HRCU WEEKLY UPDATES: ISSUE NO. 4 OF 2024
THE WEEK OF 29TH
JANUARY TO 4TH FEBRUARY 2024
Dear reader,
Happy new
week! Welcome to the month of February, 2024
With
each new beginning comes countless opportunities for growth, learning, and
progress. As the pages of the calendar turn, let us leave behind any past
failures or disappointments, and embrace the fresh start before us. Together,
let us approach this week with enthusiasm, determination, and a spirit of
optimism. May this month be filled with achievements, meaningful connections,
and most important importantly continue advancing the rights and freedoms of
HRDs.
Please
read below some of the key issues that emerged last week
MULAGO HOSPITAL ORDERED
TO PAY SHS50M FOR LOST NEWBORN BABY
The
High Court in Kampala ordered Mulago National Referral Hospital to pay Shs50
million to Ms. Fatuma Nakayima for the loss of her newborn baby within the hospital
premises.
Justice
Phillip Odoki presided over the case and held Mulago Hospital liable for the
December 2015 disappearance of Nakayima’s newborn baby boy.
On
December 26, 2015, Nakayima was admitted to ward 5C and delivered via
C-section. A health worker informed her that she had delivered a stillborn baby
boy. However, Nakayima was never given the body of the deceased baby or any
confirmation of its death.
Following
this ordeal, Nakayima petitioned the High Court Civil Division to determine the
whereabouts of her baby. After seven years of hardship, Justice Odoki ruled
that Mulago Hospital violated Nakayima’s right to information regarding her
child and caused her severe mental distress, requiring compensation.
Public health activists
speak out
Public
health activists lauded Justice Odoki’s judgment, highlighting its potential to
improve security measures in public healthcare facilities.
Ms. Dorothy Amuro, a human rights activist at the Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) has urged the government to put in place mechanisms that will help ensure effective tracing of newborn babies from the point of delivery to departure from the health facilities.
“We are very grateful to Court that despite the 7 years, at least we’ve seen light at the end of the tunnel. We shall not tire because Ms Nakayima is not a single person that you are seeing here. She is a voice that is representing bigger numbers out there whose cases have not come before attention or some of them are not privileged,” Amuro said.
COVID-19: MALAWI
LAUNCHES NEW COVID-19 VACCINATION CAMPAIGN AMID RISING CASES
The
Malawi government and the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a new
COVID-19 vaccination campaign on Monday in 10 of the country’s 29 districts.
This is partly in response to new cases confirmed in the past three weeks in
several districts across the country.
Nsanje
district in southern Malawi currently leads in the number of COVID-19 cases
recorded this year. George Mbotwa, spokesperson for the district health office,
said the district has registered 17 new cases in the past three weeks and some
are health workers.
“Initially
there were two, but we had up to eight cases that were health workers,” he
said. “Some of them have now been confirmed as negative, and others are being
followed up to ensure that they are fully recovered before they can resume
work.”
FAMILIES OF MISSING NUP SUPPORTER SEEK COURT INTERVENTION
Families of
the 18 missing opposition National Unity Party -NUP supporters have petitioned
the High Court in Kampala seeking an
order compelling the Attorney General to account for their alleged missing
family Members since 2020.
These are families of John Bosco
Kibalama,John Damulira , Mbowa Musisi,Martin Lukwago Michael Semudu and
Shafic Wangoli.
These were
led by frustrated and desperate wives of the alleged missing family members,
children and parents.
Others supporters missing are
Nalumoso Vincent , Denis Zzimula , Muhammad Kanata , Goerge Kasumba ,
Moses Mbabazi, Yuda Ssempijja , Arafat Mugumya , Peter Kirya. Mustafah Luwemba , Hassan Mubiru , Isa
Ssessazi and Godfrey Kisembo.
The relatives
led by Nabukeera Monica Catherine the
wife of Kibalaba John Bosco; a BAT-Uganda
former accountant says her
husband mysteriously disappeared on June 3rd 2019 to date.
In her
supporting affidavit, she contends that, the families have since filed missing
persons reports with police and looked everywhere but have failed to trace their relatives.
JUDICIARY TO COMMISSION NEW HOME NEXT
WEEK
The Judiciary
is finally set to commission its multi-billion-shilling home on February 9,
2024. The twin-tower building comprises nine floors and has been completed at a
cost of Shs110 billion.
Addressing
journalists on Thursday, the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the
Judiciary, Mr. Pius Bigirimana, revealed that although the original cost was
estimated at Shs63.9 billion, the price rose after they added another ninth
floor at an extra Shs7 billion.
Bigirimana
said that the price further went up after they completed the entire twin
towers, including installing ICT, heating systems, fire-fighting mechanisms,
and interior designs, among others.
According to
Bigirimana, each tower was completed at Shs55.5 billion, with all the 31,056
square meters estimated to cost USD 1,047 per square meter.
Bigirimana,
however, revealed that they were able to save Shs16 billion from the estimated
initial budget after each square meter was able to be completed at only USD
901.
