Journalist | News junkie | All things Africa | Former BBC Senior News Editor & Head of East Africa | My tweets = my views. Likes = bookmarks
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Joined February 2009
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Uganda is entering what may prove to be one of the most consequential chapters in its history. The story is still unfolding, but its significance is already becoming clear. What happens next will matter not only for Uganda, but far beyond its borders.
Rachael Akidi retweeted
More than 60 Christians killed in Ethiopia 'massacre', church official says bbc.in/4swbUDS
Rachael Akidi retweeted
One day they told Idi Amin that the economy was suffering because of something called 'Speculation'. He responded 'Arrest that man called Speculation'.
Rachael Akidi retweeted
Serbia offers a lesson to leaders globally.
For nearly two years, students demanded accountability. The ballot has now amplified their voices.
Citizens tell leaders what is wrong long before they vote.
The real question is whether leaders have the humility to listen.@beyondtheballot
Rachael Akidi retweeted
If I were a cynical advisor to Army Chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, I would advise him to cast himself as the NSSF’s guardian angel against the vultures circling it; be an advocate of low tax; campaign to build cement roads with mass participation of local masons; require all major contractors to list on the stock exchange and publish all contracts; and to pay a quarterly basic income to all families below the poverty line. I tell you, warts and all, there would no force that could stop or delay his rise to the Ugandan presidency. Fortunately I am not his adviser, so I don’t have to🤷🏽♂️
After lost decades of corruption, waste, and incompetence, nothing illustrates Uganda’s decline (or even slow-motion-collapse) than the fact that officialdom now sees mainly ONE SOURCE as the answer to all the nation’s economic problems; it’s long-suffering workers’ pile of savings in the National Social Security Fund ( NSSF)! When that too has been eaten, then true hell will break out. We ain’t seen nothing yet.
Rachael Akidi retweeted
Breaking news: Brazil’s leading right-wing politician, Flávio Bolsonaro, effectively conceded defeat to the incumbent left-wing president, after President Trump indicated he wouldn't intervene despite saying that the vote “looked like another rigged election.” wapo.st/3W7JIuP
Rachael Akidi retweeted
PRESS RELEASE: UNAIDS board rejects sunsetting of UNAIDS
🔗 unaids.org/en/resources/pres…
Rachael Akidi retweeted
After lost decades of corruption, waste, and incompetence, nothing illustrates Uganda’s decline (or even slow-motion-collapse) than the fact that officialdom now sees mainly ONE SOURCE as the answer to all the nation’s economic problems; it’s long-suffering workers’ pile of savings in the National Social Security Fund ( NSSF)! When that too has been eaten, then true hell will break out. We ain’t seen nothing yet.
Rachael Akidi retweeted
Tanzanian opposition activist reported missing in Kenya reut.rs/4Br68XR
Rachael Akidi retweeted
Kenya on Monday released from quarantine the first group of people who came into contact with its index Ebola patient, a milestone in its efforts to contain cases to a single infection cluster. reuters.com/business/healthc…
Rachael Akidi retweeted
I don’t think I ever believed I’d see a newspaper paragraph like this: President Trump ‘said he would welcome immigrants from Denmark but not from Norway “because I didn’t get the Nobel Prize, so I don’t want anybody from Norway”.’
Rachael Akidi retweeted
This joyful dance marked the discharge of the last two patients from the #Ebola Treatment Centre in Mongbwalu, Ituri province, #DRC. No new positive cases have been recorded at the facility in the past five days, although suspected cases remain under surveillance.
The outbreak is far from over, but every life saved is worth celebrating. My deepest gratitude goes, as always, to the health workers who make these moments possible.
xitter.cf/GeorgesKisando/status/…
#ITURI: Au Centre de traitement d’Ebola (CTE) de Mongbwalu, en Ituri, aucun cas positif n’est actuellement signalé. Une nouvelle encourageante qui suscite la joie et l’espoir chez les équipes de riposte, après des semaines de lutte contre l’épidémie.
