Osuta Yusuf

The law, (the 1962 National Flag and Armorial Ensigns Act) prohibits anyone using the national flag in any way that ridicules it for example by stepping on it, tearing it etc. In the meantime, if you have a sports event, you can use the Uganda flag as a symbol to show that you represent the country.  For example, we can cheer on the national teams at a football or network match. You can also share the national flag as a gift to express your pride to another person. If you intend to use the Uganda flag on an occasion that is ‘serious’ but not stated in the laws, then you must ask for permission to use the flag. If you get permission, it is still unlawful to raise a dirty flag, or to leave it out in the rain just because you are too tired to remove it.  However, if you are engaged in something like Okalang’s eating competition, this is may bring ridicule to the flag so it may be a criminal offence. In addition to this, while it is ok to have a flag on your office table, if you a...

Prayers and singing of National Anthem this morning 9am 12-Sep-2021 at the launch of Wheelchair distribution for the people with disabilities in Maracha District. The event was graced by Team Hon Driwaru Jennifer, the incumbent Woman MP, Chairperson PWDs, the LC5 Chairperson Hon Obitre Steven, RDC, District officials and others. This initiative which started years ago is steered by World Action Fund, a None-Governmetal organization whose Executive Director is Mr Peter Odama. In a press briefing shortly after the event, the Delegation team of Hon Driwaru Jennifer, led by Mr Drapari Dicky applauded the Government of Uganda and the NGO network for laying such grounds for helping the vulnerable people not only in Maracha District but in the entire region of Westnile - Uganda.

 A U.S. federal judge struck down some of Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) App Store rules on Friday, forcing the company to allow developers to send their users to other payment systems in a partial win for "Fortnite" creator Epic Games and other app makers. But the judge did not require Apple to let app makers use their own in-app payment systems, one of Epic's top requests, and allowed Apple to continue to charge commissions of 15% to 30% for its own in-app payment system. Epic said it would appeal the ruling, with CEO Tim Sweeney tweeting that the ruling "isn't a win for developers or for consumers." The outcome left Apple's critics and rivals saying they are more likely to turn to legislators, rather than courts, to pursue the changes they seek. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers described her ruling as requiring a "measured" change to Apple's rules. Analysts said the impact may depend heavily on how the iPhone maker chooses to impleme...

Afande Mafabi grew up in Mbale town and was deployed there when he joined police. At the end of his day, he would enter a taxi or take a Boda up to home and remind them how he is responsible for their law and order so he didn't need to pay. On weekends, he would pass by the market and pick up items for free as well. The residents have been troubled by this and want to know if police officers are supposed to take things for free. ARE POLICE OFFICERS ENTITLED TO FREE SERVICES? No,  they are not. Police officers are not allowed to use public transport or take things from the market without pay. This is because they are also citizens who are supposed to deal with their personal things in their personal capacities. As police officers, they are provided with what they need by the police force while as citizens they must take care of their personal Ned's by themselves. This means that they must pay for services or things they take from others. #BarefootLaw #osutayusuf

  Just days after announcing a planned exit from the market next month, telecom operator Africell is not allowing customers with mobile money balances to make cash withdrawals. “You cannot withdraw money from your account until October 7 when we have completed the reconciliation of our accounts. We will make a call to customers to provide their alternative MTN or Airtel lines, on which we will move their balances,” an officer at the Africell Service Centre told  New Vision  on Wednesday. When contacted on phone, a customer care representative confirmed that the information was the true position of the company. Customers can only use their mobile money balances for purchase of airtime and selected electronic purchases, the officials explained. In a communication written to its employees, Africell announced it would close shop in Uganda on October 7. This, they said, is premised on a detailed assessment that was conducted over the past several months, on the future of the t...

