[Nigeria, the first African country to back Libya’s Transitional National Council (TNC), was absent at the weekend when the United Nations General Assembly voted to recognise the transitional authorities as the representative of the North African country. ]

BURUNDI :

Burundi: 24 morts dans une attaque près de Bujumbura

(AFP) /19092011

BUJUMBURA — Au moins 24 personnes sont mortes et une vingtaine d’autres ont été blessées dimanche soir dans l’attaque, par des “bandits armés”, d’un bar d’une localité proche de la capitale burundaise Bujumbura, a affirmé lundi un responsable local à l’AFP.

“Le bilan est encore incertain, mais d’après les premières informations que j’ai reçues, il y aurait entre 24 et 30 morts et une vingtaine de blessés, dont certains dans un état critique”, a dit Vianney Mutabazi, administrateur (maire) de Mutimbuzi, dont dépend la localité de Gatumba où s’est produit le drame.

Selon lui, “un groupe de bandits armés et d’assassins” ont attaqué vers 20H00 (18H00 GMT) l’un des bars les plus fréquentés de Gatumba. Ils se sont “mis à tirer sur la foule” et ont “fait un véritable massacre”.

Des attaques attribuées par les autorités à “des bandits armés” et par la population à une nouvelle rébellion naissante se sont intensifiées à travers tout le pays depuis plusieurs mois.

La localité de Gatumba, située à 13 kilomètres de Bujumbura, se trouve dans la province de Bujumbura rural (ouest), principal fief des Forces nationales de libération (FNL) d’Agathon Rwasa accusées d’être derrière ces nouvelles violences.

Dimanche, “entre 13 et 16 personnes ont été tuées sur le coup, et plusieurs blessés ont succombé à leurs blessures pendant leur transfert vers les hôpitaux de Bujumbura”, a encore précisé le responsable administratif.

Un médecin-anesthésiste de l’hôpital Prince régent Charles, où des corps recouverts de draps avaient été disposés à même le sol dans le parking dès dimanche soir, a expliqué à l’AFP être débordé devant l’afflux de blessés.

“Nous manquons de sang, de matériels et on manque également de médecins pour faire face à tous ces malades”, a-t-il affirmé.

Selon des témoins, l’attaque de dimanche soir a duré environ 20 minutes.

“Des dizaines de personnes, en uniformes et portant des kalachnikovs et des grenades sont entrées dans le bar +Chez les amis+, ils nous ont dits de nous coucher par terre et se sont mis à tirer”, a expliqué à l’AFP Parfait, un rescapé qui a perdu deux soeurs et un ami au cours de l’attaque.

“Ceux qui nous ont attaqué ne sont pas de simples bandits, ce sont des combattants, des rebelles, (…), je peux le jurer sur ma tête, car je les ai vus”, a lancé dans un souffle un autre blessé sous couvert d’anonymat.

La multiplication des violences et autres exécutions sommaires au Burundi fait craindre à de nombreux observateurs une reprise des hostilités à plus grande échelle dans ce pays marqué par une longue guerre civile qui a fait près de 300.000 morts entre 1993 et 2006.

Burundi : ouverture du procès en appel du Français Patrice Faye

RFI /20110919

Le procès en appel de Patrice Faye va s’ouvrir ce lundi 19 septembre 2011 devant la Cour d’appel de Bujumbura. Le Français avait été condamné une première fois fin juillet 2011 au Burundi à 25 ans de prison pour viols, notamment sur des mineures. La défense, la famille et le comité de soutien de Patrice Faye espère qu’il aura droit cette fois à un procès équitable, après celui qui s’est déroulé en juin au Burundi et que la France a condamné pour ses nombreuses « incohérences ».

C’est un Patrice Faye malade et très affaibli par six mois d’incarcération dans les pires conditions qui se présente, ce lundi, devant les juges de la cour d’appel, selon l’un de ses avocats. Mais cette fois, Me Fabien Segatwa espère que son client aura le droit à un procès équitable contrairement à ce qu’il s’est passé devant le tribunal de grande instance de Bujumbura le 16 juin dernier.

Le procès de Patrice Faye s’était déroulé à huis-clos en kirundi, une langue qu’il ne comprend pas. Ces premiers juges n’avaient écouté que quatre témoins à décharge sur la trentaine présents. Ils n’avaient pas voulu vérifier certaines allégations des présumées victimes, pourtant fausses. Et ils avaient finalement condamné Patrice Faye à cinq ans de prison pour viol au bout de cinq heures d’un procès que Me Segatwa qualifie d’expéditif. Des accusations que le bureau du procureur n’a pas voulu commenter.

Le plus urgent, dit aujourd’hui Me Fabien Segatwa, c’est de demander la mise en liberté provisoire de Patrice Faye car il n’en peut plus. Quelle va être la réponse des juges ? S’ils disent oui, ce sera une lueur d’espoir pour la famille et les nombreux amis et cela pourrait signifier que les nombreuses pressions exercées sur Bujumbura sont en train de payer.

Lac Tanganyika: Plusieurs victimes dans un naufrage

Pana/ 19/09/2011

Un vent fort serait à l’origine du naufrage d’un bateau de transport de personnes et de marchandises en provenance de la République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) à destination du port de Rumonge, dans le Sud du Burundi, qui a entraîné la mort par noyade d’au moins 4 individus, alors que 8 autres ont été grièvement blessés et un nombre non encore connu porté disparu, a annoncé la radio nationale burundaise, citant des rescapés.

La Marine burundaise s’est portée au secours du bateau qui aurait chaviré sous un vent fort qui a secoué, la nuit dernière, les eaux du lac Tanganyika, commun aux deux pays, à en croire la même source.

La piste d’une surcharge à bord ne serait pas non plus à écarter, d’après toujours la radio burundaise qui a fait état d’un bateau qui transportait entre 20 et 26 passagers, ainsi que des tonnes de planches en bois, des sacs de charbon ou encore du maïs destinés au marché burundais.

Un grand nombre d’accidents de bateaux surchargés a été rapporté ces derniers temps sur les voies navigables de la RDC voisine, causant chaque fois des dégâts humains et matériels importants.

Au niveau du lac Tanganyika, ce sont surtout des actes de piraterie qui sont régulièrement signalés par les pêcheurs des deux pays.

RWANDA :

Rwanda: A Carnegie Mellon Campus Will Help Expedite Country’s IT Ambitions

19 September 2011/The New Times

While addressing an audience at the University on Friday, President Paul Kagame commended the partnership emphasizing that the Rwandan campus will help build a knowledge-based economy and boost the country’s science and technology ambitions.

Rwanda has invested heavily in information and communications infrastructure, however, there are still challenges whereby the available human resource capacity needs to elevated to meet the demands of the country’s development agenda, as well as today’s technological advancements.

CMU is globally recognized for integrating development in its education programs and what developing countries need is the skills, knowledge and innovation that can uplift the people out of poverty and propel the countries to greater heights.

Furthermore, having a campus in Rwanda will not only bring down the costs of training, but will also ensure accessibility of quality education as well as the transfer of skills in a more sustainable way to the benefit of Rwandans and other students from the region.

And, with the partnership including the setting up of an innovation incubator and a research center, there is no doubt that local students will develop ideas tailor-made to their country’s needs.

RDC CONGO:

RDC : Kamerhe tacle Kabila sur son bilan

afrikarabia2.blogs.courrierinternational.com/ 2011/09/19

Candidat à la prochaine élection présidentielle en République démocratique du Congo (RDC), Vital Kamerhe (UNC) n’est pas tendre avec le bilan de son ancien allié, Joseph Kabila. Pour Vital Kamerhe, le bilan du président sortant est globalement “négatif”. Un constat sans concession du “quinquennat Kabila” qui laisse tout de même un arrière goût étrange quand on sait que Vital Kamerhe a été un des plus proches collaborateurs du président congolais pendant les 4 premières années de son mandat.

