Water scarcity hits Ntoroko

Desperate. Residents of Kanara town council line up to fetch water at one of the shallow wells in the area last week. PHOTO BY ALEX ASHABA 

THURSDAY DECEMBER 14 2017

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Water-scarcity-hits-Ntoroko/688334-4228148-132m1ql/index.html

In Summary

·         Location. Ntoroko District is located west of the Rwenzori Mountains. It was carved out of Bundibugyo District in 2010. The district is always hit by floods to the extent of cutting off some areas while in dry seasons, the area is hit by drought.

·         District budget. According to the district chairman, Mr Timothy Kyamanywa, the floods have stretched the district budget and resources by increasing the cost of containing malaria especially among the children and malaria drugs run out of stock.

·         Erosion. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Semuliki catchment is under a lot of pressure due to increasing population. Deforestation and uncontrolled cattle grazing is leading to widespread erosion.

By ALEX ASHABA & FELIX BASIIME

For the last three years, Mr Danson Akampura, 35, has lived in Kisenyi A Village in Kanara Town Council, Ntoroko District. He treks about two kilometres in search of safe water.

Mr Akampura says the only available source of water in Kisenyi Village is the shallow well built in Kanara Town Council at Kasenyi Landing Site on the shores of Lake Albert.

He says though it was built by government 10 years ago, everyone has to pay Shs500 for a 20-litre jerrycan of water which some find expensive.

They hence end up fetching the unsafe lake water for domestic use.

“In our village, there are only two shallow wells but one is non-functional and up to now, it is not repaired. We crowd ourselves at one which is functional from morning to evening, while others fetch their water from Albert shores,” Mr Akampura says.

He says their village being near Semuliki National Park, people and wild animals such as elephants share the lake waters while others use River Muzizi.

Mr James Balikigamba, the Kisenyi B Village chairperson, says in his area, more than 323 people trek long distances for water from one shallow spring in Kanara Town.

Mr Balikigamba says some use motorcycles to fetch water while others use wheelbarrows which he says is expensive for the locals.

“Our neighbouring villages such as Kigugu, Rwenyangi and Ntoroko north use one water source. Remember, people come here at 6am from far distances and yet they have other duties to perform such as fishing and farming to earn a living,” Mr Balikigamba says.

Ms Fatima Mbabazi, who sells water at one of the shallow wells in Kanara Town Council says people line up very early with their jericans to get water and that in a day, she earns more than Shs50,000.

“At times I have no time to go for lunch because people crowd at this well and come from far away for water and this place is very hot,” Ms Mbabazi says.

Beyond repair

Mr David Kor, the chairperson of Kanara Town Council, says out of 12 shallow wells that were constructed 10 years ago in the area, only six are functioning while others were broken beyond repair.

“In some villages where we managed to install water management committees to maintain water sources, some have failed to repair them. We need government to intervene,” Mr Kor says.

Ntoroko District is still waiting for the fulfilment of the Shs82 billion water project that was pledged by President Museveni in 2011 presidential campaigns.

According to plan, the project was to start from River Muzizi to serve the entire district.

Despite Uganda being signatory to Sustainable Development Goals, where Goal number six emphasises availability of clean water and sanitation for all, several villages in the country are still not served.

The most affected villages in the district include; Ntoroko north A, Ntoroko south A, Mid-west and Kanyasi.

Way forward

When asked whether there are any government interventions to end water scarcity in the district, the Resident District Commissioner, Mr Wilson Isingoma, said: “Of course there is a major programme by government through the Ministry of Water and Environment. The two to three year Shs83 billion project has already started at Karugutu and it will tap [water] from rivers Wanka and Wasa for the gravity flow scheme.”

Also, Mr Robert Musiguzi, the district water engineer said: “The Shs83 billion water project in Ntoroko District will last for four years. It will be constructed in two phases, the first phase will take Shs25 billion while the second will cost Shs58 billion.”

The national population and housing census 2014 shows that 42.8 per cent households in Ntoroko District get drinking water from unsafe sources.

The latest Uganda water supply Atlas report by the Ministry of Water and Environment indicates that the access rates in Ntoroko District vary from 35 per cent in Kanara Town Council to 95 per cent in Rwebisengo Town Council.

