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Security using arrest to break our resistance - Rubongoya

DAVID LEWIS RUBONGOYA, the secretary general of National Unity Platform political party, has said government is using arrests, detentions, and abductions to break their resolve to oppose them.

Speaking to The Observer in an interview, Rubongoya who was arrested recently but later released, said more than 100 of their supporters are either in illegal detentions, were abducted or are still languishing in prison for nothing more than standing up against the government. MUHAMMAD KAKEMBO transcribed the interview and below are the excerpts.

You have been one of the most vocal critics against arrests of NUP supporters; but a fortnight ago you also became a victim; how were you treated when you were in the military and later police custody?

Those guys are very violent, especially when they are taking you; you saw the manner in which we were grabbed and thrown into the drone. Actually, I got a small injury on my leg because when I sat in one of the seats at the front, the guy came and said move to the back and then they dragged me because they don’t have time to tell you that now move peacefully.

I think that drone that should have capacity of about 10 people had about 17 people all packed in there. I asked this guy seated next to me why they do these things. You see the guy all of a sudden change from the one who was speaking violently and now he calms down. If it was a longer distance, yes maybe, he would have expressed his own frustration but you could see these things they do they don’t even like them.

At the police of course myself and Hon Ssenyonyi were taken to the office of the OC Operations while the other guys were taken to cells immediately. We spent about an hour in the office of OC Operations and then they picked us and took us into the cells where we found our  ther comrades. In the evening, we were released together with our comrades because we insisted that we cannot leave without everybody we were arrested with.

Why are you hard on the security people when you know they are working under instructions?

They are robots, they are working against the people of Uganda if Museveni is in State House and me, I cannot interface with him and he has sent either the OC or whoever to pick me up, then my anger will be directed at the immediate person that has come to pick me up.

But also, the violence which they use when executing these orders is appalling. They try to please their masters. What was wrong for them to come to us and say, you people are under arrest, they bring a police vehicle and say move in and only use reasonable force like the law says if we try resisting.

There are some of your party supporters who have been in detention for years; what was going on in your head while you were at police?

I must say that in this country when you are arrested, you don’t know how it will end. I was preparing my mind for whatever will happen because you know in this country these guys could take you and you think you will spend hours and you end up spending years when you are in this situation you think about Ssewanyana and Ssegirinya, you think about the Olivia Lutaayas and you have to mentally prepare yourself for whatever will come.

When you are in there, you start thinking about family, you start thinking about especially the nature of our economy where people live hands to mouth; you start thinking how will your people survive if you are taken away for a month or two months.

These things occur to you but of course once you involve yourself in this work, you never end a day without thinking that you would be arrested, tortured, disappeared or even killed. I know that’s what has happened to so many people now.

Speaking about arrests, how many of your people are in security custody as of now?

The numbers keep fluctuating and the reason is because some people are released everyday while others are arrested and others are abducted on a daily basis. But I want to say this; there is a clear difference between those who are arrested and those abducted. Those who were abducted during elections up to now and are nowhere to be seen are 18 but since then, I think over 100 of our supporters have been abducted at different points and either released, others just freed without even any single document.

In the Uganda Human Rights Commission report given by [chairperson, Mariam] Wangadya the other day, she talks about 12 people who we had reported to them as missing at some point. She was not ashamed to even put that list there showing clearly that someone was picked up and they spent three months in detention and then eventually was released on police bond. Since the election ended many other supporters of ours have been arrested.

Right now there is a young man called Alex Kalyowa Kayiwa who was picked up in July up to now he is nowhere to be seen. There is a court order issued by Justice Musa Ssekaana for habeas corpus which was taken to SIU Kireka and they said they have so many such court orders which they decided to ignore.

We also have another group who are in prison like Olivia Lutaaya. On her file, there are other 32, of which four were granted bail after spending two years in detention, meaning on that file, 28 people are still in detention. There are a group of 11 people who are at Luzira Upper, there are others who are at Murchison Bay including Saanya, Katale Swaib and others.

