Day

By Our Reporter

www.mknewslink.com

In Kampala

The Inter Party Organization for Dialogue (IPOD) summit has agreed to fast track the implementation of proposed Public Order Management Act (POMA) regulations that were proposed by the IPOD council a while back.

The regulations are likely to be passed two months from now and will be studied by the National Security Council team.

In the same matter, the Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Ruhakana Rugunda who is also the chairperson of the National Consultative Forum will consult with IPOD to finalize the conduct of political parties.

The summit also unanimously agreed to allocate 35 billion shillings towards financing political parties in parliament.

Effective FY 2019/2020, the leaders resolved, this money will be paid towards meeting the operational costs of these entities.

Public finance to political parties has previously been a paltry 10 billion shillings.

While delivering a joint communiqué yesterday night, Hon. Norbert Mao the Democratic Party president and summit chairperson said a formula on how to share the money has been set up.

He said all parties with parliamentary representation will receive an equal share for the day to day running of party headquarters and branches while 15% of these funds shall be set aside for the IPOD secretariat.

The summit was attended by Hon. Norbert Mao of the Democratic Party (DP), President Yoweri Museveni the National Resistance Movement (NRM) chairman, Hon. Jimmy Akena the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) president and Hon. Mohammed Kibirige Mayanja who represented Asuman Basaliirwa.

The summit also accepted the draft bill on regulation of independent candidates in a multi-party setting.

Part of this bill demands that individuals seeking to run as independents should resign publicly from their mother parties a year before elections.

The summit heads also called for the recognition of party heads with parliamentary representation.

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By Our Reporter

www.mknewslink.com

In Kampala

The minister of ICT who is also the Woman Member of Parliament Kayunga District Constituency disagreed with the previous allegations said by the police that the gunmen killing famous Ugandans are not agents of Allied Democratic Front (ADF) rebel group but assassins from state security organs.

Ms Nantaba said this when she was addressing the congregation at Bukolooto Seventh Day Adventists Church in Kayunga Town during the weekend. “Truth is that the killers are within security and government.” she said.

“As Ugandans, we have more than 10,000 questions on who is choosing which Ugandan to kill like chicken. I was going to be the next, but God saved me,” Ms Nantaba said referring to the incident in which police shot dead one Ronald Ssebulime on allegations of trailing the minister on 24^th March.

The Force later recanted its earlier narrative that the deceased was armed and killed in firefight, admitting that its officers who killed the 40-year-Sebulime, while on his way to visit his two daughters at St Andrew’s SS Kabimbiri in Kayunga District.

It is still unknown whether Ms Nantaba, who was the main complainant in the case, ever recorded a statement with police on Ssebulime’s killing because she rejected initial police summons to do so, saying President Museveni had instructed her to stay at home.

Amid bursts of tears, Ms Nantaba, who repeatedly choked on words and gasped for air, said: “I was shocked when a highly-placed person in security, who was trying to hatch a plan to have me assassinated, was promoted.”

The Police Spokes Person Fred Enanga earlier said that the Minister did not connect with them seeking for help.

It does not help her by talking in tongues. She has access to the President, Inspector General of Police and Army Commander, she cannot tell us that the entire army wants to kill her, Mr Ofwono Opondo, the executive director at Uganda Media Centre, said Enanga.

Mr Fred Enanga, said they have no record of the minister’s complaint about threats to her life.

He (Enanga) said it is unfortunate that she is talking about threats in her life in the media. Let her come out and make these threats in writing.

The then Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, whom President Museveni fired early last year after publicly scolding him that the Force he superintended had been infiltrated by “criminal elements,” blamed the high-profile killings on ADF elements.

Gen Kayihura did not provide evidence, and Ms Nantaba punched holes in the assertions.

Ms Nantaba’s unrestrained swipe at the government incited her Tourism counterpart, Mr. Godfrey Kiwanda, to intervene onto the podium and talk her out of further verbal assault.

At the function, Ms Nantaba opposed accounts from her earlier testimony of the events that followed the late Ssebulime’s killing.

She said Ssebulime, who was riding a motorbike, confronted her twice while peeping in her vehicle.

The minister previously said Ssebulime stopped in front of her vehicle and rode away at a high speed, prompting her to pursue him.

Ms Nantaba, in accounts we could not independently verify, said a top official of Uganda Communications Commission informed her that they had identified the caller believed to have issued last-minute orders to kill Ssebulime, who was already hand-cuffed, but the regulator, claimed that the information was “too sensitive.”

www.mknewslink.com a greater western Uganda news website
Email: wmuhwezi75@gmail.com
Tel: +256702680106

By Our Reporter

www.mknewslink.com

In Kampala

Bank of Uganda (BoU) last week threw out conflicted city lawyers of Lule and Sebalu advocates and instead appointed Joseph Byamugisha to represent them in the recent suit that was filed by city business mogul Sudhir Ruparelia.

In a notice dated May 17, 2019 to the High Court, BoU said Dr. Byamugisha had been appointed as their attorney. Last month, Commercial Court kicked out Sebalu & Lule Advocates, who were on April 29, declared conflicted and therefore unfit to represent BoU in a longstanding commercial dispute.

