Second day of Presidential Rallies in Uganda and other reports affecting to these elections

The candidates have been to different venues. The kick-off of the election season was yesterday. This is just the second day of the rallies for the 8^th candidates in the race. Still I will promise I can’t have the ability to follow it as tight until 18^th February 2016. So now from now on the will be other types of articles and blogs from me. It’s heavy to know and get all the report and fit in one piece. With the information from all of the different camps and parties involved. But here are some of the basics of the second day, also other actions that has happen. Not between the venues of the candidates, but initially the bigger picture.

Because in the Parliament they have discussed the Public Finance Management Bill of 2015, AGAIN, TODAY! This offers certain advantages to the government and less accountability for the Parliament. This gives the Government an opportunity to take short-term loans without thinking… That should get people rise their eyebrows and sneezing because of the BS from the NRM-Regime to achieve their goal. A free-way to bank and not due diligence on the short-term loans, that should not be a possibility, because that opens up so many worm-holes and pigeon-holes for an embezzlement and added corruption, last but not least. Something that make the economy even more volatile ads up more problems that can lead bigger inflation and higher prices, and last also devalue the shilling. Because of the more flow of monies and less control of the flow of currency in the country, that ends with less value of monies in general.

If you wonder what it is about read this:  

My blog piece about the Public Finance Management Bill of 2015 Amendment

Here I continue on the reports and news of the day!

Handouts during elections:

“This is particularly not surprising since a large percentage of the electorate is extremely poor and vulnerable to monetary handouts. But besides cash handouts voters have also been compromised with petty handouts that are largely consumptive and have no long term impact on their lives. All this is conduct that is contrary to the electoral law but seems to have grown unabated” (…)“During elections inflation tends to skyrocket, which creates problems for the economy”, Muhumuza, an economic analyst with KPMG, says. “The inflation, he says, has a far reaching impact that not only slows down economic growth but has the potential to wipe out gains” (Ladu, 2015).

Express concerns of paying debts:

“The petitioners told the secretary general, Justine Kasule Lumumba, recently at Parliament that the purpose of their request was to express their dissatisfaction over recently concluded party primaries, explaining that the postponement caused them to incur a lot of debts.“The NRM Electoral Commission (EC) kept postponding voting in the primaries; the delay caused a big financial strain on aspirants, because we had borrowed money” (Kiwuuwa, 2015).

NRM hires a VJ to Campaign for Museveni:

“Famous local movie translator Commonly VJ Jingo (now a Ssalongo) is now in monies following a new deal from Kyadondo that indicates that Jingo will be bagging Ugx. 200 million to provide mentions for NRM’s party flag bearer President Museveni during the presidential campaign due next year” (Newz.ug, 2015). I know I am late to the party, but still worth noticing right!

DP on the Crime Preventers:

“DP Deputy Spokesperson, Alex Waiswa told journalists at the City House in Kampala that they have learnt from credible sources that this brutal act was executed by crime preventers in the area. “We strongly resisted the creation of crime preventers having forecast such incidences; these groups have been formed and passed out at such an elective period with the sole aim of bogging all attempts by the opposition to the take over power in the 2016 general elections,” Waiswa said. “I want to assure Ugandans that no amount of attack or intimidation on us shall hinder our candidate and the group to continue campaigning and subsequently take over power in 2016,” Waiswa noted” (Segwa, 2015).

Orders on Tear-Gas from IGP Kale Kayihura today:

The Deputy Spokesman Polly Namaye: “The Police Policy is to ensure as little engagement with the public terms of crowd control. We will only use means such as tear gas where absolutely necessary” (…)”The decision, according to the source, could also informed by the fact that the force wants to avoid using expired stock” (The Insider, 2015).

Seven Amama Supporters detained:

“Even Amama Mbabazi supporters are currently detained at Namataba Police Station. Go Forward’s PRO Mayanja Nkangi says they have been told those in police custody committed the offence of ‘driving a car with machines’. Mbabazi is expected to hold his second rally this afternoon in Mukono” (Investigator, 2015).

