RDC: FARDC – Etat Major General – Coordination Operation Conjointes FARDC-UPDF – Communique de Presse (06.04.2023)

Dr. Bayigga Michael Lulume MP: Open letter to President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhurwa Museveni (24.03.2023)

Somalia: Lasanod Declaration (05.02.2023)

RDC: Kabila Forever A.S.B.L – Communique Officiel (07.01.2023)

Opinion: Endorsing Mzee for 2026 [the ones who does it is either hungry or foolish]

“As the struggle for win the hearts of the youths by Uganda’s presidential hopefuls continues, NRM youth leaders from Buganda have endorsed President Museveni as the sole presidential candidate for the 2026 elections. Museveni, who has been in power for 26 years, has not yet indicated that he will run for 2026” (Farish Magembe – ‘NRM Buganda youth endorse Museveni, not Muhoozi, for 2026’ 18.10.2022, Nile Post).

In Masaka there was a group of youth leaders from the National Resistance Movement (NRM) has already endorsed President Yoweri Tibuhurwa Kaguta Museveni. A man who has ruled the nation since 26^th January 1986. A President that has already reigned supreme for 36 years is still viable some youths.

You can wonder what is their incentives and reasons to do it. Certainly, they must be hungry and wants to show loyalty. If they show loyalty and proves their services to his government. That’s what the youth leaders of Buganda did or Central Region. If it is the opposition it’s the Central Region, but when it’s NRM – it is back to the Kingdom and calling it Buganda. Ironically, right?

Well, NRM Youth Leaders of Buganda signing off an endorsement in 2022 is a sign of poverty, lack of vision and also utterly ill-advised. This isn’t done in the run-up to an election. Neither is there any signs of Yoweri standing as a candidate in the next election. Though, we shouldn’t kid ourselves. Museveni is doing this every-time and claiming the “people will decide” and “so will his party”. Though we know the drill and his most like the flag-bearer for NRM in the next term.

They haven’t even published a road-map or the committee to write the manifesto. Therefore, settling now only shows your motivation and that you are hoping for incentives to do so. The NRM Youth here is only showing their soul is sold and they have traded all integrity. That’s what legit has gone down…

Because, we know what is happening ahead of the election new NRM umbrella groups are popping up to fit whatever narrative and stories the NRM needs. We know also that these groups will praise the President and supposed achievements. That’s why there is plenty of youthful groups, which is sort of a part of the NRM. These are now mentioned without any particular order, NRM Poor Youth, NRM Youth League, NRM Isolated Youth, NRM Yellow Power and NRM Generation Seven.

All of these ha been made to ensure elections and continuation of the NRM regime. The NRMYL is the most significant ones, but the others has been made to cater the needs of NRM ahead of the polls. That really their mission and this is why you haven’t heard from them in forever. They only comes in a hot-minute before the polls and to be there for a campaign pledge.

You are seeing so many youth groups… and this week a group of youths from Buganda… suddenly endorsed the President for Life out of nowhere. They are certainly hoping for a pay-off, either a plate or a brew. These youths hopes for opportunities and recognition. The clearly made some headlines and got some people talking. However, they are too early.

These youth should have waited for the RDCs and the NRM Vice-Chairperson for each regions are out hunting for positive groups or stories. At that point ahead of the election wants as much credibility and youthfulness as possible. They want to look more popular than pop-stars or the Lord Saviour. However, now… this is futile, except, if these people are hungry and hoping for a plate.

They could get that and a free t-shirt. Nevertheless, these folks won’t be Kings, because they are already peasants. They might become glorified peasants, but they will not reach the throne. That place is sealed and they are already proving it with their action alone. Peace.

Opinion: Is Kooki “returning” to weaken Buganda?

