Philippine Ambassador to Kenya Marie Charlotte G. Tang paid a courtesy call on Governor Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir of Mombasa County during her visit to the city of Mombasa on 21-23 April 2024. The two officials discussed their shared interest in the blue economy, with the Philippines being an archipelagic country and Mombasa being a major port city along the Indian Ocean coast.

Governor Nassir mentioned the ongoing infrastructure projects and the creation of a new special economic zone in Mombasa and invited the Philippines to become a partner in supporting the county’s development goals. He also expressed Mombasa’s hope to learn from the best practices of port cities in the Philippines, including by entering into sister-city arrangements.

Ambassador Tang commended Governor Nassir and the county government for their efforts to bring development to the citizens of Mombasa. She also emphasized the value of promoting people-to-people exchanges with Mombasa, including through tourism and sports. Amb. Tang also paid a courtesy call to Captain William Ruto, the Managing Director of the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA).

Capt. Ruto described the Philippines as a leader in the blue economy and noted that every ship that docks at the Mombasa Port is likely to have a Filipino seafarer in it, a testament to the strong presence of the Philippines in the global maritime sector. Both officials further discussed potential collaboration on capacity-building in the sector.

Following the meeting, KPA officials provided Ambassador Tang with a tour of the facilities of the Mombasa Port, one of the busiest ports in East Africa which services not only Kenya but also the landlocked countries of Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda, as well as the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Mombasa, the smallest of the 47 counties in Kenya, has maintained its centuries-old position as a hub for regional and international trade. Mombasa City is the oldest in Kenya and is the country’s second-largest after Nairobi. Mombasa’s fine beaches and rich cultural heritage, along with the presence of a major international seaport, airport, and railway, have long made the city a popular destination both for tourists and investors.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines.

Health experts from across Africa, policymakers, civil society organizations and partners meeting for the first-ever conference on strengthening efforts to address the burden of severe chronic disease have called for increased recognition of the emergency presented by noncommunicable diseases and the premature deaths they cause.

The International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa (ICPPA) meeting, held from 22 to 25 April 2024, highlighted “grossly inequitable access to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care” and committed to advocate for increased focus on chronic and severe noncommunicable diseases (NCD) within existing health systems, and extending prevention, diagnosis, treatment and quality care to the primary health level.

The meeting in Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam called on governments to provide leadership in public health to ensure adequate and quality services, to act to reduce the known risk factors for NCDs and to increase domestic investments.

The conference, which was dedicated to mainstreaming strategies to alleviate the burden of severe chronic diseases at first-level referral health facilities, highlighted the urgency of decentralizing care for type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, and rheumatic and congenital heart diseases, to save millions of lives over the next decade, including those of many children and young adults afflicted by these conditions.

In the African region, healthcare services for severe NCDs are predominantly confined to major urban centres, leaving countless individuals without sufficient care and burdened with high financial costs.

Hosted by the Government of Tanzania, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) in the African region and other partners including Helmsley Charitable Trust, the three-day event provided a platform for health experts, policymakers, civil society organizations, donors, private sector representatives and NCDs affected persons, survivors and community advocates to expedite political and financial backing for PEN-Plus, an innovative healthcare delivery model birthed in Africa.

“We are honoured to have you all here for this critical conference at a time when hundreds of thousands of Africans of all ages suffer preventable, premature deaths from NCDs due to health inequities. This is a chance for us to unite to advance regional efforts to tackle the crisis, by investing in and scaling up PEN-Plus,” said Hon. Ummy Mwalimu, Minister of Health of the United Republic of Tanzania.

Participants delved into strategies to reinforce NCD management within health systems continent-wide and sought collaborative opportunities to align PEN-Plus with other regional public health programmes.

“Africa is severely affected, and in the region, more than any place in the world, NCDs are called ‘the silent epidemic’,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Africa must invest more now in addressing NCDs with adequate and sustained resources. With support from partners, we aim to strengthen the implementation of the PEN-Plus Regional Strategy, mainstream the prevention and control of chronic and severe NCDs in the region and ensure that people living with these chronic and severe conditions receive the lifesaving care they deserve.”

All 47 member states of the WHO African region have endorsed the model as their official strategy for caring for individuals with severe NCDs. To date, 17 countries have initiated PEN-Plus, with 11 actively implementing the programme.

The PEN-Plus strategy expands upon the WHO PEN (Package of Essential Noncommunicable disease interventions), which decentralizes care for common NCDs to primary healthcare facilities. PEN-Plus extends this care to first-level referral facilities, such as district hospitals, and has demonstrated significant success in increasing patient access to treatment for severe NCDs, improving patient outcomes.

“PEN-Plus addresses a critical gap in health care for the world’s poorest billion, bringing lifesaving chronic care for severe NCDs to first-level rural hospitals for the first time. It also bridges major gaps in health systems for training, mentorship and referral pathways,” said Dr Ana Mocumbi, co-chair of the NCDI Poverty Network.

The Government of Tanzania, WHO Africa, and The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust co-sponsored the conference, with the NCDI Poverty Network serving as a technical partner.

