HRCU WEEKLY UPDATE: ISSUE NO. 39 OF 2022
THE HUMAN RIGHTS
CENTRE UGANDA (HRCU)
WEEKLY UPDATE ON KEY
EMERGING HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES WITHIN THE WORKING ENVIROMENT OF HRDS IN UGANDA
THE WEEK OF 24TH TO
30TH OCTOBER 2022
Welcome to
this new week!
Please
receive and read through some of the key issues that transpired in the course
of last week. We urge you to continue utilizing this update not only for your
information but also develop advocacy messages that shall contribute to favorable
environment for the protection and promotion of the rights and work and well
being of human rights defenders in Uganda.
HEALTH WATCH
GOVT
LOOKING FOR 300 EBOLA CONTACTS IN GREATER KAMPALA
The Ministry of Health is looking for about 300
people who are said to be contacts of the 15 Ebola cases confirmed in Greater
Kampala.
“We have
already about 300 we are following up,” Mr. Emmanuel Ainebyona, the
ministry spokesperson said. He said contacts are being monitored at isolation
centres in Kampala Metropolitan area.
The Director General of Health Services, Dr Henry
Mwebesa, on Monday October 24 revealed that at least 15 people from Greater
Kampala area, have tested positive for Ebola in a spate of less than a week.
Out of these, 11 are from Rubaga Division, one from
Makindye Division, one from Nansana Municipality, and two from Seguku, Wakiso
District.
EBOLA LOCKDOWN:
GOVERNMENT RULES OUT CITY LOCKDOWN
The
government has no intention at the moment to impose localised lockdown in
Kampala metropolitan due to Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), Information minister
Chris Baryomunsi said last evening.
“We are still studying the trends and if it
becomes necessary we can consider the lockdown, but for now we are focusing on
tracing the contacts of positive cases,” said Dr Baryomunsi, a medical
doctor.
He
added: “People should not look at
restricted movement in a bad way because it is one of the known public health
preventive measures. Whereas movements were restricted in Mubende and Kassanda
[districts, the epicenter of the outbreak], given the current hard economic
conditions and Kampala being the heart of the economy, a lockdown would be very
undesirable in the city.”
Source:https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/government-rules-out-city-lockdown-3999604
MUSEVENI TO EU: INVEST
INSTEAD OF SENDING 'YOUNG GIRLS' TO LECTURE ME ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Uganda
President Yoweri Museveni asked Europe to stop sending him "young
girls" to lecture him on human rights and governance and instead invest in
the country if indeed they want to engage in the affairs and welfare of
Ugandans.
Speaking
at the second Uganda-EU Business Summit in Kampala on Wednesday October 26, Museveni
wondered why European investments in Uganda and Africa have remained low
compared to Chinese and Indian projects, in spite of the advantages like
language and other aspects shared.
Museveni's
outbursts came against continued squabbles between Uganda and the European
Union over the construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP)
which the EU wants to be halted over environmental concerns. Museveni further
said as the population of Africa overtakes that of India and soon that of
China, it is the best time for Europe to think of investing in the continent.
2021
ELECTION AND INTERNET RIGHTS: INTERNET SHUTDOWN CASE DISMISSED
Court
dismissed with costs- a case in which the Civil Society body is challenging the
legality of an internet shutdown during the 2021 polls. High Court judge Musa
Ssekaana ruled that the case was wrongfully filed before the court and it ought
to be struck off the court records.
He
said the case was supposed to be brought before the Constitutional Court as
cited under Rule 7(2) which states: A public Interest action under Article 5(1)
(d) shall be filed in the Constitutional Court under
Article 137 of the Constitution and not the High Court.
The
court decision resulted from a case in which the Civil Society body; Unwanted
Witness (U) Limited, sued the Attorney General (AG), Uganda Communications
Commission (UCC), MTN, Airtel and the defunct Africell Uganda.
Unwanted
Witness (U) Limited had sought a declaration that shutting down social media
during the 2016 General Election violated Articles 29, 22 and 45 of the
Constitution.
They
had also sought an order that the AG refunds all the OTT tax paid for the
period from January 9 until the month end with restoration of access to all
social media services unconditionally.
According
to Justice Ssekaana, the case was premised on facts which are similar with an
earlier matter which was filed in the Constitutional Court by the same
complainant in 2017 against the AG.
SCHOOL FIRES: 11
CHILDREN KILLED IN FIRE AT UGANDAN SCHOOL FOR BLIND
Police
in Uganda are investigating the cause of a fire at a boarding school for
visually impaired students that killed 11 girls, ages four to 13.
The
fire at the Salama School for the Blind in Uganda's central Mukono district
broke out shortly after midnight Monday, in a girl's dormitory that was
occupied by 17 children. Kampala deputy police spokesman Luke Owoyesigire said
police have deployed a forensics team that will carry out DNA tests before the
bodies of the dead children are handed over to family members.
"The
cause of the fire is currently unknown. But so far, eleven deaths as a result
of the fire have been confirmed. While six are in critical condition,"
Owoyesigire said.
The
Salam School for the Blind, in the town of Kisoga, is home to 70 visually
impaired children.
Hudson
Kiyaga, the town's mayor, told VOA the fire at the isolated school has left
members of the neighboring community in shock. Kiyaga said the school's power
switch is in the matron's room, but she did not know what started the fire. The
matron escaped the blaze, but was unable to save any students.
Source:https://www.voanews.com/a/children-killed-in-fire-at-ugandan-school-for-blind/6804830.html
REGIONAL PEACE AND
STABILTY: M23 REBELS CAPTURE SECOND
BORDER TOWN
The
M23 rebels operating in the eastern North Kivu province of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Friday last week afternoon gained control of
Kitagoma border town, forcing hundreds of Congolese nationals to flee into
Uganda’s Kisoro District.
This
is the second border town to be captured by the rebels following the takeover
of Bunagana border town in June. The rebels’ spokesperson, Maj. Willy Ngoma,
confirmed the capture of Kitagoma border town “on Friday at around midday after
flashing out the Congolese government soldiers.”
Nearly
60,000 Congolese refugees from 30,175 households crossed into Kisoro District
in March when fighting erupted between the M23 rebels and Congolese government
forces. Some of them accepted to be relocated to the settlement camps in
Uganda, while others opted to return home.
Source:https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/m23-rebels-capture-second-border-town-4002150
CONCLUDING REMARKS
1. HRCU commiserates with the family and friends of the eleven children whose lives were lost in the school fire that occurred at Salama School for the Blind in Mukono district. It’s important that schools with support from government carry out regular fire risk assessments to identify what precautions to undertake in order to prevent fire outbreaks.
2.
Human
rights defenders play an important role in promoting and protecting human rights
and fundamental freedoms that citizens are entitled to. They are also
fundamental in documenting, reporting and publicizing violations and abuses
which helps in holding rights abusers accountable. Therefore we must all work
together in ensuring the safety and well being of HRDs and their work.
We thank for reading. Wishing you a
happy new week ahead
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