When
UPDF recalled release
On the surface it looks an innocent press release that
condemns thugs who are terrorising the city. But somehow
it casts Police in bad light and makes it appear incapable
of policing the nation.
Certainly the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Maj. Gen.
Kale Kayihura was bound to be furious and it is little wonder
that within an hour of issuing the first release on insecurity
in the city, Army Spokesman Maj. Paddy Ankunda issued another
retracting it.
The earlier release had said the army would step in if
the situation persisted. The second one said Police has
done a very good job and therefore there was no need for
the army to come in.
Did Paddy Ankunda fail to foresee the ramifications of his
release? Talk of uncoordinated troop movement!
New website on 1966 crisis
A new website www.mengo1966massacre.com which features
controversial information and statistics about the 1966
invasion of Lubiri by Dr. Apolo Milton Obote’s soldiers
has been established.
It is not clear who designed the website but text messages
(sms) are flying around town, drawing people’s attention
to it.
The website claims that close to 1,000 people were massacred
when soldiers attacked Lubiri on May 24, 1966.
The then Kabaka of Buganda, Sir Edward Muteesa, escaped
and later fled to exile in London where he later died.
The website claims that widows, children, grandchildren,
relatives and friends of the butchered innocents are the
ones behind it.
“The site is made to honour name by name the gallant
sons and daughters of our beloved kingdom who perished that
day. The national army led by Commander Colonel Idi Amin
attacked at dawn on May 24, 1966. The royal guards armed
to the teeth put up a spirited fight before they were interrupted
by a lunch time down pour,” the website recalls.
Kalyegira launches newspaper
Having been ordered by his employers under pressure from
the government to stop writing about former president Idi
Amin, controversial Timothy Kalyegira has started his own
newspaper.
The newspaper, which can best be described as a newsletter,
is named Uganda News Records. It is printed on A4 size-paper
and dedicated to correcting what Kalyegira calls Uganda’s
prejudiced history.
The lead story in the first publication dated May 1 is
titled, ‘The Untold Story of Idi Amin’s Rule’.
A copy of Kalyegira’s 12-page publication goes for
Shs 5,000.
Kalyegira has excited many and annoyed many more with his
reports on Idi Amin’s reign. He claims that Amin was
not as bad as he has been made to appear.
Writing in his column ‘The Riddle’ in Daily
Monitor, Kalyegira challenged Ugandans who believe the talk
that Amin killed thousands of people, to name at least 1,000
of his ‘victims’.
This controversial view attracted the ire of many people,
including Senior Presidential Adviser on Media and Public
Relations, John Nagenda.
Kalyegira says his newspaper will be a weekly. It started
as an e-mail newsletter in January this year.
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