Uganda has been ranked among the top 10 countries in the world in suppressing the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is according to report by the Lancet Medical Journal that ranked 91 countries around the world based on the incidence or the number of new cases per million population per day averaged during August.
The Permanent Secretary at Ministry of Health, Dr. Diana Atwine could not hide her excitement about the achievement. She took to her social media pages to congratulate and thank her troops; the front line workers.
“Efforts to be proud of. Special thanks to all our frontline health workers . We are doing well.” She wrote on Facebook.
All milestones ranging from the low mortality rate, containing the spread to the distribution of food relief to members of the communities, the PS celebrates the precision and comradeship of the entire medical and ministry staff.
The minister and permanent secretary are known for having led their team with a philosophy of Go hard and Go early.
“Communicating bad news is a difficult task but we constantly had to get out even when it meant risking demoralizing the nation but we have a duty to communicate with transparency. And that has proved the vital antidote to this risk,” Dr Diana Atwine remarked while talking to the press recently.
The speed and scope of the Coronavirus crisis presented extraordinary challenges for all leaders and the PS wasn’t left out. Her leadership has called for decisive action and honest communication.
Not all heroes wear capes. And for an expectant mother in Mawogola, the hero was aspiring Mawogola Member of Parliament Godffrey Aine Kaguta, alias Sodo after he donated an ambulance to the constituency recently.
The mother (whose names have been withheld) is reported to have gone into early labor, with no aiding assistance for her move to the hospital, but was relieved when the newly donated ambulance in the area was availed and delivered her to the Ssembabule Health Centre 4, where she had a baby boy.
For the timely intervention, the mother managed to deliver safely. Both the mother and son are reportedly well and healthy.
The new mum is said to have consequently named her new born son, Sodo, in honor of her real life hero.
The newly donated ambulance by the aspiring candidate is the only functional ambulance in the entire district, a situation that has left the health situation in the region in dire need for change.
Mawogola North is expected to carry out its much anticipated NRM primaries next Wednesday, with the fan favorite, Godffrey Aine Kaguta facing Ms Shartsi Musherure, the daughter to the Foreign Affairs Minister and incumbent Mawogola North MP Sam Kutesa.
Anticipation is high in Mawogola North constituency as they prepare for the NRM primaries that are happening this Wednesday.
This comes after the initial election was canceled due to instability between the camps of the two main opponents, Godfrey Aine Kaguta and Ms. Shartsi Musherure, the daughter to the incumbent MP Sam Kutesa.
In a move to show support to Godfrey Aine, alias Sodo, a fraction of his family members that include his elder brothers, Chairman Shadrack Nzeire and Chairman Micheal Kaguta also known as Toyota, have already touched base in Ssembabule to show their support for the aspiring Member of Parliament.
This comes after numerous reports that there had developed a rift within the family, with some members reportedly not in support of Sodo’s political aspirations.
The NRM primaries for Mawokota North are scheduled to take place on Wednesday 30th, 2020.
With just a few days to the NRM primaries in Mawogola sub-county, violence has rocked the area again with members of Sodo’s camp accusing the rival camp of using thugs to beat them up. This comes amidst heavy police deployment in the area, in anticipation of the forthcoming election.
In a video that has been circulating on social media, an unidentified man, alleges that he was beaten to pulp by members of the Sam Kuteesa camp, over what he claims is election related, as he belongs to the opposing camp of NRM aspirant Godfrey Aine Kaguta alias Sodo.
The man called on the president to intervene in the matter, calling for change in the area’s leadership, in order for much needed peace to prevail in the area.
Tensions are high in the area, particularly between the two rival camps of Godfrey Aine Kaguta and Ms Shartsi Musherure, the daughter to the Foreign Affairs Minister and incumbent Mawogola North MP Sam Kutesa, who are both vying for the position of NRM flag bearer, alongside Kiseeka Salim.
Uganda joined the rest of the world to commemorate the World Contraception Day on Saturday which was held under the theme “Lets roll back the teenage pregnancy crisis in Uganda”.
In Uganda, the contraceptive prevalence rate is at 26% (UDHS 2016) with 18% of married women using modern methods, while 6% use traditional methods.
In addition, contraception awareness remains still wanting as 25% of Ugandan adolescents aged 15 – 19 years already started child bearing and have given birth or are pregnant with their first child.
However, all is not gloom as service providers like Mariestopes also continue to provide high-quality, sexual and reproductive healthcare products for people in locations that are convenient.
Marie Stopes UG, one of the largest and most specialized sexual and reproductive health organization in Uganda, has for the past 30 years provided approximately 60% of contraception in Uganda to Ugandan women, men and young people in the under-served communities, that are predominantly young, living in poverty, residing in hard-to-reach rural locations and urban slums.
Teopista Nalyazi Tendo, one of the team leaders of the Marie Stopes mobile teams that serve clients in remote areas across Uganda says that the COVID – 19 pandemic has however affected their work greatly as they were unable to provide the family planning services as they were doing before.
By Staff Writer Ruparelia Foundation has today donated 240 hampers for the kids at the pediatric ward in Mulago hospital.
Naiya Ruparelia the Ruparelia Foundation trustee shortly after handing over the hampers commented on the gesture saying that the activity was done to put a smile “on these children’s face”.
“They are very strong children, it’s amazing and some are really strongly fighting for their lives. We wanted to put a smile on their faces,” she commented.
Naiya also noted that the foundation has been carrying out this activity quarterly but hopes to do it monthly once they get more donations from their partners such that they are able to visit different hospitals across the country.