On October 5 when our president was returning, they picked up around 300 people. Although some are out on police bond, others have never been brought in court. There is a group which is being tried in Nabweru court. Our human rights office keeps track of these cases.

The elections are behind us; why do you think arrests are still going on?

The reason has not changed, the regime is sending fear to the population. Most of these people who have been picked up, when they are taken in those facilities, regime officials try to compromise them. We have heard these stories from many of those who have been released.

So, they arrest them in order to compromise them, to send fear into the population, as repressive tactic and portray this image of power that they can do anything. So, a person who has been arrested and kept in detention for months will think twice before engaging in activism.

How do you sieve the people who claim that they are your supporters and that they were arrested for their political views, and not any other thing?

We have a very stringent system of verification of case here. I will tell you that the regime has sent us not less than 10 people in the last one year to try and lie that they are victims. There was even a police officer who came and gave us a very interesting story; he had scars and he claimed he got them form CMI.

Eventually, we got to know that he was an operative. Even this week, there was a young man who came here and said he had been abducted by CMI but when we did due diligence because we also have contacts in the regime, we found that he was lying.

So, many of those arrested by CMI are actually given discharge forms at SIU Kireka. But there are also those who are not charged at all; these we do more verification to establish whether they had been arrested or not.

When your supporters are arrested and then released, do they come back the same people or their will to engage in activism is broken?

There are different responses to repression as there are human beings. There are others who come back with more resolve. Some are feared being arrested so much but the first time they are arrested, it breaks their fear that when they come out, they are more resolute than before they went to prison.

But there are also those who come back subdued because of torture and the horrors or prison. But the good thing is that we have counselling services for these comrades to help them overcome the trauma. But I must say that majority of the cases I have seen, people have come out more resolute.

We have seen the debate of human rights violations playing out in parliament. The opposition has actually walked out vowing not to return until these issues are resolved.

What is your feeling about what is happening in parliament?

We are very happy with our parliamentary team for the step they have taken. This is what we have been saying for the last three years that citizens can’t be taken just like that to facilities that are not gazetted in law and its business as usual.

We are happy and we hope that they increase more pressure. Not that we expect much from that parliament, but it has cameras on it both local and international. So, when they take a firm stand on a matter, it speaks volume.

Masaka residents urged to save in banks

Residents of Greater Masaka region have been urged to embrace saving money in banks because it comes with different benefits, such as safety, but also contributes to an improvement in livelihood.

Masitula Naava, the deputy resident city commissioner (RCC) in charge of Nyendo-Mukungwe in Masaka city, said this during the official opening of the two-day market event organized by Stanbic bank on October 27.

“As stakeholders, we still have a lot to do, especially in sensitizing the community to embrace saving money in banks. Many people have chosen not to keep their money in the banks because they think it is for a select few. However, many have fallen victim to con men who take advantage of them by encouraging them to invest in Ponzi schemes,” Naava said.

She called upon Stanbic officials to invest in grassroots mobilization, which she said will help the public get closer to learning about the projects of the bank and eventually pick interest in them.

“People can only embrace and own the bank’s projects if you teach them. Therefore, I encourage you to take your mobilization to the grassroots level because the public still needs to learn more about your services,” Naava added.

Flagged off last year, the market days have become a part of activities organized by the lender through the “L.O.V.E. October” programme, which is a period of giving back to the community and appreciating them for the support rendered throughout the year.

Stanbic’s head of marketing, Daniel Ogong, said, “As a bank, we believe that this is an opportunity for us to meet and interact more with our clients, to appreciate them, but also to get to know how we can serve them better. We are driven by our theme, ‘Uganda is our home; we drive her growth’.”

“We can only achieve better results if we work closely with our clients. The market days come with more opportunities, such as exposure and networking and we hope the public will take advantage of them,” Ogong added.

