
Uganda Law Society Recognizes Rwakafuuzi for Advocacy Against Military Courts
The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has handed its Radical New Bar Demilitarization Award to Senior Advocate Ladislaus Kiiza Rwakafuuzi for his tireless efforts in fighting for an independent and demilitarized judiciary in Uganda.
The citation, presented by ULS President Isaac Ssemakadde, recognizes Rwakafuuzi’s lifetime commitment to defending the rights of the most vulnerable in society. Rwakafuuzi, now 63 years old, has dedicated his entire legal career to standing up against the trial of civilians in military courts, a practice that has ravaged communities across Uganda.
Ssemakadde who was represented by Lawyer Gorreti Nakamya, the Spokesperson of Radical New Bar Think Tank, praised Rwakafuuzi’s bravery in the face of adversity, noting that his health has faltered, and he has suffered a stroke, but his spirit remains unbroken.
The award, she said, is a testament to Rwakafuuzi’s unwavering commitment to justice and his role in reshaping Uganda’s legal landscape.
Ssemakadde highlighted Rwakafuuzi’s pivotal defense of Rtd. Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye and his numerous co-accused, who faced grave charges of terrorism and illegal possession of firearms before the General Court Martial in November 2005. Through Rwakafuuzi’s momentous leadership of Uganda’s human rights bar, Dr. Besigye secured the transfer of his case to the High Court, establish the landmark precedent on bail.
Ssemakadde also noted that Rwakafuuzi’s defiance of the UPDF Act ignited a beacon of hope for thousands of civilians trapped within the deeply flawed system. Although the battle reached the Supreme Court in Namugerwa Hadijah v. Attorney General (Civil Appeal 4 of 2012), victory remained elusive.
Yet Rwakafuuzi’s persistence ultimately bore fruit in the watershed case of Michael Kabaziguruka v. Attorney General (Constitutional Petition 45 of 2016), where the Constitutional Court finally struck down the practice of trying civilians in military courts as unconstitutional.
Ssemakadde emphasized that Rwakafuuzi’s award is not just a recognition of his past achievements but also a call to action for the Uganda Law Society to pursue his long-overdue appointment as Senior Counsel under the Advocates (Senior Counsel) Regulations 2018.
In his acceptance remarks, Rwakafuuzi expressed his concerns about the state of justice in Uganda, emphasizing the importance of legitimate expectation and the rule of law which he described as the bedrock of justice.
He reflected on his experiences during the overthrow of Idi Amin and the subsequent ‘imposition’ of peace by the National Resistance Army rebels. Rwakafuuzi revealed that he survived a bullet during the tumultuous period in Wandegeya during those days. He however lamented that the people who ushered in that peace have started bouncing it back, saying he is not surprised after all, ushers are also bouncers.
As a seasoned lawyer, Rwakafuuzi shared that he has represented clients in several high-profile cases, including Karugaba Vs Attorney General. He questioned the constitutionality of executing soldiers who robbed and killed an Irish priest, Father Anthony, in Karamoja. Rwakafuuzi stated that he successfully argued the case, and the Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the execution was illegal as there was no war in Karamoja during that time that called for a field Marshal to sit and execute someone.
Rwakafuuzi also discussed that the General Court Martial (GCM) was started around 2001and that it was supposed to deal with a crisis that arose from the elections where many people had guns, a crisis he said was created by the Government at that time.
He noted that the late Gen Elly Tumwine was the first Court Martial Chairperson and dismissed some cases that were not fit to be before him, including a case when someone was arrested from a construction site and charged before the Court Martial over robbery of a doorbell.
Here, the frail speaking Rwakafuuzi stated that the late Gen Tumwine dismissed the case and it was later taken to Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court.
Rwakafuuzi expressed his disappointment with the current state of affairs, particularly with regards to the 2021 elections, which were marred by violence and bloodshed. He noted that the elections saw blood on the streets, highlighting the need for free and fair elections.
Additionally, Rwakafuuzi recalled the 2001 elections, which were marked by a lot of thuggery. He criticized the notion that certain weapons, such as star pistols, are a monopoly of the UPDF.
Rwakafuuzi cited the case of Hadija Namugerwa, a relative of Sali Muhammad an accused person whom he represented in the Court Martial, who was found with a star pistol.
He argued that the prosecution’s case relied on the premise that the pistol was a monopoly of the UPDF, which is not supported by law.
According to Rwakafuuzi, this is not the case, as pistols can be licensed for civilian use. Rwakafuuzi drew a distinction between pistols and military equipment like tanks and grenades, which should indeed be a monopoly of the Defense Forces. He said that for sure if a person is found with a tank or a grenade at least, the Court Martial can try him.
Rwakafuuzi has called upon all people to come together to support the rule of law and ensure that legal processes are followed to prevent abuse of power and protect citizens’ rights to avoid taking the nation back to war.
ULS awards history
Recently, the Bar withdrew its award which they had given to Justice Musa Ssekaana of the High Court Civil Division after they accused him of professional misconduct.
