UGANDA, GOVERNO PUNTA SU INVESTIMENTI DIASPORA
4 gennaio 2012

IN UGANDA LA SCUOLA PIU’ VICINA AI DISABILI
5 gennaio 2012

CHIUSI I CAMPI PROFUGHI NEL NORD, CIVILI TORNANO ALLE LORO CASE
9 gennaio 2012

430,000 P.7 LEAVERS TO GET FREE EDUCATION
11 january 2012

TASSI D’INTERESSE TROPPO ALTI, COMMERCIANTI IN SCIOPERO
11 gennaio 2012

OPERAZIONE “KAMPALA CITTA’ PULITA”
12 gennaio 2012

GENDER INEQUALITY STILL A CHALLENGE IN EDUCATION
16 january 2012

TASSI D’INTERESSE, DOPO SCIOPERO GOVERNO PROMETTE RIBASSI
17 gennaio 2012

UGANDA, COMPAGNIA BANDIERA AUMENTA VOLI
17 gennaio 2012

ACQUA CORRENTE E SICURA A 77% DEI CITTADINI UGANDESI
17 gennaio 2012

GIRLS STILL HINDERED BY HIGH DROPOUT RATE
19 january 2012

IN UGANDA 100 MLN PER POLO SANITARIO D’ECCELLENZA
23 gennaio 2012

4,000 KARIMOJONG WOMEN EMBRACE FAMILY PLANNING
24 january 2012

KITGUM HOSPITAL – A FACILITY FALLING APART
24 january 2012

NODDING DISEASE KILLS 200 CHILDREN IN NORTH UGANDA
25 january 2012

UGANDA, CRESCITA STIMATA A OLTRE IL 5%
31 gennaio 2012

UGANDA, GOVERNO PUNTA SU INVESTIMENTI DIASPORA
4 gennaio 2012
Il governo di Kampala ha allo studio un sistema in grado di attrarre gli investimenti degli ugandesi all’estero, che spesso esitano a destinare allo sviluppo della madrepatria le risorse accumulate in anni di lavoro fuori dai confini nazionali.
Il segretario permanente del ministero degli Esteri, ambasciatore James Mugume, ha spiegato in una dichiarazione pubblicata dai media locali, che il suo dicastero ha negoziato un prestito a fondo perduto da parte del Programma Onu per lo sviluppo, affinchè la Banca dell’Uganda possa svolgere uno studio sull’argomento, nella prospettiva del lancio di fondi obbligazionari internazionali da rendere particolarmente appetibili per la diaspora ugandese.
Musume ha anche detto che “sarà compito dell’Autorità ugandese per gli investimenti la ricerca e l’individuazione dei settori dell’economia nazionale più attraenti per gli investimenti degli emigrati“.
fonte www.agi.it

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IN UGANDA LA SCUOLA PIU’ VICINA AI DISABILI
5 gennaio 2012
Il sistema educativo ugandese sarà sempre più vicino a scolari e studenti disabili. Lo ha annunciato il ministero dell’Istruzione di Kampala, con un comunicato inviato ai media locali, nel quale si rileva che per la prima volta sono allo studio “programmi speciali per allievi speciali“. L’iniziativa tiene conto del fatto che in questo Paese solo il 2,2 per cento delle persone diversamente abili beneficia di una forma regolare di istruzione.
“Bambini e ragazzi disabili” si legge nella dichiarazione “necessitano di istruzione più di quanto non avvenga per il resto dei loro coetanei, che hanno la possibilità di trovare lavoro in un numero più vario di settori produttivi“. E’ stato fatto sapere che le misure che saranno presto annunciate dal governo prevedono, tra l’altro, un’assistenza mirata per ogni specifico handicap e la presenza di insegnanti di sostegno, che aiutino gli allievi a sviluppare al meglio talenti e capacità.
fonte www.agi.it

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CHIUSI I CAMPI PROFUGHI NEL NORD, CIVILI TORNANO ALLE LORO CASE
9 gennaio 2012
L’Agenzia delle Nazioni Unite per i rifugiati ha formalmente annunciato la fine della missione per l’assistenza agli sfollati nel nord Uganda, la maggior parte dei quali è tornata alle proprie case.
L’ufficio dell’organismo a Gulu è stato ufficialmente chiuso, riferisce una nota dell’organismo, dopo cinque anni di assistenza e protezione per circa due milioni di sfollati interni causati dalla guerriglia dell’Esercito di Liberazione del Signore (LRA) che ha raggiunto il picco dei suoi attacchi contro la popolazione Acholi, tra il 2000 e il 2005.
Negli anni in cui i ribelli di Joseph Kony razziavano e saccheggiavano i villaggi del Nord, ben 251 campi erano stati aperti in 11 diversi distretti settentrionali. Da allora, dopo il mancato accordo di un difficile negoziato di pace nel 2006, le operazioni dei ribelli LRA si sono spostate nei territori in Sud Sudan, Repubblica democratica del Congo e Centrafrica.
Oggi, contro il movimento, è in corso un’offensiva congiunta dei paesi africani coinvolti dal fenomeno, con il coordinamento di Stati Uniti e il finanziamento dell’Unione Europea.
fonte www.misna.org

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430,000 P.7 LEAVERS TO GET FREE EDUCATION
11 january 2012
The Government plans to offer free secondary education to 430,000 students under the Universal Secondary Education programme. The assistant commissioner for secondary education, Francis Agula, disclosed this during an exclusive interview with New Vision on Tuesday. This is about 80% of the 535,500 pupils who sat for last year’s PLE.
According to the USE requirements, students must score between aggregate 4 and 28 to be eligible for free secondary or vocational education. This means the remaining 103,000 students will miss out on the Government’s scholarships. However, such pupils can join private schools, or those aided by the Government but not under the free education scheme.
Agula said the Government has already made a provision for the 430,000 pupils who will be joining any of the USE schools or the vocational institutions. Today, there are about 690,000 students getting free secondary school education in the country.
The Government started free secondary education in 2007, almost 10 years after free primary education was introduced. In 2007, when the programme started, 161,396 students were enrolled. In 2008, 165,758 joined Senior One; another 160,113 in 2009, while 201,990 students joined in 2010.
Last year, 360,215 students were admitted under the free secondary education programme. With 430,000 students set to benefit from free post-primary education this year, it means the Government has increased the intake by 19%. Most of the students will be admitted to USE schools and the rest to vocational institutions for free education.
The new report shows that there are 1,641 schools implementing free secondary education up from 1,488 schools as per last year’s headcount. Of these, 902 are government-aided and 739 are privately owned under the public private partnership. Each student under the programme in private schools is allocated sh47,000 per term while those in Government-aided schools get sh41,000.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug – Conan Businge

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TASSI D’INTERESSE TROPPO ALTI, COMMERCIANTI IN SCIOPERO
11 gennaio 2012
È scesa in campo anche l’Università di Makerere, principale polo dell’istruzione superiore nel paese, per sostenere lo sciopero di imprenditori e negozianti contro gli alti tassi di interesse sui prestiti imposti dalle banche ugandesi, conseguenza di un’inflazione galoppante giunta a sfondare lo scorso mese di ottobre la soglia del 30%.
Il sindacato dei professori e lettori universitari ha diffuso un comunicato in cui denuncia “la complicità della Banca centrale ugandese” in quello che viene definito un vero e proprio “furto ai danni di cittadini e commercianti”. L’inflazione, ha sottolineato il portavoce degli insegnanti, “ha raggiunto tassi del 27% perché la Bcu ha finanziato le elezioni dello scorso anno e incoraggia la corruzione”.
Intanto a Kampala la maggior parte dei negozi e delle attività commerciali sta osservando a saracinesche chiuse il primo dei tre giorni di sciopero decretato dopo due giorni di incontri infruttuosi con rappresentanti del settore creditizio e del governo centrale. “Quello che lamentiamo non è tanto che alzino gli interessi, quanto che lo facciano anche su prestiti di vecchia data” ha spiegato Isa Ssekito, portavoce dell’associazione commercianti della terza economia della regione. Gli imprenditori hanno minacciato, entro i prossimi tre giorni, di ritirare i loro depositi dagli istituti di credito e di sospendere i versamenti sui rispettivi conti correnti.
Lo scorso anno, per far fronte a un’inflazione crescente e alla relativa svalutazione dello scellino ugandese, la Bcu ha alzato i tassi costringendo le banche ad aumentare a loro volta gli interessi sui prestiti, con la conseguenza di accrescere i costi delle attività commerciali.
Secondo la stampa locale, i tassi medi di interesse nelle banche commerciali sono passati dal 18-19%, nel luglio scorso, all’attuale 28-29%.
Negli ultimi mesi, il paese è stato teatro di manifestazioni e sit-in di protesta contro l’aumento esponenziale del costo della vita e dei generi di prima necessità, un fenomeno comune a tutta l’Africa orientale.
fonte www.misna.org

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OPERAZIONE “KAMPALA CITTA’ PULITA”
12 gennaio 2012
Le autorità ugandesi hanno lanciato una campagna con l’adozione di misure senza precedenti per migliorare le condizioni igieniche della capitale, Kampala.
Per rendere più agevole il raggiungimento dell’obiettivo è stato deciso anche di rispolverare una vecchia legge, emanata 11 anni fa, che prevede pene severe, tra cui la reclusione, per chi abbandona rifiuti in un luogo pubblico. A seconda della gravità del reato, potranno essere inflitti due mesi di reclusione, venti ore di servizio sociale o una multa pari a 16 dollari.
Il responsabile della comunicazione dell’Amministrazione comunale, Peter Kawaju, ha spiegato in conferenza stampa che per rendere più pulita la capitale “si è dovuto tirar fuori dal cassetto un’ordinanza del sindaco emanata 11 anni fa“. Gli effetti si sono fatti sentire subito e, nel giro di due settimane, oltre 50 persone sono state arrestate, tra cui anche il gestore di un noto albergo.
fonte www.agi.it

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GENDER INEQUALITY STILL A CHALLENGE IN EDUCATION
16 january 2012
Although much emphasis has been put on provision of education, little has been done to address causes of gender inequality, a new report has showed.
According to the situation analysis report of the Gender and Equity Responsiveness of the Pre-Primary and Secondary School levels, girls have continued to be disadvantaged compared to boys in all aspects of education access, participation and performance at both primary and secondary school levels-something that has limited their chances to grab opportunities in higher institutions of learning.
Girls have continued to be disadvantaged compared to the boys in all aspects of education access, participation and performance at both primary and secondary school levels, except at pre-primary level where there is gender equality in access.
According to Ministry of education records, the number of boys who joined tertiary institutions last year stood at 100,831 while girls were only 78,738-indicating a gap of 22,093.
The report says the much touted political commitment to bridge the gender gap in education had failed to translate into budget allocations and there was no robust records and information management system put in place to track progress and the impact of the interventions. “While indicators for gender equality and equity were defined in the policy, no targets were set. This makes it difficult to establish what needs to be done annually and therefore budget accordingly” says the seven-page report compiled by the ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
The report released in Kampala recently indicates that although the free primary education programme has significantly improved provision of education for both girls and boys, the overall indicators mask big district inequalities, especially for the Karamoja region where completion rates are still very low . “While the interventions are generally appropriate, there is a miss-match in the targeting -grant aiding was done in districts which had good access indicators like Wakiso, Luweero, and Jinja in 2009/10. This is because grant aiding was based on expressed need other than potential need” the report adds.
The report says the interventions recorded focus much more on the quality of education than gender and equity. “Only two intervations, infracture development and provision of furniture and other equipment may be regarded as equity interventions and therefore not much gender analysis was done at the secondary level” the report say. “Although performance at Uganda Certificate of Education exams has in the last two years been on average high at 95 percent of students passing with at least division four, there are however glaring gender and geographical imbalances with some districts having no female student passing in the first division.”
It says although there efforts to fund some specific activities to address gender and equity concerns, the funding has not been stable and actually suffered massive cuts in 2010/11 fiscal year. However, the report says the promotion of Business, Technical ,Vocational Education and Training (BTVET) has significantly increased the number and percentage share of girls enrolled in post -primary formal education, although there is still gender imbalances and negative social perceptions of BTVET programme.
According to the report causes of inequalities are mainly related to costs, early marriage and pregnancy and the perception that children are too young to attend school.
Two decades ago, government introduced the 1.5 Bonus Points Scheme at Makerere University for female students in addition to the female students’ individual examination scores under the affirmative action policy for women. This was done to increase the number of female undergraduate entrants into the university however there really still evidence that the problem is still bigger.
There is a growing campaign to have the scheme scrapped, saying it has already achieved its target and boys now seem to be the ones being marginalised.
fonte http://allafrica.com – Al-Mahdi Ssenkabirwa

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TASSI D’INTERESSE, DOPO SCIOPERO GOVERNO PROMETTE RIBASSI
17 gennaio 2012
Con la promessa di individuare entro cinque giorni “misure appropriate” per ridurre i tassi di interesse applicati dalle banche, il presidente Yoweri Museveni ha raggiunto un compromesso con i commercianti e gli imprenditori protagonisti di uno sciopero che la settimana scorsa aveva paralizzato Kampala.
Durante un incontro presso la sede dell’associazione di categoria Kampala City Traders Association (Kacita), ieri il capo dello Stato ha annunciato che la Banca centrale dell’Uganda avrà cinque giorni per valutare “misure appropriate” per “venire in aiuto” ai commercianti.
Lo sciopero, concluso ieri, aveva determinato la chiusura di negozi ed esercizi commerciali sia a Kampala che in alcune città minori. All’origine dell’iniziativa di protesta c’è un forte aumento dei tassi di interesse applicati dalle banche nell’ambito di una politica monetaria restrittiva, tesa a contrastare un’inflazione che a dicembre ha raggiunto il 27% su base annua.
I tassi applicati dalla Banca centrale, decisivi per la definizione delle condizioni dei prestiti degli istituti commerciali, sono aumentati nell’arco di sei mesi dal 13 al 23%.
fonte www.misna.org

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UGANDA, COMPAGNIA BANDIERA AUMENTA VOLI
17 gennaio 2012
La compagnia di bandiera di Kampala, Air Uganda, è in fase di espansione e ha aumentato la frequenza dei voli verso varie destinazioni in tutta l’Africa orientale.
In un comunicato emesso dalla sede centrale del vettore, si rileva che i voli giornalieri Nairobi-Entebbe saranno portati presto da due a tre nei fine settimana “per soddisfare la domanda crescente della clientela”. Inoltre, Air Uganda ha recentemente aumentato anche i voli giornalieri Juba-Entebbe e ha ripreso quelli diretti tra Zanzibar e Mombasa.
La compagnia ugandese attualmente copre cinque destinazioni in Africa orientale e nei 12 mesi conclusisi a ottobre, secondo quanto si legge in una dichiarazione dell’ufficio stampa, “ha messo a segno un aumento del 17 per cento del traffico passeggeri, nonostante l’aumento delle tariffe”.
fonte www.agi.it

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ACQUA CORRENTE E SICURA A 77% DEI CITTADINI UGANDESI
17 gennaio 2012
La vita di milioni di ugandesi è destinata a cambiare di molto, e in meglio, nel giro dei prossimi quattro anni. Il governo di Kampala, la capitale della nazione, ha deciso di continuare e accelerare i progetti per garantire, entro il 2016, l’accesso all’acqua potabile ad altri 2,4 milioni di ugandesi che vivono in migliaia di comunità rurali su tutto il territorio nazionale.
Per il 2012 l’esecutivo ha stanziato, grazie alla collaborazione della Banca africana di sviluppo (Afdb), un’altra settantina di milioni di dollari, che vanno ad aggiungersi ai finanziamenti spesi negli anni precedenti che hanno portato al 65% dei cittadini il diritto a disporre di acqua corrente e sana.
Entro il 2016 l’Uganda conta di incrementare ulteriormente questo tasso fino al 77% della popolazione complessiva, per arrivare poi alla totalità negli anni immediatamente successivi.
fonte www.agi.it

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GIRLS STILL HINDERED BY HIGH DROPOUT RATE
19 january 2012
While girls continued to show great competiveness against boys in Primary Leaving Examinations results released yesterday, high levels of dropouts emerged as a major challenge. Failure to complete and inability to compete or access to education opportunities are the major challenge.
A report on regional free education tracking by the group Uwezo released last year found that 68 per cent of pupils who enroll in Primary One drop out before Primary Seven. That was a six per cent jump from 75 per cent for the previous year. Releasing results yesterday, Education Minister Jessica Alupo said dropouts remain the biggest challenge to realizing benefits of free Universal Education in Uganda.
Gender balance. “Gender Balance is crucial to increase equal opportunities, there is no meaningful development if the girls are left behind” Ms Alupo said. “We are looking at increasing the number of school inspectors so that we can have a ratio of one inspector to at least 40 schools.”
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in their April 2010 report, ranked Uganda with the highest rate of school dropouts in East Africa with only 25 per cent of enrolled students for Primary One completing Primary Seven country wide. The Ministry of Education conquers with these findings.
In yesterday’s released results , for instance, of the 535,933 students who registered for the Primary Leaving Exams, 19, 917 did not sit, majority of whom were girls. Ministry of Education attributes the high school drop outs rates to early pregnancy, early marriage and elopement of tender aged girls (12-14) in various communities in the country but could not verify which districts and regions had the highest rate of school dropouts.
The problem. The problem, according to Ms Alupo, is the lack of law enforcement at the local levels to see that girl children remain in school. This role is supposed to be played by district inspectors. Ms Alupo also said she is going to look at priorities of District Local Governments which seem to sideline recruitment of schools inspectors yet the ministry allocates substantial money to cater for education.
The Executive Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Mr Mathew Bukenya, said the rate of school dropout is even more puzzling as the years go by. “The situation is sad, there is a research going on to find out while these girls get pregnant and engage in early marriages but my view is that we parents are not taking care of the children as much as we should” Mr Bukenya said.
The few girls who manage to complete their exams, however, performed better than the boys, a reassurance Ms Alupo said the country should capitalize on in order to achieve complete gender balance in literacy in the country.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug – Flavia Lanyero

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IN UGANDA 100 MLN PER POLO SANITARIO D’ECCELLENZA
23 gennaio 2012
Non solo cliniche, ambulatori e campagne di vaccinazioni. La nuova frontiera della sanità africana prevede anche la costruzione di centri di eccellenza, almeno a livello continentale.
E’ questo uno degli obiettivi del ministero della Salute ugandese che con 100 milioni di dollari, garantiti in gran parte della Banca africana di sviluppo (Afdb), rivedrà l’intera filosofia del Mulago Hospital, il più grande ospedale e il più importante Policlinico universitario, non solo della capitale Kampala, ma dell’intera nazione.
La nuova struttura, rivista dalle fondamenta, aspira a essere, nelle intenzioni del governo locale, una struttura sanitaria di eccellenza e un polo di primaria importanza per la formazione di medici e studenti di tutte le principali discipline sanitarie. Il nuovo Mulago Hospital si candida anche a essere un polo di attrazione per gli aspiranti dottori delle altre nazioni dell’Africa centro-orientale.
Con i 100 milioni di dollari stanziati dall’esecutivo, inoltre, si prevede di finanziare altri progetti sanitari che complessivamente creeranno 600 posti di lavoro e interesseranno tre milioni di persone, il 10 per cento circa della popolazione complessiva dell’Uganda.
fonte www.agi.it

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4,000 KARIMOJONG WOMEN EMBRACE FAMILY PLANNING
24 january 2012
At least 4,000 women in Karamoja have been enrolled for family planning to help households improve their livelihoods.
Officials from Maries Stopes, an NGO working in collaboration with the Ministry of Health on reproductive health issues in the sub-region, said the response is positive. Dr Charles Nuwagaba, the medical officer implementing the reproductive health programme, said the 4,000 women have been enrolled in Moroto, Nakapiripirit, Amudat, Napak, Abim, Kotido and Kaabong districts since October 2011.
Dr Nuwagaba said 65 per cent of the enrolled women are taking long term methods of three to five years and 25 per cent are taking up short-term methods of three to four months while 10 per cent are going for the permanent method of birth control. “When we began the programme, it was not easy to convince families to adopt family planning because they thought it is all about stopping people from producing. But when we educated them about the programme, many embraced it” he said.
Dr Nuwagaba said people in the region were insisting that they were used to their traditional way of family planning where by husbands would keep away from home once the woman gave birth and returned when the child has grown. Ms Clementine Nangiro, a mother of seven, described the new method as a good move. She said: “We didn’t have enough information about family planning but now it is better.”
fonte http://allafrica.com -  Steven Ariong

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KITGUM HOSPITAL – A FACILITY FALLING APART
24 january 2012
Michael Abola, 14, is a miserable boy. Seated on his hospital bed, he is in pain and a stench emanates from severe wounds on his legs. The wounds, which stretch from the toes to the knees, are undressed and have become an eyesore to the other patients sharing the ward with him.
This is in Kitgum Hospital, Kitgum district in northern Uganda, lying on the South Sudan border. Abola is epileptic, and during one of the attacks, he fell in the fire and got burnt. He badly needed surgery and he was taken to hospital. However, at that time, the hospital had only one doctor and there was no specialist for surgery.
Some time back, they recruited two more doctors, but there was still no specialist for surgery. “He had to wait because there were some specialists coming from Lacor Hospital in Gulu, for a one-day clinic” says Suzan Awuete, a nursing assistant at the hospital, who is also the head of the surgical ward that would, under normal circumstances, be headed by a doctor. Later, the Lacor Hospital specialists worked on Abola, but not much has changed. He is writhing in pain and looks resigned to fate.
Supplies and staffing. Kitgum Hospital lacks essential equipment and supplies, and the infrastructure is inadequate. Peter Bezy Omoya, the senior administrator, says the hospital, which serves over 300,000 people who come from as far as South Sudan and Karamoja, faces staffing shortages. The hospital has only three doctors, out of the 12 recommended by the health ministry and does not have specialists.
In the surgical ward, they are supposed to have a general surgeon and a specialist surgeon to work on patients. However, they do not have any of these, so patients suffer.
Until recently, the hospital did not have a doctor for its huge maternity wing that delivers over 20 babies per day. According to Christine Atube, a midwife, they could not carryout C-sections and many women had to be referred to the nearest St. Joseph Hospital or Gulu Hospital. “However, by the time they are attended to, it is either delayed labour or they die” explains Atube. She adds that whereas there are supposed to be over 40 midwives, the hospital has only 15, many of whom have to attend to other departments.
The maternity wing is supposed to have over six midwives, but they have only two. Atube observes that due to this shortage, most staff work for longer hours, yet they earn very little. She says midwives are also rarely promoted, and this has affected their morale. She also notes that there are no allowances for breakfast, lunch or accommodation, so they have to meet all these costs.
Kitgum Hospital also lacks equipment like a dental chair. Omoya says the one they had broke down and has not been repaired for years due to lack of spares. That aside, the hospital lacks a dental surgeon. Omanya adds that it is hard to work on patients with dental problems, although lower level cadres have been trained to help. He says the hospital is full of junior staff, with nursing officers making up the bigger percentage of workers.
However, he says the junior officers cannot help much because they have limited skills. For example, they cannot work on people with bone problems, carryout C-sections or operations.
Infrastructure. The hospital is full of dilapidated structures, including the intensive care unit and the mortuary that stands right in the heart of the hospital. The walls are peeling off and some parts are leaking. The staff houses are also not enough, yet they are not in good state. The toilets are also dilapidated and dirty, and most of them have filled up.
Power crisis. Omoya explains that the hospital gets less than sh257m per month and this is supposed to carry out repairs, pay allowances for staff field visits, service vehicles and run the generator. “It is also supposed to pay the huge electricity bill. So, by the end of the day, we have no money to carry out repairs. This is a tall order, so we can only do what we can” adds Omoya. He says the hospital requires over sh2b annually to run efficiently, but this is just a dream.
Kitgum Hospital, like any other government facility, gets power from the national grid. However, because of the incessant loadshedding, they have to rely on the generator, yet they cannot afford fuel most of the time. When this happens, it means they cannot light the hospital, so they resort to candles. They cannot also run their fridges, so the medicine goes bad. The two ambulances given to the hospital have also been grounded because they cannot afford to buy fuel.
In fact, some patients complain that they are sometimes asked to buy fuel. Omoya explains that while many ordinary people think they have everything to help them, in reality they are operating on a very small budget, with inadequate staffing. “Our work is to help our people, but we can only do this within our means. I know they expect a lot from us, but the conditions are very difficult here” he says. Omoya observes that most hospital beds are broken and need repair.
They also lack mattresses and blankets. He says most of the beds are 30 years old and others are as old as the hospital itself, which was built in 1948. According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, most of the people in Kitgum are poor, with over 70% of them living on a dollar a day. So, they rely on the hospital for everything, including medication and beddings.
Machines One thing the hospital is proud of is their X-ray and ultra sound scan machines that still function. Although they have failed to get a specialist to operate the machines, they have trained a low-level cadre to help. The facility is also proud of its beautiful compound that is well-trimmed.
Unlike other hospitals that complain of lack of drugs and supplies, the hospital is well-stocked with drugs, including ARVs. According to Omoya, the hospital also has enough sanitary supplies such as gloves and bandages. On the day I visited the facility, it was a Sunday, but most of the staff were attending to patients, something that is rare in many other facilities I have visited.
fonte http://allafrica.com – Frederick Womakuyu

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NODDING DISEASE KILLS 200 CHILDREN IN NORTH UGANDA
25 january 2012
Over 200 children have so far died of the mysterious Nodding disease in northern Uganda where it broke out three years ago. The Ministry of Health reported early this month that it had recorded 66 deaths as a result of the disease. The number has since more than tripled.
The ministry on Tuesday also announced that the number of children infected with the disease had also risen to over 3,000 from 2,000 that was reported at the beginning of this year.
In an interview with New Vision, the commissioner for health services, Dr. Anthony Mbonye, said they were investigating reports that the disease that has been concentrated in Kitgum, Lamwo and Pader districts has spread to Lira and the surrounding areas.
Mbonye added that in Tumangu sub-county in Kitgum, almost every household has at least a child suffering from the disease, whose cure has not been established yet. Recent studies into the disease by the health ministry and the Centre for Disease Control did not indicate any conclusive causes of the Nodding disease which first broke out in 2009.
Food-triggered attack. The disease causes seizures and the victim becomes physically and mentally stunted, resulting into blindness and death. Health officials say the attacks are triggered by food. The seizure begins when the affected person begins to eat. They start nodding with uncoordinated hand movements, so they fail to get food into the mouth. The odd causes of the disease have forced some parents to avoid feeding their children. Reports indicated that some parents were tying the affected children to trees to control the uncoordinated hand movements.
Nodding disease or nodding syndrome is little known. It is said to have first emerged in Sudan in the 1980s. The director general of health services, Dr. Jane Aceng, told journalists at the Media Centre in Kampala that the ministry was offering treatment to the affected people due to the lack of a definite cure to the disease. She admitted that not all causes of diseases are known. Aceng was responding to queries about what the ministry has been treating since they do not know the exact cause and treatment of the disease. But she explained that initial studies had linked the disease to epilepsy and malnutrition.
Commissioner for clinical services Dr. Jacinto Amandua said those affected by the disease were receiving treatment for epilepsy, malnutrition, convulsions, seizures, Vitamin A deficiencies and worms. The health ministry disclosed that it has developed a comprehensive emergency response plan to tackle the increasing cases of Nodding disease.
fonte http://allafrica.com – Pascal Kwesiga

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UGANDA, CRESCITA STIMATA A OLTRE IL 5%
31 gennaio 2012
Un rapporto delle Nazioni Unite, intitolato ‘Situazione economica mondiale e prospettive per il 2012′, indica che quest’anno l’economia ugandese “continuerà a crescere nonostante le sfide che si profilano all’orizzonte“. Nel documento si rileva che il prodotto interno lordo, grazie soprattutto agli investimenti effettuati nel comparto energetico, “crescerà quest’anno del 5,1 per cento per portarsi l’anno successivo al 6,3“. Per quanto riguarda la situazione occupazionale, però, la disoccupazione “continuerà a creare problemi, con riflessi su una fascia sociale relativamente estesa, nonostante la crescita sostenuta dell’economia nazionale“.
fonte www.agi.it

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Cambio valuta: in data 30/01/2012 1 dollaro USA è pari a 2340 scellini ugandesi, 1 Euro è pari a 3071,8336 scellini ugandesi

PRIVATE OR GOVERNMENT; IS THE FEES YOU ARE PAYING WORTH IT?
5 december 2011

UGANDA SHILLING GAINS MORE AGAINST DOLLAR
5 december 2011

UGANDA, LIGHTS OUT FOR HEALTHCARE IN WEST NILE 0
12 december 2011

ANCHE L’EUROPA NELLA COALIZIONE CONTRO RIBELLI UGANDESI
13 dicembre 2011

PROFUGHI RUANDESI CONTRO ‘CLAUSOLA DI CESSAZIONE’
14 dicembre 2011

MINISTRO UGANDESE SI DIMETTE PER CORRUZIONE
16 dicembre 2011

UGANDA: GOVERNMENT TO REDUCE MATERNAL MORTALITY BY 50 PERCENT
18 december 2011

UGANDA PROMOSSA DALLA LONELY PLANET
20 dicembre 2011

UGANDA, IN CRESCITA EXPORT STIMATO CACAO NEL 2012 (12%)
28 dicembre 2011

It is this time of the year when people review their plans to see how much has been achieved, failed on and what can be done in the new year. To parents, it is a time when they decide whether their children should join a day-care, start school through pre-primary to primary and other levels of education depending on the age.
There are many things to consider here which demand a lot of planning and at this moment with concentration on how to meet an extra cost.
John Ntege, a father of two, has had to tour majority of the primary schools around Kampala to find a school which his son will join next year after he graduated from his pre-primary school. But this errand has not been easy for him. He has had to move from school to school for a vacancy, not because his son doesn’t have the brains, but because his pockets are not favoured by the demands in these schools.
As he says, no school has asked for less than Shs600, 000 as tuition. Never mind that this has nothing to do with scholastic materials, uniform, daily transportation of the child to and from school plus the meals. If his son is to use any of the school shuttles, the range has been between Shs400,000 to Shs600,000 extra per term. He describes the circumstance as “ridiculous”.
“What schools are demanding is outrageous. I can’t pay more than what I earn. Yet, I need their service. But to think that I am paying for a primary child more than what it costs a university student is more than ridiculous. The government is seated, watching. Think of an average Ugandan failing to provide basics to their family?” Mr Ntege explains.
With only Shs1m per month as take home after 30days of work, this will not even be enough to meet his son’s school expenses in a term. John spends Shs450, 000 on rent monthly, has to pay medical, water and electricity bills.
On why he does not try his luck in one of the government’s Universal Primary Schools (UPE) where it is expected to be free, at least from the burden of paying fees, Mr Ntege cannot stand it. He says; “Have you heard that any of those policy makers take their children to any of the schools implementing free education? Why don’t they champion a cause they promote as good? Because they know what is missing in those schools so they take their children to other schools.”
It is reason you will find that many private schools have come up even with the introduction of UPE 15 years later. The beginning was a blow to the private sector with many investors fearing for the worst. But as it turned out, it is a venture for many business people today.
But Mr Patrick Kaboyo, the coordinator of the Coalition of Uganda Private Schools has asked government to put a regulatory framework for private schools to stop them from hiking tuition fees. He urges that many private school proprietors have missed the link in providing the service and are taking advantage of parents and increasing fees anytime including in the middle of a term because there is no policy to oversee that the public is not exploited.
“Parents are getting circulars from schools every time to either increase fees or asking money for trips. We want government to put a framework to prevent private schools from hiking school fees. It is abnormal for a parent to pay a tune of Shs700, 000 per term for a child in pre-primary” Mr Kaboyo says.
The debate around how much should a primary, secondary and university student pay has been on for some time. In some cases keeping a pupil in school is more expensive than maintaining a university student. A parent for example with a child at Kampala Junior parts with Shs620,000 for fees every term and depending on an activity the child participates in per term, there is an extra cost like swimming is charged Shs50,000, French lessons (Shs40,000), ballet (Shs120,000), Art (Shs20, 000) and if the child is to use the school bus for transport another Shs680,000 will be paid.
However, these are co-curricular activities which according to Ministry of Education are part of the curriculum and should not be charged separately from school dues.
But the question is how many Ugandans can meet these costs in private schools where for instance Uwezo an organisation that seeks to establish primary children competencies in basic skills by involving both the school and community learning of the child has indicated in its reports that pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills are better than those in government-aided schools?
How do UPE schools survive with Shs6,000 government pays per term per child?
Is it that private investors are cheating the public or government is giving a low deal to its citizens?
A mini survey by this paper shows that Kabojja PS charges Shs640,000, Hillside PS (Shs500,000), Greenhill (Shs600,000), and Sir Apolo Kaggwa PS (Shs705,000). Dr Yusuf Nsubuga, the director basic education in Education ministry in an interview at the 18th sector performance review said for any school to increase fees, it must seek for permission from the ministry.
However, because it is a private investment, he adds that the schools meet most of the expenses like payment of teacher salaries, infrastructure development and instructional materials, it is difficult for them to control their financial management other than the quality of education they are providing to the learners. But parents insist that its government’s mandate to ensure learners get quality education and the means should be favourable for all citizens to access.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug - Patience Ahimbisibwe

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UGANDA SHILLING GAINS MORE AGAINST DOLLAR
5 december 2011

The Uganda shilling has rallied against the dollar on the back of an upsurge in inflows from Ugandans living abroad and offshore investors seeking to purchase attractive government debt at an auction on Wednesday. The central bank of east Africa’s third largest economy is expected to conduct a 95 billion shillings ($37.62 million) Treasury bond auction on Wednesday. The two-year bond has a coupon rate of 10 percent.
At 0748 GMT commercial banks in Kampala quoted the local currency at 2,495/2,505 against the U.S. currency, stronger than Friday’s close of 2,520/2,530.
“The debt is very attractive and we’re seeing a huge interest from offshore investors” said Ahmed Kalule, a Treasury dealer at Bank of Africa. “So inflows from these investors plus those from Ugandans overseas coming for Christmas are meeting very low demand in the market and the shilling is drawing energy from that.”
Bank of Uganda (BoU), which launched an aggressive round of monetary policy tightening in July, left its benchmark Central Bank Rate (CBR) for December unchanged at 23 percent last week from November. The bank’s decision followed the release of the country’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) data showing Uganda’s headline inflation slowed to 29 percent year-on-year in November from the previous month’s 30.4 percent.
Kalule said the shilling, which hit its all time low of 2,901 on Sep. 23, was finding its support and resistance levels at 2,480 and 2,560 levels respectively. “Market sentiment still points toward a further appreciation of the unit (shilling) as the market continues to witness low customer appetite for the dollar and expected dollar conversions from NGOs” said a market report from Stanbic Bank Uganda.
The shilling has recovered 13.8 percent of its value against the dollar since its Sep. 23 record low but it’s still 6.4 percent down against the dollar in the year to date.
fonte http://allafrica.com

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UGANDA, LIGHTS OUT FOR HEALTHCARE IN WEST NILE 0
12 december 2011

Increased fatalities, patients paying to fuel their own ambulances, cancelled surgical operations, 11km journeys just to sterilize equipment – such are the symptoms of a healthcare crisis in Uganda’s West Nile region caused by weeks of power blackouts, according to parliamentarians and medical staff.
“People were really dying [during blackouts]” said Gilbert Olanya, a member of the Parliamentary Social Services Committee, which visited the region recently and described the crisis there as “unique” in Uganda.
The region’s referral hospital in the town of Arua, 430km northwest of Kampala, serves a catchment population of more than 2.8 million people across eight districts, and many others in neighbouring South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The region is not connected to the national grid and ever since the main generator run by the town’s sole power supplier, West Nile Rural Electrification Company Ltd (WENRECo), broke down in September, the hospital’s acting director Emmanuel Odar says the facility has reached a low point.
Residents are so unhappy with WENRECo they have called for its 20-year contract – due to end in 2023 – to be revoked, according to local media reports. “We don’t know why the WENRECo people are here – they are doing us a very big disservice” said Sam Wadri, of the Arua council. “We have been affected severely” Odar said. “Sometimes, we even have to cancel the [operating] theatre list.” He explained that because of the blackouts, staff sometimes took instruments to be sterilized at a private hospital in Kuluva – 11km away – which has its own small hydro-electric power plant.
Arua hospital has a back-up diesel generator but in the absence of WENRECO-supplied electricity, this has consumed a three-month allocation of fuel in a single month. “So how we survive the other two months, it’s a very big challenge” Odar said. “If you have exhausted your budget, then you stay in darkness.”
While the Ministry of Health has promised to subsidize fuel for four hospitals elsewhere in Uganda to compensate for national grid blackouts, its permanent secretary, Asuman Lukwago, said he had been unaware of the extent of power outages in West Nile. “But we are able to help them at any time they are in a critical crisis – if the hospital is in a crisis and needs help tomorrow, we can help” he said.
Such help would be welcomed by Arua resident Linda Mutambi, who remembers a doctor having to stitch her up in the dark when power failed during a Caesarean section about a year ago. The stitches had to be removed and re-sewn. Now expecting her third child, the thought of returning to hospital makes her apprehensive. “I always fear. I always think that now I’m pregnant again, what am I going to do? They are going to take me to the theatre again. I’m just imagining again power going off for me, that’s what is always in my mind.”
The parliamentary committee’s lead researcher, Josephine Watera, said there was no doubt that maternal deaths had risen because of the blackouts, even if chronic under-reporting of such fatalities meant accurate data was unavailable. “The situation is very bad. After going into the field, our eyes are open” she said. She said the health centre in Yumbe, another West Nile town, had been effectively shut down as it had no water, no generator, and a broken solar panel. Patients who have been paying for already short supplies are now faced with fuelling their own ambulances, Watera said.
Local discontent with WENRECo stems not only from its frequent blackouts – despite a pledge to deliver 18-24 hours of electricity a day – but also the delayed completion of 3.5MW hydro-power plant in Nyagak, which was supposed to go online in 2006. As an interim measure, the company operates two small generators in West Nile, but locals say these provide electricity for just two hours a day.
Angelo Izama, director of local energy think-tank Fanaka Kwawote, told IRIN the delays at Nyagak were symptomatic of a failing national procurement process. “Regulators of any variety in Uganda tend to be weaker than the entities that they regulate. So companies that are involved, foreign or local – really project immense influence over the procedures of procurement” Izama said.
Only 10 percent of Ugandans have access to electricity. In rural areas the proportion is 3 percent.
fonte www.afronline.org

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ANCHE L’EUROPA NELLA COALIZIONE CONTRO RIBELLI UGANDESI
13 dicembre 2011

L’Unione Europea finanzierà la costruzione di una base logistica che favorisca attività militari e di intelligence nell’ambito delle operazioni di contrasto all’Esercito di Resistenza del Signore (LRA) nell’Africa centro-orientale. A rendere noto l’allargamento al ‘vecchio continente’ della coalizione di cui fanno già parte Uganda, Sud Sudan, Centrafrica, Repubblica democratica del Congo e Stati Uniti è il ministro della Difesa di Kampala, Kryspus Kiyonga, che riferisce di un finanziamento “per oltre un milione di dollari”.
Al termine di sopralluoghi effettuati in diverse zone di confine, territori di difficile accesso in cui l’LRA è più attivo, i militari statunitensi dispiegati il mese scorso dall’amministrazione americana hanno individuato infatti la località di Nzara, nell’ovest del Sud Sudan, e Obbo, in Centrafrica, per l’insediamento di due basi permanenti di coordinamento e addestramento delle truppe africane.
La scorsa settimana – riferisce la stampa ugandese – si è conclusa ad Entebbe, vicino Kampala, una sessione di addestramento nel corso della quale le truppe hanno ricevuto in dotazione nuovi equipaggiamenti per la lotta contro la guerriglia. All’addestramento, condotto dai militari americani, ne seguiranno altri nei paesi limitrofi dove è attiva la ribellione guidata da Joseph Kony.
Il rinnovato interesse da parte dell’Unione Africana, che ha di recente lanciato un’iniziativa regionale contro il fenomeno LRA, si inserisce nell’ambito di un programma approvato lo scorso anno dal presidente americano Barack Obama per il ‘Disarmo e la riqualificazione del Nord Uganda’. Sulla base di una richiesta del Congresso, il governo di Washington ha inviato nella regione africana un centinaio di uomini dei corpi speciali incaricati di coordinare le operazioni contro i ribelli.
fonte www.misna.org

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PROFUGHI RUANDESI CONTRO ‘CLAUSOLA DI CESSAZIONE’
14 dicembre 2011

“Non vogliamo perdere i nostri diritti alla protezione in quanto rifugiati”: è il messaggio della petizione, a nome dei circa 17.000 profughi ruandesi in Uganda, indirizzata all’Alto commissario dell’Onu per i rifugiati Antonio Guterres.
La missiva è motivata dalla ‘clausola di cessazione’ annunciata dall’Alto commissariato dell’Onu per i rifugiati (Unhcr/Acnur) e caldeggiata dal presidente ruandese Paul Kagame. Una clausola che, se entrerà in vigore il 31 dicembre come previsto, comporterà la fine della protezione internazionale finora concessa ai profughi e potrebbe preludere a rimpatri forzati.
Nella petizione dei profughi e richiedenti asilo ruandesi, trasmessa alla MISNA dai promotori del Fahamu, piattaforma di sensibilizzazione sui diritti dei rifugiati, si denuncia un clima di oppressione e di assenza di libertà nel Rwanda del presidente Paul Kagame. “Coloro che sono già tornati non hanno trovato nulla per aiutare la loro reintegrazione. Alcuni di loro sono stati perseguitati, persino torturati, altri sono scomparsi, forse prelevati dai servizi di sicurezza. In alcuni casi i profughi sono tornati indietro” si legge nella petizione, un documento dettagliato di 90 pagine. In Uganda, denunciano i profughi “siamo vittime di discriminazioni a causa della nostra origine e delle problematiche irrisolte legate alla nostra situazione”.
Secondo i promotori della missiva, l’omicidio del giornalista ruandese Charles Ingabire, ucciso in Uganda nella notte tra il 31 novembre e il 1° dicembre scorso, è un chiaro esempio e una diretta conseguenza della clausola di cessazione. Il nome di Ingabire fa parte di un elenco di altri 18 profughi ruandesi uccisi, alcuni dei quali dalla polizia ugandese, altri da agenti ruandesi, dal 2010 tra la comunità rifugiata in Uganda.
Il nodo dei profughi in Uganda risale all’epoca del genocidio ruandese del 1994, quando furono sterminati tra 500.000 e 800.000 tutsi da milizie estremiste hutu, e scapparono civili di entrambe le comunità.
Negli anni successivi, dopo l’arrivo al potere della ribellione che mise fine ai massacri, guidata da Kagame e da un nucleo di ruandesi provenienti dall’estero, altri profughi hanno scelto la via dell’esilio.

fonte www.misna.org

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MINISTRO UGANDESE SI DIMETTE PER CORRUZIONE
16 dicembre 2011
Nessuno lo aveva mai fatto in Uganda, e solo pochi altri nel resto dell’Africa: dimettersi da ministro per un’accusa di corruzione.
Il record appartiene a Kabakumba Masiko, ministra per i Rapporti con la Presidenza, finita nella tempesta per un episodio di “appropriazione indebita”. Masiko è accusata di aver sottratto, quando tre anni fa era ministro dell’Informazione, apparecchiature della Ubc-Uganda broadcasting corporation (la ‘Rai ugandese’) e di essersele portate a casa sua, nel proprio collegio, 250 chilometri a sud della capitale, Kampala. “Ho fiducia nei giudici e mi dimetto per permettere che le indagini su di me siano condotte nel massimo della trasparenza” ha detto ai giornalisti increduli durante una conferenza stampa.
In Uganda, come nella maggior parte dei Paesi del continente, la corruzione è endemica e diffusa a ogni livello. Raramente i potenti di turno vengono condannati per questo tipo di reato, mentre molto spesso politici in vista finiscono nel mirino della giustizia nell’ambito dello scontro politico tra fazioni rivali.
fonte www.agi.it

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UGANDA: GOVERNMENT TO REDUCE MATERNAL MORTALITY BY 50 PERCENT
18 december 2011

The Ministry of Health has partnered with civil society organisations to launch a fresh campaign to fight infant and maternal mortality in the country. The campaign dubbed, ‘Everyone is Me’ is expected to bring to the fore mothers and childhealth issues not only at policy level but also create awareness among Ugandans, who are expected to play a role in saving lives.
“By the time you go to bed, 16 mothers and 121 babies will have died today. The campaign values everyone child, and believes that everyone has a role to play in lowering the current high maternal, newborn and child deaths in Uganda” Save the Children Uganda country director Peter Nkhonjera told journalists in Kampala on Friday.
The campaign will focus on giving out 1,000 childbirth kit to community health centres and also ensure that trained health workers are available in the centres. The Assistant Commissioner of Child Health in the Ministry of Health, Dr Jesca Nsungwa Sabiiti, said the ministry has embarked on training 6,000 midwives over the next four years aimed at reducing the alarming rates of maternal and infant mortality in the country.
“The ‘Everyone is Me’ campaign is in line with attaining the Millennium Development Goals, among which includes initiatives to reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters and child mortality by two-thirds” Dr Sabiiti said. “We are already running a test site model in Kabarole, Kibale, Kyenjojo and Kamwenge districts to realign our resource with stakeholders to see if we can reduce these deaths. After we have assessed the viability, shall role it to other districts” she added.
Mr Nkhonjera said the five-year campaign will focus on soliciting “hand-raiser” actions for policy change, popular mobilisation, programming redirection and resource mobilisation for maternal, newborn and child healthcare.
The campaign is being implemented in partnership with The White Ribbon Alliance, Unicef and the United Nations Population Fund.
According to the 2006 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey, some 6,000 women die annually during pregnancy, during childbirth or due to complications that arise shortly after. The survey also indicates that 44,500 newborn babies die within the first 28 days of life, while about 184,000 children do not live to see their fifth birthday.
fonte http://allafrica.com – Stephen Wandera

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UGANDA PROMOSSA DALLA LONELY PLANET
20 dicembre 2011
Più visibilità per il turismo ugandese. Con questo obiettivo le autorità di Kampala hanno avviato una campagna promozionale a 360 gradi per innescare una spirale positiva che porti allo sviluppo di un settore dotato di grandi potenzialità.
Motore e fulcro della campagna saranno le rappresentanze diplomatiche di Kampala all’estero, i cui organici, assicurano i responsabili del settore. saranno opportunamente rafforzati. Coordinata dall’Autorità per le Aree protette e dall’Autorità dell’Aviazione civile, l’iniziativa si avvantaggia anche del sostegno di Lonely Planet, la casa editrice britannica di guide turistiche diffuse in tutto il mondo, che per il 2012 ha assegnato proprio all’Uganda il titolo di destinazione prioritaria a livello mondiale.
Per dare più consistenza alla campagna, il ministro del Turismo, Ephraim Kamuntu, ha recentemente ribadito la “necessità di una ripresa” dell’attività di Uganda Airlines perché “uno sviluppo efficace del turismo non può prescindere da una compagnia di bandiera“.
fonte www.agi.it

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UGANDA, IN CRESCITA EXPORT STIMATO CACAO NEL 2012 (12%)
28 dicembre 2011
La messa a frutto di nuove piante, con il conseguente aumento della produzione, porterà alla crescita del 12 per cento l’export di cacao dall’Uganda nella stagione 2011-2012.
La stima è stata fatta in un intervento ad un convegno sul futuro del comparto da John Muwanga Musisi, responsabile del settore per lo sviluppo del caffè e del tè presso il ministero dell’Agricoltura di Kampala. Musisi ha previsto che l’anno prossimo la produzione toccherà le 18.000 tonnellate contro le 16.478 di quest’anno.
Una performance, ha precisato, “che porterà gli introiti a 55 milioni di dollari contro i 52,7 realizzati quest’anno. L’aumento della produzione sarà soprattutto il risultato dell’ampliamento della superficie dei terreni destinati a tale coltura, perchè sono sempre più numerosi gli agricoltori che si dedicano alla coltivazione del cacao e ciò avrà sicuramente un impatto positivo sull’export“.
fonte www.agi.it

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Cambio valuta: in data 02/01/2012 1 dollaro USA è pari a 2485 scellini ugandesi, 1 Euro è pari a 3195,0123 scellini ugandesi

MIGLIORANO LE PROSPETTIVE ALIMENTARI NELLA REGIONE DI KARAMOJA ANCHE SE IL TASSO DI MALNUTRIZIONE RIMANE MOLTO ALTO
12 ottobre 2011

UGANDA: LIBERATE DONNE OSTAGGIO DEI RIBELLI, RAPITE DA BAMBINE
24 ottobre 2011

IN UGANDA UNA NUOVA DIGA SUL NILO
28 ottobre 2011

IN UGANDA INFLATION HITS 30.5 PERCENT
31 october 2011

LOTTA AI GRUPPI ARMATI, NUOVI IMPEGNI MILITARI
2 novembre 2011

KIIRA EV, L’UTILITARIA AL LITIO CONTRO L’INQUINAMENTO
3 novembre 2011

LUZIRA PRISON, THE UGANDA’S GUANTÁNAMO
3 november 2011

POPOLAZIONE UGANDA A QUOTA 34, 5 MILIONI
4 novembre 2011

PRATICHE DOGANALI PIU’ SNELLE ALLA FRONTIERA UGANDESE
8 novembre 2011

RIBELLI UGANDESI: VESCOVO DI GULU, “NESSUNA PACE DALLE ARMI”
9 novembre 2011

IN UGANDA ‘SETTE MERAVIGLIE’ PRONTE AD ACCOGLIERE TURISTI
9 novembre 2011

INAUGURATO VOLO QATAR AIRWAYS SU ENTEBBE, UGANDA
10 novembre 2011

FINALLY, A VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY
14 november 2011

UGANDA HEALTHCARE SYSTEM DERAILING HIV FIGHT
15 november 2011

14 YEAR KAMULI PUPIL GETS NOD FOR PEACE AWARD
15 november 2011

IN UGANDA TWO MILLION CHILDREN MALNOURISHED
16 november 2011

UGANDA, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TOP ON COUNTRY’S DEVELOPMENT PLAN
16 november 2011

L’UGANDA PER LA PRIMA VOLTA PRODURRA’ CASEINA
17 novembre 2011

SERVIZIO SANITARIO NAZIONALE IN UGANDA AL VIA ENTRO 2013
18 novembre 2011

25% TRADE LICENCE CUT ON NEXT YEAR
21 november 2011

UGANDA, LA GUERRA CHE CONVIENE
21 novembre 2011

UGANDA: IGNORANCE INCREASING ABORTIONS AMONG ADOLESCENTS
23 november 2011

UGANDA NATION’S INVESTMENTS SLOW DOWN
24 november 2011

PROTESTE PER IL CAROVITA, DAI VESCOVI UN INVITO AL DIALOGO
24 novembre 2011

PETROLIO E MULTINAZIONALI, UNA SENTENZA IMPORTANTE
24 novembre 2011

UGANDA, ORPHANS URGED TO SAVE FOR THEIR FEES
28 november 2011

La regione di Karamoja, a nordest dell’Uganda, viene spesso associata a carenza cronica alimentare, malnutrizione e povertà. Tuttavia, secondo le agenzie umanitarie, risulta improbabile che nei prossimi mesi la zona possa soffrire una ulteriore crisi. Secondo le autorità locali solo una piccola percentuale della popolazione di Karamoja è potenzialmente a rischio, nonostante la carenza di cibo dovuta al ritardo della stagione della semina. Circa il 10% della popolazione potrebbe avere bisogno di aiuti alimentari.
Secondo le proiezioni del ‘Famine Early Warning Systems Network’ (FEWS NET) il latte rimarrà importante fonte di cibo per le famiglie contadine fino all’inizio della stagione secca, integrato con cereali e legumi. Gli operatori umanitari impegnati a Moroto sostengono che ci sono eccezioni isolate in aree come Rupa dove il terreno è gravemente degradato.
Secondo gli esperti, la situazione è notevolmente migliorata rispetto al 2008, quando a Karamoja, a causa di un cattivo raccolto, oltre un milione di persone rimasero in seria difficoltà. Quest’anno si sono ridotte a 140 mila e di loro si sta occupando il Programma Alimentare Mondiale. Il raccolto contribuisce al 25% del fabbisogno alimentare annuale. Comunque non tutti concordano sul fatto che la situazione sia migliorata. La situazione è aggravata dalla scarsa igiene, dalla povertà, dalle pessime condizioni sanitarie.
Le tradizioni complicano gli sforzi per migliorare la salute di molte mamme, ad esempio, di quelle che frequentano le cliniche prenatali la maggior parte poi partorisce in casa. Nel centro medico di Iriri, 188 donne incinte avevano usufruito di assistenza prenatale ma solo 24 hanno partorito nella struttura.
La regione, con una popolazione di circa 1.2 milioni di persone, ha il più basso livello di sviluppo in Uganda, con solo il 30% della popolazione che ha accesso all’acqua potabile e solo l’11% che sa leggere e scrivere. Circa l’80% vive in condizioni di insicurezza alimentare, prevalentemente dovuta alle piogge imprevedibili.
Secondo il governo locale e la Fao, i sette distretti di Kaabong, Abim, Kotido, Nakapiripirit, Amudat, Napak e Moroto, rientrano tutti in una cosiddetta zona rossa. Quest’anno però, le piogge hanno tenuto una media positiva a Moroto.
Le condizioni del raccolto sono state in generale buone, tuttavia, secondo un rapporto dell’Unicef, il tasso di malnutrizione rimane molto alto. Nel distretto di Nakapiripirit si registra una prevalenza di malnutrizione acuta globale (GAM) del 20.4% e, il 5.6% di malnutrizione acuta severa (SAM). Nel complesso, la regione ha un tasso di prevalenza di GAM del 12.8% e di SAM del 2.8%.
fonte www.fides.org

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UGANDA: LIBERATE DONNE OSTAGGIO DEI RIBELLI, RAPITE DA BAMBINE
24 ottobre 2011

Liberate, dopo anni di prigionia e schiavitù, le tre donne che anni addietro furono rapite dai gruppi armati della LRA (Esercito di Resistenza del Signore). Eunice Ajok, Beatrice Lalam, Teddy Acayo, sono state ritrovate a Dulu, in un villaggio della Repubblica Democratica del Congo, grazie ad un’operazione portata avanti dalle truppe dell’UPDF (Unità delle forze di difesa popolari dell’Uganda), affiancate dalla collaborazione delle Nazioni Unite.
Le tre prigioniere erano state sequestrate e come spesso avviene in questi casi, consegnate ai capi ribelli per farne loro schiave sessuali. Eunice Ajok, scomparsa nel lontano 1996, fu dapprima deportata nel Sud Sudan ed in seguito nel Congo. Da allora ha avuto tre figli. La stessa sorte è toccata a Beatrice Lalam nel 2002, oggi madre di due bambini e a Teddy Acayo, nel 2003, rapita giovanissima quando ancora si trovava ai tempi della scuola elementare, ed ora anche lei mamma.
Il capo della Missione di stabilizzazione delle Nazioni Unite nel Congo Belga, Slobodan Kotevski, ha detto che l’insurrezione della LRA sta diventando un problema regionale, esortando Stati Uniti e Unione Europea ad intervenire inviando i loro aiuti.
fonte http://it.peacereporter.net

