Oulanyah told me too that he was poisoned, says NRM’s Kiwanda
The former minister for tourism and ruling NRM Vice Chairperson for the Central region, Kiwanda Godfrey Ssuubi, has also disclosed that the late Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah, told him that he was poisoned.
While appearing on Capital FM’s #TheCapitalGang show this morning, Kiwanda said that though Oulanyah has other underlying illnesses, the fact that he was poisoned should not be ruled out.
“Yes, he told me that he was poisoned, and he asked me not to tell anyone. However, I disclosed it to Hon Chris Baryomunsi, “said Kiwanda.
He added, “His condition worsened in the last 4-5 months. We also cannot rule out the fact that he was poisoned just because he had other underlying illnesses.”
Kiwanda’s revelations come a day after Nathan L’Okori, the father of Oulanyah, insisted that his son did not die of natural causes but rather was poisoned.
“I’m not mourning in vain. I want to say it clearly. Jacob was poisoned. He told me. The poison affected his health so much that by the time he was flown out for treatment, it was too late. He could not recover,” said L’Okori during the son’s burial ceremony at Lalogi, Omoro District yesterday.
However, earlier this week, Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng stated that Oulanyah died of multiple organ failure as he has been battling cancer for a number of years
HON ODONGA OTTO PAYS TRIBUTE TO FORMER SPEAKER OF 11TH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA 🇺🇬 RT.HON Jacob Oulanyah.
RT.HON.JACOB OULANYAH A MAN OF CHARISMA HUMOUR IN TIMES OF DISTRESS.
I first met the Late Rt.Hon.Jacob Oulanyah in 1995 at that time I was in Advanced level and a volunteer in an NGO founded by father the late James Otto.(R.I.P)Human Rights Focus. The NGO would organise human rights workshops and seminars at the height of the LRA insurgency. This is the platform the made leaders like Hon.Nobert Mao, Hon.Reagan Okumu and the late Rt.Hon.Jacob OULANYAH. They were invited by my late father as resource persons. In one of the sessions in Gulu District Council hall the crowd broke in tears as Hon.Oulanyah was presenting a paper. There was a standoff until calm was restored. One elder the late Tiberio Okeny Atwoma shot up and said “oulanyah you are our real son our icon remove the “h” from your name that is not how it’s spelt”.
Later in1996 we had another similar workshop in Kitgum and I remember vividly one December when returning from kitgum in a lorry truck myself, Hon. Oulanyah and his late wife Dorothy who was then pregnant were all behind the truck ,me and Hon.Oulanyah standing and worriedly looking ahead for 115kms incase of the rebels attacked ,that would have been an ultimate sacrifice from Hon. Jacob and wife, all in the name of helping the people of acholi.
RT.HON.OULANYAH AND HUMOUR: let me spend the rest of this piece espousing the most hilarious moments I had in company of the late, life can go but memories live forever. 1.When planning for the 2006 elections I was with the late in the committee of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs he was the committee chairman then .As we walk to the main parliamentary lobby there is a notorious signpost at the entrance of the lobby written: “ENTRY RESTRICTED TO STAFF AND MPS ONLY” Hon.Oulanyah pointed at the metallic poster and said to me. “hon.otto we have to work hard and ensure that signpost does not apply to us in the future ..that signpost is very dangerous” Indeed the sign was and is dangerous it applied to him in 2006 and later applied to me in 2021.But its all Gods timing.
