Western Uganda – Police in Mbarara district is investigating after the arrest of a school director who is also a local council one (LC 1) chairperson of Kyakajebere cell Ngango parish Kagongi sub county Kashari North county who was arrested over sodomy today Friday September 20,2019.

It alleged that Mugisha Francis,a director of Rweshe Pentecostal Primary School has been sodomizing his school cook(identity protected) since September 16,2019.

The victim who hails from Kashare sub county in Kashari South county was forced to report to Rubindi police station SD Ref 07/16/09/2019 after he worsened,despite several attempts made to handle this matter at an individual level.

After his arrest,the Mbarara District Police Commander (DPC) Gad Murungi ordered that he be transferred to Mbarara,which was being done by press time as the victim received treatment at a Rubindi town based clinic.

The Rwizi Regional police spokesperson Samson Kasasira promised to follow up this matter.

It’s believed that Benedicto Kiwanuka was abducted from office on this day,September 20, 1972, and later killed on 22^nd September same year (47 years ago,as of September 20, 2019). Today is Kiwanuka Memorial Day.

Benedicto Kiwanuka was kidnapped and never to be seen again.

On that day, he was handcuffed, slapped and bundled into a get-away car at the Uganda High Court premises in Kampala in full view of the public.

Benedicto Kagimu Mugumba Kiwanuka (8 May 1922 – 22 September 1972) was the first prime minister of Uganda, a leader of the Democratic Party, and one of the persons that led the country in the transition between colonial British rule and independence. He was murdered by Idi Amin‘s regime in 1972.

A member of the Baganda ethnic group, Kiwanuka was born in Kisabwa to Kaketo-Namugera (father) and was a member of the Roman Catholic Church

He was admitted to the bar association at Gray’s Inn in February 1956.

As a result of the September 1961 Uganda Constitutional Conference held in London, Uganda achieved internal self-government on 1 March 1962. Kiwanuka became Uganda’s first prime minister in the new National Assembly.

New elections, however, were held in April 1962, with Kiwanuka’s party losing to the alliance of Milton Obote‘s Uganda People’s Congress and the Buganda traditionalist party, Kabaka Yekka. In addition, Kiwanuka’s Catholicism made him unpopular with his fellow Buganda, a mainly Protestant people. Uganda achieved independence on 9 October 1962, with Obote as the first prime minister of a fully independent Uganda.

Kiwanuka was imprisoned in 1969 by Obote’s government, but was one of 55 political detainees released by Idi Amin immediately after the coup that brought Amin to power.  Amin appointed him as chief justice of Uganda on 27 June 1971.

Kiwanuka soon came into confrontation with Amin’s disregard for the rule of law. In the immediate aftermath of Obote’s abortive counter coup of 1972, Kiwanuka was arrested at gunpoint by Amin’s men as he presided over a session of the High Court. As well as countermanding from the bench some of Amin’s more draconian orders, Kiwanuka had also secretly agreed to support Obote’s return to power, with the proviso that Kiwanuka would be involved in constitutional reform.

Kiwanuka was killed by Amin’s forces on 22 September at Makindye Military Prison in a prolonged execution which, according to eyewitnesses, involved Kiwanuka ears, nose, lips, and arms being severed, a disembowelling, and castration before he was finally immolated. Kiwanuka’s death was not acknowledged as an execution, with Amin instead publicly blaming it on Obote’s supporters and even launching a police investigation. Kiwanuka’s killing was the first of a series directed against leading figures in the Baganda and Ankole tribes, aimed at curbing their power.

An 83-yr-old retired Inspector of Police and a 65-yr-old retired Uganda People’s Defence Force(UPDF) Captain are before the Land Probe Commission fighting over Government land measuring 43.2 hectares in Nyakashashara sub county Nyabushozi county Kiruhura district.
IP Patrick Rubyakana is accusing Capt Simon Peter Muhinda of encroaching on half of his 43.2 hectares at Block 97 Plot 3 Nyabushozi and cutting down his Eucalyptus trees,while Capt Muhinda says it’s Rubyakana who is trespassing on his land given to him by his late father Dr. Fenikansi Muhinda,by the Veterinary Department of Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Industry, where he worked as a Veterinary surgeon in the 70s.
Rubyakana told the Seven Member Commission Chaired by Justice Catherine Bamugemereire that in 1988 he applied for and obtained a lease from Uganda Land Commission to use the said land for grazing and cultivation,whereas Captain Muhinda’s father was using plot 5 which measures 244 hectares, and that they were living in peace as neighbours until his son took over the land in 1998 after his father’s death.

