🎄CHRISTMAS EVE COVERAGE

Presented by Joseph Kizza

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6:35 pm

Good evening!

And that will be a wrap for today. Will be back tomorrow.

Merry Christmas!

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6:30 pm

'Do not lower your guard'

President Yoweri Museveni has wished Ugandans a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - but with a warning: "You must refrain from reckless behaviour that could expose you to the virus. Do not lower your guard."

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5:30 pm

Museveni warmly received in Rakai

Meanwhile, in the NRM camp, this is how the party's presidential flagbearer Yoweri Museveni has been received in Rakai district, where he is holding a scientific campaign meeting with NRM leaders of Rakai, Lyantonde and Kyotera districts.

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4:50 pm

Kyagulanyi in Gomba

Later, after Police blocked him at Kabulasoke town, Kyagulanyi jumped onto a sport motorbike to proceed to his next rally venue in Maddu town council in Gomba West.

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4:18 pm

Kyagulanyi seeks blessings from deceased parents

By Henry Sekanjako:

National Unity Platform ( NUP) Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu paused his campaign in Gomba district, his home area, to seek blessings from his deceased parents ahead of the January 14 presidential election.

Campaigning in Gomba on Thursday, Kyagulanyi who held his first rally at Nsambwe playground in Kanoni called for a brief Mass at his father's home, where priests blessed him and also prayed for the souls of his deceased parents.

" Dear Lord bless our son and give him all the blessings. May the grace of our Lord be with him," prayed Fr. John Paul Jjumba, who led the special Mass.

Kyagulanyi is the son of the late Jackson W. Ssentamu and Margaret Nalunkuma Ssentamu, who were laid to many years ago in Wasinda village in Kanoni.

After the prayers, Kyagulanyi together with his siblings Fred Nyanzi and Eddie Yawe were led by priests to the graves of his parents, on which he laid wreaths.

"Thank you all for joining me, but at this moment I would want ask you to take leave and give me a few minutes. I want to speak to my mum and dad," he requested.

After the laying of the wreath ceremony, Fr. Jjumba who led the Mass, said: "What we have done here doesn't break any law. If a Christian asks us to pray for them, we have to do so," he said.

After the prayers, Kyagulanyi proceeded to see his mother's heir to deliver "her Christmas".

However, the police blocked his way and asked him to use an alternative route outside Kanoni town.

But Kyagulanyi refused.

"You cannot stop me from taking Christmas to my mother. Open the way for me. If you refuse, I will walk there," he insisted, before jumping out of his car and walked to her home, which is a few kilometers away from his late parents' house.

Mid way, the police fired tear gas to disperse his supporters that were accompanying him as he delivered his Christmas package to the mother in Kanoni town.

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2:47 pm

'Please vote for me'

This is what politics is all about. If you are vying for a position of power, you and your campaign have to work extra hard to try and woo voters to your side.

And the stakes are even higher if you are eyeing the nation's top job, which has got FDC presidential candidate Patrick Oboi Amuriat today attempt to draw this voter from his rival camp: the NRM.

Has he done enough persuasion?

Hard to tell.

But if you asked me, trying to turn that head-to-toe mustard-yellow hue to a shade of turquoise-blue would require quite some work!

Not even the rain could stop the FDC leader from holding a rally in Katovu town in Lwengo district.

But in all this, health officials would cringe at this picture. No masks, no social distancing - yet Uganda is registering an average 350 COVID-19 positive cases every single day.

Many Ugandans are definitely throwing caution to the wind!

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1:51 pm

Human rights lawyer Opiyo charged, remanded

I earlier on this page mentioned human rights defender Nicholas Opiyo.

His has been a developing story since his arrest on Tuesday, and this afternoon, the executive director and lead attorney at Chapter Four Uganda has been charged with money laundering and neglect to submit annual returns to the NGO bureau at Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court in Kampala.

After being charged, he been remanded until December 28, 2020, reports New Vision's Charles Etukuri.

