HRCU WEEKLY UPDATES: ISSUE NO. 3 OF 2024
THE
WEEK OF 22ND TO 28TH JANUARY 2024
Dear
reader,
Welcome
to this week!
As
we delve into this week’s edition of the weekly updates on the working
environment of HRDs and key emerging issues, we will begin with a quote by former
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson:
"We must understand the role of human rights
as empowering of individuals and communities. By protecting these rights, we
can help prevent the many conflicts based on poverty, discrimination and
exclusion (social, economic and political) that continue to plague humanity and
destroy decades of development efforts. The vicious circle of human rights
violations that lead to conflicts-which in turn lead to more violations-must be
broken. I believe we can break it only by ensuring respect for all human
rights."
Therefore,
it is imperative that as HRDs, we continue to speak about human rights as this
helps raise awareness about issues affecting individuals and communities,
including violations, discrimination, and systemic injustices. By shining a
spotlight on human rights abuses, HRDs can educate the public, and galvanize
action to address the recurring challenges.
Please
read some of the issues that emerged last week
THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION: UNEB
RELEASES 2023 PLE RESULTS WITH DROP IN DIVISION ONE, TWO
The
Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) announced Thursday that the number of
candidates who scored in Divisions One and Two in the 2023 Primary Leaving
Examinations (PLE) has seen a slight decrease compared to the previous year.
However,
UNEB Executive Director Daniel Odong highlighted a positive trend, noting an
increase in the number of candidates achieving Division 3 and above compared to
2022 results. Overall, Mr. Odong reported that the pass rate remains consistent
with last year, at 88.0%.
“A
higher proportion of the 2023 candidates passed in Division 3 and above level.
Overall, the performance of candidates is comparable to that of 2022,” Mr.
Odogo said. Encouragingly, the examination body also registered a decline in
the number of ungraded candidates in the 2023 PLE results.
“Division
U (Ungraded) is awarded to candidates who have failed to reach the minimum
level of performance that can be awarded at least a Division 4 They are not
eligible for admission to the Senior 1 class. It should be noted that the
number of candidates in Division U is quite high, at 88,269 (10.4%) and should
raise concern so that they do not just add to the statistics of school
drop-outs,” he said on Thursday.
Source:
https://www.kfm.co.ug/news/uneb-releases-2023-ple-results-with-drop-in-division-one-two.html
PLE RESULTS: 88,000 PUPILS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR ADMISSION TO SENIOR 1
Nearly one third of the pupils in the districts of Kibuku, Madi Okollo, Dokolo, Kween and Namisindwa are not eligible to move to Senior Secondary school after scoring Division U (Ungraded). Many other districts have over 20% of the candidates in Division U.
Uganda
National Examinations Board Ed Dan Odongo revealed that Division U is awarded
to candidates who have failed to reach the minimum level of performance that
can be awarded, at least a Division 4 and they are not eligible for admission
to the Senior 1 class.
“It
should be noted that the number of candidates in Division U is quite high, at
88,269 (10.4%) and should raise concern so that they do not just add to the
statistics of school drop-outs. It is necessary to find out the causes and
address them,” Odongo said, ading that ” There are districts such as Kibuku
(31.5o), Madi Okollo (31.5%), Dokolo (28.9%), Kween (28.4%), Namisindwa (28.9%)
where the percentages are well above the national average.”
He
said this before the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports Janet
Museveni officially released the 2023 Primary leaving Exams in Kampala.
TALKING DIGITAL RIGHTS:
GOVT BOOSTS DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN CENTRAL REGION WITH OVER SHS500M
Government has earmarked over Shs500
million this financial year to accelerate digital transformation initiatives in
the central region. The announcement was made by Uganda Communications
Commission chairperson Mr Nyombi Thembo during the Buganda Royal Institute
graduation ceremony in Mengo, Kampala on Thursday morning.