The district has 386 domestic water points which serve a total of 55,000 people where 38,629 are in rural areas.
Of the 386 domestic water points, 108 are non-functional for over five years.

The national service delivery survey 2015 shows that the long distance to safe water sources in Ntoroko is at 41 per cent and the unreliability of the safe water points 20 per cent.

This is mainly due to breakdowns and low water pressure as the main constraints hindering the use of safe water sources.

The functionality of water sources in rural area is at 68 per cent while in urban area is at 81 per cent and most affected sub counties with less functional water sources in Ntoroko include; Butungama, Kanara and Karugutu.

Location. Ntoroko District is located west of the Rwenzori Mountains. It was carved out of Bundibugyo District in 2010. The district is always hit by floods to the extent of cutting off some areas while in dry seasons, the area is hit by drought.

District budget. According to the district chairman, Mr Timothy Kyamanywa, the floods have stretched the district budget and resources by increasing the cost of containing malaria especially among the children and malaria drugs run out of stock.

Erosion. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Semuliki catchment is under a lot of pressure due to increasing population. Deforestation and uncontrolled cattle grazing is leading to widespread erosion.

editorial@ug.nationmedia.com

Increasing local frustration at wildlife intrusion around national parks

Mary, the friendly elephant who often visited Katunguru and Kasenyi trading centres inside Queen Elizabeth National Park. It was later poised by locals for eating food in the kitchens. Photo by Felix Basiime. 

SUNDAY DECEMBER 10 2017

http://www.monitor.co.ug/artsculture/Travel/local-frustration-at-wildlife-intrusion-around-national-parks/691238-4221756-l4du7k/index.html

In Summary

·         Clashes. Despite efforts by park officials to keep wild animals in check, attacks on neighbouring villages and farms are frequent, leading to the escalation of the human-wildlife struggle.

By ENID NINSIIMA & FELIX BASIIME

Last week, two people were injured by stray bullets as security and Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) wardens pursued a stray elephant from residents’ gardens in Rukooki, Kasese District.

The injured included Uchamgiu Ahamad Khatib, 86, a resident of Kisangazi ward in Nyamwamba division in Kasese Municipality and Musoki Primuzim, 10, a pupil at Margherita Demonstration Primary School.

Problem animals 
The elephant strayed from the nearby Queen Elizabeth National Park into the cotton and maize gardens of residents of Kihara village, Kihara ward, Kasese Municipality last month.

Due to fear, the residents have since failed to harvest their crop despite being ready for harvest as maize stems are tall enough to obscure the wild animal.
Efforts by UWA officials to push the wild animal back to the park have yielded nothing despite the shootings.

However, the situation in Kasese spells a wider human wildlife conflict that has been growing in the areas surrounding the second biggest national park in Uganda.
The park borders Kasese, Rubirizi, Kanungu, Ibanda, Mitooma, Rukungiri and Kamwenge districts.

Local governments currently share 20 per cent of the revenue from gate collections by UWA every year, and the measures to curb animals from crossing into peoples gardens have not stopped the conflict from growing.

Revenue earned
In July 2016, Kasese received in excess of Shs 362 m, Rubirizi Shs155m, Kamwenge Shs128m, Rukungiri Shs90m, Mitooma Shs89m, Kanungu Shs81m and lastly Ibanda Shs 21 m. Kasese District got the biggest share of the funds since it covers the biggest part of the park.

Close to Shs 4b has been paid out by UWA to districts since 2003 as 20 per cent revenue sharing to help them solve the human-wildlife problems which have persisted.

Claims of loss

Despite this, wild animals especially elephants have continued to stray into people’s gardens and also attack, kill and injure the people.

In 2011, a group of 460 farmers in Kasese District unsuccessfully sought Shs1.5b compensation from UWA following claims that animals from Queen Elizabeth National Park destroyed their crops and property. 

The farmers under their umbrella organisation, Ikongo Farmers Marketing and Processing Cooperative Society unsuccessfully sued UWA in High Court in Kampala accusing UWA of negligence, alleging that the animals, including elephants, escaped from the park which is about five miles away from their gardens and destroyed their crops.

The crops allegedly destroyed were soya beans, groundnuts, maize, mangoes, pineapples, bananas, and cotton. 

