Rutooro-Runyoro Dictionary Launched

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The Author and his wife

President Museveni launches the dictionary

The Runyoro-Rutooro Dictionary “Katondogorozi” has been launched. The 600 page dictionary was authored by 90 year old Lazarus Tinkasimiire Rubongoya.

The contents in the dictionary include local proverbs, a list of words, their meanings and pronunciations and a brief history of the Tooro and Bunyoro Kingdoms among others.   

At the launch of the dictionary on Saturday in Fort Portal, Rubongoya said it took him 50 years to finish the dictionary, which he attributed to the insecurity in the 1970s and 1980s.

Rubongoya, who is confined in a wheel chair as a result of an accident in 1998, says he is happy to have finished the dictionary before he dies. He also said that elders in Tooro and Bunyoro, who have rich knowledge in culture, should emulate him and leave a legacy before they die.

Rubongoya also requested the government to purchase the books and distribute them in all schools and tertiary institutions in Tooro and Bunyoro regions. Rubongoya asked people to read, understand and apply the words in the dictionary.

President Yoweri Museveni, who was the chief guest at the launch, said that he is disturbed by people who take keen interest to study and speak foreign languages like English, but neglect their mother tongues, a tendency he says threatens indigenous tradition. He also told the people in Tooro and Bunyoro to emulate Rubongoya and publish literature rich in culture.


He contributed 30 million shillings to purchase copies of the dictionary for community and school libraries in Kabarole district.  He said that the government will purchase more copies of the dictionary for schools in the Tooro and Bunyoro region.

Faustino Nyakana, a member of the dictionary editorial team, says that the dictionary helps to simplify pronunciations and meanings of some of the words in the local language.  Nyakana also says the dictionary will help improve and popularize the teaching of Rutooro and Runyoro in schools, which isn’t common.

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The dictionary is one of the several books that have been authored by Rubongoya, who also worked as a Runyoro-Rutooro newsreader at Radio Uganda in the 1960s.  Other publications include Modern Rutooro-Runyoro grammar, Naaho Nubo-the way of our ancestors, Linda Engeso N’orulimi Rw’ihanga, among others.

OPM Stuck With Human Waste From Refugee Camp

National Water and Sewerage Corporation—NWSC has stopped the depositing of human waste from the refugee transit camp in Bundibugyo district in its lagoons in Fort Portal town.

For the past three weeks, human waste from the transit camp located at the Bubukwanga sub county headquarters, has often been emptied at the lagoons located at Kabundaire, since there is no lagoon in Bundibugyo town.  The refugee camp is host to more than 30,000 Congolese refugees who fled fighting after rebels attacked Kamango town last month.

NWSC had earlier agreed with the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), that the waste be deposited in their lagoons.

However in a letter dated August 20th signed by Peter Opedum, the manager NWSC Fort Portal area, depositing of human waste in the lagoons in Fort Portal has been stopped. The letter is addressed to the senior commandant Bubukwanga transit camp and the UNHCR.

Opedum states in the letter that the depositing of waste is an inconvenience to NWSC and to residents of Fort Portal.

In a telephone interview with Uganda Radio Network, Opedum said that the lagoons are almost full and can’t accommodate any more human waste.

According to Opedum, everyday more than five cesspool trucks from the transit camp would empty waste in the lagoons, which is too much. He says that they were given only three weeks to deposit the waste, but they continued even after the period had elapsed.

The action by NWSC has affected the management of sanitation at the transit camp. The latrines are almost getting full and there are fears of an outbreak of cholera.

Charles Bafaki, the senior resettlement officer in the OPM, told Uganda Radio Network in a telephone interview that the disaster management department has written to the NWSC authorities requesting for more time to continue depositing the waste at their lagoons until the construction of a lagoon in Bundibugyo town is completed.

According to Bafaki, although the latrines at the camp are not yet full, there are fears that they will get full in the next three days and human waste will flow in the camp and get washed away by the rain water.  He says that since the population at the camp is high, the latrines are supposed to be emptied after every three days.

David Karamagi, the Bundibugyo district health officer, says that it’s impossible to construct more latrines at the transit camp, because there is no space. He says they have requested humanitarian agencies to provide mobile toilets.

