FILE PHOTO: Visiting Kitalya Min-Max prison

NEWS EDITOR
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JUST as it is inevitable to fall sick and end up admitted in hospital, so is being arrested, charged and remanded to Kitalya Min-Max Prison! It is many a time unavoidable, you can’t run away from it. Every one is a candidate, any time, any day!
This story will therefore, take the reader through the 27 rules and regulations all Kitalya in-mates MUST abide with to evade punishment and new files (cases) so that when your day comes, you verily know how to keep in the lanes until this prison vomits you.
Are you aware that a big percentage out of the 3000 inmates at Kitalya min-max Prison say are on trumped up charges? If the complainants are not targeting your land, your girl friend, your palatial home, your juicy job, that fancy car or political differences, then it is something about may be, your religious affiliation. 
A young boy Alvin who used to operate a mobile money business at Usafi Market in Kampala was roughly arrested one night from his parents’ home in Bulenga simply because someone who had allegedly stolen a phone withdrew money at Alvin’s mobile money shop, months back. 
Alvin, a born Again Christian tried to explain himself before security officials that he is just a mobile money agent who attends to hundreds of people on a daily basis, but no one bothered to listen. 
Amidst tears from his struggling parents, Alvin was handcuffed and thrown in a police cell from where he was picked and driven to Buganda road court to be charged of rape and aggrevated robbery! Court remanded him to Kitalya Prison! His helpless family up to now doesn’t know how to save this young boy! Cases like that of Alvin, are very many in Kitalya Prison. Yes justice will come but after years but we well know the old adage that Justice delayed is justice denied.
However, it’s also true, at Kitalya Prison there are a number of inmates who are hard core criminals. When you talk to them privately, they confess how they defiled school girls, how they murdered innocent people, how they were involved in aggrevated robbery, name it. We shall come back to this story in another episode with shocking details! 

THE 27 RULES & REGULATIONS KITALYA PRISONERS MUST ABIDE TO
Below are the 27 rules and regulations all Kitalya inmates my adhere to and failure to do so, calls for punishment. Read on please;

1. No escaping from prison (If you do so and get caught, you will hate the day you were born).
2. Respect Lock-up and fall-in (foreni) time e.g time of unlocking in the morning, mid day and final locking in the evening.
3. Respect all prison officers.
4. Respect all leaders e.g over all, ward leaders (Katikkiros), RPs, etc and fellow in-mates.
5. Immoral behaviours such as homosexuality, use of vulgar language, etc are prohibited.
6. No fighting in wards and BOMA (out side wards). 
7. Theft is prohibited like stealing soap, uniforms and blankets.
8. Un authorised movements in BOMA is prohibited. Such as; moving to offices, clinic, school, kitchen, isolation wing and gate.
9. No tresspasing in wards e.g sitting on beddings of fellow in-mates
10. Personal hygiene is a MUST. E.g, bathing, cutting finger nails, shaving hair.
11. Civilian clothes (non uniforms) in BOMA are not allowed; such as under wear, jackets, vests, etc.
12. No keeping and eating left overs of food.
13. Observe silence during bed time (from 9pm – 6am)
14. No showering beyond 9pm.
15. No use of prohibited articles such as opium, tobbaco, knives, folks, pangas, etc
16. Eating utensils are not allowed in the toilets, e.g; Cups, bowls.
17. Avoid destruction of government properties such as water taps, showers, glasses, plates, desks, computers and chairs.
18. Observe silence and respect during time of prayers.
19. No littering of rubbish in any part of BOMA.
20. Ensure proper use of toilets, sink, showers, by not dropping in plastic bottles, small pieces of clothes, polythene bags, etc.
21. Participation in prison activities such as cleaning, official gatherings, meetings, etc is a MUST. 
22. All prisoners must stand up while welcoming visitors and clap at the end of address in an organised manner as a sign of respect.
23. In-mates MUST squat while talking to officers as a sign of respect. 
24. In-mates are not supposed to sleep naked.
25. All in-mates who are sick MUST report to the ward doctor who will forward them to the officers to be taken for medication and dosage of drugs MUST be taken as prescribed by the medical personnel.
26. All in-mates MUST observe quick response to alarm bells or whistles.
27. Inciting violence or organising strikes is strictly prohibited
28. Entering a ward or transferring yourself to another ward or unit is not allowed.

