Let us fight HIV in the right way.

By Isaac Ssekuuma, Communication and Information division

President Museveni publicly testing for HIV in support of the AIDS fight

A few days back I was with my nephew of five years and suddenly she said “if it’s not on the game is off!” I asked her what she meant by that and she said she had seen it on TV. Later on as I was relaxing an advert with exactly the same words was played with two ladies where one’s boyfriend denied her sex because their was no condom! It ended with both these ladies sharing condoms so that may be next time the game is on! Still on the same note as I drove through Kamwokya i saw a big billboard with the words “if cheated get tested want to cheat use a condom!” All these messages are geared towards having sex with condoms as a way to prevent HIV! True condoms may protect but they can’t prevent us from HIV.

 According to the Uganda AIDS commission over 400 new infections are recorded in the country on average daily with the biggest percentage between 18 and 26 years of age. Truth be told the biggest channel through which people get HIV is through sex and so we are just fueling the spread of the disease rather than controlling when we tell people its safe to have sex as long as it is protected. First condoms are not 100% safe as they have their draw backs: they at times break  due to friction in cases where a lady may not be well prepared, during the process of unpacking  at times they are torn especially if its done hurriedly, with the rate at which counterfeit goods hit the market with medicines inclusive some condoms must be counterfeit and risky to use, sustainability may not be possible especially for couples that have stayed together for long as confidence and trust grows, there is also general lack of knowledge on how to properly use these condoms especially when it comes to the female condoms and off course the cost of these condoms is a bit high for an average youth with this rate of unemployment. 

Lack of Political will still a hazzard in the Fight against Corruption.

By Teddy Namayanja, Public Relations Officer.

Despite the numerous government policies, action plans, strategies, laws and established institutions like the Inspectorate of Government among others with elaborate and promising mandates to fight corruption, the vice has continuously increased and according to statistics; Uganda still ranks top in the East African region in bribery prevalence according to the East African Bribery Index 2013 while government loses 300 billion in corruption related cases every year.

Civil Society Organizations have also joined the struggle in the recent past by launching a number of campaigns and activities to fight the vice for example the Black Monday campaign but in vain.

The 9^th Parliament has so far demonstrated a strong stance against the vice through objective house debates on pertinent issues and demanding for accountability from government through its watch dog; the Public Accounts Committee but still, not much has been yielded. In fact a group of legislators dubbed; Anti-Corruption crusaders some of them are from the National Resistance Movement the ruling party, others from the opposition while some are Independents formed the Anti Corruption Crusaders Campaign however, In a twist of events, the Members of Parliament (MP) from the ruling party were expelled from NRM for allegedly taking on adamant positions from the earlier on agreed Party positions. The Coalition by MP’s had at least been active for the previous two years.

The Civil Society Private Sector Forum was launched.

By Teddy Namayanja, Public Relations Officer

In a bid to further respond to the ever increasing needs and demands of the public on both human and economic rights, the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative yet again launched a new partnership together with the Private Sector dubbed THE CIVIL SOCIETY PRIVATE SECTOR FORUM, to provide a platform that will foster a strategic partnership between Uganda’s Private Sector and Civil Society for the realization of sustainable development.

While Launching the Partnership on the 11^th of July 2013 at UMA Multipurpose Hall Lugogo under the Theme : THE NATIONAL BUDGET 2013/2014 : TOOL FOR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC EMPOWEREMENT?, the Hon. Minister of Trade, Industry and Co-operatives Mr. David Wakikona stated that government was in support of the new forum because its geared towards tackling the main challenges government has been facing in the past 15 years in line with development citing poverty, inequality and environmental degradation among others.

Kyatto N/A contributes towards a Water Source

By Rose Nanyondo, Training Coordinator Civic Education

Kyatto Area Neighbourhood Assembly in Kayonza Sub County Kayunga district, on 29th August 2013 handed to the district leadership the contribution towards construction of a hand dug well. Items included 1tonne of sand, concrete stones, bricks and,Uganda Shillings 200,000.

Kyatto neighbourhood assembly committee members stand at the proposed site for the borehole

Was the voter boycott during the Butebo District bye- election in Uganda, the first of its kind in East, South and Central Africa?

By Gwada Ogot, CCEDU Secretariat 

First, the Butebo County Constituency bye- election was struck by a shock midday press release from the Electoral Commission (EC) on the eve of e-day; an announcement that election front-runner; Lt. Oseku had been barred from contesting the election on a technicality- that he was still a serving member of the UPDF, Ugandas National Army and therefore ineligible to run.

