The tourism industry in Uganda and in the world at large has suffered some of the biggest setbacks brought about by the outbreak of COVID-19. In most African countries including Uganda the pandemic has read to the closure of all National Parks and other tourist destinations which has dealt wildlife safaris a big blow.

Counting losses

As a result of shutting down tourist activities, other related businesses like hotels and lodges have also found themselves with no work hence ceasing their operations. This has led to a large number of people who were previously employed in such businesses to lose their jobs while others were placed on temporary leaves with very few still getting any financial assistance.

Tour guides are the other group people who have been crying foul over the pandemic after. They have been left in with nothing at all to do since the tourists they used to drive to these destinations are now banned from entering the country in an effort to control further importation of the virus.

For tour operators, their fear goes beyond the current effects of the pandemic on the industry to the long-term outcomes. There is anticipation that even when the current lockdown is lifted, tour operations may take long to get back to normal and profitable as it was before the outbreak.

The major cause of this fear is the fact that majority of the tourists have been coming from countries that are badly hit by the pandemic including the United States, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, China, among others. There is anticipation that the current lockdown in such countries may take long to be lifted hence not allowing the potential tourists to travel. Secondly, even when these countries start allowing their people to travel, the recipient countries including Uganda may not be ready to allow them to come into the country as they may still be holding onto their travel restrictions.

Rescheduling and cancellation of bookings

According to tour operators and hotel managers, some of the travelers reacted to the pandemic by either cancelling their bookings or rescheduling them to later dates. However, those who cancelled their bookings were asking to be refunded their money they had sent something that put the recipients of such money in a huge dilemma.

For those that decided to reschedule their trips, the tour operators and park authorities now face a tussle a fixing an appropriate time for such trips without affecting any other arrangements.

Protection of animals

Within the game reserves, strict measures have been taken to ensure that animals are well-protected from being infected by Coronavirus. Scientists had earlier warned that if not protected well, the virus may be very devastating if spread to animals like mountain gorillas and other primates. With such cautions, park authorities moved quickly to put in place some strict measures to protect the animals including banning all tour activities in national parks. Others including limiting both the number of field workers who meet the animals every day to check on their wellbeing and the number of hours they spend with them. Workers in the parks are also encouraged to put in practice all the other measures that were put in place to control the spread of the virus including washing hands, sanitizing and social distancing.

Current Covid-19 status in Uganda

Currently, Uganda has registered 55 confirmed cases of coronavirus with about 20 recoveries who have been discharged already meaning that only 35 patients are still quarantined. Earlier this week President Museveni extended the lockdown by more 21 days until 5 May.

The number of coronavirus cases in Uganda has risen to 18 as announced by President Museveni on Friday. Before Friday’s announcement, Uganda had 14 confirmed cases which included 2 Chinese nationals and 12 Ugandans.

According to the president, the 4 people who tested positive had been under institutional quarantine in the various hotels identified by the sub-committee on quarantine.
“Yesterday, the 26th of March, another 197 people were tested and many of them were returnees from Dubai or other category one countries, only four tested positive. These four had been under institutional quarantine in the various hotels identified by the sub-committee on quarantine,” said the President in a message posted on his social platforms. The president added that the victims had been evacuated to Mulago National Referral Hospital for treatment.

“It seems, therefore, that the efforts of identifying by the temperature monitoring at the airport, quarantining the people on whom there’s some suspicion and tracing the ones who escaped from the quarantine is working well,” he said.

About the 14 patients who were already hospitalized at Entebbe, Mulago and Masaka, the president said that they are responding well to the treatment and seem to be improving.

Police foil traders in Kampala over Coronavirus

Meanwhile there has been a scuffle in the capital Kampala between traders and the Police over the presidential directives that were issued to control the spread of coronavirus in the country. On Thursday the police arrested several traders across the city while others were beaten up for opening their shops which the police interpreted as disobeying the presidential directive. However, traders claim that the president did not order closure of businesses especially those in arcades though the police insist that most of the businesses attract a huge gathering of people which is against the presidential directive.

