𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐏

𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐄 225
𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍
𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇 03, 2023
🇺🇬🇺🇬🇺🇬

🇺🇬 URA intercepts Somali nationals sneaking Shs 500M into the country
📌The Uganda Revenue Authority has intercepted three Somali nationals at the Uganda- South Sudan border of Oraba for failing to declare Ugx500 Million while travelling into the country. The three are Hassan Hussein, Guhad Ismael, and Abdirahman Farah. Philip Ofubo, the URA customs officer said that intelligence reports of a Somali group routinely crossing the border with huge sums of cash led to their interception and their eventual arrest by Police.

🇺🇬 US offers $5 million bounty for ADF leader Baluku
📌 The United States is offering a reward of up to 5 Million US dollars for information that helps capture the leader of the rebel group in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo which has ties to the Islamic State group. The US department said under the leadership of Musa Baluku, the allied Democratic Forces killed, raped and abducted civilians including children. Baluku is originally from Uganda where the group first carried out attacks in the 1990s.

🇺🇬 Need for more women to join Police Force- Grace Akullo
📌 The Director of Interpol, Grace Akullo has said that there is need for more women to join the Force and that 30,510 female officers are required to reach the 30% threshold. Akullo stressed that the Police Force is yet to hit the required constitutional requirement of 30% gender equality in terms of recruitment of female police officers. Figures from the Force indicate that Uganda now has a total of 10,325 female police officers constituting 20%.

🇺🇬 Ministry of Health targets 30,000 young people tested with new HIV self-testing kit
📌 The Ministry of Health is targeting to have 30,000 young people tested following the launch of the new HIV blood self-testing kit called “check now’’ which has been piloted and found effective for use among University students. Minister for Health Jane Ruth Acheng says this group is a critical segment considering the fact that the prevalence among young people especially adolescents and young women is higher than the 5% national average.

🇺🇬 Suspected terrorist arrested with hand Grenade in Kisoro
📌 Security in Kisoro is holding a suspected terrorist who allegedly entered Uganda from the Democratic Republic of Congo through Kibare Village in Busanza Sub County. According to Kisoro Resident District Commissioner, Hajji Shafik Ssekandi, the man who has been identified as Alex Mucunguzi was earlier this week intercepted by UPDF. Residents became suspicious of Mucunguzi  while at a bar in Gasayo Trading centre in Kibare village, Buhumbu parish in Busanza Sub County, when he dropped a grenade behind crates of beer.

🇺🇬  Government sets timeline for creation of new administrative units
📌Government has set 2026 as the timeline for creation of more new administrative units following suspension of the exercise countrywide. The Minister for Local Government, Hon. Raphael Magyezi made the revelations on Thursday March 2, while addressing Chief Administrative Officers, Town Clerks of Cities and Municipalities during their quarterly meeting at Hotel Africana, Kampala.
“Advise your districts and municipal councils not to include that in their Order Papers,” Magyezi told the CAO’s and Clerks.

🇺🇬 Court clears Emorimor Sande Emolot
📌 The Soroti High Court on March 1 dismissed without costs a contempt of Court case filed against Emorimor Paul Sunday Emolot. The team of elders led by William Alloch went to Court challenging Emolot’s rise to the office of Emorimor, allegedly without following the rightful procedures of getting elected into office of Emorimor according to the Iteso Cultural Union (ICU) constitution. Several court orders barring Emolot from carrying out any activity related to ICU were issued by court but were not respected, so Emorimor has been accused of disrespecting those court orders.

🇺🇬 Minister calls for sustainable energy resources for refugees
📌The Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness, and Refugees Hillary Onek on Tuesday called for sustainable energy sources for refugees living in Uganda. Onek, while launching the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) roadmap Uganda Chapter, said the country’s resources are being constrained and depleted faster by the increasing number of refugees that keep flooding into Uganda.
“Uganda’s land resources, forest cover, and other resources are strained against the increasing number of refugees devastating Uganda’s environment,” Onek says.

🇺🇬 Court dismisses case against Watoto Church’s ‘tough wedding rules’
📌 The petition challenging the tough wedding rules, including presenting current HIV negative test results in order for one to wed from Watoto Church, has been dismissed for lack of merit. In a unanimous decision of the Constitutional Court delivered Thursday, five justices observed that the petitioner, Mr. Michael Aboneka, had the option of wedding from other churches if he did not want to play by their rules.

