Day: March 28, 2023

The Court of Appeal in Gulu has started the hearing of 30 criminal cases at Gulu High court in Gulu city. The session started on Monday and is expected to run until Thursday, March 30. The Court’s criminal session is being presided over by a panel of three judges including justice Egonda Ntende, lady justices; Catherine Bamugemereire and Irene Mulyangonja. The cases include 16 murders, 4 robberies, 6 defilements, 2 rapes, 1 manslaughter, and 1 threatening violence. Some of them are long overdue dating back to 2009. While officially opening the session, the deputy chief justice Richard Buteera said that the judicial system is battling with a shortage of staff. He assured all that the processes will be transparent since all court documents dating back to the years were safely kept and will b...

School authorities in Kasawo town council are alarmed by the attack on schools in the area. Three schools have so far been attacked, Kasawo ss being the first where thugs broke into the school and made away with 64 million shillings leaving the school guards injured. On Saturday another two schools were attacked, Latifa mixed secondary school, they broke into the office and six laptops from there, they went to St. Andrew Kagwa ss, where they killed a teacher identified as Miiro Joseph while the guard was injured. Miiro Joseph, a teacher at St Andrew Kaggwa School, his body was discovered by the students when it was tied while lying in the pool of blood. The attackers broke into four offices including a the school bursar, the headmaster's office and others. they also stole school computer...

Twitter boss Elon Musk has announced a shake-up of the social media platform’s paid Twitter Blue feature. From 15 April only verified subscribers will have posts recommended to other users and be allowed to vote in polls. Under the policy, posts from non-paying accounts will not be included in the “For you” stream of recommended tweets. Last week, the firm said it would remove the verified status of some “legacy” accounts, which date from before Mr Musk bought the firm. Users currently pay $7 (£5.70) a month for blue-tick verification, which also allows access to additional features. Mr Musk said the changes were “the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle.” “Voting in polls will require verification for same reason,” he a...

Crowds have reportedly set fire to parts of a farm owned by the family of former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, apparently in retaliation for another day of fierce opposition protests. There were no police in sight and some of the looters were carrying machetes. Others were felling trees, and many of the people on site had been bussed in. Many businesses near the farm and in the city centre remained closed all day. A gas factory linked to opposition leader Raila Odinga has also been vandalised. Mr Odinga, who is allied to Mr Kenyatta, has told our reporter the attack on the former president’s farm was carried out by thugs hired by the government. Kenya’s government has not commented on the allegation. Post-election violence is nothing new in Kenya. But attacks on the property of politica...

Uganda Development Bank (UDB) has partnered with Ensibuuko, European Union, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), and FAO to launch a Fintech solution dubbed AgriConnect to ease access to digital financing for smallholder farmers in Uganda. The innovation, the first digital solution which can offer both a savings and lending option for small-holder farmers in Uganda, will provide a platform for Village Saving and Loans Associations (VSLAs) to digitally access short-term seasonal loans and saving products at affordable rates to grow their businesses. The entire lending process including application, approval, and disbursement will be done digitally with the funds credited directly to the farmer’s e-mobile wallet. “This solution is aimed at disseminating credit to the mass lower u...

Despite the tough economic conditions, millennials bought more cars in 2022 than any other age group. Could the increased availability of car financing be the driving force behind this trend? In this Q&A interview, we discuss the rising trend of car purchases among millennials in Uganda with Faith Margaret Naikayu, the Commercial Manager at Autochek Uganda, a digital car financing marketplace. Faith explains that the increase in disposable income among young people, and the availability of car financing are some of the factors driving this trend. We also learn about the types of cars millennials are buying, how much they are willing to spend, and the role of ride-sharing services in contributing to the rise in car culture in Uganda. Overall, the interview sheds light on the changing ec...

Paul Rusesabagina, who was portrayed as a hero in the Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda, has arrived in Qatar after being released from prison in his home country Rwanda. A White House official said Mr Rusesabagina left Rwanda on Monday and had arrived in the Qatari capital, Doha. “I can confirm that Paul Rusesabagina has left Rwanda and is currently in Doha,” US National Security Council co-ordinator John Kirby is quoted as saying by reports. “He will soon be making his way back to the United States. And his family is, as I’m sure no one is surprised, they’re eager to welcome him back here, home.” Talks brokered by Qatar led to his release from prison over the weekend – two years after he was sentenced to 25 years for terrorism. His supporters called the trial a sham. The sentence was commuted ...

Frederick Mac-Palm, one of the main suspects accused of attempting to overthrow the Ghanaian government in 2019 has died. Local media say he collapsed in his house on Saturday and was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead. Mr Mac-Palm and two others were arrested in September 2019 for allegedly plotting to destabilise the country. He was the owner of the Citadel clinic where security officials reportedly seized several weapons, ammunition and explosive devices. The three are among six other suspects who have been facing charges of treason since 2019. They were accused of being part of a group known as the Take Action Ghana (TAG). The group, according to the prosecution, planned to organise a series of demonstrations and also attempted to overthrow the government. Mr Mac-Palm is a...

Police in Kampala have kicked off investigations into circumstances under which a man died after the wife cut off his private parts after a disagreement at home. The suspect in custody is identified as Joy Bira, who has been a house wife to a Benson Baluku from Nabisaalu Waswa zone in Makindye division, Kampala city. According to police spokesperson Fred Enanga, “the couple picked a quarrel on Sunday March, 26 at around 10am and the suspect during the conflict picked a knife and chopped of her husband’s private parts.” It is said that the victim bled profusely that by the time responders attempted to rush him to Mulago National Referral Hospital, he succumbed to the injuries. Police swung into action as a mob attempted to lynch the suspect and arrested her. She is now facing charges of ag...

The ministers connected in the Karamoja iron sheets scandal have submitted their defense to the Inspectorate of Government as the office commences investigations. A number of top government ministers and officials have admitted to irregularly benefiting from the iron sheets meant for vulnerable households in the Karamoja, northern Uganda. The beneficiaries of the iron sheets include; vice president Jessica Alupo, speaker Anita Among, prime minister Robinah Nabbanja, first deputy prime minister Rebecca Kadaga, Karamoja Affairs minister Goretti Kitutu, third deputy prime minister Rukia Nakadama, Finance minister Matia Kasaija, the state minister for Primary Education Moriku Kaducu, the Finance state minister Amos Lugoloobi, government chief whip, Hamson Obua, junior Agriculture minister Bwin...