Kakuuto County Mathias Kasamba was the last elected person from the NRM.

We can see that Democratic Party Hon. Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi and Vice-Chairman Fred Mukasa Mbidde, who was supposed to run on NRM Ticket in the EALA nominations and candidates to the Parliament. Therefore the DP Party are not getting representation through the ruling party and their ticket. Hon. Kiyingi must feel awkward as her run for candidacy didn’t go through.

nrm-eala-08-02-2017-p2

What this looks like is like there we’re talks at the State House after the General Election in 2016, as there must surely some of these former MPs and State Minister’s has made deals, as they didn’t run on Independent ticket for a Parliamentary Flag-Bearer in the county and district. This happen in the December 2015 when, surely behind closed doors in the State House and together with President Museveni to make sure they didn’t go independent or even trying to run against the NRM new MPs. With this in mind, we can question if this happen today with all the history in the room and the ones elected for the EALA candidacy in the NRM. There is only one who is a current MP and that is Mathias Kasamba, the rest is has-beens who get a good job in Tanzania.

That is enough NRM for today! Peace.

UPC Statement: “Bring Down the Cost of Education” (08.02.2017)

upc-08-02-2017-p1upc-08-02-2017-p2