TRAVEL BY BUS ACCROSS E.AFRICA BORDERS

By Jossy Muhangi

Uganda-Travel-feature

Across East Africa aboard Akamba bus

APA-Kampala( Uganda )When the Inter Region Economic Network (IREN) Kenya selected me to attend its seventh African Resource Bank (ARB) meeting in early November,2009, to be held in Arusha , Tanzania , two prospects excited me.

One was the likelihood of a flight aboard a Kenya airways Boeing (Africa’s pride), through the ultra modern Jommo Kenyatta International Airport en-route to Kilimanjaro airport (KIA).My target was to have a clear aerial view of the snow capped Kilimanjaro mountain popularly know as the “Roof of Africa” although others call it the summit of the Black continent, being the highest in Africa at 19,341 ft .

The other prospect was of course which personalities in the academia, civil society, governance and the media. Being a resource bank meeting, I did not expect to withdraw or deposit cash there since the convener had clarified that the bank was a forum where different scholars and thinkers deposit and withdraw ideas on relevant themes affecting Africa .

Contrary to my travel expectations, the events manager wrote in bold fonts in the last paragraph that the participants were expected to find their way to the venue of the event which was Kibo Palace Hotel, a plush state of the art resort centre along Old Moshi road in the centre of Arusha town.The organizers with the support from Friedrich Norman Foundation would cater for accommodation, meals and conference materials

Unable and hesitant to raise the 300 US dollars for the return ticket as well as the cabin costs for the connection between the airport and Arusha town, I opted for the road transport.

My search on the internet indicated that there were several bus companies including the Scandinavian Express, Akamba Public Transport Company, Starways, Kampala Coach, BusCar ,Dar Express and Gateway among others.

Scrolling through the fares ,I was misled by the attractive fares offered by Akamba whose brand slogan is “Connecting East Africa”, little knowing that the rates had not been updated on the bus company website. I was later to be shocked to my nerves when I learnt that the rates had since more than doubled while the info on the website remained obsolete.

Anyhow, I was told I would spend not less than 18 hours on the road or in transit including the time spent at the two borders clearing the travel documents and connecting from a Kampala-Nairobi bound coach to he one heading for Dar es Salaam through Arusha, Moshi and Korogwe .

We set off at 3.pm through the hustle of Kampala traffic jam and by 6 p.m we were at the Uganda-Kenya border of Busia where departure forms were filled and endorsed at the Immigration points while those without passports bought temporary travel documents valid for one month.

So considerate are the long route bus companies that they provide meal coupons for all the passengers for light snacks once in Nairobi before catching the 6 a.m bus headed for Arusha through the semi arid Maasai plains and Namanga border post .

The Immigration hitch and border conmen

Since the East African countries are still using different national currencies and its is still optional either to use a national passport or the East African one, money changers are doing brisk business at the border points .By the time a rare traveler comprehends the exchange rates ,some with decimal points, some have already fallen victims of fake notes, poor calculations to the benefit of the money changer while others are conned by smart looking conmen who extort money from them purportedly for the passport stamp or visa. Formally, there is no visa requirement or any other charges for travelers within East African community states.

My hard luck struck when I discovered that the 12 year old boy I had been traveling with to visit our relatives in Arusha, had his travel document indicating he had been granted permission to visit Kenya , since it was issued at the Uganda – Kenya border and he was at the time entering Kenya .

A Kenyan Immigration officer took advantage of this omission to ask me in Kiswahili “Olimupeleka wapi” meaning where are you taking the boy. On telling him he was visiting Arusha,he insisted the travel document never indicated so. Though I argued the travel document was valid in any part of East African community, the mean looking officer ,ignored me until the queue was cleared and he openly asked me for 10,000 Tanzanian shillings to correct the anomaly which I had to part with reluctantly lest the bus rushing to Dar,500 kilometers away would leave us stranded at the border.

I also discovered that a number of my friends lost cash to the money changers while others were conned into paying more for the stamp which is free of charge.

Language barrier

While it was okay for the meeting participants to freely exchange in English, there were major problems particularly for Ugandan visitors and participants to freely communicate with the hotel staff and the rest of the community in Arusha. The commonest language is Kiswahili which in Uganda is a preserve of few people mostly the armed forces although the Kenyans had less problems getting on well with their Tanzanian neighbours .No wonder that some of us would at times use sign language to ask for certain services from the hotel staff and the business community in the chilly Arusha town which lies on the foot of Mount Meru and not far from Kilimanjaro ranges.

