Author: Osbert Mwesigye

24 year old presidential aspirant, John Katumba, who is also the youngest candidate seeking to unseat President Yoweri Museveni was a no show yesterday for his scheduled campaign. According to the electoral commission campaign schedule, Katumba was scheduled to campaign in Kiryandongo and Oyam districts before proceeding to Nwoya on Tuesday 10th November 2020.  Eager residents who included boda boda riders and market vendors that had awaited to hear from the ambitious 24-year old and journalists from different radios and media houses that were present to capture the event were left in dismay when the candidate did not show up for his campaign. Silas Wanjala, Katumba’s aide told journalists that the…

Dr. Juliet Nakku, the hospital director of Butabika Hospital has confirmed that the hospital has received a record 1,500 cases this year alone compared to the usual average of 500 patients annually.  In August this year, Dr. Nakku said that there had been a considerable strike in the mental health illnesses in Uganda due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of August 2020, the 550 capacity bed hospital had shot to over 1,000 people due to the lockdown. The numbers therefore indicate that an increase of over 500 mental health cases has been recorded in just about 3 months. Mental health illnesses include: stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), epilepsy and psychosis etc. Signs…

The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) is embarking on a nationwide distribution of a total of over 1.8 million national identity cards which are ready but have not yet been picked. According to the authority in a letter that has been accessed by The Ugandan Wire, the issuing exercise shall take place for a period of 15 days starting Monday 23rd November 2020 ending December 7th 2020.  “In order to ensure effectiveness in issuance, lists of persons whose national identity cards are ready for issuance are to be availed to the area village LC1 Chairperson,” the letter reads. Members of the public who registered but have not received their national IDs have been…

23 year old Makerere University Business School (MUBS) graduate and renowned climate justice activist Vanessa Nakate has received widespread backlash over a tweet she posted on the night of Monday 9th October 2020. In the tweet, she posted a snapshot of a handwritten letter (attached below) addressed to the new United States President elect Joe Biden and his Vice President Kamala Harris. In the letter, she asked the two newly elects if they will do everything they must to fight the climate crisis in Uganda. The tweet has since garnered over 1400 retweets and 4000 likes by press-time.  Vanessa Nakate started her activism in January 2019 by protesting outside the gates of the Parliament of Uganda and running a…

Former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) flag bearer retired Colonel Dr. Kiiza Besigye has said he will not hesitate to campaign for candidates from other parties provided they front the ‘liberation’ message. The 4-time presidential contestant, who opted out of the ballot this time round, but promised his supporters a ‘Plan B’ to oust the incumbent was speaking on an interview on the Morning breeze show on Monday 9th November 2020. “I’m very clear about elections. I’m not just going to campaign for you just because you said you are FDC. No. I’m going to campaign for you if your message in the election is for liberation. If you are building the conscience of the population to fight for their freedom and their…