In order to reduce cases of children with spina bifida and with hydrocephalus, the following interventions are recommended:

1. More sensitization is necessary to improve accessibility and inclusion of persons with spina bifida and hydrocephalus in society at national and local level. The celebration of world spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Day is one way to increase awareness in the wider public.

2. Public health facilities need to be equipped to the surgical and rehabilitation needs of children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. 3. Constructions of new buildings should follow the accessibility standards as developed by the Uganda National Action for Persons with Physical Disabilities, while existing buildings can be adapted using these standards.

4. More attention to inclusive education in teachers’ education, and provision of education materials fit for children with special needs will assist in creation of a more enabling environment in schools.

5. Health workers need to be informed about the specific needs of children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, and the importance of promoting folic acid use in women of child bearing age. In addition, there should be mandatory food fortification and this would be support y enacting a law to enforce it. Dr. Hamad Lubwama, the public relations officer of Uganda National Action for People with disabilities says that to understand the magnitude of the problem and success of

Intervention, birth defects such as spina bifida and hydrocephalus need to be registered at a national level.

Ends

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The Former Presidential Candidate in Uganda, Dr Kiiza Besigye was arrested on Tuesday morning and taken to Kira road Police station (a place which some Ugandans refer to as ‘torture Chamber’).

The Police said that Dr Besigye was arrested to stop him from using public transport (Public Taxi). But Dr Besigye’s car was attacked and damaged by some security operatives who were in plain clothes last Friday 1/03/2013.

What puzzles Ugandans most is that the same Police arrested Kiiza to stop him from using public transport well aware that his car was damaged and vandalized as police looked on.

Also Ugandans ask where in the world Police can arrest someone because he/she decided to travel by public transport? Police intercepted the former Forum for Democratic Change president at his home in Kasangati as he departed for court in Kampala.

Kampala North police chief, Steven Tanoi however says that Besigye was arrested because police had obtained information that Besigye was planning to cause mayhem in the city on his way to Buganda Road court where he faces charges.

Besigye was supposed to reappear in court on Tuesday in case he and others are accused of managing an unlawful assembly that led to the murder of an Assistant Inspector of Police (AIP) John Bosco Ariong.

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Rwakitura: Amos Kaguta, President Yoweri Museveni’s father died on Friday at International Hospital Kampala and president Museveni sobbed. Late Kaguta, 96, was admitted at the hospital last week.

Museveni in a message thanked all the doctors, friends and people who cared for late Kaguta in his ill moments. The sources at International Hospital Kampala, told us that the deceased died of abdominal pains and ulcers that got worsened due to the deceased’s advantaged age.

Museveni has described his late father as an enduring character and disciplinarian whom the Kaguta family and Uganda as a whole will greatly miss.

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The Lord Mayor of Kampala, Lawyer Erias Lukwago has threatened to sue the Uganda government owned media house, The New Vision for revealing his reported illegal business deals to public.

Lukwago says that it is now obvious that Mr. Kabushenga, the managing director of the New Vision is bent on using the state owned Vision Group to malign and extra assassinate him to inter-alia divert public attention from the on-going parliamentary probe.

The Lord Mayor says that he has already taken a decision to drag the New Vision to court should they fail to retract their fabricated stories within four days starting from Monday 18^th February 2013. Lukwago also assured the New Vision and the Uganda public in general that this red herring shall not derail him from advocating for law of law, democracy and peoples rights.

The New Vision reported today that Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has been accused together with 17 others of illegally collecting over 3.8 billion shillings from the city abattoir and disobeying a court order.

The newspaper went ahead to report that Lukwago and his group have allegedly been collecting the money from October 2011 and by December 2012.

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In what looks like violation of peoples’ inherent rights, Uganda police arrested and reportedly detained seven men in toilets. The seven men were arrested by the police at Nyeihanga Trading Centre in NdeijaSubCounty in Rwampara constituency in Mbarara District on Thursday 07/02/2013.

The suspects locked up in police toilets are Mr Baguma Nelson, Mr Mutungi Nicholas, Mr Mushabe Edgar, Mr Mukasa Badru, Mr Tumusiime Brian, Mr Nabasa Godius, Mr Tugumizemu Brian and another unidentified gentle man so the total number of the suspects locked up is eight (8).

Sources privy to this information told us that the suspects have been detained at Mbarara police post. It is also said that this police post uses rooms which were meant to be used as toilets to work as police cells where treason suspects are detained.  These people have been under police detention since Thursday last week and they have been charged with treason when they demonstrated over UMEME (ELECTRICITY) load-shedding last Friday.

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Kanyeihamba says currently there is no political will in fighting the vice with the judiciary and parliament being influenced by the executive arm of government.

He says the lack of commitment is exhibited in the reluctance to take punitive action against those public officials implicated in corruption scandals.

He adds that it’s only the power of the vote that will save the billions of money lost annually in corruption rated scandals.

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The result was this report titled: Bigger Cities, Smaller Screens: Urbanization, mobile phones and digital trends in Africa.

The report notes that Africa will become predominantly urban within 20 years, according to a United Nations report, with cities tripling in size and megacities developing throughout the continent. This suggests significant changes for Africans’ consumption of media in general and digital media in particular, with implications for Africa’s cities, politics, and civil society.

The convergence of African urbanization and technological change, including the rise of digital media, is driving major change. Perhaps most dramatic, use of cellphones and other mobile devices, already widespread, are becoming a nearly universal platform, not only for telephony but also for audio and video information and entertainment.

The research and analysis was carried out by Adam Clayton Powell II, a senior fellow at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Center for Communication Leadership and Policy and a university fellow at USC’s Center on Public Diplomacy, coordinating USC projects and forums in Washington, DC, on subjects ranging from public diplomacy and public service media to future business models for cultural institutions and arts journalism.

You can download a copy of the instrumental report by paying $2.00 only (click buy now

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Unlike in the previous campaigns where the police always intervenes with teargas this time the exercise has been peaceful.

He was accompanied by several opposition officials and vendors in Kalerwe Market.

The group started with clearing drainages at Kalerwe market and now moving to Wandegeya.

Police and military deployment is very heavy though force has not been used.

Besigye says that the campaign is meant to mobilize the public spearhead the struggle to have clean communities.

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BOU Deputy Governor Dr-Louis-Kasekende (right) and his boss Emmanuel Mutebile

Research conducted between 2002/2003 and 2011/2012 by Uganda Debt Network shows that government borrowing from the public through commercial bank increased citing examples of 514.7 billion shillings in 2011/2012 up from 348.1 billion shillings in 2010/2011.

The factors leading to continuous accumulation of domestic arrears include, failure by government to stick within the programmed budget, under budgeting for fixed expenses, diversion of resources to non-budget expenditures among others.

However Bank of Uganda dismisses the report saying that stringent policies have been implemented by the Central Bank to control government borrowing.

Speaking at the launch of the report, the Deputy Governor Bank of Uganda Louis Kasekende said that there some economic reasons that justify government borrowing like public welfare as he explains

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Teachers have threatened to lay down tools if the ministry of public service does not clear their salary arrears.

Speaking to journalists at parliament, Alupo said that she had spoken to officials in the public service ministry who assured her that the money would be paid today.

She acknowledges the mistake and apologizes for the deletion of some of the teachers’ names from the pay role but adds that everything is being done to rectify the problem;

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