According to Karamagi, failure to dispose of the waste could cause an outbreak of cholera in the camp.

 A cholera isolation unit has been set up at Bubukwanga Health Centre III, just in case there is an outbreak. Across the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo, an outbreak has already been reported with 20 people hospitalised.

Private Schools in Kabarole Lack Clinics

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Private schools in Kabarole district lack clinics, putting the lives of the students at a risk.

Last year, the district education and health departments, issued guidelines for schools to operate and among the guidelines was that every private school must have a clinic stocked with drugs and should have a qualified medical personnel.  However a survey done by Uganda Radio Network, found out that there many of the private schools have not yet established clinics.

Students who fall sick are forced to seek treatment at health centres, which are far away from the schools.  In an incident that happened over the weekend, Rebecca Kimuli, a S.3 student of His Mercy Secondary School in Kisomoro Sub County fell sick. Since there wasn't any health facility at the school, she was rushed to Fort Portal referral hospital, where she died on arrival.

David Rwagweri, the headmaster His Mercy Secondary School, says that the school had a clinic, but it was closed because of lack of funds for maintenance.

Rwagweri says that the school was spending lots of money to pay the medical staff and purchase the drugs.

He says that students who fall sick are taken to Kisomoro health centre, while those with emergency cases are treated from the school by the medical staff from the health centres.

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At St Mary’s Secondary School in Rwimi Sub County, there is no clinic and sick teachers and pupils access treatment at Rwimi health centre III, 10 kilometres away from the school.

Paul Mugisa, the head teacher, says that there is no space where to construct a school clinic and that since there is a health centre near the school, there is no need to construct one.  Mugisa also says that the school lacks funds to pay the services of nurses and also purchase drugs.

He however says that a school clinic is important, since the school faces difficulties especially in the night, when some students fall sick and there is no one to attend to them.

Margaret Tuhaise, a parent says that the lack of clinics is an act of negligence on part of the school administration.  Tuhaise who has a daughter at Blessed Primary School in Rwimi Sub County, says that it’s unfair for the school authorities to charge 50,000 shillings every term as medical fees and yet there are no medical facilities at the school.

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Richard Rwakaikara, the Kabarole District Education Officer, says that with effect from next term, the department will get tough on schools operating without clinics. He says that no school will be allowed to reopen without a clinic.

Citing the incident which happened on Saturday, Rwakaikara said that the girl’s life could have been saved, if she was given First Aid before being referred to the health facility.

Districts In Rwenzori Region Start Disaster Warning Activities

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Following the recent mudslides in Bududa district, disaster prone districts in the Rwenzori region are engaged in early warning activities to avert effects of possible floods and landslides.

Districts like Kasese and Bundibugyo are prone to disasters like landslides and floods.

In Kasese, which experienced floods in May after River Nyamwamba burst its banks, the district environment team has stopped people from cultivating at the hilltops.  The district experiences floods and landslides due to the excessive tilling of the slopes of Mount Rwenzori, overgrazing, poor farming methods and a growing population.

In a telephone interview, Augustine Koli, the Senior Environmental Officer Kasese district, says that some of the people have large chunks of land, but because of the high population they decide to encroach on the slopes of Mt. Rwenzori, where some have set up semi-permanent structures and cultivate.

Koli says that the current rains being experienced in the area may affect the residents especially in the villages located in Karusandara, Kilembe and Maliba sub counties.

According to Koli, last month the Kasese district natural resources department carried out an environment assessment, which showed that 80% of the population lives in the hilly areas of Bugoye and Maliba, where they derive their livelihood from Rwenzori Mountain national park.

Koli says that after the people have vacated the hilly areas, the district plans to plant 500 hectares of trees in Bugoye and Maliba sub counties.

In Bundibugyo district, Robert Kamuhanda, the district environment officer, says that they have started an early warning system which involves sensitizing communities on the radio about best environmental practices like reforestation and terracing, and how they should respond appropriately incase disaster strikes.

According to Kamuhanda, more than 200 households live on slopes of Musandama hills and are tempering with the soils.

Kamuhanda also says they are also training some members of the district disaster management committees (DDMCs) on how to handle disasters in case they strike. He however says the committees are insufficiently funded to carry out activities.

