The mighty Grapevine can now exclusively reveal how Chief Justice Bart Katureebe’s sight troubles began at a swimming pool in his Nakasero home.

Sources very close to Katureebe have told this website that during 2018 Christmas festivals, the CJ worked out regularly to keep his body fit including running around the compound at his home in Nakasero and around his swimming pool.

“You know swimming is one of the best recommended exercises for people of his age.
Now, while he was stretching, he suffered a hamstring pull. He could not move, he was quickly helped by some of his assistants ,” the source who is always close to the CJ told the Grapevine.
He further narrated that at first, they thought that the hamstring was going to quickly heal but the pain the highest judge in Uganda felt intensified.
The source further revealed that Katureebe was first taken to his personal doctor in Bukoto who recommended that he should be flown to South Africa. In South Africa, Katureebe went
through several operations on th dorsum near the shoulder which was affected by the hamstring.

The source further revealed that
after several operations, the CJ recovered and flew back home. A few weeks after these operations, he started developing eye sight problems, he could not see properly and he was feeling a lot of pain in one of his eyes.

The former Bunyaruguru constitutional Assembly member was driven back to his doctor who carried out several medical examinations. The doctor discovered that the CJ’s eye sight was as a result of the dorsum operation that he had.
His doctor talked to the South African medic who operated on Katureebe. The South African Medic advised them to fly him back to South Africa for further medical check ups.

In South Africa, the doctors recommended that Katureebe must under go several eye operations but before officially being discharged, he
pleaded with the doctors to allow him to come back and deliver his age limit judgment because it was a matter of national importance.

Our source further revealed that doctors warned Katureebe not to strain his eyes more by reading for long hours. They also advised him that
immediately after delivering the judgment, he should quickly fly back to hospital for the eye operation.
The source however refused to disclose the hospital where the chief justice was admitted for fear of blowing his ccover but authoritatively revealed that he travelled back to hospital
over the weekend after reading the age limit judgment.

The source revealed that yesterday (Tuesday), Katureebe was expected to undergo
another eye operation.

It should be remembered that during the reading of the controversial age limit judgment, Katureebe told failed to read his full judgement saying that he had sight problems.
Katureebe is not the only judicial officer who is affected by sight problems. Hon. Lady Justice Dr. Esther Kisakye, a supreme court justice also recently under went several eye operations in Uganda, America and South Africa hospitals. Kisakye’s sickness even delayed the delivering of the presidential election petition between incumbent Yoweri Museveni and Amama Mbabazi. Other justices had to wait for Kisakye to come back to deliver the judgment.

When the Grapevine spoke to Solomon Muyita, the senior communication officer to the judiciary, he confirmed that it’s true the CJ is in South Africa for an operation.
“He actually said it himself before they delivered their age limit judgement. He said that he had to set an early date for the judgement because he was going for an operation on the 22nd of this month,” Muyita told the Grapevine.

But information reaching this website indicates that the chief justice is very bitter with negative criticism he received from the general public especially lawyers and the media over his age limit judgement.

By Jamil Lutakome

Opposition strongman Dr. Kizza Besigye has blasted former presidential candidate Patrick Amama Mbabazi on his last statement that he is politically selfish.

Veteran journalist Simon Kaggwa Njagala who had hosted Besigye on NBS TV’s famous morning breeze show tasked him to explain to the nation why he is selfish and why he thinks that without him no one can lead the opposition. Njala cited statements made by opposition leaders like Mbabazi and members of the DP block.

The four times presidential candidate asked Mbabazi to stop banding him as a selfish politician when he is hiding behind doors and curtains. He tasked him to come out and publicly tell Ugandans who are yearning for change that Besigye is politically selfish then Ugandans decide.

“I have no problem with anybody to lead the struggle and I have never fought for positions.  So, whoever wants to be a leader of the struggle should come and leads us. I don’t enjoy being teargassed and shot at with bullets, I am not really anxious to be in teargas. I have never seen    Bwanika in the heat of things, I have never stopped them,” Besigye said. 

