Zamiba: ZESCO cautions customers against leaving burning candles, lanterns and braziers especially during load shedding hours (04.11.2019)

Makerere University: Students Guild – Office of the Guild President – Press Release on the Status Quo on our Demands and a Call for an Extraordinary Students Assembly (03.11.2019)

Opinion: A never ending story called the Northern Bypass…

This is becoming a never ending story. Where the state, all the various ministries, state owned organizations and whoever gotten the tender has been able to finish the project of 21 kilometres or 23 kilometres. Since on that one this project even differs.

What we do know is that this have been in the courts over battle over payment for land. It has been postponed and stopped, because the company doing the work has been shoddy. There been plenty of controversy and not all good news. That is why these kilometres has taken so long to build and still isn’t finished.

It is really amazing how this continues and it seems that this will be prolonged even longer. Because, we know what season its getting into. Election season and then all sorts of budgets and campaigns whacks out everything else. Even if this one is now scheduled to be done by 2021. But we know how flexible the end-dates are. So don’t be confused if it is still unfinished in 2023 or 2025. Because this project that was launched in 2004 seems to be alive and kicking a little bit longer.

New Vision 2008:

THE public is still awaiting the opening of the 21km Kampala Northern Bypass. The project was launched on May 20, 2004 and was to last 30 months, ending on November 19, 2006. It was later extended by 10 months to September 2007. This was later to change to March this year, which deadline was also not met. This delay is causing public concern. Apart from reports of extortion by the guards who allow motorists to use the road illegally, accidents are beginning to happen” (Chris Kiwawulo – ‘Will the Northern Bypass ever be completed?’ 25.04.2008).

JICA Report in 2010:

The recent cooperation of the EU for the GKMA urban road sector is as follows:

Kampala Northern Bypass: €47.5 million, Construction of 21 km bypass to relieve congestion in Kampala City (completed and opened to the public in October 2009).

Technical Assistance to RAFU/UNRA: €2.0 million (on-going)” (JAPAN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGENCY (JICA) – ‘THE STUDY ON GREATER KAMPALA ROAD NETWORK AND TRANSPORT IMPROVEMENT IN THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA –

FINAL REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY – NOVEMBER 2010).

CSBAG Paper 2018:

For example,the works on Kampala Northern Bypass registered a cumulative progress by end of June 2017 of 46.7% against the programmed 97.95%. The elapsed time was 98.81% based on the Original Program of Works. The major issues affecting progress is delayed site access, Design issues and Relocation of services” (…) “ Kampala Northern Bypass highlighted as a project to be concluded in FY 2018/19. This is not feasible as none of the six roundabouts which have sizable infrastructural and structural undertakings has been commenced on” (CSBAG – ‘CSO POSITION PAPER ON THE WORKS AND TRANSPORTSECTOR BUDGET FY2018/19’ 12.04.2018).

Article October 2019:

The upgrade of the Kampala Northern by pass into a four-lane high way started back in 2014 with the completion date set for November 2018. However, the date has been pushed to 2021 due to a couple of challenges hindering the project which include; changes on the original design and compensation of the affected people. Mr. Allan Ssempebwa, UNRA’s media manager last month said that the works stood at 60% and mentioned that the interchanges at Sentema and Namungoona will be handed over to the government by the end of this year” (Patrick Mulyungi – ‘Uganda to launch three new footbridges on Kampala Northern Bypass’ 02.10.2019).

So, we are seeing the stages of building is either not done or postponed. This is all done by various of reasons. The Kampala Northern Bypass are really a long prolonged project that seemingly seems never to end. Even the government own paper wondered about that 11 years ago and we have to wait another two years. But knowing how this ones goes. Don’t expect the state to follow its timeline.

What I wondering about, how proud is the European Union for supporting the project and the longevity of this. There should be questions from the ones who has funded it and why it takes so long. Since, they are accepting it and surely gotten the explanations. Because, we who follows haven’t really.

