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Trump Presidency Likely to Affect Aid to Africa

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President Donald Trump

A Trump presidency raises the risk of the world’s largest economy reining in development aid thus affecting dependent countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and DRC according to ICAEW’s (the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) latest report. In Economic Insight: Africa Q4 2016, launched last week, the accountancy and finance body points out that signs of an expansionary fiscal stance under the Trump administration coupled with spending cuts in order to accommodate increased infrastructure expenditure are likely to lead to the decrease in aid.

The report, commissioned by ICAEW and produced by partner and forecaster Oxford Economics, provides a snapshot of the region’s economic performance focusing specifically on Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, South Africa and Angola.

According to the report, and drawing on insights from the Organization for economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the US is SSA’s principal benefactor in terms of bilateral official aid (ODA) with over $9 billion distributed to the region. The UK is second in line with just under $4bn distributed, followed by France with just over $2bn. Furthermore, in terms of official development aid receipts to East Africa, Ethiopia received the largest sum with over $3.5bn in aid, followed by Kenya and Tanzania with over $2.5bn, and lastly Uganda with over $1.5bn.

Michael Armstrong, Regional Director, ICAEW Middle East, Africa and South Asia said: “Aid is one of the main channels through which a change in US policy under the new president could impact Africa. Policymakers and businesses across the continent will be keen to see President-elect Trump’s plans for development policies once he takes office.”

Trade is another channel likely to be affected by the new US administration. Although US-Africa trade has declined strongly in recent years, mostly due to the shale boom which decreased the need for African crude oil, countries on the continent still benefit immensely from the African Growth & Opportunity Act (AGOA). Considering the president-elect’s protectionist stance, African economies could be harmed by tighter policies towards agricultural and manufacturing trade.

On a more positive note, The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) revealed that the East African region received $7.8 billion in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) during 2015 which is only a 2% decrease from 2014 compared to the 36% & 18% decline seen in Central Africa and West Africa respectively. Furthermore, East Africa is forecast to see an increase in net FDI in coming years with a 10% rise expected in 2017. Tanzania in particular is expected to receive considerable investor interest as the country’s natural gas sector receives increased attention.

The report also shows:

  • Kenya’s growth outlook has improved in recent months, with the tourism sector recovering from the effects of previous terror attacks and travel advisory warnings, while the central bank has also been able to ease monetary policy in recent months
  • Kenyan economic growth is projected to reach 5.9% this year, before trending towards 7% over the medium term
  • Economic growth in Tanzania and Ethiopia is expected to remain strong, with public investment supporting industry while favourable demographics stimulate the services sectors
  • Lower inflation and slightly slower growth in Uganda have encouraged the central bank to
    ease monetary policy, with positive effects on the business environment. Infrastructure spending will be a major driver of growth in that country in the next few years

The full Economic Insight: Africa report can be found here: http://www.icaew.com/en/about-icaew/where-we-are/africa

Does True Love Exists?

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True Love

True love is a strong and lasting affection between spouses or lovers who are in a happy, passionate and fulfilling relationship. An example of true love is the emotion shared between a couple who has been married for 40 years and who are still passionate about each other and care deeply for each other.”

Even if you’re in or you’re out on the subject, at least you’ll know what to look for and how to handle it should True Love find you anytime soon.

From an evolutionary perspective, something that is shared widely across a large proportion of a species begs to be explained in evolutionary terms. The nature of a finch’s beak must speak to the evolutionary history of finches. The plumage of a peacock’s tail must tell us something about how peacocks choose mates and how they ultimately reproduce. The length of a giraffe’s neck must tell us something about the kinds of vegetation found in the environments of the ancestors of giraffes.

Humans are no different. Features that are universal to our species provide clues to who we are and where we came from. The emotion of love is no exception. Love is a human emotion that has been documented in human groups across the globe (see Hughes, Harrison, & Gallup, 2007; Fisher, 1993). Further, romantic partners who report themselves as deeply in love consistently show similar neuropsychological activation in cognitive neuroscience studies of the love experience (see Acevedo et al., 2012). The nature of love in humans is a window into our ancestral past.

The evolutionary psychology of love provides an interesting example of how evolutionary principles can be used to shed light on basic aspects of who we are (see Geher, 2014; Geher & Kaufman, 2013).

We Are the Slowly Developing Ape

Species vary in terms of how advanced their offspring are at birth, which ultimately means that they vary in terms of how able their offspring are to care for themselves at birth. Some species are “precocial,” meaning that their offspring are advanced relatively quickly. For instance, fawns will get up and start walking on the day they’re born.

