Kiryandongo mourns lightning victims

Kiryandongo mourns lightning victims
Tuesday, 31st May, 2011
Runyanya Primary School pupils receiving treatment at Kiryandongo Hospital after they were struck by lightning By Pascal Kwesiga “She walked to school with her siblings yesterday but she has been returned home dead on a vehicle. I will miss you so much Doreen Amooti, you have left me in pain,” said Scovia Nalule, a mother of 14-year-old Doreen Katusabe, who was among the children struck dead by lightning in Kiryandongo on Tuesday. Nalule’s six other children were also struck by lightning at the same school but were not admitted to hospital because they ran away after regaining consciousness. In Kiroko village, a nine-year old Phiona Mbabazi, a young sister to Katusabe said: “I last saw her (Katusabe) at school during lunch time when she gave me her books and went for confirmation lessons at the church. She has left me with all her books.’” Such was the tone that characterised the eulogies as loud cries engulfed Kiryandongo district yesterday as families mourned the death of 19 pupils struck dead by lightning at Runyanya Primary School on Tuesday evening. The children and parents from 19 families in seven villages in Kiryandongo sub-county wailed uncontrollably as the bodies were delivered to their homes. Residents who lined up along the roads to catch a glimpse of the dead broke down into tears upon seeing the bodies wrapped in papyrus mats on police pick-up vehicles. At the home of Juma Wycliffe in Kiroko, who lost a nine-year-old, Justine Kirande, the children could not be contained when they started wailing upon seeing the dead body of their sister. Kiroko was the worst hit village, where six children died. Five of the dead were from Mahonge village, four were from Runyanya, while another four were from Bunyama, Masamba, Nyabiso and Nyakakende. A total of 70 injured children were admitted at Kiryandongo Hospital. 15 of them who had sustained severe complications were referred to Mulago Hospital on ambulances provided by the Office of the Prime Minister. The hospital’s medical superintendent, Jimmy Eyiga, said those admitted were responding well to treatment. “We don’t expect more deaths. We can manage the remaining cases,” he said. Speaking from her sick bed, a nine-year old, Doreen Akiring, said: “We were playing in class while it was raining when lightning struck. We were engulfed in a flame of fire that came from the sky and a few moments later, I saw dead bodies of my friends lying flat.” The district Police commander, Patrick Byaruhanga, identified the dead as Sarah Asaba 16, Esther Mutyembo 15, Doreen Katusabe 14, Lawrence Otim 16, Teddy Apio 16, Dorcus Ntereka 12, Lydia Katusime 13, Justine Kirande 9 and Oliver Asiimwe. Others are Nansamba Membling 8, Soferio Otila 14, Annet Nasimye 13, Dan Lagara 17, Jennifer Awulei 13, Salume Nabifo 10, Alex Byakutaga, Moses Aliganyira 15, Jennet Atim 15 and Evas Metuli 11. The district contributed sh100,000 to each family as burial expenses. The district medical officer, Edward Kirya, said the government-aided UPE School had been closed indefinitely. Runyanya Primary School had dilapidated buildings and a population of 827 pupils.

| Lightning kills 18 school kids

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Wednesday, 29th June, 2011
A total of 18 children died instantly and 36 others were injured when lightning struck Runyanya Primary School in Kiryadongo district during a down pour last evening. This comes just three days after the lightning struck Bweyale Public PS in the same district injuring five students. In Zombo, lightning yesterday also struck and injured 37 children of Paidha Model Town Council and their two teachers. The Kiryandongo Police commander, Patrick Byaruhanga, said the pupils, mainly from Primary Three and Four, died after lightning stuck their school at around 4:30pm. He added that the pupils were in their classrooms waiting for the downpour to subside before going home. Byaruhanga said the Police and Kiryandongo Hospital staff rushed to the scene and transferred the bodies and the injured to the hospital. He said the deceased and the injured suffered severe burns. Speaking to New Vision at the hospital, the district education officer, Edward Kirya, expressed fear that the death toll could go up. He said the situation at the hospital was chaotic, with the Police struggling to keep away the parents who were trying to force themselves into the hospital. The Rev. James Mbabazi, 50, an associate vicar at All Saints Church in Hoima municipality and a resident of Kalyabuhire village, said yesterday from his hospital bed that he was struck by lightning on Monday night as he was locking the main door of his house. Mbabazi said when lightning struck him, he fell down and his left hand and foot got paralysed. His wife, Elizabeth, later rushed him to hospital. Deo Ochwo, a medical officer at Tropical Medical Centre, said the priest sustained serious burns on his legs and arm. In Zombo, the tragedy in which 37 children and their two teachers were hit happened when the Primary Five and Six pupils were in their classrooms. The district education officer, John Baptist Ojobi, said 20 pupils were admitted at Paidha Health Centre III, eight pupils, including the two teachers, are at Nyapea Hospital and the seven are admitted at Goli Health Centre. The teachers were identified as Charles Canbithum and Jane Wanican. Several parts of the country have been hit by lightning in the past few weeks. With yesterday’s tragedy, the death toll has risen to over 40 and many more injured. Compiled by Pascal Kwesiga, Martin Kaahwa, Robert Atuhairwe, and Benedict Okethwengu

