Angry Muslims have destroyed more than 70 kilograms of meat at Gulu municipal abattoir. The destroyed meat was from animals slaughtered by a non-Muslims. The meat was dumped into the soak pit at the abattoir on the orders of Sheik Musa Kelil, the Khadi of Acholi Muslim district. 

According to Sheikh Kelil, the meat was dumped for the safety of consumers since the cow was slaughtered in contravention of the standards set by Uganda Halal Bureau. Kelil argues that the non–Muslims who slaughtered the cow, mocked the Islamic faith since he committed the act on Eid el-Aduha, an Islamic festival marking the end of Islamic pilgrimage and commemorates the decision of Abraham to sacrifice his son, Ismail.   

Sheik Ismael Ali Omona, the Imam of Jamia Mosque in Gulu town revealed that there are only two legally recognized slaughtering points in Gulu, which include the main abattoir in Layibi Division and another one at Unyama Trading centre with four certified butchers.

According to Omona, they have heard rumours that two abattoirs in Bungatira sub-county and Lacor trading center are operating illegally. Christine Ajok, the acting Gulu Municipal veterinary officer who witnessed the dumping of the meat condemned the illegal slaughtering of animals and vowed to hunt and arrest the culprit.

In March 2011, The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) and the Uganda Halal Bureau signed a partnership to ensure that all locally-produced foods, beverages and institutions get certified under hygienic and religiously acceptable standards.

Over 60 per cent of the 13 million head of local breed cattle in the country could be extinct by the year 2050, Joy Kabatsi, the minister of state for Agriculture has said.

The most at-risk breed is the Ankole long-horned cattle known for their resistance to disease and drought. The other breeds at risk are the Zebu cattle from Northern and Eastern Uganda, the Nganda from Central region as well as Mubende, Kigezi and West Nile goats.

“Because of their genetic uniformity, huge numbers of animals especially the local breeds could be wiped out by new diseases,” Kabatsi said.

According to a report released recently by the Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO, titled; ‘The Future of Livestock in Uganda: Opportunities and challenges in the Face of Uncertainty, the threat to the existence of local cattle is tied to an increase in demand for meat brought on by rising population numbers.

It further cites competition between humans and livestock for resources such as land and air and water pollution as well as ineffective antibiotics.

“To resolve this challenge, stakeholders including government should implement strong policies that can effectively deal with emerging infectious diseases and proper natural resources utilisation that is essential to a sustainable livestock future,” the report suggests.

According to reports by both the Ministry of Agriculture and the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, 2018, the livestock sector accounts for 17 per cent of the agriculture value and 4.3 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Cattle contribute 40 per cent of the livestock and seven per cent of the agriculture value.

The country has 14.2 million cattle and out of these, 13.3 million are local breeds. If all local breeds are wiped out by 2050, then the country will remain with about one million cattle only.

Speaking to journalists at the Uganda Media Centre recently, Dr Charles Lagu, the executive director of the National Animal Genetic Resource Centre and Data Bank, said government has established a gene bank to help recreate breeds that may go extinct.

He described gene banking as a type of preservation that allows indefinite storage of genetic materials without deterioration for thousands of years.

“The preserved material can be used for recreating breed lines in case they are lost due to calamity, development of new breeds and for research,” Lagu added.

He said government is investing in the gene bank at the ministry to preserve genetic resources for 12 countries; Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Eritrea, Djoubti, Somalia, Comoros, Sudan and South Sudan.

However, the FAO report also claims that at least 20 per cent of the estimated 7,600 livestock breeds are in danger of extinction.

In response, FAO has introduced resilient cattle breeds in Karamoja to improve livestock production and productivity. This has been done under the project “Strengthening the adaptive capacity of agro pastoral communities and local governments to reduce impacts of climate risks on livelihood in Karamoja.”

FAO has introduced artificial insemination technology and the dual-purpose Sahiwal breed in Karamoja. The Sahiwal breed thrives well in arid and semi-arid areas such as Karamoja.

Six weeks ago when Mubarak Munyagwa’s leadership of the parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) initiated plans to reopen fresh Bank of Uganda investigations, the request was firmly rebuffed by parliament speaker Rebecca Kadaga.

However, her surprise U-turn to give a green light to COSASE to re-open a new probe into the central bank’s closure of commercial banks has raised several questions and may have far-reaching implications, writes SADAB KITATTA KAAYA.

Kadaga wrote to the committee on July 26, almost six months after the Abdul Katuntu-led committee wrapped up a similar investigation and submitted its report to parliament.

In her letter to Munyagwa, Kadaga makes reference to a petition from Chris Tushabe Karobwa, who accuses Bank of Uganda (BOU) of mismanaging the receivership of Cooperative bank.

“He [Tushabe] also alleges that the committee under Katuntu had partially handled his case but did not complete it, to his detriment,” Kadaga wrote.

Her change of heart comes after she initially described a new BOU probe as misguided and a waste of time since parliament had already adopted a report authored by the former committee leadership.

Kawempe South MP Munyagwa, deputized by Makindye East MP Ibrahim Kasozi, took over leadership of the committee in February after parliament adopted the findings of the three-month-long long Katuntu committee investigation into the closure of seven commercial banks between 1993 and 2018.

Munyagwa instituted a sub-committee chaired by Kasozi to re-investigate the closures, arguing that there were outstanding issues ignored by their predecessors.

At the time, Kadaga received petitions from Michael Businge of Nsambya, Sam Kakuru, a student of Uganda Christian University Mukono, and Zahid Sempala, a self-proclaimed spokesman of Uganda Poor Youth Movement, urging her to stop the new probe.

