The result was this report titled: Bigger Cities, Smaller Screens: Urbanization, mobile phones and digital trends in Africa.

The report notes that Africa will become predominantly urban within 20 years, according to a United Nations report, with cities tripling in size and megacities developing throughout the continent. This suggests significant changes for Africans’ consumption of media in general and digital media in particular, with implications for Africa’s cities, politics, and civil society.

The convergence of African urbanization and technological change, including the rise of digital media, is driving major change. Perhaps most dramatic, use of cellphones and other mobile devices, already widespread, are becoming a nearly universal platform, not only for telephony but also for audio and video information and entertainment.

The research and analysis was carried out by Adam Clayton Powell II, a senior fellow at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Center for Communication Leadership and Policy and a university fellow at USC’s Center on Public Diplomacy, coordinating USC projects and forums in Washington, DC, on subjects ranging from public diplomacy and public service media to future business models for cultural institutions and arts journalism.

You can download a copy of the instrumental report by paying $2.00 only (click buy now

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Stephen Kiprotich surged away from a pair of East African rivals over the final three miles to win the race in 2:08:01, givingUgandaits first gold medal in track and field since John Akii-Bua won the 400-meter hurdles four decades ago.

The secretary general of DP Mathias Nsubuga also says that if DP captures power in 2016 it will inject more money in sports.

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It is eight years now since Ugandans woke up to the sad news that the former Attorney General, Francis Ayume had died in a motor accident.

On the morning of Tuesday, May 18, 2004, the people of Uganda woke up to the sad news of a grisly accident that had claimed the life of Ayume.

But prior to the accident, the Attorney General had got a ‘headache’ in explaining to the President of Uganda, Gen. Yoweri Museveni the correct constitutional process through which Article 105 (2) of the constitution of Uganda on the two presidential term limits could be lifted to allow Museveni to extend his rule.

Ayume had told Andrew Mwenda of the daily Monitor news paper that it would set a dangerous precedent to amend the Constitution of Uganda using unconstitutional means.

The president reportedly wanted the ruling party in Uganda to mobilize two thirds majority within Parliament to Amend Article 105 (2).

But what is shocking the family of Ayume is that the survivors in his accident have never told Ugandans what actually happened and the vehicle which crushed Ayume was not found! It is suspected that the accident that killed Ayume could have been planned.

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Uganda has re-arrested a Turkish man, Emmin Baro, who reportedly lured Ugandan young girls into sex. The inspector General of Uganda Police Lt. Col. Kale Kayihura confirmed to our informers that Baro has been re-arrested.

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The Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) delegates currently in Uganda for an IPU conference have held a closed door meeting with the leaders of Uganda Young Democrats. The meeting left the government puzzled because president Museveni could not imagine IPU officials could hold a closed door meeting in Kampala. The venue for the meeting was Serena Hotel Kampala.

The IPU delegates met UYD leaders including Samuel Muyizzi, the Secretary General of UYD, Kenneth Paul Kakande (UYD chairman), John Mary Sebuwufu (UYD envoy) and Brenda Nabukenya (UYD Secretary for welfare).

The meeting according to sources discussed partnership between UYD and the mother parties of the delegates. It also discussed political situation in Uganda.

UYD has a close working relationship with the political parties of some of the parties of the delegates.

The post IPU delegates meet UYD leaders, government puzzled first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Two political leaders, Michael Mabikke and Dr. Abed Bwanika have opposed the MPs move to impeach President Museveni.

The MPs’ proposal to impeach Museveni is being driven by MP Odonga Otto (Aruu) and Ken John Lukyamuzi of Lubaga South. Abed Bwanika and Mabikke say that the MPs who plan to impeach Museveni are in day dreams since NRM has majority MPs in the house.

Mabikke says that opposition members have no capacity to impeach Museveni since they have few numbers in the house. Mabikke says that the MPs should concentrate on developmental issues than dreaming to impeach Museveni.

MPs Lukyamuzi and Otto want to impeach Museveni over allegations of causing financial lose to the government in the compensation saga to businessman Hassan Basajjabalaba and purchase of fighter jets. Mabikke is the president General of the Social Democratic Party while Bwanika is the president of the Peoples’ Developmental Party.

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The leadership of opposition parties have told us that they supported NCF in the beginning but it has now turned a nuisance and a useless platform.

NCF was set up by the 1995 Constitution of Uganda and the Political Parties and Other Organisations Act of 2005. The Secretary General of DP, Mathias Nsubuga says that the members of opposition parties are concerned that  the ruling party /government doesn’t respect freedom of assembly, funding of parties, free and fair elections, democracy, safety, security of people and tackle economic problems.

The NCF was formed to resolve disputes among parties, present views of parties to the Electoral Commission and ensure that the parties adhere to an agreed code of conduct.

Nsubuga challenged the Government to build the culture of parties working together and respect and listen to each other.

By James Okello

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Uganda is experiencing TB drugs but the National Resistance Movement government is planning to import the TB drugs in September. Today is March 15, 2012. We don’t know whether TB patients will not have died by September. Currently most hospitals in Uganda have run out of drugs.

The minister for Health, Christine Ondoa has told a press conference in Kampala this morning that the Government has earmarked 4 billion shillings to procure TB drugs starting with the month of September.

Ondoa says that the government is planning to distribute the drugs once imported to both private and government aided health centers across the country. TB is still one of the major causes of death in Uganda and Africa in general. Uganda registers, according to the ministry of health 330 per 1000 patients who report at the hospitals.

Uganda also experiences inadequate supply of fluorescent microscopes used in laboratories. The few microscopes the country has were procured a few years back by Global Fund grants.

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The source quoted Kayihura as saying that there are some police officers who leak our secrets to the members of opposition. But we are told the police’s disciplinary team is investigating the reports and the officers who would be found guilty shall lose their jobs or be demoted.

