Asante no16

The inflight magazine of Air Uganda part of the

Issue 16

Asante ISSUE NO 16

Kenya at

The Halcyon

Bird

Nairobi Green City in the Sun

East African

Oil & Gas Sector

your complimentary copy

NOVEMBER - JANUARY 2014

1963 – 2013

FOREWORD

Welcome aboard this Air Uganda flight Dear Passenger,

A

s we come to the end of 2013, allow me to thank you for choosing to fly Air Uganda and for your overwhelming support this year. You have made us East Africa’s favourite airline and we are grateful for your generous comments on facebook, twitter and on our website. Our partnership with all of you has spurred us on, to once again achieve the best punctuality record at all the airports we serve. You have enabled us to keep our promise for ”on-time departure and arrival“ in a safe and secure environment. Thank you also for participating in our recent surveys and for acknowledging the improvements we have made in our customer service, both on the ground and on board our aircraft. We value these interactions with you and we look forward to your usual tweets and other comments as we end 2013, and welcome the New Year.

This year has also seen us renew our IOSA Certification for another two years as per the IATA procedures. In keeping with all major international airlines, we continue to invest in safety, operational processes and systems in order to fly you safely to your destination.

We are therefore delighted to have renewed this pledge through this internationally recognized certification process.

Air Uganda will be turning 6 years old on 15 November 2013, a first in the aviation history of Uganda. As we look back over the past 6 years, we wish to celebrate our achievements with you. In this respect we are giving our customers the chance to win prizes ranging from tickets, promotional materials and holiday packages.

We are promoting these events on radio, television and our social media platforms, facebook and twitter. Please be on the look-out for these activities. The airline has grown significantly over the period, and now covers 9 destinations in 6 countries. You can find us throughout East Africa via our partners the travel agents, our general service agents, our representative offices and on a 24-hour basis, on our website www.air-uganda.com. Our plan is to continue to add more destinations for both business and leisure and we are partnering with tourism authorities, hotels, tour operators and other airlines to give you more choice within and beyond our region.

We are also delighted to have rolled out our “Travel Centre” concept aimed at revamping our sales and ticketing offices across our network. The new Travel Centre is now open in Kampala and has given our flagship ticketing office a fresh look with a more spacious, friendly and modern operating environment. This service concept is being translated into all our sales offices so that our customers can enjoy interacting with a quality airline. In addition, Air Uganda is expanding its mobile money platforms to include more service providers. Our latest partnership is with MTN Uganda,

on top of our already existing agreements with Airtel and Safaricom, Mpesa in Kenya. The use of the MTN Mobile Money medium is yet another easy, fast and convenient way for passengers to pay for their tickets with us. We will continue to add more service providers for your convenience.

As the year comes to an end, many of us are preparing to go on a well deserved break or holiday, Air Uganda has prepared for your convenience, some of the best and lowest priced holiday packages to the most luxurious destinations within and beyond our network.

For example, you can now fly to Malindi, Mombasa or Zanzibar, on an all inclusive package that covers your flight, accommodation and meals. So I invite you to contact any of our sales offices or website to book and plan for your holidays today.

Once again, I wish to welcome you on our services and hope that you will enjoy this edition of the Asante magazine.

Happy Holidays and wish you a pleasant flight!

Mr. Cornwell Muleya Chief Executive Officer Air Uganda asante | November – January 2014

| 1

of Air Uganda

Photo © Camerapix Ltd

The inflight magazine

Issue 16

part of the

KENyA At

1963 – 2013

e

m Take

The Halcyon

Bird

Nairobi Green City in

the Sun

an East Afric Sector Oil & Gas

tary copy your complimen

Home

Cover picture: Maasai maiden in all her finery.

Regulars 1.

Foreword

4.

Air Uganda News

8.

What’s Up! East Africa

10.

The Halcyon Bird Feathers of tropical brilliance flashing across the sparkle of clear running streams...

14.

Kenya’s 50 Years A chronology of the prime happenings in the history of Kenya.

18.

Nairobi – Green City in the Sun A lively and vibrant centre for entertainment and a cultural melting pot that shows modern cosmopolitan Africa at its best.

26.

The Garama Cave Explore the spectacular cave system the most suitable for underground caving and potholing in Uganda.

30.

East African Oil & Gas Sector There is every indication the O&G sector will ultimately flourish in East Africa and steer the region to a better future.

55. Useful Travel Tips

34.

Sweet Success-Honey and Health Human societies have treasured this natural foodstuff, which is now a health booster.

56. Air Uganda Offices

38.

The Jaws of Africa Discover the most spectacular locations to watch crocodiles in East Africa.

57. Route Map

42.

A Garden Party The scene is like a market place as the meats are on the roast, and the sun is shining, everyone looks happy.

58. Abato Corner

46.

Table Manners Good manners have always impressed people more than fine food.

Publishers: Camerapix Magazines Ltd Editorial Director: Rukhsana Haq Editor: Roger Barnard

51. Bookshelf 52. Entertainment: East Africa & around 54. Basic Tips for the Traveller

59. Air Uganda Flight Schedule 60. Crossword Puzzle & Sudoku

ASANTE meaning ‘Thank you’ in Kiswahili is published quarterly for Air Uganda by Camerapix Magazines Limited | P.O. Box 45048, 00100 GPO Nairobi, Kenya Tel: +254 (20) 4448923/4/5 | Fax: +254 (20) 4448818 | E-mail: creative@camerapix.co.ke Website: www.camerapixpublishers.com

Editorial Assistant: Cecilia W. Gaitho Creative Designers: Charles Kamau, Sam Kimani Production Manager: Azra Chaudhry, U.K Production Assistant: Rachel Musyimi, Rose Judha Editorial Board: Rukhsana Haq Jenifer B. Musiime Jackie Tumuhairwe The views expressed in this magazine should only be ascribed to the authors concerned, and do not necessarily reflect the views either of the publishers or of Air Uganda. The printing of an advertisement in Asante does not necessarily mean that the publishers or Air Uganda endorse the company, product or service advertised.

Editorial and Advertising Offices: Camerapix Magazines (UK) Limited 32 Friars Walk, Southgate, London, N14 5LP Tel: +44 (20) 8361 2942 | Mobile: +44 79411 21458 | E-mail: camerapixuk@btinternet.com Air Uganda, Marketing Office | Tel: +256 (0) 414 258 262/4 or +256 (0) 417 717 401 Fax: +256 414 500 932 | E-mail: info@air-uganda.com or jbmusiime@air-uganda.com Investment House, Plot 4, Wampewo Avenue, Kololo Website: www.air-uganda.com, www.facebook.com/airuganda Correspondence on editorial and advertising matters may be sent to either of the above addresses.

©2014 All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the publisher.

All photographs by Camerapix unless otherwise indicated.

HWAN SUNG MAHOGANY DOORS

MODERN KITCHEN

QUALITY QUALITY ON-TIME DELIVERY DELIVERY ON-TIME AFFORDABLE AFFORDABLE

ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS

SANDWICH PANEL

HWAN SUNG INDUSTRIES LTD

KAMPALA SHOWROOM: +256 414286019, +256 392789137/8 NTINDA INDUSTRIAL AREA JUBA SHOWROOM: +211 957108781, +211 922131117 NEAR OLD CUSTOMS Website: www.hwansungbiz.com email: hsind@hwansungbiz.com

Air Uganda News

AIR UGANDA IOSA CERTIFICATION RENEWED FOR 2 YEARS Air Uganda’s IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) registration has been renewed for two more years from 1st October 2013.

As an IOSA-registered airline, the first in Uganda’s aviation history,

CHECK IN ONLINE ON NEW WEBSITE - www.air-uganda.com

Air Uganda mandates safety and security as its top priority. The

To keep up with the advancement of technology worldwide, Air Uganda has unveiled a new booking engine with advanced functionality. The new website that was launched a month ago is easier to navigate and fast to download. The website is user friendly, with all information customers may need on Air Uganda.

registration renewal confirms that Air Uganda continues to uphold the highest safety standards in its operations.

We are proud to once again prove our commitment to serving you under the best conditions and congratulate the Air Uganda team on this achievement.

By using the Air Uganda website you can book, pay and check in for flights. Visit: www.air-uganda.com and enjoy the experience of the new site!

REFURBISHED TRAVEL CENTRE OPENED IN KAMPALA In August 2013, Air Uganda opened its new and rebranded travel centre in Kampala on Parliamentary Avenue.

It is now more spacious and comfortable.

The stylish travel centre (previously the call centre) has been

BUY YOUR TICKETS ON THE GO WITH MTN MOBILE MONEY

refurbished to enhance the experience of our customers when

Gone are the days when you had to go all the way to the

buying tickets. You are most welcome to visit.

sales office to pay for your tickets on Air Uganda. You can now book your tickets online or through any of our Uganda offices and pay using your MTN Mobile Money accounts. You need to book the ticket and then go to your MTN menu, then mobile money, pay bill, then goods and services. To pay, enter the code U7, amount and booking reference number. You can then contact our office for your ticket. It’s fast, convenient and secure.

This service is only available in Uganda and to MTN Mobile Money registered users.

4 |

asante | November – January 2014

Visa Classic Credit Card The credit card that allows you to achieve more Convenient Upto 50 days credit Secure

Free e-statements Free SMS alerts on every transaction Internationally accepted

For more information, call us on :

www.dtbafrica.com

A. N. OTHERNAME

Air Uganda Sponsors Events

Jazz

with Isaiah Katumwa

VINTAGE Auto show

The Uganda Vintage and Classsic Auto Show was held on 24 September 2013, at the Sheraton Hotel Gardens, Kampala. John Adams (chipper), winner of the best car, 1925 Ford Model A (right) receives a prize from Air Uganda, a return ticket to Nairobi.

6 |

asante | November – January 2014

Maurice Kirya Live

Air Uganda was one of the proud sponsors of the Maurice Kirya concert 2013 held at the Serena Hotel, Kampala.

Blankets and wine Kenya

Maurice Kirya was the shining star at the Blankets and Wine, a top East African outdoor musical event held at the Carnivore grounds in Nairobi.

Air Uganda sponsored the Kirya band and flew them to and from Nairobi.

asante | November – January 2014

| 7

Events calendar

Tanzania Coffee and Tea Festival 2013 Everything about Coffee and Tea in a festival atmosphere here for the first time in Tanzania!

Venue: The Green, Kenyatta Drive Masaka in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Lamu Cultural Festival Welcome to the Eastern Africa Regional Conference of Psychology (EARCP) The first Eastern Africa Regional Conference of Psychology bringing together academic, professional, non-practicing, and student psychologists within the Eastern African Region and the diaspora will be held in Uganda (Kampala), the Pearl of Africa. The Eastern Africa Region will comprise of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Southern Sudan, Sudan, and Ethiopia.

Location: Kampala, Uganda Website: www.rcp2013ug.org

This is a three day celebration of the unique Swahili heritage of the Lamu Archipelago showcasing traditional dances, displays of handicraft and competitions on water and land (Swahili poetry, donkey races, dhow races, and henna painting), Swahili bridal ceremony and musical performances.

Venue: Lamu, Kenya

Active Volcanism & Continental Rifting (AVCOR) With Special Focus on the Kivu Rift Zone This workshop intends to gather together scientists from different disciplines (geology, geography, volcanology, geodesy, geodynamics, seismology…) to share their knowledge and discuss the complex relationships between continental rifting and magmatism, as well as the potential impact on societies.

Location: Gisenyi, Rwanda Website: http://avcor2013.africamuseum.be

AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2013 This is both a business and a consumer event to fast-track East Africa’s emergence as a world-class information-based economic region.

Website: http://aitecafrica.com/event/view/95

The 11th Kenya Meteorological Society International Conference And Save The Earth Expo The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Our World, Our Choices, Our Climate: The Future We Want’, and will also feature exhibition from different government departments, local and international NGOs, private sector, academic and research institutions as well as individuals who are making a mark in advancing adaptation to climate change and environmental conservation.

Venue: KICC (Kenyatta International Conference Centre), Nairobi, Kenya Website: www.kms.or.ke

8 |

asante | November – January 2014

East African Safari Classic Rally Welcome to an exciting fun event for all persons. Bring your family and friends for the event of your life. The famous East African Safari, now renamed the Kenya Airways East African Safari is now bigger and better!

Venue: Kenya and Tanzania Website: www.eastafricansafarirally.com

4th Manya Human Rights International Film Festival

1st African Microfinance Week

Celebrating its fourth edition in Kampala this year’s theme will mainly evolve around an inimitable theme again that is ‘Social Media in Promoting (The Rule of Law, Good Governance, Democracy and Transparency)’.

Venue: Kampala, Uganda Email: manya@manya.org.ug

The conference will focus on regulation of the African Microfinance sector: 20 years on from a practitioner’s perspective. The organisers are looking to welcome 300 participants to this first continental gathering of microfinance professionals.

Location: Arusha, Tanzania Website: www.microfinance-africa.org

Kenya Music Week 10th Anniversary Developing a music Industry that is professional, transparent and profitable for all.

Venue: Sarit Centre Expo Hall in Westlands, Nairobi Website: www.kenyamusicweek.com

Swahili Fashion Week

Celebrating Kenya @ 50 years: Art Exhibition

by Edward Njenga & Leonard Kateete

Swahili Fashion Week is a platform founded and created by celebrated Tanzanian couturier, Mustafa Hassan Ali in year 2008.

It currently is the biggest and largest annual fashion event in the whole of East and Central Africa.

Location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Website: www.swahilifashionweek.com

The Nairobi National Museum is curating two art exhibitions in celebration of Kenya’s 50th anniversary.

The show is part of a series of anniversary events and exhibitions taking place in the National Museums of Kenya throughout the year.

Venue: Nairobi National Museum, Kenya

TPF6 – Tusker Project Fame 6, 2013 The 2013 Tusker Project Fame 6 (TPF6), which is East Africa’s most popular reality television show, is once again searching for a new music super star in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Southern Sudan, Rwanda and Burundi. In TPF6, selected contestants will move into the academy in Nairobi. The contestants will have an opportunity to showcase their skills and versatility before an eminent team of judges and audiences. They will also be trained, tested and be prepared for future music career in the world’s entertainment industry.

asante | November – January 2014

| 9

Photos Š Peter Holthusen

Wildlife

10 |

asante | November – January 2014

WILDLIFE

The Halcyon

Bird

Peter Holthusen fulfils a lifetime’s ambition, photographing and documenting the beautiful Malachite Kingfisher in Uganda’s sprawling Kibale National Park.

F

eathers of tropical brilliance flash across the sparkle

The Malachite Kingfisher (Alcedo cristata) is a

of a clear running stream in the backwaters of

river Kingfisher which is widely distributed in

the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, a unique wildlife

Africa south of the Sahara. Within southern

reserve located in the Magombe swamp. Diving steeply,

Africa it occurs in northern and southern Namibia,

the feathered dart pierces the silver surface and catches

northern and south-eastern Botswana, Zimbabwe,

an unsuspecting minnow.

Mozambique and South Africa. It is largely resident

As a group Kingfishers are some of the most attractive of all birds.

Most are colourful or strikingly marked, many are extremely vociferous, and some have spectacular courtship displays.

The Kingfisher is arguably Africa’s most beautiful and

except for seasonal climate related movements.

spectacular bird. While it is not particularly rare, it is

This is a relatively small Kingfisher, 13 centimetres

seldom seen (except as a fleeting glimpse of blue)

(5.1 inches) in length.

and few people ever get the chance to study it from close quarters. It is probably this elusive quality which has caused the Kingfisher to be lauded by poets such as Tennyson, who so aptly described it as the ‘secret splendour of the brooks’.

Left: The head of the Malachite Kingfisher has a short crest of black and blue feathers, which gives rise to its scientific name.

Mysticised by folklore and used constantly as a subject for greetings cards and ornaments of all kind, it has a

The general colour of the upper parts of the adult bird is brilliant electric blue. The head has a short crest of black and blue feathers, which gives rise to its scientific name. The face, cheeks and underparts are predominantly rufous and there are white patches on the throat and rear neck sides.

dazzling plumage and a remarkable lifestyle, spending

The exceptionally long, stout, pointed bill is black

most of the time battling with its neighbours, nesting

in young birds and reddish orange in adults; the

deep underground at the end of a metre-long tunnel

legs are bright red. Sexes are very similar, but

and catching its food by diving head first into the cold

juvenile birds are considerably duller in comparison

waters of its realm.

to the adults.

asante | November – January 2014

| 11

Above: With whirring wings and outstretched feet, the parent quickly leaves the water with an unsuspecting minnow.

