Mercy Timbitwire, a Public Relations Officer at the NRM Secretariat was remanded to Luzira Prison after a video showing her slapping a traffic police officer went viral. She was arrested on Friday October 18 and spent the weekend at Jinja Road Police Station before appearing yesterday at Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court.

Prosecutors have filed two separate cases against her. In the first case, Timbitwire is jointly charged with Bernadine Abangira, the Administrator of Berger Rights Holdings Limited with the theft of two mobile phones worth 800,000 shillings belonging to police officer Charles Makawa and an EPS machine valued at 14 million shillings which is property of the Uganda Police Force.

They are also accused of assaulting a police officer and being accessories after the fact of a felony. According to the prosecution, the alleged incidents took place at the UMA Showgrounds in Nakawa Division on October 18, 2024. After the alleged offenses, Timbitwire and Abangira reportedly used force against Officer Charles Makawa with Timbitwire specifically accused of assaulting him while he was performing his duties. Abangira is charged as an accessory for allegedly helping Timbitwire evade accountability.

In the second case, Timbitwire faces charges of reckless driving, failing to comply with a police officer’s orders and using a vehicle without third-party insurance as required by law. Prosecutors claim that Timbitwire drove a white Toyota Land Cruiser with the registration number 439T recklessly along New Port Bell Road near Makerere University Business School while using a handheld mobile phone.

Both women have pleaded not guilty to all charges before Chief Magistrate Erias Kakooza. State Attorney Mariam Kuluthum informed the court that investigations are complete. They will remain in custody at Luzira Prison until November 4, 2024.

Coffee growers in Northwest Ankole Diocese,Ibanda district have been urged to participate in the ongoing farmer registration exercise. This call was made by Bishop Amos Magezi emphasizing that the initiative is vital for protecting households which are dependent on coffee production.

He further revealed that this will ensure stability of the church and the national economy by facilitating uninterrupted coffee exports to the European Union (EU).

This call comes at a time when Uganda is approaching a critical deadline to comply with new EU legislation regarding coffee imports from “deforested zones.” The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) set to take effect on December 30 mandates that exporters and farmers demonstrate that coffee intended for the EU market is sourced from land where deforestation has not occurred since 2020. The registration exercise aims to establish a traceability system for coffee enabling Uganda to maintain access to the EU market which has 26 member countries.

During a media briefing on October 15 at his office in Ibanda town, Bishop Magezi highlighted the urgency of completing the farmer registration process in collaboration with the government before the deadline. He noted that coffee cultivation is a key initiative for the seven-year-old diocese which has distributed over 100,000 coffee seedlings across its 36 parishes.

Bishop Magezi pointed out that compliance with EU regulations would help ensure stable household incomes allowing families to afford education, healthcare and other necessities while also potentially reducing domestic violence driven by poverty. The regulation is intended to ensure traceability of coffee from farms to market.

He also announced that the diocese’s farmer registration system has received approval from the government and the EU. Since the registration process commenced in mid-2023 over 5,000 farmers have already been registered. However, the prelate called for government support noting that enumerating farmers is a challenging and costly task. The diocese plans to invest over 80 million Ugandan shillings in this initiative.

An enumerator from Kyanyabigondo, Kitontooma parish in the Bugarama archdeaconry reported that some individuals are hesitant to register due to fears of potential taxation.

Police in Kasese district are investigating the sudden death of Sulaina Nabasirye, a senior four student at Bwera Secondary School. Her death follows the tragic case of another candidate, Emmanuel Maate, who died by hanging days prior to sitting his national exams.

On Monday, Nabasirye sat for her exams and attended study sessions with her classmates. After returning to her dormitory, she reportedly developed breathing difficulties. The school matron, Peninah Biira rushed her to Bwera General Hospital where she was pronounced dead at approximately 11:00 PM.

Rwenzori East Police Spokesperson, SP Nelson Tumushime stated that police led by the Bwera Division police commander SP Tai Ramathan arrived at the scene and collected samples for postmortem analysis as part of the ongoing investigation.

This incident marks the second reported death of a candidate during the examination period. An emergency meeting with students was held at Bwera Secondary School this morning and examinations continued as scheduled.

On Saturday, 16-year-old Emmanuel Maate, a senior four student at Karambi Senior Secondary School, was found hanging in his room. Reports indicate that Maate had been dealing with personal issues including an alleged relationship that resulted in the pregnancy of a junior student which had reportedly caused him significant distress.

A student of senior four at Bwizi Seed Secondary School in Bwizi Sub County, Kibale East, Kamwenge District identified as Susan Asiimamukama gave birth after her chemistry exam yesterday Monday October 14 has revealed that she is determined to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse.

Following her completion of the chemistry paper under the Lower Secondary curriculum, Asiimamukama welcomed a baby girl in the evening. Our reporter visited her during her preparations for her third exam, which was Geography paper 1 which she did today morning,Asiimamukama revealed that she was feeling alright and carried optimism to completing all the papers.

“My dream in education is to become a nurse and help treat people, if all goes well,” she stated.

Regarding her newborn, Susan mentioned that the baby is healthy and under close monitoring by nurses.

Festo Musinguzi, the head teacher of Bwizi Seed Secondary School, praised Susan as one of the school’s brightest candidates and expressed confidence in her performance in the exams. He assured her that the school will provide all necessary support to ensure her successful completion of the examinations.

Asiimamukama is prepared to sit for her fifth exam, physics paper 1, tomorrow morning and then fine art in the afternoon.