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Mulago boss Dr Byarugaba interdicted over misappropriation of funds

By
Our Reporter
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Dr Byarugaba Baterana

The Executive Director of Mulago National Referral Hospital Dr. Byarugaba Baterana has been interdicted over fraud and misappropriation of funds and been barred from leaving the country without official permission.

Dr. Byarugaba was arrested on 28th of February by the Health Monitoring Unit (HMU) Criminal Investigation Department on allegations of fraud and misappropriation of funds totaling to Shs28.8 billion for the past four financial years.

In a letter signed by the Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Health, Diana Atwine, Dr. Byarugaba has been notified of his interdiction from duty.

“You are well aware that there are ongoing criminal investigations instituted by the Health Monitoring Unit (HMU) against yourself involving acts of financial impropriety and abuse of office allegedly committed by virtue of your office in the Financial Years 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21,” reads part of the letter.

“It has been brought to my attention that you have been charged by Police with the following offences vide CID HQTRS E/363/2021; Abuse of office contrary to section 11 of the Anti-Corruptions Act (2009), Embezzlement contrary to section 19 of the Anti-Corruption Act (2009), Causing financial loss contrary to section 20 of the Anti-Corruption Act (2009) and Fraudulent false accounting contrary to section 23 of the Anti-Corruption Act (2009).

Dr Byarugaba has been ordered to keep away from the duty station and handover office to his Deputy Director. He will also receive half pay until charges against him have been cleared.

“Pursuant to section F-s and F-r of the Public Service Standing Orders, 2021 you are hereby interdicted from duty to pave way for investigations and you will receive half pay with immediate effect until charges against you have been cleared,” Atwine said

“You are therefore required to handover your work and office to the Deputy Director Dr. Rosemary Byanyima in accordance with Section F-d (4) of the Public Service Standing Orders and keep away from your duty station until you are advised otherwise. During the period of interdiction, you shall not leave the country without my written permission.”

The monitoring unit avers that in 2016, the hospital contracted two companies MS Setramco International Limited and MS Convention World Ltd to provide a range of services that is to say laundry machines, Central Sterile supply department steam boilers and sundry. Investigations indicate that based on forged work Identity Card, and work completion certificates, the companies were paid Shs 20.5 billion.

HMU also accused the hospital management of entering into an illegal agreement with the private pharmacies. In February 2018, the management entered into a 10 year memorandum of understanding and tenancy agreement with private pharmacies; Ecopharm and First pharmacy to operate within the hospital premises.

They said that the poorly executed MOUs and tenancy by both Ecopharm and First pharmacy, defaulted rent of up to a tune of Shs135 million and Shs67.5 million respectively by 4th November 2021.

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UCC pins MP Zaake, says it is his accounts which were used to disparage Deputy Speaker

By
Geoffery Serugo
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MP Zaake

Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has confirmed that the Twitter account which was used to disparage the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Anita Among belongs to Mityana Municipality legislator Francis Zaake.

The UCC officials confirmed while appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Rules Discipline and Privileges that is investigating the allegations of demeaning the person of the Deputy Speaker.

Zaake is accused of insulting the integrity of Parliament after he took to social media and used offensive language to express his dissatisfaction with the Deputy Speaker’s statement regarding his alleged torture.

According to Abdul Salam Waiswa the head of Legal at UCC, the account that was used to demean the person of the Deputy Speaker is associated with Francis Zaake.

“The email address that was used to open up a Facebook account belongs to MP Zaake. The account bears a blue tick meaning that it is an official account verified by facebook,” he said, adding that “UCC can’t access documents associated with the person who opened up both Facebook and Twitter accounts because all the records are kept by Facebook in the USA.”

While appearing before the Committee on Monday, the MP said the committee lacks the impartiality and independence required of it by the constitution.

“It is on account of the above reasons that I strongly object to the Committee’s proceedings against me because I cannot get a fair hearing in these circumstances. I reiterate that I was already tried in my absence, convicted, and sentenced before the Committee even began its work,” he Zaake said.

Last month, Martin Mapenduzi raised the matter in the August House noting that he intended to move a motion to have Zaake relieved of his duties as a commissioner for denigrating the integrity of Parliament and Office of the Speaker in breach of Rules 84 and 85 of the Rules of Procedure and Paragraph 5 of the Code of Conduct of Members.

