3,850 registered Ugandans starving in South Sudan are planning to foot back home.

About 3,850 Ugandan nationals are in crisis in South Sudan as a result of the month long cross fire between the soldiers loyal to President Salva Kiir and his Vice Riek Machar though there has been a ceasefire in place since last week.

Uganda army says over 38,000 people were evacuated from Juba last week including Ugandans but remaining nationals in other parts of the country are in an emergency situation without food, water or medicine.

According to reports from Patrick Lumumba, the Chairman LCIII of Bardege Division in Gulu Municipality while talking to journalists today from Gulu town, he received information two days ago from James Okello who comes from Bardege but was working in Torit as a Teacher, that the situation is dire for survival.

In a telephone connection with the LCIII Chairman, Okello who is offering pseudo leadership says that there are about 550 Ugandans left in Torit, 2500 in Wau while 800 others are in Margui County.

Okello adds that people are leaving in the bush waiting for the last message from the government of Uganda before they trek on foot to Uganda due to fear of being killed by South Sudan Nationals who have guns and have been hostile to them. No vehicle passes through to Torit or Margui to take food and the shops are empty without supplies.

Patrick Lumumba, who is coordinating with those trapped in the Africa’s Youngest nation, says that the people are planning to move in shifts if they do not get any message of a possible second phase of evacuation from the government today.

“The number of people still in South Sudan could double those evacuated or registered in the last two days. They are living in the bush with no food and many are suffering from malaria. There no medicine and only few small vehicles of South Sudanese can be seen fleeing their country,” says the Bardege LCIII Chairman who is coordinating with other security leaders to have another rescue mission to save those still left in South Sudan.

He is pessimistic that some people will die on the way if the rescue mission is not quickly arranged since they are not eating to have enough energy.

Lumumba adds that much as it is an expensive activity to evacuate the nationals, it is the responsibility of government to protect its citizens both within and outside the country.

“Those evacuated were majorly those within and near Juba but there are many Ugandans scattered in different parts of South Sudan who are far from Juba. They were thus automatically left out since there was violence and it was practically difficult to make it to Juba to beat the evacuation deadline.”

Capt Santo Okot Lapolo, the Resident District Commissioner shares the plight of Ugandans still left in South Sudan but warned that they should not attempt to foot as co ordinations are underway with government to have another phase of evacuation for those who were far from Juba and were left out in the first phase.

He says Uganda was given only five days to repatriate its citizens but consultations are on going between the government of South Sudan and Uganda on a possible second evacuation phase.

Though Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) rescued about 15,000 of 2, 5000 Ugandans from Nisitu Market in South Sudan in the first mission but the figure that has been left out could double as 1,350 people still left behind have been registered in the last two days only while others are thought to be in the bush hiding waiting for another rescue.

Tension still remains high in Juba despite a ceasefire declared by both Salva Kiir and Riek Machar camps and many countries have evacuated their nationals with some coming to Uganda for safety including Germany, United States, and Rwanda among others.

United Nations Refugee Agency estimated that about 10,300 South Sudanese have found refuge in Uganda between Friday and Tuesday this week.

Uganda has No funds for next phase of Hepatitis B vaccination

The Minister of State for Primary Health Care, Hon Moriku Joyce Kaduchu has revealed that there are no funds yet for the second phase of Hepatitis B vaccination to be rolled out to the whole country. The government is planning to include other districts like Amuru that want the service but were not excluded in the first phase.

The minister who was addressing a stake holders meeting yesterday at Bomah hotel in Gulu town said that the 12 district benefiting from the vaccination exercise have a high disease burden adding that the ministry is moved in a phased manner that is why some district may not get the vaccines soon.

The twelve districts selected from the 33 and are now vaccinating are Adjumai, Gulu, Dokolo, Moroto, Tororo, Ngora, Lira, Moyo, Napak, Koboko, Kumi and Arua.

