POLICE AT THE CENTER OF THE JUSTICE LAW AND ORDER SECTOR’S SERVICE DELIVERY

POLICE AT THE CENTER OF THE JUSTICE LAW AND ORDER SECTOR’S SERVICE DELIVERY By Moses Paul Sserwanga Esq. in Garmisch Germany Since the National Resistance Movement government took over power in 1986, significant inroads have been made in putting the country on a constitutional path. It’s imperative therefore to examine how the Justice, Law and Order Sector (JLOS)with the Uganda Police being one of the major 15 government institutions that make up JLOS. Like any other revolution that overthrows another government, when the NRM captured power after a 5-year war, it immediately suspended the 1967 Constitution by legal Notice No.1 of 1986, which vested the National Resistance Council (interim parliament) with legislative authority. The Legal Notice No. 1 stipulated what kind of leadership the NRM wanted to exercise over the country. Since constitutionalism was one of the grievances that led Yoweri Museveni and his fighters to the bush to wage a protracted war against what was perceived as a dictatorial establishment, the NRM planned to have a national constitution where people’s views would be incorporated. In 1995 a new constitution was made and it effectively ended the operation of Legal Notice No. I. The 1995 Constitution was promulgated after national consultations and extensive debate in the Constituent Assembly. It provides for fundamental human rights in Chapter Four, separation of powers between the judiciary, legislature and the executive. With the new constitution in place, the government through parliament has since made many laws to operationalise the supreme law of the land. Strong laws on corruption, public accountability and transparency, protection of environment and natural resources, public order, national security, security of persons and property and rule of law, among others, have been put in place. The last 10 years of JLOS have seen implementation of Strategic Investment Plans (SIP 1& 2). JLOS is now implementing SIP III for the next five years 2012-2017 to ensure the rule of law and justice for all Ugandan irrespective of their gender, age and social status. The Sector-wide approach is a government system where institutions performing related mandates come together to plan, budget and execute their mandates together as opposed to individual institutions operating in isolation. The approach helps institutions to develop in the short run. For planning to be effective it is done from a holistic approach. It’s about unity in diversity. The JLOS institutions bring different synergies together and consequently become stronger. There is better communication, coordination and cooperation among the sector institutions. The institutions compliment each other and as a result there are more meaningful benefits to the public that we serve. But emphasis must be made that this approach to governance and provision of service in my view is a transitional process of making the individual institutions become stronger and work better. That’s’ why the JLOS sector-wide approach to provision of services has been regarded a big successful innovation both locally and internationally . Because of the success of the JLOS sector-wide model, it has been exported to other countries like Zambia, Ghana, Rwanda, Malawi, Afghanistan, Kenya and Tanzania. Others tried it but failed because the sector-wide approach requires a lot of commitment from the top leadership. They must see the value of working together and the NRM government under the leadership of President Yoweri Museveni has helped the new JLOS model to flourish .With the JLOS model, government is in position to focus its resources to create positive impact and results for the public good. For instance, under JLOS there has been a concerted effort to demonstrate that a sector-wide approach to planning and budgeting, which focuses more on results rather than processes is good for the country. Through JLOS, the JLOS institutions which include the Uganda Police Force ,have managed to streamline, plan and budget for their services better and create an all-round results based management system across the chain of justice in the country. There has been reduction in case backlog from 500% five years ago to a low of 192%by 2011. The prosecution and conviction rate of offenders has improved from a national average of 32% to 51% in the last three years. The court performance in terms of completion compared to registration of cases has also tremendously improved with a substantial reduction in case backlog which was quite chronic. Some of the cases used to take as many as five years to be cleared. It’s now clear that courts are beginning to tackle the problem of case backlog. Two years ago JLOS introduced the case backlog Quick Wins Reduction programme which has been successful. Through this programme the Judiciary working together with the Uganda Police Force ,has managed to clean the court system by removing redundant cases and refocusing both the human and financial resources in areas where they are needed most. JLOS has also helped the police force in the area of education and recruitment. There are now better investigations and prosecutions – generally better competences for those officers involved in the management of court cases. There has also been steady improvement in infrastructure with construction of court facilities and strengthened management systems across the country. Other achievements include improved infrastructure especially in the hard-to-reach areas in post-conflict northern Uganda. There are now more justice agencies including police units on the ground to the extent that people are suggesting the rest of the country needs affirmative action because the north is over-subscribed. At the Directorate of Immigration there have registered reduced lead times from 10 to 5 minutes for one to clear through. More immigration points manned by immigration and police officers have been set up across the country. The ministry of Internal Affairs also a key institution on JLOS has decentralized the issuing of passports by opening regional offices in Gulu, Mbale, Mbarara and Arua. All this is to further ease the process of one to acquire a passport. The Uganda Registration Services Bureau has become an autonomous body and the lead time for one to register a company has reduced from 9 to 3 days on average. The same applies to the Administrator General’s office where it now takes fewer days to get a certificate of No Objection, winding up and better management of estates of deceased persons. The Uganda Police has helped in the reduction of crime for the last five years with 300 cases reported for every 100,000 people, one of the lowest crime rates in the world. Re-offending rate has gone down from 64% to28% in the last 10 years, which also is a very low rate compared to countries like the US and Britain. This can be attributed to our extended social systems and the rehabilitation of prisoners in our detention centres. The Judicial Service Commission has also improved its services. Now there is a more open process of recruiting judicial officers. Law Development Centre has been revamped and the 80% student failure rate has been substantially brought down. JLOS is also helping in imporving services offered by members of the Uganda Law Society so that they can effectively execute its mandate of offering public legal education and pro-borno services to the public especially the poor and vulnerable. Because of our success story, Uganda is now exporting the JLOS model for justice reforms including policing to other African countries and Europe. The Commercial, International Crimes and Anti- corruption divisions of the High Court have been setup and are functional with the Commercial Division having the least number of backlog cases. The Anti-corruption Division takes only 4 months to dispose of a case which is a completion rate of 90%. The challenge though is that these courts are Kampala-based and there is selective prosecution of corruption cases. JLOS working to address these concerns. The Uganda Police Force is a the center of the new innovations being implemented by JLOS some of which have won international awards such as the Chain Linked Initiative to fast track justice and community policing to prevent crime. On the whole, it can be argued that great strides have been made in realisation of the rule of law and administration of justice. This is evidenced through the creation of Specialised Divisions of the High Court which include, the Commercial, Land, Family, Criminal and Anti- Corruption divisions where the Uganda Police Force is charged with investigations to ensure fair and speed disposal of cases. The number of magistrates and judges on the bench has more than doubled and the justice delivery facilities including court premises have been renovated and new ones constructed although the justice sector is still under-funded. As indicated above among the primary Justice Law and Order Sector , (JLOS) goal under SIP III is to promote the rule of law and fundamental to this goal is the establishment of justice centers across the country to ensure better delivery of justice services to the people of Uganda. A number of these centers have been constructed across the country since JLOS was set up by government in November 1999 to carry out reforms in Uganda’s justice system. Among the facilities which have been established , is the Mbale Government Analytical Laboratory at Malukhu road opetrating under the slogan : “Go scientific for a safe and just society”. The facility which was commissioned on October 7th 2010, is run by the Government Analytical Laboratory a directorate in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The services which are provided at the laboratory include forensic tests as back up in ensuring national security, trans-border activities and law and order and provision of evidence in criminal cases all work carried out by the Uganda Police Force. At the facility , statutory testing for enforcement of public health and environmental standards and regulation is carried out For instance carry out tests on water to ensure its good for public consumption plus pesticide residual , food and drugs tests. Other services provided at the laboratory include , DNA for parentage, toxicology, questioned documents, ballistics and tool marks identification. Mbale government laboratory which serves the eastern region has a strategic objective of ensuring administration of justice through provision of forensic scientific services. People don’t have to go to Kampala to get these services. The aim is to bring the services nearer to the people to ensure that as many Ugandans access justice. Another newly constructed JLSO building is the the Kiryandongo Police station in concerted effort to justice services nearer to the people. Already, there has been a sharp rise in reported criminal cases at Kiryandongo Police Station, another new JLOS facility. This has been attributed to police access rather than a surge in crime rate. Before the police station was set up, it was difficult for the residents to travel a long distance to report crime in their localities. But with the police station near them, it is now easy to report crime and probably this explains the perceived rising crime incidence. msserwanga@gmail.com Garmisch Germany