The fate of other four suspects, who include lawyers Herbert Dakasi, Esomu Obure, Anthony Odur and human rights officer Hamid Tenywa, is not known yet.

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1:34 pm

Katumba wants answers

Meanwhile, the youngest contestant in the presidential race, 25-year-old John Katumba, has said he will on Monday next week storm the Electoral Commission (EC) offices, seeking an explanation for what he calls harassment by security agencies during campaigns.

He has said this today while addressing a rally in Kabale district.

Read more here.

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1:19 pm

No way through!

Earlier, Police blocked NUP presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi at Kabasuma swamp, along the Mpigi-Gomba Road, reported New Vision's Henry Sekanjako.

"You are in a procession, and as a presidential candidate, you know processions are not allowed," one of the police bosses in Gomba told Kyagulanyi and his team.

The hold-up affected traffic flow to and from Mpigi to Gomba for more than an hour.

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12:10 pm

The Christmas mood in Mbale

On the eve of the day Christians across the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, Mbale city in eastern Uganda is as vibrant as always. New Vision's Paul Watala has taken a spot up on a building to give us an elevated feel of the mood:

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11:42 am

A collective effort

This is how the residents of a village in Soroti city are gearing up for Friday - Christmas Day.

The 26-member group, who call themselves the Obur White Group, are from Gweri sub-county. They have used part of their collective savings to buy a bull for the festivities, which they are going to share amongst themselves for the big day.

It is the norm here in Teso, reports New Vision's Godfrey Ojore. "Slaughtering of bulls has been taking place in all villages in Teso," he says.

After skinning, each member is given their share.

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11:27 am

Presidential campaigns continue

It may be Christmas Eve but the contestants in the presidential race are not taking the foot off the pedal, deciding to trudge on with their respective campaigns, with barely three weeks left to the January 14, 2021 elections.

National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Yoweri Museveni, who is the incumbent, was in Masaka district on Wednesday. Today, he will be in Rakai district, where he will meet NRM leaders.

Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) flagbearer Patrick Oboi Amuriat, who has been campaigning barefoot from the very start of his campaign, set off from Mbarara city earlier this morning headed for Lyantonde district, where he is to get his day rolling.

National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi was in Mityana district on Wednesday, where he condemned the arrest of human rights activist and lawyer Nicholas Opiyo by security.

Opiyo, the executive director and lead attorney at Chapter Four Uganda, a civil rights charity, was arrested Tuesday over what Police called money laundering allegations.

Kyagulanyi is campaigning today as well - in Central region.

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10:26 am

Dos & don'ts while visiting in-laws this Christmas

Looking to continue making a good, lasting impression on your in-laws? If you are visiting them this Christmas, you ought to remember there are things you should and shouldn't do to remain in their good books.

For instance, pretend. You just cannot be yourself. But hey, no-one is not asking you to be a hypocrite!

Secondly, do not overeat. You can never know what happens. Stick to what your stomach is familiar with.

Also, if you do not have any long outﬁts in your wardrobe, please run to the shops before you travel. Leave the little dresses and shorts for when you are alone with your lover and friends.

Read the quick guide on the dos and don'ts here.

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10:05 am

Who is your preferred next Speaker of Parliament?

I did not mention this right away but we are in election season - and that means one thing: a scramble for votes for political positions.

One of the positions is that of the Speaker of Parliament, who is elected by legislators from amongst themselves. Kamuli Woman MP Rebecca Kadaga is the current occupant of this top position.

But who do Ugandans want to see their representatives in Parliament vote as the next Speaker? And of course you might be wondering: who is on the list?

Find out in today's New Vision, whose electronic version you can access here 👉🏽 https://bit.ly/342gSwT

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9:43 am

Coronavirus: Global stats

Globally, as many as 78.7 million people have contracted COVID-19, with 1.73 million deaths recorded. The recoveries so far are 44.3 million.

