I am one of those Ugandans who have confidence in Dr Rwakana Rugunda as a mature, intelligent, peaceful and rational gentleman. Indeed His role in trying to bring peace to the people of Northern Uganda through the Juba Peace talks which he staggered with for a long time makes the whole world see him as peace maker.
However his recent statement in parliament which tried to defend the brutal, irresponsible, unlawful and arrogant police action on the legislators was a big surprise to me. I think the minister did'nt either establish the facts properly, or he was misinformed about what happened incase he did'nt witness it.
Surely the police acted very unfairly to the legislaters concerned if only what was shown on TV was real. I thought in such political rallies the irrelevant noice makers are the ones to be dealt with like wild animals.
The police also don't consider the fact that some people attend rallies to disorganise the politicians concerned.Such disrupters are the hooligans to be manhandled by the police during political rallies!
If the police can fail to respect members of parliament, then it means ordinary citizens can never have a say on police unfairness to them. I know some times some people undermine policemen, but most times policemen also fail to be ethical while doing their work. should the police be commended even when they cross the line?
The case of the MPs was really a serious one that required cautioning or even apology from the police. Kale Kayihura had ealier promised to apologise, which means he really saw where his force had gone wrong.
I call upon minister Rugunda to consider revising his statements before the legislaters last week. Even an apology won't kill his reputation.
ROBERT E. OWINY (MAKERERE UNIVERSITY)
Monday, July 21, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
IS KONY INTERESTED IN PEACE TALKS?
ROBERT ROBERT The New Vision
The present confusion with the LRA leadership in Garamba makes the Juba peace talks completely meaningless.
If it is true that Joseph Kony has murdered his second-in-command Vincent Otti and other other commanders, then the government of Uganda and all those seeking peace through the Juba talks should ask themselves whether they are dealing with a sane person.
Kony does not seem to be interested in the peace talks. It appears he was just using the talks to buy time to reorganise the LRA, since the government forces had cornered him, his supporters in Sudan had withdrawn their assistance and he was experiencing financial hardship.
It might be true that people like Otti were genuinely interested in the peace talks when their boss was not.
Why does Kony fear to meet high profile people like Jan Eagland, the UN under- secretary general for humanitarian affairs, and Joachim Chisano? Worse still, why doesn't he want to meet president Yoweri Museveni at a round table since he claims he is the one he has a problem with?
Kony is up to no good. This is the right time for the government and all other concerned world bodies to flush Kony out of his hideout through any available means.
Eagland once described the Kony war in the north as the worst neglected humanitarian emergency in the world.
Who has neglected it? A lot of government money has been spent in the war, yet such money could have been used for other productive economic activities.
The atrocities that Kony has caused cannot be forgiven. The only thing the LRA seems to fear is the International Criminal Court.
Kony is frustrating the peace talks and the Government should not waste much more time and should talk to him in the only language he understands.
ROBERT ROBERT The New Vision
The present confusion with the LRA leadership in Garamba makes the Juba peace talks completely meaningless.
If it is true that Joseph Kony has murdered his second-in-command Vincent Otti and other other commanders, then the government of Uganda and all those seeking peace through the Juba talks should ask themselves whether they are dealing with a sane person.
Kony does not seem to be interested in the peace talks. It appears he was just using the talks to buy time to reorganise the LRA, since the government forces had cornered him, his supporters in Sudan had withdrawn their assistance and he was experiencing financial hardship.
It might be true that people like Otti were genuinely interested in the peace talks when their boss was not.
Why does Kony fear to meet high profile people like Jan Eagland, the UN under- secretary general for humanitarian affairs, and Joachim Chisano? Worse still, why doesn't he want to meet president Yoweri Museveni at a round table since he claims he is the one he has a problem with?
Kony is up to no good. This is the right time for the government and all other concerned world bodies to flush Kony out of his hideout through any available means.
Eagland once described the Kony war in the north as the worst neglected humanitarian emergency in the world.