Edison Muzoora suspects charged  Thursday June 30, 2011
Some of the suspects in Col. Muzoora’s murder case appearing before the Buganda Road Court By Pascal Kwesiga and Eddie Ssejjoba SIX people arrested in connection with the death of renegade Col. Edison Muzoora were charged yesterday. Two of the suspects were charged with treason, while four were charged with concealment of treason. They appeared before Buganda road Court chief magistrate Erena Kayinza. Prosecution led by Happiness Ainebyona told court that Didas Atunga-Bantu alias Colonel Iddi Kibwama Bendera, Boniface Mumbere Kinyambila alias Ivan Musinguzi and others still at large between October 2006 and May 2011 plotted to overthrow the Government by force of arms. The charge sheet initially had murder charges, but was amended to treason. According to the charge sheet, Atunga-Bantu and Mumbere allegedly committed the offence in Kampala, Bushenyi, Kasese, Mbarara, Ntungamo districts and other areas in the country. The two allegedly recruited, mobilised logistics and intelligence information for two rebel organisations, the Uganda People’s Freedom Front and Forces of Constitutional Change in Uganda, fighting to overthrow the Government. Dr. Aggrey Byamukama alias Happiness Akasigazi, Abel Kazoora Kacwano, Simon Matte Mwesige, Muhwezi alias Esau Tugumisirize Rwafafa and others still at large were charged with concealment of treason. Prosecution said the suspects allegedly knew about the plot to overthrow the Government, but did not report it to designated officers. They allegedly committed the offences in Kampala, Mbarara, Bushenyi, Kasese, Wakiso and Ntungamo districts. The suspects denied the charges, but the magistrate did not allow them to take plea, saying her court did not have the jurisdiction to hear the case. She remanded them to Luzira Prison until July 7 when they will reappear in court. The suspects were arrested on different occasions after the body of Col. Muzoora, who was believed to be in exile, was found dumped at his home in Bushenyi district last month. Muzoora deserted the UPDF in 2003 and was suspected to be one of the founders of the rebel People’s Redemption Army. The criminal investigations division chief, Edward Ochom, told New Vision that the charge sheet was amended after the lawyers sought to have the suspects produced in High Court or be released. This application was scheduled to be heard today. Ochom said the suspects were charged with treason for which they have outright evidence.

Demons in Hoima?

Demons in Hoima?
Saturday, 9th February, 2008
The Rev. Geofrey Matata prays for Murubya. THE land wrangles in Hoima District have taken on a new dimension. Pupils are suspected to have suffered a demonic attack and their academic future hangs in the balance. Residents are accusing a prominent landowner of provoking the demons. Pascal Kwesiga visited Hoima and now writes. AS the saying goes, when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. Juliet Katusabe and Lillian Kwikiriza had just begun the new school term last week when they were hit by severe headaches. Then came sharp pain in their stomachs. And then, darkness. Residents believe the children were attacked by demons, resulting from the land wrangles in Hoima District. School officials say the girls were among many pupils hit by a demonic attack. It began when one girl started barking like a dog. Then, others started shouting and pressing their stomachs, saying they felt a burning sensation in their stomachs. Children, both boys and girls, dashed out of their classes. Many were crying. Some fell to the ground and crawled. Others threw stones at people who were rushing to the scene. Adults tied up the affected children and took them to church, where the Rev. Geofrey Matata prayed for them. Eventually, the children got well. Standing outside Kiziranfumbi Church of Uganda, the two soft-spoken P4 classmates have no memory of what happened last Monday at Sir Tito Winyi Primary School in Hoima. “I think the demons have destroyed our children,” says Flora Nyamaizi, the mother of Katusabe and Kwikiriza. Whether the children were attacked by demons or merely suffered hysteria, the root cause is yet to be established. For several years, there have been land disputes in Hoima that have ruined longstanding relationships, and now threaten the school. On one side of the disputes is Lawrence Murubya, one of the area’s prominent residents and landowners. People in Kiziranfumbi town said during the attack some children shouted Murubya’s name: “We want to go to Lawrence Murubya, we want to eat the meat he has brought for us before we die of hunger.” Several people allege Murubya wants to sacrifice their children to his gods so that he can get rich. “The gods are demanding human sacrifices before they give him wealth,” says John Tugume Katuramu, the deputy head teacher of the school. Murubya, who came out of hiding for an exclusive interview, denies the accusations. He says his family of 24, which includes 10 grown sons, eight daughters and a number of grandchildren who live on 40 acres just outside town, is living in fear because of death threats against them. “We are going to die innocently. I can’t bewitch children. I have no grudge against them nor the school,” he says. A long-time resident of Kiziranfumbi, Murubya says there were few people in the town when he settled there. “My only neighbours were baboons,” he recalls, adding that as more people moved into the town, demand for land increased. Murubya says the allegations were peddled by his neighbours, who want to grab his land. One of his neighbours, John Bagonza, says Murubya is encroaching on other people’s land. “I have stayed with him since childhood. He used to be a good man, but has turned to witchcraft to get rich,” says Bagonza. “Murubya has been taming gods, but they now want to eat. Instead of giving them one of his children, he has turned them on ours.” It is hard to tell who is right, but what is clear is that Murubya has paid a high price for land disputes. A few years ago, members of the local Church of Uganda accused Murubya of allowing the sale of a piece of land they say belonged to the school. At that time, he was the chairman of the school’s management committee. Murubya, however, denies involvement in the transaction: “The land was sold before I was appointed chairman of the school management committee.” Murubya, who is Catholic, subsequently became involved in a land dispute with his own church, which accused him of selling its land. The case went to court and Murubya won, but the church suspended him as catechist, a position he had held for 35 years. As old and new feuds continue, the bitterness is affecting Kiziranfumbi’s children. According to the deputy head teacher, a total of 970 pupils must fit into four newly-constructed blocks, each with two classrooms. The school has other buildings, but with missing roofs and other problems, they cannot be used. Classes are crowded and children are forced to sit close to the blackboard, leaving teachers with little space. With just 17 teachers, the school has to divide classes into two and three streams, with up to 75 pupils per stream. The children walk long distances to get to the school. Some start the journey as early as 5:00am. Children are required to arrive at school at 7:30am, sweep their classrooms and clean the compound. Lessons begin at 8:00am. The children return home at 5:00pm, where domestic chores like cooking and fetching water await them. Last week’s attack was not the first. Abdallah Wandera, a teacher at the school, says the attacks started last term in the middle class, and later spread to all classes. “When the children are at their homes, they are okay, but when they come to school, demons attack them,” he said. After Monday’s attack, the district education officer, James Isoke, ordered the school to close while school leaders consult with the Ministry of Education and Sports. One option being considered is to transfer about 40 children to another school. “Our children are being tormented on a daily basis, and this is a threat to Universal Primary Education,” says Isoke. Meanwhile, some parents are considering taking their children to other schools. The children want to continue studying, but are afraid. Mildred Nsimire, 12, a P4 pupil, says she would consider changing schools, but the nearest alternative is far away: “If my parents were rich, they would take me to town schools. Therefore, I have to stay here or drop out if the demons persist.” What’s the way forward? Murubya says after a similar attack last term, he went to the school, laid his hands on the children and sprinkled water on them in an attempt to make the demons go away. He says he would be willing to do so again if his feuding neighbours, including Bagonza, would join hands with him. Bagonza says he would be willing to do so if Murubya came out of hiding. As the two men remain undecided on when to meet and do the needful, the children’s academic future hangs in the balance.

