EAC Communique – Emergency Summit of Heads of State of the East African Community on the Situation in Burundi (31.05.2015)

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Uganda – Bill No. 13 – The Appropiation Bill 2015 (29.05.2015) – Use of the Consolidated Fund- Quotes and Outtakes

This blog will be about the Bill No. 13 – ‘the Appropiation bill, 2015’ of the 29th May 2015. That was a part of the Uganda Gazette No. 28 CVIII dated 29th May 2015. This bill will the money used for service until 30th June of 2016. This bill is an extension to the Public Finance Management Act of 2015 and the Section of 17 in that Act. That states this:

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Here is how it’s been scheduled to spend the fund in the different areas from the fund and use the Consolidate fund and using the fund accordingly to the Section 17 in the Public Finance Management Act of 2015.

I will not take every single expenditure that will be to many, but will take those that are striking. This is because the total Sixteen trillion, one hundred eighty one billion, six hundred twelve million, and six hundred thousand shillings for this Financial Year (FY), I will take those who strikes my mind and hopefully you find it interesting to. Here we go:

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Parliament of Uganda – Report of the Committee on the National Economy on the Proposal by Government to Borrow EUR 42,9M from the AFD to finance the rural electrification grid extensions projects..(May 2015)

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Uganda – Honourable Minister of State for Finance David Bahati – Quote of the day (25.05.2015)

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Address by His Majesty Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II Kabaka of Buganda at a Special Prayer Service held on 24th May 1996 in remembrance of the 1966 attack on the Lubiri

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Your Excellency, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of The Republic of Uganda; Your Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic Corps; My Lord Bishops; Obuganda:

We are greatly honoured to have in our midst, His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of The Republic of Uganda; and all the guests from inside and outside Buganda and Uganda to remember the storming of the Lubiri by Uganda Army troops on the morning of 24th May, 1966.

Let me begin by once again congratulating President Museveni on his victory in the presidential elections which were concluded recently. Mr. President, may the Lord guide you as you steer the ship of state to greater peace, stability and development.

Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I decided to remember the 24th May because it is of great significance to my family, Buganda and Uganda. The events of that fateful day changed our lives as a family and the lives of the Baganda and Ugandans in a fundamental way and many of us are still trying to come to terms with the changes the events of 24th May 1966 brought about.

I thank the Lord for having enabled my father, the late Ssekabaka Mutesa II and some of his aides, for having successfully fought their way from the burning palace to safety. We should remember the clergy at Lubaga for the hospitality they offered my father at his greatest hour of need and for assisting him to escape to safety. I thank his loyal subjects who assisted him on his long march to freedom. I thank the British government who agreed to accept him as a refugee and all those who supported him and comforted him in the loneliness of his London exile.

Let us remember all those who stood by him and fought by his side and died at the hands of the Uganda Army of which he was Commander-in-Chief; Let us remember all those who were imprisoned and tortured; Let us remember all those who lost their loved ones and those that had to live in constant fear of the authorities and those who were traumatised by the violence unleashed by the authorities.

This is a very sad chapter in the history of our country but we cannot skip it, because there are lessons to be learned from it that can greatly contribute to the building of a peaceful and united Uganda.

On that fateful day the Lubiri, embodiment of Kiganda culture and traditions and the very soul of Buganda went up in flames and brought to a halt almost 1000 years of history. For once in her long history Buganda was without a King. She became an ant-hill without the queen ant. We never lost hope that one day our cultural integrity as Baganda would be restored and we thank God that, that integrity which we craved and cherish was restored in 1993.

The Baganda cannot continue to mourn indefinitely for what was lost. We should not continue to labour under the burden of self pity because this self pity will destroy our soul and, therefore, our resolve to rebuild Buganda. Let me in this connection draw the attention of our people to the book of Nehemiah in the Holy Bible for inspiration. In chapter 2 verses 17-18 and I quote “Then I said to them ‘You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer disgrace’. ….and they said ‘Let us rise up and build’. So they strengthened their hands for the good work”.

Instead of lamenting the sorry state to which Jerusalem had been reduced and stopping there, the children of Israel rebuilt Jerusalem. I would like to tell the Baganda that 30 years of mourning are enough. Now is the time to begin rebuilding Buganda with our brains and hands. No greater tribute can be paid by us to the memory of those who suffered and died at the hands of tyrants than the rebuilding of Buganda in all respects.

