HRCU WEEKLY UPDATE | ISSUE NO.9 OF 2021
WEEKLY
UPDATE ON THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN UGANDA AMIDST
THE PREVALENCE OF COVID-19
ISSUE NO.9 OF 2021 | THE WEEK OF 8TH – 14TH
MARCH, 2021
INTRODUCTION
Dear Reader,
Thank you for all you are doing to keep the candle
burning in the room and world of human rights promotion and protection. The secret
is in keeping on keeping on no matter what comes our way.
The week climaxed with the Presidential address
on the state of affairs in the country where he emphasized the need to avoid sectarianism,
strive for patriotism and work hard towards regional integration. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7nY4wfxI2s
Below are some of the highlights of the week:
COVID-19 NEWS AND UPDATE
As of Sunday March 14, Uganda’s registered
cumulative COVID-19 cases stood at 40,581 with 15,095 recoveries and 334
deaths. This means that from Sunday March 7 to Sunday March 14, there were 117
new cases, 30 recoveries and 0 (zero) deaths.
The Long Awaited Vaccine | UGANDA STARTS
COVID-19 VACCINATIONS
Uganda
launched its mass COVID-19 vaccination program on Wednesday March 10, 2021,
joining a host of countries in Africa to initiate the inoculations. Minister of
Health Jane Ruth Aceng received her jab in front of media cameras at Mulago
Hospital in Kampala, confirming that the East African country would be
administering the AstraZeneca vaccines.
The minister
noted that Uganda aims to vaccinate at least 49.6% of its population 21,936,011
with COVID 19 vaccines in different phases. Each phase is planned to cover 20%
of the target population which is about 4,387,202 people. The country’s
vaccination drive will prioritize essential groups, starting with healthcare
workers followed by teachers and those in high-risk groups, including the
elderly. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Diana Atwine, also
received her jab at Mulago Hospital and upon her vaccination, she reiterated
the safety of the vaccine for use by all Ugandans.
The
Ban of Maize on Kenyan Market | MUSEVENI CALLS KADAGA OVER HEATED DEBATE ON MAIZE
BAN
The
Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, revealed that she received a call from
President Yoweri Museveni following the heated debate in Parliament over
Kenya’s decision to ban maize imports from Uganda. Kadaga informed the House on Wednesday (March 10, 2021) that the
President said he watched on television the heated debate on the maize ban.
She said the President was concerned that the actions
of MPs could destabilise the region’s plan to get into a federation. She asked the Clerk of Parliament to extract the Hansard on the maize
debate and submit it to the First Deputy Prime Minister, Gen. Moses Ali.
This was after Ali requested for the Hansard to
enable him request the President to call for a special Cabinet sitting on the
maize issue and others raised by MPs relating to regional trade and
integration.
Moses Ali, also the deputy leader of
government business in Parliament, promised that he would take the issues
raised by the MPs to Cabinet for action to be taken.
Environment Protection |DEPUTY IGP WARNS RDCS, DPCS AND POLITICIANS
AGAINST AIDING ILLEGAL LOGGING
The
Deputy Inspector General of Police Maj. Gen. Paul Lokech warned Resident
District Commissioners, District Police Commanders and politicians in Acholi
sub region who are purported to be involved in illegal logging activities, that
they risk facing arrest. Maj. General Lokech issued the caution on Saturday
while speaking at the requiem mass organized to pay tribute to the former Gulu
RDC Major Santo Okot Lapolo who succumbed to the deadly coronavirus on 9th
January from Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala.
Without
mentioning names, Lokech castigated the alleged involvement of some RDCs, DPCs
and politicians who were using their positions to exploit and abate illegal
logging of endangered tree species in the Acholi sub region without recognizing
the diverse impacts of environmental degradation.
THE RACE FOR PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKERSHIP
FDC'S
SSEMUJJU DARES NRM'S KADAGA FOR SPEAKER SEAT
The opposition chief whip and Kira Municipality MP, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda declared his bid to challenge Rebecca Kadaga for the speaker's seat. The offices of the speaker and deputy speaker will fall vacant with the expiry of the term for the 10th parliament in May this year. While launching his bid for the speaker’s seat at a hastily organised press conference in the precincts of parliament, Ssemujju listed five attributes that he believes will guide the MPs in the election of the speaker.
He explained that MPs want a speaker who will be impartial while presiding over parliament, a speaker who will be accessible to all, a speaker who will distribute available opportunities in parliament equally, a speaker who will not take offence when criticized for the good management of parliament and a speaker who will not personalize the office.
Home
Support and Strategy | LANGO MPS ENDORSE OULANYA FOR SPEAKERSHIP
Led by their caucus chairperson and minister for Kampala,
Betty Amongi, the legislators said that they are doing so following the
unwritten rule and precedent set by the former Speaker of Parliament Edward
Kiwanuka Ssekandi. Ssekandi was appointed Uganda's 9th Vice President in 2011,
his then Deputy Speaker, Kadaga, took over the mantle of Speaker, the third
most coveted position in government.
