The Government of Uganda through National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) has secured funding worth UGX 15.1billion to implement a new water supply system across Lyantonde and Kiruhura districts. 

The Water Supply Project is majorly aimed at ensuring the provision of good quality drinking water to the water stressed areas in the two districts as well as the Industrial Park in Nshara and all surrounding communities respectively.

While inspecting the ongoing works, Dr. Eng. Silver Mugisha, the Managing Director NWSC appreciated the local authorities in Lyantonde and Kiruhura districts for their tremendous support towards the implementation of this project.

“We are currently serving Lyantonde and Kiruhura districts using one plant with 2.1million litres per day of water production capacity against a demand of 5million litres which the new plant is expected to produce. The combined water production from the two plants upon completion will cater for any existent demand for water services to support industrialization and the water needs of the two sister districts until 2032 in the long run,” noted Mugisha.

The project which will be executed by the M/S PLUMBASE (U) LTD AND ANHUI HOLDING GROUP COMPANY LTD JV entails development of an off-shore water in-take and a water treatment plant of 5million litres capacity per day, on the shores of Lake Kakyeera at Rukukuru Landing Site.

Eng. Mugisha urged the people of Lyantonde and Kiruhura to protect the lake against pollution and engage in source protection initiatives to curb human activities near the lake. He equally commended the contractor and NWSC project supervisors for successfully implementing this project within given time and cost.

Lyantonde and Kiruhura districts have previously faced water supply challenges due to increased demand for water services and extreme weather events during the prolonged dry spell hence increased challenges of poor quality water.

The treated water will be pumped to a 1.5million litres/day storage reservoir within Nshaara Ranch; from where it will gravitate to the areas of Rukukuru, Nshaara, Rwempogo, Akageeti, the industrial park, Rushere and the surrounding areas for domestic, agricultural and industrial use.

Works at the treatment plant site in Rukukuuru, the reservoir site and pipe laying at Nshaara are ongoing and are at an advanced stage and the Project shall be completed by end of December 2022.

Territorial police in Jinja have used teargas and live bullets to disperse motorcyclists who had staged protests in Jinja over the skyrocketing fuel prices.

The motorcyclists staged protests within trading centres of Mafubira, Namulesa, Wakitaka, Nakabango, Nsuube, Muguluka, and Buwenge among others along the Jinja-Kamuli highway, where they placed and lit logs and old car tyres in the middle of the roads.

The protestors also attacked their colleagues who had failed to join the protest forcing a number of them to abandon the main road for feeder roads. They also pelted stones at police officers who had been called in to quell the protests.

Jimmy Wekesa, a motorcyclist operating in the area accused legislators of failing to address the issue affecting their constituents adding that many of them cannot earn enough to support their families with the current cost of fuel.

“Our area MPs have not come out to educate us on the abnormality of fuel prices and they have also not used the parliamentary platform to raise this issue for debate,” said Wekesa.

James Mubi, the Kiira regional police spokesperson revealed that intelligence reports indicate that a section of individuals are employing motorcyclists to fuel the protests over yet to be identified reasons.

Mubi noted that the footage retrieved from their Highway CCTV cameras captured a saloon car without number plates that was issuing whistles, vuvuzelas, and old tyres to motorcyclists at different points along the Jinja-Kamuli highway with the aim of fueling the protests.

Across the country, fuel prices have skyrocketed in recent months going as high as UGX 6,300 per litre of petrol and UGX 6,200 per litre of diesel at pump stations in major towns.

Police in Kakumiro district have arrested one suspect in connection with an incident where a woman was kidnapped, raped and killed on Thursday.

Heloth Karacha, the Kakumiro District officer in charge of crime investigations, confirmed the murder of Constance Kyasimiire, 38, a resident of Kiryabukurura village, Kikwaya Sub County, Kakumiro district.

It is said that Kyasimiire was attending to her two sick children who were admitted at Kakindo Health Centre IV, where she was reportedly kidnapped by unknown people in the wee hours of Thursday morning and later murdered.

Dr Nicholas Tumwesige, Kakindo Health Centre IV in-charge said the security personnel at the health facility got concerned after noticing that Kyasimiire had gone missing for hours and her children were crying. 

‘‘I was informed about a missing patient attendant from the children’s ward at around 3am by the security guard. We found her shoes at the latrine and a trail of footmarks,” said Dr Tumwesige. 

