𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐏

I𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞 148

AFTERNOON EDITION
𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 16, 2022
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🇺🇬 New study to examine role of internet and digitization in service delivery among Government institutions
📌 According to team leader Michael Kategaya, the Evidence and Methods Lab, a civic technology initiative has launched a two-year study to assess the role of internet and digitization in improving public service delivery among Government institutions.
“Access to internet has been growing in Uganda and many people have smart phones with access to internet, so we want to show how Government can scale up internet use and digitization to improve services to the citizens,” said Kategaya.

🇺🇬 Minister Sarah Mateke says 370 Ugandan Children sexually abused by biological parents
📌According to State Minister of Labor, Sarah Mateke Nyirabashitsi, over 370 children in Uganda are defiled by their biological parents. The Minister made the remarks while presiding over youths day belated celebrations for Bushenyi District at the district headquarters on December 15, 2022. Mateke, who is also the Kisoro District Woman MP, urged the Judiciary to support their efforts, citing a case in which a doctor in Bushenyi defiled and impregnated his biological daughter but was given bail.

🇺🇬 Sports Minister imposes travel restrictions on sports officials to save wastage of public funds
📌Sports minister, Peter Ogwang has imposed restrictions on Government officials who travel with national teams at the expense of athletes. Ogwang says officials travel to sports events outside the country more than athletes. He started with the Uganda Swimming team that is traveling to Australia for the ongoing 16th edition of the FINA swimming championships.
“I have already issued an ultimatum to officials of National Council of sports (NCS) not to travel again in big numbers at the expense of the athletes,” Ogwang said.

🇺🇬 Police in Mayuge arrests man for assaulting sister in-law and kidnapping her child
Police have arrested Mulido Muzaham, 20, a Boda-boda rider at Mpirabira village in Butakube sub-county for cruelly assaulting her sister in-law Ndibogeza Robina, 21, and kidnapping her three weeks baby to unknown location. on 28th August 2022. According to Police Spokesperson, Fred Enanga, Mulido is detained at Mayuge Police Station on charges of aggravated assault, torture, and abduction. Last week, a woman appeared in a video that trended on social media, seeking Police help.

🇺🇬 Opposition to prioritize constitutional reforms in new session of Parliament
📌The Leader of the Opposition (LOP), Hon. Mathias Mpuuga during a press conference said that the Opposition will focus on pushing for constitutional and electoral reforms in next session of Parliament beginning January 2023.
“We have listened to numerous promises about Government constituting a Constitutional Review Commission, which is not what we are waiting for, we are going to take the lead and make these constitutional and electoral reforms our priority,” Mpuuga said.

ACROSS BORDERS
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🌍 KENYA: President Ruto promotes genetically modified corn
📌 Kenyan President, William Ruto has said that with more than four million people facing acute food shortages due to drought, the country lifted a decade-old ban on cultivation and imports of genetically-modified (GMO) maize. Ruto says the move to allow pest-resistant GMO crops was necessary to boost crop yields and ensure food security. Kenya struggles to feed its population of 55 million and has consistently had an annual deficit of 10 million bags of the maize staple.

🌍 Kenya waives import duty on maize, rice for six months to avert food crisis
📌The Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture has waived import duty on maize and rice for a period of six months to ease shortage of the cereals and avert a food crisis. The Ministry of Agriculture has announced that traders will be allowed to import up to 900,000 tons of duty-free white maize and 600,000 of duty-free milled rice from February to August next year.
“The move will enable the country to adequately stock until next harvest. The duty waiver shall apply to white maize and milled rice imported into the country by August 6, 2023,” said the State Department for Crop Development.

🌍 US: Biden Announces Support for AU Seat in G20G20
📌US President Joe Biden on Thursday pledged to support the African Union joining the G20 group of large economies as a permanent member. Biden, speaking at a U.S-Africa Leaders’ Summit event, said the United States is looking to increase collaboration in all areas.
“Africa belongs to the table in every room where global challenges are being discussed, and in every institution where discussions are taking place,” Biden said.

🌍 France Exits Central African Republic
📌 According to General Francois-Xavier Mabin, commander of French forces in Gabon, the last 47 French troops out of 16000 deployed in the Central African Republic (CAR) left on Thursday December 14, 2022. This follows the souring relations between the countries caused by closer ties between Bangui and Moscow.
“France decided that the conditions were no longer appropriate for us to continue working for the benefit of the Central African armed forces,” said General Francois-Xavier Mabin.

🌍 ICC upholds conviction of Dominic Ongwen
📌The International Criminal Court on Thursday threw out an appeal by Dominic Ongwen and stayed a 25-year sentence for war crimes.
Judge Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza said, “The appeals chamber unanimously rejects all the grounds of appeal” against his conviction.”
Appeals judges said that although Ongwen had been kidnapped as a defenseless child, it did not mitigate his guilt. Ongwen is a Ugandan child soldier-turned-commander in the Lord’s Resistance Army.

🌍 TUNISIA: President Kais Defends Parliament sacking
📌Tunisian President Kais Saied defended his dissolution of Parliament saying the country was on the brink of civil war. “Tunisian people wherever I went were all asking to dissolve the Parliament so I eventually decided to dissolve the Parliament, because the country was on the brink of civil war,” adding that Tunisians had taken to the streets to support him. Opposition parties are boycotting Saturday’s parliamentary elections, accusing Saied of consolidating power.