Ironically, as a former member of the NRM, Oseku had on two earlier occasions been cleared to contest the NRM party’ primaries. In both instances the national army did not protest.

Accordingly, the commission went ahead and placed advisory posters at all polling stations relaying its decision. The decision evoked emotive reactions from Oseku’s supporters, and on e-day, in an unprecedented show of grand solidarity, voters from 18 polling stations - all strongholds of Lt. Oseku- boycotted the election to a man. 

Internship at the Foundation

June- July Interns with Mr. Livingstone Sewanyana at the Human Rights House

 If you have been to the University for an under graduate course, you probably did Internship either after your first or second year. In most Universities across the country, Internship is mandatory and is usually done after second year.   An internship is a method of on-the-job training for white-collar and professional careers. Throughout the year, the Foundation receives a number of interns from various Universities and countries. Over the years, the Foundations internship programme has greatly grown. Here is what some of our current Interns had to say;

Nakanwagi Rita Catherine, PILAC LAW student from Makerere University attached to the Legal Service Devision (LSD);

“The experience during my internship at FHRI under LSD has been worthwhile because it gives hand on experience. It’s not every day that an intern gets to conduct mediation or follow up cases and actually close them.” July 2013

Is it the professionalization of the army or the militarization of the country?

By Crispy Kaheru, Coordinator – Citizens’ Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda (CCEDU)

President Mugabe of Zimbabwe

As I wander in Uncle Bob’s land of the Zimbabwe, I continue to keep a very close eye on the way things are unraveling back in my much-loved Uganda. The riots have become as common as the potholes; arrests on account of trumped-up charges are as widespread as Boda Bodas on Kampala road; and all this is in a place where freedom of expression (for independent opinions) is as limited as the jobs for Ugandan graduates.  

My brothers and sisters, there is no other time that has called for braveness like this time!  It is acts of bravery that will define who we are and what we want for today and tomorrow. Recalling the words of famous French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, “each act contributes to defining us as we are, and at any moment we can begin to act differently and draw a different portrait of ourselves”.

Social mobility, the labour and education puzzle

By Jon O’Kane

Before engaging in any discussion on labour and labour rights, it is important to ask the question: why do we work?  The very idea of labour can be viewed in many different ways.  Individually, a person may work to do something they love, support their families, or follow their passions.  Collectively, members of society work and are compensated for the contributions they make to each other. 

Economists argue that generally, people are paid more money for greater contributions to what society needs.  If you build a useful tool, you will be paid accordingly.  Looking at the labour scheme as a whole, a healthy economy thrives when individuals are able to, through self-motivation and financial reward, give back to society.

Still, economics is very abstract and cannot be easily expressed in just a few sentences.  The idea that the free market can allow for the most efficient way to distribute wealth and accomplish societal goals like supply and demand is, I argue, oversimplified.  A perfect free market would have the best carpenter doing carpentry – but in practice, he or she may never have the opportunity to learn the trade.

Engaging employers in search for parity

By Steven Tendo, Journalist

 

Too many times, debate rages over abused rights of workers in some organization, usually in the media. The battle lines are usually drawn between the adversaries but the battles usually leave only the workers bruised, with battered rights.

Kinyara Sugar Works is one of those organizations beset by problems seemingly beyond those of other like companies. The tinderbox beneath the sugar producer is left open and dangerously close to embers, leaving it in constant danger of a bust up.

If it is not casual labourers, it is out growers angry about money paid to them. 

In August 2010, casual labourers were reported to have brought KSW to a halt over alleged nonpayment. The angry mob razed the factory canteen and vandalized a Tata lorry.

Also among valuable items that were destroyed were a computer, a tent and documents belonging to Post Bank in the KSW enclosure.

A strike by out growers led to the burning of about 10 acres of cane. Apart from the obvious loss to the investors at the sugar plant, the whole country experienced a shortage of sugar supply for a long time.

Managers at Kinyara believe that trade unions, far from being a stabilising agent, cause conflict. The fights between the different unions that are vying for the workers at the factory are believed to be disrupting cohesion and therefore disorganizing labour.