Mugerwa went to ‘Bulaya’ on a study visa for one year. After being there for his study year, he found it impossible to give up the ‘good life’ he had become accustomed to and decided to hide and remain there indefinitely. After 9 years, he was caught by the police and taken to prison awaiting deportation. When told that he had to return to Uganda, he told them that he would accept deportation but not to Uganda, but to a different country. His friend Kaye who was talking to him about it was left wondering if Mugerwa could just choose where he would be deported to.  WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY? Deportation is where the government of a country expels a person from its borders, this can be because the person is in the country unlawfully (such as when their passport or visa is expired), or if they have committed a crime within the country. Every country has different laws about deportation. Some countries will only deport you to the country you are from while others will put you outside the b...

A landmark ruling in Australia has classified media companies as "publishers" of defamatory user comments on their Facebook pages. Australia’s highest court ruled that media outlets are “publishers” liable for defamatory comments posted by Facebook users on their social network pages. The landmark ruling came after many mainstream outlets argued in vain that they could only be considered publishers if they were aware of defamatory messages, and meant to spread them. Judges shot down that argument and ruled that outlets were responsible for offending comments by facilitating and encouraging discussions online. The ruling paved the way for a lawsuit by Dylan Voller, a former juvenile detainee who wants to sue publishers and broadcasters. The possible suit will target comments posted on the Facebook pages of The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, Centralian Advocate, Sky News Australia and The Bolt Report. His case has been on hold since 2017 while the courts sorted out the ...

A total of 3 suspects have so far been arrested by the joint security agencies in Entebbe, for dropping anonymous letters threatening the Mayor, Katabi Town Council, Kalema Ronald and several others, in Katabi. The letters were also circulated on Whatsapp, as well as other social media platforms, causing fear and anxiety among the residents. The suspects include; Lubega William, a 27 year old mechanic, of Bunono village, Katabi Town Council, Kirigwajjo Hasadu, a former private bodyguard to the Mayor Kalema Ronald, during the recent elections; and Baluku Ronald who was re-arrested on the 7.09.2021.   Lubega William  The suspects have been using the anonymous letters as a cover-up to their criminal acts of stealing car number plates and house burglaries. The gang leader who is on the run has been identified as “ Taata Mzee” , while Lubega William, the mechanic was the major supplier of house breaking tools and implements. It is on the 28.08.2021, at around 3am, that  the su...

You have all probably heard the saying, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Well, what this means that when you are in a place that is not your own, you must follow what they do there. IF they eat ‘frogs’ and snakes, so must you. If they crawl on their knees, so should you.  So if you find that some things you used to do back home in Uganda are illegal in that country, you must avoid doing any of them. If you end up committing any act that is prohibited and its punishment is death, you may be sentenced to death in that country.   However, if you are a diplomat in that country, you may be exempt from this rule. This is what is called diplomatic immunity. Instead, you may be returned to your own country so that you can be dealt accordingly. This does not mean, that a diplomat can simply do whatever they want in another country, if they, as well, act in an outrageous manner that is not covered under their diplomatic immunity, then even they can be sentenced for such offences. Fo...

                       It was today morning the 8th/09/2021 at around 0200hrs when Oc Ruharo police post No 44109 cpl agaba Richard received a call from aboda boda rider one Kiiza Muzamiru about armed robbers who had attacked Step up bar in Kiyanja cell, Ruharo ward, Mbarara City North Division, Mbarara City .The Oc responded with one vigilante by the names of Tumusiime James also aboda boda rider who he used to ride him at that moment,on reaching the scene at Step up bar, they found when the thugs had run away from the crowds which had started gathering and the oc told the rider to start the police motorcycle and they followed the thugs who they later met at Palm world Ruharo. The two thugs were armed with a panga and a gun respectively but in different positions. The one with AGUN shot at the oc who fell down instantly causing the rider to escape for fear of being shot at also. The thugs then took off with a police gun No. UG...