Uganda is endowed with abundant wildlife and beautiful landscapes.
By Our Reporter
Uganda has been named among the top places to visit as several countries across the globe, reeling back from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, continue to open up, especially in the world of travel and tourism.
According to a list released by Forbes Magazine recently, Uganda is one of top six tourism destinations in the world that are open and safe to visit this October. It features alongside Panama, El Salvador, Pakistan, Ukraine, and the Bahamas.
Uganda is highlighted as being open to visitors and tourists but with observance of set guidelines to avoid the spread of the virus.
“Entry requirements include a negative test within 72 hours of arrival and a negative test before departure as well. Uganda is unusual in requiring a COVID test before leaving the country. That test needs to happen no more than 120 hours before departure. Keep in mind also that there is a national curfew between 9pm and 6am, though if you have a flight between those hours you are permitted to go to/from the airport,” the magazine said of Uganda.
The magazine further adds that the current Covid-19 trend for Uganda is relatively okay despite the case count being on the rise. “…their outbreak has been reasonably small with just under 9,000 cases so far and 81 deaths.” The magazine notes.
Lancet Commission data released in September ranked Uganda as one of the best countries globally in suppressing the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ranking 10th among 91 countries analyzed, Uganda emerged the best on the continent, thanks to the Ministry of Health efforts in controlling the spread of the deadly virus.
This marks another milestone for the Dr Acheng Ruth and Dr Diana Atwine at the helm of the fight in ensuring that the country is safe but also returns to normality as soon as possible.
Uganda, also referred to as the Pearl of Africa, has a plethora of tourist attractions including beautiful landscapes and abundant wildlife among others.
Having brought the world its first Holy Rice, Prophet Samuel Kakande of the Synagogue Church of all Nations is back with another mega project. For a long time, the Prophet had been asked why he’d never bothered to construct a modern building befitting of his sheep.
It turns out God had delayed to approve the Architectural designs. We can now confirm going by the construction works on the site that God has finally approved the designs for the work to proceed. Prophet Kakande will be constructing the first Heaven on Earth aka Holy Church.
It’s so special a project that Heaven has sent out some of its Engineers to take charge at the site in Mulago Kubiiri. “We are not an ordinary folk, this is Synagogue. It’s Angel Michael supervising most of the works.”
The Church among other things will have a shopping mall where shops selling different holy items will be located. “Everything will be holy ground here but we are choosing to run it like how things are run on earth. You will go to a shop and buy a Holy mattress or Holy socks or handkerchiefs. Even the Holy Water will now be packaged,” a source at the Church tells us.
Above all, the Church will have 100 hotel rooms for patients and visitors. “Since many people come here, we shall have rooms and apartments for people to spend a week or even a month praying, fasting and waiting to have a one on one with the Prophet. We want people to leave when they’re fully healed,” the source tells us.
We say, congratulations once again to Prophet Kakande for getting the full nod from Heaven. We hope God can approve Prophet Mbonye’s designs too.
15 years ago, most mechanical engineers in Uganda started their journey in Kisenyi. It is Kisenyi that went on to define the local industrialization in Uganda. University students would move here to practically execute on their projects.
Even today, you can’t speak of any industry in Uganda without having Kisenyi in the story. From Coca-Cola to Riham, they are all sustained by Kisenyi. If you can’t find anything in Kisenyi, you can’t find it anywhere else in Uganda. Kisenyi is to industries what Kisekka market is to the automobile sector.
For example, the man of Biyinzika started his journey in Kisenyi. Almost every industry in Uganda has its roots in Kisenyi. It is in Kisenyi that we realized Ugandans could fabricate their own machines, setup small scale industries and make their own products here.
It is in Kisenyi that Ugandans got the ability to mill their own maize, and grind things such as gnuts. Kisenyi defined the engineering culture of Uganda.
But I am writing this story worried with tears in my eyes. The Kisenyi we knew will be no more. It is almost gone. Thanks to our stupid love for malls and arcades, they have slowly but surely displaced Kisenyi.
Most artisans in Kisenyi have closed shop. If you are looking for a bearing or some shaft in Uganda, you will probably die in your movie a few years from now. Instead, what you have now are shops selling imported fabrics from China.
Some of the displaced people tried their luck next to Nabagerekka Primary School only to be pushed away months later. The rest moved to Ndebba and the story is no different. Ndebba is also disappearing.
In most countries, industrial towns simply transform and get better. In Uganda, industrial hubs get wiped off the scene.
By losing Kisenyi, it means that if you wanted an agricultural machine fabricated in Uganda, you are most likely going to buy it from a Chinese. Even Musa Body became a reseller of Chinese equipment.
And the thing about these Chinese machines, they look fancy but once they get faulty, that’s it. You don’t have any after sales support.
When a guy in Kisenyi fabricates a machine for you, it implies that you have life time after sales support. So one day you will wake up and be shocked that this and that factory has a breakdown and they’re waiting for some component from Europe. In the past this was impossible, the people in Kisenyi were on hand to improvise something.
I see Ugandan government talking about industrialization, but what is industrialization if you are killing the roots of that dream. The few Ugandans who have set up factories in Uganda all started their journey in Kisenyi.
Instead government should have consulted with Kisenyi people and together they created a modern industrial hub, where mechanical, manufacturing and industrial engineering comes to life.
