The kidnappers held her captive for nearly three weeks, demanding up to $1 million before accepting about $200,000 (approximately UGX 700 million). During her captivity, they cut off two of her fingers and sent them alongside a video of her pleading for help to pressure her family into paying the ransom.
Akena referred to historical statements by President Museveni acknowledging the destruction of food supplies and the destitution of about 2.7 million people during that period. He argued that the loss of cattle deprived communities of daily nutrition, household income, school fees, draft power, and soil fertility, leaving effects that continue to be felt today.
The committee, chaired by the Mbarara City South Member of Parliament (MP), Mwine Mpaka, is meeting with officials from the Ministry of Works and Transport to assess progress on ongoing road projects, examine implementation challenges, and review the ministry's overall performance in the roads sector.
Enforcing speed governors in Uganda has faced significant hurdles since the mandate was initially introduced in 2004. The hurdles include drivers tampering with these machines, deliberately disconnecting devices to bypass speed limits, fake devices, and corruption with dealers smuggling in fake gadgets and corrupt networks issuing certificates of fitness without actual installations, and low compliance with heavy trucks and minibuses identified by the transport licensing board as the biggest defaulters.
Speaking about the condition of the Mityana–Mubende Road, the minister said the government could have spent less money on the project if engineers had raised concerns about the road’s deteriorating state earlier.
"The boda-boda issue is being handled carefully, and registration of all boda boda cyclists is ongoing. We are going to register a certain number of cyclists per stage, and those without stages will have to vacate Kampala. This will reduce the overcongestion and the high crime rate being committed by these unknown cyclists.”