Lessons in Death Penalty

By Patricia Nattabi, Law Student, Makerere University 
 

When I was young, the thought of someone dying was a very repulsive thing for me. It was a thing of nightmares, where something dark and evil took away from me those people that I loved and made the people I loved sad. It was the cruel invasion of my happiness and I could never understand why these people had to just leave. For awhile the need to blame someone ignited this irrational fear in me for going to sleep in the dark because dead people in coffins never open their eyes again and they cannot get up anymore. They would disappear into the ground, alone in the dark. Death was alien to me for a very long time; faraway, difficult to understand and somehow even the grownups could not make it go away. An older me now understands that death is as part of being human as life is. Because you were born, you have to die sometime and you might not know when or how. Death is never a good thing and as much as we may want it to be there is never justice in death. 

The Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI)

By Coleman Segal, Research Intern from USA, California

       The Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI) brings together a broad coalition of individuals to advance its goals of advancing “Human Rights and Civic Culture as a Foundation for Peace, Stability, Democracy, Social Justice and Sustainable Development in Uganda”. With the help of international interns from Canada, Germany, the United States, and elsewhere, employees work on research, legal services, civic education and communication with communities.  Each of these endeavors is focused on promoting human rights, and FHRI puts out a number of publications intended to inform the public and guide policy decisions.  These include an annual report, as well as thematic reports focused on such topics as labour rights, juvenile justice, electoral reforms, and health care.

            The multi-cultural, international environment that is fostered at FHRI creates a unique opportunity for discussion and cooperation involving diverse viewpoints.  However, the publications created by FHRI are not informed by opinion, but rather are based on first-hand research and interviews conducted by the Foundation.  This result of this approach is that policy recommendations from FHRI come directly out of input from Ugandan communities.

            Additionally, FHRI pays close attention to current events, and responds dynamically and  rapidly to situations involving human rights abuses or the abridgment of civil liberties.  For instance, members of FHRI have recently participated in protests over the closure of newspapers and radio stations in Uganda by standing outside the affected organizations with tape over their mouths to symbolise the censorship that was taking place.  Through action like this, FHRI is making a difference every day.

Corruption, still a hazzard to Development in Uganda!

By Doreen Kyobutungi and Sandra Nsiimire

Despite endless efforts by Civil Society Organizations to fight corruption, Uganda still ranks high in graft in the East African region, the reason perhaps as to why it remains under developed despite its rich resources.
Although President Museveni has on several occasions promised Ugandans to fight the vice, little has been done and analysts argue that this is due to the lack of political will to do so.

In The East African Report 2012 launched by Transparency International recently in Kampala, Uganda registered the highest number of bribery cases at 40.7% in the region beating Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania.

Corruption is not only a danger but also a catalyst that can be equated to terrorism.

If government does not walk the talk, Ugandans are going to continue swindling in poverty with barely enough food in homes, poor road structures, and poor health facilities with no drugs to mention but a few and by virtue of such unbecoming situations, government is denying the people their rights to access health services, good roads and clean water among others.

FHRI joins the Death Penalty Project (UK) to celebrate its nomination for the national award.

The Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI) in partnership with the Death Penalty Project (UK) continued to advocate for the abolition of the death penalty in Uganda. FHRI worked with the Death Penalty Project (UK) in 2009 and 2010 under the project “Promoting Justice and the Rule of Law: Assistance for prisoners under sentence of Death in Uganda”. Katende, Sempebwa and Co. Advocates was sub contracted with legal representation of prisoners on death row.

Following the ruling in 2006 by the Constitutional Court in Attorney General vs Susan Kigula and 417 others Constitutional Appeal No. 3 of 2006 and the Supreme Court ruling in 2009 the death penalty sentence is still constitutional. However, there were positive development from the ruling which are: the death sentence is no longer mandatory; prisoners who had spent three years on death row after exhausting their appeal to the Supreme Court had their appeal commuted to life imprisonment; and following the judgment, all prisoners who where on death row at the time of the ruling were categorized for either life imprisonment or the mitigation process.

 

The precedent set by the Susan Kigula Supreme court decision has had multiplier effects: the release of some inmates on death row, the development of sentencing guidelines in capital cases and the commencement of mitigation hearings for all persons charged with capital offences. The campaign against the death penalty spearheaded by FHRI has evolved into a regional one. With the East African Civil Society Coalition, regional and international advocacy missions have been undertaken with international NGOs like the World Coalition against the Death Penalty and International Commission against the Death Penalty.

For more information about the Death Penalty project, visit www.deathpenaltyproject.org

 

 

Parliament Should Set a Threshold for Representation of Runner-up Presidential Candidates in Parliament

By Crispy Kaheru

Coordinator – Citizens’ Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda (CCEDU)

It is a given, that democracy runs along the principle of inclusivity as opposed to one of exclusivity. For this reason, our democratic engagements as defined by our electoral laws should accommodate and enhance the tenets of this logic.

