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Home Blog Page 157

Uganda Registers More Tourism Earnings

Uganda Today

June 26, 2015

Tourism receipts have overtaken the remittances by Ugandans who are working abroad as the country’s top export earner; says Bank of Uganda’s monetary policy statement. According to the reports from Uganda’s central bank, the tourism sector is ranking high among other sectors of the economy. Reports show that in the 2013/14 financial year, the sector received $1.4bn. This money will help in developing the Uganda’s economy as as well as the tourism sector.

At the event at Uganda celebrated the World tourism day, the ministry of tourism, wildlife and Antiquities also launched the developed tourism master plan in Kampala for the period 2013 – 2023. The master plan shows the importance of tourism in Uganda‘s development, one of the top source of foreign exchange earnings in the country.

Uganda is a beautiful country with amazing scenery, cultures and people, as well as rich flora and fauna. All of which combine it a discerning traveler’s paradise that once Sir Winston Churchill called the Pearl of Africa. The country located in East Africa has unique attractions that have greatly attracted many tourists including the rare and endangered mountain gorillas within Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Many travelers have traveled to Uganda to enjoy gorilla trekking, game viewing in several national parks, bird watching, sightseeing including visiting the Source of the Nile, the world’s second longest river! The country is also home to incredible wildlife including the tree climbing lions in the Ishasha Sector.

Uganda is well known in tourist circles and both seasoned travelers and allocentrics visit the country to discover its immense treasures! No wonder the country was voted by the popular travel magazine the Lonely Planet, as the world’s number one destination to visit in the year 2012. some of its notable national parks that have been voted as the best in the world include the Kidepo Valley National Park, Murchison Falls, National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Uganda also continues to earn from tourism pales when compared to what a country such as Kenya earns. Also bridging the gap requires more effort, more investment in the sector. The government has also tried to invest in the country’s infrastructure though speculators say that the investment is relatively little and more funds are needed in marketing the country and developing new innovative new products. The country has a lot of potential sites that can be developed for tourism if compared to competing African countries. Therefore an increase in funds towards marketing will also help in increasing the number of tourists traveling for safaris to Uganda.

Uganda also needs to pay more attention to culture and history which would make Uganda more competitive, this can also include; ma museum which can be contrasted dedicated to former president Idi Amin which would be a master stroke of the country. Uganda has also got many other attractions which are found within the country and these include; the mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, bird species, wildlife species, national parks, mountains, lakes and rivers and many more, these have greatly attracted many people to come for safari tours to the country

Uganda Breweries Injects Shs515m Into Uganda Golf Open

Uganda Today

May 28, 2015

Uganda Breweries Limited through its premium brand Tusker Malt Lager brand has today announced its sponsorship of the 2015 Uganda Golf Open tournament slated for July 15th – August 1, 2015.

Uganda Breweries which is sponsoring the event for the 5th year consecutively is injecting a total of Shs515million into the tournament.

Shs200million will be in cash while the Shs315million will go into activations, branding, beer, giveaways uniforms for caddies and players, among others.

This implies that the professionals will yet again tussle it out for a share of Shs100mstaked provided by UBL.

Speaking during a press briefing to announce the sponsorship package, Mrs. Grace Nshemeire Gwaku, the Marketing Director UBL noted that the game of golf has quickly transformed into a vehicle capable of fosteringsocio-economic transformation in Uganda.

She added that this is the underliningreason that UBLchose to partner with the Uganda Golf Union so as to popularize the game.

“We are proud to be sponsoring the Uganda Golf Open for the fifth consecutive year. Our aim is to partner with the Uganda Golf Unionand together make the Tusker Malt Uganda Open one of the most sought after tournaments in Africa. The participation of the Sunshine Tour players is testament that we are on the right track.”

According to the Uganda Golf Union, while last year saw the participation of about 350 golfers, this year will see the participation of over 875 players over the 16 days of the open.

KiryowaKiwanuka, the UGU President lauded UBL for championing the drive to popularize the sport in the country. He said that the increase in the number of club memberships countrywide is an indicator of a change in perception about the game.

“As the Union, we would like to show our sincere appreciation to Uganda Breweries Limited for its continued support. Participation in the annual tournament over the years has grown largely as a result of their continued sponsorship,” Kiwanuka said.

He also explained that in order to attract a sizeable field from the Sunshine Tour, the dates for this year’s Uganda Open have been chosen to suit their schedule.

