Saturday, 19 November 2011

Remaining two HIV positive grand children


Flavia Kisembo, 70, is a happy woman today. In 2002, Kisembo was a miserable village grandmother as she considered the future of her remaining two HIV positive grand children. Kisembo had lost three of her children, a son and two daughters to HIV/AIDS. Some of her grandchildren also died from the same disease.
When the second daughter died in 2001, she left three children, two boys and a girl with Kisembo.  “The girl died shortly after the mother’s death. The youngest boy who was about three years was getting sick so often and it was becoming a nightmare to manage his sickness,” Kisembo recollects.
It only dawned on her when one of her neighbours, Rev. Ezra Musobozi who had visited her suggested they take the young boy for an HIV test. It turned out that David Nyakoojo was HIV positive. The elder boy too, was HIV positive.
KIDA comes to the rescue
Rev. Musobozi who is the founder of Kitojo Integrated Development Association (KIDA) offered to take care of the orphaned boys. His organization which had started in 1999 was among its programs running an Orphan and Vulnerable children support program by offering them education and home care, as well as Anti Retroviral medicine to those that had been confirmed to start the life prolonging drugs.
“In July 1998, my wife and I purchased a piece of land in Nyanswiga, a small village located in Ruteete sub-county. The community we came to was as welcoming and friendly as any, but a decade and a half of the AIDS epidemic had devastated the families that lived there.The disease had taken parents away from children, friends away from friends, and husbands and wives away from each other. But more than anything else, it was robbing people of their fundamental right to live,” says Rev. Musobozi. Kisembo was just one of the thousands in Kitojo finding life hard because of the HIV/AIDS effects and poverty.
Kisembo, additionally tussling with old age and a chronic pain in her legs was still worried on how she will manage to continue taking her grandchildren for routine medication to the nearest hospital over 40 kilometers away.
Flavia Kisembo’s hospital dream
“As my life gets weaker, my biggest wish is for a hospital to be built in this area. We need a place nearby where our sick can be examined and admitted. Since many of us have sick people in our homes, it will be easier to take them for treatment if there is a hospital nearby,” Kisembo said in a January 2010 interview. She says she appealed to the Rev. Musobozi to help them get a hospital nearby.
As she stands today among the hundreds of people that turned up for the family health day at KIDA on August 2nd 2011, Kisembo carries a smiley grin of someone whose longtime wish has been answered. At least almost answered!
KIDA’s family health day was organized to launch the services of KIDA Hospital, which though still under construction has been licensed by the Ministry of Health.
KIDA Hospital launches services
“We are going to offer general medical services, including antenatal and delivery, surgical services, immunization, laboratory services, in-patients admissions and outpatients services, as well as improve our HIV/AIDS counseling, care and treatment services,” Rev. Musobozi says.
It is a dream come true for Rev. Ezra himself, who says he has watched many people die or suffer pain due to inability to make it to the nearest hospital, or afford the high fees at those hospitals. It is also a big relief for him, since many people in the community have long thrown their lives into his organisation’s hands, which through its clinic has been offering health care services including ARVs to more than 1,000 people.
He says they are hopeful of getting anti retroviral drugs to supply soon. The satellite center of Virika hospital they were hosting was withdrawn, making it hard for many HIV positive people in Kitojo to access treatment for HIV/AIDS and opportunistic infections.
Counting on the Friends of Ruwenzori
With the help of their funding partners, the California based Friends of Ruwenzori, Rev. Musobozi says they are expecting a consignment of hospital equipment that will make them one of the best health service providers in the region.
A dream come true as KIDA Hospital starts health services
 “In addition to funding our programs, the Friends of Ruwenzori have mobilized the resources to put up these structures, and have secured us medical equipment. We shall have good quality medical beds, surgical equipment, operating and examination tables among other medical equipment,” Rev. Ezra says.
The consignment of medical equipment mobilized through IMEC, another US based non-profit is expected to arrive in Uganda by end of August 2011.
This together with the support that KIDA has started attracting from different circles is giving Rev. Musobozi a lot of hope to deliver the health care that the community expects from KIDA hospital. He says KIDA has recently received delegations and officials from different civil society and government bodies in Uganda inquiring about possible areas of cooperation.
Local leaders impressed with KIDA.The local district government of the area has promised to offer support to the new hospital, starting off with 8 million shillings pledge per quarter to help the hospital in meeting some of the running costs.
The district Chairman of Kabarole, Richard Rwabuhinga who announced the offer while presiding at the KIDA family health day also promised technical support from the district’s health department, as they will be able.
He hailed KIDA for introducing innovative services that are changing the lives of people in Kitojo and neighboring areas of the district.
“A few months back, I was invited to KIDA to celebrate the success of the KIDA SACCO (Savings and Credit Cooperative Association) that was started by HIV positive people to encourage them to save and borrow to undertake income generating activities.
 I’m now here to celebrate with you a family health day that has attracted very many people to receive free medical services at this new hospital,” Rwabuhinga noted.