The need to refresh this logic is highlighted by the unveiling situation in neighboring Kenya, where efforts are currently in top gear to get two former Presidential candidates, Raila Odinga and Musalia Mudavadi into parliament, a circumstance that is causing an unwanted draft of political speculation and hysteria.

Uganda too is no stranger to this situation as the case of former FDC leader, Kiiza Besigye clearly illustrates. With over two million votes in his favor, he has consistently found his political options permanently restricted to politically effective but at times socio-economically disruptive agitation.

Tension as Media is Threatened, Daily Monitor, Red Pepper, KFM and Dembe FM remain closed.

By Teddy Namayanja, PRO

 

Ugandans have still woken up to a grim reality of the second day without News  from their leading independent daily,  Monitor Publications and leading tabloid Red pepper as they still remain closed by government over allegations that the purported letter of the planned attack on the “Muhoozi Project”  is hidden somewhere in their premises.

It is no secret that the fans of KFM’s – the Mighty Breakfast Morning Talk Show and Dembe’s Big Size Morning Show will have to wait a little longer  to wake up to their favorite shows. Today is the second day since the radio waves were switched off.

If you have to read about anything from a daily newspaper as of now, you will have no choice but to get yourself a copy of the government owned news papers – the New Vision, Bukedde and others. Luckily enough, if you want more  information about the Gen.Sejusa saga, there is the Observer for you to consult but who knows how long it will survive before government gets its iron hand on this publication.
 

Child labour, a form of abuse and exploitation!

By Penny Mbabazi Atuhaire,  Associate Researcher,

The struggle to promote and defend labour rights is not a new phenomenon in our current times. It dates back to the history of the 1930s and 1940s when a lot of bad things happened in the world and nations worldwide decided to come together.They agreed to have an international moral code for right and wrong behavior.

In the process, a good number of international and national instruments were developed to reinforce the basic rights that every individual is entitled to by virtue of being human. Children were not an exception.

The world over, children occupy an important and unique position in society mainly because of their vulnerability to the obvious economic-social challenges that accompany their journey to adulthood. Ugandan children and generally those in Africa experience these effects more compared to those in developed nations.  Irrespective of the circumstances that surround the child’s way of life when growing up, the general wellbeing of a child hugely remains the responsibility of parents, society and government.

Stop harrasing Journalists! Media Practitioners warn Police.

By Teddy Namayanja and Sandra Nsimiire

Media practitioners are asking government to implement the commitment made to the United Nations to investigate and bring perpetrators of violence against Journalists to justice especially the Uganda Police Force which they accuse of harassing Journalists, confiscating and destroying their gadgets.

They have issued a strong warning against the force and threatened to petition international authorities if they do not stop attacking Journalists. The sentiments that triggered this call were echoed during the media dialogue held on May 3, 2013 to commemorate the World Press Freedom Day at ESAMI AUDITORIUM in Kampala.

The dialogue brought together Journalists under the Uganda Journalists Association, Journalism students from Makerere University, Human Rights activists and defenders from Foundation for Human Rights Initiative, Uganda Human Rights Commission, and Uganda Law Society among others.

The Uganda Police Force was also represented by the forces Spokesperson Judith Nabakooba with the Police Spokesperson In charge Of Kampala Metropolitan region, Idi Ibin Ssenkumbi.

A short video collection entitled; “In their own words” showing the brutality that Journalists have suffered at the hands of the custodians who would otherwise protect them was shown. It was quite disturbing and sad. It would appear that the jubilee old nation had gone back to primal stages of human growth.

Calls for Electoral and Constitutional Reforms in Uganda: Signs of a Progressive Evolution?

An opinion by Gwada Ogot;

Lately, calls by progressive forces in Uganda for electoral and constitutional reforms have grown into a din. Premised on socio-economic and political justice, the reformists demand government efficiency in service delivery to combat corruption, eliminate waste and manage elections better.

Progressivism ideally, addresses values, impulses and issues which tone the content and traction of political engagement particularly through substantive but gradual reviews of legislative and non legislative positions. Indeed, history is replete with illustrations of such courses.

In the United States, progressivism arose in the early 20^th century as a response to vast changes brought about by modernization, such as the growth of large corporations and railroads including fears of domination and corruption in American politics.

In the first two decades of the twentieth century, America’s progressive generation established referenda, recalls, direct primaries and direct elections of Senators as core achievements of direct democracy.