The place to begin the building of Buganda is the discipline of our youth. Buganda was built on discipline and I, therefore, charge parents and opinion leaders in Buganda to inculcate discipline amongst our youth. They are the ones who are going to build the New Buganda of our dreams and they must, therefore, have the discipline to do so. I ask all the leaders in this crusade to lead by example. That is the only way our youth will learn to lead disciplined lives.

It is sweat and toil that makes countries prosperous. The Baganda must, therefore, sweat and toil to make the land of their ancestors a great place to live in once again. The Baganda should stop running away from Buganda in the hope that somehow miraculously somebody else will develop the land for them to come back to when it begins to flow with milk and honey. Nobody will develop the land for you but yourselves, and this is the greatest challenge that you face. Baganda derived great pride and satisfaction in the payment of taxes in the past. Baganda were very proud of their good manners. Let us rediscover that pride and use it to rebuild Buganda and Uganda. Buganda was built on accomodation and the palaces of the Kabakas were the melting pots of nationalities and talents. Buganda still stands on her record of accomodation but what we ask for is reciprocity. Indeed Uganda would become a very strong and united nation if there was reciprocity all around.

Lastly let me make this pledge – the Mutebi reign will be one of reconciliation, unity, peace and development.

I thank all the celebrants and all those who have graced this occasion with their presence.

FDC PARTY’s message to the Parliamentary Committee on Legal.(Exec.summary), 19.05.2015

ELECTORAL REFORMS TO ESTABLISH A CREDIBLE ELECTIONS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN UGANDA

A.            Preamble

1.            Thank you Chairman and Members of the Committee for inviting the FDC to interface with you with regard to your ongoing work on constitutional reforms. As a Party, FDC is part of the non-partisan coalition – the Free and Fair Elections Campaign – whose goal is to advocate for the establishment of a credible electoral management system in Uganda. It is therefore in this context that we address this Committee today.

B.            Our Messages to the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.

2.            As the Forum for Democratic Change, we are obliged to submit the views that are shared across by the citizens of Uganda, organizations and citizens’ formations that subscribe to the Free and Fair Elections Campaign. We are therefore here to deliver three specific messages:

i)             Upon careful review of the Bill, we have resisted every temptation to characterize it as “stupid” like several members of this Committee have aptly characterized it. However, the purported Bill represents the growing arrogance and impunity that has come to characterize the Government under the NRMO regime. Consequently, in considering it during these public hearings and the plenary, your task is not so much to consider a bill that is both empty and devoid of substance but also to have the courage and confidence to cut through this arrogance and impunity.

ii)            Secondly, the Free and Fair Elections Campaign has been mobilizing citizens across this country to demand for comprehensive electoral reforms to ensure that a credible electoral management system is established. We have previously delivered the Citizens Compact on Free and Fair Elections to the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Parliament, as well as all the mandated Governmental of Uganda ministries and agencies. All these agencies have chosen to ignore us and present to you a Bill that does not contain any of our views. We are therefore here to, once again, on behalf of thousands of Ugandans who participated in the Free and Fair Elections Campaign process and thousands others that are signing in support of the Compact, to deliver to you our electoral reform proposals.

iii)           Our third message is about the place of the 9th Parliament with regard to the reform process. We recognize that this Parliament is, itself, a result of electoral processes that had fundamental defects, which our proposals seek to address. This Parliament is still a vestige of the “Movement Political System” and the proposed reforms are, in a large part, intended to complete the transition to “Multiparty Political System”. That’s why a “National Dialogue” by citizens, in their most diverse formations, as was attempted in the process that generated the “Uganda Citizens’ Compact on Free and Fair Elections” is a vital and more legitimate source of getting the genuine views of Ugandans on these fundamental political issues.

iv)           Finally, the tenure of the 9th Parliament is coming to an end in less than 10 months. For almost 5 years, the 9th Parliament has either by commission or omission failed to respond to the loud voices of the citizens of Uganda to ensure that the Executive introduces appropriate electoral reforms well in time before the scheduled elections in February 2016. Like the Government has done in 2005 and 2010, electoral reforms are brought late to Parliament and you are stampeded to enact peripheral reforms that do not address the structural problems inherent in our electoral system. We are therefore here to implore you not to be stampeded by the Executive once again and through this Committee, to invite the 9th Parliament to join us in demanding for elections after comprehensive reforms have been put in place.