Police action in Mukono:

Also in Mukono there was a Brass Band playing for the Go-Forward candidate before the rally. The Police have stopped this brass band from playing.

NRM reaction to the Go-Forward rally:

Earlier today the NRM had a procession in Mukono. It just had to happen the day that Amama Mbabazi and the Go-Forward team were coming to town. After this they held an Anti-Amama Protest in town.

Deflections to Go-Forward:

“The Iganga District vice chairperson, Mr Ezra Gabula, has declared his support for former prime minister Amama Mbabazi, saying President Museveni has lost track and is no longer focused enough to lead the country” (Sigira, 2015).

Go-Forward rally in Mukono:

At the Mukono Rally of the Go-Forward one of the speakers Mugoba-Nsonga tells Ken Lukyamuzi: “You have two weeks to join Go-Forward lest you are no longer part of the party president”.

Mathias Mpuunga said this after the rally:

Thnx Hon. Betty Nambooze & Mukono! Time to offer leadership and not excuses!

Who Plans the Go-Forward rally in Oyam:

The loser of the NRM Primaries Omodo Omodo is making arrangements for the Go-Forward and Amama Mbabazi’s rally in the area.

NRM Poor Youth deflects from Go-Forward back to Museveni:

“Thomas Kategere who is also the National Resistance Movement flag bearer for Kamuli district LC5 chairperson on Monday crossed to Museveni`s camp when he drove all the way from Kamuli to attend the latter`s first presidential campaign rally in Luwero district” (Okello, 2015).

FDC Party and Dr. Kizza Besigye rallies toaday:

Dr. Kizza Besigye on the Road:

He had an early stop at Rwamabondo. He will later hold a rally at Kyamate Grounds.

Inside the village of the Karaja County in Ntungamo district. In the village he had to stop to greet supporters and even held a speech to the greeting public. At the village level more than hundred people left their NRM-Cards to the Dr. Kizza Besigye and told that they would not vote for Museveni and NRM no more.

Dr. Kizza Besigye wsa in Rwasahamire: “It took us many hours to get here because of a poor road network”.

Dr Besigye has addressed our supporters in Kitwe in Ruhaama county of Ntungamo district. He is expected to arrive at the main rally in Ntungamo municipality around 7.

Hon Ibrahim SSemujju Nganda stated this today:

“In November 2013, Parliament’s Government Assurance Committee released a report indicating that since 1986, Mr Museveni had not fulfilled pledges totalling to 817 whose worth was estimated at Shs13 trillion in key areas such as roads, hospitals, schools, airports, bridges, electricity and industrialisation. And he insists on running for another term of office?”

Dr.Kizza Besigye statement after the rallies today:

“To all the evidently change hungry people of Ntungamo. I want to say thank you for the warm welcome accorded to us. The dug up roads we witnessed today in a district where many NRM bigwigs originate is evidence that we should work for change. A type of change that will see us have better roads regardless of how remote our subcounty is. To the people of Rubare and Kitwe thanks for braving the rain as you waited for our arrival. With this spirit of defiance against heavy rains we shall surely win this election. Let us lift our country through a spirit of sacrifice and commitment like we have exhibited today. I would like to encourage those who have turned in their NRM party cards to remain steadfast and resolute. It is as well very touching to see you pull out your 1000, 500, 100 shillings to finance this campaign. You have given new meaning to the name ‘The People’s President’. Mwebare munonga. Ruhanga abarinde”.

TIC PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS:

We congratulate TIC presidential candidate Mr. Mabirizi Joseph and his colleague Mrs. Kyala Walube on a successful first day of campaigns. Mabirizi left Kampala a bit late which caused problems for Iganga- the Iganga rally has been rescheduled to tomorrow mid morning before proceeding to Bugiri and Namayingo. Kaliro was great.

Today Maureen Faith Kayala had a rally in Busoga. At the rally she promised to make Joseph Mabirizi her VP.

Reports saying this about one of the candidates:

Gen. Biraro is still studying the situation. He won’t rush, victory is his, he projects a 80% sweep.

