News Headlines
Haiti doctors flee state-run hospital to avoid coronavirus infection
April 1, 2020 by VOA
The seafoam green rooms of the General Hospital in Port-au-Prince are predominantly empty this week, absent the doctors and nurses...
Namugongo drivers reap big from transport ban
April 1, 2020 by Moses Mugalu
The president's restriction on public transport; prohibiting taxis and bodas was quickly turned into a winning lottery by private car...
South Africa launches door-to-door coronavirus screening
April 1, 2020 by VOA
South Africa is launching an aggressive coronavirus screening program as the total number of confirmed cases tops 1,000, the largest...
6 Watoto Choir children, 5 adults test positive for coronavirus
March 31, 2020 by URN
Uganda’s coronavirus cases have risen to 44 after 11 members of Watoto Children's Choir who were under quarantine tested positive...
IMC clinics close during curfew hours
The International Medical Centre (IMC) has decided to stop night operations because of the curfew announced by President Yoweri Museveni.In a message to its clients issued on Tuesday IMC said, "due to the COVID19 situation in the country and the presidential directive, IMC has decided to close the night shift…
Sanitizer manufacturer Saraya resumes production
After nearly two weeks out of production, Japanese-led Saraya Manufacturing Uganda Limited has resumed production of the Alsoft V brand of hand sanitizers. On March 18, 2020, Saraya ran out of stock of a key ingredient used in the manufacture of sanitizers leading to scarcity of the product on the…
Absa bank closes Kampala, Entebbe branches
Absa Bank Uganda on Tuesday closed its branches in Kampala and Entebbe following a 14-day ban on movement of private cars across the country.In a notice to customers, the bank said that its branches upcountry remains open. It said, "All Absa branches in Kampala and Entebbe will be closed today…
UVRI scales down COVID-19 testing over shortage of kits
The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) is to scale down on the number of people it tests for coronavirus due to fears of running out of test kits. UVRI says only people who fit in the criteria for exposure to a confirmed case or travel history and have symptoms consistent with…
Overwhelmed, Italians choose cremation over burial
With the Italian death toll from coronavirus passing 10,000, the country’s crematoria, especially in the northern region of Lombardy, are overwhelmed and are having to transport bodies to crematoria in other regions. More families of coronavirus victims are choosing cremation over burial, for fear of catching the virus from the…
COVID-19 shouldn't lead to suspension of routine health services - WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated operational planning guidelines in balancing the demands of responding directly to COVID-19 while maintaining essential health service delivery, and mitigating the risk of system collapse. The guidelines include a set of targeted immediate actions that countries should consider at national, regional, and local level…
All today's 82 samples test negative for coronavirus
All 82 samples tested for COVID-19 at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) in Entebbe today have all tested negative. Confirmed cases remain at 33. On Monday last week, 8 new cases were announced, 5 on Wednesday, 4 on Thursday, 5 on Friday, 7 on Saturday and 3 on Sunday. According to…
Museveni imposes 14-day COVID-19 lockdown
This is the full speech of President Yoweri Museveni in which he announced a 14-day lockdown of the country in a bid to control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the country. Uganda currently has 33 confirmed cases. Countrymen and countrywomen I am here, to again address you on the issue…
COVID-19: Ministry of Health rejects Besigye's 'ambulances'
Ministry of Health has objected to former opposition FDC party president, Dr Col Kizza Besigye’s parallel emergency response during the coronavirus outbreak. Besigye announced on Twitter yesterday that "From tomorrow, Monday, 30th March, the People’s Govt will provide emergency services (to hospitals) for people in need within Kampala Metropolitan area. Briefing…
Reallocate Shs 7bn gym money to COVID-19 - Civil Society
Civil society is calling on the government to reallocate part of quarter four (Q4) funds in the 2019/20 budget from non-priority activities towards COVID-19 pandemic response plans. The Civil Society Budget Advisory Group (CSBAG) says the over Shs 200 billion which was allocated for luxurious activities like gym memberships for civil…
Coronavirus cases in Uganda rise to 33, global cases hit 700,000 mark
The ministry of Health has today Sunday announced a further 3 new coronavirus cases, taking the national tally to 33 cases.