Who has neglected it? A lot of government money has been spent in the war, yet such money could have been used for other productive economic activities.
The atrocities that Kony has caused cannot be forgiven. The only thing the LRA seems to fear is the International Criminal Court.
Kony is frustrating the peace talks and the Government should not waste much more time and should talk to him in the only language he understands.
TOP SOLDIER EXPLAINS ORDEAL WITH GUNMEN
ByRobert Owiny The New Vision 5th June 2008
& Caroline Batenga
"I have been in military battles and escaped death several times. It would have been very unfortunate if mere thugs had killed me."
This was the proclamation Lt. Col. Adolf Sserwadda, 54, made as he narrated his recent ordeal with armed robbers.
Sserwadda, the director of administration at the UPDF headquarters in Bombo, was on the night of May 26 attacked by armed thugs at Lungujja, Makamba zone in Rubaga, a Kampala suburb.
"The incident occurred at around 9:00pm and lasted for about 10 minutes. I was driving from Bombo to my home in Busega, but had to slow down at a muddy and slippery spot.
"Two men suddenly ordered me to stop. One of them, wielding an AK47 rifle, put me at gun-point and rudely ordered me to get out of the vehicle. After escaping the first shot, I quickly held the gun's barrel and tilted it downwards."
Sserwadda narrates that the second shot penetrated through the car's body, down to his left knee as he fell flat on the seats feigning death. Other two shots passed through the opposite door.
"The one with the gun kept watching me, while the other advanced to the left door, attempting to pull me out of the car," the soldier says.
"On realising this move, I charged and head-butted the man. As he staggered," Sserwadda narrates: "I abandoned the car and ducked into a trench."
He adds: "Fearing that I could shoot them, the thugs started keeping a distance. I then changed my position to the other side of the road and hid.
"The one with the gun tried to advance towards me, but before he could figure out my location, the other, who was fidgeting to start the car, called him back. They sped off."
Sserwadda recounts that he slowly got up and found his way to a group of people, who had gathered at a nearby trading centre.
He was rushed to Rubaga Hospital and admitted to the surgical ward where bullet fragments were removed from his knee and he was discharged the next day. The army officer believes the attack was not pre-planned.
"I don't think it was planned because Makamba is not my route. I reside in Busega and no one knew that I would pass there that night."
Sserwadda, who has served the army for 29 years, has received military training in Uganda, Tanzania, Cuba, China and the US.
Walking with a painful limp, Sserwadda, resumed work on Monday this week.
Army spokesperson Maj. Paddy Ankunda described the incident as "a-one-off" attack on a UPDF officer.
ByRobert Owiny The New Vision 5th June 2008
& Caroline Batenga
"I have been in military battles and escaped death several times. It would have been very unfortunate if mere thugs had killed me."
This was the proclamation Lt. Col. Adolf Sserwadda, 54, made as he narrated his recent ordeal with armed robbers.
Sserwadda, the director of administration at the UPDF headquarters in Bombo, was on the night of May 26 attacked by armed thugs at Lungujja, Makamba zone in Rubaga, a Kampala suburb.
"The incident occurred at around 9:00pm and lasted for about 10 minutes. I was driving from Bombo to my home in Busega, but had to slow down at a muddy and slippery spot.
"Two men suddenly ordered me to stop. One of them, wielding an AK47 rifle, put me at gun-point and rudely ordered me to get out of the vehicle. After escaping the first shot, I quickly held the gun's barrel and tilted it downwards."
Sserwadda narrates that the second shot penetrated through the car's body, down to his left knee as he fell flat on the seats feigning death. Other two shots passed through the opposite door.
"The one with the gun kept watching me, while the other advanced to the left door, attempting to pull me out of the car," the soldier says.
"On realising this move, I charged and head-butted the man. As he staggered," Sserwadda narrates: "I abandoned the car and ducked into a trench."
He adds: "Fearing that I could shoot them, the thugs started keeping a distance. I then changed my position to the other side of the road and hid.