“This is to request you to prevail over the committee not to expend state resources on re-examination [of the BOU probe report] which is outside its mandate,” Businge wrote to Kadaga.

The petitioners also told Kadaga that the fresh probe was intended to help BOU officials implicated in the Katuntu report to clean their tainted images.

Based on the petitions, Kadaga on June 10 wrote to Munyagwa urging him not to reopen the BoU investigation since the auditor general, who is the source of the committee’s work, had not written any other report to parliament in respect to the closure of commercial banks, let alone the House approving a fresh investigation.

“Be further advised that once recommendations were adopted, it is incumbent upon the government to respond by way of a treasury memorandum, which has not yet been done. I am of the view that your action in trying to reopen a matter that was already considered and finalized is not founded in the constitution,” Kadaga wrote.

ENTER STATE HOUSE

With Kadaga stuck to parliamentary rules of procedure, Tushabe petitioned Lt Col Edith Nakalema, the head of State House’s anti-corruption unit, and Florence Kiconco, Museveni’s principal legal secretary.

In his petition dated June 15, Tushabe referred Kadaga to his February 13 complaint to Katuntu over the manner in which COSASE had handled his case.

“Hon Katuntu passed over my case to Hon Munyagwa after hearing it partly. I did not anticipate that my case would even be stopped unceremoniously at that stage, especially when BoU officials had partly responded to my case,” Tushabe wrote.

He argued that Kadaga’s decision to stop a fresh investigation served interests of ‘mafias’ in government.

“Stopping Hon Munyagwa is simply covering up the corruption I have fought for more than 20 years; I need appreciation and support from anyone who hates corruption. Procrastination is half a sin, you hate,” Tushabe stated.

Tushabe further claimed to have lost more than Shs 3bn and another Shs 1.42bn worth of properties through BOU’s alleged illegal sale of his properties.

On the same day, Tushabe also wrote to the BOU governor Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile demanding payment of his money in full. On June 24, Kiconco wrote to Kadaga urging COSASE to conclude the investigations.

Kiconco also notified Kadaga in the same letter that Aida Tegeki, a legal affairs officer at State House, had been assigned to follow up the matter.

NOT THE SAME

Kadaga is expected to make a formal communication to parliament about the need to reopen the investigations before the committee can resume the hearings.

“The speaker has been having engagements outside the country but we expect her to inform parliament soon,” Kasozi told The Observer on August 12.

Chris Obore, parliament’s director of communications and public affairs, said Kadaga ordered a new probe into emerging issues at Bank of Uganda.

“The Speaker’s earlier ruling was against revisiting the findings of the old COSASE probe and her latest instructions are for a new investigation, a probe into new allegations concerning the central bank; it is not the same as the earlier investigation,” Obore said.

Obore said the committee is not getting any special budgetary allocations for the new investigation but will work within its budget.

“It is within the annual budget for the committee; they are going to be doing their routine work,” Obore said.

COSASE RECOMMENDATIONS

Among the recommendations from COSASE and parliament are that the positions of the chairperson and vice chairperson of the board of governors be separated from that of the CEO and deputy CEO of the central bank as a good practice of governance to avoid conflict of interest.

COSASE further recommended that the Bank of Uganda Act must be amended within 90 days since it is obsolete and not aligned with the Constitution. Furthermore, failure to amend the law within 90 days gives opportunity to private members to move a bill amending the law.

COSASE report called for central bank to rectify errors committed on Greenland bank’s statement of affairs for proper financial reporting and also take full responsibility of any probable loss for the bank. 

The Katuntu report accused BOU officials of breach of the Bank of Uganda Act and the Financial Institutions Act during the closure of Teefe Trust bank, Cooperative bank, International Credit bank (ICB), Greenland bank, National Bank of Commerce, Gold Trust bank and Crane bank.

It thus recommended that all officials of the central bank who failed to properly execute their duties in accordance with the law should be held responsible for their commissions and/or omissions.

It also recommended for the amendment of the Financial Institutions Act to provide a time limit within which liquidation of financial institutions in distress should be concluded.

Charity Mugumya, BOU’s director of communications, declined to comment since parliament hasn’t formally communicated to the central bank about the new developments.

sadabkk@observer.ug

President Museveni’s reelection drive is entering high gear even before the political season officially rolls off next year.

The president is not taking any chances and at the centre of his bid to extend his rule since 1986, it has emerged that the national structure of youths formerly allied to Amama Mbabazi has been given the lead to dismantle the opposition, writes BAKER BATTE LULE.

In the run-up to the 2016 general election, a well-coordinated group of youth swore allegiance to Amama Mbabazi, the former powerful prime minister who had vowed to unseat President Museveni. They often talked of how they had the capacity to overthrow President Museveni and the NRM because they were privy to all state tricks.

So convinced was the anti-Museveni forces that Mbabazi nearly became the sole opposition candidate through The Democratic Alliance (TDA), an umbrella for a united opposition.

Even when TDA talks failed, these youths were lined up on the frontlines to oust President Museveni but in a strange twist, the state machinery did not clamp down heavily on them as it did with FDC supporters.

Another version, however, is that these youth were purposely sent into Mbabazi’s team in order to dismantle it from within. Since the end of the 2016 elections, many of these Mbabazi loyalist youths stayed silent until early this year when they resurfaced as NRM prodigal sons.

In January when the president launched Team Thorough YKM 2021, it emerged that the team comprised some of youths wooed back from Mbabazi. These campaigners have been recruited to prop up President Museveni’s early campaign.

