Today, Uganda Cancer Institute joins the rest of the world to commemorate World Cancer Day. The Institute is committed to providing greater access to care for people and close the gap in cancer care through reaching out to the population.

Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to which Uganda Cancer Institute subscribes has embarked on a three-year campaign under the theme “Closing the care gap” and UCI is responding by taking on a nationwide approach to improve access to care for all through establishing regional cancer centers.

The Uganda Cancer Institute is establishing regional cancer centres in four regions of the country (Northern – Gulu, Eastern – Mbale, Western – Mbarara and West Nile – Arua). The government of Uganda has secured funding to construct the Northern Uganda Regional Cancer Centre in Gulu which will be operational next financial year. The Western Uganda and West Nile centres are already operational and the government has promised additional funding to construct all the three remaining centres (Gulu, Arua, Mbarara).

A statement by UCI cited that more than 80% of cancer patients registered at the UCI present with late stage disease thus leading to a high mortality rate among adult cancer patients. Giving an example of breast cancer, the statement says chances of surviving breast cancer can be above 90% if a woman is screened regularly and the cancer is detected in the early stages.

However, women living in rural areas face long distances to travel to care centres that provide screening. This means that they only present when the cancer has advanced enough and becomes difficult to treat. The statement highlighted that this situation can change if these people are screened early and given holistic treatment in their regions.

To close the care gaps, the Uganda Cancer Institute with funding from the Government of Uganda is expanding care infrastructure at the Mulago campus with construction of a new 8–level in patient building, a two-block six-level ADB funded building that will house facilities for reference cancer laboratory, MRI, cancer surgical suites, outpatient clinics, ICU among many other facilities to improve patient care.

Additionally, with funding from the government of Uganda, the Institute is expanding the radiotherapy services with planned purchase of two new high-end radiotherapy machines this financial year bringing the number of radiotherapy machines to five. The establishment of PET centre will also reduce the number of Ugandans going abroad for PET scans.

Every year, 10 million people around the world die from cancer. This is more than HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.

Police detectives at Katwe Police station have recovered human remains of a yet to be identified person, five days after retrieving another body from a septic tank within the same home in Kabowa.  

On Saturday Police retrieved the body of Patrick Turyasingura from a septic tank. Turyasingura had been reported missing since the 26th January, 2022 by one Norman Muhangi, at the same residence located in Kabowa Rubaga division, a Kampala city suburb.  

The postmortem report indicated that he was strangled to death before being dropped in the septic tank which prompted Police to arrest Norman Muhangi and Naomi Tumwine as key suspects to help with the on-going investigations.   

Luke Owoyesigyire; the Deputy Police spokesperson Kampala Metropolitan, said other human remains have been recovered today by the detectives who went back to reconstruct the scene. The body was found in a rotting state and could not be readily identified.

“We found that Turyasingura was planning to leave the country to go abroad. We highly believe the four people know something about his murder, and possibly the death of this person we have recovered today,” said Owoyesigyire adding that the CCTV footage at the house was deleted the same day Turyasingura was killed.

Owoyesigyire also added that there has been also an ongoing inquiry at Katwe Police station into the disappearance of a male adult by the names of Roland Akandinda, from the same home which occurred in December 2020, and the matter has been under investigations since. 

He explained that the remains have been taken to the city mortuary Mulago for postmortem, while waiting for the DNA test to confirm the identity of the remains recovered.  

The suspects Naome Tumwine and Norman Muhangi who were arrested earlier this week are still in custody at Katwe Police station, while efforts are underway to apprehend Charles Tumwine, the husband to Naome, and Geoffrey Oduku, the security guard, who are still on the run.  

The Auditor General has revealed that the government lost Shs 1.2 billion which was paid to over 600 ghost workers at the local gov’t level.

Edward Akol, the acting assistant auditor general-audits unearthed this during the 2021 audit report that he recently handed over to Anita Among, the deputy speaker at Parliament.

The report highlighted that government paid a total of 1.12billion through 78 local governments to 635 staff who had either retired, been transferred, absconded, or died hence paying for services that were not rendered causing loss of funds to the government.

Whereas Uganda has a total of 146 districts, the auditor general’s audit was limited to 78 local governments, and it has been established that this audit did not include the over 200 central government entities.

The formal and official hand over of the Mandela National Stadium, Namboole site to the UPDF Engineering brigade to commence works of renovation and upgrading the stadium to International standards was yesterday flanked by Hon. Dennis Hamson Obua, the State minister of sports and witnessed by the chairperson of the Mandela National Stadium board, Anne Abeja, Brigadier General Engineer Byesigye Bekunda, the Commander of the UPDF Engineering Brigade, Hon. Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, the Area member of Parliament, Jamil Ssewanyana, the Manager of Mandela National Stadium, Dr. Bernard Patrick Ogwel, the General Secretary, National Council of Sports and several officers from the UPDF.

The two phased planned renovation and upgrade will have Phase 1 that will take at least four months involving the securing and construction of a perimeter fence around the stadium. This phase is estimated to cost at least Shs 3.8 billion.

The UPDF Engineering brigade will then proceed to Phase II which will include upgrading the stadium to international standards. This phase is estimated to cost at least Shs 67 billion and it is incorporated in the supplementary budget.

The goal is to upgrade to a World class Stadium suitable for hosting national, regional, continental and International games as well as protect and sustain this national asset.

Hon. Obua believes that this perimeter wall will help solve the long standing concern of encroachers around the peripheries of this land that was 24 years ago procured by Government to construct an international stadium.

“Today, we have started the upgrade and renovation of the Mandela National Stadium, Namboole with the perimeter wall fencing around the stadium land. The wall will help solve the long standing issues of encroachment on the stadium land. This is the journey. We believe the UPDF shall do perfect work,” Hon Obua said.

Police in Jinja City is investigating a case where a Uganda Peoples’ Defense Forces (UPDF) soldier died after he was allegedly stabbed in a bar brawl over a woman.

James Mubi; the Kiira region police spokesperson, identified the deceased as Private Michael Kwewana, 39 attached to Gaddafi military barracks in Jinja City.

It is reported that on Tuesday, the deceased went to Kamuyodisa Bar and Guest House located at Bwase Zone in Buwenge Town Council, Jinja District and allegedly picked up a quarrel with his friend, Zakayo Ngobi, 23, over a yet-to-be identified woman.

Police responded to the scene and established through preliminary investigations that Ngobi allegedly slit Kwewana’s throat and stabbed him in the stomach.

Mubi said that the victim was rushed to Buwenge General Hospital before being transferred to Bombo Military Hospital where he was pronounced dead few hours later.

Mubi added that Ngobi was arrested and transferred to Nalufenya Police Station where he will be charged with murder.