7 DAYS: Nsibambi in plane crash, new landslide looming

Prime Minister Apolo Nsibambi escaped from a plane crash with minor injuries when the helicopter he was travelling in crashed in Bugiri District.
Together with six other people, Prof. Nsibambi was coming from the Kenyan border after receiving relief aid from President Mwai Kibaki’s government to those affected by the Bududa landslides.

But there was another shocker; Kenyan Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka who was supposed to handover the aid to Prof. Nsibambi, did not make it because the plane he was using was forced to make an emergency landing after developing a mechanical fault. Internal Affairs State Minister Matia Kasaija said a team of experts has been commissioned to investigate the cause of the crash.

Mudslides looming
As many people in Bududa continued moaning the loss of their loved ones and thousands gathered in camps, experts issued fresh warnings of more landslides on Mt. Elgon should the human activities there not be halted immediately.
Aid has been trickling in for the estimated 5,000 displaced people while others have vowed not to vacate the catastrophe-prone area claiming they do not want to go away from their ancestral home.
Funny though, is that even the little aid coming in was being sold by selfish officials to make extra cash for their families.
Fresh slides and heavy rains were also reported in Kabale, Butaleja and Kabarole districts leaving many displaced.

Travel ban
Back in Kampala, MPs warned ‘stubborn’ ministers that they would face a travel ban after failing to appear before the Public Accounts Committee (Pac) investigating the misuse of Chogm funds.
Pac chairman Nandala Mafabi said Ministers Hope Mwesigye (Agriculture), Sam Kutesa (Foreign) and Serapio Rukundo (Tourism) should surrender their passports after skipping scheduled meetings with the committee claiming they were busy building the nation on the foreign scene.
The committee claims it has evidence that these ministers arm-twisted their permanent secretaries to inflate some procurement deals in preparation for Chogm resulting into the loss of billions of taxpayers’ cash.
Some other ministers are said to have used the money to construct access roads to their residencies.

Hanged inmate?
Inmate Justine Orach was earlier transferred from Gulu Central Prison to Lotuturu Prison only to meet his death days after the transfer.
But the police believe Orach’s torture and death was orchestrated by a prison warder on allegations of misconduct.
The warder allegedly beat Orach into comma before ordering other inmates to hang him. He did not stop at that but went ahead to boast to the prisoners that he was in control of the situation since human rights activists only work in towns.

Online registration
Makerere University is indeed moving at high speed in the information technology field.
The 87-year-old institution now wants to introduce online registration for students who intend to join the Ivory Tower and its affiliate colleges for the 2010/11 academic year.
Students will no longer need to travel from the remotest corners of the country to pick registration forms and then return them yet in the end they might not be successful. A good move it is.

jtugume@ug.nationmedia.com