“All of us may have our own emotions and issues to deal with but there are avenues in our Rules of Procedure through which anything done by the presiding officer can be challenged. The member never exercised any of the remedies provided in the rules but chose to go to social media,” Mapenduzi said.

The matter was supported by the Soroti West Division MP; Jonathan Ebwalu who said Zaake’s use of unparliamentary language on social media against the person of the Deputy Speaker was in bad faith and demeaned the office of the Speaker and institution of parliament.

“The intention was to damage; lower the character and status of the Speaker and the reputation of this Parliament. It is our obligation to defend Parliament from any attack. We need to enact laws to check cyber bullying, cyber harassment, blackmail and intimidation,” he said.

Esther Afoyochan, one of the Backbench commissioners disassociated her from the social media utterances attributed to Zaake saying that the House should deal with the matter in accordance with the House’s prescribed guidelines.

Deputy Speaker, Anita Among referred the matter to the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline for further investigations.

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Blankets and Wine to mark 10 years anniversary with Tusker Cider

By
Our Reporter
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Blankets and Wine is back with another premier music experience designed to showcase outstanding musicians in the emerging genres of afro-based music. Following an almost 2-year hiatus due to a ban on physical events over the pandemic, the first edition of the year will now encompass live music performances, a pop-up market, and food court among others. The event is scheduled for 27th March 2020 at the Lugogo Cricket Oval.

The post-lockdown edition coincides with the event’s 10th anniversary and according to the organisers, the celebration has been themed ‘Blankets is Me’ and will reinforce the DNA of Blankets and Wine in an all-new experience powered by Tusker Cider.

“Blankets and Wine is essentially more than a concert and allows revelers to enjoy live music from some of Africa’s most talented artists, interact with friends, meet new people and have an all-around great experience. As we commemorate 10 years of existence, we intend to reinforce the essence of this event and deliver a memorable experience for everyone who attends,” said Chantal Ngenzi, General Manager at House of DJs.

The organizers reveal that the return of Blankets and Wine is going to feature local and international performances from Uganda and around Africa. These include Spice Diana alongside Cosign Yenze, and the international line-up includes Uncle Waffles (South Africa), Nviiri the StoryTeller (Kenya)and Bruce Melodie (Rwanda).

“This edition shall immerse consumers into the world of Tusker Cider as they interact with the brand during the event. Tusker Cider, an innovation on the market, is a rich and flavorful drink for consumers looking for new, easy-going and exciting experiences through which to have a good time,” said Simon Lapyem, Innovations Projects Manager at Uganda Breweries.

Tickets are priced at Shs 100,000 and can be purchased from Zone 7 (Mbuya), Shisa Nyama Village (Bugolobi) and Kenjis (Kisementi).

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DEVELOPING STORY: Three immigration officers arrested for allegedly misusing Office

By
Simon Kabayo
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The State House Anti-Corruption Unit in liaison with Police have conducted an operation at Entebbe airport following a whistleblower’s complaint that has led to the arrest of 3 Immigration officers; Caroline Kabugo (shift Supervisor), Martha Mboneko and Julius Musalwa (Immigration officers).

The three allegedly abused their office when they caused a refugee to miss her flight purporting that she had forged clearance documents from the Office of Prime Minister to the contrary. The traveler has since incurred extra costs in excess of $1800

Details to follow.

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#Covid-19 takes a heavy toll on women’s health

By
Geoffery Serugo
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Covid-19 testing kits

Disruptions to essential health services due to the COVID-19 pandemic are being felt broadly. As the world marks International Women’s Day, a new World Health Organization (WHO) analysis finds that women’s health services are far from being fully restored, with 40% of African countries reporting disruptions to sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health services.

The WHO Global Pulse Survey on Continuity of Essential Health Services during the COVID-19 pandemic carried out between November and December 2021 shows that the majority of the 36 African countries that provided full data reported up to 25% disruption of services. The extent of the disruption remained largely unchanged from the first quarter of 2021.

Another WHO survey in 11 African countries found that maternal deaths in health facilities in six of the 11 countries rose by 16% on average between February and May 2020 compared with the same period in 2019. The figure dropped slightly in 2021 to 11%. However, the estimate is likely to be far higher as maternal deaths tend to occur mostly at home rather than in health facilities. Data show that facility-based births reduced in 45% of countries between November and December 2021 compared with the pre-pandemic period.

