Ebong Michael

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Alebtong, Uganda | President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni will visit Alebtong District on Thursday, 2 October 2025, as part of his campaign tour across the Lango Subregion, local officials have confirmed. According to Alebtong Deputy Resident District Commissioner, Mathias Lutwama, the President is expected to address citizens at Boma Grounds in Alebtong Town Council, where he will present the government’s record of achievements, outline future plans, and formally seek electoral support as the NRM Presidential Flag Bearer in the upcoming 2026 general elections. Lutwama said the rally will begin at 10:00 a.m., with the venue opening to the public at 8:00 a.m. He added that the event will be open to all residents, including women, youth, men, and the elderly. During his address, President Museveni is expected to:● Highlight progress made under the NRM government in sectors such as education, health, social welfare, and infrastructure.● Share the government’s development agenda for the 2026–2031 period.● Reaffirm his constitutional role as Fountain of Honour under Article 99 of the Constitution of Uganda. The Alebtong rally will form part of a wider campaign trail across Lango. The President will begin his regional tour on Wednesday, 1 October, in Amolatar District, before proceeding to Dokolo later the same day. On 2 October, he is scheduled to visit Otuke before concluding with Alebtong. The tour continues on 3 October in Apac and Kwania Districts, then on 6 October in Kole, Lira District, and Lira City, before heading to Oyam on 7 October. The President is expected to proceed to Pakwach District after completing his engagements in Lango. Lutwama has urged residents in Alebtong to turn up in large numbers to listen to the President’s message and participate in what they described as a “historic occasion” for the district. Source

By Denis Omiji Dokolo, Uganda | Uganda’s Ambassador to South Africa, Hon. Paul Amoru Omiat, has rallied the people of Dokolo and the wider Lango sub-region to turn out in large numbers as President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni kicks off his presidential campaign trail. Speaking to a journalist on Monday ahead of the President’s visit, Amoru said Museveni’s choice to launch his campaigns in Lango is not only symbolic but also a blessing that the region must embrace with pride. He noted that beginning in Dokolo reflects the NRM government’s recognition of Lango’s role in shaping Uganda’s political and development agenda. Amoru described the moment as a great opportunity for the sub-region to demonstrate unity and support, adding that the gesture places Lango at the centre of national attention. He also commended President Museveni and the ruling NRM party for what he termed visionary leadership that has secured Uganda and steered socio-economic transformation. According to him, Uganda today stands out as a unique country because of the peace and progress achieved under the President’s stewardship. President Museveni will officially open his campaign tour in Amolatar District on October 1 before addressing supporters at Dokolo Technical School later the same day. His tour will then take him to Otuke and Alebtong on October 2, Apac and Kwania on October 3, Kole, Lira and Lira City on October 6, and Oyam on October 7, before heading to Pakwach. Source

Lira, Uganda | Police in the North Kyoga region have warned against planned riots reportedly being organized by a section of Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) supporters, following reports that party president Jimmy Michael James Akena will not appear on the ballot for the upcoming presidential race. According to intelligence, the protests are expected to begin on September 29, 2025, in Lira City before spreading to other districts across the region. Authorities say the planned assembly point is at the residence of Akena in Senior Quarters, Lira City. North Kyoga Regional Police spokesperson SP Patrick Jimmy Okema said the organisers have not issued any formal communication or notification to the office of the Inspector General of Police as required by law. He described the planned demonstrations as illegal. He assured the public that the region remains peaceful and cautioned those intending to disrupt the peace that security agencies are ready to act. He urged residents to remain calm and law-abiding, adding that anyone found inciting or participating in illegal assemblies will be arrested and prosecuted. Okema further appealed to citizens to respect the rule of law and to report any suspicious individuals to the nearest police station. He noted that security agencies are prepared to handle anyone seeking to destabilize the region in accordance with the law. He also revealed that all territorial commands in North Kyoga have been instructed to remain on alert and act accordingly to safeguard peace in the region. Source