On Wednesday the President Museveni issued some additional measures to guide the public after it was announced that Uganda’s confirmed Coronavirus had increased to 14. Among the new measures, the president ordered the closure of public transport including cyclists who carry passengers, open markets apart from those who sell food stuffs in such markets and limiting the number of workers in public offices. This was the president’s fifth public address in a period of one week in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

Following the new presidential directives, the following day on Thursday, the police started arresting several people especially those found on motorcycles and those who had gathered in several trading centers.
Following the chaos, the Minister for trade Hon. Amelia Kyambadde came out to give some clarity on presidential orders regarding traders. She said that the Police should stop beating up traders but rather guide them on how to observe and follow the presidential directives. The minister added that the president did not stop vendors who operate in arcades running business like salon, restaurants and selling other merchandise. However, she called upon traders to avoid having a crowd around their businesses and advised that people should avoid crowding in one area as much as possible to control the spread of Coronavirus.

Still on Thursday, two men who were traveling from Seeta to Namugongo on a motorcycle were shot by police officers for disobeying presidential directives. The two victims are currently admitted at Mukono General Hospital.

Uganda confirmed its first case of Coronavirus (COVID-19) late on Saturday when unidentified male, 36 tested positive at Entebbe International Airport following his return from a business trip in Dubai. The patient was identified as a resident of Kibuli in Kakungulu Village in Kampala. This meant Uganda had joined other regional countries like Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Democratic Republic of Congo and other African countries that had confirmed cases of COVID-19 earlier

Following the confirmation of the first COVID-19 case in Uganda, President Museveni declared additional and stricter guidelines to the public in order to control further spreading of the pandemic in the country. As part of the new guidelines, the President directed the closure of all borders to both incoming and outgoing passengers. Airports were also directed not to allow passenger planes but cargo planes can continue operation. The president also cautioned Ugandans on using public transport advising them to avoid them and instead stay at home if they don’t have their private means of transport.
The president also emphasized the need for Ugandans to stay vigilant while practicing control measures like hand-washing, social distancing, and places that were recently restricted like bars, churches and markets.

Earlier, the president had directed the closure of schools, places of worship, and bars for at least 32 days as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 that has already ravaged other places around the world. All these measure came in addition to travel guidelines that have been set including stopping travelers from high-risk countries from coming to Uganda. Several quarantine places had also been set up to contain those who are suspected to be showing the symptoms of COVID-19. Other travelers were also advised to go under self-isolation for a period of 14 days.

Travelers were now subjected to forceful quarantine and at their own cost if they decided to go against the guidelines given before all travels were finally suspended. On Sunday President Museveni also suggested that the government is considering talking to owners of some schools that were recently vacated by students to allow some travelers to be quarantined from there.
There has been a public outcry among people who have been affected by the directives given by the president last week. These include traders who have been selling their merchandise in weekly markets who were stopped by the police from doing their business as measure of stopping the spread of coronavirus. Others include bar owners and their clients who were arrested over the same. Affected traders and business owners claim that they will unable to feed their families and cater for other expenses if they are not allowed to business where they have been getting income.

How is the COVID-19 situation globally so far?

On the African continent, the coronavirus pandemic has so far spread to 43 countries with only 11 countries unaffected so far. Over 1,000 cases have been reported around the continent while 37 have died already and 108 have recovered. Some of the most affected countries in Africa include Egypt, Algeria, and South Africa with each having over 200 cases so far.

Globally, Italy remains the most affected country in the world with over 50,000 cases and over 5,000 deaths. The global number of confirmed cases currently is about 337,000 cases, over 15,000 deaths while about 100,000 have recovered from COVID-19.

As coronavirus rapidly spreads the world, the Ministry of Health has issued an update on Uganda’s enhanced measures to prevent importation of this world pandemic as recently declared by the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to the Ministry of Health, Uganda has no confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of 11th March 2020. However, the ministry adds that although no cases have been confirmed so far, a total of 1,632 travelers including Ugandans travelling back home have been identified as high-risk and identified for purposes of follow up.