“The Kingdom of Kooki, also known as the Kooki Kingdom, was a pre-colonial African kingdom located within present-day Rakai District of Uganda that existed from approximately 1740 until 1896. The kingdom ceased to exist as an independent state in 1896 when it merged into the British Protectorate of Buganda. Its royal line still continues to this day as a Subnational Chiefdom, and is currently led by Kamuswaga Apollo Sansa Kabumbuli II. In 27 July, 2015, the Kooki Kingdom declared independence from Buganda but it wasn’t recognized by Buganda” (Dbpedia/Wikipedia – ‘Kooki Kingdom’).

What is happening these days and the movements from Rakai district. It is obvious that National Resistance Movement (NRM) is involved in the rise of Kooki Kingdom. That is done to revive the old chiefdom and recognize it to dampen the power-base of the Kababa Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II. As well, as Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga, which is to give less prominence to the whole Lukiiko.

That’s why the establishment and the possible recognition of Kooki would seem to happen. This is to damage and take away the cultural prominence of the Buganda kingdom. If this happens and as it seems to be moving towards that. This is done to humble and show Mengo who is the real boss. That’s the move of the President just to prove a point and that his the man in-charge.

We know that President Museveni has re-launched the cultural kingdoms of the Republic. Though he has never acknowledged or even tried to re-instate the Ankole Kingdom. That’s most likely for personal grievances. Though he did also re-instate Bunyoro and Rwenzururu, though the latter is in exile and haven’t been allowed to be in his own kingdom for years.

Online there is suddenly pictures on the roads with a welcoming sign of entering into “Kooki Kingdom”. A kingdom not yet recognized and breaking away from the Buganda kingdom. That is an act, which isn’t recognizing the old agreements between the chiefdom and the kingdom itself. Has the agreement been revoked or been dissolved?

Yes, in the 1896 agreement it’s a few vital stipulations, which could still be key to this day: “And I recognise that henceforth the sovereign of Kooki is Mwanga king of Uganda [Buganda] and after him, his heirs and successors. And I recognise further that all treaties, international agreements, laws and regulations of every kind, as well as tribute and other obligations of every kind at the time and the future in force or leviable in Uganda are henceforth similarly applicable stand leviable in Kooki which now becomes an integral part of the kingdom of Uganda [Buganda]. And I Mwanga, king of Uganda [Buganda], hereby pledge myself and my government and my heirs and successors to recognise Kamuswaga, hitherto independent king of Kooki, as a Muganda saza of the first class whose province shall be Kooki, which henceforth becomes part and province of the kingdom of Uganda [Buganda]” (The Spear News – ‘The 1896 Buganda Kooki agreement (Verbatim)’, 14.06.2017).

These words are detrimental and very clear. It is written at a different time and for a reasons of such, which was the reason for the agreement in the first place. The times we are living in now is totally different, but the current Kooki is by the agreement an “integral part” of the Buganda kingdom.

This is how the Kooki addressed the old agreements and in a letter in 2015: “In a July 27 letter to Charles Peter Mayiga, the Buganda katikkiro (prime minister), Kooki prime minister Hajji Idi Ahmed Kiwanuka publicly announced its independence from Buganda, complicating an already damaged relationship. Kiwanuka’s letter was also a protest note against Mayiga’s planned visit to Kooki County for a fundraiser for the beautification of the Kabaka’s lake in Ndeeba near Kampala. “Irrespective of individual and/or institutional perspective, Kooki by all laws governing the Republic of Uganda, is a lawful cultural institution with a hereditary leader, governance structures, with due protocol and indeed independence,” the letter partly reads. Historically, Kooki is one of the recognized counties of the wider Buganda kingdom. In the letter, however, the county leaders say the cultural institution will maintain a “deliberate co-existence” with sister cultural institutions. Copies of the letter were sent to State House, ministers of gender, labour and social development; internal affairs and defence” (Uganda News Releases – ‘Kooki Leadership Declares Independence From Buganda (allAfrica.com)’ 05.08.2015).

We have to await and see, but this is a game played from the State House to tussle with Mengo. That is a deliberate act, as we know the fear and the recent openness of love between the President and the Kabaka. There is a reason for it and it could been done in spite. Because, the President wants to end “Mailo Land” for instance. So, this could be done now in an act of revenge and prove to the Lukiiko and Katikkiro that they got nothing to say.