So, even before the official ceremonial kickoff of his reelection campaign, a routine show of political force, The Observer has learnt that the president has invested heavily in a team of youths who are moving from village to village building his structures and dismantling the opposition in the countryside.

Their patron is first lady and minister of Education and Sports Janet Museveni and the national coordinator is Edris Kiiza Kamuntu. According to some members who preferred anonymity for fear of being exposed as Mbabazi betrayers, the team plans to complete building structures from local councils to the national level by September 2019.

And they want to recruit about 40 people per village from about 60,000 villages countrywide. In total, they are looking to recruit four million voters even before the first ballot is cast in 2021.

According to Kamuntu, the team is rigorously dismantling Bobi Wine’s People Power, Kizza Besigye’s FDC and Maj Gen Mugisha Muntu’s Alliance for National Transformational (ANT) structures. They believe these have potential for raising enough dust to cause Museveni trouble.

“DP and UPC are friendly forces,” one member said. Indeed, Kamuntu emphasized the notion when The Observer reached out to him.

“They [DP and UPC] don’t enjoy a nationwide support; therefore, we can’t spend a lot of time on them. Secondly, have you ever heard of a demonstration by DP or UPC? They are not violent like the FDC and People Power,”.

So far they have covered 20 districts and allegedly recruited 1,000 People Power supporters from Kampala, its biggest stronghold.

“We are only looking for the president’s votes. We don’t want to go into the MPs’ wrangles,” another member said, adding that they are coordinating with the NRM secretariat.

The team is located on Vomito house on Kampala road. Another member told The Observer they are soon shifting to Bugolobi, a leafy Kampala suburb. On July 12, Janet Museveni met the top leadership of the team comprised about 45 members in Bugolobi.

It is during this meeting, which lasted about three hours, that she told them of the need to cooperate with other party organs but to steer clear of them.

“She said we should remain independent so that we can work effectively like we have done in the past. She assured us of benefits in the future if we deliver victory to Museveni in 2021,” said a member who attended the meeting.

He further confided that after the meeting, each participant received transport refund; the lowest being Shs 250,000. “We are lined up to meet the president soon now that his Operation Wealth Creation countrywide tours have ended,” added another member of the group.

Youthful Adam Luzindana Buyinza was one of Mbabazi’s closest aides during the 2016 election campaigns. When The Observer reached out to him for a comment, he distanced himself from Team Thorough YKM 2021.

“I quit politics after 2016 and I’m into my private business and empowering youth through employment,” said Buyinza, who used to head the Uganda Poor Youth group.

“Some of my former colleagues may have been compromised but I’m not part of that scheme to mobilise support for President Museveni much as I cannot stop him from reaching out to the youth.”

Efforts to contact Mbabazi were futile as his known numbers didn’t go through.

MUSEVENI CHANGE OF GUARD

An insider source in NRM has intimated to The Observer that the president realized he was duped in the previous campaign by some NRM leaders who used to ferry people from different areas to his rallies. But when polls opened, the ballots cast in some areas didn’t match the campaign rally numbers.

“The mafia used to lie to the president. They would get cash from him and instead of running his campaigns, they would buy houses…” the source said.

These people didn’t meet the president’s supporters. There was a gap between the president and his voters. Team Thorough is bridging that gap. They are meeting people and taking back their views to the president…”

The insider added that the president, in this reelection campaign, wants to see his real supporters attend his rallies regardless of how few they may be.

“He doesn’t want mercenaries anymore,” he said.

KYAGULANYI STRONGHOLD

Kamuntu said there is realization in the NRM that the youth excitement caused by Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine is too important to ignore.

“We can’t underestimate their capacity of causing disruptions during the elections; that’s why we are organizing to counter them. We know their capacity. I don’t think they are more sophisticated than Go Forward [Mbabazi’s campaign team of 2016] that we successfully dismantled.

Mbabazi had taken over a big part of our party members but we were able to finish him. What about People Power? We have been talking with them, we know what they are thinking and we know what we need to do to win them over. I can assure you Bobi Wine might not even get ten percent of the vote in the coming election,” Kamuntu said. 

ZAAKE RESPONDS

Interviewed for this article, Mityana municipality MP Francis Zaake, who is also the People Power youth coordinator, said they are not surprised with the maneuvers.

“This shows that they have feared People Power so much that Museveni can only trust his wife to deliver victory. We know for a fact that they will go all the way in trying to recruit our people but we can assure them that 2021 is not going to be business as usual. If they succeeded in dismantling Go Forward, I’m afraid they are dealing with a different crop of people, not those they are used to,” Zaake said.

He, however, admitted that the NRM strategy will succeed in swaying some people from their side but not enough to deny them victory. 

“Obviously, they will take some of our people by giving them money and other inducements but let me assure you, many are going to take that money and actually bring some to us to help us in the campaign,” Zaake said. 

Interviewed for a comment Kakooza Bukuri, the spokesman of Team Thorough 2021, said: “We are currently recruiting, identifying, mobilizing and sensitizing people to support NRM, mainly President Museveni.”

“We are also neutralizing the opposition with our slogan of winning back Kampala since 1996,” he said. 

SHIFT OF INFLUENCE IN NRM

Last June, we reported that the president’s newfound preference for youths and use of unofficial structures in the running of NRM affairs, had unsettled many high-ranking ruling party officials. See, “Museveni turns to youths, angers NRM’s old folks [June 12, 2019].”