Condom shortage looms after coronavirus shuts world's top producer
A global shortage of condoms is looming, the world’s biggest producer said, after a coronavirus lockdown forced it to shut down production. Malaysia’s Karex Bhd makes one in every five condoms globally. It has not produced a single condom from its three Malaysian factories for more than a week due to…
Father Kiibi arrested for defying COVID-19 prayer restrictions
Renowned celebrity Catholic priest Rev Fr Deogratius Kiibi has been arrested for defying a presidential directive on religious gatherings. Kiibi, the parish priest of Mpigi town was arrested alongside about 7 other faithfuls who reportedly gathered for mass today Sunday according to Captian Godfrey Matovu the Mpigi district internal security officer. President…
Cameroonian Muslims defy coronavirus prayer restrictions
Muslims in Cameroon have defied and are protesting government restrictions on prayer attendance at mosques, imposed to reduce the spread of COVID-19, which has so far been confirmed in 92 people in less than a month. The Muslims say the government order defies God’s teachings. Hundreds of Muslim faithful attended their…
Uganda coronavirus cases hit 30
Uganda coronavirus cases have increased to 30 after seven new cases were confirmed today at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) in Entebbe.
Donor's blood may help recipient fight COVID-19
Blood from people who have recovered from COVID-19 may help treat or prevent the disease in others. Scientists are preparing to see if injecting patients with the clear liquid part of blood, known as plasma, from patients who have recuperated from coronavirus infection can halt the virus. It's an age-old treatment, used…
Quarantined passengers sneaking out of Kabale hotel to shop, drink alcohol
Passengers supposedly quarantined inside Kirigime guest house in Kabale district in western Uganda are freely mingling with hawkers and are constantly going out to shop in total disregard of set guidelines of avoiding contact with the public. The 94 were confined at Katuna border on March 22, while…
China offers to replace faulty COVID-19 test kits sold to Spain
A Chinese company offered Friday to replace thousands of faulty coronavirus test kits after Spanish health authorities – desperate for materials to cope with the world’s second-highest COVID-19 death toll – complained they did not work as promised. China has sold face masks and other medical equipment through a series of…
10 suspected COVID-19 cases isolated in Gulu test negative
Sample results of 10 individuals quarantined in Gulu since Monday have tested negative for the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) disease.The suspects include three South Sudan nationals who travelled from Juba to Entebbe and disregarded the self-quarantine directives. They sneaked into Kampala and later proceeded to Gulu enroute to South Sudan.The samples…
Govt shuts down all driving permit issuance offices
The ministry of Works and Transport has today closed all driving permit facilities around the country as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).The ministry made the announcement through a text message sent to phones of people who have never picked up their driving licenses. The message says, 'We…
Uganda coronavirus cases rise to 23
The ministry of Health has announced five new cases of coronavirus cases taking the national tally to 23 cases in the country.
37 Chinese nationals charged for trading in Uganda without licences
37 Chinese nationals have been charged for conducting business in Uganda without trading licenses and unlawful possession of wildlife species. Three of them, according to prosecution, were on March 19, 2020, found disassembling several mobile phones and computers for trading purposes, albeit without a trading license. The offences were reportedly…
969 die in Italy on Friday
Italy on Friday became the second country to overtake China in coronavirus infections, reaching 86,498 cases on the same day it recorded its single biggest leap in coronavirus deaths, with 969 more victims. The gruesome milestones nevertheless came on the day that Italian health officials said they were seeing a slight…
Transport ban: discharged patients stuck at Masaka hospital
Discharged patients are stuck at Masaka regional referral hospital after failing to travel to their homes following President Yoweri Museveni's ban on public transport. Maria Nalunkuuma, a resident of Kyamulibwa sub county in Kalungu district says she was referred to Masaka hospital to undergo a hernia operation but has failed to…
British PM, Health minister tests positive for COVID-19
Britain's Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced Friday he has tested positive for coronavirus and is self-isolating at home with mild symptoms. Less than two hours earlier, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that he had tested positive for the virus. Hancock made the announcement on his Twitter account, saying he has been…
Uganda closes doors to refugees due to COVID-19 outbreak
Uganda's open-door policy for refugees and asylum seekers has been suspended for 30 days with immediate effect. The directive is contained in a joint statement released Wednesday by the government and the United Nations System in Uganda on Refugee Focused Prevention and Control Measures for the coronavirus (COVID-19). Refugees who are already in…
Uganda coronavirus cases rise to 18
President Yoweri Museveni Uganda has announced four new coronavirus cases. Museveni said on his Twitter account today morning that yesterday 197 samples were tested, and 4 turned out positive. The national tally has now gone to 18 confirmed cases. According to Museveni, the four new cases had been under institutional quarantine in the various…
Court orders Basajjabalaba to refund taxpayers' money
