Pope Benedict XVI toured St Peter’s Square in his pope mobile one last time on Wednesday in front of tens of thousands of pilgrims on the eve of his historic resignation as Pope. Over ten thousand Catholics have attended this very important ceremony in the history of the Catholic Church.

Pilgrims flocked from Africa, Europe, America and Asia to bid their final farewell to Pope Benedict, 85-years, who cut short his pontificate eight years by resigning.

The Pope resigned without bitterness but instead in sweetness and serenity. Some of the pilgrims held banners reading: “Benedict, we’ll miss you!  And the pope is the heart of this city!” The police installed metal detectors, deployed snipers on Vatican rooftops and set up field clinics. The function was held at St Peter’s Square because of the high numbers of pilgrims. The Vicar General of Rome, Cardinal Agostino Vallini was also among the pilgrims. Pope Benedict also prayed for Africa to get leaders who come and go. Africa is remaining the only continent in the world with presidents who want to rule for life. The case study is Uganda, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe among others.

Walakira Nyanzi

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The most senior figure in Britain’s Catholic Church, Cardinal Keith O’Brien has resigned and Pope Benedict XVI accepted his resignation. The resignation came in the same month of Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation.

Cardinal Keith O’Brien was due to fly to Vatican to vote for the next Pope. The big question now, what is the position for Britain and Vatican in this week’s new Pope voting after Keith’s resignation?

Cardinal Keith O’Brien is a strong supporter for next Pope from a developing world. Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala of Uganda has thanked Keith for the good work and said the cardinal will be missed.

Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the UK’s most senior Roman Catholic cleric, resigned with immediate effect after being accused of being a homosexual.

O’Brien, however resigned on Monday, and apologised to the people he may have annoyed during his term of service.

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English: Pope Benedict XVI during general audition (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The surprising news of Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation are continued to draw mixed reactions, although it is gradually being accepted that the prelate was very weak to continue an active role as Pope.

Assistant Parish priest Lweza Fr Emmanuel Mbogo says the resignation of the Pope is not expected to affect the church significantly.

He says that the Church leadership remains unshaken since there are clear guidelines on replacement of a Pope.

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The students were demonstrating over poor sanitation in their toilets and internship money. When they went to demand for an explanation why the toilets could not be fixed and why they could not get their internship money the arrogant IT professor could not give them an appropriate explanation.

He was only advising the already charged students to keep quiet so that he talks to them. This prompted the angry students to get stones and canes so that they could discipline him. The IT professor had first refused to address these students and he locked himself in his office until the intervention of prof. Tanga Odoi, the chairperson of Makerere University Academic Staff Association.

The students also demanded for his resignation. The police intervened and the IT professor managed to escape.

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The two ministers resigned last week after the Public Accounts Committee of the 9^th parliament accused them of causing financial loss to the taxpayer and abuse of office for their role in approving reported inflated compensation claims to a Kampala Businessman Hassan Basajjabalaba. The money was in excess of 150 billion shillings. At the meeting we are told that the president requested MPs to ‘love their party, ministers and the country and to save ministers and the government whenever there is a need to do so.’

A source that attended the meeting told us that the MP for Lwemiyaga Theodre Sekikubo challenged the president never to think that the MPs will ever save corrupt ministers. He reportedly told him that those corrupt ministers will one day fall and go away but Uganda will remain. So Sekikubo told the president that He and his conscience will never put NRM interests before national and citizens interests.

The MPs also asked Museveni to advise Bank of Uganda Governor Tumusiime Mutebile to resign for his role in the deals Bbumba and Makubuya were accused of.

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The meeting took place in the Cabinet Library at the President’s Office on Parliamentary building, in Kampala central division.

Some of the ministers who have resigned over corruption related charges include Suda Bbumba (Gender), Khiddu Makubuya (general duties) and Kabakumba Matsiko (minister forKampala).

One of the ministers in the meeting told us that the cabinet meeting discussed among others the implication of the resignation of ministers, report tabled last week by Parliament’s watchdog committee on public accounts into the questionable approval of compensation to businessmen Hassan Bassajabalaba and retired Col. John Mugyenyi and the negative publicity opposition parties have solved to international community since April last year. Another source in the meeting told us that the ministers requested the president to fill the vacant ministerial posts.

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Mpuga told journalist at parliament that Matsiko was the minister of  information and national guidance a time when many UBC properties like land  and equipments  got lost. He cited an example of OB van which cost tax payers    1.8 billion shillings which also disappeared  yet on the local market it could have cost t only 180 million shillings.

He said that having been the minister in charge then; she is the first suspect to explain how the recovered mast found its self in a private station owned by her. Mpuga also wondered why UBC up to date has no board as a body, saying currently it’s the MD of UBC who is the board himself.

He challenged president Museveni to sack the minters since he has all along been saying that he is an advocate against corruption.

Mpuga says that parliament should use this opportunity to punish these ministers if they fail to resign.

Police yesterday  found a tower mast and transmitter  belonging to a government owned media UBC  being used by private radio called king based in Masindi district  and the radio is believed to be owned by Kabakumba.

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Onek is accused, together with Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi and foreign affairs minister Sam Kuteesa of taking bribes from oil companies.

The committee, chaired by Michael Werikhe said they could not proceed without documented presentations from Onek, who is the current minister of Internal Affairs.

Onek said he did not possess a written submission of his response to the legislators concerns and had failed to get some information from the ministry of energy.

He asked for more time up to Tuesday next week to ensure the needed information and documents are given to be able to present his case.

The issue of resignation also came up after Makindye West MP; Hussein Kyanjo questioned his refusal to step aside while the committee investigates the bribery claims as well as the Rules and Privileges which is handling the issue of contempt of Parliament on the part of the ministers.

Kyanjo expressed fear that the committee could be wasting time if it did not first get guidance from the Speaker on how to proceed.

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In the resolutions passed by the House last month, the MPs demanded that the two ministers step down to give room for investigations into claims that they received bribes from oil companies.

Hon Nyombi told the mps today that the resolution lacked legal backing hence can not hold, insisting that the two accused did not be guilty of contempt of parliament by refusing to step down.

Earlier this week, Mbabazi and Onek gave the same vies, saying that their refusal to bow down to calls for resignation are not tantamount to contempt of Parliament.

In their views, there is no provision in the laws on contempt of Parliament hence no reason for them to step aside.

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Aruu County MP, Odonga Otto

Aruu County MP, Odonga Otto yesterday filed a petition before the Attorney General’s office, seeking to call for 17 independent MPs to be thrown out of Parliament.

The MPs’ woes stem from their attendance of a retreat of NRM MPs at the National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi over two weeks ago.

Speaking to journalists at Parliament, Otto contended that the legislators breached the contract with their voters by being involved in party activities yet they were sent to Parliament on no political party card.

The independent MPs recently attended the caucus called by the NRM leadership to discuss several issues, among them the special oil debate.

Speaking to the media at Parliament, Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi dismissed the claims that the independent MPs had been influenced to change their decisions made during the special oil debate, calling for the resignation of three ministers implicated in alleged corruption deals in the sector.

Mbabazi says the retreat was open to all and not the NRM party since several speakers made meaningful presentations on different issues.

Last year, 70 MPs, among them 8 ministers, lost their seats after the constitutional court ruled that the MPs vacate their seats for choosing to join other parties different from those to which they were elected to parliament.

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