International Criminal Court (ICC): Defence Team for Dominic Ongwen (16.12.2022)

A brief look into the IGG first report of 2018 with Lira District in FOCUS!

The Inspector General of Government (IGG) Irene Mulyagonja has recently published a new report, showing the corruption and the reported cases that has been sent to the IGG during the 6 month period. This report shows the key places where the complaints are about, which shows what kind of civil servants that has cases going or investigated. There also a major showdown of certain districts, which gets the most heat in this report. Clearly, they are picked up and shown the public, while others are kept in the archives. So I am showing the key aspects of where the complaints go and one key district that has been put on blast. That being Lira District, who together with others was also put on display. What is weird about that is the office of Lira is number 15 on the list of getting complaints. While the Central District and Kampala Headquarters has bigger numbers, but is not chosen to revealed for the public. Only district offices with less numbers are Kampala Regional Office (because all are delivered to Headquarter) and Gulu district office. So this been choice by the IGG to show their cases instead of the ones around the Central Government. That is how it can be perceived!

The Inspector General Report are clearly stating that the most common groups of people, which is mentioned in complaints are either directly individuals (public officials), District Administration/Local Government, Municipal & Town Councils, Head Teachers, District Service Commissions and sub county administration. In the time between January and June 2017, there was 330 complaints about Public Officials. Complaints about District Administration was 328. Municipal & Town Councils complaints was 144. The complaints concerning Head Teachers was 87. The District Service Commissions was 85 and sub county Administration complaints totaled to 68. This here is really showing where the state officials locally are misusing the public funds. It shows a warning sign of how people take advantage of the lack of paperwork and archives of procurement and also facilitation of the state reserves. That is why they could do this before the complaints come to the IGG.

IGG cases in Lira:

“Alleged cause of financial loss by Principal Assistant Secretary, Lira District” (…) “Alleged mismanagement of Shs. 15,000,000/= meant for road maintenance by officials of Ojwina Division Council, Lira” (…) “Allegation of nonpayment of wages to former support staff by Lira Municipal Council” (…) “Report on investigations into alleged payments of salaries to ghost teachers and illegal appointments of Head teachers in Lira District Local Government” (…) “Alleged irregular remittance of Shs. 10M to Mr. Ario Benson’s account and subsequent deletion from the payroll by PPO, Lira” (…) “Alleged creation and existence of ghost primary school in Aloi Sub-county, Lira District” (…) “Alleged misappropriation of UGX. 9,000,000/= meant for the construction of roads in Adekokwok Sub-County Lira District” (…) “Alleged utterance of false academic documents by a Secretary at UTC – Lira” (…) “Alleged irregular earning of higher salary by a person at Lira school of Nursing” (…) “Alleged cause of financial loss by the Principal Assistant Secretary, Lira District” (IGG, P: 77-80, 2018).

I am just showing the alleged cases in Lira as well, as the main reports, since the Report itself should be question for lacking the alleged cases from Kampala Headquarters and Jinja Offices. It shown some cases from Arua, but very limited, since it was the third biggest place of complaints during the 6 month period. While other regions and districts had more open cases. I am really questioning why Lira was so in FOCUS, when the offices of Jinja, Headquarters and Arua had ten times more complaints than Lira did. Why are they not more evident in the report? What is the reason?

That is what we should ask and why the IGG are not revealing those complaint or keeping them on the low. Peace.

Reference:

Inspectorate of Government (IGG) – ‘BI-ANNUAL INSPECTORATE OF GOVERNMENT

PERFORMANCE REPORT TO PARLIAMENT – January to June 2017’ (January 2018)

Nkaissery defends police against extra-judicial killings claim (Youtube-Clip)

“Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery on Tuesday defended the National Police Service against claims of extra-judicial killings highlighted by a section of the media.Nkaissery said there is no policy on extra-judicial killings in the police department, “and no death squads exist in the service.” (Capital FM Kenya, 2016).

