Authorities at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital have commenced the process of resettling at least 16 people who have been stranded at the hospital premises to their respective homes.

The hospital administration revealed that the Social Work Department had spent some time tracing for the relatives in vain. 

Maria Naturinda, 21, is one of the abandoned persons who has been resettled with Kkottongnea. She came to the hospital as a patient after being discharged, she didn’t go home.

Kkottongnea is a Korean international organization founded by Father John Oh, a Korean devoted priest in 1976 and focuses on welfare, happiness, education and love for the less unfortunate.

The organization also has a branch in Kiruhura and has since 2018 taken over 30 homeless people and four children.

Halson Kagure, the Public Relations Officer Mbarara Referral Hospital revealed that handing over unclaimed people to well-wishers follows established procedures.

Kagure further told media that the resettlement exercise will go on until the hospital is free from the destitute.

Muhirwa Muhammed is another man who was stranded at the hospital and was delivered to the relatives yesterday.

Relatedly, detectives recently rounded up one Ronald Ahuriire who was disguising as a destitute after escaping from Kakiika prison.

According to authorities, some homeless people not only pose a security threat but also disturb those still receiving treatment since they need caretakers.

The hospital social workers say that they also face the challenge of burial arrangements in case one dies without established residency.

Kagure has also urged the nongovernmental organizations, church, governmental institutions and leaders at various levels to double up efforts in sensitizing communities about human rights.

Authorities in Ibanda district have set stringent measures to guide the vanilla sector stakeholders, to ensure they meet quality and other standards.

Fredric Ayorekire, the district production officer said that beginning next harvest season, all vanilla pods brought for sale will be inspected by extension staff to ensure they meet standards.

Vanilla buyers will also be required to acquire licenses and transport permits to ferry vanilla pods from the district.

Ayorekire added that vanilla will be marketed through cooperatives once they are in place, urging farmers to join primary cooperatives that will form an apex cooperative union at the district level.

Herbert Happy Mayanja, the district LC V chairman noted that other measures to guide the production, post-harvest handling, trade and marketing of vanilla in the district include selling of vanilla only at designated centres, in the presence of extension officers.

According to these guidelines, all vanilla buyers must be registered with the district and licensed to operate. And only recognized buying centres will be allowed to operate from harvest dates announced by the government.

“To safeguard quality, traders must get movement permits from the district to transport vanilla after the pods have been inspected and certified by the extension staff,” said Mayanja.

The measures that come ahead of the start of the next harvest season will be implemented with immediate effect.

Annet Byamukama, a vanilla farmer from Mishangi, Nyakatookye in Bisheshe Division, Ibanda municipality lauded the authorities for intervening to protect farmers from being cheated by unscrupulous buyers.  

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has called for girls to be guided to choose science and ICT-related subjects to enhance their employability in the future.

The president’s remarks were made on Saturday at Kibubura Girls Secondary School in Ibanda district, where he was represented by Vice President Jessica Alupo, as the school marked forty years of existence.

The school also laid the foundation stone for a Science complex.

“I am happy that the old girls are flagging off the construction of a multipurpose science complex, which will ignite the passion of the people through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics,” the vice president read.

It was through their resolve to promote science education that the school started construction of the science complex.

The president also paid tribute to the people of Ibanda for the four decades of girls’ secondary education and the old girls for holding a successful re-union to reflect on the past, assess the present, and plan for the future of the school, which molded them into responsible citizens and women of substance.

The Vice President, Rt Maj Jessica Alupo and other dignitaries pose for a photo at celebrations to mark 40 years of existence of Kibubura Girls Sec school-Ibanda.

He applauded Bishop Sheldon Mwesigwa for giving strategic support and congratulated the North West Ankole Diocese for providing oversight and governance to the school under the leadership of Rt. Rev. Amos Magezi, the North-West Ankole Diocese Bishop.

With their support, President Museveni said, the school has managed to rise and shine in Western Uganda and nationally.

