A soldier attached to the Presidential guards fired and killed a colleague at State House Entebbe on Sunday morning at around 5:00am before he was also killed instantly.

The soldier identified as Cpl Michael Ochom is reported to have been drunk when he arrived at the main check point of the residence and started firing at his colleagues.

According to ChimpReports, Special Forces Commander (SFC) spokesman, Maj Chris Magezi told them that President Museveni was not at State House when heavy gunfire rocked his residence.

He said Ocham reached at the State House entrance very drunk and he quickly grabbed a gun from Sgt Peter Makanga and shot him. “Other soldiers on guard neutralised Ochom immediately,” said Magezi.

Other soldiers on guard, responding to the bang of gunshots, opened fire on the attacker killing him instantly.

The SFC Spokesman, Maj Chris Magezi, said President Museveni was not at State House when heavy gunfire rocked his residence.

He however, said they are investigating more into the matter to establish real motive of Ochom’s behaviour and how to avoid such incidences in the future.

ChimpReports also reports that it is suspected Ochom was under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Magezi said SFC is currently finalising burial arrangements for the two deceased soldiers.

Meanwhile, the Special Forces Commander, Brig Muhoozi Kainerugaba has ordered a special inquiry into the circumstances under which the incident happened.

President Yoweri Museveni has expressed his disappointment in the conduct and morals of the west which he said has been for a long time but he had never commented.

Museveni was speaking to CNN’s show host, Zain Verjee on Monday at State House in Entebbe after he had signed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

“We have been disappointed for a long time by the conduct of the west. We never comment,” President Museveni said.

State House posted the interview between the President and CNN on their Facebook page.

Verjee asked the president his opinion on international groups’ concerns, whether he would meet the small homosexual community in Uganda.

This is because Museveni is viewed as a regional leader who has presided over stability and progress in his country and how this will be affected now that he has signed the law.

CNN’s Zain Verjee:
The international community have been making the bill an issue for 9 months; you are not protecting freedoms and rights. President Obama issued a statement recently. Does it worry you and have you been disappointed?

President Museveni:
We have been disappointed for a long time by the conduct of the west. We never comment. There are many things we don’t agree with but we don’t comment. For instance, polygamous marriages are normal here but they are not in the west. And we have not said they are interfering with the right of a man to marry several women! We don’t comment!

Since there is now an attempt at social imperialism to impose their values on Africa, our disappointment is exacerbated. Because if the west does not want to work with us because of homosexuals, we have enough space in Africa, we can work here.

Early this week, a Ugandan woman identified as Sheila Kirungi Mukasa died on a British Airways flight from Entebbe airport to UK. The tragedy happened last Sunday when Sheila decided to return to London to her family after a 12 days visit here in Uganda.

Sheila who is a UK resident had traveled to Uganda to pay a visit to her mother who had been admitted at Mulago Heart Insitute and it was after she was discharged that Sheila had to return to London.

Before boarding British Airways aeroplane ,  Sheila spoke to her husband Stanley Mukasa in London, her last words to him being; “I am switching off my phone, see you soon. I love you”. Little did the husband know this was the very last time to hear her voice, it was farewell.

On the day of arrival, Mukasa and their two children were among the many waiting in the arrivals room to see their loved ones return. They were waiting for long, anxiously looking for Sheila to show face but there was no chance. Mukasa says, “I developed some stomach upset and needed to use the toilet but asked my son to go and check with the information desk. It was upon reaching the information desk that my son was told: ‘wait for the police, it is coming’.”

But before that, they had heard passengers that had arrived talking about a patient on the plane and after they didn’t see their Sheila arrive just like any other passenger, they developed strange feelings.

By the time this information was acquired from Mukasa, the postmortem results had not yet been revealed. Mukasa, a resident of Romford, London, insists his wife and mother of his two children aged 26 and 25 respectively neither had any heart problems, diabetes or any other complications. “That’s why I am eager to find out the cause of her death from a postmortem report coming out soon,” he said. “A lot is being said but I need to see the report first,” he added.

Word from the eye witness
Barbara Mayanja, a passenger on the same flight with Sheila, gave the following account to this reporter.

“When we were about one and a half hours left before arrival to London, I saw a woman go past to the toilet which was about two to three rows from where I was seated. No sooner had she gone past, than I heard a very loud bang and on turning around, I realised that the lady who had just passed me had collapsed and was now on the floor.

She literally fell on my feet. She held my legs while I used the cabin magazine as a fan to keep her cool. The lady sitting beside me was a doctor and she too helped take her blood pressure and sugar readings.  She was unconscious and it took her about two minutes to come round.

Two other Ugandan ladies and two members of the cabin crew helped lift her feet. She kept putting her hand on her chest and she seemed to be breathing with difficulty.

When she came round, she was smiling but couldn’t talk. The doctor asked her, “Can you hear me? What is your name? Do you suffer from blood pressure? Where were you seated? What is your name? Were you travelling alone?” However, she didn’t answer any of these questions.

But when she was asked if she had fainted before, she nodded her disagreement. The cabin crew brought some oxygen to aid her with breathing. I went up and down the aisle looking for her seat and handbag for details but in vain because I couldn’t locate where exactly she was seated.

Later, the cabin crew found her hand luggage and got her details. I was later to learn from the people she had sat next to that she ate her breakfast well on the plane and even asked for two extra yoghurts which she ate before standing to go to the toilet.

The pilot announced that he considering making an emergency landing probably in Paris. At this point, she had also been put in a recovery position in the aisle where she had fallen, and she seemed to be responding. Then the pilot decided that we proceed with the journey to London.

