Westgate Mall terror suspects arrested near Uganda border

 A policeman carries a baby to safety after masked gunmen stormed an upmarket mall and sprayed gunfire on shoppers and staff, killing at least six on September 21, 2013 in Nairobi. Three people suspected to have been part of the Westgate Mall terror attack were on Friday arrested by Kenyan security operatives near the Ugandan border at Busia.

Busia. Three people suspected to have been part of the Westgate Mall terror attack were on Friday arrested by Kenyan security operatives near the Ugandan border at Busia.

They are among several suspects being held for questioning by Kenyan authorities over the four-day terror siege on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi that left more than 60 civilians and six security forces dead.

The Somali al-Shabaab militants, a terror group affiliated to al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The trio is believed to have been trying to cross the Busia border to enter Uganda by the time of their arrest.

Uganda’s Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura on Friday issued a second terror alert in less than a week.

The Busia District Police Commander, Ms Barbara Alungat, could neither confirm nor deny the arrest.

“I cannot confirm but you could get that from the police spokesperson or Kenyan authorities,” Ms Alungat said.

The regional police spokesperson, Mr Micheal Odong, confirmed some arrests at the Kenyan side.

“I understand some people were arrested but it was on the Kenyan side. One is believed to be a Congolese national who did not have any document on him,” Mr Odong said.

At a news conference on Friday, Kenya’s Interior minister Joseph Ole Lenku said eight suspects were being held for questioning and three others had been released after interrogation.

The head of Interpol in Uganda, Mr Asan Kasingye, told the Sunday Monitor that they did not have information about the arrests, but said they had a number of suspected terrorists in their database which they would share with the Immigration.

“Should any of these suspects in our database try to enter the country, we shall arrest them,” he said.

Ugandan teachers threaten to boycott marking exams

 Teachers have vowed to resume their strike if the government does not respond to their salary demand by November 10.

Kampala. Teachers have, in a new twist threatened not to mark Uganda National Examinations Board exams, days after they agreed to suspend their strike over pay rise.

Through their umbrella organisation, Uganda National Teachers’ Union (Unatu), the civil servants maintain that they will resume their strike on November 10 if nothing materialises from a committee which the government set up last week.

The inter-ministerial committee is expected to start its meetings tomorrow.

Mr James Tweheyo, the Unatu general secretary, said the teachers are justified to be angry and requested that they should be patient with the committee to discuss the options that were tabled before the government. “Even those who are angry will understand why some things have to be done the way they are. The government will have had all its time to think through their positions. We do not want anybody to think that we have been inconsiderate,” he said.

“Pupils will have completed Primary Leaving Examinations. We are the ones who mark. I want to assure you that PLE will not be marked if this is not worked on. The government should not take chances,” Mr Tweheyo added.

He said they had given the government 28 days to reach an agreement.

The Unatu general secretary also said that although the final document they signed with the government to draw them back to class did not have the details of their discussion, they are contained in the meeting minutes. He also warned that if the strike is resumed, it would affect Senior Four and Six candidates who will be midway through their Uganda Certificate of Education and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education exams respectively.

“We did not want to cause an unnecessary anxiety among parents. This was to show them that we are concerned and want the best for our children’s future,” Mr Tweheyo said.

On the claims that some Unatu officials were bribed, Mr Tweheyo said: “It is not true that we have received money from the government. We rejected their food. How then can we accept money? They are trying to make us dirty but we will remain focused. All these are intended to divert us. Our cause is genuine and we must pursue it to the end.”

Foreign forensic experts help Kenyan team comb mall

 Secretary to Cabinet Mr Francis Kimemia. He said forensic experts from Israel, USA and UK have joined the Kenyan team in carrying out analysis at Westgate mall.

 orensic experts from Israel, the United States and United Kingdom have joined the Kenyan team in carrying out analysis at Westgate mall.

Secretary to the Cabinet Mr Francis Kimemia said the experts will assist the local team comb the mall and insisted that Kenya will lead the exercise.

He said Westgate has been handed over to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations for analysis.

“Priority will focus on debris clearance to facilitate immediate recovery of bodies,” he said in a post on Twitter.

The Westgate mall was retaken on Tuesday after a gunfight with the attackers.

At least 61 civilians were killed by the terrorists as well as six members of the security forces.

Five of the terrorists were killed in the firefight inside Westgate, while 11 suspected accomplices were arrested elsewhere

Mr Kimemia said President Uhuru Kenyatta has summoned a special cabinet meeting on Wednesday over the attack.

The meeting is set to take stock of the incident and formulate the way forward, he said.

Museveni accuses ICC of mishandling Kenya cases

 Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni at a past event. He has accused the International Criminal Court of mishandling complex African matters.

In Summary

• Museveni says many African countries had supported creation of the ICC because they abhor impunity
• The court has ignored African Union positions on on African matters
• President Uhuru Kenyatta, his deputy William Ruto and former radio journalist Joshua Sang are facing crimes against humanity charges

NEW YORK

The International Criminal Court is guilty of "arrogance" in its prosecution of Kenya's elected leaders, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni declared in a speech to the United Nations in New York on Tuesday.

"The ICC, in a shallow, biased way, has continued to mishandle complex African issues," Mr Museveni said. "This is not acceptable. The ICC should stop."

"Kenya is recovering," he asserted. "Let her recover."

