𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐏

ISSUE 187

𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

J𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 24, 2023

    🇺🇬🇺🇬🇺🇬🇺🇬

🇺🇬 President Museveni launches Uganda’s first Oil drilling rig

📌President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has Tuesday launched Uganda’s first oil drilling rig at the Kingfisher oil project area, one of the country’s two commercial oil development areas in Kikube District. The rig will be used to drill a total of 31 wells in Kingfisher, while three other rigs will be deployed later in the Tilenga project area, drilling a total of 426 production wells. President Museveni applauded the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), TotalEnergies, and Uganda National Oil Company for their paramount role at Kingfisher field and the whole Oil and Gas sector. Uganda is expected  to produce 40,000 barrels of oil per day. 

🇺🇬 Police block Bobi Wine & Dr Kiiza Besigye ANTI-EACOP public campaign on Uganda’s Historic Day of Oil Drilling launch  in Kikuube District

📌A public debate that had been organised to decampain the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project has been blocked by the Police in Kampala. The campaign that had been organised to coincide with an Oil drilling launch event in Kikuube District, western Uganda by President Yoweri Museveni  at the Kingfisher oil field was organised by African Initiative on Food Security and Environment (AIFE-Uganda). AIFE-Uganda is an NGO that openly decampains Uganda’s Oil project and has been funding individuals and groups against EACOP. Opposition leaders Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine of the National Unity Platform (NUP) and Dr Kizza Besigye were invited to the public campaign as main speakers.

🇺🇬 Government names cashew nuts, Mac-ada-mia and Hass avocado as Ugandan new cash crops

📌The Government has added Cashew nuts, Mac-ada-mia and Hass Avocado to its priority cash crops in q bid to diversify the economy from the traditional tea and coffee. Samuel Mugasi, the NAADS Executive Director said the program to promote these crops will be headed by NAADS Secretariat and anchored by selected large scale farmers.

🇺🇬 DPP to train prosecutors on emerging crime trends

📌Office of Director Public Prosecution (DPP) has said that it will focus on prosecution-led investigations as a way of speeding up the execution of criminal matters. DPP, Justice Jane Francis Abodo  says this will be achieved through the training of Prosecutors on emerging trends in crime through avenues like the Virtual Academy, which will then address the stalling of criminal cases.

🇺🇬 UMSC challenges interim order in Court

📌The Civil Division of the High Court is set to start hearing submissions on the suit in which the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) has challenged the powers of the Mengo Magistrate Court to halt the activities of the Council, following a petition by a section of Muslims led by businessman Hassan Basajjabalaba accusing the Council of irregularities in the recently held elections.

🇺🇬 Deputy Speaker warns Ministers  ‘over contempt of Parliament’

📌Deputy Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa has warned ministers and Government officials who refuse to appear before Parliamentary committees whenever summoned, saying such acts are contempt of Parliament. Tayebwa says the 11th Parliament will not tolerate such behaviour and will act on such errant officials.

🇺🇬 Victims in Ongwen’s trial to pin Kony- ICC

📌The Prosecution at International Criminal Court is pushing for the confirmation of charges against Lord’s Resistance Army Commander Joseph Kony. As per the Prosecution, Kony has 33 charges pending, including those of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Dahirou Sant-Anna, the ICC International Cooperation Advisor said they have enough evidence and victims willing to testify, including those who testified against Dominic Ongwen.

🇺🇬 National Housing to table Bill to regulate real estate business

📌National Housing & Construction Company (NHCC) Limited has said iit is making final preparations to table a bill in Parliament aimed at regulating real estate business dealers. The CEO of NHCC, Eng. Kenneth Kaijuka says the bill titled “Real Estate Bill” will help bring sanity to the sector as well as increase revenues for the housing sector players.

🇺🇬 Police identifies male victim of Kawempe house fire

📌Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police Spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire on Monday said that investigations indicated that the male victim in the Kawempe apartment fire  is Ivan Lulonge also known as Jjaja Bin, a famous comedian on Tiktok and Youtube. The arson incident occurred on January 12 at Jinja Karoli Kawempe Zone ‘A’ Ward in Nabweru, Kawempe Division in Kampala District where two people, a one Patricia Arinda and another unidentified male victim (Lulonge)  were burnt to ashes during a suspicious fire that gutted an apartment that belonged to one Keitesi. 

