☯ Karamoja Karma

Good morning ☀️

Karamoja karma came for Kitutu, Kagame wins RPF party re-election, and Trump got arrested.

Let's do this 🚀

— Gloria Mbabazi, Shem Opolot

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Headlines

Kitutu + Karamoja = Karma

Mabaati gate took a climactic twist when the Minister for Karamoja Affairs (still can’t believe this is a real ministry) Mary Gorreti Kitutu took one for the team and was remanded to Luzira prison after being arraigned in court. Kitutu is accused of causing the loss of public property by diverting iron sheets meant for the Karamoja Community Empowerment program for personal pursuits. While several other ministers were implicated in the scandal, it remains to be seen if the cuffs of justice in this case only fit Kitutu’s wrists.

Meanwhile, Karamoja area leaders say the government didn’t consult them before designating iron sheets as Karamoja’s saving grace.

Uganda 2.0

During the launch of the opposition’s alternative national budget for the financial year 2023/2024, Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine called for the prioritization of healthcare, education, and other social programs.

What’s in the budget?

The almost Shs 49 trillion budget takes a Human Rights Approach to resource allocation, focusing on various reforms, and sector priorities in transport, health, agriculture, and education. There is also an emphasis on tackling land evictions and grabbing, as well as fraudulent land transactions. (The budget)

Electricity tariffs drop by Shs 4.7

You’ll soon have (a little) more time between Yaka beeps—well, at least for the next 3 months. Umeme started charging new tariffs for domestic and commercial customers beginning April 1. The charges have been lowered due to a number of factors, including global fuel prices, the decision to purchase power from Nalubaale, Kira, Isimba power dams, increased demand for electricity, and the appreciation of the dollar against the shilling. Umeme expects to connect 240,000 new customers by the end of 2023.

Other headlines

Proposed government tax on collective investments/savings creases eyebrows

Another Perish Parish Development Model update (Spoiler: it’s not great)

Coca-Cola Beverages Uganda (CCBU) provides reusable sanitary pads to over 250 girls in various schools around the country.

Ssegirinya, Ssewanyana return to parliament after 2-year absence

Police officers conned via promises of promotions

Government seeks to introduce 140,000 electric bikes

Altering digital tax stamps to cost taxpayers Shs 30 million

🔌 Promo

The Friday Fix is the best way to start your weekend.

Beyond Borders

🌍️ Africa

🇷🇼Kagame For Life: President Paul Kagame was re-elected as RPF-Inkotanyi chairman for another 5-year term. Out of 2102 votes cast, Kagame got 2099. The other 3 votes went to his contender (and we are using “contender” very, very loosely)—Abdul-Hareem Harerimana. Kagame didn’t hesitate to stunt on his haters by assuring them he and the party are here to stay whether the haters want it or not. The only new outcome of the election was Console Uwimana, who became the first female deputy in the history of the party and Kagame’s number 2.

🇰🇪 Kenya protests update: Raila Odinga called off protests after he and President Ruto called a truce and agreed to a bipartisan engagement in parliament on the formation of the next electoral commission. Ruto; however, won’t consider a coalition government—a move widely viewed as Raila’s end goal.

🇳🇬 Stacks on Stacks: Nigeria is piling up debt like a badly stacked tower of Jenga blocks and we all know how that goes.

[If you’re reading this and you’re Nigerian, Uganda wants you to know you’re not alone 🤗]

Outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari is set to leave quite the legacy for the incoming president on May 29, 2023. Ruling Nigeria is like a game of hot potato, but instead of a fun toy, it's a struggling economy.

Other headlines

Over 19,000 cholera cases in Mozambique after Cyclone Freddy

Ethiopia to integrate all regional special forces into the national army

Senegal hosts first NBA showcase in Africa

Samsung and Transsion (Tenco, Infinix, Itel) battle for the African palm

51 people were killed after a Nigerian community was overrun by militants

Watch: Gold Mafias Episode II and Episode III

🗺️ The rest of the world

🇺🇸 Trump indicted: Donald Trump appeared in court on Tuesday for arraignment on charges related to alleged hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress, just before the 2016 US Presidential elections. While making hush money payments isn’t illegal, Trump is accused of falsifying the true nature of the payments made from his campaign fund. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges and returned to his Florida mansion by dinner time before labeling the charges a Democratic party-led witch hunt intended to thwart his 2024 presidential campaign.

US 🤝🏾 Taiwan: Despite the threat of “severe confrontation” from China, US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (and more than a dozen Congress members in California) met with Taiwan’s President Tsai ing-wen in a diplomatic show of “touch me and you see.” The meeting made McCarthy the most senior official to meet with a Taiwanese leader on US soil. Now, we wait…*rubs hands together like a housefly* (Background)

Saudi Arabia 🤝🏾 Iran: Saudi Arabia and Iran formally reestablished diplomatic relations this past week—a significant milestone in the relationship between two of the largest powers in the Middle East (Background). The deal, which counters the deals made under the Abraham Accords during the Trump administration, was brokered by China in an effort to spread its global geopolitical tentacles.

Nn’ebigenderako

UFC and WWE form over $21 billion blockbuster tag team

The Twitter de-blue checking of legacy verified accounts began (poorly)

If you’re an NBA fan, the newly-signed 7-year NBA NBPA collective bargaining agreement should interest you

Paris bans rental electric scooters due to accidents

The NASA team for The Artemis II mission around the moon in 2024 will feature the first person of color, the first woman, and the first Canadian to go on a lunar mission

Listen (to the creator): The cellphone turned 50 years old

Finland officially became the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

HBO and Warner Bros. are in talks for a “Harry Potter” series

Camilla called queen for the first time on coronation invitation, and it made some headlines

Games and Puzzles

Courtesy of Braingle.

Inside each set of the following words are a pair of smaller words. By putting & between them, lo & behold, you'll make a familiar phrase. For example, "Thighbone/Swallowtail" conceals "High & Low."

1. Skyrocketing/Trolleyman
2. Thermometer/Apoplexy
3. Delaware/Bordering
4. Surprised/Trashiness
5. Throughout/Stumblebum

Answer at the bottom

Procrastination corner

🧩 This quiz asks you to guess the color of tech brand logos

🎲 Name that thing is the name of this game

🎵 A playlist of the top song every month since January 1980

🛞 Imagine a spoke-less Ferris wheel

Riddle answer

1. Rock & Roll
2. Mom & Pop
3. Law & Order
4. Rise & Shine
5. Rough & Tumble

Have a good week!

— Too Long; Didn’t Read (TLDR)

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