𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐏

𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐄 301
🄰🄵🅃🄴🅁🄽🄾🄾🄽 🄴🄳🄸🅃🄸🄾🄽
𝐌𝐀𝐘 18, 2023
🇺🇬🇺🇬🇺🇬

🇺🇬 High rate of hypertension patients worries medics
📌Medics at Uganda Heart Institute are worried that almost a third of Ugandans are battling high blood pressure. Dr James Kayima, a consultant cardiologist at Uganda Heart Institute says this high percentage has put a strain on health facilities for the high number ranging between 25 per cent and 30 per cent of Ugandans battling the disease.
“A third of Uganda’s population probably has high blood pressure. So if the Ugandan population is about 46 million plus or maybe if you stretch it to 48 million, it means that between 15 to 18 million have high blood pressure,” remarks Dr Kayima.
Dr Kayima who emphasises that such a big number is a strain to the health services, is sceptical that finding resources for complications arising out of high blood pressure is a very big problem for the country. He cites highly stressful environment that people are living in, having kidney disease, people born with narrowing blood vessels, and hormonal imbalance and age as risk factors.
Dr. Kayima advises Ugandans to routinely check for high blood pressure whenever they report to a health facility for whatever reason.

🇺🇬 Oyam North county by-elections set for July 6
📌The chairman of Uganda Electoral Commission Justice Byabakama Mugenyi Simon has issued out a program that will be followed for Oyam county by-elections. According to Mugenyi , July 6, 2023 is the polling date for the Oyam North County by-election. The program will begin with updating the National Voters’ Register from May 18 to 22 at all 167 polling stations, whereas display of Voters’ Register will be conducted from May 30 to June 8, 2023. The Voters’ Register verification is scheduled for June 8 to 13, at the parish/ward headquarters. Nomination of candidates will be conducted from June 19 to 20, at the Office of the District Returning Officer, Oyam. Campaign meetings will run for 13 days from June 22 to July 4, and voting plus tallying of results will be on July 6. Byabakama urged all stakeholders to participate in accordance with the set guidelines of the by-elections. The Oyam North seat fell vacant after the death of State Minister for Labor, Sam Engola who was shot dead by his body guard.

🇺🇬 Uganda joins the world to celebrate International Museum Day
📌Uganda has joined the rest of the world to celebrate International Museum Day. The celebration presided over by the Vice President Hon Jessica Alupo took place at Kaunda grounds in Gulu City under the theme “Museums sustainability and wellbeing.” Hon Tom Butime, Minister for Tourism and Antiquities challenged Ugandans to use the opportunity to learn and raise awareness about the role of museums in disseminating knowledge about their culture and history for socio-economic development and transformation of the Pearl of Africa’s diversity. Butime tasked Ugandans to always ask themselves “when was the last time you had a tour in and around a Museum?”

🇺🇬 ICT Ministry flags off PDM trainers in Management and Information Systems to Local Governments
📌The Ministry of Information Communication Technology has flagged off 181 trainers to local G.overnment officials to equip them with the Parish Development Module (PDM) Management and Information Systems with an aim of improving accountability, governance, citizen participation, and administration of PDM funds. The Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of ICT Dr. Aminah Zawedde said that the Ministry has been working on automation of processes across the PDM model in liaison with different Ministries, Departments and Agencies to implement Pillar 6.
“The objective of automation processes is to improve accountability of Government funds, transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness in service delivery,” Dr. Zawedde said.

🇺🇬 UPC asks Government to re-register firearms to curb misuse
📌Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) has asked Government to conduct fresh registration of all firearms to curb the gun misuse in the country. The party spokesperson, Sharon Oyat said the Government needs to also tighten conditions for gun issuance citing that regional initiatives to resolve civil wars in Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo which have porous borders that are a recipe for arms trafficking that increase the level of insecurity, should not be neglected.