By Bob Marley Achura “Despite decades of research, innovation, and proven tools, Africa still loses hundreds of thousands of women and children to malaria, a crisis of financing, policy, and sustained national action.” The graveyard in that small northern Ugandan village is a quiet injustice. Tiny graves, each with a single wooden cross, line the red earth. In one of them is Amos, three years old. He did not die for lack of science. He died because a fever that should have been preventable met a health system that was not ready, a house that let mosquitoes in at night, and a family for whom a bed net was a luxury they could not always afford. Across East Africa, stories like Grace’s, the mother of Amos, a bright 7-year-old boy from northern Uganda, are tragically familiar. Amos’s laughter used to light up his home, but malaria struck him down one rainy season, robbing him of his childhood and leaving his mother in despair. Malaria is an old enemy we understand intimately: the parasite, the mosquito vector, the tools that work. We have insecticide-treated nets, rapid diagnostic tests, effective drugs, and now even vaccines. Yet in 2023, there were an estimated 263 million malaria cases and nearly 600,000 deaths globally, the overwhelming majority in Africa. This persistence is not a failure of science. It is a failure of systems, financing, and political will. The contrast with other parts of the world is sobering. In the early 20th century, the United States faced malaria as a major public health challenge. Yet through coordinated government-led campaigns, draining swamps, improving housing, vector control, and steady financing, malaria was eliminated as a domestic threat. Elimination was treated as a whole-of-government enterprise, not a donor project. In Africa, by contrast, malaria control has too often been approached as a temporary campaign or externally funded project rather than as a permanent national infrastructure. This explains why malaria remains entrenched in Africa while America and much of Europe moved past it decades ago. A closer look at financing tells an even more troubling story. Uganda allocates less than 0.5% of its annual health budget directly to malaria research, most of it directed at operational studies rather than innovation. Kenya spends approximately 0.6%, with most resources going to donor-supported projects rather than sustained national research programs. Rwanda, often praised for its strong health systems, still dedicates under 1% of its health research budget to malaria-focused innovation. Compare this with the United States, which invested more than $770 million in malaria research through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2022 alone. The scale of difference is staggering: Africa, where over 90% of malaria cases and deaths occur, invests only a fraction of what high-income countries that eliminated malaria decades ago continue to spend on malaria science. This imbalance has profound consequences. Instead of leading with African-driven innovations, we often remain dependent on solutions shaped elsewhere. Multinational pharmaceutical companies thrive on curative markets, selling millions of doses of antimalarial drugs each year, while preventive measures and local research receive little financing. These dynamic risks trap Africa in a cycle where treating malaria is more profitable than eliminating it, even as women and children continue to die unnecessarily. But malaria elimination in Africa is possible. What is missing is not technology but the prioritization of malaria as a permanent national investment. Governments in Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda must dramatically scale up domestic financing for malaria research, committing at least 5% of national health research budgets to malaria innovation over the next five years. This funding should support community-driven solutions, such as locally designed mosquito-control technologies, housing improvements to block mosquito entry, and integration of indigenous knowledge with modern science. The private sector also has an untapped role. Telecom companies, agribusiness, and local industries can be incentivized through tax breaks or public-private partnerships to invest in malaria elimination. Universities and innovation hubs, where young Africans are already building robots, drones, and AI systems, should be empowered to direct that ingenuity toward malaria surveillance, vector control, and vaccine delivery. Donors and development partners must also change their approach. Malaria funding cannot remain donor-driven “projects” that rise and fall with grant cycles. Instead, they must align with national strategies, strengthen long-term systems, and invest in African-led research institutions that will own the solutions. The lesson from the United States and other malaria-free nations is clear: malaria elimination must be treated as a nation-building priority, not a donor-funded program. East African governments must rise to the challenge by committing to sustainable financing, empowering communities to innovate, and building public-private coalitions that see malaria elimination not as charity but as a national imperative. Grace, like millions of African mothers, does not need another temporary campaign or donor slogan. She needs assurance that her child’s death was not in vain, that Africa, with all its ingenuity and resilience, will finally make malaria not just controllable, but history. Source

