Category Archives: Opinion
Gen. Museveni’s gov’t has never respected prisoner’s rights – Obedgiu Samuel
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Introductions
Throughout history, prison labour has been part of the prison system. It is presumed that prison labour has its roots from slavery. Its existence led to the development of International Human Rights instruments based on the inalienable rights of a human being. These instruments are codified in the Ugandan legal system with the cardinal objective of eliminating forced labour and like practices. Although prison labour is not considered to be forced labour, the instruments adopted by nations throughout the world impose certain restrictions on the use of prison labour.
It is evident that despite the legal provisions put in place to safeguard the rights of prisoners, the findings show that labour in Uganda government prisons is involuntary and thus oppressive and exploitative. However, there are indications that prison labour is desirable so long as it caters for the needs of those concerned.
Opinion:Museveni, We need money but our lives are still more important – Akampa
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Well, most Ugandans could be experiencing challenges in as far as earning a living is concerned especially those of us whose businesses are still closed, from us the event managers, organizers, promoters, performing artists/musicians, bar owners to those working in these bars and on events like ushers, D-jays, waiters and waitresses, mistresses as well many more other categories of people.
It is hard to diversify to other ventures like his H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa suggests to us, simply because we lost huge sums of money in many different ways, some of us had booked with cash the venues, service providers and since then life has never and will never be the same soon.
Mabirizi Demands Signed Oil Agreements Made Public
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Lawyer Hassan Male Mabirizi has given the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development 21 days to make public the agreements that were signed on Sunday, between the government of Uganda and Tanzania.
Mabirizi threatens legal action if the Permanent Secretary does not comply with what he calls the constitutional obligation imposed on the ministry by the constitution.
On Sunday, the Presidents of Uganda Yoweri Museveni and Tanzania Samia Suluhu Hassan and representatives of oil companies CNOOC AND Total are Host Government agreement and the Tariff and Transportation agreement.
Bunyoro Kingdom on the death of Prince Philip
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Exactly 122 years after the capture and humiliaton of one of Africa’s celebrated heros by the British colonialists, his subjects, who this week also commemorate 98 years since his death, are in jubilations over the death of Prince Philp, a British Mornach, whose parents’ generation presided over murder and plunder of an industrious generation in Western Uganda,now rising from the cinders after large quantities of oils and gas were finally cleared for extraction, a distant breakoff from the colonialists directive that Bunyoro, a place to watch, be kept in limbo.
What comes next? The sudden death of Archbishop Cyprian Lwanga – Fr Musaala
Reading Time: 2 minutes
WHAT COMES NEXT?
The sudden death of Archbishop Cyprian Lwanga leaves a yawning gap in our lives.
As the catholic community in Kampala and beyond we sense that we have lost a ‘cornerstone’.
Many questions in many hearts need to be answered, especially regarding the Arcjbishop’s death, in a manner which is more convincing than the medical report, which for all its scientific details, does not seem to have closed the matter.
Boost agricultural sector by promoting Rural Resource Centres (RRCs) – Emmanuel Mwesige
Reading Time: 3 minutes
The agricultural sector has been the backbone of Uganda’s economy for decades, employing over 80 percent of the rural population and about 64.3 percent of the working population. Agriculture is a source of food, raw materials for industries and foreign exchange given the many agricultural exports. Based on the statistics above, agriculture needs to be identified as one of the priority sectors for investment.
Given the importance of agriculture as a strategic sector that provides subsistence and income to a large portion of the population, but also contributes to the national economy, the need to boost it has become increasingly urgent.
My Easter package to Ugandans! Think about it
Reading Time: 2 minutes
My Easter package to Ugandans! Think about it.
Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and his government is proposing to drop the Over-The-Top (OTT) tax for social media access in Uganda, but impose a 12 per cent levy on Internet bundles.
By Obedgiu Samuel
The plan to scrap the OTT tax, which Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) said had yielded less-than-expected revenue. Since the government shutdown of the Internet a few days to the January 14th most fraudulent elections which involved varieties of cases in regards to human rights abuses, the risk-value of investors that seek to use the Uganda internet has gone up. Instead of addressing that, they are now imposing higher taxes.
It’s how it ended in tears – Aldrine Nsubunga
Reading Time: 2 minutes
It’s how it ended. In tears.
Let’s be clear – Uganda is ranked 15th, Malawi 32nd and South Sudan 47th on the continent in the latest CAF rankings.
It’s Malawi and South Sudan that have accounted for Uganda’s failure to qualify for 2022 AFCON. Both defeated Uganda 1-0 in Group B.
Farouk Miya has scored just 1 goal for Cranes since 2019. He has scored 8 goals for his Turkish club Konyaspor in 2 years. Emmanuel Okwi has scored just 2 goals for his Egyptian club Al Ittihad in 2 years.
Magufuli’s misguided African choir – Andrew M. Mwenda
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Since his death, former Tanzanian president, John Pombe Magufuli, has been an object of much praise from many commentators, including a large number Tanzanians. He has been lionized among others for his fight against corruption, public sector incompetence and profligate government spending. He did this through highly publicized stunts – firing public officials at a whim and on the spot, yelling at foreign investors and contractors in public and arbitrarily cancelling public contracts he did not like. While one could admire his motivations and intentions, I could not agree with Magufuli’s approach to reform. I was repulsed by the emotionally charged, personalized and arbitrary way in which he conducted public affairs.
Gulu City Asks for Cranes to Change Bulbs for Street Light !
Reading Time: 2 minutes
The authorities of Gulu City have cried out to the secretariats of Uganda Support for Municipal Infrastructural Development –USMID to allocate funds for procurement of crane trucks to help in servicing the street solar lights.
In October 2019, Gulu City -then Gulu Municipality- launched the installation of 500 solar street lights on streets, under the 3.2 billion shilling additional funding from the Uganda Support for Municipal Infrastructural Development –USMID project to improve on the urban service delivery.
CSOs fear Magufuli’s Death May Impede EACOP Project Processes
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Different Civil Society Organisations -CSOs in Greater Masaka Region have said the death of Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli will hamper the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project processes especially the compensation process for the people affected by the oil pipeline project.
Winfred Ngabiirwe, the Executive Director of Global Rights Alert (GRA) says that Magufiuli’s demise will delay the vital negotiations on the pipeline project. She says his absence may also change the dynamics because he personally was the biggest pusher for the project.
This Crude Oil pipeline might be more of a cost than benefit to Uganda
Reading Time: 2 minutes
In this crude oil pipeline, which Ugandans think they “own,” they have minority shareholding of 15%, Total has 45%, china’s CNOOC Limited has 35% and Tanzania’s petroleum corporation General Petroleum Tanzania has 5%.
From a corporate governance/law perspective, we don’t own this pipeline. It’s total’s.
The John Pombe Magufuli I knew – Raila Odinga
Reading Time: 6 minutes
Tribute to the Late President of Tanzania John Pombe Magufuli
When rumours started going around about the health and whereabouts of my friend President John Pombe Magufuli, I placed several calls to him. Later, I sent him a text message. Both went unanswered.
I then resigned to expect the worst while hoping I was wrong.When his death was confirmed as I was self- isolating after testing positive for Covid-19, I felt the full weight of double tragedy and emotions dealt by the cruel hand of fate. It was the worst time to lose a friend and a comrade.
