We present exclusively the concession speech that speechwriter Matthew Scully—a Palin loyalist—had written for the vice presidential nominee, as well as the victory speech that he penned for her in the event of a positive outcome. On election night, senior McCain aides had to tell Palin several times that she would not be allowed to speak before the Alaska governor finally relented.
The clash between the McCain and Palin camps became so heated, we reveal, that McCain's aides literally turned the lights out on Palin when she retook the stage later that night to take pictures with her family, fearing that she would give the concession speech after all.
Thank you all so much. And thank you, America, for the great responsibility that you have given to President-elect John S. McCain.
It's been just 68 days since that afternoon in Dayton, Ohio, when Senator McCain introduced me as his running mate. He is truly the maverick. He took a chance on me. I will always be grateful for that. It will be the honor of a lifetime to work him as vice president of the United States. And I pledge to govern with integrity, and goodwill, and clear conviction, and a servant's heart.
My fellow Americans, tens of millions of you shared our convictions and gave us your votes. And I thank you for your confidence. We were facing tough odds and formidable opponents.
It's not always easy in politics to see the best in our opponents. But we have seen the grace and skill of Barack Obama, and the grit and determination of Joe Biden. By his nomination and extraordinary campaign, Barack Obama has achieved a great thing, for himself and for our country, and for that America will always honor him. I say God bless you, Senator Obama, and your beautiful family.
Along the way in this campaign, it was Todd, as always, who helped with the children, gave me advice, and kept me strong. There are a lot of men in this world could learn a few things from Todd Palin, and I am so lucky that he is still my guy. And my luck began long before then, in having parents like Chuck and Sally Heath…and then blending into an accepting, loyal, fun, and diverse family.
Had it gone the other way tonight, we would not have returned in sorrow to the great State of Alaska. We would have carried with us memories that are forever, and joyful experiences that do not depend on victory.
I will remember all the young girls who came up to me to our rallies, sometimes taking off from school, just to see only the second women ever nominated by a major party in a national election. They know that in America there should be no ceilings on achievement, glass or otherwise. And if I have helped point the way for these young women, or inspire them to use their own gifts and find their own opportunities, it has been a privilege.
And for their example and their love, I will remember with gratitude all the families with special needs children. How could I ever forget the sight of a banner held up high to say "We Are Here For Trig"? How could I ever forget a boy like Charlie, a fine young man we met at a rally in Florida who has Down Syndrome? Charlie and I swapped email addresses, and the last time he replied he said, "By the way, please don't call me 'darlin'—it's not tough enough." So, tonight, a special shout-out to you, Chuck…darlin'. And let me repeat what I told you, because it applies to you and to all children and adults with special needs across America: You are beautiful, and I am so proud to know that my boy Trig will grow up to be just like you.
And I promise you: These next four years, families with special needs—and every family in America—can know that they have a friend and advocate in the White House.
In this campaign, we held to the belief that our country is still that "shining city on a hill" that Ronald Reagan spoke of so many years ago. And tonight, we have chosen a man ready and worthy to lead such a country.
This is a moment when principles and political independence matter a lot more than just the party line. And tonight, we have elected a man who can bring us together, because he always puts his country first. America, he has always fought for you.
This is a moment when great causes can be won and great threats overcome. And we have chosen a man who will rise to the moment, as he has done before, with clarity and resolve.
In this campaign, I've had the rare enough privilege of praising a candidate whose story, character, and personal heroism require no embellishment. I said things about him—about how he has served and what he has overcome—that he could not say about himself, because he is that kind of man. He has faced long odds before, but he has never quit, never relented, and tonight America rewarded a lifetime of service, honor, and valor.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have the distinct privilege of being the first to introduce him as the President-elect of United States of America—John S. McCain.
Thank you all so much. It's been just 68 days since that afternoon in Dayton, Ohio, when Senator McCain introduced me as his running mate. And at the time, for me, it felt that such a moment could never be matched…that I would never again feel so proud to have been chosen. But it turns out I was mistaken. Tonight, in hard and honorable defeat, I am more proud than ever to be the running mate and friend of a great man, Senator John McCain.
My fellow Americans, tens of millions of you shared our convictions and gave us your votes. And I thank you for your confidence. For us, it was not our time… not our moment. But it is our country… the winner will be our president… and I wish Barack Obama well as the 44th president of the United States.
If he governs America with the skill and grace we have often seen in him, and the greatness of which he is capable, we're gonna be just fine. And when a black citizen prepares to fill the office of Washington and Lincoln, that is a shining moment in our history that can be lost on no one. Barack Obama has achieved a great thing, for himself and for our country, and I congratulate him. God bless you and your beautiful family, President-Elect Obama.
I spoke this evening to the gentlemen from Delaware. And let me again congratulate this good man and his fine family on a wonderful moment in their lives. I wish Joe Biden only the best as our 47th vice president.
As for my own family, well, it's been quite a journey these past 69 days. And we are ready to return to a place and a life we love. I told my husband Todd to look at the upside: Now, at least, he can clear his schedule, and get ready for championship title number five in the Iron Dog snow machine race! Along the way in this campaign, it was Todd, as always, who helped with the children, gave me advice, and kept me strong. There are a lot of men in this world could learn a few things from Todd Palin. And I am so lucky that after a couple of decades, five kids, and a presidential campaign, he is still my guy.
Among Todd's many winning qualities are the gift of optimism and thankfulness in all situations. And I suppose I'll be counting on those qualities a little more than usual in the days to come. But far from returning to the great State of Alaska with any sense of sorrow, we will carry with us the best of memories… and joyful experiences that do not depend on victory.
I will remember all the young girls who came up to me to our rallies, sometimes taking off from school, just to see only the second women ever nominated by a major party in a national election. They know that in America there should be no ceilings on achievement, glass or otherwise. And if I could help point the way for these young women, or inspire them to use their own gifts and find their own opportunities, it was a privilege.
And for their example and their love, I will remember with gratitude all the families with special needs children. How could I ever forget the sight of a banner held up high to say "We Are Here For Trig"? How could I ever forget a boy like Charlie, a fine young man we met at a rally in Florida who has Down Syndrome? Charlie and I swapped email addresses, and the last time he replied he said, "By the way, please don't call me 'darlin'—it's not tough enough." So tonight, a special shout-out to you, Chuck… darlin'. And let me repeat what I told you, because it applies to you and to all children and adults with special needs across America: You are beautiful, and I am so proud to know that my boy Trig will grow up to be just like you… it's time America shows you her good heart.
Above all, I am grateful to the man who took a chance on me. From that moment to this, I have had the rare enough privilege in politics of praising a candidate whose story, character, and personal heroism required no embellishment. I said things about him—about how valiantly he has served and what he has overcome—things he could not say about himself, because he is that kind of man. It would be a happier night if elections were a test of valor and merit alone, but that is not for us to question now. Enough to say it has been the honor of a lifetime to fight at the side of John S. McCain.
To the Senator, Cindy, and your amazing family—thank you. I honor you. I love you.
America has made her choice. As for me, my convictions, my loyalties, and my hopes for this country remain the same. Now it is time for us go our way, neither bitter nor vanquished, but instead confident in the knowledge that there will be another day… and we may gather once more… and find new strength… and rise to fight again. Thank you all. May God protect, guide, and bless America!
Scott Conroy has worked as a campaign reporter and is currently a digital journalist for CBS News.


text:
Q: How should I structure Project Task lists I've been asked to create a project and task list within a SharePoint Online site. It seems simple but I want to ensure I have a workable and maintainable structure.
Base requirements:

*

*The site will contain multiple projects.

*Each project will have one or more tasks.

*Project status will be determined by a roll-up of the project-specific task list.

*An overview page will show all of the projects and roll-up statuses.

I thought this could be achieved by using a single Task list. A top level task for a Project then as sub-tasks as required. However, I can't see a way to have different fields for the top level task and the sub-tasks.
Any suggestions on how I can structure this?

A: If you create task list in SharePoint online, the top-level task and sub task have the same fields by default. It is by design.
For more detailed information, refer to the article below.
Manage Tasks List in SharePoint Online.
http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/article/manage-tasks-list-in-sharepoint-online/
If the task list cannot meet your requirement, you could store the projects and tasks in two lists. Then you can add different columns for the projects and tasks.
And you can establish the connection between the two lists by unique and lookup columns.
For more detailed information, refer to the article below.
Create list relationships by using unique and lookup columns.
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Create-list-relationships-by-using-unique-and-lookup-columns-80a3e0a6-8016-41fb-ad09-8bf16d490632

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Type: Ordinance Status: Passed
Intro date: 2/22/2017 Current Controlling Legislative Body: Committee on Transportation and Public Way
Title: Grant(s) of privilege in public way for Northwestern Memorial Hospital - 259 E Erie St
Sponsors: Reilly, Brendan
Topic: PUBLIC WAY USAGE - Grants of Privilege
3/29/2017 44948 City Council Passed Pass Action details Meeting details Not available
3/23/2017 Committee on Transportation and Public Way Recommended to Pass Pass Action details Meeting details Not available
2/22/2017 44081 City Council Referred Action details Meeting details Not available
NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL Acct. No. 69273- 14 Permit No. 1125753
SECTION 1. Permission and authority are hereby given and granted to NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of this ordinance to maintain and use, as now constructed, one (1) Banner(s) projecting over the public right-of-way adjacent to its premises known as 259 E. Erie St
Said Banner(s) at E.ERIE measure(s):
One (1) at four (4) feet in length, and nine point two five (9.25) feet in width for a total of thirty-seven (37) square feet.
The location of said privilege shall be as shown on prints kept on file with the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection and the Office of the City Clerk.
Said privilege shall be constructed in accordance with plans and specifications approved by the Zoning Department -Signs.
This grant of privilege in the public way shall be subject to the provisions of Section 10-28-015 and all other required provisions of the Municipal Code of Chicago.
The grantee shall pay to the City of Chicago as compensation for the privilege #1125753 herein granted the sum of seventy-five ($75.00) per annum in advance.
A 25% penalty will be added for payments received after due date.
The permit holder agrees to hold the City of Chicago harmless for any damage, relocation or replacement costs associated with damage, relocation or removal of private property caused by the City performing work in the public way.
Authority herein given and granted for a period of five (5) years from and after 01/18/2017.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