This is a species common to reeds and aquatic vegetation near slow

to December, but some may breed as late as March or April. Typically

moving water or ponds. The flight of the Malachite Kingfisher is

Kingfishers nest in a hole in a bank, or in the case of African species,

rapid, the short rounded wings whirring until they appear a mere

sometimes in the side of an anteater’s burrow. The hole is usually

blur. It usually flies low over water (even in forests), and can also be

placed at a height that makes it difficult for predators to reach. Both

found in rice paddies, estuaries and mangroves, particularly along the

sexes excavate the tunnel, initially with the bill and later with the feet

shores of Lake Victoria. It cannot be confused with any other species.

too. Sometimes considerable quantities of earth may be ejected from the entrance; one Malachite Kingfisher during my own field study in

Malachite Kingfishers, as their name so eloquently suggests, are

the Kibale National Park was observed kicking out soil to a distance

experts in catching fish! They sit on perches (such as tree branches,

of nearly a metre from the hole and reached a depth of two metres

rocks, raised banks or fence posts) over slow moving water, and

in just over a week. For most Kingfishers, tunnels range in length

fly down into the water to seize prey which typically include

from 30 to 60 centimetres for smaller species, to a prodigious eight

small fish, crabs, shrimps, and even insect larvae and frogs. Once

and a half metres in the case of one Giant Kingfisher, although the

they catch something they return quickly to their perch, very

average length for this particular species is 1.8 metres. At the end

often striking it against a bough to make it easier to handle. If the

of the tunnel the Kingfishers excavate a chamber, sometimes with

Kingfisher catches a fish, it will turn it around to make it easy to

a slightly raised lip where the tunnel and chamber join.

swallow, sometimes by tossing it into the air.

The tunnels of some species, such as the Malachite Kingfisher, may As a group Kingfishers are some of the most attractive of all

slope slightly downward to the entrance to assist the drainage of

birds. Most are colourful or strikingly marked, many are extremely

the excreta. The egg chamber is unlined, but as the nesting cycle

vociferous, and some have spectacular courtship displays. In general

progresses it becomes filled with fish bones, scales, or the exo-

Malachite Kingfishers breed during spring and summer, from August

skeletons of insects from regurgitated pellets.

12 |

asante | November – January 2014

WILDLIFE

Clutches range from two to six eggs which are typically

Kingfisher to 37 days for the Pied and Giant Kingfisher; most of

rounded and white with a slight gloss (average size: 20.0

the other species leave the nest at between 21 and 28 days old.

mm x 16.2 mm). Because Kingfisher nests are difficult

The young signal their readiness to leave by moving to the nest

to observe, details on egg-laying intervals are scant, but

entrance to be fed, and in observations of several different species

differences in the size of chicks in some broods indicate

it was noted that the feeding rate decreased, sometimes ceasing

that incubation may begin before the clutch is complete.

altogether, when they were ready to fly.

Incubation is shared by both sexes, although the female

Sometimes the parents even perched in view nearby with the

usually sits overnight. The number of change-overs

deliberate intention of inducing their offspring to leave the nest. The

during the day varies from one species of Kingfisher to

young may catch food for themselves quite soon after leaving the

another, but from my own observations of the Malachite

nest – a Malachite Kingfisher in my own study area was recorded

Kingfisher, they usually alternate every one to two hours, incubating the eggs 92 per cent of the time.

When the chicks hatch the eggshells are removed and dropped a short distance from the tunnel entrance.

doing so within a week – but generally they remain dependent on the adults for several weeks.

There is a closely related species in Madagascar, the Malagasay Kingfisher (Alcedo vintsioides). This has a black bill and greenish crest, and is not quite as dependent on water as the African species.

At one Malachite Kingfisher nest the shells floated

It is otherwise similar in plumage and behaviour to the more

downstream after they had been dropped and were

widespread species.

dive-bombed by the parent until they sank! The chicks hatch naked and blind but are soon covered with a mass of spiky quills which encase the feathers to prevent them from becoming fouled.

Nest sanitation is a problem and the burrows of species such as the Malachite and Half-collared Kingfishers can become extremely foul, with liquid excreta oozing down the tunnel.

The Kibale National Park is a paradise for birdwatchers,

particularly

within

the

spectacular Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. This is a supreme example of a communitybased approach to the management of natural resources, and of course, this can also benefit the local residents living within the area, not to mention the growing tourism industry in Uganda.

No less than 138 species of bird

The parent birds often find it necessary to clean themselves off after a feeding visit to the burrow and they dive into the water, sometimes repeatedly, to do so. At the same time they rid themselves of any parasites that may have collected in the tunnel. The older chicks of species

have been recorded in the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, while the Magombe swamp supports more than 200 species, among which is perhaps the most well known bird – the Great Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata), the largest species in the diverse Cuculiformes order.

which nest in tree holes void their liquid excreta in a strong jet through the entrance, thus keeping the interior of the nest chamber

For as long as the waters of the Kibali National Park remain pure

relatively clean. They also regurgitate pellets of undigested food out

there is reasonable hope for the Malachite Kingfishers continued

of the nest-hole, whereas the pellets of bank-nesting species such

survival. In the pre-dawn cold of a spring morning there is a

as the Malachite Kingfisher usually accumulate in the nest chamber.

certain enjoyment to be found by the mangroves of the Magombe swamp, when the little blue ‘Halcyon Bird’ can be seen flying fast

Both parents feed the young and brood them while they are still

in search of a quick meal before the searing heat of the midday sun

small. The nestling period ranges from 18-20 days for the Malachite

illuminates its dazzling coat of many colours!

asante | November – January 2014

| 13

CELEBRATIONS

Years On 12 December 1963, Kenya achieved Independence from its former Colonial masters, Great Britain. Here are some of the highlights of the past 50 years.

1963

Finally Kenya becomes an

1970

Satellite ground station in the

1978

Jomo Kenyatta dies in office,

Rift Valley opens, greatly improving

succeeded

Jomo Kenyatta inaugurates Kenya’s

Kenya’s

arap Moi.

birth as a member of the family

links. Extensions to Nairobi International

of

Airport completed.

independent nation. Prime Minister

free

nations,

and

the

United

international

communication

Vice-President

Daniel

Henry Rono sets five records in 50 days when he sets a world record in every track

Nations, Commonwealth, and the Organization of African Unity (OAU),

by

1972 The New Central Bank Building

event from the 800m to the 10,000m.

with an address to the State opening

opened.

of Kenya’s first Parliament on 13

International Conference Centre (KICC)

1982

December 1963.

in Nairobi is completed.

a one-party state by the National

The

multi-storied

Kenyatta Kenya

is

officially

declared

Assembly.

Republic of Kenya formed.

In the Munich Olympics Kipchoge Keino

Jomo Kenyatta becomes president

1964

and Ben Jipcho finish first and second in

1984

and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga vice-

the 3,000m steeplechase; the Kenyan

3,000m steeplechase in the Los Angeles

president.

team wins the 4 x 400m relay.

Olympics.

Wilson Kiprugut Chuma

Julius Korir wins gold in the

becomes the first Kenyan to win an Olympic medal – a bronze in the 800m at the Rome Olympics.

1966

Jaramogi Oginga Odinga leaves

1973

Nairobi becomes the first Third-

At the Seoul Olympics Kenya’s

World capital to host a United Nations

track team wins four gold medals: John

headquarters

Ngugi well ahead of the field in the

–

the

United

Nations

Environment Programme (UNEP).

5,000m. Julius Kariuki and Peter Koech finish first and second in the steeplechase,

Kanu after ideological split, forms rival Kenya People’s Union (KPU).

1988

1974

Kenyatta re-elected President.

Peter Rono wins the 1,500m, while Paul Ereng wins the 800m.

Photos © Camerapix Limited

1968

Kenyans win two gold medals

1977

The East African Community

at the Mexico Olympics - Naphtali Temu

(EAC) – a common market embracing,

1991 August Forum for the Restoration

in the 10,000m and Kipchoge Keino in the

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, collapses

of Democracy (Ford) formed by six

1,500m race. Keino also finishes second in

owing to ideological differences and

opposition

the 5,000m.

economic imbalances.

Odinga.

14 |

asante | November – January 2014

leaders,

including

Odinga

CELEBRATIONS

Left to right: Jomo Kenyatta, the

ya’s Jomo Kenyatta, Ken

Jaramogi O ginga Oding the first Vice a, -President of Kenya.

first President ; Daniel Arap Moi, second President and Mwai Kibaki, the third Presi dent of Kenya.

first President.

pchoge Sportsman Ki

1970. oulder high in Keino held sh

Jomo Kenyatta and his son Uhuru Kenyatta in 1973.

Andrew Cowan and Joh n Mitchell, in car number 33 Colt Lancer during Safa ri Rally.

Moi with t Daniel Arap Jovial Presiden

.

Kibaki in 1988 sident Mwai then Vice-Pre

asante | November – January 2014

| 15

CELEBRATIONS

2008

December The special conference of

The government and opposition

Kenya African National Union (KANU)

come to a power-sharing agreement in

agrees to introduce a multi-party political

February and a cabinet is agreed in April.

system.

1992

– The Beijing Olympics see the best ever At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics,

performance by Kenya: six gold, four

Kenya completes a clean sweep of the

silver and four bronze medals. Sammy

steeplechase, led by Mathew Birir. Susan

Wanjiru wins the Olympic marathon in

Sirma becomes the first Kenyan woman

record time – the first time a Kenyan has

to win an Olympic medal – a bronze in

won an Olympic marathon.

the 1,500m.

– Ford splits into two factions – Ford-Asili

2009

Mwai Kibaki, the third President of Kenya.

the World Championships.

(led by ex-government minister Kenneth Mwai Kibaki wins a landslide

2010 Kenya joins its neighbours in

Moi re-elected in multi-party elections.

victory, ending Daniel arap Moi’s 24-year

forming a new East African Common

Kanu wins strong majority.

rule and Kanu’s four decades in power.

Market, intended to integrate the region’s

Matiba) and Ford-Kenya (led by Odinga).

2002

Kenyans win four gold medals at

economy.

Odinga dies. Opposition groups

The Safari Rally celebrates its 50th

form coalition – the United National

annual event – most of which have been

– New constitution designed to limit the

Democratic Alliance.

included in the prestigious World Rally

powers of the president and devolve

Championship.

power to the regions approved in a

1994

1996

At the Atlanta Olympics Moses

Tanui leads other Kenyans to a clean sweep in the 3,000m steeplechase.

1997

Sally Barsosio becomes the

2003

The International Monetary Fund

(IMF) resumes lending after three-year gap, citing anti-corruption measures.

first Kenyan woman to win a world

2004

title when she wins the 10,000m at the

constitution

World championships

document requires parliament’s approval

– Moi wins a further term. His main opponents

are

former

vice-president

Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga.

1998

Al-Qaeda operatives bomb at

the United States embassy in Nairobi, killing 224 people and injuring thousands.

referendum.

Long-awaited draft of a new was

completed.

The

but deadline for enactment is missed.

– Kenyan ecologist Wangari Maathai wins the Nobel Peace Prize.

2005

Voters reject a proposed new

constitution. President Kibaki replaces his cabinet.

2006

Visiting Chinese President Hu

Jintao signs a contract allowing China to prospect for oil off the Kenyan coast.

– United Nations says some 35,000 Somalis escaping drought, Islamist rule and looming conflict have arrived in constitution.

Kenya’s new Draft

16 |

Kenyan camps since early 2006.

asante | November – January 2014

Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Winner.

CELEBRATIONS

2011

Kenyans win seven gold medals

at the World Championships.

Uhuru Kenyatta, fourth and current President of Kenya.

2012 Oil discovered. President Kibaki hails it as a ’major breakthrough’.

The future

Launch of Lamu port project which is to

Kenya has set out its Vision 2030 strategy: a

become South Sudan’s oil export outlet.

national long-term development blueprint to

At the London Olympics David Rudisha

create a globally competitive and prosperous

wins gold and breaks the world record in the 800m. Ezekiel Kemboi wins gold in the 3,000m steeplechase.

December Deputy

Prime

events

gold

medals

were

won by Eunice Jepkoech Sum Minister,

Uhuru Kenyatta and former minister William Ruto confirm they are forming an alliance for the 2013 election.

(800m), Edna Kiplagat (Marathon) and

Chemos

vision is anchored on three key pillars: economic, social and political governance.

Cheywa.

The Vision 2030 strategy is to undertake reforms

won

by

in eight key sectors that form the foundation

Mercy Cherono (5,000m), Gladys

of society for socio-political and economic

Cherono

Lydia

growth: Macroeconomic – Stability for long term

Silver

Milcah

nation with a high quality of life by 2030. The

medals

were

(10,000m)

and

2013 March Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of

Chepkurui

The

development; Infrastructure; Energy; Science,

Kenya’s first president, wins presidential

medal tally was completed by

(steeplechase).

Technology and Innovation (STI); Land reform;

election with just over 50 per cent of the

Helen Onsando Obiri with a

Human resources development; Security; and

vote.

bronze in the 1,500m.

Public sector reforms.

In the World Championships in Moscow Asbel Kiprop won gold in the 1,500m, Ezekiel Kemboi and Consensius Kipruto won gold and silver in the 3,000m steeplechase, Isaiah Koech won bronze in the 5,000m and Paul Tanui won bronze in the 10,000m. In the women’s

asante | November – January 2014

| 17

Photo © Camerapix Limited

Nairobi T

he fact that Nairobi has risen from nothing in a little over a century to more than three million people in an area of 700 square kilometres (270 square miles) is remarkable enough.

Green City in the Sun Love it, or hate it, Nairobi is without doubt a city that evokes mixed emotions. To some it is the ‘Green City in the Sun’, a lively and vibrant centre for entertainment and the arts, a cultural melting pot that shows modern cosmopolitan Africa at its best. Nairobi extends to all-comers the warmth of a golden welcome. Asante explores this city in the sun.

The city sometimes seems a little contradictory and eccentric. It continues to grow at an astonishing speed and with great energy if, at times, seemingly without control. Despite its shantytown origins, to which many suburban areas seem to be reverting, Nairobi remains truly memorable in the contrasts and experiences it affords.

Blessed with a pleasant, temperate climate all the year round, Nairobi is best in September when the jacaranda, bougainvillea and flame trees bloom. Most rain falls in April/ May and November and between June and August when the skies are often heavily overcast.

International and Regional flights serve Nairobi daily.

Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is one of the busiest in Africa.

18 |

asante | November – January 2014

destination

I’ve Got a Day – What Do I Do Nairobi’s history may be relatively short but Kenya is ancient. Go to the National Museum on Museum Road for evocative prehistoric footprints, Joy Adamson’s portraits of the people of Kenya, a display of contemporary art and most of the birds of East Africa, stuffed.

The Museum aims to interpret East Africa’s rich heritage and offers a one-stop for visitors to sample the country’s rich heritage both for education and leisure. Visitors are treated to a variety of shopping and dining facilities, as well as botanical gardens that offer a serene environment.

The museum is open on all 356 days throughout

Karen Blixen Museum

the year from 8.30 am - 5.30 pm Once known as the Uganda Railway, it is the railway that was vital in developing East Africa in its early formative years, The Nairobi Railway Museum narrates the tale of the

Photo courtesy of Karen Blixen, Nairobi

country’s development. The Nairobi Railway Museum provides answers to many questions concerning the early history of the rail and Kenya’s development. It consists of the Main Gallery, the Resource Centre, the auditorium and an outdoor collection of locomotives, wagons and coaches.

Open all weekdays and weekends Karen Blixen Museum was once the centre piece of a farm at the foot of the Ngong Hills owned by Danish author Karen and her Swedish

The Bomas of Kenya

husband, Baron Bror von Blixen Fincke. Located 10 kilometres from the city centre, the Museum belongs to a different time period in the history of Kenya. The farmhouse gained international fame with the release of the movie ‘Out of Africa’, an Oscar-winning film based on Karen’s Photo courtesy of The Bomas of Kenya

an autobiography by the same title. Guided tours are offered continuously.

The Museum is open to the Public every day (9.30am to 6pm) including weekends and public holidays.

If your interests are more ethnic try the Bomas of Kenya on Langata Road where a daily display of folk songs and dance takes place in a setting of traditional homesteads.

asante | November – January 2014

| 19

A quaint reminder of times past can be found in Jeevanjee Gardens, to the left of Moi Avenue when heading out of the city. It is the stone statue of Queen Victoria, unveiled by her son, the Duke of Connaught, in March 1906.

For the sports-crazy nation, which excels not least in football and athletics, the vast Moi international sports complex at Kasarani, with its 60,000-seat arena, lies 15 kilometres (9 miles) beyond the city centre.

Kenyatta International Conference Centre (K.I.C.C)

Crazy about Landmarks The city centre skyline is outlined by a number of strikingly attractive, modern high-rise buildings, including the Kenyatta International Conference Centre with its 33-storey tower block, amphitheatre and plenary hall seating 4,000. This has hosted many major conferences since it was constructed in the early 1970s and has brought countless visitors to Nairobi.

The City Hall (1937) lies across the road next to the old law courts designed by Sir Herbert Baker.

The Parliament buildings, built in the 1950s to the design of the architects Amyas Connell and Thornley Dyer, are a focal point of the city’s master plan, drawn up initially in 1948. A tour of the parliament buildings can be arranged through the sergeant-at-arms.

