Uganda Red Cross resumes operations in Luweero

Blood Donations

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Red Cross Society-URCS has resumed operations in Luweero and Nakaseke districts exciting members of the community.

URCS suspended operations in Luweero in 2015 after their staff and volunteers abandoned work over lack of funds. The Society’s Office located in Kasana market zone in Luweero was also closed.

However recently Uganda Red Cross Society deployed staff led by Denis Osipa to work as the branch manager and resume operations. Osipa formerly worked as Education adviser at Ministry of Education in South Sudan and Cambodia.

The team has started operations by mobilizing blood donations in 20 schools in Luweero to address the blood shortage in the Country.

Osipa says that they are also planning to conduct first aid training targeting 60 various specialists before recruiting over 1000 volunteers to support the society.

He says that current activities are sponsored directly by Secretary-General Uganda Red Cross Society as they wait for normalization of their operations and more support from other organizations.

Red Cross Society has also opened a new office in Nakasongola town to serve the district.

Doctor Innocent Nkonwa, the Luweero District Health Officer welcomed the URCS team and says they have agreed to work together in health-related campaigns.

Nkonwa says that the team has already agreed to mobilise residents to participate in Rubella-Measles campaign which starts on Wednesday and other campaigns.

Simon Mubiru, a resident in Luweero town council has welcomed the re-opening of Uganda Red Cross Society, saying in past they have helped to save lives given that the police take long time to respond to emergencies.

Uganda Red Cross Society is involved in both emergency and development activities mainly through health and care and disaster management programmes.

But in 2013, it was hit by scandal plunging into financial and management crisis which affected its operations across the country. Its top managers were allegedly engaged in tax evasion and smuggling goods in the same container carrying a Red Cross consignment.

It’s alleged that imported goods valued at 800 million shillings were smuggled into the country using the URCS’ name but in 2018 the Director of Public Prosecutions withdrew the case against the former Secretary-General of the Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) Michael Nataka who was named in the scandal.

The scandal plunged the Society into management crisis and the Board petitioned President Yoweri to intervene. The society is still struggling to build trust and mobilize resources to fund its operations in its 51 branches and several sub-branches spread across the country.

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