Thembo highlighted government’s
previous efforts, noting that over 300 ICT units were supported last year to
equip Buganda youth with technological skills. He encouraged the graduates to
embrace continuous learning and consider pursuing further education to stay
ahead in the evolving digital landscape.
“All these interventions are
ultimately geared towards promoting ICT usage in the country because it is one
of the sectors that the government of Uganda has identified among the pillars
on which social-economic transformation is anchored,” Nyombi said.
Meanwhile, the Katikkiro of Buganda,
Mr. Charles Peter Mayiga, urged the graduates to leverage their acquired skills
to create positive impact in their communities. The ceremony saw 1379 students
graduate with diplomas and certificates in various disciplines, with 673 female
graduates and 706 male graduates
Source: https://www.kfm.co.ug/news/govt-boosts-digital-transformation-in-central-region-with-shs500m.html
LAWYERS
PETITION COURT SEEKING SEPARATION OF POWER
Two Lawyers led by Micheal Aboneka
have petitioned the Constitutional Court seeking orders to stop Members of
Parliament from being appointed as ministers.
According to Constitutional Lawyer
Aboneka, Article 113(1), 108A(1) 108(1)119 and 119A in as far as allows the
President to appoint Members of Parliament as cabinet ministers, prime
ministers and vice presidents among others is a fusion of the executive and the
legislature and undermines the principal of separation of powers ,checks and
balances and the doctrine of legislative Independence.
They now want the Constitutional Court
to order that all members of Parliament serving as cabinet ministers, prime
minister, Vice President, Attorney General to vacate such offices and refund
all money they have been receiving since such appointments.
"We believe that our Constitution
is premised on the principle of separation of powers. Every arm of government
is supposed to be independent of each other". Lawyer Aboneka.
MOLLY
KATANGA REMANDED TO LUZIRA ON MURDER CHARGES
Molly Katanga the widow to the late
murdered businessman Henry Katanga was remanded to Luzira government prison
after being charged with her husband's alleged murder.
The widow was on Wednesday 24th
January 2024 produced before Nakawa Magistrates Court from her Hospital bed after
a warrant of arrest was issued on Monday this week. She was driven in an
ambulance and wheeled into the courtroom by the help of prison warders.
This after the Director of Public
Prosecutions accused her of snubbing court since November last year to be
officially charged over the said murder,
Court Magistrate Elias Kakooza
however, barred her from entering any plea since she is facing a capital
offence that can only be tried and bailable by the High Court.
She was then committed to the High
Court for trial after state Attorney Richard Birivumbuka informed court that
investigations into the matter are complete.
MUSEVENI:
OGWAL, WAS A PEACEMAKER, MATURE POLITICIAN
President Museveni eulogized the late
Cecilia Atim Ogwal as a champion of the rule of law, peace and development. This
is while he was attending a night vigil to honor the fallen legislator at
Parliament.
“We celebrate her achievements and
contribution because when you hear that the north is peaceful now and
development is taking place, and roads being constructed and people who played
a role in that are people like Cecilia Ogwal who refused the politics of adage,
translated as fragmentation" Museveni states.
Hon. Ogwal, 77, who has been a Member
of Parliament since 1996, breathed her last on 18th January 2024 in India after
a short illness.
“Therefore, here I have come to bear
witness to what I knew about her and what I saw and some facts were secret like
when she was talking to Vincent Otti, nobody knew, it was herself with this
killer, who had rung to intimidate her.”
President Museveni said, “I have not
worked optimally with Cecilia Ogwal, but I can tell you when I eventually met
her, I could see that she is a patriot.”
He advised Members of Parliament to
always work together whenever there is an opportunity, especially on matters of
national importance. President Museveni was accompanied by his wife first lady
Janet Kataha Museveni and Minister of Education and Sports.
Source: https://capitalradio.co.ug/news/2024-01-23-museveni-ogwalwas-a-peacemakermature-politician/
REGIONAL UPDATE
KENYA
QUESTIONS JURISDICTION OF EAST AFRICAN COURT
Kenya's Attorney General Justin Muturi
on Tuesday last week pleaded with the Supreme Court to hear his application
seeking the top court’s opinion on the legal consequences and effects of
decisions of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) on the country's
sovereignty.