He said the KIDA health centre, which is now turning into a fully-fledged hospital, is helping the local and central government in providing health services to the people at the grassroots.

The Woman MP of Kabarole district, Victoria Rusoke Businge also speaks highly of KIDA and the new hospital, promising to mobilize any possible support from the central government.
“I’m sure this facility and its unique services is not anywhere in the Ruwenzori region. KIDA is helping the government of Uganda keep people healthy; reduce on material deaths and other challenges. It deserves all the support,” Mrs. Rusoke says.

 An achievement, but a beginning
 Indeed, KIDA does need all the support they can get. The organisation depends on one donor, the Friends of Ruwenzori to fund its programs. The same funders are mobilizing funds for building, equipping, stocking and running the KIDA hospital.

The KIDA facility expected to cost about 2.5 billion Uganda shillings (about US $1 million) is only half way through.

“We are very grateful to the Friends of Ruwenzori for what they have done for our community. We hope there can be others to join hands with them and support us.
We still need funds to build a maternity ward, bigger operating theater, out patient unit, and administration block.
We need to equip the hospital with necessary testing, treatment and care equipment, medicines, as well as pay the health workers,” Rev. Musobozi says.

KIDA has recently been grappling with accommodation challenges for the newly recruited hospital staff.
Being rural based, there are no private rental units anywhere nearby to accommodate the staff. This has forced KIDA to borrow money from its SACCO to build staff quarters.
Rev. Musobozi hopes that the hospital will charge subsidized user fees to enable KIDA meet the remuneration needs of the staff, but raising any income from health services might be real in over a year.

For Flavia Kisembo and many people in Kitojo, these are issues for Rev. Musobozi to worry about. “Our own worry of where to get quality affordable medical care has now been answered by KIDA hospital,” Kisembo says.
End






Cancer patients struggle to survive

Cancer patients struggle to survive
By Hope Mafaranga
In Uganda

Cancer patients struggle to survive the disease and costs, however most cancers can be prevented and even cured if detected early and treatment made available.
But frequent drug stock-outs and an ill-equipped health system mean many patients cannot afford the high cost of treatment, many end up dying. Once a rare disease, cancers of various kinds are emerging to be a big killer in Uganda.
Despite this threat, many of these cancers are either not getting treated or costing huge sums of money.
His breath was slow and desperate, taking every successful breath as if it were his last.
Early this month, Ronald Ahwera joined the agony queue at the Mulago Cancer Institute, the only cancer facility in a country of 34 million people.
Funding to the health sector, most of it from foreign donors, largely goes to three diseases namely HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. So cancer patients like Ahwera are paying a heavy price.
He had arrived here a few days earlier than 4th October when I met him. The 13-year-old was diagnosed with Burkitt ’s lymphoma, a type of cancer common in children.
He has a swollen jawbone, his breath emits a foul odour, blood oozes from his mouth, most of his teeth have fallen out, and he cannot eat food and has to depend on fluids. He is in severe pain.
Treatable cancers
Doctors say although Burkitt ’s lymphoma is highly aggressive and life threatening, it is also one of the more curable forms of cancer. But for patients like Ahwera, the chances of being cured look too distant.
Since arriving at the cancer institute, he has not received treatment. “We have been told that the drugs are over so we have to buy them from the private clinic,” said his sister, Martha Natukunda.
A dose of treatment for Ahwera’s cancer costs 200, 000 Uganda shillings at government rates, but goes for as high as 700, 000 Uganda shilling at the private clinics.

“We can’t raise this kind of money,” said Natukunda. She is still hoping that the hospital can get the drugs so that patients like Ahwera can access them for free.
Hospital officials say although some cancer patients are accessing treatment, many more others like Ahwera are not.
This is because the cancer institute doesn’t have drugs to treat Burkitt’s lymphoma. The drugs are supplied by the National Medical Stores.
Moses Kamabare, the General Manager at National Medical Stores (NMS) confirmed to KC that they have not supplied some of the drugs but said that the various drugs are purchased from different manufacturers.
 “Any one would understand that we don’t buy these drugs from the same manufacturers so they also supply them at different times. We would have loved to have them supplied at the same time but we can’t,” he said.
However  time is already running out and the tumour is growing by the day, spelling more gloom for Ahabwe.
Combination treatment
Dr Jackson Orem, the director of the Mulago Cancer Institute, notes that cancer patients take several medicines, not just one and if the deliveries are made at different times, administering treatment becomes more challenging.
“Drugs are given in combination. So if you are supplying you need to supply a full range of drugs so that they can fit in the combinations that are prescribed,” he says.
“If you supply only one drug then we have to look for two or even more drugs to make a full complement of the combination. The effect is that patients are asked to buy those medicines that are not supplied. If the patients have the money then they buy the drugs. If they don’t have the money, then we are stuck,” he adds.
We can’t treat them without all the drugs because that would be under treatment and we shall only be feeding the cancer,” he notes.
Although a significant proportion of cancers in Uganda can be cured by drugs, surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, especially if they are detected early enough, the grim reality of drug stock-outs and an ill-equipped health system means many patients do not have access to early diagnosis, screening or palliative care - all of which have contributed to the gradual increase of cancer patients and the resultant high cost of treatment.

