Ebong Michael

Lira, Uganda | The Paramount Chief of Lango Cultural Institution, Dr. Eng. Moses Michael Odongo Okune, has cautioned cultural leaders against engaging in political violence as Uganda heads into a tense election season. He made the remarks during the enthronement of Agong Ray Bruno as the fifth Awitong of the Bako Parakwara Clan, an event that drew dignitaries, clan leaders, and community members from across the Lango sub-region. Dr. Odongo Okune reminded leaders of their role as custodians of peace and tradition, urging them to remain neutral in political affairs. He said cultural institutions should instead promote unity, reconciliation, and development at a time when the country faces heightened political competition. The Paramount Chief further underscored the importance of collaboration between cultural institutions and government, saying such partnerships were vital for accelerating socio-economic transformation in Lango. At the same ceremony, the Minister for Culture at the Lango Cultural Institution, Peter Okello Oyo, called for reconciliation among dissenting voices still outside the institution. He said unity within cultural structures was essential for stability in the wider community. The newly enthroned Awitong, Agong Ray Bruno, pledged to focus his leadership on poverty eradication through sustainable agriculture. With a background in rural development, he currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Oil Seed Producers and Processors Association (UOSPA), where he has championed oilseed production across Northern Uganda. Rev. Joel Agel Awio, the newly sworn-in Prime Minister of the Bako Parakwara Clan, hailed the election process as free and fair. He noted that clan members aged 18 and above were allowed to vote in a structured process that involved designated polling stations, ballot papers, and oversight mechanisms to ensure credibility. With more than 33,000 members across 10 districts, the Bako Parakwara Clan is among the most influential in Lango. Leaders at the event said unity, strong leadership, and collaboration would lay the foundation for peace and prosperity in the sub-region. Community elders praised Awitong Agong for his integrity and forward-looking agenda in education, agriculture, and business, expressing optimism that his reign would not only consolidate clan harmony but also contribute to the broader development of Lango. Source

Lira, Uganda | A pediatric surgical camp at Lira Regional Referral Hospital has surpassed its initial targets, offering life-changing operations to hundreds of children from across northern Uganda. In the first week alone, more than 400 children underwent surgery, compared to the hospital’s original two-week target of 600. Over 2,000 children have been screened, with many more still waiting. The camp, organized by Love Without Boundaries Uganda in partnership with the hospital, focuses on correcting congenital conditions such as hernias, hydroceles, undescended testes, and anal malformations. Dr. Andrew Odur, the Acting Hospital Director, said the high turnout had overwhelmed projections. He explained that the hospital now expects to operate on between 800 and 900 children by the close of the camp. Hospital officials noted that while hernia and hydrocele cases were the main focus, urgent conditions outside the initial scope, such as imperforate anus, have also been handled. Pediatric surgeon Dr. Charles Newton Odongo said turning away such children was not an option. The initiative comes at a time when the region faces a shortage of specialized pediatric surgical services. Currently, the hospital operates with only a few surgeons, who have been working long hours to meet the overwhelming demand. Love Without Boundaries Uganda director Ronald Ssejjuuko said the need for pediatric surgery in northern Uganda remains “beyond charity.” He recalled that last year’s camp in Lira managed 550 operations, yet many children were left unattended. This year’s response, he said, confirms the urgent need for government and development partners to step in. Families welcomed the intervention, saying it had lifted years of pain, stigma, and uncertainty. Some mothers said their children had missed out on school or play because of untreated conditions, while others worried about the future health of their children. Despite the camp’s success, hospital management pointed to challenges of limited space and equipment. Dr. Odur said the experience demonstrates the urgent need for a dedicated pediatric surgical unit in the hospital to deal with what he described as a widespread public health problem. Lira Regional Referral Hospital officials are confident the number of operations will exceed the initial projections as the camp enters its final days. They have assured families that children who miss out during this round will be scheduled for future routine surgeries. Source