In Kenya 4 Police Officers charged with the murders of Human Rights lawyers: Willie Kimani,Josphat Mwenda & joseph Muiruri (18.07.2016)

Kenya: Rising Cases of Extra-Judicial Killings by Police Officers (13.07.2016)

Kenya: protest over Human rights lawyer Willie Kimani’s death (Youtube-Clip)

“Kenya: Hundred lawyers and civil society activists Monday staged a countrywide protest over the apparent extrajudicial killing of human rights lawyer Willie Kimani, his client, and a taxi driver.

BITE 1: DENNIS ABINCHA HIGH COURT OF KENYA LAWYER
BITE 2: ERICK MUTUA FORMER PRESIDENT LAW SOCIETY OF KENYA (LSK)

BITE 3: JOSEPH BOINET INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE KENYA POLICE SERVICE
BITE 4: CAROLYNE KAMENDE KENYAN LAYWER” (APA, 2016)

IJM Announces Deaths of Three Individuals Associated with its Kenya Operations Following Their June 23rd Disappearance (01.07.2016)

Washington, DC; Nairobi, Kenya,

July 01, 2016

With deep mourning, International Justice Mission (IJM) today announced that three individuals associated with the organization, including staff member, Willie Kimani, IJM client, Josephat Mwenda, and taxi driver, Joseph Muiruri, were killed following their abduction in Nairobi on June 23^rd.

The bodies of the deceased were found in the Ol-Donyo Sabuk River to the northeast of Nairobi on July 1, following an extensive search led by Kenyan police and IJM staff. The group went missing on Thursday, June 23, as they were returning to their homes following a court hearing. No arrests have been made.

“We are deeply mourning the loss of our colleague, Willie, our client, Josephat, and taxi driver, Joseph, and strongly condemn the perpetrators of these murders and the horrific violence inflicted upon these men,” said Gary Haugen, CEO of International Justice Mission. “IJM exists to protect the poor from violence, and Willie’s life was taken while courageously pursuing that mission. As we work to provide comfort and support for the families of Willie, Josephat, and Joseph, we are grateful to the U.S. embassy, the local Kenyan police, and our partners globally and on the ground who responded swiftly and professionally to our requests for help. We are deeply grateful to our colleagues on the ground who bravely worked in dangerous conditions to try to locate these men, and we are as committed as ever to our IJM Kenya team and to their struggle for justice in their nation. We will seek justice for Willie, Josephat, and Joseph, and will not cease in pursuit of this case until that end is secured.”

IJM is closely collaborating with Kenyan local and national law enforcement officials who are leading the ongoing investigation.

Within hours of learning of the incident, IJM leadership activated crisis response teams in Nairobi as well as Washington, DC, to work closely with police officials on the ground and to support the families involved.

IJM’s focus moving forward is to ensure the safety of the families and staff affected by this crime and provide necessary support to law enforcement officials during this critical time.

– International Justice Mission is a global organization that partners with local authorities to rescue victims of violence, bring criminals to justice, restore survivors, and strengthen public justice systems.

Kenya Police Service Statement on the ‘Disapperance’ of Kinuthia, Muiruri and Mwenda (01.07.2016)

Sorrow in Kampala; Trifling police and detaining Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago

Today was the day that Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Act was to be added an to amendment so that the elections of Lord Mayor would happen inside a council instead of polling during general election in 2016. There been more push to let this happen, not everybody agrees with does actions. Therefore we can see that and today the reactions from the NRM-Regime have been off violence. Uganda Police Force has come and first set up roadblocks early this morning in around his area.

Yet reports hours earlier Erias Lukwago says: “he is yet to receive official Electoral Commission on determent of mayoral nominations” and “he vows to proceed”.

This was the beginning of the tale that unfolded today. The loyalist of Dr. Kizza Besigye the opposition candidate Erias Lukwago was first taken by a group of Police taken away into custody. He has been detained without court orders by unknown men. This has been seen by other media who has been close to the house today. A Delta journalist Enock Kugonza has been shot and by the brutal police after the manhandling of Lord Mayor Lukwago. Erias Lukwago was supposed to go Electoral Commission of Uganda to be nominated. The Journalist Kugonza was after the shooting was rushed to Mulago Hospital. Two persons are said to killed by the same shootings.