JLOS impact getting visible across Uganda

JLOS impact getting visible across Uganda The Justice, Law and Order Sector’s work is being noticed across the country with the construction of JLOS centres to help people access justice. There is, for instance, the new Gulu Remand Home which is now housing 44 children on capital and minor offences. The facility which was commissioned in July 2009 at Pece, Laroo Division in Gulu municipality is intended to provide accommodation to child criminal offenders as they await trial in courts of law. Those who are convicted are transferred to Kampiringisa, the only national children rehabilitation centre located in Mpigi district. Evaline Akello, the Assistant Probation and Welfare Officer at the Gulu Remand Home is impressed by what JLOS’s work and the support of Unicef and other donors have extended towards improving the justice centres in the country. “Here we are happy to have this kind of facility because it has led to reduction in the number of children escaping from custody,” Akello says. She, however, observes that although child offenders now have good shelter, there are several challenges still facing the remand home. For instance, the boarding rooms, which were meant to accommodate 20 boys and 20 girls are now overcrowded with over 40 boys remanded at the facility. There is inadequate food for the remand children besides shortage of vehicles to transport them to health centres when they fall sick. “These are some of the problems that undermine the good things that have been registered by JLOS. The district budget for the remand home is very small and can only allow for the purchase of half the food the children are recommended to eat each day. “These children are still growing, they need to feed well. But we don’t have enough food here. Their uniforms which were provided by the Ministry of Labour need replacement just like their beddings. Our electricity was also recently cut off due to non-payment of bills and all these challenges negatively impact on our work,” Akello explains. The remand home is also under-staffed. There has been a sharp rise in reported criminal cases at Kiryandongo Police Station, another new JLOS facility. However, this has been attributed to police access rather than a surge in crime rate. Before the police station was set up, it was difficult for the residents to travel a long distance to report crime in their localities. But with the police station near them, it is now easy to report crime and probably this explains the perceived rising crime incidence. “It’s surprising but true. Previously we could hardly receive people here reporting about crime in their localities. But now the reported criminal cases have gone up. I think it has to do with the visibility of the police station and maybe the fact that it’s new attracts people,” says Detective Inspector David Ojwiga who is the station’s Deputy CID Officer explains. Ojwiga, says that although the station is still small for the staff, the prison cells have solved the problem of congestion. Another police station has been built at Panyandoli Hills in Kiryandongo using hydro-form bricks and police labour. This has further extended the JLOS services nearer to the people. msserwanga@gmail.com

ACCESS to justice; NEW GOVERNMENT ANALYTICAL LABORATORY HAS BEEN SET UP IN MBALE

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NEW GOVERNMENT ANALYTICAL LABORATORY HAS BEEN SET UP IN MBALE

One of the primary Justice Law and Order Sector , (JLOS) goal under SIP III is to promote the rule of law and fundamental to this goal is the establishment of justice centers across the country to ensure better delivery of justice services to the people of Uganda. A number of these centers have been constructed across the country over the last 10 years since JLOS was set up was established by government in November 1999 to carry out reforms in Uganda’s justice system. Among the facilities which have been established , is the Mbale Government Analytical Laboratory at Malukhu road opetrating under the slogan : “Go scientific for a safe and just society”. The facility which was commissioned on October 7th 2010, is run by the Government Analytical Laboratory a directorate in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The services which are provided at the laboratory according to Mr. Luke Senkatuka, a government analyst, include forensic tests as back up in ensuring national security, trans-border activities and law and order. “We are carry out statutory testing for enforcement of public health and environmental standards and regulation. We for instance carry out tests on water to ensure its good for public consumption plus pesticide residual , food and drugs tests,” he says. Other services provided at the laboratory include , DNA for parentage, toxicology, questioned documents, ballistics and tool marks identification. Franked by his colleagues Keturah Nakayenga and Francis Ogwal, Senkatuka explained that the Mbale government laboratory which serves the eastern region has a strategic objective of ensuring administration of justice through provision of forensic scientific services. “People don’t have to go to Kampala to get these services. The aim is to bring the services nearer to the people to ensure that as many Ugandans access justice. So we are here to offer specialized scientific support to regulatory and law enforcement agencies for the safety of the people living in Uganda,” he explained. Senkatuka , however regretted to note that few people are aware of the services that are being provided at the facility. “ We need to do a lot more in educating and informing the people about the availability of these services since they are intended for the public good,” he says. Among other challenges faced by the Mbale government laboratory is inadequate equipment, staffing and lack of lack of transport . “ we need a vehicle and motorcycles to access the country side. We are also not fully equipped to conduct some specific tests and this slows down the pace of administering justice ,” Senkatuka notes. He is however optimistic that since the laboratory is new with time it will be fully functional and meet JLOS overall objective of providing adequate and timely services to the people.

PACKAGING MEDIA LAW AND HUMAN RIGHTS TO BOOST JOURNALISM

Packaging media law and human rights to boost Peace Journalism By Moses Sserwanga ,Garmisch Germany Many journalists in Uganda enter newsrooms with little or even no knowledge of the legal regime that governs the practice of journalism in the country. As mentioned in several other articles in this journal, majority of journalists, especially at upcountry radio stations lack even the basic media training. Indeed some of these people pick up journalistic skills which get sharpened through experience, and in-house training. But knowledge of media has to be acquired through training, and continuous refresher courses. The journalists that the Uganda Media Development Foundation trains in peace journalism largely fall in this category. Many are good, talented but lacking in this legal knowledge. Through experience, pitfalls in stories produced and by reflecting on questions the trainees ask during the workshops, UMDF decided that training in peace journalism alone would be less successful if the trainees did not have broad knowledge of how to practice without getting in conflict with the law. In partnership with Bread for the World, resources have been made available for the training of journalists and other media workerson elements of peace journalism and media law. Already, some 200 journalists in the Central, Eastern, Northern and Karamoja regions are undertaking training in week long seminars and follow-up mentorship one –on –one session. Therefore, the recent training workshops in peace journalism are now delivered as a package. Apart from peace journalism knowledge and skills, the trainers also deliver modules about media law and aspects of political reporting. The other reason is local research done shows that such training sessions, as those conducted by UMDF, are the only opportunity journalists get to acquire professional knowledge they so badly need to practice. Media owners and managers do not have budgets for training as theirs are predominantly privately owned media companies out to make a profit. Even in more established media organisations with bigger budgets, training budgets have been slashes and employers expect job seekers to come with knowledge already acquired. Lack of basic legal knowledge and media laws have led to several problems: countless law suits against media houses; dismissal of offending journalists; failure to enrich stories and contextualize information from a legal perspective. Many journalists suffer intimidation, arrests and physical assault and they do not know how to get redress simply because they do not know the law and their rights.Many cases have been reported where reporters tools of the trade such as cameras and notebooks, phones, have been confiscated and others destroyed by the state agents. Peace journalism practice deals with the process of enabling the resolution of conflicts. This requires of journalists to have some basic legal literacy and a good understanding, in particular, of the laws relating to journalism, and essentials of human rights. Indeed, conflict situations have inherent human rights issues. At every mentoring visit, these issues are emphasised and new elements introduced. The purpose is to gradually equip the journalists with these important knowledge and skills in a phased manner. It is even more pertinent today for journalists to have a good understanding of the regal regime in Uganda. The state of media freedom in Uganda The Minister of Information recently released a set of controversial media regulation proposals which, according to legal experts will restrict freedom of expression in Uganda if they are allowed to pass. The proposedregulations seek to impose registration and licensing requirements on both the print and electronic media. This proposal conflicts with Articles 27 and 41 of Uganda’s Constitutionwhich provide for freedoms of expression and of the press, and freedom of accessto information. Both these are fundamental freedoms. There cannot be a true democratic society without a free press to guard against the excesses of the state or government presided over by elected leaders. Indeed Uganda courts have underlined the importance of these freedoms. In the land mark Uganda Supreme Court case of Charles Onyango- Obbo and Andrew Mujuni Mwenda vs. Attorney General (AG) court stated: “It’s difficult to imagine a guaranteed right more important to democratic society than freedom of expression. The proposed regulations indicate that press freedom in Uganda is viewed not as a constitutional guarantee but as a mere public relations showpiece while in essence, the provisions shield public officials from media scrutiny. For peace journalists, these provisions threaten the environment where they can effectively report on activities of powerful individuals who might be linked to some conflicts going on in the country. Uganda already has a broad legal regime. The Press and Journalists Act, The Electronic Media Act, The Access to Information Act and The Communications Act are some of the laws. In total thirteen different pieces of law, including the Penal Code Act contain provisions that in different ways impact on the practice of journalism. There are detailed punitive measures for breach of the laws and ethical codes of practice are also in force. So what are the reasons behind the proposed additional regulatory measures? As Uganda heads towards general elections in 2016, many conflicts with a political dimension are bound to occur and it is paramount that these fundamental freedoms are respected. Only then will journalists be able to practice peace journalism effectively, to talk to all sides in conflicts and to speak truth to power. In the same Supreme Court case cited above, the judges noted that “in a free democratic society it is almost too obvious to need stating that those who hold office in government and who are responsible for public administration must always be open to criticism. Any attempt to stifle or fetter such criticism amounts to political censorship of the most insidious and objectionable kind.” The proposed amendments to media regulation are just but an example of the fluid environment for media practice which all journalists should be aware of and the dangers they pose for the country’s democracy. The knowledge of the media law and human rights that is part of the compendium of UMDF’s peace journalism training should prepare the peace journalism practitioners to negotiate the terrain with more confidence. James Madison, fourth President of the United States put it this way, that knowledge will forever govern ignorance and a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives. A vibrant and free media environment is but the hallmark of civil liberties. Moses Sserwanga is an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda and a Media, Legal consultant/ trainer. msserwanga@gmail.com Garmisch Germany