“The dates for the professional open coincide with the slack period of the Sunshine Tour members. Moreover, they are at the back of a potential Sunshine Tour event in Mombasa the week before which will allow players to seamlessly transfer to Uganda for the Open. We are also hoping to attract players from the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) tour,” he added. “I encourage all players to book and register for the appropriate categories in which they belong before the set deadlines dates so that we can prepare to host another wonderful Uganda Open in 2015.”

The PRO-AM event where amateurs get the chance to horn their skills whilst playing alongside professionals has also been maintained on an invitational basis for the 2015 event. The ladies Open Tournament which used to be a separate event is also now part of the Uganda Open.

Subsidiary categories in the Ladies, Amateur and Professional opens have been introduced. These will however have a cut of half the field to allow smooth play on the last day while allowing for increased competition in these categories. The amateur main event will also have a cut after 36holes.

Tusker Malt Lager embodies the spirit of the game of golf; it is brewed longer than other contemporary lagers giving it that unmistakably rich, smooth premium taste that is widely recognized and that consumers have grown to love. The game of golf shares in the characteristics of Tusker Malt Lager – both being premium but accessible.

Etihad Airways Launch New Entebbe, Abu Dhabi Flight

Uganda Today

May 2, 2015

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, on Monday strengthened its presence in East Africa today with the launch of new services between Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Entebbe, in central Uganda.

Inaugural flight EY645 departed Abu Dhabi at 7.50am and touched down at Entebbe International Airport on schedule at 12.50pm, on Monday, where it was welcomed by a delegation consisting of senior representatives from the airport, government officials and local dignitaries.

Officials cut the tape to launch the new passenger service between Entebbe and Abu Dhabi

Operated by a two-class Airbus A320 aircraft with 16 Business Class and 120 Economy Class seats, the new service is designed to provide business and leisure travellers with a direct four-times-per-week service between Entebbe and Abu Dhabi, with convenient onward connections to key destinations in the GCC region, Europe, Indian Subcontinent, North Asia, Southeast Asia and Australia.

The new service also provides convenient access to the nearby Ugandan capital of Kampala, one of the fastest growing cities on the African continent and the centre of trade and commerce in the country.

Uganda has a total population of nearly 40 million, and is the world’s second most populous landlocked country after Ethiopia.

James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: “Uganda is one of the continent’s fastest-growing business and tourism destinations, and the launch of services to Uganda is consistent with our strategy of targeting areas of strong growth in emerging markets.

“The UAE is a major trading partner with Uganda and our new point-to-point services strengthen the two-way flow of trade and commerce between the two countries. The flights are also scheduled to offer convenient onward connections, catering to strong traffic flows between Uganda and key destinations across our global network, such as Ahmedabad and Mumbai in India or Beijing and Shanghai in China.”

The new passenger service between Entebbe and Abu Dhabi is operated by a two-class Airbus A320 aircraft

“Not only does this service provide our guests with direct access to an exciting new business and tourism destination, it also further strengthens our presence in East Africa and across the African continent” he added.

Etihad Airways currently operates scheduled services to eight other destinations in Africa and the Indian Ocean, including: Cairo, Casablanca, Dar es Salaam (Dec 2015), Johannesburg, Khartoum, Lagos, Nairobi, and Mahé in the Seychelles.

Tororo man praises MTN for changing his life through Kaja lottery

Peter Nakibinge

February 3, 2015

45 year old Lazarus Okoth, resident of Sesera-Maundo village in the outskirt of Nagongera Township, Tororo district could not hide his happiness. Okoth who last year emerged as one of the 10 million winners in the on-going MTN Kaja initiative has invested the money for the good of his family.

When a team of MTN officials visited Okoth to assess the impact of the win in his life, Okoth proudly showed a two acre piece of land, a residential house nearing completion in his village and a pork joint business in Nagongera town.

“I will forever remain grateful to MTN for this opportunity that God bestowed in my life. How else was I going to achieve all these in such a short time? I entered this game not knowing how it would end but see me today. I’m testimony to the fact that a company like MTN can change ordinary lives through meaningful initiatives such as MTN Kaja” Okoth said.

Prior to his win, Okoth says he lived an ordinary life of a peasant, tilling his small piece of land at his village. However, he now testifies that with the acquisition of the additional acres of land, he is going to start producing food for the market.

While sharing MTN branded gifts with a group of Boda-Boda men in Nagongera town, Okoth who now enjoys a near celebrity status; appealed to residents of his area to embrace MTN and experience the value its services offer, adding that his win is testimony to the fact that MTN has the potential to change its customers lives for good.

MTN Uganda in partnership with SMS2bet is running an exciting lottery game named MTN Kaja where customers who subscribe are entered into a daily draw to win up to Ushs. 40 million or several other cash and airtime prizes.

