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Was he Gen. Muhoozi’s front? Tycoon Kaaya’s death leaves unanswered questions.

by RICHARD KINTU on

The business community in Kampala is in shock following the death of entrepreneur Tom Kigonya Kaaya. The Kaki Group of Companies tycoon succumbed to illness at TMR Hospital in Naalya on Tuesday.

His empire included companies such as; Kaki Petroleum, Jenga Properties, Concern Global Markets Limited and Kaki Investments among others.
The tycoon’s death was met with shock by many Ugandans, with Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago being among the first people to announce it.

“He’s been a key figure in the taxi industry in Kampala. May your soul rest in peace Tom Kaaya aka KAKI,” Lukwago eulogized on his Facebook page.

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

Was He Gen. Muhoozi’s Front?
At the peak of his powers, Kaaya divided opinion about the source of his wealth. This was because he owned a fleet of commuter taxis that were in their hundreds and plied all routes of Uganda.
This prompted some quarters to advance rumors that the KAKI INVESTMENTS branded taxis did not belong to the youthful tycoon but rather belonged to First Son, Gen. Muhoozi Kanierugaba. This rhetoric would continue when the taxis were suddenly withdrawn from operations, before later being scaled down. The withdrawal coincided with the sale of his plush Nana hostel in Makerere area.

Can Covid-19 Be Handled?
By press time details of the tycoon’s cause of death were still scanty. However, earlier reports indicated that Kaaya had earlier on contracted Covid-19 leading to his hospitalization as well as his wife Joy Kaaya, who unfortunately recently succumbed to the pandemic.
First admitted at Nakasero Hospital, the tycoon was later transferred to TMR hospital where he died. His death however resurrects the plight of Covid-19 sufferers who have continued to stare in the eyes of death yet having to fork out a fortune on treatment. This was after the tycoon’s family revealed that by the time of his death, they had spent Shs450m on his treatment. It remains to be seen whether the government will eventually build enough capacity to help its citizens.
Sources say that the tycoon succumbed to Covid-related complications while other reports indicated that his condition deteriorated after he took the covid-19 vaccine.

Kaaya Fact File
In what demystifies the ‘Muhoozi front’ allegations, Kaaya’s birth details reveal a man who was born in wealth and splendor which made it possible for him to establish his own empire.
For starters, Kaaya was born to Mzee Cranmer Njego Kaaya and Joy Kaakati of Greater Luweero.
Sources say that Mzee Njego was a distinguished rancher who had thousands of heads of cattle and land spanning over 30 Square Miles; spread across Nakasongola and Luweero in areas of Kalagala, Katooke among others.
.
Kaaya’s father was a prominent NRA/M guerilla war collaborator who is said to have offered cows and food to the guerilla fighters during their armed warfare. This explains why his son Kaaya would later be close to UPDF personnel including Gen. Elly Tumwine whom he always fronted in his business battles with other city tycoons, mostly Buchana. It is actually such closeness to UPDF officers which sparked the talk of him being a business front for the First Son.
Tycoon Kaaya started out as a successful businessman who leveraged on his family’s empire to establish a successful chain of transport and real estate businesses. However, his raging business acumen would become his biggest undoing after he undertook an aggressive expansionist strategy to make more money. This saw him attract huge loans that partly forced him to sell off part of his fleet as well as the highly plush and exquisite Nana Hostel.

May his soul rest in peace!

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FEATUREDNEWS

Secret Dossier Reveals Museveni, Kabaka Fall-out Over Mailo Land

by HENRY MULINDWA on

“I am Ready To Fight Anyone Over Mailo Land”-Museveni

President Yoweri Museveni says he’s ready to crash anyone who stands in his way to amend the land Law relating to Mailo system.


He says like he stood with peasants to fight Obote’s guns, he is also ready to stand with Bibanja holders in this new onslaught by whoever.


The president is also blaming Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi on reneging from an agreed position between both of them relating to Regional tier government.
According to the president, he and Kabaka had agreed to a deal for Buganda to accept a regional tier government but Kabaka later pulled out.


He says if the monarch had accepted the deal to proceed, the Buganda’s tax agency-Buganda Land Board (BLB) would now have some powers to manage the 5949sqm also refered to by Buganda as 9000sqm or Mailo Akenda.


This land was part of Buganda but was being managed by the colonial government which upon granting independence to Uganda, returned to government which was meant to work out modalities to hand it back to Buganda.
However, government to date has not handed it back and Mengo continues to demand for it.


