Month: April 2011

Today, the day when the world was glued to TVs watching a royal wedding in Britain, Uganda went up in flames. Uganda has been in the flames for three weeks now but today the protests/riots  spread across the capital Kampala. The news of the protests found me in office before finally the protest reaching the neighbourhood. I hadn’t dressed right to venture out to see all the mayhem but the bullet fire was well loud in my office and we had to duck under tables a couple of times for only stray bullets kill people here according to our government. The protests started Kiseka market after it was rumoured that Uganda’s opposition leader Dr.Kiiza Besigye had died. Like wildfire the rumour spread and many youth walked into Kampala streets.  Dr. Kiiza Besigye was in his home after he was discharged from hospital last night. Few people now have access to him as his aides were arrested and remanded yesterday in manner that left many in Uganda totally numb.

A friend told me she had watched the TV images of the violent arrest of Besigye and the police forcing him under a pickup like a criminal with her kids who are between 5 and 8. Half way through the report her kids burst into tears. She asked them why and they wondered why the police was trying to kill a man like Besigye. They asked her what exactly was going and she went into explanations. Another person told me he had watched the news last night in bar surrounded with some soldiers who couldn’t comprehend. “one told me he had taken many beers but he couldn’t get drunk because the horrific images can’t let him,” he told me.

Today as different parts of Kampala were engulfed with lots of military vehicles and fires lit in the main roads, I called someone close to Besigye’s case to figure out what Besigye’s health was like. Half way through the discussion his daughter who I believe is no more than 7 years entered his office. I stayed on the line as they greeted. He asked how the day had gone and young girl said, “Daddy, there was teargas and bombs near our school.” The father asked what she had done when she heard the loud noise. The girl said, “Our teacher told us to lie down and hold our bags close.” The last question was, were you scared? and the girl replied no daddy, I wasn’t.

Going by what the city was like for 5 hours as residents battled military and police, one can say that many are not that scared. One man told me, “If they can treat Besigye like that, then who am I to go home and sleep in peace? The country is going back to Idi Amin days.”

Call that too far-fetched or not but brutality with which Besigye was arrested, car smashed using pistol butt and pepper sprayed to blind him right before the cameras, many Ugandans believe the regime has crossed the line and they worry they will never see tolerance again.

In today’s protests the police used live bullets again leaving horrific pictures for the media. One of man was lying down with a bullet hole right through his eye. Reports say about four people died today, over 100 were injured and over 300 were arrested. Since the election campaigns and the North Africa protests, the government here has grown intolerant to criticism. President Museveni last night called on the clergy to apologize to him for accusing him and his cronies of corruption which many Ugandans decry. Today the government heaped the blame on Besigye after the riots over his health. No explanation on the continued used force no nothing.

Most youth who are suffering with current high cost of living amidst high unemployment levels have never seen war. But following today’s events MissAloikin on twitter said:  “My grandparents always used to say we the children of 86 regime will never see any war..how wrong (they were)!”

While Ugandans in north, north-eastern and a few parts of western Uganda have seen the devastation of war for decades, many of us have been shielded from violence. With the kind of brutality portrayed by police and military in the last two weeks, many young people see that the future ahead will be all about struggle. The armed forces have so far killed about 8 people including a 2 year old girl. The time when Ugandans expect concrete answers to their problems and an assurance that their rights to demonstrate peacefully will be protected, President Museveni appears to be out of tune. He appears on our TVs pilling blame of opposition leader, defiant that he won’t cut fuel prices and many at times visibly angry. His ministers continue to claim opposition are using protests to remove a legitimate government which is a total lie.

In today’s riots we saw Museveni’s  son Lt Col. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the commander of Special Forces brought in Kampala to command and journalists were barred from taking his photos. The past times we have seen the first son has been in futile missions like the Operation Lightening Thunder that was supposed to take out Joseph Kony and end the LRA rebellion in DRC then he re-emerged immediately after the July 11 2010 Kampala bombing where investigations have not produced much other than have several Kenyan Human Rights defenders hoarded in our jails. For many the engagement of the first son in the riots when we should be hearing from the father was reminiscent of the first days of protests in Libya.

