Mugume

Rwandan Parliament unanimously endorse media bill

By www.rnanews.com Administrator

Kigali: The Rwandan Parliament has endorsed a new media bill into a law unanimously with parliamentarians voting the bill by 66 votes out of the 69 legislators present, RNA witnessed.
All articles of the bill were voted by members of the lower chamber of parliament however it was decided that the amount required as a start-up capital for various media houses would be determined by a ministerial decree.
During the same session the parliamentarians also passed a bill which also highlights the structure and functioning of the high council of the media.

According to the Minister of Information Louise Mushikiwabo, the new law aims at setting standards for the practice and whole function of the media industry in the country and it is media friendly.

After the parliamentary approval, the bill awaits the president’s signature and publication in government’s official gazette before being put into practice. (End)

Food prices sour after the Aswan River collapse
Mugume Rwakaringi
Only three days after the collapse of Aswan Bridge connecting Juba to Uganda through Nimule, food prices in Konyo Konyo, Malakia and Jebel market have soared especially for perishables.
Traders claim the long distance from Arua to Juba via Yei leads to perishing of their products thus hiking the reminder so as to maximize profits.
The price for a bunch of Matooke (banana) which has been selling between 35-40 Sudanese Pounds SDG has now doubled to 70-80 (SDG), a box of fresh tomatoes has shot from 200 SDG to 300 SDG on whole sale price forcing retailers to raise a kilogram from 4 to 6 SDG while the price of pineapples also has doubled from 4 SDG 6 SDG per kilo.
Other affected products by press time were the price of cabbage which shot from 4 SDG to 6 SDG per kilo, fresh peas from 6-7; the price of Irish potatoes which are imported from Uganda has risen from 140-200 by whole sale dealers.
“These prices will continue increasing because of the transport costs incurred”, said Hajj Idd Mutebi the Chairman of Ugandan business community in Konyo Konyo market. Mutebi also refuted claims of hooding food items saying that most of these affected products cannot be kept for a long period because they easily decay.
Few products could be seen on stalls and displays with some traders sitting idle because they had ran out of stock.
“Now we do not know if we will manage to get some more stock since the few products will be on high demand”, said Miriam a fresh fruits vendor who also had run out of stock. “The only concern is that sometimes we are not allowed by the market authorities to raise prices so as to meet the costs therefore we end up getting losses”, said one of the worried traders.
The oldest Aswan Bridge is said to have succumbed to heavy down pour and heavy traffic and collapsed this last Saturday forcing traders to use the long Arua- Yei road as the only outlet to Juba which takes over three days than the former which would take only two days for traders coming from Uganda to have connected to Juba.
Most of the food stuffs in Juba are imported from neighbouring countries mostly from Uganda.
Food prices are set to rise before the bridge is re-constructed. The government of South Sudan (Goss) has already dispatched a team of engineers to help in re-building or repairing this bridge in a short time possible.
Although there has been a significant increase in prices for most perishables on market, other products like cereals, sugar, domestic products like soap are not yet affected.
Table showing variable prices below:

Item Quantity Price (SDG) 12th Feb 2009 Current Price (SDG)
Matooke 1 (bunch) 35-40 70-80
Fresh Tomatoes 1 Kg 4 6
Pineapples 1 Kg 4 8
Cabbage 1 Kg 3 7
Salt I kg 1 1
Sugar “ 4 4
Goat Meat “ 18 18
Cow meat (Beef) “ 12-15 12-16
Fish “ 7 8
beans “ 4 4
Onions “ 4-5 4-5
Vegetables (Kotoko-Dodo) 1 bundle 2 2
Soap 1 bar 2 2
Carrots “ 7 8-10
Sweet Potatoes “ 6 6
Green Pepper Bundle 2 2
Rice 1 Kg 3 3
Maize Flour (Acida), Posho “ 4 4
Millet Flour “ 5 5
Sorghum (Dura) “ 6 6
Cassava “ 4 4-6
Tomato Paste @ Packet 4 4
Peas KG 6 6
Fresh cassava “ 3 3-4
Beans “ 5-6 5-6
Oranges “ 6 8
Avocadoes “ 8 10
Chicken (Local) @ head 35-40 35-40
“ (Exotic) KG 15-20 15-20
Eggs 1 Tray 20 20
OMO 200-500 ML 3-8 3-8

