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.

Former Kenya president Daniel Arap Moi who ruled the country from 1978 to 2002 has died at Nairobi Hospital in the capital at the age of 95 years.
Moi’s death was announced was announced by Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta who also declared a period of national mourning and said Mr. Moi would receive a state funeral. The President did not clarify on the cause of his death.

Mr. Moi became Kenya’s president in 1978, 15 years after the country had acquired independence from Britain in 1963. He became president following the death of Jomo Kenyatta, the country’s founding father who had handpicked Moi for vice president.

Unlike his predecessor (Kenyatta) who governed behind closed doors, Mr. Moi’s leadership saw him traveling the country trying to unite its divided ethnic and tribal groups hence gaining wide popularity. He introduced free milk for children and fought hard to stop the endemic graft and to elevate Kenya’s struggling tourism-and-agriculture sector. His anticommunist policies won him huge Western support during the Cold War.

Moi was widely criticized for suppressing the opposition in Kenya and forming a single-party state that characterized his 24-year dictatorial reign. His critics accused him for putting his face on the bank notes, ordering his portrait to hang in offices and shops, using national resources to enrich his family and tribal cronies and stashing billions of Kenya’s money in overseas banks.
During his presidency, Moi won five successive elections including 3 times when he was unopposed in 1979, 1983 and 1988. He exercised absolute power as the head of government and sometimes he could dismiss judges and other officials despite the post-independence constitution vesting such authority in a National Assembly.

According to reports from United Nations, Amnesty International and Africa Watch, Moi was accused of controlling the news media, police and military services, closing universities and suppressed his opponents with detentions, torture and killings.

In 1982, some 2,100 low-ranking air force officials attempted an unsuccessful coup against Moi’s government due to rampant corruption, abuse of power and a deteriorating economy. Moi ordered for the arrest of the entire team, imprisoning and executing hundreds. Shaken by the attempted coup, Moi ordered all civil servants to join the ruling political party which he presided over as president.
Investigations carried out after Moi had stepped down as president found that his family and allies had received as much as $4 billion from his government, the biggest fraud in Kenya’s history.
In 2002, Moi was barred from running for presidency by the constitution and he subsequently agreed to hand over power in a rare smooth transfer on the continent by then. Although Moi supported Uhuru Kenyatta, a son of Jomo Kenyatta in the elections, they were won by his long-term opponent Mwai Kibaki who had lost to him in 1992 and 1997. In a surprise U-turn, Mr. Moi supported later supported Kibaki’s re-election in the following polls.

After his retirement, more evidence about corruption and human rights abuses were found by his successors than had been expected. Although corruption inquiries implicated him and his family, Mr. Moi was never prosecuted even when Kenya found $1 billion in stolen funds overseas in 2003. Others in Mr. Moi’s administration were pursued but he was spared and treated as an elder statesman.

Who was Moi?

Moi was born to Toroitich Arap Moi on Sept 2, 1924 in Kuriengwo, a Rift Valley village in western Kenya. Moi lost his father who was a herdsman when he was just four years. Moi’s family originated from the minority tribe of the Kalenjin.
He attended the Africa Mission School at Kabartonjo from where he became a Christian and adopted the name Daniel. He graduated as teacher from Kapsabet Teacher Training College and he taught classes from 1945 to 1947 before he became headmaster of a government school.
In 1950, Moi married Helena Bommet with whom they had five sons and two daughters and another adopted daughter.

Mr. Moi joined politics in 1955 when he was appointed by the British to the Colonial Legislative Council. Two years later, he was elected to the council when black Kenyans were allowed to vote. He joined a London conference in 1960 that drew up a Kenyan constitution authorizing African political parties. He was later elected assistant treasurer of the new Kenya African National Union (KANU). KANU later merged with Moi’s founded party, Kenya African Democratic Union to become the sole political party in the country.
Mr. Moi was appointed by Mr. Kenyatta as minister of home affairs in the new government in 1964 and later vice president in 1967.

Uganda has been ranked 137th out of 180 countries on the 2019 corruption perceptions index published by Transparency International. This means that Uganda is the 43rd most corrupt country in the world considering 180 countries that have been ranked.

Being ranked 137th out of 180 countries in 2019 indicates that Uganda has registered some slight improvement in the corruption perceptions index having been ranked 149th in the previous year (2018).

On the list, Uganda scored 28 points, which are clearly below the global average rate of 43 points according to Transparency International indicating that the country is still falling short in its progress to overcome corruption.

How do other countries in the region perform?