The story of Ahabwe is a case study of the agony faced by many cancer patients in Uganda -that of how many treatable cancers do not get treated because the drugs are not available in the government facilities forcing patients to shoulder hefty out-of-pocket costs, sometimes millions of shillings per month.
Many patients, especially the poor, have been hit hardest as they are forced to buy the prescribed drugs at a market price, considered too expensive for the average Ugandan.
And for many, at the end of the day, the cost is a deciding factor of whether a patient lives or dies.
Dr Nathan Kenya Mugisha, the acting director of Health services in the Ministry of Health, acknowledges that cancer treatment is prohibitive for many poor patients.
“The problem has generally been that cancer is a very expensive disease to treat. The medicines for cancer are highly specialized so as government we provide what we afford. This explains some drug stock-outs,” he said.
Costly treatment
Dr Orem said most cancers can be prevented and treated if patients turn up earlier and the cost would be relatively low.
Often times though, he said, patients come when the cancers have progressed, making treatment not only difficult but also grossly expensive.
“The cost of treating a patient who has come early is as low as a quarter of treating one with the advanced disease and with a relative amount of money, the chances of cure is high but with a lot of money you have spent, the chances of cure are not there,” said Dr Orem.
According to the medic, treating a cancer patient would cost in excess of two million Uganda shillings for each cycle of treatment, with patients receiving at least six cycles.
Even this is not a guarantee especially for those patients with advanced stage cancer because as Dr Orem explains, by the time the patient has received the six cycles, the cancer will have reduced by just half, meaning a patient needs to be started on another cycle of medication.
But there is a dilemma to this too. Doctors say patients at this stage are less likely to withstand more treatment.
 “So you end up in a situation where you want to treat but the patient can’t tolerate your treatment any longer,” said Dr Orem.

Already overstretched, the Cancer Institute is virtually taking the entire burden of cancer patients as the other government-run hospitals across the country do not have the expertise and infrastructure to handle the patients.
Often times, this leaves the patients with no option but to look towards costly private hospitals or join the long wait at the Institute-sometimes at the cost of their lives. The cancer burden has further been triggered by a shortage of specialists.
There are only five cancer doctors for the 34 million Ugandans, with the institute seeing upwards of 10,000 patients every year.
But having these five doctors, Dr Orem says is a “great” achievement because five years ago, he was the only Oncologist (cancer specialist) in the country.
 “With new cancer patients coming in and old ones coming back, you are looking at about 12,000 cases per year and this year we are projecting it could reach 14,000,” said Dr Orem.
Broken radiotherapy machine
Against the backdrop of rising cancer cases and costly treatment, the country’s only radiotherapy machine is too old and falling apart.
Although crucial in cancer treatment as the radiation rays is what is used to destroy or reduce the growth of cancer cells in the body, the machine has been out of use for the past one month.
Dr Joseph Mugambe, the head of the Radiotherapy department at Mulago Hospital said they had already ordered for spare parts from China and are expecting them to arrive over the next two weeks.
He said the machine which is 15 years old breaks down frequently and will now require replacement.
But as the radiotherapy machine is awaited, and the number of cancer patients keeps growing, health authorities will in the long run be overwhelmed by the numbers and cost of treatment unless huge investments are made in cancer prevention.
End




