“UGANDANS AT HEART “(UAH), is a free-to-join, non-profit making e-mail discussion forum that is secular, intellectual and non-aligned politically, culturally or religiously with over 5000 members worldwide. UAH is devoted to matters of interest to Ugandans and East Africans. People from Uganda have scattered to countries around the world. Most of the Ugandans in Diaspora like to maintain their African connections and values.
At UAH, we discuss political, social, economic, technological and healthy issues affecting Uganda as a nation. We’ve entered the political discussions to restore liberty and Uganda values. Through enlightening, we believe we can make the population aware that it is them -not the government-to decide on how to run their life, cheque book, retirement, education, and family.
Objectives of the ‘UAH’
- To promote better acquaintance, understanding, friendship and cooperation among Ugandans all over the world.
- To act as a link between Ugandans abroad and Ugandans at home.
Membership
1. Anyone who is a Ugandan by nationality can become a member. In this context, the term ‘Ugandan’ shall mean anybody born in Uganda or naturalised as a Ugandan citizen.
2. Anyone who loves Uganda or who has got Uganda at Heart can become a member. If you describe yourself as socially tolerant and fiscally responsible, you’re a Ugandan at heart.
The more than 5000-strong UAH membership is an integrated federation of Ugandans all over the world. Anybody can become a member regardless of their political association, social status, tribe, religion, gender and clan.
Mission
The forum’s mission is to preach the gospel of the truth in our society. The forum does not officially fund any political party though members can do this individually.
UAH and political parties
The forum is neutral in matters of party politics. However, political parties and their supporters can always use it to fundraise for their own parties or politicians. The forum is not attached to any particular political party in Uganda and it welcomes all members of different political parties. In other words, every Ugandan is welcome to join this forum.
The forum does not:
* Endorse, discourage or oppose political parties, candidates or platforms. However, members can individually endorse, promote or oppose political parties, candidates or platforms. The owner of this forum is allowed to express his political opinions on an individual basis. Any official position of the forum must bear the expression suggesting that it is being issued on behalf of Ugandans at heart forum.
* Attempt to direct or dictate to a government leader. However, the forum members can use it as a way of expressing their dissatisfaction over government decisions or policies on individual basis. Then it is up to the government to act on these thoughts or not.
The forum does:
* Encourage its members to play a role as responsible citizens in their communities, including becoming informed about issues and voting in elections.
* Expect its members to engage in the political process in an informed and civil manner, respecting the fact that members of the forum come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences and may have differences of opinion in partisan political matters.
* Request candidates for office not to imply that their candidacy or platforms are endorsed by the Ugandans at Heart forum.
* Reserve the right as a group to address, in a non-partisan way, issues that it believes have significant community or moral consequences or those directly affect the interests of Ugandans.
What shouldn’t I post?
Do not post:
- Profane or obscene, or spiteful comments
- Messages that abuse, denigrate or threaten others
- Any racist, sexist, discriminatory or otherwise harmful statements that are offensive
- Any personal information about children under 14 years old.
- Descriptions that intrude on the privacy of another person, including revealing personally identifiable information such as their name or address
- Text that promotes illegal or immoral conduct
- Repeated posts that make the same point excessively
- Repeated unwelcome messages that harass or embarrass other members or participants
- Any form of “spam,” including advertisements. Any body posting an advert will require the permission of the head moderator.
- Messages from other forums that break any of the rules of UAH
How do I start a new discussion?
On the UAH website or in a discussion forum, start a new discussion below the list of recently-active discussion titles. Once you click in the discussion topic text box, you’ll also see a box to enter the initial post. You can also do this by sending a new message to the forum email: Ugandans-at-heart@googlegroups.com
Conspiracy theories on the UAH forum
If anybody posts what you consider a ‘conspiracy theory’ , he or she is always exposed on this forum by some body else because we have got a lot of informed people here.For instance, when one says that ‘Obote never rigged the 1980 elections‘, there is always going to be two sides to this story and eventually the truth comes out.
Yes, I agree that some people enjoy spinning conspiracy theories. Perhaps they feel superior by believing they are “in the know” while others remain ignorant. Perhaps they like expressing themselves this way. What I know about conspiracy theories is that there is a great measure of truth in their claims.The truth is never far from these kind of theories but then again the truth would necessarily not be easy to accept by some people.