He said he immediately alerted police which arrived at the facility and mobilized a search team.

Christopher Twinamasiko, Kyasimiire’s husband said he was home with their other children when he got a distress call at around 1am on Thursday alerting him about his missing wife.

Following a frantic search by her husband and other residents, Kyasimiire’s body was discovered half-buried in a garden in Kyakachwende cell, Kakindo town council hours after she went missing.

‘‘I went and joined the search team but we did not see her because it was still dark. At daybreak, we resumed the search only to find her body half-buried in a freshly-dug grave in the health center’s neighborhood,’’ said Twinamasiko.

Dr Tumwesige said according to the postmortem report, the deceased’s body had bruises around her neck and her private parts were bleeding which all point to rape.

“Our health facility has no fence and it is frequented by many people around this area. Our security guards get challenges in restricting people from entering the facility premises. We want the district to help us and put a fence at this health center,’’ said Dr Tumwesige.

The body was found buried a few metres away from the home a 28-year-old man identified as Evaristo Kisakye. When police searched his house, they reportedly recovered some clothes belonging to the victim. He has since been arrested and taken to police to help with the investigations.

Following inquiries and investigations into acts of indecent practice, exhibited by students of Lubiri High School, who were 10^th June 2022 filmed doing hideous actions in a viral video footage, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations has charged two teachers identified as Joseph Nsubuga and Lydia Nabakka, with Neglect to Prevent a Felony under C/S 389 of the Penal Code.

In the video that went viral last month, the students, both boys and girls were filmed on a bus belonging to Midland High School, Kawempe involved in what appeared to be public sexual acts.

In a statement released by Police, with legal guidance from the DPP, it has recommended to the school management, the immediate suspension of students who participated in the indecent behavior and those who recorded and posted the videos on social media.

Police says that this will act as a lesson to other students in school, to behave in a more responsible manner. Police says it was established that it was not appropriate for the school to assign only two teachers, who failed to properly supervise the activities on the bus which carried 73 students, more than its sitting capacity of 67 students while returning from a field trip in Jinja.

“It was further established that although, the driver did not solicit the number of students, which is excusable. All teachers charged with the duty of superetending students in school, must exercise reasonable supervision over them and the attendant circumstances, “read the statement in part.

The statement also revealed that there was lack of enough supervision by the teachers during the field trip who instead of warning the students, left them to behave in an egregious and unsafe manner.

It is against this background that the statement further suggested that upon their return to school, they will be counseled by probation officers in charge of the area, on appropriate behavior and how to refocus their attention on learning.

“To the school administrators, the acts above exposed the students to danger, which calls for further vigilance. Remember when parents bring their children to school, it is a duty of the school management to take care of their children and ensure they are safe,” read the statement in part.

Police strongly condemns all acts of lawlessness, indiscipline and inappropriate behavior in schools due to the negative impact it causes students, parents and teachers and promised to continue to hold persons who expose students to danger accountable.

Agriculture minister Frank Tumwebaze has urged Kamwenge district residents to embrace coffee growing as part of efforts aimed at poverty reduction among the masses.

The minister, also the Kibale East County MP, said that coffee growing will ensure sustainable household earnings, improve people’s standards of living and boost the district’s economy.

Hon Tumwebaze was addressing residents, sub-county and district leaders in Kamwenge town.

Presently, Kamwenge grows robusta and Arabica coffee varieties but its annual production is not clear.

Commenting on the issue, John Byoruganda, a coffee farmer in Mabare, Nkoma sub-county, notes that maize that Kamwenge is known for was no longer sustainable and has more risks compared to coffee.

He said, previously, the improved coffee wilt disease (CWD) resistant seedlings were distributed for free by Uganda Coffee Development Authority but now cost sh1,500 each.

The minister, however, pledged to allocate five acres of personal land near River Mpanga where the district can set up coffee nursery beds, enabling farmers to access quality seedlings at affordable prices. He explained that the government would no longer give out free coffee seedlings, leaving private nursery operators to provide the service.

However, district female youth councilor Ruth Nabagahe cited access to quality seedlings and unstable coffee prices as some of the drawbacks.

Lack of land for production is a big issue among the youth, and limits them from venturing into coffee growing, according to Nabagahe.