The Constitutional court has ordered city businessman Hassan Basajjabalaba to refund to government all the money that was illegally paid to him as compensation for losing the tender to manage city markets and Constitutional Square.In a majority decision of 3-2, the judges said the money to be refunded by Basajjabalaba and his…
Kenya records first COVID-19 death, 498 die in Spain
Kenya has recorded its first coronavirus death and 3 new cases (31 total) and one recovery as the global tally today reached 503,272 with 22,342 deaths. 121,227 have recovered from the virus worldwide. Spain today recorded 6,682 new cases and 498 deaths rising its national tally to 56,197 cases. Algeria with 367…
Constitutional court disarms police on public meetings
The Constitutional court has nullified section 8 of the Public Order Management Act (POMA) that grants powers to police to block public meetings. Court nullified the section on grounds that it violates the constitutional freedom of assembly and the right to demonstrate peacefully. The nullified section grants discretionary powers to the inspector general…
Iran leader refuses US help to fight coronavirus
Iran's supreme leader refused US assistance Sunday to fight the new coronavirus, citing an unfounded conspiracy theory claiming the virus could be man-made by America. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments come as Iran faces crushing US sanctions blocking the country from selling its crude oil and accessing international financial markets. But…
Travellers stranded in Gulu as ban on public transport bites
Hundreds of travellers were left stranded in Gulu town on Wednesday night following a 14-day ban on public transport by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.On Wednesday Museveni announced a travel ban on public transport in order to curtail further spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country. Uganda currently has 14 confirmed…
This happens when you call toll-free lines
Okay, you wake up feeling tacky. Your throat hurts; maybe you have a cough. You are definitely anxious. What should you do? Can you get tested to rule out the novel coronavirus? Official advice is; if you feel sick, call these toll-free ministry of Health lines –0800100066 and 0800203033. This is what…
Scientists identify 69 drugs to test against coronavirus
Nearly 70 drugs and experimental compounds may be effective in treating the coronavirus, a team of researchers reported on Sunday night. Some of the medications are already used to treat other diseases, and repurposing them to treat Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, may be faster than trying to invent…
Tycoon Kiwanuka property saga extends to Court of Appeal
It is now six months since the once reclusive family of tycoon Mohan Kiwanuka became a media soap opera due to a protracted legal battle over property. Much as the central issue surrounds the mental state of the family patriarch and his capacity to make vital decisions of late, the legal…
Schools to become quarantine centres
After the shutdown of schools countrywide announced last week, some of their premises will be used as mandatory coronavirus quarantine centres, President Museveni has said. With 14 cases of Covid-19 confirmed so far in Uganda, President Museveni suggested on Sunday in a televised address that schools will offer space for temporary…
Rwanda's coronavirus cases rise to 40
Rwanda's confirmed coronavirus cases have now tallied to 40 following four new cases on Tuesday. The four new cases include two travellers from Dubai, UAE, one traveller from Brussels, Belgium while the other case is a contact of a previously confirmed case who was identified through tracing.
Coronavirus distress calls overwhelm Wakiso district
Wakiso district corona taskforce is overwhelmed with distress calls reporting suspected coronavirus cases. Uganda on Monday reported 8 new cases after the first confirmed case on Saturday. According to authorities, most of the reported cases are of people who have just returned from the Middle East countries. Several reports have been registered…
Coronavirus: EPRC sends all staff home
The Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC) at Makerere University has announced a temporary shutdown due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. On Monday night, the Health ministry confirmed eight new coronavirus cases of Ugandan nationals who had returned from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE); between March 20 and March 22, 2020 aboard…
More Ugandans to get connected to the power grid for free
Christoper Tumuhimbise knows a thing or two about the price one pays for making an illegal electrical connection in a premise without a permit. A swift operation by enforcement teams grabbed Tumuhimbise, from where he was charged at the Standards, Utility and Wildlife court. In February 2017, Tumuhimbise was found…
Coronavirus kills Cameroon saxophone legend
Cameroon is mourning the loss of legendary saxophonist and singer Manu Dibango, who died of COVID-19 in France. Family members and lovers of his music have been visiting the iconic musician’s relatives in his country of origin to express their condolences. Family members and fans of music icon Manu Dibango have…
Turkey threatens to seize factories hoarding masks
Turkish officials are threatening to seize factories where face masks are produced if the companies running them do not agree to sell their products to the government. Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told Turkish state-run media Monday the companies must stop hoarding their stock and sign contracts with the health ministry…
30-year-old journalist becomes Zimbabwe's first COVID-19 victim
A well-known 30-year-old television journalist is the first person to die of the coronavirus in Zimbabwe.