🇺🇬 Police probe Serere church leaders over human trafficking allegations
📌 Police in Serere District are investigating circumstances under which leaders and followers of Christ Disciples Church (CDC) in Obululun village, Bugondo sub-county in Kidetok Town Council went missing. Oscar Gregory Ageca, the East Kyoga police spokesperson, explains that Rev. James Enyaku and Pastor Augustine Orago convinced their followers that God had a plan for them to go to Ethiopia to spread the gospel.

🇺🇬 MASINDI:  District to postpone International Women’s Day celebration due to financial constraints
📌 The Masindi District Local Government will celebrate its International Women’s day on March 17 at Kataka grounds in Kabango town, a date different from the official one of March 8, 2023 due to financial constraints, revealed the District Chairperson Byaruhanga Cosmas.

🇺🇬 ADJUMANI: Government to construct wards and administration block at Adjumani General Hospital
📌 Adjumani District Health officer Thursday commissioned the construction of several wards and administration block under Development Response to Displacement Impact Project (DRDIP) program. Present was the program desk officer and engineer, Hospital Administrator, Hospital board chairman and Hotel Zawadi limited the contractor among others.

🇺🇬 BUDAKA: NMS delivers free mosquito nets
📌 National Medical Stores Friday delivered free mosquito nets to Budaka district. While delivering the mosquito nets to residents of Kadimukoli sub county, the health focal officer told them that the mosquito nets are for free of charge and everyone should register with VHTS to receive them.

𝐀𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒 𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒
🌍 🌍 🌍

🌍 SOMALIA: Prime Minister rubbishes gun violence to ‘solve’ problems
📌 Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre has told Somalis to grow out of the norm of solving problems by turning guns on each other. Somali leaders are calling for dialogue between clans clashing in Las Anod, the region in the country that falls between Puntland and Somaliland, in order to end weeks of violence.

🌍 KENYA: Abdi Mohamed is new CEO Absa Bank
📌 Absa Bank Kenya has announced the appointment of Abdi Mohamed as its new Chief Executive Officer replacing Jeremy Awori who left for Ecobank Group for the CEO role. He is currently the Managing Director of Absa Bank Tanzania and acting Managing Executive for Retail and Business Banking, Africa Regional Operations, Absa- a role that covers multiple countries where Absa operates in Africa.

🌍  Rebel clashes flare in east DR Congo despite pull out calls
📌 M23 rebels continued fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local sources said on Tuesday, the day they were due to begin withdrawing from their positions under a regional plan. On February 17, East African leaders urged all non-state armed groups to withdraw from territory they occupy in eastern Congo by March 30. The withdrawal was intended to take place in three stages, with the initial phase to begin on February 28, but M23 rebels continued advancing in the DRC’s North Kivu province on Tuesday.

🌍 UN official tours war-torn eastern DR Congo
📌 The United Nations’ top official in Democratic Republic of Congo has sought to rally local support for the agency’s troubled peacekeeping mission to the country, touring its conflict-hit eastern provinces for the first time in months. Bintou Keïta arrived ahead of a planned visit this month by members of the UN Security Council and amid sharply deteriorating public support for the mission, known as Monusco, and sporadic violent attacks against its peacekeepers.

🌍 Nigerian troops killed 133 extremists over election period
📌 The Nigerian military attacked identified territories of Boko Haram and Islamic State West African Province (Iswap) militias, killing 133 in a proactive operation meant to weaken the extremists and prevent them from disrupting the just concluded elections. The troops also recovered heavy ammunition including AK-47 rifles and Nato Dane guns, attack trucks, motorcycles, desert camouflage and medical supplies from enclaves of the terrorists who have been troubling the northern Nigeria region since 2009.

🌍 President Macron says era of French interference in Africa is ‘over’
📌 President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said the era of French interference in Africa was “well over” as he began a four-nation tour of the continent to renew frayed ties. Macron said France harboured no desire to return to past policies of interfering in Africa.
“The age of Francafrique is well over,” Macron said in remarks to the French community in the capital Libreville, referring to France’s post-colonisation strategy of supporting authoritarian leaders to defend its interests.