Category: Daily Monitor

Grief has engulfed South Sudanese refugees at Palabek Refugee Settlement Camp in Palabek-Ogili Sub-County, Lamwo District, after a lightning strike killed two refugees and left two others critically injured.

The deceased were identified as Ms Martha Ibalu, 50, a resident of Zone 7, Block 6, and Ms Tereza Eyei, 28, a resident of Zone 4, Block B. They were killed on Sunday afternoon while sheltering from a storm.

Reports indicate that the two women had gone to a nearby bush to burn charcoal when tragedy struck. They had sought shelter under a tree when they were hit by lightning.

Their bodies were taken to Puluda Health Centre III for post-mortem examination.

Two other victims, Mr James Lokiek, 39, a resident of Zone 4, Block 8, and Ms Elizabeth Amuna, 35, a resident of Zone 7, Block 6, survived but sustained serious injuries. They are receiving treatment at Paluda Health Centre III.

The September 28 incident brings the number of South Sudanese refugees killed by lightning strikes since November 2024 to 16, with 36 others injured.

On November 3, 2024, at about 5:30 pm, 14 refugees, 12 children and two adults, died after they were struck by lightning while seeking shelter from the rain at a UN World Food Programme (WFP) food distribution centre in Zone 8, Block 2. Another 34 were seriously injured in that tragedy.

Mr Joe Oloya, the Aswa East Region Police spokesperson, said the victims in Sunday’s incident were caught in the rain while in the bush.

‘It is alleged that on September 28, 2025, at around 4 pm, the victims went to Ajaogala village to burn charcoal. After a while, it started raining and they took cover under a tree where lightning struck them, two died on the spot and two survived,’ he said in a statement issued Tuesday evening.

He added that police detectives are investigating a case of sudden death by lightning.

With the threat of thunderstorms still looming, the Uganda National Meteorological Authority (UNMA) has urged Ugandans to avoid using mobile phones during storms to reduce the risk of lightning strikes.

According to UNMA, the electric circuit in a mobile phone could attract lightning. The authority has issued the warning to help the public minimize risks.

Dr Bob Alex Ogwang, the Executive Director of UNMA, further advised Ugandans to put contingency measures in place to reduce the loss of life from such natural disasters.

Lightning is a powerful natural phenomenon caused by electrostatic discharges between charged regions in clouds or between clouds and the Earth, producing intense light and sound.

Speaking at Kayunga Regional Referral Hospital after touring the facility last week, the Prime Minister, Ms Robinah Nabbanja, said it was because locals voted NRM-leaning leaders into office that they had ‘such a good hospital.’ She said Mukono Municipality, ‘which always votes for Opposition, doesn’t have such a health facility because [Betty] Nambooze doesn’t come to us to request such developmental projects.’ The prime minister’s utterance is quite unfortunate coming from a senior leader of government, which is charged with delivering equitable social services such as education and medical care to citizens countrywide irrespective of their religious, ethnic, and political affiliations.

The government does not need to wait for ‘requests’ to conduct its duties, which citizens pay a lot of money in taxes for. It is incumbent upon the government and its officials at all levels to ensure that all regions of the country have properly functioning schools, hospitals. Roads, bridges and ferries on water bodies must also be in good condition. Furthermore, access to clean water is a fundamental human right that the government should uphold. The responsibility also lies with the government to ensure the safety of the wananchi and their properties. These responsibilities must be fulfilled by the government irrespective of whether Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze, who is a member of the National Unity Platform, or any other top area leader has pointed out a shortcoming or not.

The government employs thousands of people who can easily alert it to challenges experienced by specific areas around the country. What the prime minister uttered recently is similar to remarks made by other National Resistance Movement (NRM) government officials over the years whenever people from areas led by Opposition-leaning leaders complain of poor social services. The disgruntled locals are derisively told that they are reaping the fruits of their choices, with government officials saying, things would have been better had they supported the NRM party.

This is unacceptable. People should not be deprived of services owed to them simply because they do not support the party in power. Being a member of the Opposition is not a crime. It should not be used as an excuse to deprive people of their rights and relegate them to second class citizens. We call upon all candidates– those affiliated with parties and independents– standing for the various positions, from the local government to the presidency, to bear in mind that if they are elected into office, they should treat all people equitably.

President Yoweri Museveni in a tweet on September 23, reassured Ugandans, ‘We are going to fight the theft of drugs at health centres [..] if immunisation has been successful, then all efforts can be effective as well’. The President’s remark mirrored the continued cries from the populace about theft of medicines at health facilities. The President’s concern, and that of the ordinary Ugandan, comes at a time the Government of Uganda has steadily increased the annual budget for National Medical Stores (NMS), a government agency mandated to buy, store, and distribute medicines and medical supplies to government health facilities at no cost.

These medicines, whether for malaria, HIV, maternal care, or childhood immunisation, are purchased and delivered by NMS to public health facilities free of charge, and should in turn be given out to patients at no cost. And yet, despite this huge investment, cries abound of shortage of medicines in health facilities occasioned by theft, patients asked to pay for health supplies provided free of charge by the government through NMS, or medicines being diverted at health centres to private clinics. This is theft. This is economic sabotage. It is not only a crime against government; it is a crime against every Ugandan whose life depends on those medicines. Every vial, every tablet, every kit that goes missing represents a life put at risk.

It is no longer about government not providing medicines, but more about unscrupulous actors robbing families of hope as soon as medicines are delivered at various health facilities across the country. To enhance transparency, all NMS delivery trucks are fitted with GPS trackers to monitor delivery of medicines up to the gates of health facilities in every corner of Uganda. Once dispatched from National Medical stores, an SMS alert is sent to MPs of the respective area, DHOs, RDCs, DISOs, the State House Health Monitoring Unit, plus all officers in charge of health facilities. This message includes a contact of the person receiving and verifying the consignment at the health facility.

The purpose is to ensure visibility and transparency from dispatch up to the delivery point and for stakeholders to verify deliveries real-time. After NMS delivers medicines to health facilities, the responsibility shifts to facility managers and local authorities to ensure that the medicines and health supplies delivered are efficiently utilised. Furthermore, the government has intensified the roll out of the Electronic Medical Records (EMR), a system that will create a traceable link between what NMS delivered and what was given out to patients. This is where the vigilance and participation of all Ugandans comes in because systems alone are not enough.

Beyond the government’s initiatives, the fight against theft of government medicines requires citizens, patients, parents, teachers, religious leaders, youth to stand up against theft and report any suspicious behaviour to the nearest police station or to the State House Health Monitoring Unit on 0800-200-447. To the extent possible, government medicines are now clearly labelled and easy to identify with a ‘Government of Uganda, not for sale’ or ‘UG’ label on every tablet.

National and district leaders, when you receive a dispatch and delivery SMS alert from NMS about medicines and health supplies, please, demand accountability from health workers; ask questions when you are told there are no drugs; demand delivery notes which show quantities and type of medicines and health supplies received. To the citizenry, refuse to buy government-labelled medicines. Report suspicious activity to authorities. Silence and indifference only embolden thieves. Lasting change will only come when every Ugandan understands that safeguarding government medicines is not the duty of a few. It is the responsibility of all of us.