Login to BlackFacts.com using your favorite Social Media Login. Click the appropriate button below and you will be redirected to your Social Media Website for confirmation and then back to Blackfacts.com once successful.
Enter the email address and password you used to join BlackFacts.com. If you cannot remember your login information, click the “Forgot Password” link to reset your password.
[Monitor] Finance minister Matia Kasaija was last night on the defensive following accusations that he irregularly dangled a top government job to secure the exit of his opponent in a parliamentary contest.
\t On Friday, internet and international calls were cut off across the West African nation in anticipation of the election results, according to locals and international observers in the capital, Conakry.
\t This was the third time that Conde matched-up against Diallo. Before the election, observers raised concerns that an electoral dispute could reignite ethnic tensions between Guinea's largest ethnic groups.
[DW] On October 31, Ivorians will elect a new leader. President Alassane Ouattara is running for a third controversial term. The opposition is urging supporters to shun the poll -- a political crisis appears imminent.
There will be no extension of the presidential mandate under the cover of coronavirus in the Central African Republic.
This was the final verdict issued by the constitutional court in Bangui, ending a wrangle between the ruling party and the opposition last week.
The government had intended to continue its mandate due to the prevailing coronavirus outbreak arguing that the country will not be ready to hold an election by the end of the year.
A Bangui resident said he was shocked by the decision: “This verdict surprised us because we thought that the constitutional court should give a favorable verdict to those who initiated this project in partial modification of the constitution going in the direction of the extension of the mandate of the president of the republic and that of the MPs.”
A number of African countries are expected to hold elections later this year.
Kampala — The presentation of the stimulus package in which government seeks to tackle the economic impact of the Covid-19 has been pushed to the next session of Parliament after Speaker Rebecca Kadaga rejected it yesterday.
Mr Kasaija has for the last two months not been able to present the economic stimulus after a Parliament's taskforce on Covid-19 presented key issues that need urgent attention as a result of the pandemic's impact .
The measures include lowering or suspending some taxes such as mobile money levy, Over the Top Tax (OTT) and those on essential commodities, reduction of lending rates by Bank of Uganda, and government to provide funds for fuel reserves, among others.
Other recommendations adopted by the House included capitalising the Uganda Development Bank to offer loans at zero interest rates, making budget to reflect the realities of the current situation, providing funds to procure air ambulances and supporting medium and small scale industries from collapsing.
Daily Monitor reported last week that some of the measures being planned by government included cheaper loans to small and medium enterprises, tax cuts for sectors badly affected by the pandemic, and defending the shilling to prevent imported inflation.
[Independent (Kampala)] Kampala, Uganda -- Human rights lawyers and activists want the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) to take interest in the recent acts of violence by agents of security forces, especially the police.
Government has said it has so far implemented 77.9 per cent of its manifesto in the last four years and that the remaining threshold will be completed before the next General Election.
Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, during the launch of the manifesto week at the Office of the President last Friday, said government is on course to achieve its targets.
Dr Rugunda also mentioned other achievements as completion of the one-stop border points to facilitate cross border trade, completion of Entebbe-Kampala Expressway and the Nile Bridge.
Dr Rugunda also said while implementing the manifesto, there have been some challenges such as delays in acquisition of land for flagship projects across sectors.
Ms Esther Mbayo, the minister for Presidency, under which the Manifesto Implementation Unit operates, said the manifesto week offers Ugandans a chance to take stock of the achievements made in the year and analyse the government performance.
President Museveni has appointed former deputy Chief Justice Steven Kavuma as the new board chairman of the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
\"It is true cabinet on Monday, approved Justice Kavuma as the board chair for Civil Aviation Authority for a three-year contract,\" Ms Nabakooba said by telephone on Wednesday morning.
Ms Kiryabwire and Mr Kubeketerya were retained from the old board.
The core mandate of the board members of CAA is to give an oversight role to the country's aviation activities.
When contacted over the phone, the former deputy Chief Justice welcomed the appointment, \"I am feeling great as this is another opportunity for me serve my country again and also internationally.\"
Finance minister, Matia Kasaija has said the government has introduced some taxes to raise revenue and announced that the import duty on agricultural products have been increased to 60 per cent and other products to 35 per cent.
The minister further said modest adjustments to tax rates that have been made include the excise duty rate on fuel; and adjustments to improve competitiveness in the region, support compliance, remove ambiguities in the legislations as well as close loopholes that may lead to revenue leakage.
\"The modest adjustments to tax rates that have been made include the excise duty rate on fuel; and adjustments to improve competitiveness in the region, support compliance, remove ambiguities in the legislations as well as close loopholes that may lead to revenue leakage,\" he said.
