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In Kampala

The speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga has summoned the education minister, the First Lady Janet Museveni to brief Parliament on the issue of school fees structure in government-aided schools.

Kadaga made the ruling during the 11th sitting of the third Parliamentary meeting on Thursday.
Mukono south MP, Johnson Muyanja Ssenyonga informed the MPs that the matter of school fees structure has never been resolved because the education minister has never come out to clear the air.
Holiday is over and as per your directive the minister has never come here to clear the matter and yet school starts Monday. It bothers us that these schools are charging like private schools and its worrying, Muyanja said.
The speaker said that the issue has been on the Order paper to close for two months saying that the minister should appear before Parliament on Tuesday and explain.
The legislator was supported by MP Kilak South, Gilbert Olanya who added that similiarly in Gulu district, students were given circulars indicating that they were to pay shs 520,000 compared to last year shs 300,000,adding that this absurd because these government aided schools are over charging parents and the issue should be addressed.
Last year, The Education and Sports Committee of Parliament heard a petition challenging the exorbitant fees charged in government schools.
In February 2017, the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER), a civil Society organisation- CSO petitioned Kadaga protesting the high fees in schools.
Appearing before the education committee, ISER officials, led by the executive director Salima Namusobya appealed to MPs to expedite the inquiry before next year when schools open for the first term.
The CSOs presented to the committee the general fees structure for various government aided schools which charge 800,000 to 1.8 million shillings.

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By Elly Karenzi
www.mknewslink.com
Ibanda district.
Residents of Kabira village in Kanyansheko parish in Ibanda
Municipality Council have raised concern over the increasing cases of
witchcraft, the suspects are using magic and herbal medicines to
bewitch their children, newly married women and even their husbands.
According to the District resident Commissioner, Ibanda, Mr. Eliasto
Akatuheebwa, the angry mob from Kabira village organized themselves
and forced Ms. Dinah Kakyerebete aged 56 suspected to have been
practicing witchcraft and set a blaze her house ,kitchen and pit
latrine to ashes. The angry residents also armed with pangas and
sticks destroyed her four acres banana plantation by cutting it
down and left completely destroyed, the residents accused Kakyerebete for conniving with other groups after paying them money to take the alleged herbal medicines to some homes of people who have family wrangles by mixing it in food ,drinking water or porridge.
“These local residents found me near my home and started beating me. I tried to escape, but I was over powered and they threatened either to kill me or plunge me into a nearby pond of
water ,they tied my hands back ,started beating me, kicking and set a
blaze on my house and kitchen while others were busy cutting my 4
acres of bananas with pangas and hoes” Kakyerebete said while shading
tears.
The residents appealed to the District Resident Commissioner, Mr.
Eliasto Akatuheebwa and the government to take a way this lady to
another place and declared that she is no longer a resident of their area.
Mr. Akatuheebwa told www.mknewslink.com that Kanyansheko,Kagongo
,Keihangaaara, kihani and Kashangura areas have registered the highest
crimes of witchcraft . He warned the residents not to the laws in their hands ,but asked them to report such cases to police.
Police have not yet arrested any suspects by press time.

www.mknewslink.com a greater western Uganda news website
Email: wmuhwezi75@gmail.com
Tel: +256702680106

By Yosam Gucwaki
www.mknewslink.com
In Masindi

Councilors and the residents of Budongo Sub County in Masindi district have petitioned the Masindi district speaker over the poor state of roads in their area.
The councilors led by the district female councilor for Budongo Sub County Beatrace Byenkya delivered a petition signed by 500 residents to the speaker.
One of the roads in question connects Hoima and Masindi districts and it passes through the four villages of Bwinamira, Kimanya, kasongoire and Nyakyeju. Another road connects the three villages of Terera, Rwengeye and Kimanya and it has a bridge which collapsed one year ago.
Timothy Twesige, the secretary for finance Budongo Sub County said that the road which connects Hoima and Masindi is a district road but it has taken five years without being worked on. He added that the road has become impassable and the school going children, pregnant mothers find it hard to move along the road.
He accused Masindi district local government of always neglecting them when it comes to road construction adding that the district always considers other sub counties and yet it is the main source of revenue for Masindi district.
Residents said that they are worried over the poor state of the road since the new term is about to open explaining that their children may not start at the beginning of the new term. They also find it hard to move their produce to the market.
Moses Kirya, the Masindi district speaker hailed the petitioners for not being violent saying that what they did was constitutional.
Kirya promised to write to the district roads engineer such that he could provide him with a comprehensive report about the road.
He also promised to visit the site in two weeks time such that he can assess the magnitude of the problem.