Rubyakana further told the commission that in 2016 Capt. Muhinda dragged him to court where he was found guilty of trespass and was made to pay a fine of one million shillings.

However evidence from the Commission shows that originally this Veterinary Government land was registered as Block 97 Plot 1 measuring 501 hectares, but it was later sub-divided into several plots of 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, without the knowledge of the Uganda Land Commission.

What is even more disturbing to the Commissioners is how Captain Muhinda who has more land of 244 hectares at plot 5, goes ahead to grab half of Rubyakana’s 43.2 hectares at plot 3 and gives it to his son in-law Stewart Mugabe.

Justice Bamugemereire has now ordered all the parties to stay off the land until investigations into this case are over.

There was a tough exchange between the Captain and the Commission Chair when Muhinda was informed that the title he has on this land will be cancelled, once it’s discovered that he obtained it illegally.

Parliament has organized a special thanksgiving prayers in honour of the speaker of parliament  Rebecca Kadaga’s good health following her recent long illness.

The Clerk to Parliament Jane Kibirige, yesterday announced that Members of Parliament and staff will today Wednesday 18^th September hold thanksgiving prayers for Kadaga and the entire institution at the parliamentary Parking Yard.

The prayers that start at 7am will be conducted by the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda, an indigenous, national faith-based organization that unites all religious institutions.

The request to hold special prayers for Kadaga was proposed by Ngora County MP David Abala who in May this year moved a motion for resolution of Parliament to give thanks to God for the health of the Speaker Kadaga. The motion was overwhelming supported by the MPs.

Dokolo district mp Cecilia Ogwal said that if the speaker’s life taken the country would have not realize her effort of Uganda hosting the 64^th commonwealth parliamentary conference (CPC).

The speaker urged members of parliament to attend the prayers.

‘’Attending joint thanksgiving service in my ‘honour,also for prayers of a successful 64th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference taking place from 22-29 September 2019 in Kampala.’Kadaga tweeted this morning (thanksgiving say).

Theme: “Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name” Psalm 103:1-3.

On March 21, 2019, Kadaga collapsed after her return from a 10-day hectic working tour to Morocco and the United States of America and was put in intensive care unit (ICU) at Nakasero Hospital before being flown to Agha Khan Hospital in Naiorbi.

She was discharged from Agha Khan on April 13 and officially resumed her duties in May.

Upon her return, Kadaga blasted some sections of the media and public for alarming her ill health as if “falling sick is a crime.”

Experts have decried increasing road accidents on different roads around Uganda,both in urban and rural areas,blaming this to poor quality drivers,and failure by police to capture road users’data,and other roles it should play to curb down accidents.

This was revealed on Tuesday,September 17, 2019 in Mbarara town western Uganda,by Mr. Mugerwa Green,the Executive Director LOTS enterprises Uganda  Ltd,a private company,while meeting journalists,explicating the ‘Safe Road Eye’ innovation.

Without sparing responsible government entities including the transport and works ministry and traffic police,Mugerwa accused many of them,revealing that despite innovators coming up with different ways of curbing down accidents,government has not sufficiently supported them.

Government has also been challenged to flash out vehicles that are not supposed to be Public Service Vehicles like Toyota Wishes which many have resorted to.

The expert with over 20-year experience,also expressed concern on how ‘Corruption’ has hampered the process to better the transport sector,especially in systems and steps of issuing driving permits,saying poor quality drivers are issued permits after bribing some authorities.

In May 2019,Makerere University School of Public Health research found out that about 9,000 people perish in road traffic accidents annually in Uganda, a number three times higher than that declared by the police.

Police indicated that at least 3,500 people have been dying in traffic road accidents annually in the past three years.

