Uganda@50

27th April to 1st May 2015

FOWODE E-NEWS

 

FOWODE E-NEWS, P.O BOX 7176, Kampala Uganda | Plot 15 Vubya Close, Ntinda Nakawa Rd. Email: fowode@fowode.org Web: www.fowode.org.

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AWAKENING THE LEADER IN ME  

• AWAKENING THE LEADER IN ME • KILL THE BILL! JACKIE ASIIMWE’S RESPONSE TO THE RIDICULOUS

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT BILL

 

Monica Muruhura is a mother of three and the Chairperson of Kashekye Bakyara Tutunguke FOWODE group in Kamwezi sub county, Kabale district. Monica, a mother to 3 children has a miserable history of early motherhood. At a tender age of 15 years, Monica birthed the first child amidst several voices of condemnation from her family, the community as well as her in laws. She received a lot of ridicule from the community being pointed at as an immoral girl, this greatly affected her self esteem and buried her leadership potential in fear and shame. She developed hatred for her in-laws and thought of herself as a lowlife, she felt nobody in the community cared. The life skills and entrepreneurship trainings provided by Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE) were very instrumental in helping Monica realize her hidden potential for leadership and economic development. “…Before FOWODE started our group, I was not confident of myself, I could not accept any leadership position that I was always chosen for, because I thought that I was not capable and could not take up any leadership role. Am happy and proud of myself because now I hold three leadership positions in our village, that include, chairperson Kashekye Bakyara Tutunguke FOWODE group, secretary for Kabusoni Bakyara Tuyambane and treasurer for the youth in our local church. It was after the trainings that Monica overcame self-stigma and realized that there were opportunities for participation in development processes for economic empowerment. Monica applied the knowledge in business management and income diversification for increased agricultural productivity so as to enlarge her household income. “Before I joined FOWODE group, I only relied on growing of a single crop and if the harvest was bad, I always suffered hunger, however, when the FOWODE group was formed, I advised the group to have a variety of crops. Instead of only growing irish potatoes, we also grew ground nuts. As a group, we were given a revolving loan of UGX 825,000 which we invested in the growing of irish potatoes, we harvested 15 bags and sold each at 70,000 and we got UGX 1,050,000. As a member of the savings group, Monica borrowed UGX 70,000 which she used to buy seeds for millet and ground nuts, on harvest she sold the produce worth UGX 165,000 of which she used 35,000 to pay for labour and made a profit of 60,000, this she used partly to pay school fees for her daughter in Primary five. “I also used some of the balance to improve my home by buying plates and glasses. As a leader I

can host my visitors without much shame for I no longer have a fear about where to serve them from. “FOWODE trainings made me realize that I was not the only child mother but we were many. I learnt that child mothers like any other person have rights and responsibilities. I understood the importance of working through groups together to claim our rights and hold leaders accountable”.

AWAKENING THE LEADER IN ME

- Story of Monica Muruhura, Kabale district  

Figure  1  Monica  and  other  women  from  her  group  harvesting  Irish  potatoes

I still remember it as though it was yesterday – the scenes of violent clashes between the police and campaigners for Free and Fair Elections, last year in Mbale town. Pictures came pouring in over the news and social media, of a policeman manhandling Bishop Zac Niringiye – one of the campaigners. And why all the chaos and mayhem? Because a group of Ugandans had mobilized citizens to rally support for a raft of electoral reforms necessary for us to conduct a truly free and fair election come 2016. The clashes also happened in Soroti town, where a Free and Fair Election Campaign was disrupted and police cordoned off the venue. In Kabale, some of the campaigners were involved in a high speed chase with the police, and some of the opposition leaders were shuttled off to Ntungamo – a town about an hour away from Kabale.

But even before the Free and Fair Election Campaign hit the road, there had been many other events and processes to agree reforms necessary to correct our electoral system. The Citizens Coalition for Elections and Democracy (CCEDU), having observed the 2011 elections, compiled proposals for 8 major reforms. Others, such as the Inter-Party Organization for Dialogue (IPOD), a platform for all political parties represented in Parliament, also discussed and presented reforms to Parliament. Likewise, the Electoral Commission also proposed some reforms, to enable it conduct better elections.