 After this week’s landslides in Bududa district, Musa Ecweru, the State Minister for Relief and Disaster Preparedness, said that government will deploy disaster risk-reduction officers in disaster-prone areas in the country. According to Ecweru, the officers will supplement the work of the district disaster committees.

This week, a source at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) said that there is little being done in terms of early warning systems and disaster risk reduction. According to the source, there was no early warning to alert victims of the latest landslides in Bududa that killed one person, injured 18 others and displaced at least 2000 more.

Six Arrested For Engaging In Subversive Activities at Refugee Transit Camp

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Three Congolese and three Ugandan nationals have been arrested for allegedly engaging in subversive activities at the Bubukwanga Transit camp in Bundibugyo district. The Congolese suspects are Amis Bamwe aged 26, Jackson Baligerwa alias Mwanja and Gamazima Isaac. The Ugandans are Robert Musinguzi, Abdul Atoko, 29 and Friday Stanley 23, all residents of Bubukwanga trading centre.

Jimmy Katonyerera, the Ruwenzori Regional Police Commander told URN in a phone interview that the suspects and others still at large are said to have been recruiting men and youths to leave the camp and fight Allied Democratic Force-ADF rebels who are destabilizing parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Katonyerera says that when the suspects were interrogated, they said that they didn’t want to be relocated to Kyangwali Refugee Camp, but want to return to Kamango town and fight the rebels.

He says the suspects were found in possession of a list with names of those whom they had registered so far. Katonyerera says for the past two weeks, police has been receiving information from some refugees in the transit camp, that there are people claiming to be refugees and are persuading them to leave the camp to go and fight the ADF.  According to Katonyerera, police set up a trap and the suspects were arrested on Wednesday night.  They are currently detained at Bundibugyo Police station.

However, there are conflicting reports from security officials about whom the suspects were recruiting. While as Katonyerera says that they wanted to fight the ADF, a top security official in Bundibugyo district who preferred anonymity told Uganda Radio Network in a telephone interview that they have reports that the suspects are ADF collaborators, who were recruiting youths to join rebellion.

The source says that the Congolese suspects could have taken advantage of the laxity of security at the Busunga Border Post, when the first batch of refugees entered the district and sneaked into Bundibugyo disguised as refugees to enter the transit camp. The source says that they are yet to cross check with UNHCR officials at the camp to establish if the three Congolese were registered as refugees.

Police on the Spot for Shooting Student

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Kyenjonjo police are on the spot for shooting a student while quelling a riot at Maddox Secondary School in Butiiti Sub County in June this year.

Jacqueline Basemera, a senior four candidate was shot in the arm by the police who used live bullets to quell the riot. She spent close to two weeks admitted at Fort Portal Referral Hospital. The shooting of Basemera caused outrage among students and parents, who accused police of using bullets to disperse unarmed students.

Uganda Radio Network has learnt that on Monday this week some parents wanted to petition Kale Kayihura, the Inspector General over the actions of the cops but they were stopped by the school administration. David Musinguzi, a member of the school management says police should have used tear gas instead of using live bullets to disperse the students since they were not armed. Musinguzi says he is surprised that the school authorities are quiet on the matter and yet one of its students could have lost her life.

John Sande, the father of the victim says the school hasn't been supportive.  Sande, a bicycle mechanic at Kaihura trading centre in Butiiti sub county, says the school gave him only 100,000 shillings to treat his daughter. Sande says he has so far spent more than 400,000 shillings on medicine since his daughter was discharged from hospital.

Samson Muhenda, the headmaster Maddox Secondary School, says the school will provide more financial assistance to Basemera. Samuel Abed, the Kyejonjo District Police Commander, in a telephone interview defended the use of the live bullets saying the police didn’t have any rubber bullets at the time. He says the rubber bullets had been taken to Kasese by the anti-riot police to stop a demonstration of Bakonzo youths who were protesting after Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere was barred from travelling to Bundibugyo district for the peace day celebrations. Abed denies Basemera was shot intentionally saying she was hit by a stray bullet. 

Bishop Given Wrong Medication From Kamwenge Clinic

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Clinics in Kamwenge district are on the spot for employing unqualified and incompetent personnel to treat patients.

