Police in Sheema District have launched investigations into circumstances under which a woman was raped and murdered. The incident occurred in the wee hours of Monday April,22,2024 in Market cell, Kabwohe Division, Sheema Municipality

The victim identified as Shallot Turyahabwe, 26, a resident Nyabubare I, in Isingiro ward, Bugongi Town Council has been a waitress in one of the hotels in Kabwohe.

According to police, Turyahabwe was seen in a bar in Kabwohe at around 2:00am with other yet to be identified persons before she was allegedly raped and murdered.

The OC CID Sheema District, Paul Muhenda asked landlords to install security lights on their buildings to minimize the dark spots in the area . He asked the people to be vigilant about their security. He further cautioned women and girls to avoid dark corridors at night and he discouraged them from heavy alcohol consumption.

The Market Cell Chairman, Ssenyonga Muhammad, requested residents to always report any suspected wrong doers to their offices or to police for interrogation. 

The deceased’s body was conveyed to Kabwohe Health Centre IV for postmortem while investigations into the matter continue.

Senior Presidential Advisor on media who also doubles as the patron of Bushenyi Twetambire Association (BTA), Lay Can. Busingye Mary Karooro Okurut has challenged Ugandans to embark on herbal medicines as alternatives to treating non-communicable diseases. She made this call during BTA’s annual general meeting which was held at Ntambiko Craft Centre, in Katungu, Nyakabirizi Division,Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality.

Karooro noted that there is an increase in non communicable diseases which Ugandans need to address very carefully. She observed that these diseases have made people vulnerable but they could get relief by relying on herbal medicines as an alternative treatment.

While speaking at the same function, Karooro said that BTA was formed to help vulnerable people and other members of the community to access health services at affordable prices.

She urged people in the scheme not to politicise it saying that it was formed without political or religious affiliation.She encouraged members to always be neutral if they are to grow the association.

In the same meeting, Lucas Muhangi was elected as the new association chairperson after defeating the interim chairman Angelina Kyerisa. Muhangi asked members to remain united and stay away from being divided. By staying away from the conflicts the association will fulfill its obligation.

Residents of Kagongo Division formerly Kashangura Sub county before it was curved out of Ibanda North county and annexed to Ibanda Town Council before it was elevated to a municipality have been advised to petition office of the Inspector General of Government over their diverted health center II funds. The funds were meant to elevate Kashangura Health II to a Health Centre III status have been diverted to rather uplift the status of Birongo Health Centre II to Health Centre III.

The advice was raised by Innocent Mwiine Bakamuhara during a stakeholders meeting in Kashangura noting that it is only the office of the Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Finance that is supposed to divert funds.

Bakamuhara explained that the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Diana Atwiine does not have a right to divert funds which were released to elevate Kashangura Health Centre II in Kagongo Division,Ibanda Municipality and channel it to do the same work at Birongo Health Centre II in Kijongo sub-county, Ibanda North.

He is worried that there could be a bunch of politicians in Ibanda district who are behind this diversion of services for political reasons.

The Ministry of Health released over Shs900m to set up structures at Kashangura Health Centre II with the intention of elevating it to a health centre III status but funds meant to do this work were diverted.

Locals through their district councillor Mr. Godfrey Kamagara have been agitating for justice .With justice not coming their way,the locals have opted to run to the Ministry of Finance and the office of the Inspector General of Government to petition the decision of Dr.Diana Atwiine,Health Ministry’s Permanent Secretary.

The Ibanda District Council has approved a budget of Shs38.975b for the financial year 2024/2025 where infrastructural development, education and health sectors took a lion’s share of this budget.

The budget passed by the district council on Friday afternoon, has increased by over Shs10bn from Shs26.73bn for the fiscal year that ends on June, 30 to Shs38.975bn for the 2024/2025 financial year.

John Kapimpi Tushemerirwe, the Ibanda District Secretary for Finance said that the budget also seeks to fund road works, youth skilling programmes, agricultural interventions, entrepreneurship and access to safe water.

”Over 95% of the budget will be funded by the central government aiming largely at catering for salaries of public workers while 3% will come from local revenues as donors will contribute 1.5%” . Kapimpi told council.

The district workers wage bill has increased to Shs20.966b for fiscal year 2024/2025 from Shs17.68b the ending fiscal year.

Shs 2.471b will go to pensioners, while Shs794.3m will cater for gratuity. The water sector has seen its budget rise to 743.9m from Shs.674.55m aiming at easing access to clean water for the people. Shs 467.8m will cater for the rollout of microscale irrigation scheme as part of the efforts by the government to increase total irrigated area countrywide.