During the Interparliamentary games in Arusha Tanzania about 2004 there was a near to fist fight between team Uganda and Tanzania. It started in a bar when an MP Hon.Alituma Nsambu jokingly told a Tanzanian MP that Tanzanians did not liberate Uganda in 1979 they only left children in Uganda. A fight nearly ensured as the Tanzania MP couldnt stand those words. Ugandan MPs in their noisy fashion of fighting while alulating sent Tanzanian MPs on their heals followed by the hotel club wielding massai guards out of the hotel. The mood was tense Tanzania police showed up ,diplomacy led by our ministers the late Hon. Kiberigye Sebunya failed . Hon Oulanyah who was not around but heard the noise came and requested to talk to team Uganda privately. We went to a nearby room in the then 777 roomed Saba Saba hotel. The room was stiltly queit Hon.Oulanyah stood in front and said “hon members I want all of you to clap your hands” the clap started one MP after another and the clap spread to the the entire room . “Just keep clapping” Hon.Oulanyah roared. There was one MP representing Persons With Disabilities Hon.Hood Katuramu who had one hand and was not clapping . Oulanyah said “Hood ” while looking at him. Hon.hood had to lift his one hand and thumped his chest. Everyone burst into the laughter. “You should be happy atleast you can still clap, there are those who can’t clap in this world “. The problem was solved we returned to the meeting and embarrassed Tanzanians and everything normalised. I am sad today he can’t clap again. 3.In 2011,I was nominated by the Opposition caucus to run for Deputy Speaker of Parliament,before my candidature Hon. Oulanyah was unopposed.I bumped into him at the national theater entrance of parliament.He walked to me and said “Hon.otto was is this again this thing was mine you have come up again to run against me I have really been through alot I recently even lost my wife “ I felt so guilty turned told him and said you will definitely win my chances of winning are not there. We laughed it off and he went ahead distrusting his posters. He later won with a landslide victory of over 360 votes. I was even surprised I got 61 votes against such a personality. 4.After losing the elections 2006 Hon.Jacob met me and asked what strategy he should use to come back to parliament? I told him to join FDC and to talk well to Hon. Reagan Okumu who was then the “king maker” In the region. Hon.Oulanyah replied I can’t join FDC “even a mad man was elected in gulu under the FDC ticket to be LC1 chairman just because he was carrying the “key” symbol .After the election the mad man ran home and told his family members that “can you imagine this mad people of FDC elected me “ We burst into laughter.
The mad man was surprised that the party members didn’t care about his madness but cared about who was carrying the key . I asked him laughingly who the mad man was? He mattered and pondered and answered “he is called ojoko” I left with laugging tears. 5.The last memory happened when he nominated me for an official Parliamentary trip to Togo he was then the Deputy Speaker . One evening while in Togo I walked to his room and found him fixing a machine in his shoes. I asked him if he had problems with his shoes and if he needed my help or we go and buy another one.
He paused fixing the machine looked at me and said “this machine is for stretching shoes I want when I put on the shoes tommorow it would be properly streched and I will be smart” I asked him if he had carried that stretching machine all the way from Uganda he said ” yes ,being smart is a full time proffesion” I was amazed . He was always very smart and tidy.That was no coincidence but personal effort. These are great memories. In my own words If I am to describe the late Hon. Oulanyah in a sentence I would say “a charismatic personality ,self motivated that in times of distress brings rhythm to live,He leaves an aura wherever and whenever he passes and to whoever he meets” It is a life well lived though short. Death is the biggest mystery to humanity just like life. Death is a journey one has to make alone, even when you die together in big numbers the departure is still alone. A recent research from one of the leading universities in the world found that “one out of every one person dies”. I will miss you Jacob. Restis in pacem. Hon.Odonga otto
PICTURE: H.E Yoweri Kaguta, the Museveni President of Uganda and his compatriot H.E Paul Kagame, the President of the Republic of Rwanda met shortly before both witnessed the signing of the Treaty of Accession by the Democratic Republic of Congo to the East African Community at State House, Nairobi.
Jacob Oulanyah was a Ugandan Politician who served as the Speaker of Parliament of Uganda the highest legislative body in the country from May 2021 up to his death in March 2022. He also served as the MP Omoro County MP and Speaker of Parliament. Early Life and Education of Jacob Oulanyah Born in then Gulu District 23 March 1965, Jacob Oulanyah is a son to L’okori and Karen Atwon.
His name Oulanyah means winner. He was born in a grass thatched mud house that had a floor that would be smeared with cow dung. He joined Lalongi Primary School for his Primary Education, then St. Joseph College Layibi, Dr. Obote College Boroboro for his O Level education and Kololo Secondary School for his A Level. He joined Makerere University in 1988 and graduated in 1991 with Bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics. He entered the law school in the same year at Makerere University graduating in 1994 with Bachelor of Laws. In 1995 he was admitted at Law Development Centre (LDC) where he was awarded with Postgraduate diploma in legal practice.
