A recent survey conducted by Ipsos, commissioned by WWF and the Plastic Free Foundation, reveals that an overwhelming majority of Ugandans support a global treaty to address plastic pollution. The survey, which polled 24,727 respondents in 32 countries, including Uganda, found that almost all Ugandan participants (97%) support specific rules to ensure accountability and action against single-use plastics.

The survey found that 97% of Ugandan participants believe it’s important to reduce global plastic production, a crucial step in mitigating the harmful effects of plastic pollution on the environment and human health. This overwhelming support indicates a strong desire among Ugandans to address the plastic pollution crisis, which has severe consequences on the country’s waterways, soil, and wildlife.

Furthermore, 96% of Ugandan participants believe it’s important to ban chemicals used in plastic that are hazardous to human health, wildlife, and the environment. This finding highlights the urgent need to address the harmful impact of plastic chemicals on human health and the environment.

Additionally, 93% of Ugandan participants believe it’s important to ban unnecessary single-use plastic products most likely to become plastic pollution. Single-use plastics, such as plastic bags, straws, and water bottles, are a significant contributor to plastic pollution, and banning them would significantly reduce the amount of plastic waste that ends up in the environment.

The survey also found that 96% of Ugandan participants believe it’s important to ban types of plastic that cannot be easily recycled in practice. This finding underscores the need for a more sustainable approach to plastic production and consumption, one that prioritizes recyclable and biodegradable materials.

Moreover, 96% of Ugandan participants believe it’s important to require transparent labeling on plastic products, indicating a strong desire for accountability and transparency in the plastic industry.

A significant 97% of Ugandan participants believe it’s important to require manufacturers and retailers to provide reuse and refill systems, a crucial step in reducing plastic waste and promoting sustainable consumption.

Furthermore, 93% of Ugandan participants believe it’s important to require all plastic manufacturers to pay fees that cover the costs of reuse, recycling, and safe management of plastic waste.

Moreover, 89% of Ugandan participants agree that a global treaty should include rules that ensure all participating countries have access to funding, technology, and other resources to comply with the rules, significantly higher than the global average.

The survey report was released on Tuesday, May 28, at Skyz Hotel Naguru, and was attended by policymakers, civil society, and other stakeholders. The findings demonstrate that Ugandans are willing to take action to combat plastic pollution and support global efforts to reduce plastic waste. The survey’s results serve as a call to action for policymakers, manufacturers, and consumers to work together to address the plastic pollution crisis and create a more sustainable future.

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Legislators of Uganda Parliamentary Alliance on Food and Nutrition Security have urged residents in Kamwenge district to intensify efforts of fighting malnutrition, after a survey placed Kamwenge as the district with the second highest number of malnutrition cases in Uganda.

The lawmakers made the appeal while addressing residents at Biguri Town Council during the assessment of the burden of malnutrition in Kamwenge district.

“Stunting is brought on by prolonged periods of not having enough nutrients in the bodies and this is due to the fact that nutrition is very poor from pregnancy up to five years that is where the problem is. When you compare our stunting levels, they’re far beyond 30%, we are above. Even when you compare with the national levels at 26% and you can see at Kamwenge, we are at 41%. If there is a delay to seek management services, in some cases we lose them. Where I work, averagely, we lose 2-4 children in a year. For severe malnutrition cases, we have 1-2 cases a week, totaling to 6-10 in a month and when you multiply by 12 months, it’s usually 36-38 cases in a year,” Emmanuel Tumusiime, Nutritionist at Rukunyu Hospital.

Tumusiime also explained that the kind of malnutrition in Kamwenge is chronic, as it starts way back from pregnancy, and it’s carried into adulthood and if the same malnourished adults conceive, there are high chances of them giving birth to stunted babies

Tumusiime explained, “When we study about stunting, it is a generational problem. A mother who doesn’t feed well, will give birth to an underweight baby who will grow into an adult who is underweight and that underweight adolescent will become a malnourished mother, who will not grow well the embryo again now at pregnancy, you find that cycle continues. Because when the body isn’t well developed, you will find that the fetus will also not develop well.”

Robert Kato, Senior Clinical Officer at Buguri Health Center III in Kamwenge district said that as they are concentrating on under nutrition, there are also cases of over nutrition. 

“Sometimes we have 14 cases of children who are malnourished, so this is a significant number that should be well addressed. The good thing is that for clients who come to us with cases of HIV or Tuberculosis, malnutrition is subsiding, but for the community, we need a common approach that is aggressive to get these clients from the community,” Robert Kato said.

Stanley Mwesige, Village Health Team (VHT) in Buguri Town Council decried that whenever the residents harvest paw paws, all they think about is selling them. If they get eggs, instead of preparing it for the children to eat, they sell them in the market and buy pancakes for the kids.

“The residents have the food, but they don’t know how to prepare this food to benefit the kids. The parents don’t know that they can prepare lunch, supper, breakfast and change the foods like posho, matooke, all they do is cook food once for the week, they prepare matooke or cassava that they feed on the whole week,” Mwesige said.

He attributed the high malnutrition rates to poverty noting, “Many of the parents struggle to raise income and they ask us, if I give the kids eggs, where will I get money to buy salt? That is why some of them prefer selling the eggs. We would like Government and Parliament to send professional people to Kamwenge to teach people on how to prepare food for the children to come to the villages and teach our people on how to prepare nutritious food for the children.”

Milton Muwuma Chairperson Uganda Parliamentary Alliance on Food & Nutrition Security said that there is a lot of food production going on but the way it is consumed calls for awareness creation.