New JLOS strategic plan is to create access to justice for all

By 2016/17, JLOS envisages to have delivered a legislative, policy and regulatory framework for effective justice and national development. The Justice, Law and Order Sector (JLOS) is now implementing its third 5-year Strategic Investment Plan that will run from 2012/13 to 2016/17. While JLOS will maintain due focus on the national legislative, policy and programming functions, the sector’s 17 institutions (as listed below) will shift their attention and resources in the next five years towards addressing operational constraints to service delivery in all civil, criminal and administrative justice. There will also be increased discussion, knowledge sharing and application of human rights in all the JLOS reforms. The SIPIII therefore is also intended to develop and fund special programmes to target gender, age, poverty and other forms of vulnerability and uphold human rights that broaden the definition of justice beyond the formal justice systems. According to Senior Technical Adviser at the JLOS Secretariat Paul Gadenya,under SIP III, JLOS will deepen reforms by tackling the growing concerns of accountability and human rights observance through standard setting; compliance check through Peer Review mechanisms and full implementation of the Sector Anti-Corruption Strategy among others. Gadenya says the Sector will also consolidate its management systems and structures,implement a Sect or Management Policy and continue to innovate, generate knowledge and set pace for justice reforms in the East African Community (EAC) and the entire Africa. By the end of the SIP III in 2016/17, it’s envisaged that JLOS will have delivered to all people in Uganda the following key three results: A legislative, policy and regulatory framework conducive to JLOS operations; promoting rule of law and human rights and enabling national development. By 2017,JLOS expects more people, particularly the poor and vulnerable groups, to have better access to justice and to be living in a safer and secure environment. “There will be more JLOS institutions that are responsive to human rights, and are more accountable to service users and the public. As a result, it’s expected that 70% of the population will be satisfied with JLOS services by 2016/17and public confidence in the justice system will increase by 47% from the current 34 per cent to 50 per cent,” says Gadenya. Rachel Odoi Musoke the adviser land and commercial justice noted that the primary sector goal under SIP III is to promote the rule of law and fundamental to this goal is the establishment and sustenance of a legislative, policy and regulatory framework cognizant of human rights and conducive to national development. Ms.Musoke says JLOS under SIP III is committed to accelerating access to justice for all particularly the vulnerable. “This will include bottom-up measures to empower people in Uganda to assert their rights and demand their entitlements from JLOS institutions,” she says. The Sector will also maintain promotion of a human rights and accountability culture throughout JLOS institutions as a sustainable response to raise public confidence in JLOS services. The SIP III focus in the next five years is to enhance performance of JLOS institutions to deliver three results: A rights based policy, legal and regulatory framework for its operations, national economic growth, employment and prosperity; improved access to JLOS services for all particularly the vulnerable and enhanced human rights observance and institutional accountability. Commercial justice In a determined effort to ensure all Ugandans access justice and thus promote respect for human rights and rule of law and order, the SIP III strategic focus in the next five years will ensure the strengthening of three key semi-autonomous and one-stop units for business dispute resolution which include Centre for Arbitration and Dispute Resolution (CADER); Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) for business registration services and Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration among others. The creation of these centres has greatly improved enforcement of contracts in Uganda with the country’s international ranking rising to 110thin 2011. Ease of Starting Business in Uganda also improved to 143rd position in 2011.Thisis evidenced by the fact that starting a limited liability company in Uganda now takes 45 minutes to conduct a search in the registries; less than 12 hours to register the company and equally less time to register patents, trademarks and other business instruments. Uganda’s overall Doing Business 2011 ranking is 122ndrecording a 7-point increase from last year. The most significant increase was recorded in the Getting Credit Indicator, where the country jumped 63 spots. Similarly the Ease of Accessing Travel Permits improved from 34 days in 2000 to 10 days in 2010 for passports and from 3 months to 21 days for work permits. The Governmental Analytical Laboratory under the Ministry of Internal Affairs improved its service time from an average of 6months in 2005/6 to 3 months 2010/11. In effect, 70% of the Uganda’s rural population can now traverse shorter distances and access JLOS services in close proximity to each other unlike the situation in 2000. Activity Lead time 2005/06 Lead time 2010/11 Processing a Passport 30 days 10days Processing a Work permit 90days 21days Clearance at borders 15minutes 5minutes Forensic analysis 6months 3months Peruse files for prosecution 14days 2days Register a Company 30days 48hours JLOS has also registered improvements in speed of access to services offered by participating institutions such as Tax Appeals Tribunal, Government Analytical Laboratory Services; Uganda Human Rights Commission; Directorate of Public Prosecutions; Criminal Investigations Directorate of the Uganda Police Force and its special units of Family and Child Protection and NGO registration. Ms.Musoke says that with JLOS placing emphasis on the promotion of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, the cost of accessing JLOS services has significantly reduced. In the Commercial Division of the High Court, a mediation registry has been established. Coupled with other ongoing reforms in the Division, case backlog reduced from 44% in 2009 to 34% in 2010. Specialized services in the Commercial Court, Anti Corruption Court; Internal Crimes Division (ICD); Land and Family Divisions of the High Court have enabled JLOS increase its case disposal rates from 30.7% for commercial cases in 2007/08 to 48.8% in 2009/10. Musokesays the Commercial Court Division initiated a mediation pilot project and developed its special rules in 2006 to speed up the process of resolving commercial disputes. “We now have a process where all cases filed at the Commercial Court first go for mediation to give parties a chance to resolve the matters themselves. It helps to reduce the cases for judges, reduces costs for the litigants and saves time. It has reduced case backlog. The Centre for Mediation with a registrar has been setup and 20 lawyers have been trained in mediation processes,” MsMusoke says. This approach to resolving disputes without going through the formal court system is also set to be rolled out to the Family, Land and Civil court divisions where a mandatory mediation programme will be introduced . According to Musoke there has been innovations in the use of Information and Communication Technology in the Commercial Court and the High Court up-country circuits. “The introduction of ICT in our courts has also greatly helped to speed up the hearing of cases since judges record proceedings using tape recorders instead of writing them on paper as the case was in the past. The recordings also come in handy for transcription for those who want to appeal judgements of the lower courts to the superior appellate courts. In the Commercial Court a small claims procedure with simplified rules of procedure for small claims of below Shs50m is also being implemented. Musoke says a team of experts is revising and updating the Civil Procedure rules. “We want to make the rules user friendly and simpler and thus break away from some technical barriers in accessing justice. The revised rules will be finalised in the next financial year”. The adjudication of corruption cases has also improved with successful prosecution of corrupt people in the newly created Anti-Corruption High Court Division leading to an increased number of convictions. Land Justice Land is a key strategic resource to Uganda’s population and is a core primary factor of agricultural production, ecosystem stability, and climate resilience. Prevalence of land conflicts at household level is high at 34.9% and is slightly higher amongst rural households(36%) compared to urban households (33%). Only 20% of land conflicts are not reported to any dispute resolution option. With a dispute resolution rate of 59.9% for land conflicts at first instance and an average dissatisfaction rate of only 13.3 % the land justice system is rated fair. Though the majority of cases are handled in semi-formal fora, the sector needs to strengthen oversight and set standards while clarifying mandates of the different fora. In addition to the Land Division of the High Court, Musoke says a new Land Magistrate’s Court has been set up at Nakawa where magistrates have been designated to specifically deal with land matters. “We are also re-examining the Land Tribunal structures to make them functional. The Land Tribunals faced some challenges because of their composition where the chairpersons were not from the same district as the other members. Since the chairpersons were conducting business in more than five districts each, the tribunals could not in most cases convene due to lack of quorum which could not be realised without the chairman in attendance,”Musoke explains. There was also a problem of inadequate funding due to the increased number of districts from 65 at the time the Land Tribunals were set up to 112 today. The creation of new districts increased the costs drastically. The tribunals also suffered other problems such as poor record keeping, poor quality andproduction of judgments as most of the tribunal committee members had limited or no knowledge about land law. In some other cases, Musoke points out, the tribunals were dispensing popular justice rather than substantive justice. “We are now trying to rectify some of these issues to reduce the backlog of land cases. Why we are looking at alternative systems of justice to complement the existing formal justice system in resolving land conflicts across the country,” she says. She says alternative dispute resolution through informal justice system or community justice and customary tenure where elders play a central role in resolving conflicts will be encouraged. JLOS will also strengthen the Local Council Courts and how they link to the formal courts of judicature. A study to enable these alternative informal justice systems handle criminal matters like it is done in South Africa and Canada is ongoing. It’s a new area being studied under the JLOSSIP III. Challenges facing the sector Despite the tremendous progress made in the delivery of justice, a number of challenges still exist as JLOS continues with the implementation of the SIP III. The challenges include access to legal information on rights. One of the key mandates of the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs is dissemination of legal information to the public. Popularization of the laws and massive education of the public on their constitutional rights and legal protections are part of the process of entrenchment of the rule of law entrusted to JLOS. This is a marginally discharged role by the sector. Presently, there is no comprehensive system of simplification and dissemination of laws to the population and also to the justice actors. Legal and rights awareness among the population served by JLOS institutions is still low. Procedures of access and mechanisms to obtain redress remain largely unknown to the users. This limits the demand side ability to assert and claim their due entitlements from the JLOS system. “Levels of knowledge and empowerment of users to access JLOS services will be prioritized in SIP III. JLOS is mandated to bring the legal and policy framework to popular appeal within which all people including the poor and marginalised groups may assert their rights. There is a problem of public awareness. We are investing in that area for people to understand their rights at all levels. There is knowing the law but when you don’t know the processes such as bail. People don’t know that bail is a conditional release of suspects to continue reporting to courts until their cases are decided by the judicial officers. Civic education, public awareness is key since people also need to know their obligations to ensure the rule of law and to build a culture of respect of law and order,” Musoke says. Institutional barriers to access to JLOS services: Attempts to improve access in the last two SIPs have increased physical access to the office of the Administrator General. There is need to address technical, cost and related barriers to access the services of the Administrator General, Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration; Uganda Registration Services Bureau; NGO Registration Services; National Identification and Uganda Human Rights Commission. There is also a problem of under-funding of the sector. One of the biggest challenges is training. Musoke says a lot training has been carried out among the various stakeholders but reiterates that a lot more people have training needs especially in the Local Council courts. The Local Council courts need specialized training in areas like land, natural resources, gas and oil management. “Corruption is another challenge; but we have developed an anti- corruption strategy to deal with detection, prevention and punishment of corruption tendencies within the sector. We have the Law Council, Judicial Service Commission and the Performance Standards which are all meant to deal with issues of corruption,” Musoke says.