For that reason, we took out time to do our level best to address the dying Kisenyi. We created the Byuuma app. It is basically a platform to connect these Kisenyi people to those who need their services. It is the last attempt to save a sector that has sustained Uganda over the years.
To imagine that a mall would replace the engineering hub of the country is to lose hope in this country.
Imagine you woke up to a world without Kisekka. Within days most Ugandans would end parking their cars. It would become costly to maintain and repair a car in Uganda.
If Uganda woke up without Nasser, well, most people would have no degrees. Go to Google Play Store, look up for the Byuuma app and link in with the disappearing folks of Kisenyi.
How Can a Healthy Relationship Benefit Mental Health?
For a holistic approach to one’s health, both mental and physical wellbeing should be taken good care of. When it comes to mental health, one aspect that can have a huge impact is your relationships. The state of your connections with your family, friends, and co-workers can positively or negatively affect the health of your mind.
(image source: Pexels)
Relationships and Their Connection with Mental Health
Can relationships really affect a person’s mental health? Overwhelming studies have already noted that this is indeed the case. Those who enjoy good relationships with their peers and receive the love and support of the people closest to them live longer and healthier lives.
According to research, those with healthy relationships suffer less anxiety as a whole. And while insecurities may assail them from time to time, the fact that they have people they can open up to and seek support from when needed helps them overcome these challenges. They are also less prone to suffering from depression.
Those who went through the ravages of substance addiction are less likely to relapse as well when buoyed by good relationships. Not only that, the support of a loving family or group of friends can help someone weather through or overcome a period of loss and grief.
Stress Alleviation and Empathy
Good relationships also have the power to help you alleviate stress. In particular, a harmonious connection and intimacy between couples can reduce cortisol levels (stress chemicals in the brain), lessen depression and axiety, boosts sleep quality, and improve brain functions.
If you are on good terms with your family as well or have a few friends you can always hang out with, these people can easily help you relax from the stresses of life. By talking to them about your challenges or any difficulties at work, you can unburden some of the load weighing down your mind. With their support and empathy, you are more likely to find good solutions to your problems.
On the flip side, without the support and empathy from loved ones, a person can feel that they are all alone in the world. The loneliness or the feeling of being trapped by their current problematic situations can lead to a myriad of problems. These can include substance abuse, depression, disassociation, self harm, and more.
Clearly, the value of relationships on mental health cannot be underestimated.
On top of that, having a supportive circle of people can help someone achieve a sense of belongingness and purpose in life. This can also boost self-esteem and foster that beneficial feeling of security and trust.
Without that sense of having meaning in life and without that anchor of healthy relationships, one can feel isolation and oppressive solitude. Even if someone is often surrounded by people, if the connections are not healthy, this can still lead to the feeling of being an outsider. Conversations will just be superficial and one’s life can feel unfulfilling.
All of these can directly impact a person’s mental state and even their physical health. A lonely life can lead to a weak immune system, inability to rest properly, and poor eating habits. Beyond that, the lack of happiness and purpose can result in someone feeling totally disconnected that they think it would be better if they are not part of this world anymore.
That is why it is important to nurture great relationships as a way of taking care of one’s mental and even physical health. Having a few people around you who you can talk to no matter what, friends you can trust, a partner who will support you during difficult moments, or family members who will give you that sense of fitting in – all these can go a long way towards a healthier mind!
What Can Be Considered a Healthy Relationship
To make sure that your relationships will have a positive impact on your health, it is important to assess if your connections are indeed strong and beneficial to your wellbeing. So, what exactly are the characteristics of a healthy relationship?
There is respect between the parties involved and they treat each other kindly
The feeling of valuing the relationship and protecting it is mutual
The people involved listen to each other and are able to consider each other’s different perspectives
The sharing of thoughts and feelings is done openly
There is no feeling of being used
Disagreements and arguments do not result in violence or threats
Emotional, verbal, or physical abuse is never part of the equation
Carefully think about these things and see if there are any relationships in your life that do not meet these requirements. If there are any, it is highly recommended to resolve any bad relations quickly so they do not drag your mental health down.
Make an effort to nurture positive relationships as well. The connections you form with the people around you will have a big impact on your mental state. It is only right that you take good care of your mind’s wellbeing by fostering happy and fulfilling relationships.
While Premier League clubs Arsenal and Leicester City have made sure of a place in the knock-out stage of the Europa League, Tottenham Hotspur still have some work ahead of them.
Going into the penultimate matchday this week, Spurs are second in Group J ahead of their away trip to Austria for their match against LASK. Like Antwerp, Jose Mourinho’s team have nine points, but are behind their rivals based on the head-to-head result.
LASK are on six points, but as they lost the away leg in England 3-0, they have to win to have a chance to overtake Spurs.
Spurs go into the game on the back of a morale-boosting goalless draw at Chelsea in the league – a result that boosts their title aspirations.
The two other Premier League teams left in the competition – Arsenal and Leicester – are already assured of a place in the knock-out stage of the competition and can afford to give some of their regular players a break.
The Gunners, who have won all of their four matches in Group B, have a six point lead from Molde and Rapid Vienna, whom they welcome to the Emirates Stadium.
As they are guaranteed of at least finishing second in the group, Mikel Arteta, who has been giving some of his star players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang a rest in the competition, is bound to give even more bit-players a place in the squad.
One player who is looking forward to getting a chance is their record signing Nicolas Pépé, who has to sit out a three-match domestic suspension after being red-carded for head-butting an opponent.
