President General of the Democratic Party Hon.Nobert Mao has been appointed Constitutional affairs minister by President Museveni.

The appointment comes in after a few hours when Mao’s Democratic Party entered into agreement with the ruling National Resistance Movement.

Mao is now awaiting confirmation by the Appointment Committee to start performing his newly assigned duties.

Carry out audit of nodding disease funds – Speaker Anita Among
Parliament has directed the Auditor General to conduct a forensic on the Shs1.3 billion allocated to support nodding disease affected persons.

The MPs on Wednesday, 20 July 2022 adopted a motion tabled by Kitgum District Woman MP, Hon. Lilian Aber, urging government to prioritise interventions into nodding disease in Northern Uganda.

According to the Centre for Disease Control, nodding disease syndrome is a neurologic condition that is characterized by episodes of repetitive dropping forward of the head, often accompanied by other seizure like activity like convulsions or staring spells.

Reports of the disease emerged as early as 1998 in Kitgum district. However, thousands of cases were registered in Northern Uganda in the late 2000s.

Now Members of Parliament have called for prioritisation of interventions into nodding disease but also an audit into funds injected into the treatment and support to those affected by the disease. In March 2018, Parliament authorized government to spend shs1.3 billion for the revitalization of the intervention for nodding syndrome in Northern Uganda.

This followed a passionate drive and campaign to raise funds and support the children affected by the disease by the late Speaker, Jacob Oulanyah.

Now in her motion, Aber urged the government to ensure the appropriate use of funds allocated, fast track the operationalization of facilities disease and train personnel to intervene in treating the disease.

Aber says that the number of nodding disease affected children remains high with Kitgum having 1,449 while the mental health department which supports the children is also overwhelmed and lacks capacity.
“We request that government provides food relief and shelter to the affected family. There is an NGO, Irene Gleeson Foundation that has taken the mantle to spearhead mobilization for food items to support these families but it would have been better if the Office of the Prime Minister took on this,” Aber said.

The Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Mathias Mpuuga, called for immediate, medium and long term strategy to curb the disease saying the disease was seriously affecting the children.

“We need resources to go and take care of the immediate social needs of these families and their housing conditions; they have no food and they look dejected,” Mpuuga said
Hon. Anifa Kawooya, the Minister of State for Health in Charge of General Duties said that government is alive to the challenge of the nodding syndrome.

“Initially the Ministry of Health was the one receiving the budget for nodding disease but from the financial years 2018 and 2019, the Ministry of Finance sends the money directly to the districts,” she said.

Speaker Anita Among called for an audit on the funds that have already been released for the treatment of nodding disease.

Among tasked government to report to the House after every three months.

“We will have a forensic audit on the funds released for nodding disease in addition to the rest of the prayers. The Minister of Finance should also give us evidence that this money has been going to the districts,” Anita Among said.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni meets and signs a Cooperation Agreement with DP’s Norbert Mao.
The occasion was graced by both parties’ Secretary General (Richard Tadwongo and Gerald Silanda Blacks) and his (M7’s) family lawyer and son-in-law Karugyire.

Flashback
“I will never be bought with money and I can never join the government and leave my party behind,”~ DP president Norbert Mao on March 6, 2022.

Yesterday [July 20, 2022] Mao signed a ‘cooperation agreement’ with the NRM. “We’ve signed it in good faith”

“I met with Democratic Party President Norbert Mao at State House Entebbe. We signed a cooperation agreement between the NRM and the DP. I salute the DP leadership for this gesture of mature, foresighted and constructive politics.” President Museveni

Dropped presidential advisor for Northern Uganda, Abalo Lillian was On Monday Morning caught red-handed planting witchcraft Charms at the home of the Chief Justice Owiny Odollo in agago District.
The accused Argues that she was lured in the shameful act by an anonymous Boy she met from Kampala. The Boy is on the run and all his known contacts switched off.

Former aspirant for woman member of Parliament Agago Lillian Abalo Ongom arrested in the wee hour of today Tuesday for witchcraft practice at the home of Chief Justice Owiny Dollo Chigamoi, currently detain at CPS Patongo , Agago on charges of criminal Trespass.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that the suspect is a presidential advisor.