It wasn’t only the journalist from Delta who got shot, there were two more men and surely more innocent people; who have been hurt during the raid that the police had during the arrest of Erias Lukwago; who is still in custody or detained at an unknown location as we speak. One of the people who also got hurt by the Police today is Councilor Mariam Kizito.

After all of this they all of sudden goes back on their ways and turn to the nominations. The Electoral Commission has later in the day said through Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, that the nominations dates is for Lord Mayor of Kampala is set to be between 16th to 18th November 2015.

There been floating pictures of a person lying lifeless on the ground after being shot. This proves the powers of the Police and also how they justify the use of will to bring down anybody in their way. This must be orders from the higher ends because Erias Lukwago has been issues for the NRM-Regime.

The NRM-Regime fears Erias Lukwago because of his popularity. That popularity comes because the NRM candidates are greedy guts and they seem tired of it. Just look at the reasoning from Frank Tumwebaze the Ministry of Presidency and Kampala Capital City Authority who wrote this in a statement today:

“It is therefore dishonest on the part of my colleagues in the Opposition to state that this was an after-thought following Erias Lukwago’s decision to stand for the Lord Mayor position in Kampala. That is false. Whether Lukwago stands or doesn’t, streamlining the governance framework of Kampala capital city remains our noble duty” (…)”The rationale behind the proposal of changing the mode of election of the lord mayor and all other division mayors, is for purposes of ensuring that the mayor and the deputy remain accountable to the Council that they chair, just like in the case of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Parliament who are elected by Members of Parliament. Besides, the law already vests the same Councils with authority to remove a Lord Mayor or Division Mayor. These Councilors are products of an electoral process conducted from the grassroots. Ugandans do not convene at Parliament to elect a Speaker or Deputy Speaker. Their representatives in form of Members of Parliament elect the Speaker and Deputy Speaker” (…)”The amendments therefore, cannot be targeting a man called Erias Lukwago. The law was never made for Him. Erias Lukwago just like any other person is entitled to aspire to become a Lord Mayor. However, what any person aspiring to be lord mayor needs to be reminded about is that he/she is not the primary administrator of the Capital City. The Central Government does so as per the constitution.The Lord Mayor and the council administer it on delegation by the central government. Central Government policy therefore takes precedence. That is why the minister responsible for the capital city is given veto powers under section 79. This is what Erias Lukwago has never appreciated, but its the bitter truth” (Tumwebaze, 16.11.2015 – Press Statement).

When this is happening and Hon. Frank Tumwebaze is trying to explain and use rhetoric to sound wise for the reasoning to take away the rights for people to choose their leader and their mayor, because by his reasoning the council will make a better decision then the actual people. That is because they choose Erias Lukwago and not the man picked by the NRM. Hon. Frank speaks well about laws and constituted rights, while addressing his own position with diligence. While saying the Lord Mayor is not made for Erias Lukwago, that might be true, but your ministry isn’t made up just for yourself or it is Honorable Frank Tumwebaze? You who runs over KCCA as the Minister of Kampala and already edged Erias Lukwago out with giving more powers to Jennifer Musisi who in basis runs the KCCA and does more administrative duties since the Lord Mayor has lost his position.

Jennifer Musisi said this in January:

The Journalist asked: “You were accused of kicking out the Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago from office”; she answered: “Lukwago was a problem to us. We spent a lot of money and time undoing his wrongs. He took us to court when we tried to re-build the Wandegeya Market and the New Park. There has been a lot of development in KCCA during the last two years of his absence from office. We are now focused on the things we are supposed to do” (Etukuri & Waiswa, 2015).

When we see that the Lord Mayor elected in 2011 has been absent and Jennifer Musisi gets her will. IGP Kale Kayihura has never liked the brother so his goons and violent police has today battled yet innocent people and shot, even killed bystanders in the siege of Lukwago’s home. The Police men proves that their not to protect and serve. It is not the police who is catching the bad guys, it’s the police who is acting as the bad guys. The people has to scatter when the police arrives, because they will only create violence and be arrested, detain people without court order and paperwork. Preventive Arrest that is being used like it’s the sweetest dream of the NRM-Regime to harass their opposition members in the country. As we have again seen manifest today.