The remains of Kenya’s first president of the republic, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, lie in a mausoleum in the buildings’ grounds.

20 |

All Saints Cathedral (Anglican), on Kenyatta Avenue, is another national landmark, as is a small protected building at the Kenyatta Avenue/Uhuru Highway roundabout, the now sadly neglected 1913 Nairobi provincial commissioner’s office.

The McMillan Library on Banda Street, guarded by two handsome stone lions, was donated to the city by Lady McMillan as a memorial to her husband, Sir William Northrup McMillan, knighted for his services to East Africa during the First World War. The Jamia mosque, the city’s main Muslim place of worship, stands next to the library, beautiful when it is illuminated by night.

The colourful city market and bazaar area are in this same vicinity, both worth visiting, if only to see how Nairobi lives.

This is a good place to buy Kenyan carvings and other souvenirs.

asante | November – January 2014

Other popular leisure facilities on Nairobi’s perimeter include the City Park; the magnificently treed Arboretum, social, golf and sailing clubs; and a fine racecourse off the Ngong Road where horse racing takes place most Sunday afternoons of the year.

destination

The Shopaholic If you need to fill your suitcase with souvenirs you’ll find a lot of people in Nairobi very keen to assist you. There are hundreds of stalls and small shops selling woodcarvings, basketware, soapstone objects and jewellery made of local stones.

In recent years, much of Nairobi’s action has moved away from the city centre, with its acute parking problems, to suburbs such as Westlands, Hurlingham, Lavington, Karen and Muthaiga.

Shopping malls provide adequate parking whilst you visit the shops, coffee bars and restaurants. You will also find colourful Maasai markets at the Yaya Centre (Argwings Kodhek Road) on Sunday and at Village Market (Gigiri) on Fridays.

For a more sedate shopping experience try the fixed price shops though even here a little bargaining can reap dividends.

Shops open from 9am – 6pm and longer hours at weekends.

Photo courtesy of Seven Sea Food Restaurant

The Gourmet Nairobi offers a bewildering range of eating experiences, including Italian, Chinese, French, Lebanese, Thai, Ethiopian and Indian cuisine and the inevitable selection of fast food outlets.

The local preference of nyama choma, ‘cooked meat’, is most lavishly demonstrated at the Carnivore, on Langata Road, where slabs of meat impaled on traditional Maasai spears are rotated on a huge barbecue and then carried among the diners by waiters who carve slices of your choice on the sizzling hot iron plate in front of you.

Photo courtesy of Carnivore/Nairobi

For seafood try the Seven Seafood and Grill restaurant located in ABC Place, Waiyaki Way or at the Village Market. A mouth-watering array of oysters, lobsters, prawns and ocean fish is delivered daily, freshly prepared and accompanied by Seven’s Signature Sauces. Meat lovers are also well catered for with Kenya’s finest beef carefully aged and butchered in house.

There are many coffee shops around, the most popular being the Java Coffee House with branches all over Nairobi.

asante | November – January 2014

| 21

Photo © Adeel Haq/Books R Us LTD

The Nature Lover Once again head for Langata Road. A left turn off this busy highway soon takes you into a garden of delights, the Nairobi National Park.

This is perhaps the only park that you can visit by taxi or bus. Migration into the park is seasonal so don’t expect to see milling herds of animals, though lion, rhino, giraffe, zebra and buffalo can often be seen, and the birdlife is always abundant. The very existence of this wildlife haven within a few minutes’ drive of the centre of one of Africa’s largest cities is truly remarkable.

There is much to be seen at the gate. Kids will love the animal orphanage. Nearby is the Safari Walk, an innovative raised boardwalk that takes you above beautiful scenery and a few surprises – the rare and elusive bongo antelope, albino zebra, and a newly introduced white rhino.

There’s another orphanage near the park’s Banda Gate, on Magadi Road, run by Daphne Sheldrick. To rub shoulders with the infant elephant and rhino at morning feeding time is an unforgettable experience.

As if this isn’t enough to choose from there’s the Giraffe Centre n Langata, where the rare Rothschild’s giraffe can be fed by hand from a raised wooden terrace, and there’s also a nature trail.

Exhausted? Good! You’ve learnt that, far from being a brief stopping point on the way to your safari, Nairobi is an abundantly varied and enjoyable destination in its own right.

Social Entertainment Nairobi is the centre of the Kenyan music scene and a famous centre for East and Central African music. Benga is a Kenyan variety, which was developed in Nairobi: a fusion of jazz and Luo music forms. Nairobi is also a prominent a hub of soukous music.

It has also become the centre of the Kenyan hip-hop scene following the pioneering work done by urban music artists such as Kalamashaka and Gidi Gidi Majimaji. The variety is very popular amongst local youth, and domestic musicians have become some of the most popular in the region.

Many foreign musicians who tour Africa perform in Nairobi.

Bob Marley’s first-ever visit to Africa started in Nairobi.

Other international musicians who have performed in Nairobi include the rocking show by Akon, Don Carlos and the Elephant man crew.

Nairobi and the coastal town of Mombasa has become the centre of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) in Kenya, which includes Trance, Techno, House, Progressive, Drum & Bass, and Dubstep Nairobi’s nightlife is vibrant as nairobians love to party and they are notorious club-hoppers! Clubbers do not exclusively support one club; instead they frequent a couple of clubs, sometimes as many as three or more. The selection of where to go is based on the type of music and theme of the night.

This is probably what has set the tone for the many clubs that have opened their doors to the publics recently.

Photo © Adeel Haq/Books R Us LTD

Clubs in Nairobi open as early as 5pm and extend till dawn.

This amounts to at least 12 hours of partying for those with the stamina and energy!

Nairobians tend to move in crowds determined by the social status they attribute to. You are therefore likely to see the same crowd at different hangouts more than once if you too decide to hop club to club.

Depending on the day you land in Nairobi, you will be spoilt for choice as to where to go, so give it a try!

22 |

asante | November – January 2014

• Perfect for conferences and

corporate events, weddings, banquets and parties

• Ideal for business luncheons • Multi-cuisine restaurant with spectacular views of Nairobi

• 24-hour business center • Airport transfers & currency exchange

When it comes to Comfort and Convenience

We M ean Bus i ness

Hotel Emerald is a business-class hotel, ideally situated in the heart of Westlands, only a few steps away from the major business centers, shopping malls and entertainment areas. Our convenient location, combined with great amenities and a high level of comfort, make Hotel Emerald the perfect location for your next stay in Nairobi.

Our hotel has 14,000 sq ft of meeting and conference space, giving you ample scope to plan that important meeting, seminar or dream event. Our events team will be on-hand to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible. Our comfortable guest rooms all come with businessfriendly features such as complimentary Wi-Fi access, a 32’’ LCD TV and a laptop-sized safe, while select rooms feature a Jacuzzi and balcony with panoramic city views.

Westlands, Nairobi

www.thehotelemerald.com For further information & reservations contact: HOTEL EMERALD, Krishna Center 6th Floor, 12 Woodvale Grove, Westlands P.O. Box 13839 - 00800, Nairobi, Kenya • Tel: +254 (0)729 418 241 / +254 (0)732 515 705 Email: info@thehotelemerald.com

Accommodation

Photo © Fairview Country Hotel, UpperHill, Nairobi

The Village Market

To many travellers Nairobi is a brief stop-off on the way to their safari, but the city has top-class accommodation for a more leisurely stay.

Whether you’re searching for the most classic boutique hotel or simply a comfortable three star hotel – Nairobi has it all.

The Fairview Hotel owned and managed by three generations of one family since 1946, stands out as a charming and successful blend of the past and the present. Five acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, unmatched by any other Nairobi city hotel, combine with comfortable rooms that offer every modern facility.

If you are looking for a business-cum-budget hotel, then The Hotel Emerald is ideal as it is a Business Class hotel located in the heart of Westlands, the new City Centre in Nairobi. It is just steps away from major business hubs, shopping malls and entertainment areas.

Photo © Hotel Emerald, Westlands, Nairobi

But no matter how long you stay, what Nairobi has to offer depends very much on who you are.

24 |

asante | November – January 2014

Photos © Tribe Hotel, Nairobi

Then there is the Tribe Hotel which is a luxury boutique hotel set in a leafy suburb within Nairobi’s Diplomatic District and attached to The Village Market – East Africa’s largest shopping and recreation complex. Tribe Hotel is approximately 25 kilometres from Nairobi’s International Airport – Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). Urban, loft-like style blends effortlessly with warm African colours, a pioneering lifestyle property that sets itself apart from a typical hotel layout, and an unrivalled appreciation for tribal crafts.

Photos Š Peter Holthusen 26 |

asante | November – January 2014

adventure

Garama Ca ve The

A World of Darkness Awaits says Peter Holthusen.

A

wailing song echoes through the inner depths of a dark, mysterious cave. Slowly, the flickering light of lanterns is being increased against the walls of a precipitous entrance to a seemingly endless chasm in Uganda’s spectacular Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Small women appear: they have just sung for us. The hymn tells the story of their expulsion from the park in 1991.

We have just completed a walk to the imposing Garama Cave during which we were privileged to be shown various aspects of the life of the Batwa or ‘Twa’ people, an indigenous Bantu-speaking tribe of hunter-gatherers.

The Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda sits high in the clouds, at an altitude of between 2,227 metres and 4,127 metres. As its name suggests, it was created

“guide”, and the Batwa used to look for its high peak to help orientate themselves while hunting in the forest.

Muhavura has a crystal clear crater lake about 36 metres wide at its summit. The top of the peak commands panoramic views far into Uganda, the DRC, Rwanda and along the length of the Virunga chain.

Sabyinyo, or Mount Jabiya (3,645 metres) is the second highest peak in the range, and means “old man’s teeth”, a reference to its jagged summit which is dissected by deep gorges and precipitous ravines.

Mount Gahinga (3,474 metres) is the smallest of the Virunga volcanoes. It is named after the local practice of tidying the volcanic debris that clutters the surrounding farmland into very neat cairns – or “gahinga”. Its swampfilled crater is around 180 metres wide.

Should Uganda’s breathtaking scenery, the warmth of its people and the diversity of its wildlife not be sufficient to sustain you, then you will be well rewarded for charting a course to the Garama Cave. to protect the rare mountain gorillas that inhabit its dense forests, and it is also an important habitat for the endangered golden monkey.

Left: The prime caves for tourism are easily accessible as they occur mostly in the western and southern parts of the country.

Mgahinga’s most striking features are its three conical, extinct volcanoes, which form part of the imposing Virunga range, a chain of eight volcanoes which straddle the borders of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. The three conical peaks in the park are Muhavura, Sabyinyo and Mount Gahinga, from which the park takes its name.

Muhavura (4,127 metres) is the highest of the peaks in the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The name means

Some of the steep mountain slopes contain caves formed by lava tubes, one of them being the famous Garama Cave located near the park headquarters at Kisoro. This is a sacred place for the Batwa, and during a tour of the cave system you can discover how it was used as a shelter during battles and as a place to store looted treasures from their victories.

As well as being important for wildlife, the park also has a huge cultural significance, in particular for the Batwa pygmies. This tribe of hunter-gatherers was the forest’s “first people”, and their ancient knowledge of its secrets remains unrivalled. Small wonder visitors are now flocking to Uganda to experience its rich cultural heritage.

asante | November – January 2014

| 27

adventure

So much has changed in Mgahinga since 1991: Batwa guides, led by 40-year-old Steven Barahirwa, now take tourists on a 4-hour walk through their former homeland, culminating in a visit to the Garama Cave, once home to a thriving community of Iron Age settlers.

The recently-formed Batwa Trail Project is a joint initiative of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), the United Organization for Batwa Development in Uganda and the Kisoro District Local Government, facilitated by the International Gorilla Conservation Program, the Greater Virunga Trans-boundary Collaboration and USAID for the benefit of the Batwa people.

Shortly after starting the trail, which costs around US dollars 80 to undertake, Barahirwa jumps up and down under a tree, shouting: “To ask the blessing of the Gods,” he explains later.

After some kilometres of strenuous walking through the forest, another guide, Joshua shows how the Batwa used to trap animals. He also imitates the animal, crawling in pain.

After climbing, watching and listening we finally reach the Garama Cave, where the Batwa king used to meet his subjects.

As bats fly all around us, we continue to listen to the wailing women. They then sing a more upbeat song. Barahirwa explains they are very happy to see us, since tourists and adventurers mean income for the women. “A lot of us Batwa have become accustomed to life outside the forest,” says Barahirwa. “Maybe we would not even be able to survive here anymore.”

There are a considerable number of caves in Uganda. Historically, many of them served as shelters for Iron Age man and the Bushmen. The prime caves for tourism are easily accessible as they occur mostly in the western and southern parts of the country.

Most of the associated archaeological earthworks in Uganda are characterised primarily by ditches up to five metres deep and about a metre wide at the bottom, sloping outwards to several metres wide at the top. The ditches often extend for several hundred metres in a curved line that sometimes form a semi-circle. Some ditches have been excavated alongside embankments formed from the earth and rock removed from within the ditch.

Many ditches are crossed by earthen causeways.

These Iron Age earthworks have been found in various locations: some are on or close to the southern banks of rivers; some around, at least to some extent, a hill, though the hill itself may not be a particularly prominent feature of the local terrain; others are located on flat ground.

Garama Cave is of volcanic origin and measures 342 metres from entry to exit and is 14 metres in depth. Its spectacular cave system is the most suitable for underground caving and potholing

28 |

asante | November – January 2014

Above: The cave lies beneath a plateau near the northern edge of the spectacular Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, around three kilometres from Ntebeko.

in Uganda. Its history over the past 2000 years cannot be told so well without the inclusion of the Batwa people. The cave lies beneath a plateau near the northern edge of the park, around three kilometres from Ntebeko.

The indefatigable Batwa are the most ancient inhabitants of the Interlacustrine Kingdoms of Africa, and easily distinguished from other Ugandans by their unusually short stature – which seldom exceeds one and a half metres in height – and paler, more bronzed complexion. The spectacular Garama Cave which was originally covered by forest was used as a council chamber and a retreat by the Batwa after fights and raids on their Bantu ethnicity neighbours, the Bafumbira. Today the cave provides an atmospheric setting for performances of Batwa music at the end of the Batwa Trail.

At just 33.7 square kilometres, the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is Uganda’s smallest national park. However, it is also one of the most dramatic for the park lies on the northern slopes of three of the most spectacular peaks in the Virungas, three volcanoes that create an unforgettable regional backdrop.

Photo © David Lawrence via Peter Holthusen

Right: Garama’s spectacular cave system is the most suitable for underground caving and potholing in Uganda.

The Virungas are home to more than half of the world’s population of the endangered mountain gorilla. No less than 380 individuals roam the slopes of the volcanoes while the remaining 340 live nearby in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Fortunately for the gorillas, Mgahinga’s small area is supplemented by those of two larger, adjoining parks in Rwanda (Volcanoes National Park) and the Democratic Republic Congo (Virunga National Park).

The Batwa guides will bring the underground environment to life by imparting information about the structure of the rock, the volcanic origin of the cave system (formation and development), the archaeological history, how the caves were discovered and subsequently explored. Most guides seem to have a natural leaning towards storytelling and their unique cultural heritage which can add a “further dimension” to your underground experience!

Though gorilla tracking is the park’s most popular activity, Mgahinga merits a visit simply to appreciate the scenery, not to mention the spectacular cave system at Garama. A choice of hikes allows for all abilities, ranging from the eight hour return trip to the summit of Mt. Muhavura, to gentle strolls across the lower slopes beneath the magnificent three peak backdrop.

The park experiences two rainy seasons; March-May and September-November. October is the wettest month, with 250mm of rain and July the driest with just 10mm.

The park lies in the south-western corner of Uganda, 540 kilometres from Kampala. The journey takes eight hours, excluding rest stops, passing via Kabale and Kisoro. The 80 kilometre section between Kabale and Kisoro is a winding, mountainous drive on murram that takes at least two hours, while the park gate at Ntebeko lies a bumpy 14 kilometre (30 minutes) south of Kisoro. Charter flights can be arranged from Entebbe or Kampala (Kajjansi Airfield) to Kisoro airstrip.

Should Uganda’s breathtaking scenery, the warmth of its people and the diversity of its wildlife not be sufficient to sustain you, then you will be well rewarded for charting a course to the Garama Cave, where you will be able to explore a labyrinth of subterranean passages under the watchful eye of an expert guide.

Driver Training for harsh environments

www.OnCourse4wd.com

tech @ OnCourse4wd.com +256 772 22 11 07

asante | November – January 2014

| 29

business

East African

Oil & Gas Sector

by Krista Bates, Phillip Karugaba and Aleem Tharani.

T

he development of the East African oil and gas (O&G) sector offers a burgeoning market with significant opportunities for exploration, development and production (E&P) companies. The O&G sector in East Africa is in the early stages of development and as a relatively new market, East Africa is an attractive investment destination.