We reported that the president, who is also the NRM national chairman, had sidestepped the party secretary general Justine Kasule Lumumba, who heads the secretariat, preferring to work with a team of youthful mobilisers under his political assistant Milly Eva Doka Babalanda.

The Babalanda team authored a damning report and handed it to the president. The report suggested the party had been infiltrated and needed an aggressive purge of its ranks of opposition supporters.

The report also nudged the president to sanction a new drive to recruit genuine party members. The idea, corroborated by a private investigation, insider sources said, swayed the president to ignore the secretariat.

“We are recruiting three youths per village. If there are over 60,000 villages in the country that comes to about 200,000 youths,” an MP who took part in the recruitment of the cadres told The Observer.

Babalanda confirmed then that the recruitment drive was on then and covered nearly 90 per cent of all villages in the country. After the recruitment drive, the three youths-per-village will be trained and sent back to their respective villages to form youth groups. The target is to have at least three youth groups each composed of about 45 members who will then get development funds.

This, according to the source, explains why the Youth Livelihood Funds were moved from the ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development to State House, whose budget allocations were also increased.

“Truth is, the 2021 election is going to be about youths; the generational phenomenon by Bobi Wine has changed the game plan and I can assure you, Museveni’s focus is on the youth, for now, there is nothing he wants the older politicians for,” the source said.

Babalanda’s activities have, however, unsettled the party’s core. Some members of the Central Executive Committee (CEC), NRM’s topmost decision-making organ, wrote to Museveni on May 28 urging him to respect the party organs.

“We have observed with dismay, the targeted impunity and indiscipline with which a few of the ‘cadres’ identified and recruited by the office of the national chairman have misused and abused the social media platforms to attempt to undermine the integrity and decisions of CEC and other organs and institutions of the NRM,” the CEC members wrote on May 28, further warning that the said impunity and indiscipline, if not checked, would increase internal contradictions.

Mengo hospital has announced an offer of free cervical cancer screening and ambulance services during the Rotary Cancer Run later this month. Rose Mutumba, the medical director at the hospital told the media at a press conference held in Mengo.

The Run is due August 25 and will start and end at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds with participants running 21km, 10km and 5km respectively according to the organizers.

“We appreciate the efforts of the Rotary fraternity for organizing the run for the last eight years, on our side we are going to do screenings, we will avail ambulances and our medical team will be on standby,” Mutumba said.

Mutumba said cervical cancer screening will take place on August 22 at Mengo hospital as a pre-event to the run. Speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga will be chief runner. Kadaga, while launching the run recently said individual members of parliament have contributed Shs 1m.

“Our parliamentarians for the past two years have contributed to the cause and they have pledged to continue supporting this cause again this year,” she said.

Richard Kalungi, Rotary Cancer Run committee member, said, the proceeds will go towards the construction of two cancer bunkers at Nsambya hospital.

“Centenary Bank Cancer Centre at Nsambya hospital (36 beds) is up and running, but we want to construct the second one so that when the first one breaks down, people use the second one,” he said.

Tickets for the run are being sold at Shs 25,000 at Rotary offices on NIC building, Capital Shoppers stores, Game Store, Lugogo and Centenary bank branches. This year’s Rotary Cancer Run is expected to draw over 50,000 runners across the country to raise a fraction of the Shs 18 billion wanted to build bunkers and furnish them with linear accelerators that assist in cancer management.

President Museveni has declined to give Shs 3.4 billion in cash to youth leaders as a reward for their support for him and his NRM party.  

The over 342 youth leaders from different districts who had converged at Dams’ Water stadium in Jinja on Wednesday, asked Museveni to give them at least Shs 10 million each to foot their lodge expenses and also reward them for their efforts in supporting the NRM government for all these years. 

Their request was presented by the national youth council secretary for finance, George Abdul, who informed the president that the youth needed the funds to transform their lives and also mobilize others to embrace the NRM government.

"Because these young people reported on the [August] 11th, they accumulated a number of expenses. It is unfortunate that some of them were being thrown out of the hotels because of the incapacitation that they can’t pay. They have been here, they graced the occasion. Now a request, that if you can support them in the different enterprises that they have now as leaders each of them with Shs 10 million. When you calculate this, your excellency, the budget is within the needs that can be supported. said Abdul.

"The young people would want to grow this in line with the wealth creation initiative. When they come for the next youth council, they would have galvanised support because they would have been empowered to reach out to the entire young people." he added. 

Museveni however, informed the youth that, the act of dishing out money to individuals is an act of selfishness and misleading the youth. He advised them to form Savings and Credit Co-operative Societies (Saccos) that will benefit all youth.

"The money you're talking about - Shs 10 million per the leader who is here, please, I don’t want you to go to the [news]papers because it will spoil your name. Once I am telling you something, I am an authority on. That money I can make it available - Shs 3.4bn because that is what it means but not for you individually but for all youth leaders at the national level and other leaders who cannot fit in the local structure for some reason or another. If you take that, that one I agree with you. If you don’t accept that, then I can’t be a target for misleading that I came here to give youth money." said Museveni. 

Museveni new stance on dishing out money is a sudden change of tactic because it had almost become the norm for the president to offer cash to youth groups purportedly for their empowerment.

Nevertheless, Museveni further pledged financial support to the youth council if they accept to form an all-inclusive youth Sacco.

"Shs 3.4bn is not a big problem or even more or even Shs 10bn, but the question is how, who and why? Please answer that. You have a leadership, you know you should also avoid anarchism you have a leadership which you elected, let them sit down and think. I also know how to tweet, I will be tweeting with you directly telling you that this one is poison." Museveni said. 