At 18.5 million, the US has registered the highest number of cases so far, followed by India (10.1 million), Brazil (7.37 million) and Russia (2.91 million).

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9:38 am

Coronavirus: A global picture

Remember what is happening with the coronavirus in Uganda is also happening in other parts of the world - even worse in some locations.

In fact, more than 40 countries are still banning or restricting travel from Britain in a bid to contain a new strain of the coronavirus believed to spread faster, reports news agency AFP.

Scotland had already closed its border with the rest of the United Kingdom before the new strain was made public.

The restrictions, which were eased on Wednesday by France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, have in some cases been extended to other countries where the new strain has been identified, like Denmark and South Africa.

And Britain itself on Wednesday imposed curbs on arrivals from South Africa after having identified cases of yet another strain from there.

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9:29 am

No Holy Communion at Christmas service

By Abdulkarim Ssengendo

While delivering his Christmas message at the beginning of this week, the Bishop of Ankole diocese, Sheldon Mwesigwa, instructed that no church in his diocese will offer Holy Communion on Christmas.

The decision, he said, was arrived at with the coronavirus pandemic in mind: to safeguard the lives of Christians from potentially contracting or spreading the virus.

Special arrangements will be organized for those who cannot do without receiving Holy Communion "because we don't want to stand in the way of people's faith".

Mwesigwa said he had instructed all church leaders and congregants in the diocese to follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) during Christmas.

This time around, churches will not be as full as they typically are around this time of the year because of the anti-coronavirus guidelines. Numbers will be limited, and the bishop made mention of this.

The temperature of faithful must be checked before accessing the places of prayer, and while in church, social distancing must be observed.

To manage the numbers who want to congregate on Christmas, Mwesigwa said they plan to hold many services with scaled down numbers at a time.

In his message, the bishop urged Christians to prepare their hearts to receive Christ during this festive period. He was also pushed for the need for faithful to be pure during this time: Steer clear of acts that destroy the body, including sexual immorality.

"The work of Satan is to kill, steal and destroy. Be careful with your bodies," he urged.

Furthermore, Mwesigwa warned people against speeding on the road and driving under the influence of alcohol.

He warned against mass events such as traditional Christmas parties, saying chances of one contrating or spreading the coronavirus are high here.

The bishop also cautioned politicians against misleading people against the SOPs. Making a case for a peaceful 2021 election, Mwesigwa also warned politicians against engaging in election malpractice.

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9:21 am

Listen very carefully . . .

Let's not leave the subject just yet, though.

Afterall, coronavirus has wormed its way into our daily lives - to the extent that you would have to be waking up from a year-long hibernation to not finding yourself saying a sentence or two without COVID in it.

So I won't mention that I have this sneaky suspicion that the COVID theme will be a recurrent one throughout this Christmas Eve commentary.

Anyways, if you are in Ankole diocese and are planning to go to church today or on Christmas Day, coming up next is a story that is very, very close to home.

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9:11 am

489 new COVID-19 cases, 7 new deaths

I am not intending to dampen your Christmas mood any more than I already have, but . . .

. . . we have to face this harsh reality that we are living in at the moment.

I have just reminded you of minister Judith Nabakooba's warning to us about the coronavirus. It is REAL, this thing!

Now, the latest report card on Uganda's COVID-19 situation bolsters what she was saying. Results from tests done on Tuesday, December 22 confirmed 489 new coronavirus cases, with seven new deaths recorded, according to the health ministry.

This means that officially, Uganda has registered a total of 32,399 COVID-19 cases, 245 deaths and 10,731 recoveries thus far.

If you are interested in further details, here is a breakdown of where the latest cases - 487 of which were contacts and alerts - were:

Kampala (334), Wakiso (98), Jinja (9), Luwero (6), Kabarole (6), Ibanda (5), Masaka (4), Isingiro (4), Kyotera (5), Ntoroko (3), Busia (2), Mbale (2), Oyam (1), Soroti (1), Mbarara (1), Moroto (1), Moyo (1), Kibuku (3), Gulu (1).