"The one with the gun tried to advance towards me, but before he could figure out my location, the other, who was fidgeting to start the car, called him back. They sped off."
Sserwadda recounts that he slowly got up and found his way to a group of people, who had gathered at a nearby trading centre.
He was rushed to Rubaga Hospital and admitted to the surgical ward where bullet fragments were removed from his knee and he was discharged the next day. The army officer believes the attack was not pre-planned.
"I don't think it was planned because Makamba is not my route. I reside in Busega and no one knew that I would pass there that night."
Sserwadda, who has served the army for 29 years, has received military training in Uganda, Tanzania, Cuba, China and the US.
Walking with a painful limp, Sserwadda, resumed work on Monday this week.
Army spokesperson Maj. Paddy Ankunda described the incident as "a-one-off" attack on a UPDF officer.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS CAN SUBSTITUTE FIREWOOD
BY ROBERT OWINY
The New Vision recently reported that the desert is spreading across Uganda , capturing even the districts which were not in the "cattle corridor", a climatically non-vibrant region.
According to the report, this implies that the number of districts that will need food assistance is increasing, hence minimizing the hope of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a global initiative aimed at promoting human development and environmental sustainability in a few years to come.
One may not believe that 40% of Ugandans today live in a semi-arid desert which has slowly continued to eat away the land.
The bad news for Ugandans is that 51% of the country’s land today is semi-arid compared to the 40% in 1996. This great desert movement is reportedly compelled by poor land management practices such as overgrazing, logging for charcoal and constant forest destruction.
A survey has also shown that academic institutions in the country are greatly contributing to forest destruction as they heavily rely on wood for cooking for the large number of students.
A source at Makerere University which is also the largest academic institution in the country indicated that two Lorries of firewood are used by each hall of residence within one week.
In every month therefore the University burns over 90 Lorries of firewood in its 12 halls of residence. However the university also uses gas to substitute firewood sometimes. “If we were to rely fully on firewood we would demand about four lorries per week” a warden at one of the halls said.
At Highland secondary school, the headmistress Ms Nabbosa Hamidah says parents supply the school with up to about a full lorry of firewood which they cut from the surrounding forests on a weekly basis.
“It is true schools demand a lot of firewood, the forests have to suffer because there is no alternative” she says.
Given the current government policy which enables a large number of students to access free education at different levels, these institutions will apparently keep increasing their demand for firewood.
This means an end to forest destruction may not be easily achieved. To make matters worse, fertility rate in the country is also climbing the ladder. Parents now take the advantage of the free education offered to children and produce as many as they want.
According to Marc Nerclove, a researcher writing in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, she writes that in much of the third world, fertility is likely to react positively to increasing environmental degradation because parents perceive the benefits of having more children to be higher under environmentally adverse circumstances.
The question then is, can alternatives be sought for these institutions? Experts say yes but with government support.
Dr. Grace Nakabonge from the department of forestry at Makerere University says the government should reduce the heavy taxes on alternative fuel sources like Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to be easily accessed by these institutions if they are to abandon the use of firewood. A kilo of LPG costs sh3595.
A single hall of residence at Makerere University consumes 500kg of the gas in a fortnight. This is very costly compared to a full lorry of firewood which goes for sh250000. As such, academic institutions rely so much on wood fuel.
The idea of finding alternatives to wood is not new. In Kenya , the government banned the collection of firewood from World Heritage sites recently. The over 20,000 educational institutions of Kenya were forced to find alternatives.
A project to replace open-fire cooking systems in schools with heavy duty brick insulated stainless steel stoves consuming 60-70% less firewood was a success. Other institutions adopted the use of LPG. Such changes could easily change the Ugandan condition, experts believe.
BY ROBERT OWINY
The New Vision recently reported that the desert is spreading across Uganda , capturing even the districts which were not in the "cattle corridor", a climatically non-vibrant region.