We have learnt that Museveni’s push for fresh land amendments targeting Mailo land has not just started. He actually held a secret meeting with a group of religious leaders at state house Nakasero and handed them a 14-page dossier which this news site has landed on. The document dated 15/4/2008 is now doing rounds within Mengo and it is part of the reasons Kabaka last week visited state house and met Museveni alongside Katikkiro, prince Wassajja among others

. The meeting came a day after Kabaka had fired verbal artillery against government during his 28th coronation anniversary at Nkoni palace-Masaka. Kabaka Mutebi said the intended amendments to the land law only targets Buganda’s Mailo land which Buganda says is part of its culture and added that it is intended to promote hatred against Baganda. He questioned the spirit of this amendment and why it only targets Buganda’s land leaving out other parts and their land tenure systems.

Kabaka meeting M7 last week at Nakasero


A day after Kabaka’s concerns, the nation was shocked to see the monarch meeting Museveni at state house Nakasero but the details of their meeting remained scanty. Now, this news site has established that Mengo is in possession of this deadly document Museveni authored 14years ago where he expresses his feelings about Mailo land.

The document clearly shows how Museveni loathes Mailo system which he says is responsible for rampant land evictions against tenants/Bibanja holders.
In the document accessed by our Inspectors, the president emphatically opposes a notion that Mailo land is part of Buganda culture. He actually, says this land tenure system was a negation of Buganda’s culture by the colonialists.


“When Europeans came, they introduced new distortions. The main distortion was the introduction in Buganda and to a lesser extent in Ankole and Tooro the Mailo land system. Therefore, the line that Mailo land system is part of Buganda culture etc, is not true. It is part of the colonial heritage and in fact, was a negation of the Baganda culture at that time”

he says.

This meeting was attended by the Cardinal Wamala, late Arch Bishop Kizito Lwanga, Mufti Mubajje, Bishop Yona Lwanga, Arch Bishop Henry Luke Orombi, Arch Bishop John Wani and a host of selected pastors. It came at a time when there was a heated debate between Mengo and Museveni government over a proposal to ammend the 1998 Land Act. Museveni wanted to criminalize land evictions by landlords by imposing a guidelines on payment of busuulu. As a result, Buganda ministers Medard Lubega Sseggona, Charles Peter Mayiga and Betty Nambooze were arrested and charged on various counts including terrorism, inciting violence among others.


According to Museveni, before colonialists came, land ownership and management in kingdoms and chiefdoms belonged to both the state (king) and clans. In case of Ankole, whereas the land belonged to the Omugabe, his subjects had a right to land for cultivation and cattle keeping. In case of Buganda and in the north, the clans still had the decisive say on land in terms of ownership and management.


He said in order to reward the 1000 or so chiefs who collaborated with the British, to entrench colonialism in Uganda, they gave each one of them 8sqm of mainly ‘alreadly’ occupied land by peasants who were now supposed to start paying rent.
“The new landlords did not waste time. They set on their task of getting rent from the peasants with gusto. By 1924, they were taking 1/3 of the harvest of each peasant” he said, adding that peasants became disgusted and were about to revolt. The end result he says, was for the governor Mitchel to appoint a commission of inquiry into the matter which recommended that Mailo land system had to be reformed. The reform gave birth to the Busuulu and Envujjo law which decreed that no tenant was to be evicted except with the permission of the governor and also imposed a ceiling on the rent charged from tenants.


He however, noted that Iddi Amin was unfair to abolish Mailo land the reason the 1995 constitution reintroduced it basing on the fact that while the original owners got this land for free, these had since sold to new owners who bought with their money.


“Therefore, if governor Mitchel elected by no body could reform Mailo system, how much more right does parliament and elected government of Uganda have, in terms of, if necessary, amending this law? You can see for yourselves how Kampala has grown. What is happening in Kampala is also happening in other towns of Uganda. There’s therefore great demand for land. The elites are building, developing factories etc. This is very good”

he says.


Museveni noted that as a result of high demand for land, the land owners are selling to new landlords who evict peasants because they want to develop their land.


“Hence the phenomenon of land evictions. This must be resisted. Those who buy land should be ready to discuss with tenants. Anything else is unacceptable to me. I stood with peasants against Obote’s guns. I will stand with them against this new onslaught by whoever” he said.
Museveni also suggests that there’s massive corruption in judiciary, illetracy among peasants and some enforcement agencies. He said currently, land matters are treated as civil matters in court where the peasants are powerless to fight off the rich landlords hence the need for the state to come in to protect the weak.