‘Only God will take me out of Brasilia’, defiant Bolsonaro says Brazil’s far-right president riles up hundreds of thousands of his supporters at mass rallies denouncing Supreme Court. Supporters of Bolsonaro march in a show of support in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Tuesday amid deepening political divide in the country [Pilar Olivares/Reuters] By  Sam Cowie 7 Sep 2021 Sao Paulo, Brazil –  Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians  rallied across the country  on Tuesday in support of far-right populist President Jair Bolsonaro and his embattled administration, while calling for the removal of Supreme Court justices. The demonstrations,  encouraged by Bolsonaro  who then verbally antagonised the court in speeches at two separate rallies, will likely exacerbate  a crisis  between the executive and the judiciary that has escalated in recent months. “Either the head of this power gets in line or this power can suffer what we do not want,” the former army capta...

ECOWAS demands Alpha Condé’s “immediate and unconditional release” West Africa’s regional economic and political body, ECOWAS has condemned the coup which saw the overthrow of Guinea’s long-serving President, Alpha Condé. In a statement issued by the current Chairperson of the community, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the body is demanding Conde’s “immediate and unconditional release”. “ECOWAS notes with great concern the recent political developments which have occurred in Conakry, capital of the Republic of Guinea. ECOWAS unreservedly condemns the attempted coup of Sunday, September 5, 2021.” The statement reads.    The release dated Sunday, September 5, 2021 further stated that, “ECOWAS demands respect for the physical safety of the President of the Republic, Professor Alpha Condé, and his immediate and unconditional release, as well as that of all arrested persons. ECOWAS also demands a return to constitutional order on pain of sanctions.”  Guineans woke up to the chang...

In part I we told you about who your contract is with when you buy goods online. Now let us talk about your rights as a person buying goods online incase something (anything) does go wrong. Here are must-know consumer rights if your delivery has not gone to plan: 1. If your order is late, missing or has turned up damaged we recommend that you complain to the retailer - even if you think it’s down to a poor service from the courier, because your contract is with the retailer. 2. If you paid extra for special delivery and your order arrived later than agreed you can claim back the extra delivery cost as the service was not delivered. 3.     Be aware if you give permission for your delivery to be left in a specified safe place or received by a nominated neighbour and something goes wrong, you will still be considered to have received the delivery. Think very carefully about those options when you’re making a purchase. 4.     If your order arrives damaged or faulty, you ...

The first recipient of the Shs100,000 covid-19 cash relief from the government of Uganda, the famous Boda Boda rider Geoffrey Oloya has said he is no “ghost”. The Boda Boda rider who appeared after several months of being unreachable by Mobile Phone presented himself to Gulu City Authorities so that they can witness he is human and indeed a Boda Boda rider contrary to reports. The man who rose to prominence after receiving a phone call from Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja in the process of following up with the initial recipients, became an instant ‘enemy’ of the people after confirmed reports he was an impostor. During a meeting between members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for local government and officials of Gulu City, it was revealed that Oloya had received the money as a wrong target. Gulu City Town Clerk Moses Otimong convincingly stated they have no one by the name of Geoffrey Oloya on the lists submitted for relief and even the only Oloya on the list did not receive t...

  Telecom Company Africell Uganda Limited has confirmed that it is exiting the Ugandan market in October. In a communication to staff on Tuesday, 07 September 2021, Africell said it will be leaving the country on October 7. “Africell UG will stop services on October 7, 2021. The decision is being made in the long term interest of the Ugandan telecom sector,” the company announced. The company also revealed that their objectives in Uganda have not been achieved over their last seven years of operations in the country, and that it is therefore prudent that they leave. “We believe that the opportunity to achieve this impact is increasingly limited. We have therefore taken the difficult decision to permanently end Africell UG’s operations in Uganda.” Africell launched its commercial operations in Uganda in November 2014 after acquiring shares of Orange Uganda earlier in the year for $12 million and inherited an estimated 1,000,000 subscribers at the time of its purchase. However, Afric...