The aggrieved farmers sought general damages, claiming that UWA breached its statutory duty by failing to construct an enclosure to limit the animals’ movement from the gazetted park.

The group further contended that as a result of the destruction, they suffered profit losses and defaulted on their loan obligations as their financial needs including loan repayment were dependent on the sale of the destroyed produce.

Local grievances
Similar stories cut across many areas surrounding the park as communities complain but in vain.

They allege that UWA in turn accused them of encroaching on the park, which attracts animals into their homes and that they are interfering with the park ecosystems and disturbing wild animals which are at peace in their natural habitats.

In the recent case, Kezia Kabugho, one of the farmers whose garden was invaded last week by a stray elephant said that they have abandoned their gardens for fear of their lives. “We have lost our crops to the elephant that has stayed here since the month (November) begun. We fear to come to the gardens since the elephant is dangerous and can harm or kill us,” Kabugho said.

Morris Mumbere, a cotton farmer in the affected village expressed his disappointment with UWA management for their failure to control stray animals which he said had become a major problem to promotion of agriculture.

“We have lost our crops to wild animals for a long time but nothing has been done. We want the president to solve the problem or else we devise other means,” Mumbere said. “We have been talking about the issues of wild animals invading people’s gardens for about 10-15 years now, but nothing has been done to address the problem,” he added.

Farmers’ requests
The people of Rubirizi District on the eastern part of the Queen Elizabeth National Park have for long asked government to erect an electric fence around the park, something which is next to impossible based on international regulations on conservation and protection of natural resources, of which Uganda is a signatory.

The farmers in the districts around the park have asked government to review the UWA policy on wild animals which prohibits people from killing the animals that invade their gardens and also review the issue of compensation for the loss.
According to UWA, the law does not indicate any requirement for compensation for losses incurred but urges cooperation between the parties to curb the animal invasion of the gardens.

Need for cooperation
However, the Kasese Resident District Commissioner, James Mwesigye reasons that there is need for co-existence of people and wildlife.

Worldwide, there is growing conflict between man and wild animals. It is not a local phenomenon; but an issue that spans a diverse array of geographic and human demographic contexts.

Although humans and wildlife have co-existed for a long time, the frequency of conflicts have increased in recent decades as a result of increased human activities in wildlife reserves and forests.

According to the World Conservation Union (World Park Congress 2003), conflict occurs when wildlife’s requirements overlap with those of human populations, creating costs to residents and wild animals.

If man destroys or disturbs animals’ habitat, it is quite obvious that there will be struggle for the survival on the part of the animals.

The destruction of their habitat due to human activities compels wild animals to enter human settlements in search of food and water, leading to conflict. In the case of Uganda, many communities have settled in parts of national parks. For example, Muhokya and Katunguru trading centres and Katwe-Kabatooro town council have been established inside Queen Elizabeth National park.

There are also groups of people who have been increasingly settling on the periphery of the park, at Kyambura and in Kasese town.

The destruction of their habitats due to human activities compels the wild animals to enter human settlements in search of food and water leading to conflict. 

In the case of Uganda, man has settled in some parts of national parks. For example, Muhokya and Katunguru trading centres and Katwe-Kabatooro town council are inside Queen Elizabeth National park not forgetting the people who have been increasingly settling on the periphery of the park like at Kyambura and Kasese town.

Mitigations so far

UWA and some organisations like Malaika honey have over years made some mitigations like digging trenches and erected bee hive fences in some strategic places at the periphery of the park and along crop gardens in a bid to stop wild animals from crossing into the gardens and this has stopped some animals but others continue destroying the gardens or attacking people in their homes.

Mr Simpliocus Gessa, the UWA public relations officer is concerned about the impact of the Community projects funded by UWA saying that Problem animals have remained a biggest challenge to the institution.

 “We have given out a lot of money to the parishes adjacent to the park as one way of enabling the communities to sustain themselves since they are the most affected by problem animals but the situation seem not to be changing”, the  Warden community conservation in QEPA said recently during the visit to the park.

Mr Gessa, explained that UWA has come up with a lot of interventions to solve the problem animal challenge but human – wildlife conflict has remained due to animals adaption to the new methods.

