The Tanzanian government has issued a dress code guideline for public servants after a female member of Parliament (MP) was thrown out for wearing trousers following complaints from her male colleague.  

MP Condester Michael Sichlwe was asked by the Speaker of Parliament Job Ndugai to leave the chamber and only return after she had changed to a more decent outfit. 

He chased her out after a male MP complained that her black trousers was too tight and not decent.

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After the incident in parliament, a pamphlet with the acceptable dress code for Tanzanian government workers was released and it had people talking and asking questions. By PH HowAfrica

The African Union announced it was suspending Mali with immediate effect and threatened the impoverished country with sanctions, after a second military coup in nine months. 

The putsch has sparked deep concerns over stability in the volatile Sahel region and warnings of economic penalties from across the international community.

The AU “decides… to immediately suspend the Republic of Mali from participation in all activities of the African Union, its Organs and institutions, until normal constitutional order has been restored in the country”, the body’s Peace and Security Council said in a statement late Tuesday.

The move follows a similar suspension on Sunday from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

In its statement, the AU called for the military to “urgently and unconditionally return to the barracks, and to refrain from further interference in the political processes in Mali”.

It warned that if the military did not hand back power to civilian transitional leaders, “the Council will not hesitate to impose targeted sanctions and other punitive measures”.

Condemning the coup “in the strongest terms possible”, it added it was “deeply concerned about the evolving situation in Mali and its negative impact on the gains made thus far in the transition process in the country”.

Strongman Colonel Assimi Goita was at the ECOWAS crisis summit in Ghana on Sunday to argue the military’s case but has now returned to Mali.

Goita last August led army officers who overthrew elected president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, following mass protests over perceived corruption and a bloody jihadist insurgency.

After the takeover, the military agreed to appoint civilians as interim president and prime minister under the pressure of ECOWAS trade and financial sanctions.

But in a move that provoked diplomatic uproar, soldiers last week detained transitional president Bah Ndaw and prime minister Moctar Ouane, releasing them on Thursday while saying that they had resigned.

Mali’s constitutional court completed Goita’s rise to full power on Friday by naming him transitional president.

With the junta going back on its previous commitment to civilian political leaders, doubts have been raised about its other pledges, including a promise to hold elections in early 2022.

The junta said this week it would continue to respect that timetable, but added that it could be subject to change. Capital News

Activists say Ugandan police took photos of the wedding guests to ‘expose’ them in the media

More than 40 people have been arrested at a gay wedding in Uganda and accused of ‘spreading infectious disease’.

The wedding was raided by police who took pictures of their faces to ‘expose them’ in the media, activists have said.

Gay sex is punishable by life in prison in the East African country, where it’s feared Covid restrictions are being used to persecute the LGBT+ community.

A police spokesperson told local media that they had received a ‘tip off about a group of men suspected to be homosexuals conducting a wedding’ in the capital city, Kampala.

The spokesperson added: ‘Immediately a team of police officers proceeded to the scene and a group of 38 adult males and six females were found conducting a ceremony at around 1pm that looked to be a wedding.

‘All the men had make-up and some were dressed as females in dresses and wigs.’ 

He said used condoms were found at the scene and he accused the ‘suspects’ of not wearing face masks or observing social distancing.

A spokesperson for Uganda’s Criminal Investigations Divisions later said the group would be charged for ‘doing a negligent act likely to spread an infectious disease’.

The plight of the wedding guests is being highlighted by activists online, who are raising money to pay for their medical bills and court costs.

One gay rights researcher said their colleague was at the wedding but managed to escape.

They wrote: ‘He is now in the hospital as he injured his leg while fleeing from the police.

‘Many others are stuck in the police cell where they are humiliated by Ugandan police officers.

‘We need money to bail them out, but that will only be the start of the difficulties that will follow.

‘These people were exposed in the national media, meaning that they will probably lose their jobs and support of friends and families, if they still had them.’

The researcher said LGBT+ people are often arrested after being accused of breaching social distancing measures and other Covid restrictions.

‘The global pandemic has served as the perfect excuse for the Ugandan government to violate queer rights and human rights in general,’ they added. - Joe Roberts, Metro

Ugandan Minister of Works and Transport Edward Katumba Wamala has reportedly survived an assassination attempt after getting shot nine times in Kisaasi.

Daily Monitor reports that the incident happened Tuesday morning at around 9 am. Video footage circulating on social media reveals the four-star army general walking with his clothes stained in blood.

The paper says the Minister was rushed to Malcom Clinic before getting referred to Medipal Hospital in Kampala for further medical attention. 

Reports coming in indicate that Gen Katumba’s daughter, Brenda Wamala Nantongo, and his driver, Haruna Kayondo, have been killed.

Gen Katumba and his daughter were reportedly heading for the burial of their close relative in Najjanankumbi along Entebbe road.

Gen Katumba has been serving as the Minister of Works and Transport in the Ugandan cabinet, since 14 December 2019.

He previously served as the Chief of Defence Forces of Uganda, the highest military rank in the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF), from 2013 until 2017.

He was the commander of land forces in the UPDF from 2005 to 2013. He also served as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of the Uganda Police Force (UPF), the highest rank in that branch of Uganda’s government, from 2001 until 2005.

Wamala was the first active UPDF soldier to serve as the head of the UPF. This is a developing story and it will be updated as more details emerge. Nyamilepedia