However, Tanzanians being one of the most hospitable communities in East Africa , they are always ready to do what it takes to assist the visitors .

Arusha is the home to the East Africa Community headquarters currently housed at the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC) along the East Africa Road . The gigantic structure also houses the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) trying the 1994 Rwanda genocide suspects as well as the East African Business Council.

It has become an international diplomatic town with most of the peace talks and deals between warring countries negotiated here , as well as a tourist hub surrounded by several national parks including the famous Snake Park .

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Ritual murders

Death stalks Uganda’s children as ritual murders increase

By JOSSY MUHANGI
Published August 30, 2009Eastafricainfocus

A Ugandan businessman is standing trial before a High Court judge for allegedly procuring the ritual murder of a 12-year-old schoolboy. The businessman initially paid US$ 170 in cash and promised a further US$7300. The boy was kidnapped and beheaded last year at Kayugi village in Masaka district, central Uganda.

The businessman was initially co-charged with two traditional witchdoctors whose shrines are said to be used for such rituals.

The murder of this schoolboy is one of many now routinely reported in the Ugandan media. Often, such rituals are related to promises of wealth, warding off bad luck and successful completion of mega construction projects including roads and commercial blocks. In western Uganda, for example, a middle-aged man is in detention for parading his own son for sale.

According to police reports, about three cases of ritual murders were reported in 2007 but they rose to 18 last year. The situation got worse this year prompting the state to set up a special division of the police to investigate, prosecute and crack down on the vice.

The police suggest the ritual murders seem to have taken a new twist with middle-men hired to procure murders especially of children, who are believed to be taken to the shrines of the witchdoctors where rituals are performed to reportedly appease the underworld spirits.

The biggest suspects are companies and individuals in the roads and construction industry whose businesses have allegedly either stalled or moving sluggishly. The other rumour surrounding the rampant ritual murders reportedly involve burying of human body parts under the construction foundations and basements apparently to attract tenants and stave off stiff competition from others with similar projects.

Whatever the myths surrounding these alleged practices, Uganda is opening its eyes to the reality of superstition.

While no witchdoctor will confess to openly indulging in the vice, some of them claim that the underworld spirits do cherish human beings, allegedly preferring those without scars, circumcised genital organs or pierced ears. Consequently an informal campaign has taken off in various parts of the country, besides other precautionary measures to protect especially helpless children from being kidnapped, to intensify ear piercing for both male and female children as well as circumcising the boys. This came about from unconfirmed stories that some circumcised boys and girls with pierced ears had narrowly survived ritual murders and been let free by their captors.

Ear piercing is no longer a preserve of girls seeking extra beauty using ear pins and rings but a security measure. Yet the practice also introduces another problem- contracting HIV/Aids through sharing pins.

Meanwhile, a traditional healer only identified as Kigambo in Western Uganda claims that criminals are hiding behind the suspected ritual murders to harm their colleagues over disputes like land, property ownership and relationships going sour knowing that the witchdoctors will be the first suspects. He argues that murderers now have a tendency of dragging the bodies of their victims to places near the witchdoctors’ shrines to make them appear culpable.

The special police division created to curb ritual murders has not released results of their findings besides enforcing measures like compulsory registration of all traditional healers and witch doctors for regulation purposes, banning of the healers from advertising their exaggerated powers and advocacy campaigns to ensure safety of the children. It is now hoped that the expedited trial of the suspects currently accused of the murder and the stiffness of the resultant penalties, should they be found guilty, will act as a deterrent to those engaging in the vice.

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Reach Jossy Muhangi at editor@eafricainfocus.com

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BIO TECHNOLOGY

Biotechnology: Africa’s Hope for Food Security and Improved Health

Jossy Muhangi

- ADVERTISEMENT -

GM crops could boost food production and reduce hunger crisis in Africa. Uganda’s researchers in bio-technologies are convinced that successful implementation of Genetically Modified (GM) crop production would boost food production and end the hunger crisis bedeviling most countries in Africa today. In Uganda, over 40 out of 83 districts are currently facing a threat of hunger following persistent droughts, floods and crop disease strains like cassava mosaic and bacterial banana wilt.