The question that arises is: how well prepared are Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda to compete for this neoteric E&P interest? Encouragingly, these countries are taking active steps to secure and protect foreign investment by rapidly effecting robust and comprehensive regulatory systems designed to increase transparency and certainty for investors and ensure their own people are beneficiaries of the natural resources.

The trend towards a definitive O&G playing field coupled with significant gas discoveries in Mozambique and Tanzania and oil finds in both Kenya and Uganda, is resulting in global interest refocusing on the East Africa region as an attractive, if speculative, O&G emerging market.

30 |

asante | November – January 2014

Kenya The calm election of the new Kenyan Government in 2012 has reduced the perceived political risk of doing business in Kenya and demonstrated a strong rule of law with the President being elected on a pro-progress ticket.

With its favourable regional geology, competition for petroleum blocks in Kenya has intensified. The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum has diligently released of a steady stream of blocks for E&P activities, and is considering a move to licencing rounds designed to underpin investor confidence through a more formulaic and transparent system of block allocation.

Kenya is early in the development spectrum with Tullow drilling wells onshore in Turkana (having obtained good results and declared commerciality with a circa 5200 barrels per day (bpd) flow rate) and Apache and Anadarko drilling wells offshore (with mixed results to date). Due to the increased interest in Kenya, the Kenyan Ministry has become more aggressive than in the past

business

on compliance with PSC terms. The Kenya Ministry has recently only allowed relatively short extensions in combination with very heavy penalties – a clear and significant departure from its historic approach. PSC interest holders now approach the importance of compliance with their obligations with increasing caution, and repossessions on the grounds of failure to comply with work and expenditure commitments are expected imminently.

From the people’s perspective, one of the most exciting developments is the potential creation of a sovereign wealth fund.

The Government of Kenya has brought in a number of advisors and is actively pursuing this as a possibility with a view to avoiding the oil curse.

Mozambique After many years of civil war and political instability, Mozambique is returning to a state of normality and consequently its upstream O&G industry is of growing importance in the region. Mozambique’s upstream potential appears to lie in natural gas rather than oil.

Mozambique’s debut into the market includes such highlights as the discovery of more than 100 trillion cubic feet (mainly in the offshore Rovuma Basin) and the Cove Energy takeover

by PTTEP (who outbid Shell) which has demonstrated the growing attention O&G companies are giving to Mozambique.

Anadarko, ENI, Petronas, Statoil, Total and Maurel & Prom already hold significant interests in the country’s exploration permits.

The Government of Mozambique has made a concerted effort to attract investment. The critical factor in the future exploitation of the country’s gas, however, is the emergence of sound commercial criteria for the establishment of a south-east African gas-gathering network capable of serving developing markets in the region.

Endemic corruption and limited O&G infrastructure will pose the most significant challenges to operators in the short-to-medium term and international donors have repeatedly called on the Government to tackle corruption or risk a freeze on budgetary support and donor aid.

Challenges remain – Mozambique’s infrastructure is inadequate for the spike in investment in the extractives sector. The potential of recent discoveries and regional and international demand

for gas have prompted foreign companies to take the lead on infrastructure development with support from the Government.

Tanzania Tanzania has no commercial oil discoveries and only two small producing gas fields (Songo Songo and Mnazi Bay) and a number of promising gas discoveries in the deep offshore blocks. The producing fields took decades to bring to commercial production due to the lack of a local market and the impracticability of export in view of the limited reserves.

In June 2013, a run of new discoveries took the total recoverable reserves of gas to 28 trillion cubic feet. Tanzania has licensed 16 international energy companies to search for O&G. BG Group, Statoil, Petrobras, Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon Mobil Corp are among companies already operating in Tanzania. The country plans to offer seven deep offshore blocks and one onshore block in October for O&G exploration.

The potential rewards for investors are not in doubt but, despite enjoying enviable political stability, Tanzania remains some way behind regionally as an overall investment environment due to corruption, a challenging tax authority, electricity shortage, poor infrastructure and a deficiency of homegrown specialists in key Government departments.

In a political move likely to significantly shake investor confidence, the Ministry of Energy and Minerals has recently indicated all existing O&G contracts will be reviewed – it is not entirely clear what this will mean for PSC holders. The overall uncertainty and difficult investor climate leaves Tanzania in a challenging position than its East African neighbours, which has been reflected in more limited progress.

Uganda Oil and Gas (O&G) exploration activities in Uganda have had an unprecedented 90 per cent drilling success rate, with 58 of the 64 exploration and appraisal wells drilled in the country to date encountering oil and/or gas. Wells drilled on a number of structures during 2002-2013 confirmed the presence of multiple exploitable accumulations of hydrocarbons proving up over 3.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent in place.

The moratorium that was placed on licensing oil and gas activities in Uganda will soon be lifted with the enactment of new laws to govern the sector and the establishment of the relevant institutions. International oil companies are already setting up in Uganda in anticipation of the new licensing rounds.

asante | November – January 2014

| 31

likely. With an intensifying difficulty on the part of smaller E&P companies to secure funding coupled with looming work obligations, those holding blocks and requiring financing are becoming less demanding of their potential farm-in partners.

Quite often these companies are too small to access bank funding or do not have the proven resources to access reserve based The new laws are expected to help boost investor confidence funding, and given the current state of the global capital in the sector. Investors should however expect to see tougher markets the cost of equity is extremely expensive. Although contractual terms than those that were negotiated under the Kenya (with the most developed capital market in East Africa) old legal regime. has developed a new stock exchange market (GEMS) targeted After a two year impasse between the Government and the There to provide funding for such companies, it is currently in its O&G companies, the Government has decided to build a is every infancy. Consequently, there are increased opportunities at a lesser cost for well-funded players wanting to invest in refinery to cater for the needs of Ugandans alongside a indication, the East African O&G sector via the farm-in route. crude export pipeline to cater for the interest of and one can be the O&G companies. This will hopefully stimulate cautiously optimistic, This signals new opportunities for those progress in the development of the O&G sector. with the technical, operational and that despite some financial capacity interested in investing Trends in the Market challenges along the in the East African O&G market.

With a changing landscape, the various Parliament has recently promulgated further legislation to enable the effective and efficient management of the nascent O&G sector, one of which is the Petroleum (Exploration, Development and Production) Act, 2013 which was brought into force in April 2013.

way the O&G sector will The Future of the O&G Industry Ministries across East Africa have become more robust with the terms required under new ultimately flourish in Clearly these are very exciting times for East Africa.

PSCs, with large increases in signing bonuses, East Africa and steer Unfortunately many of the East African countries minimum work obligations, minimum work the region to a better in recent times have shaken investor confidence. programmes and bank guarantees. The trend is Whether it be an adverse review of PSCs, the future. shifting to a more aggressive sharing of the profit oil introduction of taxation on farm-ins, discourse on the with the relevant Government, who are now looking to see pathway to commercialisation or other Government acts, it may a significant balance sheet for E&P companies who wish to restrict development of the sector. secure a PSC. The key to a stable, long term and successful O&G sector Whilst initially this would instinctually raise a hooray for East is the creation of an investor friendly, market competitive, certain Africa, the region is very early on in its O&G development cycle. and transparent investment environment with full collaboration The Ministries must be cognisant of the need to balance the with the O&G companies. Despite a few notable offshoots interest of the people of East Africa to fully benefit from their there is broadly speaking a steady march to adopting these own O&G resources with the level of risk which O&G companies founding principles which is indicative of the various East African are willing to accept. The successful development of the sector is Government’s approach to ensuring the attendant benefits of reliant on a country making itself an attractive destination – O&G natural resources flow to its people. There is every indication, is by its nature a risky business. East Africa will need to rise to the and one can be cautiously optimistic, that despite some challenge of attracting E&P activities through sensible PSC terms, challenges along the way the O&G sector will ultimately flourish and a strong legal, fiscal and regulatory framework. in East Africa and steer the region to a better future.

Given that a preponderance of PSCs are held by smaller players, 3 LegalNotes 1 noncompliance with work obligations is becoming increasingly

32 |

asante | November – January 2014

Krista Bates of Anjarwalla & Khanna at kb@africalegalnetwork.com www.africalegalnetwork.com

The Chui

3+1 Special

Pay for three nights and enjoy the fourth absolutely free!

Standard Double from as little as US$ 600 for 4 nights on halfboard basis Standard Single from as little as US$ 430 for 4 nights on halfboard basis Our halfboard package gives you the freedom to choose between lunch or dinner and to upgrade to higher accommodation categories at a surcharge Package Highlights • Mombasa Airport return transfers • Daily Buffet Breakfast • Daily choice of halfboard lunch or dinner • One Uzuri Spa treatment voucher worth US$ 30 each • Award-winning Chui Grill a la carte 25% discount • Special offers at Wines & Whiskers - over 100 wines • Complimentary return transfers from Ukunda airstrip • Complimentary tea/coffee daily 1600-1700hrs • Complimentary Wi-Fi at Kalani Coffee Lounge and in all accommodation except standard rooms • Daily movies and live sports at Mario’s Sports Bar

The Uzuri Spa and Fitness forest. Pamper yourself with a range of treatments and therapies, relax by the pool or work out at our fully-equipped gymnasium.

The revamped Kalani WiFi Coffee Lounge: enjoy freshly brewed coffees, or boozy coffees, all served with an Ocean breeze.

The famous Marco’s cocktail bar. There’s no better place on Diani to meet for a drink and enjoy a magnificent Ocean view!

The Chui Grill for light meals at lunchtime and full a la carte in the evening. Check out our new air-conditioned, non-smoking section!

The brand new Wines & Whiskers wine bar for pre-dinner drinks and an incredible selection of southern hemisphere wines.

Come and meet the Winning Team!

Terms and conditions: Valid for a minimum stay of 4 nights and subject to availability in this booking category. For extensions, regular rates apply.

Other charges are applicable at standard hotel charges. All rates are inclusive of applicable taxes and service charge. Offer valid upto November 30, 2013.

Reservations: NAIROBI OFFICE: Tel: +254 (0)20 2692844, +254 (0)726 803861, +254 (0)701 772023 • nbobookingoffice@leopardbeachresort.com DIANI OFFICE: Tel: +254 (0)20 2049271/2, +254 (0)20 2049270, +254 (0)724 255 280, +254 (0)733 202 721• reservations@leopardbeachresort.com

To view our latest virtual tours, please visit our website: www.leopardbeachresort.com

Tripadvisor traveller’s choice 2012 winner

success Honey and Health

I

sn’t it funny,” asks Winnie the Pooh, “how a bear likes honey?” But it isn’t funny at all. It’s hard to see how anyone, let alone a bear, could resist the sweet seduction of honey. Human societies have treasured this natural foodstuff for millennia and, more recently, honey is getting plenty of attention as an antiseptic, antibiotic and all round health booster.

That may be so but, in simple food terms, is honey as good as we imagine? One claim is that raw, unheated honey retains its naturally occurring vitamins and minerals, including calcium, zinc and iron. While that is true enough, honey actually contains such small amounts of both vitamins and minerals that they have little effect on a balanced diet. Indeed, regular supermarket honey contains few vitamins and minerals. Honey is predominately made up of two types of sugar, glucose and fructose.

Although the perception is that honey is healthy, its high sugar content – about 80 per cent of its volume – should make us beware. Dietary guidelines recommend we consume only moderate amounts of sugars and foods containing added sugars, and that includes honey. Honey is also relatively fattening. It has about 300 calories per 100 grammes, admittedly better than the 400 calories of table sugar.

But this is still more calories than a similar amount

34 |

By Brian Johnston.

of chocolate nut spread or cheese pizza, and not much better than sausage roll.

On the plus side, because honey is sweeter than table sugar, it takes less of it to produce the sweetness desired. Few of us would eat 100 grammes of honey at a sitting. A tablespoon of honey contains around 65 calories. Honey also takes slightly longer to digest than table sugar, providing a more sustained energy.

Honey is energy dense, with a low to medium GI depending on type.

For a lower GI, eat pure floral honey, as opposed to commercial blended honey. Like any sugar, you don’t need to avoid honey, but other foods should take priority in healthy eating. Combine a small amount of honey on something highly nutritious such as wholegrain toast, porridge or natural yoghurt – and just don’t go scraping the pot like Winnie the Pooh.

However, the benefits of honey might not have anything to do with merely the enjoyment of eating it. Beyond food, people have been using honey as a natural medicine since the earliest civilisations.

The Sumerians used honey 6,000 years ago as a poultice to cover open wounds. The ancient Egyptians, first recorded as keeping bees in artificial hives, also held

asante | November – January 2014

Healthy Living

honey in high esteem for its medicinal properties. An early papyrus of the time, the earliest medical record in history, shows that honey was used in the treatment of more than half of its 900 suggested remedies and, when noted modern pathologist Guido Majno tested many of these cures, he observed in The Healing Hand that few could be improved upon to this day. Romans also place a high value on honey’s medicinal properties; Pliny, when over 100 years old, suggested that a regular intake of honey and wine was the reason he lived to such a ripe old age.

Now modern science is showing there may indeed be plenty of potency in this humble food. For a start, a study at Penn State College of Medicine in the United States of America has demonstrated that honey is a far more effective remedy for coughs than over-the-counter cough medicines.

Dr. Ian Paul followed 105 children with respiratory tract infections, giving some honey and others dextromethorphan, the active ingredient in most cough medicines.

The honey takers had fewer coughing fits, better sleep and none of the side effects associated with the medicine.

On another note, traditional lore has always said honey is good for stomach cramps and digestive problems. Certainly in treating diarrhoea, honey promotes re-hydration of the body and more quickly clears up diarrhoea, as well as any vomiting and stomach upsets. And a Swedish university study has demonstrated honey contains friendly bacteria such as bifido-bacteria, the type added to health yoghurts to promote a healthy gut.

Other studies show that wounds heal more rapidly with honey.

Experiments in France and Britain among hospital patients have shown that post-operative scars heal rapidly when honey is used as a dressing. Why this should be so is still unclear, but it’s thought the acid in honey retards bacterial growth, while its moistureattracting properties dehydrate bacterial cells.

Honey also releases hydrogen peroxide, the same antibacterial found in bleach. Manuka honey in particular is used in registered wound-care products in some hospitals, and beats off-the-shelf antiseptic cream.

Beyond food, people have been using honey as a natural medicine since the earliest civilisations.

Mother always said honey was good for a sore throat, and she was right about that. For a sore throat, a spoonful of honey taken every few hours can alleviate symptoms. Apart from containing antibacterial substances, honey can also soothe all manner of other inflammations. Research shows that the potent anti-inflammatory activity of honey can counteract gastritis, an inflammation in the stomach, as well as stomach ulcers.

Scientists at Cardiff Metropolitan University in Wales have just published evidence that honey can treat infections that don’t respond to regular antibiotic treatments, and it is especially good at destroying skin bacteria. Bacteria often form a biofilm over wounds, preventing the action of drugs and promoting further infection. Certain types of honey not only break up the biofilm but prevent bacteria sticking to the wound. This is an important find because some bacteria have become resistant to regular antibiotics and are an increasing problem in hospitals and nursing homes.

On another serious matter, crude honey is a promising candidate for colon cancer prevention thanks to its phenolic compounds.

Phenols are potent antioxidants that appear to have protective effects on various types of cancer, as well rheumatoid diseases.

Manuka honey is currently being trialled in New Zealand for its effects on skin cancer and, in Israel, dosing cancer patients with honey has alleviated the side effects of chemotherapy.

There is plenty of power, it seems, in this age-old favourite food.

asante | November – January 2014

| 35

Apiculture (the art of honey beekeeping) has been practiced in Uganda for at least 200 years. The sector contributes to the Ugandan economy in a number of ways:

In addition to the best-known primary products of beekeeping – honey and wax – propolis is marketed by health food stores as a traditional medicine that has a beneficial effect on human health.

Despite its high income generation ability, apiculture has been largely a non-commercial enterprise in Uganda, though this is now changing. Exports depend on good processing and stringent quality testing and this is a market that is beginning to bear fruit.

The promotion of cooperatives and marketing associations has helped producers to meet the rigorous standards of the world market by improving the quality and quantity of honey supplied.

There is huge potential within Uganda for honey sales and also for the exploitation of the product to the wider markets of East and Central Africa.

East West Innovations Uganda Limited (EWI) began its operations in Uganda in 2001 with the aim of developing the Uganda Honey trade as a viable supplement income for the Ugandan farmers, with sustainable beekeeping as its modus operandi.

Today, EWI is a recognised source for providing pure, unadulterated honey. Every batch of honey harvested has met the rigorous European honey legislation and the Commission’s Food Safety standard, the company claims. Over the years EWI have maintained standards through continuous effort to educate and train local beekeepers.

My Honey Boutique – a first in Uganda – sells pure certified honey and is a one-stop shop for all honey related products.

My Honey Boutique offers a variety of honey related products ranging from honey for daily consumption to attractive honey gift packs for special occasions. In the future, the boutique will also offer other honey by-products like bee pollen, royal jelly and propolis.

