The People’s President meets Kahinda Otafiire while campaigning

FDC 18.12.15

Minister of Justice Kahinda Otafiire could not miss out. He joined our rally! He waved to both Besigye and our supporters! Give him some V signs in appreciation. Times have changed! #WesigeBesigye

FDC 18.12.15 P2FDC 18.12.15 P3FDC 18.12.15 P4

A powerful moment and also real gentlemanship of them both! Peace!

President Museveni Quits Burundi Talks For Campaigns (Youtube-Clip)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-sbHr2kaEE

“He has been mediating the talks since fighting broke out in Burundi early this year. Due to his tight schedule due to campaigns he has appointed Defense Minister Chrispus Kiyonga” (NBS TV, Uganda, 2015).

Press Release: EU provides €5 million in humanitarian aid for the Burundian crisis (17.12.2015)

burundi-grenade-attack_240x180_41434797424

The European Commission has today released €5 million in new humanitarian assistance to help the increasing number of Burundians affected by the ongoing instability in the country.

The European Commission has today released €5 million in new humanitarian assistance to help the increasing number of Burundians affected by the ongoing instability in the country. The additional support brings total Commission humanitarian aid to help the Burundian people to €14 million in 2015.

More than 220 000 people, over half of whom are children, are estimated to have left the country since April this year to neighbouring countries such as Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.

“The humanitarian situation affecting Burundians is worsening. The refugee numbers are rising, with almost a quarter of a million people having now fled their homes. This is extremely worrying – both for Burundi, and for the neighbouring countries whose hosting capabilities have been stretched to the limit. Hosting government’s efforts in welcoming those who fled the violence are commendable. This additional EU funding will help address the refugees’ most pressing needs, notably in Tanzania. It will also contribute to humanitarian protection activities inside Burundi.” said EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides.

The most urgent humanitarian needs to address remain shelter, water and sanitation, as well as health assistance to stop the possible surge of diseases and epidemics, notably cholera.

Background:

Following the announcement on 25 April 2015 that President Pierre Nkurunziza would seek a third mandate, provoking serious political division, Burundi has undergone a sustained political and security crisis  – this crisis brought with it a surge in the number of refugees.

Tanzania has received the highest number of Burundian refugees so far (nearly 117 000) mostly to the Nyarugusu refugee camp, which was already hosting some 60 000 Congolese refugees. Nyarugusu has consequently become one of the largest and most overcrowded refugee camps in the world. While two news camps are under construction to decongest Nyarugusu, living conditions there continue to be dire. Hundreds of people still live in overcrowded mass shelters months after their arrival, while wet floors and cramped conditions increase risks of respiratory infections and waterborne diseases.

Rwandans get ready to vote in 3rd term referendum (Youtube-clip)

“Rwandans in the diaspora have voted in a referendum on a constitutional amendment that could see veteran leader Paul Kagame rule until 2034. The proposed constitutional amendment allows Kagame to run for a third seven-year term in 2017, after which he would also be eligible to run for two further five-year terms under the new rules. Rwandans resident in their country will however vote tomorrow the 18th of December. Our reporter Suhail Mugabi is in Rwanda at the invitation of the government.” (NTV Uganda, 2015).

Cavalary loses against the Difiance in Fort Portal today

Fort Portal 17.12.15 FDC

Today the 17th December 2015 there was a day when FDC Campaign trail team went to Kabarole and Fort Portal. The Forum for Democratic Change had harmonized their campaign strategy with Electoral Commission which also should be delivered to the Uganda Police Force. This doesn’t seem to matter.

On the 16th Eng. Dr. Badru M. Kiggundu said this:

“If the military is called to come in, I will approve. Yes, the military is part of Uganda; they are your brothers”.

The FDC Campaign Team was staying the night at the Eden lodge. Last night the Police came and entered the room of the delegates of the FDC. The Police went in to take all the campaign material like T-Shirts, Posters, Banners and such. The Kizza Besigye Security detail could not stop that. The day before Crime Preventers together with the Police we’re pinning down the FDC posters.

After this the FDC went into the Police Office and addressed the District Police Commander Musa Tibakirana where the FDC Campaign team we’re able to reclaim the confiscated campaign gear. While the Campaign team was doing so Dr. Kizza Besigye we’re starting campaign in villages.

In Fort Portal town while Dr. Kizza Besigye was still having rallies in the villages. In Fort Portal there was a Military Vehicle H4DF 1187 Military Pickup; there we’re 6 soldiers with a big machine gun.

Later when Dr. Kizza Besigye the NRM men and Crime Preventers scattered from Fort Portal, they had been seen around town all day; later when Dr. Kizza Besigye arrived and made the time blue. The Crime Preventers was not seen.

Fort Portal 17.12.15 FDC P2

Dr. Kizza Besigye statement after the rallies:

“Many thanks, to the people of Tooro sub-region for endorsing our candidature, and keeping the message of liberation alive. The spirit and enthusiasm you have exhibited over the past days is what we shall need to win this election. Together we shall liberate our country. Mwebare muno! For God and my Country. One Uganda, One People”.

