TRANSPORT PARALYSED AS MUBUKU BRIDGE IN KASESE COLLAPSES.

Heavy tracks traveling from Kampala to Kasese and vice versa have been affected in the latest diversion of the route as experts try to save Mubuku bridge in Kasese from collapsing.

After three consecutive water overflows in the Kasese main rivers in one week, Mubuku Bridge on River Mubuku on the Kasese-Fort Portal road developed cracks forcing disaster management officials to order that trucks loaded with lagged beyond five tones cross no more.

Kasese’s main Rivers of Mubuku, Rwimi, Nyamwamba and Nyamugasane again flood for the third time in a week. Two people died on Monday after being swept away by the Rwimi River that separates Kasese and Kabarole districts.

The National Coordinator of the emergency operations in the Office of the Prime Minister Maj. Gen. Julius Oketta confirmed the development that a quick assessment on the bridge indicated that only light vehicles can cross as ways of rectifying the problem are being sought.

He said that police has been instructed to divert the heavy trucks at Busega round about not to take the Fort-Portal road but instead go through Mbarara as the best alternative.

The same has been done at the Kasese Round-about to stop heavy trucks from the Democratic Republic of Congo not to use the Kasese-Fort Portal road.

This means, there could be a big effect on the Lubiriha market at the border with DRC since most of the trucks bringing merchandise and goods from Kampala and Mombasa might have been blocked on the way heading to Kasese.

Gen. Oketta however, said that a robust and coordinated response operation started on Tuesday morning to try save Mubuku Bridge with bags of sand being heaped on the sides so that the pavement is not washed away in the next floods.

 Meanwhile, heavy machinery is being applied to make a road diversion for opening the Buhunga road that will work as the only alternative to access Kilembe Township following the collapse of the Katiri Bridge on one side.

The Mayor Kasese Municipality Mr. Godfrey Kabbyanga said that the collapse of the bridge was hindering plans to restore electricity line to the Kilembe Mines tunnels that need power to pump water from the undergrounds.

Currently, engineers from Kilembe Mines and Umeme are working around the clock to fix the electricity line that was cut off during the Wednesday floods.

END

FOUR PEOPLE DIE, HOUSE HOLDS DISPLACED AS FLOODING HITS KASESE

Hundreds of Households in Kasese municipality have been displaced following the floods that resulted from River Nyamwamba that burst all its banks on Wednesday morning.

What was reported as the usual over flooding of the River that have taken lives of many people every rainy season turned into an incident that cannot be recalled by people who have lived in Kasese town over time.

Most of the affected places are almost the whole of Nyamwamba and Bulembia divisions that are crossed by the River Nyamwamba. The areas affected most include Kilembe valley, Acholi Quarters, Kizungu, Nyakasanga, Base Camp, Kanyangeya and Kamuliquizi.

Due the problem, the traffic was affected along the Kasese-Fort Portal road whereby there was no vehicle entering Kasese town from Fort Portal and vice versa after the water cut of the road at Nyakasanga about 200 meters from the Kasese airfield.

Hundreds of people were stranded on either side of the road including Kasese woman MP Ms. Winfred Kiiza who was returning to the constituency from Kampala. Police took control of the situation by blocking vehicles from risking the water.

Unconfirmed reports from Kilembe valley indicated that the former procurement Officer of Kasese district Mr. Paddy Karusu and another man should have died a house that collapsed when they were trying to rescue shop goods in Kanyaruboga area.

The District councilor for Kilembe sub-county Mr. Emmanual Kaghuma says that water hit the house in which Mr. Karusu was operating a retail shop along the Kasese-Kilembe road which collapsed immediately and nobody could access the house several houses after the incident.

“The people who were near the house say Karusu and another man said to be a teacher an Nganki primary school were trying to rescue the good from his shop when floods overpowered his house which collapsed on them there and then. Chances of survival are very minimal” Mr. Kaghuma said.

The heavy down pour that also destructed the Kasese district Labour Day celebrations in Hima town council has forced most of the downstream rivers to over flood right away from the Rwenzori Mountains to the lakes.

In Kilembe, two bridges that connect the nearby villages to Kilembe town have been washed away while the bridge that connects Kyalhumba to Kisinga sub-county has also collapsed.

The management of Kilembe hospital reportedly discharged all the patients that were admitted to hospital after it was also flooded even in the wards. An eye witness says, the patients with their care givers were seen climbing uphills to the nearby villages to get out of the fateful valley.

Daily Monitor could not verify the reports since none of the administrators at the hospital was available by press time. However, eye witnesses saw the staff quarters at Kilembe Hospital having been flooded with one of the medical workers who climbed a tree stranded until 5pm when he was rescued from the river.

The electricity power in the whole of Kasese town was cut off following the floods that raided peoples’ houses posing a risk of a fire outbreak.