So,I suggest you do your own thinking instead of listening only to what you read on this forum. Of course, as a moderator, I try to post some of these opinions to the UAH blog and other sister blogs as a way of seeking other people’s opinions. Surely, in the end it helps people to reach their own conclusions and extend their knowledge about issues.
The most important thing to note here is that we(UAH forum) are not out to divide Ugandans but we’re out to share messages; dissect problems facing the country; seek solutions; bring Ugandans together and build a team that will run this country in future inishallah.
More information can be found by joining UAH at:http://groups.google.co.uk/group/ugandans-at-heart or by contacting the head moderator at: abbeysemuwemba@googlemail.com
Issues to do with Buganda are posted on our sister blog called: Ekitibwa Kya Buganda: http://ekitibwakyabuganda.wordpress.com/
Thank you
ABBEY KIBIRIGE SEMUWEMBA
Head Moderator
H. Mukiibi said,
September 2, 2009 at 8:16 am
please send updates, fresh comments
Any volunteers to pay for a UAH advert in Bukedde for a month or two?? said,
September 8, 2009 at 4:51 pm
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September 12, 2009 at 9:04 pm
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September 25, 2009 at 11:58 am
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black hattitude said,
October 9, 2009 at 6:24 pm
hello,
thanks for the great quality of your forum, every time i come here, i’m amazed.
i read your posts regularly and i finaly decided to subscribe.
black hattitude.
: Re: Mr Semuwemba: Why are some Ugandans joining NRMO?(EGWEA) : 43952 said,
October 25, 2009 at 7:15 pm
[...] [...]
JAO said,
October 27, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Just stumbled on this today. Great forum
: Katerega:Besigye and personal feuds/ in Buikwe, Mukono and Kayunga districts this week : 44993 said,
October 27, 2009 at 6:49 pm
[...] > > > — > To know more about the UAH forum, visit the followinglink: > http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/ugandans-at-heartuahforum/ > > > > —————————— > THE [...]
Vincent Nuwagaba said,
October 29, 2009 at 2:07 pm
30th September 2009
Honourable Speaker,
Parliament of Uganda.
RE: PETITION AGAINST UNIVERSITY TUITION INCREMENT
Honourable Speaker, we students of Makerere University, appalled by the recent phenomenal, unprecedented and uncalled for fees increment, do hereby petition you on the subject matter on the following grounds;
1. The increment was made abruptly hence leading many admitted students to drop out of the courses they had hitherto been admitted to and were sure they would pay for by the time of application and admission.
2. The increment was too huge to the magnitude of more than 100% for some courses. For instance, Bachelor of Law tuition was hiked from 600,000 (six hundred thousand) shillings to 1,260,000 (one million two hundred sixty thousand) shillings, hence an increment of 126%! If one added functional fees and bank charges the total amount paid comes to 1,808,500 (one million eight hundred eight thousand five hundred) shillings per semester. Thus, although the media have always reported 40%, that is misleading, 40% applies to the courses whose tuition was least hiked. Honourable Speaker, even if the increment was 40%, it is still too much.
3. With the 40% increment, courses such as Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, Bachelor of Pharmacy, Bachelor of Dental Surgery, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Science in Medical Radiography have had their tuition hiked to the tune of 1,344,000 per semester. If one added the functional fees and bank charges, the whole figure comes to 1,893,000 (one million eight hundred ninety three thousand) shillings per semester. For a course like Bachelor of Science in Speech and Language Therapy, although there was no increment, 1.5m tuition alone for one semester is too much because added to functional fees; the whole figure comes to 2,549,000 (two million, five hundred fourty nine thousand) shillings per semester. These figures exclude accommodation, meals, transport and many other scholastic needs such as photocopying, typing, printing, textbooks, exercise books, pens, among others. If one is to lead a peasantry lifestyle, he/she will spend not less than 3,000,000 (3 million) per semester on a Bachelor of Law course. For Medicine and Pharmacy courses, the figure is far beyond this. With this increment, the government will find it difficult to convince many that it indeed is interested in promoting courses that are critical to national development. We know for a fact that our country has inadequate doctors as most of the few trained run out for greener pastures. It is interesting to find out that the government is putting in place disincentives through hiked fees. The courses mentioned herein are just a tip of the iceberg. Otherwise all courses are unaffordable at least to the poor and middle income earners.
4. The increment is not uniform across all public universities. Whereas the least hiked course attracted a 40% increment while some other courses attracted a more than 100% increment for Makerere University, in other public universities, the increment is more or less negligible.