DPC Tibakirana could have continued his campaign against the FDC even after the Campaign team arrived and picked up the confiscated material. He didn’t. The Electoral Commission has no opened to send the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) on the defiance campaign. Dr Kiggundu must really fear the power and reach of the Dr. Kizza Besigye. That is why the Police and other security agents of the government of Uganda goes stronger and stronger against the leaders of Opposition. I have a feeling it can get rougher as we have seen in Ntungamo where Go-Forward held a campaign rally. Therefore I now believe that the Police secure the NRM, but chase the rest like their venom. Peace.

FDC 17.12.15 Poster

#Free Aine – “Today, It’s him, tomorrow? Stop Impunity!”

Go Forward 17.12.15 Free Aine

“The head of the Private Security of the former Prime minister and Independent candidate, Amama Mbabazi has gone missing. The Go Forward campaign team allege Christopher Aine has been kidnapped” (NTV Uganda, 2015).

EU Letter to H.E. Yoweri Museveni on Inter-Burundian Dialogue (14.12.2015)

EU Burundi Uganda Letter

FDC Press Statements – Thanks and Preview for Rallies tomorrow

Ntokoro FDC 16.12.15

Kamwengye:

Thanks a lot for showing the peoples president, Col. Dr Kizza Besigye Warren Kifefe a big support (yesterday 15/12/2015) amidst heavy deployment by NRM and ‪#‎Frank Tumwebaze to intimidate you from attending the peoples liberation rally. Remind others to join the struggle and don’t forget going with a friend on the 18/02/2016 to vote for Col.KB and other FDC candidates on ballot papers. Please, please think of p10 for real change. Raaaaaaa…. Col.KB will never walk alone.

Preview for tomorrow:

Fort Portal is warming up for the visit of Dr Besigye tomorrow. There is however a team of crime “preventers” moving in Toyota Corona vehicle Reg number . UAL 655V who are moving pinning M7 posters(which is okay). Team Blue has also tonight begun pinning Dr Besigye’s posters and our P10 vigilantes have been put on alert incase incase these crime preventers attempt to deface or frustrate our activities in Fort Portal tomorrow. We can promise our supporters that we have organized to defend our candidate and our supporters. Meanwhile, Dr Besigye has safely returned from a successful tour of Bundinugyo and Ntoroko and he is in his best moods for our rally tomorrow. We are winning, Written by Moses Byamugisha.

FDC 17.12.15

Police blocks Baryamureeba from campaigning in Busia (Youtube-Clip)

“Police in Busia town blocked the campaign rally of Independent Presidential Candidate Professor Venansius Baryamureeba. Baryamureeba had staged his rally at Busia Bus park was ordered to leave the venue by anti riot police commander David Lubanjwa on grounds that he was not supposed to be campaigning in Busia. Baryamureba was expected at the Eastern border district the previous day, Monday” (NTV Uganda, 2015).

Ungovernable city of Kampala

KCCA at work

There must some hardships in the leadership structure in Kampala. On the 3rd of December 2015, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the president of Uganda had the brilliant idea and hired Mr. Singh Katongole as his advisor on Kampala affairs.

#AskMuseveni 12.12.15

 

On the #AskMuseveni press conference 12th December he said this about Kampala:

“You ‘Kampalanians’ might not know all this because you are here in Kampala with your NGOs”.

Kampala 1960s

This city got the status of that in 1962. Kampala City has 57 Slum settlements and divided into 5 Divisions which are Central, Kawempe, Nakawa, Lubaga and Makindye. The main structures of the City are KCCA or the Kampala Capital City Authority. This lead by the Lord Mayor and the Executive Director; the Lord Mayor is elected by the people on a secret ballot while the Executive Director is appointed by the President; and that means that two of the leaders of the KCCA is one part a representative directly of the public and the other given the powers from the President to oversee the representative from the public; which if you wonder is the Lord Mayor. A third head chief of the City is the Ministry of Kampala Affairs and also the same person who is Ministry of the Presidency.

This isn’t a play that has always been in action. There was long run by the KCC, before the KCCA Act of 2010 came into effect. That was because the NRM-Regime feared their losing powers on the electorate powers and control of the Capital. Therefore they had to rejuvenate the system from Parliament and control the city of Kampala more directly from the Parliament. This has been done since the election from 2011. This was with the steady case of impeachment and dismissal of Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago in November of 2013. The issue was that the Lord Mayor wanted to hire certain people to do check and balance. This starting in 2012 with this: “Kampala City council Authority Councilors have asked the Authority’s executive Director to willingly resign before she is forcefully pushed out following a public report by Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago exposing irregular recruitment of unqualified staff, who were in turn, paid hefty overtime allowances exceeding their salaries”.

Frank Tumwebaze

This led to a following powers struggle between Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago versus Executive Director Jennifer Musisi. And this also showed that the Minster of Kampala Affairs Frank Tumwebaze can take decisions and impeach the Lord Mayor, and also Executive Director under the direction of the President. Also get the through the Parliament the reshuffle of the KCCA instead of the men that the Lord Mayor wish to have to oversee the administration of the City as the Lord Mayor did under the KCC. But this working method doesn’t work smooth enough for the President of Uganda.

