Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Minister in charge of the Presidency Esther Mbayo has been asked to explain why directives issued by President Yoweri Museveni during the COVID-19 lockdown are misinterpreted. Bugabula South MP Henry Kibalya complained about a recent incident where security personnel in Kyengera refused a pregnant …
Read More »Another truck driver tests positive, Uganda now has 101 cases
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The number of COVID-19 confirmed cases has surpassed the 100-mark after a sample of a Tanzanian truck driver tested positive. The case is a 32-year-old driver who entered the country via the Mutukula border. His sample was among 3,091 samples that were tested at the …
Read More »WHO cautions against use of Madagascar anti-virus potion
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The World Health Organization on Thursday advised governments to clinically test a herbal drink touted by Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina as a remedy against coronavirus. The Covid-Organics infusion is derived from artemisia — a plant with proven anti-malarial properties — and other indigenous herbs. Rajoelina …
Read More »Millions at risk from known diseases as focus shifts to COVID-19
Paris, France | AFP | As COVID-19 deaths climb ever higher in Europe and the United States, millions of lives are at risk in developing nations where lockdowns and overwhelmed medical systems are disrupting vital testing, vaccination and treatment for other killer diseases. The pandemic has seen unprecedented social distancing measures, …
Read More »Truck drivers giving false information at entry points – Health Ministry
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Health and other agencies are facing problems tracking truck drivers who have tested positive to coronavirus disease- COVID-19. According to officials on the National COVID-19 Task Force, it has become increasingly hard to trace drivers and their contacts because as they …
Read More »Coming to terms with using face masks
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | As the president’s directive for people moving in public to use face masks as a way of halting transmission of the coronavirus- COVID-19 sinks in, several people including health workers and administrators in health sector are finding a challenge to use them. For instance, …
Read More »Fishermen in Serere struggling to survive after fishing ban
Serere, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The fishing community in Serere district is struggling to survive following the suspension of fishing on Lake Kyoga. The communities argue that they have been deprived of their livelihoods from the lake. Simon Okwi, the Parish Councillor of Kagwara says the suspension has been …
Read More »Its treasonous to evict people during Covid-19 lockdown, Ministers say
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Anybody evicting people from land during the Covid-19 lockdown is nothing but an enemy of the state and will be treated as such, the Security Minister General Elly Tuwmine and his Lands counterpart, Beti Kamya have warned. They were speaking at the government owned …
Read More »Integrity, accountability critical for effective COVID-19 response and recovery
COMMENT | Jonas Mbabazi | Integrity and accountability should be an integral part of a resilient response to the COVID-19 crisis, ensuring that government actions benefit citizens that have been hit hard. In a rather strange way, many fear that the ongoing pandemic could present opportunities through which government bureaucrats can …
Read More »COVID-19: Minister warns health workers against laying down tools
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng has warned health workers across the country not to lay down tools to protest the lack of personal protective Equipment – PPEs to respond to COVID-19 cases saying it is unethical. Aceng who was assessing the …
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