In the next episode, we will bring you the terminologies used in Kitalya so that you are not caught offside. We also have interesting stories like how Kitalya cameras caught an inmate stealing court bailiff Kirunda’s fish!
For views/comments on this story, send us an e-mail on newseditor.info@gmail.com

BY KETRAH JJEMBA
www.newseditor.co.ug

GENDER, Labour and Social Development minister Peace Mutuuzo says there are escalating cases of gender based violence country wide as these cases remain high.
According to the Minister, data collected by Uganda demographic and health survey indicated that 56% of ever married women and 44% of ever married men have experienced spousal violence either physical, sexual or emotional.
Mutuuzo said this while briefing media at media centre about the launch of 16 days of activism campaign.
She added that, “The national statistics show that over half of the women between 15 and 49 years have experienced violence and more than one in every five young girls between ages of 15 and 24 have experienced sexual violence in their life time.”
It shows that, violence against girls is very high as child marriages is still high as it’s at 34% for girls between 20-24, and female genital mutilation remains high in Kapchorwa, Moroto, Sebei and Karamoja region as 13% of children and 52% of women have been subjected to female genital mutilation.
Uganda is to join the rest of the world on friday 26th to launch the beginning of 16 days of activism campaign of gender based violence.
The national launch for this year will take place at Amagi primary school in Kamdin subcounty,Oyam district under the theme: ‘Always the world in violence against women and girls’.

PHOTO: From left, Gaster Kiyinji and Anthony Wolimbwa

BY KETRAH JJEMBA
www.newseditor.co.ug

CIVIL Society Organizations (CSOs) advocating for forest conservation are worried that by 2050 if there is no significant intervention, the country will not have a single forest.
They are concerned that the rate at which country is losing forest cover is a threat to future generations. 
Uganda’s forest cover dropped from 4.9 million hectares in 1990 to 1.9 million hectares in 2020 which they say has been severely deforested and also degraded at a very fast rate.
For many years Uganda’s protected areas are under increasing threats from deforestation and degradation, owing to an increasing human population and industrialization.
Speaking to journalists in Kampala, programs officer at Ecological Christian Organization (ECO) Anthony Wolimbwa explained that, “There is need for a better policy to guide on how best the country can protect the available forests and other natural resources. We are worried about the speed at which forests are cut.”
At the same press briefing, Gaster Kiyingi, a team leader at Tree Talk Plus says that the government lacks the political will to protect the natural resources which is discouraging.

Pastor Solomon Mwesige, owner of KS TV

NEWS EDITOR
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PASTOR SOLOMON Mwesige, Head pastor of Good News Church located in Bulenga, Wakiso district on Mityana road, also owner of KS (King Solomon) TV is the first to stop playing of Ugandan gospel music on his television and banning of gospel artists affiliated to an organization called Uganda Performing Rights Society (UPRS), to sing in his church.
This was as result of an invoice worth UGX 2M sent to KS TV by UPRS for playing music of gospel artists something which angered the man of God and he directed that music belonging to artists who are members of UPRS should not be played again on his tv. Among songs banned are those of Brian Lubega, who started his music career in this Bulenga church.
While preaching to his followers who filled Good News church to capacity in a Sunday service, Pr. Mwesige said because this is open day robbery, “From today, we have stopped inviting gospel  musicians to our church, hosting them on KS TV and singing their songs in chuch by our Worship Team because we don’t know, who is with UPRS and who is not. We will compose our own songs and instead play international music on our TV. We are done with Ugandan music.”
A few weeks ago, while speaking at the launch of UPRS  annual general meeting, Wisdom Kaye one of the board members said they are capable of mobilizing one hundred billion Uganda shillings if all Ugandan artists register in this organization explaining that, when all this money is collected, it will go back to artists hence improve their lives.
Kaye who urged artists to continue registering to become beneficiaries of this initiative, condemned pastors who deter gospel artists from registering in UPRS saying they are endangering these talents.
He instead advised gospel artists not to listen to such suggestions because pastors who say such want them to die poor and never to gain from their talent.
“It’s not the pastor that pays for the production of their songs, it is the artist who personally pays for every cost therefore gospel artists should think twice before making a decision of not registering.” Said Kaye.

