Over 65 UPDF Engineers have completed Four months Engineering Battalion course intake  at Uganda Rapid Deployment Capability Centre(URDCC).

The course which was facilitated by the USA marines had heavy equipment, Utilities, Supply and Civil engineering sections.

Presiding over the closing ceremony, the Commandant URDCC Brig. Peter Gaetano Omola congratulated graduands upon successfully completing the course and urged them to make good use of the skills acquired.

“I know it has not been easy for the 04 months you have been here, go and put those good skills you have acquired to good use,” said Brig Omola.

He thanked the US government for the great support both in equipment and human resource which has enabled smooth running of the course.

He concluded that, this course is relevant because it will improve UPDF’s capabilities through mobility, counter mobility and survivability in operations.

The representative of the US embassy Lt Robinson attributed these courses to the good diplomatic relations between Uganda and the US.

He urged soldiers to relay the skills they have acquired to their colleagues in their units who did not get the opportunity to attend the course.

In a related development, 16 UPDF officers had earlier in the day completed a two weeks Operation Staff Officers Course intake 04 at URDCC Jinja.

The Chief of staff URDCC Brig Gen Johnson Muma, while presiding over the function, said UPDF takes training as priority and officers must always embrace it to improve their skills and empower themselves with knowledge to build capacity for continuity of UPDF operational strategy.

He noted that UPDF relates with other armies across the world and thus the need for such courses.

He congratulated participants upon the exemplary performance on the course and urged them to not only practice the knowledge acquired but also pass it over to other officers in their respective formations.

Present at both functions were representatives of Commandants from sister training schools, Senior officers from Jinja Cantonment among others.

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Rwanda has confirmed the first case of corona virus, a day after Kenya had just confirmed the virus in the east African community (EAC).

Rwanda joins others African countries of Kenya, Algerian Nigeria, South Africa, and Congo which first confirmed the virus earlier this month. The virus which exploded in China’s Wuhan City in Hubei Province has claimed 4,600 lives with over 126,000 people infected globally out of whom 67,000 have recovered.

According to Rwandan ministry of health, the confirmed case is of an Indian citizen who arrived from Mumbai, India on March 8, 2020.

“The patient had no symptoms upon arrival in Rwanda and reported himself to the health facility on 13th March 2020 where he was immediately tested,” read in part of the statement released by health ministry.

The patient is currently under treatment in a stable, isolated from other patients and the tracing of all other contacts is underway to minimise the spread of the virus.

The ministry urged all its nations to observe all guidelines set up in the fight against the virus.

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The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga has appealed to UN agencies to support the operations of the National Women’s Council to enable it reach women at grassroots level.

Kadaga said she was concerned that although women council leaders were elected countrywide, they remain largely redundant.

“When I go for meetings of women councils, many ask that, ‘Madam Speaker: we were elected, but what can we do?” Kadaga said.

Kadaga said this while meeting representatives from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Women, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the National Women Council at Parliament on Thursday, 12 March 2020.

The National Women’s Council was established in 1993 by an Act of Parliament, with a mandate to bring together all women in Uganda for social, economic and political empowerment.

Kadaga said the council with its representation from village to the national level has potential to make a turn around on issues of women economic empowerment and their participation in developing communities.

The Council’s Executive Secretary, Collin Mwijukye said that with 356,000 women leaders spread across the country, the council survives on limited resources of less than Shs1 billion per annum to run operations and grass root programmes.

“This leaves us constrained to implement visible programmes much as we are happy that many of our initiatives have been taken up by our partners,” Mwijukye said.

The Council Chairperson, Farida Kibowa interested the UN agencies in its new initiative termed ‘the 15 house hold model’ where five council leaders are attached to monitor 15 households in a village.

“Through this system, the council shall reach out to households, small hold farmers, domestic workers, landless women, and school girls and women entrepreneurs,” Kibowa said.

The UNFPA Representative in Uganda, Alain Sibenaler said UN was in a process of drafting new cooperation framework for the next five years and added that some of the priority areas of the council such as child health and adolescent health are core to certain UN agencies.

The UN Women, Deputy Country Representative Adekemi Ndieli, advised that women councils can take advantage of some of the UN programmes already running.

“For example the spotlight programme which was launched on Sunday (8 March 2020) benefits women movements; we could leverage on its resources and connections as we see how we shall work together,” Ndieli said.

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The Ministry of Health has started training UPDF at the Mbuya Senior Officers Diagnostic Centre on the prevention of the deadly Coronavirus (CODIV 19) with the aim of equipping soldiers with skills to combat the outbreak of the virus.

Maj. Gen. Ambrose Musinguzi, UPDF Chief of Medical Services, who represented the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), lauded the ministry for being timely in equipping the UPDF medical personnel with skills to prevent the spread of Corona virus.

He said that as the UPDF they are mandated to respond to emergencies like they have been doing over the years, therefore, the training only helps them to respond better to the virus in case it hits the country. “As UPDF, we are under obligation to respond to emergencies and help to protect the people we serve” Gen Musinguzi said.

He announced that there will be various training to train soldiers on how to prevent the spread of corona virus, this is the first and another one will be held at Bombo Land Forces headquarters.

“These trained teams will be the ones to further train and sensitize other soldiers from other units countrywide in the UPDF including those in Somalia” he emphasized.

Dr. Bondo Bongomin from the Ministry of Health said that the ministry is partnering with UPDF to deliver the message about Corona Virus which broke out in December 2019. “We thought it wise to equip you with the preventive skills against this global epidemic since UPDF is a very proactive institution when it comes to emergencies”.

He said that after the training, trainees should be in position to know the signs and symptoms of corona virus and be able to prevent the spread of the disease.

Dr. Salome Okware the ministry official assured the trainees that they should be in position to form teams and be ready to fight the epidemic after the training.

She added that hygiene must be a priority in order to avoid the spread of the disease through washing hands thoroughly and quickly identifying the patients with the signs of the virus and isolating them.

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