𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐏

𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐄 239
𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍
𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇 17, 2023
🇺🇬🇺🇬🇺🇬🇺🇬

🇺🇬  We have the capacity to rescue individuals who have fallen in pits – Police
📌Following the unfortunate incident where a  31 year-old man, one Iddi Muyimba from Mayuge District died after he suffocated underneath a pit latrine while attempting to retrieve his mobile phone, Police has tipped that they have well-equipped personnel with the necessary skills required in extracting items or individuals that have fallen in pit latrines. While addressing residents of Bukatuube in Mayuge District, Busoga East Police Spokesperson, Diana Nandawula urged members of the public to always seek assistance from police officers attached to the fire and rescue services department for expert guidance before executing any rescue or recovery operations at such accident scenes. Muyimba’s phone is reported to have slipped and fell into the pit latrine as he tried to redeem it. His family members say they waited for him to come out of the pit latrine for almost one hour in vain, prompting them to dig up the lower walls only to find his lifeless body floating in the waste.

🇺🇬  President Museveni, German delegation discuss possible collaboration of UPDF and German forces
📌 President Museveni has met a delegation of German investors and  discussed business opportunities for investment. The discussions took place at the African Nuclear Conference in Munyonyo and the German delegation was led by Prof. Wolfgang Dietrich, the Honorary Consul of Uganda to Germany, discussed the possible collaboration between UPDF and Germany forces and the possibility of exchange of medical personnel between the two forces.

🇺🇬  Tourism Board challenges Ugandans to pride in their country to boost tourism
📌 Speaking during a Twitter Space organised by Competitiveness and Enterprise Development Project, Claire Mugabi, the Marketing Manager at the Uganda Tourism Board challenged  Ugandans to avoid spreading negativity about their own country as this turns away potential tourists. She urged everyone to make tourism their business.

🇺🇬 Kampala to hold first car-free day, a section of roads to be blocked
📌 Many streets in Kampala will be closed to motor traffic on  March 26, 2023 as the City holds a car-free day. The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Deputy Executive Director, David Luyimbazi said that the car-free day is a worldwide city event mainly intended to promote non-motorized transport, promoting road sharing with vulnerable members of the public and reducing gas emissions from vehicles. He said a few roads like Speke road, Shimon road, some parts of Buganda road up to the City square will be blocked for the day from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

🇺🇬  Transport paralysed as River Mayanja bursts banks
📌 The River Mayanja floods have cut off a four – kilometre road that links Buloba to Nsangi Town Council in Wakiso District on the Kampala-Masaka highway. The road was cut off after heavy rains that caused the banks of River Mayanja to burst, washing away all the culverts, paralysing transport on Nsangi – Masaka road.

🇺🇬 Ministry of Health to deworm 22 million children
📌 The Ministry of Health will carry out a massive deworming campaign for children in the country to reduce cases of Anaemia in the country. Dr. Charles Olaro, the Director of Curative Services at the Ministry of Health said that in Uganda, 53 percent of children below 5 years have Anaemia because of the worms and 39 percent of pregnant women are also affected. Dr. Olora told journalists at a function where the Food for the Hungry Organization donated 600 doses of deworming tables to the Ministry.

🇺🇬 Culturalists ask President to assent to Museum and Monuments Act  2022
📌 Culturalists have asked President Museveni to assent to Museum and Monuments Act 2022 so as  to protect the country’s heritage. The Executive Director Cross Cultural Foundation of Uganda, Barbarah Babwetera says that without the legislation, tangible and intangible cultural heritage is under threat. This was during the launch of the 5th National Heritage Awards 2023.

🇺🇬 Government repatriates body of Turkey earthquake victim
📌 The body of Florence Babirye, a Ugandan citizen who died as a result of the recent earthquake in Turkey where more than 40,000 people died, has been returned home. The Ambassador of Uganda to Turkey, Nusura Tiperu says that Babirye was the only Ugandan who died during the earthquake and she died as result of being buried by rubble when the building collapsed on her. Leonard Ngugga, the father of the deceased, has appreciated the Government for the help they offered to repatriate the body of their daughter.

🇺🇬 Ministry of Local Government directs district leadership to submit entities without public schools 
📌 The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government, in a bid to implement the Government policy on distribution of schools has directed districts to remit parishes without a primary school, a sub county with no secondary school and a county that has no tertiary institution for easy planning. The directive is contained in the letter written by Mr. Ketty Lamaro, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Local Government, dated March 16 addressed to all districts in the country.

🇺🇬 YUMBE: Kuru Islamic Primary School overwhelmed by high student turn up 
📌 The education officials in Kuru Town Council say they are overwhelmed by the high turnup of students in Kuru Islamic Primary School. They say the school has a total turn up of over 1588 pupils with only 18 teachers hence lacking enough classrooms and desks to accommodate the students. This has been attributed to the district’s campaign by officials that required  parents to enrol all school-going students or face the law.