A section of youth delegates who preferred anonymity for fear of repercussions disagreed with the president’s proposal. They argued that they are soon graduating from the youth age bracket and it will be hard for them to access financial aid from the state. Asuman Wandera, the youth council chairperson for Jinja central division says that registration of Saccos is time-consuming and not a viable solution of empowering the youth.

Wandera said the Busoga youth have supported Museveni for so long without getting anything in return, and that the president has started taking them for granted because when he is elsewhere in Uganda, he gives money directly and not through Saccos. 

SOCIAL DISCIPLINE

Museveni also urged the youth to improve on their social discipline by reducing their expenditure on luxuries, beer and big parties. He said Ugandan youth are fond of partying and merrymaking yet at the same time claiming they lack money. 

"If you don’t have money, what money do you spend in bars? You go to bars and they are full, you go to where they are roasting pigs and the places are full...This is social indiscipline and it is part of the problem we are facing. We can start by being economically parsimonious. The government is ready to support youth who will form Saccos to engage in productive activities." said Museveni. 

The Gulu resident judge, Stephen Mubiru was forced to adjourn several cases on Thursday morning after the padlock to the court holding cell failed to open.

Several inmates from Gulu central prison whose cases were lined up for hearing were stuck in the holding cells for several hours as prison warders fidgeted to break the adamant padlock.   

Moses Akecho, a court clerk told URN that the incident delayed the commencement of the court sessions - forcing justice Mubiru to adjourn the cases up to August 29.         

He said says several cases were lined up for ruling by the judge. A prison warder, who preferred anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media, said they were forced to outsource the services of a private welder in Gulu town to crack the padlock.        

Several people from Gulu and Kitgum district who had gathered for the court session and expected to witness the trial of their relatives left heartbroken.

Mountains of the Moon University in Fort Portal is on the spot for advertising and enrolling students for a midwifery course, that is not accredited by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE).    

This came to the limelight when up to 12 students who were enrolled for the Bachelor of Science in Midwifery course in the academic year 2016/2017 failed to access internship placements after completing their final exams at the university. They were reportedly told by the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council (UNMC) that the course is not accredited.     

UNMC is the statutory regulator of nursing and midwifery in Uganda. The Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act, 2001 states that every university and every tertiary institution shall ensure that new programmes of instruction are not commenced or new regulations effected without the prior consent of NCHE.  

Annette Kabanyaka, one of the affected students faults the university administration for taking no steps to ensure that the course is accredited, long before the students were enrolled, and hoodwinked them with lecturers in order to get money out of them. The students have been paying Shs 1.4 million every semester for the three-year course.  

Sauda Nabankema, another student says that they are now stranded because they cannot do anything without clearance from the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council, which has already rejected them.  

"If the university doesn't get us cleared by the Nurses and Midwives Council, we're going to sue the university for having duped us and wasted our time," Nabankema said.   

The students explain that when they were rejected, they returned to the university administrators for help and they have since been told to wait for a solution. According to the head of programmes accreditation at NCHE, Dr Pius Achanga, the university has never been accredited to teach the Bachelor of Science in Midwifery course. 

He adds that the university can only be allowed to offer the course after meeting minimum requirements which include teaching facilities and availability of qualified trainers, among others. Diana Kyaligonza, the spokesperson of Mountains of the Moon University says that the issue is already being handled by NCHE and UNMC. She, however, declined to divulge details about what could have delayed the accreditation.  

Even though the affected students say that the institution had the facilities and lecturers to take them through the course, a search on the university’s website for the courses offered indicates that Bachelor of Science in Midwifery is not among them. 

However, the search brings out an advert for the same course that the university ran in 2016, calling upon eligible students to apply. Mountains of the Moon University started on March 29, 2005, by eminent people from the Tooro region as a community university.

They include Prof Edward Rugumayo, Justice Seth Manyindo and former minister Tom Butime among others.  It was chartered in March last year, and currently, has a population of over 2,000 students.

After 29 days at an Ebola treatment center in eastern Congo, fighting for their lives, a mother and her young son were discharged Tuesday amid applause and laughter.

“I feel very good and my son also is well,” a smiling Esperance Nabintu told a small crowd gathered outside the treatment center for a short, celebratory news conference. She wiped tears from the cheeks of her 1-year-old son, Ebenezer Fataki, who squirmed and cried.

She wore a white T-shirt that proclaimed, in French, “I am cured of Ebola.”

Both Nabintu and her child have recovered from the virus that killed Nabintu’s husband weeks ago, doctors say. Theirs are among more than 2,800 confirmed cases of the disease that has claimed nearly 1,900 lives since the outbreak began a year ago in the eastern DRC.

Life-saving treatments

The mother and son’s release follows scientists’ announcement Monday that two experimental Ebola drug therapies have proved so successful they will be made available to all Ebola patients in the DRC outbreak. Both contain antibodies: REGN-EB3 was developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and mAb114 was developed by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

It was unclear, as of this writing, which treatment the mother and son received. The fatality rate for this Ebola outbreak - the second-largest in history behind the 2014-15 West Africa outbreak - is 67 per cent, according to the World Health Organization. REGN and mAb114 substantially improve patient survival rates, based on the clinical trials.

"From now on, we will no longer say that EVD (Ebola virus disease) is not curable," Dr Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum, who directs the DRC’s National Institute of Biomedical Research, said in a teleconference. 

"This advance will, in the future, help save thousands of lives that would have had a fatal outcome in the past."

Dr Richard Mutakukuru echoed that notion in Tuesday’s joyous sendoff for Nabintu and her son.