“PEN-Plus showcases the lifesaving impact of collaborating with local health leaders and designing health systems around people,” said Dr Gina Agiostratidou, type 1 diabetes Program Director for the Helmsley Charitable Trust. “Now, children with noncommunicable diseases in rural areas can receive the care they need to lead full, vibrant lives. At ICPPA, we have had the opportunity to join partners in discussing how we can expand the program to reach even more communities.”

The consensus among experts, leaders, and partners at the conference is clear: PEN-Plus is a reliable system with a proven track record, capable of delivering lifesaving care to those with severe NCDs in rural sub-Saharan Africa  – investing in PEN-Plus represents a historic and pivotal collective action that will save and improve millions of lives, reduce healthcare costs, enhance health system capacities, boost productivity, promote equity, and contribute to achieving Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.

The Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa, has appreciated Rotary for applying their time appropriately to inspire people and intervening to help the most vulnerable people.

Speaking at the opening of the 99th District Conference Assembly (DCA) held at Speke Hotel Munyonyo, Tayebwa called on Ugandans to copy Rotarians and utilise their time effectively if they are to be successful. “If you are blessed to reach 60 years, imagine what you will be looking back to, especially how you spent your time?”  he said.

The event was held on Thursday, 25 April 2024.

Tayebwa said that since Rotarians pay to volunteer, giving away most of their time to service, people should spend their time supporting and giving to humanity. He added that the time we have and the things we acquire in our life on earth is entrusted to us by God but does not belong to us.

“The money buying the polio vaccine could have been given by someone much poorer than you who is keeping your money intact. Because now we get the vaccines freely. So, thank you Rotary,” he said.

Kenyan lawyer and activist, Patrick Lumumba, who delivered a key note address, called on Rotarians to continue giving hope to people, particularly now that inhumanity is more pronounced than before as evidenced by the wars in the different parts of the world.

He encouraged the Rotarians, who he described as good Samaritans to carry on with the spirit of compassion and goodwill.

“It is a difficult time, life is no longer normal yet we should not despair. When there is gloom there is also gleamer. So, give people hope, continue to play your part as you have done already by going to places to help,” he said.

The conference that will take stock of the achievements of the 2023/2024 goals, attracted over 850 delegates from all around the world, and runs 24  – 27 April 2024.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.

Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has praised former state prosecutor, Joan Kagezi as a beacon of justice, a guardian of rule of law and a fearless warrior who diligently handled very serious cases before her assassination in 2015.

At the time of her death, Kagezi was the lead prosecutor of the suspects of the 2010 twin bombings in Kampala. “Joan Kagezi was not just a prosecutor; she was a beacon of justice, a guardian of the rule of law, and a fearless warrior in the battle against transnational organized crimes such as terrorism, human trafficking, and the smuggling of migrants; challenges that Uganda continues to face,” Among said.

Speaker Among made the remarks during the Seventh memorial lecture in honour of the former acting Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), which was presided over by President Yoweri Museveni on Thursday, 25 April 2024 at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.

She urged President Museveni to support proposals by arms of government to enhance their budgets, to facilitate smooth running of the government. “Your Excellency, you, being the finance minister of this country, it’s just prudent enough that you find it necessary to support the Judiciary and Office of DPP. If we support all other arms of government, then running this country will be easy and effective,” she said.

In an affirmative response, Museveni said he will ensure that all heads of arms of government are actively involved in the budgeting processes.

“When we are budgeting, I will invite the Speaker and the Chief Justice so that we budget together because there is nothing to hide,” he said before paying tribute to late Kagezi as a freedom fighter who died on duty. He said government has duly taken care of Kagezi’s children and ensured they get quality education. “It is not good to have a culture of forgetting people, that is why it is good to organize these annual memorial lectures…Kagezi died as a freedom fighter and so, we need to support children of freedom fighters. When a freedom fighter dies, you, who is left behind must take care of the children so that they succeed,” Museveni said.

He assured the public that government is avenging the death of Kagezi and that the people behind her death were arrested.

This was confirmed by the Head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, AIGP Maj. Tom Magambo who said that the financiers of Kagezi’s killers are now known.

“I want to assure you that we have good leads on the people who paid these people [suspected killers in court] … As usual, we are going to brief you,” Magambo said.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Jane Frances Abodo described the late Kagezi as an ideal prosecutor who mentored all of them and was instrumental in setting up the International Crime Division.

On the other hand, the Chief Justice, Alfonse Owiny Dollo underscored the need to strengthen the justice system, including the investigative capacity in order to handle transnational crimes which he said, have become extremely complicated and sophisticated by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

“There is need to strengthen the investigative, prosecuting and adjudicatory capacity in this country so that these acts of terrorism, trafficking, etc are quickly and effectively investigated. That is the only way we can make Uganda a no-go area for transnational crimes. If not, we shall turn out to be a bee hive for such activities,” he said.

This year’s Joan Kagezi memorial lecture was celebrated under the theme, “Prosecution of transnational organised crimes to foster security and socio-economic development: the linkage between terrorism, human trafficking, and smuggling of migrants.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.