The Ag. Chief Justice, Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo, earlier today presided over a scientific opening of the Court of Appeal’s Criminal session in Mbale.

Describing it as a unique session, Justice Dollo, went to Malukhu Prison where he addressed male and female appellants on what to expect.

He was received by the Regional Prisons Commander, Ronald Godi, explained that all appellants would follow the proceedings through by way of IT using Zoom.

“Because of Corona, you will not go to Court but you will attend Court from here. The Judges will be at Court but you will all be able to see each other,” said the Ag. CJ.

The Mbale Senior Resident Judge, Godfrey Namundi said the session was a ray of hope for the appellants.

The appellants, through their representative, Hassan Kagende, presented a three-point memorandum. The concerns rotated around deducting time spent on remand but not deducted during sentencing, need for clarity on what life imprisonment means and an appeal to the Court for leniency.

Justice Dollo, in response, l said Justices; Frederick Egonda-Ntende, Cheborion Barishaki and Muzamiru Kibeedi, who are handling the session will, each, review the record of the Court that led to the conviction of each appellant and make a decision.

He urged the lawyers on state briefs representing the appellants to consult their clients rather than dictate for them what to do.

On the issue of trial Court not deducting time spent on remand during sentencing, he said, “it is now the law that the remand period is considered before sentencing. If the trial judge does not indicate that time spent on remand was considered, the Justices will put it in consideration and make their own judgment.”

Regarding the duration of life imprisonment, the Ag. Chief Justice explained to the appellants that previously this sentence was commuted to 20 years but under the new law it means imprisonment for one’s natural life.

Justice Egonda-Ntende said the Justices were committed to deliver justice in a timely manner. “Our duty is to render our decisions in a timely manner. And whereas we cannot do much about the delays you have suffered, all we can commit to do is that decisions can be reached in a timely manner. That is our undertaking to you and our nation.”

Justice Cheborion commended the prison authorities for ensuring that the appellants are well looked after and safe.

Justice Kibeedi reassured the appellants that although there would not be physical interaction during the session, the Justices will listen to the appellants attentively through the technology medium and justice shall be done.

The Ag. CJ and the Justices toured the dedicated room where the appellants will follow Court proceedings from.

A team of senior prosecutors led by Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecution, Sam Oola will be taking part in the session that will handle 40 appeals.

Out of the 40 Appeals, Murder ranks highest with 17 cases followed by Aggravated Defilement with 12 cases and Aggravated Robbery with seven. The other appeals are on offences of Operating a Pharmacy without a License, Rape, Arson and Criminal Trespass each with one case.

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Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) has continued its drive to improve hand washing and sanitation in public, high risk areas as a way of protecting the public against the spread of COVID-19.

In the effort, the Company has handed over 40 handwashing jerrycans to authorities in Buikwe District’s Najjembe, Namawojjolo, Ssenyi and Kiyinda areas, along the busy Jinja Road Highway.

This initiative is part of Coca-Cola’s commitment to support the Ministry of Health in the fight against COVID-19, with a focus on areas that are at high risk due to congestion and economic activity such as presented by cargo truck drivers coming in from other East African companies.

General Manager Melkamu Abebe, in a message delivered by Anita Natuha, Regional Trade Marketing Representative, reiterated the company’s commitment towards efforts aimed at limiting the spread of the disease and explained why the initiative is important to the company.

“Now more than ever, the responsibility falls on each of us to stay safe in these unprecedented times. With the lifting of the lockdown, the COVID-19 threat is very high and requires each of us to continue observing government guidelines to avoid a second lockdown. At Coca-Cola, the safety of our people comes first and we are a people-centered company which extends even to the communities we operate in. We believe that our business is as good as the community we operate in and that’s why we always seek meaningful ways to improve people’s lives,” he said.

The areas listed are high risk areas as travelers tend to make stopovers along the highway to purchase refreshments and for rest stops. This poses health risks for all people in the area. The Ministry of Health recently registered some cases in these areas.

“Buikwe District has had a number of COVID-19 positive cases since the pandemic began, and the number has intensified in the last couple of months. This donation will help target busy areas like Namawojjolo and Najjembe where many people tend to gather or stop,” said Buikwe District Health Officer Dr. Richard Bbosa.

Dr. Bbosa commended Coca-Cola Beverages Africa for the initiative and for placing focus on areas outside the city centre where the need is highest.

Uganda has registered 1,203 cases of COVID-19 patients since the pandemic began. Of those, 547 have been cargo truck drivers, most of whom transit through Buikwe District using Jinja Road, where Namawojjolo is a popular stop over point for meals. Buikwe District, on its own, has presented 44 COVID-19 cases and is classified as a “Red” area with an intense infection rate.

The WHO and the Ministry of Health of Uganda strongly recommend that people wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least twenty seconds every time, as an effective method to avoid contracting or spreading COVID-19.

“Let’s not ignore the guidelines that the government has issued, if we each play our part during this time, many lives will be saved. I thank Coca-Cola for taking on this initiative and more so for remembering Buikwe District as it is a supporter of the brand especially at these points of Najjembe,” remarked Mathias Kigongo, Chairman Buikwe Taskforce.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, CCBA has provided several interventions including; food relief worth Shs 390million from The Coca-Cola Foundation, distributed through the Uganda Red Cross Society to vulnerable families affected by the lockdown; Shs 85million to the Ministry of Health to buy medical equipment and sundries; public awareness worth Shs 460million and three pick-up trucks for the Ministry of Health COVID-19 Task Force. So far the total contribution during this period is Shs 1.3billion.

The company made a commitment to distribute 5,000 handwashing stations across the country and has so far set-up five 5,000litre Community Handwashing Stations for the general public use in Mukono (Namanve), Kampala (Kyambogo) and Mbarara (Makenke and Municipality).

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Uganda communications commission (UCC) has resumed a digital literacy campaign peddled at sensitizing informal business actors to embrace the digital economy.

The campaign targeting informal business actors in their workspaces was conducted in February this year. It had covered parts of Western and Northern Uganda just before the onset of COVID-19 lockdown at the end of March.

The outreach teams head out to Eastern and North-Eastern Uganda. The digital skills enhancement exercises will be carried out in open-air markets in the towns of Busia, Tororo, Mbale, Kumi, Kabong, Kotido, Moroto, Abim and Nakapiripirit.

Flagging off the teams at Ntinda in Kampala, the Director Rural Communications Development Fund (RCDF) Nyombi Thembo pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic has made digital literacy more critical for the informal sector today than it was yesterday.

UCC through RCDF, Mr. Thembo said, is committed to its three-year goal of equipping over one million informal sector people with the digital literacy skills they need to boost their business and improve their daily lives.

UCC is mandated by Section 5(1) (S) of the Uganda Communications Act 2013 to promote universal access to communication services and to improve access to ICT services in Uganda.

In line with this mandate, RCDF has prioritised extending digital literacy skills to various informal sector groups in rural areas across the country.

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), the informal economy contributed 50% of Uganda’s GDP in 2014.

Up to 80 per cent of the labor force worked in this informal economy, and most of this population was essentially ‘underemployed’, with most of the workers not earning enough to escape poverty.

The informal economy in Uganda is characterised by jobs and business activities that are often not registered. These include market vendors, fishermen, subsistence farmers, mechanics and boda-boda cyclists, among others.

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