The Kingfisher project affected persons have received Buhuka Gravity flow scheme rehabilitation project, is a community water and sanitation project.

The project is aimed at providing safe and clean water to the five villages of over 13,000 residents in Buhuka flats which is the host community for the Kingfisher Development area where CNOOC Uganda Limited operates.

The project was started in February 2022 and the rehabilitation contract was awarded to SAMKA, a fully Ugandan company. Substantial completion of the project was achieved on 6th July 2022. This project included the making a detailed design of a new distribution network that incorporates some of the old scheme.

This distribution network is made up of 14km of HDPE pipes that supply water to Nsunzu A, Nsunzu B, Kyakapere, Nsonga A, and Nsonga B. The other part of the design includes a water treatment plant, a power/chemical house and the water treatment system which includes the intake unit, aerator tank, coagulator tank, sedimentation tank, sand filter and the clear water tank that is treated using chlorine to make it safe and then pumped off for distribution to the stand taps constructed in the villages and the community market water supply system.

The water is abstracted from river Masika for which the National Environment Management Authority granted a license for abstraction of 180m3 an equivalent of 9000 twenty liter jerry cans of water per day for treatment and supply to the community. For sustainability and ease of making the project fully community run and owned in future, the electronic equipment of the facility are run on renewable energy which is solar that is abundant in the area. The facility has an array of 38 solar panels.

Enoth Tukamushaba the project engineer described the project as a very big contribution to the community that will improve the livelihoods of the user community; he also said that three local residents from Kyakapere, Nsunzu and Nsonga have been trained in operation and maintenance of the facilities. This is to ensure that even when the SAMKA engineers handover and leave the project to the community, the community can fully and ably run it.

Residents that have used the water from the new system have described the water as a very considerable improvement from previous water sources that were unreliable and whose water safety was not guaranteed. They are happy to be able to have clean water taps near their homes.

The LCI chairman of Nsonga A village, Babihemaiso Dismus expressed the same views as the community saying that the livelihoods of the community members has greatly benefitted from the project. They stressed the benefit of prevention of various water borne diseases that had pledged the villages in Buhuka flats like typhoid, dysentery and other skin diseases. This therefore makes the community better.

 “We have set up water user committees that will be in charge of monitoring the water distribution system and maintenance of good working conditions of the taps in the different villages.”

Mr. Chen Zhuobiao, President, CNOOC Uganda Limited said that CNOOC Uganda Limited will remain a dependable partner in improving the livelihoods of the host communities and this is a continuation of the different projects undertaken by CNOOC Uganda Limited in that regard.

He urged the community to take good care of the facilities to ensure that the project runs for many years to come. He applauded the local leaders that have rendered support for the different projects aimed at improving the standards of living of the area and for the continued support to CNOOC Uganda Limited in its operations.

He reaffirmed CNOOC Uganda Limited’s commitment to being a good neighbor and always striving to create Win-Win relationships with the local community. Mr. Chen concluded his speech saying that “CNOOC Uganda Limited is committed to the efficient and effective development of the Kingfisher Development Area in a healthy, safe, environmentally friendly and sustainable manner.”

Mr. Peter Banura LCV Kikuube District commended CNOOC Uganda Limited for always paying attention to the community needs and lending a hand, especially in things that improve the wellbeing of the community.

Banura lauded CNOOC Uganda Limited for strictly following the laws of the country and international best practices while implementing the project.

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Parents in north-eastern Uganda are sending toddlers of pre-school age to school with their siblings to share their free school meal as increasing numbers of families have no food at home, according to Save the Children.

More than 40 per cent of people are now going hungry in Karamoja region, one of Uganda’s poorest and most marginalized regions that are predominantly a pastoralist community, the child rights organisation said.

Karamoja, that borders Kenya and South Sudan, is reeling from a combination of extreme weather, disease and armed gang attacks which have driven more than half a million people to crisis levels of hunger.

Last year communities in Karamoja were hit by floods and landslides. This year’s rainy season, between March and June, was likely the driest on record since 1981 with this harsh drought  decimating crops and livestock and causing water shortages.

The situation in the rural north eastern region has deteriorated in recent years. In June 2020, 27 per cent of households experienced food shortages which increased to 30 per cent in April 2021, and reached 41 per cent in April this year, with the crisis worsened by the war in Ukraine driving up food prices.

