Writer: Odoobo C. Bichachi. PHOTO/COURTESY
This week’s column is dedicated to ‘READERS HAVE THEIR SAY’ and direct responses from the public editor.
Odeke Julius: As an ardent reader of the Daily Monitor, I like your newspaper for its attention to issues of social injustices like land grabbing. Recently, I wasn’t disappointed after someone advised me to contact your Tororo correspondent, Omollo Joseph, about my grandmother who is 91 years old and was on the verge of losing her land to land grabbers. Mr Omollo swiftly went to the village and interviewed the LC-1, my grandmother, and a few others.
The story was published and within a short time, State House Anti-Corruption Unit picked up the case. They have gone there four times. By the way, I have never met Mr Omollo in person; just spoken with him on the phone. The land grabbers are now panicking; they have been summoned to make a statement in Kampala. Kudos to Daily Monitor and Mr Omollo.
Public Editor: Thank you for sharing this testimony. The flowers belong to Mr Omollo and the editors. At Nation Media Group, we follow one of the tenets of journalism, namely to “to comfort the afflicted, and to afflict the comfortable”.
Eng. George Mabweijano: Please refer to your story, “How Uganda groomed first African to enter a conclave” (Saturday Monitor, May 10). In the first paragraph under the sub- heading “Italian Job”, it states “Fast forward to 1978, after the death of Pope Paul VI in August, 111 cardinals entered the conclave.”
The next, and subsequent paragraphs go on to describe the events leading up to the election of Pope John Paul II (formerly Cardinal Karol Josef Wojtyla). The implication is that Pope John Paul II was the immediate successor to Pope Paul VI. This is incorrect. After the death of Pope Paul VI on August 6, 1978, a conclave was held from August 25 to 26, during which Cardinal Albino Luciani, an Italian, was elected as the new Pope.
He chose the papal name John Paul, thus John Paul I. When he died, just 33 days later on September 28, another conclave was held, from October 14 to 16, and that is when Cardinal Wojtyla from Poland was elected, taking on the papal name John Paul II
Please make that correction since the article, as it is, is misleading to the readers.
Public Editor: Thank you for your eagle eye and elucidation of the papal succession story. Clearly, we got this wrong in an otherwise rich, colourful and timely article. The other thing we got wrong was to write that Cardinal Albino Luciani succeeded “Pope Paul VII” as pontiff.
There has been no Pope Paul VII, so far only up to Pope Paul VI. Both errors have been shared with the editors for correction online and in print.
Ben Matsiko Kahunga: Refer to your column, “Genocide against Tutsi or Rwanda genocide?” (Daily Monitor, May 13) specifically on the course of the Kagera River. The spelling of Isingiro where the Akagera flows marking the boundary of Uganda and Tanzania was misspelt as Isingoro! That said, the detailed course of Akagera River is interesting. You mentioned it originates from Lake Rweru and snakes along the boundaries of Rwanda-Burundi, Rwanda-Tanzania, Rwanda-Uganda-Tanzania tri-point, Uganda-Tanzania boundary before entering Lake Victoria is interesting.
Rwanda claims the Akagera originates from inside Nyungwe Forest, grows into River Nyabarongo, becomes River Akagera, enters Lake Victoria and exits as River Nile. Burundi has a creek inside a forest on a hill outside Gitega, the old kingdom capital and new political capital, which creek they claim is the source of the River Nile. I have been to this site and taken pictures there.
The largest hotel in Bujumbura remains Hotel Source du Nil.
Public Editor: To claim Kagera river – or any other streams and rivulets in Rwanda and Burundi – as the source of the River Nile presupposes that no other river systems in the region feed Lake Victoria. We have rivers Sio (Suo), Yala, Nzoia, Nyando, etc originating from Mt Elgon environs in Kenya and pouring water into Lake Victoria on the eastern shore. Can these be said to be sources of the Nile? How about Mara river originating from Kenya highlands (Mau Escarpment) and pouring water into Lake Victoria? What about the Katonga River, etc?
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