ENTER 9000sqm

To Museveni, whereas Mengo talks of 9000sqm, this land is actually 5949sqm and is now occupied by ordinary people under customary land system, leases given by government to private developers.
He said whatever land that remains is being managed by District Land Boards.


“If the Kabaka had accepted the regional tier, negotiated between myself and him through his Katikkiro Mulwanyammuli, the BLB would also be involved in managing this land together with DLBs. However, the major question the elite in Africa should ask themselves: How are modern countries organized in terms of production and land use?” He said.


However, Kabaka has stood his ground saying no amount of intimidation will erase Buganda’s culture relating to land ownership and management. He recently rallied Muslims and his subjects to use the recent Idd Aduha animal sacrifices to ‘curse’ all those who want to cause hatred for Buganda by inciting other tribes against Baganda yet they have been living in harmony with them for ages.

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FEATUREDNEWS

MP Zzaake On ‘Sausage’ Trip To Turkey Not About Lumbuye- Embassy

by HENRY MULINDWA on

Uganda’s embassy to Ankara-Turkey has rubbished social media claims that Mityana municipality MP Francis Zzaake flew to Turkey to negotiate blogger Fred Lumbuye’s release.According to ambassador Steven Mubiru, Uganda’s ambassador to Turkey, this information is false and misleading.


“The Embassy of the Republic of Uganda in Ankara, Turkey has taken note of the false, misleading online news articles alleging that Hon. Francis Zaake the Member of Parliament for Mityana Municipality, travelled to the Republic of Turkey to visit  Mr. Fred Lumbuye, a social media blogger and NUP Activist”


He goes on ‘the Embassy would like to clarify that Hon. Francis Zaake travelled to Turkey as part of a Delegation of Parliamentary  Commissioners and other members of Parliament on Official Government business to undertake a benchmarking visit at the request of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.

The visit is being coordinated by the Ugandan Embassy in Ankara with the relevant authorities of the Republic of Turkey’He says the delegation arrived on 5th August 2021 and is scheduled to meet with the different managements of of Atlas University Hospital, MedicalPark Hospital and Liv Hospital in Istanbul to discuss mechanisms of cooperation between these hospitals and Parliament.

  • MP Zzaake and others on a benching marking trip
  • MP Zzaake and others on a benching marking trip


“Media reports alleging that the Hon. Member of Parliament travelled to Turkey for any other purposes other than official Government business are misleading and should be disregarded”

he said.

This is in total contrast with what NUP officials have been saying in respect of Zzaake’s trip to Turkey this week.On Wednesday, social media was awash with messages suggesting that Zzaake had rushed to Turkey to rescue Lumbuye who at the time had been reported to be under custody by authorities in Turkey.

He is wanted on over 30 counts ranging from inciting terrorism, genocide, abusing the president among others. In one of his most terrifying audios, he claimed that former Kampala arch Bishop Kizito Lwanga had been assassinated by the state and also claimed that many more people were to follow suit.

Among these included Kabaka, MPs Betty Nambooze, NUP vice president Rena Zedriga. He also made continuos attacks against Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga and the person of the president. Yesterday, foreign affairs state minister Okello Oryem confirmed that government had succeeded in having Lumbuye extradicted and that he was expected here by today morning.

The shadow minister for foreign affairs also Kyaddondo east MP Muwada Nkunyingi yesterday met Turkish ambassador to Uganda in an effort to pour cold water on government plans to extradict Lumbuye. However, we learnt that the embassy made it clear that it doesn’t condone crime but also said they don’t meddle in internal affairs of other countries.

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FEATUREDNEWS

MP Sseggona’s Female ‘Agent’ Nabbed With Stolen Items

by on

Drama ensued this morning at Namusera village-Wakiso district after one of the flamboyant ladies was nabbed red handed with suspected stolen items. The items included a welding machine believed to belong to thugs. It was however found in the shop of this sex-oozing black lady (names withheld to allow investigation), also a resident of Namusera.

The shop where machine was recovered. She hides her face from the camera

The operation led by area police left locals in utter shock after several items were found hidden in the shop of this lady and others kept in her charcoal store. In the charcoal stores, police recovered a wheelbarrow, iron sheets, doors among others all believed to have been stolen from neighbors but were being hidden in the stores believed to belong to her.”How did this machine enter your house/shop?” The Police asked several times until the lady yielded to pressure and started spilling the beans.”The owner brought it here for safety. He said they will steal it unless it was in a safe custody” she said.