In one such incident that happened three weeks ago, the Bishop of East Ruwenzori Diocese, Right Reverend Edward Bamucwanira, was prescribed wrong drugs from a clinic in Rukunyu Sub County, near Kamwenge town council. The bishop had to undergo another medication to treat the effects of wrong drugs. According to a source close to the Bishop, he had purchased the drugs from one of the clinics after complaining of headache.

The source further says the medical workers at the clinic just gave him the drug, even without first establishing what he was suffering from. Moments later, the Bishop started feeling drowsy and became unconscious.

The source however, declined to reveal the name of the clinic. Rukunyu has one private clinic and one drug shop apart from the government health centre III. When URN visited the area on Wednesday, the clinics, Rukunyu Drug Shop and His Mercy Clinic, were both closed, and our reporter could not establish whether Bishop Bamucwanira visited one of the two health facilities.

URN could not reach Bishop Bamucwanira himself, as he is reported out of the country.

In an interview with Uganda Radio Network, Grace Businge, a retired medical practitioner who attended to Bishop Bamucwanira after the incident three weeks ago, says that he could have been given multiple drugs which made him weak. Businge says that the medical personnel at the clinic should have first established what the Bishop was suffering from, before administering any drugs.

She says that clinics and drug shops should have a doctor who is supposed to treat the patient before any drugs are prescribed.

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According to Businge, patients who have been given drugs from the clinics should seek second opinion from a trained medical worker.

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Uganda Radio Network has also established from some residents that they have fallen victim to illegal clinics and dispensaries operating in the town.

Two months ago, 28 year old Mary Atwine, a resident of Kamwenge town council went to the clinic after feeling weak. Atwine told Uganda Radio Network that the medical workers at the clinic didn’t bother to find out what she was suffering from, but rushed to give her coartem tablets, thinking she was suffering from malaria.

Atwine says that when she reached home, her condition worsened until she was rushed to Fort Portal Referral Hospital. It was at the hospital that she was told by the medical workers that she had been given wrong medication.

Uganda Radio Network reporter saw some of the clinics and drug shops in Kamwenge town operating in bedrooms and incomplete structures

In a telephone interview, Steven Baguma, the National Drug Authority (NDA) western region inspector, says that some of the nurses employed in the clinics are not trained to treat people and have no idea about the medicine they prescribe to patients. He says that NDA plans to start a crack down on all illegal clinics and drug shops operating in the region.

 According to Baguma, some of the clinics and drug shops do not open during day time preferring to operate at night because they employ unqualified staff.

Last month, NDA closed more than 100 drug shops, pharmacies and clinics in Kampala because they were operating illegally.

In May 2011, a crackdown operation on private health service providers in Kampala found that over 70 per cent were operating illegally.  At least 117 clinics and drug shops were closed during the operation.

The joint operation by the Ministry of Health, the Joint Health Professionals Council and the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda also found that most of the private clinics and drug shops were operating without qualified staff. The month-long operation surveyed at least 180 health units in Kawempe, Makindye, Nakawa, Rubaga and Kampala central divisions.
 

Relocation Of Congolese Refugees Starts Tomorrow

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The relocation of 20,000 Congolese refugees from Bundibugyo district to Kyangwali Settlement Camp in Hoima district starts tomorrow.

Last month, more than 60,000 refugees entered Uganda through Bundibugyo district, after rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) attacked the town of Kamango, 15 kilometers from the Uganda-DRC border. The refugees are currently camped at the Bubukwanga transit camp in Bundibugyo district.

The relocation exercise will be overseen by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).

In a telephone interview, Lucy Beck, the UNHCR Associate External Relations Officer, told Uganda Radio Network that 2,000 refugees will be relocated per week to the settlement camp starting on Tuesday.  According to UNHCR records, there are currently 19,500 registered refugees at the transit camp in Bundibugyo.

Beck says the relocation exercise will last five months. She says there was need to find alternative settlement for the refugees since the transit camp had exceeded its full capacity, adding that only 8,000 will remain at Bubukwanga.

According to Beck, when in Kyangwali the refugees will be able to cultivate food for consumption and sale to earn a living. She also says that the children will be able to go to school, since there are schools neighboring the settlement camp.