Money flows into Byenkya’s pockets thanks to honey

										Money flows into Byenkya’s pockets thanks to honey
Monday, 18th April, 2011
Byenkya reorganising his beehive which has not yet been colonised By Pascal Kwesiga FRANCIS Byenkya had been struggling to earn a living through charcoal burning for 16 years until he tried beekeeping in 2005. “I would be better off today had I started keeping bees at the time I started burning charcoal. We have destroyed the environment,” laments Byenkya, a resident of Rwbahura village in Kimengo sub-county in Masindi district. He is among a group of farmers who were trained in beekeeping by Masindi District Farmers Association (MADIFA) in 2004. After the training, Byenkya bought 60 locally made beehives in 2005 each at sh3,000 and placed them in strategic points on his farm to trap the bees. MADIFA also gave the farmers three modern Kenya Top Bar hives to use for demonstration purposes. Byenkya now has 150 beehives on his farm, most of which are colonised. He gets an average of 30 20-litre jerrycans of honey in the main season between March and April and less in the second season between September and October every year. In the last season, he sold 30 jerrycans at sh150,000 each and earned sh4.5m. Using the proceeds from honey, he has built a six-room permanent house and bought 30 head of cattle, three years since he embarked on bee keeping. “I sell 20 litters of milk everyday and my family consumes 10 litres,” Byenkya says. His children go to good boarding schools in Kampala and Hoima districts. “I plan to educate my children up to the level they want. I am able to plan today because I get money to do so, unlike in the recent past,” Byenkya adds. When he told this neighbours he was trying his hand at beekeeping on a commercial purpose, they did not believe there was market for honey. “When I bought a motorcycle and cattle, they said I had another source of income somewhere. They realised honey was my source of income when I started constructing my house,” Byenkya says. Impressed by his achievements, the residents organised themselves in a group, Rwabahura Nature Beekeepers Association, to encourage others to follow suit. “We have 30 members,” Byenkya adds. Deo Katerega, another beekeeper in Kijambura village in Nyangahya division, Masindi municipality, gets between 40 to 50 litres of honey on average each season. Katerega has also constructed a permanent house and is educating his children. How to get bees in the hive Byenkya puts honey in a catcher box and places it in a strategic area where he can easily catch the bees. After the bees have entered the box, he removes the wax and bees and transfers them to the main beehive. “After transferring the bees and wax, I take back the catcher box to its position to catch more bees. Sometimes, the bees enter directly into the main beehive,” Byenkya says. How to feed bees Byenkya has planted flowers on his farm for the bees to extract nectar. Bees process the nectar to produce food. He also places jerrycans of water next to the beehives as the bees use water to produce honey. Future plans He plans to set up a honey house with other farmers where they can keep their honey after processing it. They believe it will also serve as a storage facility as they look for better market. Byenkya also wants to buy more beehives and expand his project. He also wants to establish a garden of flowers for the bees. “Sometimes bees get out of the hives to look for food far away and do not come back. But if you give them food, they will stay around and produce honey for you,” he says. Challenges The biggest challenge facing beekeepers in Masindi is the lack of market. “The people who buy our honey are exploiting us because they buy at the price they want,” Katerega says. He adds that pests attack the beehives and the beekeepers lack technical people to provide them with extension services.

