Watchdog Uganda
Incumbent Deputy President William Ruto is a protagonist. Raila Odinga of the opposition Orange Democratic Movementâ€"ODM, is an antagonist. DP Ruto has, for the last five years been a regular visitor in Kampala, meeting President Museveni with whom he closely associates. Suspicious, the Kenyan government recently blocked Ruto’s further trips to Kampala. It also arrested and deported his business associate, Hurun Aydin, a Turkish. Mr Aydin who was returning from Kampala was ostensibly prevented from briefing Ruto. Nairobi further deported Dr Paul Bamutaze, a Ugandan presumed intermediary between Museveni-Ruto and Aydin, who is an avowed member of the ruling NRM party. Dr Bamutaze has since contested this action at the regional East African Court of Justice in Arusha, Tanzania.
Tough rhetoric underway
Top leaders of the opposition ODM in Kenya and of NRM in Uganda are apparently throwing tough rhetoric against each other. In a national security briefing of August 14, 2021 president Museveni condemned those conducting the policy of illegal deportations. This was precisely targeting Nairobi. Earlier, in Nairobi, opposition ODM MPs had used the parliamentary floor to fault Uganda’s record on media freedom, democracy and human rights as not something worth emulating in the region. In Kampala, the NRM Secretary General, Richard Twodong swiftly responded with a lengthy missive protesting the attacks by the Kenyan politicians. He regretted Kenya’s violent elections of 2007 in which over 1,000 people died as an historical regional heartbreak.
Is it do or die for Museveni, Odinga?
The outcome of next year’s Kenyan election presents a significant fate for both Museveni and Odinga. For Museveni, 77, it pushes for his very sensitive desire to gain a soft landing ground in Arusha Tanzania as the maiden regional leader. This is the only thing delaying his retirement from Uganda’s State House, which he only has to achieve within the next five years or never. For Odinga, 76, this is the single remaining opportunity for a successful attempt at Kenya’s presidency or never.
It is, therefore, natural and obvious that Museveni has already identified his regular visitor William Ruto to be his favorite. Unlike the ODM leader, Raila Odinga, who, apparently has already been endorsed by outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta, Ruto is openly advocating for Museveni as the best regional statesman to assume leadership at Arusha. It is also natural and obvious that Ruto’s support cannot go entirely for free. It is a quid-pro-quo. A scratch my back and I, yours. To this end, Kenyans are wary of a possible Museveni direct indulgence in their election and drawing from experience, make it bloodily violent.
Can repeat history be averted?
In 2007, Kenyans suspected Museveni of deploying the Ugandan military to wreak havoc on behalf of then incumbent leader Mwai Kibaki against Raila Odinga. They responded by destroying rail lines connecting Uganda and Kenya. They disabled cargo transits to Uganda and paralyzed regional economies in Rwanda, Burundi and eastern DRC. For this and more reasons, Raila Odinga is uncomfortable with Museveni. On his many visits in Kampala he has openly avoided Museveni and rather opted for the Kabaka of Buganda. He, in 2016 mediated between opposition leaders Dr Kiiza Besigye and Amama Mbabazi to form a joint presidential candidate against Museveni. The talks, however, collapsed, making the Ugandan opposition lose out.
Have Kenyatta and Museveni fallen out?
What started as a cozy relationship between Museveni and Kenyatta nearly a decade ago, looks presently faded. The relationship was anchored upon Africa’s protests to the International Criminal Court’s perceived selective approach towards errant conduct of African leaders. Kenyatta was considering not to respond to the ICC’s summons over his role in the 2007 violence. Museveni was strongly urging him on. But once the ICC threat was effectively mitigated with Kenyatta featuring at The Hague without any major incident, Museveni’s significance reduced. Upset, Museveni moved to cancel the plan for a joint oil pipeline from Hoima in Western Uganda to Lamu in Kenya. He redirected the project to Tanzania’s Sea Port of Tanga. Kampala also gradually reduced reliance on Kenya’s Sea Port of Mombasa for cargo shipment, shifting to Tanzania’s Tanga and Dar-As-Salaam. Upset, Nairobi reviewed the plans for a regional Standard Gauge Railway-SGR system. Instead of extending its own from Mombasa through Nairobi to Kisumu and later Malaba border with Uganda, it shortened it at Nakuruâ€"making China also reconsider commitments for a loan to finance the entire project.
