Dear RK,

Dear fellow RK readers,

The baganda say that "ekuba omunaku tekya". News coming from Kampala is that the new NSSF building (Monitor says its a wall -Ed) has collapsed killing 7 people. Very sorry for the loss of lives and more still to the NSSF contributing workers because that means a big loss for their money.

Just as Radio Katwe some years ago predicted that under Mr. Jamwa NSSF is gonna get in trouble (i am still surprised how RK has been proved right about this) i have also mentioned to friends several times while in Kampala and else where that buildings in cropping up in Kampala are going to collapse on people because of greed and corruption that cannot allow serious professional architectural checks to be carried out on them. Some one just wakes up with lots of money wherever that may have from and erects a tall building in Kampala and thats it.

Now, for some of us who have seen what building standards are know that in UK, America and other places a building is SERIOUSLY inspected by independent inspectors at every level from the foundation to make sure to make sure that it will never collapse on people. This is what is contained in what British construction companies call RESPONSIBLE CONTRACTORS.

The NSSF building that has collapsed killing those people is a result of the spirit of corruption in Uganda which eaten into every fibre of society. This tragedy could not have happened if straight thinking professionals had done their job properly and ensured that safe building standards are maintained.

Sorry once again for lives lost in this incident and woe to NSSF and its never ending problems. I do not believe that the NSSF management may have taken it as important to insure agaisnst such a thing after seeing what a bunch of corrupt fellows there is in NSSF in light of the Temangalo land issue and others before that.

Abafiriddwa Mukama abagumye banaffe.

NTM
London.

A force from the Sudan People's Liberation Army [SPLA] surrounded in a conspicuous way the airport at Juba, the capital of South Sudan, when an Ethiopian military plane landed there suddenly. It was revealed later that the plane was carrying quantities of weapons, something which revived accusations that the Sudan People's Liberation Movement [SPLM] was continually importing weapons from abroad. A senior official from the SPLA, the military wing of the SPLM, the second largest partner in the National Unity Government, confirmed to Al-Sharq al-Awsat that there were weapons aboard the Ethiopian plane. But he strongly denied that they belonged to the SPLM and said they "came within the framework of an exhibition for Ethiopian military hardware organized by Addis Ababa in Juba".

Sources had told Al-Sharq al-Awsat yesterday about a silent arms race between North and South in Sudan in anticipation of surprises and scenarios in the coming stage which could lead to a new war. This is the third incident in which the SPLM is accused of importing weapons from abroad after the exposure of the arrival of weapons and tanks last June to South Sudan from Ethiopia which were discovered in the border Alkarmak town, and after the weapons ship commandeered three weeks ago by pirates in Somali waters.

Eyewitnesses said that the sudden landing of the plane at the airport stirred considerable interest among the town's inhabitants and the UN Mission. It was noticed that authorities at the airport stepped up security measures after the plane's landing. But an SPLM source denied to Al-Sharq al-Awsat that the SPLM has imported any weapons in the past or at present.

Sources in Juba were cited as saying that the UN Mission which is monitoring the peace agreement searched the plane upon its sudden landing at the airport and found the weapons shipment inside it. The sources said the Ethiopian military plane, an Antonov-12, was carrying more than 15 tons of heavy weapons, artillery, rocket launchers, ordnance for anti-aircraft and anti-armour artillery, anti-tank canons, and others for rockets [as published].

According to the sources, the ramifications of the incident are very similar to those of the Ukrainian ship held by Somali pirates which is carrying weapons for the SPLM. Sources who asked for anonimity said that the plane's crew handed a list of the weapons to the airport authorities. They said elements from the SPLA received the crew and those accompanying them and that they were taken to town. The sources said the plane was still parked at the airport.

According to the sources, the crew said upon questioning them that the weapons were the contents of an exhibition organized by the Ethiopian Army in Juba. Military sources said the plane had 19 Ethiopian military experts on board. They said a meeting would be held in Juba comprising the parties to the peace agreement to study the plane affair. Pierre Aswad, who is responsible for supplies in the SPLA, told Al-Sharq al-Awsat that the plane was carrying various Ethiopian-made weapons brought in coordination with the SPLM for a five-day Ethiopian exhibition at its request which starts today in Juba. "The weapons arrived with our knowledge and were inspected by the UN at the airport," he said. "They are to be brought into town today for transfer to the location of the exhibit, and they will be in full view of all people until the exhibition is over, whereupon they will be returned with the knowledge of the UN to the airport then to Ethiopia," he said.

