5 years, 3 months ago-
On 29th Nov, 2017 the residents of Bataka Village woke up to a horrific incidence. The house of Mr. Anguzu Richard caught fire at 10:00am without any known / seen trigger to the fire. Since then, one house daily on a friendly average has being burning under similar circumstances. Owners of the houses that are not yet burnt have removed their doors and the properties inside in anticipation of the same to them. Humanitarian need has grown on daily basis necessitating response.
*While in the neighbourhood of Bataka, people are going on with normal lives, these horror stricken residents sleep hungry on daily basis because they lost their food to fire.*
* While the rest are enjoying comforts of their beds at night, they endure horrible cold nights including children & pregnant mothers.*
*While people enjoyed Christmas, they endured Psychological & emotional trauma levels worse than losing loved ones.*
*While fireworks rose high atop tall buildings in various cities & towns around the world accompanied with ululations that filled the skies in joy of the New Year, there was totally no life in Bataka village.*
*While the neighbouring villages and the rest of the world set New Year resolutions and are set to undertake new dreams in 2018, they do not know where to begin.*
*While the rest in need around the world receive attention and support, they have received none not even from their closest neighbors. *
Such is the horrific tale of the residents of Bataka Village, Ombavu Parish, Tara Sub County, Maracha District.
“These people will not remember the enemy that has put them through this for his / her actions, but the silence of us for not helping them in their time of need”.
VISION FOR HUMANITY is leading a coordinated inter-agency response team that has so far brought together OPM, the local Governments of Arua & Maracha, Uganda Redcross, Rotary Arua, CTEN, Arua One FM.
We need to adopt a culture of helping our selves whenever in need other than waiting for external support. There will be a final coordination meeting at Jershem Hotel in Arua on Thursday 11/01/2018 AT 5:00PM PROMPT and another in Maracha DLG and a day will be identified on thursday to deliver emmergency support as a team. Please come and attend this meeting.
We call up on all Banks, Bus companies, Petrol stations, Radio stations, local & international organisations, corporate companies and the general public to donate what ever they can afford ranging from food, clothes, (offer to be part of the team to provide health, psycho-social, spiritual services), money, non food items ( jerrycans, saucepans, hoes, slasher, rakes, shieves, blankets, mattress etc)
Our official contacts are:-
Team Leader: Asau Sunday-0782-325134.
Offices of Vision for Humanity ( Buteru Vivian-0777-016217), Red cross ( Geria Patrick-0782-388389), Rotary ( Abiru Lydia-0772-501928) , CTEN ( Peter-0778-409446), Arua One FM ( Amandu Walter-0787-052777).Our official Mobile Money line:
Tiedezu Drabile Geoffrey Number: 0778-848809Odabo John ( IT Manager) 0777-371289
Amandu Walter (Media & PR) 0787-052777
Dr. Candia Robert ( Coordinator Arua Cluster) -0782-830422
Hon: Wani Emmanuel ( Coordinator Maracha Cluster)-0774-816025BATAKA NEEDS YOU TODAY, YOU WILL NEED THEM TOMORROW.
Ibrahim Abiriga Was a Traitor to Uganda
In 1956 the current Arua Municipality Member of Parliament (MP), Col. Ibrahim Abiriga was born in the West Nile region. In 1971, he joined the Uganda Army (UA) and mostly served as the Manager of Pakuba Lodge in the present-day Murchison Falls National Park. Like most of the ‘Amin soldiers’, after the overthrow of Iddi Amin in 1979, he fled to Congo and Sudan. In exile, they formed fighting groups to fight the new successive governments in Kampala. One such group was the UNRF under now Prime Minister, Gen. Moses Ali. Abiriga’s blood relative, Gen. Bamuze was the UNRF Chief of Staff.
In 1986, the 1,200 strong UNRF joined Museveni’s NRA and were mostly formed into the NRA’s 73rd Battalion. Subsequently, Moses Ali was accused of treason and incarcerated for years in Lubiri underground cells. Moses Ali and other prominent people had complained about then Capt. James Kaziini who was commanding the Arua based 14th Battalion.
Kaziini had been a member of UNRF before he defected to the NRA via Nairobi in late 1985. Bamuze fled to Congo again where he formed another fighting group that he named UNRF II. Ibrahim Abiriga who had also joined the NRA in 1986 rose to become the 2nd Division Administration Officer (DAO). He served in that position from 1988 to 1990 when his active military career informally ended.