Here is the full statement released and signed by the Minister for Health, Hon. Jane Ruth Aceng on the update of Uganda’s measures to prevent the importation of Coronavirus.

“The Ministry of health would like to update the general public on the progress of the country’s enhanced measures to prevent the importation of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) into the country;

This outbreak has now spread to all continents and 109 countries, territories and areas are currently affected. As of 10th March 2020, WHO reported that 61 countries have local transmission of COVID-19 while 6 countries are under investigation.

Current Global Situation

As of 10th March 2020, globally, 113,702 confirmed cases have been reported with over 4,000 deaths. In Africa, 11 countries have reported cases of COVID-19. These are Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Cameroon, Togo, Burkina Faso and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Uganda’s current situation

Uganda has no confirmed case of COVID-19 as of 11th March 2020. However, to date a total of 1,632 travelers including Ugandans and traveling back home have been identified as high-risk and identified for purposes of follow up. Of these, 1,071 are Chinese, 244 are Ugandans, 43 are Italians, 34 from South Korea and 484 are other nationals.
A total of 986 travelers are under self-quarantine, of which 606 have completed the mandatory 14 days of self-quarantine. So far, samples from 26 persons who presented with signs and symptoms similar to that of COVID-19 have been tested. All tested negative.

The Government of Uganda has reviewed the evolution of the COVID-19 outbreak in the affected countries, categorized them and recommends several measures for the different categories. Based on the current trend of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Ministry of Health has revised the categories of countries upon assessing the risk of importation from affected countries.

Criteria used for categorization

Three criteria were used to rank the countries; the criteria were weighed based on their importance in assessing the risk of importation from affected countries.

1 Number of total (cumulative) cases: The higher the number of cumulative cases, the higher the chances

2 Number of cases in the last 24 hours. This is a measure of active transmission of COVID-19 in the countries.

3 Exponential increase in cases in the last 7 days – This is an indication of community transmission of COVID-19. This was measured indirectly by the percentage increase in the number of cases I the last 7 days.
The countries that had cumulative number of cases of more than 100 and/or had more than 10 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours (total of 19) were ranked using the above criteria and scoring.

Category 1:

People residing in the following 16 countries (Italy, San Marino, Iran, South Korea, France, China, Germany, Spain, Belgium, USA, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Austria and Malaysia) should consider postponing non-essential travel to Uganda. Any traveler from these countries including Uganda nationals will be subjected to se-quarantine for 14 days on arrival to Uganda even if they don’t exhibit signs and symptoms of COVID-19. Additionally, individuals highlighted in category 1 who insist on visiting Uganda will be subjected to self-quarantine or institutional (health facility) quarantine at their own cost.

Six countries previously in category 2; UK, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden, and United States of America have moved to category one because of the increase in the number of new cases per day and cumulative number of cases.
Whereas China has largely controlled the COVID-19 outbreak, and they recorded 20 new cases as of 10th March 2020, the cumulative number of cases remain high and they have not recorded zero cases for 14 days.

Category 2:

For the following countries (Finland, Philippines, Indonesia and Pakistan), the Ministry of Health will observe the travelers very closely and the evolution of the outbreak in these countries and advise on any restrictions in the coming weeks. India previously in category 2 has dropped to category 3.

Category 3:

The rest of the countries will undergo the routine screening upon arrival and and be advised accordingly on the measures to undertake while in country to prevent infection and where to report in not feeling well.

This analysis will be reviewed weekly and the travel advisory updated every Wednesday beginning 11th March, 2020.

Any of the above countries that successfully contains the outbreak will be removed from this list after 14 days with no new cases.

The Ministry of Health working with Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is considering spraying all travelers who arrive into the country as they disembark from the aircraft with a disinfectant spray.

The Ministry of Health has also developed guidelines for self-quarantine which should be adhered to by all travelers from the high-risk countries who come into the country and opt for self-quarantine.

