Presidents Farmaajo and Kiir in Uganda for Museveni's inauguration

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By DAILY MONITOR

Somali president Mohamed Farmaajo, his Burundian counterpart Évariste Ndayishimiye and South Sudan's Salva Kiir arrived in Uganda on Tuesday, ahead of President Yoweri Museveni’s inauguration ceremony which will take place tomorrow.

The three presidents were received at Entebbe Airport by Uganda's State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Henry Oryem Okello.

President Museveni, 76, will be sworn in for his sixth-elective term of office at Kololo Independence Grounds.

He was declared winner of the January elections with 58 per cent of the votes cast while his closest contender, singer-cum-politician Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, got 35 per cent of the vote according to the Electoral Commission.

In addition to the three Heads of State already in Uganda, Sudanese vice president Malik Agar Eyr, South Africa’s minister of international relations and cooperation Naledi Pandor, and the executive secretary of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), João Samuel Caholo, arrived in Uganda on Tuesday afternoon.

Salva Kiir arrived at Entebbe on Tuesday evening accompanied by his Minister of presidential affairs, Dr Barnaba Marial Benjamin, and minister of foreign affairs Beatrice Khamisa Wani.

Opposition boycott

Five more Heads of State and representatives of other governments are expected to be among more than 4,000 guests wh will attend the event that is being boycotted by Uganda’s opposition.

“Foreign “guests” who come to attend such an imposition of a Junta become accomplices to the NRM/Museveni Junta crimes. Lenders to such a regime must know that Ugandans aren’t bound by such debts,” tweeted four-time presidential contender Dr Kizza Besigye, who is out of the country. 

The homes of Dr Besigye and and Bobi Wine are currently surrounded by security operatives as a “preventive measure” following intelligence information that some members of opposition were allegedly planning to disrupt the swearing-in ceremony, according to the UPDF deputy spokesperson, Col Deo Akiiki.

The police and army also heightened security in Kampala and surrounding areas to contain any criminal activity and "ensure Mr Museveni’s swearing is a success" as he embarks on another term that marks four decades in power.

Police spokesperson, Mr Fred Enanga, said security agencies will enforce measures on motorists who fail to comply with curfew hours at this time.

“We are going to impound all motorcycles/boda bodas beyond the 6pm restricted timing, and motor vehicles beyond the 9pm restricted timing.  Additional sanctions will include arrests, fines and penalties irrespective of whether you are a driver, rider, passenger or occupant. In addition, all proprietors of fuel stations who continue to park motor vehicles and motorcycles, will be subjected to further investigations, on parking authorisations, as we arrange to impound all motor vehicles and motorcycles parked at respective fuel stations,” CP Enanga said in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon.

Report by Job Bwire