The project
will house the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal/Constitutional Court. On
September 2, 2019, the project was advertised, and the bidding and evaluation
process was carried out with Chief Registrar Sarah Lang Sui in charge.
“I want to
thank the Chief Registrar Sarah Langa Sui for a good job well done without any
corruption tendencies,” he said.
At the end of
the bidding process, Siyan Brothers Construction Company and Basco Paints
Company won the tender for the job, and the actual building commenced in 2020
due to financial constraints.
Bigirimana
further revealed that although the actual estimated time for completion was
estimated within three years, the period was pushed to four years after they
added another floor.
But the PS
said he was happy because they managed to finish within the estimated time
since they were able to complete before the elapse of four years.
“If you go
inside, you will not believe that you are in Uganda, and I’m happy that the
Judiciary finally acquired a decent home for operating while delivering
services,” Bigirimana noted.
The buildings
are also equipped with a conference hall, sauna, gym, and other user-friendly
facilities.
Meanwhile,
the same event will be used to launch the annual opening of the new Law Year,
officiated by the Chief Justice with President Museveni as the guest of honor.
Source:
https://www.kfm.co.ug/news/judiciary-to-commission-new-home-next-week.html
REGIONAL UPDATE
NEARLY EIGHT MILLION DISPLACED BY
SUDAN WAR: UN
The
number of people uprooted by the war between rival generals in Sudan is almost
eight million, the United Nations said Wednesday.
UN
High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, who was on a visit to Ethiopia, called
for “urgent and additional support to meet their needs”, his agency said in a
statement disclosing the numbers.
“I
heard stories of heartbreaking loss of family, friends, homes and livelihoods,”
Grandi said in the statement.
The
conflict between Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former
deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support
Forces (RSF), erupted in mid-April last year.
Diplomatic
efforts to end the violence continue but have failed to bear fruit, and numerous
ceasefires have been broken.
Nearly
eight million people have been displaced internally or fled to other countries
by the “brutal conflict”, the UN said Wednesday.
“Without
further donor support, it will be extremely difficult to deliver much-needed
help to those who need it most,” Grandi said.
As
of January 21, the number of people displaced stood at 7.6 million, with
children accounting for about half, according to the United Nations Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Over
100,000 people have fled into Ethiopia, one of the six neighbouring countries
sheltering the refugees, according to latest UN estimates.
The
number of people who have gone to Chad since the war began crossed 500,000 last
week, and an average of 1,500 flee into South Sudan each day, the UN statement
said.
As
of 21 January, almost 517,000 people were recorded crossing the border from
Sudan to South Sudan since April, the OCHA said.
The
war has killed at least 13,000 people, according to a conservative estimate by
the Conflict Location and Event Data project.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES
CHINA EXECUTES COUPLE
WHO FLUNG TWO TODDLERS TO THEIR DEATH
Zhang
Bo - the father of the children - and Ye Chengchen were previously found guilty
of killing the two-year-old girl and one-year-old boy in 2020. Zhang had began
an affair with Ye and later divorced his wife and began conspiring to kill his
children.
China's
Supreme Court had called the couples' motives "extremely malicious",
highlighting their "cruel methods".
The
couple were executed in the south-western city of Chongqing on Wednesday. It is
not clear how the execution was carried out, though death sentences in China
are mostly carried out by lethal injection or a firing squad.
Zhang
had begun an "inappropriate" relationship with Ye without informing
her of his marital or parental status, but Ye continued to see him after
knowing the truth, the court said.
After
Zhang divorced his wife in February 2020, Ye still saw the two children as
"obstacles for her to get married to Zhang and burdens for their future
life together".
Ye
repeatedly threatened Zhang to carry out the murders, which they conspired to
stage as an accidental fall, the court heard. On 2 November 2020, Zhang threw
his kids out of the window of his apartment from the 15th floor.
News
of their execution quickly began trending on Chinese social media site Weibo,
drawing hundreds of millions of views. "They totally deserve it for their
crime," said one Weibo comment liked more than 30 thousand times reads.
"Hope
the kids only have peace and joy in their next life" another comment says.
Chen
Meilin, the mother of the two children, said on Thursday night that "a
nightmare
that
tortured our family for more than three years has finally disappeared".
The
news came the same day as another high-profile execution of Wu Xieyu - a elite
university student that was found guilty of killing his mother by repeatedly
striking her with a dumbbell in 2015.
Source:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-68125721
CLOSING REMARKS
1.
All
healthcare personnel, including doctors, nurses, technicians, and support
personnel, should have access to thorough training and educational programs
funded by hospital on patient safety, risk management.
2.
It's
important for all members of the public to stay informed about COVID-19,
including how it spreads, its symptoms, and preventive measures. Providing
accurate and up-to-date information through reliable sources such as the Ministry
of Health is essential.
3.
The
effects of enforced disappearances can persist over the long term, with victims
and families grappling with ongoing trauma, stigma, and a sense of unresolved
grief. Even if victims are eventually located or their fate determined, the
psychological scars of enforced disappearance may endure for years or decades.
Thank
you for reading. Happy new week
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