KASESE POLICE TO UNDERGO CIRCUMCISION

In what is taken as a preventive measure for the HIV/AIDS, police men in Kasese will soon be circumcised, the officer in charge of Kasese central police station has said.
The OC Station Esau Opio told Kasese Guide Radio that a sensitization exercise of the police men and their spouses about the exercise before it is implemented.
Following confirmations from studies in recent years that circumcised men have high chances of not contracting the HIV virus, the Uganda Police Force headquarters has embarked on the exercise.
Opio said the matter remains in the hands of the uncircumcised police men and their wives to agree on being part of the exercise.
He refuted claims that most of the police men ran away on Friday as the team from the headquarters reached the station, thinking they would be circumcised by force.
Opio said the men will not be circumcised until the police force agrees on terms with service provides like hospitals and health centers.
The OC station revealed that on Friday, there was only voluntary counseling and testing for HIV/AIDS for police men.

Government starts talks with claimants to resolve Kasese land dispute

The government is holding negotiations with people who claim that it distributed their land to Basongora pastoralists who were evicted from Virunga National Park in DR Congo.

Response from BTC on Electricity in Karambi sub county

Dear Mr Balikenga, Thank you for your email and concern for the
development of Karambi sub county.Your email is a genuine call for
accountability and update of communication. The sub county, the Kasese
District and BTC share the concern of the delay of the electrification
programme in all the sub counties.It has been discussed many times and
regular follow-up is made at the Rural Electrification Agency. Allow
me to give you a quick overview of past events:1. Karambi sub
county has done its home work – one first sub counties to mobilise its
local contribution. Therefore, the sub county and chairperson of
electricity task force should have our praise and full support.2.
Kilembe Investments made the draft design & bill of quantities in Oct
2010. REA reviewed and issued the final bill of quantities in May
2011.3. Karambi citizens contributed about 21 million Ush while
MTN contributed a large section of the line
in kind. 4. In Dec 2010, BTC contributed 116.5 million Ush for
Karambi. About 26 million is still remaining on the Karambi
electrification account and can be used another extension provided
further local contribution is raised. 5. The combined
contribution was transferred in May 2011 to the Rural Electrification
Agency (REA) account.6. Given the liquidity shortage of the
central government, REA had to ensure the availability of funds in the
first semester 2011. REA is main the executing and funding agency
(70% funds).7. On 4th August 2011, REA published the
advertisement for the works in the New Vision (see attachment). 8.
REA has many districts with some high on the political agenda.
Kasese is only one of those districts without being a particular
central political priority. This workload explains the delay together
with the long bureaucratic regulations of public procurement and the
earlier shortage of central government funding. Please, find in
enclosure a PDF file with general information about the
electrification programme.In the table below you find information
regarding the costs and co-funding (including Karambi). Name of
ProjectTotal
Project Cost Community
Contribution 30%REA
Contribution 70%Avail Community
ContributionKDPRP Com *Kyarumba 900,020,821
270,006,246630,014,575270,006,246 227,929,000 42,077,246
Karambi 523,038,402 156,911,521366,126,881156,911,521
116,560,000 40,351,521 Ibanda - Bugoye 510,205,007
153,061,502 357,143,505 153,061,502
83,061,502 70,000,000 Ibanda - Nyakalingijo 454,393,394
136,318,018318,075,376136,318,018 71,202,698 65,115,320
Total Cost 2,387,657,624
716,297,287.201,671,360,336.80716,297,287.20 498,753,200
217,544,087 *This community contribution sometimes includes
contributions made by firms (MTN, Bukonzo Joint, Tronder Power).
Without their valuable efforts the electrification funding would not
have been possible. We are contacting regularly REA to make sure
Kasese remains on the agenda. In theory the procurement
process should be finished by December 2011. The contractor needs to
mobilise the materials and finance, so hopefully the lines will be
constructed in quarter1 2012. We all regret those delays but from
the above information you can see that the sub county / Kilembe
Investment / private co-funding companies/ BTC have done what they
could do. Efforts are now focusing on REA and for other sub counties
on payment of connection fees and 6% local contribution from the
households that want electricity. What can you do as a citizen of
Karambi to speed up the electrification works?1. Talk to the sub
county leadership to get first hand update, Avoid speculations as this
undermines the credibility of the programme and therefore the
mobilisation of the local contribution. 2. Mobilise your
community and talk as a group to your area MP and other high ranking
political representatives. Request that they continue contacting
regularly the
executive director of REA and the Ministry of Energy to speed up the
procurement process.3. If resident along additional line,
provide your contribution and become a member of the electricity task
force to mobilise the community. 4. Support the way leave
campaign (sign documents that allow access of poles through the land)
that is a pre-condition before construction works will start. I hope
that the above information was adequate to address your concerns.
Yours sincerely,Steven HollevoetKasese District Poverty Reduction
Programme / BTC From: Timothy Balikenga [mailto:tbalikenga@yahoo.com]
Sent: Saturday, September 24, 2011 1:11 AM
To: Kasese E-society
Cc: stephen BTC KASESE
Subject: Electricity in Karambi sub county Dear Friends
It seems the element of truth is no long existing among some leaders
in kasese District . The community of karambi sub county was asked to
contribute funds in 2010 in order to have electricity transported to
the sub county. District leaders concerned promised the community that
within four months after community contribution electricity would be
available. Now its a year,nothing is seen.