SELF-QUARANTINE

The Ministry of Health has defined self-quarantine as the transparent self-restriction of persons’ activities when they are not ill with COVID-19 for the purposes of protecting unexposed members of the communities from contracting the disease should at any rist traveler become sick.

This is particularly important for persons who may have been in contact with a person who has symptoms of COVID-19 or is suffering from the disease or has traveled from one of the areas with high transmission of COVID-19.

This means one will stay at his/her home, hotel room or any identified accommodation without mixing with family members or the general public for the period of 14 days.

All individuals who are under self-quarantine are advised to observe the following prevention and control measures:

Stay in well-ventilated room away from other people such as family members preferably with separate hygiene and toilet facilities. If you share the same hygiene and toilet facilities, ensure you disinfect it after use using regular household disinfectant or soap and water

If you are working, stay at home for the entire duration of the quarantine (14 days).

Ensure that you have adequate food, water, hygiene provisions and appropriate medical treatment for existing medical conditions while in self-quarantine.

Ensure that you have the necessary communication facilities e.g. mobile telephone to communicate with family members and other people while in quarantine.

Always wash your hands with soap and water regularly or use an alcohol-based hand rub.

Cover your nose and mouth with a handkerchief or tissue when coughing and sneezing. Throw away used tissue immediately into a dustbin or bun it and wash your hands immediately with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub. The handkerchief must be washed and ironed by you daily

Stay away from pets, as there is a chance that humans can pass the disease to them.

Avoid sharing toothbrushes, utensils, dishes, drinks, towels, clothes or bed linen with anybody in your home.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs/handles, bedside, tables, bedframes, and other bedroom furniture daily with regular household disinfectant or soap.

Clean and disinfect bathroom and toilet surfaces at least once a day with regular household disinfectant of soap.

If you develop symptoms of acute respiratory infection, including fever, cough, sore throat and difficulty in breathing, please call for immediate help on the telephone numbers below.

I would like to re-assure the public that Government continues to strengthen its interventions in preventing the importation of COVID-19. In the same vein, we continue to appeal to the general public to practice the following preventive measures at all times:

1 Avoid hand-shaking and hugging at all times

2 Avoid close contact with people who are visibly sick with flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, sneeze).

3 When sick with flu-like symptoms avoid going to public places, offices and public gatherings. Remain at home to avoid infecting others.

4 You don’t need to wear medical masks if you don’t have respiratory symptoms such as cough, sneezing or running nose.

5 Don’t take self-medication such as antibiotics.

6 Do NOT spit in public. Find a secluded place toilets or pit latrines in which to spit

7 Delay travel to countries that have that currently have many patients with COVID-19. If you MUST travel, please follow the protective measures.

8 Avoid travel if you flu-like symptoms.

The Ministry of Health would like to encourage the general public to always verify information from the Ministry to avoid spreading false rumors which may cause unnecessary anxiety.

The public is also advised to report any suspected cases to the nearest health facility or call our toll-free lines on 0800-203-033 and 0800-100-066 or the following officers – Mr. Atek Kagirita 0782 909 153, Dr. Allan Muruta 0772 460 297. Thank you.”

Church of Uganda has received a new Archbishop, Rt Rev Dr Stephen Kazimba Mugalu who was enthroned on Sunday replacing the Most Rev Stanley Ntangali who has been in office since 2012. Kazimba was enthroned the 9th Archbishop of the Church of Uganda at a very colorful ceremony which was heavily attended by both local and international guests at St Paul’s Cathedral, Namirembe in Kampala.

President Yoweri Museveni is among the guests that attended this special service together with other top government officials including Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga, Members of Parliament, Cabinet Ministers, among others. Other distinguished gusts included Buganda Queen Nabagereka Sylvia Nagginda, Katikiro of Buganda Charles Peter Mayiga, 11 Archbishops and 30 Bishops from across the world, 39 active Bishops from Church of Uganda and the retired ones.

