Ninth day of Presidential Rallies in Uganda + More NRM Primaries and Statements on Yesterday’s UPF actions in Kampala

There been yet another day with rallies and promises and quotes from the presidential candidates. I will not have quotes from everybody. This here will be a quick one. Since this is become normally. There will be more side-notes. There been coming new press-releases and statements worth mentioning some more information on the NRM Primaries that just continues. Also reactions to yesterday’s actions in Kampala; Take a look!

Quote of the Day:

“Lukwago, Ssewanyana are to be held accountable for attack on Delta TV Journalist, Police prefer charges” – CP Fred Enanga of the Ugandan Police Force.

NRM Rally today: 

NRM have rallies today in Arua, Maracha and Koboko.

FDC set to have rallies today in Luuka and Kaiiro.

A proof of humility and endurance towards his fellow comrades:

“The Kamuli district Chairperson and FDC National Vice Chairperson Hon Salam Musumba lost a grandmother yesterday. As a sign of comradeship ,Dr Besigye today first went to pay his last respects to the late before embarking on his mobilization tour for Busoga” (Reported from Moses Byamugisha).

Dr. Kizza Besigye saying in Luuka:

“We will reduce the size of government. To allow us locate money to benefit citizens. We will reduce the number of ministers from the current 80 to 21 ministers” (…)”Busoga has been poor because it has been loyal to Museveni dictatorship”,

“Dr. Kizza Besigye talked about tackling poverty, investing in agriculture, improving our agriculture and invest in our infrastructures. He will be in Kaliro later in the day. #‎PeoplePower. Kigwa Leero” (Reported from Harold Kajja).

Go-Forward crowds getting ready in Fort Portal: 

Go-Forward is set to have rallies in Kabarole – Fort Portal today.

Amama Mbabazi said this today:

“My response to that is always, all executive power is vested in the President, have I ever been President?” (…)”My only plea to you is to give me the mandate to lead you into a peaceful transition next year”.

Jackie Asiimwe-Mwesige said at Go-Forward rally:

“Bukenya and Akena…. Birds of the same feather? Their names even rhyme”.

TIC Candidates:

Maureen Faith Kyala and Joseph Mabirizi is supposed to hold campaign rally in Kampala today.

PDP rally: 

Abed Bwanika the People’s Development Party will hold campaigns in Abletong and Otuke today.

Professor Baryamureeba will be in Abletong and Kole.

Gen. Benon Buta Biraaro locations are unknown.

Kenneth Mwehonge coordinator the Uganda Coalition for Access to Essential Medicines (UCAEM) statement today:

“ARV Shortage, more people need the drugs, but the budget allocation seems to have stayed the same” (…)”At least 8 districts affected. The problem with procurement, but funding”.

Go-Forward Coordinator:

Dick Kizza in Sembabule had it house set on fire last night by some suspected arsonist.

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Side-Note – NRM Primaries:

Chua East: State Ministers of Foreign Affairs Oryem Okello won over the other candidates are now the NRM Flag-Bearer.

Rubanda West Constituency the incumbent Minister Banyezaki lost his candidacy to Eng. Denis Sabiiti. Banyezaki has claimed after: “a total sham and marred by massive rigging. The tally was like this:

“Eng.Sabiiti got 13,798 votes.Hon Banyenzaki got 11,874 & Moses Kamuntu got 5,363 votes” (912CroozeFM).

In Kaiiro where the NRM Primaries we’re held 5 Supporters was taken into custody after inciting violence, they found pangas and spears.

Lwenga NRM voters boycott the NRM Woman MP internal election over this NRM Primaries.

In Masaka the new flag-bearer for NRM there is 72 year old Ms. Freda Kase Mubanda.

The 30 aspirants of Isigniro District who lost in the NRM Primaries have to decide to stand as independent candidates and support Amama Mbabazi in the General Election.

Side-Note 2 – Dr. Kizza Besigye Statement on KCCA ACT and UPF actions yesterday:

“Dr. KIZZA BESIGYE’S STATEMENT ON KCCA AMENDMENTS.

I was made aware immediately by my aides of the sad events that happened in Kampala yesterday, well that was quite obviously expected”.