SERVICE TO MY COUNTRY

SERVICE TO MY COUNTRY Back in the day, I was embedded with the then most feared Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) fighting unit –the battle hardened , crack mobile, 3rd battalion, commanded by the late (RIP) Major Sula Ssemakula “Suicide” . I covered the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebellion in western Uganda for four years (1996-2000) and there were battles fought in kyaka , Fort Portal ,Bunyangabu, Buryaha, in the then vast Kabarole district;to Kamwenge to Mbarara to Kanungu and then the mountainous areas of Kasese and Bundibugyo; to Hoima , Masindi, Mubende and Kibale. We ended up in Eastern DRC Congo where we encountered the bloody battles of Kisangani mojja and Kisangani mbirri. The rebels attacked katojo prisons in Fort Portal ,killed and released prisoners, attacked and killed close to 100 students at Kichwamba Technical Institute in Kabarole, cut off Bundibugyo , Bwera and Mponde border areas . They maimed , rapped ,defiled women and girls and killed hundreds of innocent civilians- raiding villages and displacing hundreds of thousands of people. But they (rebels)were still defeated. The war on the Ugandan side ended around 2000 and I headed back to my employer- The New Vision’s headquarters in the Capital Kampala and was appointed Editor in charge of rural news. I later went on to serve in the same capacity at the Daily Monitor . I also edited the Saturday and Sunday Monitor (2004-2010) after the ‘big walk out at NV’ in May 2004 (which changed the media landscape in Uganda forever) led by Conrad Nkutu and JB Wasswa, who became the Managing Director and Managing Editor at the Monitor (that equally important institution for free , independent private media), respectively. We were the first ‘outsiders’ to serve at Daily Monitor after the founders ,Wafula Ogutu, David Balikowa, Kevin Aliro, Richard Tebere,Charles Onyango Obbo and Jimmy Serugo were bought out by the Nation group,(that is another rich long story to be told another day.) I would like to recognize the following Afandes among others , ( named not necessarily in order of seniority ) who participated in the fight to end the ADF rebellion and allowed me the freedom to tell the story the way I saw it at the battle field. Afande Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Afande Maj.Sula Ssemakula Suicide (RIP), I directly worked under his command, Afande Jet Mwebaze (RIP) was the first senior UPDF commander to take me to the war frontline, Afande Katumba Wamala, afande Salim Saleh, Afande Charles Angina, afande James Kazini (RIP), Afande Nobel Mayombo (RIP), Afande Kahinda Otafiire, afande Nathan Mugisha, afande Muhanga, Afande David Kaboyo, afande Richard Edyegu (he suffered severe injuries and his leg was amputated after he was hit by a landmine at the Kasese officers mess), afande Stephen Masiga (RIP), Afande Charles Owor ( oba where he?), afande Walter Ochola (RIP), afande Balikudembe Kileju (headed the then PPU now in private practice), afande Abbas Byakagaba (now commanding the Oil Police protection unit he was then regional police special branch commander western Uganda ), afande shaban Bantaliza, afande Abbey Kisubi, afende Andew Muzira, afande Maj. Kibowa, afande , maj.Kawesi, afande Muhesi, afande Tumukunde. I also salute comrades in the journalism profession who joined me to carry the story forward but first to my editors at the time, again NOT in order of seniority : William Pike, Sam Serwanga, Hellen Mukiibi, Ben Ochan, JB Wasswa, John Kakande, Ikebesi Ocole Omoding ,Barbra Kaija, Paul Nsereko (RIP), Robinnah Basalirwa, Adyeri Kanyeihe, Ben Opolt, Wange M,Joacim Buwembo, Ben Bella , Epaja Ejelu, Rosemary Kemigisha and Rev Sam Adido . And the war reporters and editors ; Grace Matsiko NV, Emmy Aliro NV , DM ‘s Kevin Aliro, (RIP) ,Richard Tebere (RIP) of the Maama and Baba Pajero fame, Photo journalists, Arthur Kintu ( you remember when the mambas were first deployed to Bundibugyo and we took and survived an RPG enemy fire), Cranmer Mugerwa (RIP), James Akena ,Peter Busomoke, Jimmy Adriko, Linda Nabusayi (you remember moving in the ‘bufallo’ in the chilly Bundibugyo mountains), John B Nzijah, John Twaite, Michael Karugaba (RIP), Kagyenda Apuuli ,BBC’s Anna Bozello, and Hassan Ali of the then BBC swahilli service (RIP). Just like Afandes, Masiga, Edyegu and many others, I too, carry scars from injuries I suffered on my left hand while on duty. We were ambushed by the rebels at a place called Sempaya just before the hot springs in Bundibugyo a few weeks into the war. We lost a couple of gallant fighters and a number were injured . But all the same, I wish every youth in this country can have the rare privilege to serve in our armed forces and show positive results for their service. That will be Patriotism at its Best. In the days to come ,I will share some of the pictures and stories which were published from the war frontline in The New Vision ,nearly 20 years ago. I also want to be inspired by comrades, Joachim Buwembo (Punishing the Messenger), Charles Onyango Obbo (Economic Gangsters: Corruption, Violence, And The Poverty,) Julius Mucunguzi ( the Story of Keeping Hope Alive) and write a book about my four years experience as a war reporter or better still, serving my country as a journalist for the last 20 years. MOSES PAUL SSERWANGA Esq. MEDIA, DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION CONSULTANT , TRAINER AND ADVOCATE OF THE HIGH COURT OF UGANDA msserwanga@gmail.com