Voici une grande partie de la déclaration du candidat Vital Kamerhe à propos des 5 années au pouvoir de Joseph Kabila :

“Au plan économique. Il n’est un secret pour personne que l’économie de la RDC est l’une des économies les moins compétitives d’Afrique, qu’elle fait partie des Pays les moins avancés et qu’elle est classée parmi les 10 pays les plus pauvres de la planète.

Bien que le pays soit pourvu d’immenses ressources naturelles, le niveau de vie de sa population est parmi les plus bas du monde. Il ressort du classement annuel de l’Indice du Développement Humain (IDH) du PNUD publié en 2009 que la RDC compte parmi les trois pays où le niveau de vie régresse.

Sur la maîtrise de l’inflation, le Président de la République est contredit par les chiffres avancés par la CIAfactsbooks qui place la RDC à la 119e place au monde, avec un taux d’inflation de 26,2 %.

Comment peut-on être fier d’une telle place alors que nous avons un pays qui a vocation à jouer le premier rôle ?

En outre, selon la Banque Mondiale, la RDC occupe la 178e position, c’est-à-dire, la dernière place sur la liste de tous les pays classés d’après leurs capacités à offrir un bon climat d’affaires.

Il est bon de fustiger la gestion passée qui avait conduit à la faillite de la grande Gecamines avec toutes les conséquences qui en ont découlées. Le chef de l’Etat aurait dû ajouter que depuis son accession au pouvoir, l’Etat a non seulement aliéné une majorité de ses parts dans le capital de cette entreprise, mais qu’en plus, les réserves minières qui valorisaient encore le patrimoine de la Gecamines, ont été vendues sans que les Congolais en général, et les Katangais en particulier, ne sachent ce à quoi a servi le produit de cette vente. Aujourd’hui, après avoir épuisé le parc immobilier de la Gecamines, le pouvoir s’attaque à celui de la SNCC, de l’ex-ONATRA, et même de la SNEL, dans des opérations qui s’apparentent visiblement à des actions de décapitalisation frauduleuse desdites entreprises.

Alors, de quelle économie parle le Président de la République ?

S’agissant des infrastructures, il est étonnant de voir le Président de la république se vanter de la réhabilitation de quelques routes dans la capitale.

Pour un pays aussi vaste (2.345.000 km2), les infrastructures jouent, certes, un rôle majeur. La situation du système des transports en République Démocratique du Congo est désastreuse. La réalité dans ce secteur se traduit par une insuffisance totale de l’offre des services de transports, accentuée par le mauvais état des infrastructures de transport et par une non-satisfaction chronique de la demande.

Le boulevard du 30 juin existe depuis l’époque coloniale, que l’on y ajoute des bandes ne change en rien les conditions de vie de l’habitant de Ngandajika, de l’habitant de Shabunda, de l’habitant d’Aru ou de Bongandanga. Cela n’a aucun effet pour l’habitant de Masina, dès lors, je confirme monsieur le Président de la République, qu’il n’existe pas de transports en commun organisé. Ces routes sont construites et réhabilitées pour ceux qui ont des voitures pour y circuler !

Parce qu’il a juré d’être transparent avec nous dans son discours du 8 décembre 2010, le Président de la République aurait été complet en nous disant comment l’appel d’offres ou les différents appels d’offres, avaient été lancés pour la construction de toutes ces routes.

Il s’agit dans cet exercice d’évaluation, des données indispensables pour établir la rationalité des choix opérés, parce que je refuse d’accepter, que l’élargissement d’une route (d’une dizaine de kilomètres de longueur) qui part de l’échangeur de Limete jusqu’à l’aéroport de N’djili, pour ceux qui connaissent Kinshasa, et qui existait déjà, puisse coûter 180 millions de $ ! Si ces 180 millions de $ américains, avaient été affectés à la réhabilitation des écoles construites à l’époque coloniale (nous parlons des lycées, collèges et athénées), toutes les écoles secondaires de la République Démocratique du Congo auraient été modernisées !

Dans le même ordre d’idées, le montant dépensé sur le boulevard du 30 juin, de 80 millions de $ pour 5 km de longueur et 28 m de largeur pour la 1ère tranche ne constitue pas non plus un choix rationnel. Il s’agit d’un investissement tape à l’œil sans aucune incidence sur le vécu quotidien des Kinois dans la mesure où ils continuent à y affronter les embouteillages. Le même montant ajouté aux 29 millions de $ gaspillés pour l’agrandissement du boulevard Triomphal sur 1 km et demi, sans aucun effet induit, suffiraient à la remise en l’état, à travers le pays, de tous les hôpitaux de référence qui datent de l’époque coloniale.

Il y a manifestement une mauvaise affectation des ressources de la République.

Comment la communication du Président de la République ne peut-elle pas discerner ce qui est en cours de réhabilitation et ce qui a été réhabilité, donc comptabilisable à son actif, de ce qui n’existe encore qu’en projet ? Parce qu’il dit et je cite : « il en est de même de la réhabilitation des ports de Matadi, de Mbandaka, de Kalemie, de Kisangani, de Kalundu et d’Ilebo, ainsi que celle, en vue de leur modernisation, des aéroports de N’djili, de Goma, de la Luano, de Kisangani, de Moanda ; de Kolwezi et de Kavumu qui a démarré ou va bientôt l’être ». Je vous laisse apprécier la précision.

Le Président de la République informe l’opinion qu’il va nous livrer, comme toujours, bientôt, l’hôpital du Cinquantenaire. A qui va-t-il le livrer ? Quelqu’un qui est à Bondo, en province orientale, quelqu’un qui est à Kolwezi au Katanga, qu’est-ce que cela veut dire pour lui l’hôpital du cinquantenaire ? Les 100 millions de dollars américains dépensés pour les travaux de finition de l’hôpital du cinquantenaire auraient permis de réhabiliter tous les hôpitaux de la GECAMINES, de la SNCC, de la MIBA, de KILOMOTO, l’hôpital Mama Yemo, les Cliniques universitaires,…… les hôpitaux existent mais sont dans un état de délabrement avancé. Les 100 millions de $ pourraient aussi suffire à améliorer les conditions de travail des médecins, des infirmiers et de tous les personnels des hôpitaux.

Dans son propos de Kingakati, le Président de la République met à son actif la réhabilitation de la route Kinshasa-Matadi. Je voudrais, ici, rappeler que cette route avait été réhabilitée au moins trois fois pendant la 2ème République et que sa dernière remise en état, date de la période de la Transition de 1+4.

Pour la route Kisangani-Nyanya-Beni, nous devons avoir l’honnêteté de reconnaitre que les travaux avaient été financés dans le cadre de PMURR depuis le régime 1+4. Celle reliant Kinshasa à Kikwit a été réhabilitée grâce à la coopération avec l’Union européenne et la Banque mondiale. Ces deux routes n’entrent donc pas dans le programme de la législature qui s’achève, et ne relèvent pas du financement des conventions dites « contrats chinois».

Pour une meilleure évaluation, le Président de la République aurait été mieux inspiré en rappelant à l’opinion les prévisions en matière d’infrastructures, notamment les routes. Combien de kilomètres des routes bitumées, en terre battue, de desserte agricole, devaient être construits ? Combien l’ont été effectivement ? Quel est le pourcentage de réalisation avant de proclamer la réussite de son œuvre ?

Sur le plan social, l’opinion se souviendra que l’année 2010 avait été décrétée « Année du social ».