And when she was asked about other items also recovered from her alleged charcoal stores, she claimed the owner is the one who also kept them there.”That charcoal store belongs to her and that shop. I wonder how she got in touch with those guys to the extent of her keeping their items. We are losing many things to these people claiming to be scrap dealers. The other day, they stole my doors. It’s really terrible” a one Mulangira who is a welder told our Field Inspectors (FIP).

The Police parked all the items and tasked her to bring the owner to claim them from the police.According to locals, this lady whose shop is full of campaign posters for Busiro East MP Medard Lubega Sseggona outside, has been bragging how she was his campaign agent in the January elections.

The locals most of whom sounded like Sseggona’s supporters however, blasted her for shaming their party and acting contrary to the doctrines of NUP party.”Can you imagine some of the items were stolen from her neighbors? Which kind of a neighbor is that? Moreover a woman! We need to get rid of such quacks.

  • Police takes away the machine
  • Shocked locals
  • Shocked locals

It means she knows those terrorizing us at night” this locals fumed and demanded that police takes her for further questioning.Locals said there’s a surge in cases of thefts in the area and is being blamed on scrap dealers. By the time our Field Inspectors (FIPs) touched base here, police had already harvested some goons and other items disguised as scrap.

These included brand new iron sheets, machines, doors (suspected to have been broken from people’s homes) among others.
It is however, not clear whether the MP knows this lady or she was just a mere volunteer during campaigns.

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FEATUREDOPINION

ADOPT HOME SCHOOLING NOW TO SAVE PUPILS’

by HENRY MULINDWA on
Isha Otto Amiza

FUTURE Due to the adverse effect of Lockdown arising from Corona pandemic and it’s effects on the education of pupils and students , government should develop and adopt a  policy to promote  HOME SCHOOLING as  mode to save the young children from wastage of time and opportunities . Home schooling can be adopted and practiced  at homes of the neighbouring families.Home Schooling is very effective way of education which requires little movement and over  concentration of pupils/ students in one location.Once a policy is formulated for home Schooling,the parents, local leaders and teachers shall be oriented to set up education units in their respective villages/communities.Both government and parents should share the costs of paying the teachers and providing the necessary scholarstic materials needed to aid education.The public should prepare for the worse  even after the end of COVID-19, the traditional education which are conducted in schools shall not meet the heavy demand of education among the society.Government should develop syllabuses to be used for  home schooling outside the established government schools and prepare examining bodies, like UNEB,BTVET,etc to set standards on regulating the standards for students/ pupils who qualifies to sit for final examinations at primary , secondary and other technical and vocational schools.Home schooling is an alternative educational means, which can help in educating majority population without crowding the limited government schools and to avoid over exploitation by private schools.We have developed a concept which we shall share with the Ministry of Education and Sports for their  consideration.Thankyou Hon.Ishaa Otto Amiza UPC SG/ Founder Leader- PIM.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are not those of the company or publisher. They are personal views)

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FEATUREDSPORTS

Golden Hope as Cheptegei, Nanyondo seeks to regain world-beating form in the 5K, 1500m

by RICHARD KINTU on

10,000m world champion Joshua Cheptegei will hope to step up the heights and aim for gold as he lines up in a star-studded group of athletes at the Tokyo Olympics today.

Just like was the case in the 10000 meters, Cheptegei’s main obstacle manifests in Ethiopian Selemon Barega who beat him to the Olympic medal in the 10,000m finals last week. The 21-year old Barega powered down the home straight to cross the line in 27 minutes 43.22 seconds, ahead of Cheptegei who clocked 27:43.63.

Barega comes to today’s race seeking an Olympic double and a place among his legendary countrymen and mentors in Kenenisa Bekele and Haile Gabreselasie. In the race that will be aired on DSTV and local television channel Sanyuka TV, Joshua will have to also watch fast-rising Ugandan compatriot, tribes mate and teammate Jacob Kiplimo.

The man who was the youngest star in the 10000m race last week clinched bronze after posting a time of 27:43.88 but it took a last second charge from Cheptegei to pip him out of the silver place.

Jacob Kiplimo is also Uganda’s youngest ever Olympian having ran the 5,000 heats in the Rio Olympics as a 15-year old.

Chelimo Vital

Peruth Chemutai

Just like in the 10,000m race when Kiplimo and Cheptegei sacrificed Stephen Kissa to do incredible pace-making for them, today they will likely deploy another Ugandan, Oscar Chelimo, to play the role.