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www.mknewslink.com
In Mbarara
Mbarara Municipal councilors yesterday (Monday) tasked the Mayor Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi and his deputy town clerk Richard Mugisha over an explanation on who granted them permission to reduce the Mbarara taxi park and bus park money.
Mbarara Taxi Park tender was awarded at a reserve price of shs16m per week for five years to Mbarara United Taxi Operators Cooperative Society. These have been paying well until last year in April when Kakyebezi reported to council that they reduced the money to shs11m without the approval of council.
Since then councilors have been tasking Kakyebezi and the town clerk to produce letters from the solicitor general that warranted them to reduce the money to shs11m as they have been claiming to have gotten clearance from the solicitor general but these letters have not been availed up to now.
During a heated council meeting on Monday, councilors asked for an adjournment if Kakyebezi and his team refuse to table those letters.
Betty Tigefera lady councillor for Kakoba division asked that technocrats and Mayor Kakyebezi should table all the paperwork regarding how the money for Taxi Park was reduced without councils resolution.
godfrey Tumusime councilor for Kicwamba ward in Nyakayojo division also demanded the same that before they precede, deputy town clerk Mugisha and Kakyebezi should first avail them all the letters from councils lawyer, Solicitor General on how they agreed to reduce the money without councils resolution.

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By Jonan Beinomugisha
www.mknewslink.com
In Mbarara
Parents have been challenged to always consider their financial status before they take their children to schools of their choice.
Speaking to www.mknewslink.com at his office in Mbarara town yesterday, the coordinator Uganda National Teacher Union (UNATU) south western region David Muhanguzi Kaniga who is also the Mbarara district workers representative in the council revealed that many parents take their children in the schools which are too expensive.
Muhanguzi said that this has made some of the children fail to complete their education as some parents fail to raise the money.
He called upon parents to take their children to schools that they can afford.
Muhanguzis call came at time when parents are looking the vacancies of the senior one student who are soon joining secondary.

www.mknewslink.com a greater western Uganda news website
Email: wmuhwezi75@gmail.com
Tel: +256702680106

www.mknewslink.com
In Bushenyi

I have reasons to appreciate the good performance a number of our schools have registered this time round. Thank you so much for the effort our Lord has blessed!

On the other hand, my heart is heavy and sad due to those teachers that cheat for our children. They are enemies of our society, no doubt!

By definition, cheating is finding an easy way out of an unpleasant situation by dishonest means. It usually includes breaking rules so one can gain an unfair advantage in a competitive situation.

Friends, as we celebrate good performance of our schools and children, I pause to tell you this: it is evident that academic integrity continues to face serious challenges. It is even getting worse in this digital era. We should not be or remain silent over this dangerous vice!

Dear reader and teachers, take note of the following:

1. Those kids for whom some teachers cheat will not remain small. Once they have grown up and learnt more about life’s realities, they’ll discredit your worth as their former teacher.

2. Teachers who cheat exams for the children cause them to think that cheating is fine or necessary for anyone to make it in life. Such acts poison their minds and sear their conscience. In the process their God given moral rudder is bent off standards of morality.

3. Cheating teachers cause our children to be and remain guilty. The worst part is that one who cheats becomes and remains a thief for long.

For instance, when you cheat at Primary 7, every other qualification thereafter qualifies to be null and void. Let me remind you: God is just, and He will hold accountable anyone who causes one of the little ones to sin (Luk. 17:1-2).

4. Cheating kills quality and leads to ineffectiveness. It can also put much of life at a serious risk.

For instance, cheating produces fake graduates and pseudo professionals. Those can be dangerous to our society.

We continue to lose people at the hands of counterfeit medical personnel. Imagine boarding an aircraft whose pilot is a sham graduate in aviation. Which student will gain from a lecturer that is an academic dwarf, not because he or she is innately insane, but simply due to lack of proper training? If little knowledge can be dangerous, what about the absence of it?!

5. Cheating puts its recipients into a deeper psychological confusion. Some end up not knowing that they don’t know. Such people are also, for a fact, innocently dangerous!

6. With cheating, education loses its ultimate meaning and purpose. We become a society whose education leads it to its own destruction. Soon or later we become a society that is its own enemy. We commit an educational suicide!

7. Today, as a result of cheating and other forms of educational malpractices, there are many who have very good qualifications on paper, when, in reality, they lack the least of knowledge and skills in an area where they highly qualify, on paper!

8. Due to cheating, we see many kids chased from schools to which they get admitted for further studies. It is sad when first grade graduates are chased out of their next level schools at the end of the first term due to poor performance!

9. Cheating is unfair to both the bright and the not so bright pupils and students. Either way, there is unfairness. If you cheat for a bright student, you cause or actually force him or her to do wrong. If you cheat only for the academically weak ones, you cause them or force them to appear bright, and that too is equally unfair.