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IN UGANDA UNA NUOVA DIGA SUL NILO
28 ottobre 2011

Una diga idroelettrica sarà realizzata nella provincia di Kamuli, situata nella parte centro-meridionale dell’Uganda. Lo ha reso noto il presidente del parlamento nazionale, Rebecca Kadaga, precisando che l’infrastruttura sorgerà a un chilometro dal capoluogo della provincia, Kisozi, nei pressi delle cascate di Isimba, lungo il fiume Nilo.
Sempre sul tratto ugandese del Nilo è attualmente in costruzione la diga di Karuma, che rappresenta il più grande progetto idroelettrico di questo Paese, con una capacità prevista di 750MW.
fonte www.agi.it

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IN UGANDA INFLATION HITS 30.5 PERCENT
31 october 2011

The annual headline inflation rate for the year ending Oct. 2011 rose to 30.5 percent up from 28.3 percent recorded for the year ended Sept. 2011, Uganda Bureau of Statistics has reported today. This is the highest since Jan. 1993 when it was 34.2 percent.
While releasing the figures at UBOS head offices in Kampala, Chris Ndatira Mukiza, the bureau’s director for macro-economics attributed the slight increase in headline inflation to increased prices of imported goods especially second hand and new clothing plus that of some household and personal goods due to the continued depreciation of the shilling against foreign currencies.
Also, the services inflation rate rose to 14.0 percent in October up from 8.5 percent in September-prices of rent and meals in restaurants increased. The increase in prices of some food items like matooke, irish potatoes, cassava, tomatoes, cabbage, meat and chicken in most centres also contributed to the slight increase in inflation.
However, figures show the year-on-year rate of food inflation slowed to 45.8 percent in October from 50.4 percent in September. The core rate of inflation which excludes food crops, fuel, electricity and metered water also rose to 30.8 percent in October up from 27.5 percent in September. The central bank targets 5 percent core inflation in the medium term.
In October, the CBR was raised by four percentage points to 20 percent, the third increase since the rate was launched in July at 13 percent. The bank will tomorrow announce its lending benchmark for the month of November.
fonte www.allafrica.com - Julius Businge

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LOTTA AI GRUPPI ARMATI, NUOVI IMPEGNI MILITARI
2 novembre 2011

Sconfiggere in poco tempo le “forze negative” che minano la stabilità della regione dei Grandi Laghi: è l’obiettivo dichiarato della riunione dei dirigenti dei servizi d’intelligence degli undici paesi membri della Conferenza Internazionale per la Regione dei Grandi Laghi (CIRGL) tenuta in questi giorni a Bujumbura, la capitale burundese.
Non è stata ancora resa pubblica la strategia delineata dai partecipanti ai lavori, svoltisi a porte chiuse, ma si sa che i responsabili della sicurezza hanno deciso di rafforzare le operazioni contro i principali gruppi armati attivi nella regione.
Nella linea di mira troviamo gruppi basati principalmente nell’est della Repubblica Democratica del Congo, in cui la corsa verso le elezioni (28 novembre prossimo) è accompagnata da una recrudescenza di azioni armate. Tra questi, le Forze democratiche per la liberazione del Rwanda (FDLR), formate nel 2000 e in parte composte da ex genocidari rwandesi, sottoposti alla repressione del regime di Paul Kagame. Insieme a loro, gruppi locali Mayi Mayi, ex ribellioni patriottiche congolesi convertite in gruppi di banditi armati che stringono alleanze di convenienza.
Nell’est del Congo, sostengono alcune fonti, sarebbero basati anche disertori delle forze armate rwandesi, passati all’opposizione, e ribelli del gruppo burundese Forze nazionali di liberazione (FNL), la cui intesa di pace con il governo di Bujumbura è stata messa a dura prova negli ultimi mesi.
L’altra ribellione mai sconfitta in circa 25 anni è l’Esercito di Resistenza del Signore (LRA), di origini ugandesi, oggi sparso tra l’est del Congo, la Repubblica centrafricana e il Sudan. Per dare la caccia ai ribelli dell’ugandese Joseph Kony, Washington ha da poco disposto un sostegno militare statunitense nella regione.
Aprendo i lavori della riunione lunedì, il primo vice presidente burundese Terence Sinunguruza ha ipotizzato “operazioni militari congiunte” e “azioni di caccia ai leader delle forze negative”. L’opzione militare suscita regolarmente critiche da parte delle società civili dei paesi coinvolti, in particolare nell’Est congolese. Con scarsi risultati nell’eliminazione dei gruppi armati, le offensive armate si accompagnano generalmente di sfollamenti forzati di popolazioni e di vittime innocenti, mentre i vertici militari tendono ad amalgamare troppo facilmente i miliziani e i profughi civili non armati.
fonte www.misna.org

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KIIRA EV, L’UTILITARIA AL LITIO CONTRO L’INQUINAMENTO
3 novembre 2011

Ha due posti, 16 cavalli e una batteria di litio al posto del cuore, la prima vettura elettrica prodotta in Uganda. In un test su strada i ricercatori dell’università di Makerere hanno raggiunto i 60 chilometri orari senza emettere un filo di gas inquinante.
Kiira Ev, questo è il nome della vettura, sarà messa sul mercato a un prezzo di 15.000 dollari, circa 10.880 euro, dopo una cerimonia alla quale parteciperà il presidente Yoweri Museveni. “Questa macchina dimostra che l’Uganda è in grado di sviluppare tecnologie all’avanguardia come i paesi occidentali” ha detto Tickodri Togboa, il professore di ingegneria elettronica e informatica che coordina il progetto.
Togboa e un gruppo di 25 ricercatori stanno lavorando anche alla realizzazione di un autobus elettrico da 30 posti che dovrebbe essere acquistato dal Comune di Kampala.
fonte www.misna.org

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LUZIRA PRISON, THE UGANDA’S GUANTÁNAMO
3 november 2011

Last week Ingrid Turinawe, the leader of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Women’s League, in Uganda, was sent to the infamous Luzira Prison. Everywhere one looks, there are “infamous” prisons.
For the United States, for example, Guantánamo, with its regime of torture and its regimen of violence, is but the tip of a national iceberg. Every country has at least one. In Uganda, it’s Luzira Prison.
Six years ago, two-thirds of Uganda’s then 18,000 prisoners were awaiting trial. Some had been caged for years, for no reason other than not being able to post bond or because, in the global security climate, they have been deemed `terrorists’, and so stay in prison for years, without every being charged.
Of the 18,000, prisoners, 5,000 were in Luzira, built in the 1950’s, designed for a capacity of 500. That’s ten people for every one person’s space. For years. And those were the good times. Last year, the prison system reported over 30,000 prisoners, of whom a little over 1,000 were women. In March 2010, Luzira Upper was at 366 percent of approved capacity; Luzira Women’s at 357 percent. The situation is only expected to worsen over the next decade.
What does overcrowding mean? Inadequate food, inadequate water, inadequate clothes, blankets, mattresses. Most prisoners sleep on the bare floor. The only prison in the entire system that has blankets is Luzira Women’s Prison. The result? Reports estimate that 10% of inmates die in prison, primarily due to malnutrition and AIDs, but really due to lack of this, inadequate that, and none of essential those.
Along with overcrowding, use of isolation cells as “persuasion” is fairly common, in both Luzira Upper and Luzira Women’s Prisons. For pregnant women prisoners, prenatal care is horrible and postnatal care is worse. For prisoners living with mental or psychosocial disabilities, their options are to languish or perish while the State dithers. Many of these prisoners are in Luzira.
The same holds for many juveniles held in Luzira adult facilities and awaiting some sort of decision. The same holds for those on Luzira’s death row, where perhaps as many as 25% are innocent, but hey. For sex workers the situation is, at best, dire. For those accused of homosexuality worse.
And of course the open secret of Luzira is the torture of political prisons, covered under the fog of anti-terrorism. One woman was held incommunicado for six months, during which she was beaten senseless. Then she was taken to Luzira, for a month, before being released on bail. Her crime? Being married to a person of interest. Another woman was abducted by rebels, as a girl. When she was captured, by the army, she was sent, finally, to Luzira, where she applied for amnesty. After seven months, she was released, without amnesty, without a trial and with charges dropped. Nevertheless, she is required to report to the equivalent of a parole officer once a month … in perpetuity.
In Uganda, if one is charged, or suspected, of “treason or terrorism”, Luzira is in the cards. Earlier this week, Ingrid Turinawe was sent to Luzira. Why? She has been charged with treason. Because she participated in and led the ‘Walk to work’ protests and campaign. Because she said something’s rotten in the state of Uganda. Because she proposed that democracy, now, is both required and possible … now.
Of course, there’s barely a mention of Turinawe, or of the Walk to Work campaign in the western press, but what else is new? As you read of the Occupy movements, the Indignados, the Uncut movements, and all the other manifestations, and as you read of the police “over-reaction”, which is always merely following orders, remember the Ugandans who, since last year, have been Walking to Work and think of Ingrid Turinawe, in Luzira Prison… for the treason of dreaming democracy.
fonte www.afronline.org – Dan Moshenberg

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POPOLAZIONE UGANDA A QUOTA 34, 5 MILIONI
4 novembre 2011

A fine ottobre la popolazione dell’Uganda ha raggiunto quota 34,5 milioni, con maschi e femmine al 50% ciascuno, contro i 33,8 registrati nello stesso periodo del 2010. I dati sono contenuti nell’ultimo rapporto sullo stato della popolazione mondiale, messo a punto dal Fondo delle Nazioni Unite per la popolazione.
La fonte rileva che nello stesso periodo è calato il tasso di crescita annuo, passato dal 3,3 al 3,1 per cento, e che dal 2005 è diminuito anche il tasso di fertilità, passato da 6,7 a 5,9 bambini per donna, un tasso che comunque è al di sopra di quello medio dell’Africa sub-sahariana, che è pari a 4,8 bimbi per donna.
fonte www.agi.it

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PRATICHE DOGANALI PIU’ SNELLE ALLA FRONTIERA UGANDESE
8 novembre 2011

I valichi di frontiera dell’Uganda saranno ammodernati anche con l’introduzione di moderne tecnologie digitali che faciliteranno il disbrigo delle pratiche doganali. Il ministro del Commercio e dell’industria, Amelia Kymbadde, ha annunciato in conferenza stampa che il governo di Kampala ha sbloccato l’equivalente di 15 milioni di dollari.
I primi a essere ammodernati saranno i valichi di Busia (est) e quelli di Mutukula e Mirama, situati nella regione sud-occidentale. Il ministro ha detto che la migliorata operatività delle nuove strutture “permetterà di ridurre le azioni di contrabbando e porteranno a un aumento delle entrate doganali”.
fonte www.agi.it

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RIBELLI UGANDESI: VESCOVO DI GULU, “NESSUNA PACE DALLE ARMI”
9 novembre 2011

“La soluzione alla piaga dell’Esercito di Resistenza del Signore (Lord’s Resistance Army, Lra) non verrà dalle armi ma da una ripresa del dialogo esteso a tutti gli attori coinvolti, anche a livello regionale”: è il messaggio che l’arcivescovo di Gulu John Baptist Odama affida alla MISNA da Kampala, dove è in corso in questi giorni una riunione della Conferenza episcopale ugandese.
“Le operazioni militari ingaggiate finora per colpire la ribellione guidata da Joseph Kony si sono rivelate costose e inutili. Anzi, in alcuni casi hanno addirittura peggiorato le condizioni di vita delle popolazioni locali già al limite” assicura il monsignor Odama, presidente della Conferenza e membro di spicco dell’Iniziativa per la pace dei capi religiosi acholi, promotrice dei colloqui di pace di Juba tra il governo di Kampala e i ribelli arenatisi dopo lunghe trattative nel 2006.
Nelle scorse settimane, a centinaia di chilometri da Kampala, nel nord del paese, sono stati dispiegati cento militari statunitensi inviati dal Congresso americano – su richiesta del governo ugandese – con l’obiettivo di fornire “consulenze” e formare unità speciali per contrastare il fenomeno LRA.
“Mi chiedo perché siano stati inviati qui e non in Centrafrica o in Congo, dove gli attacchi sono pressoché quotidiani” insite il vescovo, per cui tra i problemi irrisolti c’è il fatto che “non sono ancora state affrontate le questioni del conflitto” e che “il Nord Uganda non potrà voltare pagina sino a quando non saranno estirpate le radici del malcontento”.
A preoccupare il religioso che si dice “perplesso” dell’iniziativa americano-ugandese soprattutto la situazione nel vicino Sud Sudan e nel Congo: “Noi che abbiamo sperimentato 20 anni di guerra con lo LRA, non avremmo mai voluto che potesse accadere anche alla popolazione congolese o sudanese” afferma ancora l’arcivescovo, secondo cui “la ripresa del dialogo, a livello regionale, è l’unica strada da seguire per risolvere definitivamente il problema LRA”.
Nel 2006, i cosiddetti ‘Colloqui di pace di Juba’ stavano per portare alla firma di un accordo definitivo tra LRA e governo di Kampala. L’intesa è stata ostacolata dalla decisione della Corte penale internazionale (Cpi/Icc) di spiccare mandati di cattura nei confronti di Kony ed altri comandanti ribelli, accusati di massacri di civili, mutilazioni, sequestro e arruolamento forzato di bambini.
fonte www.misna.org

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IN UGANDA ‘SETTE MERAVIGLIE’ PRONTE AD ACCOGLIERE TURISTI
9 novembre 2011

L’Uganda sta per varare una mega-campagna promozionale delle sue attrattive turistiche, in seguito alla quale i suoi introiti annuali da questo settore potrebbero raggiungere quota 2,5 miliardi di dollari.
L’iniziativa, che si chiama ‘Seven Wonders’ (Sette Meraviglie), è stata proposta e pianificata da un uomo d’affari locale, Anos Weseka Masaba, che è anche presidente dell’Associazione turistica ugandese, con la collaborazione della Fondazione per l’imprenditoria privata di Kampala.
Masaba ha spiegato in conferenza stampa che le località e i 7 siti naturali da usare come ‘ambasciatori’ delle bellezze ugandesi saranno indicati dagli stessi ugandesi, che invieranno appositi Sms e e-mail in cui segnaleranno la località o il sito capace di attrarre i visitatori dall’estero.
fonte www.agi.it

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INAUGURATO VOLO QATAR AIRWAYS SU ENTEBBE, UGANDA
10 novembre 2011

Il volo inaugurale di Qatar Airways che collega la capitale dell’emirato del Golfo a Entebbe, principale aeroporto dell’Uganda, ha da ieri avvicinato ancora di più i due Paesi, che da alcuni anni registrano progressi continui negli scambi commerciali.
Il velivolo che ha compiuto il volo inaugurale Doha-Entebbe portava a bordo anche l’amministratore delegato del vettore mediorientale, Akbar Al Baker, oltre a un gruppo di giornalisti. In una conferenza stampa all’aeroporto di Entebbe, Al Baker ha spiegato che la sua compagnia “ha avviato la nuova destinazione per le ottime prospettive di crescita del settore turistico” nel paese dell’Africa centro-orientale, che l’anno prossimo festeggerà il cinquantenario dell’indipendenza.
fonte www.agi.it

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FINALLY, A VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY
14 november 2011

On September 28, the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) awarded a provisional licence to the Virtual University of Uganda, which makes it Uganda’s first virtual learning institution.
Virtual University of Uganda will offer its courses solely over the internet. It’s electronic backbone – servers, and backup support – is overseas, in Germany and the Netherlands, a decision prompted by the instability of local service providers (internet and electricity). The classrooms, meeting rooms, registry and a library that can be accessed by the general public are fully virtual, using a Moodle platform hosted in the Netherlands. Its administration offices, meanwhile, are in Muyenga.
The NCHE, until recently, had not developed a framework for licencing and regulating virtual universities. This changed with the establishment of the Virtual University of Uganda. To accredit it the council used the same guidelines it follows for regular universities; proper governance, adequate study resources, program/course content, delivery methods and adequate, well-trained staff.
These were adapted to suit the uniqueness of VUU, says Francis Otto, Higher Education Officer (Quality Assurance), with the council paying particular attention to its software and technical capabilities, and the size as well as content of its library. According to Michel Lejeune, chairman board of trustees and a professor at the university, the university has lined up a number of tutors from different countries to write the course material. Each tutor’s course module (course unit) will be used for two years before it’s taken off the University’s site to be revised or updated.
The university will use tutors from Kenya, Tanzania, German, and Netherlands, teaching in Dodoma University, University of Twente and the London School of Economics, among other universities. Initially, only two courses will be taught by the university, postgraduate diplomas in Public Health and International Development.
Manageable modules – The former has eleven modules while the latter has twelve, each module costing one million shillings. Students can opt for only single module, while those who decide to do all modules in each course can write a dissertation to earn a master’s degree. Enrolment is restricted to postgraduate students because the university believes A-Level leavers don’t have the discipline to study a two month module online. And those students should have, minimum, a second lower degree, and will also be required to take an admission test.
Each programme will admit 35 students, and each module will be taught for two months. Programmes will ideally last two years while the master’s dissertation will take a further six months to complete. The university has set aside a 60 per cent admission quota for Ugandan students.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug - Raymond Mpubani

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UGANDA HEALTHCARE SYSTEM DERAILING HIV FIGHT
15 november 2011

Uganda’s healthcare system is inadequate and derailing the fight against HIV/Aids, a new report released yesterday has shown. The report, released by the Uganda Network of Aids Service Organisation (UNASO), notes that most district health centres and hospitals do not have qualified health workers to handle people living with HIV/Aids due to lack of ARV drugs and test kits.
However, Ministry of Health is blaming the stagnant HIV prevalence rates in the country on uncoordinated response to the epidemic by pro-gay and lesbian civil society organisations. Uganda’s HIV prevalence rates have remained between 6.5 and 7 per cent for about two years.
According to Dr Zainab Akol, the coordinator of the national Aids Control Programme, the number of Ugandans dying from Aids-related infections has reduced significantly over the last two decades; but added that the fight is now being derailed by the civil society. “They are spoiling our response to HIV/Aids. They are derailing us by dragging us to human rights issues of homosexuals. We in the health ministry do not want to know your sexual orientation. We treat everyone so long as that person is sick” she said. Ms Akol made the remarks while launching the report in Kampala on availability and accessibility of selected HIV/Aids services in Rakai, Nakasongola, Pader and Amuru districts.
Misleading report - However, Mr Godfrey Tuwesigye of HURINET Uganda, described Ms Akol’s comments as misleading. “We have never called for cutting funding for HIV/Aids activities. We are just telling the ministry to streamline lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) in HIV/Aids activities. If in future we get a new type of virus among homosexuals, will they say they were not aware?” Mr Tuwesigye said.
But Ms Akol said Uganda recently missed a $270m(Shs770b) grant from the Global Fund to fight Tuberculosis, Malaria and HIV/Aids for provision of ARVs due to lobbying by the civil society. “However, the ministry has managed to secure another funding from Global Fund and we have enrolled an additional 100,000 new people on free ARVs. We intend to keep adding 100,000 patients every year” she said. “The biggest challenge is lack of trained health workers. We only have 20 per cent of the human resource we require. Out of these 15 per cent are not well trained” Ms Akol said.
Her comments come barely a month after the New York-based Human Rights Watch on October 11, wrote to United States officials asking them to reconsider funding HIV/Aids programmes in Uganda, where it claims the rights of homosexuals are violated.
‘Human Rights Watch’ said Ugandan officials and media have intensified attacks on the rights of LGBT people. The rights body cited an anti-condom, anti-gay pastor, whose church has received US funds for anti-Aids, abstinence and fidelity programmes, saying he listed names and pictures of gay rights activists on a web site. Mr Tuwesigye instead blamed the ministry for ignoring the youth and focusing on discordant couples.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug – Stephen Wandera

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14 YEAR KAMULI PUPIL GETS NOD FOR PEACE AWARD
15 november 2011

Winfred Athieno, a 14-year-old girl in Kamuli District, has been enlisted among the finalists for a coveted International Children’s Peace Prize. A pupil at Kamuli Girls Primary School, Athieno was announced among the four finalists by Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Cape Town, South Africa, after beating off competition from 98 other nominees from 42 countries.
Other nominees are from Palestine, Pakistan, South Africa and Armenia. The Children’s Peace Award Prize comes with 100,000 Euros (Shs350m) which is spent on projects closely connected to the winner’s area of work. While announcing the nomination at the school last week, Mr Gezahegn Kebede, the East and South Africa regional director of Plan International, a children’s organisation, said Athieno has been consistent in her fight for children’s rights. “Coming to this level is a great encouragement to us because it is our commitment to see children enjoy their rights and develop their full potential. Athieno has been testimony and the youngest nominee” he said.
Plan Uganda Country director Belbase Subhadra said they nominated Athieno in September 2011 and honoured her for her outstanding contribution during the ‘Because I am a girl’ programme as Plan’s girl-child ambassador, saying “winning this award will boost the girl-child interventions.” Ms Subhadra said Ms Athieno spearheaded the Anti-Violence Club which closely monitors child abuse, neglected children cases and documents them for debate, pioneers the children’s court in schools and Tree Planting campaign in schools, among others.
Humbled - Athieno said the nomination is her humble contribution and reward to Plan for coming to the children’s rescue, giving them a platform to speak and build their capacity. “This is not my award, it is for the victory of abused children, I dedicate it to all children crusaders.” Speaker of Parliament and Kamuli Woman MP Rebecca Kadaga said Uganda has a potential for international awards and Kamuli children have been empowered, mentored and exposed enough to speak to the world. “My girls need inspiration and exposure. When I fought for Plan to go to Kamuli as a child activist, I knew what they were capable of doing to change their plight from being slave children.”
Award - The International Children’s Peace Prize is awarded annually to a child who has made significant contributions to advocating children’s rights and improving the situation of vulnerable children such as orphans, child labourers and children living with HIV/Aids. The prize is an initiative of the Kids Rights Foundation, an international children’s aid and advocacy organisation based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug – Sam Opio Caleb

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IN UGANDA TWO MILLION CHILDREN MALNOURISHED
16 november 2011

Over two million children in Uganda under the age of five are chronically malnourished, the Minister of State for Agriculture Professor Zerubaberi Nyiira has revealed.
Nyiira made these remarks while officiating at a consultative workshop on Nutrient Rich Food Crops at the Golf Course Hotel recently. “Malnutrition is the underlying cause of death in nearly 60 per cent of infants and 25 per cent of mothers especially in rural areas which have high incidences of poverty and malnutrition as compared to their urban counterparts” he observed.
The minister also revealed that the children under five years affected by malnutrition account for 38 per cent, of which 16 per cent are underweight while six per cent are said to be wasted. “Promotion of nutrient-rich food crops is part of our endeavor to integrate nutrition into agricultural development programs to reduce malnutrition.”
The workshop was organized by BRAC Uganda, an NGO offering different services, and is aimed at creating awareness on availability of nutrient-rich food crops in Uganda. BRAC Executive Director Dr. Mahabub Hossain attributed the increasing rate of malnutrition cases in Uganda to inadequate nutrients like Vitamin A, zinc andiron in food intake particularly for the rural poor. Dr. Mahabub suggested that citizens should breed locally grown food to increase their nutrition content in order to address challenges related to malnutrition in Uganda.
Such crops include staple foods that include beans, cassava, sweet potatoes, and maize. The breeders assist in screening plants of staple food crops that contribute to high amounts of minerals or vitamins.
Nyiira assured the stakeholders that the challenge related to malnutrition would be addressed in Uganda’s Nutrition Action Plan (UNAP), a plan recently launched by the president with an objective of ensuring that all citizens are well nourished. “The plan calls for the scaling up of interventions, placing emphasis on community-based initiatives that have been proved to yield cost effective results, as well as targeting areas and groups with the highest level of malnutrition” Nyiira noted.
fonte www.allafrica.com - Prossy Nandudu

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UGANDA, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TOP ON COUNTRY’S DEVELOPMENT PLAN
16 november 2011

The Government has placed science and technology among the four priorities of the National Development Plan for 2010/11 to 2014/15.
This presents an opportunity and challenge to scientists, policy makers, development planners and the ordinary citizens to transform scientific knowledge into national development programmes. Key among our national aspirations is transforming the economy from an agrarian to an industrial and knowledge economy.
Today Uganda commemorates World Science Day for Peace and Development. This year’s celebrations emphasize public engagement, equity in science within all sectors of society, among men and women as well as countries participating in and contributing to the global stock of knowledge, through a more holistic approach to the developmental agenda.
“Uganda’s development prospects are intricately linked with the pace of generation, adoption and utilisation of science and technology in the development process” says Dr. Peter Ndemele, executive secretary, Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST). UNCST is mandated to facilitate and coordinate the development and implementation of policies and strategies that integrate science and technology into the national development process.
The council coordinates efforts geared towards realising national aspirations through judicious use of science, technology and innovation. The council has engaged in strategic pilot projects, policy studies and nation-wide stakeholder consultations on the formulation of a National Plan for Science and Technology (NSTI) 2012/13 and 2017/18.
Through the NSTI, the Government is strengthening Uganda’s science, technology and innovation capabilities through building modern infrastructure in universities, research institutions and other innovation centres. Government is also creating a critical mass of skilled scientists and engineers to drive economic growth and transformation and is increasing funding for research, scientific innovation and product development.
Private-public partnerships and international collaborations are also being enhanced. Scientists, innovators, policy makers, private sector enterprises, non-government organisations, community based organisations, civil society, development partners and the public are all invited to participate in building a science and technology-led Ugandan society.
The science policy at the United Nations Education Scientific Culture Organisation (UNESCO) dates back to 1963 when the body turned its attention to the role of science and technology in economic development. Modern science systems foster linkages between knowledge creation and the application of results to satisfy social demands and solve problems through the so-called demand-push model.
This trend was reflected in the Science Agenda adopted by the World Conference on Science organised by UNESCO and the International Council for Science in 1999. The Science Agenda called for a new social contract for science, one in which science would serve society while society would in turn give its support to science.
fonte www.allafrica.com

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L’UGANDA PER LA PRIMA VOLTA PRODURRA’ CASEINA
17 novembre 2011

L’Uganda sarà presto l’unico Paese dell’Africa centro-orientale in grado di produrre e esportare caseina, la proteina del latte che dà origine al processo di caseificazione.
A produrre la caseina sarà la società locale Pearl Dairies, controllata dalla multinazionale Midland Group, che ha investito 15 milioni di dollari nella realizzazione delle strutture produttive. “Ci siamo lanciati in questo settore”, ha rilevato in una dichiarazione l’amministratore delegato della società produttrice, Akash Kumar, “perché mossi dalla necessità di diversificare la nostra attività con prodotti adatti all’esportazione nei mercati limitrofi”. Kumar ha precisato che lo stabilimento per la produzione di caseina, che diventerà operativo a gennaio e occuperà 250 addetti, si trova a Mbarara e sarà in grado di lavorare giornalmente 5.000 ettolitri di latte.
fonte www.agi.it

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SERVIZIO SANITARIO NAZIONALE IN UGANDA AL VIA ENTRO 2013
18 novembre 2011

Entro il giugno 2013 l’Uganda varerà il sistema sanitario nazionale. Lo hanno riferito fonti del ministero della Salute, le quali hanno aggiunto che la messa a punto del relativo provvedimento istitutivo è attualmente “nelle fasi finali”.
Le fonti hanno spiegato che la normativa in esame prevede il versamento di un contributo del 4 per cento del salario da parte dei cittadini e un’analoga quota a carico dei datori di lavoro.
Il ministro della Salute, Richard Nduhura, ha detto in conferenza stampa che nei prossimi mesi “sarà varata una campagna per l’aumento della consapevolezza dei rischi di contrazione di malattie non trasmissibili, prima tra tutti il diabete, la cui incidenza risulta decuplicata negli ultimi dieci anni”.
fonte www.agi.it

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25% TRADE LICENCE CUT ON NEXT YEAR
21 november 2011

The 25 per cent tax reduction on trade licences will become effective beginning January 2012, according to the ministry of Trade. Speaking at a press briefing in Kampala on Friday, Ms Ameila Kyambadde, the minister of Trade, said: “The new Statutory Instrument No.54 giving relief to all businesses through the reduction of trade licensing will take effect on January 01, 2012.”
The move was prompted by the increasing cost of doing business especially with energy, transport, corruption, depreciation of the shilling, and regulatory bureaucracies among others.
In July 2011, the minister of Trade, presented a statement to Parliament asking legislators to consider a review of trade licensing fees with the view of making them affordable while regulating trade and maintain orderly business in the country.
After making the presentation, it was later communicated to the general public that the government had taken the decision of reducing trade licensing fees by 25 per cent prompted by volatilities in the economic environment. For instance, the recently published Doing Business Report ranked Uganda at position 123 out of 183 surveyed economies, which indicated that it would be hard for any investor to easily open a business in Uganda.
However, the report noted that reforms implemented in the last two decades had increased efficiency of property transfers through establishing performance standards and the recruitment of more workers at the land office.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug – Martin Luther Oketch

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UGANDA, LA GUERRA CHE CONVIENE (intervista al giornalista Peter Eichstaedt)
21 novembre 2011

Da oltre 20 anni Kampala tenta di sgominare il Lord’s Resistance Army, senza risultati. Il giornalista americano, uno dei massimi conoscitori della brutale milizia guidata da Joseph Kony, spiega perché.
Il governo americano ha deciso di recente di inviare forze speciali per aiutare l’Uganda a sconfiggere il Lord’s Resistance Army. Come spiega il timing di questa mossa? Washington non dovrebbe avere altre priorità in questo momento?
Il presidente Barack Obama ha inviato consiglieri militari in Uganda come conseguenza dell’atto approvato dal Congresso e che lui ha firmato. La legge prevede che gli Stati Uniti forniscano supporto ai governi della regione impegnati nella lotta contro Joseph Kony e il suo Lord’s Resistance Army. I consiglieri non sono equipaggiati per il combattimento, anche se resta il fatto che sono tutti pronti a entrare in azione, che è una condizione permanente, non importa dove si trovino. Questa è la seconda volta che gli Stati Uniti mandano militari in Uganda per aiutare l’esercito ugandese a catturare o uccidere Kony.
La prima volta, nel 2008, fu sotto la presidenza di G.W Bush. In quell’occasione, aiutarono gli ugandesi a preparare un attacco contro il campo di Kony nel nord del Congo. L’assistenza includeva un milione di dollari per logistica e rifornimenti. L’attacco fallì perché venne rinviato e Kony ricevette una soffiata che permise a lui e al suo esercito di dileguarsi. Ma dal momento che continua ad uccidere, stuprare, saccheggiare nella regione che segna il confine tra il Sud Sudan, l’Uganda, la Repubblica democratica del Congo e la Repubblica Centrafricana, gruppi di attivisti hanno convinto il Congresso americano a ribadire lo sforzo per aiutare l’Uganda e questi Paesi a continuare a dare la caccia a Kony.
Quali sono gli interessi americani nell’area e come questa decisione li tutela?
Gli interessi degli Stati Uniti sono legati alla crescita della minaccia terroristica in alcune remote regioni del Nordafrica. Un gruppo africano affiliato ad al Qaeda è attivo al momento nelle regioni desertiche e gli operativi americani stanno dando la caccia a questi elementi perché non mettano radici nell’area.
Molti sostengono che gli Usa puntino soprattutto a risorse naturali, petrolio incluso, ma io non credo. Credo che siano molto più interessati alla sicurezza e alla lotta al terrorismo. Il 25 per cento del petrolio che ricevono gli Stati Uniti arriva dalla Nigeria e così gli Usa non hanno bisogno di altro greggio dall’Uganda, tanto più che le capacità estrattive di quest’ultimo sono ancora tutte da sviluppare. Se ce n’è uno, l’interesse americano è quello di liquidare la minaccia terroristica che sta crescendo in Africa.
Lei è uno dei pochi autori che abbia fatto ricerca e scritto dell’LRA: quali sono la struttura, i metodi e gli obiettivi di questa formazione?
La risposta più semplice a questa domanda è che uccidere, saccheggiare e rapire è tutto ciò che l’LRA sa fare. Proprio per questo, loro continuano a farlo. Dopo che nel 2006 lasciarono il nord dell’Uganda, rimasero tranquilli per un paio d’anni. Ma poi Kony non firmò il terzo trattato di pace nel 2008 e così la caccia al suo gruppo è ricominciata e lui ha risposto con carneficine che hanno fatto oltre mille morti. Quando Kony era in Uganda, giusitificava l’attività della sua formazione con la lotta al governo ugandese, rovesciarlo era la sua ragione d’essere. Ma lasciando il Paese ha perso questa scusa. In questo modo Kony e i suoi hanno mostrato chi sono davvero: un gruppo di feroci assassini.
A proposito di Kampala, nel suo blog ha messo in discussione la reale determinazione ugandese di neutralizzare una volta per tutte il problema dell’Lra. In effetti è strano che in oltre 20 anni un potente apparato militare non sia riuscito in questa impresa. Conferma questo scetticismo?
Resto convinto che l’Uganda, che ha uno dei più forti eserciti africani, poteva catturare e uccidere Kony in qualsiasi momento avesse voluto. Ma l’esercito non vuole. Perché? Perché al presidente Yoweri Museveni fa comodo che Kony continui a vivere e operare, visto che ciò gli consente di chiedere alla comunità internazionale milioni di dollari in aiuti militari.
La maggior parte dei fondi vengono stornati dal governo e dagli ufficiali di alto rango e ben poco degli stanziamenti viene usato per il suo scopo principale. Ciò nonostante, la comunità internazionale continua a dare soldi all’Uganda e così finge di contribuire alla cattura di Kony e allo smantellamento dell’LRA. Ma la verità è che non le interessa davvero se Kony sarà catturato o no. Un altro fattore importante è che l’Uganda fornisce la quasi totalità delle truppe che l’Unione Africana schiera a Mogadiscio, in Somalia. Questo fa sì che non debbano muoversi gli Usa, che si sdebitano fornendo all’Uganda ingenti aiuti. L’invio di consiglieri è parte della ricompensa.
fonte http://it.peacereporter.net – Alberto Tundo

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UGANDA: IGNORANCE INCREASING ABORTIONS AMONG ADOLESCENTS
23 november 2011

As more young people are becoming sexually active early, many are being exposed to the dual risk of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Among unmarried adolescents, sex is sporadic.
According to Richard Kibombo, a researcher with Makerere Institute of Social Research, the vast majority (93% of females and 98% of males) of 15 to 19-year-olds who have ever had sex have attended school. “A considerable proportion of 15 to 19-year-olds are sexually experienced and have fallen prey to teenage pregnancy and because of its social unacceptability, many resort to abortion” Kibombo says.
However, Uganda’s official position on sex education remains undefined and there is no official estimate of the number of schools that provide sex education courses. In March 2003, President Yoweri Museveni introduced a set of teachers’ manuals containing a chapter on safer sex to avoid abortion and its after effects by using the condom and being faithful, among others. However, these were strongly criticized by conservative and religious advocacy groups because of the section on condoms and safe sex and by the end of 2003, they were withdrawn from the curriculum.
According to the 2006 report titled ‘Unintended Pregnancy and Induced Abortion in Uganda: Causes and Consequences’ by the Guttmacher Institute, the Uganda school system is inadequate in educating school boys and girls about healthy sexuality. “School children rely on self-education from peers without adequate and professional guidance and counselling” reads the report. The report also revealed that 44% of boys and 50% of girls aged 15-19 had never participated in a classroom discussion about sexuality. While parents consider discussion of sex a taboo, deliberate programmes to train teachers on sex education do not exist.
Little wonder, that an estimated 297,000 induced abortions are performed in Uganda each year with a yearly abortion rate of 54 per 1,000 women aged 15-49. Those who resort to abortion, research revealed, do so because of lack of access to sexual reproductive health and services, which limits their capacity to address sexual and reproductive health issues.
Adolescents’ sources of information – The report says young people have frequent access to the media; radio being the predominant one and many confess having received their information on sexual and reproductive issues from public information messages. Almost one half of women and two thirds of men aged 15 to 19 years listen to the radio every day.
“Radio stations often carry health information programmes and talk shows giving advice on people’s families and love life” reads the report. Also, specialized non-governmental organisations like the Straight Talk Foundation hosts programmes on radio and television targeting adolescents and young adults, directing them to avoid early pregnancies and develop skills such as assertiveness, confidence and proper decision-making.
Substantial proportions of youth obtain sexual and reproductive health information from teachers. For example, two thirds of 15 to 19 years olds who know about abortion obtain information from a teacher or a healthcare provider. “Family members do not seem to play a major role in youth’s sex education. Only about half (52%) of 15 to 19-year-old females report that a family member has ever talked to them about sex related matters” Enid Mwebaza the Assistant Commissioner of Nursing, says.
She adds that when parents talk to their children about sex, it is often to scare rather than instruct them about the consequences of sexual activity. Despite overall broad levels of awareness and knowledge about unwanted pregnancies, adolescents continue to have substantial unmet sexual and reproductive health needs. “Many youths have unanswered questions about abortion risks and some have not had any sexual education in school or at home” Kibombo says.
Abortion methods – According to the Health Professional Survey and Community Abortion Morbidity study, these are some of the abortion methods used in Uganda. Surgical and medical methods, abortion herbs and other methods. According to the Guttmacher Institute report, education in schools as well as through the mass media is needed to emphasize the dangers of abortion and there is need for community leaders to improve knowledge about access to and use of effective contraception which can lower rates of unintended pregnancy and induced abortion.
Poor women and those with little education often have little say in when they will marry, when to become mothers, the number of children they will have and when they will stop child-bearing. Moreover, lack of contraceptive use among these women puts them at an increased risk of unwanted pregnancy and in turn unsafe abortion.
fonte www.allafrica.com – Racheal Ninsiima

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UGANDA NATION’S INVESTMENTS SLOW DOWN
24 november 2011

Uganda has registered 31 per cent decrease in the number of local and foreign investors in the last three months. Ugandan Investment Authority (UIA) attributes the decline to the current global economic meltdown and high investment costs caused by high inflation levels in Uganda.
According to the quarterly investment report from July to September, UIA registered 49 investment projects worth $112 million were registered between July and September compared to 95 which were valued at $210m from April to June.
Struggling economy - “The economy has continued to face challenges arising from a combination of global factors including international financial crisis, economic slowdown and the volatility of commodity markets” the report said. The UIA acting Executive Director, Mr Tom Buringuriza, said majority of these registered investment projects are in sectors of real estate, insurance, financial services and agro-processing. Bureaucracy caused by newly introduced stringent licensing conditions by government like equity from the banks, Uganda Revenue Authority certified paid up tax, targeting quack investors, has also caused a reduction in the number of registered investments in the third quarter, the report said.
New requirements – Previously, the UIA approved investment licences to investors who had proof that their businesses were registered by the company registrar and worth $50,000 for local and $100,000 for foreign investors. However, in September, UIA decided that investors must further show proof of their source of funding. Kenya, China, Eritrea and India topped the list of the countries with the highest number of investments in Uganda.
The minister of finance, planning and economic development, Ms Maria Kiwanuka said the bi-annual presidential investors’ round table meeting scheduled for tomorrow, will identify the bottlenecks to private investments in the country.
fonte www.allafrica.com – Risdel Kasasira

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PROTESTE PER IL CAROVITA, DAI VESCOVI UN INVITO AL DIALOGO
24 novembre 2011

Sì alle contestazioni pacifiche, no alle proteste violente, contrarie ai valori cristiani. È la posizione espressa dai vescovi ugandesi in merito alle tensioni che attraversano il paese dove diverse categorie sono in agitazione contro il carovita e per i salari troppo bassi.
In una nota diffusa al termine della loro seconda plenaria annuale, i presuli ugandesi hanno ribadito che la Chiesa è contraria alla violenza come metodo di lotta, perché non risolve i problemi. I prelati di 19 diocesi cattoliche dell’Uganda non risparmiano critiche neanche all’attuale governo per la “scarsa sensibilità mostrata al crescente malessere sociale” riferisce il quotidiano ‘New Vision’, criticando in particolare le misure volte a limitare la libertà di manifestazione nel paese.
In questo contesto, i vescovi hanno annunciato che sosterranno ogni forma di protesta pacifica, ideata per manifestare malessere e ingiustizie sociali.
La Conferenza episcopale ha sottolineato inoltre la necessità che l’esecutivo sostenga e promuova le iniziative di dialogo con le diverse categorie e parti sociali. Tra i temi affrontati dai vescovi anche la lotta alla corruzione, in particolare nel settore petrolifero, nell’occhio del ciclone per presunte tangenti intascate da alcuni deputati. A questo proposito i religiosi hanno espresso sostegno nei confronti delle proposte per una regolamentazione e una maggiore trasparenza nel settore.
All’Esecutivo chiedono invece il licenziamento di tutti i funzionari del governo e della Pubblica Amministrazione implicati in casi di corruzione e di non interferire nei processi a loro carico.
fonte www.misna.org

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PETROLIO E MULTINAZIONALI, UNA SENTENZA IMPORTANTE
24 novembre 2011

Il tribunale per i ricorsi fiscali di Kampala ha ordinato a ‘Heritage’, società petrolifera di origine canadese, di pagare 400 milioni di dollari di imposte per la cessione delle sue attività nel bacino del Lago Alberto al gruppo anglo-irlandese ‘Tullow Oil’.
I giudici hanno respinto la richiesta della società, appellatasi contro una sentenza che la condannava al pagamento della somma, alla luce dell’accordo di cessione per un miliardo e mezzo di dollari (circa un miliardo di euro) delle sue attività di prospezione e pompaggio a ‘Tullow Oil’.
Il colosso canadese si è sempre rifiutato di onorare il pagamento, sostenendo che la legge sul versamento di imposte per la cessione di attività non era in vigore quando il gruppo si era impiantato in Uganda. Per superare l’impasse, ‘Tullow Oil’ aveva accettato, a marzo, di versare per conto di Heritage circa 300 milioni di dollari.
L’intesa ha consentito a sua volta la vendita di un terzo delle partecipazioni alla cinese ‘Cnooc’ e un terzo alla francese ‘Total’, e all’avvio del progetto per la costruzione di una raffineria nei pressi del bacino del Lago Alberto. La vendita è stata contestata dal parlamento ugandese che tuttavia non sembra nelle condizioni di poterla bloccare.
Tullow ha nel frattempo convocato un arbitrato internazionale a Londra, nel tentativo di recuperare la somma versata al governo di Kampala. “La decisione di oggi costituisce un precedente e sancisce che, in Uganda come altrove, le tasse vanno pagate” ha commentato la portavoce del tribunale di Kampala, aggiungendo tuttavia che è troppo presto per dire se la sentenza avrà o meno conseguenze sull’arbitrato in corso in Inghilterra.
L’esigenza di trasformare i giacimenti di idrocarburi in un fattore di sviluppo sociale è stata al centro della campagna elettorale che a febbraio ha portato alla riconferma del presidente Yoweri Museveni, il cui obiettivo dichiarato è di rendere la regione indipendente dalle esportazioni di prodotti petroliferi lavorati, trasformando l’Uganda in un interlocutore economico di peso sulla scena internazionale.
fonte www.misna.org

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UGANDA, ORPHANS URGED TO SAVE FOR THEIR FEES
28 november 2011

It is not of much help to merely donate money or to just give material support to vulnerable children without helping them to become self-reliant and providing them with the mentorship needed to build in them a sense of confidence to face the future with some hope that they will realize their full potential and live meaningful lives. This is the belief of Dr Fred Ssewamala, an associate professor at the School of Social Work and School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, USA.
He now heads a research project, ‘Bridges’, which involves Aids orphaned children in Rakai, Masaka, and Bukomansimbi districts in saving money for their own school fees. It is hoped that the project will actually create for the orphans a bridge between helplessness and success.
Some primary school-going children in a rural areas usually have such simple possessions as a hen or a goat which produce young ones that grow and can be sold. Some children plant sugar canes or pineapples which they can sell. Other children even have small gardens of tomatoes. Many caretakers are willing to save some of their own money for the education of the orphans.
The Bridges project encourages both the orphans and their caretakers to engage in income generation, helps them to open up bank accounts on which to deposit their savings and undertakes to match the savings by twice as much.
This means when the child and caretaker save Shs20,000 a month, Bridges project deposits Shs40,000 on their account. The understanding is that no withdrawals are made from the account until the child is going to secondary school or is going for some apprenticeship. The child is a signatory to the bank account along with the caretaker and an appointed official of the Bridges project.
Three sets of beneficiaries For most of the week that ended yesterday, Dr Ssewamala and some members of the Bridges team travelled to various primary schools in Rakai, Masaka, and Bukomansimbi districts spreading the idea of involving Aids orphaned children in planning and saving for their education. The districts were greatly hit by Aids leaving thousands children orphans. About 100 schools were visited out of which 50 will be randomly selected to benefit from the Bridges project.
The selected schools will be divided into three categories. The first category will consist of cases in which the orphaned child’s or the caretaker’s savings are matched with twice as much (two to one ratio). In addition Bridges project will provide text books, lunch, uniform, and stationery to the orphans. The second category of schools will have the orphans’ savings matched with just an equal amount by Bridges project (One to one ratio). They, too, will get uniform, text book stationery and lunch. And, the third category will only get text books, lunch, uniform, and stationery – no matched savings. Random selection will be used further to select which schools will be in what category.
All together a total of 1,440 orphans (ages 11 and 14 years) are targeted. Ms Vilma Illic who coordinates the partnership between the two universities said Makerere will be in charge of data collection, and Columbia will take care of data evaluation. She said; “When the orphans are involved in the struggle of finding school fees for their education then they will have more reason to take their studies seriously and to value their education more. It kills the dependency syndrome, directly addresses poverty, and through mentorship prepares them to live healthier and more confident lives.”
Letters of gratitude Ms Julia Shu-Huah Wang, a PhD student at Columbia University, and who acts as research assistant to Professor Ssewamala, will be in charge of data coordination. “We will be interested in comparing such outcomes as PLE results and any other developments among the three categories of assistance in the selected schools as the project progresses” she said.
The project is funded by the United States Government, through the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and its head office is in Kalisizo Town in Rakai District. Dr Ssewamala has been involved with orphans in the districts of Masaka and Rakai for close to eight years now, under SSUUBI (hope) which was a smaller project that has just ended.
On the walls of SUUBI’s office hang numerous letters of gratitude from orphans who have since become teachers, and other professionals, due to the school fees saving culture introduced by Ssewamala’s brain child, SSUUBI.
fonte www.allafrica.com – Michael J. Ssali

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Cambio valuta: in data 30/11/2011 1 dollaro USA è pari a 2565 scellini ugandesi, 1 Euro è pari a 3448,2573 scellini ugandesi

UGANDA INFLATION HITS 28.3 PERCENT
1 october 2011

CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION IN OUR CITIES – DON’T IGNORE THE URBAN POOR
3 october 2011

ADULT EDUCATION: HOW TO CATCH UP ON TIME YOU LOST
3 october 2011

MORE THAN 1,000 DISPLACED FAMILIES STILL STUCK IN CAMPS
6 october 2011

AT SCHOOL IN A BAD ECONOMY
10 october 2011

UGANDA, 18 MILA BAMBINI VITTIME DI ABUSI
10 ottobre 2011

MAKERERE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DECRY POOR LIVING CONDITIONS
11 october 2011

TANGENTI DAI PETROLIERI, GOVERNO SOTTO ACCUSA
12 ottobre 2011

ATTIVISTA UGANDESE PER I DIRITTI LGBT RICEVE IMPORTANTE PREMIO SUI DIRITTI UMANI
14 ottobre 2011

BREVI DALL’UGANDA
17 ottobre 2011

IN UGANDA SBARCANO SOLDATI USA PER LA GUERRA CONTRO L’LRA
17 ottobre 2011

NON SOLO LRA NEL MIRINO DEGLI AMERICANI
19 ottobre 2011

UGANDA, BANCA CENTRALE PREVEDE CALO INFLAZIONE
18 october 2011

IMPROVING TRAFFIC SEES GROWTH IN UGANDA’S AIRLINE BUSINESS
21 october 2011

GOVERNMENT, PRIVATE SECTOR DISCUSS STATE OF UGANDA’S ECONOMY
21 october 2011

WAKISO, INFANT AND MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE HIGHEST
24 october 2011

ESPONENTE DI OPPOSIZIONE BESIGYE AGLI ARRESTI DOMICILIARI
25 ottobre 2011

UGANDA’S POPULATION TO HIT 100M IN 2050
27 october 2011

Annual headline inflation hit 28.3% at the end of September, the highest since January 1993, due to shortage in food supply and the continued depreciation of the shilling, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) has said.
The inflation figure, which excludes education data, shows a 6.9% jump in the general price level, from 21.4% at the end of August, to increase the chances of a higher Central Bank Rate for the month of October.
“During September, food prices went up by 8.4% due to reduced supplies to the market. Non-food prices rose by 5.9% due to higher prices of charcoal, firewood, local brew (waragi and malwa) and scholastic materials” Chris Mukiza, the UBOS director for macro-economic statistics, said. “Prices of some imported goods, especially second-hand and new clothing, household items and pharmaceutical products went up due to the continued depreciation of the shilling” he noted.
Mukiza said upcountry towns of Arua, Masaka, Jinja and Gulu are experiencing annual higher inflation rates of 38%, 32.2%, 31.8% and 31.7%, respectively. Prices of matooke, sugar, irish potatoes, cassava, pineapples, avocado, tomatoes, cabbage, green pepper, meat, chicken, eggs, cooking oil, fish and bread went up in most areas in September.
fonte www.allafrica.com

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CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION IN OUR CITIES – DON’T IGNORE THE URBAN POOR
3 october 2011

The urban poor in developing countries will be hardest hit by the impacts of climate change, says a new report by UN-Habitat on cities and climate change. This is not because the urban-poor are most responsible for high greenhouse emissions; in fact, it is quite the opposite. The report shows there is an inverse relationship between those most responsible for greenhouse emissions and those who suffer most from its impacts.
In Uganda, the lack of basic services and infrastructure in the country’s slums compound these impacts. Severe flooding and landslides caused by heavy rain have long plagued the urban-poor, whose affordability constraints force them to settle on vulnerable land.
In the coming years, heavy precipitation events are very likely to occur more frequently and with greater severity according to the report. Residents of Uganda’s slums are not strangers to this phenomenon, which disrupts and destroys business, makes roads impassable, decimates homes, overwhelms sanitation systems and spur outbreaks of cholera, malaria, dysentery, and diarrhea.
During heavy downpours, many of Kampala’s slums look as though they have been hit by a Tsunami. Roads turn into raging rivers and cars, people, loose structures and property are washed away. In many, pit latrines are swept away by flash floods, spreading disease throughout the settlements. Throughout the country’s slums, homes and businesses are severely damaged during rainy periods, necessitating partial rebuilding multiple times per year. The asset stripping this presents for the urban-poor is crippling.
This World Habitat Day, Ugandans should not ignore the vital role of the urban-poor, who constitute 60 per cent of the nation’s urban population. When the urban-poor are organized and sensitized about climate change, they can play a central role in mitigating its impact upon their environment.
Indeed, about 38,000 Ugandan slum dwellers in six urban centers – Kampala, Arua, Jinja, Mbale, Mbarara, and Kabale – are doing just that through small but scalable slum upgrading activities. These responsible citizens are members of a growing social movement known as the Uganda Slum Dwellers Federation – a network of 343 community groups that save daily, work in partnership with local authorities, and mobilize their members to improve living conditions in slums.
Among the committees found in each community group is a Health and Hygiene Committee. Throughout the country, these committees mobilize members, and even the wider community, to dispose of waste thoughtfully and work with local authorities on municipal-wide initiatives.
The impact of community-led initiatives such as Keep Mbale Clean, make a visible difference in some of the largest slums, and greatly mitigate the risk of flooding by clearing drainages and encouraging residents to keep them litter-free. Environmental conservation is also enhanced when groups such as the Federation train communities in solid waste management skills.
Among the best practices instituted by the Federation are community projects that make briquettes from organic waste, that recycle plastic waste, and reuse discarded materials to make crafts. In Jinja, the Federation is using innovative soil compressed interlocking brick technology to construct quality and weather resistant houses for members.
The technology being employed eliminates the need for massive quantities of scarce timber for brick-firing. It is the Federation members themselves who do the construction, acquiring marketable skills in eco-friendly building technology. In addition, the Federation collects invaluable information during citywide enumerations (community-run censuses) about waste management practices and sanitation services in each of its cities of operation.
Once processed, the Federation works with local authorities to see that this data informs interventions in their settlements. Such information means the Federation can assist local authorities to generate targeted and efficient strategies for climate change mitigation that can be jointly implemented with local communities.
Sustainable and scalable mitigation strategies are possible in Uganda if the urban majority is organized and respected as a legitimate partner in this most urgent endeavor.
fonte www.allafrica.com - Skye Dobson

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ADULT EDUCATION: HOW TO CATCH UP ON TIME YOU LOST
3 october 2011

