President Yoweri Museveni.

President, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni last week appealed to the Parliamentary Commission to consider extending the payment of pensions and gratuities to include all the former MPs not just those of the 9th and 10th Parliament.

Museveni said this recently during the Golden Award Ceremony of 1162 MPs who served the country right from the 1st to the 9th Parliament when Uganda celebrated its golden Jubilee.

The President says the government cannot fail to look after 1,000 people who in the last 50 years made a contribution to the development of this country.

The appeal was made when one of the Golden Jubilee Medalists asked that as former legislators, Parliament considers also accompanying their awards with some token of appreciation in form of money.

Mathias Nsubuga, the former Bukoto South MP expressed the need for a resource envelop that can cater for families of former MPs most of whom cannot cater for themselves.

Another MP, Gilbert Oulanya, the Kilak County Member of Parliament did not also differ much saying that government needed to do more for these families either by either schooling their children than giving simply empty medals.

Meanwhile former Rubaga South MP, John Ken Lukyamuzi does not support attaching monetary value to the medal. Lukyamuzi was however, among the few opposition politicians who turned up to receive the medals.
He said boycotting the ceremony is meaningless and he received a medal not for President, Yoweri Museveni but for his own contribution to Uganda’s democratic struggle.

Some of the prominent opposition politicians including Dr. Kizza Besigye, wife Winnie Byanyima, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Party President Mugisha Muntu, Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Winfred Kiiza  did not show up  for the Golden Jubilee medal awarding ceremony.

Others are Democratic Party (DP) president and former Gulu Municipality MP Norbert Mao, former Mbarara Woman MP Miria Matembe, former Kampala Central MP Erias Lukwago and others.

The awarding occasion is provided for under the National Honours Award Act, 2001.

The medalists were read out by, General Elly Tumwine who is the Chairperson of the Presidential Awards Committee.

Museveni was later invited to decorate the medalists who were recognised for work done in building Uganda’s democracy.

However, Gen.Tumwine cautioned those who received the medals to handle them with care and put them on with pride since they remain a property of the republic of Uganda.

About 300 Members of Parliament since 1962 to 2012 did not pick their Golden Jubilee award medals, though 600 million shillings was injected in for their procurement and preparations to about 1400 beneficiaries.

Reports from the officials who were giving out invitation cards and identification tags to the beneficiaries of the medals say that most of the Opposition MPs shunned the awarding ceremony and hence causing wastage of funds used for making   invitation cards, identification tags and booking eats they said.

The award is in recognition of the present and former MPs for their contribution to the democratization of the country and some of them missed the medals due to lack of transport facilitation especially to those who served in the first Parliaments.

The awarding ceremony held at Serena hotel on Monday and officiated by the President was attended by few opposition MPs because others did not want to associate with the President and prefer to pick them after without the President’s hand shake.

Among of those who boycotted the function include; the former  Democratic Party President, Dr.Paul Kawanga Ssemwogerere,John Sebana Kizito ,Mukono Municipality MP, Betty Nambooze Bakireke ,Leader of Opposition Winfred Kiiza ,Kampala Central MP, Mohammed Nsereko , Erias Lukwago ,Bugweri County MP, Abdul Katuntu ,Soroti Woman MP, Angelina Ossege ,Lubaga North MP, Moses Kasibante ,Busiro South MP,  Merdad Segona ,Masaka Municipality MP, Mathias Mpuga among others.

Others are the former FDC Leader, Dr.Kiiza Besigye’s wife Winnie Byanyima ,former Leader of Opposition, Wafula Oguttu  and Latigo Ogenga ,Democratic Party President, Norbert Mao ,former Mbarara district MP, Maria Matembe among others.

The few opposition MPs who attended the function include the Kilak North MP,  Gilbert Oulanya, Kasilo County MP, Elijah Okupa ,Lira district Woman MP, Joy Atim , Aswa County MP, Regan Okumu among others.

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Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago.

During a council meeting presided over by the Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago ,the Chairperson of the Legal Affairs, Bruhan Byaruhanga presented a report to the council seeking a resolution of the authority to devolve some of the functions to the divisional councils.

Although some of the Councilors mainly from the opposition were not in support of the proposal, thinking that they will also be left without any duties to perform but they later hided to the request of the divisional mayors who had earlier walked out of the council in protest.

Lukwago has now directed the committee on Legal Affairs to meet with all the divisional mayors by the end of today to agree on the modalities on how they will consult the central government through the Kampala minister and agree on the way forward how the local councils can be funded and deliver services to the people.

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Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago.

The meeting is said to have been attended by the Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, Minister for Kampala Beti Kamya ,Division Mayors who included; Charles Musoke Serunjogi,Ali Kasirye  Nganda, Ronald Balimwezo ,Joyce Sebugwawo and Emmanuel Serunjogi .

Also in attendance were Members of Parliament from Kampala for Kawempe North Latif Sebaggala, for Lubaga South Kato Lubwama ,Makindye East’s Ibrahim Kasozi and Lubaga North’s Moses Kasibante .

Speaking to journalists soon after the meeting, the Chairperson of the City Parliamentary Caucus, Latif Sebaggala, said that each person in the meeting was given chance to speak on how they can move together to give Kampala people the service they deserve.

He revealed that the Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago and the Minister for Kampala, Beti Kamya, agreed to work together despite the recent misunderstanding.

Lukwago and Kamya recently clashed in Parliament where they had been called to give account of KCCAs activities to the legislators among other issues.

However, the two failed to agree on the point of procedure prompting Parliament to throw them out until ‘they sort out their differences’ before they can reappear before the house.