A decade later, Ibrahim Abiriga contested for the Madi Okollo parliamentary seat but lost to the opposition candidate. Consequently, President Yoweri Museveni appointed Abiriga to the position of Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Arua District. As RDC, he went to Adrava Health Centre at Rhino Camp and personally unplucked the campaign posters of an opposition candidate before harassing and accusing the health workers of ‘promoting the opposition’.
Abiriga became a key Museveni party political mobilizer in Arua. In January 2011 during the presidential election campaigns, he at one time slaughtered cows and gave free meat to residents in order to dissuade them from attending the opposition candidate, Dr. Besigye’s rally but still Museveni lost in Arua.
In May 2011, Abiriga accused the USA and UK of sponsoring the Walk to Work protests prompting the then UK High Commissioner, Martin Shaerman to vehemently protest. In December 2011 during the World Aids Day celebrations at Arua Police grounds, Abiriga called upon security agencies to use live ammunitions in quelling the Walk to Work protesters. He argued that the protests were being backed by donors and were meant to systematically overthrown the government.In 2012 Abiriga connived with Museveni’s. brother, Gen. Salim Saleh to controversially grab six acres of public land at Biafra in Arua Municipality. During a Teachers strike, he threatened to recruit his own teachers. Generally, his military style administration was characterised by arbitrary arrests and polarising people along ethnic and political party lines.
In 2014, Abiriga was transferred from Arua to Yumbe district as the RDC. However, in June 2015 he quit the position of RDC to run for Member of Parliament for Arua Municipality on the Museveni party ticket. He cited failure to serve people like he would have wished using the position of RDC. It is interesting to note that during his tenure as RDC, Abiriga would sometimes even challenge government programs that did not favour the local people.
To get nominated, he presented academic certificates from Uganda Management Institute and Uganda Christian University, Arua Campus. He beat other rivalries in the Museveni party primaries and was nominated as the flag bearer.
In September 2015, Abiriga was suspiciously nominated by the EC not in Arua but in Kampala. However, a voter from Arua disputed his academic credentials by petitioning the Electoral Commission. It was alleged that Abiriga had only stopped in Primary Three. The above-mentioned education institutions denied ever enrolling a person in those names. In February 2016, the Electoral Commission (EC) disqualified him from contesting for the Arua Municipality. The EC’s decision reversed the District Returning Officer’s earlier decision that had nominated him. A week to the election day, Museveni ordered the Electoral Commission to reinstate Abiriga on the ballot paper.
Abiriga won the Arua Municipality seat but his opposition rival challenged his victory in court on grounds that the nomination forms that were used by the EC to declare him the winner were not the right ones. Because of Museveni’s last minute intervention, the EC had ordered for the printing of the unofficial Declaration Forms to include Abriga.In May 2015, Abiriga was sworn in as the MP for Arua Municipality. Shortly after, in an interview with NBS Television, he boldly put it thus; “Museveni is a good leader who should rule till death. No prophet is sent by God when another one is still there. Therefore, Museveni should be given his time. If we have President Museveni out, we shall face problems, see what is happening in Libya. Ugandans have accepted to lifting presidential age limits, it’s only Museveni that is 100% correct. Besigye is not even suitable for a Ministerial post. He was only rewarded by the President with a ministerial post because he was from the bush just like Museveni.”
In June 2016, the HC in Arua ruled in favour of Abiriga. An appeal was lodged in the Court of Appeal but it was also dismissed in April 2017. A criminal case of forgery of academic credentials was also lodged at Buganda Road Court but it has since been suppressed. In August 2016, Hon. Abiriga yellow (Museveni party colours) dress code was challenged by his MPs but the Deputy Speaker, Oulanya ruled in favour of Abriga. Since then Abiriga has adopted his controversial yellow outfits both in
parliament and outside.In March 2017, Hon. Abiriga clashed with Army M.P, Cadre Felix Kulaigye (both members of the Defence and Internal Affairs committee) over the Anti-terrorism Amendment Bill. The bill sought to criminalize the financing of terrorism and terrorist activities. Abiriga sought for clarification from Bank of Uganda officials over the deference between terrorism and rebel activities thus a terrorist and a rebel.