The President can just decree and order. That’s why you shouldn’t be shocked or surprised. This a game of divide and conquer. It is nothing new in the eyes of Museveni. That’s a game his been playing out his whole career. The latest could be this and Mengo should listen. If they act to much out. They might easily be further targeted and loose other “provinces” too. Because, Museveni might favour Bunyoro over Buganda now. Who knows?

But… Museveni is a man of this sort of play and the Kabaka is getting tested. Peace.

Forum for Democratic Change (FDC): FDC Independence Message (09.10.2022)

Today, Uganda makes 60 years since the transfer of power from white colonialists to black colonialists.

In these 60 years of flag “independence”, our country has not witnessed a peaceful transfer of power from one government to another.

Our country continues to be governed by the force of arms, and this history is evident in how the force of arms, and military took over the power of politics in Uganda where citizens are still living under terror.

Almost all former presidents have died in exile. Presidents; Sir Edward Muteesa, Dr Milton Obote, Amin Dada, Gen. Tito Okello, and Prof. Yusuf Lule have all died in exile.

In modern Uganda, Injustice, which our elders challenged, has not been terminated, injustice committed by the political leaders who control power, Institutions, resources and tools of arm-twisting has reached unacceptable levels!

Torture, the killing of citizens, violation of human rights, the capture of institutions, stage-managed democracy, land grabbing, the rot of social services, and apartheid in health and education sectors, that characterised the white colonial rule are still evident up to now.

As Forum For Democratic change, we shall continue to mobilise people for a political transition, and restructure state institutions for the true independence of Uganda where a GUN will be subordinate to the people.

One Uganda, One People

Kenya: Speaker Moses Wetangula announces the Allegations of coercion (06.05.2022)

My considered determination on the matter raised is as follows-

Allegations of coercion

1)THAT, the consideration of the various allegations of coercion and duress at the time of entering into coalition agreements and any appropriate remedy for the same lies outside the authority of the Speaker.

The place of Members of UDM, PAA, MCCP & MDG

2)THAT, In my considered opinion, it would be imprudent to treat the 14 Members elected to the House under the United Democratic Movement (UDM), Pamoja African Alliance (PAA), Maendeleo Chap Chap Party (MCCP) and the Movement for Democracy and Growth (MDG) as part of a coalition that they have expressly distanced both themselves and their parties from. I am therefore persuaded that the 14 members and their parties are part of the Kenya Kwanza Coalition. This, in my view, would be fair and in accord with previous rulings by my predecessors on related matters.

3)THAT, With the 14 Members, the membership of the Kenya Kwanza Coalition stands at 179 Members while the membership of the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party stands at 157 Members. This, by implication, indicates that the Kenya Kwanza Coalition is the Majority Party and the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party is the Minority Party in this House. Entities entitled to appoint the Leader of the Majority Party

4)THAT, the Kenya Kwanza Coalition is entitled to appoint the Leader of the Majority Party while the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party is entitled to appoint the Leader of the Minority Party; Leadership of the Majority Party

5)THAT, with regard to the Majority Party—

(a)The Member for Kikuyu Constituency, the Hon. Kimani Ichung’wah is the Leader of the Majority Party;

(b)The Member for Kilifi North, the Hon. Owen Baya is the Deputy Leader of the Majority Party;(c)The Member for South Mugirango, the Hon. Silvanus Osoro is the Majority Party Whip; and

(d)The Member for Marsabit County, the Hon. Naomi Jillo Waqo is the Deputy Majority Whip.

Leadership of the Minority Party

6)THAT, with regard to the Minority Party—

(a)The Member for Ugunja, the Hon. Opiyo Wandayi is the Leader of the Minority Party;

(b)The Member for Kathiani, the Hon. Robert Mbui is the Deputy Leader of the Minority Party;

(c)The Member for Suna East, the Hon. Junet Mohamed is the Minority Party Whip; and

(d)Nominated Member, the Hon. Sabina Chege is the Deputy Minority Whip.