Mr Kasaija appealed to Ugandans not to look at paying tax as a burden before explaining that tax administration will be strengthened to improve efficiency in revenue collection, pointing out that the capacity of local governments, including the roll-out of the digital collection of fees and rates, will also be enhanced to improve local revenue generation.
Mr Kasaija said digital stamps will also ensure that goods on the market meet the required health and safety standards; Widen the scope of the income tax withholding agents across all sectors in order to broaden the tax base; Enhance rental income tax collection and compliance by implementing a digital collection solution, as well as gazette rental income tax chargeable in different geographical areas for taxpayers who do not voluntarily declare their rental income.
Sand mining has resumed on the shores of Lake Victoria despite the recent presidential directive to the Minister of Water and Environment to clear all wetlands, riverbanks and lakeshores of encroachers.
The mining site, at Buwaya-Nakiwogo in Wakiso District, is said to be owned by a businesswoman in Bugolobi, Kampala.
Mr Matia Lwanga Bwanika, the district chairperson, said his engagement with the executive director of the National Environmental Management Authority (Nema), Dr Tom Okurut, revealed that he was aware of the mining.
Mr Bwanika said they had sought the intervention of Mr Noah Njuki, the Resident District Commissioner of Entebbe.
Other mining activities around Lake Victoria in Wakiso have been halted following the intervention of Mr Matia Lwanga Bwanika, the district chairperson.
I maintain that Public Servants have nothing to worry about and nothing to fear from a PPP/C Government.
However, the “political appointees” in the Ministries and Agencies who have recently renewed contracts (some, days after the recount confirmed a PPP/C victory) should be put on notice that this is improper, unconstitutional and unlawful.
I reiterate that it is wrong to tie a new Government down with clauses in new contracts to pay tax dollars to political operatives whose services would have concluded.
Public servants, who professionally execute their functions and mandate, will continue to do so freely.
That is to say, public servants irrespective of race, age, gender, ethnicity, class and political affiliation will work and benefit under a PPP/C Government.
The Law Society of Kenya has filed a case challenging the legality of an Executive order issued by President Uhuru Kenyatta that allegedly sought to place the Judiciary, commissions as well as independent offices under ministries and government departments.
Through lawyers Manwa Hosea and Arnold Ochieng, the LSK terms the move as unconstitutional since the executive arm of government cannot restructure or assign functions to other arms and independent commissions.
The LSK claims the disputed Executive order No. 1 of 2020 offends the principles of the constitution, doctrine of separation of powers, democracy and independence of constitutional offices.
According to the LSK, the May 11 Executive Order titled 'The Organisation of Government' can impair the independence of the Judiciary, commissions and independent offices.
The order, the LSK argues, places the various tribunals, constitutional commissions and independent agencies under the control and direction of the respective departments.
Supporters of Malawi’s new president Lazarus Chakwera gathered for a fireworks display in the capital Lilongwe, celebrating his victory in a keen presidential election re-run.
With loud cheers and applause they waved Malawi’s red, black and green flag in celebration. Chakwera won with 58.57 percent of the vote, the electoral commission said Saturday.
It was a dramatic reversal of fortune for incumbent, Peter Mutharika, whose victory in the May 2019 election was overturned by the Constitutional Court, citing widespread fraud.
Some 6.8 million voters in the southern African country had returned to the polls on Tuesday. And on Saturday, electoral commission announced that Chakwera has been duly elected as the president of Malawi.
Mutharika came second with over 1.7 million votes, while a thiurd candidate Peter Dominico Kuwani received 32,456.
Mutharika did not wish to comment on his defeat. But earlier on Saturday, he argued that the election re-run had been flawed, citing violence and intimidation against his party monitors.
In office since 2014, Mutharika had won 38.5 percent of the discredited vote in which Chakwera garnered a close 35.4 percent.
Some governments have stared this bleak figure in the eye with all round economic stimulus packages which have included cuts to Pay As You Earn and corporation taxes like the Kenyan government.
Later that evening, she watched a news clip in which the Minister of Finance, Mr Matia Kasaija, said a prospective economic stimulus package was on its way.
To feed the national budget which Parliament had passed and also keep the economic stimulus package hopes alive, the ministry was banking on six quick loans from the World Bank, IMF, French Development Fund and the African Development to raise close to two billion dollars.
As heads of schools donated to the National Task Force on Covid-19, several teachers, especially in private schools, cried out for relief food saying they had not been paid since the president closed all education institutions in March to combat the pandemic.
The Uganda Hotel Owners' Association revealed that their members have been forced to send at least 400,000 employees on unpaid leave due to the Covid-19 lockdown that has plunged tourism, the country's biggest foreign exchange earner and other sectors of the economy, into disarray.
It also focused on the non-payment of invoices by state departments, service delivery during the Covid-19 lockdown and grievances brought before the organisation which investigates, monitors and evaluates how public service is administered.