Florence Namayanja, the mayor of Masaka city, appreciated Stanbic for working hand in hand with the authorities in the region. “Development can only be achieved if there is synergy between the informal and formal sectors. We thank Stanbic for being exemplary and always working hand in hand with us whenever there is need,” she said.

Meanwhile, Stanbic wrapped up this ‘Love October’ Month Campaign over the weekend by donating maternal equipment that included a hydroelectric table, modern adjustable maternity beds, and Mama Kits, among oth- ers, to Alebtong District Health Centre IV, which is situated about 50 kilometres from Lira city.

According to the medical officer in charge, Dr John Baptist Ogwal, the health centre serves hundreds of disadvantaged families in the Lango sub-region, handling between 4000 and 5000 outpatients, 150 to 200 maternity cases, and nine to 20 C-sections monthly.

In May last year, Stanbic, in partnership with the ministry of Health and other private sector entities, launched the corporate society initiative aimed at raising Shs 5.9 billion for safe motherhood. The first phase of the Corporate Society for Safe Motherhood’s support will be implemented in four high-volume facilities with key infrastructure and equipment gaps. The facilities include health centre IVs in Packwach, Busanza, Bukasa, and Mukono general hospital.

Three law firms in Shs 390m fight over legal fees

The law firm of Wanda, Sakwa and Company Advocates has dragged that of Muwema and Company Advocates to the Law Council for professional misconduct.

The two firms, along with Bashasha & Co. Advocates, are embroiled in a fight for Shs 390m from the ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs. Lawyers from Wanda, Sakwa and Company Advocates accuse the other law firms of trying to reap from where they did not sow.

GENESIS

Back in 2010, 52 army air force retirees led by Lt Col Vincent Mugyenyi, Maj Sichon Nambale, Tom Butime [Tourism minister] and the now late Maj Gen Zeddy Maruru, petitioned court through Bashasha and Company Advocates to have their terminal benefits paid.

Their benefits were calculated to be Shs 6.7 billion. In 2017, court sided with the retirees and directed the ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs to pay them. Edith Butuuro, the Defence ministry’s undersecretary, Finance and Administration, was the assigned accounting officer while Denis Barigye, the assistant commissioner of accounts in the ministry, was the coordinator.

However, distribution of the benefits sparked a rift between the retirees and Bashasha, whom they felt did not deserve to partake the Shs 1.9bn as legal fees. Court had posted the money on their lawyers’ account in February 2018 before distributing it to the beneficiaries. It is from this standoff that both parties severed ties.

Documents seen by The Observer indicate that on May 26, 2021, the retirees turned to Wanda, Sakwa and Company Advocates and the two parties entered into a three-year memorandum of understanding for the law firm to represent them in a case against government, where they were now seeking to have their pension paid.

On behalf of the retirees, the MoU was signed by Nambale, as the chairman of the recovery committee for the retirees, and Capt Aloysius Muwagga, the secretary. Both parties went on to notify the Attorney General and the Defence ministry of the instructions. After several meetings with ministry officials, it was consented that the retirees be paid Shs 4bn, but before they could get the payment, Capt Muwagga passed on yet he was a principal signatory on behalf of the retirees.

A retiree who preferred anonymity, said lawyers had to pay Maj Nambale Shs 75m for him to produce Mu- wagga’s National ID. The retirees eventually received in 2022.

NEW TWIST

However, in a May 16, 2023 letter to the ministry, Wanda, Sakwa and Company advocates noted that under pension regulations, their clients deserved to have been paid an annual six per cent interest for the years the pension delayed. It is from this anomaly that they informed the retirees before pursuing the said payment from the Defence ministry.

This triggered a Shs 3.9bn windfall for the retirees each of whom got payment by June 26, 2023. However, at the time of the expiration of the financial year on June 30, the ministry had not yet completed the payment of the law firm’s Shs 390m, which is the 10 per cent in legal fees.

That meant that the law firm would have to get their payment in the new financial year. But on August 2, 2023, Wanda, Sakwa and Company Advocates claim they received a letter from Muwema and Company Advocates advising Butuuro to stop the payment on grounds that Wanda, Sakwa and Company Advocates did not have instructions from the retirees.