Amongi said that they are supporting
Oulanyah not because he comes from the north or his tribe but because of his
competence and the pledge they made to him in 2016 when they asked him to step
down for Kadaga.
Maize
Ban by Kenya |TOUGH TERMS AS KENYA LIFTS TANZANIA, UGANDA MAIZE IMPORTS BAN
Kenya
lifted the ban on imports of Ugandan and Tanzanian maize with strict conditions
on exporters as the country seeks to curb shipping in of the cancer-causing
aflatoxin on imported crop. Kenya's Ministry of Agriculture said on Wednesday
March 10, 2021 that all stakeholders dealing in maize imports would be required
to be registered, the consignments coming in must be accompanied with
certificate of conformity on aflatoxin levels and that traders have to issue
details of their warehouses. The certificate of conformity should indicate that
the aflatoxin levels complies with the maximum required levels of 10 parts per
billion.
In
a statement read by Agriculture Chief Administrative Secretary Lawrence Angolo,
Kenya said the move is aimed at addressing the safety of consumers and that the
country will not be compromise on that.
Source
and details at: Daily Monitor, Thursday March 11, 2021: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/world/tough-terms-as-kenya-lifts-tanzania-uganda-maize-imports-ban-3318940
News about President Magufuli | TANZANIA PM DENIES PRESIDENT MAGUFULI IS ILL
Tanzania's prime minister, Kassim Majaliwa,
on Friday March 12, 2021 refuted rumours circulating for almost a week that
President John Magufuli was ill, saying he is "healthy and continuing with
his duties as usual." Majaliwa, who spoke during the Islamic Friday prayer
in southern Tanzania, urged Tanzanians to ignore reports that their leader was
ill. The prime minister did not elaborate on the president's whereabouts or
explain why he has not been seen in public for nearly two weeks, amid rumours
that he has contracted COVID-19 and was outside the country for treatment.
Majaliwa said he had spoken with Magufuli by phone and assured Tanzanians that he is well. The prime minister's remarks were the first official statement by the Tanzanian government about Magufuli's absence from public view amid widespread rumours that he is ill. The 61-year-old leader last appeared publicly on February 27, 2021 during an official function at the statehouse in Dar es Salaam, the country's business capital.
The Right to Access Information | EAST AFRICAN LAW
SOCIETY SUES UGANDA GOVT OVER INTERNET SHUTDOWN
The East African Law
Society (EALS) has sued the government of Uganda seeking compensation to
everyone who was affected by its actions of shutting down the internet during
the just concluded general elections. The law society that brings together more
than 18,000 lawyers from the seven East African countries has sued the Attorney
General of Uganda as the first respondent and the secretary-general of East
African Community (EAC) as the second respondent in the case filed on Friday
evening at the East African Court of Justice sub-registry in Kampala.
The "learned friends" are suing the government of Uganda for breaching laws under the Treaty for the establishment of the EAC by unlawfully restricting the citizens and residents access to the internet and to internet-based communications platforms.
Source and details: The Observer, Saturday 13, 2021: https://observer.ug/news/headlines/68817-east-african-law-society-sues-uganda-govt-over-internet-shutdown
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Protests
in Myanmar | 12 MORE KILLED AS MYANMAR ANTI-COUP PROTESTS ENTER
WEEK 6
At least one more
life has been lost in Myanmar’s anti-coup protests. Police and security forces
fired live rounds into a crowd of protesters Sunday in the town of Bago, near
Yangon, according to witnesses and domestic media accounts cited by the Reuters
news agency.
Several hundred people gathered at a peaceful
candle-lit rally in Yangon Saturday, defying the 8pm curfew imposed by the
junta. In Insein township, protesters laid candles and sang songs to honour the
people killed. They also chanted to release former de facto leader Aung
San Suu Kyi and arrested leaders from her National League for Democracy party.
At
least 11 demonstrators were killed Saturday in Mandalay, the country’s
second-largest city, in Yangon, and in the central town of Pyay when police and
security forces opened fire on protesters who took again to the streets against
the February 1 military coup.
Source and more details via: The Observer.
Sunday March 14, 2021: https://observer.ug/news/headlines/68830-12-more-killed-as-myanmar-anti-coup-protests-enter-week-6
CONCLUSION
Hope keeps rising that
through continued advocacy and networking, human rights defenders will surely
create a peaceful country and world order that places at the forefront the
promotion, protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
If all nations of the
world come to a consensus on prioritizing human rights promotion and
protection, the long desired economic, social and political growth and
development shall be drawn closer to actualization.
HRCU is one of the many
organizations committed to seeing that human rights defenders get informed,
empowered and assisted to do their work better in a safe and secure
environment.
Have a fruitful week.
Let’s keep in touch in this regard.
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