“Being infected with Ebola is not the end of the world,” he said. “Ebola is just like any other disease – only that it kills very fast. If one feels symptoms related to Ebola infection, we advise that he or she seeks a doctor’s attention.”

The virus, which can cause severe internal bleeding, is transmitted via contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. Mutakukuru said that anyone diagnosed with Ebola would be treated and then would “leave after a few days, completely healed.”

A survivor’s message

The DRC government has appointed Nabintu to be a goodwill ambassador to help battle another component of the Ebola epidemic: rampant mistrust.

While the country has experienced nine other outbreaks since Ebola’s discovery in 1976, the disease previously was unfamiliar in the northeast, a region already destabilized by at least two decades of conflict. People there have been skeptical of the federal government’s intentions and those of Western aid groups that operate or help staff treatment centers.

Residents have seen people enter treatment facilities and leave in body bags – making them wary of seeking formal treatment when symptoms emerge. Nabintu – who was treated at a DRC facility operated by the WHO and the medical aid group Doctors Without Borders – wants to change that negative mindset.

“My message to everyone is that Ebola is real,” she said. “People should seek a doctor’s attention as quickly as possible when they feel unwell.”

The Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) - Kabale branch has suspended 17 casual labourers until further notice over demanding their unpaid wages.

It comes a few days after about 100 casual labourers complained to the media last week that they haven’t received their wages since March 2019. The most affected labourers include masons and porters who earn Shs 25,000 and 7000 respectively each day. The labourers are entitled to payment at the end of each month, according to the contract they signed with UNRA. 

Samuel Mwegamiire one of the affected labourers, says that UNRA owes him Shs 825,000. According to Mwegamiire, he had demanded for his payment in vain as UNRA officials keep chasing him away.

He said he was shocked on Wednesday when he was told by engineer Augustine Kabanda, the UNRA Kabale area manager that he has been sacked until further notice for repeatedly demanding his pay to the extent of revealing his plight to the media. 

"When we demanded our wages, the manager sacked us there and then. He told us that those who want money should go home and leave work. Now I have nothing to do, I had worked for 55 days which is worth Shs 825,000." Mwegamiire said. 

Joseph Akatukunda, another affected worker wonders why they have been sacked for trying to enforce their right to be paid. Akatukunda accuses Kabanda of tyranny, adding he doesn’t see why they are being sacked for demanding for what rightfully belongs to them. 

Patrick Tugumisirize, another affected worker, says they were forced to speak out in the media after pushing for their pay in vain. Tuhumisirize says that they are now stuck and don’t know when they will get their money after being sacked. Jonathan Niwandiinda, another affected worker says he is unhappy to see the Authority backtracking on their contract.  

However, Eng Augustine Kabanda says the sacked workers had no reason complaining to the media since it is not the media that will release their pay. He also claims that the workers haven’t been sacked but they have only been suspended until when there is money to be paid to them.

Kabanda explains that UNRA can’t risk continuing working with disgruntled people because they may resort to illegal means such as siphoning fuel for survival.   

"They are not sacked but they have been advised to wait for their money because the money is coming. We don’t want people to be in the field when they feel their money has not yet come and yet we’re sending them to work. What will happen next is to steal material. So what we advised them is give us two weeks and when your money comes then you can go back and work…We don’t use people who feel that I work but am not getting paid. What will happen next is siphoning material." Kabanda said. 

Some of the premature babies who had been admitted in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Kawempe national referral hospital have been transferred to the Mulago specialized maternal and neonatal hospital.

In a statement issued on Thursday, ministry of Health said they "acknowledge the overwhelming patient numbers" at Kawempe hospital. The statement comes after social media got awash with photographs showing newly-born babies sleeping on plastic chairs and some sharing a single bed.

Dr Lawrence Kazibwe the director of Kawempe hospital says that they have the capacity of admitting about 60 babies but the number of deliveries at the hospital is high at about 100 per day. This is not the first time conditions at Kawempe hospital have been put in the limelight. Three months ago, babies at the unit died due to a power outage. 

The former director directorate for ICT support (DICTS) at Makerere University, Eng Frank Kitumba has been forcefully evicted from the university house.  

The university estates, works directorate and university security guards executed the order to evict Kitumba with the support of police officers on Friday. Stanley Okecho, Kitumba’s lawyer, described the eviction as unfortunate and contempt of the law. He says his client should not have been evicted without paying his outstanding arrears. According to Kitumba, the university owes him gratuity for four years when he served as the director and between Shs 150 million and Shs 200 million in salary arrears. 

"The law protects these occupants of the house. Not until you have been paid, that is when you should leave. A delay on the part of the university should not inconvenience him. I have also been informed the wife has been taken to the police post at Makerere University. I don’t know which charges have been preferred but we’ll follow up from there." said Okecho.

According to Okecho, Kitumba, at a level of director, who is credited with stopping the alteration of marks through IT systems at Makerere should not have been humiliated. He said the police officers who conducted the eviction say it was authorized by Philip Acaye, the chief security officer Makerere University. 

Okecho says Kitumba is demanding unpaid salary arrears and gratuity from the University.

"We approached the university notifying them of the position of the law under the Employment Act of 2006. An employee is not obliged to leave the premises if he has been housed by the employer. Still, under Frank’s contract, there is a provision for transport. Even before you give him transport, you cannot evict an employee before you have paid all his salary and terminal areas. What is going on here is a flagrant disregard of the law, it is impunity of the highest order, and I think Makerere should have done better handling some of these issues." added Okecho. 