Before it takes off, the oil pipeline is already experiencing several challenges including international pressure from among others, regional environmental activists. They want the project cancelled, citing fundamental effects including danger to wild game and water bodies. To this end, whereas Museveni anticipates William Ruto as the next president of Kenya to reverse these negative stances; it is a given for a very hard relationship with Raila Odinga in that position. Before the silent tensions explode, this calls for active attention of regional and international partners to launch measures that would plug gaps likely to oil the trigger points.
]]> Uganda to receive 2,000 refugees from Afghanistan https://www.watchdoguganda.com/news/20210817/119438/uganda-to-receive-2000-refugees-from-afghanistan.html Tue, 17 Aug 2021 09:27:40 +0000 https://www.watchdoguganda.com/?p=119438 Uganda is set to receive 2,000 refugees from Afghanistan at Entebbe International Airport.This is after the United States of America requested the East African country to host the refugees that are affected by the Taliban forces in Afghanistan.
This has been revealed by State Minister for Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Esther Anyakun.
“Our team is ready at the airport, including the health team. Tonight we are expecting 500 Afghans,†Anyakun said told New Vision newspaper on Monday.
However, by press time the teams were still at Entebbe International Airport waiting for the arrival of the Afghan refugees.
Anyakun later told the daily publication on Tuesday morning that the refugees will be hosted temporarily at the request of the United States government.
Vianney Luggya, the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority public relations manager, the airport is always ready to receive whichever number of passengers comes in.
Andrew Nsawotebba, the health manager for test and fly, which is responsible for testing incoming passengers, said the refugees will not be subjected to the mandatory COVID-19 testing since Afghanistan is not listed among the category countries.
Kabul’s international airport was in the throes of chaos Monday as desperate Afghans tried to flee on departing U.S. jets, Taliban gunmen roamed the terminals, and U.S. troops killed at least two men, a sign of the disorder in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
U.S. troops on Monday flew helicopters low overhead, launched smoke grenades and fired into the air in an attempt to disperse crowds and gain control of the facility, where the U.S. is staging the evacuation of American personnel and thousands of Afghan interpreters and others who worked for the U.S. and now fear Taliban retribution.
At least eight Afghans were killed on Monday at the airport. In two incidents, armed men were shot and killed after approaching U.S. Marines. The U.S. troops weren’t injured and the armed men weren’t identified. Military officials said they couldn’t confirm whether the armed individuals were members of the Taliban.
Video images from the airport on Monday showed people holding on to a military plane moving along the tarmac and appeared to show two objects or people fall off when the aircraft was hundreds of feet in the air. Pentagon officials acknowledged the video imagery, but said they couldn’t yet confirm what had occurred, or if people had fallen from the plane. Commanders have begun an investigation into what happened on the tarmac, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said on Monday.
Witnesses separately reported seeing three bloodied bodies, including that of one woman, on the ground outside the passenger terminal building. Stranded travelers said those people had been shot.
]]> UACE 2020: S.6 results out this Friday https://www.watchdoguganda.com/news/20210817/119428/uace-2020-s-6-results-out-this-friday.html Tue, 17 Aug 2021 09:03:41 +0000 https://www.watchdoguganda.com/?p=119428 The Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) examination results will be released this Friday.The has been confirmed by the Ministry of Education Spokesperson Patrick Muinda.
Muinda said before the official release,the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) will on Wednesday first brief the Minister of Education and Sports Janet Kataha Museveni on the performance of candidates who sat for UACE in 2020.
This is in line with the mandate of the Board. The UNEB delegation will be led by the Chairperson of the Board, Prof. Mary J.N. Okwakol and the UNEB Executive Director Dan N. Odongo.
“UNEB will be briefing the Minister of Education and Sports on the UACE2020 results on Wednesday, 18th August 2021. Thereafter, the date for releasing of the results will be communicated,†the Ministry of Education wrote on Monday.
However, Muinda was non-committal of the venue for the release of the exams, saying the minister and UNEB will first agree on this.
A total of 98,393 learners sat for UACE examinations in April this year. Of these 57,264 were female.