“In the course of this electoral process, we are going to have similar incidents because!, first of all, we have in place an incompetent and partisan Electoral Commission. The Electoral Commission has already made blunders and caused confusion by dancing to the tunes of the dictatorship, its evident they are preoccupied with changing the rules of the game in the middle of the game”.

“The changing of the electoral laws in the middle of the election is illegal, hence the Electoral Commission has become a willing partner in commission of these illegalities. Therefore for the electoral commission to issue a statement stopping the nomination and election of the Lord Mayor on mere speculation that the laws are being amended is utterly disgraceful and questionable. The Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago was duly elected but the dictatorship and police have in most cases with violence obstructed him from serving the people who elected him”.

“Therefore in accordance to the philosophy of my campaign of wining by defiance, I not only condemn the actions of the Executive, the Electoral Commission and the Police who continue to commit crimes, but will shall rally the citizens to resist them”.

“The attack on journalists is deplorable and criminal act ,it must stop. The perpetrators must know that they will be answerable individually or collectively. In the demonstration of civil disobedience through the now empowered citizens the Junta was able to rescind their intention to block the nomination of Lord mayor Lukwago. I recognize that the refusal by the Lord Mayor and his supporters to surrender to the dictator is the first victory of our strategy of winning by defiance and not by compliance”.

“Therefore in winning by defiance and not compliance , I urge whole the forces of pro-democracy, pro- change and above all the people of Kampala to turn up and offer massive support to the Lord mayor Erias Lukwago as he goes in for his nomination tomorrow the 18th November”.

“We shall move on with the strategy , sensitize the whole country and we shall ultimately liberate ourselves. For God and my country.

Dr. Kizza Besigye”.

Side-Note 3 – UPF Statement today:

“Good afternoon,

A few pointers here in regards to the officials that we have and what they wear:

We have 5 different uniforms in active use : the olive green, white, blue camouflage, navy blue, and black.

Khaki uniform is used by general police officers

White uniform is used by traffic police officers

Blue camouflage is used by the field force unit

Navy blue is the marine unit

Black is worn by the Counter Terrorism Unit

If you need any of these services – do get in touch with us”.

Side-Note 4 – The Media Council of Kenya on shooting yesterday:  

Press statement on shooting of a journalist by Ugandan Police

Nairobi, November 17, 2015

The Media Council of Kenya strongly condemns the alleged shooting, by police, of a journalist in Uganda.

The journalist, Isaac Kugonza, working with a private station, Delta TV, was on Monday allegedly shot on the head and is fighting for his life in Mulago National Referral…

See more

The Media Council of Kenya strongly condemns the alleged shooting, by police, of a  journalist in Uganda. The journalist, Isaac Kugonza, working with a private station, Delta TV, was on Monday allegedly shot on the head and is fighting for his life in Mulago National Referral hospital. From press reports, Isaac is the third journalist to be shot while covering political events in less than two months. Others who were shot last month are Matovu Enock of NTV and Ivan Vincent Mukisa of Radio One. It’s astonishing and disgraceful for the government of Uganda and President Yoweri Museveni’s regime in particular. It is a sad period for the journalism fraternity in the region. We urge Ugandan authorities to investigate and bring to book those behind this cowardly act. For democracy to prevail, journalists should never be intimidated or harassed in their line of duty. Such acts undermine freedom of the media and democracy in the region.

Haron Mwangi,PhD Chief Executive Officer and Secretary to the Council

Side-Note 5 on Cabinet Reshuffle:

“PO/31

13^th November, 2015

Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga

Speaker of Parliament

KAMPALA

RE:   APPOINTMENT OF THIRD PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTERS

I write to request you to, as required by Article 113 and 114 of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, approve the following persons that I have appointed to the respective positions in Government:

1. Mr. Kirunda Kivejinja –        Rt. Hon. 3^rd Deputy Prime

Minister and Minister of East African Affairs;

2. Madame Rose Akol –        Minister of Internal Affairs;

3. Mr. Werikhe Kafabusa –        Minister of State for Industry

I forward their names to you for scrutiny and approval.