Bee Natural Uganda Limited started business in April 2008 after an investment buyout of a previous company. Their main area of operation is the West Nile region which includes the districts of Arua, Nebbi, Yumbe, Moyo, Koboko and Adjumani. The Ediofe Mission Centre in Arua is the location of their modern processing plant. Control of quality is achieved by working with the registered 1,200 beekeepers who are clustered into groups of 15. The factory employees are mainly women (70 per cent) who come from a low educational background.

The company produces what it claims is the best known honey in the East Africa region, with control of 70 per cent of the market in Uganda and the second fastest selling honey in Kenya.

Malaika Honey employs local Ugandans and works with rural farmers, empowering them to escape poverty as well as develop both an economically and environmentally sustainable industry.

The company aims to eradicate poverty in rural communities through beekeeping. Toward this end, they focus on working with rural farmers in training and encouraging them to build long-term trade relationships.

The costs of investing in beekeeping are minimal not needing a lot of land as bees roam freely and feed themselves. Aside from the initial outlay of beehives and beekeeping equipment, swarms can be attracted to the hive by appropriate baiting and maintenance involves weekly attention only.

Integrated farming with beekeeping provides a rich nectar source for bees and increasing crop yields through pollination, creating eco-friendly income generation. Seventy per cent of all agricultural food stocks are pollinated by bees.

The Uganda Honey Beekeepers Association (UHA) has developed a ‘training model’ to be used to train bee farmers in Uganda based on the African bee races (Apis Mellifera) only.

It is aimed at increasing the purchasing power of household (and reduction) of poverty in rural areas by encouraging, sensitising and training them in modern practices of Apiculture, applying basic scientific methods, in order to promote the production of high quality hive products sustainably, that can meet current demands of local and international markets.

It is also intended to lay a foundation for greater skills development in Apiculture for the rural communities through training programmes.

The model will help the ‘training team’ know the skills level of participants in the training programme ahead of time, as they become exposed to further knowledge in this field.

Finally, a word of caution. A recent study by The Uganda National Apiculture Development Organisation indicates that some of the highly circulated honey on the local market is not only substandard but fake, with additives like sugar and other unidentified contents.

According to Uganda National Bureau of Standards most of the honey brands on the market are not certified.

Mr. Dickson Biryomumaisho, The Uganda National Apiculture Development Organisation, executive director, said while most consumers are driven by low prices while purchasing the commodity they were at the risk of buying fake honey. You have been warned!

"Vantage Award Winner - Medium Taxpayers 2012/2013"

asante | November – January 2014

| 37

wildlife

Photos Š Duncan Willetts/Camerapix Limited

The Jaws of Africa Up to five metres in length, the crocodile is a design success story; it is little changed from the creature that terrorised primaeval swamps millions of years ago.

38 |

There are few places on earth where you can see living dinosaurs, but East Africa has plenty of them, says James Michael Dorsey.

asante | November – January 2014

wildlife

C

rocodylus Niloticus (from the Greek, kroko, meaning pebble, and delios, meaning man), commonly known as the Nile crocodile, is the second largest reptile on earth after the saltwater crocodile, and most scientists agree it is basically the same animal that lived side-by-side with T-rex and the Stegosaurus several million years ago. They are first mentioned in writing by the Greek historian, Herodotus, around 440 BC and are known to have been

worshiped in ancient Egypt where their mummified remains have been found in tombs.

It might not be commonly known that this apex predator – responsible for up to 200 human deaths per year in East Africa – is also a very social animal that shares basking spots, food sources and nurturing of its young, and observes a strict hierarchy that determines its behaviour in groups. So here are some interesting facts that will hopefully enlighten and entertain: Crocodiles live 75-100 years in the wild and reach sexual maturity around age 10. They come into this world from an egg the mother buries in the sand about two months after mating and, following a brief three-month gestation, the hatchlings will issue a high pitched chirp that tells mother it is time to use her tongue and upper palate to crack the eggs and allow the 300 millimetres (12-inch) youngsters to exit.

asante | November – January 2014

| 39

In a frenzy of feeding activity, a crocodile demolishes a zebra unfortunate enough to stray too close.

The crocodile cannot chew; instead, it clamps its jaws on its victim’s body and spins to tear off chunks of flesh.

Unlike most creatures whose sex is determined by genetics, the

of green and yellow on their flanks and bellies. They are armoured

crocodile’s sex is determined by temperature averages in mid

with a tough, scaly hide that has rows of scutes (ossified bony plates)

incubation. Males are born when the temperature in the egg in

running down their back into their tails. The eyes, nose and ears

the nest is below 31.7°C (89F) or above 34.5°C (94F). All other

are all located on top of the head, allowing it to stealthily approach

hatchlings are females.

its prey while almost completely submerged in the water. Their eyes have membranes that allow them to see underwater and

The young crocs that like to inhabit rivers, lakes and swamps, will

cleanse their eyes with tears through lachrymal glands.

grow about a foot per year and be carried inside the mother’s mouth or on her back for the first two years to protect them from

Crocodiles have a four-chambered heart, similar to birds, that allows

other predators such as their older fellow crocs. There is a social

efficient oxygenation of the blood, so while they normally dive

hierarchy that is strictly adhered to where older males dominate

for only a few minutes, they can stay underwater for half an hour

with first rights to food and basking spots. If younger or smaller

and – if inactive – as long as two hours. Their skin has a number

males intrude on this territory the results are often bloody if

of sense organs that science has only recently discovered that

not fatal for the smaller ones.

react to changes in water pressure. They also have excellent eyesight and a vocal range that includes numerous sounds.

Adults average four and half to five metres in length (13-16 feet) and weigh about 410 kilogrammes (900 pounds) but it is not uncommon

These quadrupeds have short, splayed legs that normally require

to find an occasional giant of six to seven metres (21 feet) that can

them to crawl along on their stomach but they are also capable of

weigh in at 850 kilogrammes (200 pounds). Crocs have beautiful

a high walk with trunks off the ground and can exhibit bursts of

emerald green eyes and their body colouration varies dependent on

speed as high as 12-14 kilometres per hour (seven to nine metres

adaptation to their local environment, from dull brown to shades

per hour), allowing them to outrun a man for a short distance.

40 |

asante | November – January 2014

Their mouth has 64-68 cone-shaped teeth and is capable of a bite force in excess of 227 kilogrammes (500 pounds) per square foot, making them capable of breaking a rock with their jaws, but surprisingly enough the muscles that open their mouth are so weak a man can easily hold their jaws shut if given the opportunity. If you see a croc with its mouth open, that is a good sign because it means it is sleeping and that is how it passes off internal body heat through its tongue. It prefers to hunt from ambush where it is willing to lie motionless for hours, or days, to put its chosen prey at ease, and often approaches from underwater or springing from shore to attack with lightning quickness. Its teeth are designed to hold rather than tear and they will usually take their victim quickly underwater, rolling with it in their mouth to disorient and drown it.

They often then stuff the victim under a submerged tree or rock and return days later to eat from the carcass.

One of the most spectacular locations to watch crocodiles hunting is along the Mara River that flows through both Tanzania and Kenya. During the annual wildebeest migration tens of thousands of animals cross this river and hundreds of crocs line the shores eager to take them down. It is a primaeval struggle at its base level to watch both predator and prey dance in this amazing mass hunt of death.

On rare occasions they have been observed in swarm attacks on much larger animals such as hippos or rhinos, and even Cape buffalo. They will eat almost anything, including birds, reptiles,

to strip it of parasites and operating with complete immunity,

mammals, man, and their fellow crocs. With all this ferocity there

but no scientific evidence has been found to support this.

is a common folk legend that the crocodile maintains a symbiotic relationship with the Egyptian Plover, a tiny bird that lives on insects

Current estimates of their numbers in East Africa vary but may

and parasites and is credited with entering the mouth of crocodiles

be as high as half a million animals. They are often hunted for both food and their skins by local people as part of their cultural heritage but a great many fall victim to poachers, particularly for their skins that command high prices on the black market to be turned into shoes, boots, belts and even jackets and hats. The Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature

Photo Š David Pluth /Camerapix Limited

that tracks species on the verge of extinction lists the Nile crocodile as of least concern, but CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) lists them as threatened.

Anyone who has ever seen these animals up close know them to be at once frightening and awesome, prehistoric and majestic: a part of the world that passed eons ago leaving behind a living, breathing, memory of what life was like when dinosaurs ruled the planet.

asante | November – January 2014

| 41

fiction

By Anne Kirya.

A Garden Party E

ating meat was a sort of tradition with my family: ribs, steak, goat, chicken, rabbit, liver and everything else, particularly if it could be roasted over a flame. I think if anyone had dared to embrace any vegan or vegetarian ideas they would have been regarded with

contempt, and if they did they must have kept it to themselves. It would have been as out of place as wearing sack cloth to a wedding.

I am the second and last-born child of my mother. It is actually difficult to place my birth order in the overall family tree because I have very many siblings.

My father had five wives (that we knew of) resulting in numerous children.

All in all we were about 20, possibly more. It was possible that even my father had lost count of the strength of his offspring. Some people said that some of my other mothers introduced children who were not related to us and claimed they were my father’s children. That would not have been hard to believe. We really were that many.

42 |

asante | November – January 2014

fiction

This particular barbecue was to celebrate the birth of a new

I missed her and when she came back I would live with her for a

member of the family. My many mothers purported to get along but

while before her love and the presence of my sister would eventually

in truth some despised each other for stealing my dad’s affection.

overwhelm me. I would soon return to my father’s home. I was

Magda, the first wife, really hated Najji the second and would not

content to have her in the same country as me.

eat anything she offered her. They were always the first at these barbecues to ensure that their food was not touched by the other.

Today, it was hard to tell whose birth we were celebrating. Was it a

In truth, attempts of poisoning were unlikely because as I said we

grandchild or one of my father’s? Yes, this was still possible with him

were so many. It was likely that you would end up pouring the

even though he was 70 plus years old. A few of my other siblings

poison in your own dish.

showed up a day earlier to oversee things. This was unnecessary because my father hired a competent staff but I did not tell

My mother, Gabriella, was the third wife. She was the youngest

them and I did not stand in their way.

although there were other women after her. Such was my father’s prowess that he did not fall in love with his women based on their

So this morning I woke up and put on a decent dress and waited

youth. Being young, my mother considered herself above all the

for the drama to unfold. One by one the mothers came in, Magda

dramatics of these gatherings and she was the only one who missed

and Najji within minutes of each other.

them on occasion. There was one almost every three months, so one could afford to miss. But my

Mothers are always excited about a new life.

mothers kept coming, even the last two, Jolene

They are happy; they want to carry the child

and Kata, who had ended up bonding over father’s neglect of their children. He may have neglected them but not his children.

I am not defending him; rather, I feel there is nothing to defend. He had chosen polygamy and his women had allowed it. I lived with him, a couple of my other brothers and sisters did too on occasion but I seemed to be the only permanent fixture. It even took him a while to realise that I was almost always there.

Mothers are always excited about a new life.

They are happy; they want to carry the child and wish blessings and whisper prayers to the gods.

and wish blessings and whisper prayers to the gods. They sing and dance and hug each other.

This transformation between Magda and Najji in particular always amuses us. It is like they forget that they dislike each other. A few sips of alcohol, however, and they will be at opposite ends of the courtyard trying not to sneer.

More of my siblings arrive. We all get along.

And the older siblings treat me like a baby even though I am not the youngest in this group.

I think my youth is reinforced by the fact that I

He had built a large house for his children but most

live here with my father. They carry me and toss

of them chose to stay with their mothers, so it was usually empty.

me about and then hand me their children. They then sniff my cup

It was comfortable. He was always there. The children were free to

which has a straw in it and smilingly remove the children from me.

come and go as they pleased but few came. He had become used to the solace. Sometimes I ate with him but most times I did not. We

At the start of such a day I have a hearty breakfast and add a little

existed much like university roommates with two opposing schedules.

gin to a lot of juice. As the day gets brighter and more brilliant so

We bumped into each other, but not often and not for too long.

does my brain and its ability to cope with this crowd. The tiny doses of gin keep me on the up and up. I like what things look like by

My mother was almost always away on her travels. She did not

about 2pm.

neglect me, in fact she always begged me without fail to travel with her. I thought she would tire of being turned down but she did not.

As the meats are on the roast, and the sun is shining, everyone

I had believed that she was only asking me as a courtesy but I found

looks happy. The scene is like a market place with presents being

she really meant it. She resented my father, she told him, for having

given to the new parents and some people simply exchanging gifts.

me without having to ask for my time.

The children give their other mothers colourful scarves and cloth

asante | November – January 2014

| 43

to tailor dresses and the mothers dance like this is a gift

seriously and views her relationship with my father

from a child of their flesh. It can only be understood by

as simply having been a passage to us.

an insider. The rivalry does not extend to the children.

When the first two wives discovered the third, they Today my mother is here because she too rejoices in the

first banded together in their shared disgrace. “Have

birth of a new life. She is dressed in a short dress and

you heard about the young girl who has now stolen

high boots and looks quite classy. She scoops me onto

your husband?” Magda asked Najji. “Anyway, you

her lap and I do not squirm away in embarrassment. I am

stole him also”. Magda had the luxury of flippancy;

20 and far too old for this but no one bats an eyelid. It is

she was the only one who had ever had him to

commonplace here; my older siblings were doing the same

herself. But my mother wasn’t around often enough

thing to me just minutes ago.

to be targeted.

--------

So when the next two women were discovered it was with a cynical grin that Magda and Najji welcomed

Magda met my father when they were both very young.

them. With my father, no woman was number one

She did not marry him for love. It is said he chased her

for too long. However, it was clear that he had a hold

and she gave in knowing it was better to be with someone

over most of them because they kept having children.

who loved you more than you loved them. This is why

Two of my siblings share a birthday.

it was all the more shocking when a few years later she heard rumours of a very light skinned belle fooling about

-------

with her now wealthy husband.

Seeing Magda and Najji here today, carrying the new She said it was the secrecy that hurt her more than

baby and wishing blessings on her, no one would

anything. She said Najji stole his love from her. The two

ever tell that their history was once bitter. We help

were bitter rivals, with Magda threatening to leave my

ourselves to the meats and alcohol with the music

father. He claimed he loved them both and told each

playing in the background of our conversation,

woman in turn that he could not live without her. He had

conversation which spikes here and there, with some

a home with each and lived there in turns. But the fighting

forming tiny groups only for them to be broken up

became so bad that he had to move out and build a house

by wild derisive laughter. Someone has probably

just for himself. He still provided for his women and their

shared a risqué joke.

children and they took the money begrudgingly. He did not wait for them to ask, he simply sent them money.

Children are crying and being picked up by somebody or other. A bottle is breaking, the flame hisses as a

Unbeknown to them, though, he had sought solace in

piece of fat drops in, those three are gossiping over

my mother. She was a young ‘independent’ woman who

there. The little boy has pulled down his pants to

was not looking for a husband. She claims not to know

relieve himself in front of everyone. His father tells

how she gave in to him. ‘Maybe I wanted you two more

him to stop it and takes him to the loo.

than I knew’ she says when we ask her, holding a cigarette in her hand. I wish she would give the smoking up. She

Amidst all of this my father walks out of the house. He

says when she was pregnant with us she could not even

is barely noticed – a small man with a now bent back.

stand the sight of a cigarette but the cravings returned

He does not command respect and his presence does

the moment each of us was delivered. She takes nothing

not ripple. He however, has given rise to all of this

44 |

asante | November – January 2014

.

Asante News

Image matters

The Chui’s have done it – Again!

There was great joy and celebrations when Mr. Chris Modigell, General Manager and cul tures, ri ch a nd va ri e d wi l dl i fe.

Mr. Karan Ubhi, Director of Leopard Beach Resort & Spa were called on stage during These book s mak e y our rea di ng a rea l a dv e nture . Ca me ra pi x de di c a t i o n t o exc el l en c e i s dis played in t he qua l i ty of i ts photogra phy, wri ti ng a nd the fi n i sh ed produ c t . the 20th Annual World Travel Awards Gala Ceremony 2013, held at the Safari Park Hotel Camerapix als o offers desi gni ng & hi gh re sol uti on sca nni ng se r vi c es equ i pp ed w i t h in Nairobi on 16 October 2013. s t at e-of-t he- ar t equi pme nt a nd e xpe ri ence d te a m of cre a t i ve d esi gn ers.

Camerapix Publishers Inte rna ti ona l ha s bui l t a n i nte rna ti o n a l rep u t a t i on for it s grow ing range of qua l i ty books & ma ga zi nes on stunni ng l a n dsc a pe s, c ol ou r f u l

Camerapix Publishers International since 1963, has built an international reputation for its growing range of quality books & magazines on stunning landscapes, colourful cultures, rich and varied wildlife.

These books make your reading a real adventure.