CHURCH UNDER ATTACK – PR. SOLOMON MWESIGE
Showing his followers a video clip of UPRS boss during a press interview in which he vowed to milk money from all Born-Again Pentecostal churches who sing and play songs of registered gospel artist during the service and church choir with membership of UPRS, Pr Mwesige said UPRS is reaping from where it did not sow.
He noted that, for example KS TV has been playing Uganda’s gospel music for free, “We have helped many of these gospel artists to develope their talent, they started their music career using our microphones and other music instruments, how can we be made to pay such a tax?”
“Look at this musician Brian Lubega, he did his first song on my key board which I bought from United States of America and you all heard him testifying about it here. Now UPRS is claiming him with all powers and our television was invoiced for playing his music and promoting him. But his first song was on my key board. To become a musician he is today, he started his music journey from our church. But now, we can not even sing his song and I can’t invite him and other musicians to sing in our church.” Said Pr. Mwesige.
Gospel artist Brian Lubega has songs like; Nungamya, Wakitiibwa, Nyanjala, among others.
“So as Good News Church,”, Pr. Mwesigwa reasoned, “To avoid being in conflict with UPRS,  and I am speaking this live  on television, we have stopped inviting musicians because if they will sing here and they are part of UPRS,  church will also be invoiced just like KS TV got an invoice of 2M. Other Pastors be aware.”
A tough speaking Pr. Mwesige who owns King Solomon School and Feed the Hungry NGO, reminded his church that, UPRS doesn’t have an audience, the church has a congregation, “This is where musicians come to sing. They do their concerts in our churches and UPRS leader is accusing us that we don’t wish them well. You can imagine!

He told church how some pastors had not cared about it so much, “But we have come to realize that these people intend to get money from us in any way and this can easily kill gospel music.”
This news website is reliably informed that, some musicians are registered with UPRS while others are not but this organization behaves like it owns all musicians in Uganda.
UPRS chairman was quoted by Pr Mwesige saying, every musician provided you are a member of UPRS, either you registered yourself or some one registered you without your consent, although you sing in a church choir, he will bring an invoice to the church and make it pay for using their member to sing in your church.
Churches must therefore stand warned! When you sing a song in your church of any musician who is a member of UPRS during worshipping or praising session, you will receive an invoice and pay for that. 
Pr. Mwesige, without mincing words revealed, “These musicians you see, like here at Good News Church, started holding the microphones from this church. They use our machines and you are the first audience. Remember they don’t sing for free. Don’t you people give them money? When did UPRS start claiming and fighting for these musicians? What does UPRS know about them?”
He said, for those gospel artists who visit Born-Again Pentecostal churches to sing, people give them money. And if what church members have given is less, in the office, Pastors add on. He wondered when UPRS started caring 
about these musicians more than their pastors. “
He talked about a day he found their Worship team training a song of gospel artist Brian Lubega and he stopped them so that church doesnt get problems with UPRS. “Even if they hear you singing a song of somebody in your church, UPRS brings an invoice.” Said Pr. Mwesige.
He cautioned those musicians who still want to sing in churches, let them go and fight for themselves with UPRS. “But for us as pastors, no such music will be played again in our churches.” Said Good News Church Pr. Solomon Mwesige.
Andrew Kajara, one of leaders at Good News Church in support of his Pastor said, “Radios and TV’s promote gospel artists. My question is, if Pentecostal media houses boycott their music who will promote them? I think UPRS has come to kill that industry indirectly, gospel artist should fight for themselves otherwise they are going out of the market.”
Patrick Okumu another church member said, “Some of these Associations are self seekers not representing the purpose for which they were formed.”

WHAT IS UPRS
Uganda Performing Rights Society (UPRS) is a society that was formed in 1985 by authors (mainly musicians) to advance the cause of copyright administration in Uganda
promoting and protecting the authors’ rights while representing all genres of music. It is registered with the Registrar of Companies as a Company Limited by Guarantee having no share Capital, in other words it belongs to all of its members. 
It is located at Plot 35, House 5A Bukoto Drive Kampal, Uganda.
UPRS is recognized by the Government as a Collecting Society and is a Member of the Confederation of International Societies of Authors and Composers ( CISAC ).
UPRS protects foreign and local works falling within their repertoire in Uganda while other Societies protect UPRS members’ works in their respective Countries. 
UPRS Chairman is Moses Matovu and Antony Mwandah is the CEO.

For views/comments on this story, send us an e-mail to newseditor.info@gmail.com

BY KETRAH JJEMBA
KAMPALA

THE Ministry of Works and Transport on Wednesday November, 3 2021 took over the registration and licensing of all vehicles in Uganda from the tax body, Uganda Revenue Authority (URA).
The mandate to register and licence motor vehicles is now a responsibility of the Ministry of Works and Transport. URA will remain responsible for motor vehicle customs clearance and first-time registration.
Speaking during the handover at URA headquarters in Kampala, Transport and works cabinet mimistsr Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala explained that this is done to enable URA to concentrate on revenue collection.
Gen. Katumba said, “The ministry has made some changes in the log book from the old.”
At the same function, the Commissioner General URA John Musinguzi pledged to equip staff of the ministry of transport and works with the required skills.

