Each MP to get Shs190m for vehicles

After the MPs demanded a pay raise to protect themselves from the biting inflation, it has also emerged that authorities in Parliament are quietly negotiating with officials in government to increase MPs’ motor vehicle acquisition fund from Shs60 million to Shs192 million.
Ms Justine Lumumba, the new Housing Minister and a former Parliamentary Commissioner, told reporters on Friday that the commission sanctioned a Shs190 million car grant for each MP. There are 375 MPs in the Ninth Parliament. This means taxpayers will have to fork out more than Shs71.2 billion to buy new vehicles for MPs. However, Ms Lumumba said the cost and the modalities will be subject to discussion with the Ministry of Finance.
“We are still in negotiation with Ministry of Finance… everything has gone up, prices have doubled and others even tripled. To get sound vehicles we need this money to facilitate members,” she said. “After our negotiations, a decision will be made whether to buy new cars for MPs or give them money to top-up.”
It has also emerged that Speaker Rebecca Kadaga and her deputy Jacob Oulanyah have already acquired brand new vehicles at Shs419 million each—replacing the old fleet. The vehicles were bought from Spear Motors. “The vehicles for the Speaker and Deputy were old and we needed to replace them,” Parliament’s Public Relations Officer Helen Kawesa said on Friday. “They were bought 10 years ago, they had mechanical problems and a decision was made to have these vehicles replaced.” She added: “We followed all the procurement rules and the process was transparent. This purchase started six months ago.”
On Thursday, the lawmakers chased away journalists and stopped coverage of a plenary debate where they reportedly agreed to push for a pay raise in a move, according to sources, which is intended to shield them from rising cost of living biting other Ugandans.
Ms Kawesa later cited sections of parliamentary rules that allow ejecting journalists if their presence during discussion will threaten national security. But when asked if indeed MPs’ pay is a matter of national security, Ms Kawesa replied: “MPs requested a closed session because there were issues they wanted to discuss. There was no mischief. It’s only that the new MPs wanted privacy. They were not comfortable with the presence of the press.”
...posho now goes for UGX 4000 per kilo...just saying. But yet again, who cares?

Museveni explains Ssekandi, Mbabazi appointments

Mr Museveni on Tuesday informed the NRM Caucus sitting at State House Entebbe that he has appointed former Parliament Speaker, Edward Ssekandi, and outgoing security minister, Amama Mbabazi, as the next Vice President and Prime Minister, respectively. Mr Sekandi, the Bukoto East MP, is a “clean, trustworthy and consistent person,” the President is quoted as saying. Mr Museveni says Mr Mbabazi’s strength includes being NRM’s “most ideologically reliable cadre; discipline and vast legal knowledge”. ......IMO, Sekandi has received a well deserved reward for his role in throwing away term limits, rubbishing the CHOGM corruption report, etc. Mbabazi's appointment is yet again a confirmation that: 1. there are untouchables in gov't and 2. corruption is here to stay as long as M7 is at the helm. ...i can now throw up!

Besigye detained under colonial law

Police invoked the Criminal Procedure Code, a colonial era and rarely applied law, to stop Dr Kizza Besigye from leaving his Kasangati home in Wakiso District.
The opposition politician, however, is not under ‘house arrest’, the Force’s spokesperson Judith Nabakooba, said in a statement. She said Dr Besigye’s declaration of resuming the walk-to-work demonstration against high fuel and commodity prices – after a two-week lull due to ill-health following his violent arrest by security forces on April 28 - without involving them constituted an “illegal act”.
Dr Besigye yesterday said: “I am back here to consult my lawyers on this concept of preventive detention because I don’t know [about] it. I think court will listen to me and restrain these oppressors from infringing on my rights.”
“What they are doing is typical of [former presidents] Amin, Obote times. And I think this government is trying to bring back such obnoxious laws like President Museveni has repeatedly stated, and funny enough they have started applying one even before enacting it,” he said.
....2 steps forward and 25 backwards, perhaps?!

Let's end this

THE one-and-half-year-old boy kidnapped from Bugolobi, an upscale Kampala suburb, three weeks ago, was yesterday found killed in a swamp in a Kamwokya slum.

Three people are being held in connection with the kidnap and murder of the boy, a son to Sven Karekaho of the Uganda Revenue Authority and Naome Karekaho, the spokesperson of the environment watchdog, NEMA.

The family was too devastated by the murder.

If this doesn't break your heart, i don't know what will! Allow me, therefore, to suggest possible ways of proceeding that will not only ensure that the suspects give up credible info but will also send a stern message to would be copycats.

Warning: Some methods suggested in this post are likely to offend those sensitive to images of pain and blood

1. The Hand Saw: straight down the line brutality

Torture devices don’t come more downright extreme than the Hand Saw, and the diagram leaves little to the imagination. The victim was hung upside down to supply the brain with oxygen and slow down the blood loss so that they didn’t lose consciousness and died a suitably slow and excruciating death.

This cheap but effective two-man torture method was used to cut people in half throughout the Middle Ages, with those accused of adultery and blasphemy among the many who felt the Saw’s teeth bite. In Russia it seems to have been a favourite with judges for witches impregnated by “nightmare devils” or even by Satan himself. Now there’s an argument in favour of contraception.

