News Headlines
3 more Ugandan returnees test positive for COVID-19
July 5, 2020 by URN
Three more Ugandan returnees have tested positive for COVID-19. Among the positive returnees is one from South Africa and two...
6 killed, 15 injured in fresh Somalia bombings
July 5, 2020 by VOA
At least five people were killed and more than eight others wounded when a government security checkpoint was bombed in...
Nsambya detains for 3 months mother who lost baby over unpaid bills
July 5, 2020 by URN
St Francis’ Hospital, Nsambya is in the spotlight again for detaining for over three months, a mother, who lost her...
Botswana investigates mystery deaths of 275 elephants in 2 months
July 5, 2020 by VOA
Botswana is investigating a growing number of unexplained deaths of elephants, having confirmed 275 had died, up from 154 two...
Uganda's registers 16 new COVID-19 cases
Uganda’s COVID-19 cases have risen to 927 after another 16 new cases tested positive. The new cases were confirmed from 5,133 samples tested on Friday - the highest number tested thus far.
Govt halts return of Ugandans stranded abroad
The government has suspended the return of Ugandans stranded abroad. According to a statement released today by the ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government will not accept any new returnees after July 4, 2020.The move is intended to control congestion in quarantine facilities. The ministry of Health gazetted 37 quarantine centres…
17-year-old throws into river own baby over economic hardships
A search is underway in Pacua village, Mucwini sub-county, Kitgum district, for the body of a one-year-old baby who was allegedly thrown in Aringa river by a teenage mother, two days ago. Mucwini sub-county chairperson Richard Komakech Pa’Yilibo says the residents became suspicious after failing to see the 17-year-old mother with…
Office of the President returns, requests Shs 3bn unspent COVID funds
The Office of the President has requested to be reallocated Shs 2.9 billion it returned to the treasury after failing to spend it on activities in the last financial year. The money is part of a supplementary budget allocation of Shs 16.8 billion which the office received to facilitate COVID-19 response…
Boda boda rider commits suicide inside Masaka police station
A boda boda cyclist has torched himself to death inside Masaka central police station in protest over his impounded motorbike. Hussein Walugembe, who has been operating a motorcycle taxi from around Buddu Shell fuel pump station stage, reportedly doused his body with petrol he had carried in a mineral water bottle…
Uganda's COVID cases rise to 902, as another 259 people die in Africa
Uganda's confirmed coronavirus cases have risen to 902 after nine samples tested positive from the 1,958 samples tested on July 2.Seven of the confirmed cases are contacts who were picked from Amuru and Tororo, while the other cases were of two truck drivers from the Malaba point of entry. The…
Two police detectives, suspect perish in Jinja road accident
Two detectives from the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) headquarters and a suspect have perished in a motor accident at Magaga trading centre along the Jinja-Iganga highway. The deceased have been identified as detective assistant Emmanuel Mawa, detective sergeant Dick Magala and Philip Wadambwa who they had arrested from Manafwa district this…
UPDF liaison officer Brig Twesigye falls to death in bathroom
Uganda Peoples' Defense Forces (UPDF) liaison officer at the East African Community headquarters in Arusha in Tanzania, Brigadier Victor Twesigye is dead. Brigadier Twesigye passed away at his home in Nyarushanje, Rukungiri district Thursday according to UPDF spokesperson, Brigadier Richard Karemire."The deceased fell in the bathroom at his home,” Karemire said. Earlier…
Court dismisses suit challenging Museveni's sole candidature
The Constitutional court, in a majority decision of 4-1 has dismissed an application by ruling party MPs challenging President Yoweri Museveni's sole candidature in next year's general elections. 11 National Resistance Movement (NRM) leaning members of parliament challenged a decision by the top party organ, the central executive committee (CEC) to…
Prof Baryamureeba arrested over knocking woman dead
Former Makerere University vice chancellor and 2016 presidential candidate, Prof Venansius Baryamureeba has been arrested over knocking a woman dead in Muyenga. The fatal accident happened today at 1 pm around the Kibuli-Muyenga junction, Makindye division, Kampala. Police said the deceased was identified by people who knew her as Mariam Jagenda…
UPDF soldier jailed 35 years for shooting dead Kasese lay reader
A Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) soldier has been charged and sentenced to 35 years for killing a lay reader of the Anglican Church in Kasese district.The soldier, Pte. Abraham Lokwap, 23, attached to the 6th Mountain Brigade Battalion in Hima, was implicated for the shooting and killing of Benon…
Uganda registers four new COVID-19 cases
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Uganda has risen to 893 after four cases tested positive for the disease from samples drawn on Monday. This is the lowest number of cases that have been reported in a single day over the last two months.