]]> UPDF will never tolerate impunity- Gen Kyanda https://www.watchdoguganda.com/news/20210817/119430/updf-will-never-tolerate-impunity-gen-kyanda.html Tue, 17 Aug 2021 08:43:36 +0000 https://www.watchdoguganda.com/?p=119430 The Joint Chief of Staff of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF), Maj Gen Leopold Kyanda has said the culture of the national army doesn’t accept any kind of impunity.Gen Kyanda made the revelation while speaking in Gulu at the book launch: “War in Northern Uganda-A Journalist’s Account†written by John Muto-Ono P’lajur.
“If somebody is pointed out as having committed crime, there is no way the UPDF will let the person go!†Gen Kyanda said.
He noted that it is important to always listen to both sides of the story so as to have an objective engagement and make an informed judgement.
This was in response to the remarks made by the Retired Bishop of Kitgum Diocese Rt. Rev MacBaker Ochola II who alleged that the UPDF deliberately instituted IDP camps where children were abducted, evacuation of National Resistance Council members to deny them witnessing the activities of the then NRA during operation North.
Gen Kyanda further explained that the IDP camps were not concentration camps as portrayed by some but were safe havens for the people to be protected, treated, fed and organized. He said that individuals may have made mistakes but these were never sanctioned by the then NRA (now UPDF).
Rt. Rev MacBaker Ochola II who is a survivor of the war where we lost his wife and daughter, was also the key Note speaker of the day. He said that after the revenge attacks by the LRA in Lokum, Padibe and Palabek, different religious leaders came together to speak with one voice due to the unprecedented situation and formed a Religious Peace initiative which was supported by the President, His Excellency Yoweri Museveni and the Co-ordinator of Operation Wealth Creation, General Salim Saleh.
Different speakers made calls for Truth and Reconciliation, telling stories of the unsung heroes and encouraging the actors and survivors of war to write their own stories.
The launch was attended by the Chief Political Commissar, Hon Maj Gen Henry Masiko, the Defence Spokesperson, Brig Gen Flavia Byekwaso, the 4th Division Second in Command Brig Gen Anthony Lukwago Mbusi, different religious and political leaders.
]]> JOSEPH M. MUMBE: Why radio lessons program may not be effective for learners https://www.watchdoguganda.com/op-ed/20210817/119426/joseph-m-mumbe-why-radio-lessons-program-may-not-be-effective-for-learners.html Tue, 17 Aug 2021 07:56:35 +0000 https://www.watchdoguganda.com/?p=119426 The government has rolled out a radio learning program for the schools and institutions as one way to ensure continuity in learning and mitigate COVID 19 pandemic.A radio lesson program can’t solve present day educational needs. It is like one going to the bar to get drunk so that problems can go.From a pedagogical point of view,a radio lesson will only get the children informed but will not help assess and grade learners in holistic manner. A primary school for example is literary a foundational/ basic or beginners’ school. The Swahili version puts it better “Shuleyamsingi†meaning foundational school from noun ‘Msingi’ (foundation) e.g., of a building yet very key in the setting.
By definition, ‘primary’ Implies that the learners are in the basics of the process, the formation stage in all aspects of learning. Any professional teacher will concur with me that learning is not only rated by the presence of the teacher and learner but also the environment, instructional tools and mode of instruction.
Children of pre- primary and primary in their stage of growth need to see, touch, hear and feel whereas radio lessons only offer the (audio) hearing alone. This can’t produce a balanced growth of a child according the Bloom, the renowned taxonomy educationist who categorized the learning aspects into three; the cognitive(thinking), affective (emotion or feelings), and the psychomotor (physical or kinesthetic).People will remember 20% of what they hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we see and hear, 70% of what we discuss with others, 80% of what we personally experience and 90% of what we teach others (Edgar Dale). Within a week, people can forget almost 80% of what they heard.
The program will therefore likely to be hampered by:
Communication challenge:
A radio is an audio, a one- way form of communication yet communication requires reciprocity. It will be hard for the thousands of listeners to respond to one teacher on radio after a lesson. Even if they called the teacher, he won’t be in position to answer all of them due to lack of time.
Learners’ attention span:
children have different attention span and rate of understanding given the background and environment yet in this setting, one teacher will conduct a lesson to unseen audience depending on the radio station’s catchment area.If it can be hard for a teacher to conduct a successful lesson to a hundred learners in one classroom, how hard will it be for a class of all listeners of (UBC Radio) which is nationwide? interludes given by radio programs are rarely in line with lesson. Instead, they are adverts of sponsors but not energizers. When children interface with the teacher, he can detect their mood and vary methodology.
