Latest news with #Busia
Zawya
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Zawya
Uganda-Kenya Mark Milestone on Strengthening Urban Resilience to Emerging Disaster and Climate Risk within Buisa Municipalities
Uganda and Kenya have taken a significant step toward building a resilient cross-border future with the successful conclusion of the inaugural Uganda-Kenya Joint Meeting on Urban Resilience, held from June 3–5, 2025, in Busia, Uganda. The three-day meeting organized with the support of UNDP with funds from the Republic of Korea, and the Kingdoms of Luxembourg and Denmark, brought together high-level delegations from both nations to address shared challenges posed by climate change and urban disaster risks in the different municipalities of Busia. Led by Ambassador Eunice Kigenyi, Deputy Head of Mission and Chargé d'Affaires a.i. at the Uganda High Commission in Nairobi, and Mr. Joel Wamalwa, Chief Executive Officer of the Lake Victoria North Water Works Development Agency for Kenya, the meeting marked a milestone in regional cooperation and environmental diplomacy. The Uganda Delegation was multi-sectoral, including officials from the Uganda High Commission, Nairobi, Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Works and Transport, Local Government, Water and Environment, Health and the Busia Municipality leadership comprising of the RDC, Member of Parliament, Mayor, Town Clerk, Speaker and staff. The Kenyan delegation included officials from the Ministries of Water, Interior, and Foreign and Diaspora Affairs—illustrating the country's cross-ministerial commitment. In his opening address, Mr. Fenard M. Katunda, Town Clerk of Busia Municipality (Uganda), emphasized the region's growing exposure to climate-induced disasters. He cited rapid urbanization, deforestation, and encroachment on wetlands as major contributors to recurrent flooding and infrastructural damage, exacerbated by weak storm-water systems, poor waste management, and limited public awareness. 'Mr. Katunda urged the need to harmonize our cross-border policies and strengthen institutional coordination to safeguard lives, livelihoods, and ecosystems,' Key Challenges at the Heart of the Agenda The bilateral session surfaced a range of pressing concerns impacting both municipalities, for instance: Frequent Flooding due to overwhelmed drainage systems. Environmental Degradation, including deforestation and wetland loss. Public Health Risks from waterborne diseases like cholera and typhoid. Economic Disruptions impacting cross-border trade and infrastructure. Inadequate Early Warning Systems and limited disaster preparedness. Weak Enforcement of existing environmental regulations. A Unified Vision for Action Reaffirming the need for joint action, His Worship Mr. Amin Sadik Agele, Mayor of Busia Municipality, called for the creation of collaborative frameworks for flood management and climate adaptation stating that 'the challenges we face do not respect borders. Our response must be as unified as the threats are shared.' Echoing this, Mr. Kisuyi Abdul Nasser, Assistant Resident District Commissioner, advocated for the development of joint Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and a regional action plan grounded in community involvement. Diplomacy Driving Solutions Ambassador Kigenyi praised the bilateral engagement and Kenya's mobilization of a multi-sectoral team. Uganda's delegation, she noted, included representatives from the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Local Government, Health, Environment, and Transport, highlighting the country's comprehensive approach where she highlighted how 'the past efforts were often limited by fragmentation and funding gaps.' She further stated how this joint platform, supported by partners like the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) offers a renewed path toward resilience,' Ambassador Kigenyi also highlighted the underscoring importance of leveraging frameworks such as the Uganda-Kenya Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC). Kenya's delegation leader, Mr. Wamalwa, expressed appreciation for Uganda's hospitality and reinforced Kenya's dedication to a resilient and sustainable urban future for the Busia region. Expressing gratitude for the support of development partners Republic of Lorea, Luxembourg and Denmark, Mr. Ian King, the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative for Uganda said that the project support resulted from discussions with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in charge of Regional Affairs Hon. John Mulimba. Way Forward The session concluded with a strong mutual commitment to: Develop a comprehensive cross-border resilience strategy, establish harmonized urban planning and environmental policies, and Pursue technical and financial partnerships to support the implementation of resilience-building projects across the region. Both delegations also agreed to institutionalize the bilateral engagement as an annual platform for reviewing progress, sharing best practices, and reinforcing collaboration on climate adaptation and urban disaster risk reduction in the Busia municipalities. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Republic of Uganda - Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
How Trump's aid cuts are inflicting double the pain on LGBT+ people
