Osuta Yusuf

Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu, the brother to National Unity Platform principal Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine, has revealed the news of his phone allegedly being tapped has not only shocked him but caused him to fear. According to revelation in the global reporting investigations, the Pegasus Project, published by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), an Israeli firm’s software was used by the Rwanda government to spy on several government officials. According to the report, Rwanda targeted former Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa, Former Chief of Defence Forces Gen David Muhoozi, Director of ESO Joseph Ocwet, and surprisingly, Bobi Wines brother Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu. Speaking to an Online Publication site Nile Post, Nyanzi said  that few things started adding up   when he heard the news “There were signs, but of course I could not tell. There were some indicators, for example, I could hear echoes during phone calls, sometimes I could hear my voic...

New evidence uncovered by the Pegasus Project has revealed that the phone numbers for 14 heads of state, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Pakistan’s Imran Khan and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, as well as hundreds of government officials, were selected as people of interest by clients of spyware company NSO Group.    We have long known that activists and journalists are targets of this surreptitious phone-hacking – but it’s clear that even those at the highest levels of power cannot escape the sinister spread of NSO’s spyware.  Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International's Secretary General Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnes Callamard said:   “The unprecedented revelation that the phones of at least fourteen heads of state may have been hacked using NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware should send a chill down the spine of world leaders.    “We have lo...

Watching my fellow artistes line up themselves before Museveni’s brother General Salim Saleh to beg for handouts, my mind was taken back to the story of Joseph Stalin, the Soviet dictator of the 19th century. “Stalin once plucked off all the feathers from a live chicken as a lesson to his followers. He then set the chicken on the floor a short distance away. The chicken was blooded and suffering from great pain, yet, when Stalin began to throw some bits of wheat to the chicken it followed him around. He then said to his followers, “This is how easy it is to govern stupid people. They will follow you no matter how much pain you cause them, as long as you throw a few worthless crumbs to them every once in a while.” This story has come to life very many times in Uganda. Museveni, like all brutal dictators appeals to two human weaknesses- greed and fear. Those who resist greed are intimidated into submission, after which he returns and gives them a few crumbs from his loot. I am sure every...

A new vulnerability has been discovered in Windows 10 that allows anyone to get administrator privileges. The vulnerability is owed to an issue with file access permissions for some files associated with the Windows registry. Specifically, security researchers have shown that it’s possible for anyone to access the data stored in the Security Account Manager (SAM) file in Windows 10. The SAM file stores user credentials for the users on a computer, so naturally, it should be off-limits. However, as noted by security researcher Jonas Lykkeggard (via Bleeping Computer ), the SAM file actually can be accessed by anyone. You might not usually notice that because the file is constantly in use by Windows, which makes it inaccessible to users. But these vulnerability in Windows 10 opens a whole can of worms. Windows backs up these files when creating Shadow Copies of a drive, and these backed-up files aren’t in use. Because they still have the same permissions, any user on the computer can acc...

On Friday morning, rebels from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Cooperation for the Development of Congo (CODECO) attacked the army detach at Zeu but the attack was repulsed by UPDF soldiers who killed five of the attackers whereas one of the Ugandan soldiers was also killed. On Monday, the commander Land Forces visited the area to assess the security situation but also as a morale-boosting gesture to the soldiers in the detach. According to a statement, Lt Gen Muhoozi spent the day with the troops in the field as he also took time to understand the environment in which they operate in the area as their commander. He also toured the DRC-Uganda borderline in the area. “We are the fire of our country and therefore whoever touches our country should get burnt,” Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba said. The UPDF spokesperson, Brig Flavia Byekwaso on Monday said the CODECO hails from the Lendu ethnic group, one of the many operating in the volatile Ituri province. During the Friday attack, a group...

On Friday, we talked about Mabirizi and Kibirige who got into an argument over whether Mabirizi could afford an expensive phone. Mabirizi was dared to produce 200k by Kibirige so he could take the most expensive phone. It turned out he could. He paid 200k to Kibirige for an iPhone 12 and has since refused to part with it.  We asked you if he was entitled to that phone. Thank you for all your thoughts and responses. Let us also add ours to that discussion.  IF I PAY LESS THAN THE ‘REAL’ PRICE FOR A PHONE, AM I ENTITLED TO IT?  In contract law, the price of something in a contract is a called consideration. It is the payment or the reward for doing something or not doing something according to what has been agreed. It does not necessarily have to be money. For example, if I promise to withdraw my case against you at police and in exchange give me your shoes. This is a contract and the payment for your shoes, is me withdrawing my case against you at police. Furthermore, this...

A political activist and Kampala Deputy Lord Mayor, Doreen Nyanjura, on Friday shared her life story on NTV and Spark TV programme “Mwasuze Mutya”. This is the story: I was born in Kyenjojo District in 1989 and I am the first born to my father but third born on my mother’s side. Most people think I am a Mukiga but I am actually a Mutooro. In P.1 I became a class monitor and in P.6 I stood for deputy head girl but I was defeated .The school recognized my passion for leadership and gave me the post of time keeper. My dad was a strict man so I didn’t want to join Nyakasura School for secondary. I joined Kyebamabe Girls School. Two weeks later, there was a strike against the administration and I was a part of it. It was my first demonstration. My mum was from a humble background and she lived in a mud and wattle house. She was a prayerful woman who used to sell bushera (porridge) and snacks for a living. My mum is a brave person because she did not look back when she left her marriage. ...

