Information is Power

                        Courtesy Photo. Written By Harold Acemah. What you need to know: The suffering which Ayume’s family and friends have endured since 2004 has a silver lining, namely that God is with us.      16-5-2022  marks 18 years since death robbed Uganda and Africa of a distinguished, exemplary and illustrious son, Francis Joash Ayume (RIP). It was a very sad day which will always live in my memory.  Francis was a friend, a fellow citizen of Uganda, a fellow OB of Busoga College Mwiri, a fellow alumnus of University of East Africa and above all a fellow Christian. I thank God our Father in heaven for comforting and looking after Ms Elizabeth Ayume and the bereaved family during very difficult and challenging times. May the Lord continue to bless, guide, protect and watch over the family. In this connection, I would like to express deep appreciation to the voters of Koboko Municipality for electing Dr Charles Ayume as their MP, purely on merit, in last year’s parliamentary el

COURT CLERK ABUBAKER WANTS BRIBE MONEY! After remitting six hundred thousand Uganda shillings (600,000/=) to pay the bail fees of my lover and his prison mate who lacked local sponsors for their bail, magistrate Owomugisha Sienna released them unconditionally on bail today. She left her chambers and the paperwork with her court clerk called Abubaker. Abubaker refused to deliver the release order because he wants a bribe. My lover, his prison mate, and their comrades (with whom they were arrested at the peaceful protest against rising prices) were all remanded back to Luzira Maximum Security Prison.  Abubaker, a mere court clerk at Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court wants a bribe because the state prosecutors and the magistrates in his court all eat bribes just like judges, legislators, ministers and the president all eat bloody bribe money. Shall I reveal how much unreceipted bribe money has so far been paid to the magistrate and state prosecutors assigned to this case alone in orde

Once upon a time, a wise old man decided to go on a journey. So he packed a small bag, said goodbye to his wife, and set off. He traveled all day without meeting anyone. When it was evening, he came to a small village. “I think I’ll stop here for the night,” he said to himself. Near the centre of the village, he met a group of people. So he introduced himself. “I’m a simple traveler,” he said, “looking for a safe place to sleep and a hot meal.” “We’d be glad to offer you a place to sleep,” the villagers told him, “but we have very little food. Our crops were very poor this year, and there’s not much to eat in the whole village. Most of us are just barely getting by.” “I’m sorry to hear that,” the old man said. “But you needn’t worry about feeding me. I already have everything I need. In fact, I was thinking of making some stone soup to share with all of you.” “Stone soup?” the villagers asked. “What’s that? We’ve never heard of stone soup.” “Oh, it’s wonderful,” said the old man. “Best

By  Paul Best   video Consumers turning to Costco for cheaper gas  Lipow Oil Associates President Andy Lipow explains how private drillers in the U.S. are stepping up amid record prices.  Gas prices continued  hitting record highs this week, as the average  gallon of gas  now costs at least $4 in all 50 states for the first time ever, according to the auto club AAA.  Just three states – Georgia, Kansas, and Oklahoma – hadn't crossed $4 a gallon on Monday, but they all saw jumps on Tuesday to hit that threshold.  Kansas still has the cheapest gas in the nation at $4.006 a gallon, while  California has the priciest  at $6.021 a gallon.  Gas prices are advertised at over six dollars a gallon Monday, March 7, 2022, in Los Angeles.   ((AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) / AP Newsroom) Even oil-rich Texas , which is usually home to low gas prices due to the state's low taxes and proximity to refineries, had an average price of $4.214 a gallon on Tuesday, just slightly below the national a

Florence Lalam, a 34-year-old widow in Arut village was one of the 469 women who attended the Legal Empowerment of Women Using Technology and Innovation (LEWUTI) sensitization at Adonai Primary School, Paicho Subcounty in Gulu district. Arut is 353 kilometers (a 6-hour drive) from the capital city of Uganda, Kampala. “I was happy with the sensitization you held in July. It tackled an issue that directly affected me- land. In the early years, our kwari (clan heads) gave my family land to live and farm on but when many of them died in the war,” Lalam narrated.  CUSTOMARY RULES AND THE PROPERTY RIGHTS Customary rules when it comes to land governance play a major role in determining women’s land and property rights. The law (Constitution and Land Act) emphasizes that both women and men are equal before the law and so decisions that even concern land that are made should be done with utmost fairness, relevance and equality.  WOMEN The 2004 and 2010 amendments to the Land Act provide further

After Kiiza finished senior six, he decided to move back to his ancestral home to help his parents take care of their land because they lived in the city. He decided to start rearing animals and growing crops on this land. 5 months later, his parents decided to retire and move back to the village and asked Kiiza to vacate their land. Kiiza however feels that because he helped them look after their land when they couldn’t do it themselves, he too has a right over the land. His father has asked him to get off his land within the next three weeks or he shall involve authorities. Kiiza now finds himself stranded because he feels that he equally has rights over this land and should not be asked to leave. What should he do?  As we have already mentioned in a previous post, customary land is owned and passed on according to the practices of a given community. The common forms of passing on land are sale, inheritance or gifting it. If the process does not go against the customs of the culture

Malibu’s parents are from a certain part of the country where land goes for 100 million and above nowadays. His grandfather who owned that land on behalf of their entire clan passed away last week, and Malibu has been told that he will be the new heir and inherit all the land that his grandfather had. Immediately, he went to ‘Ebaala’ his favorite bar and celebrated and even promised all his friends a share of the land. However, the bar maid wants to know if it was the ‘munanansi’ (alcohol) talking or if he can give away the land. The law allows any person to own land according to customary practices of the area where the land is located. However, this means that the land must be owned according to the practices of that customary community. For example, if the customs only allow an heir to keep land for other family or clan members, it means that you cannot distribute the land to someone who is not out of the family or without getting permission from the other family members.  W