We love animals and understand the importance of their health and wellness therefore, we bring you the best online pet products for your pet's comprehensive health care.
Our website is created and designed to give you a great consumer experience while you are searching for any pet care products. With a very convenient online store we provide an easy shopping experience. We provide a complete line of quality, certified pet supplies at the most reasonable prices. We strive hard to bring to you the best and well-known brands of pet health supplies to ensure that your pet is in the finest of health. We have a strong belief that every pet should get supreme health care, so we offer pet meds that are affordable, so you do not have to worry about inflated costs. We offer you first rate delivery service and are here to help and support, if you have any questions or reservations regarding any of our products. Our constant endeavour and passion for providing the best health care for your pets, makes us a leading online pet product supplier in the USA and Canada.
Here at BestFlea we care about the wellbeing of your pets.
Being pet owners ourselves we understand that pets form an important part of the family, and a healthy pet is a happy pet.
That's why we strive to provide the best range of treatment for dogs, cats and rabbits at the most reasonable prices.
We stock many of the leading brands and offer free shipping with a guaranteed first class service.
If you have any questions about our products or how to use them, don't hesitate to drop us a line, we'll be more than happy to help!
Happy shopping from all of us at BestFlea (including our Labrador Retriever Carla)!


Deep-linking is permitted according to the ruling of the German Supreme Court ("Paperboy") (case no. I ZR 259/00 of 17th July 2003). Whoever puts publicly accessible articles online has to accept that they may be linked directly (so-called "deep-linking" or "web-clipping") while bypassing the entry pages of content providers.
The German Supreme Court (MAXEM.DE, Docket Nr. I ZR 296/00), in contrast to lower courts, held in its ruling of 26th June 2003 that the owner of the name prevails in the dispute over the internet address MAXEM.DE. The ruling argued mostly on the basis of law relating to names without regarding the peculiarities of the internet.
On 22nd November, 2001, the German Supreme Court (case number I ZR 138/99, SHELL.DE regarding § 14(2)(3) and § 15 (3) of the Trademark Act and § 12 of the Civil Code) sided with the lower courts which carved out an exception to the "first come first serve" rule and affirmed the domain name to a subsidiary company of the worldwide mineral oil tycoon.
Compilation of stock data: No copyright protection but infringement of performing rights concerning competition law.
"Mitwohnzentrale.de": In the dispute between two service platforms for people seeking partners to share residential space, the Regional Appeal Court in Hamburg held that the domain "mitwohnwohnzentrale.de" cannot be monopolised since this descriptive name (Mitwohnzentrale – approx.: share-a-flat) pulls too many clients and thus restrains competition. Click here for a commentary.
On the 17th May 2001, the German Supreme Court BGH (mitwohnzentrale.de) upheld the ruling of the Regional Appeal Court in Hamburg with the effect that generic terms are now "again" allowed as domain names. The Federal Supreme Court, however, has already sketched an outline of what the criteria of behaviour contrary to fair competition will be.
In its ruling of 4th May 2000, the Regional Court of Appeal (OLG) in Hamburg – Kulturwerbung.de – held that that an internet domain is principally suitable for representing a company or person that has such a name, even if it contains generic terms.
Linking liability - the Regional Appeal Court in Brunswick (ftp-explorer) ruled that § 5 of the Teleservices Act is generally applicable to linking.


text:
Download full 2021 archive Page archived at: Thu, 23 Sep 2021 13:38:11 +1000
The University of Sydney - Sydney Conservatorium of Music Handbook 2021
Conservatorium Handbook
You are here: Home / Sydney Conservatorium of Music / Undergraduate / Diploma of Music
Bachelor of Music (Composition)
Bachelor of Music (Music Education)
Bachelor of Music (Performance)
Bachelor of Music / Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Composition)
Bachelor of Music / Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Performance)
Bachelor of Music Studies (Honours)
Diploma of Music
Undergraduate tables
Principal study and program focus
Analysis, History and Culture Studies
Contemporary Music Studies
Music Education and Pedagogy
Music Skills
Performance and Ensemble
Professional and Industry Skills
Undergraduate descriptions
Master of Music Studies (Opera Performance)
Graduate Diploma of Music (Opera Performance)
Master of Music Studies (Performance)
Graduate Diploma in Music Studies (Performance)
Doctor of Philosphy
Research units of study
Composition for Creative Industries
Contemporary Music Practice
Digital Music and Media
Musicology major
Music minors
Jazz Performance
Non-orchestral Instument
Voice (Classical)
Non-orchestral Instrument
These resolutions must be read in conjunction with applicable University By-laws, Rules and policies including (but not limited to) the University of Sydney (Coursework) Rule 2014 (the 'Coursework Rule'), the Coursework Policy 2014, the Resolutions of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the University of Sydney (Student Appeals against Academic Decisions) Rule 2006 (as amended), the Academic Honesty in Coursework Policy 2015 and the Academic Honesty Procedures 2016. Up to date versions of all such documents are available from the Policy Register: http://sydney.edu.au/policies.
Course and stream title
DLMUSICM-04
The attendance pattern for this course is normally full time. Part time study may be permitted upon successful application.
Admission to this course is on the basis of a secondary school leaving qualification such as the NSW Higher School Certificate (including national and international equivalents), tertiary study or an approved preparation program. English language requirements must be met where these are not demonstrated by sufficient qualifications taught in English. Special admission pathways are open for mature aged applicants who do not possess a school leaving qualification, educationally disadvantaged applicants and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Applicants are ranked by merit and offers for available places are issued according to the ranking. Details of admission policies are found in the Coursework Policy 2014.
4 Requirements for the diploma
The units of study that may be taken for the course are set out in the Table of units of study for Undergraduate Degrees and the Diploma of Music table of units of study.
To qualify for the award of the diploma, a candidate must successfully complete 96 credit points, comprising:
24 credit points of Principal Study units of study
18 credit points of Music Theory and Aural Skills units of study
12 credit points of Analysis, History, and Culture Studies
24 credit points as set out in the Pathway Tables for specific Principal Study areas
18 credit points of elective units of study
5 Principal Studies
Principal Studies are available in:
Improvised Music
Non-orchestral Instrument Performance
Orchestral Instrument Performance
(j)
Voice (classical) performance
6 Transitional Arrangements
Students enrolled prior to 2020 will be able to complete their degree under existing resolutions, or transfer to the 2020 resolutions and new degree framework if they so choose. Students in the pre-2018 degree pattern will have the full range of appropriate units of study available for them to complete their degree under the pre-2018.
Authorised by: Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education).


: This dissertation is comprised of three essays on topics in the economics of education and family. In Chapter 1, "The Effects of Parental Involvement on Student Achievements: A Fixed Effects Approach", I measure the effect of changes in parental involvement on changes in schooling outcomes between 8 th and 12 th grade using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988. The fixed effects estimates suggest that some types of parental involvement, particularly those that involve parent-child discussion have a positive effect on student outcomes, ranging from 0.39-0.96 and 0.43-1.18 percentage point increases in math and reading test scores, respectively.Chapter 2, "Til Laws Do Us Part? The Impact of Changing Divorce Laws on Divorce Rates in Mexico" (with Trinidad Beleche), investigates the relationship between the rising rate of marital dissolution and recently liberalized divorce laws in Mexico. Specifically, the law changes considered include the adoption of domestic violence, separation, and incompatibility as legal grounds for divorce, and the establishment of 'administrative' divorce filing. Using a panel of state level divorce rates, the difference-in-differences estimates suggest that liberalization of the divorce laws did not have a statistically significant effect on aggregate divorce rates between 1993 and 2005.In order to gain additional insight into the consequences of divorce reforms on the quality of matches in Mexico, I analyze individual marriage and divorce certificate data in Chapter 3, "The Effect of Divorce Laws on the Duration of Marriage in Mexico". Specifically, I estimate the effect on marital duration of marrying after liberal divorce provisions are adopted using a Cox proportional hazard model as my main empirical technique. I find evidence that couples marrying under the presence of any of the four divorce provisions are more likely to divorce and do so more quickly compared to couples marrying in states without any such provisions..


text:
Monday Speakers
Wednesday Speakers
LAHS Map
Feb 7 & 9, 2022
Los Altos High School
Uwe Bergmann, PhD
TALK DESCRIPTION
Since the discovery of X-rays by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen in 1895, this mysterious form of light has revolutionized many fields of science and research. Most people are familiar with the penetrating power of X-rays that allow us to see the inside of our bodies, but other properties of X-rays might be even more fascinating. For example, X-rays can bring to light the structure and chemistry of molecules with atomic precision, far beyond the best microscopes. X-rays can also identify and image individual chemical elements, a phenomenon recently used to bring to light import documents in art and archaeology. Over the past 40 years powerful X-ray sources based on large accelerators such as the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) at SLAC have dramatically advanced the field of X-ray science. Very recently SLAC has also built a new X-ray laser the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) which has enhanced the brightness of X-rays sources by another staggering ten billion times. Now, for the first time, we can make movies of molecules in action in real time with atomic precision. We will discuss these amazing machines, and some of the most exciting examples of recent X-ray research.
MEET UWE BERGMANN
Uwe Bergmann got his PhD in Physics from Stony Brook University and is a Distinguished Staff Scientist at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Principle Investigator at the Stanford PULSE Institute. He has done his graduate research at the Brookhaven National Lab in New York and since worked at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France and the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. In 2003 he joined SLAC and has worked at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource and the Linac Coherent Light Source, the world's first X-ray free electron laser, where he was the deputy and interim director. Since 2015 he is at the Stanford PULSE Institute at SLAC. His research activities focus on the development and application of novel X-ray spectroscopy techniques and his scientific interests include studies of the structure of water and aqueous solution, active centers in metalloproteins, two-dimensional nanomaterials and imaging of ancient documents and fossils.
You can find more information about him on his website.
© 2022 LAHS STEAM Week