Road traffic injuries are among the leading causes of death and life-long disability globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that about 1.24 million people die annually on the world’s roads, with 20–50 million sustaining non-fatal injuries.

Featured – Safe Road Eye – http://www.lotsbusinesslinks.com/saferoadeye

Compiled by https://twitter.com/AaronAinomugis3 

ganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) officers have been cautioned against violating human rights through acts like torture and brutality,which damages the institution’s image.

This was sounded on today Monday,September 16, 2019, by 2^nd division (Mbarara western Uganda) Public Relations Officer (PRO) Major Charles Kabona, breaking down Deputy 2^nd Division Commander Col. Anthony Lukwago’s opening message  of a three day Human Rights Training of the officers, Organized by African Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (ACTV) and sponsored  by Democratic Governance Facility (GDF).

Officers from the different units under 2^nd Division (participants) will spread the gospel to other soldiers in units of Kasese,Masindi,Kisoro, and others under Mbarara UPDF 2^nd division.

This will help in prevention and prohibition of torture.

U.S President Donald Trump has in a statement on Saturday,September 14, 2019, confirmed the death of Osama Bin Laden’s son, Hamza bin Laden,”killed in a United States counterterrorism operation in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region.”

Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden, also rendered Usama bin Ladin, was a founder of the pan-Islamic militant organization al-Qaeda. He was a Saudi Arabian citizen until 1994, a member of the wealthy bin Laden family, and an ethnic Yemeni Kindite.

Born: March 10, 1957, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Died: May 2, 2011, Abbottabad, Pakistan at the age of 54 yeears.  Was killed by American soldiers.

Height: 1.95 m.

Hamza bin Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden, better known as Hamza bin Laden, was a Saudi al-Qaeda member. He was a son of Osama bin Laden. His father, as well as his brother Khalid, were killed in the 2011 Navy SEAL raid.

Born: 1989, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Hamza was first reported dead on July 31, 2019,at the age of 30 years.

“The loss of Hamza bin Ladin not only deprives al-Qa’ida of important leadership skills and the symbolic connection to his father, but undermines important operational activities of the group,” the President said in the statement.

Trump also said “Hamza bin Ladin was responsible for planning and dealing with various terrorist groups.”

Trump hasn’t revealed time of Hamza’s death.

Former Ugandan Inspector General of Police (IGP) General Kale Edward Kalekezi Muhwezi Kayihura has responded to American government sanctions,quashing all stated ‘allegations’ by the U.S department of treasury.

U.S government on Friday September 13,2019,sanctioned Kayihura over abuse of human rights and corruption.

Gen Kale Kayihura and his immediate family members will not be issued with a United States visa and will have their properties which he fully owns, or partly owns with others in the USA or in the control of US persons blocked over corruption, human rights abuses,bribery among others.

General Edward Kalekezi Kayihura Muhwezi, commonly known as Kale Kayihura, is a Ugandan lawyer, military officer, farmer and former policeman. He was the Inspector General of Police of the Uganda Police Force, the highest rank in that branch of Uganda’s government, from 2005 until 5 March 2018,for 13 years until his sacking by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

Born: December 26, 1955 (age 63 years), Uganda.

Kayihura response on Saturday September 14, 2019:

I have been informed about the statement of the United States Department of the Treasury issued on the 13th of September 2019. In the baseless, unverified and outrageous statement, I am accused that while I was working as Inspector General of Police (IGP) in Uganda, I engaged in Human Rights violations, corruption, and smuggling drugs, gold and wildlife. This is not only absolutely false but outrageous and infuriating, especially that these accusations and decisions have been made without according me an opportunity to respond to them, whereby I would give evidence to the contrary. The United States Government was known as a government that believed in due process, rule of law and democracy. There was absolutely no due process accorded to me before false wild and defamatory statements about my person and my record were issued from Washington, without any bother to verify such allegations, which are in actual fact against the state of Uganda for which I was working.

To set the record straight, I am an upright citizen of Uganda, who whether in my public or private capacity is pro-people and I have never been corrupt as alleged, or at all.

I do not own and have never owed any property in the United States, or anywhere else outside Uganda. I do not have any bank accounts outside my country, Uganda. The insinuations in the statement that I could own any property outside Uganda are totally fabricated and malicious. The freezing of my so-called assets therefore, is comical.