The experts currently meeting at the Lake Victoria shore colonial town of Entebbe say that Africa needs to adopt biotechnology in order to feed its starving population in view of stagnating agricultural productivity, harsh effects of climate change and a growing population.

Figures available at the Uganda’s ministry of Health indicate that malnutrition is widespread with more than 36 percent of children under three years and 10 percent of mothers in Uganda suffering from chronic under-nutrition.

Millions of small holder farmers in Africa can no longer grow enough food to sustain their families, communities or their countries leading to recurrent food crises on the continent, according to Uganda’s minister of state for Agriculture Lt. Col. Bright Rwamirama .He says that pests, disease and unpredictable climate conditions have made large scale production untenable in Uganda.

South Africa, Egypt and Burkina Faso have started commercial use of GMs while others like Uganda are carrying out field trials. Some countries like Zambia have vehemently refused to embrace biotechnology.

Dr. Mark Rosegrant, the director of International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI’s) Environment and Production Technology Division says that in the coming years, growing populations, stagnating agricultural productivity, and increasing climate change will make it even more difficult for Africa to tackle poverty, hunger, and malnutrition. He adds that Considerable experience suggests that biotechnology can contribute to improved food production and quality in developing countries. Moreover, crop traits currently in the development pipeline—including drought and heat tolerance—are of particular value to African farmers.

Through continued research, IFPRI hopes to provide more information about genetically modified crops and their potential to benefit smallholder farmers and improve the lives of other poor people throughout Africa.

“To confront these challenges, many African countries are increasingly assessing a range of tools and technologies, including agricultural biotechnologies, which hold great promise for improving crop yields, household incomes, and the nutritional quality of food in an environmentally sustainable way,” argues the expert.

Research presented at the ongoing conference, shows that in delaying the approval of GM fungal-resistant banana, Uganda foregoes potential benefits ranging from about US$179 million to US$365 million a year.

According to IFPRI analysis, expansion in the adoption of GM crops could also significantly lower the price of food in developing countries by 2050. Realizing these benefits, however, depends on acceptance by farmers, public awareness and consumer preferences, regulatory and market issues, and strong political will, including the willingness to invest in new technology.

According to experts, deciding whether or not to make GM crops a priority in their agricultural development and food and nutrition security strategies and invest in modern biotechnology is an important consideration for many African countries. Dr. Rosegrant says that by bringing social scientists and decision makers together, the first-of-its-kind conference aims to bridge the gap between policy and research, and provide solid information and evidence on which sound choices and investments related to GM technology can be made.

To help inform such policy decisions, conference participants are sharing research findings that address critical questions, including, What are the potential economic gains and drawbacks of GM crops, especially for poor, rural households, What obstacles prevent smallholder farmers from gaining access to and successfully using GM technology, and how can these constraints be overcome and the lessons to be learned from other developing countries, such as South Africa, China, and India, where GM crops are already being commercially grown by smallholder farmers.

Improving of policymaking to ease the dissemination and commercialization of agricultural biotechnologies as well as the regional and international trade implications of growing GM crops in Africa will also be discussed in the three day event.

“Managing the opportunities and risks posed by GM crops, including trade-related challenges, requires countries to have well-functioning, efficient, and responsible biosafety systems,” says Dr. Margaret Karembu, director of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) AfriCenter in Nairobi, where the Kenya Biosafety Bill became law in February 2009, joining Mali and Togo, which enacted national biosafety legislation in 2008.

“These countries’ experiences offer useful lessons for other African countries working to develop biosafety policies, including the increased potential to benefit from proven research and help smallholder farmers with limited resources gain access to agricultural bio-technologies and successfully use them,” she added.

The conference under the theme “Delivering Agricultural Biotechnology to African Farmers: Linking Economic Research to Decision Making,” is organized by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in collaboration with the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology and the Science Foundation for Livelihoods and Development.

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty. IFPRI is one of 15 centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), an alliance of 64 governments, private foundations, and international and regional organizations.