It however remains to be seen whether the trio will execute their tactics to perfection. The Ugandans came short last week after failing to stick to their game plan which left Kissa disappointed since they had planned that he makes the race a very fast one but they didn’t follow him.

Joshua, who admitted feeling disappointed for not getting gold due to a tough 2021 which saw him perform poorly, will seek redemption at 3pm in the 5k today.

Nanyondo to avenge 800m failure

Meanwhile, in the women’s 1500m finals today, Uganda’s Winnie Nanyondo will seek to atone for a heartbreaking failure to reach the 800m finals last week by gunning for a podium finish in the 1500m finals at 3:50pm

Today. Nanyondo faces a tough lineup of opponents but will be buoyed by Peruth Chemutai’s gold-medal winning performance in the 3000m steeplechase earlier this week. Just like Nanyondo today, Chemutai won the race with a time of 9:01.45 and created history by becoming Uganda’s first woman to win an Olympic medal. This was despite standing up against world beaters in USA’s Courtney Frerichs (who won silver) and Kenya’s Hyvin Kiyeng (bronze).

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FEATUREDNEWS

M7’s Last Words To Nabbanja On Gov’t Thieves, Amama Leaks

by HENRY MULINDWA on

President Yoweri Museveni is reported  to have made two strong statements to premier Robinah Nabbanja. The first is to the effect that Museveni is bitter after realizing that his previous cadres posted as prime ministers had not helped him to deliver services.  Instead, according to insiders, Museveni accuses them of sitting in the offices without being on the ground. This in turn, gave chance for thugs to steal every coin his government had sent to the people in the name of service delivery. The OPM tasked to monitor, evaluate and report on government services according to Museveni was totally absent on the ground right from the prime minister himself.The president who met Nabbanja shortly after her appointment as prime minister is also reported to have accused his former premiers of engaging in cliques which badly injured his government and party.Museveni also confided in Nabbanja that his fight against corruption was proving to be difficult as some crooks keep using his name to steal public funds.

Mbabazi Amama


He said that he had all along been suffering with his name being used by unscrupulous individuals claiming to be his close associates. It should be recalled that former IGG Irene Mulyagonja resigned her job after her earlier suggestions that her war against corruption was proving to be hard as those who steal public funds were hiding under state house. Museveni thus told Nabbanja that she should go out and fight thieves at the same time make little presence in her office.”I want to give you all the confidence. No one should call you to say I am Museveni’s so and so. They want to misuse my name. If you receive such a call from anyone claiming to be my relative or friend, let me know immediately. Don’t accept any such claims. Report to me immediately. Please help me fight those thieves. They should not intimidate you” Museveni told Nabbanja.He went on ‘I am tired of prime ministers who simply sit in office. I have been let down by those people for years. They were never on the ground. From home, to office and vice versa. This must stop. Go to the ground’Our sources reported that this explains why Nabbanja is very rare in office and spends much of her work in the field. It is also the reason she has started biting on thieves the first causalities being four officers from her own office who have since been netted. The officers are accused of procuring and supplying fake relief to Kasese people immediately. The whistle was blown by Nabbanja who flew to Kasese and stopped relief distribution to Kasese people recently.Nabbanja also took the nation my storm recently when she refused to bank shs530m donated by city business man Ham Kiggundu on a newly created secret account. Ham had proposed this account on grounds that some people stole the previous donations for covid-19 and the only way was for them to create this account which would be monitored by the premier. On hearing this and armed with Museveni’s word on corruption, Nabbanja excused herself from the meeting and made a call to the president using his hotline.

Hamis Kiggundu

She briefed him on the issue and Ham’s worries plus suggestions. The president told Nabbanja to bank the money on the government account just like she had insisted upon getting this money. At that time, the manager of the bank at Garden city had gone back home and he rushed back to receive Nabbanja money upon her request.Meanwhile, before she got off the line, Museveni sought to speak to Ham.”First of all, I want to thank you for the spirit of giving back to the people my son. This is good and you should encourage more people in the business community to also do the same. This is not a government war alone, but a war for all of us. I thank you. On the issue of the money, I note your concerns but at least have trust in your government. This is your government. The money is safe” Museveni told Ham on phone but however, asked him not to leave the PM’s office until Nabbanja returns with the receipt for proof of payment/banking that donation.This is how Nabbanja finally handled the donation and found Ham Kiggundu still around her office until he got his receipts. AMAMAIt should be recalled that Museveni fired former PM Amama Mbabazi after he discovered that he was fanning divisions in the party. Mbabazi was sacked as prime minister and also as NRM party secretary general and he finally stood against Museveni in 2016.