Getting formal education right from childhood may look a luxury to some people but many regret when opportunities pass them by in later years after they have missed certain steps they can’t compensate for. While many mourn their miss quietly, some, especially those who attain some level of economic and social success find themselves at odd with their social status but often think of themselves as misfits as the shadow of lack of academic papers hover over their success.
Foreshadowing - Those who choose a life of politics have borne the brunt of those early missed opportunities as they have seen doors slammed shut in their faces or their otherwise flourishing careers brought to a sudden halt.
The most traumatized however remain those who discover later in life that their current situation is largely to blame on opportunities they missed earlier. It is partly for this reason that adult education is suddenly becoming a major business in Kampala and other urban centers. Adult training centers are teeming with eager learners hoping to recapture a part of what they missed if not to tap into new opportunities, at least compensate and restore battered egos.
“I have been facing a lot of difficulties in communicating with my customers who do not understand Luganda and I have to interact with them in English. So, that is the reason I am in this place” says Richard Senyondwa, a 35-year-old student of Kampala Adult School, who chose to take to class, as the value of education becomes real to many people.
Agnes Nabbanja, a matooke vendor in St. Balikuddembe Market, is studying to be able to earn an income of her own in future. Ms Nabanjja says she prefers to pay Shs150, 000 per term in such a specialized centre, than joining a regular Universal Secondary Education School, for fear of embarrassment. In the classroom, which accommodates up to 50 students, the mature men and women recite word by word as their instructor, using a rudimentary pointer, points at what they are supposed to read.
Al Hussein Mohammed, a 40-year-old from Somalia, is aiming to get the education that he missed when wars raged in his country. He is currently achieving this advancement in education at Makerere Day and Evening Adult Class (MAECCA). “I have got an invitation from my brother in the US but all documents are in English which I do not understand” he explains.
Another student, Mr Ephraim Sekidde, who missed formal education due to economic deficiencies, joined the adult school to grasp opportunities for further education in order to update professional competencies required by the working world. “I had dropped out in primary level” he recalls. “But now since I have got money and a job, I need to upgrade my education status and CV as well.”
Originally for foreigners - James Baluku, proprietor of Kampala Adult School, says that the school was established two years ago to assist foreigners, mostly Rwandese, whose country shifted from French to English-speaking, as well as to combat high illiteracy levels. Mr Bakulu says: “We wanted to help everybody to learn this language [English] because it is like the Anglophone world is winning over the Francophone and if a person does not know English they feel like they have been left out somehow.”
In most of the schools, the beginning adults are given simple English sentence-construction lessons and after a period of a year, the students are free to leave school and continue with their businesses. But Ms Grace Nakintu, the director Nakivubo Settlement Continental School of Primary Education and Computing, says due to commitments at home, most of the students are rarely in class. “It is the biggest challenge we are facing because you can be conducting a lesson and one gets a call that there are problems at home. He simply walks out of the class and you cannot stop him” she says.
Two of Ms Nakintu’s students have since climbed the education ladder higher and are pursuing diploma courses at Makerere University Business School. Laban Kabuye, the head teacher at the centre says the classes can be as big as 100. The study programme is shorter compared to the regular school time table. Most of the classes are conducted in the evening, and the school day is only three hours.
Only this year, Ms Nakintu says 25 of out 350 students at the school, are set to sit their Primary Leaving Exams while 32 will sit for Uganda Certificate of Education. At MAECCA however, adults are passed into a fully-fledged education programme, similar to the typical Ugandan education system. Although similar, the adult version takes a shorter time in comparison due to the age of the students; it is thought students at advanced ages do not have the same dexterity as their younger counterparts, according to Henry Bantariza, an administrator at the school.
“Since most of these people come to class after work, they are tired and what we do is to only teach them for two hours” Bantriza told Daily Monitor. “We make each level of education shorter by two years, and one year for ‘A-Level’“. Ephraim recalls gaining these skills as quite life-changing: “A year ago, I could not even switch on a computer” he says. “I did not know how to send e-mail or access the internet, yet at my work place, everyone was given a computer and they expected us to own e-mail accounts to enable us to communicate easily.”
Employment demands – Mr Bantariza, the administrator at MAECCA, explained that demand for computer literacy forced the school to include computer studies due to the tension resulting from employers demanding computer skills, even though employees did not possess these abilities. The adult education sector, commonly referred to as the Literacy and Basic Education (LIBE) by the Ministry of Education, is also facing various hitches, especially for the private proprietors who have predominantly established the schools on their own.
James, at Kampala Adult School, says students often do not complete the courses because their target is to learn basic English. Additionally, they abandon their studies before clearing all the school fees, which affects the school’s operations.
According to the educator, “Some of these people are stubborn and do not want to comply with us because they think we are younger and should not tell them what to do, but we have designed rules and regulations to which they must adhere.”
fonte www.allafrica.com - Skye Dobson

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MORE THAN 1,000 DISPLACED FAMILIES STILL STUCK IN CAMPS
6 october 2011

Much as the government announced in 2006 that it was safe for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northern Uganda to return to their villages, several vulnerable people including the elderly, child-headed families and widows have failed to leave the satellite camps.
Statistics from aid agencies indicate that at least 1,000 households in Lango sub-region are embroiled in a number of struggles ranging from lack of manpower to build houses in their respective villages and land wrangles. Majority of the stuck families attribute their woes to abandonment by their able-bodied relatives as they relocate to their villages.
Ms Grace Atoo, 35, a widow with 11 children in Opimo Village, Barlonyo Sub- county in Lira District, said she lacks money to build a house in her village, adding that providing food and school fees for her children is also becoming difficult. Mr Simon Odongo, an 83-year resident of Ariongomele Village, said he came to Bala Stock Farm Village in 2003 when insecurity was at its peak, but has not been able to return because he has been waiting for the government to fulfill its promise of providing iron sheets. “They promised to give us iron sheets and ox-ploughs to enable us resettle, but up to now there are no signs of the pledges” Mr Odongo said.
Mr David Ojuka, a former chairman of Bala IDP camp in Lira, estimates that the area still has about 280 households that have not received their packages from the government. He asked President Museveni to fulfill his pledge if he is to get votes in 2016 polls. Railway A Division chairman George Awio, said many people in the camps have become destitute, daily relying on hand outs from friends and relatives while others resort to begging.
The Resident District Commissioner in Dokolo, Mr Ben Anyama, however, refuted the claims, saying “Our next target is resettlement and it is a process. It cannot be done in a day. We have been giving out iron sheets, drilling boreholes and giving out farm inputs to those returning to their villages.” Mr Anyama added that those claiming the government has failed to fulfill its promises to war victims were looking at money rather than what was designed to resettle them. “People should not expect cash, but they can be given iron sheets and farm inputs” he said.
fonte www.allafrica.com - Emmanuel Opio & Bill Oketch

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AT SCHOOL IN A BAD ECONOMY
10 october 2011

Figures released by the Uganda National Bureau of Statistics a month ago indicated that the inflation rate rose to 28.3 per cent in August, from 6 per cent in January this year. Three weeks into the third and last term of the UNEB school calendar, the ‘Daily Monitor’ spoke to a number of school heads to find out how they are coping with the current inflation.
Fuelled by rising food and transport costs, we wanted to find out what special arrangements, if any, have been implemented to deal with a crisis whose containment seems to elude policy makers. The budget for the first term usually gives a rough idea of what will be spent in other terms. This year, however, given the galloping inflation, schools have had to scale back on some activities, eliminate others and as a last resort increase school fees for some.
Expensive food - Rising food costs a 50kg bag of posho cost Shs100,000 at the beginning of the year; now it costs Shs175,000 have forced schools to cut back on other expenses to maintain their menu and reduce the potions served. Mr Bharat Manek, the principal of the privately owned Lohana Schools, told us that they have tried to maintain their menu although at a higher cost. The schools usually buy fresh vegetables, cassava and matooke to be used throughout the coming week on Saturdays. But whereas this cost between Shs600,000 and Shs700,000 at the beginning of the year, it now costs Shs1,100,000.
At Kololo High School, they have been forced to eliminate some food from their menu and serve only the basics. Rice is out whereas fish and beef, which were served three times a week, are now served once. It is a USE school so only A-Level students eat at school. Namilyango College, meanwhile, has decreased the potions it serves at mealtimes, Mr Gerald Muguluma, the head teacher, told this paper. Other activities and plans, meanwhile, have been shelved.
At Namilyango, they have had to reduce on the number of student outings. Club activities, which usually involve social functions at other schools have suffered the brunt of budget cuts whereas academic trips and sports engagements have been unaffected. At Lohana, money that had been allocated to the purchase of new textbooks has instead been diverted to food.
The acquisition of new laboratory equipment for their secondary section has also been pushed to next year as the school struggles to keep its menu the same as before. The recent primary school teachers’ strike was provoked by the rising prices against meagre salaries and we were interested in finding out how teachers were coping. Private schools said they could not raise salaries without increasing fees. And the two private schools we visited, Caltec Academy and Lohana, said they had not raised fees because such decisions are usually taken at the end of the school, taking effect in the next school year. Caltec has instead added a transport allowance to teachers’ salaries, while at Lohana, the salary has remained constant. Increasing fees in government schools requires government approval and at the moment, this is not forthcoming. In any case, however, few schools have explored that option.
Mr Muguluma told ‘Daily Monitor’ that some parents have been inquiring if the school plans to raise fees and have expressed willingness to pay the extra fees but this is not on the table yet. It will need approval by the Board of Governors and government and even then, it is being mooted for next year if the economic situation does not improve.
Dark future - Actually, the same sentiment was expressed at all the other schools; should the economic situation remain the same or become worse, schools will have no option but increase their tuition for the coming academic year. Meanwhile, the government has maintained the USE grant it pays to schools under the policy.
To cope, other activities had to be cut. Kololo High School, for example, reduced termly tests from three to two, scrapping the mid-term test. This is due to the increase in stationary prices; a dream of duplicating papers that cost Shs80,500 at the beginning of the first term now costs Shs15,000. A number of schools have increased fees, especially for candidate classes who are subjected to more tests than usual in the third term.
Mr Manek said his school has had to admit a number of new students this term and when he asked the parents why they were transferring their students at such an unusual time, they said it was because of unexpected increases in fees.
A number of parents ‘Daily Monitor’ spoke to as they lined up to pay fees in banks around the city said their children’s schools had raised fees. Parents whose children’s schools had maintained their fees don’t expect such luck next term however, especially if current economic trends persist. And, like the school heads told this paper, they are right.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug – Raymond Mpubani

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UGANDA, 18 MILA BAMBINI VITTIME DI ABUSI
10 ottobre 2011

Almeno 18.000 bambini sarebbero vittime di abusi sessuali in Uganda, 12.000 in più rispetto all’ultimo rapporto stilato sei anni fa.
Lo studio, pubblicato sulla edizione online di Africa Review, è stato condotto dall’Uganda Youth Development Link (Uydl) in 10 distretti del paese, nel febbraio scorso. Secondo il rapporto, le giovani vittime di sesso a pagamento hanno dai 13 ai 14 anni, e il fenomeno prende piede anche nelle scuole.
fonte www.ansa.it

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MAKERERE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DECRY POOR LIVING CONDITIONS
11 october 2011

Angry female Makerere University students residing in Complex Hall Tuesday morning went on strike over the continuous pitiable living conditions in the hall. The students were striking over lack of piped water, lack of constant electricity supply, poor sanitation and poor hygiene in the hall which houses only female students. Other reasons included foul stench emanating from the toilets, overcrowded rooms, poor quality meals and a leaking roof among many.
The students also demanded the immediate resignation of the contemporary hall warden, Akullu Laurah saying she was extremely uncooperative. “We want a new warden now” chanted the fuming ladies. What began as an emergency general assembly called by the student leaders of the hall at 7:00pm at the hall’s parking yard almost turned violent when the warden refused to address the emotional students and locked-up herself in her office prompting some students to threaten to beat her up.
However, at around 8:00 am, the dean of students, Cyriaco Kabagambe came to the rescue of the scared warden, who swiftly re-emerged from her hideout. The dean then addressed the students and promised to address their issues immediately saying by 6pm yesterday the students would have water and power.
Nonetheless, he pledged to work on the administrative issues later. He also promised to get the hall re-roofed immediately further admitting the shortage of rooms in the hall saying at one point all rooms in complex hall were single. On the quality of food, the dean pledged to improve it further advising the hall to adopt the squatting toilets instead of the sitting ones saying the squatting ones are easy to maintain and clean than the sitting ones.
The intervention of the dean eventually calmed the students. However, the students vowed to continue with the strike if the dean did not fulfil his promises.
fonte www.allafrica.com - Innocent Anguyo Alia

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TANGENTI DAI PETROLIERI, GOVERNO SOTTO ACCUSA
12 ottobre 2011

Moratoria sugli accordi nel settore petrolifero e richiesta di dimissioni del capo del governo e del ministro degli Esteri: sono i punti fondamentali di una risoluzione approvata dal parlamento dell’Uganda dopo le rivelazioni su presunte tangenti versate ad alti funzionari dalla società inglese Tullow Oil.
In un dossier presentato ai deputati ieri il capo del governo Amama Mbabazi e il ministro degli Esteri Sam Kutesa sono accusati di aver intascato tangenti per decine di milioni di euro in cambio di misure favorevoli a Tullow Oil, una società che quest’anno ha rilevato concessioni su tre giacimenti di idrocarburi nel bacino del Lago Alberto.
La risoluzione, approvata anche con il voto di deputati del partito del presidente Yoweri Museveni, vincola nuovi accordi con le società petrolifere all’entrata in vigore di una legge quadro che regolamenti il settore. A essere bloccata è anche una possibile vendita delle concessioni di Tullow Oil alla francese Total e alla cinese Cnooc, in discussione da mesi.
Oggi il voto del parlamento è sulle prime pagine di molti quotidiani di Kampala. Secondo ‘The Monitor’, un giornale di opposizione, Museveni potrebbe tenere una conferenza stampa oggi pomeriggio.
fonte www.misna.org

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ATTIVISTA UGANDESE PER I DIRITTI LGBT RICEVE IMPORTANTE PREMIO SUI DIRITTI UMANI
14 ottobre 2011

Nel corso di una cerimonia svoltasi a Ginevra il 13 ottobre, Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera ha ricevuto il prestigioso premio Martin Ennals per i difensori dei diritti umani. Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera è la fondatrice e la direttrice esecutiva di ‘Freedom and Roam Uganda’, un’organizzazione non governativa che difende e promuove i diritti delle persone lesbiche, gay, bisessuali e transgender.
“Questo premio è un riconoscimento all’incredibile coraggio mostrato da Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera in un contesto di profonda discriminazione e violenza contro le persone Lgbt nel suo paese” – ha dichiarato Michelle Kagari, vicedirettrice di Amnesty International per l’Africa. La comunità Lgbt ugandese sta affrontando una situazione estremamente difficile. Amnesty International continua a ricevere segnalazioni di arresti arbitrari, detenzioni illegali, maltrattamenti e torture per ragioni unicamente legate all’orientamento sessuale e all’identità di genere. Le leggi ugandesi considerano l’omosessualità un reato penale punibile anche con l’ergastolo. Tentativi di introdurre la pena capitale per il reato di omosessualità aggravata sono stati per il momento respinti grazie alla mobilitazione delle attiviste e degli attivisti locali e delle organizzazioni internazionali per i diritti umani.
Il 26 gennaio di quest’anno l’attivista per i diritti dei gay David Kato è stato assassinato dopo che il quotidiano ugandese ‘Rolling Stone’ aveva pubblicato la lista dei 100 ‘più importanti’ omosessuali del paese, invitando i lettori a impiccarli. Anche il nome di Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera era nell’elenco. “Ho dedicato la mia vita a lottare apertamente per i diritti dei gay in Uganda ed ecco il prezzo che mi viene fatto pagare: mi cacciano da una casa all’altra, il mio ufficio è stato chiuso, non posso più camminare tranquillamente in strada e mi hanno aggredito” – raccontava nei mesi scorsi Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera ad Amnesty International.
Nonostante queste intimidazioni e minacce, Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera continua a perorare la causa dei diritti delle persone Lgbt, in pubblico e attraverso i mezzi d’informazione, sia in Uganda che all’estero. Il premio Martin Ennals, intitolato alla memoria dell’ex Segretario generale di Amnesty International e giunto alla ventesima edizione, viene conferito da dieci organizzazioni per i diritti umani a colui o colei che, nell’anno in corso, ha svolto un’azione coraggiosa ed efficace in difesa dei diritti umani.
fonte www.amnesty.it

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BREVI DALL’UGANDA
17 ottobre 2011

È stata dispersa dalle forze dell’ordine di Kampala, la manifestazione degli oppositori tornati in piazza per una protesta ‘walk-to-work’ contro il carovita e l’aumento dell’inflazione. La polizia, hanno riferito alcuni testimoni, è intervenuta con idranti e gas lacrimogeni contro alcune centinaia di attivisti, arrestando alcuni degli organizzatori.
Ieri il presidente Yoweri Museveni aveva ammonito i manifestanti e minacciato ‘tolleranza zero’ contro chi fosse sceso in piazza oggi, giorno degli esami nelle scuole secondarie.
fonte www.misna.org

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IN UGANDA SBARCANO SOLDATI USA PER LA GUERRA CONTRO L’LRA
17 ottobre 2011

Gli Stati Uniti hanno inviato i primi cento militari in Africa centrale, per contrastare i ribelli dell’Esercito di resistenza del Signore (LRA). Pur essendo armati fino ai denti, i soldati Usa sono ufficialmente in Africa solo per assistere.
A precisarlo sono i presidenti di Stati Uniti e Uganda, che pochi giorni dopo il dispiegamento dei soldati, hanno insistito nel dire che hanno solo compiti di assistenza. Ieri a Kampala Yoweri Museveni ha assicurato che i militari giunti in Uganda la settimana scorsa dovrebbero essere definiti “personale” e non “soldati“. In una lettera inviata al Congresso Usa venerdì, Barack Obama aveva sostenuto che “i consiglieri combatteranno le forze dell’LRA soltanto se costretti a difendersi“.
Secondo il presidente statunitense, l’assistenza degli Stati Uniti si estenderà dall’Uganda alla Repubblica democratica del Congo, al Centrafrica e al Sud Sudan, i paesi dove l’Esercito di Resistenza del Signore ha progressivamente spostato il baricentro delle sue incursioni. L’invio dei militari è consentito da una legge del 2010 sul sostegno politico ed economico ai paesi africani minacciati dall’LRA.
Secondo stime della Ong Usa ‘Resolve’, dal dicembre 2009 i ribelli dell’Esercito di resistenza del Signore hanno ucciso 944 civili ed effettuato 1723 rapimenti.
fonte http://it.peacereporter.net

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NON SOLO LRA NEL MIRINO DEGLI AMERICANI
19 ottobre 2011

“Un maggiore impegno internazionale è un fatto positivo ma ci si chiede se un’escalation militare sia una soluzione” dice alla MISNA padre John Ashworth, un consulente del Consiglio ecumenico delle Chiese con un’esperienza trentennale in Sudan.
Alcune organizzazioni non governative hanno sostenuto che l’arrivo in Africa centrale di unità speciali statunitensi incaricate di garantire assistenza nella lotta contro i ribelli dell’Esercito di Resistenza del Signore (LRA) sia il segno di una nuova consapevolezza a livello internazionale. I piani americani stanno però alimentando anche timori e sospetti.
“I bombardamenti dei Mig ugandesi peggiorarono solo le cose” dice alla MISNA padre Franco Barin, un missionario comboniano che si trovava nella regione congolese di Dungu tra il 25 e il 29 dicembre 2008, quando le incursioni dell’LRA fecero più di 400 vittime. Secondo il missionario, l’offensiva avviata pochi giorni prima dagli eserciti di Congo, Uganda e Sud Sudan ebbe l’effetto di disperdere i ribelli guidati da Joseph Kony e rendere ancora più imprevedibili le loro incursioni.
L’organizzazione non governativa americana ‘Resolve’ calcola che soltanto dalla fine del 2009 l’LRA sia responsabile dell’uccisione di 944 civili e del rapimento di 1723 persone. Il raggio d’azione dei ribelli si è progressivamente spostato dall’Uganda settentrionale verso il nord-est del Congo, il Sud Sudan e la Repubblica centrafricana. Sono i paesi dove dovrebbero operare i 100 “consiglieri militari” giunti mercoledì a Kampala, equipaggiati per combattere e sostenuti da “personale esperto di intelligence, comunicazioni e logistica”. Secondo il presidente Barack Obama, l’Esercito di resistenza del Signore “continua a commettere atrocità che hanno conseguenze sproporzionate sulla sicurezza a livello regionale”.
Le stime sulla consistenza numerica dell’LRA variano da alcune migliaia di combattenti a poche centinaia, anche perché è spesso difficile distinguere una colonna di ribelli da un gruppo di disertori. Gli spostamenti degli uomini di Kony potrebbero essere seguiti grazie alle tracce lasciate dai telefoni satellitari che portano sempre con sé e devono poter ricaricare. Un precedente c’è, l’uccisione del guerrigliero angolano Jonas Savimbi, ma non tutti credono all’approccio muscolare. Secondo padre Ashworth, bisogna puntare su “negoziati e maggior protezione e assistenza umanitaria” alle popolazioni colpite.
L’arrivo delle unità speciali ha seguito di alcuni anni quello dei 17 consiglieri “anti-terrorismo” inviati dall’amministrazione di George Bush. Dal 2008, soprattutto dopo l’approvazione di una legge del Congresso l’anno scorso, gli Stati Uniti hanno stanziato a beneficio degli eserciti africani impegnati nel contrasto all’LRA circa 33 milioni di dollari. Stando agli ufficiali di Kampala, la settimana scorsa Kony sarebbe sfuggito d’un soffio alla cattura nei pressi della cittadina centrafricana di Ndjema. Vero o no, resta il fatto che gli americani posizionano i loro militari tra il petrolio del Lago Alberto e la cassiterite dei giacimenti congolesi. “Gli Stati Uniti hanno legami storici con Uganda e Sud Sudan – sottolinea padre Barin – ma guardano oltre”.
fonte www.misna.org

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UGANDA, BANCA CENTRALE PREVEDE CALO INFLAZIONE
18 october 2011

La Banca centrale dell’Uganda prevede per il 2012 un raffreddamento delle tensioni inflazionistiche, che in questo Paese hanno un tasso a due cifre.
In un intervento alla cerimonia per la consegna dei diplomi dell’Istituto per i servizi bancari e finanziari, il Governatore dell’istituto di emissione, Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile, ha detto che “è già cominciato il calo dei prezzi delle derrate alimentari che, insieme con la svalutazione della moneta locale, sono state tra le cause principali dell’aumento dei prezzi“. Questo Paese dell’Africa orientale ha registrato ad agosto un tasso di inflazione su base annua del 28,3 per cento, contro il 21,8 del mese precedente.
fonte www.misna.org

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IMPROVING TRAFFIC SEES GROWTH IN UGANDA’S AIRLINE BUSINESS
21 october 2011

Uganda’s skies have continued to attract attention of international airlines as they seek to tap into the country’s growing passenger traffic resulting from increasing investor numbers coming to explore investment opportunities, especially in the oil sector. Gulf Air, Bahrain’s national carrier, yesterday announced it’s re-launch of flights Entebbe effective December, coming on the back of Qatar Airways’ recent announcement to enter into Uganda’s airline business.
The continued dominance of East Africa’s airline business by Kenya Airways, and the lack of strong competition against KQ has among other factors built confidence among established international airlines to venture in the region so as to tap into the growing passenger traffic.
Mr Karim Makhlouf, the Gulf Air chief commercial officer, told a news conference in Kampala yesterday that the re-launch is part of the airline’s strategy to expand to diverse and niche locations beyond Middle East and Bahrain in a bid to spur investment, trade and leisure travel between the two countries.
Providing an alternative – The re-launch of the airline’s flights to Entebbe, will give Ugandan travellers another alternative airline to the Middle East, Europe and Asian destinations. Ugandans currently fly to business destinations in Europe and Middle East using mostly Emirates, Kenya Airways, British Airways and KLM. “Gulf Air has made considerable changes to its service portfolio and I believe this new route will be a success for both passengers and cargo operations as we seek to serve the underserved markets” Mr Makhlouf said. He added the Entebbe route, the fifth on the African continent for the airline, will present commercial and tourism opportunities for investors, entrepreneurs and business people from both markets.
Gulf Air suspended services to Entebbe 8 years ago, saying it was undergoing restructuring to enhance the efficiency and attractiveness of its operations but has now come back after realising that Uganda is a growing market with a lot of potential.
Qatar Airways, a Doha-based airline is expected to commence daily flights between Doha and Entebbe and to the rest of the world on in November.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug – Faridah Kulabako

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GOVERNMENT, PRIVATE SECTOR DISCUSS STATE OF UGANDA’S ECONOMY
21 october 2011

In a landmark dialogue held yesterday, government officials and a cross section of senior business personalities discussed serious challenges facing the economy, with the Central Bank insisting on tackling consumer demand while private players agonised over the effects of hard times on their businesses. The dialogue, tagged ‘CEO Summit Agenda October 2011′ was held at Serena Hotel featured presentations from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), leading economists and chief executives of prominent firms.
While the IMF appears bullish about Uganda’s economic forecast, with projections of more than 5 per cent this year alongside stable budget deficits in spite of suffering the highest inflation rate in East Africa, the government and the private sector are visibly shaken by prevailing conditions. Bank of Uganda (BoU) on one hand, admits serious concerns about rising prices that saw headline inflation hit 28.3 per cent last month, but calls for drastic monetary actions to protect long term growth, however, business executives argue such actions have suffocated their operations and rendered survival difficult.
Aggressive policy actions by BoU have led to sharp hikes in the inflation targeting rate, known as Central Bank Rate (CBR) that has shot up to 20 per cent, triggering further increases in banks’ lending rates that are currently averaging at 25 per cent a situation that local executives feel is likely to accelerate collapse of many businesses due to excessive borrowing costs.
“With inflation at 28.3 per cent and growth in private sector credit in the region of 45 per cent, we believe it is necessary to curb aggregate demand and bring down inflation in order to protect long term growth” said Dr Louis Kasekende, deputy governor at BoU.
In contrast, private sector executives lamented that BoU’s tight stance that has accelerated interest rates has clearly compounded their nightmares, coupled with high inflation, a falling shilling and higher costs of operation driven by load shedding. Manufacturers for instance, are confronted with declining sales, increased production costs and cheap imports that are outcompeting local goods, according to Emmanuel Katongole, chief executive officer of Quality Chemicals Industries.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug – Bernard Busulwa

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WAKISO, INFANT AND MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE HIGHEST
24 october 2011

Wakiso District has the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the country although it’s an urban area, where health services can be easily accessible, an official has said.
Ms Jesca Nsungwa Sabiiti, the assistant commissioner for child health at the Ministry of Health, also revealed that the district currently leads in cases of malnutrition in the country. “It is absurd that Wakiso, an urban area neighbouring Kampala (Uganda’s capital city) is leading in mortality rate and malnutrition” Ms Sabiiti said.
She made the remarks during the opening of the Nurture Africa Paediatric Medical Centre in Nansana Town Council at the weekend. Infant and maternal deaths, Ms Sabiiti said, are caused by HIV/Aids, malaria, malnutrition and other diseases triggered by HIV/Aids. She encouraged the centre to sign a memorandum of understating with the district so that it can be assisted by the latter in procurement of drugs and human resource.
The centre, which was constructed with the help from the government of Ireland, will provide free healthcare to the most vulnerable children in Wakiso.
Mr James Kimbowa, the Nurture Africa country director, said over 2,000 vulnerable children will access primary service care at the centre. He said about 200 children living with HIV/Aids will also access full treatment at the centre. “We are committed to contribute towards the health and development of the most vulnerable children to enable them become positive influences on societies” he said.
fonte www.allafrica.com - Joseph Miti

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ESPONENTE DI OPPOSIZIONE BESIGYE AGLI ARRESTI DOMICILIARI
25 ottobre 2011

Il capo del Forum democratico per il cambiamento (Fdc) Kizza Besigye rimarrà agli arresti domiciliari fino a quando prometterà di non partecipare più alle manifestazioni di piazza che, negli ultimi mesi “hanno macchiato l’immagine del paese agli occhi dell’opinione pubblica”. Lo ha reso noto la polizia di Kampala dopo aver fermato l’esponente di opposizione che si recava, questa mattina, all’ennesima protesta ‘walk to work’ organizzata dal partito per protestare contro il carovita e chiedere le dimissioni del presidente Yoweri Museveni.
Besigye era confinato nella sua abitazione di Kasangati, alla periferia di Kampala, dal 18 ottobre scorso senza nessuna ‘accusa’ formale. “Riguadagnarsi la libertà di movimento dipenderà solo da lui e dalla sua capacità di giudizio” ha detto la portavoce della polizia Judith Nabakoba, aggiungendo che “dovrà prima promettere di astenersi dal partecipare ad attività violente e tese a minacciare l’ordine sociale”.
Diversi membri dell’opposizione – secondo la stampa ugandese – sarebbero stati arrestati negli ultimi giorni dopo aver partecipato alle manifestazioni che, nella loro forma più recente, prevedono che i partecipanti blocchino il traffico abbandonando per strada autoveicoli e motociclette.
Per la terza volta consecutiva Besigye ha perso, nel febbraio scorso, le elezioni presidenziali alle quali si era candidato contro Museveni, al potere da 25 anni. Il blocco di opposizione ha rigettato i risultati delle urne denunciando frodi elettorali.
fonte www.misna.org

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UGANDA’S POPULATION TO HIT 100M IN 2050
27 october 2011

Uganda, with its high fertility ratio of about 7 children per family, is likely to see its population rise to 103.2 million by 2050, latest projections indicate.
Government released the projections yesterday while launching a report that assesses the state of the country’s population, with a pledge that it is keeping a keener eye on the implications of Uganda’s high growth rate. The announcement coincides with the timing of a global report, which shows that the world population will hit the seven billion mark on Monday.
The State of Uganda Population Report 2011, launched in Kampala yesterday alongside the State of the World Population Report 2011, paints a picture of a country whose rapidly rising population could have “negative impacts” for its per capita economic growth. Throughout most of that time, the majority of Uganda’s population is likely to be young – leaving a perpetually huge weight of dependence on a small number of productive Ugandans.
Currently, according to the 120-page report, some 69 per cent of Uganda’s population is under 24 years of age. However, in a speech read by Finance Minister Maria Kiwanuka, Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi noted that the “government regards population as a crucial resource that can be harnessed for national development.”
Estimates published in the report, whose focus this year was on reproductive health, show that if Uganda succeeded in reducing its population growth rate from the current 3.2 per cent to 2.4 per cent in the medium term, the country’s annual growth of per capita GDP could rise by between 0.5- 0.6 per cent.
Fertility – “If we additionally consider the impact of the population dynamics such a reduction would entail, per capita economic growth could increase by between 1.4 and 3.0 percentage points per annum as long as Uganda would be in the phase of the ‘demographic gift’ with falling population growth but still substantial labour force growth” it adds. The report also adds that Uganda has an unusually large discrepancy in fertility between the highly educated (3.9) and the women with low education (7.8), which it says makes Uganda’s poor prone to being caught in a poverty trap which keeps poverty high, widens inequality and reduces economic growth.
In its analysis of the impact of population growth on resources, the report says more than 80 per cent of Ugandans rely directly upon land, agriculture, and fishing for their livelihoods, but environmental indicators reveal trends of degrading agricultural lands, soil erosion, deforestation, drainage of wetlands, loss of bio-diversity, reduced range land capacity, and increased pollution.
The report also indicates that the growth of urban populations throughout Uganda is placing particular stress on municipalities that already lack the infrastructure to meet current water and sanitation needs. “In these urban areas, flooding, poorly constructed latrines, and the resultant run-off of solid waste contaminate water ways and further exacerbate diarrheal disease outbreaks. As such if the trend persists, there shall be several challenges to future growth and structural transformation unless serious measures are taken to convert it into a population dividend” explains the report, which adds that even in densely populated Kampala, 85 per cent of households rely on pit latrines.
Comparing Uganda’s socio-economic indicators with those of other countries in Africa and Asia that have lower population growth rates, the report says Uganda’s high population growth rate exacerbates poverty and constrains the household’s and the government’s efforts to provide quality social services such as education and health. “The problem with a fast-growing population is not the growth itself, but “rapid, unplanned growth” concludes the report. “It is conceded that growth is a natural process that guarantees continuity of existence of living things. However, the process of growth is determined by important variables, which include; age structure, sex and distribution. The decisions and policies we make today, and the options available to young people, will ultimately determine the quality of the population in 2050.”
In his statement, however, Mr Mbabazi said the government is now closely monitoring the country’s population trends “not only in numbers but also in terms of what implications such numbers mean to the provision of services such as health, education, housing, food, [and] employment.”
fonte www.monitor.co.ug – Benon Herbert Oluka

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Cambio valuta: in data 02/11/2011 1 dollaro USA è pari a 2610 scellini ugandesi, 1 Euro è pari a 3596,3194 scellini ugandesi

IN UGANDA CORSI DI FORMAZIONE PER 10.000 GIOVANI
30 agosto 2011

IN ARRIVO TRENI PER PENDOLARI A KAMPALA
31 agosto 2011

DA SETTEMBRE IN UGANDA PREPARATIVI PER DIGITALE TERRESTRE
31 agosto 2011

MAKERERE UNIVERSITY CLOSED
1 september 2011

A KAMPALA BANDITE MANIFESTAZIONI A SOSTEGNO DELLA ‘PRIMAVERA ARABA’
2 settembre 2011

TEACHERS MUST AVOID CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
5 september 2011

BANK OF UGANDA INCREASES LENDING RATE TO 16%
6 september 2011

MUKONO GETS DISEASE RESISTANT COFFEE
6 september 2011

TEACHERS BACK TO CLASS
7 september 2011

TEACHERS DEFY GOVERNMENT ORDER, CONTINUE WITH STRIKE
8 september 2011

MAKERERE STUDENT LEADERS ARRESTED
12 september 2011

SEPTEMBER TO HAVE HEAVIEST RAINFALL, EXPERTS SOUND ALARM
12 september 2011

TEACHERS SUSPEND STRIKE AGAIN
12 september 2011

BLOOD INFECTIONS, A SILENT KILLER IN NEWBORN BABIES
12 september 2011

TWO KAMPALA BOMB SUSPECTS GUILTY
13 september 2011

UGANDA AMONG WORST PLACES FOR SICK CHILD
14 september 2011

CITIZENS STILL POOR AT SEX EDUCATION
14 september 2011

HEPATITIS HITS GULU AND KITGUM
15 september 2011

TOURISM SOON TO BE REVIVED IN NORTHERN UGANDA
15 september 2011

ATTENTATI DI KAMPALA, PRONUNCIATE PRIME DUE SENTENZE
16 settembre 2011

WHY GOVERNMENT FAILED TO INCREASE TEACHERS’ SALARY
19 september 2011

IN ONE OF THE UGANDA POOREST VILLAGES, NEW FARMING TECHNIQUES HELP VILLAGERS RAISE INCOMES AND SPIRITS
19 september 2011

UGANDA’S CHILD MORTALITY RATE DROPS
19 september 2011

FENOMENO LAND GRABBING: SCANDALO RISORSE SCIPPATE
22 settembre 2011

UGANDA E TANZANIA RAFFORZANO RELAZIONI BILATERALI
23 settembre 2011

MAKERERE UNIVERSITY RE-OPENS
26 september 2011

AFRICA, CHI HA PAURA DI FACEBOOK
26 settembre 2011

UGANDA, IN 10 ANNI MORTALITA’ AIDS SCESA DEL 30%
26 settembre 2011

Entro la fine dell’anno saranno avviati in tutte le regioni dell’Uganda dei corsi di formazione annuali sulle più moderne tecniche dell’edilizia, ai quali si stima potranno partecipare oltre 10.000 giovani.
L’iniziativa è stata promossa e sarà gestita in partenariato tra la società indiana di macchinari e materiali da costruzione Hydraform Technologies International e Rural-Urban Mutual Investments (Rumi), un organismo locale che si propone di sviluppare l’imprenditoria giovanile.
Il direttore di Rumi, Harrison Busingye, ha precisato in conferenza stampa che i corsi “saranno incentrati principalmente sulle tecniche relative alla costruzione di alloggi economici” e che “ai partecipanti saranno successivamente offerte prospettive di impiego nell’ambito dei progetti che la società indiana gestisce in Uganda“.
fonte www.agi.it

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IN ARRIVO TRENI PER PENDOLARI A KAMPALA
31 agosto 2011

Le Ferrovie della Rift Valley, che gestiscono la linea che collega l’Uganda al Kenya, avvieranno presto dei servizi per soddisfare le esigenze dei pendolari che per raggiungere il posto di lavoro si spostano quotidianamente tra la capitale ugandese, Kampala, e i vari centri del suo entroterra.
Il responsabile operativo delle ferrovie, Peter Owollo, ha dichiarato ai media locali che il servizio sarà attuato dapprima sulla tratta Kampala-Namanye, da cui i viaggiatori possono raggiungere anche la Business School della Makerere University, il più grande Ateneo del Paese. “Il servizio sarà attivo – ha precisato Owollo – dal lunedì al venerdì, a eccezione della zona di Jinja, in cui vi saranno corse anche nel fine settimana“.
fonte www.agi.it

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DA SETTEMBRE IN UGANDA PREPARATIVI PER DIGITALE TERRESTRE
31 agosto 2011

A settembre l’Uganda si avvierà sulla strada del digitale terrestre. Un percorso lungo il quale, ha annunciato il dirigente della locale Commissione per le Comunicazioni Fred Otunnu, gli ugandesi saranno assistiti dall’Unione internazionale delle telecomunicazioni. I tecnici di quest’ultima, ha aggiunto Otunnu, “effettueranno studi e sopralluoghi su tutto il territorio nazionale, in modo che il passaggio dall’analogico al digitale possa avvenire senza ritardi“.
Nel 2006 l’Unione Internazionale delle Telecomunicazioni stabilì che tutti i Paesi del pianeta sarebbero dovuti passare al digitale entro il 2015.
fonte www.agi.it

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MAKERERE UNIVERSITY CLOSED
1 september 2011

Makerere University has been closed indefinitely following a lecturers’ and students’ strike last week. The lecturers snubbed appeals from the University management and Council to return to duty; prompting the Council chairman Dr. Charles Wana-Etyem to announce the closure of the University.
Students are expected to vacate the premises in the next six hours. “We are going to escort all students out of the University premises. International students will receive their transport refund back home” Wana said. “In the meantime, international students, the disabled and those from the College of Health Sciences who were initially studying will be housed in one hall at the University campus“.
The staff are demanding for the swift release of their sh16.7b pension funds from the national insurance corporation (NIC) on top of a salary increment of sh8m for the lowest paid members of the academic staff. The sh16.7b accumulated between July 1996 and 2005, when the company operated a deposit administration plan (DAP) for the university’s pension scheme.
A recent report by the Auditor General indicates that NIC owes Makerere sh26.9b, twice higher than both the corporation and the university were earlier quoting. However, the lectures and other staff were angered by NIC’s continued claim that it had a balance of only sh3.7b. Besides, the staff also want the University Council to stop contributing the 40% to their wage bill.
fonte www.allafrica.com – Conan Businge and Andrew Ssenyonga

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A KAMPALA BANDITE MANIFESTAZIONI A SOSTEGNO DELLA ‘PRIMAVERA ARABA’
2 settembre 2011

Le autorità di Kampala hanno impedito lo svolgersi di una manifestazione per celebrare il rovesciamento dei regimi nel Nord Africa, sostenendo che avrebbe potuto degenerare in “incitamento alla violenza”.
La dimostrazione, convocata dagli ‘Attivisti per il cambiamento’, era stata pubblicizzata attraverso la distribuzione di volantini in cui si suggeriva che anche il presidente Yoweri Museveni, dopo lunghi anni di governo, dovesse abbandonare il potere.
I volantini mostravano la foto dei leader di Tunisia, Libia ed Egitto, accanto a quella di Museveni, ininterrottamente alla guida del paese dal 1986, indicato come “il prossimo” sulla lista.
Dalla rielezione del presidente per un quarto mandato, lo scorso febbraio, l’Uganda è diventato teatro di manifestazioni di protesta guidate dall’opposizione che denuncia inoltre l’aumento del costo della vita e le difficoltà crescenti per ampie fasce della popolazione. Le mobilitazioni hanno portato ad arresti e all’uccisione di almeno 9 manifestanti nell’aprile scorso.
Dal canto suo, Museveni ha sollevato critiche sull’intervento armato della Nato in Libia e invitato i ribelli al dialogo con Gheddafi. Come diversi altri paesi africani l’Uganda si rifiuta di riconoscere il Consiglio nazionale di transizione di Bengasi come legittimo rappresentante del popolo libico.
fonte www.misna.org

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TEACHERS MUST AVOID CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
5 september 2011

It is clearly known that all sorts of corporal punishments were officially by banned by the government because of their far-reaching effects. However, it is surprising that a number of schools still use corporal punishment as a means of instilling discipline.
Some students have fallen victim of corporal punishments hence, denying them their primary hope of reaping the fruits of education. For example they have suffered scarring, a loss of sense and even death. There are some teachers who react with a bewildered sense that really portrays a bitter detachment from their responsibility of providing education, which has inestimable value.
I do not think corporal punishments are part of that inestimable value and that those punishments can make life meaningful on the side of the students. In most cases, intentions are easily betrayed by actions. It may be true that the teacher is very much concerned with the discipline of the students, thus devising ways of disciplining. But, the action taken on the students can betray the teacher’s intentions.
Psychological theorem of learning emphasise the importance of creating a conducive environment for learning to be carried out both effectively and efficiently. For example Skinner’s uses of instrumental conditioning or operant learning emphasise the use of reward but not punishment.
Corporal punishments should be completely avoided because they do not only destroy the learning process due to their causing of negative psychological arousal (emotional effects), as both the teacher and a student are always emotionally unstable, but also provoke aggressive behaviour because it makes a victim angry, thus becoming hostile.
In most cases, the victim of corporal punishment may even decide to fight back, which can put both the teacher’s status and role in dilemma. Truly speaking, it is not good to have a conviction that, an African child should be brought up the African way by tickling him/her where his/her ears are.
Conclusively, written information is shared first by elites who are capable of reading. I therefore feel duty-bound as a teacher to share this situation of increasing corporal punishments with all those who have a mind to act against the trend.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug – Francis Kasibante

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BANK OF UGANDA INCREASES LENDING RATE TO 16%
6 september 2011

The Bank of Uganda has increased its lending rate to 16 per cent from 14 per cent in August, signaling a further increase in interest rates by local commercial banks by 2 percentage points.
“With this further increase in the Central Bank Rate (CBR), we expect lending rates to be adjusted upwards. I don’t want to dictate to commercial banks but we expect a response” Dr Louis Kasekende, the deputy governor Bank of Uganda said at a press conference in Kampala on Tuesday. Dr Kasekende said, the increase has been made to counter the double digit inflation -the general rise in prices of goods and services, in the economy. “We are tightening because we are worried this inflation is still high” Dr Kasekende said.
Uganda’s inflation rose to 21.4 per cent last month from 18.7per cent in July on the back of rising food and fuel prices as well as the depreciation of the shilling against the dollar. BoU targets an inflation rate of 5 per cent per annum. Following an increase in the CBR from 13 per cent in July to 14 per cent in August, commercial banks increased their lowest lending rates from as low as 19 per cent to as high as 22 per cent.
Some of the banks that immediately responded to the BoU move include; Stanbic Bank, Barclays Bank, and Tropical Bank. Dr. Adam Mugume, the director for research said, the tighter monetary policy is targeted at the private sector. “It’s not that the Central Bank is trying to hurt the private sector but helping it by trying to limit effects like inflation which could hurt them” he said at the press conference. To the consumers he said “Tighter monetary policy means: reduce consumption and increase savings.”
fonte www.monitor.co.ug – Walter Wafula

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MUKONO GETS DISEASE RESISTANT COFFEE
6 september 2011

Coffee farmers in Mukono district can now benefit from the development of eight coffee species that are resistant to pests and diseases. The species have been developed at Kituza village in Nakisunga sub-county in Mukono with the help of Uganda coffee development authority, Kyagulanyi coffee, the NAADS programme and Café Africa. The species were exhibited on Thursday at Nakifuma sub-county in a coffee exhibition.
The co-coordinator of Mukono District Farmers Association, Silver Nganda, said one of the species is a clone type from Robasta coffee. He added that besides being resistant to diseases and pests, the species also grow faster. He said farmers can start harvesting when the plants are about one and half to two years. Other species take three to four years to mature. “These types of coffee grow faster, have good yields and can be harvested in a shorter period. They are also farmer-friendly because a farmer can use compost manure without fertilisers and still harvests big” he said.
Mukono sub-regional coffee co-coordinator Charles Nkungwa said the development of these species was aimed at rejuvenating the growing of coffee as a poverty eradication initiative as it was the case in the district. He added that farmers were also taught how to prune the coffee plants for proper growth and use of good fertiliser and diseases control to have the best quality of coffee and get better prices.
Farmers who attended the exhibition welcomed the new species, saying coffee was one of the most paying cash crops. They disclosed that they abandoned the crop after pests and diseases destroyed it, yet most of them could not afford pest control.
While officiating at the exhibition, Mukono LC5 chairperson Francis Lukooya Mukoome said the district would join the initiative of reviving coffee growing by establishing plant clinics in every sub-county. He said three clinics had already been established at Nakifuma, Ntunda and Ntenjeru sub-counties. He urged local leaders in to district to encourage farmers to grow coffee.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug - Justine Kirabo

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TEACHERS BACK TO CLASS
7 september 2011

Several teachers in schools in Kampala have reported to work, although many of their colleagues are still divided whether to join their strike over low pay. According to a survey conducted by the ‘New Vision’, most teachers in several schools in Makindye division appeared in classes and taught while others in neighbouring schools were present but declined to conduct lessons.
At Kitebi Primary School, the teachers turned up in class and taught while the headteacher moved around supervising them. However, the pupils’ turn up was low.
At Police Children’s school in Nsambya, most pupils had settled down for classes but teachers were not teaching them. However, some teachers in some of the classes were teaching and the situation appeared normal.
In Nakawa and Central divisions, teachers turned up at school but did not teach. Most of them were seen seated outside the classrooms.
At Kiswa Primary School, the teachers appeared for class but refused to teach. Edward Etim, Primary Five pupil said that they had not attended class since new term opened on Monday.
At Bat valley Primary School, pupils were playing outside the classrooms. They said the school management had told them to study half-day.
At Police Children’s school in Ntinda and Kalinabili S.S, teachers declined to teach classrooms and pupils were seen playing during normal class time.
At Kitante Hill School, all the teachers were in classes doing their Beginning of Term exams that will last for a week. Christine Mayanja, the school’s deputy Headteacher claimed that participating in the strike would give their competitors a chance to surpass them.
At City High School and Kampala City Council Primary School in Kamwokya, teachers also reported to duty and conducted lessons.
In Lubaga division, most teachers had resumed teaching. The teachers, however, appealed to the Government to increase their pay. At Kitebi secondary school, students had started their beginning of exams under the supervision of their teachers.
Meanwhile, the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) chairperson, Teopista Mayanja maintained that the teachers would only call off their strike after the government has met their demands. She accused the government of failing to address the causes of the strike and warned that failure to provide adequate solutions to the crisis would make the situation worse.
“It is unfortunate that Government has not been able to manage the on-going negotiations with UNATU even when they knew we were entering into a critical term of the year which has led to the current confusion and uncertainty in which our schools are” she said in a press statement. “Such intimidating statements are uncalled for and only serve to make a bad situation worse. We equally condemn the selective victimization, harassment and intimidation of individuals over a collective action” Mayanja said. She said the teachers were ready to call off the industrial action if the government stopped harassing them, allowed ongoing proposals by Parliament to find money to increase their salaries.
They also want the government to set up an employment agency to handle negotiations over their demands. The Government has threatened to sack those teachers who fail to report to their duty stations for third term. Several government officials were deployed by government to oversee the opening of the third term, after teachers announced that they would not call off their strike over their demands.
The teachers are demanding 100% salary increase which, once approved, will allow the lowest paid teacher to earn sh546,000. The Government promised a gradual salary increase starting with 44% in the next financial year but the teachers rejected it.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug - Taddeo Bwambale, Brian Mayanja, Saudha Nakadama & Florence Nakaayi

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TEACHERS DEFY GOVERNMENT ORDER, CONTINUE WITH STRIKE
8 september 2011

An interesting trend seemed to be emerging yesterday as a strike by teachers in public school entered its third day. While all regions reported pressure from government agents to make teachers resume work, a ‘Daily Monitor’ survey indicated that teachers in the east and north remained more defiant while those in the west and central seemed to have bowed to the pressure.
In most schools, apart from central and some pockets of western Uganda and Teso, the situation by yesterday was as it were on Monday; no teachers in class and where they reported, they were not teaching. The turn up of pupils continued to dwindle.
Mr Patrick Kaboyo, the executive director of Uganda Private School Teachers’ Association, said the strong stance taken by teachers in the north and east could be indicative of the different economic conditions in the regions. In his analysis, those hardest hit are also the toughest, ready to withstand the demands of the industrial action and intimidation while those that have been less hard hit tend to be more vulnerable.
“Unlike the north and east, it is in central where people have not been hit so hard by the economic crisis. In a situation where most decision makers come from the west, they cannot fully take part in the strike because it has a patronage and a political link to them. It is in places where the economic crisis has hit most that the teachers will get the pace for the strike.” Defiant teachers in eastern and northern region that ‘Daily Monitor’ talked to scoffed at government’s deployment of state agents and political leaders to monitor their activities, with teachers in Karamoja advising Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi to save the intimidation and commanding voice for the army.
“(The) prime minister should know that teachers are technically trained, they can be in the class but absent” said a teacher at Namalu Secondary School. The teacher, whose identity has been withheld to protect him, said the teachers’ problem needs to be solved intellectually and not ‘militarily.’
Mr Peter Luzige, the chairman of secondary head teachers of Karamoja, said he held over three meetings with teachers, pleading with them to teach but has failed to convince them. “We have realised that government is financially constrained but amid the crisis at least something should be done” he said. Some educationists questioned the zeal with which government has reacted to enforcing teaching, apparently oblivious of the realities of the school system and behaviour of many public schools.
With the teacher turn up in Gulu still low, District Inspector of Schools Robinson Oboth said it was not fair for the government to judge the level of the strike in the first week of the term because it is a culture that serious teaching normally begins in the second week. In Amuru District, most teachers reportedly started teaching although the number of pupils remains low.
In Ankole and Kigezi sub-regions, teachers were in schools and were seen to be teaching but a teacher speaking on condition of anonymity said they were simply passing time. “We just came here to give exams and not to teach” he said.
In Rukungiri District, just like in Ntungamo, most primary and secondary school teachers were not teaching although they had reported to school. Three schools: Immaculate Heart, Nyakibale, Kinyasano Girls School and Makobore High School were the only ones teaching.
In Bunyoro, Tooro and the greater Rwenzori regions teachers continued to report for duty as they grumbled quietly against the government’s directive to resume teaching. Resident district commissioners, chief administrative officials and other government officials continued to monitor teaching as required by a directive by premier Mbabazi.
In Kibaale, the deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Mr Vincent Kyaligonza, said the district had registered 98 per cent turn up of teachers so far. In Kasese, although many teachers reported for duty, there was hardly any teaching at the sampled schools due to the very poor turn up of pupils.
The Uganda Private School Teachers’ Association yesterday condemned government’s expenditure on state agents in the bid to force teachers to teach instead of using the resources to ease the teachers’ pay demands. “We recommend that the investment made to pay fuel, airtime, meals and any allowances to RDCs and their escorts, District Internal Security Officers and their aides to visit schools should be redirected to contributing the resources to pay teachers’ salaries” said Mr Kaboyo during a press conference in Kampala.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug – Isaac Imaka, Abdu Kiyaga, Steven Ariong, Richard Otim, James Eriku, Jacky Adure, Hudson Apunyo, Joseph Mazige, Paul Aruho, Robert Muhereza, Perez Rumanzi, Brenda Kashaki & Paul

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MAKERERE STUDENT LEADERS ARRESTED
12 september 2011

Fourteen Makerere University student guild leaders were last evening released from police custody after being rounded up at the entrance to the main campus earlier in the day for staging a sit-down and hunger strike in protest over the continued closure of the institution.
Armed police arrested the group led by guild president Denis Onekalit and detained them at Wandegeya Police Station where they were subjected to six hours of questioning. Police spokesperson Judith Nabakooba said the student leaders were released on bond, pending investigations into “unlawful assembly”.
The university was closed on September 1 after lecturers’ laid down their tools, demanding salary increment and refund of Shs16.7 billion that insurance firm National Insurance Cooperation (NIC) owes them. The guild leaders are part of the few students – including the disabled, foreign and health sciences students, who were allowed to remain on the campus after it was closed.
Both the guild president and deputy represent the students on the university council.
Yesterday, the guild leaders after addressing journalists, where they accused the university management and government of delaying the process of reopening the university, proceeded to stage their strike that prematurely ended with their arrest. “We have vowed not to eat or drink as a sign of dissatisfaction until the university is opened” said Mr Onekalit.
But before the threat could be implemented, police swung into action, arresting the students, bundling them on to a pick-up truck before driving them to Wandegeya Police Station. Later, the Kampala Metropolitan Police Commander, Mr Felix Kaweesi, wrote to the student leaders, warning them against further strikes. “Holding a strike is likely to incite the students who are still living in the environs of the university and this will automatically lead to breach of peace” Mr Kaweesi wrote.
As if the aborted hunger strike was not enough, the student leaders who were left behind as part of the university council engagement for a way forward were last night directed to vacate campus for “failure to serve the purpose for which they had been left at the university”. “We had left them behind because we thought they could be part of other stakeholders but if they have resorted to striking, then it means we are going to start running battles with them and this in the eyes of council it is not good.” said Mr Cyriako Kabagambe, the dean of students.
Students defiant - The students, however, vowed not to move an inch. “We are going to resist because the university council passed the resolution for us to be left behind. If they want us out, the council must first convene and pass a new resolution” said Ms Doreene Nyanjura, the guild vice president.
It is not yet clear, when the government will re-open the university. Education Minister Jessica Alupo without giving specifics said last evening the government will soon communicate its position, after a Cabinet resolution. “We are looking forward to presenting our memo to Cabinet to agree on a final position” she said. President Museveni was last evening set to meet the academic staff association leaders to find a way forward.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug – Abdu Kiyaga

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SEPTEMBER TO HAVE HEAVIEST RAINFALL, EXPERTS SOUND ALARM
12 september 2011

The second rainy season started unusually early, but more than else, experts have warned of disasters as the seasonal rainfall outlook for September to December predicts above normal rains in some parts of the country.
The weather outlook, released by the Department of Meteorology last week, shows that lightning, strong and gusty winds as well as episodic flash floods might be experienced in some areas, putting lives of both humans and livestock at risk. Mr Michael Nkalubo, the acting commissioner for meteorology, said other disasters may arise from possible landslides mostly in mountainous areas of western, south-western and eastern Uganda.
“Therefore, appropriate measures should be taken to avoid loss of life and destruction of infrastructure and property” Mr Nkalubo said in the statement. He said the findings were made during the 29th Climate Outlook Forum (COF29) for the Greater Horn of Africa (GHA) in Entebbe on September 1 to 3.
Based on the trends of the ongoing weather patterns, it was observed that there will be an increased likelihood of above-normal rain in southern, central, Lake Victoria basin, and eastern Uganda. The new forecast, however, comes at a time when floods triggered off by heavy rains have destroyed several homesteads, food crops and infrastructure in many parts of the country. Late last month, at least 30 people were killed in a mudslides in Bulambuli District.
Government recently warned that hundreds of families in eastern region risk starvation in the next four months after crops rotted following floods that left soils water-logged.
September to December is the second major rainfall season in Uganda. During the same period, Mr Nkalubo said some parts of the country will receive relatively low rainfall, which will not enable people to wipe out the drought impacts that have persisted in few isolated areas for several months.
Transport sector is also likely to be affected as roads would be cut off by intense rainfall and water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid may emerge across the country. Scientists say the rains are expected to improve agricultural activities and enhance food securuty. They advised farmers to make use of the season to optimise crop yield through appropriate land-use management.
Meteorologists also predicated the coming rains to enhance the levels of water in the rivers and lakes hence rising levels of water in dams for more energy generation.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug – Joseph Miti