Masaka, Uganda | The Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) has used the 17th edition of the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Cup not only to promote sports but also to deepen cooperation with communities through an environmental campaign in Masaka. In Kijjabwemi, soldiers joined local residents in planting trees, an initiative aimed at fostering trust and building stronger bonds between the army and civilians. Major General Deus Sande, Commander of the Armoured Division, said the exercise symbolised a significant shift in relations. He noted that in the past, civilians would often flee upon seeing a soldier, but the current collaboration reflected a new spirit of unity. He added that the exercise was designed as a model of community engagement, intended to encourage wider participation in environmental protection. Brigadier General Richard Karemire, Joint Staff Education, Sports and Culture, linked the drive to wider national and global concerns. He explained that the UPDF was committed to working with residents to confront the challenges of climate change. He also stressed the importance of sensitising communities about waste management, especially reducing plastic pollution, as a way of complementing tree planting efforts. Masaka Resident City Commissioner, Ahamada Washaki, expressed gratitude to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the Commander-in-Chief of the UPDF, for promoting initiatives that combine security with community welfare. He also commended the army for demonstrating discipline and leadership beyond the battlefield. The event attracted UPDF officers at all ranks, government officials, and members of the public, reinforcing the role of the CDF Cup as more than a sporting competition. Organisers said the annual tournament increasingly served as a platform for outreach, showcasing the army’s commitment to social responsibility and national development. Source

Dokolo, Uganda | Police in Dokolo District have arrested 22 suspects in an intelligence-led cordon and search operation conducted on August 30, 2025, within Dokolo Town Council. The North Kyoga Regional Police spokesperson, SP Patrick Jimmy Okema, said the operation targeted gangs believed to be behind a series of criminal activities in the area. Nineteen men and three women were apprehended. During the search, police recovered several exhibits including marijuana, a pair of military shoes classified as government stores, and dangerous weapons such as a panga. Screening of the suspects was carried out in the presence of local leaders. Three individuals were released, while 19 had their statements recorded. Their case files are being compiled for submission to the Resident State Attorney (RSA) for perusal and legal guidance. Okema explained that police will continue with similar operations to dismantle criminal gangs and appealed to community members for support in order to ensure a crime-free society. He emphasized that the police’s commitment towards the safety of the community has been tested and pledged continued vigilance with the backing of all stakeholders. Source

Dokolo, Uganda | Joseph Jones Ogwal, the NRM Flag Bearer for Dokolo North County, has congratulated Hon. Denis Hamson Obua on his election to the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) for Northern Uganda. In a statement issued Thursday, 28th August 2025, Ogwal described Obua’s victory as a “significant personal achievement” that reflects his continued commitment to serving the people of Uganda, particularly the Northern Region and Lango Subregion. Ogwal pledged the support of Dokolo North for Obua, noting the importance of working with President Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the NRM Party to mobilize more votes in Lango and across Northern Uganda ahead of the 2026 general elections. He also emphasized that political struggles come with lessons and expressed confidence that Obua will pursue inclusive and multi-polar engagement to win hearts and minds among both political and non-political actors, building momentum for the party’s success. Ogwal reaffirmed his full support for Obua and the NRM, declaring: “Alluta continua. Long live NRM. Long live Gen. YK Museveni.” Obua clinched the CEC Northern Uganda seat defeating notable contenders including Sam Engola and Dan Kidega. Observers say his decisive win reflects strong support from NRM delegates and represents a major boost for the party in Northern Uganda as it prepares for the 2026 general elections. Source

