Kyabazinga gives medals to Speaker Kadaga, Abenakyo

Jinja/Bushenyi. The Speaker of Parliament, Ms Rebecca Kadaga, and Miss World Africa Quiin Abenakyo were among the 20 people who received royal medals from the Kyabazinga, William Wilberforce Kadhumbula Gabula Nadiope IV, at the weekend.

Ms Kadaga received the Sir William Wilberforce Gabula Nadiope II medal for promoting gender, parity, and defending women rights, among others, while Ms Abenakyo was awarded the Source of the Nile medal for inspiring the young generation to believe in themselves.
While addressing his subjects at Igenge Palace in Jinja District, the Kyabazinga pledged to raise funds to tackle the escalating issues of child marriages and teenage pregnancies in the sub-region, adding that the campaign will be led by Ms Abenakyo.

In her remarks, Ms Kadaga condemned government for deforestation, saying it had caused rainstorms and landslides.
“Ugandans are not serious and government is not serious because in Ethiopia, the country declared decades of tree-planting and have planted 12 million trees every year.
“They have now 120 million new trees in addition to old ones; but people here are into charcoal burning and have cut every tree in the area,’’ Ms Kadaga said.

Mr Joseph Muvawala, the prime minister of Busoga, said the kingdom plans to plant 50 million trees in the next 10 years.
Other people awarded were the former Shia community leader, the late Sheikh Abdul Qadir Muwaya and his son, Mr Umar Bongo, the Mayuge District chairperson.
Sheikh Muwaya was recognised for promoting education through building schools, churches, mosques, health centres, water sources and championing electrification in Mayuge.

Other beneficiaries include the former vice president, Dr Specioza Wandira Kazibwe for being a global icon and promoter of the emancipation of women and girl-child education.
Former chief justice Wako Wambuzi was also awarded for his service in the Judiciary, the former Bishop of Busoga Diocese, the late Rev Cyprian Bamwoze, Arthur Wilson Musulube, who composed the Busoga anthem, among others were also awarded.
Meanwhile, Speaker Kadaga asked government to consider giving school-going female children sanitary pads so that they do not abandon studies.

“I was invited at Women’s Day in Oyam [District]; we were at a primary school. They told me that in Primary One, they had 100 girls but by the time I went there, they were only 16. So, I asked where are the others? They said they left school. They leave school because they cannot stand the stigma, they do not have money to buy the sanitary towels,” Ms Kadaga said on Friday.

This was during belated Women’s Day celebrations for Bushenyi District in Kyeizoba Sub-county.
“I am happy that the issue of our girl-child education is now taking centre stage. I remember when we were in the National Resistance Council, we tried to pass a resolution in our committee for education that government should provide sanitary towels then one of the members said we were being elitist,” she added.

Factory underway
The Speaker also laid a foundation stone for a factory for reusable sanitary towels at Karooro Okurut Foundation Industrial Park in Katungu Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality.
Ms Kadaga hailed the Minister in charge of General Duties in the Office of the Prime Minister, Ms Mary Karooro Okurut, for skilling young people.

About the medals
The medals were categorised into three, including the Sir William Wilberforce Gabula Nadiope II, Omwooyo Gwa Busoga and the Source of the Nile. The Sir William Wilberforce Gabula Nadiope medal goes to individuals and entities that have contributed to cultural, social and economic development of Busoga and transformation of people’s lives.The Mwooyo Gwa Busoga medal is given to people and entities that diligently protect, nurture and uphold Busoga cultural heritage and norms, while the Source of the Nile medal is for those whose hard work, innovation and achievements have made the cultural institution known globally.

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