Last year, after the public rallies to popularize the proposals for free and fair elections, there were also consultative meetings with key leaders across 14 regions of the country, to get citizen’s input to the proposed reforms. This process culminated into a national consultation on free and fair elections, held in November 2014 where over 1,200 Ugandans attended. The meeting outcome was a Citizen Compact on Free and Fair Elections. Also last year, the Speaker of Parliament repeatedly asked the Executive to present electoral reforms in time, to enable adequate debate, passage and implementation by the relevant bodies.

Through all this, Government kept stalling. Finally, two days ago, Government presented a Constitution Amendment Bill. And we all breathed a collective sigh of relief thinking that finally, they had responded to pressure to present meaningful electoral reforms. It was like the long awaited meal we had been waiting for. We all sat at the dining table of expectation, hopes high, eyes on the dish that was presented, as the Government, in dramatic fashion, whipped off the cover of the dish. And what did we behold? A small, tiny, puny, half cooked meal, for of all the proposals that had been made, Government chose the least consequential of all electoral reforms – the change of the name of the Electoral Commission to Independent Electoral Commission!

One wonders whether Government lives in cuckoo land! I mean of all things that have caused elections to adjudged as fraudulent, how could Government pick on the change of name of the Electoral Commission, as though that would solve the systemic problems that have plagued our electoral processes over the years? These problems include lack of integrity of the campaign process, use of state funds by the incumbent and other government officials during campaigns, addressing the role of the military in our elections, curbing electoral related violence, ensuring a clean voters register, restoring Presidential term limits, and re-composition of the Electoral Commission so that it is more reflective of our multiparty dispensation, among others.

The amendments proposed by Government seem more like a slap in our face. They show a Government that has little regard for what its citizens say. It shows a Government that is not willing or interested in changing the rules of the game to ensure an actual credible electoral process. It shows a Government going through the motions, but totally uninterested in a substantively free and fair election. It shows a Government that knows it can get away with impunity. This is clearly not a Government for the people, by the people. It has become its own lord, and turned citizens into subjects, to do with as they please.

What Government presented is not the bill we asked for; it is not the reforms we wanted. What we want, nay what we desperately need in Uganda is not a mere change of guard, but a fundamental change.

Kill The Bill! Jackie Asiimwe’s response to the ridiculous Constitutional Amendment Bill

I still remember it as though it was yesterday – the scenes of violent clashes between the police and campaigners for Free and Fair Elections, last year in Mbale town. Pictures came pouring in over the news and social media, of a policeman manhandling Bishop Zac Niringiye – one of the campaigners. And why all the chaos and mayhem? Because a group of Ugandans had mobilized citizens to rally support for a raft of electoral reforms necessary for us to conduct a truly free and fair election come 2016. The clashes also happened in Soroti town, w

here a Free and Fair Election Campaign was disrupted and police cordoned off the venue. In Kabale, some of the campaigners were involved in a high speed chase with the police, and some of the opposition leaders were shuttled off to Ntungamo – a town about an hour away from Kabale.

But even before the Free and Fair Election Campaign hit the road, there had been many other events and processes to agree reforms necessary to correct our electoral system. The Citizens Coalition for Elections and Democracy (CCEDU), having observed the 2011 elections, compiled proposals for 8 major reforms. Others, such as the Inter-Party Organization for Dialogue (IPOD), a platform for all political parties represented in Parliament, also discussed and presented reforms to Parliament. Likewise, the Electoral Commission also proposed some reforms, to enable it conduct better elections.

Last year, after the public rallies to popularize the proposals for free and fair elections, there were also consultative meetings with key leaders across 14 regions of the country, to get citizen’s input to the proposed reforms. This process culminated into a national consultation on free and fair elections, held in November 2014 where over 1,200 Ugandans attended. The meeting outcome was a Citizen Compact on Free and Fair Elections. Also last year, the Speaker of Parliament repeatedly asked the Executive to present electoral reforms in time, to enable adequate debate, passage and implementation by the relevant bodies.