President Museveni further paid tribute to the school’s founder, Julia Kibubura, saying this vision is “praiseworthy.”

Julia Kibubura is said to be the first woman Gombolola (county chief) in Uganda. “History has it that Julia Kibubura, who was a traditional diviner of the king of Ankole, was among the first locals to accept Christianity. Her courage and fortitude as a woman in colonial times is an example for all to emulate.

‘’I thank the people of Ibanda for hosting this great institution and supporting it to fulfill the goal of educating girls and women,’’ Alupo remarked in the president’s speech.

The president added that the NRM government prioritizes girls’ education and that the 1.5 points of affirmative action at Makerere University have helped to grow the numbers of women in higher education. 

Museveni contributed UGX 100 million towards the construction of the science block.

Earlier, the vice president promised to relay and pursue the message from the bishops to have Kibubura Girls School receive Government infrastructure support. She also contributed UGX 20 million towards the construction.

Alupo also challenged the religious leaders to use their pulpits to continuously speak out against cultural practices that hinder children’s programs. “Let the girl child and the boy child complete the school cycles so that communities and all children can access equal development.”

Rt. Rev. Amos Magezi said part of the aspirations of the school were to promote and empower the girl child through the administration of quality education with Christian morals.

Rt. Rev. Dr. Sheldon Mwesigwa, the former school head teacher and now Bishop of Ankole Diocese, who doubles as an associate professor of Religious education, hailed the school’s growth and ability to defy the odds.

The school head teacher, Amanya Celior, highlighted some of the school’s innovations, like the food and nutrition laboratory facilities, the five-acre banana plantation that supplements school feeding and enables saving, efforts in fighting soil erosion, and the teaching of the Chinese language.

The Archbishop of Church of Uganda, the most Rev Steven Kazimba Mugalu has condemned the terrorist attack on Mpondwe Lhubiliriha Secondary School in Kasese district.

Kazimba said it is unfortunate for the country still mourning her soldiers killed in Somalia that another tragedy has left such a huge number of people (students) dead.

According to reports, at least 42 people were killed in a suspected ADF attack on Friday night and these included students and two members of the local community who were killed outside the school.

Speaking at St. Emmanuel Kabwohe during his pastoral visit to Sheema, West Ankole diocese, Kazimba urged these cowardly people to stop attacking schools and killing innocent souls and appealed to government to improve on security to ensure people’s lives are protected.

The Archbishop, West Ankole Diocese Bishop, Rt Rev Johnson Twinomujuni and other christians touring projects at Kabwohe Archdeaconry.

Speaking during the same function, Rosemary Nyakikongoro, the woman Member of Parliament who doubles as chairperson parliamentary defense committee condemned the attack and asked government to increase funding for security saying they need to re-strategize and refocus on security of the country.

During the same visit, Christians in Sheema were left disappointed after the Archbishop said that there will be no creation of a new diocese.

Archbishop Kazimba said that he received the request from Sheema demanding the creation of new diocese of central Ankole diocese which the provincial committee referred back to diocesan synod and synod will establish the committee to stir up the process.

Kazimba advised Christians to follow the right procedures and when the ban is lifted and they are found ready, they will be curved out from West Ankole diocese.

Mbarara City enforcement and Mbarara Referral Hospital security team have conducted a joint operation and nabbed seven female vendors accused of unlawfully operating in the hospital premises.

The developments have been confirmed by Halson Kagure, the Mbarara Referral Hospital Public Relations Officer who noted that the hospital administration has been speaking tough against vendors accessing the premises.

It is said that in 2022, there was a meeting which resolved to ban the operations of hawkers within and outside the hospital premises but all in vain.

Kagure urged Mbarara City Council to guide vendors and designate an area where they can freely transact their businesses and earn a living.

According to Kagure the suspects were produced before the Mbarara City Council grade one magistrate and were remanded until 20th June 2023.

Relatedly, recently, a woman identified as Doreen Amutuhaire was arrested in the hospital after she admitted to having been deployed by the purported witchdoctor in Mitooma to sneak ignorant patients into shrines.