They attached a document signed by Nambale in May, 2023 withdrawing instructions but it has no stamp of receipt from the ministry or Wanda, Sakwa and Company Advocates.

Indeed, Butuuro withheld the payment to Wanda, Sakwa and Company Advocates until the law firms sort out their issues. Wanda, Sakwa and Company Advocates insist that the documents withdrawing their instructions that Muwema relied on were backdated forgeries, not received by the firm or Butuuro.

“We have learnt that Muwema Co. Advocates even provided their banking details to the ministry so that they are paid our money. We consider the above conduct by our colleagues to be professional misconduct and in this regard invite the Law Council to invoke its powers to bring them to order for the good of the profession,” reads part of the petition.

Interviewed for this story, Andrew Oluka of Muwema & Co. Advocates said al- legations that they forged and backdated termination letters are not true.

“I wrote to the ministry notifying them that we have been instructed to take over the handling of this matter. I attached a termination letter dated June 4, 2022 and I was courteous enough to copy Sakwa and Company Advocates who received a copy of that letter but they have never written to us or the ministry. They should write to us and say, please we still have instructions over this matter,” he said.

“If Sakwa and Company Advocates worked for another amount of money and is yet to be paid, as a lawyer, we are not allowed to clamor on someone’s legal fees. Why should I earn from what I didn’t work for? They should pursue their former client, not us. I was just instructed to represent them and my interest is to pursue the remaining emoluments,” Oluka said.

Amidst all this, sources at the ministry indicate that Bashasha and Company Advocates have also joined the fray and petitioned the ministry to have a share of the Shs 390m. At the moment, all sides are locked in a stalemate.

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Government boardrooms play host to gold mafia

In the wake of the arrest of David Balondemu, the embattled Kampala District Land Board chairman, as well as Spero Byokunda, the head of Petroleum Quality and assurance at ministry of Energy, several foreign firms have come out to expose operations of a ring of suspected fraudsters with immense influence in key sectors of the economy.

Balondemu is on remand at Luzira prison for allegedly obtaining money under false pretenses and conspiracy to commit a felony. His associates, Eric Geoffrey Mkwe, James Jeff Mugisha and Godfrey Mabirizi, are also on remand. They allegedly obtained $600,000 (approximately Shs 2.2 billion) under the false pretense of selling 53kg of gold to Korean national Hyun Uk Kim.

Meanwhile, Byokunda and others still at large are alleged to have fleeced $30m from a Serbian investor. But just before Balondemu appears on November 6 for his bail hearing, it has emerged that he is yet again the central figure in another fraud scheme of $600,000, which was obtained from an American firm.

COMMON TRAIL

The common trail in these cases is the unlimited access of the alleged fraudsters to high-profile government offices and boardrooms, access to key government documents, not to mention police’s inability to intervene when matters are reported.

In both cases, it took President Museveni’s direct intervention to have the suspects apprehended. According to sources at the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (Shacu), the investigating body, Byokunda is accused of being the mastermind of an unauthorized meeting on August 22, 2023 in the ministry’s boardroom at Amber house between a Serbian investors and fake persons who introduced themselves as ministry officials.

In the said meeting in which one of the members introduces himself as the minister of Energy and the other as the permanent secretary, they are said to have promised to process mining deals worth in excess of $300m for the Serbian investors.

“The deal was well-crafted because they managed to remove the actual portraits of the ministry top leadership and instead placed theirs impersonating the officials,” said the source.

“The Serbians were convinced they were dealing with the right people.”

The source, however, adds that the Serbians also did not come to the meeting with clean hands because the payment was to bribe their way to getting deals and tenders.

