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Did Obama snub Museveni?

The government yesterday moved to deny a report in an international newsletter indicating that President Museveni was snubbed by US President Barack Obama on a recent trip to New York.

The Indian Ocean Newsletter, popular for its usual controversial stories on African strongmen, also added in its October 3 report that it was the first time the Ugandan leader had suffered such a diplomatic slight, a report dismissed by Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Ambassador James Mugume.

“President Museveni would have liked to have a face-to-face meeting with his American counterpart Barack Obama during the recent United Nations General Assembly,” the report said.

Mumbere crowned at last
Charles Wesley Mumbere, who spent the last few years seeking recognition from the central government, got his wish yesterday in a ceremony that was officially described as a commemoration of his coronation in 1966.

The event in Kasese, attended by President Museveni, means that the central government now can call him the Omusinga of the Rwenzururu, the title that Mr Mumbere has claimed since the second Milton Obote administration.

Not everyone was smiling with Mr Mumbere, 56, a son of an anti-Toro movement that would later claim royalty among the Bakonzo-Bamba. In Kampala, Swaleh Tibamwenda, 52, who is one of at least four other men claiming kingship over the Bakonzo-Bamba, ran out of legal ideas as it became apparent that the ceremony would go on.


MTN to invest Shs190 billion in Uganda
Telecommunications giant MTN has secured a $100 million loan from within Uganda, to improve and expand its network, an indication that the economy has the potential to support costly public projects.

The Shs190 billion loan was sourced from 11 local commercial banks and will be invested this financial year.

The united lenders include; Stanbic Bank, Kenya Commercial Bank, Standard Chartered, Barclays, Ecobank and DFCU Bank, who were coordinated by South African based Investment bank ABSA Capital.

Akankwasa not suspended- NFA
The National Forestry Authority yesterday said it would cooperate with the authorities “if called upon” to establish the source of the Shs900 million allegedly stolen from the home of its Executive Director Damian Akankwasa.
The body, however, said Mr Akankwasa, who weekend newspapers reported had been suspended on orders of President Museveni, has not been officially dismissed and will continue with his duties.
In a press statement NFA described the dispute between Mr Akankwasa and his wife as a “private (and) domestic matter” and added that it would not be drawn into it.

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NRM MPs yesterday proposed to abolish traditional kingdoms, Daily Monitor has learnt. The proposal, which comes just a day before President Museveni is expected to meet Kabaka Ronald Mutebi to iron out differences between the central government and Buganda Kingdom, is the most radical proposal yet to stop cultural leaders from getting involved in politics. The proposal was made yesterday during a meeting of the ruling NRM’s parliamentary caucus.

Senior spy summoned over murder plot
The Police Criminal Investigations Directorate has summoned a top official at the External Security Organisation following allegations of a plot to murder the deputy director General, Mr Emmy Allio, Daily Monitor has learnt. News of the decision to summon the top official, approved by the Inspector General of Police Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, who is supervising the CID investigation, came on the backdrop of a statement by the coordinator of intelligence services dismissing the murder plot as “hogwash”.

Chogm cash: 12 ministers wanted
The parliamentary Public Accounts Committee has issued a fresh list of individuals wanted over non-accountability of Chogm funds, two years after the event, Daily Monitor can reveal. Notable are cabinet ministers, permanent secretaries and other public officials whose dockets are yet to account for more than Shs270 billion.

The committee chairperson, Mr Nandala Mafabi, said: “We have included ministers because of their direct roles in most of these Chogm deals, where close to Shs300b was spent but has not been officially accounted for. We are not witch-hunting anybody.” The listed ministers are those who chaired mini-cabinet sub-committees established to provide political direction to the technical committees and to monitor the implementation in the respective areas of the planned Chogm activities.


City riots: MP Lukwago, Segona charged
Kampala Central MP Erias Lukwago and Buganda Deputy Information Minister Medard Segona were yesterday quizzed at CID headquarters and later charged with inciting violence and sedition respectively at Buganda Road Court.
Tension was earlier high at CID headquarters in Kibuli among relatives and friends of Mr Lukwago and Mr Segona as they underwent a marathon quizzing for close to seven hours. Mr Lukwago, who was supposed to appear at the CID headquarters for interrogation on charges of inciting violence and to substantiate his earlier claims that someone was sending him threatening messages last week, was shocked when charges of terrorism were slapped on him.