The remaining two were truck drivers from the Malaba border.

So please, and please keep that mask on while in public - whatever the colour!

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9:01 am

First coronavirus vaccine batch expected in May/June

And then the light at the end of this very dark tunnel . . .

"Uganda expects to obtain the first batch of the COVID-19 vaccine by May or June 2021. Priority will be given to frontline medical workers, the elderly and people with existing health conditions," said national guidance minister Nabakooba.

"However, we believe that as more vaccines become available globally, we might be able to get them much earlier than June. I therefore call upon everyone to ensure that you stay alive up to the point when the vaccines become available.

"Stay away from any form of festive temptations that could expose you to catching COVID-19," concluded the minister.

Well, the deal here is clear: Let us not let our guard down. That way, we all should be able to see out this forgettable year and see what 2021 has in store for us.

Right then, moving on . . .

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8:54 am

1,000 more beds coming

Minister Nabakooba said further that Government "is doing its best".

"As of today, so far 29 million masks have been distributed out of the 35 million target set in June. The balance of six million will be made available to the public soon. If you do not have a mask yet and cannot afford to buy one, please keep away from any public activities.

"Efforts are underway to procure 1,000 more beds for the High Dependency Units in our public hospitals. The High Dependency Units accommodate critically ill patients that require 24-hour supply of oxygen."

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8:50 am

'COVID-19 is not a cheap disease'

More from Minister Nabakooba:

"Government spends about sh22m for every critically ill COVID-19 patient that is admitted on oxygen. This is the money spent on treating each patient for the entire time spent in the High Dependency Unit on oxygen.

"For the private hospitals, critically ill patients are spending about sh5m daily in order to stay on oxygen. Everyone must therefore understand that COVID-19 is not a cheap disease.

"Going by the costs, it is obvious that majority of Ugandans cannot afford this treatment. Even when you get admitted to the high depedency and intensive care uits, the chances of survival are less than 50%.

"If you contract COVID-19 today and it progresses to the critical stage, the possibility of death is certain. It is for this reason that we all must work hard to prevent catching the virus.

"For now, the only way of preventing COVID-19 is by following the guidance that we all know, such as wearing the mask, washing hands with soap all the time and social distancing."

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8:43 am

'We all must wake up'

As you prepare to make merry, I feel duty-bound to remind you of the ubiquitous threat that is the coronavirus.

In fact, at the beginning of this week, ICT and national guidance minister Judith Nabakooba (pictured below) made it clear that "the number of people dying [of coronavirus] on a daily basis is far more than those that are being officially recorded", urging people to "keep safe by following SOPs [standard operating procedures] issued by the health ministry" as "you head out to celebrate Christmas".

"The Ministry of Health estimates that there are even more unknown COVID-19 deaths happening in the community before reaching the health centres. This is therefore the time when we all must wake up and take seriously the prevention guidance that has been given," said the minister.

"This is a dangerous disease that kills within a short period. If you contract COVID-19 today, there are high chances that you may not be able to survive.

"This is because all the treatment centres in the public and private hospitals are full to capacity. The number of critically ill people that need oxygen on a 24-hour basis has exceeded the available capacity."

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8:15 am

Last-minute shopping?

Christmas typically means one thing: shopping. And on the eve of Christmas Eve, if I may call it, you could sense that people were doing a lot of that - and the ones on the other end of the transactions were keen on cashing in on the mad dash.

Mad dash? Not the Black Friday kind, though.

In the new normal era, obeying curfew is usually on travellers' minds - and it was no different Wednesday evening.

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7:52 am

To travel or not to travel

Usually around this time of the year, one of the busiest sectors is the transport one.

You either find yourself being part of the upcountry-returning exodus or you witness people heading back to their remote village homes in droves to celebrate the traditional Christmas and New Year festivities with their loved ones.