WE SHOULD SERVE OUR COUNTRY JANET MUSEVENI

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WE SHOULD SERVE OUR COUNTRY- JANET MUSEVENI Moses Sserwanga interviewed Mrs. Janet Museveni ,the Minister of Karamoja and MP for Ruhaama constituency to get her views about transforming a hitherto isolated ,neglected karamoja region and what motivates her to serve in her various roles. Below are excerpts of the interview conducted at State House Nakasero . 1. Ques : Hon.Minister it’s a year since you were appointed a full minister in charge of Karamoja by President Yoweri Museveni. What are the major challenges you have confronted in your concerted effort to develop the region and how have you overcome those challenges? First Lady :The major challenges we have met since I started my work were; first the state of hopelessness among the people. The people had sort of given up hope -to ever improve their lot and that alone made it difficult to have anything done in Karamoja. They didn’t believe anymore that anything could possibly be done to make their lives better. Secondly the poverty levels were very high that drove the population to resort to stealing cattle which was the only source of wealth they know. In time they got into trade in guns and small arms which brought the security situation into a full blown war. Therefore, nobody wanted to go to work in Karamoja either in Local Government administration or to take contracts on road network or education or Health sector. Therefore everything bad resulted into another and the situation was as bad as it could be. Since I started working there, with God’s help we have worked with UPDF and Police to try to re- establish sanity in the region. The President, Yoweri Museveni had already launched the Disarmament exercise which was ongoing and we brought on board the elders of Karamoja to help in the sensitization of communities on peace and how important maintaining it really is for the rest of the work to begin. I am happy to tell you now that peace is 90% normalized in Karamoja. Even though we still get some thefts here and there of one or two cows, perhaps of household items such as plates, cups, jerrycans and basins etc but major cattle rustling and loss of life will soon be a thing of the past. Because of that, its becoming relatively easy for people to go to Karamoja to work. The Local Governments are now recruiting civil servants. In Education we are building classrooms, In the Health sector we are training nurses and midwives and slowly we think those problems which were roadblocks to development are getting tackled and serious work is being done in every sector. 2. I was in Karamoja recently compiling information about government performance that was published in the Local Government handbook . The Karamoja local leaders I interviewed were generally grateful for your service to the region . What motivates you to offer leadership in transforming a region which has until the NRM regime, been neglected for so long? I’m motivated to work in Karamoja because I know that Uganda is my homeland. It’s the only home I have on the face of the globe. And it’s my duty -just like I believe that it’s a duty of every Ugandan to improve every part of Uganda. We must work to ensure that Uganda can become an interesting place to visit instead of us admiring other countries and thinking that our own country is not interesting, it’s not developed. If we don’t do that work ourselves, Uganda will never become better. Besides, those countries we look at and admire have been beautified by their own people. So it’s up to us to work and ensure that Uganda becomes better and that means every part of Uganda, every corner of Uganda- so that the next generation which will come after us will find a better place to live and work. And the fact that Karamoja has been isolated and left behind makes me know somebody has to be willing to take the lead because, it needs our support. So if there is anything that I can do to make Karamoja a better place then I must do it and that’s what motivates me. 3. What do you consider to be the major problem that has impeded development in Karamoja for all this long and what are your recommendations to resolve this problem in the long term? The problems that I have highlighted above . People looked at those problems and thought they could not be solved . But this government was determined to change every part of Uganda and give our people a chance to prosper and that’s why we have also tackled the problems of Karamoja. As you can see, with God’s help, Karamoja has changed and it’s going to give a chance to the children of Karamoja to become proud of where they come from and to also know that they are part of Uganda. But it will take dedication, determination and a lot of hard work. I think Karamoja is on the way to change for ever and it will not be referred to as that place which is unreachable or inaccessible and hard to reach. Yes. We shall continue to have some challenges but as we continue to build on the foundation we have laid -I think Karamoja will become a better place. If you think about building a house you must always start with a foundation. We have now put in place that foundation and on it we continue to build every year. And that’s how every nation develops. When you know that you have a strong foundation ; you know you have security , that people have food , you know they have water for their animals and that they can live and work- then every year you improve on what you are doing and life continues to get better. 4. As Minister for Karamoja Affairs, what has been your contribution to the development of that region, what is the impact so far and what pertinent challenges remain? I believe you hear about the pastoralist life-style of Karamoja but pastoralism is not synonymous with nomadism. The nomadic way of life has not only been about the Karamojong. There were many cultures in this country that had that same lifestyle in the past. And Kiruhura district in particular had a similar culture – the people lived a nomadic life. They were purely cattle keepers also but they changed. They settled down. They built homes, they send their children to school ,they grow food and they changed the breed of cattle they keep so now they have diary animals and along with them they have milk to sell for income and their life has changed forever. Now they are aspiring for modern farming which is what happens in all other parts of the world. Karamoja therefore, can also change and that’s what we hope to see in future. Now if the Karamojong have pasture and water for their animals and safe water for their own domestic use; they don’t have to roam around to get those resources. In the past they were justified to move in search of pastures for their animals and water in the dry seasons and being fed by World Food Programme and other agencies and there was no way they could settle down in one place. But now there are valley dams which have been built to provide water for animals and boreholes to supply clean water for domestic use. We are also working with the Ministry of Agriculture to train veterinary doctors who will be available to treat animals; we are also working with them to grow their own food. So we think that now the people of Karamoja have no reason to move around. They can now settle down, allow the children to get education. In time they can even learn the modern methods of saving hay for their animals in the dry season instead of burning it down. So that animals can be assured of pastures all the year round, and that way communities will prosper. We are also piloting on a project to build modern manyattas (small permanent houses). These do provide secure dwelling places for the people. Instead of the grass thatched where thieves would enter at leisure now the Karamojong know that really in order to talk about peace, recovery and development (PRDP) then they too need to be able to sleep at night in peace without anticipating some night time raid and loss of life. The Karamojong are excited about building these homes that cement their hope that truly peace has come at last and come to stay. So we think that’s the way to go. And don’t forget the movement government’s strategy of prosperity is all encompassing. It includes all parts of the country, all cultures of Uganda. Every human being has that human need to lead a decent life. And of course it takes a lot of hard work. It takes time but if we all work towards that goal, we believe that all our people can prosper and that’s what we are doing in Karamoja. 5. How would you describe your working relationship with the leadership in Karamoja especially the MPs about the Karamoja development strategy? Our working relationship is good. You may have one out of ten members of Parliament who is unreliable, undependable or erratic. But the nine out of ten are good people. We are cooperating. We know that we are all called to serve and we are doing exactly that. 6 .There are also some claims from the general public that the region is over subscribed- in terms of the government development programmmes because of your position and that some of the money being channeled for development activities in the region has been stolen by government officials –what’s your take on that? I think that is not true. People don’t know that Karamoja is a big region. Many people who have not been to Karamoja think that it’s just one district. Karamoja region has seven districts and we spilt the little resources we get in all the seven districts. We have had if you like, some affirmative action from our development partners. They are also building on the government efforts to develop Karamoja. But when people see so many people going to Karamoja to help with the development work we are undertaking, they think it’s oversubscribed - but that’s not true. We must always acknowledge that Karamoja is coming from way way back in time and in order for Karamoja to come close to where the rest of Uganda is , it requires affirmative action in every sector. And so, I’am grateful if we can have additional resources but it’s not so much more than elsewhere. And Ugandans should really begin to wish Karamoja all the blessing it can get because it deserves it. And about Government officials stealing some of the money, yes of course even in Karamoja the cancer of corruption is there but we are fighting it just as we are doing everywhere. 7.How would you describe the efforts of the government in which you serve towards improvement of maternal health to meet the recommendations of the Millennium Development Goals? I know that we still have many challenges in that area of maternal health. But I also know that a lot of work is going on and a lot of campaign is being made to help women in rural areas have health facilities where they can deliver their babies, to have antenatal care, have more midwives and sufficient doctors etc. . So it is true that we still have these challenges in our pursuit for better services but we are working on it. 8.The people I talked to in the region were particularly happy about your personal -down to earth involvement in addressing issues that directly affect the ordinary wanainchi –such as provision of safe water – we now have dams in the region and mobile education learning clinics – in your view how long will some of these government interventions bridge the development gap between Karamoja and the rest of the country? I think it will take us maybe a decade to get to a level where we can compete with the rest of Uganda or to be at the average level with the rest of the country. Because as we speak, the poverty levels are still very high in Karamoja. The nutrition levels are very low, malnutrition levels are very high. The sanitation levels are very poor and so we still have a lot of work to do. And some distance to go before we can catch up with the rest of the country. 9.What strategies does government have for ensuring the development of the girl child , women and other vulnerable groups through affirmative action in Karamoja region ? Well, education in Karamoja has not been successful because of the nomadic way of life. Children could not go to school in the past. But even now, children cannot easily go to school even when we have Universal Primary and Secondary Education. In Karamoja, given the high level of poverty, children couldn’t get the basic requirements from their families like uniforms; scholastic materials to enable them go to school. It’s been a challenge to them. And if they attempted to go to school they could not stay there for long. So what we have decided to do, is to try out a pilot project with some schools both primary and secondary. We are turning them into boarding schools and equipping them with the basic requirements like uniforms , beddings and scholastic materials and anything else that a student would ideally need both from their parents and the schools. We believe this approach to education in Karamoja will empower children to go to school and stay there. And this program is for both boys and girls. So we are going to pilot it and see how it works and if it’s successful we shall then spread it out to the rest of the region. 9.Can you share with the rest of the country how in this relatively short period of time you have managed to create a positive impact in transforming the lives of the people of Karamoja? We prayed as if there was no other option . We worked extremely hard and we involved all the stakeholders in the region. A combination of those three has helped us reach to a level where people are noticing the positive change in Karamoja region. 10 .What do you have to say about the development partners who have stood by us to ensure pacification and improving the welfare of the people of Karamoja? Our partners in development –those who work along side us , I salute them. I salute them on behalf of our people and government . And I tell them that we are building a global village in today’s world . I encourage them to continue with their support to create a positive impact in our communities. 11.In which ways has your involvement in active politics shaped your vision for Uganda? Do you see the country differently from the way you saw it before seeking political office? When I joined active politics I confirmed my suspicion that Uganda is not as poor as some people wanted us to believe. If we can be honest and we put all the resources we have to right use, our country would be far in terms of development. 12.What legacy do you want to leave once you are out of public life? (how do you want to be remembered?) I want to be remembered as someone who made a difference in people’s lives wherever I served. That’s my prayer. 13.And how do you balance your four major roles as minister , Member of Parliament , First Lady and your extended family ? That’s a good question. I Plan for all that I do. I always have a programme for my week’s work in order to ensure efficiency in any role I am called upon to play: I strictly keep to that programme and I always leave the weekends out for my family. Even though I know that I cannot seriously say that I have sufficient time to distribute around but then who does? 14.Your last word ? God bless you. But wait, we must thank God that He has given us the energy and life to serve our country. I thank you for the work you are doing to provide positive information for the people of Uganda to know the good things happening in their country. I think this is a calling for all of us. Your generation and the next ones; you must seize this unique opportunity to serve your country -to make it a better place for all Ugandans. THANK YOU msserwanga@gmail.com

