Parched Earth in Africa

With climate change still a major global challenge pausing threats to the eco-systems and natural resources that support livelihoods on the earth, Uganda, after the December Paris climate change meeting, has finally ratified the Paris agreement under the UN framework convention on climate change which now compels Uganda to re-commit herself to the global efforts to mitigate climate change. According to the information minister, the ratification also implies that Uganda has re-commited herself to incorporating environment protection, resilience and adaptation components in its development programmes and projects and cabinet has been ordered foreign affairs ministry to go ahead to ratify the agreement.

Hash climate conditions have over the years manifested in Uganda with the recent being the Kasese floods, Teso floods, long droughts, landslides in mountain Elgon among others. And with Uganda being a signatory to the 195 member UN frame work convention on climate change (UNFCCC) which came into force in 1994 which demands that Uganda curtails greenhouse gas emissions that trap heat contributing to global warming.

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Addressing reporters shortly opening a justice hearing tribunal on Climate Change, the Disaster Preparedness State Minister Musa Ecweru revealed that government has entered into partnership with Israelis to establish an emergency centre to scale up the management of disasters.

 Ecweru said that government has invited the experts on disaster management from Israel who will share their skills with the local team to be coordinated by Major General Dr Julius Oketa to respond better to calamities like floods and Mudslides.

 Meanwhile Ecweru revealed that the ministry is yet to implement a presidential directive on the public misuse of Wetlands that has resulted into rampant floods in some parts of the country.

 The Finance and Administration Manager at the African Women’s Economic Policy Network Joyce Nsubuga says that women are affected most by climate change.

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Floods at a school in Uganda

From the first time a child joins school, everyone’s hope and dream is that they make it to each final level class and graduate to the next. Many resources go into this endeavour; fees, tutorials, books, pencils, advice – everything needed to have a success story. This is not a one man job – there are relatives, guardians, teachers, friends, government officials, and others that play their role, directly or indirectly, for the pupil to attain success.

Then comes D-day. A long awaited time. The day to prove worthy of all the investment put in. The first batch of pupils I will talk about woke up early in the morning, put on their uniforms – the cleanest they have ever been, got on their way to school but did not reach because the incessant rain flooded the roads rendering them impassable. The pupils miss the papers because they could not get to school. The second set of pupils, in another region of the country, made it safe to school, sat for the paper but did not get to finish because the rain disrupted the examination.

In a country where only 30% of those who enroll in Primary One reach the first final level stage (Primary Seven), according to Ministry of Education Statistics, one would think that all effort would go into making sure that the few who remain in the system are afforded every chance to excel, like making sure schools are accessible and functional in all weather. Not so it seems.

In many cases, I believe, Uganda is a self-defeating nation.

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Besigye says he recently interacted with an old man on Entebbe road and the man told him that for every government in Uganda to come to an end, many unusual things have to happen first. Besigye says that the unusual things the old man talked about are already happening.

He gave an example of butterflies which recently hit and destroyed plantations in Namakweke Village in Mbale District.

The origins of the butterflies (or ebiwojjolo in Luganda) is not known but they hit Mbale District in the last two or more weeks. Besigye cited many other unusual things that have taken Ugandans by surprise. They include jiggers in Busoga, floods, accidents, and mysterious death.

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Many people lie in hospitals suffering from leukemia. Their eyes and lips many times they become pale, their limbs thin and their heads bald.

The doctors say that the people suffering from leukemia many times have teary eyes. Leukemia sometimes is referred to as cancer of the blood.

According to James Kafeero, an oncologist at the Uganda Cancer Institute, in Mulago Hospital (Uganda), childhood leukemia is on the rise in the country. He says that the hospital at least diagnoses two people every day. Leukemia according to the doctors contributes to at least 15% of childhood cancers in the east African third economy (Uganda).

Dr. Kafeero however says that leukemia is one of the curable childhood cancers, if it is diagnosed early enough and treated in time. Leukemia comes when white blood cells are produced in the bone marrow and the blood floods.

By Walakira Nyanzi

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