In many areas there were reports of abuses against journalists mainly by forces. TVs and Radios have been threatened over live broadcasts and today they obliged. At one point I tuned into three TV stations which were showing Nigeria (Nollywood) movies, others had BBC feed of the royal wedding when the city was on fire. Newspapers like Daily monitor did a great job of keeping live feeds till late in the evening. Besigye’s health is still not good but whatever happens, Ugandans are becoming more and more defiant in the face of brutality and his homecoming will probably see us go into another protest. The young who have seen no war are hoping and praying that there was a grain of truth in what their grandparents told them.

After spending Easter in a jail, Uganda’s opposition leader Dr.Kizza Besigye was granted bail with ridiculous conditions that he would not participate in walking to work for seven months. The abuse of judicial power was at display as the magistrate put a price tag on Besigye’s freedom. As it would turn out Besigye’s freedom was short-lived as the military and police blocked his car this morning, not even 48 hours had passed after he was granted bail. The military blocked Besigye’s car at the roundabout in the city near Uganda’s national referral hospital Mulago, smashed his window screens, pulled him out and loaded him into a van. This is the fourth time this month that Besigye has been violently arrested amidst protests of  high fuel prices that have tested President Museveni’s democracy rhetoric. Unlike in the past three instances, today Besigye was simply driving to the bank and the police told he was not allowed.

Shortly before his bail application hearing the U.S government had issued a warning to Ugandan government over the clamping down on people who are seeking to protest peacefully.

Freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are fundamental human rights and a critical component of democracy. We renew our call for the Ugandan government to respect the opposition’s right to express its viewpoints and citizens’ rights to demonstrate peacefully and without fear of intimidation.

This warning came as the police paraded hired, jobless Ugandan youth before cameras claiming they were getting money from the opposition to take part in the walk to work campaign. The infamous head of police Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura personally brought these youth who were visibly confused uttering inconsistent statements about the Walk to Work campaign. Instead of moving to address the issue that the opposition has capitalized on to rally Ugandans, government has concentrated on using force and violence targeting opposition leaders.

In the North western part of the country, the army issued statements claiming that a group of people had gathered arrows and bows to attack a military camp in a bid to portray the Walk to Work campaign as a ploy by opposition to topple government. It has even been rumoured that the opposition leaders are likely to face treason charges.

The government has gone as far to accuse the religious leaders of being partisan after they called for sanity to prevail. The government in Uganda seems not ready to listen to anybody, its eager to crash anyone giving a divergent view.

Today the civil society organizations under the NGO Forum have come out, after three weeks of silence, to condemn government response to Walk to Work, called for concrete actions to address high fuel prices, food insecurity and allow freedom of expression.

The organizations called on government to put an end to the “ increasingly burdensome political bureaucracy and instead redirect those resources to fulfill the promise of improved service delivery as stated in the NRM Manifesto for 2011-2016 and articulated in the National Development Plan.”

Among others they say:

Government must release all political leaders arrested for participating in the ‘walk to walk’ protests as they have not violated any provision in our Constitution, but have been victims of a number of unconstitutional provisions in some of our laws.

Government must have its priorities right. Given the dire situation, government must stay its lavish expenditure on consumption such as the Ushs 3 Billion budget for the Swearing in Ceremony and halt payment of Ushs 1.8 trillion on the 8 Fighter Jets till such a time when it is affordable to spend on them, and instead direct those finances to respond to the immediate food and fuel crisis.

Government must increase its budget and leadership in the agriculture sector in order to increase agricultural output and productivity, through, inter alia, investing in modern agricultural production methods, rain water harvesting technologies and alternative methods such as irrigation to save the country from being overly dependent on the vagaries of natural weather. This will also go along way in creating employment.

The Government must review, update and implement a food security policy that will ensure that commercial export objectives are not promoted at the expense of domestic food security needs.

The government must transparently expedite oil production, meaningfully inform the public and ensure that value addition is carried out in Uganda to reduce on dependency on oil imports.

The Government must stop its present attitude in dismissing or suppressing dissenting views and recommit to creating a space for genuine dialogue amongst key stakeholders in political and civil society, as well as the private sector on historical and contemporary challenges facing the country; political, economic, social and others.

Above all, the President must take stern action against corruption, which is increasingly becoming Uganda’s number one development challenge.

Organisations also called on the opposition parties behind walk to work campaign to work within constitutional means and inform police of their activities to prevent any possible loss of lives.