Plaintiffs are not retroactively entitled to attorney's fees in Freedom of Information Act lawsuits filed before the Open Government Act was enacted 2 1/2 years ago, a federal appellate court ruled this week.
The U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia ruled Tuesday in favor of two government agencies that were sued before President George W. Bush signed the Open Government Act into law on Dec. 31, 2007.
In Judicial Watch v. Bureau of Land Management and John Davis v. U.S. Department of Justice, both plaintiffs argued that this expanded language made them eligible for fee awards. But the appellate court ruled that the timing of the lawsuits was problematic.
Judicial Watch, for instance, made its request in March 2007 for communications records between the Bureau of Land Management and the Nevada congressional delegation regarding a transaction that involved federal lands. Judicial Watch sued six months later to compel the records' disclosure. The bureau eventually turned over the records and the parties settled the dispute in 2008.
Judicial Watch attorney Michael Bekesha argued that the watchdog group's case did not require a retroactive application of the law because the parties' dispute continued after the act took effect. The lower court agreed and awarded Judicial Watch $3,605 in attorney's fees.
However, the appeals court ruled that awarding those fees would increase the government's liability for conduct that occurred before the Open Government Act became law. "We conclude that application of the 2007 Act to these facts would have impermissible retroactive effects," the court wrote.
Meanwhile, the Davis case involved more than $112,000 in attorney's fees from litigation that stretches back more than two decades.
John Davis sued the Justice Department after it denied his 1986 request for tape recordings of an investigation into an alleged New Orleans mob boss. After the Justice Department released many of the requested tapes in 1995 and another in 1999, a judge dismissed the lawsuit in 2007.
But the appellate court disagreed with that argument, stating that even when Congress intends to supersede case law, "its intent to reach conduct preceding the 'corrective' amendment must clearly appear."


The goals for this book became somewhat obvious to me after considering the exam itself, as well as the Cisco exam philosophy. The first goal came straight from Cisco, who asked that I write a book that not only helps you pass the exam, but that also ensures that you really understand the concepts and implementation details. The second goal of this book is that the content should be the most comprehensive coverage of BSCI exam-related topics available, without too much coverage of topics not on the exam. The third and ultimate goal is to get you from where you are today to the point that you can confidently pass the BSCI exam. Therefore, all this book??s features, which are outlined in this chapter, are geared toward helping you discover the IP routing topics that are on the BSCI exam, where you have a knowledge deficiency in these topics, and what you need to know to master these topics.


text:
https://lebronwire.usatoday.com/2019/11/11/anthony-davis-admits-he-is-still-feeling-discomfort-in-his-right-shoulder/
Anthony Davis admits he is still feeling discomfort in his right shoulder
Brendan Bowers
The Toronto Raptors snapped the Los Angeles Lakers seven-game winning streak on Sunday. Playing without Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry, the Raptors used a 13-3 run with just over nine minutes left to help secure the 113-104 victory. LeBron James posted his fourth triple-double of the season with 13 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds during the loss, while Anthony Davis paced the Lakers with 27 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.
Following the game, Davis admitted that he's still feeling the lingering effects of the shoulder injury he suffered on a dunk attempt earlier this season. He told Dave McMenamin of ESPN that he re-aggravated the injured shoulder on a block of Pascal Siakam during the Toronto loss which increased the level of pain that he played with throughout the night.
"There's really never a play I don't feel it," Davis said of his injured right shoulder. "I'm going to go out there and play. I try not to let it affect my game. I just play through it and then worry about taking care of it after the game."
A.D. hasn't missed a game all season despite the ailing shoulder and is averaging 26.6 points and 10.2 rebounds in 35 minutes of work. He's also been critical in helping to establish the Lakers interior defense while offering a career-high of 3.1 blocks per contest. His treatment for the aggravated shoulder includes wearing a compression T-shirt under his jersey and having a heat pack applied while he's on the bench. Davis was not removed from the game due to injury on Sunday and logged 38 minutes in defeat.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis welcome defending champion Raptors
Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard leading Lakers potentially historic block party in Los Angeles