The defiant man from Rukungiri revealed that he is not politically the same as Museveni as many people claim including people in the opposition.  He said that even though he is battling with treason charges, president Museveni must also be charged with treason charges because he has committed a lot of atrocities. He cited a situation when Museveni ordered military personnel in the broad day light to attack the Members of Parliament who did not support the lifting of age limit from the constitution.  The former political commissioner in the NRA government insisted that what Museveni did was a sign of dictatorship and even his predecessor, the late Milton Obote never did such when he was abolishing the constitution through the pigeon hole constitution and MPs were not beaten.

Besigye also reacted to the bitter statements issued by people power leader and Kyadondo East Member of parliament Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine that it’s not democratic for someone to stand four times for presidency and later claim that election cannot remove a dictator from power.  Besigye said that all the new opposition members should learn from them and clearly understand why veterans stand for presidency many times.

“The struggle today is not a struggle for leadership, we have nothing to lead, we have to first regain the country. The struggle is to end the rule of the few. This struggle is not my struggle but a struggle must help all Ugandans to regain freedom and control of their country,” Besiggye said.

He noted that the reason why he is challenging Museveni’s 2021 presidential bid is that Museveni uses his executive powers to frustrate other candidates. He gave an example of the last election where he was arrested in the middle of his campaigns. He advised other opposition members to understand the difference between winning an election and taking power. He cited the 2016 elections which he said he won but was denied victory and not allowed to even challenge Museveni’s claimed victory in courts of law because he was put under house arrest.

By Jamil Lutakome and Evalyne Musimenta

President Museveni’s former Press Secretary Joseph Tamale Mirundi has warned Kyadondo East legislator Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu alias Bobi Wine to be careful while dealing with people like events organisers Abtex and Bajjo claiming they are conmen.

While speaking to Sanyuka TV’s Uncut, Mirundi cautioned Bobi Wine to be careful because the two events managers especially Abtex will fail him. He added that the two are claiming that they are putting up Bobi concerts yet in actual sense they are trying to lure him into a trap by getting money from Museveni.

In his words, Tamale Mirundi said, “the one who stopped Bobi Wine from singing is the one who will allow him sing again so, now they have not allowed him to sing. Secondly, Bobi said he wants to be president, he is not a candidate now. The law allows a candidate to stage rallies but that will be in 2021 when the year is ending, they will give them three months. He is not a presidential candidate now. He is the Kyadondo east Member of Parliament meaning he is not allowed to stage rallies,” the presidential adviser on Media warned.

He continued, “thirdly, the government said Bobi Wine turns his concerts into political rallies, this man who puts on a hat (Abtex) has over failed Bobi Wine, I wish some people attack him because they are playing Bobi. If those men just come up and say that they are going to share the money they get from Museveni with Bobi wine, he will have fallen because he will have deceived his fans, people will think he is a thief.”

ABTEX FIRES BACK

When the Grapevine contacted Abtex, he told us that people like Mirundi have been paid by the state to be stupid.

“People saying such things have been paid to be stupid. Right now, Bobi Wine has put a lot of pressure on Museveni, He never expected a young man like Bobi to put him under a lot of pressure, he was used to the Maos and Besigyes. I cannot at the moment present myself as the person trying to fight Bobi Wine. When Bobi entered politics, he wanted to leave stage performances, I personally convinced him to keep performing on stage. Tony Sempijja, who is an NRM mole took some events organisers to President Museveni who gave them over 1.8 billion, now, me and Bajjo never went there. I personally fought enemy forces to make sure that Bobi performs at the Kabaka’s enkuuka fete. How can a man who did all that fight his own creation. Right now, they have hired bloggers and people like Mirundi to spoil our names. We were arrested and caged with Bobi Wine because we were fighting hard to make sure that his Busabala concert stands, how them can one say that we want his downfall?

We don’t want any compensation from president Museveni, we just want him to allow Bobi to sing and hold his concerts,” Abtex said.

He added that they have hired the Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago to handle their court case in which they have taken government to court for stopping Bobi’s shows.

Bajo told us to give him 10 minutes

By Doreen Menezer