The right winger, who joined Arsenal from Lille in August 2019, started in Arsenal’s 3-0 win in Molde and scored one of the goals. After being criticised for the red card, Arteta praised him for his performance against Molde.
“I could see from the first minute, from his body language, that he was ready to act. We all know where his level is. All the time the question is how often he can get to that level. [The match against Molde] is the example. That is the level he needs to hit, and from there he needs to keep improving because he is capable of doing it.”
Arsenal’s record in the Europa League has been impressive and their record over the last three season reads: Semi-final, runners-up and round of the last 32.
It is a record they wish to continue.
For Leicester, meanwhile, participation in the Europa League is new.
They have done remarkably well and a thrilling 3-3 draw in Braga last week ensured them a place in the round of the last-32 ahead of their Group G game in Ukraine against Zorya Luhansk.
Like Arteta, Brendan Rodgers is in the fortunate position that he can give some of his players a much-needed rest, especially as they are playing the Europa League match just three days after their domestic league game against Fulham.
The Europa League is yet another highlight that African football fans will be able to see live and exclusively on the StarTimes football channels as Africa’s leading digital-TV operator secured the broadcasting rights for this prestigious competition.
. Europa League is rapidly becoming a competition for the historical and fan’s favorite clubs in Europe. As StarTimes we are excited to bring you fan favorite competition in your living room at an affordable price.
This festive season, we have given our customers an amazing offer, if you’re a nova bouquet customer on Dish or Basic on Antenna decoder simply pay for 2 month and get an automatic upgrade to the next bouquet. This will enable you watch all Europa game and other football competition at your convenience.
This means that our customers can enjoy more for less. Merry Xmas from us to you.
If you did a random survey around Kampala asking people why they vote for a given candidate, the answers would likely rotate around desire for better roads, security, equipped hospitals, schools, etc.
This is because the ordinary person invests their entire trust in an elected leader for service provision. Very few people know that it is actually the appointed and hired technocrats that are charged with service delivery.
So, if a given constituency elects a local political council that is at loggerheads with the technical wing, the resultant impotence in service delivery is always guaranteed. The same is the case when a total yes wo/man is elected in to office.
We have experienced it first hand in Kampala, where the political wing has made a career in opposing everything brought about by the technical wing since the inception of Kampala Capital City Authority.
The KCCA Act never helped the situation, having put all administrative and implementation duties in the hands of the executive director and the team, leaving the political wing with roles such as supervision and budget approvals. Therefore, the political team has since thrived on opposing the status quo.
That is why in 2021, Kampala needs a new lord mayor, a person with a different vision and mentality.
That person is Innocent Kawooya.
In Kawooya; a social entrepreneur and financial inclusion expert, Kampala is getting an accomplished achiever. He is not a politician, but understands politics. Even though he is both youth and youthful, he comes with a wealth of experience in administration and development.
Riding on the slogan of Digitizing Kampala, Kawooya carries with him a package of solutions for the downtrodden, the corporates, the middle class as well as the business community.
At only 32 years of age, he has hustled and has achieved. His track record speaks for itself.
Right after finishing his Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE), Kawooya never sat out the long vacation like many do. He instead decided to create his own job that would at the same time change the lives of many young people.
He thus co-founded HIPipo and the organisation has since transformed into one of the world’s top digital and financial inclusion advocates.
To those close to him, right from childhood, Kawooya has always lived with a can-do mindset to the extent that just in primary three, he stood for the head prefect position. This was an early indicator of not only an ambitious person, but a true leader in in the making.
It is no wonder that he went ahead to become head prefect in senior three, paving the way for many years laden with responsibility, especially in the ICT, digital and financial inclusion space.
Now in their 15th year, HiPipo, where he is CEO, have not only run a successful social entertainment platform, but also led the digital revolution of East Africa’s entertainment industry, contributed meaningfully to the growth of online media uptake in Uganda, as well as advocating for a financial technology ecosystem that benefits everyone.
Along the way, Kawooya has directly or indirectly enabled the employment of over 2,000 people in areas such as ICT, commerce, trade and entertainment, the majority of whom are women, not to mention those he has mentored and supported.
More importantly; in Kawooya, Kampala is getting someone with full knowledge of what the “underprivileged” Kampalans go through every day, but also with ability and expertise to fix their predicament.
As seen above, he comes without baggage. He only brings experience and expertise. He is not looking for a job. He is here to transform Kampala. And he knows how to!
He knows that Kampala needs a model of development that serves and is uniform for all. He knows that Kampala collects enough taxes to provide social services in sanitation, transport, health, security, education etc.
He knows that a lord mayor can only succeed if they operate on people-centric lines, other than political party ideologies.
Kawooya knows that Kampala is full of hardworking, innovative, and entrepreneurial citizens. They just need an enabling environment and a leader with a clear vision. And his vision is of inclusive leadership. He knows that the technical team at KCCA has a role and so do the elected leaders. But most importantly, the biggest stakeholder is the Kampala resident, the final consumer of all policies from City Hall.
The time is now to put an end to partisan politics that is holding our lovely city back. And that end is in Kawooya Innocent becoming the Lord Mayor come 2021.
I wanted to climb to the peak of Mountain Rwenzori like yesterday. It was a tale of passion, curiosity, anxiety, ignorance, all these things mixing into one great combination. Some friends had just been to the peak of Mountain Kilimanjaro and I was determined not to miss out on conquering Rwenzori.
Then I started sharing my desires. A friend wondered what was stopping me. I complained that it was the shoes. They bought me the shoes (a nod to Natif). Now with the shoes acquired, what was my excuse for not going for my desires?