The outgoing Archbishop, Stanley Ntagali said the he prays for the new Archbishop that God may guide him as he handed the Provincial Staff over to him, which is a symbol of his spiritual authority.

“I am very happy to retire today. Which by God’s grace happens to be my 65th birthday. It is my joy to congratulate Rt Rev Stephen Kaziimba, I pray that God guides you in your leadership as Archbishop of Church of Uganda,” said Ntagali.

Ntagali also handed over several other documents to the new Archbishop including the Church of Uganda constitution, the Canons, Vision 2020 and his handover report before signing off his abdication. Rev Kaziimba was then presented to the congregation and renewed his vows and all the 39 active Bishops of the Church of Uganda pledged their canonical obedience to the new Archbishop. He was then guided to his Provincial Chair by the Dean of the Church of the Province of Uganda Jackson Nzerebende.

The sermon during the enthronement service was delivered by the Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, Ren Foley Beach who appreciated the Church of Uganda for its faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“You have been a bright light in the world. You said no to disobeying the word of God, you said know to immorality, many wish their leaders would be like you…thank you for your boldness and your example,” said Rev Foley.

He asked Rev Kaziimba to heed to his call and follow Jesus Christ in his leadership.

“As leaders we have to go to the people, care for them, love and help them. Share your very self with them. We are called to be servants, do justice. My brother Steven this is what we are called to do…sacrificial, steadfast love. Your challenge is to remain committed to God’s promise and be steadfast,” he added.

After his confirmation in 1979, Dr Kaziimba’s calling started with teaching the Sunday School children before he served as a catechist in Madudu Church of Uganda from 1981 to 1983.

How he rose to the top

In August 2019, Kaziimba was elected Archbishop by the House of Bishops and he was serving as the Bishop of Mityana Diocese at the time of his appointment. Among the fellow contenders he beat to the office include the Bishop Sheldon Mwesigwa and Samuel George Bogere Egesa, the Bishops of Ankole and Bukedi Dioceses respectively.

Background

Kaziimba was trained as a Lay-Leader at Bakerville Theological College Ngongwe in 1985 before being posted to St Peter’s Church Lugazi. He trained at Uganda Martyrs Seminary between 1988 and 1990 and in December 1990 he wax ordained by Bishop Livingstone Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo.

Between 1990 and 1994, he served as Assistant Vicar at St Apollo Kivebulaya Church of Uganda. He completed his Diploma in Theology in 1996 at Bishop Tucker Theological College before he was posted to Parish Priest from 1997 to 2000 to Katente Parish.

In 2000, Dr Kaziimba was transferred to Mukono as Vicar and alter appointed Acting Provost of Mukono Cathedral by Bishop Micheal Ssenyimba. He was confirmed as the Provost of St. Philip and Andrew’s Cathedral and he became the fourth Bishop of Mityana Diocese on October 26, 2008, succeeding Bishop Dr Dunstan Bukenya.

List of previous Archbishops

The previous Archbishops of the Church of Uganda include; Stanley Ntagali (2012-2020), Henery Luke Orombi (2004-2012), the late Livingstone Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo (1995-2004), Yona Okoth (1983-1995), Silvanus Wanyi (1977-1983), Janani Luwum (1974-1977), Erica Sabiti (1966-1974), and Leslie Brown, a British Missionary (1961-1966).

Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) has released the results of the 2019 Uganda Advanced certificate of Education (A’ Level). The results indicate an improved performance compared to previous years with female candidates outshining their male counterparts.

The results were released on Thursday afternoon by Education and Sports Minister and First Lady Janet Museveni who called upon schools to relax the cut-off points for admission at A’ Level in order to allow more students take up science disciplines.

The Minister attributed the improved performance to better efficiency which translates into reduced wastage of resources.

“I am happy to note that performance has improved and more learners have qualified for tertiary education. The fact that more learners can transit to the next level means there is more efficiency in the education system, I believe. This leads to less wastage of resources invested in the sector.” She said.