Makerere dons to sue NIC over Shs17b
demic staff have resolved to sue the National Insurance Corporation if it goes ahead with plans to list on the local stock exchange before settling Shs17 billion that the dons claim it owes them. Mr David Muhwezi, the board secretary of the Deposit Administration Plan (DAP), a staff retirement benefit scheme run by NIC on behalf of Makerere University Academic Staff Association (Muasa), yesterday wrote to NIC giving the insurer up to October 2 to pay back the money. “If we do not hear from you by then, we shall have no alternative but to take legal action against you for the recovery of the above money at your own cost and peril,” Mr Muhwezi wrote.

Egypt denies sabotaging Nile water talks
he Egyptian Minister for Water Resources and Irrigation has denied claims that his government is a roadblock to talks aimed at renegotiating colonial agreements over the use of river Nile. Dr Mohamed Nasr Eldin Allam made the remarks during a media briefing in Kampala yesterday to highlight the progress of an Egypt-Ugandan partnership to clear the hyacinth weed from Ugandan water.


Govt changes curriculum for secondary schools
The National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC), has announced changes in the secondary school curriculum. The changes to be implemented at the beginning of next academic year, are aimed at enabling students to acquire skills to work effectively as early as Senior Four. The changes will see the number of compulsory subjects reduced to six, with specialisation encouraged before A levels.

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A power struggle at the External Security Organisation has dramatically turned nasty with the Police confirming that they are investigating an alleged plot to kill the deputy Director General, Mr Emmy Allio. Mr Allio who told Daily Monitor that his detractors had plotted to kill him during the riots said he has received various death threats and is worried that he could ‘die anytime’.

NIC listing hangs in balance
Plans to list the National Insurance Corporation (NIC) on the local stock exchange have run into trouble following disagreements over what information should be disclosed to investors, this newspaper can reveal.The government is seeking to sell its 40 per cent stake in NIC through an Initial Public Offering (IPO)that was supposed to be announced on Friday in Kampala.

Mak lecturers reject ‘foreigner’ for VC
With less than a week to the election of the new vice chancellor, Makerere University lecturers have rejected a council decision to allow non-Ugandans to vie for the position. The decision was reached at during Friday’s Makerere University Academic Staff Association (Muasa) executive meeting in Kampala. The lecturers’ verdict follows last Wednesday’s Council meeting which agreed to allow all qualified candidates irrespective of nationality to vie for the post of vice chancellor.

Kabaka, Museveni to meet on Wednesday
A meeting between the President Museveni and the Kabaka of Buganda has been slated for Wednesday, officials at Mengo have confirmed.The long awaited meeting between Kabaka Ronald Mutebi II and the President Museveni at State House, Nakasero, is expected to calm the strained relationship between the kingdom and central government, Daily Monitor has learnt.

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Yesterday’s developments came in the wake of emerging information that President Museveni and the Kabaka are this week expected to meet for showdown talks.
Sources close to the Presidency told Daily Monitor yesterday that Mr Museveni placed a telephone call to Mr Mutebi on Saturday, speaking for close to an hour and an agreement was made for round table face-to-face discussions.


The sources also indicated that President Museveni sent an emissary in Maj. Roland Kakooza Mutale, a Muganda and a presidential adviser on military affairs, to meet the Kabaka at the weekend. Maj. Mutale is also the head of special duties in the President’s Office. Daily Monitor has learnt that the matter also formed part of discussions at a meeting of the National Security Council chaired by Internal Affairs Minister Kirunda Kivejinja on Saturday.

Although Mr Kivejinja confirmed yesterday that the meeting took place, he declined to offer specifics about the discussions but admitted: “That is like asking me did you eat food? Of course I ate....My primary job is to make sure that there is peace and security internally in the country. I can tell you, we are on top of these events.”

Although Daily Monitor could not readily establish when the Museveni-Mutebi meeting will take place, preliminary demands by Mengo and Mr Museveni’s administration offer the clearest indication on when such a meeting can take place.
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