The relocation exercise may however, be hampered by some refugees who said they will reject the move, preferring to wait for the fighting in DRC to stop so that they return to their homes. Some of them say they are farmers and own large cocoa plantations back home.

Kyangwali is one of the largest refugee camps in Uganda. It is home to refugees from Rwanda, the DRC, Sudan, Somalia, Burundi, Kenya and Eritrea.

Meanwhile more refugees continue to enter Bundibugyo district through the Busunga border post. In a telephone interview, Charles Bafaki, the senior settlement officer in the Office of the Prime Minister, says there are between 200-300 refugees who enter the district every day.

Bafaki says some of the refugees said there is still low level fighting across the border. He says some refugees have reported at the transit camp, while others are staying with host families in Nyahuka, Busunga and Busaru.

He says that despite the congestion at the transit centre, the refugees can afford to be served three meals a day, 200 latrines have been constructed and there are plans to build more. Hygiene promoters have also been recruited to sensitize the refugees about proper hygiene and sanitation.

Construction of Municipal Headquarters Yet To Resume

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The construction of the Fort Portal municipal headquarters is yet to resume, a year after the work grounded to a halt. The Construction of the 3.5 billion shillings headquarters hit a snag last year after  Fort portal municipality terminated the contract of DECON International, which was contracted to execute the works. DECON was supposed to have completed the first phase of the building last year in April, but they failed to honor the contract. Construction was supposed to resume in five months time after the initial contract was terminated.

However, to date the work has not resumed. The municipal council had set 2015 as the year for completion of the headquarters. At the site located at Upper Boma in Fort Portal Municipality, the place is bushy and overgrown with grass around the uncompleted structure. Some of the construction equipmentand the fence have since been vandalized. Last year, Asaba Ruyonga, the Mayor Fort Portal Municipal council the financial report indicating 600 million shillings was spent on the first phase of the building.

However, the figure was disputed by the councilors saying there was no value for money and called for investigations. Now, Edward Lwanga, the Town Clerk Fort Portal Municipality says they are not sure when the construction work will resume, citing lack of funds. Lwanga says they need more than one billion shillings for the construction to resume. According to Lwanga, this financial year, the central government contributed 100 million shillings for the construction and promised to contribute the same amount each financial year until the construction work is complete.

Lwanga states that 200 million shillings that was raised from local revenue for the construction work, was diverted to pay Value Added Tax (VAT) to Uganda Revenue Authority (URA). He says they are still looking for other avenues to raise the required funds for completion of the headquarters. Some councilors are contemplating moving a motion in the next council meeting to fund-raise for the completion of the building. Gilbert Kayondo, the representative of Kijanju ward says the municipality should have budgeted for construction of the building in the 2013/2014 budget.

He says it will be an embarrassment for the leaders in Fort Portal if by 2015; the building hasn't been completed as promised.

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Currently, the Municipal Council offices are housed in the dilapidated colonial building at Boma, which was constructed in 1952.

Mobile Ambulance Project Fails To Bear Fruit In Kyenjojo

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Access to health facilities by pregnant women in Kyenjojo district remains a challenge, despite the availability of the Boda Boda Ambulance project.

Under the Boda Boda for life project, motorcycles are used as ambulances to transport the expectant mothers to health centres and hospitals for delivery.

Two hundred boda‐boda cyclists were trained by the District Health Team. Each cyclist is given a fuel voucher of shillings 10,000 when they take an expectant mother for delivery to a health facility. However, the project has recorded minimal progress, as women continue to shun the health facilities.

The project was started by the district health department with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) because women were being forced to give birth at home in unhygienic conditions citing lack of transport to health facilities.

Statistics at the district health department show that the maternal mortality rate in the district is at 55%.

Benjamin Kayonga, the in-charge of the project, says the purpose of the Boda boda Ambulances was to save lives of pregnant mothers by accessing healthcare facilities that previously may have been out of reach. He says that during a review of the project it was found out that the women especially in rural areas weren’t utilizing the ambulances.

Kayonga says that since June last year, only 70 women have accessed the health centres in different sub counties using the boda ambulance, which he says is a small number.  He was quick to attribute the poor performance of the project to the influence of the traditional birth attendants (TBAs).

