Cancer is tough on any kid, but in Malawi, a new piece of equipment is making things a little easier. The National Bank of Malawi stepped up in 2023 and donated a chemistry analyzer to the Child Cancer Ward at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital. It's been a real game-changer for families dealing with this horrible disease.
Before they had this machine, figuring out if a kid had cancer was a nightmare. The hospital only had one machine for everyone, so patients had to wait days to get their results back. Sometimes, samples would even go missing, and the poor kid would have to do the whole thing over again. It was super stressful for everyone involved.
But with this new chemistry analyzer, doctors can get results in just an hour or two...
Apostle Clifford Kawinga ruffled some feathers with the Ulama Council in Malawi. They're not happy about what he said at the Domasi Crusade in Zomba District. Kawinga called people who practice polygyny "sinners" and wouldn't give them any of the maize he was handing out.
The Ulama Council sent a letter to the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) and cc'd six other places, like the Malawi Human Rights Commission. They say Kawinga's comments that aired on MBCTV were offensive and went against Malawi's values of being cool with different beliefs.
The letter says Kawinga crossed a line by using aid to punish people for their personal or religious beliefs. They think it could divide people, make vulnerable groups feel bad...
A huge fire ripped through a seven-story building on Rashid Khamisi Road right in the heart of Kampala. Three people died in the blaze. It all started around 10:00 am in the basement shops of the Sunshine Hotel building. That's right near Namayiba Bus Park and the Swarayan Indian worship center over in Old Kampala.
Daniel Nuwabine, the spokesperson for Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), said 17 people who got hurt were rushed to nearby hospitals like Kisenyi, Kiruddu and Doctor's Clinic. KCCA ambulances teamed up with the Red Cross and police for a big rescue operation.
Nuwabine mentioned they sent 10 ambulances and five massive fire trucks to the scene. He said they're working hand in hand with the police and doing everything...
Germany is not happy with Rwanda right now. They've decided to stop any new aid money headed Rwanda's way and are taking a hard look at the aid they already promised. Germany's beef with Rwanda is all about what's going down in the Democratic Republic of Congo next door.
The German government says they gave Rwanda a heads-up about the aid freeze. They want Rwanda to back off from supporting the M23 rebels who are stirring up trouble in eastern Congo. Congo, the UN, and Western countries are all pointing fingers at Rwanda, saying they're buddy-buddy with the rebels. Rwanda's not having it, though. They say they're just watching their own back against some nasty Hutu militias in Congo who want to slaughter Tutsis and make problems for...
A big money scandal at the Bank of Uganda has everyone talking. A whopping $21,013,562.31 went missing through some shady dealings in the country's financial system. The fraud happened in the Integrated Financial Management System and led to officials from the finance ministry, including the top accountant, getting arrested. The case blew up so much that even the president and security agencies had to get involved.
The head of the Criminal Investigations Directorate wasn't messing around. On October 24, 2024, he asked the auditor general to conduct a deep dive into the whole thing. The goal was to support the police as they investigated claims of embezzlement, money laundering, and officials abusing their power. The finance ministry...
Uganda is in the third part of switching over to digital license plates, but some worries are popping up about how good the system is at finding stolen cars and motorcycles. The new plates were supposed to let the authorities track vehicles in real-time, but it looks like stolen rides with the digital plates are still vanishing without a trace. An online news site called The Standard put out a report recently that raised some questions about whether the system can actually do what it promised in terms of beefing up vehicle security.
Rolling out the new plates has been a bumpy road, with delays getting them to people and confusing payment setups. Now, folks are starting to wonder if they even work right. A Russian company called Joint...
Last month, Uganda's Supreme Court made a big ruling against military courts trying regular people. The judges said these courts lack independence and can't give fair trials. The ruling party quickly moved to change laws after this decision. They want to keep trying some civilians in military courts despite what the judges said. The National Resistance Movement voted for changes to the Uganda People's Defence Forces Act.
Government leaders confirmed they plan to allow military courts to try people caught with certain guns. Denis Obua told reporters about their plan to have both soldiers and civilians with illegal guns face the court martial first. He added that people could later appeal these cases through regular courts. This change...
Experts worry research about kids in Uganda goes unused by the government. They say many studies point out big problems that need fixing. These include high teenage pregnancy rates, many kids dropping out of school, mental health issues, and dangers from internet use. Yet officials rarely turn these findings into actual policy changes that help children.
At a recent meeting in Ntinda, Timothy Opobo, who runs the AfriChild Centre, spoke about how research should guide better plans. He mentioned that Uganda faces a teenage pregnancy rate of 25 percent, among the highest in Africa. He also pointed out that 70 percent of children leave school before finishing basic education. Research teams feel frustrated when their work collects dust...
Austria just gave Uganda a huge boost for climate work. The European nation has put up £2 million, about 7.6 billion Ugandan shillings, to help fight climate change. These funds will go through the Jane Goodall Institute Uganda for a project called the Integrated Mechanism for Protection and Adaptation to Climate Threats. This money aims to stop forest loss and bring back trees across 4,000 hectares in western Uganda.
The western districts of Kagadi and Kikuube have seen serious damage from rising heat, fewer trees, and general harm to nature. When she kicked off the project, Dr. Katja Kerschbaumer spoke for Austria at the Sheraton hotel in Kampala. She talked about how Austria wants to support real answers for climate problems and...