AMERICAN WOES

Meanwhile, American firm KG Unlimited LLC is accusing Balondemu of obtaining $600,000 from them through dubious means. In its June 17, 2023 petition to the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) as well as the Agriculture ministry, the company notes that in 2022, they landed on an advert on LinkedIn by KLA Consultancy Group to the effect that the ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) wanted an international company to supply it with agricultural drone sprayers worth $30m.

KG Unlimited offered to supply the drones and a person introducing himself as Denis Tumusiime, one of the directors of KLA, said his firm acts as an intermediary between government and private companies. He promised to lobby for them to clinch the contract.

Later in the year, KG Unlimited came to Uganda, and were assigned a full-time police patrol on top of getting accommodated at Sheraton hotel. During their stay, there held a meeting with a one Wilberforce Kabatsi, whom they were introduced to as the director of PPDA.

The said Kabatsi confirmed that the MAAIF is willing to contract them through direct procurement. However, KG Unlimited had to first hire a local company and prequalify him to supply his products. Kabatsi told KG Unlimited that because of corruption in Uganda, President Museveni directed that all communication money should be received by a specific law firm, Bloom Advocates.

According to the official judiciary website, Balondemu is listed as the principal of Bloom Advocates along with seven other lawyers. They were later introduced to a one Ivan Muhire (whose real name is alleged to be Geoffrey Eric Mkwe) at Bloom Advocates at a posh Kingdom Kampala office to help them to incorporate a company.

They claim that he charged them $52,000. According to documents, the incorporation exercise was witnessed by Victoria Nakanwagi from Bloom Advocates. Afterwards, KG Unlimited were informed that since they have no previous business in Uganda, they had to pay a solicitation fee of $250,000 and a performance bond of $250,000.

CON

KG Unlimited officials were assured that after signing the contracts, MAAIF would give them an advance payment of 50% of the contract sum. At the contract signing and payment of the solicitation fee, a fake team from MAAIF led by the ‘permanent secretary’ met with KG Unlimited officials in the boardroom of Statistics house in Kampala. According to the documents, the $250,000 was paid to Bloom Advocates account.

However, no copies of the signed contract were given to KG Unlimited officials on grounds that the ‘solicitor general’ had to first append his signature on the contract before the contract is enforceable.

Thereafter, the said Kabatsi told them that the solicitor general referred the contract to the PPDA to invoke the chargeable statutory performance security of two percent of the $30 million contract sum. Yet again, after wiring the money to the Bloom Advocates account, Kabatsi demanded more.

“When KG Unlimited officials went to meet Bloom lawyers at Kingdom Kampala for a clear-the-air meeting, they found when the firm had changed names to Balondemu and Company Advocates,” said the source.

It is at this point the Americans sought advice from the US embassy in Uganda. In turn, it advised them to seek clarity from Barenzi & Co. Advocates, who in turn unearthed the scam. Ramathan Ruyonga, a senior associate at Barenzi & Co. Advocates and now lawyer for the complainant (KG Unlimited LLC), says his clients were duped into falling for the con.

PPDA’S RESPONSE

Benson Turamye, the executive director of PPDA, said the Authority categorically denies issuance of any letter for such purposes.

“The logo does not belong to PPDA and there is no department in the Authority structure of the office of the director for compliance hence no compliance director. It thus follows that Wilberforce Kabatsi is not an employee of the Authority.”

“Standard bidding document, bid security shall at the bidder’s option, be in the form of either a letter of credit, a bank guarantee, a bank draft, or a cashier’s check, and issued by a reputable financial institution selected by the bidder from an eligible country and Performance Security, should be in the form of an on-demand Bank Guarantee and issued by a Bank by the Standard Bidding Document,” he said.

He said the 2014 PPDA Regulations prohibit payment of an advance payment exceeding 30% of the contract price. Therefore, advance payment to a bidder that exceeds 30% would be in contravention of the PPDA law.

Turamye stated that the law also prohibits PPDA from issuing a contract, documents, purchase order, or any other until all relevant agencies including the Attorney General make all the necessary approvals of the contract. It would, therefore be irregular for the Attorney General to approve a contract post-signing.

