President Museveni will today be starting his scientific campaigns in greater Moroto, under the Moroto Municipality, an area that comprises 5 districts namely Amudat, Moroto, Nabilatuk, Nakapirirpirit and Napak under the hashtags #SilentMajority and #SecuringYourFuture.

The municipality according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) figures has a population of up to 531,197 people, which are figures from the population census that was conducted in 2014 and has continued to receive government support to finance several constructions of the region.

In the last four financial year 2016/2017 – 2019/2020, the region has benefited from over UGX. 175,525,158,282 as a percentage of the national budget over those years part of which has gone into the construction of district roads, community roads, and urban roads to improve the infrastructure of the region. The government also set up a Women Fund that the government has been funding for the last 4 years, with up to 3,923 beneficiaries, 297 projects, and up to UGX. 1,910,713,739 disbursed.

So far, the government has the following inputs distributed between 2016/2020 as interventions aimed at reducing household poverty with key enterprises for distribution targeted including citrus seedlings, cassava cuttings, cattle for beef and cattle for diary.

NAADs
Regarding NAADS, the following are the future plans which include the establishment of regional agro-industrial parks, establishment of regional farm service centres (SFSCs), Scaling up of the e-voucher model of inputs’ distribution, and increased agro-processing of the selected products.

Others include establishing a new and the expansion of existing agro-industries for processing key agricultural products, promotion of agro-based cottage industries, post-harvest handling, storage and processing infrastructure, food security interventions, livestock interventions.

Educations
When it comes to education, the government has been able to construct up to 12 primary schools including; Kalas Girls P/S, Kalas Boys P/S an dKatikit P/S in Amudat, Kasimeri P/S, Naitak P/S and Moroto KDA P/S in Moroto, Lorengedwat P/S, Nakapiripirit P/S and Tokora P/S in Nakapiripirit and Lorengecora P/S, Loodoi P/S and Lotome P/S in Napak.

A total of 7,535 students have been enrolled in secondary schools in the region with about 4 other technical institutions to provide technical training to the students. 3 of these are from the government whereas the 4th is a missionary institution but supported by the government, however, they have a low enrolment with about 138 students in them.

The government however has plans to increase that enrollement and in the current manifesto, it is proposed that students in these technical institutions will study for free, and that enrolment will be based on those who need to join without necessarily completing the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) level.

Health Sector
In the health sector, the government has set up a General Referral Hospital in the region situated in Moroto Municipality, Moroto district and serves the entire Karamoja region. The government completed refurbishing the hospital and is fully operational.

Among the policies of the NRM government is to have a health centre III in every sub country and already out of the 45 sub counties in the region, a total of25 sub counties have HC IIIs.

There exists 2 Health Centre IVs , one in Amudat and the other in Nabilatuk, that are currently being planned for upgrading.

12 Health Centre IIs are being up-graded to Health Centre IIIs Alakas HC II, Katabot HC II, Looro HC II, Amudat HC II, Abiliyeb HC II, Achorichor HC II, Lokales HC II, Cheptapoyo HC II in Amudat district, Natirae HC II, and Nayonai-angikalio HC II in Nabilatuk, and Loregae HC II and Kakongole HC II in Nakapiripirit.

The government is already constructing about 69 staff housing units for health workers in Karamoja, which are in various stages of their completion with the beneficiaries being Amudat, Kotido, Kaabong, Napak, Moroto and Nakapiripirit.

Oxgyen plants have also been set up with an adequate capacity to supply lower level health facilities in the region.

There is also a plan to establish a blood bank at Moroto Regional Referral Hospital in order to increase on the availability of safe blood in the region.

Water
When it comes to water supply in the region, the government plans to extend water to villages that do not have a water source.

The government plans to design and eventually construct Mt. Moroto Gravity Flow Scheme in Moroto district in order to address the water challenges that the district faces while specifically focusing on the water situation in the mountainous areas.

The following piped water systems have so far been completed; Kacheri Piped Water Supply System, Oruwamuge RGC Piped Water Supply and Sanitation System serving 8,408 people in 24 villages and Amudat Town Piped Water Supply System – serving 8,652 people in 14 cells.

The Morolem Piped Water Supply and Sanitation System is under construction and is at 45% completion level. This is intended to serve 34,535 people in 3 parishes of Aremo, Katabok West and Katabot East in 24 villages.

