The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
AUGUST:
Health sector under spotlight
August 03: President Yoweri Museveni pushed the health sector into the spotlight when he ordered an on-the-spot transfer of nine health workers at Mpumudde Health Centre III, Nakawuka, in Wakiso district after residents complained of negligence and poor service delivery. The residents complained about lack of drugs, absenteeism, and late coming by the medical workers. President Museveni’s action was, however, criticized for attempting to treat the symptoms of an ailing health sector without going to the root cause.
Kayihura summoned over police brutality
August 10: The Inspector General of Police, Gen. Kale Kayihura was due to appear in the Makindye Magistrates Court in Kampala to answer charges of torture slapped against him and seven other police commanders in connection with brutality committed against supporters of opposition leader Kizza Besigye. Kayihura and the police officers refused to answer the court summons and no reason was given to court. At exactly 10am, Chief Magistrate Richard Mafabi entered court and the case file of Uganda Vs Gen Kayihura and 7 others was read but no accused person took to the dock, despite objections by prosecution.
Instead, the situation turned violent as a mob claiming to be supporters of Kayihura resorted to pelting the lawyers for the complainants with stones. The magistrate overruled the prosecution’s objection and allowed the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) to make a formal application requesting to take over proceedings of this case.
Masaka-Kampala named highway of death
August 11: As the Kampala – Masaka Highway increasingly gained notoriety as the most accident prone road in Uganda, the Uganda Traffic Police in partnership with the Ministry of Works and Transport and the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) launched operation “Fiika Salaama” (Drive Safely) to sensitise and discipline road users on safety and infrastructure protection.
Police attributes the mishaps to carelessness by drivers especially dangerous overtaking and failure to observe traffic signs on the roads. The operation was later rolled out countrywide and is still ongoing.
Uganda is one of the African countries with the highest rate of road accidents. The 2013 global status report on road safety of the world health organization indicated that Uganda had 2954 deaths in 2010 as a result of road accidents following Nigeria with 4065 and South Africa with 13768 by 2009.
`Rolex’ chapatti becomes tourist attraction
August 21: In a show of excitement over the ordinary, the Ministry of Tourism launched one of Uganda’s streets snacks; the egg-and-vegetable stuffed chapatti at a tourist product in the so-called `Rolex festival’. Not surprisingly, the Minister of State for Tourism, Godfrey Kiwanda, was roundly criticised for attempting to create excitement around fast food that is neither authentically Ugandan or viable as a commercial tourist activity. The campaign was expected to increase investment in the tourism sector by at least 7.6% per year to more than Shs2 trillion over the next ten years.
Anglican bishops escape death
August 23: Police rescued the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, the Most Rev Stanley Ntagali, and 38 other provincial bishops in Ntaawo after a mob attempted to torch the bus in which they were travelling.
The bishops had gone to inspect land allegedly owned by Uganda Christian University (UCU) in Ntaawo to establish the extent of the problem of squatters and later deliberate on the way forward. The savior call was made by the Bishop of Mukono Diocese Rev James William Sebaggala to the Mukono RDC who ordered the police to rescue God’s servants.
Hamu Mukasa gave the 649 acres of land to Church of Uganda before it also donated it to Bishop Tucker Theological College (BTTC), now UCU, in the early 1920s.