PO Box 45048, 00100 GPO, Nairobi, Kenya | Tel: +254 20 4448923/4/5 | Fax: +254 20 4448818 or 4441021 Camerapix dedication to excellence displayed in the E-mail: creative@camerapix.co.ke | Website: is www.camerapixpublishers.com quality of its photography, writing and the finished product. publishing • copy writing • graphic design • hi-res scanning • image library • book distribution

Camerapix also offers designing & high resolution scanning services equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and experienced team of creative designers.

gpv issue08.indd 3

PO Box 45048, 00100 GPO, Nairobi, Kenya Tel: +254 20 4448923/4/5 | Fax: +254 20 4448818 or 4441021 Email: creative@camerapix.co.ke | Website: www.camerapixpublishers.com

publishing • copy writing • graphic design hi-res scanning • image library • book distribution

This exceptional evening was part of a yearlong quest to determine the most outstanding hospitality brands worldwide, across six continents and involving over 9.000 nominees. . . . and among the winners are LEOPARD BEACH RESORT AS THE LEADING RESORT IN KENYA (for the 2nd year running having previously been voted for twice as the leading Beach Resort) and as an even bigger surprise out of 12 nominees the UZURI SPA at Leopard Beach Resort was awarded and recognized as AFRICA’S LEADING SPA RESORT. 3

9/6/06 12:54:22 PM

The highlight of the Leopard Beach Resort’s quest for the best Award celebrations took place on Mashujaa Day by hosting a Beach BBQ Party for all Hotel guests and the Management team.

asante | November – January 2014

| 45

lifestyle

Table Manners Business Dining Etiquette

By Brian Johnston.

A

wit once said that on the continent of Europe people have good food; in England people have good table manners. The wit in question, George Mikes, was English himself, and you can’t help feeling he was rather pleased about this state of affairs. Good manners have always impressed people more than fine food. I imagine the French revolutionaries were more upset by Marie Antoinette’s tone of voice when she told them to eat cake, than by what she was offering.

Sitting down to dine with others has important symbolism in all societies, and if you misunderstand the rules of good table manners you may find yourself in trouble. That’s even more true if you travel on business, since the good will of your business partners may depend on you doing the right thing in the restaurant or private home.

A Chinese slurping his soup while being hosted in East Africa could well create a poor impression, but a Chinese slurping his soup in China is actually showing appreciation. Asians also ‘inhale’ their soup and noodles in order to cool them as they eat.

The first hurdle faced by anyone dining in a foreign land is to know what you are going to eat with. In East Africa, you hold a spoon or fork in your right hand while dining. In less

46 |

asante | November – January 2014

formal situations, eating with your hands is considered quite acceptable. Throughout Africa, food is traditionally eaten using the fingers, but only those of the right hand. If you’re eating from a communal bowl, beware plunging your left hand into it – this is considered unclean. On a visit to South Africa, you may be invited to a colleague’s house for a braai (barbecue) during which you can also use your hands.

If you’re visiting eastern Asia then some prior practice with chopsticks is advisable, but even the most inept effort will be greeted with approval by your host – dropping your chopsticks is a warning of bad luck to come. Pointing with them is considered poor manners, just like pointing with a knife or fork in the West.

Incidentally, don’t thrust your chopsticks into your bowl of rice during a pause; this is a symbol of death and a typical feature at funeral banquets, and it may well be your business contract that gets laid to rest. Chopsticks should be laid horizontally across the bowl, or on a chopstick rest.

Spare a thought for those travelling to Western countries, where the use of cutlery is a far more baffling process. Not only do you have to know what order to use them in (work inwards) but how to manipulate them (spoon your soup away from yourself), what to

lifestyle

eat with them (sandwiches in Norway, for example), and what hand to hold them in. In South America and Europe the fork is held in the left hand, the knife in the right.

Ineptness with strange utensils might be tolerated, but if there’s one thing you don’t want to appear to your new-found business friends, it would be greed. A business meal, after all, is more about business then the food. The best bet is to follow your hosts: if they eat sparingly and refuse a second helping, you should as well. But in many societies you’ll be positively encouraged to indulge in seconds.

In Italy, Russia and Egypt, for example, a sparing first serving is recommended, since you can be sure there will be more to follow.

In Arab societies, abundant food is also a sign of hospitality. Indeed, if you empty your plate in the Middle East it will be assumed you haven’t had ample sustenance, and it will be endlessly refilled – much to the consternation of many a German, British or American visitor, who has been taught to ‘clear their plates’. Throughout the Middle East, as well as South America, the Mediterranean and Russia, a small amount left on the plate is an indication you’ve had enough.

In an effort not to appear greedy, the custom in Asia is to politely decline food the first time it’s offered, and then accept it the second time if so desired. This may cause offence to a Western host, who feels he or she has gone to a lot of time and trouble to prepare something, only to have it rejected. Westerners take any offer of food at its face value, and don’t expect to be asked again if they’ve refused first time round. Nor will a Western host offer again for fear of being pushy – much to the consternation of many an unsuspecting (and hungry) Asian guest.

In Japan, consideration is shown by pouring your neighbour’s wine, tea, and soy sauce. Polite people never pour their own drinks in Japan, so your neighbour will go thirsty if you aren’t aware of this rule of etiquette.

Throughout Africa, hosts may be offended if you refuse the drink they have offered. In Nigeria, tea is offered in three increasingly sweet rounds to signify the development of a friendship, so a cup should always be accepted. In Kenya, you can expect your cup of tea to be endlessly refilled once the level sinks, and you should take small sips out of politeness. Incidentally, you should not start drinking or eating in East Africa until the eldest man in your group has started doing so himself.

Whether or not you should talk business over an evening meal is somewhat difficult territory. In Japan some subtle questioning about business can actually be quite useful, since the Japanese will often say what they think during the conviviality of a meal, something they might not do in a formal meeting. In East Africa, business is

often discussed over a meal, but usually only once the participants know each other, so it’s usually best to take your clue from your East African colleagues. On the other hand, Middle Eastern and North African people, Thais and even Scandinavians would find business discussions inappropriate. The Chinese, Taiwanese and Singaporeans are far more interested in talking about the food, though business might get a passing mention. Not so in Korea, however, where it’s thought that too much chattering shows a lack of respect for the meal. Eating in Korea is a fairly quiet affair, and you shouldn’t be disturbed by lengthy silences.

When the meal finally draws to a close – heralded by soup or fruit in Asia, dessert in Western countries – you might well think it’s time to relax. Then comes the delicate issue of the bill. There is one easy rule: no Asian or Middle Eastern guest would consider ‘going Dutch’ at any shared meal, and particularly not a business meal. The person who sends out the invitations pays the bill, and if it isn’t clear exactly where the invitation originated then the most senior person pays.

Westerners may feel stingy not offering to contribute, but pulling out a wallet will only cause offence, as if indicating a spurning of the hospitality offered.

And talking of hospitality, whether the get-together moves on to another location after the meal is another cross-cultural confusion. Take the Philippines, for example: locals will probably hope to continue the festivities at the disco or karaoke bar.

By then, however, you’ll have negotiated the mine field of table manners and feel relaxed enough to deal with anything – even your Filipino host’s rendition of New York.

technology

How

Techies See Us

F

or those of us who use computers without understanding how they work, the world of information technology is a land of alarming acronyms and stupefying systems.

One of the most common cries for help in today’s office has to be ‘What’s the number for IT?’ as a 10-page report suddenly vanishes from another victim’s screen.

But while IT experts are able to deal with the numerous technical glitches that come up, they’re not superhuman as some of their colleagues seem to think as revealed in a new survey detailing the ridiculous scenarios they are presented with on a daily basis. Can you recognise yourself in one of them?

An overwhelming amount of techies said they have received complaints from office workers who didn’t realise their computer won’t work without power. In one case, the worker became so frustrated that he destroyed his machine, not realising it simply needed to be plugged in.

Spills do happen, but it’s one thing that drives techies to distraction.

Coffee, water and soft drinks are the most likely culprits and there several reports of techies discovering that the CD/DVD tray had been turned into a coffee cup holder.

Scant regard for security also causes severe headaches. How many of us are in the habit of sticking passwords to monitors and using “password” as a password? One testy techie even reported the case of a colleague who posted their user name and password on a social network to “see how many people would steal it”.

Downloading destructive viruses is another regular and easily preventable problem. One worker said he opened an email he knew was a virus “just to see what would happen”. Another repeatedly clicked on the same pop-up ad, installing a virus that had already been removed from their machine on numerous occasions, while yet another user tried to download and install forbidden software, completely erasing the contents of the hard drive in the process.

48 |

asante | November – January 2014

Deleting essential files and data to make room on an alreadyspacious hard drive is another move guaranteed to make techies mad. A depressing number of those surveyed said the files deleted were often actually drivers that the computer needed to run.

The survey by GFI software also unearthed a number of amusing ways to use a mouse. Pointing it at the screen and clicking as a substitute remote control is a favourite faux pas.

Talking to machines is also regularly witnessed with one worker explaining they spoke “to a PC because the sign under the screen said ‘If you have problems with your computer speak to IT’.”

Little wonder then that the researchers discovered 69% of IT administrators have considered switching careers due to stress in the workplace.

Dealing with managers, end users, and tight deadlines were cited as the biggest contributors to rising stress levels, combined with long unpaid overtime, with a third working an extra 12 weeks a year without pay.

Management is the biggest source of stress for 36% of those surveyed, while IT users accounted for 21% and tight deadlines were responsible for 15%.

And in an echo of the stereotyped techie, experts pay a heavy price on the emotional front with 42% reporting that work has made them miss out on social functions, 36% blaming it for a lack of time with the kids, just under a third saying they’ve had to cancel commitments with friends or family because of office demands and one in five revealing that work has strained or ended a relationship with a close friend or loved one.

So spare a thought for the beleaguered IT crowd – and failing that, try not to water your computer.

JOURNEY THROUGH

TANZANIA

TANZANIA

Uganda’s Land of Warrior Nomads

MOHAMED AMIN Long acknowledged Africa’s greatest photographer cameraman, the late Mohamed Amin recorded and filmed the major events of Africa, Asia and the Middle East from the late 1950s until his untimely death in 1996.

He was awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II in Britain’s 1992 honours to add to the many coveted individual awards he holds, including the University of California’s Theodore E. Kruglak Special Award, the USA George Polk Award, Overseas Press Club of America Award, Britain’s Valiant for Truth Award, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award, the Royal Television Society’s Judge’s Award, and the Guild of Television ‘Cameramen’s Cameraman‘ award.

Mohamed Amin was born in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1943, and was the chief executive of Camerapix group of television and publishing companies based in Nairobi. He was also the Africa bureau chief of Reuters Television, the world’s largest television news agency.

A fellow of Britain’s Royal Geographical Society, he also held one of Pakistan’s highest civil honours — the TamghaiImtiaz — and in 1994 the President of Kenya honoured him with the Order of the Grand Warrior..

His books include Pilgrimage to Mecca (1978), Mecca (1980), Cradle of Mankind (1981), Run Rhino Run (1982), Ivory Crisis (1983), Portraits of Africa (1983), Railway across the Equator (1986), Defenders of Pakistan (1988), and others with Duncan Willetts (see below).

JOURNEY THROUGH

KARAMOJA

Beauty Series

Journey through Series

General Interest books

AMIN • WILLETTS • MARSHALL

DUNCAN WILLETTS One of Africa and Europe’s major creative photographers Duncan Willetts was born in England in 1945. A regular contributor to Time-Life, Newsweek, and other major magazines and newspapers around the world, his books with Mohamed Amin include Journey through Pakistan, Journey through Kenya, Journey through Tanzania, Karachi, The Last of the Maasai, Railway Across the Equator, Journey through Nepal, Lahore, Kenya: The Magic Land, Roof of the World, Journey through Zimbabwe, On God’s Mountain: the story of Mount Kenya, Pakistan: From Mountains to Sea, Journey through Maldives, Journey through Namibia, Journey through Jordan, Journey through Seychelles and Spectrum Guides to African Wildlife Safaris, Kenya, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Seychelles, Tanzania, Maldives, Namibia, Jordan, South Africa and Ethiopia.

MOHAMED AMIN • DUNCAN WILLETTS • PETER MARSHALL

PETER MARSHALL He is a widely-travelled writer. After leaving the Merchant Navy, he took a doctorate and taught philosophy at the University of London. He has lived in Senegal and visited Tanzania many times. His writing about the African continent has appeared in Africa Guide, Africa Report, The Guardian, New Society, New Internationalist, the The Traveller. He has two children and lives in the mountains of North Wales.

PHILIP BRIGGS Philip Briggs is a travel and environmental writer specialising in Africa. Born in Britain and raised in South Africa, he has backpacked through many African countries, researching editions of the Bradt Guides, returning regularly to update his material. He has also led wildlife and bird watching tours. He is the author of a dozen travel guides, Journey through Uganda, with photographer David Pluth, and the spectacular coffeetable book, Africa: Continent of Contrasts in collaboration with photographers Martin Harvey and Ariadne Van Zandbergen.

He has contributed more than 100 magazine features to the likes of Wanderlust, BBC Wildlife, Travel Africa, Africa Geographic and Africa Birds and Birding. For Journey through Kenya (which was first published in 1982) Philip carried out major revisions and updates to Brian Tetley’s original text, bringing the book completely up to date.

Maps

T

anzania ia a land of rare beauty. Bordered by shimmering lakes and the Indian Ocean, it is East Africa’s largest nation, half the size of Western Europe. It’s natural treasures are unique: snow-capped Kilimanjaro. Africa’s highest mountain: Lake Tanganyika, it’s longest and deepest lake: Lake Victoria, the world’s second largest lake; and Ngorongoro, it’s largest unbroken crater. Here too in the mighty Selous and the endless Serengeti wildlife sanctuaries roam the last of the great herds of African game. And then there are 500 miles of palm-fringed tropical coastline with the green islands of Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia.

Although Tanzania is a new nation, it has a rich and ancient past. Fossils in Olduvai Gorge suggest that it was the home of the first race of men on earth. For thousands of years, it was a wealthy trading-centre in the Indian Ocean: a powerful and great Islamic civilization arose along the coast which built beautiful stone cities and gave birth to the Kiswahili language. After the early travellers — Livingstone, Burton, Speke, Rebmann and Krapf — came German and then British settlers who helped develop the country’s rich potential.

Tanzania today is a fruitful and creative meeting-point of African, Arab, Asian and European cultures whose varied influences live on in it’s religion, customs, languages and architecture. Upright and confident, it is a dynamic nation forging a distinctive style of its own. It’s original and independent path of development has moreover made it one of the most closely observed countries in Africa.

Peter Marshall, with photographers Mohamed Amin and Duncan Willetts, has captured the essence of this breath-taking country in a book as handsome as the subject it portrays.

Other titles in this series: Journey through Ethiopia Journey through Jordan Journey through Kenya Journey through Maldives Journey through Namibia Journey through Nepal Journey through Pakistan Journey through Seychelles Journey through Uganda Journey through Zimbabwe

Jacket photographs: (front) Giraffe, Serengeti National Park ................; (back) Ngorongoro Crater.........

Photography by David Pluth Stories by Sylvester Onyang and Jeremy O’Kasick Price: UK£34.99

PO Box 45048, 00100 GPO, Nairobi, Kenya

JT TZ cvr opt2.indd 1

PHILIP BRIGGS Philip Briggs is a travel and environmental writer specialising in Africa. Born in Britain and raised in South Africa, he has backpacked through many African countries, researching editions of the Bradt Guides, returning regularly to update his material. He has also led wildlife and bird watching tours. He is the author of a dozen travel guides, Journey through Uganda, with photographer David Pluth, and the spectacular coffeetable book, Africa: Continent of Contrasts in collaboration with photographers Martin Harvey and Ariadne Van Zandbergen.

He has contributed more than 100 magazine features to the likes of Wanderlust, BBC Wildlife, Travel Africa, Africa Geographic and Africa Birds and Birding. For Journey through Kenya (which was first published in 1982) Philip carried out major revisions and updates to Brian Tetley’s original text, bringing the book completely up to date.

PO Box 45048, 00100 GPO, Nairobi, Kenya

jt kenya cvr final.indd 1

AMIN • WILLETTS • TETLEY

BRIAN TETLEY Born in Birmingham, England, in 1934, Brian Tetley was an internationally known travel writer with a keen interest in wildlife and cultures, who worked for many years in Britain’s Fleet Street. He was a popular columnist on Kenya’s Nation newspaper during the late 1960s and worked regularly with Mohamed Amin from 1970 until his death in 1995. He was Editorial Director at Camerapix and wrote the text for Cradle of Mankind, Journey through Kenya, Karachi, Journey through Nepal, Defenders of Pakistan, Mo: Front-line Cameraman, The Roof of The World and On God’s Mountain: the story of Mount Kenya.