She also expressed her concern about the low numbers of students who offer sciences at A’ Level especially given the fact that all science subjects are compulsory at O’ Level.

“I am, however, very concerned about the very transition from UCE to UACE in the sciences. I am even more concerned about the very low number of girls in the sciences. Regrettably, this is happening despite the fact that government, through the Ministry of Education and Sports, has invested heavily in provision of teaching and learning materials and laboratories. Deliberate efforts now have to be made to increase the number of science teachers and their welfare in order to raise the number of students in sciences and improve performance.” She noted.

The Minister also called upon schools to relax their selection criteria and be more realistic to allow students to pursue their science ambitions.

“I learnt in 2016 that part of the low numbers of students taking sciences could be attributed to the very stringent selection criteria by schools – that is by admitting only students with distinction scores a UCE. I then appealed to schools to relax this unrealistic demand because a child with a Credit Three or Four should be able to comfortably study a science subject at UACE.

“I want to reiterate that appeal now, because Mathematics and sciences are at heart of industrial development, which is crucial to taking our country to another level,” said Mrs Museveni.

She also called upon learners and parents to consider vocational and technical education.

“Many parents and candidates themselves will most likely be aiming for university education. It is indeed a commendable goal. However, I wish to encourage the candidates to take up vocational education.” She said.

UNEB Chairperson Prof. Mary Okwakol noted exams were conducted smoothly from November 11 to December 2 despite the challenging weather. She added that although performance has been better than that of 2018, the interest in science subjects remains low.

Okwakol said that UNEB is concerned that entries for science subjects are quite low. Only 10% of the candidates registered for science subjects last year according to UNEB while only 30% registered for Mathematics. The chairperson noted that female candidates who registered for science subjects were less than 10%, adding that this persistent trend must be addressed urgently.

Biology poorly done subject

The performance of candidates in biology has continued to cause big concerns. The chairperson said that less than 50% of candidates in the previous four years have managed to obtain passes at principle level in the subject. However, she said the performance in 2019 has been better than in previous years and she hopes that this will continue.

Another decline in performance was noted in Economics, Entrepreneurship, Geography and Chemistry.

However, candidates registered improved performance in Mathematics, Literature in English, Physics, Agriculture and CRE.

104,476 candidates registered for UACE exams last year while 103,429 actually sat indicating a 1% absenteeism rate though it was better than that of 2018 (1.1%).

Female students who registered for exams last year were more than their male counterparts at 43,625 and 41,296 respectively.

Girls beat boys

Unlike last year where male candidates beat their female counterparts at both PLE UCE levels, this year has seen female candidates beat males at all levels including at UACE.

Girls also registered a lower failure rate of 0.9% compared to 1.7% of boys and this trend was similar to that of 2018 and 2017 according to UNEB Executive Secretary Dan Odongo.

Girls also performed better than boys at the principal level pass in subjects like Arts, Mathematics, Physics and Agriculture while boys were better in Chemistry, Biology, Art and General Paper.

30% of last year’s candidates offered Mathematics, 16.2% offered Chemistry, 14% offered Biology while only 10.9% did Physics.

The first case of the novel corona virus in Africa has been confirmed in Egypt with the country’s ministry of health confirming on Friday though the patient is not Egyptian according to the statement from the ministry that didn’t specify his nationality.
“The ministry has taken preventive measures and is monitoring the patient… who is stable,” said the ministry spokesperson Khaled Megahed.

What is Coronavirus?

According to the World, Health Organization (WHO), Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Repertory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.

Where does coronavirus originate from?

WHO explains that coronaviruses are zoonotic, which means that they transmitted between animals and people. Research found out that SARS-Cov was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans. Other several coronaviruses that have not yet infected humans are still circulating in animals.

What are the common signs of coronavirus?

Some of the common signs of coronavirus include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. More severe cases include pneumonia, kidney failure, severe acute respiratory syndrome and even death.

How can coronavirus be prevented?