Quoting the Act, Bank of Uganda’s Mulindwa described a terrorist as a person who does an act with intention of intimidating parliament. Cadre Felix Kulaigye was quick to interject by extending the definition to also intimidating the public or section of the public for political, religious, social or economic aim.
Another member questioned why the rebel group, LRA had been classified as a terrorism group. Cadre Kulaigye emphasized that he was more suited to help the committee owing to his military background. Hon. Abiriga called Kulaigye to order before accusing him of misleading the committee thus; ” I don’t want to know, because what Kulaigye knows, I know. I know what a terrorist is and what a rebel is. His knowledge is political but mine is proof.”
Around early this month Abiriga claimed that opposition thieves had broken into his residence and stolen his personal property. He told reporters that; “These must be FDC and DP because they only selected only yellow items (flat screen TV, Refrigerator, and cups). They want to dampen my ‘yellow spirit’ but I am still strong, I am a soldier.”
During the recent Budge Speech, Museveni donated a pair of black sandals to Hon. Abiriga on the floor of parliament. Hon. Abiriga was excited and even promised to paint them yellow.For those who think Hon. Abriga is a semi-illiterate legislator who is just crazy with Museveni’s patronage, think twice. In 1990 while then Capt. Abiriga was the Division Administration officer for the NRA’s 2nd Division based in Fort Portal, he was arrested by then Capt. Charles Angina over treason. Together with his co-plotters like Col. Matovu who was the Chief of Personnel and Administration (CPA) at the army headquarters, Capt. Ali Chama and a few others were not formally charged but simply held by Military Intelligence in Kampala.
Since that time Abiriga never returned to active military service until over a decade later when he was formally discharged from the army. However, he did some special political and security assignments for Museveni in West Nile region in return for patronage.Think twice, Hon. Abiriga knows the difference between a terrorist and a rebel. He has been late and been the latter and fell short of being the former just because the Anti-terrorism law was not yet in place. His knowledge “is proof”. However, it’s not too late hence why he interrogated the Anti-Terrorism Amendment Bill.
Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi will be discussing the declining state of democracy in Uganda
Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, has been invited to a session of the UK parliament which will be discussing the declining state of democracy in Uganda tomorrow.
Mr Kyagulanyi’s political aide, Mr Nicodemus Musoke, confirmed the travel to the UK.The Commons website has indicated ‘Democracy in Uganda’ as one of the key issues for debate in the House of Commons tomorrow at 1630 British time. The debate will be streamed live via https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/edad7192-19f3-4484-a385-61b6f03fe969
“We will be debating democracy in Uganda. I will be leading the debate and the minister for Africa will be responding,” UK Member of Parliament for Stockton South Paul Williams told Daily Monitor in a telephone interview from UK last Friday.
“I want to see a strong and prosperous, independent Uganda with strong democratic institutions. I am interested in the future of Uganda. In Bobi Wine, I see a person who has a good understanding of poverty, inequality and (he) has a good vision for the future,” Dr Williams said, but added that as a non-Ugandan, it is not him to guide Ugandans to choose the leader they want.
Dr Williams first moved the motion early last month but it did not attract much support.
However, it has since garnered support of 20 other MPs– seven from the Scottish National Party, eight from Labour Party, three independents, one Conservative, and one from Democratic Unionist Party.
The MPs want UK Prime Minister Theresa May to use her government and other international actors such as the European Union, United Nations and Commonwealth—the umbrella of former British colonies—to promote democracy in Uganda.
Bobi’s UK schedule
Mr Godfrey Ssekisonge and Ms Belinda Atim, who are coordinating Mr Kyagulanyi’s travel, said the Ugandan legislator will have a series of events in the UK beginning with the House of Commons, addressing guests at Oxford Union and Oxford University.
“He will also have his private activities after a series of official events,” Mr Ssekisonge said.
Mr Musoke said after the UK, Mr Kyagulanyi will tour the US before holding a music performance in Kingston, Jamaica.Bobi Wine has faced confrontations with the State on several occasions with some violent incidents.
Police have blocked his music concerts on a number of occasions and banned him from addressing public gatherings.
Last year, his driver was shot dead in the violence that erupted during the Arua Municipality parliamentary by-elections. He and about five other Opposition MPs are currently charged with treason.
Dr Williams has recently been vocal on undemocratic tendencies in Uganda.
He described himself as a supporter and friend of Uganda who, for years, worked for an NGO in western Uganda’s town of Kinkizi before returning home to become an MP in 2017.
