HRCU WEEKLY UPDATES | ISSUE N0.7 OF 2021

 

                                        The Human Rights Centre Uganda (HRCU)

WEEKLY UPDATE ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND KEY EMERGING ISSUES WITHIN THE HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS’ WORKING ENVIRONMENT

ISSUE NO.7/2021 | THE WEEK OF 22^ND – 28^TH FEBRUARY, 2021

INTRODUCTION

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the month of March, 2021! We thank God for this far He has brought us.

With so much happening in the operating context of human rights defenders in Uganda and world over, HRCU continues to document some of the human rights and key emerging issues that it believes are worth sharing with you. As much as possible, we believe that there is light at the end of each dark tunnel and that all challenges, including human rights challenges have solutions which can only be reached at through concerted effort.

Below are some of the highlights from the previous week:

COVID-19 SITUTATION IN UGANDA 

As at Sunday February 28, 2021, Uganda’s COVID-19 cumulative cases stood at 40,357 with 334 deaths and 14,666 recoveries.

Source: Worldometers: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/uganda/

THE CALL TO RESPECT COVID-19 GUIDELINES: 40 ARRESTED OVER COVID GUIDELINES

Police in Jinja arrested 40 people and impounded 79 motorcycles for allegedly flouting guidelines that were put in place to curb the spread of Covid-19, including the 9pm to 5:30am curfew.

The Jinja District police commander (DPC), Mr. Ahmed Hasunira, said the public is not aware that curfew is still on and have gone ahead to operate businesses beyond the allowed time. The operation was carried out in the divisions of Bugembe, Walukuba-Masese and Mafubira, all in Jinja City on Friday night, where in some places, the culprits were found drinking and dancing, in breach of the ban that was announced by President Museveni in March last year.

Mr. Hasunira said police had been instructed to ensure that the Covid-19 guidelines are implemented by the public; and in that regard, boda bodas must end their operations at 6pm, general public movement and businesses to stop at 9pm with the exception of journalists and health professionals, among other essential workers. However, some of the suspects accused police of being ‘very harsh’, saying they don’t ask where a person is coming from or going, but instead beat up every person they stop.

Source: Daily Monitor, Sunday February 28, 2021: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/40-arrested-over-covid-guidelines-3307156

LEGISLATION: SPEAKER KADAGA DIRECTS MPS ON DELAYED BILLS

The Speaker of Parliament, Ms Rebecca Kadaga, has castigated various committees of Parliament for failing to complete discussion of various Bills under their custody, a few weeks to the expiration of the 10th Parliament.

Ms. Kadaga while speaking on the floor of Parliament the previous week said it had caught her attention that a number of bills have over stayed in sectorial committees beyond 48 days.
She said according to Rule 21 under Rule of Proceedings, a Bill is slated to spend only 48 days in the committee.

Some of the delayed Bills include the Succession Amendment Bill (2019), National Health Insurance Scheme (2019), Indian Water Transport Bill (2020), Leadership Code Amendment Bill, Employment Amendment Bill, National Climate Change Bill, Estates of Missing Persons Management Bill, and Administration Generals Amendment Bill.

The works of the current 10^th Parliament is slated to end in May when the new MPs, who were elected last month, will assume office after swearing-in.

Source: Daily Monitor, Tuesday February 23, 2021: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/speaker-kadaga-directs-mps-on-delayed-bills-3301122

UGANDA IN THE POST ELECTION PERIOD: JOE BIDEN WARNS UGANDA ON 2021 ELECTION IRREGULARITIES

The new United States government led by Joe Biden has said it will consider targeting anyone involved in irregularities that they say marred the 2021 Uganda elections.

“Uganda’s January 14 elections were marred by elections irregularities and abuses by the government’s security services against opposition candidates and members of the civil society. We will consider a range of targeted options to hold accountable for what we saw in relation to Uganda elections,” said US Department of State spokesperson Ned Price at a press briefing on Tuesday.

The State Department called for an independent and thorough investigation of all election related abuses.

Source: The Independent, Wednesday February 24, 2021: https://www.independent.co.ug/joe-biden-warns-uganda-on-2021-election-irregularities/

THE 2021 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION PETITION: MUSEVENI, EC RESPOND TO BOBI ELECTION PETITION WITHDRAWAL

By close of court business last Friday, the three respondents in the presidential poll petition lodged by Mr. Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, had in their respective responses, not objected to move to have the said petition withdrawn. The three respondents are president-elect Museveni, the Electoral Commission (EC) and the Attorney General. The respondents stated that Mr. Kyagulanyi was not corruptly influenced by any of them in exchange for withdrawing his petition.

Section 61 of the Presidential Elections Act demands that for one to withdrawal a presidential poll petition, all parties involved have to swear affidavits stating how they did not engage in any form of corruption as a trigger to the withdrawal.

Last week, Mr. Kyagulanyi announced that he had instructed his lawyers to withdrawal his petition, citing frustration by the Supreme Court justices. He said he was instead heading to the court of public opinion. Also in their responses, the EC told court that they have since incurred heavy costs after hiring two top law firms to represent them.

Source: Daily Monitor, Sunday February 28, 2021: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/museveni-ec-respond-to-bobi-election-petition-withdrawal-3306870

THE 2021 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION PETITION: MPS REACT TO KYAGULANYI’S WITHDRAWAL OF PETITION

The decision to petition and to withdraw may be the petitioner’s alone, but it is of concern to all citizens as it seeks to overturn the results of the general election that determined who will lead their country for the next five years beginning mid May.

