Kampala's Jennifer Musisi ready for next three years

Jennifer Musisi replies tweets Thursday in Kampala. PHOTO KCCA MEDIA

READY FOR THE CHALLENGE: Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director Jennifer Musisi has said she is ready for the challenges the next three years will present. In her view the coming three years will still be much of the same, and that politicians should help pitch the authority’s development agenda to the people of Kampala. Musisi has headed the Authority since it’s inception six years ago.

RELATED STORY : How Kampala is flipping the script on urban development (click to read)

PHOTOS: Uganda's Kiprotich at Hamburg marathon 2017

Kiprotich at the end of the Hamburg Race

Former World and Olympic Champion Stephen Kiprotich put up his best showing in three years when he finished second at the Haspa Hamburg International Marathon Sunday April 23, 2017. He pocketed sh58 million for his effort.

Ethiopia’s Tsegaye Mekonnen won the race. 

Leading Men’s and Women’s Results and Prize Money:
(Men sub 2:09 and Women sub 2:25 to receive bonus)

Men:
1 Tsegaye Mekonnen (ETH) – 2:07:26 25k Euro
2 Stephen Kiprotich (UGA) – 2:07:31 15k Euro
3 Jacob Kandagor (KEN) – 2:08:50 10k Euro
4 Robert Chemosin (KEN) – 2:09:51 5k Euro
5 Japhet Kosgei (KEN) – 2:11:12 3k
6 Tsegaye Kebede (ETH) – 2:12:31 1k

Women:
1 Jessica Augusto (PORT) – 2:25:30 12.5k
2 Ifa Megertu (ETH) – 2:29:47 7.5k
3 Viola Kibiwot (KEN) – 2:30:33 debut 5k
4 Marisa Casananueva (ESP) – 2:32:22 pb 2.5k
5 Magdalena Shauri (TAN0 – 2:33:28 pb 1.5k

6 Adriana da Silva (BRA) – 2:35:44 500

Here are photo highlights (HASPA MARATHON MEDIA PHOTOS) and video.

FULL STORY: How Kiprotich secured 2nd place

FULL RACE REPORT

Video


Photos

Mekonnen edged Kiprotich (in background)

Weather conditions made it hard for the runners

The top runners in the men's and women's marathon

FULL SPEECH: Comrade Ramaphosa finally speaks out

The good old days. Zuma (left) and Ramaphosa

FULL SPEECH - VIDEO: Cyril Ramaphosa speaks on 'big elephant' in South Africa's ANC, at memorial for freedom fighter Chris hani. Analysts say with this speech, he has launched his presidential bid.

Ramaphosa said that  President Jacob Zuma's latest cabinet reshuffle has deepened existing divisions in the governing party.

KABERUKA: Sub-Saharan Africa must keep pedal on infrastructure spending despite slow down

Former African Development Bank president Donald Kaberuka has urged Sub-Saharan African countries to keep the pedal on infrastructure spending despite a slow down in economic growth.

Speaking at the ongoing annual Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group in Washington, Kaberuka said that the current infrastructure investments will eventually reduce the cost of doing business, and crucially, expand and diversify the markets in Sub-Saharan Africa.

"In this period of slowdown, I urge governments to keep the pedal on, on infrastructure spending. Let us complete the railways like Djibouti and Ethiopia have done, like Kenya is doing, as they will be the basis for social transformation," Kaberuka told the session.

The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) he mentions, is a  Northern Corridor Integration Projects (NCIP) regional project that started in Kenya and will run through Uganda to Rwanda and South Sudan.

Kaberuka, also a senior advisor at the Boston Consulting Group and former Rwanda Finance minister, was speaking at the ongoing IMF Spring Meetings in Washington at a session whose theme was "Sub-Saharan Africa: How to Return to Vigorous Growth?"

"We don't simply have to return to vigorous growth, it has to be broad-based growth, it has to be inclusive growth," Kaberuka said. (see video from Minute 37)

"I want to urge NDBs and governments to be counter-cyclical on infrastructural spending.  Because in the last 10 years it is true commodity prices have driven our economies, but domestic consumption and investment have been two other arms," he said.

The year 2016 was particularly difficult for sub-Saharan Africa, with growth estimated to have been negative in per capita terms and slowing in the majority of countries.




"There is growth, development and transformation, and our governments have to focus on all three simultaneously," he added.

Kaberuka, a senior advisor at the Boston Consulting Group, however argued that in his view, the slowdown in the economies in the Sub-Saharan Africa region cannot all be blamed on drop in commodity prices.

"I don't believe that the slow down in the African economies is to be explained solely by commodity prices. It is important for some countries, but many others it is something else we have to look at. To try and link the commodity price with the slowdown is only part of the story."

Returning to basics

"Colleagues have urged a return to basics to reverse the slowdown. Some of these basics we know very well. They include independence of the Central bank. The challenges the Central Banks are having have nothing to do with commodity prices. It is reversing policies of things we know have worked in the past." 