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TEACHERS SUSPEND STRIKE AGAIN
12 september 2011

Teachers under their umbrella organisation, Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU), have decided to return to classes to enable negotiations between them and government to go on smoothly.
UNATU Vice Chairperson David Tweheyo announced yesterday that “We discussed and agreed to suspend the strike because we are waiting for government communication as soon as possible”. Mr Tweheyo said the strike has been partly suspended because this is a crucial term for the students.
However, Education Minister Jessica Alupo said the ministry is yet to get a formal communication from the teachers’ leaders. “It is really a good gesture. Our doors for negotiations have never been closed and we will continue to ensure we reach a final decision” Ms Alupo told ‘Daily Monitor’ during a telephone interview yesterday.
The suspension of the strike comes only a week after Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi warned teachers that if any of them fails to report to class within seven days after third term commences, their names would be scrapped off the government payroll on grounds of having absconded from duty and they will immediately be replaced with temporary teachers.
Over the past week, numerous government schools countrywide have not had classes and where the teachers appeared, tests were given to pupils but did not remain to supervise the tests while in other schools, pupils took over the teaching role in the absence of the instructors. This is the second time the UNATU has suspended the strike over pending government negotiations. Students and pupils are expected to sit for their final examinations within two months.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug – Abdu Kiyaga

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BLOOD INFECTIONS, A SILENT KILLER IN NEWBORN BABIES
12 september 2011

Finela Asiimwe, a first-time mother, had made arrangements to deliver from a main hospital, but things did not go as the 26-year-old had planned. “Labour began in the middle of the night and I could not find transport to the hospital. My mother called in a midwife to help” she recalls.  A week later, the baby developed a fever, became irritable and refused to breastfeed. When Asiimwe took the baby to hospital, it was diagnosed with septicemia. Much as the baby was put on treatment, it died.
Dr. Sabrina-Bakera Kitaka, a paediatrician at Mulago Hospital, describes septicemia as an infection resulting from bacteria growing in a newborn baby’s blood stream before it is one-month-old.
According to an analysis of the 2007 newborn health report, 31% of deaths in newborn babies in Uganda are due to infections. A study conducted between June and August, 2011, revealed that the prevalence of neonatal sepsis in Mulago Hospital is 37.5%, with a mortality of 18.8%.
Signs and symptoms – Dr Jessca Nakibuka, a paediatrician in Mulago Hospital, notes that a baby with blood infection has a grossly high fever, general body weakness, rapid breathing, sleeps a lot, refuses to breastfeed, is irritable and cries uncontrollably. In addition, septicemia may be detected by symptoms of intestinal infection, for example, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Causes – According to the 2007 newborn health report, poor care practices take the lead in increasing the risk of infections. Kitaka cites situations where a mother has an infection in the birth canal. Another cause could be the use of unsterile equipment. Dr. Jolly Nankunda, a neonatologist at Mulago special care unit, adds that poor umbilical cord care such as mothers using cow dung and other cultural practices, for example, the use of ekyogero could expose the baby to infection. Sharing bathing material with the newborn baby also put it at risk of infection.
Who is at risk? - Nankunda explains that all newborn babies are prone to blood infections, but premature babies are at a higher risk because their defence mechanism is not fully developed. In addition, children born with HIV are susceptible to severe blood infection. Also, if a mother is not immunised against tetanus, the chances of the baby getting neonatal tetanus are high.
Diagnosis - Kitaka notes that a sepsis screen is done to confirm the presence of neonatal septicemia. Blood culture, umbilical swab, urinalysis and sometimes a lumber puncture (removing spinal cord fluid) may also be done.
Treatment – Nakibuka says once a child is confirmed to have septicemia, it should be started on treatment immediately. The baby is admitted for a minimum of 10 days and put on intravenous antibiotic.
Prevention - Nankunda advises mothers and caretakers to minimise the number of people who come in contact with the baby. Those who do so should wash their hands with soap and water to avoid transfer of infections to the baby. There is need to observe a clean environment during childbirth and when caring for the baby. Expectant mothers should attend antenatal care, as well as get immunised.
fonte www.allafrica.com

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TWO KAMPALA BOMB SUSPECTS GUILTY
13 september 2011

Two of the 14 Al Shabab suspects, Mohamoud Mugisha and Edris Nsubuga, on Tuesday pleaded guilty to participating in the July 11, 2010 Kampala bombings.
Mugisha, 25, told the High Court trial judge Alfonse Owiny-Dollo that he conspired with Al Shabab leaders in different countries including Somalia, Kenya and Uganda to commit acts of terrorism. Nsubuga, 31, who first put up his hand and he was allowed to talk to his lawyer, Alex Bashasha, told the court that he had wanted to plead guilty the previous day, but he felt intimidated by the reactions from his co-accused men. “My lord, I have now decided to change my plea of not guilty to guilty on the three counts of terrorism.” he told the court.
However, after the judge had asked him whether he had been coerced or influenced by anyone, Nsubuga, who was speaking fluent English, maintained that he had decided on his own to plead guilty. The judge again assured him of the court’s protection and emphasized that he should never have been intimidated or coerced into pleading guilty.
A total of 76 people perished in the two incidents that occurred at Kyaddondo Rugby Club and the Ethiopian Village Restaurant in Kampala. The third bomb that had been planted at the Makindye House on the same day was defused before it exploded.
Nsubuga took plead to each of the three terrorism charges as the judge read them out and explained to him what the meant. It was stated that Nsubuga and those in court together with others still at large, the day in question at Kyadondo Rugby Club, Nakawa and at the Ethiopian village in Makindye Division in Kampala District, with intent to influence the Government of Uganda or intimidate the public and for political, religious, social or economic aim, without due regard to safety for others, intentionally and unlawfully discharged explosives with intent to cause death and serious bodily injuries.
It was also stated that on the same day, Nsubuga and the others in court and those still at large, at the Ethiopian Village Restaurant, Kisugu in Makindye Division, Kampala District, with intent to influence the Government or intimidate the public or sections of the public and; for political, religious, social or economic aim, without due regard to the safety of others or property intentionally and unlawfully delivered and discharged an explosive into the Ethiopian Village Restaurant with intent to cause death and serious bodily injuries or extensive destruction likely or actually result into major economic loss.
The judge also read a third count involving the Makindye House where he placed an ex[plosive with intent to cause death and serious bodily injury, or extensive destruction likely to or actually result into major economic loss.
fonte www.allafrica.com - Hillary Nsambu, Edward Anyoli and Andate Okanya

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UGANDA AMONG WORST PLACES FOR SICK CHILD
14 september 2011

A new index by 'Save the Children' has ranked Uganda amongst the worst countries for a child to fall sick. Uganda is ranked 145 out of the 161 countries surveyed, only 15 places higher than the worst countries Chad and Somalia. The index not only measures how many health workers there are in Uganda but also their reach and impact. It also tracks the proportion of children who receive regular vaccinations and mothers who have access to life-saving emergency care at birth.
In Uganda, one woman in 25 will die in pregnancy or childbirth, and each year 44,000 newborn babies die in the first month of life. The new analysis shows that children living in the bottom 20 countries like Uganda - which fall below the WHO minimum threshold of just over two health workers for every thousand people - are five times more likely to die than those further up the index like Switzerland, Finland, Ireland, Norway and Belarus.
Neighbouring Tanzania ranked 135, Rwanda 121, Burundi 139 while Kenya ranked 140 just one position shy of making it to the worst countries. What this means is that millions of children in Uganda as other countries that rank in the bottom die because of lack of skilled health workers. The organisation highlights a global shortage of over 3.5 million doctors, nurses, midwives and community health workers. Without them, no vaccine can be administered, no life-saving drugs prescribed and no woman can be given expert care during her childbirth. Illnesses such as pneumonia and diarrhoea, which are easily treated, become deadly.
The report says ensuring that a health worker is within reach, and is trained, equipped and supported, is crucial to the achievement of Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. Health workers are also vital for addressing MDG 6, non-communicable diseases, and other important health and development issues. "A child's survival depends on where he or she is born in the world. No mother should have to watch helplessly as her child grows sick and dies, simply because there is no one trained to help. World leaders must tackle the health worker shortage and realise that failing to invest in health workers will cost lives. Even the poorest countries in Africa can make real progress if they stick to their pledge of investing 15% of their budgets in health." Ben Phillips, of 'Save the Children', says.
Half of the mothers surveyed in Uganda said health centres are too far; so, they stay home with their sick children. Midwives are being attacked on their way home from work at night, citing lack of housing near health centres.
Justine Chebet, a mother of 10 from Kapchorwa district, pits the best anecdote for this study. At 36, she already has 10 children and delivered each at the back of her house, in the garden or by the roadside. The nearest hospital, Kapchorwa, from her village in Chema sub-county, is 20 kilometres away. Not only does she deliver from home, she does not take her children to hospital because while it is far away, they do not have clothes to wear to the hospital. Little wonder that she doesn't know her children are malnourished and could be suffering from kwashiorkor. She thinks it is normal and a trait in her children because, to her, they all look the same and have always been so since birth.
The report recommends interventions carried out by countries such as Malawi and Nepal who saw a need in improving the lives of mothers and their babies.
Malawi launched the Emergency Human Resource Programme between 2004 and 2009 that increased the number of health workers by 53% and saved 13,000 lives. The country topped up their health workers' salaries by 50%, recruited additional staff, trained more nurses and doctors and developed health-management information systems to monitor and evaluate human resource capacity.
In Nepal, 48,000 female health volunteers were trained in newborn care, including resuscitation and skin-to-skin care for premature or underweight babies. Although volunteers are not medically qualified, they have been trained to identify the danger signs of serious infections that are leading causes of newborn deaths in Nepal.
With the report,' Save the Children' is lobbying world leaders at this year's annual UN meeting this month to end the health worker crisis. "Rich nations must step up their funding of health, especially as there is two thirds shortfall of what is needed globally. The commitment of developing countries is crucial." the report says.
In 2001 countries across Africa pledged to spend 15% of their national budgets on healthcare - but only eight have done so. Uganda spends only 9% of its budget on health, most of which is donor funded by US, UK and other countries. 'Save the Children' wants to lobby governments, donors and partners to recruit more health workers with appropriate skills to cover the existing gap of 3.5 million across the world.There is also a need to recruit at least another one million community health workers and 350,000 midwives. There is a shortage of 28,000 health workers in Uganda.
The organisation also wants governments to make better use of existing health workers to reach the most vulnerable children, improve salaries of health workers and deliver more funding for healthcare, and in a more effective way.
fonte www.allafrica.com - Shifa Mwesigye

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CITIZENS STILL POOR AT SEX EDUCATION
14 september 2011

Ugandan children stand a risk of making wrong choices when it comes to sex because they lack education.
According to a report, Protecting the Next Generation in Uganda: New Evidence on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs, published by Guttmacher Institute in 2008, only 33.8% girls and 22% boys aged between 12 and 14 have received sex education in school. At home, 71% girls and 64% boys had never talked with parents about sex-related matters, according to the 2004 National Survey of Adolescents.
As a result, Uganda's teenage pregnancy rate continues to be high, at 25%. A teenager that gives birth is not only likely to drop out of school but also have a big number of children. Uganda's fertility rate stands at 6.7 children per woman (as of 2006) and according to a presentation by Dr Gideon Rutaremwa of Makerere University's Department of Population Studies, if these fertility rates do not drop by 2037, Uganda will not achieve the middle income status that she wants.
In addition, Uganda will spend Shs 57.2bn on education. In the health sector, the country would have to spend $2.5bn annually. Given this state of affairs, the German Foundation for World Population (DSW) considers it important to give sex education to children aged between 10 and 14.
Under the Young Adolescent Project (YAP), teachers in 10 primary schools were trained to offer sex education to the 10 to14-year-olds. "Children at this age are in transition to adulthood and it is important to educate them so that they do not become like their parents." James Kotzsch, country director of DSW says. The added advantage of targeting children at this age is that many are still in school; so, a wider population is reached.
Figures show that school enrolment drops at secondary level. Janet Jackson, UNFPA's country representative, says research has shown that teenagers who are given sex education are more likely to make the right choices. This was at DSW's Open Day held at their offices in Lubowa on September 8.
When pupils of St. Joseph Primary School Wakiso performed a skit on the Open Day that demonstrated their deep understanding of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), HIV and their bodies, they lent credence to Jackson's claims that sex education goes a long way in ensuring that a large number of children make the right choices when informed.
fonte www.allafrica.com - Diana Nabiruma

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HEPATITIS HITS GULU AND KITGUM
15 september 2011

A more dangerous type of hepatitis has broken out in Kitgum and Gulu, Parliament has heard.
Kitgum district Woman MP Beatrice Anywar said 12 cases of Hepatitis B had been confirmed at St. Joseph's Hospital, Lacor. She said the patients were from Kitgum town council, Muchuni and Adelang. Hepatitis B is an infectious illness caused by the hepatitis B virus which affects the liver and causes an inflammation called hepatitis, according to information on Wikipedia.
About a quarter of the world's population, over two billion people, have been infected with the hepatitis B virus. This includes 350 million chronic carriers of the virus. Transmission of the hepatitis B is done through exposure to infectious blood or body fluids such as semen and vaginal fluids of infected people. Other risk factors include working in a healthcare setting, blood transfusions, dialysis, acupuncture, tattooing and extended overseas travel. The infection is preventable by vaccination.
Infection at birth is a major route of infection in developing countries. Anywar named Acholi, Karamoja and Lango as the regions suspected to be harbouring the virus. She was concerned about the lack of reagents for testing and appealed to the Government to provide the reagents.
Anywar urged the Ministry of Health to provide Parliament with a statement on the spread of the disease and the steps being taken to fight it, a request to which health state minister Richard Nduhuura obliged.
Gulu Woman MP Betty Aol Ocan said the disease was also reported in Gulu where seven people had died. Mbarara Municipality MP Medard Bitekyerezo said western Uganda was also affected. "It means the whole country is under attack." he said.
fonte www.allafrica.com - Joyce Namutebi and Mary Karugaba

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TOURISM SOON TO BE REVIVED IN NORTHERN UGANDA
15 september 2011

Following the end of the insurgency in northern Uganda, tourism activities are to be revived. "The potential of tourism in this region is enormous" says Edwin Muzahura, the spokesperson of the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB). "We are preparing activities expected to rekindle the rich and diverse culture after 20 years of insurgency."
UTB plans to harness cultural properties and historical sites including internally displaced peoples camps. Other attractions being prepared for tourism operations are cultural and historical sites such as Fort Patiko, Wadelai, Aruu Falls in parts of northern Uganda. Also trails have taking tourists to explore areas of historical significance such as Samuel Baker, Luo migrations into northern Uganda have been constructed. Another trail will lead tourists to the birth place of 1972 Olympic Gold Medalist John Akibua (R.I.P) in Abako village, Lira district.
A brochure to be used as a promotional material for the sites and trails will be distributed locally and internationally. It will be distributed to embassies, Government departments, corporate entities and international entry points. Muzahura was speaking ahead of the activities organised to commemorate the UN World Tourism Day on September 27. Gulu will host the national celebrations under the theme 'Celebration of Tourism's role in linking together the cultures of the world through travel'.
"The activities to celebrate World tourism day in Gulu is an opportunity to tell the world that the war is over and showcase what northern Uganda offers." said Muzahura. "It will also help to spread the benefits of tourism to northern Uganda."
Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda is the most visited national park yet Murchiosn Falls National Park is bigger and has a diversity of attractions, according to Muzahura. UTB has teamed up with Mahali Africa Consult, a local firm based in Kampala and Purongo, Nwoya district to organise a weeklong activities starting September 23 in Gulu. On September 23 and 24, the Gulu community will be mobilised to undertake a cleanup and marking of Zebra crossings.
The cultural and historical sites will be officially designated as tourism destinations. A four day exhibition from September 24-27 will follow and national celebrities like Angela Katatumba, Jackie Chandiru and Kora Award nominee who is also a tourism ambassador Susan Kerunen are expected to perform. The aim, according to UTB is to celebrate the revival of the lost art and cultural forms, traditional wear, dance, merchandise, folklore from west Nile, Luo, Karamojong to Nubian. The celebrations will reach a climax with a band match past through Gulu and a corporate dinner at the new boma hotel where local artists will perform.
"Uganda is rich not only in biological diversity, but also in cultures." said Amos Wekesa, the President of Uganda Tourism Association. "Northern Uganda had been forgotten. With the return of peace to northern Uganda, it is now possible to go to any part of the country."
fonte www.allafrica.com - Gerald Tenywa

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ATTENTATI DI KAMPALA, PRONUNCIATE PRIME DUE SENTENZE
16 settembre 2011

Venticinque anni di carcere per l’ugandese Edris Nsubuga, riconosciuto colpevole di atti terroristici, e cinque anni per il suo connazionale Muhamoud Mugisha che ha collaborato con lui. Si tratta delle prime due sentenze pronunciate oggi dall’Alta Corte di Kampala in relazione ai tre attentati perpetrati l’11 luglio 2010 nella capitale ugandese e nei quali 76 persone furono uccise.
Nsubuga è scampato alla pena capitale per essersi da subito dichiarato colpevole. Al momento del pronunciamento della sentenza il giudice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo ha dichiarato che “i rimpianti espressi dall’imputato sono sinceri ma ciò non toglie che era lucido in tutto quello che ha fatto”.
Il giorno degli attentati, che hanno colpito due locali dove la gente seguiva in televisione la finale dei Mondiali di calcio in Sudafrica, Nsubuga ha scortato uno dei kamikaze sul luogo prescelto e azionato l’ordigno a distanza.
Dal canto suo Mugisha, che all’uscita dal carcere rimarrà per altri cinque anni sotto sorveglianza giudiziaria, ha confessato di aver combattuto con i ribelli ‘shebab’ ('giovani’) in Somalia e di averli aiutati ad organizzare gli attentati di Kampala. Nella sua rivendicazione la ribellione somala spiegò di volersi vendicare per la partecipazione di soldati ugandesi alla missione dell’Unione africana in Somalia (Amisom), a sostegno del governo di transizione federale (Tfg) di Mogadiscio.
Il processo di altri 12 imputati, che si sono dichiarati non colpevoli, riprenderà il 15 novembre.
fonte www.misna.org

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WHY GOVERNMENT FAILED TO INCREASE TEACHERS’ SALARY
19 september 2011

The government cannot find money, in the current budget to enhance teachers’ salaries by the 100 per cent they demanded. “If the government enhances teachers’ salaries, what about other civil servants; the national cake is small...” These are the default arguments government officials have given in response to the teachers’ demands.
Parliament’s budget committee even took an expensive residential retreat in Entebbe to do some number crunching but in addition to Shs30million added to the deficit column of an already overstretched budget, there was still no money. An inter-ministerial committee appointed earlier for the same purpose returned the same answer.
It leaves three major questions; were the teachers, through the Uganda National Teacher’s Union (Unatu) being unreasonable in their demands?
Is the government honestly cash strapped to find money for them or is it being simply insensitive to their plight?
Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Nathan Nandala Mafabi, says the Opposition’s proposal for a 50 per cent enhancement would require some Shs360b and questions if the government can find Shs190b in supplementary allocations to the presidency regardless of whether it is through State House or the Office of the President’s budget, why not for the people entrusted with the future of the country’s children whose demand would require only about an extra half on top of what the President is taking?
Was it right for the government, amid cries from across the country to help out the teachers, to insist on the opposite and were the reasons convincing? Now that the teachers yielded to government’s intimidation and psychological coercion techniques, will the pupils in the different government schools get quality education? “The teachers’ approach of striking was a viable action to express their grievances; they are not like soldiers who are privileged to go to battle well equipped with weapons ready to crush opponents.” says TNS Research International Country Director, Dr Patrick Wakida.
Avalanche fears - The government’s reason not to increase teacher’s salaries by a single percentage, even when Parliament had got about shs50b in irrelevant proposed expenditures in different ministerial policy statements, was that the move would set a precedent for other civil servants to rise up in arms asking for higher pay. But the different civil servants have benefits that teachers do not access; nurses for example are entitled to a lunch allowance and soldiers, policemen and Prisons warders are exempt from taxes, receive a free set of uniform, which they wear almost daily on duty and are provided a free casket and its transport home in case of death. These categories also have some accommodation, however inadequate. “Since the government was able to increase the salaries of other leaders, like RDC’S then it should be able to look at the teachers complaints.” says Mr Wakida.
Out of darkness - “The current economic situation is so harsh, teachers have been so silent in the past not displaying their problems. But since they are now out of the darkness that had blinded them, it would have been good if the government had taken a positive move.” Critics say the Prime Minister’s threats that government will hire supplementary teachers if the registered ones refused to take the meager pay was a sign of undemocratic and absolute leadership, which should be regretted by the government.
Mr Amama Mbabazi, argued that the impact of the demand of the teachers would translate into about Shs1 trillion for teachers’ salaries only (excluding other public sector workers). If the government was to pay all public sector workers at the level of the teachers’ demand, most of the government revenue Shs6.5t would be spent on payment of salaries, foregoing the country’s development programmes such as roads, electricity, health , UPE and USE.
The government opposed recommendations made by the opposition of close to savings worth Shs522b, opting instead to present a Shs14b supplementary budget request for State House even before the budget could be passed. Mr Mathias Mulocho Magino, a veteran educationist and currently the Director of Math at Tripoma Education Consultants, agrees with the government. He says that for the teachers to present a serious case, the budget of the teachers’ salary should have started at the grass roots so that it could be included in the national budget. “This exclusion makes it difficult to make an immediate increase on demand.” Mr Magino said.
This put the government in a dilemma, and with the current Global inflation all governments are poor. Uganda’s budget is 30 per cent financed by donor countries, which have also experienced inflation, so it is best for teachers to wait for their increase in the next financial year, Mr Magino argues. However, the teachers’ action of putting down tools is unethical they are trained to live exemplary lives basing on their code of conduct, the educationist adds.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug - Isaac Imaka & Betty Ndagire

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IN ONE OF THE UGANDA POOREST VILLAGES, NEW FARMING TECHNIQUES HELP VILLAGERS RAISE INCOMES AND SPIRITS
19 september 2011

Katine is one of the poorest villages in the district of Soroti, in north eastern Uganda. For the 25,000 people living in Katine, their livelihood depends on cultivating cassava, ground nuts, millet, and sweet potatoes. Many farmers are not growing enough crops to sell and can't afford to spend money on education or medication.
In 2007, the 'African Medical and Research Foundation' (AMREF) partnered with the Guardian newspaper and Barclays Bank to establish a four year long project aimed at improving the overall livelihood of villagers in Katine. When the project began, malaria was responsible for nearly a quarter of deaths in the village, and 57.7 percent of children under five had malaria. And most villagers did not have enough money to get health services or buy malaria medication. Malnutrition and stunted growth were also common - most villagers ate only one meal a day and their diets lacked protein. Food insecurity also impacted education - because many students had to leave school to help their family farm or take care of siblings while their parents farmed, the dropout rate was 19 percent for boys and 22 percent for girls.
To address the root causes of health and education problems, AMREF worked with farmers to increase their incomes so that they could afford to send their kids to school and protect their families from disease. The project identified a number of challenges that farmers in Katine face, including sporadic rainfall resulting from the effects of climate change, poor soil fertility, the lack of crop diversity, and the need to increase farmer's access to markets. These challenges lead to both economic insecurities and problems with villagers' diets.
To increase farm productivity, AMREF worked with CARE and Farm-Africa to provide technical support to farmers. They set up farming schools to train villagers to improve soil fertility, conserve water, and control pests. Techniques that farmers learned included integrated pest management and digging water channels to capture water for agricultural use. Farmers also learned how to grow different crops together in order to increase crop yield.
Through this technique, known as intercropping, farmers learned to plant legumes with rice, helping increases oil fertility by enriching the soil with nitrogen. It is estimated that the training program will directly help 2,000 households. Farmers also set up a farming cooperative that combined 66 rural innovation groups into the Katine Joint Framers Association (KAJOFA). The cooperation worked with government agencies, including the 'National Agriculture Advisory Service', to help farmers grow new varieties of crops, including drought resistant cassava, which helped villagers survive when the region experienced a famine in 2009. AMREF also helped farmers sell their products.
They established a produce store located on a road that connects Uganda to Sudan. Farmers also gained support from village saving and loans groups that were established to help villagers save their money. Through these groups, farmers received money to help them purchase agricultural inputs including machines and fertilizers. Lastly, in order to ensure the safety of livestock, a drug store was set up to supply cattle herders with medication for their cattle.
By helping farmers increase productivity, AMREF has helped villagers in Katine start working towards a better future. Villagers have already experienced changes in their quality of health and education as a result of greater income stability. Finishing its final year, the project has helped to immunize more than 15,500 children against diseases and the percentage of children under five who have contracted malaria has dropped to 54.9 percent.
Additionally, school enrollment has gone up. Agriculture has also been integrated into the curriculum - 6,000 trees and citrus seedlings were provided to schools for them to teach students about growing fruit. The fruit from the trees also provides students with nutrition during the school day. Students believe that the fruit tree program is helping "when I am hungry, I feel like I want to go to sleep" explains Patricia Asio, a primary school student in Katine. "It is a big difference to have food." Patricia concludes.
fonte www.allafrica.com - Graham Salinger, a research interns for the Nourishing the Planet project

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UGANDA'S CHILD MORTALITY RATE DROPS
19 september 2011

Uganda is one of the few countries in Sub-Saharan Africa making significant progress in reducing child mortality, the latest report from UNICEF shows.
The report titled ‘Levels & Trends in Child Mortality Report 2011’ analyzes progress made by countries globally in achieving millennium development goal 4 of reducing child mortality by two-thirds by 2015. The report covers a ten year period, between 1990 and 2010.
According to the report, the infant mortality rate, which measures child deaths before the age of one, improved to 99 deaths per 1000 live births in 2010, from 175 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990. Uganda’s MDG4 target is 58 by 2015. The under-five mortality rate, which measures child deaths before the age of five, declined from 106 to 63 deaths per 1,000 live births during the same period. Child mortality in Uganda reduced at a rate of 2.8% annually during the period, the report shows.
The report further shows a reduction in the number of children under the age of five from 143,000 in 1990 to 141,000 in 2010. However, the number of reported deaths of under-five children increased from 88,000 to 92,000 over the period. The neonatal mortality rate (rate at which newly born babies die within 28 days) dropped from 36 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 26 in 2010. However, more neonatal deaths were recorded over the same period, with 39,000 in 2010 compared to 31,000 in 1990, the report shows.
Of the five East African counterparts, Tanzania had fastest reduction rate of child mortality at 3.6% annually, followed by Uganda and Rwanda.
Tanzania’s under-five mortality rate improved from 155 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 76 in 2010, while the infant mortality rate dropped from 95 per 1,000 live births to 50 over the same period.
Rwanda’s under-five mortality rate improved from 163 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 91 in 2010, while the infant mortality rate dropped from 99 per 1,000 live births to 59 over the same period. It’s average annual reduction rate 2.9%.
The under-five child mortality rate in Kenya’s improved from 99 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 85 in 2010, while infant mortality rate dropped from 6 4 per 1,000 live births to 55 in 2010. Kenya’s annual reduction rate was at 0.8%.
Burundi’s under-five mortality rate improved from 183 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 142 in 2010, while the infant mortality rate dropped from 110 per 1,000 live births to 88 over the same period. It’s average annual reduction rate 1.3%.
Overall, the report shows substantial progress in achieving MDG 4. It indicates that the number of under-five deaths worldwide declined from more than 12 million in 1990 to 7.6 million in 2010. About 21,000 children under the age of five died every day in 2010, down from about 33,000 in 1990, the report states. It also shows that the biggest reductions were in child mortality in Niger, Malawi, Liberia, Timor-Leste and Sierra Leone.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug - Taddeo Bwambale

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FENOMENO LAND GRABBING: SCANDALO RISORSE SCIPPATE
22 settembre 2011

Pianure fertili, fonti, pascoli, boschi: sono questi i beni di cui gli Stati e le multinazionali cominciano a fare incetta nell'era della scarsità di risorse. Le potenze nascenti non conquistano più le terre con gli eserciti, le comprano sottraendole ai disperati troppo poveri per opporsi al potere della finanza.
La nuova corsa all'oro si chiama 'land grabbing' e in 10 anni ha virtualmente delocalizzato un territorio grande più di sette volte l'Italia: 227 milioni di ettari hanno cambiato padrone. La terra è sempre lì, ma i suoi frutti vanno altrove, finiscono in buona parte nei forzieri dei paesi che hanno fatto cassa con l'inquinamento e ora si attrezzano per sopravvivere in un pianeta esausto.
I numeri sono contenuti nel rapporto Land and Power curato da Oxfam, l'associazione che in questi giorni sta lanciando vuna raccolta di fondi, via sms, per il Corno d'Africa 3. Non tutti i 227 milioni di ettari sono sicuramente classificabili come land grabbing, ma dietro le acquisizioni di terreni, caratterizzate quasi sempre da una scarsa trasparenza, si cela spesso questo fenomeno.
Oxfam ha analizzato circa 1.100 accordi relativi all'acquisizione di 67 milioni di ettari: il 50% delle compravendite sono avvenute in Africa e coprono un'area quasi pari alla superficie della Germania.
La ricerca è stata condotta sul campo, visitando i luoghi e raccogliendo testimonianze e racconti. Racconti come quello di Christine Longoli, una degli oltre 20 mila ugandesi che hanno denunciato di essere stati costretti ad abbandonare le loro case per far posto alle piantagioni estensive: "Ricordo la mia terra, tre acri di caffè, tanti alberi, mangrovie e avogado. Avevo le mucche, le api. Mi avevano dato anche un premio come agricoltore modello. Ora non ho più nulla, sono la più povera tra i poveri". O come quella di Lokuda Losil, 60 anni e 30 acri, sempre in Uganda: "Gli uomini della New Forest Company sono venuti e hanno cominciato distruggere i raccolti e a demolire le case ordinando di andarcene. Picchiavano la gente che non riusciva a scappare".
La New Forests Company, una società britannica che ha ottenuto ampi riconoscimenti da parte del governo ugandese e dichiara di seguire rigorosi codici di comportamento, smentisce le accuse, ma il rapporto riferisce di migliaia di testimonianze sulle violenze subite da parte dei contadini, sull'arresto dei leader delle comunità locali, sulla distruzione di scuole e strutture sociali. E l'Uganda non è un caso isolato: con quasi 3 miliardi di persone che vivono in aree in cui non c'è acqua a sufficienza, chi può accaparra frammenti di natura.
In Honduras, la Bajo Aguan Valley, una delle regioni più fertili, a meta degli anni Settanta era stata affidata a 54 cooperative. Negli ultimi dieci anni un'escalation di violenze mirata a concentrare le proprietà terriere nelle mani di pochi latifondisti è culminata, nell'ottobre del 2010, con l'assassinio di 36 contadini e la militarizzazione dell'area.
In Guatemala, dove il 78 per cento dei terreni è di proprietà dell'8 per cento degli agricoltori, la spinta a moltiplicare la produzione di biocarburanti ha portato a triplicare l'area destinata alla palma da olio espellendo i contadini che lavoravano la terra per coltivare cibo per la propria sopravvivenza. Nel marzo 2011, 800 famiglie sono state costrette ad abbandonare le loro comunità nella Polochic Valley. Si calcola che entro il 2050 la produzione di olio da palma raddoppierà a livello globale portando a un'estensione delle coltivazioni su un territorio grande 6 volte l'Olanda.
Nell'Amazzonia peruviana sono in corso più di 50 megaprogetti energetici. Le concessioni per lo sfruttamento del petrolio e del gas coprono il 70 per cento del territorio amazzonico; più di 10 milioni di ettari sono stati assegnati all'uso minerario; quasi 8 milioni di ettari sono stati dati alle società che trasformano gli alberi in parquet.
Nel Sudan del Sud tra il 2007 e il 2010 società straniere, governi e singoli individui hanno preso il controllo di 2,6 milioni di ettari di terreno da destinare ad agricoltura, biofuel, legname: l'area, grande quanto il Rwanda, rappresenta il 10 per cento del paese.
In Indonesia, nel distretto di Tayan Hulu, la pressione per convincere i contadini a cedere i terreni ha portato nel 2007 a proteste con blocchi stradali e arresti. Il tentativo di espandere ulteriormente la coltivazione della palma da olio sta creando problemi in tutto il paese.
"Il numero senza precedenti delle compravendite e la crescente competizione per la terra sta avvenendo sulla pelle dei più poveri del mondo. In questa nuova corsa all'oro, gli investitori ignorano i diritti delle comunità locali", dichiara Francesco Petrelli, presidente di Oxfam Italia. "Lo scandalo è che l'80% delle terre accaparrate rimane inutilizzato. Questa nuova corsa all'oro si intensificherà nel futuro, a causa della crescente domanda di cibo, dei cambiamenti climatici, della scarsità d'acqua e dell'incremento della produzione di biocarburanti".
fonte www.repubblica.it - Antonio Cianciullo

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UGANDA E TANZANIA RAFFORZANO RELAZIONI BILATERALI
23 settembre 2011

I due Paesi costruiranno una centrale energetica da 16 MW per sfruttare le acque del fiume Kagera che segna il confine tra i due Stati.
La capacità installata sarà suddivisa in parte uguali da immettere nelle rispettive reti di trasmissione elettrica, in parte da costruire di sana pianta nelle zone vicine alla futura centrale. Il progetto include anche opere per portare elettricità in due città che sorgono oltre i rispettivi confini.
L'accordo siglato dai governi, al di là dell'importanza per le ricadute sulle comunità coinvolte, segna una conferma delle buone relazioni tra Uganda e Tanzania, e costituisce un altro esempio sulla strada della collaborazione internazionale per lo sfruttamento congiunto delle risorse naturali che si trovano nelle regioni di confine.
fonte www.agi.it

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MAKERERE UNIVERSITY RE-OPENS
26 september 2011

After three weeks of a forced holiday, Makerere University students started reporting to campus yesterday amidst joy and speculation about how the semester will be run.
“I am grateful we are back but I am scared lecturers might go on strike towards exams if the agreement is not adhered to which can bring chaos within campus” Shijinga Inviolata, a Journalism and Communications student and a resident of Complex Hall, told Daily Monitor. While Petra Nalutaaya a Social Sciences student said: “It’s a shame that the university closed for this long. Being a state university, we expected better but all the same I am excited we are getting back, I was tired of the abrupt holiday.”
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Venasius Baryamureeba was quoted in 'Sunday Vision' yesterday as saying students should brace themselves for an extended semester of up to January 14 from the initial December 17 and a short holiday of two weeks instead of the usual one month. Prof. Baryamureeba also said the exam period will be shortened due to limited lecture rooms which he said could be solved by using facilities of schools which where students have gone on holiday.
The institution’s spokesperson, Ms Rita Namisango, assured students that all units of courses will be covered this semester. However, she said the semester will be extended after the Senate meet. “All the lost time will be compensated. But the duration of extension will be determined by the Senate when they sit next week” Ms Namisango said during a telephone interview yesterday.
The re-opening of university was announced on Friday after lecturers and support staff called off their strike.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug - Abdu Kiyaga

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AFRICA, CHI HA PAURA DI FACEBOOK
26 settembre 2011

La sentono arrivare e la temono, corrono ai ripari, tentano contromosse che spesso hanno la stessa efficacia degli scongiuri.
La 'Primavera araba' bussa alle porte di diversi autocrati africani, che dopo aver assistito al rovesciamento dei regimi di Tunisia, Egitto e Libia, temono di fare la stessa fine di Ben Ali, Mubarak e Gheddafi. E allora stringono la morsa, irrobustiscono la censura ma si trovano a dover combattere contro un nemico nuovo contro il quale le vecchie armi non bastano: i social network.
Fa riflettere ad esempio la sconfitta subita martedì dal vecchio Robert Mugabe, un tempo liberatore, oggi despota dello Zimbabwe. La corte di Bulawayo ha lasciato cadere il procedimento contro Vikhas Mavhudzi, un ragazzo colpevole di aver postato, lo scorso 13 febbraio, un messaggio sul profilo Facebook del principale oppositore di Mugabe, il premier Morgan Tsvangirai, in cui inneggiava alla rivoluzione egiziana.
Nulla di particolarmente eclatante, a dire il vero. Il testo diceva: "Sono sopraffatto dalla gioia, non so cosa dire signor Primo ministro. Quel che è successo sta mandando onde d'urto ai dittatori in tutto il mondo. Nessuna arma ma unità nello scopo". Mavhudzi era finito subito in carcere e c'era rimasto fino al 31 marzo, quando era stato liberato su cauzione. Ma l'accusa per lui era grave: sedizione. Il processo però continua per altre sei persone, accusate di aver dato vita ad una cospirazione per il semplice fatto di aver partecipato ad una lezione universitaria nella quale il docente, riferendosi alla caduta di Hosni Mubarak in Egitto, aveva chiesto: "Quali lezioni si possono trarre?".
Una lezione gli autocrati in questione l'hanno imparata: Facebook, Twitter e la rete in generale sono strumenti fenomenali e se ben usati possono mettere in serie difficoltà un regime, soprattutto perché si legano alla telefonia mobile e a cellulari spesso muniti di camera. Sono strumenti per coordinarsi, scambiare informazioni in tempo reale ma anche per documentare ciò che i governi potrebbero voler tacere.
Lo scorso aprile, ad esempio, il violento arresto del leader dell'opposizione ugandese, Kizza Besigye, fu documentato con una serie di scatti che finirono su internet immediatamente e contribuirono a far crescere la tensione fino a un livello di guardia.
Se, come il caso delle Zimbabwe dimostra, le leggi esistenti non sono un deterrente perché inutili, la lotta si sposta su un piano più tecnologico. Lo ha confermato di recente il numero uno del dipartimento commerciale di Mtn, gigante sudafricano della telefonia, operativo in 21 Paesi di Africa e Medio Oriente, ha ammesso di aver ricevuto pressioni da diversi governi perché chiudesse i principali social network. De Faria non ha fatto nomi, ma non è difficile capire di chi stesse parlando.
Dell'Uganda di Yoweri Museveni, il presidente che ha fatto arrestare Vicent Nzaramba, autore di un libro giudicato scomodo ('People Power. Battle the Mighty General'). Qui, non ci sono molte speculazioni da fare: due colossi della telefonia, internet provider come Warid Uganda Ltd e Uganda Telecom Ltd hanno bloccato l'accesso ai Twitter e Facebook più volte nei giorni più caldi delle marce contro carovita e disoccupazione (e contro Museveni) dell'iniziativa Walk to Work. La stessa Uganda Comunication Commission ha ammesso forti pressioni da parte degli apparati di sicurezza per chiudere i due network.
Lo stesso è accaduto in Senegal, in occasione delle proteste contro il presidente Abdoulaye Wade, in Swaziland, una delle ultime monarchie assolute al mondo, sull'orlo della bancarotta, in Camerun dove la presidenza di Paul Biya è piuttosto traballante e, lo scorso marzo, grazie a pressioni sull'Mtn, è stato bloccato l'accesso a Twitter dal cellulare.
Facebook in particolare fa molta paura per le percentuali di crescita dell'utenza che si registrano in Africa: è quasi ovunque, nel continente, il secondo sito per numero di accessi. Ma è la rete in generale a tenere in apprensioni i governi africani. In Ruanda è stato chiuso il sito 'Umuvugizi' e il suo editore condannato a due anni in contumacia per aver insultato il presidente Paul Kagame.
La lotta si fa dura e alcuni stati stanno investendo ingenti risorse nella repressione del dissenso on line. Lo ha detto chiaramente il 'Comitato per la protezione dei giornalisti' che a giugno ha organizzato un incontro in Sudafrica per discutere della situazione africana.
La reporter della Bbc Karen Allen, scrivendo dell'evento, si chiedeva se la crescente presenza cinese nel continente non comportasse anche un travaso dell'esperienza di Pechino in materia. Secondo la Allen, i casi di Sudan e Tanzania, i cui governi avevano fatto ricorso a Malware per entrare nei computer e controllarli, cancellando dati o modificandoli, sono piuttosto preoccupanti.
fonte http://it.peacereporter.net - Alberto Tundo

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UGANDA, IN 10 ANNI MORTALITA' AIDS SCESA DEL 30%
26 settembre 2011

Negli ultimi dieci anni la mortalità legata all'Aids è calata circa del 30 per cento in Uganda, passando da 75mila a 50mila decessi l'anno.
"Non sono dati di cui gioire", ha però osservato il ministro della Salute Zainab Akol, "del resto sono morti in un decennio almeno 600mila ugandesi a causa dell'Aids, tuttavia ci incoraggia e consola il fatto che assistiamo a una riduzione costante e significativa dei livelli di mortalità".
Per il ministro il contributo più significativo è arrivato dall'introduzione nel sistema sanitario nazionale della terapia antiretrovirale, che se non sopprime il virus Hiv ma ne blocca la proliferazione. Senza dimenticare i maggiori controlli cui viene sottoposta la popolazione a rischio e i programmi a tappeto per far conoscere la malattia e ridurne il contagio. "Molto ovviamente c'è da fare", ha concluso il ministro, "sia per curare i malati e ridurre ulteriormente la mortalità, sia per eliminare la diffusione della malattia".
Si stima che sono circa 1,2 milioni gli ugandesi che vivono con l'Aids, di questi solo 260mila sono trattati con terapia antiretrovirale. Ogni giorno 350 persone contraggono il virus dell'Hiv, il 76 per cento attraverso il contagio sessuale.
fonte www.agi.it

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Cambio valuta: in data 30/09/2011 1 dollaro USA è pari a 2860 scellini ugandesi, 1 Euro è pari a 3870,2937 scellini ugandesi

SARA’ AMMODERNATO GRANDE OSPEDALE DI KAMPALA
28 luglio 2011

FONDI PER DARE PIU’ ILLUMINAZIONE A ZONE RURALI
3 agosto 2011

SCOPERTO CRANIO SCIMMIA DI 20 MILIONI DI ANNI
8 agosto 2011

PUBLIC LIBRARIES RELEVANT FOR EXCELLENCE
8 august 2011

RIVISTE AL RIALZO STIME PRODUZIONE CAFFE’ (+12%)
10 agosto 2011

BLOCCATO L’EXPORT DI ZUCCHERO
11 agosto 2011

E’ NATA UNA NUOVA RADIO E SI CHIAMA ‘XFM’
11 agosto 2011

BANANA GROWTH UP 2.7 PERCENT
15 august 2011

NATION STARTS ENERGY AND CLIMATE EDUCATION TOUR
15 august 2011

ERITREA, ROMPERE L’ISOLAMENTO
17 agosto 2011

LA TENSIONE RIMANE ALTA
18 agosto 2011

SHILLING CONTINUES SLIDE TO THE U.S. DOLLAR
20 august 2011

KAMPALA IS AMONG CHEAPEST WORLD CITIES
22 august 2011

DOCTORS, NURSES TO GET SALARY RISE
22 august 2011

UN SMS CONTRO LA MALARIA: CURE MIGLIORI NEL 24% DEI CASI
22 agosto 2011

MAKERERE UNIVERSITY LECTURERS STRIKE OVER POOR PAY
23 august 2011

RITIRATO DL SU PENA DI MORTE PER OMOSESSUALI
24 agosto 2011

EBOLA, SCOPERTA UNA MICROMOLECOLA IN GRADO DI BLOCCARE L’ACCESSO AL VIRUS
25 agosto 2011

CEMENT PRICES HIT SHS30,000
25 august 2011

UGANDA-ERITREA, PIU’ INTENSA LA COOPERAZIONE BILATERALE
26 agosto 2011

BREVE DALL’UGANDA
29 agosto 2011

La Banca africana per lo Sviluppo (AfDB) ha erogato all’Uganda un prestito per un valore complessivo di 463 milioni di dollari, da destinare allo sviluppo dei settori sanitario, idrico e delle infrastrutture.
In un intervento a una cerimonia pubblica, il rappresentante dell’AfDB a Kampala, Patrick Simiyu Khaemba, ha detto che i fondi “serviranno al finanziamento, nel prossimo triennio, di settori cruciali per l’economia” di questo Paese dell’Africa orientale.
Tra i progetti in programma, l’ammodernamento dei centri sanitari di Kawempe e Kirundu e del più grande ospedale del Paese, situato nella parte settentrionale della capitale, Kampala.
fonte www.agi.it

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FONDI PER DARE PIU’ ILLUMINAZIONE A ZONE RURALI
3 agosto 2011

Il governo dell’Uganda, in collaborazione con enti istituzionali internazionali, ha stanziato 20 milioni di dollari per aumentare l’accesso all’elettricità nelle zone rurali del Paese.
Si insisterà maggiormente, spiegano i tecnici del governo di Kampala, sull’estensione della rete di trasmissione elettrica e sulla costruzione di microcentrali in diversi punti del territorio nazionale.
Al termine dei lavori dei progetti fin qui presentati si prevede che oltre 15mila abitazioni saranno dotate di corrente elettrica, per un totale di 100mila ugandesi destinati a cambiare vita. L’inadeguatezza del sistema energetico ugandese costa ogni anno al Paese una mancata crescita in termini di Prodotto interno lodro (Pil) di circa 2 punti percentuali.
fonte www.agi.it

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SCOPERTO CRANIO SCIMMIA DI 20 MILIONI DI ANNI
8 agosto 2011

Una squadra di paleontologi ugandesi e francesi ha annunciato di aver scoperto nel nord dell’Uganda il cranio di una scimmia risalente a venti milioni di anni, che potrebbe fornire notizie utili sulla storia evolutiva in questa parte del mondo.
Il paleontologo del ‘College de France’ di Parigi, Martin Pickford, ha detto in conferenza stampa che “si tratta della prima volta che si scopre il cranio completo di una grande scimmia di quest’epoca“. Lo studioso ha aggiunto che quello scoperto è “un fossile molto importante, capace di dare all’Uganda un posto di rilievo nelle ricerche in questo settore“.
Il cranio appartiene a un maschio di scimmia Ugandapithecus Major, ritenuto un lontano cugino delle grandi scimmie che tuttora popolano questo Paese dell’Africa orientale.
fonte www.agi.it

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PUBLIC LIBRARIES RELEVANT FOR EXCELLENCE
8 august 2011

In Uganda, it has been argued severally that a reading culture is almost nonexistent. Lots of reading materials are in place but only a fraction of the population have the interest to read.
This also accounts for the low sales of newspapers in the country. The public does not have a similarly strong association with public libraries. The use of the library can be of great help to learners and researchers as it provides a quiet reading environment (as a rule) and variety of book resources.
Allan Musoke, a Senior Four student at Sentah College in Mbarara District testifies on how helpful the library has been. “I was introduced to this library by a friend of mine when I was in Senior Three. I am inspired to read when I see other people reading. Since I was the only child in secondary at home, I spent most of my time playing around with my siblings in primary. However, with the library I am able to concentrate as reading is the reason everyone comes here, so I concentrate more.”
However, Rachael Ntegyereize, now a first year student at Mbarara University of Science and Technology, does not concur with Musoke. “In secondary school, public libraries were viewed as areas where students would show off. I had never liked reading from there because students always formed ‘cliques’ of their schools and gossiping on who dressed best and who has the best phone was the order of the day. So to clear this stress, I always stayed home where I concentrated more in my room” she says.
Security fears – “The only problem I had with public libraries was the poor security in most of these libraries. While it was meant for reading, some people came with different reasons. It is a common rule that users’ bags should be left outside” Ms Ntegyereize says.
Students that came with other purposes like stealing took this opportunity to take what did not belong to them. “On several occasions, I lost property at the library and I had to go through a lot of explaining to my parents on why I had ‘misplaced it’” Ms Jalia Nanziri, now working with a media company, memorizes.
Nevertheless, public libraries are key in improving a student’s mind set on different subjects. “With the state of schools in our country, most school libraries are not up to date, and so public libraries come in handy to supplement students’ learning given the various books in libraries” Ms Nanziri commends.
Mr Abdul Mutazindwa, the Director Education Standards in the Ministry of Education, says public libraries are one of the critical installations, “but I don’t know whether they qualify to be called public libraries.” He says these facilities are not re sourced and would be very effective if people knew about them. “Few people know that they exist.”
Mr Mutazindwa, who says he benefitted a lot from public libraries during his time at school, notes that the country has failed to promote reading. “The reading culture has been poor. The unfortunate part is that we have failed to outwit it. In our education system, we don’t start it early” Mr Mutazindwa explains.
The importance of a library - The library not only compliments the classroom study but also aids in research. It helps students with text books, parallel studies, reference books and periodicals; by providing a large number of bibliographic tools and up to date literature. However most of the public libraries in Uganda do not have the IT component as most of them have one or two computers with limited access to the internet.
Unlike in classroom academics, the internet facility is important in research work.
The public libraries are also short of proper book up dates. Some of them still have old, outdated books in their shelves as some depend on donations most times. “Our peak time is second term holidays when candidate classes are preparing to sit their final exams. Students come in large numbers and at times we cannot accommodate all of them because of the limited space and scarcity of books” Ms Nalubega notes.
If public libraries are going to invest limited resources into a marketing campaign to stay relevant in the information services field, then determining the likely effectiveness of the results is imperative.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug - By Joseph Mazige & Sheila Nduhukire

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RIVISTE AL RIALZO STIME PRODUZIONE CAFFE’ (+12%)
10 agosto 2011

L’Uganda, secondo produttore africano di caffè, ha rivisto al rialzo le stime per la raccolta 2010-11, grazie ai risultati migliori delle aspettative registrati nella regione sud-occidentale.
Lo ha reso noto l’Autorità per lo Sviluppo del caffè, la quale ha fatto sapere che a fine settembre, quando si prevede la fine della raccolta, saranno stati prodotti tra i 2,8 e i 2,9 milioni di sacchi di caffè da 60 chilogrammi, contro i 2,6 milioni previsti nello scorso aprile.
La fonte ha aggiunto che dallo scorso ottobre fino alla fine di luglio la produzione è cresciuta dell’8,7 per cento, rispetto allo stesso periodo dell’anno scorso, pari a 2,5 milioni di sacchi, contro i 2,3 milioni dell’annata 2009-10.
fonte www.agi.it

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BLOCCATO L’EXPORT DI ZUCCHERO
11 agosto 2011

Per fronteggiare un’imprevista penuria di zucchero, il presidente ugandese, Yovweri Museveni, ha annunciato il blocco delle esportazioni e la ripresa dell’import di questo bene di prima necessità. Il provvedimento, che avrà durata semestrale, servirà a bloccare il continuo aumento del prezzo sul mercato interno. Lo ha reso noto lo stesso Capo dello Stato, nel corso di un sopralluogo a due zuccherifici situati nelle province di Jinja e Buikwe.
Museveni ha precisato che l’esecutivo consentirà l’importazione di 40.000 tonnellate nei prossimi sei mesi e, nello stesso tempo, saranno bloccate le esportazioni dello stesso prodotto.
Nel 2010, l’Uganda ha esportato 275.000 tonnellate metriche di zucchero, mentre nel primo semestre di quest’anno ne ha destinate al mercato estero circa mezzo milione.
fonte www.agi.it

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E’ NATA UNA NUOVA RADIO E SI CHIAMA ‘XFM’
11 agosto 2011

Trasmette da pochi giorni ed ha già conquistato indici di ascolto da fare invidia alle emittenti storiche del panorama radiofonico ugandese.
La nuova radio ‘XFM’ è controllata dal Gruppo editoriale locale New Vision, attivo soprattutto nella carta stampata. La new entry dell’etere ugandese punta soprattutto sulle news e sulla musica più in voga nel continente, come il rythm & blues, l’afro-pop e l’hip hop.
Ai suoi microfoni, alcune tra le voci più popolari del panorama radiotelevisivo, strappate alla concorrenza con contratti ritenuti molto lucrosi.
fonte www.agi.it

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BANANA GROWTH UP 2.7 PERCENT
15 august 2011

Bananas locally known as matooke registered a 2.7% growth in the fiscal year 2010/2011. This remains the major food crop for Uganda followed by cassava and sweet potatoes.
According to Uganda’s financial year 2011/2012 budget analysis by Price waterhouse Coopers limited (PWC), the subsectors growth is attributed to the huge investments made in the agricultural sector during the fiscal year. “US $13 million funding by the World Bank in research targeting food crops, high value non staple foods and agro-biodiversity is evidence for focus on the sector” reads the report.
The report indicates that enhancement of agricultural production and productivity through investment in infrastructure and increased agricultural investment to more districts led to the growth of the sub sector.
The sector continues to grow with the focus on diversification of the agricultural export base and subsidization of interest rates in respect to lending to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s) through facilities like the Agricultural credit facility. However the analysis highlights the major challenges to the sector which if worked upon could lead to the rapid growth of the plantain sub sector and agriculture at large.
“Continued dependence on increasingly unpredictable weather pattern for crop production, low adoption of mechanized farming and failure to manage producer prices especially in periods of bumper harvest when demands outstrips supply depresses producer prices which the sector continues to face” a section of the report reads.
While addressing journalists in a media training workshop, Mr. Francis Kamulegeya the country senior partner with PWC said that the government however proposed to allocate Ushs437 billion to this sector an increase compared to the 2010/2011 allocation of Ushs 366 billion. “Government proposed a number of incentives to address the challenges that are within its control and these are expected to create a positive medium term impact on the sector” explained Kamulegeya.
In recognition of the predominantly manual nature of subsistence farming as well as the fact that most of the hoes used for tilling are imported, the report indicates that government proposed to reduce the import duty on hoes to 0% from 10%.
Kamulegeya highlighted areas that still require intervention to address challenges facing the sector. “Incentives to encourage mechanization, measures to boost the adoption of large scale commercial farming, incentives to encourage mechanization and ways of strengthening agricultural extension services provided by organizations such as NAADS remain unaddressed” Kamulegeya revealed.
fonte www.allafrica.com – Eriosi Nantaba

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NATION STARTS ENERGY AND CLIMATE EDUCATION TOUR
15 august 2011

Uganda has started an Energy and Climate Change awareness campaign for schools, aimed at raising a generation of an energy and environment conscious population. The campaign is dubbed ‘Energy Explorerz’. It targets students of primary, secondary and vocational level.
It is also intended to promote awareness on energy and climate change in a sustainable manner, make energy and climate change concepts appreciated and easy to understand among the young generation and promoting use of energy efficient technologies and practices as a wise option for energy and environment conservation.
The awareness campaign is supported by Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development in partnership with the GIZ promotion of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Programme (PREEEP). According to Uganda’s state minister for energy Mr. Simon D’Ujanga, the energy sector is one of the key sectors that have for a longtime been regarded as a complex and technical among the general public.
“The awareness levels on issues pertaining to energy are so low that very few people understand the meaning of the term ‘Energy.’ “The majority of them think that Energy means Electricity. This situation demonstrates a dire need to demystify Energy and educate the public about its significance in our daily lives, hence raising a population with an Energy efficient culture” explained D’Ujanga.
Uganda is among countries with the lowest access to modern energy services around the world. It meets more than 93% of its energy demand with biomass, 6% with fossil fuel combustion and only 1% with electricity from hydro and fuelled thermal power plants.
Throughout previous campaigns, the ministry of energy noted that many young people in Uganda do not know the role energy and the impact of climate change. “We believe that children are the future and that is why educating them is very important. We want to start at the grassroots levels since lack of awareness is an issue that needs to be tackled right from the root” added the minister.
Mr. Claus Dieter Duxmann the German Ambassador to Uganda said the two governments are in partnership to improve access to modern energy by the Ugandan population.
fonte www.allafrica.com – Paul Tentena