Muwuma said, “People have food, but most of the food is sold to get money, instead of retaining some food for domestic consumption, so we need to encourage farmers to do domestic gardening where some vegetables and fruits are missing. People can consume cassava or matooke for a full week, so we need to advise them that it isn’t about the quantity of what you can consume but the quality matters a lot for us to minimize on the cost of treatment because if you eat well, food is medicinal it can help in boosting the immunity of the bodies,”

“We found teenage mothers, a girl of 15-16 years being pregnant, this threatens her life specifically when it comes to giving birth, she has got maternal challenges she is bound to face, but also the care is wanting because the girl is living with her parents who feel this is an extra burden, we should do some more awareness about girls remaining in school because some of them are stunted and end up producing underweight babies. We need to salute Kamwenge because the national figures given don’t tally with what is on ground, so Kamwenge district began scanning, screening and documenting what other districts aren’t doing,” added Muwuma.

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The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has given up to June 30 for online media operators to formalise and get operating licenses. 

The revelation was made during the sensitization engagement of online publishers in the country.

The ultimatum was given following overzealous unprofessionalism, blackmail and extortion exhibited by some of the publishers.

George William Nyombi Thembo, the Executive Director of the Uganda Communications Commission said he noted that UCC doesn’t intend to guard the media or stifle freedom of expression but to establish a proper working arrangement that benefits both the regulator and the online media service providers.

“We encourage those who are currently not licensed to take the necessary steps to regularise their operation in accordance with the law. We only have 38 online publishers who have some kind of license, yet there are more than 200 in this space. We encourage all operators to collaborate with us in this endeavour,” he noted.

He noted that as regulators, they are entrusted with the vital role of ensuring that the communication sector operates smoothly and effectively as mandated by the law. Everyone operating within the sector should be informed about the legal framework to ensure compliance and foster a cooperative relationship between the regulator and the service providers.

The UCC Act Regulation 2019 was established to protect and promote the interests of viewers and listeners. The regulations are designed to ensure that the content you provide meets the necessary standards. It also aims to protect various groups, including children, by preventing exposure to harmful content such as pornography, glorified violence, offensive communication, and material that could create public insecurity. By adhering to these standards, we can create a safer and more restricted online environment for all of us.

“People who give us news online should embrace high standards of professionalism. Professionalism should not be compromised. When you are in a media space, giving everybody an equal opportunity when you are reporting on something is paramount,” he said.

“We want to be looked at as professionals, and that is the journey we want to walk. When we walk that journey, it will help us regulate you together. He noted that because the ICT space is so wide, we cannot have the resources to regulate everybody,” he said.

He urged online journalists to be knowledgeable; you can’t know everything. If you don’t know something, ask people who do.

“Form organisations for the first level of regulation amongst yourselves, just like medical practitioners regulate themselves under the medical council; core regulation is on another level; and the third level is headed by the UCC”.

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The Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has pledged to enhance and maintain the cordial relations between Uganda and India.

This was during a meeting with a National Defence College – India delegation at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Mbuya.

The Chief of Joint Staff, Maj Gen Jack Bakasumba, who represented the Chief of Defence Forces, commended the delegation for choosing Uganda as part of their case study and pledged to continue strengthening the existing friendship for the development of both countries.

Maj Gen Bakasumba told the delegation that the foundation of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces is built on its relations with the civilian population, making it a pro-people Army.

He said, “For us, we believe that people are the biggest tool, and whatever we do, the civilians are the foundation; that’s why we’re called the Peoples’ Army.”

The Chief of Joint Staff observed that despite the UPDF being a young army, it has achieved a lot in Uganda and across Africa. He added that Uganda has exported peace to several African countries, such as Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He said that Uganda subscribes to regional peace mechanisms like the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF), which aims to improve the region’s security.

The Head of the Indian delegation, Air vice Marshal Manish Kumah Gupta, said that course participants are in Uganda for a study tour to learn and understand Uganda better. He added that the tour will equip them with knowledge and experiences to help and guide them in their studies and daily duties.

AVM Manish Kumah Gupta said that he learned the history of Uganda after reading “Sowing the Mustard Seed” by H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, which was gifted to him by Colonel Nelson Aheebwa.

He said, “I read about the spirit of Pan Africanism, Economic Development, among others President Museveni has for Africa, and now we’re here to listen from the people on the ground.”

Uganda and India’s relations span decades. Indians play a significant role in Uganda’s economy, especially in manufacturing, trade, and banking, which provides employment opportunities. India military officers offer and conduct training for UPDF personnel in Uganda and India, which has enhanced the capabilities of the UPDF.

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KITGUM-Boda Boda Association in Pader town Council has suspended its member, Okot Geoffrey Amuti for three months after he was accused of having love affair with the wife of a fellow member

In the letter dated May 22, 2024, Oyoo Ben Mark, Association Chairman (Disciplinary) said that this act is a clear violation of the association’s code of conduct and a betrayal of the trust that exists among our members. 

“We cannot tolerate such behavior and we will take all necessary steps to protect the integrity of our association,” Oyoo said. 

The association’s disciplinary committee conducted a thorough investigation and found Amuti guilty of violating Article 14, Section 17 of the association’s by-laws, which strictly prohibits members from engaging in romantic relationships with the spouses of fellow members or connecting them with others.

“This is a very sad and unfortunate situation,” Oyoo said. 

He added, “We urge all members to respect the decision and maintain the integrity of our association. We will do everything possible to support the affected member and his family during this difficult time.”

 “How could he do this to a fellow member?” asked a shocked colleague, who wished to remain anonymous. “We trusted him and considered him a friend. This is a huge betrayal and we demand justice!”

A one social media viewer worried, “Imagine common boba boda men can suspend a colleague over indiscipline and fraudulent behavior but MPs cannot do the same to thieves among them.”

The association further warned that “failure to comply will lead to fines or further action as prescribed in the constitution.”

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