KENYA

DUNCAN WILLETTS One of Africa and Europe’s major creative photographers Duncan Willetts was born in England in 1945. A regular contributor to Time-Life, Newsweek, and other major magazines and newspapers around the world, his books with Mohamed Amin include Journey through Pakistan, Journey through Kenya, Journey through Tanzania, Karachi, The Last of the Maasai, Railway Across the Equator, Journey through Nepal, Lahore, Kenya: The Magic Land, Roof of the World, Journey through Zimbabwe, On God’s Mountain: the story of Mount Kenya, Pakistan: From Mountains to Sea, Journey through Maldives, Journey through Namibia, Journey through Jordan, Journey through Seychelles and Spectrum Guides to African Wildlife Safaris, Kenya, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Seychelles, Tanzania, Maldives, Namibia, Jordan, South Africa and Ethiopia.

3/7/11 10:29:18 AM

JOURNEY THROUGH

MOHAMED AMIN Long acknowledged Africa’s greatest photographer cameraman, the late Mohamed Amin recorded and filmed the major events of Africa, Asia and the Middle East from the late 1950s until his untimely death in 1996.

He was awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II in Britain’s 1992 honours to add to the many coveted individual awards he holds, including the University of California’s Theodore E. Kruglak Special Award, the USA George Polk Award, Overseas Press Club of America Award, Britain’s Valiant for Truth Award, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award, the Royal Television Society’s Judge’s Award, and the Guild of Television ‘Cameramen’s Cameraman‘ award.

Mohamed Amin was born in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1943, and was the chief executive of Camerapix group of television and publishing companies based in Nairobi. He was also the Africa bureau chief of Reuters Television, the world’s largest television news agency.

A fellow of Britain’s Royal Geographical Society, he also held one of Pakistan’s highest civil honours — the TamghaiImtiaz — and in 1994 the President of Kenya honoured him with the Order of the Grand Warrior..

His books include Pilgrimage to Mecca (1978), Mecca (1980), Cradle of Mankind (1981), Run Rhino Run (1982), Ivory Crisis (1983), Portraits of Africa (1983), Railway across the Equator (1986), Defenders of Pakistan (1988), and others with Duncan Willetts (see below).

JOURNEY THROUGH

KENYA MOHAMED AMIN • DUNCAN WILLETTS • BRIAN TETLEY

N

ature has been generous to Kenya. Like pearls upon a string its natural wonders spill out across the landscape, from fiery desert to snowcapped tropical peak through volcanoes, inland seas, the mighty Rift Valley itself and finally down to an azure coral coast.

Over this spectacular setting wander the last of the earth’s great concentrations of plains game — the wildebeest and zebra herds, graceful gazelles, elephants, rhinos, buffaloes, stately giraffes and the predators who live on them, the lions, leopards, cheetahs and hyenas.

Many rare species roam in this great natural wilderness, clinging to a tenuous existence.

This ancient land has also recently yielded up invaluable secrets about the origin of mankind itself. Tectonic movements in the earth’s plates have revealed rich treasures of fossil remains, which have helped scientists date the emergence of earliest man.

Overlaid on this garden of Eden is modern Kenya, a country of neat tea plantations, busy factories, skyscrapered city and bustling tourist resorts. Uniformed chauffeurs driving mini-vans to take international businessmen to stare at zebras.

Such contrasts, and the spirit of this remarkable country, are brilliantly captured in Journey through Kenya, a book written and photographed by people who have made their lives there, and illustrated with 150 outstanding colour photographs.

Journey through Kenya is a volume in the Journey series of illustrated books produced by Camerapix Publishers International.

Other titles in this series: Journey through Ethiopia Journey through Jordan Journey through Maldives Journey through Namibia Journey through Nepal Journey through Pakistan Journey through Seychelles Journey through Tanzania Journey through Uganda Journey through Zimbabwe

Jacket photographs: (front) Male lion with flowing patriarchal mane and implacable golden stare; (back) The soft evening sunshine breaks through lowering skies in northern Kenya.

Price: UK£34.99

7/22/10 11:18:53 AM

A New Dawn, a New Journey For a rich exploration into the myriad, exotic and exciting countries, cultures, flora and fauna ...

Here is an Amazing Range of Titles for you!

For more information contact: P.O Box 45048, 00100 GPO Nairobi, Kenya | Tel: +254 (20) 4448923/4/5 | Fax: +254 (20) 4448818 or 4441021 Email: sales@camerapix.co.ke | www.camerapixpublishers.com 50 |

asante | November – January 2014

bookshelf AFTER MANDELA:

The Struggle for Freedom in Post-Apartheid South Africa

by Foster, Douglas A sobering portrait of a country caught between a democratic future and a political meltdown. Recent works have focused primarily on Nelson Mandela’s transcendent story. But Douglas Foster, a leading South Africa authority with early, unprecedented access to President Zuma and to the next generation in the Mandela family, traces the nation’s entire post-apartheid arc, from its celebrated beginnings under Madiba to Thabo Mbeki’s tumultuous rule to the ferocious battle between Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. Foster tells this story not only from the point of view of the emerging black elite but also, drawing on hundreds of rare interviews over a six-year period, from the perspectives of ordinary citizens, including an HIV-infected teenager living outside Johannesburg and a homeless orphan in Cape Town.

Index: 598pp, ISBN: 9780871404787, Hardback

AFRICA IN WORLD POLITICS:

Engaging a Changing Global Order

by Harbeson, John W. & Rothchild, Donald (Eds.) In this fully revised edition top scholars in African politics address the effects that major currents in Africa and world politics have upon each other and explore the ramifications of this interconnection for contemporary theories of international and comparative politics. The fifth edition focuses on engaging a changing world order. The nation-state as we know it is a legacy of European rule in Africa, and the primacy of the nation-state remains the bedrock of most contemporary theories of international relations. Yet in the fifth decade of Africa’s independence, this colonial inheritance has been challenged as never before by state weakness, internal and inter-state conflict, new gains in economic development, large investments by China and other G-20 countries, and internal and external demands for economic and political reform, with potentially far-reaching implications. Including six new chapters on warfare, bilateral versus multilateral peacekeeping, Sudan, the Great Lakes Crisis, China and Africa, this text remains an invaluable resource for students of African and world politics.

Index: 368pp, ISBN: 9780813348452, Paperback

PRINCIPLES OF MEDICINE IN AFRICA

by Mabey, David et al. (Eds.)

It combines classical clinical medicine with a rich understanding of the major environmental and cultural influences on health and disease, providing comprehensive guidance for anyone intending to practise medicine in Africa. Disease is presented in the context of family and culture, and the effects of inequality and problems of limited resources are addressed. The authors have a wealth of experience in front line healthcare and provide practical, evidence-based management guidelines for all the common and less common conditions likely to be encountered. This fourth edition has been thoroughly updated to incorporate the latest research findings and management guidelines. It includes an expanded section on maternal and child health, but careful editing has generated a slimmer volume, whilst retaining all of the essential content.

Index: 928pp, ISBN: 9781107002517, Hardback

Entertainment World

Miley Cyrus holds at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Wrecking Ball.” The song wins a close race with Katy Perry’s former two-week topper “Roar,” which takes over atop the Radio Songs chart. Lorde, meanwhile, climbs to No. 1 on Digital Songs with “Royals,” which remains at No. 3 on the Hot 100.

EAST AFRICA TOP 10 MUSIC Pos

Song

Artist

1

Khadija Remix

Wyre, Juacali

2

Mobimba

P-Unit, Alicious

3

Floss na wewe

Collo, Stl, Mimmo

4

Impanuro

Kidum, Rally Joe

5

Kipepeo

Jaguar

6 7

Size 8 Ringa

Mateke Bobi Mapesa

8

Kiboko Changu

Amani, Radio & Weasel

9

If you believe

Camp Mulla

10

Bring back the noise

Necessary Noise

TOP 10 Ugandan Hiphop Music TOP 10 in the World Chart Music Pos

Song

Artist

Pos

Song

Artist

1

Grace Nakimera

Ntandika

1

Royals

Lorde Love Club

2

Emron Ft Washington

Paapa Godo

2

Roar

Katy Perry

3

Tempted To Touch

Tuff B

3

Wrecking Ball

Miley Cyrus Bangerz

4

Yimuka

Allen Majara

4

Hold On, We’re Going Home

Drake Featuring Majid Jordan

5

Idtwins

Kikula Kyo

5

Wake Me Up!

Avicii

6

Magnetic Remix

Moses Radio And Weasel

6

Holy Grail

Jay Z Featuring Justin Timberlake

Bobi Wine And Mr G

Clean And Out

Blurred Lines

Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. + Pharrell

7

7

8

Ndabirawa

Kalifah Aganaga

8

The Fox

Ylvis

9

Applause

Lady Gaga

9

Nkwagala

Bebe Cool

10

Summertime Sadness

Lana Del Rey & Cedric Gervais

10

Ninga Omuloge

Naava Grey

52 |

asante | November – January 2014

Pain & Gain A trio of bodybuilders in Florida get caught up in an extortion ring and a kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong.

Director: Michael Bay Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie Comedy | Crime | Drama Ratings: ********** 6.5/10

The Internship Two salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital age find their way into a coveted internship at Google, where they must compete with a group of young, tech-savvy geniuses for a shot at employment..

Director: Shawn Levy Stars: Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Rose Byrne Comedy Ratings: ********** 6.3/10

TOP 10 BOX OFFICE Movies Now You See Me An FBI agent and an Interpol detective track a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their performances and reward their audiences with the money.

Director: Louis Leterrier Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Common, Mark Ruffalo Crime | Mystery | Thriller Ratings: ********** 7.2/10

Suits On the run from a drug deal gone bad, Mike Ross, a brilliant college-dropout, finds himself a job working with Harvey Specter, one of New York City’s best lawyers.

Creator: Aaron Korsh Stars: Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Meghan Markle Comedy | Drama Ratings: ********** 8.8/10

2 Guns A DEA agent and a naval intelligence officer find themselves on the run after a botched attempt to infiltrate a drug cartel.

While fleeing, they learn the secret of their shaky alliance: Neither knew that the other was an undercover agent..

Director: Baltasar Kormákur Stars: Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Paula Patton Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller Ratings: ********** 7/10

Breaking Bad To provide for his family’s future after he is diagnosed with lung cancer, a chemistry genius turned high school teacher teams up with an ex-student to cook and sell the world’s purest crystal meth.

Creator: Vince Gilligan Stars: Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul Crime | Drama | Thriller Ratings: ********** 9.5/10

Pos

Song

1

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

Code Cameron, Kris Pearn

Director Dennis Villeneuve

2

Prisoners

3

Rush

Ron Howard

4

Baggage Claim

David E. Talbert

5

Don Jon

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

6 7 8

Insidious: Chapter 2 The Family Instructions Not Included

James Wan Luc Besson Eugenio Derbez

9 10

We’re the Millers Lee Daniels’ The Butler

Rawson Marshall Thurber Lee Daniels

Devious Maids Four Latina maids with ambition and dreams of their own work for the rich and famous in Beverly Hills.

Creator: Marc Cherry Stars: Ana Ortiz, Dania Ramirez, Roselyn Sanchez Comedy | Drama Ratings: ********** 7.3/10

Graceland Somewhere in Southern California, in a drug raid run by the US government, a beachfront property was seized and turned into a residence for undercover cops. They are all top agents of the DEA, FBI, and Customs and they are living in this house unofficially known as “Graceland”. Creator: Jeff Eastin Stars: Daniel Sunjata, Aaron Tveit, Vanessa Ferlito Action | Crime | Drama Ratings: ********** 7.5/10

asante | November – January 2014

| 53

Basic Tips for the Traveller in Uganda Land Uganda is a compact country, with an area of 236,580 square kilometres – roughly the size of Great Britain.

Climate Although situated on the equator, Uganda’s relatively high altitude tempers the heat, and humidity is generally low. Throughout the year sunshine averages about 6 to 10 hours a day. There are two rainy seasons: the main long rains, which start late in February and end in April, and the short rains, which start in October and run until about the middle of December. The region around Lake Victoria, however, receives rain at almost any time of the year.

Topography It is located on the equator, within the eastern plateau region of the African continent and between the eastern and western ridges of the Great Rift Valley. Near the borders several mountain masses stand out strikingly from the plateaux.

Economy Uganda is blessed with fertile soils that support a wide variety of food and export crops, both annual and perennial. Agriculture is the dominant sector of Uganda’s economy. The major traditional export crops are coffee, cotton, tea, horticulture, tobacco and sugar cane, while groundnuts, maize, beans, sorghum and millet have emerged in recent years as cash crops for the peasant farmers.

Language English is the official language and is also the medium of instruction in Uganda’s education system, from primary school up to university level. Swahili is also spoken.

There are some 30 indigenous languages spoken in the rural areas. The most common of these are Luganda and Luo. Electric supply All installations are of British standard and appliances should be fitted with the square, three-pin plugs of British specifications. The voltage is 240 volts, 50 Hz for domestic use. The voltage fluctuates continually, however, and proper surge protectors are advisable for any expensive equipment.

Time Uganda is three hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Time remains constant throughout the year.

People The people are warm, friendly, and full of humour. They are anxious to make friends with visitors and are continually asking guests whether they are comfortable and enjoying themselves. A large number of people speak English.

Excursions Uganda is beginning to develop an excellent tourist infrastructure, with first-rate roads and communication facilities. Uganda’s national game, forest and recreational parks are indeed some of the spectacular showpieces Africa has to offer. They do have regulations regarding off-the-road driving, game watching, and so on, which are clearly stated at the entrance gates of parks or on leaflets supplied by the tourist offices.

Mountaineering safaris to the Ruwenzori Mountains in the western Rift Valley are now becoming a favourite Ugandan expedition. Similar safaris can also be organised to climb Mount Elgon in the east, sharing the border with Kenya.

Hotels There are international-standard hotels in Entebbe, Kampala and Jinja, as well as in many of the smaller towns. Camping, rustic bush camps and guest houses are also available. The Kampala Sheraton, the Serena Kampala, the Grand Imperial, and the Nile Hotel, all in the national’s capital are by the best. There are many other less expensive, but quite nice hotels in the city. Outside Kampala, most towns also have a variety of moderately priced and budget hotels.

Banking hours There is a wide range of banks in Uganda, particularly in Kampala. Their hours are generally from 0830 to 1400 hours on weekdays, and Saturdays from 0830 to 1200 hours. Forex bureaux keep longer hours – 0900 to 1700 hours on weekdays and 0900 to 1300 hours on Saturdays. ATMs are available in the larger cities.

Communications Telephone, telex, fax and airmail services connect Kampala to all parts of the world.

Services are available at the General Post Office and its many branches, as well as in the main hotels. International direct dialling is available and now there are a number of Internet cafes.

Medical services Uganda has good health services, with some good government and private hospitals and clinics in the major cities. Air rescue services are available.

Currency Uganda Shilling (UGX). Notes are in denominations of UGX 50,000, 20,000, 10,000, 5,000 and 1,000. Coins are in denominations of UGX 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1. You can change money at banks and hotels. Although the forex bureaux usually have better exchange rates.

Credit cards International credit cards are accepted in major hotels and shops.

Working hours Shops and businesses are generally open from 0830 to 1730 hours on weekdays, with a lunch break between 1300 and 1400 hours. Some businesses are open on Saturday at least until midday. Small, local shops or kiosks on the side of many roads are generally open much later, until about 2130 hours and on weekends and holidays as well; they stock basic food and household items.

Public Holidays 2014 1 January 26 January 8 March 18 April 21 April 1 May 3 June 9 June 28 July

5 October 9 October 25 December 26 December

New Year’s Day Liberation Day International Women’s Day Good Friday Easter Monday Labour Day Martyrs’ Day National Heroes’ Day Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan) Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) Independence Day Christmas Day Boxing Day

Note:The two Muslim holidays, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates given above are approximate.

Customs Besides personal effects, a visitor may import duty-free spirits (including liquors) or wine up to one litre, perfume and toilet water up to half a litre and 270 grammes of tobacco or 200 cigarettes. Other imported items, not exceeding US$100 may be brought in duty free and without an import licence, provided they are not prohibited or restricted goods, are for personal use, and are not for resale.

Note: A special permit is required to export game trophies.

Health requirements Visitors from areas infected with yellow fever and cholera required certificates on inoculation. All visitors are advised to take an antimalarial prophylactic beginning two weeks before their arrival and continuing for six weeks after their departure.

A gamma globulin injection provides some protection against possible infection by hepatitis and is well worth taking.

Visa and immigration requirements Visa applications may be obtained at Uganda diplomatic missions. Two photographs are required for visas, which are usually issued within 24 hours. Visas are also available at the country’s entry points. Check with the Uganda diplomatic mission in your country if visa is required as some countries are exempted.

Taxi services Taxis are immediately available at Entebbe International Airport. They can also be found outside most hotels in Kampala and at most of the country’s major centres.

All don’t have meters, so make sure the fare is negotiated in advance.

Car rental Several firms operate car hire services in Kampala. Vehicles may be hired with or without driver. For trips outside the city it is possible to hire insured cars appropriate for the trip (a four-wheel-drive vehicle with a driver-translator is recommended).