One of the people, whose houses have collapsed Mr. Geofrey Kamalha of Saluti B village in Kasese town, says he found when there was nothing to save from the building because everything had been taken away by the water.

“ I was not there when the house collapsed and there was nobody else because we had all gone to work. This house is a big loss to me because their no way I can renovate as everything is down. This is a big loss”.

END

KASESE CHIEF MAGISTRATE REMANDS 18 MURDER SUSPECTS TO MUBUKU PRISON

The Kasese Chief Magistrate Ms Agatonica Mbabazi has remanded 18 people to Mubuku government prison until May 3, on charges of murder.

The group was arrested during a recent operation carried out by security agencies in, ponmdwe-Lubiriha town council, Karambi and Nyakiyumba sub-counties.

The operation codenamed CLEAR UCHAFU was commanded by the Kasese district chairman Lt. Col. Mawa Muhindo following waves of armed robberies and murder of business people in areas near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The suspects include, Police Constable Mr. Joshua Muhindo, Swalleh Muhindo, Amza Salimboko, Ali Kato ,Watsema Moses, Saturday Pedson, Bwambale Solomon, Kamba;e Malekani, Masika ANIFA, Muhindo Harriet and Musinguzi Deo.

Others are, Mugabe Aggrey Mugarura, Kombi Kasyakulu Kapuru, Thembo Milio, Masereka Rabson, Kibaya Vincent,  Masereka Joseph, Kaija Muthende Godfrey and Bwambale Francis.

The suspects were paraded before the Chief Magistrate on Friday and charged with five counts of Murder, stealing with a gun, attempted murder, possession of illegal fire arms and possession of illegal ammunitions.

Prosecution alleges that on March 27, 2013 while at Kamasasa village in Karambi sub-county, the group shot dead Julius Kisembo Bafera a coffee dealer, injured his wife before stealing Shillings 18M from his home.

Meanwhile, Swalleh Muhindo, Amza Salimboko, Moses Watsema and Ali Kato have been charged separately with the murder of the late Mughongo Saturday at Kinyamaseke town board on January 3^rd.

However, the Chief Magistrate said did not allow the suspects to take people on both accounts and charges because her court does not have the jurisdiction to hear capital offenses. She remanded them to Mubuku government prison until May 3.

The Chief Magistrate also ordered for the medical examinations of all the suspects  who complained to have been tortured during arrest and in police custody.

The Magistrate then ordered the prison officials to make sure all suspects complaining of torture are examined and those sick treated and have a report back to court on May 3.

The commander of the Operation “clear Uchafu” Lt. Col. Mawa Muhindo said that he was happy with the step taken by court adding that it is good for the law to take its course on suspects of any nature.

Lt. Col. Mawa said that more of the suspects still at large are being pursued until they are apprehended and handed over to court for trial.   END.

33 REMANDED FOR IDLE AND DISIORDERLY IN KASESE

The Grade Two Magistrate Court sitting at Kisinga on Thursday has remanded thirty three people to Nyabirongo prison until Monday.

The suspects who appeared before the Grade Two Magistrate Mr. Didas were rounded up last night at Kinyamaseke town board as part of the ongoing operation codenamed “CLEAR UCHAFU”.

This operation was led by the Kasese district chairman Lt. Col. Mawa Muhindo in conjunction with police.

Court heard that the suspected charged with Idle and disorderly were netted in a disco at Kinyamaseke town board at about 4 am on Thursday morning.

19 of them pleaded guilty to the charges as the rest denied them.

The Magistrate remanded all of them until Monday when the sentence and trial will be held respectively.

Speaking to Kasese Guide Radio shortly after court, the District Chairman Lt. Col. Mawa Muhindo said more will be arrested to ensure a society free from criminals.

He said that such people who stay in bars until down are likely to be aiding the rampant theft of live stock.

END

KASESE WOMAN MP IN HOT SOUP OVER MURDER COMMENTS

Kasese woman Member of Parliament Winfred Kiiza has been summoned by the Criminal Investigations and Intelligence headquarters of police at Kibuli to answer queries over a press conference she held in Kasese town last year.

In a summon issued by the Emmanuel Mbonimba on behalf of the  CIID dated April 15^th, Winfred Kiiza is supposed to respond over issues she raised in a press conference she held at the Rwenzori the Gardens Hotel in Kasese town on September 22, 2012 complaining about lack of police reports on the rampant murders in Kasese.

According to the summon that was sent through the office of the Speaker of Parliament, Kiiza was supposed to appear on Thursday at 2pm at the CIID headquarters in Kibuli.

She is being required to give more details to the police about the concerns she raised about the killings during the press conference.

However, the MP who confirmed receiving the summons did not appear at the CIID today after her lawyer Mr. Wandera Ogalo asked for the postponement of the grilling.

According to Kiiza, her lawyer rang the CIID bosses saying they were not ready to appear because of other engagements at parliament.

She will then appear before the detectives on Monday at 2pm. END