On the other hand, some species are “altricial,” meaning that their offspring are not particularly advanced at birth—and that they need a lot of time and care in order to develop appropriately. Think about humans: We are not like deer! Our offspring are not walking on their first day. In fact, we’re lucky if our offspring are walking in the first year. And even then, anyone who has ever watched a one-year-old knows full well that they need you to be with them every step of the way. Humans are a classic altricial species: We are a slowly developing ape—and there are good evolutionary reasons for this.

Parental Investment and Human Mating Systems

In a classic theoretical piece in the evolutionary sciences, Robert Trivers (1971; 1985) developed Parental Investment Theory, the idea that the amount of required parental investment in a species should map onto the social and mating-related behaviors of that species. If a species is relatively precocial, we would not expect long-term mating to evolve. Trivers was correct in this prediction across a wide range of species. When you consider a species with quickly advancing offspring, you do not find long-term mating, monogamy, or anything of the kind. Bucks and does, for example, spend very little time together.

Further, in species with relatively altricial offspring (such as birds like the emperor penguin or the North American robin), long-term mating systems may well occur. This is because in an altricial species, having multiple parents around to help provide resources and raise the offspring can be critical. This pattern is often called “bi-parental care,” and it’s a hallmark of species with altricial young. You can probably see where this is going: Yes, humans have altricial young, and so humans have long-term mating systems and things like monogamy.

The Evolutionary Function of Love

Love within a pair-bond is clearly an evolved product of high levels of parental investment in humans (see Fisher, 1993). Love is marked by psychological processes such as passion and intimacy with a specific partner. It is also marked by physiological processes such as increased levels of oxytocin and autonomic nervous system arousal specific to being in proximity to one’s partner (see Acevedo et al., 2012). Love motivates you to be near your partner. To be with your partner. To help your partner. To be kind to your partner. And all of these things make so much evolutionary sense when you consider them in terms of bi-parental care. Offspring with two doting (and cooperative) adults around to help them simply have an advantage over offspring with only one doting adult around. Love evolved to provide the emotional framework for maintaining pair-bonds, largely because we are an altricial species with relatively helpless young.

The Bottom Line

From an evolutionary perspective, love ultimately exists because it helped our ancestors form strong pair-bonds that facilitated successful child rearing. So when you find yourself in discussions about whether love is “real,” I’d say that from an evolutionary perspective, the answer is absolutely. Love is a basic feature of human mating intelligence (see Geher & Kaufman, 2013) that evolved to solve very specific adaptive problems in our altricial species. I’m not sure if that’s romantic, but I’m an evolutionist, and that’s what I’ve got.

Juuju: Penis moves to thigh After Sleeping with Another Man’s Wife

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If you think that juuju is not real, don’t dare read this! In this era of immorality, a lot happens in our society and you may wonder whether the world is coming to an end. A Man has been bewitched for sleeping with another man’s wife and the results of his actions are hard to believe.

Immorality has eaten the core of our society and the photo below is a clear evidence of that. How can you punish a fellow man with such a very unthinkable action? We have been left wondering and we are really puzzled. This is total African witch craft, this image has been going rounds in social media like wild fire and it seems its popularity is not dying very soon. The guy allegedly slept with someone’s wife, which lead to the rare occurrence. This story has attracted world attention and has been reported by the UK’s Daily Mail.

What happens after? His manhood moves to the thigh after the sweet moment!

New Born Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

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The Month of November has been great blessing to Uganda’s tourism industry. Several babies have been born to some of the families in the impenetrable jungles of Bwindi Forest in South Western Uganda. These great apes that share much of the human DNA are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Therefore the increase in the number of gorillas is great news to not only Uganda but also the world. The baby gorillas have been born in the Buhoma Sector in the Northern Part of Bwindi and they have been established as a set of twins.

Uganda has got almost half of the gorilla population in the World and are jealously protected in two national parks; Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Recently a baby gorilla was born in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park of Uganda!

Adulterous Couple Stuck Together After Sex

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An unfortunate man who was involved with another man’s wife ended up being unable to separate himself from the woman he was involved with last week Thursday. This is after he had ignored warnings from the woman’s husband

About 2,000 people gathered outside an apartment block earlier this week after word got out that a pair of lovers were stuck in post-coital distress.