I reject completely the characterization of the Uganda Police Force as some criminal outfit that I led. Under my tenure, we grew the force to almost 40,000 people and introduced a number of departments to serve the public better.

The statement from the Treasury is not just factually inaccurate. It is not just procedurally improper. It is not just an absolute travesty of justice, it is also extremely hypocritical. The fact is that the FBI worked closely with me and with units of police that were involved in fighting crime, including the Flying Squad. They were not scandalised by my leadership but actually gave me an award for my contribution in the fight against terror. There is no high profile case in which our units did not liaise with the FBI. They participated in, for example, the investigations into the assassinations of the late Joan Kagezi and the late Andrew Felix Kaweesi, as well as the 2010 terror case. The Treasury would thus do well to sanction those officers also.

The FBI officers were not spared the false allegations I had become accustomed to. In fact, in the East African Court of Justice in the High Court of Uganda, and in a court in London, allegations were made about torture of the 2010 terrorist suspects, where the FBI was specifically mentioned, and FBI officers testified.

To have people who should have a better context of the challenges we faced and of the effort we undertook in the fight against terror, issue such nonsensical statements, is truly the height of hypocrisy. The Treasure Secretary would be well advised to conduct some research before speaking out against individual persons. For the record, investigations into the murders of the late Joan Kagezi and Andrew Felix Kaweesi were also conducted with help from the FBI. In the case of the latter, the FBI were at the scene of the crime to help us reconstruct it. The FBI also worked with Flying Squad. Thus, instead of searching for my non-existent US properties, the Treasury should instead be helping in the fight against global terror.

The allegations of Human Rights abuses in relation to Nalufenya, purportedly committed under my watch are false and without foundation. There is no person who was tortured under my instruction or with my knowledge in a police facility in Uganda. In fact, a number of Governmental and Non-Governmental institutions, in particular the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and the Uganda Human Rights Commission, visited Nalufenya from time to time. They fully interacted with the detained suspects, and received first-hand information that there were no complaints of their conditions while in detention. Indeed, in their report, the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights stated that there was no torture of suspects taking place in Nalufenya.

As a matter of fact, it is important to point out that during my watch and tenure, I institutionalised in the Uganda Police Force, the observance of Human Rights and the fight against corruption by establishing such departments as the Professional Standards Unit and the Directorate of Human Rights and Legal Services.Whenever any complaints were brought to my attention, I caused investigations of the same, and those culpable were handled through the due process of law either in civil courts or the Police Disciplinary Courts. A case in point is the Mayor who was tortured before he reached Nalufenya, and those officers were arrested, charged and prosecuted.

I find the allegations that I engaged in illegal transactions, such as the smuggling of drugs, gold and wildlife outrageous and insulting. This would be laughable if it were not such a grievous malignment of my character. Those who know me find these accusations absurd and extremely frustrating, to say the least. It is all the more scandalous since the American authorities cannot even specify the allegations and give me an opportunity to respond. The due process of law is disappearing in Washington and standards have slipped, but has it become so cavalier in its disregard for due process?

Let me also clarify on the role of the Flying Squad within the Uganda Police Force. I inherited some of these units of the force, where prior the department was called the Violent Crimes Crack Unit, then the Rapid Response Unit, and finally Flying Squad. This unit was to comprise a group of police officers who respond rapidly to criminal and violent incidents. These officers helped in resolving cases such as preventing murders, recovering illegal firearms and more. Units like these are created to respond to the changing nature of the criminal underworld. Any indiscipline in the force would be handled without stopping the evolution of the police into a force that can carry out its constitutional mandate of preventing and detecting crime. These units simply supplement the work of the territorial police, and even the United States Police contain such units. Criminalising them would only help crime thrive. The Uganda Police, and myself as its former head, did everything we could to fight crime, including receiving help from the FBI, setting up units like Flying Squad, expanding the force, and equipping its directorates.