South Sudanese women constitute over 60 percent of the population in Africa’s newest state. This has not been an act of nature but the reminder of the devastating effects of the 50 years of independence struggles where thousands and thousands of South Sudanese men were killed on different front lines.

In the lead up to the signing of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, a donors conference was held in Oslo where South Sudanese women came out to put their priorities, concerns and challenges. The women highlighted the impact of war on their lives and erosion of their capabilites.  Among others they called for:

Recognizing the principle of 50% equal representation for women and men as enshrined in the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality and the IGAD Gender Policy, but cognizant of the context, situation and issues at stake, we recommend 30% as a minimum threshold for women’s representation at all levels and in all sectors. This includes:

Immediate inclusion of at least 30% representation by women in the Constitutionmaking and review processes.

A minimum representation of 30% for women in decision-making positions at all levels, including transitional institutions and all commissions established under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

Support urgent programmes for addressing negative customs and practices which continue to foster women’s marginalization and exclusion in all spheres of life.

• Support and enhance women’s effective political participation and leadership at all levels, including within political parties with a strong and urgent support to capacity building for women’s leadership.

Finally in the CPA it was put that women would have a minimum of 25 percent representation in all leadership positions. In the National Assembly (parliament), the women representatives have passed this threshold but in many different State Assemblies the representation of women remains low. Also issues like lack of education hinder women from participation.

Coming from a country where the last twenty years have revolved around “those who fought” i can identify with the uphill task that women of South Sudan face on the eve of Independence. In a week-long meeting that I attended in Juba organised by Isis-WICCE for women leaders from five states, most women said that while women had fought alongside men in the battles, few women were being recognized. In a land where war heros rule, it’s important to see women who sacrificed a lot be given due respect. The women talked of different women’s brigades that fought in the liberation wars who  are no where to be seen after the agreement and the referendum that have led to the creation of the new country.

Of course its not only women who fought that should be recognised, most women kept the families together, looked after children amidst famine brought by the northern government’s scorched earth policy that was intended to make South Sudanese surrender.Women faced it all and ensured families and fighters had the food, many were tortured physically and sexually by both fighters and Khartoum government troops. This suffering and contributions should not be in vain. All these issues should be adequately addressed in the new state and women’s participation is paramount. The participation of 65 percent of the population in shaping the destiny of the new republic is vital and it must be ensured from the start. You can’t claim to work for women without them and President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s government should make this a priority in order to build a stable South Sudan.

One woman member of the State Legislative Assembly told the meeting that she was scared for women of South Sudan becoming like Eritrea  “where women fought alongside their men and once the country was created they were pushed back to the kitchen.”

The women issued a communique which they took to the ministry of Gender, Child Affairs and Social Welfare listing top priorities ahead of the independence day celebrations. The Communique is also to inform those interested inn the development of the new nation.  Top of the list is to ensure the new constitution puts the minimum percent of women affirmative action at 30 percent. They also want to see major policies on girl child education and they even looked at a Uganda-like system where girls were given some additional points to increase their entry into high institutions of learning after years of war. Many said that most scholarships had not benefited women but had been used by those high up in the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPL), the ruling party to take their children to good schools outside the country. One woman leader said: “To women, independence from the north is half independence, we must be able to remove other forms of oppression and marginalization from our own communities. ”

Below is the communique.

Women Communiqué to Government of Southern Sudan,

13^th April 2011, Juba.

We, women from Central Equatorial, Western Equatorial, Eastern Equatorial, Upper Nile and Western Bahr el Ghazal states at a conference in Juba under the theme “Positioning Women’s Needs and Priorities in South Sudan” take this opportunity to congratulate all Southern Sudanese People for a successful exercise of a free, fair and peaceful referendum at this historic moment in the history of the Sudan.

