Author: Patrick Ocaido
On Wednesday, hundreds of youths from all corners of Kampala convened for the annual National Youth Skills Development Expo at Uganda Museum. Despite an early morning shower that destroyed tents, the youths recollected their efforts and endured a tough weather to exhibit different hands-on products that excited their guests. This 6th Annual Expo under the theme “Youth- Creating a Better Uganda” was organized by Young Advocacy Foundation Uganda (YAFU), an entity intended to address the continually waning hope among the youth and other stakeholders to pursue their dreams in their communities and their country. During the expo, European Union in…
Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Gen Kahinda Otafiire has confessed that he will never go back to the bush. Gen. Otafiire urged Ugandans to choose constitution over war which he termed as “a bad situation” for the country. He was speaking on the commemoration of Constitution Day 2018 at Kampala Sheraton Hotel. “If I was told to go back to Luweero now, I would not. War is a bad situation. Why do you want to go to war yet we can choose the constitutional path?” he said. Otafiire advised that if Ugandans think MPs are making bad laws then…
The Chief of Defence Forces Gen David Muhoozi has revealed to parliament that those recruited to serve under the Local Defence Units across the country will be entitled to a monthly salary of 200,000 shillings. The LDUs according to Muhoozi will operate under the UPDF structure for an expected period of six months after training. However some members of parliament described the pay as too little and likely to compromise the LDUs who are expected to fight crime in their areas of location. Muhoozi said this while appearing before the Committee on Defence & Internal Affairs alongside the line Ministers…
Detectives on Wednesday raided Ms Edith Byanyima’s home in Muyenga, a Kampala suburb where a search was conducted for about four hours. Her lawyers told this reporter that police officers led by Detective Assistant Superintendent Godfrey Kutesa, confiscated 24 red napkins found in her home. Ms Byanyima’s lawyers told journalists that she has been using the napkins as materials to teach some girls how to knit. Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, who doubles as Ms Byanyima’s lawyer told journalists that police accused her of being in possession of ‘illegal material’ before they confiscated the napkins. “These are just cowards. How…
Flight Captain Mike Mukula has relocated his Uganda Aviation School (UAS) to neighbouring Kenya after being ‘frustrated’ by Uganda Civil Aviation Authority on an Air Operator Licence (AOC). Mukula in a twitter outburst last night said that he has decided to relocate to Kenya after being frustrated by Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA), a government agency responsible for licensing, monitoring, and regulating civil aviation matters. UAS is the first privately owned licensed flight school in Uganda. “I have finally taken a decision to relocate all our aircrafts to Kenya having been frustrated by Uganda Civil Aviation Authority to obtain an AOC.…
Minister for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Hon. Amelia Kyambadde has advised that the plastic carrier bags below 30 microns are phased out of production and use by the public rather than instituting a total ban on them. Kyambadde says setting the standard thickness of 30 microns and above for acceptable plastic carriers in accordance with the Uganda standard – US773, will go a long way in promoting best practices of waste management, awareness, collection and recycling of plastics. The Trade Minister was on Wednesday, while meeting MPs on the Natural Resources Committee to discuss production, importation and sale of plastic…
By Our Reporter National Resistance Movement (NRM) ruling MPs who defied President Yoweri Museveni’s directive on mobile money tax have been named. On Tuesday, Parliament voted by ‘roll call and rally’ to amend Excise Duty Act, 2014 to limit the taxable mobile money transactions to withdrawal and to reduce the duty payable from 1% to 0.5%. After tallying of results, Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah who chaired the House declared that out of the total of 288 votes, 164 voted in favour of the 0.5% amendment while 124 voted in favour of scrapping of the whole tax. During the voting process, a new wave…
President Yoweri Museveni has finally appointed new Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) and Deputies as cabinet reshuffle continues to loom. “In Exercise of Powers conferred on the President of Uganda by Articles 99 and 203 of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, I hereby appoint the following persons as Resident District Commissioners and Deputy Resident District Commissioners, respectively,” reads the statement which is accompanying the list. Museveni signed the RDC list on September 30, 2018. In June, Museveni first reshuffled the RDCs before withdrawing the list on grounds of several inaccuracies including the appointment of dead persons. There are not…
By Our Reporter Majority of National Resistance Movement (NRM) MPs on Monday shunned a State House meeting convened by President Yoweri Museveni to discuss about the controversial mobile money tax. The controversial Excise Duty (Amendment) No.2 Bill, 2018 that is due for passing on Tuesday seeks to amend Excise Duty Act, 2014 to limit the taxable mobile money transactions to withdrawal and to reduce the duty payable from 1% to 0.5%. According to highly placed sources, the NRM caucus meeting was attended by less than 200 NRM MPs out of over 400 including Independent but NRM leaning. The purpose of the meeting was for…
By Our Reporter National Resistance Movement (NRM) ‘rebel’ MPs are considering to join Gen Mugisha Muntu’s FDC splinter group after 2021. According to Manjiya County MP, John Baptist Nambeshe, a number of ruling NRM MPs who have been branded as ‘rebels’ are in process of joining Muntu’s New Formation group and other political forces in the country to cause regime change. While addressing a press conference at Parliament on Monday, NRM’s Nambeshe said that ever since he and other party MPs voted against the age limit Bill, they have been isolated from party activities. “Indeed I couldn’t have been invited…