The State Minister for Environment Mary Goretti Kitutu has asked women to spearhead environmental protection campaigns to mitigate the effects of climate change in the country. Kitutu, who was presiding over the Women’s Day celebrations for Lwengo district in Kyazanga town council on Wednesday, indicated that the country is currently facing adverse effects due the rampant environmental destruction practices, which include unreliable rainfalls and high temperatures, which should be stopped with mitigation intervention. She challenged the women to use their influence of numbers to practically spearhead a massive tree planting campaign in their respective areas for purposes of restoring the destroyed environment features. She, however, cautioned communities against mass plantation of Eucalyptus forests which she says will instead become more hazardous due their very high water consumption rate and soil exhaustion. Kitutu also complained about the high levels of environmental destruction in Buganda. She is worried that Uganda may in the near future require spend huge sums of money and suspend its priorities to feed the starving communities affected by severe drought. Cissy Dionizia Namujju, the Lwengo District Woman Member of Parliament asked all women council leaders in the area to ensure that tree planting campaigns becomes one of the priority actions, arguing that climate change is a real effect on women. Records at the Directorate of Environment at the Minister of Water and Environment indicate that Uganda has in the last 10 years lost over 1 million hectares of forest cover yet less than 150,000 hectares were planted, creating a deficit of close to 85 percent. One Dead, Nine Admitted in Napak Over WFP Flour. Matany nurses carrying the body to police car for postmortem in Mbale. A six- year- old child has died and nine others are admitted at Matany Hospital in Napak district after allegedly eating Super Cereal fortified flour distributed by the World Food Program (WFP). The deceased has been identified as Maritina Imalany, a resident of Lita Village in Lorikitae Parish in Lokopo Sub County. It is alleged that the deceased together with several others ate porridge prepared with the Super Cereal fortified flour, which had been stocked by Lucy Lochoro, a health worker at Lokopo HC111. Lochoro is said to have hidden the flour when WFP was retrieving it from the community last month. WFP suspended the distribution of Super Cereal flour last month when more than 260 fell ill after eating the flour in Amudat and Napak districts. Four people died after eating the same flour. They include two- year old Lotee, 60- year old Martin Sagal, and Mariko Lokut, 58; all from Napak district. The other was Sentina Chemukan from Amuna village, Karita Sub County in Amudat district. Wednesday’s incident came as a shock to many since the issue of the four had gone silent. Napak Police have arrested the nurse. She is in custody at Kangole Central Police Station. The minor’s body has been taken for postmortem in Mbale. Lucia Lochoro, the mother to the deceased, says they were given the flour by one of the children who was staying with the nurse. “She told us that this other flour was good since the contaminated one had been taken back. Because of hunger, we prepared it for children but all fell sick just minutes after eating it” she said. Emmanuel Ainebyoona, the Senior Public Relations officer Ministry of Health, says they are out joint investigations into the matter. He told URN on phone that a comprehensive report would be availed later in the day. Ministry of Health replaced Super Cereal maize blended flour with Super Cereal Plus and Ready- to- use Supplementary Food, RUSF packs and sachets last month. However, some people refused to hand over the contaminated flour due to hunger. For comments, call or text us on 0752510225.