BLOOM LAWYERS SPEAK OUT

Andrew Kibumba, who works at the law firm, said our reporter asked for too much information which he would not reveal because he was not sure about who he was speaking to. Meanwhile, the permanent secretary to the MAAIF Maj Gen David Kasura said the ministry has not conducted any procure- ment regarding agricultural drone sprayers.

“MAAIF has not signed a contract with KG Unlimited LLC or received $600,000 from them,” Gen Kasura said.

REPORTING THE MATTER TO POLICE

The case was filed against Timothy Isiko Jonathan and other conspirators. The police, however, resolved to get a bank statement, signatory of the account and a freezing order. The signatory to the account was identified as Joseph Ibona, who was an accountant of Bloom Advocates. The moment the money was deposited, Ibona would immediately withdraw it.

The freezing order was obtained from chief magistrate, Buganda Road court. Later Isiko and Ibona were nabbed. The accounting officer denied any involvement in fraud and said he would withdraw the money and give it to Kaweesi Kizito. The suspects were later released on bond.

Following their release, Barenzi and Company Advocates said the freezing order was withdrawn and the $103,900 was withdrawn from the account.

FILE AT DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS

According to the Shacu source, the file had been forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for perusal. The DPP has since recommended that Isiko and Ibona have no case to answer, and the only person to be charged is Kaweesi Kizito.

The complainants have since lodged a complaint to the DPP Jane Frances Abodo calling for reperusal of the file and reinstate charges against Isiko and Ibona. They have also petitioned police CID boss Tom Magambo, asking him to recall the file and investigate it from the headquarters.

They claim that the Central Police Station (CPS) has not done much because the suspects have never been interrogated. The Observer established that the complainants petitioned the State House Anti-Corruption Unit and the president. The Anti-Corruption Unit called Isiko for interrogation and revealed the names of all people who were involved. He said the people who were involved include Balondemu, Mkwe who acted as Ivan Muhirwe, Drake Twebazi, Joseph Ibona and one Martin.

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American couple who tortured Ugandan boy ordered to pay Shs 100m

The High court has ordered an American couple to compensate a child they tortured with Shs 100 million.

The couple; Mackenzie Leigh and her husband Nicholas Scott Spencer pleaded guilty to intentionally inflicting physical and mental pain and suffering on a 10-year-old HIV-positive fostered son whose name remains withheld in respect of his right to privacy. 

Court heard that the couple isolated the boy from other children, withdrew him from school, made him sleep on a wooden slab without a mattress, repeatedly made him sit in one position on cold tiles with his legs crossed and folded, and fed him on frozen food. The boy was also kept under CCTV surveillance as punishment for misbehaviour under the pretext of instilling discipline in him.

The couple was initially charged with aggravated torture and aggravated child trafficking, cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment, and child neglect. According to the prosecution, the couple that has stayed in Uganda since 2017, recruited, transported and kept the child through abuse of position of vulnerability for purposes of exploitation.

The husband was specifically accused of failure to provide the victim with basic needs such as sufficient food, clothing, bedding, and a safe and conducive living environment. They were later charged with overstaying their visa and working in Uganda without a permit, having been employed at New Frontiers Technology Consult Limited and Motiv located at Innovation Village.

The prosecution added that the offenses were committed between December 2020 and December 2022 in Naguru, Kampala district. The two initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, but later accepted a plea bargain with the office of the director of public prosecutions through which they acknowledged their excesses and agreed to return to the United States.

The agreement shows that the couple was trying to manage the child who allegedly suffers from a complex psychiatric disorder that causes him to engage in seriously disruptive behaviour such as causing physical harm to others, soiling himself and his bedding and defying parental instructions.

Lady justice Alice Komuhangi Khaukha today endorsed the plea bargain agreement and acknowledged observations by lawyer David Mpanga that there is a systematic problem with no mechanism to take care of unfortunate children in Uganda. 