Lukwago-Eria

The Lord Mayor and the Executive Director the test accountability from the Public Accountability Council (PAC) and the Attorney General who runs the committee and reads the reports who is sent from the Minister of Kampala Affairs for review; this review is taken into consideration and in the 2013 case lead to the fall of the elected Lord Mayor of 2011.

Jennifer Musisi

This proven power of the Ministry of Kampala and the Executive Director, both handpicked men by the President. That is not the deal with the Lord Mayor. So that this is not enough to make sure that the NRM has true control of the still new KCCA, the five divisions and all the slums of the Kampala City. Under the five Divisions there is Urban Councils who also have leaders to keep under the leach of the divisions and the KCCA.

Even with the KCCA it’s still to be governed by the Central Government, the law says so, therefore the president does what he does best hire his people who are loyal to him in positions, both the Minster and Executive Director are loyal people of Mzee. The newly appointed advisor is seen as the same. The only issue is the Lord Mayor who has been an opposition candidate and not one of the handpicked men. That is why Kampala City hasn’t had an official Lord Mayor since 2013, after a year-long power struggle with the Executive director, that was rubberstamped by Minister of Kampala Affairs, before settled by the Chief of Justice and Attorney General. That ended in 29. November 2013 when a meeting complied of a certain level of councilors and 29 of them voted against the Lord Mayors position. He lost his seat and power by wishing to employ men he believed would serve the city well, instead got sacked by the Central Government, by the mouthpiece of Frank Tumwebaze and Jennifer Musisi who finally got rid of the people’s candidate to the authority running the city. So since then Frank and Jennifer has together run the city’s administration and put Lukwago in the cold. After this now Mzee has decided to put on more man into the fold.  

lukwago-musisi

The new position Presidential Advisor for Kampala affairs Mr. Singh Katongole, I am sure himself wonder what and where he is in between the other leaders of the City. There is clear that on top of the pyramid is Mzee, then it’s the minister, third it’s either the Lord Mayor or Executive director depending on who is in office at this point. Though firstly on third level the Lord Mayor by law is the one conveying the ordinary use of KCCA and with administrative help and then fourth placed leader is the Executive Director. The issue and question in mind. Is the advisor on his own island or is he on the same level and an informer to the president on the Kampala affairs? Or has the position powers that succeed the Lord Mayor or Executive Director? Does that position even contain keeping the Minister of Kampala Affairs in order and comply too the wishes of the President? Where does the person’s leadership ability and limit go?

Old Taxi Park

If you haven’t got it yet; the Executive director and Minister of Kampala Affairs is a way of securing NRM men to control a city and area where the NRM doesn’t have power. In this way a third leader will strain the relationship with the opposition candidate and elected Lord Mayor by the citizen’s secret ballot instead of the appointed men from the presidency. This here is proof yet again how the regime fears the people’s choices for their own leaders. That is why they prefer sole-candidacies and single-handed flag-bearers. Because of this leadership style from the president, he can’t handle seeing that the people want other people then the ones he controls over and their actions. That is why he has made the system and administration swallow for Kampala, so that the powers of the elected official has less to say and can easily be “sacked” by the council with the charge of the courts together with the Minister of Kampala Affairs filing in the case-work. That is why I have to question the need for one more man? When you can already by biased paperwork file papers in order together with the Attorney General send it to court and also get the councils verdict; by that get rid of the Lord Mayor or suspend his powers as so.

kampala road work

Why does the President need a fourth leader in a way for Kampala? The city is so ungovernable that the Lord Mayor needs three over him to able to administer the city well? Executive Director is a vital piece of the newly founded KCCA and supposed it seems to be the in between central government and local government leader, but isn’t that what the Lord Mayor already is or supposed to be? So the Executive Director seems as an addition to cut down the control of the Lord Mayor, because the Minister of Kampala Affairs can’t exhausts the reasons for taking control, he can put it to the Executive Director as he did in 2013. But in that sense, what advice does the new Presidential Advisor do? Does he send the letter to the Attorney General instead of the Minister? I just wonder where the newly appointed person comes into the equation. For the moment the position is an added X with any substance and I can’t figure the place on an organizational map. At this point I wonder if Mzee even can find him there, since he didn’t knew that the Uganda Cranes where a national team and not playing in the Uganda Premier League. Things are not easy for him always and finding him an office and place him on chart to explain his value will not easy. The position is surely just given to person who got it, not that person had to write a letter and give the CV to president, Mzee already had the person in mind hopefully when he appointed him. What is big the question that nobody else have bothered to ask!

What in the hell does Kampala need four entitled leaders like Lord Mayor, Executive Director, Presidential Advisor on Kampala Affairs and Minister on Kampala Affairs? And what is the newest recruit supposed to do in his office other than vacate a chair and surf the web on a laptop? Since the person who is now recruited can lean on the KCCA, their underlings, the Minsitry of the City and courts to do his job it seems; should the person just chill and go to local eatery an take a chai and some matooke? Peace.

Side-note – Even back in the day they we’re missing funds:

Mengo Hospital needs funds