5. The inflation argument doesn’t hold water because functional fees were not increased and it is only tuition that was increased. But also, assuming the issue was inflation that has accumulated over the years, it makes no sense that students that were admitted in 2009-2010 academic year should bear that huge burden. Logically, there should have been a gradual increment of not more than five percent over the years.
6. The increment affects everyone directly or indirectly including Honourable Members of Parliament and Ministers. If one is not a student, they are parents or guardians. If not, they have siblings, neighbours or relatives and if one has none, they are potential students or guardians to the university. Therefore, this is a national issue not merely the concern of a few people.
7. We have reliably learnt that the President sanctioned the increment because somebody duped him that fees increment will curb the problem of Lecturers’ strikes. We know it will instead aggravate the problem because majority of Makerere University Lecturers are Pan Africanists who embrace the Ubuntu philosophy which entails selflessness, compassion, sympathy, empathy and social justice. But also they value education so much because they know it is the surest means of societal transformation. Accordingly, many Lecturers if not all of them have many dependants including their biological children. In fact, Lecturers that we have talked to are planning to demand a 200% increment of their remuneration in order to meet the mind boggling hiked fees fares of up to 126%. Otherwise, it will be pitiable and despicable if Makerere University Professors fail to sponsor their children for the courses of their dream. Thus, the solution to Lecturers’ strikes lies in government increasing their salaries and remitting adequate funds to the university to make academia an attractive profession. Otherwise, what is the justification of paying millions to project officers in ministries and directors in parastatals and pay university Lecturers pea nuts? In fact, don’t get shocked when you see our Lecturers running to juicy government bodies such as National Planning Authority (NPA), Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), Uganda Investment Authority (UIA), and National Social Security Fund (NSSF) among others. Remember, the directors in these agencies are not in any way better qualified than University dons. Government is duty bound to ensure better standards for Lecturers and indeed all other workers but doesn’t have to raise fees to do that for it hurts the peasants which for years the NRM government has purported to protect and liberate out of their poverty.
8. Although we are students, our guardians and parents are workers in the private or public sectors while others are subsistence farmers. Accordingly, the phenomenal tuition increment must necessarily lead to a commensurate increment in salaries and wages and agricultural products across the board. It is ironic that government in the current budget increased civil service salaries by a paltry 5% and went ahead to increase tuition to that magnitude as if civil servants’ children shouldn’t access higher education!
9. Honourable Speaker, we are pretty sure that most of the brainy students that were admitted dropped out because they couldn’t raise the new hiked fees. This in the very short run will deny our country the talents that would transform this country because they are unable to raise high education fares. For a course whose tuition is 1260,000, if one added functional fees and bank charges the total amount paid comes to 1808500 (one million eight hundred eight thousand five hundred) shillings. This figure excludes accommodation, meals, transport and many other scholastic needs such as photocopying, typing, printing, textbooks, exercise books, pens, among others. If one is to lead a peasantry lifestyle, he/she will spend not less than 3,000,000 (3 million) per semester on a course. Otherwise, ordinarily even 4million may not suffice!
10. How many of Uganda’s teachers, policemen, prison warders and indeed public servants have the wherewithal to raise these colossal fees for their children?
11. The right to education is enshrined in Article 30 of the 1995 Uganda constitution. But also the international human rights instruments that Uganda has ratified stress the right to education and emphasise that higher education shall be accessible on the basis of merit. These include inter alia Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948), Article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR, 1966), Articles 28 and 29 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC, 1989), Article 10 of the Convention on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW, 1979), Articles 1, 2 and 5 of the International Covenant on Elimination of All forms of Racial Discrimination, 1969) and UNESCO Convention Against Discrimination in Education.
Accordingly, education is a fundamental human right but also that it is a critical tool for social transformation is axiomatic. Thus, as the adage goes, “those who are born in gutters don’t die in gutters”, the poor need to be assured that they too are citizens and not subjects in this country. This assurance can only be through ensuring that sons and daughters of peasants are not locked out of higher education as only and only education can put the poor and the rich at an equal footing.
12. It is clear that government sponsorship is virtually a preserve of the children of the rich who go through first world schools. But never be deceived that they are more brilliant and more potentially useful than their counterparts from third world and rural schools. Accordingly, fees increment exposes the poor to double tragedy and reinforces the vicious cycle of poverty. Surprisingly, the government says it is committed to prosperity for all whose components are health for all, wealth for all and education for all! We pray that government puts its money where its mouth is.