The letters from the Secretary General of Jubilee Party

7)THAT, our rules of procedure have placed a certain expectation on the manner of transmission of information relating to the leadership in the House. Only Members of this House can communicate with the Speaker on House leadership matters. In this regard, the letters from the Secretary General of Jubilee Party conveying the Party’s leadership to the Speaker fall short of the expectations of the House and will therefore not be considered any further.

EALA Elections: NRM wins 8 out of 9 [and DP get the final seat]

“UPDATE: The elected EALA representatives and the votes attained.

Akol Rose Okullu 422

Namara Denis 415

Kakooza James 405

Odongo George Stephen 403

Paul Mwasa 401

Kadogo Babirye Veronica 383

Mugenyi Mary 367

Amongin Jacquiline 338

Siranda Gerald 233” (NilePost, 29.09.2022).

My prediction got hit with one seat in the East African Legislation Assembly (EALA) Members of Parliament (MP). The one I thought was a go was the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) Fred Ebil. He didn’t get his seat and the UPC lost their seat in the EALA this period. Now, there is only National Resistance Movement (NRM) and the Democratic Party (DP) who has EALA MPs in the 5^th Assembly.

Today, the NRM got their 6 candidates, which was anticipated. They got in addition two more “independent” candidates. So, in the numbers they got 8 out of 9. Jacqueline Amongin is a member of the NRM and a Pan African Parliament (PAP) Member too. So, she has represented Uganda on a NRM ticket already. Now she ran as an “independent” but everyone should know that she is associated and a member of the NRM.

The second “independent” Babirye Veronica Kadogo was the Woman Representative in the 10^th Parliament for the NRM in Buyende District. She lost her re-election bid in the General Election in 2021. She ran as an “independent” but certainly is connected to the NRM as well. To think otherwise is naive at this point.

That’s why it’s only Gerald Siranda who is from another party, the DP. The DP who had this in their agreement with the NRM. The DP-NRM Agreement had this stipulation and Siranda takes over the seat after two terms for Mbidde. Therefore, the DP gets a seat and an EALA MP.

While we saw a boycott from the National Unity Platform (NUP). The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) had a candidate that was bound to loose. Justice Forum (JEEMA) also lost, which was also scheduled to happen, as it is associated with the NUP. However, the shocker was that UPC lost their seat and didn’t get Ebil elected. Especially, since the NRM was supposed to back the UPC with this seat, but that was hallow.

The opposition didn’t really loose much. They had nothing to get to begin with. The NRM was bound for a pyrrhic victory, but today was just a painful exercise. The Speaker decided to have an early poll before the deliberations in the plenary session. This is creating the possibility for “pre-ticked ballots” and open rigging. Which is just foolish, because the NRM got the majority in the 11^th Parliament and this would be a walkover.

The ones that should feel betrayed is the UPC. They are surely not valued and isn’t getting real support. That is the party which has made agreements with the NRM. Now, their dialogue and such isn’t considered. That is saying something. We can see that Mao and DP got their way. However, the UPC was kicked out by NRM leaning “independent’s”. Peace.

The EACOP Pipeline might have a harder time getting funding after EU Parliament Motion condemning it…

The East African Crude Oil Export Pipeline (EACOP) could face a new hurdle and delays. As there is not only a collective of activists and organizations working to stifle the options of funding the EACOP. The EACOP needs funding to be able to be built. The EACOP has to get funding from either Corporate Banks or Multi-National Institutions. The World Bank said in 2019 that it wouldn’t support it and neither will International Monetary Fund (IMF). Therefore, the EACOP needs to get $5 billion elsewhere to fund the building of it.