Yoweri K. Museveni

P R E S I D E N T

Copy to    Rt. Hon. Prime Minister

The Kenyan Saga of Journalist John Ngirachu: Minister Nkaissery’s statement to journalists (Youtube-Clip), Press Statement from the Media Council of Kenya (10.11.2015), Press release from Raila Odinga & Press Statement from the Kenyan Editors Guild (10.11.2015)

STATEMENT BY THE KENYA EDITORS GUILD ON THE ARREST OF NATION MEDIA GROUP JOURNALIST JOHN NGIRACHU

An old proverb aptly advised human kind over the ages that, “Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad.”

This evening, the Cabinet Secretary in charge of the Ministry of Interior Major General (retired) Joseph ole Nkaissery outdid himself in purported execution of the mandate of his Ministry. John Ngirachu, a Nation Media Group journalist on lawful duty in the National Assembly was arrested within the precincts of Parliament on orders of Nkaissery.

The cabinet secretary has evidently followed through his threat to target the media over a report on the Auditor General’s query on how Nkaissery Ministry spent some Ksh.3.8 Billion in a single day.

The Kenya Editors Guild and indeed the entire independent media fraternity is appalled by the arrest of Ngirachu and the bizarre demand by Nkaissery that the journalist ‘reveal the source of the story’. The query of the Auditor General on the Ksh.3.8 Billion Interior Ministry spending is a matter for which Mr. Nkaissery was questioned by the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament and effectively, Nkaissery is one of the sources of the story, and indeed a reliable one.

The demand for source of the story is therefore mere posturing by Nkaissery who has proceeded to threaten that Ngirachu will quote; “be fried if he does not reveal the sources of his story”. We are indeed disappointed with this unpolished language of an otherwise senior cabinet minister; phrases such as ‘frying’ an innocent journalist could at best find home back in 1980s when Nkaissery led an infamous military ‘security operation’ against potentially innocent villagers in West Pokot.

We have also taken note of a 4-page incoherent statement that preceded the arrest of Ngirachu. The statement is an attempt to build a case against not just the media but also a broader base of Kenyans that have dared question a wide range of issues particularly the runaway corruption in government.

The Nkaiserry statement has bizarrely suggested what it terms ‘a choreographed campaign to destroy the government’. The statement termed corruption and the media reporting of it as ‘an internationalized hysteria aimed at harming the Nation.’ Nkaissery also accuses quote “the media of castigating the government as irredeemably corrupt.” The statement then proceeds to warn that those making allegations of corruption will be held to account.

I am urging the media to publish the statement in full so that the public can appreciate the peculiar, even irrational thoughts contained in the 4-page statement.

If the statement is anything to go by, the arrest of journalist John Ngirachu is only the beginning of tougher times for the media and any other independent voices brave enough to raise questions on the corruption crisis that ails our country tonight.

We complete with an assurance, John Ngirachu will be free and back to work shortly.

Thank you.

Linus Kaikai
CHAIRMAN, KENYA EDITORS GUILD

Press release:

HARASSMENT OF JOURNALISTS 

My attention has been drawn to the arrest of Parliamentary Editor for the Nation Media Group, Mr John Ngirachu. I have also learnt of the absurd explanation by Internal Security Cabinet Secretary Mr Joseph Nkaissery that Mr Ngirachu will be released when he reveals the source of the story he wrote on the Internal Security spending.

I want to express my solidarity with the family, friends and media fraternity over this unfortunate development. I also wish to advise the government to respect the timeless tradition that journalists are duty bound to protect the sources of information they have as long as that information is of immense public interest and there was no way of obtaining it other than by relying on confidential sources. I believe that was the case in regard to security ministry spending. This is not the first time spending by internal security ministry is coming into sharp scrutiny.

I wish to assure Mr Ngirachu that I stand with him personally and the Opposition does too. I assure him that his dreams for a free and open society are valid and legal and he must pursue them without any fear of fighting a lone battle. We will do all we can to secure his freedom.

I demand that the young man be freed immediately to pursue his career. Kenya has to move forward and close the chapter of repression and opaqueness in the management of public affairs permanently. I appeal to my colleagues in government to stop entertaining the idea that Kenya can move backwards or stand still.

In the meantime, I have also instructed lawyers Senator James Orengo and Mr Paul Mwangi to immediately get in touch with the Nation Media Group and take up the young editor’s case for free and defend the rights and privileges of the media for the sake of Kenya.

The Rt. Hon Raila A. Odinga, EGH