text:
King Oyo To Graduate Today
The King of Tooro Kingdom Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukiidi IV, will today graduate in the United Kingdom.
Tooro King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru IV.
King Oyo (21) will be awarded a Bachelor's degree in Business Management at Winchester University in Hampshire South East London, where he has been studying for the past three years.
King Oyo left for London yesterday for the graduation ceremony accompanied by Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, Princess Ruth Komuntale, Oyo's sister and the Batebe of Tooro and his personal assistant Jonathan Baguma.
In an interview with local media, Tooro Kingdom's information Minister, Vincent Mugume, said that after the graduation, King Oyo will be hosted by the Batooro community living in the United Kingdom. According to Mugume, the Kingdom will also organize a party for King Oyo when he returns from UK in two weeks' time.
Steven Kaliba, the Prime Minister Tooro Kingdom, said that since the King has completed his studies, he will personally oversee the development of his Kingdom and be close to his subjects. Asked if King Oyo will now permanently reside at his palace in Fort Portal as his subjects demand, Kaliba said that it will be Oyo to decide where he wants to live.
While he was pursuing his studies, King Oyo was being helped to rule the Kingdom by two regents, who included Rev. Richard Baguma and Epafura Mugasa.
Prior to his university education abroad, King Oyo spent two years in the United Kingdom attending Preschool. He then returned to Uganda and attended school at Aga Khan Primary School and then Kabira International School.
King Oyo's education abroad was in the past criticized by some of his subjects, who argued that he should emulate his grandfather, the late Sir George Rukiidi and his father, the late Patrick Mathew Kaboyo who were educated in some of the prominent schools in Uganda like Nyakasura School in Kabarole and King's College Budo.
Winchester University is one of the oldest universities in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1840, based on a strong Anglican foundation.
TZ ranks poorly in food security index
Analysts say Tanzania's food security problem is not due to scarcity but because of poor infrastructure and poverty that makes its distribution a challenge.
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania ranks very low globally in the food security index even as the world celebrates the World Food Day today.
The country ranks at number 95 out of 107 countries surveyed in the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) 2013 conducted by The Economist.
The survey shows that among East African countries, Tanzania which scored 29.4 points out of 100, is behind Uganda and Kenya while beating Rwanda and Burundi.
Uganda is leading positioned at 77 with 38.3 per cent, Kenya at 80 with 36.4 per cent, Rwanda at 96 with 29.3 per cent and Burundi at 103 with 26.3 per cent.
The GFSI report shows US is the leading country with 86. 8 per cent followed by Norway 86.5 and France 83.7 while the last country is the Democratic Republic of Congo with 20.8 per cent followed by Chad (22.1 per cent) and Togo 22.7(per cent).
In addition, the government's preliminary evaluation which was conducted in 25 regions between July and August, this year, shows that 63 districts in 19 regions of Tanzania mainland face a shortage of food despite President Jakaya Kikwete assuring the country on Monday that no citizen will die of hunger.
Mr Kikwete said that currently the government, through the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA), has collected 209,000 tonnes and expected to collect 250,000 tonnes in the current financial year. "We want to collect 400,000 tonnes by 2015," he said
Postponing the 12th parliamentary meeting in Dodoma last month, Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda told the august House that nine regions were the most affected. They included Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Tabora, Arusha, Mwanza, Shinyanga, Singida, Kilimanjaro and Mara
He noted that about 17 regions have adequate food. Among them, eight regions of Rukwa, Katavi, Mbeya, Ruvuma, Iringa, Kagera, Geita and Njombe have produced surplus food during the 2012/13 season.
The executive director of Agricultural Non-State Actors Forum (Ansaf), Mr Audax Rukonge, yesterday told The Citizen that many regions produce surplus food but a poor infrastructure network leads to shortage of food in unproductive areas which results to hunger.
He added that though the African Union, through the 2003 Maputo Declaration on agriculture, professed to allocate 10 per cent of the national budget in agriculture, Tanzania has not been doing so.
Senior EAC official collapses, dies in Arusha
Arusha. Shock and disbelief ruled at the East African Community (EAC) headquarters here yesterday after one of its senior officials collapsed and died at lunch time.
Dr Flora Musonda, the EAC director of Trade died at an Arusha downtown hospital shortly before 2pm, officials confirmed. "We're all shocked," said EAC Corporate Affairs and Public Information head, Owora Richard-Othieno, as workers tried to come to terms with the news. Circumstances that led to her sudden death could not be established immediately.
However, those who spoke to Drive Hot said she died at the hospital where she had gone for a medical check-up during lunch hour.
It was relayed further that doctors noted that she had a serious health problem that needed immediate medical attention, but before any step had been taken, she collapsed and died.
Dr Musonda, an accomplished economist, joined the EAC in 2005 and was one of the senior Tanzanians working with the body
Drunk school girls arrested in Meru Town
Meru Town. Six secondary school girls have been arrested after they were found drunk in a bar within the town. Area OCPD Tom Odero said members of the public alerted the police about the form four students who were spotted at the entertainment joint in their school uniforms. GOOGLE MAPS.
Six secondary school girls have been arrested after they were found drunk in a bar within Meru Town.
Area police boss Tom Odero said members of the public alerted the police about the form four students who were spotted at the entertainment joint in their school uniforms.
Mr Odero said the students from a school which is only a few kilometers from the town had remained in school during the midterm break.
But the six sneaked out of school on Monday evening.
"We have arrested the students in order to bring this issue to the attention of education officials. Remedial action needs to be taken to protect students from engaging in illegal activities," said Mr Odero.
"These are KCSE candidates and we wonder why they had to escape from school while the exams are just a few days away," Mr Odero added.
He said he had contacted the school's principal so that disciplinary action could be taken against the girls.
The OCPD called for urgent measures from school authorities to resolve the situation which he said was common especially when students are opening and closing school as well as during midterm breaks.
COUNSEL STUDENTS
On discipline, Mr Odero said education authorities in Meru County should counsel students found to be engaging in antisocial behaviours such as drug abuse.
Mr Odero urged parents to always monitor the whereabouts of their children to help stem the inappropriate behaviour which he said affects academic performance.
He further warned bar operators found selling alcohol to students and underage drinkers that they would be arrested for flouting the law.
"We are in the process of having that particular bar closed down because it has flouted the law.
Police in Meru will not condone such errant behaviour and I am putting other bar operators on notice," he said.
A similar incident occured recently in Kirinyaga County where five secondary school girls were flushed out of a bar in Kianyaga Town.
30,000 Ugandans face deportation from UK
Uganda High Commission officials; Innocent Opio (L) and Frank Ochom (R) join the chairperson of Ugandans staying in UK Rehema Nnabukeera Kawooya to address a gathering during celebrations to mark Uganda's Independence anniversary in Manchester on Saturday. Mr Opio blamed the UK Home Office for failing to resolve immigration and asylum requests of Ugandans.
MANCHESTER- More than 30,000 Ugandans face deportation from the United Kingdom (UK) after failing to resolve their asylum and immigration requests, a report by the Home Affairs Committee of the House of Commons (UK Parliament) has revealed.
The report said the current backlog of 500,000 unresolved immigration and asylum cases will not be cleared for another 37 years at the current rate of progress. This condemns Ugandans to more anguish as they wait for their cases to be resolved. Uganda accounts for 30,000 of those cases.
However, the Uganda High Commission in the UK blames the Home Office for failing to expeditiously dispose of cases of Ugandans seeking asylum there.
Speaking at an event to mark Independence celebrations in the UK at the weekend, Mr Innocent Quinoscars Opio, the Second Secretary and In charge of Consular Services at the Uganda High Commission in UK, accused the Home Office of "incompetence" in handling immigration cases.
"We have always raised our concerns and engaged the UK Home Office both formally and informally about their incompetence in dealing with immigration matters especially those concerning Ugandans and other immigrants," Mr Opio said.
He cited cases of Ugandans on whose behalf the UK Home Office has applied for temporary travel documents from the Uganda High Commission in UK, to facilitate their deportation back to Uganda. He said most of them are victims of unfair and poor handling of immigration cases.
"We also don't always bow down to pressure especially when they send us applications to expel Ugandans from the UK who are victims of unfair and poor handling of immigration cases," he added, explaining that this stance was a sign of Uganda's independence from Britain.
The Uganda High Commission in UK also highlighted the issue of dual citizenship, saying that those Ugandans who acquire British citizenship automatically cease to be Ugandans. However, they can take advantage of the recently-passed dual citizenship law which requires them to re-apply for Ugandan citizenship after acquiring British passports.
The foreign office said it is only after re-application that the dual citizenship is regularised through a dual-citizenship certificate given at the end of the process.
Hidden Cameras Could Be Used To Inspect Carers
Hidden Cameras Could Be
Used To Inspect Carers.
Hidden cameras could be used to help carry out inspections of care homes, according to a watchdog in England.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) unveiled the proposal as one of a number of changes to the way it monitors care providers.
The new Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care outlined her priorities in a document published ahead of a public consultation next spring.
Andrea Sutcliffe - one of three chief inspectors appointed by the CQC – said the organisation would hold discussions over the "potential use of hidden surveillance".
The document, entitled A Fresh Start for the Regulation and Inspection of Adult Social Care, states: "We would ... like to have an open conversation with people about the use of mystery shoppers and hidden cameras, and whether they would contribute to promoting a culture of safety and quality, while respecting people's rights to privacy and dignity.
"Such a conversation should cover the use of these techniques by the public, providers, or CQC."
Davina Ludlow, director of care home directory carehome.co.uk, warned about the possible impact on care users and staff.
"Whilst safeguarding is vital, so too is dignity and privacy," she said.
"Not only will covert surveillance impact on residents' freedom, it may also have a knock-on effect on the motivation of staff.
"We need to train, support and inspire the next generation of carers, not create a Big Brother culture where people are afraid to do this vital job."
Other proposals include awarding ratings to every care home and adult social care service by March 2016 to help people make informed decisions about their care.
Ms Sutcliffe, who started her job last week, also wants to recruit an army of ordinary people with personal experience of the care system to help carry out inspections.
A spokesman for the Alzheimer's Society said: "We welcome these plans to overhaul adult social care inspections at a time when public confidence in the care sector is at an all-time low.
"With most adults in the UK scared of moving into a home and care in the community often failing to meet people's needs, we desperately need to restore faith in services
Tanzania 'formally' isolated from EAC
He said currently, each of the five member states – Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi and Rwanda – has its own fertiliser and seed policies, which made it difficult for the regional organisation to implement some projects due to lack of harmonisation.
Dar es Salaam/ Kampala. First it was "the coalition of the willing", involving Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya; now it is the "federation of the willing" which has also side-lined Tanzania in the latest bid to fast-track the proposed East African Community political federation.
Yesterday in Kampala Uganda, four EAC member countries, namely Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi met to discuss the draft of the constitution that would govern the federation.