Through all this, Government kept stalling. Finally, two days ago, Government presented a Constitution Amendment Bill. And we all breathed a collective sigh of relief thinking that finally, they had responded to pressure to present meaningful electoral reforms. It was like the long awaited meal we had been waiting for. We all sat at the dining table of expectation, hopes high, eyes on the dish that was presented, as the Government, in dramatic fashion, whipped off the cover of the dish. And what did we behold? A small, tiny, puny, half cooked meal, for of all the proposals that had been made, Government chose the least consequential of all electoral reforms – the change of the name of the Electoral Commission to Independent Electoral Commission!

One wonders whether Government lives in cuckoo land! I mean of all things that have caused elections to adjudged as fraudulent, how could Government pick on the change of name of the Electoral Commission, as though that would solve the systemic problems that have plagued our electoral processes over the years? These problems include lack of integrity of the campaign process, use of state funds by the incumbent and other government officials during campaigns, addressing the role of the military in our elections, curbing electoral related violence, ensuring a clean voters register, restoring Presidential term limits, and re-composition of the Electoral Commission so that it is more reflective of our multiparty dispensation, among others.

The amendments proposed by Government seem more like a slap in our face. They show a Government that has little regard for what its citizens say. It shows a Government that is not willing or interested in changing the rules of the game to ensure an actual credible electoral process. It shows a Government going through the motions, but totally uninterested in a substantively free and fair election. It shows a Government that knows it can get away with impunity. This is clearly not a Government for the people, by the people. It has become its own lord, and turned citizens into subjects, to do with as they please.

What Government presented is not the bill we asked for; it is not the reforms we wanted. What we want, nay what we desperately need in Uganda is not a mere change of guard, but a fundamental change.

 

NRM buys posh cars for top officials

The ruling NRM has unveiled new cars to be used by top party officials, sparking off speculation about the party’s source of funding. According to NRM authorities, the party spent Shs3.1 billion to purchase an unspecified number of cars. Some circles pointed to the funds the Electoral Commission (EC) recently released to political parties with representation in Parliament where NRM took the lions share (Shs7.9b out of the Shs10b) as having been used to buy the cars. However, Dr Kenneth Omona, the NRM party deputy treasurer, in an interview with Daily Monitor denied the allegations, saying the party had so many sources of funding.

See more: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/NRM-buys-posh-cars-for-top-officials/-/688334/2701532/-/6nhkez/-/index.html

Bill gives Museveni more powers over EC

PARLIAMENT. Opposition politicians yesterday said they were not surprised by the lack of goodwill in the government’s idea of electoral reforms in a Bill which seeks to change the name of the Electoral Commission to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). The government reforms, which instead, in effect, increases the President’s sway over the EC, fell far short of what his opponents had hoped would be a process that would ensure a truly free and fair election next year. Although the electoral body would take on a new name, the President in The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2015, expected to be tabled in the House tomorrow (Thursday), will continue to appoint the commissioners with the approval of Parliament.

See more: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Bill-gives-Museveni-more-powers-over-EC/-/688334/2700184/-/11e4klw/-/index.html  

Pope Francis: It’s ‘pure scandal’ that women earn less than men for the same work

Pope Francis said Wednesday that he supports equal pay for men and women who perform the same jobs. The fact that a disparity exists, the pontiff said, is a “pure scandal.”Francis’s comments highlighted the church’s long-standing social teachings on workers’ rights, in a speech on the importance of marriage in society.In his Wednesday general audience remarks, Francis asked Catholics to consider “the Christian seed of radical equality between men and women” when discussing the reasons behind declining marriage rates around the world, according to Vatican Radio.

See more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/04/29/pope-francis-its-pure-scandal-that-women-earn-less-than-men-for-the-same-work/

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