By virtue of the Powers given to the President by Article 174 (2) of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, I hereby, appoint the following as Permanent Secretaries as indicated below: 1. Head of Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet- Lucy Nakyobe 2. Deputy Head of Public Service And Secretary to Cabinet - Deborah Katuramu 3. State House Comptroller - Jane Barekye 4. Principal Private Secretary to the President- Dr. Kenneth Omona 5. Principal Private Secretary to H.E. the Vice President - Alex Kakooza 6.  Office of the Prime Minister - Keith Muhakanizi 7.  Office of the President - Yunus Kakande 8.  Ministry of Agriculture, Animal - Industry and Fisheries David Kyomukama Kasura (Maj. Gen.) 9.  Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs- Rosette Byengoma 10. Ministry of Education and Sports -       Kate Lamaro  11. Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development -   Batebe Irene  12. Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Vincent Bag...

Facebook on Thursday disclosed it dismantled a "sophisticated" online cyber espionage campaign conducted by Iranian hackers targeting about 200 military personnel and companies in the defense and aerospace sectors in the U.S., U.K., and Europe using fake online personas on its platform. The social media giant pinned the attacks to a threat actor known as  Tortoiseshell  (aka Imperial Kitten) based on the fact that the adversary used similar techniques in past campaigns attributed to the threat group, which was previously known to focus on the information technology industry in Saudi Arabia, suggesting an apparent expansion of malicious activity. "This group used various malicious tactics to identify its targets and infect their devices with malware to enable espionage," said Mike Dvilyanski, Head of Cyber Espionage Investigations, and David Agranovich, Director, Threat Disruption, at Facebook. "This activity had the hallmarks of a well-resourced and persistent ...

The customers of Dunamiscoins Resources Ltd, a company dealing in crypto currency in Arua City from October to December 2019 have appealed to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to come in their aid after Bank of Uganda froze their account in Centenary, Stanbic and Diamond Trust Banks in their branches in Arua City. Led by the company chief marketing agent, Mr Anguma Richard, has reveiled that a total of 689 customers lost sh1,514,800,000 in the investment, majority of whom are peasant farmers meanwhile others are businessmen and government officials. This galloping amount was frozen following recommendation by the Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA) headed by Mr Sydney Asubo, the executive director of the agency of the Government of Uganda. The aggrieved victims have stated that Dunamiscoins company was authorized and licensed by Uganda Government and it can’t be the same authorities turning against their own actions. With the impact of the Covid-19 and lockdown hitting their families...

Last week Wednesday 7-July-2021, i had a brief meeting with RDC Maracha District, DPC and DISO. Amongst the issues i raised for discussion in the meeting, was the issue of Civilian – Police relationship in Maracha District. There have been cases https://www.facebook.com/109123777629098/posts/287108056497335/ of the community flouting the Standard Operating Procedures (#SOPs), and at the same time minor cases of police mishandling the community during curfew were on the rise. We all agreed to treat each side (police & the people) with fair hand of the law as we stick to “Serving and Protecting” the people during and after this coronavirus pandemic. I also paid courtesy visit to District health department for consultative information and how we as the leaders can help address challenges facing our health sector amidst the pandemic. Later on 9-July-2021, i proceeded to tour and console our religious leaders across Maracha District (both in Islam and Christianity) to have hope as we st...

KENYA. A man charged with defiling a 13-year old girl amused court when he claimed he suffers from erectile dysfunction and could, thus, not have committed the offence. Francis Wafula, a fuel pump attendant, is accused of defiling the minor at a house in Hurlingham in Kilimani, Nairobi but he told chief magistrate Joyce Gandani that he must use sex-enhancing drugs to rise to the occasion. “I can’t do what is said to have done because my manhood cannot perform since 2016. Each time I want to do it with my wife, I must use TNT20 (sex-enhancing drugs),” he said amid amusement in court. Gandani said she would put the claims on records but said similar claims have been made by suspects of the same offences who would later be found guilty of committing the offence after trial. Wafula accused the victim’s mother of malice after they disagreed. He said the girl’s mother has been stealing generator’s fuel which she wants him to get market for her, something that he has declined. He also denied ...

A man in Kamuli District has survived lynching by an angry mob for allegedly serving snake sauce instead of mudfish in his restaurant. Upon interrogation by some suspicious customers, Mr Minka Kyabike, a resident of Kasaka village in Bulopa sub-county admitted to having prepared pieces of a snake he killed after failing to get the mudfish he had been serving to his customers. Kyabike who asked for forgiveness from the residents said he had failed to get mudfish for close to a week yet food at home had also got finished and when he came across a big snake on his way from the swamp, he killed it, cut it into pieces so he could sell each piece at Shs 500 to get some money to feed his family. Interestingly, Peter Kaima, one of the customers who ate the snake was happy with its taste, saying it was delicious. Meanwhile, the Kamuli district deputy health officer Moses Lyagoba says there is no cause for alarm since the snake was boiled, making the poisonous element inactive. Taste “Rattlesnak...

Fumbe has always been an upstanding member of the community of Kikajjo zone. Last week, he gave some feeds to the chicken that were wandering near his shop. Mama Matovu reported that to police that her chicken had been stolen and immediately Fumbe was arrested. In the morning, Afande Omara called for a village meeting and brought a handcuffed and bare-chested Fumbe to the meeting without any shoes and reported that this was their chief suspect. He asked anyone who saw anything that can implicate Fumbe for the theft of the chicken to come forward. WHO IS AN ACCUSED PERSON? Firstly, there is a difference between a suspect and an accused person. A suspect is a person who is being investigated for a crime. This person may not even be arrested but may be questioned by the police. However, if sufficient evidence is obtained and charges are brought against that person, the person becomes an accused person. That means the police may arrest this person and the person can only be released on pol...