 “Two years on, the COVID-19 burden still weighs heavily on women. Africa’s mothers and daughters are struggling to access the health care they need. The pandemic’s disruptive force will be felt by women for many years to come,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Countries must look beyond short-term measures to restore services to pre-pandemic levels and make major investments for stronger systems capable of withstanding health emergencies while ensuring continuity of key services.”

During the pandemic, women and girls are facing a rising risk of sexual violence due to lockdowns, economic uncertainties, and decrease in access to key support and health services, and increase in stress in households. Globally, from the latest analysis done in 2021, WHO estimates that 245 million women and girls aged 15 years and above are subjected annually to sexual and/or physical violence perpetrated by an intimate partner. Unfortunately, in Africa, due to the pandemic, services to women who have experienced sexual violence declined in 56% of countries between November and December 2021 compared with the period before the pandemic.

The disruptions also affected the uptake of essential reproductive health supplies. Between June and September 2021 contraceptive use fell in 48% of countries, according to a rapid WHO survey in 21 African countries. Teenage pregnancies also rose in some countries. A 2021 report by the British Medical Journal found that adolescent secondary school girls who were out of school for six months due to the COVID-19 lockdown in Kenya were twice as likely to become pregnant and three times as likely to drop out of school compared with those graduating just prior to the pandemic. In South Africa, a study by the Medical Research Council in five provinces showed that teenage pregnancies have increased by 60% since the start of the pandemic.

Beyond the health impacts, COVID-19 is also inflicting deep economic damage on women and girls. The pandemic is poised to push more women and girls into extreme poverty. Poverty rates rose from 11.7% in 2019 to 12.5% in 2021 and it may take until 2030 to revert to pre-pandemic levels, according to a report by the International Monetary Fund, the UN Development Programme and the UN Women.

Globally in 2021, 247 million women aged 15 and above were projected to live on less than US$ 1.90 per day due the economic impact of COVID-19, with an estimated 53% (132milion) of them from sub-Saharan Africa.

The pandemic has also worsened existing gender inequities in key spheres of life and development. Even though women constitute 70% of the health and social workers in Africa and are on the frontlines of COVID-19 response, few of them are in top pandemic management positions, according to the UN Development Programme and the UN Women Global Gender Response Tracker. In the African region, 85% of national COVID-19 task forces are led by men and only 15% by women, and the overall participation by women is only 30%.

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One shot dead as Police arrest suspects in Kololo robbery video

By
Our Reporter
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ASP Luke Owoyesigyire - Deputy PRO KMP

The Directorate of Crime Intelligence and Flying Squad Unit have conducted an intelligence-led operation in areas of Kisenyi near Link Bus terminal.

The operation was focused on thugs who knock down their victims before robbing them of their Money and Electronic devices.

Last week, two incidents were registered at Buganda Road and another along prince Charles Avenue where one Dawit Kasa, a diplomat with the Ethiopian Embassy was robbed and assaulted on the 25th of February.

Items like phones worth Shs2.8m and a Laptop were robbed from him. A video that was captured by the Turkish Embassy cameras has since gone viral.

The 4 persons believed to have participated in these separate incidents have today been arrested. The suspects have been identified as Abdullamani Bakata alias Pancho, Nsubuga Emmanuel, Wanandya Agustine and Muwanda Ivan.

During the operation, the task teams also shot and put out of action one suspect only identified as Alipanda. Exhibits including 20 mobile phones, ATM cards and IDs of different nationals suspected to have been robbed, were recovered from their base of operation.

“It is alleged that officers met serious resistance while arresting Alipanda and a bullet was discharged by one of the officers injuring him. He later succumbed to his injuries on the way to Mulago hospital. His body was later conveyed to city mortuary Mulago while investigations into the shooting incident have also commenced,” said Luke Owoyesigyire, the deputy PRO of Kampala Metropolitan Area.

“However, it should be noted that investigating teams had received sufficient information against that deceased person to have participated in the robberies that happened last week along Buganda Road of Shs7m and other devices, the incident of rape and robbery that happened in a home of a female adult in Kayunga, at Mini price where he led a group to rob Abdallah Wanda of 16m Uganda shillings and having led 17 suspects at Jinja CPS to escape from Lawful custody.”

Owoyesigyire said the group is big and the hunt is still on with the aim of arresting all the gang members.

