Secretary General of the Democratic Party.

The Democratic Party officials led by the party deputy secretary, Gerald Siranda, and the party vice president in charge of Buganda, Betty Nambooze, while appearing before the public service and local government committee of parliament which is scrutinizing the local government Amendment Bill 2016, said that government should consider giving ample time to voters and the updating of the register in addition to giving sufficient time for candidates to be
nominated and conduct campaigns.

Siranda said that the local government amendment bill 2016 should give the voters register display 7 days instead of 2 days as proposed in the bill to give much time to voters to identify the problems in the registers.

He also pleads to the committee to reject the government proposal in the bill that gives power to the electoral commission to preside over the tribunal that will receive complaints from voters over the problems in the voters register.

Citizens in the north eastern part of Karamoja while casting their votes in an election.

Siranda said that the commission should not be in charge of this tribunal since it was part of registration of the voters in voters register and instead advised that this role remains with parish tribunals to avoid biasness when there are disputes arising from the voters register.

The post DP wants government to extend dates for LC elections first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

IGG Justice Irene Mulyagonja.

While appearing before the committee this morning, the IGG, Justice Irene Mulyagonja  said that the absence of the tribunal makes it difficult to ascertain the facts regarding the wealth, assets and liabilities declared, adding that it’s  absence has made it hard for the inspectorate to make sanctions against the leaders as this is the mandate of the tribunal.

Mulyangonja says that following the supreme court ruling ten years ago which nullified her actions to punish defaulters the compliance by leaders to declare their wealth to the commission has not been varying citing that in 2016 only 68 % have been able to declare their wealth compared to 69% that declared last year citing that these leaders know that the IGG cannot carry out any sanctions and hence do not comply with the law.

The Minister of State for Ethics, Fr Simon Lokodo has also submitted proposed amendments in the act in which he seeks to see all leaders declaring even assets of their spouses’ children and dependants saying that some of these leaders are dis honest in their submissions and this will help them to deal with such.

The post IGG urges Parliament fast track amendments to the leadership code first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

A case in which journalists protested brutal attacks by police and other security  agencies had been fixed for hearing on  December 9th 2011 at 9 00am local time at the Commission premises on Buganda Road. The complainants received summons for the slated date.

In 2007, journalists  including Sam Kayiwa working with Power FM, Geoffrey Wokulira Ssebaggala formerly working with Radio Sapientia and Ssemakula Richard formerly working with Bukedde newspaper among others went to the Commission tribunal demanding for investigation into the violations against journalists’ press freedoms and rights. They also urged the Commission to take punitive measures against culprits including compensation for the victims.

The journalists alleged in their complaint that while covering both treason and murder trials of the opposition leader for Forum for Democratic Changes (FDC) Dr. Kizza Besigye and  the 13 Peoples Redemption Army (PRA) suspects at high court in Kampala and Bushenyi, security forces besieged court and in an attempt to re-arrest the suspects who had been granted  bail, most journalists were beaten, their equipment and valuable items like money were  compulsorily confiscated and others were blocked from accessing  the court premises.

A complaint file UHRC 52/2007 was opened against the Attorney General for violations of freedoms and rights of the affected journalists.

Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda) has discovered that the matter was not cause listed for the said session and the witnesses were erroneously summoned to appear before the tribunal on the stated date because the file was allegedly not allocated to a particular Commissioner at the Human Rights court.

Officials at the commission told HRNJ-Uganda that the summoned journalists will have to wait until the next Tribunal sittings which are slated for February 2012.

“This has come way too late when memories of the victims and the general public to whom the media reports to are fading away.  However, it is still not too late for the Commission to deliver justice to the victims.  Most of the perpetrators have since been transferred or have earned promotions within the security forces, but we pray and hope that this will not act in their favor or jeopardize the proceedings.

By Isaac Senabulya

The post Journalists protest failure by Uganda Human Rights Commission to hear their case first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.