500 FAMILIES FACE EVACUATION AS CRACK DEVELOPS ON MT. RWENZORI

Local authorities in Kasese district are struggling with appeals to cause the evacuation of close to 500 families that risk to be affected by a loaming landslide after a huge crack was discovered in Buwatha Village in Kilembe sub-county.

The crack was first reported last week by the Kilembe sub-count councilor to the sub-county Mr. Emmanuel Kaghuma after residents discovered it following the start of the rainy season.

The crack is a top of the Kilembe Mines field that has been redundant for decades which had forced people establish homes in the area.

The Kasese Deputy Resident Commissioner Mr. Aminadabu Muhindo on Friday led a team of district officials to the area but had no option after assessing the danger other than advising residents to vacate the area for the safety of their lives.

The Deputy RDC expressed great fear that should rains fall persistently in the area for a week or two, lives could be lost.

The disaster threat comes at a time when the government of Uganda is negotiating with Gingco a Chinese company that wants to take over the copper mining activities in the Kilembe.

According to Buwatha village LC1 chairperson, Mr. Yowasi Muhindo, who has served the area for the last twenty six years, there are four hundred eighty people in the village.

Mr. Muhindo, however, said about 40 of the residents had fled the area for safety elsewhere.

Institutions that could be affected include Buwatha Primary School which has about 300 pupils, a Catholic and an Anglican Church.

At the source of landslide above the village, the ground had cracked and partly sank in while some parts are water-logged rendering the soils very weak and heavy.

Neighboring Mahango sub-county has experienced disaster in the past one year with 8 children buried by the ground falls on their houses in October last year and April this year.

The RDC said he is to inform the ministry of Disaster Preparedness to come up with mechanisms of helping out the people likely to be affected by the upcoming disaster.

Huge stones could also be seen precariously hanging some distances above a number of homesteads.

The area District Councilor, Emmanuel Kaghuma and the residents attribute the crack and the landslide on past Kilembe Mines activities in the area.

They allege that the ground had been weakened by the tunnels, which they said were now clogged with earth due to the many years of Mines non-functionality.

But the Kilembe Mines Safety Officer, Mr. Vincent Kaliisa, who is also acting Kilembe Mines captain, says a team from the company had visited the area and did not see any cracks. 

Ends

KASESE MURDERS INCREASE AS MPS CALL FOR REPORTS

Exactly one week after the Opposition members of parliament from Kasese district demanded that reports concerning investigations into rampant murders in Kasese district be released, another person was shot dead at the weekend.

The MPs Ms. Winfred Kiiza (Woman MP) and Busongora North MP William Nzoghu told a press conference in Kasese town on September 21 that there is need for the members of the public to know the perpetrators of the several murders by shooting occurring in the district over years.

However, this was not treated with ease by the security organs that have launched investigations into Ms. Kiiza’s statement and a radio talk show on a local FM station as she demanded that government releases reports about the murders. A radio presenter has also recorded a statement at police over the same and recordings demanded for investigations.

But residents in the district are worried of their security after 26-year-old Julius Baghendayi a resident of Buhungamuyagha village in Ihandiro sub-county was shot dead by unknown gunmen who attacked his home on by 1:00 am on Saturday morning. The thugs according to police went away with unspecified sums of money from the coffee buyer and retailer.

This comes just a week after 17-year-old Sunday Muhindo a resident of the neighboring Karambi sub-county was shot dead by thugs who had come to attack his father a businessman at the Mpondwe border post whom they also injured in the leg.

The MPs want government to come out clearly and declare whether they failed with investigations or release the reports into the several murders that range from 1980s to date.
The legislators have compiled a list of over 20 people that have been murdered in the district since the 1980s but no report has been released and any perpetrator arrested.

According to the legislators, government has become reluctant in investigating murder cases but instead concentrate on issues concerning peaceful demonstrations and inciting violence when people
are being shot dead.
“Since the 1980s our people have been murdered and body in government bothers to take it as a priority to investigate so that the perpetrators are brought to book. Our people have lost hope in the
government even when the army is said to have been professionalized” Ms. Kiiza said.
According to the MPs’ list, 15 people have been murdered in the district from 2008 to date which they said is a serious concern that must be taken into account by the security leaders.
Ms. Kiiza said people have started wondering whether there are enemies of progress who are killing whoever tries to excel in any life skill.
She mentioned the murder of the first Mukonzo to attain a PHD the late Dr. Henry Bwambale who was killed in 1994.
Self-employed journalist and director of the Mupaghasha Community Television Center Mr.Amon Thembo was killed on his way home from work early this year and despite pressure from journalists and the Rwenzururu Kingdom, no report has been released.
The MPs also want government to follow up the death of former Busongora MP Amon Bazira who was killed in Nakuru in Kenya in the early 1990s.
Mr. William Nzoghu also told the press that they have decided to take up the task to ask government to release reports into the murders because they themselves have been receiving death threats.
Mr. Nzoghu said he and his opposition colleagues-Mr. Yokasi Bihande (Bukonzo East) and Ms. Winfred Kiiza (Kasese woman MP) have been threatened through phone calls and face to face.
The MPs said they wonder why Kasese district that boasts of the defense minister Dr. Crispus Kiyonga and other leaders who have served in the army can experience such a number of murder cases by shooting.
The chairman of the district security committee the RDC Lt. Milton Odongo and the Chairman LC 5 Lt. Col. Mawa Muhindo are all army people and there are reports that the Chief  Administrative Officer Mr.
William Kanyesigye is also a soldier.
The office of the RDC has always called security meetings every time people complain about the murders but outcomes have always been police reports of recovering guns and ammunition.
 However, the Officer in Charge of Criminal Investigations at the Kasese Central Police Station Mr. Jovan Kasangaki said investigations into a number of murder cases in the district are ongoing.