Le bilan est catastrophique et tout le monde le sait, parce que le Président de la République lui-même l’avait reconnu devant les 2 chambres réunies en congrès le 8 décembre 2010. Il est donc surprenant d’entendre le Président de la République nous tenir, neuf mois après, un discours diamétralement opposé !

Les contre-vérités et les erreurs reprises dans le message de Kingakati ne peuvent pas nous laisser indifférents. Que cela soit couché dans le discours du Président de la République, qu’il le répète devant les caméras et qu’il se trompe, non pas d’un chiffre, non pas de la moitié, non pas du double, … mais qu’il nous annonce que les magistrats touchent 1600 $ alors que ces derniers gagnent 485 000 FC soit près de 500 $ ; cela est impardonnable !

Vous pouvez vous imaginer les problèmes dans les foyers des magistrats et les réactions de leurs bailleurs qui vont certainement réajuster les loyers en conséquence.

Les professeurs d’université ; les professeurs ordinaires perçoivent 1.200.000 fc, soit l’équivalent de 1300 $ et non 2200 $ comme annoncé à Kingakati. Et l’université, pour l’information du public et du Président de la République, n’est pas constituée que de professeurs ordinaires. Il y a les professeurs ordinaires, il y a les professeurs, il y a les professeurs associés, il y a les chefs de travaux, il y a l’assistant deuxième mandat, il y a l’assistant premier mandat, et il y a les assistants de recherche et les personnels administratifs. Qu’en est-il de tout ce monde ?

L’université, ce sont aussi les étudiants. Le Président de la République sait-il que les étudiants sont confrontés à des conditions infra humaines ? Souvent issus de familles modestes, les étudiants sont livrés à eux-mêmes, sans bourse, sans transport, sans logement, sans restauration, sans bibliothèque et sans auditoires. Sait-il (le Président de la République) qu’il y a des universités et des instituts supérieurs qui n’existent que sur papier, et d’autres qui fonctionnent dans des bâtiments abandonnés et ou inachevés ?

Sur ce même chapitre, le Président de la République devait savoir que l’université, c’est aussi le programme et les équipements modernes. L’université et la recherche scientifique, c’est toute une vision pour l’avenir du pays.

Sait-il (le Président de la République) que dans le dernier classement des universités africaines paru dans Jeune Afrique, aucune université congolaise ne figure parmi les 500 premières ? Quelle honte pour le pays dont Lovanium, actuellement UNIKIN ; l’UOC, actuellement UNILU ; et l’Université protestante de Kisangani, actuellement UNIKIS ; furent la référence en Afrique noire !

Nous sommes étonnés qu’aucun paragraphe n’ait été consacré à la recherche scientifique !

Dès lors, comment peut-on parler de développement sans penser à réhabiliter les centres de recherche et les chercheurs qui y travaillent ?

L’eau et l’électricité : avant d’aborder ce problème que nous vivons chaque jour à Kinshasa comme à l’intérieur du pays, je voudrais dire aussi que le Président de la République s’est trompé en déclarant que « le pouvoir d’achat du Congolais s’est amélioré ».

Quand le Gouvernement se complait dans l’illusion monétaire d’avoir augmenté les salaires sans se soucier du facteur de pondération composé du taux de change à cause de la forte dollarisation de notre économie d’une part, et des prix moyens pratiqués sur le marché d’autre part, j’attire l’attention du Président de la République sur l’inexactitude de sa perception de ce problème : le pouvoir d’achat de tous les Congolais a fortement régressé.

Tenez : il y a 10 ans, quand Mr Joseph Kabila remplaçait Mzee Laurent Désiré Kabila à la tête du pays, le carton de Mpiodi se vendait à 30$, et tout le monde s’en souvient ! Aujourd’hui, la ménagère débourse la même somme pour une seule rame de Mpiodi, chaque carton en comptant 3, il lui faut 90 $ pour acquérir ce carton.

Dans le budget 2007, l’huissier avait un salaire de 32.500 FC alors que le dollar s’échangeait à 580 FC, soit plus de 56 us$. Aujourd’hui, en 2011, ce même agent de l’Etat touche mensuellement 35.000 FC, ce qui fait une augmentation nominale de 7,7 % par rapport à 2007. Cependant, le dollar est passé, au cours de la même période, de 580 FC à 920 FC, soit une dépréciation de 58 %. De ce pourcentage, vous enlevez celui de l’augmentation nominale, c.à.d. 7.7 %, ce fonctionnaire a subi une perte de 50 % de son pouvoir d’achat initial. En valeur relative, son salaire de 2011 ne vaut en réalité que 28 us$, c’est-à-dire 50 % de ce qu’il touchait en dollars en 2007.

Comment le Président de la République peut-il nous dire après cette démonstration que le pouvoir d’achat du Congolais s’est amélioré ?

Par ailleurs, les inégalités sont très marquées. Environ 80 % de la population vit en dessous du seuil de pauvreté, qui est estimé à 2 USD par jour. Près de 44 % de femmes et environ 22 % d’hommes n’ont aucun revenu. Les disparités régionales sont très fortes avec un taux de chômage supérieur à 60 %, chômage qui affecte essentiellement la population active de 18 à 35 ans. Les salaires et les prestations sociales sont dérisoires dans tout le pays.

Je termine cet exercice douloureux en posant la question de savoir :

– qu’en est-il des rémunérations des militaires, des policiers et de tous ceux qui veillent pendant que nous dormons ? Est-ce qu’on n’est pas en train de nous mettre en danger quelque part ?

Nous voulons aussi aborder l’autre question, peut-être que le Président de la République n’est pas informé, qu’effectivement tous les congolais ont un accès difficile à la nourriture, à l’eau, à l’électricité, aux soins de santé, à l’habitat. La situation s’est d’avantage détérioré qu’il y a cinq ans !

En ce qui concerne l’eau et l’électricité, pendant que je m’entretiens avec vous ici à la Gombe, commune qui abrite les sièges de la plupart des institutions nationales et internationales, il n’y a ni eau, ni électricité ! Vous pouvez le vérifier par vous-mêmes, pour ne pas me taxer de démagogue.

Le Président de la République, sait-il qu’à MACAMPAGNE, un des quartiers résidentiels huppés de la capitale, où habite son ministre de l’énergie, les résidents ont commencé à creuser des bornes fontaines pour se procurer de l’eau ? C’est inacceptable !

On peut détester le Président MOBUTU, parce que dictateur, mais Kinshasa n’avait jamais atteint ce niveau de pénurie. Dans les hôpitaux comme Mama Yemo et autres, le manque d’eau et d’électricité est à la base de l’augmentation du taux de mortalité, surtout infantile. Il faudrait que le Président de la République, reconnaisse que son bilan est totalement négatif.

Dans le secteur de la distribution de l’électricité, l’augmentation du taux de desserte de 6 à 9 % qu’avance le Président de la République n’est soutenue par aucun élément probant dans la mesure où le délestage n’épargne aucun quartier de la capitale (y compris le sien), ni aucune autre ville du pays. Pour certains quartiers de la capitale, il ne s’agit plus de délestage, mais des coupures qui durent trois à six mois. Dans l’arrière pays, la situation est pire, dans certaines villes, ils n’ont jamais vu le courant ; pour d’autres, ils en gardent des vestiges d’il y a vingt ans.