As the district plans to strengthen an improvement in education and health sectors, funding for these sectors has been cut; education receiving Shs7.581b, down from Shs13.189b while Health is at sh2.257b compared to Shs5.167b this ending financial year. The Works Department pocketed Shs1.031b, down from Shs1.171b, and yet the Natural Resources and Environment Department sees its budget reduce to sh40.5m, a very huge cut from sh283.8m this year.

Speaking after the council sitting, Godfrey Kamagara the LCV councillor for Kashangura Sub county called upon the government to allocate more money to the construction of classrooms, saying that the state of schools infrastructure is alarming across the district.

Members of the family of the late David Tumushabe of Busiriba village, Busiriba Parish,Busiriba Sub County, Kamwenge District have petitioned President Museveni to intervene in the matter of unresolved death of their relative.

The family is petitioning president Museveni over this issue for the second time and seek his intervention in resolving the mysterious death of their father. They also request the fountain of Honour to constitute an inquiry into the incident.

The deceased, David Tumushabe, a former senior accounting officer with East African Railways Corporation, Uganda Railways Corporation, and a political leader, died mysteriously in December, 2011 and his body was dumped in a swamp in Kabigyemere Village, Busiriba Sub-county after he had been reported missing for a day.

Thirteen years down the road, the family says that Tumushabe’s death remains a mystery since a post mortem report was never seen by family members. The late is said to have left his home on December, 19th 2011, only to discover his body in a swamp the following day after he failed to return home

In a petition dated February 29, addressed to President Museveni, and copied to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and Constitution Affairs, the Office of the Prime Minister and the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Levi Twinamasiko, a son to the deceased,
states on behalf of the family that they have not received justice or any report
from security organs regarding the progress investigations into their father’s death since 2011.

Initially, the family petitioned President Museveni on September, 15th 2021, as well as other security organs but they say they have not received any formal communication from them to date. Twinamasiko revealed that after submitting the first petition, the family hosted a team of
officers from the Crime Intelligence Department.

Amongst the officers were the head of Medical Department of Uganda Police, Dr Moses Byaruhanga, and other security officers who visited the crime scene. However, the family has reportedly not received any report from this investigative team.

Twinamasiko says that when the body was discovered, police directed the family to proceed with burial, promising commencement of investigations to determine
the cause of death.

In their petition, the family requests the head state to visit the scene of crime and give his guidance on the investigations into their father’s death. 

Ms. Dennavence Tumushabe Tushabomwe, a widow to the deceased, says that it has been hard to cope with life since the demise of her husband. She further says that before he died, Tumushabe was processing his gratuity and severance pay from Uganda Railways Corporation but the family has never been furnished with the progress of the same.

Police in Mbarara fired teargas yesterday to disperse a group of boda boda cyclists .These were protesting against a move by Mbarara City Council that asks the cyclists to hold their structural leadership elections through electoral colleges.

The protest follows a resolution by a council sitting last week to release and launch an electoral roadmap meant to guide the boda boda riders through the exercise of choosing their leaders. In the same week, a launch of the roadmap was done.

According to the Mbarara Central Police Station Officer in charge of operations, ASP Swizin Tibesigwa, their intervention was aimed at stopping the riders from defying police instructions on holding a procession. He further encouraged them to use the court system if a solution is not arrived at with City council authorities.

Sadious Ounkunda, one of the leaders of the riders challenged this plan saying that college elections are not in line with their constitution.

The Mbarara City Resident Commissioner, James Mwesigye, warned them against further protests which will result into strong action in case they do not heed his advice.

The Bushenyi district health officer, Dr. Edward Mwesigye has confirmed the outbreak of conjunctivitis, commonly known as red eye disease in the district.

Conjunctivitis happens when the membrane covering the insides of your eyelids and the white part of your eye, called the conjunctiva, becomes inflamed.

Inflammation of the conjunctiva causes the whites of your eyes to appear pink or red in colour.

The most common pink eye symptoms include redness in one or both eyes, itchiness in one or both eyes, a gritty feeling, and discharge in one or both eyes that forms a crust during the night that may prevent your eye or eyes from opening in the morning.

Affected persons may also experience tearing, sensitivity to light.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Dr Mwesigye revealed that several cases have been registered, asking the public to be vigilant and improve on sanitation and hygiene.

Dr Mwesigye appealed to public to embark on hand washing , avoid congested places in order to mitigate the spread of the deadly disease.

The Bushenyi Resident District Commissioner(RDC), Robert Atuhairwe asked people to restore back handwashing equipment especially in schools and at home as they used to do during the COVID-19 period.