Aswad invited journalists to visit the exhibit. "They should come with their cameras to photograph the weapons and ascertain at close range what is happening," he said. "Ethiopia wants to promote its local weapons through an exhibition, and we have agreed to this." He stressed that the SPLA had nothing to hide from others. In response to a question on the contradiction between what is happening and the peace agreement signed with the National Congress Party [NCP], he said "the SPLA has the right to get weapons under the terms of the peace agreement and the transitional Constitution. The peace agreement spoke explicitly of two armies in Sudan, the SPLA and the Sudanese Army, and a joint force they formed. When we say 'army' this means weapons, training, military doctrines, qualification and re-qualification, and everything that concerns an army to become an army." Just the same he denied that the SPLM had imported any weapons from abroad in the past period. "The reason is that the SPLM has no money to import weapons from abroad," he said. He said there was nothing wrong with getting weapons from any quarters, adding that the SPLA was entrusted with guarding the homeland from the southern direction and must accordingly be ready for all eventualities.

He said that local forces in the South, like police and game wardens badly need small arms to perform the role required of them in South Sudan. He stressed their right to get weapons. "What if there is an assault on the homeland through the South?" he asked. "Who protects the South except a well-armed SPLA?"

Aswad took the opportunity to deny that the SPLM had brought new weapons to the South through Alkarmak region, on the borders with neighbouring Ethiopia last June. He said the tanks and weapons which were brought in through Alkarmak were originally weapons belonging to the SPLA sent there for maintenance and were brought back to the South after this was done. He denied again that the SPLM had anything to do with the weapons seized by pirates off the Somali coast. "If they belonged to the SPLM we would have said so without embarrassment, but they are not ours," he said.

He denied that the SPLM was now in an arms race with the North. "This is completely untrue," he said. "We respect the peace agreement signed with the government in 2005 which acknowledged the existence of two armies according to the terms of the agreement and in the transitional Constitution." He rejected assertions that the SPLM was seeking to arm itself and that these were preparations on its part for a new war with the North. "The North is not against us, but the SPLA is responsible for the security of the South so it must be prepared for any eventualities in this connection, and this does not conflict with the peace agreement," he said. He stressed that the SPLM army was a national army, as stipulated in the agreement which said that there were two "national armies". He said that all charges pinned on the SPLM concerning armaments are just hearsay aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the SPLM and the SPLA.

Meanwhile Deng Alor, Sudan's Foreign Minister and a leading SPLM figure played down the importance of the plane incident in Juba. "The SPLA does not have any planes loaded with weapons," he said, considering this merely a plot linked to the issue of the ship with the overall aim of tarnishing the image of the SPLA and the Government of South Sudan by claiming they possess illegal weapons. He said this was a claim not based on any facts. He reiterated the SPLM commitment to the peace agreement in accordance with the terms of the protocol on security arrangements. "If the UN monitored this at Juba Airport, as it has been said, then it has to prove its accuracy," he said.

Sudanese sources were cited as saying that the Sudanese Foreign Ministry will summon the Ethiopian Ambassador in Khartoum because of the plane incident and that it was in contact with Kenya to inquire about the ship commandeered in the Gulf of Aden. But the Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman denied in subsequent press statements yesterday that his ministry had taken such a step. A source said the Sudanese Foreign Ministry is conducting contacts with Addis Ababa to ascertain the truth about the plane. The Ethiopian Ambassador in Khartoum disclaimed any knowledge about the plane.

Khalid Mansur, the spokesman for the UN Mission entrusted with observing the peace agreement between South and North, said he had made contacts with Juba on the issue but that they do not have any information to corroborate it. Officials in Khartoum avoid commenting on reports since last June about arms shipments received by the SPLM. NCP officials have also maintained silence on the issue of the weapons ship held off Somalia and the arrival of the weapons plane to Juba, but they allow leaks through media affiliated to them.