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ERITREA, ROMPERE L’ISOLAMENTO
17 agosto 2011

Il presidente eritreo Isaias Afeworki è giunto ieri a Kampala per una visita di stato di tre giorni. La sicurezza regionale sarà il tema principale di discussione tra Afeworki e il suo omologo ugandese Yoweri Museveni.
L’Eritrea è accusata da Etiopia e Gibuti di sostenere le milizie islamiche Shebab e di destabilizzare l’area. I due paesi dell’Africa Orientale avevano già chiesto alle Nazioni Unite di applicare sanzioni economiche contro il governo di Asmara. La stessa Uganda, che tiene il principale contingente di uomini in Somalia, aveva rivolto la stessa accusa. “Ci sono gravi accuse che l’Eritrea aiuti i ribelli Shehab a destabilizzare la regione del Corno d’Africa. Speriamo che il presidente Afewerki ci dia delle risposte soddisfacenti a riguardo” ha dichiarato James Mugume, segretario permanente del ministero esteri ugandese.
Recentemente il presidente governo federale transitorio (Tfg) Sharif Sheikh Ahmed ha chiesto al presidente Museveni a portare ulteriori 3.000 soldati in Somalia per rafforzare la distribuzione di aiuti alimentari e la pace a Mogadiscio.
Un rapporto delle Nazioni Unite pubblicato a fine luglio accusa apertamente l’Eritrea di sostenere miliziani Shebab e di sostenere vari gruppi ribelli in Gibuti, Sudan ed Etiopia come anche in Uganda con “supporto finanziario e logistico, addestramento e operazioni speciali di intelligence, violando la risoluzione dell’Onu 1907 (2009)”.
Asmara che è sotto embargo Onu, ha negato le accuse. Un altro elemento di discussione è la richiesta dell’Eritrea di ritornare nel blocco dell’ Autorità intergovernativa per lo sviluppo (Igad), dopo quattro anni di isolamento. Eritrea si ritirò dalla Igad nel 2007 per protesta contro l’intervento militare dell’Etiopia a sostegno del governo di transizione in Somalia.
fonte www.misna.org

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LA TENSIONE RIMANE ALTA
18 agosto 2011

La polizia ugandese ha usato cannoni ad acqua, gas lacrimogeni e colorante rosa contro i leader dell’opposizione e i loro sostenitori per disperdere una manifestazione in memoria delle 10 vittime morte durante le proteste antigovernative dell’aprile scorso. Dopo le schermaglie iniziali, la polizia ha permesso ai manifestanti di continuare la loro marcia in una zona diversa della capitale Kampala.
La manifestazione, mercoledì mattina, aveva attirato alcune centinaia di persone che volevano ricordare le vittime della protesta ‘Walk-to-work’ (vai al lavoro camminando). “Abbiamo organizzato una manifestazione per ricordare le persone morte durante le proteste dell’aprile scorso e anche per attirare l’attenzione del pubblico sulla situazione economica del Paese” ha detto Nandala Mafabi, parlamentare dell’opposizione.
Il portavoce della polizia, Ibin Ssenkumbi, ha sostenuto che le forze dell’ordine sono intervenute perché i parlamentari presenti avevano rotto un accordo stipulato in precedenza. Ssenkumbi si riferisce all’accordo di non organizzare manifestazioni nei centri commerciali ed industriali della capitale che era stato raggiunto alcuni mesi fa con le forze dell’opposizione.
Lo scorso aprile, per protestare il caro vita e la mancanza di protezioni sociali, centinaia di persone avevano aderito alla proposta di andare a lavorare a piedi, senza quindi usare il costoso servizio pubblico. La manifestazione fu repressa brutalmente per volere del governo. L’opposizione ha peraltro promesso di iniziare a breve una nuova serie di proteste contro il costo del cibo e l’aumento del presso dei carburanti.
Di fronte ad una inflazione che ha toccato il 19% quest’anno, il governo si difende facendo cadere la colpa sull’aumento del costo del petrolio – che l’Uganda deve importare attraverso il Kenya – e la siccità che ha colpito la regione.
L’opposizione fa notare che il governo ha però rifiutato di tagliare le tasse sui prodotti petroliferi, innescando così un inflazione alta e l’aumento del costo di produzione e distribuzione di molti prodotti locali.
fonte www.misna.org

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SHILLING CONTINUES SLIDE TO THE U.S. DOLLAR
20 august 2011

This week the shilling traded in a narrow range against the dollar of Shs2,775 to Shs2,800 with mild activity in the market.
The aggressive bids seen in the last couple of weeks seem to have disappeared despite the growing concerns about the global economy. Market confidence remains severely dented and the risk of sentiment is likely to remain elevated.
Next week the shilling could stay about the Shs2,760 to Shs2,800 range as the market keeps a close eye on the global developments concerning the US and EUR zone economies.
The cash markets are expected to remain short as the Central Bank issues treasury bills on August 24.
fonte www.allafrica.com

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KAMPALA IS AMONG CHEAPEST WORLD CITIES
22 august 2011

Kampala is one of the cheapest cities in Africa and the entire world to live for expatriates, a 2011 cost of living survey from Mercer, a leading human resource and financial consultancy firm has revealed.
Ranked at position 202 in the world, Kampala fares a lot better than Tanzania’s Dar-es-Salaam (ranked 187) and Kenya’s Nairobi (108). This gives the city an edge over its East African counterparts as an attraction for highly-skilled foreign labour. Regionally, Kampala ranks 40th, ahead of Dar-es-Salaam (36) and Nairobi (23) out of 43 surveyed African countries.
This development, according to some experts, could have been precipitated by the current economic trends that have seen the Uganda shilling depreciate against the dollar. “This means that people from foreign countries can purchase more goods for less money in Uganda” says Dr. Adam Mugume, the Bank of Uganda executive director for research function.
“With $100, one can purchase a lot more goods and services in Uganda than in other countries” he adds. This, Mugume says, is potentially good for the country “because more and more people are encouraged to come to Uganda, which boosts tourism and other sectors of the economy”.
According to the same survey, Luanda, the capital city of Angola is the most expensive city for expatriates across Africa and globally. It is followed by the Chadian capital Ndjamena, ranked number three and Gabon’s Libreville in the 12th position. The survey covers 214 cities across five continents and measures the comparative cost of over 200 items in each location, including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment.
New York is used as the base city against which all cities are compared. Currency movements are measured against the US dollar. The cost of housing — often the biggest expense for expatriates — plays an important part in determining where cities are placed. After Luanda, Ndjamena and Libreville, Africa’s most expensive cities are Victoria (13) in the Seychelles, Niamey (23) in Niger and Dakar (32) in Senegal. In South Africa, Johannesburg and Cape Town rank 151 and 171, respectively.
These findings defy the long held notion that cities in African nations are affordable, perhaps because of the less developed infrastructure and run down amenities. Nathalie Constantin-Métral, a senior researcher at Mercer, says this is not true. “We’ve seen demand increase for information on African cities from across the business spectrum, mining, fi nancial services, airlines, manufacturing, utilities and energy companies” she says.
This, she says, is because of the increasing cost of safe and secure living conditions, which many multi-national companies seek out for their expatriate employees “In some African cities, the cost of living, particularly, good, secure accommodation can be extraordinarily high.” This, she says, is generally the main reason why we fi nd so many African cities high up in the ranking.
At the bottom of the ranking, Addis Ababa (208) in Ethiopia is the cheapest African city, followed by Namibia’s Windhoek (205) and Botswana’s Gaborone (203). New entries in the top 10 list of the costliest cities in the world are Singapore (8), up from 11, and São Paulo (10), which has jumped 11 places since the 2010 ranking. Karachi (214) is ranked as the world’s least expensive city.
Recent world events, including natural disasters and political upheavals, have impacted the rankings for many regions through currency fluctuations, cost infl ation for goods and services and volatility in accommodation prices. Mercer’s is the world’s most comprehensive cost of living survey and is designed to help multinational companies and governments determine compensation allowances for their expatriate employees.
EXPERIENCES OF UGANDANS ABROAD
Dr. Augustine Nuwagaba, consultant – I lived in Geneva in the 1990s. It is one of the most expensive cities I ever lived in. Transport, accommodation and food was expensive. A plate of chicken and French fries cost $96 (about 250,000). Accommodation cost between $100 and $180 (sh260,000-sh460,000) per night. To cut costs, I and my colleagues appealed to the head of the Uganda Consulate in Geneva to help us out. I teamed with friends to share accommodation and cut costs. We also used trams for transport as opposed to expensive road transport. We used to go to neighbouring Germany to find cheaper food.
Cindy Sanyu, Musician - It is quite expensive living in London. While some of my trips were paid for, I have had to get money out of my pocket to go around and do shopping. Taxis cost an arm and leg. Imagine paying £12 (about sh48,000) for a short drive around town. I used to go shopping, but many items were extremely expensive. A nice pair of shoes cost over £25 (over sh100,000). Here, you can ¬ nd a nice one at much less than that. What I did to cut costs? I also stopped using taxis and resorted to going around by bus or train. I stopped going to expensive restaurants.
Navio, Hip Hop artiste – I lived in South Africa. I was a student there. Everything, from textbooks to transport, was annoyingly expensive. Food too was on the high side. So I got on to a hustlers meal — this consisted of bread and soft drinks like Pepsi. There is also something we called Bunny Chow (meet rolled up in bread). This meal was a nice way for us to save. I played in a provincial basketball team and worked at a café to supplement my income. I also used to do music so I had busy weekends working.
Dr. Lilian Nabulime, University lecturer – I lived in Newcastle, where I did my PhD. Accommodation cost about £2,000 every month. Food and transport was also very expensive. We needed warm clothing and other materials, but these too were very expensive. I had to ¬ nd accommodation near the university. This made it very easy for me to walk to class, instead of using a bus or taxi. I never ate in restaurants, because it was expensive there. I would instead buy food in bulk and slowly but carefully consume it to make sure it lasts long enough.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug - Stephen Ssenkaaba and agencies

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DOCTORS, NURSES TO GET SALARY RISE
22 august 2011

The salaries for doctors, nurses and all the senior health officials is to increase substantially, if the proposals made by the health ministry are approved. The monthly gross pay of the director general will shoot up from over sh2.14m to sh7.5m, according to figures presented to the social services committee by health minister Dr. Christine Ondoa on Friday.
A senior consultant will earn a gross salary of sh5m, from the current sh2.12m, while a medical offi cer (scale U4) will get sh1.6m compared to the current sh833,123. For a nursing assistant and other support staff (scale U8), the new salary would rise to sh500,000, from sh210,996. The minister said the proposals had been submitted to the public service ministry for consideration.
Ondoa had re-appeared before the committee together with the ministry’s permanent secretary, Dr. Asuman Lukwago, and other senior staff to respond to queries raised by MPs on the ministry’s budget for this fi nancial year. Lukwago told journalists that they had held discussions with the public service ministry over the issue.
The proposals, he said, would not be implemented this financial year. Committee chairman Dr. Sam Lyomoki said they had not yet agreed on where to get the money for the salary increment.
In comparison, a document circulated to the committee indicated that a medical offi cer in Uganda gets $354, while in Kenya they get $959, Tanzania $550, Rwanda $645 and South Africa $2,150. It also showed that a nurse/midwife in Uganda gets $107, in Kenya they get $335, Rwanda $419 and South Africa $1,200.
The MPs were also concerned about allowances of health workers and made suggestions on areas where budget cuts could be effected so that health workers can be retained.
Lyomoki pointed out that the MPs had asked the minister to do re-allocations in the budget and fi nd money for health workers, before she goes to the finance ministry to look for more money. “We are working with the ministry to undertake cuts in some areas in the ministry budget in order to find money for maintaining health workers” Lyomoki said.
The areas targeted include workshops, entertainment, buying of new vehicles, advertisement and travel abroad. “We want a functional health system, not white elephants” he added.
Lyomoki said an additional 5,000 health workers were required. He added that since there was new leadership in the ministry, “there should not be a mere change of guards, but a fundamental change”.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug - Joyce Namutebi

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UN SMS CONTRO LA MALARIA: CURE MIGLIORI NEL 24% DEI CASI
22 agosto 2011

In Africa un sms può salvare la vita e costare meno di un dottore. Sono i paradossi di un continente dove, in alcune aree, gli ammalati non hanno accesso a strutture sanitarie attrezzate e la semplice tecnologia di una pompa idrica è futuristica quanto può esserlo un’astronave, ma nel quale i cellulari hanno una diffusione non ancora capillare ma rapidissima.
Così il ‘Kenya Medical Research Institute’ (Kemry) ha deciso di sfruttare la telefonia mobile e gli sms per raggiungere più facilmente gli operatori sanitari delle aree più remote e aiutarli nel loro lavoro, un’iniziativa che ha avuto risultati sorprendenti, tanto da venire menzionata dalla prestigiosa rivista scientifica ‘The Lancet’.
Le indicazioni arrivate agli infermieri via sms sono infatti servite a trattare nel modo corretto il 24 per cento in più dei casi e si sono dimostrate più efficaci ed economici di corsi di aggiornamento o materiale cartaceo.
Per capire come un semplice sms mandato sul cellulare di un infermiere può contribuire a salvare una vita bisogna tener conto non soltanto dei mezzi limitati della sanità africana, ma anche delle sue caratteristiche, completamente diverse dalle nostre.
Ospedali, ambulatori, cliniche sono pochi e irraggiungibili per un’ampia parte della popolazione, perciò, quando è possibile, le strutture sanitarie istruiscono infermieri che si spostano di villaggio in villaggio creando degli ambulatori itineranti nei quali si fa prevenzione, si curano le malattie più comuni, vengono prestate le cure di primo soccorso e organizzati i trasferimenti degli ammalati più gravi negli ospedali.
Il lavoro degli infermieri a domicilio è gravoso, spesso intrapreso dopo corsi accurati e approfonditi quanto è possibile in Paesi nei quali i fondi destinati alla formazione del personale sanitario sono limitati o nulli. Il Kemry, struttura governativa che ha tra i suoi obiettivi proprio la formazione di questi profili professionali, ha perciò pensato a un metodo per poter seguire e aiutare gli infermieri kenyani anche dopo gli studi, avviando un servizio di sms per ricordare alcuni principi basilari delle terapie e delle procedure più comuni, come quelle antimalariche. Il successo dell’iniziativa è stato sorprendente, con un miglioramento del 24 per cento di casi di malaria trattati in modo corretto.
In pratica, il 24 per cento di vite salvate in più. È stato sufficiente inviare sui cellulari del personale sanitario sms del tipo “Raccomandate alle madri dei bambini affetti da malaria di finire tutte le dosi di medicina anche se il bambino si sente meglio dopo aver preso le prime!”, o altre indicazioni utili a ribadire quanto gli infermieri avevano studiato nei corsi professionali.
Agli sms ‘tecnici’ sono stati inframmezzati anche sms motivazionali, come “Un sorriso che farete, porterà sempre qualcosa di buono in cambio”, per rendere il servizio meno freddo e distaccato. Il costo degli sms è stato ampiamente ripagato dai risultati e si è dimostrato anche più economico dei mezzi usati di solito per l’aggiornamento professionale, quali corsi di sostegno o materiale cartaceo da distribuire nei centri sanitari distaccati.
Il costo di ogni sms in Kenya è inferiore a un centesimo di euro, ma i dati elaborati nello studio del ‘Kenya Medical Research Institute’, coadiuvato dallo ‘Oxford Biomedical Research Institute’, hanno indicato che – pur mandando messaggini per un totale di 39mila euro – la spesa per l’iniziativa è stata assai inferiore ai costi che sarebbero stati necessari per far viaggiare docenti nel Paese o inviare materiale per l’aggiornamento.
In ogni caso, gli sms si sono dimostrati di gran lunga più utili per i 119 infermieri che hanno visitato 2269 bambini affetti da malaria rispetto a corsi di aggiornamento o nuovi libri. E, tengono a sottolineare i ricercatori, le cose possono ancora migliorare, perché nei sei mesi successivi al monitoraggio di cui si riferisce nell’articolo pubblicato su ‘The Lancet’, gli sms sono diventati sempre più accurati e graditi.
fonte www.repubblica.it - Cristina Nadotti

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MAKERERE UNIVERSITY LECTURERS STRIKE OVER POOR PAY
23 august 2011

Makerere University lecturers have declared a sit down strike, starting today, over low pay. They want the Government to pay a Professor a salary equivalent to that of a Member of Parliament.
A Ugandan MP receives an average of sh15m monthly. The lecturers also want sh8m for teaching assistants, the entry level into teaching at the University.
However, State minister for higher education Dr. John Muyingo said Government will look into the lecturers grievances. The minister said they were in a meeting on Tuesday morning to forge a way forward.
The lecturers resolved to lay down their tools following a heated meeting convened by the Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA) that lasted for over four hours. The MUASA chairperson, Prof Tanga Odoi said the lecturers would not teach until their demands are met. The strike will affect students who resumed for the new semester last week, and started their lecturers on Monday.
“We have agreed to lay down our tools until our demands are met by the Government” he said. He added: “We gave the Government three months to increase our salaries to help us cope with rising inflation, but we have not received any feedback.”
The lecturers also agreed not to conduct lecturers until the National Insurance Corporation (NIC) clears the sh16.7b it owes the University. The money reportedly accumulated between July 1996 and 2005, when the company operated a deposit administration plan (DAP) for the university’s pension scheme.
Odoi blamed the University Council for failing to liaise with NIC to resolve the matter, until he petitioned them to write to the insurance firm last week. The lecturers agreed to use their lawyers to place a caveat on sale of NIC properties, alleging fear that the insurance firm may wind up business without paying their savings.
They cited reports that NIC had not renewed its trading license.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug

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RITIRATO DL SU PENA DI MORTE PER OMOSESSUALI
24 agosto 2011

Il governo ugandese fa una parziale marcia indietro sulla presentazione in Parlamento di una proposta di legge per aggravare ulteriormente la condizione degli omosessuali, considerati, come in altre numerose nazioni africane, alla stregua dei peggiori criminali.
La riforma in cantiere dal 2009 prevedeva addirittura di offrire ai giudici la possibilità di condannare a morte i gay. L’opposizione di numerose associazioni per i diritti umani e il dissenso di sempre più larghi strati della popolazione ha portato il governo a ritirare il progetto.
David Bahati, l’architetto della riforma, non si dà per vinto: “Considerate le polemiche il governo ha fatto bene a frenare, del resto ci sono già numerose leggi in materia” dice Bahati alla stampa locale “ciò non toglie che è assolutamente necessario adottare misure più severe per garantire la moralità pubblica e proteggere la purezza della nostra società“.
fonte www.agi.it

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EBOLA, SCOPERTA UNA MICROMOLECOLA IN GRADO DI BLOCCARE L’ACCESSO AL VIRUS
25 agosto 2011

Studiosi statunitensi hanno identificato il meccanismo in grado di bloccare il virus Ebola e la strategia impiegata dal virus per attaccare le cellule umane.
Il virus dell’Ebola (EboV) è all’origine di micidiali focolai di infezione tra le popolazioni africane e purtroppo i casi di insorgenza sono in aumento. Finora non esiste alcun vaccino o terapia efficace per l’infezione e, nella ricerca di un’arma per combatterlo, i ricercatori del Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) di Boston hanno utilizzato un robot sviluppato dai loro colleghi impegnati presso il ‘National small molecule screening laboratory’ della Harvard Medical School per esaminare decine di migliaia di campioni.
Nel corso della ricerca, gli studiosi hanno individuato una nuova micro-molecola derivata da benzilpiperazina adamantyl diamide che si è rivelata in grado di inibire l’ingresso di EboV in oltre il 99 per cento delle cellule. Ulteriori studi effettuati presso lo ‘United States Army Research Institute for Infectious Disease’, a Fort Detrick, nel Maryland, hanno verificato l’efficacia di questo inibitore di entrata del virus.
In particolare, essi hanno usato l’inibitore come sonda per studiare il percorso di infezione dell’EboV e hanno scoperto che l’obiettivo dell’inibitore è la proteina Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1), il ‘cavallo di Troia’ attraverso il quale il virus attacca la membrana cellulare dell’organismo ospite. I risultati della ricerca verranno pubblicati domani sulla rivista Nature.
“Nel 2005 - ha spiegato James Cunningham, primo autore dello studio e ricercatore presso la Divisione di ematologia della BWH – abbiamo dimostrato che la digestione della glicoproteina sulla superficie delle particelle dell’EboV da parte della cellula ospite della proteasi catepsina B costituisce un passaggio fondamentale nell’infezione, ma avevamo intuito il coinvolgimento di altri fattori. Identificare l’inibitore dell’EboV ci ha portato alla scoperta che NPC1 è il condotto attraverso il quale il virus è in grado di infettare le membrane cellulari e ciò rappresenta una svolta per le nostre ricerche“.
In combinazione con gli esiti degli studi precedenti sulla struttura della glicoproteina del virus e sulla sua funzione, questi risultati indicano che l’infezione procede per passi successivi nel corso dei quali la catepsina B rimuove la parte superiore della glicoproteina dell’EboV ed espone la regione critica che si lega alla proteina NPC1 e consente l’ingresso delle particelle di EboV nelle cellule.
“I nostri risultati dimostrano che l’infezione di EboV ha caratteristiche in comune con altri virus patogeni tra cui l’Hiv e la Sars, i quali utilizzano anch’essi due proteine ospiti per avanzare nelle membrane cellulari e infettare le cellule ospiti“ ha detto Cunningham. “E ‘interessante notare che NPC1 è fondamentale per l’assorbimento del colesterolo nelle cellule, il che è un’indicazione di come il virus sfrutta processi cellulari normali per crescere e diffondersi. Le micro-molecole – ha concluso il ricercatore americano – connesse a NPC1, che inibiscono l’infezione di EboV, mostrano senz’altro il potenziale di essere trasformate in anti-virali“.
fonte www.repubblica.it

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CEMENT PRICES HIT SHS30,000
25 august 2011

As the high cost of sugar eases across the country, cement prices are heading up on the back of higher fuel prices and the weakening Shilling. The retail price of a 50-kilogramme bag of cement now costs between Shs29, 500 and Shs30,000 at several hardware stores such as Hardware World in Ntinda. While wholesale prices vary between Shs28,500 and Shs28,800 at stores like Kingstone Enterprises in Kampala.
Retail cement prices have risen by about Shs7,000 per bag since the beginning of the year undermining the construction of residential and commercial property.
Mr David Njoroge the general manager of Hima Cement, the largest producer of cement in Uganda, attributed the surge to the persistent rise in fuel prices and the 21 per cent depreciation of the local unit against the dollar since January 2011. “These put pressure on the cost of production, transportation and distribution of products which costs are then passed on to consumers where possible” Mr Njoroge said in an interview on Tuesday.
Fuel prices have gone up by almost a half since the beginning of year. For instance the cost of diesel has gone up to Shs3,450 per litre from Shs2,200 in January. A litre of petrol now costs as high Shs3, 850 at Shell gas stations compared to Shs2, 700 at the start of the year.
Oil marketers have attributed to the rise in international oil prices and the depreciation of the shilling which is exchanged for dollars to buy imports.
The shilling fell to 2,800 per dollar from 2, 300 at the start of the year. The inflationary pressures have eroded the benefit of lower prices that were brought about by the opening of a new factory by the company.
fonte www.allafrica.com

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UGANDA-ERITREA, PIU’ INTENSA LA COOPERAZIONE BILATERALE
26 agosto 2011

Uganda ed Eritrea hanno deciso di avviare una cooperazione bilaterale, definita “strategica” dai presidenti dei rispettivi Paesi, Yoweri Museveni e Isaias Afewerki, al termine di una visita di tre giorni compiuta da quest’ultimo a Kampala.
Nel corso della visita, che da alcuni osservatori e’ stata vista come un tentativo di porre fine all’isolamento internazionale di Asmara, Museveni si è impegnato a “fare il possibile per garantire la sicurezza” di entrambi i Paesi.
I due capi di Stato – che si erano già incontrati tre anni fa nella città costiera eritrea di Massaua – hanno deciso anche di “far fare un salto di qualità alle relazioni commerciali” bilaterali, soprattutto nei settori agroalimentare e dell’information Communication Technology.
fonte www.agi.it

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BREVE DALL’UGANDA
29 agosto 2011

Sono almeno 23 finora le vittime dello smottamento provocato dalle piogge torrenziali che hanno investito l’est del paese.
Operatori della Croce Rossa locale hanno recuperato 15 corpi e salvato due persone rimaste intrappolate nel fango nel villaggio di Mabono, distretto di Bulambuli, 270 chilometri a nord-est di Kampala. In un villaggio poco distante, fonti sanitarie hanno confermato la morte di altre otto persone.
fonte www.misna.org

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Cambio valuta: in data 31/08/2011 1 dollaro USA è pari a 2813,6499 scellini ugandesi, 1 Euro è pari a 4062,6276 scellini ugandesi

18 STRUCK DEAD BY LIGHTNING IN KIRYANDONGO
29 june 2011

INFLATION SLOWS TO 15.8%
1 july 2011

INVESTMENTS DROP BY 48% DUE TO PROTESTS
4 july 2011

I WON’T RUN IN 2016, SAYS BESIGYE
4 july 2011

UGANDA, PROCEDE ELETTRIFICAZIONE ZONE RURALI
7 luglio 2011

UGANDA, CORSI AGGIORNAMENTO PER 4.000 IMPRENDITRICI
7 luglio 2011

EAST AFRICA CHILDREN POORLY TAUGHT, A REPORT
11 july 2011

A GULU APRE PROCESSO A COMANDANTE LRA, NON MANCANO PERPLESSITÀ
11 luglio 2011

FOOD PRICES LIKELY TO REMAIN HIGH IN REGION
12 july 2011

AIDS, I FARMACI USATI PER LA CURA ABBATTONO I CONTAGI TRA I SANI ‘A RISCHIO’
14 luglio 2011

TRIBUNALE RITIRA CAPO DI ACCUSA CONTRO OPPOSITORE, PROCESSO CONTINUA
15 luglio 2011

UGANDA, 25.000 BABIES BORN WITH HIV/AIDS ANNUALLY
17 july 2011

VOCATIONAL TRAINING VITAL FOR FUTURE CAREER
18 july 2011

COUNTRY SEEKING MORE STUDENTS FOR NEUROSURGERY
18 july 2011

IMMORALITY LINKED TO POVERTY
21 july 2011

BETTER MAIZE SEEDS COMING
21 july 2011

TEACHERS DEMAND 100% PAY RISE
21 july 2011

TOUR OPERATORS ASK FOR FUNCTIONAL TOURISM MINISTRY AND AGENCIES
22 july 2011

MESSA DI SUFFRAGIO STASERA IN RICORDO DI SILVIA OCHEN
22 luglio 2011

SUGAR PRICES KEEP AN UPWARD TREND
23 july 2011

UGANDA FACES FOOD SHORTAGE MONDAY
25 july 2011

DEMAND FOR SKILLED LABOUR ATTRACTS TECH UNIVERSITY
25 july 2011

SHILLING IS THIRD WORST PERFORMING CURRENCY
25 july 2011

FIRMS RAISE PRODUCT PRICES, CUT JOBS TO STAY IN BUSINESS
25 july 2011

UGANDA, L’INFORMATICA CONTRO ASSENTEISMO A SCUOLA
26 luglio 2011

UGANDA, SARA’ AMMODERNATO GRANDE OSPEDALE DI KAMPALA
28 luglio 2011

ETIOPIA-UGANDA, PIU’ STRETTA COOPERAZIONE BILATERALE
28 luglio 2011

TURISMO IN AFRICA CRESCIUTO DEL 6% NEL 2010
28 luglio 2011

Lightning struck several districts in the country yesterday, with one strike killing 17 pupils and one student teacher at Kiryandongo, some 210Km north of Kampala.
Police confirmed that 36 other pupils of Runyanya PS in Kiryandongo District were admitted with serious injuries, and arrangements had been made to transport some of them to Masindi and Mulago hospitals by last night. The devastation, which is by far the biggest since unseasonal heavy rainstorms descended on the country, formed the highlight of debate on the floor of Parliament yesterday as lawmakers put the government on the wall to explain what is going on.
Some 100 pupils at Runyanya PS are said to have been affected by the late afternoon thunderstorm, and medical personnel said the death toll was feared to rise by today. Dozens of the dead were taken to the Kiryandongo Hospital morgue, three miles away from the primary school. Grief and emotion engulfed the hospital as many thronged to indentify the dead. Mr Patrick Kawamara, the Kiryandongo Resident District Commissioner, told this newspaper that doctors had confirmed 18 dead, while 36 had been admitted nursing serious injuries. This brings the death toll from lightning strikes in the past one week to 28.
Those killed yesterday included 14 girls, two boys and a female student-teacher. “Majority of those being treated are in a coma and cannot talk” said Mr Edward Kirya, the district education officer. Officials admitted it was difficult to ascertain just how many people had died. “All the children are scattered” said Sister Norah Akello, a nurse at Kiryandongo Hospital. “It is not easy to count how many are dead”.
Police publicist - Judith Nabakooba said last evening that the force had dispatched six ambulances to bring the injured to Masindi and Mulago hospitals. Police was called in to calm matters following a scuffle that ensued as crestfallen parents moved to claim their dead children. Meanwhile, a total of 21 other pupils at Paidha Role Model Primary School in Zombo District received burns after they were struck by a bolt of lightning. Witnesses said several pupils writhed on floors in their classrooms holding their ears and eyes. The injured pupils were rushed to Nyapea Hospital, some 10km away from the school.
Cleric hit – “I just heard an irritating sound and I got scared that it could have struck something. Moments later, I just heard pupils wailing in pain. They lay unconscious on the ground” said Christopher Onyai, an eye witness. Six people in Yumbe District were similar victims while a cleric in Hoima is admitted to a private clinic partially paralysed after he was struck on Monday. In the last one week, there have been several incidents of lightning strikes which have left several people dead and untold damage.
In Hoima, the Rev. James Mbabazi, 45, an associate Vicar at Hoima All Saints town church (COU) is admitted to a private clinic in Hoima town after being struck by lightning at about 10.20pm on Monday during a downpour at his home in Kalyabuhiire village in Hoima municipality. Mbabazi, who was shivering, told the Daily Monitor at the Tropical Clinic that the incident left him with burns on the right hand and feet. He said his right hand side of his body is paralyzed. It has been a bitter pill to swallow for many farmers whose prayers for the return of rains following a long dry spell have brought tragedy and suffering.
Lawmakers ordered the government to come up with a comprehensive statement on the crisis. “I don’t know which minister is in charge of the lightning but let the Government come with a statement to inform the country on what is going on and how we can manage it” said Speaker Rebecca Kadaga.
The matter was raised by Kyenjojo Woman MP Lyndah Timbigamba who reported that an unspecified number of cows in her district had been killed by lightning. Scientists believe that magnetic force generated by lightning provides an electric jolt so powerful that it can stop someone’s heart. Traditional advice for people caught in a thunderstorm is to avoid sheltering under trees as they act as lightning conductors and to make sure you are not the tallest object on the ground.
Government to explain - “Most of the school buildings need electro lights to avert such deaths and injuries” said Terego MP Kassiano Wadri. Government Chief Whip John Nasasira told MPs both the Ministers of Environment and Housing would table a statement before the House as MPs demanded that lightning conductors be fixed atop all public building including schools to avert future disasters. Efforts to obtain a comment from experts at the Meteorology Department were futile. The department’s publicist declined to receive repeated calls.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug - George Muzoora & Frank Wimba

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INFLATION SLOWS TO 15.8%
1 july 2011

Ugandans will for the time being begin to enjoy low food prices as supply to markets increase due to improved harvests. The harvests are expected to slightly ease food price pressures that had for the past six months increased the cost of living.
The reduction in prices of matooke, Irish potatoes, pineapples, passion fruits, avocado, beans, tomatoes, fish and fresh milk have seen inflation slightly drop to 15.8 per cent in June, according to data from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos). Inflation has been accelerating since January hitting a 16 per cent rate, the highest record in 17 years. The country last recorded inflation above 16 per cent in May 1994, when it stood at 16.2 per cent.
Food inflation - According to the figures released yesterday, food inflation reduced from 35.3 per cent in May to 33.4 per cent in June, while food prices inflation dropped by 2.5 per cent during the period. Food constitutes 27.2 per cent of the weight in the basket of goods and services, the biggest percentage in the basket of goods used to measure inflation. This therefore means any reduction or increase in food prices will automatically impact inflation. The director macro-economics at Ubos, Dr Chris Ndatira Mukiza, however, noted that prices for cabbage, egg plant, bitter tomatoes, groundnuts, maize flour, bread, firewood and paraffin went up during the period.
Dollar effect – The continued depreciation of the shilling against the dollar has, however, kept inflation in double digits despite increased food supplies to markets. This is because Uganda imports 40.5 per cent of the goods consumed in the country. During the month, prices of imported goods especially clothing, household and personal goods went up because of a weak shilling. Yesterday, the dollar closed at the Shs2,500, the highest record in so many years.
Importation has also brought in imported inflation from countries like China, Uganda’s biggest trade partners.
Inflation is picking up in all East African countries due to a weak shillings, sharply escalating cost of food and fuel prices. In Kenya, it leapt to 14.49 in June from 12.95 per cent in May, while Tanzania’s rose to 9.7 per cent in May, from 8.6 per cent in April.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug - Faridah Kulabako

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INVESTMENTS DROP BY 48% DUE TO PROTESTS
4 july 2011

The month-long ‘ Walk to work’ protests between April and May scared away investors leading to a decline in the investment value in the last quarter of the 2010/2011 financial year, an official has said.
State minister for privatisation, Mr Aston Kajara, said during the release of the 2010/11 Uganda Investment Authority report that the authority registered 95 projects with a planned investment of $210 million between April and June. This represented a 48 per cent drop, compared to the 78 projects licensed between January and March 2011, with a planned investment of $604 million.
“The ‘Walk to work’ demonstrations saw a number of potential investors stay their establishment in Ugandan market while they assessed the political situation” Mr Kajara said in Kampala last week. However, the authority’s investments during the just concluded financial year increased, with a total of 337 projects, worth $1.7 billion licensed compared to 340 projects worth $1.55 billion in 2009/2010 financial period.
The highest investments were recorded in electricity and gas sector and this was closely followed by the financial, insurance, real estate and services sectors. The licensed projects are expected to create employments for about 130,732 people in the country. Uganda still took a lead as a top source of investment, followed by India, Kenya, Netherlands, Norway and China in the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth positions respectively.
Meanwhile, the investment body also launched its new website that is expected to enhance investors’ search capabilities by making it easy for investors to navigate.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug - Faridah Kulabako

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I WON’T RUN IN 2016, SAYS BESIGYE
4 july 2011

The FDC leader, Dr Kizza Besigye, has announced that he will not contest for the national presidency in 2016. Dr Besigye, whose second term as Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party president expires in 2014, also said he would not seek to extend his leadership of the main opposition party in the country.
While the FDC constitution bars him from running for the party presidency after two terms in office, it does not have similar restrictions for anyone seeking to stand on the party ticket for the national presidency. The FDC leader broke the silence over his political future on Saturday during a two-day retreat for party leaders held in Mukono District. The meeting was called to examine last year’s elections and to propose a way forward for the opposition party.
Dr Besigye is expected to meet another set of FDC leaders in Mukono today. “I am not going to be like the NRM and President Museveni who want to cling on to power. I will not change the party constitution for selfish reasons to serve another term” Dr Besigye, who was flanked by the party’s vice president for eastern Uganda, Ms Salaam Musumba, and the Leader of Opposition, Mr Nandala Mafabi, reportedly announced during a closed-door meeting.
‘Shocked’ audience – Sources not authorised to speak on behalf of the party and therefore sought anonymity told ‘Daily Monitor’ that after Dr Besigye’s announcement, silence engulfed the hall with most officials visibly shocked. According to the FDC Deputy Spokesperson, Mr Toterebuka Bamwenda, Dr Besigye did request to retire after serving his second term. He said Dr Besigye explained to officials that he had served his two terms successfully and time had come for him to give way to new leadership. “Dr Besigye said he would retire from the leadership of the party when his current term expires and that he will not seek re-election as the party’s presidential flag bearer in 2016, saying he had successfully completed his two terms. The party leaders, however, said they still need him as FDC party leader and presidential candidate” Mr Bamwenda said.
A group, reportedly led by the FDC chairperson for Kasese District, tried to dissuade Dr Besigye from stepping down. Whereas Dr Besigye did not hint on his possible successor during the meeting, the FDC leader reportedly directed his party officials to formulate a transition plan that among other things will enable them elect his likely replacement.
Speculation is, however, rife that a succession battle has been raging on with a number of candidates expressing interest to replace him.
Likely replacement – Those that have so far been tipped to replace Dr Besigye include Mr Nandala Mafabi, Maj. Gen. Mugisha Muntu, Bugweri MP Abdu Katuntu, Aswa County MP Reagan Okumu, Kitgum Woman MP Beatrice Anywar and Ms Musumba. Dr Besigye could not be reached for a comment by press time as his known mobile phone was switched off.
As soon as the 2011 presidential elections ended, some party officials started agitating for Dr Besigye’s exit, saying he had played his part to the full.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug - Mercy Nalugo & Gerald Bareebe

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UGANDA, PROCEDE ELETTRIFICAZIONE ZONE RURALI
7 luglio 2011

L’Uganda ha varato una serie di progetti per l’estensione della rete elettrica nelle zone rurali di alcune province settentrionali e orientali. Gli interventi porteranno al prolungamento della rete dalla provincia orientale di Soroti, dove arriva attualmente, alle province di Katakwi e Amuria, mentre nel nord l’ampliamento interesserà le province di Oyam, Gulu e Kole.
La realizzazione delle opere, che beneficiano di un prestito parziale della Banca mondiale per 6 milioni di euro, sarà coordinata dall’Agenzia nazionale per l’elettrificazione rurale, che gestirà un apposito fondo creato dal governo per accelerare l’elettrificazione delle zone più lontane dai grossi centri urbani.
fonte www.agi.it

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UGANDA, CORSI AGGIORNAMENTO PER 4.000 IMPRENDITRICI
7 luglio 2011

Oltre 4.000 imprenditrici ugandesi beneficeranno di un corso di aggiornamento quinquennale, concepito con lo scopo di migliorarne le capacità professionali, soprattutto nei settori della produzione e del marketing. L’iniziativa, che richiede l’esborso di tre milioni di dollari, è stata lanciata da Enterprise Uganda, un organismo locale impegnato nella promozione dei talenti imprenditoriali femminili.
Il corso, che avrà come slogan ‘Rafforzare le donne imprenditrici’, inizierà nel 2012 per concludersi nel 2016. Un’iniziativa analoga si svolse dal 2008 al 2010 ed ebbe come risultato la creazione di oltre 740 nuove imprese guidate da donne che avevano partecipato ai corsi di formazione.
fonte www.agi.it

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EAST AFRICA CHILDREN POORLY TAUGHT, A REPORT
11 july 2011

While three East African countries have achieved on school enrolment levels, majority of pupils continue to demonstrate incompetence in the two most important aspects of basic education. A report dubbed ‘Are our children Learning’ shows that children in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda perform poorly compared to the established curriculum standards.
The report appears to hold a different tone than another one from Uganda’s examinations body, which points to a slightly brighter outlook. Uganda boasts of approximately 8.3 million children in primary school, compared to 2.3 million before the programme in 1997. But as the report, prepared by Uwezo, an initiative to improve competencies in literacy and numeracy in East Africa, indicates, there is nothing to be proud of if majority of pupils, though in school, are not able to read and later on deal with numbers.
The tests were for Primary Two and administered to 145,730 children from 79,286 households in 2009/2010. The assessment was done on children between the age of 6 and 16. But findings indicate that investing in inputs alone has limited impact, and that fresh thinking focused on incentives for learning is needed. Further, it shows that children in the three countries perform poorly compared to established curriculum levels. In Primary Three, two out of three children failed to pass the Uwezo tests for English, Kiswahili and numeracy.
In Kenya, only 28 per cent of pupils in Standard 3 completed the test successfully, meaning they were able to read a story with ease. In Uganda and Tanzania, pass rates were at 4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively. “There is a crisis of learning in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Governments are proud of their achievements in expanding school enrolments. But they should now not hide behind these achievements, and focus instead on making sure that children in school are in fact learning” reads part of the report released last month. It adds: “Even amongst children who have advanced to Standard 7, many have not acquired Standard 2 numeracy and literacy skills.”
However, Mr Aggrey Kibenge, Ministry of Education undersecretary said issues in the report are not any different from what government has been addressing for five years. “These issues are not coming up for the first time. We have been working on book-to-pupil ratio, pupil-to- teacher ratio and the launching of Quality Enhancement Initiative project three years ago, which was to target 12 districts that are poor in attracting teachers”
Mr Kibenge said on phone. Referring to a 2010 report released on Tuesday last week by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) on the National Assessment of Progress in Education (NAPE), Mr Kibenge said there has been improvement with at least more than half of pupils able to read. Although the NAPE report shows an overall 72.8 per cent proficiency in numeracy and 57.6 per cent in literacy in English in Primary Three, it still identifies that Primary Six pupils are not able to tell time on hour and minutes, read a story and comprehend, and subtract fractions, which is not any different from what the Uwezo report identifies.
Mr Mathew Bukenya, UNEB executive secretary notes that the findings in the various NAPE reports have revealed a lot about teaching-learning process and pupils’ learning achievement.
Like the Uwezo report, NAPE recognises that pupils in private primary schools are performing better than those in public schools. “The results showed a decline in pupils’ achievement immediately after the introduction of UPE and also a gradual improvement thereafter” Mr Bukenya says, highlighting an uneven curve in the progress. However, the Uwezo report asks the three governments to face the crisis squarely and find solutions that will reflect the billions of shillings and hours spent on basic education each year by parents, governments and donors and that the learners are learning, literate and numerate.
The Uwezo report notes that teacher incentives are weak, with teachers often posting high rates of absence. It demonstrates that in Tanzania, 23 per cent of teachers are not in school on any given day and when in school, teachers spend half their time outside the classroom. As a consequence, children are only taught two hours and four minutes a day, instead of an expected five hours. Studies from Uganda and Kenya suggest similar findings.
“Reflecting on these results, one cannot but note the enormous challenge East African governments, teachers and parents face in making sure that children acquire basic numeracy and literacy skills. These asymmetries in learning also undermine the prospects for greater cooperation and development across the East African region” says the report.
Mr Emmanuel Mugole, Uwezo-Uganda assessment Coordinator, earlier said as long as there is an individual in primary school who cannot read or deal with numbers, it is a loss for any government because money has been spent for learning to take place yet there are negative returns on it.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug - Patience Ahimbisibwe

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A GULU APRE PROCESSO A COMANDANTE LRA, NON MANCANO PERPLESSITÀ
11 luglio 2011

Centinaia di persone stanno assistendo al processo dell’ex comandante delle operazioni militari della ribellione dell’Esercito di Liberazione del Signore (Lord’s Resistance Army, LRA), Thomas Kweyelo, che si è aperto oggi dinanzi la divisione speciale per i crimini dell’Alta corte di Gulu (nord).
Lo riferisce il quotidiano ugandese ‘Daily Monitor’ sottolineando che si tratta del primo procedimento ai danni di un alto dirigente dell’LRA da quando la Corte penale internazionale (Cpi/Icc) ha messo in stato di accusa altri elementi della ribellione nord ugandese, sodali di Kweyelo tuttora latitanti, tra cui Joseph Kony, il fondatore, Vincent Otti, Okot Odhiambo e Raska Lukwiya.
L’ex comandante, nato nel distretto settentrionale di Amuru tra il 1968 e il 1972, era stato catturato nel marzo 2009 nell’est della confinante Repubblica democratica del Congo durante scontri tra l’LRA e l’esercito ugandese impegnato nell’operazione ‘Fulmine’ alla ricerca di elementi armati. Anche se il suo nome non figura tra quelli dei ribelli ricercati dalla Cpi, nel suo paese Kweyelo viene processato per omicidi preterintenzionali, sequestro di persona, ferimento di persone e danni a proprietà privata perpetrati nelle regioni di Gulu e Amulu.
Detenuto da più di due anni in un carcere ad alta sicurezza nei pressi di Kampala, la capitale, Kweyelo potrebbe essere condannato all’ergastolo. Osservatori fanno notare che finora gli elementi della ribellione ugandese arrestati come quelli che si sono arresi hanno usufruito di una legge di amnistia mentre alcuni sono stati perfino integrati nell’esercito regolare.
A Gulu, riferisce la stampa locale, la gente si sta interrogando sul valore del processo a Kweyelo, da molti considerati un comandante di minore importanza, mentre i capi più importanti sono latitanti.
Il procedimento giudiziario ha però una valenza simbolica in quanto si tratta del primo ribelle dell’LRA a comparire davanti a un tribunale speciale che dipende dall’Alta corte, istituito nel 2009 dal governo di Kampala.
Secondo i bilanci in circolazione, da settembre 2008 l’LRA ha ucciso 2400 persone e ne ha rapite 3400. Fondato negli anni ‘80 nel Nord Uganda, il movimento guidato dall’ex-predicatore Kony è stato protagonista in Uganda, per circa un ventennio, di brutali attacchi contro i civili delle comunità settentrionali Acholi.
Dopo il fallimento di un difficile processo di pace, il gruppo si è sparso tra il nord-est della Repubblica democratica del Congo, il sud del Centrafrica e il Sud Sudan, dove continua a seminare il terrore tra i civili.
fonte www.misna.org

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FOOD PRICES LIKELY TO REMAIN HIGH IN REGION
12 july 2011

Food prices across the east African region are likely to remain high due to low production resulting from low rainfall and high fuel prices, United States Agency for International Development says.
Although improved harvests are expected this month (July), the Agency says high transportation costs of commodities to the markets are likely to maintain prices above the seasonal levels. “In Teso and Lango sub regions, normal rains are likely to result in average harvests but the marketable surplus of sorghum in these regions are likely to offset deficits in Karamoja” the Agency says, adding that food prices in West Nile region continue to rise as farmers in Eastern Uganda report good harvests and dropping food prices.
Kenya’s hopes to import maize from Malawi and Zambia to alleviate food crisis; dampened after Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) rejected some 5,000 tonnes on basis that they were discoloured. The duty free maize was to be imported mid last month. And while the products were not harmful for human consumption, it is alleged that the commodities defied Kebs standards with several parameters that include rotten, decayed and discolored, foreign matter and moisture discontent and insect damage and aflatoxin contamination.
The country’s Ministry of Agriculture currently projects to produce 25 million 90 kilogramme bags of maize in 2011/12 season down from 39.8million in the previous season due to low yields resulting from poor rainfall. Also, farmers abandoned the growing of maize due to lower prices experienced last year in favour of wheat and fruits. While food shortage in the region is expecting to be short-lived, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says people in developing countries – in which Uganda is inclusive – will continue to be squeezed by spiraling food prices for another decade.
But Oxfam – another charity organisation predicts food shortage for the next two decades. In their 2011-2020 Agricultural Outlooks FAO and OECD, a think-tank that tracks economic developments in 34 countries, forecast that real prices for cereals could grow on average by 20 per cent over the coming decade, compared to 2001-2010.
They project that farm output would grow to 1.7 per cent annually over the next decade, down from the 2.6 per cent growth rate of the past 10 years, with meat prices increasing by up to 30 per cent. “While higher prices are generally good news for farmers, the impact on the poor in developing countries who spend a high proportion of their income on food can be devastating” OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurri says. The increasing erratic weather and price speculation are blamed for a spike in foodstuff prices over the past years.
A severe drought in Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan caused wheat prices to spiral, driving up the cost of bread and animal feed, while falling stocks caused sugar to reach a 30-year high in February. Oxfam, however, says the world’s poorest people, who spend up to 80% of their income of food, will be hit hardest in the next two decades. The charity says the world is entering an era of permanent food crisis, which is likely to be accompanied by political unrest and will require radical reform of the international food system. The charity projects international prices of staples such as maize to rise by as much as 180% by 2030, with half of that rise due to the impacts of climate change.
A devastating combination of factors – climate change, depleting natural resources, a global scramble for land and water, the rush to turn food into biofuels, a growing global population, and changing diets – have created the conditions for an increase in deep poverty.
Hunger to bite on – Over 44million people are currently under abject poverty globally, according to World Bank. “We are sleepwalking towards an age of avoidable crisis” says Oxfam’s chief executive, Barbara Stocking. “One in seven people on the planet go hungry every day despite the fact that the world is capable of feeding everyone. The food system must be overhauled.”
For that, Kenya has opened door to genetically engineered crops, seeking people to produce or trade in genetically mortified materials but only after getting a written consent from the regulator – National Safety Authority. Food Aid agencies have also launched multimillion-pound appeals to address amounting humanitarian emergency in the east and the horn of Africa. Oxfam launched its biggest ever appeal for Africa last week , seeking £50 million to help three million people. The British government also announced that it was giving £38 million emergency food aid to Ethiopia, following a warning from Josette Sheeran, the World Food Programme executive director that “desperate hunger” loomed across the Horn, “threatening the lives of millions“.
For Somali refugees arriving in neighbouring Ethiopia, the rates of severe malnutrition are as high as 23 per cent, according to Oxfam. Oxfam spokesperson in Nairobi, Alun McDonald, recently said the figures were the worst the agency had seen since the early 90s. At least 500 people are believed to have died in Somalia over the past few months of nutrition-related illnesses, he said. “We are not yet at a stage where large numbers of people are dying. But things could get even worse in the coming months as the next rains are only due in October.” It is estimated that up to 1,000 Somalis a day are also streaming across the Kenyan border to Dadaab, already the largest refugee settlement in the world, with 367,000 residents.
Overwhelming figures - Over 2.5 million people require food aid in Somalia; and 3.2 million in Ethiopia. In Uganda over 600,000 people are in dire need of assistance, and in Djibouti 120,000. In Kenya, over 3.5 million people in the country’s arid areas need assistance. cap: One in seven people on the planet go hungry every day despite the fact that the world is capable of feeding everyone.
fonte www.allafrica.com – Isaac Khisa

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AIDS, I FARMACI USATI PER LA CURA ABBATTONO I CONTAGI TRA I SANI ‘A RISCHIO’
14 luglio 2011

Arriva da due studi condotti sul campo in Africa la nuova speranza contro l’Aids. I due trials realizzati in Kenya e in Uganda e Botswana nel contesto del progetto ‘Partners PrEp’ hanno dimostrato per la prima volta in maniera inconfutabile che i tradizionali farmaci usati finora per curare l’infezione utilizzati nei soggetti sani svolgono una decisiva funzione preventiva, più che dimezzando le possibilità di contagio del virus Hiv durante rapporti sessuali con partners sieropositivi.
A darne notizia è stata l’Università di Washington che ha diretto lo studio ‘Partners PrEP’, finanziato con 63 milioni di dollari dalla fondazione di Bill e Melinda Gates, con i Centers for disease control and prevention (CDCP) di Atlanta che hanno coordinato il progetto in Botswana, costato 31 milioni di dollari.
La scoperta sarà uno dei temi salienti della Conferenza mondiale Ias 2011 sull’Aids, in programma a Roma dal 17 al 20 luglio prossimi. Ai due studi sarà dedicata un’intera sessione nell’ambito delle quattro giornate di lavoro. E’ una svolta per la terapia antiretrovirale (ART) alla quale va il merito di tenere sotto controllo la carica virale nei casi conclamati di Aids e che ora si trasforma in una preziosa arma per arginare la diffusione del virus Hiv nella popolazione sana. Curarsi o meno con la terapia antiretrovirale (ART) farà la differenza sia per il singolo, sieropositivo o sano con comportamenti ad alto rischio, sia per l’intera collettività.
Dopo l’introduzione della doppia terapia, annunciata nel ‘96 a Vancouver, e il grande tema dell’accesso ai farmaci nei paesi poveri del mondo, dibattuto nel 2000 a Durban, l’impiego della ART come strumento di profilassi per spegnere la pandemia Aids/Hiv specialmente nel Sud del mondo è il grande cambiamento di cui si parlerà alla Conferenza di Roma.
“Si tratta di una novità straordinaria – dice Stefano Vella dell’Istituto Superiore di Sanità, co-presidente della Conferenza mondiale IAS 2011 – sapevamo che se un sieropositivo assume precocemente e correttamente la terapia antiretrovirale la possibilità di trasmettere l’infezione si abbassa drasticamente oltre il 95% come dimostrato dallo studio HPTNO52 condotto su coppie in cui uno dei partenr era sieropositivo; adesso questi studi clinici controllati e randomizzati dimostrano l’efficacia dei farmaci nel ridurre dal 60 fino all’83% il contagio se assunti da soggetti sani che hanno rapporti sessuali ad alto rischio“.
Promuovere l’accesso al test ed ai farmaci in Africa, e non solo, potrebbe essere dunque una delle strategie per fermare o ridurre notevolmente l’infezione. Convincere le persone con comportamenti a rischio a sottoporsi al test e, qualora risulti positivo, a cominciare presto la terapia resta però un’operazione impegnativa e costosa. “Sappiamo che i farmaci sono capaci di stoppare il contagio, ma l’applicazione nella pratica non sarà facile; è importante capire che le cure non saranno più solo finalizzate alla salute del singolo ma a quella dell’intera collettività“, sottolinea l’infettivologo Mauro Moroni.
Guai, però, avvertono gli esperti, a interpretare l’azione preventiva delle terapie antiretrovirali come la pillola del ‘giorno prima’. “L’utilizzo del profilattico, l’uso consapevole e responsabile del proprio corpo e del sesso restano i capisaldi della prevenzione contro l’Aids - sottolinea Stefano Vella – : somministrare i farmaci ai sani, oltre che ai sieropositivi, come profilassi fa parte di quell’approccio combinato di cui si parla da anni e che porterà ci auguriamo a spegnere se non a eradicare la diffusione dell’HIV“.
fonte www.repubblica.it – Mariapaola Salmi

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TRIBUNALE RITIRA CAPO DI ACCUSA CONTRO OPPOSITORE, PROCESSO CONTINUA
15 luglio 2011