13. The solution to Lecturers’ strikes and the Universities’ financial and academic woes cannot and will never be solved by inhuman and heartless fees hikes. Rather, the practical solution lies in government remitting adequate funds to the universities including research funds. And the question of lack of funds is neither here nor there because we have seen non priority sectors such as Ministry of Defence and State House get supplementary funding. In fact, the reason as to why the once “Harvard of Africa” is declining academically is largely because lecturers have been pushed into consultancy research in order to make ends meet. If the government was remitting funds to the University for Research and paying Lecturers well they would concentrate on academic research and not consultancy research which is inimical to academic advancement.
14. Fees hike will inevitably widen the already existing regional imbalances. It is clear that although there are some regions which are economic power houses, there are also regions that are wallowing in despicable levels of poverty. The irony is that the economic power houses almost monopolise government scholarships because they have ability to sponsor their children in the grade A schools. With tuition hike they will still have the monopoly of access to the revered university education!
15. The heartless and inhuman tuition hike has already vindicated Professor Mamdani’s book titled “Scholars in the Market Place”. It has surely portrayed Makerere University as a commercial centre and not a place of knowledge generation, knowledge synthesis, knowledge reproduction and knowledge dissemination. Yet these are the touchstones of any University worth its salt.
16. Finally, this position is not sacrosanct and we pray that it is reversed in the interest of the common good and the good of our country. Those who have already paid will top up next semester. We must take note that public universities are state institutions which must be run by the state and not money generated from peasants majority of whom form the bulk of the parents and are the wretched of the earth to use Franz Fanon’s coinage. Remember we are citizens and not subjects in this country and to our members of parliament, take note that we are voters, our parents are, our neighbours and relatives are. The prohibitive fares for all the courses are antithetical to the prosperity for all slogan of the National Resistance Movement Party/government and they are a harbinger for deeper poverty in the long run. Whoever is at the centre of blocking the poor but intelligent the right to access education is an architect of underdevelopment. You never can tell, the people denied access to education would be vanguards of fighting moral poverty which has tied us and prevented us from moving forward and in our view manifests in all sorts of corruption hence reproducing more poverty. As we build for the future! For God and our country!
Vincent Nuwagaba said,
October 30, 2009 at 10:49 am
Dear Ugandans at heart,
We have to make strenuous demands if our country is to be on track. These include inter alia;
1. ensuring that jobs are given on meritocracy basis
2. ensuring that young brains capture political power through sponsoring a candidate in every constituency
3. demanding that donors stop funding the government of president Museveni because those funds end up in the pockets of a few
4. demanding that all those that have got jobs on patronage be fired
5. carrying out a comprehensive study on how many degree graduates, diploma holders, A level, O level and other tertiary institutions graduates we have.
6. urging all the employers to verify the documents of their employees with the institutions they claim they got them from
7. proposing harsh penalties for those found to have forged academic credentials
8. demanding the reinstatement of term limits because short of that the incumbent will rule ad infinitum even when it is clear that the only people he trusts are his family members, close relatives and friends
9. demanding that whoever is convicted of electoral offences be barred from standing again for that particular position
10. demanding that university students be given loans which will be recovered after they have graduated and gotten loans
11. advocate for the reinstatement of government sponsorships for arts and humanities because they shape citizens into critical thinkers and we need critical thought in order to develop
12. stand by one another in case one of us is under threat.
13. be armed with our pens, microphones and computers. I am sure dictaors fear the pen and the microphone and not the guns for they know with guns they will crush you and none will sympathise with you. They have tried to crush me because of my ideas but they haven’t succeeded and I strongly believe they are now fighting a losing battle.
Long live Ugandans at heart and always be there when I call on you. Remember to support me come 2011 as the English saying goes,”scratch my back, I will scratch yours”. I am ready to become an MP for Uganda and I will never confine myself to Ruhinda. We must prioritise the national question and not the nationality question. Allow me end with Prof Oloka Onyano’s words, “ten years in power, you are an elder. Fifteen years in power, you are a veteran. Twenty years in power, you are nearly extinct. Twenty years plus, you are a libility. Please, locate where Ugandan rulers are and tell what they are. For God and my country!
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November 12, 2009 at 11:53 am
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Sorry for offtopic