Knowledgeability of radio teachers:
How many radio teachers have been trained to handle the lessons? How many children and parents have been guided on how to take classes through radio? Children need close monitoring. Civic education is paramount for effective planning prior to implementing the program otherwise, you will assume children are listening when actually not. The program looks modern but without thorough sensitization and training, it is a total mess.
Syllabus coverage:
We may procure radios for the learners but may not launch more radio stations to match the programs required to be aired. To be precise, one academic term’s work may require full year of teaching on radio.
For example, P6 alone takes: English, 6 lessons, MTC 6 lessons, SST 5 lessons,Science 6 lessons and R.E 3 lessons in a week. A total of 26 (radio programs) for a period not less than 40 minutes each will be required. There are insufficient radio stations to air primary and secondary lessons unless all other radio programs are totally suspended. Otherwise, if the curriculum can be downsized to suit the radio program, the products of such education system shall be affected on international job market.
Assessment strategy:
An effective lesson not only aims at the teacher delivering the lesson but also evaluates the it in terms of achievement and behavioral change in learners. A lesson evaluation must also show challenges and suggest a way forward for the next lesson.
Assessment can both be formative (correcting the leaner) and summative (for promoting learner at end of the course). Thousands will listen; others half a lesson, some a quarter, yet their perception is rate different. In the Nationwide class, some are slow while others are fast learners. Fast learners will get bored while slow learners will not grasp. What tools will be used to promote those learners to new classes?
Amidst COVID 19 pandemic, the government should have a comprehensive plan to restart schools under strict SOPs. Nonstop lockdowns will not solve any problem apart from duplicating and recreating more. It is like one who goes to drink with motive of getting intoxicated in order to deal with stress and pressure from many problems. Temporarily, he will be relieved but immediately he becomes sober, the same stress and debts will reemerge as before.
The government should carry out risk assessment of the radio program prior to implementing it or else our young generation is gradually facing ‘educational genocide’.
mumbej@yahoo.com
]]> 5G Cybersecurity is a growing need and Encryption a Must for every user https://www.watchdoguganda.com/business/technology/20210817/119424/5g-cybersecurity-is-a-growing-need-and-encryption-a-must-for-every-user-2.html Tue, 17 Aug 2021 07:41:15 +0000 https://www.watchdoguganda.com/?p=119424 The evolution of communication technologies has for the past 2 decades upgraded from 1G which enabled users to make Voice calls, 2G that introduced Short Messages (SMS) and Multi Media Messages (MMS) in the 90s, to 3G as an Internet connection enabler paving way for 4G as the current fast connection technology making Video sharing and streaming possible.Now, 5G is the latest communications technology that is currently in its late design and deployment stages. With 5G, low latency is expected to be a main factor with applications running in Virtual Reality (AR), Augmented Reality (AR), and the Internet of Things (IoT) as much anticipated use cases.
However, with the emergence of 5G comes a rising need to secure user traffic and reduce on the rate of cyber attacks across the world. In the recent years, cyber attacks have been launched using organization backdoors, low software applications security, and user negligence on following set IT security standards.
5G Cybersecurity as a key need for every organization can rely on stable models the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) architecture where fault isolation is possible and Information security is divided into 5 domains to protect user data and equipment.
1) Network access security: ensures that mobile users have secure access to network services and mobile network is secured against attacks via the (radio) access link.
2) Network domain security: ensures that mobile backhaul nodes to securely exchange signaling data and user data at the mobile backhaul networks and protects against attacks on wireline link.
3) User domain security: secures access to mobile stations.
4) Application domain security: allows applications on user and network side to securely exchange data.
5) Visibility and configurability of security: allows user to get information about enabled security features and provision of services.
Furthermore, reliance on the 3GPP Architecture not only protects users and software applications from cyber-attacks, but also improves the legacy security model deployed on 3G and 4G communication networks.
Currently, Huawei is ranked as the best 5G enabler and the company has registered more than 5G commercial contracts to deploy the new generation network communication technology. As such, 5G cybersecurity is a top priority for the company having passed the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) certification in Europe.
The ENISA Certification is a framework under the Regulation (EU) 2019/881 to establish and maintain the trust and security on cybersecurity products, services and processes. With the Certification, the United Kingdom security chief believes that the Huawei risk can be managed since the company has more than 30 years of experience and has huge efforts in the development of 5G cybersecurity.