Career Teaching Career & Legal practice. Upon his graduation at Law Development Centre, Jacob Oulanyah was retained at the institution as a lecturer. At the same time he started his legal practice at the law firm known as Oulanyah, Onoria & Company Advocates. Political Career of Jacob Oulanyah
Jacob Oulanyah served as the speaker of the guild council at his time at Makerere University. He joined active politics in 2001 where he contested for the parliamentary seat of Omoro County in Gulu. A cardholder of UPC, Jacob Oulanyah managed to win the seat under the non party movement system of 2001 elections in Uganda.
He was appointed the Chairman Legal and parliamentary affairs committee in 2005 that handled the Constitutional Amendment Bill which proposed the removal of presidential term limits. Upon the return of multiparty politics in Uganda in 2006 elections, Oulanyah contested again for Omoro Country Member of Parliament but lost. Oulanyah was part of government representatives who participated in talks with Joseph Kony to bring peace to Northern Uganda which had been devastated by a 20 year Civil War of Lord’s Resistance Army. Upon losing the re-election bid, Oulanyah dumped UPC for NRM.
He served as the Chairman of the commission of inquiry into the controversial sub-lease of Kisekka Market a popular market in the Kampala Central Business District. Jacob Oulanyah presented himself once again before electorates in 2011 and was elected back to parliament representing Omoro County on the NRM Ticket. He was elected as Deputy Speaker of Parliament on May 19, 2011 a position that he maintained up to May 2021 (after a re-election in May 2016).
In 2011, Oulanyah for the first time joined NRM Central Executive Committee CEC as Vice Chairperson Northern Uganda region. Upon re-election for the Omoro Country MP seat in 2016, Jacob Oulanyah was also re-elected as a deputy speaker of parliament getting 300 votes against 115 votes of his opponent Muhammad Nsereko. In 2021, Jacob Oulanyah was re-elected for the 4th term as the MP of Omoro County.
In the same year, he was elected the Speaker of Parliament (310 votes) defeating the Incumbent Rebbecca Kadaga (197) and Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidate and Kira Municipality MP Ssemunju Nganda (15). Personal Life Jacob Oulanyah got married to Lady Winnie Amoo Okot and together they had children. The couple however legally divorced after the husband filed a petition for divorce citing denial of conjugal rights.
Jacob Oulanyah and Lady Winnie at their wedding. Sickness and Death In 2021 June, Jacob Oulanyah disappeared from public eye and was no longer chairing parliamentary sittings. This raised speculations in public with some saying that he was having COVID-19 while others speculated possible poisoning.
Hon. Oulanyah was taken to United Kingdom for treatment and he returned in the country in Late July the same year. Despite MPs tasking the deputy speaker of parliament to explain the whereabouts of the Speaker, there was no official information said about the health of Jacob Oulanyah then. Oulanyah fell sick again in January 2022. He started receiving treatment in Uganda at the National Referral Hospital, Mulago. The doctors however recommended that the speaker should seek specialized treatment abroad.
On February 4th, Oulanyah was flown out of the country on a chartered plane that costed $500,000 around UGX 1.7 Billion.
He was admitted in a hospital in Seattle, Washington in the United States. On March 20, 2022, the bow tie man, speaker of parliament, Jacob L’Okori Oulanyah breathed his last. According to the president of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, he received the news of the Speaker’s death at around 10:30 AM EAT.
“My son was poisoned”, Oulanyah’s father insists OMORO– Mourners at the late Speaker Jacob Oulanyah’s burial in Omoro District were thrown into which after the late’s father revealed that his son was poisoned.
This comes after earlier reports that he had not been included on the list of people expected to speak at the funeral service and burial of his son. Oulanyah died at the University of Washington Medical Centre in Seattle, US on March 20th 2022, where he was taken to receive specialised care for cancer. “I’m not mourning in vain. I want to say it clearly. Jacob was poisoned. He told me. The poison affected his health so much and by the time he was flown out for treatment, it was too late. He could not recover” Mr Nathan Okori the father of Jacob Oulanyah.