Ethiopia is one of the IGAD countries sponsoring the peace process. Military expert General Al-Fatih al-Jili al-Misbah told Al-Sharq al-Awsat that all indications show that the SPLM is moving to arm itself. He said the entry of the tanks through Alkarmak, the ship off Somalia, and now the plane in Juba show that something mysterious is going on in the South. He said it was probable that the armaments were being procured in secret. "There are indications that the matter has gone into an advanced stage but we do not know the details and the facts," he said.

On Monday October 13th, The Monitor newspaper suddenly purged all readers' comments on Moses Byaruhanga's opinion piece titled "PRESIDENT MUSEVENI IS ON THE RIGHT TRUCK" and corrected the typo (truck to track). http://www.monitor.co.ug/

A few hours later they removed comment forms from the entire website so readers are no longer able to post comments. I presume this came as a result of pressure from above or some powerful people enraged at readers' comments to Moses Byaruhanga, since the purge started there.

Could you please post one of those comments below for readers who didn't get the chance to see them so everyone can make their own judgment on the presumably offensive material? I encourage others whose comments were also purged to send them too.

RK Reader

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Comment:

Thanks to the typo, the title of this article is so perfectly fitting: President Museveni is on the right "truck"!

This is the same YELLOW vehicle (truck or bus?) that has long lost its wheels. While it pretends to rev its engines, and spin lies upon lies through the mouths of Moses Byaruhanga and other spin doctors, the truck keeps sinking deeper and deeper into the rut and rot, going nowhere.

The roof of the yellow "truck" caved in long ago under the heavy "olubengo" (grinding stone) from the 1996 election campaign.

Next, the "cotter pin" of the 2001 election fell off the center of the wheel, and the wobbly wheels rolled off the vehicle.

Most recently in the 2006 election, as the rest of the body rusted beyond repair, we gathered "bisanja" (dry banana leaves) from poor peasants' lusuku to cover up the ugly nakedness with another "ekisanja".

One wonders how much longer it can continue to carry on the delusion of forward mobility. Some "movement" indeed - and what a comic sight!

A prime example of the state of the yellow "truck" is in today's newspaper. It is the story of the Ugandan embassy residence in a posh neighbourhood of Brussels, central to our representation at the European Union, but now reportedly overtaken by hooligans and drug addicts. It appears that all the "truck" driver can do is to send government ministers over there to wring their hands and take pictures. Didn't they know it had been in that state for 10 years?

It may take the sad illustration of our rotting foreign embassies and properties to help Ugandans look homeward and clearly focus on the state of our country. Viewed soberly without the tinted glasses of sectarian interest, there is no real difference between the state of our embassies abroad and the current state of country. Yet in spite of this some are still willing to be impressed and fooled by the cosmetic glitterisation and beautification of sections of Kampala and western Uganda.

While Kampala and State House Entebbe (like the Ugandan Chancery in Brussels) has had its "roof" quickly patched up and outwardly beautified to save face, the state of the rest of the country where wananchi lay their heads for a weary rest (just like the embassy residence) has been condemned, declared unfit for habitation, and taken over by thieves, hooligans and drug addicts.

The ambassador was forced to vacate his official residence and displace his deputy from his apartment, now occupying housing less suitable for the needs of his job. The deputy must have then had to kick out the next official down the totem pole. This has trickled down the ranks till, to our dismay, many previously dignified public servants such as soldiers now live in grass huts and "mama ingia pole" dugouts in the ground, while police officers in Nsambya reside in shared former communal toilets and bathrooms if they are lucky to have shelter.

The hooligan and drug addict new occupants meanwhile, are too intoxicated and high on raw and insatiable political power, military power, money, and influence to care. The graffiti propaganda they produce weekly might as well say, "Welcome to hell"! The "truck" driver is clearly driving under the influence, legally way above the acceptable 2-term limit of inebriation, and totally unencumbered by the law or constitution, now being a law unto themselves.

Being incapable of taking the necessary action to stop the hooliganism, drive the thieves out, clean up, rebuild and restore our national dignity and the dignity of our abode, we send no less than two government ministers and a deputy speaker of parliament (10 years too late) to gawk, express feigned shock, click their tongues, say "nga kitalo", and wring their hands in anguish.

Let's admit it. This yellow "truck" whose drivers and occupants Byaruhanga applauds is going nowhere! The sooner we see it for what it is the better for us.

In the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit. Where is the president bit? Perhaps our religious leaders should clarify on this. This is really a new development.