She says the Government of Uganda allocated 10 billion shillings towards the procurement of vaccines, laboratory reagents and antiviral drugs for the treatment and prevention of Hepatitis B, for the financial year 2015/2016.

The first phase of the vaccination started early this year provided by the government free of charges and is still ongoing at various health facilities in the 12 districts considered disease burdened.

Hon Moriku however adds that the government has not yet got funding for the second phase of Hepatitis B vaccination.

She says other districts will benefit when the Ministry Of Health gets that funding depending on the disease burden.

A person who tests Hepatitis B Virus negative should receive at least three doses at one month and later at six months after the first doses to prevent them from getting the infection.

Hepatitis B virus infection is highly endemic in Uganda, with transmission occurring in childhood and adulthood. More than 1.4 million adults are chronically infected and some communities disproportionately affected.

Hepatitis B is transmitted through Body Fluids.

According to a research conducted by Africa Health Science, the Karamojong, Langi and Acholi ethnic groups have the highest prevalence of Current HBV infections, as high as 28.7% compared to 4.8% in the Baganda and those with little or no education who have a higher prevalence than the more educated.

Boda riders want permission to check clients to guarantee safety after reports of 75 theft cases.

Gulu district has lost motor bikes worth over 225million shillings since the beginning of this year according to reports at Gulu Central Police Station to cases of night robbery and pretense of hiring to use for a day.

James Asubu, the OC CID Gulu Central police station told our reporter in an interview that they have received report of 75 cases of theft of Motorcycles since January 2016.

Asubu says that this is painful for the youth who hire the motorbikes from others to get a means of survival and others who have to even sell off their land and property to acquire the motor bikes but with the hopes of earning a living through boda boda riding.

Asubu adds that most of the thieves are people who want to get quick cash and some use trickery to hire for a day for self ride to distant places but they never return.

“People want to get quick cash. Some boda boda are careless, how do you give someone your bike for self ride without minding who the person is and their back ground? You see that is what happens, then they run to police for help. As police we shall do our part but you shall have wasted a lot of time to trace for your bike.” Said the OC CID.

The OC CID also warned boda boda riders who leave their bikes outside unattended to but enter in betting centers or watch games till late in the night that they have the responsibility to the security of their property since once property is lost, it may be got after sometime or not disorganizing the day to day productive activities of the individual.

According to Asubu, Boda boda riders have to be careful when handling customers and be security conscious especially when transporting night travelers who accept to pay any amount of money yet they might harbor criminal intentions to harm and still the motorbikes.

Asubu says that they have managed to contain Motorcycle robberies between 2 to 3 in a month but the general public especially within the municipality have to be security conscious especially at night when travelling to safe guard their motor bikes from theft.

Yasin Komakech, a boda boda rider at former DFCU stage in Gulu town said that they feel the pain their colleagues go through when they loose their bikes and requested for a policy that allows them to check their client’s bags and heavy jackets before they can offer their service.

“ Some come as customers who move with you for the whole day then ask you to take them to a far destination at the end of the day. I wish there could be a policy enacted for us to check our customers who carry big bags or wear heavy jackets. Such people turn against us when they take us out of town. There, you are alone and they can carry out their plan to steal your motor bike,” complains Yasin Komakech.

Komakech says that in his 4 years experience as a boda boda operator, he has realized that the thieves target new motor cycles that have not yet taken long on the road and are harder to trace for but also blamed some colleagues who are jealous and make dubious deals when they see others acquiring new motorbikes.

Uganda Government earmarks 6 billion shillings to beatify municipalities

The government of Uganda has accepted to beautify three municipalities in a project that aims to improve the sanitation of the towns that are to be turned into cities within the country.

The three municipalities are Gulu in Northern, Arua in West Nile and Mbarara in Western Uganda.

George Labeja, Gulu Municipal Council Mayor told Acholi Times in an exclusive interview that the government has earmarked 6 billion shillings to beautify the three selected municipalities.

