The Deputy Speaker of Uganda’s Parliament Anite Among at the weekend assured Ugandans that her boss, the Speaker of Parliament is well and receiving treatment. A tweet by Among came on the backdrop of speculation of the speaker’s health. “Fellow Countrymen and Women, our leader and brother the Rt Hon.@JacobOulanyah is receiving treatment as recommended by the doctors. Disregard the falsehoods making rounds on social media about his health. I ask all people of good will to pray for a speedy recovery for him,” Among explained in her tweet. Oulanyah was last weekend flown to the US for specialized treatment of a yet to be publicized illness, sparking speculation about his health.
Meanwhile President Yoweri Museveni on Friday travelled to Oyo town in Congo Brazzaville for a working visit at the invitation of President Denis Sassou Nguesso. Mr Museveni and President Nguesso were joined by President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo and President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé Eyadéma of Togo for a mini summit on peace & security in the region. Mr Museveni has been an ardent advocate for a local African solution to the coups and instability that has cropped up on the continent. West African countries including Mali and Burkina Faso have been victims of the instability that many have associated with interference from foreign players.
Before travelling to Oyo, Mr Museveni met a group of youths, formerly supporters of the National Unity Platform at State House Entebbe. He took them through an NRM ideological lecture and disabused them of violence and destruction. In a tweet after the meeting the Commander of Uganda’s armed forces exclaimed; “If we work and there is looting and riots, how shall we develop?”
Meanwhile the Special Presidential Advisor on Special Duties Odrek Rwabwogo last week launched an initiative to increase Uganda’s exports of key commodities. In a meeting with over 40 key exporters & several high-ranking Government officials in the Ministry of Agriculture & that of Trade and Industry, 10 key products were identified as the focus to drive the new trade increase. These include coffee, grains, fish, beef, dairy, tourism, cement, steel and fruits and vegetables.
Mr Rwabogo and team also met with Vice President Jessica Alupo who pledged to support the initiative by mobilizing Cabinet and government institutions to make this a compelling objective. “If we gave half the attention accorded politics instead to trade, Uganda would be far!” Mr Rwabogo stated following the meeting. On her part the Vice President stated that Uganda has built potential. “Uganda has built the necessary groundwork, structures and key infrastructure to double her non- oil exports to the regional markets. We must, however, give attention to quality assurance standard-from the farm, shelves to the table,” she wrote in a tweet.
Meanwhile Uganda’s army the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces have vehemently denied any involvement in torture and instead stated that the Opposition are working tooth and nail to associate the army, but most especially the Commander of the Land Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainergugaba with torture. Chris Magezi the Director for Information Land Forces took no prisoners, promising to expose the deliberate mudslinging by the Opposition. NUP leader Bobi Wine has in the last few days engaged in nefarious and baseless allegations against the UPDF CLF Gen.
Kainerugaba, seeking to link the person of the General to some cases of torture in the country. The claims are not only defective, they’re full of deceit & malice…,” Magezi states, adding; “Kakwenza, under the influence of NUP and some malevolent external actors are exploiting his (Kakwenza’s) unfortunate personal circumstances to peddle a lie that they hope will, or shall severely damage the General’s reputation. The General has never in his life met Kakwenza!!
Gen Kainerugaba has
also come out to deny any involvement or knowledge of the said victim of torture. “I don’t know who this young boy is whom they say was beaten! I never heard of him until the media started talking about him. I’ve never met him or talked to him and I have no desire to do so. I have just been speaking to President Paul Kagame and he says he is not in Rwanda!!” Muhoozi tweeted in the week. This followed several claims that the novelist was abducted from his home and tortured before being presented in court which granted him bail and he reportedly fled the country.
Duncan Abigaba, the Deputy Director at the Government Citizen Interaction Centre has rubbished the talk on Kakwenza’s torture and fleeing the country, stating that it was all an orchestrated attempt by the young novelist to gain international recognition. He further related the antics by Kakwenza to those of several Ugandans that have claimed persecution in order to gain entry into Western countries.