According to the report, this implies that the number of districts that will need food assistance is increasing, hence minimizing the hope of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a global initiative aimed at promoting human development and environmental sustainability in a few years to come.
One may not believe that 40% of Ugandans today live in a semi-arid desert which has slowly continued to eat away the land.
The bad news for Ugandans is that 51% of the country’s land today is semi-arid compared to the 40% in 1996. This great desert movement is reportedly compelled by poor land management practices such as overgrazing, logging for charcoal and constant forest destruction.
A survey has also shown that academic institutions in the country are greatly contributing to forest destruction as they heavily rely on wood for cooking for the large number of students.
A source at Makerere University which is also the largest academic institution in the country indicated that two Lorries of firewood are used by each hall of residence within one week.
In every month therefore the University burns over 90 Lorries of firewood in its 12 halls of residence. However the university also uses gas to substitute firewood sometimes. “If we were to rely fully on firewood we would demand about four lorries per week” a warden at one of the halls said.
At Highland secondary school, the headmistress Ms Nabbosa Hamidah says parents supply the school with up to about a full lorry of firewood which they cut from the surrounding forests on a weekly basis.
“It is true schools demand a lot of firewood, the forests have to suffer because there is no alternative” she says.
Given the current government policy which enables a large number of students to access free education at different levels, these institutions will apparently keep increasing their demand for firewood.
This means an end to forest destruction may not be easily achieved. To make matters worse, fertility rate in the country is also climbing the ladder. Parents now take the advantage of the free education offered to children and produce as many as they want.
According to Marc Nerclove, a researcher writing in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, she writes that in much of the third world, fertility is likely to react positively to increasing environmental degradation because parents perceive the benefits of having more children to be higher under environmentally adverse circumstances.
The question then is, can alternatives be sought for these institutions? Experts say yes but with government support.
Dr. Grace Nakabonge from the department of forestry at Makerere University says the government should reduce the heavy taxes on alternative fuel sources like Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to be easily accessed by these institutions if they are to abandon the use of firewood. A kilo of LPG costs sh3595.
A single hall of residence at Makerere University consumes 500kg of the gas in a fortnight. This is very costly compared to a full lorry of firewood which goes for sh250000. As such, academic institutions rely so much on wood fuel.
The idea of finding alternatives to wood is not new. In Kenya , the government banned the collection of firewood from World Heritage sites recently. The over 20,000 educational institutions of Kenya were forced to find alternatives.
A project to replace open-fire cooking systems in schools with heavy duty brick insulated stainless steel stoves consuming 60-70% less firewood was a success. Other institutions adopted the use of LPG. Such changes could easily change the Ugandan condition, experts believe.
MAKERERE HIKES FEES FOR GOVT STUDENTS
By Robert Owiny The New Vision Monday, 7th July, 2008
THE burden of high fees payment at Makerere University has extended to the Government-sponsored students.
The university has increased the amount of ‘functional’ fees which scholarship recipients should pay apart from what government contributes.
In a letter of admission for first-year students for the 2008/2009 academic year, the academic registrar states:
“Your university fees is paid by the Ugandan government, however, you are expected to pay the following functional fees before registration; development fee sh123,500, technology fee sh50,000 and identity card fee sh15,000.”
The New Vision also learnt that the university hospital registration fee was increased from sh6,000 to 10,000.
In total, individuals benefiting from the scheme this year will part with sh198,500 before they can register.
Previously, the beneficiaries of the scholarship would pay sh15,000 for an identity card, sh16,000 for an undergraduate gown and sh1,000 for a rules booklet, all costing sh32,000. Development or technology fees were not charged in the past.
The university vice-chancellor, Livingstone Luboobi, confirmed the increment.
“We requested the University Council to allow us put an extra fee for the government students, and it was endorsed.”
Recently, President Yoweri Museveni warned against extra costs for government-sponsored students when medical students complained that the university administration asks them to pay for field trips.