Mateeka saw a nice pair of shoes for his girlfriend while on the Jama online shopping app and quickly paid the price inclusive of delivery using his mobile money and even received a call from the online store customer help desk who asked for directions to his workplace. However, as evening approached, Mateeka started worrying about his delivery and called the online shop number. After a series of calls, they apologized and told him that the delivery guy ‘stole’ his delivery, and he should wait for the guy to be tracked down so he can get it back.  Mateeka demanded a refund, but they told him that ‘he cannot get a refund once goods are released from the store.  WHO SHOULD MATEEKA SUE FOR HIS REFUND? First, let us get a few facts straight. Mateeka did not know the delivery guy or but only knew the store which promised and charged him for the delivery of the shoes. He also did not receive what he paid for. If this happens you should complain to the online shop and retailer to cro...

Kimera has been an absolute terror at his workplace. He has often bragged about how he could bring anyone to tears if he wanted. Even his supervisor is uncomfortable dealing with him. Last week, the atmosphere around his workmates has been very cheerful since they heard that some contracts may not be renewed. Upon some ‘careful’ snooping and interrogation of the HR staff, Kimera has found out that his contract is one of those that will not be renewed. He is now on the warpath and intends to sue the company into the ‘stone age’ for not giving him notice that he will have no new contract.  SHOULD YOUR EMPLOYER NOTIFY YOU THAT YOU WILL NOT HAVE A NEW CONTRACT? No, the law does not ‘demand that your employer give you a notice that your contract will not be renewed. This is because your contract already states when the contract will expire. Some contracts also have a clause that says the employer will inform you when your contract is about to expire whether it will be renewed or not. If...

The Member of Parliament Ayivu East Constituency Hon. Feta Geofrey has appealed to Arua city authorities to re-adjust their priorities to include the construction of Awindiri - Pajulu (BAT) bridge. Speaking at the bridge this morning, 4th September, 2021, the legislator said this bridge is used by so many residents of Pajulu to access city centre and that if not done will jeopardize economic activities of so many people. The Deputy Resident City Commissioner (DRCC), Arua city, Mr. Adomati Dickson said, he has always been passionate about that bridge the reason he requested Commissioner bridges, Mr. Pariyo Lawrence to accompany him to see the bridge. He noted that the bridge was supposed to have been constructed using USMID funds but wasn't done adding that he would follow the matter with Arua district authorities. Mr. Adomati emphasised the need to fast track the process of constructing that bridge because of the high rate of traffic in that area. The commissioner bridges thanked t...

Apple is temporarily hitting the pause button on its controversial plans to screen users' devices for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) after receiving sustained blowback over worries that the tool could be weaponized for mass surveillance and erode the privacy of users. "Based on feedback from customers, advocacy groups, researchers, and others, we have decided to take additional time over the coming months to collect input and make improvements before releasing these critically important child safety features," the iPhone maker said in a statement on its website. The changes were originally slated to go live with iOS 15 and macOS Monterey later this year. The announcement, however, doesn't make it clear as to the kind of inputs it would be gathering, the nature of changes it aims to devise, or how it intends to implement the system in a way that mitigates the privacy and security concerns that could arise once it's deployed. The changes were originally slated t...

A total of 170 District/Division Police Commanders  have today the 03/09/2021 completed a 3-months  Operation Commanders course at Police Training School, Olilim.  AIGP Godfrey Golooba, the Director Human Resource Development presided over the pass-out ceremony and urged the officers to put the knowledge and skills acquired to improve policing.

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After i finished reading a book for few minutes, i turned to internet and this (see screenshot) is the first article that popped up on my screen. How Social Media criticism has provoked and perhaps reduced some of the Government institutions in Uganda ?. Are security operations supposed to be made public (posted on internet) ?. For the fear of being criticised on internet, Uganda Police Force has resorted to posting on internet, the ongoing operations to show to Ugandans and the world that, they are working to secure the Life and Properties of people. As this would be a great gesture for accountability, methinks this would be made public (posted on internet) after concluding (achieving) the target and thereafter a press conference would be held to inform the public on the efforts to investigate and stop the spete of killings in the country. The Police and the UPDF should always not be on hurry to respond and to defend themselves over criticism on Social Media. In Lugbara proverb they s...