𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐏

𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐄 298
🄰🄵🅃🄴🅁🄽🄾🄾🄽 🄴🄳🄸🅃🄸🄾🄽
𝐌𝐀𝐘 15, 2023
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🇺🇬  Investigations into River Katonga flooding launched as emergency works anticipated to last three weeks 
📌 The Uganda National Roads Authority have kick-started the emergency restoration works at Katonga along Kampala-Masaka Highway.  Eng. Joseph Otim, the Director on road maintenance at UNRA says the anticipated timeline for the completion of these emergency works will last two to three weeks. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Water and Environment has launched an investigation into the recent flooding of the River Katonga Bridge which caused a major disruption in transportation and affected the surrounding communities.

🇺🇬  Lt Gen Okiding assumes ATMIS Office in Mogadishu 
📌The new force commander for the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia, Lieutenant General Sam Okiding has arrived in the country to take up his duties. Okiding succeeds Lt. Gen. Diomede Ndegeya from Burundi who completed his tour of duty late last year. He was officially received at the ATMIS Force Headquarters by the Deputy Force Commander in charge of Operations and Plans, Maj. Gen. Marius Ngendabanka, and other senior military officers. Before holding a series of closed-door briefings, he inspected a guard of honour from a contingent of Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF).  He said his key priority would be to ensure a smooth transition of security responsibilities to Somali Security Forces (SSF) while consolidating the gains made.

🇺🇬  President Museveni promotes 187 prison officers
📌President Yoweri Museveni has promoted five prison officers to the highest rank of Assistant Commissioner General of Prisons (ACGP). He also promoted 182 others between the ranks of assistant superintendent of prisons (ASP) and senior commissioner of prisons (SCP). Those promoted to ACGP include John Bosco Tumwebaze, Milton Tiyo, Robert Munanura, Hillary Bisanga, and George Muge. Dr. Johnson Byabashaija, the commissioner general of Uganda Prisons said the prison officers were promoted after scrutiny and advice to the President.

🇺🇬  Judiciary appoints 42 officers in new recruitment exercise
📌The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has appointed 42 Judicial officers during its 59th sitting at various levels of the Judiciary Service in the latest recruitment exercise. Ms. Maria Theresa Nabulya, the JSC communications officer says the Commission appointed 14 Deputy Registrars, 8 Assistant Registrars and 20 Chief Magistrates in acting capacity for a period of 1 (One) year, while 22 court clerks and 33 office attendants were also appointed in the position in what has been described as the first appointment of the staff who were previously recruited by the Public Service Commission. The newly appointed Chief Magistrates are Hood Matovu, Agnes Shelagh Nantaawo, Joan Acaa Ketty, Lydia Kambedha, George Kunihira, Paul Matyama, Moses Mushebebe Nabende, Sikhoya Naume and others.

🇺🇬  LUWEERO: Kasana-Luweero Diocese Bishop-elect to be consecrated August 5
📌 Rev. Fr. Cyril Kasigwa, the Chancellor of Kasana-Luweero Diocese has confirmed that Msgr. Lawrence Mukasa, the Bishop-elect will be consecrated in August. The ceremony will be presided over by Paul Ssemogerere, the Archbishop of Kampala Archdiocese.
“Dear Friends, it is officially confirmed that the Episcopal Consecration of our Bishop-Elect, Lawrence Mukasa, will take place on Saturday 5th August 2023,” Fr. Kasigwa’s message to the staff of Kasana-Luweero Diocese reads in part.

🇺🇬 KOTIDO: Col. Byaruhanga takes over command of 405 Brigade
📌 Col. Wilberforce Karate Sserunkuma has handed over the command of 405 Brigade to Colonel David Byaruhanga in a ceremony that was presided over by the 3 Division Deputy Commander, Brigadier General Felix Busizoori.  During his speech on Sunday, Brig Gen Busizoori hailed Col Karate as an achiever for the strides made especially when joint security forces retrieved 417 guns in ‘Usalama Kwa Wote’ Operations from wrong elements in North Karamoja since July 2021.

🇺🇬 MBARARA: UNBS launches third standards laboratory
📌Trade Minister Francis Mwebesa has launched a new regional standards testing laboratory in Mbarara City worthy $35 Trillion. This is the third decentralised facility under the Uganda Bureau of Standards (UNBS) Regional Food Safety Project that seeks to improve standards, enhance regional competitiveness and reduce the cost of business. Speaking at the launch, Mwebesa said there will be no reason as to why UNBS will take weeks to certify a product given that it has enhanced capacity to handle goods at different laboratories.