At a drop-in centre on Uganda's border with Kenya, along a busy trucking route, groups of people gather to play Ludo and pick up their HIV medication. It's a safe space for people from LGBT+ communities who have been turned away or harassed at other facilities. But the centre is now quiet – three-quarters of its staff have had to be laid off after cuts to US aid. Stocks of drugs are running low and most of its regular clients have stopped showing up. Since January, when Donald Trump came into office for the second time, the centre has lost its funding. 'I have a friend who is taking antiretrovirals [ARVs]. He has now gone a week without,' explains Shafiq, 24, who relies on the centre, putting him at risk of getting sick or infecting others. 'It really tortures us so much'. This comes in the wake of The Independent revealing that the US cuts have derailed the projected end of the Aids pandemic, which could lead to 4 million extra deaths by 2030. Uganda has faced international criticism for harsh anti-homosexuality laws passed in 2023 – punishing consensual same-sex relationships with penalties of up to life in prison. As a result, specialist services that help LGBT+ people access HIV care are generally run by charities and community organisations outside of the public health system. The centre in the town of Busia, which is run by the Amalgamated Transport General Workers Union (ATGWU), started life when its founder observed how truckers would spend time there, creating a market for sex workers – and a hotspot for HIV transmission. Now it serves as a clinic and meeting place for LGBT+ people too. While it remains open at the grace of volunteers, supplies of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) – to reduce the risk of contracting HIV – condoms and ARVs for treatment have been dwindling. Staff pay and stipends for volunteers came from US funding – now all gone. The hostile law makes it hard enough to reach these groups with prevention services, while also deterring people from seeking support and medication. Trump's cuts are only making things worse. The Uganda Key Populations Consortium (UKPC), an NGO supporting vulnerable communities, confirmed to The Independent that it has recorded incidents of people being denied medical care in public hospitals because of their identities since the US cuts were announced in January. Shafiq's story is illustrative of this discrimination. He says he found his way to the drop-in centre in Busia, having been denied antibiotics for a sexually-transmitted infection (STI) at a public hospital. He found a friendly place and started working there, helping others to access free medicines, testing and counselling. 'It gives me a chance to talk about what I'm really going through,' Shafiq adds. It allowed him to get supplies of PrEP to protect him from contracting HIV. But owing to the aid cuts, Shafiq took his last dose of PrEP five days ago, when stocks ran out. He worries that without it, his next partner could infect him with the virus. More than one in 10 gay men in Uganda are estimated to be living with HIV. HIV testing and medication are supposed to be available to everyone in public hospitals and clinics. 'The treatment is there, but they cannot give it to us just because they know what we are doing is illegal,' Shafiq says, speaking about being turned away for treatment when hospital staff found out he was gay. 'You are discriminated [against]. You are isolated and you feel like shying away. You also feel like you are unwanted within the community,' Shafiq adds. In hospital facilities, he says: 'They ask you so many questions. After asking you so many questions, they start judging you.' 'Most of our peers were suffering from such incidents,' he adds, referencing harassment while waiting in line at public hospitals or at times outright denial of services. Richard Lusimbo runs the UKPC, a leading organisation in the country supporting groups euphemistically referred to as 'key populations'. This vague language is designed to ward off the hostility that can come with openly advertising that you are helping LGBT+ people (and other vulnerable groups like sex workers). Lusimbo has begun to hear reports from contacts around the country of trans people being turned away at hospitals. 'We saw some cases of increasing stigma and discrimination in health facilities. 'In eastern Uganda there's a facility where a trans person was turned away by a security guard saying Trump does not support you people, so leave.' The Ugandan Ministry of Health said the allegations raised in this were 'untrue'. A spokesperson said: 'As a government, we uphold a non-discriminatory policy in service delivery, ensuring equal access to healthcare for all. Despite the funding cut, we're reorganising our system to maintain continuity ... Our clinics remain open to all patients, providing care without discrimination.' But for Lusimbo, the US cuts have helped 'send people back to spaces where they've been discriminated against, they've been castigated, again making them more vulnerable'. Withdrawal of health resources has a 'serious and disproportionate impact on groups of people that are highly vulnerable to HIV,' the UN Aids agency (UNAIDS) deputy director, Angeli Achrekar, says. Not only does this first and foremost harm those vulnerable communities, it creates the risk that 'the progress made in the fight against HIV will go into reverse', says Achrekar. 'That would be a tragedy for global health,' she adds. This article was produced as part of The Independent's Rethinking Global Aid project
The Independent
13-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
How Trump's aid cuts are inflicting double the pain on LGBT+ people