The Demilitarization Award to Rwakafuuzi comes at a time when the Supreme Court is on January 31st 2025 expected to deliver judgement in the case that will determine whether civilians should continue to be tried in the General Court Martial or not. The decision will arise from an appeal filed by the Government against former MP Michael Kabaziguruka who successfully challenged his treachery trial in the General Court Martial.
Uganda Law Society Recognizes Rwakafuuzi for Advocacy Against Military Courts
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Fast-Rising DJ & Musician, Deejay Giovanni, Drops “Thank You Lord”

Uganda’s vibrant gospel music scene has a new anthem as Deejay Giovanni releases his latest song, Thank You Lord. Known for his unique blend of Christian rap and deejaying, Giovanni is quickly becoming a household name in East Africa’s music industry.
The 27-year-old artist, born on October 9, 1996, burst onto the scene three years ago with Kusaba, a hit that resonated with many and received massive airplay across Uganda and the East African region. His latest track, Thank You Lord, is deeply personal, drawn from his own experiences growing up as a ghetto child in Nansana. Through his music, he aims to inspire and give hope to those facing similar struggles.
Giovanni describes himself as a Christian artist committed to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ through his music and DJ mixes. His passion for uplifting others and preaching through rap has set him apart in Uganda’s gospel music landscape.
With Thank You Lord, Deejay Giovanni continues his mission of using music as a tool for hope, faith, and gratitude. The song is expected to make waves among gospel lovers and beyond, cementing his place as one of Uganda’s rising gospel stars.
The singer Is Married to Salt Tv’s Presenter Dorah Jimmy who have been together for a while before solidifying their romantic relationship by welcoming their bundle of joy last year.
The couple held their colorful customary “Kukyala and kwanjula” ceremonies respectively ,
Keep an eye on Deejay Giovanni as he continues to shape the future of gospel music in Uganda!
Fast-Rising DJ & Musician, Deejay Giovanni, Drops “Thank You Lord”
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USAID : The Wealthiest MAN vs. The World’s Poorest Children

In Kristof’s column today, he wrote that “to anyone with a heart, it’s about children’s lives and our own security, and what’s unfolding is sickening.”
The foreign aid cutbacks jeopardize people’s lives worldwide, including the 20 million women, children and LGBTQ people receiving HIV-fighting antiretroviral medications that are funded by the nation’s foreign aid agency, USAID.
The world’s richest man is boasting about destroying the United States Agency for International Development, which saves the lives of the world’s poorest children, saying he shoved it “into the wood chipper.”
By my calculations, Elon Musk probably has a net worth greater than that of the poorest billion people on Earth. Just since Donald Trump’s election, Musk’s personal net worth has grown by far more than the entire annual budget of U.S.A.I.D., which in any case accounts for less than 1 percent of the federal budget. It’s callous for gleeful billionaires like Musk and President Trump to cut children off from medicine, but, as President John F. Kennedy pointed out when he proposed the creation of the agency in 1961, it’s also myopic.
Cutting aid, Kennedy noted, “would be disastrous and, in the long run, more expensive.” He added: “Our own security would be endangered and our prosperity imperiled.”
Perhaps that’s why Russia has praised Trump’s move.
In contrast with Kennedy, the Trump administration braids together cruelty, ignorance and shortsightedness, and that combination seems particularly evident in its assault on American humanitarian assistance.
One person has already died of bird flu in the United States, and there is growing concern of a pandemic — yet Trump’s suspension of foreign aid has interrupted bird flu surveillance in 49 countries, according to the Global Health Council, a U.S.-based nonprofit.
Remember the American panic over the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014? (Trump was particularly hysterical back then.) In the end, an Ebola pandemic was averted — in part because of U.S.A.I.D.’s work in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
As it happens, another Ebola outbreak has just been reported in Uganda, with 234 contacts identified so far. U.S.A.I.D. would normally help suppress it — but now Trump and Musk have put it out of commission.
Another hemorrhagic fever, called Marburg virus, broke out in Tanzania last month. Aid workers are rushing to contain the virus, but again Trump has made the United States AWOL, leaving the world a little more vulnerable.
A disclosure: In 2012, U.S.A.I.D. made some games for India and Africa based on a book my wife and I wrote, “Half the Sky.” U.S.A.I.D. did not pay us anything for this, and the games did a good job promoting deworming, girls’ education and safe pregnancy.
I’ve seen U.S.A.I.D. operate all over the world, and it’s a mixed picture. It is fair to complain that U.S.A.I.D. is endlessly bureaucratic and that too much of the aid goes to so-called Beltway bandit American contractors rather than to needy people abroad.
Yet there’s no basis for the White House mythology that U.S.A.I.D. is an enclave of woke waste, reflected in Trump’s claim that it spent about “$100 million on condoms to Hamas” (he doubled his previous claim of $50 million).
Hmm. Male condoms cost the U.S. government 3.3 cents each, so that would be three billion condoms. By my calculation, for Hamas to use up that many condoms in a year, each fighter would have to have sex 325 times a day, every day.