A study on disasters on crop diversity concluded

A study on disasters on crop diversity concluded
By Hope Mafaranga 20, November 2011
In Uganda
A first study to investigate in detail the effects of disasters on crop diversity and its recovery has been concluded with a combined agronomic observations of looking at the seeds’ colour, size, pattern, and shape with biotechnology tools to determine the seeds’ genetic makeup.
Seeds of local crop varieties must be included in relief-seed packages distributed to small-scale farmers after natural calamities if indigenous agricultural diversity is to rebound faster.
Dr Morag Ferguson, a molecular biologist with IITA and one of the study’s lead researchers, says farmers in Africa traditionally grow many crops and several varieties of each crop on the same plot of land to cope with unforeseen economic or environmental instabilities.
He said that agricultural relief efforts should also capitalize on existing social networks to distribute seeds more effectively and efficiently.
These are among the findings of a recent study looking into the loss and subsequent recovery of cowpea diversity in Mozambique after massive flooding, followed by severe drought, hit most of the country about 11 years ago.
 After natural disasters such as floods and drought that often wipe-out their crops, farmers usually receive relief seed packages to help them recover and restore their food security and source of income.
 However, most of the seeds in these relief packages are generally of introduced and genetically uniform varieties purchased from markets or from seed companies by well-meaning relief agencies, which slow the recovery of crop diversity.
 Interestingly, the study also noted that the speedy recovery of Mozambican cowpea diversity after the double-disasters of 2000 was largely due to the exchange of seeds among farmers through gifting and other social interactions involving friends, family members, and relatives within the same community or adjacent communities.
He said that farmers usually set aside part of their harvest to serve as seed for the next cropping season.
Therefore, when natural disasters strike, many farmers often lose their seeds and are forced to rely on relief, buy from the market, or receive seeds as gifts from friends and relatives.  
“We found that the substantial recovery of cowpea genetic diversity two years after the calamities was mainly due to the informal exchange of seeds among farmers that served as a social-based crop diversity safety backup,” he said.
He addede: “ It is therefore important that seed relief strategies recognize and capitalize on this existing traditional network based on social relations to help restore diversity especially after natural upheavals,” she said. 
The study was initiated in 2002, two years after the flood-drought double disasters and carried out in Chokwe and Xai Xai districts in the Limpompo River Valley –areas that were among those severely affected.
The findings of the research have been published in the current edition of ‘Disaster’, a publication of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI). 
The research established that nearly 90% of the farmers in the affected areas received cowpea relief seed immediately after the back-to-back calamities.
Two years after, only one-fifth of the recipient farmers were still growing the seeds, while more than half sourced their seeds from markets.
However, this did little in restoring cowpea diversity in the affected communities as the seeds bought by farmers from the market were mostly uniform, coming from other districts that grew just one or a few select varieties.
 On the other hand, about one-third of the affected farmers obtained seeds from friends and relatives living within the same or neighbouring localities to restock their farms – the same people that they have been exchanging seeds with prior to the disasters.
 This practice was the main reason why cowpea diversity was restored in these areas, the study showed. 
Dr Ferguson says that such a social relations-based seed distribution system is already in play in an approach developed and implemented by the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in partnership with other relief agencies in which seed vouchers are exchanged for seed at ‘Seed Fairs.
In this approach, he says farmers from nearby districts not affected by disaster and with excess seed, come to the Seed Fair to sell seed to disaster-affected farmers in exchange for vouchers, which they then cash-in with the relief agency.
  “This approach recognizes that farmer seed systems are robust and resilient, and can provide seed even in emergency situations. And this study shows that such an approach will be more effective in restoring diversity faster and more efficiently than a system based on direct distribution only,” she says.
End

Uganda ranked among the countries with high TB rate

Uganda ranked among the countries with high TB rate
By Hope Mafaranga November 20, 2011
In Kampala
Uganda is ranked the 16th among the 22 high burden countries with 102,000 new cases of Tuberculosis (TB) that occurs in the country every year.
The National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Programmes Manager Dr Francis Adatu disclosed that at the end of 2010, 45,546 TB new cases were identified in Uganda and of these 54 percent were confirmed to be HIV positive.
He added that  330 out of 100,000 people get infected per year in every constituency , adding that  out of 100, 000 people infected by TB, 93 die and the number has been accelerated by HIV/AIDS.
 “TB is the single leading killer of people living with HIV. We must detect, treat and cure TB so that people living with HIV/AIDS can live longer,” he said.
He said that TB affects economically active age group of between 15-55 years which he said has also affected the social and economic development of the country.
 TB is air borne disease that was discovered in 1882 and is caused by a germ known as “Mycobacterium Tuberculosis” and if not treated, TB kills in a period of two years.
Dr Adatu explained that 85 percent of the TB patients suffer from TB of the lungs and 15 percent succumb to TB of the borne.
He said that there is lack of drug adherence in TB patients which has resulted into multi drug resistance that becomes so difficulty and expensive to treat.
He said that 226 patients are on drug waiting list of second line of TB treatment after they developed multi drug resistance while 870 new cases are waiting for drugs per year.
 Dr Adatu was on Friday addressing National TB stakeholders at Grand Imperial Hotel in Kampala organized by Panos Eastern Africa.
Panos is information and communication for development nongovernmental organization that believes that quality information is key to development.
Dr Adatu disclosed that it costs  between US D 200- 300 to treat one ordinary patient of TB, while it costs USD 3000 to treat one TB patient of multi drug resistance.
He said that in order to have a world free of TB, governments must allocate and commit more resources, empower people with TB and the communities to fight and control it.
 He said that the government of Uganda only allocates sh 18m for TB care and treatment which is not enough to cater for the new cases that are raising.
He however said that Uganda’s TB priority now is to halt TB incidence, reduce prevalence rate by 50 percent death by the year 2015 and have the disease eliminated as public health problem by 2050.
He said that there is need to put TB affected people on effective treatment in order to control it.
“Uganda’s priority is effectively control TB control  in order to achieve high cure rate among sputum smear positive cases,” he said.
Dr Adatu urged people to test for TB earlier in so that they can avoid contracting it.
“If you cough for more than two weeks you should go to the hospital test and have the cough investigated so that you avoid to TB,” he added.
He said that there is low community awareness and participation about TB understaffing in the general health sector which he said has affected the performance in TB control.
Peter Okubal the Executive director of Panos said that TB has been ignored yet it has continued to affect the population and claiming the lives of people.
 Cathy Mwesigwa the Deputy New Vision said that despite the availability of a cure for 50 years, 2 million people die from TB every year because  most people do not understand TB and  its consequences and misread the symptoms.
She urged stakeholders to use the media to disseminate information especially where the aim is to effect action, change of policy, or to alter the public's view of the issues of TB.
Mwesigwa said that the media have the platform, audiences necessary to put issues on the public agenda fast, have easy access to leaders and policy makers who can instigate action where other avenues have failed.
End

