A NGO Crackdown: 10,000 invalid by the NGO Bureau!

Today, the Minister of Internal Affairs Gen. Jeje Odongo dropped an list of certified and verified NON-Governmental Organizations in the Republic of Uganda. The whole list was dropped together with the Press Release. Also, a moment of presser, which addressed the same numbers and information.

Clearly, this is important, as there are plenty of folks now, who has to deliver, register and quickly get verified. If not, if the state take them to court and punish them for organizing illegal activity through an non-registered entity. They might get high fines, be incarcerated or if they continue to violate the law. The NGO and the felon will be fined with a huge sum every single day until it ceases to operate.

However, upon verification of the 14,207 registered NGOs since 1989, as at 7th August 2019, it was noted that only 3,810 NGOs (27%) had valid permits while 10,397 (73%) had invalid permits” (Odongo, 13.11.2019).

All NGOs which do not appear on the validated register should not operate. Stakeholders especially the District and Sub-county NGO Monitoring Committees, Financial Intelligence Authority, Uganda Police Force, Banks, Hotels and other actors should cross check the status of any NGO with the register on the website or with the NGO Bureau to ensure that such NGOs do not operate in any part of the country or transact with their institutions” (Odongo, 13.11.2019).

NGO Act (2016) 40 Offence and Penalties:

(1) An organisation or a person commits an offence who-

(a) on being required to do so, fails or refuses to produce to the Bureau a certificate, permit, constitution, charter or other relevant document or information for the purpose of this act;

(b) knowingly gives false or incomplete information for the purpose of obtaining a permit or other requirement;

(c) operates contrary to the conditions or directions specified in its permit; or

(d) engages in activity that is prohibited by this ACT.

(2) Any person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding seventy two currency points or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or both, and in the case of a continuing offence, to a further fine not exceeding fifteen currency points for each day during which the offence continues after conviction” (NGO Act, 2016).

This means the convicted fellow, who operates without lawful certification from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) could face fines up to 1,4m Shillings or USD$378, or 72 Currency Points (20,000 shillings). A daily fine could be 400k shillings or USD$108, which is a staggering amount of money.

Well, with that in mind. The NGO Bureau better expect that the Executive Directors or the General Secretaries of various of NGOs has to deliver more documentation and get the ability to get verified. To ensure the down-time and the suspension of activity won’t last to long. If not, they have to become local CBOs, which has other regulations and laws, where the local district and officials there verify and certify any organization. This is something the NGOs whose now illegally operating have to consider.

We can see by the list of organizations verified. It was plenty of national, lots of internationally bound and whose supported from the international community. The NGOs whose big enough and have the capacity was able to be verified by the NGO Bureau. The others whose too small or far from the capital have struggled to secure the certification to do so. The NGO Bureau should also ensure the education of the society and the civil society, which this entails. This is stopping the operation of possible 10,000 organizations. Who now have to do the whole ordeal to be legally operational. Because, if they follow the advice of the honourable minister, then they will cease to operate. But what they should do, if they are viable and working organizations. They would go out there tomorrow and seek documentation, follow the guidelines and work towards getting certified by the NGO Bureau.

That is it folks, but certainly many has maybe just few pieces missing. Others has more work to do. To prove and following the NGO Act of 2016. Whatever it might be, but it got to be something. Peace.

CCEDU: Press Statement on Police brutality on journalists (04.11.2019)

Opinion: Is President Museveni taking the role of the IGP?

When reading the letter ‘Update on combating crime’, which was released today on the 3rd November 2019. It was like reading a spread-sheet from an Inspector General of Police. It was reading into the works of the police and investigations made by the Police Force. This wasn’t an letter made by actual President. The Head of State and the Command-in-Chief. No, this was the letter an Inspector General of Police (IGP) should have made.

That President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is micro-managing is now common knowledge. This is why just mere week ago or so, the Deputy IGP had to formulate a plan to criminal gangs, which was just putting basic policing onto a spread-sheet and call it a day. Therefore, what was made today, as a show of effort and work. The President really should have had the IGP J.M. Okoth-Ochola released this letter or something similar. Since, this is initially his job, if not let CP Fred Enaga do his thing and shred some cheese over it and call it a meal.

