Awilo Longomba Set For Kampala Show

Congolese international artist Awilo Longomba who now lives in France is said to be coming to Uganda this year to attend one of Kabaka’s ceremonies.

Congolese Legend Awilo Longomba

He is the first International and African Artist to be officially chosen by the Buganda Government to come and entertain the Kabaka due to his collaboration and Broadcast he put up for CBS radio and Rasta Rob Mc in the 1990s
The former drummer in Viva la Musica and Nouvelle Generation music groups will fly in with his wife and musician Barbra Kanam.

Robert Mugabe pardons 2,000 Zimbabwe prisoners

  FILE Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe speaks during a past rally. Drive Hot

HARARE

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has pardoned 2,000 prisoners, mostly women and juveniles in a move that should ease congestion in the country's jails, a government notice said.

The numbers of pardoned prisoners amounts to over 10 percent of the prison population, which stood at 18,460 last year against a holding capacity of 17,000.

Under the sweeping amnesty all females will go home, except those serving life terms, according to the clemency notice.

Mugabe also granted amnesty to prisoners aged 18 and under "irrespective of the offences they committed".

The pardon also extends to all terminally ill inmates, and those over 70 years-old.

Prisoners convicted of murder, treason, rape, carjacking, armed robbery, stock theft and those serving a sentence imposed by a court martial are excluded from the amnesty.

The country's constitution allows a president to extend amnesty to prisoners whenever he wishes.

CASH STRAPPED

More than 100 prisoners died last year in Zimbabwe's cash-strapped prisons, which have been hit by food shortages, according to a rights group citing prison statistics.

The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said prison officials had told a parliamentary committee that the prisoners died "owing to nutrition-related illnesses induced by food shortages and natural causes".

In 2009, the International Committee of the Red Cross had to step in with food, blankets and soap handouts to avert massive hunger and disease outbreaks.

Son of Zambian ex-president jailed two years for graft

Lusaka, Sunday. Zambian ex-diplomat and son of former president Rupiah Banda was on Friday sentenced to two years in prison after being found guilty of corruption.

Andrew Banda, 53, was arrested in 2012 on charges of soliciting a kickback from Italian company Fratelli Locci, which was awarded a contract to build roads.

In passing the sentence, Magistrate Joshua Banda said he had considered mitigation presented by the defence that the accused was a first time offender.

But he said a “custodial sentence” was necessary and “therefore I sentence the accused to 24 months effective today, but both parties are at liberty to appeal.”

The court also found him guilty of failing to account for 360,000 kwacha, about 63,000 dollars/46,000 euros, found in his possession, which is suspected to have been proceeds of criminal activities.

Banda, a former deputy high commissioner to India and former first secretary at Zambia’s mission in Italy, is one of the many officials from Banda’s administration charged with graft, in a massive clean-up campaign launched by President Michael Sata after he came to power in 2011.

His father, the former president, is also facing corruption charges.

The Sata administration had also tried to implicate another of ex-president Banda’s sons, Henry.

It had reported Henry, who is based in South Africa, to Interpol, but it was unclear why.

No formal charges were laid, according to Banda’s spokesman Richard Elsen.

Rev Muranga detained over Shs40b Banana Project scam

 Rev Muranga (L) being held at Parliament after failing to account for Shs40 billion before the Public Accounts committee yesterday. She was later set free.

Parliament- There was drama at Parliament when members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) ordered the arrest of the head of Presidential initiative on Banana Industrial Development, the Rev Florence Muranga, whom they accused of mismanaging a multi-billion anti-poverty project.

Trouble started after the Rev Muranga, who is accused of mismanaging more than Shs40 billion, refused to take oath with the bible and instead walked away on the committee.
When the out-going PAC chairperson, Mr Kassiano Wadri, insisted the Rev Muranga is put to oath, she said: “I rather lose my job than touch the Bible,” a book she said she respects so much.

“I rather go to prison; I respect my Lord so much that I cannot swear with the bible. I will be taking a risk,” she said yesterday.

After failing to explain why the banana project started without a feasibility study and to account for funds injected in it, Mr Wadri asked the Rev Muranga to “shame the devil” and tell the truth.

“The amount of money involved in this banana project would have run districts, the amounts are not small yet the project has a lot of flaws,” Mr Wadri said, adding, “Even if it requires us to wring our faces, we will do so, but Rev Muranga must answer the questions on this project. This is not a joking matter.”