Entebbe International Airport The main point of entry is Entebbe International Airport, about a 30-minute drive south of the capital, Kampala. Although modest, the modern airport does provide automated passenger facilities, currency exchange, postal services, banking facilities, telephoned, duty-free shops, gift shops and a restaurant and bar.

Security The same rules apply for Kampala as for almost any city anywhere.Be careful and take the usual precautions to safeguard yourself and your belongings. Do not leave valuables in your car. Walking at night in all major centres is reasonably safe.

useful travel tips

1. Make sure you purchase your ticket under the exact name that appears on your passport.

9. Because of the altitude, airplanes can be quite cold (especially the floor). Always take a jacket or sweater with you on the plane and take one of the blankets that the airline provides.

2. Do your own bag checks before you leave home, to avoid getting stopped by security and losing innocent (but sharp) items you forgot were in your bag – hello, nail scissors – Carefully check each piece of luggage at home first.

10. When booking a family holiday, try to book airline seats in advance to ensure that your whole family sits together.

3. Smoking is not permitted on nearly all flights and many airports have restrictions, too. Be prepared to go without a smoke for the whole duration of your trip.

4. Before the flight, make sure you know your flight number (and any others if you are connecting with other flights). Write it down and keep it where you can reach it easily. You will need it to find the counter to check in, to find your gate, to board the aircraft, and to claim your luggage.

5. Certain clothing and accessories can set off an alarm on the metal detector and slow you down.

Avoid wearing clothing, jewellery or other accessories that contain metal when travelling through the security checkpoints.

Pack all your coats and jackets in your baggage where possible. All unpacked coats and jackets must go through the X-ray machine for inspection.

6. The air in the aircraft is dry. Minimize discomfort by drinking reasonable amounts of water and juices. Limit consumption of alcohol, tea, coffee and caffeinated drinks because they cause you to lose fluids.

Wear spectacles instead of contact lenses.

Apply a skin moisturizer.

7. If you’ve missed a connection, don’t stand in line to rebook with a gate agent. Instead, use your cell phone to call the airline’s customerservice number (tuck it in your wallet before leaving). You may speak to someone faster, giving you a better chance at getting a seat on the next flight.

8. If you are flying for a special occasion and plan to carry presents in your hand luggage, don’t forget to check hand luggage restrictions first.

Make sure all presents are permitted in cabin baggage and remember that the liquids in hand luggage rules apply to presents too.

11. Avoid booking flight segments close together. Major airlines consider a connection as tight as 35 minutes to be a valid connection, but this is often not enough time if there are long lines at security!

12. Have a written or typed copy of all passport numbers with issue and expiry dates, and dates of birth of children – so that you do not need to remove your passports or other documents when going through Customs etc. You will then have the information at hand to complete the numerous forms without having to show where you keep your documents 13. When you claim your bag at the airport, check it over before you leave the bag claim area. Look for any new damage on the bag and be sure that it was not opened and something taken. The baggage service desk for the airline is normally at the claim area; this is also true for Customs arrivals. Fill out the misplaced baggage information before leaving Customs.

AIR UGANDA CONTACTS AND OFFICES

Head Office Investment House, 2nd floor, Plot 4, Wampewo Avenue PO Box 36591- Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256 (0) 414 258 262/4 Fax: +256 (0) 414 500 932 Email: info@air-uganda.com Kampala Sales Office Jubilee Insurance Centre, 1st floor Podium Level, Plot 14, Parliament Avenue PO Box 36591- Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256 (0) 412 165 555 / (0) 312 165 555 Fax: +256 (0) 414 258 267 Email: reservations@air-uganda.com Entebbe International Airport (Ticketing Office) Passenger Terminal Building, 2nd floor, Entebbe, Uganda Tel: +256 (0) 414 321 485 / (0) 414 771 722 Mobile: +256 (0) 757 717 531 Email: reservations@air-uganda.com Please Note After working hours: Weekdays (17:45 hrs - 21:00 hrs) Saturday (14:00 hrs - 21:00 hrs) and Sunday (07:30 hrs - 21:00 hrs) Please call our Entebbe ticketing office on Tel: +256 (0) 414 321 485

+256 (0) 417 717 222 for assistance Bujumbura Sales Office AV du 18 Semptembre, Galerie La Perle, Bujumbura, Burundi Tel: +257(0)222 772 62 Mobile: +257 (0) 761 790 00 / (0) 761 830 00 Email: salesbjm@air-uganda.com Kigali Sales Office UTC (Union Trade Centre) Office No. 26 Kigali, Rwanda Tel: +250 (0) 252 577 926 / (0) 252 577 928 Mobile: +250 (0) 782 229 572 Email: saleskigali@air-uganda.com Mogadishu Sales Office Tel: +252 (0) 616 480 315, +252 (0) 699 226 643 Mogadishu, Somalia Email: mogadishu@air-uganda.com

Nairobi Sales Office IPS Building, 10th floor, Kimathi Street, Nairobi, Kenya Tel: +254 (0) 20 313 933/4 Mobile: +254 (0) 735 289 121 / 125 Email: infoke@air-uganda.com Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Sales Office Terminal Building, Unit 1 Tel: +254 (0) 735 289 125 / 130 Email: airport.nbo@air-uganda.com Mombasa Sales Office TSS Towers, 1st floor, Nkrumah Street, Mombasa, Kenya Tel: +254 (0) 412 313 626 / (0) 20 313 933 / 4 Mobile: +254 (0) 734 605 203 Email: reservations.mba@air-uganda.com Moi International Airport (MIA) Sales Office Tel: +254(0) 735 877 289 Email: reservations.mba@air-uganda.com

Dar es Salaam Sales Office Harbour View Towers J-Mall, Samora Avenue, 1st floor PO Box 22636 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Tel: +255 (0) 222 133 322 Mobile: +255 (0) 783 111 983 Email: reservationsdar@air-uganda.com Arusha (Kilimanjaro) Sales Office Summit Centre Ground floor, Arusha, Tanzania Tel: +255 (0) 733 123 777 / (0) 689 111 995 Mobile: +255 (0) 733 123 778 / (0) 769 111 992 Email: reservationsjro@air-uganda.com

Juba Sales Office Hai Suk Street (Opp. the Mosque) Juba, South Sudan Tel: +211 (0) 977 80 041 / (0) 977 153 912 Email: salesjuba@air-uganda.com

Emergency Contacts: Lydia: +256 (0) 757 717 634 – Call Center Supervisor Brian: +256 (0) 757 717 612 – Entebbe International Airport

Station Manager

Join the dots

U

O

C

E

G

Y

P

T

Z

G

H

A

N

A

Z

A

A

O

A

S

U

D

A

N

M

T

D

N

S

O

I

Z

How many African countries can you find hidden in this square?

B

E

N

I

D

X

M

A

Look for them from left to right, up and down, and diagonally.

I

K

E

N

Y

A

A

N

Score: 12 Excellent; 10– 11 Very Good; 8– 9 Good.

A

N

I

G

E

R

L

I

E

T

H

I

O

P

I

A

Answers Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia. asante | November – January 2014

MrryChrmstmsndHppyNwYr. Answer Merry Christmas and Happy New year

58 |

Add vowels to the following to complete the sentence (6 words).

Air Uganda Flight Schedule

Valid from 1 October 2013

ENTEBBE - NAIROBI FLIGHT NUMBER U7 202 U7 206 U7 204 U7 204 U7 202

DEPARTURE TIME 06:00 Hrs 12:00Hrs 19:30Hrs 18:20 Hrs 08:30Hrs

FLIGHT NUMBER U7 203 U7 207 U7 205 U7 205 U7 203

DEPARTURE TIME 07:45 Hrs 13:50Hrs 21:10Hrs 20:00Hrs 10:10Hrs

FLIGHT NUMBER U7 122 U7 120 U7 122 U7 120 U7 124

DEPARTURE TIME 07:10Hrs 14:55Hrs 08:00Hrs 15:40Hrs 12:00Hrs

FLIGHT NUMBER U7 123 U7 121 U7 123 U7 121 U7 125

DEPARTURE TIME 09:00Hrs 16:40Hrs 09:50Hrs 17:25Hrs 13:45Hrs

FLIGHT NUMBER U7 320 U7 320 U7320 U7322

DEPARTURE TIME 09:40Hrs 16:30Hrs 11:50Hrs 09:40Hrs

FLIGHT NUMBER U7 321 U7 321 U7 321 U7 323

DEPARTURE TIME 12:15Hrs 19:00Hrs 14:10Hrs 12:15Hrs

FLIGHT NUMBER U7 330 U7 330 U7 330 U7 330

DEPARTURE TIME 11:30Hrs 11:30Hrs 10:30Hrs 13:45Hrs

FLIGHT NUMBER U7 331 U7 331 U7 331 U7 331

DEPARTURE TIME 13:50Hrs 15:05Hrs 12:40Hrs 17:20Hrs

FLIGHT NUMBER U7 352 U7 352 U7 352 U7352 *U72425 *U72425 *U72423 *U72421 *U72421

DEPARTURE TIME 09:45Hrs 11:45Hrs 18:40Hrs 19:30Hrs 09:30Hrs 11:45Hrs 17:10Hrs 20:50Hrs 22:45Hrs

FLIGHT NUMBER U7 353 U7 353 U7 353 U7353 *U71424 *U71424 *U71422 *U71420 *U71420

DEPARTURE TIME 10:10Hrs 12:00Hrs 20:30Hrs 19:45Hrs 07:00Hrs 09:15Hrs 14:40Hrs 18:20Hrs 20:15Hrs

FLIGHT NUMBER U7 360 U7 352 U7 352

DEPARTURE TIME 08:30Hrs 18:40Hrs 19:30Hrs

FLIGHT NUMBER U7 361 U7353 U7 353

DEPARTURE TIME 09:00Hrs 19:20Hrs 21:00Hrs

FLIGHT NUMBER U7 330 U7 330 U7 330 U7 330

DEPARTURE TIME 11:30Hrs 11:30Hrs 10:30Hrs 13:45Hrs

FLIGHT NUMBER U7 331 U7 331 U7 331 U7 331

DEPARTURE TIME 15:30Hrs 13:25Hrs 14:10Hrs 15:40Hrs

FLIGHT NUMBER U7520 U7520 U7520

DEPARTURE TIME 07:45Hrs 07:45Hrs 07:30Hrs

ARRIVAL TIME 07:10 Hrs 13:10Hrs 20:40Hrs 19:30Hrs 09:40Hrs

FREQUENCY Mon-Fri Mon, Tue,Thur, Fri Mon- Fri Sat & Sun Sat & Sun

ARRIVAL TIME 08:55Hrs 15:00Hrs 22:20Hrs 21:10Hrs 11:20 Hrs

FREQUENCY Mon- Fri Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri Mon- Fri Sat & Sun Sat & Sun

ARRIVAL TIME 08:15Hrs 16:00Hrs 09:05Hrs 16:45Hrs 13:05Hrs

FREQUENCY Mon Mon,Wed,Thur,Sat,Sun Tue-Sun Tue,Fri Fri

ARRIVAL TIME 10:05Hrs 17:45Hrs 10:55Hrs 18:30Hrs 14:50Hrs

FREQUENCY Mon Mon,wed,Thur,Sat,Sun Tue-Sun Tue,Fri Fri

ARRIVAL TIME 11:30Hrs 18:20Hrs 13:40Hrs 11:30Hrs

FREQUENCY Mon, Wed, Thur Tue, Fri, Sun Sat Sun

ARRIVAL TIME 14:05Hrs 20:50Hrs 16:00Hrs 14:05Hrs

FREQUENCY Mon, Wed, Thur Tue, Fri, Sun Sat Sun

ARRIVAL TIME 13:10Hrs 14:25Hrs 12:10Hrs 16:40Hrs

FREQUENCY Tue Wed Fri Sun

ARRIVAL TIME 16:45Hrs 16:45Hrs 15:25Hrs 19:00Hrs

FREQUENCY Tue Wed Fri Sun

ARRIVAL TIME 09:30Hrs 11:30Hrs 20:00Hrs 09:15Hrs 09:15Hrs 11:30Hrs 16:55Hrs 20:35Hrs 22:30Hrs

FREQUENCY Tue Thu, Sat Fri Sun Mon,Wed,Fri,Sun Tue Mon, Tue, Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat, Sun Mon, Wed, Sun Fri

ARRIVAL TIME 11:55Hrs 13:45Hrs 22:15Hrs 23:00Hrs 08:45Hrs 11:00Hrs 16:25Hrs 20:05Hrs 22:00Hrs

FREQUENCY Tue Thur, Sat Fri Sun Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun Tue Mon, Tue, Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat, Sun Mon, Wed, Sun Fri

ARRIVAL TIME 08:30Hrs 18:40Hrs 20:30Hrs

FREQUENCY Tue, Thu Fri Sun

ARRIVAL TIME 11:00Hrs 22:15Hrs 23:00Hrs

FREQUENCY Tue, Thu Fri Sun

ARRIVAL TIME 14:50Hrs 12:45Hrs 13:40Hrs 15:00Hrs

FREQUENCY Tue Wed Fri Sun

ARRIVAL TIME 16:45Hrs 16:45Hrs 15:25Hrs 19:00Hrs

FREQUENCY Tue Wed Fri Sun

ARRIVAL TIME 10:00hrs 10:00Hrs 09:45Hrs

FREQUENCY Mon Wed Sat

NAIROBI - ENTEBBE

ENTEBBE - JUBA

JUBA - ENTEBBE

ENTEBBE - DAR ES SALAAM

DAR ES SALAAM - ENTEBBE

ENTEBBE - MOMBASA

MOMBASA- ENTEBBE

ENTEBBE - KIGALI

KIGALI - ENTEBBE

ENTEBBE - BUJUMBURA

BUJUMBURA - ENTEBBE

ENTEBBE - KILIMANJARO

KILIMANJARO - ENTEBBE

ENTEBBE - MOGADISHU

FLIGHT NUMBER U7521 U7521 U7521

MOGADISHU - ENTEBBE DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME 11:00Hrs 13:15Hrs 11:00Hrs 13:15Hrs 10:45Hrs 13:00Hrs For any information contact your your nearest sales office / preferred Travel Agent / our Kampala Sales & Reservation Office on 041 2 165555 /0312165555

FREQUENCY Mon Wed Sat

CROSSWORD PUZZLE & SUDOKU 2

1

3

4

5

7

6

Clues across 5 Ball-point pen (3) 8 Ripped (4)

10

9 Worn by Robin? (4)

11

10 Native American home (6) 11 Gambler gone away? That’s an improvement (6, 3)

9

8

1 Neglectful (6)

13

14

13 Demolish completely (4)

12 15

16

15 Signifies possession (3) 16 Rough metal casting (5)

17

20

21

18

19

22

17 Not able (5) 20 Plus (3)

23

24

25

22 Sensory organ (3)

27

26

23 Not stale (5) 24 Thieve (5) 26 Flying insect (3)

28

29

30

27 Scheme (4)

31

28 Circus entertainer (4, 5) 31 Eastern temple (6) 32 Agitate (4)

33

32

33 Mock audibly (4)

34

34 Zodiac sign (3)

35

35 Bent inwards (6) Answers down 1 Reward 2 Magazine 3 Stab 4 Somehow 5 Beats 6 Char 7 Not fair 12 Tat 14 Ends 18 Neap 19 Falls out 20 Artists 21 Steeped 24 Set 25 Unpaid 26 Banjo 29 Earl 30 Rare

Clues down 1 Prize (6)

Answers across 1 Remiss 5 Bic 8 Tore 9 Hood 10 Wigwam 11 Better off 13 Raze 15 Has 16 Ingot 17 Unfit 20 And 22 Ear 23 Fresh 24 Steal 26 Bee 27 Plan 28 Fire eater 31 Pagoda 32 Stir 33 Jeer 34 Leo 35 Dented

2 Publication (8) 3 Injure with sharp weapon (4) 4 In an unspecified way (7)

Sudoku

5 Vanquishes (5) 6 Singe (4)

7

7 Unfavourable (3, 4)

5

12 Rubbish (3) 14 Finishes (4) 18 Tide with small movement (4) 19 Disagrees with (5, 3) 20 Painters, e.g. (7) 21 Immersed in (7) 24 Fixed (3) 25 Unremunerated (6) 26 Stringed instrument (5) 29 Titled man (4) 30 Scarce (4)

every empty cell so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains all the numbers

a row, column or 3x3 box.

Do not guess –­ you can work it out by a process of elimination.

60 |

9

asante | November – January 2014

4

7

6

3

from 1 to 9.

No number can appear twice in

3

8 2

1 2

Place a number from 1 to 9 in

9

6

4

5 9

6 8

1 2

1

8 4

The inflight magazine of Air Uganda part of the

Issue 16

Asante ISSUE NO 16

Kenya at

The Halcyon

Bird

Nairobi Green City in the Sun

East African

Oil & Gas Sector

your complimentary copy

NOVEMBER - JANUARY 2014

1963 – 2013