🇺🇬 BUDAKA: Construction of Kebula Health Centre at completion level

📌 The District Chairperson, Pajje Emanuel has said that the Ministry of Health in partnership with Budaka Local Government has constructed Kebula Health Centre in Kaderuna Sub County, Bunyoro village in Budaka District which is already at completion level. 

“The construction of this health centre in Kaderuna Sub County will greatly improve health service delivery especially for women in labour  and children who can not walk long distances to access health services.  I applaud the contractor for the quality work done”. Pajje said during his speech.

🇺🇬 TORORO: NWSC holds stakeholders meeting with Osukuru residents

📌National Water and Sewerage Corporation officials are holding stakeholders’ engagement meetings with communities in Tororo on the importance of water projects planned to commence soon with funding from World Bank. The NWSC engagement meeting with residents took place at Osukuru Town Council.

🇺🇬 SHEEMA: Gender Ministry, South Korea to pilot health insurance scheme in the District

📌The Ministry of Gender and Social Development in conjunction with South Korean Government on Tuesday had a presentation at the Ministry of Gender & Labour offices on health insurance scheme that will benefit older persons and youth programs in Sheema District. The South Korean Government pledged to support Uganda in the Health Insurance Scheme set to be piloted in Sheema District and later on spread to other districts.

A𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒 𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒

    🌍 🌍 🌍 🌍

🌍 Congolese refugees in Rwanda worried of  ‘Statelessness’

📌Representatives of over 72,000 Congolese refugees who live in Rwanda on Monday submitted petitions to different embassies in Kigali, calling on the international community to help stop the killings and persecution of the Tutsi community in eastern DRC. They also demand for peaceful repatriation to their country. The refugees, some of whom have spent over 25 years in camps, say they risk statelessness. As of Monday afternoon, they had submitted petitions at the embassies of France, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Uganda.

🌍 Fresh fighting erupts in eastern DRC despite ceasefire

📌Fresh fighting has erupted in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) despite an agreement between the Government and rebel groups to end hostilities. The fighting between the Army and M23 rebels on Tuesday is said to have caused many people to flee their homes, according to local reports. The Military has not commented on the latest fighting, but a Spokesman for the rebels accused Government forces of attacking their positions as they prepared to further withdraw as outlined in an agreement reached in Angola’s capital, Luanda.

🌍 South Sudan welcomes ‘Vatican Advanced Team’

📌Ahead of the visit of Pope Francis, the Vatican ‘Technical Advanced Team’ has been welcomed in Juba, South Sudan. The team is on ground to assess the preparation for the Papal visit which will take place from February 3 to 5. Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla, Metropolitan Archbishop of Juba on Tuesday said almost 90% of the work that is supposed to be done ahead of the visit has been completed.

🌍 BURKINA FASO: Government orders French troops out of country in one month

📌The Burkina Faso Government clarified on Monday that it has asked ex-colonial ruler France to pull its troops out of the insurgency-hit country within a month. Government spokesman Jean-Emmanuel Ouedraogo We is terminating the agreement which allows French forces to be in Burkina Faso. French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday said Paris was awaiting clarifications from Ouagadougou over the pullout call.

🌍 AfDB forecasts faster recovery for African economies

📌African Development Bank (AfDB) says the continent’s economies are expected to grow faster than global projections this year, but budget and trade deficits will continue to weigh down most of the countries as risks persist. The improvement, which will see the continent’s growth rate outpace global projections of 2.7 percent, “reflects continuing policy support in Africa and global efforts to mitigate the impact of external shocks and rising uncertainty,” AfDB said.

🌍 Portugal announces that Cape Verde debt repayments will be invested back

📌Portugal has announced that all debt repayments it receives from its former colony of Cape Verde will be fully re-invested into the African country to drive its transition to a greener and more sustainable future. Speaking in Cape Verde, Portugal’s Prime Minister António Costa said that money will now be ploughed back into Cape Verde to support renewable energy and other green projects.