Wanyera Simon a student at Makerere University who has been on the forefront of every strike at the university has made his name sound louder at the university and the neighboring areas. It’s because of his endless involvement in the strikes and exhibition of a brave attitude during the move that he has won the name “The revolutionary son.” He believes the voices of the oppressed can be easily heard through striking and it’s a means of seeking for attention from administrators to have the problems of students addressed. “A strike is a cause, if they increase tuition some of us who come from humble families cannot raise that money and the only way is to join hands as Makererians and say no.” Says Wanyera with a frowned face.

He went to Gangoma and Nasinnyi for his primary education, Mount Masaba secondary school for his O level education, Mbale comprehensive for A level education before he joined Makerere university for a bachelor’s degree in education. Wanyera is a kind of man you would hardly believe to be as young as he really is because of his brevity and fame .His name sounds as if he is in his fifty’s yet no even in thirties .It takes some period of time to sell off one’s name just as Wanyera did. It’s unbelievable but right that the president of Uganda himself knows him plus general Kale Kayihura and have always been critically following his activities. The fact is Wanyera was born twenty seven years ago in Mbale district. “President Museveni knows me, his wife Janet Kataaha Museveni and general Kale Kayihura and he is afraid of my activism for I am still a young man.”

Simon Wanyera arrested by Police during one of the strikes

No amount of intimidation has driven him off truck, he has received a number of intimidations from the police, by unknown people using private phone numbers as well as the university administrators. They reached a level of expelling him out of the university but strikes are a means that was employed to fail this move were a great deal of angry students led by himself Wanyera condoned off the main building in demand for the revocation of the earlier decision to have the revolutionary son expelled. I want to assure you that they achieved this finally. “I have been threatened a lot by the university administration, by police, receiving calls from CIDs telling me how they could terminate me, how I wouldn’t graduate, threatening to attack my family and sabotaging my life. But I am used to all this” Says Wanyera restlessly moving his hands.

Simon Wanyera in Nalufenya must fall protest

Inspiration is derived from great activists like the late Nelson Mandela and Dr. Kiiza Besigye whom he smilingly says did and have done much to secure people’s rights and speaking for the voiceless. He praises the courageous characters of the two activists and the strange brevity they exhibit while confronting the enemy. “Nelson Mandela and Dr. Kiiza Besigye are the two special people I have seen suffer and have inspired me.” A wide open eyed Wanyera says.          

“Activism has created me social capital, so many people believe in me, I have met a lot of big people like Dr. Kiiza Besigye, Ingrid Turinawe and Doreen Nyanjura”. Says Wanyera. He has met a great deal of high profile people mostly politicians who believe in defiance. Never does he regret for having involved himself in activism.

The Serbian revolution that was led by the university students is one of the movies that consumes Wanyera’s time trying to watch how they made this great achievement. On top of which he reads revolutionary books and playing football during his free time. It’s from these books and movies that he gains courage and knowledge to apply in the same field.

“I don’t want see people suffer in life and if I can be of help I always want to use politics”. With smile says Wanyera. Activism is mostly the fight intended to secure the rights of the many who may not have their voices easily heard. In the same manner the revolutionary son leads strikes not for personal gains but for the benefit of the many that are voiceless. Missing marks for the students, tuition increment and sexual harassment have always been the spark plug of the strikes.

Activism is set to continue even after school. He sees himself as a liberator of this country ten years to come through taking the same route.                                                       

“I want to now face him as a citizen not a student because I am not afraid of him.” Says Wanyera with a frowned face.

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Barrack Obama with Leader of Oposition Raila Odinga (right) and half sisiter, Auma Obama(left) PHOTO FROM VOA NEWS

On arrival for his first post-presidential visit into the homeland, the ex-president was welcomed by head of opposition in Kenya, Raila Odinga and other top officials at the airport.

He has also received a warm welcome from the Kenyans especially residents from his hometown, Kogelo, who decorated the entire streets with paintings of him. Some bars also publicized the “Obama brew” drink as harshtags of ‘Obamareturns’ flooded social media platforms.

Obama is expected to attend, his step-sister, Auma Obama, co-founded sports and vocational center inauguration ceremony from which he will head to South Africa for late Nelson Mandela’s birthday celebrations.

Auma Obama’s center, which shares the same mission as Obama foundation, is set to provide educational and economic opportunities to youth so as to build a talented and financially stable young generation.

Obama will stay in South Africa up to Thursday and he is expected to meet up with 200 new leaders for the Obama foundation as well as participate in a birthday tribute to former south African president, the late Nelson Mandela.

Unlike the previous visit, Obama has maintained a low key profile on this visit. He has used an ordinary plane and also left his favorite car known as “Beastie”.

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South Africa President who has just survived impeachment for the 8th time in his rule

The South African president, Jacob Zuma, has survived an attempt to impeach him after the African National Congress party gave him its backing. But his long-term future is still in doubt after a string of influential figures called on him to step down.

The motion to unseat the president was launched by opposition MPs after the constitutional court ruled that he had ignored an order to repay state funds spent on a lavish upgrade of his private home.

The ANC, which controls almost two-thirds of parliament, ensured the president won, with 233 MPs voting against the impeachment motion and 143 in favour.

But, beyond parliament, there are growing calls for Zuma to leave, arguing his reputation has been irretrievably tarnished by the ruling on his home renovations and a second controversy involving the Guptas, a family of wealthy industrialists with close ties to Zuma.