Wednesday, 7 September 2011

Rwenzori residents told to vacate steep slopes ‎

Rwenzori residents told to vacate steep slopes
By Hope Mafaranga

COMMUNITIES living on the slopes of Rwenzori Mountain have been ordered to vacate the area to avoid landslide related catastrophes.

State minister for relief, disaster preparedness and refugee Musa Ecweru said the area was prone to landslides because of its terrain.

Handing over food relief to the people of Ntoroko district at Kanara landing site on Sunday, Ecweru said he did not want the people of Rwenzori region to be buried by landslides.

“These people must relocate to relatively safer places because I do not want to come here to bury them. It is better for me to come here to look after them and bring food relief when they are displaced somewhere,” Ecweru said.

Ecweru said Uganda was experiencing disasters like lightning and hailstorm as a result of environmental degradation.

“The weather has become unpredictable due to environmental degradation. Experts are telling us that lightning which has been killing people and animals of late was a result of deforestation because the trees that used to control lightning were cut,” he said.

Ntoroko district Woman MP Jeniffer Mujungu said most bridges in the area were washed away by heavy rains.

She said the floods had cut off over 4,000 people in Bweramule sub-county and Kibuku town council. Mujungu added that as a result, the relief which was taken there by the Office of the Prime Minister could not reach the affected people.

She said the most affected areas were Kanara, Nombe, Karugutu, Kamuga, Katanga, Rwangara, Kacwankumu, Rwenyena and Kibuku sub-counties.

Mujungu said River Semliki burst recently, filling all the seasonal rivers.

The MP added that people were at risk of being eaten by crocodiles which come from river.


Thousands appeal to government over poor health facilities.


Thousands appeal to government over poor health facilities.
By Hope Mafaranga
In Kabarole

Thousands of people in Kibiito sub-county in Kabarole district have appealed to government to improve on the poor road network and poor health facilities in the area.
The residents said they walk about 30 kms in the mountainous area seeking for health services at Rwagimba health center III.

They said that the Government and Kabarole district leadership in particular have failed to extend social services in their area.

 The most affected villages are Buryampaho, Rwagimba, Busanda, Bukara and Bulyambaghu.

According to William Mumbere an elder in the area said that the health center rarely has drugs because vehicles, boda-boda and bicycles don’t reach there.

Mumbere said that once in while when the drugs are delivered to the health, the delivery van stops at Kinyampanika primary school and they mobilize the community to carry drugs their head to the health center.

“When we get drugs we mobilize the community and divide the drugs so that people can carry it to Rwagimba health center III,
on their head,” he said.

He added that as a result many people have resorted to treat their disease using herbs while others seek healing from Rwagimba hot springs.
Mumbere noted that because of poor road infrastructure when people fall sick, the community use traditional stretchers to carry them to the health center.

“It is so unfortunate that we suffer carrying our people on stretchers but when we get to the health center, the workers and drugs are not there, we end up loosing our dear ones,” he added.

However Joshua Bulimbenda the LC I chairperson of Bulyambaghu village  disclosed that due to poor road network and poor health facilities, many expectant mothers die before reaching to the health center.

“It takes about six hours to walk to the health center and as a result, many of our women and unborn babies have died before getting there,” he said.

He explained that many women have resorted to traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in their area.

Joan Masika a TBA in the area revealed that she delivers received between 10 to 15 women per month.

“Many women come to me because the health center is far, hard to reach, no health workers and drugs,” Masika who charges sh 30,000 for her services said.

 When KC contacted a health worker who spoke on conditions of anonymity said that, at times they spend five months without drugs. The health worker also said that sometimes the center is given expired drugs.

“We have over 400 doses of corterm which was delivered in 2009 while it was already expired,” he said.

KC observed that the maternity wing has been turned into a staff accommodation and beds which were in the general ward did not have mattresses.

Other roads in Kibiito sub-county were constructed through LGDP funds leaving Rwagimba road, Rogers Baluku another resident stated.

However the Kabarole district engineer Steven Wakatama said that Rwagimba road was not in the district work plan.

On the status of the health center, the district health officer Dr Richard Mugahi promised to investigate why expired drugs were delivered  there, adding that he will deal the absenteeism of health workers.