Then it was announced in 2019 that Rwenzori would be the mountain. I was a newbie to the game, and I was determined to break my hiking virginity with Uganda’s highest. A friend was relocating to United States, I bought their Pantagonia Day pack. I bought the hard-shell jackets and I was convinced I was beyond ready.
A week to the real day, COVID-19 happened in March. And it was lockdown, and everything just go cancelled. When the country eased up, a group Mountain Slayers organized a hike to Rwenzori. Once again, I was disqualified for lack of experience. I couldn’t present a certificate or photo of myself at one of the mountains. In hindsight, I was glad they disqualified me. I was unprepared, at least after going for Muhavura.
Then in November, the 3-mountain challenge came up. Uganda is host to three Virunga mountains, that’s Muhavura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo. Of the three, Muhavura is the beast, the highest and the hardest to conquer. This 3-mountain challenge was a dare to hike all the 3 in one-go. These three are known as the Mufumbiro mountains. When Muhavura was erupting, the locals used to say, that’s where God was cooking from thus the name; “in the kitchen” aka “Mufumbiro.”
I got to Kisoro on a Thursday evening. On Friday morning I was ready to Muhavura. My accommodation was UGX 90K per night (bed and breakfast). Each mountain costs UGX 50K and that entitles the team to a guide. If you must get a porter, prepare another UGX 60K for the porter. Here’s my warning, if you are carrying a heavy backpack, please invest in a porter for Muhavura. It’s the best advice. That mountain can shred you to pieces. It gets too vertical at some points. It laughs at you, it’s painful, it’s exciting, it makes you rethink your hiking passions. While there, you get to a point when you can head off to Rwanda or to the peak. I chose to head to the peak.
Some of the wooden stairs on Muhavura
I returned beaten and thinking I should halt any further hiking activity. But once I got to the base, I knew I was ready for the next mountain. On Saturday, the routine started once again. It was time to go for Sabyinyo. Sabyinyo means the rugged teeth of an old woman/or man. I think it’s a woman because Sabyinyo is beautiful. It’s motherly. Where Muhavura has that strong paternal love, Sabyinyo has that motherly touch. It beats you while pleading with you to keep quiet. It will beat you then hug you. It smiles, then pinches you. You will never forget the stairs. Those stairways to Heaven are adorable.
I started on Sabyinyo and once at the peak, I had the beauty of being in three countries at the same time. You will be in DRC, Rwanda and Uganda. Not very many people have had the chance to be in those three countries at once. In fact, those jaws you see at the corner of the Ugandan map, that’s Sabyinyo. Sabyinyo is a compressed mountain Rwenzori, so they say. If you can’t make it to Rwenzori, then Sabyinyo is the mountain.
In 3 countries at the same time
On the day I was doing Sabyinyo, a couple of people were smashing records. The great Herman Kambugu was speed-climbing two mountains. He went up and down Sabyinyo and then up and down Gahinga. Angie too represented the ladies by smashing the record of doing two mountains in one day. I couldn’t do baby Gahinga. It deserves its own day.
A lot of people have asked me about the budget. I must say, the one thing you shouldn’t compromise on is your gear. I have spent quite a bit on the gear. Every other thing you can get creative around it, from transportation to lodging options. For example, invest in a good shoe. My current shoe is from North Face, it’s the best thing ever to happen to my feet.
Also, try to find several friends, at least a group of five enthusiasts. Costs just go down when you can bargain as a group. It’s also fun when you have that diversity with you. I am now already thinking of Nyiragongo, the mountain with an active lava lake, the closest you can get to hell. Huh!
Smile with Sly, an initiative by Miss Uganda 2011, Mrs. Sylvia Wilson Allibhai, partnered with Talent Africa foundation to deliver Christmas care packages to single mothers that have been gravely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with support from Hilton Hotels, Holic Pads and Great lakes brands on 23rd December in the afternoon.
In a social media post, C.E.O of Smile with Sly, Mrs. Sylvia Namutebi Allibhai wrote, “Statistics show a high increase in families that have been abandoned by the bread winner due to the economic impact of the pandemic. Because a big part of the economy is still under lockdown, most of these women have lost their jobs, can’t find sustainable jobs and daily food yet they have children to take care of.”
Launching the event, Mrs. Sylvia said, “Being a mother myself, I know the difficult challenges that come with raising a child and wanted to give a small donation to keep the children alive and help the single mothers support their families.”
The launch had over 10 single mothers walk away with care packages while observing strict standard operating procedures and words of encouragement from C.E.O of Smile with Sly. Backed by her passion for single mothers and empowering women, she promised to continue to take some load off while the women get back on their feet. “We wanted to bring a smile of a few mother’s faces and let them know that we are in this together”, she said.
Talent Africa foundation is a corporate social responsibility branch of Talent Africa Group, a company that supports a number of CSR initiatives through it’s partners like Reach A Hand.
Casinos are just the most trusted and proper place to get thrilled and bet your chances in poker. And it got more inventive when video poker was released in many casinos in Vegas. The online revolution has now made playing video poker easier and accessible to anyone and anywhere on the planet.
But How Do You Play Video Poker Online?
First of all, you have to know where to play. You can either play on your PC or on your mobile phone. Applications by Google play or Apple are abundant, but most of them are fake. If you want the real thing and you have not decided where to play yet, choose a poker game that’s managed by a reputed casino. You won’t get wrong with that. After locating your playing stage, it’s time to understand how to play it online.
