Masaka city tycoon Emmanuel Lwasa has a way of always courting controversy that keeps him in the limelight which is at times undeserving. After producing one of the biggest controversies of last year, Lwasa is at it again. This time, however, it is a serious case involving the selling of fake gold.His accuser, a one Jeff said that on the 2nd of December 2021, he had a transaction with Lwasa worth 60,000 US dollars. Lwasa was meant to deliver gold to him but instead sold him fake gold.
The buyer said that he looked for Lwasa in vain till he came out clean and pledged to deliver the genuine product.
However, since then, he started avoiding Jeff’s entourage and phone calls. They however tracked him down and arrested him yesterday in Mityana.
Consequently, Jeff added that all he wants is his money and will keep him locked up till he coughs it up.
Jeff however said that Lwasa is broke these days and has lots of debts. This is why they sent him behind bars.
“We did a transaction with Lwasa on the 2nd of December 2021 worth 60,000 dollars. He was supposed to deliver gold to us but instead delivered fake products. When we realized it, we contacted him and he came out clean and promised to deliver the genuine product. However, since then, he has been hiding and dodging our calls. We were connected to him by someone who trusts him. Lwasa has also been in the business for long working with a company called TransEquator mines reason we trusted him.” Jeff said.
Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Luke Owoyesigire confirmed this arrest. Owoyesigire said that Lwasa is currently kept at CPS as they look into these allegations and hunt his accomplices who are on the run.

UGANDA AIRLINES TO RESUME FLIGHTS TO UAE
Uganda Airlines to resume Dubai Flights tomorrow Saturday January 08, 2022, after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) lifted the ban.
The Airline has confirmed this saying they have taken key procedures to have their bombadiers back in the skies to Dubai. Our impeccable sources told our reporter that so far, it’s only Uganda in Africa who’s ban has been lifted.
“We’ve resumed our flights to Dubai and taking all measures necessary to make sure you’re protected when you travel with us. Effective from 08 January 2022 flights from Entebbe in Uganda will resume,” says the airline.

POLICE DEFY COURT ORDER TO RELEASE NOVELIST KAKWENZA
Uganda Police Force has defied an order to release novelist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija unconditionally despite lawyers serving them with documents on Tuesday.
Mr Rukirabashaija was arrested last year on December 28 and he has since been in detention without access to his lawyers or family.
On January 4, Makindye Chief Magistrate Court, Grade One Magistrate Irene Nambatya ruled: “It is hereby ordered that the applicant be unconditionally released from police custody. Every police officer should comply with the above order”.
Mr Eron Kiiza, the lawyer of Mr Rukirabashaija, said they served the police officer with a court order, but up to date they have defied them.
“They got the orders and are yet to respond,” Mr Kiiza said.
On Monday, the spokesperson of the Criminal Investigations Directorate, Mr Charles Twiine, said they were to present Mr Rukirabashaija in court on Tuesday on charges of offensive communication under the Computer Misuse Act against President Museveni and his son Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is also the Commander of Land Forces.
Mr Twiine yesterday could not readily give a comment on why they were still detaining Mr Rukirabashaija.
Of late, the police have been accused of ignoring court orders, but last November the Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka warned them to desist from such impunity.
On November 4, 2021, Mr Kiwanuka wrote to Inspector General of Police Martins Okoth-Ochola, ordering police to always comply with all the court directives to avoid litigation and awards.

HEALTH MINISTER CONFIRMS UGANDA IS IN THE 3RD WAVE OF THE COVID PANDEMIC Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng has confirmed that Uganda is in the third wave of the Covid19 pandemic following a surge in daily new cases in recent weeks.
Addressing reporters in Kampala on the Covid19 response, vaccination coverage and implementation of various Presidential directives on January 07, Minister Aceng noted that in the last 14 days, a total of 19,413 confirmed cases have been registered with a daily average of 1,386 cases.
With the daily positivity rate shooting up, the minister confirmed that Uganda had moved to the third wave of the Covid19 pandemic.
“We have moved from the period of sustained containment where the positivity rate was below 5%. The country is now in its third wave of the Covid19 pandemic,” said Aceng.
She also explained the factors that have catapulted Uganda to the third wave of the Covid19 pandemic.
“The country has moved to this new transmission wave due to factors such as limited adherence to SOPs in most of the places, crowding especially during the festive season, misconception that once vaccinated SOPs no longer apply and abuse of the requirements to isolate when found positive,” noted the Minister.

Controversial city pastor Aloysious Bugingo says he was not introduced to Suzan Makula’s parents but rather attended the party to eat and drink.
On 7th December, 2021, Pastor Bugingo and Suzan Makula held a lavish introduction ceremony (Kwanjula) where the latter introduced the former to her parents in Kawuku, Katabi town council.
The Kwanjula function, attended by family, close friends and a few celebrities, continued to cement couple’s intentions to get married.
The Kwanjula came nine days after the Kukyala ceremony that was held at Makula’s parents’ home in Kyebando on Saturday 27th November, 2021.
Photos and videos of Bugingo and Makula dressed in traditional wear as Bebe Cool performed rocked social media before the couple was slapped with charges.
Aloysious Bugingo and Suzan Makula’s Kwanjula attracted lots of criticism from the general public due to the fact that Bugingo is still legally married to Teddy Naluswa who is also the mother of his children.
City lawyers Male Mabirizi and Robert Rutaro Muhairwe challenged Bugingo’s decision to marry another woman before being legally divorced.
They dragged Bugingo and his new catch to court for engaging in an illegal marriage process before the former was summoned to appear at Kawempe Police Station to answer the slapped charges of contracting a new marriage.
They were charged with three counts contrary to the Marriage Act on Wednesday 22nd December, 2021.
According to the Marriage Act, Section 42 states that “any person who, being unmarried, goes through the ceremony of marriage with a person whom he or she knows to be married to another person, commits an offense and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years.”
According to Bukedde, Pastor Aloysious Bugingo responded to the charges saying that he only attended an ordinary party to eat and drink like any other guest contrary to what was reported that he was introduced by Makula.
His statements are reportedly contained in his response to the case where he was sued for entering into a second marriage before dissolving his first marriage to his wife Teddy Naluswa Bugingo.
Bugingo and Makula are expected to appear before court on 21st January, 2022 to answer the charges.