MTN Uganda Chief Marketing Officer Ms. Mapula Bodibe reminded customers that under the Kaja promotion, the brand has staked millions of shillings for customers to win on daily a basis.

She advised customers to follow the mechanics and enter the promotion by dialing *178# and selecting “subscribe” to get entered into the daily draws and stand a chance of winning. Customers participating in this promotion are charged Ushs. 220 each day. Those customers who wish to withdraw from participating in the Kaja promotion, can dial *178# and select “Unsubscribe”.

According to Mapula, the promotion is open to all subscribers who hold MTN lines and all subscribed customers stand a chance of winning the grand prize of 40 million shillings in cash.

Automated draws are conducted daily at midnight to determine the winning number. One MTN number is randomly drawn from the entire MTN active customer base. Any customer who subscribes to the Kaja promotion and whose mobile number constitutes 8 digits of the drawn number reading sequentially from right to left will win the grand prize of 40 million shillings.

All other Kaja participating subscribers whose number constitutes 7 to 2 digits of the drawn number reading from right to left sequentially will also win other great cash and airtime prizes. All winners will be notified by SMS and those that win big cash prizes of Ushs. 1,000,000 and more, will be called using telephone number 0776 986 178.

NRM National Conference Held at Namboole

Uganda Today

December 14, 2014

The ruling NRM party’s National Conference yesterday adopted and approved a raft of constitutional amendments that substantially change its character and sets the pace for the country’s future political direction.

With effect from today, the party will no longer have an elected secretary general, deputy secretary general, national treasurer and deputy national treasurer. President Museveni, who is the party chairman, has been given powers to hire and fire members of the national secretariat.

The NRM meeting at Mandela National Stadium in Namboole effectively sanctioned the dismissal of the current party secretary general and former prime minister Amama Mbabazi among other party officials.

Other analysts Daily Monitor talked to said the amendments aim at narrowing the participation space since the hand-picking of the executive is going to deny NRM ‘dissenting views’ and ‘alternative views’.

Many supporters of the NRM have welcomed these ammendments as Ms Namayanja aserts that the amendments were carefully debated and passed by Central Executive Committee (CEC) and the National Executive Committee (NEC). She said the amendments were moved in “good faith” and seek to empower the chairman to sack non-performing members.

“Under the new arrangement, the secretary general and other appointed cadres will be full-time officers of the party to ensure that the secretariat is functional and effective,” she said.

Museveni: Why Do You Sleep With Those You Don’t Trust?

Uganda Today

December 1, 2014

As Uganda marks World AIDS Day, President Yoweri Museveni has called on the youth to avoid risky behaviors such as having sexual intercourses with people they “don’t trust” and unprotected.

“If you don’t trust somebody, why do you sleep with them….that you have a condom!? No! No!” said President Museven, before the congregation at the World AIDS day commemoration celebrations held in Fort Portal, Kabarole District.

The rising resurgence of HIV/AIDS in Uganda is alarming with latest research showing that each week more than 570 young women between the ages of 15 and 24 get infected with HIV.

President Museveni blames the rise in HIV among the youth to lack of moral guidance.

“AIDS, especially when sexually transmitted is a result of lack of moral guidance and counsel. Parents have a duty to do,” said the president.

“I urge especially the youth to test for HIV. If you are negative, avoid risky behaviour. If positive seek treatment.”

The HIV prevalence rate of Uganda is at 7.4 percent, which is up from about 6 percent a decade ago. The Ministry of Health (MoH) revealed that the HIV/AIDS prevalence is ranked highest in the armed forces (Police and the army).

The president noted that in the 90s when HIV infection rate reduced from 18-6 percent, the message was not to resort to condoms but abstinence. “Please abstain from risky behavior,” he emphasized.

He further urged leaders to live by example, guide and counsel citizens with a clear message on behavioural change, so we combat the spread of AIDS.

The troubling resurgence in Uganda of HIV, increased between 2007 and 2013 from 1.2 million to 1.6 million respectively, according to Uganda’s Ministry of Health.

Today, people all over the world united in their countries to mark #WorldAIDSDay as they continue and strengthen the battle against HIV and AIDS.

To break the epidemic, the UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibe said, “We need to ensure that health systems are strengthened to provide the essential services that are needed and civil society has to be supported so it can continue to play its vital role.”

Museveni Prepares To Meet Pope Tomorrow As Part Of 4-Day Visit In Italy

Uganda Today

November 26, 2014

President Yoweri Museveni who has arrived in Rome, Italy for his four-day working visit will be meeting the Catholic Pope tomorrow (Monday).