When saying all this. I will take some pieces of it and show why I feel like this. Because, that is the only way this letter from him makes some sense.

Greetings, after some weeks of absence. This time, I will, again, address you on the issue of combating crime because crime was appearing, again, after we had suppressed it with Operation Wembley in the year 2002. The criminal groups, in recent times, had killed people in the areas of Kampala-Entebbe, Ntungamo, Lyantonde and the Kisoro areas. I have not yet received the report for Kisoro. However, for Kampala Metropolitan, Ntungamo and Lyantonde, the gangs have been wiped out. These gangs had killed 13 people, injured 2 and robbed sh. 24 million in total” (Museveni, 03.11.2019).

Francis K. Butagira statement at the United Nations in New York on the 8th July 2003: The collection of illicit arms in an ongoing activity by law enforcement agencies. A Joint Task Force by the security agencies, code named “Operation Wembley” set up early in 2002 to tackle increased armed crime resulted in the recovery of hundreds of firearms” (Butagira, 08.07.2003). Sam A Akaki wrote: “Creation of ad hoc and unauthorised detaining agencies, such as Operation Wembley and its successor, the Violent Crime Crack Unit (VCCU)” (Written evidence submitted by International Lobby for Reform in Uganda (ILORU), December 2004). What this is showing how he promoted the Operation Wembly now and saying what is happening is the same the past ad-hoc action. This means, there are something similar in the path and usage of the police resources. Therefore, he could just have been an IGP and not so presidential.

After this he shows stories from several places in the Republic, where the been murders, thieving and gangs on rampage. Just writing a protocol of what is the gist of the criminal activity done and even whose name behind it. That is so not like a President, but like a Police Commander. However, he ended this piece with this:

You all can see that what was missing was vigilance by the public and the Police and increasing the speed of responding by the Police. The cameras helped in a few cases. Forensic analysis of cartridges helped in all of them. Police dogs, helped a bit in the Ntungamo incidents. It is easy to defeat these criminals as I said from the very beginning. You can see, how the criminals are trying to use our good roads and the good telephone system to move from Kampala and commit crimes in Ntungamo or any other far corner of Uganda. I will not use permanent road-blocks to catch them. It disturbs Nalumanya and Ssalumanya (the ones who are guilty and the ones who are not guilty). I will always use the technology of jigger extraction. You do not hurt the toe because there is a jigger there. You patiently pull back the skin, until you extract the jigger itself and reward it with fire with little damage to the toe” (Museveni, 03.11.2019).

We can all see, that his pleased by his own achievement like a Police Commander would be, if his policies and his methods was working. However, his the President and not the Police Commander. Even, if he has the overall leadership of the Republic. That doesn’t mean that he should involve himself as directly as this.

The way he wrote the stories of the crimes. The way he is saying that the roads, the telephones and everything else makes it easier for criminals. What makes it easier for criminals to thrive is the lack of policing, lack of rule of law and also an impoverished police. What has been done here is ad-hoc acts of sudden change of what the police was focused on. Instead of focusing on opposition police, it actually did police work and went after gangs. However, that shouldn’t be commended, but says more about the lack of work been put in the right places by the authorities, by the President and by the supposed IGP. Nevertheless, this will continue and this is not the final word in the saga.

We just know it comes more, but this isn’t the sound of reassuring President. No, this is the words of a proud IGP doing his thing. Peace.

Uganda Police Force: Police Dismantles Additional Criminal Gangs (21.10.2019)

Opinion: DIGP Sabiiti’s security plan is basic policing!

Okay The point I’m making is this: Soldiering and policing, they ain’t the same thing. And before we went and took the wrong turn and start up with these war games, the cop walked a beat, and he learned that post. And if there were things that happened on that post, where there be a rape, a robbery, or a shooting, he had people out there helping him, feeding him information. But every time I came to you, my DEU sergeant, for information, to find out what’s going on out on them streets… all that came back was some bullshit. You had your stats, your arrests, your seizures, but don’t none of that amount to shit when it comes to protecting the neighborhood, now do it? [sighs] You know, he worst thing about this, so-called drug war, to my mind…it just, it ruined this job” – Howard “Bunny” Colvin – The Wire Season 3:10 (2004).

What Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) Sabiiti Muzeyi wrote and spelled out to the media in this weeks “Enhanced Security Plan to Curb Violent Crimes”. It was basically spelling out what policing is all about. Not strange it is like this, when the army is more involved, the leadership is patriotic, loyal cadres of the army and leaders from with the Police Force itself.

That is why these fellows could have been re-watching The Wire or any other Police TV-Series, which has been known for a while. Even Pacific Blue, Luther, NYPD Blue, Colombo and all the editions of Law & Order. All of these could say about the same thing.

What the DIGP did launch was more surveillance and investigation capacities, fingerprinting firearms, improving forensics department and more visible police officers in the traffic. This is all steps of ordinary policing. That is not re-inventing an art-form. Alas, this is not changing the ways of doing work.

That is why what they are wanting to do. Is to directly wire-tap gangs, follow-up on CCTV Cameras and investigations itself. So, that they can follow-up on suspects and find proper evidence to link possible criminals. This should be their works, follow leads and breadcrumbs, even have proper detectives, that detect things and solves cases. That shouldn’t so hard, but you cannot anticipate soldiers and the army men to get this. They are securing a territory, they are in the line-of-fire, they are not getting affidavits, finding the motives and the evidence. The Army will use force to keep safety, they will guard a perimeter and secure a venue. They will not find a person with a guilty conscience and ID a suspect with fingerprints and so-on. This they could have learned from watching TV.

Therefore, this sort of enhanced plan to crack down on gangs isn’t that substantial. It shows more the lack of finesse, the lack of protocol and the lack of work ethic within the force. They are just soldiers on the beat and not doing policing. That is why they are not able to stop the gangs from existing. This is how it seems.

This report and PR hasn’t shown strength or ability to restructure. Instead, it has shown weakness and that they have been focused on other work. The Police is known for monitoring opposition leaders, their gatherings and such, but not handling actual criminals. This is maybe why it has to learn basic policing. Which is a sad sight.

Maybe, the UPF should hold seminars, hold course and even have bonus evenings in the police stations with talking points and questions after watching the Wire or anyone else. To see, if there are anything they could learn to do their actual job. Peace.

Opinion: Mzee made a 9 Point Plan to end insecurity last year, now his giving DIGP Sabiiti 48 hours to solve it!

I have given 2 days to Commander Sabiiti of the Police to come out with a plan to combat these gangs. The IGP is away in Peru for a meeting. I will look at that plan, comment on it and it will, then, be communicated to all of you. It is easy to defeat these gangs. Their crimes will only add to the credit of the NRM because we are going to defeat them. Yet, the People have already seen the bankruptcy and the criminality of these groups and those who back them” (Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, 15.10.2019).

Well, Deputy IGP Steven Sabiiti Muzeyi has really only about 24 hours to finish the plan to challenge gangs as a Police Officer, a high ranking security official and a former Major General in the army. This on orders and by commands put on Social Media yesterday by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. Who should have just sent him the package of already well-written ideas from last year. Unless, these are already fixed.

Because on the 20th June 2018, the President dropped his 9 Point Plan to end insecurity. Which was an extensive plan, but you can bug now 1 ½ year later if the Uganda Police Force and the other agencies did comply to this. Even if the magical plan of last year was implemented and put into action.

Like are the police able to collect fingerprints and ID guns? Are the police able to find out by register of boda-boda’s? How is it going with those specialized helmets for boda-boda drivers? Haven’t the CCTV’s done anything, now that they are actually up and going? How is it going with the building of that forensic laboratory? What is going on wit the Flying Squad? Are the any regulation of drones? How is it going with the thieves den on WhatsApp and on Social Media, any signals of catching up on that? Finally, have the Police and Customs acquired any scanners to secure transit of cargo?

This is brief and quick asking of the 9 Point Programme, as the DIGP Sabiiti only has one more day left. But if felt I left out the breadcrumbs of the DIGP to follow, as he stated earlier in his text: “However, for today, I will only comment on the pigs that are attacking People with pangas and mitayimbwa (steel- bars) and robbing them” (Museveni, 15.10.2019). Not that he has to register or look for lost pigs. No, that he has to register pangas, get people to them illuminated numbers in a registry and also combat illegal imports of steal bars. Maybe even, secure previous 9 point plan and actually enforce it.