The recommended measures to control the spread of coronavirus include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose while coughing and cooking meat and eggs thoroughly. Others include avoiding close contact with anyone showing symptoms respiratory illness like coughing and sneezing

How has been the effect so far since the outbreak?

So far over 1,500 deaths have been confirmed since the outbreak of the coronavirus late last year and they are almost exclusively in China where it was first identified. More than 66,000 in China have been infected with the coronavirus and more than 100 cases in other countries worldwide. With the latest confirmation of the a coronavirus case in Egypt, it means the virus has spread to at least 5 continents including Asia, Europe, North America, Australia and Africa. The virus has now been confirmed to more than 25 other countries outside China including the UK, U.S, France, Singapore, Vietnam, among others.

How has been the response to coronavirus outbreak worldwide?
The reaction to control the spread of coronavirus has seen some countries suspending flights to and from china while others have quarantined people who came from China for a specific period of time. China itself, where the virus started has taken several measures to stop it from spreading including forming quarantines in most affected areas, distributing masks to people, constructing a hospital specifically to treat coronavirus victims, among others.

How is Uganda preparing to control coronavirus?

The ministry of health recently reported that it had isolated about 120 people who had come into Uganda from China including Chinese and Ugandans. According to the ministry, these people are isolated in different parts of the country and are set to be allowed to travel freely after 14 days if they don’t show any symptoms of the virus. The Ministry of Health together with the Civil Aviation Authority have erected a checkpoint at Entebbe International Airport at the immigration desk to check travelers who come into the country for coronavirus.
The government of Uganda is also planning to send $61,800 (about Shs220 million) to 105 Ugandan students stranded in China as upkeep following the outbreak of coronavirus. The Ministry of health revealed that they had opted to rather sent this money to the students to support them from china than bringing them back because the country does not have the capacity to handle a coronavirus outbreak sine the virus spreads very fast.

In another effort, Makerere University together with the Infectious Disease Institute (IDI) have reached out to partners in an effort to research on a vaccine for coronavirus. The University confirmed on Wednesday that they are in touch with other partners to collaborate on a vaccine.

Uganda’s tourism industry was last week hit by some bad news of the death of four mountain gorillas in Ngahinga Gorilla National Park in the southwest of the country. The four great apes were reportedly struck by lightning that resulted from heavy rains that showed the park early last week.

The gorillas comprised of 3 adult females of which one was pregnant and a male infant. They were found in the park with “gross lesions” on their bodies indicating electrocution. Conservationists from The Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC) called the tragedy a “big loss for the species”.

The four deceased gorillas were part of the 17-member Hirwa family that has been living in the park since it crossed over from Rwanda last year.

Mr. Moses Turinawe, the Warden in charge of tourism at the park gave an account of the death of these giant primates. “It was raining heavily and the gorillas took refuge in trees,” he said. He added that the tragedy was noticed by a team of five rangers who were also taking shelter from the rain not far away from the Hirwa group. After seeing lightning and thunder striking the trees where gorillas were, gorillas got sacred and were heard making unusual sounds. The silverback (leading male) and other young ones started making funny calls.

The heavy rains prevented the team of rangers from getting closer to the gorillas and they could see one of the gorillas was not moving as the silverback was trying to lift her up. Later four carcasses were found at the scene by another team that comprised of representatives from Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA)

According to Mr. Andrew Seguya, the executive secretary of the GVTC, the surviving 13 gorillas of the Hirwa family were found and are feeding well. The samples from the post-mortem were taken for testing with confirmation of the cause of death expected in the next 3 weeks.

The global population of mountain gorillas is just over 1000 individuals which are restricted to protected areas in Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mgahinga is part of the Virunga Massif range mountains straddling the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo. Other parks that protect mountain gorillas in region include Virunga National Park in DR Congo, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda which protects more than half of their global population.

Mountain gorilla was removed from the list of critically endangered species in 2018, thanks to the intensive conservation efforts including anti-poaching patrols and veterinary care.