BY KETRAH JJEMBA
CITY HALL

LORD COUNCILOR Hakim Kizza, the secretary for works and physical planning committee at City hall, has called upon President’s intervention in reconstructed Old TAXI wrangles where some city tycoons blocked it’s reopening saying they own part of it.
KCCA had to be reopened this park on 30th October 2021 after spending billions on it but due to various misunderstandings with some of the city tycoons owning plots in old taxi park, it was halted until the misunderstands are resolved in courts of law.
Hakim Kizza said, “I appeal to president Musevsni to come out and negotiate with the owners of various plots within the old taxi park such that taxi drivers stop parking on road sides.” 
He says, it’s only President Museveni who can secure this park for the wanainchi who use taxi.
In one of his letters to KCCA, Museveni said taxi parks must be redeveloped by taxi drivers and vowed never to allow evictions of taxis from the park.
“I and Muhoozi used to board taxis at the old park. It must be preserved and any redevelopment must be for the taxi drivers.” Said the president.
This is why Lord councilor Hakim Kizza wants Museveni to prevail and settle this matter out of court.
Meanwhile, the City Executive Commiitttee on matters of Old Taxi park wants it to be reopened in April next year.
However lord councilor Hakim Kizza and other councilors want taxis to be using that side within old taxi park which has no wrangles as they wait for courts decision on the 13 plots within the old taxi park.

BY KETRAH JJEMBA
KAMPALA

THE NRM Deputy Secretary-General, Hon. Rose Namayanja Nsereko has assured Ugandans that government will hit the vaccination target to enable the economy fully reopen in January next year.
The former government minister and member of Parliament representing Nakaseke district said, “Ugandans have two months to prepare and ensure that those who have not been vaccinated do the needful.”
She revealed that, recently in Kampala, a vaccination drive was put in place and over 3.5 million people were vaccinated. “To reach our target, different centres have been put in place to avail the vaccines and this is a process where numbers will be increasing day by day. I am confident that we shall hit our vaccination targets by December,” Namayanja said.
She told press that the government has done all it takes to ensure Ugandans are vaccinated against Covid and that by the end of the year, the required number of the population will have received their jabs.

NEWS EDITOR
NATEETE

LORD COUNCILOR Ivan Mubiru representing Busega-Nateete at City Hall, Kampala and other youth who were arrested on Saturday over unclear charges, have been released after spending three days in cells, thanks to Lubaga South MP Aloysius Mukasa who forced Nateete Police Station to vomit them.
Outspoken Mubiru who is a member of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP), was arrested alongside Busega Youth chairman Samuel Kibirige and other youth. They were all found at Ivan Mubiru’s home enjoying the weekend.
Since their arrest, the area MP Aloysius Mukasa camped at Nateete Police Station after he realized that Mubiru was being haunted due to his political belief and being his staunch supporter.
In an audio recorded by Mubiru a few hours after he was arrested, he pinned Lubaga Division Deputy Mayor Hajjat Rehema Fugge to be the invisible hand behind his arrest.
“My supporters, I was arrested due to trapped-up charges connected to homosexuality. That I was involved in acts of homosexuality. It’s a lie, truth is, I am being haunted by Deputy Mayor Hajjat Rehema Fugge. Although I am arrested, I won’t be forsaken.” Revealed Lord Councilor Ivan Mubiru who a few weeks ago, declared his intention to contest for Lubaga division mayor, a seat occupied by Fugge’s boss, Zaccy Mberaze. Both Mberaze and Fugge are also members of NUP. When we reached Deputy mayor Fugge to give her side about Mubiru’s allegations that she is in bed with security officials to torment NUP supporters, she did not bother to respond.
According to rumour making rounds, Fugge is also interested in this seat. Therefore, the row between Fugge and Ivan Mubiru is linked to their interest for the same seat.
Back to Mubiru’s arrest, he was picked from his home at around 8pm. He was found with his colleagues.
 Efforts to enquire from police officers why he was being arrested were futile, although one of the arresting officers was heard talking about disobeying presidential directives on curfew.
“But they were at their home, inside a house. Does it mean, these days curfew goes up to our homes? The charge sheet is not clear at all.” MP Mukasa told this news website on Sunday morning. 
Hon. Mukasa hired lawyers for the arrested youth who processed for their police bond and released on Monday evening. 
Before that, there were fears from Lubaga South people that their leaders will be linked to bombs blasts in Kampala.
Thank God, ‘Omuloodi’ Mubiru and his colleagues have regained their freedom.

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