NO FIREWORKS TO WELCOME NEW YEAR- POLICE
Those intending to display fireworks to usher in the New Year, 2022, should consider another form of celebration.
This comes after the Police warned that due to the threat of terrorism and the spread of Omicron, no fireworks should be displayed.
A letter by Edward Ochom, the Police’s Director of Operations, said they had received various requests to display fireworks but unfortunately no such event would take place.
“This serves to inform you that despite the tradition of having fireworks, due to COVID-19 guidelines, restrictions, and directives in of the present infections on the Omicron variant and the threat of terrorism, there will be no fireworks display,” Ochom said.
“We regret the inconvenience and deprivation the revelers may have to bear and thank you for the great cooperation we have had regarding the matter,” Ochom added.
This is the second year without the display of fireworks to welcome the new year in Uganda.

The UNAIDS has mourned the passing of Archbishop Desmond Tutu who fought against apartheid in South Africa and combated racism and injustice worldwide.
“He was a powerful voice in the fight against AIDS, combating denial, demanding access to treatment for all, calling out against discrimination of people living with HIV, and championing the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, women, and children. His work on HIV and tuberculosis prevention and treatment changed global paradigms and saved many lives.”
“A giant has fallen. Archbishop Tutu was a freedom fighter, a holy man, a great hero who played a history-shaping role in the liberation of Africa,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS.
“He was a leading light who brought global attention to injustice in a way few others could and a champion for the rights of all people living with and affected by AIDS. Millions are alive and free today because of the path he charted and the hope he brought to this world.”
Archbishop Tutu was outspoken in calling for an end to AIDS denialism in South Africa. He fought for access to lifesaving medicines. “People, not profits, must be at the centre of patent law for medicines,” he said while calling on pharmaceutical companies to make AIDS medicines accessible. He was also a champion of rights of gay people. He likened laws that criminalize forms of human love as apartheid laws—”so obviously wrong”.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu was an advocate for preventing HIV infection in adolescents and young people. He co-chaired the UNAIDS commission on HIV prevention in 2011 that led to setting bold global targets for HIV prevention. He extolled on young people to take on the leadership on AIDS.
“Bold and honest actions are needed, and we look to the next generation of leaders to bring about positive change in attitudes and actions,” said Archbishop Tutu while speaking with young leaders in Robben Island on HIV prevention.
“UNAIDS has lost a friend, guide and mentor,” said Ms Byanyima. “Our thoughts are with his family, the people of South Africa, and many around the world whose lives he touched and changed for the better.”

WHO DECLARE 2022 AS THE YEAR WE END THE PANDEMIC
As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc across the world after the emergence of the Omicron variant, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has stated that the world must take strict measures to end the pandemic.
Speaking during a press briefing on Monday, Tedros urged the world to pull together and make the difficult decisions needed to end the Covid-19 pandemic within the next year.
“2022 must be the year we end the pandemic,” he said.
He said it was better to cancel events “now and celebrate later than to celebrate now and grieve later.”
Meanwhile, Uganda is set to fully open its economy in January.

Detectives from the criminal investigations directorate (CID) are hunting for a fraudster who managed to con millions out of police officers in a non-existent training in Switzerland.
The fraudster allegedly targeted police officers attached to the directorate of police medical services claiming that they had been selected for a trip to represent Uganda police in Geneva for a healthcare leadership training course organized by the Swiss police in January 2022.
Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said that the fraudster disguised as the director of medical services, using a landline similar to that of police, contacted several district police commanders (DPCs), asking to speak with their police medical personnel at different police stations.
The unsuspecting DPCs, without any basic verification to confirm the authenticity of the order requiring them to submit their personnel to leave the country, summoned their personnel to speak to the fraudster. The officers were informed that they had been selected for the trip and their passport details were needed.
“Our officers have fallen victims, somebody used a landline that is similar to those that we use, and then posed as a director, and once he could establish that the officer he is talking to don’t have a passport, he would put up a request of about Shs 600,000 to process a passport on behalf of him or her,” Enanga said.
With many officers understandably without passports, the fraudster made a kill when the officers unhesitatingly paid the money to the fraudster for the chance to attend the non-existent training. Enanga declined to reveal the number of police officers who were defrauded in the simple con scheme, saying the fraudster is still being hunted to face the law.
Last year, one Jackson Owere was remanded to prison on charges of obtaining money by false pretence from unsuspecting police officers whom he was promising promotions and transfers to areas of their choice. He was posing as a senior police officer from the office of Inspector General of Police.
Since last week, police have so far arrested over 35 suspects across the country who have been participating in different frauds.