Lira, Uganda | The Ministry of Internal Affairs has reaffirmed its commitment to decentralising immigration services across the country, following the conclusion of a two-day sensitisation and awareness campaign in Lira City. Locals in Attendance of Immigration Sensitisation Clinic at Lira City Mayor’s Garden The exercise, held on 28–29 August 2025 at the Mayor’s Garden, was organised by the Lira Immigration Office and attracted more than 700 residents. It provided information on passport applications, visas, residence permits, citizenship verification, and the handling of illegal immigration cases. Officials said the initiative is part of a nationwide effort to ease congestion at central offices in Kampala and Gulu and bring services closer to communities. Deputy Immigration Officer for Lira, Ecun Emmanuel, said the outreach helped clarify procedures on passport applications and replacements for lost or damaged documents, as well as broader immigration requirements. Lira District Deputy RDC, Abang Beatrice Molly Kia, encouraged residents to maximise the opportunity, adding that officers from Kampala and Gulu were available throughout the programme to provide expert guidance. Clan leaders in attendance, however, pressed for a permanent immigration office in the Lango subregion. Speaking on their behalf, Sam Okeng, Clan Head of Okide-Me-Ogole, said mobile services are useful but inadequate, as residents still bear the cost of long trips to Kampala. Local business figures echoed the demand, Harriet Amongin, a trader in Lira, said a regional office would cut the cost of travel and time lost when seeking travel documents. Gulu Immigration Officer Ameny George Owalinga said the outreach was designed to improve public understanding of immigration services, stressing that decentralisation remains a key goal of the Ministry. The Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control is mandated to issue passports, visas, residence permits, and travel documents, verify Ugandan citizenship, and manage investigations into illegal immigration. Officials confirmed that more sensitisation campaigns will be rolled out in other regions to support improved service delivery. Source

By Walter Okello Soroti, Uganda | In a sweeping operation across Uganda’s North Eastern Region, the National Drug Authority (NDA) has dealt a major financial blow to the illegal drug trade, confiscating over 200 boxes of medicines valued at more than UGX 100 million (roughly USD 27,000). The week-long enforcement campaign, spanning Soroti, Ngora, Bukedea, Kaberamaido, and Moroto districts, targeted unlicensed drug outlets profiting from the unregulated sale of pharmaceuticals, shutting down over 20 facilities, including five pharmacies, and arresting five individuals for operating without valid licenses. Samuel Kyomukama, the NDA’s Head of Enforcement said the illicit drug market, fueled by unlicensed operators, has been a growing concern, with substandard and mishandled medicines flooding communities and generating substantial profits for illegal vendors. He added that the NDA’s seizure of medicines worth millions underscores the scale of this underground economy, which thrives at the expense of public health. “These operators are not just breaking the law. They’re profiting off unsafe drugs that endanger lives,” Kyomukama uttered. He says this  operation hits their bottom line and sends a strong message. ”The impounded medicines, often stored improperly or dispensed by unqualified personnel, pose serious risks, including treatment failures and antimicrobial resistance, which can drive up healthcare costs for families and the government”. Abiaz Rwamwiri, NDA’s Public Relations Manager, said that by removing these drugs from circulation, the NDA is protecting Ugandans from financial losses tied to ineffective treatments and health complications. “When you buy from unlicensed outlets, you’re gambling with your money and your health,” he said. “Safe medicines from licensed pharmacies save both lives and wallets and the operation conducted under the National Drug Policy and Authority Act, Cap 198, targeted operators violating licensing requirements which  ensure proper handling and storage of medicines” Abiaz added. Tom Makumbi, Regional Inspector of Drugs, directed affected operators to visit its North Eastern regional office in Soroti City to comply with regulations and reclaim their seized stock. Makumbi encouraged the public to purchase medicines only from licensed pharmacies and drug shops, which they believe knows how to handle health related cases  by prescribing recommended drug to patients. Source