Sur le plan des droits humains, je m’attendais à ce que le Président de la République nous dise en sa qualité de magistrat suprême, qu’il va effectivement peser de tout son poids :

– pour que Floribert CHEBEYA ait un procès équitable,

– pour qu’on nous dise ce qu’est devenu le corps de Fidèle BAZANA,

– pour qu’on nous dise qui a tué Armand NTUNGULU,

– pour qu’on nous dise qui est l’auteur du récent assassinat ignoble de l’opérateur économique propriétaire des Ets City 11 à Bukavu,

– pour qu’on nous dise également le sort réservé aux assassins de tous ces journalistes ;

– pour qu’on nous dise, quel est le sort réservé, dans un pays qui se dit démocratique, à tous ces détenus d’opinion ; les MOKIA, KUTHINO et bien d’autres qui sont à MAKALA et dans d’autres prisons, à travers le pays !

En ce qui concerne la sécurité,

Les habitants de la province orientale, qui continuent à subir les attaques de la LRA et même parfois celles de nos propres soldats, se demandent si le chef de l’Etat a encore la maitrise de la situation sur le terrain.

Bon nombre des habitants du Nord et du Sud Kivu ont dû sursauter en entendant le Président de la République déclarer que « le pays est presqu’entièrement pacifié,…..la région des grands lacs a retrouvé la paix et la stabilité,… » alors que, non seulement ils vivent sous la psychose de la peur à cause des opérations d’intégration non achevées, mais font aussi face à plusieurs armées. Chaque minute qui passe, il y a une femme qui est violée. Et Madame Clinton, Secrétaire d’Etat américain, dans sa dernière adresse à l’U.A, n’a pas mâché ses mots en plaçant la RDC parmi les 3 pays où la vie des femmes est en danger. La RDC occupe, en effet la 2ème place après l’Afghanistan.

Malgré les différentes opérations qui ne font que changer des noms, force est de constater que les ex-interahamwe continuent à causer des malheurs au sein de la population congolaise, mais aussi à contrôler les gisements miniers de cassitérite et d’or.

En abordant les problèmes de la réforme de l’armée, de la police et des services de sécurité, et en affirmant que les libertés individuelles sont garanties ; et en citant pour preuves, (1) le retour au pays des dignitaires mobutistes, (2) la participation des tous aux élections,… ici, il y a une double interrogation : de quelle armée, de quelle police, des quels services de sécurité, parle le Président de la République ? Sait-il que dans certains coins de la République, il y a des militaires qui se livrent à la production des braises, du bois de chauffe pour survivre, quand ils ne peuvent pas se payer sur la population ? Sait-il que les enfants des militaires ne sont pas scolarisés ? Qu’ils n’ont pas accès aux soins de santé et à un habitat humainement acceptable ?

De quelle réforme parle-t-on quand on a une armée qui compte autant de généraux que des colonels, bref, où il y a autant d’officiers que d’hommes des rangs ? Le chef de l’Etat ignore-t-il que tous les militaires et les policiers commis à la garde des édifices publics doivent rançonner les visiteurs, Congolais comme Expatriés, qui veulent rencontrer les autorités ? Simplement parce qu’abandonnés à eux-mêmes, ils sont souvent à la recherche des moyens de survie !

Pas plus tard qu’il y a trois jours, la ville de Bukavu était en alerte parce que les militaires avaient tiré.

Nous aurions souhaité entendre le Président de la République dire à l’opinion nationale et internationale ce qui s’est réellement passé dans cette ville. La violence continue à l’Est de la République Démocratique du Congo où l’on viole, on pille, où l’on coupe les routes en toute impunité.

Dans la capitale et dans les autres villes, l’insécurité persiste. Elle ne saurait reculer tant qu’on n’aborde pas le vrai problème, celui de la mise en place d’une armée où le militaire sera réellement pris en charge et le policier mis dans des conditions adéquates de travail.

Tolérance Zéro n’a été qu’un leurre.

Le Président de la République a dit que les portes des prisons étaient ouvertes. Depuis le début de cette législature, tous les gestionnaires ont été plébiscités, aucun cas de détournement n’ayant été relevé, ni sanctionné.

En ce qui concerne la décentralisation, le pays a reculé, le Président de la république ayant repris toutes les prérogatives des assemblées provinciales, y compris celles de révoquer le gouverneur de province. Nous comprenons que le Président de la République, se soit gêné d’en faire mention, dans son adresse de Kingakati.

Si le Président de la République se déplace la nuit, le pays est vraiment plongé dans le noir.” Vital Kamerhe

UGANDA:

Uganda Lawmakers Seek Emergency Session Over Heritage Oil Tax Spat

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011/ online.wsj.com

KAMPALA, Uganda (Dow Jones)–Ugandan lawmakers said Monday they are seeking an emergency session this week to discuss an ongoing tax disagreement with London-listed Heritage Oil PLC (HOIL.LN).

The move follows the commencement of tax arbitration proceedings in London, where the Ugandan government is battling to recover $404 million levied on the 2009 sale of Heritage’s interests in the country to Tullow Oil PLC (TLW.LN).

“We are in the process of collecting signatures aimed at recalling the house from recess to discuss this pertinent issue,” said Abdu Katuntu, opposition attorney general in the national assembly. He said that many lawmakers across the political divide have expressed interest in the matter.

Lawmakers want the government to explain why proceedings are taking place in London despite earlier assurances that arbitration would take place in Uganda.

Last week, lawmakers unsuccessfully tried to compel Attorney General Peter Nyombi to avail them with details of the tax dispute as well as the oil production sharing agreement between government and Heritage.

According to Nyombi, revealing such information would breach confidentiality clauses.

Signatures from at least 125 lawmakers will be needed to effect the session. By Sunday at least 80 lawmakers both from the opposition and the ruling party had signed.

A number of ruling party lawmakers who signed the petition told Dow Jones Newswires that they support the petition because its aimed at addressing an issue of national interest.

The lawmakers have already blocked payment of at least $4.4 million to the legal team which is defending government in the dispute.

In March Tullow was forced to pay $313 million as security for an unpaid tax bill emanating from its purchase of Heritage’s assets, in order to pave the way for approval of the sale of two thirds of its own interests to France’s Total SA (TOT), and China’s CNOOC Ltd. (CEO).

In April, Tullow sued Heritage in London, seeking to recover the funds, prompting Heritage to begin action against the Ugandan government. Heritage says the sale of its assets in the country doesn’t attract a capital gains tax based upon “comprehensive advice” from leading tax experts in Uganda, the U.K., and the U.S.

-By Nicholas Bariyo, contributing to Dow Jones Newswires;256-75-2624615 bariyonic@yahoo.co.uk

Uganda: A Situation Report Seven Months After the 2011 General Election

Timothy Kalyegira/The Monitor/18 September 2011

Uganda’s general elections were held on February 18. In the time between the polls and today, September 18, one is hard-pressed to find any positive news in the seven months since. It has become standard commentary in Uganda’s news media to take a critical and even cynical view of politics and public figures. However, this time alarm and cynicism are more than warranted.

President Yoweri Museveni has remained at the centre of most national news, often coming across as a one-man government. The President visited Rwanda and donated $300,000 to a school there, even after Uganda’s long-suffering school teachers had appealed for a pay rise and were told by the government that there was no such money for them.

The Kampala businessman Hassan Basajjabalaba returned to the news and as is usual with him, not for his investment achievements but because he is once again is the recipient yet another stimulus package on the orders of the President.

Then, State House was reported by the Daily Monitor last week to have requested another supplementary budget, this one of Shs190 billion. The President got into the act of giving away part of the Mabira forest in central Uganda to the sugar producer Sugar Corporation of Uganda, even when the company’s owners declared they had no interest in it.

Yes, there was also the public outcry that the government was planning to purchase Russian-made SU-30 fighter-bomber jets for an undefined future war. In commenting and reporting on these developments, most of the country’s radio and television talk shows, as well as newspaper news reports and editorial comments have failed to capture the true import of what is going on.