Sebaggala said they plan to have a follow up meeting within 2 weeks’ time to track their progress on working together.

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The market was purchased from one Umar Ssekamate as a way of increasing the authority’s revenue and relocate vendors who roaming the streets to a more centralized place.

Jennifer Musisi meeting some of the vendors at the market.

However, Members of Parliament sitting in the committee chaired by Col. Fred Mwesige while discussing the matter noted that KCCA had not put the money in good use. They said most building in the market are dilapidated with most vendors failing to operate their business there sighting a high cost of operations in doing business there.

Suzan Amero,the committee’s  vice chairperson and also woman MP Amuria district, said they considering summoning City Director of Planning, the Lord Mayor,Erias Lukwago, former minsters for Kampala, Frank Tumwebaze and the KCCA’s Executive Director, Jennifer Musisi to come and explain to members were the market is not operational to the expected standards.

The MPS are also concerned on why the city authority enforcement officers continue to harass and confiscate properties of vendors on the streets.

Simeo Nsubuga, the Kasanda South MP in Mubende district questioned why there are uncoordinated finance reports from KCCA saying the authority has indicated dishonesty in the procuring process of this market.

Rubaga North MP Moses Kasibante also wondered why KCCA would invest
this huge amount of money to purchase such a market yet there are other markets located at the outskirts of Kampala which require less resources for development.

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 Lukwago got the title of Al-hajji fromMeccain November this year. Lukwago’s wishes have come at a time when the secretary for Dawa at UMSC, Nuhu Muzaata Batte has asked Lukwago to change his personality because he is Al-hajji. 

Lukwago says that he wants when he retires from politics to concentrate on running the affairs of Uganda Muslim Supreme Council.

Ultimate Media

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Lukwago got the title of Al-hajji from Mecca in November this year. Lukwago’s wishes have come at a time when the secretary for Dawa at UMSC, Nuhu Muzaata Batte has asked Lukwago to change his personality because he is Al-hajji.

Lukwago says that he wants when he retires from politics to concentrate on running the affairs of Uganda Muslim Supreme Council.

By James Okello

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The latest is tension between Kampala City Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and KCCA Executive Director, Jennifer Musisi over decisions made.

This has now spilled over to the council and committee meetings, with Lukwago halting their sittings indefinitely over what he describes as failure by top leadership in respecting his decision on pertinent matters.

The committees affected by his new directive are the standing and oversight committees of the authority.

Lukwago says the committees have been rendered idle, since their decisions are always ignored.

He says their powers have been usurped by the city Executive Director, whom he says is running the authority single headedly.

The lord mayor is also questioning the absence of the physical planning authority, which is supposed to be charged with ensuring implementation of the master plan.

He questions who is directing decisions to demolish buildings in the city in the absence of the planning authority.

Lukwago says the councilors have been sent on holiday to show discontent with the manner in which business is run but also save the tax payers’ money.

He says it’s useless for the councilors to remain in office being paid the tax payers when they are not doing anything productive.

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We have been reliably informed that currently when Nambooze brings an argument Lukwago openly fights it. The bad meat between Nambooze and Lukwago started during the appointment of the Deputy Mayor.

Sources say that Nambooze had requested Lukwago to choose a catholic and an opposition councilor to be the deputy mayor since Lukwago was a Muslim.

The development came after the Democratic Party requested Lukwago to appoint Sulaiman Kidandala as the deputy mayor of Kampala.

Nambooze argued that her resistance was not to rebel against the decision of the Democratic Party but she only wanted Lukwago to balance religions. Lukwago accepted and brought two names before the councilors to approve one of them to be the deputy mayor. That was the name of Luyiga and that of Kidandala.

When the councilors pressed him to give them one name for them to approve, Lukwago dropped that of Luyiga and gave them Kidandala.

The furious Nambooze went out of the hall, jumped into her car and drove off. And this could explain why Nambooze was rumoured to campaign for an NRM candidate in Luweero woman MP race while Lukwago has declared to support the DP candidate in the race.

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Dr. Kizza Besigye at a press conference

Some of the party’s youth leaders have split over money they think their party president Dr. Kizza Besigye has been “dishing” out to none FDC members, Erias Lukwago, Muwanga Kivumbi, Betty Nambooze, Joseph Mulwanyamuli (former Buganda kingdom premier).

Some FDC youths informed us that the retired colonel has been giving money to non party members while some party cadres continue swimming in the lake of poverty.

The youths allege that during the 2011 general elections, Besigye gave 100 million shillings to Lukwago, 64 million shillings to Betty Nambooze and reportedly 2.5 billion shillings to Mulwanyabuli to sell Col. Kiiza Besigye’s candidature in Buganda.

The FDC activists are bitter that Besigye treats none party members as too vital. The FDC youth want any money their president gets to be given to FDC party members.

By Doreen Nyanzi

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The political leaders visited Nakasero market where the market chairman Godfrey Kakooza informed them that they have no space for new vendors.

KCCA yesterday evicted vendors who have for long been selling their merchandise on streets in Kampala. KCCA Executive Director Jenifer Musisi Semakula said the vendors can take up over 8000 stalls available on the 69 KCCA managed markets in Kampala.

Lukwago and the councilors have also visited the park yard where they have found the same situation as well Kisenyi, and St Balikuddembe markets.

The general secretary of St Balikuddembe market Adam Kakuba notices that they expect to be with space for new vendors when they are given the land title and modernize their market from the current 10,000 stalls to over 80,000.

Lukwago and his team are expected to present a report to council on Wednesday.

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