However, some of the residents attribute the failure to the poor road network especially in the rural areas.

Deborah Karamagi, a resident of Kisojo village in Kihuura Sub County, says the roads deteriorate more during the rainy season and become almost impassable for the boda boda ambulances, yet the nearest health centres are more than 10 kilometers away.  She says that this forces the women to use the services of TBAs, who are easily accessible.

She says that although the ambulance project is good, the roads also need to be worked on.

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TB Patients In Kabarole Default On Treatment

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Many Tuberculosis patients in Kabarole district don’t complete the prescribed treatment, which is affecting the management and treatment of the disease.

At the TB clinic at Fort Portal Referral Hospital, records show that 300 patients have defaulted on treatment in the past two months, despite the availability of drugs. The TB clinic treats patients from Kabarole, Kyejonjo, Bundibugyo, Ntoroko and Kamwenge and receives more than 60 patients every month.

Dr. Steven Musinguzi, the in-charge of the TB clinic says some of the patients default for two or even four months.

He says that by defaulting on treatment the patients require the second line of treatment. Dr. Musinguzi also says that during the second line of treatment, the patient has to receive injections for two months and be hospitalized for the same period, which is costly.

Musinguzi further says that patients who don’t complete their treatment run a risk of failing to respond to the second line of treatment.

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Musinguzi cites stigma as one of the major reasons why patients default on treatment.  He notes that 15 of the patients who returned for treatment last week said that they fear to be mistaken to be HIV/AIDS patients.

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However, some of the patients who spoke to URN attributed the default rate to lack of TB drugs in some major health centres.

Beatrice Kamakune, a resident of Kabale village in Kibiito Sub County, says she was used to taking multiple pills on a daily basis, but she failed to complete her treatment because Kibiito health centre IV ran out of the drugs. Kamakune says she spent two months without taking the drugs until her condition worsened and she was admitted to the TB clinic.

 She says she was earlier on reluctant to go to the TB clinic because she couldn’t afford transport, since she is unemployed.

Dr. Henry Mugasa, the Kabarole district TB focal Person, says his office is liaising with the district health department to avail drugs in all health centres in the district and reduce on the burden of patients moving long distances to Fort Portal Referral hospital. He however says that some patients intentionally miss treatment even when the drugs are available. He says they are sensitizing patients on the risks of discontinuing treatment.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), defaulting on TB treatment causes higher rates of relapse and retreatment and increased treatment expenses. WHO ranks Uganda among countries with a high TB incidence, currently estimated at 40 out of every 100,000 people.

Report: District Leaders Abandon Voters After Elections

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Elected leaders in Kabarole district don’t consult their electorates on issues that affect them.

A performance review report released by the Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE), reveals that district councillors and LC3 Chairpersons have abandoned their electorates after the elections.

The Local Government Councils Score-Card Initiative (LGCSCI) is a 10 year project running from 2009 to 2019. It is implemented by ACODE with a goal of improving the quality of public service delivery by building the demand-side of governance and accountability.

According to the report, failure by the elected leaders to consult the voters on issues like health, water and sanitation, environment, education facilities, poor road networks, and poor sanitation has affected service delivery.

The report also states that the elected leaders often lack knowledge about their roles and responsibilities, the skills to enact bye-laws and ordinances and the role of the district technical staff.  

The report further shows that out of the 13 district councilors, only five have been in touch with their electorates, while out of the 13 LC3 chairpersons, only six have consulted the voters.

Some members of the public are happy that the report has exposed their leaders as incompetent with some saying that they should not seek re-election in the next general elections.

David Karamagi, a resident of Harugongo parish in Kichwamba Sub County, says that since 2011, the sub county councilor, LC3 chairperson and other elected leaders have never gone back to the electorate.  Karamagi says that most of the roads in the area are impassable especially during the rainy season because of lack of maintenance, which has affected the movement of goods.

He says that during the previous campaigns, the leaders promised to lobby for improved services, but have done nothing.

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Maureen Baguma, a resident of Nsura in Bukuku Sub County, says the health centre III has never been renovated despite several appeals from the residents. She also says none of the elected leaders has held meetings with the residents to inform them of any district plans or activities.

