𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐏

𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐄 211
𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍
𝐅𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 17,  2023
🇺🇬🇺🇬🇺🇬

🇺🇬 President Museveni rallies elites to preach gospel of wealth creation and economic transformation
📌President Museveni has asked the elites across the county to preach the gospel of the NRM that emphasizes wealth creation, not only to alleviate poverty but also create  jobs. Speaking at celebrations to mark the Janan Luwum Day in Kitgum, northern Uganda on Thursday, President Museveni said  Ugandans should embrace and support Government efforts of wealth creation and economic transformation because having good infrastructure doesn’t automatically mean wealth for households. He noted that whereas the country has realized tremendous economic growth, many households are still poor.
“You the elite, when you talk to people, you want roads, hospitals and schools. All those are  development— For example, there is now a tarmac road here (in Kitgum) and it is under development. Aren’t there poor people living near the road? Has the tarmac road finished poverty here? Poverty is still here in the homes. The tarmac road is there but if you don’t use it to look for wealth, poverty will stay. Hospitals, schools and good roads will be there but in your homes you will still have poverty. For example, if you go to Kampala, there are many tarmac roads but most of the poor people are in Kampala.”

🇺🇬 Former Moyo RDC Labeja  arrested after beating wife to death
📌According to information obtained from the mother of the deceased Robinah Akullu, the suspect on Sunday severely beat up his wife at their marital home in Kitgum district. The victim then fled to her family home in the Pader District for refuge complaining of severe body pain. She was reportedly rushed to Bregmah Medical Centre for treatment, where she died.   The victim’s mother says the couple had a long history of domestic violence usually perpetrated by Labeja. Following the death, the mother of the deceased reported a case of murder at Kitgum CPS VIDE CRB 130/2023.   David Ongom Mudong, Aswa River Region police spokesperson said that Labeja was on Tuesday arrested and is currently being held at Kitgum Central Police Station on allegations of murder  from aggravated domestic violence. He urged disputing couples to always embrace dialogue and seek assistance within the provision of the law.

🇺🇬 President Museveni orders immediate investigation on ‘continued cattle rustling
📌President Museveni has ordered the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Henry Okello-Oryem, and the State Minister for Northern Uganda, Ms Grace Freedom Kwiyocwiny, to conduct an immediate investigation into the continued cattle rustling by suspected Karimojong raiders inside Acholi Sub-region.  The President  gave the dircetive on Thursday while speaking as a chief guest during the national celebrations held to mark Janani Luwum Day at Wii-gweng Village, Mucwini subcounty in Kitgum District.

🇺🇬 MUK graduands’ parents sit on grass as ‘attendence’ numbers get overwheming
📌Makerere University  graduands and their parents on Thursday missed seats at Makerere University’s 73rd graduation ceremony. This was because many graduands brought in more guests than the two permitted per graduand. Students from Makerere University Business School (Mubs), alongside their parents, stood throughout the ceremony, which lasted for about five hours. The mostly aged parents, who could not stand for long had to find comfort in the grass. According to the rules, each graduand was permitted to attend the ceremony with only two invited guests, who are either parents or guardians. The University Vice Chancellor, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe attributed this shortage on granduands who he said did not follow the graduation guidelines.

🇺🇬 President Museveni urges commercial banks to invest in Uganda and support SMEs
📌 “Africa is huge and endowed with a lot of natural resources but has been under populated. These natural resources need to be exploited.” Those were President Yoweri Museveni’s remarks as he met with officials from Citi Bank at State House in Entebbe on Wednesday. He rallied Citi Bank and other commercial banks to invest in Uganda as well as support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The President  noted that other countries like China have heavily invested in Uganda and this has saved Uganda a lot of money in importing finished goods, noting that Uganda has raw materials and a lot of goods can be made here by adding value to them.
“The Chinese are making ceramic tiles among other things; every day I am called to open a certain Chinese factory, and this is really good for the country.”
He said that India which is twelve times smaller than Africa is highly populated but with few natural resources yet far more developed.

🇺🇬 KANUNGU: Woman appeals Ugx10M fine for breaking marriage promise
📌Fortunate Kyarikunda, the woman from Kanungu District who was last month fined Shs10.4M by the Kanungu Grade I Magistrate’s Court for breaking a promise to marry a man who had sponsored her education, has appealed in the Kanungu Chief Magistrates Court seeking Court to overturn the verdict. Kyarikunda says that she was not served with court sermons since her sister was the one using her phone by the time and that she was served via WhatsApp. Kyarikunda filed an application through her lawyers of Nasike & Co. Advocates.