He rejected an office job to become a farmer

Monday, 14th March, 2011
Kaliisa harvesting ripe coffee beans By Pascal Kwesiga ON completing his master’s degree in marketing at the University of Wales in the UK, Francis Kaliisa was offered several white collar jobs which he rejected, opting instead for a career in farming. Most people who knew Kaliisa concluded the young man was a total failure, while some accused him of wasting his father’s money to go to school only to become a farmer. They could not believe Kaliisa’s claims that farming was a goldmine capable of generating more wealth than an office job. “Many people, including friends, laughed at me saying that after wasting my father’s money at school, I was now wasting my time in farming. They were sure I would soon quit,” recalls Kaliisa, a resident of Kihomboza cell, Bujumbura division in Hoima. Kaliisa, who also holds a bachelors degree in business management from Bangalore University in India -is a son to the permanent secretary in the energy ministry, Kabagambe Kaliisa. To the people who knew Kaliisa well, it did not make sense that someone from such an academic and family background would settle for farming. For Kaliisa, however, completing his education meant he was free to engage in commercial farming, something he had always wanted to do. “Education only helped me acquire knowledge. At school, I always considered farming a lucrative venture where I would never go wrong because people have to eat every day so there will always be demand for food,” Kaliisa defends his unpopular decision to become a farmer. Two years as a farmer and Kaliisa has no regrets about his career choice. Under his company Miika Enterprises, Kaliisa has set up a maize mill in Hoima and is currently one of the leading buyers of maize grain in Hoima and neighbouring districts. He mills the maize and sells the packed flour to schools and different Government departments in Hoima and Masindi districts. He has also planted 60 acres of eucalyptus trees, set up a piggery unit with about 400 animals, established a 25-acre coffee plantation and another 10-acres of bananas. On average, Kaliisa earns about sh20m from coffee every season and sh1.5m a month from banana sales. He also supplies 500kg of pork daily in Hoima town. The budding farmer has also set up a bio-digester to process the large volumes of waste generated by the piggery unit, into gas and manure. The gas is used for cooking and lighting, while the manure is distributed all over the farm through a network of pipes. Kaliisa has also established an irrigation system which he uses to water his plants especially vegetables during the dry season. Together with his brother and business partner Henry, Kaliisa employs 53 workers including three managers. A storage facility with a holding capacity of 500 tonnes of grain is one of the several modern structures that have been set up on the farm. How he started According to Kaliisa, Miika Enterprises started as a dream 10 years ago when he started planting trees. Later in 2009, he started the piggery project, using money got from selling the trees. “The whole enterprise began as a dream. We had nothing on ground but big dreams, and our patience has now begun to pay off,” he says. Initially, Kaliisa planted 10 acres of eucalyptus trees, which has now expanded to 60 acres. The agro forestry project has turned out to be the financial cornerstone of Kaliisa’s agro enterprises. The proceeds from selling timber are used to finance other projects. For instance, in 2009, Kaliisa was able to set up a modern piggery unit using the money he earned from selling the trees. He also uses the tree forest as collateral to acquire loans from banks. Again using money from selling trees, Kallisa plans to expand the piggery unit from the current 400 to 1,500 pigs in the next three years. “Pork production is one of the most lucrative agro-enterprises here, I supply 500kg of pork in Hoima every day,” reveals Kaliisa. According to Kaliisa, in order to have a successful pig enterprise, one needs to invest in a proper pig sty and ensure there is a steady supply of maize brand to feed the pigs. “I have been successful because I grow maize and also buy from other farmers. I process the maize grain into flour which I sell and use the bran- to feed the pigs,” Kaliisa added. Each season, Kaliisa buys between 300-500 tonnes of maize grain from farmers in the area, which he processes into high grade flour. He supplies the flour to schools, the army and local traders. His maize flour, sold under the Miika brand name, is popular in Hoima, Masindi and neighbouring districts. On the average Kaliisa sells 2,000kgs of maize flour a day. Besides the money from selling pork, Kaliisa is also able to conserve the environment around his farm, by utilising the free bio gas from the pigs’ waste. “We no longer use charcoal for cooking and lighting but instead use biogas generated from the pig droppings. Before we set up the bio-digester, we were using three bags of charcoal a day,” recalls Kaliisa. Challenges One of the biggest challenges facing Kaliisa, which are frustrating his expansion plans is a shortage of power to run the mill. The power supply in the area is still intermittent. He also has a problem of labour as the people in the area still despise farming. Future plans In the graduate farmer’s plans are a fully-fledged food processing plant and hopes of increasing the population of pigs he is rearing to 1,500 pigs. Kaliisa also plans to venture into construction business and start up commercial farming.