Mr Muturi said whereas there is no
express provision in the East African Community (EAC) Treaty conferring upon
the EACJ the jurisdiction to interpret the constitutions of partner states, the
regional court has in several decisions, interpreted its jurisdiction to
include the review of decisions issued by apex courts of member countries.
According to Mr Muturi, the decisions
of the EACJ end up conflicting with judgments issued by the Supreme Court.
The AG through lawyer Mahat Somane
cited a decision of the regional court awarding politician Martha Karua Ksh2.7
million ($16,000 at current exchange rate) in damages for infringement of her
right to a fair trial in 2019.
INTERNATIONAL
UPDATE
US
MAN DECLARED INNOCENT AFTER SPENDING 48 YEARS IN PRISON
A 71-year-old man has been declared
innocent in the US state of Oklahoma after spending nearly 50 years in prison
for a murder he did not commit.
Glynn Simmons, who is Black, served
more time behind bars before being exonerated than any other inmate in US
history, according to The National Registry of Exonerations.
Simmons was released in July after
serving a total of 48 years, one month and 18 days in prison.
Simmons and another man, Don Roberts,
were sentenced to death in 1975 for the murder the previous year of a
30-year-old liquor store clerk during a robbery in Edmond, Oklahoma.
Simmons and Roberts were convicted
solely on the basis of the testimony of a teenage customer who was shot in the
head during the robbery but survived.
She picked them out of a police
lineup, but a subsequent investigation cast significant doubt on the
reliability of her identifications.
Both men had also claimed at trial
that they were not even in Oklahoma at the time of the murder.
US District Court Judge Amy Palumbo
threw out Simmons' conviction in July and declared him innocent at a hearing in
Oklahoma County District Court on Tuesday.
"This is a day we've been waiting
on for a long, long time," Simmons told reporters. "We can say
justice was done today, finally."
Roberts, Simmons co-defendant, was
released from prison in 2008, according to The National Registry of
Exonerations.
S.
AFRICA HAILS 'DECISIVE VICTORY' AT INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
South Africa on Friday 26th
January 2023 hailed a ruling by the United Nations' top court that Israel
should do everything it can to prevent any acts of genocide in Gaza.
The International Court of Justice
(ICJ) in The Hague handed down its verdict in a landmark case brought by
Pretoria also ordering Israel to allow humanitarian access to the Palestinian
territory.
"Today marks a decisive victory for
the international rule of law and a significant milestone in the search for
justice for the Palestinian people," South Africa's ministry of Foreign
Affairs said.
CONCLUDING
REMARKS
1. Promoting the right to education and
improving educational outcomes for children in Uganda require concerted efforts
from governments, policymakers, educators, communities, and other stakeholders.
While the PLE results are important for assessing students' academic
achievements and shaping their future opportunities, they should be viewed
within the broader context of efforts to ensure equitable access to quality
education for all children in Uganda.
2. Digital transformation has the
potential to stimulate economic growth by raising innovation, enhancing
productivity, and creating new job opportunities. Investing in digital
infrastructure and promoting a conducive regulatory environment, the government
of Uganda can attract investments in the digital economy and drive
entrepreneurship and innovation.
3. Civil society organizations (CSOs),
human rights defenders, and grassroots movements play a vital role in
advocating for human rights, raising awareness, monitoring government actions,
and providing support to victims of human rights violations. Upholding an
enabling environment for civil society is essential for fostering pluralism,
democratic participation, and accountability in Uganda.
4. The right to a fair hearing is a
fundamental human right recognized internationally and enshrined in various
legal instruments and national constitutions, including Uganda's Constitution.
Protecting this right is essential for upholding the principles of justice,
ensuring due process, and safeguarding individuals from arbitrary or unjust
treatment by the state or other entities.
Thank
you for reading. See you next week
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