Seloane added the public works and infrastructure and water and sanitation departments continued to default with 173 and 137 invoices, respectively, which were older than 30 days.
Seloane said the commission noted the government, like others across the globe, was under severe pressure because of the Covid-19 pandemic and welcomed efforts by the government to establish the Solidarity Fund which would assist with relief efforts during the crisis.
Seloane said the pandemic also challenged the behaviour of public servants, raising concerns over incidents of ill-treatment meted to citizens by law enforcement officials along with reports of maladministration, ill-treatment or lack of care of particular patients at some medical facilities and poor service delivery.
READ HERE | Alexandra residents say they are losing faith in law enforcement after Collins Khosa death
\"The value of human dignity as well as the principle of high standards of professional ethics should at all times guide the behaviour of government officials when delivering government services.\"
June 28: Chakwera, Chilima sworn in
\tMalawi held an investiture for president Lazarus Chakwera and vice-president Saulos Chilima, hours after the elections body declared Chakwera winner of last Tuesday’s polls.
Key statistics
\t
\t\tLazarus Chakwera, leader of the Tonse Allaince = 2,604,043 votes (58.5%)
\t\tArthur Peter Mutharika of the DPP/UDF alliance = 1,751,877 votes
\t\tPeter Kuwani of Mbakuwaku Movement for Development = 33,456 votes
\t\tOut of the 6,859,570 registered voters, 4,445,699 cast their votes
\t\tThe Commission recorded 57,323 spoilt ballots, representing 1.29%
\t\tThe commission received and resolved 10 complaints from all three participating sides
June 27: Chakwera’s victory confirmed by election body
\tMalawi Electoral Commission (MEC) late Saturday declared opposition alliance leader Lazarus Chakwera as the winner of Tuesday’s presidential re-run election.
June 25: Opposition celebrates unofficial Chakwera victory
\tOpposition chief Lazarus Chakwera has ‘taken the lead’ in Malawi’s poll count, according to unofficial results being projected by multiple local media outlets.
Read more – Malawi election commission appeals for calm as it tallies votes
June 23: Voting ends, ballot counting begins
\tPolls have closed in most parts of Malawi privately-run newspaper The Nation reports.
June 23: Malawians vote in crucial presidential poll rerun despite virus
\tVoters in Malawi have already started casting their ballots today in crucial presidential election rerun pitting incumbent Peter Mutharika and opposition coalition leader Lazarus Chakwera.
In its 142-page decision the seven judges in Malawi's Supreme Court of Appeal, among them the Chief Justice, Andrew Nyirenda, are unanimous in upholding the finding of the Constitutional Court: the May 2019 elections failed in their aim of 'duly electing' a new President.
That's because the country's electoral commission, commenting on the Appeal Court decision, has suggested that it might not be possible to have the new President sworn in by the court's deadline if the original re-run schedule prevails.
In fact, it would be hard to read the Appeal Court's decision as anything other than a sharp rebuke to the commission about the way it handled matters, particularly as the votes were being collected and tallied, and then again when the validity of the polls was tested in court.
The position of Malawi's courts had been that if the results were not affected by irregularities, the elections should stand.
Stating its revised position on the matter, the judges said that it would be hard for a court in Malawi to uphold an election where its conduct was 'largely compromised', especially since voting numbers in such a case could be the result of flouting electoral law.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it has submitted a second formal request to the Zondo Commission of Inquiry to urgently investigate what it calls the ongoing role played by the ANC’s policy of cadre deployment in 'capturing, corrupting and collapsing the South African state'.
[Monitor] The National Resistance Movement (NRM) party sub-county chairpersons from Gulu and Omoro districts have appealed to President Museveni to deliver on pledges he made to them in 2016.
The radical proposal comes at a time JSC is locked in a vicious tussle with the Executive, after President Uhuru Kenyatta declined to appoint 41 new judges proposed by the commission.
On advise of the National Intelligence Service, President Kenyatta says some of the judges are tainted but Chief Justice David Maraga holds that he has no choice, in law, but to make the appointments.
Maraga called a rare press conference last week, flanked by no other official from the Judiciary or the commission, to blast the Executive, and lamented that he was frustrated after failing to secure an appointment with the President to resolve the matter.
And on Tuesday, Kitonga, who played a key role in writting the current constitution, under which JSC was established, said the new face of the commission should the Treasury Cabinet Secretary in place of the AG \"because as part of government, he (Treasury CS) is able to advise the JSC on the budget available for recruitment of judges.\"
Chief Justice David Maraga is the current chairperson of JSC with membership drawn from the High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme court- with each contributing a member, the AG, 2 advocates, a presentative of the Public Service Commission and 2 appointees of the President.