The two-day forum is expected to reach a consensus on the form, structure as well as the fundamental principles of the roadmap for the envisaged unity. The high-level gathering was in adherence to a directive issued by the first Infrastructure Summit held in Entebbe on 25 June 2013, where Heads of State of Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda agreed to set up a committee that would fast-track the EA political federation by developing a draft constitution.
In this meeting, Tanzania wasn't invited in what was seen as a move to isolate it ahead of the quick march towards a political federation.
Even Burundi, which had earlier refused to join Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, has now joined "the coalition of the willing" leaving, Tanzania in the cold.
Opening the meeting, which brought together constitution making experts from the four countries, Uganda's minister for Internal Affairs, General Aronda Nyakairima said" "This political process comes in the backdrop of a number of historical initiatives, as informed by the debate on the importance of the federation. And this idea is not new, on 10th May 1964 in Dar es Salam, during the meeting Mzee Nyerere stated: it is better that two countries should federate now, if three cannot.''
The Internal minister who also doubles as the fast tracking project chair told delegates: "The necessity and the urgency of the work before us, does remind me of one man's great wisdom, 'Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past."
At the end of the meeting, experts from the four countries are expected to come up with a framework of the proposed political federation, as guided by the work plan set during the Ministerial Session on the Committee of Fast Tracking Political Federation, held on September 12, in Kampala.
The technical team, according to details gathered by The Citizen, has been appointed to draft an East African Federation Constitution.
Defend the move, the Ugandan minister said: "Probably this long-standing cooperation history and its benefits to the region is inspired by Mzee Mwalimu Julius Nyerere in the 1960s, when he proposed that the independence of Tanganyika be delayed until Kenya and Uganda got independent, so that together they could form a federation on simultaneous attainment of independence."
Indeed, by 1963, three countries had attained their independence and had declared the establishment of an East African Federation, which came into being by the Treaty of June 1967, he said adding:
"This treaty established joint ownership and operation of services managed by the East African Railways and Harbours; the East African Airways; the East African Posts and Telecommunications; the Inter-University Council for East Africa; and the East African Currency Board. There was also the Court of Appeal for East Africa and the East African Legislative Assembly."
Outrage in India as stampede kills 115
Indian Hindu pilgrims walk on the bridge where a deadly stampede took place the previous day near the Ratangarh temple in the Datia district of central Madhya Pradesh on October 14, 2103. Outrage mounted in India after at least 115 devotees were crushed to death or drowned near a Hindu temple, the site of another deadly stampede only seven years ago.
RATANGARH, India, Monday
Outrage mounted in India Monday after at least 115 devotees were crushed to death or drowned near a Hindu temple, the site of another deadly stampede only seven years ago.
As survivors of Sunday's tragedy on a bridge recounted how desperate mothers threw their children into the water below, authorities came under fire over policing levels amid claims the panic was aggravated by baton-charging.
Medics were also battling to save the lives of 10 people classified as critically ill after the stampede in the town of Ratangarh in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.
"The death toll has now gone up to 115 and more than 110 injured," deputy police inspector general D. K. Arya told DRIVE HOT
"Ten of those are in a very critical state."
An DRIVE HOT journalist at the site said the operation to recover the bodies had been finished and police investigators were now scouring the site.
The tragedy cast a long shadow over celebrations marking the end of one of the holiest festivals in the Hindu calendar.
Police said the panic had been sparked by rumours that the bridge was about to collapse.
Up to 400,000 devotees were already inside or around the temple when the stampede took place while there were around 20,000 people on the bridge which spans the river Sindh.
Large crowds began converging on the site from early morning, according to witnesses, on the penultimate day of the nine-day Navaratri festival which is dedicated to the worship of the Hindu goddess Durga.
The disaster comes only seven years after another stampede outside the same temple when more than 50 people were crushed to death while crossing the river, after which authorities built the bridge.
"Cops learnt no lessons from 2006 stampede," read a headline in The Hindustan Times, saying the tragedy "underlines the sheer ineptitude of the authorities responsible for the safety and security" of devotees.
Manoj Sharma, one of the survivors, described a scene of utter mayhem.
"People were jumping off the bridge to save themselves, but they could not swim against the tide.
I also saw children being tossed from the bridge, only to be washed away," he told the Times of India.
Man Singh, a fruit seller who had set up shop near the temple, told how people caught up in the crush in the bridge tried to save themselves with the clothes of some of the female victims.
"Some pulled saris off the bodies, making ropes out of them, and tried to lower themselves into the river but they weren't able to save themselves and ended up drowning as the river was flowing fast," Singh told DRIVE HOT
Singh also cast doubt on the official toll, saying some survivors had already left with the bodies of their loved ones before rescue services arrived.
Another survivor told the CNN-IBN news channel that the police had charged into the crowds, wielding baton sticks known as lathis.
"There was a huge crowd and the police started lathi-charge. It caused panic and the people were killed," the unnamed witness told the network.
Arya however denied that the police employed such tactics.
"One would be stupid to use lathis (truncheon) on a crowd which was 25,000 strong," he said.
"That would have also led to a frenzy and a bloodbath because people would have jumped off the bridge. These reports are absolutely ridiculous," Arya said.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, a senior figure in the Bharatiya Janata Party, was facing calls to resign over the tragedy.
"Had there been adequate police, administration and health officials at the temple site, the loss of lives could have been averted," said Kantilal Bhuria, the leader of the Congress party in the state.
But speaking on a visit to a hospital in the Datia district to meet some of the victims, Chouhan said a commission of inquiry would establish exactly what had happened and who was to blame.
"This is a great tragedy which has shaken me deeply," he told reporters.
Judicial probe
"By tomorrow a judicial commission will be set up and I will request it to complete its probe within two months.
"It should decide within 15 days of the completion of the probe what action is to be taken and assign responsibilities for this disaster."
India has a long history of deadly stampedes at religious festivals, with at least 36 people trampled to death in February as pilgrims headed home from the Kumbh Mela religious festival on the banks of the river Ganges.
Some 102 Hindu devotees were killed in a stampede in January 2011 in the state of Kerala, while 224 pilgrims died in September 2008 as thousands of worshippers rushed to reach a 15th-century hill-top temple in Jodhpur.
'It was the third time they gang-raped me'
Gender Minister Mary Karooro Okurut talks to the 23-year-old gang-rape victim at Mulago hospital yesterday.
Kampala- Lying in bed at Mulago hospital, the young woman cannot help but regret not listening to her instincts a year ago when she was approached by a Pakistani man with claims of a better-paying job. With a shaky voice, she tells her story.
"I was a waiteress at Savannah Bar and Restaurant in Kiwatule. There was a group of Pakistanis who frequented the restaurant. But on this fateful day, only one of them who identified himself as Zahil came."
He asked if she could cook and wash for him for Shs150,000.
"At first, I was scared because this man wanted me to stay at his home. However, on second thought, I realised that I would be getting more money than what I was earning, so I accepted."
For the first three days, everything went well. All she did was wash clothes and cook for her boss, who, it turned out, was living with two other men.
"But on the fourth day, when they were leaving, they locked me in the house. At 6pm they returned. When they entered, they locked the door and started speaking in their language."
They later called her into a bedroom. When she got in, her boss walked out.
"The two other men locked me in the room, undressed me and started raping and sodomising me," she says with tears forming in her eyes.
"I fought but they overpowered me. I shouted but no one came to my rescue. After they had finished, they moved out of the bedroom. Zahil came and just as the others had done, he pushed me onto the bed, sodomised and raped me." However, the worst had not passed because a week later, she was sodomised and gang-raped by another group of five Pakistanis.
The same group came back four days later and gang-raped her again. But fortunately, on this day, one of them forgot the door keys on the sink. While she was washing the dishes at around 11pm she saw them, went to the door, opened it quietly and run away as fast as her legs could carry her.
"After realising that no one was following me, I started walking. I was wearing a pair of jeans and I had padded myself with clothes because I could not control the flow of my faeces and urine."
After her escape, she managed to make it to her former workplace, where she was received warmly and given another chance to work. But even then, she had to keep to herself because of the stench that was coming out of her.
Meanwhile, she had to deal with the fear of being killed as Zahil kept threatening her and yet she did not want to tell anyone about her plight for fear of being ridiculed.
However, six months after the gang-rape and sodomisation, the pain she was going through became unbearable, forcing her to report the case to police.
This just fuelled more threats from Zahil, to the point that she once had to sleep at the police station for fear of her life but the state she was in forced the police officers to take her to Mulago, where she was discharged but later re-admitted.
However, when she was discharged, the second time round, she refused to go back home for fear of being killed.
"Someone called and told me that Zahil is a very dangerous man and he will not think twice about killing me."
She adds: "Recently, another person called and told me to tell the journalists that all I said was not true because they were asking me in English, which I do not understand. I am living in a lot of fear. But all I want is justice and protection."
Case file transferred over compromise
No chances. The file bearing the case against five Pakistanis who allegedly gang-raped the 23-year-old woman has been moved to the Regional Crime Investigation Department (CID) officer Kampala East.
Speaking to the Daily Monitor yesterday, Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Mr Ibin Ssenkumbi, said: "The file was transferred on Friday for better management because there were allegations that it had been compromised at Kira Road Police Station."
He adds, "It also proved not to be an ordinary file because it involved investors and therefore needed to be managed with care."
Mr Ssenkumbi further confirms that the police had obtained the details of the suspects and believes they were still within the country, although they are still looking for them. He, however, said: "But if they have left, we shall work with Interpol to ensure that they are brought back. At the moment, we have two of the suspects in custody who will be presented to court tomorrow [October 15]."
Possible deportation. Meanwhile, he said the police were yet to confirm the claims that the suspects do not have substantial documents to allow them stay in the country after they have been arrested.
Man Charged After Buckingham Palace Arrest
Buckingham Palace: Man With
Knife Arrested
A 44-year-old man has been charged after allegedly trying to enter Buckingham Palace while in possession of a knife.
David Belmar, of Haringey, north London, is to appear in custody at West London Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.
He been charged with trespass on a protected site and possession of a bladed article.
He was arrested just before noon on Monday as he allegedly tried to enter through the palace's north centre gate.
Police said they found a knife when they searched him. He was then taken into custody at a London police station.
Buckingham Palace confirmed the Queen was not in the building at the time of the incident.
A Royal source told Sky News the matter had been dealt with "effectively" and "quickly".
In September, police arrested two men over a suspected break-in at Buckingham Palace in what was considered a rare breach of royal security.