From jack fruit vending to media, hotel owner

Wednesday June 22, 2011

Kiiza (right) supervises his construction workers By Pascal Kwesiga WITH sh100 as capital, Edward Kiiza, a resident of Buswekera village in Hoima district was determined to become a millionaire at 10 years, in 1975. The P.3 pupil had gotten the idea of selling jack fruit (ffene) when he noticed fellow pupils sneaking out of school to buy it at the nearby trading centre. He started with one jack fruit which he bought at sh50 and a few days later, his capital had reached sh200. In just a week, his capital had grown to sh1000. He would cut the fruit into pieces and sell to fellow pupils during lunch time. “Old people and children enjoyed the fruits so much that sometimes, I would get double the money I used to buy one jack fruit,” he says. Then in the same week, while sitting at his father’s bar at Buswekera trading centre, another idea came to him. The huge number of patrons at the bar prompted Kiiza to start roasting chicken at the bar, something no one had ever done in the area. He bought his first chicken at sh150 and just like the jackfruit business, this one turned out to be extremely lucrative, evidenced by how fast his capital expanded. “I bought my second chicken at sh200. I used to buy about three chickens,” Kiiza recalls. He also didn’t give up selling jack fruits at school until he dropped out two years later. “I didn’t go far in education. I stopped in P.5 even though I had been promoted to P.6,” Kiiza says adding that “education didn’t seem to be important then.” Kiiza used to keep his money in a wooden safe. After leaving school, he broke the box and he had saved sh10,000. He then bought a piglet at sh300 and abandoned the jack fruit and chicken-roasting businesses to start fish vending. Two years later, the pig produced 12 piglets which he sold at sh300 each. The proceeds helped him boost his fish vending business. Kiiza recalls how he used to ride on a bicycle from Buswekera to Lake Albert in Buseruka sub county to buy from fish mongers. He would then comb various fishing villages on foot in search of fish. “I used to leave my bicycle at Buseruka trading centre, about 10km from the landing sites, because the roads to the lake were bad. I carried my boxes of fish on the head to my bicycle and rode back to the village,” says Kiiza. He made sure he always had between 300-400 fish of various types in his box before heading back home. “I bought the fish from various fishermen at different prices. Sometimes I would buy a fish at sh100 or even more,” Kiiza says, and adds that it was a tough experience but his dream of becoming a millionaire kept him going. Then famine hit Buswekera and Kiiza took it as an opportunity to make money from the hungry residents. He started riding his bicycle to Muhooro township in Kibaale district to buy dried cassava from farmers to sell it to the people in his village. “I also made some money from this business and it is at this time that I met my wife, Joan,” Kiiza says. In a period of two years, his capital had accumulated to sh30,000. He then started buying cows and selling meat in nearby markets. Like his other ventures, this one was also quite challenging, he says. “It was difficult to move cows at that time because we didn’t have money to hire cars and the roads were terrible.” “We would set out on foot with our cows from Bugungu in Kigorobya sub-county at 3:00pm and arrive in Buswekera the following morning,” he says. Luckily for Kiiza, his capital grew to sh80, 000 in two years and in 1984, he opened up a shop in Buswekera. He was, however, forced to abandon it in 1986 at the peak of the war. “I dug a pit in my house and buried my money and merchandise as I prepared to flee the village. My wife and I ran to Kibanjwa village in Buseruka where we stayed with other people until the government changed,” he says. After the war, he returned to Buswekera and harvested the millet and maize which he had planted before the rebellion intensified. He also found his money safely waiting for him in the pit he had dug in his house. He sold off all the merchandise he had hidden and then combined the money with the proceeds from the sale of millet and maize and started buying coffee from farmers. “I kept the coffee and only sold it when the government had stabilised. I sold three lorries of coffee to Bunyoro growers at sh1.6m,” he said. Kiiza and his wife then set up another shop at Hoima bus park in 1986. It’s at this stage that he made his first trip to Kampala to buy merchandise for his shop. “We saved all our money. We packed our food from home so that we could not spend money on food in hotels while in town,” he says. It was 1989 and his shop had grown into a wholesale shop. Kiiza started buying merchandise from factories in Kampala, selling to retailers back home. “I started to travel to Kampala three times a week and became an agent of Mukwano enterprises and other big companies that offered me goods on credit,” he says. In 2000, he started constructing Riviera Hotel in Hoima town and launched it in 2002. The 70-bed hotel on Hoima-Kampala road also has three conference rooms and is one of the biggest hotels in Bunyoro. In 2003, Kiiza set up Liberty Broadcasting Services, a radio station, in Hoima. This was followed by Kiboga Broadcasting Services in 2006. In the same year, Kiiza closed his wholesale shop at Hoima bus park after selling off the stock. Using the proceeds and profits from all other ventures, he set up Bunyoro Television in Hoima town in 2008. He now employs 110 people in his businesses and is now setting up a plant that will start packing water next year at Kiryabana cell in Mparo division, Hoima municipality. It will employ more than 50 people in the beginning. “I set up these businesses not for the sake of making money only but to create employment,” he says. Due to Kiiza’s humble beginnings, people in Hoima don’t believe the businesses belong to him. They claim that the projects belong to big shots in Government who are hiding behind him. “They belong to me, my wife and children. All of them began with the capital I got from selling jack fruits. When you are hardworking and focused you can not go wrong,” Kiiza says adding that “the problem is that people despise jobs.” Challenges The main challenges to his businesses are frequent load shedding and high taxes imposed on his ventures. “Sometimes we go for weeks without power and my businesses have to keep running on electricity for me to remain in business. We use power generators but they are expensive,” Kiiza says. “Can you imagine I need sh74m to extend power to the water plant,” says Kiiza. He says if the Government could offer tax incentives and exemptions to locals as it does to foreign investors, their businesses would thrive more. “I was in China recently and wanted to buy machines to crush stones used in construction and tarmacking roads but we don’t have enough power to run them, and the taxes are also high,” says Kiiza. FACT FILE Name: Edward Kiiza Locality: Buswekera village, Hoima town Enterprise: Hotelier and media business owner

Ignorance on malaria treatment ruined Munguchi’s life

Publication date: Wednesday, 22nd December, 2010

Nyakooja massaging Munguchi’s paralysed fingers

By pascal kwesiga

HE sits helpless in a locally fabricated wooden chair as saliva flows uncontrollably from his mouth. Evidently, flies take advantage of his condition to feast on his saliva and excreta.

Davis Munguchi, a six-year-old boy, is disabled and unable to walk. Confined in a wooden chair, he sits motionlessly. He seems unaware of what is going on around him.

When answering nature’s call, Munguchi soils his clothes. He cannot stand upright or sit without assistance of his colleagues.

Genesis of the problem
Like any other child, Munguchi had a normal growth until the age of four. His grandfather then took him to a witch doctor in Butoba village in Bwijanga sub-county in Masindi district in 2008 for treatment of malaria, which he mistook for witchcraft.

Malaria struck Munguchi shortly after his mother had died of HIV/AIDS. Consequently, Munguchi’s grandparent took him away from his father, Geoffrey Angulo, and put him under the care of a witch doctor, where he has been bedridden for the last two years.

In July, moved by Munguchi’s plight, a resident alerted the Family Spirit Child Care Centre about his situation. The organisation, started by teachers living with HIV/AIDS in Masindi, takes care of orphans who have lost their parents to AIDS.

Lying on a rag, Munguchi could neither sit nor open his eyes, when Isaac Nyakooja, the director of the organisation, went to pick him from the witchdoctor’s home.

“We spent three months looking for this boy. The witch doctor’s home was hard to access. We did not see the witch doctor, but his wife told us that not even modern medicine would improve the boy’s condition,” Nyakooja says.