Save the Children said more than 91,600 children and 9,500 pregnant or breastfeeding women in Karamoja are suffering from acute malnutrition and need urgent treatment.

Across the Horn of Africa, four failed rainy seasons have led to the worst drought in 40 years, leaving more than 18.6 million people facing an alarming hunger and malnutrition crisis which is extending across the East Africa region to Uganda, South Sudan and Sudan.

Natalina, 10, who goes to a community school supported by Save the Children in Karamoja, walks there with her four-year-old and two-year-old sisters, the youngest strapped to her back. She said: “Every day, I come to school with two of my siblings. One is four years old while the other is two years old.

“I share my food with my two siblings because they’re not yet old enough to be in school, so I’m the only one who receives food.”

Emmanuel works as a teacher at another school supported by Save the Children in Moroto, Karamoja. He said: “When families do not have food and younger children follow their siblings to school, it not only reduces concentration but also gives older siblings the added burden of caring for children instead of studying.”

Save the Children’s Country Director in Uganda, Strinic Dragana, said: “The fact that families are sending their pre-school children to class with their siblings just so they can eat is a major cause for concern. We know that in some schools, there are up to 200 siblings tagging along to get a meal.

“We’re doing what we can with the little resources available but more needs to be done, especially now that schools have broken up and children have been sent home for August holidays with no food.

“Karamoja reflects a bigger global crisis. The next generation is bearing the brunt of a global hunger crisis and climate emergency that it did not contribute to. We’re calling on the government and the international community to make more funds available to support families and children suffering from this hunger crisis in northern Uganda.”

The climate crisis is making extreme weather events such as drought and flooding more frequent and severe, Save the Children said. The child rights organisation’s research with Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Born into the Climate Crisis, shows that children born in 2020 will face 2.6 times as many droughts and 2.8 times as many floods throughout their lifetimes as those born 60 years ago.

Save the Children is providing food assistance to over 40 schools in Karamoja and cash vouchers worth Shs 150,000 (US$40) every month to families with extremely malnourished children to buy food. But for many families sending young children to school with their older siblings is the only way to ensure the children have at least a meal day.

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Rwenzori Water has announced Shs 170 million sponsorship of the Rwenzori Marathon scheduled to take place on Saturday September 3, 2022, in Kasese.

CCBU joins other sponsorship partners including Jumia, a leading online retailer, who will sell tickets at Shs50,000 each.

“Registration is now open on the Jumia online shop. You can purchase your tickets and we will deliver your kits to your doorstep within Kampala, or you can choose to pick them up in Kasese,” said Shakib Nsubuga, Jumia’s Expansion Manager.

The Rwenzori Marathon will consist of a 42 km full marathon, a 21km half marathon and 5km fun run. The marathon is open to the general public, both amateurs and professionals.

“It goes without saying that the Rwenzori brand was inspired by the natural beauty of the Rwenzori Mountains. It stands tall, magnificent and breathtaking which is reflected in the Rwenzori brand. This marathon affords runners the opportunity to enjoy its beauty while keeping fit. Kasese district has a lot more to offer and no one should miss-out on this experience,” said Isaac Sekasi, Business Development and Commercialization Director at CCBU.

“As part of our business sustainability initiatives, environmental protection is at the core of our business operation. The Rwenzori Marathon gives us the opportunity to promote this region that represents our roots. We are more than excited to be a part of this,” he added.

The Rwenzori Marathon aims at promoting sports tourism, fostering healthy lifestyles, and highlighting the importance of caring for the environment. It seeks to raise awareness of the iconic Rwenzori Mountain ranges.

“I climbed the Rwenzori Mountains recently and the beauty is indescribable. The marathon will help draw attention to this resource and increase tourism,” said Equator Hikes Director, Amos Wekesa.

With about 2000 running enthusiasts and professional athletes expected to be at the foot of the Rwenzori range, the marathon will represent an exciting new challenge to Ugandan and foreign runners alike.

Wekesa announced Shs42m in prizes for the marathon runners courtesy of Standard Chartered Bank. Shs5m, 4m, 3m, 2m and 1m prizes are allocated to the top five runners in the 42km full marathon for both men and women. The top three male and female athletes in the 21km half marathon will bag Shs3m, 2m and 1m respectively.

Other partners for the Rwenzori Marathon include UNDP, Tusker Lite and Rocket Health.

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