But where are the Police hiding Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, even if hasn’t had the seat for over 48 months, he was still elected to it by last election in 2011. So if that was a valid election leading to the 9^th Parliament, he should be sitting and have the chair until 18^th of February. I am sure Jennifer Musisi would continue to work without his involvement and also Frank Tumwebaze who seem like the arch-crony of the NRM-Regime. It’s like his loyalty is deeper then kin. So that the violence and harassment happening on his watch is not being discussed or addressed, but the way that the opposition is voicing their matters are being said by him to be distasteful. What is really distasteful Hon. Frank Tumwebaze is the simplistic and violent arrest of Erias Lukwago and your measly way of just about 3 months before the General elections; you want to change and amend the law. So that you’re sure that you get the right candidate to be your puppet, Frankie isn’t that right?

Your fear for the people is proven with the violence and killings. The way the Police has to siege and drag the elected Lord Mayor Lukwago from his own home without any court orders and detain at an unknown location. Last time he was taken to custody by the Police was 31^st of October. So he hasn’t had many days in freedom. This proves the fear that the NRM and the Government has for this man. That is why they have wished to switch and amend laws so they can pick whom they like, instead of having faith in the people. Even if they choose to rig those elections, still they can’t be able to rig it all, therefore Kampala slipped through their finger and he won on the last go around. Erias Lukwago seems to be one of the guys that the NRM-Regime fear, not because of the powers he has, but the legitimacy that he has, and the one NRM certain lacks. They run the government and has overtaken the Kampala administration and crushed the elected political system of the city, to empower a ministry of Kampala and it’s Kampala Capitol City Authority, instead of building transparent and accountable City Hall. That is what people like the elected Erias Lukwago works for, and that in starch contrast with the realities on the ground and in the city, as the Parliament proves with every new move they have.

I just wonder, have the Police read “the still in force of colonial law” called Criminal Procedure Code Act of 1950 and section:  “17. Detention of persons arrested without warrant:  When any person has been taken into custody without a warrant for an offence other than murder, treason or rape, the officer in charge of the police station to which the person is brought may in any case and shall, if it does not appear practicable to bring the person before an appropriate magistrate’s court within twenty-four hours after he or she was so taken into custody, inquire into the case, and, unless the offence appears to the officer to be of a serious nature, release the person on his or her executing a bond, with or without sureties, for a reasonable amount to appear before a magistrate’s court at a time and place to be named in the bond; but where any person is retained in custody, he or she shall be brought before a magistrate’s court as soon as practicable”. This law is still in effect so how can you break it so often Mr. Kayihura?  

Now the police and IGP Kale Kayihura men show the violence in action. The world sees it and should question it. They are blasting a gay-law, but not saying anything about the violent Police and it’s shooting on innocent people and bystanders. Uganda Police Force is for the NRM-Regime and not the citizens. They does not create order, they create disorder. They do not protect their people, they protect the regime. They do not serve the people, they serve the regime. That is why Preventative Arrest is such a usual move by these men and without court orders. Yet again, I hope to hear reports that the elected Lord Mayor will come to surface again soon and be back in shape for new nomination date that the Electoral Commission. Stay strong Lord Mayor, we support you and your cause. Continue to work as you do. One day there might be justice in Kampotholo. Peace.

Reference:

Etukuri, Charles & Waiswa, Juilet – ‘Kampala is better now without Lukwago’ (27.01.2015) link: http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/670298–kampala-is-better-now-without-lukwago.html

NRM Primaries a little to Yellow? Sorry wange, it’s to Mellow!

Well after days of Primaries where I have showed details after details of practices of the NRM Electoral Commission and the actions on the ground. These primaries has been magnificent and that the proud professor Tanga Odoi doesn’t have the honor to tell the world that he didn’t have the capacity to deal with all of the voting stations, voting material and the excess of practices on the ground.