The President is accompanied by the First Lady and Minister for Karamoja Affairs Janet Museveni and a number of high ranking government officials including the NRM Chief Whip Justine Lumumba and the Kamuli LCV chairperson Salaam Musumba.
During his working visit, the President will meet the Pope Francis on Monday, hold meetings with various Vatican officials and also tour a number of Catholic historical places including a Church that has been constructed in recognition of the Uganda Catholic Martyrs.

He will also meet with Ugandans living and working in Italy tomorrow.
The President’s meeting comes at the heels of an invitation by the Catholic Church in Uganda to the Pope for the commemoration of the 50 years since the Uganda Martyrs were canonized as Saints.

With the Pope’s visit to Uganda, President Museveni will be the first President to host two Popes in his Presidency. In 1993, he hosted the late Pope, His Holiness now St. John Paul II.

Pallisa Women Killed Over Family Land

Jeffrey Kahigana

November 23, 2014

Two women – an elderly mother and her daughter – from a remote village in Pallisa district have been hacked to death over land wrangles within their family.

Jane Nambaluka, 62, who was heir to her late father Amulamu Lenyi, and her mother Edith Namuge, 82, met their death Wednesday evening, reportedly at the hands of 18-year-old Amulamu Lenyi (same names as the late).

It has been established that before his death, Lenyi left a will favouring his five daughters to inherit his estate and selected Nambaluka to be his heir.

And so when he died, the clan respected his wishes and installed Nambaluka as successor.

However, some members of the Batekoko Bakedi clan, including the clan leader Willy Achilla, were not happy with a woman inheriting family property, especially land.

This group instead preferred that Amulamu Lenyi, a grandson of Lenyi from his brother’s side, be the heir.

This caused conflict between Nambaluka with her mother and sisters on one side, and Lenyi with a section of the clan members on the other.

“My sister had agreed to give the clan 25 acres and the family remains with 20 acres for purposes of having peace in the clan, but they insisted to take it all, saying Namuge [Nambaluka’s mother] failed to produce a boy,” said Mary Mbeiza, Nambaluka’s sister.

Mbeiza said this resulted into a civil suit being filed at Pallisa chief magistrates’ court and later the High Court in Mbale.

On December 18, 2013 the trial judge, Henry Kaweesa ruled in favour of Nambaluka. Sam Kirya, a relative, said Lenyi (junior) had tried to kill Nambaluka early this year.

The LC1 chairman of Dodoi village, Salim Balanteye, said Lenyi kept harassing Nambaluka.

“This prompted the office of the resident district commissioner and human rights lawyers from Mbale to conduct a number of sensitisation meetings about succession rights for the parties involved and the community,” said John Nabende, the Resident District Commissioner.

He said that on the fateful day, Nambaluka and her mother Namuge had gone to cultivate the land when they were attacked and hacked to death.

Lenyi and his accomplices reportedly fled the area after committing the crime.

RDC Nabende said: “My office and the community liaison department of Police have taken initiatives to educate communities, but this occurrence has abused our input. I pray this does not turn into vendetta.”

However, the district Police commander, Matthias Turyasingura, appealed to the suspects to report to Police because given the anger people have, the Police fear for their safety.

“I appeal to the community to stay calm as the Police do their work of investigation,” he said.
The police boss blamed the clan leader for disrespecting women’s rights to own property and inciting Lenyi against his aunt.

‘Stop Poisoning Lions’, Mutagamba Warns Communities Neighboring Parks

Uganda Today

November 9, 2014

The Ministry of Tourism has warned cattle keepers against killing lions in Uganda’s parks and wildlife reserves.

The Minister of Wildlife Hon Maria Mutagamba said some people especially in communities neighboring national parks and reserves are poisoning the lions.

She revealed that some reports by Uganda Wildlife Authority indicate that cattle keepers and poachers are intentionally poisoning the lion which has led to the reduction on the number of lions in the country.

“They are being poisoned by cattle keepers because the lions eat their animals and I believe people just poison them.”

The Minister called upon the communities to work hand in hand with the authorities to get a way to prevent lions from eating their animals.

“Instead of killing the lions, we can help create a boundary where these animals can be kept out. This is something we are working out with the communities. “

Miss Tourism Bunyoro: Positivity, Self Belief and Confidence Gets You The Prize

Uganda Today

October 27, 2014

She is beautiful, loves nature and a law graduate, but Miss Tourism Bunyoro believes positivity, self belief and confidence brings out the true positive aspects of one’s beauty.