🇺🇬 NEBBI: Hospital risks water disconnection due to arrears of eight years
📌Nebbi General Hospital risks being disconnected from the water supply if the pending arrears are not settled. The hospital administrator Christopher Ongom says the unpaid water bills have accumulated over a period of 8-10 years. According to Ongom, they have not accumulated new arrears as of November last year due to the timely payment of the monthly water bill.
The hospital has outstanding domestic arrears amounting to Shs 794.3 million as of March 31, 2023, according to the letter of notice of disconnection signed by Dr Eng Silver Mugisha, NWSC Managing Director. Nebbi District Chairperson Emmanuel Orombi acknowledges that his office is aware of the accumulated water bills of the hospital, but says they are now banking on support from UNICEF to construct an underground water system which he believes will provide a solution to the high water bills.

🇺🇬 MASAKA: Kattikiro Mayiga commends Government for skilling youths through Presidential Skilling program
📌 The Katikkiro of Buganda Charles Peter Mayiga has commended Government for the implementation of the Presidential Industrial Hub to skill the youth in the country, majorly to curb unemployment as well as to encourage the young generation to be job creators, not job seekers. The Katikkiro said this during the inauguration of the Greater Masaka Presidential Industrial Hub at Ndegeya Village in Bugabira Parish in Masaka city.
“I’m very appreciative of this presidential initiative aimed at skilling the youth. The rationale for anyone is to get work and you can only learn when still young. So, I urge the youth to get trained so that you may have meaningful lives when you are adults,” he said.

🇺🇬 KIBUKU: YY bus driver, two minors perish in road accident along Mbale highway
📌Three people have lost their lives and several passengers sustained injuries in a tragic road accident that occurred at Saala village along the Mbale-Tirinyi highway. The bus driver, Mohammed Ntege, a resident of Namakwekwe ward in the Mbale City Northern City Division, and two minors whose identities are yet to be established died on spot. According to Immaculate Alaso, the North Bukedi police spokesperson, Ntege, who was the driver of YY bus with registration number UBG 400C traveling from Kampala to Mbale lost control and the vehicle overturned several times, killing the three on spot and injuring several others. The YY general manager, Mr. Emmanuel Wabwire, described the deceased driver as one of the best drivers the bus company had.

🇺🇬 ISINGIRO: Lake Nakivale is drying up
📌There are growing fears that Lake Nakivale in Isingiro District is drying up. The previous visibly drying lake is now covered with thick papyrus and other grasses. The chairperson of Mirambiro Parish, Francis Kafeero said the low water levels have affected mainly children and women and the situation is making access to water difficult.
“The lake has been our major source of water, but also for livelihood like fishing. Most of the domestic chores like fetching water in our communities are done by children and women, this was just a few kilometers away to the lake, but they will now have to foot miles away, hence becoming victims of sexual harassment while some learners are likely to miss school,” Kafeero said.

𝐀𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒 𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒
🌍 🌍 🌍

🌍 DRC: Over 500 civilians killed, 1M displaced in 2 months in eastern DR Congo
📌 The Chief office manager of MONUSCO in Ituri, Bunia, Marc Karna Soro has reported that over a million people have been displaced and over 500 civilians have died as a result of armed group attacks in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ituri province’s Djugu and Mahagi districts during the previous two months.

🌍 KENYA: Raila Odinga Denies ‘handshake’ with President Ruto
📌 Kenya’s Opposition leader Raila Odinga has denied holding political truce talks with President William Ruto in their three meetings over the weekend. Mr Odinga on Tuesday termed his meeting with President Ruto at a burial in central Nyandarua county and later at two local football matches as chance meetings that had nothing to do with the political situation in the country.
“We did not talk about anything other than football. For the record, we don’t want any handshake with the Government and we have not asked for it,” Odinga said. The three meetings between the President and the former Prime Minister had sparked rumours of imminent political truce between the two rivals.

🌍 DR Congo Army, M23 trade blames for fire breach
📌 Following a wave of bloodshed despite an ongoing truce, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Army (FARDC) and the M23 rebels have traded accusations. In North Kivu, where a regional military force sent by the East Community (EAC) has been maintaining peace including in areas the rebel group had abandoned, the M23 initially accused the Congolese Army of starting new warfare.