2.The Guided Cradle: intruding where it really hurts

OK, let’s get this over with: an excruciating looking instrument sometimes referred to as the Judas Cradle or Chair. The accused was sat on top of a pyramid-shaped seat, with the point implanted rudely in their naked nether regions.

Some theories suggest the idea was to stretch and slowly impale the victim, with weights perhaps added to their legs. Others reckon the emphasis lay on hoisting and repeatedly lowering the victim onto the tip, varying the pressure while keeping them awake – hence its other name: the Vigil. Either way, it was pretty near unbearable. Apparently originally designed to get people to talk without causing undue injury and breakage of bones, it could still easily break the skin – while also leaving a few mental scars – and was potentially fatal. Heard enough?

3.Lead sprinkler

This tool, which kinda reminds me of a holy water sprinkler, was filled with either molten lead, tar, boiling oil or boiling water, then used to bless, errr, torture its victims by dripping its contents on their stomach, back and other body parts. Sounds like standard S&M practice to me, only with a greater deal of pain.

4.The Wheel

This device is known by many names, such as breaking wheel and Catherine wheel, but it only means one thing to those who perished by this means: pure agony.

The Wheel is more like an execution device, but the hours before actual death is excruciating. The victim is tied to the side of the wheel, then gets every bone in his body shattered one by one by an executioner using a hammer or an iron bar. Victims of this form of torture often took hours, or even days to die. Some were “fortunate” enough to be granted “mercy”, in the form of fatal blows to the chest or stomach.

5.Revolving Drum

Think of this one as somewhat akin to grating cheese, only this one grates a human torso ever so slowly. A popular tool in Spain for extracting information from prisoners many years ago, the Revolving Drum calls for victims to be put into it face down, their heads through the upper pillory and their legs firmly strapped. Their torsos pressed against a spiked drum, the prisoners are then asked questions. Any sign of resistance, and the torturer then slowly rotates the drum one full revolution. This process is repeated, and torturers even go to the extent of placing weights on the backs of victims to further press their torsos towards the spiked drum and cause more pain. The result, naturally, is death by very slow disembowelment.

6.Rat Torture

This method tortures both man and rodent, but it is man who tends to end up dying a horrifying death. A victim is completely restrained, and a full-grown rat is placed upon his or her stomach. The rat will be confined within a cage placed on top of it, which would then be heated, freaking the rat out enough to frantically burrow its way into the only way out: the victim's stomach and intestines.

7. GOLOLA!

.....Please feel free to suggest any more results oriented methods that i may have missed.

National prayers set for Sunday

WITH so much sin taking place in the country, the President has declared Sunday, June 20, a national day of prayer and repentance.
The President said in a statement that while God has blessed the country with peace, security, democracy and economic growth, Ugandans are indulging in immoral acts that might lead to God’s furry. He cited corruption, sexual perversion, human sacrifice and witchcraft as some of the immoral acts rampant these days.

Being the Christian that i am, i know for certain that the prayer of a RIGHTEOUS man yields much. (that's if you are praying to the one and only true God)
But i also know that God works through us to do His work on earth. A friend once told a story of how she prayed day in and out for God to deal with her itchy scalp. One day after her prayer session, God told her to wash it!
I believe in prayer, but i also believe in not ignoring reports by commissions of inquiry,...
Oh Uganda, may God uphold thee

Kiboko Squad whips Besigye

Dr Kizza Besigye, the Forum for Democratic Change president, was yesterday flogged by policemen and members of the Kiboko Squad vigilante group as he led a demonstration against the Electoral Commission in Kampala.

The incident occurred at Clock Tower Playground where his supporters had gathered for a second rally after the first one failed when the police cordoned off the Railway ground where it was scheduled to take place.

It took about five minutes for FDC youth league members; Michael Kabaziguruka, Francis Mwijukye, Frank Atukunda and Sam Mugumya to rescue Dr Besigye. He would later say that Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, issued the order for him to beaten. “Beating me means nothing because I am ready to die if that is the only way of saving this country,” Dr Besigye said. “We shall die rather than live under a terrorist regime.”

...This 'kiboko' squad made an appearance a few years back but the police denied awareness of their existence. What bothers me is how the always conveniently show up on behalf of the police.

(in Besigye's accent)..Kaihura! Kaihura!

Student suspended for flashing ‘V’ sign at Museveni rally

A student of Sebei College, Tegeres in Kapchorwa has been expelled indefinitely from school for allegedly flashing the “V” sign, a presumed opposition symbol, in full view of President Museveni. Joshua Wambede, a Senior Two student, allegedly made the sign as President Museveni toured the school and took pictures with students. “This angered many officials at this function and has been viewed as a sign of indiscipline on the side of a student,” headmaster Fredrick Chesang Sindet wrote in a June 7 letter to the boy’s parents. “He has therefore been suspended indefinitely pending the decision of the Board of Governors,” Mr Sindet wrote. Mr Museveni visited the school on Sunday as part of his Bonna Baggagawale popularisation tour in the far eastern district. The boy’s mother, Ms Norah Muduli, said the school had no reason to dismiss her son. “I feel so disappointed and depressed that my son had to be sent away from school for such a reason,” a sobbing Ms Muduli told Daily Monitor yesterday. “When I visited the school this morning, the entire administration was hostile towards me. The headmaster and teachers were abusive and disrespectful,” she said. ...i thought we were living in a democracy. Your excellency, please respond.