🇺🇬 LUUKA: One arrested over illegal possession of military hardware
📌The Police have arrested Asad Kiisa, a resident of Buwamwa village, in Nawampiti sub-county for illegal possession of military hardware. Busoga North Police Spokesperson, Michael Kasadha said that Kiisa was persuading youths to engage in drug abuse among other related crimes. He was also threatening to kill whoever questioned his suspicious activities, yet he lacked a clear source of income. Kasadha further said detectives mounted a search in his home and recovered a pair of UPDF uniforms, one pair of military boots, and an unspecified number of bullets.

🇺🇬 MASAKA: New alternative ferry route to Masaka City via Lake Victoria set up
📌The Ministry of Works and Transport has set up an alternative route to Masaka City via Lake Victoria. MV Kalangala and MV NODL-Victoria have on Monday started transporting travellers from Nakiwogo in Entebbe to Bukakata in Masaka and vice versa. Mr. Sadala Musoke, the chief executive officer of Nation Oil Distributors Limited, a firm managing both vessels, said the alternative route was set up after consultations with stakeholders. He explained that MV Kalangala will be plying from Nakiwogo via Kalangala to Masaka transporting both passengers and cargo, while MV NODL-Victoria will only transport passengers directly to Bukakata in Masaka at only Shs15000. Both will be making only one trip a day.

🇺🇬 HOIMA: RDC orders fresh PDM beneficiaries registration
📌The Hoima Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Michael Muramira Kyakashari has ordered for fresh registration of PDM beneficiaries after realising that ineligible people could  have been put on the PDM list. He said in Kiganja and Kigorobya Sub County, most of the beneficiaries do not belong to the category as they have been found to be financially better off, creating suspicion that there could have been probable manipulation in the registration exercise of the beneficiaries. He assured the locals that in fresh registration it will be done collectively with the Gombolola Internal Security Officers (GISOs) of the two sub-counties after attaining data collected by officials from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS).

🇺🇬 KARAMOJA: Bank of Uganda donates 6 tons of drought resistant seedlings
📌Over 500 households have received 6 tons of drought-resistant seeds from Uganda Red Cross Society with support from Bank of Uganda. According to the Bank of Uganda spokesperson Ms. Charity Mugumya, this is part of the response to hunger & food security challenges in the Karamoja sub region. Red Cross officials revealed that the seeds which included maize, beans, sorghum were distributed to communities in Lokopo Sub-County – Napak District & Nadunget Sub-County – Moroto District. Where each recipient took home 5 Kgs of maize seeds, 5Kgs of beans and 2Kgs of sorghum.

🇺🇬 MASAKA: Supreme Mufti sworn in 
📌 Sheikh Sulait Hamis Ssentongo has been sworn in as the regional Khadi for Greater Masaka. He will head the Muslim community on behalf of the Kibuli-based faction. He was inaugurated by the Supreme Mufti, Sheikh Muhammad Shabban Ggalabuzi at the Masaka City main Mosque during the weekend, amid controversies over the management of Muslim properties in the area. Sheikh Ssentongo was sworn in as the Khadi for the ten districts of greater Masaka, replacing the late Sheikh Swaibuh Ndugga who died in August.

ACROSS BORDERS
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🌍 KENYA:  President Ruto apologises over Shakahola cult deaths
📌 President William Ruto has apologised to Kenyan citizens over the Christian doomsday deaths, admitting laxity and complacency from the Government side.  More than 200 bodies have so far been exhumed in the coastal Shakahola forest, where congregants were allegedly forced to starve to death in order to meet Jesus. More than 600 people are still missing.  President Ruto on Sunday also blamed the country’s police and intelligence officials for failing to discover the cult’s activities on time.
“I am taking responsibility that, as the President, these Shakahola murders should not have happened. For that, I truly say, I’m sorry,” Ruto said.

🌍  DRC: M23 accuses Congolese Army of violating Luanda Summit Peace Resolutions 
📌 The President of the M23 rebel group in eastern DRC, Bertrand Bisimwa, has accused Government forces of taking over positions abandoned to the East African Community (EAC) regional force as a buffer zone. The Government forces and their allied militias like FDLR, Nyatura and Mai Mai, occupied the locality of Mushaki on Saturday, May 13, according to Bisimwa.

🌍 GHANA: Opposition elects ex-President for 2024 polls
📌 Former Ghanaian President John Mahama has been elected flag bearer of the largest opposition party in Ghana, the National Democratic Congress ahead of Presidential elections next year.  The former President was declared the winner on Sunday after securing 98.9% of total valid votes in the party’s primaries held on Saturday.  This will be the third time the former President will be attempting a comeback after losing power in the 2016 elections to incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo who is ending his two-term mandate next year.