"It is true that the Rwandan Government pays good salaries to its workers. But Besigye should also have said that there is no Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE) in Rwanda," the President said while addressing a public rally at Kebisoni county headquarters in Rukungiri yesterday.

"Besigye stood for presidency and he should not tell lies because the president is second to God and a President should not tell lies," Museveni told hundreds of supporters.

SUDAN: 13 October 2008

Reporters Without Borders calls for the release of Nhial Bol, the editor of the English-language daily The Citizen, who was arrested on 10 October in Juba, the capital of semi-autonomous South Sudan, because of an article about corruption in the south.

"The South Sudan authorities acted in an illegal and unscrupulous fashion by arresting this journalist just before the weekend, so that he would not be able to request release on bail," Reporters Without Borders said. “If the government thought it was libelled by an article in the newspaper, it should have respected the law and justice by bringing a civil lawsuit."

Arrested on the morning of 10 October, Bol was taken to Malakia police station in Juba. He has reportedly been charged with libel and "disseminating false information" by the South Sudan authorities in connection with an article in the 7 October issue about high salaries paid to justice ministry officials.

Reached by Reporters Without Borders the day after his arrest, Bol said that, instead of throwing him in prison, the government should have sued his newspaper before a court, as it was a civil matter. “They are trying to cover up their behaviour,” he said.

Dear RK and Readers,
I am responding to a one Ruben fron Kansas City IN the USA, it is a pity that such individuals as Ruben is still livivng in the time of deceits by Museveni. This Ruben is most likely one of those Sudanese who have settled in Uganda and don't really know the problems of Uganda. He must be an ANYA-NYAA sympathiser led by Mr. J. Lgur whom up to now blames Obote for all the problems of Uganda.

1). Bishop Luwum was murdered by Amin himself and it was not an Acholi or anybody else who pulled the trigger.

2).All the tribes in Uganda has come to conclusion that our problem has always been MUSEVENI and FRONASA. Museveni and FRONASA framed the Amin's gov't very well; they made killings to be blamed on the West Nilers and the West Nilers should not not think that they are clean either because most of them Moslems or Christians, were also very arrogant.

Gulu Town was filled with West Nilers who were either soldiers, or military police. I was only 11yrs old when I was arrested for wearing a mini-outfit by a military police woman who was a Lugbara and her cousin was in the same school with me and I was handled very roughly, and locked in a cell full of blood, feces, and urine. The Chief magistrtate then was an Indian, who found the case very disturbing and he left Ugnada ugently after letting me go free and he advised my family to do the same. My parents were very shocked and asked where we could go as we are Acholi and that was our home. We only managed to run and hid in the bush and resurfaced after about three years and now having lived in the camp for so many years, we are trying find our home once again.

Ruben and Aluma, please stop all these blames about other tribes or Acholis killing the West Nilers, Museveni and FRONASA has managed to destroy trust, friendships and relationships among tribes to help them rule forever. Acholis have always taken the blames for any bad things being done in Uganda and these were all the works of Museveni and FRONASA.

Immediately after taking power in Jan. 1972, Idi Amin's personnels in Gulu were either West Nilers or the Banyarwandas, Banyankoles or the Moslems and we Acholis were being dictated to on our own land by those who knowingly, were aware that Obote was not even an Acholi but rather, because we Acholis have such strong will powers and we don't entertain corruptions and ill wills and we were self sustaining as we are blessed with fertile soil and good schools and abundant cultures and traditions which we are very proud of. We have been robbed to the bones but GOD is watching!!

By Amin not doing anything about the killings which were taking place during his regime, he is also guilty!!

So, for those who are still blaming Obote for the problems of Uganda, please wake up. By the way, I am not even a UPC, but I think that facts must be set straight for future generations not to get confused.

Ruben please leave the problems of Uganda to true Ugandans. FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY not "YOUR'S". MAY THE ALMIGHTY FATHER GRANT US UGANDANS UNITY, STRENGHTS, AND WISDOMS to deal with These Notorius Relentless Murderers in our land. AMEN.

Can you believe, there are no gloves in the Ugandan Hospitals?

Imagine sending a mother coming in for an emergency Cesarean section to first buy gloves before she is operated! You think I am kidding? Investigate and see how a peasant is suffering in Uganda of today.