There are lame duck excuses with the land and the state paying the ones living there. Where the state has to pay for the hurt of building a road on private land. If they planned this and commenced this in 2004. By the time of 2019, the state should have been able to settle this and know the route of the road. However, they are showing lack of due diligence and putting the work in.

Because, the Northern Bypass should have been done by now. That isn’t rocket-science. This is made like this since people are eating of this project. Not like it should take this long to finish a 21/23 kilometres long tarmacked road around Kampala. But apparently it does. Peace.

Cameroon: U.S. Commitment to Cameroon Remains Strong Despite Change in AGOA (31.10.2019)

Opinion: [Alert] Remember to praise Edgar Lungu [especially on social media]

Well, if you are reading the Lusaka Times and other places of late. There are plenty of the people asking people to speak kindly of President Edgar Lungu and the Republic of Zambia. While this is happening, you can wonder; why do they do this?

Are the Patriotic Front of Lungu that weak and touchy, that it got to have self-praise in the social media and in the headlines at the newspapers? Can’t it stomach people addressing the problems of the Republic?

Well, we know that there reports of more that the state plans to ‘curb falsehood on social media’. That means revising the laws, so that people cannot say certain things on social media. This we have seen elsewhere.

We know that its on the plate of the government, as these two pieces are from the last few days:

Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo has urged the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) and Police to bring to book people using social media to scandalize President Edgar Lungu and other innocent people” (Lusaka Times – ‘Lusambo wants ZICTA to arrest People Scandalising President Lungu on Social Media’ 20.10.2019).

President Edgar Lungu is disturbed by the continued abuse of social media by some unscrupulous individuals and institutions. Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Isaac Chipampe says the deliberate abuse of social media is tailored to divert people’s attention from various developmental works the government is undertaking” (Lusaka Times – ‘President Lungu disturbed by the continued abuse of social media’ 25.10.2019).

So, with all of this in mind. The state doesn’t want bad publicity, doesn’t want bad press. But what they really want is the image of what the PF see and what Edgar envisions on a daily basis. Because, no one should be malicious enough to question him or the actions of the PF or the President. No, no, not even if his making them indebted for centuries to the Chinese. If he doesn’t develop state institutions and only enriching himself and his cronies. No, no don’t say that online. That is all pure malice.

Don’t discuss the long hours of load-shedding, the crop failures and poor harvests and so on. Don’t dare discuss that and the lack of funds to import the needed food to supply the shortfall of production. No, no that makes the President looks dumb. Edgar cannot look dumb. His bloody brilliant, even when he trades the biggest jewels for short-sighted adventures and have hiccups with the repayment plan.

We cannot talk about that. The man is the wisest in the land. The man of the hour, of the day and of our life-time. Edgar Lungu to the rescue. Even if that means changing to Beijing time, eating spring-rolls and speaking mandarin to please the bill-collectors. They are calling and Chamillionaire wants his cut.

Well, Lungu better accept the stuff he has done. So, should the PF and all the cronies. If people are mocking him for it. He better accept that fate. Because, his making the republic drowning in debt. Lungu is not fixated in properly steering the economy nor developing properly. If he did, he wouldn’t have swallowed all of that debt without considering the implications of doing so.

That’s why his toyed with online and there will be more of that. Maybe not from his Republic. But the rest will know. We see you. Peace.

RDC: ADPI-RDC – Note Sur Le Project Inga 3 (29.10.2019)

RDC: Daldewolf – Communique de Presse – Les Quinze Personnalites Congolaises Concernees Demandent la Levee des Sanctions Europeennes Illegales et Sans Objet (29.10.2019)

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe: Press Statement on the Deliberations of the Monetary Police Committee (MPC) – (29.10.2019)

Brexit: John Manzoni letter to Meg Hiller MP Chair of PAC – Re: Public Information Campaign ‘Get Ready for Brexit’ (25.10.2019)

Brexit: Prime Minister Boris Johnson letter to President Donald Tusk (28.10.2019)