By Jossy Muhangi
Journalist - Uganda

TB is manageable,treatable and preventable

News: Mbarara finally chases TB 
Jossy Muhangi
The Daily Monitor
22 March 2006
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Uganda - Once a very congested place, the TB ward at Mbarara hospital will soon start handling other medical cases, following a new system where patients are diagnosed and referred to local health centres for treatment

It appears strange yet it is true. Mbarara University Teaching Hospital's Tuberculosis (TB) ward which up to recently has been notorious for over congestion with chronic patients is today virtually empty. According to the director of Health Services for Mbarara district, Dr. Amooti Kaguna, they "have decongested, let alone depopulated the TB ward at the main hospital. The ward will soon be transformed to accommodate other medical cases".

Kaguna attributes this situation to the adoption and implementation of a system/strategy known as Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS), which involves a downward referral of TB patients who are diagnosed and sent to the local health centres for treatment.

The system entails sending patients to their home locations where they are accessed by health workers from health centres with the TB drugs. In turn, a volunteer, not necessarily a health personnel is selected and assigned to monitor the administration of these TB drugs to the patients at the right times and ensure completion of the eight-month dosage.

This development which is also implemented in neighbouring Kenyan diagnostic and treatment facilities, has led to decongestion of the TB wards where affected cases would lie for several months bearing extra costs of feeding and facing the inadequate space hazards.

Kaguna says that last year, 3,550 cases were detected through health centres which examine sputum and X-ray examinations (specimen) to screen for TB in greater Mbarara which entails the four new districts carved out recently. Of these however, about 2,056 were identified for treatment and management while the rest remained untouched in the communities which represents about 40 percent.

Kaguna however said the prevalence rate has gradually been going down due to consistent intervention and support from the donors particularly the German Association of Leprosy and TB Relief Primary health care Funds and the Global fund contributions.

In 2005, the National TB/Leprosy allocated Mbarara district Shs116m for drugs procurement, the German Leprosy Relief Association gave Shs2.5m for allowances and other programme activities, the Global Fund contributed Shs12m and the Primary Health Care gave Shs700,000, thus a total of 132m for the entire programme.

With this support, the programme has not run short of TB drugs in recent times while Leprosy has become history. Kaguna says only two cases of leprosy were detected last year, one from Kyenjojo district and another in the refugee camp located in newly created Isingiro district.

He adds that the policy of screening HIV patients for TB and vice versa has also contributed to management of Tuberculosis which affects the lungs, bones and other parts of the body.

He however laments that there are limited centres which do counselling and testing for HIV/TB. In fact, it is only at the Aids Information centre (AIC) where HIV suspects are also screened for TB.

In all, the greater Mbarara has only eight counselling and testing centres. Of the 150 health centres including five hospitals and several health centres at constituency, sub-county and parish levels, only 62 centres have integrated services to include diagnosing and treating TB components.

He however said the situation has improved as most of the patients get screened at the main hospital and are sent back to the Community-Based Health DOTS (CBH) for management. All the sub-counties have got the CBH-DOTS facilities, according to Kaguna.

He said of the affected cases, 60 percent are men, 38 percent women and about 5 percent children. He attributed the higher rates in men to their level of predisposition, lifestyles including heavy drinking and working in congested communities among other risk factors. He identified some of the most affected areas as Rwampara, Bukanga and Ibanda counties.

Besides the health centres with integrated services, there are 24 diagnostic centres where TB patients can be examined. However, these are not evenly distributed and are located mostly in urban centres.

Although the anti TB programme boasts of adequate drugs and reduced prevalence rates, it is faced with a number of challenges that slow its pace and desired targets. Kaguna said the programme lacks sufficient trained personnel to monitor and implement the activities. He said there is need for enough clinicians especially at lower levels who take the drugs to the communities and identify volunteers to administer the drugs. And where there are staff, they lack adequate means of transport to traverse their areas of operation including reviewing the patients' situations.

There is also lack of enough equipment and reagents for testing the cases though the drugs are sufficient unless the health workers have not ordered in time. The adherence rate is yet another challenge to health workers as many patients rarely complete the doses according to prescription in the right times and amounts over long periods.  According to Kaguna, the compliance rate has been at 55 percent and defaulting rate at 45 percent.

Defaulting leads to Drug resistance and an infected patient may have to start the dose all over again with stronger medication. Currently, the anti TB drugs are only provided by the government while private hospitals access it from government departments free of charge. Another challenge has been stigma about the disease which is closely associated
with HIV/Aids.

Estimates show that 60 percent of HIV patients have TB (hidden or obvious) while 48 percent of TB patients have HIV. In spite of the intensive sensitisation of the communities that TB is preventable, manageable and curable, a number of the affected do not show up to utilise available opportunities and services.

