Uganda
Ugandan government withdraws troops from Bobi Wine’s house
Ugandan soldiers stood down their positions around the residence of opposition leader Bobi Wine on Tuesday, a day after a court-ordered an end to the confinement of the presidential runner-up. Wine, a popstar-turned-MP whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, had been under de-facto house arrest at his home outside the capital Kampala since he returned from voting in January 14’s election. For 11 days heavily armed soldiers and police officers surrounding the property had prevented members of Wine’s household, including his wife Barbie, from leaving their compound, as well as denying access to visitors. But security forces withdrew from around Wine’s house on Tuesday, allowing the opposition leader to convene with newly-elected MPs from his National Unity Platform (NUP) for the first time sin...
Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni in commanding election lead, rival alleges fraud
Uganda’s long-time leader Yoweri Museveni held a commanding lead in a presidential election according to partial results on Saturday morning, with final results expected later in the day, though his main rival Bobi Wine alleged widespread fraud. With ballots from 86% of polling stations counted, Museveni had won 5.3 million, or 58.8%, while main opposition candidate Wine had 3.1 million votes (34.6%), the electoral commission said just after 9 a.m. (0600 GMT). The government ordered the internet to be shut down the day before voting on Thursday, and the blackout was still in place. Wine, 38, had galvanised young Ugandans with his calls for political change after 35 years of Museveni, 76, ruling the country. The run-up to the election was more violent than in previous polls. Security forces...
Rights group urges lifting Ugandan social media ban
Amnesty International is calling for Ugandan officials to lift bans on social media imposed ahead of Thursday’s election. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announced on Tuesday that the government had shut down social media. On Jan. 9, Facebook deleted dozens of pro-Ugandan government accounts, saying they were “fake.” Museveni characterized Facebook’s action as arrogant. “It is alarming that the Ugandan authorities have suspended social media networks including Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp and restricted people’s right to freedom of expression and access to information,” said Sarah Jackson, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes, in a press release. Amnesty International said the move was intended to silence journalists, election o...
Uganda election: Will Bobi Wine derail Yoweri Museveni’s sixth term bid?
As millions of Ugandans prepare to pick the country’s president this week, the stakes could not be higher. The run-up to Thursday’s vote has been marred by restrictions on campaigning, arrests of opposition figures and deadly violence. At least 54 people were killed in November as security forces put down protests by opposition supporters. Longtime President Yoweri Museveni, 76, is facing a strong challenge from popular musician-turned-politician Bobi Wine in his bid to secure a sixth, five-year term in office. Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, was just four years old when Museveni, a former rebel leader, came to power in 1986. In 2005, Uganda’s ruling-party-dominated parliament removed presidential term limits. And in 2017, lawmakers scrapped the age limit of 75 fo...
Ethiopia to push on Tigray’s capital as surrender deadline passes
Ethiopia’s prime minister warned on Tuesday that a deadline for rebel northern forces to lay down arms had expired, paving the way for a final push on the Tigray region’s capital in a two-week conflict destabilising the Horn of Africa. The post Ethiopia to push on Tigray’s capital as surrender deadline passes appeared first on TODAY. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet revenue.
US terminates virus cash transfer to Uganda’s poor
Pool Photo The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has terminated its Covid-19 cash transfer programme in Uganda. The US embassy there said the decision followed the Ugandan government’s indefinite suspension of GiveDirectly, a non-profit organisation that was conducting the programme. “In light of this indefinite suspension, it is now unlikely that the programme will meet its original objective, which was to prevent Covid-19 related economic backsliding of the most vulnerable Ugandans,” the embassy said in a statement. “Therefore, we are obligated contractually to terminate the program permanently.” The programme was to benefit 120,000 Ugandans who lost livelihoods because of the coronavirus pandemic. Each beneficiary was to receive 100,000 Ugandan shillings ($26; £20) every m...
AFCONQ: Kaizer Chiefs confirm Daniel Akpeyi’s Super Eagles call-up
South African giants, Kaizer Chiefs, has confirmed that goalkeeper, Daniel Akpeyi, has received a call up for Super Eagles’ 2022 Africa Cup of Nations double-header against Sierra Leone in November. The Eagles are billed to face the Leone Stars in a Group L fixture at the newly refurbished Samuel Ogbemudia stadium in Benin on November 13 before playing the return leg four days later in Freetown. Akpeyi manned the posts in the Eagles opening two games of the qualifiers against Benin and Lesotho in November 2019, but missed out of the team’s international friendly games against African champions Algeria and Tunisia earlier this month in Austria. Amakhosi confirmed Akpeyi’s invitation on their website, “Chiefs will be well represented on the international front next month during the internati...
Ugandan military searching for over 200 escaped prisoners
The Uganda military is using aircraft and foot patrols to search for more than 200 inmates who escaped from a prison in north-east Uganda. The Area Army spokesman, Peter Mugisha, said this in Kampala on Thursday. He said that 219 inmates escaped from the prison near the remote town of Moroto, about 500 kilometres from the capital Kampala, on Wednesday, breaking into an armoury and seizing guns. A soldier and three escapees died in an exchange of fire, and another seven had been rearrested, Mugisha said. “We lost one of our soldiers when these guys fired back during the operation. We are pursuing them and we are using a helicopter to guide the foot troops,” Mugisha said. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagi...
What East Africa could Teach the Continent about Economic Growth
The 21st century is widely touted as the ‘African Century’, a period promising unprecedented economic and technological growth for the continent. Africa’s future looks bright. The continent features five of the ten fastest-growing economies in the world. Its population is the most youthful, with 60% of all African citizens under the age of 25. And the world’s largest free trade area in terms of participating countries, the African Continental Free Trade Area, is now active and expected to boost intra-African trade by as much as 52% by 2022. With Africa’s fortunes continuing to improve, one region stands out as a possible example to the rest of the continent. As the world starts its slow recovery from a year of constant disruption and immense challenges, a closer look at the continued econo...
Plateau United coach seeks financial support to achieve Champions League Semi final target
Plateau United coach Abdu Maikaba has stated that they need the required support to meet the target of semi-finals of the 2020/2021 CAF Champions League. The former Akwa United coach admitted the 2017 NPFL champions will require even more backing and hard work to realize their last-four ambition in the competition – a feat which was last achieved by a Nigerian club – Sunshine Stars in 2012. “They (Plateau State Government) gave us enough support, but actually, we have to work very hard to achieve that target,” he said. “Getting to the semi-finals (of the CAF Champions League) is not an easy task, and we have to work very, very hard. We have to be given all the necessary support to get there. “In terms of personnel, like the replacement of players, I have to get the support to make the repl...
Premier League terminate £490 million TV deal in China
The Premier League has terminated its TV rights deal with China, its biggest overseas contract, leaving a huge hole in clubs’ finances. The deal with Chinese broadcaster PPTV was worth around £490m and had lasted only one of its three years. The conflict is said to have been around a fee of £160m that the Premier League was owed in March but did not receive. “The Premier League confirms that it has today terminated its agreements for Premier League coverage in China with its licensee in that territory,” a spokesman said on Thursday. “The Premier League will not be commenting further on the matter at this stage.” It is not known if the conflict is based purely on money or involves the escalating political tensions between China and the UK government. Boris Johnson announced in July that Hua...