However, sources say Byamugisha who is also a close ally of Sebalu and Lule Advocates was seconded by Deputy Governor Louis Kasekende. In the twist of events, www.mknewslink.com has reliably learnt Counsel Timothy K. Masembe of MMKAS Advocate who was a lawyer for Dr. Byamugisha during his tenure when was an external lawyer for National Social Security Fund had participated heavily in having Byamugisha replace Lule and Sebalu.

According to sources, Masembe who is a close confidant of Dr. Kasekende played an inportant role to have Byamugisha appointed BoU lawyer in the current case involving city businessman Sudhir Ruparelia.

As a recap, in December 2017, the Commercial Court disqualified city lawyers Masembe and Mr David Mpanga from the Sh397 billion BoU case against Sudhir Ruparelia, also citing conflict of interest, thus acted in violation of the Advocates (Professional Conduct) regulations.

www.mknewslink.com has also reliably learnt that Dr. Byamugisha was a legal counsel for Mr. Masembe representing him on the transaction of the legal fees that were paid by BoU during the Crane bank takeover.

Byamugisha who also comes from Kabale district like BoU Governor Emmanuel Mutebile is also a member of well networked group of influential individuals who hail from same district. He is expected to battle lawyers from Kampala Associated Advocates that represents Sudhir.

The Central Bank in October 2016 closed Crane Bank Limited, previously one of the best performing banks before controversially transferring it DFCU Bank in January 2017 for a paltry Shs200 billion. The central bank has since come under the spotlight after the closure of Crane Bank Ltd backfired with both Parliament and the Auditor General faulting the BoU officials in the middle of the transaction.

Deputy Registrar of the Commercial Court Festo Nsenga on Monday April 29, 2019 delivered a ruling in which city businessman Sudhir Ruparelia emerged the victor after seeking dismissal of Sebalu & Lule Advocates from a case involving Crane Management Services Limited (CMS) and Dfcu Bank Limited which had hired the law firm to defend it in a suit where CMS was seeking rent arrears of about Shs3 billion as well as recovering US $385,728.5 from the bank.

The Commercial court is yet to hear the pending applications in the case between Bank of Uganda (BoU) and Ruparelia over sale of Crane bank to Dfcu bank. The BoU sued Ruparelia and his Meera Investments Company for allegedly fleecing Crane bank of Shs397 billion in fraudulent transactions and transfers.

The third application was filed by Ruparelia, demanding dismissal of BoU pleadings. Crane bank was taken over by the central bank on October 20, 2016 and later sold to Dfcu bank in 2017. Ruparelia has denied the fraud accusations and instead counter-sued the central bank, seeking compensation of about Shs28 billion in damages for breach of contract between him and BoU.

However, April 29th’s ruling means that BoU and Dfcu bank cannot hire any lawyers that were in the past employed by any company of the Ruparelia Group on the grounds that such lawyers or law firms have a privilege to some information that they can use against Sudhir and his companies, thus creating a scenario of conflict of interest as agreed by Justice Paul Gadenya Wolimbwa who said there exists an Advocate-client relationship between Sebalu & Lule Advocates and Meera Investments, a member of the Ruparelia Group.

Further the ruling which is a precursor to the main ruling puts BoU in a weaker position as officials BoU were hoping to bank on the knowledge of Sebalu and Lule Advocates in regard to Ruparelia Group businesses. Now they will have to look elsewhere for lawyers who have never worked for Sudhir. It will be hard for new lawyers to present evidence pinning Sudhir.

The ruling also came after parliament’s Committee on Commissions, State Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) established that Shs478 billion BoU claimed it put in Crane Bank during receivership was not all used as Shs320 billion is not accounted for. Interestingly CBL needed only Shs150 billion to remain operating, yet BoU handed over CBL assets to Dfcu bank at Shs200 billion. BoU will have to prove how Sudhir fleeced CBL of Shs397 billion in alleged fraudulent transactions and transfers.

ww.mknewslink.com a greater western Uganda news website
Email: wmuhwezi75@gmail.com
Tel: +256702680106

By Innocent Atuganyira

www.mknewslink.com

In Masindi

Masindi market is operating in a sorry state due to sticky smelly garbage which has taken a long period of time without collecting it.

Speaking to one of the reached anonymous market vender, council always collect tax every day hoping to get better service but nothing they do for them.

Mrs. Kunihira Stella the Secretary Masindi Market venders’ cooperative blamed the central division for not implementing since they have paid the money through the bank.

However when we contacted the councilor Masindi civic ward Mr. Irumba Haruna Ismail also blamed Municipal council over failure to play its role, he also added that the money for servicing the machines comes direct from the government not the tax they collect from tax payers.

Every time they complain that they have no money but people pay tax and money for servicing the machines comes from the government, the problem with the town clerk is that he relays on other people’s decision last time I brought the deputy town clerk but never took any action, Mr. Irumba added

However the LC3 chairperson Masindi Municipal Central division Hon Mandela Nelson said that due to breakdown of the machines for some time delayed the collection of the garbage, we have no mandate to service the machines since the local government act doesn’t allow us to do what is not our role, he added

Municipal Authority is in charge of servicing the machines and the Central division is mandated to collect the garbage thus we play complementary role, he added

However there has been provision of the tractor by the Municipal contractor as waiting for Municipal council to repair the machines to collect the accumulated garbage in the market collection centers, he said

The Municipal council is working upon the clock to ensure that the machines are back in good condition, he said.

www.mknewslink.com a greater western Uganda news website
Email: wmuhwezi75@gmail.com
Tel: +256702680106