🇺🇬 BUKEDEA: Kocheka Sub County on spot over misallocating Govt maize milling machine donated to farmers
📌 Members of Aitopol Ikalia Maize Milling Farmers Group in Kocheka sub county in Bukedea District have faulted the leadership of Kocheka Sub county for purportedly selling a maize milling machine donated by Government through the NAADS program. The farmers group alleges that under unknown circumstances, the maize milling machine was sold to Ochepa Julius, his wife Salume Rose and his brother Okaru George,  all residents of Okolimeri parish.

🇺🇬  KALAKI: 750 school dropouts re enrol to school
📌 A total of 750 pupils who had dropped out of school in Kalaki District  have enrolled again in schools under the Speed School Program. The program, an initiative of Geneva global and Uganda intends to ensure that children mainly between 9-14 years attain formal education and also reduce the school dropout rate especially in instances where children are involved in economic activities. The program delivers the first three years of Primary education within 9 months after which learners are promoted straight to P.4 for normal learning. The program formally known as the Northern Uganda Education Fund started in 2016 covering all districts in Acholi subregion. An addition of 4 districts are also beneficiaries and these include Amuria, Kalaki, Namutuba and Mayuge.

🇺🇬 PALLISA: Construction of Akodot Seed School progressing
📌 Construction of Akodot Seed School is progressing well. The structures include three construction blocks, a multipurpose science laboratory, an administrative block, two teachers’ quarters with three in one capacity and VIP pit latrine. While inspecting the construction works, the School Board Director Dr. Kenneth Apolot hailed the contractor for the work so far.

🇺🇬 BUKWO: Ministry of Energy sensitises local leaders on minerals
📌 Officials from the Ministry of Energy and  Mineral Exploration Department has embarked on the sensitization of local leaders in the district on collection of sample stones, soil samples, and the ongoing state of minerals. A team from the Ministry will move around sub counties looking for mineral samples.

🇺🇬 NAMUTUMBA: Government launches Larviciding, a chemical that kills mosquitoes before they hatch
📌 Namutumba District on Friday hosted the launch of Larviciding, a substance and with microbial insecticides that kill the immature mosquitoes hence preventing malaria transmission. The new initiative to fight malaria transmission is intended for three districts of Namutumba, Pallisa and Kibuku. The Permanent  Secretary in the Ministry of Heath, Dr. Diana Atwine was the chief guest at the launch that took place at Namutumba District Headquarters. Also in attendance were the  DHOs, LCVs, RDCs and other local leaders of the respective districts.

𝐀𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒 𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒
🌍 🌍 🌍

🌍 KENYA: Raila threatens to sue President Ruto over ‘1982 Coup’ claims 
📌Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party leader Raila Odinga has threatened to file a lawsuit against President William Ruto for defamation. Speaking on Thursday while holding a public rally, Raila said the President had been constantly tarnishing his name with allegations of the attempted coup in 1982 during the late President Daniel Moi’s era.

🌍 KENYA: President Ruto calls for increased funding for Africa 
📌President William Ruto has urged the international financial system to increase funding to meet the new challenges faced by countries in the Global South. Speaking at a virtual discussion with the Rockefeller Foundation Board of Trustees, Ruto also proposed shorter periods of between 12 and 18 months for disbursement of funds, citing that financing currently takes up to 24 months to be released.

🌍 Former Nairobi Governor implores Kalonzo Musyoka to shun Monday protests
📌Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has urged Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, a close ally of Raila Odinga to shun the Monday protests. Sonko claimed that Ruto would do whatever it takes to stop the protests. Raila Odinga announced that March 20 will be a public holiday to allow for mass demonstrations, which he said will be peaceful.

🌍 ANGOLA:  Parliament gives Green Light to send troops to DRC’s East
📌Angola’s National Assembly on Friday unanimously approved the Joint Report and Draft Resolution on the sending of an Angolan military contingent to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as part of the Peacekeeping Force. The documents were approved with 31 votes in favour, none against and no objection by the MPs of the Parliament Commissions for Constitutional and Legal Affairs.

🌍 Sahel children need humanitarian assistance – UNICEF
📌 Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF’s regional director for west and central Africa, said in a statement that ten million children in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are in “extreme jeopardy” and desperately need humanitarian assistance due to worsening violence, the United Nations said on Friday.
“That figure is twice as many as in 2020, while a further four million children are at risk in neighbouring West African countries as battles between armed groups and security forces spill across borders”, UNICEF said.

🌍 SOUTH AFRICA: Security wary of ‘attempts to overthrow Government’
📌South African Police have said that the planned opposition protests on Monday are not a mere shutdown but an attempt to overthrow the Government. The Opposition Party Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is organising nationwide marches to protest against the country’s power crisis and has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign.
“This is an attempt to overthrow the Government. This is not a shutdown, but it’s anarchy,” KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, said on Friday.

🌍 MALAWI: Zambia send planes for Storm Freddy rescue mission
📌The Zambian Government has provided two aircrafts to help in rescue and distribution of relief aid to victims of Tropical Storm Freddy in Malawi. Malawi Defence Force confirmed the arrival of the planes. The aircraft will be deployed in hard-to-reach southern areas where many people are feared trapped, Deputy Chief of Military Operations, Col Lameck Kalenga said.