Our reporter caught up with Ms Pearl Brenda Asasira, the Tourism Ambassador of Bunyoro region as she narrated to us her experience and lessons learnt during her Miss Tourism 2014 pageant journey. “I have always believed that nothing comes easy in life and you have to strive to achieve your dreams.”

She was among the top 5 contestants of Miss Tourism Uganda, but Pearl says to get to the top, she trained immensely all the time keeping my eyes on the prize.

Give us a brief background about yourself?

I am a university graduate from Uganda Christian University who attained a bachelor’s degree in law, and recently took part in the Miss Tourism Pageant, emerging in the top 5 finalists.

What motivated you to go for the Miss Tourism pageant?

I was motivated by feminism itself, because I am a feminist who believes every woman in society has her role to play for her country so I wanted to give tourism a humane face, because people can relate to that, I wanted to be the face of tourism in Uganda and interest people in it.

Briefly narrate to us about your journey to the top 5.

Wow, it begun when I won Miss Tourism Bunyoro region, hence automatically qualifying for nationals. We went for boot camp as 27 contestants, and 9 had to be evicted every Saturday until we were only 9 contestants left, the finalists. This kept me on my toes, and I never relaxed throughout the competition, but rather worked even harder.

We believe getting to the top wasn’t easy. So what pushed you to get there?

Positivity, self belief and confidence. I have always believed that nothing comes easy in life and you have to strive to achieve your dreams. So I read so hard, and trained immensely all the time keeping my eyes on the prize. I believe this led to my placing so far in the competition.

What qualities did they consider to join the pageant?

Several actually, for example; broad knowledge about tourism, height, moral conduct, speech and expression, grace, poise and of course confidence, this is key and a must.

What has this journey /experience taught you about life?

It has taught me to never take anything in life for granted because you can never know how far it can get you, and above all, to pray and trust in God.

Are you interested in competing next year?

I would have loved to, but I have to focus on the next step in my life, and that is working to achieve my goals and dreams.

What is your comment on the tourism sector of this country?

The tourism sector is growing at a fast rate because it is now the leading foreign exchange earner in Uganda, almost 26% of Uganda’s overall export earnings are from tourism. I wish every Ugandan can involve themselves in this sector and promote it both locally and internationally, because it begins with us to make a difference in our country.

What challenges is it facing and what should be done about it?

Tourism is facing several challenges such as negative travel advisories (e.g some people believe Idi Amin still rules Uganda and that gays are being killed in Uganda), low marketing budget, poaching in the national parks, regional instabilities, high air fares travelling to Uganda as compared to other neighboring destinations and poor infrastructure.

I believe to curb poaching, people who stay around these parks should involve themselves is in community tourism such as cultural dances and games as a way to earn income from tourism and hence avoid poaching, the government should also allocate a bigger percentage of the budget to tourism, and we too should be innovative in marketing Uganda’s wonders for example the use of cyber marketing which is cheap and finally, it is my role as a tourism ambassador to put right on the negative advisories that our country is peaceful, stable with very hospitable and friendly people.

What is your next step now that the competition is done?

I am a tourism ambassador for Bunyoro region, now I intend to fully promote tourism in Bunyoro and involve the locals to appreciate tourism and learn how to conserve and preserve nature. However, am also open to other fields of work that can benefit me and take me to greater heights in life.

You have a cancer foundation (Pearl Asasira Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation), tell us something about it?

This is a foundation I started on 25th April, 2014 dedicated to wide spread awareness of breast cancer in Uganda and the rest of the world.

As a young lady, what motivated you to start that foundation?

I have a close friend who is a breast cancer survivor, seeing the ordeal she passed through inspired me to start this foundation because of the little knowledge people have towards silent killer diseases like cancer, not to forget that on World Cancer Day, cancer was declared an epidemic. Every woman is at a risk of breast cancer, so we should be optimistic that we will fight against this disease and win because optimism is the foundation of courage.

Given exposure and support, what impact do you think this foundation can do in Uganda?

It would have an immense impact on Uganda because through that I can widely spread breast cancer awareness and save lives because early detection saves lives through sensitization of the masses especially young women who have this false belief that breast cancer only affects the old.

In your view, what should the government do better to change the situation of cancer cases, or do to fight cancer in this country?

I believe it all begins with awareness, through sensitization, the government can not only reach out to the youth in schools but also to families to take this incentive in their own hands and take regular checkups together with their children so as to make it a ritual and instill this habit in these children that can go on for future generations and lastly, publicizing the free breast cancer check up days in the different hospitals in Uganda through the use of media.