Adulterous couple stuck together after sex

According to the Daily Sun, the couple ended up being stuck together and subsequently screamed for help, begging to be separated.

This was after the male victim ignored a warning from the woman’s husband who reportedly told the man “Leave my wife alone! I have put special muthi (medicine) in her punani!”

One of the residents of the apartment block, Priscilla Ndlovu, told the Daily Sun that she had heard screams from the woman’s apartment on Thursday night.

“At first we thought it was just the screams of sexual pleasure, but it turned to be screams for help,” said Priscilla.

She then called the security guard who forced the door open and saw the man lying on top of the woman, unable to detach himself. Priscilla said that they were also unable to free the couple.

“We always hear of such things happening but we have never seen it,” she said.

According to a family member, the husband to the adulterous woman had frequently voiced his suspicion of his wife’s infidelity.

“I think he locked his wife to catch the man she’s cheating with.”

An unnamed commentator told the Daily Sun that “locking” a woman with muthi is a common way of catching and humiliating cheating lovers.

The couple was eventually whisked away in an ambulance last week Friday.

8 Year Old girl Ugandan Girl Arrested for Lesbianism

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Uganda Transgender People

An 8-year-old Ugandan girl has reportedly been arrested after being caught kissing her female friends.

The police in Uganda are currently holding the suspect on suspicions of lesbianism.

The Monitor, Jinja Police Child Family Protection, disclosed that the minor was arrested after a neighbour caught her having “romantic relationships” with other girls of her age.

The neighbour reportedly informed the police that the child “repeatedly lured her friends to a farm near her house, where the girls would engage in inappropriate behaviour with one another.”

Catherine Wobuyaga, who is the officer in charge, disclosed that the minor is now in police custody and has confessed her involvement with fellow girls, most of whom are her classmates, to the police.

Following the reports, the police are currently investigating all the adults in the life of the minor who may have had this kind of influence  on her life.

However, Amnesty International’s East Africa Campaigner, Victor Odero, is shocked by the news and demands the minor’s immediate release.

Speaking on the issue, he said:

“The girl should be immediately and unconditionally released if she is still in detention.

“What she needs is protection and respect for her privacy, rather than being treated as a criminal.”

Minister for Ethics and Integrity, Uganda, Reverend Father Simon Lokodo emphasized the country’s stance against homosexuality, stressing that his ministry is committed to fighting the practice in the country.

Airtel Uganda launches2016 Airtel FUFA Awards

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The 2016 Airtel FUFA awards; aimed at honoring the excellence of Ugandan footballers was launched on Monday at Serena Hotel Kampala.

Airtel Uganda,the largest supporter of football in Uganda and official sponsor of the Uganda Cranes is the official sponsor of the awards; giving UGX 100,000,000 to towards the organization of the awards’ ceremony.

This year’s awards will see Uganda’s stopper Denis Onyango battle it out with Uganda’s lethal forward Farouk Miya in the Male Footballer of the year category. Other players battling for the same award are, KCCA and Uganda Cranes left back, Joseph Ochaya, new Kid on the scene, Onduparaka’s Shaban Mohammed and Vipers forward Erisa Sekisambu

Speaking at the launch of the 2016 Airtel Uganda Marketing Director Mr. Indrajeet Kumar Singh, expressed enthusiasm at the launch of the awards and reiterated the Telecom Company’s commitment to the development and growth of Ugandan football.

“Airtel Uganda is deeply involved in football at all levels in Uganda; from the Airtel Rising Stars, Buganda Masaza cup to the Uganda Cranes National team. It is therefore fitting that we go ahead to award this football talent that we nurture from the grassroots level.” Indrajeet added.

“We extend our gratitude to FUFA who have given us continuous support in our efforts to elevate the game of football in this country. Our recent achievements in this game clearly illustrate that the ladies and gentlemen whose talent and hard work have gone into reaching these achievements deserve to be recognized and rewarded and we are honored to be part of this process,” he concluded.

According to the FUFA president, Eng. Moses Magogo, “This year has been a great year to us Ugandans, we qualified for the 2017 African Cup of Nations games and we have had a great run in the World Cup qualifiers. These awards are befitting for our players.”

Magogo concluded by encouraging Ugandans to vigorously participate in the Airtel FUFA Awards’ voting process in order to ensure that their favorite players are celebrated and awarded.