In Lango and Acholi, vague diagnoses and reckless prescriptions are turning clinics into breeding grounds for superbugs. By Dr. Bob Marley Achura In a private clinic in Lira last month, 5-year-old Ocen was tested for his persistent fever. The lab report came back stamped with a familiar phrase: “bacterial infection.” His mother, relieved, asked the doctor which bacteria was responsible. The reply was vague: “It’s just bacteria.” Moments later, she was handed a prescription for ciprofloxacin and sent home. Two days later, Ocen’s fever was worse. When finally tested for malaria at another facility, the truth emerged. He had never had a bacterial infection at all. This is the quiet scandal across Acholi and Lango subregions. Patients often go through the ritual of laboratory testing, yet the results almost always arrive with two labels: “bacterial infection” or “typhoid fever.” Rarely do they name the specific bacteria involved. When pressed, doctors grow elusive. Which bacteria is it? Resistant or sensitive to which drugs? The answers are never given, but the prescriptions come quickly, powerful antibiotics handed over without scientific clarity. What appears to be modern medicine is, in truth, a dangerous guessing game. Families like Akello’s in Gulu Town know this pain well. Her nine-year-old daughter battled recurrent fevers for months. Every visit produced the same test results, the same antibiotics, and no lasting recovery. The real diagnosis of viral infection came only after her condition deteriorated. By then, her immunity was weakened, and her family’s savings were drained. James, a boda-boda rider in Kitgum, tells a similar story. His stomach pains earned him a “typhoid fever” result at a private lab, followed by rounds of antibiotics that did nothing. When he sought care from a regional hospital, the truth was finally revealed: he was suffering from a parasitic infection. The antibiotics had not only been useless but harmful, disrupting his gut health and worsening his recovery. Even healthcare workers are not spared. Margaret, a nurse in Lira, once confided how she struggled with a persistent cough. Each test came back as “bacterial infection,” and each doctor scribbled a different antibiotic. Only much later did she learn she had a fungal infection that no antibiotic could ever cure. As she put it, “I am a nurse, but I realized I had been gambling with my own health.” The Resistance Crisis Nobody Talks About: Every unnecessary prescription feeds a monster: antimicrobial resistance (AMR). At Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, Dr. Peter Olwoch has seen resistance grow before his eyes: “Ten years ago, urinary tract infections responded to cotrimoxazole. Today, more than 70% of cases resist it. Families now pay for expensive second-line drugs, if they can afford them.” The statistics are grim: 73% resistance to cotrimoxazole among E. coli in Northern Uganda 65% resistance to ampicillin in common bacterial infections 40% failure rate in patients presumptively treated for ‘bacteria’ This isn’t just wasteful, it’s deadly. When antibiotics are truly needed, they may no longer work.  The Economic Toll on Families: The antibiotic lottery is bleeding families dry. A bacterial culture test costs UGX 25,000, yet a UBOS study found that households in Northern Uganda spend an average of UGX 85,000 annually on inappropriate antibiotics. Families are paying more for wrong treatment than they would for accurate diagnosis. For Margaret Atim, a market vendor in Lira, the frustration is endless: “My daughter gets sick, we test, and they say bacteria. If she doesn’t get better, we test again, still bacteria. More antibiotics. By the time she recovers, I have spent money meant for school fees.” In Kole, farmer Patrick recalls spending UGX 100,000 in three weeks on antibiotics for what turned out to be dengue fever. “I nearly sold my cow,” he admits, “for the wrong medicine.” Why Doctors Keep Prescribing in the Dark: It isn’t incompetence, it’s systemic failure: Laboratory deserts: One functional microbiology lab per 500,000 people, compared to WHO’s one per 100,000. Time pressure: Doctors in rural areas see 60–100 patients daily. Waiting 3–5 days for accurate results feels impossible. Patient expectations: Communities equate “no prescription” with “no treatment.” Pharmaceutical pressure: Some clinics get incentives for high-volume antibiotic sales. As Dr. Charles Okot at Lacor Hospital notes: “Without reliable labs, every fever becomes ‘bacterial’ or ‘typhoid.’ It’s easier to write antibiotics than to admit we don’t know.” These stories and statistics point to a systemic failure. The medical act of diagnosing has been reduced to vague labels that justify prescriptions rather than illuminate causes. A fever could be viral, parasitic, or bacterial, but in northern Uganda, it is almost always branded “bacterial infection” or “typhoid fever.” The consequences are profound: antibiotics are wasted, resistance spreads silently, and patients lose both health and trust. This is not just about medical accuracy; it is about justice. Communities in Acholi and Lango deserve healthcare that respects science, transparency, and dignity. They deserve to know not just that they are sick, but what exactly is making them sick. Every vague diagnosis chips away at trust in the health system. Every reckless prescription pushes us closer to a future where antibiotics no longer work. The solution lies in deliberate reforms. District and national authorities must invest in well-equipped laboratories capable of identifying specific pathogens, not just rubber-stamping “bacterial infection.” Private clinics, where shortcuts are most common, need tighter regulation to ensure that diagnoses and prescriptions follow clinical guidelines rather than profit motives. Above all, patients must be empowered to ask questions and demand clear explanations before swallowing a prescription. Every patient has the right to know whether they are fighting E. coli, Staphylococcus, or a viral infection that doesn’t require antibiotics at all. If Northern Uganda fails to act, the misuse of antibiotics will quietly erode the effectiveness of the very drugs that keep families alive. But with stronger labs, stricter oversight, and patient-centred care, the region can break this dangerous cycle and preserve antibiotics for the battles that truly require them. The choice is urgent, and the cost of inaction will be measured in