SERVICE TO MY COUNTRY

SERVICE TO MY COUNTRY Back in the day, I was embedded with the then most feared Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) fighting unit –the battle hardened , crack mobile, 3rd battalion, commanded by the late (RIP) Major Sula Ssemakula “Suicide” . I covered the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebellion in western Uganda for four years (1996-2000) and there were battles fought in kyaka , Fort Portal ,Bunyangabu, Buryaha, in the then vast Kabarole district;to Kamwenge to Mbarara to Kanungu and then the mountainous areas of Kasese and Bundibugyo; to Hoima , Masindi, Mubende and Kibale. We ended up in Eastern DRC Congo where we encountered the bloody battles of Kisangani mojja and Kisangani mbirri. The rebels attacked katojo prisons in Fort Portal ,killed and released prisoners, attacked and killed close to 100 students at Kichwamba Technical Institute in Kabarole, cut off Bundibugyo , Bwera and Mponde border areas . They maimed , rapped ,defiled women and girls and killed hundreds of innocent civilians- raiding villages and displacing hundreds of thousands of people. But they (rebels)were still defeated. The war on the Ugandan side ended around 2000 and I headed back to my employer- The New Vision’s headquarters in the Capital Kampala and was appointed Editor in charge of rural news. I later went on to serve in the same capacity at the Daily Monitor . I also edited the Saturday and Sunday Monitor (2004-2010) after the ‘big walk out at NV’ in May 2004 (which changed the media landscape in Uganda forever) led by Conrad Nkutu and JB Wasswa, who became the Managing Director and Managing Editor at the Monitor (that equally important institution for free , independent private media), respectively. We were the first ‘outsiders’ to serve at Daily Monitor after the founders ,Wafula Ogutu, David Balikowa, Kevin Aliro, Richard Tebere,Charles Onyango Obbo and Jimmy Serugo were bought out by the Nation group,(that is another rich long story to be told another day.) I would like to recognize the following Afandes among others , ( named not necessarily in order of seniority ) who participated in the fight to end the ADF rebellion and allowed me the freedom to tell the story the way I saw it at the battle field. Afande Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Afande Maj.Sula Ssemakula Suicide (RIP), I directly worked under his command, Afande Jet Mwebaze (RIP) was the first senior UPDF commander to take me to the war frontline, Afande Katumba Wamala, afande Salim Saleh, Afande Charles Angina, afande James Kazini (RIP), Afande Nobel Mayombo (RIP), Afande Kahinda Otafiire, afande Nathan Mugisha, afande Muhanga, Afande David Kaboyo, afande Richard Edyegu (he suffered severe injuries and his leg was amputated after he was hit by a landmine at the Kasese officers mess), afande Stephen Masiga (RIP), Afande Charles Owor ( oba where he?), afande Walter Ochola (RIP), afande Balikudembe Kileju (headed the then PPU now in private practice), afande Abbas Byakagaba (now commanding the Oil Police protection unit he was then regional police special branch commander western Uganda ), afande shaban Bantaliza, afande Abbey Kisubi, afende Andew Muzira, afande Maj. Kibowa, afande , maj.Kawesi, afande Muhesi, afande Tumukunde. I also salute comrades in the journalism profession who joined me to carry the story forward but first to my editors at the time, again NOT in order of seniority : William Pike, Sam Serwanga, Hellen Mukiibi, Ben Ochan, JB Wasswa, John Kakande, Ikebesi Ocole Omoding ,Barbra Kaija, Paul Nsereko (RIP), Robinnah Basalirwa, Adyeri Kanyeihe, Ben Opolt, Wange M,Joacim Buwembo, Ben Bella , Epaja Ejelu, Rosemary Kemigisha and Rev Sam Adido . And the war reporters and editors ; Grace Matsiko NV, Emmy Aliro NV , DM ‘s Kevin Aliro, (RIP) ,Richard Tebere (RIP) of the Maama and Baba Pajero fame, Photo journalists, Arthur Kintu ( you remember when the mambas were first deployed to Bundibugyo and we took and survived an RPG enemy fire), Cranmer Mugerwa (RIP), James Akena ,Peter Busomoke, Jimmy Adriko, Linda Nabusayi (you remember moving in the ‘bufallo’ in the chilly Bundibugyo mountains), John B Nzijah, John Twaite, Michael Karugaba (RIP), Kagyenda Apuuli ,BBC’s Anna Bozello, and Hassan Ali of the then BBC swahilli service (RIP). Just like Afandes, Masiga, Edyegu and many others, I too, carry scars from injuries I suffered on my left hand while on duty. We were ambushed by the rebels at a place called Sempaya just before the hot springs in Bundibugyo a few weeks into the war. We lost a couple of gallant fighters and a number were injured . But all the same, I wish every youth in this country can have the rare privilege to serve in our armed forces and show positive results for their service. That will be Patriotism at its Best. In the days to come ,I will share some of the pictures and stories which were published from the war frontline in The New Vision ,nearly 20 years ago. I also want to be inspired by comrades, Joachim Buwembo (Punishing the Messenger), Charles Onyango Obbo (Economic Gangsters: Corruption, Violence, And The Poverty,) Julius Mucunguzi ( the Story of Keeping Hope Alive) and write a book about my four years experience as a war reporter or better still, serving my country as a journalist for the last 20 years. MOSES PAUL SSERWANGA Esq. MEDIA, DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION CONSULTANT , TRAINER AND ADVOCATE OF THE HIGH COURT OF UGANDA msserwanga@gmail.com