“I will investigate how the expired drugs were delivered there because we don’t even accept drugs that will expire in within six months,” Dr Mugahi said.

End.

Monday, 22 August 2011

High population threatens Uganda wetlands

High population threatens Uganda wetlands
By Hope Mafaranga August 22, 2011
In Kabarole
Uganda has extensive wetland coverage, although information on the exact size and distribution is yet to be documented.
Current estimates put the total area of wetlands at 33,000 Km2; about 13% of the country’s total area. Uganda’s wetlands are faced with threats of degradation especially resulting from population pressure and economic development.
The Kabarole district natural resources officer Sam Mugume says that wetlands throughout the country are increasingly being encroached upon and reclaimed mainly for agriculture and settlements.
Mugume says that the impact of human activities is far-reaching and threatens the integrity and sustainability of the vital wetland resources.

He explained that the current and potential impacts include increased floods, shortage of building and crafts materials and reduction in fish productivity, decline in water quantity and quality, reduced ground water recharge and decline in the water table as exemplified by the disappearance of springs and non-functionality of shallow wells.
“Changing climatic conditions has also forced people to look for wetter and cooler areas for their crops during dry spells,” he said.
He noted that the situation in Kabarole district is not any different from the national scenario, wetlands are continuously being degraded through various ways despite the availability of regulations and policies at national and district level.
He said that encroachment and destruction of wetlands due to a growing population looking for more agricultural land, settlement, excavation for construction materials; and pollution by slaughter slabs, pit latrines, car washing bays and markets, remains a big in wetland protection.   
Findings and current status
Mugume said that wetlands in Kabarole district are home to a number of endemic species of both flora and fauna, adding that wetlands are also a source of medicinal plants and human food nutrients like fish and small game.
The bird species include the ibis, egrets, crested cranes, hornbills, herons, and guinea fowls among other many various type of small and bigger ones.
“Fauna found in these wetlands are among the leading tourist attractions in the district. These include Colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, bushbucks, baboons, porcupines, sitatunga, bush pigs, duikers and edible rats,” he explained.
The 2011 wetland inventory established the following regarding the wetlands in the district: the major dominant vegetation in most wetlands is papyrus (60%), water reeds (25%) and sedges (15%).
He said that most of the wetlands had all the three aquatic plants and a few were being invaded by invasive shrubs but it is also evident that those being invaded by shrubs have also been heavily silted.
The other activities recorded included, sand mining, fish farming, collection of firewood, collection of handcraft materials, recreational activities and settlement.
“Subsistence farming and animal husbandry were the most significantly dominant activities around and inside wetlands,” he remarked.

Despite the knowledge among community members that there is need to conserve wetlands, communities are not aware about ownership of wetlands and water bodies.
Interventions to end the current situation by district
Mugume said that the district has enacted the production and environment ordinance which has specific sections for wetland management.
He added that they have established environment committees and trained environmental monitors at a community level to serve environmental restoration orders and notices.
He explained that they also supported one community wetland management plan, to mobilize the community and create awareness on environmental related activities.
He however explained that despite the efforts by government and her partners, degradation of wetlands still goes on, unless a strategy is intensified and changed to involve the community as much as possible so as to take up responsibility of their resources; then there won’t be positive results.
Recommendations
Mugume said that supporting community wetland management system through development and implementing of wetland management action plans, providing alternatives for best utilization of wetlands, sensitization and support to community policing, restoration of the degraded wetlands, law enforcement and strong dedication of government in conserving and protecting wetlands from depletion.
He however, the 2010 wetland inventory for Burahya County and Fort Portal municipality in Kabarole district recommended the need to restore wetlands and gazette the inventoried wetlands as provided under the wetland and riverbank management regulations.
“There must be a deliberate effort by government and her development partners to promote community wetland management and policing through the administration at sub county level,” he said.
He said that the community should do a day to day monitoring of wetlands and regularly submitting a list of degraders to the sub county and the district for legal prosecution.