Who knows, maybe the bans of hoods wasn’t an bad idea, since the Police Force neither has capacity or resources to follow up on previous orders above high. DIGP Sabiiti won’t say that, because than he might be forced to resign or get assigned to a foot-post in Kotido district or something.

If the President was serious he would have given him more time. As he himself hasn’t finished any of his previously made plans, starting all the way back to the 10-Point Programme, before the Vision 2020 or 2040, even the National Development Plan I and II. Therefore, the man should be a bit more patient with his technocrat or civil servant. However, don’t anticipate that. But just like the 9 Pointer of last year.

The additions made by the DIGP will be put in a stacks of paper and forgotten. That is just the way it is, because the funds are only for monitoring opposition and not fight actual crime. Peace.

Opinion: Mzee suspends the use of Penal Code Section 167, but his not repealing it or amending the law!

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni have ordered the Police Force to stop arresting people for being “idle and disorderly” and also release them. Especially, the ones taken in by the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) enforcement. The President want their prosecution discontinued and also stop arresting illegal traders there.

This is clearly a mission from the President who orders this, but if the Republic is supposed to be a land of law and order. Than, the President should get some of his minions to repeal one of his colonial laws, which he has kept and used when in need. Now, his saying the Police Force should stop using it. I will first show, the Penal Code part, which is used and a little history behind why its there today.

The Penal Code Section 167. says:

Idle and disorderly persons.

Any person who—

(a) being a prostitute, behaves in a disorderly or indecent manner in any public place;

(b) wanders or places himself or herself in any public place to beg or gather alms, or causes or procures or encourages any child to do so;

(c) plays at any game of chance for money or money’s worth in any public place;

(d) publicly conducts himself or herself in a manner likely to cause a breach of the peace;

(e) without lawful excuse, publicly does any indecent act;

(f) in any public place solicits or loiters for immoral purposes;

(g) wanders about and endeavours by the exposure of wounds or deformation to obtain or gather alms” (Penal Code Act of 1950).

Short history of the Penal Code:

As such the Africa Order in Council, 1889 was applied to it. Under this Order in Council, statutes of general application in Britain at the time applied to Uganda. One of these was the ‘Idle and disorderly’ Act, 1824. In 1902, the Uganda Order in Council gave powers to the Governor to make laws that apply to the protectorate. The governor passed the Applied Indian Acts Ordinance in 1907, which made the law applicable to India at the time applicable to Uganda. Thus Uganda started using the Indian Penal Code, 1860 until 1930 when the Uganda Penal Code Ordinance was introduced. The Indian Penal Code did not criminalise idle and disorderly conduct or being rogue and vagabond. Similarly, the 1930 Penal Code Ordinance did not criminalise being ‘idle and disorderly’. The criminalisation of both ‘idle and disorderly’ and ‘rogue and vagabond’ was introduced under the 1950 Penal Code, which is still the Penal Code Act in force today, now designated as the Penal Code Act, Chapter 120 of the Laws of Uganda, 2000” (HRAF – ‘ THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE ENFORCEMENT OF‘IDLE AND DISORDERLY’ LAWS ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF MARGINALISED GROUPS IN UGANDAP: 23, 2016).

So, now, the President is now suspending the arrests of the idle traders and other people taken by the section of society, which the KCCA and Police Force deems them as “idle and disorderly”. This is part of the Penal Code, which has been historically used by the state to restrictive laws of society control. However, the state has kept it, because its a useful tool by the state.

Now, the President suspend it and stops the Police from using it. However, the law is still enforced, unless the National Resistance Movement or some MPs are amending it or repealing this law. Therefore, the act of the President today with ordering the UPF to suspend doing it. Can only be seen as a temporary suspension or even a PR stunt. Because, the law is still enforced. The law is still active.

This means, the state can still use the law, even if the President has sent a circular and order from above. The law is still there and looking at the public. The Colonial heritage is still there and the usage of it is still common practice. Just wait to the campaign season and general election in 2021, the state will use the Penal Codes like no tomorrow. Peace.

Uganda Police Force: Curcular – Sub: Arresting People for the Crime of “Idle and Disorderly” (01.10.2019)

Uganda Police Force: Police Statement on recent Transfers and Postings (26.09.2019)

Uganda-Rwanda Tensions Part XII: Communique (16.09.2019)