Mzee Nathan Okori asked the current speaker Anita Among Annet to take on the roles Oulanyah was playing in his family since he had fathered them “Madam Speaker, Anitah Among, you are now the speaker occupying the chair the late Jacob occupied. He was like a father to us. You have to take that position now and play that role as a parent. – Jacob Oulanyah’s father” Mzee Nathan Okori.
Strong winds blow up the tent ⛺️ covering the casket of the late Speaker, this happened just as Ker Kwaro Acoli leadership to speak .
Did u think Jacob was going quietly, didn’t u see how he raised up …nobert mao
Meaning of the stormy Wind ! In acoli tradition, when a strong wind comes and affects the area where the body is lying,…it’s evidence enough to the mourners that the deceased is unsatisfied, his spirit is not happy or he died mysteriously.
Earlier, An Eclipse was seen over the burial ground of Jacob Oulanyah and the whole of Omoro District.
According to local witnesses, this was last observed in 1984 when a great man Gen Ojok Oyite was being burried having died after mysterious Circumstances.
Following the arrival of the body of former speaker Jacob Oulanyah at Kololo Airstrip for his State Funeral with President @KagutaMuseveni being the Chief Mourner. @Archbp_COU will lead the service. #RIPOulanyah
“We need to keep Rt Hon Oulanyah’s legacy. There is need to care for one another, we need a national dialogue, where people with different schools of thought can come together and talk without fighting,” ~ Archbishop Kaziimba Mugalu
PICTORIAL 📸 President @KagutaMuseveni and First Lady, @JanetMuseveni lay wreaths on the casket of the late Jacob Oulanyah. #RIPOulanyah
I’ve been a little bit silent for the past couple of weeks, catching up with work while still scouting out for more and more adventures. Please excuse me for the short episode of silence! I intend to blog a lot more often going forward and fortunately the year still looks blissful with a lot to look forward to. I am glad to let you know that I actually just got invited for an all-expenses paid rafting trip on the Nile on any one weekend; so I’m certainly looking forward to the thrill that comes with plummeting, gurgling water, and the possibility of surviving drowning. I will be sharing my experience of the rafting trip with you when that time comes.
That aside, I have been receiving messages from you my beautiful family requesting for travel recommendations with a number of friends intending do some sightseeing in Uganda. Of recent, I have been quite fascinated by a whole lot and that would imply a lot of writing as well. But for you today I choose to handpick just 10 things to spice up your Ugandan travel plan. I must admit that I failed completely at arranging them in ascending or descending order, but I’ve lined them up alphabetically. “I’m confident you will smile all the stay.”
Fort Portal town, Such a delight!
Though my origins spring from this little town located 297 kilometers west of the capital (Kampala), having this one on the list is not a biased choice. Fort Portal gets a well-deserved seat on this list for what she has to offer.
The many times I have been to Fort Portal, I have been mesmerized at the diversity of things to see and experience. My visits to Fort Portal have changed from the routine family Christmas or Easter homecomings to a time of short excursions. This relatively small town is the cleanest of all Uganda’s townships and is the administrative capital of the great Tooro Kingdom; a realm governed by the world’s youngest monarch, the tall standing Rukirabasaija Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV (quite a mouthful of names right there).
A tour of Fort Portal permits a royal cultural visit to the King’s palace (which is dependent on availability; but often easier with advance bookings and better when the king is away), or a religious and historical trip to the beautiful catholic shelter Virika Cathedral of Our Lady of Snows and the Anglican Ruwenzori Church of Uganda.
You can also enjoy glorious sightings of several Crater Lakes the height of which is the dubbed “Top of the World Hike” that leads from the restful Crater Lake called Nyabikere (which in English means the “lake of frogs”). The views at the crest of the “Top of the World Hill” are to die for and even more beautiful at dawn when the sun wakes from her sleep gently illuminating the darkened hills and then prettifying the lakes below.
Adding to Fort Portal’s menu, visitors can also visit the “Chimpdom” popularly known as Kibale Forest National Park that shelters about 1,500 chimps, or the several shades of green tea estates, the stalactite and stalagmite caves (the spiritual Amabere ga Nyina Mwiru Caves), and the biodiverse Semliki National Park and Wildlife Reserve. These are all found just in the neighborhood.