A section of Members of Parliament have thus expressed their reactions over former Presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi’s move to withdraw his petition after saying that he would not get justice. The National Unity Platform Presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu today directed his lawyers to withdrawn the election petition challenging President Yoweri Museveni’s victory. Kyagulanyi said his team stood no chance in a court that looks compromised by the incumbent. He said the judges of the Supreme Court met President Museveni who is a respondent in the case up to three times and there is a likelihood of bias.

Kyagulanyi also said that the fact that he could not amend the petition to include more grounds meant he couldn’t move forward.

Source: The Independent, Tuesday February 23, 2021: https://www.independent.co.ug/mps-react-to-kyagulanyis-withdrawal-of-petition/

THE CALL FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY: IGG: KYAGULANYI MUST DECLARE BULLETPROOF CAR BY MARCH 31

The Inspectorate of Government is waiting for National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi to update the anti-corruption body on his wealth since information circulated that he had got a donation of an armored (bullet-proof) car.

The Leadership Code Act 2002 of Uganda compels all leaders to periodically declare their wealth, while a gift worth 10 currency points in value or Shs.200,000 is supposed to be declared immediately.

Last week, Kyagulanyi informed his supporters that a group of mainly foreign-based supporters had been raising funds during his presidential bid to acquire for him a bulletproof car so as to go through the violent campaign period. According to many of his supporters, the Land Cruiser car is more than Shs.300 million.

Source: The Independent, Wednesday February 24, 2021: https://www.independent.co.ug/kyagulanyi-must-declare-bulletproof-car-by-31st-march-ig/

THE QUESTION OF JUSTICE: LAWYER BOB KASANGO DIES IN PRISON

Renowned Kampala City lawyer Bob Kasango died in Luzira Prisons on Saturday February 27, 2021.

The Spokesperson of Uganda Prisons Frank Baine said Kasango died as he was being transported from Murchison Bay prison to Mulago National Referral Hospital for further treatment.

It may be recalled that in 2018, Kasango was found guilty of theft of 15.4 Billion Shillings pension funds.  The Anti-Corruption Court Judge Margaret Tibulya convicted Kasango alongside three senior officials in the ministry of public service for their various roles played in the pension scam. They were found guilty for conspiring to forge a court order, a certificate of taxation and a certificate of costs directing the Attorney General to pay Kasango’s defunct law firm Hall and Partners 15.4 billion shillings which was meant for pension and gratuity of more than 6,340 pensioners between 2011 and 2012.

Kasango the prime suspect was given 16 years. By the time of his death, Kasango had appealed against the sentence and a panel of three Justices of the Court of Appeal namely Lady Justice Catherine Bamugemereire, Muzamir Mutangula Kibeedi and Remmy Kasule were yet to determine the matter.

Source: Daily Monitor, Sunday February 28, 2021: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/lawyer-bob-kasango-dies-in-prison-3307054  

CHILDREN’S RRIGHTS: LET CHILDREN ATTEND CHURCH, KAZIIMBA URGES GOVT

Archbishop of Church of Uganda Stephen Kaziimba has asked government to put in place strategies to enable children attend prayers amid ongoing efforts to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.

In March last year, government closed churches, among other institutions to curb the spread of the virus.

Seven months later, the government announced the reopening of churches, excluding children, and subsequently the opening of schools in a phased approach.

“My heart is bleeding because we do not have children worshipping. Even when the government opened churches for 70 people, the children were not considered and when the congregation increased to 200, again they are not included, this hurts me so much and yet children have to be nurtured in church to be productive for the country,” Archbishop Kaziimba said while addressing journalists at his Namirembe provincial residence last Friday.

The archbishop was highlighting the successes and challenges during the  one year as the head of the Anglican Church in Uganda.

Source: Daily Monitor, Sunday February 28, 2021: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/let-children-attend-church-kaziimba-urges-govt-3306874

SUPPORTING CHILDREN: CHEPTEGEI'S MTN SPONSORSHIP TO EDUCATE CHILDREN

The poverty levels in the Sebei sub-region range from 50% to 70%, according to a 2020 report by Development Initiatives.

As a result, the levels of illiteracy remain high. However, the world 5,000m and 10,000 metres record holder has started his foundation, dubbed the ‘Joshua Cheptegei Foundation’, whose major objective is to help his local communities reduce the illiteracy levels.

On Saturday, February 20, MTN extended a Shs.100 million sponsorship package to Cheptegei’s foundation for the next one year. During the unveiling of the sponsorship, Cheptegei said that he felt driven by the need to help those that were deprived, and he considered MTN’s intervention timely.

Source: Observer, Friday February 26, 2021: https://observer.ug/sports/68639-cheptegei-s-mtn-sponsorship-to-educate-children

UGANDA – DONOR RELATIONS: MUSEVENI AGREES TO LIFT DGF SUSPENSION

President Museveni ordered for the formation of a committee to expedite talks with donors of the Democratic Governance Facility (DGF) to resolve the fallout with the government. This followed the President’s decision to lift the suspension on DGF activities in Uganda. 
The team, which will be headed by Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, was given two weeks to accomplish the task. It comprises of Uganda government officials and representatives of countries contributing to the DGF funding basket. The President made the remarks during his meeting with European Union (EU) diplomats on February 18 at State House Entebbe.

Source: Daily Monitor, Tuesday February 23, 2021: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/museveni-agrees-to-lift-dgf-suspension--3301090

CONCLUDING THOUGHT

The struggle continues for the promotion, protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

With the world and Uganda in particular slowly opening up and continuing to adjust to the effect of COVID-19, there is need for all stakeholders including parents and guardians to keep a keen eye on their children as they return to schools. Parents should work closely with teachers and school administration to help the children catch up with the learning modalities and new timelines.

Together, We Build A Better World – Now and in Posterity.