AWARE that we gather here as a body of women and not divided by any party or tribal line, for the promotion of equality, peace, good governance and development for the people ofSouthern Sudan, 

APPRECIATING the affirmative action for promotion of women’s participation in politics and governance as enshrined in the Interim Constitution of Southern Sudan, Section 20 (1 to 4),

REALIZING however that this affirmative action has not been fully implemented,

RECALLING the promise of the President of the Government of Southern Sudan H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit to increase the representation of women in politics and governance to 30% in conformity with the global minimum of a critical mass of women representation,

RECOGNIZING the worldwide interest and support which the Referendum has generated and the existence of the International Conventions and Security Council Resolutions, in particicular UNSCRs 1325, 1820, 1888 and 1889 in reference to Women, Peace and Security,

DISTURBED that high maternal and infant mortality and HIV/AIDS continue to be a danger and a threat to the lives of the people ofSouthern Sudan,

DEEPLY CONCERNED that although women constitute more than 60 per cent of the population they remain largely an untapped resource thereby denying the nation their potential, talents and wisdom for its development. 

TROUBLED that despite the fact that there has been some improvement in the lives of the women in the last five years the bulk of their concerns, interests and needs are still relegated to the periphery in the development process of the nation. 

NOTING that the majority of the votes in the referendum came from the women,

MINDFUL that the Referendum  to the women meant not only freedom from the North but freedom from any form of oppression, exploitation, marginalization, discrimination and any other constraints affecting women, 

EMPHASIZING that secession to the women means unity, peace, security and development forSouth Sudan.

NOW WE THEREFORE,

URGE the government and all the political parties to implement the minimum 25% Affirmative Action at all levels of leadership within their parties;

WE CALL upon the President and the Government of Southern Sudan to translate his promise into reality by providing for the 30% women representation at all levels in the interim constitution which is currently being reviewed;

WE DEMAND Peace and Security for all the people ofSouthern Sudan, in particular women and vulnerable groups;

WE CALL for creation of the special basket funding for women to uplift the economic status of women;

WE URGE the Government of Southern Sudan to effectively utilize the large untapped potential of women in all sectors;

In line with the above demands we have identified key areas of concern which must be given priority within the governance and development process ofSouthern Sudan.  The key areas are:

1. Democracy and Good Governance
2. Peace and Security
3. Basic social services

• Education
• Health
• HIV/AIDS

4. Economic Empowerment and Poverty Reduction
5. Elimination of Gender-based violence
6. Capacity building and institutional mechanisms for the achievement of Gender equality and Women’s Empowerment.

It is only when these concerns are fully integrated within the development plans ofSouth Sudanthat the potential of women would be fully tapped for the development of this Nation.  Remember development without women is not sustainable development. 

We women gathered here today, have resolved that these issues of concerns be transformed into a concrete vision of the women of the Republic of South Sudan

Uganda police has again arrested three opposition leaders as they tried to continue the Walk to Work campaign. The campaign was started by a group called Activists for Change protesting the high fuel prices. They called for protests for a month every Monday and Thursday for Ugandans to walk to work. On April 11, Kiiza Besigye, Norbert Mao and other opposition parliamentarians were blocked from walking to their offices, arrested and later charged with inciting violence and disobeying lawful orders.

Today, UPC’s Olara Otunnu and several other Ugandans from different political parties joined the protest.

For the first time, Uganda’s opposition moved beyond the politics of attacking Museveni and chose an issue that concerns most Ugandans whether you are in Museveni’s party or not. The high fuel prices have driven food prices up and many of Uganda’s urban poor can hardly afford a meal.

The police on ‘orders from above’ blocked the walks before they began and in their brutality was once again on display as they arrested the politicians. In Gulu, three people died from bullet wound when the government ordered the military to come in to stop Mao from walking in the streets of Gulu. The brutality with which the government reacted to Ugandans expressing themselves brought back the sound of the gun to Gulu, a place that for  20 something years was the epicenter of the brutality of both by rebels and government soldiers in the war on LRA.

In Kampala, the receivers of  police brutality included primary school children. Our police has no problem putting teargas canisters into schools . As long as Besigye is  nearby, the rest of you are collateral.

Asked about the police brutality and possible future charges, Museveni said he is a potential Nobel Peace Prize candidate for the way his party has dealt with security issues. This I assume was an attempt by the president at being cynical amidst protests that his ministers labelled “an attempt to topple government.”  They are referring to attempts on regime change because of what has gone on in North Africa.

Last week Museveni’s regime used the cover of security to order TV stations not broadcast live coverage of events and one TV station was reportedly switched off for 15 minutes. His regime also went an extra mile to order Internet Service Providers to block social media networks like twitter and facebook where people were reporting the events. It looks like only the government run Uganda Telecom effectively complied with the directive. These current protests clearly are not aimed at regime change but raising issues that affect Ugandans despite Museveni’s worry –looking at Libya and Egypt.