Categories

  • Male Footballer of the Year
  • Female Footballer of the Year
  • Best Eleven
  • Presidential Award
  • Fair Play Award
  • Upcoming Talent
  • Referee of the Year
  • Coach of the Year
  • Fans’ Favorite Player
  • Beach Soccer Player of the Year
  • Fans’ Favourite Player in European Leagues

 

Nominees for the 2 Main Awards

(Provided by coaches of the 16 AUPL Clubs and a panel of experts in Women Football)

Male Player of the Year

  • Farouk Miya (Standard Liege and Uganda Cranes)
  • Dennis onyango (Mamelodi Sundowns and Uganda Cranes)
  • Joseph Ochaya(KCCA and Uganda Cranes)
  • Erisa Sekisambo(Vipers and Uganda Cranes)
  • Shaban Mohammed(Onduparaka and Uganda Cranes)

 

Awards

On top of the cash, Land titles and accolades, a car will be given to each of the winners for the top award (Male and Female footballers of the year).

The awards will take place on December 2nd 2016 at Victoria Hall, Speke Hotel, Munyonyo starting at 5pm

AKENA’S MURDER: Kanyamunyu Family Speaks Out

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In a missive addressed to his family and friends, PR guru, Joseph Kanyamunyu, who is most remembered for his public relations role at Airtel and H&K, has spoken out in defense of his brother Mathew Kanyamunyu who is believed to have shot and killed a one Kenneth Akena Macmot on Saturday.

Reports indicate that Mathew shot and killed Kenneth following a parking scuffle at Forest Mall parking lot in Lugogo, Kampala. Apparently Kenneth while parking his car scratched Mathew’s car something that irritated Mathew.

The reports suggest that an angry Mathew, who was in the company of a one Cynthia, drew his gun and shot Kenneth in the belly before attempting to save his life by rushing him to Nakasero Hospital and later transferring the dying Kenneth to Norvik Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Below we reproduce Joseph Kanyamunyu’s missive which partly narrates what transpired at Forest Mall, at the hospital and the eventual death of Kenneth.

Family, friends, first of all my heart and prayers are with you when we all endure through this very difficult time.

I’d like retaliate against the negative social media conversations regarding the Shooting that led to the death of the late Kenneth Akena and we wish to clarify that what has been posted lacks substantiated facts, is incorrect, misleading and that at no time has it been confirmed that Mathew actually shot Kenneth Akena. Mathew has been very collaborative in assisting the Police with all inquiries. I know Matthew, Cynthia and every reason to believe in their innocence and i am sure that when all the facts are out, their names will be cleared.

Further on, sifting through the facts, i now have a good reason to believe that the same bullet that took the life of Kenneth Akena could have actually been prepared for Mathew or his lovely girlfriend Cynthia Munangwari who was also in the car. First and fore most it’s no secret that Cynthia and her family are being politically persecuted in her country and for a long time now have spotted assailants following her around, who we believe could have made an attempt on her life this time round. Her Auntie Hon. Hafsa Mossi an MP in the East African parliament was recently gunned down in Burundi, her sweet brother recently succumbed to nine bullets and he survived not forgetting all the others who continue to suffer political persecution wherever they are. Shouldn’t we be reaching our hearts out than furthering their hurt and pain? My message to Cynthia right now is “ We love you and we will protect you as our own so please take heart and be strong during this tough but temporary inconvenience”.

It’s important to note that after the shooting incidence Mathew offered to drive kenneth to Nakasero Hospital and subsequently proceeded to Wandegeya Police. That same night working together with the family of Kenneth (Jordan), we took responsibility to monitor his condition in Nakasero Hospital and later at Norvik Hospital where he had been transferred because Nakasero hospital ICU was reportedly full and could not take any more patients. We left Norvik Hospital but kept in touch with Jordan until a time he announced to us on phone that Ken didn’t make it through the following morning. Our hearts and prayers are now with the family and friends of the late Kenneth Akena. RIP

In conclusion, it’s safe to say that a cross section of media who brought such claims are not acting in the interests of either parties but are acting in their individual capacities. We do accept and respect the independence of the media, coupled with fair and balanced journalism. We shall appreciate any efforts to clarify this information to the public and clear the speculation that has since arisen.

Viewers to Win Smartphones in Coke Studio Competition

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The Coca-Cola Company has today announced a radio competition designed to reward the loyal fans and viewers of its flagship African music show, Coke Studio.

Themed Discover and launched on 5th October this year, Coke Studio Africa has for the fourth consecutive season brought together some of the best creative and production brains on the continent with the sole aim of creating the best music engagement platform for teens in Africa.

