Uganda-DRC roadworks set to start
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has officially handed over crucial sites to Dott Services Ltd, a Ugandan construction firm, to commence the long-awaited surfacing of the 223km-road network in eastern DRC.
According to the statement released by the Works ministry last evening, the construction is expected to start this week.
The DRC roads to be constructed include Mpondwe/Kasindi- Beni (80km), Bunagana-Rutshuru-Goma road (89km) and Beni-Butembo Axis (54km).
The project is branded as the regional connectivity roads project, also known as DRC roads project.
The handover ceremonies, which took place in Beni and Goma in the North Kivu Province last Friday, were witnessed by two delegations from Uganda and DRC, including the leadership of the Dott Services.
The Ugandan delegation was led by the Works minister, Gen Katumba Wamala, while the DRC delegation was led by the Infrastructure minister, Mr Alexi Gisaro Muvunyi.
The handover of the sites came on the heels of a visit to the company’s Inland Custom Deports (ICD) at Namanve Industrial Park in Uganda last Wednesday by the steering committee of nine members composed of technical officials from DRC, Uganda and Dott Services Limited, which was set up to fast-track the project.
Gen Katumba appealed to Congo nationals to support the construction.
“Do not steal the road equipment. Do not touch the fuel and other essentials. This opportunity has come to you to benefit from it in a meaningful way. Please give all the support to the contractor and work with them to ensure that the project succeeds,” he said.
Gen Katumba also cautioned the construction company to be mindful of deadlines.
In his remarks, Mr Muvunyi revealed that the project would boast trade and employment for the two countries.
The North Kivu Governor, Lt Gen Ndima Kongba Constant, said: “When the contractor is hungry, give him food. When he is thirsty, give him water, when he needs a room, give him a bed to sleep on. This is because they have come to not only to build roads but also to improve our livelihoods.”
So far, Dott Services Limited has assembled 40 trucks, 22 rollers, 22 graders, and 22 excavators and 20 fabricated containers to cover office space and residences for the company staff.
The company has also promised to move this equipment to the designated sites in DRC this week.
Background
In May, Uganda and DRC signed two agreements aimed at enhancing bilateral trade as well as strengthen infrastructural development.
The agreements followed the state visit to Uganda by DRC president Felix Antionè Tshisekedi from November 9 to 10, 2019. The presidents emphasised the importance of developing cross-border infrastructure which is essential to facilitate bilateral trade.
Despite the lucrative business opportunities between the two countries, trade in the past has been hampered by poor road network.
The roadworks come barely a week after Uganda’s army launched airstrikes into bases habouring rebels of the ADF in eastern DRC.
Credit: Daily Monitor
Zimbabwe opposition figure fined for claiming poll win
A Zimbabwe court Monday convicted leading opposition figure Tendai Biti of an election crime and fined him for announcing his own results for presidential polls last July, which he claimed he won.
Biti, a respected former finance minister, proclaimed his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) the victor of the contested July 30 poll which sparked anti-government protests that were put down by soldiers.
Six people were killed in the violence.
Magistrate Gloria Takundwa ordered Biti to pay $200 -- the price of a full tank of petrol -- or go to prison for a week. He was also handed a jail term of six months, which was suspended for five years.
MDC leader Nelson Chamisa, who was in court, said the conviction "casts a very dark shadow on our politics".
Zimbabwe was thrown into chaos following the elections, the first in the country's history not to feature former president Robert Mugabe following his resignation in the wake of a brief military takeover in November 2017.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa had promised not to repeat the rigging and intimidation that characterised previous votes, but delays in announcing results enraged the opposition and led to street demonstrations.
Mnangagwa, Mugabe's successor at the head of ruling party ZANU-PF, was later declared the winner according to the official results, but the MDC claims the election was rigged.
Biti fled the country for neighbouring Zambia at the height of the poll tensions but was returned to Zimbabwe despite seeking asylum, sparking an international incident.
The international community has urged Mnangagwa to guarantee the safety of Biti, who was the internationally-respected finance minister in Zimbabwe's 2009-2013 power-sharing government.
Biti's lawyer Doug Coltart described Monday's conviction as a "travesty, and said it remained "open to challenge."
Source: Daily Monitor
Ugandan scientists, activists optimistic about male family planning pill
Kampala. A male family planning pill that passed initial human safety tests in a study has excited Ugandans, a country with one of the fastest growing populations in the world.
The National Planning Authority data indicates that Uganda’s population is growing at 3.3 per cent annually, making it the highest in East Africa and third in the world.
Kenya’s growth rate stands at 2.5 per cent, Burundi (3.2 per cent), Tanzania (3.1 per cent) and Rwanda at 2.4 per cent.
At a medical conference in Seattle, US, early this week, a team of scientists revealed that they had developed a capsule that can suppress hormonal levels, thereby reducing the production of sperm and testosterone.
“The goal is to expand contraceptive options and create a menu of choices for men like we have for women. We are neglecting a major potential user population with the limited options currently available to men,” Stephanie Page, a professor of medicine and co-senior investigator on the trial at the University of Washington, was quoted by the Guardian newspaper as saying.
Another researcher on the team, Prof Christina Wang, was quoted by the BBC saying: “Our results suggest that this pill, which combines two hormonal activities in one, will decrease sperm production while preserving libido.”
Such findings, Dr Ekwaro Obuku, the president of Uganda Medical Association, said is good news and gives another option of how to control births.
“This pill expands options for planned parenting and diminishes the risk of side effects common in existing methods,” Dr Obuku said.
He, however, warned that “cultural aspects become important for acceptability of this men’s pill”.
“In patriarchal societies, men would less likely play this role effectively. Sensitisation of boys, young and older men would improve uptake,” Dr Obuku said yesterday.
Dr Haruna Mwanje, a gynaecologist at Mulago hospital, was also optimistic that a pill that is swallowed once daily, is easy to adhere to. He particularly appealed to men to consider family planning seriously as a tool for family proper.
“It takes two to tangle and currently, it is mainly women who have been taking the lead in family planning,” Dr Mwanje said, adding “It is not that every time a man goes to have sex, he is looking for a child. Some do it for pleasure and I think this pill is welcome.”
Current methods
Currently, condom use, vasectomy, abstinence and withdrawal are the methods available for men.
Ms Esther Namitala, a social worker, termed the innovation “brilliant”. “It will speak to men who are hesitant or scared to go for the permanent method [vasectomy]. However, knowing most men’s egos, it will require a lot of sensitisation for them to embrace the pills,” Ms Namitala said.
Mr David Mwayafu, a scientist, said: “It will require a lot of sensitisation on the pro and cons of male pills. Every innovation is good if it’s acceptable by the beneficiaries and has no side effects to the users.”
Mr Herbert Kafeero, an activist, also believes in massive sensitisation if the pill is to be embraced by men. According to a Family Planning Progress Report released three years ago, the demand for family planning is growing and from 2012 to 2016, 613,000 women requested for a modern contraceptive method for the first time. This demand for contraceptives prevented 595,000 unintended pregnancies in 2016, accoring the report.
About the pill
The pill is being tested by La BioMed and the University of Washington. Participants in the trial experienced mild side-effects such as decreased sex drive and erectile dysfunction. The trial involved 40 healthy men and lasted for one month.
The drug works by blocking the production of hormones called LH and FSH that are needed to make sperms, according the Guardian.
source: National Media
