Author: Johnson Thembo
Bunyole West lawmaker Hon James Waluswaka, has mocked Members of Parliament that returned the 20m Covid money. Waluswaka said it would take a mad man to think twice to return. This money raised a lot of mixed reactions among the members of the public who think parliament acted irresponsibly to award itself shs 10 billion when the rest of the country is starving following a lockdown. The public reasons that the MPs should have instead organized themselves and helped communities that have been severely affected by COVID-19. However in defense, the Speaker Hon. Rebecca Kadaga revealed Members of Parliament will…
Parliament has passed the Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2020 with amendments which will see an increase in the taxes levied on petrol and diesel effective 01 July 2020. The tax on petrol has been increased from Shs1,200 per litre to Shs 1,350 per litre and that of diesel from Shs 880 to Shs 1,030 reflecting a markup of Shs 150 per litre on either items. However, the taxes on items like kerosene, lubricants and motorcycles at first registration have been stayed. Parliament also stayed the taxes on beer, soft drinks, spirits and wine brewed using local raw materials. Taxes on…
COVID-19 UPDATE: Four (4) patients who have recovered from COVID-19 have this afternoon been discharged from Entebbe Grade B Hospital. This brings the total number of recoveries to 45. The number of confirmed cases in Uganda stands at 61. Earlier today, Uganda discharged three COVID-19 patients from Mulago Hospital in Kampala. This was after they tested negative for the deadly disease two times. In a space of less than a fortnight, Malago Hospital alone has discharged a total of 20 patients out of the 41 total recoveries registered in Uganda. The Ministry of Health said only 3 COVID-19 patients are…
Uganda has this morning discharged three more COVID-19 patients from Mulago Hospital in Kampala. This was after they tested negative for the deadly disease two times. In a space of less than a fortnight, Malago Hospital alone has discharged a total of 20 patients out of the 41 total recoveries registered in Uganda. The Ministry of Health said only 3 COVID-19 patients are undergoing treatment at the facility. Those discharged were handed certificates of recovery by Health Minister Joyce Moriku Kaducu at the Mulago Hospital where they had been admitted. They will now undergo psychosocial support before being reintegrated back…
Makerere University has this morning revealed plans to start conducting COVID-19 testing at the University hospital. Speaking to the media, the Vice-Chancellor Prof Barnabus Nawangwe revealed that the university had received 40,000 COVID-19 testing kits through their research collaboration with Case Western Reserve University in the United States. “We are developing an affordable – costing less than US$ 1 (approx UGX 3,700), easy to use (requiring minimal expertise, user guide), rapid (yielding results within 2-5 minutes) POC test platform for COVID19 suited for use within remote equatorial African settings,” he said. “The swab-tube dipstick agglutination (STDS-AgX) SARS-CoV2 antigen test will…
Uganda’s leading construction and engineering firm Dott Services Limited has this morning boosted the fight against Covid 19. The firm handed over 20 trucks of 4Otonnage to assist in the transportation of relief food items to different parts of the country. They also offered 2,000 litres of fuel. This Motherly offer was welcomed receieved by the State Minister for ICT and National Guidance Hon. Peter Ogwang. “On behalf of the subcommittee on Relief, I have this morning received 20 trucks of 40tonnage each from Dott Services Limited to assist in transporting food relief. They also offered 2,000 litres of fuel.…
MTN has been awarded the most valuable telecom brand in Africa in a recent annual report by Brand Finance, a leading independent brand valuation consultancy. The report stated that MTN’s brand value was boosted by a solid overall performance for the year, despite challenging economic conditions and regulatory challenges in some markets. Brand finance also recognised MTN for its focus on customers and providing a high-quality service across all its markets. “Amid these unprecedented times in fighting a global pandemic, MTN Group is humbled by the Brand Finance recognition and our progress in rising up through the ranks of this…
Hon Sam Kutesa the Minister of Foreign Affairs Uganda, has urged able Ugandans in China to register with the Embassy in Beijing and the Consulate in Guangzhou for assistance. The Uganda Embassy in Washington, DC is seeking to register and verify stranded Ugandan nationals who are currently in its area of accreditation (United States of America, Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean – with the exception of Cuba), and because of the COVID-19 pandemic, are not able to return home. Such individuals may include students or Research Fellows who have completed their studies or programs and short-term…
At the usually busy Nakawa market, it is not business as usual. The often busy market bursting with crowds of shoppers and loud chatters as vendors beacon customers, looks desolate. “Business is generally slow. There are few clients but we are still managing because food is a necessity and we also need to survive” says Lucy Ninsiima, a vegetable stall operator in the market. Ninsiima has not left the market since the lockdown started early last week, following President Museveni’s directive for workers, such as market vendors to stay in or near the markets during this time to prevent the…
The public at large, through the media and other avenues, is up in arms over media reports that the Parliamentary Commission was allocated Ushs 10 billion during the disbursement of supplementary funds intended to facilitate the fight against Covid-19 in Uganda. The Supplementary budget, which was passed by Parliament last week, was intended to facilitate different organs of Government (publicly funded entities) to provide emergency response services to the pandemic. Parliament, from the onset, came out strongly to participate in the fight against Covid-19, through first of all, taking precautionary measures as an institution; providing a fleet of official vehicles…