Defects
Munguchi’s tongue was partly cut by the witch doctor probably in a bid to find cure for his illness.

Munguchi, who was about to begin school at the time he was taken to the witch doctor, has now lost his ability to speak. His dream of going to school has been shattered. Munguchi is fed on pounded food.

“You cannot know when he wants to ease himself. He does not talk. He is also stunted,” Nyakooja adds.

His fellow children at the child care centre carry him from his bed and place him in the wooden chair every morning. In the evenings, the children help him to stretch out on a wooden frame designed to assist him stretch his muscles.

“We think he can be able to walk again, if he is helped to stretch his muscles,” Nyakoojo comments.

Fortunately, Munguchi was found HIV-negative.

Doctor’s findings
Dr. Laker Olwedo of Ngomokwe Nursing home in Masindi town says Munguchi is suffering from an epilepsy attack.
“Malaria is a common cause of epilepsy. It is dangerous if not treated because it can result in many complications.”

He says epilepsy can cause disability since it damages the brain. “The centre of speech is the brain and once it is affected, one may fail to speak or walk since the nerves and muscles get affected,” Olwedo says.

Any hope?
Olwedo who has been treating Munguchi for the last six months, says: “We are controlling epilepsy, we are not treating it because there is no cure. He has to take the tablets forever.

Sometimes one gets better, but the condition can worsen, if the drugs are not taken,” Olwedo adds.

He says it is possible that Mugunchi might also be suffering from tetanus which he could have developed when the witchdoctor cut an ovula from his tongue.

“The wound left can be attacked by bacterial infections which go into the blood stream and damage the brain,” Olwedo says.

MALARIA FACT FILE

Humans get malaria through mosquito bites.

Uganda records an estimated 12 million cases of malaria every year.

Between 70,000 and 110,000 children in Uganda die of malaria annually.

Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and fatigue. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may also occur.

Prevention

Visit your health care provider 4-6 weeks before foreign travel

Take your antimalarial drug on schedule

Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts, especially from dusk to dawn

Sleep under a treated mosquito net

Besigye’s trial fails to take off

Besigye’s trial fails to take off Wednesday, 15th June, 2011 http://www.newvision.co.ug/ Besigye speaks on phone as Sempala sits next to him at a church in Nabweru By PASCAL KWESIGA  HEARING of a case against the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) president, Kizza Besigye, failed to take off yesterday after prosecution asked court for more time to complete investigations. Besigye is facing charges of holding unlawful assembly and inciting violence in relation to the recent walk-to-work demonstrations. He appeared before the Nabweru Chief Magistrate, Justine Atukwasa. Before Atukwasa fixed July 8 as the new date for the trial to commence, prosecution gave Besigye’s lawyer, Ernest Kalibbala, documents containing information on the charges his client is facing. The Police blocked journalists from accessing court premises, saying it was a directive from the chief magistrate. There was a brief standoff between the Police and journalists as the latter tried to forcefully enter the court room. “We are implementing orders from court. We have no time to argue with you,” said Moses Ochieng, the Kawempe district Police commander. The Police also restrained Besigye’s aides, who attempted to force the gate open for the journalists, saying Besigye had refused to appear before court without journalists. The heavily armed Police also blocked Besigye as he walked from court towards the Nabweru-Nansana road. “Get back into your vehicle. We are not going to allow you to continue because you are leading a procession,” Kampala metropolitan north regional Police commander Michael Mugabi told Besigye who was in the company of a crowd. “If you want to imprison me for walking, do so. I am not leading any procession because I didn’t call these people. Ask them to go away and I proceed to my destination,” Besigye retorted. He resisted orders to use his vehicle and instead sat on a bench at St. John Mary Mzee Catholic Church at Nabweru trading centre, where he stayed for about three hours. At about 2:00pm, Besigye drove off in his blue Mitsubishi Pajero in the company of the Kampala Woman MP, Nabillah Sempala, and other FDC officials. The Police escorted his convoy in patrol vehicles to Adventure African Restaurant in Kololo, a city suburb, where he had lunch.

Congo & Somalia worst for women

Afghanistan is the most dangerous country for women, an international poll of experts on gender issues says.

High levels of violence, poor healthcare and poverty make Afghanistan the worst place for women, the study by the Thomson-Reuters Foundation says.
The survey places the Democratic Republic of Congo and Pakistan in second and third positions.
India is rated the fourth most dangerous country due to high levels of female foeticide and sex trafficking.
Somalia ranked fifth in the survey.
'Hidden dangers'
"Ongoing conflict, Nato airstrikes and cultural practices combined make Afghanistan a very dangerous place for women," said Antonella Notari, head of Women Change Makers, a group that supports women social entrepreneurs around the world.
"In addition, women who do attempt to speak out or take on public roles that challenge ingrained gender stereotypes of what is acceptable for women to do or not, such as working as policewomen or news broadcasters, are often intimidated or killed," she added.
The poll asked 213 experts from five continents to rank countries on issues like overall perception of danger, access to healthcare, violence, cultural discrimination and human trafficking.
"This survey shows that 'hidden dangers' like a lack of education or terrible access to healthcare are as deadly, if not more so, than physical dangers like rape and murder which usually grab the headlines," Monique Villa, chief executive of Thomson-Reuters Foundation, said.
Pakistan was included in the list for having "some of the highest rates of dowry murder, so-called honour killings and early marriages".
India ranked fourth primarily due to female foeticide, infanticide and human trafficking, the report said.
A BBC correspondent in Delhi says India's inclusion among the worst five countries in the world is bound to raise eyebrows here.
The report quotes some experts as saying that "the world's largest democracy was relatively forthcoming about describing its problems, possibly casting it in a darker light than if other countries were equally transparent about trafficking".