C.            About the Free and Fair Elections Campaign

3.            The Free and Fair Elections Campaign (FFE Campaign) is a non-partisan effort by Ugandans Citizens in their various formations: political parties, civil society, religious organizations, professional associations, women’s and youth organizations, pro-democracy pressure groups and eminent Ugandans committed to fight for reforms that will result into the establishment of a credible electoral management system to guarantee free and fair elections in our country.

4.            The FFE Campaign is a product of the failure by the Parliament of Uganda to do its fundamental constitutional duty and power to legislate for the good governance of our country as it is commended by article 79 of our Constitution. Like the 7th and the 8th Parliament, the 9th Parliament will go down in the annals of our history as abdicating this duty because of its failure to invest in reforming our electoral laws over its 5 year tenure and then scampering and pleading for time during these last days towards the general elections scheduled for 2016. Mr. Chairman and Members, you very well know that you have been around for 5 years and therefore the apparent stampeding of the reform process is your making and hence unwarranted.

D.            The Citizens Compact on Free and Fair Elections

5.            As you may be fully aware, the FFE Campaign started three years ago and has been focused on mobilizing citizens to push both the Executive and Parliament to their job and enact appropriate laws to establish a credible electoral management system for our country. The campaign moved with significant momentum in 2014 when numerous public rallies jointly organized by political leaders and civil society were organized across the country.

6.            In the second half of 2014, 14 regional forums on free and fair elections were held in:

i)             Karamoja

ii)            West Nile

iii)           Acholi

iv)           Lango

v)            Teso

vi)           Busoga

vii)          Bukedi

viii)         Bunyoro

ix)           Buganda

x)            Ankole

xi)           Toro

xii)          Kigezi

xiii)         Sebei

xiv)         Bugisu

7.            Each of these forums was attended by 200-400 political, religious, business and civic leaders representing a wide cross section of our society. An estimated 4,700 citizens directly participated in these forums while thousands engaged through popular radio talk shows. The FFE Campaign process culminated into the National Consultation on Free and Fair Elections, which took place on November 24, 2014. Over 1,300 participants representing political parties, professional and civic organizations, religious leaders and eminent Ugandans attended the National Consultation. Although the National Resistance Movement Organization (NRMO) did not send an official delegation, NRMO leaders (at least 17% of all representation from political parties) from across the country attended and participated fully in the deliberations.

8.            The Free and Fair Elections Campaign also took into account fairly comprehensive proposals prepared and submitted by:

i)             The Inter-Party Organizations for Dialogue (IPOD)

ii)            The Citizens Coalition on Electoral Democracy (CCEDU)

iii)           The National Consultative Forum (NCF)

iv)           The Electoral Commission (EC), and

v)            The Cabinet proposals contained in a matrix published in June 2014.

9.            The National Consultation on Free and Fair Elections adopted the Citizens Compact on Free and Fair Elections containing 17 electoral reform proposals and 1 proposals regarding its implementation. We believe that given the nature of the FFE Campaign process, the Citizens Compact reflects a national consensus on the fundamental reforms needed to create a credible electoral management system in the country. Accordingly, we are asking this Committee to recommend to the plenary to enact comprehensive electoral reforms covering the following:

i)             Establishment of a new and independent electoral commission.

ii)            Ensuring the integrity of the voting process.

iii)           Clearly delineating the roles of security agencies in the electoral process and prohibiting the use of Government trained and political party led militia groups.

iv)           Securing the integrity of the campaign process.

v)            Addressing and dismantling the current system of patronage.

vi)           Separating the state from the current ruling party and developing safeguards to ensure that this does not happen in future.

vii)          Prohibiting gerrymandering through the creation of new administrative units and electoral constituencies.

viii)         Restoring and securing the freedoms to organize and assemble that are continuously being eroded through legislative and administrative actions.

ix)           Reforming the system of selecting presiding officers.

x)            Securing the process of processing electoral materials.

xi)           Ensuring the integrity of the tallying process.

xii)          Securing the independence and boosting the integrity of the judiciary as an arbiter for election disputes.

xiii)         Strengthen the internal democracy of political parties.

xiv)         Preserving the mandate of the electorate regarding their elected representatives.

xv)          Reviewing the representation of special interest groups with a view to ending special representation by the UPDF and workers.

xvi)         Establishing a more reliable funding architecture for local governments to enhance their autonomy and capacity to deliver public services.

xvii)        Restoring and entrenching presidential term limits.