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FEATUREDNEWS

Why Speaker Oulanyah Appointed Sarah Kagingo As His Mouthpiece

by HENRY MULINDWA on
Kagingo

Sarah Kagingo’s appointment as the principal press secretary to the speaker of Parliament took many by surprise, but here is why she scooped that job! Sources revealed that several people had been scheming for this position only for the speaker to surprise them by appointing Kagingo who hadn’t been anywhere in the lobbying group. Recently when rumors circulated about the alleged ill health of speaker Oulanyah, Kagingo through her media company put up a spirited front by giving updates on the speaker with pictures. This in turn, allayed public fears that the speaker had been in bad health status. Oulanyah later returned to the country with a bang and was welcomed in a scientific but colorful ceremony by his MPs and deputy speaker.

Photo Mortage of Kagingo and Oulanyah


WHY KAGINGO?
To begin with, she has served as the president of Public Relations Association of Uganda, an association that brings together all PROs in this banana republic. This according to analysts, makes Kagingo a better candidate because of her vast experience and network.Secondly, Kagingo within state house circles is taken as a celebrity because she’s reported to be the brain behind the recent dynamics in the communication system of state house especially for the president. During her stint as a special presidential assistant on media, she made Museveni’s work visible on social media, a trend that has since become the norm by the president’s handlers to date. The president these days even communicates critical issues on social media platforms.

“This has made the president attract more followers on social media which wasn’t the case before. The social media platforms of the president are now running fully and there’s a lot of visibility for the president and his work. Therefore, her appointment by the speaker is hinged on such positive experience” the sources said.And yet, even among those who have worked in Operation Wealth Creation, testify that Kagingo’s footmarks are still visible there. Here, she was also in the communications directorate until she decided to concetrate on her media company. “Politically, Kagingo isn’t new. She’s well networked within the leadership apparatus of this country. She’s therefore, well positioned to make firm decisions and defend the speakership authoritatively. She also brings confidence to the speaker that the system is fully behind him and no one should bull doze him. Kagingo knows all mafia politics and how it manifests. Her appointment is a good decision” the source said.At a personal level, Kagingo according to MPs is versatile, social and multi-lingal which makes her easily blend with anyone. “She will no doubt be a vital person to this institution. She welcomes everybody and it is difficult to tell when she’s annoyed and when not. These are traits of a good mobilizer and leader. I really congratulate the speaker for making this choice. ” says MP Peter Okeyoh.Kagingo is a former guild president of Makerere University. She narrowly missed to go to the regional assembly-EALA in 2016. Contacted for a comment on this news, Kagingo confirmed it.

“It is true I have been appointed and I give the glory to God. I also thank my appointing authority for choosing me. I promise to serve diligently and to make the office of the speaker visible in all aspects”

she said on phone.Congratulations Sarah!!
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FEATUREDSPECIAL REPORT

How siblings turned family’s Covid-19 curse into community blessing

by RICHARD KINTU on

The Coronavirus has ravaged the globe to unimaginable proportions, with the brunt of the disease being borne in varying ways across different societies. In Uganda, businesses have crumbled, families decimated and social ties broken by the disease and its consequences like death and the much-loathed lockdowns — two so far, since 2020. This is a dark cloud indeed!

But like goes the old adage; every dark cloud has a silver lining. Even as the Covid-19 menace has cast a dark cloud across Uganda, a team of Bugisu-based influential brothers has teamed up to turn their own affliction by the disease into an opportunity to empower and help the Bugisu Community fight the disease.

The siblings; Cosmas Busima Mafabi and Gregory Gidagui Mafabi, took the bold step after the dreaded pandemic threatened to take nine of their family members following the outbreak of the second wave of covid-19.

Precisely, their turning point dawned when Gidagui was struck by the disease together with his entire family including his wife and six children. After his battle with Covid-19 which nearly claimed his life, the family formed the Francisco Giboni Mafabi Foundation in memory of their late father who died in 1994.

Through this foundation, the Mafabis have embarked on enhancing government’s Covid-19 fight with the hope that using their own ugly experience, they can touch as many souls suffering with the disease as possible.

The Foundation’s CEO Busima told The Inspector that to achieve their dream, they co-opted other friends and experts to help in the community Covid-19 fight. The other members of the foundation include Warrant Officer II (WO2) Jackson Wosukira who is a Coordinator and Dr. Dominic Wabuloko who is the Foundation’s frontline person/technical advisor. Gidagui serves as the foundation’s Chairman in charge of fundraising as well as Legal Secretary.