The National Resistance Movement who has run a country for 29 years ever since the year of 1986. Has held Internal-Elections to see who might represent them in the General-Election in 2016.

The surprise to people is how Ofwono Opondo spread the level of cost that was on the election 5, 5Billion shillings. That there was set up about 60, 000 voting stations. At the same time there been only registered 47 cars to the political party. The last straw today was that the NRM Register Office is set under the NRM Secretary General and not in the National Resistance Movement Electoral Commission. Therefore the governing body that is in charge of this spending and the amount of cars combined with initial areas that need material doesn’t sound like a something that easily could be questioned. Then they imported the Ballot-papers from Kenyan producers, surely as Dr. Odoi has said he wanted to secure that it wasn’t like in 2010 when people had ballot-papers in their houses and in their pockets. It still hasn’t been smooth.

Ballot-papers has missed candidates, Independent candidates has been on the NRM Ballot-Papers in certain districts, there has been missing slots like 7 boxes to tick and 8 candidates, the ballot papers has ended in the wrong district, there been ballot-boxes in prisons and in Central Police Stations before arriving to Polling Stations. There have even been missing candidates on the ballot-papers. So many wrongs are just the simple ballot-papers or the slips that the voters are supposed to decide their vote. More candidates has been taken with tens of thousands or just thousands of pre-ticket ballot-papers in their houses and cars.

On top of this is the massive arrests, the winning candidates that are still in jail,  pre-ticket ballot-papers ready made for some candidates and some have pre-filled ballot-boxes arriving at the polling-station. FDC Members could willy-nilly vote and at certain voting stations. There been districts where the police have taken people with fake Yellow-Membership-Cards. People been taken to custody for election violence and others for charges of rigging the elections. The last charge has been in many districts. There been specific candidates who has had mobilization teams to bribe voters in counties, certain has been incarcerated for doing so. Certain candidates have held voters on gun-point to make them take the right decision on who to vote for!  The Police has thrown tear-gas into the public to shut down demonstrations after postponing the elections in the county.

There have even been candidates whom have stormed tally-centers with security personnel and demanded all the people to get out. So they could clear the results. Even certain candidates has stolen the ballot-boxes after voting and ended up in jail. There been even candidates who couldn’t control the tally-center so the candidate actually took the declaration form and got caught, ended up also in jail.

For all of this there has even been talking that the Ghost of Amama Mbabazi is the one behind all of this. Isn’t that taking away the 80% satisfaction of Dr. Odoi?

There has been talk of moles into this election and IGP Kale Kayihura has said that the media should step off from being the media and foreign influence is making a lot of trouble. Well, the bribes are local, the mobilization teams are local, the candidates rides locally, the districts are run by local men, the NRM has decided who the wanted on the ballot, not moles or international influences so, IGP Kale Kayihura need yet another reality check!

There has been voting in done electronically on their cell-phone through the magical place of WhatsApp. There has been candidates going to markets and buying soldiers and police officers votes. Some people in this Internal-Election have been stopped from voting in the polling station even when they are registered. The police have even stopped mini-buses with shipped people from county to county to make the tally. There has been magistrates and candidates held temporary hostages by the public for a hot minute for trying to buy the electorate in the municipality.

This here is to set the issues in perspective. To show how the practices has been during this internal election. I will not bring more or less election results from the rest of the internal election of the NRM because the Daily Monitor, Elections.co.ug or other outlets does it better and with manpower and time I don’t have. But you should look over the big birds that are shot down and the changes of guards that has happen in the party. Dr. Tanga Odoi needs to be set straight for this. There was chaos in 2010, but this here hasn’t been a smooth eiter! There have been districts and counties with peace. But there been a lot of irregularities in this internal exercise.

Hope that Eng. Dr. Badru Kiggundu and the big Electoral Commission of the state can do a better job or maybe even hide the malfunctions better for the General Elections coming. Because Dr. Tanga Odoi is showing so much weakness in this, the NRM party as the ruling party is showing shady practices and rigging on a major scale. And if this is a pre-run and test before the coming one, then there will be a long walk in the wilderness and an even longer walk for free and fair elections in Uganda. Peace!