Non sarà processato per incitamento alla violenza Kizza Besigye, capofila del ‘Forum democratico per il cambiamento’ (Fdc), imputato nelle manifestazioni antigovernative ‘Walk to work’ che negli ultimi mesi hanno provocato scontri e diverse vittime tra agenti di polizia e dimostranti che protestavano contro il carovita.
Senza fornire alcuna motivazione, il procuratore della Repubblica, Ivan Nkwasibwe, ha annunciato che lo Stato ha deciso di abbandonare l’azione giudiziaria intentata nei confronti di Besigye in relazione al suo presunto comportamento che l’11 aprile, durante manifestazioni antigovernative, avrebbe incitato alle successive violenze. Rimangono invece in piedi i procedimenti aperti per assembramento illegale, rifiuto di obbedire ad un agente di polizia e mancato rispetto del codice della strada.
Il processo a carico di Besigye si è aperto il 13 giugno per assembramento illegale e incitamento alla violenza, capo di accusa ormai decaduto. La prossima udienza è prevista il 27 luglio.
L’esponente di spicco dell’opposizione, ex compagno d’armi ed ex medico personale del presidente Yoweri Museveni, ha già criticato la decisione del procuratore che “avrebbe dovuto ottenere prove prima di aprire il caso” ha detto Besigye che accusa la giustizia ugandese di “usare il suo potere per reprimere l’opposizione” e si dice vittima di “violazione dei propri diritti costituzionali”. Ha annunciato che sporgerà denuncia contro lo Stato ugandese “che infanga il mio nome e mi fa perdere tempo” riferisce la stampa locale.
Intanto a gettare un’ombra sulle istituzioni giuridico-carcerarie è il rapporto di ‘Human Rights Watch’ che denuncia violazioni dei diritti umani dei detenuti, vittime della lentezza della giustizia, di maltrattamenti fisici e morali oltre ad essere “costretti a lavorare in condizioni vicine alla schiavitù” sostiene l’organizzazione internazionale.
fonte www.misna.org

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UGANDA, 25.000 BABIES BORN WITH HIV/AIDS ANNUALLY
17 july 2011

As the world celebrates good results of an HIV/Aids drug trial conducted in Kenya and Uganda, the country once a role model in the fight against HIV/Aids, has for the last 10 years not made any progress in reducing the incidence of the disease.
The announcement early this week in the US that the use of certain ARVs among discordant partners had cut infection by 73 per cent is dampened by reports that the number of new infections every year is exceeding the number the government can treat. At the same time, donor money for the fight against the pandemic is dwindling.
Fresh alarm – Though infections in Uganda, which once had the highest, incidence rate in the world, dropped from 30 per cent in the early 1990s to around 7 per cent to date, Centre for Disease Control (CDC-Uganda), a bilateral partner within the US mission to Uganda has raised fresh alarm over increasing HIV/Aids infections.
Dr Wuhib Tadesse, the director CDC-Uganda at a news conference in Entebbe last week, said Uganda was the only country where HIV incidence has remained unchanged for more than 10 years. “In Uganda, for every person started on antiretroviral therapy, there are three new HIV infections and this is unsustainable” Dr Tadesse said.
Dr Tadesse said there are no clear-cut answers to explain this trend, but added concerted efforts will be needed to stop new infections. “We are investigating what has caused this stagnation in the fight against HIV/Aids in Uganda and we are very concerned” Dr Tadesse said. “But complacence could be part of the problem. Young people nowadays no longer see people dying; they see people on ARVs but getting children. We need to re-examine our strategies in the fight against HIV/Aids. Leaders at all levels are spending a lot of time in workshops than in the communities to sensitive the people and this must stop.”
According to Dr Tadesse, in the past 10 years, Uganda appears to have turned a corner in the opposite direction as more people continue to get infected. CDC figures show that there are 1.2 million Ugandans with the virus. However, according to Dr Tadesse, only about half of those who are in need of the life-saving drugs under the new treatment guidelines were receiving them by the end of last year. He said unless government deals with new infections through effective prevention strategies, achieving the universal treatment coverage of 80 per cent will be difficult.
Much of Uganda’s HIV/Aids programmes are being funded through the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund. Dr Tadesse said under PEPFAR, Uganda has received over $1.2 billion between 2004-2010. Globally, as of September 2010, PEPFAR supported ART for 3.2 million people, care and support to 11 million people, counseling and testing to 33 million and provided $5.1 billion to Global Fund initiative. However, with more than 110,000 new infections occurring every year, more funds will be required to help Uganda regain its reputation in the fight against HIV/Aids.
But health experts at CDC-Uganda are concerned that if these new infections continue the way they are, it will be hard for Uganda government to cope with the cost of offering treatment to all. The number of Ugandans on ARVs has risen from 10,000 a decade ago to 200,000. But figures from the Uganda Aids Commission indicate that an extra 300,000 Ugandans in need of ARVs do not have access to the drugs because they cannot afford them.
In his response to the crisis, Dr Kihumuro Apuuli, the director general of the UAC, has since warned that the rising number of new infections will cause a critical challenge in the future, suggesting that more focus should be put on prevention and that the government should stop over relying on donor monies in its battle against the HIV/Aids pandemic.
A senior official in the Ministry of Health who preferred anonymity in order to speak freely, said even those on ARVs receive treatment largely as a result of American generosity. “We are guilty” she said, adding: “As government, we have not taken prevention seriously. We have concentrated so much on treatment and care yet more Ugandans are getting infected each year and the number of those who need ARVs is increasing. It is time we reviewed the old-fashioned prevention because it has flopped. The few people in Uganda are using the ‘ABC’ Abstain, Be faithful and use Condoms strategy“.
fonte www.allafrica.com – Yasiin Mugerwa

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VOCATIONAL TRAINING VITAL FOR FUTURE CAREER
18 july 2011

With the levels of unemployment shooting high due to the few jobs, the education system to had to redesign itself in many ways. One such way is vocational training. This has meant moving away from theoretical classes to more practical approaches.
During Open Day at Mengo Senior Secondary School last week, the focus was mainly put on vocational training, in which students are equipped with skills, which they can use to survive before or even after they get white-collar jobs. The head teacher, Mr George Ssemivule, says that the school aims to produce competent students in the job market and that they can provide others employment other than them seeking the same. He says that “we train students so that they can professionalise after sometime”. Paul Mukasa, a Senior Three metal work student admits that the subject is more of prior training before he ventures into the world. He says: “I don’t have to struggle looking for a job because I can now make a lot out of the skills that I get from the subject.”
Blacksmith skills – In the subject, which puts emphasis on metal fabrication basics such as sketching, cutting and welding, these are skills the blacksmith in Katwe and Kisenyi must have. The students are exposed to such skills before they leave school. The students are equipped to make various items such as burglar proof windows and doors, chairs and other metal products, which are on high demand in Uganda and South Sudan.
The Home Economics department, which embraces clothing and textiles, teaches students the basics of clothing from tracing to fashion designing, which helps them maintain a dream for the future as Moreen Niwenshuti notes. “With different design styles, by the time I am done with Senior Four, I will go for a short fashion and design course. I would like to be Sylvia Owori’s competitor” she says.
In Food and Nutrition, the students are taught about proper food quantities. Richard Mubiru, a Senior Five student, spoke to Education Guide about self- reliance: “We get skilled in making cakes for all functions, food processing and production. I cannot go out looking for jobs on the streets.” The students from this department get a chance for employment in bakeries, especially during holidays, to help them with work.
Excellence rewards – Other subjects that have been a major focus include Art and Design in which Mengo senior school has been awarded as a center of excellence in Africa and one of the students, Faridah Nalukuuma has been awarded a two year scholarship by the African Leadership Academy for her exceptional performance in making cultural gear more so necklaces where gets herb school fees.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug - Abdu Kiyaga

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COUNTRY SEEKING MORE STUDENTS FOR NEUROSURGERY
18 july 2011

Uganda has four qualified neurosurgeons at Mulago National Referral Hospital. Medical experts are calling on the government of Uganda to support the training of more professionals to better cater for the population, which stands at more than 33 million people. Neurosurgery is a medical treatment that deals with operation of the brain, spine, peripheral nerves and the arteries of the neck.
Nixon Niyonzima always wanted to study journalism but never got support from those around him. For many of his friends, there was only one profession. That is how he finally found himself following the medical path. Under a Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI) scholarship, Mr Niyonzima, a Makerere University Bachelor of Medicine graduate, is now studying a Master of Science in global health and wants to become a neurosurgeon. If you paused and asked what interests him in the profession, you could get the most unlikely answer. “It is more about service to the people than the financial benefit” he says.
Never mind that this is a field many people shy away from. With five years of under graduate study, a year on internship and another on up-country hospital attachment, going for another five-year course to master in neurosurgery is not easy. “I always want to serve. It takes long to see the results when you start working. You have to learn to be patient. Otherwise many look at the time spent on the training and opt to join NGOs” says Niyonzima, now in his third year. He plans to be an academic, a researcher, once he is done with the course.
The training focuses on chronic and non-communicable diseases and trauma in areas of neurosurgery, orthopaedic and spinal surgery, trauma management, physical therapy and rehabilitation, stroke and stroke prevention and pediatric malnutrition. To improve the situation in the country, the government has introduced a scheme that sponsors any student willing to study neurosurgery to improve on the enrolment.
According to Dr Edgar Muhumuza, a consultant neurosurgeon at Mulago Hospital, the government should support the training offered by the DGHI and Duke University, in order to increase the number of neurosurgeons. “This work needs a lot of dedication and patience because we deal with emergencies and work long hours. It will be difficult for someone who is not interested to join because it is tedious” Dr Muhumuza explains, adding: “We see over 100 patients a month and 30 to 40 of these need surgery, yet we can’t admit them because we are overwhelmed on the ward as the workload is too heavy and facilities are limited.”
Seeing the need for more neurosurgeons in the country, Dr Michael Haglund, codirector in the partnership between Mulago National Hospital, Duke University, DGHI and Makerere University, said an East African Neurosurgery Training Programme has been designed to train Ugandan surgeons in neurosurgery, who will then go to regional hospitals to provide neurosurgical care. “Uganda has laws in place that are not enforced in compliance to helmet use” Dr Haglund said during the tour of the Duke projects at Mulago Hospital. Dr Haglund hopes the number of neurosurgeons will have increased to 19 in 2020 and spread across the country. He, however, added that the government needs to support the project by providing residence for neurosurgeons and salaries to trainees to attract their service within the country.
Dr Isaac Alidria-Ezati Director of Health Services (planning and development) in the Ministry of Health said while there are challenges with salaries, there are still few students who apply to study neurosurgery. “In this country, neurosurgery has been left behind yet this is an important area. Because people don’t apply to study it, we have put up a scholarship that binds the students for five years after which they can go and work where they want” Dr Alidria-Ezati said.
Dr Alidria-Ezati said once the number of neurosurgeons increases, it will reduce the number of patients who seek their service outside the country.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug - Patience Ahimbisibwe

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IMMORALITY LINKED TO POVERTY
21 july 2011

Poverty is the leading cause of immorality among communities, the Archbishop of Kampala Dr. Cyprian Lwanga, has said. Lwanga said if the Government and the church do not put in place measures to fight poverty, it may be difficult to eliminate prostitution, abortions and homosexuality. He said many countries are spending money in the fight against diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria without identifying their cause. “We often talk about Malaria, HIV/AIDS and cancer, but we forget to identify their linkage to poverty” he said.
Lwanga made the remarks on Sunday during golden jubilee celebrations for the Fort Portal Catholic Diocese. The ceremony was held at St Mary’s Minor Seminary in Fort Portal town in Kabarole district. Lwanga decried the high rate of prostitution, homosexuality and lesbianism among the youth in urban areas. “The youth need our help. Government and church leaders should find a solution to these problems. I do not think these girls like to sleep with different men. Some of the men smell like rats, while others are drunkards but poverty drives these girls to do it” he explained.
Lwanga called for harmonious living among communities. He urged leaders to work hard and display exemplary leadership. “When people get into leadership positions, the first thing they ask is what they will get from it. If a leader cannot manage his family of five people, how can he be a village chairperson?” Lwanga asked. President Yoweri Museveni, in a speech read by the local government minister, Adolf Mwesige, hailed the church for promoting delivery of social services among communities. “These institutions help masses to access services which has led to improvement in standard of living of many Ugandans” Museveni said.
He commended the diocese for championing a holistic human growth as a benchmark in preaching the gospel.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug - Hope Mafaranga

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BETTER MAIZE SEEDS COMING
21 july 2011

Drought resistant maize seeds will be ready for use in 2016, experts have said. Confined field trials on the seeds are taking place at the National Crops Resource Research Institute at Namulonge.
Joseph Kikafunda, a researcher at the institute said the initiative would help farmers continue with production during drought. Kikafunda was speaking at a meeting for Kasese district stakeholders at Rwenzori International Hotel in Kasese Municipality recently. The meeting was aimed at updating stakeholders on the progress of the research. It was held under the theme ‘Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa’.
The research is funded under the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) Project. Presenting a paper on the status of the field trials of WEMA maize in Uganda, Kikafunda warned that the country would experience drought more often due to changes in global climatic conditions. “We have to mobilise people to adopt modern farming methods, otherwise, the country is at risk of famine” Kikafunda said. He advised farmers to use modern farming methods to get higher yields for sale and consumption.
Johnson Mutungwanda, the assistant chief administrative Officer, expressed concern over the laxity by residents to adopt modern farming techniques. Mutungwanda asked the team to sensitise masses on the benefits of yellow maize, saying some people had spread rumours that it had side-effects. Deputy resident district commissioner Aminadab Muhindo urged scientists to sensitise masses on modern farming methods. He urged residents to work hard to fight poverty. Muhindo hailed the leadership of the National Crops Resource Research Institute for selecting the district to benefit from WEMA maize project.
The meeting was attended by district leaders, model farmers, the Media and representatives of NGOs. Experts say a drought-tolerant seeds can tolerate erratic weather patterns and yield greater crops. The initiative has been welcomed by many countries in Africa as a strategy to boost food security among households.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug - John Nzinjah

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TEACHERS DEMAND 100% PAY RISE
21 july 2011

A group of 40 teachers from the Uganda National Teacher’s Union (UNATO) on Thursday petitioned the social services committee of Parliament demanding a 100% pay rise. The group led by the UNATO chairperson, Margaret Rwabushaijja told MPs on the committee, that they want the money to meet the rising cost of living. She said the current salary teachers get is too low forcing some teachers seek for greener pastures elsewhere and do other businesses to cover up the gap.
Currently, a primary school teacher earns sh260,000 on average per month, while secondary schools teachers get about sh450,000. There are about 152,682 teachers on the Government payroll in primary and secondary schools. Rwabusaiija now wants the Government to respond immediately or they continue with their intended strike starting Wednesday next week. She told the committee that teachers in Kenya get Kenyan shillings 3500 and in Tanzania teachers, get over $200 US dollars and wonders why Ugandan teachers cannot be paid to the same.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug - Alfred Byenkya

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TOUR OPERATORS ASK FOR FUNCTIONAL TOURISM MINISTRY AND AGENCIES
22 july 2011

Tour operators have demanded to meet the tourism minister and the tourism committee of Parliament to discuss and devise solutions to the numerous challenges facing the sector.
Speaking in Kampala on Wednesday, Mr Amos Wekesa, the president of the Uganda Tourism Association, said among the key issues players want to discuss include having a functional tourism ministry and agencies. Tourism was allocated a full ministry, away from Trade but it’s yet to start executing its duties. Mr Wekesa also noted that players need to talk about having functional wildlife authority and tourism boards. “Uganda Wildlife Authority top board members are in acting capacities and can’t make major decisions on matters concerning the industry. This is massively impacting the sector” he said.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority is responsible for the conservation of wildlife while the Uganda Tourism Board is charged with marketing and promoting the country as a tourism destination. UWA board was disbanded last year to pave way for the Commission of Inquiry to investigate how the Shs85.5 billion ($38 million) in grant and loan money from the World Bank was spent by UWA in the Protected Areas Management for Sustainable Use wild life project.
Functional boards – Ms Connie Tumusiime, the managing director Acacia Safaris, however, urged the commission to expedite the investigation and institute a functional board that can ably deliberate on matters concerning the industry. Mr Wekesa further said that the prevailing conditions in the country started with the general elections to a series of civil strikes in past months have portrayed a negative image of the country, thus discouraging tourists.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug -Faridah Kulabako

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MESSA DI SUFFRAGIO STASERA IN RICORDO DI SILVIA OCHEN
22 luglio 2011

In ricordo di Silvia Auma Ochen, una messa di suffragio nella chiesa di Sona, questa sera alle 20.30. Silvia Auma Ochen, mediatrice interculturale dell’Ulss 22, è scomparsa ai primi di luglio in seguito ad un incidente stradale nella capitale ugandese. Silvia collaborava da più di 10 anni con il servizio stranieri dell’Azienda Ulss 22: coinvolta nel progetto fin dal suo avvio, ha contribuito in modo sostanziale a definire un modello ormai collaudato di mediazione.
Lavorava nelle scuole, affiancando gli alunni di recente immigrazione nel delicato momento del primo inserimento e accompagnava le famiglie nel dialogo con la scuola e i servizi territoriali. Accoglieva il venerdì mattina, allo sportello all’ingresso dell’ospedale Orlandi di Bussolengo, i cittadini dell’Africa anglofona, nigeriani e ghanesi soprattutto, orientandoli al corretto accesso ai servizi sanitari e ospedalieri. In collaborazione con l’associazione ‘Le Ninfee’ realizzava laboratori di animazione interculturale nelle scuole. Portava la sua testimonianza raccontando la vita dei bambini ugandesi e l’Africa, condividendo la sua esperienza di migrante e mediatrice.
Molti operatori, insegnanti, famiglie, bambini che hanno potuto incontrarla e apprezzarne la professionalità sentiranno la sua mancanza.
Quanti hanno lavorato con lei potranno fare tesoro della sua discrezione e riservatezza, del suo rispetto per il prossimo, della capacità di empatia e dell’umiltà che la caratterizzavano. Come desiderio della famiglia, il funerale è stato celebrato in Uganda. Ora la comunità si stringerà attorno al marito Luciano Tacconi e ai figli Francesco e Maria nel suo ricordo.
fonte www.larena.it

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SUGAR PRICES KEEP AN UPWARD TREND
23 july 2011

Sugar prices have risen steadily in the last few weeks with a kilogramme costing as high as Shs5,000 in most market locations. The increase comes on the back of a 50 per cent duty reduction on the commodity that was recently announced by the government during the 2011/12 budget reading.
The cut would mean that the Shs50 tax levy on the commodity would be less by Shs25 for every kilogramme consumed. The spike in prices is attributed to the closure of some manufacturing factories for maintenance routines, high fuel prices and the general increase in the cost of doing business. Recently retail price in and around Kampala rose to between Shs4,000 and Shs5,000 from Shs2,400 last month. However, prices are expected to come down as manufacturers resume operation. It is expected that within a month’s time, traders would have stopped the speculation thus prices falling.
During this time market supply would also have stabilised as the sector’s maintains production. Around the same period last year, when sugar manufacturers closed for annual maintenance, prices increased from Shs1,900 to about Shs2,300 for every kilogramme. However, even after resuming production of the commodity, prices only dropped by about Shs100, this is an indication that suggests that prices might not go back to their original but would be kept in the rage of Shs3,000.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug – Othman Semakula

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UGANDA FACES FOOD SHORTAGE MONDAY
25 july 2011

Research carried out by the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness which is yet to be announced has established that several parts of the country will experience severe food shortage between August and January when the next harvesting period will be.
The ministry experts have advised the Government to set aside a reasonable amount of money not less than sh10b to embark on a drive of stocking food for emergency relief. The Ministry of Disaster Preparedness is already undertaking measures to ensure that the Ministry of Fnance, Planning, and Economic Development allocates funds for feeding Ugandans. Already, the Karamoja region is experiencing food shortage with over 1,200,000 people facing starvation.
Households in the pastoral and agro-pastoral areas of Amudat, Kaabong, Kotido, Moroto, Nakapiripirit and Napak are likely to continue facing food shortages for the remaining months of the year requiring relief food support from the Government. The ministry had red-zoned 15 districts which are likely to experience food shortage that might lead to starvation and deaths of people if there are no relief interventions.
These vulnerable districts include Moroto, Napak, Kotido, Amudat, Kaabong, Nakapiripirit, Abim, Amuria, Katakwi, Adjumani, Arua, Koboko, Moyo, Yumbe and Bulambuli. The disaster preparedness ministry has established that over 35 districts are likely to experience acute food shortages and these include Nebbi, Kyenjonjo, Amuru, Gulu, Pader, Kitgum, Dokolo, Apac, Lira, Amolatar, Sironko, Kapchorwa, Isingiro, Tororo, Busia, Budaka , Butaleja, Palisa, Sembabule, Lyantonde, Nakaseke, Mubende, Kooki, Kabula, Luwero, Rakai, Nakasongola, Bugiri, Namutumba, Iganga, Kaliro, and Kamuli.
Districts that are likely to experience moderate food shortages include Kamwenge, Bushenyi, Hoima, Bulisa, Ibanda and Kiruhura. Food shortage in these areas is likely to be result of sudden shocks such as excessive sell of household stocks. The areas that will experience severe food shortage had seasons of poor rainfall, crop failure, and poor agricultural performance.
There are also areas that have not recovered from the impact of last season’s drought and areas that experienced crop destruction by hail and windstorms.
A prolonged dry spell is the other factor many areas of the country, especially those around the cattle corridor experienced.
If more focus is put on the northern Uganda region which unlike other parts of the country has been currently experiencing a rain season since May, more food can be produced to feed other parts of the country.
According to the meteorology department’s forecast for the period between June and August, the northern region is expected to continue receiving rainfall. “The northern region has a rain season which is different from other parts of the country. That region is right now having a rainfall season which is expected to go up until the end of the year. If measures are undertaken to ensure that there is increased food production in that area, the country will have enough food” said Deus Bamanya, the assistant commissioner for meteorology in-charge of data processing and analysis.
Bamanya said at the peak of the harvesting period in August, food supply will increase and the food prices are expected to go down. “The Ministry of Agriculture people should come out and sensitive Ugandans on food security. Let them use our weather forecast to advise Ugandans on what to grow where and the need for stocking food in other parts that will experience food shortage. The sensation should be done early enough before it is too late” Bamanya advised.
Meanwhile, experts have also warned that the long dry spell that has been experienced in the neighboring countries of Somalia, Kenya, Ethopia, and Sudan has created famine in those areas and they will all be running to Uganda to buy off the country’s food that will be realised from the August harvest. As part of the preventive measures, the Uganda government might have to emulate Kenya by stopping traders from taking food out of the country.
The spokesperson for the Uganda Food and Agriculture Organisation of United Nations, Rachael Nanderenga, said the situation is likely to be bad. “We have not yet done any survey except that we have done with government jointly on the Karamoja region. Since most parts of the country got adequate rainfall, there are high prospects for a good harvest in most parts of the country. But rains are not enough to guarantee food security. The high fuel prices are likely to lead to higher food prices than it would have been” Nanderenga argued.
The head of the Ministry of Agriculture’s early warning department, Anunciata Hakuza, said they would carry out a thorough countrywide survey and produce report to guide the farmers. “We had not yet received funds from government to embark on research for our early warning reports. Probably in two weeks time we shall embark on that because the releases have started coming” said Hakuza.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug - Moses Mulondo

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DEMAND FOR SKILLED LABOUR ATTRACTS TECH UNIVERSITY
25 july 2011

Demand for skilled human resources in Uganda continues to be a major issue for organisations to deal with. Calls to enhance capacity have been partly answered to through plans for the construct of an ultra-modern technical university.
The university, aimed at enhancing the government policy of teaching science subjects and promoting practical skills among employees, is a brain child of a local education charity, Kariisa Foundation, officials said on July 13. The university in Ntungamo District, will target students from western districts and neighboring countries mainly to produce technically skilled personnel.
“Start of the construction will depend on how soon the project will be approved. We have support both locally and internationally to put up a skills development facility” said Mr Hamidu Kariisa, an Executive Member of the foundation said during a meeting in Kampala.
Mr Kariisa explained that the university is aimed at enhancing the government’s efforts to improve and develop human resources through training job creators rather than seekers. “We have a plan to cost us about $1million (approximately Shs2.5b) to construct laboratories and workshops as well as lecture theatres on a 16 acre piece of land. Our target is the increasing number of students who complete advanced secondary level but cannot afford universities in Kampala” Mr Kariisa said.
According to the expenditure performance for the financial year 2010/11, nine traditional secondary schools received fully quipped ICT laboratories to promote science and technology in schools. Funds have been provided by the government to equip technical institutions and about 10,000 youths, country-wide, were trained in various non-formal modularised courses for self-employment.
Mr Kariisa said the move is aimed at addressing the challenge of rising unemployment. It is estimated that the current job market can only absorb 20 percent of the youth. “Much as the youth are highly adaptable and only require attitudinal transformation, with technical and business management skills attained, that part of the population will fit into the existing job market and create avenues for generating their own small scale enterprises” said Mr Kariisa.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug -Ephraim Kasozi

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SHILLING IS THIRD WORST PERFORMING CURRENCY
25 july 2011

The Uganda Shilling is one of the world’s worst-performing currencies, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, a news agency. The local unit is in third position coming after the Suriname dollar and the Maldives rufiyaa.
Since January the Shilling has depreciated by about 12 per cent touching an all-time low of Shs2,700 in more than a decade. The unit was by close of last week set for a weekly decline against the dollar amid increased demand for the greenback from local domestic banks. It fell by 0.6 per cent to Shs2,600 per dollar bringing its decline so far this week to 1.9 per cent, according to Bloomberg’s data. Last week it closed at Shs2,585.
A local foreign exchange dealer, Mr Benon Okwenje, said last week: “The Shilling weakened slightly because of demand in the interbank market.” However, the local unit has also seen pressure from both corporate demand and the manufacturing sector. Businesses are pensive about the local unit’s trend, thus have been forced to increase stock capacity fearing for the worst.
The Shilling has since the beginning of this year heavily depreciated against major currencies on the back of rising inflation, high fuel prices, power outages and international market volatilities. In May, inflation rose to 16.1 per cent – a 17-year high, before slowing to 15.8 per cent in June. However, the central bank has stepped up measures that aim to stabilize the unit.
Apart from a regular market interventions, the central bank recently increased interbank interest rates from 11 per cent to 13 per cent. The move is part of the lager plan that seeks to mop up excess liquidity from the money market so as to curb the runaway inflation.
The government is also optimistic that the Shilling will soon be lifted as the petrol dollars begin to flow in. Uganda has an estimated 2.5 billion barrels of oil, with about 1 billion in proven reserves, according to Tullow. It is expected that by 2012 the country would have started pumping oil for commercial purposes.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug - Othman Semakula & Agencies

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FIRMS RAISE PRODUCT PRICES, CUT JOBS TO STAY IN BUSINESS
25 july 2011

Manufacturers and service providers are taking extreme measures as they seek continued business operation, amid worsening economic conditions. The measures that have been adapted to cut costs include; raising product prices, cutting jobs, reduction on noncommercial costs and a cut in product quantity.
This comes at a time when Uganda is facing an unending fuel crisis, skyrocketing inflation, heavy depreciation of the Shilling and continued power outages. A survey conducted by Daily Monitor among business leaders, indicates that the situation is indeed dire.
Counting loses – Last week, Mr Dawuda Viney, the managing director of Britannia Industries, told Daily Monitor that if the government does not intervene when it is still early, it will count heavy losses in the long run. “There is a drop in market demand. This is forcing us to have intervals of plant shut down since we can’t continue to produce goods that will just stay on the shelves” Mr Viney said. He said the increasing fuel prices and power outages have shot their budget by about Shs60 million on a daily basis as the firm seeks to keep their plants running on generators. Mr Josephat Ochieng, the Monitor Publications chief accountant, said last week that the power outages are costing the company heavily, which has almost tripled its expenditure on power. “We use generators, which are very expensive to maintain thus heavily affecting our budget, operations and cash flow” he said.
Weak Shilling - Mr Ochieng added that the depreciating Shilling is another burden to the business since most of the firm’s production inputs are dollar denominated. For instance a 500 kilogramme newsprint that used to cost about Shs1.4 million in January has increased by over Shs144,000. Currently it costs Shs1.54 million.
The price of the newsprint is dollar denominated and has since January been selling at $600, but, the weak local unit, forces firms to spend more Shillings while buying dollars for imported commodities. However, Mr Elliot Mwebya, the Bank of Uganda head of communications, assured businessmen that the central bank is doing all it can to stabilise the Shilling which he says has been the root cause of most problems. “The central bank has put up structures to help improve the performance of the local unit, which we believe will calm the tension.”
fonte www.monitor.co.ug -Nicholus Kalungi & Jacinta Odongo

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UGANDA, L’INFORMATICA CONTRO ASSENTEISMO A SCUOLA
26 luglio 2011

Tempi duri per gli assenteisti – insegnanti e allievi – delle scuole ugandesi. Gli istituti scolastici di 20 province del Paese sono stati, infatti, dotati di un software che giornalmente rileva le assenze ingiustificate e immette i dati direttamente nel Sistema informativo nazionale del ministero dell’Istruzione. Questi potrà cosi’ intervenire quasi in tempo reale, disponendo le opportune sanzioni contro coloro che si sottraggono all’obbligo della frequenza.
Il presidente della società di informatica che ha installato il dispositivo, James Curry, ha assicurato che “una squadra speciale di tecnici controllerà regolarmente le apparecchiature telematiche per assicurarsi del loro corretto funzionamento“.
L’uso della nuova tecnologia è stato accolto con soddisfazione dai funzionari ministeriali, spesso accusati di rari e inefficaci controlli sull’effettiva frequenza di docenti e scolari.
fonte www.agi.it

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UGANDA, SARA’ AMMODERNATO GRANDE OSPEDALE DI KAMPALA
28 luglio 2011

La Banca africana per lo Sviluppo (AfDB) ha erogato all’Uganda un prestito per un valore complessivo di 463 milioni di dollari, da destinare allo sviluppo dei settori sanitario, idrico e delle infrastrutture.
In un intervento a una cerimonia pubblica, il rappresentante dell’AfDB a Kampala, Patrick Simiyu Khaemba, ha detto che i fondi “serviranno al finanziamento, nel prossimo triennio, di settori cruciali per l’economia” di questo Paese dell’Africa orientale.
Tra i progetti in programma, l’ammodernamento dei centri sanitari di Kawempe e Kirundu e del più grande ospedale del Paese, situato nella parte settentrionale della capitale Kampala.
fonte www.agi.it

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ETIOPIA-UGANDA, PIU’ STRETTA COOPERAZIONE BILATERALE
28 luglio 2011

Etiopia e Uganda hanno deciso di rafforzare le relazioni bilaterali e di condurre congiuntamente “una serie di azioni a favore della pace e della sicurezza nella regione, in particolare in Somalia, e di combattere il terrorismo“.
In un comunicato diffuso al termine di un incontro, svoltosi a Kampala, tra il Vice primo ministro e ministro degli Esteri etiopico, Hailemariam Desalegn, e il ministro degli Esteri ugandese, Sam Kutesa, si rileva che “la decisione di rafforzare la cooperazione bilaterale nei settori di politica, economia e sicurezza, è una conseguenza della consapevolezza della gravità della situazione in Somalia, in particolare l’attività dei gruppi armati degli Shabaab“.
fonte www.agi.it

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TURISMO IN AFRICA CRESCIUTO DEL 6% NEL 2010
28 luglio 2011

Nel 2010 il turismo africano è cresciuto del 6 per cento rispetto all’anno precedente, toccando il traguardo, importante anche psicologicamente, dei 50 milioni di presenze. Lo ha reso noto a Dakar il Commissario alla Gestione di territorio, trasporti e turismo dell’Unione economica e monetaria dell’Africa occidentale (Uemoa), Ibrahim Tampone’.
Intervenendo a un convegno dedicato all’attuazione del Programma regionale per lo Sviluppo del turismo, Tampone’ ha detto che l’Africa “l’anno scorso ha beneficiato, tra l’altro, anche delle ricadute dei Mondiali di Calcio in Sud Africa“.
Al convegno ha partecipato oltre una trentina di esperti e dirigenti della Federazione delle organizzazioni di albergatori e operatori del turismo dell’Area Uemoa.
fonte www.agi.it

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Cambio valuta: in data 29/07/2011 1 dollaro USA è pari a 2606,5 scellini ugandesi, 1 Euro è pari a 3724,8166 scellini ugandesi

HOW UGANDA REGISTERED EBOLA SUCCESS
1 june 2011

UGANDA, HIV/AIDS AT 30 YEARS – GOOD AND BAD NEWS
5 june 2011

MAKERERE TO TRAIN JOBLESS GRADUATES MONDAY
6 june 2011

PROTESTE E CRESCITA, IL PRESIDENTE MUSEVENI PARLA ALLA NAZIONE
7 giugno 2011

UGANDA, MERCATI TRANSFRONTALIERI PER LO SVILUPPO
8 giugno 2011

TRAFFICO AEREO AFRICANO CRESCERA’ DEL 7% L’ANNO
9 giugno 2011

GOVERNMENT ASKED TO SPONSOR HIV STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY
9 june 2011

UGANDA, SI MODERNIZZA L’INDUSTRIA ITTICA
10 giugno 2011

UGANDA, 70 PER CENT OF PRIVATE CLINICS IN KAMPALA ILLEGAL
11 june 2011

UGANDA, EDUCATION MINISTRY FAILS TO SPEND SHS10 BILLION
13 june 2011

UGANDA, FORTI SCONTI A TURISTI SULLE TRACCE DEI GORILLA
13 giugno 2011

PER IL MERCATO COMUNE TRE ANNI DI NEGOZIATI
14 giugno 2011

AGGIORNATO PROCESSO A OPPOSITORI, APPELLI A NUOVE MARCE DI PROTESTA
14 giugno 2011

UGANDA, AL VIA PIANO PER CAMBIARE FACCIA AD AGRICOLTURA
15 giugno 2011

PROTESTE, APPELLO A INDAGARE SU “UCCISIONI SOMMARIE”
17 giugno 2011

UGANDA, RIVISTA AL RIALZO CRESCITA PRODUZIONE TE’
20 giugno 2011

UGANDA, EXPORT CAFFE’ SUPERA STIME DEL 43%
21 giugno 2011

UGANDA, PIANO EDILIZIA SCOLASTICA IN 18 PROVINCE
21 giugno 2011

SHILLING CONTINUES DOWNWARD DRIFT
22 june 2011

L’UGANDA PUNTA SU PICCOLE-MEDIE IMPRESE PER SVILUPPO
23 giugno 2011

UGANDA, CHIESTA ABOLIZIONE TASSA SU VISTI TURISTICI
24 giugno 2011

UGANDA, TEMPO DI DIRE BASTA
26 giugno 2011

HOTEL FOOD RATES SHOOT UP BY 18% SUNDAY
26 june 2011

HOW UGANDA REGISTERED EBOLA SUCCESS
1 june 2011

On May 27 in Bombo, as outgoing minister of Health, Stephen Malinga, announced that the 25 people who had gotten in contact with the girl that died from Ebola were Ebola free, he also told the story of how the outbreak was contained.
Dr Joseph Okware, Luwero’s district health officer, says that on May 1, Kate Nakiguli, the lone victim of this year’s Ebola outbreak fell ill and her grandmother tried to treat her using modest means. She took her to a clinic and after three days of treatment without any signs of improvement, the deceased was referred to another clinic in Wobulenzi.
However, her caretakers instead took her to Bombo Military Hospital. Okware describes this as “good luck” because if the deceased had been taken to the clinic in Wobulenzi, a bigger number of people could have gotten infected.
But because the manpower at Bombo Military Hospital was experienced in handling Ebola (they had worked with Ebola patients in Gulu and Bundibugyo), they quickly recognised the symptoms and took measures to curb its spread. Unfortunately, they were unable to save Nakiguli; she died five hours after getting to the hospital.
To determine whether the people who had gotten into contact with the girl had Ebola or not, they were monitored for symptoms of the disease and when they did not show after 21 days, they were declared Ebola free. Even as Malinga congratulated the team at Bombo Military Hospital for stopping what could have been an epidemic, he called upon the public to remain vigilant. “We should celebrate because we have been successful in controlling this outbreak but while we celebrate, we should remember that other cases could be reported” Malinga said. He called upon sick individuals to refrain from going to the Namugongo shrine to celebrate Martyrs Day on June 3, as these could have Ebola and spread it to the masses that turn up to celebrate.
If there is anything this outbreak has shown, it is the fact that if patients seek treatment from properly trained personnel, epidemics can be averted. Also, the fact that ordinary Ugandans can be lax about their health was highlighted during this outbreak.
Maama Brenda, who runs a restaurant near Bombo Military Hospital, said people were not bothered about the disease. Instead, they simply went about their business, seemingly unbothered. Only one man expressed fear of the disease. While it might be said that the people were right to be unbothered, after all the crisis had been declared over, Malinga called for vigilance. This means that individuals, especially those that are a mere 40km away from Zirobwe (Bombo Military Hospital and Zirobwe are 40km apart), cannot afford to relax.
fonte www.allafrica.com – Diana Nabiruma

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UGANDA, HIV/AIDS AT 30 YEARS – GOOD AND BAD NEWS
5 june 2011

Thirty years ago on June 5 1981, American scientists confirmed what would later be known as HIV/Aids. As the world marks three decades of the epidemic today, the disease which remains incurable presents an astonishing mixture of bad and good news. Globally, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAIDS) estimates some 34 million people are living with the HIV virus and nearly the same number have died since the first case was reported in 1981. In its latest report, ‘Aids at 30: Nations at the Crossroads’ released on Friday, UNAIDS reveals that the rate of new infections has fallen globally by 25 per cent.
Treatment gap - Despite expanded access to antiretroviral therapy, a major treatment gap remains, the report shows. At the end of 2010, it says some nine million people who were eligible for treatment did not have access. Treatment access for children, the report shows, is lower than for adults - only 28 per cent of eligible children were receiving antiretroviral therapy in 2009, compared to 36 per cent coverage for people of all ages.
“Access to treatment will transform the Aids response in the next decade. We must invest in accelerating access and finding new treatment options” said Mr Michel Sidibe, UNAIDS executive director. He added: “Antiretroviral therapy is a bigger game-changer than ever before it not only stops people from dying, but also prevents transmission of HIV to women, men and children.”
While the rate of new HIV infections has declined globally, the total number of HIV infections remains high, at about 7,000 per day and the number of people living with HIV/Aids is still on the increase. Part of the reason is that Aids patients are surviving longer because of the availability of antiretroviral treatment. In Uganda, the 30th anniversary of the HIV/Aids epidemic is being marked by both good and bad news.
Ten years ago, Uganda was considered a shining example of how a country even a poor one at that can effectively fight HIV/Aids, having reduced its prevalence from 18 per cent in the 1980s to about 5 per cent by 2000. But in recent years, the country’s reputation has lost its lustre, as gains against the disease have halted. Experts say complacency, ignorance and indifference have played a role in reversing Uganda’s gains against the HIV/Aids epidemic. And the number of people getting infected every year about 130,000 are higher than the number of people drying from Aids related illnesses.
As UNAIDS analysis show, for every one person who starts treatment, two others become newly infected. Ironically though, Uganda appears to be a victim of its own success. News of the early success, the comfort brought about by the availability of drugs has led to complacency and a return to risky sexual behaviour. As a result, fewer people are using condoms regularly and many more including married people and others in long term relationships are taking on multiple sexual partners. Dr Kihumuro Apuuli, the director general of the Uganda Aids Commission (UAC), explained that behaviour change will be crucial to turning the tide against the Aids epidemic.
“A vaccine that lives within yourself to change your sexual behaviour is the only thing that will set you free” Dr Apuuli said. According to Dr Apuuli, keeping more people on anti-retroviral drugs will be more costly if the number of new infections keeps rising. And donor countries which fund more than 80 per cent of Uganda’s Aids budget are growing restless as they consider the prospect of an ever-rising cost to keep hundreds of thousands of infected people alive.
ARV treatment – Some 550,000 people living with HIV/Aids are currently eligible for anti-retroviral treatment under treatment guidelines which were developed by the World Health Organisation but only about 240,000 are receiving this treatment according to figures from UAC. According to the UNAIDS report, some $22 billion is needed globally between now and 2015 to fight HIV/Aids $6 billion more than is available today.
Mr Musa Bungudu, the country coordinator for UNAIDS in Uganda, said the country needs to invest more of its resources in managing HIV/Aids. “We need to invest our financial resources in as much as the international community is contributing to our HIV response. We cannot continue to depend entirely on outside resources. What happens if they suddenly stop?” Mr Bungudu questioned. Mr Bungudu said if government starts putting more of its own money to manage HIV/Aids, it can lead to some level of ownership and responsibility. “If Uganda can reduce the number of workshops and conferences, that can see more money being channelled to managing HIV/Aids” he said.
Health experts also say government should invest in a range of options that can make a big difference including promoting sexual behaviour change, investing in male circumcision, massive voluntary counselling and testing, preventing mother to child transmission and proven scientific interventions including a vaccine. But they agree that after 30 years with no cure or a vaccine, turning the Aids tide remains difficult, requiring a combination of patience, increased local responsibility and some tough decisions.
fonte www.allafrica.com – Diana Nabiruma

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MAKERERE TO TRAIN JOBLESS GRADUATES MONDAY
6 june 2011

Makerere University has invited its graduates who failed to get jobs to go back for free vocational training. The programme, which the vice-chancellor, Prof. Venasius Baryamureeba, announced yesterday, aims at equipping unemployed graduates with better practical skills.
According to Baryamureeba, the skills will enhance the graduates’ employability or enable them to start and run their own businesses effectively. The courses to be taught include entrepreneurship and small business management, tourism, leisure and hospitality, road maintenance and food processing. Others are computer engineering, mainly machine repair and maintenance, microfinance and small scale manufacturing like candle making, liquid soap production, juice processing and carpentry. Particular courses are being piloted in some of the university colleges, although the programme would be formalised and rolled out in the coming financial year.
Baryamureeba explained that the graduates would be required to apply formerly after the university has advertised available vacancies. Upon completion, he said, the graduates would be able to work in hotels, hair salons, garages, restaurants, massage parlours and internet cafes among other fields.
“The university shall endeavour to provide quality vocational training to our former graduates because we believe graduates can engage in vocational jobs and perform better than non-graduates” Baryamureeba said during a press conference at the university. He said the department of food science and technology, computer science and engineering were already running donor-funded vocational courses. The department of food science offers a technology and business incubation course funded by the Government.
Prof. William Kyamuhangire, a department official, said 15 graduates who present the best business plans are admitted annually. Makerere’s intervention comes in the wake of increasing unemployment in the country. Annually, 26,000 Ugandan graduates fail to get jobs, according to the gender and labour ministry’s April report. The ministry said of the 400,000 who graduate every year, only 160,000 get jobs.
This figure does not include the illiterate who are unemployed. In an extra bid to fight graduate unemployment, the university has partnered with AIESEC, a global organisation, to provide final year students with international internships. AIESEC is run by students and recent graduates of institutions of higher education. Its president, Manuela Mueller, said the first batch of five computer students is currently working with TATA.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug -Francis Kagolo

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PROTESTE E CRESCITA, IL PRESIDENTE MUSEVENI PARLA ALLA NAZIONE
7 giugno 2011

Inflazione, economia, proteste popolari e stabilità interna: sono, per grandi linee, i principali temi toccati dal presidente Yoweri Kaguta Museveni nel discorso pronunciato in occasione dell’insediamento del nuovo parlamento di Kampala.
Davanti ad un’estesa platea, composta di politici ed esponenti di spicco della società ugandese, il presidente ha bacchettato il ruolo svolto da “alcuni mezzi di comunicazione”, che nelle ultime settimane avrebbero “contribuito ad infangare l’immagine del paese e della sua sostanziale armonia sociale”. “In Uganda – ha insistito il capo dello stato, nel discorso sullo stato della nazione – i problemi ci sono, ma c’è anche un aumento del benessere grazie ad una crescita annua del 9%, che si riflette nel settore edilizio, con lo sviluppo della città di Kampala che arriverà presto a congiungersi con Entebbe”.
Riguardo al recente aumento dei prezzi dei generi di prima necessità e dei carburanti, che nelle scorse settimane hanno originato proteste e disordini di piazza, Museveni ha spiegato che “sono frutto di un’inflazione importata, derivante dai problemi nel Nord Africa e dalla cattiva congiuntura economia a livello internazionale”. Questi problemi – secondo il presidente – potranno essere superati dalla “prossima produzione ed esportazione di petrolio”, programmata a partire dal 2014, grazie alla scoperta di ingenti risorse di greggio nei territori a ovest del lago Alberto.
“Il nuovo governo” ha concluso il presidente mentre tra il pubblico alcuni esponenti di opposizione rumoreggiavano, come riporta il quotidiano ugandese ‘Daily Monitor’ “avrà come obiettivo primario nei prossimi cinque anni la lotta e il contrasto alla corruzione”. L’uomo forte di Kampala, al potere nel paese dal 1986, ha dovuto fronteggiare negli ultimi due mesi movimenti di protesta indetti dal Fronte per il cambiamento democratico (Fdc) del suo avversario Kizza Besigye, sconfitto nelle elezioni di febbraio scorso, in cui Museveni è stato confermato alla guida dell’Uganda per un quarto mandato consecutivo con quasi il 70% delle preferenze.
fonte www.misna.org

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UGANDA, MERCATI TRANSFRONTALIERI PER LO SVILUPPO
8 giugno 2011

La cooperazione transfrontaliera è fatta anche di scambi informali che vanno dal piccolo oggetto di uso quotidiano ai volumi di importanza medio-grande. In quest’ottica il governo ugandese ha avviato un programma, dal costo stimato pari a circa 229.000 euro, per la creazione di 17 mercati a ridosso delle sue frontiere, con l’obiettivo di moltiplicare i volumi dei prodotti scambiati a livello regionale e internazionale.
Intervenendo a Kampala a un corso di formazione per giovani che aspirano a intraprendere la carriera politica, il segretario permanente del ministero del Commercio, Julius Onen, ha annunciato che il primo dei nuovi mercati transfrontalieri sorgerà a Katuna, nel nord del Paese, “con l’obiettivo” ha precisato “di imprimere nuovo slancio agli scambi commerciali tra Uganda, Ruanda e Sudan meridionale“.
fonte www.agi.it

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TRAFFICO AEREO AFRICANO CRESCERA’ DEL 7% L’ANNO
9 giugno 2011

Nel prossimo decennio, il traffico aereo del continente crescerà a una media annua del 7% “sulla spinta dello sviluppo economico degli Stati africani e sostenuto da una forte domanda di scambi commerciali con il resto del mondo”.
La stima è stata fatta dal ministro del Trasporto aereo senegalese, Karim Wade, in occasione della cerimonia indetta per il 75esimo anniversario della presenza di Air France in questo Paese dell’Africa occidentale. “Il Senegal” ha detto il ministro “sta per avviare importanti progetti, molti dei quali relativi alle infrastrutture aeroportuali”. Per quanto riguarda il prossimo futuro, Wade ha stimato che, entro il 2015, gli aeroporti del suo Paese registreranno un traffico di 2,4 milioni di passeggeri, con 25.000 movimenti di aerei e 37.000 tonnellate di merci.
fonte www.agi.it

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GOVERNMENT ASKED TO SPONSOR HIV STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY
9 june 2011

Mothers living with HIV/AIDS in the Acholi sub-region have asked government to give priority to youth living with HIV when awarding university scholarships. The mothers said the parents of these youth are also living with HIV/AIDS, adding that many of them were too weak to raise school fees for their children.
Over 2,400 children living with HIV are registered at Awach health centre IV by Health Alert Uganda (HAU) under the Positive Prevention Project. The project is funded by Save the Children in Uganda, an international NGO. The HAU senior programme officer in Gulu, Jennifer Abalo Opoka, said some of the children were born with HIV.
Margaret Akullu, 40, a widow living with HIV said mothers, whose babies are living with HIV, find it difficult to provide supplementary feeds for them due to poverty. “The cost of a tin of Nan powder milk used to feed these babies has gone up from sh15,000 to sh30,000 and many mothers cannot afford it” Opoka said. “The mothers living with HIV/AIDS are encouraged not to breastfeed their babies but give them cow milk and millet porridge” she added. Opoka said under the Positive Prevention Project, about 200 households of children living with HIV/AIDS in the region were given goats, chicken and ox- ploughs.
Save the Children in Uganda revolved funds to enable them generate income. She added that they also encourage the youth living with HIV to mobilise and sensitise other youth on the dangers of engaging in activities like unsafe sex that could lead to re-infection and infecting others.
Francis Omony, 21, who has been living with HIV since 2003, said young people living with the virus find it difficult to disclose their status to their lovers for fear of being abandoned. The Save the Children in Uganda HIV/AIDS programme coordinator, Benon Orach, said the Positive Prevention Project aims at building resilience of the youth living with the virus to enable them become self-reliant and handle stigma and discrimination.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug -Chris Ocowun

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UGANDA, SI MODERNIZZA L’INDUSTRIA ITTICA
10 giugno 2011

L’Uganda varerà un piano per la modernizzazione dell’industria ittica nelle zone dei Laghi Alberto e Kyoga, che sarà dotata di macchinari e attrezzature di ultima generazione. Con un finanziamento a fondo perduto di oltre 2,3 milioni di euro erogato dall’Agenzia islandese per lo sviluppo internazionale, il piano prevede che a trarne beneficio siano i pescatori delle province di Ntoroko, Hoima, Bulisa, Nebbi, Apac, Amolotar, Soroti e Buyende.
Il governo di Kampala ha inoltre reso noto che sarà avviato un “importante” progetto di acquacoltura per “evitare un eccessivo impoverimento delle riserve ittiche” dei laghi di questo Paese, che non ha sbocchi sul mare.
fonte www.agi.it

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UGANDA, 70 PER CENT OF PRIVATE CLINICS IN KAMPALA ILLEGAL
11 june 2011

A crackdown operation on private health service providers in Kampala has found that over 70 per cent are operating illegally. The operation conducted last month by the Ministry of Health, the Joint Health Professional Councils and the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda also found that majority of the private clinics, drug shops or pharmacies run without qualified staff.
At least 180 health units were surveyed in the month-long operation in Kawempe, Makindye, Nakawa, Rubaga and Kampala central divisions. Many were shut down after the operation. Addressing the press on Wednesday, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry of health, Dr Asuman Lukwago, said with the growing number of private facilities, it is hard to validate the quality of services offered.
Quacks must go - “Our emphasis is on quality. We shall not sympathise with quacks because we care for the tax payer who deserves quality healthcare” Dr Lukwago said. He said the operation followed a public outcry that many of the private drug shops and clinics do not adhere to requirements necessary for them to practice, with some not registered while others employ unqualified staff.
The Health Ministry says up to 50 per cent of patients in Uganda get healthcare from the private sector, despite the abolition of user fees in public facilities in 2001. In a mini report on the operation, the ministry also found that most allied health professional clinics advertise for services beyond their expertise, while others display and overstock drugs sold directly to patients contrary to the National Drug Authority Act.
Dr Katumba Ssentongo, the Registrar of the Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council, said a stronger regulation of private facilities will help curb illegal operators. The ministry has urged the public to report quack clinics and drug shops.
fonte www.allafrica.com – Evelyn Lirri

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UGANDA, EDUCATION MINISTRY FAILS TO SPEND SHS10 BILLION
13 june 2011

The Education Ministry is set to return close to Shs10 billion to the Consolidated Fund after it failed to utilise the funds, a senior ministry official has said. According to Mr Francis Lubanga, the permanent secretary, the money had been earmarked for recruitment of primary teachers in rural districts. “We are returning that money to the Consolidated Fund just because some local governments failed to recruit teachers. We pray that they play their part this time round so that we achieve our objectives as a ministry” he said last Friday as veteran education minister Geraldine Bitamazire handed over office to her successor, Lt. Jessica Alupo, at the ministry offices in Kampala.
Thousands unemployed – He, however, did not name the defaulting districts and neither could this newspaper establish details by press time. The revelation, however, is bound to dismay many as thousands of young graduates continue to roam the streets in search of jobs and schools battle with an unsustainable pupil to teacher ratio. But in what might appear a deeper problem than meets the eye, Mr Lubanga said staff inadequacies were not limited to rural schools, noting that the headquarters itself had many gaps to fill. He said many departments had less of the staff they required. “This situation has resulted in failure to monitor and efficiently supervise the numerous projects and programmes. We hope in the next six months the Education Service Commission will come to our rescue and address this issue” he said.
Despite the introduction of universal education both at primary (last 13 years) and secondary school level (about two years now) government has maintained a staff ceiling system that restricts the number of teachers recruited to the payroll. Mr Lubanga said the ministry is now embarking on a strategy to ensure that districts recruit their teacher stocks as per the communicated set staff quotas. “We’re looking for measures to ensure districts develop capacity to recruit teachers” he said. Some districts complain that they cannot afford wages of teachers due to insufficient funds. Primary school teachers are paid a monthly salary of Shs200, 000 putting them near the bottom of professional government employees.
Vibrant sector - Ms Bitamazire said although education still faces challenges, her successor had joined a “vibrant sector”. “You are indeed taking on a vibrant sector that has made enormous achievements” she said. She advised Ms Alupo to fast-track the ongoing curriculum review at post-primary level to enable the country get a vibrant manpower with skills to create their own jobs. “There is need to consult tertiary institutions and universities on the required knowledge and skills for further education and training at post-secondary levels” she said.
Ms Alupo commended Ms Bitamazire for her contribution to education and promised to build on her successes. “My prayer is that we continue in a progressive way and we don’t slide back” she said. Mr Bitamazire saluted President Museveni for keeping her in the ministry for 12 years, saying her longevity had enabled her turn around the sector. Ms Bitamazire first became education minister in 1979 for one year, before joining the then Teaching Service Commission, now Education Service Commission as deputy chairperson. She became State Minister for Education in 1999, serving in that capacity until 2005, when she became full minister.
fonte www.allafrica.com – Al-Mahdi Ssenkabirwa

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UGANDA, FORTI SCONTI A TURISTI SULLE TRACCE DEI GORILLA
13 giugno 2011

Per rilanciare il turismo nelle zone che ospitano rare specie di gorilla di montagna, l’Uganda ha varato una politica di forti sconti a beneficio dei visitatori. I ribassi, dell’ordine del 50 per cento, saranno in vigore fino al 2013.
Il direttore esecutivo dell’Autorità ugandese per l’Ambiente, Andrew Seguya, ha detto in conferenza stampa che la politica di forti sconti sui biglietti di ingresso nelle zone frequentate dai primati “mira soprattutto a fare cassa, ampliando il numero dei turisti che possono ammirare una delle specie animali più interessanti“, soprattutto quando osservati nel loro habitat. Negli ultimi quattro anni è aumentata di oltre il 90 per cento la vendita dei biglietti per l’accesso ai parchi che ospitano i gorilla di montagna, una specie presente solo in Ruanda, Repubblica democratica del Congo e Uganda.
fonte www.agi.it