John Nagenda and the WikiLeaks cables

Just when it had seemed the US diplomatic cables published by the website WikiLeaks.org starting last year had dried up, a fresh batch has started to come out over the last three weeks. In a separate but related development, the Senior Presidential adviser on the media, John Nagenda, gave an eye-opening, mouth-watering exclusive interview with the paper he has always bashed and scorned, the Sunday Monitor of September 4, 2011.

The only significant element in Nagenda’s interview was that Nagenda now no longer cares about concealing his views on the state of affairs within the NRM and within State House. Equally, what is significant is that the American government, through its embassy in Kampala, is fully aware of the degenerate state that Uganda has turned into.

With the media having harped on this for years, the outcry by the opposition and now the internal mummerings from within the NRM, it is now clear: whatever had been expected of the NRM in 1986 when it first came to power, it has proved a failure.

Western diplomats in Kampala are aware of it all — the massive corruption, the cynical manipulation of the constitution to remove the limits to President Museveni’s terms in office; the kickbacks surrounding Uganda’s oil exploration contracts; the rumoured moves to place Museveni’s son, Lt. Col. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, in line of succession; the fact of Museveni’s declining popularity and of rigged elections in Uganda.

What Ugandans have read so far are the cables from US embassies to the State Department. We have not read or heard of the cables that the largest foreign donor and group of embassies to Uganda, the European Union, sends off to the European Union headquarters in Brussels.

The cables are formal, well-written, matter-of-factly, and broadly reflect the common knowledge within political and media circles in Kampala. All personalities named in the cables are correctly identified by name and title. There are none of the usual western errors in spelling African names.

None of the cables so far published reveal any surprise at the information given to them by insiders from the NRM. Even the claim by Mike Mukula that the funds intended for fighting malaria and HIV in Uganda were diverted by the First Lady do not take US diplomats in Kampala aback.

Most of the cables were transmitted to Washington, D.C. in 2009. This means that even within the ruling NRM government, senior officials well knew the true state of affairs within the country long before the February elections.

Many Ugandans in Kampala, living abroad or in the main upcountry towns have been aware of the true nature of the debauchery and corruption within the NRM government for several years now since the emails of a one Smart Musolin and the dissident website Radio Katwe first burst on the scene in 2005 and 2006. If these cables published by WikiLeaks are mostly from 2009, we can assume that cables of a similar nature have been regularly sent to Washington since the 1990s.

And yet what are we constantly told by various United States administrations? Uganda is a model of fiscal discipline, Museveni a heroic leader who rescued Uganda from the “dark days” of Idi Amin and Milton Obote, Uganda’s economy is one of the most vibrant in Africa.

What next after leaked cables

Assuming the cables had not been leaked by WikiLeaks, when did the State Department plan to do with them? Issue warnings to the Uganda government? Press Museveni to sack corrupt cabinet ministers? Use the information to blackmail the president into continuing to support their now 10 year “War on Terror”?

If the WikiLeaks documents should remind the country, the western governments in whom many place their hopes to pressure the government to reform, will not be the solution.

Notwithstanding their calls for better governance and a clampdown on corruption, western political, commercial and military interests in Uganda are not necessarily the same as Ugandans’ own national interests.

That Uganda is fast approaching state collapse is now no longer an opinion. Every day, thousands of small businesses sit idle without electricity. The rains of the last six weeks and the flooding on Kampala’s roads are a motorist’s first-hand experience.

At the last count, national inflation was at 21.4 per cent and to most ordinary Uganda’s, it feels more like 40 percent. By now, the news media should have started making the switch from simply reporting the depressing things going on to starting to prepare Uganda for the reality of state collapse and so, a discussion either how to cope with it or how to prepare for the aftermath.

Since it is now obvious to the media, the foreign embassies in Kampala, the opposition, academia, civil society and an increasing number of senior NRM leaders that the great hope of 1986 has now come to this, it is time for the closing arguments, time to start some closure on the Museveni presidency.

Uganda: Selective Prosecution Cannot Eliminate Corruption

18 September 2011/The Monitor

In this riveting interview with Sunday Monitor’s Emmanuel Gyezaho, retired Justice John Bosco Katutsi bears it all out, and speaks about acquitting FDC leader Kizza Besigye of rape charges, growing up poor, working as a shamba boy, life as a father, his thoughts on the Mabira give-away and plans to scrap bail for certain offenses. He tells it all and offers President Museveni some food for thought. Excerpts below

You hang your boots after 38 illustrious years of service. Looking back, what can you say is the moment you are most proud of?

In the judiciary, when you make a decision and that decision is worked on, you feel happy. I have tried a number of high profile cases like that of the former Prime Minister of Toro, John Katuramu, the Besigye rape case, the case of Reagan Okumu and Micheal Ochula. It gives me satisfaction that the public appreciated what I did. Some may have not but the majority was satisfied and that definitely gives me great satisfaction.

With hindsight is there anything you can say given opportunity you would have done differently?

No, I don’t think so.

Nothing absolutely?

Nothing!

Which of the sensitive high profile cases can you say is most memorable?

Oh, the Kizza Besigye rape case and the Katuramu murder case of the Prince of Toro.

You dismissed the Kizza Besigye rape case describing it as inadequate, incompetent and incredible. What informed that decision?

Well, looking at the evidence, I really found some sacrilegious things being said and doubted whether those who brought the case were serious. I think I used the word amateurish. You find somebody trying to frame somebody and it is done in an amateurish way so that it so obvious to anybody that this is just a frame up.

During that case, the woman who accused Besigye of rape, Joanita Kyakuwa, claimed she couldn’t remember exactly when the alleged incident took place. You found that odd didn’t you?

Definitely; this was somebody who said she was an undergraduate but forgetting such an event, when it occurred, where and how, it was definitely incredible. An undergraduate and you don’t know the event you are describing which should have traumatized you, and you say you can’t remember the day? That went to show that definitely she was just being used.

Tell us about Elizabeth Kutesa, the former CID chief who was cross-examined during the case. What did you think of her?

I think she was truthful in a sense. Others tried to hide but for her it was different. She was honest. I actually liked her demeanour. You see, when the police was registering the alleged complaint by Kyakuwa, they erased an older case and superimposed the complaint in the station diary so as to fit it in a specific time frame back dated. But when David Mpanga, Besigye’s lawyer asked her ‘madam we see things are different here’, she said, “Hmm, yeah” and nodded in approval. Initially, there was another complaint in the diary but because they wanted to fix Besigye as having committed the crime in that period, they erased and registered the complaint on top of another one, which I think was a terrorism complaint. It is really disgusting to see such things being done by the state. It is terrible. The whites fight their politics in a civilised way. The other day I saw President Obama walking with former president George Bush. Here I know that cannot happen. It is terrible.

In trying to pin Besigye, the state presented his former house help Aisha Nakiguli. What did you think of her involvement?

I remember to me it all looked like she had been bribed because you cannot tell me that as a state witness under protection, the state gives you a house and then they give you a farm to start rearing chicken? That is not how they protect witnesses. In the U.S they change your identity, take you to a different state, if you have blue eyes, they may get you green ones… [Laughs]. That is how they protect witnesses not by putting you there where everybody knows and giving you a farm to rear goats. You know she was approached four times to testify and she was always declining. Her evidence was to show that Kyakuwa had complained to her that Besigye had raped her but their testimonies were contradictory. Do you know that a few months after that trial she died? I really don’t know if her death was just a coincidence or something. I don’t know.

Given the politically charged environment at the time, was it a tough choice passing judgement?

Once you believe in what you are doing, then the question of being tough doesn’t arise. It is your duty.

What sort of pressure if any did you endure during this much publicized trial?

Nothing at all.