M7 and NRM continue to have campaign rallies:

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in Nakeseke:

He had to take a helicopter to the venue. Where he has asked the public vote for him and he is “your best choice”.

Journalist Detained because of the crowd photoes of the NRM rallies:

Five Journalists and photographers who were covering President Museveni rallies in Nakaseke and Nakasongola were arrested and detained. They were forced to delete all there photos and videos. The journalists and photographers had covered poor turn up of Museveni rallies. They was later released after deleting the photos.

A nice combo from one of the rallies:

Nakasongola crowd combined of this kind of crowd!

Crimes preventers + Army men at Nakasongola Barack + Army men’s wives + Army men’s children + Nakasongola police men and their women + Some few NRM supporters -Nakasongola residents = Museveni crowds.

Bebe Cool works the crowd at President Museveni’s Nakasongola rally.

The singer says the incumbent will retain the presidency “because he does 4 rallies a day, with the same crowd within a single district while others do one at most two a day and have even resorted to manufacturing pics to seek false confidence” (NBS TV, 2015).

In Amolator the Lango Chief Yosam Odur gave him a spear and shield. So Museveni got respect from the local folks here.

This is what I have from today. It should seem as enough. Second day of Election rallies. There been a lot and also lots of action on the ground. Hard to cover it all and give an edge that Daily Monitor, New Vision and all the other media houses does. So this is my go at it. I will follow the election, but I can’t do it this heavy in the coming days. But will try my best so that the cover of the election gets a bit fair.

Reference:

Kiwuuwa, Paul – ‘NRM losers seek audience with Museveni over debts’ (10.11.2015) link: http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/675512-nrm-losers-seek-audience-with-museveni-over-debts.html

Ladu, Ismail Musa – ‘Election handouts: The scourge eating the economy’ (10.11.2015) link: http://www.monitor.co.ug/Business/Prosper/Election-handouts-scourge-economy/-/688616/2949400/-/q09kal/-/index.html

Newz.ug – ‘NRM hires VJ Jingo to campaign for Museveni, bags Ugx. 200m’ (09.10.2015) link: http://newz.ug/2015/10/19/nrm-hires-vj-jingo-to-campaign-for-museveni-bags-ugx-200m/

Okello, Dickens H. – ‘Another Poor Youth Leaves Mbabazi for Museveni’ (10.11.2015) link: http://www.chimpreports.com/another-poor-youth-leaves-mbabazi-for-museveni/

Investigator – ‘#AmamaTrail: Seven Amama Mbabazi Supporters detained as Baryamureeba Suspends his Campaigns’ (10.11.2015) link: http://theinvestigatornews.com/amamatrail-seven-amama-mbabazi-supporters-detained-as-baryamureeba-suspends-his-campaigns/

Segwa, Nixon – ‘DP, TDA- Go Forward Threaten to Counterattack Crime Preventers’ (10.11.2015) link: http://www.chimpreports.com/dp-tda-go-forward-threaten-to-counterattack-crime-preventers/

Sigira, Yazid Yoli – ‘Iganga District boss crosses to Mbabazi camp’ (10.11.2015) link: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Iganga-District-boss-crosses-to-Mbabazi-camp/-/688334/2950424/-/wtnra8z/-/index.html

The Insider – ‘Kayihura tells cops to go slow on expired teargas’ (10.11.2015) link: http://www.theinsider.ug/kayihura-tells-cops-to-go-slow-on-expired-teargas/

Press Release No. 15/460: IMF Staff Completes Review Mission to Uganda (5.10.2015)

A team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) led by Ana Lucía Coronel, IMF Mission Chief and Senior Resident Representative in Uganda, visited Kampala from September 24 to October 5, 2015, to conduct the fifth review of Uganda’s economic program supported by the Policy Support Instrument (PSI).¹

At the end of the mission, Ms. Coronel, issued the following statement:

“Despite the global and regional economic challenges and election-related uncertainties, Uganda’s recent economic performance has been mostly favorable. Real economic growth —led by increased public investment—reached 5 percent in FY2014/15, slightly below staff projections, but well above the FY2013/14 level (4.5 percent). Core inflation accelerated to 6.7 percent year on year in September but remains within the Bank of Uganda’s target band. International reserves remain at comfortable levels”. 