Speaking about the competition, Coca-Cola Uganda Brand Manager Mr. Rodney Nzioka encouraged all the Ugandans to watch the show and stand a chance to win.

“We are inviting the fans and viewers of Coke Studio to join the journey of talent discovery and win a brand new super sleek Samsung J Series smartphone while at it,” he said, adding that “…winning is easy: all the viewers have to do is call into the radio station and answer 3 questions correctly.”

Coke Studio Africa Season four is currently featuring a total of 38 artists from Nigeria, Mozambique, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Ghana and French West African countries – Togo and Cote d’Ivoire, increasing the number of participating countries to 11 up from last season’s 5.

This season, the African Superstars will get a chance to work with American R n B crooner Trey Songz to create an authentic mashup that seamlessly cut across borders and cultures.

“This competition will be held on stations across the country to give everyone a fair chance to win one of the smartphones,” Nzioka concluded.

To win a brand new smartphone in the Coke Studio competition, listeners just have to call into XFM, Radio West, Rupiny FM, Arua One, Bukedde FM, Etop radio, Galaxy FM and Radio City and correctly answer 3 questions. The presenter will notify them if they have won and handover their brand new smartphone.

Ugandans Celebrate the Good Times with Kool & The Gang

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Ugandans were treated to an experience that left many revelers dubbing the Kool & The Gang live in Kampala concert as the concert of the year.

Powered by Tusker Malt Lager and organised by Talent Africa Group and Silk Events, the biggest disco themed production in Uganda’s history, was held at Kololo Airstrip grounds and lived up to the hype that it had been accorded.

Dressed in a 70s style themed dress code, revelers turned up with friends to dance and relive the 70s, 80s and early 90s which were some of the career highlights of the legendary Kool & The Gang band that has been making music for more than 50 years.

Kool & The Gang had promised to give Ugandans a highly energized show and they indeed put up a show that will forever be remembered by the lucky Ugandans who were able to witness the band perform live at Kololo Airstrip grounds.

The night’s proceedings were kicked off by multitalented guitar maestro Myko Ouma who got the revelers in a somber mood and grooving to some of his best guitar strokes as well as Ugandan folk music.

Swahili Nation were second to perform to an already excited crowd that had been anticipating the group’s return. The group got the crowd to their feet with songs such as; Hakuna Matata, Nyama and Malaika among other old school throwback songs.

By the time Isaiah Katumwa got onto the stage, the crowd was already ripe for the night’s biggest stars. Isaiah who has performed on many big stages, delivered a performance that was highly applauded by the jazz lovers. He played his old and new tunes that had many jazz lovers swaying to his saxophone sounds.

The moment that the crowd had been waiting for came and one could visibly see the anticipation that had been going around for a while. Amidst loud cheers, the night’s main act, Kool & The Gang, came onto the stage led by Robert ‘Kool’ Bell himself.

The band opened up their performance with one of their notable hits‘Hollywood Swing’, which immediately got the crowd on their feet dancing and singing along with the band.

By the time Kool & The Gang played ‘ladies night’, the revelers were now all on their feet and were moving along to the soothing beats of Quincy’s trombone. Among the songs performed included; Celebration, Cherish, Fresh, Jungle Boogie, Joanna, Too Hot, Lets Go Dancing, Summer Madness and Get Down On It.

The sound of Robert “Kool” Bell’s bass guitar coupled with Michael Ray’s trumpet with a touch of Curtis “Fitz” Williams’guitar relayed the masterpiece of the night’s thrills.

“Kool & The Gang’s performance left all of us asking for more and more. We were indeed treated to one of our best experiences ever. This was a night that we will not forget. As Tusker Malt Lager, we have continued to deliver on our promise to give our consumers the finest musical experience.” Said, Uganda Breweries Limited Head of Beer, Mark Mugisha.

Some of the night’s highlights included Kool & The Gang’s drummer, Timothy Horton, who electrified the crowd during the band’s break and got them getting down with the sound of his drums.

Commenting on the event, a Kool & The Gang fan said; ”This has been one of the best moments of my life. I have always dreamed of watching Kool & The Gang perform and I have. This has surely been the concert of the year.”

Tusker Malt Lager is synonymous with some of the best afro musical acts in Uganda and through Kool & the Gang, consumers can expect a slightly different dimension but all the same a funky musical experience.

In line with its support for responsible drinking, Tusker Malt Lager will be maintaining a strict ‘over 18 only’ policy for sale of alcohol.

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