“The window of government sponsorship should be fully sponsored. If there is a cost that is part of the course, it should be met. The spirit of Government sponsorship should not die,” the president said while addressing the students at medical school.
The Public Universities Joint Admissions Board admitted 4,000 students for government sponsorship this year.
Admission letters for those admitted under the national merit scheme are out. The list of those admitted under the district quota system, are still being screened by local council authorities in their districts of origin.
By Robert Owiny The New Vision Monday, 7th July, 2008
THE burden of high fees payment at Makerere University has extended to the Government-sponsored students.The university has increased the amount of ‘functional’ fees which scholarship recipients should pay apart from what government contributes.
In a letter of admission for first-year students for the 2008/2009 academic year, the academic registrar states:
“Your university fees is paid by the Ugandan government, however, you are expected to pay the following functional fees before registration; development fee sh123,500, technology fee sh50,000 and identity card fee sh15,000.”
The New Vision also learnt that the university hospital registration fee was increased from sh6,000 to 10,000.
In total, individuals benefiting from the scheme this year will part with sh198,500 before they can register.
Previously, the beneficiaries of the scholarship would pay sh15,000 for an identity card, sh16,000 for an undergraduate gown and sh1,000 for a rules booklet, all costing sh32,000. Development or technology fees were not charged in the past.
The university vice-chancellor, Livingstone Luboobi, confirmed the increment.
“We requested the University Council to allow us put an extra fee for the government students, and it was endorsed.”
Recently, President Yoweri Museveni warned against extra costs for government-sponsored students when medical students complained that the university administration asks them to pay for field trips.
“The window of government sponsorship should be fully sponsored. If there is a cost that is part of the course, it should be met. The spirit of Government sponsorship should not die,” the president said while addressing the students at medical school.
The Public Universities Joint Admissions Board admitted 4,000 students for government sponsorship this year.
Admission letters for those admitted under the national merit scheme are out. The list of those admitted under the district quota system, are still being screened by local council authorities in their districts of origin.
Plan early for retirement
New Vision, Monday, 23rd October, 2006
However, merely getting a job is not enough to achieve this goal. It is therefore incumbent upon an individual to plan strategically in retirement and avoid the curse of working for money instead of money work for him!
I wish to give Ugandan civil servants some advice. Most of them, especially teachers, toil a lot for money. Everyone fights for a job to improve one’s financial position and live a better life.
However, merely getting a job is not enough to achieve this goal. It is therefore incumbent upon an individual to plan strategically in retirement and avoid the curse of working for money instead of money work for him! The madness of going to streets to demonstrate about financial unfairness will not help this country. Uganda is a developing country with a lot of economic potholes. We should learn to keep something aside for a rainy day.
We should learn to purchase only assets that we can afford and avoid purchasing liabilities that we cannot afford to maintain.
For instance, I would not expect a primary school teacher with his meagre salary to buy a nokia 6220 phone instead of an ox, marry a second wife instead of building a house for the first and only wife. It is rational that one begins planning for retirement the very day one gets employed.
Doing this will enable even the young to get jobs. As one begins to earn, one should strive to create more on his asset column and less or nothing on the liability column so that when time for retirement comes, he already has a ‘tree’ to give him enough fruits and shade.
Robert Kyosaki’s novel Rich Dad Poor Dad puts this advice more clearly. Please read it.
Robert Emmanuel Owiny Makerere University
OJWOK'S DEATH A BLOW TO ABIM DISTRICT
TRIBUTE By Robert E. Owiny
Monitor Daily Opinions November 15, 2007
The untimely death of Hon. Omwony Ojwok MP for Labwor county and state minister for planning is a big blow to the people of Abim district.
Being one of the very few well educated brains from that land, Ojwok had to involve himself in almost every thing in Labwor. He was the brain behind the creation of the new district as well as negotiating for peace with the Karamojong.
“He was at the forefront of battles to establish democratic and transparent practice in community activism, and in teaching the community that they had a right and duty to engage in national politics,” Kalungi Serumaga, wrote in his tribute to Ojwok.