“Uganda is not immune to the difficult external environment affecting other countries. Together with domestic nervousness relating to the upcoming elections, external shocks and uncertainty have resulted in a sharp decline in the shilling (27 percent over the past year), creating challenges for policy makers. The exchange rate depreciation raised domestic prices given the high import content of the consumption basket, created uncertainty for consumers and investors, and generated market uneasiness. The mission welcomed the authorities’ proactive and effective response to the challenging situation, notable the timely monetary tightening, which has helped curb further inflationary pressures”,

“Performance under the PSI was satisfactory. The end-June 2015 fiscal, external, and inflation targets were mostly met. There was significant progress on increasing tax revenue, with the strong package introduced in the FY2014/15 budget yielding about 1¼ percent of GDP compared to an original target of ½ percent. However, the high stock of domestic arrears—notably the proliferation of court awards—remains a concern, despite the authorities’ efforts to reduce them”.

“Discussions focused on policies to be conducted over the rest of the fiscal year. The mission welcomed the authorities’ determination to adapt the policy mix to the ongoing challenges, including those related to the political cycle, by closely coordinating fiscal and monetary actions. Supported by an adequate stock of international reserves, monetary policy will remain vigilant of price developments and help moderate inflation expectations now that the shilling has largely stabilized. On the fiscal front, the authorities are encouraged to continue to build on the strong revenue performance of last year by improving tax collections even during the election period. On the expenditure side, the government has appropriately identified a series of spending cuts that should reduce the need for domestic borrowing, creating space for private sector credit and growth recovery”.

“On the structural front, important steps have been taken. The mission welcomes the approval of the Public Financial Management Act and the actions taken to clean the payroll and improve the payments system. Regulating the new law and finalizing the Charter of Fiscal Responsibility are important steps to further help improve the budget process and efficiency of expenditure. In addition to these improvements, the mission has encouraged the authorities to intensify ongoing efforts to fight corruption, which continues to affect the business climate. Improving transparency and accountability remains critical”.

“Over the medium term, core inflation is set to decline toward the 5 percent target and growth is expected to gradually return to its potential of about 6–6½ percent. While the authorities will continue their plans to scale up public investment, they intend to re-profile projects to ensure that public debt remains at low risk of distress. The completion of these projects should reduce infrastructure bottlenecks and support growth”.

“The mission met with Mr. Keith Muhakanizi, Permanent Secretary/Secretary of Treasury of the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development; Dr. Louis Kasekende, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Uganda; and other senior government officials, and representatives from the business, civil society and international communities. The mission thanks all counterparts for their collaboration”.

“IMF Executive Board consideration of the fifth review of the PSI-supported program is expected by end-November 2015.”

Buy your identity…

Today I will discuss something that has been on my mind a while, but I haven’t penned down on anything, because well, I been naturally busy with ordinary life and moving, which makes a guy out of his safe space, get rid of old stuff and get something else to his new place.

Therefore a brother naturally thinks about a lot of matters while moving certain chairs, furniture and books from one place to another. I am seeing this advertisements, commercials and companies spending fortunes applying themselves into our daily lives.

Buy your identity! That is not what their saying directly but indirectly. Indirectly I mean is that you’re to prove yourself and who you are. Because the JEANS you got will tell who you are and who you want to be. The soda you drink will either tell your old house-mom or athletic sports fanatic who eager to live life in a rush. The car you’re pushing from A to B you own it either because you’re a anglophile or just a guy who needs a vehicle to drive in. And this could go on and on.

Buy your identity! What a lie it is. You can have a lot of stuff, house and car. You can buy the whole kitchen shop but that doesn’t make you a gourmet chef. If you drink PEPSI or COLA doesn’t mean bigger then you got a pretense for taste or your living somewhere where the either is sweater taste then the other one. There is nothing else really, if you want to add more to it than you’re making assumption on your own.