“We are now using some many interventions at a go to reduce on human –wild life conflicts by constructing trenches and on the sides plant thorny plants and establishment of bee keeping a long side the trenches  but animals keep on looking for ways of crossing”, Gessa added.

The PRO said that UWA relocated four crocodiles last year to safer areas in order to save lives of fishing communities in the park.

Way forward

Some conservationists reason that the people living at the periphery of the national parks should avoid rearing pet animals like dogs and cats around their houses as these can act as an attractant for wild animals. Unsupervised livestock grazing must also be avoided like the case in Kiruhura and Kasese districts where pastoralists graze their cows inside the parks.

Mr Jeconious Musingwiire, the western region focal person and public awareness officer for NEMA says “One of the interventions UWA has made is digging trenches where animals normally cross”

He adds, “But farmers should plant crops that are repellant to the wild animals like tobacco, tea and or green pepper to create a buffer zone, but tea growing is more economic like in the communities around Kibaale national park in Kamwenge district”.
                                          END

Salt mining leaves bitter taste for Kasese residents

Earning a living. Women extract salt at Lake Katwe in Kasese District recently. PHOTO BY ENID NINSIIMA 

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 2 2017

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Salt-mining-leaves-bitter-taste-for-Kasese-residents/688334-4165724-hlq6k4/index.html

In Summary

·         Employment. According to Mr Nicholas Arinaitwe Kagongo, an environmentalist, at least 5,000 people are involved in salt mining in Lake Katwe.

By ENID NINSIIMA & FELIX BASIIME

KASESE. Salt mining remains one of the major sources of livelihood for the people of Kasese residing around Lake Katwe.
Salt mining, however, comes with enormous challenges that have affected the way of life for Kasese residents.

Ms Agnes Nyangoma, 25, a salt miner at Lake Katwe in Katwe –Kabatooro Town Council, has been mining salt for 10 years.

She is among hundreds of women working at the salty lake who outlined to Daily Monitor in an interview some of the challenges they face. 

“We believe we have made a commendable contribution to the development of this country, but we have lost our sexual appetite due to the dehydration caused by salt. Our men have abandoned us for other women who do not extract salt. This leaves us to bear the burden of single motherhood,” Nyangoma says.

Nyangoma’s experience is shared by other women in the area who despite the challenges can still afford a smile.

According to Mr Nicholas Arinaitwe Kagongo, an environmentalist, at least 5,000 people are involved in salt mining in Lake Katwe. 

He says among the 5,000, about 60 per cent are women.The women scrap the bottom of the salt pans to scoop the salt. They use their feet to crash the salt to form small/fine crystals and then wash the crystals forming edible salt. The men walk far in the waters to extract the rock salt in the shallow lake.

Ms Paskazia Queen, a single mother of 11, says she has spent 40 years in salt extraction. Queen, 50 narrates that she started extracting salt as a young girl at the age of 10.
“I work for Shs4,000 or 5,000 daily. We have health complications as a result of this job. We have body sores. We don’t have protective gear,” Queen says.
“It is from the Shs5,000 daily that I must feed my family and do any other domestic needs. I do not have a husband. I look after those children single handedly,” Queen adds.
She says all the women in salt extraction business have to wear heavy knickers and thick pads before they go in the salty waters to protect their private parts from getting into contact with salt.

She also says they put on socks to protect their legs from getting cut by salt crystals since they do not have gumboots.

“We are dehydrated because of the salt. Our uteruses have problems, we sustain body wounds, but all in all, we have to work since we have no other source of income,” Queen says.

But Dr Peter Kibingo, the Kasese Municipality health officer, dismisses arguments that salt is responsible for their injured uteri reasoning that salt is a disinfectant that cannot affect the uterus.

“How can salt affect the uterus and yet it is a disinfectant. That is a pure lie, it can cause other health hazards but not that,” Dr Kibingo says.
Dr Kibingo acknowledges that salt contains hydrogen sulphide which causes allergies to some people.

“It is true salt has hydrogen sulphide that causes allergies depending on the skin type. Salt is like any other thing where people react differently,” Dr Kibingo adds.
Mr Moses Balyebuga, a salt extractor, says uncircumcised men must put on condoms before they enter into water because salty water affects their private parts more than those of circumcised men.

