RUREKYERA GEOFREY

Police in Bugiri District are hunting for unidentified people who are demanding for Shs1 million ransom before releasing a five-year-old boy they kidnapped.The abduction reportedly occurred in Busowa Town where Roman Wegulo is said to have gone missing two days ago. At Busawo Police Post, the distressed parents said the child who was playing near their home went missing on Sunday afternoon.Ms Sylvia Namukose, the boy’s mother says they found out that he had been kidnapped when an unidentified woman rang them the following day and asked for Shs1 million to release the child. The boy’s father, Ronald Matende, a crime preventer attached to Busowa Police Post says the kidnappers have threatened to harm the child if the ransom is not paid.The police spokesman in Busoga East region,  James Mubi says they are working tooth and nail to track the perpetrators and recover the child.

The team of health officials in Fort-portal municipality has closed one of the lodges and several houses over poor health standards. In a house to house operation mounted by the municipal authorities led by the South division health inspector; Michael Muhumuza visited several residential and business premises in Kisenyi, a suburb of Fort-portal municipality where some were found without latrines. The officials also found out that some people were using Buvera to ease themselves from houses and later dump the wastes in the nearby River Mugunu. Michael Muhumuza says that the operation was as a result of numerous complaints by some residents that the state of sanitation in the area would cause sanitary diseases. He encourages good hygiene practices and intensifying enforcement of public health regulations which would help in improving the situation in the town mostly in places like hotels, restaurants, food kiosks, lodges, rentals and on the streets. Many hotels were found using Buve...

The Mayuge district chief administrative officer Joyce Loyce Namboozo reports an outbreak of Bilharzia disease among the fishing communities. Speaking during a press conference at the district headquarters,Namboozo said the most affected are the landing sites of Bubinge in Malongo sub-county Namboozo said that the disease mostly affects adults and children who are above five (5) years of age.

• Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda says Government has not fully exploited good ideas brought forward by technical people which would have helped the country transform fast . He notes that a number of times good ideas brought by technical people are brushed aside by politicians, adding that  such ideas would be important in dealing with challenges at hand. • He said this at the ongoing Prof Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile center for excellence business dialogue under the theme  “three decades of economic reforms in Uganda building a base for wealth creation” • He has also paid tribute to Mutebile for his role in transforming the Ugandan economy. He explains that Mutebile was the lonely voice that opposed the misfiring barter trade system that the NRM Government had favored when it had just captured power.

Parliament pressure to have  Kasese clashes  report  tabled before parliament  has faced another blow after the deputy speaker discovered that even the draft report is not ready one year past. Yesterday, the vice chairperson of the defense and Internal Affairs committee of parliament Kezekia Mbogo told parliament that the report was ready for presentation before parliament. Despite the fact that the Kasese report item being lined on today’s order paper, it was to the surprise of the house that both the chairperson and vice chairperson of the defense and internal affairs committee Judith Nabakooba and Kezekia Mbogo respectively were not present to speak for their report.

Police in Rubanda have arrested a local council one chairman for allegedly attending a function where a 14 year girl was married to a 75 year old man.According to Kigezi area police spokesperson Elly Maate, on December, 27, the function took place at the home of David Benge,75 in Isingiro village, Hamurwa sub county in Rubanda district. Maate says  police was notified  and swung into action arresting  the two people and the local council one chairman.It’s alleged that the accused had  married off the 14 year old girl after cutting a deal worth shillings  1.5 million. Matte adds that on interrogation, the girl revealed that  she was willing to get married to the 75 year old man because they have ever had sex. He condemns acts of marrying  off young  girls to men who are fit to be their grandfathers for personal gains.

• Members of parliament have been called to resume work on 9 th  January next week according to the director of communications at parliament Chris Obore . • • Obore says the office of the clerk has already notified the mps about their return. • Though he could not elaborate on the key business to start with as the year begins, Obore says they are mainly looking at processing the budget for the financial year 2018/19 . • Parliament was adjourned on 20 th   December last year after the mps voted to scrap article 102(b) of the presidential age limit from the constitution .