The corruption perception index of 2019 shows that countries in the East African region in general are not doing well at all as far as corruption is concerned.

Rwanda came on top of the rest of other countries in the region scoring 53 points, 10 points above the global average rate and ranked 51st out of the 180 ranked countries. Tanzania scored 37 points and in in 96th position, Kenya is tied with Uganda at 28 points and in the same position of 137. Burundi came 165th with 19 points, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is in 168th position with 18 points while South Sudan was ranked lowest in the region with 12 points and in 179 position.

At continent level, Seychelles came as the best country in Africa on the list in the 27th position globally with 66 points, Botswana is the second-best on the continent and 34th globally with 61 points. Other countries on the continent that are performing relatively well include Cape Verde (41st with 58 points), Mauritius and Namibia both with 52 points in the 56th position while South Africa was ranked 70th with 44 points.

As expected, it is still African countries that came at the bottom of the rankings indicating a very high degree of corruption in such countries. Five of the last 10 countries on the list are African countries with Somalia sitting at the bottom with only 9 points meaning that it is the most corrupt country in the world among the 180 ranked countries. Somalia is followed by South Sudan in the 179th position with 12 points while Sudan and Equatorial Guinea are both tie in the 173rd position with 16 points each. Libya, Guinea Bissau, Congo and Chad are also among the last countries on the list.

Internationally, Denmark and New Zealand are on top of the list both ranked first as the least corrupt countries in the world with 87 points each followed by Finland in the third with 86 points. Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland are all fourth with 85 points while Norway and Netherlands are 7th and 8th with 84 and 82 points respectively. Germany and Luxembourg complete the top 10 with 80 points each.

World-leading economies like the U.S and China do not score so high in the rankings the U.S coming 23rd on the list, the same position with France with 69 points while China falling far behind in the 80th position with 41 points level with four other countries including Benin, Ghana, India and Morocco.

The Sub-Saharan region of Africa was given an average score of 32 points and it is the lowest among all the global regions followed by Eastern Europe and Central Asia with 35 points.

Key factors

According to Transparency International, the body that publishes the corruption perceptions index annually, corruption thrives in countries where big money is allowed to flow freely into electoral campaigns and where governments listen only to the voices of wealthy or well-connected individuals.

“The Corruption Perceptions Index 2019 reveals a staggering number of countries are showing little or no improvement in tackling corruption. Our analysis also suggests that reducing big money in politics and promoting inclusive political decision-making are essential to curb corruption.” Reads part of the statement published by the Transparency International.

Recommendations

Some of the measures recommended by Transparency International in order to end corruption include; managing conflicts of interest, controlling political financing, and strengthening electoral integrity. Others include regulating lobbying activities, tackling preferential treatment, empowering citizens, and reinforcing checks and balances.

Since the end of last year, locusts have invaded East Africa and the invasion has been considered the biggest in 25 and 70 years in Ethiopia and Kenya respectively.

According to environment experts, the billions of locusts that are swarming though the region are a result of the recent extreme weather swings and could turn catastrophic if the pace and the numbers at which they are approaching are not retarded.

Since November last year, dense clouds of locusts have been seen spreading from Ethiopia and Somalia and now into Kenya in what is regarded now as the region’s worst infestation in decades.

According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), one swam in Kenya was estimated at around 2,400 square kilometers (930 square miles) that could contain up to 200 billion locusts with each destroying its own weight in food every day in consumption.

According to FAO, this locusts’ invasion is the biggest in Ethiopia and Somalia in 25 years while it’s the biggest in Kenya in 70 years. The organization warns that if unchecked, locusts numbers could increase 500 times by the middle of this year spreading to neighboring countries like Uganda and South Sudan becoming a plague that will destroy both crops and pasture causing catastrophic problems in the already vulnerable region.

Guleid Artan, an expert from the Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC) warns that this could lead “a major food security problem”, as he spoke to the press in Nairobi. He said that the locusts were the latest symptom of extreme climate conditions that saw 2019 start with a drought and end with one of the wettest seasons in four decades in some parts where floods killed hundreds of people across the region.

According to FAO, the current invasion is known as an “upsurge” and when the entire region gets affected and the disaster gets worse and cannot be contained for over a year or more, it would turn into a “plague” of locusts.

Since the beginning of the 1900s, there have been six major desert locust plagues and the last happened between 1987 and 1989 while the last major upsurge was in 2003 to 2005.

Mr Artan said the invasion had come after a year of extremes which say the East Africa coast hit by eight cyclones, the highest in a single calendar year since 1976. This was due to a warmer Western Indian Ocean, a climate condition known as the Indian Ocean Dipole which has conversely led to severe drought in Australia that is experiencing its own extremes: bushfires, hail and dust storms.