Lawyer Wanyoto petitions court to block money laundering charges against him
City lawyer Paul Mugoya Wanyoto has petitioned the High court civil division to block the money laundering charges he is battling in the Anti-Corruption Court. Wanyoto is charged with money laundering contrary o section 3(c) and 136(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2013 when he knowingly acquired land comprised in Busiro…
Uganda records 8 new coronavirus cases
Uganda's Health minister Jane Ruth Aceng has on Monday announced 8 new cases of coronavirus in the country. Uganda recorded her first coronavirus case on Saturday last week.
Nigeria warns against using chloroquine to treat coronavirus
Nigeria has warned against using the drug chloroquine to fight COVID-19 after three people were hospitalized after overdosing on it, according to a CNN report. Last week, US President Donald Trump said at a briefing that the Food and Drug Administration had approved the drug for treatment of the coronavirus.
Returning family of six quarantined in Nakasongola
Six family members who travelled from Kenya have been quarantined inside a tent in Zengebe landing site, Nakasongola district after one of them exhibited symptoms of coronavirus. A team of district health officials has been dispatched to the landing site to further assess the family. They travelled from Kenya and were intercepted by…
Gov’t to waive taxes for sanitizer manufacturers
Government is to waive taxes on manufacturers who have agreed to produce sanitizers in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus pandemic in the country. The minister of state for Investment Evelyn Anite has said that the government will waive value added tax (VAT) and excise duty on manufacturers’ operations…
Coronavirus cases surpass 1,300 in Africa
More than 1,396 coronavirus cases have been confirmed cases in at least 45 African countries with more than 40 deaths according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Worldwide, there are 351,083 confirmed cases, 15,317 deaths while 100,354 have recovered from the pandemic. Only Malawi, Western Sahara, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Mali, Botswana, Lesotho, Guinea-Bissau…
Africa's mountain gorillas also at risk from coronavirus
As the coronavirus infects more people around the world, conservationists are warning of the risk to another vulnerable species: Africa's endangered mountain gorilla. Congo's Virunga national park, home to about a third of the world's mountain gorillas, is barring visitors until June 1, citing "advice from scientific experts indicating that…
Rwanda bans domestic travel for 14 days in coronavirus fight
Rwanda has become the first nation in Africa to be placed on lockdown for at least 14 days in an effort to fight the coronavirus outbreak. A statement issued by the office of the prime minister said “observing the global trend of the COVID-19 pandemic, and considering the experiences of other…
COVID-19: S.African investor survives lynching in Jinja
An investor of South African origin, Billy Thiart on Sunday survived lynching by residents of Kyabirwa village in Budondo sub-county, Jinja district.This followed his alleged Facebook post where he boasted of having arrived through Entebbe airport without being quarantined for coronavirus. South Africa is Africa's second most infected country with…
Africa gets emergency medical supplies from China's Jack Ma
Africa has received a much-needed coronavirus care package from Chinese billionaire Jack Ma. A cargo flight containing more than 6 million medical items arrived Sunday in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. The supplies from Ma, the founder of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba, will be distributed to African countries in need of supplies…
India falls silent as it observes 14-hour lockdown
The sound of silence descended on India as hundreds of millions hunkered indoors Sunday in response to a call by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to observe a voluntary 14-hour lockdown as a surge in coronavirus cases deepens worries about the pandemic in the world’s second most populous nation. Authorities also shut…
Costly coronavirus blunder? 84 exposed passengers let into population
It was by the grace of God that Uganda had not yet recorded a coronavirus case, President Yoweri Museveni and minister of Health Jane Ruth Aceng said on Saturday, hours before announcing the first case in a 36-year-old Ugandan male. It might have to be the grace of God that more…
82 arrested in Kampala, Hoima for defying COVID-19 directives
A joint security team arrested at least 37 bar owners and managers in Kampala over defying President Museveni’s directive on the closure of bars in a bid to fight coronavirus pandemic.Uganda has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus disease abbreviated as Covid-19. Over 311,994 coronavirus cases have been confirmed…
Security disperses mourners in Kabale over coronavirus
Security officials on Saturday dispersed mourners at the burial of the late Amon Paddy Amanya, a businessman in Kabale town.Amanya was found killed by yet-to-be identified assailants on Tuesday and his body dumped by the roadside near Highland Tea factory in Kitumba parish/sub-county. He was last seen on Monday evening…