He was brilliant, selfless and simple. I remember one time at a radio talk show a commentator describing him as someone you would fail to recognise as a minister considering his simple way of dressing.
It is very hard to find a man as selfless as Ojwok who even lost the location of his biological mother’s whereabouts for more than 10 years, while working with other Africans in the Diaspora to bring genuine nationalism and democracy in Uganda.
A very complex chapter has opened for the people of Abim district. Ojwok was the most reliable thread that connected the Ethur to president Museveni. Being strong supporters of the NRM government, I can agree with Serumaga that the people of Labwor were very instrumental in Ojwoki’s home-coming as they wanted his trusted leadership to make their support for the government recognised.
Unfortunately, Ojwok has passed away at a time when many issues in Abim were yet to be resolved. For instance, there is confusion over the location of the district headquarter.
While most residents prefer the headquarters to be built in Abuk, a spacious area located between Lira, Pader, and Katakwi districts, Ojwok wanted it to be built in Abim town where he is born, inspiteof the fact that Abim has no space for development.
Already, the people of Abim have dragged the district LCV chairman, Mr Norman Ochero to court for allegedly causing confusion over the headquarters location issue.
Ojwok’s death therefore comes at a very tricky time for the people of Abim district. To make matters worse, his political influence had thrown other politicians in the land almost out of the game. People like Yafes Otim Omara, Obonyo Joabwor and Owilli Nathuth e.t.c no longer have political clout necessary bring the necessary development in the area.
As we mourn, let us also us pray for his soul to rest in eternal peace and God to guide his family during this trying time.
The writer is a journalism student at Makerere University and comes from Abim district
robowiny@yahoo.com
Monitor Daily Opinions November 15, 2007
The untimely death of Hon. Omwony Ojwok MP for Labwor county and state minister for planning is a big blow to the people of Abim district.
Being one of the very few well educated brains from that land, Ojwok had to involve himself in almost every thing in Labwor. He was the brain behind the creation of the new district as well as negotiating for peace with the Karamojong.
“He was at the forefront of battles to establish democratic and transparent practice in community activism, and in teaching the community that they had a right and duty to engage in national politics,” Kalungi Serumaga, wrote in his tribute to Ojwok.
He was brilliant, selfless and simple. I remember one time at a radio talk show a commentator describing him as someone you would fail to recognise as a minister considering his simple way of dressing.
It is very hard to find a man as selfless as Ojwok who even lost the location of his biological mother’s whereabouts for more than 10 years, while working with other Africans in the Diaspora to bring genuine nationalism and democracy in Uganda.
A very complex chapter has opened for the people of Abim district. Ojwok was the most reliable thread that connected the Ethur to president Museveni. Being strong supporters of the NRM government, I can agree with Serumaga that the people of Labwor were very instrumental in Ojwoki’s home-coming as they wanted his trusted leadership to make their support for the government recognised.
Unfortunately, Ojwok has passed away at a time when many issues in Abim were yet to be resolved. For instance, there is confusion over the location of the district headquarter.
While most residents prefer the headquarters to be built in Abuk, a spacious area located between Lira, Pader, and Katakwi districts, Ojwok wanted it to be built in Abim town where he is born, inspiteof the fact that Abim has no space for development.
Already, the people of Abim have dragged the district LCV chairman, Mr Norman Ochero to court for allegedly causing confusion over the headquarters location issue.
Ojwok’s death therefore comes at a very tricky time for the people of Abim district. To make matters worse, his political influence had thrown other politicians in the land almost out of the game. People like Yafes Otim Omara, Obonyo Joabwor and Owilli Nathuth e.t.c no longer have political clout necessary bring the necessary development in the area.
As we mourn, let us also us pray for his soul to rest in eternal peace and God to guide his family during this trying time.
The writer is a journalism student at Makerere University and comes from Abim district
robowiny@yahoo.com
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