“We go in the middle of the lake to extract salt rocks (locally called mahonde). We get injured in the process, our private parts are affected,” Balyebuga said.

Help
The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Kasese Branch manager, Ms Charity Nahabwe, says URA has decided to give the salt miners gumboots and overalls.
Mr Sulait Mabula, the acting sub-county chairperson for Katwe-Kabatooro Town Council, says the salt lake is a major source of revenue for the district local government.

“The town council gets Shs100 million per quarter as local revenue,” Mabula says.
He calls upon the central government to revamp the salt industry.
“As government promotes tourism, we want it also to market our salt. We have engaged the ministries of Trade and Tourism over the same but nothing much has come up,” he says.

“I believe this salt lake is the highest source of local revenue and I hope if it is developed it can help government to earn a lot of revenue,” Mabula adds.

 According to Mr Kagongo, there is domestic violence among the mining communities as a result of issues to do with salt extraction.

As a mitigation measure to curb domestic violence in Katwe, Kagongo says they as management have created a new and separate market for the women at the lakeside where women have enjoyed in selling their products first to the tourists.

“It is true, dehydration is there and its effects on both women and men, but what we have done as management, we have created another market for women only who sell small quantities of salt to mainly tourists and this has helped them so much to reduce on domestic violence as most women now earn and make their ends meet”

About Lake Katwe

Lake Katwe has a salt rock that lies on a contour line that connects lakes: Katwe, Munyanyange, Nyamunuka and Kasenyi (Bunyampaka).

Fresh water from the streams goes through the vents and dissolves the main rock to become a salt solution which quickly turns into salt due to evaporation.

The communities at Katwe-Kabatooro town council are entirely surrounded by Queen Elizabeth National Park and rely on traditional solar salt mining and fishing in Lake Edward and tourism for their livelihood.

For the lake to continue the processes that leads to salt production, it needs a constant supply of fresh water from streams uphill. The fresh water then seeps into the sodium chloride rock at the bottom of the lake, dissolves its particles, and changes into salty water that is commonly called brine or saline. When this salty water returns to the surface due to pressure from the volcanic activity underneath, the water evaporates and leaves behind salt.

Lake Katwe is a depression where liquid has collected. Deep in the ground is a main salt rock that lies on a contour line that connects crater lakes: Katwe, Munyanyange, Nyamunuka and Kasenyi. All these have a salt rock deep in the ground, but only Lake Katwe and Lake Kasenyi can produce salt. This is because the two lakes have streams that bring fresh water to the sea.

Residents demand clean water as wells break down in Kabarole

Pathetic. A man fetches water from a well at Nyabubale Village in Kabarole District recently. Access to clean water is still a challenge in the district. FILE PHOTO 

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Residents-demand-clean-water-as-wells-break-down/688334-4156034-format-xhtml-fy59mmz/index.html

THURSDAY OCTOBER 26 2017

In Summary

·         Outcry. They say government built shallow wells in Kagusu and Mugusu A villages that broke down three years later..

By FELIX BASIIME & ALEX ASHABA

KABAROLE. Ms Annette Nsugwa, 51, is a resident of Kagusu Village in Karambi Sub-county, Kabarole District. 

Like many area residents, Ms Nsugwa uses dirty water in her home that she fetches over a kilometre away since a water source set up by the government three years ago broke down.

She says two shallow wells were built in 2010 but one has been non-functional in the last three years. This has forced many residents to draw water for domestic use from wetlands and sand mines.

“I don’t think government is doing a good thing towards extending safe water to Ugandans if no plans are put in place to maintain them. We have been using dirty water for four years,” Ms Nsugwa says.

Mr Lawrence Ahebwa, 63, another resident, says: “We don’t know why water sources built by our government break down faster. Can I say they use poor materials or the contractors hand over shoddy work? Our government should wake up.”

Mr Rashid Kushemererwa, a resident of Mugusu A Village in Busoro Sub-county, says the only well that was built by government in 2010 broke down in 2013.

“The first time when our shallow broke down, we were told that the pipes that were used got damaged but now we don’t know what happened. Our leaders only show up during political campaigns,” Mr Kushemererwa says.