One suspected burglar was found on September 2 in a room that had been open to the public during the day.
The second man was arrested outside the palace on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary.
Less than 48 hours later, amid heightened security, two police officers confronted the Duke of York in the palace gardens demanding to know who he was.
Scotland Yard later issued a public apology to the Queen's son after the blunder was made public.
In response Prince Andrew issued a statement to say protection officers have "a difficult job" and he was grateful that the force had apologised.
12 Karimojong warriors killed in fight with Pokot
Alale, Kenya- Twelve Karimojong cattle rustlers were shot dead on Tuesday night in a fight with the Kenyan Pokot pastoralists in Lorengekipi Village of Kenya's border district of Alale.
The 3rd Division UPDF Spokesperson, Lt Jimmy Omara, said about 190 armed Matheniko rustlers from Nadunget and Rupa sub-counties in Moroto District, crossed into Kenya on Tuesday to raid animals from the Pokot pastoralists.
"They left Moroto to raid the Kenyan Pokot pastoralists. But the Pokot had learnt of the planned raid by the Karimojong, so they alerted their counterparts in the Pokot territory and they ganged up to wait for them," he said. However, he added, the survivors raided 600 head of cattle from the Pokot.
Lt Omara said bodies of the killed warriors were scattered in the bush near the border. The UPDF 3rd Division commander, Brig James Lakara Nakibus, described the incident as detrimental to the ongoing efforts by elders from both countries to negotiate peace between the cattle keeping communities on either side of the border. He said the Ugandan army had joined their Kenyan counterparts to trace the Pokot cattle the Karimojong rustlers crossed with into Uganda.
Moroto RDC Nahaman Ojwe confirmed the fighting between the two cattle keeping communities and said a team had been sent to establish the number of the dead.
Culturally, Karimojong men marry with cattle and historically bride wealth/prices have been very high. Young men have a powerful incentive to establish their reputations and build their own herds through mounting raids on other pastoral groups (neighbouring districts). In the decade of the 1970s-to date, these warrior herdsmen who had always fought with spears acquired modern firearms, which has made the act more violent and deadly.
Last pilgrimage to Nyerere's birthplace
Butiama. Mama Maria Nyerere has barred reporters and visitors seeking to hold talks with her on various issues pertaining to her association with her deceased husband claiming there was nothing new from them.
In a statement issued by her son Madaraka Nyerere, the widow of the deceased Father of the Nation has this year flatly refused to have any interview with reporters, a move that closed doors to reporters wishing to write the widow's feelings, assessment and expectations on the 14th anniversary of Mwalimu's death.
"I am tired of responding to questions from reporters who have been posing the same questions every year," said Mwalimu Nyerere's widow in a short message released through Madaraka Nyerere's cellular phone.
The obstruction she has imposed to reporters seems to officially announce the end of the annual pilgrimage of journalists and Nyerere fans to Butiama, the birthplace of Nyerere.
Once a village that most Tanzanians were proud of, Butiama has, in recent years, become less friendlier and less hospitable following frequent riots, skirmishes and disputes, all disrupting peace and harmony that existed during Mwaimu Nyerere era.
Just three weeks to Nyerere Day, a Pentecostal Church's Pastor Yohana Jimwaga and four worshipers sustained severe injuries after elders from Zanaki tribe flogged them for allegedly ridiculing rain-making rituals at Byatika Village in Butiama District.
The pastor was rushed to hospital where he was treated and later discharged.
Mara regional Police commander, Ferdinand Mtui, who confirmed both incidents said the elders were angered by the pastor's decision to fetch water from a bore hole at the time when they (elders) were conducting rain-making rituals.
But the worst of all, as , elderly killings on superstitious beliefs have been widely reported from the district, an ugly situation that forced authorities to issue a strong warning to communal elders who were seen to fuel the killings.
The district's commissioner, Angela Mabula, ordered the arrest of Mkirira Village chairman and Nyegina Ward executive officer for 'irresponsibility' that gave way to violence and killings of innocent people in her newly promoted district.
The district commissioner's order came three days after an undisclosed gang hanged to death Nyasurura Village resident, Ziada John, 35, and dumped her mutilated body on Mkirira Secondary School farm.
"I am deeply disturbed by the dangerous escalation of violence and killings in Butiama which demonstrate yet again there is no value on human life," she had said.
Kenya's security ranked among the worst in Africa
Smoke billows from Westgate Mall. Kenya is in position 42 near the edge of the bottom-placed and ranking as poor in personal security for its citizens and visitors and in the safety and rule of law indexes.
Kenya's national security is ranked among the worst in Africa according to the latest Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) report released in London Monday.
The country recently hit by international terrorists that saw a horrendous attack at the Westgate Mall killing over 67 people last month is grouped with failed nations like Somalia and others facing unmanageable security situations at the bottom of the sheet ranking 52 Africa nations.
Kenya is in position 42 near the edge of the bottom-placed and ranking as poor in personal security for its citizens and visitors and in the safety and rule of law indexes at 36 and 33 respectively.
Speaking to the Nation shortly after releasing the report Ms Hadeel Ibrahim, the Founding Executive Director of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation said that Kenya's performance has been largely affected by its unstable neighbours adding that the situation is likely to remain the same if the insecurity situation in Somali is not improved.
Apart from the recent Westgate attack Kenya has experienced several grenade attacks in various parts of the country including Nairobi, Mandera, Garrissa and Mombasa among others some reporting fatalities.
"The specific indicators affecting the national security situation in Kenya are derived from cross border tension and a largely chaotic neighbourhood at the horn of Africa," Ms Ibrahim said.
Kenya's involvement in the Somali conflict including the deployment of forces in Somalia has also contributed to poor security show in the report.
Ms Ibrahim further stated that the Somali instability has also affected the general regional performance on governance as captured in the report where East Africa has been ranked fourth in the continental report evaluating governance in five regions in Africa.
After the Westgate attack security institutions in Kenya have been blamed for mishandling the rescue mission now shown to have involved about five terrorists.
Kenya apart from recording high fatalities among civilians also lost several security officers during the poorly coordinated rescue mission.
Top government officials including Cabinet secretaries also gave contradicting information during the mission, further confusing the whole operation.
East Africa, combining 11 countries including the Seychelles and Eritrea has always finished fourth since the year 2,000 due to the instability in Somali and previously in the Sudan.
Said Ms Ibrahim: "Somali is bottom placed in the overall continental ranking this has affected other countries and East Africa in general."
Kenya has also performed dismally in the category of participation and human rights though its overall performance in governance still recorded a slight improvement.
Kenya is ranked 21 in the continent in governance beaten in the region by high placed Seychelles, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.
Zambia is the most internally secure nation while Cape Verde tops the South African region as top performer in observing human rights.
Five South Africa nations are also ranked tops overall in the report Mauritius, Botswana, Cape Verde, Seychelles and South Africa scoring highly on governance.
However The 2013 IIAG shows that 94 per cent of Africans — including those in Kenya — live in a country that has experienced overall governance improvement since 2000.
51-year-old grandmother of 8 sits UCE exams
Jane Emodiai, 51 years old, a mother of five and grandmother of eight, is one of the 183 Senior Four candidates sitting the Uganda Certificate of Education exams at Tororo Millennium Universal College, Tororo Municipality.
Jane Emodiai, 51, a mother of five and grandmother to eight, is one of the 183 Senior Four candidates sitting the Uganda Certificate of Education exams at Tororo Millennium Universal College in Tororo Municipality.
The candidate is also openly HIV-positive. She lost her husband, Christopher Emodiai, in 2007.
Speaking to the press on Monday morning before the start of the Geography Paper One examination, Mrs Emodiai said she sat for her Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) in 2009 at Abubakar Primary School in Tororo town, scoring 27 aggregates.
Dressed in her school uniform – a blue skirt, cream blouse, blue neck tie and black polished shoes – Ms Emodiai said she decided to go back to school after missing job opportunities.
"When I worked as a drama actress in TASO, jobs were internally advertised for sweepers or tea girls but I could not qualify for any since I lacked even 'O' level papers which were required. I decided to go back to school and attain those papers," she said.
She wants to become a rights activist, she says, a voice for the voiceless, especially children and women experiencing domestic violence.
Adeka Ofwono Oboth, Emodiai's teacher for the past four years at Tororo Universal College, describes her as hard working, disciplined and a counselor to fellow students.
Mr Oboth also taught Emodiai's three daughters at Tororo Girls' School. One of them, Barbra Akware, is the Youth Councilor for Merikit Sub County, Tororo District.
American Found Hanged In Egyptian Police Cell
American Found Hanged In
Egyptian Police Cell.
An American man has been found hanged in a police cell in Egypt,security officials have said.
The body of James Henry was found in a police cell in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia. Police said he committed suicide.
Mr Henry was arrested about six weeks ago after he was stopped for violating a curfew on the road between El Arish and Rafah in North Sinai.
In August, The Egyptian Independent reported that he told officials he was a retired US Army officer who was on his way to the Gaza Strip as he was a "historical documentation enthusiast".
Officials have now revealed that he arrived in Cairo from the Gulf kingdom of Bahrain on August 25.
They said Mr Henry was detained in the turbulent region of northern Sinai three days later. He was then flown to Ismailia and held in police custody pending charges.
His body was found at noon on Sunday at Ismailia Awal police station, on the canal that marks the border of Sinai and the rest of Egypt.
Egyptian officials told DRIVE HOT that a US embassy delegation had visited Henry in his cell last week.
His death comes a day after he was told authorities were extending his preventative detention by a further 30 days.
The US embassy in Cairo confirmed the death, saying: "A US citizen prisoner in Ismailia died from an apparent suicide."
"The embassy is in contact with authorities regarding the case and continues to provide all consular services."
The apparent suicide occurs at a time of heightened tensions between Egypt and the US, with many in America expressing concern about the government's crackdown against supporters of Mohamed Morsi.
On Thursday, the US suspended millions in aid to Egypt's military until democratic progress is made.
On Friday, two Canadians who had been held in an Egyptian jail after being detained while on their way to Gaza to make a film about Palastinian doctors, revealed they had been badly beaten in prison.
TIPS TO STOP FLOATING
If you believe the polls, almost all women will suffer from a digestive problem at some point in their lives, such as IBS or bloating. And now we know the reason.
A new book by Robynne Chutkan, a US doctor who's dedicated her career to treating women's digestive issues, explains that female physiology is why we experience more dodgy digestion complaints than men, including the fact that our colon is 10cm longer on average and all twisted up, while men have a nice neat horse-shoe shaped colon. Bloating and associated stomach pain are caused by many things [REX]
"We don't know why, but we think part of that is to allow for more absorption of water or fluid during childbearing," Dr Chutkan explained in an interview with
"These sort of create extra twists and turns, and that's why women are so much more bloated and constipated than their male counterparts."
She also explains that our hormones, the effects of pregnancy and the shape of our skeleton has an impact too.
But though we're more prone to these discomforts, there are things you can do to beat bloating.
We sought the advice of a GP and expert in women's health who has written a book that covers the main issues of poor digestion .
23-year-old gang-raped by 'investors'