10. Cheating encourages academic laziness. As the habit/culture of cheating takes shape and root, some will not care to work hard. They know ‘someone’ will ‘enable’ them to pass, anyhow!

In a nutshell, to those who benefit from or survive on cheating and malpractices, I have this to tell you:

One day you will pay a high price for it! There are painful consequences which, in addition to what I’ve already mentioned above, you will surely and personally face.

You may enjoy a momentary relief at the time of cheating, like ‘passing’ that exam, but one time the world will demand more from you than what you have actually been equipped with.

Your fake first grade will take you to a place or put you in a position where a genuine one will strongly and firmly be required. That’s when you will pay the price!

Dear teachers, do what you are supposed to do as a professional. Teach genuinely and allow the tests to do their work. It’s better to get a C when you’ve truly worked for it than to get a fake A as a result of cheating.

Trust the Lord to bless your efforts!

Rt. Rev. Johnson Twinomujuni
Bishop of West Ankole Diocese

www.mknewslink.com a greater western Uganda news website
Email: wmuhwezi75@gmail.com
Tel: +256702680106

By Elly Karenzi
www.mknewslink.com
in Ibanda
Ibanda Taxi drivers and owners of vehicles have decried municipalitys operational guidelines concerning central taxi park.
They said that the municipality management has stopped them from offloading and loading from the main streets in the town.
With the effect from 17th January 2019, the municipality leadership, the offices of Resident District commissioner and of the District internal security directed all vehicles including taxis, Buses and Lorries to park on the gazette places in the Taxi Park.
The Town clerk, Mr. Deo Ndimo noted with great concern that all taxis
, buses and Lorries have always competed for passengers on the main streets while others were off loading and loading passengers.
He revealed that this had always caused accidents and paralyzed the transport in Ibanda town
Drivers who spoke to www.mknewslink.com described the move as a step in the right direction decided by the municipality in the security
meeting.
However, others said it is malice mixed with politics and unwarranted to punish the passengers.

www.mknewslink.com a greater western Uganda news website
Email: wmuhwezi75@gmail.com
Tel: +256702680106

By Jonan Beinomugisha
www.mknewslink.com
In Mbarara——
Police in Rubindi subcounty Mbarara district have arrested a man in his 40s for allegedly selling marijuana.
The suspect has been identified by police as Hussan Anani who hails from fort portal.
The OC traffic Rubindi police station Turyatemba Mugisha said that Hussan was arrested in the joint operation that was carried out in Rubindi, following a tip off from the locals.
Speaking to www.mknewslink.com on phone, Turyatemba said that Hussan was found with over ten Sacks of marijuana in the Premio registration number UAM 140k.
He said that they arrested Turyatemba together with other ten people whom he has been dealing with in the business.
Samson Kasasira the Rwizi region police spokes person said that the suspect will be taken to court to answer to the charges.

www.mknewslink.com a greater western Uganda news website
Email: wmuhwezi75@gmail.com
Tel: +256702680106

By Jonan Beinomugisha
www.mknewslink.com
In Mbarara
A man who went missing on Friday in Mbarara has been found dead.
The deceased Philbert Mujuni Philbert is a resident of Koranorya ,Biharwe division of Mbarara Municipality a teacher at Nice Parks Primary school
Mujuni was reported missing by family members on Friday and was today found dead by locals in Migamba Rwobuyeje.
Samson Kasasira the Rwizi regional police spokesperson said that the deceaseds body was found in a farm with the head and arms detached from the main body.
He said that the body was cut several times by the people who killed him but said that the motive of the murder is yet to be known.
Kasasira said that the police have arrested a suspect in connection with the murder but declined to divulge the details of the suspect saying that it would jeopardize the investigations

www.mknewslink.com a greater western Uganda news website
Email: wmuhwezi75@gmail.com
Tel: +256702680106

By Wilber Muhwezi Kasibante
www.mknewslink.com
In Bushenyi
The vice chancellor Ibanda University Prof. Emmanuel Karooro has warned UNEB and Ministry of Education to eliminate completely examination malpractice at all levels.
He said this today morning 19th Jan.2019 in a telephone interview with www.mknewslink.com managing editor on the PLE released on Thursday this week.
He noted that over 1000 pupils results were withheld by UNEB because of malpractices.
“Am against cheating and I even have a solution I want to offer to UNEB to help in fighting against examination malpractice,” Karooro noted.
Prof. Karooro and family own Ngeya Preparatory School situated in Bushenyi and according to him their results are always genuine.
The school got 10 in division one and12 in division two out of the 22 that sat last year’s PLE
“We do not cheat but we excel,” karooro boasted.

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Email: wmuhwezi75@gmail.com
Tel: +256702680106