“The corridors in the town are dirty but the government has accepted to give us money to work on them. Gulu will be clean both in front and behind the corridors as we prepare to attain a city status soon,” the mayor assured the residents living within the town.

According to Labeja, the money will be used to work on behind corridors in the town constructing storm water drainage, planting grass and flowers in what is currently a filthy environment.

He adds that the work is expected to begin before December this year when the money is realized by the government.

“We had a consultant three days ago and plans are that the work begins by the end of this year when we get the money,” says the mayor.

Labeja says that in Gulu, the work will begin from Layibi College Junction up to the town center. There shall also be a 9 member committee to maintain both the front and behind corridors in the town to ensure good sanitation in the areas.

“To maintain the corridors clean, we shall institute a 9 member committee for both in front and behind corridors to ensure that the town is clean everywhere. That will be our pride as the people of Gulu.”

Government reintroduces IRS as malaria cases shot to 60,000

The Government of Uganda has a formally announced the reintroduction of the Indoor Residual Spraying, (IRS) in the 11 districts in Acholi and Lango Sub regions as cases hit 60,000 in the 27th Week of the epidemic in the region.

This was revealed during a high level stake holder meeting between ministry of health and partners at Bomah Hotel in Gulu town today to re energies the community in the fight against Malaria and embrace the Integrated Community Case Management of Fever (ICCM )especially by the Village Health Teams.

Dr Patrick Tumusiime, the Comissioner National Disease Control (NDC) said the government as earmarked 35 billion shillings to implement IRS in the 11 districts of Acholi and Lango Sub regions.

The district are: Gulu, Omoro,Nwoya, Oyam, Kole, Amuru, Pader, Kitgum, Agago, Apac and Lamwo.

The chemical have already Uganda and the exercise is expected to begin in two weeks time. The District Health Officers are expected to prepare the stores for the chemicals before they are supplied with them.

According to Jimmy, Opigo, the Programme manager, National Malaria Control Programme in the Ministry of Health, in the five years that IRS was used in the regions, cases reduced from 65% to 7.5% but since April last year, malaria alone has accounts for 40% of outpatient visit.

He adds that the positivity rate has also gone up to 80% and this is affecting the productivity of the population.

Dr Emannuel Otto, the District Health Officer of Agago who represented all the DHOs in the 11 districts of Acholi and Lango says that the major challenge is drug stock out and the inadequate number of staff to handle the patients due to the high level of the epidemic.

He adds that Agago registers 20,000 cases of malaria every month and much as IRS is being reintroduced, there is need to plan for an exit strategy so that the is no resurgence as it is being experienced at the moment.

Hon Dr. Moriku Joyce Kaduchu, the Minister of State for Primary Health Care and also the Woman Member of Parliament for Moyo district however says that the IRS will be in two phases. The first phase which is beginning this year is fully funded but the second phase for next year is partially funded which requires more lobbying.

She pledged to work with National Medical Stores to improve drug supply and case management of Malaria in the 11 most affected districts out of the 25 districts with high malaria disease burden but urged people to change their attitudes towards IRS since it is meant to destroy the mosquito parasites and not human beings.

Meanwhile UNICEF has given 7.2 billion shillings under DFID project to procure malaria commodities for the 11 disease burden districts in the region and $ 135 million is meant for mosquito nets in a bid to fulfill the sustainable development goal of zero malaria infections by 2030.

Nwoya arrests serial rapist after over one and a half years of search

The RDC of Nwoya District, Beatrice Akello Akori yesterday commanded an operation in which 30 year old Simon Opiyo alias Gen Tuk was arrested after terrorizing residents of the district for over one and a half years.

Akello told reporters from Northern Uganda Media Club during a press conference today that the man is a renown criminal who rapes, and assaults especially women and is also a thief who has caused fear among the women in the community.

She adds that women in Nwoya fear to go to their gardens to dig or fetch water alone since the suspect way lays his culprits for his criminal acts.