Reports of non-functional water sources around the district are several.
The most affected areas are Mugusu A and Kanyamakere both in Busoro Sub-county and Kagusu Village, Mukonmura and Busokwa in Karambi Sub-county.

Residents say government built shallow wells in Kagusu and Mugusu A villages in 2010 but they have since broken down. This has forced many residents to walk long distances in search of clean water in the district.

Mr Charles Bagada, a resident, says lack of safe water in Kabarole District has led to waterborne disease such as typhoid in the area.

Mr Yusuf Ayesige, a resident of Kanyamakerere Village in Busoro Sub-county, says a shallow well was built by government in 2015 but broke down after one year.

“The shallow well that was built to supply clean water stopped. We at times spend six hours in queues at a shallow well because they are not functioning properly,” Mr Ayesige says.

According to Mr Sam Cheptoris, minister of Water and Environment, “As of June, average access to safe water in rural areas was estimated at 70 per cent (which is a 3 per cent increase from 67 per cent as of June 2016).”

Corruption
Despite Uganda being signatory to Sustainable Development Goals where Goal number six is to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, several people in the countryside are thirsty and sick due to lack of safe water for domestic use.

In 2015, Kabarole District paid Shs30 million for extension of gravity water to Mukonomura in Karambi Sub-county but this has not yet been achieved, according to the area councillor, Mr Joseph Mashuhuku.

On June 20, 2016, the then chief administrative officer of Kabarole District, Mr Ocakara Nicholas, said the matter was reported to police.

According to Mr Ocakara, a council meeting was convened later and recommended the refund of the money by the district water officer and the district engineer.
He said the district water officer apologised before the council.

“It is evident that the certificate raised by the district water officer and payment requests by the contractor were not reflecting the true picture on the ground and therefore are deceitful,” he said.

The district management meetings later asked the water officer with the contractor to re-do the work and extend the gravity flow scheme from Buhara to Mukonomura but this has never been done to date.

When contacted, the deputy CAO, Mr Alfred Malinga, says, “The fact is that people are complaining over lack of water. Kabarole was supposed to extend water from Buhara to Mukonomura and from Mugusu to Busokwa in the last three years. This project had many challenges and police are still investigating.”

When contacted, the criminal investigations officer, Ms Godliver Twinomugisha, said, “The complainant petitioned the Director of CID before I came here, so I don’t have the file.”

However, a survey by the Rwenzori Anti-Corruption Coalition (RAC) early this year found that Kabarole District tops Rwenzori sub-region in corruption cases, with misappropriation of public funds being frequent.

Ms Agella Byangwa, the RAC executive director, says: “Residents in these areas, especially women in Mukonomura have complained to several times. Women walk as far as 8kms in search of water.”

Kabarole District, despite being endowed with several rivers and crater lakes, is one of the districts in the country that lack clean water.

 Kabarole at a glance

According to the National Population and Housing Census 2014, only 24, 504 households (22. 9 percent) in Kabarole district have access to piped water, while 25,314 households (23.6 percent) use bore holes.

But a recent Uganda Water Supply Atlas, on Kabarole, uploaded on October 22, shows the access rates vary from 8 percent in Kijura town council to 95 percent in Bukuuku Sub County.

Kabarole district has 1,121 domestic water points which serve a total of 247, 841 people to 171, 676 people in rural areas.

About 212 water points have been nonfunctional for over 5 years and are considered abandoned. Kabarole has 2 piped water schemes (NWSC and Gravity flow).

This atlas report gives some reasons for non-functionality of water sources in the district that include; low yield at 19 percent, technical breakdown at 67 percent, water quality 4 percent, vandalism 4 percent among others.

Tooro elders reject removal of age limit

Critics of the age limit amendment say the scheme is aimed at benefiting only President Museveni who has been in power for 31 years.  

TUESDAY OCTOBER 17 2017

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Tooro-elders-age-limit-Parliament-Museveni/688334-4142804-qjny95z/index.html

By ALEX ASHABA & FELIX BASIIME

Kabarole- Tooro elders under their umbrella body Isaazi ly’Abaantu Bakuru Ba Tooro have expressed their objection to the Bill, seeking to amend Article 102 (b) of the Constitution to remove the presidential age limit and asked the movers to drop it.