“We know East Africa is one of the most vulnerable to climate change. We know this region will see more extremes,” warned Artan.

In Kenya, since the massive swarms entered in December, they have torn through pastureland in the north and central of the country. farmers in these regions were a bit lucky that their crops had already matured or been harvested by the time of the locust invasion, however, herders paid the bigger cost as vegetation for their animals is consumed by the destructive aliens. Unfortunately, pastoralists were just emerging from three years of drought and the recovery from such a long dry spell usually takes them up to five years.

Experts further warn that if locusts are not brought under control by the start of the next planting and rainy season, around March, farmers could see their crops decimated.

The Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) has released the results of last year’s Primary Leaving Examinations. The results indicate an improved general performance compared to the previous year (2018) while in terms of gender, male candidates performed better than their female counterparts.

English and Social Studies were the best done subjects while candidates struggled in Mathematics and Science. As usual, cases of exam malpractice were reported and UNEB is still withholding results of 1,512 candidates as investigations are carried out.

UNEB Executive Secretary Dan Odongo said that schools whose results are withheld will be notified through their district inspectors of schools.

According to Mr Odongo, candidates who sat for last year’s PLE were 695,804 in total from 13,475 centers. Of these, 473,893 (68.2%) were from schools under the Universal Primary Education program while 221,912 were from private schools.

The PLE results of 2019 were read by the First Lady and Minister of education Janet Museveni at Kampala Parents School on Friday. The Minister was presented the results in a thick booklet by UNEB Chairperson Mary Okwakol.

Ms. Okwakol said that literacy has generally improved among the pupils as reported by the examiners and added that more learners will continue to join post-primary institutions and clarified that no exam papers leaked to candidates before last year’s exams.

“The correct position is that no papers leaked. The papers which were circulated were fake, I appeal to the media to always report correctly.” She said.

The Minister said that she was pleased with the increased literacy levels in the country but criticized the practice of charging parents pre-registration exam fees by schools which said is unfair and must stop.

“This practice of giving pre-registration examinations must stop. All children who go to school must have the opportunity to sit for the final exams. Media, you can help us in this area to inform the public that this practice must stop.” She said.

Meanwhile, the Minister also sounded a serious warning to those who engage in exam malpractice and called upon all stakeholders to step and stop it. Examiners revealed that during the course of marking exams they found disturbing expressions inside some scripts written by candidates such as; ‘This is not the paper we are to do’ and ‘This is not our examination.’

Such scripts were likely from candidates who had received fake exam papers before the final day of the exam. Mr Odongo said that many “gullible” schools engaged in buying these papers and used them to teach candidates overnight on the eve of the examination. He said that the culprits are waiting court action.

So far, 61 suspects have been arrested and charged with cases relating to exam malpractice and the major ones include external assistance given to candidates by third parties inside examination rooms.

Mrs. Museveni called upon the media to join hands with other stakeholders to fight the vice of exam malpractice and underlined that the “corrupt and fraudulent actions” of teachers involved might have caused the affected candidates to fail, adding that it is a sign of “serious inadequacies in teaching”.

“UNEB wishes to warn that from now on, the perpetrators of examination malpractice will be hunted down and brought to book,” warned Odongo. The body says that their examination security will accord a fair hearing to all the candidates whose exams are withheld and those who will be cleared will have their results released.

“After the hearings are concluded, the board will publish in the media the list of schools and districts from which results will have been cancelled.” Said Odongo.

In numbers

The number of candidates sitting for PLE has been increasing by an average of 2.4% over the last five years according to Mr. Odongo. Another significant trend is that more girls than boys have been registered for PLE in the same period with last year figure indicating that 359,764 (51.7%) girls compared to 336,040 (48.3%) boys.

Subject performance

Candidates registered improved performance in SST and English at distinction level while pass level rose in Science but with dropped performance at distinction level.

“In both English and Mathematics, performance was poor in questions where candidates were required to apply knowledge in problem solving situations or express themselves freely. Candidates were more comfortable with questions that are direct and based on recall. This situation has persisted over the years.” Said Odongo.

On the positive side, candidates registered an improvement in their handwriting and presentation of work. There was a big reduction in the number of candidates scoring no mark at all compared to previous years.

Generally, last year’s candidates performed better than their counterparts of 2018 in divisions 1,2 and 3. A total of 617,150 candidates have qualified to join post-primary institutions compared to 599,593 in 2018.