Two feared dead, roads cut off as R.Nyamwamba bursts banks

Two people are feared dead, and several roads have been rendered impassable in Kasese Municipality, western Uganda, after River Nyamwamba burst its banks following heavy rainfall on Saturday.

The floods have devastated at least four villages and affected over 1,000 households, with more than 250 houses submerged in Nyamwamba Division, according to the Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS).

The worst-hit areas include Kisanga A, Saluti, and Mumbuzi cells, where many recently rehabilitated roads have been severely damaged. Residents and workers are struggling to access their homes and businesses. Fred Baluku, a resident of Kisanga A Cell, shared his frustration at being unable to drive home after the road leading to his house developed large gullies due to the flooding.

"As you see, you can't drive or ride to these houses, so I have to stop at Crescent Road junction and walk home…" Baluku explained.

Justine Kamahanga, who works at Mawa Market, said she now leaves work earlier than usual, as her home remains surrounded by water days after the floods.

Elias Byamungu, the Kasese district chief administrative officer (CAO), stated that efforts are underway to mobilize resources to repair the damaged roads. Authorities also plan to clear part of the river to widen its bed and help manage future floodwaters.

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Man stabbed to death while having sex with married woman

Police in Mubende district have launched a manhunt for Khalisiti Mutatina, who is accused of stabbing to death his wife's lover, Ignitious Nyansiyo, in a fit of rage on Saturday night.

According to various reports provided to police, Mutatina had been working in Kagadi district and was always returning home to his wife either fortnightly or monthly. However, on Saturday, Mutatina returned home unexpectedly around 9 pm and was shocked to find his wife in their marital bedroom, engaging in an extramarital affair with Nyansiyo.

Angered, Mutatina allegedly grabbed a knife and repeatedly stabbed Nyansiyo, ultimately killing him on his matrimonial bed. By the time the attack occurred, Mutatina's wife had already fled the house, leaving her lover at the mercy of her enraged husband.

"It was around 9 pm when the husband returned home and found his wife with another man. We suspect one of our neighbours may have tipped off Mutatina, prompting him to return without informing his wife. This affair had been ongoing for a while," one of the locals reportedly told detectives.

Racheal Kawala, Wamala Regional police spokesperson said that after the gruesome incident, both the suspect and his wife fled the scene.

"We were informed about the incident and immediately responded to the crime scene. The body of the deceased was found lying in the suspect's marital bed. His body has been taken to Mubende Regional Referral Hospital for a postmortem," Kawala stated.

Mubende police have since issued an alert to their counterparts in the neighbouring districts of Kassanda, Mityana, Kakumiro, Kibaale, and Kagadi to arrest Mutatina on sight for Nyansiyo's murder. 

Every year, Uganda loses over 300 people to domestic violence, with infidelity being one of the leading contributors. Both men and women have been killed by their spouses or by those with whom their spouses were having affairs.

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Debt-ridden Rwangyezi appeals to Museveni to save Ndere Centre

Legendary actor and performing artist Stephen Rwangyezi has appealed for President Yoweri Museveni's intervention to save Ndere Cultural Centre from going under the hammer over an accumulated debt of Shs 10.5bn.

Rwangyezi, the founder of the famed Ndere Troupe in 1984, says they are on the brink of losing a cultural heritage facility located in Kisaasi after failing to service a Shs 6.8bn loan from the Uganda Development Bank (UDB) in 2019.

He blames the Covid-19 pandemic for stalling their expansion plans to include a resort in Kisoro as well as a hotel in Bbira along Mityana Road.

"We obtained this loan from UDB. We did not squander the money, but the Covid-19 pandemic struck. Covid-19 killed the troupe, killed the centre's operations and killed the construction works," he says.

"However, we have rejuvenated the centre, revitalized the troupe, and successfully completed the construction of the Kisoro resort. Please, Your Excellency, take away this rock around our neck. Please take the loan away. If it is not possible, give us time to reorganize ourselves at the bank. We shall surely fundraise through equity selling, through business operations, through public fundraising, and we shall pay this loan."

It remains unclear whether Museveni will bail out Rwangyezi as he has done with other businessmen before, but there is a looming fear that if the cultural centre goes, it will rob Ugandans of the grand tourist attraction and heritage centre in Kampala, which serves about 600-1000 tourists on any given weekend.

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Karuma Bridge to be closed to all traffic for repair works

Karuma Bridge, the connecting link between northern Uganda and the rest of the country, is set to be closed for extensive repair works, according to the minister of State for Works and Transport, Musa Ecweru.

In April this year, the bridge was temporarily closed to heavy vehicles after an assessment revealed significant structural defects. The government has since contracted the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) and China Seventh Railway Group to undertake repairs, with a completion timeline of three months.

Addressing concerns from legislators about the deteriorating state of the bridge, Ecweru informed parliament during a mobile session in Gulu that rehabilitation efforts have already begun beneath the bridge. The next phase will involve surface repairs, prompting the need for a full closure to all traffic in the coming weeks. While the exact duration of the closure remains unspecified, Ecweru suggested that it could extend for several weeks.

Ecweru warned that any time from now, the bridge could cave in, especially with active traffic. So far, the government has mobilized Shs 6.8 billion of the Shs 7.9 billion needed for the repair works. Ecweru also mentioned that the government is collaborating with the Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) to construct a new bridge over the River Nile, though he did not provide specific details about the project's timeline.

The announcement comes after parliament approved a report from the sectoral committee on physical infrastructure, which called for the urgent rehabilitation of the Karuma Bridge. The committee emphasized that the continued closure of the bridge severely hinders the development of northern Uganda, as it is a vital route connecting the midwestern, northern, and West Nile sub-regions.

An assessment by the committee revealed that critical components of the bridge, including the bearings and expansion joints, were worn out, and structural cracks had formed beneath the structure. Although the repair contract was scheduled to commence on July 15, 2024, the committee found that the physical progress of the work stood at only 1.02 per cent against a planned 2.20 per cent.

According to the Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra) the ongoing rehabilitation works beneath the bridge deck include restoring the bridge's strength and longevity by re-fitting and strengthening the steel structures and applying protective measures to prevent corrosion.

Kibanda North MP Linos Ngompek urged the government to provide an alternative route, suggesting the newly constructed bridge at the Karuma hydropower plant as a viable option. He noted that the current alternative route through Murchison Falls National Park is lengthy and costly.

Speaker of parliament Anita Among tasked the Transport minister with fast-tracking the sectoral committee's recommendations on infrastructure in northern Uganda and reporting back to the House within two weeks.

"We need action on the roads, improvement in water transport as an alternative, and prompt attention to all the infrastructure issues we have raised," Among emphasized.

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