Police have since embarked on gathering pieces of evidence that will lead to the arrest of the said witchdoctor.

Authorities at Mbarara city have resolved to construct Temporary pathways along Kanyeite and Taso Bridge as a way of helping pedestrians and motorcyclists to cross.

This comes after a month when the heavy downpour washed away Taso and Kanyeite Bridges both in Mbarara City South Division.

Speaking to our reporter, City Clerk Assy Abireebe said that this was resolved as an immediate remedy since constructing permanent bridges along Kanyeite and Taso Bridge will cost them a lot of money and of which they do not have at the moment.

Abireebe however said they expect to receive UGX 1b from Government in next FY2023/2024 for road maintenance and part of that money will be used to work on the two bridges in question.

Relatedly, the City Clerk said Katete-Rwizi lane that stretches from Vision Empire up to Isingiro road where Katete-Rwizi bridge falls, was included in the secondary cities project that is going to be funded by the European Union which is a grant to the Government of Uganda.

Residents of Kagango and Kashozi divisions in Sheema municipality are overjoyed after National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) extended tapped water to over 10 villages in the two divisions.

A total of over 48kms of pipes have been distributed to the villages of Obukubo, Nyamiko, Rwembirizi and many others.

While launching community water taps at Obukuubo cell, Kihunda ward, Sheema municipality, Dickson Kateshumbwa, the Sheema municipality Member of Parliament hailed the government for revamping Kyarwera water project which has helped the municipality to get enough water.

 

Evas Nimusiima, a resident of the same area, told our reporter that they are grateful to government for the clean water adding that they have been getting contaminated water from nearby swamps.

Following the World Health Organization (WHO) report which ranked Uganda as 1^st in alcohol consumption in Africa civil society, residents of Bushenyi district have called for laws to regulate this consumption.

Apollo Kakonge, the Executive Director West Ankole Civil Society Forum said the report is an indicator that Uganda’s levels of production is low since the population spend most of their time on alcohol.

Kakonge added that although the country benefits from alcohol consumption economically, it needs to regulate it in order to have a productive population.

Nathan Byaruhanga, a resident of Bushenyi town attributed the high ranking to government failure to regulate the mushrooming of bars and alcohol factories which have exposed the population to alcohol consumption appealing for reinforcement of existing laws to protect the population against alcohol drinking.

Julius Byamukama, the health inspector Bushenyi-Ishaka municipality however said that the alcohol consumption is on raise in Bushenyi-Ishaka especially with locally-manufactured crude waragi attributing the challenge to low enforcement saying bars have no specified time for opening and this has led people to drink from morning to morning.

The report released by WHO  indicated that men in Uganda consume more alcohol compared to women, with each consuming an average of 19.93 litres of pure alcohol compared to 4.88 litres of alcohol consumed by women annually.

Police in Sheema District are investigating circumstances under which community members refused to bury the body of a 67-year-old woman and maliciously destroyed family properties.

Martial Tumusiime, the greater Bushenyi region police spokesperson said on Friday at around 7Pm, Arthur Rumanzi transported back home the dead body of his aunt, Doreka Kandebeho who died from Kabwohe health Centre IV where she had been admitted since 8th May 2023.

It is said that the residents of Nyakashambya cell and Lugongi cell in Sheema central division demanded to know why Rumanzi filed a case against two of his brothers, Ishaaka Hangamisho and Tumusiime Ronald who had been taking care of the deceased and are currently remanded pending court ruling on charges of malicious damage.

The community members noted that the deceased would not have died if the two brothers on remand were not arrested.

The community members instructed Rumanzi to take back the body to the mortuary at Kabwohe health center IV until he brings the two remanded relatives of the deceased.

It is suspected that the angry community members set Rumanzi’s residential house ablaze and cut his banana plantations as he fled into hiding.

The body of the deceased was taken to the mortuary at Kabwohe health centre IV as investigations into the matter continue.