

Uganda Police Force: Security Situation in Arua Municipality (14.08.2018)






At this point, after yesterday death of the driver of Bobi Wine, the arrests of journalists, Bobi Wine whisked away and Kassiano Wadri arrested with several others. We can wonder if this Arua By-Election really matters? Why is this so important for the President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni? That he will keep opposition, arrest them and also take care of journalists for reporting on the events.
That is what we should question, as lives are taken, the Presidential Guards are killing and leaving families behind it hurt. There are enough pain and suffering as it is, there are enough self-inflicted pains by the authorities towards innocent civilians. This is happening, while the Presidents own Press Squad trying to forge a story of destroyed wind-shield. Without any of the glass destroyed the car, neither the bulletproof vehicle had any other parts destroyed by the same stones. The destruction of that car, was made to steer the conversation, but we shouldn’t let Don Wanyama and Museveni steer the wheel, they are just trying to stop us talking about the real damage.
The real damage is on the opposition parties side, on the public side, where the public was shot at with tear-gas, where the Special Force Command went into a situation and blasted live bullets, directly at one car. This wasn’t a mere stray shot, this was deliberately, therefore, because of press on the ground covering it. They had to arrest the NTV Crew and take them to Gulu for “Questioning”. Because the President couldn’t have the real news of the tried assassination plot in the reports. They needed the fake vandalized car, because that isn’t an easy trick to pull. The bullets from the Presidential Guards went directly to the seat in the car, where usually Bobi Wine sits. If that isn’t marked territory, nothing is. They can foil a PR scam, but not fool you so many times.
We know they tried to take away the reporters and journalists on the ground, as they did not want the news of beatings of politicians, the arrests of several, the tear-gas nor the assassination plot to get to the public. However, that is the mere fact and the orders from above was set fore. If they we’re thinking this was wise, it was not, because it just shows how far Museveni will go over a By-Election to get his way. He will kill and destroy, he will assassinate and get rid of his mortal enemies. That is the way he is built and shows it with perfection in Arua.
This election was supposed to be about who gets the seat of the late Hon. Ibrahim Abiriga, who himself as assassinated earlier this year, now a second plot because of the same seat have been put forward. You can wonder, how many lives has to be taken, before people start to question the legitimacy and reason for letting Museveni rule indefinitely. Since, the innocents dies because of his reign and instead of showing compassion and mercy, he shows merciless attacks and propaganda to sway the public opinion. This is total disregard of life, which he is supposed to serve and take care of.
When he thinking of taking care of, he thinks of ending their lives apparently, not trying to find a solution to live together in harmony. Because yesterday was razing havoc and killing a driver, doing all kind of vindictive stuff and trying to forge a story of a destroyed car. That doesn’t work.
No sort of story should play out that this was the solution the SFC and Presidential Convoy could have managed this. If they we’re sincere, they would have found another way or used methods, however, shooting into crowds, using tear-gas and trying to hit at a target. Was their way yesterday, they can say whatever they like, but it is not believable, as the circumstances and results are in favor of the President. Not of the people or anyone else.
This shouldn’t be forgotten, as the steps of demolition of the opposition continues in the mind of the President. He is really pursuing it and it shows, with fatal circumstances like yesterday. Peace.

We can wonder, what was the plan of the authorities, as the vicious attempt to attack one car in Arua happen earlier today. This is after a report, that the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) – Special Force Command (SPC) did a direct shooting at the car of Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine in Arua. This has happen today as the Arua By-Election are going to the polls on the 15th July 2018. The SPC, the Presidential Guards and the Police Force have attacked the marches in and around the town. They have used tear-gas and live-bullets in town. This shows how the By-Elections turns into a War-Zone. Today, this has ended in fatal death of the Yasin Kawuma, the driver of Bobi Wine, as the SFC tried to assassinate him.
This election isn’t supposed to be about Bobi Wine, he is there as endorsement of Kassiano Wadri together with former FDC Party President Mugisha Muntu. While today President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni have campaigned for the NRM Flag-Bearer Nusura Tiperu. While the FDC have fielded Bruce Musema, who have campaigned together with Kizza Besigye. Therefore, there been three rallies on the final day before the polls. However, all of that fallen short, as the violence has hit Arua.
All of who is winning isn’t important today, as an innocent driver was killed by the Presidential Guards. These are people who came armed and ready, that is why the same security organizations have sealed of the hotel of Bobi Wine. Clearly, the authorities has tried to get rid of him.