“...that is why the victim found himself in the hands of the accused persons and non-citizens of Uganda and also suffering from ill health.  The child needed help and support having lost his father and having been abandoned by his mother with no known relative willing to support him. Unfortunately, the accused persons failed to manage his peculiar behaviours...” she said.

The judge also ordered them to pay Shs 3.3 million and Shs 1.5 million for their crimes and in default face a jail sentence of two years and six months respectively. She ordered that the money be temporarily deposited in the asset recovery management fund account in the central bank pending the appointment of a trustee who will manage it on behalf of the victim.

Justice Komuhangi directed the office of the DPP to work with the public trustee who is the administrator general at least within 3 months from the date of this order to agree on how this money should be managed for the benefit of the child.

The records in the plea bargain agreement show that the couple is suffering from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome an inherited disorder that affects the connective tissues in the body, especially joints, skin and blood vessel walls, where Mackenzie was diagnosed at 19 years old while Nicholas was diagnosed at 24  and as such, they are all unable to bear children. They have since each undergone surgery nine and two times respectively.

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More Ugandan women than men battling mental illness - study

A joint study conducted by Butabika National Referral Mental hospital and Makerere University has found that more Ugandan women are battling severe anxiety and depression than their male counterparts who are mostly affected by alcohol abuse.

2,067 people were sampled from the districts of Kapchorwa, Adjumani, Bushenyi, and Butambala where participants were selected from both schools, those seeking health services in lower health facilities and the community.

According to the released results; 39 per cent of the women suffered severe anxiety against 24 per cent of males. When it came to depression, 12.6 per cent were women and 5 per cent men. The study was meant to assess the extent of integration of mental health services into primary health care, communities, and schools in selected districts in the country.

According to Prof Fredrick Makumbi, a lecturer at the Makerere University School of Public Health who was one of the researchers on the study, generally, for every three people, one had severe anxiety and when they went ahead to assess people’s attitudes about mental illness, a number of the respondents believed that mental illness is behavior-related.

Dr Juliet Nakku a senior consultant psychiatrist at Butabika hospital who led the study team says their results show a high prevalence of mental illness and a high need for medication as nine out of every ten people they surveyed believed that medication can be effective in helping them, although only a few were enrolled into care citing long distances, inadequate facilities and drug stockouts as part of the deterring reasons.

Also, nearly four in ten people believe the mentally ill are in danger partly because a significant number of people still seek care from religious leaders or traditional healers before going to the hospital. 9.3 per cent were found to be seeking treatment from religious leaders and another 5.3 per cent from traditional healers.

Nakku says as a solution, there is a need to incorporate mental health services in community programmes to give it the attention it deserves like other key diseases such as HIV that are affecting a large number of people. She says having social workers in the community could go the extra mile to help link people who need treatment interventions into care.

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NMG makes Shs108m contribution to Kyabazinga royal wedding

By Ronald Ssenvuma Nation Media Group-Uganda has contributed Shs108 million towards the Kyabazinga royal wedding preparations. King William Wilberforce Gabula IV and Ms. Jovia Mutesi are set to tie the knot on November 18, 2023. While handing over the cheque at the group’s Namuwongo-based offices on Tuesday, the NMG-Uganda Managing Director, Mr Tonny Glencross, noted that the contribution was made to showcase the company’s unity and good relationship with the Kingdom of Busoga. “We haven’t had a royal wedding in many years. I have only seen one royal wedding in my life and that was Princess Diana many years ago, so I will see the second… so you are welcome and this is a wonderful occasion,” he said. On his […]

Mun-G, Etania pull Magic at Gulu University Freshers’ Ball

It was pure thrills and drinks at the recently concluded Smirnoff freshers ball at Gulu University when Mun-G stepped on stage for his awaited performance at the University Pitch. The Sala-Puleesa singer put on an energetic and wholesome performance, performing some of his popular hits like Big Bumpa, Virgin, and more. Among other performances was …

All set for 2023 CSO convention

More than 200 civil society organisations are expected to participate in the event