Gen Tuk was arrested from Koch Goma Sub County at around 10:00pm on Wednesday and transported after intelligence coordination and is in custody at Gulu Central Police Station where he awaits appearing before court.

The RDC says that the district is relieved to have Gen Tuk arrested because he has been on their list of the most wanted by security for a very long time.

“The Women of Nwoya should now feel free to go to the garden and do their normal routines without fear. We already arrested and we have the person who has been terrorizing them in police custody.”

Gen Tuk is a resident of Okii in Anaka Sub County.

The RDC also revealed that his file has already been sanctioned since he has many cases reported to police but the community had tried to arrest him for raping and assaulting women in vain.

Gulu plans to reduce water borne diseases by improving latrine coverage in the district.

Gulu plans to reduce water borne diseases by improving latrine coverage in the district.

Gulu district is planning to soon embark on a sanitation drive to improve latrine coverage and reduce water borne diseases in the district by involving all local leaders.

According to a report from the district chairman, Palaro sub county has recorded the best latrine coverage with 72% in Gulu district according to reports on sanitation after being the last about three years ago.

Gulu district Chairman, Ojara Martin Mapenduzi told reporters in Gulu town the they are embarking on sanitation campaign with the main target of sensitizing the community on the importance of having pit latrine and keeping their surrounding clean.

Mapenduzi says that reports at most health facilities indicted that majority of those who report the out patients for treatment suffer from water born diseases especially during the rainy season when water points are also contaminated by poor disposal of human wastes that mix with the water.

He says that Odek also had the worst latrine coverage.

He adds that Gulu district currently has a latrine coverage of 52% which is below the national average of 68% hence the need for all district leaders to head the sanitation campaign at their various constituencies in the sub counties.

Mapenduzi says Access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation is critical for health, human dignity, and economic productivity. Drinking, bathing, and cooking with unclean water sources can cause illness as well. Surface waters are likely to be contaminated with fecal pathogens, especially during the rainy season when rainwater washes feces into waterways.

According to Environmental Health Perspective Website, Open defecation is common practice in developing nations. Hand washing is often done without soap, and cultural traditions such as eating with the hands and sharing plates can spread infectious diseases. In practice, getting people to use latrines—or other new behaviors—is hard when they have grown up with their own cultural beliefs which require regular repeating of the message to the community.

To raise awareness among people in developing nations, the Global Public–Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap started a campaign that includes Global Handwashing Day, celebrated October 15 around the world.

Restoration of IDP camps begins in Gulu

Gulu district has began effecting plans to restore the former IDP camps in the district that hosted the internally displaced persons at the peak of the insurgency.

According to Francesca Atto, the district environment officer, the land that hosted the IDPs was degraded due to congestion and destruction to create more space for settlement hence destroying the environment through tree cutting.

She says the district last week distributed 14,416 tree seedlings to trained land owners in the former camps of Coo pee, Ongako, Palenga and Unyama in a bid to save the region from the negative impacts of climate change on economic activities.

” We started with the major camps in the district and they are four in number. We shall try to restore these degraded places because they helped our people during the insurgency. The land owners were really generous to our people.”

The environment officer says that the affected land owners were trained by the district with the hope that they shall be able to effect restoration activities through tree planting.

She says that the community should come out massively to implement the saying that “cut one plant five” to improve on the rainfall pattern in the region and fight the effects of climate change.

She adds that currently, Unyama Sub County is most affected by swamp reclamation which is destroying the environment especially for agriculture and human settlement compared to other sub counties in the district.

At the conflict’s peak in 2005, there were 1.84 million IDPs living in 251 camps across 11 districts of northern Uganda.

Women in Gulu Converge to tackle marriage and economics

Gulu is hosting the Northern Uganda Christian Women Convention this year after 20 years of existence since 1996, with a call for women to rise up and get involved in economic activities to improve their livelihoods.

