Kinana’s call to ‘whiny’ leaders
Bumbuli. Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) secretary
general, Mr Abdulrahman Kinana, has decried the growing trend in which
officials refer their problems to the highest State leaders instead of
acting on them themselves.
Mr Lwandai villagers in Lushoto District, Tanga Region, pay attention to
ruling party secretary general Abdulrahman Kinana when he addressed a
public rally in the area on Sunday. PHOTO|ADAM MZEE
Kinana gave the example of wrangles at Mponde Tea Factory in Tanga that have persisted since 2008.
“I am dismayed by leaders who have been sending
all their problems to the President and Prime Minister yet they have
been entrusted with leadership. “This trend is a clear indication that
they have failed to deal with people’s problems,” he said.
He noted leaders and officials in the ministry of
Agriculture have failed to solve the crisis between small tea growers
and Mponde Tea factory management. In May, last year, the farmers decided to close the factory and asked the government to kick out the investors.
and hand over the factory to them. Some of the farmers uprooted their tea. “We are going to ask ourselves hard questions, we
are going to put our heads together to find a lasting solution. One
month from today I will be back here to give you feedback on what has
been decided,” he said.
Earlier, villagers had kicked their councillor, Mr
Richard Mbuguni from the meeting on grounds that he was one of leaders
who have ganged up with the investors to sabotage their crusade.Briefing Mr Kinana earlier, the area MP, Mr
Januari Makamba, noted that the problems started in 2008 after the
investor, who acquired the factory in 1990’s started to mistreat the
farmers even as he had not paid all the money for the 60 percent of the
shares he had promised to purchase.
Source: the citizen
Source: the citizen
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The 65-year-old, originally from Faversham in Kent, had been facing a
possible two-year prison sentence after being charged with “trafficking
obscene publications”.
Today, magistrate Hellen Ajio ordered that the charges – which Randall strongly denied – be dropped and that the former computer analyst be deported from the east African country within 12 hours on the basis that his visa had expired.
Handing down the ruling, she told Randall: “In Uganda we love you, but we don’t love the acts of homosexuals. I’ve told you time and time again that God loves you.”
The decision comes just weeks after Uganda’s parliament passed a draconian anti-gay bill imposing life in prison for people convicted of some homosexual acts.
At one stage during the hearing a prosecutor said the retiree would “continue to corrupt morals” if he stayed in Uganda, causing a visibly upset and shaken Randall to scream: “Lies!”. The prosecution had argued for Randall’s deportation. The defence had requested he be given five days to leave the country.
Bernard Randall, interviewed at his
home in Entebbe in November, 2013. The 65 years old is likely to be
deported on Thursday after he was cleared of charges made under Uganda's
anti-gay laws.
Defence lawyer John Francis Onyango told The Independent he was “happy” the charges had been dropped because there was “no adequate evidence” to charge Mr Randall.
“But we’re concerned about his deportation on the flimsy grounds of non-renewal of his visa,” Onyango said.
“The prosecution know that his passport had been robbed and that he actually reported to the immigration department to renew his visa and his request was actually denied, back in December.”
He said they would not be appealing the ruling because it “won’t serve any meaningful purpose”.
The lawyer added that the case against Cheptoyek was now “extremely weak” as he and Randall were jointly charged.
Speaking after the ruling, Cheptoyek told The Independent that Randall was being deported for reasons which were “not good or fair”.
“I think they’re deporting him because he’s gay,” Cheptoyek said.
When asked how he felt about his own situation he said: “I’m scared. The bill has passed. The government of Uganda don’t want gays.”
A member of the UK High Commission was present in court, but did not comment.
Last week, it was reported that President Yoweri Museveni had blocked the anti-gay Bill, but gay rights activists in Kampala stressed that he hadn’t done so but had only “promised and expressed his concerns” about the legislation.
Today, magistrate Hellen Ajio ordered that the charges – which Randall strongly denied – be dropped and that the former computer analyst be deported from the east African country within 12 hours on the basis that his visa had expired.
Handing down the ruling, she told Randall: “In Uganda we love you, but we don’t love the acts of homosexuals. I’ve told you time and time again that God loves you.”
The decision comes just weeks after Uganda’s parliament passed a draconian anti-gay bill imposing life in prison for people convicted of some homosexual acts.
Nightmare is over for gay Briton Bernard Randall put on trial in Uganda after images of him having sex were stolen by thieves and used against him in 'blackmail plot'
Randall appeared in Entebbe Magistrates Court with Albert Cheptoyek, 33, a Ugandan national, who still faces a prison sentence of up to seven years if found guilty of “acts of gross indecency”, which he denies. The pair claim that their home was robbed last September and Randall’s laptop, which contained images of him having sex with another man in Morocco, was stolen. The alleged thieves passed the images to Pastor Solomon Moses Male, who leads the country’s anti-homosexuality crusade and gave them to tabloid newspaper Red Pepper.At one stage during the hearing a prosecutor said the retiree would “continue to corrupt morals” if he stayed in Uganda, causing a visibly upset and shaken Randall to scream: “Lies!”. The prosecution had argued for Randall’s deportation. The defence had requested he be given five days to leave the country.
Uganda passes anti-gay law with maximum sentence of life imprisonment
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni blocks anti-gay law
Bernard Randall, interviewed at his
home in Entebbe in November, 2013. The 65 years old is likely to be
deported on Thursday after he was cleared of charges made under Uganda's
anti-gay laws.
Defence lawyer John Francis Onyango told The Independent he was “happy” the charges had been dropped because there was “no adequate evidence” to charge Mr Randall.
“But we’re concerned about his deportation on the flimsy grounds of non-renewal of his visa,” Onyango said.
“The prosecution know that his passport had been robbed and that he actually reported to the immigration department to renew his visa and his request was actually denied, back in December.”
He said they would not be appealing the ruling because it “won’t serve any meaningful purpose”.
The lawyer added that the case against Cheptoyek was now “extremely weak” as he and Randall were jointly charged.
Speaking after the ruling, Cheptoyek told The Independent that Randall was being deported for reasons which were “not good or fair”.
“I think they’re deporting him because he’s gay,” Cheptoyek said.
When asked how he felt about his own situation he said: “I’m scared. The bill has passed. The government of Uganda don’t want gays.”
A member of the UK High Commission was present in court, but did not comment.
Last week, it was reported that President Yoweri Museveni had blocked the anti-gay Bill, but gay rights activists in Kampala stressed that he hadn’t done so but had only “promised and expressed his concerns” about the legislation.
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