Uganda has loses the fight against HIV-Activists

Uganda has loses the fight against HIV-Activists
By Hope Mafaranga August 19, 2011
In Mbarara
Uganda has lost the fight against HIV/AIDS because of her satisfaction of the past successes.
Dorcas Amoding, the Advocacy and Communications Manager of Community Health and Information Network (CHAIN) said that the HIV situation is deteriorating in the country because the government has relaxed on the scourge hence losing the struggle against the pandemic. 
She discloses that 341 people still get infected with the virus in Uganda every day with HIV while many cannot get access to ARVs.
“Uganda was a model country in the world against the fight of HIV but its relaxation about the scourge has seen more than 340 get infected with the virus every day,” she said.
Addressing journalists on health community reporting Friday  at Lake View hotel, Amoding said that there is need for government to change its tactics and re- package messages about the pandemic.
Desmas Buregyeya, a journalist said that people have become comfortable with the availability of ARVs and they no longer look at HIV as a big problem.
“Many people now look at HIV as any other disease. They have given up the use of condom and other preventive measures saying that one can live with the virus as long as 40 years,” Buregyeya said.
Chris Mugasa another journalist asked men to embrace safe male circumcision in order to reduce the chances of contracting the deadly virus.
Leonard Okello, the country director of International HIV Alliance in Uganda, called upon the married couple to be open with each other and tested for HIV together to build trust in their marriage.
Anitah Masika, a journalist  said that despite the  intervention  of Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV(PMTC), a number of women still affect their new born babies with HIV, which she attributed to lack of information of expectant mothers.
Sam Opwonya, a health consultant, blamed traditional birth attendants (TBAs) to have increased on the number of babies born with HIV.
“Some women deliver from TBAs and they are not trained and have no knowledge on HIV issues. They don’t even refer to mother to professionals so that incase the mother is HIV positive, her baby can be prevented from getting the virus,” Opwonya said.
End

Saturday, 18 June 2011

Laws that govern oil and gas in Uganda are outdated


Laws that govern oil and gas in Uganda are outdated
By Hope Mafaranga June 18, 2011
In Kabarole
The laws that govern the oil sector in Uganda are too weak and out dated, experts have said.
The manager of International Alert Uganda, Richard Businge criticized the oil bill saying that it is not clear on the issue of the oil and gas sector and how it will be contributing to the national development.
He added that Ugandan legal framework in the bill should form a bed rock for sustainable utilization of Uganda oil and gas resource.
“The bill should show how much our oil brings to our coffers and how it contributes to other sectors, which is not clear as per now,” Businge said.
Businge who was speaking during a regional dialogue series on oil and gas at Mountains of the Moon hotel in Fort Portal on Friday tasked the government to focus on benefiting the community around the oil areas so as avoid conflicts like in many African countries.
 Businge also lashed out at the parliament the law making body saying that they are “too green and ignorant” on issues that concerns oil and gas.
“We shall invite members of parliament and make them understand oil issues so  that  they can articulate issues from an informed point of view before debating and passing laws to do with oil,” Businge added.
He said that social issues like the percentage of local people who will be employed or participating in the exploration of oil should be clearly spelled out in the bill in terms of permissible levels of Ugandan citizen and company participation in each category of technical service provision.
“The local community is the one that carry the burden of oil exploration but are left out living them to object poverty,” he said.
On environment, Businge called for clear guidelines to be put in place establishing areas that cannot be directly accessed for oil development due to their environmental sensitivity.
“Areas which are habitants for birds that fly from Europe for summer, should not be directly drilled,” he noted.
Businge urged that the bill should prohibit companies from entering into private arrangement with land owners for the disposal of toxic waste and other pollutants.
He also accused the national environment watchdog, National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) for failed to monitor the environment where it is dealing with locals only, they have failed to chase people from wetlands and have left wetlands to investors.
Alex Ruhunda the MP for  Fort Portal municipality urged Ugandans to focus on bridging the gap between Community Based Organizations and the government on issues pertaining Oil. 
Ruhunda said this will help the government to be checked on issues pertaining transparency and accountability in the Oil industry which he said will help to foster development.
However he said that oil being a very vital resource it does not mean Uganda has overcome the problem of poverty which is haunting many Ugandans.
“The discovery of oil is not the solution to poverty, and unemployment, we must work hard to fight it,” Ruhunda said. 
Ruhunda encouraged the people of Uganda to pick interest in the oil discovery and take the duty of advising the government on what they want it to for them.
Julius Mwanga the director Kabarole Research and Resource Center, a non governmental organizational operating in Kabarole urged the public to stop codenaming the discovery of oil in Uganda as a curse.
“Oil discovery is a blessing to Ugandans if well managed by all stakeholders. All we need is accountability and transparency and involve the locals,” Mwanga said.
However Rev Canon Nason Baluku wondered why information around the oil more confidential in Uganda compared to other discoveries.
End