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Museveni’s invitation to Salva Kiir, Machar for Peace Retreat set for March

By
Simon Kabayo
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South Sudan First Vice President Dr Riek Machar shakes President Salva Kiir's hand as Museveni looks on.

South Sudanese leaders participating in the transitional government have received invitations from Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to participate in a retreat to review the status of the ongoing implementation of the revitalized peace agreement.

The meeting which was due to be held in February has been repeatedly delayed and pushed to March. Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin says the invitation letters that the leaders have now received show the retreat will take place in the first week of March 2022. But he did not say the exact day the retreat would convene.

The invitations, according to the Presidential Affairs Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin, have been extended to President Salva Kiir, First Vice President Riek Machar, and all the other deputies at the presidency.

“So far, the leaders expected to participate in the retreat are saying they have received the invitations. In the office of the President, we have received the invitations, and we are just waiting to hear from them (the organizers),” Marial Benjamin said.

“His excellency the president, Gen Salva Kiir Mayardit is ready to go and attend,” he further stressed.

The minister also added that the President is a man of peace and has always shown a desire and a strong political will to resolve political issues through peaceful dialogue.

Officials in the office of the first vice-president also confirmed receiving the invitation, saying the retreat will bring together President Kiir, Machar and the four vice-presidents for the various clusters to discuss and evaluate the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement.

The leaders are expected to hold discussions about how they would resolve to implement the peace agreement and move the country forward into elections slated for 2023.

A delay in the implementation of key provisions has always caused observers to express concerns of how elections would be held before the command structure forces in the cantonment sites are resolved to allow their graduation and deployment to provide security and protection of the citizens.

Puok Bok, the Spokesperson in the office of the First Vice President, says the retreat would discuss some of the outstanding issues.

“We have received an invitation from one of the grantors, which is Uganda, to be part of the retreat in Uganda the first week of March,” Bok said.

“The agenda is the evaluation of the implementation of the peace agreement and how to develop way forwards on the outstanding issues on the agreement.”

The office of the vice president of infrastructure development, Taban Deng Gai said parties to the agreement would recommit themselves to ensuring all the processes are expedited.

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Jailed City Lawyer Mabirizi summoned to Court on fresh charges

By
Simon Kabayo
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Mabirizi Male

The Chief Magistrate of Buganda Road Court has summoned jailed lawyer Male Mabirizi on fresh charges related to offensive communication. The court requires Mabirizi to appear on March 7, 2022 in the summons. He is to answer charges of offensive communication, criminal libel, and offenses prejudicial to judicial proceedings levied against him by Robert Rutaro as a private prosecutor. 

Grade one magistrate Sanula Nambozo issued a production warrant directing the prison authorities at Kitalya Min Max Prison to produce him in court to take a plea.

Currently, Mabirizi is serving an 18 months sentence served to him by the High Court judge Musa Ssekaana. They served him with the sentence for his continued attack on judicial officers.

The origin of the fresh charges is a case privately instituted by Rutaro against Mabirizi. He says that Mabirzi made statements on his Twitter handle abusing the justice Ssekaana.

Rutaro quotes a number of posts written both in English and local language allegedly by Mabirizi. Apparently, Mabirizi attacked the judge and also crafted some of the extracts to his complaint in vulgar language.

“Chicken had 2be eaten to celebrate our triumph over Ssekaana and a section of judges who think that Uganda belongs to them not citizens. Of course, the rule of law champion had to catch up with @legalrebel@IsaacSsemakadde to strategize and a huge missile is on its way,” reads one of the posts. 


Rutaro alleges that the statements and others withheld, embarrassed the trial judge and violated his right to privacy without justifiable excuse.

Therefore, they should hold Mabirizi accountable as provided for under the law.

Rutaro who says he stands in solidarity with the judicial officers. He thus asked court to summon Mabirizi to appear and be answerable to his charges.

Only last December, Rutaro teamed up with Mabirizi to prosecute pastor Aloysius Bujjingo for bigamy at Entebbe Chief Magistrate’s court.

They however fell out with each other. This is because Rutaro was okay with the Director of Public Prosecutions’ (DPP) plan to take over their case.

Rutaro has since also instituted a case of offensive communication against lawyer Isaac Ssemakadde at Buganda Road court. And as for Ssemakadde, he is required to appear tomorrow March 4. This is on similar charges whose facts also relate to abusing Ssekaana.