This is clearly sending the message, that this by-election are so important, that they will even kill the opposition and their leaders to gain the seat of the deceased honorable Ibrahim Abiriga. I am sure the President will say some random hoodlum or terrorist did this. Promise to put up CCTV camera’s and such. However, the SFC will be untouched, as they killed the driver today.
The NRM cannot get away with this, as the driver was just someone caught randomly, as they went for the car of Bobi Wine. That could have been a political assassination, which haven’t been seen in a while. Even if the assassination of Abiriga was bad, this would have had more ramifications. As Bobi Wine has a standing in the population, while Abiriga was more a lonely fellow within the elite. Even the assassination of AIGP Andrew Kaweesi. Both have been serious and shown how easily big-men can get touched, however, trying to kill Bobi Wine is showing at what level of intimidation the NRM are up too.
This is coming, as Bobi Wine is arrested too. The endless impunity of the NRM and President Museveni isn’t stopped. The authorities knows this and ordered the SFC to attack and take out Bobi Wine. That happened as the opposition supporters was booing at the President during a march and the authorities went hostile. This shows how volatile the President is and how his ego plays out. That his opponents can make he take to arms, because his vision is jaded.
While Museveni are trying to play it out, that opposition members have attacked his car. How is people with stones able to destroy the windows of bullet-proof and tinted windows of his vehicle. There is no way this happen, as the police are arresting opposition leaders as culprits and making the public criminals. This shows how demeaning the President is, as the car of Bobi Wine was targeted, he is a bit lucky to be arrested and not silenced. That shows how little care the President has and how much force he needs to pull, to be able to intimidate and silence the public to get their vote. No vision, no message and no policies, just fear.
We can wonder if the President wanted to assassinate Robert Kyagulanyi, as his driver is now dead. That because the President ordered his Presidential Guards to stop them from marching. There was no mercy, no thought of consequences, just making sure he would overcome this nightmare of political opponent. The easiest way would be to assassinate him. Peace.

Well, it will be a race between the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Nusura Tiperu candidate and independent candidate Kasiano Wadri. This is the Arua Municipality By-Election that will happen on the 15th August, as the contested seat of late Hon. Ibrahim Abiriga is for the taking.
This means that the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) own person will step aside, this is the upcoming Bruce Musema. The vital change happens after Justice Forum, Democratic Party and Bobi Wine agreed upon this. The FDC have clearly folded after what happen in Bugiri Municipality, as former Party President Gen. Mugisha Muntu have already started to campaign from Wadri. There are clearly tensions in the air and the obvious outcome. Muntu clearly favored someone outside his previous party, than throwing his weight in favor of Musema. That is really showing lack of loyalty, btu that is to be expected these days. Abed Bwanika was also apart of the people who went in support of Wadri, as well as Norbert Mao, therefore, the DP is heavily invested in the candidate. As they need the result to prove their worth.
Nusura Tiperu is running a campaign of continuing the “Late Abiriga’s Agenda”, however if that will stick or be the reason for her victory, who knows, as the Electoral Commission, the Police Force and the NRM are usually busy rigging elections in their favor. Even as the Joint Opposition Candidate Wadri, will still battle hard, as he is not as viable as Musema might have been. This can really be shooting itself in the foot, as Tiperu might look much smarter, than Wadri ever will be.
Because if Wadri didn’t have the Democratic Party, Bobi Wine and Bwanika behind him. Would he even mattered in concern with Musema? That is the question we can now put. This questions are viable and it is just days ahead of the polls. That is not a sign of strength, but of weakness.
Tiperu couldn’t have gotten a better bargain, as she has to rally against weak Joint Candidate, instead of several Opposition Flag-Bearers. If the Opposition would have been smart, they had put Musema forward as it would have a younger and viable candidate, not an older character like Wadri. Tiperu doesn’t even need lots of big-men around her to win this. She has an advantage and she didn’t do crap about it. This is the own making of the opposition itself.
If your making a joint candidate, you put the best one you have, not the second best or the lucky loser, but you put up someone that you can actually believe in. That is not Wadri. Wadri is not believable, that Bwanika and Bobi Wine, even Muntu is up to something. That is clear, but the vindication of their political bargain, might be a cold cup of tea and not a drink you enjoy.
Wadri is the former Terego County MP, who lost in 2016, therefore, he is already and not a strong one. They are moving him to another district, but his person is still the same. He has already lost one to the NRM. What stops him from that happening again, the mystical powers of Bobi Wine?