Realising the Rev Muranga was determined not to take oath, Mr Wadri told her what she was doing was criminal, it’s contempt of parliament and her answers were suspicious and the only way to prove that she was telling the truth was for her to take oath.

Mr Wadri also reminded her that even if she ceases to hold office, she has to account for public funds.

In attempting to elude the swearing bit, Rev Muranga first begged the committee to allow her explain the Auditor General’s queries without necessarily taking the oath since she took one last year when she appeared before PAC.

However, Mr Wadri told her, “that was last year” and that the oath she took expired after which Rev Muranga stood up saying her Lord is bigger than the job.
Mr Wadri then asked the Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Directorate (CIID) detectives attached to PAC to take a statement from her

GOSSIP:Ex Wafagiyo Singer Edith Is Dead

Edith Mutoni, former singer with Wafagiyo is dead



 Ex Wafagio Member Edith is Dead


Edith Mutoni passed on yesterday morning at her home in Kasese
Edith has been ill for quite some time. It is rumored that he died of heart failure
Edith, a former girlfriend to raga star Coco Finger, made her mark with her group (Wafagiyo) song Mukidongo.
Her former manager Emma Carlos said Edith’s death was a bitter blow.
Former lover Coco expressed his sadness and told us that he would be connecting from Mbarara, where he has a show tonight, for burial.

Pastor arrested with 12 children

Budaka

Police in Budaka District have arrested a pastor in connection with child trafficking.

Mr Martin Otim, the Budaka District police commander, said the suspect, a resident of Namakisyo village in Mugiti, Budaka District had collected 12 children. “The curious residents became suspicious,” Mr Otim said. He added: “They alerted the police, which intercepted 12 children on their way to an undisclosed location in Mpigi District.”

The suspect from Voice of God Church, was accused of registering children between the age of eight and 14 from the eastern region on promises of providing them with formal education.
Mr Otim said the children were intercepted at Bitu Trading Centre. He said the pastor was detained at Budaka Central Police Station on charges of human trafficking.

Matter under investigation
“We are still carrying out more investigations to establish the motive of this (pastor) for registering and taking these children outside the district,” Otim said. “These days, churches have turned into businesses. We suspect an ulterior motive,” he added.

Early last year, security agencies intercepted about 25 children on Buvuma Island on suspicion that they were being taken into rebel recruitment.

Museveni agrees to sign anti-gays Bill

Kyankwanzi

President Museveni on Friday told NRM legislators at Kyankwanzi that he would assent to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill passed by Parliament in December last year. The Bill seeks to make same-sex punishable by life imprisonment upon conviction.

President Museveni did not only agree to sign the Bill, he also warned that the promoters, exhibitionists and those who practice homosexuality for mercenary reasons “will not be tolerated” and “will be dealt with harshly”.

The President, who had earlier refused to assent to the Bill, changed his position after a group of 11 scientists from Ministry of Health and Makerere University, led by the director of planning and development at the ministry of Health, Dr Isaac Ezati (who represented Dr Ruth Achieng, the director general of health services), presented to him their findings on whether homosexual behaviour is genetic or not.

Presidential Advisor on Science Dr Richard Tushemereirwe told the president that homosexuality has serious public health consequences and should therefore not be tolerated.
A statement from the NRM Caucus Spokesperson Evelyn Anite reads: “The President made it clear that his work was done and that all he needed was for the scientists to sign the paper they presented since it would be a historical document forming basis for the signing of the Bill.”

Speaking after scientists presented their findings, the President, according to Information minister Rose Namayanja said if the scientists give him a signed copy of their presentation, he will do what he called “the historical job of signing the Bill” into law.

No further debates
After the President made his promise to sign the Bill, sources said the members moved a motion blocking further debate on the controversial Bill and immediately gave him a standing ovation, singing in Luganda: “Mzee Tajja Kugenda, Lwaki Agenda?” —loosely interpreted as “The old man (president Museveni) will not leave power, why should he?”

In a letter to Speaker Rebecca Kadaga dated December 28, 2013, Mr Museveni said it was the government’s job to “rescue” young people from being gay, and he accepted the premise that someone who lures a youth into “disgusting behaviour” should face life imprisonment.
However, initially he refused to sign the legislation on the basis that it was not properly passed in Parliament as there was no quorum.

External pressure
Government has faced pressure from the donor community to shelve the legislation, which was supported by radical Christian pastors and legislators. UK Prime Minister David Cameron and US president Barack Obama threatened to isolate Uganda if the Bill is passed into law.