That is why during my tenure, we worked greatly to expand Fire Brigade and Traffic, a Legal Unit as aforementioned, building the K9 Unit, on Forensics, creating a Pathology Department, Community Police, and Rapid Response. I therefore reject completely the characterisation of myself and the Uganda Police under me, put forward by this statement from the United States. Such a statement would be the equivalent of painting American security departments with the broad brush strokes of the controversies surrounding the Abu Ghraib prison, notorious for torture, Guantanamo Bay, and the police shootings of ethnic minorities.

By and large, the almost 40,000 police officers I left behind work as public servants for the betterment of Uganda, our sovereign country, and during my time the police were brought closer to the people. I too always acted in good faith for God and my country.

The idea that I used corruption to entrench my political position is completely nonsensical. The IGP in Uganda is appointed by the President with the approval of Parliament. There is no space for me to campaign and use corruption to keep my office. Any assertions of the sort are the result of poor research by American authorities. It is only in the United States where Police leaders are elected and can hence entrench their positions politically.

It is truly surprising that the US Government would pass judgement, make decisions and take actions on me based on deceitful propaganda, rather than facts and the truth. These allegations fit the now discredited narrative, which has been perpetrated by intriguers in Uganda since I left the Uganda Police Force. Their objective was to falsely criminalize me and accuse me of all sorts of crimes in order to malign me and destroy my public persona.

Regarding the sanctions on myself, my wife, and my children – I find them unfortunate because it is legally, morally, and factually baseless. In any case, neither I nor my family had any plans to travel to the United States, and therefore do not have any need to apply for visas to go there. There was no need to bring my family into a statement based on falsehoods and fabrications.

I find it hypocritical that the United States Government authorities could claim to uphold Human Rights yet in their letter and action, they fall below the lowest standards of the due process of law. How can they accuse, judge and condemn a person without the basic decency to respect the principles of natural justice, specifically, affording a person the opportunity and the rightto be heard?

To family, friends and well-wishers in Uganda and abroad, I wish to assure you of my innocence. This is only the latest part of an ordeal we have had to endure since I left public office in March 2018. It is particularly curious that this statement has come now, at a time when the truth about my innocence in relation to the multiple allegations against me were coming to light. And at the same time, when the conspiratorial plots to criminally frame me were finally being exposed to the country and the world, most recently in the Parliament of Uganda.

Lastly, I view the false allegations and the ridiculous action as an attack on the sovereignty of Uganda, as I and the Uganda Police Force are targeted in an official capacity. To sit in Washington and make the spurious and unproven baseless allegations, and take action on them without any effort to establish any truth, against a former IGP and a National Police Force is the highest form of disrespect of a foreign country.

I remain resolute against this new wave of actions based on concoctions and lies.

 Gen. Kale Kayihura

14 September 2019

Western Uganda – Mbarara district has allocated Shs60million to address the challenge of open defecation that has become common in most of the sub counties in the district.

Kweyamba Ruhemba,the Mbarara chief administrative officer (CAO) notes that the 60 illion will be used in Rwanyamahembe, Rubindi and Rubaya sub counties all in Mbarara district.

According to Ruhemba, this money will be used to put up improved pit latrines and sensitizing the locals on how well they can handle the waste.

Western Uganda – The grade II Magistrate at Mbarara Municipal court on Wednesday, September 11,2019 convicted eight people after they were found dumping garbage on the roadside.

Court presided over by His worship Copan Muhanguzi convicted Linnet Tumwine 20, a student of Metropolitan International University who is a resident of Kisenyi cell, Evelyne Tushabe 33, a resident of central cell in Kakoba division, Asuman Mwesigwa a resident of Kakoba ward, Robert Baguma a resident of Kyapotani cell in Kakoba, Muhamad Ssentamu 30, a resident of Kisenyi, who pledged guilty, and Ivan Musiime 17 a resident of Kamukuzi division,Fred Musimenta 30 a resident of Agip cell in Kakoba,denied charges.

They were ordered to pay Shs150,000 fine each, or spend one month in jail.

Mbarara municipality will be officially a city in the next nine months,so authorities have banned dumping garbage on known centres, a company called Home Clean now collects garbage from peoples’ homes at a fee according to the amount of garbage.

This is under implementation in all six divisions;Kakoba,Kamukuzi,Kakiika,Biharwe,Nyamitanga and Nyakayojo.