Open an Account
Opening your account will just take at most two minutes. Add in your details such as name, email address, date of birth preferred currency, etc.
Make a Deposit
To start playing the real thing, you would have to add cash to your online wallet. This will be the amount you can bet on any game you would want to play including video poker. However, if you don’t want to bet just yet, you can test the waters by pressing the demo play button on the screen.
Choose Your Preferred Video Poker Game
You have several options on the type of video poker game you can play. There is the Jacks or Better, Joker Poker, Deuces Wild, Aces and Faces, Multi-Hand, etc.
Learn How to Navigate the Game
Most online video poker games are quite intuitive and you would get the feel of it right away. But if you are having a hard time in the beginning, familiarize yourself first with this set of controls.
Stake Buttons – These are your controls for the ante and your succeeding bet amounts for the next hand. Use the + and – symbols on either side of the displayed amount to add or decrease your bet.
Bet one – This automatically sets the bet to a minimum.
Bet Max – Automatically bets the maximum stake and DEALS your cards. So be careful about pushing this button.
Deal – Deals your cards.
Hold – After your cards have been dealt, you have the option to hold some of your cards. You can hold up to 4 cards on the deck. Just tap the cards you would want to hold. If you have mistakenly heald the incorrect card, you can tap it again to deselect.
Press deal again to show the final cards dealt.
Collect – If you had won, press this button to place your money in your online wallet or bank.
Double – You can also choose to bet again by pressing the double button and restarting another game with your winning pot being used.
Playing poker whether online or dealing with real cards is quite a thrilling and entertaining game. With online video poker, things just got more accessible to the avid players and it can be done with just a few taps on your phone or clicks on your computer.
Over the years, South Sudan has been a major destination for Uganda’s formal and informal exports.
According to a March 2020 Ministry of Finance Performance of the Economy report, Uganda in February 2020 alone had a USD 54.9 million (about UGX 199.6 billion) Trade surplus with the rest of the East African Community (EAC) with South Sudan being the second biggest contributor to this performance.
“On a country specific level, Uganda traded at surplus with all East African Partner States except for Tanzania. Kenya remained the biggest destination of Uganda’s exports. South Sudan was the second largest destination of Uganda’s exports in February 2020,” the report noted.
It all looked good until the Covid-19 pandemic forced governments to close their borders, put in place stringent movement restrictions and curfews.
Even though formal trade was allowed to continue, these lockdowns massively affected women traders who make up to 70 per cent of informal trade at Elegu-Nimule border.
In this exclusive interview, John Bosco Kalisa, the country representative of TradeMark East Africa in South Sudan decodes the highlights and challenges of the year 2020.
How was the year 2020?
John Bosco Kalisa: I thank you for this initiative, a very noble initiative in the sense that the 2020 year was a challenging year due to the impact of Covid-19. But we are glad that we managed to navigate through these difficult circumstances and through our trade facilitation initiative, we are looking for a solid, positive recovery, having done quite substantive work around the border, supporting the trade facilitation infrastructure, as well as supporting the women who have been heavily affected by Covid-19. So I am happy that we are on the right track despite the challenges we experienced in the 2020.
What were the Trade Facilitation highlights for 2020?
John Bosco Kalisa: There were a number of highlights in 2020. As I stated, this has been an unprecedented time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the key highlight from the TradeMark South Sudan program is that we managed to complete and handover the USD 5 million Nimule one stop border post (OSBP) funded by United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office through TradeMark East Africa. It is such a big achievement given that it anchors the trade facilitation initiative as it is able to reduce a number of barriers that were hindering the movement of goods and services along the Nimule border.
The second important achievement has been the support South Sudan program. We continue to support South Sudan to engage in to the East African Community (EAC). Given that now South Sudan is a new member of EAC, there are a lot of trade policy initiatives that are on-going and those trade initiatives are being supported heavily by TradeMark East Africa.
The third important achievement is our support in terms of private sector advocacy, where we have built and strengthened the capacity of the private sector in South Sudan and they are actively engaged in the East African Business Council (EABC). They are working with their counterparts in the region.
Another aspect which is very critical is the standards harmonization. These are sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, given that South Sudan depends heavily on imported food. So these measures are very critical in terms of health and safety of human beings. This has also been a very critical and important achievement by Trademark in South Sudan.
Another important milestone that we achieved in 2020 is our support to the women traders. You know that Covid-19 has heavily affected the women, especially the informal cross-border women. I would like to thank the board and council of TradeMark EA for the continued support to the South Sudan women to ensure that they are able to recover from the effects of Covid-19 by supporting them in terms of having the necessary tools and equipment that helped them to continue to trade across the board.
You witnessed that there was a launch, which we did with AMREF. AMREF is doing a commendable job in terms of sensitising and raising awareness for women to ensure that they are able to social distance while trading. The women of South Sudan have really applauded this initiative. We are also planning to organize the women to have safe cross border markets at Nimule under the Safe Trade Zones Protocols. It is an on-going initiative and we thank our donors, especially EU-IGAD, which is supporting that initiative.
We also did a lot of work in 2020 with the Shippers’ Council. We supported Shippers, Freighter and Forwarders to understand the protocols related to Covid-19. There has been a lot of on-going sensitization in terms of strengthening the Freighter and Forwarders association.
TradeMark EA launched the Safe Trade Emergency Facility in mid-2020 to mitigate the effects of Covid-19 on Trade. How has this been received in South Sudan?