Dokolo, Uganda | The Dokolo North United Boda-boda Association has vowed to support President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and all NRM flagbearers in the 2026 general election if government addresses their key demands. The commitment was made on Saturday, 27 September, during a meeting in Rego-rego organised by Joseph Jones Ogwal, the NRM flagbearer for Dokolo North Constituency MP, ahead of President Museveni’s campaign tour in Lango subregion in early October. The riders, through their interim chairperson, Okello Bosco, appealed to the president to intervene in the high cost of motorcycle loans. They said many of them are forced to pay more than Shs 9 million for a single motorcycle due to high interest rates charged by loan providers. They also asked for financial support to strengthen their SACCO accounts so members could borrow at lower rates and requested assistance in obtaining riding permits and reflector jackets for easier identification. The association further pledged to contribute to voter mobilisation during the upcoming elections and to assist in maintaining local security. Joseph Jones Ogwal, NRM Flagbearer for Dokolo North Constituency MP, said his earlier engagement with boda-boda groups during the NRM primaries revealed that most riders were trapped in debt, working only to pay loan providers and ending up with nothing once repayments were completed. He noted that he had already supported some of them with reflector jackets and small SACCO contributions but emphasised that unity among riders would be critical. He pointed out that President Museveni had extended support to organised boda-boda groups in other regions and argued that riders in Dokolo would also benefit if they present themselves as a united association. Ogwal also encouraged them to dress in yellow to welcome the president when he visits the district. Adongo Jenet Elau, NRM flagbearer for Dokolo District Woman MP, explained that the meeting was intended to capture the concerns of the riders so that they could be submitted to the president. She urged the association to prepare a written list of their demands for formal presentation. The meeting brought together three representatives from every boda-boda stage in the constituency, highlighting the growing political influence of the riders in Dokolo North. President Museveni will begin his campaign tour of Lango on Wednesday, 1 October, in Amolatar District before proceeding to Dokolo later the same day. He will then visit Otuke and Alebtong on 2 October, Apac and Kwania on 3 October, Kole, Lira and Lira City on 6 October, and Oyam District on 7 October before moving on to Pakwach. Source

Soroti, Uganda | Soroti City Health Officer (CHO), Dr. Alfred Anyonga, has called on the Ministry of Health to provide more support to Clinison Medical Centre, praising the facility for its professionalism, consistent reporting, and contribution to healthcare delivery in Eastern Uganda. Dr. Anyonga revealed this during the eye screening launch drive at Clinison Medical Centre on 27-9-2025 at the facility premises in Owalei, Opuyo, Soroti City, under the theme “Protect Your Sight, Test Regularly.” He noted that at the end of every reporting cycle, Clinison submits comprehensive data on mothers attended and babies immunised. These reports convince him to take the case to the ministry and advocate for more government support for the facility. He described Clinison as a trusted healthcare partner. Although a private facility, Clinison has been authorised to provide services beyond eye care, including child vaccinations, maternity, and antenatal care. The CHO highlighted that the centre has been shortlisted to benefit from government-provided vaccines, enabling babies delivered at the facility to access immunisation free of charge. He also commended the facility’s registered practitioners, noting that their professionalism reassures patients of safe and quality care. Dr. Anyonga encouraged Clinison to broaden its services in line with Uganda’s integrated healthcare model, observing that a specialist today may still have to assist a mother in labour tomorrow. Clinison CEO, Dr. Jane Agwaru, welcomed guests and stressed the importance of regular eye tests in preventing blindness and complications linked to diabetes and hypertension. She noted that many people seek eye care only after symptoms appear, often too late. With over 1.4 million people in Uganda suffering from preventable vision impairment or blindness due to conditions such as cataracts, Clinison aims to screen at least 10,000 people by 2030. She further highlighted partnerships with transport companies to test drivers’ vision, pointing out that poor eyesight contributes to road accidents, and reported that the facility will extend the visual field testing to over 180 drivers from Kakise, YY Bus Companies and other transport service providers in Teso Sub region. Clinison Chief Operations Officer, Jimmy Julius Mubiri, said the launch marked a milestone in the centre’s efforts to improve eye health. He explained that the initiative seeks to educate the community and encourage regular eye checks even in the absence of symptoms. Mubiri called on residents to participate in awareness campaigns, emphasizing the campaign’s theme of protecting sight through regular testing. Soroti District Health Inspector, Ekodeu Emmanuel, welcomed the programme, noting that residents previously had to travel as far as Tororo for eye care services. He described the initiative as a privilege for the Teso region and urged the community to embrace the services while promoting education in the sciences to enable more such initiatives. The launch reinforces Clinison’s role as a private health facility complementing government efforts in maternal health, immunisation, and now eye care across Eastern Uganda. Source