THE VALUE OF NEWSPAPERS

THE VALUE OF NEWSPAPERS Some good insights about journalism and press media from my Former boss who encouarged me and gave me all the support i needed in my formative career years as a journalist. He sent me to the war frontline too- Mr. William Pike; Mr William Pike, CEO of The Star Publications in Nairobi, gave the keynote address at the inaugural Uganda National Journalism Awards. He focused on the value of newspapers in setting the agenda, defining society and recording history, and the importance of upholding the basic tenets of good journalism. “As most of you know, I run the Star newspaper in Kenya which we started in 2007 with some Kenya shareholders. However I am also the managing director of Capital Radio in Uganda which Patrick Quarcoo and I started with local shareholders in 1993. In 2000, Patrick moved to Nairobi to start Kiss FM and start our Kenyan operations. So we have done both print and electronic media, but today I will focus primarily on print because that is where, I believe, media faces its greatest challenge. I started in journalism in 1978 working on small magazines. In those days pages were made up using phototypesetting, and then plates were produced using films from ‘process cameras’. Only the printing press today is recognisable. Now we design pages on screen and output them straight to plate. The staff from Uganda Times, who I found when I came to the New Vision in 1986, harked back to an even older era – the use of hot metal to create the typefaces and blocks for the press. The New Vision even had a redundant hot metal typesetter that we sold for scrap a few years later. We have lived through a technological revolution in the last 25 years. And that revolution is not over yet. Why are newspapers important? They help us work towards the truth. There is a protocol that we follow of reporters collecting news and then being cross-checked by sub-editors and editors. That protocol is not followed on the Internet which is now the main alternative source for news, where any blogger or writer can present his or her version of events that may be true or false. We do not know. Look at the stories around the disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines plane. Probably it is under the Indian Ocean, but there are also sorts of conspiracies theories online, that the plane was hijacked by the USA and flown to Diego Garcia, etc. Those Internet stories are just opinion. The same applies to citizen journalism. Stories submitted by citizens can be a great contribution, but they only become truly valuable when they have been examined and checked by editors to confirm them, or contextualise them by attributing the source. But if a story is in the Monitor or New Vision, we assume that it is true, or likely to be true, because it is has been validated by a process, by the editors. That is important because political and social debate will be based on agreed facts that eventually some consensus will be reached. It is also important because it provides a historical record, a factual record to which future analysts can refer. For instance, recently Henry Gombya has published in his internet site, The London Evening Post, so-called confirmation that Salim Saleh ordered the killing of Andrew Kayiira in 1987. He quoted an unnamed NRA officer as his source. But in reality this is a one man story. The story has not been interrogated by anybody. How true is it? If you go back to file copies of the newspapers of the day, you will discover many mysteries that are not mentioned by Gombya. In particular, Gombya, by his own admission, had large bundles of money on his bed at the time. And he managed to escape over the gate after the attackers came to the house and killed Kayiira. At the time, the general view was that dissident members of Kayiira’s UFM were responsible. What someone now needs to do is to go back to those newspapers from 1987 and look at what were the agreed facts at the time, and to look at where they confirm or contradict Gombya’s new version of events. I believe that objective analysis of all the information will show that there is a large element of wishful thinking in Gombya’s account. Another area where it would pay to investigate past copies of newspapers is the war in the north. There are versions where academics or politicians claim this or that happened, or provoked following events. But there is an amazing amount of detail in the papers of the time, from reporters who were on the ground, including the New Vision’s late great Caroline Lamwaka, and who were close to what happened. I get annoyed reading academic treatises where there are assumptions about what happened in the past, where the writer has clearly not gone back to the newspaper archives. Someone should do that for the war in the north. Newspapers set the news agenda. Electronic media and the Internet how have greater reach but newspapers drive the news agenda (for stories other than straight news stories). It is the deep stories in print - investigations, exposes, analyses - that very often are followed up in the TV or radio news, or in discussions by bloggers. I personally don’t think newspapers will disappear completely. They provide a format where information is easily accessible. They provide in-depth news and analysis. Longer articles can be read more easily on paper than online, according to research at Columbia University. Anne Nelson tested her students and found they remembered and absorbed more from reading the same article on paper than online. Internet stories also tend to be very brief. The mindset of the Internet is brief. For in-depth stories, we will still need newspapers. But in a world of immediate, short, digital information, newspapers will become a miniroty product, read mainly by the intelligentsia, opinion leaders who are willing to pay for a more in-depth news product. That’s why the Star’s slogan is Smart People Read the Star – we are trying to position ourselves to be that thinking person’s paper in ten years time. The digital age We are now in the digital age. The highest Average Daily Sale of the New Vision was just under 40,000 for the 1996 election. Now I think it is around 30,000. We are in the electronic age and the newspaper is not the first place to turn to get your news. A huge problem with newspapers is the cost of physical distribution. The Star is a small newspaper in Kenya but it still costs us USh 180 million per month to transport it around the country. The world still needs verified, factual news stories. But that checking process costs money. The Star has a readership of its daily print newspaper of about 300,000 people, but it has over 1 million unique visitors online. Our advertising income in the print paper is around Ush1.2 billion per month, our advertising revenue on the Internet site is around Sh10 million per month. This is unworkable. The print paper is paying for the huge free readership of the Internet. At some point Internet readers must start paying for content. This conundrum is destroying newspapers around the world, although in Africa we are probably 10 years behind the digital wave and we have time to find the solution. Probably that solution is some kind of micro-charging for each story that is read. Conclusion Get a strong online news site Keep your print product going, and keep it full of quality content that readers will be prepared to pay for. We are living in a super-fast age. Keep your stories concise and full of information. People don’t have time to waste. Above all, KEEP THE FAITH. Keep producing detailed factual stories that have been cross-checked and balanced with both sides. Remember you are creating history. You are defining society. Unless journalists perform this vital task, society will lose its self-awareness, its consciousness, its sense of direction.”