By Mugume Rwakaringi

GoSS, UNICEF intensify fight against Child abuse
Mugume Rwakaringi
UNICEF and GoSS government are combining efforts to fight against child abuse, Daily Liberation has established.
This was revealed by Mrs. Regina Ossa Lullo, The Director General in the Ministry of Gender Social Warfare and Religious Affairs (MGSWRA) Ms Regina was yesterday addressing participants attending one day training workshop on way forward for protecting child rights at Juba’s Star Hotel.
The Child act 2008 was passed by The South Sudan Legislative Assembly (SSLA) as an effort to curb down rampant child abuses in South Sudan. UNICEF is funding the printing of Child act codes slated to be distributed early next March after an official launch by the government of South Sudan, Gen. Salva Kiir. A Child act defines as a person between 0-17 years of age. 2000 copies will be distributed thanks to the UNICEF financial barking.
Directors in charge of Child affairs representing all the 10 States are discussing to lay forward mechanism of fighting against Child abuses in their respective States.
Ms Pasti Silvia, UNICEF Child Protection head expressed her organisation’s commitment to funding and equipping social workers who play a major role in protecting child rights. She however called government to increase funding for child protection.
“UNICEF has and is still committed to assisting Child protection projects, however we also need the government to help us so as to also increase their funding for this cause”, appealed Ms Pasti.
Last year UNICEF solely financed and organized a three months training for 72 social workers who were distributed in their respective states.
The UNICEF representative also revealed that her organization has laid plans for training judicially especially the police, lawyers and other legal professionals on child protection.
Participants however raised concerns of lack of budget allocations for child protection.
“How do you expect Child protection officers to succeed in their work without even money for transport”, one of the participants asked.
Responding to the question, Ms Regina, The Director General in MGSWRA explained that with limited resources available, every autonomous state is allowed to make its own priorities but the GoSS government is to endeavor to support help child protection activities.
“We need to be assisted to teach what we have acquired from this workshop because it is our responsibility to teach the social workers”, said Mr. Paul Okwier Ojulo, Director Child warfare Jonglei State Ministry for Social Affairs.
The Child Act 2008 was passed late last year and it defines protection rules and their punishment.
Cases of child violence have consistently increased even after the CPA. Social workers are meant to help in protecting Child rights.
They are trained to report the most pressing issues within the state notably children associated with the army, children deprived of liberty, those without parental care and early child marriages. Also they should report on victims of landmine and UXO injuries, Child labour and birth registration.
The MGSWRA in charged with developing child protection strategies, policies, drafting laws, budget, and report child protection issues and make interventions for the whole of Sudan. This is achieved through social workers and informing MoSD sharing important information and issues with the States and GoSS authorities.
Ends

Food prices sour after the Aswan River collapse
Mugume Rwakaringi
Only three days after the collapse of Aswan Bridge connecting Juba to Uganda through Nimule, food prices in Konyo Konyo, Malakia and Jebel market have soared especially for perishables.
Traders claim the long distance from Arua to Juba via Yei leads to perishing of their products thus hiking the reminder so as to maximize profits.
The price for a bunch of Matooke (banana) which has been selling between 35-40 Sudanese Pounds SDG has now doubled to 70-80 (SDG), a box of fresh tomatoes has shot from 200 SDG to 300 SDG on whole sale price forcing retailers to raise a kilogram from 4 to 6 SDG while the price of pineapples also has doubled from 4 SDG 6 SDG per kilo.
Other affected products by press time were the price of cabbage which shot from 4 SDG to 6 SDG per kilo, fresh peas from 6-7; the price of Irish potatoes which are imported from Uganda has risen from 140-200 by whole sale dealers.
“These prices will continue increasing because of the transport costs incurred”, said Hajj Idd Mutebi the Chairman of Ugandan business community in Konyo Konyo market. Mutebi also refuted claims of hooding food items saying that most of these affected products cannot be kept for a long period because they easily decay.
Few products could be seen on stalls and displays with some traders sitting idle because they had ran out of stock.
“Now we do not know if we will manage to get some more stock since the few products will be on high demand”, said Miriam a fresh fruits vendor who also had run out of stock. “The only concern is that sometimes we are not allowed by the market authorities to raise prices so as to meet the costs therefore we end up getting losses”, said one of the worried traders.
The oldest Aswan Bridge is said to have succumbed to heavy down pour and heavy traffic and collapsed this last Saturday forcing traders to use the long Arua- Yei road as the only outlet to Juba which takes over three days than the former which would take only two days for traders coming from Uganda to have connected to Juba.
Most of the food stuffs in Juba are imported from neighbouring countries mostly from Uganda.
Food prices are set to rise before the bridge is re-constructed. The government of South Sudan (Goss) has already dispatched a team of engineers to help in re-building or repairing this bridge in a short time possible.
Although there has been a significant increase in prices for most perishables on market, other products like cereals, sugar, domestic products like soap are not yet affected.
Table showing variable prices below:

Item Quantity Price (SDG) 12th Feb 2009 Current Price (SDG)
Matooke 1 (bunch) 35-40 70-80
Fresh Tomatoes 1 Kg 4 6
Pineapples 1 Kg 4 8
Cabbage 1 Kg 3 7
Salt I kg 1 1
Sugar “ 4 4
Goat Meat “ 18 18
Cow meat (Beef) “ 12-15 12-16
Fish “ 7 8
beans “ 4 4
Onions “ 4-5 4-5
Vegetables (Kotoko-Dodo) 1 bundle 2 2
Soap 1 bar 2 2
Carrots “ 7 8-10
Sweet Potatoes “ 6 6
Green Pepper Bundle 2 2
Rice 1 Kg 3 3
Maize Flour (Acida), Posho “ 4 4
Millet Flour “ 5 5
Sorghum (Dura) “ 6 6
Cassava “ 4 4-6
Tomato Paste @ Packet 4 4
Peas KG 6 6
Fresh cassava “ 3 3-4
Beans “ 5-6 5-6
Oranges “ 6 8
Avocadoes “ 8 10
Chicken (Local) @ head 35-40 35-40
“ (Exotic) KG 15-20 15-20
Eggs 1 Tray 20 20
OMO 200-500 ML 3-8 3-8

By Mugume Rwakaringi