10.          Mr. Chairman and Members, on behalf of the thousands of Ugandans who participated in the public rallies, the regional consultation forums and the National Consultation on Free and Fair Elections, and the thousands of Ugandans that continue to sign up in support of the Citizens Compact on Free and Fair Elections, we lay this Compact before you as the legitimate expression of growing national consensus on electoral reforms.

E.            The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2015

11.          As we have already stated, the purported Bill represents the highest degree of arrogance and impunity with which Government under the NRMO regime approaches matters of importance to our country. This Bill is both empty and devoid of substance. It ignores every common-sense electoral reform proposal contained in the numerous submissions by the Electoral Commission (EC), the Inter-Party Organizations for Dialogue (IPOD), the Citizens Coalition of Electoral Democracy (CCEDU), the National Consultative Forum (NCF) and the Free and Fair Elections Campaign (FFE Campaign). Indeed, it is unfortunate that parliament has to spend Ugandan taxpayers money to enable you spend valuable time to conduct public hearings on this empty Bill. That is why we have chosen not to address any specific aspects of this purported Bill because we find it unwarranted.

F.            Our Call to the 9th Parliament

12.          We wish to implore this parliament to do everything possible to resist the current course that the Executive has put you on, to drive our country to yet another cliff. As Members may recall, our country has suffered numerous episodes of violence and conflict in the majority of cases triggered by contested elections. In 1980, the current president took up arms and subjected our country to a protracted military conflict leading to the death of an estimated 500,000 people and the decimation of state and civic institutions and the destruction of our economy. Since the promulgation of the 1995 Constitution, which sought to reset the governance button and return our country to sanity and good governance, the results of the elections held in 1996 and 2011 were highly contested because of disputes over a level playing field, which is rooted in our current electoral system and the absence of an independent electoral commission.

13.          We end by reminding you and ourselves that this Committee and the Parliament of Uganda does not legislate for the Executive that gave you the purported Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2015. Both the Executive and the Parliament legislate for the Citizens of Ugandan. The Bill before you seeks to disenfranchise us, concentrate power in the office of the President and render this Parliament peripheral in the governance of our country. We therefore implore you to reject the purported bill, use your inherent legislative powers to enact and ensure full implementation of electoral reforms before elections are held. You are our representatives. Listen to us and the sense of reason as contained in the Citizens Compact on Free and Fair Elections and other reform proposals submitted by various citizens platforms as already stated above. And when the history of this country is written again, it can be put on record that when that historical moment as to whether to move backward or forward, the 9th Parliament chose going to the future against going to the past.

For God and My Country

May 19, 2015

Kampala-Uganda

Uganda: Dr. Kizza Besigye and Lord Mayor Lukwago under house arrest and more.

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Police siege Besigye and Lukwago’s homes.
Police are currently surrounding the houses of former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) president, Dr. Kizza Besigye in Kansangati, a Kampala suburb and embattled Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago in Wakaligga on assumptions that they will cause chaos. Besigye is trying to find his way out but in vain. He is supposed to be at parliament to present reform proposals upon the speaker’s invitation. Last week the two were arrested as they tried to hold a public meeting on electoral reforms at Nsambya Youth Sharing Center.

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There is reports that as she was leaving the City Hall Ms. Ingrid Turinawe was taken to custody today. And that fellow activist Hamidah Nalongo Nassimbwa was serverly wonded and left at Mulago hospital.

Before this happen:

The 10 Electoral Reform Activists who were remanded last week have been given a non-cash-bail here at KCCA court.

Here is the Youtube clip on the matter:

FDC President Muntu: Burundi scenario possible in Uganda (NTV-Uganda Youtube-Clip)

CSO Proposals to WASH Forum Water and Sanitation (Proposals towards Uganda’s National Budget Framework FY 2015-2016)

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