But this has been a strange year. Very strange that many people have decided to stay put. Why? It could be as a cost-cutting strategy after such a financially difficult year or out of fear of contracting the coronavirus in the migrating mix.

In fact, what some people are doing is to send money to their relatives using money transfer services to eliminate incurring extra costs in transport and shopping.

Others, though, cannot stomach the idea of not spending Christmas with their people in the countryside - so they have closed one eye, bought that expensive one-way bus ticket and muscled their way through the jam-packed bus parks to board for a journey back home.

What have you decided to do this time around?

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7:45 am

A perfect Christmas gift for Uganda

One of Uganda's two brand-new Airbus planes (A330-800neo) was safely delivered from Toulouse (France) to Entebbe three days ahead of Christmas - and perhaps coming as a timely Christmas gift for a nation.

Heralding a new chapter in Uganda Airlines' operations, Tuesday's arrival of the aircraft fresh out of the factory powers Uganda back in the long-haul overseas business.

The airlines says the new technologies fitted into this plane "will bring superior comfort to passengers [thanks to its unique Airspace Cabin], as well as high operating and service standards to Uganda Airlines at a time when air travel has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic".

"The A330neo's operational efficiencies, range and payload characteristics make it the most ideal aircraft for Uganda Airlines route structure. It will allow the national carrier to efficiently expand its network from its hub at Entebbe International Airport to connect Uganda to intercontinental destinations in Asia, Europe and the Middle East," the company adds.

President Yoweri Museveni received the new aircraft at Entebbe International Airport the very day it arrived, and he and his wife Janet got on board the parked giant bird to have a feel of its promised comfort.

The plane has a seating capacity of 258: business class (20), premium economy class (28) and economy class (210).

If you go for business class, be sure to enjoy a flight featuring high definition video, 3D capabilities, touch screen and WiFi connectivity.

The revamped Uganda Airlines started commercial operations in August last year (2019) and already operates a fleet of four CRJ900 planes.

The arrival of the second A330-800neo early next year will bump up the fleet to a total of six aircraft.

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7:37 am

What a year!

Indeed. What a forgettable year it has been for Uganda (and the rest of the world)!

But perhaps something for us to smile about . . .

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7:28 am

Moment of reflection - here is my take

It is no longer news that life is not as we knew - or lived - it before. That's what a pandemic can do to you - or to an entire planet, as a matter of fact.

On this day last year, some of you reading this were laying down your plans for a brand-new year. A year we affectionately christened 'twenie-twenie'. 2020 was to be the year plans were to be put into action, ideas turned into reality, business trips made, and so on.

Fast-forward to present day and here we are, many of us wondering what could have been.

Fact is, COVID-19 has already dealt a huge blow to many of the plans we had laid down before entering this year. The pandemic has dragged on for months, affecting us in many ways, some unique. We have had to adjust our lifestyles to fit into a world of improvisations in a bid to avoid contracting - or spreading - the deadly virus.

The pandemic has shaped our habits - who knew the seemingly simple action of washing hands can be the difference between life and death!

This pandemic has drawn families together and pulled others further apart.

It has shaped the way businesses operate - by now many of us, including me, are used to working from home, and it is not shabby either!

While physical space is important in human (co-)existence, this pandemic has demonstrated to us that even with physical separation, we can remain connected virtually, thanks to technology.

Zoom meeting. Anyone?

This devastating pandemic may have changed our way of life, and taken away our jobs and our loved ones and the other stuff we treasured in our respective lives. But what it has not taken away, I would like to think, is our sense of being who we are: human.

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7:12 am

Good morning!

Arise, ye! Arise, ye!

Can you hear those sleigh bells jingle-ing, ring-ting tingle-ing, too?

It is Christmas Eve and a warm welcome to this live text commentary of whatever will be happening today in this part of the world: the Pearl of Africa.

Glad you could get online to follow along . . .

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9:21 am

Listen very carefully . . .

Let

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