secondly,the community was informed that BTC was to add on some funds
towards the project but we do not if BTC contributed or not?

Friends,if any one has information about the same, kindly help the
community of karambi sub county to know what is going on or if someone
can have a one to one talk with the BTC staff in kasese,present our
issue

Kasese initiates clubs to fight cases of child abuse

In spite of concerted effort by different stakeholders to fight child abuse, the vice remains a major challenge to the local authorities in Kasese District, child rights activists have observed. Between 10 and 20 cases are recorded by police in the district everyday.
The police officer in charge of child and family protection unit, Ms Zebia Kabugho, says they receive cases of defilement, missing children, child neglect and mother failure to declare the rightful fathers to their children.
Since police and other stake holders have not been able to identify all sorts of abuses committed against the children, a non-governmental organisation has come up with a new project aimed at providing a platform for children to air their views on problems affecting them.
The platform called “Child rights integrated programme” under the section of child rights governance, aims at alerting members of the community to take action on major child rights violations in the district.
Mr Bright Antony Malere, the programmes officer at African Network for the Prevention and Protection Against Children Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN), says because of so many unreported cases of child abuse cases in schools and villages, the NGO has been forced to introduce the children council.
Council’s work
This council is mandated to monitor child rights violations in the district and hold regular meetings to disseminate their findings. From August 2010 to July this year, ANPPCAN settled more than 232 child abuse-related cases committed in Kasese.
This council is composed of district officials and 12 committee members from each of the 12 schools in the six sub-counties counties where the project is implemented.
Mr Ronald Makewo, a parent of Nyabugando Primary School, said the child rights committee at their school has helped stop corporal punishment by reporting the teachers to the authorities.

According to Makewo, defilement cases have also reduced because the club has publically exposed such teachers. Ms Ritah Ntegyerize, the children programme officer Save the Children - Uganda that funds the project through Anppcan asked the children to report any crimes to the council. “You too can do something and cause a change,” she added.

Kasese has the highest number of early marriages:

The authorities in Kasese are struggling to contain the increasing number of child-mothers in the district due to defilement and high rate of early marriages. The Rwenzururu kingdom health minister Mr. Enock Muhindo said all the stake holders should educate people against the traditional practice among the Banyarwanzururu of marrying girls below the age of 18.

At the National Peace exposition Day planning meeting held in kasese under the title “EARLY MARRIAGE AND CHILD-MOTHER IN THE DISTRICT “he said many child-mothers are finding it difficult to cope with the health along this rising economic situation’s Ruth Ojiambo Ochieng,the executive Director of the ISIS-women international cross cultural exchange, the organizers of the program said their findings show that kasese has the highest number of early marriages and consequently child-mother in the region.

The high rate of early marriages reported among some communities in the Rwenzori sub region and Kasese in particular may result in a socio-economic crisis if not curbed.
The district V/c/person Ms Naume Mbambo said the district is also facing problems of poor maternity facilities. “Our health units in rural areas lack delivery items in the maternity ward” she said there is a shortage of beds, mattresses, gloves and other necessities for the expectant mothers. Due to poor communication network in the District some mothers have been forced to deliver on the way or at home, in other related issue, some parents look at daughters as source of wealth and made it difficult to fight defilement.

It is believed that Kasese District has 3 hospitals and 63 health Units out of which 16 are government aided while 46 are privately owned. Doctor to population ratio stands at 1:31300 midwife/nurse to population ratio at 1:2196.female fertility rate at 7:4 children and maternal mortality at 39%
Source; the monitor of 30th sept 2011