MAYUGE FARMERS NOW PRODUCING FOR THE MARKET

MAYUGE FARMERS NOW PRODUCING FOR THE MARKET By Moses Sserwanga It’s been a long journey for the farmers of the remote district of Mayuge . They have had to withstand big challenges that included among others poor seed varieties, gender based violence due to mistrust among family members, poor farming methods, effects of climate challenge and the cheating middlemen who pay farmers low prices for their farm produce. Now organized in a growing farmers’ association, the Mayuge farmers who were hitherto, largely producing for the homesteads are now engaging in large scale farming and realizing positive results of their hard earned labour. They have since formed the Mayuge District Farmers Association, (MDFA) which has grown from a membership of 500 in 2000 to 20,000 to-date. Mr. Paul Ojikan the Coordinator of the Mayuga District Farmers Association who is also the Chairman of the National Soya bean Network the Association says that that the registered members work in 666 groups with 30 members each in eight sub-counties of Malongo, Kityerera, Imanyiro, Bukaboli, Buwaya, Busakira ,Kigandalo, and Mpungwe. Originally formed to provide agricultural advisory services to improve food security at household levels for the members, MDFA has now organized smallholder farmers into marketing groups which are producing cash crops for particular markets. Two main crops, particularly the soya bean and maize were promoted for large scale commercial farming after a baseline survey which was conducted in 2007. “ When farmers improved food security at the household level there was a surplus which required markets and thus the need to engage in farming as a business. But at the time, farmers faced challenges of limited access to; improved seeds , regular agricultural advisory services , lack of quality assurance facilities and reliable sustainable market for their farm produce and regular access to market information, “ Ojikan explains . So we sought for partners to help address the challenges which were hindering farmers’ productivity. “That’s why the leadership of Mayuge District Farmers’ Association made a decision to seek for support from aBi-Trust which last year gave the Association an additional Shs. 444m grant to work on maize production, value addition and collective marketing . On its part the association had to contribute shs. 160M for a piece of land where a maize mill and offices will be erected to add value to the farmers crop and coordinate the activities of MDFA, respectively , “ Ojikan said. With aBi-Trust ‘s support, , major interventions were put in place which included among others , access to improved seeds, agricultural advisory services, market information from NARO which were distributed at the group level. Extension field were also recruited to mobilise and train farmers in agronomic and post harvest handling practices . Marketing committees of 5 people were set up in each group to carry out market research so that farmers get a fair price for the agricultural produce. This offered a good opportunity for the farmers to bargain for a good price. . Between 2007-2013, at least 5,130 tons of soya beans were produced and sold by the members of the Mayuge District Farmers Association. Farmers have since been encouraged to grow maize on a large scale because the huge demand for the grain on the market. But as farmers of Mayuge engaged in large sale farming, challenges emerged which needed immediate solutions to maintain a good maize value chain. Other benefits from the aBi-Trust grant to the farmers of Mayuge include, training in agronomy, use of improved high yield maize and soya bean seeds, modern farming practices and proper utilization of farm inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides. The association has also set up demonstration sites at group levels for farmers to appreciate and apply new farming technologies and methods that will help boost soya beans and maize production. Along the maize and soya bean value chain, with the interventions supported by aBiTrust, Ojikan said the farmers have also been trained in gender related concepts where families, plan together, budget together, farm together and share the proceeds of their farm produce together. “Through the gender project , women have been given an opportunity to participate productively in agriculture to benefit both themselves and their respective families. The old traditional practices where women were neglected or their contribution to farming was not recognised are now being abandoned to ensure equality, transparency and accountability at the family level. This has greatly improved relations, reduced tensions and gender based violence and as a result boosted production and family incomes. With support from aBi-Trust and savings of the association Ojikan said that the association has acquired, computers, 3 motorcycles, digital camera, 300 tumplines , 7 moisture meters, 4 standard weighing scales, 10 driers among others. Demonstration centers have been set up where high yielding seeds are multiplied and 80% of the improved seed varieties re-distributed to farmers. Because there is increased farm produce, MDFA has had to link farmers to better markets by providing information about prices for agricultural produce on a regular basis. “ We collaborate with market service providers like Fit- Uganda, farm Gain and Agrinet to get accurate information about the prevailing market prices. This helps farmers to sell their produce at the right price and cut out the cheating middlemen,” Ojikan explains. MDFA is also emphasizing on quality assurance which involves , getting the right seeds, engaging in better farming practices and post harvest handling to ensure quality crop yields for better rewarding markets for farmers products. Indeed, MDFA has put in place structures where Community Change Agents (CCAs) who double as marketing committee members provide farmers with information on the prevailing market prices on a regular basis. Village Saving and Loan Associations , (VSLA) have also been set up to promote the culture of saving and investment among farmers. There are now 300 VSLA in Mayuge where members save and loan to each other to increase farm production. They farmers also collectively market their produce at established bulking centers and as a result have a better bargaining power which fetches them better prices Again, aBi-Trust’s support has come in handy here , with the VSLA members being trained in financial literacy on how to keep records . Each VSLA is given ledger books, a stamp, inkpad and passbooks to keep proper accounts. Through the Mainstreaming Gender in Soya Bean Value Chain project, families are trained to work Together and realize and appreciate the role of women, youths and men in sustainable agricultural production with a focus on farming as a business. But all is not rosy for the farmers of Mayuge. They still face big challenges like the effects of climate change which results in prolonged drought,. The cheating middlemen still exist and the many sugarcane plantations are a threat to food security in Mayuge. The writer is a Media and development Communications Consultant and Advocate of the High Court of Uganda mssewranga@gmail.com

Youth and Women engage in agricultural entrepreneurship in post conflict Northern Uganda

The youth and women are a critical mass for social and economic development and in the war torn northern Uganda, they are leading the recovery efforts to rebuild communities that were destroyed during the 20 year civil unrest. In the remote sub counties of Kwera and Kangai in Dokolo districtthe YouthSocial Work Association (YSA) a Ugandan Non Governmental Organization is working with 2,000 households to empower youth and women to increase their agricultural business competitiveness . The organization which was founded in 2005, according to Mr. William Osal (28), the Project Officer, promotes the welfare of children and youth . YSA is currently operating in the districts of Gulu, Pader Dokolo, Bushenyi with it’s head office in Kampala. In the 2008, YSA started working with Orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC) in Dokolo district with a focus on core programme areas of education, health, child protection, Social economic support, food and nutrition as well as care and support. Osal says YSA has since distributed goats, provided household care items, uniforms and scholastic materials to orphans and other war affected children . Training of caregivers for abandoned children was also carried out. “ While offering these services we noted that there was a big gap in business competition and gender inequalities among the youth and women in the war affected areas . So we wrote a proposal to aBi Trust to secure funds to promote business competiveness among women and youth sunflower producers to attract better markets and reliable incomes, Osal flanked with fellow youth, John Baguma (24) and Cate Alumo (26), explains . He says that the vulnerable farmers had to be trained in agricultural production and product handling that sustains buyer needs in terms of quantity and quality. The abi Trust was accepted YSA proposal and in offered a grant of shs.400m aBi Trust support beaars fruits After securing the finacial support from aBi Trust YSA has since December 2012 trained 100 women and 20 youth groups in Kwera, Knagai and Agwata sub counties in Dokolo District. At least3,600 farmers from 100 women and 20 youth groups each with 30 members in 3 sub counties in Dokolo district have been equiped with technical skills in sunflower production and marketing to sustain threshold yield and quality crop production that is attractive to targeted buyers. The farmers are also organised in groups to improve marketing of sunflower through collective bargaining . Gender mainstreaming in 3,600 sunflower growing households for better utilization of proceeds from sunflower sales hence improved livelihood of both women and men has been undertaken. And with increased incomes at the family level ,the farmers have been encouraged to set up village Savings and Loans Associations to inculcate a culture of savings and investments to stir economic development in the rural areas. The farmers have embraced the VSLAs concept and Osla says that from 120 groups savings portfolio has grown from zero to shs.260m. “ This a remarkable achievement for us . Because the farmers are now in position to plan together and budget for their resources .men and women are working together which was not the case before ,” he says. Sharon Akello, an extension work says that gender relations have greatly improved following the introduction of gender training session in the communities .“ cases of gender related violence have substantially reduced and the people are happy to work together . We have also mobilized 100 and 20 new women and youth groups for support in sunflower value chain. Farmers have also been trainedin entrepreneurship, business development, negotiation skills, making of records and collective business plans“ akello stated. Because farmers are organised in groups , 480 pre-season planning meetings for timely and coordinated sunflower production operations have been held. The preseason planning meetings are helld once every year at the beginning of the first season per group. The farmers with support from aBiTrust ,have received 360 Kg of certified hybrid sunflower seeds from Mukwano company for planting in one acre demonstration gardens in each group and carry out the demonstration using farmer field school methodology. The demostration gardens help farmers to acquire skills and knowledge in sunflower agronomy, disease and pest control, post haverst handling produce management. Couples have also bee trained in 3,600 households to carry out joint planning and benefit sharing and gender roles in sunflower value chain. Farmers welcome aBi Trust support Syndrella Ebil (27) a member of the Oraibaing youth group said that the farmers have benefited alot from the trainings which have been extended to them by YSA with the support of aBi Trust We are now preacing the gospel of education because we can now save and take our children to school. Our farm yeilds have improved and everyone is happy because we are getting better income,“ she stated. Ebil’s comments were supported by those of Moses Otim(40) another member of the group who said that their group had mobilised savings of shs.2m and families were peacefully living togther. Achievements  Increased productivity using the improved hybrid sunflower seeds as opposed to the local hybbridie from 400kg per acre to 600kg per acre leading to increased income among farmers ie from 320,000= to 480,000= respectively.  Initiated and Promoted savings within groups and individuals up to the tune of 260,000,000= as saving portfolio.  There is a drastic reduction in the cases of domestic violence and improved gender relations due to intensive sensitisation carried out by gender change Agents. For example gender based violence cases have reduced from 30-340 cases to 5-10 cases reported in a month in three sub counties.  YSA registered 120 women and youth groups with the sub counties as viable enterprises. This has guaranteed for them support from other government interventions and development partners.  There is increased knowledge and skills in growing sunflower hence increase in production ie on average, individuals are now growing at least two acres compared to half or nothing before the intervention. Challenges  Sunflower as an enterprise is dominated by Mukwano as the supllier of seeds and a buyer of the proceeds, this tend to make framers adhere to unfair business terms offered especially pricing.  It is becomig extreamly difficult for the VSLA groups to manage thier saving portfolios as they continue growing. Therefore theirs need to set up Saccos that will help manage farmers’ savings better.  Unfavourable weather patternsresulting to poor harvest by farmers.  There is also problem of transporting the farmers produce to the nearest market. For the members of Oraibaing youth group the nearest market is in Kwangwata which is a long distance .  Women are also faced with the problem of accessing land due to traditional barriers. The writer is a development communications consultant, media trainer and advocate of the High Court of Uganda msserwanga@gmail.com