]]> Lumbuye will soon be taken to Court! Minister Oryem confirms arrested blogger is being held by Ugandan authorities https://www.watchdoguganda.com/news/20210817/119418/lumbuye-will-soon-be-taken-to-court-minister-oryem-confirms-arrested-blogger-is-being-held-by-ugandan-authorities.html Tue, 17 Aug 2021 07:33:56 +0000 https://www.watchdoguganda.com/?p=119418 The State Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge of International Affairs Henry Okello Oryem has in a veiled revelation confirmed that Turkey based Uganda blogger Fred Lumbuye is being held by Ugandan security authorities.The minister made the disclosure during an interview with NTV Uganda on Tuesday morning.
As far as I know, people shouldn’t be worried about Lumbuye and the relevant authorities with the right time will be able to bring him in public and bring him into courts of law,†Oryem said.
“I don’t think Lumbuye should be made a matter or somebody who is so so important as a film star. His rights are being respected wherever he is I’m sure so. There’s nothing to worry about Lumbuye. People should go around trying to look for their survival, work hard, look after their families but not to worry about Lumbuye.†he added.
Over the weekend, it was reported that Lumbuye was being held at Gulu Airforce Base in Northern Uganda.
The Observer Newspaper said the arrested controversial blogger landed at Entebbe International Airport on 8 August, 2021 but the airport manifest for August 7-8 was allegedly confiscated by Special Forces Command (SFC).
According to security sources, Lumbuye arrived in the country aboard Turkish Airlines, which touched down at Entebbe International Airport on Saturday at around 3 am.
He was held at the police station in the passenger terminal for two hours where he was interrogated and whisked off to Kampala. Multiple security sources say that Lumbuye was escorted by Turkish security operatives who took him through immigration and the police station for clearance.
He was taken to the Turkish Embassy for further management until when he was handed over officially to the government.
“Fred Lumbuye is reportedly being held at Gulu Airforce base in northern Uganda as security continues to hunt for 11 of his alleged conspirators who ‘were feeding him with state secrets,†The Observer stated on Saturday.
The National Unity Platform (NUP) Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya also revealed that Lumbuye who was arrested two weeks ago might have been brought into Uganda by President Yoweri Museveni’s government using mafia-style.
Responding to the numerous questions and concerns regarding the case of Lumbuye, Rubongoya said that as NUP, they have tried everything to locate Lumbuye but the efforts are still futile.
†He may still be in Turkey, but he might have been brought into Uganda mafia-style. That is why our efforts have been multi-pronged.As soon as we have new information, it will be shared accordingly,†Rubongoya said.
Last Monday, Uganda Police said Lumbuye was not in their custody.
While addressing the media, the force’s spokesperson Fred Enanga said that they however have 15 cases that they will bring against the controversial blogger once he is handed over to them.
“We don’t have Lumbuye but what we have are 15 case files against him. Don’t ask us if he is here or not because we don’t know but as soon as he is handed over to us we are ready, †Enanga said.
“When he is handed over to us, we shall come out with the full statement. Whether he is in the country or not, as police once he is handed over to us we shall process him with the 15 file cases we have on him,†he added.
The prepared charges he said, include among others spreading harmful propaganda and terrorism videos, inciting violence and other cyber crimes.
Following the alleged arrest ,Minister Oryem confirmed to journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs offices in Kampala that the plane transporting Lumbuye was expected to land at Entebbe International Airport on 7 August 2021 before he is charged with promoting sectarianism and instigating violence.
However, despite the Minister’s confirmation about Lumbuye’s deportation, the blogger is yet to be seen anywhere in Uganda.
]]> Tamale Mirundi: Kenya’s Uhuru is fighting Museveni because he fears he has more chances of becoming East African Federation’s first President https://www.watchdoguganda.com/news/20210817/119413/tamale-mirundi-kenyas-uhuru-is-fighting-museveni-because-he-fears-he-has-more-chances-of-becoming-east-african-federations-first-president.html Tue, 17 Aug 2021 06:34:09 +0000 https://www.watchdoguganda.com/?p=119413 The Former Senior Presidential Press Secretary Joseph Tamale Mirundi has revealed that otherthan the William Ruto fight, there’s a hidden secret as to why President Yoweri Museveni and his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta are feuding.During an interview with TMO Youtube channel a few days ago, Mirundi said that the Kenyan side is fearing that if Ruto works with Museveni and wins the next Presidential elections, Museveni will have higher chances of being the First President of the East Africa Federation (in case it materializes) , something which Kenyatta doesn’t like.