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GOTV unveiled as She Cranes official kits sponsor

By
Our Reporter
-

The Uganda Netball Federation (UNF) has unveiled GOTV Uganda as the national team, She Cranes official kits sponsor.

The two-year deal which stands at Shs 81.6 million was announced at the Old Kampala Sports Arena with a friendly match that saw the ladies compete amongst themselves, ending in 04-00 score.

The sponsorship will cover travel expenses for the team as well as kits for all SHE Cranes Netball players ahead of the Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham, United Kingdom come July this year.

UNF President Hon. Babirye Kityo Sarah said that this is what they have been yearning to do since they came into power in June last year and thanked GOTV for choosing Netball among the many sports in the country.

“I am super excited, it’s such a blessed day, as you know we didn’t have any sponsor, them coming on board and chosing us is very important and a great honor, we are not to disappoint them, we are going to use this sponsorship to identify talents, we are going to move with She Cranes and the male team to different regions, holding tournaments of all levels to keep on identifying more talents,” Babirye Kityo said.

Joan Ssemanda Kizza, the Public Relations Officer for Multi Choice Uganda revealed why they chose She Cranes and how worth is the deal.

“The Sponsorship we announced today goes towards their kits as well as towards the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, they reached us and said that in their preparations for Commonwealth Games, they are going to have regional tours, and a number of games in which she Cranes will be kitted,” she said.

“We are looking at two years but mostly this time period we are on commonwealth games, after the commonwealth games, next year will have a discussion to renew the partnership.”

The sponsorship deal will help the team in preparations for tournaments like the Australian Netball Championship, US Open Netball Championship, SHE cranes regional tours, Scotland Friendly Game, Fast 5 tournament (New Zealand) and the World Cup 2023.

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Equatorial Guinea Vice President visits Uganda’s Ministry of Defence

By
Simon Kabayo
-

The Vice President of Equatorial Guinea and also Minister of Defence and National Security H.E Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue has today held a meeting with the Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs (MODVA)Hon Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja.

The meeting at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs headquarters in Mbuya – Kampala, was a courtesy call aimed at strengthening the existing cordial relations between the two countries and cooperation in defence.

His Excellency Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue expressed his gratitude for the existing brotherly relationship between Equatorial Guinea and Uganda. 

“I Am happy to be home twenty-four (24) hours a day because of the existing peace,” said the Vice President.

The Vice President noted that the forthcoming renewal of the MOU will facilitate the exchange of military trainers and promote trade between the two sister countries.

Speaking at the same meeting, Hon Vincent Ssempijja lauded the existing cooperation between the two countries, most especially in the area of defence and security. He said that it is important to strengthen the existing relationship between the two countries.

Hon Ssempijja further applauded the delegation from Equatorial Guinea for finalizing all processes that concreticised the MOU on defence and security.

The meeting was attended by the Permanent Secretary MODVA Mrs. Rosette Byengoma, UPDF Chief of Training and Recruitment Brig Gen Mathew Gureme, Defence Spokesperson Brig Gen Felix Kulayigye, Deputy Chief of Personnel and Administration Brig Gen Eugene Ssebuggwawo, UPDF Deputy Chief of Legal Services Col Wandera.

The delegation from Equatorial Guinea included: Minister of Exterior Security Juan Antonio, Vice Minister of Defence Candido Ngogi Engono and the Director General Defense and Recruitment Argelio Ndong Nkosi, among others.   

H.E. Toedoro Nguema Mangue who is on a two-day working visit to Uganda first met  President Museveni yesterday and commended him  for his support to Equatorial Guinea and for Africa. He said the current global changes and instability in parts of Africa are a challenge to the continent.

The duo discussed various issues affecting their respective countries and the continent including strengthening their cooperation in peace, security and social economic transformation saying problems in Africa can be defeated if they all worked together.

“I thank my brother for sending you with. Capacity building is very essential and Uganda is willing to cooperate with Equatorial Guinea. When fighting Idi Amin, I trained 28 young people from Mozambique. They became the core of our army who trained others,” President Museveni said.

The President said Uganda is on the frontline of fighting hostile groups including from Sudan and Somalia.

“We want to help but also teach a lesson that Africa belongs to Africans. The problem is the politics and a wrong type of army that is not oriented to fight and defend their country and defend it cheaply,” he said.

Uganda is already supporting Equatorial Guinea in building capacity and professionalization of the West African nation’s army.

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