Yet another problem is that of migratory populations which makes it difficult to follow them up. However, there are regular collaborative meetings through which those moving within neighbouring districts can be tracked, Kaguna explained.

Health workers here have a vision of having at least 100 diagnostic centres in the near future from the current 24, detecting at least 75 percent of the affected cases and treating about 85 percent of them. He said last year, of the 2,056 identified patients, 55 percent completed treatment.  They also wish to intensify the follow up programme, collaboration with neighbouring counterparts and community sensitisation.

Online at: http://www.monitor.co.ug/socpol/socpol03221.php

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Stay connected - Speak your world!

A posting from Stop-TB (stop-tb@eforums.healthdev.org)

solid waste management

Jossy Muhangi March 13 Mbarara makes headway in solid waste management

Environmental and health hazards currently bedeviling Mbarara Municipality and six other urban authorities in the country could gradually be surmounted when a World bank funded project that will provide a garbage compositor and collection trucks take off.

With Mbarara Municipality population generating over 150 tons of solid waste per day part of which is collected by trucks for dumping at a site in Kenkombe ,Kakoba division thereby degrading the land and polluting the air in the vicinity, the construction of a compositor which turns solid waste into manure is expected to greatly check the hazardous impact on the neighbouring communities . The garbage that has been a menace will also turn into a blessing as its product once its turned into manure will help generate some income when it is sold to the farming community.

While the long time vision for Mbarara Municipality leadership is to achieve a city status, it has been grappling with solid waste disposal which would be aggravated by the increased population occasioned by the territorial expansion and more attractive services.

But the chief township officer Mbarara Municipality David Naluwayiro Kigenyi discloses that with assistance from the environment watchdog the National Environment Management Authority(NEMA),a project worth 400 million Uganda shillings is being implemented to help seven municipalities and two town councils to partly overcome the garbage disposal problem. Besides Mbarara, other prospective beneficiaries are Lira,Masaka,Jinja,Soroti ,Fort Portal and Mbale municipalities plus the town councils of Mukono and Kasese.

The project site will also benefit from a six kilometer extension of piped water with the help of National water and sewerage corporation from which the neighbouring community will benefit. Kigenyi says the NEMA coordinated project has contributed a refuse collecting truck and 20 collection skips while in the subsequent phase the ministry of local government has promised to provide another truck.

The Mbarara Municipal environment officer Herbert Tumwebaze says the sites at which solid waste is collected and dumped suffers the environment and health hazards through the degrading of land and air pollution. He says the refuse from the unsorted garbage litters and contaminates the neighbouring water sources .

Councilors who represent the area where the dumping site is located cry foul of the nasty smell and pollution of the atmosphere but are optimistic the new project will mitigate the adverse effects .

The township officer Mr. Kigenyi reveals that about 17m shillings is spent per month on collection of the solid waste by the trucks in the municipality. Part of it is collected directly by the council trucks and another part is managed by private contractors .

He attributes the ever rising solid waste problem to an increasing population a big percentage of which is poor which does not appreciate the desire for beauty and standards. All the majority of the town dwellers care about is their survival and it is difficult to change their negative attitude .He wonders why some town dwellers for instance in their own wisdom choose to throw their solid waste on the surface even when the skips are half empty.

On the government policies, Kigenyi feels the implementation of our environment laws is weak compared to neighbouring Rwanda where authorities are strict with dumping of polythene and plastic materials.

Mbarara’s Resident District commissioner Clement Kandole also agrees with Kigenyi on the ambiguity of Ugandan laws on environment. He wonders for instance how an ordinary person is expected to comprehend the difference in gauges of the polythene materials in terms of microns yet it could be more realistic to say impose a ban on all polythene materials.

With proper implementation of the solid waste management project, active involvement of the stake holders including the communities neighbouring the dumping site and continued awareness on sustainability of the project, the environment related hazards in Mbarara and other towns could be history .