Predictability

"It is better to have sub-optimal policies that are predictable, than to have sound polices that change from time to time...from taxes, regulation, concessions, PDPs, trade.  I have seen a number of countries whose policies on concessions changing from one year to the next. This has nothing to do with commodities.

"Commodities is only part of this story, but policies, in a domain where we know what to do, is the most important aspect of it."



Nigeria slowdown

Kaberuka said the regional economic engines like Angola, Nigeria have to get their act together to improve the outlook and side effects on their neighbours would be felt.

"We know that oil revenue are important as part of foreign exchange, but as part of GDP oil is no longer as important. Expand the tax base. What about foreign exchange flexibility supporting monetary policies."  

"So, for the large countries, commodity prices are one story, but policy and its execution is another, and once that is done, the side effect on the neighborhood will be positive."

He also stressed the importance of investment in agriculture for quick growth.

Africa outlook solid : But the regional engines must perform.Policy predictability more crucial than commodity price. pic.twitter.com/HhYEsmOB3y

— Donald Kaberuka (@DonaldKaberuka) April 22, 2017

The Annual Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group brings together central bankers, ministers of finance and development, private sector executives, civil society, and academics to discuss issues of global concern, including the world economic outlook, global financial stability, poverty eradication, jobs and growth, economic development, and aid effectiveness.

POLL: Do you expect to have verified your simcard within the next three days?

Thursday April 20 is the deadline the Uganda Communications Commission has given telecoms to ensure all subscribers re-register details of information in their database. Those who will not have done so will be switched off.

One needs an National Identification number to do so. The ICT association is running this poll to see how it is going for everyone so far....

Do you expect to have verified your simcard within the next three days?

Do you expect to have verified your simcard within the next three days?

— ICT Association - UG (@ICTAUg) April 17, 2017

Was Italian Emma Morano the world's oldest person alive?

Emma Morano, an Italian woman believed to have been the oldest person alive and the last survivor of the 19th century, died Saturday.

French international news agency AFP reported Morano's death on Saturday at the age of 117 years, leaves Jamaican Violet Brown, born March 10 1900, as the oldest living person according to the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) records.

The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) goes on to list the ten oldest people on record, but remains silent about a revelation in October 2016, of Uganda's John Ahumura, who was said to be 131 years old.

John Ahumura, visited Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni at State House, Entebbe in October.

Ahumura, the president said, had a birth certificate that shows he was born in 1885.


Lack of records

Lack of records on the continent means it has been hard to verify or compare facts with the rest of the world.

In 1999, Uganda announced John Paul Ofwono from Tororo as the tallest man in the world, only to discover that the methods used to measure height by the reporter who broke the news, were not up to standard. Ofwono, it emerged, was just the third tallest man in the world. 

At 7ft 6.5in, Ofwono was the clearly the tallest man in the country, but had been put at 8 feet 4 inches which was an error.

AFP: The ten oldest people on record today

Here is the list of the ten oldest living people on the planet, all of whom are women, according to the US-based group.

The list is dominated by Japanese and Italian women with the oldest man coming in at 16th place at the age of 113.

- Violet Brown, 117 years old, Jamaica

- Nabi Tajima, 116, Japan

- Chiyo Miyako, 115, Japan

- Ana Vela-Rubio, 115, Spain

- Marie-Josephine Gaudette, 115, Italy (born in US)

- Giuseppina Projetto-Frau, 114, Italy

- Kane Tanaka, 114, Japan

- Maria-Giuseppa Robucci-Nargiso 114, Italy

- Iso Nakamura, 113,, Japan

- Tae Ito, 113, Japan

Ten oldest verified cases ever

Rank	Name	Age
1	Jeanne Calment	122 years, 164 days
2	Sarah Knauss	119 years, 97 days
3	Lucy Hannah	117 years, 248 days
4	Marie-Louise Meilleur	117 years, 230 days

RECAP: If Jeff Koinange was president....

#NBSfrontline Thursday April 13, 2017:  Guests Jeff Koinange and Andrew Mwenda discuss corruption and social media challenges in East Africa on NBS TV, Uganda.

ACME AWARDS 2017 - Celebrating Ugandan media and journalism excellence

ACME AWARDS 2017 -  The annual Uganda Journalism awards, organised by African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) with support from the Democratic Governance Facility and Hivos, were held on Wednesday night at Golf Course Hotel in Kampala. Dr Louis Kasekende, the deputy governor of Bank of Uganda, was chief guest.

Solomon Serwanjja of NBS TV scooped this year’s top journalism prize.The Uganda Journalism awards are organised to “celebrate and promote in-depth and enterprising journalism that informs public debate and holds the powerful to account.”

UGANDA: New List of Licensed Forex Bureaus as at April 12, 2017

Bank of Uganda has released a list of licensed Forex Bureaus as at April 12, 2017. Several companies on a November list released before Crane Bank was taken over by DFCU, including Crane Forex Bureaus, are now off the list.

