𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐏

𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐄 291
🄴🅅🄴🄽🄸🄽🄶 🄴🄳🄸🅃🄸🄾🄽
𝐌𝐀𝐘 08, 2023
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🇺🇬 Sembabule District gets  new Orthodox church
📌The Orthodox Church has officially opened St. George and Andrew Church in Lwemiyaga, Sembabule District. The church which is now fully-fledged was started by the late Sam Mwagalwa, father to Theodore Ssekikuubo (MP Lwemiyaga). The colourful ceremony attracted hundreds of faithful and was performed by Metropolitan Bishop of Kananga-Haliton Ilunga of Democratic Republic of Congo who represented Pope Theodoros II of Africa. In attendance were Archbishop of Kampala, Jeronymos Muzeeyi, Bishop Innocent Byakatonda (Burundi and Rwanda), Bishop Silverstros Kisitu (Jinja and Eastern Uganda), Bishop Nictarios Kabuye (Gulu-Northern Uganda and Southern Sudan) and Bishop Penelitos of Nyeri Diocese in Kenya. President Yoweri Museveni in a speech read for him by Vice President Jessica Alupo thanked the Orthodox faithful for their generous contributions towards the completion of the church and the secondary school which will extend educational services to the surrounding community.

🇺🇬 Three arrested over shooting of blogger Isma alias Jajja Iculi
📌Police has detained three suspects in connection with the murder by shooting of Ibrahim Tusuubira, also known as Isma Olaxess or Jjajja Iculi, a popular social media influencer and critic. Police spokesperson Fred Enanga on Monday confirmed that Isma’s attack was targeted and that the assailants fired at him from a close distance. According to Enanga, one of the three suspects being held by Police is Mathias Waisswa, the driver of the vehicle in which he was killed. The Police is looking into the late Isma’s and his driver’s Saturday movement from Munyonyo, where he was playing football, towards his home where he was shot.

🇺🇬 Government purchases seven million books for secondary institutions
📌The Ministry of Education has purchased seven million textbooks and instructor guides for senior Four classrooms. The books will be handed to the relevant secondary schools around the country during the holiday season. It is estimated that approximately 5700 secondary schools, the majority of which are privately owned, will benefit from the distribution of free textbooks, and approximately 1,300 government secondary schools will each receive textbooks and teacher guides for the 20 offered subjects.

🇺🇬 Ministry of Water and Environment to build irrigation schemes in North and Eastern Uganda
📌The Ministry of Water and Environment intends to build irrigation systems in the North and Eastern Uganda districts of Gulu, Amuru and Nakapiripirit and Bulambuli.  Hon. Sam Cheptoris, Minister of Water and Environment, says the project’s goal is to provide water for multiple uses to boost production and productivity for the communities. Cheptoris says it will also improve climate resilience through sustainable natural resources, which over time will help Uganda reduce poverty and experience economic growth through increased agricultural productivity and commercialization.

🇺🇬 NAMISINDWA: Health workers on spot over absenteeism, record statements with Police
📌Health workers in Namisindwa District are on the spot for failure to work on weekends and on public holidays. This was discovered by the State House Health Monitoring Unit officials who are in the district to investigate, among others, allegations of absenteeism of health workers at various Government health centres within the district. The Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Hajj Imran Muluga, said they have ordered all implicated health workers to record statements with Police over absenteeism and late coming. Muluga said that the team together with district officials visited Bupoto Health Centre III at 2PM but didn’t find any staff on duty.

🇺🇬 BUSIA: Government launches Shs69.9M demo micro-irrigation projects
📌The Busia Local Government has launched the installation and construction of three micro-irrigation projects which will act as demonstration sites for farmers within the district. The launch of the projects that are set to cost a total of Shs69.7 million took place on Friday 5, 2023 at Busitema University located in Busitema sub county in Busia District. During the launch, the University donated free land to the district to enable the installation of the project machines for water storage. The site in Busitema will cost approximately 22.9 million and will be used by residents in Samia Bugwe-North constituency.

🇺🇬 BUTALEJA: 15 year-old kills self after being denied food
📌Police in Butaleja District in eastern Uganda are investigating circumstances under which a 15-year-old boy reportedly committed suicide after he was denied food. Stephen Dundo, 15, a resident of Namatala Village, Kachonga Sub County in Butaleja District is said to have ingested poisonous substances on Sunday after he was reportedly denied food by his sister. Moses Mugwe, the Bukedi regional Police Spokesperson says the deceased went to his sister’s restaurant to eat lunch but she declined to serve him over Shs1, 000 debt. He then returned to his father who gave him Shs1, 000 to clear the old debt. After clearing the old debt, his sister refused to serve him on credit again. A quarrel then ensued between the two who ended up fighting.

ACROSS BORDERS
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🌍 KENYA: Azimio la Umoja to Oppose Finance Bill 2023
📌 Raila Odinga, the leader of the Azimio la Umoja Coalition, has said he will rally his members to oppose the proposed Finance Bill 2023 when it is tabled in the Kenyan Parliament.  Calling it “a promissory note to strangle and suffocate the hustlers from whose necks Ruto promised to remove the rope”, Odinga said he would do everything possible to prevent the Bill from being passed in the National Assembly.
“We will be instructing our members to oppose this Bill’s proposals,” Raila said during a press conference on Monday.

🌍 Ethiopia repatriates ‘wanted journalist’ from Djibouti
📌 The Ethiopian Government has repatriated a journalist who was arrested in Djibouti in collaboration with Djiboutian authorities and Interpol, the state television (ETV) reported.  Gobeze Sisay, the owner and founder of an internet-based media, Amhara Voice is wanted for terrorist acts to subvert the constitutional order in Amhara Region.

🌍 NIGERIA: Tribunal begins hearing bid to annul President -elect Tinubu’s election Win
📌 A tribunal has begun hearing a petition by several opposition candidates in Nigeria to annul Bola Tinubu’s victory in February’s Presidential election. Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar are challenging Mr Tinubu’s victory on several grounds including the fact that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to upload the results on its website portal in real-time. They allege that this was in breach of the Electoral Act, and Inec’s promise to ensure transparency.