The Ugandan Head of State noted that many African countries had supported creation of the ICC "because we abhor impunity."

Museveni said the court has ignored African Union positions on on African matters.

He associated the ICC with "the old mistake makers" who failed to heed the anticolonial slogan of "Africa for the Africans."

"The latest manifestation of arrogance is from the ICC in relation to the elected leaders of Kenya," Mr Museveni said.

"We know the origin of the past mistakes," he assured his listeners in the UN General Assembly hall. "The ICC way is not the right one to handle those mistakes."

President Uhuru Kenyatta, his deputy William Ruto and former radio journalist Joshua Sang are facing crimes against humanity charges before the ICC.

MAYUGE: Man Defiles Daughter, Charged with Incest

Ayub Mayiliyana 45, has been arrested and charged with defilement and incest.




 Very many children in Uganda have fallen victims of defilement and incest


Ayub Mayiliyana a peasant in Walujjo village Malongo sub county in Mayuge district, allegedly committed the offence today morning September 19, when he turned on his 13 – year – old daughter and started enjoying her forbidden fruit.
The residents of the village came to the girl’s rescue after she cried out for help.
The Private parts of the 13 year old girl were gushing out blood uncontrollably since the dad had shuttered the private parts into pieces.
She was quickly taken to Buluuba hospital for medical examination.
It is believed that Ayub Mayiliyana committed the crime under the influence of alcohol since he had spent the whole night on a drinking spree at Walujjo trading center.
The suspect has two wives with six children and all living together.

TZ, Rwanda need to talk, urges EAC

Arusha. Tanzania and Rwanda have been urged to meet urgently and resolve the matter of the expulsion of illegal immigrants from the former.

The expulsion which followed a 14-day ultimatum issued by President Jakaya Kikwete during his visit to the region in July, has elicited a war of words between the two neighbouring countries. The East African Community (EAC) Council of ministers directed at the weekend that the matter should be sorted out by the two partner states in the regional bloc before it degenerates into further crisis. “The Council directed the United Republic of Tanzania and Republic of Rwanda to urgently meet and resolve this issue,” the EAC said in a press statement on Monday.

For its part, the regional organisation directed its Sectorial Council on Peace and Inter-State Security to consider developing regional mechanisms “to address future challenges of the above nature”.

The EAC’s official position on the crisis comes as thousands of Rwandese nationals continue to cross border from Tanzania.

Tanzania has reiterated its position over the recent exercise on illegal immigrants saying that it didn’t target any specific nationals but the operation was a normal routine.

But when reached for comment on the matter, the minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Bernard Membe, said there was no way Tanzania can reverse its position over the illegal immigrants instead he noted that procedures for living in any country should be observed and respected.

Minister Membe said, “Those who think that Tanzania had an agenda on expelling the illegal immigrants are wrong….it was the internal exercise and off-course those who have no documents supporting their stay have left already,” EAC secretary general Dr Richard Sezibera told journalists in Arusha last week that although Tanzania acted “within its rights” to kick out the illegal aliens the decision was not in the interests of the EA cooperation spirit.

The East African Law Society, a legal body with an observer status within EAC, has condemned the expulsion terming it “inhuman and degrading’. Over 22,000 undocumented aliens from Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, DRC, Zambia and other countries have already left since the late July ultimatum.

IGP’s guard loses pistol

In Summary

Police in Kumi District are holding Mr John Omaido, the LC3 chairperson of Ngora Urban Council, to help with investigations into the theft of a pistol from the Inspector General of Police’s bodyguard. The gun was stolen from the bodyguard at the weekend

Kumi

Police in Kumi District are holding Mr John Omaido, the LC3 chairperson of Ngora Urban Council, to help with investigations into the theft of a pistol from the Inspector General of Police’s bodyguard.

Mr Omaido was arrested and detained on Sunday. Police sources said the pistol was stolen from Gen Kale Kayihura’s bodyguard when he had gone to attend a wedding in Ngora at the weekend and the fire arm was suspected to be in Mr Omaido’s possession.

Kumi District police commander Obingu Onzi confirmed the arrest, but he declined to divulge the details, saying they were so sensitive. “I cannot comment. It is beyond me,” Mr Onzi said.

A source said Mr Omaido was arrested in a bar in Kumi where he was having social evening. The police spokesperson of East Kyoga, Mr Juma Hassan Nyene, said he was yet to receive details of the matter from the Kumi and Ngora district police commanders. “I am trying to call the DPC Ngora but he isn’t answering calls. I am also trying to get to the other respective officers in Kumi but all their known numbers are off,” Mr Nyene said.

Details of the fire arm could not be established, but it has since emerged that no bullet from the pistol had been fired. Cases of police officers losing guns are on the increase. In a related incident, thugs recently attacked Mpala Police Post on Entebbe Road and made off with a rifle.

In another case, a police officer manning a Ngobe police post in Kajjansi at night was recently attacked by people armed with a machete and cut him several times and made off his gun. The gun was recovered in foiled robbery in Kabarole District.

The foiled robbery occurred on June 20, 2012 when armed men attacked Martin Ekome of Bunamwaya Parish and robbed him of Shs1.7m. They also robbed his neighbours of Shs6.9m. Similar cases were registered in Lubowa, Nalumunye and Ndejje-Lubugumu on Entebbe Road.