In an October 10 statement, the elders say there are more burning issues in the country such as poverty, diseases and famine than the “luxurious” amendments on the age limit and land law which are being fronted by “selfish individuals”.

They say the amendment of the Article is likely to cause chaos in the country and warned that when violence erupts, it does not discriminate between the culpable and the innocent as they will be affected alike.

A Bill is already in Parliament seeking to remove Article 102(b) which bars a person aged below 35 or above 75 from standing for president.
Mr Museveni, now 73, will not be eligible to stand for president again in 2021 as he will be 77.

The Bill has been referred to the Parliamentary and Legal Affairs committee for scrutiny and MPs have been released to do public consultations about the proposed Constitution amendment.

The elders also noted more pressing issues for amendment and cited the provision on election of political leaders under the affirmative action.

They advised Cabinet and Parliament to listen to the voices of religious leaders, opinion leaders and other sections of the population who have rejected the amendment of the Constitution.

“We note with concern that there are some provisions in the Constitution which were to be reviewed within a specified time but have been delayed. The voices of those against amendment should also be tolerated,” the elders stated.

Some religious leaders have publicly expressed objections to the Constitution amendment to remove the age limit. 

The elders also urged elected leaders from Tooro to represent the views of the electorate by focusing on improvement of healthcare, education services and spearhead development.

The elders join other people in the region who are against amending Article 102(b), including Fort Portal Municipality MP Alex Ruhunda, Sylvia Rwabwogo (Kabarole District Woman MP) and Bishop Reuben Kisembo of Rwenzori Diocese.

editorial@ug.nationmedia.com

Janet Museveni: My daughters married when virgins

First Lady Janet Museveni (middle in a hat) takes a group photo with adolescent girls and regional leaders in Kyenjojo. Photo by Stephen Wandera. 

SUNDAY OCTOBER 15 2017

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Museveni-s-daughters-avoided-sex-before-marriage--says-wife/688334-4140742-4gf9v3/index.html

By Felix Basiime

KYENJOJO.

First Lady Janet Museveni has said that she kept her daughters virgins until marriage by using traditional African way of bringing up a girl child. 

“I made all my daughters to sign 'true love waits' cards and they would abstain from sex until the wedding night (when) they (would) produce these cards to their spouses," said Ms Museveni adding that "this can be achieved even today”.

Ms Museveni was speaking in Kyenjojo District during the commemoration of the Day for the Girl Child on Thursday. 

She added: “That is how we, in the past, were brought up by our parents, there was no such immorality like now”.

The day was preceded by a dialogue between stakeholders who committed themselves to protect the rights of the adolescent girls.

Ms Museveni’s daughters include Ms Diana Museveni (married to Mr Geoffrey Kamuntu), Ms Natasha Museveni (married to Mr Edwin Karugire) and Ms Patience Museveni (married to Mr Odrek Rwabwogo).

“Whether a man is big or small, say no and run away, a man can use sweet language to persuade you, don’t allow any man to use you when you are a young girl, not even an adolescent boy, no man should engage you in sexual intercourse until you are married, true love waits,” Ms Museveni reiterated to the adolescent girls.

She said that most young girls in Uganda die while giving birth because their bodies are not yet ready to deliver babies.

She rebuked parents who engage with the rape or defilement suspects to settle cases by receiving money.

“Please, parents, stop asking for money to settle rape or defilement cases. The parent is the biggest stakeholder in the development of the girl child,” she said.

She said in the community where she grew up, the community would collectively help in bringing up the child morally which is not the case today. 

“This value has been eroded in our society today but this must be revived,” she said.

She added that the free supply of contraceptives in the country has contributed to the erosion of morals to some extent. 

“The use of contraceptives is not our culture, we no longer have pride to say no, people are given contraceptives to use them and do what they want, have sex, take pills, conceive and abort, this is not our culture in Africa,” she said, adding, “Just say, thank you (to the service providers) our culture does not believe in this, we should protect the values of our society”. 

Ms Museveni who is also the minister for education later launched the national gender in education sector policy that among others, spells how the rights of adolescents should be protected.

It is expected to provide skills and knowledge equally to both girls and boys.