The East African Federation (Swahili: Shirikisho la Afrika Mashariki) is a proposed political union of the six sovereign states of the East African Community â€" Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda â€" as a single federated sovereign state.
“Because Ruto is popular and Raila Odinga has stood for five times, this gives Ruto a chance to win that is why Uhuru is accusing him of insubordination. To defeat Ruto in the coming election would be hard that is why Uhuru is blackmailing him before Kenyans by telling them that his DP is allying with Museveni who wants to rule over East Africa,†the political analyst said.
He added that Kenyans are fearing President Museveni to intervene in their politics because if Ruto wins it will give President Museveni a green card to be endorsed by Ruto as East African Federation head thus leaving Uhuru aside.
Two weeks back, Kenyan authorities refused their Deputy President Ruto from flying to Uganda on the allegation that he did not inform his boss president Kenyatta about his trip.
A section of Kenyan Members of Parliament belonging to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) led by Junet Muhammad also came out and condemned DP Ruto for allying with President Museveni whose party National Resistance Movement (NRM) has kept him in power for a long time which is contrary to Kenyans ways of leadership.
“Please revise your relationship with NRM, that is a party that has kept someone in the Presidency for three decades, so are you also planning to stay for three decades? Ruto’s alliance with President Museveni is aimed at disrupting this country. Every sensible person knows that NRM has never won any competitive and democratic elections what Museveni knows is how to destabilize and grab power and so Ruto cannot claim to go to Uganda and learn on issues on how to win elections.â€
Responding to their claims, the NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong said that it was unfortunate that the Kenyan MPs made statements that undermined the spirit of cooperation and brotherhood between the two countries.
“We promote and are committed to the East African Treaty that encourages sovereignty of countries and non-interference in the affairs of other countries. We respect the independence and sovereignty of Kenya as a country and we appreciate the continuous cooperation between our leaders and people.â€
]]> MILLY BABALANDA: Emyooga programme should not be left to die https://www.watchdoguganda.com/op-ed/20210817/119367/milly-babalanda-emyooga-programme-should-not-be-left-to-die.html Tue, 17 Aug 2021 05:52:16 +0000 https://www.watchdoguganda.com/?p=119367 The decision by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Anita Among, to send Members of Parliament on a fact finding exercise on Emyooga in their constituencies is a step in the right direction. The exercise fits in with the oversight role of MPs and marks an era of perfect synergy between the two arms of the state, Executive and Legislature, for the benefit of the common people.Emyooga is government’s flagship programme through which funds are availed to skilled citizens to enable them boost their ventures and raise their production capacity, thereby taking them on the main path to the money economy.
Over 5million Ugandans are registered to Emyooga through SACCOs. Some of them have benefited already while others are looking forward to benefit. These are in the informal and private sectors such as vendors, salon operators, mechanics, media, transport operators, restaurant operators, etc.
Ugandans are wallowing in poverty, made worse by Covid-19. The poor have always existed; they existed during the time Jesus Christ and will probably be here even unto the end of the world. However, it is our duty as leaders of today to do whatever is possible to alleviate the burden of poverty on our people and Emyooga is one such intervention.
The ordinary Ugandan has not recovered from the effects of COVID-19, and previous challenges that made them hard pressed to afford a viable standard of living. Many of those who were already participants in the money cycle ate their capital and were left with nothing. At this time, they urgently need a stimulus package to get back into business. Programmes such Emyooga are timely but part of the problem is the age old bureaucracy which affects delivery of funds.
I have severally heard of reports of officials along the service chain that have made the programme meaningless through extortion. They demand a fraction of the money as “processing fees†yet they are paid salaries by Government. I won’t name the level at which this cartel has been operating. MPs should go out there and dig up as much information objectively so that we compare notes with earlier findings and collectively find solutions.
I am aware that the Emyooga Secretariat has tried to address problems around the programme but a lot remains to get it where it was envisioned to be.
The public has a lot of hope and expectations in the Emyooga initiative and I believe, despite the bad image created by the few meddlers who have made access to the funds difficult, there is still time and goodwill to turn it around.
Let us not disappoint them. I have heard that the money released has been described as “a drop in the oceanâ€. I believe that that wouldn’t be a problem since money is released in phases. If beneficiaries can utilise the funds well, more money will be availed, and the program will be eventually expanded to cover all skilled Ugandans.