Kampala-Pain is written all over her face. Tears run down her cheeks as she complains of severe abdominal pain. The discharge of faeces and blood is ceaseless and she can neither sit nor stand without support.
The 23-year-old [names withheld], has endured this agony for two months.
She was gang raped by five men and sodomised too. Her tormentors claim to be investors. The Pakistani nationals lured her into their trap under the guise of getting the victim a new job.
"I was a waiter at Savannah Bar and Restaurant in Kiwatule [Kampala] when one of the men, who came as a customer, lured me into taking up a better job in a car selling plant in Kampala," the woman narrates with teary eyes.
She says that in July, the man, who claimed to be an investor, took her to a house in Kiwatule for two days, purportedly to prepare her for the new job. She says he instead organised his friends to gang-rape her.
"On the third day, he returned home with friends speaking a language I didn't know. He then called me into the bedroom and locked me there while his friends entered and pounced on me one by one," she says with tears rolling down her face. "I tried to shout and fight them but they over- powered me."
The girl says the following morning, she escaped from her captors and reported the case to Kiwatule Police Post and she was later admitted to Mulago hospital for about a month.
While in hospital, the girl claims that doctors advised her to go for an operation because both her private parts and anus had been severely raptured. But she had no money for the operation. She was compelled to return to her former workplace to seek assistance.
When she returned to Kiwatule Police Post, the officer in-charge, told her the case file had been submitted to Kira Road Police Station for further investigations.
"On reaching Kira Road Police, I got information that the file was being handled by a police officer (names withheld) who shelved it after getting a Toyota Nadia vehicle [registration number withheld) from the suspects who work at Yuasa Motor Agency in Kampala," she said.
She sought redress in the media and when Kampala Metropolitan Police Commander Andrew Felix Kaweesa learnt of it, he intervened.
On Friday, Mr Kaweesa held a press conference where he disclosed that he learnt of the matter through a local radio station and instructed the deputy crime investigations officer, Mr Geoffrey Musana, to carry out fresh investigations and ensure the culprits were brought to book.
"Using the woman, we managed to arrest two of the culprits and efforts are under way to have the remaining three arrested," Mr Kaweesi said.
He said the act was not done by the Pakistani community but individuals. Mr Kaweesi added that managers at Yuasa Motor Agency will help police to identify the suspects.
Mr Kaweesa said police had received reports that many Ugandan girls are being subjected to such acts of sexual violence.
"These vices are being heard of in areas of Bunga, Kiwatule, Muyenga but affected people should come up to report the matter," Mr Kaweesa advised.
He also promised to investigate the information that one of the police officers who handled the file at Kira Road Police Station had been compromised by the suspects to kill the case.
He said if the officer is found culpable, he would be punished accordingly. Mr Kaweesi said the suspects face charges of unnatural sex, rape and abduction.
He alerted all border posts to ensure the suspects do not sneak out and escape justice.
Tanzania without the Father of the Nation
DISORDER IN PARLIAMENT
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania is a nation in a state of serious uneasiness because after the retirement, and subsequent death of Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, the symbolic cello tape that held them as a cohesive family, no-one has emerged to sustain that role decisively.
No-one has shot to the fore, either, as the national compass, to serve as a national brand, act as a strong stabilising force, reconcile divergent interests, influence policy, co-ordinate implementation and sanction wayward characters, other key attributes on which the designation of Mwalimu as Father of the Nation rested.
This leadership hollowness – expressed by a cynic as represented by lack of even a national stepfather of sorts has deepened the uneasiness
This is the thread that runs through the sentiments of some commentators on the eve of Nyerere Day tomorrow, when Tanzanians and their well-wishers elsewhere, recall the blow they suffered when Nyerere died of leukemia in a London hospital on October 10, 1999.
The commentators, alongside conversations beyond media outlets, paint a picture of a people who are as saddened as they are puzzled by the sharp differences in various aspects of social welfare, between Nyerere's era when the economy was relatively weak and now, when it is supposed to be stronger but isn't, 'thanks' to vices like grand corruption, greed, and moral degeneration.
Divergence of opinions between Mwalimu devotees and critics notwithstanding, one thing they are agreed on is: Under his stewardship, stretching from 1961 to 1985 (as well as in an informal advisory capacity up to when he died), the country had a sense of purpose and being a Tanzanian was a badge of pride.
Interviewees said most people are very nostalgic over Mwalimu, who they wish had still been around to redeem the nation for whose liberation from colonialism he had been instrumental, and whose leadership was sharply focussed.
The general feeling is that, under Nyerere's watch, some of the things happening today, some approximating nightmarish dreams, could neither have happened nor even remotely contemplated. One of these is the recurrent land conflicts and inter-religious hostility.
Yet other examples are feverish bickering and physical confrontations in Parliament – the hallowed legislative arm of the State.
Horrifying, too, are the abduction and torture of individuals and excessive use of police force. Many lament that corruption, which Nyerere was most vocally against, was conducted by a few courageous yet very fearful individuals very clandestinely, but had now become literally fashionable.
Long gone are the days, they note, sadly, when Tanzanians were respected as an incorruptible people; who, 14 years after his departure from State House, and 14 after his death, are now lumped in the same basket as the broader corruption-riddled humanity.
Taxi driver Mugisha Godwin of in Dar es Salaam, who remembers Mwalimu fondly over being a beneficiary of government-sponsored schooling (erroneously called free education)
This is how far some women will go for love
At 3am, on the ill-fated night of Sunday, October 6, 34-year-old Leah Muthoni barged in to find her 21-year-old lover, Adrian, in the company of another woman in an apartment in Kinoo.
She allegedly stabbed him five times in the neck, killing him instantly, then turned on her lover's companion, whom she stabbed in the arm. Then Leah called the deceased's cousin and told him what had happened, adding, "It was either I die or he dies."
While their relationship was not perfect, and Adrian's father even said that the couple had been fighting over the young man's promiscuity, the thought of him by another woman's side appears to have been too much for Leah to bear.
Leah's seems to be a crime of passion, committed in the heat of the moment. Just two months before this, on the morning of June 18, in a more calculated act, businesswoman Faith Wairimu lured her husband of 15 years, John Muthee, to an open, busy area in Githurai, Nairobi.
She had been planning this day for weeks. Unfortunately, the "thugs" she had hired to shoot him turned out to be undercover policemen. The justification she gave when she was caught? She could not live with the thought of him entertaining other women.
If she could not have him, no one else could.
These two harrowing incidents are a fitting illustration of the lengths some people go when the vow of eternal love is threatened.
Evidently, love is a powerful force which drives people to the very edge in its pursuit. When threatened, it seems to have the ability to make even the most sensible woman resort to extreme measures. Take 36-year-old Maryanne, for instance.
She cuts the picture of an assertive and self-sufficient woman. She has always been the alpha woman type and four years back, she held a high-end job, drove a good car, and even owned a home. Then a friend introduced her to a man who swept her off her feet. "He was very intense and romantic. He seemed to make everything right in my world," she remembers.
Four months in, he asked her to marry him and she could not have been happier. Then he asked her to move in with him and she was ecstatic.
"Then he asked me to quit my job," Maryanne continues. "He said that if I loved him, I should trust him because all he wanted to do was take care of me and make me happy, and he didn't want me being stressed out by my job."
Maryanne had a car loan she was servicing. He promised to take over the payments. After a great deal of soul-searching, comparing the weight of her love for him to the importance of her job in her life, Maryanne decided to follow her heart and quit to become a house-girlfriend.
While her friends and family were left mortified, at that time, Maryanne could not see any other option. She saw it as a compromise. She was faced with either having what she thought was the love of her life or letting him go and having to live with the pain and guilt.
Then the honeymoon ended and the not-so-happy reality set in once she had settled in her new home.
She realised that her prince charming was in fact a narcissist who stopped lavishing her with affection when their relationship became a real one. He refused to take any responsibilities and began seeing all sorts of flaws in her.
He let the car payments lapse and she lost her car, making herself even more beholden to him. When she could not take any more of it, she packed her bags and went back to her parents' home to rebuild her life.
In retrospect, Maryanne acknowledges that she made an unhealthy sacrifice which she attributes to a poor sense of judgment on her part.
"Being so in love clouded my judgment. If our relationship had been healthy, we would have talked about what was the best option at the time for both of us, which was for me to continue working. But I couldn't see it then. All I could see was how perfect he was and how much I had to lose," she says.
Everybody has a price
Maryanne can see where she erred. Unlike her, 29-year-old Irene Gathecha says that she does not regret making a drastic change in her appearance to please her man. Even then, she admits that she doubts her husband would fight all the way for her. "He is like most men," she says. "They like to keep their options open."
When you meet her, one of the things that catches your eye about the mother-of-three is her smooth, olive skin. Until about a year-and-a-half ago, her natural skin tone was ebony black. Irene knew that her husband loved looking at the bodies of women online and in magazines when she married him. At that time he was in his early 20s and she thought his obsession was a passing phase, but it did not go away.
"I do not even think it was the looking that got to me but the fact that the women he obviously enjoyed looking at looked nothing like me," she says.
When prodded, her husband admitted that he was drawn to women with a lighter skin tone than hers and that he thought she had poor fashion sense. She was angry but decided to fight these women that he was drawn to.
"Everybody has a price and mine is commitment. As long as he is committed to me, I see nothing wrong with changing bits of myself to keep him happy. I believe that we are both working to keep each other satisfied," she explains.
When her transformation began becoming obvious, most of her friends could not understand it, seeing as she had already bagged a man. Her elder sister even told her that she was being irrational and vain, but Irene insists that her focus is on the thing that matters most to her; her relationship.
For now, she thinks that it has worked because she has not caught him obsessing about other light-skinned women.
"Men need looking after," she counsels.
Emily, 29, also holds the opinion that men need looking after but she feels that the lengths one chooses to go needs to be within reason. She says that she has done many things to keep her man by her side and the farthest she has gone was taking pole dancing lessons from a stripper.
"It left my body sore and I couldn't get it right," she says.
Taking a risk
True, finding a good healthy relationship is difficult anywhere in the world today. Even then, is it reason enough to drive a level-headed person to overly irrational action? Keziah Wanja (one name has been changed to protect her identity) believes that it is.
"I was desperate, I admit it," Keziah, 30, says about what she was going through when she opted to do what would be termed as drastic by most people. She and her husband had been married five years and had two children when they got to a point where their relationship was clearly skidding. He was barely home, they were barely communicating, and she even suspected that he was seeing someone else.
Keziah says she values marriage and when she got into this one, she had vowed to make it work even if it meant bending over backwards. It had been a struggle just to get them where they were.
She had gone out of her way to befriend women who seemed like they could be a threat to her because she imagined that it would be harder for a woman to betray a friend than a stranger, but still, she kept losing. She could feel her marriage crumbling and no amount of talking seemed to get to him, so she lied to him that she was pregnant.