List of Licensed Forex Bureaus as at April 12 2017 by jadwongscribd on Scribd

Licensed FXBs Outlets November 23 2016 by jadwongscribd on Scribd

LIVE: Uhuru Kenyatta launches a public information portal

LIVE: President Uhuru Kenyatta launches a public information portal as he moves to make his administration more transparent and accountable to the general public.

Uganda's Computer Misuse ACT 2011 and the Public Collections Act 1966

Nyanzi (middle) at the Human Rights Convention at Kabira on Thursday.
She was picked up by police on Friday after a presentation at a Rotary Club function

Soon after Uganda Police confirmed Friday's arrest of outspoken feminist, academic and government critic Dr Stella Nyanzi, Kampala Metropolitan spokesman Emilian Kayima indicated she would be charged on Monday. 

"She kept posting issues, fighting battles on social media which we think does not serve her interests or ours," Kayima told AFP.

He said Nyanzi would appear in court Monday in Kampala on charges of cyber harassment and offensive communication (sections 24 & 25) under a 2011 law governing computer misuse. 

Using sexual innuendos, Nyanzi criticised First Lady Janet Museveni, who is education minister, on Facebook and Twitter after the NRM government reneged on a campaign pledge to supply free sanitary pads to schoolgirls.

Other reports indicate that police also interrogated Stella for raising money from the public, for her sanitary pad campaign, without registration contrary to the Public Collections Act, 1966. (FULL ACTS BELOW)

After more than 12 hours of incommunicado detention, Stella was able to see her lawyers, family & personal doctor. She also had her medicine pic.twitter.com/dDQncm1sV9

— Nicholas Opiyo (@nickopiyo) April 8, 2017

@nickopiyo The Public Collections Act was enacted in 1966 to stop Baganda privately raising money to support the exiled Kabaka Mutesa II.

— David F.K. Mpanga (@dfkm1970) April 8, 2017

What is the Computer Misuse ACT, 2011?

According to National Information Technology Authority (NITA), the act makes provision for the safety and security of electronic transactions and information systems. It makes provision for the safety and security of electronic transactions and information systems; prevent unlawful access, abuse or misuse of information systems by including computers (and electronic devices like mobile phones ) and make provision for securing the conduct of electronic transactions in a trustworthy electronic environment and to provide for other related matters.

1. The Act takes cognizance of the fact that all computer operations are susceptible to computer crimes and our current legal system does not recognize computer crimes thus the importance of a legislation to provide for computer crimes.
2. It creates several computer misuse offences e.g. unauthorized modification of computer material
3. Lays down mechanisms for investigation and prosecution of the offences.

RELATED STORY: What happened before Nyanzi was picked up

Public Collections Act 1966 by jadwongscribd on Scribd

Computer Misuse Act by jadwongscribd on Scribd

#HRCUg17: Law society boss Gimara cautions lawyers on Public Interest Litigation

Gimara makes his point. PHOTO BY @penikat

Uganda Law Society President Francis Gimara has urged lawyers to re-evaluate Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and avoid abusing it.

"What is driving public litigation, is it public interest or private interest? If we are going to help this constitution grow, then the notion of abusing PIL must be dealt with," Gimara said at the inaugural Uganda Human Rights Convention Thursday at Kabira Club in Kampala. 

Gimara  said that to bridge the gap between PIL and social transformation, which was the theme of the day, there needs to be an enabling environment where rule of law thrives.

He added that the country needs to build a culture of respect for human rights without always resorting to PIL to secure human rights.  "Beyond Public Interest Litigation, we still have a lot of work to strengthen institutions," he told the convention. 

He said Uganda must have law reform, right from who makes the laws and in whose interests 

Obore gives his views. PHOTO @IzzyBee256 

Who owns the media?

Chris Obore, head of communications in parliament asked, "who owns the media, is it journalists or businesses? Do we have businesses doing journalism or journalists doing business?"

He said the public often makes a serious mistake to assume the media means journalists. He said mistakes of the media are often wrongly blamed on journalists. 

He was discussing The role of the Media in Public interest litigation

Gimara and Obore were among 20 high profile panelists at the Human Right Convention 2017 organised by Chapter Four Uganda in conjunction with the Netherlands Embassy. It attracted over 300 participants in three sessions with three core themes, on top of a plenary session.  

The theme of the day was From Human Right Litigation to Social Transformation. 

Opening remarks on how Ugandans can better use public interest litigation to advance social justice and promote rights was delivered by Dr. Zahara Nampewo, director of HURIPEC and Board Chair of Chapter Four Uganda while Henk Jan Bakker, the Ambassador of Netherlands to Uganda, delivered the keynote address.

Here below are the highlights from the plenary and a storify of each of the three breakaway sessions.

MAIN PLENARY SESSION

Closing the gap: From Human Rights Litigation to social transformation

SESSION 1

Litigation gender rights: Experiences, challenges and solutions

SESSION 2

Process, practice and Procedural concerns in public interest litigation

SESSION 3

The role of the Media in Public interest litigation

****