There is need for better management of the program. In my previous life as a mobiliser, I led Busoga Rural Development Association (BRUDA), a program through which funds were distributed to women in small scale business in Busoga sub-region. How we operated was such that money, issued on revolving basis, went directly to the beneficiaries without “middlemenâ€.
In the end, everybody was happy and beneficiaries went on to pay back the funds which were then lent out to others.
I believe that Emyooga is a good programme which must work for all. It is not political. Nobody should be denied the service on the basis of politics because we are all affected by the ravages of COVID-19. Vulnerability is cross-cutting, and the involvement of MPs is testament to the demands of the people on their leaders without discrimination. Some leaders have ignored the people’s lamentations on poverty on the pretext that it is the job of NRM (only) to kusaka (create opportunities) for them; that it is NRM’s problem on which they capitalise to demonise government.
The result has been a lack of concerted interest in monitoring poverty alleviation programs and other development initiatives as sections of the leaders left everything to President Yoweri Museveni-to envision, implement, monitor and supervise, while they come up to claim credit for the successes.
I hope that the fact finding recess will open the eyes of MPs to the real life consequences of keeping a blind eye to government empowerment programs. Voters are queuing at their gates and jamming their phones with endless requests for personal assistance. Ugandans shouldn’t be relegated to begging when mass empowerment initiatives are in place.
Is there anyone out there who doesn’t want Emyooga to work? Put another way, who doesn’t want to see Ugandans able to sustain themselves and to contribute more to the functional economy. Now is the time for the people’s representatives to work for everybody.
I request that MPs also check on the status of implementation of other programs such as Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP), Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) and the general state of service delivery. This should be a routine exercise since they pass the budget that funds these programmes. I thank Rt. Hon. Among for the wise decision in regard to the role of Parliament in service delivery.
The author is the Minister for the Presidency
]]> Micho Impressed By Attitude Of Uganda Cranes Players In First Training Session Ahead Of Grueling FIFA World Cup 2022 Expedition https://www.watchdoguganda.com/sports/football/20210816/119406/micho-impressed-by-attitude-of-uganda-cranes-players-in-first-training-session-ahead-of-grueling-fifa-world-cup-2022-expedition.html Mon, 16 Aug 2021 19:08:51 +0000 https://www.watchdoguganda.com/?p=119406 The Uganda Cranes team on Monday officially started their journey to the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals.After passing the first COVID19 test hurdle, the players and officials turned up at Kabira Country Club Hotel, Bukoto in the right frame of mind.
Head coach Milutin “Micho†Sredojevic was joined by the fitness and performance director Franck Plaine, Goalkeeping coach Fred Kajoba Kisitu, team manager Geoffrey Massa and other officials.
Three thirds of the earlier summoned team turned up for the two hour session whose main focus was on fitness, stretching and some ball work.
Majority of the locally based legion were present with the exception of players from Express and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) who were at the 2021 Cecafa Kagame Cup in Dar es salaam city, Tanzania.
Skipper Emmanuel Arnold Okwi, Yunus Sentamu and Egyptian based winger Abdul Lumala are also expected in camp as soon as possible.
Micho was impressed by the right attitude and mentality from the players during the training session.
‘We have started the journey to the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualification process. Every successful journey begins with a single step and today, we have started. I am impressed by the mentality and attitude of the players. I will continue to monitor the performance of everyone as we intensify the sessions’ Micho disclosed.
Fitness and performance director Plaine entirely handled the physical aspect of the training session.
Hassan Muhammod, a defender at Police Football Club looks forward a great time at the sessions and believes he will come good.
‘We had our first training session on Monday morning. It was lively and good to be back to action after a long spell out. I expect to play catch up in remaining session†Mahmood stated.
Vipers’ captain Halid Lwaliwa was equally delighted to return to competitive football after the COVID19 lockdown. Lwaliwa believes the competition within the team will spur them to great performances.
“I am happy to be back to the field of play after a lengthy time out because of the COVID19 pandemic lockdown. I know, we shall all compete well to perform to the best of expectations,†Lwaliwa revealed.
Monday was reserved for a double session with the evening programme at the MTN Omondi Stadium, Lugogo.
Tuesday’s morning session is at Lugogo with the afternoon session for Gym work.
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