Buy your identity! When you see a fine woman smiling on a poster selling any kind of products as a man you look at it and glimpse at it. Even in the day and age when you’re told that photo-shopped model isn’t in the real world looking like that, but somewhere close. We all should in those matters think more about what ideals we want in society and where we want to go? Is this a healthy look upon the human body and with it standards and natural defects that most of us A4 persons develop, and even those models must have them? Right! There must be another route to generate interest that beneficial for the companies and for us citizens to look upon ourselves then get into a state where the body is just a skeleton and a minute after the Frankenstein’s monster arriving and eating your flesh.

Buy your identity! I am just waiting to share more of the joy that the fantastic and evolutionary toothbrush will make my smile as white as the teeth of Tom Cruise, but until then Colgate and Solidox wouldn’t be the magic to save my face this time either.

Nevertheless, we all need stuff, we all need to eat, have clothes, cars and houses. How much they make our identity and our soul is based upon how much place in our life we give them. If we give them nothing more space then we need, then is okay. But when we’re going to the point that we got to have a certain brand and label for everything in life, than we should sit down and think about moves. Because for certainty, that must be a wet dream for a marketer to know that there a person’s discussing and choosing certain products on the base of not quality, price or needs. But for the matter of personal gain and who they are.

As a man, I been there and done this without thinking and is not proud. But your there and wondering after if you were quoting the adverts for the company instead of making your own mind. Here are some examples:

–          Adidas VS Puma: Brothers who compete for making the best sportswear and all over the world people still discuss who is best and who fits best for you.

–          Coca-Cola VS Pepsi: Soda wars that never stops and in the modern way its discussing the difference flavors of the sugarless versions (Zero/Light VS Max). Drink them all just with joy.

–          Heinz VS Local Version Ketchup: The taste-buds you have, doesn’t necessary have to be the same as your friend. Get over it and eat.

–          Apple VS Microsoft Computers: Old discussion and also fight of hardware VS design and just how you feel. Both sides became anchors of identity.

–          Playstation VS Xbox VS Nintendo: Game wars that has put and set identity of both what kind of gamer you are and what kind of controller that fits you. Wonder when this is dying.

I could have made a longer list, but I won’t bore you to death. And I got a life myself so I quit while the game is good.

What I am trying to say is that don’t let the things make who you are. It’s true we all need stuff to live and make a living. A phone, even a smart one to, a computer to write and check important stuff online, we need transports, a place to stay and food in our belly’s. So here we are, we need companies, producers and they need to sell stuff to us. But that doesn’t mean that they have to sell a thinking of building my identity. They can’t build my identity. They can be a part of it, because I need them for certain, not out of pure joy but the way we have built society and our economic system.

The companies and their products make me check and pick after what I needs and sometimes just buying some random crap from a local business that wasn’t intended. But that is life, we are doing it and we all stand by it and see it happening.

Please, I know you can’t fix or make my identity. Please dear companies don’t sell that to me. I don’t need it and your toaster won’t make feel like Ussain Bolt or feel that when I buy a piece of bread that ‘I am making world peace’. We all know that isn’t happening. I am just buying a piece of bred so I can have some for supper and lunch at work. Nothing with the bread that is fascinating. The cereal isn’t a magical box with the sparkling finesse and supernatural powers to fix your diet. It’s just a measly bowl of cereal that I hope you like the taste of, but it doesn’t build your prestige or honor among people. Your action does so. Your beautiful mind does so. The way you write and discuss matters does so. Not you shoes who you runs with gives you stamina. That is your beating heart and lungs who give you power to run down the pathway, not the Puma or Adidas shoes. Even though they either makes the steps more soft or hard depending on which type of shoes you have.

Please, we can’t buy our identity. We can buy products and collectables. We can buy clothes that make us look different, but we can change them and be perceived differently, but our friends and family will know who we really are underneath the clothes and the front we put into the world we live in.

Peace.