Parliament demands answers on missing NUP members
February 20, 2025 4:42 pm
Uganda’s Parliament on Thursday demanded that the government account for the whereabouts of alleged kidnapped members of the National Unity Platform (NUP).
This followed a report by the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament (LoP), Joel Ssenyonyi, who informed Parliament that seven NUP members had been abducted by unknown individuals and taken to undisclosed locations.
Ssenyonyi further stated that party leadership had attempted to intervene by reporting the matter to the police, but authorities denied any involvement in the arrests.
In response, Speaker of Parliament Anita Among instructed the government, through the Deputy Attorney General, to provide a full account of the missing individuals by Tuesday next week.
“Government, can I have an accountability of those people by Tuesday?” Among asked.
National Unity Platform President Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, announced on Monday evening that his elder brother, Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu, who also serves as the opposition party’s mobilisation chief, was abducted by heavily armed men and taken away in a “drone” to an unknown destination.
Niger commission recommends 5-year transition to democratic rule
February 20, 2025 3:00 pm
By Reuters
A commission in military junta-led Niger has recommended a minimum five-year transition to democratic rule following national discussions, officials said.
After a coup in 2023 when the army seized power and ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, Niger’s junta proposed a three-year timeline for a transition back to civilian rule.
However, West Africa’s main regional bloc, ECOWAS, rejected the proposal. Following political disagreements, Niger and its neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso decided to leave the bloc and form the Alliance of Sahel States.
“The duration of the transition is set at 60 months, which may change depending on the security situation” and other factors, Abdoulaye Seydou, one of the commission’s vice presidents, said on state TV.
The commission also decided to elevate Brigadier General Abdourahamane Tiani, the junta leader who ran Niger’s presidential guard before the coup, to the rank of army general, Seydou said.
Commission President Mamoudou Harouna Djingarey gave the same five-year timeline and said political parties would be dissolved, with a new charter allowing for two to five political parties.
He also said junta officials would be able to participate in future elections.
The commission’s work involved consultations with more than 700 delegates including lawyers, architects and teachers. Political parties did not participate.
The commission’s report will be delivered to the junta which will make the final decision on the transition timeline.
The Niger junta, like the military rulers in Mali and Burkina Faso, have kicked out French and other European forces and turned to Russia for support as they battle militant groups.
Pastor released after serving 12 years in defilement case
February 20, 2025 1:33 pm
A pastor convicted of defiling a 13-year-old church member was released on Thursday after the Court of Appeal reduced his 20-year prison sentence to 12 years.
Pastor Charles Komakech, then 28, was found guilty of aggravated defilement on November 14, 2013, and sentenced to 20 years. He appealed the sentence, arguing that it was too harsh.
The Court of Appeal, comprised of three justices, agreed and reduced his sentence to 12 years.
According to the prosecution, Komakech sexually assaulted the victim on September 17, 2012, after luring her to his house under the pretense of praying for her. The victim, who attended Komakech’s church, was repeatedly sexually assaulted until they were found in Gulu town in October 2012.
Komakech was subsequently arrested, charged, and convicted. Having served the reduced sentence, Komakech is now free.
Pope Francis alert and eating, Vatican says
February 20, 2025 1:00 pm
By Reuters
Pope Francis, spending his seventh day in hospital as he battles pneumonia, is alert and got out of bed to eat breakfast on Thursday morning, the Vatican said.
The 88-year-old pontiff is undergoing treatment at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he was admitted on February 14 after struggling with breathing difficulties for several days.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a brief update that the pope had slept well and had breakfast while seated in an armchair.
The pope’s condition was stable and he had shown “slight improvement” in results from recent blood tests, the Vatican said in its latest medical statement on Wednesday evening.
Francis is suffering from double pneumonia, a serious infection that can inflame and scar both lungs and makes breathing more difficult.
The Vatican had said previously that the pope had a polymicrobial infection, which occurs when two or more micro-organisms are involved, adding that he would stay in hospital as long as necessary to tackle a “complex clinical situation”.
A Vatican official, who did not wish to be named because he was not authorised to speak about the pope’s condition, said on Thursday that Francis was not on a ventilator and was breathing on his own.
The pope was able to move around his hospital room, was taking some phone calls and was continuing to do some paperwork, the official said.
Francis received a visit on Wednesday from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, his first known VIP visitor in hospital. She said he was “alert and responsive”.
The pope joked with Meloni about some people betting on his death, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported on Thursday. “He hasn’t lost his proverbial sense of humour,” Meloni said in a statement.
The pontiff’s latest illness is the latest in a long history of health problems he has suffered over the years.
Besigye misses court session
February 20, 2025 11:29 am
Veteran opposition politician Dr. Kizza Besigye did not appear before the Buganda Road Court on Thursday, and by press time, no explanation had been provided by either the Uganda Prisons Service or the state.
Dr. Besigye was expected to appear for a mention of inciting violence charges and a ruling on his application for release from prison. His lawyers, led by Erias Lukwago and Earnest Kalibala, petitioned the court on February 14, 2025, seeking his immediate release from Luzira prison.
Buganda Road Court Magistrate Winnie Nankya on Thursday declined to grant an order for the release of the opposition politician, stating that there is a similar case filed in the High Court, which takes precedence as it holds more power than the lower courts. The court has also stayed the proceedings of Dr. Besigye and Samuel Lubega Mukaaku for 60 days, recognizing that Dr Besigye is unable to stand trial due to his current state of health.
Mr. Lukwago argued that Dr. Besigye had been granted bail, and with the Supreme Court’s nullification of the Court Martial, no other criminal charges remained against him. He claimed that Dr. Besigye’s continued detention is illegal and that he is being held without a remand warrant.
The lawyers also expressed concern about Dr. Besigye’s health, stating that he is ill. KFM understands that the government recently allowed his personal doctors access to him and permitted them to take him to a clinic outside the prison, escorted by security officers.
However, Senior State Attorney Allan Mucunguzi objected to the application, stating that Dr. Besigye’s liberty has not been violated since he was granted bail in this specific case.
Dr. Besigye and activist Samuel Lubega Mukaaku are facing charges of inciting violence during the June 2022 Kampala Protests. According to the government, Dr. Besigye is also being held on remand for national security charges, along with his aide, Hajj Obeid Lutale.
During Wednesday’s court session where Besigye appeared over national security-related charges, the judge expressed concern about Besigye’s deteriorating condition, stating that he could not proceed with a sick prisoner who might faint in court.
Minister warns of potential power tariff increase
February 20, 2025 8:37 am
The State Minister for Finance, Henry Musasizi, has warned that if Parliament does not extend the income tax exemption for the Bujagali Hydropower project, power prices will increase by 15.5 percent.
Musasizi made the revelation on Wednesday while appearing before the parliamentary committee on finance to present the income tax amendment bill 2025, which seeks a one-year extension of the income tax exemption.
The minister informed MPs that denying this exemption will cause Bujagali Energy Limited’s generation tariffs to rise by 15.5 percent, from 8.31 US cents per unit to 9.60 US cents per unit.
“Bujagali Limited generation tariff will increase by 15.5 percent and electricity end-user tariff is also projected to increase,” Musasizi said.
Musasizi explained that this, in turn, will increase electricity end-user tariffs from Shs459.8 per unit to Shs881.7 per unit, ultimately impacting the cost of locally produced goods.