Let’s talk about your time at the Anti-Corruption Court. How effective do you think the court has been in addressing corruption?

We started with vigour. A number of convictions were secured and I want to assure you that my fellow judicial officers are men and women of high integrity. I was very proud to work with such a team and I hope that they continue doing the good job which they started. One thing that you have got to know is that courts try cases which are brought to the court. We don’t invite cases. Ours is to arbitrate on what is before us. That’s that and I think in my tenure we did a good job and those who remained are still doing a good job. I am very proud of them.

You recently said the court has been relegated to charging the wretched of the earth. How?

Yes. Courts simply try cases which are brought before it and that was my observation. When you are trying a case, in the course of evidence, you get a lot of evidence. They talk of so and so and so and then you wonder, so and so is being talked about by almost every witness but where is he? And when you ask those prosecuting, and you ask how about this one, they say, we are still investigating. But if you were able to investigate this one, what is hindering you from investigating the other one? That is what I was talking about; selective prosecution. For instance the Global Fund cases, there is somebody who was coming out prominently in every case, I think he was the coordinator of the fund. He was the one actually inviting all these people to come and get money. In one case he was said to have even been the person who advised on what should be done in the case of [Teddy] Cheeye [former director of economic monitoring at ISO convicted and sentenced to 10years in jail for embezzling Shs120million]. He was the one who was talking to the boy who was assisting Cheeye to do whatever he was doing. That man has never been before the court.

Who is that man?

He is a certain doctor I think of economics. I have forgotten his name but he was the coordinator and overall administrator of that fund. [Dr Tiberius Muhebwa was coordinator of the Global Fund’s Project Management Unit] That man has never been before the courts and yet all witnesses were talking about him as being the man who was behind all this thug. You wonder. In primitive society, if you killed an animal then you would invite your immediate neighbours to come and share the loot. And that is what the man was actually doing. He was inviting the [Elizabeth] Ngororano’s [and her Mother Annaliza Mondon found guilty of embezzling Shs18.7million,] the Cheeyes, saying come here, start a company and do it this way. That man has never been prosecuted and yet to me he should have been the first. Even the [Justice James] Ogoola Commission recommended that he should be prosecuted. But where is he? Nowhere!

What do you think went wrong?

Well, you ask those who are prosecuting. Not me. They know better.

Should we hold the Director of Public Prosecutions responsible or the Inspector General of Government?

Maybe, I don’t know.

With the exception of Mr Jamwa, the former NSSF MD and Mr Cheeye, why haven’t any other big fish been prosecuted?

Jamwa was brought before my court before even investigations were completed. Can you imagine? They were investigating as the case was progressing in court. There was some mysterious urgency; I don’t know why. The report had recommended about five people to be prosecuted with him. Where are they? Only he was prosecuted. Why? That is why I am talking about selective prosecution. Those with powerful godfathers are swimming in their ill-gotten money or wealth. Those who were once favourites but have lost favour will be prosecuted. Those who remain in the favour of the powers that be will never see the courts in my opinion.

But you had no qualms sentencing lone fish Jamwa.

A wrong plus a wrong cannot make a right.

Critics have argued that there is a general lack of political will to fight corruption in Uganda. Do you agree?

I share their sentiments to a great extent. If there was political will, I think corruption would have ended.

So who should we hold responsible?

Well I don’t know. All I am saying is that people who should be prosecuted are protected by who I don’t know. But I feel there is some protection of those who actually should be before the courts and are not there.

While sentencing former Works Ministry chief engineer Samson Bagonza, you openly said you were tired of being given small fish yet big crocodiles remain at large. Is this the curse of Uganda’s anti-graft campaign?

Oh yeah. But to be sincere, I didn’t intend that statement to go into the public ears. I was sort of thinking aloud. Unfortunately I didn’t know these recording machines were running. But the machine captured it and there it was. But you see when you are hearing these cases, you find so and so did this but these so and so are not before court and these are powerful men. Instead you find small fish being brought and yet the big crocodile is just behind.

But who are these crocodiles?

There are things which are better left unsaid, and that is one of them.

And why is that so?

I believe you are an investigative journalist. Do that and find out.

You have said corrupt officials have powerful godfathers in government whom they use to elude the long arm of the law. How do you justify this comment?

Are you not a Ugandan? Don’t you see what is going around? Do you remember the Temangalo case where MPs were invited to meet somebody and after that something happened? So why ask me? Answers are there.

On a recent visit to Rwanda, President Museveni said Uganda is a country full of thieves. Has this country degenerated to that extent?

Yes, very much. I think that was even an understatement.

What is Uganda now?

Uganda is simply a country to…well….I don’t know whether we need prayers but we have sunk so low. Even to the extent of a primary pupil who is campaigning to become a monitor asking the parent to give him something to go and buy something for the electorate. He says ‘daddy can I have something to go and buy sweets for my people who are going to vote for me?’. Can you see how low we have gone; even children? Oh no, this is too much.

How can we as a country deal with this problem?

Just let there be the political will and corruption will go, I believe. Courts are ready. If there was political will corruption would go. Do it the China way. Be stern. In China you cannot simply joke with public money. Never! They shoot you. We should have strong political will and no shielding criminals. Let whoever is netted be brought to court.

What would you tell President Museveni in this regard if you met him?

I would say Your Excellency you have done a lot for this country, but can you please do more about these people who are thieving and dictating our government funds. I am sure if he stood his ground, corruption would go.

What are your thoughts about President Museveni’s idea to have bail scrapped for certain offenses?

If that law is put in place then it will be very unfortunate. If somebody is incarcerated-you heard about these people who were released on this terrorism case; after six months you are found innocent, would you not have suffered for nothing? The law presumes every suspect innocent until proven guilty. Bail should not be denied as a punishment. After all granting bail doesn’t mean that you have been acquitted.If later you are found guilty, you will be convicted and sentenced, so why all this fuss of saying remove bail?

No, this is very unfortunate. If it is passed, then that will be a very sorry day for Uganda; very sad for the country, sad day indeed. But those who are agitating for it should also know that they are not immune. One day it may turn against them. You know when the late Grace Ibingira was minister of Justice, he engineered the law of detention without trial, but he was the first victim of that law. He spent five years in Karamoja. And when Kenya wanted to make the same law, an MP called Chikuku said in Uganda Ibingira engineered that law and became the first victim. Those who are talking about bail restriction should better remember that they are not immune. One day, they can or their relatives, be victims of that law.

Aren’t there any merits whatsoever in the President’s idea?

No not at all. If he has confidence in his judges, why can’t he let them use their discretion? Because a judge will deny bail when there are sufficient reasons for denying it. By legislating like that, it means he has no confidence in his judges which is very unfortunate.

What implications does his idea have on the rule of law?

The moment you deny people bail, then there is no rule of law; it is thrown to the wind. It is a constitutional right for every person who is arrested to apply for bail and if circumstances warrant, to be granted bail. In other words, they are saying when you are arrested you are guilty until you prove yourself innocent, which is very unfortunate.

Would you describe this as a crazy proposal?

It is draconic to say the least.

What message would you give our MPs who will eventually debate this proposal?

They should definitely resist it. If sanity is to be regained, that law should be resisted with uncompromising rigidity.

What are your thoughts on plans to hand part of Mabira forest to a sugar cane planter?

They should listen to those who know. The environment must be protected. It is another crazy proposal in my opinion.

The President has privately said he finds it odd that the West, which is responsible for greenhouse emissions and depleting the ozone layer, is urging us to conserve our environment.