Malawi’s President Peter Mutharika has appointed a new electoral commission chairperson ahead of a presidential re-run.
The country’s Constitutional Court in February ordered a fresh presidential election be held within 150 days after annulling last year’s re-election of President Mutharika – a ruling upheld by the Supreme Court.
The former commission chairperson Jane Ansah resigned amid criticism by the opposition on how she managed the disputed election.
President Mutharika on Sunday appointed Justice Chifundo Kachale to head the electoral commission.
The new chairperson is expected by voters to deliver a credible presidential election devoid of irregularities as ordered by the courts.
Malawi's governing party has called for a third presidential election, citing irregularities and intimidation in this week's re-run vote as unofficial tallies show incumbent President Peter Mutharika losing to the opposition leader.
Voters in the southern African country went to the polls on Tuesday for the second time in 13 months after the Constitutional Court scrapped the initial May 2019 presidential election over mass fraud.
The governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) called on Friday on the electoral commission to annul the results collated so far of the second vote and declare a third poll.
DPP administrative secretary Francis Mphepo said in a statement: \"We wish to highlight several incidents that may potentially affect the integrity and credibility of the presidential election results.\"
In February, Malawi's top court found the election was marred by widespread irregularities, including the use of correction fluid to tamper with result sheets.
President Museveni has written to the Public Service Commission (PSU) nominating Dorothy Kisaka as the new Kampala Capital City Authority executive director.
If vetted and cleared by the PSU, Kisaka will replace Andrew Kitaka the current acting KCCA director whose contract extension expires next week on June 18.
Kitaka's contract was extended in December 2019 for a further six months and has been acting KCCA executive director since December 2018 after being appointed by then Kampala minister Beti Kamya following the resignation of Jennifer Musisi.
Museveni in his letter to the PSU also nominated Eng David Luyimbazi Ssali as deputy executive director, Dr Daniel Okello Ayen as director public health and environment, Sarah Kanyike as director gender, community services and production and Grace Akullo as human resource and administration.
Museveni said the five nominees were headhunted because of their integrity, he nevertheless he asked PSU to interview them and find out if they are suitable for the KCCA positions.
As polls suggest the opposition alliance will win on 23 June, President Mutharika has been trying to forcibly remove the country's chief justice.
When Peter Mutharika was declared the official winner of Malawi's hard-fought presidential elections in May 2019, he would not have expected - or wanted - to be doing it all again just one year later.
Moreover, in his 5 June State of National Address, Mutharika asked parliament to reverse the court ruling that demanded Malawi switch from its first-past-the-post system to one that requires the victor to garner a 50+1 majority.
In the annulled 2019 elections, President Mutharika of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was declared the winner with 38.6% of the vote.
Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) garnered 35.4%; Saulos Chilima of UTM came third with 20.2%; and Atupele Muluzi of the United Democratic Front (UDF) received 4.7%.
There were also tax measures such as increased import duty on agricultural imports to 60 per cent, up from 25 per cent.
In Kenya, the tax bracket for people earning rental income was moved up to Kshs15m (Shs525.9m) from Kshs10m.
Kenya, Mr Muhammed Ssempijja, partner tax, E&Y says, also reduced the corporation tax rates and PAYE to 25 per cent from 30 per cent.
Finance Minister Matia Kasaija, while appearing on NTV recently said the measures taken by government are expected to address concerns on purchasing power.
Uganda currently might not afford to amend tax rates since the finance ministry in the Shs45.5 trillion budget set a higher target for the taxman.
Kirunda's far-reaching impact, which shows him as Uganda's most successful captain having led the Cranes to their best ever finish at Afcon finals, where they lost to champions Ghana in 1978, also had the game's most powerful man chip in.
\"
Kirunda's national team collection has him Cecafa titles in 1969, 1970, 1973, 1976 & 1977 (1969 as Gosage Cup and 1970 as Challenge Cup), three Afcon tournaments, four league titles and an impressive 32 goals as top scorer in 1978, when he was deployed as a striker.
Those who didn't watch Uganda's team of mid-late 70s,\" he tweeted, \"Can't know how great you were; with Omondi, Mike Kiganda, Nsereko, Dennis Obua, Polly Ouma, Paul Ssali...\"
Uganda coach Johnny McKinstry said \"the talent, dedication and discipline required to play at three Afcons, lead Uganda to the 1978 final and win five Cecafa Cups cannot be underestimated.\"
Cranes captain and 2016 Caf Champions League winner, Denis Onyango, was \"anguished by the demise of one of Uganda's greatest footballers.
Onyango's national teammate Murushid Juuko took a trip down to 2016 when Fufa ensured a cast of the 1978 Afcon finalists, including Kirunda, gave the Cranes pep talk before their final qualification game against Comoros at Namboole.