🇺🇬 BULAMBULI: District Commercial Officer warns local leaders against swindling PDM funds
The Bulambuli District Commercial Officer, Ketty Nambozo on Wednesday warned Muyembe subcounty leaders against misappropriation of PDM funds.  Nambozo sounded the warning while training local leaders on the operationalization of Parish Revolving Fund (PRV) at Muyembe Sub County headquarters. The training was attended by sub county staff, political leaders, Parish development committee members, parish chiefs among others.

🇺🇬 NEBBI: Wine factory goes up in flames
📌The Oyoma Wine factory in Parombo Town Council in Nebbi District went up in flames after a fire broke out at around 10pm on Wednesday night spreading to all fermentation rooms. Robert Abak, the Nebbi Resident District Commissioner said they are investigating clues that the fire may have been sparked by a power surge as the factory lacked fire fighting equipment.

𝐀𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒 𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒
🌍🌍🌍

🌍 KENYA: Pokot South MP questioned over links with bandits
📌Police in Kenya have questioned a Member of Parliament over claims of funding bandits in the country’s northern Rift Valley region. Pokot South MP David Pkosing was arrested on Thursday evening by officers from the Serious Crimes Unit and released hours after interrogation. His lawyer says the MP will appear before detectives on Friday morning for further questioning. Mr Pkosing is the first politician to be probed by authorities over the banditry menace that has left more than 100 civilians and 16 security officers dead in the past six months. Government has declared the prevailing security situation in the north a national emergency and imposed a 30-day dawn-to-dusk curfew in the region.

🌍 EU blames Rwanda for continued M23 funding, DRC for continued collaboration with militias
📌The European Union is blaming Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for ignoring proposals of regional peace initiatives even as Kinshasa’s government forces battle the M23 rebel movement. A statement issued said Rwanda, the DRC and the M23 should adhere to regional peace processes and lay down arms. The European bloc said all armed groups should also withdraw from the positions they occupy and take part in the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration process. It blamed Rwanda for funding M23, and DRC for continued collaboration with other armed groups.

🌍 DRC: Amnesty report pins M23 rebels for raping women and killed their husbands
📌A new report from Amnesty International claims that M23 rebels raped more than 66 women and girls mainly in the Kishishe village in the Democratic Republic of Congo in November last year, in a wave of violence. The latest report adds to a growing list of war crimes allegedly committed by fighting groups in the conflict that has been running for decades.  The report claims that members of the rebel group killed at least 20 men and raped dozens of women and girls mainly in Kishishe, a small village located 100km (62 miles) north of the provincial capital Goma. In the interviews, women narrate how rebels attacked the village, broke into their homes, raped them and killed their men.

🌍 NIGERIA: Police pledges presence at every poll site
📌Police officers trained in election security will be present at every voting centre in Nigeria, says the head of the force, who is promising to do what he can to ensure a peaceful and secure atmosphere next Saturday. Inspector General Usman Alkali Baba also says the more than 310,000 police officers deployed will be supported by more than 90,000 additional security agents, and will be given air and marine assistance.

🌍 NIGERIA: US to return $1M embezzled by Ex-Governor
📌The US will repatriate nearly $1M (£840,000) to Nigeria embezzled by the former governor of an oil-producing state, the US Justice Department has said. This is in accordance with an agreement between the two countries to repatriate assets traceable to the kleptocracy of former Governor of Bayelsa state Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, the department said in a statement. Alamieyeseigha, now deceased, served as governor from 1999 until his impeachment in 2005 and accumulated property worth millions of dollars through corrupt and illegal activities, including property in Rockville, the statement said.

🌍 TUNISIA: President Kais Saied rejects foreign ‘interference’
📌Tunisian President Kais Saied has rejected ‘foreign interference’ following criticism over a recent string of arrests targeting his critics.
“Tunisia is an independent and sovereign state, not under colonialism or protection and its sovereignty is above all other considerations,” he said on Thursday.
He added that the country was able to diagnose its own problems.

🌍 MOZAMBIQUE: Pastor dies during 40-days fasting
📌Pastor Francisco Barajah, the founder of Santa Trindade Evangelical Church in the central province of Manica, Mozambique died after fasting for 40 days, in an attempt to imitate what Jesus Christ did as according to the Bible. He died while being treated at hospital in Beira where he was evacuated in critical condition after 25 days of fasting on Wednesday. His followers said that he had lost a lot of weight to a point where he could neither stand nor walk.