The theme for this year’s convention is, “Woman, thou art loosed, ” taken from the book of Luke 3:12

According to Apostle Aida Lagum Lumoro, the chairperson of the Women’s convention and the General Overseer at Christian Centre Global Outreach Ministries where the convention is taking place in Pece division, Gulu municipality, more women are becoming bread winners in families and those who have husbands should also show support to their spouse by engaging in income generating activities to ease tension over money in the marriage.

She adds during an interview with our reporter that a woman who supports her husband makes him proud to have such a wife and gives him courage to work harder for their family hence keeping the marriage in a strong bond of love and happiness to enable a favorable environment to raise God fearing children.

Lagum warned women against being lazy and taking more time gossiping instead of doing what can improve their relationship in the house and those around them.

Ps James Opoka of Greater Love Gospel Church in Senior Quarters, the convention is meant for both men and women so that the marriage institution is strengthened after the decades of violence in the region that has also left many widows and orphans who need Godly directions to overcome challenges of today’s world.

He adds that the convention is hosting people from all denominations and they have invited reputable counselors who will assist in handling one on one talk with the participants for great testimonies in their private lives.

Ps Opoka says that it is important for Christians to read and practice what the Bible says in Ephesians 5:27 about husbands loving their wives and wives respecting their husbands so that marriages stand on the foundation built by God.

Mrs Opoka Betty, the secretary for women in Acholi Sub region under the convention says that the convention is to change lives and inspire women to live responsibly with their spouse in marriage and the widows and single mothers, how to raise children even in hard times.

The convention started with a march for Jesus from Kaunda Ground yesterday and will end on the 16th July with the commemoration of its 20th Anniversary at Christian Centre Global Outreach Ministries.

Gulu registers 408 case of child neglect since January.

Gulu district has registered over 408 Cases of child neglect in the district with Bardege and Layibi divisions having the highest rates coupled with domestic violence.

According to reports at Gulu Child and Family Protection Unit, most of the cases are reported by women who have very many children with a man but he leaves the woman to struggle to make ends meet with the children.

Moses Okidi, a police officer attached to Gulu Child and Family Protection Unit told our reporter that the burden of taking care of children has been left in the hands of women by most of the men who neglect the children after a domestic brawl.

He says domestic violence is the lead cause of child neglect in the district but advised couples to have self restrain and plan to have children so that they can raise them together. He fears for the future of such children who do not get full support, love and care from both parents.

He adds that the Child and Family Protection Unit has taken 73 cases to Gulu magistrate Court for child neglect with 52 cases being child desertion by mothers of young children who claim that they abandon the children because their fathers leave them with no child support.

Okidi says that it is very common for women and men in Gulu to have children but the women do not want to take care of children without support from their fathers.

“Child Desertion is very common. Women in Gulu do not want to keep children whose fathers’ are not giving them child support. Some just abandon the children at home others want to even abandon the children with us here “Says Okidi.

Harriet Amono, 32 years and a resident of Laliya told our reporter from Gulu Central Police that her husband abandoned her about a year ago with their 8 children without food, rent or school fees for the children.

She adds that he left her after borrowing a loan of 800,000 shillings from a bank in Gulu last year but has failed to pay back and the bank is now demanding that she pays the money because she was photographed by the loan officer while in the house with her husband yet she did not know the motive behind the photo which was used as her consent without her knowledge.

“He left m with the children in a rented house after getting the loan that I did not know of. Now the bank is saying that they will imprison or take over my house which I built in the land y sister gave me. My husband did not tell me about the loan. He just went away leaving me with the children and when I leant that h was staying with another woman in town I looked for him to support the children in vain,” Says the mother who has a one year old sick child in her hands.

Amono is still perusing a case of child neglect at Gulu Child and Family Protection Unit while she worries about the bank taking over her property in the land that was given to her by her elder sister after she failed to pay rent of 60,000/= and was thrown out of the house by the land lord.

Amono says she will persevere and encouraged other women not to neglect their children to suffer in their absence since the love of mother natures a child to a better person in future.