We will stop scientific poll
Fresh from jail and seemingly steeled by the two months’ prison stint, former security minister Henry Tumukunde has plunged straight into political battles that will shape campaigns for the February 2021 general election. Speaking to journalists recently, the three-star army general said he will do everything possible to stop the Electoral…
Will Makubuya’s drive on decolonisation bear fruit?
What started as a commentary is gaining traction with more than 5,000 people petitioning government to decolonise Kampala streets by removing icons of colonial oppressors and replacing them with gallant Ugandan heroes. Prominent lawyer Apollo Makubuya is the brains behind this initiative that reached the speaker Rebecca Kadaga last week…
Why Mamdani and I disagree
A fortnight ago, Yusuf Serunkuma, a PhD candidate at Makerere University Institute of Social Research [MISR], won a Shs 25 million High Court award in general damages and an order stopping MISR and its head Prof Mahmood Mamdani from administration, supervision and examination of the graduate student’s PhD thesis.
Govt kicks off mosquito net distribution
It is a busy season at the ministry of Health. As one team knocks at doors to hand out cloth-masks to combat Covid-19, another shall be traversing the country handing out mosquito nets. Starting with the districts of eastern Uganda and parts of Lango sub-region, the ministry has launched its door-to-door…
Delayed compensation slows Rukungiri-Kanungu-Ishasha road
The delayed compensation of over 1,000 residents of Kikongi parish in Bwambara sub-county in Rukungiri district has slowed the tarmacking of Rukungiri-Kanungu-Ishasha road. President Museveni commissioned the tarmacking of the 78.5km road stretched valued at Shs 207.8 billion in December 2018. The project is being executed by China Henan International…
11 Ugandan returnees from Afghanistan test positive for COVID-19
Eleven Ugandans who recently returned from Afghanistan have tested positive for COVID-19 according to results released from the ministry of Health today. All the 11 returnees were under quarantine at the time of testing. The returnees are part of the new 19 cases that tested positive from a total of…
12-year-old girl commits suicide in Nansana
Police in Nansana Municipality in Wakiso district is investigating circumstances under which a 12-year-old girl allegedly committed suicide. Luke Owoyesigyire, the deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson identifies the deceased as Alisat Nantume, a resident of Gganda-Nansana municipality, Wakiso district.
Parents protest Kampala Parents high online fees
Disgruntled parents of Kampala Parents School (KPS) have petitioned government to intervene and renegotiate the huge fees imposed on their children to access online learning platforms. The parents say it is appalling to learn that the school has not bothered to call an engagement meeting on the new facilitation fees for…
Somalia postpones presidential elections by 13 months over COVID
Somalia’s Electoral Commission has announced the rescheduling of the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections by 13 months. The chairperson of the National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC), Halima Ismail Ibrahim, told the Lower House of the parliament that political differences, insecurity, flooding and COVID-19 have hampered the commission’s work schedule. The parliamentary elections…
MPs approve Shs 1 trillion supplementary 4 days to end of FY
Parliament approved a supplementary budget of Shs 1.087 trillion to facilitate the COVID-19 response by the ministries of Health, Trade and other government entities.The approval followed a recommendation of parliament's budget committee chaired by Amos Lugoloobi, in line with a request which was tabled before parliament on June 16. The…
Uganda's COVID-19 cases increase to 870
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Uganda has risen to 870 after another 11 people tested positive for the disease on Sunday. Four of the confirmed cases are among drivers that were picked from different points of entry, while seven cases were picked from communities in Tororo and Koboko.