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PER IL MERCATO COMUNE TRE ANNI DI NEGOZIATI
14 giugno 2011

A beneficiare di un mercato comune saranno tutti i paesi, anche quelli economicamente più deboli: lo ha sostenuto Kennedy Mbekeani, il dirigente della Banca di sviluppo africana (Bad) che sta seguendo i negoziati sulla nascita di un’area di libero scambio estesa dall’Egitto al Sudafrica, dall’Angola alle Isole Mauritius. Mbekeani ha concesso un’intervista all’agenzia di stampa americana ‘Associated Press’ all’indomani della firma a Johannesburg di un’intesa sull’abolizione delle barriere doganali e dei dazi sul commercio di beni.
L’accordo, che prevede negoziati di durata triennale per definire tempi e modalità delle riforme, è stato sottoscritto dai rappresentanti dei 26 paesi membri della Comunità dell’Africa orientale (Eac), del Mercato comune dell’Africa meridionale e orientale (Comesa) e della Comunità per lo sviluppo dell’Africa australe (Sadc). “Nel breve termine ci saranno vincitori e perdenti - ha sostenuto Mbekeani – ma sul medio e lungo periodo avranno benefici anche i paesi piccoli”. La firma di Johannesburg è tappa di un processo di integrazione che vale un prodotto lordo da 575 miliardi di euro e coinvolge 533 milioni di africani, circa il 57% della popolazione del continente.
Re Mswathi III, il re dello Swaziland, uno dei paesi più poveri e meno popolosi del continente, durante il vertice ha chiesto che si tenga conto delle esigenze di tutti. Pochi minuti prima Jacob Zuma aveva detto che “nessun paese può prosperare da solo” e sottolineato la necessità di puntare sullo sviluppo delle infrastrutture regionali.
fonte www.misna.org

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AGGIORNATO PROCESSO A OPPOSITORI, APPELLI A NUOVE MARCE DI PROTESTA
14 giugno 2011

“La situazione in città è tranquilla. Si aspettano gli esiti dei processo a carico degli oppositori, ma nel frattempo non si sono svolte altre marce di protesta”: fonti missionarie descrivono così alla MISNA l’atmosfera nella capitale Kampala, dove si è svolta ieri la prima udienza nel processo agli oppositori per le marce ‘walk to work’ contro il carovita.
“La presenza dei posti di blocco è diminuita, ma i controlli sono sempre attivi, nel caso in cui si verifichino nuovi episodi o disordini” riferiscono gli interlocutori secondo cui Kizza Besygie, guida del ‘Forum per il cambiamento democratico’ (Fdc) di opposizione, tornando a casa, ieri, ha invitato la popolazione a non sospendere la protesta e a far sentire la voce del loro malcontento. Circa una decina di persone – i bilanci sono parziali e non confermati – sarebbero morte tra aprile e maggio negli scontri tra i manifestanti e la polizia intervenuta per disperderli.
Nonostante gli appelli dell’opposizione, che invitava gli ugandesi a partecipare alle proteste indette contro i recenti e indiscriminati aumenti dei prezzi dei generi alimentari e dei carburanti, la protesta non è mai riuscita a mobilitare più di alcune centinaia di persone.
Al termine della prima giornata di processo, la corte ha deciso di aggiornare il dibattito – che vede alla sbarra degli imputati Besygie e altre sei persone, con l’accusa di incitazione alla violenza e assembramento illegale – al prossimo 13 luglio.
fonte www.misna.org

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UGANDA, AL VIA PIANO PER CAMBIARE FACCIA AD AGRICOLTURA
15 giugno 2011

Il settore agricolo dell’Uganda è destinato a cambiare faccia nel prossimo futuro. Grazie a un piano quinquennale varato dal governo locale e finanziato con una cifra iniziale di circa 40 milioni di euro, in parte messi a disposizione dalla Banca Africana di Sviluppo (Afdb). Il piano rientra in un progetto più ambizioso che mira a migliorare le condizioni di vita, le infrastrutture, l’istruzione e la salute delle popolazioni rurali.
Per quanto riguarda il settore agricolo, spiegano i tecnici dell’esecutivo di Kampala, si provvederà a innalzare il livello delle strade di campagna in modo da accelerare l’accesso dei prodotti su 97 mercati sparsi sul territorio nazionale. Insieme ad altri interventi pianificati o messi già in cantiere si stima che a regime la produzione agricola nazionale potrebbe aumentare di oltre il 50 per cento.
fonte www.agi.it

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PROTESTE, APPELLO A INDAGARE SU “UCCISIONI SOMMARIE”
17 giugno 2011

Un’inchiesta indipendente che faccia luce sull’uccisione di 9 civili disarmati durante diversi episodi di repressione, da parte delle forze di polizia, contro gruppi di manifestanti che protestavano per l’aumento dei prezzi e l’inflazione crescente: a rivolgere l’appello al governo di Kampala sono oltre un centinaio di organizzazioni per i diritti umani attive nel paese.
In una lettera indirizzata al presidente Yoweri Museveni, i firmatari dell’appello accusano gli agenti “di uso sproporzionato e indiscriminato della forza” sottolineato che, nelle settimane in cui si sono verificati i disordini “il governo ha arrestato decine di dimostranti e disposto investigazioni sugli episodi di saccheggio, incendio e rapina” ma non ha dimostrato lo stesso impegno “per individuare i responsabili di uccisioni sommarie”.
Il mese scorso il presidente Museveni, rieletto per un quarto mandato a febbraio, aveva accusato polizia e magistratura di “debolezza” contro “chi minaccia di sovvertire la stabilità interna”. L’appello si inserisce in un clima di crescente tensione tra maggioranza e opposizione, e mentre il capofila del Forum per il cambiamento democratico, Kizza Besygie, è sotto processo con altri esponenti del movimento, in relazione alle recenti proteste di piazza.
fonte www.misna.org

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UGANDA, RIVISTA AL RIALZO CRESCITA PRODUZIONE TE’
20 giugno 2011

L’Uganda ha rivisto al rialzo al 9,1 per cento la crescita stimata della produzione di the, per la maggiore estensione dei terreni coltivati e l’uso più razionale dei fertilizzanti.
Il segretario esecutivo dell’Uganda Tea Association, George William Ssekitoleko, ha annunciato in un’intervista ai media locali che entro dicembre la produzione potrà raggiungere le 60.000 tonnellate, contro le 55.000 previste nel gennaio scorso. Nel 2010 la produzione di the di questo Paese dell’Africa orientale fu pari a poco più di 59.000 tonnellate.
fonte www.agi.it

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UGANDA, EXPORT CAFFE’ SUPERA STIME DEL 43%
21 giugno 2011

Procede a gonfie vele la raccolta del caffè in Uganda. A maggio le esportazioni sono state pari a 253.270 sacchi da 60 chilogrammi, il 43 per cento in più rispetto alle stime, secondo le quali nel periodo considerato sarebbero stati esportati 210.000 sacchi.
Una fonte dell’Ente per lo sviluppo del caffè ha definito l’aumento “significativo“, soprattutto per quanto riguarda la produzione delle regioni meridionale e sud-occidentale, perchè “si è nel periodo centrale della raccolta“. L’Uganda e’ uno dei primi Paesi africani esportatori di caffè, principalmente della varietà ‘robusta’.
fonte www.agi.it

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UGANDA, PIANO EDILIZIA SCOLASTICA IN 18 PROVINCE
21 giugno 2011

Il governo dell’Uganda varerà entro il mese un programma di edilizia scolastica in 18 province per “esaudire la richiesta d’istruzione che proviene dalla società“. Lo hanno reso noto fonti della presidenza della Repubblica, a margine della cerimonia per il passaggio delle consegne tra i ministri dell’Istruzione uscente e entrante, rispettivamente Beatrice Wabudeya e Kabakumba Masiko.
Le fonti non hanno precisato l’entità dei fondi necessari per la realizzazione del programma, ma hanno dato assicurazioni sulla loro “congruità” e sulla loro provenienza dal bilancio pubblico.
fonte www.agi.it

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SHILLING CONTINUES DOWNWARD DRIFT
22 june 2011

The shilling continued to lose ground against the dollar hitting a low of Shs2,460 yesterday. Traders quoted the local unit at between Shs2,460 and Shs2,450, indicating an average value loss of about Shs5 since Friday. The unit quoted at Shs2,445 on Friday against the green back. Since the beginning of last year the shilling has lost against the dollar by 4.8 per cent, the highest since 2004.
The continued loss comes on the back of government bickering indicating gross budget indiscipline and abuse of fiscal and monetary policies. Recently Mr Emmannuel Tumusimme Mutebile, the governor of Bank of Uganda was quoted by the Financial Times criticising President Museveni over the use of the country’s currency reserves to purchase fighter jets. Since then (Wednesday) the shilling has been sliding forcing the central bank to intervene in the exchange market with $20 million early last week.
Addressing journalists in Kampala last week, Mr Mutebile warned speculators saying he had enough reserves to tame them. He said: “I would not hesitate to tame speculators” adding that “I have capacity to burn their fingers.” However, traders have said the intervention had less impact evidenced by the continued fall of the unit to a new low that was last registered in 2004. Other currencies across East Africa, including Kenya and Tanzania have also weakened against the dollar with the Kenyan unit being the worst hit.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug -Othman Semakula

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L’UGANDA PUNTA SU PICCOLE-MEDIE IMPRESE PER SVILUPPO
23 giugno 2011

Per accelerare il suo sviluppo, l’Uganda punta soprattutto sulle piccole e medie imprese (Pmi). In governo di Kampala ha annunciato una serie di misure con l’obiettivo di incentivare l’avvio di nuove aziende e dare un nuovo impulso a quelle già attive. In quest’ottica, entrerà in funzione a breve un apposito organismo, che regolerà il comparto e sarà gestito dal ministero di Industria, Commercio e Cooperative, in collaborazione con altri soggetti del mondo imprenditoriale. Inoltre, saranno creati sull’intero territorio nazionale degli istituti dedicati alla formazione dei talenti imprenditoriali, con particolare attenzione verso il mondo delle Pmi.
Nel suo discorso di insediamento, il nuovo ministro del Commercio, Amelia Kyambadde, ha spiegato che il nuovo organismo per lo sviluppo delle Pmi “rimedierà alle manchevolezze finora registrate da parte del governo verso un settore che sempre più si caratterizza come il volano dello sviluppo nazionale“.
fonte www.agi.it

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UGANDA, CHIESTA ABOLIZIONE TASSA SU VISTI TURISTICI
24 giugno 2011

Gli operatori delle compagnie aeree attive in Uganda hanno lanciato un appello al governo di Kampala affinchè elimini la tassa, pari a 50 dollari, dovuta per il visto di ingresso turistico nel Paese. L’abolizione dell’imposta, sostengono coloro che vorrebbero fosse eliminata, “contribuirebbe certamente ad un aumento del turismo nel Paese“.
Si è fatto portavoce dell’appello al governo il presidente dell’Associazione dei rappresentanti delle compagnie aeree presenti a Kampala, Pierre Declerck. Dal canto suo, il responsabile dell’Ente nazionale per il Turismo, Justus Tindikanigayo, ha detto di essere “pronto a trasmettere al governo” la richiesta delle 20 compagnie rappresentate nella capitale ugandese.
fonte www.agi.it

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UGANDA, TEMPO DI DIRE BASTA
26 giugno 2011

Membro di spicco del Forum for Democratic Change (il principale partito d’opposizione), vice segretaria per le Relazioni internazionali del partito, Anne Mugisha è anche un’esponente di una organizzazione, Activists for Change (A4C), in prima linea nella battaglia per ridare voce ai cittadini, per far cadere un regime, quello del presidente Yoweri Museveni, in carica da 25 anni, che non sembra aver intenzione di passare la mano. A Peacereporter ha raccontato il fermento che agita la società ugandese, speranze e paure di chi chiede un cambiamento.
Le notizie arrivate dall’Uganda nelle ultime settimane parlavano di proteste diffuse in tutto il Paese, di marce all’insegna dello slogan “Walk to Work”, di una reazione violenta da parte delle forze di sicurezza e di arresti di attivisti e di leader dell’opposizione come Kizza Besigye. Il vento della primavera araba sta arrivando anche in Uganda?
Gli ugandesi vogliono liberarsi di un regime che è stato al potere per un quarto di secolo e che non ha migliorato in nulla le condizioni della popolazione. Il retroterra che ha permesso le rivoluzioni in Egitto e Tunisia, grosso modo esiste anche in Uganda. Durante gli ultimi 25 anni, il Paese ha avuto un solo leader. Certo, c’è stata una crescita economica molto forte ma le statistiche non riflettono il crescente gap tra ricchi e poveri. La ricchezza del Paese è concentrata nelle mani di pochi individui dell’elite al potere che non sono interessati ai problemi della gente comune. Le ultime quattro elezioni che hanno confermato Museveni si sono rivelate fraudolente e i tribunali lo hanno risconosciuto per due volte.
Gli ugandesi hanno smesso di sperare di poter cambiare, attraverso le urne, un regime che sta diventando sempre più militarista e oppressivo. I giovani, che sono più della metà della popolazione, si sentono emarginati e senza prospettive, eppure vedono molta ricchezza intorno a loro. Le marce organizzate con la campagna “Walk to Work” erano un modo di esprimere questo scontento diffuso tra la gente comune e la classe operaia. Il mondo invece ha visto che la libertà di assemblea e di espressione in Uganda sono diventati crimini e che la polizia ha usato la forza per fermare la gente. Tutti questi fattori dicono che l’Uganda è sull’orlo di una sollevazione popolare.
Ma il Forum for Democratic Change, del quale lei è un membro di spicco, è una reale alternativa al sistema? In fondo il vostro candidato premier ha già sfidato il presidente Museveni per ben tre volte, nel 2001, nel 2006 e nel 2011.
La nostra è la battaglia di un popolo che lotta per riaffermare la propria supremazia su coloro che ci governano illegittimamente e in modo oppressivo. L’articolo 1 della Costituzione del 1995 dice che “Tutto il potere appartiene al popolo che esercita la sovranità secondo la Costituzione”. Il comma 2 dice che “senza alcun limite per la clausola 1, l’autorità emana dal popolo ugandese. Il popolo deve essere governato secondo la propria volontà e con il proprio consenso”. Costringere il governo a diventare responsabile di fronte al popolo e a guidare la transizione da una governance corrotta e cattiva ad una leadership che sia centrata sulla popolazione. Questo è il nostro obiettivo come Activists for Change. Chi sono gli individui che si assumeranno la leadership politica per questo cambiamento, non è importante. Non vogliamo nuovi liberatori per questo Paese. Abbiamo solo bisogno che le persone reclamino la propria superiorità sui propri governanti e sui presunti liberatori.
Ecco, lei ha menzionato Activists for Change, organizzazione della quale è un’importante esponente. Di cosa si tratta? Trova analogie con quei movimenti popolari di protesta sorti in Europa di recente? Cosa chiedete e a chi?
Si, sono un’attivista di ‘Activists for Change’. Abbiamo promosso una campagna popolare contro la corruzione nel governo, contro il caro-vita causato dall’inflazione galoppante e dall’assenza di una politica governativa per aiutare gli ugandesi a far fronte alla crescita dei prezzi dei carburanti. Il nostro approccio non è stato quello di riempire le piazze ma piuttosto abbiamo chiesto alla classe media di solidarizzare con i ceti meno abbienti che non possono più permettersi di prendere mezzi per andare a lavorare o che non riescono ad assicurare alle proprie famiglie più di un pasto al giorno. Oltre a questa dimostrazione di solidarietà, abbiamo condotto campagne sui media e attraverso petizioni contro la corruzione e lo sperpero di denaro pubblico.
A proposito di corruzione e sperpero di denaro, poche settimane fa si è svolta una sessione a porte chiuse durante la quale il parlamento ha discusso un aumento dello stipendio (120 mila dollari in più l’anno, ndr) e un’estensione dei benefit per i suoi membri. Qual è la posizione di A4C?
Ci siamo sentiti oltraggiati quando addirittura dopo le marce di aprile per il Walk to Work – nelle quali molte persone innocenti hanno perso la vita, tanti leader sono stati arrestati con brutalità e messi in galera, centinaia di attivisti detenuti – il parlamento nella sua prima sessione dopo le elezioni ha deciso di dare la priorità al proprio welfare. Allora abbiamo indirizzato una petizione allo Speaker e ai membri del parlamento perché rinunciassero ad ogni tentativo di aumentarsi la paga in un momento così difficile, consultabile all’indirizzo http://www.thepetitionsite.com/136/petition-against-increased-emoluments-for-members-of-parliament/. Stiamo pensando di organizzare un picchettaggio davanti al parlamento il 30 giugno per tenerlo sotto pressione affinché si concentri su ciò che interessa alla gente.
Veniamo alla politica estera, che lei segue con attenzione in qualità di vicesegretario per gli affari esteri dell’Fdc. L’Uganda sta giocando un ruolo importante in Somalia e, più in generale, ha ambizioni di leadership in una regione problematica come quella dei Grandi Laghi. Quali sono le sfide principali e qual è, e quale dovrebbe essere, l’agenda ugandese?
L’agenda ugandese dovrebbe avere al centro il negoziare la pace piuttosto che l’espandere i teatri di guerra nella regione dei Grandi Laghi e oltre. Negli ultimi 25 anni, l’Uganda ha avuto un ruolo chiave in ogni grande conflitto nella regione. Dall’invasione del Ruanda, alla guerra contro Mobutu Sese Seko dello Zaire (ora Repubblica democratica del Congo), alla liberazione del Sud Sudan, l’Uganda è sempre stata una base importante. Ma il parlamento non è mai stato chiamato a pronunciarsi su queste guerre. La popolazione non è mai stata consultata. Siamo entrati in guerra per la decisione arbitraria del comandante in capo e degli alti comandi. Eppure gli ugandesi hanno pagato un prezzo molto alto per il nostro coinvolgimento nelle guerre nei Paesi confinanti, incluso un attacco terroristico in cui sono morti un centinaio di persone quando al Shabaab attaccò civili a Kampala.
Il regime crede nella dominazione militare e nell’espansionismo e il risultato è che ci sono numerosi report e sentenze di tribunale contro gli abusi da parte dei militari e lo sfruttamento delle risorse, soprattutto nel Congo orientale. Museveni è stato abile nel destabilizzare la regione ponendo allo stesso tempo l’Uganda come un centro di stabilità, pur avendo un ruolo importante nella destabilizzazione dei Paesi vicini. Il governo ha potuto mantenere questa posizione diabolica grazie al sostegno di governi stranieri, specialmente di quello americano, presentandosi come un importante alleato nella guerra al terrore. L’Uganda è percepito come il partner principale per fermare l’avanzata del terrorismo in Africa, combattendo contro le forze antiamericane in Somalia e Sudan. Fintanto che Kampala starà accanto agli Stati Uniti nella guerra al terrore, l’Occidente ignorerà gli enormi abusi commessi dal governo contro i suoi cittadini. E’ una battaglia che gli ugandesi, soprattutto quelli della diaspora, devono affrontare, per far capire ai nostri partner, di cui abbiamo bisogno per lo sviluppo, che al Shabaab è una minaccia ma non quanto lo sono le stesse forze di sicurezza.
fonte http://it.peacereporter.net – Alberto Tundo

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HOTEL FOOD RATES SHOOT UP BY 18% SUNDAY
26 june 2011

Hotel and restaurant food prices have shot up by 18.2%, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics latest price index. Overall, producer prices for services provided by hotels and restaurants, rose by 8.2% in the first quarter of 2011 compared to 2010. This was due to the increase of 2.2% in accommodation prices, 15% in catering services and a 10% rise in conference facilities.
At Kampala Serena Hotel, a buffet increased from sh45,000 to sh50,000, seafood rates rose from sh60,000 to sh80,000, while Hotel Africana charges sh30,000, up from sh20,000 in October 2010. Rufus Ndeze, the Imperial Royale Hotel general manager, said they had not increased prices since 2009. Their buffet still goes for sh30,000.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug - Catherine Bekunda

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Cambio valuta: in data 30/06/2011 1 dollaro USA è pari a 2847,343 scellini ugandesi, 1 Euro è pari a 3865,4731 scellini ugandesi

UGANDA, IL MARTIRIO DI BESIGYE
29 aprile 2011

BESIGYE CALLS FOR CALM
2 may 2011

SURVEY SPOTS MAJOR GAPS IN EDUCATION
2 may 2011

MUSEVENI DEFENDS POLICE ACTION ON PROTESTS
3 may 2011

VIOLENCE AGAINST JOURNALISTS INCREASING
3 may 2011

SI ALLENTA LA PRESSIONE SU CAPI OPPOSIZIONE
3 maggio 2011

UGANDA POPULATION TO HIT 94M IN 2050
5 may 2011

KAMPALA, DONNE IN PIAZZA CONTRO IL CAROVITA
9 maggio 2011

UGANDA, LA GUERRA DEL PANE DILAGA: SCONTRI CON LA POLIZIA, VITTIME E FERITI
9 maggio 2011

SEX WORKERS PAY THE PRICE FOR HIV PREVENTION GAPS
10 may 2011

UGANDA SHELVES ANTI-GAY BILL
13 may 2011

CONTINUA BRACCIO DI FERRO TRA PRESIDENTE E LEADER DI OPPOSIZIONE
19 maggio 2011

UGANDA, NEL 2011 +30% PRODUZIONE ELETTRICA
19 maggio 2011

CENTENARIO DELL’EVANGELIZZAZIONE DEL NORD UGANDA: “STIAMO VIVENDO LA FASE DELLA RICOSTRUZIONE” DICE IL VESCOVO DI LIRA
20 maggio 2011

PRESIDENTE MUSEVENI NOMINA PRIMO MINISTRO E VICE PRESIDENTE
24 maggio 2011

UGANDA, IL MARTIRIO DI BESIGYE
29 aprile 2011

Il presidente ugandese Yoweri Museveni ha tolto la maschera al suo regime e il guanto al pugno di ferro con cui venerdì ha di nuovo represso il dissenso. Sono scene di guerra quelle che si sono viste a Kamapala: blindati incolonnati lungo le strade con soldati armati di fucili che sparavano a vista, copertoni in fiamme, devastazione, sangue per terra. Nel primo pomeriggio il bollettino ufficiale parlava di un morto, 84 feriti e un numero imprecisato di persone arrestate.
Questo, alle 12 e 30 ora locale. Già un paio d’ore dopo, il quotidiano ‘The Monitor’, in una drammatica ricostruzione, parlava di quattro morti e di tanti feriti da mandare in tilt gli ospedali della capitale.
In quello di Mulago, il portavoce descriveva un quadro drammatico: “Ci sono molte persone ferite qui ma non ho il numero né so quanti siano i morti, siamo troppo impegnati adesso“. I fatti di venerdì rappresentano un’escalation della crisi politica in cui è precipitata l’Uganda da un paio di settimane, caratterizzate da una serie di marce organizzate dall’opposizione per protestare contro l’inflazione galoppante che sta trascinando fuori dal mercato una larga fetta della popolazione. E più il governo disperde le manifestazioni, più il focus della protesta si sposta dalle rivendicazioni economico-salariali a quelle politiche. Il regime lo sente e stringe la morsa, cosa che porta un numero maggiore di cittadini al di là della barricata.
E’ solo una coincidenza che la violenza sia esplosa nel giorno in cui l’Ufficio nazionale di statistica diffondeva i dati spaventosi sull’inflazione: il prezzo dei prodotti cerealicoli ad aprile è aumentato del 39,3 per cento in una comparazione anno su anno e del 10 per cento rispetto a marzo. Il costo dei prodotti alimentari in generale è salito del 5,9 per cento nell’ultimo mese, portando l’inflazione complessiva al 30,8 per cento. Solo una coincidenza, si diceva, le ragioni degli scontri di ieri sono tutte politiche.
Ad accendere la miccia è stata la voce diffusasi nella mattinata secondo la quale il leader dell’opposizione Kizza Besigye era morto nella notte. Poco importa che si trattasse di una indiscrezione non confermata, la violenza è esplosa immediatamente. Molti ugandesi ci hanno creduto subito, ancora scioccati dai fatti di giovedì, giorno in cui Besigye era stato arrestato per la quarta volta in due settimane. A impressionare la popolazione non è stato l’arresto di per sé ma la dinamica particolarmente violenta, raccontata dalle drammatiche foto subito apparse su alcuni forum.
Nel timore che il leader del Forum for Democratic Change potesse unirsi alla quinta manifestazione contro il caro-prezzi denominata Walk to Work, i militari hanno circondato la sua abitazione, cercando di impedirgli di uscire, per poi consentirgli di dirigersi prima in banca e poi nel suo ufficio, imponendogli però un preciso percorso, in modo che non incrociasse il corteo. Poco prima dell’arrivo a destinazione, gli agenti hanno perso la testa: quattro pick up bloccano il suv di Besigye, rompono un vetro, neutralizzano gli uomini di scorta del politico, li trascinano fuori dall’abitacolo e li picchiano selvaggiamente. Intanto, una folla si raccoglie intorno alla rotatoria dove è ferma l’auto di Besigye che si rifiuta di scendere; ha paura. A quel punto, le forze di sicurezza spaccano un altro finestrino, spianano pistole e Ak47 contro il leader, lo immobilizzano con uno spray e lo trascinano fuori dall’automobile, prendendolo a calci e tenendolo costantemente sotto tiro, lo buttano sul pianale di un camioncino e lo portano via.
A distanza di 12 ore, la famiglia non era ancora riuscita a visitare Besigye, le cui condizioni avevano costretto il tribunale davanti al quale era stato condotto a ordinarne il trasferimento in ospedale. Fonti giornalistiche locali raccontano di un uomo che non riesce quasi più a camminare e che non ha ancora riacquistato la vista. Gli stessi medici non hanno saputo dire quale fosse la sostanza semigassosa contenuta nelle quattro bombolette che sono state svuotate nella macchina su cui viaggiava il leader dell’opposizione. Besigye è ormai è il fantasma del leader che ha sfidato Museveni per ben tre volte. Sconfitto anche a febbraio, la sua stella era in declino ma adesso il presidente lo sta trasformando in un martire. C’è poca logica in questo, soprattutto perché molti ugandesi si stanno chiedendo quanto valga la loro vita per il regime se quella di un uomo così in vista conta così poco.
fonte it.peacereporter.net - Alberto Tundo

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BESIGYE CALLS FOR CALM
2 may 2011

Dr Kizza Besigye yesterday recovered some of his eyesight – and voice, urging his supporters not to avenge his violent arrest last week, even as he said peaceful walk-to-work protests against the rising cost of living would continue.
Dr Besigye was addressing a press conference at Nairobi Hospital where he was rushed for treatment on Friday night after he was brutally arrested and doused in tear gas and pepper spray. “I have heard reports while here that the police officer [Gilbert Arinaitwe Bwana, who led the assault] is being hunted down for harm” Dr Besigye said, flanked by family members and FDC official Ms Anne Mugisha. “I have contacted our people to make a statement that we have no plan for retribution.”
Television footage showed Mr Arinaitwe beating Dr Besigye and drenching him repeatedly with pepper-spray before bundling him onto a police pick-up truck on Thursday. The brutal nature of Dr Besigye’s arrest angered many of his supporters who later took to the streets in protest on Friday in widespread riots. At least five people were shot dead- bringing the death toll to 10 since the start of the opposition walk-to-work protests on April 11.
Dr Besigye asked his supporters to refrain from any vindictive acts but said the walk-to-work protests would continue until the government addresses the rising cost of fuel and food. Doctors attending to the opposition leader said Dr Besigye had recorded some improvement and they hoped he would be discharged within four or five days depending on the progress of his recovery. “Dr Besigye suffered chemical irritation of serious severity and on Friday evening, we took him to the theatre and cleaned the remnants of chemicals in the eye. The treatment is still going on but there is some improvement” Dr Timothy Byakika, one of several doctors who attended to Besigye, said. “Although we had suspected spinal and chest injuries, a scan established that there were no fractures and the injuries in his chest and back were on the soft tissue. The chemicals with which Dr Besigye had been sprayed had affected mainly his eyes, his neck and back.” During the press conference, Dr Besigye sat in a wheelchair dressed in a white hospital robe and donned dark shades to protect his eyes from direct light.
Counter claims - On Saturday President Museveni, visiting Nairobi on an earlier-scheduled official visit, had defended the actions of the police and accused Dr Besigye of attacking the officers with a hammer and pepper spray, and defying their orders. However, Dr Besigye yesterday denied the allegations. He said he did not have any pepper spray and that, although a hammer used by security agents to break the car window had fallen through and hurt his thigh, he had not used it against them. Television footage from the incident does not show Dr Besigye attacking any of the officers.
Growing pressure - Government’s violent response to the walk-to-work protests has continued to draw widespread condemnation. A trade union representing workers in Kenya yesterday urged President Museveni to learn from former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak and his Tunisian counterpart Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali who were forced out of power following demonstrations in their countries over the high cost of living. Diplomatic pressure is also growing on the NRM government after a senior US official, Johnny Carson protested to Foreign Affairs minister Sam Kutesa in a telephone call, while a senior Norwegian government official was quoted as saying the Nordic country was considering unspecified sanctions against the country.
On Saturday the Dutch envoy to Kampala, Mr Jeroen Verheul defended the visit, by European diplomats, to Nakasongola prison where Dr Besigye and DP President Norbert Mao were being held on charges arising out of the walk-to-work protest. In a strong speech delivered during celebrations to mark the Netherlands’ National Day, Mr Verheul said his country would continue to withhold aid to government pending governance and accountability reforms. “We will not be able to provide budget support for as long as the preconditions for such support…have not been met” Mr Verheul said.
He added: “Unfortunately we have to conclude that at present a number of these preconditions have not been met. Particularly I would like to mention the precondition on fighting corruption which has not been met for a number of years now. The preconditions on budget credibility and commitment to poverty reduction are seriously threatened by recent decisions on the national budget.”
fonte www.monitor.co.ug - Yasiin Mugerwa & Peter Leftie

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SURVEY SPOTS MAJOR GAPS IN EDUCATION
2 may 2011

The educational system in Uganda especially in schools upcountry is still lagging behind. This is evident in the districts of Kiboga, Mubende, Mityana, Kitgum, Pader, Lamwo, Gulu, Amuru, Kyegewa, Kyenjojo, Ntoroko and Ibanda.
During a three weeks tour of these districts by stake holders from the Ministry of Education and sports, dialogues were held with head teachers, school management committee leaders, parents, teachers and members of various non-government organisations on the state of education. One of the most burning challenges that were presented in every district was absenteeism of both teachers and pupils.
In Ntoroko District, for example, Rev. David Kibonwa the inspector of schools says that he once went to inspect a school and out of the 10 teachers, only three had attended. As regards the pupil absenteeism, teachers in the North and Central parts of Uganda complain that it’s impossible for them to teach a full class. Mr Amo Okwe Okaka the District Education Officer in Kitgum District blames the pupil absenteeism on economic activities in the district. “Most of the children do not attend school during the rainy season and on market days. In the rainy season they are always in the garden sowing and on market days they are normally selling off the crop produce.” He explains that during the planting season, pupils stay away from some schools for over two weeks and by the time they come back, their colleagues will have covered a lot.
The other general problem is lack of mid-day meals for both teachers and pupils. Mr Abdul Wahid Katelega the chairperson of the School Management Committee at Kyekumba DAS Primary School in Kibogo says that teachers in his school only have sugar canes for lunch. “When you go to my school during lunch time, you will either find teachers sleeping under trees because they have nothing to eat or they will be eating sugar canes. This also applies to the pupils because government refused parents to contribute towards anything in schools and thus it’s impossible for the school to provide food for pupils and teachers.”
Besides the lack of meals, the pupil teacher ratio is high. According to the 2008 Education Act, the teacher pupil ratio should be at least 1:53. However in districts like Kyegegwa the ratio is at 1:110, in Kitgum, it’s at 1:59 and in Lamwo it’s at 1:71. The situation is not any different as regards the desk pupil ratio. The Education Act stipulates a 1:3 desk pupil ratio. However in Kyegegwa, the ratio is at 1:6, in Mubende, it’s at 1:7 and in Lamwo it’s at 1:10.
Mr Steven Kaketo the District Education Officer Mubende District says that such a desk pupil ratio makes it hard for the teachers to teach. “In classes where the pupils are very many and the desks are few, pupils are forced to sit on the floor.”
Infrastructure like classrooms, teacher’s houses and latrines are also lacking in these districts. In Mityana, there is a need for 1214 teachers’ houses, in Mubende District; the latrine pupil ratio is at 1:75 instead of the 1:45 ratio specified in the Education Act. The classroom pupil ratio stands at a minimum of 1:77 and a maximum of 1:170 instead of the 1:54 stated by the Education Act. Mr Charles Mafaya the head teacher of Kibiga primary school says that with all these challenges, their hands are tied. “There is nothing we can do to save the situation because government warned to arrest any head teacher that collects money from parents.” Mafaya says adding, “to make matters worse, the Universal Primary Education (UPE) capitation grant also comes late. This makes it hard for schools to plan and continue with the school curriculum comfortably.”
While responding to the challenges faced by the districts, state minister for Primary Education, Hon Bataringaya Kamanda advises Parents to play an active role as regards the education of their children.
Parents’ roles – “Parents should not leave their roles to the school; it’s the duty of the parent to provide food for their child.” He says adding “Where this fails, school management committees should call parents for meetings so that they can discuss on how they can avail meals to both pupils and teachers.” To rule out cases of teachers’absenteeism, Hon. Kamanda says that Government has increased the inspection grant from Shs2.5b to Shs4.5b per a year. “This is meant to ensure that school inspectors visit schools as often as possible to check on the teachers’ attendance.” As regards pupil attendance, Ms Resty Muziribithe assistant commissioner for Pre-Primaryeducation discourages teachers from automatically promoting pupils that have been absconding from class. “Teachers should not promote pupils that have failed and yet have missed class for more than 30 days in a term.”
Hon Kamanda also adds that government has increased its budgetary fund towards the education sector to Shs1.4t thus making it the second most funded sector. “This will enable us to build at least 10 teachers’ houses in every district this year, provide some text books to all schools and take care of other challenges in education.”
More to be done – However, although government is coming up with such kinds of policies to advance the education system, there is more to be done especially as regards sensitising communities up country on the importance of eucation because the dropout rates in some districts are still high. In Kyegegwa, the dropout is at 65 per cent, in Ntoroko it’s at 63 per cent and in Lamwo it’s at 70 per cent. There’s also need for the increment in the teacher’s salaries if they are to be kept in schools because most of the District Education Officers reported teachers’ absconding from classes as a result of the side businesses they have.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug -  Sarah Tumwebaze

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MUSEVENI DEFENDS POLICE ACTION ON PROTESTS
3 may 2011

Now 25 years in power and counting but trying times are beckoning for President Museveni. The opposition’s walk-to-work campaign is not only bringing out the worst of Ugandan security agencies but also ironically putting on the spot the man credited for pulling Uganda out of years of oppression and misrule. So is the President losing the shine? We bring you an edited version of his interview with NTV Kenya’s Linus Kaikai. Interview starts with a video clip of Dr Besigye attempting to walk to work and the subsequent brutal arrest and torture by state agents.
Mr President, many people have compared what we have just seen in the video clip with what used to happen during the years of former President Idi Amin Dada. How does it make you feel when comparisons are made between your style of rule and that of Amin?
Well, it just shows that you are not serious, you [Kaikai], who is reporting all this [pointing at the screen showing Besigye being tortured]. You did not show when people were stoning the police or when they were attacking vehicles. Cars were destroyed in Kampala, damaged, but you do not show it there. That is a partial story. But even if it is a partial story, why should a civilised leader resist the police. If they say come with us, why do you resist? Why don’t you go along with them and see what they want to do?
We have not seen any resistance Mr President in that clip. We have seen policemen breaking windows of the vehicle of the leader of opposition?
No no no! First of all Besigye was walking, the police blocked him, they said you come with us. He should have cooperated with them. That’s what civilised people do. But he didn’t.
Talking of civility Mr President, was it civilised for police to behave in the way they did?
Yes, there could be some mistakes but the original mistake is for a mature person, a leader, not to be exemplary in following the law. These young people can make their own mistakes but how about me? I should be an example. I am a mature person if I have a point of view and these young policemen say come with us, and I cooperate with them. But not to struggle with these young people, because they could make mistakes.
You call them young people but they are the police and security agencies of Uganda. Are you concerned with what their actions will do to your personal image?
Ah, my image will not be touched by this [pointing at the screen] because my image is based on substance. Mr President I want to quote you in 1987 a year after you came to power. You said Uganda had gone through a traumatic period because Idi Amin and Milton Obote didn’t respect the rule of law. What do you say to critics who today say the same of you? [Toughing the tone] That gentleman, Besigye, who was being arrested, was being taken to court. Do you know what Amin used to do? Murder them and throw them in River Nile for the crocodiles. I have not heard of Besigye’s body floating for the crocodiles to eat.
What about the manner of his arrest?
[Visibly annoyed]: That may have its own problem but also how about his conduct? Why don’t you talk about that?
Mr President, Kizza Besigye is the ace of the Ugandan Political opposition. Would you say the government of Uganda has treated the Opposition in Uganda the way civilised and democracies should treat the opposition?
Yes. The opposition should be civilised. First of all he didn’t inform the police. Yes, you have the freedom to demonstrate but the police have got powers to regulate public assembly. If you want to demonstrate but I am selling tomatoes where you want to pass and the third party comes in to mediate our interests, that is how civilised societies are organised.
Three or four times we have seen Dr Besigye trying to make this walk to work and in all of those incidents we have not detected any violations. You are talking about planning to step on tomatoes?
That’s what they were planning. Because the police has intelligence, they know that this walk is supposed to attract a group which will then start looting. But if I ask you a question, you the evangelist of civilisation; What is so hard with a civilised political leader coordinating with the police? After all, we were doing it during the just-concluded elections. All of us were under the Electoral Commission [EC]. I could not hold a rally without informing the EC.
Your government has not allowed public demonstrations since the elections?
Because they do not inform the people they are supposed to inform [repeats it]. In a few days, you will be sworn in for a new term. What is your agenda this coming term considering the events of the past few days? We look at the mandate you got during the elections and it was quite high but looking at the mood in the country now, there is a bit of a gap between the mandate you commanded in the February polls and the state you find yourself in politically today. Well, I do not see the gap. The gap is that when we voted, about five million voters supported us. There are those who didn’t vote for us, about two million voters, so there is no gap. Our programme is to deal with the foundation. This hotel in which you are smartly dressed is because of the foundation. Without a foundation there is no way this house can be here.
It’s been 25 years Mr President and the foundation has not been completed yet?
Well, you did not hear what the foundation is. The foundation has a number of items. Electricity is one of them, roads, railway, education. There are many elements. In the past 25 years we have dealt with some elements. Would basic freedoms be part of that foundation; would freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, democratic practice and expansion of political space be part of that foundation we are talking about? It so happens that those are the things I fought for. That’s what I fought for. We fought for those freedoms. But they must be exercised with discipline. I am now dialoguing with you but if you step on me, then the dialogue will have to be stopped. But why do you have to step on me? Why don’t you regulate your behaviour as I regulate mine? Maybe there is a neutral regulator who regulates us such as the police, the electoral commission, the courts. Why don’t you respect those regulators? All the three regulators that you have mentioned, the police, the EC and the courts, your critics feel are 100 per cent in your hands. They are not exactly free to pay umpires. Oh! That must be new information now. Because the only body which we disbanded when we won the civil war was the army. We inherited all the other institutions; the civil service, even this police. Talking of the foundation and these institution that you do mention; we do remember that you had beginnings by fighting a liberation war when your were young and leading the NRA; and it would have been expected that after many years, 25, we would see the de-politicisation of the army but we see and what we witnessed during the elections was the continued politicisation of the army. The army continues to play a very big role in Ugandan politics. When is this going to end?
What did they do in politics?
They are very visible. They are in polling stations, they are almost a very active player. No, they are not in polling stations. Each polling station is manned by one [police] constable. The army is only in the zone not in the polling station, they back up the police in case somebody wants to cause trouble. There are still parliamentary seats reserved for the army. Yes. There is no harm in that because the army was responsible for the liberation of the people of Uganda. All development we have is because of the work of the army. There is no harm in having 10 seats out of 340, I think, such a huge number. But the army is there and they engage in discussions when there are national issues of great importance otherwise, they just keep quiet and watch what’s happening.
We would like to hear your own broad assessment of the state of democracy in Uganda considering that you came from a single party system, [Movement] now to a multi-party system. Where is Uganda?
Uganda may be, I suspect maybe the most democratic country in the world [opens his eyes wide open] because we have 238 directly-elected seats which are competed for on merit by parties. We have 112 special seats for women, five seats for people with disabilities, five seats for youth and five for workers. I have not heard many systems in the world which take into account those interest groups. So if I were to give a lecture on democracy I think I would have good credentials to do so.
Was it a positive move that the presidential term limits were removed?
Yes. We removed the Presidential term limits because the problem of Africa is not term limits. The problem of Africa is the fundamentals which I was talking about: electricity, roads, and education. Another challenge is integration; making countries of Africa to come together so that we have viable economic units. If people are voting and they want to vote this candidate or vote out the other one; that is there choice and that is the benchmark. That’s the lowest common multiple to determine whether a system is democratic or not. About these term limits, that is according to individual countries. Many countries do not have that term limits.
So the persistent question would be when would you leave office?
When my party decides to have another candidate because it is the party which puts forward another candidate or when I decide not to present myself. The struggle which we have been engaged in for the last 45 years to bring up Uganda and if possible also bring up Africa, is the one which guides our choices whether I should participate or not.
But are you concerned with some of the turns that have attended to similar examples where we have limitless terms. In Egypt, Hosni Mubarak was there for very many years, same to Ben Ali of Tunisia. Are you concerned that this sort of resentment can eventually catch up with President Museveni of Uganda?
Well I do not know the system in Egypt or Tunisia. I don’t know how competitive they were. Were they competitive systems? I do not know.
They had no term limits.
There are no term limits in the UK, France or Israel. I do not know whether its there in Germany. Have you done the census to know how many countries have term limits or not? Therefore, the crucial thing is the competitiveness in the political system. Was the system in Egypt competitive enough? I do not know. How about the one in Tunisia? But as far as Uganda is concerned the system in very competitive. There is no limit on the number of parties, no limit on who can contest.
Uganda is the only country in the East African Community without term limits. Does that make you feel like you are the odd one out?
No. That is our system. And when we form the East African Federation, we shall see how to harmonise. If the rest want term limits then I will support them. But work on the Federation through your radio. In addition to talking all these little things you keep taking about, talk about the East African Federation. Okay? We thank you very much Mr President. Thank you.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug -Linus Kaikai

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VIOLENCE AGAINST JOURNALISTS INCREASING
3 may 2011

At least 55 journalists suffered various forms of violence at the hands of security operatives and political party supporters over the last six months, a new report shows. The Press Freedom Index Report launched in Kampala yesterday named the police as the leading tormentor of journalists accounting for 19 cases, followed by supporters of different political parties, with 12 cases. The army came third with nine cases registered against it followed by individuals who caused anguish to seven journalists. The report comes as government on Sunday evening convened a meeting with members of the international media in Uganda and appealed for “more balanced coverage” in the walk-to-work campaign.
Government appeal - Government Chief Whip Daudi Migereko addressed about 15 members of the foreign press at the Uganda Media Centre, where he focused on how protests and riots have been portrayed in the media. Mr Migereko focused his objections on the controversial footage of opposition leader Kizza Besigye’s violent arrest last week – when security officers broke the windscreen of his vehicle and tear-gassed him directly in the face, causing temporary blindness, for which he is still undergoing treatment in Nairobi. He said government’s position is that there was an undue amount of focus paid to those events in particular, and not enough on the violent actions of protesters and hours-long standoff during which he said the FDC leader was antagonistic towards the police.
On the violence suffered by journalists, the report covering a six months period, also captured university students and Resident District Commissioners as being accountable for two cases each while media managers were blamed on three cases. One case remained unaccounted for, according to the report. The index is aimed at bringing afore the plight of journalists and recommending future actions for the protection of media practitioners. It further discusses the key challenges, threats and violations faced by journalists.
Highest figure ever - “The six month period report documented 55 journalists who faced numerous cases of violence. This is the highest figure since HRNJ-Uganda started releasing PFI reports” reads the report in part. The 92-page report was compiled by Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda, an independent media advocacy network for human rights journalists. The report recommends that the Directorate of Public Prosecutions drops all sedition charges and similar charges against journalists since the Constitutional Court ruled repealed this law from the penal code. It was launched by Dr Margret Ssekajja, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.
Earlier in the day, Ms Ssekajja led a procession of journalists and human rights activists on the streets of Kampala who braved the early morning downpour. Both the procession and launch of the report were part of the activities to mark the World Press Freedom Day, which takes place today, under the theme, ’21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers’. Ms Sekajja urged journalists not to be deterred by the brutality meted out by security personnel, saying they should instead unite and expose such cases.
fonte www.allafrica.com – Al-Mahdi Ssenkabirwa, Nelson Wesonga and Philippa Croome

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SI ALLENTA LA PRESSIONE SU CAPI OPPOSIZIONE
3 maggio 2011

È stato liberato l’esponente di opposizione Norbert Mao, presidente del Partito democratico, insieme ad altri sei simpatizzanti arrestati due settimane fa mentre partecipavano a manifestazioni di protesta contro il carovita. Il giudice ha stabilito che il tribunale presso il quale era stato trasferito il caso, la Corte di Nakawa, non è competente in materia.
Si alleggeriscono, inoltre, le accuse nei confronti di Kizza Besigye, esponente di spicco dell’opposizione, attualmente ricoverato a Nairobi (Kenya) dopo aver subito percosse durante il suo ennesimo arresto la scorsa settimana. Il procuratore capo ha ritirato accuse di aggressione su agenti delle forze dell’ordine mosse contro il leader del Forum per il cambiamento democratico (Fdc) e alcuni membri del suo entourage. Sono state mantenute invece accuse di assembramento in grado di minacciare la sicurezza nazionale, per il quale Besigye dovrà comparire in tribunale.
Sia Besigye che Mao hanno attivamente preso parte, nelle ultime settimane, all’organizzazione di manifestazioni nell’ambito di un movimento chiamato ‘Walk for work’ contro gli aumenti dei costi della benzina e di altri beni di prima necessità, e contro il governo del presidente Yoweri Museveni, al potere da 25 anni. I professionisti del settore giudiziario, riuniti nella ‘Uganda Law society’, hanno annunciato a partire da domani uno sciopero di tre giorni in segno di protesta contro la repressione delle manifestazioni da parte del governoritenuta sproporzionata.
fonte www.misna.org

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UGANDA POPULATION TO HIT 94M IN 2050
5 may 2011

Uganda will have a population of 94 million people in the next 40 years, according to the World Population Prospects by the United Nations. According to the report, Uganda’s population stood at five million in 1950, but increased to 33 million last year. The country’s population is also expected to rise to 39 million people by 2015. By the end of this century, there would be 170 million Ugandans.
Dr. Jotham Musinguzi, the regional director of Partners in Population and Development, said urban areas in Uganda such as Kampala are beginning to experience the effects of the population growth with the high number of unemployed. “With the country’s population increasing by 60 million people in the next 40 years, with inadequate infrastructure for education, health, doctors and medical supplies, there is potential for unrest” he warned. “We are going through inadequacies. Not enough jobs are created every year and youth are on the streets with no jobs. If all the youth have jobs, it could be an engine for growth. But the challenge will be huge and the policy makers are not preparing for this” Musinguzi added.
The UN population projections rely on a probability model, which is used to establish fertility, depending on the previous fertility trends in the countries as well as the regions. The projections were prepared by the UN’s Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The report included world population projections until 2100. In making the projections, the UN used different models of future birth rates, which results in a wide range of population sizes, going from six billion to 27 billion people in 2100.
According to the projections, the highest population growth rates will occur in poor countries like Uganda, which has a high fertility rate of 3% per year, according to the UN.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug

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KAMPALA, DONNE IN PIAZZA CONTRO IL CAROVITA
9 maggio 2011

Con padelle e piatti fondi, rigorosamente vuoti, un centinaio di donne stanno sfilando nel centro di Kampala per protestare contro il carovita: lo riferisce l’edizione online del quotidiano ‘The Monitor’, mentre alcuni missionari raccontano a MISNA di “un clima di attesa” in previsione di nuovi cortei dell’opposizione.
A convocare la manifestazione di oggi è stata Uganda Women’s Network, un’organizzazione non governativa in prima fila nella difesa dei diritti delle donne e delle categorie sociali più umili. Secondo ‘The Monitor’, le attiviste stanno sfilando sotto lo sguardo di poliziotti in apparenza decisi a garantire l’ordine pubblico ma anche il diritto a manifestare. Proprio la difesa di questo diritto, insieme con un forte aumento dei prezzi dei generi alimentari di base, alimenta da settimane le protesta dei partiti di opposizione.
Kizza Besigye, un dirigente del Forum per il cambiamento democratico (Fdc) dal mese scorso agli arresti in Kenya, ha annunciato che i cortei continueranno e che saranno “pacifici”. “Tutti pensano alla cerimonia di giovedì – dice un missionario – quando Yoweri Museveni giurerà per un nuovo mandato da capo dello Stato”. Dall’inizio dell’era Museveni, nel 1986, a Kampala i cortei dell’opposizione sono una novità assoluta. Secondo l’organizzazione non governativa statunitense Human Rights Watch, la repressione delle forze dell’ordine ha causato finora almeno nove vittime, in alcuni casi dimostranti colpiti alla schiena mentre cercavano di fuggire.
fonte www.misna.org

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UGANDA, LA GUERRA DEL PANE DILAGA: SCONTRI CON LA POLIZIA, VITTIME E FERITI
9 maggio 2011

Le rivolte del pane continuano ad attraversare l’Africa. Stavolta è l’Uganda a scendere in piazza – denuncia ActionAid – contro l’aumento dei prezzi dei beni alimentari e dei carburanti. E anche in questo caso gli scontri tra i manifestanti e le forze dell’ordine provocano vittime e feriti. Negli ultimi dieci giorni, nel silenzio più completo dell’opinione pubblica internazionale, gli ugandesi stanno manifestando contro il proprio governo, accusato di sperperare le risorse pubbliche e ritenuto responsabile dell’ondata inflazionistica che ha aggravato ulteriormente le già difficili condizioni economiche della popolazione.
E’ un copione già visto – Prima in Tunisia, poi in Egitto. Ora è il turno dell’Uganda, un paese già duramente colpito dalla povertà, che lo scorso anno si trovava solo al 143° posto nello Human Development Index delle Nazioni Unite. E di fronte alla accuse di corruzione da parte degli attivisti il Governo risponde con un uso massiccio della violenza: numerosi avversari politici sono rimasti gravemente feriti negli scontri, tra cui il Presidente del Forum per il Cambiamento Democratico (FDC) Kizza Besigye, principale avversario politico del presidente in carica. Molte sono state le persone, tra cui anche alcuni bambini, che sono rimaste vittime di ferite d’arma da fuoco.
La repressione e le violenze - Nonostante gli scontri, i dimostranti non si arrendono e stanno continuando la loro protesta in maniera pacifica. I leader religiosi, le autorità diplomatiche e il mondo delle Organizzazioni Non Governative hanno condannato duramente la violenta repressione delle proteste da parte del Governo ugandese, chiedendo le immediate dimissioni del Ministro degli Interni e del Capo della Polizia. ActionAid, una delle Ong più attente alla protesta, aveva già denunciato qualche mese fa il clima di intimidazione e la corruzione che aveva preceduto le elezioni presidenziali con le quali, per la quarta volta veniva riconfermato alla guida del paese Yoweri Museveni sta prendendo parte alle proteste della società civile ugandese.
Otto mesi di aumenti - “La crescita dei prezzi agricoli sui mercati internazionali - spiega Marco De Ponte, segretario generale di ActionAid in Italia – è l’elemento scatenante delle rivolte che stanno attraversando l’Africa. L’indice dei prezzi alimentari della FAO ha visto un aumento dei prezzi per otto mesi consecutivi fino al marzo scorso e le conseguenze reali sulle popolazioni dei paesi più poveri cominciano a vedersi ora. Il rischio è quello di una nuova crisi alimentare. Quello che sta succedendo in Uganda è solo un esempio di quello che potremmo vedere nei prossimi mesi in molti altri Paesi del Sud, se la comunità internazionale non prenderà immediati provvedimenti“.
I cereali costano il 40% in più - Tra il febbraio del 2010 e quello del 2011, l’indice dei prezzi dei cereali è aumentato del 40%, ritornando ai livelli dei luglio del 2008, in piena crisi alimentare. Il rischio è che l’onda lunga di questo aumento dei prezzi porti molti altri paesi in via di sviluppo ad aggiungersi alle ‘rivolte del pane’. In Vietnam e in Mozambico, ad esempio, si sta vedendo un repentino incremento dei prezzi del riso, l’inflazione sui generi alimentari in India ha raggiunto il 18% e in Cina il 10%. La Banca Mondiale stima che dal giugno del 2010, l’aumento dei prezzi dei prodotti alimentari abbia spinto, nei Paesi a medio e basso reddito, altre 44 milioni di persone nella povertà estrema. “Il G8 e il G20 si impegnino immediatamente per ridurre la volatilità dei prezzi – dice De Ponte di ActionAid – da un lato riducendo le speculazioni sui mercati dei derivati agricoli e dall’altra incrementando gli investimenti a sostegno dei piccoli agricoltori, altrimenti la situazione rischia di peggiorare ulteriormente“.
fonte www.repubblica.it - Evelyn Lirri

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SEX WORKERS PAY THE PRICE FOR HIV PREVENTION GAPS
10 may 2011