Museveni called the press to him home village miles away from Kampala –another unnecessary expenditure for newsrooms- where he never offered any solution to issues that the protestors are riding on. Museveni was quick to divide Ugandans into farmers and urban dwellers and then threw Besigye to the equation.

 “When food prices go up, yes people in towns suffer but farmers are very happy. Farmers are wondering what Besigye is talking about. That prices have gone up is good for them.”

These protests bring back the opposition in the limelight after a lost election that was largely due to massive voter buying and lack of organized opposition. Just when the ruling party thought they had him dealt a blow, Besigye comes back strong relating to issues of ordinary citizens that makes it difficult to point an accusing finger that this is a stint of ‘power hungry man.’

President Museveni who is preparing a huge banquet for African dictators to attend his swearing in ceremony on May 12, didn’t see any problem with food prices. His reaction shows he is still stuck in 1986. Most of us in urban centers are sons and daughters of farmers he claim are benefiting from the current situation.

Most Ugandans I know who live in cities strive amidst unemployment and high prices to send money back to villages where the farmers live. If you want to know this visit a local mobile money transfer agent. People are sending as little as 5000 Shillings back to their relatives who depend on them for healthcare, school fees e.t.c. The dependence rate is so high in Uganda that Museveni cannot deceive us that the problems of those living in the urban centers do not related to those of a farmer in Bushenyi. I am a daughter of farmers who are interested in my wellbeing but even the money they earn from a farm is not enough for them to send a part to their daughter in Kampala and also cater for their needs. What affects those living in urban areas especially the unemployed youth, affects the farmer too.

Museveni said:  

“In the long run, the solution to all this fluctuation is irrigation which we shall embark on in the 3rd or 4th year of the new government. We will first deal with electricity and want to increase the supply to 3,800 megawatts by 2016. Then work on the roads before launching irrigation.”

Of course he assumes in the next four years Ugandans will have forgotten these words just as he assumes we forgot that in his 2001 manifesto he promised ten times that he would not run again for presidency.

With unemployment levels going up and Museveni’s government more interested in amassing wealth, the discontent will continue. One journalist friend who is covered last week’s protests told me some youth were yelling to opposition members “don’t even ask us to walk, give us guns”. This kind of desperation must be turned into something positive and we hope the opposition will continue to cultivate the spirit of non-violent protests which is very lucking much in our history. It’s only through well organized non-violent actions that Ugandans will learn to stand up to their rulers. Another Museveni with his 27 men fighting to ‘liberate’ Uganda will not work for us as we have already tested.

I doubt Museveni can imprison all three opposition leaders although there are early indications that he may prefer more treason charges for Besigye in particular. Whatever Museveni chooses to do with the leaders of Walk to Work campaign, so much has changed since he bought the election and the challenges facing urban dwellers will be a thorn in the side of the president for the next five years as long the opposition can continue to wisely choose issues that affect ordinary Ugandans and rally the masses.

This week I am in Sudan with Isis-WICCE documenting women’s experiences in the referendum and looking at their needs and challenges ahead of the July 9 independence day. Forty women’s leaders from different states are meeting in Juba to take part in this meeting on the need to strengthen local Sudanese women to demand for their rights and fully participate in nation building.

Here are some of the quotes from the women. I leave as anonymous.

“We need to document our contributions, reflections and the whole (referendum) process otherwise we shall be forgotten.”

“We fought for this country; men might tell us our place belongs to the kitchen just like it happened to women of Eritrea. We must fight for our place right from the start.” —member of Central Equatoria State Legislative Assembly.

“I come from Eastern Equatoria where the first bullet of liberation was fired in Torit near the border with Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda fifty years ago. The struggle started in my home and people in my state ensured that we vote 100 percent for separation because we have been suffering for the last 50 years. Women were mobilized and most them voted. But we have to start to figure out where our place will be once a new country comes.”

 

“Women constitute 65 percent of the population in Sudan. If women were not to turn up, South Sudan wouldn’t have achieved independence so in a new setting we have the numbers and the experience. We will not be left behind.”