That might wipe out Hamas as a fighting force more effectively than Israeli bombardment.
In any case, the actual amount of U.S. assistance spent on condoms for Gaza in recent years appears to have been not $100 million but $0.
Trump’s policies are as reckless as his rhetoric. I’d welcome some restructuring of U.S.A.I.D. But this isn’t restructuring but demolition — a blow to our values and interests alike.
The USAID Memorial Wall, which listed the names of 99 USAID employees killed in the line of duty.
These are the names of the 99 USAID employees killed in the line of duty as of May 2024. (Photo courtesy of The Foreign Service Journal)
Musk lambasted U.S.A.I.D. as “a criminal organization.” In fact, many of its employees have risked their lives in the best tradition of public service. The U.S.A.I.D. Memorial Wall honors 99 people killed while working for the agency in places such as Sudan, Haiti, Afghanistan and Ethiopia.
I’ve seen genuine improvements in U.S.A.I.D. over the years. Its public-private partnership to tackle lead poisoning, announced last year, was a model of American leadership. And so from my travels, this is what U.S.A.I.D. has come to mean to me:
I’ve seen women and girls with obstetric fistula, a horrific childbirth injury, get a $600 surgery that gives them back their lives — and this is something that U.S.A.I.D. supports.
I’ve seen men humiliated by elephantiasis and grotesquely enlarged scrotums, occasionally requiring a wheelbarrow to support their organs as they walk. And U.S.A.I.D. has fought this disease and made it less common.
I’ve seen children dying of malaria (and I’ve had malaria), and I’ve seen U.S.A.I.D. help achieve major strides against the disease over the last two decades.
I’ve seen southern Africa ravaged by AIDS. And then President George W. Bush’s landmark program against AIDS, called PEPFAR and implemented in part through U.S.A.I.D., transformed the landscape. I saw coffin makers in Lesotho and Malawi grumble that their business was collapsing because far fewer people were dying. PEPFAR has saved 26 million lives so far. (In the coming months, I’ll see if I can calculate how many lives are lost to Trump’s cuts in aid.)
I’ve seen the suffering of communities where people in middle age routinely go blind from trachoma, river blindness or cataracts — and the transformation when U.S.A.I.D. helps prevent such blindness.
Trump scoffed that U.S.A.I.D. was “run by radical lunatics.” Is it radical lunacy to try to save children’s lives? To promote literacy for girls? To fight blindness?
If this is woke, what about the evangelical Christians in International Justice Mission, which, with U.S.A.I.D. support, has done outstanding work battling sex trafficking of children in Cambodia and the Philippines? Does Trump believe that rescuing children from rape is a radical lunatic cause?
Trump’s moves are of uncertain legality, not least because U.S.A.I.D. was established by Congress, but the outcomes are indisputable. Around the world children are already missing health care and food because of the assault on the agency that Kennedy founded to uphold our values and protect our interests.
To billionaires in the White House, it may seem like a game. But to anyone with a heart, it’s about children’s lives and our own security, and what’s unfolding is sickening.
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Groundbreaking Queer Film ‘Ìfé’ Returns with Highly Anticipated Sequel

Pamela Adie, a renowned Nigerian activist, filmmaker, and director, announced the film on X (formerly Twitter), calling the sequel “magic.” The film is currently in production and is set for release in 2025.
Poster for Ìfé – The Sequel. (Courtesy Pamela Adie via X)
Unlike the typical Nollywood portrayal of same-sex relationships, Ìfé broke barriers with its authentic depiction of love, struggles, and triumphs within Nigeria’s queer community. The first film was hailed in international headlines for its raw honesty, capturing the experiences of women who love other women in a society where such narratives are often silenced or misunderstood.
The sequel continues the story of Ìfé, played by Uzoamaka Aniunoh, and Adaora, played by Gbubemi Ejeye. While their relationship appears perfect on the surface, unresolved issues from their past resurface after a pivotal encounter, threatening their bond. The film delves into themes of love, identity, family expectations, and the courage required to pursue happiness and self-discovery.
Joining the cast are other notable names, including Ozzy Agu, Najite Dede, Binta Ayo Mogaji, Sonny McDon, Amara Nnanna, Adunolaoluwa Osilowo, and Grace Coker, promising a stellar ensemble performance.
“I watched Ìfé (the short film), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the sequel. I love the poster already!” wrote one commenter on X.
In a country where LGBTQ+ representation in the media remains limited and often controversial, Ìfé stands out as a beacon of visibility and empowerment. Its first installment defied societal norms and sparked important conversations about love and identity. With the sequel, Pamela Adie continues her mission to tell stories that resonate with Nigeria’s queer community while challenging stereotypes and advocating for acceptance.
The anticipation for Ìfé – The Sequel is palpable, with many eager to see how Ìfé and Adaora’s journey unfolds. As queer film audiences count down to 2025, the film is already making waves, promising not just entertainment but a deeper reflection on love, courage, and the pursuit of authenticity in the face of adversity.
Groundbreaking Queer Film ‘Ìfé’ Returns with Highly Anticipated Sequel