Mr. Kasangaki said one suspect in the latest murder incident was arrested on Saturday with the help of the sniffer dog and will help in investigations. He however did not release particulars of the suspect.

On Saturday, it needed police intervention to stop angry residents of Buhungamuyagha who had raided the one of a man they suspect to have participated in the murder of their village mate following cassava flour that was poured on his compound. The widow has alleged that the assailants had smeared with cassava flour.

UTILTIES.
Kasese is the base of the 305 brigade with over five other barracks
spread across the district.
List of people suspected to have been murdered since 1980.
1980. Tom Baluku and Vito Muhindo
1988. Michael Kalyaki
1994. Dr. Henry Bwambale
1998. Boniface Mbalibula
2000. Swizin Muhesi and Piyo
2001. Moses Ngulhube
2008. Gideon Mwaka
2010. Lameki Mupasula and Godwin Bwambale
2011. Stephen Kule and Kalyabolho
2012. Sele Makariyo, Isaya Kirilhuhandi, Capacity Masereka, Hannington
Senzelya, Amon Thembo (Journalist), Muthengera, Sunday Muhindo (killed
last week).
Others whose relatives have forgotten the year they were murdered are;
Samson Sahambili and Ivan Baluku.
END

RWENZURURU KING LAUNCHES TREE PLANTING IN KASESE.

Rwenzururu King Charles Mumbere Iremangoma has affirmed the Rwenzururu kingdom’s commitment to support the tree planting campaign in Kasese district.

Officiating at the launching of the presidential tree planting campaign in Hima town council this afternoon Omusinga Mumbere said that the kingdom cherishes the campaign to revive the environmental so as to mitigate climatic change effects such as global warming.

He disclosed that the Rwenzururu kingdom has distributed about forty thousand tree seedlings to various groups of people and individual and the campaign to promote tree planting.

He commended the government of Uganda for the tree planting initiative and pledged that he would use the kingdom’s structures to ensure that the initiative thrives.

The executive director National Forestry Authority (NFA) Micheal Mugisa said that NFA has given out ten thousand tree seedlings for planting during this presidential tree planting campaign as part of the celebrations to mark fifty years of Uganda’s independence.

He said that the tree planting campaign would continue adding NFA was having a plan to ensure that one million tree seedlings are available in the Rwenzururu region in every planting season.

Speaking at the function the RDC Kasese Milton Odongo announced that government was lobbying for funds to support the Obusinga in its development initiatives in order for it to grow stronger.

The function was attended by several district officials, representatives of development partners including UWA and kingdom ministers.

Before the function, the Omusinga toured Hima cement factory for the first time as a king. ENDS

COUPLES WITH TRIPLETS STORM KASESE DISTRICT CFO OFFICE FOR HELP

Parents with triplets on Thursday stormed the office of the Kasese district chief finance Officer Ferigo Kambale asking for assistance in the upbringing of the seven months old children.

Neckson Baluku and his wife Mary Kabonesa hailing from Katiri village in Bulembia division said they were referred to the CFO’s office as they attempted to camp at the Kasese district headquarters at Rukoki to seek assistance.

Baluku said since his wife gave birth to the triplets in February, they can no longer work in their gardens effectively as they look after the new bones with their three elder siblings.

They named the babies as Dafine Nyangoma, Moreen Nyakato and Doreen Kitsa.

While receiving financial support of one hundred thousand shillings from Ferigo at Virina Gardens Hotel on Thursday evening, their mother Kabonesa said the triplets all females lack breast milk because her left breast cannot serve them after undergoing surgery on some time last year.

She also revealed the babies are having a slow growth because the family cannot afford nutritious foods, clothings and beddings.

Ferigo Kambale has offered to be assisting the family with one hundred thousand shillings for four years when the babies can be assured of good health.

He said that he has become part of the family and is ready to extend more support to the family materially in case of need.

END

KASESE COUNCILORS’ TRIAL ADJURNED TO OCTOBER 22.

The expected trial of the two Kasese district councilors did not kick off after the trail magistrate was away on other duties.

Elly Magwara of Kyabarungira and Abdu Saad of Maliba sub-county were supposed to appear before Chief Magistrate Joshua Maruku to stand trial on charges of inciting violence.

The two councilors have been out on bail since August 15^th where they had been remanded after being arrested on allegations that they incited violence while addressing a meeting at Kitswamba sub-county headquarters on July 5.

Prosecution alleges that the two councilors asked the Bakonzo to buy spears and attack the Basongora and also kill one Kikusa Mustafa for his role in the agitation for the split of Kasese district.

This followed a July 1^st ceremony by the Basongora crowning their King Ivan Bwebale an event which the two councilors blamed on the office of the Resident District Commissioner for failing to stop them.

Kikusa a former district councilor for Kyabarungira sub-county reported the matter to the office of the Resident District Commissioner and then to police leading to the arrest of the duo at the end of July.

Appearing before the Grade One Magistrate Parick Bamuhiga, their trial was adjourned to October 22 when the trail magistrate will be around.

Also, the state was not represented in the chambers today. The suspects deny the charges.

Their lawyer Geoffrey Sibendire said he hopes court will dismiss the case soon as the state has not brought witnesses every time his clients report to court.

END.