Key issues
Dr Williams said in tomorrow’s debate, he will highlight and push the UK parliament to have a chance to discuss the importance of true democracy in Uganda, the undermining of public institutions and charting ways to support Ugandans to strengthen their democracy. “UK has a legitimate interest as a friend and partner, we see attacks on politicians, we see the military moving to arrest and torture democratically elected politicians- that is something many countries around the world are concerned about,” Dr Williams said.
He said UK’s strong relations with Uganda will have to continue but that the current actions of the presidency are ‘diminishing’ the country’s standing globally.
“What we want to see is a strong Uganda but what we see at the moment is a strong President who is retaining power for himself, reducing the power of the people. We want a strong democracy, but I am not endorsing one person or the other,” Dr Williams said.
However, President Museveni’s press secretary Don Wanyama dismissed Dr Williams’ assertions and referred to him as a “victim of acute ignorance on Uganda and its history.”
“Anyone who argues that Uganda’s democracy is not working doesn’t know where we are coming from. There was a time when elections were never the reflection of the will of people. President Museveni has been democratically elected over years,” Mr Wanyama said.
“We challenge Williams and his Opposition friends in Uganda [to show] where democracy has been abused. He is obviously ignorant, a biased fellow working for lobby groups. He needs to know that the destiny and future of Uganda is a question for Ugandans,” he added.
Dr Williams reiterated: “But my critique is that the President is protecting his power while undermining the institutions of democracy – the Electoral Commission, Parliament, the Judiciary and somewhere he is undermining the free press as well — making it very difficult…. As a friend of Uganda, I would like to see strong institutions instead of a strong President.”
He said the UK is an important partner to Uganda with a vital role to play in business, development and security.
“It is very important to be critical when you see something. Right now, the UK government is keeping its criticism in private,” Dr Williams said but added that if the attacks on democracy continue to prevail in Uganda, the UK may have to make its criticism public.
He criticised what he called military operations against Ugandans intended to keep people in power and said Ugandans should be supported to take their opportunities.
“We all know in every village, there is infrastructure not to protect the country but the future of the president and his party. They control the Electoral Commission, Judiciary, undermining all the aspects of democracy,” Dr Williams added.
He said although he has previously spoken to Mr Kyagulanyi, the pair have not met.
“I see an inspiring potential leader with many strong leadership qualities. I want to help him in his learning journey, develop his skills in leadership. It is fantastic that he has a passion to get people out of poverty,” Dr Williams said.The Minister of Information, Mr Frank Tumwebaze, described the debate by the UK legislators as political interference and told them to focus on “their own worrying issues of BREXIT and many others than engaging in internal issues of Uganda.”
“Uganda’s democracy is not discussed and debated in London. That can’t be democracy but rather an abuse of real democracy…We got enough of their imported democracy before 1962 and it was up to no good,” Mr Tumwebaze said.
Dr Williams said he “respects and totally believes” in Uganda’s national sovereignty, and his actions should not be construed as neo-colonialism or anything similar.
In December 2017, Parliament amended the Constitution to remove the presidential age limit clause which barred him or anyone aged above 75 from contesting for presidency. With the amendment, Mr Museveni can now stand for re-election until death.Dr Williams described Uganda as a “fantastic country which deserves better.”
“…I’m concerned about the slow gradual decline of the democratic processes in Uganda and I think my country has a legitimate interest in Uganda because we are partners in the Commonwealth, in business, in development,” he added.
Dr Williams raised a similar matter in the House of Commons in August last year when Mr Museveni was in London for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) but it did not gain much traction.
He said the President had become a barrier to Uganda’s development and good governance”, which comments triggered a social media storm with a section of Ugandans lambasting him for still treating Uganda as a British colony while others supported him.
Envoy’s response
Uganda’s High Commissioner to UK Julius Peter Moto told the media that he had not been officially informed about tomorrow’s debate.
“We will respond when they give us a chance, but they ought to know that Uganda is a young democracy; we are on track: we are learning: and our economy is picking up,” Mr Moto said.
On January 26, Mr Museveni, now aged 74, will mark 33 years in power. He ranks fourth on list of Africa’s longest serving presidents after Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema (39 years), Cameroon’s Paul Biya (36 years) and Congo-Brazzaville’s Denis Sassou Nguesso (34 years).
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