We have to see, but Wadri shouldn’t be the one, in this one Musema should have, but maybe after the Bugiri Municipality, the FDC are throwing their weight behind as they were under-fire to field their own. But this time, it would have made sense, because will someone who lost to NRM. He has already had 4 terms in Parliament. There should be someone without entitlement to run.
However, that is what Arua is getting from the opposition. They are fielding a failed, career politician whose time is up. If he bounces back its because of mercy, not because of his swagger. Peace.


Today, it was striking that the government really hitting a home-run in double messaging. The National Resistance Movement (NRM) started from 1st July 2018 to tax all parts of the transactions with Mobile Money Tax. This is receiving, sending and also uploading the funds. That is why these funds have been tripled taxed with the other taxes that is already put on the transactions like PAYE and VAT.
That is why the Honorable Tumwebaze words seems fitting to post on the Mobile Money Tax, as this is discriminating people and making sure they cannot use the technology or digital way of paying bills and such. However, he don’t want people to resist it. How fitting, when the state have made it to expensive for people to be part of the modern world and have to use old methods to pay their relatives and companies, making sure day to day transactions becomes more costly.
Frank Tumwebaze statement:
“Continuous technological advancement will further lead to other digital migrations in the way we conduct business. Let us embrace these technology advancements and not resist. If you resist technology it will disrupt” (New Vision, 2018)
BoU report on the tax after a month:
“The 0.5 per cent tax on Mobile Money is discriminative and is likely to affect financial inclusion, officials from Bank of Uganda have said. The officials said this while appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on finance on Wednesday to give their views about mobile money tax. The officials, who also appeared before the committee alongside their counterparts from telecom companies, said mobile money transactions declined by 672bn shillings in the first two weeks of implementing the mobile money tax” (Tusingwire, 2018).
I am not surprised that the Mobile Money Market is hit and hard. Even if one percentage of tax doesn’t sound much. However, when you had put in on all parts of the transaction plus the other added taxes, the total cost of a transaction is huge. It is eating a lot of the plate for the same services, which has been provided for ages. There are already costs of the transactions to the companies, therefore the public have shunned and also stopped using it. Many even felt they couldn’t afford the usage of it.
That was to be expected. However, the Minister Tumwebaze have made the people resist moving to digital migration, move into the modern day transactions of money and such. That with the Exercise Duty, which was enforced two months ago.
The NRM cannot talk of people embracing technology, when they themselves making people resist or to expensive to use. Maybe, they have to figure out better ways of taxing people. If they want to be fair, because now even the National Bank of Bank of Uganda is saying it is discriminating. That should worry the Minister, but he is just using fashionable words. So he clearly don’t care. Peace.
Reference:
Tusingwire, Serestino – ‘Mobile Money tax discriminative – BoU’ 01.08.2018 link: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Mobile-Money-tax-discriminative-BoU/688334-4692428-137ocmdz/index.html
New Vision – ‘Let us embrace technology advancements’ 01.08.2018 link: https://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1482566/us-embrace-technology-advancements

Earlier in the day suddenly without any forewarning, the Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah sent at the message of postponement of the plenary session from today the 18th July 2018 unto the 19th July 2018. This was not expected, but the 10th Parliament haven’t been business as usual.
The reason came later, as the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Caucus suddenly was summoned to the State House today. This is all of the NRM Members of Parliament, which means the majority of the parliament. As the oppositions and independents are a minority. All of these MPs spent the whole day at the State House. Surely, they we’re made sure to follow the President line on the matter.
This was a meeting on the revision of the newly Exercise Duty, which was put into effect on the 1st July 2018. NTV Uganda reported: “Its expected that the caucus will support the cabinet decision of 0.5% tax on withdrawals, the same position they will support on the floor of parliament” (NTV Uganda, 18.07.2018). NBS TV reported: “According to the Government Chief Whip Ruth Nankabirwa, the meeting is intended to reconcile the caucus position on the two taxes. However, some of the NRM legislators who voted against the age limit bill have been blocked from attending the meeting” (NBS Television, 18.07.2018).
The ones not allowed to attend with his royal highness, as they have already proven dissenting voices last year, are these NRM MPs: James Acidiri, Monica Amoding, Norah Bigirwa, Johnson Muyanja Senyonga, Everlyn Chemutai, Hellen Kahunde, Justine Khainza, Gaffa Mbwatekamwa and Henry Kibalya. So these we’re barred from entering the NRM Caucus today. That proves the ironies of the NRM.