Uganda is short on data on HIV among the country’s sex workers, but a new study shows that in the capital, Kampala, HIV prevalence among female sex workers could be more than four times the city’s average prevalence.
The study, published in April in the Journal of the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STI) Association, recruited 1,027 women from the city’s red-light areas, and found 37 percent to be HIV-positive, while 13 percent had gonorrhoea and 10 percent had syphilis. According to the government, Uganda has an average national prevalence of 6.4 percent; in Kampala, that figure rises to 8.5 percent.
The study recommended HIV prevention interventions, including regular STI screening; voluntary HIV testing and counselling; condom promotion and counselling for reducing alcohol use. However, according to local NGOs, the illegal nature of the trade makes sex workers difficult to reach with HIV-prevention services. “They plead with us, saying, ‘please doctor, is there some way we can get services and not go to the clinic? When we go to the clinics we meet our clients and that spoils our business” said Henry Kibira, who works with the NGO, InterAid Uganda, in the central Ugandan district of Rakai.
“The problem is that there is no clear framework to deal with the commercial sex workers” said Catherine Nandago of the Uganda chapter of the Alliance of Mayors and Municipal Leaders’ Initiative for Community Action on AIDS at the Local Level (AMICALL). “When you approach them they think you are bringing police, who harass them all the time.” She said police harassment – and often rape by law-enforcement officers – was an issue that needed to be urgently addressed. According to Geoffrey Bwambale, a health worker from South Rwenzori in western Uganda, many sex workers continue to practise even after being diagnosed with HIV. “After testing they know that they are HIV-positive and relocate to other towns. We bump into them when we travel but cannot say anything.”
Peer education - One strategy that does seem to be having some success is the use of sex workers as peer educators. “We involve leaders of commercial sex workers in consultative and planning meetings. This has helped to identify working strategies that ensure ownership and success of planned interventions” said AMICALL’s Nandago. “Peer education has proven to be a very effective tool for sensitization and for mobilization of commercial sex workers for HIV/AIDS services like home counselling and testing, anti-retrovirals and other related services. Many are able to negotiate for condoms; they used to say, ‘men give us small money – 5,000 shillings [US$2] – for protected sex, and 10 times that amount for unprotected sex” she added. “But now they say, ‘even if he gives me all that money, I want to protect myself’.”
The challenge, Nandago added, was that the peer educators often decided to change locations in search of more money, so the training was a constant process. The government reports that sex workers, their clients and partners of clients contribute 10 percent of new infections in Uganda. According a 2009 HIV Prevention Response and Modes of Transmission Analysis report by UNAIDS and the Uganda AIDS Commission, special programmes for commercial sex workers and their clients are not of a large scale, nor comprehensive.
fonte www.afronline.org

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UGANDA SHELVES ANTI-GAY BILL
13 may 2011

Uganda’s parliament on Friday shelved an anti-gay bill that would have imposed the death penalty for certain homosexual acts after the United States slammed the proposed legislation as “odious“. Lawmakers had been due to debate the legislation calling for capital punishment notably for consensual gay sex where one partner has the HIV virus.
The United States, a major aid donor to Uganda, said on Thursday that nothing could justify passing the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Parliament speaker Edward Ssekandi said he was “adjourning this house“, effectively killing off the debate over the controversial legislation for this parliament.
David Bahati, the lawmaker behind the anti-gay bill, said that no bills could be passed as the cabinet was dissolved following the inauguration of President Yoweri Museveni on Thursday following a landslide election victory in February. But he said that even if the bill was not passed this session it had achieved the goal of sparking a debate that would continue when the new parliament convenes. “We have made important steps in raising the issue and that will continue” he said.
Mounting pressure - Frank Mugisha, executive director of the rights group Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), voiced relief over the adjournment, but warned: “We shall continue advocating because the bill could come back next parliament.” Parliament’s current session ends on Wednesday, but since Monday and Tuesday will be given over to the swearing-in of new parliamentarians, officials said that Friday is effectively the last day bills could be discussed before the recess. Ssekandi said he reserved the right to reconvene parliament in case of an emergency, but rights group Avaaz also welcomed the news of the decision to “drop” the legislation from parliamentary discussions.
The adjournment came a day after Museveni was sworn for a fourth term amid mounting pressure on the country over its moves to crush both the opposition and the gay community. Museveni’s security forces Thursday teargassed supporters of his rival Kizza Besigye, sending several people to hospital. US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said: “No amendments, no changes would justify the passage of this odious bill.” Uganda – an important ally in the fight against Somalia’s al-Qaeda-linked rebels – received $526m in development aid last year.
Australia also added its voice to global criticism of the anti-gay bill first introduced in 2009. “We have expressed the government’s condemnation of the content of the bill” Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said in a statement on Thursday.
Aggravated homosexuality – The bill calls for the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” that is in cases of rape of a minor by a person of the same sex, or where one partner carries the virus that can cause Aids. It also proposes to criminalise public discussion of homosexuality and would penalise an individual who knowingly rents property to a homosexual. “It would require anyone who knows of or has heard of any homosexual activity to report that to police within 24 hours” said Maria Burnett of Human Rights Watch’s Africa division. Burnett said the clause would be in violation of “all levels of confidentiality for doctors, counsellors or priests“.
Homosexuality is already illegal in Uganda, punishable by life imprisonment in some instances.
fonte www.news24.com

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CONTINUA BRACCIO DI FERRO TRA PRESIDENTE E LEADER DI OPPOSIZIONE
19 maggio 2011

Il leader dell’opposizione Kizza Besige si troverebbe in stato di ‘detenzione preventiva’ nella sua abitazione, circondata da giorni dalle forze di polizia ugandesi. Lo riferiscono fonti vicine al Forum per il cambiamento democratico (Fdc) di cui Besigye è alla guida dopo aver annunciato nuove marce ‘Walk to work’ per la prossima settimana.
Ieri intanto, un tribunale di Kampala ha posticipato al prossimo 13 giugno l’udienza per il processo che vede accusato il leader di opposizione di ‘assemblea illegale’ e ‘incitamento alla violenza’ in relazione alle recenti manifestazioni antigovernative, contro il carovita e l’aumento indiscriminato dei prezzi.
Per la prossima settimana, gli attivisti dell’ex compagno d’armi ed ex medico personale del presidente Museveni – rieletto in febbraio per un quarto mandato – hanno diffuso un appello: in segno di protesta, tutti gli autisti e coloro che si trovano in macchina alle cinque di pomeriggio, ogni giorno, suonino il clacson. “Coloro che non hanno la possibilità di farlo trovino una pentola o dei coperchi, l’importante è fare rumore. Per rompere il silenzio sui problemi reali della gente” ha spiegato Mathias Mpuuga, coordinatore degli ‘Attivisti per il cambiamento’ (A4c). Due giorni fa il presidente Museveni aveva criticato l’eccessivo “lassismo delle forze dell’ordine e della giustizia nei confronti di azioni che tentano di minare la stabilità del paese” promettendo a breve nuove leggi e più restrittive in materia.
Nelle ultime settimane scontri tra polizia e manifestanti avrebbero provocato – secondo stime in circolazione – almeno nove vittime. Ma la gran parte della popolazione ugandese, secondo fonti della MISNA, guarda con sospetto misto a timore le iniziative degli attivisti che pur indicando nei problemi sociali l’origine del movimento, non sembrano aver riscosso finora il consenso delle masse.
fonte www.misna.org

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UGANDA, NEL 2011 +30% PRODUZIONE ELETTRICA
19 maggio 2011

Quest’anno crescerà del 30% la capacità elettrica dell’Uganda grazie agli investimenti del settore privato. Secondo il direttore dell’Autorità statale per l’energia elettrica (Era), Benon Mutambi, il merito del salto, dai 576 megawatt del 2010 ai 747 stimati per il 2011, è da attribuirsi “alle politiche liberaliste e al buon livello dei prezzi che hanno garantito agli investitori profitti ragionevoli”.
Dal 2006, quando a causa della siccità si è dimezzata la produzione della maggiore centrale idroelettrica del Paese (Janji), il governo è alla ricerca di investitori interessati all’apertura di due nuovi impianti termoelettrici che sostituiranno due vecchie centrali. Per il presidente Yoweri Museveni, “risolvere il problema della cronica insufficienza elettrica è la prima azione per spingere l’Uganda nella classe dei Paesi a medio reddito”.
fonte http://www.agi.it

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CENTENARIO DELL’EVANGELIZZAZIONE DEL NORD UGANDA: “STIAMO VIVENDO LA FASE DELLA RICOSTRUZIONE” DICE IL VESCOVO DI LIRA
20 maggio 2011

“Oggi concludiamo il secondo Sinodo Arcidiocesano di Gulu. Se Sinodo significa ‘cammino insieme’ mi viene in mente che 100 anni fa, nel 1911, quando i primi missionari comboniani arrivarono a Gulu, da soli, sul cammino intrapreso da San Comboni, hanno avviato un processo che a 100 anni di distanza fa sì che esista una Chiesa che cammina insieme ed è capace di indire un Sinodo. Mi sembra un evento abbastanza significativo” dice all’Agenzia Fides Sua Ecc. Mons. Giuseppe Franzelli, Vescovo di Lira, nel nord Uganda.
“Domani celebriamo il centenario dell’evangelizzazione di questa zona. In realtà i comboniani arrivarono in questi territori nel febbraio 1911, ma siccome a febbraio di quest’anno si sono tenute le elezioni, si è ritenuto opportuno rimandare le celebrazioni del centenario a maggio” spiega Mons. Franzelli. “La ricorrenza riguarda in particolare l’arcidiocesi metropolitana di Gulu, in quanto la diocesi di Lira è stata evangelizzata un po’ più tardi, sempre dai comboniani che sono partiti proprio da lì. Per questo celebriamo insieme, Gulu e Lira, il centenario, perché è come un albero, che una volta piantato, allarga i suoi rami” dice Mons. Franzelli.
Tracciando un bilancio dell’attività missionaria della sua diocesi, il Vescovo di Lira spiega: “La diocesi di Lira è stata fondata nel 1968, ritagliandola da una parte del territorio di quella di Gulu. I comboniani presenti sono 19, 17 sacerdoti e 2 fratelli, mentre le suore comboniane sono 12. Ma in questi 43 anni abbiamo registrato un forte aumento del clero locale. Attualmente vi sono 45 sacerdoti diocesani più due Apostoli di Gesù, una congregazione missionaria fondata da alcuni padri Comboniani. Vi sono poi due congregazioni religiose locali, una fondata a Gulu e l’altra fondata a Lira dal suo primo Vescovo, Mons. Cesare Asili, le Missionary Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church. Questa congregazione ha 270 religiose che lavorano non solo a Lira ma anche in altre diocesi dell’Uganda, oltre che in Kenya, Tanzania e sud Sudan”.
Su una popolazione di circa 2 milioni di abitanti, un milione e 86.000 sono cattolici, distribuiti in 18 parrocchie. “È un numero insufficiente – ammette Mons. Franzelli – ma con il clero attuale non posso permettermi di aprirne altre. Le parrocchie sono a loro volta divise in cappelle. Quella che ne ha di meno ne ha 31, quella che ne ha di più ne ha 102. Le mille cappelle della diocesi sono rette grazie a circa 1.200 catechisti laici”.
Anche Lira è stata teatro delle violenze dell’Esercito di Resistenza del Signore (LRA). “Tra gli episodi più gravi ricordo l’assalto alla scuola femminile di Aboke, nell’ottobre 1996; 139 ragazze vennero rapite dai ribelli. Grazie al coraggio di suor Rachele Fassera, che inseguì i rapitori nella foresta, ne vennero liberate 109. Poi altre riuscirono a fuggire negli anni successivi, anche se alcune di loro furono uccise. La penultima l’ho accolta io, aveva un bambino avuto da Joseph Kony, il capo dell’LRA” dice Mons. Franzelli. “Anche qui, come a Gulu, la gente è stata costretta a sfollare” ricorda il Vescovo. “Dentro e intorno alla città di Lira vi erano 16 campi per sfollati interni, al punto che la popolazione della città era cresciuta di 200.000 persone. Ora che l’LRA non agisce più qui da noi, la gente è tornata a casa, anche se c’è ancora molto da ricostruire. Ed è proprio questa la fase che stiamo vivendo, quella della ricostruzione” conclude Mons. Franzelli.
fonte www.fides.org

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PRESIDENTE MUSEVENI NOMINA PRIMO MINISTRO E VICE PRESIDENTE
24 maggio 2011

È Amama Mbabazi, già ministro per la Sicurezza, il nuovo primo ministro dell’Uganda. Lo ha annunciato il presidente Yoweri Museveni che ha chiesto al nuovo capo dell’esecutivo di rassegnare le dimissioni da Segretario generale del partito Nrm di maggioranza. Museveni ha nominato inoltre l’ex presidente del parlamento Edward Ssekandi, suo vice presidente, nel ruolo che era stato finora di Gilbert Bukenya.
Nelle prossime ore – secondo il quotidiano ‘The Monitor’ il capo di stato renderà noti i nomi degli altri esponenti del nuovo governo. Nei giorni scorsi, la stampa ugandese aveva riportato con risalto la nomina di Rebbeca Kadaga, prima donna presidente del parlamento nella storia del paese. Il quarto mandato del presidente Museveni, rieletto nelle elezioni dello scorso febbraio con oltre l’88% delle preferenze, si appresta a cominciare in un paese scosso da movimenti di protesta fomentati dall’opposizione e in particolare dal Forum per il cambiamento democratico del suo ex compagno d’armi e medico personale Kizza Besigye.
fonte www.misna.org

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Cambio valuta: in data 31/05/2011 1 dollaro USA è pari a 2391,8999 scellini ugandesi, 1 Euro è pari a 3447,2072 scellini ugandesi

UGANDA, NEL NORD DEBELLATE GRAVI MALATTIE INFETTIVE
4 aprile 2011

UGANDA, UNA DONNA MINISTRO PER LA CAPITALE
12 aprile 2011

UGANDA INVESTE SULLO ZUCCHERO
12 aprile 2011

MALARIA DRUG PRICE CUT TO SH2,000
11 april 2011

PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES TO DOUBLE TUITION
13 april 2011

MILLIONS OF CHILDREN AT RISK OF MISSING SCHOOL NEXT YEAR
13 april 2011

UGANDA, BOOM ISCRIZIONI PER UNIVERSITA’ MAKERERE
14 aprile 2011

UGANDA, IN FORTE CRESCITA GLI INVESTIMENTI
14 aprile 2011

UGANDA: SHILLING GAINS AGAINST DOLLAR
14 april 2011

CAROVITA E POLITICA, UN MORTO E DECINE DI FERITI IN PROTESTE
15 aprile 2011

MATERNAL DEATHS – NATION’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE
16 april 2011

UGANDA, ARRESTATO LEADER DELL’OPPOSIZIONE
18 aprile 2011

UGANDA, PRESTO UN MASTER PLAN DEL TURISMO
19 aprile 2011

UGANDA, PENE SEVERE PER CHI PICCHIA I BAMBINI
19 aprile 2011

UGANDA, RIMESSE DEGLI EMIGRATI IN CRESCITA
20 aprile 2011

UGANDA, VENTO MEDIORIENTALE
20 aprile 2011

UGANDA: MAKERERE UNIVERSITY TUITION FEES WILL NOT BE INCREASED
22 april 2011

UGANDA: RICE DEMAND STILL HIGH DESPITE PRICE INCREASE
27 april 2011

UGANDA: MANIFESTAZIONI, VITTIME E CENTINAIA DI ARRESTI
29 aprile 2011

MANIFESTAZIONI, GAS LACRIMOGENI E DISORDINI A KAMPALA
29 aprile 2011

Tetano, morbillo e poliomielite, patologie gravissime che uccidono migliaia di bambini ogni anno in Uganda, sono state sconfitte nel nord del Paese. E’ quanto emerge da uno studio dell’Ong ‘Medici con l’Africa Cuamm’ che ha analizzato i risultati ottenuti sulla popolazione grazie agli interventi sanitari della cooperazione internazionale negli ultimi 5 anni.
Il contributo italiano – in particolare nella regione del Karmoja, dove la cooperazione opera in collaborazione con l’Unicef – è stato determinante. Nel 2010, nove cliniche mobili italiane, unità super-attrezzate, hanno portato servizi preventivi e curativi di base alle popolazioni che vivono in villaggi privi di centri di salute.
“In questo modo – spiega Paolo Giambelli, capo progetto dell’Unità tecnica di Nairobi – è stata assicurata copertura vaccinale al 95% della popolazione infantile. Un risultato che, in termini tecnici, vuol dire l’eradicamento totale di patologie mortali in un’area con 400 mila bambini potenzialmente a rischio“.
L’intervento italiano, che ha un peso finanziario di 12 milioni fino al 2012, si rivolge anche alle donne in maternità e alla costruzione di alloggi per il personale sanitario locale e internazionale impegnato negli interventi di soccorso nel Karamoja.
fonte http://www.agi.it

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UGANDA, UNA DONNA MINISTRO PER LA CAPITALE
12 aprile 2011

Il presidente dell’Uganda, Yoseweri Museveni, ha dato il via a un rimpasto della compagine governativa che ha portato i dicasteri da 22 a 28. Tra le ‘new entry’ c’è Beatrice Wabudeya, che occuperà la carica di ministro per la capitale, Kampala.
L’unica grande città del Paese ha un primo cittadino con un ruolo puramente cerimoniale e d’immagine, ma è amministrata direttamente dall’esecutivo tramite un ministro di nomina presidenziale, coadiuvato da un direttore generale.
Tra i nuovi dicasteri, anche quelli per gli Affari della regione di Teso e del regno di Bunyoro.
fonte http://www.agi.it

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UGANDA INVESTE SULLO ZUCCHERO
12 aprile 2011

I tre più importanti produttori di zucchero ugandesi – Kakira, Kinyara e Scoul – hanno annunciato investimenti per circa 135 milioni di euro nei prossimi due anni, per ampliare la produzione di zucchero e di elettricità ottenuta con gli scarti di lavorazione della canna.
Nel 2010 la produzione ugandese di zucchero è stata pari a 350.000 tonnellate, circa il 20 per cento in più rispetto alle 292.051 dell’anno precedente. L’anno scorso i consumi interni sono stati pari a 318.000 tonnellate, contro i 325.000 dell’anno precedente.
fonte http://www.agi.it

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MALARIA DRUG PRICE CUT TO SH2,000
11 april 2011

The cost of malaria drugs is to come down from sh20,000 to sh2,000 a dose in a bid to eliminate one of the leading killer diseases in Uganda.
Health minister Dr. Stephen Mallinga announced yesterday that the Affordable Medicines Facility for Malaria (AMFM) will be launched in Bulisa district on April 29. Health officials said the drugs would be in the country before the launch date. Malaria kills 320 Ugandans daily. This translates into 116,800 deaths a year.
Studies show that development in Africa lags behind by 32 years due to malaria, Mallinga said. “Children perform poorly in class due to the effects of malaria. Lots of family incomes are spent on treating malaria at the expense of other social sectors. Malaria contributes heavily to poverty” he told journalists at the Media Centre in Kampala yesterday.
The global goal is to eliminate the disease by 2015. In February, the Government signed a $28.6m (about sh60b) two-year grant with the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria by implementing the anti-malaria strategy. The strategy aims at increasing the availability of Artemisin-Based Combination Therapies (ACTs) in public and private outlets, reducing their prices and ensuring that malaria patients have access to the drugs. ACTs consist of lumertem artemisin, coartem and duo-cotecxin.
Mallinga said the drugs would cost sh2,000. “We are negotiating with pharmacies all over the country and drug shops where there is a professional person to sell the drugs at this price” he said. The Global Fund will meet 95% of the cost and users 5%. Mallinga said the ministry had introduced the use of rapid diagnostic tests to improve access to testing malaria before treatment to avoid wasting drugs. He warned health workers against demanding for money from patients.
The minister disclosed that he was planning to put a system where all hospital deaths are investigated and culprits penalised in case of foul play. He said in other countries, deaths in hospitals become a coroner’s cases, which are probed by the Police.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug - Joyce Namutebi

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PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES TO DOUBLE TUITION
13 april 2011

Parents should brace for harder times after it emerged yesterday that public universities’ tuition fees could be doubled under a new blueprint backed by a confidential Auditor General’s report to President Museveni.
The proposal to hike fees at all public universities was revealed by Makerere University Secretary David Kahundha Muhwezi who led a team to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee to answer audit queries for the years 2007-2009.
“A new research on unit cost of study at public universities has revealed that our charges are far too low compared to other universities in the region” Mr Muhwezi said. “The cost per student should be Shs6 million per year (up from the Shs3.5 million) and this is what the Auditor General has found out in his report to President. We knew the cost but it was controversial and [so] before its implementation, the government wanted the Auditor General to first carry out a study.”
While appearing on the Kfm Hot Seat show yesterday, university Vice Chancellor Prof Venansius Baryamureeba, ruled out an immediate increase in tuition, saying they would await government guidance on the matter. He said, with the introduction of e-courses, fees are likely to reduce. Mr Muhwezi said, if President Museveni approves the Shs6 million to be paid per student per year, then, the government will have to subsidise Ugandan students.
Makerere University Bursar Joshua Karamagi said: “We are only waiting for government to study the Auditor General’s report and parliamentary intervention before we start charging students. This is something urgent because our charges are very low and we are financially constrained.”
Mr Karamagi told MPs that the government had failed to release Shs11 billion for arrears and that in the 2011/2012 budget the university faces a gaping hole amounting to Shs90 billion. Meanwhile, PAC has ordered Makerere to advertise the job of VC after the university secretary told the committee they had received instructions from the Ministry to halt the exercise until the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act is amended.
Prof Baryamureeba is the acting VC. However, MPs objected to the delay arguing that there was no need to amend the Act.
fonte www.monitor.co.ug - Yasiin Mugerwa

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MILLIONS OF CHILDREN AT RISK OF MISSING SCHOOL NEXT YEAR
13 april 2011

The government free education programmes for primary and secondary schools are facing a crisis resulting from a Shs67 billion budget shortfall which government has failed to provide for in the next financial year.
The deficit is highlighted in the government budget proposals for the financial year 2011/2012. According to a national budget framework paper for the coming financial year now before the Social Services Committee of Parliament, it was observed yesterday that the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme is facing a shortfall of Shs10 billion. The shortfall will affect about eight million pupils in primary while the Shs57 billion for Universal Secondary Education (USE) would affect about 1.5 million students.
The figures are contained in the ministry’s national budget framework paper. The legislators have, however, summoned the education minister, Ms Namirembe Bitamazire, to appear before MPs next week to explain the shortfall which they said is likely to affect next term’s school curriculum. “We are inviting the education minister to appear with her team next week to answer some of the questions regarding the budget allocations to UPE and USE inclusive” said the committee chairperson, Mr Brian Asiimwe (Ntoroko).
UPE started in 1996 and the government pays the school fees for the children. It also provides grants to be spent on instructional materials, co-curricular activities like sport, and the management and maintenance of utilities like water and electricity. The same modus operandi applies to USE.
Minister Bitamazire told Daily Monitor yesterday that they are trying to harmonise the Ministry’s budget to ensure that the programmes are not affected. The Education Ministry last financial year received Shs1.2 trillion and the allocation has been maintained this financial year. The programmes, however, continue to face criticisms especially in regard to the quality of the education being offered.
Critics argue that the programme was implemented without due consideration and planning hence leading to a high school dropout rate. According to UNESCO’s annual Education for All Global Monitoring report for 2008, only about 49 per cent of pupils enrolled in UPE complete primary education.
President Museveni during last year’s presidential campaigns also announced a free education provision for A-Level, beginning next financial year.
fonte www.allafrica.com – Mercy Nalugo

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UGANDA, BOOM ISCRIZIONI PER UNIVERSITA’ MAKERERE
14 aprile 2011

Nel prossimo quadriennio, l’università di Makerere, la più grande dell’Uganda, vedrà quasi triplicati i suoi iscritti. La stima è del vice rettore dell’ateneo, Venansius Baryamureeba, il quale ha detto in un’intervista ai media locali che entro il 2015 gli iscritti passeranno dagli attuali 35.000 a 100.000.
“Nel prossimo anno accademico” – ha detto – “aumenteremo la quota degli iscritti di 10.000 unità, parte dei quali seguirà corsi online, fino a raggiungere entro il 2015 un totale di almeno 100.000“.
Baryamureeba ha precisato che i nuovi studenti saranno accolti nei campus-satelliti realizzati recentemente nelle vicine aree urbane di Jinja e di Fort Portal.
fonte www.agi.it

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UGANDA, IN FORTE CRESCITA GLI INVESTIMENTI
14 aprile 2011

Nel primo trimestre di quest’anno sono stati avviati in Uganda 78 progetti di investimento per 604 milioni di dollari, contro i 210 milioni dello stesso periodo del 2010.
Il presidente dell’Autorità per gli Investimenti, Patrick Bitature, ha detto in conferenza stampa che le ricadute sull’occupazione nel primo trimestre saranno di circa 22.000 nuovi posti di lavoro.
Bitature ha precisato che i settori che hanno avuto l’interesse degli investitori sono stati soprattutto il finanziario-assicurativo e l’immobiliare, verso i quali si è indirizzato il 38 per cento del totale dei fondi investiti.
La maggior parte dei progetti approvati, ha aggiunto, è stata presentata da investitori locali, seguiti da britannici, norvegesi e kenyani.
fonte www.agi.it

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UGANDA: SHILLING GAINS AGAINST DOLLAR
14 april 2011

Importers are gaining optimism as the shilling continues to gain against the dollar. The gain means that traders’ purchasing power that has suffered since the start of this year is likely to be boosted. The shilling has continued to build against major currencies over the past week, selling at an average of Shs2,315 by close of yesterday. This is a remarkable improvement compared to Shs2,425 that it sold against the greenback three weeks ago due to high demand.
The current trend of the shilling, however, does not favour exporters, whose revenues tend to reduce as the dollar depreciates.
Ms Grace Makoko, the head of financial markets at Standard Chartered Bank, told Daily Monitor in an email exchange that the strengthening of the shilling is due to the increasing risk appetite of offshore investors who have moved to buy the local unit to place themselves for any yields as the central bank bids to contain inflation.
Inflation went up to 11.1 per cent in March from 6.4 per cent in February, driven by high food prices, rising oil prices and depreciation of the shilling against the dollar. Mr Elliot Mwebya, the director of communications at Bank of Uganda also asserted that the increased inflow of dollars into the country from off-shore investors has reduced the price of the shilling.
The period prior to elections saw off-shore investors hold back on their dollars ahead of the February 18 presidential election as they watched events in the market. Mr Mwebya explained that the settlement of the government/Tullow tax dispute that saw the oil explorer pay $469 million in capital gains tax, has also increased the dollar supply in the local market.
Ms Makoko noted that the mid-month obligations for companies to pay tax is likely to strengthen the local currency further as demand for the shilling is likely to increase.
She said despite some outstanding demand from the energy, manufacturing and telecommunications sectors, the shilling is further likely to remain firm, as businesses slowdown in the coming days due to Easter celebrations. She forecasts the local unit to trade between Shs2,330 as the initial support level and Shs2,375 as the key resistance level on the interbank.
fonte www.allafrica.com – Faridah Kulabako

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CAROVITA E POLITICA, UN MORTO E DECINE DI FERITI IN PROTESTE
15 aprile 2011

Un imponente dispositivo di sicurezza è stato dispiegato attorno all’Università di Makerere, principale ateneo della capitale Kampala, nel quale si è svolta oggi e una manifestazione di protesta degli studenti contro l’aumento delle spese universitarie, e in parte contro l’opera del governo del presidente Yoweri Museveni.
Lo confermano alla MISNA fonti missionarie sul posto. Alla protesta degli studenti starebbero partecipando diverse migliaia di giovani. Colpi d’arma da fuoco sono stati uditi nei pressi dell’università. Disordini si sono verificati ieri a fine giornata in diverse località del paese.
“A Gulu, c’è stato almeno un morto nell’intervento della polizia per disperdere una protesta organizzata dal movimento che si fa chiamare ‘Walk to work’, contro il carovita” ha detto alla MISNA una fonte contattata nella località settentrionale del paese.
Copertoni in fiamme, barricate e posti di blocco eretti dai manifestanti hanno causato disagi nell’area di Gulu, fino a stamattina. Alcune fonti non verificate parlano di altri due morti.
Incidenti si sono verificati ieri in altre località, tra cui Mbarara, Jinja e Masaka. Fonti della Croce Rossa hanno riferito un bilancio di 57 feriti tra ieri e stamattina in tutte le località interessate dai disordini, inclusa Kampala. Tra di loro, anche l’oppositore Kizza Besigye, che due giorni prima era stato arrestato e liberato su cauzione.
fonte www.misna.org

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MATERNAL DEATHS – NATION’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE
16 april 2011

In Uganda, a staggering number of women still die in childbirth. Maternal mortality rates have been reducing slowly, largely because most deliveries occur outside health facilities. But an innovative solution-a maternity waiting facility is helping to change this.
There are many challenges facing women in childbirth in Uganda. From a weak health care system to the lack of specialist staff and widespread poverty, many mothers deliver at home and without the supervision of a health worker. Majority rely on the ‘expertise’ of traditional birth attendants (TBAs). Ms Iruata Lokol is one of them. Now nine months pregnant with her eighth child, this will be her first delivery at a health facility. Ms Lokol, who hails from Lopechapecha village, Kaabong District in Karamoja sub-region, gave birth to her other seven children from home.
“It was usually hard to make the journey up to Kaabong Hospital. By the time the labour pains start, you can’t even walk for a kilometre yet the hospital is 40kms away from my home” she says. “Besides the distance, there was no money to hire a motorcycle or call for the hospital ambulance which would require that I pay for the fuel. I opted to rely on the services of a traditional birth attendant” she explains.
Ms Namoe Longole, another expectant mother has to walk 30kms to access health services. With just weeks before she gives birth, Ms Longole has been booked at a waiting maternity house nearer the hospital. This will make the journey for her much easier once the labour pains start.
In Kaabong District, like much of the country, many women are faced with high levels of illiteracy and poverty. As a result, money is a determining factor of whether a woman will deliver in a health facility or not.
Complicated deliveries - However, for many pregnancies facing complications, delivering at home or without the help of a skilled health work can have devastating consequences. Health experts say without a trained, experienced midwife on hand, women are more likely to die from complications like severe bleeding and obstructed labour. In fact, pregnancy and childbirth related complications are the leading causes of death among women in Uganda.
Yet according to the Ministry of Health Annual Sector Performance Report 2010, only 33 per cent of mothers in Uganda deliver in hospitals or a health facility supervised by a midwife. The other 67 per cent deliver either alone or with the help of a traditional birth attendant. But a novel solution to this, where expectant mothers are brought to a waiting maternity facility closer to a hospital, two to three weeks before their delivery date is encouraging expectant mothers to appreciate hospital deliveries.
Many mothers in Kaabong will for the first time have a chance to deliver in a hospital, with a skilled health worker at hand. Ms Loko and Ms Longole are just one of them. The initiative which was started by a local organisation, Action for Women and Awakening in Rural Environment (AWARE) is being supported by Médecins Sans Frontierès. Ms Grace Loumo, its founder, said hospital deliveries in Kaabong are lower than the national average -at 27 per cent.
“Through this initiative, we hope to increase the number of women who deliver in hospitals. The biggest obstacle to hospital deliveries is the limited infrastructure. There is no public transport system here that the women can use to reach hospitals when the need arises” says Ms Louma. Coupled with this, Ms Louma says the insecurity in the region makes it hard for women to walk especially at night when the labour pains start.
Under this initiative, Ms Louma said the first priority is given to women with high risk multiple pregnancies, HIV positive mothers, first time mothers and those with a history of obstructed labour. Dr Sharif Nalibe, the acting director of Kaabong Hospital, explains that deliveries at health facilities are still low in the district because of several factors, including cultural and social.
“At Kaabong for instance -he says -between two to three deliveries take place every day. Most of the women deliver with the help of traditional birth attendants. When they come for antenatal services, we encourage them to come and deliver from the health facilities. We also tell the traditional birth attendants to accompany the mothers”. Despite the social challenges, it is clear there is a long way to go.
Limited human resource - Dr Nalibe said Kaabong, like many health facilities around the country, is struggling to cope with a huge work load with limited human resource. The hospital, which is at a regional referral level, has only one doctor for a population of 350,000 people. This means that although mothers are being encouraged to deliver in health facilities, the pressure is also growing on overstretched health workers. Many mothers therefore have to rely on community programmes like the waiting facilities to access care.
Health experts say innovations like the waiting maternity house have the potential to save lives, especially in rural areas where infrastructure is still poor. Dr Jotham Musinguzi, a health and population expert and Africa regional director for Partners in Population and Development, explains the benefit of such an initiative. “For rural areas where services have not reached many people, such innovations can act as a stop gap. The facilities don’t have to be sophisticated and are relatively cheap to put up” says Dr Musinguzi.
But to increase the overall hospital deliveries across the country, huge investment in the health system including recruiting more health workers will be key. In its latest report titled ‘Missing Midwives’, Save the Children says globally, nearly 48 million women about 1 in three give birth without the help of a midwife, exposing them to a higher risk of death. It also found that 1,000 women and 2,000 babies die every day from birth complications which can be easily prevented.
Statistics from the Uganda Demographic and health survey show that for every 100,000 women who get pregnant, some 435 end in death, with the contributing factors being prolonged or obstructed labour, massive bleeding, malaria, HIV/Aids and high blood pressure. But often time, the survey reveals the underlying cause of death is the high cost of maternal care.
Maternity care, like all other health services in Uganda, is supposed to be free but because of stockouts, pregnant women are asked to provide their own delivery items like gloves, razorblades, and cotton wool and birth sheets. They also have to bear the cost of transporting themselves to the health facilities costs which many women in rural areas like Kaboong find prohibitive and which government says it is considering reducing in a new plan to cut maternal deaths. “Reducing out-of-pocket payments for women’s medical care will encourage access to health care while protecting poor families from financial hardship” the plan reads in part.
Off-target goal - Cutting maternal deaths is one of the goals the UN set to be achieved by member countries by 2015. But Uganda is still a distant call away from reaching these goals. According to the UN, countries must reduce by 75 per cent the number of mothers who die in childbirth by 2015. This means Uganda will have to significantly reduce this figure to 131 per 100,000 in the remaining five years.
The government acknowledges now that that goal is unachievable in the remaining five years. Instead, according to Uganda’s MDG report, more focus is now going to be shifted on addressing bottlenecks in the delivery of emergency obstetric care, skilled attendance at birth, family planning and access to antenatal care-interventions which are crucially required to improve maternal health. In its proposed plan, the government also says it will introduce inexpensive alternative transportation as an incentive for women to seek care promptly.
Dr Musinguzi says to address challenges of maternal health in Uganda, government needs to focus more on encouraging institutional deliveries, antenatal care, emergency obstetric and postnatal care and making family planning services available to women who want to space or control births.
Studies show that addressing the unmet need for family planning in Uganda can potentially avert some 16,877 maternal deaths and more than 1.1 million child deaths by 2015. But the unmet need for family planning in Uganda remains high at 41 per cent while contraceptive prevalence rate is as low as 24 per cent.
Meeting the unmet need for contraceptives can also potentially reduce maternal deaths by 40 per cent while unplanned pregnancies and induced abortions would decline by 84 per cent. He says access to emergency obstetric care plays an equally huge role in reducing maternal deaths.
“One of the biggest challenges now is that most mothers stay more than 5kms from a health facility where they don’t have access to emergency obstetric” Dr Musinguzi explains.
fonte www.allafrica.com - Evelyn Lirri

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UGANDA, ARRESTATO LEADER DELL’OPPOSIZIONE
18 aprile 2011

Kizza Besigye è stato posto in arresto questa mattina. Il leader del Forum for Democratic Change, che a febbraio aveva sfidato, perdendo, il presidente ugandese Yoweri Museveni, è stato prelevato da agenti in borghese e poi trasferito nella centrale di Ksangati.
Besigye stava per unirsi alla manifestazione che aveva contribuito ad organizzare, ‘Walk to Work’, in nome del diritto al lavoro e al benessere economico. In Uganda l’inflazione ha raggiunto l’11 per cento, l’accesso a beni e servizi è compromesso per larghe fasce della popolazione, la corruzione è dilagante e c’è uno scontento crescente verso la politica economica del governo di Museveni e per la mancanza di libertà.
L’obiettivo di Besigye e dei suoi era quello di pilotare far indirizzare la protesta contro il presidente, facendola diventare un atto contro una leadership percepita come illegittima. Museveni lo sapeva e da giorni aveva messo in allerta gli apparati di sicurezza. Stamane la polizia è intervenuta col pugno di ferro, arrestando decine di attivisti. Sono stati sparati lacrimogeni e i reparti antisommossa si sono scontrati con i sostenitori di Besigye.
Una parte dei supporter ha circondato la caserma di Kasangati, dove sono stati subito schierati altri militari. Il clima si fa sempre più teso. La settimana scorsa, Besigye era stato ferito alla mano da un colpo di pistola.
fonte it.peacereporter.net

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UGANDA, PRESTO UN MASTER PLAN DEL TURISMO
19 aprile 2011

Il governo ugandese lancerà quest’anno un master plan del turismo, affinchè il comparto “possa sviluppare tutte le potenzialità finora inespresse”.
Il segretario permanente del ministero del Turismo, Julius Onen, ha detto in conferenza stampa che il documento “terrà conto di diversi fattori: dallo sviluppo del prodotto al marketing e allo sviluppo delle risorse umane”. Onen ha aggiunto che “particolare attenzione” sarà dedicata alla formazione dei tour operator e degli altri addetti al settore.
fonte www.agi.it

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UGANDA, PENE SEVERE PER CHI PICCHIA I BAMBINI
19 aprile 2011

Il governo ugandese ha allo studio un provvedimento che vieta tassativamente la violenza fisica contro i minori e che prevede pene severe per i colpevoli.
Una fonte del ministero delle Pari opportunità, del Lavoro e dello Sviluppo sociale ha rivelato ai media locali che l’esecutivo presenterà entro il mese in Parlamento un emendamento che migliora la già esistente legge sulla tutela dei minori, varata nel 2006.
fonte www.agi.it

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UGANDA, RIMESSE DEGLI EMIGRATI IN CRESCITA
20 aprile 2011

Nel 2010 le rimesse degli emigrati ugandesi sono state pari a 773 milioni di dollari, in crescita dell’11,3 per cento rispetto all’anno precedente.
Lo ha reso noto un comunicato della Banca mondiale, nel quale si rileva come il denaro inviato dai residenti all’estero sia stato utilizzato in patria principalmente per investimenti nei settori di istruzione (20,2%) e salute (24,8), e per l’acquisto di cibo (12,4).
In Africa centrale e orientale, l’Uganda è la terza nazione, dopo Sudan e Kenya, per il flusso delle rimesse. Negli altri due Stati sono affluiti nel 2010 rispettivamente 2 miliardi e 1,8 miliardi di dollari.
fonte www.agi.it

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UGANDA, VENTO MEDIORIENTALE
20 aprile 2011

Arriva dal Medio Oriente il vento di protesta che sta scuotendo l’Africa orientale e che ha portato migliaia di persone in piazza. Le dinamiche sembrano le stesse che hanno incendiato prima il Maghreb e poi i Paesi del Golfo: nel mirino dei manifestanti c’è il caro prezzi e di conseguenza i governi, accusati di non aver fatto nulla per frenare la spirale inflazionistica.
Se in Kenya la situazione è incandescente, in Uganda sta scappando di mano, perchè proprio come in Tunisia ed Egitto oggetto delle proteste sono la mancanza di democrazia e le ripetute violazioni di diritti umani ad opera del regime del presidente Yoweri Museveni, che per tutta risposta ha dato carta bianca agli apparati di sicurezza.
Il bilancio provvisorio parla di quattro morti, 150 feriti e oltre cento arrestati, 50 dei quali per “adunata illegale e sediziosa“. La tensione era già alta da giorni ma tutto è precipitato lunedì mattina, quando migliaia di persone si sono date appuntamento per una manifestazione intitolata ‘Walk to Work’, una marcia pacifica organizza per affermare il diritto al lavoro e alla sicurezza economica. I reparti antisommossa hanno attaccato i manifestanti in diversi punti della città, innervositi dai report dell’intelligence che da giorni sfornavano report su presunte minacce alla sicurezza dello stato.
Il leader del Forum for Democratic Change, Kizza Besigye, colui che ha sfidato Museveni alle ultime presidenziali, è stato arrestato non appena ha messo piede fuori dalla sua abitazione e portato alla centrale di Kasangani, dove si sono subito radunati, minacciosi, i suoi sostenitori.
Il segretario di un altro partito di opposizione (Democratic Party, ndr), Norbert Mao, anche lui arrestato, ha rifiutato la libertà su cauzione ed è stato trasferito nel carcere di massima sicurezza di Luzira, dove resterà fino al 2 maggio. Arrestato anche il presidente dell’Uganda People’s Congress, Olara Otunu.
Cosa rischi il suo regime, Museveni lo sa bene, tanto che, si scopre, dall’Uganda Communication Commission, l’autorità statale che si occupa delle telecomunicazioni, è partita una richiesta ai server per bloccare agli accessi ai social network. In una lettera spedita dal direttore dell’organismo, Quinto Ojok, si legge “Abbiamo ricevuto istruzioni dagli apparati di sicurezza circa la necessità di ridurre al minimo l’accesso ai media del pubblico per il rischio di escalation delle violenze riguarda al(l’evento) Walk to Work… Vi si chiede, pertanto di bloccare l’accesso a Twitter e Facebook per 24 ore a partire da adesso, le 15 e 30 del 14 aprile”.
La circolare, che adesso viene liquidata come “uno spiacevole malinteso” è stata spedita a 10 società di telecomunicazioni e inviata anche al ministero dell’Informazione comunicazione e tecnologia, nonché all’Ispettorato generale del governo.
La repressione ha comunque contribuito ad esasperare una popolazione che adesso chiede conto a Museveni anche di come spende i soldi. Una delle gocce che ha fatto traboccare il vaso, infatti, è stata la richiesta/ordine avanzata dal presidente di ritoccare al rialzo il budget presidenziale e di destinare una cifra compresa tra gli 1,3 e i due milioni di dollari per le feste che seguiranno la cerimonia di giuramento che, il 12 maggio, segnerà l’inizio del nuovo mandato, conquistato con la vittoria alle ultime elezioni.
Controverse anche quelle: dietro la vittoria schiacciante (68 per cento contro il 26 di Besigye) si nascondano non solo prevedibili brogli ma anche una capillare campagna acquisti fatta con soldi dello stato. Un affronto tanto più intollerabile adesso che l’inflazione sta spingendo fuori dal mercato migliaia di persone.
Negli ultimi tre mesi, i rialzi del petrolio (+21 per cento) hanno trascinato i prezzi dei prodotti alimentari. Secondo la World Bank, in Uganda il prezzo del mais è aumentato del 25 per cento nell’ultimo trimestre e addirittura del 114 per cento in un anno. L’inflazione media si attesta sull’11,1 per cento (a febbraio era al 5,4).
C’è poi il timore di un possibile effetto spill over, cioè che le proteste si propaghino a macchia d’olio. Se n’é avuta conferma martedì in Kenya, quando un gruppo di persone si è radunato intorno al parlamento di Nairobi, fermando le macchine di deputati e funzionari governativi. “Voi ingrassate mentre noi diventiamo sempre più magri”.
fonte it.peacereporter.net - Alberto Tundo

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UGANDA: MAKERERE UNIVERSITY TUITION FEES WILL NOT BE INCREASED
22 april 2011

Makerere University students went on strike in April over reports that it was planning to raise tuition fees from the average of Shs 3 million to Shs 6 million per year per student. Before the strike the university’s Ag.Vice Chancellor, Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba told The Independent’s Mubatsi Asinja Habati that the fees issue was misunderstood.
Why is Makerere University increasing fees? At the time universities were pushing to increase fees two years ago, the government approved a 40% increment in all public universities and that was done in Makerere. After that the President was not happy and convinced that we should increase fees. The President directed the Auditor General (AG) to conduct a study on the unit cost of education in public universities. The AG hired AH Consulting to do the study whose report it submitted in May 2010. So we cannot speak authoritatively on the findings of that study. On increase on fees, the government decided to set up a Visitation Committee in 2008 due to the problems the university had in the past and it came up with findings which later on became a Government White Paper.
This gives the university council autonomy to determine fees but in consultation with the ministry of Education and with approval of cabinet. So if Makerere University Council wants to raise fees, it can come up with a proposal, approve it, and discuss it with the Ministry of Education and the line minister then can seek cabinet approval if the ministry is in approval. Makerere University has not thought of increasing fees as far as I know. As the current acting Vice Chancellor I will not propose such. We have to look at other alternative sources of funding the university and I don’t think asking parents to pay more money now is the solution.
The university needs more money; the money they are paying is on the lower side. In the media there has been comparison between what students in Kenya and Uganda pay but the per capita income in these economies are different and you cannot use that as justification to increase fees. In Kenya the money they earn is more than in Uganda.
Yes, we need to make Makerere University as one of the best in Africa but we need to charge what is realistic. What I would ask for is that government should provide more funding to the university. But for us to ask the parents to pay more will be unrealistic because they can’t afford. Some parents have sold their land to have children in this university and have nothing left yet when they finish they are not able to get jobs.
So you are not increasing fees? No. It would have been discussed in management, senate and council. None of that process has taken place. The newspapers mixed up two things with the Auditor General’s report on the unit cost unit study of education where they compare the Ugandan universities and Indian universities.
This was their report and we don’t have a mandate as a university to pick their recommendations and implement them because we never commissioned the study. But if the AG did the study about public universities it up to them to take it to the one who directed them to do the report. Then at that level they can decide to utilize the recommendations of the study. If government says universities have to increase fees, we have no choice because we are government institution.
What will you do since you say the university needs more money and you cannot increase fees? I am thinking about working with the government and get an arrangement for vocational skills for students. They should look into working as mechanics for computers, TV, refrigerators, cars, working in salons, beauty massage parlours as a fallback position so that you don’t get a degree and remain unemployed. This will be alternative employment so that with time you can go back into your profession if you get opportunity.
We have discussed with the President that we would like a grant of US$100 million to put up laboratory and other teaching facilities and use half of it to develop real estate. We have land in Kololo and other places. All we need is initial capital to put up structures like offices and we will keep recycling that money. The President told us he would look into it. We also want to improve university rankings so that we attract investments and private companies that want to collaborate with us at a fee. We are looking at even fundraising other than focusing on the parent through the money that a student pays. I am completely against raising fees again.
How will you deal with land encroachers on university land, some of who are protected by politicians, when you start real estate development? Grabbing land is not unique to the university. Encroachers are everywhere. If you have land in Kampala you should make sure that it is developed. The institutions in charge of land should be vigilant. You don’t expect the vice chancellor to run around with land grabbers as the police watches.
How far is the case where the title of University land in Kololo was allegedly stolen? We had the original land titles with our lawyers and when they asked us we showed them the titles.
What explains the eventual improvements in the ranking of the university? We have made sure that the research we do is visible. We have been doing a lot of innovations but people outside this university have not known that. We have improved our collaboration with other well known world universities. We have our students in world class universities who are doing well and that works to our best. We have collaborations with big global companies like Microsoft and Nokia which have asked local experts here to develop software. That shows you that Makerere is a serious institution.
So if government gave you a go ahead to increase fees, would Makerere University do it? We are public institution funded 100% from the consolidated fund; the only thing that government allowed us to do is to spend the internally generated funds at source. If government issues a policy statement we would gladly implement it. If government says increase fees we can’t say no. We have a challenge as a country. People who are accessing higher education are mainly those from and around Kampala leaving out those from rural areas.
Increasing fees would be good if the government moved ahead to implement the students’ loan scheme proposal, the Shs 6 million people are talking about would work well through this arrangement because people will study without having sold their land or cows, when you get a job you pay and when you don’t get one you don’t pay so it will become mandatory for government to see that people get jobs. It is not tenable to ask parents to sell their land, cattle to attain education who will not find jobs.
This does not mean we don’t need money as a university. In fact we need more money. What we have is on the lower side. When I say we should not increase fees I am looking at the income levels across the country. But there are people who criticize you for buying three cars at a cost of over Shs 700 million. Your car cost Shs 376 million yet you say the university has no money. Don’t you think that is extravagant?
I did not buy the vehicles. The university bought vehicles for three university officers. These vehicles were in the university budget. The vehicle that the Vice Chancellor was using was involved in an accident in August 2010 where my bodyguard died. So the University Council decided that another vehicle for the vice chancellor be bought. That was the only Land Cruiser of the same capacity that was bought replacing the one damaged during accident. The other vehicles bought were two Land Cruiser Prados for the University Secretary and the Bursar. They were bought because the ones they had had been written off.
The issue has been that the cost is too high? You know the shilling depreciated over time and the vehicles had been budgeted in dollars. I don’t even know how much they paid because I am not the one who paid for the vehicles. They were buying a vehicle for the VC not for Baryamureeba as a person.
Wasn’t the Vice Chancellor’s car that was damaged in an accident insured? It was too old. It had been used by Prof. Ssebuwufu, Prof. Luboobi and then I came in I used it and was involved in accident where I almost lost my life. But there are complaints of your staff who say you have not paid their salaries and the university is just buying expensive cars. When the university makes a budget it looks at what money should be for what. Dr Tanga (MUASA chairman) has personal issues and is trying to use them to incite staff.
Personally I have vehicles but I can’t use them to do university work. The terms of my contract say the Vice Chancellor is entitled to a car. It is not an option for the VC to have a vehicle. Everything comes at a cost. I can’t move in a Corona where my life will not be comfortable.
fonte www.allafrica.com - Mubatsi Asinja Habati

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UGANDA: RICE DEMAND STILL HIGH DESPITE PRICE INCREASE
27 april 2011

Rice is one of the foods that is enjoyed by many Ugandans. The grain that is sold and eaten in Uganda comes from different parts of the world including Pakistan, Tanzania, Vietnam and from the eastern and northern parts of Uganda.
Though one may say that there is a variety that people can choose from, most retail shop owners say that Ugandans have a particular preference of rice.
According to Ms Deborah Nakaryowa, a retail shop owner in Kabalagala, her customers always prefer a particular type known as super. “They like it because it has a good taste and smells good” she says. However, she adds that since super rice is grown in different areas, many people have learnt to differentiate the types and a lot of them prefer the type from Mbale whose seeds are not whole but rather, broken.
Super rice is grown in Mbale, Gulu and Tanzania. Super has less stones, so one doesn’t spend a lot of time sorting it. Because of its cleanliness, Pakistan rice is another preferred type by very many people. Ms Nakaryowa says that this is preferred especially by those who don’t want to sort rice and it does not get soggy when cooked. Pakistan rice has tiny seeds and is very white. “People don’t like Vietnam rice because when you cook it, it doesn’t look as good as the other types” Ms Nakiryowa says of the Vietnam rice with big seeds.
Kaiso, is another type although most people are not sure where it comes from. It has many stones in it. “One may need some hours to sort kaiso before it is ready for cooking” she explains. “Kaiso is often bought by people who have no money to afford the other types.” Ms Nakaryowa says that Tilda rice from Bugiri district, is one type that has low demand. She argues, “People don’t buy it because it is not tasty at all and it is worse than Vietnam when cooked.”
Prices for rice have increased by Shs500 and less in different parts of the country. Despite the increase in prices, Ms Nakaryowa says that the demand for rice is still high because it is eaten in almost every homestead especially by children. Super and Pakistan are on high demand.
In case you would like to venture into rice growing, here are tips from lifeguides.net on how to grow rice.
- Put five to seven inches of soil in a bucket (slightly larger than one hand deep) and place one handful of rice on top of the dirt.
- Cover the dirt and rice with water so that the water rises about two inches above the top of the soil. Keep your bucket or buckets in a sunny area, so the rice can thrive in a warm, sunny climate.
- Check your water levels regularly and add water, if necessary.
- When your rice plants grow beyond six inches, increase your bucket level to four inches above the top of the soil. Let the water slowly evaporate over time, so that your plant has room to grow and be harvested.
-When your plant transforms from a green to a gold colour, it’s a signal to harvest the rice. Your plant has to grow for approximately four months, before it can be harvested.
- After you harvest the rice, wrap up the stalks inside a newspaper and let them sit in a warm place for a couple of weeks. Remove the shells from the rice and let the rice simmer in low heat.
- According to lifeguide.net, there are different types of rice to consider: paddy rice, deep-water rice, rain-fed lowland rice and upland rice.
- Paddy rice growth is controlled by the farmer, whereas deep-water rice grows near the river and other water banks and depends largely on the weather.
- Lowland rice thrives in monsoonal regions where ridges are built into the land in order to retain water after the rain. Upland rice is grown in areas of frequent rain on slopes.
fonte www.allafrica.com - Sharon M. Omurungi

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UGANDA: MANIFESTAZIONI, VITTIME E CENTINAIA DI ARRESTI
29 aprile 2011

Sarebbero almeno quattro le persone uccise oggi a Kampala durante l’intervento della polizia per disperdere una manifestazione di protesta: lo ha riferito il quotidiano ‘Daily Monitor’ nella sua edizione online, mentre il ministro degli Interni stimava in 360 il numero dei fermi effettuati dalle forze dell’ordine.
Secondo i funzionari di polizia e i medici citati dal giornale, le persone ferite da colpi di arma da fuoco sono decine. La stima è compatibile con quella diffusa da alcuni responsabili della Croce Rossa ugandese, che parlano di 120 feriti.
Durante una conferenza stampa, nel pomeriggio, il ministro degli Interni Kirunda Kivejinja ha sostenuto che sotto il profilo dell’ordine pubblico la situazione è “sotto controllo”.
I disordini si sono concentrati in alcuni quartieri di Kampala e nella regione metropolitana della capitale, in particolare lungo la strada che la collega alla città di Entebbe. Secondo fonti della MISNA le proteste sono legate sia al malumore per l’arresto del dirigente di opposizione Kizza Besigye sia a problemi sociali aggravati dal carovita.
fonte www.misna.org

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MANIFESTAZIONI, GAS LACRIMOGENI E DISORDINI A KAMPALA
29 aprile 2011

“Per le strade di Kampala c’è puzza di copertoni bruciati e gas lacrimogeni. Non tutte le zone sono state coinvolte negli scontri ma in quelle in cui si sono verificati incidenti, i testimoni raccontano di uso sproporzionato della forza e violenze”: lo hanno detto alla MISNA fonti raggiunte nella capitale ugandese teatro di disordini e manifestazioni all’indomani dell’arresto ennesimo del capofila di opposizione Kizza Besigye.
“A scatenare la rabbia della gente - riferisce il missionario chiedendo di non essere identificato per questioni di sicurezza – è stata la violenza eccessiva con cui le forze dell’ordine hanno cercato di disperdere i manifestanti, lanciando gas lacrimogeni negli slum e in zone densamente abitate”. Ieri, Besigye era stato ricoverato in ospedale dopo che gli agenti lo avevano arrestato mentre si recava al corteo ‘Walk to Work’ indetto per protestare contro il carovita e l’aumento dei prezzi di beni di prima necessità.
In alcuni quartieri della capitale, la rabbia dei cittadini sembra essere stata scatenata dalla notizia, infondata, dell’uccisione del leader del Forum per il cambiamento democratico (Fdc) in seguito ad un’aggressione delle forze di polizia. Diverse fonti locali riportano la notizia di una o più vittime.
“Fino a pochi mesi fa, provocazioni e reazioni di questa portata in Uganda erano inconcepibili” osserva ancora il missionario secondo cui “la persistente crisi economica e la disoccupazione, soprattutto tra i giovani ha scavato un profondo malcontento nella società e contro il regime di Museveni”.
fonte www.misna.org

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Cambio valuta: in data 30/04/2011 1 dollaro USA è pari a 2389,95 scellini ugandesi, 1 Euro è pari a 3247,3084 scellini ugandesi