Recently the police reshuffled the policemen who were working at parliament following allegations that they were working closely with the leader of opposition Nathan Nandala Mafabi and with other opposition MPs.

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Date: 20^th February 2012

Hon .Members of the 9^th Parliament

Parliament of the Republic of Uganda

Re: The Position of the Law relating to EALA Elections.

Hon Members, as you proceed to debate the amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament of Uganda, including the Rules in Appendix B thereto for Elections of Members of the East African Legislative Assembly, I found it important as an Advocate, a person interested in East African Affairs, the applicant in Application No.6 of 2011 at the East African Court of Justice and the National Legal Advisor of the Democratic Party to forward this Legal opinion to you for your perusal in that noble  process.

The current law relating to the elections aforesaid is buttressed in the sources hereunder;

1. The Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community. Particularly Articles 6(d), 50
2. The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties Articles, 13,14,15,16,17,18,27 and 42-72.
3. The Constitution of The Republic of Uganda.Particulary Art 8A, Objective XXVIII (i) b, Articles 21(1and 2), 29(1e), 89(1), and 94(1).
4. Jacob Oulanya versus The Attorney General of Uganda, Constitutional Petition No. 28 of 2006.
5. The Democratic Party and Mukasa Fred Mbidde versus The Secretary General of The East African Community and The Attorney General of Uganda Application No 6 of 2011 Arising out of Reference No.6 of 2011 PENDING.
6. It is equally important to note that The East African Legislative Assembly Bill 2011 has been passed by EALA into law awaiting assent by the Summit confirming all the above positions.

Article 50 of The Treaty provides that,

“The National Assembly of each Partner state shall Elect,

not from among its members,

9 members who shall represent as much as it is feasible,

 the various Political Parties represented in the Assembly,

Shades of opinion, gender and other

Special interest groups, in accordance with the procedure as the National Assembly of each Partner State may determine”

The meaning of the above Article of the treaty and also as fortified in the jurisprudence at the East African Court of Justice and The Constitutional Court are therefore as follows;

1. Elections take place at and by the National Assembly according to the treaty
2. Elections include contested or un-contested elections; this was fortified in the case of Prof Peter Anyang Nyong v AG and ors.
3. That the method of distribution is to be among all parties represented at the National State Assembly.
4. That the provision is rather qualitative and not quantitative and thus considers the nominal prevalence of a political party at the Partner State Assembly for eligibility to be represented at EALA AND NOT BY HOW MANY MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT A PARTY IS REPRESENTED IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY.
5. That any reference to Numerical strength of a political party as a standard requirement by a Political Party for representation to The East African Legislative Assembly is unlawful and infringes the treaty.
6. The East African Legislative Assembly is an organ of the Community under Article 9 of the Treaty and as such in elections therefor, the treaty applies with equal force.
7. That the Democratic Party and Anor, as the Applicants in Application and Reference No 6 of 2011 have a mandatory entitlement to a slot, being a political party represented at the National State Assembly.
8. That the Secretary General to the East African Community has already written to all Partner states including Uganda to comply as aforesaid.
9. That there is an  interim injunction over parliament emanating from the case of The Democratic Party and Anor Versus The Community and the Attorney General, already served on the Speaker and the Attorney General of Uganda which  bars the Ugandan Parliament from conducting elections until Rules are amended to suit the above requirements.
10.  That the East African Legislative Assembly Elections bill 2011 was passed by the East African Legislative Assembly and the same provides for the manner of elections representative of all parties represented at the State Assemblies .Parliament is enjoined to enact Rules of Procedure that operationalizes Article 50 and not one seeking to amend it .It’s important to note that the Ugandan Parliament has no Powers to Amend the Article 50 to the Treaty.
11. Parliament has to conclude the business of amendments of the Rules if Uganda is to have elections within the stipulated time frame which is currently at  3 months to the expiry of the current term.(1^st March remains the proper date for elections since the current term expires in June this Year)
12. That entitled Political Parties should be required to nominate their candidates that will contest for the slots accorded to them either competitively or un-contested for Parliament to Elect.
13. That the Democratic Party shall not vacate our injunction until respect for our entitlement is met.
14. That the East African Court of Justice has fixed 29^th February this year as the return date by the Applicants of the Democratic party and another versus the AG and the Community on which we shall report the outcomes of the amendments where if such amended rules are found to contradict the Treaty, and Permanent Injunction shall inevitably be slummed on to the Ugandan Parliament that no elections of EALA will take place.
15. That Independents have a mandatory Slot for EALA.
16. That there are only 6 Political Parties and 1  shade of opinion represented in the house of Parliament in Uganda namely;

(i)                The National Resistance Movement –NRM

(ii)              The Forum for Democratic Change-FDC

(iii)            The Democratic Party-DP

(iv)            The Uganda People’s Congress-UPC

(v)              The Conservative Party-CP

(vi)            The Justice Forum-JEEMA

(vii)          The Independents

The above have to vie for the 9 slots obtaining at the regional Assembly and any attempt to distribute a slot for each of the entities above remains lawful and feasible within the meaning of the Treaty and does not warrant the National Parliament to develop a formula for the same. Two slots remain available for the special interest Groups and /or any other manner of distribution preferred by the Assembly.

Independent Candidates may by gazette be notified of the campaigns and as such expression of interest thereby is done to the Clerk’s office, being the returning officer in the circumstances for such category of persons to express interest and to subsequently vie for the same.

Mukasa Fred Denis Mbidde (0752697046)

B.Mass (MUK), LLB (MUK), Dip-LP (MUK), LLM-Cand (MUK)-Advocate

Chief Legal Adviser-DP

Chief Legal Adviser.

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