"I wasn't pregnant at the time. I knew it was a huge risk but I had nothing to lose. I was losing anyway so I used my last card and it did turn things around. I knew I had him when he began paying attention to me and I allowed myself to get pregnant," she says.
She says that it if she had lost the gamble, maybe she would have let him go. But for now she is happy that the fuss that came with their now three-month-old son has brought her man back to her.
The psychology behind it
Some of these measures that women confess to have taken or allowed to happen to keep their hold on their man may seem extreme from an onlooker's perspective. Nairobi-based counselling psychologist Julius Gitari, however, explains that gender disparities are alive and thriving, whether we like it or not.
In fact, he says, women are wired to bend over backwards to hold on to relationships, unlike men. He bases his opinion on the fact that while a man's self worth is defined through success and achievement, a woman pegs her self-worth on her feelings and the quality of her relationships. She is thus more likely to go out of her way to make these relationships work.
He adds, "This could also explain why women often choose to bear the ill effects of bad relationships."
Sudan frustrated by AU failure to withdraw from ICC
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir speaks during a press conference in Khartoum late on September 22, 2013 where he hit out at the US for seeking to deny him a permit to the UN General Assembly.
Sudan has expressed its frustration over the failure by the African Union Summit to withdraw from the International Criminal Court.
The summit meeting which ended on Saturday has agreed on a resolution stating that no sitting African head of state should appear before an international court.
The AU had discussed withdrawing from the ICC, but failed to get support.
"The AU summit decision did not meet our aspirations of withdrawing from this neocolonialism tool, but it's a positive step towards the right decision," Sudanese foreign affairs minister Ali Karti told journalists in Khartoum on Saturday upon the arrival of the Sudanese delegation that participated in Addis Ababa summit.
"The summit has delegated to demand the ICC to freeze the arrest warrant against President Omar Bashir, but we have nothing to do with this appeal to the ICC by the African leaders, because our declared stance is not to cooperate with the ICC and not to deal with it," the minister said.
"The absence of the signatories' countries from the meetings has weakened the movements towards the withdrawal," he added.
ICC faces accusations from African leaders of targeting only Africans.
The court currently has two high profile cases against Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir and Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, including his deputy William Ruto.
The AU has previously called on its members not to cooperate with the ICC, and has asked the UN Security Council to suspend the Kenyan and Sudanese cases.
The AU has also asked the court to allow Libya to try its own citizens within its territory.
Kenyatta returns from AU Summit
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta at the AU Special Head of States Summit Opened in Addis Ababa,Ethiopia October 12, 2013.
President Uhuru Kenyatta jetted back Saturday at 10.00pm evening from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where he attended the Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU).
The Summit chaired by Ethiopia's Premier Hailemariam Dessalegn discussed the relationship between International Criminal Court (ICC) and the continent. Speakers called on the UN Security Council and ICC to work with AU to enable the Kenyan leadership to fulfill its constitutional mandate.
Leaders including African Union Commission Chairperson Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma asked the ICC to cease to act in a manner that undermined the constitutional obligations of President Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto.
The AU Assembly unanimously resolved that President Kenyatta and the Deputy President should not appear before the ICC.
In the resolutions read by Ethiopia's Prime Minister, the AU decided that no charges should be commenced or continued before any international court or tribunal against any serving Head of State or Government or anybody acting or entitled to act in such capacity during their term of office.
"President Kenyatta and his Deputy must be allowed to lead the country in the consolidation of peace, reconciliation, reconstruction, democracy and development as per the will of the Kenyan people, expressed in the elections in March this year," the leaders said
Kiira road's female boda boda cyclist
Naume Awero,the exceptional woman in her work gear.
She is a woman who makes a living on the fast lane and provides all her family's needs by riding a boda boda.
I am seated at the Kiira Road stage, as I wait for my host, Naume Awero, boda boda operator. I cannot seem to imagine her physique or dress code, because I have never seen a female boda boda rider. As I click away on my phone, a motorbike parks right in front of me. A young woman who looks to be in her mid-20s disembarks. She is wearing a two-piece grey trouser suit, with a grey shirt underneath. This is teamed up with a stylish blue pair of shoes that matches the scarf around her neck. This is no ordinary boda cyclist because she is so composed.
After we exchange pleasantries we head to her house, down in Mulimira Zone, Bukoto. I must confess it was my first time to ride on a boda boda operated by a female cyclist. Her ease and charisma cannot go unnoticed as she carefully manoeuvres the bends. Along the way, she tells me about her encounter with her first customer. "It was a woman. And sadly I lost control of the bike and we fell down," she narrates. She also has a great command of the English language.
Determined to survive
As we approach her one-roomed rented house, her little boys rush to meet her. She seems to be very popular among the locals and neighbours, as they all greet her warmly.
Inside the house, the floor is covered with a tattered plastic carpet, and there are a few cooking items in one corner of the room. The one item you cannot help but notice is the 21 inch television set that sits on a table in the room.
She tells me that after losing her father at the age of 12, Awero was left in the hands of her mother, who abandoned her a year later in their rented room, in Jinja. "My mother and I don't share a very close relationship. She has never really cared about me. After she left, I had no one to turn to. So one of our neighbours, who happened to be a man, offered to take me in, and look after me," she says.
What looked like great gesture instead turned into her worst nightmare. The man used to rape her and a few months later, she discovered she was pregnant. "I didn't even know I was pregnant. It was the woman who lived next door that told me I was pregnant." Shortly after giving birth to her son, the man threw her out, marking the start of her daily struggles. However, luck was on her side and she got a job as a housemaid for a family that took her in with her son but later moved to Kampala where she got a job as a security guard.
One may wonder what could have driven her, to this male dominated field of work. She joined the boda boda business, early in January. "I worked with a number security organisation as an askari, and the last place I worked at was at the International El-science University. The boda boda business was just an idea that came to me one day," she says.
She adds that to cut costs she rode a bicycle to work. "One day I was late for work, so I decided to get a boda. When I got to the stage, one of the riders, who happened to be a friend, suggested that he lends me the motor bike and I ride to work. Initially it seemed like a joke, but he encouraged me," she says.
She admits that this was the point that the idea to begin her own business sprung up. The only problem was she has no savings; nor could her current job get her the Shs5m that she needed to buy her own motor bike.
"I talked to my employer at the time, and although she thought it was a crazy, she seconded my suggestion," says the rather reserved young woman.
She goes on to say that she received Shs3m from the university, and she used this top up on her Shs2.3m loan that she had acquired from Crane Bank.
A few weeks later, she took her first real lesson, with the help of her boda boda friend, and a week later, she was on the road. "It took me one week to learn. On my second day, when I was taking my lessons, I almost got knocked by a trailer, and luckly I managed to shove myself off the road," she adds. A few weeks later, she had mastered the art, got her registration, and was ready to go on the road.
After acquiring the new motorcycle, she then proceeded to look for a permanent stage to operate from.
"Many of the places I went to, they needed a lot of money. For instance, at the IHK, stage, they asked for Shs1m, then I tried Garden City, they asked me for the same amount, and after much searching, I finally settled at Kiira stage, where I paid Shs500,000.
The rampant crime rate has not spared boda boda riders, with many of them being robbed, and in worse cases murdered. That is why I can't help but wonder if Awero put this into consideration before venturing into this line of work. "I have had some challenges, especially with people that take advantage of the fact that I am a woman and refuse to pay me," she says sadly. She recalls a customer who made her ride him up to Bweyogerere only to disappear without paying her. However, she on the other hand, has had some good moments, especially when people tip her.
princerado2006@yahoo.co.uk
Ethics minister named in assault
Mr Lodou during the interview at St Benedict Hospital in Luzira, a Kampala suburb.
Kampala- The Minister of Ethics and Integrity, Fr Simon Lokodo, has been named in a violent attack against a district accountant in Kaabong District.
The minister has, however, denied the accusations.
The district accountant, Mr Julius Dida Lodou, was waylaid in Kaabong Town while on his way home last week by unknown assailants who beat him to near death.
The 31-year-old civil servant is admitted to St Benedict Hospital in Luzira, Kampala. He complains of severe pain in the joints and head. He claims that the assailants assaulted him with iron bars.
They kept asking me: "Why are you after Fr Lokodo, why can't you back off," Mr Lodou says this made him suspect the minister was behind the attack.
He said the assailants dragged him on tarmac in Kaabong Town as they rained punches and kicks on him.
"I was out drinking with friends in town until about midnight. As I drove back home, someone called out my name. When I flashed the light, I saw it was Emmanuel whom I had been drinking with. I came out and he led me into a trap where I was beaten to this point," Mr Lodou recounts at his hospital bed.
However, when the Sunday Monitor contacted minister Lokodo, who is also MP for Dodoth West County in Karamoja, he denied the allegations and instead counter-claimed that Lodou was beaten while drunk and fighting over a girl with other men.
"I am a principled politician; I have never incited violence in my political life. I cannot be childish," he said.
Fr Lokodo labelled Lodou a liar.
Mr Lodou dismissed Lokodo's claim that he was beaten in a fight over a girl.
"That is total rubbish. But even if we were fighting over a girl why beat me to death and drag me on tarmac for 50 metres. Lokodo knows the truth," Mr Lodou told the Sunday Monitor.
Kaabong District Police Commander Victor Nahabwe appeared to give credence to Lodou's rebuttal when he ruled out the minister's claim of a fight over a girl.
"Investigations are not complete, the principal suspect has been remanded till November 15. But the issue of [fighting over] a girl has been ruled out because it is on record that she denied anything. We can't rule out politics, though we can't confirm as investigations are ongoing," the district police boss said.
Mr Nahabwe declined to reveal details in the suspect's police statement, but hinted that the accused denied any involvement in a fight with the victim over a girl.
"The girl also denied being the cause of the fight," Mr Nahabwe reiterated.
Confronted with this police comment on the case, minister Lokodo said: "If police has ruled out that they were not fighting over a girl, then that is fine. I am ready to get to the root of this matter and get the truth. But I don't know what someone would be doing at 1am if he was not drunk."
Democratic man?
The clergy man-cum-politician also denied he was intimidating the civil servant for political motives.
"I have never even declared to my voters that someone is standing against me, it is the voters to decide so why would I go after him?" he said.
Mr Lodou declined to mention whether the minister had ever threatened him in the past over his perceived political ambitions in the constituency. But a close family member said the minister had in the past warned Mr Lodou against aspiring for his seat.
The family member further claimed that since the 2011 elections which Lodou's father won, the minister has had a sour relationship with Lodou's family.
Lodou is a son of the late Ael-ark Lodou, former Dodoth West MP who died before swearing in in 2011. Lokodo succeeded him in the resultant by-election.