Whether simply on a tour around Fort Portal town or passing through, don’t miss the opportunity of interacting with the local people, or the chance to visit the Mpanga market (that sits meters above the swooshing river from which it gets its name). You can also buy some sweet bananas or a Rolex off the street (a tasty tortilla-like omelet of onions and tomatoes), or ask for a coffee at one of the restaurants. I find Fort Portal town such a delight whenever I visit and I highly recommend it!
Jinja, Extreme Adventures!
The source of the Nile and the adventures along this river are perhaps some of the things that quickly come to mind when the name ‘Jinja” is mentioned. Now nicknamed the ‘Adventure Capital of East Africa”, this town located approximately 81 kilometers east of Kampala along the northern shores of Lake Victoria still fascinates me the many times I visit. Bungee Jumping, Quad Biking, White Water Rafting, Kayaking, a trip to the true source of the world’s longest river, sunset cruises, or horseback tours are some of the activities to prime. Jinja is the place to go for an extreme adventure and a fine destination for adrenaline junkies.
Adding to the adventure list, you can take voyages along the veins of one of the towns (Jinja town) where industrialization in Uganda had its first sights and breathed its first, and where colonial architecture still stands unshaken.
Karamoja, take the lid off the ancient basket!
Reading my Tweets or Facebook posts you might realize that of all Uganda’s National Parks, my heart beats most for the remotest of them all, the wild and virgin Kidepo Valley National Park. But it is more than the wildlife park that this corner of northern Uganda has to offer. The people and their way of life is in itself mind-boggling and a visit to Karamoja offers you an opportunity to lift the lid off this fascinating ancient basket of fine secrets.
A cultural trip to the Karamoja region presents an opportunity to interact with these Nomad Warriors, the proud people living traditional semi-nomadic lives herding several heads of cattle and other livestock in this remote and semi-arid region of northeastern Uganda.
Famous for their previous lifestyle of raids and cattle rustling (forcefully taking cattle from neighboring communities) the Karamojong people still believe that their God (Akuj) gave them all the cattle in the world. Today to most of them livestock is still sovereign and they measure the dignity of a man by the number of cows he owns.
Over 350,000 of them live in Uganda speaking a common dialect “Akaramojong”, so when you visit, if you want to say “Hello” or “what’s up”, simply say “Ebalai” (pronounced Ee-ba-layi). The Karamojongs live in bundles of grass thatched structures called “Manyattas” surrounded by perimeter enclosures often made of reeds, protecting and separating one family’s property from another.
The highlight of a trip to Karamoja is the participatory and almost never ending dance called “Edonga” which involves repeatedly leaping on twos, off the dry and hot dusty ground like men on spring riders, similar to the leaps made by the Australian kangaroos. I find this one of the most interesting dances in Uganda.
There are travel specialists that can put together a tour for you to the Karamojong region but those who are brave-hearted can still wander on their own to experience the beauty of one of Uganda’s best kept secrets, Karamoja!
Murchison Falls National Park, yes that famous park!“The world’s longest river explodes through a narrow gorge and pours down to become an equable stream whose banks are jammed with hippopotamuses and crocodiles, waterbucks and buffaloes and the gigantic elephants”. This is in all probability a statement quite familiar for those that have heard of or read about this northwestern National Park that also shelters lions, leopards, giraffes, hartebeests, oribis, Uganda kobs, chimpanzees, and a healthy checklist of bird species.
Murchison Falls National Park needs not a detailed account for it has many a time been replicated and is best described through several websites and magazines including the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). I am probably not the only person to recommend this savannah, riverine forest and woodland National Park. The park is extremely famous.
The game drives are rewarding with sightings of the heavyweights as well as the middle weight predators of the jungle. Get to watch predators stalking on prey, prey that has learnt to live on the edge of life while other wildlife species fearlessly graze on. The boat cruises are incomparable and now the park also offers one in two destinations in Uganda to enjoy balloon safaris.
So get visiting and please remember to share with me your experiences of the visit as well as selfies at the top of the mighty falls. You may also want to read my article about what you see at the top of the Murchison Waterfalls here https://goo.gl/h6srNE.