EKA NEWS
Rachael Akidi retweeted
Trump is BIG MAD about Obama saying the White House now looks like Saddam opened a Cheesecake Factory: "He's not a smart guy. He's not smart at all ... for you to say it's a Cheesecake Factory, that just shows why you were a lousy president"
Rachael Akidi retweeted
The mother of 3-year-old Nevada Pierre, who was escorted by police from a youth soccer game, spoke with ABC News after she says her son was benched for being “too good.” She says Nevada has scored more than 40 goals in five games this season while playing against children two years older than him.
Rachael Akidi retweeted
Uganda is tapping its nearly $7 billion in reserves to lessen the blow of a plunging shilling, which is the world’s second-worst-performing currency this month after Iraq’s dinar. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
Rachael Akidi retweeted
The Swiss authorities have confirmed that the patient and her spouse arrived safely in Switzerland today. She is receiving care at Geneva University Hospitals @hug_ge, while her spouse is in isolation at University Hospital Zurich @Unispital_USZ.
In our telephone conversation, Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider conveyed Switzerland’s appreciation for the care provided by Nigerian health professionals and the close cooperation between our authorities and @WHO that made the evacuation possible.
I thank the clinical and public-health teams in Nigeria and Switzerland, @NCDCgov, @BAG_OFSP_UFSP, @EDI_DFI and @WHONigeria for their cooperation, and wish the patient continued recovery.
Here in Nigeria, contact monitoring, investigation of alerts and other containment measures continue, with support from @AfricaCDC and @WHOAFRO. We will provide regular updates through @NCDCgov and @Fmohnigeria.
@OfficialFCTA @DrPavelUrsu @ProfJanabi @CDCgov @Dr_JeanKaseya @christian_happi @alikothe3rd @SalakoIziaq
Rachael Akidi retweeted
There is a loud silence about the contribution of the assault on civil society organisations and the ongoing gross human rights violations in Uganda to the current struggle of the economy, the unprecedented weakening of the Uganda shilling, and the rising cost of living. Yes, there is Ebola stuff and all, but there is also this loud factor in the country’s face. Pretending about it won’t address it.
Rachael Akidi retweeted
Ugandans returning from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo will be quarantined for 21 days, the health ministry has said, as the country tightens restrictions to contain the spread of Ebola virus. bbc.in/4jAubxf
Rachael Akidi retweeted
I Confirm that, with my approval, earlier this morning, the index case for Nigeria’s first imported Ebola virus disease departed Abuja for Switzerland. The index patient was clinically much improved, stable, conscious, communicating, and her clinical laboratory test results closing towards baseline. This does not mean she is not still infectious, hence the strict protocols in place.
The patient was evacuated along with her spouse who has remained asymptomatic.
I thank all the various clinical staff for the high quality care they provided the patient as well as the public health personnel who ensured the evacuation was carried out in line with best public health measures for such evacuations.
We will provide further updates later this afternoon after the patient and her spouse lands successfully in their destination.
All public health measures are continuing to ensure successful containment of the imported virus. I urge Nigerians to remain vigilant and rely on information from credible sources.
BREAKING NEWS
REPORT: EBOLA PATIENT EVACUATED FROM NIGERIA VIA AIR AMBULANCE
The index patient diagnosed with Ebola virus in Nigeria has been evacuated from the country early this morning through an air ambulance at the private jet wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, ARISE News sources informed us.
ARISE News was tipped off by a news source that the patient who is a woman and wife of a Swiss diplomat in Nigeria would be flown out of Nigeria by 6am this morning through a medivac plane which was already at the airport waiting to evacuate her.
Our crew deployed to the General Aviation Terminal later obtained pictures of the arrival of a convoy of vehicular ambulance from Abuja city centre with diplomatic vehicles in the entourage. The three vehicle convoy had an international Agency vehicle entering the Private Jet section of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport.
Airport officials cordoned off the private wing of the airport but ARISE News eventually obtained videos of a medivac plane with crews eventually evacuating the sick passenger suspected to be the Ebola index case due to the special nature of the medical evacuation.
A source told ARISE News that the Federal Government will make the announcement of the medical evacuation only after the plane has taken off and exited the Nigerian airspace.