John Bosco Kalisa: The Safe Trade Emergency Facility (STEF) has been well received in South Sudan. South Sudan was the first country to launch the Safe Trade Zones at Nimule in October 2020 and this initiative will benefit over 2000 women at Nimule alone. The women and the youth have been heavily affected by Covid-19. I am happy that we are doing value addition to ensure that they are able to recover. The government is very happy with what we are doing on matters Trade Facilitation.
While in Nimule and Elegu in December, the women of Elegu said they had received personal protective equipment (PPEs) to combat Covid-19 but the Women in Nimule said they hadn’t received any. When are you distributing in Nimule?
John Bosco Kalisa: We have already received the PPEs. They were delivered to our stores at the border by World Food Program. So we are waiting for the official handover before the end of January after which the frontline staff and traders at Nimule will receive their PPEs.
While at the Nimule-Elegu border, the women complained about being harassed, assaulted and some raped at the border by security officials and other law offenders. As TradeMark EA and your partners, what are you doing to address such issues?
John Bosco Kalisa: You are right. Indeed these are some of the issues we are addressing under our non-tariff barriers (NTB) program. These are some of trade restrictiveness issues we are encountering. You would understand, South Sudan is emerging from the conflict so it requires a number of efforts to sensitize the soldiers and officials that are harassing the traders especially women. The good thing is that we are working on a program with our counterparts in Uganda to ensure that especially the truckers and the women are able to report these cases through a real time sms system. In the past, it has been difficult due to a number of NTBs on the Nimule-Juba road but this program we are undertaking now will ensure that there is a toll-line for reporting these issues. This system is going to be rolled out in 2021.
The women at Nimule and Elegu complained that the borders are closed and for one to cross, you must have a Covid-19 certificate. But the Covid-19 tests cost USD 50 and above. How can they be helped? Can TradeMark EA and Amref come to their rescue?
John Bosco Kalisa: That issue of Covid-19 certificates is not only at Nimule and Elegu. It has been an issue across the East African region. I am happy that our EAC heads of state and ministers of health are working on a solution to have only one test across the region. If you are tested in Uganda, you don’t need to be tested again in South Sudan. That certificate can be valid for up to 14 days. Again, the cost of these tests is very high. Fifty dollars is a lot for informal women. This is like their livelihood. It doesn’t make business sense to pay fifty dollars for a test because you are selling a tomato across the border. Under our safe Trade zones, we are proposing that such traders shouldn’t be tested so long as they are adhering to the Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs). They can cross the borders so long as they can observe the Covid-19 guidelines.
After a very hard 2020 characterized by Covid-19, what do you see happening in 2021 and what should be done better?
John Bosco Kalisa: There are a lot of positive expectations and positive strides for 2021. As I mentioned, our safe trade initiative has produced tangible results across the region. You witnessed the PPEs that have been delivered. You witnessed the trade policy program we are doing across the region. We are working on a plan with the EAC Secretariat to have an economic recovery program where we want to strengthen our regional value chain. So I see a lot of positive trends with 2021. As I said, 2020 has been a very challenging and unprecedented year. It has triggered some of those unknowns, for instance, social distancing and lockdowns. These have had a negative impact, especially on the people’s welfare. There is positivism now that the Covid-19 vaccines are being tested and awareness is improving. In December 2020, we introduced the equal masks program in South Sudan. Those are some of the new tools that will enhance the recovery agenda. That is why I am saying there is a lot of positivism for 2021.
By ReporterThe Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) and the digital television operator StarTimes are pleased to announce the signing of an agreement by which the media group obtains the broadcasting rights for the Total African Nations Championship, Cameroon 2020 (Total CHAN Cameroon 2020), scheduled from 16 January to 7 February 2021 in Cameroon.
Under this agreement, the operating license issued by CAF grants StarTimes the right to broadcast all the competition’s matches (a total of 32 matches) in the territories of sub-Saharan Africa.
The collaboration between CAF and StarTimes is the first of its kind between the two entities, with the ambition of offering African football fans wider access to one of CAF’s most important competitions. The agreement reinforces CAF’s ambition to facilitate access for the largest number of football fans in Africa to images of its top competitions.
Constant Omari, CAF Interim President said “We are delighted with this alliance with StarTimes, an internationally recognized group in the field of football broadcasting which enhances one of our most beautiful events, and brings together more and more public. Through this new partnership with a key player, we are expanding the audience of Total CHAN to make it an essential destination for football fans in Africa.”
Isma Lule, StarTimes Uganda Maketing Director, said “StarTimes is committed to promoting African football. This partnership with CAF marks a milestone for us. Working together with CAF to broadcast Total CHAN, StarTimes is now able to bring football fans throughout the continent closer to their favourite teams and players.”
The Total African Nations Championship is a tournament designed exclusively for footballers playing in their domestic leagues. The competition brings together 16 teams divided into four groups of four each.
Simbamanyo House, one of the contested properties.
By Our Reporter
Equity Bank sold Simbamanyo House to Sudhir’s Meera Investments and Afrique Suites Hotel to Luwangula’s Luwaluwa Investments Ltd respectively, at an auction in October 2019, after city architect Peter Kamya allegedly failed to service a contested loan of USD 10 Million which he had acquired from the Equity Bank Uganda and Equity Bank Kenya.
However, it appears there was a sinister plot to grab the property belonging to Simbamanyo Estates.
Evidence has emerged that suggests that Luwangula was used a front to grab Simbanyo House and Afrique Suites Hotel from Simbamanyo Estates.