M7: “I never said we are a middle income country as yet. What I said is that we are on our way entering the midle income status. So there is no contradiction between what I’m saying and what the World Bank is saying. We are at the GDP per capita of $1,039 and if we consistently keep achieving that or more for three consecutive years, then we can be confirmed to have reached the middle income status. That’s what I said and there is no contradiction with what the World Bank are saying.” The Ugandan veteran leader made these remarks as part of his long weekend interview with a Kenyan journalist/blogger who interviewed him for the World is One (WION) channel.

Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo have wonthe Gold and Bronze Medals respectively in the 10,000 Metres in the Ongoing World Athletics Championship in Oregon USA.

Just In :
Makerere University finally has banned physical guild elections.

Makerere University suspends 88th Guild elections indefinitely following the Death of a University Student
A scuffle that ensued between Forum for Democratic Change and National Unity Platform supporters led to the death of University Student
Bentungura Bewatte, a 2nd year law student at UCU Kampala Campus, was stubbed to cold blood.

and says future elections will be virtually managed. The University maintained that the 88th guild elections is still suspended indefinitely.

Among other things, the council has also resolved to terminate the electoral process of the 88th Students’ guild leadership.

50 LEFT JOBLESS AS GAAGAA BUS COMPANY CLOSES OPERATIONS
Gaagaa bus services has closed its operations allegedly due to financial troubles, leaving more than 50 employees jobless.

Several unsuspecting passengers caught unawares by the closure of bus operations have been turning up at the Arua booking office only to find the place closed.

Last month, the company closed its booking offices located along Rhino camp road in Arua City, sending all the workers home. The remaining buses have since been grounded in Kampala.

Gaagaa Enterprises Limited, which is owned by James Nyakuni, a local businessman in Arua City, owned a fleet of over 15 buses. It was then one of the best bus service providers ever witnessed in the West Nile region due to the high quality of its services. The buses were some of the most sought-after between 2005 and 2020However, over the years due to the rampant complaints of the buses breaking down on journeys and involvement in nasty accidents, some customers started shunning Gaagaa.

Burani Ajaga, a former loader in the Bus Company, says that he is struggling to provide for his family following the closure. He says paying school fees for his children has defeated him since his livelihood greatly deepened on the buses.

Meanwhile, Francis Cadri, another former employee explains that many of his former workmates have now resorted to digging, following the closure of operations.

Gerald Angurini, a former ticketing officer in Gaagaa Bus Company, says that he now does any type of work to survive due to the high cost of leaving.Gaagaa Bus had offices in Kampala, Burundian capital Bujumbura, Kigali in Rwanda and Arua. The company buses plied the Kampala-Rwanda-Burundi, Kampala-Arua, Kampala-Koboko, Kampala-Paidah, Kampala-Lira, Kampala-Gulu and Nebbi-Kampala vie Pakwach routes among others.

Police officers have recovered the bodies of Ronald Aharuhundira and his lover Paulina Nalubega in Mugoye Sub County, Kalangala district. The lovers were residents of Bungo village.

Police is yet to release a statement about the deaths that residents say happened on Friday.

However, Gerald Bwegaba, the area chairperson, suspects 28-year- old Aharuhundira strangled Nalubega because there were bruises on her neck and lips and also blood on her nose. Bwegaba thinks that Aharuhundira thereafter hanged himself probably due to guilt because he was wearing one of Nalule’s t-shirts and a wristband with the words “I can’t live without you”.

He is however not sure whether or not the lovers had a misunderstanding because they were peaceful residents.

9 PASSENGERS KILLED IN BOMBO ACCIDENT
The territorial Police at Sinalya Village, Kalule along Kla- Glu Highway in Luweero District yesterday 9th July 2022, at around, 1410hrs registered a fatal accident that claimed lives of nine people and Injured other five.The accident involved motor vehicle registration number UBD 850J, a Toyota Hiace and UAH 316P, an Isuzu Elf.

It is alleged that a speeding motor vehicle reg number UBD 850J Toyota Hiace that was moving from Kampala to Gulu side and while slopping to Sinalya valley burst its rear tyre, lost control and overturned several times before colliding with an oncoming motor vehicle reg no UAH 316P Isuzu which also overturned after the collision killing eight (8) unidentified passengers (7 female adults and 1 male) in the Toyota Hiace. Another unidentified female passenger died on the way to Mulago Hospital.

Traffic and Road Safety Spokesperson Faridah Nampiima confirmed the incident.

Nampiima said further inquiries are at hand.