At a drop-in centre on Uganda 's border with Kenya, along a busy trucking route, groups of people gather to play Ludo and pick up their HIV medication. It's a safe space for people from LGBT+ communities who have been turned away or harassed at other facilities. But the centre is now quiet – three-quarters of its staff have had to be laid off after cuts to US aid. Stocks of drugs are running low and most of its regular clients have stopped showing up. Since January, when Donald Trump came into office for the second time, the centre has lost its funding. "I have a friend who is taking ARVs [anti-retrovirals]. He has now gone a week without,' explains Shafiq, 24, who relies on the centre, putting him at risk of getting sick or infecting others. 'It really tortures us so much'. This comes in the wake of The Independent revealing that the US cuts have derailed the projected end of the Aids pandemic, which could lead to four million extra deaths by 2030. Uganda faced international criticism for harsh anti-homosexuality laws passed in 2023 – punishing consensual same-sex relationships with penalties of up to life in prison. As a result, specialist services that help LGBT+ people access HIV care are generally run by charities and community organisations outside of the public health system. The centre in the town of Busia, which is run by the Amalgamated Transport General Workers Union (ATGWU), started life when its founder observed how truckers would spend time there, creating a market for sex workers – and a hotspot for HIV transmission. Now it serves as a clinic and meeting place for LGBT+ people too. While it remains open at the grace of volunteers, supplies of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) – to reduce the risk of contracting HIV – condoms and anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) for treatment have been dwindling. Staff pay and stipends for volunteers came from US funding – now all gone. The hostile law makes it hard enough to reach these groups with prevention services, while also deterring people from seeking support and medication. Trump's cuts are only making things worse. The Uganda Key Populations Consortium (UKPC), an NGO supporting vulnerable communities, confirmed to The Independent that it has recorded incidents of people being denied medical care in public hospitals because of their identities, since the US cuts were announced in January. 'You are isolated' Shafiq's story is illustrative of this discrimination. He says found his way to the drop-in centre in Busia, having been denied antibiotics for a sexually-transmitted infection (STI) at a public hospital. He found a friendly place and started working there, helping others to access free medicines, testing and counselling. "It gives me a chance to talk about what I'm really going through,' Shafiq adds. It allowed him to get supplies of PrEP to protect him from contracting HIV. But owing to the aid cuts, Shafiq took his last dose of PrEP five days ago, when stocks ran out. He worries that without it, his next partner could infect him with the virus. More than one in ten gay men in Uganda are estimated to be living with HIV. HIV testing and medication is supposed to be available to everyone in public hospitals and clinics. 'The treatment is there, but they cannot give it to us just because they know what we are doing is illegal,' Shafiq says, speaking about being turned away for treatment when hospital staff found out he was gay. 'You are discriminated [against]. You are isolated and you feel like shying away. You also feel like you are unwanted within the community,' Shafiq adds. In hospital facilities, he says: 'They ask you so many questions. After asking you so many questions, they start judging you.' 'Most of our peers were suffering from such incidences,' he adds, referencing harassment while waiting in line at public hospitals or at times outright denial of services. Hostile laws Richard Lusimbo runs the UKPC, a leading organisation in the country supporting groups euphemistically referred to as 'key populations'. This vague language is designed to ward off the hostility that can come with openly advertising you are helping LGBT+ people (and other vulnerable groups like sex workers). Lusimbo has begun to hear reports from contacts around the country of trans people being turned away at hospitals. 'We saw some cases of increasing stigma and discrimination in health facilities. "In eastern Uganda there's a facility where a trans person was turned away by a security guard saying Trump does not support you people, so leave'. The Ugandan Ministry of Health said the allegations raised in this were 'untrue'. A spokesperson said: 'As a government, we uphold a non-discriminatory policy in service delivery, ensuring equal access to healthcare for all. Despite the funding cut, we're reorganising our system to maintain clinics remain open to all patients, providing care without discrimination'. But for Lusimbo, the US cuts have helped 'send people back to spaces that where they've been discriminated against, they've been castigated, again making them more vulnerable'. Withdrawal of health resources has a 'serious and disproportionate impact on groups of people that are highly vulnerable to HIV," the UN Aids agency (UNAIDS) deputy director, Angeli Achrekar, says. Not only does this first and foremost harm those vulnerable communities, it creates the risk that, 'the progress made in the fight against HIV will go into reverse,' Achrekar. 'That would be a tragedy for global health," she adds.