Section 43 (4) of the Employment Act stipulates that where an employee is being housed by the employer, the employee shall not be required to vacate the premises until he or she has been paid his or her terminal benefits. The same Act provides for payment of an employee’s wages, and any other remuneration and accrued benefits to which he or she is entitled in case of termination of his or her employment.

"They are evicting me out of the house before paying me as per the contract - subjecting me to such harsh treatment. They are breaching almost everything in their contract. I was guided by the lawyer about the Employment Act, anybody who is housed by government, you cannot leave until the last coin is paid. I have been staying in the house awaiting one; my gratuity for an extended period and two; the arrears for the salary money. It comes to around Shs 120 and Shs 200 million because this university, the way they allocate salaries is really gameplay." said Kitumba. 

Kitumba accuses the university top management of witch-hunt and conniving to throw him out especially after clashing with the vice chancellor, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe. It is alleged that Kitumba and his colleagues recommended to government to take over all revenue collections from the university on suspicion of under-declaration by university managers.

He says that his lawyers opened a case against the university in the KCCA labour office, but the university is yet to respond. 

"We have been exchanging correspondences, but the thing is, anyone who has collided with Prof Nawangwe before, he will haunt him up to the last hour. Of course, I have served this university diligently. There is no better director in the establishment of the university. I came in when results were changing, I put that to order, I came in when finance had a lot of issues, I put that to order. Students were suffering to prostitution, I put that to order. So when someone treats you like this without any due regard. Let us assume they have even paid me, where is the transport?" Kitumba said. 

An expectant mother has lost her baby after failing to raise Shs 100,000 for the purchase of items required during childbirth. 

Livia Kesande, a resident of Kasenda sub-county in Kabarole district was admitted at Buhinga hospital in Fort Portal three weeks ago after experiencing endless contractions. She stayed in the hospital until Tuesday, August 13 when she was advised to undergo a cesarean section.

It is alleged that a nursing assistant identified as Charles Bwambale asked her to pay Shs 100,000 for the purchase of items that she would require in the process. Often, expectant mothers are asked to have surgical gloves, exam gloves, plastic sheeting, razor blades, cotton wool, gauze pad, soap, cord ties, and a child health card, by the time they report to the hospital. 

The 22-year-old says that her pleas to undergo the operation in the absence of the money yielded no fruit. Her mother Margaret Kemigisha says she intervened at this point and started calling relatives for financial assistance but still did not succeed. 

While still stuck at in the maternity ward, a whistleblower informed Fort Portal police that an expectant mother was stranded because a health worker was asking for a payment. According to the Rwenzori West Region police spokesperson, Lydia Tumushabe, police trapped Bwambale with a payment of Shs 70,000 which was advanced to him through Kemigisha.  

Upon receiving the money, Bwambale was immediately arrested and all the notes, that had also been photocopied earlier were found with him as an exhibit. But it was already too late to save Kesande’s baby who was born too weak and tired on Friday. A senior midwife at the hospital who preferred anonymity because she is not allowed to speak to the media has told URN that the baby died because of a delay in the delivery process. 

Several people are feared dead following a fire involving a fuel tanker destined for Kasese district. 

The tanker reportedly overturned after failing to negotiate a corner at Kyambura trading centre in Kicwamba sub county of Rubirizi district and burst in flames. The fire also burnt two taxis that were loading passengers at a nearby stage and also spread to some nearby buildings. 

The fire also gutted five buildings housing at least 8 shops. Julius Tugumisirize, a resident of Kyambura trading centre said that the incident occurred around 3:30 pm Sunday and efforts by residents to put out the fire were fruitless. 

He says that the police fire brigade arrived about two hours after the fire had started and by then it was too late. Sincere Kansiime, another resident says that residents abandoned the rescue efforts and instead concentrated on saving property in their houses due to fear that the fire would spread there.

Favor Twikirize, an eyewitness said that she was able to count 10 bodies, which had been retrieved and were yet to be taken to hospital.

The Greater Bushenyi regional police spokesperson, Martial Tumusiime, says police couldn't get to the scene of the fire in time because of the long distance. He said that the injured were rushed to Lugazi health centre IV for treatment He declined to comment on the number of those already confirmed dead. 

The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Industrial court has halted the eviction of Eng Frank Kitumba, the former director directorate for ICT support (DICTS) in Makerere University from the staff quarters.    

In an August 16 order, Ruth Kulabako, the labour officer in charge of Kawempe Division faults the university authorities for executing the eviction unlawfully. On Friday Kitumba was forcefully evicted from the university house with the help of university security and police following the expiry of his contract.  

Kitumba, a resident of university house number 138 along Fig Tree road, just below the college of Computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS) had declined to vacate the house owing to an on-going labour complaint.       

“Whereas Eng Frank Kitumba lodged a labour complaint against Makerere University of alleged infringement of Employment Act and in breach of contract KCCA/KWP/LC/098/2019 and the same was brought to your notice requiring you to respond to the complaint by August 21, 2019; no response has been received by this office nor has any hearing commenced in the matter,” Kulabako says in her order to the university secretary.    

“The purpose of this letter is to ORDER YOU TO CEASE AND DESIST from evicting the complainant until full investigations in the matter have been conducted and the same disposed of in line with the employment act,” she added.  

Section 93(3) of the Employment Act 2006 provides for jurisdiction to a labour officer to hear and to settle by reconciliation or mediation a complaint.  

The labour officer also has powers under the act to order a party to comply with the provision of the act in case of infringement of the act. According to Kitumba, he was being evicted before payment of his salary and gratuity arrears amounting to over Shs 200 million as required by law.  