Because of the Motion today made by the European Parliament. I had to go back and find more new information into the EACOP. The EACOP haven’t been a steady operation or a quick fix. No, this has been a slow train moving. There has been slowly getting things in order and the it was only last year both Uganda and Tanzania had settle their negotiations. This is why it haven’t gotten further. The slow approach is also a reason why the EACOP is lacking funding and not being operational. The deadlines of the production, the exports and a possibly a refinery in Uganda has also been on hold. Therefore, the EU motion could only get into existence because of the slow movements from the Government of Uganda.

Take a look here…

EACOP Ownership:

“The Tilenga oilfield, to the north of Lake Albert, will include operations within the Murchison Falls National Park, and is operated and owned 56.67% by TotalEnergies. The Kingfisher oilfield, at the southern end of the lake, is being developed by CNOOC which owns 28.33%, and Uganda’s UNOC, which has a 15% stake. The two projects are expected to start producing oil in 2025 and reach a peak production of 230,000 barrels per day, which will rank the Lake Albert oil fields as one of Africa’s top 10 oil projects. The shareholders in the pipeline are TotalEnergies (62%), UNOC (15%), Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation TPDC (15%) and CNOOC (8%)” (Tonderayi Mukeredzi – ‘Controversial East Africa oil pipeline moves one step closer to construction’ 25.03.2022, ChinaDialogue,net).

EACOP Funding:

“The East African Crude Oil Export Pipeline, which will have a daily capacity of 216,000 barrels a day, will be funded on a 40% to 60% equity-debt ratio, according to UNOC, a partner in the project. The link is designed to move land-locked Uganda’s oil to international markets. The Islamic Development Bank became the first lender to commit funding to the project when it approved $100 million for EACOP at the weekend. TotalEnergies SE is leading development of the project with a 62% stake in the cross-border pipeline. UNOC and Tanzania Petroleum Development Corp. each have a 15% interest, and the rest is owned by China’s Cnooc Ltd” (Fred Ojambo – ‘Uganda expects all pledged funding for oil pipeline by end of November’ 12.09.2022, WorldOil.com)

EU Parliament Motion:

“Calls for the EU and the international community to exert maximum pressure on Ugandan and Tanzanian authorities, as well as the project promoters and stakeholders, to protect the environment and to put an end to the extractive activities in protected and sensitive ecosystems, including the shores of Lake Albert, and commit to using the best available means to preserve the culture, health, and future of the communities affected and to explore alternatives in line with international climate and biodiversity commitments; calls on the promoters of the EACOP project in Uganda and Tanzania to resolve all disputes that should have been resolved prior to the launch of the project, and to take into account all the above-mentioned risks, threatening this project; urges TotalEnergies to take one year before launching the project to study the feasibility of an alternative route to better safeguard protected and sensitive ecosystems and the water resources of Uganda and Tanzania, limiting the vulnerability of the watersheds in the African Great Lakes region, which is a critical resource for the region, and to explore alternative projects based on renewable energies for better economic development” (European Parliament – ‘JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on violations of human rights in Uganda and Tanzania linked to investments in fossil fuels projects’ 14.09.2022).

We know the EU Parliament Motion is causing a stir in Kampala and Dodoma. There will be words and possible ramifications of this. The EACOP is mostly owned and run by the Total Energie and that’s French. So, the French or France, which is a Member State in the EU could suddenly apply more pressure on the French Petroleum Company. That would further delay and possibly stop the EACOP pipeline. Since, the pipeline isn’t majority owned by the governments of Uganda or Tanzania. This is why the condemnation of the EU Parliament matters.

Just like the activists and NGOs who is working on overtime pressuring banks and lenders to the EACOP. That in combination of the new policies of greener technology or following climate change programs within the World Bank (WB) or International Monetary Fund (IMF). The EACOP certainly needs lots of funding and fiscal funds. That’s why the EU Parliament condemnation can alter a lot and add pressure, which is even stronger than the activists or NGOs who is already running a marathon with it.

This pipeline is contested, not only because of the parties involved and the respective republic’s. No, it is because of the environments that the oil is drilled and where the petroleum pipeline route goes as well. Peace.