Kyambogo student hospitalized after being kicked in testicles
A Kyambogo University student has been hospitalised after his Chinese boss at Global Paper Ltd allegedly kicked his manhood last week. Peter Waiswa, a second-year student of Development Studies at Kyambogo is currently admitted at CPR Medical Center in Mukono town after being assaulted by the head of the Plywood department at…
65-year-old man beaten to death by LDU officers in Oyam
A 65-year-old man was battered to death by Local Defense Unit (LDU) officers enforcing night curfew guidelines Oyam district in northern Uganda. Francis Ogwang Munu, a resident of Amati village, Juma parish, Kamdini sub-county died on Saturday night at a private clinic where he was rushed for treatment after the beatings.
Malawi opposition leader sworn in as president after landslide victory
Malawi's new president Lazarus Chakwera was sworn in for a five-year term on Sunday, hours after unseating former leader Peter Mutharika in a rerun election. Chakwera, 65, won 58.57 per cent of the vote in Tuesday's poll, a dramatic reversal of the result of the original election in May 2019, which…
Global coronavirus infections hit 10 million, 500,000 deaths
At least 10,104,520 people have been confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while 501,682 of the infected have died as of June 28, 2020. Of those 10 million infected, 5,477,042 have successfully recovered from the disease and been discharged from hospital. In Uganda, another 11 new cases were confirmed…
Kenya: 3 killed in clash with police over face masks
A witness says three people were killed in a small town in Kenya's Rift Valley during a confrontation between police and residents over the wearing of face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Police confirmed the deaths but gave a different account. Human rights activists for weeks have…
Court awards Shs 250m to tortured ISO spy
The High court in Kampala has awarded Shs 250 million to a tortured Internal Security Organisation (ISO) operative, Simon Peter Odongo, who was, on May 5 this year, arrested from his home for allegedly brandishing a gun at UPDF soldiers. Before his arrest, it was alleged that UPDF soldiers who were…
One killed in Namugongo pork joint fire outbreak
One person was killed in a pork joint fire outbreak in Namugongo, Kira division in Wakiso district. A Congolese national, Emmanuel Bahati, 28, a casual labourer who has been roasting pork, was burnt beyond recognition on Saturday morning from inside Kigambo pork joint located opposite Namugogo catholic martyrs shrine.
Uganda's COVID-19 fight is exemplary, a success story - Atwine
Uganda will not emulate Tanzania and Burundi by unreservedly opening up the economy and the country amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, ministry of Health permanent secretary Dr Diana Atwine has said. Medical workers in the private sector this week suggested that Uganda benchmarks in Tanzania and Burundi to see how it…
Unilever buckles under Black Lives Matter pressure, changes cream name in India
The Black Lives Matter campaign sparked by the death of George Floyd in the United States has resonated in an unusual area — skin lightening beauty products that have become hugely popular in India and other Asian countries. Consumer giant Unilever has announced it will change the name of its popular…
COVID-19 kills another 214 people in Africa
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) killed a further 214 people across Africa on Thursday, increasing the total deaths in Africa to 9,104. The continent also recorded a further 12,093 new infections, raising the total number of infections to 350,859. Meanwhile, Uganda's total cases increased to 833 after a further 12 new infections were…
Kaweesi murder pre-trial hearing fixed for next week
The International Crimes Division of the High court will on Tuesday next week start the pre-trial conference in the murder case of former police spokesperson Andrew Felix Kaweesi.According to Judiciary spokesperson Solomon Muyita, the pre-trial hearing will be presided over by justice Duncan Gaswagga.
Govt rejects appeals to bail out lockdown-hit private teachers
The months-long Covid-19 induced lockdown has slashed teaching jobs and salaries largely in private education institutions. And government has flatly rejected requests for salary bailouts for staff in private education institutions. In an interview with The Observer, Education and Sports permanent secretary, Alex Kakooza said private schools and universities are businesses too…
Am not wanted by Interpol – Allibhai
In a letter to the parliamentary inquiry into the disposal of properties of departed Asians, businessman Mohammed Allibhai has roundly refuted two claims; that he snubbed parliamentary summons and that he is on the run from International Police, Interpol. “For your information, our client has not received any summons or come…