Section 43 (4) of the Employment Act stipulates that where an employee is being housed by the employer, he/she shall not be required to vacate the premises until his/her terminal benefits are paid.  

The same Act provides for the payment of an employee’s wages and any other remuneration and accrued benefits to which he or she is entitled to in case of termination of his or her employment. Kitumba’s lawyer, Stanley Okecho says following the order, his client has been able to get back to the house. He notes however that some of Kitumba's property was damaged or stolen during the attempted eviction on Friday.  

“Frank is still in the house. During the attempted unlawful eviction, a number of items went missing, several other items were damaged. He still maintains his ground, the university should pay him, all the people who participated in the unlawful eviction to be charged,” counsel Okecho says.  

Kitumba was director ICT support of the university for six years and nine (9) months. Prior to that, he was a planning and maintenance manager from October 2010–November 2012 at Makerere University.

Some 529 Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) soldiers attached to United Nations Guard Unit (UNGU) in Somalia returned to the country on Saturday after two years of service. 

The combatants returned alongside 1,406 soldiers of the 25 battle group who had also completed one year of service. The Chief of Defense Forces (CDF), General David Muhoozi received the soldiers at the UPDF Peace Support Operations and Training Center (PSO-TC) in Nakaseke district. 

Muhoozi applauded the troops for raising the Ugandan flag high on foreign missions. He acknowledged that Somalia and Africa at large still face numerous security dilemmas, which need to be encountered in unison.   

Quoting Muhoozi, the deputy UPDF and Defense ministry spokesperson, Lt Col Deo Akiiki, said “It is in this spirit that we went to Somalia; extending a liberation struggle of Africa. A stable Somalia is a stable Africa.”

According to Akiiki, Muhoozi said UPDF now counts success in Somalia due to the selfless contribution made by the troops as well as their predecessors.

“Thank you for having Africa at heart. Despite challenges such as delayed payment of mission allowances due to circumstances beyond UPDF control, you have maintained their pan African spirit and remained focused on their duty,” Muhoozi said.

He said the successes made by UPDF internally and externally are a result of exceptional qualities that also distinguishes the force from other armies. He said the soldiers serve in an extra-ordinary force that is distinguishable from other armies by its character, discipline, and capabilities.

“Some people thought that since we were engaged in other operations like in Somalia we would not be able to respond to the call of confidence our brothers in South Sudan made on us. Others expected us to respond in months but they were surprised that in one week our battle group was in Juba and we had changed the situation,” Muhoozi said.

The commander of Land, Lt Gen Peter Elwelu revealed to the soldiers a plan to deploy some of them to command and nurture the recently recruited Local Defence Unit (UDU) officers. Last month, UPDF recruited 13,000 LDUs who are currently undergoing basic military training for four months at Oliver Tambo military school at Kaweweta in Nakaseke district. 

Muhoozi granted the troops 45-day rest to recuperate. Akiiki said UPDF has already deployed its sixth UNGU team to secure the UN Mission in Somalia and the 28th battle group under the African Union Mission in Somalia.  

Police have identified some of the people killed in an accident resulting from a head-on collision between a bus belonging to YY Coaches registration number, UAX 852F and taxi registration number, UAV 689E. 

The accident, which occurred in Bukonte trading center along the Iganga-Tirinyi-Mbale highway on Sunday evening claimed the lives of ten people aboard the taxi. Nine people were killed on the spot while another victim breathed his last this morning at Iganga general hospital.

This morning, the Busoga East Region police spokesperson, James Mubi identified six of the deceased accident victims as Ibrahim Waiswa, a resident of Bugweri, Afuwa Munaba, a resident of Budaka, Florence Kyazike of Luuka district, Umar Okwi, a resident of Iganga, Simon Lokutu and Godfrey Muhwesi, both from Bugiri district. 

The survivors are Babra Nairuba, Slyvia Kampia, Robinah Mudondo, Ismael Maganda, and Joel Mawanda. Mubi said they have handed over the bodies of some of the deceased to their relatives. 

“Some of the bodies have been handed over to the relatives but we are still screening them and making a follow up using the recovered phones and sim cards to try to search for the families of the deceased persons,” he said.   

Issa Isabirye, a doctor attached to the causality ward at Iganga hospital told URN that three of the accident victims are out of danger and responding to treatment. He says two other victims have been referred to Jinja regional referral hospital for further management.

At least 18 bodies have been recovered from the fuel tanker accident scene in Rubirizi district. 

A team of police and Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) is currently working towards clearing the accident scene. Police have temporarily suspended the search for bodies following a fresh blast of the overturned of the fuel tanker. Preliminary police investigations show that the fire that gutted the fuel tanker started from a charcoal stove lit by roadside vendors.  

The fuel tanker burst in flames after it overturned at Kyambura trading centre on Sunday when it failed to negotiate a corner. More than 20 people were killed in the fire. The accident scene is a major stopover for travellers in need of roasted cassava, meat and gonja (plantain). The vendors use charcoal stoves to prepare quick meals by the roadside.   

Martial Tumusiime, the Greater Bushenyi regional police spokesperson, says the search has been called off temporarily so as to allow them to first ensure that the fire is dealt with. He says police will resort to DNA to identify some of the deceased, saying only a few bodies have been identified. Tumusiime says the death toll is likely to shoot up when the search efforts resume. 

Those identified so far include Mugisha Baryamujura, Sulait Sula, Isaac Okello, Wilber Mulinde, Nyangoma and Kenema alias Mama Aminah among others.