The Resistance Movement, has issues with rebels, even as the Movement was forged out of a rebellion. The 1986s of the world is a rare breed. Musevenism must be the most head-up-in-the-ass and lack of soul-searching.
So, if these people doesn’t follow party line tomorrow, everyone should understand. Therefore, the expectation is that the NRM are voting for only one of the third taxes on the Mobile Money. That being only 0,5% on Withdrawal, take away the 1% on receiving, transactions and withdrawals, which it is today. However, there is no change with the Social Media Tax or the OTT Tax of 200 shillings per day. The NRM has no plan of scratching that, they just want to weaken the blow on the consumer and users of the transactions of the money through the Mobile Service.
We can really see, how foolish the NRM Party have become and they all have to bow down for the majesty at the State House. Museveni have to get them in accord.
If the NRM things this was a smooth way… they are wrong, if the NRM things this a way of proving force; They are all wrong. The NRM deserves no credit, they pursuit the taxes on demand by the majesty, they levied it and didn’t due diligence on the taxes either. They we’re just following the possible revenue streams without thinking consequences. The NRM will sell this as a victory, but really it is poor performance. From a ruling regime and ruling party, that is rotten to its core.
If there was any party understanding rebels, this is one of them and they don’t, they are just blindly following Museveni and doing it without consideration of the implications doing so. It makes them look foolish. Peace.

“If you are committed Ugandan who really wants services from you government why are you motivated and proud with your head high to contribute money 30 times OTT tax to the Innovator of VPN” – Frank Tumwebaze
Today, The Minister of ICT &National Guidance Frank Tumwebaze spoke his heart out in defense of the Social Media Tax. Just as the first quote. Shows how he will defend the state massive breach of freedom of speech, with the 200 shillings a day for Social Media Tax. That the National Resistance Movement (NRM) calls OTT or Over The Top Services. They are continuing their assault on the use of phone, like it is a luxury and not a way of communications. Non of the times, they are explaining why the citizens are taxed, but not the companies.
“When Ministry of Finance is borrowing, we, the Parliament and civil society are grilling them for borrowing. But when we say this is a sector that has grown in the economy so let’s get a bit of it, let’s get Shs. 6,000 from every holder of a smartphone consuming OTTs, what production capacity will it stifle?” (Frank Tumwebaze, 17.07.2018)
Well, when you live on less then a dollar then a day, than your already struggling in life and many are, but this tax is taking up to 20% of the lowest civil servants or public officials, these are the low level government clerks and teachers. They are using one fifth of their salary on this tax on the top of the use of paying taxes for using the phone, as the air-time is taxed, the phone is and the income of the salary is too. So it is not like the person didn’t pay for anything before opening Facebook or WhatsApp. That is just a non-story.
Let me say what it will stifle, the conversation and the opportunity to get the information online, as the most is spread through social media. The media houses, the government and the rest is informing through these platforms to the public. If you want to know something, you go into the Social Media and read the information there. This also close out the poorest from addressing their vocal needs online and even maybe make it too expensive to use apps to configure trade of crops or even tips for using their plots. Not that is considered, because everyone can afford to fork out money like drunk MPs, right?
“Is USD 1,4 too much for a citizen to contribute to tax yet you have money to buy a smartphone, minimumly at Shs. 300,000 that is data enabled, and you load bundles of over shs. 30,000? Logically it doesn’t make sense” (Frank Tumwebaze, 17.07.2018).
If this was only true, if the part of the big majority who is under poverty-line or struggling to get salaries, they cannot afford this. They will be silenced. Many are buying knock-off B-Products of Cellphones, which cost a fraction of what the Minister propose. It is a very selected few who owns the newest Iphone, there are more lackluster Samsung and Nokia out there. The ones with the simple smartphone systems. So that the minister should consider that. In the same regard, the Minister should disclose why the companies have closed and stopped the cheapest bundles and packages after 1st July 2018 as the OTTs Tax came into affect?
However, that is not a big deal for him. He thinks everyone has his salary and has capacity to pay out of their ass in double or triple tax on the same service, as they are doing in this. Still, putting it all on the citizen and still not on the corporation. What has the Telecoms done to beat the ass of the government? Since the argument is never to tax the corporations who are earning on these services, but always on the citizens?