If they are crazy, should we also act crazy? I was in Seattle, the state of Washington; I was told there is a place where you find trees 6,000years old. They come this way, cut down our trees of two years while they preserve theirs, and because we are stupid, we allow them to do that. Who is to blame? Take this oil in the Middle East for example. America actually has more oil than the Arabs. But theirs is preserved. They will come to it when they have depleted all this Arab business. So who is to blame? Not them, but ourselves. Like they came, used our chiefs to carry away our people as slaves and then we say whites enslaved us?

On a lighter note, how can you describe who Justice Katutsi is?

Well, a man who was born poor and will die poor but without regret. There are two verses in the book of proverbs Chapter 30 that says “Lord I ask you two things before I die, don’t make me tell a lie. Make me neither rich nor poor. If I become poor I might steal and put your name to shame and if I become rich I might forget your name. Just give me enough.” I will always tell my children that as long as you have got enough to eat, enough to keep your soul and body together, be contented with that. The rest is simply vanity to me. The bible says they gather without knowing who will enjoy what they are gathering. So why not have enough to sustain your body and soul and be content. That is my in philosophy life. Nobody wants to be poor definitely. But enough to sustain myself is enough.

Many know you for the man in robes with such a stern look. Is that who you really are?

You are talking to me, don’t you see me smiling? I enjoy socializing with people. I am a social animal. I am married to a very beautiful hardworking wife; a good farmer in the village. God blessed us with nine children all of them well educated in their own way. I have two lawyers, a lecturer at MUBs; my eldest son is working with microfinance. All of them are graduates except the last one who is now in third year at Makerere offering IT. I really thank God because he has been kind to me.

What is your typical day like?

Before I retired, I would wake up at 6am, switch on BBC listen to news, sometimes jog, have a light breakfast and then go to work. In the evenings I would pass by the [golf] club meet friends. I like my glass but I don’t do it excessively. I retired in March and went to Liberia where I was working. I came back on June 24 and God willing I will be going to Sierra Leone in the first week of October for a two year Commonwealth contract as a High Court judge. God willing, I also intend to write a few lines. I know there are many bad books written but I don’t mind writing one.

What is your earliest childhood memory?

Oh, abject poverty. I was educated by the kindness of my cousin Rev. Father Vincent Kanyonza. Without him I wouldn’t be where I am. He is now a retired priest. I had dropped out of school and when he called me back to school, saw me through university and up to date he is my mentor.

When did you drop out of school?

In 1956 then resumed in 60. I was in P.6. I had actually secured a local bursary. It’s not good to talk ill about the dead but the headmaster at the time, the Late Biryabarema of Kinyansano Primary, asked me to go and report to him and he told me I was smelling goat dung (eshonde), meaning he wanted a goat before he would allow me to get the bursary. When I told my father he said, well you know how to read and write, what else do you want?. So I went to Toro and worked in the tea estates as a tea plucker at Kyakatimba. I thought with a P.6 certificate I would come to Kampala and get a job. I left and went and worked at Lake George cleaning fish for export to Zaire [DRC]. From there I came to Mpigi; worked in Baganda coffee shambas. And later when I went to Mpigi as chief magistrate I just couldn’t help saying Oh God is this me? I was here digging in these shambas and now when I enter court people stand. It was great. God can work miracles oh yes. To me He has shown me exceptional kindness. From abject poverty to a high court judge; I just couldn’t imagine I would be where I am.

Tell me, when did you first realise that judicial work would be your calling?

You know for us we did junior school; six years of primary education, two years junior secondary education and then four years of senior secondary. When I was in junior one, there was a high court going on in Kabale. I went to attend it and there was a lawyer, a singasinga, when he was talking, he would be putting on his gown and I said oh my God, I wish I could be like that one. From that time my aim was simply if I make it I must be a lawyer, and I made it.

Did you see yourself becoming a judge?

No. Of course you cannot study to become a judge. It all depends on how you are viewed by those above you. In 1980 I had resigned from the judiciary because while at Makerere, I was a very political person. I used to argue with Masete Kuuya [former Obote minister] and I remember him telling me that I will never work in the UPC government as long as he was there. He was a very influential man in UPC. So when I was in Kabale as chief magistrate in 1980, it was obvious to anybody who had eyes to see that Obote was coming back as President and Masete Kuuya would come back as a powerful man. So I did not wait to be humiliated by dismissal, so I dismissed myself. I put in my resignation and went to private practise.

In 1986, Museveni took power; the threat was over so I asked to come back. And because of my record I was accepted back into the judiciary as a chief magistrate. In November 1991, His Excellency swore me in as a judge.

Because of some of your judgements, some have said you are a sympathiser of the opposition FDC. How do you respond to that?

Me I am apolitical. But if I were to be grateful to any party, that would be NRM because that’s where I got a job. Without a job, my children would not have been well educated. So if there is any party which I owe gratitude, it is NRM. So I get mesmerised when people refer to me as FDC. How can I be FDC? But I am not even NRM. I have decided not to belong to any party until I die. I was once a DP man and I know what it means to be a party man. So I decided never ever again to be in any political organisation.

Your last word?

I pray that this scourge of corruption comes to an end. When you hear teachers going on strike and you imagine somebody getting Shs270,000 a month, he has a family, children to educate, you wonder how we survive and yet we have people swimming in ill-gotten wealth, it really hurts me.

It pains me. It is disgusting.

Who is Katutsi?

Justice Katutsi was born in Bukora village, a few kilometers outside Kabale town in a year he doesn’t remember. “To be sincere, I just do guess work because my parents were illiterate and did not record the year of my birth. All I know is I was born on a Sunday because my mother said at the time of my birth, everybody had gone to Church. So every Sunday is my birthday,” he says.

He comes from the Muhesi Clan-clan of the black smiths “those who are responsible for bringing civilization to the world,” he adds. His family migrated to Rukingiri District in 1949 which is his present home town. He is married to Provia Katutsi whom he wedded on December 30, 1972. They have nine children, four boys and five girls. Playing golf is his top hobby, a game he says he has been playing since 1997 not for “winning but physical exercise.”

A former school dropout, he studied law at Makerere University and was attracted to the profession as teenager after meeting a lawyer in Kabale town. He says being born poor is not an end in itself because “you can always make it.” He was appointed a judge in 1991 and retired from the bench in March, 2011 after 38 years of service in the Ugandan judiciary.

Next month, he heads out to Sierra Leone as a high court judge on a two year Commonwealth contract.

Tanzania, Uganda to build dam on Kagera

Monday, 19 September 2011 /EABW Reporter . /www.busiweek.com

Arusha – Tanzania and Uganda have signed a memorandum of understanding to facilitate the development and operation of the Kikagati-Murongo Hydropower Project.

The MoU was signed on September 12,on the sidelines of the 23rd Meeting of the EAC Council of Ministers in Arusha.

Mr Samuel Sitta, Tanzania Minister for East African Cooperation and Uganda’s Eriya Kategaya, First Deputy PM and Minister for East African Community Affairs signed on behalf of their respective governments.

The objectives of the MoU include among others, ensuring sustainable utilisation of the water resource to be exploited in the development and operations of the project; equitable distribution of benefits accrued from the project including, but not limited to, employment and power supply; conduct of environment and social impact assessment satisfactory to the parties in line with respective environmental laws; and ensuring that the development complies with all relevant laws and regulations applicable in the region and within the territories of the two countries.

The Kikagati/Murongo hydropower project is a 16MW project, comprising two units of 8MW each, on Kagera River on the Uganda-Tanzania boundary. The powerhouse will be located on the Ugandan side while the reservoir will cover both Partner States.

The project will be connected to the grid at Kikagati which is linked by a 33kV line from Mbarara.

The project will include an electrification programme in Murongo (Tanzania) which is currently not electrified.

