Uganda criminal regime needs at least 3,000 hotel rooms of international standard, 60 presidential suites and about sh90b to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in 2007, Commonwealth Secretariat officials have said. 3,000 hotel rooms are required for the visitors including the Queen of England, 53 heads of state and government, foreign affairs ministers, business, youth and women forums and leaders of civil SOCIETY organisations. Media representatives will need 1,500 rooms.The queen is expected to stay at State House Entebbe, which is now under renovation.
How can the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in 2007 take priority of ugandans when Over 1.2 million people live in camps, the life is horrible. The people are not living, they are existing. They are next to dead. Life in the camps is one of abject poverty. Food is short, and many infants suffer from malnutrition. Water is scarce since camps often do not have enough boreholes. There is little access to health care. In some camps there are schools, but not enough teachers. Moreover, school life is constantly disrupted by the insecurity.
In both Kitgum and Gulu, some people begin as night commuters and end up staying on in town. According to sources at the St Joseph's Mission Hospital, 450 former commuters no longer return to their homes each morning. Instead, they camp under a huge mango tree outside the mission gates. Early in the morning, men and women go to look for work as casual labourers around Kitgum town. They return in the mid-afternoon, prepare their only meal of the day, and then retire inside the mission for the night.
They children have a lot of difficulties with schooling. They can't learn well, they are traumatised, they can't sleep well, but they force themselves to study. Women are afraid to sleep in their homes, not only because of rebels but also because they fear they might be raped by army officers. They don't care if you are young or old. Rape is very common in northern Uganda. If you report a rape, they just transfer the soldier.
UPDF lawyer charged
A UPDF lawyer who has been representing suspects including senior army officers facing ghost soldier charges at the General Military Court martial, has been charged with aggravated robbery.
Sgt. Moses Mugerwa Lukwago appeared yesterday before the court martial chaired by Lt. Gen. Elly Tumwine, together with two other suspects who allegedly helped him carry out the robbery of sh2.5m from a catholic priest.
Mugerwa said the allegations were created by some envious people.
Tumwine remanded the lawyer in Makindye military police headquarters, while the other two suspects, Lawrence Kayiira and Dick Lutalo, were remanded in Kigo Prison.
They will return to the court on April 30. Mugerwa, who was arrested last week, was assigned by the army to represent suspects without money to hire private lawyers and those arrested by Operation Wembley.
He has also represented former chief of staff Brig. Nakibus Lakara and other senior army officers facing charges of creating ghost soldiers on the army payroll
Comments
Uganda does not deserve to host such a great metting when state sponsored rape take place in this modern times, not even in Zimbabwe has such attrocoties taken place. Uganda should be expelled!!
See part of the story: from monitor newpaper
"PARLIAMENT - The Prime Minister, Prof. Apolo Nsibambi, has ordered for a probe into the alleged rape of over 15 women by soldiers of the Uganda People's Defence Forces.
Prof. Nsibambi directed the Defence minister to investigate the incident that allegedly took place in Kitgum last month.
The Prime Minister's directive came after a Member of Parliament, Jane Akwero (Woman, Kitgum), told the House that more than 15 women were raped by UPDF soldiers of the 91st battalion on March 25.
Her revelation prompted the Prime Minister into a quick response.
"I am saddened by what I have heard," Nsibambi said. "I have no hesitation to ask the Minister of Defence to investigate this matter and report back in 10 days."
Akwero said the UPDF invaded the Internally Displaced People's camps of Padibe East and West in Lamwo County, Kitgum at around 9.30p.m.
She said the soldiers who found people asleep, started raping women and schoolgirls.
Some of the women were reported to have been taken out of beds they shared with their husbands.
Akwero said one of the victims was raped by seven soldiers.
The MP, who named some of the victims (names withheld), said some men who tried to stop the soldiers from raping their wives were severely beaten.
Akwero reported that one man was beaten severely after UPDF officers who had carried him to the barracks mistaking him for a woman discovered he was not.
She added that the soldiers also took property and money from the victims.
Akwero said the following morning all soldiers of the 91st battalion were transferred to Lukwiny.
The MP said the Chairman of the Disaster Management Committee wrote, Mr Alexessius Bongomin, had written to the area Resident District Commissioner on March 26 saying, "It was quite a sad moment to the people of Padibe when our own UPDF beat, raped and forcefully took property of women, school girls and men."
Akwero said such acts were known to be committed by the Lord's Resistance Army rebels.
"For our own forces to go on rampage is disturbing and uncalled for," she said. "For some elements of the army to turn their vengeance on civilians is unfortunate."
She said she took long to report the incident because she wanted to first verify the information.
This is the first time such claims of abuses by the UPDF are being brought out in the open in Parliament.
The army has been accused by several rights groups including Amnesty International and New York based Human Rights Watch of carrying out severe human rights abuses on the civilian population in the north of the country.
The rights organisations through several reports have accused the army and other government-related military security agencies of committing multiple abuses including summary execution, torture, rape and child recruitment.
In response, the army has persistently dismissed such reports as unrehearsed and false. Army Spokesman Maj. Shaban Bantariza neither denied nor confirmed the incident but accused Akwero of delaying to reveal the matter.
"She is raising the matter one month later, what was she doing all along?" he asked. "When someone is raped, she is immediately taken to hospital. That's what she should have done."
Bantariza added: "Let her raise the matter to police, and culprits will be followed up and brought to book."