The final rebuttal from me today, for the fist question about VPN. It is very simple why people use VPN. Because this government spend revenue and donations like there is no tomorrow on wastage of cronyism, corruption and on the President. It doesn’t deliver services, but feed the royal court of Museveni. Therefore, they rather pay a random stranger, than feeding the monster at the State House. This is their reaction to the unhealthy activity of the state, also the unfair double taxation. If they didn’t pay VAT and other taxes on the Air-Time or Data-Bundle, it would be a little fair, but when you already do that and has a second pay wall. Than you know that the issues of stupidity deserves to be counter with defiance. Peace.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is insecure these days, since he is writing and typing like there is no tomorrow. Long time since he has written this much, could think he was running a president another term. Well, this is in defence of the Local Council Elections, which was recently held for the first time since 2001. That is showing how little it really matter, when the state cannot afford or care for the elections to be held for every term. They are hold whenever the state feels like it and the keepers of the LC1 can keep it until next scheduled election, which means over decades and close to two if they are very lucky.
So, President Museveni is lecturing, I am just taking my favourite passages, I don’t want to waste our time with bottlenecks and empty promises. Just so the pure venom of his words against his own people. While defending the so-called victory!
“This massive win by the NRM is in spite of very active and sustained media demonization of the NRM by the social media users, the enemy paper, the Monitor, some Radio and TV stations, not to forget some elements in the opposition Parties. Some of the elements have even gone to the extent of murdering Ugandans – Sheikhs, women, children, State officials like Kagezi and Kaweesi as well as ordinary villagers like the ones murdered on the New Year. All those liars, charlatans and criminals thought that by these methods, they would make the People hate the NRM or fear to associate with it. These liars, charlatans and criminals forget two things. One thing they forget is that Ugandans, especially the village people, are not fools and they are honest. They are not easy to deceive. When you go to Acholibur, just South of Kitgum, where a new long tarmac road, all the way from near Packwach, passes and you say the NRM Govt has done nothing, the villagers can easily tell who the liar is. That is the same story all over the country. Secondly, these liars, charlatans and criminals forget that there is God who sees everything” (…) “Politically and ideologically, the parasitic groups use sectarianism of religion or tribes or promote gender chauvinism (looking down upon women, neglecting the youth). The pro- national groups counter with the four principles: nationalism, Pan-Africanism, social- economic transformation and real democracy of the masses like we saw recently in the Women and LCI elections. The venom of the unfair media and social- media attacks on the NRM exposes the intentions of some of these groups” (Yoweri Kaguta Museveni – ‘Local Council election victories prove correctness of NRM ideology’ 16.07.2018).
You know that this is a bitch mode of Museveni, as he is blaming and calling media houses out. It is so common that he picks on the Daily Monitor, that if it wasn’t a big Foreign Investor who owned it, it would have been closed or raided. He speaks the power of his “democracy”, but blames certain parts of the opposition parties. That is not how it works, but in the mind of Museveni it does, because they are not loyal to his every whim. Everyone cannot kiss as Mwenda or even Opondo.
That he defends these victories in the villages and the securing the LC1 shows how weak the NRM is at this point, when they couldn’t have ballots or secret voting, but on the court yards of the villages, like it was peer pressure and the use of military was apparent in and around the country. The villagers aren’t fools, but Museveni still acts a fool. He thinks they are not tired of his ways and his attitude. Museveni uses these villagers as pawns of his power and his party, while forgetting, that the Electoral Commission didn’t field opposition candidates and neither are there a level playing-field, as the elections has been postponed and the meetings of opposition have been closed outlawed by the Public Order Management Act (POMA). So, when Mr. President speaks his heart of about democracy, maybe, just maybe, think of the grounds that the FDC, DP or UPC has to jump through, while the NRM can do as they want. Even ride in the Police Cars to rallies to stop FDC from doing it in the same village. That is how the “democracy” are in Uganda at this point and time.
That he calls them liars, have he forgotten how he had to use a Personal Armoured Carrier in Alebtong in November 2015. Surely, the roads standards have magically become better in these districts since he took power yet again in 2016. He can forget, he is already advanced age and should rare his cows, not be in politics anyway.
It is time to pack his bags and leave, he forgets and cannot even keep his lies straight, while blaming other parties like always. It has grew really old on me. The art of peer pressure isn’t how elections should be, if the EC and the NRM was serious about LC1 Elections, they would have spent time on ballots, on training of officials and also shown tact to have observers from CCEDU at it. However, since of none of that was appearing, we know this was school-yard pick a captain for the football stuff, not a serious election. Even if the master Teacher spent his time writing his piece.
God Forgive him, he knows what he does. Peace.