Ndere Cultural Center, Still the finest musical fusion of Uganda’s culturesI call it the musical summary of Uganda’s culture and it is accessible just a few minutes from the heart of Kampala City (on a good day without traffic). Are you on a quick safari and do not have the kind of time to visit but are still interested in all of Uganda’s cultural communities? Or are you in Kampala for some time and looking for a quick taste of Uganda’s culture?
Head over to Ndere Cultural center for the entirety of Uganda’s brilliant sounds. Ndere presents dances like dingi-dingi, larakaraka and the royal bwola dance from Acholi Chiefdom in northern Uganda; Bakisimba a royal dance from the central kingdom of Buganda; Ekitaguriro from the western Ankole kingdom, the courtship dance of the Karimojong and the Runyege-Ntogoro dance of both the Bunyoro and Tooro kingdoms of western Uganda. The center goes an extra mile to give you a taste of Rwanda and Burundi as well.
For what it offers, the price charged is (for lack of a better word) extremely “affordable”.
Rwenzori Mountains, No one will ever conquer them for you!
Now I have not yet hiked the Rwenzori Mountains either, but these mountain ranges sit way high on my bucketlist; high on my list of things to do this year and if not, then early next year God willingly. But from interactions with friends who have conquered the over 5,000 meter high mountain peak, I chose to add this to the adventure list of places I want you to visit and to the list of things I want you to do.
Mount Stanley (the great Rwenzoris) also christened the “Mountains of the Moon”, is the third-highest mountain in Africa – after Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Mount Kenya in Kenya, and is a hiker’s amusement. I have always thought that it must be a beautiful feeling standing at Africa’s third highest point with snow and the equator just meters away! I will only know when I eventually hike up this mountain
The hike is not one for the faint hearted but one that requires stamina, a good team of porters, an excellent guide, a pair of fine boots and mountaineering gear to start with. All these can be provided by Rwenzori Mountaineering Services (RMS) or Rwenzori Trekking Services (RTS) if prior booking is made. Whether with RMS or guided by the RTS, I recommend you embrace the challenge and get something to speak of yourself before age beats you at its game. And as the old saying goes, “no one will ever see them for you as beautiful as they will appear through your own eyes”.
Sipi Falls, More than just the cascading waters!The views of a series of waterfalls that roll off a 70-meter cliff thundering down and then splashing waters around this chilly area in Eastern Uganda have kept me engulfed in “wish thoughts” for quite some time. Luckily, those wishes will be no more but stories of experiences after my trip to the districts of Mbale and Kapchorwa later on this year.
These 3 series of waterfalls were christened “Sipi” and have been the muse for television ads, and also used in corporate branding simply because they are a stunner. The Lonely Planet has referred to Sipi as “arguably the most beautiful waterfall in all of Uganda”, and looking at photos from friends and video clips of waterfall baths, I can’t dispute.
But it is not just about the cascading waters, it is the stories told about the falls, the cultural attachments and the activities carried out around and along the falls that add a sweet flavor to all trips to the Sipi falls. The peak of activities to be recommended is the bloodcurdling adventure called abseiling; a controlled descent of a vertical drop along the side of falls.
Take a trip approximately 300 kilometers northeast of Kampala to this wonder of Africa and you can thank me when you return.
Ssese Islands; unplug, unwind, immerse!Have you heard of the statement that “Life is always greener on the other side”? How about we say “life is normally cooler at the seaside, but coolest when nothing but the sea is what you see around you”. Let no man lie to you guised in the olden tale that “no man is an island, blah blah blah”. Let no man tell you that you can’t enjoy life on an island. Lead yourself to the archipelago of eighty-four islands that is known as Ssese for an out of the world experience that is really “out of this world”!
Located in the northwestern part of the world’s second largest fresh water lake (the lovely Victoria) lies these islands chiefly known as disjoined fishing isles that will feed you on plenty of fish and still spoil you with beauty and a VIP travel experience often mistaken for the Caribbean islands in the Americas.