Kampala, Uganda | Col. Dr. John Francis Ongia, a resident of Alwala village in Burakwana Parish, Namasale Subcounty, Amolatar District, has been elected unopposed as Vice Chairman of the NRM Veterans League for Northern Uganda. He was confirmed during the delegates’ conference held on August 26, 2025, at Kololo. Ongia pledged to use his new position to serve and unite veterans across the Lango, Acholi and West Nile subregions. He attributed his election to the knowledge and experience he possesses and expressed excitement at taking up the position. He commended the delegates who supported and endorsed him. Alongside his new role, Ongia has picked nomination forms to contest for the Kioga County parliamentary seat, having done so on August 18, 2025. He is expected to launch his campaigns in September. He dismissed suggestions that his election as Vice Chairman of the Veterans League would stop him from contesting for Parliament. He explained that the position instead gives him an advantage in lobbying for development. According to Ongia, the NRM government needs leaders who are well connected and able to deliver. He believes his role in the Veterans League will strengthen his ability to push for services such as hospitals, schools and other infrastructure in Amolatar. Ongia will now face stiff competition from incumbent Kioga County MP Moses Jr Okot Bitek of the FDC, NRM flagbearer Felix Adupa Ongwech, UPC’s Collins Angwech, among others. He called on the people of Kioga and Amolatar to support his bid, stressing that the area has lagged behind for too long and now requires a lobbyist with strong government links to move it forward. Source

Oyam, Uganda | The territorial police in Oyam District are pursuing a 24-year-old man accused of attacking and seriously injuring another resident in Iceme Town Council. The suspect, identified as Aremo Tobby, is wanted on allegations of cutting Ojok Patrick (26), a resident of Akao-idebe “A” Cell, Western Ward, Iceme Town Council. Police reports indicate that the incident occurred in the early hours of August 29, 2025, when Ojok allegedly attempted to steal cows belonging to the suspect’s mother, Akullu Jusphine, which had been locked inside a semi-permanent structure. Preliminary findings revealed that the suspect, upon being alerted, emerged from his house armed with a panga and attacked the victim, inflicting multiple injuries on his right knee, left leg, both arms and ribs. The victim became too weak to walk and was only assisted hours later when the case was reported to Iceme Town Council Police Station at about 9:20am. He was rushed to Anyeke Health Centre IV for treatment, and a police medical form was issued for examination. The scene was later visited by the District Police Commander (DPC) Oyam and his team, and statements were recorded from key witnesses, including the suspect’s mother who filed the complaint. According to SP Patrick Jimmy Okema, the North Kyoga Regional Police PRO, efforts are underway to apprehend the suspect, who is still at large but known to the community. He further explained that police are appealing to the suspect and to anyone who may know his whereabouts to encourage him to report to the nearest police station to facilitate investigations. Source