Following his social media posts especially on Facebook yesterday, Bebe Cool has taken to his following to apologize about the posts that he made which made him appear insensitive.

“I would like to apologize for the post I made yesterday that made me appear insensitive” his post read, referring to comments about families of the innocent Ugandans that lost their lives in the riots yesterday. A total of about 5 people have been said to have lost their lives in the riots yesterday, while several others were injured during the incident.

In the apology, the artist went on to assure Ugandan how the COVID 19 pandemic was real as it’s taking the lives of many vulnerable Ugandans in the community and yet the different candidates vying for the various elective posts continue to collect masses on their sides.

“We are in an election period and the candidates who are vying for different positions all seek to have the masses on their side” he added.

He urged that in order to protect the lives of Ugandans from the ravaging pandemic, the various candidates needed to strictly adhere to the guidelines that the independent electoral commission of Uganda had come up with for the conduct of the campaigns, which are “unfortunately are being flouted by some candidates”, except for his candidate, HE Yoweri Museveni.

“My candidate President Yoweri Museveni who I have supported and still have hope in is following the guidelines 100%”, he assures his following based on the first hand information that he has given he is part of the campaign trail. As opposed to what several other candidates are doing, the president is conducting his campaigns in small groups, with security from COVID 19 assured, as attendees are required to follow the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of the Ministry health.

Below is the rest of the post.

“I on the other hand have been holding processions while distributing face masks and t-shirts. Our opponents started with processions and later switched to mass campaign rallies in open fields without regard to the set EC guidelines and even started holding music concerts which are still prohibited during these covid times. I know two wrongs don’t make a right but I was only coming out to allay the anxiety of our supporters who were being made to believe by opposition propagandists that we lack support and they have. If I had let our opponents to go on unchallenged, there was a possibility of them causing chaos after election loss claiming the election had been rigged simply because they had crowds and we had gone scientific in order to adhere to the EC guidelines. The Uganda police has the mandate to enforce these guidelines and where a candidate goes wrong they are brought to order. What happened yesterday is regrettable and am saddened by the loss of life and property that we all saw. I condole with the families of all those that lost or got a loved one injured in the violence that took place yesterday. We shouldn’t accept or associate with acts of violence especially because of our political affiliation. The right to associate is a God given right and is enshrined in our constitution. Nobody should take that away from us but during these covid times, gatherings are restricted and we need to adhere to government regulations. I saw women being stripped in broad day light by hooligans. This is unacceptable and should be condemned by all leaders across the political divide. I saw a police officer being attacked by a hammer wielding goon. How on earth would one do this and not expect retaliation by the armed forces? Let’s not participate in violence. Let’s condemn all acts of hooliganism. Uganda belongs to all of us”

Streets all over the country, highways and several roads have today been embroiled in protests following the arrest of opposition leader of NUP, Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine and other members of the opposition.

The protests were an expression of a demand for the release of Bobi Wine from police custody after he was arrested for what the police is describing as committing acts likely to infect people, a penal offence.

Protesters used the same cover of the demonstration to hurl threats at pro NRM supporters, including those directed towards Moses Ssali.

Singer Bebe Cool alias Moses Sali was cyber bullied by a yet to be identified woman who was clad in a red (the symbolic color for people power) scarf, screaming the slogan “Tuli Mu Struggle”, a slogan popular amongst NUP/People Power supporters.

The video making rounds on social media was sent to Beb Cool today.

“This video was sent to me by someone threatening me” he posted on his Facebook page, and goes on to state that he has forwarded the video to security agencies to scrutinise and assess the level of threat being posed by the armed woman.

The woman is seen holding an AK47 and playfully aiming it towards what might be interpreted to be a virtual Bebe Cool, while saying tuli mu struggle and other undiscernible mumbles.

The artist is specifically being attacked because of his involvement and unrelenting support for the incumbent, HE Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and his party, NRM. He is currently on the President’s trail in northern and eastern part of the country, soliciting for votes to  secure a victory for the incumbent. He is also using #SecureYourFuture on several of his socials to conduct the said campaigns.

Bebe Cool also used the moment to ask Ugandans to vote for the President and the candidates of his party NRM.

“This kind of hooliganism must not be tolerated in Uganda” he said, adding that Ugandans “#SecureYourFuture and vote for NRM candidates. He urged voters to “vote experience not age, vote issues not years” and sealed the post with the #SilentMajority hashtag.