Busima (2nd R) donates to the Covid beneficiaries

The Family Misfortune

Foundation coordinator Wosukira narrates that at the dawn of the second wave of the Coronavirus, he together with his family members looked on and were waiting for the wave to pass since they had gone through the first wave of the disease without any issues. However, they would get a scare when their brother Gregory Gidagui together with his wife and six children all got struck by the virus.

“It was a devastating blow to us because at the time there were so many deaths. We were therefore very scared because being in the age bracket that is most affected by Covid-19,” Wosukira says.

Gidagui’s Close Shave With death

Gidagui says he is not certain on the actual dates when he contracted the disease or how he contracted it. He however says that for about one month, he suffered bouts of fever and had low body energy. However, results for malaria tests always came out negative yet the feeling of sickness persisted.

He however inadvertently learnt that he was carrying Covid-19 when he finally tested for the disease. His testing, however, was more of casual because he did it the day he took his daughter Pauline Wanyenze to test after she returned from school with clear signs of Covid.

“My daughter was in boarding at St. Anthony Kajjansi but returned home with a very bad flu and cough. At the same time she complained of constant headaches. I put her on flu and cough medication but there was no change. I therefore suspected that she had Covid so I took her for testing at Mulago national referral hospital,” Gidagui narrates.

He says the daughter’s test came out positive and this is when he also tested on June 7, 2021 and his own results came out positive the following day.

Having ascertained that the deadly enemy had invaded his family, he decided to test his entire family (which includes relatives). Out of the over 30 family members whose testing he funded, at least 7 more turned out to be positive including Gidagui’s wife and his five other children.

“At that time there were very many announcements of victims claimed by covid-19 so the fear was immense. I must admit I was so scared but because I’m a firm believer in the divine mercy of God I decided to put the fears away and battle the disease,” he says.

During the first wave of the pandemic, Gidagui had closely worked with the Mbale Regional Taskforce to which he donated relief food worth Shs7m that was distributed to needy people across the six districts of Bugisu. He therefore contacted one Dr. Dominic Wabuloko with whom he had collaborated that time.

After explaining to him his condition, Dr. Wabuloko deduced that because Gidagui had been largely asymptomatic, his Covid-19 was mild. He thus prescribed for him home isolation coupled with treatment and exercise to keep his lungs active and oxygen levels high.

Beating the disease

“To ensure that we adhere to treatment, I mooted the idea of a collective fight. I therefore put all my positive children on treatment. We would steam everyday with dragon and axle balms and then take the tablets followed by daily exercise,” he says. For the tablets, they took daily doses of Ivermectine, Dexamethasone, Azithromycin, Zinc, Aspirin and Vitamin C. luckily for Gidagui, he managed to beat the disease within 4 days although he took the full dose of 10 days.

But while he and his daughter were cured of the disease quickly, the challenge was on his wife who remained bedridden and was even hospitalized for weeks.

“For her the disease had progressed to the lungs and they had started losing functionality,” he explains.

He is however thankful to Mother Mary because he sought her intercession and his prayers were heard. “My children’s mother is still sickly but she is past the scary stages; at least most of the water and mucus in her lungs have cleared and now we are on treatment to heal the wounds and infection she got in the lungs; but I’m optimistic for her full recovery,” he says.

And then the foundation

A staunch Catholic, Gidagui says that being struck by Corona but healing quickly despite the many deaths showed him that God still loved him and was showing him that he has a purpose to fulfill for him. To answer God’s call, he contacted his elder brother Busima and mooted the idea of starting a foundation in memory of their father. Through it, they would then be able to help other Bagisu to overcome the virus just like he did.

He copted his brother well aware that being a politician, he had the necessary contacts to mobilize beneficiaries since is a former Budadiri East MP and former NRM Deputy Chief Whip in the 7th Parliament.

The works

Already, the foundation has hit the ground and the impact is being felt across Bugisu. Busima says that they mobilized late Francisco Giboni Mafabi children and grandchildren who pooled Shs50m into the fund. This money will all be dedicated to fund Covid-19 prevention and treatment.

After getting the funds, Busima and Wosukira did a needs assessment to find out how best the Mafabis would enhance government’s fight against covid-19. “Being lay people, we did not want to antagonize government but instead our intention was to enhance its programme,” Busima says. From the survey, they realized that across Bugisu there was so much distortion of government’s message especially as regards the lockdown and observance of the SOPs.

