UGNEWS24 – Page 808 – Uganda local news

Busoga Will Shine With or Without Alien Skin — Racheal Magola

Alien Skin may have walked away from Busoga Region, but Racheal Magoola says the region will keep shining without him.

The former Bugweri District Woman Member of Parliament brushed off concerns about his absence, insisting Eastern Uganda’s music scene does not depend on one artiste.

She pointed to the region’s deep pool of talent and said the momentum will not slow down anytime soon.

As much as Alien Skin has his influence, the Eastern Region cannot be stopped from shining. We have many talented artists who can still represent us well.

Magoola even highlighted rising star Acidic Vokoz as one of the names carrying the torch, saying new talent continues to push the sound forward.

Her remarks come after Alien Skin, real name Patrick Mulwana, drew a hard line on performing in Busoga.

During an interview on Sanyuka Uncut, the singer expressed frustration with how people treat him in the region and made his position clear.

He said he will not perform there again, even if promoters put one billion shillings on the table.

March 19, 2026

Mr Real Questions Nigerian Music Releases Amid Insecurity

For Okafor Uchenna Victor, popularly known as Mr Real, the timing just does not feel right.

While other artistes continue to drop songs, the Nigerian Afrobeats singer says he has taken a step back.

He says the constant stream of troubling news across Nigeria has made it difficult to stay creative or motivated.

I wake up to terrible news everyday. I am even scared to drop songs because of the terrible things happening in Nigeria. Artistes who are releasing songs are trying because I do not know the kind of mind they have. How do some artistes do it

Beyond music, Mr Real also questioned the culture of partying through crisis, suggesting that many have grown too used to ignoring serious issues.

You can argue that you have your own life to live. I also cannot deny that I do not club or enjoy my life. But can’t you see that it is not normal? It is like we are under a spell to be docile no matter how worse things get. Is it normal?

His comments reflect a deeper frustration about how quickly people move on, even when the situation remains unresolved.

March 19, 2026

Asake Recalls Tension With Father Over Music Career

Nigerian singer Asake has opened up about a difficult moment in his early life.

The “Amapiano” hitmaker, born Ahmed Ololade, revealed that his father did not support his decision to pursue music, creating distance between them at the time.

He explained that they were once very close, but things changed when he chose to follow his passion.

Despite his father’s disapproval, he still left home to focus on building his career.

The decision marked a turning point in his journey, as he pushed forward without family backing.

The issue later resurfaced publicly in 2025 when his father, Fatai Odunsi, accused him of neglect, sparking widespread reactions.

The situation was eventually resolved, with both sides settling their differences.

Asake’s story reflects the personal challenges behind his rise, showing the sacrifices made on the path to success.

March 19, 2026

Shortage of Specialists at Mulago Women’s Hospital Puts Newborns at Risk

A shortage of specialist doctors at the Mulago Specialised Women and Neonatal Hospital is forcing newborns and premature babies to be transferred to other facilities, exposing them to serious health risks.

The hospital’s Acting Executive Director, Dr. Sam Ononge, told the Public Accounts Committee (Central Government) on Tuesday, 17 March 2026, that the facility cannot provide specialised care to over half of the babies admitted to its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

“Forty-five percent of our babies who are admitted in the NICU are pre-terms, less than 32 weeks, and they require eye checks. We don’t have a specialist doctor to perform these checks,” Dr. Ononge said

“The danger is that the baby may survive but later become blind, which is a disability. They are also sometimes exposed to cold and infections during transfers,” he added.

The lack of key specialists has also forced the hospital to refer newborns requiring surgery to Mulago National Referral Hospital, a process Dr. Ononge described as “equally risky.”

Staffing challenges extend beyond specialist doctors. Dr. Ononge said nurses in the NICU are overwhelmed, with ratios far below recommended levels.

“As we stand now, we are like one nurse to six babies, which is unbearable. Staff are getting burnt out, and mistakes can happen when providing services,” he explained.

Looking ahead, the hospital plans to establish a paediatric centre and expand its In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) services. Dr. Ononge revealed the facility has already delivered IVF babies and will soon accept donors to support the programme.

Dr. Ononge urged Members of Parliament to push for an increase in NICU staffing by at least 60 percent.

The Committee Deputy Chairperson, Hon. Gorreth Namugga, called for full funding of the hospital and prioritisation of specialists.
“If government can provide finances to other sectors, the women’s facility should be a priority,” she said. Namugga also cautioned against completely waiving fees for patients, suggesting subsidisation instead to avoid misuse.

March 19, 2026

“Service Delivery must be key in next term of government,” Sr. Akiror tells Kyenjojo leaders

The Deputy Head of the RDC secretariat, Sr.Dr.Mary Grace Akiror has held a service delivery engagement with the technical, political and the security leadership of Kyenjojo District.

She appreciated the stakeholders upon the implementation of the government programs and projects across the district, she noted that as the political season comes to an end there is need to shift to the economic mobilization and also thanked the district for massive support of 87.4 percent win for President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in the district.

Sr. Akiror called upon the participants to ensure that service delivery is duly implemented amongst the community, imploring the stakeholders to ensure that patriotism is exercised highly.

Dr. Dan Sekibobo, the Senior Presidential Advisor in Charge of Research at the RDC Secretariat took the participants through an inquisitive discussion which generated a health discussion on a way forward towards the implementation of the government programs and the projects across the district, tackling key issues across all sectors.

He also reminded the stake holders to support the Special Interest Groups and all the other non-state actors who are a key stakeholder when it comes to national development.

The participants pointed out key issues touching decentralization implementation where there is need for the bottom up planning as opposed to up bottom planning which will enable the district stake holders to duly monitor the high breed projects.

They noted that there are high breed projects that are crafted and tenders awarded from the central government in Kampala and this leaves local stake holders with limited powers to monitor the contractors in the district.

While meeting the special interest groups, the taxi operators requested for increased funding from government and requested for the construction of the parking facilities to enable ample logistics business, they also thanked President Museveni for the peace and stability in the country which has enabled a favorable working environment.

They implored the government increase on the sensitization of the members on uphill task of implementing of the government programs. The boda boda operators appreciated the President for the support funding to purchase more boda boda which are up and operating.

The Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Mr,Yiga Martin Paul commended the government for the vast programs and projects. He noted that the reforms in the local government are helping in championing of the development in the nation.

Mr. Yiga applauded the decentralization of the service delivery which has helped the various stakeholders to do ground work effectively. He decried the big gaps in the district local government staffing and pointed out the education sector and also called upon increased support on logistics more especially to the Sub county chiefs so that supervision can become effective.

The District Chairperson Hon.Rubaihayo Gilbert noted that the projects awarded at the district are faring on relatively well and implored the central government to ensure that decentralization is actualized for the betterment of the success of these projects noting that high breed projects must be entrusted with the district stakeholders to handle them towards achieving national development.

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March 19, 2026