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Journalists think tanks

Media Associations Should Promote Local Think Tanking
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Journalists organized in regional press clubs can go beyond playing a fire brigade role. Besides the traditional roles of covering events, crises, disasters and conflicts, practicing journalists in Uganda are playing a more watch dog role of promoting Transparency, Accountability and rule of law as corner stones of good governance.
One major sensitive area is the Public procurement and disposal of public goods, services and works. They are also setting the agenda on topical issues that impact on people’s lives by involving a wider public to participate in the debate, and monitoring the allocation and use of resources.
Members of Ten press regional clubs scattered around the country have realized through research and documentation that procedures in procurement and disposal of public goods and services impact on creation of a sound business environment in the country, promote efficiency and transparency. Before 1994 decentralization reforms, procurement of public goods and services was based on a centralized “system with central tender board" under the Ministry of Finance being in pole position. With de-concentration of powers and increase in government entities, it became inevitable that even the procurement role be decentralized thereby empowering lower entities to plan and execute their own programs.
In the case of Uganda, district tender boards were created but mostly comprised political appointees as members. Elected political bosses took advantage of this to reward their cronies and supporters with such positions to the statutory bodies and commission, contrary to laid down procedures. Such committees were not intent on choosing proven integrity and best practices in terms of the right source, quality, prices, quantity and time. They encouraged air supply, shoddy work and overpricing of goods and services among other evils. Besides, politicians competed with and had an unfair edge over the ordinary business people. Following the outcry over related evils, the government made reforms in 2003 to replace the tender boards made of politicians with contracts committees made of civil servants/technocrats. The committees evaluate bids, procurement methods, documents and amendments to contracts. They are also supposed to ensure compliance with the laid down regulations.
While accounting officers and technical personnel ensure availability of funds and execution of the contracts, press clubs have resolved to closely monitor compliance with terms of reference, right from advertising the tenders and contracts, execution of the contracts/works, the quality and quantity of goods and services supplied and compliance with the specified time of contracts. The common area of suspicion is routine roads maintenance. Some politicians form companies with quasi partners and virtually do no work on the sections allocated to them but the engineers will purport to have inspected the sections and certify as satisfactory work done thereby recommending payments. Alternatively, connivance is made with storekeepers to indicate in the stock books that quantities and qualities recommended in the contracts of goods have been supplied and delivered thus suppliers ready for payments. Legal experts are also paid hefty sums of retainer fees for advisory for contracts that more often than not backfire leading to compensations arising out of breaches. Through organizing and conducting public- media dialogues, the stake holders are brought together with public servants to brainstorm and point out the weaknesses and strengths in adherence to procedures. Radio talk shows are organized to stimulate debate from the public about how they view works executed and services provided in their respective areas. A website for press clubs and their activities is being designed whereby a number of analytical articles pointing out shoddy works and commending best practices highlighting success stories will be accommodated. In playing such a watch dog role, journalists meet a number of challenges especially to do with the ownership of the media houses. While it is true that over 120 FM radio stations have been licensed and newspapers are mushrooming, several journalists, editors and presenters have to tow the line of the owners. Journalists fear to point out failures of the local governments where they are located for fear of being at loggerheads with potential advertisers, let alone losing their jobs. As if this is not limiting enough, business matters or economic news rarely find space or air time on prominent pages or programs. They are relegated to the inside pages or announced at odd times of the day with unpredictable audience.
Press clubs in collaboration with development partners ought to start their own community radio stations (media houses), newsletters and online magazines among others to enable them freely contribute well researched topical issues with a view to influencing policy and decisions that favor a fair business environment.By Jossy Muhangi Journalist - Uganda

article published by the African Executive in September 2007

Think tanks

Joa

Jossy Muhangi has consistently practised journalism for the last 18 years.He was educated at the prestigious Ntare School in Mbarara south western Uganda before proceeding to Makerere University Kampala where he pursued a three year course in Mass communication alongside Political Science and Economics.
He began work at The New Vision Daily as a reporter,before being posted to Western Uganda town of FortPortal as bureau chief .He also served as a bureau chief for New Vision in Mbarara and Jinja .He later was elevated to the Editor Orumuri a sister paper to the New Vision .He also worked as a trainer with Panos Eastern Africa in the formation of ten regional press clubs,and later as a chief news editor for Radio West.He currently corresponds for the African Press Agency an online agency based in Dakar Senegal.Muhangi has a passion for Health Science and Gender .He attended a regional TB workshop in nairobi in 2006,a women and employment conference in Maputo Mozambique in 2008 and an international criminal justice reporting course at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha in 2000 conducted by the Hirondelle Press Agence.