Baguma notes that unless the district leadership acts now, she will be forced to mobilize other voters not to return the current leaders in the 2016 elections.

However, Emmanuel Tugume, the district councillor representing Kasenda Sub County says that they have lobbied for services, but are sometimes frustrated by the district which claims that there are no adequate funds.

Bamba Elders Want To Meet Museveni Over Cultural Leader

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Members of Bundibugyo Elders Development Association (BEDA) want President Museveni to explain why the government is still quiet on their demand to install the Bamba Cultural leader.

The President is expected to visit Bundibugyo on Tuesday. The installation of Major Martin Kamya as the cultural leader or Omudinganya of the Bamba community has been postponed several times. He was slated to be installed as the leader of Obhudingiya Bwa Bwamba-OBB in Bundibugyo district in May, but the ceremony was cancelled. This was the second time the function had been postponed. Major Kamya was initially supposed to be installed in February, before the ceremony was pushed to May.

In August last year, during a meeting of BEDA members, Kamya was elected as the cultural leader of the Bamba. Kamya is the eldest son of the late Jeremiah Kawamara, one of the founders of the Rwenzururu movement.

In a telephone interview, Fulgensio Bamwitirebye, the chairperson of BEDA, says they want to use Museveni’s visit to the district to tell the president that they are impatient and would want to hear the government’s position on the matter.  He says that two months ago they presented the necessary documents to the cabinet, but up to now they haven’t received any response.

According to Bamwitirebye, some of the documents that were requested by the government were the OBB constitution, anthem and emblem. Others include the resolution by the Bundibugyo district council in support of the OBB and the BEDA council resolution electing Major Kamya.

He says it’s a surprise that the government has decided to keep quiet for the last two months. Bamwitirebye also says they are waiting for the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) to clear Major Kamya from the army, so that it enables him serve his subjects.

Last year, while meeting the OBB and BEDA members, Museveni allowed Major Kamya to retire from the army and be crowned cultural leader of the Bamba community.

Gerald Mugisa, the secretary BEDA says they have already requested State House officials for a meeting with the President when he visits the district. He says that the delay to install the Bamba cultural leader will lead to continued provocation from the Bakonzo, who still regard Bundibugyo as part of Rwenzururu Kingdom. 

Staff Shortage Hits Mental Health Unit

http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=55024

Patients at the Mental Health unit at Fort Portal regional hospital are missing out of treatment following shortage of medical workers at the unit. The unit serves patients from Kasese, Kyejonjo, Ntoroko, Bundibugyo, Kamwenge and Kibale districts.

The unit with more than 80 in and out patients, is being manned by only two workers, the in-charge and one nurse.

Martin Ibanda, the in-charge of the unit, says that seven staff that had been posted to the unit worked for only a month and left for other jobs while the others were transferred and have never been replaced. According to Ibanda, some of the reasons why the staff left were hostility of the patients, poor accommodation and inadequate pay.

Ibanda says that the unit receives more than twenty patients everyday, who should be attended to, but since there are no medical workers, they are often turned away.

//Cue in: “this is serious…
//Cue out:  “there wasn’t replacement.”//

When our reporter visited the unit on Thursday morning, there were more than thirty patients waiting to be treated. Some of the patients told the reporter that they had waited for more than three hours to get treatment.

Faith Kamukama, whose son is mentally ill, says that she has been coming to the health unit for the past one week but her son has never been treated.  Kamukama says that she plans to take her son to Butabika Hospital in Kampala.

When Uganda Radio Network contacted the hospital administration, Dr Kyebambe Kaliisa, the acting medical superintendent, said that the matter is being addressed urgently.  He said that they have written to the district service commission to recruit fifteen health workers to work at the unit.

Kaliisa says that intern students from Fort Portal School of Clinical Officers and from Fort Portal Institute of Nursing will temporarily attend to the patients.  

 Abuse of drugs among the youths in the Ruwenzori region has been blamed for the surge in mental cases at the mental health unit. Statistics at the unit indicate that the 15% of the patients referred to the clinic are habitual consumers of narcotics. Most of the addicts are aged between 18 and 25 years.

There have been several attempts by the districts in the region to pass bylaws on the consumption and growing marijuana, which is common in the region, but they have failed.