News of the day: Bigirimana moves to impound govt cars

Magistrates arriving for the conference in Kampala. Photo by Karim Ssozi

NEWS SUMMARY

Impound all cars found at bars, Bigirimana tells Police
The Judiciary permanent secretary, Pius Bigirimana, warned judicial officers who use government vehicles on non-official work.

He revealed that he has already given police instructions to impound all cars that will be found in bars and other non-official functions like weddings and introductions.

 Pius Bigirimana

At the same event, the Chief justice Bart Katureebe urged judicial officers to reflect on the way they handle ignorant people who approach them because they are the face of the judiciary.

Katureebe said magistrates should mind the image of the institution to change the public perception of the judiciary.

Katureebe, while opening the magistrates' conference taking place in Kampala, said some people may fail to seek justice because they are turned away on their first time in court.

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Uganda land commission worried

The Uganda land commission has expressed concern over the continued grabbing of government land.

The chairperson of the commission, Beatrice Byenkya, says the government owns about 11,087 square miles of land, but some of this land is not titled which has made it an easy target for land grabbers.

Beatrice Byenkya

Byenkya said they have started the process of reclaiming some of the land, especially the one under the ministry of agriculture. She says some of this land is being grabbed by the government officials who are supposed to be taking care of it.

Byenkya now wants the government to increase the number of staff at the commission to enable them to perform their duties.

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Govt to spend sh11b on school census
The Ministry of Education is to spend sh11b conducting a census on the number of schools across the country.

The survey which kicks off on March 18, will be carried out within 21 days and the results are expected to be released in August.

The Acting Director Basic and Secondary Education, Ismail Mulindwa, has appealed to the teachers, especially in private schools to provide accurate data to base on by the government for proper planning.

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Parties want to meet Rugunda over consultations

Political parties under the Inter-party Organization for Dialogue (IPOD) want to meet the Prime Minister, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, to resolve their stand-off with the Police regarding their consultation meetings.

A series of opposition party meetings have been blocked by the Police citing non-compliance to the public order management guidelines.

Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda

Now the parties' secretary generals are meeting to find a common position to present to the prime minister on Wednesday to resolve the stand-off ahead of the 2021 general elections.

The FDC spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda says the Police brutality in dispersing their political gatherings where some members have lost life.

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We have no footage for Nakawa accident - Police

The Police have confirmed it has no CCTV camera footage for the accident in which one political activist Rita Nabukenya died.

It is alleged that the people power supporter was knocked dead by a police patrol vehicle.

 Ritah Nabukenya

The police spokesperson Fred Enanga says that they have dispatched a team of investigators to ascertain what happened because security cameras at Nakawa were disconnected due to the construction works going on in the area.

Meanwhile, police are reviewing CCTV camera footage picked from Nansana to find out how a one Dan Kyeyune was shot dead as crowds cheered people power leader Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu who was coming back from the burial of their supporter Rita Nabukenya.

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Cheptegei voted sportsman of the month

Uganda Sports Press Association members have voted marathon runner Joshua Cheptegei as the best sports personality for the month of February, beating 3 other athletes.

Cheptegei has been voted for smashing a world record in Monaco having taken only 12m:51s to run 5kms, beating the previous record by 27 seconds.

 Cheptegei                 

The 10km record holder got 465points, 165 points more than 2nd placed Juliet Chekwel, while swimmer Kirabo Namutebi and boxer Shadir Musa got 270 and 265 points respectively.

USPA President Patrick Kanyomoozi says the competition was tight.
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Isolated Chinese test negative for coronavirus
Four Foreign Nationals have tested negative of the Corona Virus and are to be quarantined at their homes for 14 days.

Three Chinese and 1 French national were put under isolation at  Entebbe Hospital with Coronavirus symptoms on Sunday.

The Spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, Emmanuel Ainebyona, says health workers will continue to monitor them for a period of 14 days.

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Kadaga calls for more involvement of women

The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca, Alitwala Kadaga, has called for more involvement of women participants in the public and private sector infrastructure developments.

Kadaga says that women must be part of the planning and execution teams to foster the interests of women which are fundamental.

 Rebecca Kadaga

Officiating as the guest of honour at the opening of a one day Women in infrastructure summit, 2020, Kadaga cited lack of places of convenience which she said is more of an inconvenience to the women.

Meanwhile, Ambassador MacDella Cooper who was the keynote speaker asked women not to underestimate their potential to do anything they want in life.

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Uganda Cranes prepare for CHAN

Uganda Cranes has started training at Cambridge International School in preparation for the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament next month in Luanda, Cameroon.

The team of home-based players is in group C with Rwanda, Togo and defending champion Morocco.

 
The team of 34players is in a residential camp at Cranes Paradise Hotel in Kisaasi and will be training during the day and on floodlights.

Head Coach Jonathan McKinstry says training at Cambridge is intended at getting a similar environment to that of Cameroon.