The whereabouts of assistant superintendent of police (ASP) Charles Twiine, the former spokesperson of the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID), remain a mystery after he was ‘handed over’ to the elite Special Forces Command (SFC), according to multiple sources within the Uganda Police Force.

Twiine, who has been serving as a CID officer attached to parliament since his transfer from CID headquarters three years ago, was reportedly summoned Tuesday night for a meeting with Inspector General of Police (IGP) Abas Byakagaba and his deputy, Maj Gen James Ochaya.

He travelled back to Kampala late in the evening after spending the day accompanying members of parliament on official duties. Sources familiar with the matter revealed that Twine arrived at the police headquarters in Naguru as early as 7:30 am on Wednesday morning and subsequently held a meeting with the IGP and his deputy.

The exact nature and cause of the meeting remain unclear, but shortly after the high-level engagement, Twine was reportedly handed over to SFC officers who had been waiting in a parked vehicle within the police compound. After the meeting, according to sources, SFC soldiers took him away, and his vehicle is still parked at police, and none of his known phone numbers are going through. 

The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) acting spokesperson, Col Chris Magezi, when contacted, directed inquiries to SFC spokesperson Maj Jimmy Omara.

“I haven’t got any information regarding Twine’s arrest by our officers. But let me verify, and I will provide the information when I get it,” said Omara.

The SFC is an elite military unit responsible for the security of President Yoweri Museveni, his family, and critical state installations. However, the unit has come under criticism in recent years for its alleged involvement in abductions, particularly targeting supporters of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP).

One of the most high-profile recent cases was the abduction of Bobi Wine’s bodyguard, Edward Ssebuwuufu, alias Eddie Mutwe, who was held incommunicado for several days.

Twine rose to prominence during his tenure as CID spokesperson under the leadership of former CID Director Grace Akullo. His abrupt removal followed the appointment of Maj Tom Magambo to head CID, after which Twine was reassigned to parliament. 

At the time of publishing, no official charges had been announced against Twine, and his whereabouts remain unknown. The secrecy surrounding his arrest and detention by a military unit raises fresh concerns about due process and the growing role of SFC in internal law enforcement matters. By URN/ The Observer

The International Criminal Court’s Chief prosecutor has stepped aside pending the conclusion of a probe into a misconduct allegation against him, his office said Friday, as media reports cite accusations of sexual misconduct.

News of Karim Khan’s leave have plunged the ICC, already under fire from critics and targeted by US sanctions aimed at the prosecutor, into further uncertainty.

The UN Office of Internal Oversight Services announced its investigation in November, with reports saying Khan was accused of sexual misconduct towards a member of his office. Khan, 55, denies the allegations.

Several organisations and ICC staff members had previously called for Mr Khan to step down during the investigation.

It is unknown when the external investigation – led by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services – will come to an end.

An anonymous source told Reuters news agency that Mr Khan spoke to UN investigators last week for a final interview as part of the process.

Reuters reported that it had seen a letter Mr Khan sent to his staff confirming his temporary leave, and in which the prosecutor said his position had been kept under constant review.

“My decision is driven by deep and unwavering commitment to the credibility of our Office and the Court, and to safeguard the integrity of the process and fairness to all involved,” he reportedly said in the letter. By BBC

The number 86 is a slang term whose definitions include “to reject” or “to get rid of”, however, it has more recently been used as a term to mean “kill”. Trump is the 47th US President.

May 17 – Former FBI director James Comey has been interviewed by the US Secret Service after he shared then deleted a social media post that Republicans alleged was an incitement to violence against US President Donald Trump.

Comey voluntarily participated in the questioning for about an hour at the law enforcement agency’s Washington DC headquarters and was not held in custody.

It comes a day after he posted on Instagram a photo of seashells that spelled the numbers “8647”.

The number 86 is a slang term whose definitions include “to reject” or “to get rid of”, however, it has more recently been used as a term to mean “kill”. Trump is the 47th US President.

Trump said earlier in the day during an interview with Fox News that Comey, whom he fired as FBI director in 2017, was calling for him to be killed.

“He knew exactly what that meant,” said Trump, who survived two attempts on his life last year. “A child knows what that meant.

“If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant, that meant assassination. And it says it loud and clear.”

Comey posted the seashell photo on Thursday then deleted it amid conservative uproar.

He wrote in a follow-up message on Instagram that he had seen the shells during a walk on the beach, “which I assumed were a political message”.

“I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took down the post.” BBC / Capital News

In a surprising turn of events, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has formally withdrawn two constitutional petitions challenging his impeachment, citing the fact that they have been overtaken by events.

Through a notice filed at the High Court and addressed to the Deputy Registrar,  Gachagua, represented by Senior Counsel Paul Muite and advocate Victor Swanya seeks to discontinue the petitions filed before his official removal from office by Parliament.

According to the notice, the withdrawal applies to Nairobi Petition No. E522 of 2024 and Nairobi Petition No. E509 of 2024, both of which formed part of a larger group of consolidated pre-impeachment challenges. 

In a similar move, two other petitions filed by Gachagua's eleven allies were also withdrawn, bringing the total number of discontinued cases to four. 

These included Nairobi Petition No. E525 of 2024 and Nairobi Petition No. E537 of 2024. 

"In the circumstances, we respectfully request that when placing the petitions that were the subject of the appeal before the Honourable Chief Justice in compliance with the Court of Appeal's directive, the Notice of Withdrawal be brought to Her Ladyship's attention for consideration when empaneling a bench," the lawyers informed the Deputy Registrar.

Gachagua's move to terminate the cases comes barely a week after the Court of Appeal invalidated the bench appointed by Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu to hear his post-impeachment cases.

His latest action now puts Chief Justice Martha Koome in a difficult position, as she will have to appoint an entirely new bench to hear the petitions filed after Parliament officially impeached him.  Since the earlier matters have been dropped, the bench previously led by Justice Eric Ogola has been left with nothing to adjudicate. By Nancy Gitonga , The Standard