Take off your shoes and take a graceful walk along the sandy beaches, go for an island birding excursion, ride a bike, embark on a cultural island tour, go fishing or just sit and relax at one of the chic lodges on the island. This island paradise will have you pampered and heavily rewarded. Visit the Ssese islands to unplug from the noisy and congested mainland, unwind from the stressful days of work and feel free to immerse yourself in the waters of Africa’s largest lake. I recommend you visit Ssese!
Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Center (UWEC), getting close and personalHere’s one place that I have been to very many times but of all my visits to this popularly known Entebbe zoo, the most rewarding of them all has been the time I braved the fears of snake bites and giraffe kicks, the time I got up-close and personal with the rock python in what UWEC has labelled the “Behind the Scenes” activity. I like UWEC because at the education center I’ll always get a quick summary of most of Uganda’s ecosystems and will learn a new thing each time I visit.
The center has lions, leopards, rhinos, giraffes, elephants, snakes, crocodiles, several primates including the celebratory chimps and a number of bird species like the widely loved yet often sporadic shoebill stork.
Previously called the Uganda Wildlife Education Center and now relaunched as the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Center the center is a statutory body finely managed by a friendly, dedicated and very knowledgeable team.
With a fresh beach, donkey rides and now a world class child play area, UWEC is a family destination that you must visit.
Ziplining, some of the best places to enjoy a ride
Ever heard of the statement “YOLO” or listened to musical pieces that repeat the lyrics “while we young…”? The message emphasized is one; “to live life to the fullest because You Only Live Once, YOLO”. For many people, activities that put a tough or gentle tap on the adventure switch turn out to be the most fulfilling and memorable.
For me ziplining wherever it is done, will often be rewarding. My favorite zipline in Uganda is as you would have thought the most popularly known Super Skyways that are managed by Griffin Falls Camp in one of Uganda’s largest forests, the thick Mabira. But I have also done the zipline at the Extreme Adventure Park in Busiika and I found it fascinating as well. I now plan to visit the Lake Bunyonyi area and also possibly the recently launched zipline at the Kisiizi falls in the Southwestern Ugandan district of Rukungiri for the same. It’s a safe activity, it is affordable, it is fun and I highly recommend it.
Bonus: Take a journey southwest to the Gorilla KingdomYou were probably thinking about how one could ever write a piece of things to see and activities to enjoy in Uganda and not make mention of the fact that this country provides permanent citizenship to over half of the world’s remaining population of mountain gorillas. I am only here to reconfirm and “re-recommend” a visit to the gorilla kingdom for your chance to say hello to this priceless species of apes, the Mountain Gorilla.
Uganda has no limit to what she offers. This East African country will always have tourists spoilt for choice when in need of a complete safari experience. No competition can ever beat the rich diversity held within the landlocked borders of the loved “pearl of africa” and no country will ever summarize the entire African continent as well as Uganda does.
There is that statement that “when life offers you lemons, make lemonade”, but what do you do when life offers you such vast variety with so much to choose from? I say go ahead and be greedy for just that time; after-all you can never get overdosed or ever die of too much travel. Visit Uganda…!
UPDATE 🚨 The body of the late Speaker Jacob Oulanyah has been airlifted to Lalogi Primary school Playground , Omoro District, for family members, relatives and friends to convey their last respects before burial on Friday. 📸 Daily Monitor
943qfmupdates
UPDATE 🚨 The body of the former Speaker Rt Hon Jacob Oulanyah has finally arrived in his ancestral home in Lalogi Village, Omoro District
UPDATE 🚨 Hundreds of mourners have gathered at Lalogi primary school in Omoro District to receive the body of the deceased former Speaker, Jacob Oulanyah ahead of his burial on Friday
Thousands of locals in Omoro escort the body of their loved one, the late Rt. Hon. Jacob Oulanyah, on foot from Lalogi Primary School to his ancestral home.
UPDATE 🚨 Parliament is holding a special sitting in honour of the former Speaker Jacob L’Okori Oulanyah.
“Usually at death, people will give flowery speeches, even those that will have made your life difficult. In fact, I have learned a lesson from Hon Oulanyah’s death, I will draw a list of those who will come near my body to speak,” ~ Kira MP Ssemujju Nganda
“I will not be able to attend the other functions because of other obligations, but I want to say farewell to my friend, colleague and partner.” Minister Rebecca Kadaga
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