The Guptas have been accused of exploiting their relationship with the president to choose pliable candidates for top cabinet and business jobs in a scandal that came to light after the country’s respected finance minister, Nhlanhla Nene, was abruptly sacked in December.

Zuma has fended off accusations of corruption, influence-peddling and rape since before he took office in 2009, but the current swirl of scandals over both his home renovations and ties to the Guptas is arguably the biggest challenge he has faced.

At the weekend one of the country’s most respected anti-apartheid fighters, an activist tried and jailed alongside Nelson Mandela, called for him to step down. Ahmed Kathrada made the call in a letter to Zuma after the court ruling.

On Tuesday the respected former finance minister Trevor Manuel also joined those calling for Zuma to go, saying he had violated his oath of office.

Zuma did not attend the proceedings in parliament. On Friday, the 73-year-old president gave a televised address to the nation in which he apologised and said he had never knowingly or deliberately set out to violate the constitution.

Several major firms have cut ties with the Guptas, saying the association is too risky.

The South African branch of global accounting firm KPMG, Barclays Africa and investment bank Sasfin have all announced they will no longer do business with one of the Gupta family companies, Reuters reported.

In an email to KPMG staff, local chief executive Trevor Hoole said he had decided to stop auditing the Gupta mining firm Oakbay Resources and Energy after consulting regulators, clients and KPMG’s internal risk departments.

“I can assure you this decision was not taken lightly but in our view the association risk is too great for us to continue,” Hoole said in the email, seen by Reuters. “There will clearly be financial and potentially other consequences to this, but we view them as justifiable.” Oakbay confirmed the end of the 15-year relationship.

Barclays Africa, which runs South Africa’s biggest retail bank, Absa, also confirmed it no longer had a relationship with Oakbay, which is valued at 16bn rand (£752m) on the Johannesburg stock market. In an annual report from last August Oakbay listed Absa as its bank, Reuters reported.

A spokeswoman for Sasfin told Reuters on Monday the bank’s relationship with Oakbay would formally end on 1 June.

The Gupta family denies exploiting their relationship with Zuma and say they have been made scapegoats for the country’s economic woes and used as pawns in internal party politics.

The Gupta family emigrated from India in 1993, seeking business opportunities in post-apartheid South Africa, and now preside over a wide range of corporate interests from mining to IT and media.

Their close ties to Zuma, whose son sits on the board of at least six Gupta-owned companies, and extravagant lifestyle have drawn criticism before, perhaps most memorably when they used an air force base to fly in guests for a private wedding.

Source:the guardian

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Kiwanda says that the over 26 years Museveni has ruledUgandaare enough and that the president should leave power after his term of office in 2016 in order to avoid Ugandans to turn into violent.

Speaking on Bukedde TV yesterday, Kiwanda said Museveni should quit power and goes back to look after his cows and grand children. Museveni is a herdsman. The MP says that Museveni not so long ago was the only man inUganda‘who could light fire when it is raining’ but he is now sending the same country he liberated into a political limbo.

Museveni when he captured power in 1986 he is remembered to have told Ugandans that the problem with African leaders is the desire to over stay in power. Kiwanda says there are many people in NRM living quietly but wishing Museveni to leave power.

Kiwanda asked Museveni to copy a leaf from Nelson Mandela ofSouth Africawho quit power when he was still a darling of his people. In 1986 and the early 1990s Museveni would cough and most Ugandans fill concerned but the same Ugandans he rules now wish him hell.

By Walakira Nyanzi

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Nelson Mandela is a worldwide icon

Based in Johannesburg, the Nelson Mandela Foundation Centre of Memory is committed to documenting records about the life of one of the world’s greatest statesmen.  Its objective is to use his legacy to foster meaningful dialogue and debate to promote social justice.

Google’s grant will assist in expanding the online Mandela archive and make it available to global audiences, scholars and researchers  in the future.  In addition to significant audio-visual materials, the online multimedia archive will include Mr Mandela’s letters and correspondence with family, comrades and friends; prison diaries; and notes he made while leading the negotiations that led to the end of apartheid in South Africa.

We are delighted that Google has come on board to help ensure that our Mandela Portal becomes a world class source of accurate and reliable information about Madiba, said Verne Harris, head of the Centre of Memory.

A grant of the same size has also been made to the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre in Cape Town, for the documentation and digitization of Desmond Tutu’s archives, and an interactive digital learning centre.

Commenting on the initiatives, Luke Mckend, Country Manager for Google South Africa said, Google wants to help bring the world’s historical heritage online, and the Internet offers new ways to preserve and share this information.  Our grants to the Nelson Mandela Centre and to the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre will facilitate new digital archives for South Africa’s past, giving the global public an unprecedented opportunity to engage with the history of some of the most extraordinary leaders of our time.  We are also delighted to be announcing additional grants which will help many more people across South Africa and Africa access the internet and benefit from access to information.

Google today also announced three other grants of between $500,000 and $1,250,000, also made through the Google Inc. Charitable Giving Fund of Tides Foundation, to the Tertiary Education and Research Network of South Africa (TENET)($750,000 for continued work to assist South African universities with Internet and information technology services), the Nigeria ICT Forum ($500,000 to support efforts in improving access to Internet infrastructure in tertiary education institutions in Nigeria), and the Network Startup Resource Center (NSRC) at the University of Oregon ($1,250,000 to enable more people in numerous African countries to participate in and contribute to the global Internet).

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