All this time she seemed to be fighting for her life, with some sound. But then, all of a sudden, she went silent. Then they brought in the defibrillator machine and also tried to resuscitate her several times until we landed. They were also trying to get her pulse but in vain.

When we landed shortly before the scheduled time, we were all asked to wait for another five minutes before many paramedics and doctors came on board and took over the patient. The paramedics were rushing in and out and asking us to stay where we were.

They asked us to give them some space and even evacuated some passengers without their hand luggage to create space and privacy. After a short while, they called in police. They later asked us to look away as they took her out. The ordeal lasted about 45-50 minutes.

I left them my details and they were to call me later to say that the lady had passed on. I feel so sad I don’t know what to say….life is too short! She was touching her chest. She fought so hard for her life. I feel traumatized, and angry and scared!!”

Sheila is survived by a husband and two sons aged 25 and 26 years old. May her soul rest in eternal peace.

At an event on 7 February, British High Commissioner HE Alison Blackburne, and Executive Director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) Dr Andrew Seguya, spoke to the Ugandan media about the fight against the illegal wildlife trade (IWT). The High Commissioner and UWA Director inspected illegal ivory and other confiscated illegal items at the UWA offices, including valuable leopard and snake skins. Together with Patrick Shah, Director of the Uganda Conservation Foundation, they spoke of the challenges facing those fighting IWT, and looked forward to the London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade, which will be hosted by the UK government from 12 to 13 February 2014.

The British High Commission issued the following press release at the event:

UK supports UWA in combating Illegal Wildlife Trade

The Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) is so much more than ‘just’ an environmental issue threatening biodiversity and ecosystems. It drives corruption and insecurity and undermines efforts to cut poverty and develop sustainably. IWT is a serious criminal industry worth billions every year. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime annual proceeds from the illegal wildlife trade averaged between US$7.8bn – US$10bn in the years 2000 to 2009.There is also a risk that insurgent or terrorist groups could benefit from the trade. Therefore tackling it would build growth whilst enhancing the rule of law, stability and good governance.

IWT products used to be available to only the wealthy few, but economic growth has led to huge expansion of the middle and upper class with high spending power. IWT has flourished with the expansion of the internet as a global marketplace, bypassing national and international regulations. Illegal ivory trade activity worldwide has more than doubled since 2007, with ivory fetching up to US$2,000 per kilo at end point of sale and elephant numbers in all four African sub-regions are now in decline. Organised crime groups, especially those with smuggling capabilities, find wildlife trafficking attractive because of its low risks, high profits, and weak penalties.

IWT is a truly global issue which cannot be ignored. To solve it, we need to reduce and remove demand for products, prevent transit and help range states, such as Uganda, to choke off supply. This requires international political commitment from the highest levels of government. The UK is determined to play its part in a global effort – getting agreement at the G8 and in the Commonwealth to work with partners across the international community to tackle the growing problem of IWT. The British Government recently announced it would be providing £10m to combat the illegal wildlife trade. The British High Commission in Kampala is also playing its part by providing geo-location cameras and solar panels for new anti-poaching ranger stations to be established in the Murchison Fall Conservation Area. We are delighted to support the excellent work of the UWA and the Ugandan Conservation Federation in this way. In addition, the UK is also, through the Darwin Initiative, considering support to anti-poaching projects and sustainable development initiatives with local communities in Uganda.

Some progress has been made. In May 2013, the UN officially characterised international wildlife and timber trafficking as a “Serious Crime”, which means a minimum sentence of four years. The EU Wildlife Trade Regulations implement the provisions of CITES. In July this year, the EU and China, considered the biggest consumer of IWT products, signed a landmark agreement to join forces to help combat the illegal trade in wildlife products. The EU/China agreement aims to forge stronger ties against wildlife trafficking between the two regions through the exchange of information and enforcement, particularly illegal products traded from Africa to China via Europe. In addition, at the last Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Sri Lanka in November 2013, the Communiqué included strong language on IWT for the first time. So good work is already being undertaken but much more needs to be done.

Some of the traps used by poachers to hunt game
The London Conference on 12-13 February aims to tackle three interlinked aspects of the Illegal Wildlife Trade:
• improving law enforcement and the role of the criminal justice system;
• reducing demand for wildlife products;
• supporting the development of sustainable livelihoods for communities affected by IWT.

The London Conference will be opened by the British Prime Minister and HRH The Prince of Wales thus underlining the importance the UK places on this issue. The London Conference will not duplicate the initiatives already underway to tackle IWT but rather it will build on them, ensuring that they have the necessary high level endorsement and are as well-coordinated and resourced as possible.

The London Conference will focus primarily on elephants, rhinos and tigers. These three iconic species are the primary targets of organised criminal activity and are facing unprecedented levels of poaching. We have already seen the extinction of the Western Black Rhino last year, which is a tragedy. We must work together to ensure it is the last extinction amongst these great animals. The problem is not insoluble. The solutions are there but only if we join forces and ensure a system that works. From improved law enforcement to working with local communities there is plenty to do, and we are keen to get started.

With the support from the World Bank, the government of Uganda is to embark on a 5 year project worthy $100m (Est 248bn ugshs) to boost the Tourism industry and the private sector.

The project which will be implemented under the Competitive and Investment Climate Strategy (CICS) funded by the World Bank. The National Coordinator, Dr. Peter Ngategize said the project aims at addressing issues that are geared towards improving the business environment in different sectors. He added that the project focuses on five components including; supporting the modernization of business licensing and registration to allow efficient operations in the private sector.

They intend to promote tourism through modernizing Hotel and Training Institute in Jinja. Other components include a matching grant meant to support other enterprises like agriculture to promote value addition and improve the capacity to offer quality services to easily compete at the international market.