Government releases sh30b for NUSAF II

Government releases sh30b for NUSAF II
Monday, 13th June, 2011
By PASCAL KWESIGA THE Government has approved over sh15b for the second phase of the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF II). The project director, Dr Robert Lim Lim, said the money will be used to finance community projects aimed at improving household income and increasing coverage of basic services in the greater north. A few months ago, sh15.8b was disbursed to the beneficiary districts to fund the approved projects. The five-year project, according to Lim Lim, is funded by a $100m (sh235b) specific investment loan from the World Bank and a grant of over sh79b from the UK’s department for international development. The multi-sectoral community programme is an ambitious peace recovery and development project aimed at rehabilitating the communities affected by the two-decade Lord’s Resistance Army war. The Government hopes that over 10,000 projects identified by the communities will be financed by 2014. Under the programme, community members identify projects that can address their development needs and submit proposals to the office of the Prime Minister for approval. The project should be viable and all members of the community project management committee must have consented to it by appending their signatures on the proposals on behalf of the entire community. Lim Lim said the money would be sent to the district accounts by the Bank of Uganda in a few weeks’ time. “We have approved another sh15b. The first sh15.8b is already finished and project implementation has already started,” Lim Lim said. He added that a team from the World Bank is expected in the county next week to assess the progress of the programme that covers over 55 districts in Acholi, Lango, Bukedi, Teso, Karamoja, Bunyoro and West Nile. The programme is being implemented under three components; household income support programme, community infrastructure rehabilitation and public works programme. Each component has sub projects that should be identified by community members and approved by prime minister’s office. Every district, according to Lim Lim, has two bank accounts; the operations account and sub projects account to check the misuse of funds. He said the funds are sent directly to the district accounts from the Bank of Uganda to ensure that Government officials don’t access the money. At the district level, he added, the money is given to the community project management committee by the district chief finance officer. The utilisation of the funds and project implementation is monitored by a parallel social accountability committee which works with the office of the Inspector General of Government. “The parallel committee is made up of community members who are assigned the duty of monitoring the community project management committee,” Lim Lim said. Unlike NUSAF I, several Government organs are involved in monitoring NUSAFU II to ensure transparency and accountability. “The community members signed a memorandum of understanding with the districts and they know the cost of each project,” Lim Lim said. He added that over 1,000 projects were being financed. Projects that have been identified by the community are piggery, poultry, goat rearing, animal traction, dairy, sheep and cattle rearing. Others are hair dressing, community roads and drainage, borehole, teacher houses and classroom construction.

Sisters use baby in extortion scam

Sisters use baby in extortion scam
Tuesday, 14th June, 2011	E-mail article   Print article
By PASCAL KWESIGA A mother of a one-year-old boy yesterday broke into tears while narrating to the Police how she connived with her sister to use the baby to extort money from a man. Zainabu Naigaga, 33, and her sister, Sarah Birime, extorted money from a man in Sironko on several occasions by deceiving him that he was the child’s father. The man had a relationship with Birime and reportedly asked her to have his baby. When Naigaga gave birth in March last year, Birime told her boyfriend that she was the one who had given birth. Two weeks later, Naigaga gave her baby to Birime, who handed it over to the parents of her boyfriend. “The man was not looking after Birime and we decided to use the baby to get money from him. Birime didn’t want me to get the child back so that we could continue receiving money,” Naigaga said. Birime refused to pick the baby from the parents of her boyfriend. Therefore, Naigaga said she went to Sironko on June 2 and deceived the father of Birime’s boyfriend, Charles Mwambu, that Birime was ill and wanted to see her baby. Kampala metropolitan Police spokesperson Idi-Ibin Ssenkumbi said Mwambu, who had never seen Naigaga, insisted on travelling to Kampala with her and the baby. Naigaga reportedly gave Mwambu a drink that was doused with chloroform before she disappeared with the baby. Mwambu reported the matter to the Police after regaining consciousness, leading to the arrest of Naigaga.

Zimbabwe policeman jailed for using Mugabe's toilet

June 3, 2010  BBC

Zimbabwe policeman jailed for using Mugabe's toilet

Robert Mugabe was visiting exhibition stalls when the policeman used the toilet

Relatives of a policeman jailed in Zimbabwe for using a toilet reserved for President Robert Mugabe are appealing for his release.

The policeman, Alois Mabhunu, was arrested last month in the city of Bulawayo after he used a special presidential toilet at a trade fair.
A police court on Wednesday ordered his imprisonment for 10 days.
Zimbabwean human rights lawyers said there was no law forbidding people from using the president's toilet.
They said Mr Mabunhu should not have been arrested.
Mr Mugabe, 87, visited Bulawayo, the country's second city, for the opening of the annual Zimbabwe International Trade Fair on 6 May.
Mr Mabunhu was on duty when he was caught short and rushed to use the reserved toilet. He was arrested several days later.
According to Zimbabwe's Daily News paper, his charge sheet did not specify what laws he had breached or how he had compromised security.
The BBC's Thabo Kunene in Bulawayo says his relatives are angry that he was tried before a police tribunal without lawyers present.
Mr Mugabe, who has been the leader of Zimbabwe for the three decades of its independence, is currently in a power-sharing government with long-time opponent, Morgan Tsvangirai.

Malawi stops HIV cash allowance for civil servants

9 June 2011 Last updated at 13:47 GMT              BBC

Malawi stops HIV cash allowance for civil servants

About 14% of Malawians are HIV-positive

Malawi's government has scrapped extra payments to HIV-infected civil servants, accusing some of them of spending it on prostitutes and beer.