“We for instance realized that some people believe the lockdown is meant to impoverish common people; there were also claims that the disease only affected the rich and so was not in the villages. As such, people were going about drinking normally while even sharing tubes at the ‘buusera’ (malwa/ajon) joints. Matters were worsened by the enforcement practices of punishing and penalising those found in breach of the SOPs and curfew,” he adds. This called for a mindset change campaign on local radios in Bugisu and on social media. During such programs, the Mafabis have reached out to the locals deep in the villages explaining to them the danger in sharing tubes and hiding in banana plantations so as to drink away from the prying eyes of the enforcement agencies.

And on a daily basis, they each record and share message relating to covid-19 prevention, treatment and policy releases/new research from the Ministry of Health.

To entrench the foundation’s activities better, they have created linkages with government structures including the resident district commissioners (RDC), District Health Officer (DHO), Chief Administrative Officers (CAO) and LC5 Chairpersons. “These link us to the Covid-19 district taskforces through which we are channeling donations meant to help our people in the fight against Covid-19,” Wosukira revealed. Under this arrangement, they have so far purchased and donated equipment including 40 doses of Covidex as well as other assorted drugs used to treat the disease. These, on top of masks and sanitizers, have been extended to the 12 health centre IV’s across the Bugisu districts of Manafwa, Sironko, Mbale, Namisindwa, Bulambuli and Bududa. Wosukira says that as well as helping the patients, they also extend aid to the medics at the health centres and so far they have given masks and sanitizers to medics at Buwasa, Muyembe and Bukigayi Health Centre IV’s on top of Bududa Hospital. Other centres include Magale and Busiu among others. The brothers revealed that once the pandemic is overcome, they intend to continue supporting the community through promoting environmental security to mitigate landslides, safe circumcision initiatives among others.

“Once God commands you to fulfill a certain mission you cannot have limits; he gave me a second chance and I must use it to help others,” says a now renewed Gidagui.

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Ugandan blogger Lumbuye arrested in Turkey

by vega on

Turkish-based Ugandan blogger, Fred Lumbuye, has been arrested over a raft of offences where he has allegedly been using social media to spread false news and cause acrimony.

Security sources confirmed his arrest and revealed that a team of operatives attached to Uganda’s External Security Organisation, working with the Turkish security, tracked and arrested Lumbuye from his hideout in Turkey.

“He has been tracked for some time, and he was finally arrested. Lumbuye had several players behind him. It is time for truth-telling and for him to reveal whoever was involved in feeding him with falsehoods to cause acrimony,” a security source revealed.

Following Lumbuye’s arrest, several Ugandans in the diaspora who support him turned to social media to claim that he had been kidnapped. However, on learning that Lumbuye had been arrested, they launched fundraising to get lawyers for him.

Lumbuye is among the alleged social media misusers that police recently singled out to be among those on its wanted list.

By the time of filing this, the foreign affairs state minister in charge of International Affairs, Henry Okello Oryem, said he was addressing a press conference. But Oryem had earlier said Lumbuye should be arrested for causing acrimony in Uganda through his social media posts.

Museveni directs on social media misusers

On July 8, President Yoweri Museveni directed security services to track down people who misuse social media by spreading false information.

The President said there was a need to crack down on the people who are misemploying social media, including the Ugandans living abroad. He noted that many of them are now using it to spread baseless and tasteless news with total abandon.

“Another idiotic problem that we need to solve is the social media. Social media apparently has been saying that Museveni is dead. So, the security service needs also to solve that problem. I need to check with them to locate quickly the one who tells such a story because you waste people’s time; they should go for you,” Museveni said

This followed a series of fake news being peddled via social media, including one where bloggers spread falsehoods that Museveni had died.

On July 5, the senior Presidential Press Secretary, Lindah Nabusayi, clarified misinformation that had been spread on social media that there had been a planned presidential address on COVID-19 that evening.

“Please disregard any rumours circulating that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is set to address the nation today. There is no address. We shall inform the public as and when such an address is scheduled,” Nabusayi said.

The clarification followed speculative social media posts indicating that the President was due to address the nation on the COVID-19 situation and the 42-day lockdown he imposed on June 18.

Earlier in the day, Nabusayi tweeted pictures of the President, who was in the company of the First Lady and Education minister, Janet Kataaha Museveni, going for the Cabinet meeting at State House Entebbe, amid false reports that the President was sick and that he had died.

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