According to documents tendered in court by lawyers of Simbamanyo Estates, Luwaluwa claims to have bought Afrique Suites Hotel that is worth billions of shillings, yet his Company Share Capital Portfolio doesn’t reflect that he has the capacity to purchase such an asset.
Luwalua Ltd’s Share Capital stands at Shs4M, whereby by it is a company owned by Ronald Luwagula, his wife and children who are all minors.
Investigations also indicate that Luwaluwa Investments Ltd, which purportedly bought the hotel property, is a small-time used car dealership based in Nyanama, a Kampala suburb and according to records with the Registrar General, it has a mere Shs4 million in share capital.
Investigators into the matter have since remained wondering how a company with a share capital base of Shs4M can purchase a property that is worth billions of shillings.
As such, sources privy to the whole saga have revealed that actually Luwangula didn’t have the money to purchase Afrique Suites Hotel, but was only fronted by Sudhir, who injected money into Luwaluwa Ltd to purportedly buy off the property at the alleged auction by Equity Bank.
Documents have emerged showing that on September 25th, 2020 Meera Investments Ltd, Equity Bank Uganda Ltd through their lawyers Katende, Sempeebwa & Co Advocates, entered into a performance based contract for the acquisition of Simbamanyo real estate property.
On October 1, 2020, seven days to the purported auction, Sudhir made a commitment payment of US$ 1 million to Equity Bank lawyers Katende, Sempebwa & Co. Advocates, who immediately passed it on to Luwaluwa Investments to open up a US dollar account with Equity bank.
On October 8th, 2020, just within a space of seven days after opening their dollar account with Equity Bank, Luwaluwa Investments had a bank balance of US$ 4.3 million which is astonishing,
As a result of the aforementioned anomalies in contrast to normal financial practice, the police and Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA) had started investigating the source of that money.
Prophet William Ssozi is the newest swanky Prophet on the Kampala scene. Having seen his posts around the internet, our snoops dug deep and traced him at Protea Hotel in Naguru.
Those who have met the man of God before say that there is a feeling of anointing that moves around him and he alone confesses to meeting Jesus and taking selfies with him.
Many have had prophecies fulfilled after he has spoken into their lives. This was not different from a testimony that was recently given about the prophet.
“When I met him, he asked me deep questions about my personal life and I was in utter shock as to how he would know such private and personal affairs but skeptically I answered them.” testified one of the people that have received prophecy from him.
“He then went on to tell me different things to do with my family, all of which were true and happening. At this point, I was so nervous, I could feel the sweat drop down from my legs to my feet,” the testimony continues.
It is at this point that he revealed that he has interactions with Jesus to the extent that he takes selfies with the son of God.
“I proceeded to ask him about his interactions with Jesus and he went on to reveal to me that he has been to heaven and taken pictures with Jesus and that he is waiting for the appropriate time for when he will release them for all of us to see. When I asked him how exactly he took the photos, he said that a divine camera was used. He described heaven as ‘a place with an abundance of peace and light’ and that only the righteous will make it there,” the testimony ends.
When we caught up with him, we noticed that this Prophet has a bracelet made out of white beads and a black one on top. Asked what this bracelet is about, he simply smiled and told us to read 2 Chronicles 20:20.
He then prophesied in our lives and said that all will come to pass in two weeks time. He can be found on Facebook under the names; Prophet William Ssozi.
February is a month of love. StarTimes has introduced the top ranking new Korean drama on ST Novela E Plus entitled Descendants of the Sun.
The high popularity of the drama not only credit to the twisted plots, the excellent performance of the cast, the exotic background, or the mixed romantic and action factors, but also the tips for lovers to communicate in fresh, close and sweet mood.
It is said that the scenes always preferred in the drama are when the leading man plays a prank on the leading lady to narrow the distance or break the ice between them. These tricks have been fancied a lot by the audience especially young ladies, as they consider it a more aggressive, creative but less rude, boring way to pursue love. In addition to that, these audiences can not help sharing their feelings and comments with the ones of the same interest.
Descendants of the Sun will premieres on StarTimes Novela E- plus Channel on 15th Feb at 10:30 PM local time.
Airing at the same time Monday to Friday, Descendants of the Sun will a great addition to the already running series like The Heiress, Los Bardon on the same Channel.
Novela E- Plus is the home of Drama, Family and Romantic series and Telenovelas on StarTimes Classic and Super Bouquet on Antenna and Satellite decoders respectively
Valentines’ day is about giving; StarTimes GO understands this that is why we specifically introduced valentine special discount to help you express your feelings without necessarily spending a fortune.
This valentine’s week StarTimes customer will enjoy over 20% special Valentine discount when they shop any product from StarTimes GO shopping Platform. This promotion gives you a chance to enjoy more discount when you buy for a couple.
StarTimes GO is a Multi-Shopping platform available on TV Channel 002/203, Online and on Telephone hot line 0317117 777
By Our Reporter
While Premier League clubs Arsenal and Leicester City have made sure of a place in the knock-out stage of the Europa League, Tottenham Hotspur still have some work ahead of them.
The Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) and the digital television operator StarTimes are pleased to announce the signing of an agreement by which the media group obtains the broadcasting rights for the Total African Nations Championship, Cameroon 2020 (Total CHAN Cameroon 2020), scheduled from 16 January to 7 February 2021 in Cameroon.
February is a month of love. StarTimes has introduced the top ranking new Korean drama on ST Novela E Plus entitled Descendants of the Sun.