The $35 (£21) monthly payment would be replaced with "nutrition food bags", said government official Mary Shaba.
This would stop workers from using the money on prostitutes and "further spreading the virus", she added.
The scheme was intended to help sick workers improve their diet.
Ms Shaba said the scheme, introduced in 2007, had also been abused by civil servants who falsely claimed that they had HIV so that they could cash in on the allowance.
Nearly 40,000 civil servants, out of about 170,000, claimed the allowance.
The average monthly salary in Malawi's civil service is $100.
Around 14% of the country's population is HIV-positive.
The illness has cut life expectancy in the southern African nation to 36.
The move comes as the UN hosts a summit to mark the 30th anniversary of the first diagnosis of Aids.

UN and US launch campaign to eliminate inherited HIV

BBC      June 10, 2010

UN and US launch campaign to eliminate inherited HIV

In 2009, some 370,000 babies were born with HIV - mostly in Africa

The UN and the US government have launched an initiative to eliminate HIV among babies by 2015.

The UN says a baby is born with HIV nearly every minute, almost all of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
The new campaign will aim to treat HIV-positive pregnant women, cutting infection among their babies to less than 5%.
It will cost an estimated $2.5bn (£1.5bn) to care for 15 million women, double those currently being treated.
The plan, called Countdown to Zero, was developed by a team led by UNAids and the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
A key element of the campaign is to ensure that all women, especially pregnant ones, have access to quality life-saving HIV prevention and treatment services - for themselves and their children.
In 2009, an estimated 370,000 children were infected at birth with HIV, almost all in low- and middle-income countries, and chiefly in sub-Saharan Africa.
"We are here today to ensure that all children are born healthy and free of disease. We are here to ensure that their mothers live to see them grow," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said at the launch of the plan.
"We believe that by 2015 children everywhere can be born free of HIV and that their mothers can remain healthy," said Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAids.
"This new global plan is realistic, it is achievable and it is driven by the most affected countries."
Achieving the goal could be "the beginning of the end of the story, because that opens the prospect for an Aids-free generation," said Michel Kazatchkine, head of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Ignorance on malaria treatment ruined Munguchi's life

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Ignorance on malaria treatment ruined Munguchi's life New Vision (Kampala) - December 22, 2010
Pascal kwesiga

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HE sits helpless in a locally fabricated wooden chair as saliva flows uncontrollably from his mouth. Evidently, flies take advantage of his condition to feast on his saliva and excreta. Davis Munguchi, a six-year-old boy, is disabled and unable to walk. Confined in a wooden chair, he sits motionlessly. He seems unaware of what is going on around him.
When answering nature's call, Munguchi soils his clothes. He cannot stand upright or sit without assistance of his colleagues.
Genesis of the problem
Like any other child, Munguchi had a normal growth until the age of four. His grandfather then took him to a witch doctor in Butoba village in Bwijanga sub-county in Masindi district in 2008 for treatment of malaria, which he mistook for witchcraft.
Malaria struck Munguchi shortly after his mother had died of HIV/AIDS. Consequently, Munguchi's grandparent took him away from his father, Geoffrey Angulo, and put him under the care of a witch doctor, where he has been bedridden for the last two years.
In July, moved by Munguchi's plight, a resident alerted the Family Spirit Child Care Centre about his situation. The organisation, started by teachers living with HIV/AIDS in Masindi, takes care of orphans who have lost their parents to AIDS.
Lying on a rag, Munguchi could neither sit nor open his eyes, when Isaac Nyakooja, the director of the organisation, went to pick him from the witchdoctor's home.
"We spent three months looking for this boy. The witch doctor's home was hard to access. We did not see the witch doctor, but his wife told us that not even modern medicine would improve the boy's condition," Nyakooja says.
Defects
Munguchi's tongue was partly cut by the witch doctor probably in a bid to find cure for his illness.
Munguchi, who was about to begin school at the time he was taken to the witch doctor, has now lost his ability to speak. His dream of going to school has been shattered. Munguchi is fed on pounded food.
"You cannot know when he wants to ease himself. He does not talk. He is also stunted," Nyakooja adds.
His fellow children at the child care centre carry him from his bed and place him in the wooden chair every morning. In the evenings, the children help him to stretch out on a wooden frame designed to assist him stretch his muscles.
"We think he can be able to walk again, if he is helped to stretch his muscles," Nyakoojo comments.
Fortunately, Munguchi was found HIV-negative.
Doctor's findings
Dr. Laker Olwedo of Ngomokwe Nursing home in Masindi town says Munguchi is suffering from an epilepsy attack.
"Malaria is a common cause of epilepsy. It is dangerous if not treated because it can result in many complications."
He says epilepsy can cause disability since it damages the brain. "The centre of speech is the brain and once it is affected, one may fail to speak or walk since the nerves and muscles get affected," Olwedo says.
Any hope?
Olwedo who has been treating Munguchi for the last six months, says: "We are controlling epilepsy, we are not treating it because there is no cure. He has to take the tablets forever.
Sometimes one gets better, but the condition can worsen, if the drugs are not taken," Olwedo adds.
He says it is possible that Mugunchi might also be suffering from tetanus which he could have developed when the witchdoctor cut an ovula from his tongue.
"The wound left can be attacked by bacterial infections which go into the blood stream and damage the brain," Olwedo says.
MALARIA FACT FILE
# Humans get malaria through mosquito bites.
# Uganda records an estimated 12 million cases of malaria every year.
# Between 70,000 and 110,000 children in Uganda die of malaria annually.
# Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and fatigue. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may also occur.
Prevention
# Visit your health care provider 4-6 weeks before foreign travel
# Take your antimalarial drug on schedule
# Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts, especially from dusk to dawn
# Sleep under a treated mosquito net