Many Rivers dry up in Uganda as water scarcity hits the country

Many Rivers dry  up in Uganda as water scarcity hits the country
By Hope Mafaranga June 18, 2011
In Uganda
The water scarcity has continued to hit Uganda as many rivers, lakes and wetland dries up causing reduction in the water levels.
In western region of Uganda, Mpanga River which is the eighth biggest river in Uganda as listed in the National Environment regulation 2000 of the National Environment act.
It originates from  a catchment in Rwenzori Mountain  that are currently under high pressure  mainly due to deforestation of steep hills and ends in Lake George a distance of approximately 250 kilometers.
It is located in south western Uganda and it is part of the greater Lake George catchment zone.
The River meanders through three local Governments of Kabarole, Kyenjojo and Kamwenge serving a population of approximately Five million people who directly and indirectly derive a livelihood from this river.
The Kabarole district natural resource officer Sam Mugume said that the river also serves domestic and industrial water to Fort Portal and Kamwenge towns.
Mugume said that a hydro electric power dam to supply electricity to the region is being constructed at the lower end of this river as it approaches Lake George and also an irrigation scheme is being planned in Kamwenge.
“Hydro power projects have been constructed on Mpanga River which has completely reduced the level of waters I this river,” he said.
He explained that along its way from the Rwenzori to Lake George, Mpanga River goes through a number of different ecosystems and the river  that are very important for biodiversity survival in these ecosystems.
However, the river is vulnerable to abuse because of its location in a high population density area where the population depends on subsistence farming for a living and the fact that it is found in three different local governments makes its management difficult to coordinate.
He explained that the continued degradation of wetlands and small streams in this area is causing significant impact on the quality and quantity of water in River Mpanga and this has had remarkable impacts on the ecological biodiversity in the river basin and the surrounding environs.
“It has been established that the amount of water in the river has reduced significantly in the last ten years; the major cause for this decrease is increased reduction in the vegetation cover of the water catchment area, indigenous trees species along the river and the Rwenzori mountain slope that are part of the water catchment area have been cut leaving the hill tops and slopes bare and prone to heavy erosion and landslides,” Mugume said.
He noted that eucalyptus a high water consuming exotic tree species has been planted by many people along the river for economic gain despite the government’s regulation of preserving 100 meters width form all big rivers for natural vegetation. 
“Eucalyptus is a fast growing tree species which is well known for its capacity to drain and dry wetlands and rivers and therefore it advised that Eucalyptus be planted on hilltops as opposed to valleys. However this is not the case in most locations along river Mpanga,” he added.
He said that another major cause for reduction of the water in the river is the high level of wetland degradation in the catchment area.
He said that wetlands in the three districts of Kabarole, Kyenjojo and Kamwenge that are remnant of the mosaic wetland system of Western Uganda in the Albertine rift valley are being turned into farmlands by private developers despite the governments’ regulation on wetland use that forbids turning them into farmland.
“The degraded wetlands have therefore lost their capacity to act as water refining systems and water catchment areas leading to less water being preserved,” Mugume added.
 The river is Polluted
Mugume said that Mpanga River and its tributaries is heavily polluted with waste from towns and trading centers which located nearby the river.
Mugume said that the main visible wastes in the river are plastics and polythene papers and the major cause for this is the improper disposal of waste in trading centers and towns.
The river bed is also being silted as a result of erosion from gardens and poor soil management practices along the river.
Location and importance of Mpanga River
Part of the area is on the slopes of Mt. Rwenzori while the rest is on the flat lowland.
This area has great importance in terms of biodiversity conservation. The area includes parts of three National Parks; Kibale, Mt Rwenzori and Queen Elizabeth National Park.
According to International Union for Conservation of Nature,  ( IUCN) all of the three are highly known for their high numbers of endemic and red data species in terms of both flora and fauna. Mountain Rwenzori is a gazetted world heritage site while in Queen Elizabeth National park we have a Ramsar site at Lake George.
Kibaale National park is well known for the remaining wild chimpanzees, the endemic cycad which can only be found on the Mpanga falls and a high number of forest bird species.
Mpanga River goes through all the three national parks and it pours water in Lake George which is part of the Ramsar site. 
Experts from Water and Environment Ministry have said water from 13 per cent coverage of wetlands; the area has dropped to 11 per cent coverage in 15 years.
They said that urban areas and developing towns are the most prone to degradation due to exploding population and unregulated activities on wetlands.
“The situation will get worse if urban planners do not put strategies for the increasing population,” the Commissioner in charge of for etlands,  Paul Mafabi, said.
Dr William Muhaire of the National Water and Sewerage Corporation said encroachment on River Rwizi has greatly reduced the amount of water produced in the district with residents sometimes harvesting only mud from the river.
The Impact
The Kamwenge district environment officer Nickolas Magara told Science Africa Magazine that the pollution and reduction of water from Mpanga River is having significant impact on the quality and standards of life for people in Kabarole, Kamwenge and Kyenjojo districts.
He noted that the cost of purifying water for Fort Portal town, Kamwenge and Kyenjojo  has been increasing every year since 2000 due to increased pollution and silting of the river and in some areas there has been noted increase in water borne diseases.
The local population along the river use water directly got from the river for drinking, cooking and other domestic needs.
“The contamination of river Mpanga is highly affecting the health of these people and it is in their interest to ensure that the river is protected and water is clean,” Magara said.
A call for conversation
Magara said that these need to protect the water catchment area for the river from further abuse and also restoration for wetlands that are major source of water for the river.
He said that the protection of the river will lead to increased forest cover that will result into, increased soil protection, reduction in landslides and conservation of biodiversity including endemic species both flora and fauna. 
He noted that these need to put in more efforts in realizing the millennium development goals number seven  of “ensure environment sustainability” and number one “reduction of extreme poverty and hunger”.
End

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