The project will be implemented by an Independent Power Producer (IPP).

The project is located along the boundary, and has benefits to the two Partner States through provision of electricity to Kikagati (Uganda) and Murongo (Tanzania) and other related benefits associated with access to modern energy services.

A Joint Technical Committee (JTC) comprised of technical officers from the two Partner States and EAC Secretariat is responsible for steering the project implementation.

Following the signing of the MoU, the JTC will commence the development of a Bilateral Agreement that will among other things look into sharing of benefits and responsibilities, modalities of power exchange from the project to the two Partner States and ownership of the project’s assets after the expiry of the contract with the IPP.

This process is expected to be completed before the end of 2011. Project implementation could commence early 2012.

The project would contribute to the EAC cross-border electrification programme where border communities benefit from electricity supply from a neighbouring Partner State if the grid is nearer than that of its own country.

The development of an EAC Cross-Border Electrification Policy is at an advanced stage and is expected to be completed by October 2011.

The policy being developed will facilitate smooth and faster implementation of the Cross-Border Electrification

Programme including the development of transboundary resources such as the Kikagati/Murongo project.

TANZANIA:

Tanzania hailed for efforts on children’s rights

Monday, 19 September 2011 /By Songa wa Songa, The Citizen Correspondent

Dar es Salaam. The United Nations (UN) has hailed Tanzania’s endeavours in promotion and protection of children’s rights.

The special representative of the UN secretary general on violence against children, Dr Marta Santos Pais, who is visiting Tanzania, said yesterday in Dar es Salaam that in comparison with other countries, Tanzania’s performance was exemplary.

Dr Pais, who arrived in the country on Saturday evening, said she was tasked to compile a report on Tanzania’s notable steps including the 2011 Inspection Report for Children in Detention and the 2009 Report on Investigations and Public Inquiries on Child Labour, both produced by the Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance (CHRAGG).

She is scheduled to present her report to the UN General Assembly on October 12.

“We are impressed by the steps the government of Tanzania has taken. In my report to the UN, I will recommend that other countries emulate what Tanzania has done” she said

Dr Pais however warned that report findings should not be left in the shelves but translated into legislations and policies that prioritise children’s rights.

“We are ready to support the government of Tanzania to adopt appropriate measures to deal with violence against children” he said.

Briefing reporters at CHRAGG offices, the chairman of CHRAGG principal judge, Amiri Ramadhan Manento (rtd), outlined the major challenges facing the commission, which is also the national human rights institution, as inadequate financial resources,

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), unsafe circumcision of boys, early marriages and mishandling of children in detention. Mr Manento added that CHRAGG, which became operational on July 1, 2001 was also the office of the ombudsman with broad mandate to promote human rights and principles of good government.

“A number of complaints from children themselves and from adults on behalf of the fornmer have been recorded and which continue to be received total 131” he revealed.

Dr Pais was given a Compact Disc with the reports by CHRAGG commissioner responsible for children Joaquine De-Mello. Others present were representatives from the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), ministry of Community Development, Gender and Children as well as the media.

Etisalat backs mobile health initiative in Tanzania

www.tradearabia.com/ Monday, September 19, 2011

Etisalat, Zantel, Qualcomm and D-Tree International will use mobile technology to support healthcare providers in offering quality counseling, preventive care and treatment to women and children in Tanzania.

Essa Al Haddad, Etisalat group chief marketing officer and chairman of Zantel, announced the joint programme between the four companies to bring mobile health services to Tanzania. The companies are working closely with the government of Zanzibar.

Etisalat, Zantel and Qualcomm will provide connectivity, handsets and other technologies to the program, while D-tree International in conjunction with the Ministry of Health of Zanzibar alongside several leading international non-governmental organizations will deploy the service.

Commenting on this initiative, Haddad said: “This partnership is part of a broader series of agreements that combine a numbers of technologies from leading companies and experts in mobile healthcare.”

“This includes decision support applications and integrated technological backbones for scalable mobile solutions. These agreements will help support the treatment of children, pregnant women and chronic diseases,” he added.

Etisalat’s program, along with its partners, has been initiated in light of the risk of maternal fatalities which are estimated at 50 times higher in Sub-Saharan Africa compared to developed countries.

Nearly half a million women on the continent die each year in pregnancy and four million newborns die during the first 28 days.

Al Haddad continued: “We have been spurred to introduce this program putting in mind the rapid penetration of mobile phones in the developing countries and the need to use advanced technology to provide and support healthcare in these markets.”

“Malnutrition and lack of medical care for pregnant women have cost millions of lives and are most dangerous in countries across Africa, including Tanzania”, he said.

Highlighting on the program’s features, Hadad said: “This application will help to fight malnutrition in children and provide safer pregnancies for women in Tanzania. The mobile phone will be equipped with special software to help medical professionals care for children and maintain a patient record which helps support extended care.”

“The tool also aids midwives which will ensure safer deliveries for pregnant women. It can help in quickly and accurately identifying obstetric emergencies, as well as enabling caregivers to arrange transportation during emergencies to the nearest healthcare facility where patients can receive the appropriate care.”

Dr Marc Mitchell, president of D-Tree, said “We believe that mHealth has the potential to revolutionise the way health services are provided in countries such as Tanzania. By providing decision support tools to frontline health workers, combined with Etisalat’s extensive telecommunications portfolio, we can assist governments to extend the reach of the health system into the communities where people live.” – TradeArabia News Service

Prof at Valley to help promote Tanzania ties

www.clarionledger.com/ 20110919

Native of African nation member of convention delegation

A Mississippi Valley State University professor will be part of a delegation heading to Washington to push for greater ties between Tanzania and the United States.

Richard Mushi, an assistant professor and coordinator of rural public policy and planning, is a native of the African country. The purpose of the trip is to “unite and strengthen the people from Tanzania who live in America,” Mushi said.

“Our country is still developing. We want to use that connection,” he said.

The Tanzanian Embassy and the Diaspora Council of Tanzanians in America begins its four-day convention Thursday and it will coincide with the council’s celebration marking the 50th anniversary of Tanzania’s independence from Great Britain.

The Greenwood Commonwealth reports the event will feature government, business and non-governmental organizations.

“The hope of this meeting is a joint venture with Tanzania, which will give them, their citizens, a better way of life, economically,” said Greenwood businessman Jamal Farmer, a consultant with the Rosenthall Group Inc., an international development company which is participating in the convention.

Tanzania, located in southeast Africa between Kenya and Mozambique, has a population of 4.7 million people.

“We’re hopefully meeting with the heads of state, the presidents of Tanzania, Sierra Leone and the Congo,” Farmer said.

The Rosenthall Group forms coalitions with governments, companies and civil groups in an effort to provide construction, engineering and funding opportunities, he said. The group also facilitates humanitarian development.

Farmer said joining him and Mushi on the trip will be Robert Rosenthall, chief executive officer and founder of the Rosenthall Group, and Glenda Glover, the company’s vice president and dean of the College of Business at Jackson State University.

Mushi said the convention will bring financial movers and shakers from both countries together. “We’re really looking for people to mobilize capital,” he said.

Dignitaries expected to attend include Mwanaidi Sinare Maajar, Tanzanian ambassador to the United States, and Ambassador Ron Kirk, U.S. trade representative. Bernard Kamillius Membe, Tanzanian minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, will deliver the convention’s keynote address.

The convention will feature presentation and networking events between Tanzanian officials and key players including the governor of the Central Bank of Tanzania, the National Social Security Fund, who will discuss the country’s investment opportunities, Farmer said.

Mushi said he hopes the convention will give him the chance to explore the possibility of an exchange program between Valley and universities in Tanzania.

“It’s a multi-faceted initiative,” he said.