Gorilla safaris

Gorilla safaris to see mountain gorillas are done in all the 3 countries but are pronounced in Uganda and Rwanda because they are more peaceful and stable compared to the conflict-hit eastern DRC where gorillas are found. However, of the two, Uganda offers the cheaper gorilla trekking permits at $600 per person compared to Rwanda’s $1,500 per person.

Gorilla trekking is highly regulated for conservation reasons with only 8 people allowed to visit a gorilla family per day. Most of the gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda take place in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park that has got about 17 groups of habituated mountain gorillas. The Park is divided into four sectors of Buhoma, Ruhija, Nkuringo, and Rushaga with each sector hosting gorilla trekking safaris independently.

Gorilla trekking is the most popular safari activity in Uganda and this creates a high demand for gorilla trekking permits that are already limited due to conservation reasons. Therefore, because of this, tour operators advise that travelers book their trekking permits at least 6 months before their intended trekking date. This allows tour operators to purchase the permits in time so that they are ready by the time travelers fly in into the country for their gorilla safari.

The Kampala bus transport project dubbed Tondeka Metro is set to kick off operations this September according to plans. The project is being viewed as one of the ways that will help control traffic congestion within the city and its suburbs.

The first phase of the new system expected to kick off in September will cover the greater Kampala region in areas including Entebbe, Wakiso, and Mukono. However, before the buses can be finally put on the road, an investment of Shs600b has to be undertaken in order to facilitate the roll-out of the first phase of the project that will see the introduction of 980 buses.

The first phase of the buses will be supplied by Ashok Leyland India under the Hinduja group which was approved by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and the Tondeka Metro bus company promoters. A joint evaluation report of the bus suppliers and the two authorities shows that the buses will be able to transport 1.47 million passengers every day.

The report also indicates that each bus will cover an average distance of 200 kilometers every day and they will be operating within a 25-km radius around the city at the start and later they will spread further.

Key stakeholders in the project including the bus suppliers, KCCA, Ministry of Kampala, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Works and Transport, among others are currently working hard to ensure that the project works.

Other parties involved in the discussions for the preparations for the project include the lead project promoters Tondeka Bus Company, taxi owners and drivers, civil society, leaders, financiers including World Bank, DFID, GIZ and EXIM Bank.

According to the chairman of the Tondeka Metro Bus Company Mr. Peter Kimbowa, President Yoweri Museveni has already endorsed the project to commence. “His Excellency President Yoweri Museveni has on many occasions made clear his desire to sort out the public transport mess around Kampala and this is one of the solutions we tabled before him and he gave us a green light to go ahead and explore it.” Said Kimbowa.

In an effort to integrate taxi drivers in the new project since they are the ones who have ben transporting passengers in the city, Mr. Kimbowa said that they are training some of the to take up jobs as bus drivers in the upcoming bus transport system.

“To ensure taxi touts and drivers are not left out in this new project, we are in advanced stages of training many of them to take up jobs as drivers of the buses given they already have the experience and will also train many more as the project reaches maturity.” He said.

The plan includes setting up over 7 bus terminals within and around the city that will act as transit and drop off points. Taxis and private cars will be dropping off passengers at these points where they will be picked up by the buses and transported to the city center and back. Authorities are also considering setting up parking spaces for private cars, shopping malls and eateries at these terminals in order to improve the quality of services at such places. This is in line with the general project plan to help create additional 10,000 jobs in the medium term with opportunities in trade, technicians, mechanics, service center agents, shop attendants at the terminals, among others.

According the estimates from the joint evaluation report, the government will collect an average revenue of Shs100b annually while the monthly cost of public transport will drop sharply to Shs50,000 for limitless travels, Shs15,000 a week and Shs3,000 a day.

In terms of payment for transport costs, the buses will use a cashless system where passengers will use either mobile money or pre-paid cards to pay their transport charges. This will help to combat revenue leakages according the chairman of the company. Buses will also operate 24 hours every day.

The first phase of the project will be financed by EXIM Bank of India with guarantees from the government of Uganda through the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.